Literacy Project

For my final project I decided to use Storybird with my first grade class. We started our social studies unit on Kenya two weeks ago so I decided to have the students create a story about Africa.  I went through the images with the students and we chose eleven which we felt would be appropriate pictures for a story set in Africa.  As a whole group we put the pictures in order and we wrote the text for the first page together.  I had the students work in small groups to complete the rest of the writing.  I had the class come back together as a whole group and we edited the text.  I really enjoyed watching the students work together and how well their writing matched the pictures.  When I showed my class the finished product they were so excited and proud of all their hard work.  Everyday they ask me to play the story and we even shared it with the other first grade classes!  So here it is...Our Adventures in Africa!     

Web 2.0 Project

Can't believe this is my final project for this course. I have learned so many amazing new things and I am looking forward to using them in my classroom.  Thank you so much to all of my classmates for sharing so many great resources and for creating such amazing blogs. And thank you to Judy for sharing her knowledge and for being so patient!  I decided to try something new for this project so I used GoAnimate...take a look. Web 2.0 Project by k8marques74 on GoAnimate

Animation Software - Powered by GoAnimate.

Hundreds,Tens and Ones...a Place Value Song!

Our new math unit is all about place value. During our district collaborative meeting today a colleague shared this video from YouTube. I can't wait to share it with my class!

 

Friendship Through the Eyes of a Child: A Digital Storytelling Project

Kelly and I decided to create a digital story about friendship. Kelly asked her preschool students to draw pictures about ways they could be a good friend. I also asked my first graders to draw pictures showing what it means to be a good friend. After they completed their drawings I had my students write about their pictures. I told my students we were going to be working with another class on this project and they were excited to see the drawings from Kelly's class.
I showed the video to my class and they absolutely loved it!  They enjoyed seeing their pictures and hearing the words they had written. My class enjoyed seeing the pictures Kelly's class made and they liked their suggestions for ways to be a good friend. I asked my students how we could use this video to help other children. One student suggested showing the video at the beginning of the school year to help students make new friends. Another student wanted to know if we could translate the video in different languages so students from around the world could learn from it. My all time favorite response..."I should show this video to my little brother so he won't be in the time out chair so much!"
I really enjoyed collaborating with Kelly's class and I know my students will remember this project for a long time!  Take a look and let me know what you think!
                       

My Diigo Library

Well I certainly have been giving my mouse a workout!  There are so many amazing resources available for teachers...I could spend hours every day searching!  Here is my Diigo library which includes a variety of different resources including lesson plans, activities, articles, games and much more. I can't wait to add more links to my library and I am looking forward to sharing it with my first grade colleagues.

A Cat Named Olive

My students are continuing to use Animoto at home.  Another student made a video about his new cat, Olive.  For now the students are just working on adding pictures to their videos and I have been encouraging them to add text.  Hopefully I will be able to have the students start to create videos in the classroom.  Our social studies unit on Africa is about to begin after the break and I have a lot of ideas for videos the students could create.  For now take a look at Olive the Cat.  

Read All About It!

I use a variety of early childhood literacies and digital storytelling resources in my classroom.  Our district has subscriptions to One More Story and Tumblebooks. Both of these sites have an extensive collection of pictures books and I can always find a great story to play for the students during snack time.  My personal favorite is Storyline Online, the students love listening to the different actors/actresses reading the stories.  Sean Astin reading A Bad Case of Stripes is one of my all time favorites!  If you haven't used this site before please take a look and share Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, a great story for Valentine's Day!

    

Digital Storytelling Project

I am doing my digital storytelling project with Kelly.  We decided to focus on friendship and have our students draw pictures of what it means to be a good friend.  Since Kelly teaches preschool and I teach first grade, we thought it would be interesting to compare the students' responses.  I had my students complete the activity today and they did a great job.  They were very excited when I showed them some examples of digital stories created by young children.  My students were also very excited to be working on this project with another class from a different school.  I can't wait to show them the finished product.     

Digital Storytelling: Extending the Potential for Struggling Writers

As I was searching for examples of digital stories I came across this article from Reading Rockets. The article was published in 2009 but it is still very relevant.  The authors of the article discuss how many young students struggle with the traditional literacies and how using new technologies like digital storytelling can boost motivation and increase learning opportunities.  Within the article there are many links not only to examples of digital stories but also some resources for creating videos.  Take a look and let me know what you think

Letters to Newtown

I came across this video on YouTube and I thought it was very interesting.  Since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, more than half a million cards, letters, poems and drawings have been sent to the people of Newtown from around the world.  I was wondering what would happen to all of these things and here is one idea...

Tessa's Baby Pictures

After I posted the link to Animoto on my classroom blog one of my students created an Animoto video about his dog, Tessa. He was so excited to share his video with the class and he can't wait to use the program again. Take a look...
Tessa baby pictures

Xtra Xtra...Learn All About It!

One of my favorite math resources this year has been XtraMath. It is a free math program that teaches addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts.  All you have to do is enter your class list and the students receive their own pin.  The best part is the students can log in at home and you receive weekly updates on their progress.  The parents love having the extra math practice at home and the students enjoy tracking their progress. Check it out!

Diigo

I am absolutely loving this site.  Every time I find a website I want to go back to all I have to do is hit my little Diigo icon and there it is.  For now most of my links are for first grade resources although many sites contain resources for multiple grade levels.  Check out some great resources I found.
Educational Resources

Animoto Project

In first grade we teach a science unit on Emperor penguins.  The students learn all about these amazing animals through books, videos and independent research.  We have a list of vocabulary words the students need to know by the end of the unit.  In the past I have used the book Penguins by Gail Gibbons to introduce the vocabulary words.  However some of the words are not in the text and I have to introduce the words after the reading.  I decided to make an Animoto using the key vocabulary words the students needed to know.  My students absolutely loved the video...the room was so silent!  I asked the students what they liked best about the video and they said the images.  They liked how the images matched the words and it helped them to remember the words better.  I was also surprised many students said their favorite slide was the one with the krill.  When I asked them why they said it was because krill are such tiny creatures and it was helpful to see an enlarged image.  One student commented that he liked the theme of the video with the falling snow and he felt it was an appropriate choice given the habitat of the Emperor penguins.  What a powerful teaching tool...can't wait to use it more in the classroom!

                      (all images courtesy of Google Images)

The Commutative Property of Addition

Before my math lesson this afternoon, I was searching for some additional resources to use for introducing the commutative property of addition to my first grade class.  I love to use videos with my class so I did a quick search on YouTube and I was very surprised to find quite an extensive list of videos.  This was the one I finally chose to use...take a look.

Digital Storytelling

As I was searching for Digital Storytelling, I came across a site from the University of Houston entitled The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling, which is also listed on Mr. Ferlazzo's blog. This site has some great examples and an extensive list of resources. I also found an article 7 Things You Should Know About Digital Storytelling which was very concise and gave a great overview.  Lastly check out this video I found on YouTube all about Digital Storytelling in the elementary classroom.


 

Great Resources

After reading Chapter 5: RSS, I was excited to try it out for myself.  While I was searching for some great first grade resources I came across some amazing teacher blogs.  The First Grade Lyon's Den had a lot of great resources and an interesting activity involving adjectives.  I also found another blog, First Grade Schoolbox, which had many free printables and activities for CCSS. Be sure to check out the teacher's extensive list of websites! I am looking forward to spending more time using this feature.

Online Collaborative Inquiry-Classroom Blogging Ventures and Multiple Literacies

I can clearly remember the first time I went to the library with my father and how excited I was to get my own library card.  Being able to take out books from the library was such a treat and I would look forward to choosing new books each week.  When I shared this experience with my first grade class some of students looked at me as if I was speaking another language and many of them have their own Nook at home. I do not have a Nook or Kindle and I am hesitant to purchase one.  I still enjoy going to the bookstore and buying an actual book I can turn pages in. Eventually I will probably end up buying one of the reading devices but for now I am happy to be a bit of a "dinosaur".

All of the advances in technology are amazing and new thing are being developed everyday.  The students in my first grade class are very tech savvy and definitely know more than I probably ever will. I certainly agree that the growth in digital tools has a positive effect on the students, not only does it motivate them but it can increase and/or enhance their learning.  I also agree that the technology itself is not solely responsible for student success, it is how effectively the technology is used in the classroom.  Having my classroom blog has been a great tool for my students and their parents and I am looking forward to learning about new ways to improve my blog and how to integrate these new technologies effectively into my classroom.

Animoto

I am very excited about using Animoto in my classroom. I used the idea from a previous student and created a video to introduce our new robust vocabulary words for the week.  The students loved the pictures and it really helped them to remember the words. I have so many ideas for how I can incorporate Animoto into my teaching and I would love to have the students work on creating their own. I was inspired by Taini's video she made for the vocabulary words from Frog and Toad. 

My Classroom Blog

I know I have mentioned my classroom blog before and I thought it might be helpful for you to take a look at it.  This is only my second year using the blog so I still have a lot of work to do and I am constantly trying to add posts and add new links for the students. The response to my blog has been very positive and I certainly feel it is a valuable tool to use in the classroom and the students enjoy using the links at home. So take a look and let me know what you think...Mrs. Marques' First Grade Blog.

 

               http://baloo-baloosnon-politicalcartoonblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/teacher-cartoon.html

Chapter 4: Wikis

My only experience with wikis has been with using Wikipedia. I have used this site to search for information when I was writing a research paper and I have used it to search for information on various topics to use in my classroom.  Recently I used Wikipedia to search for information on polar bears to share with my first graders.  Some of my students were actually familiar with the site and they enjoyed watching the videos about polar bears.  However I have found Simple English Wikipedia to be more age appropriate for my class.  This chapter made me think about ways I could use wikis in my classroom.  I liked the idea of creating an online text for the curriculum that the students could contribute to. My students are always talking about great websites they find at home about topics we are studying and it would be great if they had a place where they could share these sites with their classmates.  I am looking forward to exploring some of the examples from the chapter.  

Chapter 3: Weblogs

I have to admit that I was actually thrown into the whole “blogging world” without having a chance to really know what I was getting into.  There was a push in my school for teachers to find ways to communicate with parents and students through various forms of technology.  My classroom blog was actually set up initially by one of my colleagues who had been blogging for three years.  I never took a course or had professional development on how to use my blog.  My only resource has been and continues to be one of my first grade colleagues, who is very tech savvy and patient!  Of course I was hesitant at first but the incoming first graders were familiar with blogs since each Kindergarten class had their own blog.  Parents were almost expecting the blogs to continue and I knew that it would be a great tool to use in the classroom.  In the beginning, I would basically use my blog as a way to inform the parents about what the students were learning about and to provide educational links.  The parents appreciated the information and said it helped them to initiate conversations at home.  As I have become more comfortable with using my blog I have started to add videos and slideshows.  Most of the videos are from YouTube and are directly related to the curriculum.  For example in mathematics we were learning about shapes and I found a great video about polygons which was created by a third grade class.  The students absolutely loved the video and I posted it on my blog. I have also started to create slideshows of student work, classroom activities and field trips.  The site I use is Kizoa, very user friendly and the free slideshow templates are great! I love my blog but I still find the most difficult part is finding the time to post and to explore all of the amazing things you can do with a blog.         

New Literacies and NETS

New literacies refer to the variety of new forms of literacy which are made possible by developments in digital technology. New forms of reading and writing are emerging as the Internet and other new technologies for literacy enter classrooms. 

NETS for Students are the standards for evaluating the skills and knowledge students need to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly digital world. Students need to be able to use technology to analyze, learn, and explore.

      Creativity and Innovation- students need to be able to think creatively, gain knowledge and develop new products using various forms of technology.

      Communication and Collaboration- students work and communicate collaboratively using digital media. 

      Research and Information Fluency- students gather, evaluate and use information by applying digital tools. 

     Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making- students use various digital resources and tools to solve problems and conduct research.

     Digital Citizenship- students practice and use ethical behavior when using different forms of technology.  

     Technology Operations and Concepts- students should be able to use and understand different forms of technology.  

      Here is a link to the detailed description of the NETS for Students:  

      NETS for Students 

      

      NETS for Teachers are the standards for evaluating the skills and knowledge educators need to teach, work, and learn in an increasingly connected global and digital society.

     Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity- teachers advance student learning through their knowledge of curriculum and technology.

     Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments- teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment.

     Model Digital Age Work and Learning- teachers are knowledgeable about a variety of technologies and use them effectively in the classroom.

      Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility- teachers understand and model appropriate uses of different technologies for their students.

      Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership- teachers continue to grow as educators and remain current on technological advances and share their knowledge with their students.

     Here is a link to the detailed description of the NETS for teachers: 
     NETS for Teachers

       

Chapter Two: Weblogs

In our district there has been a considerable push for more technology in the classrooms.  As part of this push many teachers in my school started their own classroom blogs.  With students coming up from Kindergarten with blog experience, the push has been for each grade level to have their own blog.  Last year I started a classroom blog with the help of one of my first grade colleagues.  I have to admit the thought of adding one more thing to my “overflowing plate” seemed overwhelming but I decided to make it one of personal goals for the year.  Going into my second year I have to say I absolutely love it!  It was not easy at first but after learning about all the tools and setting aside a time to post it started to become easier.  The main purpose for my blog is to inform parents about what we are learning about in the classroom.  I post videos which relate to the curriculum and links to websites the students can use at home.  I also create videos using Kizoa to post photos from class fieldtrips, classroom activities and student work samples.  The response to my blog has been very positive; the parents really appreciate the updates and the links.  The students love seeing their work and the videos of themselves.  As I move forward with my blog I am looking forward to creating a page for the students to post comments and to add their own links.    

Chapter One: The Read/Write Web

Actual quote from one of my first graders…”Last night while I was on my iPad I Facetimed three of my friends. I sent them a video of my first skiing lesson!”  At that moment I realized a few things, #1 I need to invest in an iPad, #2 I am so glad my mother does not have any videos of any of my “firsts” and #3 things have certainly changed since I was in first grade!  I am constantly in awe of how tech savvy my first graders are on a daily basis and how many of them have access to such a wide variety of technology tools at home.  I will be the first to admit that I was not raised with personal computers, cell phones or even a DVD player!  I think my first experience using a computer was in middle school and it was about the size of a small suitcase!  I can clearly remember the first day I used my Smartboard in my classroom and one of my students had to show me how to freeze the screen so I could do a search without showing the whole class.  Most of my students had a Smartboard in their classroom in Kindergarten and had a great deal of experience using it.  My children have a Smartboard in their preschool classroom and they know how to find apps on my phone faster than I can.  Technology is everywhere and there are so many valuable resources which can be used in the classroom.  I use some form of technology in my classroom everyday and not only do the students enjoy it they almost expect it.  

First class

Happy Thursday Night!

Feeling excited about starting my second blog! Looking forward to using Animoto in my classroom.