HyperHomeschool

The following is a reflection on our fall semester regarding ways we have successfully used technology to add diversity to our curriculum as well as enhance our children's learning.  I have a passion for creating and developing interactive unit studies  and lessons that integrate technology in meaningful and exciting ways.  I have been inspired by many classroom teachers through my PLN and value the varied discussions that have evolved over the last few months.  Even though I know many people are familiar with the different programs and sites mentioned here, I still find value in sharing what has worked for us.   Hopefully, you can find some ideas that will prove useful to you.

*************************************************************************************** Language Arts

• Wordle: A great site devoted to creating word clouds and making learning fun.  It is very user-friendly and so much fun.  We have been integrating wordles in a variety of ways to enhance our learning.  Even our three year old has been given wordles to explore the alphabet.  Wow!  Cyber-preschool!  Check out the list below to see what we have done.  Click on the links to see examples.
  • created wordles of weekly spelling lists 
  • explored vowels vs. consonants 
  • identified the letters and sounds of the alphabet
  • color coded parts of speech and identified types of pronouns
  • created examples of figurative language
  • created character studies of novels like Bridge to Terabithia, Owl Moon, and Frindle.
  • highlight weekly bible verses and favorite passages
  • mind maps for creative writing topics
    

• Spell With Flickr: Create a visual masterpiece of your weekly spelling words!  Check out one activity I used with our 1st and 2nd grader.

• Spelling City:  A tried and true site by many parents and teachers, spellingcity.com provides an alternative to the usual "drill and kill" method of learning spelling words.  Through online games and activities, children can explore not only the spelling of a word, but also its meaning.  If you are one who still clings to handouts, printables are available for most activities.  You can even take weekly tests online and record student progress.

• Glogster:  Interactive learning at its best!  This has been a big hit with our children and a great way to revitalize our novel studies.  Our oldest daughter routinely creates digital posters as final projects for the novels she has read, special unit studies, and even as an outlet for displaying writing assignments.  As a fourth grader, she taught herself how to include videos, wordles, images, summaries, and many other treats to make this task truly a multi-sensory experience.  In addition, her enthusiasm inspired her younger brother and sister, who are in 1st and 2nd grades.  Don't forget to take a chance on the younger students, you just might be surprised how much they can accomplish!  Check out some of their posters:
  • Going Batty
  • Nastia Luikin: My Inspiration
  • Bridge to Terabithia

• StoryBird:  These are short, visual stories that students (and teachers) create online.  It is intended to be a collaboration of ideas.  We have found it to be a way to spark enthusiasm into our creative writing.  Again, this site is user-friendly and free.  Not only can you create your own story-bird, you can read others creations. Check out the one I made for our three year old called Chasing Butterflies.  Around Halloween, everyone wanted to write their own "Trick or Treat" stories.  Check out their creations!

• ToonDoo:  This is a simple, creative, online comic book creator that makes writing fun for our second grader. After journaling about a superhero this morning, he was inspired to create a comic strip version of his story. Once your account is created, you are able to choose from existing backgrounds, characters and props or you can create or upload your own.  It is a great way to bring out the artistic side of a reluctant writer.

• Grammar Ninja:    We just checked this out today.  This is an interactive game with three levels of play: beginner, skilled, and master ninja.  Throughout the game, you are asked to identify various parts of speech by choosing the correct word(s) from the given sentences.  It moves quickly and is a great alternative to handouts.  There is also a Grammar Ninja Sentence Creator available for download.

• Writing Fix:  This site provides a wealth of resources to enhance any writing curriculum.  Centered around the 6+1 Traits method, writing fix provides many writing prompt generators, lesson plans, and strategies for improving writing instruction.  We have used the right-brain writing prompt generator this week to kick-start our daily journaling.  The kids have really enjoyed writing and are actually excited to see what tomorrow might bring (for journaling, that is).

• Google Docs:  This is another way I have tried to make writing fun!  I created gmail accounts for each child and showed them how to access the word processor.  Basically, we have established a writer-editor relationship.  As a paper is created, they share it with me.  Then, I am able to make critiques and/or suggestions and send it back to them.  Eco-friendly and fun!
  

• Bubble.us: This is a fun, interactive mind mapping tool.  Use this for brainstorming, organizing research, and stimulating the writing process. Check out our Going Batty With Web 2.0 to view an example of how to use this resource.

• Animoto: This is a great slideshow tool.  Educators have the added benefit of requesting a free account.  Definitely worth checking out! We used this as a way to highlight the different species of bats after completing a unit study.  Like everything presented on this sight, it was created by our children.  Amazing what children are able to accomplish!

• Visuwords: Take dictionary skills into the 21st-century! This is an amazing online graphical dictionary and is a great vocabulary development tool.
  

Science

We are studying physical science this semester and are having so much fun.  It does help that their daddy is a physicist.  As a result, we have a wealth of resources available at our fingertips.  Using the ESET curriculum developed by San Diego State University, our students have been focusing on energy this week.  To supplement our discussion, we have used the following resources:

• BrainPOP:  I can't say enough about BrainPOP.  We love it!  There are many free movies available, but it id definitely worth the monthly fee to make the full repertoire available to you.  Each topic is complete with vocabulary explorations, graphic organizers, activities, and suggestions for further exploration.  Everyone loves when we learn with Moby and Tim.

• Wordles: If you haven't figured this out by now, this is one of my favorite tools!  In science, wordles can be used to create a study guide or to highlight key concepts.  For example, our 4th grader created a wordle to highlight the different ways bats are helpful.
  

• Motion Sensors: We have also used motion sensors and corresponding software to create speed-time graphs.  Being a math person, this has been really fun.  I am so excited to be able to provide opportunities for our children to lay a foundation in interpreting graphs and understanding relationships between data.  Modeling is essential in science and math.

• Google Docs: This has been an invaluable tool!  I plan to introduce spreadsheets as a means to further explore the relationships between data through graphical representations.  This can be so much fun and yummy too!  Here's one idea: Take a bag of Skittles and chart the amount of each color or what about a blind taste-test between who prefers milk or dark chocolate?  Oh the possibilities!
  

• Web Search: I have really pushed our oldest daughter this semester.  One of her favorite activities focused on kinetic energy calculations.  Using her background knowledge of order of operations, exponents, multiplication and division, I asked her to investigate which animal would release more kinetic energy: a cheetah or an elephant.  In doing this activity, she had to use the internet to research the average mass and velocity of each animal and then take this information to compute the amount of kinetic energy released.  Check out the activity if you're interested.

• Glogster: Yes, you can use glogster in science class!  All three students collaborated on this magnetism project.
  

History

We are studying the Middle Ages throughout this school year using The Story of the World as well as History Odyssey Level 2.  We are so lucky to be living in the age of technology!  Here are a few things we have been doing to make history come alive.

• Scratch: This is a computer programming language developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten program at MIT.  All I can say is, it's amazing!  After being assigned a writing project on William the Conqueror, our 4th grader blew me away by creating an interactive report in Scratch.

• Google Forms: I have been using this to create self-grading quizzes.  This serves as a review and a way to stimulate discussion.

• Wordles: These word clouds are a great way to highlight central themes and review historical events for a particular region or time period.  Here are some of our examples:
  • Normans and Saxons
    • Created to highlight the differences between these two groups
      
  • The First Kings of England
    • Created to use as a study guide
      

• Dipity: This is an interactive timeline where students can upload links, videos, and images to highlight each individual entry.  Check out our timeline of medieval history.

• Google Earth: Develop your map skills and explore the earth in 21st century style!  Besides the obvious explorations you can do with a globe, I enjoy creating virtual field trips.  Two of our favorites have been:
  • Columbus Day Adventures: Click on the thumbnail to download a file that allows you to relive Columbus' maiden voyage to the New World.  This link includes suggestions for activities and lesson extensions.
  • Exploring History With Google Earth: The Diaspora of the Jews
    

• Walk Through Time:  This is an interactive history site created by the BBC for 7-9 year olds.  Lots of fun!

• Glogster:  Again, digital posters are a great way to summarize information and encourage research and develop organization skills. We have created glogs showcasing various topics:
  • Christmas Traditions Around the World
  • The Life of Charlemagne
  • The First Thanksgiving
    

• History for Kids:  This is another wonderful site created by the BBC with a wealth of information and activities.

•  Eyeplorer: This is a great research tool where you search the web by topic and a wealth of information becomes available to you at a click of a button. 
  

Computer Programming

We use Scratch to introduce our children to computer programming.  As mentioned earlier, this is an amazing program developed by MIT to encourage students to imagine, program, and share.  As a graphical programming language, students are able to explore the world of computer programming without getting bogged down in syntax.  I am amazed at the possibilities.  Our oldest daughter, uses her Bamboo drawing tablet to create her own animations in Scratch.  They have created basic video games, as well as, tutorials.  Last year, Abby made a interactive tutorial about poetry.  After selecting a type of poetry, you would be directed to a page with a definition, example, and an original creation.  Wow!  She proceeded to tell me this was more fun than simply writing it on paper.  This year she continues to find new and exciting ways to use Scratch.  Here are my favorite examples:

• Just Scratching the Surface of Fractions
• Interactive Report on William the Conqueror
• Rainbow Cat: This was created by our first grader entirely by herself!  Not bad for her first intro into programming.

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This is just a glimpse into some of the things we have done over the fall semester.  Everyday is an adventure and I am thankful to be able to let our children have such wonderful opportunities.  It's funny!  I slowly find myself letting go of the rigors of traditional learning and embracing new ways of thinking about teaching and education.  I am amazed at the mind of a child and what it can accomplish if simply given the chance to imagine, discover and grow.  I wish everyone a blessed new year!