Favorite Tech Tools This Week

October is here and fall is in the air.  Time for nature walks and leaf rubbings.  Time to break out the jeans and long-sleeved t-shirts.  Yeah right!  Who am I kidding?  We live in Southeast Louisiana and our highs have been close to ninety degrees all week and apparently we are in the middle of monsoon season.  Due to the fact we cannot explore outside, we have been doing lots of great exploring inside.  In fact, we even explored the New World with Christopher Columbus.  I wanted to share some of our favorite tech tools this week and how we used them to enhance our learning.

Columbus Day Adventures 

(Details of the Adventures)

Google Earth: Using a tour I created on Google Earth, we retraced the maiden voyage of Christopher Columbus.  Along the way, we measured distances between cities, countries, and continents.  It was a great way to relive the voyage across the Atlantic and think about what it may have been like for these early explorers.  Click on the map below to download the .kmz file to upload into Google Earth.

Google Docs: We explored Columbus' travel logs using Google Docs.  Using the spreadsheet utility , we created line graphs.  I used this as an exploration in interpreting graphs and understanding data.  In addition, the kids learned how to share files with Google Docs!  

Webquests: As a final activity, I found two great webquests to round out our Columbus Day Adventures.

1st and 2nd grade webquest:  Ahoy! Columbus

4th grade webqest: Christopher Columbus

Wordles

These fantastic word clouds have been a favorite from the beginning.  For that reason, I am constantly seeking ways I can integrate them in a meaningful way.  Check out what we did this week!

• History:  We created a wordle to highlight the era of the Carolingians from 751-843 A.D.  I used the word cloud as a way to review key people, place and historical events.  

• Religion:  Our Bible verse for the week was Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.  We were continuing our discussion of the Golden Rule and focusing specifically on friendship.  The kids brainstormed what it means to be a friend and created a wordle.

• Science: After our lab on magnetism, I had the kids create a wordle of key ideas.  The next day I pulled up the wordle on the computer and had them use it to answer review questions.

Digital Posters

Like wordle, Glogster rules the day!  The kids created an amazing digital poster on magnetism.  It was a type of final project highlighting what they had learned this week.  Everyone contributed and it was a team effort!

Math Mysteries

Being a math teacher, I am always looking for ways to develop conceptual understanding, make connections, and to enrich our children's mathematics instruction.  This week, I created an exploration into area and perimeter using Legos.  I figured there would be instant excitement because it involves a family favorite toy.  

• Lego Math- Explorations in Area and Perimeter

I developed this lesson with our second-grader in mind, however, I feel it is appropriate for grades 2-4.  A few people have suggested it would be a good segue into community design.  With this in mind, I am exploring the possibilities of using Lego Digital Designer to create virtual models.  I'll keep you posted!

All in all, it has been a productive week!  There are so many more "techy tools" I want to explore and I am excited about the possibilities.  It amazes me that our 9 year old daughter has started a blog and that our 6 year old is learning how to program in Scratch.  I am blown away at the resources available to educators and students at the mere click of a button.  I have such a passion for teaching and finding new ways to help our children develop critical thinking and conceptual understanding.  Hopefully, I am modeling how to effectively integrate technology in a meaningful and productive way so that they can have a positive learning experience.

**For other great ideas, check out Thirsty Thursday.  Happy Learning!**

TEL Excitement This Week!

As I looked out of the window in our study and watched the rain trickle down, I was unmotivated to tackle the mountain of work that lay waiting for me.  As usual, I began mindlessly searching the internet for something to spark my creativity.  I wanted something exciting and engaging.  Something, anything to liven up a rather bleak, dreary, rainy week I knew we were facing.  After a long hour of mindless wanderings, I stumbled across something wonderful... 

I am so excited about homeschooling this week!  I have decided to get our creative juices flowing with some wonderful activities as well as bring to life a wonderful children's classic.  From podcasting to Google Earth, we are going to add some flair to our learning.  Check it out how we are using technology this week to enhance our learning.

• Each morning we are going to kick off journal time with an image from Flickr showcasing beautiful autumn scenes from around the world.  After journaling about the scene, we are going to locate the place of origin on Google Earth.  If we are feeling really crazy, we may calculate the distance from our home to theirs.  I always love to introduce math concepts wherever possible!

• After completing our spelling pre-tests, I'll have the kids use Spell With Flickr to create collage images of the words they need to focus on for the week.  I figure this will add a twist to the mundane!
  • Check out our progress!

• Fractions rule the day with math this week.  For our first grader, we are going to take a nature walk and collect several leaves, rocks, and acorns.  Then, we will come back and write fraction stories with our treasures.  Our 4th grader is reviewing operations with fractions.  As a project, we are going to explore The Tortoise and the Hare Race in a whole new light using an applet from Interactivate.  She loves a challenge!  So, I thought we would apply the concept of multiplying fractions by looking at Zeno's Paradox. 

• In Medieval History, we are exploring the Carolingians and the Kingdom of the Franks.  We will continue to develop our interactive history timeline using Dipity.  Also, our oldest will research the life of Charlemagne and write a biography using Google Docs.  I have to say this has made the editing process much easier for both of us. 
  
  • Check out Abby's glog on The Life Of Charlemagne.
  • She also made a digital poster to finish her study of the novel Bridge to Terabithia.  Check out the fun!

• To highlight the culture of the Middle Ages during the life of Charlemagne, we will look at the origin of the fleur de lis and the merovingian brooch.  Using our creative sides, I am going to let the kids create fleur de lis masterpieces using acrylics, oils, or mosaics.  I'll post the final results.

• The Force runs strong in our house as our study of Newton's Laws comes to a close.  I found a great video from Planet SciCast that explains these laws though experiments.  Inspired by these students, I thought we would finish our unit by creating our own podcast.  After all, the best way to show you understand something is if you can teachit to someone else.

• Our first grader is going on a Google Lit Trip as she tracks the path of the ducklings using Google Earth.  Thank you Mary Ellen (Mel) McNamara for a wonderful project!

• Finally, on Wednesday, we are going on a virtual field trip to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to celebrate a dolphin named Winter.  Check out our lesson plan for this live webcast.

The dreary, rainy afternoon has stimulated my creative side and to this I am thankful.  I am looking forward to a wonderful week of learning with our children and am ready to be amazed at the mind of a child.

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken
joy in creative expression and knowledge.
Albert Einstein