Hour of Coding

Today we are celebrating a Day of Coding!  Here are some fantastic resources to help your children learn the basics of coding:

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/10-free-resources-to-help-you-learn-to-code/

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/teach-kids-coding-resources-parents-matt-davis

https://skillcrush.com/2016/03/15/64-online-resources-to-learn-to-code-for-free/

https://mommypoppins.com/coding-kids-free-websites-teach-learn-programming

Common Sense Media on Coding

TECH TIP TUESDAY!

VOKI

USING VOKI IN THE CLASSROOM

Here are some creative ways to use Voki in your classroom. Voki is a tool that students can use to create a talking character. They can be customized to look like animals, historical figures, cartoons, and even the student.  There is an element where the student can also add their voice.

1. 

This...Is...ME!

Try this as a fun icebreaker at back-to-school time. Let students create characters that look like themselves. Then have students write a script that identifies their best qualities and communicates what’s most important to them. Ask them to use one of the three audio input methods to record their tracks. Have students share their animations with the class.

2. 

Fictional Characters Come to Life

Begin this public speaking exercise by having students design their interpretations of famous characters from literature. Then ask them to use one of the three audio input methods to record their favorite monologue by any one character from a book they’ve read. Give students time to use their animations to help them remember their monologues. Have them present their animations to the class, followed by them reciting their monologues without the help of the animation.

3.

Historical Figures Come to Life

Students can use their avatars to engage in debates and topic discussions - such as Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan engaging in issues of states rights and federalism.  Likewise, students could use their avatar creations to address a homework question. Another good use of Voki avatars is to re-enact famous speeches such as the Gettysburg Address, or to summarize the President's State of the Union Speech in under two minutes by examining word clouds released after the speech.

4.

Vocabulary Rundown
This is a great activity for language arts, English or foreign-language classes. Ask students to design characters. Let them be very creative, as character design isn’t important for this exercise. Have students make a list of some vocabulary words they need to practice that week. Ask them to use one of the three audio input methods to record the five words and their definitions. Then have kids quiz themselves by pausing the animation right before the character states the definition.

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Remind Me

TECH TIP TUESDAY!

Good morning! Every Tuesday, I will send an e-mail with suggestions of ways to integrate technology into your classroom.  This will include interactive programs and websites, ways to use your new Epson boards, and other various ways to effectively use technology in your classroom. 

Welcome to:

TECH TIP TUESDAY!

Here are five suggestions on how to use your Epson whiteboards in your classroom:

1. Google Earth - This free application can be accessed through your Epson board and using your pointer you can visit any location around the world and zoom in on locations that you are teaching in your classroom. It will give you cross-curricular activities and the locations are in 3D.

2. Flash-Based online activities - http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Interactive.aspx

Interactive Whiteboard Resources - Topmarks www.topmarks.co.uk Welcome to our Interactive Whiteboard Resources! To get started pick a subject, then an age group from the menu on the left. We've been working ...

This site provides a wealth of interactive whiteboard resources that cover a variety of different subjects for various grade levels and topics.  Additionally, most of the resources on the Topmarks site are free.  All you need to do is select a subject, then a grade level, and integrate the lesson with your classroom interactive whiteboard.

3. Create a review of a class field trip - Prior to taking an educational field trip, tell students you want them to collect images and videos during the field trip.  Collect and use these materials to build a recap of the field trip using an interactive whiteboard and create engaging classroom activities that allow students to review what they learned during the field trip.

4. Capture the moment -  Record the sequence of IWB pages used in your lesson, including audio. You can experiment with free online screen recording tools such as Jing,Screencast-o-Matic, Snipping Tool for Windows or Skitch for Mac users. Students can even capture what they’re doing on their own screens, then you can create and embed a video of their work into your IWB lesson. For a biography unit, students might work individually or in small groups to create digital posters highlighting their subjects’ achievements. Gather their work into a video to use in another lesson, on your class or school’s website or to share at a special parent night.

5. Cast a web - Imbed Web links into your lessons to bring academic concepts to life. If you’re teaching research skills, include a link to one of the online databases that kids will be using. If your students are learning about George Washington, link an image or block of text to an online virtual tour of Mount Vernon, Washington’s home. Before introducing students to “The Diary of Anne Frank,” link to a virtual tour of the home that was her hiding place during the time that she wrote her diary.

We have enjoyed seeing all of our kids back for media center orientation!  Second through fifth grade classes have done a great job at our QR code scavenger hunt using our iPads.  It has been a great way to incorporate technology while introducing a new concept to most of our students.  Next week, we will begin our instruction on what it means to be a digital citizen!

Welcome back Cliftondale Mustangs!  I hope everyone had a great summer and read plenty of books! This year promises to be fantastic and I can't wait to show you new ways to use technology.  A few new things we will have in the media center this year are: mini typing lessons, a book club for 4th and 5th grade students, Book Talk Fridays on the morning announcements, and plenty more!
I look forward to seeing you guys!

Tutorials

Hi!  

Teachers: here are links to tutorials on how to assist with adding your award's day recipients to the Excel spreadsheet that was sent to you:

One is how to edit collaborative documents using OneDrive and Office 365: 

Editing Collaborative Documents using OneDrive and Office 365

The other is how to you can access all of the tabs at the bottom of an Excel spreadsheet:

Excel - Scrolling Worksheet Tabs

Summer Reading Challenge

Enter the Cliftondale Elementary School Media Center's Summer Reading Challenge!  Click on the link below for more information:

Summer Reading Packet

Prepare for Summer Reading!

Check out Fulton County Schools' Summer Reading information:

Fulton County's Summer Reading Info

 Georgia’s Summer Reading Challenge

Research studies show that --

• reading loss occurs for most children when they are not in a formal learning environment or not engaged in any form of educational activities during the summer.


• students can have up to a 2-3 month loss in reading ability over summer.


• lower income students may suffer most due to lack of books in the home and transportation access to public libraries.


• rural area students also lack easy access.


• innovative partnering of schools, publishers, and public libraries has great promise for solving the summer reading loss dilemma

Summer reading loss can be minimized.  

Research shows that children who read during the summer do not have to suffer this reading loss and may even show some growth in their reading ability.  

• Harvard University Professor Dr. James S. Kim has demonstrated that when students read a minimum of eight high-interest, ability-appropriate books over the summer, their reading skills grow as much as students who attend summer school.

Citation: Kim, J.S. (2005). Project READS (Reading Enhances Achievement During Summer): Results from a Randomized Field Trial of a Voluntary Summer Reading Intervention. Paper presented at Princeton University, Education Research Section, November 7, 2005.

Text Demand by Grade

Grade	Text Measures
1	190L to 530L
2	420L to 650L
3	520L to 820L
4	740L to 940L
5	830L to 1010L
6	925L to 1070L
7	970L to 1120L
8	1010L to 1185L
9	1050L to 1260L
10	1080L to 1335L
11 and 12	1185L to 1385L

 

Media Center Trivia

As we wind down the last few weeks of school, we will have a daily media center trivia question for students to answer. A winner will be picked everyday and announced on the morning broadcast for the winning student to come and get a prize from Ms. Bowman. Stay tuned for the first question on Monday, May 2. Good luck!

Rules:
-Only one entry per student.
-Enter in the media center by filling out a trivia entry form.  You can also click on the link to the left titled Trivia Answer Form. Make sure you put the date, your answer, your name, and your teacher's name.
-One winner's name will be drawn from the trivia box.  The first person drawn with the correct answer will get a prize!

Plagiarism Detectors

Here are some FREE sites that teachers can use to check their students' papers:

Dupli Checker
Noplag
The Plagiarism Checker
Plagiarism Detector

End-of-Year Visits

We will have a modified media center schedule for the next two weeks.  

May 2 - 6 is Week A. All week A classes will come to the media center for a 15 - 20 minute activity on the end of school and summer reading.  

May 9 - 13 is Week B. All week B classes will come to the media center for a 15 - 20 minute activity on the end of school and summer reading.

Teachers will need to stay with their classes for their time in the media center. 

This is a great opportunity for students who have not returned books to return them! 

Barnes and Noble Summer Reading

Check out Barnes and Noble's Summer Reading Triathalon!

Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Packet

Also, check out Barnes and Noble's Summer Parent/Child Book Club Picks

NO overdues!! Congrats!

Congratulations to the following classes for turning all of their books in for the year:

Ms. Alford's Kindergarten class
Ms. Reid's Kindergarten class

We want all of our books to come in by May 13!  We are adding stars on our Media Center Stars chart for each class that has ZERO overdue books.  Let's see if we can fill up the entire chart with stars!

REMEMBER ALL BOOKS ARE DUE BY MAY 13.  ENJOY READING!

Educational Technology Tools

Teacher Tools:

1. Nearpod - www.nearpod.com

Nearpod is an exciting way to create interactive lessons.  While you are teaching students about a particular skill or standard, you can give students quizzes, surveys, drawing activities, and more.  As the teacher, you can view all of your students' progress and even see reports. To sign up, go to http://www.nearpod.com/signup and choose the free educator plan.

2. Typeform - www.typeform.com
Typeform allows you to type beautiful surveys, reviews the reports on Typeform's webpage, and export and analyze the data.  You can do most common question formats, and it's all free.

3. Kahoot! - www.kahoot.com
Like an interactive game show with music and timers, Kahoot! allows teachers to check for understanding dynamic team formats. Results can be saved and viewed as reports. Students can even earn points for how well they do and how quickly they respond. Students can participate using many types of mobile devices as well as regular desktop computers.

4. Socrative - www.socrative.com
Socrative is similar to Kahoot! in that it is a web-based student response system. Socrative allows a teacher to go into more depth for the assessments.  Also, there are less multimedia aspects and time pressure, making Socrative more like a traditional kind of assessment and less like a game. Teachers can create quizzes, surveys, and exit slips to check for learning.

Student Tools

5.  Prezi - https://prezi.com
Microsoft PowerPoint has been standard in  the classroom for quite some time. Prezi allows you to bring movement and energy easily to your slide shares. With Prezi, students do not have to have licenses to software to create slide presentations, just a free account.

6. Booktrack Classroom - http://booktrackclassroom.com
Have you ever thought about the soundtrack of the text you are reading? Do you have students who struggle with reading and need ways to make text more compelling? Booktrack allows you and your students to create soundtracks to text, public domain texts, or your students' own stories.  There are free sound clips including public domain songs, ambient sounds and sound effects.

7. Zaption - https://www.zaption.com
Zaption allows you to take videos from passive tools to interactive ones where you can add links, questions, surveys, and so much more.  There are even reports to see progress.

8. Piktochart - https://magic.piktochart.com
Piktochart is a free, web-based tool that allows students to create infographics.  Students can use their own images, visuals from the web, or icons from the tool.  By tying together images, text, charts, and other visuals, students can make information come to life.

-Lara EnglishHill, Catapult Learning

PLEASE RETURN YOUR BOOKS!

Wow!  What a fantastic year this has been at Cliftondale Elementary School!  It is that time of year again where we are collecting our books.  The last day for book check out is Friday, April 22, 2016.  All books must be turned in or fines paid for lost materials by May 13; otherwise, student records will not be released.  We definitely do not want that to happen!

We are having a contest to see which classes will be the first three classes to return ALL of their books.  These classes will receive a prize so go ahead and finish up your reading and get your books in!  Tomorrow, I will run overdues to see which classes are in the lead so make sure you tune in to our Wake Up Mustangs broadcast!

Nearpod Basics

NEW BOOKS! YAY!

Hello everyone!  Today I am beginning my media center blog.  I am Ms. Bowman, Media and Educational Technology Instructor at Cliftondale Elementary School in Atlanta, GA. Yes, I know it is the end of April, but it is never too late to display your love of reading!  I received new books today and I wanted to share! A librarian at heart, I embrace the technology changes that have swiftly encompassed our schools and "media centers". However, when new books arrive, I cannot help but to be thrilled to add them to our collection and can't wait to see our little faces light up in excitement to check them out. New to our collection are several Choose Your Own Adventures, new and improved! We also have a few other interactive adventure series, including those from the You Choose collection. These have interactive history stories, modern history stories, and survival adventure stories.  Some other books we received are: Naruto, Bone, My Little Pony graphic novels, Star Wars graphic novels, Stink chapter books, Princess chapter books, Jake Maddox sports novels, Batman the Brave and the Bold graphic novels, DC Superfriends graphic novels, the Leven Thumps series, and The Land of Stories series. I wish my kids had longer to enjoy these books, but it is the END OF THE YEAR! Time for the heavy task of getting all of the books back!

Cliftondale Media Center Website