Week 10 - Screencasting with Jing

The purpose of this screencast is to formally introduce my second grade students and their families to the Spelling City website. This step-by-step screencast will enable students to not only see and hear how to access the site, but they will be shown exactly which features they may use on the website to study and practice their assigned words. Using Spelling City has been an option for my students each week on Thursday nights to prepare for their word study (spelling) tests. However, only a few students have taken advantage of this. Spelling City will be a required homework activity beginning after Spring Break. This screencast will give the students the information and confidence they need to be successful.

http://www.screencast.com/users/changclassroom/folders/Jing/media/999b57bb-9d78-4ef4-b37c-97c7399dfbb1

Week 9 - Google Maps

In our letter-writing and geography unit, we have been sending a "Flat Stanley" to students' friends and relatives around the world. Until last week, we had a Michigan, United States, and World Map posted in the classroom and we put a pin in the map when Flat Stanley came back from another destination. Our customized Google Map has been a much more exciting way to log, follow, and track Flat Stanley's progress across the world.

My second grade students would have a very difficult time mapping this on their own, so I have created this map with them as our Flat Stanley unit has progressed. As a class, we read the information that is sent back from the recipient, mark it on the Google Map, summarize the content of the letter we received, and customize the map to meet our needs. It was the students' idea to color code the map the way that we did (e.g. red pin/red line). They were really excited about working on this together and being able to access the site from home to show their families. In our classroom, this is a map that we will be referring back to for several months, as our Flat Stanley letters come back from the recipients.

View Flat Stanley's Journey in a larger map

Week 6 - Podcasts

Teaching with Technology Podcast

This podcast is a weekly series that includes suggestions, tips, advice, and examples of how to incorporate current technologies into the classroom. The techniques presented are geared toward K-12 teachers. Topics range from using iPods/iPads at all levels, cyberbullying, publishing a podcast and/or e-book to current trends in technology and education. This really is a comprehensive podcast which includes an incredible variety of topics and examples for implementation for teachers.

My Childhood Home - Frankenmuth, Michigan

View Larger Map

Hilarious Video About Appreciating Today's Technologies

My Family - Christmas 2010

Week Five - Photo Sharing

I just love the Picasa program for managing and organizing my digital pictures. I use this program to upload pictures to Winkflash or other sites to create digital scrapbooks. I knew that there was an online photo sharing component, but I hadn't tried it out yet. Here's my first attempt at photo sharing on Picasa Web Albums. I'd love for you to check out my site. :)