"Do you need NAILS pounded into anything??"

Picture captured from: http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2013/01/02


A teacher has MANY resources.  Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by all that we have.  We think to ourselves, "That is a GREAT tool, but when will I have time to get that into my classroom?"  So - teachers adapt and pick the best of the best resources to share with their kids.  Each teacher picks differently.  What I would use for my students may not be the best for someone else.  Everything is tailored to the students and focused on their individual needs.  We do our best to give the best education to our students in the time that we have them.

We have to be tuned to listening to what tools they would like to use, too.  What interests them.  Bringing iPads into the classroom is a natural tool for my students.  While some have NO IDEA what to do with an iPad in the hands of their kids - some need to be reminded that we can begin with small steps - things we have already to enhance the learning for all children.

I have been surprised this year by my kids.  I have found this year that my students want more.  They expect it.  They demand it.  My students have an "Edmodo" account.  This account is a free service and a private Facebook look alike that allows me to "fill their backpacks" with websites, newsletters, videos for tutorials....."  They can comment on literature, have conversations about math - it is their online classroom created for just the students in my room.  Over weekends, on holidays, my students have visited this site to search for "things to do" because they know what we have on the site is good, educational, and enjoyable.

Remember back when we were little and we would have to carry our backpacks home full of books.  ALL heavy books- just to use a few pages out of them for the night.  This is a new generation.  We don't have to break their backs anymore!  We can give them access through websites and the cloud many more things than we could ever have sent home for them before.  There also cannot be any more excuses like, "Mom, I forgot my book..." Moms everywhere can go and get the material needed for their child.

Midlothian adopted a reading series a few years ago.  With the reading series came an online component.  This helps teachers assign digital copies of books to kids that we are reading for the week.  The company that Midlothian picked is Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  The reading books are called "Journeys'".  With a click of a few buttons - I am easily able to send certain groups OR all of my kids digital copies of the reading book story as well as small group stories.  This gives the kids access at school and at home to books on their reading level anytime.  They can pull these books up on ipads or computers anywhere.  Also - in my classroom I only have 6 copies of each small group book.  With the digital access I can give ALL of my kids a copy of the book.

Link to our reading website: Think Central

For a lesson I have sent them the books on the Think Central Website.  They have the main story Life on Ice as well as the 4 stories that pair with it for small groups.  Today they will read the stories.  Tomorrow, I will break them into groups and they will find the main ideas of the stories and then supporting details.  I am thinking of having them create some sort of movie about main idea or maybe a book trailer type of thing with the story.  I am still thinking about what the finished product might be.  I will blog again soon to tell you about their projects.