Sneak Peek

 I'm working on a techie update to my I have, Who has vocabulary games. 

It looks something like this.

That's right.  I'm building a QR code enabled I have, Who has game.

If you want a sneak peek, visit my page https://www.facebook.com/thetechedoutteacher

Find my post for the private sneak peek group.

Click like.
Wait for an invitation.
Then visit the private group and claim your file.
What could be easier?

Hope you enjoy it!

Touch it Learn it

Everyone has their own personal preferences for learning, but it certainly seems that learning by touching is highly effective.  Kinesthetic learners learn through movement.  Touch fits into this category.  If you have technology that is touch sensitive, you are in a position to engage students in their learning kinesthetically.  All too often the Smart Board is becoming nothing more than a very expensive projector screen. I am seeing lessons pop up all over the web that claim to offer interactivity for students when they are nothing more than a powerpoint slide show.  Just because it is being projected on a Smart Board does not mean the students are interacting with it in some new way.  In fact, they are often sitting in their seats watching text and pictures fly in and out while they take notes on a sheet of paper.  Is that really interactive?
I think not.  That is why I am developing a series of Touch it Learn it Interactive Mini-lessons for the Smart Board.  These lessons have elements built in that engage students in touching objects on the board and moving them around as they develop understanding of a topic.  The first one is complete and is being offered free on Teachers Pay Teachers.  In order to meet the typical requirements of having some type of student work to show for their learning, I have also included a Venn Diagram file to go with it.  The topic of this first mini-lesson is Bodies of Water.  Students will be able to identify bodies of water as either freshwater or saltwater. I hope you and your students will benefit from my mini-lessons.  There are many more coming soon.  If you haven't already subscribed to my blog, my facebook page, or my store please do that so you won't miss out when I add more of the Touch it Learn it Mini-lessons.

Polar Bears International Webcast

I sure wish I had thought to post this sooner.  Edmodo and Polar Bears International teamed up this week on a series of webcasts from the sub-arctic. Participating in a live webcast with real scientists is a great way to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).  If your classes study animals, habitats, ecosystems, climate, or human impact on the planet these webcasts are a great resource.  Although they have already taken place, the archives can be found on their website. Tundra Connections Archive  They also have a really great game that can be played to reinforce the challenges facing the Polar Bears in the Hudson Bay/Churchill area.  It is called Polar Bear Trek.

If you missed the live webcasts and want to participate live, mark your calendar for next fall right about this same time.  This is an annual event. 

Election Day

Since tomorrow is Election Day across the USA, I thought I would share some great resources you might want to use in your classroom.
Kids Voting - Your students can log in and vote online.
The Democracy Project - a bit outdated ('08) but great info.
Props for a Voting Event - make your own voting booth, buttons, etc.

Of course I found a few on TpT.  Some free, some not.  None of them are mine but don't let that stop you from checking them out!

Political Party Voting - election locker decoration
Election Voting Letter
Election Vocabulary Games
Election Category Game

You can search through 150+ other activities here...

Combining Tech Tools

I've posted in the past about using Prezi and Wordle.  I'm finally getting around to sharing an idea I have had about combining a variety of tech tools.  This "mash up" is going to get a test run this week in my science classroom.  We're beginning a new unit about Weather and Climate.  Understanding the water cycle is a key component of this unit as well as our landforms, biomes, and ecosystems units.  I decided to combine some things together in a Prezi and this is the initial result. Water Cycle Introduction.

Simple K12

I subscribed to Simple K12 some time ago.  Have you ever checked it out?  It really is a great resource!  I think my favorite part about it is the professional development via webinars I can access "from home in my PJs".  It'd be nice if we could be that comfie at school. 

October is filled with some great webinar topics that could enhance your use of technology.  I think I'll be checking out the 3 Keys to Having a Successful Blog. 

There are some fee based portions of this website but you can get a lot of mileage out of their free webinars.  It's definitely one of the places I frequent to find out about the latest, greatest, newest thing for tech in the classroom.

Teacher Town Hall

Last year was the first Education Nation Teacher Town Hall.  It is hosted by Brian Williams of NBC News.  This year I have been chosen to attend the event live in New York City's Rockefeller Plaza.  You can imagine my excitement!!  In watching the archives from last year, I started wondering what I might say to the nation if I am given the microphone.  I would love to hear from other educators here.  Leave your comments below and I might just get the chance to speak up for teachers.

You can also sign up to participate in the Teacher Town Hall online.  Check it out and register here.

After you leave a comment, head on over to my TpT store to check out this limited time freebie.  I'm developing a series called Scrap Paper Test Strategies.  This 1st one is a chart that assists students with recalling facts about polygons.  Get it quick because it won't be free for long.