Wishing you health, happiness, and good cheer this season and beyond! Thanks for reading!
Global Read Aloud
Some September Stuff
Aaaaaaaaaaaand we’re off. It’s been a fun few weeks thus far! Here are some updates for you from elementary tech!
Our next Wired Wednesday is tomorrow, September 16, at Blue Ball Elementary, from 4-5 PM. Topic: Google Classroom! Come one, come all! Please register on My Learning Plan. P.S. A whole slew of new Google Classroom features were updated in late August. Click here to learn more!
The Global Read Aloud is coming! This is an exciting, worldwide, collaborative event designed to bring together readers of all ages. Many Elanco classrooms participated last year. Books have been chosen. You can sign up here (see form on right-hand side), and you can make arrangements to connect with another class via shared blogs, Edmodo, Google Hangouts/Skype, or any other format that would allow you and another class to discuss the book you’re reading. See the book choices here and read more info about the event. Here is the form to complete if you’d like to connect your class with another! Here is the link to important FAQ/info for participants. Let me know if you need assistance with this, I am happy to help! #gra15
Edublogs student passwords have now been updated. Please consider the following information when deciding how you’d like to organize student blogging this year:
Students are currently assigned to the blog class they used in 2014-15 until this year’s teacher alerts me that they will begin blogging in a 15-16 class.
How we set up and manage your students’ blogs will depend on a few things:
- Do you want your students assigned to your “My Class” by homeroom and only you, as the homeroom teacher, will manage their posts?
- OR by language arts roster, and only you, as the language arts teacher, will manage their posts?
- OR does your team want to have all students involved with blogging across content areas and therefore all team members need access to every students’ blog in the grade level for moderating purposes?
- OR do you want students to be added to a teacher/team blog so they can post and add comments, but not have their own individual sites?
- OR a unique scenario, such as assign certain rosters of students to certain teachers for blog moderation? We can also set up group blogs for projects like literature circles and the Global Read Aloud!
Please discuss student blogging plans with your teammates and the options above. If not all members of the team are interested in having their students blog, you can certainly move ahead with plans for your homeroom or your language arts class.
When you are ready to begin blogging with your students, please complete this Google form so I can begin the process of building your student blog sites.
IU13’s Elementary Technology Conference is coming this December! Please consider requesting to attend this conference! Talk with your principal and register in My Learning Plan! It’s always a great event, with a lot of teacher-led sessions, specifically focused on elementary! The keynote speaker this year is an inspiring teacher from Illinois, Josh Stumpenhorst! More info here. WE NEED PRESENTERS FOR THIS CONFERENCE! Please consider submitting a proposal! The reason this conference is so special is because sessions are led by teachers, for teachers. Please share your expertise with colleagues by submitting a proposal!
Enjoy the milder weather and hope to see you soon at an upcoming Wired Wednesday workshop!
Global Read Aloud 2014
I hope you will consider involving your students in this global learning experiences focused on quality authors and works of literature! The Global Read Aloud was created by teacher Pernille Ripp who is an inspirational voice in the edusphere. (Her blog is a must-read!)
This year’s Global Read Aloud authors & titles are as follows:
Author Study: Peter H. Reynolds
Book Titles:
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm
One For the Murphys by Lyndy Mullaly Hunt
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
To get your classes and/or literature circle groups involved and reading/interacting with other classes, visit the Global Read Aloud Info for 2014 page and the GRA wiki to learn more, and click here to sign up!
The project begins October 6 and runs through November 14!
Please let me know if your classes or reading groups are participating – I would love to support you through connecting via blogs, Edmodo, or other networks as applicable!
Enjoy!
The final Tech Tidbits of the regular school year!
I enjoyed sharing with you these collections of resources throughout the year. I imagine there will be a few “summer editions” posted, so be sure to peruse this blog while reading online this summer!
One book to connect the world!
On September 30, Mrs. Kidhardt, Mrs. Huber, Mrs. Libell and Mrs. Twaddell’s classes from Brecknock Elementary School embarked on a new project with the Global Read Aloud. For six weeks, the teachers will read aloud from the book, Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. Throughout the study, students will connect with other students from different parts of the world to discuss the book.
They will be using various educational technologies to connect with other students!
- Mrs. Kidhardt’s class is discussing the book with 10 and 11 year-olds in private school in Australia using Edmodo.
- Mrs. Huber’s class is discussing the book with sixth graders in a school near Ontario, Canada using Kidblog.
- Mrs. Libell’s class is discussing the book with a class near British Columbia, Canada using Edmodo.
- Mrs. Twaddell’s class is discussing the book with a 5/6 combination class from British Columbia, Canada using Kidblog.
Following is a summary of the (amazing) book the classes are reading together and discussing!
“Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there’s no delete button. She’s the smartest kid in her whole school—but no one knows it. Most people—her teachers and doctors included—don’t think she’s capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can’t, because Melody can’t talk. She can’t walk. She can’t write.
Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind—that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it.” Source: www.goodreads.com
We are looking forward to a great experience, connecting with other readers worldwide!
Thank you to Mrs. Libell, Mrs. Huber, Mrs. Kidhardt, and Mrs. Twaddell for sharing these experiences with us!
How are you connecting your students with the world? Email Lyn with exciting activities and projects you wish to be featured on this blog!