6th Grade Tech Project

Was working in 6th grade today on a project and couldn't resist taking a picture of these three adorable 6th grade girls.  Unlike me, they prefer to sit on stools in the corner of the room with their laptops - well on their laps!  I prefer a good old fashioned table and chair with a back myself.  By the way in case you're interested.  They are working on a family album.  Their 6th Grade literature teacher told them to interview members of their family and bring in pictures and write up any interesting stories they learned.  I was blessed to hear some of the stories.  Even though their parents are young, they interviewed their grandparents who told stories about THEIR parents.  Many were immigrants and they told were heartwarming stories.  Some were just funny about going fishing and falling in a pond.  Each student was so proud to tell their stories.  The stories were done in Publisher but I converted two of them to PDFs.  The first link is one where the student scanned pictures of his family and included them in his Family Stories Album.  The 2nd link is a student who had great stories but did not bring pictures.  For those students we told them to find royalty-free pictures that related to the stories he was telling.  As you can see both did a great job.  Enjoy!

Family Album with Scanned Pictures

Family Album with Royalty-Free Pictures

QR Scavenger Hunt

What a blast we had last week in the Tech PD Class I taught "QR Codes in the Classroom"  I used some of the slides and ideas I got from a webinar I took with Joe Martinez with TCEA and added my own.  The teachers are so excited about the many uses of QR Codes.  Then, the class culminated with The Amazing Q Race.   I honestly went overboard on the questions and the locations of the clues.  When a group would pass me they said things I can  not repeat on this blog.  But in the end they all said it was fun and they needed the exercise.

If you aren't familar with QR Codes you can check out my powerpoint by clicking HERE.

No He Did Not!!!!

Animoto

Yesterday's PD Class was so much fun.  I had 11 teachers come in and learn Animoto.  I have been using it for a couple of years and have found so many uses for it.  The first one I made was All About Me.  I plan on posting that on my About Me Page but since its two years old I have to update it first.

In teaching the class yesterday it was immediately apparent I had a mixed back of participants.  About 1/3 of the class were staff members who were attending for personal use, 1/3 were Primary and Lower School teachers and the other 1/3 were middle school teachers.  So, I just went to my own personal Animoto library and showed them my About Me video, and then I showed them one I made the day after I took my granddaughter to the zoo to duplicate what you could do for a school field trip and then I had some student examples of a book trailer, Washington, DC, and my favorite - a demo of the Alphabet.  I actually got this example directly off the Animoto website.

The students made each letter of the Alphabet out of materials and the teacher took pictures of itr.  The clincher is that the letter A was made out of Acorns, B out of tiny toy Bears, C out of Crayons.... you get the idea.  You just have to see it which you can do by clicking HERE

If you havn't tried Animoto I made a Step-by-Step Tutorial.  Check it out HERE

Virtual Field Trips, WebCams, & More

YIKES!  I'm behind.  Our Teacher In-Service was a week ago and I have not shared the resources.  I created a PowerPoint which shows as a movie.  It basically tells what a VFT is, where to find them, and some examples.

There are some links on the PP so you can access it HERE.


If you teach any of the Lower Grades I created I thought it would be fun to create excitement before the virtual field trip by sending home a PERMISSION SLIP.


And then I would be remiss if I did not share this list of links I got at a Virtual Field Trip session at TCEA.  I found this PDF on my computer but it does not show the angel who put it together so I can give credit for it.  To access this PDF, click LINKS.

Just so you know, WebCams fall under the category of Field Trips.  Be sure and check them out espeically if you want to see some adorable critters like this guy.

Just Some Random Blogging Thoughts

OK.  So I know I'm not setting the world on fire..... yet ...with all of my posts.  But at least I didn't post on January 1st and then forget about it either.  To be honest, I am still not sure of all the functionality available.  I have my Tech Integration and PD pages but as of now I can't put a picture or link on them.   The good news is I am going to TCEA in less than a month and I am taking a Google Blogging class from Tammy Worcester. She is awesome by the way.  Check out her Website HERE

Another of my resolutions is to Tweet.  That has been much easier.   You can check out my Twitter Account @pamelaarceneaux

I am only following 22 people so far but I am being selective.  I want this to be part of my PLN so if I don't think it's relevant to my PLN then I don't Follow.  With the exception of a few personal people groups i.e. my family, Texas A&M, and of course some Christian folk who twitter about Jesus and give me inspiration.

Since no one is following this blog yet to comment, (I have only told a couple of folks about it) I found some inspiration with this ARTICLE.

I really need to send the link to the teachers.  I promise to very soon!  I just like to be sure I'm successful at something before I begin sharing.  However, this year there have been exceptions.  For example, I told one of the teachers I would help her with a green screen app and I have no CLUE how to make one.  But that's what Google is for right?

Instructional Video Attention Span

Jon Bergmann, co-founder of the Flipped; Classroom movement, recommends the maximum length of an instructional video should be the student's age plus one.  In other words a 13 year old could be expected to watch a 14 minute instructional video.  Good to know!

Classroom Bingo for the iPad

Got a tweet yesterday that Classroom Bingo HD is now free.  (It was formerly $3.99)  Not sure how long it will be free but it looks pretty cool if you don't already have it.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id524534440?mt=8

So Many Webcams

This weekend I have been preparing for a Teacher PD class called Virtual Field Trips.  Of course there are thousands to choose from out there but wanted to share this one website which has so many webcams that range from Africa to sharks under the ocean to Great Dane service dogs.  So much fun to share in class - Especially if you want your daily cuteness of baby pandas and penguins.  I'll be posting my entire presentation in the Teacher PD tab soon.  Enjoy!  To go to these webcams Click HERE.

Happy New Year!

Every year I make the same resolutions – eat healthy, spend more time with friends and family, travel, etc.  In addition I make goals at work which usually involve trying out new tech projects and spending more time with the teachers in the classroom.  For the most part I am fairly successful with these goals.  However, this year I want to be more concrete so I promised myself I was going to start an “Instructional Technology Blog”.  I actually got the “blogging bug” last summer when my husband and I took a 3000 mile road trip to eight of the southeast states.  I blogged the entire trip and was shocked that I got almost 2000 hits.  If you are interested you can find my Travel Blog HERE.

Two years ago I created this Google Blogger when I attended a TCEA  (Texas Computer Education Association) conference.  Side Note:  This is the absolutely the BEST Educational Tech conference I have ever been to and will be going again next month.    But when I returned from the conference, life and things continued to move so fast it sadly sat on my Google account untouched.  So, I vow this year will be different.   I want to capture my moments, projects, thoughts, and goals not just for myself but for any teachers who could benefit from my experiences as an educator, trainer, and student (because I’m always learning).  This blog will be a work in progress but am looking forward to this new journey.  I hope you enjoy it as well.