A Technology Blog Hop!

Tuesday, April 30, 2013 3 comments
Spring into Technology with Classroom Freebies!

Several phenomenal teachers, Technology Tailgate Coaches and bloggers are joining forces for an amazing classroom technology blog hop!  As you hop from blog to blog, you will visit some of your favorite blogs and discover a few new blogs too!  Each with a fabulous freebie just for you!


Thank you for hopping over!

I hope you enjoy these two freebies!! The first one is a Math and Vocabulary interactive flipchart. The second one is a Vocabulary Mini-Book using PowerPoint. Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have. 







Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting!  If you are new to my blog and liked what you see, don't forget to follow me!  The next stop on the path is  
Jen at Tech with Jen

Tech with Jen

In case you didn't start from the beginning, here is an ordered list of all participating blogs!

Kristin from iTeach 1:1
Heidi from Rakis Rad Resources
Leah from Learn With Leah
Amanda and Aylin from Learning to the Core
Kristen at Teacher Playground
Jen at Tech with Jen
Kay at A Little Tech
Melanie at I Luv Twek
Carrie and Caitlin at Table Talk with C & C
Lauren at iWonder
Jan at The Science Vault


A special thank you to Jen at Tech with Jen for designing the blog hop button!
Interested in joining our next blog hop?  Join here

Virtual Learning Cubes

Monday, April 22, 2013 No comments
Hi everyone! I wanted to tell you about some of the Virtual Learning Cubes I have created.  They are lots of fun and your students will enjoy rolling them on a computer or interactive board. I have made quite a few, but if you would like one---feel free to leave a comment on this post.

On the link provided I have included instructions on inserting the cubes into ActivInspire, but please NOTE that you DO NOT have to have ActivInspire to use these on your computer(you can also use other interactive whiteboard programs). These can work stand alone on any computer that has Adobe Flash (its free).

I hope you enjoy these and let me know if you have any questions.





Happy Rolling!!


Classroom Freebies Manic Monday

Wonderful FREE Printable Posters/Signs for Your Classroom

Friday, April 19, 2013 2 comments
If you have yet to discover www.venspired.com you are missing out. She is beyond awesome and I love her posters. She has graciously allowed teachers to use and print her posters. Just to be on the safe side I contacted her for permission and she said, "Yes Indeed!". 


Krissy Venosdale

I love the messages on the posters and the color schemes. She also has some great information on teaching Gifted students and STEM. I also love her Pinterest page!!

Here are a few examples as she has tons and I mean that!!


      


I hope you enjoy the work of Krissy Venosdale!

9 McGraw-Hill APPS FREE!

Thursday, April 18, 2013 1 comment
Hi everyone! I wanted to let you know that there are some Literacy and Mathematics McGraw-Hill apps FREE. I have been using a lot of the McGraw-Hill apps with students for awhile and they are wonderful. I hope you are able to download the apps listed below and use them with your kiddos.

Click on the images below to download the apps.

Happy Downloading!!

Literacy
Screen Shot 2013-04-15 at 6.31.07 AM  Screen Shot 2013-04-15 at 6.36.49 AM  Screen Shot 2013-04-15 at 6.57.08 AM

Mathematics

Screen Shot 2013-04-17 at 6.44.16 PM  Screen Shot 2013-04-17 at 6.43.16 PM  Screen Shot 2013-04-17 at 6.42.13 PM  Screen Shot 2013-04-17 at 6.45.42 PM  Screen Shot 2013-04-17 at 6.47.51 PM  Screen Shot 2013-04-17 at 7.06.38 PM

Staff Development Strategies with a Technology Twist

Wednesday, April 17, 2013 No comments

Hi everybody and good morning! I wanted to blog about a site that I learned about in February and have been using ever since. I really enjoy it and the great ideas that are provided! I know as educators we are always looking for new strategies and ways to engage our audience. 

The site is called Professional Learning Communities: Staff Development StrategiesThe strategies that are posted are really great and can be used with students, teachers, and/or principals. The ideas are innovative and incorporate a modern twist. I love the use of technology integration in a lot of them. 

I really like that you can choose your audience, different categories, and learning styles. There are many different aspects of this site as the Staff Development Strategies is only one part. Make sure to check out the Lesson Plans that are chalk full of great technology integration ideas. The goal of the site is to provide best practices for integrating technology into the classroom

I love it and I hope you are able to use this information with your students, teachers, and/or principals.


You do not need to sign up to access to site.

To check out the full site click here-->http://teach.oetc.org



8 Sites..New Favorites for Your Technology Toolbox

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 No comments
Hi there everyone. I hope you are having a great Tuesday. I wanted to blog today to tell you about a few sites I am really enjoying. I think you will enjoy them as well.

1. Appo Learning
This site was created by Appolicious and is aimed at parents, teachers and others in search of the best educational apps for children.

2. Curriculum Bits
http://www.curriculumbits.com
I love the activities on this site and all the wonderful resources.

3. Teach Hub: Video Writing Prompts
http://www.teachhub.com/video-writing-prompts
I love that the videos appeal to students because they are up-to-date and relevant to their lives.

4. Go Social Studies Go
Great way to make Social Studies fun and come alive!

5. Quiz Tree
Fun way to review topics...even Spanish.

6. ThingLink
I love this! Check out my Think Link http://www.teacherpage.com/mrshernandez/interactive.htm

7. PDFEscape
Can't afford to buy an expensive program to create or fill out forms. Check this out!

8. FlipnTurn
This site allows you to upload PDF or JPEG files and then you can create an online flipping brochure. Pretty cool!

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions about the list above.

AppoLearning

Monday, April 15, 2013 3 comments
Check this article out! I had to share with you as soon as I saw it.
http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/15/app-discovery-service-appolicious-launches-appolearning-a-new-way-to-find-the-best-educational-apps-for-kids/

Appolicious, the app search and discovery portal which helps users find new mobile applications for iPhone, iPad, and Android, is today launching a new service today aimed at parents, teachers and others in search of the best educational apps for children: appoLearning.

I love it!!

appoLearning-square-icon

Motivation Treats for Students, Teachers, and Staff



I know this time of year is especially tough on all students, teachers, and staff as they work long hours to get ready for the upcoming state testing. I have created some fun and neat treat tags that everyone is sure to love!!

Some of these can be used even when testing is not in session. It is a way to say you are AWESOME!! 

Below you will find links to pdf documents with appreciation tags that I made. All you will need is a bag or two of Riesen candies, then print out one of the Riesen documents below, cut the tags out, and either staple of tape them on a Riesen. Everyone will love getting this little goodie from you!!

I hope you enjoy them!!







Make sure to check out all the wonderful Manic Monday Freebies at Classroom Freebies. You will not be disappointed!!


Classroom Freebies Manic Monday

Appitic

Saturday, April 13, 2013 No comments

Today's topic is on APPitic and it is one of my favorite sites. This site has an amazing list of Apps for Education. I really enjoy the information on Bloom's Taxonomy and all the apps that meet the different levels of Bloom's. It is always great to find interactive activities that hit all the levels of Bloom's.

You can find the following topics on APPitic:
  • Themes
  • STEM
  • Content Areas
  • Preschool
  • Special Education
  • Challenge Based Learning
  • Flipped Classroom
  • Bloom's Taxonomy
  • Multiple Intelligences
  • Physical Education
  • ISTE-NETS
  • Spanish
  • Teachers
I love the extensive list and that everything I need can be found within one site. As an educator we spend hours and hours looking for the best resources to use in the classroom and end up after many hours...just finding one or two really good resources. It is nice to stumble across a site that meets your needs fully.

APPitic even has a Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube page. If you are a fan of Twitter, then you can find them there too.

I am so thankful that I found APPitic and have been able to share the wonderful resources that are available. If I were you, I would definitely add it your technology toolbox. It is a winner in my book! Shout out to the creator of APPitic, Alline Sada.



Infuse Learning

Friday, April 12, 2013 No comments

I am excited to blog about Infuse Learning. I have used many different student response services like Poll Everywhere, Hot Potato, Socrative, Discovery Education, Google Forms, and many more. I even use the classroom response systems (love them). Well we know not every district or school can afford a set of classroom response systems, so we need to have other routes. It is extremely important to assess our students before, during, and after classroom instruction. You don't have to do a full out assessment, but just questioning for understanding is important. 

I love Infuse Learning as I have found it very easy to set up and use with students. The online program allows you to push questions, prompts, and quizzes out to students' devices in a private virtual classroom. Only the students you set up on your account can access your quizzes/tests if you set your class up as private. There is an option for Open Enrollment which all the student would need would be the room id to enter.

You can include pictures in your test which I really really like!!! Imagine the possibilities (math, science, social studies, reading, music, art, physical education, etc..). I also enjoy that you can set a language for each student if you wish and allow for students to listen to the audio of a question. Awesome!!!

I also love that it is free and that it works with any Internet-connected device including iPads and Android tablets. You can even use it on a smartphone = )

This site scores big on my book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Learn more about Infuse Learning in the video below.

Have Fun!!


FREE Creative Writing App..Your Students will Love It!!

Thursday, April 11, 2013 2 comments
Today I want to talk about one of my favorite apps for creative writing. The name of the app is Bill Atkinson PhotoCard - Postcards

And guess what?? It is FREE!! Yes I said FREE!!

I have had the pleasure of using this app with students and teachers and it has been a huge hit!!

What I love about it is not only do they practice their writing, but they also learn the format of a postcard and adding a stamp when mailing.

The students begin by choosing a picture for the front of their postcard, in which they can use the camera from their iPad or iTouch to take pictures (field trips, playground, around the school, geometrical shapes, science experiments, etc..) or they can use the beautiful images within the the app.

Once the image is in place they can begin their writing based on the image they chose. The writing that comes from the students is amazing. They have a blast and they love that they are able to choose and change many things within their postcards. 

This app would be great to use for any subject and grade level, but here are a few ideas I have that will get you started:
    iPhone Screenshot 4
  • Students take a picture of something in nature and they are to write as though they are that picture.
  • Students take pictures while on a field trip, use the app to tell others about their favorite part of the field trip.
  • Students choose an image within the app and are challenged to be as descriptive as they can about the image. Let them know that when you read their postcard you want to feel as though you are that image.
  • Students take pictures and write about famous people, states, countries, ancient times, key vocabulary, authors, composers, etc..
  • Students create a postcard based on Science safety rules and write about the proper ways to act in a lab setting.
  • Students use this app to help them better understand difficult vocabulary words and math problems. They take a picture of the word, what it is or looks like, and then they write about it as if they were teaching someone else.

There are other add-ons within the app like stickers. I have the students add stickers and other fun stuff after they have written their postcard.

Once the students complete their postcard, they can email them to their teacher or to family members. If the students forgets the stamp, it will prompt them that every postcard needs a stamp before mailing = )

Fillable Forms and Form Central

Wednesday, April 10, 2013 1 comment
Hi everyone! I don't know about where you live, but it is really cold in Fort Worth. My idea of cold is around 60 degrees. This morning it was around 40 degrees with winds at about 30 mph...talk about chilly!! The weather has gone from the 80's to the 30's in a span of a couple of days, which means I am sick =(
Now that I have ranted about the weather let's move onto some technology.

I have a love for fillable forms as they make my life easier. I don't know what I would do without Adobe Professional. My new find is Adobe Form Central...talk about lovely!! You can get a free account (includes one form and up to 50 responses). What I did was I a took a form that I had, made it fillable and then uploaded it to the Form Central site. The site then turns your fillable form into an awesome form...awesome meaning when someone fills out the form and hits submit it automatically sends all the data to a spreadsheet. I am smiling ear to ear because I am so in love. 

Even if you do not have Adobe Professional, you can use one of their own templates to create a fillable form.

I know I can use a Google form and do that (which I am a huge fan of Google Forms), but the layout of my form would have been 10 plus pages as a Google form. Using a fillable form I was able to create my document in Excel, make it fillable, and then upload it to Forms Central.

Make sure to check out Forms Central!!


April Technology Newsletter

Monday, April 1, 2013 2 comments
The April Technology Newsletter is out!! Make sure to check out the giveaway and FREE motivational treats included inside = )

April Technology Newsletter from Kristen Hernandez