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Jigsaw interactive tool from ClassTools.net

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Here is my post on Lizzie's Blog Post on EyePloyer.

showComment=1264373396425_AIe9_BERAJOxdDMUz0gSeHWcc2qtnbNSh2c7iumaqeIdXUf4gAplrpEbokaAao26uBK6LBhpbMY9Fc_3traWM05ChugZiDoO7LF1ggmBw3j2ON834uG9dCdBp60J5-RMVoAJ2nS55yk4nD1lrMmQdZ699nElpNQmcLRUpTYGlcBKs8ZckCYFFeDvBoM3V2g8JYQocPP7px34D6LTSVLcD_Y_SilOPfA4Ae5I92hiC2o7Y2A4FQENDNw#c5878435123330955216

Image from Eyeployer.com

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Here is my reply to Kelli Erwin's blog post.

picture from Kelli Erwin's blog post on TradingCardCreator

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Click HERE to view my comment on Kelli Erwin's blog post on glogster.

BP9_2010013web2.0Tool3InteractiveJigsaw

Click here for full screen version

This interactive jigsaw on ClassTools.net can be used in a variety of ways in a variety of different classroom ages. As President’s Day approaches, my first grade class is taking time to focus on several different presidents. We will be reading several books on each highlighted president.

I am trying to find more ways to assess my students other than the standard paper and pencil ways. It’s like I said last post, any time you can vary things in the classroom the better response you will get from the students. Finding different ways to assess students will not only put them at ease as many get test anxiety, but will also intrigue them a bit more.

Here I have demonstrated how jigsaw can be used to assess students quickly and without the use of paper. I designed this assessment with President’s Day in mind, but this is not the only way that jigsaw can be used. Interactive Jigsaw can also be used in primary grades to help them identify complete sentences and fragments. Simply label two puzzle pieces “Complete” and “Fragment”. On other pieces write short, complete sentences and fragments. The students will have to align the puzzle pieces under the correct heading. It can also be used to allow students to build sentences by connecting the puzzle pieces with one world or phrase together to make a complete sentence.

For math, the teacher can put answers to addition problems on one piece and math problems on another. Again, the students will have to identify the answers and align them to the correct answers. There are many uses for this tool and countless ways for it to be used.

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Click HERE to view my comment on Lizzie Apple's blog post on Shidonni.

Image taken from Shidonni.com

Click HERE to view my comment on Kelli Erwin's blog post on glogster.

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Here is a short video of Larry King interviewing Sara Palin on the usefulness of Xtra Normal web tool. This was created by Kate Finn using XtraNormal.com.

If you are having difficulties viewing this video please click HERE.

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Xtra Normal is a site and tool that I had heard of and knew the basics of. I never went back and tinkered with it because in my mind I was thinking, “How would I, as a first grade teacher, be able to use something like this?” It is because of that negative thought I wanted to focus on that site. Many times teachers and educators become so busy that they are looking for the easiest tools to use instead of ones that are engaging and motivational. I have found and thought of some very interesting ways to use Xtra Normal in my first grade classroom.

Presidents Day is only a few weeks away. Every year, I read several different books on several different presidents and have my students choose one to write about. They are given a cut out of that president and are told to color it and glue it to his or her writing. This is what I did in first grade and, for the most part, what these students did in kindergarten last year. I am guilty of this so I can say it, teachers need to get out of the comfort, easy zone and try to reach the learners. If a student has to do the same thing over and over again there will be no motivation or inspiration for the student to do his work. This is where Xtra Normal comes in. Instead of having the students write then illustrate, change the assignment up. Have the students work in pairs, creating a script or stream of thought. By doing this the students are working collaboratively and are learning from each other by working together in writing. Have the groups work with the teacher. Remember, most first graders are not quick when it comes to typing on a computer, though, they can probably beat you at any computer game. With the assistance of the teacher, type up the paper and allow the students to find the president the group wrote about. Now instead of illustrating using pencil, paper, and crayon the students are able to animate the group’s paper using the animated president. Since you have changed the assignment even a little, the students will have more motivation and will be more inspired to do the assignment. The teacher may even get more out of the students and the assignment as a whole.

Xtra Normal can also be used as a storybook. The students can either work in groups or as individuals creating a story about a topic they either choose or one that is chosen for the class. The students will be able to illustrate using the technology and then present the story to the class.

Whenever an educator can challenge himself or herself to try something different, he or she is also challenging the minds of others. When a mind is challenged great things will

come of it.

image from Kate Finn's Xtra Normal movie

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Photo 1: Personal photo of Kate Finn from her classroom.
Photo 2: Screen shot of GameClassroom

After being assigned to looking for more Web 2.0 tools, I happened to stumble across a site that had to have been put up just for me. I am currently teaching first grade and my class is learning about patterns. Though this should have been a skill learned in Kindergarten, many of my students have not yet mastered the skill of identifying a pattern nor have they mastered identifying where the pattern starts to repeat itself.

Gameclassroom.com is a lesson plan in of itself. It not only has sample problems for me to post up of the board and model for my students, but it also has 'Learning Tips' that go into more depth of how the concept can be taught and how to differentiate learning. This site can definitely be looked at as a teacher’s best friend.

This site has two things that I believe to be essential to any lesson taught. First, it has extra help problems that I can use as student independent practice or as extra help that can be gone over with the teacher on a more one-on-one setting. Second, this site offers enrichment activities. This is so very important. It is one thing for a student to get the concept of what is being taught, it is a totally different thing for the student to be able to go off on his or her own and apply what has been learned. A great way to use these enrichment activities is to have the students complete them at home as a homework assignment.

As I stated before, this site has it all laid out for you. It not only has your lesson play here, but also one-on-one time activities to do with the struggling student, and your enrichment or homework assignment. This site will definitely make learning much more interesting and fun for my students as we have been using pattern blocks instead. I will be setting some of students up to work on this tomorrow who need that little extra boost to the next level.

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Edutopia - I have chosen to follow Edutopia on my RSS feeds because it has up to date information about education that is applicable to me as a first grade teacher. I can go here and find new ideas and read up on what is making waves in the world of education.

eLearning Technology- Being fairly new in the world of technology in education, I have found this blog informs me on what is happening in other schools and educational settings. It also has another person's opinion on certain educational technologies.

Misson2Learn- This is a great blog that offer up some great internet resources to be tried out. He also shares his opinion on topics of technology which at times differ from that of others.

eLearnMagaizines- As I have stated before, I am new to using new technology in a classroom setting. This online "Internet Time Blog" is amazing. This site discusses the ins and outs of different softwares. Jay, an author for eLearningMagazine, discusses software and programs that do work as well as ones that do not.

Education Week: Technology- It is wonderful the things you find when you try! I found this site which informs me on virtual world safety in education, how to reach all learners through the use of technology, and so much more. I loved Education Week before, but now that I have discovered the technology part I am super excited.

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Traditional classrooms are becoming a thing of the past. There are more and more students who own a cell phone, computer or other technological devices that are making the way students get information different than the traditional way of going to the library and looking up journal or book references. If we as educators do not conform to the nontraditional way of learning we will be stifling the students of the technology age of a great education.

Blogs are no longer just a recreational past time. There are many uses for blogs in the world of education. Many teachers say that students learn best when they learn from each other. Blogs continue to play a role in a learning community. The student is able to reflect, summarize, and even expand on lessons taught. The student is able to follow fellow students and read post about what other students were able to take or learn from a lesson.

According to Richardson (2006) there are four things blogging allows the student to do. The first is reflect on what has been taught then write about it. Many times the student will not understand what has been taught until the student is asked to explain. A blog can be used to assess just how much a student understands of new concept that has been taught. Second, continue to write about the same topic over an extended period of time. Being made to focus on the same topic or subject mandates the student to delve deeper into the topic. Third, blogging allows the student to expand on what he or she has learned, but also the followers of that blog can continue the conversation of the topic by posting his or her views and thoughts on the conversation that can be agreed with or rebutted against. Consequently, by doing so, it can spark more in-depth and sustained conversation. Last, the student can demonstrate total understanding by relating the learned topic to his or her own life.

Using blogs can make the student go deeper into a subject or topic and therefore make the student demonstrate the level of learning he or she has obtained.

Reference

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

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Figure 1: ETC
Figure 2: AR/CL
Figure 3: FSO

Figure 4: Profile
Figure 5: WGO

I have never used or even heard of iGoogle before this course. I love the fact that it is not blocked from my district's server and that it truly has everything on there that I use on a daily basis! My Listy gets even the unorganized organized!