Ed Tech Series, Part 1: Microsoft Tools

This is the first of several posts regarding the use of educational technology tools that I'm going to manage to coordinate into a mini blog series (hey, I can get fancy sometimes). that being said, I'm not guaranteeing they will all be in a row because when I get the urge, I sometimes just have to share something else.

This summer I took several professional development classes from the Learning Center of Cooperating School Districts. I consider myself an Ed tech geek, but know that to keep on top of my game, I need to keep learning (any other lifelong learners in the house?). I signed up for classes having to do with free Microsoft tools, digital literacy, and Common Core resources. These classes were some of the best PD I've taken.

Microsoft Partners in Learning is a great resource for educators. It gives one access to several tools well worth the time to introduce to students. One that students would find fascinating is WorldWide Telescope. It's similar to Google Earth, but it deals with the universe. Any student that loves space will dig this site. Any teacher educating students about the solar system, will want to utilize this resource. Equipped with photographic images, the user can explore the Milky Way as a whole or narrow in on a specific planet, moon, and so on. Information regarding the objects is presented, too.

One that all the educators in my group were impressed with was Mathematics 4.0. It shows students step by step how to solve mathematical equations! Not only generic ones, but ones they need help on. Some might see this as a handicap, but for students and teachers who really struggle, it would be beneficial. It also has features that allow students to self check, where the student could enter the equation and then the answer and click through to find out if they were right. This tool covers the gamut of subject areas that use math, from addition to chemistry.

Another tool I will be utilizing for my RtI students is Flashcards. The user can either find a digital set already made or make up their own with text and picture. One is then given options as how to proceed studying the Flashcards. The user can turn them from front to back or look at one side and then input what was on the other side of the card before flipping it. The cards go through a rotation several times to enable memorization. Once the user has got a card down pat it moves to a "done" pile to enable work on the ones that need more processing time. 

And the last tool I'll explain more thoroughly is AutoCollage. The user simply uploads photos to make a collage with and it does the rest with a click of a button.  Other options are available to make some photos more prominent than others, shrink or increase size, limit the number of photos wanted.

Other tools that are worth mentioning are OneNote, Math Worksheet Generator, and Skydrive. 

Have any of you used these tools in the classroom? Have tips you want to share? Bring on the comments!

The Most General, Yet Useful Tools For My Library Classroom

Oh, the tools I found so useful for my library classroom! The criteria I judge tools as beneficial include: endurance: they can last forever and a day with 350+ hands messing with them, dual purpose: they help keep my sanity, while teaching students responsibility, and classroom management/organization: yes, they help me manage.

1. Pompom balls on the caps of dry erase markers. Thank you, Pinterest! No more wasted paper towels or lost cloth scraps. All I did was go to my local craft store and buy small pompoms and then I hot glued them to the top of dry erase markers. An overwhelming majority of pompoms managed to outlast the markers themselves. 

Image via ilovemyclassroom.blogspot.com

2. Inserting activity pages into plastic page protectors. This combined with handing students dry erase markers saves so much paper!! They can fill in the word search, maze, circle the hidden pictures, and so on. When they're done, they simply erase the page protector and it's ready for another student's use. I actually put several activity pages into a three-pronged clear front presentation folder and use these as a center.

Image via officedepot.com

 

3. Using Sharpie paint markers to put numbers on desks for student seating arrangements (Pinterest). I was so sick of continuously reapplying some form of name tags to the desks for my students to pick off within a couple of months. Let's just put it this way, I put the numbers on right after winter break and they're still on the tables. Awesome!

Image via timeoutsandtootsierolls.blogspot.ca

4. Using the male side of Velcro on things I want to stick to my library's carpeted floor. I found this little gem via a discussion board comment (but, not till the last month of the school year). I needed a solution to my taping down items on the floor almost every other week because they were getting kicked up or picked up.
I use index cards which I write sight words on, but I also put small numbers (to act as student numbers) in the corners as place holders on the floor for students to have a spot to sit (gr PreK-2) or as a place to stand (gr 3-5) at the beginning of library. All I had to do was laminate the cards and cut Velcro strips to fit the sides, stick 'em on the back, and then stick on the carpet. If any student picked at it, they just stuck it back on the carpet. Voila! 

Image via Amanda Ehll

These are some of my favorite finds and such generally great tools for any Elementary library/media specialist or classroom teacher.