Technology and Literacy

Why is technology so important in classrooms today? 

How technology be useful and helpful in today's classrooms?

Enjoy this Prezi presentation that I put together on integrating technology into a literacy curriculum!

Fun with Graphing

Someone recently shared with me a very neat website of a graphing activity for students. There is a handout on the website that you print and give to students. Then you play one of their 15 second "stories" and the students graph what happens in the story. The items range from time, air pressure, height, balloon length, ponies in the frame, and even more! This is a great way to engage students because it is a real life connection to what they know. You can let them choose videos that interest them too. The activity makes graphing more fun than telling students "Graph the coordinates (1, 3) and (6,4)." Click HERE to navigate to the website.

Rock Candy Experiment

www.sciencebob.com

I recently came across a really cool experiment that students will LOVE
(Thanks to www.sciencebob.com!)

The experiment is making your own Rock Candy and can be accessed here! This is a fun experiment for students because who doesn't love some candy?? The experiment can be tied into a lesson on solutions or reactions that take place during heating and cooling.

This is probably better done as a small group experiment or a demonstration because it does require hot liquids. If you are in a high school, depending on your students, this may be an experiment that they could handle on their own.

Mobile Lives of College Students

While this is not directly applicable to the classroom, it shows how popular technology is becoming in education. Students understanding technology is increasingly important. The mobile lives of college students is most likely very similar to the lives of middle school and high school students and new graduates that could begin working in the near future.

http://www.onlinedegrees.org/mobile-lives-of-online-colleges

Teaching and Learning Really ARE Connected!

WOW! It's been a long time since I posted last, sorry! Here's a great picture that shows just how closely connect teaching and learning are!

(Thanks to my mom for sending me this encouraging picture!)

I hope to get some more new and exciting posts to you soon!

Good vs. Good Enough

This is an interesting outlook to have on your students and their work....

I found this on Flickr. The website credit is below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shareski/7019211317/

Graphic Organizers Galore!

I recently discovered Education Place. Education Place has a page with a long list of graphic organizers. This website, specifically the graphic organizers page, is a great resource for teachers. These graphic organizers can be used in all subjects. I have already used a few of these graphic organizers for projects and assignments and they are very helpful to students. Take the time to browse through them, I'm sure you'll find at least one you could use in your classroom!