Prezi Presentation

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Blog Post 7- Google Drive

Blog Post 7- Google Drive

            Google Drive is a great resource for educators because there are a lot of different tools that can be used, and the best part of it… it’s free! I use Google Drive both as a graduate student and as a teacher. Some of the tools I use that I will elaborate on for this assignment is Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides.

            The first way I use Google Drive is by using Google Docs as a third grade teacher. I use Google docs when I am completing lesson plans with my partner teacher. We work on lesson plans together and share them with each other so that we both have access to them to edit them online. When we are done with our lesson plans, we are then able to send them to our administrator, buy sharing them with her. I like that you are able to share a document and can choose whether the person you are sharing with can also edit it or will only be able to view the document without editing.

           

            Another way I use Google Drive is by using Google Sheets. Google Sheets is a tool that allows you to make interactive pictures and documents that others can go into and view. I would like to use this with my third grade class by creating interactive maps on certain things we are learning in social studies so that the students can go into the map and help them with their assignment and to better understand how we use maps.

            A third way I can use Google Drive is to create a Google Slide presentation. I think this would be useful both in my graduate studies and with my third grade class. I think the Google Slides is a good option instead of Powerpoint because the program can be used anywhere and it is not necessary to have Powerpoint installed on your computer. I think it would be good for my students as well, in case they are absent and miss a lesson. If so, they would be able to access the presentation from wherever they are.

           

            Google Drive has so many possibilities and tools that can be used. There is also Google Apps, a word processor, spreadsheets, drawing, forms and surveys. The resources are really endless and something that should be utilized as often as possible. I love the idea that all of these resources are available with only internet access.

My Pinterest Board

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Blog Post 6- Using Pinterest for Teaching and Learning

            Pinterest is a tool that I already use, for recreation and for professional development. I use Pinterest in many different ways, but for my third grade classroom, I can specifically use Pinterest for lesson plan ideas, for collecting tools that I can use in thematic units and to find resources for my classroom environment and for classroom management.

            The first way I would use Pinterest for my third grade classroom is to use it as a tool to do lesson plans. In the past, I have used Pinterest to supplement my lesson plans with handouts or creative activities. There are so many activities and handouts that are available on Pinterest in almost any subject you cannot imagine. For example, I am currently teaching my third graders about contractions. For Language Arts, we keep an interactive notebook for foldables and notes on any topic we are currently discussing. Because I could not think of a creative foldable to make about contractions for our interactive notebook, I logged into Pinterest to help me find ideas and ways to help my students learn about contractions. I was also able to look up printable worksheets for contractions to reinforce what we learned as homework.

            Another way I will use Pinterest in my third grade classroom is to collect tools for thematic units that take place in my classroom. Since it is currently September, I recently logged into Pinterest to find materials and activities to build my Johnny Appleseed thematic unit. I was able to find math activities, reading passages and craft ideas that all relate to Johnny Appleseed.

            One last way that I can use Pinterest for my third grade classroom is to find classroom environment resources, like poster ideas and ideas for classroom management. I used Pinterest a lot in the summer before school started to look up ideas for posters about different subjects and mostly to find ideas and examples of various anchor charts. I hoped to use anchor charts in each subject and so far this school year has been off to a good start. I also looked up ideas for classroom management and organization. I think it is very important to have an organized classroom and one that runs efficiently, so I was pleased when I found so many good examples and tools that I can use in my classroom.

            Pinterest is a great tool that I already use in my classroom and one that I use recreationally too. I enjoy looking up crafts, home décor and humor, in addition to the variety of educational resources!

Blog Post 4- Evernote

Based on the readings this week and my experience on Evernote, I would like to use the program in three basic ways in my third grade classroom. I would use it to organize class notes into a notebook, which would be used as an interactive notebook, I would have students write and draw on PDF documents as both assignments and in their interactive notebooks and I would organize student life and school events on one page to provide students and parents easy access to information they need to know. 

I would like my third grade students to create an online interactive notebook, where they can add pictures, audio and drawings to notes in the subjects of math, social studies and science. I think that if they were able to create and record those pictures, audio and drawings and be able to refer back to them would be great and they would be very enthusiastic about that! If I were to implement Evernote, I would first want to start in the subject of science. In third grade at my school, we are learning about astronomy, the planets, the elements, geography and plants. I think there would be a lot of different options and ways for students to get creative on their interactive notebooks through Evernote.

I would also like to use Evernote to have students write and draw on PDF documents in class and at home. The PDFs could be used to insert into their online interactive notebooks and could also be posted to their blogs or emailed to me to be graded. This could promote the use of technology and also save paper! This option could also be good in the event of a student being absent. They would be able to see their assignments and maybe even listen to audio recordings of the lecture.

To organize student life and school events, I would add voice notes and take pictures of important events and flyers to post on Evernote and share with my entire class. It could also be beneficial to post school newsletters, fundraising forms, forms that need to be signed by a parent and returned and other housekeeping items that need to be taken care of by the student.

Evernote is an online social tool that I would really love to use in my classroom. It would give my students a wonderful opportunity to use technology and have a digital record of what they have accomplished this school year.