This video was created using Animoto. Animoto is a web application that produces videos from user- selected photos, video clips, and music. Below is a video I created to capture just some of the Tech I will be using in my classroom this year.



FYI........ You can Register at http://animoto.com/education

This account will provide you with 6 months of All-Access privileges to Animoto. (Non-educators must pay for these services!)
If you want your students to create Animoto slide shows, Animoto will send you a classroom code to use with your students.
Reapply when your account expires in 6 months.


What a cool site to use to introduce spelling, vocabulary words or the theme for the week. Geogreetings.com allows you to type in a simple message that will display each letter as an aerial photo from somewhere in the world. How cool is that! Check out my Geo Greeting here!
I stepped into my classroom today for a few hours to work on a few bulletin boards. Here are a few pictures to show my work in progress. I still have tons to do!

Classroom Set-up on PhotoPeach
School is fast approaching and my plans for a fabulous year are coming together. I have done a great amount of reading including books, blogs, websites and participated in Twitter chats this summer. The amount of knowledge I have gained is a bit overwhelming and exciting at the same time. The amount of resources I have gathered to use with my students throughout the year are phenomenal. The main purpose for creating this blog is to document the technology integration in my classroom and I can't wait to get started.




One of my biggest goals for this year is to integrate technology with Web 2.0 tools. Students will use the technologies available to create knowledge and personal and social change. The word cloud I created below showcases some of the many tools my students will become comfortable with over the course of this year.

So, here is an outline of some of the activities my students will take part in during the First Few Weeks of School.

1. Introduction to the Technology Equipment and Discuss Rules, Procedures and Expectations
2. After discussing our 4th grade goals for the year, students will post their goals using WallWisher which will then be embedded to our class e-board and my personal blog.
3. Students will complete a Reading Interest Survey I recreated using Google Forms.
4. Students will create an "All About Me" Wordle to post outside of the classroom after filling out a Student Questionnaire.
5. Using the Flipcamera, students will create a movie on the rules and expectations in all areas of the school.
6. The Tech star of the week will use the digital camera to take headshots of students to post on our Writing Bulletin Board.
7. Students will create class Wordles on their favorite things such as subjects, food, places to visit, color, sport, etc. These will decorate our class door.
8. Students will be introduced to Edmodo and Kidblog.
9. Students will begin publishing their first writing assignments, which will be a personal narrative using Microsoft Word. They will then copy and paste their writing to Kidblog for parent, teacher and students comments.
10. Students will learn about online safety viewing a video through Brainpop and use the Activotes to participate in a quiz.

These and many more activities to come will develop and implement creative ideas that will result in high student achievement. They will learn to work cooperatively to meet the requirements and exceed my expectations throughout the year. I am so ready to get started and can't wait to showcase student engagement in technology lessons.

Create Teach Share


is having a giveaway and "Post It" Linky party! Honestly, I don't use post-its much except to post notes of reminders to myself on my desk, notes of passwords or to send a note to the office or to a teacher with a student. However, things are going to change this year! Since I will begin implementing Reader's Workshop into my classroom, students will use post its to flag new vocabulary or questions they may have during independent reading. A colleague of mine also suggested using them to post the class's test results on the anchor chart reflecting the skill for the week. Great idea!


School is soon approaching, and I am eager to get back to share all the wonderful things I have discovered this summer with my colleagues. I have become hooked to many social media sites this summer with one of them being Twitter. I have shared ideas, networked, and even eavesdropped with many educators around the globe. I have bookmarked so many wonderful articles and resources that have expanded my knowledge of education. Twitter has been the best professional development that I have participated in. The best of all it is FREE! I am hoping during the first week of school to share my thoughts on Twitter and why I think it is beneficial for educators to sign up. Below you will find a presentation I created using Google. Google Docs is something else I discovered this summer and am just touching the surface with it.

Anyway, I hope you will check out my presentation and add your thoughts about Twitter and what you have gained from Twitter as an educator.



Here it is my new Blog Button! I am so excited!



Thanks TBA for having such a great giveaway!

Just posted by kbkonnected on Twitter. This is awesome!



KB...Konnected
The Book Whisperer-Chapter 5 –Self Reflection 


My reading requirement for my 4th graders this year will be 30 books. My expectations are set high. Donalayn Miller states (p.77) that ten books or twenty books are not enough to instill a love of reading in students. Students have to read many books in order to catch the reading  bug.

Thirty-Book Requirement
·        Poetry-2
·        Realistic Fiction- 3
·        Historical Fiction-2
·        Fantasy- 2
·        Science Fiction- 2
·        Mystery- 3
·        Informational- 2
·        Biography/Autobiography-5
·        Chapter books- 5
·        Magazines-2
·        Folktales/Legends- 2

After reading Chapter 5, I have come to discover that I am more of an efferent reader than aesthetic. I mostly read to acquire knowledge. My reading this summer thus far has been centered around finding ways to teach Reading effectively in the classroom.

Here is my Self Reflection!
1.     
    What were your reading experiences as a child?
As a child, I loved to read for pleasure rather than acquiring knowledge. I read many books as a child and had a passion for reading.

2.     Do you see yourself as a reader now?
I currently see myself as a reader.  The reading that I do now is more for educational purposes rather than for pleasure.
3.     
    How do you share your reading experiences-both current experiences and those from the past –with your students?
This will be my 3rd year teaching Reading to 4th graders and I am definitely taking a different approach with my students. In the past, I did not share my reading experiences with students, but this year I will. I plan to showcase all the reading I have done this summer to my students on the first day of school. I want them to see that their teacher loves to read and has a purpose for reading.

4.     Who have been your role models for reading?
My role model for Reading is my mom.  My mother is always reading a book. She probably reads about 20 books just during the summer months. Now that she has a Nook she is totally hooked. Her favorite genre is Science fiction.

5.     List the last five books you have read.
The last five books I have read were The Help, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, The First Husband, and The Seed.

6.     How long did it take for you to read these books?
I read all five within a month. The Seed was the only book I read during that time frame that was for a school-related purpose. I am happy to say I read four for pleasure and thoroughly enjoyed all four. I can’t wait for The Help to come out in theatres! Currently, most of my reading  is school related. I am reading the following: The Book Whisperer, Teach Like a Champion, The Passion Driven Classroom,  and The Power Reading Workshop.
Calling all Teachers who are looking for an authentic audience for their students to blog to!!!!!!!!!

Are you looking for a constructivist tool for learning? Blogging is it! However, the audience is one of the most important aspects of blogging. By signing up on Comments4Kids your students blogs can be commented on by other students worldwide by the teacher making a tweet with the hastag #comments4kids. How cool is that! Teachers will have to use their phones of course to tweet, unless your school district doesn't have Twitter blocked.

You must check out this blog.

Comments4Kids 


Resource taken from here!
I just found this site while participating on a Twitter 5thchat. It has a wealth of 2.0 tools for you to use with students in the classroom. You have to check this out! BTW- If you are not signed up on Twitter you are missing out on some of the best professional resources out there.

Here I am again searching for resources to use for Reader's Workshop. I decided to head back again to Beth Newingham's site on Scholastic to review some of her resources. While reading the comments I noticed someone posted a site to view for literacy resources for grades 2-6. The copy I have posted is a preview, but you can purchase a digital copy or a hard copy. Check it out it is awesome!



Click here to preview!
Here is a Glog I created to compile School House Rock videos. I use them as an attention getter when introducing a new grammar skill. My students love these videos!

OMG! I just discovered Pinterest! It is awesome, but I need an invite so I can get started. (Thank You Mechelle for inviting me!)



What a great idea for writing!

Rescue Tired Words


So, here it is my Pinterest board! I am still in the process of adding things. Click HERE!
Who's watching the shuttle launch today?




Check it out LIVE here!
Thanks to Lenses on Literacy: Stories from School has posted a list of 100 Read Alouds for 4th Grade.

Click here for the List!
Runde's Room is having a Linky party. Share your favorite books of any type. Join the party!



What a great Linky Party Idea! Implementing Reading Workshop into my classroom this year is my ultimate goal. I want to create a passion for reading using authentic literature. I have been doing a lot of research over the last month and collecting ideas and fitting them to match my teaching style.



This is what I have done so far:

2011-2012 Reading Plans

My goal is to build life-long independent readers by creating a passion for reading using authentic literature.
Students will:
• Read independently
• Confer with teacher at least twice a week
• Be required to read at home using leveled reader or (may use fluency passage in workbook) and complete a Reading Response Card either in noteboook or on Edmodo for students with internet access
• Choose and read self selected texts at their reading level

Readers Workshop will consist of 3 parts lasting for about 60 minutes
• Mini-lesson (teaching point-10-15)
• Individual Daily Reading (25-30min)
• Closing- Share strategy taught or students share (5min)

IDR= 2-3 times a week students will have the opportunity to complete a task, Teachers will conduct guided reading at this time. Student goals for IDR= fluency, accuracy, comprehension, expanding knowledge (I have charts for this that I need to find first and print.)

Guided Reading- Teacher will re-introduce strategy, then assign reading to students, move to each student and have them read their selection for a minute and take anecdotal notes, discuss vocabulary in context. Students will use sticky notes to practice thinking while reading using color coded chart.

Action Plan: http://www.thelearningpad.net/readersworkshop.html
(Using Read-Aloud and Mini Lessons)

Week One Mini Lessons: Discuss Building a Reading Community -what readers do, Talking Partners (Anchor Chart-Discuss reading to self and brainstorm expectations and where they are allowed to sit and allow to practice) Read to someone- how to chorally read or turn taking sitting EEKK style (practice)Setting Reading Goals and introduce the FACE board. Allow students to Blog on what they have learned about in Week One using Edmodo- Read Alouds used during First Week-First Day Jitters and Chrysantheum. I am still searching for more read alouds to add to my list.

Week Two Mini Lessons: Building Reading Habits- I will use Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing to discuss how to think while reading, sticky notes to point at unfamiliar words, things already know or questions we may have. Introduce Notebook and writing about Reading using Response Cards, Choosing Just Right Books and building stamina.

These ideas came from Beth Newingham, Angela Bunyi, KB connected’s Live Binder. Thanks! Now I just hope it goes over smoothly.
Interactive White Boards is hosting a linky party on ways to use Tagxedo in the classroom. Tagxedo is a lot like Wordle, except it can do more things.

I have used Wordle with my students for the past two years. We have used the program to paste our essays on "All About Me", which we hang outside the classroom the first few weeks of school and during open house. We have also used it to make Mother's Day cards. Now, after discovering Tagxedo I think we will use this program instead the first week of school. Tagxedo allows you to make shapes out of your word clouds. You can even upload your own image. You can make the shape ‘blank’ & fill the words around the shape. You can customize what words are shown or hidden. It uses something called ‘Silverlight’ which means as you hover over the words.

You could use it to do a class survey such as on their favorite book!!!

I made one using the words in my profile.

Go Fourth with Mrs. Owens is having a fabulous giveway. Check out her awesome prize!


Well, I decided that I didn't really like my school theme. So, I changed my template. What do you think?

I thought about going with a New Orleans Saints theme and am still thinking about it , but my classroom theme from last year will just have to do. However, I can't seem to figure out how to make my header fit the width of the screen. I also need to figure out how to make my title fit in the box within my header. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Well thanks to my awesome husband and photoshop, I've accomplished my blog template.

Plan to use this book to model expectations and Thinking skills for Reader's Workshop.
Mrs. Parker is hosting a Linky Party on Read Alouds you will use in the Fall.

Here are a few read alouds I will use during the first few weeks.

First Day Jitters- Great Story to Read the First Day of School






Great Lesson to go with the book.


Great book to introduce figurative language and vocabulary.





Plan to use this book to model expectations and Thinking skills for Reader's Workshop.
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