Teaching My 3 is hosting a Top 10 Linky Party to list 10 things that you love! These 10 things could be school supplies, favorite websites, or best teaching strategies.
Here is my Top 10 which is going to be a mix between websites and things I couldn't live without in my 4th grade classroom.
My Top Ten
Websites
1. Twitter- Love this social media site! I have found a plethora of class ideas, professional development articles and have grown my PLN. I was also first introduced to Mystery Skyping through Twitter and am hoping to set-up even more Skype calls this year. Feel free to leave me your email if you are interested in doing a Mystery Skype. Follow me @eshepherd
2. Pinterest- I love Pinterest! I view Pinterest at least 5 times a day. I know that is ridiculous, right? I have found so many wonderful ideas on Pinterest to use in my classroom. My favorite finds are the Anchor Charts, and class projects, and lately I have been pinning Social Studies related material. Loving those lapbooks!
4. Google Reader- This is where I house all of the many blogs I follow! Can I say I follow over 300+ blogs, and I keep up with them at that!
5. Edmodo- Love using Edmodo in the classroom for my students to connect globally. We used it last year to have book discussions, post our thoughts, take quizzes, and backchannel during Mystery Skypes. I am looking forward to setting up a Social Studies group for my students, where I will post videos and projects for students to complete.
6. Class Dojo- This is a new site I discovered on one of the many blogs I follow that I begin using during centers to monitor my students behavior. The students love it and especially love getting rewarded points for good behavior. You can also set-up the mobile app on your phone and monitor students behavior during library or during transitions to PE and lunch.
Things I can't live without in my Classroom
7. iPads- I have 10 ipads for my students to use in my classroom. They use them mostly during our Reading centers to help enrich the skills that are taught. Some of our favorite apps are Keynote, Puppet Pals, Brainpop, Shake a Phrase, Edmodo, Brain Quest, and iTooch Grade 4. I am hoping to use the Remind Me app with parents next year, the Book Retriever app to organize my class library, and Educreations.
8. Promethean Board- I don't know what I would do without this tool. However, I need to invest some time into making more interactive flip charts.
9. Internet- One day I was without internet in my classroom, and since I have an adapter to project my iPad on the Promethean I used it with my iPhone. I never thought I could use my phone in the classroom. It just goes to show how much technology changes each and every day.
10. Students- What would all of us educators be without our students?
Posts
One of my favourite school supplies is something I recently discovered at the DOllar store. You know those mittens they sell for cleaning your car - the're like shamies and a mit? Well they are great for those of us who are still using chalk boards. ANd they only cost a $1.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted you to know that I'm giving you The Lovely Blog Award. Would love for you to stop by and check it out!
ReplyDeleteJulie aka Southern Teacher
Southernteacherwbt.blogspot.com
I discovered your blog through a facebook post. I also can't live without a promethean board! Our building has 20 laptops for student use and 2 class sets of netbooks. We also have alphasmarts which don't connect to the internet, but for writing stories or practicing spelling it's perfect!
ReplyDeleteAmy
Where Seconds Count 2nd grade blog