tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46354100417082934172024-03-12T23:17:29.188-07:00Innovations in TechnologyResources, Curriculum, Innovative Lessons, Tutorials and Technology Tips for Middle School and High School CTE and Technology classes.Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-14937933060642444952016-11-27T06:24:00.000-08:002016-12-19T07:21:26.497-08:00FREE Classroom Ideas for Christmas <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdbe6CgptCzgP_QevNugy9PUPiSrqXAgRFkOdRFkOXhRA9eyvALrAv9wi2LLgCufTEFAaMSj66CypbfzTBhloSSg6upoViSSFHPvxRPIkoBtW0tNOzwsWWT_A2kpsypjpNWNyXDYv2icx/s1600/happy+holidays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdbe6CgptCzgP_QevNugy9PUPiSrqXAgRFkOdRFkOXhRA9eyvALrAv9wi2LLgCufTEFAaMSj66CypbfzTBhloSSg6upoViSSFHPvxRPIkoBtW0tNOzwsWWT_A2kpsypjpNWNyXDYv2icx/s1600/happy+holidays.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Whether your students celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or just the Winter Holiday off from school, as the break for the holidays approaches student attention diminishes! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here are a few quick ideas to use with elementary or middle school students as a warm up at the beginning of class or for that last 5-10 minutes of class to give them something to look forward to. These require access to a computer (ideally 1:1) but can also be done with partners or on a smartphone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Try these that final few days (or week) before the holiday break:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://snowdays.me/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Snow Days</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> - Create a snowflake.</span></li>
<li><a href="http://dingo.care2.com/cards/new/0422/Do-a-rain-deer.swf" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Reindeer Orchestra</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> - Online music creation site</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.highlightskids.com/flash/gingerbread-house" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Design a Gingerbread House</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.softschools.com/games/logic_games/christmas_tree_light_up/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Christmas Tree Light Up</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> (game)</span></li>
<li><a href="http://puzzles.about.com/od/trivia/l/bl_xmasquiz.htm" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Christmas Trivia Quiz</a></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.iboard.co.uk/iwb/Twelve-Games-of-Christmas-Present-Stacker-2013" target="_blank">Present Stacker</a> (strategy game)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://besplatneigrice.ba/content/games/slatkisi.swf" target="_blank">Decorate the Gingerbread Man</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.theoworlds.com/christmas/" target="_blank">Virtual Gingerbread Cookie</a></span></li>
<li><br /></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-17496230951415578312016-11-07T17:25:00.002-08:002016-11-07T17:25:28.649-08:00FREE Thanksgiving Ideas for the Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_azseAV0pNuqT8R_J-uPo7GwF2Zuem4fmCWJEjmHhei66VcIIDNXVL0bMIBSGjq8My2ZXiLb3n2rvWEh7adStGaNIumb8Ny8rMsIA9gWYDThxYx0FI_GLlQX1s_aUoxGAcqnVDoqzJDXs/s1600/thanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_azseAV0pNuqT8R_J-uPo7GwF2Zuem4fmCWJEjmHhei66VcIIDNXVL0bMIBSGjq8My2ZXiLb3n2rvWEh7adStGaNIumb8Ny8rMsIA9gWYDThxYx0FI_GLlQX1s_aUoxGAcqnVDoqzJDXs/s1600/thanksgiving.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thanksgiving is just around the corner and whether students have a full week off like my district or just the two days of the holiday, they're ready for something extra fun to keep their interest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In my classroom, students have a daily warm up that generally takes then about five minutes to complete at the start of class. This is usually a writing prompt of some kind or a quick review question about a previous lesson. During the holiday season though, I like to give them something fun to do on the computer instead. If you are 1:1 computers in your classroom, of course this works great, but you can also do it with partners/teams on computers or even let students do it on their smartphones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here are a few fun ideas for Thanksgiving:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.starfall.com/n/holiday/turkey/load.htm?f&n=main" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Silly Turkey</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> - dress the turkey</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/thanksgiving/games/catchthanksgivingturkey/" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Catch a Thanksgiving Turkey </a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">(game)</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/thanksgiving/games/thanksgivingturkeysurvivalmission/" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Turkey Survival Mission</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> (game)</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.rd.com/culture/thanksgiving-trivia-quiz/" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">What's Your Thanksgiving IQ</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> (trivia)</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.kongregate.com/games/t45olcom/turkey-shoot" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Turkey Shoot</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> (game)</span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.akidsheart.com/holidays/thanks/turkswap.htm" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Turkey Swap</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> (puzzle)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I hope your students enjoy these!</span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-3429560448812767802016-08-06T05:46:00.001-07:002016-08-06T05:46:10.699-07:00212 Degree Attitude<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNDdDy8QITikBwADig2HZj-0tzXEftXaI45O9OZJogQORPZKF2ZMxJ8Q5VxBFzLQXo8zpSdg4BgI6-i9USgz_uZmV1HuVL4Qu5rDDdZFWUs_8daeFUiu-qeclG3wY73j3oM_5gfJTI_zx/s1600/212+Degree+Attitude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNDdDy8QITikBwADig2HZj-0tzXEftXaI45O9OZJogQORPZKF2ZMxJ8Q5VxBFzLQXo8zpSdg4BgI6-i9USgz_uZmV1HuVL4Qu5rDDdZFWUs_8daeFUiu-qeclG3wY73j3oM_5gfJTI_zx/s200/212+Degree+Attitude.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's that time of year again - back to school. Some teachers have already started back; others will be starting over the next few weeks. Regardless of what grade you teach, every teacher wants their students to do their best and be successful. They want them to push through the challenges and come out on the other side with that "light bulb" moment where their learning makes sense and they feel that sense of achievement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A few years ago, my principal shared a video clip with us during our professional development before school started call <i>212: The Extra Degree. </i>I teach middle school and many of my students each year just want their work DONE - they don't care about the quality or even if they learned anything. I started showing this video clip to them and found that a few of these "It's good enough; I'm done" students started to take another look at their work . . . and some other things too. You might want to use it in your classroom too. It's a great discussion starter and something you can refer back to as you have those "moments" where students aren't wanting to make an effort.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uRDNLTMaZqo/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uRDNLTMaZqo?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-68699157889480666002016-07-31T07:09:00.000-07:002016-07-31T07:09:21.280-07:00Back to School: Using Google Forms for Digital Signatures on School Forms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_qpPVQwW7k3gOqpLe2SYHZlDlQ_MUNqsEvkqFY4zU8rc0htnvwQ-gvlaOt5bnMd3fFFzMtBahGJmuZeNlaGr-bldSe7psADkLgz8r3BFZ75RCb4wrg0JkFRjSMm1TG54bZ0mwNWgAekR/s1600/Google+forms+pic+for+blog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_qpPVQwW7k3gOqpLe2SYHZlDlQ_MUNqsEvkqFY4zU8rc0htnvwQ-gvlaOt5bnMd3fFFzMtBahGJmuZeNlaGr-bldSe7psADkLgz8r3BFZ75RCb4wrg0JkFRjSMm1TG54bZ0mwNWgAekR/s400/Google+forms+pic+for+blog.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's back to school time and along with that comes all the paperwork that needs to be sent home for parent signatures. Then, you have to collect it, determine who has brought back their signed form (and who HASN'T), send reminders, send the papers home again . . . sound familiar??? These quick steps will let you automate all that with Google Forms!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">The basic concept: </span></b>You will be sending an email to parents with a link to the Google Form you create and attaching any paperwork you want them to read and sign. Once they complete the form, Google Forms "magically" combines all the information into a spreadsheet format so you can easily see who has signed the forms and send reminder emails to those who haven't. Easy. Quick. Paperless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>How to create the Google Form:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1. Click on the Google Apps button at the top right of your screen and choose Google Forms.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2. An untitled form will appear. You will be using the menu bar on the right to make most of your changes.</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg10_O4pAyXbti0ell3syi_0H6BnPsUzxGG6H0NWXtTzko01UoXMhyphenhyphen16dDv5pj6K6Np18yEKjGenHYvVvc-rTut3ScsKPNWPQknl7Shst-W07TW7_hLnbpKsX59XCki0oFRVLdqnYyRtZy/s1600/GoogleForm1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg10_O4pAyXbti0ell3syi_0H6BnPsUzxGG6H0NWXtTzko01UoXMhyphenhyphen16dDv5pj6K6Np18yEKjGenHYvVvc-rTut3ScsKPNWPQknl7Shst-W07TW7_hLnbpKsX59XCki0oFRVLdqnYyRtZy/s320/GoogleForm1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3. First, title your form by click on the words "Untitled Form" at the top left of your screen and typing whatever you'd like for a title (for example: Back to School Forms for Signature).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9JWZIvY4K2nMLS-QfP6YHX2xdzD3LWK5IlFIT74HK7owgMqplQs9iZtIpFZRsgGQV8WPxFHm_UJQV_PU-X21xXNFLXYkXNX6yelHpViy_FDQznYTX2rHhLfhlniBt0iJ_cpheAGcFskU/s1600/google+form+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9JWZIvY4K2nMLS-QfP6YHX2xdzD3LWK5IlFIT74HK7owgMqplQs9iZtIpFZRsgGQV8WPxFHm_UJQV_PU-X21xXNFLXYkXNX6yelHpViy_FDQznYTX2rHhLfhlniBt0iJ_cpheAGcFskU/s320/google+form+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4. Add the information you want to include (you can see my sample at the bottom of this post). You can include paragraphs, questions, pictures, etc. using the tool bar on the right. Be sure to choose "required" (bottom right) if you want the parent to not be able to submit the form to you without completing that question. You can view what your form will look like as you go along by clicking the eye icon at the upper right of the screen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTwDDRF7iqNhtQPHl1AQWEJiHmYbOXC6lrV7-jJgNNCCLJpuyT7GO_xO-qc5bFFZKsAnt60j0YE887XIIY79_EKlT1giOXKpTrkq7Qa-i_sBSXJhyphenhyphenE7MjG5bCoWswSGgMH8aULDPJloWJ/s1600/google+form3+eye.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTwDDRF7iqNhtQPHl1AQWEJiHmYbOXC6lrV7-jJgNNCCLJpuyT7GO_xO-qc5bFFZKsAnt60j0YE887XIIY79_EKlT1giOXKpTrkq7Qa-i_sBSXJhyphenhyphenE7MjG5bCoWswSGgMH8aULDPJloWJ/s320/google+form3+eye.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5. Change the template to make your form attractive. Y</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">ou can use one of the templates offered by Google Forms, change the colors, or a picture of your own. Click on the palette at the top right to see your choices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtV5su2YCWdCoT2BY9E_V9e-RvB5jI8g3mckf_v0XKSNXnyhlj1tGfD4NI4hi2FG_nrze1RKGWOb7Q1brhscAkr8Xe8MBPxsdiKXTbFCnO46wuO5ZKppS5hDtsxMY89MNhIGjqexfGAARl/s1600/google+form3+palette.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtV5su2YCWdCoT2BY9E_V9e-RvB5jI8g3mckf_v0XKSNXnyhlj1tGfD4NI4hi2FG_nrze1RKGWOb7Q1brhscAkr8Xe8MBPxsdiKXTbFCnO46wuO5ZKppS5hDtsxMY89MNhIGjqexfGAARl/s320/google+form3+palette.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6. Google Forms offers a variety of colors and themes. Add your own picture if you prefer at the bottom left.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhiprPBXFKcIuTa_lR2D1Lgg0NRzOA7q5G8H2OoAoiMFUHv2mspuDsTdI9WKOWfAWdSOq8kz5v7152KAj1SAXHZXRlCv2COvIqH4dh8UWPGAQ4OMeMUP9AymYyvewHIWzmMeoymFfUuZz/s1600/google+form5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhiprPBXFKcIuTa_lR2D1Lgg0NRzOA7q5G8H2OoAoiMFUHv2mspuDsTdI9WKOWfAWdSOq8kz5v7152KAj1SAXHZXRlCv2COvIqH4dh8UWPGAQ4OMeMUP9AymYyvewHIWzmMeoymFfUuZz/s320/google+form5.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">7. Your changes are automatically saved in your Google Drive (to access it, click on the arrow at the top left of the screen). When you are finished, send your form by clicking on the SEND button at the top right. I used the link option and copy/pasted the link provided into an email. I then attached the forms I needed the parents to review and digitally sign to that email.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbE3TaTBFYb_kdqoWxGB1bHw_DF0X1YYUQV34RkjIaamubXm4KWsfZRw9CW6XtZ1cKqEf5JCMMUENXZxVpO1fRAaKDX1wzekGczHXFJSD7kxobRfypAa7M5tTkYa-J-t_vM923JN_CnnN/s1600/google+form+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbE3TaTBFYb_kdqoWxGB1bHw_DF0X1YYUQV34RkjIaamubXm4KWsfZRw9CW6XtZ1cKqEf5JCMMUENXZxVpO1fRAaKDX1wzekGczHXFJSD7kxobRfypAa7M5tTkYa-J-t_vM923JN_CnnN/s320/google+form+6.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These are the samples of what I used. The first one shows the form in editing mode and the second picture shows what the recipient sees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PKbRGBE76PjQXnPq-xNHBEL9xtdv3Q1FNpEME1cFsjcOIHa0y0B6txNsbVJbldBj_2S1WjOoiuzVcXNLf_kcLed3dfveLbfNX3EhV0sQhY1m5K8cak4cchaKrARiNH8tijtVrg1jDylY/s1600/sample1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PKbRGBE76PjQXnPq-xNHBEL9xtdv3Q1FNpEME1cFsjcOIHa0y0B6txNsbVJbldBj_2S1WjOoiuzVcXNLf_kcLed3dfveLbfNX3EhV0sQhY1m5K8cak4cchaKrARiNH8tijtVrg1jDylY/s320/sample1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6o6gvSsgNOJnJbt9l_KhqS0I5WdcofcTA353_t_tGPw5G3Qrm2Cd4WNLgEWWWRTvMbCwq97t1ilPRA7emqB0128ub36F2pkP7P9l4A_XRwpQqMggW4ZX2l_riQxsRRMdYe3Mk77ogTNrR/s1600/sample2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6o6gvSsgNOJnJbt9l_KhqS0I5WdcofcTA353_t_tGPw5G3Qrm2Cd4WNLgEWWWRTvMbCwq97t1ilPRA7emqB0128ub36F2pkP7P9l4A_XRwpQqMggW4ZX2l_riQxsRRMdYe3Mk77ogTNrR/s320/sample2.png" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hope you find these helpful as you start the new school year!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-78485304017278930622016-05-27T11:52:00.000-07:002016-05-27T11:52:18.958-07:00What Worked for YOU This Year?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6FnKYUtwEDRKCUbLfgkOiZEUbx7SHui8ocRxfTj00x2cqFS3msVyoS8nfoj1uab3zcEWq_G-f_EDh0No5uAM1Xd9S7rImSiIThnOpHVys6MzeJXWhox6YWhHjG9kZ68B8ZQvdcYpUSfW/s1600/Reflecting+on+the+Year.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6FnKYUtwEDRKCUbLfgkOiZEUbx7SHui8ocRxfTj00x2cqFS3msVyoS8nfoj1uab3zcEWq_G-f_EDh0No5uAM1Xd9S7rImSiIThnOpHVys6MzeJXWhox6YWhHjG9kZ68B8ZQvdcYpUSfW/s320/Reflecting+on+the+Year.png" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's that time of year again when we are wrapping up lessons, cleaning up our rooms and preparing to say goodbye to this year's students. Along with that, most of us are thinking about what lessons and strategies went well this year and which didn't. The ones we'll use again next year, the ones will modify, and the ones we'll just discard and try something new.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This year, one of the units that was best received by my 8th grade Information Technology students was our unit on Adobe Photoshop. Not all districts are as lucky as mine - we have access to the entire Adobe Suite of products for our students. Teenagers LOVE to take pictures and the ability to edit them in different ways is naturally engaging. Although we did have to cover appropriate use of images of others and discuss the true meaning of "school appropriate", students had a lot of fun with these lessons and learning some valuable skills they can use in high school and throughout life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This isn't the first year I've taught Adobe Photoshop, but I did approach it a little differently this year. We started with a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Introduction-to-Adobe-Photoshop-Basics-2400963" target="_blank">basics lesson</a> that included a step-by-step tutorial of mini lessons on the most used features of the program. Then, they demonstrated their learning of these features in a creative project of their own. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Feeling comfortable with the menus and features of the program, we moved forward into a short lesson about the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Basic-Photo-Editing-in-Adobe-Photoshop-2297099" target="_blank">most popular photo editing features</a>. Students learning how to remove red-eye, remove blemishes, etc. Up next was a challenge where they chose from a variety of tutorials and learned how to do "something cool" like create a new animal from two different pictures. By now they were pretty comfortable with the program and were really enjoying helping each other create the most amazing pictures.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We spent more time on Adobe Photoshop this year than we have in the past, but students really enjoyed feeling a real sense of mastery with the program! I'll be adding a couple new "choices" to these lessons for upcoming years, but I'm glad to have invested the time in this. Students having fun and doing something authentic keeps them engaged and learning and also gave them confidence that they could master a difficult program!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>You might also enjoy:</b></span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiE94vnR7Wynq5NWK9TQaOExBeI_a7y4DUw4UM3E82X_wlta7eA-P4E9qm7cpfFlZgTm6BrZQJO5DbFoaC2WZQRCQkYr4YB9xJj97ToYtnzlAvsfgzeT_Uyi49J5wy4vXVs883qRnmUfC8/s1600/iAm+Photoshop+Project+UNIT_Page_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiE94vnR7Wynq5NWK9TQaOExBeI_a7y4DUw4UM3E82X_wlta7eA-P4E9qm7cpfFlZgTm6BrZQJO5DbFoaC2WZQRCQkYr4YB9xJj97ToYtnzlAvsfgzeT_Uyi49J5wy4vXVs883qRnmUfC8/s200/iAm+Photoshop+Project+UNIT_Page_1.png" width="148" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Adobe-Photoshop-i-Am-Silhouette-2358137" target="_blank">"I Am" Silhouette Project in Adobe Photoshop</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4TaxWPyUJMx5_spPlxnCPvR2Si65UMewMHoi26C1v4vE3KysZxetZOQm2KqJzsI4mzl7qbzpP3baMV4R0hFvl_qhq5ulmmmGGHFFxjPxzW0pNA3InD3oBw2OtqXuaX_OxB1x4ckoSc-m/s1600/Animated+Gif+in+Photoshop+UNIT_Page_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4TaxWPyUJMx5_spPlxnCPvR2Si65UMewMHoi26C1v4vE3KysZxetZOQm2KqJzsI4mzl7qbzpP3baMV4R0hFvl_qhq5ulmmmGGHFFxjPxzW0pNA3InD3oBw2OtqXuaX_OxB1x4ckoSc-m/s200/Animated+Gif+in+Photoshop+UNIT_Page_01.png" width="147" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Creating-an-Animated-Gif-in-Adobe-Photoshop-2283516" target="_blank">Animated GIF in Adobe Photoshop</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-66003886020819151202016-05-20T07:00:00.000-07:002016-05-20T10:03:30.360-07:00How to Get a Jump on Next Year . . . Before Summer Even Starts!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuF0yMdHYtwsEiPkDJNny4yGcVNDWGl8p3g8FbXENxNN_N_95ixtI1zsb0b-aI4mjh_pcy4rjD-FVV777rtV7nFuyq84Y3Rza8sAzP3ojWX4w9uNqw9rngIvqZ_3DQBc839uAzoi4x8hUd/s1600/BuntingBanner6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuF0yMdHYtwsEiPkDJNny4yGcVNDWGl8p3g8FbXENxNN_N_95ixtI1zsb0b-aI4mjh_pcy4rjD-FVV777rtV7nFuyq84Y3Rza8sAzP3ojWX4w9uNqw9rngIvqZ_3DQBc839uAzoi4x8hUd/s320/BuntingBanner6.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEl_FnZiD00GBjlsYApbFWc-sgeI1dUwH6MyhVtL8enKJ4XITsjgRxStfkL7OK6DfJHdm5XArNPlG_N5fAMZVyYC3SOx6yB1ppSpx9KmBtrcs4e4j6TrshI-WTfyU3pXEKqizvp9jwEhE/s1600/Board-Get+ready+for+next+year.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEl_FnZiD00GBjlsYApbFWc-sgeI1dUwH6MyhVtL8enKJ4XITsjgRxStfkL7OK6DfJHdm5XArNPlG_N5fAMZVyYC3SOx6yB1ppSpx9KmBtrcs4e4j6TrshI-WTfyU3pXEKqizvp9jwEhE/s320/Board-Get+ready+for+next+year.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's the last few weeks of the year, and even though there's always lots to do, taking the time to do a few things in preparation for the first days of NEXT year will help make your summer more relaxing! Here's a few things you can do now and can even have your current students help you with. My students love helping get the classroom ready for next year's students and think this is fun, not work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">1. Make copies for the first day of school. I don't know about your school, but our copiers are always busy or broken at the beginning of the year. If you have syllabi, parent information/permission forms, student classroom procedures, etc. that you'll be handing out the first day or two of school, consider printing those now and letting your student helpers staple and organize them. Put them together on a shelf, in a basket or on a cart and that will be one less thing you need to do when you start getting your classroom ready in the fall.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2. Take down posters, border, bulletin boards, etc. that you are going to change for next year. Again, I use my student helpers for this. If you want to get super ambitious, you can start (or even complete!) putting up decorations for next year. Make a list of things you want for the upcoming list (new border, new letters, etc.) and add these things to your "to do" list so you can obtain these during the summer when you're shopping. If you need a fun, colorful "to-do" list to motivate you, <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Printable-To-Do-Lists-Keep-Organized-1916259" target="_blank">download this free one.</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">3. Start purging things that are out of date, aren't going to be used, or are records that you'll be shredding. Even if you need to hold on to them until the end, find an empty file cabinet drawer to tuck them into so you can just open the drawer and empty it into the trash or shredder on the last day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">4. Reflect on what worked this year and what didn't. You've probably done some of that throughout the year, but it's a great time to consider some of the things you wish you'd done (or wish you'd done differently!). Add them to the list so you remember them as you're modifying lessons over the summer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What are some of your tips for getting ahead BEFORE the new school year starts?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Graphic Credits: <a href="h-ps://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Six-Picks" target="_blank">Six Picks</a> & </span><a href="http://www.theschoolsupplyaddict.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">Ashley Hughes</a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You Might Also be Interested in:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAP_5NH5V-M9I6sdwu3E6F3-Hwc03ynNhi4jIuwZvUf0bNgDLwFhxoP8DAgMXLoMevBV3lGU9YBUZcnZcBpcKP2VmArPbBGlmYpHZUC1gS2AyUAPK8awIwEi57gPlFfeudu163cvroQuNR/s200/Expectations+thumb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="154" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Procedures-Template-1518215" target="_blank">Classroom Expectations Template</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRht35bOkYzdXdtxWfw-twAtVbi7qaVTehyphenhyphenRd9O2EWuB0On2ZJo2xCkkB0tx1G3Cll3LEz8amC7BtSgAa5sapPDHanmoM2It2K4oLexQD9PkMpRoPIcEYxzlttXDSUeYVi2mQeH7RDKPEk/s1600/P-To+Do+List_Page_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRht35bOkYzdXdtxWfw-twAtVbi7qaVTehyphenhyphenRd9O2EWuB0On2ZJo2xCkkB0tx1G3Cll3LEz8amC7BtSgAa5sapPDHanmoM2It2K4oLexQD9PkMpRoPIcEYxzlttXDSUeYVi2mQeH7RDKPEk/s200/P-To+Do+List_Page_1.png" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Printable-To-Do-Lists-Keep-Organized-1916259" target="_blank">To Do Lists (FREE)</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-54584675333306578762016-05-13T12:33:00.000-07:002016-05-13T12:33:43.291-07:00Middle School Memories - Three End of the Year Activities<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22u0DzZoGBeOBDAnLVZVh37-C2UW_RcW-NJuQayS_Olw2uzMMSzhDoerjYTVx3Q1gwuRjz0xjejYE5nOuegBh_umXv4SpCW4NFhEorCSW9oqrm9uZNYO0C95q_F9gt8WPfeW2XZfFYY0V/s1600/cheering-297419_960_720.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22u0DzZoGBeOBDAnLVZVh37-C2UW_RcW-NJuQayS_Olw2uzMMSzhDoerjYTVx3Q1gwuRjz0xjejYE5nOuegBh_umXv4SpCW4NFhEorCSW9oqrm9uZNYO0C95q_F9gt8WPfeW2XZfFYY0V/s320/cheering-297419_960_720.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Middle School Memories</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My 8th graders are entering their last three weeks in Middle School and even though most of them don't really want to admit it, they're having some conflicting emotions right now. They're anxious (and apprehensive) about going to high school next year - leaving a school they've been at for 3 years and a place where they're now the "Big Men (or Women) on Campus" to go to a new school with new teachers and new classes. For most, it means leaving behind some of their friends who are going to a different high school (our district has three high schools). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Right now, it is difficult to get them to focus on school, no matter how entertaining the lesson. They want to think back over their memories of friends and fun, and look ahead to the fall when they'll be enjoying new experiences. So, I came up with a few lessons that let them learn some new skills AND get a chance to reflect back or look ahead.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br /><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Idea #1: “I’ll Always Remember” project in PowerPoint. Students combine pictures with a short paragraph about a specific memory they will “always remember” from each of their classes in a PowerPoint presentation and then share these. Get the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ill-Always-Remember-End-of-the-Year-PowerPoint-Project-2501909" target="_blank">full lesson</a>.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Idea #2: Memories from the Year video project gives students an opportunity to share their memories from the school year as a culminating activity to the year. It uses the Web 2.0 tool, <a href="https://www.wevideo.com/" target="_blank">WeVideo</a>, which is convenient for teachers and students since it does not require download. Students use existing pictures and videos or shoot additional ones and then combine those with WeVideo’s built in music to create a video retrospective of the year. Get the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Memories-from-the-Year-Video-Project-End-of-Year-Activity-2493414" target="_blank">full lesson</a>.</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Idea #3: Showcasing the Year’s Best Work in an Online Weebly Portfolio utilizes the free Web 2.0 tool <a href="http://www.weebly.com/">www.weebly.com</a> to create an online portfolio/web site. No download is required to use the product, making it easy for teachers who are not able to download software on classroom computers to still give their students a choice in learning. Students enjoy looking back at all their accomplishments for the year and seeing how their work has improved too! <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/My-Best-Work-Online-Portfolio-End-of-Year-Project-in-Weebly-2502423" target="_blank">Get the full lesson.</a><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-27150763590409513972016-05-08T08:47:00.000-07:002016-05-08T09:04:19.841-07:005 Ideas to Help You (and your Students!) Survive the End of the Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAgWWIHg8e-svpkOIA8_5JlRykSragdBZWR9BOIw042yje5ho-oPmntO-KJssuJzCcdtMGsqUc6CzJ-x76JuxeFHHCQslW-lVUHlM6XUa3py8ZhBPlcYVI3z48OilGzNQGIyE7vkT6GQ8/s1600/brainstorming-413156_960_720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAgWWIHg8e-svpkOIA8_5JlRykSragdBZWR9BOIw042yje5ho-oPmntO-KJssuJzCcdtMGsqUc6CzJ-x76JuxeFHHCQslW-lVUHlM6XUa3py8ZhBPlcYVI3z48OilGzNQGIyE7vkT6GQ8/s320/brainstorming-413156_960_720.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Most teachers are entering those final weeks of the year. For some of us (like me!) that means we still have standardized testing to get through. But, more importantly, we want the last few weeks of the year to be as memorable and filled with meaningful learning as the first weeks of the year. That's not always so easy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My middle schoolers are DONE with school. I teach 8th graders so they are done with MIDDLE SCHOOL all together. They are focused on what high school will be like, what classes they'll be taking, which of their friends will attend their high school, etc. even more than planning for summer. Like every year, some are done working. They're letting their 90+ grade drop into the 70's as they just.don't.care.anymore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This may be okay with them (and sadly, even with many of their parents), but it's NOT so okay with me. A break from learning, sure. A total "stop" . . . uh, NO. So, it becomes my job to find something they still want to do that takes them to the next level of learning. Since 8th graders are pretty savvy about "real work" and what actually interests them, this is a challenge every single year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Does this describe your classroom too? Here a few ideas that I've tried successfully over the years:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">1. <b>Let them choose their project.</b> You know what they still need to learn, but HOW they learn it could be up to them. Authentic learning is always great and if they feel like they have more control, they're going to be more motivated and take more ownership of the project. Let them choose whether to do a poster, create a website, use a collage, etc. You can set up what they need to demonstrate in their learning and then let them choose the "how" of the project.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">2. <b>Have a competition. </b> Get other students who AREN'T in your class to judge. We did this for a robotics competition and used 7th graders to judge. My students wanted to impress these kids, so they really pulled together and worked hard. You can use competitions for review too - think Jeopardy-style quiz games or free sites like <a href="https://getkahoot.com/" target="_blank">Kahoot</a> to get kids re-excited about learning. Note: be prepared for it to get a little loud!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">3. <b>Figure out what they're wasting time on and make it a lesson.</b> Everyone wants to play computer games? How about learning how to create one with a free site like <a href="https://gamestarmechanic.com/" target="_blank">Gamestar Mechanic</a> or <a href="http://www.sploder.com/" target="_blank">Sploder</a>? Neither of these require download and are great for all ages. We like combining this with a competition where students rate each others' game and give constructive feedback for improvement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">4. <b>Try something that might be just a little too hard (aka challenging) for them.</b> My 8th graders have taken on some tough stuff: AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, etc. and done really, really well with it. I let them work together and help each other, provide them with tutorial links and videos and let them see what they can do without the "stress" of a grade for specifics. I grade them instead on being on task, working collaboratively, using their resources and trying their best.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">5. <b>Recognize that there are going to be days where no one (including you) wants to work.</b> The weather is nice, summer is almost here, and they've worked hard all year. Let them work with a partner, work in a team, use their phone to research information, or just take a "brain break". Take them outside, plan an activity where they can move around, give them some fun options if they finish early . . . in other words, use that same creativity that has made your year fun and awesome to get you and THEM through these last few weeks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Who has other ideas to share?</span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-67018641541342323662016-01-11T11:59:00.000-08:002018-03-17T14:11:59.004-07:00Design & Build Your Own City<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of the big projects I do each year with my 8th grade engineering students is to have them design and create their own city. We start out this unit by talking about city planning, using the city they live in as an example. We look at some of the design and planning maps and I have some of the city planners come and talk with students to explain what goes in to designing a city.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our next step it to have the kids choose their team (3-4) and start researching information about city design to build on the knowledge they gained from our speakers. Each group chooses a city zone to build and designs their city to scale using <a href="http://www.sketchup.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQiA-4i0BRCaudDcrrnDi6kBEiQAZSh5f_Jd_gE1SyjaZsPTKjvM8yBAx39Iv0HOhZP-Mh4khF4aAv968P8HAQ" target="_blank">SketchUp</a> (a free, online CAD program). They plan with their group regarding what buildings should go in the zone and then determine how they will divide the work to accomplish their goal. We work with Engneering notebooks for planning along with guide sheets to help them and work logs to keep them all on track.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOv_xAgq6VKLlZP7BVIrHPs_uONm7BzbVs9FIKWXUFabz-yZ7SznG_LC_ahmA68BeHG_rtkL528GwWLAHIbRC7Sds9d8dXC3Ba5MThb-m8Mcuy9fWLFrCoWNRDiB0PCUC9R41jno4aPbv/s1600/gabbiejones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOv_xAgq6VKLlZP7BVIrHPs_uONm7BzbVs9FIKWXUFabz-yZ7SznG_LC_ahmA68BeHG_rtkL528GwWLAHIbRC7Sds9d8dXC3Ba5MThb-m8Mcuy9fWLFrCoWNRDiB0PCUC9R41jno4aPbv/s320/gabbiejones.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6l6CoNz2exAY9erbwRLVGbd2OFTbyti9ZAtZlZd3vhbc8CAT-HHXOR_Vi74vDObN4sq5NCnqmC5pSl9JqXfa1YyiumcsGfXzErNh_WOAy6kOMHAjktzf9wsTq7QGf96cD1jqdLIRHrucR/s1600/sotothalia_city2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6l6CoNz2exAY9erbwRLVGbd2OFTbyti9ZAtZlZd3vhbc8CAT-HHXOR_Vi74vDObN4sq5NCnqmC5pSl9JqXfa1YyiumcsGfXzErNh_WOAy6kOMHAjktzf9wsTq7QGf96cD1jqdLIRHrucR/s320/sotothalia_city2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXTITWbn_RsBsOsb7goRWAnZKVzgqVG7vYq8VyFYU3E9ZUXFEUmCwPeasFSPGZXchh2lyDI3Vti9yh2dDd1h-MmRWrQT1sQR7VAph_YoJZoY2wz3gq0kOVRUYWBK_cBPJeHbJvS4jgdbd/s1600/unnonevictorcity2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXTITWbn_RsBsOsb7goRWAnZKVzgqVG7vYq8VyFYU3E9ZUXFEUmCwPeasFSPGZXchh2lyDI3Vti9yh2dDd1h-MmRWrQT1sQR7VAph_YoJZoY2wz3gq0kOVRUYWBK_cBPJeHbJvS4jgdbd/s320/unnonevictorcity2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Once the designs are completed, each team actually builds their zone, utilizing chipboard and a variety of other materials to create their city zone to scale. I provide materials in the classroom, but sometimes students want something specific that i don't have and I allow them to bring that (if they clear it with me first of course!).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This portion of the project takes us several weeks. Once all the buildings and decorations have been completed, we work together as a class to combine the buildings to create the end result of a city. We leave it set up for a few days so that other teachers and students can "visit" the city and admire the hard work!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FNNepwp7D25aaqnlBfQccmLp1nIVbYlNdXJzavedzH-Y1DGH7aHxv0dZDVXuKA41oaHrBX8l4mUKUK1j3xOluey8uTTvwOjf7MR5C-S3TkhE7ujB6OqCCJjIZQi18nv100EPeRFWVloR/s1600/IMG_1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FNNepwp7D25aaqnlBfQccmLp1nIVbYlNdXJzavedzH-Y1DGH7aHxv0dZDVXuKA41oaHrBX8l4mUKUK1j3xOluey8uTTvwOjf7MR5C-S3TkhE7ujB6OqCCJjIZQi18nv100EPeRFWVloR/s320/IMG_1327.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NKztq3Rq-crpZQGIGVM-8Y55Ur1pNrMhjJlx2nvPjg9pVaQjEEs1tyqq5OinDWStVwkHgm_q0-gf5ZHkWzSOq_N8CkRtw-KeqiwTxoCdQgFdCO8BDWOa6HKhIm1xN3ci0aSIkZPO4X6d/s1600/IMG_1331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NKztq3Rq-crpZQGIGVM-8Y55Ur1pNrMhjJlx2nvPjg9pVaQjEEs1tyqq5OinDWStVwkHgm_q0-gf5ZHkWzSOq_N8CkRtw-KeqiwTxoCdQgFdCO8BDWOa6HKhIm1xN3ci0aSIkZPO4X6d/s320/IMG_1331.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEXox17m8hOgnr1yENdQQq7Pp5ej63m2D-jkyVIeizn_sjbIP3LGq8CCSaMwW5CzV1xCkaT9S4ixQvmCwzUnNKy8j8PUxan3cshEAuNM4NtAfDFPGRnwMEh3UiC2y26-CCHE2pKTEko_D/s1600/IMG_1332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEXox17m8hOgnr1yENdQQq7Pp5ej63m2D-jkyVIeizn_sjbIP3LGq8CCSaMwW5CzV1xCkaT9S4ixQvmCwzUnNKy8j8PUxan3cshEAuNM4NtAfDFPGRnwMEh3UiC2y26-CCHE2pKTEko_D/s320/IMG_1332.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjld7HqEotIih5Hw2WGqmLNTWQ3qPI7AHIMrlY_XUN_JZx8OoTzyb7-8gHJ9zUPleqTwwNerz7e_kP_h8I6sGp-Svc9J2a38QHdSKP79GnXebMRPVjCtIwXtm9vITPt5k2n4sg-zlyst_Wo/s1600/IMG_1333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjld7HqEotIih5Hw2WGqmLNTWQ3qPI7AHIMrlY_XUN_JZx8OoTzyb7-8gHJ9zUPleqTwwNerz7e_kP_h8I6sGp-Svc9J2a38QHdSKP79GnXebMRPVjCtIwXtm9vITPt5k2n4sg-zlyst_Wo/s320/IMG_1333.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you'd like the entire lesson, planning sheets, work logs and student handouts, it is available to <a href="http://innovations-in-technology.com/product/design-build-a-city-project-based-technology-engineering/" target="_blank">download here</a>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-75795789532096040042016-01-06T16:24:00.000-08:002016-01-06T16:24:00.164-08:00Designing Skyscrapers<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Tall buildings and modern designs are fascinating aspects of architecture and engineering, so it is no surprise that students love the idea of learning more about these as they take the role of a designer. Studying existing buildings, learning about how they are designed to withstand natural disasters while still being aesthetically pleasing, is our starting point for the unit. As a part of this, students choose a skyscraper of interest to research and then replicate its design using <a href="http://www.sketchup.com/" target="_blank">Sketchup</a> (CAD), a free download, to create a scale model.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VkspkiD30ZHpMu9ZMVnsDaB14IV23_4YfKYTlV0Px0CQF8G2I1RJJO_YAyn1veHX6oi6kGQrk5ziFUel8J1yKB4tKmVKYJVtvmXfEBek5kZWhBUeHSMPTPKmPXD9i4j1ttZbvaIuejWv/s1600/hadleyrileyempirestatebulding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VkspkiD30ZHpMu9ZMVnsDaB14IV23_4YfKYTlV0Px0CQF8G2I1RJJO_YAyn1veHX6oi6kGQrk5ziFUel8J1yKB4tKmVKYJVtvmXfEBek5kZWhBUeHSMPTPKmPXD9i4j1ttZbvaIuejWv/s320/hadleyrileyempirestatebulding.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Empire State Building</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Our next lesson lets them use what they've learned to design their own skyscraper, again to scale in Sketchup. I love seeing the creative ideas they have!</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNH9zq0tdoNfXtkTNpbQ4twvIz4CI6KfDXZ_bl8JJQTVaQMPVNUHdSmxrVi4158qIBbdHkMtGru_9uvoKRYG4K1bAzUaXJgSUiv1EG7jz58WaAPsu_INOcI_s4jrWyOLdWRK5jD20VVvQl/s1600/stairwellskyscrapergabriellej.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNH9zq0tdoNfXtkTNpbQ4twvIz4CI6KfDXZ_bl8JJQTVaQMPVNUHdSmxrVi4158qIBbdHkMtGru_9uvoKRYG4K1bAzUaXJgSUiv1EG7jz58WaAPsu_INOcI_s4jrWyOLdWRK5jD20VVvQl/s320/stairwellskyscrapergabriellej.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh235zALNEAzzqJEx87Tl6CP2GJWFVxMXZsXxa1rfxSTIKkrJivLNJvJHyJv_Kba5_U9Epfqls1as-FPwcDFREZ8v45w96gW9al1QzOCHy5JEtgNpGmE4W1vW_Phyphenhyphen9ZJpOlM3bBPYYVyxH_/s1600/abigailswisscheesehotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh235zALNEAzzqJEx87Tl6CP2GJWFVxMXZsXxa1rfxSTIKkrJivLNJvJHyJv_Kba5_U9Epfqls1as-FPwcDFREZ8v45w96gW9al1QzOCHy5JEtgNpGmE4W1vW_Phyphenhyphen9ZJpOlM3bBPYYVyxH_/s320/abigailswisscheesehotel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNAG9u-OoQYtoNF_qRNtpeYYpv5zmXNeGT32feOV88bShElJOi4Gf2egqZWRrM3QCxlPBA4CFLu7v1kZp4uUrfQDBZAsrJK51n97HuoPO_9wqNp80EHOf3aNrEt7gpl9yz40YEWWkdv4T/s1600/mclinnsofia_30_shades_of_color_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNAG9u-OoQYtoNF_qRNtpeYYpv5zmXNeGT32feOV88bShElJOi4Gf2egqZWRrM3QCxlPBA4CFLu7v1kZp4uUrfQDBZAsrJK51n97HuoPO_9wqNp80EHOf3aNrEt7gpl9yz40YEWWkdv4T/s320/mclinnsofia_30_shades_of_color_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Finally, using a budget and a limited amount of time (just like real engineers!), teams construct a skyscraper together. The finished product needed to be to scale, and able to withstand both wind and earthquake!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5uiP6wls3JBbId-wED8JR3G-2ZbgNRbsP-LWyOQBaxhxhB0kUjWw76Vq2E49Qb6H4jN7YH_RNamGlw7MQJGNM9MgTkS2JQfwrvz5Vd9MsIbCP6SE7QAF3vDgorSPHCBjrD44nno5ap8C/s1600/IMG_1034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5uiP6wls3JBbId-wED8JR3G-2ZbgNRbsP-LWyOQBaxhxhB0kUjWw76Vq2E49Qb6H4jN7YH_RNamGlw7MQJGNM9MgTkS2JQfwrvz5Vd9MsIbCP6SE7QAF3vDgorSPHCBjrD44nno5ap8C/s320/IMG_1034.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6meCwRtC2AUGb7itLBk5CaGgZjh8traKvzvNby541bmeweVSkpfvxwLqQWIfAEneQNtRnqL_ucvzfuwx2ROS6VUhXqQamZASLlSkhRcCBCkZUEVM6Rg_27zfwXBl9DFqwUnKsGXlNQukS/s1600/IMG_1045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6meCwRtC2AUGb7itLBk5CaGgZjh8traKvzvNby541bmeweVSkpfvxwLqQWIfAEneQNtRnqL_ucvzfuwx2ROS6VUhXqQamZASLlSkhRcCBCkZUEVM6Rg_27zfwXBl9DFqwUnKsGXlNQukS/s320/IMG_1045.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCfSRnKIFx1Hx2cde4AYYd8RPfKjFieR2qcRD0H-nbegYNpEy5PBnYG8_IsMoBIgnTdbe7sVaS91bZGz_0Jo_30jdWBUPoo7uco71Dy3uhgZaqvrZqTh4I05i_bLrTICB3hVtzNS4rt4m/s1600/IMG_1044blocked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCfSRnKIFx1Hx2cde4AYYd8RPfKjFieR2qcRD0H-nbegYNpEy5PBnYG8_IsMoBIgnTdbe7sVaS91bZGz_0Jo_30jdWBUPoo7uco71Dy3uhgZaqvrZqTh4I05i_bLrTICB3hVtzNS4rt4m/s320/IMG_1044blocked.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you'd like to use this lesson with your class, you can obtain the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Design-and-Build-a-Skyscraper-2255270" target="_blank">full lesson plan here.</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-90983764093061432192016-01-02T11:44:00.000-08:002016-01-02T11:44:00.408-08:00Helping Students Set Goals for the New Semester<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For most schools, when students return in January they are not only starting a new year - they are starting a new semester. This is a chance for them to make some changes in their approach to learning and studying and a great time to talk about goal setting as a part of the first lessons.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"New Year's Resolutions" usually aren't really goals - they are more like "wishes". Real goals need to be SMART - an acronym for <b>S</b>pecific, <b>M</b>easurable,<b> A</b>ttainable, <b>R</b>elevant and <b>T</b>imely. Students may have heard of this concept before, or it may be brand new. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This lesson is great for all ages. In my 8th grade classroom, I use a combination of small group and individual work with this lesson. Since my students are at an age where they love to share with their peers, this gives them a chance to discuss what is important to them and get feedback from those they value most (each other!). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">First, we go through the SMART goals as a class: what they are and why they are different than "hopeful wishes". Then, they choose a group to work with, grab a piece of chart paper and some colored markers for the group, and start brainstorming. For this age, letting them choose who they feel comfortable sharing with has worked best for me, but you can use other methods for choosing groups (or partners) too. I never let them work in a group larger than 4. In their group, they will brainstorm on goals they might have for things they want to improve, new things they want to try, and things that would help others and enter those on the chart paper. I time this activity (5-7 minutes) using a <a href="http://www.online-stopwatch.com/eggtimer-countdown/full-screen/" target="_blank">free online timer</a> on my SMARTBoard and then have them tape their charts to the wall and we all do a "gallery walk" to see the ideas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGzuisVuLeRIYJGv0J603k26L9HH-TPxYEatdsDaxLZV3DJv7Fvg6qqAcQ9CbCBez6n9hjIVG0u3NAOZrNkHWb1LVkjDar639GXigBxURQ1Du0L2wZri6dYLVAgiTLQjYYgOZNlIIzvCG/s1600/Goals+Banner+PS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGzuisVuLeRIYJGv0J603k26L9HH-TPxYEatdsDaxLZV3DJv7Fvg6qqAcQ9CbCBez6n9hjIVG0u3NAOZrNkHWb1LVkjDar639GXigBxURQ1Du0L2wZri6dYLVAgiTLQjYYgOZNlIIzvCG/s320/Goals+Banner+PS.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now it's time for them to work individually on the next part - creating their own personal list of possible goals for the upcoming semester. I use two different worksheets to guide them through this, to help make their ultimate goal truly SMART!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We revisit this periodically throughout the semester to make sure they are on track to attaining their goal, or revising it if necessary. If you'd like the full lesson with all the worksheets, printables, and resources, it is <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Setting-SMART-Goals-Start-out-the-New-Year-2271316" target="_blank">available here.</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2Uf440973pIOy69mS6QPbqNj3BXwD44UIKvx52KEfsphuJ4C9A1u8PgA4Z8SXtkOgYKYolIV8S1P7I4CrHI0iXh2q0tUXlDSRJGfL4GQSNoYX_MGmp2F4UUTENg7VEWoW0AleobsY4uq/s320/SMART+Goals+cover.jpg" width="238" /></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-65462334142134815902015-12-19T18:10:00.000-08:002015-12-25T05:48:44.317-08:00Free Digital Paper Set (until January 1)<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you're looking for a new set of digital papers, I just posted a new set that is free until New Year's Day (January 1). These three papers are available in both 12" x 12" and 8.5" x 11" sizes and were created at 300 dpi. Six coordinating frames are also included in this set.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOW9Z0BG4LSYnUOMRuc2A4PDGZANDknk1P69vXyLhQFaqrGIsIqxHoBBqvyqs3de59AHjuSLjidRAjyEVzOVSbM020tnzgy55cbDeoumyKxaR7foDCgsXI9Zkp1Rxi7BpFTW3CknyuGeA/s1600/Gradient+Pastels+1+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOW9Z0BG4LSYnUOMRuc2A4PDGZANDknk1P69vXyLhQFaqrGIsIqxHoBBqvyqs3de59AHjuSLjidRAjyEVzOVSbM020tnzgy55cbDeoumyKxaR7foDCgsXI9Zkp1Rxi7BpFTW3CknyuGeA/s320/Gradient+Pastels+1+Cover.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Watercolor-Digital-Papers-Frames-in-Blues-Greens-Purples-2265596" target="_blank">Download it HERE.</a></span></div>
Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-50953081208547542732015-12-07T16:45:00.000-08:002015-12-07T16:45:00.869-08:00Winter Holiday Cards & Animations<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">With Winter Holiday break just a few weeks away, it can be tough to keep students engaged in their work. It doesn't matter whether they celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or just being off school for two weeks, they need something fun as we head toward break that still benefits their learning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This year, I expanded the lesson I usually do to offer a few more choices for students to create a holiday greeting. Their choices include creating a standard, printable greeting card in Microsoft Word or creating an animated greeting using PowerPoint or <a href="http://www.kizoa.com/" target="_blank">Kizoa</a>, a cool new FREE (no need for download!) Web 2.0 tool. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have the benefit of each student having their own computer in my room, but all these options could also be completed in partners or on iPads. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Animation has my 8th graders fascinated this year after an earlier unit where they wrote and animated a <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-Project-Based-Learning-for-Grades-6-8-1849956" target="_blank">Choose Your Own Adventure in PowerPoint</a>. Lots of them wanted to do more with that and have chosen PowerPoint for this project, but I also have a sizeable percentage that want to try something new in animation and have opted for Kizoa.<br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPb4UwlVKF1pUyygzkDPj3jRnB_rAprIMdfGQSQSWVHUwvl7Sgv3UFej82oN_Pa4vcM4SVAGzVeFAtnm1RlR6m4L4JZRc5ym_qDgMHYA726IRZB33fHH-_PsRdfoSBy47TutjIXwVlCoet/s1600/IMG_1066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPb4UwlVKF1pUyygzkDPj3jRnB_rAprIMdfGQSQSWVHUwvl7Sgv3UFej82oN_Pa4vcM4SVAGzVeFAtnm1RlR6m4L4JZRc5ym_qDgMHYA726IRZB33fHH-_PsRdfoSBy47TutjIXwVlCoet/s320/IMG_1066.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you'd like to do u</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">se this with your own students, you can <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Winter-Holiday-Cards-Video-eCard-Paper-Projects-2193963" target="_blank">get the full lesson here.</a></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-78237029628584944342015-12-04T14:30:00.000-08:002018-03-17T14:16:26.294-07:00Building a Musical Instrument<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of my students' favorite units is our unit on the Physics of Sound. Middle schoolers LOVE music, whether they are in the Fine Arts program or just active listeners to their MP3's. So, when I tell them they are going to have a chance to learn more about those sounds and then design an instrument of their own, they're pretty excited!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We start with learning the physics of sound by doing several online simulations along with some research. Then, with that knowledge, we learn about sound waves using a Slinky toy. Be prepared to address potential silliness with this BEFORE the lab. We always review the difference between having fun and being immature :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Designing the instruments, requires some research, but most students jump right in to figuring out how their instrument can be the best. The instrument needs to be able to play three different notes and repeat those notes three times. YouTube videos are great for this if your school has access to that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We used a variety of recycled materials - some that I provided in the classroom and others that students chose to bring themselves. During the planning and design phase, students draw their project and create a materials list before construction begins.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItD3E4iPvFDoXueLQpxcJPjn9OZh5gfFRA7z-kS35g_HpmIxz0OA43mK0MoWDGm18_OxrvMgIjItNq2iYBwOo6a2fNzah6EKtV7RWwkGWGe51DmJYAXBUWv5kpYooFePVjHzeEEHivfTq/s1600/IMG_1422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItD3E4iPvFDoXueLQpxcJPjn9OZh5gfFRA7z-kS35g_HpmIxz0OA43mK0MoWDGm18_OxrvMgIjItNq2iYBwOo6a2fNzah6EKtV7RWwkGWGe51DmJYAXBUWv5kpYooFePVjHzeEEHivfTq/s320/IMG_1422.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_HoKBr99CT_CMNtIlqHIklunV5-hhKypuqjW-M5s6o0p-lfmwMtolNTXd8WzUgu0k9qjb7u5UI-ZBV7OKJUEKArxd2toQpEXSBAb3MGh-CxbiG4TAmcPVko_7OaV5779SepC0woK0Ph0/s1600/IMG_1449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_HoKBr99CT_CMNtIlqHIklunV5-hhKypuqjW-M5s6o0p-lfmwMtolNTXd8WzUgu0k9qjb7u5UI-ZBV7OKJUEKArxd2toQpEXSBAb3MGh-CxbiG4TAmcPVko_7OaV5779SepC0woK0Ph0/s320/IMG_1449.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of our more interesting final products was this carrot recorder:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTr5KyZ2uRJDeLQdwaK8qB3cZpYiGvWjHax6LhOD3kIupnXUfCH0DrRehZ4yXZ_tjVBOlVcjGEoBXMOiJrKuPn9KI3ovKAjmrF6529BAKHR-P6uAgcHUK8W6lseHWKFkWr7ynm3EwMTIGW/s1600/IMG_1429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTr5KyZ2uRJDeLQdwaK8qB3cZpYiGvWjHax6LhOD3kIupnXUfCH0DrRehZ4yXZ_tjVBOlVcjGEoBXMOiJrKuPn9KI3ovKAjmrF6529BAKHR-P6uAgcHUK8W6lseHWKFkWr7ynm3EwMTIGW/s320/IMG_1429.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you'd like the full lesson, it is <a href="http://innovations-in-technology.com/product/sound-engineering-design-build-a-musical-instrument/" target="_blank">available here to download</a>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-53065065808999028162015-11-30T05:17:00.000-08:002018-03-17T14:17:56.857-07:00Choose Your Own Adventure Stories with Technology!<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Do your students groan when you mention writing? Even my reluctant writers LOVED this activity! Choose Your Own Adventure books have always been popular with kids. The aspect of having control over how the story goes and how it ends has appeal to everyone. Giving students the chance to write their own AND incorporate technology with it to animate the story got everyone interested!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We started by having students write a draft of their story in Microsoft Word (any word processor will work though). I teach 8th grade, so I had them write 12 scenes - each scene ends with 2 choices which then branch the story. After discussing several methods for organizing that on paper (numbering paragraphs, using color, using a chart, etc.) I turned them loose to create.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This wasn't a quiet, writing environment though. Instead, students were actively engaged not only in writing their story, but sharing as they went with their classmates. They refined their ideas, tried different ones, and came up with some great stories!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Next, it was time to animate them. We used Microsoft PowerPoint, but you could also use Google Slides. After a quick demonstration of changing backgrounds, inserting transitions between slides, including animations on the pictures on each slide, and adding in hyperlinks to take them to the next point in the story, they were off and running. Again, lots of interaction between students, showing off their ideas to each other and helping each other make it better!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmoY6a43DcYaGSz8Ruji98J-_3wmkcu6x5yCt57yH3_UWQR9nfMGTgJT46tJVN5ccjm9ZV-9bEzcTxOzrPGOxLjzqNL8bBS0QxpkgwANfJUvrjXIDnP_z7-thxZy6kTJfUI3UMvS8WNhP/s1600/IMG_1037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmoY6a43DcYaGSz8Ruji98J-_3wmkcu6x5yCt57yH3_UWQR9nfMGTgJT46tJVN5ccjm9ZV-9bEzcTxOzrPGOxLjzqNL8bBS0QxpkgwANfJUvrjXIDnP_z7-thxZy6kTJfUI3UMvS8WNhP/s320/IMG_1037.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Prior to this project, I have my students do some <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Learning-to-Use-Microsoft-PowerPoint-Beginner-Lessons-2132799" target="_blank">short tutorial/projects in PowerPoint</a> to learn the basics. My Information Technology classes are large (32 students) so students know they can't always have my undivided attention and have to help each other too. We call this 3B4ME - they need to do three things to help themselves BEFORE asking for my help. I use this poster to remind them (<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/3-B-4-ME-Independent-Computer-Work-Reminder-Poster-1915899" target="_blank">click here</a> for your own free copy!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvmcrMJ0llLotSRlT7xYnJh4UHFfSIYLMF88S2I5ucZFkv4THdX8lQGWiyj2H2NzK1wCesWUt07k1aa8aYOTOJzu7tiAmiyCwSkpIRv4axTpHNNKCnw5mO8XCkdkmeRevSTb783AvyoCp/s320/3B4Me+Poster+for+tpt_Page_1.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you'd like the full lesson for creating a Choose Your Own Adventure Story, <a href="http://innovations-in-technology.com/product/choose-your-own-adventure-creative-writing-technology-animation-project/" target="_blank">click here to download.</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-84885658466374155352015-11-23T19:07:00.000-08:002018-03-17T14:20:19.162-07:00Microsoft Excel Vacation Project<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Where would you go on vacation if you were an 8th grader and told you had $5,000 to spend for your week's vacation? There were some amazing (and creative) destinations in my Information Technology classroom! Of course there were the kids who wanted to go to Disney World, but many had other plans: China, Spain, Thailand, and even Switzerland were some of the destinations that showed up in a fun Microsoft Excel project we just finished.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Students researched their destination and determined costs for travel, hotel, meals, and sightseeing. Then they created their budget in Microsoft Excel to see how they were spending their money.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7eQXqKkX3fKaJUVKZsfnWCXGQYBMdxfig3zDlJijrMDeDG3_2nJ3qV63eZSwcZ1k1sbMGe9aDllNxcEElBPjU4PUJjkPgyK8SiV7UGY_h0Hg-BY2j2QPlxJUeKk1uH5tfwkpnxWv7aJd/s1600/IMG_1038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7eQXqKkX3fKaJUVKZsfnWCXGQYBMdxfig3zDlJijrMDeDG3_2nJ3qV63eZSwcZ1k1sbMGe9aDllNxcEElBPjU4PUJjkPgyK8SiV7UGY_h0Hg-BY2j2QPlxJUeKk1uH5tfwkpnxWv7aJd/s320/IMG_1038.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This was a great culminating activity after we did some short <a href="http://innovations-in-technology.com/product/excelling-with-microsoft-excel-beginner-activities/" target="_blank">tutorial/projects in Excel</a> to learn the basics. Students loved comparing destinations and prices and shopping on line for the best airline prices was a great "real life" lesson. Many spent a lot of time looking for the most luxurious hotel for their money, but a few chose to spend their money elsewhere and opt for cheaper accommodations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This was a fun, project-based, real-life simulation that showed students the benefit of budgeting and planning, along with learning great skills in Microsoft Excel! If you'd like the entire lesson for your class, it is <a href="http://innovations-in-technology.com/product/plan-a-vacation-project-based-learning-using-ms-word-excel-publisher/" target="_blank">available here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">#microsoftexcel #planavacation #TpTcybersmile #projectbasedlearning</span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-25739270464094187542015-11-04T10:05:00.000-08:002015-11-04T18:23:47.627-08:00Building Bridges!<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of our first building projects in 8th grade Concepts of Engineering class is to learn about the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Physics-of-Bridges-1882376" target="_blank">physics of bridges</a> and then construct one with a team. In addition to learning about bridges, the students also learn about budgets, time constraints and team work. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After doing research (which they compile in an Engineering Notebook), they use some online simulations including <a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/wpbdc/" target="_blank">WestPoint Bridge Designer</a> to better understand possible options for construction. We always enjoy doing this as a bit of a competition, so see who can build the cheapest bridge that still works! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1rfBQb3QI-SSbfM_k70uaX3Ilj9LJzZkyv464TolHOxkCIHvTh2QVfrm14ot4vnbvu6nFAF88b5vhrCX7QQj1pniZ-Py0cBpL0fKrmzwC3UOpKs4y39uRGmDtCH7uSYutI2YfbijC9ue/s1600/tylerpwpb168327.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1rfBQb3QI-SSbfM_k70uaX3Ilj9LJzZkyv464TolHOxkCIHvTh2QVfrm14ot4vnbvu6nFAF88b5vhrCX7QQj1pniZ-Py0cBpL0fKrmzwC3UOpKs4y39uRGmDtCH7uSYutI2YfbijC9ue/s320/tylerpwpb168327.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Next they use <a href="http://www.sketchup.com/download" target="_blank">Sketchup</a> to design to scale the bridge they will ultimately build. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNh7JsXPMYGie9GzsLrMvXYnnrPS134qYoRBjN8txVt7l3arfQfY9ckGDB10q61Ha9Mvbw_HTmFCYN7_41VYAqOOVqP1Ahy2YwGwjeQmw4Kz6xqUr0NAGYfFYL1T6AI2YlYSbT57y7lQIR/s1600/nehemiahcbridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNh7JsXPMYGie9GzsLrMvXYnnrPS134qYoRBjN8txVt7l3arfQfY9ckGDB10q61Ha9Mvbw_HTmFCYN7_41VYAqOOVqP1Ahy2YwGwjeQmw4Kz6xqUr0NAGYfFYL1T6AI2YlYSbT57y7lQIR/s320/nehemiahcbridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryQh8sXNwNWawsMVNTUUVlgmnCbocqc0FzrfjVHCF8dd4LGXK6W55wf2Mc3oOvwdgfStnDXtpkEHKVSUPIKd24hyphenhyphenT-hwmkR10n5Q4yrfN9RFxLxDVc5WqRzptYwrx8UB15NY9HN1Crnu9/s1600/paolahbridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryQh8sXNwNWawsMVNTUUVlgmnCbocqc0FzrfjVHCF8dd4LGXK6W55wf2Mc3oOvwdgfStnDXtpkEHKVSUPIKd24hyphenhyphenT-hwmkR10n5Q4yrfN9RFxLxDVc5WqRzptYwrx8UB15NY9HN1Crnu9/s320/paolahbridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Their planning phase prior to actual building consists of </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">working with their team and a budget, determining which materials (and how many) to buy within that budget, and then finally, constructions begins with the teams.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHzo4TlapDI-YTC3ZGtCtL76JHc0bhJA8wJA7h8b1MgSpTvuZn_BVEumXZ-F5Xb7x3EqVgM8kOjaOmCTr7puriFe3MazBSjqblGolR3EPBnVUUSFsUv9EOAKiiJS-OgE3pyiX5MfOowhc/s1600/IMG_0951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHzo4TlapDI-YTC3ZGtCtL76JHc0bhJA8wJA7h8b1MgSpTvuZn_BVEumXZ-F5Xb7x3EqVgM8kOjaOmCTr7puriFe3MazBSjqblGolR3EPBnVUUSFsUv9EOAKiiJS-OgE3pyiX5MfOowhc/s320/IMG_0951.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVI3Uya9692zIBVHun0xRmDCN6Zqi7Ua8owxcXuzk4F7x94cGfIqW9CQoYWDm7KoYO1c2ux1Wi7lx6hGdhyphenhypheneX3ZFz2Ge_kN7jTMs6RpeX1KuHADKQbNM7xFh6tuFyldz8S3wgcLqvOmxW/s1600/IMG_1039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVI3Uya9692zIBVHun0xRmDCN6Zqi7Ua8owxcXuzk4F7x94cGfIqW9CQoYWDm7KoYO1c2ux1Wi7lx6hGdhyphenhypheneX3ZFz2Ge_kN7jTMs6RpeX1KuHADKQbNM7xFh6tuFyldz8S3wgcLqvOmxW/s320/IMG_1039.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After a lot of re-engineering (and documenting their work just like real engineers in their Engineering Notebook!) the final phase of official testing begins to see which bridge will hold the most weight. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftVen_hSXyB30riY9goYwAZL7UgmWUbTgdDK8I10x9cX0JV78kKEAjJ_0hd3dfgOSGlbUH3pX0HqAkasJ5x5YhR4jtbwJ4ixKMdB8p_GPb2wdQpDR4h8hyphenhyphen5xRbQwc7Sf-CkctJcvhgYd9/s1600/bridge+for+blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftVen_hSXyB30riY9goYwAZL7UgmWUbTgdDK8I10x9cX0JV78kKEAjJ_0hd3dfgOSGlbUH3pX0HqAkasJ5x5YhR4jtbwJ4ixKMdB8p_GPb2wdQpDR4h8hyphenhyphen5xRbQwc7Sf-CkctJcvhgYd9/s400/bridge+for+blogger.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you'd like the full lesson, it's available from <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Physics-of-Bridges-1882376" target="_blank">TeachersPayTeachers here.</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-82900327542171060182015-10-31T08:46:00.000-07:002018-03-17T14:23:04.724-07:00Creating Pixel Art in Microsoft Excel<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A few years ago, I was looking for a way to introduce my 8th graders to Microsoft Excel that wasn't boring or overwhelming. I love all the features of this program, but many times the kids felt like it was just "too hard". In addition to creating some super short, <a href="http://innovations-in-technology.com/product/excelling-with-microsoft-excel-beginner-activities/" target="_blank">step-by-step tutorials</a> that could easily be completed in one class period each, I thought coming up with a "FUN" activity to start them off successfully would be good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Enter Pixel Art! After we do two quick lessons on the basics (each lasts for one 50 minute class), we launch into <a href="http://innovations-in-technology.com/product/pixel-art-in-microsoft-excel-or-google-sheets/" target="_blank">Pixel Art</a>. The lesson lets them create two pictures from a legend,using the Fill Color tool to color in their choices. They learn some more basics (change cell width, how cells are organized, now to move around in the program, etc.) while they are doing this and then they create their own picture and a legend to go with it so that a classmate could re-create it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My 8th graders absolutely LOVE this and many continue working on more pictures throughout the year in their free time when other work is completed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXL1emrOakVda2F7LqPTd9zrPJdz1qjtDWr-NAW4UoUvMwJw8vcDUS_udx5Pdlw3lvFgceFWVQe5bAK_RueMVwpt61FGXn3T1H5gBO4-vsUZNZ1PHSe1lXxf_Kg9L9jMfbU9plJRfsa_7K/s1600/IMG_0955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXL1emrOakVda2F7LqPTd9zrPJdz1qjtDWr-NAW4UoUvMwJw8vcDUS_udx5Pdlw3lvFgceFWVQe5bAK_RueMVwpt61FGXn3T1H5gBO4-vsUZNZ1PHSe1lXxf_Kg9L9jMfbU9plJRfsa_7K/s320/IMG_0955.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhClsbr59QTaxeLCLFpApsWmMV1DzHGtDeJ_fy6DfGiIYiTlBYPpkMAo7N4BtgGwymD7qiyxy_bhnX-H0GXv8vJEG_QROj31IkLgUzX0h5Fi4HqHLuEKQSI4YtrOlQaNpZXnfF5XN7D3Yz/s1600/IMG_0956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhClsbr59QTaxeLCLFpApsWmMV1DzHGtDeJ_fy6DfGiIYiTlBYPpkMAo7N4BtgGwymD7qiyxy_bhnX-H0GXv8vJEG_QROj31IkLgUzX0h5Fi4HqHLuEKQSI4YtrOlQaNpZXnfF5XN7D3Yz/s320/IMG_0956.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPFNy_qi-w-j2Brpocy1lgevba3Z5Mo0_z5l73IKmU3H_4yERKQ-zz_bVLBfc5DI9JxkpFBb_vxOuU-Tp33iRpEC-UUaJjiHC9qFe8PYAqV_17mJK4KgcTScDYvqa-vhFE6dm4ZrXuWUY/s1600/pixelart1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPFNy_qi-w-j2Brpocy1lgevba3Z5Mo0_z5l73IKmU3H_4yERKQ-zz_bVLBfc5DI9JxkpFBb_vxOuU-Tp33iRpEC-UUaJjiHC9qFe8PYAqV_17mJK4KgcTScDYvqa-vhFE6dm4ZrXuWUY/s320/pixelart1.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When we start working with formulas, these kids are okay with it and realize that Microsoft Excel doesn't have to be intimidating! WIN - WIN. Next week, they'll be working on <a href="http://innovations-in-technology.com/product/plan-a-vacation-project-based-learning-using-ms-word-excel-publisher/" target="_blank">researching and planning a vacation</a>, using Microsoft Excel for their budget and I've had a few ask if they can illustrate it with some pixel art! Can't wait to see what they produce.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you're looking for ideas for right before Thanksgiving or Winter Break, these are fun activities that kids love, even if you aren't introducing Microsoft Excel right at that moment! Take a look at <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-Pixel-Art-in-Microsoft-Excel-2179324" target="_blank">Thanksgiving Pixel Art</a> or <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Winter-Holiday-Pixel-Art-in-Microsoft-Excel-2179339" target="_blank">Winter Holiday Pixel Art</a> to get your kids excited to learn more about Microsoft Excel.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-49138136032480663222015-07-03T06:22:00.000-07:002015-07-03T06:27:13.421-07:00Friday Freebie<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Summer is a great time to plan new lessons and ideas for the upcoming year and get organized so that we can start the year without so much stress! It's also fun to have some new and different things to use in the classroom. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8Olqmok35oCOPk4jp5lAY0t1b9F9LX4dJ7XdO3JsWcR9EZL3zkqOPS3z913H2kTbCtQmNcOi3jRVZKcgFxF6nhi2OPEs8eWEE37tmkto8FHPEH5QomHEIL8XBmgGiAI6VgTVRbGIdRXR/s1600/Classroom+Passes+all+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8Olqmok35oCOPk4jp5lAY0t1b9F9LX4dJ7XdO3JsWcR9EZL3zkqOPS3z913H2kTbCtQmNcOi3jRVZKcgFxF6nhi2OPEs8eWEE37tmkto8FHPEH5QomHEIL8XBmgGiAI6VgTVRbGIdRXR/s320/Classroom+Passes+all+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These four different classroom passes are customizable or can be used as they are. It's fun to print them on different colored papers too. Download these FREE as today's Friday Freebie!<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Included are four (4) different customizable passes in PowerPoint, 4 to a page for easy printing and cutting. You'll get:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">~ Bathroom Pass</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">~ Hall Pass</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">~ Library Pass</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">~ Tutoring Pass</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Passes-Customizable-and-Printable-1915089" target="_blank">Grab them here</a> and enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-91949065212782622912015-06-27T08:11:00.001-07:002015-06-27T08:12:21.176-07:00Humor in the Classroom<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I teach 8th grade (Information Technology and Engineering) and while I admire those teachers who can act goofy with their kids, that's just not me. However, I do still like to share my own sense of humor with the kids, just in my own more reserved way!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One of the things I like to do is post amusing posters in my room that still have a purpose. I found this quote that I really liked on the Internet, and "made it my own" with a Grumpy Cat <a href="http://www.memecreator.org/template/grumpy-cat/" target="_blank">meme generator</a>. The pretty background digital paper is courtesy of <a href="http://www.thecottagemarket.com/" target="_blank">The Cottage Market,</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmow2tsuWj0WgFIYqzphbiR1_5SWVmpFG4GVwQYeVKrFd4psl2t0dGO5rBUwnqj-UDxFdXwHRwTPvz2cFhOTKhA6bT0L1qHlVNakab8js7zSdBhHgwu2T71dpx7TMLD44WgdM_F6lER26p/s1600/Didn%2527t+get+the+grade+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmow2tsuWj0WgFIYqzphbiR1_5SWVmpFG4GVwQYeVKrFd4psl2t0dGO5rBUwnqj-UDxFdXwHRwTPvz2cFhOTKhA6bT0L1qHlVNakab8js7zSdBhHgwu2T71dpx7TMLD44WgdM_F6lER26p/s320/Didn%2527t+get+the+grade+poster.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My the second week of school, my students know I love Grumpy Cat's attitude (I want to be her when I grow up!) and have a couple other signs using her in my room too and she often shows up with some of her attitude in my PowerPoint presentations or just at an odd moment on my SMARTBoard. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How do you share yourself with your students?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-88239637301613536762015-06-26T09:04:00.000-07:002015-06-26T09:04:05.847-07:00TpT Seller Terms of Use<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This summers TpT Challenge #tptsellerchallenge has gotten me totally energized about adding products and updating things in my store, adding this blog, a Facebook page and LOTS more. I'm loving all the suggestions and information other teachers are sharing with each other too. One of the things that was shared was creating a Terms of Use page to include with lessons on Teachers Pay Teachers. Since I don't do clip art, backgrounds, fonts or any of the creative stuff, I hadn't even thought of that! So, one of my tasks this week was to create my Terms of Use.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyWLq-LdSGPs4nm0fspIFieOuLmjyYi6fggp5Kh59swfcHsAItxp4kmNQvX9f5AD-HTP9gqKixEGMPn0k5u3RAorpqYeB0BzxqSCoUQLinjKo7CtTaM1L-wHFNQmehdoOmysTAhfvUs4A/s1600/TpT+TOU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyWLq-LdSGPs4nm0fspIFieOuLmjyYi6fggp5Kh59swfcHsAItxp4kmNQvX9f5AD-HTP9gqKixEGMPn0k5u3RAorpqYeB0BzxqSCoUQLinjKo7CtTaM1L-wHFNQmehdoOmysTAhfvUs4A/s320/TpT+TOU.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now I'm working on a better looking credit page (the one that credits all those creative folks who do the digital papers, borders, clip art, and stuff that make our lessons look so awesome. #tpt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've also been reading other blogs and getting ideas and just loved one that Teacher Mom shared on <a href="http://hashtagteachermom.blogspot.com/2015/06/GoMode.html" target="_blank">her blog </a>about getting in "Go Mode". There are some really awesome resources in her post that are helpful to all teachers! Check it out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, now I'm back to working on new lessons, revised lessons, and other great stuff for my classroom for next year. I teach 8th grade Engineering and Information Technology so my lessons are always changing to keep up with the latest things. I love creating lessons, so that works great for me!</span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-56364115213056203902015-06-22T07:40:00.001-07:002015-06-22T07:40:53.719-07:00Dare to Dream - Week #2 TpT Challenge<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This week's Teachers Pay Teachers challenge is to blog about our dreams for our TpT store. I'm just starting out, so my initial dreams are to increase my products and traffic to the store. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But, that's not all! Even though I started my store for additional income, I also enjoy sharing things I've had success with in my classroom with other teachers and learning from them too. These challenges have let us learn more about each other and share tips and resources to make not only our TpT stores better, but also our classrooms, lessons and teaching! #tptsellerchallenge #daretodream</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMm4VW16J148hM52wFaZiYZlsnGC7B-lYPhdrvNiXn13Qzy1HveiSCfp0YA0SJhX_wo0iFU_iwlLEE86JUphZCZTiHYNr9uZv8Rx8a2Qix-6gHUoRuNURL0U-EbmmEtvhglM6RevLl6BI/s1600/daretodreamweek2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMm4VW16J148hM52wFaZiYZlsnGC7B-lYPhdrvNiXn13Qzy1HveiSCfp0YA0SJhX_wo0iFU_iwlLEE86JUphZCZTiHYNr9uZv8Rx8a2Qix-6gHUoRuNURL0U-EbmmEtvhglM6RevLl6BI/s320/daretodreamweek2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-60940847917167241862015-06-20T05:09:00.002-07:002015-06-20T06:15:26.965-07:00Follow Me on BlogLovin'<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14207881/?claim=83ajcs8pamh">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a><br />
<br />
BlogLovin' is a great tool to organize the blogs you follow and let you read relevant material quickly. They even have an <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bloglovin-discover-blogs-read/id421818340?mt=8" target="_blank">IPhone app</a> to let you read conveniently on your phone!Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-44716953889024240992015-06-19T05:16:00.000-07:002015-06-20T06:15:00.130-07:00Friday Freebie<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For those teachers using a projector or SMARTBoard type device in their classroom, it is easy to display your classroom agenda for students. Today's freebie is a customizable PowerPoint that lets you easily type in your changes each day and then prominently display the agenda, along with reminders and your objective. This always gets a positive comment from my administrators when they do a walk through or an evaluation too (extra bonus!!) I like not having to write it on the white board each day! Download it <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Daily-Agenda-for-Projector-or-SMARTBoard-1912054">here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOlqF3JAO7Tyjf5YaNMg4JQnbJ3_zwoSpLN_AaOXnrIyBY1gV5ZpKVAZZGreAMgeBWolLdqkiQS69fCn9DLEYtzdntFXeYDr8VvOt6LoAfFFcoOm_cp7L62CcbI9s_QYLxitVDJC3wj9q/s1600/Daily+Agenda+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOlqF3JAO7Tyjf5YaNMg4JQnbJ3_zwoSpLN_AaOXnrIyBY1gV5ZpKVAZZGreAMgeBWolLdqkiQS69fCn9DLEYtzdntFXeYDr8VvOt6LoAfFFcoOm_cp7L62CcbI9s_QYLxitVDJC3wj9q/s320/Daily+Agenda+Cover.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4635410041708293417.post-42830813488012925012015-06-18T07:12:00.003-07:002015-06-18T07:12:53.593-07:00Summer Lesson Planning!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Like so many teachers, summer is more than just a time to relax (although that's a good thing too!). This year, it was time to add some new things to my teaching. While my team-mate and I have been working on revising our pacing guides, we're also freshening up our lessons and adding some new ones. You're probably doing that this summer too!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We're using MS Excel to create our pacing guide and color coding what we revised and what still needs to be done. That's keeping us on track! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SscXfjzDzNSXl3cWwIqZf_KrKafP0yjc5XBihrGs40ZBDeN6l5QZ0dR0zaexYJZZ5638K-4KXK5PEbnlRuaQxssklJcL-ZqJKx3pe4w3ivAnD9rEc9nRcWvR3_9ZHJaHuwxxwX1S5RLK/s1600/Excel+pacing+sample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SscXfjzDzNSXl3cWwIqZf_KrKafP0yjc5XBihrGs40ZBDeN6l5QZ0dR0zaexYJZZ5638K-4KXK5PEbnlRuaQxssklJcL-ZqJKx3pe4w3ivAnD9rEc9nRcWvR3_9ZHJaHuwxxwX1S5RLK/s640/Excel+pacing+sample.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I actually got motivated to start revising the "look and feel" of some of my lessons with a challenge that was posed by the Teachers Pay Teachers group, so in addition to adding new lessons, I'm getting more creative with the presentation of some of the old ones!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our first week's challenge was to change an old lesson and I chose to make a small change to the cover of one (below). More importantly, I've found lots of new resources for new products like digital papers and fonts to make creating lessons more fun for me and the kids! </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/tptsellerchallenge?source=feed_text&story_id=863676517015469" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad;">#</span><span class="_58cm">tptsellerchallenge</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3-v5Z21bLyOufz-qmcFWDe1PCB8upPBoGti54wZBYLdnSA3KM56iDmQmw-dHE9DvQMzOwE1Ks3n8A0Akf4tqEJS98mg-MgIP0muvmciukg243f113QhdSSoxIUYUnVwKmWpdD3X8ei2M/s320/Makeover+TPT+Week+1.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Innovations in Technologyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028157669705790200noreply@blogger.com0