My Beauty Best Teacher

I recently got the opportunity to review both of Dr. Erica Warren's Following Directions workbooks, and I wanted to tell you what I think.

Before we begin, let me just say that Dr. Warren gave these workbooks to me for free, asking if I would review them on my blog. I am not getting any more compensation than just the workbooks themselves for writing this post, and I would never endorse any product I didn't fully believe in.

With that said, let's talk specifically about Warren's two Following Directions workbooks. The workbooks I sampled are called Following Directions (An Intermediate Workbook 1) and Following Directions: The Easy Way (A Beginner's Workbook 1).

The concept for both of the workbooks is the same: we want to condition our students to pay closer attention to directions and be able to follow directions quickly but accurately. To an extent, these workbooks somewhat reminded me of those "April Fool's Day" following-directions sheets that teachers sometimes give to play a joke on their students, like this:

This (obviously used) April Fool's Day prank was found here.

But unlike the April Fool's Day sheets like the one featured above, Warren's workbooks will not embarrass any student who do not follow the directions precisely (no one has to yell a sentence about their school pride or clap their hands twice during these workbooks! lol).

To help condition students to follow directions, Warren has created a series of worksheet pages with a grid of pictures, numbers, or letters on it. Above the grid is a set of step-by-step instructions as to what the student should do on the grid. Here is a sneak peak at the example page from her Following Directions: The Fun and Easy Way (A Beginners Workbook 1) book:





This is just a simple grid -- the grids and instructions get larger and more complex as you move through the book.

One thing I like about these books is that these grids aren't just practice on following directions. Sure, these worksheets will help students practice following written directions. But I personally think they will also help students exercise their "critical thinking skills" muscle. You see, the directions aren't always clear when you first read them. For instance, one of the directions I saw said, "I am in one of the rows above the second-to-last row." Even as an adult, I had to stop and think about what that really meant. Another line of directions said, "I am a consonant." For this, not only do students need to know the difference between a consonant and a vowel, but they also have to reason that if our answer is a consonant, our answer cannot be a vowel; therefore, we need to cross out all vowels.

As I'm writing this, I'm reminded of the logic grids my 6th grade science teacher used to give us:

This particular puzzle can be found here.

I, for one, love using logic puzzles in the classroom because I feel that most students need to practice those much-needed critical thinking skills, and these are the perfect way to do so. (By the way, Puzzle Baron has actual books you buy that contain paper copies of all of their logic grids. Find one here
.)

Anyway, I think Warren's "Following Directions" workbooks could help students in a variety of ways. There are directional words in almost every line of directions, so students could practice directions and prepositions. There are math words such as "less than," "odd," "trapezoid" with which students will become familiar. There is even some science in these sheets: "I need water to live," and "Sunlight is my food" are two examples. All in all, I think that if you want to give your students practice at following directions (and a few other things), these workbooks are a good buy.

Warren offers a free sample of a Following Directions book on her Teachers Pay Teachers page.

If you'd like to read the reviews and/or purchase one or both of these books, click the images below to be taken to their product listings on Amazon.





Even if you don't want to use these pages as actual activities in your classroom, I think they could still be useful as bellwork or "what to do when you're done" activities for those early-finishers. If nothing else, the critical thinking skills students would build from doing these pages could probably prepare students to achieve higher test scores on those state-mandated exams!

QuizSnack, a child of SnackTools, has been on my list to write about for awhile. I've already written about some of their other tools (FlipSnack, PhotoSnack, and PodSnack), so I figured it was time to try this application!

QuizSnack is an online survey/poll/quiz creator that you can embed into a variety of websites. As a teacher, it's pretty easy to see the value in this. Teachers are always being pressured to assess students, and we're oftentimes being pressured to assess students in "new and different" ways. While a quiz isn't particularly "new," the fact that it's online is different! So QuizSnack could be a plus for everyone. (It could be a regular assessment OR it could be used as online test prep!)

Besides quizzing students over virtually any topic you needed to, you could also create polls/surveys to ask for opinions and/or suggestions! (Besides using polls/surveys for the obvious, I also think they could be incorporated into bellwork!)

Here are some cool features of QuizSnack:

1. You can use it for free. 
2. You can publish it on several different websites (think: personal website and social media websites). There's an embed code so that viewers can actually view the quiz on your website instead of having to follow an external link to see anything.
3. It uses Flash when posted on regular websites...still looking for any information as to how it works on iPhones/iPads. 
4. There are several customization options so that you can personalize the quiz(zes) in a variety of way (color, size, etc.)
5. The results are recorded in real-time.
6. Many, many people can view your quiz for free. The way I understand it, people with a free membership can have a max of 25,000 views per day on sites external to QuizSnack (VIP members get 50,000 views). Pretty convenient. I don't ever expect to reach that 25,000 view maximum, anyway, so I don't see this as a problem. 
7. You can view individual responses to each quiz and/or question. There is also an option to view the IP address (if you've got a real stinky answer on your hands) or completely delete a response. 
8. You can export the data you receive! (Pretty handy!)
9. Besides all the customization options inside the quiz, you can decide which type of quiz you'd like to make: survey, poll, or personality quiz.

It's so versatile because you can ask any question you want! I'd probably use the "personality quiz" option the most so that I could get a "real quiz" on my website, but the survey and poll options both have their places in the classroom, as well (I could use them as an alternative to SurveyMonkey, which just means one less username/password for me to remember).

Now that you know about all the great features, let me give you some details about the $$ involved:

• There is a free version, but, as with most websites, there are a few limitations. The free version puts a watermark/ad on all quizzes. You can get an unlimited number of responses in the personality quiz and poll options, but you cannot view any survey results in the free version. (*Boo! Hiss!*)
• You can have the watermark removed from individual quizzes by purchasing the premium embed code. It costs 4 points in order to do this, and the price of the points varies, based on how many you purchase at a time. (A purchase of 10 points will run you $19, a purchase of 25 points will run you $39, a purchase of 50 points will run you $49...you get the picture. There's a slight discount when you buy points in bulk.)
• If you don't want to mess with the limitations at all, you can always purchase a VIP membership for $14/month. This membership actually gives you premium access to all of SnackTools's apps, so you're getting quite a bit for your money. (Although, I'd really appreciate the ability to just buy a premium membership to ONE app, but maybe they'll implement that later!)

I created a mega-simple poll just to display at the bottom of this post so you'd have a real example of how this can be used. There were several pre-made template options available, and you could also choose your own colors -- I just like purple, so that's what I chose. :) This simple little thing took me about 2.5 seconds from start to finish:

I recently posed a question on my Teacher Garden Facebook fan page, asking for ideas of how to use QR codes in the classroom. While I was unable to obtain any more ideas, Lori over at Conversations in Literacy asked for some of my ideas, so I was propelled to do some more research over QR codes in the classroom. I was surprised by what I found!

I originally posted that I was still unsure of their uses, and I could only find a few ways to use them in the classroom. Well, gone are those days! :) After using Pinterest and Google to help, I have collected a fairly wide variety of ways to use QR codes in the classroom. Here is a list of ways I've found so far. If I found the idea elsewhere, I've linked up to it, so just click the idea to be taken to the original source!

1. Connect QR codes to a Google doc. Print QR codes on stickers and attach them to all of your library materials (could be books, iPods, etc.) available for student checkout. Ask students to scan the QR code to check out/in materials. The Technology Tips blog used QR codes to check out equipment, and the author there gives more details as to how to set up the Google doc to make it all possible.
2. Scott Sibberson blogged about connecting a QR code to the "picture of the week" and using it as sort-of an anticipatory set to get students thinking about upcoming information.
3. Along the same lines as number three, you could connect a QR code to a writing prompt (text or picture...I've heard of people using National Geographic's picture of the day as a daily bellringer writing prompt!) and ask students to scan it upon entering the room. They could then use the text/picture they receive as "writing fuel."
4. Scott Sibberson also blogged about connecting QR codes to quiz websites (like QuizStar) and asking students to take the quizzes either inside or outside of class.
5. Finally, Mr. Sibberson also suggested linking QR codes to the assessment/assignment of the day and posting each individual QR code on a large class calendar. Absent students could scan the QR code to have immediate access to information they missed. Since you can link a QR code to pretty much anything, you could show kids the Prezi presentation you made, a YouTube clip that enhanced learning, a PDF-version of the assignment, a picture slideshow of their classmates completing physical/social activity...whatever! I really like this idea, but I'm just not sure how well I would be able to keep up with it. ;)
6. I really love this idea, captured on livinglocurto's Instagram: use a QR code to connect to a Bully-reporting website or hotline! I'm not sure how practical it is -- I know a lot of kids wouldn't want to be caught scanning that code, but maybe the QR code would make it so "cool" that everyone would be scanning it, just to have something to scan. (Remember, part of the fun of QR codes is the novelty of it at this point!)
7. Along the same lines as number six, counselors (or teachers) could generate QR codes to suicide hotlines, informational websites about ADD or ADHD, etc. and post them around the school or in their office. Although I understand that not all school counselors are certified to diagnose mental disorders or learning disabilities, I think the ones who are could generate a QR code to a questionnaire about cetain disorders. For instance, if a student wanted to get a quick-read about whether or not she was depressed (to know if it was something she needed to worry about and talk to an adult about), this student could scan a QR code to a quick checklist of attributes that depressed persons usually have. If she checked positive for x number of the attributes, she would know to talk to an adult about what could potentially be clinical depression. This might be great for junior high and high school students, where a quick scan of a QR code is all you need to get the information. A lot of times, those students are too embarrassed to stand and study information on a poster like that, so the ability to scan and read on the go would be invaluable.
8. Attach a QR code to a Mapquest or Google Maps link and put it on fliers for Open Houses or seminars, particularly if you have a large school district. People could scan the code and be given directions as to how to get to an event.
9. Spinning off of idea number eight, maybe you could also attach addresses/contact information to QR codes and put them on things like basketball schedules or StuCo meeting signs!
10. When giving a presentation in class, instead of handing out paper copies of your presentation to everyone, maybe you just hand them a QR code to scan and view while you present. You're still handing out paper, but you're probably saving a ton of it, since QR codes can be pretty tiny and still work!
11. For textbooks or novels, create a QR code that links to a Wallwisher or specific Twitter hashtag. Give copies of the code to all students and ask them to participate in a discussion on that text. Mr. Mitchell's blog is where I originally found the ideas for Wallwisher and making text interactive; I added the thoughts about a Twitter hashtag myself. :) 
12. The Primary Bits and Bytes blog wrote a post about QR codes and a new thing called StickyBits. Basically, the author describes QR codes as a one-way information system, and StickyBits is the more advanced older brother: it actually allows anyone to add information to the link. (I foresee a blog post on StickyBits coming up soon!) Although the author of Primary Bits and Bytes really intended for these ideas to be used with StickyBits, there are some that can be used with QR codes. ...One of my favorites is the idea for students to review books in the classroom library on some type of website (Shelfari?). Afterwards, generate a QR code, print it onto a sticker, and stick it to the back of the library book. I love that students can get instant access to classmates' reviews -- those reviews are so powerful!
13. Also from Primary Bits and Bytes, you could create a treasure hunt for students using QR codes. Each QR code would have to take students to a clue -- text, graphic, video, podcast of you speaking a riddle...whatever! -- that they would use to find the next clue in the hunt.
14. Along the same lines as number thirteen, I like the idea of going on a textbook or novel hunt. My instructor during a Great Expectations course for secondary students detailed how to do a textbook hunt (basically asking students to get "the big picture" by way of a competitive worksheet activity), but I know there's got to be a way to incorporate QR codes! I'm still working on developing this one... when I figure it out, I'll let ya know. :)
15. Primary Bits and Bytes suggests asking students to make YouTube videos to explain how they reached the end of math problems. Instead of just writing the answer, students make the videos and attach them to the book or answer sheet for you to watch/grade.
16. Along the same lines as number fifteen, you could generate a QR code to a homework help website, a helpful YouTube explanation video, etc. on the top of homework. If students struggle at home with the assignment, they could review extra explanations instantly.
17. Primary Bits and Bytes suggests sticking a code on the front of a student's binder/folder/journal and using it as a way to add feedback. The author also suggests doing this for homework.
18. Along the same lines as number seventeen, what if we made a personal webpage or blog for each student in the class? We could generate QR codes and give them to each student and parent. Throughout the year, that could be used as an on-going feedback to evaluate not only assignments, but behavior and social growth, as well. I suppose it could also be used as sort of an instant messager system to relay information like absences or transportation changes! I would say this would be a great opportunity to use Wallwisher, but I like the idea of all feedback being obviously chronological; this way, everyone could see the student's progress as the year goes on!
19. Spinning off of number eighteen, what about using QR codes as access to a student's online portfolio? Students could link up to their Dropbox or LiveBinder accounts, and teachers could use the codes to quickly access progress or give final grades!
20. Primary Bits and Bytes suggests using QR codes to enhance hallway decorations. I like to use a "virtual 'fridge" to display wonderful work on my classroom website. I could definitely see myself generating a QR code to go directly to that virtual 'fridge to let everyone in the school know who, in my classroom, has recently done outstanding work.
21. Along the same lines as number twenty, we could also use QR codes in our hallway decor for Open House or conference nights. You could display students' pictures (or self-portraits) on the bulletin board, and attach a QR code to their latest and greatest achievement right next to each student. Parents could get a "quick response" on what positive things have been happening for that kid lately!
22. This Pinterest picture was uploaded by a user, so there's no way for me to link to any blog about it, but it suggests using QR codes as a way to spice up test reviews. I assume each of those QR codes on their test review page will show some sort of math review on the screen. It does seem like a lot of extra hoops to jump through, but it would be good to use every once in a while, just to get the kids something different!
23. As mentioned in my original post about QR codes, you could always put your contact information in the form of a QR code on a class syllabus or even at the bottom of your class newsletter! Parents/students could scan the code and automatically have their phones call or text you for help/information.
24. Maybe using Google docs, Survey Monkey, or some form of online quiz, you could use QR codes to take attendance. Post the code at the front of the room with a new "warm-up question" each morning. Students scan and input their responses as soon as they come in the door. You can take attendance by seeing who responded to the warm-up. ...Elementary students could also take a "quiz" over what kind of lunch they'd like for the day, so you'd get attendance and a lunch count, all in one!
25. Prior a field trip with younger students, you could link contact information for the school to a QR code, and print the codes onto square stickers. Each student could be required to wear the sticker all day long! It's more subtle than student name tags (which can be dangerous) and less expensive than matching t-shirts! ...If you planned on doing this often, you could always print your QR code onto something more heavy-duty, like a bracelet or necklace, and hand those out to the kids prior to the trip. Their ticket off the bus and to their home is to give you back the QR coded accessory. :)
26. As per Classroom in the Cloud: For daily homework or a study guide, link a QR code to the answers, and place the code at the bottom or on the backside of the handout. Allow students to check answers this way to make sure they're studying correctly!
27. As per Classroom in the Cloud: Have each teacher create a picture slideshow or video that tells about themselves, and post the QR codes to those shows on each teacher's door. Classroom in the Cloud suggests allowing parents/students to scan the codes and "meet" teachers during Open House night this way.
28. Spinning off of number twenty-seven: why not attach these "Meet Your Teacher" QR codes to every kid's schedule when it is mailed/given out prior to the beginning of the school year? Every kid could "meet" their teacher, even if he/she couldn't be there for the actual open house night!
29. Also spinning off of number twenty-seven, if you had to leave during conference night or Open House  night, perhaps you could post an introductory/explanatory video (in the form of a QR code) on your door so that everyone could still "talk" to you, even though you couldn't be there!
30. Also via Classroom in the Cloud: create a series of graphic/video QR codes prior to a field trip. Pass out the codes and tell kids when to scan them. It's like a personal tour without you having to yell it over the roar of the bus!
31. Twitter user @duckinwales suggested attaching audio files to QR codes and giving them to ELL students so they could listen to the correct pronunciation.
32. Spinning off of idea number thirty-one, teachers of early readers could attach audio files of themselves reading a book or giving center instructions and have students scan the code when they need help.
33. I've already mentioned placing a QR code at the top of a syllabus or classroom newsletter in order to give your contact information. But Michael Bromby also suggests linking an Amazon search for your class's needed reading material for the semester/year onto a QR code. Pretty clever! Students will have instant access to the title/author/ISBN of each book needed and can even order it directly from their smartphone!
34. Spinning off of idea number thirty-three, what if teachers created an Amazon wish list filled with the necessary school supplies for the year? Generate a QR code to that wish list and allow students to reference it on their smartphone when they're in the store or even purchase it from their smartphone and have it delivered directly to their home!
35. Twitter user @LRDow suggested generating QR codes for specific web pages on your class website and placing those codes directly on the page it links to. To share this information with their friends, students only have to pass on the QR codes -- not the entire link.
36. For art teachers who display students' artwork in your galleries: post a QR code with the child's name and mugshot right next to it so that students are credited with the work without defacing their art with unecessary writing.
37. Tired of turning in lesson plans every week, but still need to find a way for admin and parents to immediately see what your class is doing and what objectives you're covering? Upload your lesson plans to your class website and then post a QR code outside your classroom with a link to the lesson plans. Admin only has to scan your code to figure out what your students are learning at that very moment.
38. Place QR codes in yearbooks that link to audio and video of students!
39. I use a homework buddy system with my older students: at the beginning of the semester, I ask them to find 4 classmates they think they can trust and to exhange contact information with them. When someone is absent, students don't come to me to find out what they missed; instead, they ask a homework buddy (or check our class website). Twitter user @raganmd suggests asking students to fill out contact information (phone numbers, email addresses, personal website URLS) on a website called Jump Scan, and then generating the QR code for each Jump Scan profile. I could easily see this working with my homework buddies program; the information auomatically ends up in your phone!
40. Twitter user @mrrobbo suggests attaching QR codes to physical models. For instance, on a classroom skeleton, attach QR codes with informational videos/links about each part of the body.
41. Twitter user @mrrobbo also suggests creating a "choose your own adventure" story experience for reading students. (I'm thinking of those RL Stine books I used to read in elementary school; some of them were "choose your own adventure" stories.) Create an exciting sentence for a story, and then ask readers to make a decision. If they choose option 1, scan code #1. If they choose option #2, scan code #2. Brilliant!
42. Twitter user @NigelKirkham said he an audio file in his public Dropbox folder and created a QR code for the public folder's link. Scanning the code enabled users to listen to the file!

Ideas #35, 39, 40, 41, and 42 were found on @TomBarrett's Google docs presentation on ways to use QR codes in the classroom.

These are all the ideas I've been able to find so far, but I think it's an excellent starting point! If you have any other ideas for using QR codes in the classroom, I would love it if you left them in a comment! You could also scan this QR code and leave a comment on The Teacher Garden Facebook fan page. :)
Happy QR-ing!



P.S. There's a great website I just found out about (courtesy of commenter #1, Matt) that is centered around using QR codes in the classroom! Here's the link in case you'd like to check it out!

I've done posts about using Facebook in the classroom, but I know that it is still a bit of a hot topic. Because of all the scandals that arise on Facebook from those few unprofessional co-workers, lots of schools are being forced to crack down on social networking tools in the classroom. Because of the strict social networking rules in lots of districts, many teachers are wary to use even a Facebook fan page in their classrooms, for fear of violating a policy.

The bad news is, if you abandon social networking in your classroom, you will miss out on lots of teaching and discussion opportunities. The good news is now, though, is that there are alternative social networking websites besides just Facebook. For one thing, there's Twitter (which has a multitude of uses in the classroom; read more about my thoughts on that here). But Twitter doesn't exactly have the user interface or multiple capabilities that Facebook has.

Even more good news: there's a new social networking site out there that was created specifically for schools.

My Big Campus is a social networking site that is only available for students, school staff members, and parents. Just like Facebook, My Big Campus features notifications and comment sharing via "walls." Also like Facebook, My Big Campus allows for instant messages and posts on discussion boards, which enables students to collaborate online. Unlike Facebook, however, My Big Campus gives teachers the ability to group her students by class and/or period. The teacher can also upload documents (homework, notes, pictures, videos, etc.) and assign quizzes. One nice feature is that My Big Campus will grade the quizzes you post and gives you the option to export those grades to your computer and/or other online gradebook system. Another nice feature about My Big Campus is that students can submit homework online through this application. Some of you may remember a post I did about creating your own classroom website. In that post, I mentioned Class Jump (which reminded me of Blackboard), a no-frills way to post classroom documents and allow students to submit work. The ability to submit assignments through My Big Campus reminds me of Class Jump, but Class Jump doesn't have all the discussion features, so I think My Big Campus is definitely the way to go!

In addition to the ability to submit assignments online, My Big Campus allows teachers and students to easily see which assignments are past due and which are upcoming. The teacher has the ability to easily see which students still need to turn in work, which sounds like a real time-saver to me!

Another feature of My Big Campus is that the teacher can actually post comments and give grades to an assignment -- all online. The more I look at My Big Campus, the more I'm convinced that it will help schools transition to a paperless system!

Finally, there is an app for this. Connect your smartphone to My Big Campus and take a piece of the classroom with you wherever you go.  The My Big Campus app is free, too, which is an added bonus in my book!

Administrators, if any of you are feeling uncomfortable with this description of My Big Campus, rest assured that you have a lot more control with this online tool than you do with Facebook. As an admin member of your school, you can join My Big Campus and link up to your teachers' pages. You can manage their content and decide what everyone is allowed to post in each class. Perhaps you dislike the idea of an instant messaging feature for whatever reason; you can disable this feature on one class or all of the classes in your school -- it is completely customizable.

My Big Campus requires school staff members to submit the name of their school upon sign-up. I suppose this is so parents and students can more easily find their teachers' webpage. This feature probably also prevents the general public from overtaking My Big Campus and using it as the next Facebook, which also keeps this website a bit safer than a run-of-the-mill social networking opportunity!

When signing up, the teacher has the option for the basic, standalone (and free) version, or he/she can sign up for the integrated version. The paid version (which does not list a price...there is only a link to request a quote) allows teachers to post content from regularly-blocked sites to My Big Campus and has a few other nice perks. Once one teacher in the school has created a profile using My Big Campus, he/she can hand out the invitation code so that other teachers, students, and parents can easily find and connect with that school's sites.

I'm anxious to know how your experience with My Big Campus goes! Leave me a comment and let me know!

There is a rumor going around that some teachers are able to use create quizzes in Google documents. This is one way they keep their classrooms paperless. I liked the idea, but was wary about having to grade them all.  I've seen so many online tools that will automatically grade student work, and I'm sure you can understand if I want to make things as easy as possible on myself!

But when I saw an advertisement for Flubaroo, a grading tool for Google documents, I was intrigued. I went over the Flubaroo website to check it out, and I liked what I saw.

Source

Those of you that use (or are thinking of using) Google documents in your classroom will love Flubaroo!

The creator of Flubaroo made a pretty explanatory 3-minute video that I think can explain his product much better than I ever could. So, for your viewing pleasure:



 Seems pretty simple! I love how it highlights the students who were struggling with the concept, and also how teachers can generate reports with the simple click of a button.

(By the way, if you're having trouble figuring out how to create a quiz through Google docs, watch this 10 minute video for some help!)

If you've been following my Twitter in the Classroom series, you know it's time for {Part 3}! (Catch up {Part 1} and {Part 2} here, if you need to!)

Here are our {Part 3} discussion topics, if you're ready:

• Tweet Suggestions (For Teachers)
• Twitter Projects/Activities (For Students)

Tweet Suggestions (For Teachers)

Here are some suggestions for things you can tweet to your student/parent audience:

1. Reminders about assignments that are due or upcoming quizzes/exams/projects. 
2. Reminders about snow days, picture days, sporting events, field trips, spirit days, etc. 
3. School events and/or their outcomes (plays, musicals, art shows, academic meets, etc.) -- especially ones where your school won/did well or is playing a rival!
4. Hints about how to complete an assignment or project.
5. Bonus points that can only be aquired through Twitter. (I've tweeted, "Go to the class website and scroll to the bottom of the page. The first student to describe to me the newest object at the bottom of that page gets 5 bonus points." The purpose of this, of course, was to get students to view the class website and the newest important tool on it!)
6. Helpful websites that could assist them academically (StarFall, CliffNotes, Online Calculator, etc.)
7. Apple/Blackberry, Android apps they might find helpful. (I recently tweeted about Flashcards+ and Sundry Notes!)
8. Books you recommend (I always have some students who have a hard time finding something interesting to read. I read books from my classroom library and tweet short blurbs to interest students in the book!)
9. Vocabulary words/definitions in a Word of the Day (#WOTD) format.
10. A poll to help your classroom/planned lessons (I recommend using Twtpoll!)
11. Exit ticket answers. (If students ask a question on an exit ticket, you could answer it on Twitter. This allows everyone to benefit from the answers without taking up any class time. Afterwards, you could copy/paste the updates and post the dialogue on your classroom website so those that couldn't access Twitter at the time can still get the knowledge. (For instance, I did exit tickets after an introductory lesson about courtroom trials, since my students would be conducting a trial about the characters in a book we'd just read. Some students were still confused on the process of the courtroom, and I gave them a chance to anonymously ask any question they still had. I answered these questions on Twitter, and it was a hit!
12. Motivational/inspirational quotes

Twitter Projects/Activities (For Students)

For all of these activities, there are a couple of ways you, the teacher, can keep track of students' answers and assess, if need be.

1. The main way is to create a hashtag just for your class. For instance, I might specify #MrsKEng1 for my 1st hour English class. From that point forward, if I wanted to find my students' tweets, I just type #MrsKEng1 in the search bar and read away! (Certain Twitter apps allow you to save search terms for quick retrieval. Just something to check into!)
2. Another option is to create student lists. You can create a list for all of your students, and then divide them by class and/or subject. When you want to read their tweets, just click on the name of the list on your right sidebar. 
3. Ask students to "mention" you in every single classroom-related tweet. 

With that in mind, here are some projects/activities I've thought of that use Twitter in the Classroom:

1. Schedule a chat. For instance, I might specify the #MrsKEng1 hashtag and assign a start time of  7 pm. Ideally, at 7 pm, students would log on and use the search box to find our class's hashtag. We can then have an online discussion of classroom topics outside the walls of our classroom. Whether you make this an actual assignment or an extra credit activity is, of course, up to you. You could discuss anything from an in-class topic to a President's speech on television to a movie you all went to see!
2. Peer-to-peer tutoring. Encourage parents/students to tweet questions. Other students/parents could check the hashtag and answer peer's questions. We learn best when we teach! I'd definitely suggest monitoring this activity to ensure that all questions are answered accurately.
3. Exit ticket. At the end of class, ask students to whip out their cell phones and tweet a quick exit comment/question to the cyber-world. Hopefully, these tweets generate a discussion or other students answering their peers' questions. (Of course, you would want to make sure all students had access to texting before you proceeded with this experiment. I've heard that you can use Google functions to text, but I haven't tested it yet.) You also get a quick evaluation of who understands the material.
4. Summary of the day. Whether you've just taught a math lesson or you've just finished another chapter in the class novel, students can tweet a 140-character summary of the day's lesson. In order to make assessment easier, you might consider having students either tweet this as a "reply" or include the class hashtag. (Just so you know, both options lessen the number of allowed characters/tweet.) Students could "re-teach" the jist of today's lesson. 
5. Short answer quiz questions. Of course, <140-characters/tweet is a short short answer! But if you're able to explain/answers something in such a short and concise manner, you're probably more likely to understand it.
6. Twitter as bellwork. This feeds off the last suggestion, but immediately upon entering the room, there will be questions or a discussion prompt on the board (or tweeted by you). Students must respond to the question(s)/discussion prompt while you take care of those mundane "house-keeping" duties (attendance, lunch count, etc).
7. Summary of text. After reading a chapter in a novel or expository textbook, ask students to tweet  summary of what they just read. 
8. Timeline report. Follow a celebrity or company and track their tweets over time. Then write a report over their day-to-day life. This could work as a biography project or even for a business class. 
9. Find students in another school/state/country with whom your students can tweet back and forth. It would be challenging to convey all information in 140-character segments, but that might create more concise writers. 
10. Create a class story. One student can start by tweeting the beginning line to a story. Students then take turns to tweet a class story, one line at a time. This collaborative project works on writing skills, creativity, and sharing.
11. Getting to know you. As a back to school activity, ask students to describe themselves in 160-characters or less. If students' Twitter usernames weren't easily recognizable, you could even play a game where students must guess which student belongs with which tweet!
12. Character tweet. After reading a novel, students can pick a character from the story and tweet, say, 5 status updates throughout the day. Each status update should be written in the 1st person format, as if the student were actually the character. 
13. Historical tweet. Feeding off the previous suggestion, you could ask students to pick a person from history and impersonate them on Twitter throughout the day. What would Abe Lincoln have to say if Twitter was available during his time? A website called Historical Tweets might help with this!
14. Hashtag timeline. Monitor the hashtags over a period of time to see the trends of our society. This would be great for a history or current events class. 
15. Hashtag quick write. On a random day, write the current trending topics on the board. Ask students to write about a curtain hashtag either individually or as a group. They could write their thoughts, create a story, etc.
16. Personal story. Using the 3 parts of a story, ask students to write an entire story in 420-characters or less (140 for the beginning, 140 for the middle, and 140 for the end). 
17. Micro-research paper. Ask students to create a micro-research paper using the Twitter guidelines. The intro paragraph must be 140-characters, the thesis must be 140-characters, the first paragraph.... you get the idea. Each part of the micro-paper must comply with Twitter character count rules. 
18. Spelling race. Tell students a word in class and see who can tweet the correct spelling the most quickly. (You could also do this for math problems, science/history trivia questions, etc.)
19. Vocab race. Tweet a word and see who can reply with the correct definition the most quickly...or vice versa.
20. Vocab sentences. Tweet a word and ask students to reply with a tweet that uses that vocab word correctly in a sentence. 
21. Synonym game. Call out a word and ask students to tweet synonyms.
22. Book club. Students tweet book blurbs in an effort to get other kids to read great books.
23. Attendance. Some days, give yourself a break from taking attendance and do it on Twitter. My suggestions: use the bellwork response tweets as a way to take attendance. You may still need to double-check this one because of two main reasons: 1) present students could text the bellwork question to an absent classmate, who would then tweet the bellwork in a timely manner. 2) Present students who don't participate would be counted absent. :-/

 I'm all tapped out of ideas for now. What suggestions do you guys have? 


Continue: Twitter for the Classroom {Part 4}

I was on Twitter earlier today, following along on one of the #edchats, trying to find a way to reply to someone or put in my two cents (heh heh), when someone called attention to a new website for educators: Socrative. I'd never heard of it before, so I immediately typed the address into my web browser. I am so glad I was in the right place at the right time; Socrative looks absolutely amazing, and I can't wait to use it in my classroom!

What is Socrative?

Socrative is a website that connects students and teachers. Kids can access the student portion via a computer or a smart phone's app. Teachers can go in and create quizzes (multiple choice, true/false, short answer) and exit tickets to administer to students. Students can log in and take the quizzes, answer the exit ticket questions, or play an educational game. After the activities are completed, Socrative sends an automated e-mail with a report of all the scores to the teacher's e-mail address. As long as your students have access to smart phones and/or computers, there's no reason you couldn't use this in your class! It works for every single subject.

This can be a quick and innovative way to assess your students' knowledge using a free technology tool. ...Man, I love every thing about that sentence. :)

I'm on board; how do I sign up?

Socrative is still in its beta stage, so to really get started on it, you have to sign up to get invited. You provide your e-mail address and a few things about what you do and why you'd like to use Socrative, and they send you an e-mail immediately that tells you how to register. One thing that worried me, though, is that, in the welcome e-mail, Socrative stated, "We're currently in beta mode, which means you get our software for free. We just ask for your feedback on how we can improve our product." I may be over-analyzing this, but the wording of this worries me. To me, it sounds like Socrative will start charging customers once it leaves the beta stage. :( If this is as cool as I think it's going to be, that makes me really sad. If you're a teacher, too, you understand how tight our budget is!

Once you register, it walks you through the process of using Socrative, step-by-step. I was so excited and wanted to share it with you, so I took screen shots of every step. :) [If you want to see the picture in a bigger size, just right click and open it in a new tab or window!]

Step 1:


When you first register, it takes you through a series of 5 steps that introduce you to the program and how to use it. FYI, if you're going to try to use this after registering, you'll need to access the site through two separate devices. One is supposed to be you, the teacher, and the other is supposed to simulate the student. The welcome e-mail states that there is an Android app, but that iPhone, Blackberry, etc. apps are coming soon. Looks like I won't get to access the mobile version for awhile, since my cell phone is of the iPhone variety.

Step 2:

Step 3:


Step 4:


Step 5:


From this screen, you can choose each leveled arrow to change the settings.

Although I couldn't truly test it (because I don't have two devices),  I did look into all the separate sections. When I clicked the "exit ticket" at the top of the page and then exited it out when I discovered no "students" were completing the activity, Socrative automatically sent me an e-mail that told me the statistics over the exit ticket participants. The results are sent in a convenient Excel document.

If you want to help me try this system by coming into my "Socrative Room," go to m.socrative.com, enter room number "1028" (you'll notice that number is different than the picture; you have the option of changing the number to something that is memorable for you!), and click "join room." You can take my "mock quiz." Also, see how much you can browse the room...can you see all the options, or only the "quiz" I made?

I'd like to not only use this for quizzes and exit tickets, but I'd like to think of some unconventional ways to use it. For instance, why couldn't I use the "exit tickets" as a way to take attendance? Even though they're called exit tickets, why not treat them as bellwork or entrance tickets? As soon as students enter the room, they could log into the room and answer a short question that gets them thinking about the day's activities and/or asks them to recall what we talked about the day before. Teachers could use this as a way to quickly take attendance, since Socrative immediately sends the results to your e-mail in the form of an Excel document.

In any case, I just wrote an e-mail to the Socrative support team and told them that I think this is the neatest thing I've seen in a long time, and that it will change the way I assess my students. I believe wholeheartedly in that, and I am SO excited to try it on my kids!

Wallwisher is basically a virtual message/cork/dry-erase board. You create a "board" (OK, a page with a colorful background) through your free account. You can post whatever you'd like to the wall, and others can post on it, as well (so, I guess it's like Facebook in this respect). You can delete any comments you have on your board that you don't like, and no one but you can edit comments on your own wall. You can basically post whatever you want on the board (media included), so it's nice in that respect.

 I heard about Wallwisher on Twitter and tried it out a few months ago. I created a test wall and posted one item to it, but lost interest quickly. I just couldn't see the need for it, especially since I have a classroom blog, as well. My principal e-mailed me a link a couple weeks ago that, upon closer inspection, looked suspiciously like Wallwisher to me. I was motivated to re-try Wallwisher, and to brainstorm some ways in which to use it in the classroom. I edited my wall once, but still haven't gotten into the swing of things.

So I did some research.

This link is a Wallwisher wall with ideas of how to use it in the classroom. The way I gather, educators from all over have contributed to this message board, much like the Tom Barrett "Interesting Ways" posts I was talking about earlier. Still, though, I keep thinking these ideas could be utilized with a simple classroom blog, without the need to incorporate yet another website into our classrooms. (Because, let's face it: technology is a beautiful thing and can help in the classroom, but there IS such a thing as overkill!) The only I see that this differs from a blog post is that Wallwisher posters are only allowed 160 characters/post that they make (is this bringing back memories of my Twitter post?).

This link gives 5 ways to use Wallwisher in the classroom...all of which I think simple classroom blogging and Twitter usage pretty much cove, but Wallwisher does offer an innovative way to do something when classroom routines get a little ho-hum. 

I do like some of the ideas in this link's list, particularly the one about using Wallwisher as an exit ticket activity. (I love exit tickets!) This, of course, means that all students must have access to Wallwisher during class (individual laptops?), but it's something to think about.

This post has an informative video over Wallwisher and what all it entails.

And here's Tom Barrett's take,

All in all, I wish I could give Wallwisher a chance. I really do. I think it could be a useful component for those that are not using classroom blogs, Twitter, or other survey-taking components. But for those of us that ARE using all those things....this site may not be that helpful.

Here's a very small snippet of a Wallwisher wall:

Source

Pic Lits is another website where kids can do some creative writing with the added element of visual pictures.

Go to the Pic Lits website and notice the moving stream of pictures flowing across the top portion. Click on a picture from the stream, and it will appear, enlarged, in the middle of the page. Then you can drag-and-drop words from the bottom of the page or write your own directly onto the picture.

Just quickly brainstorming ideas, these are the lesson plans I've come up with:

1. Quick write: students pick the first picture they see and write something creative as the caption. 
2. Novel summary: students choose an image that depicts the main theme of the story, and then inscribe the theme onto the picture. 
3. Lecture summary: much like #2, but this ideas opens the project up to all subjects -- not just English. 
4. Getting-to-know-you project: Students choose an image that describes themselves, and then writes words to further describe themselves. Perhaps you could display these around the room or on the class website?
5. Bellwork: this bellwork might take a little longer than the "normal" bellwork, but it might be worth a shot maybe once a week. Students choose the first image they see and write whatever pops into their heads. This could be used a little bit like "OneWord," but it includes pictures!

This seems like it would work wonderfully as a bellwork assignment!

At this website -- OneWord -- students are shown one word on the screen. Students get 60 seconds to write as much as they possibly can about that one word.

Source

 I think the site features the one word each day, but I haven't visited it often enough during the course of just one day to figure this out yet (shame on me!). After you're done writing, you add your name and e-mail address, and submit your work. Students have a chance to read things other students have written after they submit their work. One of my philosophies is that people get to be better writers by reading other people's work, so I think this could work out nicely!

I'm still playing with this one and trying to figure it out, but it looks very promising! My main concern at this point is grading (my current students hate when I ask them to do something but don't take a grade for it!). I'm going to play with it and see if I can figure something out!

OneWord would make great English/writing bellwork. It could also be an outside of class quick-write assignment (on a blog, maybe?) if we can figure out some way to grade it!

Flickr is a pretty well-known photo-hosting website. It's free, but there are limits as to how much you can post in a certain period of time. I personally used Flickr very briefly when I was younger, but no longer use it.

However, Flickr could be a great tool for classroom use. If/when you take pictures of students in the classroom, you could upload them all to your classroom Flickr for safe-keeping. Only the people you WANT to see your pictures will be able to, so privacy isn't such an issue.

But really, the purpose of this post is to tell you about Five Card Flickr, which is this new game I just learned about. Basically, you start by going to this website. You're given a row of 5 random pictures, and this call this "draw 1." Click on a picture to save it to your "deck." You get to draw pictures a total of 5 times. After you've chosen all 5, you have to create a story that ties all 5 pictures together!

English teachers, do you see where I'm going with this? :)

Students can pick this random "deck" of pictures and then create a story to go along with it. When the story is finished, students can save it by clicking the bottom "save" button. The next screen gives students a permanent link to their story and "deck" of pictures.

I think this sounds like a fun, creative project that would boost writing skills while really making kids think! I'd love to use this in the classroom!

Wordle is a website designed to make "word clouds." And while there may be a tad more uses for it in, say, an English class than a math class, there are several uses for this word-cloud-making site.

Wordle is a some Java program (don't ask me for specifics...Java is still a little foreign language to me!) that allows you to type in a cluster of words (as many as you want). After you press "submit," Wordle turns the words and phrases you typed into a creative word cloud!

You can customize the colors and fonts, and play with the spacing until it looks right to you. (Wordle automatically spaces the words, but you can keep shuffling it until it meets your standards.)

Besides being fun, creative, and different, what are the uses for Wordle?

1. Students can create a Wordle with words that describe themselves on the first day of school. These word clouds could be displayed around the room, used as binder covers, and help the everyone get to know each other. 
2. Students can pick one character from a novel and type in everything they know about that character (personality traits, physical traits, background, education, work history, etc.). It gives a unique look on a novel's character, and is a little more fun than a simple character sketch!
3. Before reading a short story (or something else short -- say, an act or scene from a play?), students could type the short story into the Wordle box. Wordle naturally takes the words that appear the most and makes them largest in the word cloud. So after typing in the story (which works on typing skills), students could view the Wordle and see which words/phrases are most used. This allows them to see key terms and look up any words they don't yet understand. 
4. After reading, students could summarize what they learned (or what they know) into a Wordle cloud. They could do this for a textbook (summarize what the lesson/chapter was about), or for a novel (summarize the main theme, character, tone, etc). 
5. Create word clouds of rules or students' names and post them in your classroom -- cheap and easy decorations!

Here, here, and here are some more ideas on how to use Wordle in your classroom (I particularly love the second link!)

Although I'm most familiar and comfortable with Wordle and Tagxedo, here's a list that contains 8 other word cloud generators...you know, in case you like to have some options. ;) 

Below is a Wordle I created for my English classroom:

Obviously, if you're reading this, you're no stranger to blogs and the blogging process. But do you use blogs in your classroom?

Blogging in the classroom has the potential to impact you, your students, and your students' families in a HUGE way. There are also ways to blog that involve the entire school. It's a form of communication, of social networking, and of expressing ideas (all all practicing practical reading, writing, and technology skills). I am a firm advocate for blogging in the classroom! Read on to see why.

Benefits of Blogging in the Classroom

1. Students learn and develop critical thinking skills. I usually post a question (or series of questions) or a general topic students need to write about. The questions are open-ended, so no answer is a wrong answer, so long as they can defend their view.  It's critical that our students be able to think for themselves and to justify their beliefs. 
2. Students familiarize themselves with the internet. In order to even get to the blog, students need to utilize specific technological skills (getting to the website, logging in, creating a new post, etc.). Most of my students can navigate the internet for gaming or social networking purposes, but this gives them practice navigating it for educational purposes, as well.
3. Students familiarize themselves with the keyboard. This sounds like such a minute detail, but in this day and age, it's almost unheard of for a new employee (or a young one) to not know his/her way around a keyboard. To get a job these days, it's an unwritten request that a person be an adequate typist. Our society is geared toward technology, and most jobs require some knowledge of technology.
4. Students learn "netetiquette." It's essential that students understand how to conduct themselves online. This includes not only the content of their writing, but also the proper usage of grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. I have my students respond to at least 2 other students' blogs. Besides going over the regular "be nice to your neighbor" stuff, we talk about how our blogs are open for the world to see, so the superintendent, parents, or even students from across the world could read what we write. It's wise to sound as intelligent as possible when we write, so I encourage "proper" writing, as opposed to "text-speak." My students have also had to learn that TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IS OFFENSIVE BECAUSE PEOPLE THINK THEY'RE GETTING YELLED AT...so some of them have changed that. :) Furthermore, if we can treat this blog like an actual assignment, maybe students will become accustomed to typing in such a manner that would mimic professional documents' writings: resumes, cover letters, scholarship applications, etc.
5. Students get more practice in the writing process. The computer is a fast way to revise (and RE-revise) your writings. Furthermore, simple spellcheck provides help with the editing, so students get used to seeing words spelled in the correct way. 
6. Students get practice at writing to a prompt (if you post prompts). Lots of state tests now require students to write to a prompt, not to mention they must do it nearly every day in college!
7. Students show their knowledge in current classroom topics (if you post questions). You can check for understanding.

These are just the benefits that popped into my head right away. I'm sure if I sat down and brainstormed for a little bit, I'd come up with several more advantages! So it's easy to see why I think blogging in the classroom is a wonderful idea.

I'm on Board; Now How Do I Start?

If you're worried about your students blogging, you can start small. You, the teacher, can create a blog and pose questions/prompts, and students can merely comment their answers. I find this useful for schools whose population is filled with kids who don't have regular access to the internet.  Simply posting comments doesn't take a lot of time, but it still accomplishes most of the above-stated objectives. For this assignment, you can use a number of blogging websites. Blogspot is popular, as is Wordpress and Xanga. I'm sure you could Google "free blog sites" and come up with quite a few others.

If you're ready to dive right in, you could check out KidBlog. I dislike the name because it sounds so juvenile, but the set-up seems to be meant for teachers. A teacher creates an umbrella blog and adds student users. Each student gets his/her own username and password. The teacher can monitor who can see the blogs (everyone? only those logged in? only those who are a part of the class?), what kinds of comments are left, etc. The teacher also has access to each student's blog, in the event of, er...questionable material (it's bound to happen).

Once you've established your blog, you just need to take care of a few things:

1.  Make sure the school district's computers don't blog the website. Sometimes blogging sites are classified as "social networking," they are blocked on campuses. 
2. Decide on the frequency in which you and/or your students will be posting. 
3. Decide on what kinds of questions or prompts (or both!) will be posted by you.
4. Decide on the grading criteria (if you plan to grade them) with which you will use to give the students credit for their blogs. I ask for a minimum word count on KidBlog, since there's a word count conveniently posted at the bottom of the posting page! You may ask for a paragraph, a full-on essay, a couple of sentences, sentence fragments...whatever. 
5. Decide when the blogs will be due each month. (I make mine due at midnight on the last day of each month.)

What are your thoughts on student blogging? Are there ways in which I can improve my students' blogging experience?

P.S. This link can give you a few more ideas as to how you can use blogging in the classroom.