3/27/10

Wow! Where did the winter go? It has been crazy, but that is really no excuse for being such a lazy blogger. So... let's see. What has been happening in my life? I traveled for the Bureau of Education in January and had a blast. It is so fun to show teachers ideas of free ways they can integrate Web 2.0 activities into their classrooms.
Also, in January, I applied for and received a grant-funded Promethean Board for my classroom. It is amazing. It comes with Expression Responders as well, and they have really helped me keep students engaged, formatively track achievement, and more easily integrate technology. I took two courses through the Promethean Planet Website to help get up to snuff to use the equipment. It was a pretty great way to learn. First, I went through the tutorials and then I took the test at the end. If I didn't get 100%, I went back and reviewed the tutorials until I could pass fully.
We also had a training presented by one of the company's trainers in February. Then our facilities guys came in and did some rewiring to get ready for the big event - the board's installation! My students were so great. They stayed focused and worked hard throughout the installation process.
Since then, I have used the board daily, especially in Science and Math. To review for our state tests in Science, I was able to locate a number of "flipcharts," (kind of like PowerPoints but with interactive pieces) that would match my students' needs. It was nice to rely on lessons others had created as I tried to quickly get a handle on using the equipment.
This Monday, the 29th, another teacher and I are going to do a mini staff development lesson with our staff, so they can know how to use the board. We have a second board in our upstairs computer lab, and teachers can sign up to use the lab when it is not being used for technology classes. I also have made the board available to any teacher from 8:40 - 9:30 when my students are at Specials. So far, Kindie, Third, and Fourth have all taken me up on it. It has been fun to demonstrate it with the various ages of students in our school.
This weekend, I have been in Washington D.C. attending a conference for the GK-12 Grant Program of which I became a member this year. The program enabled me to have a Fellow who is currently a Teacher in Residence at our local Science Learning Center. He helped me plan lessons and field trip activities for each of the areas we study in the fifth grade. I also received pay for the meetings I attended, the workshops I attended, plus I received money to purchase equipment. With the funds provided, I bought a LabQuest device and multiple probes to measure the functions of the human body. We will start that unit right after Spring Break, and I can't wait to use the tool. I know my students are excited as well.
In addition to that, last week my class used Skype to contact a 4th grade class in California to answer their questions about what it is like to live in a mountain state. It was obvious that their class is much more affluent than ours. More of them had been to the Colorado ski resorts than my students have :-).
Plus, just before I left for Washington D.C., I received the box with Civil War Sallie in it. She is a Build a Bear dressed as a nurse during the Civil War era. I signed up to have her "visit" my class for the week. Next week, we'll take her to historical places in Greeley, take her picture, then write in her blog about her visit. She'll also be joining us on our Survival field trip along the Poudre River Trail and at the Poudre Learning Center. She comes with a lot of research and resources that teachers have added to her traveling kit over the year. This project was created and is managed by a middle school girl. What a tremendous idea!
Hmmmm.... well, I guess I've caught you up on technology and learning in my classroom. It is pretty fun to think back over all of the neat learning opportunities we have had this winter. Thanks for visiting.