SCES

Final e-Math Collaborative

2008-04-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

The e-Math teachers at SCES had our last official collaborative on Wednesday, April 2^nd! Here are some comments from the day’s presentations.

Wynn--good use of manipulatives; liked the way you linked both physical and virtual resources and provided students opportunities to use both to refine their thinking--most excellent. Great way to teach multiplication. I loved the flip chart. Manipulatives were great. Loved the way the students participated in the lesson and designed the T-shirts! Great manipulatives! I want a T-shirt! Great idea.

Allison: Transformations, rotations, reflections - Used Shirts in the Mirror BAM - -good student use of technology (digital camera) -good cross curricular links (with art) -students demonstrated evidence of linking concept to real life - Good job. I know the students loved doing this! Super job relating the areas and making connections with shapes and letters! Great job with transformations! Made a possibly boring topic into one of interest by making a flipchart that was fun to use.

Dana: Blast off with Geometry/Soar of Crash and Burn -Good progression through Bloom's Taxonomy of Skills -again, good student use of technology (using digital cameras) -liked the way students had the opportunity to employ the protractor tool -really liked the examples of real life angles--good way to build for transfer of learning -Birthday Cupcakes BAM -I'm impressed that you collaborated with an EIP student and asked the pupil to help create flipchart content.
Good job. Very interesting for the kids. Keeps them thinking. Great job with BAM! It's great that you exposed your students to images of world icons--Eiffel Tower. They'll need this core knowledge to understand concepts in other disciplines. Cupcake BAM was great! Good job explaining. Cute BAM! I know the kids could relate to this!

Cynthia: Chapter 14 Percents -Like the way students followed in a flipchart of their own while you presented the lesson -Per Cent paint looks very engaging -Using per cents in context of money was a great way to link concept to real life -Nifty idea: percentages of clothing components -Cool--you had students create circle graphs that employed percentages -Great flipchart created! Grid used to "paint" to create percent was great too! Bringing money in to teach decimals and percents is a good way to make it real world for the students. Students benefit by having this on their stations to read from as well as the board. Clickers used for assessment. Great performance assessment - creating their own circle graphs with topics of their choice. Love the percent paint link! What a "catchy" tool to help reinforce percent! I love the percent paint link! Great activity!

Carol: Triangles -Smart use of time, using content from Promethean Planet -I'm glad you pointed out how what the students are doing is linked to what they'll be expected to do on standardized test (you also did a masterful job of pointing out potential pitfalls) -Liked how you took this concept a step further with the use of the Math TV video--preparing kids for a foundation in algebra -Liked the magic magnifying glass Good job. Can't wait to use it!!! Much needed in fifth grade! Great flipchart! That was super. I know they will enjoy working on this. Ann: BAM related activity, Broken Clocks -Good way to demonstrate how well students understand elapsed time...they really have to articulate their conceptualization of how we tell time -This lesson really calls for a higher than average level of sophistication. It's evident you have high expectations for students. Way to go! -very engaging! Higher level thinking!!! Good job with the broken clocks. Great job and flipchart! Time is such a hard thing for all elementary school kids! Great flipchart. Flip chart was great!

Josh: Patterns and Algebraic Relationships (Review for CRCT)/Assessment for Chapter 8 for distributive property -Use of ACTIVotes for feedback -Making sure to include the model before having students complete an operation is very sound teaching The kids love using the ACTIVotes Love the baseball theme-Good way to prepare students for what they'll be experiencing on the CRCT -chapter 8-students used flipchart at station Sometimes bells and whistles are not needed to get the information! Great use of modeling the problem rather than just solving the problem! Loved the baseball theme.

Winona's portion: Millie and Mel -use of scanner -Winona has been using this with students in her Google Docs and Spreadsheets -Her students have been working groups to create a presentation in Google Docs

Yvonne: Adding different numbers -students have to be very good at articulating their understanding of the process -She's making good use of the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

Pam: Leopard's Leap -Based on a BAM -The flipchart allows you to model the problem solving skills. I like how you pulled in other skills - Multiples -Great use of the promethean software. - To solve the problem. -Liked her idea of having each group draw it out, scanning the image, and then sharing groups' work with the entire class

Jennifer: Good idea to have students plan their flipchart before creating their flipchart. Students were folding paper so that each "box" represents a flipchart page -Manipulating the software and typing took a while -It's obvious that the students grasped the concept

Vickie: Do your best, bust that test! Good idea--use pages from previously made/used 3rd grade flipcharts (this idea saves time and reinforces concepts) -wow! You certainly encompassed lots of ideas with this - What an easy way to review by pulling from flipcharts that have already been made.

Kiersten: Grassy Parks (BAM) -Working with area and perimeter -Vickie's point about using a policeman to check the perimeter and the area is a good idea.

Retta: Solid and Plane Figures -downloaded from Promethean Planet -Great use of "borrowing" from others. (Why reinvent the wheel if the resource is already available? Very smart and efficient.) -Brain Pop videos using flipcharts not only can you borrow, but you can add to and alter the flipcharts that you find.

Melissa: The Trouble with Tables (BAM) - Use of calculators -Good idea: modeling skill by collaborating with students and then having them independently demonstrate the skill -Very adept with her use of the flipchart and its tools –

Holly: 5th Grade Station 6-Solid Figures - Highlights the skills in the 5th grade GPS -Exploring polyhedrons -Parts of polyhedron –Sorting

Jeff also left us with some great resources - animated resources from Learner.org (Annenberg Project) – webnode.com (for making blogs) – when using delicious, use the Georgia Performance Standard as a tag – ktq.webnode.com (Georgia’s Keys to Quality)

Collaborative 3 - Sharing Great Ideas!

2008-02-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

Our third collaborative was held in the Tech Lab on February 7, 2008. We had lots of visitors pop in during the two sessions . . . Carole and Connie from SCES, Gilda and Jim from SCMS Joyce from SCHS, and Cathy Lariscy from the BOE. We were also fortunate to have Jeff, our ETTC, join us. He shared several great resources and tips. Below are a couple of things that we learned during the sessions:

Visit segatech.us and scestech.wordpress.com for links to great resources and ideas (such as the chart chooser from Juice Analytics.
To prevent students from making changes to those flipcharts that you have worked so hard to create, change your files to “read-only”files by following the steps below: Right click...properties... check box beside "read only"
Be sure to check out the resources (flash files, activities, flipcharts, acti-vote quizzes) that are in your Activ-Studio shared resources.
Jeff showed us how to search for flash files by typing “.swf” at the end of a Google search – this same idea will work if you are looking for a Power Point (.ppt), a flipchart (.flp), a word document (.doc) , and image (.jpeg, .jif, .bmp, etc.)
Jeff also showed us how to open flash files by using the Mozilla Firefox browser, but not actually being on the internet. Follow these steps: Save the flash file to your desktop, open web browser (Mozilla or Internet Explorer), click “File,” select “Open File,” and browse for your file.
Yvonne showed us how to put short cuts on the main toolbar in Activ-Studio. Follow these steps: Right-click on the “little man” on the right side of the tool strip, click the circle beside “Program File,” click “…” to browse for the file (or web address) that you want. To get to activities in your shared resources, go to “My Computer,” “C,” “Documents and Settings,” “All Users,” “Shared Documents,” “Activ-Studio,” “Activ-Studio 3,” “Shared Activities,” and double click the file that you want.
Here are some other good resources to check out . . . learner.org, soundpedia (please remember not to stream at school), Wikipedia for schools, teacher tube, lulu, blurb, miro

Reminders:

Please complete your observations by April 2^nd – the LAST collaborative!!!!
The last lesson that you present, must include any equipment that you have not previously presented with this year.
Keep updating your portfolios.
Don’t forget to let your e-coaches know if there is something that you would like for us to consider purchasing this LAST year of funds!
Thanks for all that you do – we are almost done!

Comments from Collaborative 3

2008-02-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

As each teacher presented, we used Google docs to make the comments listed below
Kiersten
The students were told the requirements ahead of time and the students used the digital camera to make pictures of geometric shapes. The students worked for thirty minutes on two days to complete the assessment flipcharts. The students did a super job. Great assessment. I know that the students enjoyed it! I am sure their grades showed their knowledge of the activity. Kiersten spun a great flipchart off of the Geometry unit presented in Tech Lab - students created their own flipcharts meeting certain requirements - many technology components were used. Great flipchart! I know the students enjoyed making the flipcharts! Great idea for an assessment! The students did a good job creating the geometry flipchart.

Allison
Allison found a flipchart on Promethean planet. She used the GTCO. Great way to assess with the clickers. I know that they enjoyed the flip chart.
Wynn
Students used graphing resource from National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (in combination with something students really enjoy--candy). Love the skittles flipchart...Cute! Very BRIGHT!
What a cute lesson! I know the kids enjoyed working with and eating the skittles - great final product! Great lesson. I loved the pictures. The activity was based on a BAMs activity.
Cynthia
Cool Picture of Mountains- Activity based on Mountain Math - She pulled in calculators with this activity. Group based instruction. This works well for inclusion groups. I loved the idea of being able to do the game in groups, I never thought of that!
Retta
Great job! Students love going to the board and measuring objects!! Great way to teach measurement! I liked your ruler. Looks like a great site for measurement. Can't wait to use it! Love the ruler!!!!!! Super lesson!!
Yvonne
Flying angles - Students could scan their airplanes--wow!--what a spiffy idea! Power point idea really makes sense. good thinking. the power point looked great! Students created powerpoints with photos taken around the school. Great activity! Awesome! I loved the power point!
Melissa
Super Flipchart!!! Good job on the actions! Great Job!! Loved the flipcharts!!! Great flipchart. The kids presented their own flip chart! looked great. great use of protractor
Holly
I love that you are teaching the kids to use the scanner... Can't wait to do this with my kids!!
Super graphing - that will be fun with the kids
Josh
Review lesson - angle-polygon kids used digital camera to take pictures and then he made a quiz with the pictures for them to review. Great idea! Great student thinking! I love it... Very Creative Josh! The kids love taking pictures!
Winona
Review before a test - Kids used the scanner, digital camera, and activstudio to create a flipchart for self-assessment. Great job!
Pam
Pam showed an Acti-Vote assessment - then she showed a student created flipchart which featured pictures that students had taken with the digital camera. Good job, Pam. Your students seemed to enjoy this. Great way to use the camera and get the kids involved in their own learning.
Ann
Great use of resources Word, Activ-Studio, Kid Create-A-Graph - Making the graphs on their own helped students internalize the skills. Ann, great use of the computer using the website for the graphing. Also, great job using the materials that we already have a copying them.
Jennifer
Very impressive backgrounds - Fonts are easy to read - You do a great job when it comes to collaborating and sharing. Super flipchart! Super job.
Vickie
Good use of graphics--like that ruler -great job of using shared resources
Carol
Great use of the Promethean Planet. You didn't have to reinvent. I like the way the font was so large and colorful.

Thanks for a Great Collaborative!

2007-09-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

Our first collaborative was great! I think that we can all say that we each learned at least one new thing! Below are the (uneditted) comments from Google Docs.

Morning Session

Retta's Lesson - Review of Adding with Regrouping

I like that Retta is using real life examples for this lesson. Her hook for this lesson is interesting for the students.
I like how Retta introduced the lesson with shopping instead of doing schoolwork. Students had to do their work on paper and then check their work using the calculator. Everybody can relate to not wanting to be at work or school. Her lesson was definitely a real-life skill! Practical use of the calculator. Great lesson Retta. This would be good to do near Christmas and give each child a sales paper to make a wish list.
Other ideas for this activity - give students a budget, use the activity in a center, use during Christmas

Great way to use the newspapers we get each week. Also, could use catalogs for larger numbers (for older students or to extend the lesson).

Ann's Lesson - Missing Addend

Her introduction (video games) would really "hook" the students! Her lesson teaches that there is more than one way to solve a problem - in this case, counting up and a new faster way, using the inverse operation - subtraction! Great flipchart! Students practice with the calculator and use the Rainforest website. She assesses the lesson with a few problems and the ActiVotes.Her flipchart is in the e-Math folder in the "S" drive.
Ann did a good job of teaching inverse operations to find missing addends. Students used calculators and a website to practice.
Nice transition from problems that can be counted on fingers or calculated mentally to the larger numbers and the use of calculators to find the missing addend. I like the way Ann talked a lot about the inverse operation and had several problems that the students could work on.

Vickie's Lesson - Subtracting 3 and 4 digit numbers
Students would be interested in taking a trip. Good use of color in the flipchart - to show the steps of subtracting. Good life skill - should we walk or ride? Her lesson reviews previously taught skills. Her questions prompt critical thinking. The flipchart contains "self-checking." Her flipchart is in the e-Math folder in the "S" drive. Students practice skills with websites - "Baseball Math" and "Rainforest Math." She assesses the lessons with a few problems and activities. Good integration of Social Studies concepts - lengths of the US major rivers.
Winona's suggestion . . While waiting for students who need extra time, give the early finishers the assessment problems on paper and let them do it while they are waiting. Jennifer's suggestion . . . point to the number and subtraction sign as you model. Share your mnemonics list with your grade level.

Vicki had good examples to model subtracting 3 and 4 digit numbers. She had students read word problems and figure out how solve the problems. Students had to remember to write the larger number on top in order to subtract. Take a picture of the US map and use in social studies. Also the following flipchart is great for social studies.
Vicki 's flipchart looks great. Great way to tie in social studies.
Vicki's flipchart was attractive and motivational. She had many examples for the kids to work on. Good intergration of math and Social Studies. Students used word to create new word problems.
Good use of word problems to practice the skill. I liked the question about explaining the difference between adding/subtracting 3 digits and 4 digits: although not a complicated question, it makes the students THINK about what they are doing. Good question for a math journal. Great integration of Social Studies and Math!!!! I like the idea of the use of research and the students writing their own word problems. Those could be put on a flipchart for activotes.

Carol's Lesson-Different Types of Graphs

Carol -Great flipcharts on graphs. These were colorful and had great information explaining the different graphs. She had students create double line graphs using Create a Graph. I like the rubric that she made to evaluate the line graphs. Carol's flipcharts were very colorful and easy to read. A lot of good information and practice with the bar graphs.
Carol's graphs are easy to read and understand. Key words are highlighted to focus student attention.
Carol began this three day lesson by asking the students how boys' interests differed from girls' interest in their class. The students surveyed the students in their class and made bar graphs of the information. The students were introduced to the difference between a histogram and a bar graph. Carol used a flipchart to explain that the graphs had to have titles,scales,and keys. Then she demonstrated reading a double bar graph. Carol had examples of many different kinds of graphs. Students were given questions to answer about each graph. Jeff Giddens said that activotes were an excellent tool to use with graphing. The students can answer the questions and see the results immediately. The students went to different classes in the school and interviewed the students. The classmates then tallied their data and graphed it on create a graph. The students were given instructions for making the graph and a rubric of what was expected on their graph. Carol was able to find a flipchart at Promethean Planet and make some changes to the flipchart to use for instruction. Jeff Giddens said that looking for resources that have already been created is a good time management skill.

Jennifer- Customary Units of Measurement

Jennifer-The conversions are good practice and review from previous lessons.
Jennifer reminds us that measuring is a third grade GPS, but that conversion is a fifth grade GPS. She used a flipchart that had measurements for them to convert from inches to feet and inches. Yvonne asked if students were required to change perimeter to feet from inches or vice versa. The students would use the flipcharts at workstations and go to the website funbrain to measure using the ruler on the computer. The students will use the computer ruler and then be given a ruler. Jennifer said that at workstations everyone would do an easy problem and then they would progress. Holly asked if Jennifer had used the ruler in the Promethean Board.The ruler on the Promethean Board was discussed. Ann told everyone how to zoom the ruler. Ann also asked if the ruler from the Promethean could be enlarged and printed. Jennifer said that she wanted to revise her flipchart and she now had some good ideas.

Jennifer used a flipchart to review measurement concepts. Students use a website (Funbrain) to practice before using classroom rulers. Funbrain site is excellent practice.
Jennifer- I like the idea of making the ruler bigger using the magnifying glass. Good Lesson.

Holly- Road Trip Unit

Holly said that she loves teaching this math unit. She gave a great web site - Map Quest. The students use map quest on the first day. The students find out the distanceto all seven places because they do not get their destination until the third day. The students have to round the numbers use of the magnifying glass to give them a hint of where they are going. And I like to go places and this is a good way to show the students different parts of the U.S.
They have to figure out round trip and the students use the calculator to find the total distance
Day 2 They find the total gas used and the cost. The students have to do a reflection on that days acitivities. The students have a packet to record prices. Holly has had to revise her search for hotel prices because of a slow internet connection. There are questions included inside the flipchart for discussion and reflection. The students reflect about the day in Word. The students record their information in a chart and they must use a pie graph to answer questions in Word as part of a reflection. The students then make a Power Point following certain criteria and are given a rubric stating expectations before beginning.
Holly has a flipchart with links to MapWebQuest to create a vacation. The lesson is very motivational with multiple uses of technology. On day six students make a powerpoint about their trip. Great job!

These activities require the students to work on real world problems. I really like these!

Afternoon Group

Pam's Lesson - Multiplication

I like the way you have your steps in boxes. It was good that you related the multiplication fact to quarters. The way you looked for facts and listed them was great. Then the students modeled 3 times 24 with base ten blocks. The hands-on along with technology was excellent. Asking the question was this estimate reasonable showed the students that the answer should be close to the estimate. Is the method in the textbook worked vertically confusing? Yes, to use this method, you should write the problem horizontally. This shows the distributive property. We just had a vertical meeting just then discussing the effectiveness of this method.

Great flipchart! She begins her lesson by reviewing from the previous day (basic facts, patterns, etc.). I like the "FQA's" (Students identify Facts, Opinions, and Answer)! Her lesson is hands-on - real manipulatives! I like the way that she has the students predict a reasonable answer and then use their prediction to "self-check." Love the calculator link - more "self-checking." Great guided practice! Tennessee Model: "I do, you watch. I do, you help. You do, I help. You do, I watch." I like the way she breaks apart the word problems (FQA) ditto!! The facts, questions, and answer really helps students pull out only essential information. FQA's are great. Will use them in my class starting tomorrow. It was neat to hear the "tennessee model" brought up again. An excellent strategy that i use as well. The calculator link was awesome. Great job! It was explained very well. Great job. I really enjoyed your energy. Do make sure that that one way is not taught! Too confusing!! :)

Cynthia- Graphing

Great examples on graphing, I used this to teach chapter 5 graphing. Students really responded. Cynthia began by telling that lesson we will work on will be about graphing. She discussed horizontal graphs, line graphs, pictographs. Cynthia used a time management strategy of finding a flipchart that she had found and she could modify. An activote test was included in the flipchart to assess student needs. Students then used Nation Master to look up information about a topic. Next year Cynthia will teach scale first before allowing them to graph. I like the line graph game! Cool 5 questions quiz to review!! Neat website! "Nation Master" - I like the way you used Georgia and surrounding states to make it hit home! Good reflection on teaching scale before teaching graphing.I love the nation masters website! I will use this in my classroom!

I love Nationmasters..especially the opportunity the kids have to look for facts and stuff that interests them instead of the same old boring stuff. Great site and lesson! Nation Masters - good site. The kids would love using this. Sometimes it is only after we teach a lesson that we realize what the students do not know. It shows us where their weaknesses are and we adjust our teaching according. Great to recognize.

Kiersten Tapley - Place Value

Neat idea to use the vocabulary cards for each chapter. I need to do more of that!

Great doing the number of the Day and the problem of the day. Great flip chart! It really is beneficial to do the review and the problem of the day.. Having these in the flipchart was very good. We all need to work for mastery for on standard form. Value means money how much is it worth? Place- is where does it live?

From a discussion about the lesson:
Place-where is he? Value-what's he worth? Excellent way to approach place value! That really helped when we all talked about how to use it for all grades!!!

Thanks for showing us the zoom. Good job on the lesson. Using the magnifying glass - hold the left button to zoom in, hold the right button to zoom out - Moving the page arrows - right click on the far side of the page

Dana's Lesson - Missing Data and Double Data

Great use of color in a flipchart! Encourages students to examine items closely. I like the "ADHOC" use of the ActiVotes. Interesting flipchart - fun to look at. Great flipchart. Very colorful and interesting and has all they need to know!! Good stuff....really liked the flipchart.

Students must examine the graph and decide what to get rid of on the graph that has duplicate information. The activote test was a quick way to check understanding. Neat imagines in the flipchart.

Josh Oglesby- Multiplying and Dividing up to 10
Reviewing methods from the previous day - different ways to multiply (drawing pictures, number lines, manipulatives, and the multiplication table) - have them "think" about how they solve problems. Jeff suggestion . . . use the interactive whiteboard to compare the different methods. Great flipchart! Super job of stressing that there is more than one way to solve a problem. ACTIVSTUDIO NOTE: To get clear pictures on flipcharts, take pictures from the Teacher's Edition on-line - instead of the student edition - you can also change the scale.

Nice job of showing the different ways to multiply. I didn't like the break apart when I first taught it, but seeing you teach it helped me see how beneficial it could be for students who do not know all of their facts. Nice job.Good use of writing. The English teachers will love it! A good explanation of the break apart strategy. I love the jersey~!!! i will need to use this more. Especially when I teach the eight times tables.

Melissa Simpson - Coordinate System

Cute flipchart - I like the sheep! Good job! Super. I know that the kids enjoyed it. You really did a great job presenting. I want the Billy Bug website. Here you Go! :) http://www.classbrain.com/artgames/publish/billy_bug_math_coordinates_game.shtml

Winona - Comparing Money

Love the candy corn!! Love the sound effect!!! :) Fun for kids! I like the chart to line up the place value of the money to compare.

Great visuals, love kids being able to move it around and see things that are not fixed all the time. I like the snapping feature for the wrong answers. I definitely want to take Holly's class. I think making them pick the coins to make the sentence true is a great idea instead of just having them pick the correct symbol. Great thinking skill activities! It is a great idea to make them think "backwards"!

Review counting money for two days. Great use of items in the resource library and actions in ActivStudio software! Super graphic organizer to show how money relates to place value. Flipcharts includes different applications of the same skill to encourage students to think about it in a different way. Students use the flipcharts in their stations. Students link to website to practice. Great critical thinking components. Good activity. I really enjoyed the higher order thinking.

Self correcting too!!

Yvonne's Lesson - Order of Operations
Love the BIG numbers for the step! Cool thumbs up and thumbs down revealing with magnifying glass!!!
Good real life experience with the calculator. Kids need to learn that they cannot just rely on technology to work math...they have to know the correct step (correct order of operations) to punch it into the calculator correctly to get the correct answer.
Teacher created flipchart teaches the order of operations – with lots of exciting extras. Super use of calculators and other types of technology – it shows students that it is always important to know HOW to DO the problem – stresses the importance of paper and pencil. Your flipcharts are great examples for other teachers. Great revealing. Real life stuff! :) Super lesson. Thanks for the Please My Dear Aunt Sally tips.

My kids loved the big numbers. Great job with everything.

Welcome to the a New Year of e-Math!

2007-08-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since we last met! SCES has been showing its stuff to teachers from across the world! In July, Winona, Allison, and Holly presented at NECC - the National Education Computing Conference in Atlanta. Holly presented to the faculty from the College of Education from Georgia Southern University in early August. Each presentation showed how we use technology in our school - all of which is a success because of how hard our e-math teachers have worked since the beginning of the grant implementation. Speaking of the grant, Yvonne, Winona, and Holly are traveling to Macon tomorrow - August 30 - for the annual e-Math meeting. Unit writing is over and now it is time to TEACH all those great units we worked so hard to create. Have a great year - thanks for all your hard work!

Below are links to e-snips accounts that contain files related to the presentations mentioned above and files from our e-math units.

http://www.esnips.com/web/GSUpresentation

http://www.esnips.com/web/SCES-NECC

http://www.esnips.com/web/SCES-eMath-Units

Surveys!!

2007-05-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

BEFORE MAY 25TH:

Please make sure that you go to the eMath portal and take the end of year survey.

Please take the loti survey at the Loti Lounge.
Make sure that you save your results for the loti survey so that it can be placed in your portfolio.

NECC Website Resources

2007-05-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the websites that Mrs. Woods placed on her class blog, Woods' Wonders, to use in the Birdhouse eMath Unit.

Inch to Feet

We need to practice changing inch to feet and feet to yards.

Geometric Solids

We will count faces and vertices's this week as we get ready to build our birdhouses.

Geometry Website

Hey Class!
I put the geometry website in the flipchart by mistake. Here is the geometry web address. The instruction on how to play are on the last page of the flipchart.

Reflections upon the Techno-Instructional Strategies and the eMath Grant

2007-04-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

Our Favorite Techno-Instructional Strategies
Harcourt E-Products
Rainforest Math
Flipcharts
Collaboration and Ability to Share Flipcharts, Resources, Materials, Etc.
Math Frog

Impact of Grant
Students are more engaged
Lessons are more real world
Technology Equipment!!!
Easier presentation of concepts
Unlimited resources – through the INTERNET
Easier to model concepts to students
The technology improves problem solving skills.
The room arrangement and the eMath philosophy requires students to work together – social skills that are essential for success in the work place.
Students learn from each other – EIP students should be augmented so that can learn from regular education students.

Student Math Content Knowledge – Has the grant improved this?
Yes, to some degree
It has allowed you to provide enrichment for those kids that need it
It has move us beyond with the book

Teacher Math Content Knowledge – Has the grant improved this?
The grant has encouraged us to think “outside of the box.”
Performance Assessments sometimes require us to teach concepts we may not have ordinarily taught.

Incorporating Technology into daily instruction - Reflections
Frustration with the technology, students do not handle “downtime” when “trouble-shooting” of equipment has to be done.
Our system has HUGE network speed and server problems!
The eMath grant has paced the system capabilities.

Need Hel p With Your Unit?

2007-03-22T08:42:00.001-07:00

Winona reminded us of some things that we need to keep in mind as we develop stage 3. It is important that each lesson to have a clear connection to how knowledge is built (put together) to answer the essential question. All activities should work towards building knowledge to complete the performance assessment. Activities should be scaffolded – students should see the connection to the “Big Idea.” Present the rubric at the beginning of the lesson as a road map to where you (and the students) are going in the unit. Kids have to know what you want upfront – present your expectations (for the end product) at the beginning. As you plan activities for each day, ask yourself, “Are these activities getting them were I want them in the end?”

Remember to include activities that require students to rethink and revise what do. It is important that students to have an environment were they can make a mistake and it is okay. They also need an incentive to continue on when they do make a mistake.

A variety of activities are needed to meet the learning styles of all students. In addition, learning activities should be sequenced.

After implementation changes will have to me made – do the best that you can now – knowing that if something doesn’t work, it can be changed later.

Here are some important pages from the UBD book, please take a few minutes to look at these . . .

Page 228 – breaks down stage 3 into the days

Page 238 – look through the learning activities and make sure that you have each of the WHERETO elements – label it in the unit, like this (W)

Face-to-Face Day 4 Techno-Instructional Strategies

2007-03-22T06:22:00.001-07:00

Below are the highlights from the Techno-Instructional Strategies that the Fifth Grade teachers shared during our Face-to-Face Day 4.

Allison showed a flipchart that she found and downloaded from Promethean Planet. The flipchart helped student calculate the area of a rectangle.

Dana also recommended using PowerPoint presentations from Discovery Educator’s Network.

Cynthia showed a flipchart that she created to teach part of a circle. She also showed geometry related websites on “Math Lab” and “Harcourt.” Here is another Harcourt site.

Dana showed a flipchart on polygons. She got some of her ideas from Promethean Planet. Dana also used Harcourt’s (on-line book) website – see her post below. We all need to take the time to check out the Harcourt site – student book pages come up – it is very interactive and great to use on our Promethean and SMART boards! Very e-Math compatible! Thanks for posting to the blog Dana!

Jennifer showed a flipchart that she found on Promethean Planet on finding the area of geometric shapes (triangle, parallelogram, circle, complex shapes, etc.). It has great graphics and modeling for students. She has stored all of these great resources on the “S” drive.

Carol showed “Mathopenref.com” showed kids how to use real-life geometry concepts. The site brings “flat, fixed” geometric figures to life. She also showed “mathsnet.net” which demonstrates the concept of volume.

Fifth grade teachers have done a GREAT job of taking advantage of Promethean Planet – there are some great resources there – why should we create new things from scratch!

Jennifer's March TIS

2007-03-22T06:13:00.000-07:00

I found 2 flipcharts from Promethean Planet to help with teaching area of triangles and area of parallelograms. One is the about the "area of triangles" and the other is about the "area of various shapes." Both can be easily modified to fit our needs. The clip in the triangle flipchart is OK, but you may want to put in something else in its place. Both flipcharts on on the S drive, 5th Grade Share, Math.

Dana TIS

2007-03-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

Harcourt e products
Connie gave us the link for this website. I started looking through it just to see what we had coming our way next year. It is absolutely full of extra tasks for the students to do. It is very Promethean friendly and you can do activities on the board or allow the students to work at their stations. Every lesson/section has extra practice and activities. All you have to do is sign up for an account. Connie's email had the password.

click here to go to Harcourt eproducts
On the website there is a Georgia Dome activity where the students watch a video that reviews/introduces geometric terms (quadrilaterals)
You simply go to the section of the chapter that matches what you are teaching and look through the activities that go along with the topic.

Collaborative 3 - the last one of this school year!

2007-02-15T11:21:00.000-08:00

We began the day discussing the six required observations and how we were going to get them done before the end of the school year.

Next, fourth grade teachers shared their techno-instructional strategies. Holly showed a flip chart that she created to teach two of the problem solving lessons from the fraction chapter. Yvonne showed two flipcharts that she created. The first was used to introduce the fraction chapter. The second flipchart is used to teach mixed numbers. Yvonne’s flipcharts contain some great websites – be sure to check them out! Pam presented a flipchart that she created to teach the fractional part of a number. Melissa showed the flipchart that she created on equivalent fractions. Tracy presented a flipchart on comparing and ordering fractions. Josh showed a website called “Fishy Fractions” (a part of “I Know that.com) that he used to reinforce adding and subtracting fractions. Each flipchart that was presented by the fourth grade teachers contained pages that the teacher used to model the lesson and it also contained pages for guided practice and independent practice. All flipcharts can be found in the Fourth Grade Share folder on the “S” drive. Look in the math folder and then the fraction folder. Be sure to check out Winona’s about “Discovery School” post below.

After planning our next TIS, we took a few minutes to grade the “Garden of Delight” BAMs and update our student profile templates.

Make sure you look below and read Winona’s post on Electronic Portfolios. Reminders . . student work samples and assessments can be scanned items, digital pictures, PowerPoints, etc. Don’t forget to get student samples while you teaching the units! Refer to the portfolio checklist on the e-Math portal. We are not sure about the LOTI survey yet – we will let you know when we hear about that.

NECC – Who wants to go?? See Connie or an e-Math coach ASAP.

BAMs will be given in third and fourth grades within two weeks after the CRCT.

When the e-Math coaches attended the e-Math video conference last week, we learned that next year, there will only be 12 hours of training – 3 half-day collaboratives. They reminded us, however, that even tough next year will be the last year of the grant - it is the MOST important year of the grant. Next year’s fifth graders will have had three years of e-Math!

Jennifer's February TIS

2007-02-15T04:46:00.000-08:00

This site is FULL of resources for math. Check it out! I've used it for my TIS to help with fractions instruction. Another site that I like, especially a "Starter of the Day" activity that will help with problem solving (we used the one for Valentine's Day and it was very much like a "lite BAM").

A Very Useful TIS

2007-02-13T19:18:00.000-08:00

I have used the Discovery School Website to give students a quiz over science material. As well as letting them know what questions were missed, it will allow them to print out a study guide with the correct answers on it to study for the next test. I found this to be a great tool for preparing them for the Chapter test.

Electronic Portfolios

2007-02-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

Retta made a great suggestion several weeks ago. She said we should make the folders in our portfolios that will need to be uploaded to our websites in the Spring. Here is a list of the folders that need to be inside your portfolio. April will meet with us in mid-May to place these on our web pages.

Student work samples
Student assessments
Student reflections
Teacher reflections
Teacher comments- This folder may be combined with the teacher reflections, but must be in addition to the 8 reflections required about the units taught.

If you make the folders now, you can store your information in them as you go forward. Next year, we will begin the year with these in place and that will make keeping up with the data easier.

Determining Outcomes

2007-01-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

One of the things that we have to do today is determine the criteria that will let us know if the students have mastered the standards that are in our units. To do this we will look at Stage 2 of our units, evaluate, and discuss this area. We will also create a rubric to use as we judge the understandings the children show throughout our unit. We need to know what evidence we are looking for before we begin planning the learning activities that will produce this evidence.
This is crazy but we will use a rubric to assess our unit and the rubric we're creating.

We are also going to start adding our units to the GSO Unit Builder and developing stage 3 of our units. Below are listed pages in your UbD workbook that may be helpful as you plan Stage 3.

ØHandout (Stage 3) – Pages 212

ØHandout (W.H.E.R.E.T.O. Elements) – Page 214

ØHandout (Sample W.H.E.R.E.T.O. web with mathematics plan)

ØHandout (Sequencing the Learning worksheet) – Pages 227

ØHandout (Frequently Asked Questions About Stage 3) – Pages 239

ØHandout (Design Checklist – Stage 3) Page 238

Graphs

2007-01-17T15:13:00.000-08:00

I have placed a graph flipchart on the S drive. The flipchart can be used as an instructional tool or can be used by students at stations as a review in which they can access web links at the end of the flipchart.

Dana TIS (fractions)

2007-01-17T04:59:00.000-08:00

These sites can be used as an introduction or review of fractions.

How to make a fraction

Identify Fractions

Match the fraction with the model

Notes from Collaborative Two

2006-12-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

To begin the day, we logged in to the GSO and created a short assessment on the OAS. We also updated our student profile templates with our first benchmark scores.

Then, third grade teachers shared their Techno-Instructional Strategies.

Ann presented a flipchart that she created on “Estimating Differences.” She also showed us how she used the estimating and rounding activities on numbernut.com (link below). Her students worked in groups and use their math logs to work and check their answers. At the end of the lesson, Ann used the ActiVotes to assess student learning.

Wynn shared a Christmas- themed flipchart that she created on “Problem Solving.” Her flipchart focused on how to select the correct operation to solve a problem. Her students worked together to solve problems. Her flipchart contained a link to mathplayground.com – which contained more word problems related to choosing the correct operation.

Lynda shared a PowerPoint that she created on “Addition Properties.” Lynda does a great job of adapting her SMART files to meet the needs of the Promethean Users. Thanks Lynda!

Vickie shared a Christmas-themed flipchart on rounding. She did a great job of using the math book as a resource to create the flipchart. Her flipchart contained a link to numbernut.com.

Retta used the Library of Virtual Manipulatives to teach subtracting with regrouping, specifically, the activity using the base-ten blocks to model the regrouping process. She also used funbrain.com to practice subtracting with regrouping.

Kiersten also created a Christmas-themed flipchart. Her flipchart focused on estimating sums and contained a link to AAAMath.com.

Winona used several math websites – see her post below – she has found some GREAT links.

All flipcharts and PowerPoints are on the “S” Drive. We took a few minutes to plan our next TIS. From now on, please save all files according to your grade level – for example, third grade teachers save in the “3^rd Grade Share” inside the “Math” folder. Special projects like holiday items should be saved in the “Holiday” folder in the “MathLabShare” folder. Please begin, putting your name in the notes on the first page on all of your flipcharts. Feel free to make additional folders when and where needed.

Jeff shared some great holiday activities that are features on SEGATech. Do a search for “snowflake” to get to what he showed us during the session.

We graded the “Make a Map” BAMs. Winona created a flipchart for “Make a Map” – it is in the “MapLabShare” folder.

To finish the day, Winona lead a group in a discussion here are our reflections will be posted to the e-Math portal.

Winona also reminded us of our e-Math Portfolio requirements . . .
Put e-Math e-mails in the electronic portfolio
We will add results from LOTI survey at the end of the year
Examples student assessments and reflections from OTHER units – Four total
GET STUDENT SAMPLES AS YOU TEACH – IT IS HARD TO GO BACK!!!
Teacher reflections are required for your unit (4) and other units (4) for a total of 8.
For an idea of what kind of folders to make, go to the “S” drive, “Third Grade Share,” click on “Winona’s Electronic Portfolio.”
CHECK the e-Math Portfolio Checklist often!!

Our next collaborative will be on the AFTERNOON of February 15^th.

Requirements for the next collaborative:
Administer and bring “Garden of Delight” BAM, complete and implement a TIS (Fourth grade prepare to present), e-mail TIS to your grade level math coach and save a copy in your e-Math portfolio.

Thanks for a BUSY, but GREAT morning!

Second Collaborative

2006-12-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our second collaborative session - we will have a busy morning!!! First, we will attempt to log in to the GSO and create more user-friendly passwords. Next, we will create a very short assessment on the OAS. Third grade teachers will then share their TIS with the group. Some of them will be using these websites: numbernut.com and funbrain.com. We will also take the time to grade the Make a Map BAM and add the BAM scores and our benchmark scores to our student profile templates. To finish up the morning, we will take a quick look at the e-Math portfolio requirements.

In case you need a dictionary to decipher all of the acronyms above, here you go . . .

“Dictionary” of e-Math Terms

OAS (On-line Assessment System)

Formerly the GA CRCT On-line

We need to create and administer 3 on-line assessments this year.

Web address: https://georgiaoas.org/

GSO (Georgia Standards. Org)

Use this site to look up performance standards and to add to the Unit Builder

Web address: http://georgiastandards.org/

E-Math Portal

Use this site to access e-Math agendas, forms, etc.

Web address: http://www.gavirtualschool.org/

Other Acronyms and Such J

BAMs – Balanced Mathematics Assessment (We have to do three a year – grade levels have chosen some additional ones for practice.)

TIS – Techno-Instructional Strategy (form on the “S” Drive in “MathLabShare”) – Complete one before each training day.

Student Profile Template – Excel spreadsheet that contains math scores (CRCT, BAMs, OAS, ITBS, and Benchmarks)

Problem Solving- Guess and Check

2006-11-17T17:29:00.000-08:00

Background for teachers about problem solving.

Here are more resources about problem solving.

Step by step for students.

Now let's practice.

Addition with Regrouping

2006-11-17T15:48:00.000-08:00

We are working on addition with regrouping. This is a very good website that teaches how to complete addition with regrouping in a step by step way.

Performance Assessment I

2006-11-15T13:33:00.000-08:00

Performance Assessment 1 - Earth Science

Volcanoes
How Volcanoes Work
Volcanoes online
Volcanoes for kids

Understanding Earthquakes
Earthquakes for kids
Earthquakes - Wikipedia
How earthquakes work

Learn about hurricanes
Hurricane safety
Hurricanes for kids
Hurricanes - Wikipedia

Tornadoe safety
Tornadoes - Nature's most violent storm
Tornadoes for kids
USA Today - Tornadoes

Tsunami - Wikipedia
Tsunamis
Tsunamis for kids
FEMA - Tsunamis

Earth's Structure
Structure of the Earth
Earth's Interior
Puzzles of the Earth - Earth Structure

Reflections on "Teaching for Understanding" and "E-Math"

2006-11-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

As part of our second Face-to-Face activities, the fifth grade teachers and the core team had to discuss the "Teaching for Understanding" article. We also had to discuss the changes that e-Math has made to brought to our classrooms. Here are is our reflection . . .

We discussed that because of AYP pressure and curriculum maps, time is a major obstacle. If we only teach skills independently, we will not be adequately preparing our students – we have to get them to think. Our math book teaches skills independently. Winona reminded us that it is okay for us not to teach every lesson in the book. We only have to teach the GPS!!! Instead of teaching for introduction, we have to teach the BIG idea. Under the big idea, we need key ideas that review concepts that we have previously taught. What we teach must apply to real-life. We must tell them why they need to know what we are teaching them. Dana shared with us that took pictures of her house as it was being built. She uses those pictures to show students how math skills are used to solve real-life problems. Tracy shared how she gets her students to understand math rather than just do it. As a group we concluded that we must teach our students to think and consider if their answer makes sense. The implementation our units, GPS, and BAMS we will encourage the kind of thinking that we want our students to demonstrate. We are seeing results from the extra BAMs!! Even if they don’t get the BAM, they gain understanding and problem solving skills from the discussion of the BAM. Winona reminded us that it is okay for us not to teach every lesson in the book. We only have to teach the GPS!!!

We also discussed the importance of rubrics. We must tell them upfront what our expectations are – teaching with the end in mind – using rubrics and discussing it with the students prior to the lesson or activity. GOOD rubrics tell them exactly what they have to do!! This encourages self-assessment and puts the responsibility in the hands of the learners. There are a variety of uses from rubrics. Jennifer suggested that start with a checklist and then move to rubrics. Cynthia reminded use that she posted a link to a rubric generator on the SCES math blog, see “Archives” (April 2006).

E-Math opens the door to discovery learning!!! We have the equipment to give them the world. In order to be successful, we must be diligent in our planning and organization. We can use centers to incorporate the creativity and hands-on exploration. The e-Math grant has encouraged us to work together. We can not do it all by ourselves. We all make and share. We can not be isolated we must work together!! The most valuable aspect of the e-Math training is the collaboration. The training sessions give us the time that we need to share and learn from each other.

Other great ideas that were shared:
Cynthia uses “Grand Slam” to review addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division she has a flipchart that she will put it on the “S” drive.
Winona uses “Drops in the Bucket” as a substitute for “Mountain Math.”

What Time Is It?

2006-11-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

For my TIS, I created a flipchart dealing with time. The flipchart can be found on the S drive under 5th Grade Share - Math where it can be downloaded onto each station for student practice.

Metric Mania

2006-11-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

Choose the appropriate unit of measure.

Problem solving with metrics.

Convert from one metric unit to another.

Put metric units in order.

Match the weight and capacity.

Welcome New Teachers!!!

2006-11-04T03:37:00.000-08:00

The teachers who are new to e-Math met for half a day on Thursday, November 1^st. During the afternoon, they each setup a blog and a delicious account. (Be sure to check out their links on the left side of this page.) They used Mozilla to practice tab browsing and tagging. They spent a few minutes using Promethean software and learning a few tricks about making flipcharts. The rest of the afternoon was used to complete their Techno-Instructional Strategies. It was time well spent. We are glad to have them as part of the SCES e-Math team.

Planning Thanksgiving Dinner (problem solving)

2006-11-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

I have placed a flipchart on the "S" drive titled Thanksgiving Shopping. The students have to go shopping for mom. They can plan their meal and figure out how to feed 8 people. They will then add up their items and pay at checkout. They have to figure out their final total and correct change. They are practicing addition, subtraction, and money skills.
This website is also good for more practice with figuring out correct change.
change maker

Measurement with Mrs. Sturdivant

2006-10-31T05:19:00.000-08:00

We will be working hard on measurement in the next few weeks. Students will learn how to convert customary units of measure. Check out this Harcourt site of matching the conversions. We will be using FunBrain to learn how to measure customary and metric units with a ruler.

The students also watched the video on weight and capacity and then completed the practice scenarios. I have placed the flipchart I used with this on the S: drive.

Thanks for a GREAT Collaborative!

2006-10-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

Of all the math training that we have done, today was one of the BEST! We learned so much from the fifth grade teachers. This is what eMath is all about SHARING! You guys did great!

Cynthia Bargeron shared that she used graph paper to help students keep their thoughts and work organized when doing long division and multiplication. She also said that she uses the graph background in the promethean resources. Her TIS featured a website (link below) that helped students interpret remainders.

Jennifer Smith showed us a website that allows students to self check long division problems.

Carol Thomas gave us some great ideas on long division. The PowerPoint that she showed modeled each step of the long division process. The website, Mr. Nussbaum, also allowed students to go throught the division process by dragging numbers (link below).

Dana Mattos shared a website (link below) that took students step by step through mean, median, and mode. She also showed us WeatherBonk (link below), which is a great resource for multiple content areas. Dana also has created some great flipcharts on averages. Her flipcharts can be found on the "S" drive in the "FifthGradeShare" folder (inside math, look for mean (soccer) and mean).

Allison Sturdivant shared a Halloween flipchart that she created to guide students through using pictures to solve problems. Her flipchart can be found on the "S" drive in the "FifthGradeShare" folder.

We can't wait to see what the third grade teachers have to show us on December 7th. Remember the TIS form is on the "S" drive in the "MathLabShare" folder. When you have completed your TIS form, e-mail it to your grade level Math coach and save a copy in your portfolio. Third grade teachers, please let me know if I can help you post your links to the SCES math blog.

During the session, we also learned how to score BAMS. Please don't forget to add your BAM scores to your student profiles. Next BAM, Make a Map, must be completed by December 7, the next collaborative.

Copies of the Math Exemplars will be made and distributed to eMath teachers.

Fifth grade teachers, please save your Student Profiles/Testing Data to your laptop, so that the originals can be deleted from the "S" drive (they are in the "MathLabShare" folder).

Third grade teachers will need to keep their Electronic Portfolios up to date and 4th grade will upload theirs this year at the end of the year. Remember to check the portal for upcoming information and to review old agendas. Winona demonstrated our use of porfolios for this year and the following year. Some of the links on the Portfolio Link page on the Portal are not good sites, but their are some that are good. Winona is going to journal what we did today in the Portal Journal. Questions, concerns, issues, etc. will be recorded in the journal.

Again thanks for a good day!

Long Division

2006-10-19T04:59:00.000-07:00

These are the sites Mrs. Thomas used for her first TIS.
Long Division
Draggable Division

TIS #1

2006-10-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

I saved the Problem Solving: Draw a Picture or Diagram to solve a problem on the S:/ Drive for your use. This is the site Quia I used for the group interactive word problems.

What Do I do with the Remainder?

2006-10-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful site that helps with division problems on how to handle your remainders.
Cynthia

Techo. Strategy (Dana)

2006-10-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

BBC school (find the mean activity)

Weather Bonk

Collaborative Session 1

2006-10-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Our first collaborative for the year is Thursday at 11:30. Look for the lunch order form on Tuesday. Money for the lunches will be collected Wednesday. As part of our session, we will plan and write a Techno-Instructional Strategy that you will implement before our next collaborative on December 7 (Fifth grade teachers – your TIS will have to be implemented before our next Face-to-Face on November 9). Please bring the math resources (math text book, etc.) that you will need to plan a lesson that will be taught prior to the date above. You will also need to bring all student completed “Millie & Mel” BAMs. We will score these during the session. See you then.

Fifth grade teachers please remember to blog (or send to me) any internet links that you will need for your presentation.

Notes from United Streaming Training

2006-10-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a class on United Streaming. It was absolutely incredible! I wanted to share what I learned . . .

Why should I login to United Streaming through GPB.org?
When using United Streaming, login to united streaming go through GPB!!! The web address is gpb.org, once there, click on “education” at the top of the page and then click the “video streaming” link on the right side of the page and you will be directly link to United Streaming. (The State of Georgia pays for the GPB site and GPB has a partnership to United Streaming – the State pays for our ability as teachers to login “free” to United Streaming. In other words, our tax money pays for these wonderful resources and we need to us them – GPB.org AND United Streaming)

How do I create and account on United Streaming?
If you have not created an account, you must use our school pass-code the first time you use United Streaming. Once you enter the pass-code, you will prompted to create your own login and password. You will need to keep up with this information. Once you use your e-mail, you will not be able to create another account with that same e-mail address.

How can I use the resources on United Streaming?
Keep in mind, that videos are only one piece of united streaming. We can use video clips in broadcasts, but they can not be used on school website (videos, images, etc). Go to discoveryschool.com for clipart. You can use up to 10 clipart pieces in one document (or file). Remember that you any time you use a video, clip art, image, etc. you must cite where you got it from!!! When using United Streaming, look for the citations tab.

Can students create their own logins?
Students can not create their own accounts on United Streaming. They can, however, subscribe to COSMEO at home for $9.95 a month.

What else am I missing?
The GPB site is also full of great resources!!!!
Go to GPB.org, click “education” and visit “GPB productions” - on the left side of the page.
Count on It - math series – for all grades
Georgia Outdoors – great for habitats
Professional Learning - ethics training
Road Trip - show Reece
SALSA - Spanish for elementary
State of the Arts - Virtual Field Trip (watch on-line - June 2005 - glassblowing & for educators - October 2004 - Fabulous Fox)

What else should I know about using United Streaming?

Right above the video window, there is a link to a “Quick Start User Guide”
When you find a video or image that you like, add it to “My Content” so that you will be able to locate it again quickly. To access “My Content,” click on the link at the top of the screen. We also have the ability to share what we find as a school and as a district. I am working on this J.
Use Advanced Search - narrow down by publisher or specific content - editable titles (you can strip music and narration) - must be editable!! for you to make changes to it
YOU CAN SEARCH BY GPS!!!!!!!!!
Visit the Teacher Center - Thematic Focus - Created Units!!!
United Streaming provides the citation – Make sure you cite what you use!
Help, I have found a video that I want to see, but it won’t play . . .Go to “Help” at the top of the screen and click “Trouble Shooting” for links to download plug-ins.
Visit the Teacher Center - Thematic Focus - Created Units!!!
United Streaming offers free play music, but it is only for use inside the classroom or school. (Visit archive.org - free music for any use.)
Look at assignment builder and quiz builder! Once you make assignments or quizzes, create bookmark to student center and the students will be prompted to type in a code that comes with the assignment and/or quiz when they type in their name.
There are also online training modules - professional development - interactive training
You can request a trainers toolkit to use for redelivery (look for the link on right with other applications)

Other FREE goodies . . . (mentioned during training, but not related to United Streaming

Picasa.org (created by Google) is a FREE photo editing software
Get FREE pictures from flickr.com WARNING – use at home, not for student searching as some content may not be appropriate.
If you have a Google account, you can use Picasa to create a FREE web album
Use Segatech.us (a site from First District) that offers unlimited information on use technology in the classroom.
Google SketchUp a FREE user friendly "CAD" program to allows users to create 3-D geometric shapes - use the tutorial
wordpress.com and wetpaint.com are sites that allow you to create more advanced blogs

BOOKMARK this for your kids or for you if you are working on advanced degrees!!!!!!!
ottobib.com - automatic bibliography in MLA and APA style

And for your free time . . . (some sites Jeff shared with us)
bookmooch.com - book trading website
whatshouldIreadnext.com
librivox.org - books that no longer fall under copy write - download them and listen to them
ottobib.com - automatic bibliography in MLA and APA for more see SEGATECH

Welcome to our first redelivery session of 2006-2007

2006-09-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

We are excited to get up and going again! Today is a big day! This morning, we hope to cover several topics. Allision will explain how the Techno-Instructional Strategies, aka TIS, have changed. Holly will help you locate your student profile templates on the server and show you how to add your current ITBS data to them. Holly will also refresh your memory of the eMath blog and portal. Tracy will discuss the BAM that we will conduct before the first collaborative session. After we break for lunch, Winona will guide everyone through the completion of stage one of the unit.

A New Year!

2006-08-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to school! All e-math teachers had a brief meeting on August 29. We will get to work after the core-team returns from the Fall Train-the-Trainer session on September 11th.
Here are the mintues:

Roles
Winona took a few minutes to explain the roles of the core team members for past years and this year. This the roles are:
Math Coach – A. Sturdivant
Off-site Math Coach – J. Giddens
Tech Coach – H. Boykin
Core Team Members – W. Woods (third grade)
T. Mills (fourth grade)

e-Portfolio
We created an e-Math Portfolio Folder on desktops
Inside the folder, we created these sub-folders:
e-Math pictures
scanned items
correspondence (emails, meeting minutes, etc.)
documents

GAETC conference in Atlanta in November!
We will meet at a later date to sign-up for the conference. There is a limited amount of money for professional development. If you choose to go, you MUST attend the workshops that you register for – it would be unprofessional not to do so.
Keep in mind that the National Technology Education Conference is in Atlanta this summer!

Units
Fourth grade teachers: As you teach your units and make modifications, please document the modifications that you made in a Word document and save the document in your electronic portfolio

More Units
There is a specific format for uploading to the portal – we will need to keep this in mind

Notes from Jeff:
USE UNITED STREAMING!!!!
Go to unitedstreaming.com, use our school's passcode, and create your own account
United Streaming contains unlimited “safe” resources on unlimited topics!!!
It also allows you to create quizzes that kids take on-line and it will send you the results (see Jeff for more info)

Take a look at GeorgiaStandards.org

Hurray! We did it!

2006-04-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

The last day of training is almost here! During the training, we will go through the eMath portal to complete two on-line surveys, the first is the LoTi survey and the second is a survey from UGA. We will also use the day to share our experiences. Please be ready to present a summary of changes that have occurred in your classroom due to eMath, your favorite techno-instructional strategy, and last but not least . . . your unit (with all of its attachments). It will be exciting day!

Rubric Generators

2006-04-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this site and it is really great for our much needed rubrics! Why recreate the wheel or go crazy trying?

Found New Stuff

2006-03-30T04:52:00.000-08:00

Some of you may already know about these and use them, but I found the coolest interactive activities on the Promethean Board software. You go the the resource library, then go to the shared activities (last icon on bottom), and there are some of the neatest activities for centers or just review. They really are good. Hope you get a chance to just go and look and see! Yvonne

Just drag the activity you want to do to your flipchart page and then click on it and it will start.

A Great Way to Review

2006-03-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

Combining the CRCT Coach Book and the Activotes has been a great experience for my students and me. I have experimented with different ways to administer the questions and have finally found a way that has been very beneficial. You do not have to type all the questions into the question master or put all the answers in. Here is how we are doing our review.

The students open their Coach books and I pull up a blank flipchart in ActiveStudio.
The students read question number one while I write a number one on that first flipchart page.
I bring up the Activotes and the children vote.
After we discuss the answer, I turn the page of the flipchart and write a number 2 on the page.
The students read the question and answer using the Activotes.
We continue with this process until we have finished the review session.
You can then export your class scores for a grade or evaluation purposes.

The key is turning the page. If you don't turn the page, the students' answers will not be recorded correctly.
I hope this works as well for you as it has for me. Let me know if I can help you try this.

Geography Nets

2006-03-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

This a very educational and entertaining site. The students have been hired by a packaging company to package the items to be shipped. The students have to chose the correct box for the item by looking at the available nets. Once they have chosen the net, they package the item.

An eMath Thank you!

2006-03-14T08:22:00.000-08:00

Thank you for a wonderful day at SCES on March 2nd! Every single one of you were so wonderful to let Robbie and me into your classroom to tape and see the great work you are doing with your students. You will probably have more visitors coming to your school because I am bragging on you every chance I get.

Thank you again for all you are doing for your students - they are very lucky to have for their teacher! Jane Henson

Great Math Powerpoints

2006-03-14T06:36:00.000-08:00

For my last technoinstructional strategy, I am using some of the powerpoints I found at Jefferson County Schools. There is a list of several! They are great for CRCT practice and review. The powerpoints are set up like Jeopardy games.

More del.icio.us!

2006-03-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

Today in our eMath meeting we continued to talk about the many uses of my del.icio.us. Judy had planned in her unit for each group/computer station to bookmark their favorite and most useful links when working on her unit Travel Across the USA to share with the other groups. After discussion and contemplation, we decided that it would be more beneficial if the each station used a class del.icio.us account and utilize the "links for you" tool to share their findings with each other!

Graph activity

2006-03-08T06:51:00.000-08:00

My students kept a record of a county's medal count during the Olympics. Afterwards each student made a hand graph of their group's country and compared it to the medal count of the USA.
The next step was to got to www.nces.ed.gov/nceskids/graphing/ to make a graph in color on the computer. They had to follow the instructions to make the graphs.

They really enjoyed this activity and related it to real world happenings. We had a little problem getting it to print to the color printer. Other then that, the activity went smoothly. This type of computer activity will be one of the final steps for the graphing unit.

LA FIESTA TIME!!!!!

2006-03-08T05:54:00.000-08:00

I went to a great workshop this past summer and one of the activities we did was open a Mexican Restaurant as a project. The students are required to determine combinations of ingredients, determine costs of making each dish, determine costs of combination plates, and design a floor plan based on city building codes. I used the promethean software to make a flip chart for them to use to design their floor plans. They did a great job and had a ball doing it. This is what the people from the state videoed my students doing.

A New Way For Problem Of The Day !

2006-03-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

I have been using my blog, Mrs. Sturdivant's 5th Grade Stars all year and it has been a great tool! The other day I was surfing for some new Math games and I found a site containing some problems of the day, so I linked this site to my blog. Each day the students access the blog and go to the next problem of the day. I also have the day's problem on the Prom. Board and use the "shade" tool to highlight the problem. The kids look at it on their screens for a close up. They solve at first on their own, if they run into difficulty they can click the "hint" for help. After a few minutes, we solve together. The kids really love it!

March 9: Face to Face Day 4

2006-03-07T04:41:00.000-08:00

Our fourth Face-to-Face Meeting is this Thursday, March 9. We will begin the day with a Model Learning Experience. The activity is called "A Solid Understanding" and it encourages students to use nets when creating a package design. We will look at these: Link 1 and Link 2.

We will also use the redelivery session to update our student profiles and work on our units. We will share learning experiences that we will use in our unit. We will trade units and complete peer reviews. Please have as much of your unit done as you can so that you will be able to receive lots of feedback. Thanks for all that you do! We're almost done!

Measuring On Google Earth

2006-03-03T04:53:00.000-08:00

We are studying decimals in math at the moment. We used Google Earth's measuring tool to measure distances between two points. This gave the students extra practice in reading decimals to the hundredths place. Of course they just thought they were playing on Google Earth!

Hurry . . . put the software on your stations!

2006-03-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry if I bore some of you, but I'll say it again! Putting the Promethean software on the stations is almost as good has having the Promethean board! By installing the software on the stations, the kids get to learn how to use the tools. I have even taught my morning group how to get images (fraction pieces) from the resource library to create equivalent fractions. I put my flipcharts on my "flash-drive" and load them on the stations. I have also saved my flipcharts to the "S" drive and loaded them that way. Whichever way you choose, this is a valuable way to put the technology in the hands of the children. TRY IT! (ALSO, go see Judy Thompson and see what her kids have done using the software on the stations - way to go, Judy!)

Promethean use at Workstations

2006-02-28T15:50:00.000-08:00

Like many of you, I have loaded the Promethean board software on the student workstations. The students are creating flipcharts to show me what they are learning. The really love it. They have learned how to save as well as how to retrieve their flipcharts. They also use the library often to choose backgrounds and insert pictures.

Using the web to investigate data

2006-02-27T05:28:00.000-08:00

During our weather unit, the students kept a daily weather log. Each day they would visit www.weather.com and record various aspect of weather including temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed and direction, etc. in their hometown of Sylvania. Students were also given the opportunity to view the weather in other areas of their choice. At the end of the unit, students were given the assignment of creating a online graph to dipict the weather observations they had recorded.

Great Game to Review Time

2006-02-09T06:03:00.000-08:00

Stop the Clock is a click and drag game where students try to attain the best time score by matching digital times to analog clocks. Great review and a good way to see who needs extra review.

Microsoft Excel for Graphs

2006-02-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

My students surveyed all the fourth grade classes to find out their favorite type of music and sport. They then went into Excel and created Bar Graphs with different colored bars and fill effects. They really got into making the graphs and did much better than I ever imagined. I was nervous about trying to teach the students how to use Excel because I did not know if they would be able to do it without much help, but they did fine.

Collaborative Session 3 is February 9th

2006-02-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

Our last collaborative session is this Thursday. We will begin the day with a Problem of the Day using two activities from the Library of Virtual Manipulatives . . . activity 1 and activity 2 . We will share some successful techno-instructional strategies and our experiences with giving the benchmmarks on the OAS. We have three new BAM problems to exercise our brains. If time allows, we will explore some calculator activities at Texas Instruments. See you then!

SCES goes to CapitolTech!

2006-01-28T17:17:00.000-08:00

SCES is one of 13 schools in the state to be selected to present at CapitolTech. During our presentation, the student will share three things. The first is a video that tells our story and why we feel technology is important. The students will demonstrate how we use the Promethean board to teach math. Finally, the students will show the SCES CapitolTech blog, which contains links to websites that we use in our classrooms to enhance math instruction.

chemical properties

2006-01-25T07:21:00.000-08:00

This was a fun activity about chemical properties without even going to the science lab!

Cyberchase

2006-01-12T04:35:00.000-08:00

We have been using Cyberchase as a math center. The students love it. They all want to go to that math center so they can play a game. When they go to the center they go to the blog and click on the link and it takes them straight to the site. They are only allowed to play the game 3 times. Great center activity for 1 student at the time.

Games on the Promethean Board

2006-01-10T09:22:00.000-08:00

We have been using the promethean board to play games. We are using a computer program. Instead of the program being used by one student at one computer, the entire class can participate using the promethean board. The students enjoy dividing into teams to compete. They've been so excited about playing the game. They've forgotten they are learning as well as practicing.

Bus Route

2006-01-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to going over the Bus Route activity with my kids today. It's funny that they have been asking to go over it when they usually never give an activity another though after we are done. Anyway, I used the flipchart with one class that Jeff posted, and the kids thought it was so cool. After we used the flipchart to review the activity, they were a little upset at themselves because they saw that it was really not that difficult. When I tried to use the Powerpoint presentatiaon with the other class, I found that I could not figure out how to write on the presentation with the use of the Promethean pen. If there is a way to do this, someone please help. I finally copied it into a word document and could then write on it. That was before I saw that Jeff had also included a flipchart. One of my students suggested I copy and paste it! Thanks whoever that was--I don't remember.

interactive thermometer

2006-01-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

I found this web site for an interactive thermometer. We used it in math. It helped some of the students to better understand how to read a thermometer. www. standards.dfes.gov.uk/numeracy/publications/itps/themometer/thermometer_flash.swf

You can move the arrows up down the thermometer to show the temperature.

Another activity we did was to use the web site National Llibrary of Virtual Manipulatives. The students worked in groups to do the factor tree and money. After the activity, I had them to write how this activity helped them. One student wrote that it helped his memory chip a lot. Most students said it helped them better understand the concepts. Two or three are still strugglling because they still have not learned their multiplication tables.

The last activity was sequencing. This was a real challenge. About half of the students really got into it and worked very hard. The rest had a hard time with it. Most understood better after the problem was explained.

Joni Thompson

Explorers Galore!

2006-01-04T04:40:00.000-08:00

Before the Christmas Holidays, we completed our research on Explorers and began putting our information into PowerPoint Presentations to be presented to the class. Because we had done this before, it went much more smoothly this time. The students already had an idea of what and how to create the presentations. Some students are even putting music into their slide shows! I can't wait to share these, I think the students will really enjoy and learn from their classmates presentations.

Face to Face Day 3 is January 12!

2005-12-31T08:10:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it is that time again? This one really snuck up on me! The agenda for our third day of redelivery can be found on the portal. We will use blackdouglas.com for the model technology learning experience. Please make sure you have finished stage two of your unit before we meet and posted your reflection on a techno-instructional strategy to this blog. This day is just for fourth grade teachers. Our last collaborative session, which includes everyone, will be February 9th. In the meantime, please continue to create and administer tests on the GA On-line Assessment System. Each time you give a test, remember to update your spreadsheets. Happy New Year!

Technology Reflection: Click Clock!

2005-12-31T07:59:00.000-08:00

After attending the first collaborative session, I showed my kids the Problem of the Day that was shown during the meeting. Both classes loved the elasped time activity from the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. In fact, they liked it so much that I added it to my blog so that they would be able to locate the activity easily at school and away from school. I think that they like it because the activity offers an obtainable challenge and immediate feedback. I like it because it reinforces a real-world concept that I don't always have time to teach.

Homework Helpers

2005-12-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

I was looking at the SEGA Tech blog and ran across Michael Stokes post about a Homework Helper. I found some things of interest and I think you might also. These would not only help in the classroom but with homework at my house :) So check out 10 Homework Helpers.

Reflections on the BAM activities in Collaborative Session 2

2005-12-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

For each of the BAM activities, teachers will need to record positive, negative and interesting things about the activities. To do this please use the PMI sheet.

Geometer's Sketchpad

2005-12-08T05:51:00.000-08:00

If you will visit Geometer Sketchpad Tutorial it will help you navigate your way around the new Geometer Sketchpad techno-instructional strategy download. This tutorial has been provided by another wonderful ETTC person! This is really a great tool to use in your classroom.

2005-12-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

Techno-Instructional Strategy

2005-12-07T07:14:00.000-08:00

I found a great webquest called "My Ocean Field Trip." The kids had a great time doing the activity and really got interested in all of the facts they discovered about ocean exploration. Tramline is also a great site for other field trips (webquests) that address some of our Science GPS!

Collaborative Session 2

2005-12-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

Our second collaborative session is Thursday, December 8th. We will begin the session with a problem of the day. We will then reflect upon constructing and adminstering our first tests using the Georgia On-line Assessment System. Allison will show a new techno-instructional strategy that is available (must be downloaded) from the GaDOE portal. We will complete three activities from the Concord BAM's (Balanced Assessment of Mathematics). Winona will wrap up the day with some websites that are recommend by the GaDOE.
Please remember to turn in your techno-instructional strategy reflection form before Thursday. In addition please remember bring a print out of your OAS results and student samples from the "Bus Route" activity to the session. We will meet in the technology lab on third grade hall. See you then!
IF YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY OPENING A FORM FROM THE LINKS ABOVE, YOU CAN FIND THE FORMS ON THE "S" DRIVE IN THE "MATH LAB" FOLDER OR YOU CAN GET THE FORMS DIRECTLY FROM THE EMATH PORTAL.

Angle Art

2005-11-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

We discussed how to find angles in the real world while working on Yvonne's unit during redelivery today (actually we are still discussing it right now!) I used this activity Angle Art in my 5th grade class the other day and the kids could apply the concept, finding angles in artwork, to their own drawings after we finished the lesson. I think this activity really helped them "get it."

What is an AUGEND?

2005-11-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

Click here to find out about an AUGEND. Another one of our thought provoking occurrences in our eMath sessions with Jeff!

GA ETC conference

2005-11-17T06:53:00.000-08:00

We attended a Promethean workshop with Joann Bynum. She was GREAT!!! She made the Promethean board come alive. After going, I have been less afraid of working with the board. I have gone to the Promethean board website and looked at the flipcharts. I found some I can use. The conference was great. I am glad I had the opportunity to attend.

Reflections from Redelivery 1

2005-11-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

During our second redelivery, the fourth grade teachers did some reflecting. We decided that we would . . .

Start doing . . . .

- identify the concepts worthy of understanding

- be confident

- teach students to be responsible for their learning

- teach students to self evaluate

Stop doing . . . .

- relying fully on the textbook

Do less of . . . .

- correcting for the kids (they need to learn how to find their own errors) familyeducation.com

- rote memorization

- expecting perfection (allow real-life mistakes)

Do more of . . . .

- Sharing of resources that we create (through

e-mail and the “S” drive)

- across grade levels sharing

- brag on ourselves (show what we have learned!)

- allow the kids to use the technology tools – to enable them to make 20^th century products

- insist that kids make their thinking visible (show what they know!)

Promethean Power!

2005-11-17T05:43:00.000-08:00

Since our visit to GaETC I have been able to use my Promethean board much more effectively in my classroom! My kids love all of the new "tricks!" I have also started making flipcarts for my lessons and they really hold the kids attention better than my just writing on the board. I will be willing to share my flipcharts (I hope to make several over the break) so just let me know what you need and I will see if I have something you can use.

Googling at GaETC

2005-11-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

I think that all of us who went to the GaETC conference would agree that the knowledge we gained was well worth the drive - especially the Promethean class! Those of us who sat in on the Google class were also amazed with all that Google could do. The presenter, Patrick Crispen, has a website that will allow you to download his powerpoint presentation. Also, keep an eye on the SEGATECH blog - Jeff frequently posts tidbits about Google.

Windows Movie Maker at the GAETC

2005-11-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

I was very grateful for all the training i received at the workshops in Atalnta this week, but I really needed help with a Windows Movie Maker Project I started last year. I'm still not an expert, but I know I will be able to refer to the handouts Nisa Peek gave out and to the super website she has created. I look forward to trying this with my students.

BAM! SCES eMath Training

2005-11-04T00:30:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, I worked with the kind ladies of SCES in their training session. During my portion of the training, I spoke at length about the BAMs portion of the Georgia DOE ’s eMath grant. The state wants teachers involved in the grant to use Concord BAM content to help students become adept at demonstrating developing critical thinking and mathematical reasoning (specifically, conceptualizing or modeling problems, doing necessary mathematical calculations, and communicating their solutions and their understanding of math concepts. Using the BAM content will also give teachers a valuable working model of what good assessment looks like in a math classroom, as well as how it can be used effectively to augment instruction. One of the first BAM scenarios SCES teachers will use involves questions involving a bus route. I’ve put together a simple PowerPoint presentation (or, if they prefer, ACTIVStudio flipchart) that’ll help them introduce this activity to their students.

Hot Potato!

2005-11-03T01:49:00.000-08:00

Hot Potato is a great download to use in your classroom.

Remember you need to turn in your reflection on the one techno-instructional strategy you have used in your classroom by December 8.

Thanks for a great first collaborative!

Are you using SEGATECH?

2005-10-31T11:49:00.000-08:00

For my reflection, I have chosen to talk about the SEGATECH blog. It is a wonderful resource for all of us. The most recent post that I have found beneficial was not math related, but it was wonderful! Jeff made a post that provides links to maps and virtual tours of the original settlement of Jamestown. Jeff is going to post similar information about Plymouth soon. If you are looking for information about ANY topic, please let Jeff know and he is more than happy to find what you need and post it for you and everyone else. Most importantly, the SEGATECH blog is a model for how we should use our SCES blog to share information!

Techno-Inst strategy

2005-10-31T10:05:00.000-08:00

I have used Google earth. My students really LOVE it. One constantly gets up to touch thinking he can feel the texture he sees on the globe. They really wanted to see Hiltonia. Yes, it will take you there. We talked about the difference between how Hiltonia looked green from above and how Atlanta looked gray. I am a bit overwhelmed with it all but the kids love it.
Judy

Techno-Strategy

2005-10-31T07:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm getting the hang of the P. Board. It is going pretty good. I really like using Aplusmath.com flashcards for drill practice. The kids enjoy it.

It went pretty good!

2005-10-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

I have used several of our techno-instructional strategies since our last meeting. I think I am really going to like this once I get a good handle on it. I started with the basics using the P. board to solve problems in math. This did not work so good the first day, especially with the number recoginition. I turned it off the next day and was able to write and line my numbers up much better. I have also used the Activotes. I really liked these. This is much better than the typical paper and pencil assessment we use every day. I am eager to learn more about my options with these techno-instructional strategies and use them in my classroom!

Google Earth

2005-10-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

I am working on using Google Earth to show the kids the terrain of the land where the different groups of Native Americans lived. Hopefully this will help them better understand why they lived as they did. I am still having trouble navigating through it, but am learning along with the kids.

Jeff says, "Hello!"

2005-10-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

I'm tickled to be a part of SCES's spiffy new math blog. To show my gratitude, I'm going to share a nifty math resource. It harkens back to Winona's birdhouse activity because it deals with woodworking and building (specifically, measuring). If your students like the thought of making something more in their size range, I'll be willing to bet they'll like smaller, child-sized homes that people actually live in. I wonder if pupils could estimate the amount of materials needed to build such a home or calculate the cost of construction. There seem to be a lot of real life applications of math connected to this topic. I could even ask my learners to create their own designs using traditional paper and pencil or computer assisted drawing tools.

Welcome to our first redelivery session!

2005-10-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks for being here today! It is so exciting to finally begin implementing the eMath grant in fourth grade. It is even more exciting to have the opportunity to work together and hear some of the great things that are going on in everyone's classrooms. We will need these links today: eMath portal and Georgia Online Assessment System. It is going to be a great day!

Welcome to the eMath blog!

2005-09-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

While we were in Macon, Allison had a great idea - "We need a blog to share eMath information!" We hope that you will use this site to share the great things that you are doing in your classroom. We have listed all third, fourth, and fifth grade math teachers as contributors - please, please contribute! Please check the blog regularly for information about eMath training and sites that can provide technical support for your eMath equipment. We hope this will be a useful tool for communicating with each other as we implement the grant.

Let's Share our Blogs!

2005-09-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Many of us have created blogs and use them daily in our classrooms. If you have a blog, please send me the address to your blog so that it can be added to this post. In the meantime, look at these: Simpson's Superstars, Scott's Kids, Sturdivant's Stars, and Boykin's Bloggers. These teachers also have blogs: Kris Blythe, Cynthia Bargeron, Dana Mattos, Lynn Doyle and Tracy Mills.

Have you used Jeff's blog?

2005-09-23T09:47:00.000-07:00

Jeff Giddens has an excellent resource that is just a click away. Please visit SEGATech!
In addition to math sites, he has links related to science and social studies. Jeff is also more than willing to post information about any topic that you might be teaching, just drop him an email at jgiddens@fdresa.org.

Need help with your ActiBoard or ActiVotes?

2005-09-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

If you need help with your Promethean related equipment, try this link. One thing that I have noticed with my ActiVotes is that when we have a power outage, even a very quick outage, I have to reregister my ActiVotes. So, if your ActiVotes or the ActiSlate does not work, try to reregister them. HANG ON FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE TEACHERS YOURS ARE COMING SOON!