Mystery Number Skype - South Carolina

We had a wonderful Mystery Number Skype on Thursday, October 24th!  We were able to successfully complete two rounds and everyone had a BLAST!  Check out a video of our Skype session from our fourth grade friends in South Carolina!


Mystery Number Skype Connecticut from K Tripp on Vimeo.

OOMM Resources

http://www.scoop.it/t/out-of-my-mind-global-read-aloud-2013

This site offers great resources to share with students while reading Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. Enjoy!

Urban Fitness Challenge 10/27/2013

As educators, we often donate to a multitude of charities.  Every so often one really speaks to us.  In my case, I am committed to raising as much money as possible for The Boys and Girls Club of Hartford.  The organization does so much for youth in Hartford (see below for more information).

This Sunday, I will be participating in an Urban Fitness Challenge to benefit this organization.  I have prepared for the event tirelessly over the past few months with my husband.  The event requires participants to flip huge tires, lug around PVC pipes filled with water, carry sandbags, in addition to a variety of other physically challenging tasks.  All of this will take place on the football field at Trinity College in Hartford this upcoming Sunday.

If you are interested in supporting my efforts to raise money for this cause, please comment on this blog post or send me an email and I will forward you my personal page for the upcoming event.  I appreciate any and all donations! No amount is too small.  Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! :-)

Literacy Project

Here are some student samples from my literacy project.  My students created Wordles to accompany their descriptions of main characters in Out of My Mind.  We were focusing on using quality character traits and then we worked on characters sketches.  The first part of their blog posts are detailed descriptions of the character they selected and the second part was to create a Wordle to offer a quick snapshot of the character.  They did an amazing job!!  The feedback they gave me was fantastic because they loved creating Wordles and it inspired them to write more in their written responses.

You can view our class blog @ www.kidblog.org/mrssimonssaysblog - feel free to leave comments on their work!

Just for Fun...

EDUC 584 Overview

Without question, this course has forever changed me as an educator! In this post, you will read about my thoughts using different tools over the past eight weeks. I am also including a sample of two new resources that I experimented with this weekend - Wordle and GoAnimate (above).

Google Docs has made me much more efficient!  I love how easy it is to collaborate and share information with others in a “live” document.  I use them mostly with my school librarian at this point.  We are working on Edmodo together and we use Google Docs to create rubrics, quizzes, and comprehension questions from home.  I find that I save time using Google Docs because I do not have to set aside time to meet with her or make copies.  We leave each other comments and simply get to work on our own time.  I have also shared Google Docs with my husband for our business.  We can connect much easier with our main employee who lives in Kentucky.  She shares proposals with us and I can immediately edit her work and leave comments about my changes.  I will certainly continue to use Google Docs in the future!

Blogging has also been a highlight of this course.  I find myself wanted to post articles and video clips all the time.  I wish I had more time to dedicate to my personal blog, but I will continue to update it regularly after this course.  My most exciting moment was when one of my Twitter followers left a comment on my digital storytelling post.  I was thrilled!  I also love how simple it is to create posts.  I find that many sites have the option to add straight to Twitter or Blogger.  My students like seeing my blog because it gives them purpose for working on theirs.  They love seeing how easy it is to showcase their learning and thoughts for others to see and comment on periodically.  When I created a blog as undergraduate, I enjoyed the project but did not continue with it because it was not as meaningful.  Being a teacher now, I see the value in maintaining a blog and look forward to doing so.

Of all the projects and experiences, the wiki was my least favorite.  I am drawn to gadgets, fonts, styles, etc., so the wiki was not as glamorous as I would have liked.  I understand its purpose is to be a vehicle for information and resources, but I had trouble getting into the project itself I see the value of creating wikis and I am sure I will at some point in the future, but I am less likely to use it compared to the other resources I have learned about and experimented with in this course.

With my students, I absolutely love using KidBlog.  We are using it regularly in and out of the classroom.  I have students begging me to update their post drafts and to comment from home, which is a teacher’s dream.  My students are 100% actively engaged and they are truly enjoying collaborating with others in our classroom and beyond.  Their parents are starting to get into it as well and have left a few comments for their child’s posts.  I hope to use this as a tool to regularly update parents about what is happening in our classroom as well.  For example, we won a pizza party for returning the most summer reading logs, so I will be posting information about the party on KidBlog.  My hope is that parents will comment and share what they would like to contribute (napkins, plates, etc.).  Each person will be able to see what others have signed up for, which will ensure that I do not receive duplicates of anything.  I love the immediate classroom-home connection that KidBlog fosters.

Another tool that I love and will continue to use with my students is Edmodo.  As mentioned earlier, I have collaborated with my librarian and we will be using Edmodo to connect all of the fourth grade teachers on my team.  I have been meeting with them to help them better understand how to use Edmodo.  I think it is important to share my new knowledge with others.  My principal has asked me to teach her how to use it as well because she has wanted to learn for some time now.  Also, using KidBlog and Edmodo is a great way for me to collect data for my students in the RTI process.  The special education teacher at my school likes to read what her students post as well.  I have showed her how to use these resources since technology should be used as a modification for students with special needs.

One other tool that I will continue to use without question is Skype.  My class is obsessed with Mystery Skypes now that we have successfully completed one.  They are constantly begging me to schedule more; I have three more on the calendar and I am working to connect with other teachers to schedule more dates.

Finally, Twitter has been an invaluable resource.  I am adding more and more wonderful professionals that I am learning from daily.  There are so many ideas, websites, links, etc. shared every minute and I cannot get enough!  I love connecting with others and I find this is the quickest, easiest way to find people for Mystery Skypes.  I like the direct message feature the most.  Twitter has opened many doors for me and my students love hearing updates.  

Overcoming Obstacles - Steven Claunch

I found this clip on Edmodo while connecting with other teachers about the Global Read Aloud.  This an extremely motivating video clip!  Steven Claunch, a basketball player, describes his experiences overcoming personal and physical obstacles.  He emphasizes the fact that all people have their own personal challenges, but encourages everyone to focus on working hard to persevere.  I will sharing this with my class this afternoon!

My Digital Storytelling Project is Complete!

After careful revision and editing, I am proud to present the final copy of my digital storytelling project!  It certainly isn't perfect, but I am thrilled with the outcome!  I feel much more proficient with iMovie and I look forward to creating more stories for my students.  Look for future uploads!

In the News - A Community Comes Together

While sifting through all of the wonderful posts on Edmodo and Twitter about this year's Global Read Aloud, I discover the link below.  The article/news clip features a woman with cerebral palsy who uses a revolutionary device to help her communicate.  I would like to share this with my students to give them yet another perspective of what life can be like with CP.  My students are so open and willing to learn about others - they are truly amazing kids.  Books like Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper will help shape my students into empathetic and understanding individuals!

Woman with cerebral palsy thanks community for giving her a voice | CTV Atlantic News

Digital Storytelling Project Draft

Creating this digital storytelling project was so much fun!  I LOVED experimenting with the different features of iMovie.  I love the power of photos and music.  I've had a Mac for awhile now and never realized just how much I can create with it!  My grade level partners were just as excited about the end product.  I spend a lot of time working on this draft, but I feel as though I could have continued working on it for days!  I made a few awkward pauses and errors while recording my voice, but they were minor.  The hardest part was listening to my voice; I should have let my husband narrate the project!

I can't wait to create more of these projects to share with my students.  This particular digital story with be shared with the fourth graders at my school to introduce Martin Luther King, Jr. and launch our unit on historical peacemakers later in the school year.  I would also like create one for Sir Isaac Newton (forces and motion unit) and I'd like to create an end of the year movie for my students to remember fourth grade.  The possibilities are endless!

Charisse's Story - Life Journey with Cerebral Palsy

 As part of the Global Read Aloud (#GRA13), my class and I are reading @sharonmdraper 's Out of My Mind.  The kids are obsessed!!!  While reading some posts on Twitter, I discovered the video clip above to help students better understand life with cerebral palsy.  My students were glued to the screen for every second of the 17 minute movie.  They felt a variety of emotions and were so inspired by Charisse's story.  They spent a LONG time reflecting in their journals.  This clip helped bring Melody's character alive and gave my class a new perspective.  I recommend showing this to your classes if you are also reading Out of My Mind!