iPhone!

I am trying to get into the 21st century personally. I've been pushing all of the technology at RCE...but never did anything at home. After a week in Austin with NO internet, Limited e-mail (inbetween meetings), and NO computers....I decided it was time to come into the technology rich environment at home. My daughter and I have spent the last two hours trying to make the settings work...she's downloaded all kinds of apps...I'm a little behind...too many choices on the settings. The one downside is..I'll probably work 24/7...and I am already nearly there! Life is so fun. Watching my daughter light up as she found more apps to try was fun...We've really changed her this summer....a MacBook Pro and an iPhone! What a change from the dell....here comes grad school!

Last few days before back to full time...hard to believe how fast the summer flew by...feels like I didn't get too much done!

PBS Visit

Today I was invited to the Houston PBS station for a luncheon in honor of the Innovative Educator Award -Ann King and I spent a few hours learning and sharing. It was a fun afternoon that included a tour of the TV station and the Radio stations. Sooooo cool. I took tons of photos to share with the students. Although our RCE studio is on a much SMALLER scale, the way we do things is very similar to the real world. At least I know that what I share with the children is correct and goes along with what they would do at at real station.
PBS was wonderful - our discussion was lively and exciting. The luncheon was amazing. The people we met brought us new ideas and things to look in to. It's nice to be a partner with such a knowledgable group of people who are looking out for what they can provide for our students.
My mind is full of new ideas and things to try. I even have a few thoughts for the studio for next year (look out new crew members....we're going upscale!) I wish I had taken notes to remember it all!

Tool # 9

This is the fun part - using and integrating the technology...

Why do you think it is important to tie the technology to the objective? Content drives the technology not the other way around. You select the technology to best fit what you are trying to teach to your students. Having multiple choice for what to use makes it work!

Why should we hold students accountable for the stations/centers? Students need to be responsible...if not...they become careless. In the library...its usually not the students that leave things messed up..except for the cables..they are usually very careful to leave notes on cameras they return. They have learned that they need to respect student work saved on various machines as well.

Visit 2 of the applicable links to interactive websites for your content/grade level. Which sites did you like. How could you use them as stations? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations? This does not really apply to the library..however I have created a wiki for the teachers at RCE with interactive websites that can support their classroom curriculum. PBS has some great things as well KHAN Academey and Wolfram alpha. New sites come up everyday...but you have to check things out. Some of the sites have tracking devices...another way is to have students keep a written journal (online of course) that lets you know where they are.

List two to three apps you found for the iPod Touch/iPad that you can use in your classroom. What do you see that station looking like? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations? Just like the computer stations, students need to be able to communicate what they have learned. A checklist will help keep things in check. Two new ones I found deal with graphics that the students can import into other projects. Creative graphics and forreal

What about other ways to use the iPod Touch/iPad? Share another way you can see your students using the device as a station. I have given each teacher an ipod touch with a rockstar. We have downloaded audio books and books from the gutenburg project. This gives teachers a listening/reading stations. The ipads/itouches can also be used for "on demand" research ...whatever whenever...We need to continue to look for uses for these pieces of equipment...i think we have only touched the tip of the iceburg!

11 Tools

I am excited about embarking on the 11 tools with all of the staff at RCE. This journey will be fun and give us a head start on incorporating web 2.0 tools.
The on-line classes will be time consuming...but I'm sure I will learn even more. This will be a great experience for us all. 2011 will be an exciting time at RCE.

September 3, 2010

Well, I'm already behind...I didn't get a post up last week. I really wanted to get one up each week. This week has been a busy week: Bluebonnet Orientations, Library Orientations and Computer Lab Orientations. For more information go to the website: Rummel Creek Reads, you will see a link to Bluebonnet 2010-2011 - Look for links to activities and more to keep students learning and growing. While you're on that website, check out the summer reading program for activities to do with any book. We're moving on with technology at Rummel Creek. Some of the students have already created two projects. To help keep up with everything going on with technology at RCE...check out this webpage: Rummel Creek Technology....this is full of links to all kinds of information about technology. Since you are searching through this blog...don't forget to look at the Rummel Creek Website (Library Link, Curriculum link, pick a subject) for games and activities to extend and enrich classroom curriculum. For just some fun things, check out the library calendar linked from the home page of RCE (it's still under construction for September).
Yesterday I met with a boy scout group to share with them the "back rooms" of the library. I think they were amazed at all that goes on in the library behind the scenes. Today, a few of those boys were in for a lesson - they sure sat still for the stories!
I am looking forward to Monday "off", Hopefully next week will go a little smoother with a day to pull things together! Happy Reading!