February Currently is Here!

Happy February friends!! That means I'm linking up with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for her monthly "Currently!" So here it is ....

* Listening -  

     I love Pandora! I listen to it all the time!! It's also pretty great for the classroom.  Some kid friendly stations are Tween, Kidz Bop Kids, Classical Music, Radio for Kids, and they have great seasonal/holiday stations.  

* Loving - 

    Dropbox is amazing! I mentioned it in my last blog post.  It's a great way to share PDF's or screenshots instantly on your student iPads. 

  

* Thinking - 

     Who will win?! I did a Superbowl Pool with my students this year.  Each of my students picked two squares.  They could earn more squares by making good choices in the classroom.  Great behavior incentive! 

     

* Wanting - 

     I'm SO close to finishing my newest TPT product with QR codes.  QR codes are AMAZING!  Students can scan them using a scanner app.  The QR code can be linked to a website, text (i.e. an answer to a question), or a PDF file.  I plan on blogging more about QR codes in the near future.  I'm excited to use them more with my students.  

* 2 Truths and a Fib

     

    Yes, I've been skydiving! It was amazing! Free like a bird!

    Yes, I'm addicted to The Bachelor! Oooh la la!  Juan Pablo!

FIB - As prepared as I usually am, sometimes I'm not 100% planned.  Oops! I'm sure my teacher friends can relate.  Thankfully, sometimes my best teaching happens when I "wing" it.

Happy Superbowl Weekend! My TPT store is 20% off to celebrate.  Enjoy!!!

Hut Hut Hike,

Five for Friday by a Techie Nerd

Happy Friday my teacher peeps! I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for "Five for Friday"!!

I'm obsessed with techie stuff.  Yes, I admit that I'm a complete techie nerd!! Learning about technology makes me happy!

Most of my 5 random things have to do with techonology.  Geek squad here I come!

1) Dropbox 

     I've had a Dropbox account for awhile now, but I've used it mostly to share files between my work and home laptop or to share files with other teachers.  Thanks to one of my AMAZING coworkers I realized I can use dropbox for some very SUPER cool things.

    I'm fortunate enough to have iPads in my classroom.  I finally put the Dropbox app on all my iPads.  Now I can share pictures, documents, PDF files, etc. with my students instantly.

AWESOME!

I put a screenshot of a snowboarder in my Dropbox folder.  Two seconds later, the picture was on all my student iPads.  Voila! Great to use for descriptive writing!

2)IBooks

    Through Dropbox, you can share a PDF file of any book!! That means you can have multiple copies of any book!

I read Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg with my class this week.  My coworker showed me how to put a copy in iBooks.  Hurray!

  * Scan pictures of each page or take screen shots (if you have ebook)
  * Save the pictures as a PDF file
  * Drag the PDF file into your Dropbox folder

  * Open the PDF file in iBooks

Bam! Here it is on my cute "bookshelf" for all my students to enjoy.  This is FABULOUS for reading groups.

3) Instagram

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Photography + great ideas + new friends = one of my FAV addictions! I've had a personal Instagram account for awhile, but I recently set up an account for my "Trendy in Third" followers.  I love all the creativity, styles, pics, outfits, and ideas from all my Instagram teacher friends.

Check out my Instagram page!

4) Organize, organize, organize

    Organized iPads! Yes, please! I finally numbered my iPads.  This makes it easier for students to save their work on an iPad and be able to access it later .... AND it looks pretty! Anything cute ... I'll take it!

5) Little People Art

    I put these up at the beginning of each school year, but I thought it was fitting for the upcoming MLK holiday.

Happy T-H-R-E-E day weekend!!! Enjoy it!

Your techie nerd,