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,

Professional Goals ... Linky Party!

2014!! Is anyone else excited that it's an even number year?! 2014 has a better ring to it than 2013! With that being said .... it's going to be a GREAT year!

PROFESSIONAL GOALS:

#1) Create a new GLAD unit

GLAD stands for Guided Language Acquisition Design.  It involves many teaching strategies that benefit ALL learners, but it is especially beneficial for English Language Learners.  The strategies make challenging content and vocabulary accessible to all students.  Here are some pictures from the Government Unit I did with my students throughout November. 

GLAD units also place an emphasis on students taking ownership over their own learning.  They help and teach each other.  It's amazing!  

As a teacher, it makes teaching fun! Any learning that can be done through visuals, movement, and chants ... I'm all for it.  When the teacher is having fun, the students are having fun!!! This leads to some POWERFUL learning time.

#2) Create more 
Common Core Resources

I know MOST  of my fellow bloggers have already transitioned to Common Core.  My school is in California.  We will be making the BIG switch next year.  I have been creating some resources with my fabulous third grade team, but it's a process.

I'm so thankful for TPT and my fellow blogging community for times like this.  I'm a VISUAL learner ... HANDS DOWN!! Without a visual, I'm lost.  TPT and ALL the amazing blogs out there are my GO TO when I need a starting place.  

Here's a FREEBIE of some questioning posters my team and I came up with for CCSS RL3.3.  This standard involves character traits and description.

My goal this year is to create more common core products on TPT.

3) More 
laughter & dancing

Ask anyone at my school, I love music and I love to dance with my students.  Maybe that's why I love the Ellen Show so much.  Dancing with her audience ... AWESOME!!!  

Usually if I'm having a stressful day, I turn on music.  It's amazing how music can change the mood of the class ....  ESPECIALLY ME! No joke! I need to do this more often.  When all else fails, take a breath and turn on some music.  

Enjoy the New Year with your students!!!




Fondly,

Happy 2014! January Currently!

Happy 2014!! Cheers to a new year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.  

Here's my January Currently from the always fabulous Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

* LOVING ~ My niece and nephew made awesome duct tape wallets for Christmas with handmade ID's. So adorable!

* MEMORIES ~ Here are some of my favorite highlights from 2013!!

My cousin got married in Japan last April.  It was amazing! We were there for the Cherry Blossoms.

Tokyo is a great city with delicious food and fantastic karaoke.  It was definitely a once in a lifetime trip!

Kumamoto Castle - This was the view from my cousin's reception. Wow!

In summer, I went to La Paz, Mexico.  La Paz means "peace" .... very fitting for this beautiful fishing town. 

In fall, I went to Napa with family.  Even though I'm a born and raised Californian, I have never been to Napa.  If you love wine as much as I do, you need to go.  It's beautiful! 

Fondly,

Dr. Seuss' Birthday and a FREEBIE!!!

Dr. Seuss' birthday is coming up!! It is on March 2nd.  I just love Dr. Seuss and all his weird books.  I love his quotes and all the fantastic characters he has created.  Last year, I made jello parfaits for my students to represent Cat in the Hat.  My students loved finding these treats on their desks.

I want to make something cute again this year, but I'm still debating between a few choices.  Here are some possibilities that I've found on Pinterest.

Here's another cute pic I found a Pinterest.  This photo booth idea would be super cute for my students.

Finally.... some of my favorite quotes!! I will be discussing some of these quotes throughout the week with my students.  At the end of the week, they will pick their favorite quote.  

Click below for a FREEBIE! It includes a list of Dr. Seuss quotes for your students, a biography about Dr. Seuss, and a worksheet for students to choose their favorite quote.  Enjoy!!

Have fun celebrating Dr. Seuss with your students this week!!

Fondly,

February Currently and Tech Tips!!

Happy February!! I love the design of Farley's CURRENTLY this month! Be sure to link up!!

 

* LISTENING - I'm still on my country kick.  I have it on ALL day long.

* LOVING - I love my new Smartboard and iPads in my classroom!!! They have permanently changed the way I teach.  This is the first Smartboard I've ever had.  How did I use to teach without it?! Here are some pics.

Using AirServer, I can wirelessly mirror multiple iPads onto my Smartboard.  I love using this feature during math time!! I can easily assess how my students are doing. My students love having their work displayed for everyone to see.

These pics show my students taking AR tests and solving math problems using Educreations.

I'm loving the Notebook software to create interactive lessons.  Here are a few of my second grade students reviewing time and money concepts. 

 * THINKING - Thank you Punxsutawney Phil for NOT seeing your shadow!!! I am such a California girl.  Weather below 60 degrees is too cold for me, so an early Spring is music to my ears.

* WANTING - I need some suggestions for great, educational apps for my new iPads.  Time to start searching through some of my favorite teacher blogs! What are some of your favorite apps?

* NEEDING - I'll be out for two days next week for school stuff.  I need to write my sub plans ... SO ANNOYING!  This takes me to my pet peeves .......

* PET PEEVES - I hate writing sub plans! I'm sure you all feel my pain with this one.  Secondly, winter is by far my LEAST favorite season.  I can't wait for warmer weather.  I'm such a happier girl in summer!! 

Don't forget the BIG Super Sunday Sale on TPT running for the next 2 days!!

Fondly,