Persistence

We've been focusing a lot on PERSISTENCE lately in our masters class. I'm going on a bird walk for a while, so join in if you'd like.  Persistence is an interesting word. I like to think of this word as an overall summary of a process, not a word to describe a "goal being met." One of the biggest things I've taken away from my experience with this program is the fine line between being persistent on one thing and being spread too thin in all others. There is a lot to be said about someone who can juggle a full time job along with a full time masters program. I give credit to anyone who attempts it, and I tip my hat to anyone who attempts, completes and can truly put forth their best effort in all areas of their lives. I'm a firm believer in having priorities set and sticking to them, and this process and been a challenge. It has exposed me to many of the great things I am capable of, but also has shown me what can happen when my attention slips from one area to refocus on another.

This journey has been exciting, stressful, engaging, contemplative, exhausting and overall a great opportunity and experience. I hope, that now, when all is said and done, I can continue to apply the PERSISTENT attitude to other areas of my life.

Using the Running Record App

This app provides embedded formulas for the accuracy and self-correction rate.  But, of course, the teacher does all of the corrections and data entry.  Once the running record is complete, it can be saved in a file or emailed.  In addition, the app records the student’s voice while the teacher simultaneously takes the record.  When replaying the running record, the oral reading and record are synced. This has been great for daily work and has shown to be beneficial for conferences.

Little Writer App by Alligator App for iPad

This app was very useful when used alongside students who are working towards more hand control when writing numbers, letters or spelling complete words.  To incorperate the app, I was able to pull two or three students at a time with a 1-1 ratio. I was able to individually set up what letters or numbers I wanted them to work with. You can also add in your spelling words for the week to have students practice. It is a free app, with many features. Try it out and see what you think. 

Using the Educreations app for Reading

Yesterday, I implemented the Educreations app during our reading time. We used the app to help us identify the Main Idea and Details of a story. To start, we began using categories. I posted several "main idea" cards in the hallway labeled with things like, "Things with Circles" or "Stories with Characters." The students first took a picture of one of the Main Ideas with the app, and then had to find three details in the room that would fit with the main idea. They took pictures of the details and created a web with the drawing tools in the app. We then read the story Short Shadows, Long Shadows that went with our reading curriculum. The students had a great time, and it was easy for me to do a quick formative assessment on the their understanding.

QR Codes and Google Forms

Over the last few weeks, I've experimented with QR Codes and Google forms. The codes were coupled with a math a few of my money math lessons. I used 15 different bags, with various. Ones amounts in them. Each bag had a code on it. After the students had counted the money, they used the QR Reader app to check their answers. The codes were easy to make using an online creator, and the app was free for scanning. The students enjoyed it the activity.

I've used google forms to start tracking my phone conversations with parents. After completing a phone call home, I record the name of the students, date, time, reason and a few notes, and submit this information. All of the info gets sent to a google spreadsheet were it can be viewed and interpreted. It's easy to see patterns and to fall back on to review if needed.