TodaysMeet-Social Studies

TodaysMeet is a fun collaboration tool that you can use in the classroom.  It is a tool that give your students the opportunity to use their smart devises in the classroom.  It is really easy to make.  You can post a QR code or link for your students to go to that has a discussion question that they can answer and collaborate together on a subject.  It is a fun, interactive way for students to get involved in a discussion in class rather than to just sit and listen to a lecture.  It also gives an opportunity to use technology int he classroom and students love it.  It seems like as soon as there is technology involved, students start to pay attention and get excited.

Students could incorporate this tool in their presentations that they have to make for class. It would make a book report a little more interactive and fun for the other students to get involved.  They could also use this tool as a quiz to see if the students payed attention to their presentation.

I created a TodaysMeet that would fulfill the following third grade standards:

Utah Core Standard:
Standard 1

Objective 3 
Analyze ways cultures use, maintain, and preserve the physical environment.

1. Identify ways people use the physical environment (e.g. agriculture, recreation, energy, industry

Ed Tech Standard:

Standard 7 Use telecommunications and on-line resources (e.g., email, online discussions, web environments) to participate in collaborative problem-solving activities to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (4, 5)

ISTE Standard:

Global Collaborator

I strive to broaden my perspective, understand others, and work effectively in teams using digital tools.

Google Forms-Science

I created a class quiz on google forms.  I loved working with google forms!  I really liked how easy it was to use.  I know that a lot of people use google forms, but I had never made one before.  I really thought that it was going to be more complicated than it is.  I think that I will be using this a lot more for now on.  This a great way to do so many things in the classroom.  I used it as a quiz, but it could be used to gather information from parents, to get feedback from students, and to assess where the students are in learning content.  I think that it would be a good way to get back anonymous information from students too.  you could set up a google form to vote on things in the classroom.

As a teacher, you could assign students to teach a content area and allow them to use google forms to make up their own quizzes on a presentation that they have made about what they were teaching or presenting.  

The quiz that I made would fulfill the following fourth grade standards:

UEN Standard:

Standard 3 
Students will understand the basic properties of rocks, the processes involved in the formation of soils, and the needs of plants provided by soil.

Objective 1 
Identify basic properties of minerals and rocks.Classify common rocks found in Utah as sedimentary (i.e., sandstone, conglomerate, shale), igneous (i.e., basalt, granite, obsidian, pumice) and metamorphic (i.e., marble, gneiss, schist).

EdTech Standard: (if used in grades 3-5)

Standard 5 

Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3, 4)

ISTE Standard:

Knowledge Constructor

I critically select, evaluate,and synthesize digital resources into a collection that reflects my learning and builds my knowledge.

Brochure-Internet Safety

Brochures are a good tool to know how to make for the classroom.  You can make a brochure to give out to the students about your classroom and the expectations that you have in your class, you can use brochures to advertise clubs within the school, or to give out information in an easy to read format.  I am not sure how often I would actually use this approach with a lesson, but I can see it being a valuable tool to know how to do in case I ever did run into a time where I needed to make a brochure.

Teaching the students to make a brochure can be a valuable thing for them to learn.  By making a brochure, they can use higher thinking skills to compile the information that they have learned about a certain topic.  They can also use it as a fun way to present a report or be creative outlet for them to make something.
I created a brochure to give out to students and parents regarding internet safety. The brochure that I made would fulfill the following standards:

UEN Standard:
N/A

EdTech Standard: (if used in grades 3-5)

Standard 5 

Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3, 4)

ISTE Standard:

Creative Communicator

I communicate effectively and express myself creatively using different tools, styles, formats, and digital media.

Animoto-Science

Animoto is a fun website that you can use to create videos.  This was not my absolute favorite tool to use.  It seemed a little time consuming.  I originally tried to make just a slide show and it seemed to take forever just to make it up to 30 seconds.  I actually left  the project, but came back to it later and used the video section instead.  that seemed to be a much better option and a lot easier to use.  This would be great to use in your lessons or to have on your website where your students can access information that you are wanting them to learn.  The video format is more interesting then the typical slide show that it somewhat over used.  It would be a great resource for you to have your students to learn so that they can make presentations for their various assignments.  Students love to create different media ans this is a great one for them.  You could use this for book reports, slide shows, or any type of mini presentation that you would like to bring into the classroom.  The Animoto series that I created fulfills the following fourth grade standards:

UEN Standard:

Standard 3 
Students will understand the basic properties of rocks, the processes involved in the formation of soils, and the needs of plants provided by soil.

Objective 1 
Identify basic properties of minerals and rocks.Classify common rocks found in Utah as sedimentary (i.e., sandstone, conglomerate, shale), igneous (i.e., basalt, granite, obsidian, pumice) and metamorphic (i.e., marble, gneiss, schist).

EdTech Standard: (if used in grades 3-5)

Standard 5 

Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3, 4)

ISTE Standard:

Creative Communicator

I communicate effectively and express myself creatively using different tools, styles, formats, and digital media.

ThingLink-Science

For my ThingLink, I made an interactive for kindergarten students to learn about the seasons.  I really like ThingLink.  I think that it is a fun tool to use in the classroom. I think that students would appreciate this way of learning.  Students love technology and the ThingLink almost feels like a game.  I love that it is something that you could put together and students can explore and learn on their own.  There is a lot of possibilities to use this tool.  It would be great as a study tool.  Students that are learning their states could have a map with all of the states and capitals and use it in place of flashcards.

Students could make a Thinglink to show the content that they have learned from a lesson.  It is a perfect higher thinking order project for them to use.  Students could even use it to make a project for a report on a book that they read.  Really, the available subjects that could be linked with a ThinkLink are endless.

This project that I made would fulfill the following kindergarten standards:

Utah Core Standard:

Standard 2 
Earth and Space Science. Students will gain an understanding of Earth and Space Science through the study of earth materials, celestial movement, and weather.

Objective 3 
Compare and contrast seasonal weather changes.

1. Identify characteristics of the seasons of the year.

EdTech Standard: (if using in 3-5 grades)

Standard 5 
Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3, 4)

ISTE Standard:

Innovated Designer (if student makes ThingLink)

I solve problems by creating new and imaginative solutions using a variety of digital tools

Padlet-Social Studies

I made a padlet for a social studies assignment.  The idea is to have students answer the question by responding and posting  picture that represents their answer.  This is a good tool to use to collaborate on a project or to see how well your students have grasped a concept.  Padlet was really easy to use.  I like the fact that I can post a question and that students can still access the question when they are at home.  This helps to bring learning home.  Using higher order thinking skills to answer a question helps students more than a quiz on the subject.  By allowing the students to respond to the question where the whole class can see it also allows students to see what others are thinking and possibly make them learn more.

Students could use padlet for a number of things.  It would be great for them to use it collaborate on a group project, or just as a place where they can store information that they have found regarding a paper they are going to write.  

The padlet that I have created fulfills the following third grade standards:

Utah Core Standard:
Standard 1

Objective 3 
Analyze ways cultures use, maintain, and preserve the physical environment.

1. Identify ways people use the physical environment (e.g. agriculture, recreation, energy, industry

Ed Tech Standard:

Standard 7 Use telecommunications and on-line resources (e.g., email, online discussions, web environments) to participate in collaborative problem-solving activities to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (4, 5)

ISTE Standard:

Global Collaborator

I strive to broaden my perspective, understand others, and work effectively in teams using digital tools.

EDpuzzle-Math

For my EDpuzzle, I used a fractions video.  I really liked this tool.  It was really fun and easy to make.  I liked that there were already videos to choose from that can help me to teach whatever content area that I am trying to fill.  There are so many ways to use EDpuzzle in the classroom.  As a teacher, videos are a valuable tool to teach students.  There are a lot of students who learn better when they can are taught visually. Youtube has so many educational videos and EDpuzzle makes these videos even more beneficial to the classroom because you can input your own content and questions into the videos. It would be great to use EDpuzzle with videos to make sure that your students are paying attention to the content you want them to learn.

The EDpuzzle that I have made meets the following third grade standards:

Utah Core Standards:

Strand: NUMBER AND OPERATIONS - FRACTIONS 
Develop understanding of fractions as numbers. Denominators are limited to 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 in third grade.

Standard 3.NF.1 
Understand that a unit fraction has a numerator of one and a non-zero denominator.

EdTech Standards:

Standard 4 
Use general purpose productivity tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, to remediate skill deficits, and to facilitate learning throughout the curriculum. (3)

ISTE Standards:
Knowledge Constructor
I critically select , evaluate, and synthesize digital resources into a collection that reflects my learning and builds my knowledge.

Flyer

For my flyer, I made a poster to advertise a school activity.  Being able to make a flyer is a great tool to use in the classroom.  You can make posters to display in your classroom. These can include your rules, your classroom schedule, a poster about a book. or really anything that you can think of that you would like displayed in your classroom.  Knowing how to make a flyer is a valuable tool.  As a teacher, there will be plenty of opportunities to use this skill.  There is always something coming up that you might want to advertise to the students or parents. There is always information that needs to be posted somewhere and it is nice to have it look professional and neat.

A student that knows how to make a flyer can make a flyer for a book report or to display the content that they have learned about a certain subject.

This would meet the following standards:

Utah Core Standards:

N/A

EdTech Standards:

Standard 5 
Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3, 4)

ISTE Standards:

Creative Communicator

I communicate effectively and express myself creatively using different tools, styles, formats, and digital media

Mind Mapping- Science

Mind mapping is a fabulous way to get students thinking about things.  I remember making mind maps in school on a piece of paper.  Technology makes making mind maps a lot more fun and interactive.  Mind mapping can help your students to organize their thoughts for a paper, it can allow them to display the content that they have learned and it can be used as a great visual way for students to learn.

I chose to use popplet as my tool of choice to make a mind map.  I created this mind map to visually teach students how to classify rocks.  Using the mind map, it helps those students that learn visually.  To be able to see it spelled out what characteristics each type of rock have, makes it easier for those type of learners to learn.

This mind map would meet the following standards for fourth grade:

UEN Standard:

Standard 3 
Students will understand the basic properties of rocks, the processes involved in the formation of soils, and the needs of plants provided by soil.

Objective 1 
Identify basic properties of minerals and rocks.Classify common rocks found in Utah as sedimentary (i.e., sandstone, conglomerate, shale), igneous (i.e., basalt, granite, obsidian, pumice) and metamorphic (i.e., marble, gneiss, schist).

EdTech Standard: (if used in grades 3-5)

Standard 5 

Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (3, 4)

ISTE Standard:

Creative Communicator

I communicate effectively and express myself creatively using different tools, styles, formats, and digital media.