Up and running #3dprinting @afinia @lasdk8

Using DoInk for the iPad, create amazing animations for a variety of project, lessons, and more. It is a great app, well worth the money. Best way to learn it, is to simply play around with it, Google a few ways to do x or y and just have fun! It is a great way for visual learners and thinkers to create. Respond with ideas you might have on how to use DoInk. 

App link here. 

Google Teacher Academy. 50 innovative teachers. 2 days. Sydney, Australia. Having just applied to the Apple Distinguished Educator program, I thought why not, I’ll shoot for the moon and try to do the GTA application too. Maybe a bit insane as that would be two intense professional development sessions in about 3 months time, but why not? 

Putting forth effort and time, I was thoughtful about my essays, diligent about my video and purposeful in my blog posts. I knew that I had for sure done my best on the GTA application.

The part that was most difficult for me was the video. Creating content for only 1 minute of time was difficult to say the least. That being said, I really pushed myself to utilize every second. Folding in Google tools as well as others, I strived to compile a comprehensive video that targeted the innovation in my classroom through the use of technology. 

Well, March 8th rolled around and I received a, “Thank you very much, but…” email in my in box. A bit discouraged at first, now I’m not upset or bitter in the least. Rather, I was a bit relieved in a sense because I knew that doing both ADE and GTA would be CRAZY with all caps, yes. That being said, I would still LOVE to participate in GTA in the future—BIG TIME!

So, if you were accepted to GTA first off CONGRATS! So excited for you. I would love feedback on my video that is posted above so that next time around I can really Bring it with a Capital B!

Any tips or comments? 

Thank you in advance!

Note video done with Educreations and screencasted using Screencast-o-matic

Moving Word Journeys from paper to iPad using Educreations. Students type words individually in text boxes on Educreations, create a video of their words, then take pictures of themselves that represent the words. Still working out the kinks, but would love any feedback on the ideas behind this endeavor. Will be uploading a more specific lesson plan soon. 

Currently, the PE classes at our school are doing synchronized swimming. Last week, I had so much fun working with my kids and being in the water. I decided to dig up a few old videos to pass onto our PE teacher so he could share them with the other PE classes as I was only able to help out my own kids. In re-watching one of my videos, it was amazing to me how fast the memories of the competition high came flooding back to me. I realized that in watching myself perform at my peak, one of the things I miss most is actually the intense work you go through in order to achieve your goal and then the high you have while you prove you have what it takes to be the best. I can remember so vividly my legs burning by the end of a routine and the dread I would have as I road my bike up to practice just thinking about the amount of run-throughs I’d need to do. 

I know this is my education blog, so here goes how all of my thoughts came tumbling together. This high I remember, how do I get that now? I was puzzling over this and wondering about it as I munched on my breakfast and sipped my tea. 

Right now for me, this high comes from areas like seeing my students be successful and accomplishing goals related to my job and my life as a whole. However, I would love to find a way to find that kind of high once more. 

Teaching students how to use HTML to embed a video into their blog post. It is important that students realize websites are made possible by more than just their typing and pressing buttons. Hoping to have my husband introduce some basic coding skills as well in the near future. Enjoy the screencast and check out other blogger screencasts here. 

My students each have their own blog. Sometimes issues come up at home or in class that I don’t have time to explain. By making a screencast or a “How to…” video on a topic such as inserting an image, copying a Google doc over to the blog etc. I limit the in class time spent on a task students can do at home. Some of the videos are softer in volume than I’d like, but that all comes with practice. Check out my YouTube playlist on Blogger how tos here. 

Humanizing the classroom—see the individual in the classroom by using technology to differentiate, to innovate and to provide interaction amongst students. Check out the full TED talk by Sal Khan here!

Check out some amazing How to … videos from my 5th grade class. We used imovie, creative commons, and cameras to make short videos teaching someone something new. Our class plans to enter them in a great contest through Next Vista for learning. Scan the QR code or use this link to get to our class You Tube channel where you’ll find other great videos to learn from.