Technology in the Classroom

There is currently a push for teachers to use more technology in their classrooms.  I have struggled with this in the past.  However, I have found so many resources on the internet that could be used in the classroom to help integrate technology into the curriculum.  In this blog we are going to take a look at some things that you may find helpful.

Animoto is a great website to use to create all sorts of slideshows.   Many teachers only think about slideshows at the end of the year.  Here is an example of an educational slideshow I created: 




Voki is a website where you can create a character that will say anything that you want it to say.  You can use your own voice or a computerized voice.  Once you have created your character you can then embed it into a website, blog, or any other interactive activity you create.  There is an example of a Voki on the right hand side of this blog page.

Wordle would be fun for kids.  This website creates word clouds out of whatever words you type into it.  This would be a great activity to do at the beginning of the year.  Let kids type in words that tell about them and then click on create and you have a wordle.  See my example below:

If you are fortunate enough to have a smartboard or active board in your classroom then integrating technology becomes easier.  A smartboard was installed in my classroom recently.  I was so excited because I quickly realized that there is a website called smart exchange which contains ready made lessons for the smart board.  All you do is search by grade level and or topic and you will find a plethera of activities to use for your smartboard.  Another thing to keep in mind if you have a smartboard is that any of the websites that have educational games can become a whole class interactive activity vs. one child sitting at the computer playing a game alone.

The following are some educational game websites you will want to explore:

I hope that this information is helpful to those of you who have been a little nervous about technology and how to use it with students.  There are so many great educational resources on the internet, so don't limit yourself to the ones I have highlighted here.  Go out and explore all the educational opportunities that can be found on the internet.

Teacher Accountability

     In this age of No Child Left Behind and education reform, we are hearing more and more talk concerning teacher accountability.  President Obama implemented his reform ideas in conjunction with a grant called Race to The Top.  States are competing for federal dollars to bring about reform in their schools.  However, once the states accept these federal dollars there are lots of new and sometimes controversial ideas attached to the money.  One highly controversial idea is that of teacher accountability.  Now, don't get me wrong most people and even teachers are in favor of teachers being held accountable for the job they do.  The kicker is how to do this!!!  The North Carolina State Board of Education just released two new standards.  Both standards are regarding accountability.  One standard is for teachers and the other is for principals.  The following is the language of each of the standards:

Teacher Standard

Standard VI: Teachers Contribute to the Academic Success of Students. The work of the teacher results in acceptable, measurable progress for students based on established performance expectations using appropriate data to demonstrate growth.

Principal Standard

Standard VIII: Academic Achievement Leadership. Summary: School executives will con- tribute to the academic success of students. The work of the school executive will result in ac- ceptable, measurable progress for students based on established performance expectations using appropriate data to demonstrate growth.

According to the state board there will be MORE than just test scores factored into a teacher or principals evaluation.  They plan to begin piloting the standards in 24 school systems across the state beginning in August.

I am curious and little worried about what might be considered when evaluating a teacher or principal in regards to student achievement.  I am hopeful that it will include multiple measures as they stated and I hope that they take into account growth of students not just grade level proficiency.

I would like to hear from other teachers and principals.  What things do you think should be considered when evaluating a teacher or principal in regards to student achievement?

Response to Intervention (Reading)

When you return to school in the fall, many of you will be implementing RTI (Response to Intervention) in your school.  You may be wondering, "What strategies or interventions am I going to use to help my struggling students?"  I know I have often wondered, "What else can I possibly do with a particular student in Tier II, that I haven't tried already?"  Teachers need intervention ideas to make RTI successful.  The problem, teachers often don't have time to research interventions that can be used with struggling students.  In this blog I hope to simplify the RTI process for you by providing intervention ideas and links to helpful resources.  Reading interventions are the focus of this post. 


Phonemic Awareness
Reading Rockets

Decoding Interventions
Reading Rockets
Reading a-z

Vocabulary
Reading Rockets

Fluency Interventions
Busy Teachers Cafe
Intervention Central
Reading Rockets

Comprehension Interventions
Intervention Central
Reading Rockets

Many of you have also wondered about what to do with the rest of the class while you are doing RTI interventions with a small group of students.  There is a book called The Daily 5 and a companion book The Cafe Book that you may be interested in reading.  I have included some videos below which give you a taste of what the daily 5 and the cafe is all about. You can decide if it might be something you find useful.  Both of these books have ideas for center activities as well as ideas for interventions.

Interview regarding "The Cafe Model".

The Daily 5