Technology in the Classroom

  • Technology in the Classroom

    Exclusive Class Dojo Reveal: Part 3 – Class Story Video

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    Greeting Great Minds!

    I’m here with another exculsive Class Dojo reveal!  The folks over at Dojo have been very busy.   This year they’ve rolled out quite a few new features for an already amazing platform.  They began the summer with the roll out of Groups then Class Story and followed up with a new translation feature in October.   Well the already amazing Class Story feature will be allowing you to upload videos to your mini feed!  Class Story is the awesome feature that allows you to post images in your story feed for all your parents to see. It really helps make communication between parents and teachers easier and more personal.  Check out my last reveal post here to get more info on Class Story.

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    So what does this mean?  Now teachers can share short video footage from their classroom. Imagine all the exciting things you can share with your families.  Record yourself or a student sharing announcements, reminders with your families.  Record snippets of experiments or anything exciting going on in your classroom or school.

    Teachers often face the challenge of wanting to share important moments with parents but having to use multiple platforms to do so. With Class Story, teachers can share photos, videos and text messages all in one place, while knowing that only parents are able to see the information, and nothing is public. Plus, unlike emails or newsletters, sharing on Class Story is interactive. Parents are able to show their enthusiasm by tapping the like button, and teachers can see which parents have viewed posts so they no longer have to wonder who has the latest update.

    Want to see it in action?  Click here to see how video sharing will look with Class Story.  This new feature will be available in a few weeks to everyone. I can’t wait to try it out.  I plan on letting my students do daily video announcements on Class Story.

     Please tell me how you plan to use the video feature with your families in the comments below.

    Class Story will be live soon. In the meantime sign up to be a beta tester here so that you can help ClassDojo as they put the final touches on developing Class Story! If you want more info on ClassDojo click here to get to their website.

    Thank you so much for reading! Please tell me how you plan to use the video feature with your families in the comments below.  Make sure you are following me on all social media sites by clicking the links above and or subscribe to my site so you don’t miss any parts if my series on ClassDojo features in weeks to come.

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  • Technology in the Classroom

    Flowing in the Classroom with Flocabulary!!!!

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    Hey Great Minds!

           I am so excited to share with you another one of my favorite tools to use in the classroom! Do you remember SchoolHouse Rock from way back when, that used to music to help kids grasp concepts in education?  Flocabulary is a modern version of that but it gives teachers so much more!  Flocabulary is going revolutionize your classroom by providing Educational Hip-Hop videos that match the content you are teaching!  That’s right a library of hundreds of videos that are directly linked to the Common Core State Standards.  Don’t believe me just watch! ; )

    Flocabulary has CCSS aligned content that covers all K-12 core subjects. Click here for detailed list of concepts covered.  Not only great content rich videos but they also have great ready to use teaching materials to along with each video.  Then activities, quizzes and games really engage your students. 96% of teachers that use Flocabualry at least once a week in the classroom believe that student participation, focus, and engagement are increased with Flocababulry.  Students will work harder and show an increase in achievement and information retention. Even if you only start a lesson or unit with one of Flocabaulry’s videos you have already enriched your content. You are providing students with valuable information as well as getting them excited about learning.  I’ve used flocabualry for years and it is a favorite of my students. Trust me they have a set of videos for you!

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    Flocabulary latest addition is The Week in Rap Junior!  It covers age appropriate current events each week that tie into science and social studies perfectly.  This really connects your students to the world globally.  I use The Week in Rap videos weekly with my 4th graders.  They love the information and I love the discussion I can get them with the writing activities Flocabulary provide.  We focus on the content presented in the video all week and have an assessment Friday. (proved by flocabulary also)  The teaching materials are great and the students really enjoy doing them.  I love when parents tell me how surprised they are when their student knows so much about whats going on in the world.  Here is one below!

    If you haven’t tried Flocabulary yet my gift to you is a 45 day free trial of Flocabulary! I know you and your students will love teaching and learning with Flocabulary. Please leave me a comment below telling me how much you love Flowing with Flocabulary in your classroom! Click the image below to get started today! Your ” TEACH AWAY ” is to engage your student in a way that they can relate to! Enjoy!

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  • Technology in the Classroom

    Blogger Blitz GONOODLE Giveaway!!!

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    Hey Great Minds!

    I hope your school year started out great this year! If you are anything like me then you already love GoNoodle! And if you’re not then you will be after you read this!

    GoNoodle is a FREE  website that has a gazillion interactive activates for kids! When I say activities I’m talking great dances, sports, yoga, exercise, and even music videos. All for your kiddos to actively do along with the site.  They range anywhere from 1 minute to up to 25 minutes videos that are great for indoor recess!  I’m going to share with you some ways you can incorporate GoNoodle in your classroom this year!

    • Brain Breaks –  Add at least one brain break in per day.  This will aid in more oxygen flow to the brain thus helping your kiddos stay sharp during class.  According to  research from the University of Illinois-Champaign studies show a positive associations between aerobic fitness, physical activity, cognition, brain structure, white matter structural integrity, and high brain function.  Physical activity promotes cognitive and brain development. SO not only will a brain break help their brain develop but it will also help kiddos release built up energy and be able to better focus during lessons.
    • Motivation – GoNoodle provides a healthy challenge for your students and will get them pumped to earn points and watch their Champ grow! This alone will motivate your students to do their best so they can earn more GoNoodle time!
    • GoNoodle Plus! – Integrate movement into core subjects with movement activities that develop memory and fluency in math, spelling, and vocabulary. Connect your brain break to whatever you are teaching!
    • Indoor Recess – Did I mention that GoNoodle has enough videos to cover the entire school year? They even have longer length videos specifically for Indoor Recess. Remember your students still need to release that energy now you have a more active option to give them when stuck inside.

    That’s how I use GoNoodle in my classroom and you should too! They even offer some merchandise you can buy here to show off your GoNoodle Swag!  Just for reading you get to use the code BTSwithGoNoodle for 15% off everything! The code is valid September 4 – September 11. Thanks so much for reading your “teach away” is to remember the brain is a muscle and teaching and learning isn’t the only way to work it out!”

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    Here is something you probably won’t find in anywhere else! This adorable pair of GoNoodle Cards that you can use in your classroom! Just enter the rafflecopter below and leave a comment on how you plan on using GoNoodle in your classroom this year!

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