Quizlet & Vocab Retention

Welcome!!

Today we will be focusing on how to help our students with learning and retaining key vocabulary terms.  We will be focusing on Quizlet, as it has MANY ways to differentiate for our students and offers various modes for learning & playing.  

To begin, we will take a look at how Quizlet can be used in your classroom:

Quizlet

View more PowerPoint from The Learning Pad


Next up is a video that gives a quick overview of all of the different features and how to set up your flashcards....if you need to review something, just rewind!

Quizlet Lesson

View more videos from mrose20


Now click on the picture below and create your own Quizlet account by clicking on Sign Up in the top right corner.

Once you have created your account, you can begin to create your own flashcards by clicking Make Flashcards

Clipped from: quizlet.com (share this clip)

Once you have created at least 1 set of cards, you can embed them on your website (I can show you how or follow the directions here)


If you have completed the tasks above, take some time to go through some of the websites below.  They offer some great online quizzes, spelling activities, and other interactives to help your students review key concepts & terms.

Clipped from: www.neok12.com (share this clip)

Clipped from: www.spellingcity.com (share this clip)

Clipped from: www.vocabulary.com (share this clip)

Clipped from: www.learner.org (share this clip)

Clipped from: wordstash.com (share this clip)

Clipped from: www.uen.org (share this clip)

I hope you have found Quizlet and these other applications helpful!  The more ways you can approach vocabulary, the more our diverse learners will grasp it and remember it.  Feel free to leave a comment sharing how you handle vocab in your class or which online activities you will try to use with your students.

Enjoy!

Taking it to the next level

My Google Tools class is coming to a close on Monday.  It's been a lot of work, but it has also been exciting to think of all the ways that I can use these tools in the upcoming school year & beyond.  I've been able to connect with other educators in the district & have gotten a chance to see how they plan to use these tools in their curriculum.  It has been great to get their feedback, and the validation of all the hard work is priceless.  Talk about positive reinforcement!  I have another blog that I use for my students but it is also viewed by other educators, but I have never gotten the affirmation that hard work pays off like I have in the past couple of weeks.  I'm looking forward to utilizing the Google Tools I have learned about in the 2011-2012 school year..I've already created 3 lesson plans (1 for each class/subject area I am teaching next year) and it was very easy to integrate the skills I have learned and revamped some topics I have taught in the past.  I look forward to giving my lessons a facelift and implementing Google Tools as much as possible.  I have only just recently begun to explore Google Apps and am amazed at the quality and depth of their products...and most are FREE!!!  I have totally taken on a whole new point of view on  how I will incorporate technology from here on out.....I am further driven to strive to become a Google Certified Educator (when the time allows) because I see the value of learning all that Google has to offer, and I would love to be able to share with other educators & offer some professional development if the opportunity ever came up.  I am excited about taking my lessons & my experience in the classroom to the next level.....are you?

Each year is a new start

So when I found out at the end of the school year that I would be teaching 2 self-contained subject areas this coming school year...I freaked out a bit, but not out of joy.   I have taught in an inclusion class setting for the past four years, and otherwise hadn't had my own classroom other than a content support/learning center period.  My first teaching placement was self-contained because that was the format of the  program, and I liked it, but had to teach every subject area...taxing!  A few years later I was offered my first inclusion postion, co-teaching Earth Science...I took the challenge head on, & fell in love with this curriculum that I once found so difficult as a student.  It was a struggle to learn all of the curriculum & creating lessons/materials, but I was honest w/my students that Science had been a challenge for me...but I made it work and figured it out..my students saw me as human.  The following year, I was co-teaching Living Environment and felt that this was my niche.  I felt so comfortable with the topics, could explain them in understandable terms for my students & make real world connections in the most interesting & engaging ways...further falling in love with science.  Last year, I began co-teaching 8th grade math & science.....whoah....MATH!?!?!?! yeah that is was I thought!  If Science was a challenge for me in middle school, Math was my Achilles Heel!!   I paid attention in school, I took notes, I did my homework, I participated....I just couldn't make the connection...I would blank on tests.  I didn't fail, but math was exhausting.  Now I'm being charged to co-teach it!  As special educators, we have to be ready to go where we are needed, teach students with many different learning styles & levels, and help them to be successful regardless of the situation & content.  Being told I would be teaching math definitely took me out of my comfort level, but I loved the opportunity to re-learn & figure out the gaps I had when I was in school.  I feel my struggle growing up helped me create resources for my students, it allowed them to feel more comfortable approaching me for help & asking questions...I was straightforward from the start...it was tough for me, I understand it can be tough for you...we'll get through it =)

I soon became very confident with most of the math curriculum with the help of my wonderful co-teacher, Jeff Schoenfeld.  I also had an equally amazing co-teacher for Science, Paul Bennett...Man those guys rocked!  Talk about being supported as a special educator in the classroom!  I wasn't expected to just pass out papers, my ideas & suggestions weren't just brushed under the carpet like they had in the past...I got to teach!!! It was also nice having a partner to collaborate with and really take a look at the whole student.  Our results in our classes weren't too shabby either, all passed the required assessments & are moving on.    

So, when I was informed that I wouldn't be co-teaching this year, after it worked so well...I was bummed.  It's not that I wasn't excited to have my own classes, but I was worried about having to start from scratch again.  The subject areas are the same, but now I will be teaching 7th grade...a whole new curriculum, new assessments to prepare for...nothing in my arsenal to pull from really.  I'll admit I had a mini pity party.  

However, after a few days to think about the situation, and with the encouragement & support from my colleagues & friends, I began to embrace the idea of having my own classes again.

This Google Tools class has been my jumping off point of not only creating new lessons & researching new ways to engage my students, but also it has allowed me to starte creating lessons with technology being infused throughout, rather than a lesson that I added technology into after the fact (though there is absolutely nothing wrong with that).  I am excited about putting my ideas & tech skills to work with the new units that I'll be teaching.  I'm excited about howI plan to run my classroom, and the ways that I will get to interact with my new, smaller group of students.

Will it be a challenge??? YEAH! but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Google Sites for Webquests

Just realized I didn't post anything when I completed my webquest! Anywho, Google Sites is a pretty cool tool...and you can create just about any type of website you can think of. I had heard that Google Sites could be used to create webquests and had good intentions of creating one during the school year, but as we all know....there is very little time during the school year for anything "extra". This class gave me the chance to explore & figure out how to set up my site and gear it exactly towards my students and their ability levels. It did take some finagling and I did become frustrated a couple of times...but what is learning if there isn't a bit of frustration & determination to get it right!
Though my site is mainly going to be used for independent research for my students. I plan on using it to intro the topic as there are many resources for my students under "Links" and I can model how they are to use the links to complete each task. I loved that there is a way to add documents to the page so that students can print out their own materials rather than rely on me for extra copies. After I created my documents page, it was as simple as uploading different worksheets & organizers that I currently have on my flashdrive...LOVE IT!
Being that I intend on using this as a lesson, I quickly added a page for standards & listed both NYS & Common Core by simply copying & pasting into the text box of the Standards page template.
One of my favorite parts is that I was able to embed a rubric I created in Google Docs so that students can keep track of how they are doing, and what they need to do in order to get a certain grade. Rubrics help keep students on track & accountable for their learning. There is also a page for a quiz that the students need to take at the end of the activity.  Currently the quiz is unlocked if you would like to check it out....otherwise it will be locked during the school year until the kids have finished all the tasks. Finally, I also incorporated a task list w/due dates as well as posted the due dates on a calendar which is also embedded on the first page of the Site.
Overall, I loved the process, and I think I have figured out most of the kinks I came across when setting up my first site. I def. can't wait to get started on at least a handful more...

Clipped from: sites.google.com (share this clip)

Feedback Form

Blogging has been around for a while now, and there are many websites to host a blog for free....tumblr, typepad, blogger, posterous, edublog and my favorite: Wordpress

I never thought I'd turn to blogging.  I never thought I was much of a writer, or had anything that really deemed itself worthy to post for the masses.  I never really had an "audience" for that matter.   Teaching changed all of that.

A blog can take on any format, from text-heavy musings to short pictorial posts and everything in between.

I had a vision that I wanted to create a central online "learning center" for the courses I teach, and it seemed a blog would be the best way bring this concept to life.

With the help of my bf, we created The Learning Pad.  It is a blog that focuses on the Core topics we are covering with correlating web interactives, current vocab terms, daily HW assignments, and school events for the most part.  

I have tried to design my page to be student friendly & accessible to all ability levels.  Most posts are very visual with post-its for easy directives, and all posts offer an audio option.  

I love that this website is a one-stop shop for my students.  There are tons of websites that offer math & science content, and it can be difficult for kids to filter out good content.  I get to research & test out activities, preview & create videos, create & post flashcards, and can get a quick assessment of my students understanding through various interactive activities & quizzes.  

It is also a one-stop shop for me!  I love that I can pull my blog right up on the smartboard & my resources are right there at my fingertips.  I don't have to dig around the internet or access multiple sites because they are embedded in my blog posts.  Why waste time searching for a Youtube video in class when I've already added to a blog post.  I can also model where to find class notes, pull up & review vocabulary flashcards, complete an interactive in class w/the kids so they can do some independent practice at home.  I have fallen in love with blogging.

It has taken time (a little over 2 years...lots of hours!) and a lot of playing around and figuring out some basic HTML code to get The Learning Pad to where it is now..truly a labor of love!  Maintaining this blog has been the ultimate professional development, as I'm constantly reading about new web tools, how to engage students with technology, improving 21st century skills, and all the fun ways students can get involved & learn.  I'm scouring tweets for new ideas, subscribing to blogs on Google reader, learning from peers from around the world thanks to the internet.

But even still, after all this....every blog, website, journal, artwork, whatever...needs a good critique.  I feel my ultimate critics are my students.  They are no holds barred when it comes to voicing their opinions most of the time...so since my website is geared towards them, why not get their feedback on what they like & don't like and what they would like to see (one student asked me a great question about Mt. Everest, and this turned into a new blog post designed with him in mind).  Every good thing needs a tweek now & then to stay fresh...so immediately I thought, create a website survey for my students to complete after they have had some time utilizing my website in school & hopefully at home.

Take a look at the form below, notice it not only is about the website, but it also allows me to get an idea of if the kids have a handle on how to navigate to the different posts & categories, and if I need to assist in any areas.  

Google Forms....FANTASTIC!

I've been pretty busy the past couple of days...camp keeps me running around and away from all things tech until I get home at night...and by then I'm pretty beat.  However, having to keep up w/the course workload, today I took on Google Forms and found it super easy to use, visually appealing, and I think its great the way I can tailor the sheet to pertain to what we are covering in class.
Our assignment was to create a Google Doc that we can use with our class.  I wanted to create something that I could use fairly early in the first week of school to start off  my math & science classes so that technology is weaved throughout the curriculum from the start.  It will be the norm rather than peppered in throughout the year as I learn things.  With that I thought a survey would be a great way to get to know my students and to find out their comfort level with using technology...it is a nice gauge of where they are at, and what sorts of remediation they might need so they can use the computers, websites etc. independently.   I also incorporated some questions into the survey to find out about their home environment, study skills,  and what might be a roadblock for them...not having a computer at home, no one to check their homework, ...do they even know HOW to study?  I made almost of the of the questions mandatory and left a lot of options for OTHER so students can add their own "voice" to their survey.  I'm really hoping I get a lot out of information/insight out of this & that the kids really love this approach rather than a worksheet.
Let me know what you think of the survey... How would you streamline it to make it appropriate for your class?

Google Tools: Summer 2011

Today I began my first class towards my +15...I've been itching to take anything Google related so I was excited to see this Google Tools course being offered!

Since this was our first session, we set up our new gmail accounts for the course, Orkut accounts, and reviewed various videos about Google..."The Beast" was an EYE-Opener for sure, but it didn't sway my love for all things Google.

One of the highlights was the overview of Forms in Google Docs...I've used Google Docs, but mainly for document storage up to this point.  I haven't had many opportunities to integrate student collaboration or writing assignments through Google Docs in my inclusion math & science classes, but during our class today I thought of a bunch of ways that I am planning on using Forms to create pre-assessments, quick HW assignments to check for understanding, tech & interest inventories, journal writing, etc...I'm so excited to get started!

Along with learning a bit about Google Docs, we were also introduced to Google Apps for Educators.  I currently use apps like Calendar, Reader, & Voice, but have always wanted to explore what apps can be integrated into my classroom.  I am going to try to create a project for my students on Google Sites, so they can lead themselves & choose from various topics, and I love that they will have a centralized place to review materials and keep track of tasks they've completed.

I could write about more of my ideas, but this camp counselor has to be up early in the AM.  I look forward to learning from everyone in the next couple of weeks & can't wait to see how everyone else plans on using Google Tools in their classroom.