Yippee!!!

Camp Read won a $2,000 grant from Target to be used for reading materials to be put in the hands of our campers.  Every camper will receive books of their choosing to help create a library at home. Each year Target gives educational grants to K-12 schools and nonprofit organizations and we are very pleased to have been chosen.  Applying was easy and painless, and the end result was fantastic!  Grants are given in the amounts of $250 - $2000 and we got the $2000!

So true!

Benchmarking Madness!!!!

The last two weeks have consisted of your friendly neighborhood GCSEC curriculum specialists bouncing from school to school across the county helping out with benchmarking.  I can now safely state, I have every first to second paragraph of every fluency benchmark passage memorized.  So if you're ever curious about Charlie Clark and his postal route, how the mountain and river were bitter rivals, or jellyfish and their plastic like bubble tops...just let me know. I'll recite them for you.

We also hear the same mistakes stated over and over, lump of grass instead of lump of glass, big bay bridge instead of big bay ridge, not fallen yet instead of not yet fallen among many others. My personal favorite is testicles instead of tentacles.  Jean Ann had a student furiously apologizing to her through out his timing once he realized his mistake.  He'd read a sentence "I'm so sorry" read another sentence "I'm really sorry", and Jean Ann being the model of standardization waited until he left the room to bust out laughing. 

I've learned a couple new tricks the last few weeks.  

1. Laptops are faster than iPads. 

  I used my laptop exclusively, Jean Ann would switch back and forth between her laptop and iPad.  Both of us noticed the laptops' increased speed navigating between pages, and overall the laptop seemed  not to "clitch up" as much as the iPad.

2. Safari and AIMSweb are frenemies.

   For the most part AIMSweb will work in any web browser you choose. But there have been issues with Safari not recognizing passwords, or not interacting fast enough with the browser based scoring.  If you simply switch to firefox, chrome or any other browser you should be fine.  On an iPad you will have to download the app for that browser. (I personally recommend chrome)

3. Stop and reload.

   Some of us have had an issue setting up our progress monitoring schedules.  Once everything was loaded it wouldn't give the assess now option for fluency passages.  (This is the most awesome perk of AIMSweb right now!!! It must work!!!) The only way I could find to fix it was to file those schedules and start over.  (YUCK!) Luckily both teachers who had to deal with this are AIMSweb ninjas and did not have any data other than the initial score in for students, so it wasn't a major dilemma.  If this happens to you, LET ME KNOW, and I will stalk AIMSweb for some answers! 

As always, contact Jean Ann or myself if you have any questions!

I wish I could....

iPad Craziness!!!

It seems that many teachers across the county now have access to iPads for use in their classrooms.  Some lucky teachers may have a one to one ratio of students to iPads, others have one to share with the entire class, and then some of us have to track down the one iPad the school has to share with multiple classes if not the entire building.  No matter how you have access...many of us have this feeling of I have an iPad...now what?  

Which leads to more questions.  How do I use this in my class? What apps do I purchase? When do I use it? There are MANY websites and blogs that will give you some excellent tips and advice on all things iPad in your classroom.  Here are a few of my favorites.

 Have You Tried Turning It Off and On Again?

Our GCSEC Technology Goddess's blog is full of interesting info.  She has enabled a search feature on the apps page that allows you to search by grade level, or subject!!!

Apple Education apps

All things Apple. This is where you will find apps organized to a specific academic area.

Apple in Education

This gives you some ideas on the educational uses of the iPad.

iPadding Along

A first grade teacher blog on her 1:1 classroom, with the initiative to become paperless.

Only 1 iPad in the Classroom?

Interesting blog article on how to use and manage a one iPad classroom.

iPad Curriculum

iPad Curriculum is a collection of the best in applications, practices, and deployment of the iPad as a learning device.  (Can you tell I copied that straight from the website?)

iPad in Schools

Just like the site's title, excellent ideas and apps for use in the classroom.

iPads in Education

A great source of news, reviews, and resources for the iPad in Education.

iPadagogy

YouTube channel full of videos about the uses of iPads in education.

iPads in education daily

Another page full of news, reviews, and such where you will have access to a plethora of resources.

 Apps in Education

My brain hurts from all the information on this blog!

Common Core Apps for Special Needs Students

Thanks to Kevin P. for emailing this article to me! 

Obviously, this is just the tip of the iPad iceberg.  Michelle George will be hosting iPad in Special Ed Classroom and iShow and Tell workshops this fall! Watch for more info COMING SOON!!!!

What Summer Vacation?

So, this was my summer: end of school, one week off, four weeks of summer school, one week off, three weeks of Camp Read & Math, production week for Oklahoma! (summer stock I directed), then suddenly it was August and I was back in the office prepping for workshops and trying to find my desktop (which is still buried). 

MEF's Cast of OKLAHOMA!

Yet, even with a crazy summer I still get excited when I see the school supply displays at stores.  It means I get to buy my new pens, flair tip markers, and organize my new informational binder for the year. Yes, I'm a dork...I know this...they have yet to develop a 12 step program to help with my educational/organizational dork-i-tude. 

As usual your friendly neighborhood GCSEC Curriculum Specialists are ready to go with professional development opportunities just for you!!!! Educators can earn CPDU’s at ALL of our workshops. For more information please click Upcoming Events.  

Feel free to contact Jean Ann or myself (Stephanie) with any questions regarding AIMSweb, curriculum, accommodations & modifications, interventions, classroom management, goal setting, RtI, educational games, and much much more!!!!  

Best Wishes on a successful school year!!!!!

Stephanie

....And We're Off!!!!!!!

The new year is here and we are all back to school, energized and ready for the second semester right?  If not, those who attended GCSEC’s Box Cars and One Eyed Jacks Math workshop on the 4th certainly were! John and Jane Felling graced Grundy County with their enthusiasm and love for math games.  

The day began with Jane working with GCSEC’s Early Childhood teachers.  Using a deck of cards, dice and some dominoes, teachers left with new ideas to teach numbers, value, and basic facts.

Jane explaining the importance of pairing off numbers/dice/dominoes!

Clockominoes with our EC teachers!

Then that evening, in simultaneous workshops, Jane worked with K-5 teachers from the county while John entertained 6th  - 12th grade teachers.  There were dice rolling, cards saluting, and dominoes stacking all over Shabbona’s Library and GCSEC’s board room.

We're all smiles...so I think we just won a game!

Meg, Peg, Elizabeth, & Linda grouping their Stratedice.

Dottie and Jane "Saluting"

Sister rivalry never dies....

Salute!

John keeping those silly Jr. High and H.S. teachers on task and learning!

Thanks to John and Jane for coming down from the hockey mecca of Canada and to all who attended. I hope ideas gathered that day are finding a home in your classrooms!

For those of you wanting MORE GAMES...Jean Ann and I will be hosting our GAME NIGHT this Thursday, January 19th from 4 - 6 p.m. in our office at Shabbona Middle School (room 124). We will be focusing on Reading Games. Please RSVP to Stephanie at sbenson@grundyspecialed.org if you would like to attend!