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!

Lessons Learned and Interesting Discoveries

I learned long ago that I do not work on school work at home.  It took years to come to this discovery.  I'd pack up my bag of papers to grade, lesson plans to write, projects to create and IEP goals to update with the best intentions of working on it at my kitchen table.  I think in my 11 years in education I can count on two hands the amount of time I actually sat at my table and did school work.  I'm a person who does work...at work.  I come in early and stay late, because there is just something about working at home that does NOT work for me.  I'd rather go to school on a Saturday and finish something than take it home.

Which leads me to my post. While at home, in an effort not to become a drone to reality tv I've become addicted to StumbleUpon.com.  I check my Facebook, celebrity gossip sites, update my netflix cue and then I click that magical Stumble! button on my browser.  It takes me to all sorts of interesting blogs and websites. Some of which have awesome ideas for the classroom others just made me smile on stressful days, so I decided to share a bunch with you!!!

I've linked just a few of my favorites! Click and Enjoy!

1. Top 10 Ways to Wake-up Students
      From having students answer questions in British accents to sneaking Chuck Norris into your power points, great ideas for Middle and High school teachers.

2. Knowing Poe
    Edgar Allan Poe Museum
     Excellent Edgar Allen Poe sites!

3. Crazy Paper Thing
       I'm going to try this soon...maybe at camp read or camp math.

4. BrainPOP
      If you have not tried this...YOU MUST. Wonderful site! For those of you with iPads there is an app for this with free movies daily!

5.  Ancient Civilizations
     Info on ancient cities, religion, writing ect...all in an interactive website!

6.  Maps of War
     Timeline video showing who controlled what in the world.

7.   Sistine Chapel
     For the student that read the Read Naturally passage on Michelangelo.   Let him/her take a look at this!

8.  The AOLer Translator
      Need to translate what you are saying in modern terms your students will understand?  Try this. ;-)

9.  Murphy's Laws of Teaching
      I don't know if they are funny because they are true...or sad....

10.  Otter & a Toddler
      I dare you to watch this and not laugh, smile or at least grin!

11. Michelle's Tech Site
       Have you checked out our GCSEC tech goddess Michelle George's Tech Website? You should...

12. Transition Talk
       Questions about transition paperwork?  Check out Kate Ross's blog!

13. REACH Greetings
       Did you know our REACH program is starting their own business?

Marion Blumenthal Lazan

Thank you to all who were able to come and listen to Marion's powerful message!  Her husband Nathaniel will be sending me a CD of the pictures he took from that morning and I will send those onto teachers who attended!

Just a Reminder...

Deadline to RSVP your class to see Holocaust survivor Marion Blumenthal Lazan is this Thursday the 15th! After that date all available seating will go to the host school.