Lets REALLY Give This Another Try...........

I am very tech savvy and implement soooo much technology into my classroom. But..... just haven't found my nitch for blogging consistently about my classroom yet. (may have something to do with the fact most days I'm sooo busy don't know if I'm coming or going)
Sooooooo lets start with some of my favorite techy classroom things this school year.

Tech tip #1 ~ Hour of Code 
My first graders have truly enjoyed participating in the Hour of Code.

                                            click here

Launched in 2013, Code.org® is a non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. Our vision is that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science. We believe computer science and computer programming should be part of the core curriculum in education, alongside other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, such as biology, physics, chemistry and algebra.

Tech Tip #2 ~ IPads In First Grade


Some Of My First Graders Favorite Apps..........


1. 
                           Click here

We just got done doing a two week author study on Mo Willems and my firsties LOVE these books.



2.  
               Click Here
       Reading Rainbow

I received some ITunes gift cards as classroom xmas gifts this year and ended up buying the full version of this app as my children love this app. You can log into 5 devices with the same account.


  3.        

                        RAZ Kids ~ Click Here

This subscription costs around $95.00 for a whole school year but is sooooo worth it as my first graders love getting on RAZ Kids as enrichment to my reading program.



Tech Tip #3 ~ Google Apps and Google Classroom

My first graders are very fortunate that we have an abundance of technology at our fingertips in my school district. We utilize a Google Chrome Cart every other day for a 40 min block and each of my first graders have there own chrome book with a Google account. They are able to put educational apps into their own personal drives as well as other apps I use for instruction. It is truly amazing how their 6yr old minds can navigate around through multiple user names, passwords and programs. We do mini tech centers during this block and their excitement and engagement it truly infectious.

1.           
                                        Click Here     

And YES my FIRST GRADERS use a online digital classroom as part of our instruction and learning.                                                


~Mrs. Smith

Spring Fever......

I guess I have spring fever and so my first graders did this really cute math fact family bunny today. I got this cute idea of pintrest which was linked into Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits Blog. You can get your free copy there also.

IPAD & QR Code in Action.....

Today I put my new techy find into action with a QR code short vowel rhyming activity.
The kids had soooooo much fun and scanning and coming up with rhyming words.

    
I made just a short read and write activity which you can get a free copy here ~  QR Code

River Life .....

So living on the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York is always beautiful!! The river froze over this winter (doesn't always happen every winter) but the ice just went out last week. So.....today I was standing in the kitchen and heard a ship horn blowing. So went down a block to the river and this is what I found..... One of two Canadian Ships coming up river to head out onto Lake Ontario. Spring is here now officially. YES !!!!!!!

Children's E Books.....

I found this cool app through my google education account but, I also found out it is available in apple version too. It is a children's E-Book app which comes with several pre-loaded books already.

                         
                                                  MeeGenius

Where is Spring????

It has been a busy time in First Grade and my classroom said good bye to our fabulous student teacher, Mrs. Gleason this week. I am not sure who is going to miss her more ......Me or the students?? :0(
She did a great job and will be a very successful teacher and be an asset to any school district.

But while I had some extra time I was able to search and develop some really neat ideas for my first graders. I am inspired everyday by Katie King and her Queen Of The First Grade Jungle Blog! I love her Techy Tuesday Link Party and get so many great ideas for my tech savoy classroom. Please check out her latest tech idea of QR Codes in the classroom. I literally made a short vowel rhyming center in 15 minutes tech style.

                        
                                                        QR Codes

And a side note the covers are here for my classroom ipads and hopefully will get the rest of the details ironed out very soon so I can get these great devices in the hands of my patiently waiting first graders.

They have been still doing an amazing job sharing the one ipad we have in our classroom currently. They were yearbook photographers this week as they went around they school with the ipad capturing candid shots of students and staff.
They LOVED it !!!!