BTS13 and Freebie

Hello and yes I am still alive! I know it has been a while, but I have been pretty much living at school the past two weeks getting ready.  I am happy to say I did it!!!  I managed to unpack, set up my new room with a fun new theme (that I had to create everything for), attend numerous trainings/ meetings and be ready for "Meet Your Teacher" today.  To do all of this took so much time, but today was all worth it!!  My Lego Learners classroom theme turned out fantastic.  I will post pictures soon, and all of the things I made for it are in my TpT store.

I am relieved to have made it through "meet your teacher", but now to get ready for the first day of school!  I am so excited for the Teachers Pay Teachers Back to School Sale this weekend!  There are so many fabulous and finished projects I can get on sale and save time!  There may be something I could make in a few hours or I could buy it for $4?  Well hello!!!  My time is so much more valuable, especially this few weeks.  Time to purchase my wishlist and  save time!  If I'm lucky I will make it to the beach Sunday!  Make sure you enter the code BTS13 at checkout for 28% off!

I have made a few things the past few weeks that may save you time.  I want something new this year for All About Me, so I am taking my All About Me 3D with a dodecahedron.

We adopted the McGraw-Hill Wonders Reading series this year.  I have made focus wall mini-posters and home information sheets for all of the 1st Grade Units.  You can download week 1 for free.  You can buy them by the unit or as a bundle.  This will save you some serious time!  (I so would have bought this if I could have found it!)  I am also putting together a set of just take home information sheets.

The new creation I have made that I love the most is my Gingerbread Man QR School Scavenger Hunt.  Everything is ready for you, a cute story I wrote to introduce the scavenger hunt and gingerbread man card with clues ready to post around school.  I can not wait to do these with the kids.

The last new product I want to share is the "I Know My Alphabet Phonics Review Book."  This is a book the students will make and I will be able to quickly assess so many things while they make it.  It will also take a bit of time for them to complete and I will be able to meet with all of them while they are working on it.

Here is a freebie for you!  It is a home technology survey and student information form I use.

I am going to link up with Friday Freebies and go to bed early for a change!  Check back tomorrow to find out how I will be reading my new students a bedtime story the night before school starts! 

QR Codes with Audio

My mind is spinning with ideas for the new year.  (I can't seem to turn it off!  It is my birthday, and I'm still thinking and working on school stuff.  I admit I have problems!) 

I know about QR codes and have used them a little in the past.  Mainly for parents to access various things.  I haven't really utilized them with my kids.  I have all kinds of ideas of ways to use them next year.  I don't just want the kids to scan them, I want them to create them and use them to enhance their learning.  This is tougher when you are working with firsties.  I really enjoy teaching these guys and integrating technology.  Things you would never thing they could do and pick up so quickly. 

Everyone knows you can link a website or video with a QR code.  Did you know you can also link audio?  Think of the possibilities!  First, I thought of many ways I could create audio QR codes to help students.  I could record myself reading the directions or questions for centers.  This would help them to work independently.

I got even more excited when I found this great website vocaroo.com !  It was so easy to record audio and generate a QR code; even  5 year old could do it!  I put these directions together and thought I would share, click here to get them free.

So this is what I am planning!  Imagine walking through the school halls and looking at student work.  Then you see a QR code by it, you scan it and hear the student explaining or expanding their work.  Think how much this would add to projects!  Students could do a research project, record themselves sharing what the learned.  Then students could scan and listen, learning from their classmates.  This is the ultimate way to easily incorporate the Common Core's speaking and listening standards.

So as my birthday present to you, I am sharing this info with you all.  I hope you are as excited about all of the possibilities as I am.  How will you use QR codes next year?  Please share in the comments!

Today's Ahh Ha Moment!

Hi everyone, I have just a quick post to share my ahh ha moment today!

Our county Technology Department does a Digital Media Awards for students K-12 every year.  Students can submit projects done in class throughout the year for this Oscar's type awards show.  We were finishing up one of my student's group projects and adding the video/audio recording.  I frequently have the students record themselves reading on the mac.  Normally they have the book or paper they are reading from in front of them or I hold it up above the computer.  Then the video is normally of them looking at the paper while they read.  Today I had time crunch and couldn't print the student poems they were reading.  I had them typed on my computer already, so I decided they could just read them off my computer screen.  I opened Quicktime Video Recorder and shrunk the window so the student could see it and the poem on my screen.  So now the student was looking straight ahead at the screen (and camera) while reading.  It worked fantastic!!!!  I know this isn't a major discovery for some, but wow I love it!  I can't wait for the new reading series next year with the books on the computer, I can have the students record themselves reading in a center.  Great fluency practice with real accountability!  

On another note, I hope you are having a wonderful Teacher Appreciation Week!  Huge sales at TpT and TN today and tomorrow.  I also want to let you know about a big blog hop taking place Friday!  You don't want to miss it!

Tech Tip and Happy Birthday George Washington!

Happy Friday!  I was making this George Washington writing graphic organizer and writing paper to use with my class and thought I would share a tip with you too.  

Did you ever wonder how to get an exact color match of a graphic you have?  

I always want my text or background colors to match exactly.  On the picture above, I want the background color to match the jacket color.  Well there is a super easy way (with mac) to do this.

 

When formatting the color of an object, select the More Colors... option at the bottom of the color selection drawer.

 When it comes up select the crayon box.  Then click on the magnifying glass and your cursor will turn into a magnifying class.  Hover over the color on your document you are trying to match with this magnifying glass and click it.  The color will appear in the selection rectangle, and then click OK.  It is really that easy, a perfect match!

Now in honor of my favorite day Friday and Old George's Birthday, here is a freebie for you.  Click here to grab this graphic organizer and writing paper.