Marine Animals

My grade 2 students drew sea animals using Kerpoof.  They learned how to take a screen capture with command + shift + 4, rename the photo, and drag it into a shared folder on the doc.  I was then able to upload the photos to my Dropbox folder, which I accessed from my iPad and added to my Photos.  Students used the iPad one at a time to select a photo of their animal from Google Images, add a fact about their animal, and choose the colour for their background and border.  This was done using an app called Strip Designer, which I have written about previously.  We then printed the photos on full size paper to make a bulletin board display.

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Pixie

Last week, I downloaded a free trial of Pixie. At first, I thought it could be an upgrade to my school's drawing software and I wasn't all that impressed. We currently use Tux Paint and Kerpoof for free. Kerpoof is pretty much everything I need a drawing program to be and I didn't think Pixie offered all that more. Then, I discovered Pixie's potential. Not only can you drag in photos and access your camera directly from the program, but you can also create and save templates for assignments. Students can record audio and export their creation as an mov file, which can be combined with other students' work and compiled into a virtual class book. Pixie reminds me of a simpler version of Keynote, directed at primary students. Unlike Keynote, all of the clip art or "stickers" as Pixie refers to them, are contained within the program. There's no need to save a file of photos to go along with the template or have students waste time on the internet looking for pics.

Here is a screen capture of a template I tweaked for Grade 1:

Please post a comment to share how you are using Pixie in your classroom.

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Wild Self Exchange

My pen pal teacher shared a link with me for the Monster Exchange.   It sounds a little complicated for early primary, thus I have created my own simplified version.

Step 1: Students go to http://buildyourwildself.com and create their Wild Self.

Step 2: Email creations to the teacher, by using the "Send to friend" option.  Make sure each Wild Self includes the child's first name.

Step 3: *See template*

Students write instructions for their pen pal about how to recreate the Wild Self, using Pixie, Kerpoof, Tux Paint, or Kid Pix. Snail mail the instructions to the pen pal class.  Don't forget to make a photocopy first.  Important: Students should not get to see their pen pal's Wild Self at this point.

Step 4: Students follow written instructions from their pen pal in an attempt to recreate the original Wild Self.  After completion, students can see the original Wild Self.  

Step 4: Teacher uses Strip Designer iPad app or Photovisi website to create a single jpeg containing both the original Wild Self and the recreation made by the pen pal.  Print the jpegs on full size paper to make a bulletin board display or class book.  Don't forget to include the written instructions!

 I will post some pictures after we have completed this task!

Please post a comment to share similar projects you have completed with your class.  If you tried my rendition, I'd love to hear how it went for you!

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Who Am I? Keynote

Thank you to David Clough for the idea!

Now that we have had an introduction to making Keynote presentations, my students will be working on Who Am I? Keynotes, using the same mammals they studied last week.  I have created a folder with a template, example, and photos for each slide.  Students will need to drag the correct photos onto the slides and add simple sentences.  We will view these with our interactive projector.

Here is my example:

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Field Trip to the Apple Store!

Yesterday I took my students on a free field trip to the Apple store.  Prior to the visit, students chose a mammal to research online.  I created a folder of images, separated into files for Animals, Habitats, and Adaptations.  I also included a Keynote template, since this was the students first time using Keynote.  Each student had their research in front of them as they filled in the template.  There were three Apple facilitators and three parent volunteers to help us.  At the end of our 90 minute session, students came away with their Keynote presentation on a CD, a personalized certificate from the Apple store, and an Apple t-shirt.  What a unique field trip experience!

To prepare for the field trip, the students used templates from my Animal Research Bundle. Click on the link to preview the file at my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

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Drawing Programs

Tux Paint is open source drawing software, similar to Kid Pix.  Because Kid Pix doesn't run very well on the computers we use at school, I have been looking for an inexpensive replacement.  Tux Paint seems to do the trick.  It's simple to use but doesn't have a lot of features.  I prefer Kerpoof but sometimes it's nice to have something that doesn't require an internet connection.  Tux Paint is my go-to program when the internet is down.

Please post a comment to share how you are using Tux Paint in the classroom.

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Study Jams!

Study Jams! are short cartoon tutorials about a variety of math and science concepts. They seem to be geared more toward the intermediate grades.  They can be projected onto a screen to introduce or reinforce a concept.  They can also be used for independent study, as there is a set of questions to accompany each tutorial.  Study Jams! remind me of Brain Pop.

Please post a comment to share how you are using Study Jams! in your classroom.

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Math Lessons

Beacon Learning Center has a good collection of online math lessons, mostly aimed at a grade 3-5 level.  These lessons can be used with an interactive whiteboard to introduce or reinforce math concepts.

Please post a comment to share how you are using Beacon Learning Center resources in your classroom.

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