Repeating myself-6 times!!

Well, patience was given a new meaning today. It is important always to be patient with little ones but today I realized with the computers a new level of patience is required! :)

We made folders on our desktops today. I showed the kids how to do it on the smart board several times and then we went through the instructions, no joke, at least six times. I asked what do you do first...ok what next...and so on. As soon as it seemed as though kids were able to respond...we did it one last time showing it on the smart board and talking it through.

I imagine this is more the way a kindergarten teacher teaches as everything seems new to these little guys. I think we take for granted that kids have an idea of how to do things in first grade and on...BUT with a computer it is back to square 1...so you have to repeat directions a gazillion times and show them...and MODEL MODEL MODEL until you think you literally beat it into the ground-and then try it one last time!

Was every kid able to make folders on their desktop after I repeated it (with the kids) and showed them at least 6 times...NO absolutely not...but did a majority of kids complete the task with little or no help...YES!!

AND I truly believe that I think the next time we create folders (now that kids have done it once) those kids who just needed a little help will be able to do it independently....it will only continue to get easier.

However, right now...EVERYTHING needs to be walked through lots of times and MODELED and repeated! It is just the way it goes...and I certainly don't blame the kids...it is all new to them...to be honest I am quite satisfied with how today went and feel very hopeful with how far we will go with the computers this year. I left today with a smile, knowing that the lesson was successful. :)

Technology Woes

Today technology was used as a tool to help the students stay more engaged and to help assess students ability levels. The computers were used today for think link (a program that tests students,) lexia ( a reading program,) xtra math (an online math program,) Pearson Math (math program) and differentiated math links for students.

The computers worked well today and students were actively engaged while on the computers.

Today, others had problems with chargers not working properly (fingers crossed that mine continue to work ok!)

Technology Woes

Today was hard for the students. The internet was slow in our classrooms. Asking a 6 year old to wait patiently (and quietly) is quite difficult. Let alone asking 25 6 year olds! When the internet works the kids do well on the laptops and the laptops can be used as a great tool. When the internet is slow it is difficult to stay patient about technology and is easy to think back to the fact that "paper and pencil" never had these problems!

Tomorrow is a new day, hopefully with faster internet!

It Begins!

I am back. The start of year two with the laptops. I am incredibly excited to be able to have an entire year to use the laptops with my students.

We have been using laptops in our classroom for about 3 weeks. The kids are now all able to log on (well, all but one...maybe two students!) Most of my kids are able to log-in to their reading and math program, Pearson, when using their password card (a few of the kids even have this password memorized!) Yes, it is baby steps with the little ones but in 3 weeks they have come a long way.

Although it might not seem as though the children have come far to an outsider I believe the first graders have learned a lot since the first day we took out the laptops. They know how to click and drag things. They know how to located and find new programs. They know how to enter in several passwords (with the help of a card.) They can turn on and shut down their laptop.

Sometimes, I forget the hurtles that the kids have jumped over but when I get a new student I am reminded at just how far they have come. I had a new student start in my classroom on Tuesday. He is having difficulties with things that my students are now "experts" on. As I watched one of my children standing over the new student today showing (not doing it for him) how to shut down his computer I had a big smile on my face. They truly are learning 21st century skills in the classroom-as well as skills that aren't so new like being a teamplayer.

Calendar

As we were doing calendar today I was thinking that next year I will introduce it slightly differently. In September I will start with doing calendar on the smartboard (the kids will not use their laptops right away...) once we have walked through the tools, some of the ins and outs, then we will introduce them to the calendar.

if a student deletes a piece of the calendar I will have them redownload it from the s drive.

Also it is important to remember for me to have the kids download it from the s drive...not the website. by doing this I can add or delete pages I want and can reorder them to make sense with our routine.

it does not bother me if students use different colored pens/markers, or change the background of their screen IF they have completed what we are doing.

It should be quiet in the room unless someone is called on.

there is lots of room for discussion by doing it on the computers as well as the calendar.

I would like to do one calendar helper a day to do it up on the smartboard as the rest of the class does it on the laptops...

also at the end of the month each month I would like for kids to turn it into me so that I can see who is understanding the concepts better/who is struggling with certain concepts.

Word Wall

Alright, thinking towards next year as I continue to work away this year with the computers. The word wall is going really well. I love that the kids (most of them) are doing such an amazing job spelling and reading the new word wall words. They are tricky words but my kids really seem to be applying their knowledge of the words and are doing a better job reading them too because they are forced to type them into sentences. I have a few lower students who definitely need the assistance but most of the kids are able to type the words right in and then apply them to sentences.

This is great for my ELL students! Today one of my ELLs wrote "I am taking the long cut." The word wall word was long. She explained that it was like short cut but long cut. This opened up the dialog so that she knew and now understood we have such things as short cuts but not long cuts.

Next year I am thinking a consistent way to do them each day would be great! This year I am having students do this work in Key note which I really like so far.

Monday: introduce new word wall words-clap, chant, cheer them (students can type in the word after clap-chant-cheering it

Tuesday: students put the word into a sentence

Wednesday: Wacky Wednesday students clap, chant cheer the words in wacky ways (students underline the word wall word in their already written sentence.)

Thursday: Students make rhyming words (if the word wall word is how then I can spell now cow plow ect-give students time to find pictures as well to go with the words.

Friday: word wall game (as class-kagan style)

Today for the first time when students were finished they were able to work on word wall games or lexia. this worked great. I will definitely do this again. students who finished their work were able to do this and it was great. Not busy work but on their level and they loved it! It was quiet in the room! :)

This is definitely on all kids levels as well because the higher kids were making multiple sentences while my lower students were making short sentences.

Differentiation for ELLs...I could give them sentence frames.

Tabs

Next year I would like to make my website have specific tabs for the students. I feel as though my website is already flooded with so many tabs that it no longer feels as organized to me. Although the kids do seem to be able to navigate just fine it bothers me from an organizational standpoint.

I would like a tab for each subject: Math (center groups if I do those again next year,) writing, reading, wake-up work,

Right now students are able to go on the websites they choose for the morning time. I think that next year I would like for students to go specifically to the "wake-up work" tab. I think that it would be nice to have things that we don't ordinarily find the time for like typing.

I like that students start off with extra math each morning. That is something I would like to continue.

I am also thinking that I could make up morning work for students to put into their shared drive for them to access each day for practice. However, I am wondering if this would be more time than it is worth...something worth thinking about.