Kaleidoscope App

     This past week in my Pre-Student Teaching Observations, the catholic school where I observe in Malvern, Pennsylvania, every Thursday, was taking Terra Nova Tests throughout the entire week.  In order to keep the second grade students calm and quiet in the classroom until all of the other students in the school had finished with their Terra Nova Tests, my cooperating teacher and I found an art-themed app on the iPad that served as a brain break activity for the students.  The name of the app is Kaleidoscope and it can either be downloaded onto an iPhone, iPod, or an iPad.  Downloading this free app is easy, all you have to do is go into the App Store on your Apple Device and type in Kaleidoscope in the search bar.  It is a free download; however, it may require you to purchase certain things contained on the app.  This app is an amazing drawing activity that allows students to think that they are actually looking inside of a kaleidoscope.  With this app, it is a simple drawing activity that includes eight different kaleidoscope modes, more than ten beautiful brushes, and endless bright colors.  After you are finished with your kaleidoscope design, this app actually allows you to watch the play back of your kaleidoscope design and procedure with the “Movie” mode!  This app is great to use either as an art activity or a quick brain break activity in any grade level.  

Kahoot!

 

     In my Language Arts Methods class, my professor introduced us to a fun and motivational website that can be used as a means of an assessment.  The name of the website is Kahoot and it requires all students in the classroom to have an iPad or some form of electronic device that will allow the students Internet access. Also, the classroom must have a projector so that the teacher can project her computer screen onto either a white board or a Smart Board.  In order for a teacher to create an activity or design a quiz, log on to https://getkahoot.com/.  The classroom teacher can then sign in or create a new account.  After the teacher has finished signing in, they will continue to create their quiz or activity of their choice. The teacher can create the activity in whatever way they wish and their choices range from: how many questions on the particular activity to the time limit to answer each question.  After the teacher creates and finalizes the quiz or activity, a numerical code will pop up on the Board.  Then, the students will log on to https://kahoot.it/#/ and enter the numerical code that is on the board.  Once the students enter the code they should all press the ENTER button.  After the students are entered into the activity or quiz, they will be instructed to create an anonymous game name.  As the teacher, remind your student to not use their real name, just to keep the excitement and anxiousness at a high-level during the activity!  Once the timer starts, the questions and the answers will be up on the board.  So, the students will read the questions and the answers on the board.  Then, on their individual devices, they will answer the question.  Each answer is depicted with a different colored geometric shape (triangle, square, circle, rectangle, etc).  On their device, the students will simply tap the shape that corresponds with the answer on the board.  After the time limit is up after each question, the students will be rated in terms of their score on a chart.  The scoring is rated in terms of how quickly they answered the question and if they selected the correct answer.  I will definitely use this motivational and engaging website in my classroom.  Your students will not remember that they are being assessed during this activity because they are so enticed by the technology and better engaged in learning with some fun!

School Tube

            I cannot believe that I am already in my second semester of my junior year!  Beginning on January 15^th, I began my Pre-Student Teaching Observations at a Catholic School in Malvern, PA in a second grade classroom.  I am also looking forward to student teaching in this same second grade classroom for the Fall 2015 Semester.  I am fascinated that in every classroom at this Catholic School there is a Smart Board.  Technology and the use of multimedia is definitely at an all-time high throughout this school, and all of the teachers incorporate technology in some way into their classroom curriculum. This past Thursday, February 5^th, both of the second grade classrooms combined for Science Lab in the afternoon.  In Science Lab, the students learned about the Water Cycle.  The second grade teachers asked me to find an age and grade appropriate video online to help introduce the concept of the Water Cycle to the students. The teachers recommended that I search for the video through School Tube.  I had never heard of School Tube until my cooperating teacher mentioned it to me.  She explained that School Tube was the educational (appropriate) version of YouTube.  She indicated that it provides you with educational and yet sometimes motivational or fun videos that are also school-appropriate.  Now that I know about School Tube, I will definitely utilize this website to find videos and much more when I begin my student teaching in the fall.  This website/search engine will allow me to find videos for my students that are appropriate instead of constantly searching on YouTube and hoping that an appropriate one will pop-up.