Visit the Mayflower

I am finishing up my graduate class in technology and students with disabilities. My final project was to create virtual filed trip - take my students somewhere they couldn't actually visit. I decided to take them back in time - back to 1620 to be exact! They will learn all about the journey the pilgrims made getting to America. There are lots of interesting things to do with the students - measure to actual size of the Mayflower to get a true feel for just how small it was. Watch some videos that "take" you on board and recreate the trip. Finally we are going to pack up. The students will pretend they are going on the journey along side the pilgrims. What will they bring? They need to keep in mind the conditions on the boat and decide what they might truly need. First graders can be so insightful! Last year most wanted to bring water. Several wanted books to make the voyage less boring. One wanted medicine. Another wanted to leave her little brother home (ok so first graders can be funny too!)

Click here to visit the glogster I created with several activity links:

QR Codes

I love this quote!

All of the students in my technology class created Prezis on various technology for classroom use. It was a great way to see different ideas - a jigsaw assignment for teachers. The presentation on QR code readers was very intriguing. I would love to create QR codes for centers directions. The students would have fun getting the directions, but most importantly it would support my firsties who aren't ready to read the printed directions yet. Check out the QR Code Prezi here.

Prezi on Promethean Boards

I took last week off from everything and enjoyed a great vacation with my kids! They are growing so quickly - I am cherishing every moment we still have altogether. I am taking graduate classes towards my special education endorsement. This summer I am taking a technology and students with disabilities class. I am learning about some great technology. My class presented Prezis on different areas of education technology. It was wonderful to see some high tech and even lower tech products in use. Here is a link to my Prezi on the Promethean Board.

I am fortunate enough to have a Promethean Board in my classroom - as you can imagine it gets quite a workout! The students love to interact with the board, I love how many hands on educational activities you can use the board for: Instruction with flair, games, modeling, reinforcement of directions, brain breaks and even a few educational videos. How do you use your Interactive White Board?