Storybird

I was so excited learning about digital stories that I had to try it out right away. We created this storybird as a whole group. I maneuvered the mouse and typed, but the class selected the pictures and came up with the text. Not bad for the first try...

Mr. Fin's Adventure on Storybird

(Wow! I think I'm even more proud of myself for figuring out how to embed this story into a blog.)

After creating a Storybird whole-group, two of my higher-level students tried making their own. They are short, but then again, so are their written stories. Adding details and a "kick off" to written stories is something we are still working on. Maybe seeing the digital form and presenting them to the class will encourage them to add more details and pages. They typed everything themselves and chose their own illustrations. It took a very long time. They have never typed this much before.

Silly Cats on Storybird


My  Snowy  Day on Storybird


I'm still new to this... Does anyone know if there is a way to add audio to storybirds?

Model Educator Blogs

Now that I've read several teachers' blogs, I can see how useful it can be as a form of communication between myself and parents, students, and even administration. Does anyone know how effective they are when working in the inner cities or low-income schools? I have always wanted to have a classroom website or blog, but was skeptical about the participation from home. 

Tales From A K-2 Classroom really helped me to see how I can use the blog as a way to communicate with parents. It's really cute that she makes her lessons more relevant to her students by using Angry Birds and other characters that her students are interested in. I must admit, one of my weaknesses is staying up with what is "cool."

Kid Lit Frenzy highlights certain books each week to read. I like the idea of bringing different books to students' attention. I remember when I was in elementary school, I had a difficult time choosing what book would be interesting to me. 

I loved learning about the different technology in Mr. Shur's Computer Lab. It's so true what he said about finally getting the teachers on board with powerpoint and now the students are "been there, done that."

I'm so happy there are so many more options out there to explore. If only the school systems would keep up with the pace of the students' technology. I waitress on the weekends and almost every child I wait on from the time they are old enough to sit up has an iPhone in their hand watching videos. 

Exploring Diigo, Blogs, and Animoto

After exploring through the assignments, I can see how using Diigo in the classroom can be a good way to organize specific resources you would like your students to have access to. This can help when sometimes a search on a particular topic can become overwhelming for some students. It also helps the teacher screen for reliable websites that will not steer the students away. It will keep research time more productive.

I loved watching the Animotos. It already got my brain running to decided what kind of Animoto I will make. I especially liked the shapes and seasons. I was really interested in watching the spanish vocabulary  video, but I couldn't get it to work. I was hoping to see if maybe I could use that idea to incorporate kindergarten high frequency words somehow.  

Effective Instructional Models

The amount of resources available to educators on the internet is overwhelming. It is clear that the more you search and become familiar with the resources, the more you will develop as a teacher and integrate more teaching strategies. I was a little disappointed that many of the links that I clicked on in Chapter 3 were no longer working though, especially the ones under the heading for Sharee Mendoza's Class. Many of the links I was interested in on Schoolnet were no longer available as well.

One of the articles offered on Reading Online was about posting "book talks" online for students or colleges to view, like a teaser to make them read them. I can envision - if I taught an older grade it might be fun to post a book talk per week to inspire students to check out a particular book, or having students post a "book talk" about a book they just read for other students to check out.  Here is the article.

NETS (National Education Technology Standards)

Below is a summary of what is expected of both students and teachers to demonstrate through technology, according to NETS


NETS For Students:

• Demonstrate creative thinking using technology
• Work collaboratively with others using digital media
• Use digital tools for research
• Use digital tools to demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Use technology and digital media safely, ethically, and responsibly
• Demonstrate and understanding of systems and choose applications appropriately

NETS For Teachers:

• Facilitate students' demonstrating critical thinking using technology
• Design experiences and assessments for students to develop the above mentioned NETS for students skills
• Collaborate and model fluency and digital skills
• Promote etiquette, responsible behavior, and global awareness
• Remain a life-long learner, as technology continuously changes

In my kindergarten classroom, I am excited to begin applying these NETS standards. My students currently use Starfall.com and a software program our district subscribes to, Lexia. Therefore, my students have become familiar with the basic skills needed to navigate a computer (ex: opening a program, clicking on icons, closing programs, moving the mouse.) I have done a little research about digital storytelling and I am extremely excited to begin. I know that through this media, I will be able to bring my students to the next level of critical thinking, beyond their one-sentence stories. I will keep you updated as to our progress as we begin!

New Literacies

New Literacies are the skills which students now need to be successful, technology-savvy individuals and members of society. Under the heading, Teaching With the Internet: 
Venita Rodriguez's Eighth-Grade Team, there is a link to Starfall.com. At my class' level, Kindergarten, this is an outstanding resource. We use starfall.com on a daily basis. Our school has actually subscribed to morestarfall.com, which, as the name points out, has even more great age-appropriate games, songs, stories, etc. What I love most about Starfall is its ease to navigate. Many popular children's sites are easy to accidentally "x" out of, or is filled with advertisements or links to adult information. Starfall keeps the students engaged while teaching important Language Arts and Mathematics skills.

If anyone knows any other great Kindergarten-level sites, please let me know!

Google Docs

I am so excited about using Google Docs. I love the fact that I can bring my students to the computer lab and while they are logged on their individual computers writing their documents, I can periodically peek into any student's piece and give immediate feedback, or check for progress. I feel like this will bring conferencing to a whole new level. I also love the fact that it can be used as a way for group projects. Multiple students can work together on the same document instantly.


I was thinking about using Google Docs as I lay in bed last night and I was just wondering- Does every student in the class need their own gmail account in order to use it? I was wondering about the logistics of using it in the elementary classrooms. Does anyone know?

Testing 1,2,3...

This is my first blog experience! I have no idea what I'm doing.

About myself...
I am a Kindergarten teacher for Carrington School in Waterbury. This is my 4th year teaching kindergarten. I am excited about learning new ways to integrate technology for my little ones.