Comic Life technology assignment

In our Instructional Technology class, we had a to take pictures of right angles and take those pictures to create a "scrapbook page" using the software Comic Life. It's a great program and very easy to use. I think kids would have a blast using this software. I can't quite figure out how to add a picture of the scrapbook page, but once I figure it out, I'll post a picture.

Mind42.com concept map

Mind42 is software that can be used to create concept maps. I made a Children's Literature Genres concept map using this software. This was also really easy to use, but I thought the fishbone concept map was a lot more interesting to look at than the Mind42 concept map. But overall, both were quite easy to use.

Children's Literature Genres Fishbone Concept Map

Here is a concept map that I created from XMind. It is a fishbone concept map of children's literature genres. It was really fun and interesting to create and quite easy. I thought XMind software was very user friendly (especially for someone who is as technologically inept as me). I also liked how the fishbone design is different than a regular concept map design. I'm excited to try using it for other projects.

kid's lit blog

Here is a link to a kid's lit blog that Anne Diekema (USU Instructional Technology 4010 instructor) posted on a discussion. It looks like an interesting site where they review all sorts of children's literature.

Wikis

In our Instructional Technology class 4010 we learned about wikis. I am including a link to the wiki that our teacher created. I added a new post about long-haired dachshunds and child piano prodigies. And I am including the link to the wiki that I created. (Fun Favorite Recipes).

Ideas to Put on My Classroom Blog

Here are ideas that I would like to include in my classroom blog:
class pictures, calendars, lunch menus, field trip notices and pictures, birthday news, book reviews, spelling lists, vocabulary lists.

My First Podcasts

I will be reading the stories Sheila Rae, The Brave and Owen by Kevin Henkes on podcast. I also included a short podcast of the book Setting Limits in the Classroom Revised: How to Move Beyond the Dance of Discipline in Today's Classrooms by Robert J. MacKenzie, Ed.D.

Teaching about Religion

Here is a list of books that Dr. Martha Dever (USU) recommended to her ELED students to teach about religion:
Buddha Stories, Demi
Muslim Child, Khan
Celebrations, Kindersley
A Faith Like Mine, Buller
Religion, Langley
What I Believe, Brown and Langley
I Love Hanukkah, Hirsh

Brittany Walker's blog on positive reinforcement

I really enjoyed looking at Brittany Walker's blog. She talked about a positive reinforcement awards system and also posted a link to another blog with other ideas. Nice to get some fun creative ideas. Thanks, Brittany!

Mrs. Gubler's Classroom

I really enjoyed Mindy Gubler's blog http://mgubler.blogspot.com/ for this INST 4010 class. I really liked her book list, how she put music on her blog, and also her background layout. Great job!

Free Technology for Teachers

Here's another website that has information on free technology for teachers. I took this off of Megan's blog (from our INST 4010 class). Thanks Megan! http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

teaching math

Here's a math http://mathematicslearning.blogspot.com/ blogspot on how to teach math effectively. I took it off Jenny's blog (from our INST 4010 class). Since I am getting an endorsement in math, I thought this would be beneficial to have when I start teaching math. Thanks, Jenny!

Book Review: The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is about a tree who loved and shared with this little boy all throughout the little boy's life from when he was young to when he grows old. The tree lets the boy swing on her branches and pick her leaves and climb her trunk and eat her apples. And they would play games like hide and seek and when the boy was tired, he would sleep in the tree's shade. When the boy grows older, he doesn't see the tree as often. When the boy finally visits her and the tree wants him to play with her, the boy says he is too big to play with the tree. He tells the tree that he needs money so the tree tells him to pick her apples and sell them to get money. So that is what the boy does and the tree is happy. A long time as passes before the boy visits the tree again. This time, the boy wants a wife and children so he needs a house and the tree tells the boy that he can cut off her branches to make a house. Another long period of time passes before the boy visits again; this time the boy is old and he wants a boat. So the tree tells him to cut down her trunk and make a boat. So the boy cuts down her trunk and makes a boat. "The tree was happy, but not really." Then when the boy visits again the last time, the tree says she has nothing to give him because she is just an old stump now. And the boy says that he doesn't need very much now, just a place to sit down and rest and so he sits down on her stump and the tree is happy. This book talks about sharing and giving.

Book Review: Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon

The book Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell, is about a little girl named Molly Lou Melon who was the shortest girl in first grade, had buck teeth, a voice that sounded like a bull frog, and was very clumsy. Her grandmother taught her to walk proudly and believe in herself and the world will believe in her too. Then the little girl had to move to a new town and go to a new school (away from her grandmother) and she was called a "shrimpo" in gym class by this bully named Ronald Durkin. But she scored a touchdown and everyone thought she was great and Ronald felt foolish. Then the next day, Ronald called her "Bucky-Tooth Beaver" and she stacked 10 pennies on her teeth and the children thought it was cool and Ronald felt very foolish. The third day, he called her a sick duck and she sang so clear and loud, Ronald fell backwards, hit his head and had to go home. The children were elated because they were free of the bully for the day and he felt foolish. And the fourth day, Ronald told her she had made her snowflake all wrong, but when she opened it up, it was the most beautiful snowflake of all. And all the children, including Ronald were in awe. And on the fifth day, Ronald brought her a stacking penny for her tooth and smiled at her. And that night she wrote a letter to her grandma to tell her that everything that she had taught her was "exactly right." This book showed how you can stand up to a bully.

Book Review: I'm Gonna Like Me

The book I'm Gonna Like Me by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell is about a girl and a boy who have a good attitude that they are going to like themselves for who they are. They are going to like themselves even if their answers are wrong, when they are sharing, when they wear unique clothes, get on the school bus for the first time, when they get picked last for a team, when they do the right thing (return a ring that they found), when they eat something new (even if it's octopus stew), and so on. And at the end of the book they say, "I'm gonna like me. I already do! But enough about me--how about you?" This book shows how we should like ourselves for what we are, differences and all.

Book Review: The Name Jar

In the book, The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi, a little girl from Korea goes to a new school and is very uncomfortable because she has a very unusual name. She is also teased on the bus because of her name. So she tells her classmates that she hasn't yet decided on a name (she wants an American name). They decide to help her by filling a glass jar with suggestions for names. "Eventually the girl decides to keep her own name as one of her classmates takes pride in the new Korean nickname he has chosen, Chinku, meaning "friend." This story crosses cultural differences to embrace the concepts of family love, friendship, cultural sensitivity and self esteem. What a wonderful story!" (quoted from Amazon.com book and customer review)

Karen's Thoughts

I'm hoping I can use this blog for book reviews on books that I would love to share in my classroom, useful classroom ideas, and so forth. I'm still trying to learn everything that I can do on this blog; it's been fun playing around with it. Eventually, I would like to create a blog for my own classroom.

Nathan's Educational Treasures for Teachers

Here is the link to YETC's monthly newsletters for new technology. http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/nathan/index.html

Book Review: Smile A Lot

In this book, Smile A Lot by Nancy Carlson, it shows how a frog keeps a positive attitude even when things don't go the way he wants it to. "Life has all sorts of ups and downs./ That's why you should always smile a lot!" It's a great story that tells you that you should always try to be positive to help you get through the tough times.

Book Review: Hooway for Wodney Wat

In the book Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester, Rodney Rat cannot pronounce his R's. Because of that, his classmates are constantly teasing him. When Camilla Capybara moves in and she bullies everyone in the classroom, Rodney decides to outwit her in a game of Simon Says and saves himself and his classmates from her bullying. It's a cute story about an animal with a speech impediment who becomes a hero to his classmates.

Book Review: An Orange for Frankie

In this book An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco, it tells about a 10 year old boy named Frankie who gives up his favorite sweater to a hobo passing through town on a train. He also subsequently loses his Christmas orange. When he finally tells his mom about his orange, and how he gave up his favorite sweater, they are touched by his generosity and charity. And his family (brothers and sisters) rally to make his Christmas a special one.

Book Review: One Smile

I read a book review for the children's book One Smile by Cindy McKinley. This book shows how a single act of kindness can make the world a better place. In this book, a young girl and her mother are running through the park to catch a bus because their van has broken down. The young girl sees a young man in the park who looks depressed so the young girl gives him a smile. This smile has given him inspiration to help another person who in turn is inspired to help another. This goes on until the end of the book where the young girl meets up with the young man again. This book is about compassion and shows how one little gesture can compound and spread. http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20090915/WDH04/909150308/1619