August/September 2013 - My First Blog for TCCS!

Welcome, welcome, welcome! Just starting to get to know all of you, so forgive me if I don't call you by name. ;) Let me just say I'm so excited to be here at Tri-City Christian and I'm feeling so blessed to have a job and to be doing things that I love to do.

The purpose of this blog will be two-fold: 1) to share happenings in the TCCS library, and 2) to share technology tips with you that might make your life easier in the classroom. My goal will be to publish this blog at least once a month but if I come across something really cool, I may not be able to wait that long! 

THE LIBRARY:

What's New in the Library:

With the help of some dedicated volunteers this past summer, library books were pulled books off the shelf that met certain criteria:1) battered and tattered, 2) multiple copies on the shelf, or 3) very old but not a classic. These books were then donated. Once completed, over 2000 books were cleared from the shelves to make room for our new combined library. Teachers and Staff are invited to stop by and see our progress and to experience for themselves what is new in the library! 

Library Needs Survey

Don’t you hate taking surveys? Every time I receive a request to take a survey or give my opinion about services, I always give an emphatic “NO!” But I promise, promise, promise this will be painless AND it will be beneficial to you (eventually). Please respond honestly and I will do my best to meet your library and technology needs. Libraryand Technology Needs Survey

Your Input is Needed to Create a Great Library

In the Great Library Purge of 2013, many books and videos were removed from the shelves. Your input is needed to help rebuild the collection with books and DVDs that are truly useful to the teachers and desired by the students. As the school year progresses, and you realize the library does not have the materials you need, please send a request form to the library with all the pertinent information. Purchases of new books and DVDs will be based on alignment with curriculum and lessons in addition to the amount of funds available. Thank you for your help in making the library great! Book and DVD Request Form

EDTECH TIPS!

This Month: Classroom Management Technology

I tried to think about what to share with you first and I remember that my big priority was getting my class to learn procedures and to follow directions first. So this month, I am going to share with you a few applications you can use in your classroom to help increase these on-task behaviors.

ClassDojo

I have used ClassDojo for a while now and love its effect on student behavior. As a “specials” teacher, it was difficult because it meant putting hundreds of names into the computer and having to update it constantly as students rotated in and out of our school. However, ClassDojo can work for those of us with multiple classes. Instead of entering each student’s name, enter only a title for each class (for example, “7^th Grade AP English”). Then as that class behaves well or someone does something positive, reward them with a point. Let the points accumulate and when the class reaches a certain total, reward them with something positive. See the picture for ideas for class rewards. Want to know more about ClassDojo? Check it out here.

Control the Noise Apps

Several “noise” control apps and websites are available free for teachers. These programs allow students and the teacher to “see” how noisy it is in the classroom.

Too Loud! at the App Store (Great for secondary. It shows the decibel levels.)

BouncyBalls

Calmness Counter

Transition Technology

Mesmerize your students with beautiful music and colorful patterns at Whitney Music Box or help them transition from one activity to the next with some fun music clips at TV Theme Songs for ClassroomManagement. In addition to some great transition ideas, this website also has other great classroom management ideas, so make sure you take some time to explore.

Student Selector

Are you tired of calling on random students? Are you bored with pulling popsicle sticks from a can? The Random Name Generator can do this for you. Enter the names of your students (if you are a teacher of multiple classes, give the task to a trustworthy student) and let the computer randomly choose a student.

Random Name Generator

Automatic Seating Chart

This program will automatically generate seating charts for your class and it takes into consideration students who do not work well together (once you input that information). One small issue: it is free for one class (great for elementary) but costs $15 a year for unlimited classes. Automatic SeatingChart Maker