Lowering the Noise

If you have ever been in an elementary school classroom before you know that it can real loud, very quick. As a teacher it is your goal to make sure students remain quiet so they can focus on the work they have to do. A little chatter may be fine but it is important students know what is expected of them and what is a voice level you as the teacher find acceptable. While looking for great tools for the classroom I stumbled upon this app called Too Noisy.

Too Noisy is an app that helps the teacher monitor the noise level in the classroom. A meter is used to show where the noise level currently is in the room. The teacher has the capability to change the sensitivity of the meter. This way the teacher can make sure the app is adjusted to the activity students are doing. If the noise level in the classroom gets too high an alarm will sound. If the alarm is too quiet on your iPad or iPhone, the company suggests connecting your device to external speakers.

I think that despite the $3.99 download price of the app, it could be a great investment in a classroom. Students will be held accountable for their noise level and the teacher can use the app as a way to monitor noise level while they're conferencing or working with a small group. As students are quiet and the meter doesn't move into the red, they earn star awards. The teacher can then incorporate the star rewards into the class behavior management reward system. I would definitely consider purchasing this app to use in my future classroom as a way to help ensure students are working in a room that is quiet and on task.

References:
[Untitled images of Too Noisy app]. Retrieved February 28, 2017, from http://toonoisyapp.com/

[Untitled image of Too Noisy logo]. Retrieved February 28, 2017, from http://toonoisyapp.com/

iPad Lesson 6

The sixth iPad lesson focused on spelling sight words. Sight Words 2 was the app used for this lesson. During the lesson the student practiced using spelling strategies she has been working on in order to spell the various sigh words correctly.

Sight Words 2 is a free literacy app teachers can download for their student to use during the school day. When you open the app you are taken directly to the homepage. This page has an image of a wood post with six different options you can choose from. The top of the post says words tour, followed by find n shoot, unscramble, memory game, bingo, and practice words. At the top of the page there are two gear wheels that say settings. After clicking on settings you have the option to have the app use grade 1 or grade 2 sight word lists.

For the word tour the app reads through ten different sight words, letter by letter. The student has to click on the right arrow to hear and see the next word. By clicking the circular arrows in the middle of the two arrows the app will spell the word again. When you want to go back to the homepage you click on the little house in the bottom right hand corner.

The game find n shoot has the student "shoot" the chosen word by clicking on it. On the easy level there is a small box at the bottom of the screen that tells the student which word they need to find. For the hard level the student only hears the word and they have to find it in the clouds.

The unscramble game has the student spell different sight words from the letters provided. On the
easy level, the student sees boxes that have the letters written inside which make up the word and the student has to drag the letters from below to its matching spot. When it is switched to the hard level the student only hears the word and isn't provided any hints for how to spell it.

Memory game shows six different clouds for the easy level. The student has to click on the clouds to try and match the sight words together. The app will read the sigh words aloud to the student once they click on the cloud. For the hard level there are 12 clouds, so it becomes more challenging for the student to find the matches.

The bingo game is similar to traditional bingo. A word is read aloud and the student has to click on the word on their game board. When they click on the word, an image appears to show that they have that space taken. There is also a timer on the bottom right hand corner to show how long it has taken the student to get bingo. On the bottom left hand side it shows how many incorrect words the student clicked on.

The last activity is called practice words. This allows the student to practice the words they have marked red during the first activity, word tour. Once a word is marked red, it appears highlighted in white with a microphone on the right hand side. When the student clicks it, the app reads the word aloud for the student. Students can use this part of the app to practice words that they found challenging.

For the lesson, the common core standard addressed was RF.2.3, which states the student can listen to a word and think about the sounds and letter they hear. We began the lesson by talking about the importance of sight words an why we need to know them. I explained that when we read sight words it is like reading any other word and we want to make sure we think about the sounds we hear. Thinking about the sounds we hear will help us when we work on writing the sight words.

We then used the app to practice what we just discussed. She played the unscramble game and began on the easy level. At the beginning she struggled with unscrambling the words in order and would put the letters back randomly instead of starting from the first letter. It took a lot of reminding, for her to do this naturally on her own. After going through the list one complete time on easy mode, I switched it to hard. I noticed her taking the time to say the word after the app read it aloud, which is what we have been working on. If she didn't put a letter back in the correct spot the app would make a silly noise then the letter would go back to the bottom of the screen.

This app was beneficial when it came to having the student practice spelling sight words. I personally think that it could have been more engaging, however the student did enjoy playing and asked to play again once we finished. If I could change anything about the app it would be that a sentence was provided along with the sight word. A sentence would help the student see the word in context, which would allow them to develop a deeper understanding of the word instead of only knowing how to spell it.

References:
[Untitled image of Sight Words 2 logo]. Retrieved February 27, 2017, from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playsightwordsII

iPad Lesson 5

The fifth lesson focused on using reading skills to create a sentence that makes sense. Jumbled Sentence 3 was the app the student used to help practice this skill. This app is a free app that is both fun and engaging for students.

When you open the app you see three rocket ships that have different aliens in them. Each rocket ship has a different level on it. The app does not require the student to successfully complete the previous level before being able to try the harder level. However, as a teacher I would recommend the student starting from level 1 and them moving up. This way the sentences would progressively get more challenging instead of starting with the hardest sentence.

 After you click on the level you want you are taken to another page that has a circle with a picture in the center. The picture goes with the sentence you have to create. On the outside of the circle there are different alien space crafts that have words on them. In the glass dome on the space ship there is a microphone icon. When you click on the microphone icon the app reads aloud the word on the spaceship. The spaceships with the words on them are continually rotating in a circle around the image.

At the bottom of the screen there is a blue box that has more boxes in it. These boxes are where the student has to drag the words from the spaceships into. As a student drags a word the app reads it aloud. Once all of the words are dragged from the spaceships into the boxes and a sentence is formed you click "OK". If the sentence is correct the app will read the sentence aloud to the student. If some of the words are wrong, the app will make a silly noise and the words that aren't correct will go back to their spaceship. Students have three minutes to work on creating a sentence that makes sense and uses all of the words on the spaceships. On the right side of the screen is the students score, the time, and the number of coins they have earned. Students can use the coins to "buy" digital stickers through the app. 

When I used with app with the student I work with we first began by talking about the importance of

knowing different words. We discussed that when you know words it is helpful because sentences are made up of different words. The end goal of being able to read the words in a sentence is that you can then make sense of what you read. If you are only focusing on the figuring out the words then you won't be able to also think about the meaning. Before she played I also went over hints that would help her create the sentences more successfully. I asked her what we already know about a sentence. We then talked about how sentences start with capital letters. By knowing this we are able to find out the first word of the sentence. We then worked through the first sentence together while I modeled on the iPad how to move the words from the spaceships into the boxes at the bottom of the screen.

What was challenging for the student was that there was a timer. For students who are still in the beginning learning phases of developing sentences this timer puts a restriction on their learning because they may need more time that what is provided. Another part of the app that the student found difficult was identifying which word had the capital letter. This lets me know that she needs additional practice with capital letters and distinguishing them from lower case letters. Despite the game being challenging the student wanted to keep playing it to improve her score. By the end of the third time playing, I came to the conclusion that this app was too challenging for the student right now. She needs to practice more basic reading and writing skills before she would be ready to successfully play this game on her own. 

Even though this game proved to be too hard or my student, I would still suggest it for other teachers to use. I would suggest it because it requires the student to really think about the conventions of a sentence. Along with sentence conventions the app forces the student to think about meaning. If they don't focus on meaning, they will not earn points by building correct sentences. It is also helpful that there is a picture for students to reference as they work on making meaning from the words provided.

References:

[Untitled image of Jumbled Sentence 3]. Retrieved February 22, 2017, from https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/jumbled-sentences-3/id597850711?mt=8

Reading With Raz

Raz-Kids is an online reading resource for students that is affiliated with Learning A-Z.com. Students can use Raz-Kids as a way to grow their literacy skills through reading leveled texts. There are 29 different levels students can choose from and over 800 books. While using this reading resource students can read the story themselves, or choose to have it read aloud. If they're reading it themselves they can record themselves reading, which is an awesome feature that aids in fluency growth.

Once students complete their book they take a reading quiz. Each reading quiz has an extended response question that they have to answer. This extended response question is important because often times students don't see significant growth on benchmark testing, not because they can't read more challenging texts but because they struggle when it comes to the writing aspect of the assessment. This practice will allow students a better chance of success when they take their reading assessment.

Raz-Kids is a great way for students to practice reading books that are at their instructional level and develop their writing skills. What makes this program even more unique is that all of the books and quizzes can be translated into Spanish, as a way to support ELL's. At the school I am currently at the ESL department uses Raz-Kids as a part of their teaching practice.

The resources provided for teachers through  Raz-Kids are very beneficial. Teachers have the ability to create custom assignments for students as well as view the progress of the students in their class. Raz-Kids also has a variety of resource videos available for teachers to use. These videos provide instruction on how to use the program in an effective way.

Despite the many benefits of Raz-Kids one downfall is that you have to pay for a subscription. It may be too expensive for one teacher to purchase this reading resource on their own, however it is always an option for a group of teachers or the school to purchase the program. I believe that despite the cost Raz-Kids would be a great tool to help students grow as readers.

References:
[Untitled image of Raz-Kids logo]. Retrieved February 20, 2017, from
https://clipartfox.com/download/a2010703684876378e47832ae0ce1ee77c9705bc.html

Earning Points With LiveSchool

LiveSchool is a behavior management system that teachers throughout the school can use in order to monitor how students are acting throughout the day. This system is very similar to ClassDojo only it comes with more capabilities. If there are only 1 to 5 people in a school using LiveSchool then the price is free. The more people in the school who utilize the system, the higher the price is to purchase it. This provides schools with an opportunity to purchase this system for their staff.

Students are added into LiveSchool by their teacher and when they are they receive an individual profile. Teachers throughout the school can bring up a class list featuring all students in the room. Next to the students name is two bubbles. One bubble is green and that represents how many positive points the student has earned. The red bubble shows how many negative points the student has. When giving or taking away points there are a variety of options to choose from so parents and other teacher can see exactly what the student did well or needs to work on. Teachers can also leave comments when they're giving or taking away points. These comments can be seen from anyone who has access to the students account.

Parents can even get involved with LiveSchool by downloading the parent app. By downloading the app they will be kept up to date with their students behavior while at school. Students also have their own app that they can download. When students look at their app they are able to see how they're doing, the number or points they have, any comments teachers have left, as well as check to see if any changes have been made to the rewards they can earn.

Paychecks are a cool feature of LiveSchool. Students receive a paycheck that shows how much

"money" they have earned. The amount of money they have in their paycheck correlates directly to the number of points they have. The paychecks are printed out and students can use them to make purchases from a variety of prizes the teacher has decided on or they can choose to save them.

LiveSchool is an awesome behavior management system that allows teachers, parents, and students to monitor behavior while at school. Data can easily be collected using this system and presented to administrators or parents whenever necessary. Engagement is a huge factor when it comes to positive behavior management and students will love working towards earning a big paycheck, so they can spend it on something they really want.

References:
[Untitled image of LiveSchool logo]. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from https://www.ena.com/company/partnerships/ena-partner-program/liveschool/

[Untitled image of LiveSchool paycheck]. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from http://whyliveschool.com/

[Untitled image of LiveSchool points]. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from https://thejournal.com/articles/2014/09/24/liveschool-launches-free-behavior-management-tool.aspx

iPad Lesson 4

The fourth lesson I taught, focused on spelling practice. Before the lesson began the student and I reviewed what good writers do when they are spelling words. After we went over the importance of stopping and thinking what sounds do I hear, we went through a couple examples before using the app. Words Free Free is the name of the app that was used for the lesson.

Words Free is a free app that has in app purchases if you want to buy more words for students to practice with.When you open the app you will see four colorful tabs at the top. The first tab is green and it says groups. Selecting this tab will show a drop down menu where you can select which group of words you want your student to work on. They can choose from pre-primer, primer, first grade, second grade, third grade, and nouns. The second tab is blue and says words. Once you select this tab you will see what words are in the list that you selected the student to work on. A check mark will appear behind the word once it has been successfully completed. The third tab is orange and says colors. This tab allows students to choose which color they would like to write in. The fourth tab is purple and it is labeled info. When click on this tab shows features of that app that you can turn on and off, such as the trace arrow guide and connect the dots. You can also change the tracing difficulty.

When students begin tracing letters to make words, the app first says the whole word. It then says the first letter the student has to trace. On the screen the student will see a dotted letter with number bubbles and arrows indicating how to correctly write the letter. While they're writing the app makes a bubble noise and if the student doesn't trace the letter right it makes another silly noise to let the student know that isn't correct. The app will make the silly noise each time the student starts going off the path for how the letter should be written. Once the student has traced all of the letters the app will repeat the word again and show the student the word they traced. To go onto the next word you click on "next", which is at the bottom right side of the screen.

When the student I worked with opened the app she was instantly excited to try it herself after I first modeled to her how it works. The student I worked with is a struggling writer so I selected the primer sight words for her to practice with. Once she would trace the word I would then ask her to say the word and spell it. After a few words I then started saying a sentence that used the word she had just traced. After I shared my sentence I asked her to share her own sentence using the word. I did this so she could practice spelling the word, saying the word, and using it in context. While working on the app she shared that she though it was so cool and at the end of the lesson she wanted to do it again.

We began with spelling words using uppercase letters and then switched to lowercase, so she had practice with both. At the completion of the word list, I gave her a spelling test not using the app. I wanted to see how her knowledge of the words she just practiced spelling would transfer onto paper and pencil. All of the words I asked her to spell came from the list that she had just worked on. Five words were given and she was able to spell three right on her own. I saw this as a big accomplishment because she often times struggles with spelling every word she writes. For the words that she had trouble with, we ended up working through them together. I made sure she really stopped and said the word out loud so she was able to hear the different sounds. After she said the word I would have her say it slowly and each time she heard a different sound I would have her put up a finger. This way at the end of saying the word slowly, she could look at her hand and see how many sounds she heard. I think that with repeated practice using this app she would learn to spell new words regularly, which in turn would help her grow as a writer.

I would definitely recommend this app to other teachers or parents who want to help their students with spelling. I think it provides a great way for them to practice spelling words that they need to know in a fun way. I like how the app encourages students to use proper form when creating letters. One thing that I don't particularly like about the app is that they don't provide a sentence for any of the words. I think that providing context for the words students are working on would be beneficial to their learning. Besides that one aspect of the app I think that students will enjoy using this tool to help them develop the skills required of them to become more advanced writers.

References:
[Untitled image of Words Free app]. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abby-write-play-dolch-sight/id526642951?mt=8

Seven Habits

Upon reading the article about the seven habits teachers who use technology effectively embrace, I wanted to take the time to stop and think about my own teaching practices.  The seven habits shared in the article are: They always start with the why, they are malleable and can easily adapt, they embrace change, they share, they think win-win, they are thorough and think ahead, and they actively care,

1. They always start with the why

This concept is simply yet most often forgotten. I have learned through my years of educator training that it is imperative to always think about why you're doing what you are doing. It is not beneficial for anyone if you just use technology because it is there. Creating a meaningful purpose is what will drive effective instruction and I believe that as a teacher I do a good job at this because of the training I have had.

2. They are malleable and can easily adapt

Understanding that the world of technology doesn't stay the same for long is important. Growing up in a digital age I am used to the constant stream of new technology and updates on pre-existing devices. In the classroom I will need to work on making sure I stay up  to date with the various websites, apps, and products I use in order to ensure I am adapting along with the technology.

3. They embrace change

I will be the first one to admit that when I was younger, change and I were not friends. I preferred the way things were and didn't like when things were different. As I went to college I soon learned to embrace change and I became aware of how wonderful it truly is. This mindset will help me effectively use technology because I will welcome change in the classroom with open arms, because I know that things become boring when they stay the same for too long. If I want to see growth in the classroom, change has to become a common thing.

4. They share

When it comes to sharing, I feel that I do a good job of this within a small scale. I tell those I am close with about what I am doing, and about effective things I have implemented. When I have my own classroom for the first time, I want to begin sharing on a larger scale. Using social media sites such as Instagram and Blogger are great ways to share with the world all of the great things happening inside of the classroom.

5. They think win-win

Using technology is great, but what makes it effective is mutual understanding and acceptance from all parties. Parents, students, and administrators all play a vital role in the success of a student. If they understand what you're doing inside the classroom and the purpose behind the technology being used, they will stand by you as the teacher and support your efforts.

6. They are thorough and think ahead 

The more prepared you are the better your students will do. Student success is directly correlated to the teacher. I know that this aspect of teaching is something I embrace and do well. I know the importance of thinking ahead and having everything for the lesson ready to go when the students arrive to class. Being unorganized creates chaos and stress and takes the focus away from what is supposed to be learned. When I have my own classroom I feel competent in my ability to create thorough lessons and know that I am prepared to answer any questions the students may have.

7. They actively care

As a teacher everything you do should be for your students. The lessons you teacher should be engaging because you know that if students are interested in what they're doing, they will learn more. Being a teacher requires you to constantly think about the students in your class and do everything in your power to help them become successful lifelong learners. When I have my own classroom I know that I will always put my students first and do what I need to, in order to ensure they have opportunities that help prepare them to become global citizens who believe that they can make a difference.

References:
[Untitled image about 7 technology habits]. Retrieved February 8. 2017, from http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/7-habits-of-highly-effective-teachers-who-effectively-use-technology/

iPad Lesson 3

The focus for the third iPad lesson was word families and the app Wonster Words was used as a supplement to help teach the information. Wonster Words is a free app that does require in app purchases in order to unlock additional words. When you open up the app there are many different word families to choose from, however the only one that is unlocked because it is free is the 'AT' word family. When you select the 'AT' words there are eight words students will be able to practice with. Some of the words include splat, cat, flat, bat, and rat. When the student chooses a word the word is read aloud and it appears on the screen. The student then has to drag the individual letters to the word in order to spell the word. Sometime the letters pop up around the screen and other times they're in balloons and the student has to pop them in order to find the letters. As the student drags a letter to its correct spot within the word the letter makes its sound. Since the focus is on word families the word family of focus always comes as a pair. Once the student has successful spelled the word the app reads each letter in the word in order and then says the whole word. A video appears next which models the word. After the video plays the app reads a sentence to the student that relates to the video they just watched and includes the word they just spelled. Once the sentence is read the definition of the word is also shared. This app is very engaging for students because of its fun music and kid friendly graphics. There is even an opportunity for the student to play with some of the characters from the videos such as the rat and cat in between word practice.

While teaching this lesson I first began by asking the student if she has ever heard of the term word

families before. Once she said know I then asked her to tell me what a family is. She had trouble coming up with adjectives to describe a family on her own so I prompted her. We talked about how everyone in a family is unique and special but there are also things families have in common. I then went on to explain how word families are the same way. There is something word families all have in common and that is what makes them a family. What makes them unique is the words that are put in front of or behind the word  family. For example the word cat and rat are both a part of the 'at' word family. Their similarity is the 'at', and that is what makes them a family. However the letters c and r that are placed before the 'at' are what makes those words different. This comparison really helped her understand the idea of word families and she began reading the words 'at' as one word instead of trying to decode the individual sounds.

Once we talked about word families verbally we used a white board to put it down in writing so she could also see it visually. Word families was printed at the top of the board and in the corner was the word family 'at'. I then wrote the word 'at' in blue. Underneath 'at' I wrote cat but continued to write the 'at' in blue and the other letters in black. The purpose of the color coding was to show the student that all of the words from the same word family have parts that are similar and different. I then had her come up with two additional 'at' words that she put at the bottom of the board. To the right side of the board we brainstormed things that remind us about the word family we just worked on. Upon completing this warm up activity we moved to the app where the student was able to practice hearing and spelling multiple 'at' words. This lesson was used to address the common core standard of RF.1.3. The focus was having the student be able to read and write words from common word families. "I can read and write words from the 'at' word family" was the essential question.

This app proved to be very effective at helping students develop word family knowledge. The app is engaging and enjoyable for students. The student I worked with thought the graphics were funny and she even went back and did some of the words a second time because she liked it so much. I would definitely recommend this app to anyone who has students who need to practice word families, despite the fact that the app requires a one time purchase of $16 to unlock all of the word families. It is easy for the child to navigate on their own and it provides additional practice with a reading concept that is very important as students grow and develop their literacy skills.

References:
[Untitled image of Wonster Words logo]. Retrieved February 7, 2017 from http://www.smartappsforandroid.com/2014/07/new-release-wonster-words-free.html

iPad Lesson 2

For the second lesson the app used was Spelling City. This is a free app that students can use to help them develop their writing skills through spelling practice. When you open up the app you will see two columns. The first one says "Step 1: Select a Sample List" and the second one says "Step 2: Select an Activity". Within the first column there are a variety of words lists the student can choose from. This app is designed for students in grades kindergarten through tenth grade to use. In the second column there are nine activities to select from. The activity chosen is then paired with the word list selected to help make spelling practice fun.

The focus of my lesson was, "The student can identify the individual phonemes that make up words." RF.1.2.D is the common core standard that went along with this lesson. When we began the lesson we first talked about how words are made up of individual sounds. Each word has different sounds we hear when we say it out loud. When we listen to these sounds they help us figure out how we spell the words when writing. I then continued to stress the importance of stopping to think about the word and the sounds we hear before attempting to write a word. To help her better understand the process of stopping to listen for the sounds you hear before writing we did a few practice words and sentences together. Some practice words included her last name, my last name, and the word dog. When we did the practice sentences I would have her attempt to write it on her own first and then we went over it together. If we worked through a word that was originally spelled incorrectly, I didn't have her erase her first attempt. Instead I had her write the second attempt under the first try. This way she could have a visual comparison of the first time she tried to spell the word and the second time.

When we first started the lesson I had selected the 2-3 compound words list. It became evident that this list was too challenging for the student so I went back to the home screen and selected K-1 colors. When I switched the word list the student was able to experience success with the activity. The activity selected for this lesson was Missing Letter. This activity asks students to complete the word provided by choosing which letter is missing. They have a word in a big box that has one letter missing. The app reads aloud the word and below the word are four options the student can choose from. If the student selects the wrong letter it makes a noise and the square turns grey. If the correct letter is selected it makes a trumpet noise and repeats the word again for the student. Above the word it also tells the student which word they're on and how many more are left.

 Even though the student I worked with struggled a lot in the beginning of this lesson with identifying the missing letter, towards the end she got the hang of it. She found it challenging and wanted to keep practicing so she could score a 10/10. I would definitely recommend this app for any teacher who has students who need to practice their spelling skills. This app is a fun and engaging way to develop such skills. The student can even practice the same list of words with different activities so they don't get bored.

References:
[Untitled image of SpellingCity logo]. Retrieved February 2, 2017, from https://www.spellingcity.com/high-resolution-logo.html

Take Note about Notability

Notability is an app that I was introduced to through a social media post. A teacher that I follow posted about this app and how she used it in her class to have students label a picture of an edible cell they created during science. I was instantly interested in checking this app out to see what it is all about. Unfortunately it costs $9.99, so everything I learned about it was from the information provided under the description from Apple.

This app allows users to upload documents, PowerPoint presentations, and PDF documents. Webpages from the internet can even be retrieved and written on through a feature called Share Extension. On the pages uploaded you have the option to sketch, write notes, or highlight information. The app also has a feature that connects notes and recordings together. This way when you go back through a lecture you recorded, you are able to hear what was said as well as see the notes you took. All notes that are recorded using this app can be shared in a variety of ways. Such ways include email, Twitter, Dropbox, and Google Drive.

This is definitely a unique app that although costs money, could be a good investment if you found something you could continually use it for in the classroom.

References:
[Untitled image of Notability logo]. Retrieved February 2, 2017,
from http://www.wonderoftech.com/notability/