Grant Resources

After reading this week’s resources on grants and other funding, I have to say I feel very blessed to work in a district that provides the necessary resources for our students learning.  Although we might not have it all, we definitely have a lot to be thankful for.  Our district does a wonderful job at making sure we have all the necessary classroom resources we need. I do spend my own money on my class but usually it is for a fun extra activity.  For example, every year I purchase various student prizes to promote positive behavior or different crafts for fun art projects.  Never have I used my own money to buy necessities.  I was astonished to learn that 92% of teachers buy essentials, which could include toilet paper, soap, etc., for their classrooms out of their own pockets.  I am glad there are organizations available like the two I researched below that provide the funding for these teachers.   

After checking out www.donorschoose.org, I was really amazed at how easy the process is for requesting classroom items.  It is as simple as posting a request of what is needed and how it will benefit students.  Then waiting to see if the request is totally funded.  This changes my whole perspective on the grant writing process.  All this time I thought grants required invested time writing a novel on how the items requested would benefit students.  

If I were to use a grant resource, it would be the www.adoptaclassroom.org.  I like the idea of how this website connects donors with teachers.   Donors can make a contribution for the teacher to use and purchase the much needed resources for the classroom.  A 100% of all donations are marked for the classroom teacher in a form of online credit.  Teachers are then able to shop online from affiliated vendors that have partnered with the Adopt a Classroom organization.  The best part about this organization is the effort put into building a relationship between the donors and teachers.  The donors and teachers communicate throughout the year so the donors are aware of the difference they have made in the student’s learning.  This is also a great way to show students the impact giving brings.   

Collaborative Technologies

Finding ways to integrate collaborative lessons using technology in my first grade classroom definitely takes some creativity.   It can be challenging to find stimulating ways to use collaborative tools first graders can understand and manage. One idea I thought about integrating was making use of Facetime to share a whole class celebration of a mastered skill with another first grade class in our building.  For example, when all students mastered their skip counting by 5’s, we could Facetime our first grade friends from another class to share our accomplishment.  Our “Facetime Friends” could also Facetime us when they had a mastered skill to celebrate.   What an exciting way for students to parade their learning achievements.  The other idea I had was using Google docs to create a questionnaire form to share with my class.  This questionnaire form would be used to collect data on student’s favorite ice-cream flavor or favorite holiday.  Students would begin with answering the questionnaire form and using the results to create a graph.  Later, students could learn how to edit the questionnaire document to generate their own questions and then learn to use Google Excel to graph their results.  I managed to create my Game Lesson Plan around using a collaborative Google doc form.  I am not sure if my first graders can handle the task of creating these documents, but I will never know if I don’t make an attempt.   I do realize the time it will take to give students well thought-out directions and plenty of practice.  In order to accomplish this assignment, I created a classroom Google account instead of using my personal email.  I’m not sure if I would need to create an account for every student or not.  This is definitely something I would have to work out beforehand. 

  

The two collaborative resources for teachers I have found to be useful is SMART Exchange (http://exchange.smarttech.com/) and Scholastic Teachers (http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/).  Both resources I have previously used.  I recently utilized the Scholastic Teachers website to get ideas on different lessons and videos on Pilgrims.  The resources I accessed through this website were incredible.  My students were able to take virtual tours on the Mayflower and the Plymouth Plantation which gave them a glimpse of what a Pilgrim might have experienced in the 1620’s.  I was also able to download and print the lesson plans to go along with the videos.   SMART Exchange is another resource I have used to find great Smartboard lessons which have enhanced a skill I have previously taught in my classroom.  My class has used these lessons as a fun way to revisit, practice, or enhance a skill.   

Additional Notes:

I recently created a blog list of all the links I would like to remember.  Through this class and hours of researching, I have found some great resources to implement or explore further.

Links to Remember

Links to Remember:

Flipped Classroom and Resources

http://exchange.smarttech.com/search.html?q=#type=SMART+Response+question+sets

https://www.teachingchannel.org/

http://flippedlearning.org

http://ed.ted.com/

http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/moviemaker2/

Serious Gaming Resources

http://scratch.mit.edu/

http://www.brainpop.com/games

http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/

http://www.brainrush.com/

http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/

http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/

http://www.gamequarium.com/

http://www.gameclassroom.com/

www.coolschoolgame.com

Collaborative Technologies for Students

http://voicethread.com/

www.googledocs.com

Collaborative Technologies for Teachers

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/

http://exchange.smarttech.com/

http://www.google.com/edu/teachers/index.html
http://www.sharemylesson.com/article.aspx?storyCode=50000148
 

Extra Resources:

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/p/blog-page_7.html

https://drive.google.com/templates?q=student&sort=hottest&view=public#

Serious Gaming

After researching through some of this week’s resources I feel as though I have a better understanding of serious gaming.  I have to admit when I think of gaming, I think of students playing games for entertainment.  What I discovered was that serious gaming is really designed for the primary purpose of using more simulations of real world events and solving a problem through a self directed exploration.  Many of these games seem to be important teaching tools because they are interactive, engaging, and immersive activities.  In the article, Why Game and Learning (http://www.instituteofplay.org/about/context/why-games-learning/) serious gaming is said to support the higher order thinking skills.  These skills include the ability to think, solve complex problems, or interact critically through language and media.  This article also stated three key elements in game play which will play a significant role in learning.  The first is when a player takes interest in a game and expresses a wish to participate.  The second key element is when a player shows they are deeply invested in his or her project or experience and want to save their work. The last key element is when a player reaches a level of mastery and then offers help to a friend.  This creates a learning environment of students teaching other students. 

I already use a few of the given resources for the primary ages.  Our class has used ABCya, PBS Learning, and Fun Brain.  These games have been used during a workstation time when students were exploring on their own.  In order to make this gaming time essential to my student’s learning, it is crucial I test out some of the games before allowing them to play. Using games as a last minute, let’s do this, never really works out well.  I want to make sure whatever I use as a game will enhance what my students have already learned.  I see value in those games that allow the students to make mistakes or fail but then explain or show them why their answer didn’t work.

Cost typically is not a big issue because most of what I have found useful, has been free.  First grade teachers have talked with our principal about paying for an IXL membership because the skills were aligned to common core and it provided a student tracking system.  We are fortunate to have a principal who supports us and is willing to spend the money on educational resources as long as they are meaningful to our student’s learning. 

After looking at a variety of serious games I found one which seemed to be appropriate for my first graders.  I found a game that will help to teach my kids something they struggle with on a daily basis, conflict resolution skills (www.coolschoolgame.com). The game Cool School:  Where Peace Rules is an interactive website that teaches younger children how to solve familiar interpersonal conflicts peacefully in a fun, colorful, and imaginative way.  This game was born after studies showed one in three elementary school children complain about being teased, bullied, and even hit.  In an effort to reduce violence in schools, Congress turned to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service which usually settles labor disputes.  This agency determined a video game as the answer in order to reach students effectively by using technology.  The launch of this program took place in 2007.  The best part of this game is that it is free to both educators and parents.  It was developed with taxpayer funding and contributions of commercial and philanthropic organizations.  Students are taught invaluable social, communication, and problem-solving skills that promote conflict resolution through negotiation, compromise, cooperation, and reconciliation.  For example, a student is given a situation that could happen at school.  The student is asked what he or she should do and then is given some options.  If the student chooses the wrong choice, the situation will play out and result in a regretful situation.  Every selection made will play out and demonstrate to the student the right or wrong outcome of the choice made.  This gives the students opportunities to make the wrong choice and learn from the situation without hurting others physically or emotionally.   After students successfully resolve conflicts, they earn letters, praise, and trophies.  I can see how this game could benefit and meet the needs of my first grade students.  I don’t feel my students are violent or bully but they do have a difficult time knowing how to solve simple conflicts effectively and it can cause many disruptions throughout the day.  

Additional Notes:

Some resources I would like to spend more time in the near future researching are:  http://www.brainrush.com/, http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/, http://www.gamequarium.com/, http://www.gameclassroom.com/, and www.gynzy.com.