International Dot Day 2014

International Dot Day 2014

by recesstec tips writing

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 8-31-2014


So excited! It is almost here.
That time of year again. International Dot Day.
September “15ish”. The very first time we wrote about
FableVision and the teacher resources this company provides
was in a “Back-to-School” post three years ago. For links to classroom
resources, we encourage you to revisit that post. It’s been a year since our
post detailing “International Dot Day”. This event was founded by our good friend,
T. J. Shay, and it has grown exponentially. We had the good fortune of meeting up with
him at ISTE this past July when we were invited to a FableVision event. We were so excited
to also finally meet Peter H. Reynolds, the author and illustrator of “The Dot”. He presented
both of us with a signed copy of “Going Places”, the latest book written with his brother, Paul
Reynolds. This book describes “maker children”, a little girl and boy with big imaginations. Follow
the link to learn more about this book and its classroom resources. And now it’s, once again, time
for “International Dot Day”. A week ago, the count was up to over a million participants from 64
countries. Every year the number grows and the message is spread. This year, Terry Shay has added
“Celibri-dots” with inspired “dots” from authors. The first post was on March 9, 2012 and features
the dot submitted by Sharon Creech. This little blog is an endless source of inspiration with dots
that reflect the special talents and personalities of their creators. It’s the perfect stage to share
ideas and inspiration. But first, where to begin? Begin at the beginning. Begin with “The Dot”
written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Read the story of Vashti and her reluctance to
share herself on paper. With the encouragement of her teacher, she finds her inner
creativity and enthusiastically fills page after page with her mark. Then use your
imagination to help your students make their marks. We have listed many
resources below to help you and your students celebrate International
Dot Day with us. We are looking forward to seeing what your
students create and hearing your voice on #DotDay.
Only 15 days left! Let the planning begin,
and join us in and make your mark.

 

 

Listen to Shannon as she shares her own version of “The Dot” and the colorful “Marks” of Tuscola CUSD #301 students…

Format Free

Format Free

by recesstec tips writing

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 8-24-2014

Many times our textbooks have online resources that we would like to use as hard copy.

In the case of an online quiz, it might be more appropriate than your printed resource material,
and you would like to use scheduled computer lab time for more creative assessments than multiple-choice tests or quizzes.

We’ve made a quick video tutorial to show you how to copy online material quickly and easily into a Microsoft Word® document.

If you have a website or blog, you might want to use Microsoft Word® to write your draft using spell and grammar check. It is always best to avoid copying directly from Microsoft Word® since it also contains formatting that might conflict with your website’s or blog’s settings. Copying it into a plain text document before your website will remove that formatting.

We hope this makes your life a little easier.
Wishing you a wonderful Sunday and a great week!

tubechop.com

tubechop.com

by recesstec tips

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 8-17-2014

Last week we featured a post to help you download a small portion of a YouTube video to use with lessons.

What if you only want to embed a portion of a video into your blog or website?
The YouTube website will allow you set a “start time”, but does not allow you to adjust the “end time”.

Here is a free online tool that will give you, not only that “adjusted” embed code,
but a link for just that piece, as well.
And it’s FREE!

Below is a “chopped” video tutorial that will explain exactly what you need to do to use this tool efficiently.

tubechop.com

This tool will generate both an embed code
(which is what we used to add this video)
and a link.

Have a fabulous Sunday and a great week!
Many of you have met your students and we have thoroughly enjoyed the “First Day of School” pictures!

For those of you who are still waiting for your students to cross your classroom threshold,
we extend our best wishes for a great “First Day”.

One of the best things about teaching is the fresh start we get every single year!

clipconverter.cc

clipconverter.cc

by recesstec tips

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 8-10-2014

You only want to download a small portion of a YouTube video for a lesson.
You would like to skip the introduction and most of the ending.

Now there is a handy online tool that will allow you to do just that.
And it’s FREE!

If a picture is worth a thousand words,
a video will make it even easier.
Watch as we explain how this tool works and get ready to put more excitement into your lessons!

clipconverter.cc

Remember, follow the steps that are in the video,
and don’t click on anything else.

Have a fabulous Sunday,
and we hope you find time for yourself!
The countdown has started for most of you.
We can feel the excitement in the air!

We’re Back!

We’re Back!

by recesstec Blog Travels

Like the barber’s kid with the long hair,It's Time!
or the carpenter with the leaky roof,
our website needed some attention.

Some serious attention.

When viewed on a mobile device,
the first thing you saw was,
“Your flash player needs updated.”

Not a good first impression for our visitors.

We knew the best thing for us to do was to start over. We had a lot of “quick fixes”,
and we knew it was going to take time.

On January 2, we took a deep breath and enlisted the advice of “Simply Sell” to start the process to purge and organize our site.

We wanted clean and, we wanted modern.

We wanted easy navigation, and we wanted quick responses to the needs of our visitors.

Thank you for your patience,
and thank you, Simply Sell, for listening to and helping us with a product that truly reflects who we are!
You are always easy and fun to work with!

Stay tuned for tips and posts.
We’ve missed you!

International Dot Day

International Dot Day

by recesstec Book Reviews tips

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 8-11-2013

“The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.”
  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Almost two years ago, we wrote about Fablevision, and some of the resources they have to offer to classroom teachers.

Since then, we were invited by Terry Shay to become Fablevision ambassadors, which we were proud to accept.

As I have shared with many of you in our recent workshops, I have accepted a 4-week substituting job in Shannon’s school district teaching fourth grade.

I can’t deny that I am excited and looking forward to this job.
These first weeks have always been one of my favorite parts of the school year
when we are all excited about the possibilities,
and the aroma of new crayons fills the air.

I will be in the classroom from “Day One”,
and as I looked at the calendar to begin my plans,
I noticed another date.
“International Dot Day” ~ September 15, 2013.
My temporary term as a fourth grade teacher will end with “Dot Day”.

The concept for “Dot Day” was created four years ago by Terry Shay when he shared Peter Reynolds’s “The Dot” with his students on the day it was first published. Since then, it has grown to be an international event.

Last year there were over 850,000 participants in this celebration. With this post, we invite you to celebrate, as well.

As you read more about “Dot Day” at “The Dot Club” website,
please take time to sign up to join the celebration. You will find a link to download a free educator’s handbook, and a seemingly endless source of ideas and inspiration.

We also encourage you to follow the “International Dot Day” Facebook page to stay current with reminders, suggestions, ideas and ways to collaborate.

With this, I want to share my absolute favorite video about “International Dot Day”.  Here you will listen as Shannon shares,
(with permission from Peter Reynolds, the author himself!)
Peter’s story, and the pictures the students at North Ward Elementary School in Tuscola, Illinois created for “International Dot Day”.

Enjoy…

TEACHERS pay TEACHERS

TEACHERS pay TEACHERS

by recesstec classroom management tips

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 7-28-2013

“Life’s too short to hang out with people who aren’t resourceful.”
~Jeff Bezos

TEACHERS pay TEACHERS is “an open marketplace for educators where teachers buy, sell and share original teaching resources.”

Here you can find lessons across all curricula for all grade levels for all learning levels that are created by teachers.

It includes several sorting options that cover all of these groupings, including a page that allows you to browse through FREE downloads.

Membership as a buyer and a seller is free and it does not require a school email to sign up.

One of the free offers is from Morgan Walker in Lebanon, Indiana. From Morgan is a free Word document that lists and describes “Technology in the Common Core Standards (grades 1-8)”.

We suggest you visit TEACHERS pay TEACHERS, check out the talented teachers that contribute, and take a look at their lessons. We are sure you will find a wealth of resources, and who wouldn’t want to buy direct from a teacher and bypass the publishers.

To view the categories offered by TEACHERS pay TEACHERS,
just click on the image below to enlarge it.
TeachersPayTeachers.com - An Open Marketplace for Original Lesson Plans and Othe (2)Hopefully your day will be filled with sunshine much like our forecast.
Take time to fill the rest of the day with things that make you happy…

Greenshot

Greenshot

by recesstec tips

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 7-21-2013

Last September, I wrote a post describing the “Snipping Tool” that is available on PC’s running Windows 7 and 8. We use this little tool almost daily for screen captures while building presentations, sending support emails, and posting support through social media.

As much as we love this little tool, it has its limitations in terms of adding shapes and text. We have recently discovered a screen-capture tool called Greenshot which is a free download. Greenshot has many more features, plus the endorsements of CNET, Sourceforge, and PC World.

Greenshot has its own editor and includes the ability to edit its capture in its own program, email it, and include it in several Microsoft programs. Your image can also be saved in several different formats.

(Just click on the image below for a closer look.)Greenshot

To learn more about installing and the features of Greenshot, just watch the videos provided by CaliRed11 on YouTube.

(You will find the installation and options on the Greenshot menu easier to use with the Greenshot updates that have been added since the publication of these videos.)

We hope you find Greenshot as useful as we do,
and something you can use, not only for screen-captures,
but as an editing program that will help you add meaningful images as support for your lessons.

Enjoy your Sunday and week ahead!

Travel Tips

Travel Tips

by recesstec tips

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 7-14-2013

“Organization isn’t about perfection;
it’s about efficiency,
reducing stress and clutter,
saving time and money
and improving your overall quality of life.” 
― Christina Scalise

I have been traveling this summer. Those days spent in classrooms as a substitute last winter went straight into an account that is my “Atta Girl Fund”. I’m finally making up for all of those years of weekends writing lesson plans and grading papers. And all of those summers spent preparing for the next school year. I have been reading this week’s posts from teachers expressing their excitement for the new school year and how, already, they are counting down the days until they are setting up, again. That was how I always felt pretty much to the end.

And the “End” arrived, and now I am in control.
If you are not quite to the “excited” stage,
and you have one more trip or excursion within you,
this post is for you.
Two tips for traveling.

Tip #1:

I recently received a text from one of my grandchildren,
(she shall remain nameless, but she has my heart)
describing how she and her date spent three hours searching for their car in the downtown area of a very large city.
I sent her this picture,

Bloomington City-20130626-00016

and I told her that I always, always, always take a picture with my phone of where I parked. There is nothing worse than gathering your luggage at the carousel
(or your purchases at a huge suburban mall),
walk out to your car, and realize that you have no idea where you parked.
I always:

  • check to make sure I have everything,
    especially my driver’s license,
  • lock the car,
  • put my car keys in a safe place in my carry-on,
  • and take a picture of the location of my car.

I have even taken a picture of the entrance to the parking garage to make sure I am close to my car when I return.

Tip #2:

Hotel Tonight.

HotelTonight

Love this app.
If you’re a “Fly by the Seat of Your Pants” kind of a person, you’ll fall in love with it, too. I’ve used it several times, and it is the fastest, easiest way to book a hotel with absolutely NO drama.

Once you have set up an account, you can book any one of their hotels any time after noon in that hotel’s time zone. All you have to do is look at the available hotels, read their descriptions and reviews, look at each hotel photo gallery, and once you make your choice, you only have to trace the “bed-shaped” h. You will receive an email confirming your reservation. A recent update was accompanied with this note:

“YOLO! Launched the HT Price Guarantee to (you guessed it) guarantee our rates are always the lowest one out there.”

Watch this video…

and if you want the iTunes app, head over to their store.
Android users, you are in luck! There’s an Android app, as well.
They are, of course, both free.

If you have any travel tips, we love to share, so bring it on!

Hope you are having great vacations, whether it involves travel, or a “Staycation”. Enjoy every second and cherish every single memory.

Educlipper

Educlipper

by recesstec tips

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 7-7-2013

“Organization isn’t about perfection;
it’s about efficiency,
reducing stress and clutter,
saving time and money
and improving your overall quality of life.” 

― Christina Scalise

This morning, as I was slowly waking up preparing myself for the day, I checked the weather, my notifications, and finally, my “Inbox”.

I received an email with the subject, “You’ve been reclipped!”.
Yes.
Just like that.
With an explanation point for extra emphasis.
And I had to stop and ask myself, “Why all the excitement?!!!!”
Then, I remembered,
and more important,
I remembered that I needed to share it with our readers.

EduClipper2

 

What is “Educlipper”?

In quick terms, it is a social bookmarking site that looks and feels like “Pinterest”. 
Except, unlike Pinterest, (which, by the way, we love), it contains no wedding ideas and “how-to’s” for braiding your hair.

It’s just for educators and their “stuff”.

But I warn you.
Save it for a rainy day.
Or for a project that requires some procrastination.
Again… It’s like Pinterest.

This little video might explain it best…

Educlipper allows you to filter through the clips separating them into:

  • websites
  • documents
  • videos, and
  • images.

You can organize your “clips” onto “Boards” that allow you to save and access clips that are relevant to your teaching and those that you need to have when you need them.

Yes.

Crucial. How many times have you read articles or have seen ideas that made you think about developing a new project or activity, and when it is time to “shake things up” in your classroom, you either can’t remember them, or can’t find them. (Okay, so I’m the only one?)

Well, this solved that problem for me. I have even been known to find ideas on Pinterest and clip them to my Educlipper Boards.

So, if you want to spend a few (or a lot) of hours organizing ideas for this coming school year, click on the image below that links you to educlipper.net. We recommend that you make an account and start clipping and reclipping!
It’s free!

EduClipper

Disclaimer:
Can we suggest that you wait until it rains?
Have a great Sunday and a great week!
With Independence Day, we like to think that we still have half of our summer vacation left!
Enjoy every single minute!