Little Bird Tales

by recesstec classroom management writing

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 3-25-2012

“Little Bird Tales” is a site that supports and encourages digital storytelling for younger children.

The only thing necessary is
an email address to create a free account,
a microphone,
and an imagination.

Teachers can set up an account to generate a “School Code” which provides a platform to manage teachers, classrooms, and students.

Stories can be illustrated using uploaded images, but it also provides an “Art Pad” that allows younger students an easy way to create original pictures to illustrate their personal stories.

Stories can be embedded into class websites and easily shared with families. They also have the option to purchase the stories as an mp4.

This little video will provide more information,

and after viewing it,
we invite you to take a minute to visit “Little Bird Tales”.

Other additional questions can be answered on the FAQ page.

If showers are in your forecast today,

and if you have a little one close by,
make this day a memory to record and keep after visiting

“Little Bird Tales”.

Eyes Relax

by recesstec Special Needs tips writing

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 3-18-2012

Hours of staring at a computer monitor has its downfall.

“Eyes Relax” is a free download that can help solve our tendency to “hyper-focus”. It was developed by “Mech” out of Portland, Oregon as a personal utility tool. He is a software programmer and felt the need for a tool that would remind (force) him to take the breaks he knew were necessary. The comments, both on the homepage, and on his blog, will validate the usefulness of this download, as well as its security.

I have downloaded and tried other programs, and this one, by far, is the easiest and least intrusive.

Another application, in addition to the benefits to our personal health, would be its use with children. An option to generate a “Password-Protected Parent Mode” allows an adult to schedule breaks while children are using the computer. During these breaks, the computer is “locked”. This is a “time out” that is seriously necessary for the health and well-being of our children.

Take a minute, head over to http://themech.net/eyesrelax/ and schedule some breaks.

I have about 15 seconds before MY screen will go black,
and I plan on refilling my coffee cup,
and taking a break.
You deserve the same…

Grade Essays Faster?!

by recesstec classroom management tips writing

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 1-15-2012

There it was.
In BIG, BOLD font.

“Grade Essays Faster”.

“Look, we can’t grade the essays for you, but we can reduce the repetitive, inefficient manual labor involved — and in doing so we open up a new world of invaluable student data.

Welcome to the future.”

Really?

I have friends who are English teachers.
I know how much time they spend grading papers.

Rough drafts.
Revised copies.
Final copies.

I don’t claim to know much more beyond fifth grade essays,
and what I had to write as a student, myself.

(Please don’t judge them. They tried.)

I do know that my teachers,
those who guided me, taught me, and encouraged me,
had to have put in countless hours reading and suggesting and correcting what I had written.

When I discovered this website, I thought it surely would be a tool that, as an English teacher, could be as valuable and indispensable as a calculator must be for a Math teacher.

Essaytagger.com is free during their “Beta Period”,
and that ends on February 1^st.

Essaytagger.com is developed by Keith Mukai, M.Ed., a high school English teacher who is now the founder and CEO of EssayTagger.com.

Once the “Beta Period” ends, there will be a cost that is described here, in the FAQ Section.
Early adopters during this period will be “rewarded”.

Here are some quick links to videos that describe the program in more detail.

So, those of you who teach English,
or those of you who know English teachers,
I encourage you to check out this site and “share the love”.

Wouldn’t it be nice if more of us could “have a life”?

Deck the Halls with Fonts Galore

by recesstec Holiday tips writing

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 12-11-2011

Let the “downloading” begin…

This week we’ve included some Holiday fonts to download to use for bulletin boards, banners, newsletters, Christmas cards, SMARTBoard lessons, and (gasp) worksheets.

(Sometimes a kid just wants a pencil, and that’s okay, too.)

The first site contains 24 different holiday fonts and symbols, many appropriate just for winter.

Holiday fonts from a “How to Geek” Girl.

She also has a link to show you, with screen captured images, how to install, manage, and delete fonts on your PC.

Usually we take care of these details, but at this time of year, I’m all about the management of time.

The “How to Geek” Girl explains the “whole font thing”.

Once you have installed your font, you can type the font label into your toolbar font pull-down menu to find it.

One of the easiest ways I have found to install a font is to simply drag or copy the .tff file right into the font folder.

If 24 different fonts are just not enough for you, you might want to try these:

Here are 79 more options. These fonts are filtered by “popularity”:

After clicking on the link below, you can continue to the second page from the bottom link.

dafont.com

The second site lists “222” different fonts and the tags used to filter those fonts are on the side:

fontspace.com

Next are 39 fonts on two pages:

acidfonts.com (Really?)

Sometimes you will find the same font submitted by the same developer across several of these sites, but if you like a lot from which to choose, this is a good start.

Finally, I am including a link to a Microsoft Template that can be used with Avery Label products to print your own gift tags. We always rely on Microsoft as a free, safe, and copyright-free resource.

Have a wonderful Sunday,

and now I am off to buy Christmas tree lights and choose the “perfect tree” to complete a few more things on my “Holiday To-Do List”.

Once you have installed your font, you can type the font label into your toolbar font pull-down menu to find it.

One of the easiest ways I have found to install a font, is to simply drag or copy the .tff file right into the font folder.

If 24 different fonts are just not enough for you, you might want to try these:

Here are 79 more options. These fonts are filtered by “popularity”:

After clicking on the link below, you can continue to the second page from the bottom link.

dafont.com

The second site lists “222” different fonts and the tags used to filter those fonts are on the side:

fontspace.com

Next are 39 fonts on two pages:

acidfonts.com (Really?)

Sometimes you will find the same font submitted by the same developer across several of these sites, but if you like a lot from which to choose, this is a good start.

Have a wonderful Sunday,

and now I am off to buy Christmas tree lights and choose the “perfect tree” to complete check off a few more things off my “Holiday To-Do List”.

Outlines Made Easy

by recesstec tips writing

Sunday Sit, Sip, and “Sync” ~ 11-13-2011

I’m talking about a free download from rynelf.com.

It’s an “Outline Generator” called Redhaven Outline,
and after “playing” with it for ten minutes this week, I was SOLD.

It only takes minutes to download, but it will save you hours and hours of generating outlines.

It has simplified the concept enough so that your students will be able to use it, as well.

I have included a screen capture,
and with “right clicks” and “click-and-drags”, you can manipulate the “nodes” of your outline.

Finally, when you select/highlight the “Outline Title”,
you can select the pull-down menu from “Reports” and choose “Export to clipboard using active report”.

Next, open your favorite word-processing program, and paste in your outline from the clipboard.

If you like, you can change the outline specifications through your word-processing program. I’ve included a link to view the outline generated from the screenshot samples.

Don’t be afraid to use the key short-cuts that are shown on the “right-click” menus. It took me just a couple of minutes to familiarize myself with them, speeding up the process even more.

Click on the image below to see a clear sample of what this program will look like on your screen.

Click on Compare-Contrast Essay Outline to view a pdf copy of the outline that is generated from the above view.

We would love to hear your opinion on this little program,
and whether you find it helpful.

Also, if you know of any other little generators that might help all of us,
please don’t be shy about sharing!

And enjoy your week. For many of us, it is a long week, sandwiched between two short ones.

And we’re thankful for that!

Another Great Writing Resource…

by recesstec tips writing

Monday Morning Message ~ 8-22-2011

Last week I shared two websites that are great resources for teachers who teach writing.

Before the school year slips into “high gear”, I want to share one more that was brought to my attention.

http://www.writingfun.com/writingfun2010.html

“Writing Fun” by Jenny Eather offers step-by-step guidance for students writing:

1. informational reports

2. procedures

3. recounts

4. explanations

5. persuasions

6. discussions

7. narratives

8. responses

9. descriptions

10. poetry

Each genre includes student examples, step-by-step guidance, and finally a page for students to enter their own work and print it. The Poetry Page includes an explanation and examples for 14 different types of poetic writing.

There is also a “subsection” on “everyday texts” giving attention to emails, news articles, letters, and invitations. One hint that might be helpful is that with all of the information that is loaded on each page and link, the easiest way to navigate through this site is by using the “Menu” tab located on the right side of each page that will take you back to the “Home Page”.

Please take a moment to visit this site and test it out. I think you will find it an excellent alternative writing resource.

Next week I’ll share a few more “keystroke” shortcuts that will help save precious time.

Enjoy what, for many of you, will be your first full week back to school.

Make every minute count, and make every student feel as though they matter.

Help Your Students Breathe… Out

by recesstec tips writing

Monday Morning Message ~ 8-15-2011

Pam Allyn writes, “Reading is breathing in and writing is breathing out”.

Every year I recommitted myself as a teacher to promote and teach more student writing in my class.

Some years were better than others.

This week I would like to share two sites that might be helpful.

The first is one that is one that I have long used.
Like an old friend, www.readwritethink.org has been a huge resource that I’ve depended on for many years.

Two of the “interactive tools” that I have my students use are:

1. The “Story Map”, and

2. The “Plot Diagram”.

A new resource I stumbled on, and am very excited about, ishttp://www.wordtamer.co.uk/

This is also an interactive website, but this site includes videos that direct, teach, lead, and help students make creative, personal choices to guide them as they begin the writing process, again.

The “Master of Ceremonies” is the “Word (Lion) Tamer”, and the “Study Help” videos are presented by Judy Waite who, in her British accent, clarifies further what students can do to begin and perfect their writing.

I hope these two sites will help you be a little more fearless as you begin a new year, and as you encourage your students to write.

We would love to have your comments and hear about your experiences as you use these sites to start the new year.

Self-Assess, or Not

by recesstec tips writing

Monday Morning Message ~ 6-27-2011

Have you ever wanted someone to check your work,
or give you feedback,
or maybe you just needed another pair of eyes?

PaperRater.com will provide a “pre-grade” in the areas of

Title
Spelling
Grammar
Word Choice
Style
- Sentence Length
- Word Usage
- Verb Phrases
- Transitional Phrases
Vocabulary

This site is recommended for “authors” with a high school or college level education, but it offers good tips and suggestions for anyone. My recommendation would be to have students use this tool to check their blog posts, narratives, essays, and research papers. It not only provides some guidance, but it will save you time grading by offering students a platform to evaluate their own drafts, make some adjustments and corrections, and learn from that process. PaperRater will generate a “suggested grade” if the copy is submitted as a:

“Research Paper”
“Personal Narrative”
“Essay”
“Short Story”
“Speech/Presentation”, or
“Book Report”.

No grade is suggested for:

“Lab Reports”
“Letters/Emails”
“Movie Reviews”, or
“Other”.

Sometimes students need to be reminded that we are all on the same page. We all want them to succeed, and PaperRater can enable real support.

Within our classroom settings, Shannon and I continually remind students of their responsibility as digital citizens. This tool reinforces their accountability. They need to internalize the concept that they are never “annonymous” on the internet, and the “Plagiarism Detection” feature of this tool just serves as a reminder that they truly are responsible and accountable for their own digital presence.

Finally, this tool is “FREE”!

Enough said. Have a great week…

(Oh, and I’m going to have to settle for an “82%/B” rating for this Monday Morning Message.)

Bread Crumbs

by recesstec tips writing

Monday Morning Message ~ 6-6-2011

With rain in the forecast, we found ourselves inside for recess during the last weeks of school. Students begged to work in the computer lab on their final project of the year. We had transformed an old activity that moved them as water droplets through stations that represented different scenarios in the water cycle. Using Photo Story 3, they gave their droplet a personality and used it to narrate their “journey” through the cycle.

One afternoon, as we began working in the lab, some students logging in, some typing, and some adding pictures to their project, several found the “WaterPhotoStory” suddently missing. Several panicked, worried that all of their hard work was gone, and I was sure it was a case of someone having mistakenly dragging or deleting the folder.

I did a quick search for one of the projects. From “Day 1”, my students are taught to save their projects using their first name followed by the project title, which saves time searching, saving, and viewing.

I quickly found the file, right clicked on it, and clicked on the properties. It gave me the address, and I could see that the entire “WaterPhotoStory” folder had been dragged into the “Explorers” folder. The address, working backwards, will lead us back to where our files are stored. Then it was only a matter of opening the “Explorers” folder, finding the “WaterPhotoStory” folder, a quick right click on that folder without opening it, cut, and then proceeding to the folder where I wanted it placed, another right click, and then paste.

G:Usersstudent5th gradeBrachbillStudentsExplorersWaterPhotoStory

Working with students in the lab can sometimes be frustrating, but if you know some of the solutions to problems that are bound to occur when working with kids+computers, you can save time and you and your students will have a lot more fun!

Revisiting the “Little Book”…

by recesstec reflections tips writing

Monday Morning Message ~ 4-25-2011

These next few weeks will find our students busy with year-end activities and field trips.

With that, I have been thinking about the “Little Book” that was featured in our March 28th Tip.

I am planning to use this “Little Book”, but my students love lines on which to write,
and they often love to include their own drawings.

So on a quiet Sunday afternoon, I designed two templates to give them a choice.
One I will use for a book on Geometric Shapes with definitions, and they can use the blank pages to construct their shapes using the templates that are provided with our Math series.

In our school arboretum, each of my students is assigned two trees for which they are responsible. They can make a book for each tree, and use the pages to draw the tree and leaf shapes, or to use for a rubbing of the new leaves as they emerge.
(As we wait for the rain to stop…)

If you need to refresh your memory as to how to make the “Little Book”, please visit the link above to watch the video.

I have uploaded a pdf copy of each of the templates.

You’ll find the links below.
Please feel free to use them and share them.
We would love to hear how you have used them in your classroom.

If you are returning to school after Spring Break,
we hope this next week finds you rested and motivated to make these last few weeks the very best.

Make sure you take time to have fun with your students.

Little Book With Pictures

Little Book With Only Lines