Work With What You Have!

I was the Featured Teacher on today's Classroom 2.0 Live presentation today! If you have never participated in one of these Saturday presentations, it is well worth the the time.  I have learned so much about web 2.0 tools, best practices, classroom management, and more from these live webinars.

Today I talked about making the most of what you have. Instead of lamenting or complaining about what you DON'T have in your classroom, use what you DO have to its fullest potential!

In my presentation, I share how I made the decision to do more with technology in my classroom, goal setting, and examples of projects and tools that I have used to transform my classroom in to a global classroom.



LiveBinder Link: https://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=937692
(Note: Click on tab for "Louise Morgan-Featured Teacher" in the LiveBinder)

Looking for a good read aloud?

My class is participating in the Global Read Aloud 2012. This is a month-long, worldwide project created by a teacher named Pernille Ripp. The purpose of this project is for classes to read the same book and then share their thoughts, ideas, and projects via blogging, Skype, Edmodo, Voicethread and other web 2.0 tools.  My class is part of a K-2 group. We are using blogging, Edmodo, and Skype to discuss and share our thoughts about the book.  We will start reading the book on October 1st and follow a set schedule so everyone will be literally "on the same page". We have selected The One and Only Ivan for our read aloud, but there is another group doing Charlotte's Web. Before we start our reading the students will make predictions. On Friday, I showed the book cover and the students wrote in their journals what they thought the book will be about. They will post their prediction on their blogs on Monday.  As the week progresses, I will create an assignment on Edmodo that they will respond to. I can also create quizzes and polls on Edmodo so I can monitor their comprehension and engagement in the book. We will also Skype with other classrooms and discuss the book.

It's not too late to join in. Check out the Global Read Aloud Wiki and find a class to connect with!

Flattening the classroom walls through Skype and more!

Skyping with Mr. S of Living Maths in Cape Town, S. Africa

Since the beginning of the year, I have been working to incorporate technology into the classroom in many different ways.

• Blogging - We got started on this right away. The first few days on the portable laptop stations were quite challenging, but the payoff has been a classroom full of students who are motivated to write and post on their blogs on a weekly basis (more than I can say for myself ;-) Our blog is password protected, but we allow guest comments. The students are so proud when they get positive feedback on their work.
• Edmodo - We joined an Edmodo group through the Global Classroom. Students from all over share and ask questions about seasons, holidays, school, and their favorite things. This is a lot of fun and a nice extra for the kids to do in the computer lab or when they have free time in the classroom. 
• Voicethread - Again, through the Global Classroom we joined the "Seasons Around the World" project and "Kids Speak". My students have enjoyed adding slides and their voices to the Voicethread and hearing kids from other places tell about themselves.
• Skype - I intended to start much earlier, but this week I finally unwrapped the webcam I received through DonorsChoose and hooked it up! I immediately called Ms. Naugle's class in New Orleans to make sure we had a good connection since I have signed up to Skype with her this coming Friday. We were so excited when she answered and we got to say hello to all of her students. When we join them again on Friday they will be teaching us about Mardi Gras.

I have a feeling we will be adding a few more stars to our global project map now that we are Skyping. This afternoon I set up Skype sessions with Mr. S of Living Maths in Cape Town, S. Africa and another teacher in suburban Chicago. During these sessions, my students will be learning new things from students and teachers from far away places. How cool is that?

Our Global Classroom Project Map

I just created this Global Classroom Project map on the wall outside our room. We are hoping to add more schools from other countries soon! 

Hoping to add a lot more stars!

So far we have one international contact - A cupcake greeting  from Mrs. Harrison's class in Belfast, Northern Ireland!  

Our contacts in the U.S. include students sharing on Edmodo in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New York.  We are also working on a seasons project with a school on Long Island, NY and a Voice Thread project with a school in Ohio!