Tap....Tap...Tap...Is Anyone Out There?

My sweet little blog. Boy, does she have stories to tell! I haven't blogged in almost two years and something has called me back to this little space on the internet that allowed me to share and learn from so many amazing educators.

I am in awe of how our way of communication has changed in such a short amount of time. Blogging was once the go to place for educators and with other social media that has come along, I wonder...does anyone read blogs anymore?

Blogging is not limited to a certain number of characters or a well taken picture (not that I don't absolute love both for completely different reasons) and allows me a larger canvas to share what is most important to me- stories of my family, my adventures in the classroom and my sweet students.

So, I'll be blogging again. I will be sharing all the wonderfully crazy changes that have come along since the last time I posted and making a few changes to reflect what I am up to now.

I am so glad to be back and can't wait to start sharing again!

Bright Ideas May Link Up

WOW oh WOW! It has been a little while since my last posted but I  am so glad to be back for the Bright Ideas Blog Link Up this month! This spring has just zoomed by and we are about to be on our second round of testing! I can't hardly even believe that it is already MAY but it is and that means we have to make every day count!

I love to find opportunities for the students to collaborate and this app makes it easy and fun to do! iBrainstorm is a creative way to share information in the moment! All you have to do is create your account, download the app to all your devices and start sharing!

Once the apps are downloaded to your devices, the students can connect to each other by tapping on the smiley faces at the top right corner of the screen. Once they connect, they can share their thoughts by dragging the sticky note, drawing or text box over the smiley faces and it will instantly appear on the other students screens....way cool! It has definitely increased the engagement in our group work and has given my students a deeper understanding of many of the concepts that we are learning by exploring the thoughts of their friends.

There are two super cool features that I absolutely love!  The first being that the kiddos can each have their own color of sticky note or text color which allows you to easily track student participation when working in a group and puts the responsibility to share in the hands of the students.  

The other super awesome feature is that there are several templates that can be used to organize ideas! Here is an example of a venn diagram but there are so many more! This brings there projects to a whole new level!

My students absolutely love using this app and get such a kick out of their ideas appearing on their iPads. You can hear them saying BOOM when they send it and it always sends a giggle around the room...priceless. These projects can then be shared to you through email, imessage, notes, Edmodo, OneNote and even more!

If you enjoyed this bright idea, please consider joining me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter for more great ideas.

Check out the link up to find so many more great ideas to end your year off with a BANG!

An InLinkz Link-up

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!!

I am so excited to be joining some great blogging friends in a fun and exciting giveaway! There are amazing prizes for 12 day and I am so excited to share a resource from my Teachers Pay Teachers store to make your holidays merry and bright!

 

All you have to do is use the RaffleCopter below to join in on the fun too! Good luck and Happy Holidays!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bright Ideas Round Up- Year in Review

I can't believe how quickly another year of Bright Ideas has come and gone! There have been so many wonderful ideas shared and I am so proud to be part of a link up that brings these ideas to you!

One of my favorite Bright Ideas that I loved was creating a center rotation chart for my kiddos using power point. This has been a lifesaver and I have been able to create new backgrounds that allow for a fun touch of decor throughout the seasons.

Another idea that has been a real time saver is this little goodie! I love using these fast and easy labels to document the accommodations for my students. It has been a great source of communication for my student's parents and has allowed me a great way of keeping track of all the accommodations and interventions that I provided for my students.

The last Bright Idea that I would love to share with you again is my post on Twitter for Teachers. I absolutely love Twitter and have gained a wonderful Professional Learning Community! If you haven't join in on the fun, you must! It is an amazing resource for all teachers! Check out my post on Twitter for great ideas to get started! 

If you loved these ideas and want to fill your Pinterest boards, come check out our Bright Ideas Link Up! There are amazing bloggers with so many ideas that will make your time in the classroom productive, fun and organized!

An InLinkz Link-up

Bright Ideas- October

I am so excited for another great Bright Ideas Link Up! So many wonderful ideas to pin and share!

It has been a crazy start to the year but I am finally getting into the groove of things. My kiddos will be studying soil and I wanted to add a little extra fun for them! After our soil experiment, where we will be looking at the amount of water that each type of soul holds (and why it's important), I thought it would be great to see the kids demonstrate understanding by giving them a pumpkin seed and allowing them to pick the soil that would be best for their "crop".

But then I started thinking...how can we plant them? 

I wanted something biodegradable and that wasn't to expense...and then it came to me! Egg cartons! 

Egg cartons are perfect for planting as a class and when students get home to plant them, all they have to do is drop it in the ground...all done!

If you enjoyed this bright idea, please consider joining on me Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter for more fun ideas!

Make sure to check out the other Bright Ideas, make sure to check out the awesome link up!

An InLinkz Link-up

Bright Ideas Link Up-Quick and Easy Documentation

Documentation.

It can be overwhelming, exhausting and hard to manage.

Until now....

Here is a super quick and easy way to make sure that your documentation of accommodations and modifications is always ready to go! All you need is small Avery mailing labels. 

Open up Microsoft Word and create a page for your labels. I like the small return address labels but you can use any of them. Once you have done that, type in the accommodations and modifications that you would like to document on your students assignments. 

Then all you have to do is print! I keep these at my round table and when I am about to complete an assessment or practice with a student, I add these to the top of their page and highlight it for the parents. 

You can make labels for any support that you offer your students. Not only does this give parents a clear picture of the level of support that their child may need on a given skill  but it also makes for great documentation. Each week I copy the assignments that my students have worked on and  file them in each student's folder for conferences or academic meetings. It works like a charm!

If you enjoyed this bright idea, please consider joining me on  Facebook, 

Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter for more fun and ideas!

For more bright ideas, please browse through the link-up below and choose a topic/grade level that interests you. Thanks for visiting!

An InLinkz Link-up

Classroom Decor with Carson-Dellosa

Wow! The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind! I am so glad to be back in the classroom for a new year and can't wait to share my awesome board that was quick and easy with Carson-Dellosa's Bulletin Board Set!

The beginning of the year is always so hectic and I am so glad that I had this set! The Chalkboard Set was perfect for my color scheme in my room and was so easy to set up! All of the posters and border coordinated beautifully and I was able to have a gorgeous new board in just minutes.

In the bulletin board set, there were several great posters that every teacher needs. My board was so easy to organize and prepare with these colorful posters!

 This has to be one of the coolest things ever! These letters (that coordinate perfectly to the posters and border) are pre-cut! There is no need to punch them out of the page or worry about ripping them...and it made it simple to laminate too!

 I had a really hard time deciding between these two super cute borders! I absolutely love the colors and the designs bring the perfect pop of color to my classroom!

With all these great pieces, I was able to design and complete my board in under ten minutes! Not only does it look great but it saved me time too!

I absolutely love Carson-Dellosa! Come follow my Facebook page to check out pictures of my bulletin board and make sure to like Carson-Dellosa on Facebook for more awesome ideas!