Creating a Bibliography on Google Docs!

Grades 2-5 are starting to use Google Docs with their students more and more. We are getting more comfortable with using Google Docs in place of Microsoft Word. Today's blog is how to add the EasyBib Bibliography Creator to Google Docs. Your students can all get the Add-On.
Check out the video below...

For more information click here.
Please let me know if you have any questions.

Adding a Hit Counter

Here it is... a quick video tutorial on adding a hit counter to your website.

Also, your feedback is very helpful. Please let me know what you would like me to blog about next. Thanks! :)

Communicating with Twitter

Hello friends! I have already started to get emails from teachers with questions about Twitter. Looks like communicating with families using Twitter was successful and something that many teachers want to continue this year. I am going to share some resources with you to get started with integrating Twitter as a communication tool.

Here's a short tutorial on how to remove followers from last year:

More suggestions and resources...

*Twitter forms for parents: http://bit.ly/TwitterforParents and http://bit.ly/TwitterDirections
You can access these forms on Google and then you can "make a copy" to modify the documents. Hit "file" & then "make a copy". Then you can edit the documents to hand out to parents. This is also something you can show at "Meet the Teacher" night.

*Here are some education hashtags that you may want to include in your tweets or that you may be interested in especially if you use TweetDeck: Education Hashtags
(From Alan November's November Learning)

*Here is a website that allows you to view and print all of your Tweets that you may need for data purposes: All My Tweets

*If you choose to deactivate your account you may want to change the email and username before deactivating. If you do not, you cannot use the email or username for 30 days.

*Have fun creating your new or first Twitter name with your class! The kids enjoy voting on a name and it gets them excited to begin tweeting all of their hard work! Please follow me @AllisonImperio

Hope this post was helpful! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Google Classroom!

Welcome back everyone! Happy first day of school. I am so excited that we have new technology in our classrooms. I am writing today because I know how eager everyone is to begin using their Chromebooks along with Google Apps for Education. I am pleased to announce that Google has released Google Classroom! I am confident that with Google Classroom you will all have an easier time integrating Google Apps this year. Let's check it out... here's a Google Classroom introduction video.

Need more convincing?

In one place teachers can...

• create and distribute assignments & start class discussions
• collect assignments
• create Drive folders for each assignment
• see who completed their work
• give immediate feedback and grades

In one place students can…

• get assignments
• work on assignments
• stay organized
• share resources with their classmates

Below is a quick tutorial video on how to get started. PLEASE contact me if you would like assistance with Google Classroom! I would love to come in and to work with you and your students!

Also, as mentioned in the video Google is always updating! I am hopeful that they will add a feature to allow more than one teacher to manage a classroom. However, at this time only one teacher can run a Google Classroom.

Good luck :)

Jumbled Sentences

Jumbled Sentences is an app that helps students create complete sentences. Students can improve their writing skills and have fun doing it. I installed Jumbled Sentences 1-6 onto my iPad. All of the apps are very similar they just have different themes. I really liked Jumbled Sentences 3. Students have to drag the words into the correct boxes to make complete sentences. The words move around in a circle and students have to choose the correct word to complete the sentence. There is a picture in the center of the circle that represents the sentence. The words are read aloud when you tap on them. There is also a hint button. You have three minutes to complete each sentence and you earn money for creating correct sentences before the time runs out. There are three levels that increase in difficulty. When you earn money you can then visit the sticker page. On the sticker page you can use your money to purchase stickers for your sticker collection. Below are some iPad screenshots from the app Jumbled Sentences 3. If you would like these apps on your classroom iPads please let me know! Thanks!

Write About This App!

Write About This Free is an app that I just started to explore with a student in 4th grade. I have been searching for an app like this one for a long time! The app is for elementary students. Students can choose more than 50 prompts (text or voice) on the free version or you can create your own. The prompts were created by teachers who had the Common Core State Standards in mind. A teacher named Brad Wilson created the app. The app is a visual writing prompt. In the settings you can change the prompt level to 1, 2, or 3. You can also add your email address as the default email and all of your student's writing pieces will be sent to you. It is really easy for students to publish and to share. This app can be used as a journal in your classroom. If you click on "random" you can scroll through tons of writing prompts. Students can have the prompt read aloud to them and they can use the picture that is provided for ideas. Below are screenshots I took from Write About This Free on my iPad. I have my iPad set to prompt level 3.

Please let me know if you would like to use this app in your classroom :)

Trading Cards App & Trading Card Creator

ReadWriteThink's Trading Cards is an iOS application that allows students to create their own trading cards. Students can create trading cards about a fictional person, real person, a fictional place, a real place, an object, an event, or a vocabulary word. Each category has questions that are explained on the app which makes it easy for students to follow. You cannot create your own category or questions on the app version. This does make it difficult when you want to use specific questions. The app is a great tool to have students apply what they know about summarizing or to show their understanding about what they are learning. Once students select a category they can upload or take a picture to place on their card. They can resize the picture right on the app. They can also choose from 12 different card designs. Once you create your card you can save it to your images, print, or email your trading card. On the app you can create multiple usernames which is a great feature especially if your class is sharing iPads. Below is a sample trading card I created on my iPad. If you do not have iPads in your classroom you can use your laptops or netbooks. Click here to get started using Trading Card Creator (Flash Player is required). On the Trading Card Creator site you can create your own category and questions, which is great!

Below is a screenshot of Trading Card Creator (here you can insert your own questions)

Click here for lesson ideas using Trading Cards app!
Click here for lesson ideas using Trading Card Creator on the web!