Osmo

I had heard about Osmo several months ago, but it wasn't until I went to FETC in January that I had the opportunity to interact with one.  After the conference, I decided to research how I could use the device in my classroom.  When I learned about some of its features, specific students came to my mind, and I knew this could be a beneficial tool for us.

 

With parent help (each student brought in $5.00), I was able to purchase an Osmo Genius Kit a couple weeks ago, and we have been enjoying using it in class!

Osmo is an educational technology tool that connects with the iPad to create an interactive game system.  It is compatible with almost all variations of the iPad, but it doesn't currently operate with Android devices.

 

Included in the kit is a base/stand for the iPad and a red plastic apparatus with a mirror inside that covers the front-facing iPad camera (This is used to "see" objects that are placed on the surface, in front of the iPad, and respond with them):

The Genius Kit also comes with the following games, and users must download five (free!) apps in order to play: 

1.  Tangram--Players use the seven colorful wooden game pieces to complete puzzles on the screen.  There are over 600 puzzles with varying degrees of difficulty so that students from K-6th can play.  Okay, even I have been challenged by some of the puzzles!   

 2.  Newton--This physics game drops spheres from the top of the screen and kind of reminds me of a pinball machine.  Players must guide the spheres to different locations in order to hit targets on the screen.  You can draw lines on a piece of paper in front of the iPad or even put down real world objects (like your hand, a ruler, pens, etc.) to guide the spheres to the targets.  I've also used the Tangram pieces before.  There are 60 levels, and the levels progressively become more challenging. This game can help students with spatial relations, cause and effect, and problem-solving skills.

3.  Words--Reminds me of Hangman and Wheel of Fortune.  Players are provided with a visual clue and then they must guess a hidden word by placing letter tiles in front of the iPad.  This is great for spelling/vocabulary review, and the neat thing is that teachers can create their own word games by uploading specific pictures/words.  I've already customized a Word game that relates to our space unit.

There are four levels of difficulty, so students from ages 5-12 can play on their level.  Honestly, I've even been stumped on the "Impossible" category!  This game really encourages outside-the-box thinking because the picture may represent a noun, adjective, or adverb.  It can get a little tricky! Students use the provided letter tiles and slide them in front of the iPad to correctly spell words.  This can be done individually, cooperatively, or in a Versus mode.  

 Here are a couple clips of my students playing in Versus Mode.

  4.  Numbers--This fun, aquatic-themed math game provides practice for several math skills: number recognition, addition, subtraction, multiplication, ordering numbers, and creating equations.  There are multiple ways to solve each puzzle and students are given immediate feedback.  The math challenges become increasingly complex the longer one plays.  Osmo has partnered with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in order to make Numbers compatible with their Go Math! and Math Expressions programs.

5.  Masterpiece--Allows you to draw an image by "tracing" the lines you see on the screen.  This sounds easier than it actually is!  With this app, you have the option to take a photo to draw, upload an image already stored in your photo album, choose from provided drawings, or even search online.  There are many possibilities!  While drawing, the iPad records all movements and at the end, it is able to show you a time-lapsed video of your artwork.  Artists may then share the video on social media or via email.  I love that this app also provides outlines of numbers and letters so students can practice their handwriting (both print and cursive!).  Masterpiece definitely helps with fine motor skills.

Click here to see a time-lapsed video of one of my student's drawings.

Besides using this app in art class, I could see teachers using it for geography (drawing maps), math (numbers, shapes, geometric concepts, etc.), language arts (print/cursive practice, book reports, writing in another language, etc.)...there are numerous possibilities! 

As you can see, the Osmo promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills, spatial awareness, fine motor skills, word play, and math fact fluency.  Masterpiece helps students develop stamina for completing tasks that are challenging and require more focus, and it can inspire students to become better artists.  I have a very creative bunch this year, so Masterpiece is their current favorite app.

One of the things I enjoy most about the Osmo is that it's a tech tool that actually encourages interaction.  When I use it with students in the classroom, they are sharing ideas, talking, solving problems, and even laughing together.  This isn't just putting a child in front of another screen; students can interact with real objects and each other.  This game play goes beyond the screen and encourages social interactions.  It's been a wonderful addition to our classroom!  

This post contains photos from Google images. 

Kahoot!

Kahoot! is a game-based classroom response system that allows teachers to create quizzes, surveys, etc. and deliver them online to students.  I've used it in my classroom this year as a fun and engaging way to review for tests; however, teachers can use it in many different ways.  This free system has a variety of features, including the ability to search for premade quizzes by other educators.  Users can preview any quiz to see if it will meet their needs.  Click HERE to see a quick video (of a geography review I created) that shows you how excited my students have been using Kahoot!

As you can see, they love participating.

To create a Kahoot! for your class, go to www.getkahoot.com.

In order for your students to join a Kahoot! you've created, have them use www.kahoot.it

The Value of a Twitter PLN

I joined Twitter last July in order to build my PLN...only I didn't know that's what I was doing at the time.  After seeing hashtags everywhere (even on Facebook?), I decided to check out Twitter and see what it was all about.  I knew, however, that I wasn't interested in following celebrities or Hollywood gossip.  I simply wanted to check out Twitter and see if there were any educational resources available.  I had been playing around with Pinterest and discovered valuable information there that I could use in my classroom, so I thought, "Maybe there's something valuable on Twitter."

Boy, was there ever!  Teachers from all over the world were tucked away in this little corner of the Internet.  At first, I had to really search to find them but that shows just how much of a treasure they are.  I have stumbled upon something so worthwhile.  Connecting and collaborating with so many talented, creative, passionate, and innovative educators on Twitter has been the single most important thing I've done this year to enhance my professional growth.

I have heard some teachers say that taking part in Twitter chats or really trying to build their PLN through social media would take too much time and really isn't worth it.  I say that reading the posts/links and sharing ideas is time well spent and I'm shocked that anybody would think it's a waste of time!  Actually, having a PLN has saved me time.  For example, just this week I took part in a 45 minute Twitter chat about extension activities in math.  Educators from all over were joining in and posting links, sharing resources and ideas, and encouraging each other.  By the time the chat was over, I had 30 tabs open which were full of relevant information and resources.  Do you think I could have found all that information in 45 minutes on my own?!  Sure, I could have surfed the web and found many math sites, but I knew this was valuable information.  I could trust the sites that were recommended because they had been used by other teachers whom I respect.

I also love that I can pose a problem or question and (sometimes within minutes!) teachers in my PLN will tweet a response, doing their best to help.  A Twitter PLN is so supportive and helpful.     

I am so thankful for all the creative and passionate teachers out there who are willing to share ideas and resources with me, along with lots of encouragement and support.  There is great value in a Twitter PLN! 

R.E.D. Event with Taylor Swift

Today, my class enjoyed viewing a live, 30-minute Scholastic webcast with Taylor Swift.  Many of my girls are huge fans of hers, so they loved it!  This webcast was not about music or her success as a singer; she actually spoke about the power of literacy and encouraged the students to Read Every Day (RED).  Red, incidentally, is the name of her album that debuted two days ago. 

Anyway, she shared how literature inspired her writing and she encouraged the students to "read, write, and be creative."  At one point, she said, "Read all kinds of books so you know what interests you."  Loved that!  You know, I can tell my students to try reading different genres and explore various books to see what they like, but when Taylor Swift tells a 10-year-old these things, it means more.  She spent time answering questions from students all over the world.  We pinpointed on a map where the questions came from--New York, New Jersey, Texas, Michigan, Alabama, and even Singapore! 

It was really neat to hear her talk about middle school and offer tips on "surviving middle school" since this is my students' last year of elementary school.  To close, Swift performed a song from her new album and my students were thrilled!
   
The webcast was a lot of fun and very inspiring. 

 

iPad-Palooza: Even More Apps

Today I had the opportunity to take part in an iPad workshop for local educators.  It was so helpful and SO much fun.  I was able to go with my grade-level teaching partner and we learned about new apps as well as how to differentiate instruction using the iPad.  This training was very beneficial and I'm glad we were able to attend.  I wanted to share with you a few new apps I learned about:

• Doc Scan (Free or you can upgrade for $3.99)--allows you to take a picture and then turn it into a PDF file...amazing!
• WeWantApps! (Free)--Do you want to search for apps, but have no idea where to begin?  Use this app to type in your students' ages, favored category and price, and then click "search."  A results list will pop up that shows apps that relate to your request.  Neato!
• AppsFire Deals (Free)--Another way to find apps.  The cool thing about this is that it shows you discounted or free apps from the app store.  You will have to search a little for quality educational apps, but it's definitely worth downloading.
• Fluency Timer Pro ($0.99)--An app with an adjustable timer that automatically records students' fluency readings for playback and sharing. 
• 7 Little Words (Free)--Great for word play!  This app contains 50 different puzzles, including a Spanish and French version.  Note:  More suited for upper elementary/middle school students.
• BrainQuest (Free)--Just like the educational flashcards, this app poses a variety of questions for each grade level, 1st-5th (100 questions for each grade).
• Rocket Math (Free)--Fun and challenging math app for all ages that ranges in difficulty to allow students to practice odd/even numbers, square roots, telling time, money, 3D shapes, and arithmetic.     
• Common Core Standards (Free)--View all the standards in one place.  Very easy to find standards by subject, grade level, and subject category (domain/cluster).  This app includes math and language arts standards, K-12.
• Songify (iPhone app, but will work on iPad) and AutoRap--More entertaining than educational; I've had a blast playing with these today.  Both of these apps transform ordinary speech into song (or rap!).  How can I use this for my auditory learners?  This app is definitely fun and engaging.  Here's a sample of me on AutoRap:  5th Grade is the Best.  I SPOKE the words, "5th grade is the best.  It's better than all the rest.  I love teaching 5th grade.  They're so awesome!"  Okay, so I did make my voice higher when I got to "awesome."  Isn't that just fun?!  I don't know why it just stops suddenly at the end.  Oh well.

Finally, my favorite app as of now (which I downloaded last week) is iMovie.  Oh my goodness!  I can make HD movies and trailers and edit them within minutes.  Those of you with Macs are probably already familiar with iMovie.  However, I'm a PC and just found out about this app recently.  The app costs $4.99 and it's the best one I've purchased so far.

My Favorite Apps

Many of you probably teach in schools that are saturated with technology because of public funding.  I, on the other hand, teach at a private school that does not have as much technology as our public school counterparts.  However, this year, I was fortunate enough to get an iPad 2 for my classroom and I'm so thankful.  Some of you may have a 1:1 iPad program at your school and that's awesome, but I say ONE iPad in my classroom is better than none.  ;)

I received my iPad the second week of school and am still learning things about it.  I wanted to share in this post my favorite apps that I use as I work with my 5th grade students.  If you have any to recommend, I'd love to hear your suggestions!  Here's my list:

• BrainPOP--Engaging educational videos for grades 3 and up.  The videos are usually 5 minutes long and include a 10 question quiz at the end. There are several options with this app.  You can stick to a free version that allows you to watch the featured video (it changes each day).  You could also upgrade to various paid versions.  I bought the full access subscription for $6.99/month.  It's a little expensive, but I get access to over 750 movies and quizzes.  It's been a great addition to my lessons and the students really enjoy it.  I've set up my account so that I can choose to not purchase it for a certain month. 
• iHurricane HD--was a very helpful and FREE app I used at the beginning of the year when I had my students tracking hurricanes. 
• Google Earth--FREE; great tool as we study geography
• Atlas for iPad by Appventions--$1.99 (but right now there's a special offer and it's 60% off)  It has large political and physical world maps, regional maps, time zone maps, and various information on over 250 world entities.  There are pictures of flags, comparison tables, etc.  You can also get a lighter version for free.
• NASA App HD--FREE app that will be helpful when we study space.  It includes thousands of images from NASA, news stories, and lots of information about the planets, stars, and galaxy.  There are videos as well.  This app is FULL of cool stuff!
• GeoPop--$0.99; A fun geography game that has three levels of difficulty.  This game poses one question at a time and you must touch the correct answer (i.e. country/continent) before the time runs out.  One you touch, or "pop," the correct place, a new question appears.  Hints are available if you need them. 
• Stack the States--$0.99; Another fun geography game that was voted "Best Kids App for iPad."  I started out with the free version and my students wanted more.  Hey, I've even found myself playing it in my spare time.  We all love this game and are learning more about the 50 states.
• Stack the Countries--$1.99; How could I get Stack the States and not Stack the Countries?!  I do teach World Geography, don'tcha know.  It's just like the game above and again, I play it in my spare time. 
• Lobster Diver--FREE math game dealing with number lines and fractions for upper elementary/middle school students.
• Bookabi--FREE educational app that allows students to write and digitally illustrate their own stories.  You also have the ability to voice record and play back the reading of the story.
• Drawing Box--FREE (There is also a $1.99 version) drawing, painting, sketching app.  I love the video replay of the illustrations because I get to watch how my students created their artwork.

Teacher Apps:

• Groovy Grader--FREE app that replaces your paper E-Z Grader
• QuickVoice Recorder--FREE app that I use to record spelling tests for students who are absent
• Dragon Dictation--FREE app similar to Quick Voice; however, this converts voice recordings into text. 
• ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard--FREE app that allows you to turn your iPad into a personal interactive whiteboard.  With this app, you have the ability to record voice-over tutorials and share them online.

I hope you find these helpful!  Again, feel free to share with me your favorite iPad apps. 

Oh, yes, one more thing...I love using my iPad as a document camera.  It's so easy to take a picture of something and then project it onto the Promethean board using AirServer.  AirServer cost me around $5-$7 (I can't quite remember) and is a mirroring receiver for Macs AND PC's (I'm a PC). 

International Dot Day

September 15th is known as International Dot Day because that's when the book, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, was published in 2003.  This book is about a little girl named Vashti who does not believe that she can draw.  With the help of her teacher, she realizes that she actually is an artist.  This book invites students to explore their creativity by simply "making a mark and seeing where it takes them."

 

I, along with over 350,000 other educators from across the world, registered to participate in celebrating International Dot Day.  Here's what my class did:

 

We decided to do a week-long series of events to celebrate.  On Monday, I read aloud The Dot to the students and we began creating our own digital artwork using the Promethean board.  I printed their creations and we displayed them in "The Dot Gallery" in our classroom: 

On Tuesday, we learned about pointillism and focused on the artwork of Georges Seurat. 

On Wednesday, we were able to livestream with the author of the book (and his twin brother, Paul).  The students were SO excited about this.  I invited our librarian and the other 5th grade class to join us and they enjoyed viewing the livestream as well. 

It was neat to see that people from all over the world tuned in.  Schools from several states such as California, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas (to name a few!) were represented.  There was also a school from Canada and even Afghanistan.

Peter read aloud the book, shared what inspires him, and had a brief discussion/Q&A time.  There were so many questions that were submitted and we were thrilled when a question from our class was read aloud and answered first!!  One of my students asked, "How did you come up with the character's name, Vashti?"  We had wondered if he'd gotten it from the book of Esther in the Old Testament of the Bible.  You know, Queen Vashti?  Well, he didn't get the name from there, by the way.  ;)  If you'd like to view the archive (and learn how he actually came up with the character's name), CLICK HERE.  It's about 30-40 minutes long.

 

On Thursday, the students practiced pointillism in their art class (I had emailed the art teacher and she, of course, wanted the children to celebrate in her class as well).  The students couldn't stop talking about the artwork they made.  I can't wait to see it!

 

For fun, I dressed in dots that day and carried my dot teacher bag:

 

On Friday, we had "dot" snacks, which were a hit!  I provided chocolate chip cookies, Skittles, and Smarties.  YUM! 

 

On Monday, each of my students will receive a certificate for their participation in Dot Day and, at the end of the year, these certificates will go in their time capsules (which I'll talk about in another post).

 

How did your class celebrate dot day?  Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter #DotDay.  Also, be sure to follow the Peter Reynolds Twitter feed @DotClubConnect. 

 

Happy Dot Day!