Thanksgiving Word Clouds by First Graders

Hats off to the awesome First Grade Team of teachers for introducing their students to Google Classroom!  Using this digital interface, students were able to login to one place to receive and turn in  assignments.

Teachers "passed out" the link to ABCya's Word Cloud in an Assignment Post.  Students
1. OPENED the link
2. TYPED in Thanksgiving words
3. CREATED the word cloud by clicking the "play button"
4. SAVED their word cloud as a jpeg to the desktop
5. UPLOADED their jpeg file to their assigment in Google Classroom
6. Turned In their work

No Paper....All Digital....Yes they are First Graders....Yes they are 6 years old!!!

#digitalnatives  #learningin2015 #makeithappenTES

We Did It!!

Google Slideshows of student word clouds turned-in to teachers are in the works! 

Stay Tuned! Great Job 1st Grade!!

First Grade Goes Google!

It's so easy...even a 1st grader can do it!!

When the TES team of First Grade teachers go together on the Staff Development day earlier this month, they explored the Virginia SOLs for Computer Technology an began developing lessons which incorporated these skills important to our digital natives!  Students have to type a rather long username which is no small feat for first graders, but it will stick with them through their senior year at LCHS!  

The First Grade team of teachers are also utilizing Google Classroom as a way for students to complete assignements and submit created digital work.  Our first big project is creating a Thanksgiving Wordle coming up next week :) 

Way to #makeithappenTES first grade team!!

New Teacher Laptops Dazzle Instruction

LCPS Elementaty Teachers received new Dell 2-in-1 laptops during 

a teacher workday this past Monday.  Today is Wednesday and already teachers are dazzling their instruction with this touch-screen device! 

Kindergarten teacher Kathy Jenkins is using her Math Calendar Powerpoint presentations in contjunction with the Epson's Easy Interavtive Tools and stylus to allow this little cutie to teach his classmates about the number line!  

 The wireless touch screen laptop is bringing learners to the device for active participation.  Thank you LCPS for this fantastic addition to our instruciton!!  #21centurylearning @itrt4lcps @LCPSchools #makeithappenTES

Google Custom Search

Each year, second grade teacher, Judy Kittel,  researches appropriate websites for her students to for their their Native American research project.  For years she has keept a neat list of links on her classroom webpage and navigated students there for information  But NOW....kids can search these very sites through Google Custom Search!

Judy created her very own Google Search experience and shared it with her Second Grade Team.  Now each teacher can add the link to an assignment in Google Classroom or even embed the search box in a website! What a great way to model key words and interent searching in a controlled environment for success!  Way to  #makeithappenTES 2nd Grade!

Visit our Special Events Page on the LCPS Elementary website of student links to view this custom search or create your own custom search .

Going Paperless!

Ms. Carter - Making it Happen!

Ok, so we are not totally paperless but we are making steps in the 21st Century direction!

 Today we highlight our amazing secretary Ms. Lou Carter for taking the lead on breaking down the amout of paper we use by inviting parents to fill out a digital New Student Form when they join the TES family!  Once entered by the parent, this information is digitally communicated to a secure file viewable only by essential personnel rather than multiple copies made and placed in respective mailboxes. 

Way to #makeithappenTES!

Constitution Day 2015

 TES Second Graders....yes you read that correctly...second graders...participated in a Constitution Day activity assigned to them in Google Classroom by their dynamic teachers!! Way to go Mrs. Perkins, Mrs. Kittel, Mrs. Bracken and Mrs. Seay!!

At 7 years old these kiddos...

1. Logged-in to their Student Google Accounts with quite long usernames

2. Joined Google Classroom

3. Viewed a presentation complete with the 7Step ExC-ELL Vocabulary strategy

4. Completed a digtial worksheet that they "turned in" all PAPERLESS!!

To view the lesson pleae visit Mrs. Downey's Learning Cafe 

#digital natives #twentyfirstcenturylearning #MakeItHappenTES

Student View of Google Classroom

 School House Rocks: Preamble video 

TES Google Classrooms

Way to go Mrs. Chaney:  Spotlight Media Specialist

for using Google Classroom!

  

For the first time this year students logged-in to their LCPS Student Google Accounts (*note email is turned OFF for elementary students) and accessed a PAPERLESS online classroom platform where an assignment was waiting for them from Mrs. Chaney.

  Students then used Google Docs and Google Drawing to create original bookmarks using a template "passed out" to each student by Mrs. Chaney through the Google Classroom she created for each class.  This is all in part to Mrs. Chaney adding 21st Century Learning to Flex Friday Resource Rotations.  We cannot wait to stop by the library and select a bookmark made by one of our own TES students!!

Want to learn more about Google Classroom?  Watch this video!

Welcome Back to School!

Welcome back TES!!  

Our first SPOTLIGHT.... 

is on our bookkeeper, Mrs. Kathy Jones!

1. CREATED a Google Doc

2. Inserted IMAGES of the ice cream students can order

3. SHARED the document via email to all faculty

Thank you so much Kathy!  

Now teachers can project the ice cream choices 

making order day so much easier!! 

Virtual Farm Tour

Students in Ms. W's class learned all about life cycles 

this week in this lesson shared via Thinglink.  

Thanks to Google Hangout we took a "trip" today and met Carmella and Chocolate Cake the alpacas, Viper the pasture dog, chickens and a turtle! Students learned about life cycles and then prepared and asked questions!  It was awesome! 

Mrs. Downey is in the bottom corner leading the tour!

I think Viper was a favorite! 

We had a great time!

Making New Friends!

Kindergartners  learn to make new friends!! 

After doing an  Eric Carle Lesson Study throughout the week, students met via Google Hangout to practice SOL K.3 to practice skills and make new friends from another school in our division! 

Waiting for our Google Hangout to begin!

 Hello!! We are so excited to meet you!

Students were given the opportunity to introduce themselves and what they like and do not like.

We even met a friend who will be transferring schools next year after re-districting!

Thank you Ms. Wagner and Mrs. Jenkins for this awesome experience!

March Madness Winners!

In March, the Instructional Technology Team challenged 

all LCPS teachers to a Technology SOL Challenge!  

How many of your grade level technology SOLs could students successfully master this month Check out the March Madness website for all the details.  

The WINNERS of the Challenge are below! Well done ladies!!

Vocabulary Review - Tech Style!

Mrs. Peasley's 5th Graders are collaborating in a grade wide Google Slideshow teaching their peers about specific Math Vocabulary! 

 Each student must insert a definition, copyright friendly image, and learning video to show the meaning of their chosen vocabulary word.  Slide cards will be used for review and then to create a game!  The template to this card was found on Google Templates created by Susan Oxnevad.  

What a powerful lesson this has been not only about exploring vocabulary on a deeper level but also exploring our responsibilities as Digital Citizens!  Way to go 5th Graders!!

First Grade Googlers!!

Amazed by these kiddos!  Thank you Mrs. Zelaski and Ms. Dykan!

Today this FIRST GRADE class...

1. successfully logged into their Student Google accounts
       (with a little help typing that mega username for the first time)
2. created AND Shared a folder with their teacher
3. created a new Google Doc and named it
4. inserted a copyright free picture using the built in Research feature!
    Oh and we also re-sized the image.

WOW Way to go Mrs. Zelaski's class!!  I cannot believe you are only 1st graders!

Digital Citizenship Week!

What a wonderFULL week of school!! 

I think it really is finally spring!!

Our schools are full of digital natives and an important part of being a 

21st Century Learner is learning about being a Digital a Citizen!  

Using lessons from Commonsense Media students explored their

 responsibilities in their digital community. 

View our Lessons 

Parent Newsletter and Additional Activities

Red Light ~ Green Light!

  

First graders decide whether a website is a 

Green-Go! Yellow-Wait, ask for help or Red-Stop! place to learn.  

We got up and played the game with example websites after we practiced on our sheets.

Virtual Field Trip to the Zoo!

 It looks like these kindergarten snakes are taking over Mrs Fisher's Gym!!

After comparing weather at the  National Zoo in cloudy Washington, DC

 with sunny SanDiego Zoo in California, students pretended to be their favorite animal!

After learning about creating safe usernames, second grade students logged-in to their student google accounts for the first time and shared a folder with their teacher! Well done! 

Have a digital day!!

Digital Learning Day 2015

Mrs. Jenkins' Kindergarten class took pictures and then used the pictures to make a book in the iPad app "Book Creator" all about their classroom!

  

Mrs. Patrick's 2nd grade class used Google Drawings to design drawings of themselves for a class book!

Mrs. Chaney, TES Media Specialist, followed up Digital Citizenship Week with a Digital Passport activity using Twalkers from Common Sense Media to "teach and test the basics of online life"!  

Thanks for sharing your photos and lessons with me!  I'm sure many more participated so please comment below the cool things you did to Go Digital on Digital Learning Day 2015!!

Powtoon Awesomeness on Digital Learning Day!

Using Google Apps for Education, 4th grade students at Trevilians Elementary 

DESIGNED animated videos about the Revolutionary War
 as a culminating project for their unit!

#collaborate #futureready

This isn't just a make a movie play date, students RESEARCHED and planned
their information, then brought their research to life by COLLABORATING with a partner
and EVALUATING the resources available to best animate their research.  

Teachers, want to learn more?  Visit the Google Apps for Educators (GAFE) page

 on the  ITRT Jackpot for tutorials and planning pages to get your class started with Awesomeness! 

Reviewing with Google Forms!

Want to make your ITRT explode with excitement? 

Send her a surprise picture of your students using Google Forms to review!  

Thank you Ms. Wamper!!

#ITRThappiness  #GoogleAppsForEducation

Lookie! We're all at different places in our Colonial Virginia Review!

Virtual Field Trip to Africa

Today MN-ES Third Graders are taking a Virtual Field Trip to Africa!  

The Deserts and Grasslands of Africa

Thursday, February 5, 2015, 12:00 noon Eastern Time, on YouTube (40 minutes)

Here is the link for joining the event:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7DzF7EQzd8

This "trip" will be archived so other classes can still join in on the fun!  

Students will want to capture the exciting things they learn (can I just say I am so impressed with termites now!) so visit this Teach 123  to download a free printable to take notes on your trip.  

Offer students the chance to evaluate their experience with this Free Field Trip Wrap-Up download.  

Kudos to MN-ES teacher Angie Harris for kicking this event off and for one of her awesome parents for discovering and sharing it...Mrs. Jenkins you rock!!

Want more?  Visit the hosting organization at: 

https://natureworkseverywhere.org/#event/54ad4a00c6435b4de9298b76