Edmodo in 6th Grade

The 6th Grade students and parents at Howe Manning are all using Edmodo to collaborate in their classrooms.

"Edmodo is an educational website that takes the ideas of a social network and refines them 
and makes it appropriate for a classroom. Using Edmodo, students and teachers can reach 
out to one another and connect by sharing ideas, problems, and helpful tips. A teacher can 
assign and grade work on Edmodo; students can get help from the entire class on Edmodo. 
It is a safe environment. There is no bullying or inappropriate content, because the teacher 
can see everything that is posted on Edmodo. Also parents can join the class to bring a level 
of transparency that is difficult to achieve without technology. All in all Edmodo is a great 
companion to just about any class." ~ Patrick Cauley

   Mrs. Pazdziorny and Mrs. Baker co-teach the Edmodo program to the 6th Grade students.

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Students have learned how to link documents and videos to their accounts.  Their first mission was to find a fun science experiment to show to their class.  Our favorite videos are made by "Steve Spangler Science".  We are all watching an experiment on chemical reactions as he made Elephant Toothpaste, and then students posted their reactions to each other on Edmodo.

In Mrs. Bentley's World Cultures class, 6th grade students used Edmodo to assist in their research for the "Five Themes of Geography".  Students used the Backpack feature to store their writing and maps.

Edmodo on the Road

Mrs. Baker had the opportunity to visit a classroom in Marlow, NH.  The principal, Walter Huston, asked Mrs. Baker to assist his 5/6th grade students and teacher in setting up Edmodo.  The students and teacher worked very hard to set up their accounts.  They absolutely love the program and are using it on a daily basis.  

To learn more about using Edmodo in your classes, check out this website:
http://edmodoteacherhub.wikispaces.com/file/view/Exec-Summary-Edmodo.pdf

http://www.csub.edu/~tfernandez_ulloa/Edmodo%20User%20guide.pdf

Math Calendar in Ms. Simonelli's 2nd Grade Class

In Middleton Elementary Schools, teachers are using Calendar Math in their math classes.  This is a great math program to support our Math In Focus curriculum.  It enriches daily math instruction, reinforces core concepts, and provides immediate differentiation in 10-15 minutes a day.

I had a chance to observe Ms. Simonelli and her 2nd grade students using the Math Calendar. She has the calendar projected on her Smartboard Interactive Whiteboard.  The students and Ms. Simonelli can move and interact with the numbers and the shapes to review math concepts.

September Math Calendar

Ms. Simonelli modeling a concept for her student

 Students work on different math concepts by moving the coins.  They also, complete math problems.

Students have several papers that they complete as they work through the day's concepts.  As a student works on the Smartboard, the rest of the class completes the math problems in this packet.

Samples of student work.  

Math Calendar is a great tool for differentiation.  During this lesson, a student struggled with his even numbers.  Ms. Simonelli had her class sing "The Even and Odd Numbers" song.  What a great chance to revisit this concept!

21st Century Learning

“One can’t believe impossible things.”

 “I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen.  “When I was your age I always did it for half-an-hour a day.  Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

 Lewis Carroll,  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

What is 21st Century Learning? 

"21^st century skills learned through our curriculum, which is interdisciplinary, integrated, project-based, and more, include and are learned within a project-based curriculum by utilizing the seven survival skills advocated by Tony Wagner in his book, The Global Achievement Gap:

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence
• Agility and Adaptability
• Initiative and Entrepreneurialism
• Effective Oral and Written Communication
• Accessing and Analyzing Information
• Curiosity and Imagination"

Check out more about 21st Century Learning:  http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/what_is_21st_century_education.htm

Why do we need to integrate technology into our curriculum?

Welcome to a new school year!

My name is Dierdre Baker and I am the new Digital Learning Specialist in Middleton, Massachusetts.  I am here to help students and teachers integrate technology into their lessons.  There are so many great programs out there.  I can't wait to get going on this new adventure!