Pinterest A.K.A. Internet Crack

It started with a "Hey! Check out this new site," and it ended with me staring with bloodshot eyes at the computer screen until midnight. This website is like a drug for teachers, moms, athletes, fashionistas, and well...everyone else. Even my hubby is addicted to pinning.

I will say that I have gotten about 100 new ideas for next year already. It's amazing. It has everything. I'm not joking... there are resources for math, literature, science, classroom management, organization, social studies projects, classroom set ups, and lots of free stuff (and who doesn't love that?).

So, are you on the pinterest bandwagon yet?

xx00xx

Teaching: Learning

The thing I love most about teaching is that there is ALWAYS something to learn. This week I had decided to teach the fourth graders about the parts of a computer. Problem: I know NOTHING about the parts of a computer. I figured it out thanks to this marvelous invention called the internet. It took a while but I put it all together and now the kids know exactly what a motherboard is (and so do I!!!).

xxOOxx

brainpop.com

This is a fantastic website with awesome animated short clips to explain everything from tsunamis to long division. The kids get SO interested in the videos and they learn so much too! I like it because the videos are only about 3-5 min long (so they don't take up a whole period).

Apparently, the whole site used to be free but unfortunately it isn't that way anymore :( There are still a whole lot of free resources, but I'm sad that not all the videos are accessible...

xxOOxx

BBC Typing

When I started in this position there was NO lesson plans, NO schedule of what to teach, NO idea what had gone on in years before. So, I asked the teachers what usually happens in computer lab and what they would like me to teach. The unanimous request was typing.

Apparently, the prior teachers didn't thing learning to type was a priority in computer class... nobody had ever taught it before. Although I did find a program in my bottomless pit of a closet (a story for another time) so I installed it and began teaching the 3 & 4th graders to type properly. This program turned out to be quite boring & as a result, groans accompanied the lessons *never a good sign*. So I began searching online for a better program to buy & came across the best resource EVER: the BBC website. Among MANY other resources they have a typing program.

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing

This site is awesome for typing lessons for the following reasons:

1. It's FREE

2. It's musical

3. It encourages with an onscreen keyboard & tips.

4. It's musical

5. It has fun characters

6. It builds slowly with 12 different lessons

7. It's FREE!!!!

It's so much fun that I even learned to type better because I play it too :P

BUT, probably the best aspect to it is that the characters speak with a British accent. Because of this, I get to hear about sixty kids speaking with mock British accents! It's completely awesome and I laugh a little when they start calling each other "mate."

xxOOxx

Facebook and Teaching

Okay. I have a serious question for you...

Would you send a friend request to your child's teacher?

...

...

Weird, huh?

I thought so. I got a friend request from a parent I met at back to school night about a month ago. I was kind of shocked. I had never met this person before and wondered why she wanted to be my friend on Facebook. I let the request sit in my inbox, in fact, it's still there.

I don't want to be rude, but at the same time, she doesn't need to know what I did over the weekend or that I played hooky from work to go to the beach. I post random stuff and I don't think its professional to befriend students OR their parents (apparently) on social websites. I mean, do they REALLY need to see me dressed up as a lion for halloween? I don't think so.

What do you think?

xxOOxx