The Elements of Weather

Welcome back fellow teachers!

This post is all about weather here in our 4th Grade Science class! Discussing elements from precipitation to air pressure and everything in between. I LOVE today's tool choice. Emaze is an online, web-based presentation creator that can be used to build and edit presentations on any personal computer. It is a step away from your average slide show and definitely makes the lecture a lot more entertaining! Click here to go to the website or simply watch the slideshow  below!

Pros: Its easy to use, there are tons of templates, its free, and it is SO much fun! The kids will definitely approve of this over the average slideshow any day!

Cons: It is VERY time consuming. Just like any other slideshow.

• UEN Content Standard: 4th Grade Science 
• Students will understand that the elements of weather can be observed, measured, and recorded to make predictions and determine simple weather patterns.

• Ed Tech Standard: Standard 5
• Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.
• ISTE Standard: Empowered Learner
• I use technology to demonstrate my learning

Butterfly Fly Away!

Hello again,

Today's topic: BUTTERFLIES. Beautiful right? For this post we are talking all about the metamorphosis of butterflies and the steps they take through their life cycle. So come on in and take a seat in our 2nd grade science class! 

Our tool up for discussion is Animoto, an online video creation service that produces video from photos, video clips, and music into video slideshows. See my examples below!

Pros: This is a cool tool to use if you cant quite find the video you are looking for. It is also a nice change from a regular slideshow presentation. The music, pictures, and video will be a fun addition to your classroom. I also think that the kids will stay focused better with the fun animations that some of the templates have. It is easy to use and it has a tutorial as well that I found very helpful.

Cons: The only way I could use the site was through a free trial, after that trial is up you will have to subscribe and pay for your account. I also found the templates to be kind of restricting. The template I used fit perfectly because it contained butterflies and I was talking about, well, butterflies! However, I can see it being an issue finding something that works for every topic.

• UEN Content Standard: 2nd Grade Science
• Standard 4, Objective 1-a. "Compare and contrast the characteristics of living things in different habitats."
• ISTE Standard: Empowered Learner
• I use technology to set goals, work toward achieving them, and demonstrate my learning.
• Ed Tech Standard: Standard 5
• Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.

Map Your Mind!

Welcome back to another blog post!

Brainstorming, Mind Mapping, Idea sharing-- All of these things are important in the classroom! Allowing your students to take there ideas and organize them into something visual will help them way beyond their school years. Today we will be discussing the idea of mind mapping through a platform called Popplet. Mind mapping is taking a central idea or topic and creating web-like branches connecting your ideas to your central thought. Popplet is a website that allows you to make an account, create a mind map, and share it with your students or classmates.

Click here to see my mind map!

Pros: Something I love about this site is the freedom. It literally starts with a blank canvas and you can go about choosing colors, font size, thought bubbles, etc. It really allows you or your students to be creative and expand upon your own thoughts. I love that it is free to use as well as easy! This platform is user friendly as well as kid friendly. All of those features are great, however, my favorite feature would have to be the "share options" you can even add a collaborator and work in groups! 

Cons: To be honest it was hard for me to come up with something I didn't like about this site. One thing that I wish could happen would be a way to print or save a PDF of your project so you could have a physical copy of it. My reason being, if you don't have access to a computer you wouldn't be able to see your project. 

• UEN Content Standard: 5th Grade Science
• Standard no. 2 objective 1 & 2 "Students will understand that volcanoes, earthquakes, uplift, weathering, and erosion reshape Earth's surface." 
• ISTE Standard: Global Collaborator 
• Broaden perspective, understand others, work effectively in teams.
• Ed Tech Standard: Standard no. 5
• Use technology tools for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.

Calling All Scientists:

Today you will join me as we step into the world of 4th grade science class!

Learning all about the water around us and the cycle it goes through can be difficult. Not only for students to learn, but for the teachers to plan for! What happens if you want some sort of activity or worksheet that is not available to you? You would be left to make your own! Luckily for us the platform we discuss today will help us with just that. Today's assignment focuses on the google tool called Google Docs.

Click here to see the worksheet!

Pros: This tool is probably my most recommended so far. I love how versatile the program is and it is easy to use. Any teacher for any grade level or any subject could find a use for this resource. For example, you could make worksheets, newsletters, fliers, print out directions for games, visual aids. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination! The program is also free, you just need to sign up for a gmail account and you are good to go! Also, another plus is that you can access it from any computer and save it right onto your account.

Cons: The templates to choose from can be kind of basic and don't always work with what you have in mind. That being said, sometimes you will need to start with a blank page to build up a worksheet/project and it could take some time. Some skills needed would definitely be patience and creativity!

Overall, I can see this tool being useful in many aspects of the classroom. I am glad I have become more familiar with this resource because I am confident it will be well used in my future projects.

• UEN Content Standard: 4th Grade Science 
• Standard 1 Objective 2-b ***Describe the processes of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation as they relate to the water cycle.
• ISTE Standard: Innovative Designer
• I solve problems by creating new and imaginative solutions using a variety of digital tools
• Ed Tech Standard: Standard no. 9 ***Determine when technology is useful and select the appropriate tool(s) and technology resources to address a variety of tasks and problems.