Adventures with iPads

We are finding so many great ways to integrate the iPads into our instruction. I have been enjoying going into classrooms to work with students on a variety of different types of iPad projects. They are learning how to use them to create stories, slideshows, movies and more. In these pictures, kindergarten students are using the iPads to find “Signs of Autumn.” They took the iPads outside and used the camera to take pictures of autumn things. They will be importing their photos into StoryKit and doing some typing about their photos!

The second graders have been using the iPads to retell stories from their Treasures book. They used the iPad camera to take pictures of story cards. They put their pictures into SonicPics and then retold the main events of the story!

Welcome Back to School!

We are so excited to begin the new 2011-2012 school year with MORE technology for students than ever before! Our school has brand new desktops in the classrooms, new iPads in the classrooms and of course Promethean boards! I know this is going to be a busy year filled with lots of wonderful opportunities for integrating technology into the curriculum!

New iSPAR website!

I am proud to introduce a new website I am starting with students at Pritchett School called “iSPAR” which stands for Student Panther App Review. This is a website that will provide app reviews for mobile devices written by students for other students. In order to become an app reviewer, students will need to go through a brief training session with me. Currently, I have a small group of 3rd and 4th grade students who are starting this out with me!

To access the iSPAR website, you can click on the link on the right hand side to “Mrs. Pingel’s Tech Lab Wiki”, or use this direct link: http://wiki.d102.org/groups/pes_tech/wiki/a60b4/iSPAR_Student_Panther_App_Review_Website.html

I hope to have a lot of great reviews from students very soon!

Grade Level Updates

Kindergartners began coming to the computer lab at the beginning of November. They already know how to find their name on the log in list, type in their password and log themselves into the computer! They are learning to use one of our favorite programs called Kid Pix, which they will be using for many different projects at Pritchett School. They are being introduced to the tools and beginning some basic activities to practice using the tools.

First Graders voted on their favorite holidays, and then created graphs of their votes using a program called The Graph Club. We have also created Thanksgiving slideshows which are posted on my wiki. Check them out!

Second Graders are working on using Internet websites as a resource for their learning. We are really trying to encourage them to learn how to read and navigate through websites to locate specific information. They completed two activities, one on landforms and one on Thanksgiving. We will continue to work on this important skill!

Third Graders are wrapping their Illinois Prairie research projects, and will be moving on to using the Internet to research simple machines. They will be using the digital cameras to search for simple machines around the school. This week, they used the ActiVotes to help us learn what they already know about simple machines. They then completed a simple machine “scavenger hunt” using Brainpop Jr.

Fourth Graders are working with Kidspiration to create Natural Resource webs of the Northeast. They were required to make connections between natural resources, jobs, products, and their own lives. This is a challenging activity that really requires the students to do some higher level thinking!

Awesome Projects!

Our technology board is starting to take shape with our first fantastic projects of the year. Here are a few project samples:

First Grade: Seasons of Change (Kid Pix)

Second Grade: Mealworm Diaires (Comic Life)

Third Grade: Illinois Prairie Flipbooks (Internet Research and Kid Pix)

Fourth Grade: Water Cycle Diagrams (Kidspiration)

In Full Swing!

We are now into our third full week of school (well, almost full week), and we are so busy!  Both 1st and 2nd graders are beginning digital photography projects. 1st graders are using the digital cameras to take pictures of a “Pritchett” tree.  We will do several times throughout the year to observe how the tree changes with the seasons. The Second Graders are also using the digital cameras to photograph their mealworms. This will also be done several different times as the mealworms go through the various stages of their life cycle.

Third and Fourth Graders have been reviewing Study Island this week. After your child’s class has reviewed the proper use of the Study Island program, they will bring home a detailed letter with information about Study Island, along with their Username and Password to log in.

I hope everyone enjoyed the long Labor Day weekend!

The First Full Week!

This week, all classes in grades 1-4 came to the computer lab for their first visit of the school year. It was so great to see all of the kids again and get the year going. Each class spent time with me reviewing the computer lab rules and expectations. The students also received their new passwords to log in, and we discussed the importance of keeping our passwords private.

We began to review some of the basic components of our Apple computers, which we will continue next week when they come for their second session. Today I will be meeting with their classroom teachers to co-plan and soon we will begin our first technology projects!

Mrs. Pingel’s Technology Blog

Welcome to Mrs. Pingel’s Pritchett Technology Website and Blog. As we begin the 2010-2011 school year, this website will take the place of my former website. It will include all the same resources for students, parents and teachers, and will also include updates about what the students are working on in the tech labs!

I am looking forward to a a great school year!

Mrs. Pingel