Best of Div1EdTech in EPSB 2016

A Look Back

Do not have time to read all of our fabulous blog posts from 2016? With the help of in-person conversations, the stats from Blogger and the +1s we received on Google+, we have compiled this year's Best Of list for you! 

Top Posts

1. I Co-Taught... With Myself! - Using video when you need to model something for your students.
2. An Interview With Nick Reilly - The first interviewee for the new feature: Div1 Edtech in EPSB Interviews. Nick shares his thoughts on educational technology.
3. Be Proactive! Teach Your Students How To Problem Solve Technology Issues - technology classroom management tips.
4. Reflections and Learning from 'Movies and Math' - A summary of math related tips, tools, student blog posts, movies, and apps.
5. Pear Deck In Grade Two - Using slides but in an interactive and very visual way that gathers formative assessment data as you go.

What is Next for 2016?

We are excited to continue the interview series into 2017. Stay tuned for some new guest bloggers, too!

Join Us!

Many of our bloggers have moved out of division one in the last year or so. We are looking for new authors to join our team!

The Best of Div1Edtech in 2015

A Look Back

We had another great year at the Div1Edtech Blog. We had five unique authors and wrote 23 different posts that included topics for grades one, two and three.

The Five Best Posts of 2015

Do not have time to read all of our fabulous blog posts from 2015? With the help of in-person conversations, the stats from Blogger and the +1s we received on Google+, we have compiled this year's Best Of list for you!

Top on Google+

Tied for first place, many Google+ readers obviously liked both:

• Technology As My E.A. - What do you do when your educational assistant is away for two weeks? Use technology!

• Super Sentences Centre - Students use Google Docs and Read and Write for Google to work on editing and revision writing skills.

Three Other Top Posts

• Concrete Graphs, Photos and A Blog Post - How to show concrete learning? Use photos and a blog!

• Add The World To Your Lessons - Using Google Hangouts to bring the world to your classroom.

• Makerspaces in the Classroom - Want to encourage curiosity, wonder, playfulness and problem solving in your class? Maybe you need a Maker Space? 

What is Next for 2016?

Do you find the Div1Edtech Blog helpful? What topics would you like to see more of in 2016? Leave a comment to let us know.

5+5 Great Division One Art Sites

We often don't really think of digital art for younger students, other than maybe making a card using a computer program such as MS Paint or Google Drawing. However, there are a few sites you may want to bookmark. Here are some websites for your consideration:

Five Sites Where You Can Easily Print What You Make

1. ArtPad - A virtual canvas (good for Pointillism).
2. Build Your Wild Self - make a digital human that has animal characteristics.
3. Interactive Art at the Chicago Institute of Art (choose play with art, then mask maker)
4. Make-A-Flake - A Snowflake Maker (there are a few clicks needed to be able to print)
5. NGAkids Art Zone (you need Shockwave) 

Five Sites Where You Cannot Easily Print What You Make But Are Fun

You could print from your browser and print the screen for the sites below. Some of the following websites have ways to save and then print. However these would require a lot of steps that may make printing with younger students challenging. So just enjoy having your students creating!

1. Jackson Pollock - make your own abstract Jackson Pollack painting by simply using a mouse.
2. Picasso Head - make your own Picasso portrait. (you can email/save your creation and use your browser options to print)
3. 3D Snowflake Creator
4. Virtual Lite-Brite
5. Zoopz Mosaic Builder

5 Great Division One Social Studies Sites

Five Great Social Studies Websites For Division One* 

*This post definitely has a grade two slant!

YouTube

Finding social studies websites for younger students can sometimes be problematic, as much of the reading level is quite high. That is why video sites like YouTube are great because they can provide content that is accessible for a larger audience. I make playlists for different topics. Here are some examples:

• Acadian Culture
• Mapping Skills
• Inuit Throat Singing
• About Saskatoon

Canadian Geographic Kids

This is definitely aimed at older kids but I have used this site for grade two students to research things like the different animals found in Nunavut. The CG Kids Map Puzzle is a favourite during our geography unit. 

The Kids' Site of Canadian Settlement

This is actually archived now, so it is usable but not maintained. It has information on the Acadians and Ukrainians which is good for grade two. The reading level is quite high but good for read alouds. 

Social Studies Image Collection (LearnAlberta)

This is a LearnAlberta resource, available to those with a username and password. It has lots of great images related to the Alberta social studies curriculum. 

Virtual Museum of Canada

"The Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC) showcases a rich collection of Canadian heritage online." You can browse by age level:

• grade one
• grade two 
• grade three

The Best of Div1Edtech in 2014

A Look Back

We had a great and busy year at the Div1Edtech Blog. We had ten unique authors and wrote 45 different posts that included topics for grades one, two and three. 

The Five Best Posts of 2014

Do not have time to read all 44 (excluding this one) of our blog posts from 2014? With the help of in-person conversations, the stats from Blogger and the +1s we received on Google+, we have compiled this year's Best Of list for you!

Top Community Of Practice Post

In October, David “EducatorDave” Salmon presented how he uses Plickers in his grade three classroom at an EPSB COP day. I think a lot of teachers were then using Plickers the following week! He followed up his presentation with the post Throw Out Those Clickers and Use Plickers! which was equally well received. 

Top on Google+

Many Google+ readers obviously liked Digital Worksheets - Using Google Drawing In Math!

Three Other Top Posts

• Math Problem Solving Using Google Docs - rational and inspiration for using Google Apps with Div 1 students. 
• Writing For A Purpose: Email - Applying RAFT writing format to emails is a great way to introduce short, authentic writing tasks. 
• Story Substitution Writing Plan and Reflection - A great lesson plan using Google Slides and substitution story writing.

Onward to 2015

Do you find the Div1Edtech Blog helpful? What topics would you like to see more of in 2015? Leave a comment to let us know. 

Come back to see how we are using educational technology with younger students in 2015! 

5 Great Division One Math Sites

There are so many math game websites out there to support the Alberta mathematics curriculum. Some are very specific and provide games and activities for a narrow number of concepts. Most, however, have many activities that have a wide range of great material for the division one math teacher. Here are five of my go-to websites for free online math activities in no particular order: 

OCSD Interactive Games 

Oswego City School District (New York state) has a large number of free math games as well as templates to make your own games (I have never tried these to see if they work). My favourites are:

• Give A Dog A Bone (100s chart activity) 
• Splat Square (100s chart activity)

A Maths Dictionary for Kids

I love using this website for the beginning of a new math unit. In the last few years I have started having students filling in a keywords sheet. At the beginning of the year I do this as a whole class activity. Then I move to having students doing it in partners. Eventually students work independently on creating a math glossary for themselves. LearnAlberta has a similar resource called Mathematics Glossary (you have to be logged into LearnAlberta to access this) but I do not find it as division one friendly. 

Math Under the Sea

A great resource you can access through LearnAlberta (again, you have to be logged into LearnAlberta to access this) based on the grade three Alberta curriculum but I have used pieces of it with grade twos. I like that it has short and simple yet engaging activities linked to the Alberta curriculum. Students get instant feedback on their work.

ICT Games - Numeracy

These activities are based on the English National Curriculum. Despite it being based on the English Curriculum, most of the activities support the learner outcomes of the Alberta curriculum. The activities are simple and fun and provide instant feedback to students. Perhaps the most loved ICT game each year is: Funky Mummy.

Virtual Manipulatives

I am cheating here a bit. Instead of one website, I've lumped a few virtual manipulative sites together. I still value concrete manipulatives over virtual manipulatives in grade two. However, I think providing students some experiences with virtual manipulatives is important so they can use them at home. They are also great to use at school when a school has a limited number of resources. I especially like when students get immediate feedback on how they use the manipulatives. 

1. National Library of Virtual Manipulatives - Five years ago, this would definitely be my go to website for math manipulatives and it still is a great resource. However, now there are so many great K-3 sites for online manipulatives. 
2. Virtual Manipulatives - Glencoe
3. Illuminations K-2

A Note About LearnAlberta

LearnAlberta is meant to "assist kindergarten to Grade 12 teachers in Alberta locate and utilize digital learning and teaching resources produced by the Ministry of Education." Students and teachers can log in with a username and password provided by their district. For those with EPSB accounts, you can simply log into SchoolZone and then go to the resources tab and log into LearnAlberta by selecting the link there.


What are your favourite websites for math?

5 Great Division One Language Arts Sites

There are many wonderful websites out there to support the Alberta language arts curriculum. Sometimes they are a site that is for one curriculum outcome. For example, Fly By is a great quick game with instant feedback for reviewing contractions.

There are, however, a few sites that have a plethora of great material for the division one language arts teacher. Here are five of my favourites: 

1. Starfall 
   This is definitely for younger division one students. It is easy for younger students to navigate. It is mostly free (there are premium features). It is also great for English Language Learners.
2. BookFlix
   This is an often forgotten about online literacy resource available through LearnAlberta (Online Reference Centre). The online books are divided into categories. Then within each categories there are different topics. Each topic has a fictional video storybook paired with a non-fiction eBook. It initially takes some time to teach students how to access the resource but once they learn you will have a harder time getting them off BookFlix.
3. SpellingCity
   SpellingCity is a mostly free resource (there are premium features). Users can create their own spelling lists for free. Students can then play games and do practice activities based on the words chosen by their teacher. However, there are also many pre-made lists to choose from as well. Read my review for more information.
4. Read Write Think
   This is a wonderful resource. Unlike the previous three websites, this has resources for a wider variety of grade levels. Their about page says it all: Here at ReadWriteThink, our mission is to provide educators, parents, and afterschool professionals with access to the highest quality practices in reading and language arts instruction by offering the very best in free materials.
5. RAZKids
   While this is a subscription based service, it is great for the division one classroom and worth the investment. It provides eBooks for students to read/listen to and there is a quiz that goes with each book. It allows the teacher to both assign books and reading levels as well as track students' progress. The books themselves are average in terms of reading material. You will not find any classics here.  

What are your favourite websites for language arts?