TIS & That
Volume 6 Issue 12
In This Issue Going Virtual Rekindling The What The Wants
Dear Teachers, How Flexible Are You? We ❤ Technology
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News to Know Twitter is growing in WV as a fantastic way to grow your PLN or Personal Learning Network. Check out these hashtags that are trending in WV to get started. #WVEdChat #WVForward #CodeWV
Going Virtual
A beginners guide to bringing Virtual Reality into the classroom.
2nd Graders from Mylan Park Elementary experienced VR for the first time in December.
Imagine...taking your students right to the foot of the Leaning Tower of Pisa or on an underwater adventure to experience the wonder and majesty of a living coral reef. All these things are possible through the use of VR or Virtual Reality in the classroom. In December, students at Mylan Park Elementary completed a unit on “Holidays Around the World. “ To finish the unit, students were taken on a Virtual Field Trip to 6 of the countries they studied. Seeing each location first hand made the unit meaningful and truly an experience they won’t forget! How to bring VR into the classroom: 1. Choose an entry point - Where does the VR experience fit into what you are teaching? 2. Choose a tech tool - A few ipads or tablets work just as well as a fancy VR setup! 3. Choose a VR Experience - Check out the resources to the right to get started. → 4. Have fun and watch the magic happen!
VR Experiences Google Expeditions Pre-created expeditions take students on guided tours with scripted lessons for the teacher.
Nearpod - Nearpod VR allows students to experience 360 degree images on any device.
Google Street View -
This app allows you to view 360 images of various locations around the world.
Class VR - Fully
integrated headsets & curriculum aligned to state standards.
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Rekindling The
How to fall in love with teaching all over again.
This time of year is notoriously tough for teachers. We’re in the long stretch with no formal holidays until Spring Break, and although the winter weather often gives you a brief respite in the form of a snow day or delay, those sporadic interruptions and inconsistencies actually tend to make our jobs harder. Further complicating things, the post-Christmas blues (and bills) are catching up to everyone and it’s the start of tax season, too...
With all of this, what’s a frazzled teacher to do? Fortunately, there are a number of apps that can help you de-stress and get ready to face your students with a smile! AirBnB- Take a mini vacay. Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio - Listen to Some awesome tunes. Audible, Hoopla-Listen to a good book (Hoopla has movies and music, too). MyFitnessPal-Track your meals. Google Duo-Video chat and keep up with family on any device. Hulu, Netflix, SlingTV-Cut the cable. Listonic-Keep track of grocery lists, etc. Peel Remote- Use your phone to change The TV channel. Bubble- Use your cell phone as a level.
Wish- Get some great deals. Poshmark- Clean out your closet (or someone else’s). Mint-Get your budget on track. Acorns-Invest your change in your future. MapMyRun-Track your exercise, too. CareZone- Keep up with your prescription medication and appointments. SetMore, SimplyBook- Book a Massage, hair, or nail appointment. Waze-avoid traffic and find a shortcut. Google Home/Amazon Alexa- Control almost any smart device in your home.
Hopefully, some of these apps can make a difference in your life and, to paraphrase the Isley Brothers, “Bring back that lovin’ (work) feeling!”
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What The
Wants...
February is Heart Health Month and the month of Love! Check out these apps to keep your heart happy and healthy.
Causes of Heart Disease: 1)
Long hours:
According to the Whitehall
study, there is an increase of 67% for coronary heart disease among those that work 11 or more hours in lieu of the typical 7 or 8 in a day. There are few days that as teachers we put in the “typical” day. We arrive before the required time and stay late. Not to mention the evenings and weekends we put in.
2)
Stress:
Stress, particularly chronic stress,
exposes the body to elevated levels of adrenaline and cortisol. It can also change the way in which the blood clots, increasing the risk of a heart attack.
3)
Diet:
How often after a long day do we just not
feel like cooking? It is so much easier to grab something on the way home or to pop a frozen dinner in the microwave. According to the Mayo Clinic, having an unhealthy diet can lead to a high level of blood cholesterol that can lead to atherosclerosis, which can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
4)
Sitting:
Apps to Make Our Heart Feel Loved: 1) Nokia Health Mate: Tracks your blood pressure, weight, activity level and even sleep patterns. 2) Healthy Heart 2: Tracks blood pressure, pulse, cholesterol, blood glucose, potassium and even those pesky meds. 3) Cardiio: Measures heart rate and overall level of cardiovascular health and fitness. 4) MyFitnessPal: Includes step and calorie counters, a database of more than 5 million foods, a barcode nutrition scanner and a recipe importer. This is a great app for balancing caloric intake and activity. 5) ACTIVEx: A community-based fitness app. You can go beyond a personalized workout and participate in a group workout. In today’s day and age, connecting with random people from anywhere and everywhere seems to be all the rage. So, why not connect for a reason that gets you up and moving.
Sitting can kill you. Crazy right? The
World Health Organization says that prolonged sitting (8 – 12 hours a day) increases the chance of type 2 diabetes (a cause of heart disease and stroke) by 90%. That drive to work, the time spent behind the desk at work, the drive home, and then just sitting down to relax after a long day…….it all adds up. We need to remember to stay active. Even if it is just a few trips back and forth in the hallway or taking the steps instead of the elevator.
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Dear Classroom Teachers, I am writing to ask that you consider getting rid of me and my friends. I know we have been together for a long, long, time, and we go way back to the good ol’ days, but it is time for a change. We have served our purpose for way too long. We have grown tired and weary after all of these year of standing neatly in rows. We would like to finish out our days gracefully, without children drawing on us, sticking half eaten sandwiches in us or sticking gum on our bottoms. Please consider our request to let us go, we know you will find replacements and they will serve you just as well, maybe even better for our children of today. Your friends, The Desks 4
How
Flexible Are You?
How flexible seating can change your teaching style and your classroom climate.
When you pick a spot to read your favorite book what does it look like? Is it a comfortable chair in the corner of your living room, your bed before you fall off to sleep or a desk and chair under fluorescent lights? I am going to guess that none of you picked option three and I completely understand why. What I don’t understand is why we feel it is okay for our students to use those desks and chairs everyday. Flexible seating is an easy way to change “The Cemetery Effect”, as Erin Klein refers to desks and chairs perfectly spaced apart in rows. Our students need options just like we do. Flexible Seating Benefits: *increased focus/attention *provides student choice
There will always be some struggles that come with anything new, but with advance planning and research you may be able to solve issues or concerns before they arise. Flexible Seating Challenges: *finding cost effective seating options *administrative/district approval *willingness to give more power to the students *lack of structure Remember there are pros and cons to everything. What we do is for the kids. We need to do what is best for them whether it is trending or not.
*helps build community and increase collaboration
Want to know more? Ready to try it out?
*increases movement, increases heart rate, burns more calories, helps with insulin effectiveness, boosts mood and energy, increases productivity (Benefits of Standing Desks)
Edutopia and Kayla Delzer Google images for Flexible Seating Erin Klein (KLEINSpiration)
*helps socially and emotionally (decreases challenging behaviors)
Kayla Delzer (Top Dog Teaching)
*sensory input (stimulation that is helpful for students with ADHD, ADD, ASD).
Failing Forward Flexible Seating
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We ❤ Technology Jennifer Reaves - TIS Mylan Park Elementary, Monongalia County. My favorite app to use is Bitmoji! Bitmoji is an app that allows you to create an Emoji of yourself which you can then copy and paste or insert into countless things! My favorite way to use my Bitmoji is to give students feedback in their Google Docs. Since I have my Bitmoji linked to my Google Account, whenever I leave feedback for my students my little Bitmoji (see here ← )shows up beside my comment. I also like using my Bitmoji in PD presentations. There are countless to choose from and I believe it keeps my presentations fun and lighthearted. You can download Bitmoji in the App store! Have fun!
Troy Ware -SpEd. Teacher & Grad. 20/20 Contact, South Harrison High School, Harrison County.
My favorite app in the classroom is iMovie. It is a great way for students to demonstrate what they have learned. They can be creative. They can think outside of the box. They can let their personalities shine. I have recently looked at another app in a little bit of a different way. The app is Numbers. You can take Numbers and use it to create a storyboard. Again, a way to allow the students to express their creativity while demonstrating what they have learned.
Kara Jaggie -TIS/Academic Coach Skyview Elementary, Monongalia County.
My favorite app for me professionally is Instagram, I enjoy learning from other teachers, coaches and TIS’s. I am constantly finding great ideas to use and or share with my colleagues. I LOVE INSTAGRAM!! One of my favorite apps for the classroom is SeeSaw. It is a great portfolio tool for parents, teachers and students to view the student’s learning through the use of audio, video, photo and text.
Chris Enix-Pressley Ridge, ODTP (in Cabell County)
One of my favorite new apps to use in the classroom is Scratch. I have my kids code animations of all sorts of things. Last week, they had to make an animation that showed the difference between common and proper nouns, before that I’ve had them animate literary elements, parts of stories, etc. It’s great, it incorporates coding, and the kids enjoy it! If you can think of a subject, you can animate it! I’m also really digging PowerApps (it’s on the waffle) but I’ve not gotten far enough with it to yet give much of a review, but It’s got a lot of potential! You and your Students can build apps and share them for others to use! How cool is that?!
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