The Sunday Scoop {9/28/14}

The Sunday Scoop is based on the popular 3-2-1 graphic organizers so many of us use with our students. Tell us three things you HAVE to do, two things you HOPE to do, and one thing you're HAPPY to do (because these days, we could all use a little motivation to find something to be happy about every week!). It's a short and sweet way to connect with each other every Sunday (or Monday... the linky will stay open all week!)

Here's what to do:
1. Just save the image above, add your text to it (we use PowerPoint), and post! You don't even have to explain yourself any further if you don't want to.
2. Include the button above and a link to our blog on your post.
3. Link our post up here on Sunday morning (or whenever :) )
4. Be a good blog reader, and leave some love for the two posts before yours!

Here's the Scoop on my week...

It's hard to believe it's already time for report cards... and parent conferences! Sure enough, the last day of our first quarter is Wednesday, we have conferences Thursday, and I'll be completing report cards Friday.
My second Morphology Word Study Unit *will* be done this week! I'm down to just the assessments now, but that's definitely the hardest part!

It's going to be a long and busy week, but at the end of it, we head into what I hope will be a restful and productive Fall Break! What's on your to-do list this week? Link up your Sunday Scoop below!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Tech Thursday: Keyboard Shortcuts You Should Know

Technology Thursday is a weekly linky dedicated to all things technology related. Share reviews of websites or apps you've tried, tech tips that make your {teaching or personal} life easier, and helpful tutorials. Our hope is that this linky provides a place for teachers to share and learn new ways to use technology and engage students!

Be a rule follower!
Rule #1: Include the image above and a link to our blog somewhere in your post.
Rule #2: Be a good blog reader...visit the two blogs who link up before you and leave some love on their pages!
Rule #3: This linky is not intended for product promotion. You may include products you've created in your posts, but they should not be the sole focus of the post.

Most of us are familiar with the basic keyboard shortcuts, like "ctrl+c" for copy, "ctrl+x" for cut, and "ctrl+v" for paste, but there are some less familiar shortcuts you should know! A couple of these have saved me major headaches when I accidentally deleted content or closed a window before I meant to...

CTRL+Z - This one's pretty familiar, and it's saved me a few  hundred times...it's the Undo command! But did you know you can use it almost anywhere?! Try it! I've used it in web browsers, all Office products, and many other applications.

Source: http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-ctrl-z-5/

Windows Key +D - This one shows the desktop with just a couple of keystrokes! Great for when you have your grade book software up and don't want students to see it or when those annoying ads on your YouTube videos are less appropriate than they should be! (Actually, there's a better fix for that, but we'll save it for another week!) When you want all of your windows back up, just press windows+D again.

CTRL+T - Opens a new tab in most web browsers

CTRL+SHIFT+T - Reopens the last tab you closed!!! (Hallelujah!)

CTRL+F - Opens the "find" function in almost every program. Quick tip for internet windows: if you're looking for something within a text box, you'll need to click inside it and then press CTRL+F in order to search inside the box.

CTRL+S - Save

F11 - in a web browser (& probably other places), this removes all of the extras (like toolbars) and makes your window FULL-full screen. In Excel, if you highlight a set of data and press F11, you get an instant graph!

PrtSc or PrintScreen - Copies the entire desktop. You can then paste it into Paint, PowerPoint, Word, etc. and save the images. This is especially useful for troubleshooting if you're getting an error message! You'll have to test this one out... on some computers, you have to press CTRL or the Windows Key along with the Print Screen button.

ALT+PrtSc - Copies only the currently selected window, rather than the entire desktop. Awesome tool for creating tutorials without having to resize every screenshot!

Last but not least, one I've been using the entire time I have typed this... text formatting shortcuts:
CTRL+B - Bold
CTRL+I - Italics
CTRL+U - Underline

Think you might have trouble remembering all of these great shortcuts? Check out the linky and head over to Juliet's blog, Tech Crazy Teacher for her super easy trick to help you learn them! Come back, and link up your own quick & easy tech tips!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Sunday Scoop: 9/21/14

The Sunday Scoop is based on the popular 3-2-1 graphic organizers so many of us use with our students. Tell us three things you HAVE to do, two things you HOPE to do, and one thing you're HAPPY to do (because these days, we could all use a little motivation to find something to be happy about every week!). It's a short and sweet way to connect with each other every Sunday (or Monday... the linky will stay open all week!)

Here's what to do:
1. Just save the image above, add your text to it (we use PowerPoint), and post! You don't even have to explain yourself any further if you don't want to.
2. Include the button above and a link to our  blog on your post.
3. Link our post up here on Sunday morning (or whenever :) )
4. Be a good blog reader, and leave some love for the two posts before yours!

Here's the Scoop on my week...

An InLinkz Link-up

Bright Idea - Dry Erase... Not just for whiteboards!

We're so excited to be lining up again for this month's Bright Ideas Blog Hop!

Tired of the printing, laminating, and cutting cycle that never seems to end?  I can never keep up! Distressed with the wasting of paper making task cards and group lists and copies?  Don't have room for a dry erase board to demonstrate math and reading tasks for small groups?  We have a great tip for you!

Dry erase is NOT just for whiteboards anymore!

There are a number of ways to use dry erase markers that don't require a dry erase board.  All of these work great in our classrooms and save paper; but more importantly, they save TIME.

Dry erase wall dots (you can find them on Amazon) or plastic place mats can be used when you need to illustrate something at your small group table.

Reusable dry erase pockets are a great way to post items on a bulletin board.  Cut off the top flap if it has one, slip in a background paper, and write away!

Here is a plastic plate hot glued to my closet door for Math Workshop.  It is super easy to write on again and again.

Give pocket charts that have been gathering dust in your closet a new life.  Just place a background paper behind the plastic and write and wipe.  These are used to give choices for Math Workshop.

 Dry erase has come off the board and into the classroom!

If you enjoyed this Bright Idea, please consider joining us on Bloglovin, Facebook, and Pinterest for more great ideas, tech tips, and the Sunday Scoop!

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Tech Thursday: 3 Websites I can't Teach Without!

Technology Thursday is a weekly linky dedicated to all things technology related. Share reviews of websites or apps you've tried, tech tips that make your {teaching or personal} life easier, and helpful tutorials. Our hope is that this linky provides a place for teachers to share and learn new ways to use technology and engage students!

Be a rule follower!
Rule #1: Include the image above and a link to our blog somewhere in your post.
Rule #2: Be a good blog reader...visit the two blogs who link up before you and leave some love on their pages!
Rule #3: This linky is not intended for product promotion. You may include products you've created in your posts, but they should not be the sole focus of the post.

 ClassDojo!  

I seriously have this site up all day on my computer and SMARTboard.  My kiddos can run it as well as I can already!  Attendance, rewards, and of course, those pesky behaviors that cause students to lose a Dojo point are all recorded in one place. This is classroom management at its best.  I love giving Dojo points out to those students who have earned them.  I also like the flexibility to make my own categories for rewards and the needs improvements.  I sometimes add a reward category on the fly right in front of the kids; it truly only takes a minute.

What did I do before Dojo?  Hummmmmmm.....oh, yeah... I had stickers, or stamps, and a fuzz ball (pom pom) reward system.  None of those systems emailed parents behavior reports or kept track of what rewards (or not) each student was receiving!

 Planbook!

I must say that handwritten lesson plans have never been my style.  I have never handwritten lesson plans in a plan book in my entire career.  I am more of a computer type of gal.  I love Excel and spreadsheets and computer printed pages.  I like neat rows and lovely columns.  I abhor writing the same thing over and over and over, week after week after week and.....well, you get the idea.  I would make a spreadsheet in Excel for the year and amend it as needed.  Often.

Well, good-bye, Excel and hello, Planbook.com!  What is funny, is that I was actually attending an Excel workshop a couple of years ago when the thought occurred to me that there had to be an easier way, and maybe, just maybe, somebody had a program out there for teachers like me- teachers who liked planning on the computer.  I went home and researched all of the plan book websites I could find (only a few) and signed up for the trial for each.

Planbook.com won my heart and loyalty hands-down.  They have consistently improved and always been helpful.  I have columns, headings, fonts, colors, rows, templates, and all the bells and whistles my little OCD teacher heart could desire.  I also have last year's lesson plans as a starting place for this year!




 Schoology!

Just like the other 2 sites, I use Schoology daily.  My 3rd graders love this site.  It has so many options that I have just begun to scrape the tip of the shavings off the iceberg.  But what I have discovered is exciting!  I have a safe place to communicate with students and their parents.  Think about a private Facebook site for your classroom..... but better.

Students can comment, ask questions, and actually help each other in this forum.  They can also message the teacher directly.  I can post homework assignments and documents.  Student Jenny says she lost her paper?  No excuse now!  It's on Schoology!  I can post videos and websites and links and documents.  You can make rubrics, tests, and polls!  It also has a grade book.  I can organize all of my documents into files and then share them with my team!  No double the work!

You may be thinking that Schoology sounds a lot like Edmodo.  The 2 sites are similar.  I have used both sites and each has positives and negatives.  The best advice I can tell you is to use the site that more of the teachers you know are using.  This will give you a support system.  It also teaches your students the site they will most likely encounter in your school.  Some school districts are very pro one site or the other.  Either way, have fun exploring!

Check out the other blogs we did on ClassDojo and Planbook!

         

What are the websites you can't live without?  Link up below and share with us!

An InLinkz Link-up

Teacher Motivation on a Wordless Wednesday

I'm linking up today with Miss DeCarbo at Sugar & Spice for Wordless Wednesday to share a little teacher inspiration. This time of year, we are all worn down from all of the back to school work (SO TIRED). Sometimes I need a little motivation to keep it up when I'm exhausted!

Credit: http://dearteacherloveteacher.com/2014/09/16/what-you-are-today/

Credit: http://venspired.com/day-4-believe/

Credit: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Motivational-Poster-For-Teachers-978634

What keeps you going when this career we love gets tough?

Sunday Scoop - 9/14/14

The Sunday Scoop is based on the popular 3-2-1 graphic organizers so many of us use with our students. Tell us three things you HAVE to do, two things you HOPE to do, and one thing you're HAPPY to do (because these days, we could all use a little motivation to find something to be happy about every week!). It's a short and sweet way to connect with each other every Sunday (or Monday... the linky will stay open all week!)

Here's what to do:
1. Just save the image above, add your text to it (we use PowerPoint), and post! You don't even have to explain yourself any further if you don't want to.
2. Include the button above and a link to our  blog on your post.
2. Link our post up here on Sunday morning (or whenever :) )
3. Be a good blog reader, and leave some love for the two posts before yours!

Here's the Scoop on my week...

My have to do's always seem to be the same on Sundays! Lesson plans, grading papers, and laundry. Last week's Sunday Scoop linky made me feel much better though, since I learned that a lot of you have the same to-do list I do!

I hope to finish my second Morphology unit this week (or next week, it will be moving up to the "have to" section!). I'm also really hoping to read a chapter of Proverbs a day in preparation for my small group Tuesday night.

I am VERY happy to be going to a Gamecock football game on Saturday! The military has moved me far from the home team, but luckily, they play Vanderbilt (an hour away) every year. So every other year, it's in Nashville, and I get a chance to see them!

What's going on this week in your life? Link up your own Sunday Scoop below!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Tech Thursday: Avoiding Blogging Mistakes

Technology Thursday is a weekly linky dedicated to all things technology related. Share reviews of websites or apps you've tried, tech tips that make your {teaching or personal} life easier, and helpful tutorials. Our hope is that this linky provides a place for teachers to share and learn new ways to use technology and engage students!

Be a rule follower!
Rule #1: Include the image above and a link to our blog somewhere in your post.
Rule #2: Be a good blog reader...visit the two blogs who link up before you and leave some love on their pages!
Rule #3: This linky is not intended for product promotion. You may include products you've created in your posts, but they should not be the sole focus of the post.

This week, I'd like to focus on some Tech Tips for being a good blogger...or as I call it...

"Blogging Mistakes I've Made, and How You Can Avoid Them"

I am by no means an expert on blogging, but I have learned a little over the last year. Here are some things I've learned:

1. No-Reply Blogger

Most bloggers love to read your comments and respond to them by email.  If you're a no-reply blogger, no one can email you back to respond to your comment. The good news is, it's {relatively} easy to fix. Here's what to do:

Click on the settings wheel below your profile picture and click "Revert to Blogger Profile"

Confirm that you want to "Switch to a limited Blogger Profile"

Click "Continue to Blogger"

Click the drop-down arrow next to your name and click "Blogger Profile"

Click "edit profile"

Check the box that says "Show my email address"

Then scroll to the bottom of the page, save, and you're done! If you want, you can go back to a Google Plus profile the same way we reverted to a limited Blogger profile in the first couple of steps. 

Every now and then, Google decides I might want to become a no-reply blogger again, so they change it back for me. (Thanks, but no thanks!) The only way you'll know is if someone tells you or you check it yourself. The easiest way to check is to comment on your own blog post. You'll get an email alert about the comment, and if the "from" address says your  name, but says <noreply-comment@blogger.com> for the email address, you need to go fix it again. Annoying, I know!

2. Captcha's are annoying...

...but more importantly, they will keep your readers from commenting on your fabulous posts! I know they help block spammers, but I think they do more harm than good. Many of us read blogs on tablets and other mobile devices, and captchas make it much more difficult to comment from these devices.

Here's how to get rid of captcha's on your blog while still protecting against spammers:

While in Blogger, go to Settings, then Posts & Comments. Here are the settings I use...

Who Can Comment? Registered User (this keeps anonymous spammers out!)

Comment Moderation: Sometimes, for posts older than 14 days (a lot of spammers target older posts)

Show word verification? NO (this is the captcha requirement)

3. Popups

Popup windows are sometimes a necessity, but they can annoy your readers. Some tips to be "less annoying" but still get your message seen:

• Utilize the timer delay so that popups appear once a reader has been on your blog for a while.
• Set your popup to recognize IP addresses and not show the popup to the same address more than once every so often.

The most common popup I see on teacher blogs is the Facebook "like" box. This window pops up in the middle of the blog, and readers have to click something to continue reading your post. For Facebook, there's a great alternative: the slide out widget on the side of the blog. Most blog designers offer this as an add-on now. I only charge $10 for it. In my opinion, it is much less intrusive when your readers have finally arrived at your blog and want to read your post, not click "X" on yet another popup window.

I hope these tips help clean up your blog and encourage communication with your readers!

As promised, here are the winners of our birthday/makeover giveaways... Congrats ladies, you should have received an email from us last night with more information on how to claim your prizes!

Don't forget to link up your own tech-related posts & stop back by on Sunday for the Sunday Scoop!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up