Free Friday: Popplet

Thinking maps, graphic organizers, lists, diagrams....these are all tools we utilize on a daily basis to help our students organize their thoughts, knowledge, and questions. Most teachers commonly use paper copies of these structures or hand draw them on the board, but Popplet is a tool that expands possibilities in the realm of brainstorming, sequencing, and mapping with young learners.

Free Friday: Wonderopolis

Have you ever wondered what's in a Wonderball? Well, if you didn't grow up in the 90's you probably haven't. But, I bet you or your students have wondered about a wide variety of other things! This week's featured resource is Wonderopolis.

Google Teacher Academy

Well, I just submitted my application for the Google Teacher Academy in Mountain View, CA and Atlanta, WA! It was a fun application to complete and is a step towards my goal of pursuing more professional development in the way of instructional technology communities. That particular goal was largely behind the revival of this blog, but then the instructional technology communities I belonged to only include that of my fellow graduate students in my program at UMUC and the technology team at my district. So, here's to actively pursuing your goals and throwing your heart into your passions!

They are only accepting 100 applicants (65 for Mountain View and 35 for Atlanta), so I know it's a long shot that I would get selected, but if I'm going to actively pursue my goal I've got to at least try!

As a part of the application I had to create a video that demonstrated how I was innovative in the classroom through the use of technology. I chose to showcase our on-going second grade grant project and thought you might enjoy checking out the video!

If you'd like to learn more about the grant, you can check out the full proposal here.