Author Archives: Kristin

About Kristin

Kristin Ziemke has spent her career teaching and learning from children in both urban and suburban school districts. A first grade teacher in Chicago, Kristin engages students in authentic learning experiences where reading, thinking, collaboration and inquiry are at the heart of the curriculum. Co-author of Connecting Comprehension and Technology, Kristin pairs best practice instruction with digital tools to transform learning in the classroom and beyond. An Apple Distinguished Educator, National Board Certified Teacher and Chicago’s 2013 Tech Innovator of the Year, Kristin seeks opportunities to transform education through technology innovation. She inspires educators around the globe as a staff developer, speaker and writer. To learn more about her work follow her on Twitter @KristinZiemke.

Creating and Composing in a Digital Writing Workshop

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Kristin

Note: This post, co-authored by Troy Hicks and Kristin Ziemke, has been prepared in response to Nancie Atwell’s blog post about the role of technology in her classroom. In her recent blog post Nancie Atwell opens up about the role … Continue reading →

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Join #WonderChat on November 3rd: Curiosity and Wonder as Habits for Living

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Kristin

Join Kristin Ziemke as she guest hosts #WonderChat on Monday, November 3rd at 8:00 EST. This week’s topic will be Curiosity and Wonder as Habits for Living.  We’d love to hear your thoughts as we celebrate the power of WONDER … Continue reading →

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Croak.it! So amazing I can’t imagine life without it!

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Kristin

Croak.it! Yay! I love you, Croak.it! You’re amazing! I heard about Croak.it a few months ago on #1stchat (a weekly conversation about 1st grade on Twitter every Sunday at 7:00 CST).  I believe the amazing Karen Lireman  tipped me off … Continue reading →

Posted in 2.0 Tools, Active Literacy, Apps for Education, Book Reviews, iPad, Reader's Workshop, Technology | 4 Comments

We’ve been busy…

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Kristin

Hi Friends! Happy 2013! This post in an apology for not being present on the blog for the past few months and a public commitment to make my practice more visible in the coming days. This has been a challenging … Continue reading →

Posted in Back To School, Conference Presentations, Interesting, Professional Books, Professional Development, Self Reflection, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What can #Twitter do for your students? Read our #HurricaneSandy adventure!

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Kristin

Two weeks ago one of my students visited NYC and got stuck as Hurricane Sandy rolled in.  Luckily, his family was able to take shelter at a friend’s house in Brooklyn.  On Monday morning, I projected our classroom Twitter account … Continue reading →

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Honoring the PLN

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Kristin

It’s been an unusual start to the school year. I have my largest class ever. I went on strike.  It’s the middle of October, but only the 26th day of school.  Things feel a little weird. In times like this, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2.0 Tools, Back To School, Collaboration, Professional Development, Technology | Leave a comment

10 Days: An Emotional Roller Coaster

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Kristin

Ten days ago I started school.  I met my 33 first graders for the first time.  I set routines, learned about my students, met their parents, established a workshop model…now I am on strike.  The emotional highs and lows of … Continue reading →

Posted in Back To School, Classroom Environment, Interesting, Politics, Self Reflection | 15 Comments

How do we effectively use technology?

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Kristin

In our classroom, first grade students use the iPad and Web 2.0 tools to build comprehension, expand audience and interact with the world!  Our goal has been to go beyond substitutional interactions with the device and seek tools that modify, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2.0 Tools, Active Literacy, Back To School, iPad, Technology, Videos | Leave a comment

We are bloggers!

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Kristin

Currently, each student in my class hosts a blog on Kidblogs.org.  Kidblogs is a safe and easy blogging site for students.  There are various settings that allow the teacher to manage visibility and access. Each child enters his or her … Continue reading →

Posted in 2.0 Tools, Book Reviews, Collaboration, iPad, Reader's Workshop, Research Workshop, Technology, Writer's Workshop | Leave a comment

A Midpoint Inquiry Check in 1st grade

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Kristin

As you may know from Katie’s posts, we are up to our elbows in inquiry circles across the school!  On Friday we will have our once-a-year, doors-wide-open inquiry celebration for grades PK-8.  Get ready… Currently, I have 10 inquiry circles … Continue reading →

Posted in 2.0 Tools, Active Literacy, Assessment, Collaboration, Inquiry, iPad, Technology | Leave a comment

A Big Day for Big Learning! Active Agents in a Digital World!

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Kristin

What a great day in first grade! We had a big day of learning and saw exactly how our thinking matters in the larger community. Way to live a curious life first graders! Each Wednesday we follow Wonderopolis.org and engage in our … Continue reading →

Posted in 2.0 Tools, Active Literacy, Collaboration, Inquiry, iPad, Research Workshop, Technology | 3 Comments

Out of the mouths of babes…

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Kristin

On Friday we celebrated Read Across America with a pajama party.  All students were invited to wear their pajamas and slippers to school and to bring a favorite stuffed animal as their reading buddy. As many of you know, my … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Comments

Poetry on the iPads, Part 2

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Kristin

I have been waiting all day to write this post!  We had another wonderful week writing poetry in first grade.  As I watched my students this week, nearly all children made attempts to compose on the iPad. The children who … Continue reading →

Posted in Active Literacy, Collaboration, iPad, Poetry Friday, Technology, Writer's Workshop | 10 Comments

ICE 2012

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Kristin

What a week!  Thank you to the Illinois Computing Educators conference team for planning and hosting a tremendous event!  Thanks to all who attended our session, Transforming Classrooms with the iPad.  Katie, Carolyn and I appreciated your enthusiasm and support!  … Continue reading →

Posted in 2.0 Tools, Conference Presentations, iPad, Professional Development, Technology | 3 Comments

Publishing Poetry on the iPad

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Kristin

We’re in the heart of our unit on poetry.  My students have learned several strategies that poets use including repetition, onomatopoeia, alliteration, visual imagery and line breaks.  This week a few students wanted to draft their poems on the iPad. … Continue reading →

Posted in iPad, Poetry Friday, Technology, Writer's Workshop | 8 Comments

Class Meetings Matter

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Kristin

Class meetings matter.  I understand that sometimes there are not enough minutes in the day. I realize that we have to make choices each week how to best use our instructional time.  After a series of shortened weeks, I feel … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom Environment, Classroom Management, Collaboration, Self Reflection, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Early Childhood App Review

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Kristin

Ok, so many of you have been asking…what apps are you loving right now in first grade? Here is the “short list.” 20 apps that are (mostly) affordable and exceptionally appropriate for students who are six and seven-years-old. Each day … Continue reading →

Posted in 2.0 Tools, iPad, Technology | 1 Comment

Happy Digital Learning Day!

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Kristin

As we celebrate our 1st Digital Learning Day in my classroom, I take a moment to reflect on how significantly technology has changed how I teach and how my students learn. Device preference aside, I am so grateful for all … Continue reading →

Posted in Active Literacy, Book Reviews, Collaboration, iPad, Read Aloud Books, Technology, Videos | Leave a comment

NCTE 2011 Recap: Donalyn Miller, Franki Sibberson, Sara Kajder & Teri Lesesne

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Kristin

If you’ve attended a national conference like NCTE, you know how tricky it is to plan your daily schedule to maximize your conference experience and see all the speakers on your “must see” list.  Especially at NCTE–many people I wanted … Continue reading →

Posted in 2.0 Tools, Active Literacy, Book Reviews, Inquiry, iPad, My Reading Life, Professional Books, Reader's Workshop, Research Workshop, Technology | 2 Comments

NCTE 2011 Recap: Katie Wood Ray and Lisa Cleveland

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Kristin

On Saturday morning I woke up early to see Katie Wood Ray.  I have been a fan for years and seen her speak several times.  Her session at NCTE did not disappoint.  Katie spends most of her time teaching, observing … Continue reading →

Posted in Professional Books, Professional Development, Writer's Workshop | Leave a comment