Tag Archives: iPad

Ramping Up Reading Conferences

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Katie

I had a great discussion with my student teacher the other day.  Well, really it was more me talking through a line of thinking and her listening politely as she wondered “why am I stuck with this crazy woman?”  I … Continue reading →

Posted in 2.0 Tools, iPad, Reader's Workshop | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Coming Out of Hibernation with #SHC13 Think Tank!

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Katie

Those of you that have had a baby will understand when I say that I’ve been in hibernation.  It’s not that I’ve been sleeping my days away, in fact I get less sleep now than I ever have.  My hibernation … Continue reading →

Posted in Active Literacy, Collaboration, Conference Presentations, Inquiry, iPad, Professional Development, Reader's Workshop, Self Reflection, Strategy Instruction, Teacher as Readers, Technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Connecting Comprehension and Technology

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Katie

You may have noticed our lack of posts lately.  There are two good reasons for that.  1) Mini Literacyspark has been keeping Katie very busy.  2) We’ve been writing a book.  Whaaaaaat!?  Yes, it’s true.  We’ve strayed out of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Active Literacy, Classroom Management, Conference Presentations, iPad, Professional Books, Professional Development, Reader's Workshop, Research Workshop, Strategy Instruction, Teacher as Readers, Technology | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Back to the Beginning

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Katie

Even though it’s October it still feels very much like the beginning of the year.  One of  the first thoughts that many teachers have about their students is “they look so little!”  It’s true.  Those tall confident students that left … Continue reading →

Posted in Back To School, Classroom Management, iPad, Technology | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

What’s on Your Flipboard?

Posted on September 1, 2012 by Katie

I’ve been using Flipboard on my iPad for some time.  I love the way that it lays out text from different websites.  This year we’ve loaded the free Flipboard app onto student devices and we’ll be starting the year with … Continue reading →

Posted in 2.0 Tools, Active Literacy, Apps for Education, iPad, Reader's Workshop | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Classroom Jobs for the 21st Century Classroom

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Katie

I’ve never been good at class jobs.  I always forget to rotate them.  But the students love having jobs (most of them anyway) and truthfully it’s helpful to have them take care of the little things.  In the 21st century … Continue reading →

Posted in Classroom Management, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Best Practice for Math App Games in the Classroom

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Katie

One of the most common questions I get is “What math games are you using?”  Certainly there are some math app games that are far superior to others as they relate to learning.  But a more important question is HOW … Continue reading →

Posted in Apps for Education, iPad, Math, Technology | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

QR Codes and Anchor Charts in Math

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Katie

A while back I wrote a post about two great resources for math instructional videos.  I enjoy exposing kids to these instructional videos because it gives them the opportunity to hear other teachers and students explain things.  After much hemming … Continue reading →

Posted in Apps for Education, iPad, Math | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Finding Flow In the Writer’s Workshop

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Katie

I think I’ve finally found a good flow with my cycle of receiving student work and giving them feedback.  This has been especially hard in Writer’s Workshop where I’ve been hemming and hawing about which practices to cling to and … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, iPad, Technology, Writer's Workshop | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Supporting Students’ Test Taking with Technology Part 1

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Katie

I hate to admit this, I really do.  I hate to admit it because I am super disgusted when I see kids using technology for test prep and that’s all they use it for.  So don’t judge me too harshly … Continue reading →

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Reinforcing Learning With Math Videos

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Katie

I’ve been exploring the use of short instructional videos in the classroom as a way to provide more and targeted instruction to student’s needs.  Making all of your own videos can be time consuming so it’s nice to have some … Continue reading →

Posted in iPad, Math, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Talking Tech @ Tech Talk

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Katie

Yesterday I attended a conference here in Chicago called Tech Talk.  It was exciting to see so many great things going on in our district and it gave me a sense of hope, at least for the schools who have … Continue reading →

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My New Obsession: Pinterest

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Katie

Yes I’ve just drunk the Pinterest Koolaid.  It’s soooo good.  I’m going to use it to collect teaching resources both technology and non technology related.  Feel free to follow me. : )

Posted in 2.0 Tools, Active Literacy, Assessment, Interesting, iPad, Math, Professional Development, Read Aloud Books, Research Workshop, Strategy Instruction, Technology, Writer's Workshop | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cloning Myself

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Katie

I’m lucky enough to have a day to work on creating content for my iPads.  My loose plan is to create some instructional videos in math to better differentiate teaching some concepts.  I’ve seen Jennie Cho Magiera do this with … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, Inquiry, iPad, Math, Technology | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Loving the iPad for Assessment!

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Kristin

Oh how I LOVE the iPad for assessment purposes!  It makes documenting student learning simple and accessible. For the past few days we have identified qualities of fiction and nonfiction text.  We have documented nonfiction features and their purposes and … Continue reading →

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Using Edmodo in Writer’s Workshop

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Katie

We’re at the beginning of a new unit of study in Writer’s Workshop, list articles.  We usually start every unit by delving into a variety of examples in the genre and creating a chart of qualities.  I thought I’d try … Continue reading →

Posted in 2.0 Tools, Collaboration, iPad, Writer's Workshop | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Active Literacy With iPads (and some other technology too…): Part 2

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Katie

Gradual Release of Responsibility Learning how to really implement a gradual release of responsibility model has been one of the most powerful things in my teaching career.  This model sets up a framework for how instruction gradually moves from teacher … Continue reading →

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Extra practice with ten frames and number sentences

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Kristin

This week my students began using ten frames in math.  Students used math counters and ten frame worksheets to add numbers 1-10.  We did a few math practice pages throughout the week, but by Friday I noticed a few students … Continue reading →

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“Today Went Fast”

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Katie

I am tired today.  With a capital TIRED.  It seemed like everyone around me was tired.  My students were tired.  Even our pencils were tired.  Tired.  I said the word so many times that it lost meaning. It’s one thing … Continue reading →

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iPad Photo Sharing

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Katie

I’ve been trying to figure out a way to set up an organized and easy photo sharing system for my students to access on their iPads.  I used to have students copy anchor charts into their notebooks.  But I always … Continue reading →

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