Cool Tools 2018_2019

I knew what virtual reality was before I started this Thing but did not know what Augmented Reality was.  My daughter was obsessed with Pokemon Go for a while as was the entire population under 30 from what I could tell. My bf and I went to Niagara on the Lake in Canada and were outside a restaurant waiting for our table when we noticed that dozens of people were walking around looking at their phones.  At first it didn't occur to me what they were doing because the craze had died down in Rochester but then it hit me.  They were all playing Pokemon Go.  It was hilarious.  There were literally dozens of young people, adult-ish young people.  I installed it on my phone during the height of the phase but couldn't figure out how to do it although, admittedly, I gave up quickly. I listened to the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast and was laughing when the guy said that all you need are some old devices and Google Cardboard to use Virtual Reality in the classroom.  Correct me if I'm wr

I have a little user anxiety about Green Screens so this is probably a good choice. I was trying to explain Cool Tools to my daughter (she's 23) and I showed her the list of topics so she could see what they were like.  She picked this one, so I decided to give it a shot. Watched your goofy green screen videos....now I'm not so nervous about trying it! As I was reading Mr. B's blog Behind the Scenes all I could think about were the management problems I have, especially at this time of year.  I tried to do a lesson on logging in and exploring World Book online today and wasn't able to finish the lesson because of behavior.  I will try to imagine what it would be like to have students who would work in randomly assigned groups without fighting and complaining. His project was really good and I agree with him about oral delivery.  It is so hard to get kids to speak naturally when they are presenting.  Adults too! It reminded me of the play my school put on a few y

This subject is of particular interest to me because I taught in a dual language program for my first three years in the district.  I was the English component of a second grade partnership.  I did not speak any Spanish, and wasn't supposed to have to.  My partner, unfortunately spoke no English! It was her first year teaching also.  Neither of us really knew what we were doing so we spent most of the first year hugging and crying.  The program was supposed to be for students who were at grade level or above in their native language.  However, in an attempt to keep the program from being cut, it was filled with students who had learning disabilities, behavior problems, mental health issues, as well as students who spoke no English at all.  The bilingual programs were full at the time, so many Spanish speaking children who belonged there were put into Dual Language instead. All of the English halves of the program had an ESL teacher who was supposed to come in daily to support the