Mrs. Maslonka's Moose

Responsibility is HARD!

2010-10-03T20:29:00.003-05:00

Responsibility, Reeeespon-si-bility! In my head this is sung to the Electricity song from Schoolhouse Rock. Being responsible is hard for some kids. This year I have been a bit harder on the routines. Once you have unpacked EVERYTHING from your backpack, you can't go back. This means library books, vocabulary cards, planners and the like. I do allow a return for lunch money or lunch kits, but those come with a conduct mark. The kids have about 10 minutes from the time they arrive in the room to the bell ringing. It doesn't take long to empty a bag. Last week we endured tears, anger and "this is not fair!"...but responsibility is the name of the game.

Now why can't they go back to backpacks. In the past we have had some issues with "sticky fingers" so to speak and this is the time things have gone missing. Seeing something cool in a classmates backpack is temptation that can be avoided with the no return rule.

How can you help with responsibility at home? Don't do things for your kids that they can certainly do for themselves. They know that everything important belongs in their MOOSE binders. Let them pack their binders and backpacks and if they forget something, let them take the consequence. It will only take a few times to get the message. Yes they are still young and learning, but getting a good routine in place will help tremendously with learning responsibility. Give reminders and praise and we will all be more responsible.

Are you a bucket filler?

2010-09-25T18:06:00.002-05:00

Wednesday was a very odd day. It seemed like everyone came to school out of sorts, myself included. The day did not feel right. Maybe something was in the atmosphere or we were all feeling the full moon. I gave out more conduct marks than I had all year and it just wasn’t right. No matter how much breathing, thinking, and quiet we had we just couldn’t get and keep it together.

Our counselor came to visit with us at 2:00 to meet the new kids and discuss her role as counselor. Even she commented about how the class didn’t feel right. She read a book called Have you Filled a Bucket Today? By Carol McCloud. The book discusses how we all have invisible buckets that we fill for each other through kind words, acts and general kindness. The book also talks about not being a “bucket dipper” or a person who takes good feelings from others by unkind words or actions. I listened to the discussion with the kids and prayed this would sink in. Thursday was a better day and then came Friday.

We are ALL happy for Friday.

I have a child who at times has some difficulty self monitoring behavior and emotions. He presents a particular challenge some days, but he has a very good heart and can be extremely affectionate and helpful. He handed me a note he had written in the car. A note he wouldn’t let his mom read. I read the note and immediately hugged him. His note about how he felt about me and our class was so genuine and heartfelt it made my day. After I read it and hugged him tight, he said “I filled your bucket! I could see it!”, and he certainly did.

I encourage you to look for this book or talk to your kids about what it means to be a bucket filler or a bucket dipper. You might be surprised at their answers…by the way…I haven’t received as many love notes as I did today! I guess my friend made a big impression on the entire class!

What a week!

2010-09-20T18:38:00.003-05:00

Last week was busy and sad. We had a guest speaker on Tuesday visit with us about Hurricane Hunting. Kelly Soich spent about an hour talking about how hurricane hunting works and what you must do. He took questions from the kids and really spoke to them on an their level. The kids had a blast and were so excited to visit with him. The rest of the day the kids spent time talking about Mr. Soich and hurricanes. I was so glad I bumped into him and asked if he would visit. It really was fascinating...definitely not a job I would want, but totally cool!

A sad part of our week was four friends moving on. Three friends moved to Mrs. Martin's class and one moved to a new school. We were sad to see them go because they were part of our school family. It was different having extra room in our class with only 18 kids today.

This week is equally busy, but hopefully not nearly as eventful as last week!

Another Friday and Interesting News

2010-09-11T14:35:00.005-05:00

Well, we finished the week with an interesting set of events, but everything will be alright. Thursday we found out that our school was getting another third grade teacher. While we were okay with numbers for the moment, none of the current teachers would be able to take another student. We were told that the kids moving would be the new ones to our class so as not to disrupt the "looping" kids.

So Friday I broke the news to the kids that some would be moving to the new teacher next week. There were a few tears, but I made it clear that everything would be fine and we would still see each other every day. Next week four of our friends will move to our new teacher. Our team went to her school to meet her and welcome her to our school. We have some little surprises for her from her new class and know that everything will work out for everyone. I am sad to lose these friends, but now our numbers will be down to 18 so we have a bit more stretching room.

Welcome Mrs. Martin! Good-bye new friends! I am so glad you were part of our class even for just a little while.

A New Year...A Better Blog

2010-09-06T19:47:00.003-05:00

Well I had high hopes for this blog last year. Unfortunately it just got away from me. This year I have high hopes that will hopefully be fulfilled!

We started the year off very well. A few of our old friends are no longer with us and we have added five new friends to our class for a total of 22 friends! We are packed to the gills, but it is all good!

Our first novel Tornado by Betsy Byars is under our belt and I am pleased to say the kids did fantastic! We were a bit rusty, but onward we go. We continue to review math skills and classroom routines.

This week we begin a nine day unit on Hurricanes. The interesting thing about this is several times I have taught this unit, a hurricane has appeared in the Gulf, fingers crossed we can complete the unit without an actual hurricane. The kids will track a fake hurricane twice daily, learn all about hurricane formation and how hurricanes can cause massive damage depending on the category. It is an exciting unit and we even have a hurricane hunter coming to speak with us about his job on September 14.

I am excited about the year ahead! My hopes are to update the blog more frequently and send out e-mail alerts when a new post is available.

Don't forget to check the Moose Tracks News for weekly updates!

Quiet Time

2010-01-24T18:46:00.002-06:00

The cool thing about Daily 5 is my kids have some interrupted reading time. Each student has a special place to sit which I rotate daily. It's a big moment seeing who gets to sit where. I looked up from my own book to see Juliana and Joshua head to head reading, totally engrossed in their books. It's moments like this that make me smile!

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T12:38:00.003-06:00

As 2009 comes to a close it is time to reflect on the previous year. My what a year it was! After spending 5 years at a school I thought I would have to be drug from kicking and screaming I decided to try a new adventure at South Belt. Meeting new people, new kids and all the new technology was and continues to be exciting! Continuing my graduate classes has been difficult and challenging, but by this time next year I will hold my masters degree in Library Science. YIPPIE!! As for my new little friends, we started the year with 26 students on our list and 22 in our class until December when our friend Erin transferred to Stuchbery. We all miss him. Hayden won a scholarship to Kuk Sul Kwon Martial Arts, we can put headings on papers without assistance, check out books from the library, participate with the ActiveBoard easily and for the most part get along with one another daily. Over the next semester we will continue growing and learning in preparation for Third Grade! I wish all of you a very happy and safe New Year! I can't wait to see what 2010 has in store for us!!

Congratulations and Apologies

2009-12-08T19:54:00.005-06:00

Well, the best intentions don't always work the way we plan. I had planned to post an awesome picture and surprise before we left for Thanksgiving holidays, but of course my surprise was absent and those plans just fell apart so I apologize for not keeping up with this blog as much as I had planned. I have one more paper to present tomorrow and then my graduate classes are finished until January 21. YEA!

So for the congratulations...One of our students won the year long karate classes for his essay about having dyslexia and how he needs self discipline to help in school and at home. Hayden is a hard worker in our class and always tries hard even when things are difficult and he does it with a smile! I was so excited he won and had planned to photograph him being presented with the award...but he was home sick! So I had to make due another way.

So here you see a picture of Hayden with Mr. Karate Man! Congratulations Hayden!

I've got a secret!

2009-11-18T14:21:00.001-06:00

I received some exciting news today about one of our students. Tune in Friday to see what the surprise is!

Will the coolness never end?

2009-10-27T20:45:00.002-05:00

So my darling husband sent me a link to a new donor site for technology and electronics. I can't access it from school even though it is for school. I just purchased 2 flip video cameras for the price of one and set up a donor wish list. If you know someone who has "donation money" to spare send this site on to them. I'm hoping to have the flip video cameras soon so the kids can create videos we can uplaod into the blog including science experiments, book reviews and reader's theater activities! www.digitalwish.com If I did it right, someone already donated $150 to our class! I don't usually visit donor sites because of the amounts of spam I receive and it's just not worth it. Check out my profile and if you think of something we should add let me know!

Super Cool Websites!

2009-10-20T16:55:00.003-05:00

Our technology teacher sent a link for 15 ways to become a paper free classroom. Well I was curious since, I really don't like worksheets, but when you need a grade, you need something. I found this really cool site that I have added our spelling list for this week to. I will try to remember to use this weekly because it has so many ways to practice spelling words that are actually fun! I tried them out! The link is to the side. I look forward to seeing some fantastic spelling grades soon!

Click on the link - Find a List - By Teacher - Type in Maslonka the Search - Click on Amanda Maslonka - Click on Spelling List link

She Blinded Us With Science!!

2009-09-29T19:16:00.003-05:00

Well we are on a roll with Science! Today Ms. Dodson brought a Theremin to school show sound. It was very exciting! I have a video, but I need to shrink it before posting, but here are a few of the kiddos playing with the theremin. Look it up on wikipedia if you want to know more!

I Felt Like a Rock Star!

2009-09-25T17:55:00.013-05:00

Well we have been talking about matter for the past two weeks and I had promised the kids a really cool science experiment that would show solids, liquids and gasses working together and today we did it! I love the picture of their faces watching the balloon inflate. We also drew a diagram and wrote about what happened when the baking soda hit the vinegar. Totally post worthy!

This is what our balloon looked like when it inflated. It happened FAST!

I love the looks on their faces! Can't buy that kind of response!!

Here is one of the diagrams. Looks pretty good! Names have been deleted to protect the innocent!

Comments on what happened.

Another diagram.

...and the description.

This is the last one...I promise.

Love their descriptions!

Trying to Post

2009-09-24T17:17:00.002-05:00

Well, I've been trying to post the "before" pictures of my classroom for a couple of weeks now and for whatever reason the pictures and video just would not upload! GRRRR. Don't you just love technology. I even contacted the "support" for blogger to no avail. So I'm going to try again with a new format and (insert finger crossing here) the video will post. I missed the pictures in my exhaustion of what the room looked like when all my boxes were unloaded into the room. It sure looked bigger before all my junk was there and I continue weeding the junk I no longer use or won't use once I enter the Library when I finish grad school. By the way I'll be selling TONS Of stuff so if you've got your eye on something you want...you better let me know! :)

On a happier note...I had all my darlings in school today! YEA!! Everyone was FINALLY well! I'll be posting a picture here soon! They sure are cute, but man am I tired at the end of the day!!

Dropping like flies

2009-09-21T20:51:00.002-05:00

Alrightie folks! We are dropping like flies around here. I sent two home with fever today and had two out. We had three out last week as well. Please remind your kiddos to WASH their hands and use sanitizer if they cough or sneeze. We have it in several locations in our classroom. I'll be using Lysol like it's going to be discontinued until we are all healthy! Please e-mail me if you need anything or would like me to send work home if your child is ill. I just got my flu mist today so hopefully (insert finger crossing here) I won't get sick too! Stay well!

Got Force?

2009-09-11T18:10:00.005-05:00

This week we completed our lessons on Force and Motion. To celebrate we made "Motion Art" with marbles and paint. Here are a few of my kiddos making their art. Once they are dry I'll post pictures of the finished products. They had a blast making them! The top picture is Jacob and Rami and the bottom is Elisabeth, Abrianna and Bailee.

New Stuff, New Stuff

2009-09-09T19:57:00.003-05:00

Check out the Website links on the left. A big thanks to Kristine Couchman for finding the awesome math skills page! I'll add more to the list soon as I have a loooooonnng list I need to make sure work before doing so. If any of you find another cool site for us pass it on and I'll post it here for everyone!

First Days of School

2009-09-05T11:19:00.002-05:00

Well, we made it through the first 9 days of school. I am behind in my posting because I've been meeting myself coming and going! So far we have 22 friends in our class and YEA we are 11 boys and 11 girls right down the middle! We are a lucky bunch. We have worked on several routines and getting it down pretty easily. We have a very looonnnnnng line of kids so it takes us a while to get anywhere, but we can do it! It is an eighth of a mile from our classroom to the cafeteria or gym, yep we're that big, so walking down the hall quietly for that length of time took some practice.

We started our Daily 5 and I am SO VERY PLEASED to say that we can read to ourselves without distraction for a whopping 18 minutes! We're working on making it to a full 30 minutes, but 18 is FANTASTIC! Because they did so great the last few days we added Read to Someone and they were so excited!! They did pretty well, but we still need some practice.

I promised pictures and I'll post pictures of our room soon as well as pictures of the kids. I am really enjoying second graders. They are loads of fun and crack me up daily! More fun will be coming soon!! Enjoy your long weekend!!

Moving Day!

2009-08-08T16:22:00.003-05:00

Well the time has come. We will begin moving our stuff into our new building on Tuesday. Monday will be spent unloading the yellow district provided crates and some planning where things will go. Next week will be very busy and the following week teachers report on duty. I'll be sure to post pictures as I go along. The anxiety has taken over...

got furniture...

2009-07-27T18:43:00.003-05:00

I went on Saturday to show a friend my new school and peek in the windows. There was furniture in there!! That means we're getting closer and closer to opening day! Meet the teacher is on the 20th and I have a Dobie parent meeting on the 20th...can I clone myself quick enough?

Thing 23 - Summary

2009-07-26T18:06:00.002-05:00

My favorite things...
1. LOVE the mashups especially those from Big Huge Labs! I can totally see using this in some form or capacity in my classroom and eventually in my library.
2. Library Thing was very helpful. I am hoping to start cataloging some of my books here at home and eventually my classroom library. Since I have nearly 3,000 books in my classroom library this will be a very slow process.
3. I found that WIKIS are a handy tool to get kids and adults talking online. I am hoping that the wikis aren't blocked in my district because not only are wikis easy, they are a great way to get kids into technology and writing that doesn't feel like work.

Life long goals...
I found that there is much more to technology than I thought. I found things that I had never seen before and even looked further into things I wanted to learn more about! I bookmarked several pages to return to for further reading. I don't think this is the end of my discovery.

Surprises...
When I first started this after coming off the technology class last semester my impression was "oh great! Something ELSE to occupy my time!" I can honestly say that I was not originally thrilled with the prospect of completing 23 more technology activities. What I found was that there are so many things I did not know about and that are totally useful in the classroom and library! I found that I was staying up well past midnight "playing" on the computer. This didn't feel like work...and I liked it!

Improvement...
There is nothing really I can think of that needs improvement other than some of the original links not working. There were a few times I had to find the link through the back door. This wasn't a big deal, it just took a bit more time.

Another Program...
If there were another program like this I MIGHT participate depending on my work load at the time. I know this four weeks we had to really work to get all 23 things completed. Over a longer span of time for completion I think I would be able to participate and not feel so rushed.

One word...
F*A*N*T*A*S*T*I*C!!!

Thing 22 - Nings

2009-07-23T22:32:00.003-05:00

I'm not too sure what to think. I really liked the librarian nings. The Texas Librarian Ning is one I will revisit. I think the Ning is good because it centralizes people with the same interests. The librarian nings were especially helpful because with the graduate classes I am taking I can actually "visit" with other librarians outside of my Pasadena network. The teacher nings weren't all that different from the teacher chats I visit. I could see setting up a Ning for a school where parents, teachers, students and other staff could communicate with one another, but this could potentially cause some problems with unhappy parents posting things that may not be appropriate. Setting up a ning for a class would be helpful for students to communicate with one another and act as mentors for one another. If used properly this communication tool would be beneficial to a library, but would require monitoring to prevent any problems occurring.

Thing 21 - Podcasts

2009-07-23T22:05:00.008-05:00

Well after trying and trying I was finally able to download photostory. I looked for pictures on my computer and found several from our trip to Disney World. It took some practice but I finally was able to get the pictures and narration to work together. Not that I've tried so many times I feel confident I could use this in my classroom or library with ease. It was also very "point and click" so it would be very easy for kids to navigate and create. So, here's my video...it's not the greatest, but it's a start!

Thing 20 - YouTube and Teacher Tube

2009-07-21T19:48:00.005-05:00

I think most people are aware of YouTube and the amount of videos available. Some of the videos are great teaching tools and I usually download them onto a jump drive so they can be shown in class. Teacher Tube is more readily available for teacher use though I have found that sometime this site is blocked in my district and sometimes not. I chose two videos from Teacher Tube to share.

The first is titled Pay Attention. It is an amazing video regarding educating children in a digital age.

The second is titled Don't Laugh At Me regarding school bullying. I showed this video to my students last year due to some bullying in my class. It really helped curb some of the nonsense going on in the class.

I also use Teacher Tube when I can't locate what I'm looking for with Discovery Streaming. Sometimes what I'm looking for can be here.

Thing 19 - Web 2.0 Awards

2009-07-21T19:33:00.002-05:00

This was really cool! I explored several sites based on topic. I checked out the wikis and really liked the Guides and Reviews sites. I checked out Yelp and typed in something I was looking for and it acted like a yellow pages with reviews! I also checked out Im Cooked which is video recipe sharing. I like to try out new things because I get bored with my cooking and this site didn't just give the recipe, but showed what your meal should look like when finished. I could see using either of these tools frequently. When I have more time I will explore more of the sites.

I think I would be able to use the Guide and Reviews in the library for special projects. Checking out what is available locally such as bringing in a guest speaker would be valuable. My class did a greek mythology unit at the end of the year. I could have looked up Greek Foods to see what was available locally for a tasting. I'll keep exploring and hopefully find some cool stuff to use next year!

Thing 18 - Google Docs.

2009-07-21T19:12:00.004-05:00

To be honest I did not look at Open Office for several reasons. The main reason being that this summer I have downloaded so much onto my poor laptop that it is slowing waaaaaay down and I couldn't justify downloading one more thing just yet. My mom also has Open Office and she said it works well enough, but she would prefer the entire Microsoft Office package.

I was unable to access the Google Docs tutorial, but did play around a bit with it. Using this service reminded me a bit of using a wiki. The ability to edit and access documents so many users may contribute was really neat. As a librarian this would be a great tool to use for collaboration. I didn't really understand the complete use of this program other than for collaboration purposes because I wouldn't use it in place of the Microsoft Office program for my personal use.

Thing 17 - Rollyo

2009-07-20T21:43:00.005-05:00

Who designs these things? I am learning so much from these 23 things and I can't seem to wrap my brain around how to go about using each one. Rollyo will dramatically change how I assign students to locate research elements. Instead of the vast amount of information provided by Yahoo and Google (we're not supposed to use those anyway) Rollyo will allow me to design a search engine just for my class! This will also keep kids from "finding" stuff on the internet they shouldn't be seeing because not every firewall blocks everything. I did one on my favorite teacher resource sites. Check out the link http://rollyo.com/maslonka_moose/teacher/.

Thing 16 - Wikis

2009-07-20T21:19:00.002-05:00

Now I am loving the WIKI! I am a member of a book club. We meet once a month to discuss whatever book we have chosen. With a wiki we could discuss the book as we read rather than just that one time. This could also be used within a library setting with a book club. With time being short setting up a book club wiki for students the club could discuss together online! I think I will start with my personal book club and see how we do as adults and then add one for kids later. I'll post again later letting you all know how it goes!

Thing 15 - Library and Web 2.0

2009-07-20T21:00:00.003-05:00

In the ever changing library world we are frequently competing with outside technology for student attention. As a teacher I find that I must have more engaging lessons and use technology frequently in order to keep my students engaged. I can see with the evolution of Kindle that eventually regular books may become outdated because of an easier way to gain access. Since most libraries are the hub of the school the librarian must be up to date on the current technologies available. Blogs, wikis and other social communication will become a must sooner than later. I believe that librarians need ongoing technology training to keep students engaged and show proof that what they are learning is relevant in every day life.

Watching the YouTube video really struck a cord. Most of the signs the students held up were true. $100 textbooks that go unopened and can't be returned or returned for less than $10 is ridiculous. Having notes on a chalk board serves no purpose when the same information can be delivered in a more appropriate manner for the 21st century. It looks like the future of librarianship will become more and more technology based as the years go on. Anyone remember using a paper card catalog? And when was the last time you ever saw one?

Thing 14 - Technorati

2009-07-16T21:55:00.005-05:00

Hmmm. Not real impressed here. I searched for "School Library Learning 2.0" and came up empty handed the first search. I had to really keep digging to find anything remotely usable. I did check for some blog tags of blogs I frequent and found a few but overall I didn't find this site user friendly. I found Delicious and Flickr much easier to use. I just don't have the time to spend on Technorati searching for something when there are easier tools available. I'll keep looking at it hoping that I'll find the key to using this efficiently.

Thing 13 - Tagging

2009-07-16T21:06:00.003-05:00

Well, I wasn't real sure how to go about attacking this particular thing. I checked out Delicious and found it to be the most user friendly. I tried several different searches. I started with Second Grade since I'll be teaching second grade for the first time next year. There were many sites available, most of which had some great stuff for second grade. I also checked out one of my favorite children's authors Kevin Henkes. There were blogs and lesson plans available shared from other teachers. I also checked out education and emergency and found many interesting sites.

I also checked out Digg and found that when I typed in Second Grade I found mostly news sites that dealt with second grade, not necessarily second grade materials.

When I checked out the Delicious Cloud I found it interesting that Web 2.0, webdesign, education, blog and video were big hits. I guess since most of the 23 Things people are hitting this site, those would be the popular ones!

I could see this being used with older elementary and up for research because they could then "meet" with others regarding the same topic. Teachers and librarians could also use this social network to share ideas. This also allows users to bookmark and tag what interests them. When I have more time to really explore, I think Delicious will be a very usable site for me.

Thing 12 - Creating Community Through Commenting

2009-07-16T09:02:00.003-05:00

In this "thing" there were loads of sites to visit. I visited them all, and was finally able to narrow down to two sites regarding commenting that I found incredibly helpful. The first site was Ten Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog. There is something sad when as a blogger you put time, effort, and heart into a blog only to receive absolutely no comments. You have followers. You have invited blog viewers and still no comments. This list gives easy to use ways to encourage comments. I found a site for teachers to help set up blogs and use them in the classroom that I will visit to enhance my own personal blog: Teacher's First Blog Basics.

The second site I really looked at carefully was Edublogger Etiquette. With an anon postings running rampant it is easy for a blogger to receive spam and other inappropriate materials. I personally have my blog comments set to preview where I can decide whether or not to allow a comment to be viewed by everyone. Because my blog will eventually be viewed by parents and students I want to be very cautious when others access the blog.

I personally follow two blogs. One is from an anonymous teacher Mrs. Mimi who writes It's Not All Flowers and Sausages. She is a teacher in New York that cracks me up with her comments and rants about her school. Her humor may not be appropriate for all viewers and some may find her commentary rude, but when I need a laugh, hers is the blog I visit.

Another site I lurk is Jackson's Journey. This Texas mom has a baby at 23 weeks. She has chronicled his life through the NICU and into his first year. It's inspirational and makes me thankful for healthy children every day!

Thing 11 - Library Thing

2009-07-15T23:14:00.004-05:00

Library thing is a fantastic way to catalog books with minimal effort. I have TONS of books in my classroom library and this could definitely help when I need to see if I already have a book before I start purchasing. I could imagine using this in the library to create a group where students read a particular book and then use the group to discuss the book. Basically an online book club could be established and anyone could join in. I didn't find any groups that met the books I listed, but I plan to keep looking. I put two of my favorite adult authors on the list so I'm sure the group is there somewhere...I just need to do some more digging. I did check out a few groups and found that most of the discussions followed the books and a couple groups seemed like they were established because the discussion wasn't always about books, but how each person was doing in life. I like that book lovers could meet and create friendships that revolve around books.

Thing 10 - Online Image Generators

2009-07-15T22:52:00.004-05:00

Online image generators are great! I created a Wordle using words from the If You Give...series by Laura Numeroff to create my wordle. http://www.wordle.net/ I checked out several of the generators and this one was just fun. I remember seeing my librarian use it during a Dr. Seuss unit, but had no idea how it was done. I especially liked the Comic Strip Generator. Students could easily write text to match the image. http://www.txt2pic.com/ What a great way to reinforce context clues or inferencing from a picture. Big Huge Labs has tons of stuff for teachers to use with students. Possiblities are endless. http://bighugelabs.com/ I mentioned Trading Card Maker in a previous post. I would like to try to have students create a trading card of themselves at the beginning of the year as a "getting to know you" activity. Another fun image generator is from http://www.imagechef.com/. Kids can upload a photo and use a background template to create their own pictures. Check out my image from image chef!

For those of you following...

2009-07-14T18:10:00.001-05:00

If you are following my blog or check it out occasionally I just want to let you know what the "Things" are. These are for one of my grad school classes. I visit sites then post what I learn. Feel free to check out the places I visit along with me or just pass on by.

Thing 9 - Blogs and News Feeds

2009-07-14T15:27:00.002-05:00

I had wondered what the purpose of the news feed icon was until now. I looked at each of the sites in Library2Play and found a few useful sites to add to my reader and one I don't think fits what I need. I added Topix because it was perfect for my news feed. I could easily browse through the headlines to find what I was looking for with minimal distractions. I also added Free Technology for Teachers because not only was it easy to navigate, but it had fantastic classroom resources that are easy to navigate as well. This will be a blog I will view frequently for new ideas for integrating technology in my classroom.

I didn't like Syndic8 as much because it seemed very messy to me. There is a massive amount of information and users would need to be pretty specific in what is being looked for and have some patience in looking. I didn't add this one, but I did bookmark it for further reference. It was not my favorite of the blog sites listed.

I am still on the lookout for a blog or site dealing only with use of the ActiveBoard since I will have one in my classroom this coming year.

Thing 8 - RSS Feeds

2009-07-14T15:08:00.002-05:00

Wow! What a neat tool! I have had a google account for a long time and this would have cut down my time dramatically. I think I would use this in my personal life because I have a family that needs me, a class to teach and I just don't have time to filter out all the stuff I don't need. I hate getting on a news site with pop-up ads covering what I want to read and the "sneaky" way if you try to get out of the ad it takes you directly to the add - grr! I follow a few education blogs and a few fun and family blogs. Instead of checking the separate blogs I can check the reader to see if there have been any updates rather than looking at every blog. I think setting up a reader in the library could allow teachers to locate important information on specific topics in an easy to share format. For instance, if a grade level is studying presidents, setting up a reader with feeds regarding presidents would save time for the teacher and students because specific sites would be available. Excellent!

Thing 7 - Google Tools

2009-07-13T22:56:00.003-05:00

I have bookmarked this resource for further review. The two tools I looked at closely were the Google Calendar and Picasa. In my classroom I plan on utilizing the Google Calendar and making it public for my students and parents. In this technology age most of my student's parents want to be notified of what is happening in our class through e-mail. This is an awesome tool to cut down on a daily e-mail about upcoming events. I can post the necessary information in the calendar and the parents will have an up-to-date reference for our class.

I also checked out Picasa. I love to have pictures of my class available for parents. This site would not only allow me to create a web album, but would allow me to edit photos. This would reduce my time with editing because it is all basically point and click.

I was already familiar with Google Earth and Atomic Learning. I will definitely go back and check out everything else...when I have some extra time that is!

Thing 6 - Mashups

2009-07-13T22:37:00.004-05:00

Well I could have spent hours on this site, just playing with pictures. I LOVED Warholizer on Big Huge Labs. What a cool thing to do to pictures! I thought of several ways I could use this in my classroom. This would be an awesome Christmas gift for parents. I also totally dug Trading Cards which could be used to highlight or introduce a book character. Mappr will definitely be used in my classroom during geography. I am loving this stuff! Check out the picture of my darling husband and me in front of one of our favorite restaurants 59 Diner! This was taken on our 11th anniversary on July 11!

Thing 5 - Flickr

2009-07-13T22:23:00.007-05:00

What a cool site! I have seen pictures from Flickr when I have "googled" pictures. It is great to know there is a reliable site available for teachers and students and so many images to use! I am fascinated by Moose, hence the Maslonka Moose title. I have moose everywhere in my classroom and even have a few here at my house. I thought this was an awesome picture and would love to visit somewhere I could see a moose for real!

Thing 3 - Blogs

2009-07-13T21:51:00.001-05:00

This is my blog. I have plans to use it frequently during the coming school year. Please check out what I have so far.

Thing 2 - 7 1/2 Habits

2009-07-13T21:41:00.002-05:00

I think the easiest of the habits for me will be setting goals. I am a chronic list maker and I make plans according to the lists. When I have a plan in action I am able to reach my goal in a timely fashion. I am not a procrastinator either so completing goals is not an issue once I have a plan in action.

I think the hardest thing for me is having the confidence to really learn Web 2.0. I considered myself tech savvy until my last technology course. I had to work much harder than I anticipated and I just didn't have the confidence in myself and this showed in my finished projects.

Inside Our Classroom!

2009-07-13T11:45:00.003-05:00

Last week we were able to take a tour of the building. Here are the pictures of our classroom!

This is the back wall of our classroom. I am excited to have two large bulletin boards!This is the side wall. It is purple vinyl and we can staple anything to it! The left cabinet will be a locked cabinet for teacher stuff and the right cabinet has trays for student supplies as well as LOTS of storage above!

This is the front of our room. We will have an ActiveBoard this year!

This is the view from just inside the door. The cabinets have storage above and backpack hooks below. We are also fortunate to have two large windows!

Second Grade Pod

2009-07-03T10:31:00.002-05:00

Here is a recent picture of our second grade pod. This is the multi purpose area. Our pod color is purple. Each classroom will have one purple wall like the one shown here.

The Daily 5

2009-07-01T08:31:00.004-05:00

As a teacher I frequently spend parts of my summer with some type of staff development. I try to sign up for classes that I really think will enhance or better my teaching. I also belong to several teacher groups and one in particular had frequent and enthusiastic discussions about the book The Daily 5 by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. After reading all of the teacher discussions I decided to order the book and see what was so new and great about their teaching...boy was I schooled!

I have always run literacy centers in my room no matter what grade I taught. Some classes transitioned between activities smoothly, some not so much. I thought literacy centers were to be teacher directed and after a while with some guidance from me the centers could be run mostly smoothly, but I always have one or two kids who can't seem to work in a group or independently without distracting the rest of the class and I spent my time when I was supposed to be teaching an individual or small group redirecting misbehavior.

"The Sisters" as they are lovingly called have changed the way I think about literacy centers. There are five components to The Daily 5 each building upon the next. The main goals are for students to become independent learners thereby allowing the teacher to work uninterrupted with individuals or small groups. They have changed the way I think of literacy centers. The five components are Read to Yourself, Read to Someone, Work on Writing, Spelling/Word Work and Listen to Reading.

So what did I learn from this reading and how is this program going to improve my teaching?

1. It takes a 5-6 weeks to completely train and instruct children in the components of The Daily 5. These steps should not be rushed because practicing daily in small increments of time increase brain and muscle memory in order to achieve success.

2. The ultimate goal is to give children direct responsibility for their learning. Literacy centers are not for worksheet busy work. They are for developing fluent readers and writers.

3. Independent charts should be displayed all year so students may reflect upon what we have learned and when there is a problem the charts are available for review. By putting the charts away after students have achieved mastery is an indirect signal that the skill is no longer important.

"The sisters have written a detailed, easy to read book that shows how their proven techniques have completely enhanced their teaching. These are teachers STILL IN THE CLASSROOM! Why do I say this so firmly? Because many books I have read are by teachers who no longer teach. I am excited about returning to my classroom this year to start this fantastic program. Wish me luck!

South Belt Elementary

2009-06-29T11:42:00.007-05:00

Yea! Everything is on schedule for our Grand Opening in August. SBE is the newest elementary in the Sagemont Area. It is absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to move in! This is the front of our school. New sod should be in soon.

Our classroom has windows! We are the third set of windows on this side if you start at the front.

What's New in Texas 2X2?!

2009-06-29T09:45:00.000-05:00

The following list is the current Texas 2X2 Reading List. We will be reading some of these books this year and completing some extension activities with many of them. These books will be available in our school library and the local public library. The list is appropriate for children ages 2 to second grade.

A Visitor for Bear - Bonny Becker
The Littlest Llama - Jane Browning Buxto
Quinito, Day and Night, Quinito, Dia y Noche - Ina Cumpiano
On the Farm - David Elliot
Ten Little FINGERS and Ten Litle TOES - Mem Fox
How to Heal a Broken Wing - Bob Graham
Chicken said, "Cluck!" - Judyann Ackerman Grant
What's Up Duck? A Book of Opposites - Tad Hills
Uh-oh! - Rachel Isadora
Sort it Out! - Barbara Mariconda
Let's Eat! A comer! - Pat Mora
Baseball Hour - Carol Nevius
Jack Wants A Snack - Pat Schories
No Babysitters Allowed - Amber Stewart
Roadwork - Sally Sutton
What Can You Do With A Rebozo? - Carmen Tafolla
Grumpy Cat - Britta Teckentrup
The Doghouse - Jen Thomas
Duck Soup - Jackie Urbanovic
10 Things I can Do to Help My World - Melanie Walsh