Summer Reading 2012

Summer months give kids an important opportunity to read for complete enjoyment, and research demonstrates that children who don't read during the summer can lose up to three months of reading progress. One way to encourage kids' reading all summer is to visit the ROE LIBRARY online to explore a range of helpful reading resources, including a selection of summer reading lists. Information about reading incentive programs and recommendations for online children’s e-books & learning sites are located there too.

 Weblist -- 2012 Summer Learning Interactives

Bright Ideas for Summer - ReadWriteThink


ROE Summer Reading Information 

Students will soon bring home a Summer Reading HISD ‘Millionaire Club’ Ticket & Flier. They can record books that are read over vacation, and in August, return the completed signed ticket to the ROE Library. Each student will receive a special bookmark to recognize their efforts. There will also be a prize drawing from all the completed signed tickets! Learn more about other great local reading incentive programs @ ROE Library online, including…

• HISD Millionaire Club Readers: Read & log 10 books & earn a special bookmark of your choice in September at the ROE Library.
• Houston Public Library: Read 10 Books—get 1 free book! Read 20 Books—get 1 free book & voucher for a free ticket to a Houston Astros game & a coupon for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
• Barnes & Noble: Read 8 Books & get 1 free. Record books in downloadable journal.
• H.E.B: Read 10 Books and mail in for a T-Shirt.
• Half Price Books: Read 600 minutes and earn a $5 Back-to-School Bucks reward.

Working Toward Integration of Google Apps EDU

I am happy to say I have cleared the first hurdle in the process of becoming a Google Certified Educator after recently attending a 3-day Google Certification Academy in Huntsville,TX at Region VI. After successfully surviving all 6 certification exams, I'm a 'Google Qualified' Educator, which means I can take next steps toward becoming fully certified Google Apps EDU Educator & Trainer. 

The next phase involves setting up and administering a school domain. Within that protected and private framework, we can offer instruction, training and guidance on ways to integrate GoogleApps for Education to support and drive learning.

Here's just one excellent example among many of the power of moving in this cloud-based direction--Writing & Collaborative Revision. View clip to see the Growth of a Google Doc In the Eyes of an Elementary Student. Drafts can be shared for both teacher and peer comments and suggestions. It is possible to embed feedback immediately at any point within students' work which is specific, interactive, and powerful! Teachers can gain assessment insights. As writers, students have a real sense of audience and community, and are motivated to read both their own and one another's work with a critical eye. Authentic experiences with digital citizenship and crafting 'academic' comments vs. social comments are also a benefit.

[viewable outside HISD network]

Additional Resources:

• Guide to Going Google
• Becoming a Google Apps Ninja
• GoogleDocs for Learning (Cool Tools for 21st Century Learners)
• Google Drive & Documents for Teachers: What Teachers Need to Know to Get Started (E-Book by R. Byrne)
• Google Launches 'Search Education'

More Collected Resources HERE and HERE

Resource Discoveries

Here are a few great resources discovered through my professional learning networks:

• 21st Century Educators Don't Say "Hand It In.''
  They say, "Publish it!" via @InnovativeEdu

• [Kindergarten: Morning Message, Visual Texts, Blogging, & VoiceThread] 
Interacting with Your Interactive WhiteBoard via @CatchingReaders

• [TIP: To show a feed from any Twitter hashtag, type in your browser http://tweetchat.com/room/ and then the hashtag.
  For example: http://tweetchat.com/room/edtech]
  New Paradigm for Professional Development via @markbrumley

• [Poster sharing great ways to GoogleApps for Learning]
  GoogleDocs for Learning Glogster

• Downloads: 

• Digital Citizenship [Edmodo]
• Scientific Method Posters [Scholastic]

VoiceThread Projects

Posted below are a few recent projects by 5th grade students using VoiceThread.

VoiceThread allows the creation and sharing of interactive multimedia albums or slideshows. By uploading images, documents, or videos, creators or viewers can comment on any slide by typing, recording an audio or video comment, or drawing on the image itself. 

Students have recorded presentation narration and reflective comments about their work. They give and receive voice and text feedback from not only their peers, but also the wider ROE school community. This helps to develop greater awareness of audience for their learning products as it expands into engaging online discussion and extends outside classroom walls.

More Classroom Possibilities from VoiceThread Digital Library EDU

• book reviews and  sharing 'good fit' books

• letters from internment camp

• math problem solving

• student portfolio
• writing: show-don't tell
  
  [About VoiceThread Digital Library and Tutorials ]

VoiceThread: Overpopulation of Animals

Overpopulation of Animals by Maysen & Atiana

VoiceThread: Inquiry Projects on United States Symbols

Inquiry Projects on United States Symbols 
[Reflections & VoiceThread Discussion by Mrs.Goodman's 5th Graders]

VoiceThread: A Day in the Life of a Brain Cancer Patient

A Day in the Life of a Brain Cancer Patient
 by Audi, Haley, & Audi