The Digital Scoop

Teaching in the Digital Age: Ch. 1

Teaching in the Digital Age:  Chapter 1 The Digital Classroom

The first chapter was a good introduction to creating a digital classroom.  The author does a good job of showing the positives of using technology with kids while keeping in mind there needs to be a balance.  

I love this quote from Mr. Rodgers that the author shared: 

    "I went into television because I hated it so, and I thought there was some way of using this fabulous instrument to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen." ~ Fred Rodgers

Adults are often fearful of adding new technology into the classroom, while their students are eager for it.  This book highlights coming to a middle ground where new technologies are used to enhance current practices.

The end of the chapter contains suggestions for curriculum mapping.  I love how the author made lists that just naturally included technology options.

Book Study: Teaching in the Digital Age

I am soooo glad summer is here!  Time for some relaxing and renewing before the next school year starts.  

I decided to have a goal of reading some professional books along with my usual fun reads this summer.  I'm starting with Teaching in the Digital Age: Smart Tools for Age 3 to Grade 3 by Brian Puerling.

"I have seen how technology can be the escalator to higher-level teaching and learning." Brian Puerling

The all color book is broken into 9 chapters covering topics like...

Using Photographs and Images to Inspire, Rethinking Projectors, and Expanding the Classroom.

The book also contains QR Codes which lead to videos and downloadable documents.  I love how this makes a typical paper book part of the digital world!

I will be sharing my thoughts on this book after I finish each chapter.  I'm excited to dig in and see how this book inspires and changes my thinking about kids and technology.

I would love to hear your thoughts about this book!

Hope you're have a great start to your summer!

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Book Nook: Tess's Tree

I was looking around the FunBrain site the other day and came across the online version of Tess's Tree written by Jess M. Brallier and Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds.  This is a great book dealing with loss and celebrating life.

Tess loved her tree.
She liked to swing on it
and sit in its shade
and catch its leaves in the fall.

When Tess's tree has to come down, Tess is very sad . . . until she finds a way to gather friends and family and celebrate her tree's remarkable life.

This is a book for sharing with people you love, among good friends, or on a quiet day under a favorite tree.~ Product Description from Amazon.

At the end of the online book, there is an opportunity to e-mail the author and illustrator.  I could see this leading to a friendly letter (e-mail) lesson.

 

 

Book Nook: Make a Flippin' Book!

Flip Snack is an awesome tool that I can't stop using to create books!  Once you complete the free registration, you can upload any PDF file and turn it into an online book.  I have created several examples of what you can create with Flip Snack.  I made easy readers, a skip counting book, and I compiled some student work for showcase. 

Next year, I plan to help students write and publish work using Flip Snack.

Want to know how I created Where is Dog?  Look for a future post on using PowerPoint, clip art, photos, and saving as a PDF to create books.

Book Nook

I was in Barnes and Noble wandering around...as I often do...looking at interesting books on the shelves.  The book, Help Your Kids With Math from DK Publishing caught my eye.  I'll admit the fun, colorful cover caught my eye and enticed me to grab it.  I settled in with the book (and my yummy coffee) and was pleasantly surprised at what I found. 

The bright colors and bold graphic design of the pages caught my interest right away.  I can easily see how this book would appeal to adults and kids alike.  Many tricky math topics were explained in an easy to understand manner.  The book contains topics ranging from numbers to trigonometry to probability.

I am considering adding this book to my classroom library as a resource.