iPads, iPod touches, and Macbooks at BBS!

The pilot program has begun at Brainerd Baptist School!  This week so far, we have introduced an iPod touch lab in 5th grade (I didn't help with that one), used iPads with K4, and taken a mobile Macbook lab to K5 and 4th graders. Today, the mobile lab will go to 1st and 5th grade too.

The first day of iPads with K4 was a huge success.  Each group had about 15 minutes with the iPads and the time flew.  They loved it and took to it just as intuitively as I thought they would.  One little girl said it was like her daddy's iPhone but bigger. (I knew that some of them would have already been playing games on Mommy and Daddy's phones.)  We did the app called Make Shapes.  It was really good to begin to introduce the pressure with which the students need to push on the iPad in order to make it work.  The app has students trace shapes in one level, trace shapes in the appropriate color in the next, and make pictures out of traced shapes in the last.  Then, there is a free draw page.  When the students complete a shape in the free draw page, the program fills it in so the students can see that they drew a shape.  The program includes bright colors, animations, and encouraging comments (like "Great shape!"  "Great line!").

One interesting thing is that the boys tended to start off by pushing down too hard with their fingers and had to learn to adapt to using a lighter touch.  Also, the girls tended to enjoy tracing the shapes and getting the positive feedback on that whereas the boys liked the free draw.  Overall, a great experience with no problems. 

The K5 and 4th did very well with the MacBooks.  The fourth graders were about to pop out of their seats and explode - they were so excited to get their hands on a laptop!  We spent a little time talking about the differences between laptops and desktops, the use of the touchpad, and the fact that we would be going to the Internet on Safari instead of Internet Explorer instead of Firefox.  When I asked how many of them had used a laptop before, one class had all hands up and the other had all but 3 in the air.  Less than half had used a Mac before.

The biggest time consumer was getting the laptops out in groups of 3 and then putting them back.  Each class ran over because the putting up took longer than I thought (about 6-7 minutes).  I know that they will get faster as the year continues. 

I must say that it is an exciting year at BBS and I am so glad to be a part of it.  Being on the cutting edge is fun!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

    In the last book in the Harry Potter series, Lord Voldemort takes control of everything, even Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione have to embark on a journey full of danger and mystery to save the wizarding, and possibly muggle (non-magic folk), world. They face many difficulties on their way to finding and destroying all of Voldemort's ties to the mortal world and getting rid of him once and for all. On their journey, friendships are strained, secrets unveiled, and Harry learns the price he has to pay to defeat Voldemort. Years ago, a prophecy was given - "Neither can live while the other survives." Will Harry triumph over Voldemort?  Will Voldemort defeat Harry? Or will they both fall?
 
    This last installment in J.K. Rowling's thrilling series is one of the best books I have ever read. It is the biggest and best Harry Potter book. I highly recommend this series. You won't be able to put it down.

AR Level:  6.9
AR Points:  34

     Heather Marsh
 

Who Do I Follow on Twitter?

I have found twitter to be really useful for finding resources, websites, and information on educational technology and homeschooling (or quilting or autism or anything else you'd like to search for and connect with other people about).

Here are some folks I follow:

Education and Educational Technology:

• Weebly - a free website creator for educators
• Brain Pop - a great educational video site
• IEAR - recommends iphone and ipad apps
• EducationWeek 
• HistoryChannel
• SpellingCity
• Scholastic
• GameClassroom - posts on using educational software in the classroom
• NBCLearn - updates from the educational arm of NBC
• BJNichols - educational technology dude
• jimmylogan - educational technology teacher
• ABCYaGames - educational website
• Internet4Classr - updates from Internet 4 Classrooms
• Planet_Tweets - posts from Promethian Planet (for the Promethian "smart" boards)
• PBSKids
• DirectTech - technology teacher
• Edutopia - posts from the education magazine
• iphonekidsapps
• firstlegoleague
• kandersonpds - a technology teacher of preschoolers at Presbyterian Day School in Memphis (and they know what they are doing with educational technology at that school)
• smcorcoran - the Head of School at Brainerd Baptist School
• ckyle - Director of Technology at PDS
• EduTechSmith - technology teacher/trainer of upper elementary at PDS
• Cindybrock - technology teacher/trainer for lower elementary at PDS

Homeschooling:

• HSarticles
• Homeschoolchann
• homeschoollounge
• Homelifeacademy

Other:

• middayconn - Moody radio's Midday Connection radio program updates
• chattanoogafun - updates on what is happening in Chattanooga
• J103radio - a local Christian radio station
• WRCB - local TV station
• Rgallaty - our pastor at Brainerd Baptist Church

You can go to the Twitter website to find out more about Twitter and the basics of how to use it.  

Heather's review of The Kane Chronicles Book 1: The Red Pyramid

 The Red Pyramid is the first book in a new series by Rick Riordan, the writer of the much read Percy Jackson series. This new series is about Carter and Sadie who are the most powerful Kane children ever born. When their father was blamed for their mother's mysterious death, a court battle led to the younger of the children, Sadie Kane, being separated from her father and brother at a young age. One day when her father and Carter were allowed to visit, they went on a trip to a museum and every thing went wrong.
 This thrilling tale about the Egyptian gods and the battle between order and chaos is a great read but is also educational, telling about Egyptian mythology and history. Even Christians would like this story about good versus evil and overall it was a book I would recommend to any one.

AR (Accelerated Reader) Level:  4.5
AR Points:  18

 

Introducing Heather

I would like to introduce my daughter Heather.  Heather likes books, lots and lots of books. She is a new homeschooler for sixth grade this coming year and will be writing guest blogs periodically.  She will be reviewing books she reads and other interesting things like movies, animals, and more.  These blogs will be part of her writing assignments for school.  Enjoy!

Facebook and Twitter

I don't know what everyone thinks about Facebook but I found a new reason to love it yesterday.  I reconnected with a BFF (can I use that term if I am over 40?) from when we were both working on our master's degrees in Educational Technology and Bible in Knoxville at Johnson Bible College.  Her daughter (then middle school aged) kept my elementary school aged kids during a two week intensive course.  Her daughter is now in college and my kids are middle school aged.  Anyway, we got to chatting on Facebook and worked out a visit for this coming week!  I am SO excited about seeing her again. 

A month ago, I reconnected IRL (in Real Life) with a friend from 1985.  We went on a missions trip to Israel with Teen Missions International together.  She lives in California but was traveling in this part of the country for work.  We met for lunch and really enjoyed talking and catching up.

Facebook has helped me connect with high school friends, college friends, former church friends, and current friends.  It has been great for sharing prayer requests (no, really, not gossip but real prayer requests, I promise), encouraging others, being encouraged, and staying in touch. 

Once I got past the playing games on it all day and posting my status every time I sneezed or blinked, it has been a blessing and a very good thing.

I am a latecomer to Twitter. I just got on Twitter in May.  I use Facebook for personal connections but I use Twitter for mostly professional connections.  I went to Memphis and visiting the technology coaches at Presbyterian Day School and found out how they use Twitter to get educational technology ideas and to connect with other technology educators and companies.  It is also good to get input from other educators when you ask for it.  It is like a really large pipeline of information, depending on how many people you "follow" or get posts from, but if you learn to scan it and not worry about what you might be missing, it is a great source of tips, links, ideas, and information.

Cindy Brock, from Presbyterian Day School, is one person I follow on Twitter and on her blog.  You can follow me on Twitter at the link to the right of the page. 

Happy Facebooking and Twittering!

Creation Science Movie

We watched a movie last night for homeschool called The Mysterious Islands.  It was a good Creation Science video which showed some really great wildlife on the Galapagos Islands (LOVE the turtles - one was over 200 years old) and described Darwin and his research from his visit to the Galapagos and how that helped lead to his theories of evolution and then clearly explained the Creationist position in comparison to Darwin's theories.  My kids (ages 14 and 11) were really interested in it and paid attention through the whole thing - didn't even complain once about watching a 90 minute science/Christian/homeschool video.

One point that they both found fascinating (and I did too) is how the theory of the survival of the fittest led to the devaluing of human life and the idea that some creatures are more valuable than others.  Hitler took these ideas and thought he'd help evolution along by eliminating the less likely to survive and less valuable (by his estimation).  Margaret Sanger was another person who helped start Planned Parenthood and decided that some people were not valuable or not even people (like unborn babies).  What a contrast to the way the world would work if people believed that all people are made in God's image and that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made with no mistakes or no one less valuable. 

Genesis 1:27 says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

Psalm 139:14 - "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Plus - I got to see video of the blue footed boobie (a bird) which does indeed exist and does indeed have blue feet!  : )

For more resources about Creation Science, check out the Answers in Genesis website or the Creation Museum website.