Class Dojo Helps Parents Stay Connected

Elementary teachers must have a lot of tools in their "toolbox" to manage their classrooms and keep students engaged and encouraged through each school day. Class Dojo is a digital tool that many Boone teachers are using. It works along with the teacher's regular classroom management plan and enables teachers to recognize students for behaviors like teamwork, participation and perseverance in a fun way. Each student is represented with an avatar and the class wall can be projected during work time. With one click on his/her phone, ipad, or computer, a Dojo point is given to an individual, a group, or the whole class. One teacher commented that whenever her students hear that soft ding, they eagerly glance up at the board to see who got the dojo point.

Students can be grouped and work as teams to earn the most dojo points for good behavior in a day. Another teacher awards "Top Dog" status to the team with the best behavior that day. The following day, an adorable stuffed pet gets to live on that team's table for the day. Some teachers transfer Dojo points into Pride Points that students can save and spend on prizes.

Parents can download the Class Dojo app and receive updates on how their child is doing at school that day. The messenger feature is very valuable to parents and teachers alike. A quick message can be sent to tell a parent about something that happened with their child at school, or a group announcement can be sent to inform parents about an upcoming event in the classroom.

Keeping parents informed and involved in their child's education is important. This is a fun and convenient way to reinforce positive behaviors and communicate with families using the same tool.

Creating and Collaborating with Google Drawings

For the past few years, Boone students have been successfully using Google Apps for Education to create documents, slideshows, and spreadsheets that are easily saved on the web. One often overlooked app is Google Drawings, which allows students to create and edit images that can be saved online. Like all Google apps, Drawings is collaborative, enabling students to share their creations with others and work together with peers on the same image.

Some students in Leshia Anderson's high school Spanish classes recently used Google Drawings to make posters celebrating Mexico's Day of Independence and National Hispanic Heritage Month. The assignment gave students the chance to work with a partner on an informative project that would explain these important events and draw in an audience. Here's one awesome student example:

Students in Mrs. Gus's class created similar posters using Google Drawings to share what they learned about Costa Rica:

To learn more about Google Drawings, check out these resources created by Kasey Bell at Shake Up Learning:

Google Drawings Cheat Sheet

10 Ways to Use Google Drawings in the Classroom

Digital Portfolios with Tackk

Tackk is a fantastic tool students and teachers can use to create a simple webpage to display digital content. Users can create a Tackk to advertise an event, to showcase research projects, to display images and videos they create, to publish writing assignments, or to let virtually any other type of digital project shine. Richard Byrne at Free Technology for Teachers made the Tackk page below to highlight innovative ways teachers around the country are using Tackk in their classrooms.

Students in BHS Advanced Composition classes have been using Tackk to build and publish a digital portfolio of their work as they progress through the semester. As they add videos, documents, and other writing assignment components to their Tackk page, they have the opportunity to reflect on their progress and show the thinking behind their decisions.

View full version on Tackk
Create your own customized Tackk page

Virtual Reality at BHS

Future animators, aerospace and mechanical engineers, game designers, and software moguls are honing their skills at Boone High School through their participation in the Virtual Reality program. Students use sophisticated programs like Blender and SolidWorks to create realistic 3D models and animations. When I visited the VR room, I saw students working on projects as varied as creating a 3D animated Indiana Jones character, building an animated model of a working engine, and designing a square coffee mug. The students collaborate on projects and help each other learn the ins and outs of the programs they use to bring their ideas to life. With BHS’s new MakerBot 3D printer, Boone students can even print and work with tangible renderings of their 3D designs.

Virtual Reality facilitator Peggy Watkins says that in the past VR students have worked with teachers to help design 3D models they can use to aid in their classroom instruction; one group of students designed a 3D model of a cell for their science teacher. Watkins says the students would welcome challenges from Boone teachers for other model or animation projects.

The VR program is also gaining the attention of other central Iowa schools. On Monday, September 28, the high school TAG teacher, curriculum director, and selected students from Perry High School will be visiting the BHS Virtual Reality program for the purpose of starting their own program.

Sophomore AJ Seeman, who says he wants to pursue a career in exterior automotive design, works with a 3D engine model he has created using Blender.

Freshmen Hunter Sherry, Matthew Kordick, and Jacob Sterenberg 

work with engineering software to create 3D models

Future Computer Programmers at Work

Boone first graders have been learning the basics behind computer science with programming activities from Code.org. It is a free online learning platform for students in grades k-8 which introduces students to the principles behind computer programming. Aligned with common core standards in science, math, language arts, and 21st century skills, these lessons give children a chance to collaborate as they problem solve and use critical thinking skills. Unaware of all this valuable learning, these students simply loved the chance to solve the online puzzles that accompany each lesson.

Why teach computer science? Click here to find out more.

Kami for Collaboration

Several BHS teachers have discovered a useful app called Kami (formerly called Notable PDF), which allows users to annotate, highlight, and comment on pdf documents. The ability for students to type on scanned documents adds convenience and efficiency for teachers as it eliminates the need to print and distribute paper documents in class.

What I love most about Kami, though, is its potential for collaboration among students. Teachers can create a link to a shared pdf that multiple collaborators can annotate together. What a great way for students to practice close reading, pool their knowledge, and learn from each other as they note points of confusion, identify key ideas, and analyze an author’s craft in a piece of text!

Explore in Google Sheets

Use Explore panel in Google Sheets to create charts and graphs automatically.  It helps students to visualize and understand data quickly. 

Elementary Classrooms Go 1:1

These 4th graders are getting acquainted with Google Classroom, which connects them to activities and assignments posted by their teacher.

There has been much excitement about the rollout of Chromebooks for students in grades 5-12, creating a 1:1 environment for learning at Boone Middle School and Boone High School. What people may not realize, is that 2nd-4th grade students at Franklin Elementary will also be 1:1 this year! Thanks to the reallocation of devices around the district, third and fourth grade students will have Macbook laptop computers to use in their classrooms while they are at school. Each second grade student will have an ipad to use at school.

Teachers are planning activities for the year using google tools, apps, and web resources to research, create content, and collaborate. Watch Boone's younger students as they extend their learning experience past the doorway of the classrooms.

Introduction to Google Classroom
Google Classroom Tutorials

ClassFlow

 

​Class flow is an interactive whiteboard program that will work with chromebooks so all students are involved in the lesson. It solved the problem of only one student being actively engaged in the lesson.  It allows for differentiation of course work.  It also allows for quick formative assessments and data based feedback. Classflow.com

BHS teacher Caroline Sallen uses ClassFlow to send interactive slides to students'
Chromebooks and receive immediate feedback on their understanding of key concepts.

Google Docs Adds Voice Typing

Google docs is constantly evolving and adding functionality for its users. Its latest update has some exciting implications for educators -- the ability to type with your voice. Students with accommodations can more easily complete writing assignments by speaking their content into the Google doc, making writing a more positive experience. Check out this quick video tutorial to see how it works!