Dropbox

As a grade level we are currently using Digital Dropbox to share resources amongst our grade level and with the Special Education teachers.  This has been a great tool to allow access to a variety of resources that we can use or modify to meet the needs of our classroom.  In the past we have shared resources via email, but things often got lost or forgotten about.  Now, we can always access the files quickly and easily, and don't have to worry about not getting them to all necessary teachers.  It has been a wonderful way to encourage teamwork and collaboration!

Acuity

So over the weekend I took some time to look around in the acuity program and to begin to analyze my students strengths and weaknesses.  So far I love the program.  It has been a little difficult to manipulate without official training and/or written directions, but I am managing.  I can see specifically what my students individually need to work on, and I am planning to use the program when I begin my tutoring sessions tomorrow.  I believe that as I become more familiar with the product I will find more things that I like about it.  One thing that one of my fellow teachers showed me is the ability to assign lesson to students and for students to have the lessons read to them.  There is also guided and independent practice.  What a great support system for our struggling readers!  I am looking forward to learning more!

Too much?

I am wondering how much is too much in regards to technology and communication.  Sometimes I feel like I have trouble keeping up with everything, and I definitely don't want to put my parents on overload, but I want to make sure that I am providing them with as much open communication as possible.  Currently I have a blog which I update regularly, and I send out emails at least twice a week.  Recently I have developed a classroom Facebook page so that parents can easily stay updated.  As I am typing this I am wondering if it is overkill or if parents are happy to see the updates through all of the sources.  Perhaps it is time to conduct a survey regarding the preferred use of communication and the frequency of updates...

Shout out to Sign Up Genius

I know that this has been around for a little while, but I want to give a shout out to signupgenius.com.  This has made scheduling parent teacher conferences a breeze!  Since I used it to have parents sign up for conferences, I have had a couple of parents email me about the ease of use and how they would like more information on how to use it to organize events such as parent volunteers for books fairs, etc.  The best part is that it is FREE and is very easy to navigate and set up.  It really has taken the headache out of the scheduling nightmare that conferences can become!

Acuity

As of this year we are doing Acuity testing as benchmark testing for all students in grades 3 and 4.  We are soon going to add 2nd grade testing as well.  The problem that we are coming across is that the building only has one computer lab.  We do have 2 eMints classrooms, but they only have 12 computers in each room.  We are finding it difficult to complete the testing which is taking up to 2 hours per student per session in communication arts and math.  Using the computer lab for this extensive amount of time is requiring relocation of the computer teacher during his class time, thereby making it difficult for him to meet his required expectations.  We are also finding that we have to relocate the two eMints classrooms so that their classrooms may be used for testing.  This is affecting their curriculum as well.  I would love to hear about other schools and what they are doing to complete any online testing.  With MAP testing going online soon, what are schools with limited computer access doing in an effort to accommodate the high amount of testing that will be occurring online?

Remote access for SmartBoard

I am currently looking for a way to interact with my SmartBoard via my iPad.  I am familiar with Splashtop and have installed this on my home computers and my iPad.  It works pretty well with a little bit of lag time but not much.  The problem is that I cannot access the school computers because of the network firewalls.  We do not have wireless on our end of the building, so accessing the school network via my iPad is not a possibility.  I did have an Airliner for the last couple of years and loved it, but due to budget cutbacks and moving of resources, I do not have access to one this year. 

Does anyone have any other ideas regarding how to create an interactive link without wireless access?  I thought about Bluetooth but I am not sure how or if this will work.  I would love suggestions as it is very difficult to feel tied to the board after having the freedom to move around.

Acuity

This year our building is going to begin using Acuity for benchmark assessments and data gathering.  As a classroom teacher I am extremely excited about the possibilities.  We have used benchmarks every year, but they have always been district developed benchmarks that are graded by the teachers which, in some cases, makes them very subjective.  I am anxious to get an objective picture of where my students are academically.  This tool would also be extremely effective for administrators to use to gather data and provided guidance to teachers.  Having the ability to quickly get a snapshot of test scores across the building and the district, and to allow those scores to guide instruction throughout the building will allow administrators to have a firm grasp on where the students in that building are succeeding and struggling.  From this data, conversations can be had, collaboration can be structured, and professional development can be aligned to the specific needs of the students.

I would love to hear from others who have used this program.  Please share any benefits or downfalls that you have encountered.  The first year of implementation can often be the most difficult.