Excel Spreadsheets

We are currently learning how to use Excel spreadsheets to make interactive worksheets for kids. Excel is a tool made by Microsoft that is used to create spreadsheets for a variety of purposes. For teachers, the spreadsheets can create interactive worksheets. The students can enter their answers electronically and the computer can check the answers automatically. This is a great time saver for teachers. I would most often use this tool to practice math questions because they have cut and dry single answers. I did enjoy my final product, but it took awhile to create the worksheet. I'm sure it would be more useful when I become more familiar with the process. Next time I create a worksheet, I think I will try using math questions.

This is an example of what the children would see:

This is a view of what I see when working on the spreadsheet (includes correct answers and scores):

Inspired by Inspiration

Last week we learned about Inspiration. Inspiration is a tool that enables you to design your own diagrams to supplement classroom topics. You can create a diagram of any topic and customize it to your needs with organization, colors, fonts, etc. I created a diagram of the Life Cycle of a Butterfly, which meets the curriculum standard of GLE 0207.4.1 for second grade. I found Inspiration fun and interesting to use because I was able to make what I wanted from scratch and really customize it. I could make it look like I wanted it to and focus on material I wanted to focus on at the same time. One thing I found difficult was making the arrows for my life cycle. My instructor, Don, and I were unable to find a way to rotate images and/or arrows. Therefore I did not have arrows that fit into my cycle correctly. I had to use arrows from Word Documents and work on them in Photoshop before they were usable. I think it would be a great idea to make diagrams with empty "symbols" attached to the main ideas, so that I can print them and let the children fill them out. Diagrams and flow charts really help children to organize concepts and comprehend the content. I would definitely use Inspiration for this use in my classroom. Next time I would like to try making a web diagram instead of a cycle.


This is the diagram I made using Inspiration:

PodBean

Scavenger Hunt: "Opposites"

We split into groups to go on a scavenger hunt! My group had the theme "opposites". Scavenger hunts are such a great way to get students involved in learning and moving around! I enjoyed the time out of the classroom and the chance to work together in groups. We didn't really get the best photos, so next time I would work harder to get nice photos. I think I would use scavenger hunts in my classroom to supplement any themed topics like colors, opposites, shapes, nature, leaves/plants, etc. It's interesting to the kids because they can get involved in the experience. It also builds team skills, since the children will have to work together.

This is a slideshow that I created using Picasa.



This slideshow was created using a different tool, Google Presentations.

Smilebox

This is a collage I created using Smilebox.

Collage created with Smilebox

Delicious

Delicious is an online tool that allows you to view your favorite websites from any computer. Delicious is a great resource for teachers because you can access things in the classroom that you found while working at home. I really enjoyed using Delicious because it also helped me find other useful sites by sorting through other users' favorites. I can access the same things at school as I have at home. I also have used it on my phone. I did find, however, that I have not been using it quite as much as would be useful. I just do not think about it enough. I think for future use I will download the Delicious button to my browser so I can just click to add favorites. This will help me use it more. When I have a classroom, I will use this tool to save websites I want to use for certain lessons, so that I can easily pull them up when I get to school. The day can go by so quickly that it would really help to have these links in one location.

This is an example of what a favorites list on Delicious looks like:

Picnik

This is a collage of my husband and me that I created using Picnik. This is a free internet tool that enables you to create various collages and photo art projects. I linked with Facebook, and it transferred all my photo albums for me to use.