Post specials to Calendar

My friend Tonia at Kinder-Korner gave me a good idea today. On the calendar on her class website she has marked the specials they go to each day. That's a great idea because it reminds parents when kids need to wear their tennis shoes to school--although they really should be wearing them every day!

Other items to post could be the theme or topic for the week, sight words, letter focus, read alouds, links to supporting websites (like PBS's Clifford games when we're reading lots of Clifford books or Scholastic's home fire drill activities). I could even include attachments to our pictorial input or anchor charts for skills that families can practice at home. Weekly homework reminders would be helpful, too.

Oh, the possibilities! Now, if only my families had the internet! I guess I really need to set those computer lab open houses up... 

Teacher Tips #ORVSD

So, in addition to my full-time teaching job, I also do some work on the side as a trainer with the ORVSD: Oregon Virtual School District.  I was thinking tonight about what I could do this year to share information with teachers and encourage teachers who are using Google Apps for Education in their classrooms. We've often played with this idea, but no one has every really fleshed it out: Tech Tips for Teachers short video blogs (the name is certainly up for improvement). If Ican put together a short video each week one one specific thing--conventions or best practices or a different way to think of or use a Google tool--and then be available to moderate comments or a discussion, that could really helpful to connect teachers around the state who are doing the same thing.

I know one of the hardest things for me about using Google Apps with my students is that I'm the only one I know of at my grade level. I know there are plenty of other kinder and primary teachers doing creative things with these tools, but they don't work where I work, and we don't currently have a good way to connect over this issue.

This could be a resource where there was a live component--every Wednesday from 4-4:15 or something--but then the videos and discussion would remain as a resource that teachers could search and read or refer to later.

What about the Google Apps CAFE? Creative uses, Application (naming conventions, etc.), Fabulous project ideas, and Exemplary teaching practices? That's probably a stretch. One thing I'll have to consider is that many of the ideas, practices, and conventons I want to share would require my colleagues' help. They'll have to be willing to respond to my emails, or else I can comb through their presentation materials and websites to get the info... Either way, lots of research.

But we can use the extra cash, and I'm not coaching this year, and I hopefully am not having surgery, either, which took up lots of extra time last year!