When creating lessons are you SMART with your time? Do you create all your Smart Notebook lesson from scratch?

Every unit I taught I would always curate all of my resources into a Smart Notebook file, this would prevent me from searching my computer for files and it kept me on pace... I have the tendency start a lesson about elapsed time and end up discussing the digestive system. The week before a lesson I would spend time after school creating a SmartNotebook file that would be my melting pot of CScope Lessons, SmartExchange slides, TpT, Castleberry Curriculum, Google images to help students see vocabulary, intervention materials, word problems, center activities, individually practice, helpful websites, tutorial videos (Educreations, YouTube, Khan Academy...) and whatever else I could find to help my students obtain content mastery. I would also include what materials were needed for each part of the lesson along with classroom management tools (timers, random name selectors, group creators...).   To help keep me organized I would usually color code the background of my slides, ex: all yellow is slides are for day 1 of the lesson, blue day 2....

What if you could wirelessly project and RECORD (YES RECORD, YES LIKE SCREENCAST/RECORD  YOUR IPAD SCREEN) everything that was created on the iPad, iPhone or iPod, on your SMART Board?! Well with Reflector you can!

Software: Reflector

Cost: Free to CISD Employees or $12.99

Lesson Ideas:
- In math students use tons of little maninpluatives to better understand concepts, well instead of having to use your document camera, go to a students desk, select your camera and display a students work!
- Have students love problems using ShowMe, ScreenChomp or Educreations, this way students do not have to go up to the board but instead use the iPad as a slate
- Display any student created project with ease!
- Record any app, project or presentation!


How-To Videos:
How to activate and launch Reflector to work in your classroom:

How to RECORD/screencast your iPad screen:

Properties and Display options:

App: Sock Puppets is a Apple device app that allows students to create digital puppet shows that can be uploaded to YouTube.

Perhaps it's me being ADHD but, the mention of any meeting seems to make me run in the other direction. Maybe it's the thought of having to sit still, not being able to check my email, or just the idea of being in a closed area with a bunch of people... yes I know, I'm a very special person. This past week I attended the faculty meeting at CE and I am still not sure if it was a meeting or a celebration.

Faulty meetings are at the end of the day on Thursdays in my district and usually it is a time for administration to explain policies, share observations, give key dates and keep their staff in the loop. Let it me known that CE does that but they also enjoy sharing a space with one another. Mrs. Lancarte and Mr. Johnson have cultivated an incredibly positive environment and do a fantastic job of modeling practices that they would like teachers to consider for their classrooms. Oh and did I mention the meeting is infused with TONS of technology?!

Here are some technology highlights from the faculty meeting...


Mrs.Lancarte sent out the agenda earlier in the day so that staff knew what to expect but also loaded it in the campus meeting LiveBinder so that staff could locate previous materials.


As teachers convened in the meeting space they were told to log into Twitter and answer a question that was on the meeting agenda and were instructed to read others responses, comment and gain knowledge from each other. Once the meeting started, promptly at 3:45, Mrs. Lancarte began reading a few of the tweets aloud and would ask questions about the resources posted.



Nikki McDorman tweeted out a reference called Texas Teacher Round-Up. The best way to explain this resource is that it's a blog that has K-5th pages that then are divided by subject, in each subject tab every standard (TEK) is listed and under each standard is either a link to a blog post that explains an activity on how to teach that standard, a TpT resource or a presentation.


Brian Intermill presented about Reflector he taught teachers how to activate and mirror an Apple device in the classroom, and also explained uses... having students solve problems in ShowMe without having to go up to the board, great way to play app games so that everyone can participate, and he also shared a new app called, Fractions. I loved using Reflector in the classroom because if you go to the camera app it allows you to walk around the room and mirror student work on the board (if you are using manipulatives is a life saver). To learn how to use and to gain more information about Reflector please see my Mirror, Mirror on the SmartBoard post.



Brian Intermill also shared the iPad App, Fractions. This app is a virtual manipulative that allows you to explore equivalent fractions, comparing fractions, bar models sand circle models.



The 4th Grade time then presented the iPad App Sock Puppets students were exploring homophones in class and wrote script that had to include homophones then create their skit in Sock Puppets. Student products were shared with Reflector. To gain more information about Sock Puppets please reference my Too SKINKIN' cool. Sock Puppets post.



Mr. Johnson (Assistant Principal) had teachers collaborate using HackPad. HackPad a space where you can share a document with others and allows for both asynchronous and synchronous collaboration.


I am beyond impressed by the amount of technology used, information shared, teaching methods modeled and  the learning positive environment. Thank you CE for allowing me to be a part of your PLN and be a part of your campus celebration.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to take part in and witness something pretty spectacular. I was in  Ms. Camille Waters Cardenas' pre-kindergarten classroom and her students were logging into their student accounts and accessing word documents! I know this may sound pretty simple, basic or lower level to you but let me explain what a pre-kindergarten students has to obtain in order to do this...

1. Be able to identify all letters in the alphabet and locate letters on the keyboard in non-alphabetical order!
2. Know how to spell their first and last name
3. Identify and locate numbers 0-9

I am extremely impressed with Ms. Camille Waters Cardenas and her students. They both showed a great deal of perseverance! I am excited to see what comes next...