Getting My Feet Wet with Prezi

Getting my feet wet, is an appropriate phrase for how I've decided to begin integrating more technology into my teaching. Using a new medium for lesson presentation is engaging for the students, and less scary for me, than having students use a new application. Terrific Topic Sentences! is a Prezi I made for a lesson on Tuesday with a fourth grade class. The most interactive parts of the lesson do not take place in the Prezi, but you can get a basic idea of the flow and objectives of the lesson. 

This coming week, I will be introducing Shadow Puppet Edu to my 5th grade writers. I want them to take photographs of their drawings that they have written sentences about. Then read their sentences. I wouldn't be surprised if they wrote about the Salt Dogs baseball game that all of the 5th graders in our district attended last week. 

Below is a pic of some of my friends!

 Of course, we had to take a selfie!

Must add this little bit of information~~~ Since I had so much fun creating the Prezi on my iPad, I expressed to the 4th grade teacher that I co-teach with, that it would be great to project it directly from the iPad as well. THAT'S when she told me that the fourth grade teachers have Apple TVs and iPad mini's! Well, I'll be! I had no idea! So all I have to do now is 
1) Make sure my iPad is on the private network and 
2) Connect to the Apple TV in her classroom.

Sweetness!

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. 

~Neale Donald Walsch

                                                                                                           A bit about me...

                                                                                                                        Mrs. Michalski

Mrs. Michalski's Technology Goals '15-'16

To be honest, technology and I have a love-hate relationship. You know how it goes; I love it when it's effective and easy. I hate it when it's time-consuming and frustrating. 

My attempts at using technology with my students have been few and far between. Sure, we use laptops to access the reading curriculum, take tests and practice math facts and spelling words. Some of my students are able to create Google Docs and share their process pieces. I want to do more!

Years ago, after purchasing my iPad, I was eager to use Dragon with my students who have dysgraphia. My hope was that they could speak their answers or narratives, and copy the resulting text from the iPad to write down their thoughts. Working memory is taxed for students who must labor to accomplish the physical task of writing. Unfortunately, their speech was too poor to make use of Dragon. The iPad stayed at home after that.

Last summer I attended a workshop that was focused on using technology to help deaf or blind and deafblind students access information. The four days blew my mind! I had no idea that my iPad came with so many accessibility options built right in. It has the potential to be a much more powerful tool than I ever realized. 

As a result of that class, I now have a few favorite apps that I would like to use as a way to help my students with disabilities access information, show what they know, and if possible, make my lessons even more engaging!

My Goals on this New Adventure are:

• Be fearless and brave about trying new technology that will benefit my students.
• Ask for support when I need it, so that I can be confident in my application.
• Celebrate and share the successes, while learning from the flops.

A Little About Me