Newsletter 2 0

TWYMAN TIMES
May 2016
Elementary Daze Newsletter
Congratulations on making it to second grade in one piece; you successfully

learned how to learn, now for the fun: learning how to live. This is the first of four
newsletters, one for every semester. This newsletter is filled with helpful websites
that I, your teacher, use to find creative approaches to typical classroom learning.
This newsletter is focused on keeping you and your guardian(s) informed about
kid-friendly websites and up to speed with whats going on in the classroom.
Technology with Education
Education is evolving
due to the impact of the
Internet. We cannot
teach our students in the
Student and Guardian Q&As:
same manner in which
Q: What will we do this year?

A: Explore the world of words, numbers, humans, and animals.
we were taught. Change
Q: How will we partner with technology to better our education?

A: By incorporating software made for a more hands-on approach to learning
students not in the cur-
Introducing: Promethean Power!
ble for teaching, but in
Gone are the days of chalkboards and long lectures, upon us are the days of interactive boards and web-assisted lessons. The ActivInspire Touch transforms classroom learning by taking the dry-erase qualities of the whiteboard and fusing them
with the interactive abilities of a tablet computer. This makes for the ultimate classroom experience. Children can get involved in the lesson by coming up to the interactive board and demonstrating their thinking. My plan is to incorporate this
hands-on technique in my lessons whenever it is appropriate. There are hundreds
of lesson templates available to teachers for lessons involving math, reading, and
science; these lesson plans engage students and make the lessons more of a
game. This method of indirect instruction allows students to interact with the material and truly understand it better.
Class Dojo: kid-friendly website
is necessary to engage
riculum we are responsischool. Period.
- April Chamberlain
In This Issue
Promethean Power
Get Plugged In With

GCF
Edmodo
SightWords.com
PowerPoint & Prezi:

The Rundown
Class Dojo
Digital Citizenship
Hows About
Some Sight
Words?
Students are always learning
new words and phrases, and
language is always developing.
Sightwords.com has free strategies for teachers to work on
phonemic awareness, sight
word games, and much more.
GCF is a free resource to help teach people how to use various types of software.
Get Plugged In
Children in school today are using technology to practice reading,
writing, drawing, and basic arithmetic. In addition to using them for
lessons, they are also partaking in technological pastimes, such as,
iPads, computer games, Along with utilizing these tools in the
classroom, it is very important to learn how to use them outside of
the classroom. Parents and guardians can use resources such as
GCFLearnFree.org to brush up on their skills. GCF Learn Free has
steps for understanding Microsoft office, technology basics, email
basics, and much more. This site benefits students of all ages. I
highly recommend taking some time to explore this website, even if
you, parents or students, think you do not need a tutorial.
This website focuses on fluency and speed recognition. Sight

words are key words that help
build a childs vocabulary; having this website as a resource
in the classroom opens up the
door for a creative approach to
sight words and promotes
more efficient learning.
Edmodo
There are numerous online resources to facilitate class time, but the one
that stands out the most would have to be Edmodo. Edmodo is a fun way
for teachers to work with students and parents. Edmodo is a website, set
up to look like other popular social media sites, but it focuses on school
work. Teachers can talk to students on the home page and also assign
work and projects.
My personal experience with Edmodo stems from a computer class I took
at Flagler College. My professor would work solely through Edmodo. She
used it to give us homework, post our grades, monitor our attendance,
and distribute awards for quality work.
Edmodo is an excellent website and resource to get students engaged
and working together; I plan to incorporate this website in my teaching as
much as possible.
Photo Caption
Dojo Party!
Class Dojo is a new resource available to teachers and students. Class
Dojo allows instant messages, parental updates,
photo and video sharing,
and easy translation. It is
100% free for any classroom and any device.
This allows parents and
students to have access
to the same technology
their children are using,
no matter what type of
computer or phone they
are using.
Class Dojo is a great incentive for students to
work hard because of
Dojo Parties!
Children are awarded
points on ClassDojo, and
they are able to attend
Dojo parties as well as
the dojo store. Dojo parties happen during recess
for the select students
that have received the
target amount of points
for that week. This motivates students to try their
best each and every day.
Photo Caption
Prezi &
PowerPoint: The Rundown
PowerPoint has been a trusted site throughout the years. In my school
days I only used PowerPoint for presentations in my classes. Prezi has
given presentations a new face.
Prezi allows complete creative control , rather than the pre-made templates PowerPoint has to offer.
I had the pleasure of using Prezi for the first time in college. I compared
the two, PowerPoint and Prezi, and was pleasantly surprised.
Prezi is beneficial to the classroom because it does an excellent job at
grabbing the students attention, with its playful design. The layout is one
canvas which allows for easier navigation from one topic to another.
Not only will I go over information with Prezi, I will also inform the students
how to use this software. We will work with Prezi and PowerPoint so they
get some early exposure to the technology they will use throughout their
student careers.
Digital Citizenship Pledge

A major part of working online in the classroom is working together as a
class. Students are expected to sign a digital citizenship pledge for my
class. By signing the pledge the students are agreeing to use their internet access for good rather than evil. They are expected to communicate
kindly and respectfully online, stand p to cyberbullying, give credit where
credit is due, and to protect their personal information.
Cyberbullying is just as harmful as person to person altercations. Children
feel a sense of power behind a keyboard, when they cannot see the other
persons face, the face of the person they are attacking with words. Signing a digital pledge reminds students that they must not exhibit that type
of behavior, and to report offensive behavior when recognized.
Parents are also welcome to sign the digital pledge. This shows the students that the parents and guardians support kind behavior, and helps
children learn to be respectful digital citizens.
Contact Us
Give me a call or shoot
me an email. I love parental feedback and am
always able to meet with
you.
Twyman Times
1234 Lets Learn Ln
Anywhere, OK 0000000000
(555) 555-0123
TwymanM@freemail.com
Visit us on the web at
www.northwind.com
Twyman Times: Explore the Mind
Twyman Times
1234 Lets Learn Ln
Anywhere, OK 0000-0000
PLACE
STAMP
HERE

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TWYMAN TIMES

Elementary Daze Newsletter

Congratulations on making it to second grade in one piece; you successfully

Technology with Education

Student and Guardian Q&As:

same manner in which

Q: What will we do this year?

we were taught. Change

Q: How will we partner with technology to better our education?

students not in the cur-

Introducing: Promethean Power!

ble for teaching, but in

Class Dojo: kid-friendly website

Get Plugged In With

PowerPoint & Prezi:

This website focuses on fluency and speed recognition. Sight

Digital Citizenship Pledge

Twyman Times: Explore the Mind

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