An App A Day~ Reflector

Though the program Reflector is not necessarily an APP (so don't go to iTunes to look for it), it is a program that works with everything on your iPad and has changed my teaching! This program is $12.99 per license or you can get a package of licenses and save. It is well worth the money.

Here is the link for the Reflector site with all the info (pricing and help pages): Reflector

Reflector is an AirPlay receiver that allows you to wirelessly display your iPad or iPhone. It is available for MAC or PC. Anything that you do on your phone or iPad can be mirrored onto the screen for any type of activity. Whether it be for behavior tracking while kids are working, video, instructions, demonstration, assessment of student work or showing other ways to do things.

In my classroom it is used everyday in all subjects. That is why I am choosing to share this with you. There are other programs that do similar functions, but this is the one I have found is easiest for me. When using Reflector, you have to know how to use Airplay. Airplay comes on a variety of Apple devices, and is very simple to use (even my kids share with it). As I get my students used to it and they understand the rules of it, it works so well to assess what my students have completed (or not completed) and I can show the entire class one certain thing all at once (ex. how to solve a math problem another way or if everyone is having a similar problem on their iPad, I can show them how to do it through Reflector). When we are reviewing content, I have my students get to Airplay but they don't click to show until I tell them to SHARE. As they get better at the process, we can get through almost an entire class of answers in less than 5 min. That's what I call fast assessment and they love showing. You can also show up to two devices content at one time on one screen, which is great for comparing and contrasting. If you try and do more devices, it will slow the program down and make the images smaller on the screen.

The only concern that I have found, is that you have to have wireless internet connection because it is used through the internet.

Give it a try and see what you think. I have found that it is the easiest way to get students engaged in what is going on (because they want to share in front of everyone) and you can see what a number of  students are doing in a short amount of time.

Work, work, work!

Yesterday a bunch of friends got together to say goodbye to the very best PE teacher a kid could ever ask for. She's moving away and we're really going to miss her (bye, CJ!!!). As it does when teachers get together, talk turned to summer, getting back to work, and who's moving where. One friend said she has had a few people mention how unfair it is that teachers get paid over the summer. I keep wondering when this myth will die! She explained that teachers are paid a contract that covers only the exact days we work, however our pay is often spread out over 12 months rather than 10 (if you're lucky)! I had a few years in my old district when no paycheck came in during August and September. Those days were rough!

Today I'm working on a new stations/center pack for those essential math skills. You know the ones...where you try to teach something new only to go, "Ugh! I can't believe they still don't know how to... (insert basic math skill here". The pack will contain four main games: Top-It, Equal or Not, Memory, and Line It Up with all the materials, record sheets, posters, and directions needed to play them. Once they learn the 4 games, just switch out the game boards or cards to differentiate or practice skills! I'm including place value/number sense, addition, subtraction, multiplication, time, and money options for each of the 4 games. That means 24 different games in one pack! Hopefully I'll have it done and posted to my TPT store by late next week. Here's a sneak peek:

Have a great Thursday! 

~ Erin

An App a Day ~ Day 3: Notability & a Freebie!

Ever sit down to work on an assignment, walk away for a moment, and come back only to discover your cat has decided to add his own little creative touches to your work? Thank goodness for the "Undo" button!

Today I'm sharing one of my very favorite apps and a freebie of a math assignment my kids absolutely loved! Notability is a note-taking app that is easy to use - perfect for my second graders and great for older kids as well. Send kids an assignment using Showbie, Dropbox, or your favorite assignment app. Kids then send the assignment to Notability. Once there, they can write in multiple thicknesses and colors, highlight, and type right on the assignment!

This is the toolbar:  

The kids love that they can record their voice and their movements while they work. I often tell them to choose one problem and record themselves working through it. This way I can see all 30 of my kids as they solve rather than those few that I managed to get to during work time. If they're struggling with a problem, they can record their questions and show me how they tried to solve it. I can use that to reteach or clarify the next day. It's amazing!

Here are some screenshots of my kiddos work:

You can see he's used a few colors in doing his work. When he was done, he sent it back to Showbie so I could grade it. My marks are in hot pink. When I was done, he was able to open it again and fix his mistakes. Considering this is a 6 page document, I saved 180 pieces of paper by sending it to them on their iPads!

And now for today's freebie! Click here to download a sample of the monster addition work shown above in color and black and white. 

I have an even bigger packet with triple digit addition and all the black and white masters in my TPT store. We'd love it if you'd like us on Facebook and check out Erin's and Ang's TPT stores!

Thanks for checking in with us today! Hope you enjoy your freebie!

~ Erin