Thursday, June 12, 2014

Technology Thursday & Positive Thinking Thursday...

Hello, Thursday!
Made it to Cali safe and sound.
I might hang out in my pajamas all day and not even
feel guilty about that!

Today I'm linkin' up with Teaching Trio for Technology Thursday.
I'm goin' to do a throwback to somethin' that I used this year with my fifthies.

What a WONDERful Wednesday!
Can you guess what you are about to read about?
I have no doubt you guessed it right away.
I have been waitin' for the perfect time to share this and today is THE day!
I have posted before about how we used the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio 
in our class...here.
I had a plan to end our read aloud with a project to persuade 
our Superintendent to read the book.
Writin' was not enough. 
We needed some technology to really get our point across.
I began by havin' my students pick out which technology pieces they would 
like to incorporate into their project.
They brainstormed and chose which group they would like to be in.
1) Powerpoint
2) QR Codes
3) Stop Motion Animation
4) Writing of Play and Acting
5)Videotaping of Play

The students worked hard in their groups(with little to no direction from me)
 and had lots of discussions
on what needed to be changed.
I'm serious...this was all from their genius brains...not mine.
Once everyone had completed their task
(this took a few weeks because we continued with our normal routines
and fit this in when we had some extra moments)
I took all of their work and dropped it into a Prezi.
I had never used Prezi before, so it took some gettin' used to, but
I'M SO GLAD I USED IT!
Prezi is visually appealin' and once you get the hang of it,
you really can do so much.
We integrated things such as YouTube, iMovie, MyCreate, and QR Codes.

We sent the Prezi to the Superintendent and guess what?!
He loved it!
He came out to our school to let us know we did indeed persuade
him to read Wonder.
He let us know it might take him a little bit, but we assured him
it was worth however long it takes him.
How very sweet and kind of him to take time out of his busy
schedule to thank my kids!
Awesomeness for sure!

Check out our Prezi:


We hope you enjoyed our WONDERful project.

I'm also linkin' up with my sweet friend, Jennifer, from Mrs. Laffin's Laughings
for Positive Thinking Thursday.


So blessed to be able to have a career that allows me to spend
such a long period of time with my family this summer.
I love my family to the moon and back.

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Happy Thursday, friends!

14 comments :

  1. So happy you made it to California and that you packed some jammies. Stay in them and enjoy every moment of it. Maybe today I will go to the pool in my jammies, so I can say I spent all day int hem. Oh, my boys would be so embarrassed! Enjoy all of your time with your parents!
    I really love your Wonder project. I plan to read it again next year and cannot wait for the precepts book to come out!
    Enjoy your Thursday sweet friend! xoxox

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    Replies
    1. I would love to see the look on your boys faces if you really did show up at the pool with jammies on. I would pay money for that!!

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  2. You are going to have a fabulous time in Cali even if you are in your pajamas all day! ;) I love using Prezi in the classroom. Your students' Prezi was fantastic! Clearly they put a lot of work into it!! I hope it convinced your principal because it sure did convince me! Wonder is on my summer reading list- but I might have to read it first. It looks like a great book to use as a read aloud. Have a great PJ day!! :)

    Cassie
    Funky in Fourth

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  3. I must learn how to make a Prezi. I've seen them around, and I made that one of my goals for next year. I will make at least one (hopefully more). Yours turned out great! Have fun in California. You are right; family is the best!

    Mary
    Fit to be Fourth

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  4. They did a great job! I used Prezi for the first time this year with my class. It was amazing how well they were able to figure out how to use it without a lot of instruction from me, even embedding videos and music! By the end of the year, Prezi was the preferred "free time" activity. I had kids asking if they could make a Prezi about topics we were learning...umm..YES! Thanks for linking up! Have fun in Cali!
    ~Kristen
    Teaching Trio
    Chalk & Apples

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  5. What a great project! I used Prezi recently to create a presentation that I used at an interview! It's a great tool! Have fun on your trip!!

    Bethany
    FabandFunin4th!

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  6. I haven't used Prezi yet, but I keep hearing wonderful things about it. Your students Prezi project rocked! I am going to have to check it out this summer and get comfortable so we can try it out when school starts. Thanks for sharing and have a great time in Cali!

    ~Laura
    Luv My Kinders

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  7. All of your pages are SO inspirational! I have just begun working at a community center with a group of 5th graders. Most of them only have access to the internet at the center, so ideas like these make it a lot easier to incorporate technology into their learning. This is the first time I read about (and see) Prezi at work and I can honestly say I will definitely use it as soon as possible. :-) Thank you!!

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    Replies
    1. It really is a neat way for them to be creative. It's just more visually appealing than Powerpoint. The kids enjoyed making Prezis on their own time. I hope that your 5th graders will get to try this at the center.

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  8. Have fun in California! Get some rest, relaxation, and sun. I don't have much more to add than that! Just make sure you say hi to all the celebrities you see.
    Matt

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  9. Prezi is cool! I am sure you will enjoy California and your family! Happy summer! :)

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  10. Glad you are safe and sound and cozy in California. I have not used Prezi and am actually a little bit scared of the program. Knowing that your 5th graders can do it does not make it easier. Enjoy the time with your fam jam.

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  11. I'm glad your enjoying your time in California!! Wonder is such a good book and I like everything you had your kiddos work on with the text!! It's getting my brain thinking for next year!

    Chelsea
    Fifth Grade Wit and
    Whimsy

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  12. I loved going to Disneyland in Cali

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