Internet Timers

Just wanted to share two different online timers that I use in my class.

First:  www.timeme.com
Very basic timers...stopwatch, countdown timer, count up timer, split lap timer, alarm clock, and chess timer

Second:  www.online-stopwatch.com
Stopwatch and Count up timer.
Has 24 different kinds.

Plickers

Do you love to use technology with your students?  Are you looking for something new?  I use Plickers (www.plickers.com).  With plickers, all you need is a computer/laptop, LCD Projector, and a tablet/phone.  The kids just use a card with a code on it.

What do you do?

• Create your account.
• Download and print the student cards.
• I printed them on cardstock and laminated them.  Then I put plastic labels with the student's names on the back to make it easy to distribute.
• I saw on Pinterest that a teacher printed them and adhered them to the front of their journals.  This way there is nothing to distribute.
• Download the Plickers app on a phone or tablet.
• Go to Classes.
• Click on Add New Class.
• Complete the profile and click Save.
• Type in Students' names and hit Enter.
• A number will be assigned to that student.
• Go to Library.
• Create your questions by clicking on New Question.  I create folders for each topic (i.e. Number Systems, Scientific Method, etc.)
• Multiple Choice or True/False.
• Don't forget to select the correct answer.
• When you're ready to run the program:
• Click on the little calendar.
• Click on Add to Queue.
• Select the class that you want to answer the questions.
• You will have to do this for each question.
• When you're done, you're ready to present the questions to the class.
• To present to the class, click on Live View.
• Open the Plickers App on your device and hit Scan.
• The questions will display on the LCD Projector.
• Students hold up their card.  The direction of their card depends on their answer.  If they want their answer to be "B", then "B" must be at the top of their card.
• Scan all students cards with your device.
• The help page has a ton of information if you need help too.

This is a great way to integrate technology into the classroom when the students don't have technology.  Only the teacher needs the technology.  You may want to practice with a colleague or two before trying it in front of students, so you can work out the kinks.  Good luck!

Class Dojo

Class Dojo is an online behavior management platform.  It's super easy.

What do you do?

• Create your account at www.classdojo.com.
• Add a class.
• Add students.
• Get invites.
• You can give the students and parents their codes so they can sign up to see the students' progress.
• Also, if you have the parents' email addresses, you can enter them next to their child's name by clicking on Settings > Connect Parents.
• Customize skills.
• Here is where you customize for the behavior you want to see (Positive) and the behaviors you don't want to see (Needs Work).
• You can set the point value to whatever you want.
• When you're ready to award/deduct points, just click on the student's name and select behavior under Positive or Needs Work.
• You can communicate with parents by clicking on Messages.
• There is a timer available.
• Can select students at random.
• Can select multiple students at a time.

SchoolNotes

SchoolNotes (http://new.schoolnotes.com) is a website that I use to post homework for the week, announcements, and updates.  What I love about SchoolNotes is the fact that when you put parents' emails in the Contact page, when you update your SchoolNotes page, it'll send an email to all the email addresses letting them know you've updated the page.

I am the advisor for the National Elementary Honor Society at my school and I use SchoolNotes to send updates there too.  So, you can have multiple pages under the same account.

Tips/Notes:

• Parents can unsubscribe at any time.
• There is a page count so you can see how many people have viewed your page.
• You can send emails to the addresses that have been entered.
• You can attach files.
• There is a blog feature. (I've never used it though.)
• There is a calendar.
• It may take some time to initially set up and/or create your page, but once it's done, it's nothing to update it.
• You can just Save the page or Save and Notify which is the option that sends the email to the subscribers with the link to your SchoolNotes page letting them know you've made changes.

Feel free to view my SchoolNotes page to get ideas if you'd like to start yours.

http://new.schoolnotes.com/anfletcher

Remind

Are you looking for new ways to communicate with your parents, and maybe even your students?  Well, I use Remind.  Remind is a communication tool that helps teachers communicate with parents and students.  You can send messages to any device.  Subscribers can receive messages by text or email.  Standard text messaging fees apply.

What do you do?

• Visit www.remind.com.
• Create an account.
• Create a class.
• A class code will be created for you. (Note: I always create a demo class first since a class code is created for me.  Then I create a "real" class so I can create my own code.)
• The class code is what people will text when they are signing up to join your group.
• Sign yourself up for your demo class so you can practice with the platform.
• Remind will assign you a short code and an actual phone number.
• Signing up parents/students
• Give them phone number or short code, or
• There is a place you can click to add "Add People".  Just click on the little person with the (+) plus sign next to it (next to "People").  Just type in their names and cell numbers or email addresses.
• You are now ready to send your text messages.
• You can send messages immediately, or
• You can schedule messages go out at a later date.
• If you have more than one teacher that shares your class, you can make them an owner so you both can send messages.
• Parents/students can send chat messages through the platform, but they do not have your number and you don't have theirs.  Be sure to set your office hours so parents aren't sending you chats at all hours of the night.
• There is a free mobile app on iOS or Android.