Google Classroom, Skype and KidBlog... Oh My!!!

This week has been a week of technology in the classroom. I've been using Google Classroom for the past several weeks to have students complete English and History Assignments. This week, I ventured into having them take Cornell Notes in Google Classroom using a template I created. For some, it was a hit! Other students lacked the enthusiasm of their classmates, but were engaged none the less. I figure it's mostly because they were using their Chromebooks and creating something they could refer back to time and time again.

I'm not sure what I would do without my devices!!!
We LOVE our Chromebooks!

Wednesday was the day! We have been reading One for the Murphys as part of the Global Read Aloud Program. Finally, on Wednesday we connected with a class in Ripon, WI and conducted a Mystery Skype and Discussion about the book. This was an AWESOME experience for the Trojans! Even more exciting was some of the students in WI were wearing Raiders and California shirts which was a BIG hit! Neither class guessed the correct location, but what I learned was I really have some work to do in Geography with these kids! They enjoyed collaborating with the other students about our book and learning about about Cross Road Charter School. By the way, they were most impressed with the fact that there is a retracting wall in the back of their classroom which connects the adjoining room! So cool!

Skyping with Ms. Mott's class in Ripon, WI.
Special thanks to Nelda Taylor and Cheryl Carter
for their assistance videotaping and taking photos!

Over the past few weeks we have been blogging about what we have read in One for the Murphys, and citing textual evidence in our posts. Next up, responding appropriately to a post and structuring that post with four essential elements! Look forward to seeing photos and mishaps on teaching providing appropriate blog feedback coming soon!

Huge thanks to @ucdjoe for sharing this on Instagram!
Starting this week, this is our model.

Global Read Aloud Kick-Off Next Week

As I sit here preparing for the Global Read Aloud Kick-Off next week, I'm busy reading One For the Murphy's, and everything I can about using Skype in the classroom and #mysteryskype. I came across an amazing blog of how to conduct a Mystery Skype and what to have the students do to remain engaged and participating with another classroom in another part of the US or another country. Thanks to Mrs. Morgan's Superstars for the helpful information! I wouldn't have been able to navigate the world of Skype in my classroom without your helpful tips!

http://mrsmorgansstars.edublogs.org/skype-etiquette/


For the Global Read Aloud, I will be blogging here about our classroom experiences and my students will be blogging on KidBlog and communicating with classrooms in Wisconsin and hopefully another classroom in Canada or South Dakota. I'm still working on the second connection. Each week we will be reading a specified number of chapters and writing about what we have read. In addition, we will be focusing on the theme of the story as we learn all about Carley.

Check back for updates and videos about our Skype experiences!