Home Office Organization

I need to get a Pinterest fix, so I'm going to share some inspiration I've found there.  I need to seriously look at the organization in my home office, as I'll soon be bringing home about half of my teaching resources.  I need to find ways to store all my math, science, and social studies materials where they can be accessed if a colleague has a need.  Here are some  ideas I liked...

     

Source: sarahyoude.com via Melissa on Pinterest

This room is about the same size as mine, but has much smaller windows.  What I really love is the cubbies on the left.  That is exactly what I need - but I can buy it right now.  So I'm looking for more ideas...

Source: blog.craftzine.com via Laura on Pinterest

Are we beginning to see a theme? More cubbies.

My main problem is - of course - cash flow. I can't buy cubbies, boxes, or cute bins.  I've got 3 mismatched bookcases and that's it.  Here's a before picture. There is lots of space - but I worry about overcrowding the poor shelves!

When I start to bring home stuff, I'll post more pictures. Maybe being accountable on here will keep it from turning into a disaster area!

Do you have a home office with teacher materials?  How do you have it organized?

Using Prezi in the Classroom

I am a die-hard PowerPoint user. It has been my go-to tool for YEARS. Thinking about not having Powerpoints ready to go for my Reading Street stories is enough to make me twitch.  Now that I've learned Prezi - and love it - I find myself going to it more and more.

Prezi is great because it isn't just a linear, flip-flip slide show.  You can set a path and zoom in and out - the results are really amazing!  Here are a few Prezi shows I've created.

My NCCAT Experience on Prezi

Figures of Speech on Prezi

Welcome to Fourth Grade! on Prezi

These all had specific purposes.  Some I used with students and some with adults.  My favorite Prezi is this last one.  I used to do a PowerPoint show each morning.  It guided the students and made sure they were ready to start the day.  I think this shows the path setting and zoom features best - What do you think?

Good Morning! on Prezi

Now I'm thinking about how to compensate for all those Reading Street PowerPoints I no longer have.  I'm debating between doing Prezis or Glogs or maybe a combination of both.  Or maybe neither?

What other uses do you have for Prezi?  How do you introduce stories from a basal textbook?

Sixth Grade Reading Outline

So, thanks to Shannon's lovely website, I got my act together! I feel so good - practically giddy. In fact, if I didn't have a migraine as I typed this, I'd probably be downright giddy! I'm that happy, relieved, excited. I could go on, but I won't.  Without further ado, here is my outline for the new school year!

I made it in Word, printed to PDF, and took an image capture from there. The images should enlarge a good bit if you click 'em.  The scroll-y box above is the Google Doc - who knew you could embed it?! I just wish the box was bigger!  Here is the link to the file on Google Docs - Sixth Grade Reading Outline.doc.  If you'd like to see the original doc file (or my month-by-month year long plan that is VERY specific) just post a comment or find me on Twitter.

I need to investigate more options for linking doc's and things. Any ideas?

Resources I Use: Pinterest

I was introduced to Pinterest through my personal Twitter account. Folks are using it for all kinds of things but it immediately struck me as a way to save ideas for using in my classroom. Here is a shot of my view of my Teaching Ideas board on Pinterest. ( I have no idea why it says my past pin was 3 weeks ago - I was pinning last night until the wee hours!)

Clicking the image will take you to my Teaching Ideas board on Pinterest

You can see that the ideas I've "pinned" are arranged nicely and my comment/caption shows up underneath them.  On the right are links to my other boards and to the boards of people I follow and who follow me.  There is a search box at the top that lets you search everyone's pins.  Here's how Pinterest explains what they are.

I think Pinterest is a great tool for teachers.  We spend lots of time surfing the web looking for ideas.  Now we can save them for ourselves, remember the source, and share it with others in one click. (They've got a nifty little bookmark tool that installs into your browser.  Find and idea, click "Pin It," choose your options, and done.) Fantastic!

What web resources do you use?

Mid-Month Reflection

So I've been blogging daily for a solid 2 weeks - 16 days, over half a month. And it feels really good! I have been using the scheduled posts feature - I must write when time allows. It frees me up to be more creative and to spend more time on posts, instead of feeling rushed to hit Publish and be done.

I started blogging again thinking I'd be teaching a self-contained 4th grade class of mostly AIG students.  And I reflect 16 days later as a new, slightly scared, 6th grade Reading teacher.  I'm excited - I feel like this is my chance to really stretch my wings and my skills. I'm looking forward to being the "new one" for a change. For many years, I've been the "veteran," the one people turned to when they had questions.  I liked that - but it was a huge responsibility.  I was the only experienced teacher in 4th grade last year, working with 2 brand new teachers. It was hard for all of us - they are sweet ladies but I'm glad I'm not in the same position this year.

I've got many worries, concerns, and ideas floating around in my head.  And they've kept me awake some this week.  But I got a really good night of sleep last night - and I feel like I'm getting my act together.  I don't have teacher manuals and my classroom needs to be moved (Help me, Rhonda!), but I know my subject matter inside and out. And I'm ready! Next week, I'll start outlining some of my concerns, worries, and ideas - maybe getting them out of my head and into print will continue to help me.

So here is how I'll end the month - do you have anything you'd like to see me blog about?

• Resources: Pinterest, ScoopIt
• Prezi
• Discovery Ed
• Brainpop (?)
• Spelling City (?)
• Into The Book (?)
• NCTEP - the new NC Teacher Evaluation Process - a post on each standard and a final post with a way to document it all.
• My ideas, concerns, and worries about being in 6th grade
• Final Reflection