United Streaming

Katy ISD has a wonderful technology resource called united streaming. It's basically a video service you have to buy or subscibed to; I'm not sure how that part works. Each teacher has a login name and password. It's a remarkable resource. You use a search engine to zero in on pertinent informative videos to support, explain, or expand on your lessons. The search engine allows for a grade and a subject. When you search, the list will have the title of the video and the duration. It is a wonderful tool to use within your lesson, at the end of the day right after packup, or whenever there's a little time before the next activity. You are assured to get appropriate, accurate information through this resource.

Task Cards

The technologist at our school has made task cards for students. This is extremely helpful in my kindergarten class. It is a printout of step by step instructions of how to get to a site that is advantageous to our curriculum or objectives for the six weeks. Presently, my class is using the three computers that we have in our classroom every day during center time. I am assisting them with the task cards. Some students are nearly independent. They are working on a special kidspiration screen. The technologist has placed many letters in the options. We have the student click on whatever letter we are focusing on for that week. The kidspiration template has the letter at the top of the screen and three brief videos featuring some aspect of that letter. This week the video featured Wanda the Walrus with her gorgeous whiskers (bet you can guess the letter)! Another video showed how the W and w is written. It gave verbal directions as the letter was written on the screen. After the students watch the videos they scroll through the pictures in kidspiration and pick 5 or so items that start with a w. Funny thing happened on Friday, while following the task card getting to the right spot the language arts file for kindergarten disappeared. I hope it wasn't something I did. I left a message with the technologist today.

Science Center

Here are a couple inexpensive, great, ideas for a science center. Use empty water bottles. Fill with items such as, rocks, shells, sand, beans, and other items that make a variety of sounds. Cover the water bottles with black socks. Students will have fun using their powers of observation to determine the contents of each bottle. They can pull down the socks to determine the accuracy of their hypothesis.

Use empty water bottles and fill with a variety of liquids such as, hair gel, shampoo, water, oil, etc. Place items in the liquids such as, beads, marbles,etc. Students never tire of watching the movement of the objects and guessing the causes of the variety of speeds of the moving objects.

Fill an empty water bottle 2/3rds full of rice. Place items that are magnetically attracted in the bottle. Attach a magnet to the bottle with string. Watch the students marvel as they unearth the hidden objects!

These ideas found in a kindergarten classroom in KISD!

I'm setting up this blog as a requirement for an education/technology class at the University of Houston. I am a "mature" student who will be graduating in May of 2006 - God willing and the creek don't rise. I'm a Texas transplant from North Carolina. I'm hoping this blog will broaden my horizons and bring me information and insight from more experienced teachers.