It has been awhile, but I am back……..

It feels like I have not blogged in a long time.  So now I am back with so much to share about the start to a new year.

We started off the new year with building our classroom community and getting to know each other.  In order for students to introduce themselves in a different way, they completed two different task.

The first is one of my favorites- The Six Word Memoir- students needed to describe themselves in six words.  This task was all about the power of words- or like what I like to call “Word Consciousness”.

IMG_2175 IMG_2176 IMG_2177

The second task introduced students to Animoto- a web based video creation program.  In order to get students acquainted with the program, students created videos about themselves.  Some examples follow-

I look forward to sharing so much more about our learning community!
Once again we have begun to Make Waves in Sixth Grade!

 photo 030bae78-d578-4de2-b6b5-6ca602cbb293_zps2cb6674a.jpg

Book Trailers Done-What do with them?????

The book trailers are completed!  Now, what do I do with them? I do not want the students’ hard work to go waste.  I will post a few here on the blog, but with 60 book trailers created that is a lot to put in a post or page.  So one idea I had was utilizing QR Codes.

What are QR Codes?  Quick Response Codes

Students can be led to information on the web by utilizing their mobile devices.  I thought using a QR Code was a perfect way to connect students to the various book trailers created.  All the students book trailers are going to be converted into a QR Code and housed in a binder in the room, available for students to peruse through when wanting a new book to read.  The students can use a mobile device, take a picture of the code and watch the book trailer.

Screen Shot 2014-04-15 at 9.50.30 AMHopefully, this will cut down on the dreaded words, “I do not know what to read!  Nothing seems interesting.”  I will hand the student the binder and say, “I am sure there is something of interest in here!”

There are so many uses for QR Codes in the classroom for teachers and students.  Here is a link to get started utilizing QR Codes:  QR Code Guide

Happy Exploring!
 photo 030bae78-d578-4de2-b6b5-6ca602cbb293_zps2cb6674a.jpg