Heartland AEA-TIC with DC-G Middle School Spanish

Remind

Remind is an app or a website that allows you to send mass text or email messages to anyone who signs up with your class code.

The PROS:

It's easy to have multiple classes.
It requires little work from the teacher.
It puts information easily and quickly into the hands of students and parents.
Families can sign up as many phone numbers or emails as they desire.
You can add attachments.
You can schedule the messages to be sent out at a desired time.
You can embed the messages into a website.
You can tweet your messages.
You can private chat with parents.
Parents can easily contact you with questions.
With a couple clicks you can print an invite to share with students.
You can easily send a mass message to all of your classes.
You can print the messages you've sent.
You can resend your messages them. (This is great for me because I have new classes every 9 weeks!)
At the end of the year or quarter you can easily delete all of your contacts.
If needed, you can control their names, block users, report the user.
Co-teach? You can have more than one owner.
Safety restrictions for students. (You control if chat privately with you or write you with questions.)
If students sign up, messages also automatically go to a parent email.
You control if those signed up can message each other.
You can create an activity like field trips and fundraisers.

The CONS:

There are some glitches when you have deleted them the previous year and then they sign up again the following year.
If the phone number was previously owned by someone who had signed up, Remind recognizes their phone number uses that person's name.
Students can easily lie about their age.
You are limited to 300 characters in your message.

The PROS:

Parents and students use it!
Other teachers use it!
It helps your students with organization.
Aid students in managing themselves.
Empowers students and parents with learning tools at their finger tips.
Absent students can find out what they missed.
Students make connections they might not otherwise make-music.
Disorganized files? The documents are only a few clicks away for you.
Get access to your documents no matter where you are.
Great for sub plans.
Sell yourself! Fabulous way to show administrators what you do.
Sell your students! Showcase student work.
Embed videos.
Link documents.
Turn Power Points or Keynotes into PDF files and post.
Add your content, learning targets and lessons.
Include fun widgets. (Calendar, dictionary, verb of the day, word of the day, conjugator and SO MUCH MORE!)
Pretty simple to create and MANY options available and a lot are free!
Opens the door to more technology (Voki-Guess Who?, Glogster-Poster Creation, Animoto/Voice Thread-Fashion Show, Cadoo-Family Trees).

The CONS:

Time consuming.
Always needing to update as you change things in your classes.

WebQuest

What is a WebQuest?

WebQuests are great because they allow students to learn on their own and at their own pace, but are guided by the plans you have for them.

For my WebQuest, I wanted students to have choices. I think that is so important for the middle age child, so I set my WebQuest up like centers. Each student picks what they are interested in and then at the end they all share out what they have learned.

Remind is an app or a website that allows you to send mass text or email messages to anyone who signs up with your class code.

The PROS:

It's easy to have multiple classes.

It requires little work from the teacher.

It puts information easily and quickly into the hands of students and parents.

Families can sign up as many phone numbers or emails as they desire.

You can add attachments.

You can schedule the messages to be sent out at a desired time.

You can embed the messages into a website.

You can tweet your messages.

You can private chat with parents.

Parents can easily contact you with questions.

With a couple clicks you can print an invite to share with students.

You can easily send a mass message to all of your classes.

You can print the messages you've sent.

You can resend your messages them. (This is great for me because I have new classes every 9 weeks!)

At the end of the year or quarter you can easily delete all of your contacts.

If needed, you can control their names, block users, report the user.

Co-teach? You can have more than one owner.

Safety restrictions for students. (You control if chat privately with you or write you with questions.)

If students sign up, messages also automatically go to a parent email.

You control if those signed up can message each other.

You can create an activity like field trips and fundraisers.

The CONS:

There are some glitches when you have deleted them the previous year and then they sign up again the following year.

If the phone number was previously owned by someone who had signed up, Remind recognizes their phone number uses that person's name.

Students can easily lie about their age.

You are limited to 300 characters in your message.

The PROS:

Parents and students use it!

Other teachers use it!

It helps your students with organization.

Aid students in managing themselves.

Empowers students and parents with learning tools at their finger tips.

Absent students can find out what they missed.

Students make connections they might not otherwise make-music.

Disorganized files? The documents are only a few clicks away for you.

Get access to your documents no matter where you are.

Great for sub plans.

Sell yourself! Fabulous way to show administrators what you do.

Sell your students! Showcase student work.

Embed videos.

Link documents.

Turn Power Points or Keynotes into PDF files and post.

Add your content, learning targets and lessons.

Include fun widgets. (Calendar, dictionary, verb of the day, word of the day, conjugator and SO MUCH MORE!)

Pretty simple to create and MANY options available and a lot are free!

Opens the door to more technology (Voki-Guess Who?, Glogster-Poster Creation, Animoto/Voice Thread-Fashion Show, Cadoo-Family Trees).

The CONS:

Time consuming.

Always needing to update as you change things in your classes.

Because with technology there is always a plan B!

Ideas for using QR codes in your classroom:

What is a WebQuest?

WebQuests are great because they allow students to learn on their own and at their own pace, but are guided by the plans you have for them.

For my WebQuest, I wanted students to have choices. I think that is so important for the middle age child, so I set my WebQuest up like centers. Each student picks what they are interested in and then at the end they all share out what they have learned.

Intimidated to make your own? Don't have the time? There are MANY wonderful WebQuests out there on a variety of topics. SEARCH, STEAL and USE!

Voice Recording

Instructions on how to Voice Record using Word.

Give me feedback.