Saturday Apps

Welcome to

Apps make the world go round....well not quite, but they do make your mobile devices go.  I stumble upon apps, I find apps on Pinterest and Facebook and seek out FREE apps on AppsGoneFree.  Some of these apps are so awesomely useful to me as a teacher that I wanted to start a weekly Linky Party to share the love and encourage others to do the same!

I will share an app or two with you and include pictures or even a video.  I would love it if you would either:  share an app with us (either by linking up -or- leaving a comment with info.) or try out the app I've recommended and let us know what you think.  Apps can be free or cost money.

If you link up, please tell us:

* the name

* the price

* what devices it works on (iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc.)

* how you use it

* why it's worth downloading

I will start with the app, on my iPhone, that I use MOST in my classroom: iTalk.

It's free but there's a $1.99 upgrade to iTalk Premium if you want more features.  I mainly use this app to record and time my students when they are doing their AIMSWeb formal assessments and progress monitoring passages. 

                  

Here's the main screen

You can name it whatever you want.

Here's my kiddo reading.

The list of all the recordings you have.
You replay recordings from here.



You can e-mail these recordings to anyone you'd like and you can play them right from your phone for conferences with parents.

I've also used this app to record myself reading a book that I don't have on CD for my group Listening Center.  I plug my iPhone into a headset station and it becomes my group Listening Center.

You could also use it to record directions for an independent group activity that you're not able to be part of because you're leading another group.

If you're going to let students use an iPhone, it should be an old one you've gotten ahold of and set back to original settings.

Pinterest _______

Fill in the blank:

Pinterest __________.

1) Is something I finally gave in to being part of.

2) Is what I'm perusing while feeding my 4-month-old or when just before going to sleep around 1a.m. (I'm a night owl on vacations).

3) Is where I've found GREAT ideas for everything, including teaching!

4) Is, inadvertently, bringing more art projects into my classroom.

Teach 123 is having a linky party of Pinterest favorites 

(click on the above image to go to the blog).

So I want to pass on my faves to others!

Pinner:

Beth Heinemann used to work with me at a French language summer camp called Lac du Bois and is now a 1st grade teacher as well and I LOVE all the teaching things she pins!!  

Plus she's an excellent baker and has her own Etsy store with her yummies!

Beth Heinemann

My pins: 

Of the 64 teaching ideas I've pinned, I've actually done/created 5...that's what breaks are for I guess!

Word Family Packet

T-minus 1 week until I'm back in the saddle of my 1st grade classroom!  I've really enjoyed the past 9 weeks at home with my daughter and new son, but I'm itching to get back to my new group of first graders and the classroom that I love!

Last year I learned about and tried implementing the Daily 5 in my classroom for our reading block.  It went really well and I'm going to ease into it again this year.  The "Word Work" that my students do is based on our reading curriculum's weekly word families.  I'm in the process of creating a packet for each word family that engages students in making words, spelling words, writing words, comprehending words and using words.  So I'm linking up again for Manic Monday on the Classroom Freebies blog.  Download this free packet and tell me what you think :)

What Would You Do...with this?

Teachers everywhere are getting great ideas for their classrooms from Pinterest and blogs and finding great supplies from places like The Dollar Store and Target.  As you're out and about, do you ever buy something thinking "What can this be used for in my classroom?"  

I do!  Then it's like a game to see what creative use I can come up with.  But I got to thinking...2 heads are better than 1 and others might have an even BETTER idea than me. Then I got to thinking some more...others might be finding some interesting things that I could go out and get too!

So this is going to be my first foray into a linky party!