CMS Take Apart Day 2015

On Friday, December 4th, students in the PRISM Program had a 'Take Apart Day'.  They brought in items to explore by deconstructing them to see what makes them tick, so to say.  As they take the items apart, not through destructive means (even though that was tempting), they arranged all the pieces for a photo.  That photo became the background of a ThingLink image which then included text, images, videos, &/or websites.  Below are a couple photos from the event as well as one team's ThingLink.  If you would like to view more, check out their blog post: Room 814. Makers. Movers. Shakers.

Students taking apart a camera

Students taking apart a digital watch

Students' ThingLink for taken apart motorized truck: https://www.thinglink.com/scene/731869658864418817

Entering the Blogosphere

Many of us have entered the world of blogging this year with our classrooms using Google Blogger. Classroom blogs are easy to set up and can be used as a collaboration tool, a place for student reflection, an opportunity for digital citizenship and global awareness, or a place to enhance the learning and communication in your classroom.  Classroom blogs can be updated daily, weekly, or monthly depending on preference.  They can be used as a home-school connection or can be used solely for enrichment and reflection.  It is your choice!



Here is an example (All student comments have been removed):

A classroom blog will bring new motivation and excitement to your classroom.  Contact your school tech resource person to get started!

Blogging doesn't have to be limited to the classroom.  There are also many fabulous blogs out there that can used as a teacher resource.  Most of them can be followed on Twitter also so you can see any updates on your Twitter feed.
Here are a few favorites:

Free Technology for Teachers (Twitter handle is @rmbyrne)
The Daring Librarian (Twitter handle is @gwynethjones)
Read,Write, Reflect (Twitter handle is @katsok)
Two Writing Teachers (Twitter handle is @2writingteachrs)
TeachThought (Twitter handle is @teachthought)
Edutopia (Twitter handle is @edutopia)