#elemchat Archive
Inspired by the brilliantly successful, powerful learning and collaboration opportunity that is the weekly #edchat, #elemchat was created to provide elementary (or primary) school educators with a venue for discussing issues and strategies that are specific to teaching in their context.
Saturday March 5, 2016
Hey there! Joining the 3:00 chat!
Hey! Joining the 4 pm chat!!
This is only my 2nd twitter chat, I teach 2nd grade.
Is the transition from Elementary to middle school hard?
I think that it can be depending on what grade the elementary goes up to. Also depends on the child.
A lot of kids have difficulty keeping checked in at this age, finding engaging activities is key
sorry, not a student, but as a teacher?
I completely agree, I am always trying to come up with engaging activities for my 2nd graders
Hello everyone I am a 5th grade teacher in CA i would love to join this chat
Are you coming from early or later elementary?
Great teacher?!? I may in trouble!
If you're excited than the kids are excited it's all about finding what you love that can be educational
6th grade, but have been teaching 8th grade math for a year. Not getting the same results
For all of the teachers in this chat how do you keep your students checked in
by changing it up daily and doing different things to keep their focus
Yes I found that if the curriculum was engaging to me, it would be engaging to mu students https://t.co/Hd0nD2rVkV
If you're excited than the kids are excited it's all about finding what you love that can be educational
I also believe in choice students should be able to have some say in what they learning and how
The difference between 6th & 8th grade is HUGE. 6th graders seem like babies and 8th graders want to be grown.
by the expression in my voice, by taking brain breaks every so often....
What do you find most challenging?
Survey Monkey questionnaires. They have to respond to 3 quick questions about them.
I agree that 6th to 8th is a huge leap. Sixth graders still need a lot of support.
Yes I agree with you! Big difference in age and development as well.
I do lots of brain breaks as well. They are great!
research shows that students can only keep attention for 20-30 minutes at a time.
The brain dance and dance breaks work wonders
With my sixth graders I know that they respond well to project based learning activities.
Focus on their future. They have this' I know it already' attitude.
We do a lot of interactive learning as well as activities that require them to move around the room.
I also differentiate instruction. If we use math manipulatives one day, we use an activity page the next
Do any of you allow mobile/ digital devices in the classroom for educational purposes?
they're a life-saver! Especially in primary grades!
oh yeah! Computers, iPads, my phone...
Goes along with "being grown". I only have experience with MS in small groups for tutoring. I give you huge props!
No I do not. Maybe if I was in an upper grade I would.
project-based learning was always the best when I was younger
Most of my students do not own phones. If they all had access to a phone, I definitely would have them use them.
I feel like it could work in groups
I often use my own phone but my students use chromebooks Cell phones were against school policy for students
Absolutely, it's a pocket computer that you as the teacher can control.
that's awesome, a lot of teachers would not
A lot of the MS teachers allow cell phone usage for quizzes and exit tickets. I'm too scared with the little ones.
5th graders love seeing who my phone would call on with one of those participation apps
I have a lot of classroom technology that I can use instead of phones (student response systems). Students love using technology.
understandable. Younger kids might misuse their phones.
technology makes learning exciting for them. And relevant.
I teach 1st grade. They need to be active but when we stray from our routine it can be chaotic.
I'm afraid they'd break them. We have grade level chromebook carts and I have a few tablets they use.
We used GHO to video chat a class in Chicago last week to read Dr. Seuss books to!!
And we're taking a Skype Virtual Field Trip this next week!! Using my Apple computer and Apple TV!!
that is awesome, I am jealous. I wish I had an apple computer/T.V in my classroom.
What do you have access to?
I have my computer and we have a projector/ELMO I use. We also go to technology once a week.
Can the computer and ELMO hook up?
When they go to tech they use different programs on the computer.
or computer and projector?
I've had that happen twice but luckily I was able to piece it back together. Now I make them carry like a watermelon.
I have a button on my computer that connects to the projector in my classroom.
so you could use GHO or Skype!!
yes I could If it was not blocked but Skype is blocked on the computer by my district.
how do they justify that? I'm curious.
Great question, I would love to know the answer to. They have everything blocked its ridiculous
there are a lot of useful sites that are blocked
Yes there are. At one point they had gonoodle blocked (brain break website). ridiculous.
My district had a ton of sites blocked, but now they allow us to use a pin to access sites.
There are several people that have asked and its always a no.
I wish they would do that, someone mentioned it before but it didn't happen.
It took a while for my district to warm up to the idea.
Maybe I will mention it to my principal I know we tried last year but not this year. Always hope
Sometimes it's type of site or files on it. We had same issue with Go Noodle, we were heartbroken Thankfully fixed!
I understand your frustration. Any kind of login you can use to bypass as educators?
yeah I use Go Noodle everyday thankful they let us use it again!
I wish, our tech dept. is crazy no way we could get anything past them.
I have to get going. Great chat everyone. Thanks
