#2PencilChat Archive
The #2PencilChat is a weekly conversation about educational technology. As we enter a more student-centered age, let's talk about using all the tools in our toolboxes to be innovative and dynamic teachers.
Tuesday February 23, 2016
Ahoy, ! I'm Sean from St. Augustine, 3rd grade, ridiculous, and I love kayaking and mountain biking.
my name is Nathan and we strut our stuff on the catwalk
Marifran, hs librarian from NY - I aspire to be a runner, for now I just run
From what I hear, that makes you a runner.
Unless you're running in fear....
Hi Everyone! Kathy from Ct here! :)
Karly here reppin in the southeast! What up!?
Your challenge for the night, can you show me your Blue Steel?
hi I am here! Looking forward to another great chat !
Yep, as soon as I sent it, I said, "Oh man!"!
Chris from PA--tennis, tennis, tennis and yoga. But can't jump the net.
Staci from TX -I try to give "seating choice" whenever possible. May include standing, sitting on floor, or in various nooks.
Hi Sean! Glad to be here!
Hey Karly! We have in the house, cool!
A1: Ss are more receptive and the juices begin to flow. Lrng in those awful desks/chairs is not good.
I think it is so important for kids to be engaged and in my experience those go together.. Movement can add to engagement
Hi everyone Rizza k-3 T here from philippines
I think the more comfortable the more attentive they are to what they need to do
Hey everyone! Amber from Clermont, FL k-5 global studies
Tempting, yes---but I have enough injuries from a lifetime of tennis.
Howdy tweeps! Tina from TN joining in
A1 Oh my! Could you imagine sitting in your seat for 6 hours? We all need to move!
A1 aside from learning it caters to different kinds of learners, benefits the whole body, you get physical, socio emotional
A2: too many reasons for 140 characters! Health, focus, motivation, self-esteem, fun, stress reliever, need I go on?
A1 I know that the more brain activity we have, the better our lessons stick. That's enough for me!
A1: wakes the brain up to shake the fog, rejuvenates & keeps the wiggles at bay to increase focus
Hi, Dawn from Pierson, MI. A1 know they need to move but standing during lessons is distracting to others. How to change this?
PD (in seats) for that half that time is brutal!
Just another beautiful day in paradise!
hugs for my magical pal!!
A1 Heaven forbid that we make lessons fun! We wouldn't want Ss remembering things AFTER the test...
A1: refer to last tweet 🙈
And physical activity keeps oxygen flowing to the brain.
Here i am! Jo from Melb Australia!
Healthy body, healthy mind!
How's Wednesday looking so far? We're not there yet! :)
A1 hot to get the brain juices flowing.
Woohoo! is in adding groove to ! https://t.co/D6M6sA2KSi
A2: too many reasons for 140 characters! Health, focus, motivation, self-esteem, fun, stress reliever, need I go on?
I'm usually the person lurking in the back of the room after 15 minutes
I was doing brain break before Now all I do is go noodle. Nothing better!
hard to watch if your GoNoodling :-)
A2 I like having kids take sides on issues - moving back and forth across the room as from question to question.
I like the idea of a space and wandering is what I am afraid of. Thanks!
A2 We learned songs that I had taught my camp kids
I always try to get a seat in the back on the aisle, so I can get up.
A2 usually has some sort of gyration to it and moving our hands in the air like we don't care
A1: in the morning, movement wakes up the Ss and allows them to focus better.
all good - hot, humid but I'm busy with PhD so not an issue YOU?
walking around the room.. Vocab definitions on the kids backs they walk around and find what friend is what word. They love it
A2 Stand up/sit down for compare and contrast, or for letter patterns...
A2 I try to build in Roam the Room types of activities to get us moving around while focusing on content.
I always claim back pain so I can walk
It was grey, but pleasant here, little bit of rain, not too bad!
A2 mostly silly movements keeps them entertained doesn't need to be structured all the time
Is there any Heyyyy Hooooo....Heyyyy Hoooo.... going on?
A2 I want to say any sort -but one I do with mine brain gym and they're BIG Ss including Ts at workshops- they love it!
there are all sorts of noises coming out of them
A2: give the Ss a topic, let them create the movements & lyrics
Isn't sad that we have to come up with excuses to justify something that everyone feels?
my class mostly aaround the room in stations all day for math for reading for everything really !! I have lots of carpets
A2 "dance" to a partner for a task; "cruise" the room for gallery walk; rotate for new activities; YOU: let Ss wiggle
Yes do this s/t - put up content related info around the room get them to go find beats sitting on internet!
A2: work in one section and records results on the board. think time as they walk.
A2: moose tube, GoNoodle plus, and Brainercise with mr. Catman are a few of my faves. :)
the heyyy ho is in the head--thanks!
A2: We sky-write with light-up finger pointers and perform Brain Gym activities before/during lessons.
it's our version of kids' "can I go to the bathroom/nurse/location in building outside of this room?"
I love Moose Tube & Mr. Catman, my Ss think he's a little creepy, though. :) Pop see ko gets stuck in my head.
might be dated already, but using QR codes helps keep Ss engaged while they work,too.
Just "call me maybe" & I'll "pop see ko 2.0" .
A3 Can you tiptoe into line? Can you take giant steps etc.
A3 We march around the room or do mirror activities when we transition from one thing to another sometimes...
A3 we use movement to switch groups
A2 Lots of our Ts use activities to move and connect with other Ss.
Sorry, late start for me. Shirley from N.California. Retired 7th grade ELA contributor and editor
hi to all from Ireland.Kevin here a Teaching Principal
My Ss totally agree : Mr. Catman on the creepy side. Love his brain challenges though!
A1: Movement gets the blood flowing which makes the brain work better.
A3 You know transitions require movement & can cause chaos already, so build in a "planned" movement to get the biggest bang!
I think he's pretty amazing!
I used to have the serpentine down the hall. Miss those days.
Q3 I like to play with their minds: stand up, sit down is cool sometimes :)
A3 movements makes the transition to new activities more engaging
A3! get it right :0 https://t.co/qsX97V8MmQ
Q3 I like to play with their minds: stand up, sit down is cool sometimes :)
A3 I try to make sure everyone is frozen and give specific instructions before movement.
Almost like a game
A3 When a transition ISN'T working, I can sometimes turn a little sergeant-y and say, "Go back and try again!" a billion times.
Sounds similar to 4 corners where kids travel to corner of room to show thinking.
It's so cool to see them interact and commiserate with their peers.
I think when movement is part of your daily routine the chaos is organized and it's just what we do
I like to think of it as ordered chaos
A3. I use the phrase, "Mona Lisa." Ss freeze and pose like Mona Lisa...eyes follow me wherever I am moving,like the painting
A2:Moving from corner to corner(like 4 corners) show what their opinion is on something. They really like to see how others thk
Or "drop and give me 10!" I may try that.
Love it! https://t.co/o195UQQDgo
A3. I use the phrase, "Mona Lisa." Ss freeze and pose like Mona Lisa...eyes follow me wherever I am moving,like the painting
A:2 Catching someone else’s paper ball with instructions about saying something complimentary to another person; then doing it.
I Love my bell/timer and students know to freeze/eyes on me and get "ready" to learn
A:2 Throwing paper balls up in the air and seeing how many times they can clap before they have to catch it.
I had one boy do mountain climbs for me. He loved it, and it wore him out. I also have an exercise bike in my room.
I always let kids pick a freeze phrase this year it's surfs up last year pizza
A3: tie movement to lesson&call out a topic for move,ex: be an astronaut & "fly" to ur lunchbox,take "moon steps" to line up
A3: when coming back from recess or lunch playing a yoga or claiming activity can help refocus!
- I'm STEALING this: https://t.co/P8Y9d51SYo
I always let kids pick a freeze phrase this year it's surfs up last year pizza
How often do your students get to move around? We move every 30 mins at least!
A3: movement gives Ss a break and helps them to refocus when they is physical transition
That's great! Maybe an elliptical for me to T from. I could RA from it!
Craigslist! People are always getting rid of exercise equipment!
That awkward moment when you've been trying to load a video for your answer to #2 and it STILL isn't loading, ugh.
A4 When things aren't working the way I want, or sometimes when they're GREAT, I call out for a one song dance party.
I love dancing but don't use it too much.. Ideas welcome
absolutely i use yoga to challenge my Ss to focus and they love it
A3 Using music can make transitions flow smoothly while still being fun. Ss have till end of song or clip to be ready.
A4: I am just picturing, "We're two wild and crazy guys!" entering the classroom. Loved how they moved!
A4 I was dancing at our front desk of the library today. I dance in a lot of places
4. YES, YES, YES. Every time we learn a new language, I teach a "dance" of kinesthetic movements to remember each number.
A4 sometimes dance to music in video I'm might be showing or have welcome music eg Star Wars theme 4 Reformation unit
Use kinesthetic motions to learn to count in new languages... Example is second grade... Arabic https://t.co/xygvOYOJUp
A:4 I don't do dance,but could since I try to brk w/music that's popular w/Ss. I COULD ask 2 show me their coolest moves!
Kinesthetic movements to learn new numbers in another language. This example is second grade Arabic https://t.co/j00u3p5t9I
Transition clean ups! They LOVE Thriller and so do I. They know when the song is up.. they are in their seats and silent
my kids love videos and Dan D when they play
A4: can you say kidz bop kids or Zumba???
A4: movement to rep lesson,made me think of ,he had us create dance moves to represent topic & teach each other
my kids love and dance to those videos
libraries can do that to people - it's a natural "rock out" environment
It's almost as if were a one stop shop for getting our kids moving. :)
Checking in and saying hello from Minnesota. I'm still at school because it's a conference night.
A:5 the questions were fun up til now. Our PE dept. won't let us on fields and stuff...can't take 'em off campus w/out permiss
Great song for that! Do you play it all the way to Vincent Price?
How lucky is my school to have the VA Dance Teacher of the Year? Yeah , we dance!
Ugggg. So it loaded TWICE. Sorry everyone!
So in a few, you'll have to shoo the parents out of your teachers' rooms!
Right ON! https://t.co/cmTiI6M3Hp
How lucky is my school to have the VA Dance Teacher of the Year? Yeah , we dance!
I like it when someone comes up with something good...
A4 dancing is the main part of my classes, you dont really need 2 know how to dance sometimes the silliest dance works
Yes, we're CST and we end at 7:40.
When I taught K& 1st clean up song was "We Are Family"
A:6 Teacher benefits: being a kid again, having some down time, getting to know the Ss better, FRESH AIR!!
A:6 Student Benefits: Realizes tchr is human, might thing teacher is fun, might like class better, feels commradery with tchr.
A5 I love doing plant studies in our school's garden, tree drawings in next-door park...
A5 flying quad copters and them playing chase
Q5) I like Q5. An idea I heard once is have a walk and talk staff meeting outside while pairs of colleagues discuss and share.
I do this concentric circles review inside circle have questions kids move around and ask outside circle and switch
A5 Easy for me as a science teacher. LOTS to do outside: exploring, simulation, role playing, modeling. Endless possibilities.
Such rdg geek! Following bookstores from the east coast.
I love this! https://t.co/1OmbLqa5kQ
Q5) I like Q5. An idea I heard once is have a walk and talk staff meeting outside while pairs of colleagues discuss and share.
make something tag.. We did food chain tag all kids were different animals they had to tag their prey
I wanna be a kid at your school.
where? I want to work there!! https://t.co/lbEHAKZn2s
Q5) I like Q5. An idea I heard once is have a walk and talk staff meeting outside while pairs of colleagues discuss and share.
A5 there's so many lessons to integrate movements outdoors, skip counting, division and the list cud go on
A5: Simon Say for listening skills,mother may I for can/may difference,have Ss write a skit or poem w/vocab&act it out outside
come back to college. Teacher Ed is the place to be
A5 any opp. - have drawn & planned artworks on the ground, walked the length of Bayeux Tapestry, murals, built totems in garden
Love that song! and That's great for community building
Right? Sharing with my principal.
maybe and I can open a school together and you are invited
Sounds like fun! Drones on the schoolyard would be interesting as well.
YES, YES and YES!!!!!! https://t.co/VKxcXUYx1a
Q5) I like Q5. An idea I heard once is have a walk and talk staff meeting outside while pairs of colleagues discuss and share.
I'm going to try the outside, walk and talk staff meeting this spring as we think about next year.
Oh, yeah, paper ball war!
I've done similar w/ Ss. Pose a question and go for 5 minute walk and talk with a partner.
A5. We play Quiz quiz trade. Gets kids moving and learning.
we use quad copters. Safer for students than drones and batteries last longer
in nicer weather, I try to walk the parking lot during a free period - Ss know where to find me
Does Minnesota have a spring?
Took kids out for walk & Talk around the track during morning meeting. Idea from
that is a great question?
A5.2: identify environment aspects & send Ss on scavenger hunt using clues&have them take pics for proof
I did a snowball fight with staff members. They had to write a compliment for a colleague on crumbled paper.
A5: hidden perk of 1:1 - we can take Ss anywhere we're willing to go. It's changing the notion the being outside is distracting
A5 We walk to find objects /items/stuff then return to make sculptures and photograph them don't need permission slips or forms
We get a short spring but have a lovely summer! Reasonable temperatures and no humidity!
would love work w/ preservice Ts!
Move to PA! Our hockey team is growing into something w/ UND's former coach. https://t.co/cdqCzvffn1
I did a snowball fight with staff members. They had to write a compliment for a colleague on crumbled paper.
I could go snowbird... I wanna summer in Frostbite Falls...
I feel as if we do mini- walk and talks daily with teachers just in our hallways !
Yes I am doing that this year as teaching assoc at my uni - exciting!!
that would be great for the kids to do. https://t.co/cdqCzvffn1
I did a snowball fight with staff members. They had to write a compliment for a colleague on crumbled paper.
A6 Connection, fitness, laughter!
however despite my surgery still love to play with the kids just taking it raider this year
Really just like 2add movement to lessons. Here's an example of learning about simple machines: levers https://t.co/s4lWLmpWR9
agreed! The kids love it so much!
A6: nothing beats an adult remembering what it's like to be a kid! Ss love it & it builds relationships!!
A6 ummm what's that... thing...that ....wait...you mean FUN?
A6 Too many benefits to list them all! Fresh air, modeling, relationship building, exercise, play...
A6 I was on top of the monkey bars once, and a kid came up to one of my Ss and said, "THAT'S your teacher?!?"
A6: what I most miss about being at the ES level - recess! Gives Ss a chance to see another facet of a T's life
A6: benefits r endless! Memories, bonding, respect, help in handling situations, modelling. As you can tell I always did this.
A6) They also love it when the principal joins in. I'm a ruthless 4-square player!
A6 deepens your rel with your Ss, Ss bcome engaged and inspired to move, builds social skills
A6: relationship building and encourages participation!
Just putting it out there - I'm starving need to move to fridge ...
DId you reply--"yes and I am king of the monkeybars!"? https://t.co/FuHTCJCyeM
A6 I was on top of the monkey bars once, and a kid came up to one of my Ss and said, "THAT'S your teacher?!?"
I love when Ss exclaim, how do you know how to do that?!
Oh gosh, I don't remember! Something like that? :)
makes you feel hip & young...until I hurt the next day, lol!
Thanks for the chat...I'm off to an IEP meeting! Have a great night!
And moves to the top of every kid's "I want that teacher next year" list https://t.co/9FBc3TW8ch
A6 I was on top of the monkey bars once, and a kid came up to one of my Ss and said, "THAT'S your teacher?!?"
Thanks for hanging with us, Mark!
I have started a Walking Wed's at my school. Last 15 min of lunch all teachers get out on field n walk laps.. stu auto join <3
. I envisioned the magic pants dance similar to break dancing in the 80s
It's all PR, innit? The ukulele playing, the silliness, the monkey bars...
SO true! I would say to myself--"what was I thinking?" Sometimes there would be a muscle pull.
A7 Having the giant cushion in the middle of the room was good until a kid banged her shin climbing over (and tripping).
A7 major hailstorm -first time the whole class ran to windows in middle of T talk -I now encourage it!
well not class bit last week a student fell at our walk a thon and broke her arm pretty bad was not fun
A7 My Ss and I used to push each other down onto the giant cushion. SO much fun!
Q7 Honestly, I have so much fun watching Ss do There smiles make me so happy
note to self: just b/c you can still turn a cartwheel doesn't mean you *should* still turn a cartwheel
This was fun! Thanks for the upbeat questions. See you next week.
My class gets crazy too, thankfully they have strong bones, though!
A7: "call me maybe" I added lyrics @ wifi connectivity&jumped to bounce signals but my heels had me soaring to a desk
So glad you came, Shirley!
Have a mtg w/ an ironing board! Thanks for the entertaining chat as always. Love the connections!
Yeah, it's in the corner, and no more trust shoves!
exactly! Worth it at the time! older I get the longer it takes me to recoup but still try
I have some more laundry, and some shopping to do... *sigh*
Oh no time is nearly up that means more for me NOOOOOO!! thanks for fun break
. impressive! envision myself doing a crab walk to leave after a cartwheel
Thanks for a great chat! ! See you al next week!
A7 we were doing our train game in the room one of my Ss tripped and hit her chin on the table, bruised lips :(
Have a great week, Kathy!
A7 Trust activity. Blindfolded Ss guiding peers on playground. S' tooth meets monkey bars. Kid's dad was dentist. Ugh!
I couldn't help but laugh at this. Not there? Funny! Poor kid!
Awesome as usual - thx for an hour full of smiles and smarts
Thank you, -ters! I love you so much. Come back next week, and things will get really testy! https://t.co/f0h3NVB1Be
I had a great time connecting wit all of you! Thanks and til next
