Do you Podcast?

Have you ever tried Podcasting with your students? Take a look at how a group of  first grade students explain how to make and use Podcasts!

Would love to know if you have done Podcasting in your classroom, if so, share a few details for us. What were the Podcasts about? What program did you use? Can you share a link to it for us to hear and enjoy?
THANKS!

TED: Diana Laufenberg

How to learn? From mistakes....

Awesome Tool

If you're looking for a quick resource for Environmental Print to use with your students, try Spell With Flickr. It's been around for a while, but is remains as a great tech tool. The name defines pretty much what it does. You type in a word and the program searches Flickr to find letters to match. Now that's...

Here's a quick tutorial for using Spell With Flickr:



Just think of the fun you can have creating games, name puzzles, numeral activities and more! Take a look at a few videos I made using images found using Spell with Flickr:







Please come back and share your ideas or links for using Spell with Flickr to create projects for your students!

Somebody is going shopping!

The winner of the TBA Blog Shop gift certificate is: Holly from "alwayslearning".
Holly, contact me with your email address so you can claim your gift card!

Congratulations Holly! Stop back in the lounge and let us know what you bought!

Blog Shop Give-Away!

To help get the word out about the new Teaching Blog Addict Blog Shop, I am having a give-away! You could win a gift certificate to shop in the TBA Blog Shop! There are over 2,800 items to choose from to let the world know you love to blog!
There are several ways to enter to win:

• follow me here In The Teachers' Lounge 
• follow my Kindergarten Tales blog
• Add my badge(s) to your sidebar

Also you can follow the TBA Blog Shop "managers":

• follow Tamara  at Teaching With TLC
• follow Leslie at Kindergarten Works

Leave a comment HERE, on this blog for each entry you choose. If you are already a follower or already have the badges, leave a comment saying so to enter. That means you can enter up to 6 times...then go scope out what you would buy should you win the gift certificate. Give-away closes Sunday, June 26, 2011, so hurry!

Don't be shy, SHOW your PASSION!

I am thrilled and excited to announce that Tamara & Leslie from Teaching Blog Addict have combined their skills and resources to create something that combines two of my favorite passions (blogging & shopping) into one...
BLOG SHOP!!
Check out the TBA blog shop:

TBA Blog Shop

There are  currently over 2,800 products available for purchase with more on the way. These are just a few of the products you can buy:

There are several other designs with many matching items to choose from. All you have to do to start shopping is CLICK!

Great Gift Idea

If you're looking for a unique gift for a family member, friend, parent-voluteer or anyone else...consider giving the gift of LIGHT!
Night light that is!
Rose Hanbury is in the business of bringing light into your home in the most adorable ways.
I have been a fan of these night lights for a while now, but today I saw something I thought was especially unique and I just had to share it....
a Night Light Kit! The lucky gift recipient can use markers to design his/her very own night light. Take a look at a sampling of some of the possibilities.

U Draw Kits

There are even blank sheets for folks who have drawing talent! ;-)

 If you are not much of an artist, you can select from over 2,000 predesigned images offered at Night Light Designs. You can change the images to match your mood or the season! Simply slide out one image and slide in a new one.

Predesigned Images

You can also upload your own photos to create an even more personal Night Light

Photo Night Light

Click for more information

I think these make a great gift, although I buy lights and then end up keeping them for myself! ;-)

Google Docs VS DropBox

After several emails back and forth I decided to take a closer look at both Google Docs and DropBox to see what the features are and maybe see which service I liked best.
Both services offer storage of files, photos and videos.
Both allow sharing of files with others. Great when collaborating on projects!
I can't find a limit for the number of files you can store on Google Docs. DropBox has a set limit with the option to purchase additional storage space.     (Or refer your friends and earn additional space)

Take a look at the following videos to see how both programs work to create folders to organize your documents (Google Docs calls them COLLECTIONS...although I will have to work hard to call them "collections" not folders) ;-)
After several (and I mean SEVERAL) unsuccessful attempts to load all 3 videos into one post, I have resigned to doing them with one video and two links to videos. 
This is a video on organizing files in Google Docs into "Collections"

This is the video on adding video and photos to Google Docs:

Click text not image;-(

Here's the video of Dropbox:

Click text not image! ;-(

Hopefully this will help. If you already use Blogger, then you're half way to Google Docs (it's part of your account as is Gmail). If you're looking to get Drop Box click here to join: DropBox!

No need to pick one or the other...take one of each, they're FREE!! ;-)

Online Storage Option

There's an on-going discussion with some of the TBA authors about organizing the plethora of fabulous files that are created by so many talented teachers.
One option is Drop Box. This is an online resource that allows you to save your files and have access to them later from any Internet connected computer, phone, iPad or iPod. No more emailing files to yourself, or searching for a zipdrive with space for your files. You can share files and photos with co-workers, friends and family by simply giving them the link. And you don't want to worry what you would do if something nasty happens to your hard drive. If you haven't discovered DropBox already, click on the image below to sign up and start saving files online:

PS...they are currently offering additional storage for FREE. Simply refer your friends and you can get up to 8GB for free!

Flag Day 2011

Happy Flag Day!

Shout Out to Erin Klein

You may have missed a post a few weeks ago by Erin Klein over at her blog... Kleinspiration titled: A DAY MADE OF GLASS. The "glass" video is pretty slick (no pun intended). However it is the video of Sir Ken Robinson's TED speech that is well worth taking the time to watch! Ken is entertaining and at the same time very poignant! Click on over to Erin's post and watch Ken's speech! It will really get you thinking! It's something we would DEFINITELY discuss over coffee in The Teacher's Lounge! Thanks Erin!!

Help Getting Boys to Read

Recently I was asked to review Pam Allyn's new book: Best Books for Boys How to Engage Boys in Reading in Ways That Will Change Their Lives. After the business of report cards, cum folders, and the rest of the duties of ending the school year, I was able to sit down and take a look at the book. ;-)
Ms. Allyn's book examines some of the reasons boys are, or feel they are left out of the culture of literacy. Through her work with groups of boys (and girls) as well as classroom teachers in a variety of settings, she has come up with simple, manageable changes that when implemented, can have a major impact on boys as readers. She discusses changes in the classroom environment, acknowledgment and acceptance of the different learning styles of boys and offers a new eye on what defines "reading". Ms. Allyn points to the READ model: Ritual, Environment, Access and Dialogue as four essential elements to set the stage for lifelong reading.
The book has a Questions & Answers section that covers everything from what reading should look like, how to make boys more comfortable with reading, and building stamina, to choosing books that build reading confidence in boys as readers.
Part three of the book offers a very extensive annotated list of books that are of particular interest to boys. The list also includes a coding system that identifies books as either Emerging, Developing or Maturing.
While this book is by no means the final word on ways to draw boys in reading, it is definitely one to open the minds of educators to the need to approach reading differently and specific ways to get started with engaging boys in reading.

Big Big Giveaway

Kindergarten Works is having a HUGE give-away! Trust me...this is BIG and you don't want to miss it! Click the ticket to learn how you can win her fabulous calendar packet!

Recess Cricut Cartridge

OK, so school has been out for 2 days and I am already thinking about decorating my room when I go back! It's not my fault! The folks over at Provo Craft announced the release of one of their new "lite" cartridges. It's called RECESS and it looks ADORABLE!! I am going shopping for it first chance I get.

Click here to see more cartridge images

Is this cute or what? I'm thinking OPEN HOUSE!

I have a LOT of favorites. One  is CREATE A CRITTER.  It's not one of the new ones but I LOVE this cartridge! It's a great one for making sweet little cards to give to my students. 

Click picture to see cartridge images

Check out this link for a video of making a card using the Create a Critter cartridge: Stinkin' Cute (by Robyn at My Pink Stamper).

Do you use Cricut in your classroom? If so, share some of your favorite ideas with us in The Teacher's Lounge!

Photos Unlimited!

Photobucket now offers UNLIMITED photo storage and up to 500 videos! If you don't already have a free account, you may want to checkout Photobucket.
Also if you share the news, you might win and iPad2.

Freebie Friday at TBA

There are great things being shared every day, several times a day over at Teaching Blog Addict. But on top of that, every Friday is FREEBIE FRIDAY at TBA. If you haven't gone there yet, hurry over and check out what teachers are sharing