Hot Tech Tools for Classroom and Beyond - Some for testing, some for studying, some just for fun!

List by Pamela Thompson, LMS, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School, El Paso USD; @PThompson_EMS ; http://booksbypamelathompson.blogspot.com/

It’s a little different today – a list of new digital tools you might want to explore to keep your practice fresh for the rest of this busy year. Keep kids attention and WOW teachers with new ideas. Just a list – keeping it simple for you today. That leaves you time to try them out!

• Flubaroo - Use with Google docs; self-grading tests, send reports, and best of all, email students their grades. Save time grading. Flubaroo does it for you!
• EdShelf -  Get a free account; extensive collection of apps, web links, lessons that teachers can use and add content of their own. A great place for ideas!
• InfoGram -  Create charts and infograms for free.
• Gameroom - Games for kids from the CDC; interactive learning
• GeoGuesser - Students can play in single or challenge mode; guess their location using blank world map and photo. Great fun!
• Big Huge Labs - Free site to make your photos into amazing things! Movie posters, puzzles, mosaics, special filters.
• FotoBabble - Create talking photos and slideshows. Add a message to photos.
• Flashcard Machine -   create flashcards to study for your next exam; share them with students, friends or study groups.
• Funbrain -   games to hone math and reading skills; fun!
• ImageChef -   Choose a photo/image and add your own words; share to Twitter or Facebook.

National Poem in Your Pocket Day - April 27, 2017

by Pamela Thompson, LMS, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School, Socorro ISD (El Paso); @PThompson_EMS ; http://booksbypamelathompson.blogspot.com/

This year celebrating National Poem in Your Pocket Day #pocketpoem is being taken to new heights at Col. John O. Ensor Middle School and Horizon Heights Elementary in Horizon City, Texas.  Thousands of scrolls of poetry will be presented to residents, shoppers, parents, teachers, and students on Thursday, April 27.

Photography by Mike Krautter, http://www.marthastewart.com/1066245/april-book-club-poem-your-pocket-day 

Book clubs at Ensor are rolling thousands of scrolls and tied with pink and blue ribbons to share with the community. Students will share the love of poetry with parents as they drop off their students in the drop off zones before school on the 27^th.

National Junior Honor Society students and Ensor book clubs will distribute poetry bags filled with scrolls to nearby merchants on April 25. Merchants will pass out the poetry scrolls to the shoppers/clients/customers on National Poem in Your Pocket Day.  Teachers will receive eight poems for each class period. They will share their poems with each of their classes.

It is the hope that the community will come together, share a smile and open their hearts to poetry, the written word and each other.

Students will encourage parents and the community to tweet about our event using the hashtags

#NPM17 #pocketpoem #PoemsRCoolEnsor #PoemsRCoolHHE #SISDreads #TeamSISD

To get started on your own celebration, find more details at www.poets.org

Be sure and watch this helpful video from Charlottesville, West Virginia. It is inspirational!

Poetry packets can be downloaded from the site. Poems that are public domain may be used for distribution. Student written poetry is a fun way to encourage students to write their own poetry and share it with others.

Elementary students can carry a short poem in their pocket. Everyone they meet on April 27 should hear their poem and share one of their own.  We also have a poetry slam for middle schools that will feature students’ own work. They will memorize and perform in front of an audience for prizes and the grand prize.

http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/?p=9880