Teacher Tip: Use Your Desktop Monitors and Interactive Whiteboard as Anchor Charts

My students and I LOVE using our interactive whiteboard, but there are times when it's apparent that it has taken over a substantial portion of my dry erase/display area, and others when we have so many items open that scrolling through them all without accidentally clicking them closed takes a bit more time than what we'd like for a quick filler activity.  Not wanting to have to work through seven clicks to open a file, or fill the screen with zillions of little icons, I sat down and determined what kinds of content I'd like to have readily available for transitions: letter naming, number identification, plane and solid shape review, and sight word practice.  Finding cute and appropriate clip art, photos, or available wallpaper/desktop patterns online can easily fill a weekend, but it's ~worth it~.

(If anyone knows the source of this adorable autumn image, 

please let me know so I can give credit where it's due!)

Popping the pile of autumn leaves into a Word document, I added a text box and typed in our second quarter sight words.  I like to save documents like this as PDFs so they don't get altered, but I also keep a copy in Word, and take a screen shot when necessary.  Using the new image as the wallpaper on our SMART Board ~and~ on our desktop computers gives my students multiple opportunities in small and large groups as well as individually to quickly review and practice whatever is displayed. 

I too, can quickly reference a targeted skill without having to search, click, open, and wait.  I change the desktop/SMART Board wallpapers by month, but can also have a different image on each of our five desktop computers if I need to differentiate during centers.

How else can teachers and students use the valuable real estate space found on interactive white boards and desktop computers?  Comment below and share your ideas!

Attempting Patience, Enjoying a Birthday

I've been a student for the past two weeks, blissfully enjoying SMARTBoard training in preparation for new classroom equipment that is being installed sometime this summer. Learning how to use the SMARTBoard, how to add audio, make videos, assessments, and all sorts of interactive activities for my students has my head in a happy whirl- but I will admit that my toes are tapping impatiently, w-a-i-t-i-n-g for the classroom installation to take place so I can get started with the integration of this new piece of technology.

Tappity-tap-tap.

Life outside of the classroom has continued on though:



Our pre-schooler celebrated a birthday (and discovered a newfound interest in all things DINOSAUR):



His birthday dinner took place at the T-Rex Cafe...



Where this guy meets you at the door, growling AND moving...



Take a look at the ceiling:



See the octopus? We were seated underneath him (that's Dear Daughter in the right hand corner, UPSTAIRS looking down at our table)...



The pre-schooler found dinosaur books, a TREASURE:





Roar!