Padlet.com Again...

Padlet.com has been a great tool for admit tickets and exit tickets! Students have really enjoyed posting and seeing others' posts. Each week I ask students to access the news, find the top news stories and give details (evidence) for each story. I thought Padlet would be the perfect way for students to share what they learned. It worked great, so I think I'll continue to use it. It will also be a good way to practice using correct grammar, spelling, and capitalization, as well as practice proper digital etiquette while posting online.

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Padlet.com

Going to workshops and conferences is great, but I find that when I return to the classroom I forget to sometimes follow up on all the information that has been presented.  Last year I attended a fantastic workshop on using technology in Social Studies.  I created a Google doc of all the websites and have been slowly working my way through these resources to see which would work in my classroom.  (No random binders or loose papers to keep track of!).  This year our school district purchased 29 Chrome books for our team to use with students, so I wanted to incorporate more technology in my lessons.  One website that I really like is Padlet.com.  I'm using it for admit tickets, tickets to leave, and current events. 

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Opening Activities

I have tried many activities over the years to establish rapport with my students.  After attending the Constructivist Conference in Canton, NY and a Differentiation Conference by Kathleen Kryza I decided to take more time to get to know my students.  I typically do icebreakers such as People Bingo with classes, which I continued to do this year.  After participating in Kathleen Kryza's workshop I decided to try using Core Groups. I trained students in what expectations I had by asking to choose an Adrinka Symbol that best represented them. Groups then brainstormed a list of class rules.  Students then completed a gallery walk where they chose the rules that they thought best suited them. I also requested that students complete a learning style survey. Finally, I asked students to fill out index cards with their name, hobbies/interests, and learning styles. I felt that these activities really helped to establish the ground rules and rapport with students.