The Tech Savvy Science Teacher: January 2014

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

I'm on Facebook

With the redesign of my blog, I decided to give my Facebook page a go too. Head on over to my page and give me a like!

Sunday, January 19, 2014

I know that many people use Bloglovin to follow the blogs they read, so I wanted to make things easy for those who do. So, here's your link: Follow my blog with Bloglovin

If you use another RSS reader, check out my post about that.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

ReadWorks - reading meets science (and other subjects)

I was looking for some short readings to use with my 8th grade Earth Science class as I wanted them to have something short to do in the beginning of the period. Our superintendent is really pushing literacy so I thought it would be a good idea. In my search for short readings with questions along with them I came across ReadWorks. It's a free research-based reading comprehension curriculum. Don't get scared off by me saying curriculum. I just take the pieces that I need and ignore the rest (I mean I am first and foremost a science teacher!)

Where do you find science readings for your class?

Monday, January 13, 2014

Creating an easy Works Cited Page

If your school is anything like mine the Common Core wave is just being dumped onto you. Along with that comes a lot of writing. If you are having students do research then you might be asking them to submit a Works Cited page. Here are 3 sites that easily allow your students to create these pages.

EasyBib - this sites allows you to just type in the name of a book or enter a website address and gives you MLA citation (other versions are also available, but not on the free site).
Citation Machine - this site is a little less robust than the last. It is really only good for citing books, but gives you the option of using MLA or APA citations.
BibMe - this one is my favorite because it is the most robust. It gives you the option to cite just about anything that you need, plus you have the options to use MLA, APA or Chicago formats.

If you are also concerned about plagiarism take a look at this site to help with that.

What does the common core look like in your classroom?

Sunday, January 12, 2014

ClassDojo - manage student behavior

I have a particularly bad class this year. It's just the one period that I have after lunch, but they drive me crazy. I have starting using ClassDojo because it's an easy way for me to record the behavior in the classroom. Students and parents have access to these records so they can see how they are behaving.

ClassDojo gives me the option of updating behavior instantaneously using a laptop, tablet, or smartphone and can be displayed via computer, projector, or interactive whiteboard. The availability of data engages students and helps actively shape behavior, thus creating a more positive learning environment in the classroom.

ClassDojo also automatically generates behavior reports that I can send home to parents or share with students. These reports have given parents and students insight into the classroom that hadn’t been previously available. I believe that providing students with feedback has allowed learning to flourish in my classroom, increasing students’ positive behavior and intrinsic motivation.

What do you do to track classroom behavior?