Learn Fit

Today I wanted to share these great desks with you.  My daughter (4th grade) is lucky enough to be in one of the first trial classes for the Ergotron LearnFit adjustable desk in the U.S.  These standing desk are are amazing.  Her class has had them for a little over a month and they seem to be working out great.

You may think standing all day, Oh No!  However, this really helps the students focus and be more attentive.  Check out this informational video about the desk. 


My daughter loves her standing desk!  She is a "busy" student and having the ability to move has really helped her.  I think these would be amazing in a K/1 class!  

They also have a teacher standing desk, I would love to have one of these!  Maybe one day...

Charging Station

I love using mobile devices in my classroom, but figuring out the best way to keep them all charged is a completely other issue.  Remembering to plug them in and keeping the cords from getting tangled or falling behind the shelf....

This year I found the solution that worked for me and it is super cheap!  You can find it in the kitchen aisle of any discount retailer.

I just have my charging station on a counter in my classroom.  The students can easily access all of the devices.  Each device has its own place.  The last group to use the devices for the day is responsible for plugging them in.

Click here if you would like to download the labels for free. 

If Only a QR Code Could Talk...

If only a QR code could talk... Well they can!  I am sure we are all familiar with QR codes and are integrating them in our classroom.  (If not, you should be!  They make things so much more fun, efficient, effective and makes it easier for teachers too!)  Everyone knows you can link a website or video with a QR code.  Did you know you can also link audio?  Think of the possibilities!  First, I thought of many ways I could create audio QR codes to help students.  I could record myself reading the directions or questions for centers.  This would help them to work independently.


We often display student work in our hallways at my school.  Sometimes it is hard for others to understand what they are seeing.  Whether it be the writing is hard to read or others may not understand how the project relates to learning.  It would be great if the students could stand out in the hall and explain their work to all of those interested who pass by.  By adding a simple voice QR code, students can add their voice to their projects.  Now anyone with a mobile device and a QR scanner app can simply scan it an listen.  Other students could scan and listen, learning from their classmates.  This is the ultimate way to easily incorporate the Common Core's speaking and listening standards.

I found this great website vocaroo.com !  It was so easy to record audio and generate a QR code; even  5 year old could do it!  I put these directions together and thought I would share, click here to get them free.

Here is a quick video tutorial on how easy it really is.

I am linking up with Technology Tailgate's Techie Tuesday Link Up.  Stop by for more great information from other tech bloggers.

Technology Tailgate

Happy Saturday!  I just joined the Technology Tailgate team as a contributor!  This is one of the blogs I frequently stalk, and love all of the tech tips I pick up from their authors.

Today I wrote my first post for Technology Tailgate.  It explains how "iFlash" my students and includes a digital tech freebie so you can flash your students too! 

Make sure to stop over at the Tailgate and check it out!

Safe Share Videos with QR Codes

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is a video worth???  I often like to show quick video clips to help students understand more about a lesson.  There are many great video clips on YouTube; however there are also many not so good clips on YouTube.  In addition to the "non-educational" videos, the advertisements are often not kid friendly.  Well good news, there is an easy way around this!

You can easily import a YouTube video clip to be viewed through SafeShare.TV and even have students get to your link via a QR code.  Here is a short tutorial I created to show you how.



It is super easy!  Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.

Appy Friday!

Appy Friday!!  I was watching the Today show this morning and saw their "Appy Friday" segment and thought that would be a great weekly post or even linky!  So here we go!

Each Friday I will be sharing my favorite app and how I use it in the classroom.  I also look forward to finding out about some other new apps from my blogging friends.  Have a blog?  Link up with your own "appy Friday" post.  No blog, but have an app you love?  Share with everyone in the comments.

So let me start with one of my favorite apps!  Star Walk!

We have been studying the sky.  Star Walk is an app ($2.99) that let's you star gaze, even in the day time.  You can find stars, planets, satellites, and the International Space Station.  Then by a simple touch you can access even more pictures and a wealth of information.  



I used this last week in class during small group centers.  I had it on my iPad and was air playing to a large flat screen through an apple TV.  This made it easy for everyone to see what was going on.  Students took turns using the iPad to select and learn about various objects in the sky.

At home, my girls loved using the app outside at night.  We laid under the night sky on a blanket and brought the sky to life through augmented reality.

Give it a try!  What is your favorite app?

An InLinkz Link-up

A Dynamic QR Code

My class loves to scan QR codes!  I like to use QR codes as a quick way to get students where I want them to go.  My entire classroom is done in a Lego theme.  Lego bricks are such a great learning tool and can be used in so many ways.  Here is our class QR code students use in the "Literacy Plugged-in" center.  (Yes, it really works and it is made out of Lego bricks!)

It obviously took me quite a while to build this QR code on a 12"x12" Lego plate.  I can't make a new one every time I want to send them to a different place.  (I know I could pay to generate a dynamic QR code, but I was being cheap.)  This QR code takes students to a blog I set up on Blogger.  It is a no frills blog and simply called "Phillips QR".  Each time I have new information or links I want the students to see, I write a quick post.  I usually embed a video in the post as well.  When the students scan the code, it takes them to my most recent post.  During our unit on President's Day, I had links with information and videos on Presidents.  For our Seuss week, I had links to audio/video Seuss books.  The possibilities are endless.  I have also found by embedding the videos, the students aren't exposed to as many of the ads on YouTube.

I used www.qrstuff.com to generate the QR code for free.  I liked this site because it will shorten the URL for you, and this makes for a simpler QR code.  Then I printed it out and started building.  One Lego stud for each pixel.

You can do the same thing, by just printing the QR code.  This would also be a great way to differentiate for students.  Different levels could have different QR codes and students wouldn't really notice the differences.

I am linking up on Tuesday with Technology Tailgate!