This link is for teachers with whom I will be team-teaching this year.  Please use it if the link in the email attachment I sent you does not work.  I'd like to have all surveys in by next Friday, Sept. 16 if possible.  Thanks!

Click here to take survey

Michelle Morley emailed me with this even cheaper and easier version of a document camera for those of us on a budget.  It's worth checking out:

http://www.merconnet.com/product_info.php?products_id=870

If anyone wants a document camera in their room, like me, but can't afford the cost of the real-deal, you should make one!  I just rigged something up tonight while passing the time away in my hotel room in Saskatoon (I'm up scoring Math papers). 

Last night I went to London Drugs and bought a web cam and a lamp.  The web cam I purchased was a higher end Logitech one as I didn't want to sacrifice clarity (knowing I'd be using it for this purpose).  I also made sure it had its own software for viewing (I would imagine this is pretty standard with most web cams, though).  The lamp was super cheap, but had the key components of being able to bend and pivot.  It also had skinny arms (easy to clamp the camera onto) and clamps onto a table or desktop. 

I'll attach a picture of the lamp set up, but you have to imagine the webcam hooked onto the arm with the cord velcroed to the arm hinge to keep it out of the way (I don't have the right cord with me in Saskatoon to take a picture of the complete set up with my actual camera and upload it).  I'll also attach the very first picture I took using my new "document camera."

I have added two new "Tech Tools" under the Technology tab.  Audioboo is another audio recording device that is fairly easy to use and free.  Youblisher is a great free tool for uploading your pdf documents to your website or blog.  It makes it really easy for your viewers to navigate through your document (similar to how you would browse through an online catalogue).  Definitely check these out!

As I was planning a halving/doubling lesson for Grade Five on Thursday, I happened to come across this fantastic site.  It has linked hundreds (maybe thousands?) of teacher-created files (pdfs, docs, powerpoints, and more) suited to the topic you are researching.  I'll provide the link to the main page, then you can navigate from there by selecting from the subjects listed along the left-hand side of the page.

http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/

This is a fantastic website that I saw in action during Susan Muir's lesson today!  There are too many activities to describe in detail, but it is basically a free, online resource base for developing numeracy and literacy skills (and more) at multiple grade levels.  It is really just something you have to check out for yourself.

TES iboard

I was chatting with Darla today after school and happened to notice a website that she had stumbled across called Mathwire.  The site has a ton of alphabetized links to different Math activities and also sites categorized according to NCTM standards.  What really caught my attention, though, was the "Math Music" page.  It lists a bunch of songs already categorized according to strand that you can listen to online for free!  I'll link to the Mathwire home page and I'll also link directly to the music page as it takes a bit of digging.

http://mathwire.com/
http://mathwire.com/music/music.html

I don't know how I haven't gotten around to linking to this blog sooner.  It is one that I refer to frequently and has so much wonderful information.  Susan is our division's K-4 Math Coach and she has given me permission to link to her blog from this one.  I'll place the link in this post, but I have also placed it permanently under the Math: K-3 tab.  Just because of her lower level designation, don't feel that you won't find something there to help you out if you teach higher grades.  Here is the link:

Susan Muir's Blog

Thanks to Tenille for the following website - check it out:

Busy Teachers' Cafe

Here is the link from this week's mentoring session hosted by Jan.  It is her self-created wiki on grammar in context:

http://grammarincontext.wikispaces.com/

I thought I'd post the link on Word Work that Jan/Jocelyn shared with us.  Here is what Jan said about the site (verbatim) in her email:

Here is the link to the wiki site called Graphonic clues and conventions - word work.  If you look on the left hand side of the pages listed, click on Instructional Approach - word work and then scroll down 3/4 of the page to Making Words online Games and there are a few more sites to check out.


Have a look:
http://graphophoniccuesandconventions-wordworkandspelling.wikispaces.com/

It seems that "Super Teacher Worksheets" was a hit with teachers, so I thought I'd find a few more sites to share with you that will help you with your assessment.  The following three sites offer free rubric generators and ready-made rubrics that you can print and use instantly.  The first website (Teachnology) also has free printable worksheets.  Be careful where you click on that site as most of it is free, but not all (see me if you're having trouble locating the free rubrics).

TeAchnology
RubiStar
Rubrics for Teachers

This site is great!  It has free printable worksheets for Math and LA - definitely worth checking out:

Super Teacher Worksheets

After our staff meeting last week, it was decided that a few tweaks were necessary to make the Problem Solving Communication template a little clearer and easier for students to be successful.  Thank you, Darla, for making these changes so quickly!  I've changed the link in both grades' Math tabs so that this new document is now available for you to download.

Welcome back to work and all the best in 2011!  For anyone who is interested, I have been wondering if our health benefits package runs for the school year (August to July) or the calendar year (January to December).  I phoned the STF to find out and it is the latter (calendar year), so you can start fresh now on your allotted amounts for chiropractor appointments, massages, etc.