Environmentally-friendly lessons!

We just received new copiers. . Big ,big, heavy-duty copiers, meant to run off lots and lots of paper. I have come to the conclusion,  that teachers,mind you this opinion is  not based onany  research, use more paper than any other profession.  Between assessments, handouts, flyers, and the” 25 pages that were copied 2 sided/2 sided because someone forgot to clear the machine” or “the teacher who used it before you forgot to remove the pink paper,’ we waste a lot of paper!

That being said, I was so proud of myself when I created an environmentally friendly lesson.  As a matter of fact, more and more of my lessons are “green.”  I owe it all to my friend, technology.  I was teaching the skill making inferences and it  was almost completely green. First, my whole group lesson was  obtained from SMART exchange and was shared on the SMARTboard.  The students followed and interacted on the board, no paper. Next, they watched the video, “Miss Nelson is Back”, courtesy of Discovery Education’s United Streaming.  After viewing the movie, they completed the  “Organizing Inferences” sheet,that was  posted on Edmodo, turned in on Edmodo, graded on Edmodo, AND their grade was viewed on Edmodo. And as an icing on the cake, “Mrs.Nelson is Back” was  assessed using the quiz I obtained from United Streaming and typed onto Testmoz.com.  The quiz was  taken online, graded online,and the  scores were given to the students instantly! I tell you, how much more “green” could I get? 

More and more, because I have access to these tech tools, I have been moving away from the use of paper in my classroom ,and it’s a good thing. My students have begun suggesting lessons where I don’t require the use of paper. Our reading and math program have online assessments where the students’  grades can be accessed online.  I have created an answer key for assessments though, it’s always good to have a hard copy and some parents do not have Internet access at home. Our state testing program is online as well. I’ve found that being “green” is not only good for the environment, but it’s good for my classroom as well!

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iLearn Technology

Apparently, during one of my forays of technology websites, I discovered iLearn Technology . 

I must have enjoyed it because I became a subscriber.  However, until yesterday, when I was supposed to be cleaning out the desk in the hallway, I rarely opened the email notifications I received from the site. Well, before I tackled the desk, I decided to get rid of all the work email that had piled up.  As procrastinators do, I began opening the email instead of deleting it, and I was glad I did.  ilearn Technology is wonderful!  This site is a wonderful resource for technology nuts such as myself.    I ended up in the archives because I was opening older emails, but it allowed me to find new sites I had not been privy to.   Every time I opened the site, the Featured Post had changed, offering me another site to check out, and another addition to my Delicious links. I really got stuck on the 31 of My Favorite  Digital Storytelling Sites page.  Yes, 31!  I was familiar with a few of them, but not all.  My mind raced with how I could apply these sites in my classroom,   Piclits,  Smilebox, and the other 29 sites that were listed. Even now, as I type this, the Featured Post is a distraction. 🙂  You can’t go wrong with this site, you can be overwhelmed, but like they say, just try one new thing. They have a search engine, and they offer applications for education for each suggested site.  I also love the fact that the authors thank contributors from their PLN for some of the sites they listed.   I never did clean out that desk yesterday, so I’m going to stay away from ilearn Technology today, at least  until that desk is clean!