Pinterest & Telling the Story of "The Three Little Pigs"

Pinterest - either the best thing on the internet or the worst (depending on how much time you have available to waste). Most believe that Pinterest is just a social media sight that gives girls and women alike ideas of things that we just "have to have" or, for those of you who are married, things that your husband just "has to build" for you. While all of this may be true Pinterest can also be a wonderful tool of resources in the classroom. I have personally been required to use Pinterest to complete a project for a class. I do believe that for those of you brave souls that have classrooms of older students that are capable of using the internet efficiently that it would be a interesting for your students to use Pinterest to complete a project. Now if your like me and you have a classroom full of kids who would rather roll around in the dirt or jump rope all day I would not suggest allowing your students near a computer, much less Pinterest. Instead you could use Pinterest as a resource full of activities, crafts, lesson plans, games, etc etc for your classroom. Last week the students and I read the story we are all familiar with of "The Three Little Pigs" and then I found this neat idea on Pinterest were the students would work with a partner to write a script, make puppets, and put on their own presentation of the Three Little Pigs. This is how I did it...

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XCSpyLUz6SHa4MIKdEL-PXkfClUqEg3M7wx3z9TJKXI/edit

1. First I paired the students up with a partner and instructed them on how to begin writing their script and to discuss and agree on what they thought was the main lesson/moral of the story, this was to be included in their script and play. 
2. After the students finished their scripts they then gathered the supplies that they would need to complete their puppets - pink, yellow, orange, and white paper, a brown paper sack (or brown paper), googly eyes, brown pipecleaners, scissors, a glue stick, and a brown or black sharpie
   
3. Students then cut out the shapes and separated the necessary supplies to create the three little pigs and the big bad wolf puppets - pink construction paper, white paper, googly eyes, and popsicle sticks 
   
4. Students used a glue stick to glue these pieces together to create their puppets 
   
5. Students then made the "straw house" from the story using half the brown paper sack, cut up strips of the yellow paper, and a glue stick 
   
6. Students then made the "stick house" from the story using the other half of the brown paper sack, brown pipecleaners, and a glue stick 
   
7. Students then made the "brick house" from the story using the orange paper and the brown sharipe, but you could use red or black paper or sharpies to represent the brick 
   
8. Students then used their script, puppets, and houses to put on their play of "The Three Little Pigs"
   

Good luck and happy story telling!

Web 2.0 Tools

WEB 2.0 TOOLS BLOGGING ASSIGNMENT

1. Prezi

Prezi is a tool that allows students and teachers alike to create original and interesting presentations. Prezi makes presentations in a nonlinear way that goes beyond the normal, boring slide. Prezi can be created in a series of chronicle order. 

I would allow my students to create a Prezi as a reflection of what they had learned during an assignment and/or research. I would also use a Prezi presentation to present information to my students. 

2. Scrapblog

Scrapblog is a tool that allows people to combine pictures, videos, music, text, etc. into a public post. This blog can then be shared with friends, family, co-workers, and other people important to your life. This is a great and effective way to share personal pieces and important information in your life. 

I would give my students the option to create their own scrapblog to tell their story as a "get to know you" at the beginning of the school year. I would also create my own scrapblog to share class assignments, information, and upcoming events. 

3. Google docs

Google docs is a tool that is similar to Microsoft word. Google docs allows one to make written documents. Google docs do not have to be saved to a drive, but instead is automatically saved to the web

If I had internet access in my classroom I would require my students to write their papers through Google docs so that they were easier to access for both them and me. Seeing how most schools are becoming Google schools I would properly instruct my kids on how to use Google docs correctly. 

4. Enter the Group

Enter the Group is a tool that makes group work much easier. It allows teachers, students, and groups alike to collaborate ideas and create projects online. Enter the Group makes organization of group work easier and keeps the work in a common area. 

I would certainly ask my students to do their group work here in Enter the Group because it would integrate using technology in the classroom and it would make the entire process easier. I might even have other students view other groups' work online and critique it. 

5. Dropbox

Dropbox is a tool that allows one to save, share and sync files online. Dropbox can be used in a recreational manner to share files between friends and family. Dropbox can also be used in a classroom setting to turn in online assignments and files. 

I would use Dropbox in my classroom to have students turn in their assignments that we do online or on the computers. I prefer Dropbox because it can even be used on mobile devices. 

6. Blogger

Blogger is a tool that allows people to make their own blog through Google for free. Blogger is relatively easy and self explanatory to work and create. Blogs made through Blogger can be made either public or private depending on how much safety is needed for the author. 

If I were to ask my students to make a blog I would probably ask them to use Blogger because it is owned by Google and I would most likely be teaching in a Google school. I would have the students post in their blog maybe once a week just over what they had learned (and retained) in the classroom that week and what other things they would like to learn. 

7. Edmodo

Edmodo is a tool that is very similar to the Angel that we use at Henderson. It is a type of online class/group through which you can communicate with teachers and peers, see assignments, and turn in assignments. The great thing about Edmodo is that it is very private and one can only have an account through the teacher and school so there are no predators on this website. 

I would make a group on Edmodo for my kids to do their work through and such because it is user friendly, especially for younger kids. I would also give the parents of my students the account information so that they can ensure their child's work is being done. 

8. Twiducate

Twiducate is a tool that is pretty much twitter for your classroom. Twiducate is an educational social media. It allows the teacher and students to post "tweets" about their class and what they are learning. 

I would have a Twiducate account for my students to follow because we know how big kids are into social media (but this one is educational). I would post assignments and upcoming events and maybe even some "cliff hangers" to leave the kids interested in class and wondering what we are going to do next. 

9. Elluminate

Elluminate is a tool that allows interaction between three people. Elluminate includes an interactive whiteboard, ability to upload presentations, and/or have video, audio and text chats. 

I would use Elluminate not for my students but for my student's parents. We recognize that we live in a fast paced society and sometimes parents don't have time to come sit in a parent teacher conference, so I would offer this alternative to busy parents. 

10. Popplet 

Popplet is a tool that allows students to create their own ideas of videos, pictures and text. It also allows students to invite others to help them design their "masterpieces". Popplet allows students to put their own viewpoints and opinions into old ideas. 

I would use Popplet to allow my students to express themselves in a positive way. I would present them with a controversial topic, idea, subject, etc. and ask them to incorporate their own ideas and opinions. 

social media still running the world?

http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/051313p10.shtml

Social Media and Interpersonal Communication

If you read my earlier post to my blog you read about my despise of the over-usage of social media in today's society, especially when used in such a negative way. This article just "proves my point" for lack of better terms. As we become more and more social on social media sites we become less and less social in our real life relationships. We learn to hide behind a screen instead of "manning up" and being who we truly are. Social media has given us an outlet to be someone else; it has given us another world that we get to control and manipulate. We can control how we look on our social medias and how we are perceived. We can sit and think on our words before they are "spoken", we choose who we follow, who follows us, who we befriend and who we shut out. It is a second world in every sense of the phrase but in this world, we are the dictators. So we find ourselves controlling our perfect little make believe worlds and slowly and quietly losing touch with our beautifully broken lives everyday. We choose fake perfection, false hope and false promises over a world at our finger tips. We need to wake up, get a grip and understand that what we create on our social medias is a fairy tale that isn't coming true and that although our everyday lives are not perfect they are perfect in their quirkiness of each goofy little day. 

I encourage you all to watch the video in my link below and choose life over fairy tales

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/01/prince-ea-video_n_5916354.html

go out and see the world & never stop exploring

who really runs the world?

http://www.mcbeestrategic.com/social-media-in-2013-the-influence-and-impact-of-the-individual-on-digital-communications/

SOCIAL MEDIA IN 2013: THE INFLUENCE AND IMPACT OF THE INDIVIDUAL ON DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONs

Can I start by saying, wow! What staggering numbers this article unveiled; 650,000 Facebook shares, 100,000 tweets, and 48 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every second! What are people doing with their lives? I will admit that I do have four forms of social networking including facebook, instagram, twitter, and pinterest. I will also admit that I waste very little time on them. As I get older I am learning the importance of real life connections and relationships. I have grown to despise the fact that in most everyday situations we can't have a conversation with someone without a phone being in their hand and constantly buzzing and making noises. While I do have such a negative opinion of social media I do still believe that it can be such a powerful tool when used in a correct manner; that's the tricky part, the mannerly thing. We have grown to be a society that is out to get our own and do what benefits us even if that means cutting down others and sadly we are seeing that on so many different social medias. But imagine if we used social sites and social  medias for positive things, to build others up, and to encourage each other. We could change the world (literally)! As this article states, "A single individual’s opinion can potentially influence thousands of people." It is our job to choose whether social media and social sites continue to be looked down upon or looked at as a powerful tool used to do good in the world. It is my personal vote that we put down our phones, look up, and enjoy all the beauty and abundance of life surrounding us, take hold of that and live a stupendous life!

notice the little dots on the horizon, yea those are my friends and I totally unplugged from the world and just loving life, the sunset, and each other

Where am I and what the heck am I giggling about?

Where am I and what the heck am I giggling about? My name is Kennedy Reeves, I am a sophomore at Henderson State University in Arkansas studying early childhood development. I grew up in the small, "backwoods" town of Mena, Arkansas with my family of five; my parents, an older sister and a younger brother. As a kid I enjoyed doing just about anything outdoors, I climbed trees like it was going out of style, I built forts like it was my job, and played any kind of sport like it was my desire to be a professional athlete one day. But then life got a little bit faster paced and this awful thing called school started. I'm going to be upfront with my utter hatred that I had (and still have) for school. I have never once in my life woke up and gotten excited that I get to go sit in a desk and be forced to learn, or as we college students say "memorize", information that I most likely will never use again. So now you're probably questioning why I want to be a teacher; well the answer is simple...sort of. I get to be with kids day in and day out, all day long and that makes my heart happy. I have always had a great love for kids and a desire to work with them to ensure that they achieve all that they want to achieve. So here I am at Henderson, which I chose for its' outstanding education program, just trying to laugh my way through each day, hence this blog. I am a generally positive person; I try to find the positive in all situations no matter how bad so I tend to laugh...alot. I don't let things bother me too much and that's my secret. Never let life get you down because while today may be awful, you still have tomorrow to look forward to. So I hope that my posts about my daily life as a goofy, fun loving college student and all my awkward and not so awkward encounters can bring a giggle or two to your day.