Technology update!

ELATION!

I am ecstatic beyond belief! I feel like I won the lottery! I received an e-mail tonight stating that my donorschoose.org project was completely funded! My classroom will have three new Nook color tablets and protective covers this fall!

I cannot wait to teach my kinder buddies how to use these incredible learning tools for our daily 3 time, as well as for other curricular areas in our classroom! So excited!

To those of you who have also created donorschoose.org projects: don’t give up hope! My project was out there for the world to see for over month. It felt MUCH longer than that, and I e-mailed friends, family and Facebook land a few times with my project link. My project was funded through a donor I didn’t have direct ties to, but I am incredibly thankful to have this opportunity for my little kinder buddies!

New Technology

September is right around the corner and I have a teacher-to-do list a mile long! One thing high on my to-do list for this next school year is to obtain new technology for student use in my classroom. I'm lucky, my school is already set-up with wireless internet. However, we don't yet have any up-to-date technology in our rooms for students to use independently. I have a computer...upgraded with latest microsoft software (finally!!), but it's anchored to my desk with a scray looking tangle of wires. Not the ideal location for five and six year olds!

This summer I decided to act on this goal, and I created my own project page on donorschoose.org to get Nook Color tablets for my classroom. My goal is to teach the students how to use them for read-to-self and read-to-someone time, as well as to extend lessons in all other curricular areas. Some of you might think this is crazy, and crazy that such young kids should even be using such technology yet. But let's face it, these kids were born in an era of digital natives. These technological skills aren't going away any time soon, no matter if they use it in Kindergarten or not. So, why not enhance their learning in a way that is meaningful to them?? We want our students to be eager and excited to learn, and in this day and age, techonology is the key!

Are you lucky? Here's another idea for trying to get that technology you're craving for your room: Teacher Created Resources is having a back to school iPad giveaway! Enter for your chance to win here!

I look forward to using technology in meaningful ways with my little kinder-buddies this year! I'll let you know how everything goes, and hopefully I get the donations need to make this big dream come true!

Teacher Toolbox

I am so excited! I just finished my first teacher toolbox! I've been seeing this idea all over Facebook and Pinterest and I decided it was going on my teacher to-do list for summer 2012.

I found the 22-drawer toolbox at Mill's Fleet Farm, but you can get them at Lowe's or Home Depot as well. I found some teacher/school like cardstock paper at Michael's, and then I created my own label document on Microsoft Word. I had found some already made freebie's out there on Teachers pay Teachers, but I REALLY wanted to use my teacher cardstock paper which had a vertical alignment. The freebies I had found were to be printed horizontally, therefore my apples and I<3 school paper wouldn't work!

My Teacher Toolbox!

I printed my labels on my school themed cardstock, but realized it was hard to read some of the labels because of the paper design. So, I reprinted the labels on white card stock, trimmed them down, and used double stick tape to adhere them to the design paper labels. I then used double stick tape to stick them to the inside of the drawers!

*update*

I decided I was bored by the gray colored toolbox…so I spray painted it with chalkboard paint! I don’t know if I’ll actually write on it with chalk, but the finish looks cool! I’ll take a picture of it next time I stop at my classroom!

Top 5 NEED-TO-KNOW-ABOUT websites!!

I've discovered a lot this past school year about not re-inventing the wheel. My first year mentor and college professors always talked about this, and I always heard them, but its meaning never really sank in. It means: don't try to do everything yourself! You can't! Share with others and learn from them!

So learn from this - these are the top 5 websites that have saved my life this past year, and you need to know about them too!

1.  TpT - Teachers pay Teachers - and don't worry about money! I know, you're broke! So instead, scroll down and click on "free" on the left hand side. Then click you're grade level, subject, etc and browse away! SO EASY! SO SIMPLE! It will make your life less hectic, too!

2.  .Donorschoose.org- This website is where you go to get the things you need, but can't afford on your own. Simply create a project for your classroom, shop for the supplies through their "mall" and submit it. Put some thought into this, but dream big!

3.  Pinterest- If you haven't subscribed to pinterest yet, you are crazy! Every new and cute idea is on this site! Countless bloggers, teachers, friends, magazines and other organizations on here, pinning their newest or most favorite ideas, ready for you to see! Ask someone you know to invite you to the site, or request membership on your own.

4.  CFC - Clutter-Free Classroom - My MOST FAVORITE teacher blog! She will show you the ins and outs of organizing your space, decluttering your room, and simplifying your life as a teacher! I LOVE her products and recommend them to everyone! Just look and see for yourself!

5.  Scholastic Book Clubs- If you've been hired and have your first classroom, this is a no-brainer! Scholastic seems to be one of the best and least expensive ways to build your classroom and promote literacy at any age! They always offer some kind of teacher coupon, especially for first year teachers, and they have prices that are hard to beat!

6.  ***Last minute addition* kevinandamanda.com - CUTE, free fonts!!***

Hello World

My name is Ashley, and I am a "newish" Kindergarten teacher. I've taught for three years so far, in the same district but two different buildings. Each year was drastically different from the last - posing new and different challenges that I hadn't really imagined. I started each year still feeling like a first-year teacher without much clarity as to what I was doing or what was truly expected of me as a real-life Kindergarten teacher!

So now that I'm finally starting to feel like my feet are wet, I want to share my tips and advice (from where I am in my career à a "newish" teacher), to all those who are in the same boat...just starting out.

I can't promise cute designs and fonts just yet, I'm really new to this whole blogging thing! But, I look forward to sharing the knowledge that I've gained so far, hoping it helps out any other new teachers, or those teachers who are looking to get a new, fresh start as well!

-Ashley