HEADPHONES

These right here... have made life better and quieter, which is kind of the same thing at times in a Kinder classroom.  Last year, I had an iPad and an iPod Touch for students to use to scan QR codes during Reader's Workshop.  They would listen to the books and with only 2 going at a time, they could spread out in the room and it wasn't really an issue.  

Well this year, we were given 6 iPad minis.  That's a problem.  6 different devices, reading 6 different stories while I'm trying to pull reading groups is not o.k.  I started looking for solutions and found these head phones at my local Dollar Tree.  (They don't have these particular headphones online, but I bet you could show your store the picture!)  They are retractable headphones and cheap enough ($1- duh!) that I purchased a pair for every kid in my class (and a few extra in case there were some duds, but I haven't found a dud yet!)  

On the round piece, I use a sharpie and write their class number.  This way, if they are left plugged into a device or we find them on the ground, we know who they belong to!  We also don't share them, so we don't spread ear wax germs! :)  I tell the kids (and parents) that this is the one and only pair they will get from me.  If a student breaks or loses them, I ask for their parents to send a new pair.  I also share with them that they can be purchased at the dollar store!  ...or how many pairs of ear buds do you have in drawers around the house?!  They seem to multiply because they give you a pair with every device you by these days!  

Anyway!  I was surprised by how hard it was to find inexpensive headphones!  I like that these are budget friendly, small, and we can write our names/numbers on them!  

What do you do for headphones in your classroom?  Does your district provide them? Do parents donate them?  I'm curious how others handle headphones!  ...because I'm a dork like that :)

Meet Your Teacher!

I get excited just thinking about it! It's my favorite night of the year, Meet the Teacher Night! I get to find out which precious 5/6 year olds I will be spending my days with AND I get their parents to use technology!!  I use QR codes to help this night run smoothly! Here's how:

Giving my contact information to parents

This is easy peasy and SUCH a time/paper saver!  Instead of typing my contact information or passing out business cards, I simply use this website to create a QR code with all my contact information!

You want to click vcard right here...

A form will pop up and you can type in any/all of the information you want to share with your parents.  As you type, you will see the QR code on the right change.

After you have everything in, you will click "Download" under your QR Code.  You want to save it as a jpeg.  Do so by clicking jpeg.

After saving it as a jpeg, you can insert it in a word document (just like you would do a picture) and type something like "Scan the QR Code below to get Mrs. S's Contact Information".  I use my school's poster machine and enlarge it.  Then I hang it on my white board so parents can walk up and scan it or do it from afar.  It helps to have a couple posted so that parents can scan quickly.  After Meet the Teacher Night, I always keep a small version posted on the outside of my classroom door.  This way, any visitor in the school can access my contact information.

Collecting Parents' Emails

Now the reverse!  I need the parents' contact information!  Most importantly, I need their email addresses and I don't want to have to type them all in.  Sometimes handwriting is hard to read and I may enter them wrong!  So this fixes all of that!  I create a google form which asks for the parent's name, child's name, and email address.  Each parent who wants to be added to our class email list needs to fill this out.  (i.e. if mom and dad both want to receive our class emails, then they each have to fill out the form)  Afterwards, I can export this file as a .csv and save it import it in Outlook!
**One thing to remember- make a few of these codes and DO NOT LET PARENTS TAKE THEM HOME.  If you save and import your contacts the next day, but Jimmy's mom took the code home and doesn't scan it and fill the form out until 2 weeks later, she's not going to be in your contacts.  So insist that parents fill it out right then and there to avoid any confusion.

How do YOU use technology at Meet the Teacher Night??