9/27/2012

Remind101

If you're looking for a quick and effective way to communicate with your parents (or other groups), you may want to check out Remind101. Many of our teachers are already using  Remind101  as a safe way to send text messages to parents for FREE!

As soon as you set up a free account, you will create a class. You can create up to 10 classes with your teacher account. A code will be generated from your class name. You send home the code and a phone number. The parents can text that code to the number to join the group.

Cool reasons I like  Remind101 :
  • The teacher is the only one that needs an account!
  • No texting plan? No problem! Parents can sign up with their email address to receive messages via email.
  • A simple instruction sheet can be generated right out of Remind101 for our parents that may need a little "tech help" signing up. (It's a PDF, so it can be printed or emailed home.)
  • Teachers send out the text once and all of the members of the group will receive it.
  • Phone numbers are kept confidential (Teachers don't see them and Group Members don't see them either!)
  • Group Members cannot text each other or text you back. 
  • Yep ... there's an app for that! 
This short video tutorial shows you exactly how Remind101 works:
What can you send via  Remind101 ?
  • Reminders (permission slips due, planners signed, picture day, etc.)
  • Alert the parents that grades have been updated online
  • Invitation to PTA meetings, Open House, Curriculum Night, etc.
  • Share special class announcements
How else would you use  Remind101 ?

9/18/2012

My name is Cindy. I am a Fontaholic.

I'm a Fontaholic. Always have been. Always will be.

Downloading fonts may not be the most techy topic to discuss, but it's one that most teachers love! Check out a few of my new faves (and yes, they are FREE!)


If you haven't gone into ultimate cuteness-overload yet, let's get serious for a moment. The font choices you make for documents of any kind (printed, presentation, etc.) should enhance your topic, not overwhelm it. Fight the urge with everything you've got to not use all of your fonts in the same document. Go ahead, pick out one that you like and stick with it. Remember ... sometimes your old standbys like Arial and Century Gothic are exactly what you need!

Another thing to remember is that these cutesy fonts don't work well for text on websites. It may look super stinkin' cute on your computer, but anyone that doesn't have that font loaded on the computer is going to see some super-ugly, plain font that the computer selects. It will also likely throw off the spacing around images, etc. It's a bummer - I know. The only safe way to use a special font on a webpage is to create a graphic with it and insert the image (which is exactly what I've done above!)

By now, I KNOW you want to know where you can get your hands on these adorable fonts (and so many more) for FREE! I found them at Fontspace ... happy downloading!

9/14/2012

Constitution Day, September 17

Are you looking for some techy ways to teach your kids about Constitution Day? Here are a few of my favorites:

The US Constitution: BrainPOP will require a username/password (EM-S ISD peeps should check with their CTIs for that info). Be sure to check on September 17th to see if they publish any new {free} "Constitution" videos ... they're cool like that!

BrainPOP Jr. videos - don't forget about these!

Charlie Brown: The Constitutional Convention of 1787: Taken from This is America, Charlie Brown: The Birth of the Constitution. Originally aired Friday October 28, 1988. (Youtube, 14:18)

Celebrating the Constitution: from one of my all-time favorite websites, Scholastic!

Constitution Interactive Quizzes

What's Your Constitution IQ?
"Real or Fake" Quiz Which Founding Father Are You?

Constitution Day Lesson Plans:  (K-12 Lesson Plans) from The Center for Civic Education

Constitution Day Poster Design Contest
Constitutionfacts.com is a national sponsor of the Sixth Annual GovDoc Kids Group U.S. Constitution Day Poster Contest.
K-12 entrants can celebrate Constitution Day (Sept. 17) by designing a poster showing how they benefited from the freedoms embodied in the U.S. Constitution.
Entries must be postmarked by October 1, 2012. 


9/12/2012

How Do I?

Welcome back to school, everyone! Ok ... I know it's the THIRD week of school, but it's still the FIRST blog post of the year, so Welcome Back!

From time to time this year, I will be sharing a few quick tips for tools specific to our district. I've included a few popular topics for the beginning of the school year. (Some links will go to a YouTube video, others to a page from EM-S ISD, or perhaps even to blog post here or from our IT Blog.) 

How do I?

Hope you're already having a fantastic year. I look forward to working with you!
 

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