IPads in Education Class participants,

I have received in the past 2 months 16 IPAD minis.  I was very busy with them when they first arrived in the library and excited as well.  Attempting to gain some direction I began using the app store.  I enjoyed looking at and interacting with many creative apps.  Getting them organized was a priority.  I learned how to put them into folders.  After creating a stockpile of apps I wondered how  I would get them onto the other 15 minis.  Hannah Baker from the IT office was able to push them out to all of the minis.  She asked if I wanted them pushed out by grade level.  I discovered that that would help me keep them more organized.  

As I began using the apps, I discovered some were more useful for big groups and some were more useful for small groups . One of the apps I'm using with a small group is called Doodle Buddy.  It's not an educational app.  I have been using it with some RTI behavior challenged students.  They love "doodling" with this app.  It's been fun to watch them use the tools on it to create a fun product.

This past week I challenged this small group to create a project based on a recent bullying assembly the whole school had attended.   Many of these same small group participants also heard a story in the library that was related to the assembly. The story is called "You Are Special" by Max  Lucado.

One of the RTI students had the idea to take  a selfie with the camera which then became the new background in their doodle buddy project.  With the built in text feature on doodle buddy, I had students type "You Are Special."  Then the students decorated their project. This week I will use the "reflector" app to show off their completed project on the promethean board.  

When we connected the fun doodle buddy app with an all school assembly and a related book from the library, the doodle buddy app and it's usefulness took on a whole new meaning.

Dear Parents and Staff,
The past few weeks have been very busy in the library and computer lab.  We have been learning about the non-fiction sections of the library including the Dewey Decimal System.  Students are checking out books of interest and next week we will be looking at on-line data bases to further their research on their topic of interest.  Please encourage your child or student to stick with one topic and become an "expert" at that one topic.  We will be using Power Point as a product for all of our research.  The product will look like their own non-fiction book with a collection of 3-4 resources from our library and 3-4 on-line data resources.  The 4th and 5th graders will be narrating their books, including background music and transitions.  I will be posting completed projects on-line.

Please email or phone me if you have questions.

Mr. David K. Sisson
Information Media Specialist
Corral Drive Elementary
Rapid City, SD 57702

dave.sisson@k12.sd.us
605-394-6789

Dear Staff and Parents,
This month all of the Corral Drive students are working on the "Elements of Fiction" (Plot, Character, Setting, Theme) during the Information Media (library/computer) time.  If you go to the internet and type RCAS on a google search then click on Elementary Schools.  Go to Corral Drive/Teacher Sites/ Mr. Sisson.  At that point you will be at the "Information Media Specialist" site.  Each grade level will be noted on the left side of the screen.  Click on your child's grade level.  Then click on the "blue atom for grade level resources.  Then look at the titles highlighted in blue.  That will be the area that grade level is working on.  Please click on the following 5th grade link as an example:  (Click Here)

Each week we work on a particular area under this link.  Kindergarten - 5th will be working on the same areas at a different pace. 

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Sisson (Information Media Specialist) at the number below.


Mr. David K. Sisson
Information Media Specialist
Corral Drive Elementary
Rapid City, South Dakota 57702

(605)394-6789

Staff and Parents,
This past month of September all students at Corral K-5 have been working on one basic "standard."  The standard was "Using the physical and virtual library to find books."  This standard is an on-going standard throughout their time at Corral.  They all have learned how to use Destiny to do a library search.  All of the 2nd-5th have learned how to log-in to "Destiny Quest" enabling them to put books on hold, put books in a personal list for future reading and to write short reviews of previous books they've read.  To log-in to Destiny Quest, our on-line library, the kids use their 5 + 3 + (000) in most cases. ex (sissodav000).  That would be repeated for their password allowing them the ability to do the above tasks.  The following link gets you straight to the Destiny Quest log-in site (Destiny Quest).  Ask your child/student how to get their from the RCAS site as well. This week we have worked on "storm stories."  Due to the recent storm I had students share their stories with me and I typed them into the following wikispaces site.  (Corral Elementary Storm Stories).  We have a few more grade levels to go so check back later.  Next week and for the next month we will be working on "genres."

If you have any questions, please call 394-6789.

Mr. David K. Sisson
Information Media Specialist
Corral Drive Elementary School

605-394-6789

Staff,
I wanted to share what's currently going on during IM (Information Meda) time.  I have updated the SSS site to an IM site to accommodate Literacy, Library and the Technology standards.  When you first open up the IM site (under teacher sites) you'll see the grade levels as before.  Click on a grade level and you'll see the specific standards for that grade level in literacy, library, and technology.  You will also see links to the old "writing" standards which can be valueable.  When you or students click on the blue atom , that will link you to student resources.  The high-lighted activity is what we are currently working on.  The following is a link to the updated IM (Information Meda) web site.  https://public.rcas.org/el/cd/teachersites/sissodav/Pages/default.aspx.  Thank you for informing me of where you're at in Reading and Writing.  It allows me to somewhat align with what you're doing in those subject areas.

Dave

Staff,

I spent some time working on reshaping the old SSS site into an updated IMS site:

It's a work in progress. The grade level web resources are compliments of Joni Kinzler, the IMS at Pinedale. The standards at the bottom of each grade level page include the 3 main things we are to present to students during IMS time plus I added the writing standards: The CCSS are grade specific as are the writing, technology and reading standards.

Click on your grade level on the left side of the screen to get specific. The following is my new IMS Home Page:

 https://public.rcas.org/el/cd/teachersites/sissodav/Pages/default.aspx

Enjoy,  Dave

Staff,
The following is an update of some of what's going on at IMS time.  In the K-2 groups we are exploring the differences between fiction and non-fiction with a cool on-line site called Bookflix.  The previous link gets you to the login page.  I have signed Corral up for a 30 day free trial.  The username is (bkflix).  The password is (move).  It has fiction and non-fiction side by side.  If you want to see a fiction story about sharks, you can.  Right next to it is a non-fiction story about sharks.

The 3-5 groups are exploring a resource from the library called the "Children's Atlas of the United States."  We are doing a review of it's contents.  I have also created an on-line Edmodo quiz that they will take next week.  To follow up the use of the atlas we will be using Google Earth to explore and answer more questions on Edmodo.

If you have any questions or input, let me know.

Dave