Electronic Books and Readers

      In the day and age where it seems almost everything is electronic, we need to find a way to incorporate electronic readers into our classroom. Electronic books or readers include things like Nooks, Kindles, and any other device in which a book can be downloaded to read. They vary from different styles and preferences. The Kindle, for instance, has an option of a paper white or a back light. The paper white has the appearance of a book, where as the back light is lighted so it can be read in the dark.

     With this new technology, teachers have to decide how, and if they want to allow it in this classrooms. In my personal classroom I encourage the students to bring them. A clear instruction on the expectations of the devices is vital. In my classroom, I have to look at the content of what they are reading and if there are any apps on their devices. The apps are not to be used expect on our specified device day. I don’t believe put any stipulation on “how” a student reads is going to instill a love of reading. I found the following website useful for hints on how to incorporate electronic books and readers into the classroom, http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/going-digital-using-book-30623.html

   The bottom line is, we want to instill a love of reading in our students. Why take away one of the avenues they can gain that. It is just a matter of blending the old with the new.

Digital Citizenship

There are many times in which we need to present material. As educators, we need to be aware of the tools in which we can best portray the information we are trying to get across. There are a variety of ways in which information can be organized and displayed. A common program used is Power Point. It uses a series of slides to introduce information. However, I have researched and used a similar program call Prezi. Prezi creates a whole page, in which you create paths to different to points that you have created.  You are able to upload images, videos, and objects. There are unlimited themes and paths that you can crate for your presentation.

I have created a presentation using Prezi to display information on acedemic dishonesty. After I researched the topic, I found a template that I liked and began creating my path. I inserted several images and shapes to enhance the aesthetic of the presentation. I have attached the the link and invite you to take a look.   

Professional Development Web Resources

Fellow teachers and educators,
I invite you to check out my list of resources for professional growth and development. I have compiled a list of 11 sites, including blogs, newsletters, and discussion forums that revolve around keeping in touch with the current strategies for educators. They offer a wide range of resources for you and your classroom. Many involve integrating technology into lessons. I hope you find them useful. Click here for my direct link.

Digital Posters

The website edu.gloster is a website that allows you to create a visually appealing, interactive poster. You can include text, pictures, clipart, and movies. It is a little like a scrapbooking software, with interactive tools. You are able to change the look and feel of your glog to fit whatever subject or topic you are wanting to explore.

I chose to base my glog on reading comprehension. In 4th grade, there is a shift in learning to read to  understanding what you read. I thought this would be a visually appealing way to introduce reading during the first weeks of school. I included a video that helps with comprehension strategies, a word cloud with other strategies we would focus on throughout the year, as well as a hyperlink to a page we use throughout the year to practice reading.

Click here to view my digital poster.

Internet Search Tools

The following are a list of my favorite kid-friendly websites. Click on the title to be taken to the website.

Scholastic Magazines

This website has articles written by kids as well as adult authors. It is a great kid's news website. The articles are written in a way that kids can understand. They can search for articles or catch up on the latest news in the nation or world. However, it may be overwhelming for kids to navigate this site. I think there would need to be a lot of teaching to help kids find their way around the site. 

Search Engine for Kids

This site searches for kid-friendly websites based on the subject. This website will bring up a variety of subjects that kids can research, such as science, language arts, reading, and social studies. Once the student has selected a subject, they will be redirected a a page that has several different websites that the students can explore. I could see using this in my classroom for a variety of things. Kids need to have a safe place to explore different topics and websites. I feel this is a great site for that. The drawback is, I feel some kids would use only the game sites and not explore the other options.

Kids Click

This website was designed by librarians for students to search for books for specific topics. I have used this website in my own classroom. The students use this site to search for a famous person to do a research project on. As with the some of the other sites, I feel this is not an especially easy website for kids to use independently at the younger levels. You would need to walk through how to use the website carefully. It is easy to get lost in it.

Fact Monster

Kids can use this website to do research for papers or projects. It has a dictionary link, a homework link for help on homework, games and quizzes, and more. This would be a good tool for kids to do research on a specific topic to write a paper. I can see using it the classroom for kids to find extra information and help. The drawback is there are advertisements on the side. They are distracting and often not very kid-friendly. 

Kid's National Geographic

Designed with kids in mind, this site allows kids to explore articles, games, and fun facts about things from animals, world, and nature. It allows kids to search for key words, from there it will bring up articles, games, and even coloring pages. It gives you the option of "joining". However, even without joining you can search many things. It is free to join, and once you do, you are able to save things to find later. It is a great tool for teachers and kids alike.

Educational Websites

I compiled a list of some of my favorite websites that I use in my classroom. Some are are for educators and parents, while the others are for the kids in my class. I use the teacher websites almost on a daily bases to enhance my lessons and find engaging activities for the students in my class. Parents are able to use there sites to better help their students, as well as check on their progress. The student websites are both fun and educational. Most of the sites I list for students are for younger grades, since I teach 4th grade, however some could be used in upper levels as well. As a bonus, most are linked to common core standards. I hope you find these sites useful in your own classrooms.

Inference You Tube Playlist

A You Tube playlist is a way to organize several videos that you would like to use to introduce a concept, enhance a lesson, or study as class. It allows you to save them all under one heading which makes organization of the videos easy. Instead of having to search for each video separately, you can keep them all under the heading of what ever concept you are using them for. I think this is a great way of introducing concepts in a classroom. Kids are so much more engaged when you can use a variety of ways to demonstrate something, especially when it is using video. I like to use funny clips, or clips they are familiar with, and then have them think about them in a different way.

I chose to show commercials as a way of introducing inference. When kids read, watch television, socialize, and almost any other activity, they need to infer. It is a skill that kids need. It is vital for reading comprehension, but also helps in social settings as well. The commercials I chose do not explain exactly what is happening. You have to make an educated guess based on what the commercial shows you, as well as your background knowledge. I invite you to watch the three short clips I chose. Can you infer what is happening?

Animoto Photo Story

Photo stories can be used to introduce a series of pictures for a variety of purposes. These could include introducing a topic by showing a "story", showing multiple examples of content or class work, and engaging students in learning a specific lesson. It could also be used by students to help create an introduction to a project or tell a story through a series of pictures.

The story that I have created goes along with 4th grade Idaho History. The first several slides show different landforms in Idaho. These were taken by me, and I feel that because of this, it would engage students even more, since I have stories with each picture. The second set of slides show what students can expect to see at our field trip to a Mountain Man Rendezvous. Lastly, I show some examples of previous Idaho History projects done by students in years past. I would use this after introducing Idaho History as a subject we will be studying. I would hope that it would excite students and bring about questions and curiosity about our state. I have a great love of Idaho, and I hope this story portrays that and encourages that same love in others.

Assistive Technology

When I looked into the assistive technology, I was blown away to find how many things are considered “technology”. I had a very limited idea of what constituted technology. I think it is vital, as teachers, that we are aware of the many things available to students with disabilities. I have found that some of the adaptations I make for those students who are disabled are good for the entire class as well. What is good for the goose is good for the gander, if you will. I researched an audio system that can be installed within the classroom so that the teacher’s natural voice can be heard anywhere in the room. So the student sitting in the back can hear as clearly as the student sitting right next to the teacher. 

The particular audio system I looked into was by Lightspeed. The selling point of this product is that teachers have the ability to address the whole class, wherever they are standing. The microphones are wireless, which gives teachers mobility to freely walk around the room. They are easy to use and charge. They also come with a handheld microphone that students could use for reading aloud to the class or presentations. Many students speak quietly and are hard to hear. The common core standards state that students need to be able to engage effectively in range of collaborative discussions. With the pass around microphone, they are able to be heard by all the students. I could use this in my room in discussions to teach students that whoever has the microphone has the floor and others need to listen respectfully to their comment.

Screen Cast Video

I have spend the last 2 hours learning how to create a screen cast. I was not familiar with the term but I had seen them before. I have actually used them in the Smart Notebook software. Apparently there are several types of tools that can be used to create a screen cast. These include Screencast-O-Matic, (which sounds like a late night infomercial) Screencast.com and jing. I of course use Screencast-O-Matic since, anything with "O-Matic" in its name has to be the best. I can see many uses for screen casts within a classroom. First being, in substitute plans. This would insure your students are getting the information in the way you want. Secondly, it could be use as a tool for students to access instruction on things they are either struggling on or may have missed.

I invite you to view my own debut screen cast on Screencast-O-Matic in which I simply show how to access basic information about your computer including the type of operating system and version it is running, the speed, the amount of RAM, and the total size of the hard drive. Enjoy my friends!

About Me

My name is legally Allison Williams. I was married two years ago and have yet to change my name. However, my students call me Mrs. Thomason or simply, Mrs. T. My husband and I eloped on Dec. 30, 2012. We went to Stanley, ID and were married in a small chapel by the mayor. It overlooked the Sawtooth Mountains. The mayor thought we may be crazy. After all, who runs off to the coldest place in the United States, in December, to a off-the-beaten-path chapel? 


It was a balmy 58 degrees in the chapel and -20 outside. It was however, perfect for me. We currently live in small rural community called Sugar City, Idaho.

We love camping and golfing, though our favorite activity is motorcycling. We both have our own bikes, dirt bikes and road bikes. We have explored many byways and little towns all throughout Idaho. Few things bring me such peace and appreciation for the world we live in than riding though small farm towns and scenic countrysides.

I have two daughters from a previous marriage who are 6 and 4. Elizabeth Grace is my oldest. Kaycie Lynn is the younger. They are truly, a lion and a lamb. They keep me very busy. As I mentioned early, I also have students, as I am a teacher as well. I teach 4th grade in Rigby, ID. This is my 5th year teaching. I began a love of teaching when I was in 3rd grade. I had a wonderful teacher who inspired in me a love of learning. That love of learning has continued into my adult life. It has been my desire to instill that same love of learning into those I teach. My favorite part of my job is getting to know kids, their interests, their own way of learning. I enjoy the challenge of finding new ways to teach kids, as it is my belief kids do come with a "one way of learning" brain. I am excited to continue this next step in my life of earning my masters.