A while back, at one of my professional development workshops, I won a one year subscription to a website called www.storyboardthat.com.  I signed up, played with it for a few days trying to figure out where, when and how to add it to my existing units.  Then, I forgot all about it.  I forgot all about it that is until I received an email in the mail from storyboardthat espousing their newest feature.   

Well, today due to a scheduled science field trip for my seventh graders (one that I knew about but forgot), I spent the whole day with the eighth graders  I saw them in the morning and then again in the afternoon when I would have seen the seventh graders. 

 We are currently studying the industrial revolution and reading the novel Lyddie by Katherine Patterson to learn about it.  Not wanting to read for a double class, I went to the library to see if the lap top cart was available.  I wasn't expecting to be able to get it, but the stars were aligned today!  The cart was available until 12:30.  Whoohoo!!!!!  

I quickly signed it out before any other Last Minute Molly wanted the cart and grabbed it for my 8th graders.  I thought it would be fun to check out storyboardthat with them in the morning.  It was easy to get the students signed up.  They loved it.  Here are a few of their examples.

I started playing around with the website.  My teacher brain was working overtime.  There is so much potential for using this website in the classroom.  I am eager to create a comic strip that I can use to launch a lesson for a new unit, create a formative assessment or even a review study guide for the students.  I am very excited about this!

This past winter here has been horrible.  Snow storm after snow storm pounded the East Coast.  At one point there was at least 3 1/2 feet of snow in my backyard.  Ugh!  Over the course of a five week period my school district had 7 snow days and one "cold" day prior to being blasted by snow for a total of 8 school cancelations this year.

All those snow days have started to take a toll on the students.  Eighth grade itis had set in far too early.  I needed a way to keep them engaged in Social Studies.  Technology was my best option.  After all these digital natives are all about tech.  Unfortunately it is nearly impossible to check out the computer cart or ipad cart.  I think there may be a day or two in June that they are available.  So what does one do to keep digital natives inspired in class?  The answer ...download an app called Decide Now on my own private ipad.

Each day, I have a student spin the wheel.  What ever the spinner lands on is the "Classroom Event" for the day.  This has been a great motivator for my classes.  Hopefully, now that we are in the final stretch, it will continue to work.

I was surprised at how well it worked with the eighth graders.  Every day these kids are coming to class as fast they can so they can be the first to ask me if they can spin the wheel, and have been since February.  They cheer when something will happen that favors them and they groan when something favors me.  Each day I continue to be amazed at how well they are responding to this activity.  Last week I forgot my ipad at home.  I was shocked at how upset they were.  Believe me when I say I won't make that mistake again!  

On a side note, I did have "Talk like a Pirate" as one of the options.  It was fun the first time, but the second time it popped up it did not work.  The solution was to remove it from the Decide Now wheel.  The brain breaks are a list of six activities that are decided with the roll of the dice.  Activities include doing the Cha Cha slide, stretch for one minute, play Simon Says, Dance party for one song, play earthquake/eviction ( a game I use in advisory as a team building activity) and Jog in Place for a minute.  One more thing, one of the girls suggested the bake a cake activity.  I have only had to make a cake once so far!

These digital natives have taught this digital immigrant is that using technology does not have to be complex, just something quick and fun!

Update... On Monday, April 13, 2015 one of the classes spun a cake.  Last night I went out and picked up a some cake mixes and made a cake for my class.  Today I served it to them.  Guess what today's spin yielded for that same class.  Yup, you got it another cake!  Off to the grocery store I go.

With Decide Now, I was able to program this wheel with "Classroom Events." Some favor me and some favor them. 

Daily Classroom Events

1.     Guess the Song- One Random Student will be chosen to guess the song Mrs. Clark plays.  Guess correctly and everyone in the class gets 5 extra credit points.

2.     General Knowledge Question- 4 random students must answer a question.  If all four are correct there will be a five-minute break in the middle of class.

3.     Everyone must do something nice for your teacher or a classmate today in class.

4.     Class ends with 2 minutes of free time

5.     If a single student gets an infraction in class today, the whole class has homework.

6.     Surprise quiz today

7.     Everyone will have free seating for the next class if everyone remains focused and on task today.

8.     A sweet treat for the class tomorrow if 5 random students can correctly define a vocabulary word.

9.     Music can be played in class today.

10. If someone is out of their seat without permission, the whole class will get an infraction.

11.  Spin Again

12.  Spin for 2 events

13.  Brain break game

14.  Mrs. Clark will bake a cake for your next class