 Students are now at a variety of stages in their Passion Projects. In order for Mrs. Carmona to keep up with what each student is doing, she is using a Trello Board.  At the beginning of each Passion Project session, Mrs. Carmona will show an inspirational video or put up an inspirational quote.  Then, with the whole group looking at their project maps, Mrs. Carmona goes through the Trello board and checks with each student on where they are in the process. She moves students to the next step on the Trello board as they are ready.  The class is then ready to work on their Passion Proect, some on research, some on building their product, some preparing their presentations. There are 2-3 adults in the room helping the students.  At the end of the session, after students have put all of their materials away, Mrs. Carmona conducts a class discussion in which the students explain what they did during that work session and what they will do next.  Passion Project Sessions are picking back up this week, after a week full of STAAR testing and related activities. Check back for presentations!!! Passions Across Third Grade
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 The Trading Cards app is a great FREE app for the iPad. Student can create cards to help them study, summarize books, follow characters in a book study, and so much more. Check out the App Integration Snapshot for more great ideas and quick video tutorial to get you started. hAPPy Friday!
 Congratulations to our Valley View 2014 Teacher of the Year, 3rd Grade Teacher Julie Carmona!! But wait! There's more! Read on for the unusual and heartwarming story....  Our Teacher of the Year announcement came at the end of our regular Friday Assembly in which a few students from every grade received special recognition and awards; and which all of the students and many parents and grandparents attended. At the back of the room was a proud grandmother, retired teacher, who was there to see her 1st Grade grandson. After thanking some wonderful people for her Teacher of the Year Recognition, Julie asked us to allow her to introduce someone special to the group.  She went on to tell the the audience that her Third Grade teacher was the one who inspired her to become a teacher. Neither Julie nor Mrs.Vescovo know she would be receiving this recognition today. But how fitting and wonderful was it that Mrs. Vescovo, her third grade teacher at Pleasant Hill Elementary, now retired, was in the audience today to see her grandson receive an award!! Through tears, Julie's and all of ours, she called Mrs. Vescovo to the stage to share this award with her.  Sometimes wonderful things happen....  Today students were able to enjoy the fruits (or vegetables) of their labors.  Most of their radishes were ready, with a few leaves of lettuce and/or spinach. The carrots and most of the lettuce and spinach still need a little more time.  They took photos of their vegetables and added them to their garden timeline in their Timeline App on their iPads.  Students can easily post to their own
blogs with the Weebly app. Text, photos, and videos can be added to student blogs. Click here for the Weebly App SnAPPshot "Always work hard on something uncomfortably exciting." Larry Page  When Mrs. Rivas' 3rd graders go to her website, they are reminded of the big idea of the Passion Project that the VVE 3rd graders are engaged in this spring.  3rd Grade teacher, Julie Carmona, was inspired by the Runde's Room Passion Project Blog back in December. After sharing the idea with Mrs. Rivas, Mrs. Brock and Mrs. McDaniel, they decided to start a Passion Project with their students after the winter break.  Using Mrs. Rundee's blog as a guide, the 3rd Grade teachers discussed their goals for this project and planned their introduction and the first few Passion Project sessions. Employing the graphic talents of Lorrie Salome, they launched their Valley View 3rd Graders Passion Project Website.  The students watched a Kid President video for motivation.  They used a Haiku Deck created by Mrs. Carmona for the introduction of the project. This Haiku Deck is on the Passion Project website>Introduction. Three Important Things to Know (shown below) were discussed Mrs. Carmona and Mrs. Ehlinger spent some time with the class as they worked to understand the Passion Project. There were a lot of questions, some of which are shown in the video clips below. As can be seen by some of the questions...it was difficult for students to understand the "freedom" of the Passion Project. After some initial processing, the students were totally involved.  Students and teachers are keeping up with their plans and projects through the use of a spreadsheet and a Trello board.  Mr. Solarz's 5th Grade class blog is another resource they are learning from as they experience their first Passion Project with their 3rd graders. Check out how this is all coming together in the slide show below. These 3rd grade teachers have been telling me how exciting and a bit scary the Passion Project is. But.... As Seth Godin says: If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try. Be sure to check back for Passion Project Updates! |
 Ms. Brown, Retired VVE Ed Tech
Hi, I'm Margie Brown, an Educational Technologist at Valley View Elementary School in Eanes ISD. I love working with students and teachers and discovering new digital tips and tricks everyday!  Archives
August 2016
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