QR Codes!

In class, we learned how to create and use QR codes. We were told to create a classroom activity that somehow incorporated the codes, but we could basically do anything that we wanted. I decided to make a vocabulary worksheet.

If students had an iPad or iPhone, they could scan the QR codes I glued to Powerade bottle caps, and it would bring up a definition of one of the words from Dictionary.com. They would find the corresponding word on the worksheet and fill in the definition. For the two bottom questions, they have to find the two bottle caps that contain pictures in the QR codes. I would want them to draw the picture as well as they could. I thought that would add a more fun aspect to the worksheet.

We each brought our activities to class one day last week, and then we went around the room with iPads to try out what everyone had created. People in my class were so imaginative! It was cool to see what the other people in my class came up with.

Crayon Art

Over a year ago, I saw a cool crayon melting project on a blog. I was fascinated! I HAD to try it for myself. Since I work at a craft store when I'm home from school, I had all of the materials at my disposal. I bought a stretched canvas, crayons, a hot glue gun, and some hot glue sticks.



This was the picture that I saw on the blog. Can you understand why I was so obsessed with the idea?? It's beautiful! Anyway, I glued my crayons to the top of my canvas and started heating up the crayons until the wax started to melt.
*I would recommend doing it outside in the garage or somewhere with good ventilation. I once set the smoke detector off in my dorm room...)

I used a hair dryer that was HIGH heat and LOW air pressure. If it blows too much air, the wax splatters a bit. Here's what I ended up with:

I LOVED it!
In fact, I loved it so much, I made several more. I went out and bought an embossing gun, because I knew it would melt the crayons faster. Most crafty stores carry them. If you're considering making a bunch of these projects, I would suggest using an embossing gun over a hair dryer. It will save you a lot of time.

Over the course of the year, I tried to get more creative and think of different ways to display the melted crayons. Here are the rest of my projects:

 

 

I decided to make one of these for my practicum teacher as a thank you. She FREAKED out when she saw it (in a good way), and I swear, I got three hugs from her that day.

 

Many of my pieces will be displayed in my future classroom. They are bright and fun, and the kids absolutely love them. I have also been brainstorming ways to incorporate crayon melting into a lesson, so the kids can see how it's done.

 

 If you've never made crayon art before, give it a try!  :)

 





Wild Yourself

Wild Yourself is an awesome site where kids can make an avatar for themselves and give it "wild' characteristics. Here is the avatar I made for myself:

I decided to go with a peacock tail, because I think peacocks are beautiful! There are several other animal parts that you can use as well. After you choose the parts, the little box on the side educates users on different characteristics of that animal. So this site is educational as well as fun! Our Ed Tech teacher also said that students could make an avatar of themselves, then they could write a creative story about themselves and share it with the class. Their stories would be posted next to a picture of their avatar.

A Bittersweet Afternoon

My practicum hours were finished up on Monday of this week (I even had 44 out of the necessary 40 hours), but I decided to go back today to take a class picture and spend some time with the students one last time. It's nice to have my hours finished up, but I'm sad to no longer be seeing my students every week. For our final day, we had some free time to chat, then we played multiplication bingo. I called out some basic multiplication tables, and they had to find the correct answer on their bingo cards.

Some of the students were wanting to stay in touch after I left, so I wrote my address and email on the white board so they had the choice to write to me. I would be so excited to get mail from one of my students. A few of the girls also took time to write me some nice goodbye messages on the board, and I just had to take a picture to remember them. :)

It was very sweet to hear that the kids were going to miss me. Actually, when I walked in the door this afternoon, the first thing I heard was, "Miss Cote, we've missed you!" I thought that was cute, because I'd just seen them on Monday! Today was definitely filled with some warm fuzzies. I already have plans to go back to visit for Christmas, and I might even make a habit of visiting once a month for the rest of the year. There's no such thing as too much classroom practice, right? 

Posters and forms using PowerPoint --Mind blown!

My Ed Tech teacher taught the class something AWESOME. If you open up a new PowerPoint presentation and turn a blank slide vertical, you can create worksheets and posters. For years, I've struggled to create things in Word. Things move around, margins go crazy...it's frustrating. In PowerPoint, it's simple to create shapes and text boxes or insert pictures. I was so excited to practice with it! First, I made a poster for my future classroom with a quote I found on Pinterest (if you don't have an account, you should seriously look into getting one! Fair warning: it's insanely addicting!)

I loved how quickly I was able to put my poster together. It would have taken me much longer in Word. I also made a form in PowerPoint. I grabbed a form from my practicum school, and I recreated it with some of my own flare. Super easy and fun!

Blurring-out faces!

In Ed Tech, we learned how to use Gimp to blur out faces in our pictures. As a teacher, we might want to post pictures of our classroom online. If parents don't give permission, the child's identity can be kept private by blurring out the face. Here is the example I made:

 I was being goofy when I blurred out my cat's face, obviously. But now his identity is protected. :)


To make a blurred face, you use the Ellipse Select Tool to draw an oval around the face. Then, if you right click the selected area, put your mouse over the "Filters" menu, then straight across to "Blur." You want the "Gaussian Blur,"and by adjusting the numbers at the bottom, the blur changes. The higher the number, the higher the blur. It's super simple!

A little bit about myself

Several years ago, I did a 30-day photo challenge on Facebook, and the first picture had random facts about myself. I decided to share on my blog, so my viewers could get to know the real me! Here it is:

Fifteen Facts

1. I love music, almost any type.
2. I want to be an elementary teacher someday. (I guess I've known this for a really long time!)
3. Traveling the world is my dream!
4. I love my family more than anything.
5. Cookie dough ice cream is my weakness.
6. I'm terrified of ticks and leeches. I get shivers just thinking about them...
7. I was born in Missouri. Random.
8. I'm teaching myself how to play the guitar.
9. I once got a perfect 40 at solo ensemble for flute. Don't ask me how.
10. I have 2 cats: Eddie is 19 pounds (fat), and Lily is a princess. 
11. I may just marry my high school sweetheart. <3
12. My mom and I are pretty much the same person.
13. I trip on flat ground and fall up stairs. Sometimes in front of other people.
14. I get stressed out easily. (I've improved a lot on this one!) 
15. I'm my worst critic. 

These facts still describe me pretty well. I'll tell you a little bit more about my life. I grew up in Fergus Falls, MN, and I lived with my mom, Paula, and step dad, Darin. We've been really close all of my life. My dad lives in Minneapolis with my step mom, half siblings, and step siblings. 

From left to right:

My siblings - Paige, Devyn, Me, Noah, and Blake.

Me, my mom, and my step dad.

I've been dating my boyfriend, Eben, since my sophomore year of high school. We are both attending North Dakota State University in Fargo. I'm majoring in Human Development/Family Science and Elementary Education, and he just started grad school this year for Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Eben has been a HUGE blessing in my life, and I'm lucky he has put up with me for all of these years! ;)

For many years now, I've known that teaching is the right major for me. I love kids, and I'm so excited to be able to spend my days making a difference in my students' lives!