Donors Choose & iPods for Newbies (Like Me)

No one in my family owns a Smartphone.  Or an iPod.  So when I asked for four iPod Touches on Donors Choose so kids could listen to books, I knew it could be done but had no idea how.  "I'll figure it out if/when it gets funded," I told myself.  Incredibly, it didn't take long at all!

I have to say, Donors Choose is AMAZING!  If you haven't tried it out, take a look.  Take the time to look at other projects on their website, especially those similar to yours.  Then think about your students and the amazing things you'll do if your project gets funded.  I had donations come from my extended family, my students' families, an anonymous person who used a gift card, and the bulk of my project was funded by Cellular One. Thanks again, everyone!

Perhaps you are in the same boat I was in for the past few years.  You have a giant wooden caddy for your cassette/CD boombox, headphone splitter, and six bulky sets of headphones.  Either the tape player or CD player breaks every year.  Girls are getting their long hair caught in the headphones.  Kids can't get the CD or tape to play.  No one ever bothers to rewind afterwards.  Kids accidentally blast a friend when they turn the wrong volume knob.  It's dusty.  There are goldfish cracker crumbs in the corners.  Sad.  So Sad.  Sometimes my students used their entire listening time just trying to get the story started.  Then they'd ask to stay in at recess to listen.  That's how much they love to hear stories.  I had to do something!

I Googled iPod listening centers to look for ideas.  I decided that my best bet would be to get four iPod Touches so the kids could listen independently from one another, AND we could use them for reading, writing, and math apps, too!  So my project included the four iPods, a tape-to-mp3 converter, a charge adapter for four devices, and a headphone splitter (just in case).

Well, I got everything I asked for but had NO IDEA how to use any of it.  I was able to load the apps, since I have an iPad for school.  But I didn't know anything about mp3s, iTunes, or iPods.  After lots of Googling, I emailed one of the teacher/bloggers I admire, Molly at Lucky to Be in First!  I'd seen her blog post about using and iPod for a listening center, but needed more details. ('Cause I was a newbie!)  She responded the same day!  Amazing.  She provided me with a couple of links to try out.  And it was just what I needed!  I am the kind of person who needs written step-by-step directions when trying something new.

I now have over 60 books on my iTunes account with pictures of book covers as the "album artwork."  I've organized the books into monthly playlists with six to eight books each.  When my students go to listen, they grab a bucket containing an iPod, stylus (they make it more fun), and the book for the week.  They add their own set of earbuds and head off to find a comfy spot to read and listen.  We are so excited to have this technology in our classroom!  It's easier for everyone!

Next week I'll share my tips and tricks with you for this entire endeavor, including converting tapes, adding the book cover, making your playlists, and teaching your students how to use/care for it all.

My 2014 Updated Classroom

I finally remembered to take pictures before the kids came in this morning.  I love coming into my classroom every morning!  Everything is all quiet and settled.  I can really think in this space!

Here is the view from the door looking straight into the room.

Here is the view from the door looking to the right.

This is the wall on your left as you enter through the door.  It has my Super Kid poster, jobs, calendar, daily schedule, lunch sign up, and mailboxes.  This is a high functioning area.

If you walk straight across the front of the room you'll be in my corner.  I taped a big center rectangle on my desk with washi tape.  I'm not allowed to put any of my stacks of work in it.  That way I always have a place to work.  The little table is for my laptop and doc cam.  I had magnetic bookshelves on the front of my desk, but I kept knocking them over.  So now it's just bare.  I should find a good poster to put there, right?  Maybe something to help them remember to sit still and raise their hands? Sounds like a plan!

To the right when you enter is the wall with my cupboards.  I'm using them for my word wall this year.  So far so good!  I'm using glue stick when the washi tape begins to curl.  I store many items on top in tubs and boxes, and I store all of our donated tissue boxes in crates under the sink.

Next to my desk, under the windows, I have my guided reading/math table.  Really wish it had a bigger cut out.  I feel so far away from the kids.  But, still loving the black stools from Ikea!  In fact, I just ordered four more!  

The class library is my favorite spot!  We light our tree and browse and read.  The kids would spend all day here if I let them.  I took the bottom half of the table legs off, put tennis balls on, and now the kids can sit or kneel to look at books.  The tennis balls keep the sharp edges of the leg openings from cutting into the carpet.

I added curtains to the short shelves that store our Fountas & Pennell leveled books.  We call them our shopping books.  During partner read each day, about four kids come back and flip up the curtains (on a tension rod).  Then they all shop from their just right and easy level tubs.  They put back their old books and choose 10 new books.  Then the curtains flip down, and we're done!  The blue numbered tubs are new from Really Good Stuff.  They have two dividers each.  These are my unleveled, unorganized picture books.  I have other author and subject tubs in the tall bookcases, but these are just random good books.  The numbers don't mean anything, just an organizational tool. I love these new tubs because it helps the kids to put the short books in front, medium in middle, and tall books in the back.

I used to have six smaller tubs, but I culled them this summer and consolidated what I kept into these four new ones.  I also have two of them on a tall bookshelf with three characters in each.  Love those dividers!

My writing board and shelves.  Actually, the caddies on the bottom hold math materials for each table.  My new system this year for passing out folders includes a magazine holder for each table.  One person gets the holder and brings it to the table.  I have a system for that, so no arguing!

Here you see my math board, game drawers labeled with blue tape/sharpie (very professional), and supply tubs.  The rainbow/clouds underneath are some students'  hopes and dreams for the year.  

This is my last picture for you.  It shows a freestanding cubby/bookcase that I use for storage and to show our science work. (The G above the garbage stands for.... Garbage! Just trying to keep the garbage out of the paper recycler, which has a P above it.)

I've gotten tons of ideas from other bloggers, so if you see something you inspired, let me say a great big "thank you!"