"The most engaging learning tool on the planet." --Flocabulary.com

They aren't kidding. Really. I have been hearing about how amazing Flocabulary was for a while and so I finally checked it out. There is so much to talk about, it is hard to know where to begin. What is it? Using rap and video, students K-12 are presented with content on a wide variety of topics, from your traditional subject areas to ones such as current events and computational thinking (yes videos about coding)! There are tons of additional resources for each video which can be used for both learning and assessment. Want to take it further? There are activities, lessons and games too. But my favorite is when the students write their own academic rhymes and can even perform them! 

It's fun! It's poppy and energetic!
Makes you want to get up and move!
The raps are fun, but still give you information and explain!
We love singing along with the main parts.
​It helps us get started understanding a topic.

Teachers, with Flocabulary, you have many, many resources right at your fingertips. Videos are organized by subject area, but you can also search by Common Core Standards which makes it so easy to find just the right resource. Graphic organizers are provided too, along with everything needed for each lesson. Use as much or as little as you want. The academic rhyme writing begins with basic couplet writing and adds figurative language, storytelling and song creation. Your students' raps can be even be shared, increasing the power of student voice. One of my favorite sections is the Week in Rap Junior which is perfect for students K-5. For example, this week I will use the latest video which raps about Groundhog Day and Chinese New Year in library class to engage my students and get them asking questions. Using a variety of different media, both print and digital, is essential and Flocabulary gives us an easy-access, high-quality way to do it.

Thank you Flocabulary, for giving us a chance to try out your site! Sign up for a free trial by February 29! 

The summer of 2015 brought a chance to participate in the Finch Loan Program which I thought would be an excellent challenge for my students. To add a different twist to the application, my friend Donna Macdonald from Vermont and John Ferrero from a nearby city in Connecticut decided to have collaborative challenges be a part of our plan for using the Finches. We were thrilled when we were told we would have the Finches for two months in January and February. In addition, Donna and her students also had other robots such as Dot and Dash, Spheros and the BB8. Librarian Andy Plemmons from Georgia also was part of the Finch Loan Program and after reading some of our tweets wanted to share challenges too! Last week, some folks from EdCampGlobal saw the tweets about the robots and asked if we would want to do a session! Of course we said yes! It has been awesome!

Being a part of EdCampGlobal was really fun! The schedule had so many awesome things to learn about and I loved that a real variety of platforms were being used, from Google Hangout on Air (which is what we used) to Periscope to Twitter chats and more. My learning began when I had to create a Google Hangout on Air event, which I had never done before. It didn't take more than 2 minutes. I shared the wrong link with Donna and Andy, but we figured that out too. Probably the hardest thing for me was remembering about all the time zones - I never get that straight!                                                                                          But by 8:30EST we were set! 

Donna had a class ready to share and Andy had a couple of students who took the time to show us what they had been learning. I was ready to introduce us, so at 9am, I clicked Broadcast and immediately our announcements came on! I clicked mute fast and Donna jumped right in. Her students shared about the different robots they had been using and showed them to us. Andy's students shared different things they had been trying with the Finches. My class of 1st/2nd graders came in and began to share some of the things they had been learning, such as how to change the color of the beak and how they created a song and danced along with the Finch. The students listened and learned from one another. Classes came in and out. And while adults were there to ask questions sometimes, the majority of the voices were students. After hearing about using Scratch from someone, some of my students began to try using it and actually got their Finch to move! They were so excited they came right up and shared that moment live on the air. I think we could have shared all day long, but after an hour it was time to go. 

​The conversation continued through the comment section of the Google Hangout, as viewers made comments and asked questions too! Thank you so much to Donna and Andy who love trying new things with me and to all the students for everything they bring each and every day! We still have 1 more month with the Finches and I can't wait to see where we go next!

Andy wrote a terrific blog post about our experience and included the video of our Google Hangout on Air. Take a look at it here.