Mr. Haney’s Extreme Classroom Makeover
An ORAU Extreme Classroom Blog
Making Commercials
13 years
by Jordan Haney
in Uncategorized
Last week, my after school club, K-Kids, made a couple of commercials to advertise our “Coats for the Cold” promotion. The students used our new flip video cameras, iMovie, and our homemade green screen to make the commercials. The green screen did not work that great in some of the scenes so we had to use picture in picture to compromise. The students had a great time making the videos and the editing was very simple because of iMovie. The videos do not work on the ORAU blog but you can see them by going to my class blog. Take a look at the commercials by clicking here.
Great Site
13 years
by Jordan Haney
in Uncategorized
Looking for a great site to compare countries? Well, look no further. IfItWasMyHome.com is a great site for comparing countries to the United States. We have had some interesting conversation looking at our EPAL friends’ countries. One of the best aspects of this website is the ratio picture of the comparing country to America. Sometimes I forget how big America is compared to other countries. Take a look at this great site by clicking here.
Here is a screen shot of the comparison of one of our EPAL friend’s country.
ORAU Photo Shoot
13 years
by Jordan Haney
in Uncategorized
During Fall Break, ORAU held a photo shoot in the classroom. We had a professional photographer come in and take pictures of the students using technology, working in groups, and at the garden. Here are a couple of pictures from the day. I will put the link up when the professional pictures get posted. ORAU is also giving the students prints from the day.
First Semester Reflection
13 years
by Jordan Haney
in Uncategorized
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After each semester, I am going to rank the use of technology in the class. The competition is tough with hard hitting hardware like Mac Notebooks and iMac Desktops, new and improved iPod Touches and iPad, and the flashy Flip video camera. After 9 weeks of back and forth usage, the first semester standings look like this:
1. Mac Notebooks – 40 out of 100 Usage Points – No surprise here. By far the best “bang for your buck” item on the list. The Mac Notebook beats the other four this semester because of its overall efficiency and mobility. A massive forty percent of the technology activities is done on this machine. The majority of its use comes from educational websites.
Favorite thing to do on the machine – Carrot Sticks (One on One Math Battles Online)
2. iMac Desktops – 25 out of 100 Usage Points – A close second. The iMac Desktop offers power and durability. The wider screen makes watching Brain Pop videos more enjoyable and multiple safari windows easier to manage. The majority of the Desktops’ use has came from educational websites.
Favorite thing to do on the machine – Study Island (All Subject Questions with Arcade Style Gameplay)
3. iPads – 20 out of 100 Usage Points – A surprising third. Coming into this school year, I thought the iPad would dominate the classroom. Don’t get me wrong. The iPad is great but when you have Mac Notebooks and iMacs at your disposal the iPadgets the cold shoulder. The majority of the iPads’ use have come from ibooks and math apps. If I could find a useful reading app, the iPad could move up in the rankings.
Favorite thing to do on the machine – ibooks (Book Reading App)
4. Flip Video Camera – 10 out of 100 Usage Points – A promising fourth. I wasn’t sure how I was going to integrate video cameras into the classroom other than field trips. But as the semester went on, we started using the flip more often. The majority of the Flip’s use has came from videoing our garden and assemblies.
Favorite thing to do on the machine – videoing the garden
5. iPod Touches – 5 out of 100 Usage Points – A disappointing fifth. Not a surprise though. With the arsenal of technology in the classroom, it has been hard to find time to use the iPod Touch. The majority of the iPod Touch’s use has came from random educational apps.
Favorite thing to do on the machine – Brian Thaw (Math App on Factors and Multiples)
American Math Challenge
14 years
by Jordan Haney
in Uncategorized
If your class has competed in World Math Day, then you will be excited to know Mathletics is holding an American Math Challenge this upcoming Monday, October 25th. The competition is free and you also get this week to practice for free. For those who are not aware of the competition, World Math Day and American Math Challenge are websites where students can challenge other students from around the world in basic math operations. My students love the thrill of going head to head with another student from across the world. The teachers love it because the students are practicing math. It’s a win win. To register your class click here.
Here is a screen shot of the website.
Apple Store Visit
14 years
by Jordan Haney
in Uncategorized
Thank you to all the workers at the West Town Mall Apple Store. My students and I had a great time last Wednesday using all the newest Apple products and programs. The students also got trained by Apple professionals on how to use these programs in class. The best thing was the field trip was free and they even threw in a t-shirt! Take a look at our trip by clicking here.
Apple Store Visit from Jordan Haney on Vimeo.
Farming with Mr. Denton
14 years
by Jordan Haney
in Uncategorized
Last week, Mr. Denton, Ext Agent II & County Director of Agriculture, paid a visit to our classroom. The students put together this video to document the experience.
Farming with Mr. Denton from Jordan Haney on Vimeo.
Click here to see the video if you can’t see the video
Rapping in Math
14 years
by Jordan Haney
in Uncategorized
Fractions can be a tedious skill. Continuously going over common factors, simplest form, and other fraction routines, can leave you wanting to quit the problem before you start. That is where Mr. Duey comes in. Mr. Duey is a middle school teacher from Michigan and to inspire his students he raps. Yes, raps. Below is Mr. Duey’s fraction rap video that I played in math this week and the students loved it.
Take a look at his website where you can buy his album. Mr. Duey.
Teacher of the Month!?!
14 years
by Jordan Haney
in Uncategorized
Wow! A big thank you to my last year class who voted me WATE’s teacher of the month. The award is for last March but I just recently found out about due to the end of the year. Thank you WATE and their sponsors for the great gifts. I actually teared up a little while I read the article. Just when you think no one is watching or cares about all the hours and hard work you put in to your job, something special happens and it makes it all worth it. Take a look at the article and the video of the surprise (we actually knew they were coming so we pretending to be asleep when they busted in) by clicking on the link below.
Making News
14 years
by Jordan Haney
in Uncategorized
Today, the students were featured in the Knoxville News Sentinel. Thanks to Mrs. Boyd who came in and interview the students. We were all very excited to see the paper this morning. If you missed it, here is the link. There is some negative chatter at the bottom of the page so beware. People have the right to their own opinion. Who really knows if technology is the way of the future for education. All I know is that I am very thankful for the opportunity ORAU has given my students and every morning I come into my class feeling truly blessed!