ByeBye Google+

Super quick post here. Google is doing away with Google+. It won't change much about Google,  just specifically Google+  If you have a Google+ account you should check into it because they suggest that you delete it. If you do a general search for information, you'll find lots and they will probably send you an email if they haven't already.

I am posting this specifically for the 203 people who chose G+ as their means to follow the blog. If you value knowing what's going on at Kidpeople Classroom, you might want to follow via email or Bloglovin' now. The links to do so are right over there in the righthand sidebar, so just a few clicks and you're set. You can follow via any feed tool you already use, too, of course.

I spent time this afternoon going over my Google+ account and following bloggers I don't want to lose track of via email and Bloglovin'. I also did away with the G+ follow button here on the blog as Google+ accounts will no longer exist as of April 2. It is sad to lose any readers, sniff, but my other means of following show steadily increasing numbers, so that brings some comfort. Yay.

See you around!

Tracking Freebies on Dropbox for Free

Hey Bloggers and Instagramers! Do you use Dropbox to share downloadable Freebies with readers when the Freebie is small or you don't want to make thumbnails and write descriptions for TPT? And have you been frustrated because the free version of Dropbox does not let you track how many times the Freebie has been shared? Well, today, for my Monday Made It, I am going to show you how you can track it for FREE!

A Free Tracking Hack

Upload the downloadable item you want to share on Dropbox, like you already do.

Click the blue SHARE button for the link that you usually embed on your blog so people get your item when they click. But this time, don't embed THAT link!

Go to Google URL Shortener to get a simplified link– most people already do this for IG.

Enter the Dropbox link so that Google simplifies it. You are not doing this just to get a shortened link, but to know how many times that link is clicked because Google URL Shortener lets you track that link for FREE.

Embed the shortened link on your blog or IG profile so it is what people click to download your freebie.

Now when you go back to Google URL Shortener, you'll see your item link and how many times it has been clicked on by readers. Ta-da!

It is true that when someone clicks on the link it does not necessarily mean they downloaded the item. They were interested enough, though, to take a closer look. Knowing the number of clicks tells me if the Freebie was generally desirable. And although my number of followers is one indicator of readers reached, knowing how many are interested in what I'm giving away is another indicator of how many people are interested in what I share.

This is one bloggy trick I didn't read about anywhere. I just stumbled upon Google URL Shortener when needing to simplify a link, and then realized that they track it for you. That got me thinking about how that info can be applied, and voila. I wish I had known about it earlier, so I share it with you now. I bet you can think of other ways to use this tip, too. Happy tracking! PIN so you remember!

Scoot on back to Monday Made It at Fourth Grade Frolics and find more good stuff! Thanks, Tara!

Watch the blog for upcoming book reviews, giveaways, start of school tips, and much more you don't want to miss. See you next time... and the next, and the next...

Busy in Bloggy Land

Happy Monday! Linking up today with Fourth Grade Frolics for a little recap on what I made in the last three days. It's been rather Hi-ho, hi-ho, off to work I go... but not with a shovel and a pick and a rhubarb stick... those are the words to that song, right? That's what we sang as kids, I know.

I've been working non-stop in bloggy land. Now, Monday morning, I have this to show for it.

I made a classroom tour movie. It was a bigger challenge than movies I've made in the past because I used a new format and did clipping, freeze frames, labels and voice overs within video footage. Not really difficult, but it took some new learning... and toooo much time. It is also nerve wracking putting yourself out there in a video singing and dancing... well, not dancing...

I started a YouTube channel... well, I should say a NEW YouTube Channel. I have one under my own name, but I've decided that one is going to be for mostly unlisted, by invitation only videos for my friends and classroom parents.  It has two that will remain public– my HUE animation projects. They're linked to HUE and I don't want to mess them up. My new channel is Kidpeople Classroom, and it is where I'll share videos for teachers. I don't think I'll do this a lot... snort... but it is good to have. It, too, was a bigger than it could have been challenge because I thought about branding and put up a banner and stuff that the other channel doesn't have. 

I made a classroom design hub, so to speak. It is one post with all the links to other posts I've done about elements of the classroom– flexible seating, display, set up... you get the idea. I will keep this post updated with links to new classroom design posts as I write them.

This is actually the beginning of a "Page" on my blog. Right now I have an "Other Stuff" page that is going to go. When I first set up the blog I thought I'd want to write about non-teaching stuff. And I do, but usually just in regular posts. My "Other Stuff" page has become a recipe for chocolate cake... yep, ONE recipe. It is for a very GOOD chocolate cake and it has nice photos, but it should not be a whole Page. So I will rewrite that and post it... maybe as a Monday Made It in a couple weeks. And then "Other Stuff" will become "Classroom Design." I have a lot more to say about that subject.

But where IS all this stuff I've done? Just scroll back up to

• Click on #1 and get to the video with some background that might help make it more useful.
• Click on #2 and go directly to the video on the new YouTube channel.
• Click on #3 and go to the Classroom Design Hub.
• Aaaaand, click on Monday Made It at the very top when you're all done to find what other teachers have been making. Thanks to Tara and this week's host for one of my favorite linky parties.

See you again tomorrow for Teacher Book Talk Tuesday... if you have a book you'd like to share, link up with me for this summer book review series. Click on it below to go to last week's reviews.

Thanks for stopping by!

Randomness, Recipes, and Real Bloggers

Truly Random. That is what you could call today's post. Might bring a chuckle or two, though. Thanks, Kasey, at Doodle Bugs Teaching for the ever popular Five for Friday link-up.

1.  First of all, does anybody else find this "new" typewriter ironic??

It is a regular, old-fashioned, gotta hit each key like you mean it, non-electric typewriter. The blurb says it will help you do "retro style" invites, and lend a "vintage air" to your office. Crack. Me. Up. When I saw the ad and saw they were two hundred dollars– good grief– I laughed and laughed. What goes around, comes around... although I don't remember any of the originals available in pink!

2.  And in the same vein, do you remember these?

Yep, that's a ViewMaster. It is still for sale, or maybe I should say, back for sale, and apparently all the rage. It costs TWENTY bucks and only comes with three disks. I have FIVE original equipment ViewMasters in a special collector box in my classroom with about 50 disks. Maybe I should put them on ebay and make back some of the money this classroom move has cost me, eh? No, the kiddos do love them and get them out for free choice. But twenty bucks?? They used to be five. Who woulda' thunk. I can recommend them though- if these new ones are just like the old ones they are very hardy. Mine have seen a lot of kid use, and most of mine came from garage sales so had already had a round of kid play.

3.  Did you see the super cute and good-for-kids Fine Motor Take Home Kit that Marsha McGuire posted on Differentiated Kindergarten? The FREE kit, I should add?

 

I think it is a terrific idea to send the kits home with kiddos for fine motor practice. Here packet comes with a lot of ideas, some activity cards, a parent brochure and a neat tag. I have gathered all the items for the activities and will be introducing the kits to parents on Curriculum Night. I like to build connections between home and school and I think this will help– kinders love taking things home from school. It also gives parents a chance to see what their child can do. I'm going to send two kits home with two kids each Friday, and make them due back on Monday, unless the kidperson is really into it. In that case they can keep them at home until Wednesday– just need them back in time to send home with the next lucky kids. You have to gather the stuff to go into the kit but the printables are a freebie and you can get them by clicking on the picture above and going to the Differentiated Kindergarten post. Thanks, Marsha!

I think my kits are going to travel between home and school in these adorable monster bags. Target's Dollar Spot had the CUTEST monster themed stuff this year– drawstring bags, pencil cases, notebooks... I got myself a new lunch bag. LOVE.

4.  I had a package of chicken in the fridge the other day, but when I remembered it there was only an hour or so before dinner. Who likes plain boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Boring. So I rummaged around in the fridge, then poured a little soy sauce, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar into a flat bottomed bowl, adding to that some crushed garlic and pepper. Sorry I don't have exact measurements. I've been cooking long enough to just sort of wing it when it comes to amounts. I usually only measure when I'm trying new recipes... with marinades... naw.

Ingredients I had on hand.

I stirred, then added the chicken breasts to it, sliced quite thin and punctured many times with a fork.

Chicken in marinade before going into the pan.

I covered and placed it in the fridge, turning them over after half an hour. I then put them in my new ceramic saute pan (LOVE!) and cooked them on top of the stove until they were no longer pink, which didn't take long as they were thin slices. I served them over rice and some chopped veges. Oh. my. gosh. SO good. SO simple. SO fast. I highly recommend! Sorry I don't have any pictures past the marinade stage– I was busy cooking and eating. Didn't think about pictures again until the kitchen was cleaned up. Rachel Ray has nothing to worry about as I just can't cook in front of a camera :)

5.  Teachers are terrific! I FINALLY got to meet some fellow Michigan bloggers. FUN!! We had a blast! One of the real perks of blogging is the people you get to "meet." I had a grand time chatting, learned some new tips, got some neat swag, and won a great prize, too... It is a Ellison Super Star machine that does die cutting. Here is a picture I pulled from the internet because I haven't opened the box yet.

I also won two set of dies that cut out a little boy and a little girl with various clothing options. I'm sure I and my colleagues (because it just seems like a thing for sharing) will put it to good use in the coming year, and I'll post about what I do with it. I will also post more about this meet up in the coming weeks as we'll have some follow-up photos and info to share. I want to especially encourage any Michigan teacher bloggers or TPTers to come to next year's meet-up. Sending off words and ideas into the black hole of the internet can be a little lonely. It is always good to put faces and personalities with the people behind the blog or TPT store. 

Hope you enjoyed my randomness today. Click on back to other Five for Friday posts. Thanks Kacey!

Now I'm off to get ready for a family wedding. Have a great weekend, especially those of you who were back at school with kids this week... my first week is fast approaching! See you next time.

KinderTribe All the Way

It's so great to network with other teachers and one way to do that is through #KinderTribe. I link up today to add my name and a little bit about me to the list.

There's not a whole lot else to add to the list... well, except to say that it is impossible to list just. one. favorite. book! If I were on a desert island with nothing but little monkeys... I mean the real kind... I would still have to have kinder books. And those few I listed were just off the top of my head. My books don't all fit at school... my husband is now lining our halls at home with yet more bookshelves. 

Also, it's hard to choose just one favorite blog, but Carolyn wins today. She was one of the first bloggers I connected with, and she remains soooo helpful. It is so nice to have cyber friends. I always find some meat in her posts, too. I like to see us as similar, but that's me giving myself a big pat on the back :) Check her out.  

Click on the button below and you'll find other kindergarten bloggers in the tribe. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Three New Gadgets on the Blog

Happy Monday Morning! I'm linking with Fourth Grade Frolics to share some stuff I've made for the blog. Thanks, Tara, for the Monday Made It each week.

There are three new elements I've added to my blog– two for fun, and one that I hope proves very useful. The first one I'll mention is my stick figure classroom.  No, not my little kids peeking out at the side of my page that my DH Jonathan drew when he built my blog for me, but the red kid drawing waaaaay down at the bottom of the page which looks like this:

I put it together at Widdly Tinks. There are all sorts of figures big and small to choose from, even pets. I chose to create my classroom... well, sort of.  I have way more kids than a dozen, but twelve is the maximum number of figures. The little pic serves absolutely no purpose other that to give anyone who scrolls down that far a little surprise. Click the image above or below and you can go to the site and see. Pure fun.

Another little gadget is the Feedjit Live Traffic Feed. You'll find it on the far lower right side of my page and it looks like this.

Like you, I'd seen it on blogs before... not too many, but some. I love to read them when I see them. It kind of reminds me that the World Wide Web is just that... WORLD wide.

I thought about it for a long while before putting it on my blog for all to see. Being a newish, smallish blog I thought it would be embarrassing to see only one visitor a week probably. But to my surprise and delight, people from all around the globe do visit the site, many a day, and more when I post (Imagine that! Posting brings people to the blog. Snort)

My family insists that I'm delusional and the "people" are not really people, but rather robots who trawl the net. Don't think they're catching any fish on my blog!  But you know what, delusional or not, I don't care. SOME of those views ARE from REAL people. It makes me want to shout out, "Hi Queensland! Hi Copenhagen! Hi Ann Arbor and Texas!" I wish I could reach in and give a little wave to them.

So if you're reading now, consider yourself greeted with a warm smile. Give a hi back in the comments and let me know you are real... and help me prove my family wrong– HA. And if you're a blogger, I suggest you give Feedjit a try. It was really easy to add to the blog.

Last but not least, I have to point out a special new post and link on the side bar.

For a couple weeks now I've been working on a post about linky parties. Not too surprisingly I get a lot more viewers, not only when I post, as mentioned above, but when I link the post to other great bloggers. I enjoy discovering blogs by reading from the links and have made lots of cyber teacher friends that way. I needed a fast, handy linky reference... and then I thought that I'm not the only one who'd like to know about those linkys. I bet lots of bloggers would like to stay abreast of the linky parties so they can join in. So the Linky List page was born.

I'm bet someone has already posted a list of linky parties somewhere, but for the life of me I couldn't find it. The need for one was even mentioned on a Periscope broadcast the day I finally hit 'publish' so I hope people can find this one. I made it easy to find– just click the button, which is the picture of the friends with linked arms walking down the street over on my right side bar. I want to keep it current, so if you know of any linkys– ones you start, ones you join, or ones you read– just let me know and I'll add them.

Okay, there's my three Made-Its for today. I'm working on some posts about start of year activities and routines next. Gonna post them soon, so keep your eyes open. These routines work best if started at the beginning of the year, so I hope you get them in time... I don't need to tell anyone that summer is not endless.

Click on back to the link up and find more blogger creations of all kinds. So happy you stopped by!