Collaborative Tech Project

Collaborative Technology Project for Research

My students are fully emerged in a huge research project using Powerpoint, Letter Generator, Bitl.ly, and Google Classroom. Rachelle and I set up a template of 12 slides which our students would be using to create a slide show of a particular college or university that participated in the March Madness basketball tournament.  In the notes section we told the requirements needed on each slide.  We used the Letter Generator from Read, Write, Think and wrote to the college to request information be sent out.  We also wrote a letter to the coach of the basketball team after finding that information on the school website.  Many of our students received cards, envelopes, packages, even boxes full of not only information but some other surprise goodies as well.

Students had to import a video on their powerpoint of the team fight song. They also needed to locate and include maps, pictures, and tram statistic charts about a particular player.  The kids had fun being creative when making slide transitions, choosing a theme for the slides and other creative elements to make their slideshow unique and special. They also used Bit.ly to cite sources on images they imported.

When assigning the template to the students I had them sign in to my google classroom using the classroom code so they had access to the templates.  That was slick! An easy way to send the assignment and they were unable to get onto each others unless they shared it with a student. A very successful and creative research project using lots of technology.

The biggest challenge we faced on this assignment was finding enough computer time for students to work!

Collaboration and Research

March Madness Research Project and the ISTE Standards for Students

ISTE Standards for Students (ISTE Standards•S): The standards for evaluating the skills and knowledge students need to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly global and digital world

We are well underway with our research for the March Madness unit we are completing this quarter for research. The students have used the organizer we made and have completed notes. They are now working on the powerpoint slides and typing their information on the slides.  They have had fun locating the fight songs and have been sharing them with their classmates. Importing the video has been challenging for many of the kids, but they have figured them out.

We have been working on how to cite their source for used  images or pictures they have  included.  We have also had to discuss digital citizenship about only going to appropriate sites as well as what to do when those annoying "pop-ups" occur.  In most research projects we have limited the sites the kids were able to use. This is one of the first times they have had the opportunity to "surf" and find needed information. We have discovered that there have been some inappropriate pop-ups about dating sites etc. We had to have a very important talk about this after one fifth grade student decided to sign-up a friend for that site.  Luckily it didn't work and another student reported that...interesting situation.

What I love about this activity is it does really help kids learn to navigate the internet in a way they haven't before, how to do a powerpoint using text pictures and videos, and also how to cite sources within a powerpoint using.

The Magic Talking Pen!

The Magic Talking Pen!

After reading the article about the magical pen that could read and write I thought of my student, B.W.. He is a ED student that often refuses to write but loves to draw! He is also very imaginative and loves to tell stories about his pictures. This would be a perfect tool for him! I would love to use that and also have a speech program that types what he is speaking when he points to the picture.  A perfect invention for so many kids like him! Sign me up for one!

My First Screencast!

Over the years I have used so many screencasts located on line that have been so helpful in instruction, especially with my math class. I recently gave my first effort at making my own screen cast to use with my kids.  I chose to use Educreations because it was an app I was familiar with. I discovered many things.
1. you can pre-make pages and add more pages to your screencast to be written on as you speak.
2. It is really difficult to write neatly with a stylus.
3. I needed to record and re-record several times in order to get a screencast worthy of showing my class. (Although it is far from error free!)
4. I sent it through synergy to my parents and students in my math class but only about half the class watched it. Upon investigation I have 7 kids with no internet access at their house.
5. Flipping the classroom would be nice, but I feel we would need to watch it here at school too.
6. My kids gave me 2 stars and a wish for my efforts and I discovered they are way kinder and more positive than I deserved! They also had some great tips for improvement.
7. They would like to try to make a screencast for instruction...way cool.  Here is a link to my screencast!

https://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/triangles/30110962/?s=MyUGkV&ref=appemail

Internet Workshop and Emerging Literacies

The Internet Workshop and Emerging Literacies
When reading Peg Kehret Small Steps I bookmarked some articles for my students to read about polio and the iron lung and asked them to write a response to share with the group. One of the links took them to a video clip for them to watch about a woman who lived for more than 50 years in an iron lung. Many parents commented at conferences about how it touched their child and they were eager to share with them all about polio and the iron lung video. Since they had read and watched them prior to our group discussion we could use that time to discuss and not to sit and read or watch a video. I did bookmark Peg Kehret's website for the kids to read more about Peg.

Science Fair Internet Workshop
 The five major skill sets needed for emerging literacies are exactly what we are asking our students to do to prepare for the science fair. They begin by asking important questions, locate informative sites, evaluate what they read, take notes in their own words, and communicate what they have learned on their science fair boards. This is much like an individualized Internet Workshop because they all have their own topic they need to read and respond to in their writing for on their science fair board.

How Teachers Are Using Technology at Home and in Their Classrooms

February 28, 2013

How Teachers Are Using Technology at Home and in Their Classrooms

This article was really looking at middle and high school aged students in the classroom, but there were many things that could apply to our fifth graders.  The resources in our building are better than most in LPS but it still limits our access to technology and when kids finally have full access to the technology will change the way we can do many things. I still wonder how schools handle no internet outside of school for students when they require this for assignment completion.

Notes as I read…

Doing research, word processing, or assignments at home is a challenge…not everyone has access to the internet or even computer access at home. How do you even that playing field? How can you make assignments that are not available to all kids?

During our science fair the kids benefit so much from using search engines to ask the question. Often times it is difficult for the kids to even know what scientific concept they need to look up. By asking and reading they can then probe more into the scientific research of particular topics.

I find myself using the internet all of the time to find Kahoots! , powerpoints, movie clips, literature units, or lesson plan ideas to teach concepts or units. It is invaluable. I know that has enhanced the teaching and changed the way I do many things since beginning to teach 29 years ago. It is nice to find a developed unit and then to adapt it to exactly what I need to teach.

Here is a great example of integration to enhance learning. At LSE one of the Spanish teachers (My son’s teacher)  has reached out to her students and allowed them to instagram her pictures and use Spanish to write about what the picture is showing. They can earn class “speaking points” instead of only speaking aloud in class. She had to get an instagram account, which was out of her comfort zone, but she is amazed how much she hears from her students! It has been a great tool and a wonderful way to reach out to incorporate technology and in a manner the kids are very familiar with in their own lives.  She also has learned so much about her students beyond the classroom and has been able to have authentic conversations about what they are doing.

So much of this article discusses smartphone use in the classroom but they are really talking about middle and high school age kids. I have only 9/23 kids in my class that have smartphones so that is not something I would have considered using.  Maybe I need to rethink and allow some to use that as a tool for research?

Wednesday, February 4th--It's a Snow Day!

Wednesday, February 4th--It's a Snow Day!
I have spent a bulk of my day today looking at apps and reading articles for class. I have identified several apps I would like to try out in my room. 

1. (This is strictly a consumer app!) Math Charts by Jenny Eather.  This site is an invaluable resource for visuals to use with my math students about new or difficult concepts we work on in our curriculum.

Getting Started....Goals

My Goals For TEAC 880J:

I think this will be a great class to encourage advancing my technology skills. I have so much "half knowledge" that I can be dangerous. I am becoming more comfortable with exploring with technology and making mistakes along the way.This class allow me to meet some of my goals for technology such as:
1. The knowledge of apps that are available for me to use with my students in the classroom.
2. An opportunity to collaborate with other educators about the ways in which they have used some of the apps and be able to get help when needed to use these apps.
3. An open forum for discussion of the ways people integrate technology into the already demanding curriculum pacing we are challenged with in education today. I want to find ways for technology to make things easier not more difficult for myself and my students.
4. To work with a group of educators that share a common passion and desire to improve in the area of technology.