tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51669486125073973802024-03-05T11:00:48.837-08:00 Technology in the Early Childhood ClassroomA blog for early childhood educators who are motivated to more effectively integrate technology in their classrooms.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-41515224351614187062014-10-18T15:48:00.002-07:002014-10-20T11:59:28.155-07:00Student Talk: Getting Ready for the Online SBACI'll be the first to tell you that elementary teachers in my district are feeling a bit stressed out about taking the Smarter Balanced assessment online! While we have not had a standard keyboarding curriculum in the past, we also have a different range of technology available at each elementary school. Some schools have only one computer lab in the library while others have Chromebooks in nearly every classroom and computer labs, as well! Not to mention, this is our first year fully teaching the Common Core standards. We are definitely feeling the pressure and insecurity that surrounds this type of transition and I can't imagine we are the only ones out there!<br />
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To help quell fears surrounding the use of an online assessment, as well as to begin identifying the areas of greatest need in relation to basic technology skills, I organized several SBAC trial runs. Here is some of the feedback we received from students and teachers in a 3rd and 5th grade classroom as it regards to technology literacy. Please note, we did not ask students to focus on the content of the test during the trials.<br />
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If you'd like to get a snapshot of your students ability to navigate and interact with the Smarter Balanced assessments, set aside some time and allow students to explore the available <a href="http://www.smarterbalanced.org/practice-test/" target="_blank">practice tests</a>. The short training tests that are available are only 6 questions long and utilize all of the question varieties present on the full practice/official tests. </div>
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Here are some helpful tips from our first trials:</div>
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<li>Empower students and remove pressure by explaining that is their job to "give the test a test!"</li>
<li>Give minimal instructions about the testing interface to get an accurate snapshot of what students know and are able to figure out on their own, then go back and review other features as necessary</li>
<li>Show them the pause feature and take them for a short break outside</li>
<li>Provide students with index cards to share their thoughts and feelings about the online testing environment and involve them in a discussion afterwards</li>
<li>Have an older classroom (that has already done a trial) send tech buddies to younger classrooms to provide extra help/guidance during their trial</li>
<li>Don't combine this trial with one that is focused on the content of the test, keep them separate (students should be allowed to write any sentences in the extended response spaces, for example)</li>
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I also used ThingLink to create an <a href="http://www.thinglink.com/scene/580829301755084800" target="_blank">Interactive Tour of Smarter Balanced Testing Environment</a> the testing environment for teachers to use as an introduction or for students to explore independently.<br />
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<img class="alwaysThinglink" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/api/image/580829301755084800/1024/10/scaletowidth#tl-580829301755084800;1043138249'" style="max-width: 100%;" /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/jse/embed.js"></script>
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Remember, technology is meant to be used in the classroom to extend, engage, or enrich learning experiences to promote student growth, not hinder it! While the transition to taking an online assessment may seem oppositional to this guiding principal it is not something we are unable to overcome with careful preparation and implementation. So, start early in your preparations, utilize all of your resources (tech coaches, support staff, etc.), and involve your students in developing a plan for becoming comfortable with technology skills by the testing window! </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-21688263200296892652014-10-17T08:55:00.000-07:002014-10-17T08:55:45.467-07:00Teacher Talk: Whidbey Island Google in Education Summit by AppsEventsI am thrilled to announce that I have been confirmed to present at the Whidbey Island Google in Education Summit by AppsEvents being held at Coupeville Middle/High School! I received my confirmation e-mail today, along with my badge as a summit speaker.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="line-height: 1; white-space: pre-wrap;">I invite anyone who is able to join me at the first Google for Education <a href="http://whidbey-island.appsevents.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Whidbey Island Summit</a> to be held at </span><span style="line-height: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://coupeville.k12.wa.us/schools/coupeville-high-school/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Coupeville High School</a> on</span> <span style="line-height: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2067939405" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">March 28 - 29, 2015</span></span></span><span style="line-height: 1; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Regardless of whether you can join us, a </span></span><a href="http://whidbeyisland2015.sched.org/speaker/anna.k.fick" style="color: #1155cc; line-height: 1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">link to my presentations</span></a><span style="color: black; line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the schedule is </span><a href="http://whidbeyisland2015.sched.org/" style="color: #1155cc; line-height: 1; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This high intensity two day event focuses on deploying, integrating, and using Google Apps for Education and other Google Tools to promote student learning in K-12 and higher education. The program features Google Certified Teachers, Google Apps for Education Certified Trainers, practicing administrators and solution providers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 1; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are in the area or able to travel (Whidbey Island is gorgeous!!) you can <a href="http://whidbey-island.appsevents.com/registration" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">register now</a></span><span style="color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to send teachers, administrators, tech directors/tech support staff, and anyone who is interested in finding out more about leveraging Google tools to support student learning.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-14721519459366579022014-10-16T10:14:00.000-07:002014-10-16T10:26:28.515-07:00Teacher Talk: Starting with iPads in Second Grade! (part 1)While I have shared some of my personal experiences working with iPads in the classroom, I have finally had my first formal experience serving as a coach to another group of teachers who are new to the integration of iPads! Since I know these individuals are not the only ones just starting out with this technology, I thought I would share some of what we talked about, concerns that were raised, and what our next steps will be.<br />
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When we first sat down together we were starting with a blank slate. The questions floating around the table included...<br />
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<li>Where do we start?</li>
<li>What are our goals?</li>
<li>What does 5 iPads in a classroom look like?</li>
<li>How do I manage them?</li>
<li>How do you teach students the rules?</li>
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The list could really go on and on. These teachers were familiar with iPads and were willing to teach themselves and seek out the information they needed to be successful with this endeavor, but were stuck at a point of many unknowns which can quickly become overwhelming. In situations like this, I tend to refer on my own guiding principle in using technology in the classroom which revolves around the idea that technology must extend, engage, or enhance a lesson in a way that would otherwise not be possible for it to be meaningful. Therefore, we chose to focus on two questions in particular, they were...</div>
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<li>What is one curricular goal you have for your students?</li>
<li>Are iPads the right tool to help with these goal?/How can the iPads help you meet that goal?</li>
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By centering our discussion around student learning, rather than the overwhelming unknowns of first time integration, we were able to streamline our thought process and ensure that students would benefit from our conversations. </div>
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The answer to the first question finally came out to be that Fridays were filled with weekly assessments and due to the weekend/grading time students were not receiving meaningful feedback so they did not know what to work on. This was largely because by the time students returned on Monday many of them had forgotten the specific details of the stories they were given comprehension quizzes on and time could not be spared to complete review activities since the new week meant a new story/lesson to study. The teachers wanted to help students improve their comprehension skills through review activities directly related to assessment.</div>
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The answer to the second question was that if students could take a test on the iPads and get immediate feedback then the iPads would be a valuable tool in solving the learning issue/meeting the curricular goal. We explored some options online like <a href="https://blog.edmodo.com/2014/04/16/using-edmodo-for-exit-tickets-and-other-formative-assessment/" target="_blank">THIS</a>, <a href="http://itechbob.blogspot.com/2013/01/socrative-vs-infuselearning.html" target="_blank">THIS</a>, and <a href="http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/how-to-create-a-test-that-grades-itself-using-google-forms/" target="_blank">THIS</a>. The group decided that there were sufficient platforms available on the iPads for student assessment. They specifically decided upon Socrative as the ideal tool for their needs. The next time we meet we will be working on some tutorials to start setting up Socrative assessments.<br />
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You can look forward to a full review of Socrative once we get started!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-35512070537885461792014-10-10T12:10:00.002-07:002014-10-10T12:10:54.246-07:00Talk, Talk, Talk - A New Way of Approaching Posts!Hi Everyone,<br />
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As many of you know I began a new position this year as the Instructional Facilitator of Technology for my district. I've been busy working with K through 12th grade teachers, staff, and students. This has caused my technology exploration and discoveries to live between both the worlds of teachers and that of students. I've had a hard time relating this to my blog and as a result my postings have been sporadic and infrequent!<br />
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So, I am doing a bit of a re-organization and will be labeling my posts in a new way! This will allow me to share a broader range of topics, ideas, strategies, and opportunities while allowing you as the reader to differentiate easily between what would be most applicable to you!<br />
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Posts will be classified as one of the two (for now) topics below:<br />
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<li>Teacher Talk: These posts will be oriented toward professional growth for teachers. They might address topics like a great tool for classroom management or scheduling, a tutorial on how to create a resource for students, or an approach that might be useful in tackling technology integration.</li>
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<li>Student Talk: Posts that start with "Student Talk" will be designed for teachers to use similar to lesson plans or while lesson planning. They are directly related to delivering classroom instruction.</li>
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I look forward to being able to post more frequently with these new guidelines in place!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-42543942227407965112014-10-03T12:03:00.000-07:002014-10-03T12:03:25.158-07:00Weekly Tech Blitz Challenges!<div style="text-align: center;">
Once a week. Thirty minutes. One tool. One goal. Collaborative discussion. Valuable resources. Direct classroom impact. </div>
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These statements describe the Weekly Tech Blitz Challenges that I offer to the staff of Oak Harbor Public Schools as an optional professional development opportunity. They are an interactive way to learn about useful technology tools in the matter of 30 minutes in the comfort of your home! Since they have been so positively received at work, I thought you all would enjoy them, too!</div>
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I invite you to take a look at the <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/ohsd.net/weekly-tech-blitz/" target="_blank">Weekly Tech Blitz Website</a>! There you will find an agenda of what will be covered in upcoming weeks, as well as all that we have already covered. </div>
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Unfortunately, if you are not a member of our district you will be unable to participate in the Google Groups we are using to discuss and extend our knowledge and application of these tools. But, I invite you to discuss them at any time with me. I will also be sure to cross-post any challenges I find particularly relevant for early childhood educators.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-86844795995452477432014-09-09T21:29:00.000-07:002014-09-09T21:29:05.049-07:00Let's start the school year off right!<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Welcome to the new school year! I know for some of you it’s well under way, while for those of us that started after Labor Day it’s only the first full week of school! I’ve been a busy bee getting the new technology training plan established and running for my district, as well as populating our brand new website with lots of great resources for teachers. Returning to the blog is a welcome change of pace and has me excited to share what I’ve learned this summer with you! </span></div>
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<span class="s1">In honor of the start of the school year and the return of the lesson plan, I thought I would highlight one of the weekly technology challenges I am offering for staff at school. It is all about using Google Calendar for lesson planning.</span></div>
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One of the best practices in education is the idea of keeping clear lesson plans that can be accessed and edited from year to year. Not to mention, some districts and schools require that teachers keep a record of their lesson plans for at least one year and some even require they be submitted at the conclusion of the school year. Regardless of your requirements, Google Calendar provides an easy to use interface for saving lesson plans in a sequential and searchable fashion.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I've created a brief tutorial on how to set-up a lesson planning calendar using your Google account. This is possible using your personal Google account or a school account if your school is a Google Apps for Education school/district.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">While this tutorial will assist you in setting up a lesson plan for your own personal use, there are a multitude of ways to harness the collaborative power of Google to expand the usefulness of your calendar. Check them out below:</span></div>
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<li><b>Scope and Sequence</b>: Create one calendar to use as your pacing guide and share it with all applicable colleagues. It will serve as an overlay when you are working on your lesson plans instead of having to get out the charts and documents for all subject areas each time.<br /></li>
<li><b>Team Planning/Co-Teaching</b>: If you work on a team that works off similar or unified lesson plans OR if you share a teaching role or class with a fellow teacher, a shared Google Calendar would be very helpful. You could use it to plan together or to post where you left off in a particular lesson so that your colleague knows where to pick up.<br /></li>
<li><b>Home-School Connection</b>: If you would like your students' parents to have a better understanding of their child's school schedule or what they are learning, you might post your lesson plan calendar to your class website or make the link available for parents to subscribe to the calendar.<br /></li>
<li><b>Classroom Visitors</b>: As teachers, we are all accustomed to our principals and other school or district administrators and visitors dropping by our rooms to observe, pull students, or simply ask a question. While I have never minded classroom visits, they somehow always seem to fall at transition moments or when my students are at specials! Well, if you were to make your lesson plan calendar viewable within your district or school then these individuals could easily check to see when you are teaching and not teaching, as well as when a particular subject or lesson is being taught. </li>
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<span class="s1">If you have another use for Google Calendar for lesson planning, I (and other readers) would love to hear about! Feel free to share!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-52347038895002255412014-07-21T10:21:00.005-07:002014-07-21T10:21:45.155-07:00CA GAFE SUMMIT: Day TwoYesterday was the second and final day of the GAFE Summit. I attended four more sessions which were focused around specific tools and strategies than those of the previous day which were a bit more big picture focused. I've used the same format from yesterday and captured my biggest take-away, actions inspired, and remaining questions from each session to provide you with some insight on Day Two. I even remembered to include links to the session descriptions and my notes from the sessions this time!<br />
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<b>Session 1: Making Every Moment Count - Quality Instruction using the Flipped Model</b><br />
<b><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vASm2hCHVQW_Gh96DNOcQNXRRMroSaDbbIuFg0zT_lU/edit?pli=1" target="_blank">Session Overview</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1711ifT7JSsBh11L_gEegFP97k3dCDkH-MwfdE32DN2A/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Session Notes</a></b><br />
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<li>Biggest Take-Away: Powerful</li>
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<li>Getting to see how flipped instruction works from an elementary teacher was extremely powerful! There are many amazing things that are great for middle and high school students but don't necessarily translate to younger learners. Seeing the possibilities for ALL age groups was very enlightening.</li>
<li>Think about it...how many issues do you have with parents and students during the school year surrounding homework? What if you made that homework more engaging and less focused on repetition? What if you were able to extend the idea of practice by relegating it to the classroom environment when you could push the boundaries beyond completing practice problems on worksheets or from a textbook?</li>
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<li>Action Inspired: </li>
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<li>This needs to be incorporated into professional development courses I am constructing for this school year. Not only do I need to share about the flipped model, but I need to be using this strategy to make the most out of teacher's professional development time.</li>
<li>I need to remember not to reinvent the wheel and explore resources for the flipped classroom that are already made in order to effectively encourage teachers to give this model a try.</li>
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<li>Questions Remaining:</li>
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<li>What is the best way to get teachers familiar with all of the neat tools that can be used for the flipped classroom?</li>
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<b>Session 2: Stamp Your Google Passport: Maps, Tours, Cultural Institute, and more!</b><br />
<b><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/10AObH7S-PAHPouh82x070pHLuAWuf0RK7ETSnUzvYW4/edit?pli=1" target="_blank">Session Overview</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/ohsd.net/presentation/d/1hxwcVQuFviEcTDuYKIltWsZUtRmO5MrLwx7p1QhO75U/edit#slide=id.g1e42c14e_2_359" target="_blank">Session Presentation</a></b><br />
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<li>Biggest Take-Away: Wow! Who knew all these tools existed!</li>
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<li>This session went a mile-a-minute and it was all you could do to follow along, interact with the tools and then bookmark them for later! It was overwhelming in the best possible way - I was bombarded with a TON of meaningful tools to use none of which fell into the category of mediocre.</li>
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<li>Action Inspired:</li>
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<li>Some serious time exploring resources is needed! I will have to probably create a blog series to actually share all of these with you, but it will be worth every moment because they were engaging for students and can be instrumental in creating authentic learning experiences within ANY classroom. You should take some time to simply click on some of the links in the presentation just to see what they do! </li>
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<li>Questions Remaining:</li>
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<li>Which tools are best for which age groups?</li>
<li>What type of teacher prep time does each tool require to be most effective?</li>
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<b>Session 3: EdPuzzle - Turn Any Video Into a Lesson that Fits Perfectly with Your Instruction</b><br />
<b><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R9cDpwUUaN1XanEsjIKnfE2dA_Bco6XgwOEvyAAzWjs/edit?pli=1" target="_blank">Session Overview</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ghBT5vVUJlUZaRDwthyN2S-Op2oj2pMzwtXeNPjaaWY/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Session Notes</a></b><br />
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<li>Biggest Take-Away: It's what we've all been waiting for!</li>
<ul>
<li>A free tool for teachers that lets you embed voice notes, multiple choice and free response questions at any point in the lesson. It even automatically pauses the video if a student clicks on another tab in their browser and prevents them from skipping ahead. As a teacher you can see how many times a student has watched the video and what parts they re-watched (and how many times). All of this is collected in data that can be easily exported!</li>
</ul>
<li>Action Inspired:</li>
<ul>
<li>No more playing videos with no discussions or accountability alongside it. No more students scribbling notes frantically as the video on without any guidance. This goes for classroom instruction and the creation of professional development materials! Time to get started making video and finding quality lessons already made to share with teachers.</li>
</ul>
<li>Questions Remaining:</li>
<ul>
<li>What is the potential for using the project feature with students?...staff?</li>
<li>Being only 9 months since the first team meeting, what additional features are planned? What else do teachers want from EdPuzzle?</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Session 4: Who is telling your story?</b><br />
<b><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1osCK-df7Pta7k0oUeJkb4szn-FkQxNHOlz7UcJvlIYo/edit?pli=1" target="_blank">Session Overview</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mDhVhXU77uO4X4lyFAbIA6snMXsTZSFDl1uIbPNqPwA/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Session Notes</a></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Biggest Take-Away: Where is student voice?</li>
<ul>
<li>I know the schools in my district have lots of plans and programs in place to promote student voice, but do are they relevant to students and do students feel they are actually being heard? Social media has a LOT to offer within schools in regards to communication, ownership of learning, and building community. </li>
</ul>
<li>Action Inspired:</li>
<ul>
<li>I'd really like to do a mini version of this presentation for our school administrators to share with them the possibilities surrounding student voice and strengthening the school community through the use of social media. It is something all of our students are using on a daily basis and is a tool that schools should not be ignoring.</li>
<li>Our district recently got new websites and there are social media icons embedded on all the pages but they are not functional as of yet because we do not have a social media policy or plan. These won't be immediate realizations but they can be goals!</li>
</ul>
<li>Questions Remaining:</li>
<ul>
<li>How involved would our community be in using a district hashtag if we had one?</li>
<li>Would our students be as responsive (as those at the presenter's school) to discussions (not disciplinary actions) surrounding inappropriate use of school social media?</li>
<li>Students seem to be the primary users of the hashtags and blogs, how do you go about getting parents involved?</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
I am leaving the conference with something to bring back to ALL of the individuals I serve and work with at my school - administrators, support staff, IT department, students, teachers, parents, community members! I look forward to sharing some of the tools and resources I learned about in more depth with you in the coming weeks! Now, it's time to hop on a plane back to Washington!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-45001387164600782102014-07-19T17:38:00.000-07:002014-07-21T09:33:08.098-07:00CA GAFE SUMMIT: Day OneIt's officially "intermission" of the CA GAFE Summit 2014 and I thought I'd share a bit about my day with you. I decided the best way to summarize my experience today was to share the biggest take-away and remaining questions I had about each session. Also, in most cases I was inspired to plan for or take specific action (either in the future or immediately) and I thought that would be helpful to include. Without further ado...<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Session 1: 10 Ways to Drive GAFE Adoption at Your School </b><br />
<b><a href="https://docs.google.com/a/ohsd.net/document/d/1Xvk1_LXBuvXVOFcT1-BeymKNMN-pIjnIXuAcxMLEk7c/edit?pli=1" target="_blank">Session Overview</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/ohsd.net/document/d/1GZY-dYHQfwkuxa26tUK1-07inay2YBUYvVCHmwsI08Q/edit" target="_blank">Session Notes</a></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Biggest Take-Away: We need a plan</li>
<ul>
<li>My district has been operating on a readiness model and is moving to an equity model this year. So, we have taken a lot of little steps towards full adoption of GAFE with limited populations of teachers. It's time to look at the bigger picture and make GAFE a reality for all our educators. To do this, we need a plan that is anchored in achievable goals that promote student learning.</li>
</ul>
<li>Action Inspired: Let's rip the band-aid on e-mail</li>
<ul>
<li>Peter Henrie said that people will go where their email is and while GAFE can be successful separate from Gmail it will not ever reach quite the same level. We've been toying with this idea for a year or two and today just confirmed that we need to make a serious effort to make the switch!</li>
</ul>
<li>Questions Remaining:</li>
<ul>
<li>How can I best go about getting a meeting to discuss this with all the involved parties?</li>
<li>What is a reasonable timeline for us?</li>
<li>What proof/data do I need to make a convincing argument for these things?</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Session 2: Toward Better Technology Integration</b><br />
<b><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DPeOoG5HjfONCBsnqFuoKKSsC_sq7bSmx5InLmj-sIY/edit?pli=1" target="_blank">Session Overview</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xKvuM5WIvL1Em7mu2R8QTx3n2rSXwT48UPo8iX_gGJE/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Session Notes</a></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Biggest Take-Away: <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ctEM7PmzfvCCTUjpp7le10x4qfx_ncWhhaOhN_yONmM/edit" target="_blank">TRUDACOT</a></li>
<ul>
<li>This amazing tool will be an instrumental component of how I approach technology integration goal-setting throughout my professional development offerings this year. It is meant to be a non-judgmental design tool for teachers to help them easily identify the areas of technology integration they want to target for improvement.</li>
</ul>
<li>Action Inspired:</li>
<ul>
<li>It might be interesting to sculpt professional development sessions around one or two areas of the TRUDACOT. This could help teachers easily understand what they would gain by attending the training and what their goal is when planning instruction after the session. This could feed into the already device-agnostic PD I am creating.</li>
</ul>
<li>Questions Remaining:</li>
<ul>
<li>How will I go about getting my teachers well versed in TPACK and SAMR so that they can best understand and apply TRUDACOT?</li>
<li>What will training the administrators to use this tool look like? How can it be blended with our new TPEP evaluation system?</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Session 3: Google Classroom Playground</b><br />
<b><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/15NVmIsvKz1IMuGV98A_iuEOcC8wbBlhHv0wX4SjqNaQ/edit?pli=1" target="_blank">Session Overview</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/ohsd.net/document/d/1drXbtCTcQjx06lPXzUOxec9w3IDiEbbJF9VSYny3Dt0/edit" target="_blank">Session Notes</a></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Biggest Take-Away: Under-development</li>
<ul>
<li>This will be a great tool for beginners but until a few additional features are added it won't quite meet the needs of our "techies."</li>
<li>There are some much needed/desired features for this to truly be a universal asset to all teachers, some of which include: being able to view student work in real time, ability to attach rubric(s), control over student sharing settings...</li>
</ul>
<li>Action Inspired:</li>
<ul>
<li>Share my screencast from the session (got to interact as a student in a class) with colleagues to help them become more familiar while we wait for the official release and access.</li>
<li>I need to spend some more time familiarizing myself with Doctopus & Goobric to be able to fully meet the needs of all staff.</li>
</ul>
<li>Questions Remaining:</li>
<ul>
<li>How should I approach training teachers and students to use this tool given it is releasing in August?</li>
<li>What possibilities does this have for teacher professional development courses?</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Session 4: Doctopus & Goobric - Wizard Driven Scripts for Newbies</b><br />
<b><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bF3mM5kxpThijzKTH6-2yVN_974NVP_rQ8n09ockhKE/edit?pli=1" target="_blank">Session Overview</a> <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/ohsd.net/document/d/1tuaAmmAj3UaecF3vwr3j-iddTkf3Rk9Ev_fUmn4pINM/edit" target="_blank">Session Notes</a></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Biggest Take-Away: I wish these tools could merge with Google Classroom</li>
<ul>
<li>All of the concerns or frustrations with Google Classroom were solved by learning about doctopus and goobric, but the process involved a few more clicks and definitely a bit more in depth understanding of Google Drive.</li>
</ul>
<li>Action Inspired:</li>
<ul>
<li>Time to practice! I need to work on my fluidity with these tools. If I am going to be able to train teachers and help them feel comfortable with these tools, then I need to be comfortable myself. :)</li>
<li>With the new Smarter Balanced exams coming our way in the fall, this will be a great tool to impress relevancy for elementary classrooms as typing makes a come back within the curriculum.</li>
</ul>
<li>Questions Remaining:</li>
<ul>
<li>What skills do elementary students need to have to successfully use the combination of these tools used by their teachers?</li>
<li>What are the possibilities to have students use rubrics to self-evaluate?</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
Tomorrow, I will be attending sessions on flipping instruction for students and teachers, the power of Youtube and many of its tools, digital portfolios for elementary students, and school/personal branding. It should be an exciting day!<br />
<br />
Another goal I've set for myself is to be more proactive about networking and making connections. Today, I felt a bit overwhelmed with the sheer number of people (many of which are here with multiple people from their district) and worried about not making it into certain sessions. Therefore, I am not particularly proud of my efforts to network compared to my potential. However, I feel confident in my ability to conquer this "personal problem" tomorrow!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-63817441298742131962014-07-16T08:54:00.000-07:002014-07-16T08:54:05.748-07:00Social Media for Young Learners?!I know what thoughts are most likely running through your head right now...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>These students are too young, they are still learning how to interact in person!</li>
<li>Social media could expose these students to a lot of unhealthy examples or predators!</li>
<li>What relevancy does social media have for students who can't type efficiently, let alone spell?</li>
</ul>
<div>
Am I right? Well, these were the thoughts rushing through my head when I discovered the power Twitter held for my own professional development and then had the crushing realization that this type of community was probably not a possibility for the young learners I teach! However, I am happy to say I have been proved wrong!</div>
<div>
<a name='more'></a>Specifically, the one article that grabbed my attention and showed me the potential of social media in the elementary classroom was "<a href="http://purposedriventeaching.net/2013/09/29/connecting-your-students-with-authors-with-twitter/" target="_blank">Connecting Your Students With Authors With Twitter!</a>" by Billie Ann Blalock. Billie Ann outlines a well thought-out process for posting and maintaining the class Twitter account that allows for all students to participate as individuals, as well as collaboratively as a class. I love that her class was able to reach out to the author of one of their favorite books and that students were able to share their reactions with an authentic audience. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I also found Chris Casal's blog posting, "<a href="http://thecasalos.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-students-do-my-tweeting.html" target="_blank">My students do my tweeting...,</a>" provided another approach to using Twitter in the classroom on a more daily basis which he learned from a 2nd grade colleague. The home-school connection that could be strengthened and maintained by having a daily classroom tweet about a specific learning experience or special moment, as well as for recognizing class accomplishments, is extremely powerful. Chris also shares a to-the-point explanation for why he has harnessed the power of Twitter in his classes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Aside from Twitter, the same potential exists through other social media outlets like Facebook, Edmodo, Instagram, Pinterest, wikis, and blogs. I have recently spent a lot of time for my graduate classes creating a units revolving around global collaboration and learning in a virtual school environment. Through these assignments, the power of the blog and/or wikis to reach multiple learning styles through the easy inclusion of photos, videos, and other embedded technology resources has been driven home repeatedly. There are some great tools out there for creating safe student blogs that can be easily monitored like <a href="http://kidblog.org/home/" target="_blank">Kidblog</a> and <a href="http://edublogs.org/" target="_blank">Edublog</a>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The bottom line is our students are growing up in a society filled with immediate communication and dominated by social media outlets. As early childhood educators, we set the foundation across the curriculum for student learning. So, it is in our power to teach students to provide students with a strong foundation in how to use ALL the resources available to them and how to interact appropriately with one another.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some of the other unique ideas I have come across are...</div>
<br />
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.brandingpersonality.com/social-media-at-the-elementary-school/" target="_blank">Social Media at the Elementary School</a></li>
<li><a href="http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2014/01/practical-examples-of-social-media-in.html" target="_blank">Practical Examples of Social Media in Elementary School</a></li>
<li><a href="http://eduslam.me/2013/08/01/episode-1-twitter-in-the-elementary-classroom/" target="_blank">EduSlam - Twitter in Elementary Classroom</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Still not convinced? Check out some of these articles for some of the perspectives I am using as inspiration for the training course I am creating...</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.edutopia.org/blog/introducing-social-media-lower-elementary-beth-holland" target="_blank">Introducing Social Media to Elementary Students</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bigideasinedu.edublogs.org/2013/03/07/technology-awareness-in-the-primary-grades-3/#.U8YLmY1dVPQ" target="_blank">10 Reasons to Educate Elementary Students About Social Media</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
If you are a member of the Oak Harbor School District, you can expect to be hearing more about some social media in the classroom training opportunities this school year. For all my other blog followers, rest assured I will be sharing any presentations and materials we use with you, too! :)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-24537807534040161012014-07-08T11:25:00.000-07:002014-07-08T11:25:05.843-07:00Teachable Moments: The Power of a PLNWell, it's a whopping 63 degrees here at my house with plans for it to get up to 74! Gotta keep hoping for that warm summer weather - although, with no air condition I should be careful what I wish for up here in the Pacific Northwest. Nonetheless, the enjoyable weather has been perfect for some reading. I thought you all might like to dive into some good material as well!<br />
<br />
Since I focused on how teachers can continue to grow and learn this summer using Twitter last week, I thought I would highlight some of the articles and neat finds from my first adventures in the world of Twitter. Below you will find 5 of my favorite resource finds that I discovered thanks to all the members of my PLN (professional learning network).<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://edtechreview.in/news/1243-chrome-extensions-every-smart-teacher-loves-to-use?utm_content=buffer590f8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer" target="_blank">11 Chrome Extensions Every Smart Teacher Loves to Use</a>: If you're a Google fan like me, than your browser of choice is Google Chrome. These extensions add a whole new level of productivity to what I already consider to be an ideal browser. I am looking forward to seeing how they will continue to increase my ease of access and organization when the school year starts back up.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/courtney-oconnell/6-ideas-for-teaching-digi_b_5486264.html?&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000023" target="_blank">6 Ideas for Teaching Digital Reputation:</a> Alright, this might not be necessarily helpful for us early childhood educators within the classroom...but, I loved getting a look at how some of the social media and Web 2.0 tools that aren't a perfect fit for young learners are being harnessed to create amazing learning experiences for older students! I wish I could've participated in some of these assignments as a student.</li>
<li><a href="https://edpuzzle.com/" target="_blank">EDpuzzle</a>: This cool new tool will transform not only some of the professional development sessions I will be offering this summer, but will lead to some really neat and engaging multimedia activities in the classroom. Be sure to watch the demo video and set-up your own account so you are ready to go when the school year comes around. You might even consider getting some videos set up during the Summer break.</li>
<li><a href="https://docs.google.com/a/ohsd.net/spreadsheets/d/1s_3d2sbkFbhD2P5D7Ap54YaywfI6qF26tt9QXiE7qH8/htmlview?usp=docslist_api&sle=true" target="_blank">ISTE 2014 Session Notes:</a> Now, this one is a doozy! It is a collection of all the notes that attendees of ISTE 2014 were willing to share publicly with those that did and did not attend. I find it rather powerful that so many people were willing to share their take-a-aways from the conference with others to provide a comprehensive overview of one of ed tech's largest gatherings. The notes are organized by category, so look for a topic that interests you and get reading!</li>
<li><a href="http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/get-started" target="_blank">International Dot Day Club</a>: Well, this one is perfect for early learners and captures the themes of global collaboration and creativity - both which I have featured separately through teachable moments and free resources! This unique project sounds like a great way to get your school year off to the right start from so many different perspectives...it could take the form of a geometry lesson, social-emotional discussion, differentiation explanation, basic tech skills introduction (using Paint or FreeDraw on the computer), and so much more!</li>
</ul>
<div>
While these resources may not share a consistent classroom theme, they are all resources I discovered through my PLN via Twitter...and these are only 5 of the multitude of resources that were shared out! I will try and highlight some more thematic collections of resources in the future, but for now my main goal was to showcase the power of my professional learning network. Now, it's your turn to give it a try, I promise you won't be disappointed!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-29271205124351469492014-06-30T12:39:00.000-07:002014-06-30T12:39:21.192-07:00Teachable Moment: Twitter for Summer PDSince it is summertime, I thought I'd take a slightly different approach to my typical Teachable Moment Monday and make it for the teacher (instead of for the students)! I personally use the summer to pursue some new professional development opportunities and catch up on hot topics I noted during the school year but didn't have an opportunity to try out. The power of Twitter has been one of these surprising hot topics that has transformed the way I approach my summer professional development.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1QvLzHi7Xj9gvZOamUH_jwSk6WidFYNuNXEeBYstEUkO_Z30iTescjC4101vwV9vK06x2yzDUj5Ey9LG65ysnGQcSA84ZZPAsY2nRGYCDVwS0LDSl-CEVCZmFuHvrS9VZ8B5w61MI00/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-30+at+12.36.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1QvLzHi7Xj9gvZOamUH_jwSk6WidFYNuNXEeBYstEUkO_Z30iTescjC4101vwV9vK06x2yzDUj5Ey9LG65ysnGQcSA84ZZPAsY2nRGYCDVwS0LDSl-CEVCZmFuHvrS9VZ8B5w61MI00/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-30+at+12.36.41+PM.png" height="111" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from upcity.com </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Now, I've had a Twitter account for some time and it's sole purpose was not to tweet myself but rather to peruse the tweets from various celebrities, gossip magazines, interesting fact promoters, and comedians. Twitter was not something I checked daily, but was one of my ultimate procrastination tools. Today, Twitter is something I check multiple times a day and meaningfully participate in regularly.<br />
<br />
I guess it started when I decided to apply for the Google Certified Teacher application which asked for the URL to my blog or website. This was the moment when I realized that I was one of those individuals who was extremely passionate about technology integration, but was not reaching out the way I thought I was! I definitely was known amongst my colleagues past and present as someone who promoted educational technology and was eager to assist others in their adoption of these neat tools for teaching, as well as was anxious to pilot and explore new and upcoming tools. However, I was on my own to discover these new technology tools, themes, and strategies.<br />
<br />
Since I had a pretty good feeling that applying to be a Google Certified Teacher would be a multi-year process, I decided there was no better time than the present to start blogging and getting involved in the professional development community that existed in social media. Now, I know many of you are not wishing to embark on the same kind of journey but hear me out! The professional development I have discovered through Twitter has already dramatically influenced how I will approach SO many things next year and I've only been an active participant for two months!<br />
<br />
Here are a few approaches for those of you that wish to at least give Twitter a brief trial run while you have that little bit of extra time this summer....<br />
<br />
<b>Observer</b><br />
Not ready to participate in Twitter but looking to build up your repository of helpful resources, current trends, and new tool/strategies for the classroom? Then, your first steps should be to find a few distinguished educators to follow on Twitter.<br />
<br />
A few lists that might give you some useful recommendations are found below:<br />
<a href="http://www.teachthought.com/social-media/10-educators-on-twitter-you-should-follow/" target="_blank">10 Educators You Should Follow on Twitter (but probably don't!)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.fractuslearning.com/2012/05/25/twitter-follow-education-technology/" target="_blank">Top 10 Twitter Accounts to Follow for Educational Technology</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/education/blog/33-education-twitter-accounts-you-should-be-following/" target="_blank">33 Education Twitter Accounts You Should Be Following</a><br />
<br />
Don't stop with these lists! As you see people retweet articles and sentiments from others that resonate with you check out their profiles and tweets and see if they are someone whom you'd also like to follow. However, quality always trumps quantity when it comes to Twitter so don't just follow everyone who follows you! Think critically, not quickly!<br />
<br />
<b>Chat Participant</b><br />
Perhaps the idea of checking yet another thing on a daily basis is one of the last things on your summer to do list, but checking in for one hour once a week or a month is a more realistic goal for you. You should check out this <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiftIdjCeWSXdDRLRzNsVktUUGJpRWJhdUlWLS1Genc#gid=0" target="_blank">list of educational Twitter chats</a> compiled by several noteworthy educators. (Tip: Their twitter handles (usernames) are published at the top of the list and they are definitely educators worth following!) Choose a topic that is of specific relevance to you (I participate in #edtechchat on Monday's.) and tune in. I recommend just observing the first time so you can get a feel for how the chat works and then join in the following week/month.<br />
<br />
There are also sites like <a href="http://tweetchat.com/room/edtechchat" target="_blank">TweetChat</a> that provide ideal structures for following and easily participating in Twitter chats.<br />
<br />
You don't need to have Twitter followers or be following others to see or participate in a Twitter chat! However, following others on Twitter and joining in the conversation are the first steps to building a strong professional learning network (PLN).<br />
<br />
<b>Conversation Starter</b><br />
Feeling motivated? Ready to dive in? Start following others, participate in twitter chats, AND post your own content!<br />
<br />
If you read something intriguing - post a link with a brief comment. If you need to shorten the URL, try <a href="https://bitly.com/" target="_blank">Bitly</a> - gotta save those 140 characters!<br />
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If you want feedback on a lesson plan, idea, or problem - reach our for help. Don't forget to use an appropriate hashtag so more people see your request!<br />
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If you attend a conference or training, tweet memorable quotes, feelings, and important take-aways!<br />
<br />
See a tweet you like? Favorite it to show your support or shared sentiment. Retweet it to your followers to spread the word. Reply to engage in discussion about it or share your knowledge.<br />
<br />
<br />
*Still a bit hesitant about giving Twitter a try? Check out this new app for Android, iOS, and Windows, <a href="http://crescerance.com/tweechme/" target="_blank">TweechMe</a>. It was designed by a teacher for teachers to help them learn about the power of Twitter. It puts the Twitter chat schedule at your fingertips and includes a few brief "Twitter Courses" to provide you with step-by-step guidance in getting started and delving deeper.<br />
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<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-41522098652400521892014-06-29T15:27:00.000-07:002014-06-29T15:27:20.818-07:00Free Sunday: Global Education NetworksWell, summer has officially impacted the blog! I am bringing you an overview of several global education networks two days late courtesy of a week of nice weather and a captivating book that won my attention for the better part of the week. So, without further ado - let's take a look at how you can easily connect your students with classrooms around the world!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Keeping with the global theme for the week (inspired by some graduate assignments, as well as the World Cup fever that is captivating the nation), I am going to highlight 3 global education networks that you might consider participating in with your students during the upcoming school year.<br />
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<br />
<b style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.epals.com/#!/main" target="_blank">ePals</a></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jXlBxz6wocthJpgLJdIvhL-xMljcYDiWkPUAYo-geGGqYad9z-5cYzAeoVLpOzku2AD_bQzRH5kNbM6fflpsPDWQJDaVm7BrQScD2FXVDHq6Ege3DsWZAIbEdl2gh5myNLyfc6SH14Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-29+at+2.45.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jXlBxz6wocthJpgLJdIvhL-xMljcYDiWkPUAYo-geGGqYad9z-5cYzAeoVLpOzku2AD_bQzRH5kNbM6fflpsPDWQJDaVm7BrQScD2FXVDHq6Ege3DsWZAIbEdl2gh5myNLyfc6SH14Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-29+at+2.45.28+PM.png" height="160" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from ePals.com </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1">A free global education network that provides users with the ability to create their own project or join an existing one. Teachers are also able to peruse classroom profiles and invite them to join their projects. </span>A project workspace is created by the project leader once their project has been reviewed by an ePals moderator. This space has a variety of Web 2.0 tools including blogs, file exchanges, and a wiki. Both students and teachers can log-in and participate as individuals and as a class unit.</div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: left;">
<b>Strengths</b></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Free membership</li>
<li>Can create project or join pre-established one</li>
<li>Can search for partner classroom rather than just projects</li>
<li>One-stop collaboration space filled with Web 2.0 tools</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="text-align: left;">
<b>Weaknesses</b></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Vetting process seems to leave an abundance of un-matched projects</li>
<li>US based network - creates an overabundance of stateside classrooms/projects</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<br />
<a href="http://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/" target="_blank">Schools Online</a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIP05_szj41QjQ23eMA6fMZEeiVLfZVV82uodWrmRZpAyIOFHHAgYxGaPiZlRf90C7bapSgqvwMMfQZ-MwlQXjaEMMG3KL3jXix89wj97WDdok6-v6t7HTHXzqgIKF2vZ0qQaSheKuqiM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-29+at+2.47.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIP05_szj41QjQ23eMA6fMZEeiVLfZVV82uodWrmRZpAyIOFHHAgYxGaPiZlRf90C7bapSgqvwMMfQZ-MwlQXjaEMMG3KL3jXix89wj97WDdok6-v6t7HTHXzqgIKF2vZ0qQaSheKuqiM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-29+at+2.47.19+PM.png" height="62" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1">Powered by the British Council, SchoolsOnline is a global network for educators worldwide. It uses a comprehensive registration process to assist schools in finding partnerships for global collaboration for students of all ages. While several projects, such as the one described below, are available teachers also have the ability to create new projects and design collaborative spaces for global interaction. The network is accessible to both teachers and students.</span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<b> Strengths</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Free membership</li>
<li>Foreign based network - greater number of global participants</li>
<li>Vetting process includes administrator approval - promotes follow-through/commitment from members</li>
<li>Offers classroom/school partnerships lasting longer than one year</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<b>Weaknesses</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Extra pre-planning required to gain and submit administrator approval</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.iearn.org/" target="_blank">iEARN</a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6qYWv5QXsAD38qZ7-2CtGztM2xYiFa8yfnIEHOQ52dNfnnnY7Ou1rZXLcKw6I1XFh3QjclMCaTUdVbtfNPt2XiTttVWXibHt-sX0quFJJZty64QGSzHWA-cBdaTurSEzFCaMaZhJC_w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-29+at+2.47.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6qYWv5QXsAD38qZ7-2CtGztM2xYiFa8yfnIEHOQ52dNfnnnY7Ou1rZXLcKw6I1XFh3QjclMCaTUdVbtfNPt2XiTttVWXibHt-sX0quFJJZty64QGSzHWA-cBdaTurSEzFCaMaZhJC_w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-29+at+2.47.37+PM.png" height="125" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from iearn.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1">iEARN is a fee-based global education network that is organized and run by offices in several host countries. iEARN allows for teachers to submit global collaboration projects once a year. Projects are then approved to appear in the annual project book published by iEARN. Members of iEARN can then view the collaborative workspaces for projects and get involved themselves. The collaborative space is accessible by both students and teachers.</span></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<b>Strengths</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Set catalogue of projects published annually (reviewed and improved each year to guarantee quality and purpose)</li>
<li>Fee-based membership promotes follow-through/commitment of participants</li>
<li><a href="http://us.iearn.org/projects/curriculum-integration-toolkit" target="_blank">Curriculum-Integration Toolkit</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Weaknesses</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Fee-based annual membership of $100/classroom or $400/school</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br />
<br />
Global education networks can be instrumental in facilitating global learning opportunities for your students. They provide a real-world experience that is highly interactive on the behalf of the students that should not be ignored by educators. When working with the youngest of learners it can sometimes be challenging to embrace these types of projects when our students are still focused on learning to read and write, count, etc. But, it is also an important time to build a foundation for cultural and global understanding and awareness.<br />
<br />
If you are still hesitant to participate in a global education network, consider adapting one of the many projects as an in-class activity (many of the projects have explicit lesson plans for this) or consider joining a project for observation purposes before involving your whole class (be sure to let the project leaders know you are observing not participating). Ultimately, for young learners you might find the best way to get involved is to find a project that covers a short time-span and participate in it as a whole class without worrying about each individual student logging on to participate.<br />
<br />
No matter what you decide to pursue, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the number of projects and partnerships out there that are realistic options for the early childhood classroom! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-54128498364828528762014-06-23T15:06:00.004-07:002014-06-23T15:06:29.903-07:00Interview Help? Global Perspectives on Tech IntegrationI am doing research on technology integration in South Africa for a global perspectives graduate class. In order to better facilitate the number of responses I received (Thank You!!), I'm going to momentarily commandeer my blog to post my interview questions and create a conversation. However, I do think my regular readers will find the conversation rather intriguing!<br />
<br />
To all those who are responding to my recent tweet, THANK YOU! I was overwhelmed by the enthusiastic responses I received! I am looking forward to learning more about what trends you all are seeing in technology integration and the collaborative discussion we will hopefully be able to have on the topic of global technology integration. I've provided a copy of my official cover letter (per my course requirements) to give you a better understanding of myself, as well as to share the interview questions with you.<br />
<br />
Please feel free to respond as a comment to this post or email me at <a href="mailto:anna.k.fick@gmail.com">anna.k.fick@gmail.com</a>. Thanks, again!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Hello,</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
My name is Anna Fick and I am a graduate student at the University of Maryland, University College. I am working towards completing a Masters of Education in Instructional Technology. I am currently taking a course on global perspectives of technology integration. As part of the course, we are tasked with conducting interviews with teachers, administrators, and other involved parties from various countries all over the world to learn more about technology integration within their education systems. My particular country of study is South Africa.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I would be extremely grateful if you would consider (or could share with an appropriate member of your organization who would consider) responding to a few e-mail based interview questions to assist me in learning more about technology integration within the South African school system. If there is another method of preferred communication (i.e. phone, video-conferencing, etc.) that would better allow you to respond to the interview questions, please do not hesitate to let me know.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
When I am not partaking in online graduate coursework, I work for the Oak Harbor School District in Oak Harbor, Washington as the Instructional Facilitator of Technology. My main responsibilities are to develop and implement technology related professional development for all staff, assist in managing online records and establish a curriculum repository, and serve as a liaison between the Information Services Department and schools/teachers. I have previously taught for two years in early childhood classrooms.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
I look forward to learning more about global perspectives on technology integration with your help. Thank you for your time and consideration!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Interview Questions</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
- What is your experience with schools in South Africa? </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
- What is your experience with technology integration in schools in South Africa?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
- Do you feel that technology enhances or detracts from educational opportunities? How so?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
- What would you identify as the current major trends or initiatives in relation to technology integration in South African schools? </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
- What do you believe are some of the current challenges facing the integration of technology in South African schools?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
- Considering the level of global collaboration possible through the integration of technology, to what level do you think it is being promoted within South African schools in relation to practice and/or policy?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
- Could you describe how technology is integrated within the classroom on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis in a South African classroom?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
- Anything else you'd like to share?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Respectfully,</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Anna Fick<br />Instructional Facilitator of Technology<br />Oak Harbor School District</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-50593930864379854602014-06-23T14:35:00.002-07:002014-06-23T14:35:23.403-07:00Teachable Moment: Global CitizenshipNelson Mandela's statement that "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world" is popularly quoted by educators. Are you striving to inspire your young learners to change the world through your teaching? Today I am sharing a few ideas for building global citizens within the classroom through a stream of teachable moments.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYYeY8xkTpREMhW7xFnCLpRCA0HDVnf1sAJeTEuUVpTxHsVoRAQTvH1cCDmF9zSyqe9mIOu9peRil86Pq2Ir2zwV4rQwolVAagUtU7mh5pMQuCS2vMbE7QKqDuAES3z-vprRq9xYy8O0/s1600/globalcitizen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYYeY8xkTpREMhW7xFnCLpRCA0HDVnf1sAJeTEuUVpTxHsVoRAQTvH1cCDmF9zSyqe9mIOu9peRil86Pq2Ir2zwV4rQwolVAagUtU7mh5pMQuCS2vMbE7QKqDuAES3z-vprRq9xYy8O0/s1600/globalcitizen.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from http://youngglobalcitizen.com/</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Global citizenship is certainly an essential quality for all students in today's world and it cannot be taught solely in a short two to ten minute part of your day. But, if you were to make sure that you were spending two to ten minutes of your day involving your students in some sort of activity or discussion that promoted global citizenship you would be getting somewhere!<br />
<br />
Technology in education and, quite simply, in society, is what has made global collaboration possible. It is rather obvious that it will continue to enhance our ability to interact globally in the future, as well. So, as educators, we must equip our students to embrace this reality and to grow alongside it. To quote the <a href="http://asiasociety.org/education/partnership-global-learning/making-case/global-competence-prepare-youth-engage-world" target="_blank">Asia Society</a>, a globally competent student is one with the knowledge and skills to:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>investigate the world,</li>
<li>weigh perspectives,</li>
<li>communicate ideas,</li>
<li>take action, and</li>
<li>apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary expertise.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Considering these components of global citizenship, I've come up with a few strategies you might consider incorporating into your daily lesson plans next school year</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Draw Me Projec</b>t: Inspired by some of the projects on global collaboration networks like ePals and SchoolsOnline (check back on Friday to learn more about these free resources!) this project helps young learners grasp the concept of different perspectives or views. The idea is to have students write descriptions of themselves, their family, their community, etc. and then to have other students draw the person, place, or thing based on the description written by the student. Ideally, you would be able to exchange these descriptions with students in another class locally or at a greater distance so that students were truly drawing based only on words, not on their own prior knowledge. Once the descriptions have been drawn they are given back to the original author who is able to recognize similarities and differences between what they meant/thought and what was drawn. This opens the door for a plethora of discussions on how each person interprets things uniquely and how different cultures influence the way we approach things or understand them.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Global Character Education</b>: Many schools already incorporate some sort of character education into their school wide motto, monthly themes, etc. If your school already highlights certain character traits or values on a monthly basis this idea would fit right in for you. Pick one character trait to be spotlighted each month. This might mean reading a story each week to your class that helps convey the meaning of the character trait/value, having students brainstorm how they can reflect that character trait, or having some sort of tally for all the times students recognize one another demonstrating the character trait/value. To take things to the "global" level, consider having students think critically about how kids in other countries show these qualities. For example, in the United States we shake hands when we greet others, in China they nod or bow, in India they put their hands together like they are praying. Perhaps you could assign students a greeting that they must use for the week? Or maybe you have the students assist you in researching how these character traits/values are displayed in other countries - this even reinforces good research habits as students come up with appropriate searches with you!</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Global Pen Pals</b>: While it might take a little work for you to establish a relationship with a teacher abroad prior to the start of the school year, providing your students with the opportunity to communicate directly with students from other countries would be invaluable. You and your partner teacher might decide to write whole class letters back and forth or individual ones depending on the age of your students. You might also consider picking a theme or focus for the year such as "All About Me" or "My Community" to assist students in coming up with topics and in having relevant and relatable information to share.</li>
</ul>
<div>
If you find the topic of Global Citizenship intriguing, be sure to check back on Friday when I will be highlighting some of the free global education networks available to educators!</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-64616530406391713482014-06-09T16:58:00.003-07:002014-06-09T16:58:29.190-07:00See you June 23rd!To all my readers,<br />
<br />
I am simply writing this post to let you know of a very brief hiatus I will be taking from the blog until June 23rd. The main reason for this mini-break is the fact that the last 7 days of school are upon me and that involves quite a bit of extra duties this year around. I will be cleaning out my classroom, taking on some extra fun activities with my students, and transitioning to a new office and position within the district. My two graduate classes do not stop during this time, either! Not to mention, my hubby just made it home from a deployment and I'd like to try and balance the craziness of life without overwhelming myself! Most importantly, I just don't feel like I'd be writing as powerful and meaningful posts as I could during this time period with so many commitments on my schedule!<br />
<br />
So, without further ado...see you on the 23rd! :)<br />
<br />
Thanks for understanding!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-37306223826806586122014-06-06T15:47:00.000-07:002014-06-06T15:47:34.537-07:00Free Friday: Digital CitizenshipEver since my students I completed the "Webonauts Internet Academy" by PBSKids together a few months ago, they have been hooked. Every time they earn free choice time in the computer lab, the first activity they choose to return to is the Webonauts. However, there are quite a few good resources out there for teaching digital citizenship or promoting awareness of Internet safety that I'd like to share today.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggs9-Oy8JmftwXyJoAUihydXWt7ySwKzA4w5CESrYcqMOokB3Hj8e-zRQ-cW8PIFees3rgEGvVBpGTwRzco9O5ijrEecRuEo8_IYzsLseGWKOMbTTiw6JhxUyVann1DGY_TJ9GY_EMRYM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-06+at+2.27.37+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggs9-Oy8JmftwXyJoAUihydXWt7ySwKzA4w5CESrYcqMOokB3Hj8e-zRQ-cW8PIFees3rgEGvVBpGTwRzco9O5ijrEecRuEo8_IYzsLseGWKOMbTTiw6JhxUyVann1DGY_TJ9GY_EMRYM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-06+at+2.27.37+PM.png" height="139" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from pbskids.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've made a brief list below of resources that teachers of young learners might find helpful in establishing the foundational skills behind digital citizenship with their students:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://pbskids.org/webonauts/" target="_blank">Webonauts Internet Academy</a> - Building on a previous <a href="http://techforearlyed.blogspot.com/2014/05/teachable-moments-password.html" target="_blank">Teachable Moment</a> on the importance of teaching secure password strategies at a young age, the Webonauts Internet Academy takes students through a futuristic world as a webonaut in training. The "missions" are all related to identifying things that seem suspicious or out of place, as well as how to use specific techniques to protect oneself online. I love the ability for students to gain new knowledge while simultaneously engaging in hands-on application.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.netsmartzkids.org/" target="_blank">NetzSmart </a>- Engaging video and activities are sure to capture your young learners attention! There are videos, games, and e-books available on this site created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that only require 5-10 minutes out of the day. The cartoon characters, bright colors, and appropriately paced content is best for the youngest of learners!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://kidsmart.org.uk/" target="_blank">KidSmart</a> - Developed by Childnet International, this site is geared for those learners getting ready to leave the realm of early childhood. It's content is grouped by components of digital citizenship like safe searching, sharing files, mobile devices, etc. We might not think of our young learners as engaging in all of these topics but the matter of the fact is they need to be prepared to engage safely before they have access to such tools and resources!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-32483704125064690712014-06-03T21:08:00.001-07:002014-06-03T21:08:19.164-07:00It's all about teaching...even if it's teachers!I am thrilled to be sharing with you all that I have recently interviewed, been offered, and accepted a position as the Instructional Facilitator of Technology Integration for the Oak Harbor School District (OHSD)! I do not officially take over this role until June 17th, but my mind is already racing with all that it will entail. I believe it will be a great opportunity to apply so much of my graduate studies, as well as to grow in my understanding and application of new technologies.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
The low down...<br />
<br />
Our school district is in the midst of some reorganization due to an increase in Levy funds and was able to reinstate a Director of Teaching and Learning. Within this department there are several Teachers On Special Assignment (TOSA) for literacy and math. The district is also transitioning from a readiness model of technology integration to an equity model giving a whole new meaning to this position and the expectations for teachers within the OHSD. With all these changes, my position is also undergoing a transition and is being reinvented within the Teaching and Learning Department instead of within Information Services. My position, in "shorthand," is the Technology TOSA.<br />
<br />
I am excited to be a part of these inspiring changes and know that we will ultimately be better preparing our students for college and career readiness. Currently, my three main roles as a Technology TOSA are:<br />
<br />
- Plan, implement, and evaluate a teacher technology training program for the OHSD<br />
- Help establish a system and platform for moving curriculum materials and resources online<br />
- Manage records, data, resources for the Department of Teaching and Learning<br />
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These three main jobs will involve much more than meets the eye, but it is the best I can do to explain the position at this point and time. I am sure I will have more insight to share as I formally transition into the position at the conclusion of the school year and begin to delve more deeply into the needs and goals of our district in regards to technology.<br />
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This blog will continue to be focused on young learners and how technology can be successfully integrated within the early childhood classroom. Although, I might not be able to resist the urge to post a really neat find for all ages on occasion every now and then!<br />
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Thank you to all my readers who have been following me on this journey so far! I look forward to being able to bring you more resources and strategies for integrating technology in your classroom!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-12928892367634830262014-06-02T14:33:00.003-07:002014-06-02T14:33:32.362-07:00Teachable Moments: Digital MannersInspired by my current graduate classes which are focused on global perspectives and virtual schooling, I will be highlighting a few easy ways to impress on young learners the necessity for using their manners when interacting online.<br />
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While young learners might not be ready to send e-mails, text, chat, message, or otherwise communicate through instantaneous messaging formats, they are learning some quintessential social skills in the classroom that they will eventually need to apply in the virtual realm. Who knows, there might even be some new form of online communication that takes over their generation. Anyone remember when AOL Instant Messenger was THE thing to use?<br />
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Regardless of the application, a key component of the ISTE Student Standards, as well as many state educational technology standards, is the idea of being a digital citizen. Conversations about manners are a daily part of any early childhood classroom. Since our students are growing up in a digital culture it is important for them to begin training their minds to think critically about their behavior not just in person but online and through other forms of information.<br />
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During any discussion about manners, kindness, respect, etc. you might consider adding one of these probing questions to help your students apply their social/emotional skills to technology both now and in the future:<br />
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- What about if the problem happened online? Would you do the same things? What would you do differently?<br />
- How do you think the other person felt? Do you think they would feel the same if you sent them a message on the computer?<br />
- Do you think it would be appropriate to have that conversation, argument, etc. online?<br />
- If someone said that to you on the computer, how would you feel?<br />
- How can you use those manners when you are on the computer?<br />
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I will be sharing some more resources on the topic of digital citizenship this Friday so be sure to check back then!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-39090030116010809112014-05-30T07:00:00.000-07:002014-05-30T07:00:05.408-07:00Free Friday: PoppletThinking maps, graphic organizers, lists, diagrams....these are all tools we utilize on a daily basis to help our students organize their thoughts, knowledge, and questions. Most teachers commonly use paper copies of these structures or hand draw them on the board, but <a href="http://popplet.com/" target="_blank">Popplet</a> is a tool that expands possibilities in the realm of brainstorming, sequencing, and mapping with young learners.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2e3tkIXrVs-dd_7ulps1xWFtG4KQBJwzUDHiPljaItWrdK0XvzXLKz81dcEvb1ID8s5ptNj_VwcSv9e1zdu-6MmGZJve8tHxfsSLwo4xTx8JkJTHrMMFrP-mvl1Mm1gadKxgZ_zEwxo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-29+at+9.31.57+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2e3tkIXrVs-dd_7ulps1xWFtG4KQBJwzUDHiPljaItWrdK0XvzXLKz81dcEvb1ID8s5ptNj_VwcSv9e1zdu-6MmGZJve8tHxfsSLwo4xTx8JkJTHrMMFrP-mvl1Mm1gadKxgZ_zEwxo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-29+at+9.31.57+AM.png" height="103" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from popplet.com</td></tr>
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<a href="http://popplet.com/" target="_blank">Popplet</a> is an online resource that is also available as an iOS application for iPad (Popplet Lite). It is a tool that allows you to create maps and diagrams using a series of squares (popples) and lines. All objects can be customized to meet the desired size, color, and angle you choose. The purpose and shape of popplet is determined by how you arrange popples into groups, sequences, or other relevant structures.<br />
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Each popple can also have comments attached to it. This might serve to keep a tally count of repetitions of an idea or a simple explanation to signify it's importance. You might use this space to include a definition of a new word or a list of synonyms, as well. The possibilities of popplet within the classroom are endless. To help illustrate this point, I have made a list of ideas below.<br />
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<b>Independent Student Work</b><br />
- create a timeline<br />
- describe the beginning, middle, end, characters, and setting of a story<br />
- brainstorm topics to write about based on a broad category (emotions, places, etc.)<br />
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<b>Whole Group Instruction</b><br />
- chart what students know, want to know, and have learned<br />
- plan possible topics for writing, reading, etc.<br />
- brainstorm ways to solve a problem<br />
- sequence/organize a set of multi-set directions<br />
- make predictions about an event<br />
- reflect on an activity<br />
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The ISTE Standards state that students should be able to communicate information and ideas effectively using a variety of media and format, as well as collaborate with peers using a variety of digital environments and media. Popplet is a great free resource that allows you to easily provide young learners with these experiences and preserve your creations for future class sessions or activities.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-80196383939873150422014-05-26T07:00:00.000-07:002014-05-26T07:00:06.939-07:00Teachable Moments: PrintingHave you ever gotten to the end of computer lab time and asked your students to press the print button only to watch all of their hands go up multiple times as they walk their way through the series of print screens? Take a moment to check your students knowledge of how the printing process works and provide them with a foundation for how machines communicate with one another!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from iconlibrary.iconshock.com</td></tr>
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While printing is becoming more and more obsolete among older grades, it is still a necessary practice for our young learners. These young students are not yet ready to be publishing their work to a blog, e-mailing it to their teachers, or completing any other digital means of submission. However, my second graders have quickly become rather successful at sharing documents with each other and myself using Google Documents but that is a post for another day!<br />
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I believe the printing process is one of the more complicated tasks young learners are faced with and it seems to be the one that brings up the most complications, as well. It is also a process commonly overlooked by teachers when giving instructions for an assignment in the computer lab as it is one of the final steps and is a rote process for many of us. However, young learners are fascinated by the concept of printing and if allowed, would print just about anything in order to wait with wide eyes by the printer to see their "masterpiece" come sliding out of the printer.<br />
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Before asking your whole class to print a specific assignment or task at the conclusion of a lesson, I recommend taking the time to either provide a brief tutorial of the printing process and screens students will encounter or, better yet, simply utilize a computer lab time to focus on printing. Now, I am not asking you to devote your 30 minute block in the computer lab to printing. I would suggest that you select a shorter, less-structured activity for your computer lab time (like having free time with a drawing program to explore new tools or having students practice typing their name several times in a word document with appropriate capital letters). This way you'll have a few more minutes to talk print screens with your students.<br />
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Personally, I would highly the print preview button for my students and have them learn to print via that screen. It is an easy practice to reinforce the concept of reviewing work before it is "submitted" - a skill that is so readily overlooked by students! While it is obviously worth your time to walk your students through the print process to avoid all those little hands shooting up across the room as they are prompted with more and more questions, I think it is even more important to talk to your students about how computers (or tablets) and printers work together.<br />
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If you are using a wired printer, are your students aware that a cable connects the two devices and what type of information travels between the devices? If you are using a wireless printer, are your students aware that a signal is traveling from their computer via a network to the printer? Take a few minutes to ask your children how the image on their computer screen travels to the printer. I bet the answers will be pretty entertaining and in the end you can educate them about how machines communicate with one another. No need to get all technical with your students, but just sharing the basic concept of information transfer via signals is a great start! If you'd like a little more information yourself, check out this <a href="http://www.explainthatstuff.com/wirelessinternet.html" target="_blank">article</a>.<br />
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This conversation also serves as a great introduction for further discussions about why it is important to take certain precautionary measures to ensure your safety when surfing the web or interacting with others online. (This is because of how networks can be protected or unprotected and the open nature of the web which can make it easy for others to send unwanted mail, ads, and other spam.)<br />
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<i>If you have the luxury of extra time, you might want to try a quick experiment with your students to deepen their understanding of the printing process:</i><br />
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<b>Print the Nose on the Smiley Face</b><br />
1. In front of your students, draw a smiley face on a piece of paper. Place it smiley-face up in the paper storage compartment of your printer.<br />
2. Ask your students to predict how the smiley face/paper will appear when it leaves the printer after printing. You might want to give your students their own pieces of paper to manipulate while they consider how paper flows through a printer.<br />
3. In real time (or set-up previously), put a large red circle in the middle of a Microsoft Word document and select print. Depending upon your printer, the "nose" will either appear on your smiley or be on the opposite side of the paper.<br />
4. Depending upon your results, involve your students in a discussion about how the paper traveled through the printer to produce the desired results or how you could change the results by placing the paper in the storage tray differently.<br />
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Like I said before, printing may be quickly becoming a thing of the past...but, for now, it is still a staple in many elementary schools and certainly with the youngest of learners. Not to mention, it offers an opportunity to include some critical thinking about how the world around them works!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-39467455409949774932014-05-23T09:51:00.000-07:002014-05-23T09:51:42.047-07:00Free Friday: Google Doc StoryOne of my students greatest challenges in our second grade writing curriculum was the concept of dialogue - how to read it, how to write it, and when it was appropriate to use it! When I discovered <a href="https://docsstorybuilder.appspot.com/" target="_blank">Google Doc Story Builder</a>, the concept easily clicked for them. Not to mention, it motivated some of my reluctant writers to beg to be able to use this resource in the computer lab.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgzMSnHSgLFIN0zcNEcRFCvCKbhI4gniQllKTD3FPTB_UBfRmYPv8SHHCDxI8ENEA2bpP28hjs9BfNGhlDlUKFf2T5RGkiCDishEimyEUXwXp-0nmeMrMUqxLEF6jHJirkItGc5ImVNU/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgzMSnHSgLFIN0zcNEcRFCvCKbhI4gniQllKTD3FPTB_UBfRmYPv8SHHCDxI8ENEA2bpP28hjs9BfNGhlDlUKFf2T5RGkiCDishEimyEUXwXp-0nmeMrMUqxLEF6jHJirkItGc5ImVNU/s1600/Capture.PNG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from docstorybuilder.appspot.com</td></tr>
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The <a href="https://docsstorybuilder.appspot.com/" target="_blank">Google Doc Story Builder</a> allows students to create an interactive story in which multiple user-created characters can interact or collaborate to tell a complete story. Each character is able to add new text, as well as go back and edit any text previously entered by any characters. My students have enjoyed creating plays or telling narrative stories using this tool recently. They create a narrator or character that serves to explain the setting and help move events along and then they add other characters to partake in their story. The final step to creating your Google Doc Story is to select theme music to accompany your story's playback. Once you've selected the music, you can watch your story unfold before your eyes!<br />
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Unfortunately, there is no way to save your Google Doc Story or edit the doc story once it has been "Finished Up." You CAN save the share link you are provided with though and access your story in that manner. This is not ideal though for the early childhood student as the concept of keeping/maintaining a link library is not a common practice nor a realistic one for the age group. However, the process of creating and viewing a Google Doc Story has the potential to be extremely powerful!<br />
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This is also a great way to introduce and practice the process of editing or revising with students as it creates an animated running record of the changes made similar to what the Google Doc App does in a more static form. You might consider typing in your model writing and then documenting student suggestions for changes through the Google Doc Story builder so they can easily follow the transformation. You could then personally save the link and play it back for students when you need to review the revising/editing process or as an introduction for the following year's students. Not to mention, it would also serve as a great way to model what a peer revision conference would look like as an alternative to a whole class conference.<br />
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Better yet, maybe you are brave enough or have the technology tools/devices in your classroom or in the computer lab to allow students to create in Google Doc Story and then document their peer editing conference within the tool. This is perhaps a bit challenging given the age of our young learners, but for those who are in second grade and are preparing for the more rigorous expectations of third grade it may be more feasible.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-79780357156390460712014-05-21T07:00:00.000-07:002014-05-21T19:44:00.969-07:00A Digital City of Stories: Part One<br />
<i>As my second grade team begins to wrap up a unique project-based learning experience with our students, I wanted to bring an in-depth look at the process behind the product to you. Stay tuned for a posting all about the final product in early June.</i><br />
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As a requirement for one of my graduate courses, I was tasked with applying for a grant that would allow me to further pursue instructional technology within the classroom. Since my elementary school is identified as the "School of Choice" within the district, every grade level is tasked with completing a special project involving the community. Previously, the second grade team has done a country study which did not fully connect back to the community or involve participation from the community to the extent that was possible. Recognizing this need within our curriculum, I was motivated to use the grant writing assignment to enable an otherwise impossible activity to take place.<br />
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My second grade team was overwhelmingly supportive of this endeavor and was instrumental in our being selected as a recipient of a grant by the Oak Harbor Educational Foundation. As a team we were awarded enough funds to purchase four Apple iPad Minis to use for research, video recording, and movie production. Specifically, our classes goal was to answer the essential questions:<br />
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<li>What cultures influence our community?</li>
<li>How have they influenced our community?</li>
<li>How do they continue to influence our community?</li>
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We accomplished this goal by grouping our students into four groups that were different from their homeroom assignments to study one country as a unit. The countries/cultures that were determined to have the greatest presence within our community (based on survey data and city statistics) were the military, Philippines, Mexico/Spain, and the Netherlands. We spent roughly one month conducting research on the iPads, as well as in the computer lab. Students then considered the information they had uncovered in conjunction with what they know about our community and with some careful guidance came up with questions to ask several individuals from their respective culture.<br />
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The following month included practicing interview manners and videography techniques. We were then ready to interview several members of the community who were generous enough to volunteer their experiences and knowledge with the students. Ultimately, this project will culminate in students using iMovie to compile a variety of their clips into one movie that can be preserved as a Digital City of Stories and shared with future generations. The Island County Historical Society has already requested a copy for the archives!<br />
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I am so proud of the work my students have done. They have completely amazed us with their dedication, hard-work, and ability to make meaningful connections between the community we live in today and those in the countries/cultures we have studied. I think we presented our students with a sizable challenge for their developmental and academic level and were impressed by how easily they rose to the challenge. Project-based Learning can seem very daunting and even impossible when considering a class of young learners. However, if we provide the appropriate scaffolding and skills to interact collaboratively and think critically our students are capable of tackling the real world problems they are famous for asking over and over again. (Think of all the Why's and How's you field in a day from your young students? They are already recognizing problems and wanting to gain a better understanding of the world around them!)<br />
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Inspiration for this project came from a middle school arts integration project at <a href="http://www.oneheartarts.com/cityofstories.htm" target="_blank">One Heart Arts</a>.<br />
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If you'd like to learn more about our particular project, the full grant application can be viewed <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CnEjz_XEik2tC9yL7gcGpK-tyETn-6UcpwnflZ6FlUo/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-3520420603941924372014-05-19T07:00:00.000-07:002014-05-21T19:46:13.702-07:00Teachable Moments: The Mouse/Touch ScreenSo, I have a pretty good feeling that most early childhood educators are probably raising an eyebrow and going "huh?" over the mention of trying to teach young learners about the different clicks on a mouse or gestures on a touch screen. However, if you teach the basics about the tools your students use to operate a computer their ability to troubleshoot in the computer will greatly increase!<br />
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I definitely had a revelation at the beginning of the school year when my students were first going on the computers in the lab. The number of hands that were raised because a mysterious menu had appeared on their screen was shocking. In today's world, it seems like students are quick to clam-up or freeze when they have made a mistake which was made very apparent in the computer lab. My students did not have an appropriate awareness of the mouse and when they accidentally clicked the right-hand button instead of the left they immediately froze. The first thing many of them told me when I came over to assist them was "I didn't touch anything, this just appeared" or "I'm stuck."<br />
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If my students had an awareness of how the tools they were using worked, they would've felt much more comfortable clicking anywhere else on the screen to make the menu box disappear. At the older range of early childhood, they also would've had a range of other options at their disposal when working within a word document or online. For example, things like copy and paste which are part of the WA State Education Technology Standards. Even if they were not yet ready to use these tools, they would understand their purpose and why they are so conveniently located at the right-click or specific gestures.<br />
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One way to easily help your students develop familiarity with the navigational tools like a mouse, or the various hand gestures associated with touch screens, is to simply narrate your actions during whole group instruction. You might even ask students to narrate their actions in the computer lab or when using a touch screen device so that they develop an awareness of the navigational possibilities. Another option would be to randomly choose to purposely right-click or accidentally use a gesture to involve your students in a quick troubleshooting discussion or to show them how the available options change depending on the program or site you are visiting. Before you know it, your students will be reminding you of the more efficient ways to get around the computer/tablet.<br />
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Some great ways to help your students explore the properties of a computer mouse when you have a larger amount of time include using engaging "play" software like FreeDraw or ABCYa's Paint Go. Free Draw is great for the youngest learners as the utensil always remains fixed and cannot rotate. Whereas, ABCYa's Paint Go has a rotating utensil that requires more precision and thought as to where you want the mark to go. Not to mention, working with a mouse increases students fine motor skills and directional awareness/vocabulary!<br />
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While this teachable moment may seem insignificant in comparison to some of the others, it is a skill/awareness that is all too frequently taken for granted. As teachers, we tend to consider navigational tasks during whole group instruction as something we'd like to breeze by as quickly as possible in fear of losing those short attention spans. However, we are truly hindering our students if we are not educating them about these basic navigation principles that will assist them in troubleshooting and ease of access later on in their more sophisticated interactions with technology.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-14269148458179584262014-05-16T07:00:00.000-07:002014-05-16T07:00:01.386-07:00Free Friday: WonderopolisHave you ever wondered what's in a <a href="http://youtu.be/gtDsOoQM-y0" target="_blank">Wonderball</a>? Well, if you didn't grow up in the 90's you probably haven't. But, I bet you or your students have wondered about a wide variety of other things! This week's featured resource is <a href="http://wonderopolis.org/" target="_blank">Wonderopolis</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieved from wonderopolis.org</td></tr>
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This intriguing website, created by the National Center for Families Learning, has a featured "wonder" every day which ultimately creates its bank of over 1200 wonders. Wonders are questions that have been submitted by teachers, students, and families all over the world. Each day, one wonder is selected and explored through picture, video, and text. There are brief knowledge checks at the conclusion of each Wonder, as well as opportunities to submit additional resources you think help address the question at hand and a discussion forum to pose comments and reflections. Not to mention, a large section dedicated to extension activities and discussions to be used at home or in the classroom. The fact that Wonderopolis is Common Core aligned only serves to further enhance its appeal as a great classroom resource.<br />
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So, how do all these great features play into technology integration?<br />
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The answer is found in the <a href="http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-S_PDF.pdf" target="_blank">ISTE Student Standards</a>. Specifically, the Creativity and Innovation strand, as well as Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Decision Making strand. Wonderopolis overwhelmingly encapsulates all components of the Creativity and Innovation strand of the ISTE standards, but does a particularly exemplar job demonstrating how models and systems can be used to explore complex problems and issues. While our young learners might not yet be ready to demonstrate their own understanding through such sophisticated applications, they are able to observe and evaluate those created by others. Through the use of multimedia and dialogue, Wonderopolis presents answers to questions that can be understood by a wide range of learners across all ages. The off-the-wall nature of many of the wonders also help to engage students in creative thinking and the process of gathering and exploring information rather than on creating a specific product.<br />
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In regards to Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Decision Making, the "Try It Out" section of each wonder easily catapults students thinking beyond the direct Q&A format of the initial question. This section poses real world problems for students to consider and provides concrete tasks that encourage students to make the most of their resources. Not to mention, the wonder texts can serve as captivating close reading texts for first or second graders. The "listen to me" feature even highlights each sentence and word as it is read aloud AND any many words within each text provide simple definitions when scrolled over! There is even a whole section dedicated to developing new volcabulary associated with the wonder!<br />
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<b>A few ideas for using Wonderopolis in the classroom are...</b><br />
- Read and discuss the Wonder of the Day each morning as a class<br />
- Respond to the discussion or take the knowledge quiz as an exit ticket in the computer lab<br />
- Use as a reference for students when conducting research<br />
- Create classroom wonders modeled after those found on Wonderopolis<br />
- Submit ideas for new wonders or vote on potential new wonders as a class<br />
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How will you inspire your students to be creative and innovative problem solvers using technology next week?<br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Every Friday I am going to feature some of the free technology tools and resources I use regularly in my classroom. On occasion there will also be a free printable or lesson resource produced by me included! Be sure to check back next Friday for the next featured tool/resource! If you are looking for a resource for a particular purpose or content area, I'd love to hear about it!</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166948612507397380.post-3694848866266824372014-05-14T07:00:00.000-07:002014-05-14T07:00:03.447-07:00Reaching Outside the Classroom Walls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As I continue to serve as the site manager for a brand new school website launch, I am constantly reminded of all the amazing and free resources that are available to our parents and students. However, I know many of my families are not fully aware of or knowledgeable about how to access these resources despite the reminders and instructions sent home. It's as if there is an invisible forcefield within the walls of my classroom that erases my students' knowledge of all the computer or iPad activities they beg to do during the school day!</div>
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Since I really do believe my students genuinely enjoy many of the educational activities they are exposed to in the classroom, in the computer lab, and in small group intervention settings, I have tried a few different strategies (that have had mixed results) to inspire greater participation in these activities outside the classroom. I have also discovered a few strategies I will be implementing next school year based on feedback from parents and students this year.<br />
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Some of the barriers I have identified in my classroom:<br />
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<li><b>Video Games</b>: There can be some benefits to students playing video games, but my second graders are constantly putting these attention-grabbers at the top of their priority list! It is also the main reason most of my students share for being tired in school or for not having their homework completed. Many of my parents have brought this up at conference time and have asked for suggestions on how to steer their students to other, more educational, interactive alternatives.</li>
<li><b>URL Length</b>: The full URL for my classroom website is ohesecondgrade.weebly.com. While it seems straight-forward and easy to remember, can you recall the last time you actually typed in a full URL to access a site? I can't! My browser either remembers them for me or I simply find what I need through a Google search.</li>
<li><b>Login Information</b>: My students currently have to remember passwords for STAR Reading/Math, Dreambox, DIBELS Math, Google Apps for Education, MobyMax, and ThinkCentral. Not to mention, many of these resources are set to lock students out after a certain number of incorrect attempts to log-in.</li>
<li><b>Delayed Roll-Outs</b>: Online resources are made available to students on a staggered schedule based on beginning of the year testing, as well as teacher familiarity. New resources are made available and used at different frequencies throughout the school year making it difficult for parents and students to track which is currently the highest priority to access from home.</li>
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Current and future solutions:</div>
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<li><b>Incentives:</b> Currently, I send home a half-sheet of paper with directions for students to complete a specific task online with their parents using our classroom website or a specific online resource approximately once every other month. Some examples of these tasks include leaving a comment on the Weekly News blog post, correcting a sentence within the Weekly News, playing one game on Spelling City, etc. I also require students/parents to show their "proof" of completing the activity through some sort of online means. Since I use Weebly to host my classroom website, I have added a "Contact Me" widget that easily allows students and parents to send me a brief message related to the task. If you don't have such a resource, you might consider having students turn in the answer to their task on a separate piece of paper (like their homework) the next day. Note: You don't want students to return the task instruction sheet because that means they would be returning the reminder with access information to the resource/site and would not have it at home to use in the future!</li>
<li><b>Go Paperless</b>: I made a point to inform my families that I would not be sending home a paper newsletter each week and stuck to it. Families who wanted information or needed resources quickly learned to bookmark the classroom website and check it daily. I do work at a Title 1 school and as such several of my students do not have access to a computer at home, however, I did check with every parent and they all had smart phones that could access the site no problem. I even made them test it out at back to school night! By not providing an alternative to the online resources, families had to familiarize themselves with the site and the resources found there.</li>
<li><b>Letter/Parent-Student Contract</b>: In an attempt to combat the use of video games, TV time, and other detractors during the school week that impact student behavior and learning, I am contemplating implementing some form of a classroom contract. Second grade is a key transitional year for students and I require my students to be responsible for completing their homework, no excuses! This tool would be used to promote a discussion between parents and students about appropriate use of various technologies at home and promote the use of educational technology resources during the week. There is still some tweaking to be done here, but I think the idea has some power behind it.</li>
<li><b>Technology Night</b>: This is probably the future solution I am most excited about and I think it largely has to do with the fact that it will impact more families than just those in my class! The idea is to hold a school-wide event that showcases all the technology resources available to our students and provide useful information to parents in order to boost participation in home access. These also combats the barrier created by delayed roll-outs. If you'd like to see more of the planning process for this event (it's currently in early stages) you can view the Google Document <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d76PXITNsRGSX33WYTcwXkaVJeliTMbLA8kzqIgY6kQ/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
<li><b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_cAmxHYbVbSUDc5LWxoOHF3cjg/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Universal Resource Sheet</a></b>: In my classroom we use a binder to keep track of all important papers, homework, and other resources. Next year, I will be compiling a booklet or two-sided page that will serve as a universal online resource reference sheet. I may still send home more in-depth direction and summary sheets for various resources my students will be able to access, but all the essential information will be noted on the universal resource sheet that will remain a permanent reference in their binder. Not to mention, instead of having to bring the right set of index cards with log-on information (or leave the right set for a substitute) students will just be able to grab this page from their binder whenever we go to the computer lab. I may also include a recommended app list that students or I can put their favorite apps from class on for easy reference by parents (this was also asked for by parents at conferences).</li>
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While this post covered quite a few hurdles in getting students to access online resources from home, the constantly evolving nature of technology ensures that we will be faced with new ones on a regular basis. If you have any suggestions from your own classroom, I'd love to hear them!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04297963725655782812noreply@blogger.com0