A New Level of Sportsmanship

I just wanted to share this video that a colleague showed me recently. I know it isn't related to using technology in schools but it was an amazing example of student sportsmanship and maturity. Its a tear-jerker so be prepared.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

This Friday is Read Across America Day in celebration of Dr. Seuss's Birthday!

What are you doing with your students?

You may be inspired, but have you ever been webspired?

In an ongoing discussion with a colleague, on how we can help our school adapt to using more technology to create in depth learning experiences, we came across webspiration. Webspiration is a software option offered by Inspiration, a program known for its concept map and outline creations. I think teachers will be most open to using more technology in lessons if they are all introduced to the same resources. That way they can more easily access tech support from their colleagues and collaborate on lessons. I embedded the tutorial video but I am curious to see if anyone has used webspiration, either for a class or with their class. If so, did you like it? Was it easy to navigate? What age group do you think it seemed best aligned to? Or just any other feedback you may have. 

Finding the Time

It's hard to feel inspired and overwhelmed at the same time. I truly want to offer my students a 21st century education that allows them to share and display their learning with the technological resources that are available to them. We are all familiar with research that points to technology as the vessel for students to develop higher order thinking skills, but when it comes down to it, this picture says it all.

Common advise would say start slow and pick one thing to start with and build from there, this sounds easy but with so much new information being introduced at once about different resources it can be difficult to pick that one item to integrate into learning practices, in order to get the "most bang for your buck." We teachers know that trying something new requires extra planning, which means extra time, which leads to the "when" that no one has an answer for. Here are some links that should help to alleviate "the when" and make it easier to understand just how you could use some tech resources in your classroom.

1. iPad Apps for collaborative learning
2. iPad Apps by grade level
3. Ways to use Skype
4. Twitter 

Or if you feel confident in the quality of your Web 2.0 Classroom check out these other ideas! All of these links are posts that came from the edudemic blog, which is worth "the time" when you have it.

Is a picture worth a thousand words?

No, a picture is probably worth much more than a thousand words. New resources are available that are appropriate for supplementing, enhancing and assessing learning. I refer to these tools as "new resources," simply because they are completely new to me. I had not heard of them in general, let alone knowing their educational potential and value.

Flickr can be used as a source to create digital stories as presentations, slideshows, picture field trips, illustrations of poetry, portfolios of school work and opportunities to locate places and teach geography with Google Earth (Richardson, 2010). I love the idea of creating picture field trips or annotated picture biographies or autobiographies. Ficktion is a game where students can select a random picture to write about and post their story to the picture, click on the link to see some that have already been posted. To expand your learning about Flickr check out the Flickr FAQ or if you are already familiar with the basics take a look at this list of 100+ Tools for Flickr Addicts.  Another similar tool I came across was the PixnTell App that can also be used to create digital stories or videos. This blog post discussed how a third grade class used PixnTell with iPads. Students worked in pairs to create videos for classroom procedures.

The cohesiveness of these tools is their best attribute; I am impressed with Flickr being connected to Google Earth and that you can subscribe to picture libraries on Flickr by adding a specific topic search to Google Reader or other RSS feeds. I am beginning to understand the depth to the Read/Write Web. These resources create opportunities for learners to write creatively, analyze and synthesize information and to become producers and editors. Using these tools our students can create original pieces of work and use them to foster conversations with other classrooms, post on a class webpage to open communications between school and family or explore an unknown world through a collection of pictures. Providing students with ways to use these technologies will build their understanding of becoming 21st century learners and contributors. These options make it clear that yes, a picture is, without a doubt, worth more an a thousand words.

New Release!

Hi Bloggers! After bouncing some ideas around with a colleague I have updated my Animoto: Characteristics and Feelings to Foster Connections. Here is the new release, hot off the web:

Characteristics and Feelings to Foster Connections

Its February, and in my school that means we are in the middle of "CMT Push." An unpleasant time when we cram as much testing taking practice and comprehension skills into our reading instruction. One area that is a heavy-hitter on the CMT is good-ole Strand C: Making Connections. My students generally struggle with the making a connection verse identifying a mere a coincidence. I teach students to make their personal connections to a character action, feeling or an overarching theme. I created this Animoto to foster inferencing of characteristics and feelings through the analysis of pictures- check it out!

I even thought that as an extension activity: students could each select their own characteristic and comply pictures that depict that characteristic! Can you think of other ways students could explore this content further with Animoto?

Have you met my friend Diigo?

No, not Diego, Diigo. If you haven't met its about time you did. Diigo is my personal librarian and is a tool for you to collect, organize and analyze any and all information you find interesting. From literature and links related to your occupation to websites you want to save when you have some room on your weekend To-Do list.

Diigo allows you not only to save these links, similar to bookmarking, but you can also access your library from any computer! Take a look at how Diigo came to be...

I have used Diigo everyday since I subscribed just a few weeks ago and my Diigo library already contains over 30 items. It is important to tag, label and highlight each item so that you can keep everything organized for easy access. I have found Diigo super helpful in organizing my favorite recipes and keeping track of trucks for my husband, since he is in the midst of a vehicle search. Don't just take my word for it see how Lucy has used Diigo as well. No matter your personal interests or occupational obligations Diigo can help make life easier! Some of its basic features are spotlighted in this diagram. 

Subscribe to Your Own Personal Newspaper

Do you feel the same way? Are you sick paying for the whole paper when you just want the sports section or to glance at an overview of the weather?

If you like the sound of reading material being personalized to your interests and delivered directly to you, not on a daily basis but in constant updates, you need to subscribe to an RSS: Really Simple Syndication. If you have a Google account then you already have access to the Google RSS tool, Google Reader, or click the link to subscribe to both. Google Reader, is one of many RSS feeds, that allows you to "subscribe" to the sights you are interested in and then allows you to view all of their updates from one location. If you are interested in learning more, explore the Google Reader Blog or its video for beginners posted below.

Now get started with selecting the pages for your personalized daily read!

Communication Evolution

In reading through posts on the Integrating Technology and Literacy blog and 

the blogs of my colleagues I found myself wondering two things:

1. How will technologies change education as we know it? 

and

2. When will local governments/districts accept these changes and provide teachers with the support they need to integrate the available tools into the learning environment?

My first question popped into my head when I was reading Judy's post about the New York Times article:  Education Needs a Digital Upgrade. Its hard to imagine what changes will occur because education is so slow to make any type of change in the first place. It seems as though by the time a change has occurred it is already outdated. For example, schools that may have purchased new computers five or so years ago are now missing out on the conveniences of a rolling cart of thirty iPads. Just check out this timeline of technology starting at the turn of the century from the blog Dusty World in a post about Forecasting the 2015 Classroom.

How can districts even afford to keep up with the changes? I am in complete agreement that it is the job of teachers to transform the mind of a child into a "global citizen" that is ready to be a member of the 21st century workforce. But how can you mold a student and prepare them for something that we have not yet heard of? Teachers, it seems, need to be competent users of all the newest tools and technologies in order to turn-key our learning to the next generation.

This brings me to my second thought. If society is asking teachers to be prepared and willing to participate in an education make-over, then other questions need to be addressed and answers need to be constructed. I don't believe we should be scrutinizing teachers for not using enough technology or not using it in the right ways, but the watchful eye needs to be evaluating the opportunities local governments and districts are proposing for teachers to learn about these tools and develop these competencies. I briefly commented about this on Brian's World because similarly I have been excited to try new things with my students. In my own school, I see a lot of technology being wasted and 9 times out of 10 it is not because teachers do not see the benefits or motivation technology instills in children; it is mostly because the teachers have not had the time to be exposed to how the tools can supplement their lessons and they are also not given the time to try out the new skills or collaborate with peers.

Does your school have access to updated technology?

Do you see the technology in your school being used effectively? 

How much support are your districts providing you with in this implementation shift?

and

If you are not in the education field, how is technology changing your line of work?

Age Doesn't Matter

I am shocked.

Youngest Person to develop a mobile game App, and the award goes to....

The Starting Line: blogs and wikis

After reading chapters 3 and 4 in Richardson I thought about how it is easy for teachers to think of how to scaffold learning for their students but for some reason it seems like we forget that step when it comes to our own learning. We can't just expect to know how to do this the right way the first time and instead need to scaffold our learning, or in this case our blogging and start to the Read/Write Web. Richardson suggested that if blogs are new to you start by exploring other blogs to see the potential uses, formatting and the commonalities between blog posts. Richardson states, "As you get more settled into the rhythm of posting, begin to write more in depth about your reading, drawing on your own personal experiences and reflections. In this way, you'll come to understand the true mental work that is blogging."

I think the "mental work" that Richardson is referring to is the crafty voice that many blog authors have, along with the connections bloggers include in their posts: pictures, links or videos. However, I see the mental work differently. In creating my posts I rethink everything sentence I write because I know that anyone could read it. I think this "mental work" will be similar for my students because they will be more cautious about their writing and responses since they know their peers or even parents can read their work. Hmmm, what is that I smell? Ownership? Accountability? Motivation? Engagement?

If you want to take that first step and just start exploring the who/what/when/where/why of blogging, signing up through Google Blogger is really easy (take it from me who is a newbie to this). Those of you interested in blogging with your class a couple of good start up options I'd suggest looking into: Edublogs.org or 21classes.com. Both of these options allow the teacher to monitor posts and set access. Edublogs has over 300,000 education blogs!

And on the idea of wikis, what do you think: Wikipedia or Whackypedia?

I was always under the impression that it was more of a "whackypedia" but in reading some of the facts and research included in Chapter 4 of Richardson I am beginning to think otherwise

Online Collaborative Inquiry: Classroom Blogging and Multiple Literacies

This article is such a strong representation of how blogging can be and is incorporated into classrooms of all grade levels. I love the list of blogging ideas Arzt provides and it is a great way for teacher's to begin their blogging adventures. For those of you like me that haven't used blogging in school (or ever) or are skeptical to how blogging can change the learning experience, get exploring! One first grade teacher used a blog to showcase student work but said that students wrote from home because they "wanted to" and the blog was visited over 21,000 times! WOW! These bloggers are children in first grade! Although the class blog is mostly a collection of work and the class's learning adventures, you can see how moving it would be for a busy parent to go to the page and feel completely connected to their child's life at school. With this connection, parents can use what they see on the blog to foster conversations with their children and ask questions about what and why they are doing certain things in school.

I was also blown-away by the possibility of international learning connections. Classrooms can participate in Quadblogging or in the Global Read Aloud Project that allows them to learn, connect and communicate with students from around the world. How moving!--its experiences like this that will make our students global citizens.

animoto and engagement

Animoto is an easy tool to learn to use, you just need to take the time to think about the curriculum you teach to see how you can use Animoto videos to engage students in learning or create ways for students to use Animoto as an assessment tool for them to demonstrate learning. There are many sites providing educator's examples of how to set up and use Animoto. I found this simple to follow, "how to" video, that provides step-by-step instructions for signing up.

In school I work as a small group reading teacher that focuses on the explicit needs of the students. At first I was stumped as to how I could incorporate Animoto into my lessons. Then through investigating previously created videos I realized an Animoto could be created for just about anything. One video displayed the sight words that a kindergarten class created using pretzels. The video could be sent to families or used in class to build sight word fluency. To me, it seems like Animoto is a great tool to build home-school connections. Video links could be sent home so that parents can see what their child is working on at school or the video can introduce the new words students are learning that week, so that parents can be more involved in their child's school experience.

What a great opportunity for students to share their learning! Students can create Animoto videos to demonstrate learning through pictures and words. I have seen student Animoto's that are responding to a set of reading comprehension questions and ones that are culminating projects to a unit. This would be perfect for fourth grade students to use to demonstrate what they learned through their Social Studies unit on states. It could be similar to this grade 6 student's video on Northern Africa. Using Animoto as an assessment tool supports the NETS for students, standard 1: Creativity and Innovation.

The power of imagination makes us infinite.

How has searching through the blogs of students and educators inspired me?

Better question: how hasn't it?

I guess I never thought of blogging as a profound technology that can create endless learning possibilities but that is exactly what it is. I always think of how inspiring it is when a teacher actually has the time to sit down with a colleague and bounce ideas off one another- its great when it happens, but these times seem to occur so rarely because time is usually not on our side.

Blogging doesn't require a mutual time slot for this. You can post or search through blogs on your own time, you can find ideas you like and ask questions about implementation or post a question to your blog followers for ideas and await their responses. Endless possibilities.

For example, in my searches this morning I found this wonderful post: What's the Hype with Skype? from Krissy Venosdale's blog that shared ways to use Skype as an educational tool. I have only used Skype once in the school setting. When I used Skype it was when I was filling in for a co-worker on maternity leave and we Skyped with her each Friday so that she could maintain a connection with the class. The students would present to her what we had been learning but I never thought of the possibilities beyond this and wow are these ideas something to think about.

Has anyone used Skype in their teaching? If so, what did you use it for?