Thing 36: My Final Project

For my final project, I put together a VoiceThread.

I really enjoyed getting to connect with everyone through the course of this class.  I've learned so much from all of you and been inspired to push myself further than I thought I'd go!  I can't wait to see how everyone uses the tools and resources we've uncovered in this class.  Let's make a commitment to share with one another!

Thing 35: Flipped Learning and STEM/STEAM

STEM/STEAM vs. ELA STEM/STEAM and ELA

Ever since STEM/STEAM came on the scene a lot of us ELA teachers have had a bit of a chip on our shoulders.  I have definitely found myself feeling as though I'm on the outside looking in, and my eyes have admittedly glossed over as another STEM/STEAM conversation has picked up.  I have felt disenfranchised by the whole movement, so I used my research time this week to take a look at the connection between STEM/STEAM and my beloved ELA.  I'm so glad that I did!

The first article that I offer is from the Washington Post: How to Integrate Literacy with STEM.  The authors illuminate the idea that it's not an "either/or" discussion.  We cannot have STEM/STEAM without the literacy piece, so we do our best work when we strive to integrate these subject areas for kids. Brilliant!

I loved what Vanessa Greenlee had to say about the connection of STEM/STEAM and ELA.  She worked with her colleagues to develop STEM units of study that incorporated the ELA standards. "My job is to help STEM students gain the collaboration and communication skills they need to bring their science, technology, engineering, and math skills to fruition in the 21st century marketplace," Greenlee says about her role in as an ELA teacher in STEM education.

Finally, I visited a blog series that had many great ideas for STEM/STEAM units that are PBL focused.  These offer many ideas for integrated units.  One of my favorite sites was the bie.org site. I've already got ideas for great social studies units to use (that's right, I said social studies!!!).

Flipped Learning in the ELA Classroom

I've heard a lot about flipped classroom from my science and math colleagues.  I see the merit with it, but I've had trouble wrapping my mind around how something like this can work in the ELA classroom.  I focused my research specifically on the ELA flipped classroom, and I've come away with many great resources!

I'm really intrigued with the idea of blogs and reading.  Susie used them in her classroom last year, and I've got ideas for how I'd like to use them this year.  This article is a great resource for ELA teachers who want to get kids reading more in the classroom.  I love the assertion that the teacher is able to do much more coaching this way.  Basically, the kids read in class and blog at home to show their learning/understanding.  The blogs are giving the teacher insights into what to teach into and who to meet with each day.  

I found this post very helpful in wrapping my mind around what flipping is and isn't.  Again, the focus seems to be on the flipping being purposeful in adding to what can occur in the classroom.  You flip for things "students can find in a few seconds on their devices".  Obviously, this doesn't work for every concept, but it's got me thinking about which ones it will work for.  Flipping for those seems like a no brainer, and it would give us so much time together to work/write/read in class!

Finally, I started thinking about what this would really look like in practice.  I checked out this school's website, and I really liked the explanation that was given to kids.  One thing they shared on their website was that kids could pause and rewind the videos as they watched.  I love this feature of flipped learning.  When we're teaching live, we always tell kids "stop me if you need it repeated" or "let me know if you need me to slow down", and no one ever raises a hand!  The flipped classroom allows kids to go at their own pace without the fear that someone will judge them for it!  Brilliant!

Thing 34: Breakout EDU

I would really like to use something like this on a regular basis in my classroom, and I can't wait to see it in action!

The game I thought would be great for the first week would be: Teamwork.  I think the kids would get into it, and it would give them a chance to work together.  It would also be a really great thing to observe.  Who takes charge?  Who sits back?  Who gives up?  Who perseveres?  I could see this being a great way to get intel on the kids!

My game idea would be to create something that has to do with geography (the first unit I teach in social studies).  Here is a link to the very first drafts of ideas that I've gotten started on: Country X.  I will probably finish this game!  Does anyone know if we've got the funds to purchase any of the items from the website?

Thing 33: ELN

Mindset

Thing 32: Atomic Learning

I'm not sure what to think of Atomic Learning.  It's my first time using it, so it's completely new to me, and I realize that sometimes I'm hard on new things, but...

I liked the instant feedback from the assessment.  And I liked that I could immediately go and find lessons that could help me overcome some of my challenges that were illuminated in the assessment results.

I found my way to a very interesting tutorial series: Literacy: Reimagined by Angela Maiers.  After reading the introduction and watching the overview video, I was hooked.  But all the rest of the tutorial is locked.  I couldn't figure out a way around this (I logged out and logged back in a couple times), so I'm guessing I won't get to dig deeper into this tutorial series, but I'd like to...

I typed in "Social Studies" for my third task.  I found a fun "Egypt A-Z" tutorial, and I was able to access all the videos to see how to make an A-Z Egypt book using Kid Pix.  The other resource I found that I loved was "Building a Blog".  The example has the kids take on the persona of someone in Maria Antoinette's court, but it could easily be changed for any number of time periods/people.

I could see using the tutorials with kids.  There is no way to know everything when it comes to technology, and it's hard to get time with the school technology people every time you need to teach a new tool.  Do the kids have access to Atomic Learning as well?  If so, these would make for some great "flipped classroom" experiences...

I can see myself going back to this site in the future.  If something like that "Literacy: Reimagined" tutorial series were to come unlocked, I'd love to submit it for WU credit.  It sounds like an important lesson!

Thing 31: Learning Gizmos

I really like the idea of these types of simulations.  I think for some kids they will offer a different way of thinking about/seeing concepts, and that will help them to gain understanding.

I know the way we teach our math is pretty in depth, so I do wonder if this would offer the kind of depth that our teachers are looking for.  That being said, it could offer some great launch and/or extension ideas for teachers who are hoping to get everyone's attention.  Here's a list I thought could be helpful to my science partner: 6th Grade Science Gizmos.  I really liked the feature of being able to so easily share a list.  There were many that were pre-made that I'm sure are worth some attention.

One of my favorite places for simulation type experiences in social studies is The British Museum. It's got lots of great information, and each subject includes an interactive experience.  Many times this experience allows kids to create and/or experience life in ancient times.  Right now it's only for Egypt and Greece, but it's well worth the time we spend using it!

Last year a group of teachers and I did a whole study of simulations (role play) in the classroom.  We had a great time learning about different ideas and trying out different simulations.  Our fifth grade social studies does a comprehensive simulation of the discovery of America.  This past year I tried out a couple different mock trial simulations that helped us learn about the art of argument.  There's so much simulations can help us see!

Thing 30: Discovery Education

Discovery Education is a ton of fun!  I'm so glad we learned about this resource in this course!  I know I will use it a lot this year.

One of the things that really gets kids excited about 6th grade social studies is the idea of discovery. I'd use this video about The Ice Man to get kids interested in the ancient civilizations.  There is a nice reading that would compliment this in one of our social studies textbooks as well, so that's a good tie in!

I liked the Three Truths...One Lie strategy for helping kids zero in on the important details in a piece of media.  Sixth graders can be pretty passive consumers, so this would help them find the key points. I especially liked the idea of having them create their own Three Truths...One Lie once they got used to the strategy.

I built a board about Mesopotamia that I think I will actually use.  The first video I found will get the kids thinking about what constitutes a civilization.  Then they can watch another video specifically about Mesopotamia.  And there is a reading I like to use with the kids that I've attached.  I hope the board will really help them think about the beginnings of civilization.  I'll have them keep their notes in their SS notebook on Notability.

Thing 29: K12 Online Conference

This made me so happy!!!  I found two really amazing presentations in the 2015 drop down menu for "Stories of Connection":

• Worst Preso Ever
• Connecting Creativity

Worst Preso Ever was a very fun presentation about how to teach kids about common slideshow mistakes.  I love that it's done humorously!  I will for sure be using the lesson with my kids to help them embrace the idea of the "rules" of slideshows.  I think the fun approach will help kids retain the information and help them see that it's about practice, not perfection.  At the end of the presentation, the author also offered two "extras" that seem fun:

• Pechaflikr: This reminds me of an old teacher who used to have us pick a random topic from a fishbowl each week and stand up in front of the class to talk about it.  It was on the spot and very exciting.  I'd love to try it!
• Iron Chef Lesson Planning: This was such a fun idea.  Give the kids a topic, tell them they each have one slide of the presentation and ten minutes to get it ready.  Watch them work, collaborate and teach.  I'll definitely try this one too!

Connecting Creativity is a website that offers "quests" to students.  The presenters walked through four different quests they've issued so far.  Each quest challenges students to creatively connect different aspects of their learning.  My favorite quest idea was for "found poetry".  I love the idea of using it with current events!  I think kids would really be able to dive deeply into each of the topics, and I can't wait to see what creative products they produce.

I am excited by the topics that are coming up in this year's conference, and I will probably "attend". The great thing, however, is that the content will be there whether I'm able to attend during that timeframe or not!  This is a brilliant concept and a great way to get PD!

Things 25-28: Flubaroo/Google Forms, Socrative, Kahoot and Padlet

Google Forms is very intriguing to me, and I am starting to allow myself to get comfortable with the Flubaroo add-on.  I'm not huge on grading much of anything, so the Google Forms is really great to me.  I like that it collects my data, and I'm really excited to see that you can now view the data individually as well.  I used it to create a way of collecting new class ideas for AIL last summer, and I'd like to continue doing that.  I'll also probably use it much more with the kids this year as well to get quick ideas of how they're doing after lessons.

Socrative was a little less intuitive for me (probably because it's not Google, and I'm really comfortable with everything Google now).  I want to spend more time with it, and I know that Steve Agouridis from Skokie uses it a lot.  I'll probably seek out more one-on-one training with someone who is a pro because I didn't find it as intuitive, but I know it's got lots of potential.  I'll be looking for PD on this one for sure!

Kahoot is my jam!  This year I plan to use Kahoot for more than just academic purposes.  I want to try to use it for some fun things as well like a "Get to Know Mrs. Warner" quiz and a "What did you do this weekend" game...  I have loved using it for quick assessments of knowledge (especially when we've got vocabulary heavy topics), and now I want to branch into using it to help us become a closer knit community.

Padlet was a little more fun than I had imagined!  I really appreciate the fun color and background options.  I think kids will get a kick out of this.  I could see myself using this often to get them engaged right at the start of a lesson or unit.  And I love that they can see each post as it comes.  I remember finding it overwhelming when we were all together as a staff, but I think with a more manageable number of people, it would be a really fun tool to get information.

Things 23 + 24: Creative Commons and OER

I scored 9/10 on the CC quiz!  Copyright is something I continually worry about as an educator.  I love the CC site and what it offers.  I can see it really changing the way I teach the kids especially when it comes to making presentations.  I know at sixth grade they are not creating presentations that will be shared with the world, but I really love the confidence this site gives me to help prepare the kids for the world they will become a part of in the future.  They'll need to practice these skills, and CC is the perfect site to help me know how to help them do just that!  I'm really happy we got to see this site!

OER was also really fun to explore.  I found etana.org for myself.  I loved the site because it provides some primary source translations from the ancient world.  I'm really excited to explore the site more thoroughly.  I feel like primary sources are hard to come by in the ancient civilizations we teach, and the translations of some texts will be really interesting to share with students.

I found Readers to the Rescue for you elementary teachers!  I had such a fun time with the "game". Basically, you drag and drop fairy tale characters into a Mad-Lib story.  Then the game animates it for you and reads it out loud.  It was very entertaining.  I could see using it as a hook to a fairytale unit or just as a fun game to play during choice time.  Enjoy!

Things 19-22: Prezi, Voki, Animoto and PowToons

My Every Monday Matters Prezi

• Every Monday last year, we took the whole block to focus on helping others.  Some really great research and projects came out of this endeavor, so we're continuing it next year.  This is my Prezi introduction that I'd like to use.

My Iowa Voki

• There's nothing better than being from Iowa!  I'm a proud Hawkeye, and I was so excited to see the corn cob!

My Democracy Animoto

• With this being an election year, I'm hoping to inspire kids to get involved in the democratic process.  We'll study it from a historical perspective (as it all came to be in ancient Greece!). This Animoto will be a launch item for the discussion.

My Narrative PowToon

• My favorite narrative I do with the kids is the scary/mystery/horror story.  I'll use this to help launch us into thinking about these narratives.

I enjoyed each of these to differing degrees and felt differing levels of success with each.  Prezis really do look amazing.  I could see those being very engaging for kids.  I've already started one for Go To School Night as well!  I'm not sure about the Voki.  I'll have to play around with it more.  I could see my kids who hate to present being really into it though.  Animoto really looks awesome.  I couldn't figure out how to simply add photos directly from my drive account, so I couldn't use any real photos without it being a hassle.  If anyone has that figured out, let me know.  I think kids will like telling visual stories with it.  Though I appreciate the PowTooon I made, it honestly took me two hours to create.  I'd love to set the kids on this one because I'm sure they'd figure out all kinds of cool tricks and shortcuts that would make my next PowToon take much less time.

Thing 17: Notability

Notability is my favorite app in the entire world!  And I'm not even being hyperbolic.  I used Notability with my kids last year in place of all paper notebooks.  We had a social studies notebook, a writer's notebook and a reader's notebook.  I love it!

One feature that I really love about Notability is that you can type and use your finger or a stylus to write and add pictures from your camera roll or the Internet all in one note.  It allows kids a lot of freedom for how they get their ideas down.  Kids who preferred to use words could easily do that; others who preferred to use pictures and label with few words could do that as well.  It's so easy to modify to your own specific needs and learning preferences.

I especially loved using Notability to create note templates for the kids to use.  It was easy to type the basic template, and then I'd write in with a stylus to make modifications for the kids who needed it.  I could then upload all of this to Schoology, and the kids could get it from there to put into their own Notability notebooks.  The thing I loved about this feature was that the modified version just looked like the kid had already added some notes in his/her own handwriting.  It really lessened the "I'm different" stigma that can come with the modified work.

The kids loved to use it for notes in social studies.  We did a lesson on how to organize notes.  They loved the colors that they could use.  They also got into the shapes and used those to help them organize as they researched.

The best feature in Notability is the cut and paste feature.  You can easily move any of your stylus written work with a simple circle and drag!  That was another lifesaver for my sixth graders.  They could easily move notes into more organized spots to help them see patterns and volume for each subtopic.

Finally, I loved using it to take class notes as we worked together.  I'd project it on the Apple TV and write or add pictures as we would go.  I could then share those class notes with the kids through Drive or Schoology.  The modeling was really helpful in that way.

I really cannot say enough about Notability and how easy it is to use.  If you'd like to learn more about it, please let me know!  I'd be happy to share what we've figured out so far (I'm sure we're only scratching the surface).  If I can do it, anyone can do it!

Thing 16: Haiku Deck

I'm a really big fan of slide shows, so I thought I'd love this app. Alas, I did not. I used it to create a haiku deck on plagiarism:

http://www.haikudeck.com/p/cdc53d7e96

I don't mind how it turned out, but I wish it could do more. I wanted to add video, use multiple pictures on one slide, manipulate the positioning of words...  So much more! I think I am spoiled by Google Slides and other slide show type apps and the such. This just didn't do it for me, and I think most of my sixth graders would just find it frustrating to use because of the limitations on their own manipulation of each slide. 

I'm curious, however, if teachers of younger grades thought this might be helpful? Maybe it would be good as an introductory slide show app?

Thing 15: Book Creator

I've been a fan of Book Creator for awhile now.  Last year I used it to help me differentiate materials for my kids.  I'd make books for notes that could be uploaded to Notability with pages that looked like this:

and this for modification:

I liked using Book Creator for this because it allowed me to make the notes look the way I wanted. Once they were uploaded into Schoology for the kids to upload into Notability, I could assign them to certain kids.  When they downloaded them, they all looked similar enough that no one really blinked twice at the modifications that had happened.

As the year went on I got better and better at these books (though I found myself preferring to use Notability when it was for notes)!  Later I made one for a geography test that had maps on the different pages.  Once the kids got it from Schoology, they could put it into Notability and manipulate it any way they chose.

The kids loved using the app as a tool for making products.  For any type of notetaking, they preferred to use Notability.  They loved being able to import photos and videos to show their learning.  We'll definitely use it with them again next year!

Thing 13: Ed Tech Blogs to Follow

A-ha! moment for me: It's about the connections.  I am definitely a cynic when it comes to all of this social media technology, so to hear Alec Couros really elaborate on the purpose of this social media as connection and relationship building was a game changer to me.  When I forced myself to examine my personal social media usage I found he was right.  I use Facebook for the connections and the relationships it allows me to have.  Mind blown.

Connections I'll definitely continue:

• Scott McCloud
• Ed Byrne
• George Couros

Here are some ideas I have for the curated sites:

• Both Smart Brief on EdTech and Edutopia were right up my alley.  I loved the quick reads on the EdTech site.  This is something that will help me to stay up to date without sucking up a lot of my time.  Edutopia is totally organized in the way I like.  It was so user friendly that I've already got myself into the PBL lists.  These are great!

Thing 11: Google Hangouts

I was part of a hangout today!  Click here to see quotes from it.  Let me tell you how it all began...

I was on Twitter (my daily commitment to one tweet and all), and I saw a post from @innovates_ed about a live conversation with the topic of primary sources being used in PBL.  I clicked on the link and learned that the hangout would go live in less than 15 minutes.  I saw the "chatroll" to the left of the hangout, logged in and waited.

I was not disappointed!  The conversation was so interesting and the resources that were offered were inspiring!  I live chatted with the speakers and other listeners.

And I even tweeted with the hashtags they said to use!

The hangout lasted an hour, and since I wasn't actually a part of it in the video sense, I could also moderate the water balloon fight my son was having outside.  It was a great experience for my first hangout.  I would totally participate in this capacity again!  I decided to follow @innovates_edu so that I can see when more of these types of conversations will happen.

One of the greatest links that was shared was http://letters2president.org/.  I've got so many ideas for how we're going to get the kids involved with this campaign, and I'd love to hear if/how others will get involved too!

Thing 14: iTunes U

For me:

• Fiction for Young Adults course: I could see this being a really awesome way for colleagues to come together around YA literature.  I like the idea of a course that would help us talk about great books (old and new) and give us a common language from which to proceed.  I didn't dig too deeply, but the idea is intriguing.  It got me wondering if iTunes U courses could count for WU credit?
• We Are Poets: Fourth Grade: Poetry: I could see myself using this in the classroom.  I've been dreaming up a poetry unit to use with kids for awhile, and I liked some of the activities in this course.  I really appreciated that the majority of the materials were accessible in the course and not materials that I would have to purchase.  I also appreciated many of the links that were included.

For a colleague:

• Consumer Mathematics: The course materials (at a glance) looked really fun and appropriate for kids in sixth grade.  The course gets kids thinking about real life math: purchasing a home, paying utilities, getting a job...  I think this could be a really fun course for a math teacher at my grade level.

With kids:

• I'm not sure I'd be comfortable using the actual iTunes U with kids, but I would love to do our own live version of iTunes U.  I'd love to have the kids create and teach their own courses.  We've done similar things with them in the past where they've taught a quick lesson, but it would be really fun to have them do a whole course!

Thing 10: Google + and Communities

I can see the possibilities with Google + and Communities, but it's a little challenging.  I made a circle for 36 Things, but not everyone that I know of in the class was part of my Google + following, so I had to go through a lot of clicking to add them to the circle.  I made another circle for my 6th grade LA/SS colleagues, but the only person on Google + was our department's coordinator, and she doesn't even teach at our school.  Again, lots of clicking to get a circle created.

I joined four different Communities: 36 Things, GEG Chicagoland, The Winnetka Experience, and Winnetka University Reflections.  For the first three of those, I could see posts, and I posted into our 36 Things Community.  For the fourth one, I couldn't see any posts.  I created a Community for 6th grade LA/SS and invited all my 6th grade LA/SS colleagues.

Possibilities:

• If our students were all on Google + and we made a community of all of them, it would be like our own personal Twitter account to post and share on.  I like that possibility a lot.
• If all our colleagues were on Google + and we made a community of all the ones in our department, it could be a great way to post and share what's going on in our classrooms.  It's the part we never have time for in our meetings and the part I find myself most craving.

Thing 9: Twitter

I'm finding myself in a love/hate relationship with Twitter.  Here's why:

Love:

• I love being able to quickly and concisely get the word out about things.  We've used it the last two years in Adventures, and I love to tweet out what's going on throughout the day.  I feel like it gives my 20 or so followers a real insight into what happens on a daily basis.  I'm really proud of our program, and I want people to see that!  As I can be a wordy person, I really appreciate that my character count is limited.  I can't spend too much time posting (You wouldn't believe the amount of time I put into wordsmithing our weekly email blast!).  
• I love being able to post an alert really quickly.  Again, with Adventures, sometimes we have to change our plans based on the weather, and Twitter gets the word out quickly and concisely when we have to do so.  It's not the only method of alert we use, but it's a great addition to our arsenal.
• Finally, I love getting to read other people's quick posts about what they're doing in their classrooms.  I find myself longing to get into more classrooms every day, but with 40+ classes running each period, I can never get to them all.  I love when my phone buzzes and I can catch a glimpse into a classroom in the building.  I love retweeting these happenings.  It makes me feel closer to the classes, kids and teachers.

Hate:

• The time suck of it all...  When I'm using this for my professional life I find myself sucked into the linked articles and videos and websites and...  I look up and it's an hour (or more, let's be honest) later, and I still haven't accomplished the one thing I had started out to do!  I am, perhaps, just not disciplined enough for Twitter!

My Twitter manifesto:

• I will use Twitter to tweet out the happenings of Adventures and of my classroom.  This will allow others a glimpse into what happens on a daily basis, breaking down the walls of our school and making the learning environment transparent to all who care to follow.
• I will use Twitter as one of the ways to get alerts out.  Combined with email, phone calls, blog posts and notes home, Twitter will be a great alert tool.
• I will use Twitter to see into the classrooms of my colleagues.  I will continue to add colleagues from inside and outside of our district so that I can be exposed to more and more great education and thinking!
• I will limit myself to one article a day.  This will allow me to continue to grow my knowledge and feed my curiosities, but it will also help me to manage my time more wisely.

Thing 12: ICE

Completing the Dotstorming Board triggered my memory: I have been to an ICE sponsored event before!  Last year, Kim and I attended an event at GBS that was all about design thinking.  It gave us really great ideas for our classrooms.  Encouraged by the discussion of the day, neither of us used desks last year.  We opted for tables.  Kim also tried out multiple surfaces being covered with whiteboard.  It was a really great experience to be in a room with so many educators from all over the area!

When I checked out the ICE conference materials, I came across this:

Providing an Authentic Audience

I have really been thinking a lot this summer about how to get the kids writing for authentic audiences.  I have found over the last few years that when they are writing for someone other than me, they push themselves to do much better work, and the process doesn't feel like so much of a chore.  This was a really nice slideshow to have ideas for authentic audiences with a technology twist. It made me wish I had been at that session!

Thing 8: Google Photos

I decided to do all this Google Photos work through my Adventures in Learning account.  We take a lot of pictures, and it seemed like a no brainer to me to do this work though that instead.  Once we're up and running for the school year, I can see myself also using it for the classroom.  So far, I'm pretty happy.  Here's why:

1. I can take the photos on my phone (the AIL one that I have with me 90% of the day at school), and they'll automatically update into Google Photos, and Google Photos will automatically put them into a folder for me on my Drive!  This allows for such awesome ease of access and allows me so much more flexibility whether I'm posting to Twitter (follow us @adventures36) or sending out our weekly update emails to parents.  Great stuff!
2. I'm super excited about the movie feature.  Sometimes it's really hard to pick what picture to use, and I don't want any class to feel like I forgot about them.  The movie feature is so amazing because I can choose all the pictures and it will give them each equal screen time!  I could see using this with parents to give a quick glance into what we're doing in our classroom. I can't wait to play with it more on the iPad.
3. I'll just keep rolling about the movie feature for a minute...  I could see this being a really cool way for the kids to show their learning throughout a project.  Almost like a "time lapse" movie, they'd be able to show other learners and themselves the growth they made from day one to the finale of a project.

I do have one question, and I'd love an answer if anyone knows...  How do I get my photos that are in folders on my drive into Google Photos?  I tried dragging and dropping, and I tried moving them, but neither option worked (or I couldn't make it work).  Any ideas?

Thing 7: Google Keep

I like lists.  A lot.  On my own personal device I've got lists for weekly dinners, names of Noah's friend's parents, gift ideas for myself and others.  I have a great grocery list app, a great journaling app that works as a list.  Lists, lists, lists.  I love lists!

I thought I'd really love Google Keep, but I'm not sure I do.  Yet.  I did the work for Thing 7 through my Adventures email.  I've got a phone dedicated to Adventures, so it seemed like a no-brainer.  But I'm pretty sure I set up something incorrectly because my first reminder didn't come through!  I'll have to go back into Keep on the computer and the app I downloaded to see what I did incorrectly.

Beyond that, I'm not sure if it's something I'd use or not.  I make a lot of "Sticky Notes" on my desktop, and at first I thought Keep could take the place of that.  But now I'm not so sure.  I like that the sticky notes are right in my face every time I open up my laptop.  I'd have to go through steps to get to Google Keep, and I'm not sure I'm disciplined enough to do that (too much honesty?).  Maybe if I get everything to sync up correctly I'll change my mind, but for right now I'm a sticky note fan.

Thing 6: The Chrome Book

Perhaps it is because it feels like a toy laptop my son had when he was young; perhaps it is because change is hard, but I do not like the Chrome Book I am typing on right now.  I take that back...  I would not willingly give up my laptop for this device, BUT I can see the merits of it for the classroom.  Let me elaborate:

1. The size and weight of this is perfect for kids!  The iPad is great, but its (this Chrome Book is anti-apostrophe! Ack!) either too small (without the case) or too clunky (with the case).  This doesnt (gonna scream!) seem to be much heavier than an iPad and it has a much larger screen.  Speaking of screens...
2. The screen does not have that annoying iPad glare!  No matter where we sat in my classroom either the lights or the sunlight made the iPad screens difficult to see on most days.  Most of the kids had broken their kickstand off the back of the iPad by the time they got to sixth grade, so they all ended up awkwardly finding ways to support the screen while they typed.  It was a mess!  Finally...
3. The keyboard!  My kids begged me for keyboards to go with their iPads every time we did a project, but we only had a couple sets of keyboard in the whole school!  We would hoard them for a few weeks, but inevitably another class would need them, and we would have to give them up.  Chrome Book solves this problem with its built in keyboard.

If this was the 1:1 device that the kids had, I would be pretty happy.  It allows them to do everything we do on our iPads or laptops or desktops, but it has some built in conveniences that would totally rock!  I am glad I had a chance to use it.  Now I will go back to my laptop:)

Thing 5: Google Chrome

I opened up Newsela right away.  It's a site I used awhile back with my kids.  Then I got away from using it because it went through some "upgrades" that made it a little more challenging to navigate.  Boy am I glad I went back to it!  I absolutely love that you can modify the reading materials to meet your needs.  I find that so refreshing.  Kids can read the same material but at differing levels.  They'll be able to have a solid conversation because they all accessed it on their own level.  Great stuff!

While I was in Newsela, BeeLine Reader started up.  I was a little put off by it at first, I must admit, but as I adjusted, I really started liking it.  Mine was set to "bright", "enable auto-color" and "auto-color this site".  It looks like this:

I started reading and was actually really pleased with how much easier this was on my eyes.  This got me to start playing with BeeLine a little more.  The "OpenDyslexic Font" button created an interesting combo of font and colors.  I found myself being able to read much easier, and I wonder what someone diagnosed with dyslexia would think while reading it.  Good stuff!  Has anyone used this with kids?

Finally, I checked out AdBlock. Seems like it blocks ads from coming up on my screen.  This is great because I accidentally changed a setting or downloaded something bad, and if I use Safari I get all kinds of pop up ads.  This extension on Chrome is really great!

After only a few days (and being a Safari supporter for years), I'm happily changing to Chrome!  Today as I was doing work for AIL I made sure to do it all from Chrome.  It's so much faster and I love the little added on bonus features.

Thing 4: Google Apps for Education

So, I don't know about any of you, but this task took me two whole hours (and there's still THREE more things left this week!)!  Whew!  I'm pooped!

I feel like I'm learning a lot, but this week has me questioning if I can keep up the pace of the 36 Things.  I'm second guessing if I'm really cut out for this 21st Century learning thing.  Is it just me?!  I hope not...

Google Apps for Education really have me thinking about my classroom and teaching.  Here's what's on my mind:

1. What if kids wrote stories together with Docs?  They could each contribute parts to the whole.  The beauty of it is that they could work on it from anywhere really.  And, because it's live, they could see what others are adding and doing along the way.  This would be a great way to incorporate the free writing they all crave so much.  Has anyone tried anything like this before?
2. Sheets could be a really interesting way to keep track of reading next year.  Kids always fight the idea of keeping reading logs, but I'm wondering if something like Sheets might ignite some of them. As they add their information, they can see the other kids adding theirs as well.   I know when I take a look at our shared Sheet for this class, I get motivated to be on the same pace as everyone else.  Maybe it would act as a motivator for kids as well?  
3. Finally, I love the Calendar idea for keeping track of classroom upcoming events.  I could see us using it to keep track of birthdays and upcoming due dates.  My question is can I share just that classroom calendar with the kids, or will they see all the calendars I'm linked to?  I wouldn't want them to see all of them!  Also, is this a better option than Schoology? 

The Wall

One of my biggest obstacles has been what I've referred to as "the wall".  I've felt for a long time that we've put up a wall to keep technology away from our kids.  I think that this comes from an honest fear:  If we don't control the content of the web, how can we protect our kids from it?  Books and other print forms of media have a certain calming effect on us: we can read them and decide to put them into the hands of our kids.  And, if we so choose, they'll never have access to them while in our buildings.  It feels safe.  It helps quell the fear.

It's an interesting fear.  One that only perpetuates itself.  For as long as we fight to keep the technology out, the more the fear grows.  It's only when we embrace the fear that it will extinguish itself.

This year I had a revelation that helped calm this fear in me.  As we were starting a final project, I thought to myself, I can't possibly read all the books from which my students might research in the library for any one project that we do as a class.  It's impractical.  And this gave me an ah-hah moment: it's the same for websites.  I cannot, nor should I, read them all.  What I can do is this:

• Teach my kids to be smart consumers of information.  I can teach them how to question and look for important information so that they consume only the information that will push their thinking and deepen their understanding.
• Show my kids how to critically evaluate the effectiveness of a source.  I had to do this with books any way!  What's the difference when it's a website.  Not all books are created equal, and the same is true for websites.  Same lesson; different medium.
• Empower my kids to analyze and synthesize the information they find in order to think on their own.  Kids are powerful thinkers.  They like to play with information and form it into their own thinking.  I can empower them to think and share their thinking.  I can help guide them through misconceptions and misunderstandings.

This small realization helped to free me up from the frustration I shared in the last post.  Next school year, I hope to help move the parents of my students into a more open mindset about technology.  It's been a hard sell, and I can understand why.  But it's time for all of us to break down the wall and jump into the 21st century of learning!

Thoughts About Web 2.0

At every discussion about technology that I've been a part of in my teaching career for as long as I can remember, I've heard the same quote (with some variation): "We're preparing kids for jobs that don't yet exist, for tasks we can't yet imagine." Sometimes this is said with excitement: Imagine the possibility! At one point, walking on the moon was unheard of, and look at us now!  Other times it's grumbled in frustration: Add that to my growing list of musts.  Now I've got to imagine the future!  Ugh!

I've never really known what to think about it myself.  And I'm not sure I'm any closer to realizing my own thoughts right now, but I can see both sides...

I'm excited!  My husband always talks about how when he was a kid he was convinced that by the time he was an adult there'd be flying cars.  Are there flying cars yet?  Not really.  But his excitement at the thought of it still exists.  He's followed the progress of the technology his whole life, and he can tell you exactly how close we are.

This kind of learning and engagement is priceless, and I see the power of it for our kids.  I love the idea that we just don't know "yet".  It fits with everything I believe about mindset and the way I like to live my life and teach my classes.  We're in this great area where things just haven't happened yet, but they can and they will, and we can be an integral part of it all happening.  Do I need to know the exact titles of the jobs my students will have 10, 20 or 30 years from now in order to teach them well?  I don't think so!  It comes down to teaching them how to think, how to create and how to have the confidence to collaborate with others.

Though I can see the possibility, I must admit that I'm also frustrated.  There are so many things!  So many directives from so many people.  So much curriculum and so little time.  I'd be lying if I didn't say that sometimes the technology piece of it feels like "one more thing".

Because I didn't grow up in a world of "Information Overload", I'm tempted to look at it as just that: overload.  It worries me that the world is getting "flatter and faster".  How will we keep up?  I guess my real question, my real fear, is how will my teaching keep up?

I'm hoping throughout the course of this class I learn how to incorporate the Web 2.0 into my teaching so that my frustration is a thing of the past.  Awesome!  Now I "have the end in mind"!  Let's learn!

7 1/2 Habits of Effective Lifelong Learners

1.  Begin with the end in mind.
2.  Accept responsibility for your own learning.
3.  View problems as challenges.
4.  Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
5.  Create your own learning toolbox.
6.  Use technology to your advantage.
7.  Teach and mentor others.
7.5.  Play.

When I look at this list, I consider many of them to be challenging, but perhaps the most challenging for me will be Habit #4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.  I don't have any confidence in myself when it comes to technology, and I am very hard on myself as a learner.  Although I teach my students that mistakes are part of the learning process, I have trouble accepting that of myself as a learner.  I want it all to be perfect the first time!

To conquer this habit I'm going to need to:

• remind myself of how far I've come with technology.  The year I started sixth grade was the first year we had computers in my school; the first time I had email was my first year of college.  I've learned a ton in a relatively short amount of time.  I need to focus on the positive work I've already done to help propel me forward in my learning.
• keep my self-talk positive.  I need to embrace the learning and the mistakes.  It will be important for me to go easy on myself as I learn and try new things.  I will also need to embrace asking for help and learning from others as we go.

Habits #2 and #3 seem as though they fit most nicely with my outlook on life.  They'll be the easiest for me to embrace because this is how I view the world.  My work as a teacher and as an administrator have really helped me to see that problems are just challenges that can be overcome with the right attitude.  I think all the work I've done with Mindset (Carol Dweck) has prepared me to take responsibility for my own learning.

Finally, habit #4 seems like it will be the most important for this 36 Things course.  If I can master Habit #4, I'll be able to tackle each new experience with an open mind.  This will allow me to maximize my learning.  I'm hoping that I can use my comfort with habits #2 and #3 to propel me forward into mastering Habit #4 as the course moves on.