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!
Thursday, August 18, 2016
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!
Friday, August 12, 2016
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?
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 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!
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!
Thursday, August 11, 2016
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!
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
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 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!
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
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.
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!
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!
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Things 19-22: Prezi, Voki, Animoto and PowToons
My Every Monday Matters Prezi
My Iowa Voki
My Democracy Animoto
My Narrative PowToon
- 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.
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