One More Shot....

Welp folks, I failed miserably last year at blogging, but I refuse to give up.  

Perseverance

http://www.virtuesforlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/perseverance_photo.jpg

I am here to say that I am trying something new this year in the hopes that my busy life will allow me time to post more often.   I ask that if you have visited my blog in the past that you will continue to support me and my efforts to share wonderful tools, best practice and ideas.  It is my goal that the things I share will spark interest and creativity and assist you in transforming your classroom into a place that fosters independent thinkers, student-driven projects and technology-infused curriculum.

Thanks for sticking with me and remember please feel free to leave me comments on how I can improve as

Informational Text Resources

As one of the primary sources of EdTech/Instructional Tech at my school, I have been trying to connect my Tech Talks each month to the teacher's curriculum as well as continue to focus of technology as a tool to enhance teaching and learning.   I don't want them walking away from a 45 minute gathering thinking it was a total waste of time.  I want what I am sharing to be useful to my staff.

We have been focusing on the Common Core, as most everyone has, and we all know the emphasis it places on informational text.  This focus coupled with an article I read on ASCD led me to create a simple compilation of news sites or sites with a strong non-fiction focus for my teachers.  All of the websites I compiled are created for a younger audience.

Students are still overwhelmingly selecting fiction text; maybe due to the fantasy elements, the characters or the storyline/plot, but information text can be just as exciting.  We need to figure out a way to make the real world intriguing to kids and I think we can if we allow them to read about what interests them.

I have created two resources that can be used in the classroom, via iPad or computer.  Both include the same set of resources.

The first tool I used to house the sites was Thinglink.



Here I tried to note the appropriate age group each site was geared toward. All sites can be visited by students and content can be read; however, you can create accounts for students on a few and they will then be allowed to comment on articles.

The second tool I used to house the sites was FlipBoard. (you will need to install the app on your device(s))

This is a fantastic tool that allows you to curate your own magazine.  How cool would it be to allow  your students to curate their own magazine filled with information that interests them!

I hope that you find these sites useful and begin to integrate the real world/current events into your classroom.

Enjoy!

Busy Skyping!

We've been busy video conferencing with other classes and experts around the Globe.  Check out our map below.  We will be adding to it in the coming months.  :)



View Our Skype Journey! in a larger map

Winter Olympic Connections

The Sochi Winter Olympics are fast approaching and what better a way to collaborate globally with others!!  We know the games are watched by millions, if not, billions of people of all ages, worldwide. SO, why not connect, share and collaborate with each other during the events.

I have a 4th grade class that is very interested in making some connections and participating in activities with other classes around the world.  We would love to make a connection with an english speaking class in Russia, especially in or around Sochi!  To be honest, we have not thought about the process or activities quite yet, but if you are at all interested in collaborating with us through Edmodo, Skype or any other tool(s) please add your name to this Google Doc or contact me through the Skype link below.

Name that Book! Mystery Book Skyping

  

All of this Mystery Skyping has got me thinking! We all want our kids to read more, right? And comprehend it, remember details, be able to retell...what if we participated in a Mystery Book Skype, "Name that Book".
Two classes partner up and select 5-10 books to read over a period of time - could be picture books or Jr. Novels - then each class chooses a book that they want as their mystery book. During the Skype each class asks questions about the books and try to figure out the "mystery book". I think this would be a fun way to reflect on all of the books and remember the details.During the process the classes could be creating story maps (or other tools) to organize the details and then use them during the Skype. I also thought it would be fun to have a discussion board created where the kids can share their reactions and thoughts about the stories with one another.If anyone might be interested in this activity please fill out the Google Doc I provided or click on the link to Skype below.

iPad: A Teacher's Pet

Why am I only now seeing this??
Tony Vincent has done it again - he has created this awesome resource of some of the best apps out there for a teacher to use to stay connected, collaborate, manage their classrooms and more.  This graphic should be in the hands of all educators using an iPad - it will definitely help in utilizing the device to its fullest potential.

Great job Tony and thanks so much for sharing this fantastic infographic.

iPad as Teachers Pet

Women and Coding

Great segment on the Today Show about inspiring women/girls to begin a journey and computer programming.  Come girls...get up, stand up and join the male dominated field of computer science. There is a bright future ahead for you if you do.  :)

Side note: While listening to this segment I was shocked that only 9 states recognize a computer science class toward high school graduation. WHAT!!?  That must change.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Thing What?

Thinglink...heard of it?  Apparently it's been around awhile and I am just now finding out about it. This is another great tool which will be placed in my "go to" toolbox for transforming teaching and learning in the classroom.  A thinglink is and interactive image tagged with Weblinks, audio, video, images or text.  I created a super basic thinglink below to share with my staff at our "Tech Talk" tomorrow morning.  Of course...after I came up with the idea to create a thinglink about thinglink I then came across others already created - should have known!!  You can find a slew of thinglinks created for all age groups and subjects by browsing their site.  This tool can be used to pre-teach, teach or assess.   Who needs a textbook when a teacher can create a thinglink filled with handpicked, relevant resources/information that meets their students needs.  Howard Gardner would be proud - think of all the modes of learning that can be met with this one tool.

If you haven't heard of thinglink then hop and board and try it for yourself.  I would list all of the different ways that it can be used, but honestly the ways are endless.  If you need a little inspiration search thinglinks, think about your objectives and plan how you can use this to create a more student-centered classroom.

Enjoy!!


 

Copyright and Creative Commons

Creative Commons?  I think there are many people who really don't know what that is.  They are aware of copyright and "borrowing" or using other's work, but when they see a CC or some other symbol by an image on the Internet do they know what it means?  It wasn't that long ago that I was in the classroom and did not pay much attention to the symbols by images.  I would "borrow/use" images off Google all of the time and to recognize the author I would only provide a link.  Not good enough - especially for our students!!  Our students are using the Internet to produce more and more content and they MUST know the proper way to give credit when using other's materials.

For those of you who need some basic information on Copyright and Creative Commons take a peek at the images below provided to me from gcflearnfree.org.

Image Source:Shihaam @ education-copyright.org

I have also embedded a great overview video that goes more in-depth on all of the different licenses and what the symbols mean.

As educators we really must prepare our students for 21st century learning - this is one topic of many that needs to be had in schools/classrooms.  The next project you have your students complete make sure you model to them how to use the advanced search in Google to filter by license and be sure to have them provide the source of the material being used.

I attended a great workshop on creating iBooks this summer and one of the attendees provided us a link to his Wiki page that houses a slew of Open Educational Resources (OER).  These links are  great place to start if you are having your students create content or, for that matter, if you are creating content.

OER List

Learning Playlists

Earlier this winter I attended the ICE conference and noticed that many presenters were using a Web tool called MentorMob.  As soon as I saw it I knew that it was something that I wanted to try out.  MentorMob is a free tool that allows you to create learning playlists.  What is a learning playlist you ask...well watch the short video below.



These playlists can include articles, websites, videos, images and even quizzes.  It allows you to create a space to compile resources for students to use during a research project or for an introduction to a unit or for that matter a whole unit.  You can use the space to collect digital projects to share with family, friends or the community.  I think it is a great tool to use to create a more student centered learning environment.  Best of all they can easily be embedded into websites, blogs or learning management systems (ie. Edmodo).
I recently started a collection of resources for our third grade teachers to use in their class.  They are starting a unit on Canada and Mexico and their relationship to us.  Instead of the teachers standing in front of the class sharing information about the two countries for the next few weeks, the kids will visit the playlist, collect their own information and then create an eBook sharing what they learned.  The teachers are then freed up to facilitate as needed and teach the more difficult to understand information. Take a peek at the start of our playlist!

Create your own Playlist on MentorMob!