Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Lesson Plan Reflection
As I reflect on my teaching, student learning, implementation of technology, and the lesson plan as a whole, I am incredibly pleased with the overall presentation. This particular unit in which I chose to implement technology, is a major part of our reading workshop and is a building block for the “thinking about characters” that will take place for the duration of the year. The unit focuses on growing theories about characters and making inferences based on the character’s thoughts and actions throughout the story. Rather than having the students write a book report, which can be tedious and somewhat boring after a while, I chose to implement technology and have the students create a PowerPoint presentation on the main character in their book. As an educator, I recognize the value of partnerships and having conversations about reading with others. My fifth graders are involved in Book Clubs, which I created based on interest and strengths and struggles in reading. The number one aspect of this lesson plan I did revise after some more thinking and reflecting on student learning, is I decided to have the fifth graders create one PowerPoint presentation as a book club focusing on the main character in their book. Originally, I was going to have students create a PowerPoint presentation on his or her own based on the character from their book club story. There are two major reasons why I decided to change this part of the lesson; I value teamwork and collaboration and the work the fifth graders are doing together as a result of the book clubs and realize this would be a wonderful and motivating project for the group members to do together. “Partnerships are crucial to success in reading. Comprehension skyrockets when students talk about their books with others, even briefly. In partnerships, students have opportunities to build on others’ ideas and to express their own ideas clearly and persuasively” (http://oaklandk12-public.rubiconatalas.org). Rather than having the kids view 29 presentations at the end of this unit, they will be viewing seven presentations that are creative and one of a kind that reflect their hard work and dedication as a group. The other change I made with this particular lesson, is I gave the students ONE essential question for this presentation: What type of person is your character and why? I decided to have the students “zoom in” on character traits for this particular PowerPoint presentation so they had a certain focus. Due to the new introduction of this technology resource, I didn’t want the overall lesson to be too complicated. It is crucial students be aware of the lesson objective and learning targets so they know the expectations and can be successful in their learning. I began the reading workshop lesson with our read aloud, Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo with my fifth graders and we had a wonderful discussion about “Character Traits” and what those words mean and the differences between character traits and physical traits. We generated an ongoing list of character traits using precise words. I asked my fifth graders to think about their own character traits and many were eager to share examples with the class. We had a wonderful discussion and I shared some examples of character traits of students in the class. This is just a brief description of how the lesson began. Over the course of three weeks, the students added to an anchor chart with character trait descriptors, learned HOW to identify character traits based on character’s thoughts, actions, and dialogue in the story, participated in higher-order thinking within book club and whole class discussions, provided evidence for thinking, created character webs based on character traits. Each of these activities led up to the final, exciting task, which was to create a PowerPoint presentation identifying ten character traits of the main character in your book club narrative. When I introduced this project, there was literally hooting and hollering in my classroom among the fifth graders- they were so excited to be creating a PowerPoint presentation for the first time. In order to increase motivation and give kids a visual to help them understand the expectations, I showed the students an example of a slideshow that I created on the character in our class read aloud. After viewing this PowerPoint, the fifth graders were pumped to begin! I went through the PowerPoint tutorial step-by-step and I made sure to have directions displayed on the projector and also an individual hard copy for each student to reference throughout the project. There are many advantages to using technology in the classroom and in this particular lesson, the main advantage with implementing technology for this character lesson, was the ability for me to easily differentiate instruction. Teaching the kids to use PowerPoint went much more smoothly than I had anticipated, but it was important for me to be organized with my instruction and tutorial of HOW to use it and the different features available. Some students were content with creating a more simple presentation, whereas others were up for a challenge and created presentations with all the bells and whistles (as they say). I also found it beneficial that the boys and girls created these PowerPoints with book club members, and had the ability to converse and ask questions of one another, encouraging substantive conversation and higher-order thinking skills. The students were thrilled to be able to share their presentations with the class, and it pushed them to create even higher quality presentations knowing they would have an audience. In this lesson and throughout this character unit, technology only enhanced student learning, the delivery of the content, and the overall outcome of the lesson.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Digital Storytelling: Social Constructivism
Below you will find my video created on iMovie. My fifth graders were having difficulty truly understanding what "vital capacity" means and were bringing different ideas to the table. To help better understand this, the students participated in an experiment measuring lung volume and vital capacity. We used lung volume bags to measure a student's vital capacity for the shortest, medium height, and tallest individuals in the class. The three participants followed directions to take maximum inhalation and then exhale in one, long continuous breath into the lung volume bag. Students found after watching and participating in this experiment and collaborating with one another that a person's height does in fact effect vital capacity. The kids learned that the taller the individual, the greater his or her vital capacity. Enjoy...!
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Teaching for Understanding: Identifying Misconceptions
It was quite an eye opener doing this interview with a fifth grade student of mine. She was a great sport, and a bit nervous while I was asking her questions. I was able to identify various misconceptions in her understanding that I will address in my own teaching. Enjoy listening to the podcast when you click on the box below.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Professional Learning Plan
As I ponder what it means to be a lifelong learner, many different ideas come to mind. However, one in particular involves exactly what I am doing...continuing my education to better myself, my students, and my instruction. I am always trying to instill the belief in my students that learning is a lifelong, never-ending process and I truly believe in the common saying, "You learn something new every day." I am constantly learning from my own students, colleagues, family, and friends. The technology courses I have taken have opened my eyes to the various technology tools and resources that we have at our fingertips and the importance of taking advantage of these tools in order to enhance student learning.
One of my greatest challenges this year has been the lack of student motivation in my classroom. I can honestly say that the various lessons I have learned incorporating the elements of TPACK have helped my fifth graders become more engaged in their learning throughout the course of the year. Implementing technology in my classroom is something I value as an educator and realize now more than ever, there are ways to do so more effectively to boost student motivation and understanding. I plan on developing a classroom blog to keep students and parents informed. A goal of mine is to create and incorporate more WebQuests into curricular areas...my students loved the WebQuest I created on traveling through space and learned great information while participating in the quest. I plan on continuing to use VoiceThread as a means to share their reading and writing online. I feel I have grown as an educator and accomplished many of my goals already, however, I have many more goals in mind thanks to CEP 810, 811, and especially 812.
When I think about tackling Wicked Problems in my classroom and at my school, the thought is overwhelming yet exciting. The benefits of being able to solve a Wicked Problem far outweigh the challenges to get to that point. I am hoping to continue to collaborate with my teaching partners on this and tackle the issue of lack of parent communication in our building. Another Wicked Problem I hope to work out is issues within our math curriculum and students struggling because they do not understand the basic math facts. These are just a couple out of the many struggles teachers deal with on a daily basis.
I am thrilled to officially be a member of the MAET program and look forward to continuing my education in teaching and implementing technology in my classroom. I already have all of my courses lined up and am proud of myself for sticking with it and doing the best I can! I am so grateful to have the support of my friends and family. It is amazing how much they support me in everything I do, and continuing on to get my Masters in Educational Technology is no exception. As long as my daughter continues to take naps during the day (when I complete much of my course work) I will be good to go!
I feel fortunate to be able to learn so many valuable lessons through these technology courses, which I then am able to apply in my own classroom and also teach my colleagues; creating blogs, podcasts, data visualizations, imovies, PowerPoint presentations, WebQuests, etc...I look forward to continuing to learn and collaborate with my classmates, knowledgeable instructors and our incredible world of technology, which changes each and every day.
Enjoy my Prezi below that shows my Professional Learning Plan!
One of my greatest challenges this year has been the lack of student motivation in my classroom. I can honestly say that the various lessons I have learned incorporating the elements of TPACK have helped my fifth graders become more engaged in their learning throughout the course of the year. Implementing technology in my classroom is something I value as an educator and realize now more than ever, there are ways to do so more effectively to boost student motivation and understanding. I plan on developing a classroom blog to keep students and parents informed. A goal of mine is to create and incorporate more WebQuests into curricular areas...my students loved the WebQuest I created on traveling through space and learned great information while participating in the quest. I plan on continuing to use VoiceThread as a means to share their reading and writing online. I feel I have grown as an educator and accomplished many of my goals already, however, I have many more goals in mind thanks to CEP 810, 811, and especially 812.
When I think about tackling Wicked Problems in my classroom and at my school, the thought is overwhelming yet exciting. The benefits of being able to solve a Wicked Problem far outweigh the challenges to get to that point. I am hoping to continue to collaborate with my teaching partners on this and tackle the issue of lack of parent communication in our building. Another Wicked Problem I hope to work out is issues within our math curriculum and students struggling because they do not understand the basic math facts. These are just a couple out of the many struggles teachers deal with on a daily basis.
I am thrilled to officially be a member of the MAET program and look forward to continuing my education in teaching and implementing technology in my classroom. I already have all of my courses lined up and am proud of myself for sticking with it and doing the best I can! I am so grateful to have the support of my friends and family. It is amazing how much they support me in everything I do, and continuing on to get my Masters in Educational Technology is no exception. As long as my daughter continues to take naps during the day (when I complete much of my course work) I will be good to go!
I feel fortunate to be able to learn so many valuable lessons through these technology courses, which I then am able to apply in my own classroom and also teach my colleagues; creating blogs, podcasts, data visualizations, imovies, PowerPoint presentations, WebQuests, etc...I look forward to continuing to learn and collaborate with my classmates, knowledgeable instructors and our incredible world of technology, which changes each and every day.
Enjoy my Prezi below that shows my Professional Learning Plan!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Wicked Problem...Reflection
As I mentioned in my previous post, I have created a survey for my fifth graders to take regarding the Wicked Problem project...PowerPoint presentations to create nonfiction book reports. Take a look at some of the questions I asked...can't wait to see the results! I created the survey using Urtak because I love how user friendly it is, and it is a quick and easy way for my students to be able to communicate their feelings regarding the PowerPoint presentations using a "yes" or "no" format.
Use of Technology for Nonfiction Reports
To me, this is what my Wicked Problem was all about; being able to seamlessly blend all the aspects of TPACK in a way that challenged my students to use technology in order to enhance our Language Arts and Science curriculum. As a refresher, click on the following link and you will be reminded just what my Wicked Problem originally looked like: Wicked Problem Part A. After discussing with colleagues and revising a couple of areas, I then created a Podcast with a visual of just how I was planning on implementing this project and "helping solve" this Wicked Problem. This is truly a design where all parts of TPACK come together as one. Click on the following link to view my podcast: Wicked Problem Part B. I then went ahead and implemented this project in my classroom and the following link explains just how this implementation was done: Wicked Problem Part C.
Lastly, I will reflect on how everything has come together and my feelings of personal success, as well as student success. I feel that with every Wicked Problem comes a need of a technology resource in order to help "fix" this problem. However, technology cannot be the only resource that alleviates some of the issues, the teacher must think critically and realistically about what Wicked Problems are a priority and I feel collaboration is very important. I discussed student needs with my teaching partners and although there are many, we all felt a need to boost our student nonfiction strategies, understanding, and engagement. I proposed the idea of rather than having our students write book reports, instead they use technology for these projects and create their own PowerPoint presentations. They were thrilled with this idea, as was I, and I was even more excited to tell my students about their new assignment. After introducing their next assignment by modeling a PowerPoint presentation that I created on Saturn, I told the students that this is what they would be doing for their next nonfiction book report and they actually cheered!! What a great feeling as a teacher to have a student applause after introducing a new assignment. I knew at that moment they were excited about these projects and the interest alone, would keep them more engaged than usual.
The project did get implemented as I had originally planned and I felt that introducing the project by "showing" the students a PowerPoint of my own rather than "telling" them what they would be doing, would be a great way to captivate their attention and that is exactly what it did. I also feel it was important to give my students "choices" throughout this project. I let them choose if they wanted to work alone, with a partner, or in a group depending on the Solar System topic they chose to research. I also let them choose what topic they were most interested in, and feel that option is very important in this lesson so the students are more motivated because they are intrigued about their research topic. However, I will limit the topic choices next time to just the list I give my students, not letting them make up or add any extras. That became a bit of an issue when it came to grading information on planets using the rubric I created, when some students chose to research "supernovas" or "constellations," not just planets. I feel the fifth graders did an outstanding job learning how to create PowerPoints and applying each piece I modeled step by step from formatting their slides to adding pictures with captions, to incorporating slide transitions and sound. I am truly proud of their hard work and dedication throughout this project. The PowerPoint presentation was worth fifty points total, and the majority of my students received an A, which this year, and with this particular group of unmotivated students, is not usually the case. Needless to say, I am very pleased!
After taking a look at some of the questions asked, here is the link to my survey results https://urtak.com/u/82485/questions/118143. I am pleased by how my students responded on this survey and know that by reviewing these results, the project was a success! Due to previous classroom conversations after the kids presented their work, I knew that they enjoyed this project and were much more engaged than with usual book reports. Being able to see the survey results visually really allowed me to see that the kids appreciated being able to use technology in a way that enhanced the work they were doing. I honestly am pleasantly surprised that there were zero "no" answers after forty five responses, but it makes me feel like the plan worked better than anticipated.
In the process of learning about "Wicked Problems" and viewing other classmate's problems, I have realized that these problems can range from simple to very complex, these issues can effect just one classroom or the whole school building, but all must be solved using the TPACK model and using it effectively. I cannot expect my fifth graders to know how to research using the Internet if they have never actually been taught before. I also cannot expect my students to know that not everything out there is true and factual, and it is a process to teach kids these lessons. Solving a "Wicked Problem" takes time and energy...more so than one may realize. As I said before, it is important and very helpful to collaborate with others, when deciding what problem to solve first. As with any issue that arises, there is not just one right answer and it may be a trial process, but eventually and with the help of others, it can be solved!
I have two more Wicked Problems in mind that I intend to tackle in the future (hopefully sooner than later)! One is the unfortunate fact that our students are struggling with our math curriculum because they do not have the basic math facts down. I believe we need to adopt an online program that kids can do throughout the school year AND summer in order to practice these basic skills. An ongoing problem we have is also parent support and communication. I think having a blog just to communicate with parents might help with this, or as I was researching this problem, I came across the following clip on youtube regarding student, parent, and teacher communication via texting. Check out the clip yourself and maybe this could be a solution for you as well! These are just two that I have been thinking about as we started learning about Wicked Problems in CEP812.
Thank you for reading and good luck to those of you as you begin the process of solving your own "Wicked Problems."
Use of Technology for Nonfiction Reports
To me, this is what my Wicked Problem was all about; being able to seamlessly blend all the aspects of TPACK in a way that challenged my students to use technology in order to enhance our Language Arts and Science curriculum. As a refresher, click on the following link and you will be reminded just what my Wicked Problem originally looked like: Wicked Problem Part A. After discussing with colleagues and revising a couple of areas, I then created a Podcast with a visual of just how I was planning on implementing this project and "helping solve" this Wicked Problem. This is truly a design where all parts of TPACK come together as one. Click on the following link to view my podcast: Wicked Problem Part B. I then went ahead and implemented this project in my classroom and the following link explains just how this implementation was done: Wicked Problem Part C.
Lastly, I will reflect on how everything has come together and my feelings of personal success, as well as student success. I feel that with every Wicked Problem comes a need of a technology resource in order to help "fix" this problem. However, technology cannot be the only resource that alleviates some of the issues, the teacher must think critically and realistically about what Wicked Problems are a priority and I feel collaboration is very important. I discussed student needs with my teaching partners and although there are many, we all felt a need to boost our student nonfiction strategies, understanding, and engagement. I proposed the idea of rather than having our students write book reports, instead they use technology for these projects and create their own PowerPoint presentations. They were thrilled with this idea, as was I, and I was even more excited to tell my students about their new assignment. After introducing their next assignment by modeling a PowerPoint presentation that I created on Saturn, I told the students that this is what they would be doing for their next nonfiction book report and they actually cheered!! What a great feeling as a teacher to have a student applause after introducing a new assignment. I knew at that moment they were excited about these projects and the interest alone, would keep them more engaged than usual.
The project did get implemented as I had originally planned and I felt that introducing the project by "showing" the students a PowerPoint of my own rather than "telling" them what they would be doing, would be a great way to captivate their attention and that is exactly what it did. I also feel it was important to give my students "choices" throughout this project. I let them choose if they wanted to work alone, with a partner, or in a group depending on the Solar System topic they chose to research. I also let them choose what topic they were most interested in, and feel that option is very important in this lesson so the students are more motivated because they are intrigued about their research topic. However, I will limit the topic choices next time to just the list I give my students, not letting them make up or add any extras. That became a bit of an issue when it came to grading information on planets using the rubric I created, when some students chose to research "supernovas" or "constellations," not just planets. I feel the fifth graders did an outstanding job learning how to create PowerPoints and applying each piece I modeled step by step from formatting their slides to adding pictures with captions, to incorporating slide transitions and sound. I am truly proud of their hard work and dedication throughout this project. The PowerPoint presentation was worth fifty points total, and the majority of my students received an A, which this year, and with this particular group of unmotivated students, is not usually the case. Needless to say, I am very pleased!
After taking a look at some of the questions asked, here is the link to my survey results https://urtak.com/u/82485/questions/118143. I am pleased by how my students responded on this survey and know that by reviewing these results, the project was a success! Due to previous classroom conversations after the kids presented their work, I knew that they enjoyed this project and were much more engaged than with usual book reports. Being able to see the survey results visually really allowed me to see that the kids appreciated being able to use technology in a way that enhanced the work they were doing. I honestly am pleasantly surprised that there were zero "no" answers after forty five responses, but it makes me feel like the plan worked better than anticipated.
In the process of learning about "Wicked Problems" and viewing other classmate's problems, I have realized that these problems can range from simple to very complex, these issues can effect just one classroom or the whole school building, but all must be solved using the TPACK model and using it effectively. I cannot expect my fifth graders to know how to research using the Internet if they have never actually been taught before. I also cannot expect my students to know that not everything out there is true and factual, and it is a process to teach kids these lessons. Solving a "Wicked Problem" takes time and energy...more so than one may realize. As I said before, it is important and very helpful to collaborate with others, when deciding what problem to solve first. As with any issue that arises, there is not just one right answer and it may be a trial process, but eventually and with the help of others, it can be solved!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Wicked Problem Part C...Implementation
There is a whole process that goes into implementing a project like this, and I am thrilled to say it was a success for me as a teacher and my students! You can view the presentation below on slideshare of just how I went about implementing this project. As a reminder, my Wicked Problem focuses on how there needed to be a shift in thinking when it comes to book reports on informational topics. Many times the word "boring" comes to mind and is what I hear from my students. Rather than having my fifth graders put written reports together, I wanted to implement technology and have them create PowerPoint presentations individually or with others (their choice) on an informational topic, such as objects in our solar system.
The comic below is just a little something I created on www.pixton.com. You should check this site out...what a great way for kids to have fun with storytelling! I am definitely going to use this in the classroom. Make sure to view it in full screen (click on the far bottom right) in order to see the full comic!
I am overwhelmingly pleased with the dedication to research, creativity, and technology that was displayed in each of my student's work. I would have to say my greatest surprise was how incredibly engaged and taken the kids were with this project the WHOLE time. I have a tough group this year and it's often difficult for them to remain focused, but they had no problems with engagement during their assigned tasks. I was also pleasantly surprised at the effort given by all students, and those that were in a partnership or group took their individual role seriously and did their best work. I was constantly monitoring the involvement in groups and my students were cooperative and eager to share and take part in the research and creation of the PowerPoint. They were constantly asking "When can we work on our Solar System PowerPoints?" My fifth graders enjoyed learning how to create a project like this, just as much as I loved teaching it because all of my students were so eager to learn and proud of their hard work!
In order to implement the project again more successfully next year, I will be sure to have an already created list of possible topics and will not let kids add on their own ideas (as I allowed with this project). The reason being that due to the requirements of the final product (PowerPoint) I set the rubric accordingly to certain information that the kids researched in order to create their presentation and I aligned this information more so with the planets, moon, and sun. Some of my students wanted to research other topics like Supernovas, Galaxies, Black Holes, etc. While I love the idea of letting the students help create the list of topics, I should have stuck to the planets in general because I knew in my mind what information I required and the guidelines for the PowerPoints. It was more of a challenge to grade the presentations for alternate topics as mentioned above and in order to create a more fair and equal grading system, I will have the topics be more focused on the planets and moon and sun; this is also what our fifth grade curriculum focuses on.
Take a look at the slideshare presentation below and you can see just how this work is implemented in my classroom. The best part was watching each student present their final product and having family members of the students come view these presentations. I am proud of their hard work and success! As a follow up to these projects, I am going to create a survey in order to find out more about what the kids enjoyed most about this project, things to change, and any additional ideas I can implement for next year. I am also planning on sharing a few of these at our next staff meeting as the principal has asked me to share the work of the students using a technology tool like Microsoft PowerPoint.
The comic below is just a little something I created on www.pixton.com. You should check this site out...what a great way for kids to have fun with storytelling! I am definitely going to use this in the classroom. Make sure to view it in full screen (click on the far bottom right) in order to see the full comic!
I am overwhelmingly pleased with the dedication to research, creativity, and technology that was displayed in each of my student's work. I would have to say my greatest surprise was how incredibly engaged and taken the kids were with this project the WHOLE time. I have a tough group this year and it's often difficult for them to remain focused, but they had no problems with engagement during their assigned tasks. I was also pleasantly surprised at the effort given by all students, and those that were in a partnership or group took their individual role seriously and did their best work. I was constantly monitoring the involvement in groups and my students were cooperative and eager to share and take part in the research and creation of the PowerPoint. They were constantly asking "When can we work on our Solar System PowerPoints?" My fifth graders enjoyed learning how to create a project like this, just as much as I loved teaching it because all of my students were so eager to learn and proud of their hard work!
In order to implement the project again more successfully next year, I will be sure to have an already created list of possible topics and will not let kids add on their own ideas (as I allowed with this project). The reason being that due to the requirements of the final product (PowerPoint) I set the rubric accordingly to certain information that the kids researched in order to create their presentation and I aligned this information more so with the planets, moon, and sun. Some of my students wanted to research other topics like Supernovas, Galaxies, Black Holes, etc. While I love the idea of letting the students help create the list of topics, I should have stuck to the planets in general because I knew in my mind what information I required and the guidelines for the PowerPoints. It was more of a challenge to grade the presentations for alternate topics as mentioned above and in order to create a more fair and equal grading system, I will have the topics be more focused on the planets and moon and sun; this is also what our fifth grade curriculum focuses on.
Take a look at the slideshare presentation below and you can see just how this work is implemented in my classroom. The best part was watching each student present their final product and having family members of the students come view these presentations. I am proud of their hard work and success! As a follow up to these projects, I am going to create a survey in order to find out more about what the kids enjoyed most about this project, things to change, and any additional ideas I can implement for next year. I am also planning on sharing a few of these at our next staff meeting as the principal has asked me to share the work of the students using a technology tool like Microsoft PowerPoint.
Wicked problem implementation from Lindsay Annelin
Thank you for viewing and I look forward to sharing the student survey results with you.
Thank you for viewing and I look forward to sharing the student survey results with you.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Mobile Learning..."Ughs and Ahas!"
First and foremost, this is a topic I am very interested in learning more about. I personally do not have cell phones in my classroom because I teach at the elementary level, but I have friends who are middle school and high school teachers and "cell phone use in the classroom" is a topic that continually comes up. I honestly feel that if I taught at the middle school or high school, I would allow the students to use cell phones in the classroom. I feel it's similar to anything with kids; either they are going to use it for its intended use in front of you, or they are going to use the cell phones for other uses when you (the teacher) are not looking.
This is a comment I posted on Classroom 2.0 Cell Phones in Education.
Comment by Lindsay Annelin
"Ugh!"
The main issue that kids run into regarding cell phone use in the classroom or on a "byod" lesson in general, is that some kids may not have cell phones. I would be curious to see how many of my fifth graders already own cell phones or some sort of technology device in order to access the internet in the classroom. I was also wondering how many teens own cell phones and have access to them for classroom use. This is a pie chart that one teacher created based on eighth grade students who have access to cell phones in the classroom. I encourage you to check out the following site: http://teach.com/education-technology/cell-phones-in-school/
I found from this data, that 95% of students surveyed, own a cell phone! 55% own cell phones with access to the internet and 40% own cell phones that are able to text. Only 5% do not own cell phones at all. I would have thought this number would have been higher and am pleasantly surprised by the results.
There are literally thousands of ways to use the iPad in the classroom and I am so thrilled to finally have one for educational use and the kids can't wait to get their hands on the awesome technology tool! I also look forward to connecting it to my computer and projecting the images from the iPad on the screen for all to see. I will definitely use this as a teaching tool for the rest of the year and continue learning and exploring all I can do with the new iPad in my classroom.
This is a comment I posted on Classroom 2.0 Cell Phones in Education.
Comment by Lindsay Annelin
As a fifth grade teacher, I do not deal with cell phones in the classroom like middle school and high school educators. However, that being said, I agree with cell phone usage in the classroom, guidelines need to be in place and cell phones should be allowed and for academic use only. I know in speaking to other teachers, they incorporate mobile technology in the classroom, such as posing a multiple choice question and having students text the answer. The teacher is then able to show student results in a pie chart or graph and go over the answer. I feel like this is an excellent way to keep students engaged and use interactive learning with mobile devices.
"Ugh!"
The main issue that kids run into regarding cell phone use in the classroom or on a "byod" lesson in general, is that some kids may not have cell phones. I would be curious to see how many of my fifth graders already own cell phones or some sort of technology device in order to access the internet in the classroom. I was also wondering how many teens own cell phones and have access to them for classroom use. This is a pie chart that one teacher created based on eighth grade students who have access to cell phones in the classroom. I encourage you to check out the following site: http://teach.com/education-technology/cell-phones-in-school/
I found from this data, that 95% of students surveyed, own a cell phone! 55% own cell phones with access to the internet and 40% own cell phones that are able to text. Only 5% do not own cell phones at all. I would have thought this number would have been higher and am pleasantly surprised by the results.
My wonders are the following (and it would also be interesting to look at progress over the years) if cell phones "enhance" learning in the classroom or if they are looked at as a "disruption." As with any technology tool, what it comes down to, is how it is used in the classroom and explicit guidelines from the teacher and lessons on how to use a cell phone for educational purposes. My gut tells me that mobile learning would enhance learning overall because the students, as with any technology device, would likely be more engaged and interested in the topic. I know I would!
"Aha!"
I actually just got an iPad for my classroom, thanks to our PTO and spent some time exploring with the kids and downloading apps for educational purposes (with student input, which encouraged ownership and enthusiasm). As of last week, I drew sticks to choose a student to get fifteen minutes of uninterrupted Ipad time with the app of their choice. Ipod/Ipad Apps is the perfect resource in order to take advantage of even more educational apps for children. This chart lists the apps in alphabetical order, the price, what curriculum it fits. This is very helpful to me and I hope it will also be helpful to you as a mobile device user. Another helpful function that this Google chart displays is what grade level the app would be appropriate for and a brief description of each app. Wow...you have to check it out! I will be adding many more apps to our classroom iPad, as well as my personal iPad and iPhone for my own daughter.
"Aha!"
I actually just got an iPad for my classroom, thanks to our PTO and spent some time exploring with the kids and downloading apps for educational purposes (with student input, which encouraged ownership and enthusiasm). As of last week, I drew sticks to choose a student to get fifteen minutes of uninterrupted Ipad time with the app of their choice. Ipod/Ipad Apps is the perfect resource in order to take advantage of even more educational apps for children. This chart lists the apps in alphabetical order, the price, what curriculum it fits. This is very helpful to me and I hope it will also be helpful to you as a mobile device user. Another helpful function that this Google chart displays is what grade level the app would be appropriate for and a brief description of each app. Wow...you have to check it out! I will be adding many more apps to our classroom iPad, as well as my personal iPad and iPhone for my own daughter.
In the classroom, we downloaded the "Planets" free app as we are just completing our unit on the Solar System. What is so great about this particular app and what the kids absolutely loved, is that the images are in 3D! Our elementary school does not allow cell phones in the classroom and I don't think many of my students have mobile phones. However, if they did and if our school allowed them, I would use this app for many lessons on the solar system and will make sure to do so on the iPad.
There are literally thousands of ways to use the iPad in the classroom and I am so thrilled to finally have one for educational use and the kids can't wait to get their hands on the awesome technology tool! I also look forward to connecting it to my computer and projecting the images from the iPad on the screen for all to see. I will definitely use this as a teaching tool for the rest of the year and continue learning and exploring all I can do with the new iPad in my classroom.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Wicked Problem Survey Results
I tried a survey tool I have never used before called Urtak. I really like how user friendly this resource is. Anyone can create a survey for others by asking yes or no questions. Another feature with Urtak is others can add their own questions, which could be helpful in certain situations. My particular survey focused on whether or not technology would impact student engagement for nonfiction book reports. I feel the question I posed was a little too focused and some may have not been able to answer the question as well as I hoped because it was geared more toward elementary or Language Arts teachers. If I had to do it over, I would pose a more general question regarding professional development options or questions regarding a specific technology tool. I did enjoy looking over the results, however, and found the feedback helpful. I would use https://urtak.com again to create a survey fore students, parents, or colleagues again. I can also think of situations in staff meetings where our principal wants us to email individual thoughts regarding certain topics, and this survey would be a quick and easy way to get immediate feedback and results. I also really love being able to see the results in a visual format, such as the pie graph urtak uses when providing the percentage of yes or no to each question and using blue and orange to differentiate between the two. Please click on the link below to see the results. I apologize on my particular survey results there was no code to embed, only on the survey itself which is pictured below the link to the results.
Wicked Problem Survey
Wicked Problem Survey
Wicked Problem Survey
Wicked Problem Survey
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Data Visualization
Wow...I so enjoyed being able to experience with a variety of data visualization tools and never knew there were so many resources available. It is always important for me to represent information in a variety of ways, including visual. A study I did in a previous course, allowed me to give a survey to my students asking what type of learner they are and how they learn best. I was not surprised when the results show most students are "visual" learners. These free visual tools allowed me to do just that and represent information in a visual and unique way. I would use many of these resources as a fifth grade teacher, but also professionally to share data or information with colleagues or parents.
I chose to experiment with three visual tools. I wanted to check out the comic resources because my fifth graders are all about comics and how fun for them to be able to use this type of format. The www.makebeliefscomix.com is awesome! It would be so great for my students and has many features that they would love. It allows the user to add any dialogue throughout the series of slides. This resource also allows one to choose from a cast of characters. It has a variety of objects and scenes that can be represented and of course it has talk/thought balloons or bubbles. I am going to have my fifth graders use this to recreate a personal narrative they have written during writing workshop. They will love it and I encourage you to check it out!
I also am interested in Glogster.edu, but you have to pay for a subscription. I think it would be wonderful to create collages such as the ones you can create on this site. Another resource I enjoyed learning about is www.timetoast.com. The fifth graders create a timeline and this is a much more interesting, interactive way for them to create their own timelines online. This can also be used as a reserach site to look up other timelines for other uses across the curriculum. For instance, I could use this site in my classroom to show the kids the timeline of famous women in history or the timeline of technology resources and web 2.0 tools, etc. There are a variety of uses for these timelines.
The last visual tool I learned about and created my own character map on is called bubbl.us. What a great way for students to represent their "mind maps" visually. We are always "brainstorming", "mind mapping", doing "character webs"...my fifth graders will love this! In fact, next week we are doing a character study on the main character, Rob Horton, from the book Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo (great read by the way if you are teaching social issues). I decided to use this visual tool to create my own character map from http://bubbl.us. I look forward to sharing this with you and also my students.
I chose to experiment with three visual tools. I wanted to check out the comic resources because my fifth graders are all about comics and how fun for them to be able to use this type of format. The www.makebeliefscomix.com is awesome! It would be so great for my students and has many features that they would love. It allows the user to add any dialogue throughout the series of slides. This resource also allows one to choose from a cast of characters. It has a variety of objects and scenes that can be represented and of course it has talk/thought balloons or bubbles. I am going to have my fifth graders use this to recreate a personal narrative they have written during writing workshop. They will love it and I encourage you to check it out!
I also am interested in Glogster.edu, but you have to pay for a subscription. I think it would be wonderful to create collages such as the ones you can create on this site. Another resource I enjoyed learning about is www.timetoast.com. The fifth graders create a timeline and this is a much more interesting, interactive way for them to create their own timelines online. This can also be used as a reserach site to look up other timelines for other uses across the curriculum. For instance, I could use this site in my classroom to show the kids the timeline of famous women in history or the timeline of technology resources and web 2.0 tools, etc. There are a variety of uses for these timelines.
The last visual tool I learned about and created my own character map on is called bubbl.us. What a great way for students to represent their "mind maps" visually. We are always "brainstorming", "mind mapping", doing "character webs"...my fifth graders will love this! In fact, next week we are doing a character study on the main character, Rob Horton, from the book Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo (great read by the way if you are teaching social issues). I decided to use this visual tool to create my own character map from http://bubbl.us. I look forward to sharing this with you and also my students.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Flipped Professional Development Using Starfall
A goal of mine as an educator is to be involved at school as much as I can. I often ask myself the following questions: How can I benefit my school? What can I offer not only to my students, but also to my colleagues? What am I able to bring to the table that is unique, yet effective when it comes to teaching? With this being said, I have a personal technology goal, which involves teaching a "mini" professional development session during a staff meeting. I am pleased to say that with the help of my group members, what we have created is something I could definitely use to teach my colleagues about the benefits of using www.starfall.com, a literacy resource, within the classroom. The primary grades are crucial for learning and building upon reading skills and this particular presentation focuses on how you can do just that. With effective instruction led by the teacher, as well as this technology resource, students are able to really engage in literacy activities individually online or as a whole group.
We have worked hard in order to demonstrate the effects of a literacy resource like starfall, and I personally have seen the advantages of starfall in my own classroom. Our presentation shows the benefits of starfall geared towards the primary grades, however, there are options for the upper grades to practice their reading skills and reinforce vocabulary skills through a variety of texts. We used Google Presentation to put the slides together and be able to share our ideas. We also used Jing to capture any screen shots, and then I put the final presentation together using imovie and including various features from this technology resource.
What I realized as we did this flipped presentation, is how this resource really can scaffold instruction and learning. We as teachers know that there is a tremendous range in reading levels and this helps show how you could use it in your classroom to motivate struggling readers. I will definitely use starfall.com as a resource in my own classroom and also at home with my daughter as she gets older (she is only 18 months right now). My hope is after viewing the presentation and checking out the site, you will be able to use it in your classroom or with your own kids as well!
We have worked hard in order to demonstrate the effects of a literacy resource like starfall, and I personally have seen the advantages of starfall in my own classroom. Our presentation shows the benefits of starfall geared towards the primary grades, however, there are options for the upper grades to practice their reading skills and reinforce vocabulary skills through a variety of texts. We used Google Presentation to put the slides together and be able to share our ideas. We also used Jing to capture any screen shots, and then I put the final presentation together using imovie and including various features from this technology resource.
What I realized as we did this flipped presentation, is how this resource really can scaffold instruction and learning. We as teachers know that there is a tremendous range in reading levels and this helps show how you could use it in your classroom to motivate struggling readers. I will definitely use starfall.com as a resource in my own classroom and also at home with my daughter as she gets older (she is only 18 months right now). My hope is after viewing the presentation and checking out the site, you will be able to use it in your classroom or with your own kids as well!
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Storyboard- Google Presentation
The following link provides the "storyboard" from which our project will be created. This includes the titles, images, links, and script. We have a solid layout, now I just have to put it all together with narration! Enjoy a sneak peek at our Professional Development Topic: Using www.starfall.com, a technology resource in order to enhance literacy in students. I absolutely love this site and have witnessed what this wonderful resource can do for student's reading AND writing skills, both in and out of the classroom.
Our group chose to create our Storyboard on Google Presentation so that we could all contribute equally and fairly to the design of our "flipped presentation." We chose to use Jing in order to gather screenshots to incorporate into the Google Presentation. The Jing shots came from the site www.starfall.com in order to show viewers how to access it and what the different features are, such as phonics, reading stories, and watching video clips. We also incorporated text at the bottom of each slide in order to show what the narration might be (we can tweak things as we go). I am pleased with the way the Google Presentation came together as a way to represent our storyboard. It is like a "draft" of our final product being the flipped presentation. We have agreed that the following technology tools will be used for our presentation and have divided up responsibilites as follows:
Cynthia: Slides using Jing
Kim: Slides using Jing
Melissa: Narration using an audio tool
Lindsay: Editing (putting everything together; slides with narration and organizing information and timing so that it all flows and makes sense). I will be putting the entire presentation together using iMovie. Wish me luck!
It makes perfect sense to use a storyboard format for this project in order to plan accordingly. I also am thankful that we agreed on Google Presentation to put our ideas together and add to one another's slides. I am comfortable with this program and recommended it to our group so that all can contribute. I especially like the fact that you can use the "comment" feature on the right hand side and have a conversation and ask questions, make suggestions, address any concerns, etc. I would definitely use this Google Presentation format in the classroom in order for my students to "draft" images/scripts in a group setting and collaborate with one another before beginning the actual project. It is a great way to share and also revise your thinking before doing the real thing! We all know that practice makes perfect...
I look forward sharing the "flipped presentation" with my colleagues and teaching them about Starfall in a creative and interactive way.
www.starfall.com-a Google Presentation
Our group chose to create our Storyboard on Google Presentation so that we could all contribute equally and fairly to the design of our "flipped presentation." We chose to use Jing in order to gather screenshots to incorporate into the Google Presentation. The Jing shots came from the site www.starfall.com in order to show viewers how to access it and what the different features are, such as phonics, reading stories, and watching video clips. We also incorporated text at the bottom of each slide in order to show what the narration might be (we can tweak things as we go). I am pleased with the way the Google Presentation came together as a way to represent our storyboard. It is like a "draft" of our final product being the flipped presentation. We have agreed that the following technology tools will be used for our presentation and have divided up responsibilites as follows:
Cynthia: Slides using Jing
Kim: Slides using Jing
Melissa: Narration using an audio tool
Lindsay: Editing (putting everything together; slides with narration and organizing information and timing so that it all flows and makes sense). I will be putting the entire presentation together using iMovie. Wish me luck!
It makes perfect sense to use a storyboard format for this project in order to plan accordingly. I also am thankful that we agreed on Google Presentation to put our ideas together and add to one another's slides. I am comfortable with this program and recommended it to our group so that all can contribute. I especially like the fact that you can use the "comment" feature on the right hand side and have a conversation and ask questions, make suggestions, address any concerns, etc. I would definitely use this Google Presentation format in the classroom in order for my students to "draft" images/scripts in a group setting and collaborate with one another before beginning the actual project. It is a great way to share and also revise your thinking before doing the real thing! We all know that practice makes perfect...
I look forward sharing the "flipped presentation" with my colleagues and teaching them about Starfall in a creative and interactive way.
www.starfall.com-a Google Presentation
Group Collaboration
It's always an interesting experience when meeting with a group for the first time, especially when it is done all online. Often times I feel it doesn't always go the way you think it will. Google Hangout with all of its great features included, such as the ability to record the session, take screen shots, comment on other's thoughts, etc. seemed like a great option. However, our session came with its obstacles and for me, it became quite frustrating. When all was said and done, we did figure out what technology resource we are going to focus on for our Professional Development topic and what tool we will use to demonstrate. We also assigned roles and guidelines of who will be doing what within our group project. All in all, it was a successful collaborative meeting.
There were some frustrating moments for me within our meeting due to the fact I tested my microphone before the session to make sure it was working, and then when it came time for Google Hangout, none of my group members could hear me. Fortunately, I was able to communicate with each of the members by commenting/messaging on the right hand side of the screen. I did feel as though my thoughts were being "heard." I did like this feature and was able to communicate back and forth this way throughout the session (luckily I'm a fast typer)! We went with Google Hangout for its convenience and ability to record (but that didn't work for our group). I liked being able to capture screen shots and look back at information and what was said during the meeting. I am able to look back at the notes of who is in charge of what for our presentation and any other information to help guide this project. We will use Google Hangout again, I just need to figure out my microphone situation and then should be good to go.
Screenshot of Text
I do feel this collaboration tool would be helpful during after school meetings or parent-teacher conferences if there are parents who are not able to make it. I would love to use this Google Hangout for occasions like these, rather than a phone conference. That way you can have a recording and documentation of what was discussed. It would also be helpful to have for IEP situations if not all members can be present at the school, or again to have the session recorded and documented due to all of the data that is constantly needing to be collected for students.
There were some frustrating moments for me within our meeting due to the fact I tested my microphone before the session to make sure it was working, and then when it came time for Google Hangout, none of my group members could hear me. Fortunately, I was able to communicate with each of the members by commenting/messaging on the right hand side of the screen. I did feel as though my thoughts were being "heard." I did like this feature and was able to communicate back and forth this way throughout the session (luckily I'm a fast typer)! We went with Google Hangout for its convenience and ability to record (but that didn't work for our group). I liked being able to capture screen shots and look back at information and what was said during the meeting. I am able to look back at the notes of who is in charge of what for our presentation and any other information to help guide this project. We will use Google Hangout again, I just need to figure out my microphone situation and then should be good to go.
Screenshot of Text
I do feel this collaboration tool would be helpful during after school meetings or parent-teacher conferences if there are parents who are not able to make it. I would love to use this Google Hangout for occasions like these, rather than a phone conference. That way you can have a recording and documentation of what was discussed. It would also be helpful to have for IEP situations if not all members can be present at the school, or again to have the session recorded and documented due to all of the data that is constantly needing to be collected for students.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Wicked Problem Part B
Do you ever wonder how to make teaching reading more interesting and motivating for students? This is a wicked problem for all teachers, especially those teaching Language Arts and focusing on reading comprehension. My podcast addresses some of these concerns and hopefully how implementing a technology resource, such as PowerPoint or Google Prezi will help solve this wicked problem. When addressing the TPACK model, students will need to have technological knowledge of how to research using the Internet and also use PowerPoint presentation. The content knowledge addressed are in the areas of Reading and Science. I will use these resources to support my teaching and help my students be successful with this project. The PowerPoint or Google presentations would then be a way for students to present their information in a motivating way and would be used as a form of authentic assessment.
The TPACK Solution using TECHNOLOGY, as shown in the Podcast below.
"Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) is a framework that identifies the knowledge teachers need to teach effectively with technology." (www.tpack.org)
The Content Knowledge to be covered in this lesson covers multiple curricular areas. It includes the heart of the matter, which is Language Arts and more specifically nonfiction reading and writing. It is expected the students are able to identify nonfiction text features in their own reading and writing before creating their own text. Science and the study of the solar system is also covered within this lesson and this unit immediately grabs the attention of the students because of the innate curiosity that comes along with learning about the solar system and beyond.
The Pedagogical Knowledge in this lesson comes along with the management of technology within the classroom and making sure students are engaged, on task, and using the research tools appropriately and respectfully. We have compared and contrasted nonfiction and informational texts and the students are very familiar with book report formats and guidelines, but the fact they will be incorporating technology in order to share the information, will be that much more exciting. As the teacher, I will model how to research online and provide the students with recommended research sites and tools for taking notes. The research and creation of the PowerPoint presentation will take place in the classroom and it is important for teachers to model, model, model, in order to set students up for success.
The Technological Knowledge is evident through the PowerPoint presentation. However, it is important for the success of this project, for students and teachers to know how to use technology efficiently and effectively. I said it previously and I will say it again...as a teacher, you must model, model, model. I am fortunate to have a projector in my classroom and am able to display what I am doing on the computer to the kids. I will take them step by step through the creation of a PowerPoint, focusing on creating the text first and then incorporating images, transitions, sound, etc. Additional effects can be added, such as narration and videos. When students are participating in hands-on learning, especially when integrating technology, they are much more likely to be engaged and enjoying what they are doing.
Each of these areas need to be in place in order for this project to be effective and for students to feel successful with these nonfiction presentations.
The TPACK Solution using TECHNOLOGY, as shown in the Podcast below.
"Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) is a framework that identifies the knowledge teachers need to teach effectively with technology." (www.tpack.org)
The Content Knowledge to be covered in this lesson covers multiple curricular areas. It includes the heart of the matter, which is Language Arts and more specifically nonfiction reading and writing. It is expected the students are able to identify nonfiction text features in their own reading and writing before creating their own text. Science and the study of the solar system is also covered within this lesson and this unit immediately grabs the attention of the students because of the innate curiosity that comes along with learning about the solar system and beyond.
The Pedagogical Knowledge in this lesson comes along with the management of technology within the classroom and making sure students are engaged, on task, and using the research tools appropriately and respectfully. We have compared and contrasted nonfiction and informational texts and the students are very familiar with book report formats and guidelines, but the fact they will be incorporating technology in order to share the information, will be that much more exciting. As the teacher, I will model how to research online and provide the students with recommended research sites and tools for taking notes. The research and creation of the PowerPoint presentation will take place in the classroom and it is important for teachers to model, model, model, in order to set students up for success.
The Technological Knowledge is evident through the PowerPoint presentation. However, it is important for the success of this project, for students and teachers to know how to use technology efficiently and effectively. I said it previously and I will say it again...as a teacher, you must model, model, model. I am fortunate to have a projector in my classroom and am able to display what I am doing on the computer to the kids. I will take them step by step through the creation of a PowerPoint, focusing on creating the text first and then incorporating images, transitions, sound, etc. Additional effects can be added, such as narration and videos. When students are participating in hands-on learning, especially when integrating technology, they are much more likely to be engaged and enjoying what they are doing.
Each of these areas need to be in place in order for this project to be effective and for students to feel successful with these nonfiction presentations.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Wicked Problem- Part A
As I thought of a Wicked Problem, I kept on coming back to the area of READING and in particular our NONFICTION unit. This tends to be a unit where kids are not as engaged in their reading and it is considered more "boring" than others.
The educational need here is to make the fifth grade nonfiction unit more motivating for my students and to get them more involved in their learning through use of technology.
Book reports can be a bit boring and tedious for students, so why not use technology to inform the audience about a nonfiction topic. My plan is to have my fifth graders create PowerPoint presentations using the narration feature in order to share the information with others and make it more of a hands-on, interactive unit. I would then love for them to be able to share these PowerPoint presentations with family members or online.
There is such a push for the nonfiction genre and incorporating informational texts at this age, I know that students would be much more motivated to create a PowerPoint presentation on a topic, rather than writing a book report. It is also more interesting for their classmates to listen and learn and gather information. I will have PowerPoint guidelines to set my students up for success and so they are fully aware of my expectations throughout the project.
Through research, I found the following information on www.investintech.com; "Have the students create their own presentations. This is a great way to teach them how to use visual aids for speeches they give to the rest of the class. It provides an opportunity for a lot of creativity while becoming comfortable with computers and a popular software program. The site PowerPoint in the Classroom has a wonderful free tutorial that can guide students through learning how to use PowerPoint. It's set up in a very fun way to hold kids' attention, and it goes over everything from adding images to rehearsing for a presentation." The students would also be using technology features, such as adding images, embedding videos, supporting their facts with resources, etc.
My plan to implement this instructional strategy using PowerPoints is for my students to create PowerPoint presenations on our Solar System unit. I will have the kids research using textbook resources, as well as online resources, in order to find facts about the different planets and objects in our solar system. They will then use this research and information to create a PowerPoint with a partner.
I will have concrete guidelines in order to scaffold student learning and make sure each of my students is able to access the information they need to do their best. A rubric will ensure they know the expectations beforehand and how these PowerPoints will be graded. I will not only assess the success on their own engagement in their learning throughout the process, but also the creativity of the PowerPoint presentations, and of course the final product at the end of the unit. I will know by the amount of student engagement and motivating throughout this project if using PowerPoint presentations can make a difference in learning and teaching informational text. I am looking forward to viewing these presentations, and I know the students will be thrilled to share using this wonderful technology resource!
Resources below:
http://www.proteacher.org/c/423_Powerpoint_Ideas.html
www.investintech.com
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/motivating-students-technology
The educational need here is to make the fifth grade nonfiction unit more motivating for my students and to get them more involved in their learning through use of technology.
Book reports can be a bit boring and tedious for students, so why not use technology to inform the audience about a nonfiction topic. My plan is to have my fifth graders create PowerPoint presentations using the narration feature in order to share the information with others and make it more of a hands-on, interactive unit. I would then love for them to be able to share these PowerPoint presentations with family members or online.
There is such a push for the nonfiction genre and incorporating informational texts at this age, I know that students would be much more motivated to create a PowerPoint presentation on a topic, rather than writing a book report. It is also more interesting for their classmates to listen and learn and gather information. I will have PowerPoint guidelines to set my students up for success and so they are fully aware of my expectations throughout the project.
Through research, I found the following information on www.investintech.com; "Have the students create their own presentations. This is a great way to teach them how to use visual aids for speeches they give to the rest of the class. It provides an opportunity for a lot of creativity while becoming comfortable with computers and a popular software program. The site PowerPoint in the Classroom has a wonderful free tutorial that can guide students through learning how to use PowerPoint. It's set up in a very fun way to hold kids' attention, and it goes over everything from adding images to rehearsing for a presentation." The students would also be using technology features, such as adding images, embedding videos, supporting their facts with resources, etc.
My plan to implement this instructional strategy using PowerPoints is for my students to create PowerPoint presenations on our Solar System unit. I will have the kids research using textbook resources, as well as online resources, in order to find facts about the different planets and objects in our solar system. They will then use this research and information to create a PowerPoint with a partner.
I will have concrete guidelines in order to scaffold student learning and make sure each of my students is able to access the information they need to do their best. A rubric will ensure they know the expectations beforehand and how these PowerPoints will be graded. I will not only assess the success on their own engagement in their learning throughout the process, but also the creativity of the PowerPoint presentations, and of course the final product at the end of the unit. I will know by the amount of student engagement and motivating throughout this project if using PowerPoint presentations can make a difference in learning and teaching informational text. I am looking forward to viewing these presentations, and I know the students will be thrilled to share using this wonderful technology resource!
Resources below:
http://www.proteacher.org/c/423_Powerpoint_Ideas.html
www.investintech.com
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/motivating-students-technology
Matthew J. Koehler, Punya Mishra, "Tracing the development of teacher knowledge in a design seminar: Integrating content, pedagogy and technology" November 2005
Slideshow Introduction
Please click on the link below to view my introduction. I apologize but there is no sound...I will work on that!
http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/17296401 Here is my bio:
Hello my name is Lindsay Annelin. I live in Traverse City Michigan with my husband and our sixteen month old daughter. We feel fortunate to live in such a beautiful area.
I am a fifth grade teacher at Central Grade Elementary school. Our fifth graders switch classes for math, science, and social studies. I teach three sections of science and reading and writing.
I am passionate about integrating technology into my classroom on a daily basis where students can be more interactive in the learning process. I feel lucky to have a set of netbooks in my classroom that the students can access.
Through the use of VoiceThread, PowerPoint presentations, Skype, and technology resources for reading and writing, I can make learning more interactive and increase motivation. This will help prepare my students for 21st century learning.
Thanks for taking time to listen, I look forward to learning from each of you throughout this course.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Final Reflection
1. I have learned many valuable lessons throughout this course, including how to make integrating technology in my classroom a meaningful experience for all. The more I am able to integrate technology and make learning interactive and hands-on, the much more likely I am to have fifth graders who are engaged and motivated to do the task at hand. I found two assignments from this course to be especially effective when trying to integrate technology. The StAIR design kept my kids engaged and excited about learning new information about nonfiction text structures. The WebQuest I created was especially helpful in launching our solar system unit in science, and provoked a sense of excitement in the kids I hadn't seen before when they realized they would be able to create a PowerPoint presentation on an object in space for a performance-based assessment. Both the StAIR and WebQuest incorporate technology and are effective ways for me to teach specific parts of these units. I will definitely use these strategies next year as well. It is a great way to keep learning interesting and fresh!
2. There are more techology resources out there than anyone realizes, however, not all are up to date or reliable and as a teacher, I have to be careful about what my students are researching and how they are getting their information. I enjoyed evaluating other web-based technologies, especially the WebQuests because it also gave me the opportunity to see what other WebQuests are out there for use that would apply to the curriculum I teach.
3. I am proud of what I have learned in this course and already been able to apply within my own classroom. My fifth graders are currently creating PowerPoint presentations on planets and other objects in our universe and are thrilled to have this opportunity. We have spent a great deal of time researching, collecting notes on Google Docs to share with partners, and they can't wait to show off their presentations for their family members next in two weeks. I have been able to share much of what I have learned not only with my students, but also with colleagues and administration, which was a goal of mine.
4. I always am setting goals for myself and when it comes to technology, I am hoping to continue to share information regarding ways to integrate technology into the classroom with my students and colleagues. I am planning on teaching others at a staff meeting how to use Google Docs and other Google resources, as well as VoiceThread. My goal is to continue to use PowerPoint as a way to teach new information with the Kiosk form, and also to create and use new WebQuests for other areas in the curriculum.
2. There are more techology resources out there than anyone realizes, however, not all are up to date or reliable and as a teacher, I have to be careful about what my students are researching and how they are getting their information. I enjoyed evaluating other web-based technologies, especially the WebQuests because it also gave me the opportunity to see what other WebQuests are out there for use that would apply to the curriculum I teach.
3. I am proud of what I have learned in this course and already been able to apply within my own classroom. My fifth graders are currently creating PowerPoint presentations on planets and other objects in our universe and are thrilled to have this opportunity. We have spent a great deal of time researching, collecting notes on Google Docs to share with partners, and they can't wait to show off their presentations for their family members next in two weeks. I have been able to share much of what I have learned not only with my students, but also with colleagues and administration, which was a goal of mine.
4. I always am setting goals for myself and when it comes to technology, I am hoping to continue to share information regarding ways to integrate technology into the classroom with my students and colleagues. I am planning on teaching others at a staff meeting how to use Google Docs and other Google resources, as well as VoiceThread. My goal is to continue to use PowerPoint as a way to teach new information with the Kiosk form, and also to create and use new WebQuests for other areas in the curriculum.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Educational Technology
I have found through my technological research that the two sources of technology that would benefit my teaching and my student's learning are the following:
When I think about my fifth graders moving on to middle school, I think about how efficient Wiki pages would be for our end of the year field trip and organizing information that way. Or the Wiki page I created, for example, demonstrates how you can use a Wiki to help prepare kids for middle school from supply lists to organizational methods to behavior recommendations. It would be a great idea for an elementary school teacher to use a Wiki to share with parents and have them be able to add and include their own ideas and communicate to parents and students using this type of communication.
- WebQuests
- Wikis
When I think about my fifth graders moving on to middle school, I think about how efficient Wiki pages would be for our end of the year field trip and organizing information that way. Or the Wiki page I created, for example, demonstrates how you can use a Wiki to help prepare kids for middle school from supply lists to organizational methods to behavior recommendations. It would be a great idea for an elementary school teacher to use a Wiki to share with parents and have them be able to add and include their own ideas and communicate to parents and students using this type of communication.
StAIR Creation
The following is the StAIR I created to enhance a Reading Workhshop lesson for my fifth graders. I feel a format like this is motivating for students to learn new information and interact with the nonfiction reading curriculum.
StAIR Creation
StAIR Creation
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Central Grade Elementary
I found my school's page on Wikipedia right away after I did a search for "Central Grade Elementary." I only made one change to the page and that was to add our mission statement for our school.
The following is what the page looks like:
Central Grade School is a historic school in Old Towne Traverse City. The school has held many students in its halls for decades. The school covers one city block. However, only the first two floors are utilized today. In 1922, the Lars Hockstad Auditorium was added to the original building. The Auditorium is still used today for many school and community programs. Central Grade School currently enrolls around 600 students. This includes K-5 general education, 4th & 5th grade talented and gifted, young 5's, ECP, and preschool.
Central Grade's Mission Statement The mission of historic Central Grade School, a center for diversified cultural and educational opportunities, is to enable students and families to achieve their fullest potential by promoting lifelong learning, cultivating talents as valued community members, and developing skills to face the challenges of our changing environment.
I also created my own Wiki at the following site:
Wiki Page
The following is what the page looks like:
Central Grade School is a historic school in Old Towne Traverse City. The school has held many students in its halls for decades. The school covers one city block. However, only the first two floors are utilized today. In 1922, the Lars Hockstad Auditorium was added to the original building. The Auditorium is still used today for many school and community programs. Central Grade School currently enrolls around 600 students. This includes K-5 general education, 4th & 5th grade talented and gifted, young 5's, ECP, and preschool.
Central Grade's Mission Statement The mission of historic Central Grade School, a center for diversified cultural and educational opportunities, is to enable students and families to achieve their fullest potential by promoting lifelong learning, cultivating talents as valued community members, and developing skills to face the challenges of our changing environment.
I also created my own Wiki at the following site:
Wiki Page
Saturday, February 9, 2013
UDL Reflection
Universal Design for Learning Checklist
As I reflect on Universal Design for Learning and my lesson, it is encouraging to me to see how I strive for equal opportunity among all of my learners. It is also interesting to see where there may be barriers in my lesson for one reason or another. I found that the most barriers in this particular lesson were in the areas of "Providing Multiple Means of Action and Expression." I will modify my lesson so that I can provide multiple means of action and expression for my students. It is imperative that as teachers plan their lessons/objectives, we take into account all aspects of student learning: the child's background knowledge, educational opportunities, different skill levels (whether one is gifted or if the student has special needs), and of course HOW the child learns best.
The link below is the UDL checklist for my lesson on Identifying Nonfiction Text Structures:
UDL checklist and reflection
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Webquest Evaluation
Space Travel Through the Solar System:
Webquest Evaluation
1. This WebQuest was of interest to me because the next fifth grade science unit I will be teaching is called: "Objects in the Sky" (solar system). This particular webquest targets grades 3-5 and captured my attention right away through its animation and pictures on the introduction page. The introduction gets kids excited to "blast off" and get started on their study of different planets. The goal is for students to visit each of the planets and learn specific information about each planet and the sun. Based on the information the students collect, they are to design a solar system mobile. This WebQuest aligns perfectly with the science curriculum and comparing and contrasting planets in our solar system. These curriculum standards are found on the "Teacher Page."
2. There is great use of pedagogical strategies by the author of this WebQuest and I picked up on these right away. The objective is stated from the beginning, but also re-emphasized throughout the WebQuest. There is group work involved and it even states on the introduction page: "Do not worry about traveling along because for this journey you will need some friends to be a part of your spaceship crew." The objectives for the tasks are clear and concise and easily recognized by "missions." The final task is an interactive, hands-on learning experience where the students create a mobile. There is a great rubric in the "Evaluation" section of this WebQuest and an additional page of resources to challenge learners to keep learning about the solar system.
3. Each section of this WebQuest takes advantage of technology; from the animated pictures to the learning links for the kids, I feel this WebQuest is a highly effective use of technology and motivating for students to learn about the solar system. I especially love the additional learning links on the "Conclusion" page so that students can challenge themselves even more and continue learning about the solar system through articles, pictures, and games.
4. I would definitely use this WebQuest with my students and technically speaking, every page is up to date, but the "inner planets and outer planets" links are not working, so that could be frustrating for students. The Teacher page includes recommendations of how to use this WebQuest, as well as providing curriculum standards, which is very helpful for teachers.
5. I feel this is a very thorough and efficiently designed WebQuest. The only flaws were the two broken links regarding the inner and outer planets. Other than that, it is well laid out, easy for students and teachers to navigate, and states clear objectives.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Merlot Evaluation: Active Learning with PowerPoint
Merlot Evaluation: Active Learning with Powerpoint
Link to Merlot site: http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=80688
Tutorial Link: http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/powerpoint/lecturing/index.html
There is also a mini workshop and video found on the left hand side of this tutorial page, which I found helpful as well.
An important question that I have been asking myself and colleagues of mine is the following: Does the use of Powerpoint presentations in education increase engagement and understanding? This particular lesson I found on Merlot is especially helpful in answering this question, as well as teaching educators how to create a Powerpoint that is effective in presenting students with valid information and keeping them engaged. This tutorial refers to college courses and using PowerPoints, however, I have been using them to launch units, etc. in my fifth grade class and am finding that kids seem to be more interested in this type of instructional delivery.
Quality of Content:
1. Does the software present valid (correct) concepts, models, and skills?
Yes; The concept of using PowerPoints for students is definitely valid and it uses a great model to give an example of how to use a PowerPoint effectively as an educator.
2. Does the software present educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for the discipline?
Yes; As today's world becomes more technologically advanced, PowerPoint presentations are an excellent tool for teachers or students to use in the classroom in order to teach, engage, and help others understand the concepts being taught. For example, I just used a PowerPoint presentation to launch a new nonfiction unit in Language Arts.
Potential Effective as a Teaching-Learning Tool:
1. What stage in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used?
1. Explanation: You can use the PowerPoint to explain what is being taught and the video tutorial does a great job of going over this
2. Demonstration: Being able to show examples throughout the PowerPoint and being able to explore the topic being presented
3. Practice: When using active learning through use of the PowerPoint presentation, the kids can practice what is being taught
4. Applying the curriculum: The end of the PowerPoint should "summarize" and the article gives a great idea of just how to do this and what language to use.
*All stages in the learning process are used in this tutorial
2. What is the learning objective?
Students will be able to effectively apply what they have learned throughout the PowerPoint in their own work after being engaged throughout the presentation. It is with hope that the use of PowerPoint presentations will help learners better understand the concept/curricular area being taught and stimulate prior knowledge through questioning.
3. What are the characteristics of the target learner(s)?
- Fully engaged, participating in questioning and discussions, showing teamwork with partners when students "turn and talk", applying what they have learned when assessed informally and formally.
4. Does the interactive media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials?
The video tutorial is effective and most definitely improves the ability for teachers to teach and students to learn the materials.
Ease of Use
1. Are the labels, buttons, menus, texts, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct? Yes
2. Does the user get trapped in the material? No
3. Can the user get lost easily in the material? No
4. Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses? NA
5. Does the module provide appropriate flexibility in its use? Yes
6. Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software? No
7. Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students? Yes
8. Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students? Yes
Link to Merlot site: http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=80688
Tutorial Link: http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/powerpoint/lecturing/index.html
There is also a mini workshop and video found on the left hand side of this tutorial page, which I found helpful as well.
An important question that I have been asking myself and colleagues of mine is the following: Does the use of Powerpoint presentations in education increase engagement and understanding? This particular lesson I found on Merlot is especially helpful in answering this question, as well as teaching educators how to create a Powerpoint that is effective in presenting students with valid information and keeping them engaged. This tutorial refers to college courses and using PowerPoints, however, I have been using them to launch units, etc. in my fifth grade class and am finding that kids seem to be more interested in this type of instructional delivery.
Quality of Content:
1. Does the software present valid (correct) concepts, models, and skills?
Yes; The concept of using PowerPoints for students is definitely valid and it uses a great model to give an example of how to use a PowerPoint effectively as an educator.
2. Does the software present educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for the discipline?
Yes; As today's world becomes more technologically advanced, PowerPoint presentations are an excellent tool for teachers or students to use in the classroom in order to teach, engage, and help others understand the concepts being taught. For example, I just used a PowerPoint presentation to launch a new nonfiction unit in Language Arts.
Potential Effective as a Teaching-Learning Tool:
1. What stage in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used?
1. Explanation: You can use the PowerPoint to explain what is being taught and the video tutorial does a great job of going over this
2. Demonstration: Being able to show examples throughout the PowerPoint and being able to explore the topic being presented
3. Practice: When using active learning through use of the PowerPoint presentation, the kids can practice what is being taught
4. Applying the curriculum: The end of the PowerPoint should "summarize" and the article gives a great idea of just how to do this and what language to use.
*All stages in the learning process are used in this tutorial
2. What is the learning objective?
Students will be able to effectively apply what they have learned throughout the PowerPoint in their own work after being engaged throughout the presentation. It is with hope that the use of PowerPoint presentations will help learners better understand the concept/curricular area being taught and stimulate prior knowledge through questioning.
3. What are the characteristics of the target learner(s)?
- Fully engaged, participating in questioning and discussions, showing teamwork with partners when students "turn and talk", applying what they have learned when assessed informally and formally.
4. Does the interactive media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials?
The video tutorial is effective and most definitely improves the ability for teachers to teach and students to learn the materials.
5. Can the use of the software be readily integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the discipline?
Absolutely, they have a wonderful example of a PowerPoint and also include what questions to ask in order to encourage higher order thinking.
6. Can the software be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals?
An educator or professional can use a PowerPoint presentation in order to teach a variety of concepts, therefore it can be used in a variety of ways.
7. Are the teaching-learning goals easy to identify?
It is not a specific subject area being taught, but instead using technology in order to enhance the curriculum and student understanding.
8. Can good learning assignments for using the software application be written easily?
Absolutely- the PowerPoint presentation that is provided on the site lays out an effective template for an effect presentation.Ease of Use
1. Are the labels, buttons, menus, texts, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct? Yes
2. Does the user get trapped in the material? No
3. Can the user get lost easily in the material? No
4. Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses? NA
5. Does the module provide appropriate flexibility in its use? Yes
6. Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software? No
7. Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students? Yes
8. Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students? Yes
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
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