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

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. 

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. 

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

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.

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!

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

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.

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.