Think about your classroom. When it comes to writing workshop or responding to reading, how many students drag their heels and write as little as possible? Or worse yet, refuse to write? Or even worse, their behavior starts to go south? Now, think about your classroom. When it comes to talking about topics, how many students will sit one-on-one with you and talk easily? In my experience students do not want to write because it takes too long or because it isn't interesting. Another issue, especially with the younger students, is that they cannot put their thoughts on paper. Talking through it is more natural. It allows them to use vocabulary they may not be able to spell when they write, but they know how to say it. Technology can become an important tool when you want your students to share their thinking. Each day it is impossible to have one-on-one talks with students during reading workshop. Getting to each student and really focusing on what they are saying is not able to happen when you have 20 or more students to get to. This is where technology comes in handy!
Pull out an iPad, or any device that has video capabilities. Take that device, set it up in a quiet corner, and let the students go! Yes, even Kinders can do it! If anything, I would trust they could do it far better than some adults. Our students live in the age of selfies and videos - most students are able to easily work a video program on a device. You can let them just talk at first. Maybe set a timer next to the device so they don't talk for hours! Have them talk to you about a book they are reading. Other times, set specific tasks or talking points you want them to hit in their dialogue. Another great way to use it is to record their reading out loud. You not only have a recording you can listen to multiple times, but you also have an artifact to show parents. For you to listen to them, you can take the device home with you and listen, taking notes. If you are using an internet capable device, an app you can use is SeeSaw. Students can upload it to their profile so you can access it. From there, you can share it with families. Take a leap and see what video recording can do for your classroom!
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Now that the year is up and running - painting in the libary is done and the book fair has been packed up - it is time for Makerspace! What I love about this space is that it is a work in progress, just like all the things that happen IN the space. The most important thing to me was actually getting students in there, all the cutsey things will come in time. Orientation of the MakerspaceOrientation time was very important to me. Expectations need to be known so the area can be a success. All classes were required to come to orientation, which was comprised of learning the "rules", practicing in a few pre-determined stations, and cleaning up. I showed these rules and this video to get them introduced. After that we talked about expectations to come to Makerspace: finish work in class and good behavior in all areas of the school. Here are some of the preliminary items made! I am so excited about all the great things getting ready to happen this year. Students MakingiPads, Chromebooks, Smartboards, digital cameras, phones, smart watches, laptops. The technology world can be an overwhelming world when you are first getting introduced. It can even be a lot when you are comfortable with it. The good thing I can tell you is you don't have to do it all. No, really, it isn't necessary! Just like with everything else in life, the more you put on your plate, the harder it is to give attention to the things already there. Technology in education is the same way. Teachers are already so busy, but to then add the pressure of technology can be more than they can bear. The thing to keep in mind about technology and the classroom is to think about where it can easily be inserted into your day where it can help you. Need some ideas? You came to the right place!
Pick one of these and see if you can start them in your classroom! If you are ever unsure, go to your library media specialist for help. That's what we are here for and what we love to do!
Kindergarten and first grade students walk into the library with curiosity, tables are setup with toothpicks and Dots candies. To keep them from instantly grabbing at the tools, we start at the carpet in front of the Smartboard. Instead of launching into what STEM is, I tell them we are going to watch a video telling a very popular story, The Three Little Pigs. Laughter fills the air as they watch the pigs and the wolf on screen. As the story ends, I explain there is a 4th little pig that needs a house built by them. The kids start to chatter about the possibilities, so I bring them back in to listen. I tell them about the tools that are on their tables - toothpicks and Dots. I even show them how the toothpicks and Dots are used together to make structures. They are told they have to provide walls and a roof of some sort, and it cannot lean on the pig. I finish it by telling them that it is going to have to be safe from the Big Bad Wolf trying to blow their houses down. Students are put into teams of 3-4 students. They are given 10 minutes to work together to build their first structure. It is interesting to walk around the room and listen to what they are saying to each other. There are times when I am coaching them through how to effectively communicate with their teammates. To me, this is the most valuable thing I have done in this first session of STEM. It is so vital we build the skills of communicating when working in a group. We talk about using words like, "I agree..." or "I disagree..." to start our conversations. After the 10 minutes is up, hands are in the air and then in their laps so they aren't building. I swoop the plates off the tables and bring them to the front - this keeps their hands from being on them. At that time, I pull out the wolf (my blow dryer with a mask attached!). He huffs and puffs (on low) and tests their houses. The class also checks for 3 things: Does it have a roof? Walls? And, is it standing on its own without leaning on the pig? Constructive criticism is given, houses are handed back, and groups are give about 7 minutes to make plan changes. After 7 minutes, the wolf comes back, and blows harder (on high) to test the houses. We can then see which ones survive and which do not. When all is said and done, we have a discussion that centers around 2 things, the construction of the actual house and the pluses and minuses of our teamwork. Students often recognize they need a strong base and we the discussion about 3D and 2D comes up, as well as what shapes are involved in most of the houses (triangles and squares). Talking about how their teams did is really important. The first rule is that names are not mentioned. They should talk about people on their team as "someone on my team..." because it is not important WHO did the behavior, but why the behavior was not helpful. So many of the students thank me for doing this with them. They had so much fun being engineers! I can't wait to do our next activity soon. Thanks for the idea, Sweet Sounds of Kindergarten! I used this Smore to guide my lesson! Feel free to use it for your Three Little Pigs STEM lesson! "Looks sooooo cool!" "This is great!" "Wonderful!" "OMG, it's my drawing." All of these comments are made by middle school students on their art teacher's Instagram account. Photos posed to art_in_the_middle have multiple likes and emojiis like crazy! At the beginning of the school year I went to the art teachers, recommending to them to use Instgram to document their art happenings in the classroom. Our middle school art teacher took this challenge and ran with it. The result? Students followed it, commented, and talked about it all the time. The thought with an Instagram account to showcase work came from the fact that many projects are lengthy and students can't take them home immediately. By posting online, students can show parents their art, explain projects to them, and see what is going on in other hours they are not a part of during the day. It is another audience for students to showcase their work to. In an age where we want students to think of a global audience, Instagram gives them this opportunity. She really let the kids be involved. Often, she would take a photo of artwork and then let the student choose the filter. Sometimes the students would take the photo and post it. Another thing it did was it allowed the students a little window into their teacher's life. She posted images from home during winter break, showing what she was up to. Artwork that she was working on was documented so the students were able to see their art teacher practicing what she taught, which I thought was really neat.
"Inquiry provides a framework for learning" After 10 years of teaching, I can say that I fully agree with this belief. As a teacher, we would be doing a disservice to students, and ourselves, if we did not teach students the learning skills, how to use them, the responsibilities that come with it, and how to self-assess. Doing this four things creates a learner that is able to critically evaluate their situations not only in the classroom, but in life. They are the complex thinkers that can tell right from wrong, know that searching for evidence is important, and can know the right avenue to learn more about a topic. As a library media specialist, it is my job to teach students how to be responsible inquirers and where they can go to nurture their learning. Kids have curious minds and they need to know where they can go to look for information. It is then important to go through the self-assessment of checking whether the information is credible. In an age where there is information at our fingertips, changing all the time, and published by many, we have a responsibility to educate students about how to be quality learners. Ways to Foster Inquiry-Based LearningThere are so many great ways to enrich your lessons for this level of thinking. The great thing is that it is put on the students' shoulders. I feel like it gets away from the "song-and-dance" method we are used to doing all the time. Granted, we still have to put on a show every once in awhile, but we also get to put the ownership on the students, which is so key to them getting more out of their learning. Here are some thoughts (Click on blue text links for more information!):
Remember, students want to feel their thoughts are valid and are always looking for approval. They all learn differently and the projects above really let students tap into their own way of research and presentation. All of this feeds into their framework for learning during their entire life!
Reading can take you anywhere. No matter where you are sitting, you can be transported to a school for wizards, a time in the past, or way in the future. Reading can not only take you to places in your mind, but it can take you so many places in life. When a person says, "reading is the window to the world", it can take on a number of meanings. Some people take it to mean that a reader can be transported anywhere in the world, learning about places they may never travel. Others believe that it means that reading opens doors for you in your life. I feel both are true. Opening Doors...and WindowsAs teachers, it is our job to bring our students to the window. Not all students easily find their way. Some of them are content to sit in their house, without ever drawing the shades. One thing I found difficult in the beginning of teaching was understanding how a students could DISLIKE reading. I have always loved picking up a book, getting lost in it for hours. Not everyone feels that way, by the way. For some students, it was like pulling teeth to get them to read. I discovered it was okay if not all students were reading the same types of books, chapter books, or nonfiction. Like with all other areas of life, people can enjoy different things. I had one student who really loved nonfiction books about extreme sports, a girl in love with horse stories, a few that listened to books, a boy who was more interested in magazine articles. I finally figured out, it doesn't matter which window you are looking out, as long as you are looking. Ideas for Opening WindowsIn order to foster a love of reading, it can take some persuading on our part. Here are some ideas to help grow a love of reading in students:
Creativity and critical-thinking, two things I feel I encouraged in my projects during the 2015-2016 school year. Going out on a limb and trying new things is something I can pride myself on this year. The exciting thing about working as a technology integration specialist in Hallsville, was that I had the flexibility to make the position into whatever I wanted. The brilliant thing that happened was that it the position was made into what the kids and teachers wanted. 10. The number of years I have been in education after this school year. That breakdown is 4 years in 3rd grade, 2 years in 5th, 2 in 4th, and 2 as a technology integration specialist. I never thought I would be someone that dipped their toes into so many waters, but I have. Some may not like that, thinking that shows some sort of weakness. I like to think of it as taste-testing all options in order to gain perspective on my next adventure. My next adventure has come! I will be a library media specialist at Columbia Public Schools for 2016-2017. Those 10 years leading up to this year have truly prepared me for this venture. Think about it, I've worked with grades 3-5 in a regular classroom, where reading was my passion. I then moved into a technology integration position where technology was my passion. I am now squishing those two passions together into one big exciting position. Without those experiences, I am not sure I would be ready for this. But here I am, ready and excited to take on the next big thing! Summer PostsEach summer I try to dedicate my posts to a certain topic. On this portion of the blog I am going to delve deeper into the 9 common beliefs that are outlined by the American Association of School Librarians.
The plan is for these posts to happen each Friday, starting next week! First post will happen June 3rd. Stay tuned!
You walk in the classroom, a wooden box sits in the middle of the table with a hasp full of locks. Examining the locks closer, you see there is a directional lock, word lock, key lock, and a 4-digit lock. Hmm, what could this mean? Treasure? Trouble? Or...is it time for BreakoutEDU? BreakoutEDU is my new guilty pleasure. I walk into any store and see new ways to lock a random object, or I go straight to the locks in any hardware store, thinking about how I could use them in my next breakout! The GistStudents get 45 minutes to solve clues hidden around the room that allow them to break into multiple locks. They are told a backstory either with a video or by the teacher, and that is the last the teacher speaks - unless they use their 2 hint cards. These hint cards are used in case they need help. The catch? The hints cannot be given unless the whole class decides to use them. They don't have to use them at all though, if they chose not to do so. This is Learning?If you walk into a classroom, what can you expect to see? It isn't just a game. It really is so much more than that. Students are problem-solving, thinking critically, collaborating with each other, and learning independence in working. Do students argue? Sure, but they also learn to work it out. Do some groups do better than others? Of course, the magic between some classes is different from others. That's okay. It isn't worth giving up. There are great debriefing questions to talk to kids about these Breakouts. The BreakoutEDU games focus on math, science, ela, social studies, teamwork, etc. They are great for an introduction to a unit, a wrap-up to a unit, or to find engagement and excitement in the classroom. Another bonus? There are games for ALL grade levels and adults. I have tried this with Kindergarten through high school. I am adding my BreakoutEDU video to the end of this, some photos, and a link to the Facebook group, which I HIGHLY recommend. It is a great community of educators! Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakoutedu/ to learn more. Every Wednesday afternoon, 22 fifth-grade students gather in the Intermediate Commons, many playing on tablets or chattering about the day they just had. Other kids are exiting the building and going home for the night. These 22 students are staying for an opportunity to learn computer coding through a program called CS First - a free program through Google. CS First - Getting StartedCS First stands for Computer Science First. To start a program, you just need a leader called a Guru (me, Mrs. Schwartz), computers, students, and a curriculum. All of which are FREE. The Guru goes online and chooses one of the 9 units (Storytelling, Art, Fashion & Design, Music & Sound, Game Design, Social Media, Friends, Animation - in beta, or Sports). We started with Storytelling because it came recommended as the first one. I received all the materials in the mail for free. This includes passport books, badges students earn for completing sessions, the script, and solutions for the work they do that day. The cool thing is that the Guru doesn't even need a background in coding to get started. Gurus have access to a dashboard, where they can manage their clubs. It allows me to see student progress, display a timer with directions for the day, and see training materials. Learning Through TryingDay one of the club was kind of a mess - I will be honest. Many of the kids had never had exposure to coding and it was a struggle. Some left feeling defeated or that they would be unable to do the activities. Even I left feeling in a little over my head! It was a week before we met again, and everyone had some time to forget what had happened 7 days ago! Students came in and we rehashed what all had happened at the last club meeting. When they got started on the second day, it was so much better. Students were helping each other, talking about coding, and really trying to understand what was going on with their computers. A moment I felt really good about was when a student I knew struggled in core subjects, was able to be asked for help multiple times by other students. He was able to shine that day. That's what this club is about. Some students took it and ran with it - going home over the weekend and making very intricate coding. It was so impressive seeing what they were able to create on their own. Kids were entranced by the amazing projects the others were creating. Other kids were being patted on the back for just being quick and awesome at figuring out problems. CS First has a G+ Shoutout board, and the students are encouraged to write positive notes to each other. I then stick them in their passport books before the next session. Some go to the whole group, so they are on a large poster and displayed before each meeting. I'm Not Feelin' ItAfter the 4th meeting, I could tell that some kids just weren't into it like some of the others. I had a meeting with my group, telling them they weren't obligated to come back. Computers and coding are not for everyone. I just leveled with them and told them there are sports teams and clubs for so many other things, I wanted to start something for kids that liked computers - something they didn't have as a choice before. Our 5th meeting is tomorrow, and while I hope they all return, I will not be offended if some don't. It is important at this age to learn what you love and what you don't. Finishing It OutCS First Club has 5 more sessions left - 4 of them are going to be guided by the given curriculum, the last being a celebration of coding and their projects. I want them to see what they have learned and how far they've come. This club has been amazing. The hour goes so quickly and the kids have been so great about learning something new. I am excited to see what many of these kids do in the future! Please take a peek below at a couple of videos I took of student work.
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AuthorFifth grade teacher in a 1:1 iPad classroom, sharing my journey with technology in the classroom Categories
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