30
Apr/12

“Nudging” Writers with Google Docs

by under Digital Writing Learning Series, Google Docs for Ed, Tools Making a Difference

 

There are times when I have to pinch myself to make sure it’s really happening. Two instances brought the power of writing using Google Docs “front and center”.  Watching it unfold was thrilling to say the least.

 

One instance was with a teacher in our workshop series – we’ve been working on using commenting as a way to lift writing to a new level (powerful, insightful nudging). The teacher had modeled this multiple times in her class noticing it was a great way to get at the specifics of the writing. When we looked at one of her student’s work, what popped out was truly a revelation.  Students were commenting on their own,  highlighting specific text and using language like “this doesn’t make sense…can you be more specific..”.   This generated a right-away response of “what do you mean? Help-clarify ideas”.  While this went back and forth, eventually a refinement of the writing appeared. What was interesting about this was that it all happened at 7:30am before school started. Engagement? It was one of those “shiny eyes” moments.

The second instance was in class near the end of the writing session.  Again we were working on commenting. The teacher invited students to scribble their thoughts about using Google Docs as a writing environment on their way out the door.  A lineup of students quickly jumped out of their seats to the rolling whiteboard. Animated conversation ensued as they waited their turn.  What leaped out at me were comments of “this isn’t real work when writing is with this…I don’t have to remember where my paper is – always online so writing is better and super fast…I write more…I’m more creative…saves paper…many people can help me…my writing is better…I am so using this in secondary next year.”  Have these students recognized empowerment? You bet.

A complex series of things are happening that is making this process unfold with such power and clarity.  First the writer is acknowledged in the process – they are  at the heart of the writing process through their ‘writing territories‘.  They have stories that are important to tell.  Second, the online environment is inviting and flexible allowing for multiple entry points for EVERY member.  Success is not an accident in this collaborative environment – it is nurtured and focused.  For more information on our Writers Workshop Series,  click here. For our Google Docs, click here.

There are many stories of teachers using Google Docs to support writing/communication and collaboration. If you have one, please consider sharing it here so we can all learn and grow.

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22
Apr/12

First Ever iPad Party

by under Apps, Apps, Assistive Technology, Blogs, Events, i-Devices, News

Get a group of administrators, teachers and district staff together – add food and boxes and more boxes of brand new iPads.  What do you have?  Excitement, anticipation, a bit of wonder, “eyes wide open”, tons of chatter and buzz…   Last week, we spent the afternoon with a set of goals: introduce the iPad, configure the iPads for access and set up accounts, share a couple of handy apps (not too much) and a story of how this might look in a real classroom; interspersed with lots of adult play/explore time.

Let me step back a bit in time… To say that a lot of coordination went on before this happened is an understatement.  Organizational structures such as set up of wifi access and accounts, Apple IDs, email accounts for budgeting, school processes for management (administrative and classroom), even what protective covers are best to address variety of environments, bulk purchasing, creating a sync apps process for multiple devices, staff learning (professional development), collaboration teams for sharing and learning were all considered.  We already had a number of these devices out in schools. With these numbers and another batch expected in the near future, it was an opportunity to bring everyone together in a festive party atmosphere.  And a party it was!

Fast forward to now… As staff start to explore the devices and download apps, we hope to capture the learning, the questions that come up, and together develop understandings of how this device can be used to engage learning and even more importantly, go deeper in the critical thinking and communication process.  Our new blog called ‘idevices‘ is ready to capture these journeys as well as share understandings.  As well our iUsers Cafe  continues to be another forum that is a sharing place.  Be a part of this journey – we have no real answers, but we  have lots of good questions.

What’s just around the corner? Why, another event of course, to bring together learners of all stages — to join an “Apps Shootout“!  Stay tuned in the Staff Development Calendar or the blog for this “not to be missed” afternoon.

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4
Apr/12

Writers Workshop – Each Step in the Process

by under Google Docs for Ed, Learning Series, Writing Workshop Learning Series

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

 

I was reminded of  this quote as we worked through our recent session on ‘Writers Workshop‘.  Not only the global concepts of ‘writers workshop’ (lots of time to write and explore, choice and voice, conferring during and not after the fact…) but what this looked like in the digital world?  Our goal was to use Google Docs as an avenue to explore, critically challenge  and grow our student writers.  The advantage of Google Docs was the availability of anytime, anywhere as well as the collaborative nature of the tool allowing both teacher and student to work, support and revise in real time.

We started with a visual sequence of the writing process to frame our journey and then dug into a couple of “mini lessons” examples (adding detail, voice). Mentor texts used for each were Love You Forever (R. Munsch) and Voices in the Park (A. Browne).

One of the most difficult parts to grapple was the structure of a “mini lesson”.  Trying to keep it to 10-15 minutes is a challenge for any teacher.  These sessions are meant to be focused on specific elements, allowing for majority of time for actual writing.  A good resource that explains this is Day by Day by Ayres and Shubitz.

What I took away –  ‘mini lesson’ was focused on a specific target, making it possible to keep to 10-15 minutes, use only specific pages in the mentor text that provided a clear example of the focus.  Finally the lesson was teacher-directed so student input was not included (or kept to a minimum) in the mini time period.  Students were asked to quickly return to writing in order to practice the skill on their written piece.

Google Apps for Education provides us with a coordinated collaborative environment to further our writing efforts.  We were able to easily create IDs/passwords following our blog ID conventions.  Another collaborative community was born.

Our little pilot writing project of seven classes across the district is excited to see what will happen to student writers as they engage deeper with the writing process. Our history tells us that when others (even family members) join in the writing conversation, that both the writer and the writing is taken to a different level.

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28
Mar/12

Exploring “Free” Solutions for Managing Videos

by under Software and Tools, Tools Making a Difference, Videos

Okay, I was quite excited to use the Canon Vixia HV30 HDV the other day to tape the “Janet Series” because it creates quality video in HD and it picks up voice(s) extremely well without having to rely on a mobile mic.  Kidding aside, we are trying to splice together an instructional series on Lit Circles for teachers to review.  If you are venturing to use a video camera, please note the challenges.  My goal is to create FLV files so that these video clips can be easily viewed on our blog.

Here are the steps I used to make this media viable:

1.  Connecting my Canon via Firewire IEEE (4pin to 4pin) to my Laptop

Troubleshooting: What happens when you connect these devices, but the laptop does not recognize the camera when you click on My Computer?

Try This: 

  • Right Click on My Computer
  •  Click on Hardware Tab
  • Click Device Manager
  • Check to see if IEEE shows up.
  • If not, Click on Action, Scan for New Hardware Changes.  This should pick up the device. I know this sounds really techie, so feel free to ask the Learning Technologies Resource Teacher for help or some of your very techie students.  Although I followed all these steps, the video camera was still not visible in My Computer. My Video expert guy, Lucky, directed me to download Video Capture Software HDV Split shown below.

2.  Download HDV Split and Run - does not require a reboot

  • Notice that the Canon is detected
  • I’ve selected Scenes Split to be able to manage smaller files
  • Provide a Logical File Name
  • Provide an Output Directory
  • Start to play the video first, then click the Record button in the program.
  • This will create a m2t file (If the program asks you to index, click OK)

 3. Download Avidemux and Run

This program will convert the “m2t file” to “avi” so that I am able to edit the video in Movie Maker (free in XP and better in Windows 7)

  • Click on Video and select MPEG-4 ASP (Xvid)
  • How do I know which one to select.  Again, I trust my go to person who has a better understanding of encoders and compressors.  I just want one that works!  What I do understand is that everytime a video moves from one format to another, quality is compromised.  Right now I am try to keep the best quality until I am ready to compress into FLV format for final viewing.
  • A POP UP will appear “This looks like mpeg. Do you want to index it?”,  Click Yes and allow it to Index
  • Click File, Save Video, change the filename and add “.avi” to the end.
  • Click Save and let the Encoding Process take place  (note: This is will take quite a bit of time depending on the size of video - Go grab a cup of java or leave the machine)

4.  To edit the video, Import it using Movie Maker.  Drag into the timeline and edit.  File, Save Movie, Select DV-AVI format or WMV. Please search our blog for documentation on how to use Movie Maker.

5.  Now I need to convert my “avi file” to  FLV using  Adobe Flash CS3 Encoder (You may need to download)

  • Click File, Open
  • Locate the video file
  • Start Queue
  • (You will need to leave the machine to process the file) My 250 MB file took approx. 1.5 hours to process.

6. Now I am ready to reference or embed the FLV video. 

Since space is a premium, if possible, store the video externally.

  • To insert the code, Click Media
  • Click the Media Tab
  •  Type the URL of the external site
  • Click Add Media

 

For very small videos, you can upload them into your blog. Click on Insert JW Player. Code will appear in your post, but when it is in view mode, a video screen will appear ready to launch the show.

In Summary:

  • understand the video camera
  • identify video file types and sizes
  • learn to use external storage devices because file space is a premium
  • know how to convert file types for different purposes
  • learn to edit in camera which will save you time or use a program to edit
  • learn to store video and reference it

 

 

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13
Mar/12

TED Expands to Education

by under News, Tools Making a Difference, Videos

My fascination with TED just increased with the launch of its newest initiative dedicated to Education.  It is called TED-Ed: Lessons Worth Sharing.  TED was originally created to bring together great minds and grand ideas aimed at changing attitudes and ultimately the world.  The website and conferences plays host to inspired thinkers and those who would engage with such ideas.

The current TED-Ed has five playlists organized into Awesome Nature; How Things Work; Playing with Language; Questions No One Knows the Answers; Inventions that Shaped History.  These are sure to expand as time goes by.  There is even a place where you can suggest lessons that they can animate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Imagine the possibilities of incorporating powerful video content into the classroom. Imagine conversations…debates…questions that explode into research.

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11
Mar/12

Giving Voice to Your Story – Use an Online Tool

by under Assistive Technology, Audio, Blogs, News, Tools Making a Difference

 

Capture that story (whether at school or home) with just a mic and a simple online recorder.  Vocaroo (http://vocaroo.com) is a simple online audio tool just made for that purpose!

Use it for audio recordings of class news, radio shows, as student assessments for oral readings or to increase skills in reading. You may even find that students after listening to their voice, will redo their recordings to make themselves better understood.  While the end results may be used for a variety of projects, adding voice recordings to your blogs or wikis provide a level of personalization that text cannot.

Click here for step by step instructions and how you can insert it into your blog.

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1
Mar/12

Writing Territories to Launch Choice in Writing – Session 2

by under Digital Writing Learning Series, Writing Workshop Learning Series

“I don’t have anything to write about…”  How many times have we all heard that?

Using a structure like “Writing Territories” provides a powerful way to start scribbling their ideas.  These ideas can be listed or supported through collaborative conversation.  This mini lesson (* are specific and allow time for students to share their samples to the class) provides ideas, places, deep memories to provide the “juice of life” to our choices of stories.

Another ‘mini lesson’ is IMAGERY (eg. ‘Show not Tell’ – uses detail, dialogue and appeals to the senses….)  Mentor Texts can be used to support the writing process. They provide opportunity to see and play with models that can be applied in student’s own writing.  Click here for a list of mentor texts to play with your classes.

For Homework: 

  • Read Chapter 3 – Digital Writing Workshop
  • How do you support writers to move beyond the superficial?  (Please leave a comment on the blog.)

 

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28
Feb/12

Running Out of Space? Resizing Images is Magic!

by under Blogs

Just when you get it all figured out, that dreaded message comes across warning you of your dwindling space on your blog. Most of the time this is due to posting images that are photo quality (right off the camera or ipad) but not web quality.   Some of you already use IrfanView or Microsoft Picture Editor to resize your images.   Here’s an opportunity to use something off the web.  I wrote about this in a previous post entitled Little Tools.

 

IPiccy is an amazing online photo/image editor that we’ve successfully used with grade 2 students and higher.  And we didn’t even get flustered!  The students easily took their images, edited, and posted to the blog in one session.  Try it out and see what you think.

Click here for instructions.

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22
Feb/12

“Teach the Writer, not the Writing” ~ Calkins

by under Blogs, Digital Writing Learning Series, Writing Workshop Learning Series

Source: Troy Hicks. The Digital Writing Workshop. Heinman. 2009

 Troy Hicks, “The Digital Writing Worshop” believes that  our writers can achieve more, understand more, and discover more using digital tools, than in our traditional writing workshop.

In examining this photo, consider what happens in a typical writing workshop. 

  • What writing processes and expectations are the same as they have always been for print texts? What do you believe has changed?
  • Who are the writer(s) of the text? the girls who are seated, or the girl leaning in and using the trackpad? Who gets credit for having composed – a term that Yancey (2008) uses to broaden our notions of what it means to write with text, images, sounds and video – this text?
  • What behaviours do you believe need to be taught in order for students to work collaboratively as well as offer constructive responses to improve digital writing?

Homework: Read Chapter 1. and Comment on your thoughts on the above questions.

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20
Feb/12

Growing Readers – Literature Circles Gone Digital – Part 1

by under Literature Circles Learning Series, News

I wasn’t quite sure how to title this, swinging back and forth from “Passionate Conversations” and “Growing Readers”, both of which I believe Lit Circles to be.  I’ve been working with a fabulous teacher on engaging her class  with Literature Circles.  Oh not the process with all the jobs/roles (which I’ve done many times before), but the approach outlined by Faye Brownlie in Grand Conversations, Thoughtful Responses.   Our goal was to encourage enthusiasm for reading and create environments for deep conversation (in other words, give ‘choice and voice’).  We chose to extend our notion of ‘environment’ to include not only the physical classroom, but also online using our class blogs to extend the walls of conversation.  In doing so, we believed that we could complement the innate need to find community, purpose and audience. Thankfully, I work with a great team who came along to help and document our journey.  We hope to share both the instructional content as well as the conversations and some video clips along the way.

How did we start?  Our DLRC (District Learning Resource Centre) has a wide range of book bins just meant for lit circle conversations.  Choosing the bin was easy (each bin is themed with 5 copies of 6 different novels of varying degrees of readability).  A book talk (Lesson 1) was given that was no more than 2 minutes each,  served as hooks – we dangled intrigue, angst, curiosity, mystery and downright fun.  Students were given time to roam the room to check the books out “up close”.  Book groups were organized by student choice and availability of texts.  We also promised them that if they did not receive their first choice, that throughout the weeks they would have free reign on reading all the books if they wanted.  We waited until the next day just to generate the buzz and then handed the books out.  Lesson 2 was simply allowing them the entire period of just solid reading.  The teacher wasn’t too sure about this as previous experience told her that there was no way that we could extend this to 45 minutes.  You could have heard a pin drop the entire time as students found their comfy spots and dug into their texts.   Matching student lives to books that “leap off shelves” was the key.

If you’re thinking of starting the journey yourself, click here for our instructions.  And we’re very interested in hearing your story here.

(…Part 2 – The Circle Morphs)

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