Maybe this post should have been called “Sanity is Everything”.  You’ve decided on an inquiry project that injects elements of learning technologies. Besides knowing what software you’re going to use and booking the lab or equipment, you dive in. Not so fast! These next thinking steps will allow you to experience a successful project [aka - learning at its peak] or something dramatically different than expected.

The success of all great projects have a workflow in the ‘behind the scenes’. A workflow consists of a sequence of connected steps. It may include tasks, procedural steps, organizations or people expertise, research information, and tools needed for each step. While there is a place for “exploration of a tool”, knowing the basics of how the tool works in advance of the project will definitely go a long way towards the success of the end goal.

Here is a workflow that we recently did to frame our learning in an ipad workshop.  The goal was a collaborative definition of “digital literacies” and how it might look in multiple settings.  We started with conversation and paper, then moved to ipads and more collaboration, then back to ipads and writing revisions, and finally publishing our creation.

When students and teachers have a map of where they’re going, they can anticipate and go off in new tracks of exploration, always knowing they can meet the goals set.

Peace (in connecting),
j

Why blog?  Your current process of emailing parents  or sending written notices home works just fine! Why change you ask.  What makes blogging so unique? Blogging accomplishes many goals that cannot be accomplished as well as email, paper notices or student planner comments.

Yes, blogging is an easy way to share homework and expectations for projects and classroom rules/beliefs.  What crystallizes is the ability of a blog to flip literacy on its head! We invite parents and the world into our classroom to connect with our work world, to help students further understanding of the global world, to engage in threaded conversation.  It is a place to reflect and extend our thinking processes over time; to develop our voice with authentic problems and issues; to explore and create our own.  Imagine inviting an author to respond to your students or a scientist to engage in questions, or students reporting out their learning knowing that the world is hearing them…

At the heart of blogging is literacy! Yes, to be great bloggers, students must read, read, read.  Then analyze and synthesize to rework ideas.  This sounds a lot like your reading lessons – that’s exactly what it is (authentic focused reading comprehension).  Consider communication – writing (include oral language – early primaries can audio record) that is targeted to a wider audience than just the teacher.  Imagine a student with grandparents living in other cities – a window of inclusion is opened for them…

Writing quality comments or posts takes scaffolding.  Like writing workshop lessons, blogging needs modeling to write powerful posts. [Think of all those comments you see: “I like your blog!” or “LOL cool!”].  A blog conversation can be used as a rich learning experience; one that begins with high quality commenting that is beyond beginning blurbs…   The resulting threaded discussions can offer an increased level of writing rehearsal.   We’ve found that more students (even reluctant writers) engage in this platform than in others due in part to the integrative nature of online tools.

If you’re using sd41 blogs, we can import whole classes to your blog.  Ask us how.

Consider the many times you present an idea, or tell a story.

Haiku Deck on the iPad, takes the art of presenting to a whole new level.  Take an idea or a message; synthesize it to a few words that represent the deep understandings.   Haiku Deck will use the words to locate images from Creative Commons that match the concept you are trying to say.  Or you can choose to insert your own pictures, photos, and charts.   Sharing the result can be via a projector or capture the image and send it somewhere (camera roll, email…)

How would I use this? 

What intrigues me is the coordinated way that a few well chosen terms can connect with very specific images to communicate a powerful idea.  If you’ve always used PowerPoint as your ‘go to’, consider making your presentations or messages stand out with this app. Use it to engage in Literature Circle responses, poetry, writing workshop,  social studies history segment, news promotion or poster creations.  Provide time for students to grapple with their ideas. Discussion will result in deeper themes and word phrases, which in turn generate other images.   I made this one – where do you imagine the conversation will lead?

How would you use Haiku Deck? Please consider sharing your ideas.

Even though you may love Writers Workshop, the challenge comes in keeping track of all the confer/revision comments for planning purposes.  We know that immediate feedback, specific and targeted will support our students’ approximation of great writing.  How do you keep your ongoing comments on students? (I used to use post-it notes – hundreds of post-its.)  How do you create target groups to differentiate lessons?   Google Forms allows the ability to gather, collate and analyze information, set the stage for targeting mini-lessons, as well as provide a running record of growth for each student. This can be accessed   by any computer, mobile device (ipad, iphone…).

Here is my version of a working form based on our BC  Performance Standards (Informal Writing).

The data populates into a spreadsheet; each column can be sorted so you can group your teaching points.  Note that the Observation column is using ‘standards based grading’ [Mastery, Progressing, Starting, No evidence] rather than a numeric system. (More on this later in another post) Hover your mouse over the Observation column, right click and click Sort.  Data will be grouped by M, P, S, N – an easy way to see new groups of students for mini-lessons.

This should be called “informative assessment”!  Imagine how teaching might change with this type of immediate information at your fingertips.  How are you organizing your comments? Would love to hear from you – drop a thought in the comment box.

Apps come and apps go.  All of them serve a purpose.  It is the teacher who makes “magic” happen through the lesson experiences.  Our iDevices Blog is where you will see an ongoing vetted list of apps. (Click  Apps Collection list)  Please add to the list if you run across an app that you love.

Here’s one you may find useful:

Reading text online is just as challenging as reading a book if your students struggle with reading.  Try Voice Dream Reader Lite.  This handy app reads online webpages, documents, pdf, text, powerpoint, ebooks, Pocket, using text- to -speech technology.  Words are highlighted as they are spoken making this a great app for your readers who have difficulties.  Articles identified are stored locally so you can read them anytime, making this very useful when you are offline.   [Adding additional voices are part of the paid app.]

Thinking extends to greater possibilities when we’re together supporting and learning from each other.  Our second session of dynamic writers took us through a series of activities to explore ideas of “writing,  what it means to write in the digital age, identified the principles of writing workshop, …  We had a bit of time to read and reflect on the writing process and recorded our brainstorms on an online board called Wallwisher as well as write on individual Google Docs.

A Strategy:  4 images were shown where we imagined what was happening; a walk around  allowed for ideas to gel as we were charged with writing the first paragraph (for the first image); a few minutes to write in our Google Docs; facilitator notes powerful ideas as they are generated on the docs; a bit of a share.

We rounded our morning with time to plan/chat through ‘howtos’ and record a commitment to action before meeting again in a couple of weeks.  [Our ongoing journey is posted under Learning Series - Writing Workshop Learning. ]

Nothing of any worth happens without risk and a desire to learn more.  What we experienced was energizing – imagine being with a group of teachers who willingly dive into exploring the writing process, asking hard questions as well as marry that with new environments (eg. Google Docs, Wallwisher).

Please consider following along with us as we explore this territory and connect with each other and our students’ learning. You will find an ongoing history of posts (categorized under Writing Workshop Learning) and pages as we work through the year.

Sometimes writing just text won’t do and you want to add some spice to get your point across.  Or you’re thinking of  how you might communicate more clearly to your audience.  Like oral conversations, a variety of examples may be helpful to clarify thinking.   One simple way is to use video and embed content from Ted talks, Youtube or Vimeo.  Embedding uses code to link to a video.  The video remains in its original place, thus taking up no space on your site.   Here’s a great video on Hans Rosling – The Magic Washing Machine (greatest invention of the Industrial Revolution) found on Ted.

Click here for instructions on how you can embed videos.

Are you a Google Docs fan?  This is a presentation created by one of our students in Writing Workshop series using 5 Card FlickR.  It’s embedded here.    Click here for instructions.

Or how about audio?  If you have one of our sd41 blogs, then you will find the handy widget in your upload image area.  Just select the Audio Player before clicking upload.  Click here for instructions.

Stay tuned for more ways to augment in future posts.

Sometimes locating just the right book to share or use as a piece of mentor text appears impossible to find.  Or have you ever wanted to expand opportunities for your students to read at home?

We now have access to TumbleBooks and TumbleBookCloud.  [See links under District Links.]  These online resources provide a fabulous array of e-texts for all readers (read-along, picture books, puzzles…).  TumbleBookCloud aimed at older readers offer full ebooks, graphic novels,  videos, as well as audiobooks.  Both sections include fiction and non-fiction.  Just imagine what can happen…  Happy reading…

The proliferation of ipad apps can be equally exciting and overwhelming. For the second time I’ve had an opportunity to share an “introduction to active ipad experiences” session in schools. The goal was to provide staff with collaborative fun, hands-on experience with a large number of apps that might support a variety of content curricular areas. All of this was done using the environment of “Amazing Race” (all Francine’s idea!). Though, I termed it more “Amazing Discoveries” to steer away from the competitive nature of the TV show.

Just imagine receiving envelops with instructions filled with QR Codes that take you to locations throughout a building, exploring specific apps to create, talking and learning with team members (actively connecting activities with students in classes)… All I can say is the energy is electrifying!

Ultimately, one question always arises. “There’s so many apps on the ipad – just how do you expect me to learn it all!!”
Here’s my quick answer – Don’t! While it is important to attach deeper understanding to specific apps for specific purposes, sometimes the introduction can be offered within a framework of “discovery learning”.  For those of you who have access to an ipad cart or a group of iPads, here’s an introductory process for both you and your class:

1. Introduce ipad and policy for taking care of equipment (eg. how to handle the ipad, organization of taking out of cart and returning….)
2. Arrange class in groups (collaborative conversation is key to going beyond superficial) with each group receiving an ipad
3. Using your ipad (with a VGA cable to a projector) model – scroll through the pages of apps on the ipad, show default camera and some basics of screen capture, saving etc.
4. Each team will select 1-3 apps to explore in depth. [If you plan on allowing movement outside, set parameters and time limits.] Keep a record of apps that each team has selected. It is ok that some teams will choose similar app combinations – their results will be quite different.
5. As “experts”, develop a product or process [may be focused on a curricular area], which will be taught to the class (eg. a video commercial that tells a sequence and with an embedded how-to).  Criteria: Presentation is clear, succinct and leaves audience knowing what to do as well as an example of how it can be used.
6. Set the last part of the period (or another day) to have student experts teach the class and explain any details. This is ‘time limited’.  The students (and you) take notes on apps they believe they can use for certain activities in future. [eg. 2 columns: App Name; Examples of Use]
7. RESULT: You get to learn a large number of apps alongside the students. And your connections become broader as you see how students view/use the apps.

If you have other activities you’ve tried in this area, please share. Always looking to learn more.

This is Part 2 of the learning opportunities throughout the year with more details in the Staff Development Calendar.

Tech Snacks: 

IPad ShootOut:

Bring your iPad and come prepared to learn a little, share a little, and have fun.  This “unconference” session is sure to engage you and your colleagues in collaborative conversations as we see a variety of apps in action, uncover ways to use the device in extending critical problem-solving and assessment, connect how documenting learning for reflection creates opportunity for deeper conversation…

All sessions or learning series are located in the Staff Development Calendar.  If you are interested in more details, please contact any member of our Learning Technologies team.