Category: Instructional Tools

So Cool: QR – An Engaging Learning & Communication Tool

Something Cool I Saw Today

[Examples of Effective 21st Century Teaching & Learning Perpetuated by my Incredible Colleagues]

QR Codes For Engagement & Communication

QR ‘People of Character’ Museum

Yesterday I saw the result of a project that I’ve been hearing about for while.  QR codes have tons of potential for engaging students in learning.  Specifically they’re excellent tools for perpetuating exploration, collaboration, and communication.  The incredible Learning Buddy team of John Kernan’s 4th grade class & Andrea Papadopoulos’ 1st grade class recently completed this great QR scaffolded project focused on being a community of character.  The students chose ‘People of Character’ to learn about, talk about, think about, and write about.  To communicate the resulting insights they created the museum in which each person’s picture hangs along with four QR codes that link audiences to some of the information the students collected in various forms.  The thing I really appreciate about this learning is that the students were collaborating with one another from across grade levels and reaching across the curriculum.  They were dealing with character education, language arts, and digital literacy.  They were thinking critically and they communicated content and energy with passion and authenticity.  Well Done – So Cool!

Check out Kaywa QR Generator at http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ to integrate this wonderful tool into your instructional strategy.  The possibilities are limitless!

So Cool: Tech Tools Drive Cultural Exploration

Something Cool I Saw Today

[Using Tech Tools to Explore Folklore Through a Lens of Cultural Connections]

My favorite part:  This group of second graders is totally engaged and owning their learning…So Cool!

These students are working with the wonderful Mrs. Stayer to explore folklore. They began by looking at communities around the world with some virtual travel via GOOGLE EARTH. As they traveled they made connections by learning that each of the places they visited has some folklore associate with it.  They read and discussed the folklore.  In these pictures they’re using CUTUREGRAM to explore further. According to Mrs. Stayer CULTUREGRAM is INCREDIBLE!  It’s a database that you can get to through the Michigan e-library (http://mel.org/) in which you will find all kinds of incredible information and artifacts about the world that you and your students live in.  You can view flags, hear national anthems, find out about natural resources and commerce, check out pop culture, and much more.  Mrs. Stayer thinks that any teacher who goes to the database will immediately think of 10 great ideas for incorporating it into his/her instructional plan.  If you’d like to discuss it further you can always contact Mrs. Stayer at es11bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us – she loves to collaborate!

Again, the thing that I really appreciated about the learning that I saw taking place today is that the students were totally engaged.  As you can see in the pictures above, some students were at the computers engaged in ongoing explorations and others were working on various components of the project around the media center.  Mrs. Stayer is an incredibly intentional planner.  Her front-loading with information, tools, activities, and expectations really goes a long way to get her students authentically excited and engaged.  This example is a testament to the fact that 21st century teaching and learning is not simply the integration of new technologies but the purposeful planning of lessons, activities, projects, and outcomes that include relevant and connected content, strategies, and tools.  Way to go Mrs. Stayer – So Cool!

 

 

 

So Cool: Mixing in the Audio for Effect

Something Cool I saw Today

[Examples of 21st Century Teaching & Learning I See Every Day]

Today I worked with a group of students who had just finished reading The Danger Box by author Blue Balliett.  After reading the book they had an opportunity to meet the author who spoke at the local library.  They had a great evening hearing about how she thinks about writing, what inspires her, and how she works.  They decided to take some pictures and videos so that they could share their experience with other students.  In the editing process they used audio from a reflective discussion to enhance the video component.  They used altered timing and creative transitions to enhance the production – So Cool!

Super Cool Video Editing

Purposeful Technology – So Cool!

[Something Cool I Saw Today]

First, students in Mrs. McComas’ fifth grade class at worked on video production for collaborative comprehension in preparation for the upcoming Battle Of The Books.

Then, later in the day, they got together with their first grade learning buddies from Mrs. Castleforte’s class to use technology for learning in Math and Language Arts.

I love that they have a solid plan for how and why they are using the technology, that the students understand the connection between the technology and the learning, and that they’re so collaborative about it.

Super Cool Video Production!

Setting Up

Getting The Right Shot

Screen Test

Editing

Super Cool Learning Buddies Tech Integration!

Working Hard

Having Fun

Word Work

Math

Cool School Tool: Wikis For DIgital Backpacks

The following video comes from the incredible instructional design of Barbie Sansone who is building Digital Backpacks on her class wiki so that she, her students, and her student’s parent’s can think critically about their development over time. Please let me know if you have questions about wikis or digital backpacks and join me on twitter @bergseyeview to share more collaborative learning.  Have a great week!

365 Lessons: #8 Critical Thinking with Edcanvas

365Lessons

#8 Explore New Ideas, Tools, and Possibilities Whenever You Have a Chance

[Lesson Breakdown]

Sometimes it’s twitter, sometimes it’s live action, sometimes it’s blog or a workshop.  Educators are constantly surrounded by new tools, technologies, and strategies.  We should be exploring as many as we can.  You never know when you’ll come across something that you can use to enhance your instruction, your students’ learning experience, and everyones ability to achieve.  For those of you who are not in education, explore anyway…you never know what you’re going to find!

Watch the following Cool School Tool video (2 minutes short), check out Edcanvas at http://www.edcanvas.com/login, sign up for an account, and explore.  You might find a way to make it work for you, your colleagues, and your students.

365 Lessons – #7 Beginnings Are Good Places To Start

365 Lessons

(Critical Thinking About What The World Is Teaching Me Every Day)

#7 Beginnings Are Good Places To Start

[Lesson Break Down]

Sometimes our ambitions for excellence hold us back from beginning with anything less, which is ironic because excellence tends to come from hard work and patience.

Twice today I experienced situations where amazing educators made decisions to move forward without having made everything “perfect” up front.  First, I saw a fourth grade team work out a way to have their students think critically about what makes a clear and communicative news report while exploring social studies content.  We were brainstorming elements of a regions project and trying to create a rubric that would guide groups through the production process.  Instead they chose to put the students in front of the camera to film impromptu reports.  The students will analyze those reports to think critically about what they’ll have to do in producing a final, polished report as a culminating project for the unit.  They’re having their students engage in a developmental drafting process similar to what they would do in during writing instruction.  It’s exciting.

The other situation was equally exciting.  Another fourth grade teacher decided a couple of months ago that she was going to take advantage of the interactive technology she has in her classroom.  Instead of scrutinizing the flip charts (that she’s now regularly creating and adapting) for aesthetic perfection, she simply moves forward once they fit the academic criteria and instructional potential she sets forth to achieve.  While some people (teachers and others) hold back adopting new tools or using new strategies because they don’t feel “ready,” this incredible teacher is becoming quite an expert at using interactive technology for authentic, effective instruction by accepting that she had to start somewhere.

A wonderful double dose of learning for me today!

Making Authentic Connections: A Culture of Comprehension

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Planning and implementing great project based instruction in your classroom can be easy and fun.  Projects can be short or long, simple or complex, and they can address any content area or set of skills by using all or some of the elements of effective project based learning design.  Check out the following Teacher Feature video illustrating parts of  a short project that Candi Gorski (Harlan 2nd grade) used to perpetuate her instruction in reading comprehension.

Teacher Feature Link:  http://tinyurl.com/d8ydsak

In the span of a week she…

…read a great book about Native American culture to her students.

  • Played traditional Native American music softly while reading
  • Set the stage by making some connections to Native American culture and generating a thoughtful mood in her classroom
  • Transported the group through space and time with her voice and energy

…followed up with a collaborative workshop in which her second grade students created Dream Catchers with their fifth grade learning buddies.

  • Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Authentic purpose and connections to content

…Incorporated Native American cultural artifacts in classroom communication across the curriculum.

  • More music
  • Other literature
  • Photographs

…facilitated ongoing comprehension conversations, revisiting content, skills, and strategies repeatedly.

Again, the critical content driving this project was reading comprehension; specifically making connections for enhance comprehension.

Thanks for your great work Candi…and thanks for sharing!

Stayed tuned and/or contact your Ignite Facilitator, Media Specialist, or other interested colleagues for more information about planning for project based learning in your classroom.

Have a great week and let me know how I can support your exploration!

Seth

Digital Backpacks: Student Portfolios Enhanced!

Digital Backpacks are on-line portfolios that teachers and students can use to collect and communicate learning artifacts.   Come spring, a well maintained digital backpack tells the story of any given student’s developmental journey, and, with a bit of frontloading, prep, and practice they’re easy and fun to maintain!  If you’re at all interested in exploring Digital Backpacks – do it!

A few reasons why:

  1. Digital Backpacks become a great data source to inform instruction.
  2. Digital backpacks give student ownership over their growth and the communication of that growth.
  3. Digital backpacks can be engaging and truly reflective of each student’s individual interests and abilities – they can each shine in their own way.
  4. Digital backpacks help keep parents informed and involved by giving them the ability to stay connected to the learning process.
  5. Digital Backpacks provide an authentic opportunity to teach digital citizenship.

Below are multiple Tool Tip clips.  Each are labeled with the skill they address.  If you intend to peruse Digital Backpacks using Wiki Spaces I would send the clips home with your students to ‘flip’ instruction.  They can learn how to do this stuff outside of the classroom, practice at home (with their parents), and become experts outside of school…maximizing learning time in class.

Toot Tip:  Adding Documents to a Wiki Page http://tinyurl.com/bx2ewqo

Tool Tip:  Inserting Images into Wiki Pages http://tinyurl.com/bdmvepp

Tool Tip:  Using Widgets and Tags to Organize Wikis http://tinyurl.com/a6po8oc

Also, the wonderful Jen Wind (Quarton 2nd grade), Laurie Cooper (Harlan 3rd Grade), and John Kernan (Pierce 4th Grade) are exploring QR Codes.  Laurie came up with the great idea of creating QR refrigerator magnets for her parents to stay connected to her students’ Digital Backpacks at their convenience.  It’s really cool!  Talk to Jen, Laurie, John, (or the many others using these tools) for some other great ideas.  See below for some ‘Connected Tool Tips’ and a resource link from Jen Wind – Thanks Jen!

Connected Tool Tip:  Creating QR Codes on Desktops and Laptops http://tinyurl.com/akwq9dv

Connected Tool Tip:  Other QR Code Ideas http://tinyurl.com/b9nvh4e

QR Resource Link from Jen Wind: http://tinyurl.com/a38pcyz

Contact me at sb20bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us for more information and collaboration.  Pick the brain of your ignite facilitator.  Share ideas…spread the word!

Have a great weekend,

 

Seth

ActiveInspire: Making Containers

Containers allow you to assign rules to any given object in your interactive flipchart.  For example, if you want your students to connect names of characters to pictures of books you can make it so that the appropriate picture will only contain (or accept and hold) each of the appropriate character names.  Take a look at the short instructional video below for more details.  Contact your Ignite facilitator or your ICO coach to brainstorm ideas and collaborate in developing flipcharts with containers.

Tool Tip Clip:  http://tinyurl.com/d3r7ahw

I hope you all had a nice weekend!

Let me know how I can help,

 

Seth