Category: Digital Environments

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.

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

MOODLE: Secure and Great for Instruction!

Here are three things that I love about using Moodle as a teaching and learning tool:

  1. It simulates digital communication in a secure way.  Students can have chats, make posts, take assessments, link to digital resources, collaborate, express thoughts and ideas, and more – all in the safety of digital environment controlled by their teacher.
  2. Some students are reluctant to contribute in person.  The Moodle is a great place for those students to express their thoughts and ideas without the pressures associated with live presentation.
  3. When a Moodle is well thought out and organized it can be student driven and an excellent source of critical data.  Moodle courses can be se up with embedded blocks, forums, chat rooms, quizzes, etc.  Given some time to learn and play students can become accustomed to logging in and navigating through activities with little live support.  Teachers are left to help in other ways and collect vital data for instructional planning.
Tool Tip Link:  Moodle Basics – http://tinyurl.com/bsos6tn

There’s more!  Check out the link above for a five-minute peek at some Moodle basics and let your Ignite facilitator know if you want to explore further.  There are some great Moodle application being developed and implemented across the district.  Stay tuned for more.

I hope you’re having a nice week and enjoying the beautiful Michigan fall weather.

 

Let me know how I can help…together and one step at a time!

Seth