Category: Instruction

Ready…Tech…Go!: Scaffolding Tech Integration

Ready…Tech…Go! 

An Early Start & Vertical Integration of K-12 Tech Skills & Understandings

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was thrilled to walk into the computer lab last Friday to find Mrs. Fishers’ kindergarteners developing their understanding of technology tools while exercising their creativity and working on reading comprehension. These kids are five and six-years-old and they’re already very independent when it comes to many basic technology tasks.  It led me to think about my three-year-old who thinks that our T.V. is broken because it’s not touch screen sensitive.  Occasionally I find him tapping on it in consternation, confused about why no menu is appearing.  Given the dizzying rate of technological innovation, imagine what his kids will be confused about, “Why won’t this hologram answer me?!”  The point is that technology has become very much an essential part of today’s students’ daily life from a very young age.

I’m fortunate to be able to spend my time planning, working, and talking with k-12 teachers at all grade levels.  This work has afforded me a deepened understanding of vertical integration.  In most content areas progressive instruction is overt.  We learn to read so that we are eventually able to read to learn.  We scaffold mathematical problem solving with basic math skills.  Social Studies becomes a study of global issues out of critical thinking about our families, our homes, and our neighborhoods.  While we do have guidelines for technology learning across the grades, I wonder if the fast passed evolution of incredible tech resources sometimes deters us from our developmental course.  Do basic tech skills have to be learned in order, or are these digital natives better of weathering the ongoing storm of innovation as it comes?

As I joined Mrs. Fisher’s students in their work I saw some cool stuff.  Some of them were working in a program called KidPix (http://tinyurl.com/b3k5qpt).  They were creating some wonderfully expressive art, and they loved every minute of it.  When I talked to Mrs. Fisher I learned that her primary interest in using the program was to help student become familiar with, and comfortable using the navigation menu.  How cool (not to mention brilliant).  She had them engaged work that they loved, and unbeknownst to them, they were practicing essential tech skills. It makes sense that kindergarteners should build proficiency by having lots of practice working with menus so that it becomes natural and commonplace.  How much time will they be spending navigating through menus as they move forward with their academic, work, and social lives?  Lots.

Here are five things this Mrs. Fisher’s wonderful lesson helped me think about:

  1. Tech doesn’t teach.  So, teachers have to know tech, stay current with Ed. Tech innovations, and understand what is developmentally appropriate for the age groups with whom they work.
  2. Great teachers are meticulous about purpose.  Deciding what tools to use, and why, is an essential aspect of lesson design.
  3. Cross-curricular learning is important.  It makes sense to practice reading comprehension skills while collaborating on a social studies project.  How about math and science?  Or art?  Where can we help students think critically about connections?
  4. There are lots of great tools that can simulate relevant situations while minimizing exposure and risk.  Second graders can practice digital citizenship skills on a password protected Moodle course.  Seven year olds can learn about digital communication without having a Facebook page.  What are we doing to scaffold essential Digital Age skills?
  5. When students love what they’re working on they tend to be engaged in it.  What are you’re students interested in?  What tools to they like to work with?

 

Digital Backpacks: From Learning Experiences to Experiencing Learning

Last week my partner Joan Roettenberger and I facilitated a workshop focused on DIGITAL BACKPACKS (DBs) or e-portfolios.  We worked with an incredible group of k12 teachers who came with a variety of backgrounds, and who are currently teaching in a range of classroom situations.  The session was structured around building a group DB of our own to illustrate its potential for learning and give participants a sense of what students experience when working with this engaging tool.  I was thrilled with the result.  More importantly, I was thrilled with the process and our ability to think critically about it…before, during, and after.  Check out some of our learning artifacts from the 2 ½ hour session at http://tinyurl.com/c2tbh9n.

Using DPs allows learners to chart their progress over time.  One of the key concepts that came out of the great article we picked apart at the workshop (linked to our DB under “3 Exploring Some Info”) was assessment of learning vs. assessment for learning.  Thanks to Brad Wilson (@dreambition on Twitter) for tipping me of to the article and a bunch of the other great resources listed on the wiki space linked above (see “Resource Links” in the menu on the left).  Traditionally, learning is assessed at the “end.”  DBs allow teachers and students to think critically about the learning before they engage in it, at all stages of development, and as they deal with outcomes.  They are also great for engaging parents and other critical learning partners in the process as well.

ONE REALLY COOL APPLICATION:  Laurie Cooper and Patty Solomon, two of the incredible teachers I collaborate with sent home QR code refrigerator magnets that link directly to each student’s DB.  Parents can scan the code at their convenience.  It allows them to view their student’s developmental artifacts at they’re posted.  It has parents asking their students about that development at home.  It encourages families to play active roles in the curriculum.  It gives them an invitation into their child’s daily life at school and opens pathways to enhanced learning.  Visit the site, check out our session and the resources, and let me know if you have questions, further input and examples, or want to collaborate on some DB developmental work…it’s something I’m excited to continue exploring!

Interest & Inquiry Foster Engagement

Instructional Strategies to Consider

[Digital Age ideas that I’m seeing, reading about, &/or trying…and how I’m processing them]

Learners Choice:  

Having Options Helps Students Get Excited About Learning

I recently experienced some great Digital Age instruction in which students were given lots of input as to how they were going to proceed in achieving various learning goals.  I noticed incredibly high levels of engagement.  It’s no secret that interest & choice are great motivators.  I was thrilled to see those forces at work so effectively in this classroom!

I have the privilege of regularly spending time with this first/second grade multiage group.  They are currently wrapped up in anawesome inquiry project.  From the beginning, the wonderful Ms. Prindle and her teammates, Ms. Czarnopys and Mrs. Heaton, gave each student plenty of room to decide what he/she wanted to study.  They modeled ways in which scientists work, they explored and highlighted key features of informational text, and they drove home the notion of critical thinking and adaptability in exploration.  These kids are six and seven years old.  The dedication that they’re showing to this course of study is unbelievable – but it’s true!  To the right you can see a couple of researchers working on constructing a presentation that will represent their learning.  You can see that one student is diligently making notes on an organizational guide and the other is busy cutting out a graphic to attach to his piece.  They are each equally engaged in their work and barely had the time to give me a brief up-date when I stopped them to ask, “How’s it going?”  I thought that was pretty cool.

These students weren’t in a rush to finish, they simply wanted to be sure that there would be enough time before lunch to compete the tasks they were working on in the ways that they envisioned them.  It was important work!  These students are doing the work of scientists, focused on interest driven topics, learning and practicing critical research and writing skills, with guidance, support, AND autonomy.  Below are some pictures of more engaged first and second graders getting ready to create a scientific museum so that they can share their work, just like real scientists do!

 

 

So Cool 21: Poetry Fosters Poets!

So Cool 21

[Examples of Effective 21st Century Teaching & Learning (21CTL) From My Incredible Colleagues]

Model texts give young poets ownership of the craft as they explore & develop their skills – So Cool!

I was guest in Ann Rayle’s wonderful 3/4 Multiage classroom the other day.  It’s a great place to be for many reasons.  Chief among those reasons is that there’s always some dynamic 21CTL going on.  On this particular day Mrs. Rayle was using a poem called “The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams in which he writes:

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glassed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens.

She used the poem to model that poetry comes in different shapes and sizes.  She made it clear through her energetic and intentional modeling that every student on her team is capable of writing meaningful poetry just like Mr. Williams.  After reading and critically discussing the piece Mrs. Rayle gave her students an opportunity to compose their own “so much depends upon” short poem.  The students were enthusiastically engaged and thrilled to have an authentic audience to share their work with moments later.  Many of the students continued to write and decided to compose more poems in their free time.  So Cool!

Some footage of the super cool learning:

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!

 

 

 

365 Lessons: Stretching = Growth

365 Lessons

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

#35 Stretch 2, 3, 4 

[Lesson Break Down]

I’ve become used to what I’m used to.  I like my routines.  Coming in just before my routines on the list of things I like is learning and growing.  Ironically, stepping out of my routines, taking reasonable risks, and trying new things has always proven to be a sure path toward learning and growth.

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I love to stretch.  I do it every morning and every evening (unless of course I skip it in favor of sleeping in or sitting on the couch eating a bowl of chocolate ice cream).  The point is that I’m in a pretty consistent routine of stretching on a daily basis.  I do it because it makes me feel good and it helps me stay in relatively decent shape.  I try to work out at least three day a week.  When I do, stretching helps my body adjust to the exercise and adapt to the resulting physical impacts.  It helps me grow in positive ways.

Two things happened recently that reminded me to stretch in other ways.  First, my three-year-old ate a piece of chicken.  Granted, he cringed and spit it back out almost immediately…but he ate it.  We were siting at dinner the other night, enjoying what in my estimation was an extremely tasty meal, when we noticed that he wasn’t eating.  He loves chicken but he’s particular about how it’s prepared.  This was something new.  My wife has a, “you don’t have to eat it but you do have to try it,” policy.  The kid starred it down for a moment, took a deep breath, and popped a piece in his mouth.  One or two chews later it was back on the plate.  We all clapped (including our one-year-old), there was some laughing and hugging, and I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the little risk taker.  He didn’t appreciate the new recipe but he found that out by giving it a try.

The other reminder came in the form of a conversation with my mentor during which he literally said, “My greatest growth comes when I stretch myself.”  I agreed, and I agree.  I truly value stepping out of my comfort zone, taking opportunities to learn from exploration, and reflecting on my experiences.  As much as I respect and appreciate that kind of stretching, I do get lazy at times. It was important for me to hear him articulate it.  Sometimes I need these kinds of reminders to keep myself on track, especially when I forget that staying on track means steering off of it periodically.

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

Positive…Relevant…Critical: Peer Feedback – Super Cool!

[Something Cool I Saw Today]

Mrs. Connelly’s third graders are always engaged in the writing process.  The learning is phenomenal!  Yesterday I saw some drafts that had a unique twist on peer feedback attached to them.  The positive feedback structure that they’re using is awesome.  The editing notes that her students are putting forth for one another are relevant to the work they’re doing, they speak to the skills they’re learning and practicing, they give the writer ownership over his/her process, and they’re authentic and positive…SUPER COOL!

Super Cool Work On Display!

A Few Drafts

Some Comments Up Close

Great Work Mrs. Connelly’s Class…Super Cool!

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