Help Learners Share Their Voice?

I love to share apps!  Apps that make learners want to share their learning!!  I get a little too excited when a conversation, that has nothing to do with work and school, turns to fun apps.  And, when you can use a "fun" app to help learners grow...amazing!

I used some time I had with educators to remind them of some simple ways to incorporate voice in their classroom.  We took a little time to look at ChatterPix and Tellagami.  These were not necessarily new apps, but looking at some really great examples of using these tools in their classroom and in every classroom.

I put together a ThingLink to share the resources:



What I loved the most was in less than 30 minutes an educator shared how she had easily created content she needed to share with her learners and had not thought it was going to be possible.  She moved a conversation that would have taken a large chunk of her face to face class time and moved it to a format her learners could access at any time!

A week later, while I was walking in the hall I heard another educator ask the learners to summarize their learning using a ChatterPix to submit as an assignment.  I may be a little bit too excited about apps, but I don't care!  I love it!

Learn more about ThingLink here!

Chrome Can Change Your Life!

It was very interesting to meet a group of individuals who weren't using Chrome for, well everything!  What is this browser you speak of?  I don't understand, are you speaking in a different language?  Chrome has the ability to simplify my life!  I can pickup browsing where ever I left off, no matter what device.  And the extensions have made functioning so much easier, too!

So, this fall I was able to help others convert to my favorite browser!  Here are the basic steps to simplifying your life!

Twitter Challenge

Developing a PLN through Twitter has been an encouraging and validating experience for me.  I am excited by how many educators are willing to share their ideas and connect with others.  I crave learning from other liked minded individuals and inspired.  This PLN I have created keeps me engaged in a wider world of education.

I want to help others grow their PLN.  Earlier this fall, I hosted a Twitter challenge.  The focus was to tell the story of our campus.  It is interesting how so many educators have amazing things happening in their classrooms and never share!

The challenge  about 3 weeks.  The challenges focused on broadening awareness of the campus activities, trying new tools or sharing familiar tools, sharing your voice.  All the tweets had to have either #teamwest or #cmswconnects.  Take a look at the bingo board the educators used:

The challenge included prizes!  Jeans passes were a hit! It was amazing to see individuals really take a leap of faith and try something new.  Many educators have continued to use Twitter so share their story.  What a great example to share with learners how to use social media responsibly.

Educators used the app Notability to track their participation and shared their results in the end.  A good number of educators either filled their bingo boards or came very close.  Overall, this was a great experience and I would highly encourage others to use a similar method to dive into tweeting!

Posting Videos to YouTube

When having learners, or yourself, uploading video projects to YouTube I would encourage you to check the settings for privacy.  A learner was working on a project and found their own video linked to a website they had never come in contact with before.  It is a very strange feeling to find your work somewhere you have never actually been asked to share with before.

An option for sharing using YouTube is to Unlisted so that the projects can only be accessed by those who have the link.  This can be achieved when uploading projects from an iPad or a computer.  Here are step-by-step directions for uploading a video from the iPad.

Sign into your school Google Drive and allow Google to access your account information

Upload the movie file from your iPad to your YouTube Channel

Enter a Title and Description for the project

Select Standard Definition

Enter Tags related to the content area

For Category, select Education

Select Unlisted so that only individuals with the link can view the video.

Then Publish

Also, here are directions for uploading to YouTube from a computer:

Keep these instructions for when you have a video project later!  

Creating Inbox Filters

Are you overwhelmed by the amount of emails in your inbox on any given day?  Many of the messages we receive can be handled before you even open your computer or device to check emails just by using the labeling and filtering system with Google Gmail.

To begin, click the down arrow in the search box at the top of your inbox.  Now, enter all the details for what type of message you want to filter.  For example, if you want any email from a specific domain to always bypass your main inbox, then enter *@domain.com (domain name) in the from field.  Then click the Create filter with this search link to continue to the next screen.

Now, go through the list of options to create your mailbox rule.  By marking Skip the Inbox (Archive it) and Apply a label (selecting a label of your choice).  Be sure to click Create filter.  Now the next time you receive an email from that particular domain, you can check the folder on the left side of your gmail screen and not be cluttered in your main inbox.  Happy filtering!

Gmail Signature Social Media Icons

Make it easy for anyone you are communicating with to connect with you through social media networks by adding links to your profile pages in your gmail signature!  Watch this video tutorial to learn how...

I used iconfinder.com to find the icons as a 32x32 png file.  Simple steps to help grow your PLN.

Pic Collage Kids

Have you heard the news?  Pic Collage has released a kid-friendly version of their app, Pic Kids!

This version of the app has all the same great features of Pic Collage, such as multiple layouts, text features, importing photos, and plenty of background features!  The difference is web images is not an option with this version.  So, you need to find your own images before creating a collage and students will not stumble upon inappropriate pictures!  And, while there are more than enough sticker options, several of the more inappropriate stickers for the classroom are not included.  Win!  Win!

Check out this new version with your students!

AM or PM?

What do you know about AM and PM?  It seems like a simple concept, so how could we make the concept a little more interesting?  By using LEGO StoryStarters to build scenes with details specific to a time of day!

The class started by making a list of things you can only do during the morning or only in the afternoon.  You wouldn't think that would be so difficult, but many tasks we perform during a day could be done at any time, depending on your preference.  So, the class came up with these ideas...

Then we started to build!  Each student had 25 minutes to create a scene with specific details about the time of day they chose.  Some of the scenes were very creative!  Some were very elaborate!  All of the students were highly interested in our objective for the day.

Once the building was completed the students were asked to take one picture that would best explain their time of day.  Photographs are not always the best when young children are holding an iPad, so we talked about strategies to get the best picture.  Moving the camera in close was one suggestion.   We also discussed looking at the LEGO build from different angles to get the best overall picture to tell the story. We also set up a backdrop to avoid distractions at the table.

Students then used the StoryVisualizer app for their writing.  The app is free to download, but you have to pay for an activation code.   I like the simplicity of the app for writers.  There are many options for setting up layouts; along with various fonts, stamps, and so on.  There is also a desktop version of the software, but when you are using iPads importing the photos is simple!  Students were specifically told to use either am or pm in their writing.

Previously when we had used StoryVisualizer we used the export to PDF feature built into the software and app.  For this particular project we wanted the students to have a picture available for possibly adding it to their electronic portfolio in the future.  We had the students take a screen shot and cropped their pictures to have the best product available for future use.  This short term project turned out great!  Take a look at a few examples.

Adding creativity to a simple concept!

Ladybug Life Cycle

So, what do you know about the ladybug life cycle?  The 2nd graders are now experts after spending a week doing research and developing their own eBooks.  First, students used a teacher created Blendspace to gather basic information by watching video clips and reading from teacher selected internet sources.

  

Did you know all the great resources for learning more about ladybugs can be found using National Geographic Kids and the San Diego Zoo websites?  The 2nd graders were amazed with the information they found from these resources.  

After students had collected as much information as they thought they needed, students used Google Drawings to create their own ladybug life cycle graphic and identify the parts of a ladybug.

Students mastered their Google Drawings skills by practicing how to create a copy of a document, using the different drawing tool and manipulating images.  The students also learned how to download as a .jpg file and then upload to another location.  Great work!

The final step was to create a eBook for publication to share their learning using FlipSnack.  FlipSnack is a free resource for creating online books that provide a variety of layouts and ease for moving through the publishing process.

The final publications are very professional looking filled with many great details from the students' research.  Click here to see one of the many great final products!

Safely View Videos from YouTube

I know it's not easy managing what students see when they connect to videos on YouTube.  It is so disheartening to be watching one thing and then another video starts playing before you can stop it.  The next video usually has some sort of connection, but it is so easy to get led down a path and turn up in a spot where you don't want your students watching.  I encourage the use of SafeShare.Tv.

SafeShare.TV allows individuals to enter a URL for a YouTube video and generates a new URL that takes away all the extras from YouTube, so that viewers only see the stop, pause or play buttons for the video.  And, the links never expire!

As with most tools, there are many options available, for free, to provide this service. This is just one that I feel works really well for the students I work with every day.

Programming with Robotics

Sometimes we can program, and it's not just about the website or the app!  As an addition to our Hour of Code, another activity we worked on was collaborating to make robot follow our directions.  Here we are using Valiant Technologies Roamer Too with the Early Years accessory.  The Early Years accessory is the piece on top that allows the roamer to go forward, backward, and make 90 degree angle turns to the right and left. 

First, we let the students explore to learn how to use the buttons and experience how the Roamer moves around when given commands.  There was much laughter, smiles, and cheering.  The students love the fact that Roamer will sometime talk to them to say what is going to happen.

Once the students had a little bit of hands on time with the robot, we then ask the students to travel through a terrible snow storm, pick up holiday gifts, dark woods, to finally arrive at the Gingerbread Man's house.

There was a lot of collaboration as to where exactly the Roamer should go and which way to turn.  It required communication on all team members' parts to arrive at the final destination.  Everyone was fully engaged and were not ready to move on to another activity.  In fact, at one point a Kindergarten group was working in the library when a 3rd grade class came by and noticed what was happening.  The 3rd graders insisted they try the same activity the next day.  Engaging, problem-solving by all ages!

Coding? How do we learn to code in the classroom?

Teaching Kindergarteners through 5th graders to code might seem like a daunting task, but with so many resources available it is actually pretty easy...and fun!

The main resources I like to share with teachers is code.org.  What an amazing progression of lessons for students to learn actual vocabulary for coders while "playing" games.  There are currently 3 levels of lessons for young students to use to build the coding skills.  The levels start with pre-readers and work all the way through for upper elementary students.

If you want to focus on only one hour, code.org also has shorter lessons to peak students' interest in the Learn portion of the website.  One of the popular items is coding with Anna and Elsa!

But, do not underestimate the power of the unplugged activities provided on the site!

Another resource we used during our Hour of Code week came from Made with Code.  

All of our students spent time using Beats during their music class.  And, several classes work on giving directions to Yetie, a monster who can dance!

These are all great web based options for coding.  Next up, apps for coding with the iPad!

Our Hour of Code

Hour of Code is held in December as part of Computer Science Education Week.  Did you know Computer Science Education Week is always held to commemorate Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper, USN, Ph.D.  "Amazing Grace" was born on December 9, 1906.  Click here to find out why she has an important part in the history of Computer Science.

This is the 2nd year for our district to participate in Hour of Code.  During this week we want students to experience the power of computer science, at any age!  It is important for students to understand coding opens opportunities to change lives.  I think part of the mystery of coding is that it's a bunch of people staring at a computer screen all day.  In reality, coders are collaborators and problem solvers!  The message in this following video really explains it well.

With this being our 2nd time to participate it was important to me to show real life examples of how coding is used in many different industries.  I found different video clips to share with students during our morning announcement broadcasts.  The first video was important to me because these are real life examples of females using computer science skills in some unlikely places:

When sharing with students, I want to try to reach every child I can and that is why I selected this video also.

Another awesome opportunity put together by our district Digital Coaches was to give students the opportunity to talk directly to computer programmers.  What better way to learn than from a real, live expert!  Here is a Kindergarten class talking with a Google Analytics Engineer.  What an interesting conversation!

We are truly honored to have had the resources to talk with individuals using their coding skills!  More about the resources students used during our Hour of Code will come in a future post!

Need help finding an app?

I recently learned about fnd.io to use for finding different apps in the iTunes Store.  This little website has changed my life!  Well, maybe not my entire life, but it certainly has made it easier in many regards.  There are tons of blog posts, tweets, and pin about different apps that it can very easily be difficult to find exactly what I'm looking for when searching for the perfect app.  I usually can remember the purpose of the app, but the designer or name does not usually stick with me.  By using fnd.io you can search apps without going to the iTunes Store.  I have used it now several times and I really like this resource for it's ease of use and full access to all apps!  The next time you are looking for an app, try fnd.io.  You won't be sorry!

Timer Loop

Timer Loop was recently recommended to me for using in the classroom.  And, I agree it's a great tool!  Timer Loop is a Google Chrome Extension where you can set up multiple timers to continuously run and alert you throughout the day!  One trouble I hear from teachers is remembering to stop in the middle of a lesson because they have to take attendance at exactly 10:00, give or take a few minutes.  Who can remember that when you're in the middle of something big!  I also realize this tool is great for when you have rotations set up in your classroom during the day.  Timer Loop helps you manage your classroom so that when students hear that time is up, transitions can easily take place without a lot of disturbance.  Timer Loop...done!  Start using it today!

Feedly

I was recently asked what tool I use to read all my blogs.  I'm so sorry to say Google Reader is gone!  I used to check Google Reader multiple times a day!  I loved how all the blogs I was interested in reading could be a simple click away.  I could easily access my favorite blogs from my laptop top, my phone, or my iPad.  I remember that time, so fondly!

Then, Google announced Reader was going away.  I played around with a few other apps, but nothing seemed to fit as well as Reader.  I remember the night so clearly.  Google Reader was closing forever at midnight.  At 11:30PM I very reluctantly migrated my Google Reader information into Feedly.  After that night, I would open Feedly up every so often to see who had added content to their blogs, but it was never the same kind of relationship with blogs again.

Many months went by when someone asked me what tool I was using to gather blogs in one place to read.  I wasn't very happy to say Feedly.  But then, I regained my blog reading energy.  Time and separation have healed my wounds from Google Reader leaving me.  Feedly allows me to, once again, easily categorize blogs by interest, keep up with blogs from all around the Internet, and discover new blogs.  I like the bookmark feature where I can save a specific blog post for later.  I like that I can easily share a post via Twitter or Facebook.  When I come across something truly awesome, I can even pin the post to a board on Pinterest.  I like how I read posts on my laptop, iPad or phone.  And, with the Google Chrome Extension I can easily add items to Feedly!  Amazing!!  This works for me.  Reading blogs is no longer a chore, but again easy!

3D Printing Geometric Robots!

Students in 2nd grade studied three dimensional shapes in their classroom.  They then worked with partners to make their designs come to life.  Students used Tinkercad to create their original designs.

Students were shocked and amazed to see the 3D Printer in action!

Printing takes about 20 minutes time depending on the size of the robot design.  It will be several weeks before all of the robots are printed.  After the printing is complete, students plan to use a variety of materials to add details to their robots.  Not bad for a day's work!

Robotic Poetry?

What a challenging and engaging week it has been working with a class of 2nd graders who want to learn more about Robotics and Poetry!  At the beginning of the week I helped facilitate learning the different types of poetry: Acrotstic, Shape, Haiku, Alliteration, Senses...to name a few.  I discovered I personally enjoy the challenge of creating a Haiku poem!

First, we worked with students to learn about the different types of poems.  We looked at examples and discussed how that type of poem was different or similar to other types of poems.  In each case students were asked to write their own example of each type poetry.  I enjoyed challenging our students to think beyond the simple and think of more complex examples.  Creativity!

Where does robotics and poetry meet, you ask?  With LEGO WeDo Robotics!  We spent time building a particular animal included in the set.  Students chose from an alligator, bird, monkey, or plane.  This is the second project this particular group had worked on, but they still were challenged with the building aspect.  If you have ever followed the directions using only the pictures in a LEGO booklet you will understand that many of the steps are clear, but there are always a few requiring a second look to make sure you have it perfect.  If you make a mistake at any point you will have to figure out the solution in order to proceed with the building.

Once the basic building was completed, it was now time to make these objects do something!  Students programmed the alligator to chomp, the birds to spin, the monkey, to bang a drum, or the plane to spin its propeller using the motion sensor.  Changing the basic program steps to add more actions or sounds is one aspect students enjoy when using LEGO WeDo.

Then the real work began!  It was time to bring the poetry back to the focus of our lesson.  Students were challenged to create an Acrostic Alliteration poem for the LEGO build of their choice.  Have you ever struggled to come up with words beginning with vowels for 2nd graders!  I'm very impressed with how the students worked with their partner to explore words and their meanings.  It's not always easy!

We had a great time exploring robotics and writing our own poetry, all at the same time!