Countdown to the Classroom

Image by LizMarie_AK

Next week I will be entering a third grade classroom to begin my student teaching. While I'm a little nervous, I am excited to take everything that I have learned and put it into practice in the field. I have learned so theories, ideas and best practices in my classes and through my PLN, which I greatly value, but without testing it for myself I cannot evaluate the reality of implementing them in the classroom.

More importantly, I want my student teaching experience to be a connected one where other student teachers and I share our experiences with each other instead of feeling separated and isolated. I see student teaching as a learning experience about my own teaching but also to expand my classroom ideas from the succeses and failures of my peers. I would also love to hear suggestions from veteran teachers who have likely been where I've been or gave me ideas I might not thought of. I believe and practice connected learning and I believe that it should apply to teaching and classroom practices as well.

Over the next couple of weeks I will do my best to share my journey of learning here and welcome comments, ideas and feedback!

uTales - E-books for Kids

uTales is an online tool for kids to make and sell their own digital picture books. Students can add their own text and images as well as sound effects and animations to create the pages of their story. Completed e-books can be viewed on a laptop as well as viewed on an iPad or iPhone with the free uTales app. The finished interactive e-book looks and flips like a real book. After the book is completed, the creator sets the price of their book and they can keep their profit or donate it to Pencils for Promise, an organization that builds schools in developing countries. uTales includes an extensive library of books from authors all over the world. The stories in the library are approved before they are added so they are age-appropriate and the highest quality.

uTales in the classroom: uTales is a great tool to allow students to create their own digital stories. Picture books can be created on a variety of subjects and content areas. With the ability to add collaborators, children can work collaboratively on their stories. Students can share their stories with other students around the world. Extending the assignment beyond the classroom, a class can create stories to raise money to support education in developing countries.

Timekiwi - Timeline Creation Tool

Timekiwi is an online tool for creating timelines or kiwis. Timekiwi creates a timeline of the user's tweets, photos and blogs. Timekiwi currently supports Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare, Instagram and Flickr. Users can control how much they want to share by hiding the items they wish to keep private. Timekiwi allows a user to tell a story through their social media. Kiwis can serve as a narrative of one's learning and aids reflection in professional development. Timekiwi is similar to the new Facebook timeline but it extends beyond Facebook to include one's other interests as well as photography.

Timekiwi in the classroom: Timekiwi would serve well in a classroom to chart a class' activity over the course of a school year. Classes with Facebook pages, Flickr accounts and their own blog can create their own timeline. Timelines can be shared with parents so they get a clearer picture of what is happening in their child's classroom. Having students select what they will share on the timeline opens an opportunity to discuss responsibility in using social media and creating an online identity.

Here is the timeline I created using Timekiwi

My Lottery Ticket: The Most Important Thing I Learned This Year

Image by Robert S. Donovan

As another calendar year comes to an end, I find myself reflecting on all the things I've learned and experiences I've had. Of all the things I've learned, the most important has been this: great risk can lead to great reward. I once heard a saying during a English soccer, "You can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket." This year has been a year of really great relationships. I've been lucky that some wonderful people have come into my life. I took a chance, put myself out there and connected with some amazing people: I continually get amazing advice, support and encouragement from Shelly Terrell; Sean Junkins' tweets leave me laughing so hard that it hurts; Kelly Croy's blog posts challenge and stretch me; Steven Anderson daily reminds me to be great; I discover great tools and technology integration ideas from Karen Blumberg;  I'm inspired by Mary Beth Hertz's creativity, classroom innovation and reflective practice; Cory Plough continually changes the way I view online learning; and Ken Shelton's photography takes my breath away and makes me want to grab my camera and capture the world around me through still images. These relationships, whether from far way or face to face, have taught me what authentic and selfless leadership looks like. I've been reminded this year of the importance of relationships; we are not meant to learn, live or grow alone.

All the great people that I've met and everything they've added to my life and my learning has been as wonderful as winning the lottery :-D

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Difficult Questions

Image by CarbonNYC

Growing up, I was always told that there was no such thing as a stupid question or, a slight variation of it, that the only stupid question is the one you don't ask. Adopting that belief, I began asking any question that came to mind. I value question-asking as part of the learning process because I feel that it was better to have all the facts than to sit mutely and be confused.


Then I began growing my PLN and found myself growing cautious of asking questions. My personal learning community consists of some smart, talented and creative people; some of the smartest people I know.  While that can be encouraging, it can also be a little intimidating. I started second guessing myself. Was this a silly question? Should I already know the answer to it?


What I forget is this: we are all learning. Some  have had more years and experiences to learn from so they have more to offer. Others are just starting out and building their momentum. Great teachers are always teaching. That includes students in a classroom or inquiring minds on a social network. Asking questions can be beneficial for the person you're asking because in helping you, they can be reminded of things they've forgotten or it allows them to share their specialty.  Leadership blogger Dan Rockwell maintains that "curiosity and questions enable leaders to bring out the best in others; to find solutions through others." 21st century learning is all about connected learning which means we're not learning alone. Information is meant to be shared, remixed and reflected on with others who see things through different lenses. Questions open up dialogue and establishes connections. Asking questions might not always come easy but it is necessary and definitely worth it to take learning to the next level.

iPad App Reviews

Image by Photo Giddy

My Digital Media Production and Storytelling class reviewed a series of iPad apps for iEAR that can be used in the classroom. Here are the great apps we found:

StoryBuddy - http://bit.ly/uV6xTO
Coach's Eye - http://bit.ly/rpOmr7

Blurb Mobile - http://bit.ly/s6R5kK
Story Wheel - http://bit.ly/vAjQcD
Flat Stanley - http://bit.ly/v1L9qn
Time-Lapse - http://bit.ly/v01Va5
Dragon Dictation - http://bit.ly/ugl0me
Where's Mommy? - http://goo.gl/JeGsE
Storyrobe - http://goo.gl/BhsfO
Cartoon Studio - http://bit.ly/tmB2k3
Story Lines - http://bit.ly/tnn5Dc
Fitness HD - http://bit.ly/tZ0ScC
Postcard - http://bit.ly/rADfTu
FRS Story Starters - http://bit.ly/sm0Ntd

My First Day of School

This is lesson is a digital storytelling lesson for a first-grade class. For the assignment, students will create a digital story about their first day of school. As part of their pre-planning, the students will create story tables. They will draw several pictures and write the sentences that they want to put with their project. Prompts will be provided to the students to help their writing. For example: "Before school I felt...", "I thought my teacher would be..." The students will have two options when creating their story: they could narrate their story or they can type it. The students will use the online software ZooBurst to create their story. The goal of this project is to provide students with an opportunity to articulate their feelings about starting school and, hopefully, find common ground with their classmates. The student's final products will be shared with the class.

The model project for this lesson was created with help of elementary school students. At first, I was concerned that they would have trouble navigating the website but they quickly learned how to move objects around the page and add pages to create the book. Through the drawing tool, students are able to draw their own images; however, the students became very frustrated using the tool with the mouse. To implement this lesson in the future, I would have the students draw pictures beforehand or allow them to upload hand-drawn images. Creating the model lesson was manageable with two students but an aid would be needed to do a project of this size with an entire class. 

State Standards

This lesson meets the following Pennsylvania First Grade Standards:

AL 2 Demonstrate engagement and persistence

1 - Show persistence in ability to complete a variety of tasks, activities, projects and experiences

9.1 Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre & Visual Arts

L -  Recognize color, shape, line, texture, size/relationship (proportion/ scale) and 

pattern (repetition) in visual art

PS 1 Develop Self-Concept

A - Is aware of self and one’s own preferences, strengths and challenges

C - Know and state independent thoughts and feelings

1.8 Research

A - Use a systematic process for the collection, processing and presentation of information

3.7 Technological devices

D - Use basic computer software

1.5 -Quality of Writing

-Progress through the stages of the writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, revising,

editing and publishing)

-Write clear and coherent sentences and 

paragraphs that develop a central idea

ISTE Standards

This lesson meets the following NETS∙S:

1b - Students create original works as a means of personal or group expression

2b - Students locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media

2c - Students evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks

5b - Students exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity

6b - Students select and use applications effectively and productively

Rubric:
The following rubric will be used to asses student work:

Here is a model story for this project

References:
This story is based on a true story by Alexander Johnson
Pictures were drawn by 8-year-olds Alexander Johnson & Danielle Whitley

This digital story was made with ZooBurst

NETS∙S were provided by ISTE

State Standards provided by PA Keys