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Final Project = Done (and I am pretty well set up to introduce IIR to my upcoming kiddos : )

I have finished my unit/ Final Project... I am pretty happy with the end result.

https://youtu.be/gTalg1iBPG4

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18tFxYZHmv6glljKru8oyjxb5SCtHMaPyNpzfNkIEBbM/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hkp0xtoetD_S72rokIMMSFi8zst9LOC9Frz16pEgPek/pub

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Thoughts on Web 2.0 tools

It is one of those situations where I am so close to finishing my final project and even though we are entering into the wee hours of the morning I feel compelled to keep plugging away. At the present I am considering the rationale for each of the Web 2.0 tools I used in my unit. On this blog post I am going to jot each tool I used down and consider the reason why I chose each one. Let’s start:

- Lesson 1-  I utilized Tagxedo to make a question marks out of words pertaining to this unit. This is a form of poetry that I absolutely intend on using with my students during a poetry lesson later on in the year and since I will be revisiting this Reading unit throughout the year I thought I would add a little Web 2.0 tool that compliments poetry so that I can connect this unit, in a small way, to that unit. I also will introduce the Quizlet application during this lesson that will show up in Lessons 4 and 5 again. During this lesson, however, I will be accessing the application and we will be going over each flashcard as a class. This is a great way to expose them to the essential vocabulary that they will be encountering throughout this unit.

- Lesson 2- During lesson 2 I untilized Storyboard to create a comic strip, ThinkLink that has videos attached and a meme to wrap up the lesson. The meme and comic strip were created to draw my students in and engage them and I made the choice to add the ThingLink because it is a quick way to access 2 YouTube videos that explain the IPICK or 5 Finger Rule. At the time that I made this ThingLink I was unaware that I could actually embed a YouTube video into my presentation. I figured this out while creating Lesson 3 but decided to keep ThinkLink in Lesson 2 due to the fact that it still accomplished my purpose. ThingLink provides other features that Google Slides does not so later on it could prove to be beneficial to use in lieu of just embedding a video.

Lesson 3- Lesson 3 contains a Popplet graphic organizer that details what each letter of CAFE stands for. Using a web chart is a common practice in 5th grade and I intend on having my students use this application frequently throughout the year, therefore, it was a Web 2.0 tool that I definitely wanted to incorporate into this unit. I also used the Lino application during this lesson and it fit in very well for my purpose! Students will be expected to fill out a post-it note at the end of each IIR period. Lino allowed me to create digital post-its that I could write an example what each post-it should look like. Students will be using Ipads to record their voice when working on fluency and so I though that it would be very helpful to create a Screencast of how they access the voice recorder application that is downloaded on each Ipad. Finally, I thought that because there was quite a lot of information provided during this lesson I should close it with a review and to do this I created a PowToon cartoon.

Lesson 4- Students will be working in the computer lab during this lesson. They will be accessing the Quizlet application and playing the games available that review the key terms and their definitions.

Lesson 5- Reviewing terms and their meanings is crucial and so I created another video, this time using Wideo, to review each lesson. After watching the video (maybe a few times) students will be accessing the Quizlet application again but this time will complete the test and then print it out to turn in.

For the past 5 years I have taught each of these concepts of IIR but have used very little, if any, technology during the lessons. I believe that using these tools will not only teach these concepts in a more in-depth and detailed way, they will absolutely provided a critical element of engagement that I am always trying to integrate into my lessons.

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So as I begin to put my final project together I wanted to do a quick blog about what artifacts I would still like to make. I would like to take a look at Lino and Piktochart otherwise I am quite pleased with how everything is coming together. I am excited to see the final product!

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Week 5 Reflection

My intention this week was to primarily focus on the specific apps that I have already used, become even more familiar with them and then create artifacts that I can use in my final project. Unfortunately/fortunately, I found myself wanting to experiment with a few new applications. There are so many resources available and I struggle with wanting to play with and create artifacts with everything I come across. The first “prompt question” I answered during week 2 is also the question I am addressing this week, but I am taking a more in-depth approach to answering it. I am considering my specific students (5th grade), and the technology I currently have available and thinking about what applications, programs, etc. I can integrate into a unit or lesson. I am exploiting the fact that many of the applications incorporate humor and/or comics in them, in hopes of increasing the engagement of my students.

This week I also spent some time considering the topic of the #CLMOOC Make Cycle 4, “Systems Thinking”. At first I wasn’t sure exactly how I would go about making something that represented a system in my daily life or in my classroom. Then, just for fun, I looked up the definition of “system” which is “a group of related parts that move or work together” (Merriam-Webster). Using that definition meant, to me, that mostly everything in my life is made up of systems, including but not limited to, the lesson I am creating for my final project. At the beginning of a school year a large portion of every day is devoted to teaching the classroom procedures and expectations, one of those procedures in my classroom is IIR (Intentional Independent Reading). A stranger might pass through my room during IIR and think that my students are merely reading quietly to themselves, and while this is, indeed a part of the IIR system, it is just that, a part. My students need to understand how to find a “Good Fit” book and also understand CAFÉ and how it gives them a purpose/ strategy to work on. Students need to build their reading stamina up so that they can successfully read for a prolonged period of time. All of these concepts are part of a system that I call IIR and as I type this reflection a Make actually came to mind! Piktochart has a wonderful template that I could utilize to show each part of the IIR system. While I have enjoyed experimenting with Piktochart, I think that showing each component of this system in a flow chart style would actually make a great anchor chart. Some things are still just better when done on paper.

Finally, my last goal for this week was to interact more with other people on Twitter, primarily in #CLMOOC. I find I am still hesitant to do so but did force myself to join in some conversations.

I spent a significant amount of time this week making artifacts (even more so than the last 3 weeks) and more quality time interacting with other educators, CLMOOCers, etc. but it was, definitely insightful and even more enjoyable.

These are my Makes for this week : )

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/680659639477469184

https://youtu.be/LoIWAtBAvmg

https://quizlet.com/87577207/independent-intentional-reading-flash-cards/

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Great Blog Post

Just a reminder as Ipads become more and more available to teachers that being a “Lifelong Learner” is critical for educators ESPECIALLY when it comes to technology!

http://ipadeducators.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=5840223:BlogPost:68824

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Just a foreshadow of this week’s goal

I have decided what I want to focus on for my final project and have so many ideas in mind. I would like to try and incorporate the artifacts that I have created that I found from websites and apps that I could see myself reusing consistently in my classroom. This way I am accomplishing a few goals... it will provide me with a lesson that I need and will use for years to come and it will also contain artifacts from my favorite apps (i.e. a quick reminder when I go to make a spreadsheet of resources).

Some ideas:

Meme, Powtoon, Wideo, ThingLink, Tagxedo, Storyboard, Piktochart (just some faves right now off the top of my head) GoogleSlides will be my platform

I am really just brainstorming right now so that I can come back to this blogpost later and use it as a checkoff list, so I apologize if I seem to be rambling a little.

I would like to create an intensive lesson surrounding IIR (Intentional Independent Reading) and what my expectations are during this time. My students need to understand their DRA level and why it is important to read books in their level. I would also like for them to understand how to find a book if it is not leveled, I call this IPICK. Each letter represents a sort of check off list of what students should do to find their book. Next, I want students to understand CAFE and how each letter represents a purpose for their reading. I will preface this lesson with a mini writing lesson on acronyms because... well... dang as I look at what I have wrote I realize that I am inundating my kids with them! : ) I would also like to look up the specific standard this lesson addresses and put that on a slide as well.

This was somewhat of a rambling post but I will definitely be looking back at it during the next week just to regain focus when I start to get too lost in the world of Twitter and CLMOOC : ).

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Definitely an image that I would show my kids! Great comparison to hard work!

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As I get ready to dive in to the world of Social Media and #CLMOOC I thought I would share some smile memes that I didn't author but definitely made me smile!

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Week 4 Reflection

This week I addressed the question: What resources do you think a MOOC or #clmooc can, or can not, provide to you as a teacher or as a learner?

My initial response was: “Based on my current understanding of a MOOC and, more specifically #CLMOOC, I believe it is an extraordinary online forum available to a large group of people from all over the world. The benefits are immense and I have enjoyed learning about it. As a student and educator I have come across many ideas that I can bring into my classroom. I also think that being able to collaborate with educators from very diverse geographic locations is an extremely valuable tool. Gaining their perspective and opinion is insightful and useful. Tomorrow there is a great opportunity to join in on a chat with journalist Audrey Watters. It appears that students in another course, Ed 626, led by Bonnie Stewart ( I assume is the professor of the course) have been given the task of reading her article, " (25 years ago) The First School One-to-One Laptop Program". Fortunately, I am able to join in on this chat even though I am not in the course. This is an amazing opportunity that is available because of MOOCs and this is only one example of what this forum can provide. However, I do not think that this is something that I could use as an elementary educator with my students. There is great conversation that takes place in a MOOC but I do think that it is more appropriate for older students ( high school and above).”

I tried to interact with other members in #CLMOOC and on Twitter this week and while I still feel like I have a lot to learn, I definitely feel more comfortable joining in on conversations and utilizing the Social Media sites for resources. I, also, spent a lot more time researching different websites and applications this week than creating actual artifacts. As I progress through this course I find myself wanting to invest more time in projects I can eventually bring into my classroom and read insightful articles that will allow me to become an even more effective teacher. I also started to consider how I could use and embed the new tools and resources that I have learned about in my current units and lesson plans. Questions that I pondered this week are: * Which tools are most user-friendly for students * Which tools are worth spending money on so that I can explore all of the features? * How can I embed these tools and social media into my current curriculum?

I started week 4 by researching several different animation tools. It became immediatel obvious to me that most of the animation tools cost some amount of money in order to download them. I enjoyed using Wideo a lot and even though I have to pay to download my video, I can still embed and access the link.

I finished up the week by creating a Powtoon that I hope to use in my final project. Powtoon has a lot of fun features and provides more options for free but there were some glitches along the way (computer froze up in the middle of creating it, program took a while to load as well as input text). Overall, I was happy with the final product.

I would like to revisit Plotagon during week 5 and attempt to create another animated video using that application. The original video I created using Plotagon seems to not be playing anymore and I am not sure if this is an “operator error” or a problem with the program.

I believe I can use the animation programs similarly to the way that I might use and create a Smart Presentation, Powerpoint or Slideshow. In addition, I am not nearly as intimidated by animation apps and actually look forward to using a few of them. I feel like they are a wonderful tool to use to engage or recapture the attention and focus of students.

http://www.powtoon.com/embed/dkswwq2ayDf/

http://www.wideo.co/en/view/10425091437006042861-good-fit-books-intro?from=cp

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Sometimes when I have a lot of work looming ahead of me it is easy to try and do multiple things at once. What I realized is that in the end I have a lot of half-done projects but nothing finalized to share. As I was looking through these Mind Map artworks one in particular stuck out to me. FOCUS! I definitely need to focus. I tend to be somewhat of an abstract person, so graphic organizers like this one work well for me, although I can see how it could look somewhat cluttered to others.

What an awesome website with some very cool pieces of art as well.

http://www.mindmapart.com/

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This is great. Your questions are great and inspired me to do some thinking. Particulary #3. I think that because, as educators, we sometimes struggle with technology we are apprehensive to bring it into our classroom for fear of failure. However, what I am starting to realize is that it is OK to learn alongside my students and oftentimes they can even be a great resource. : )

A Questioning Mindset

For my ED 632 course we had to question our surroundings/jobs/procedures and it made me realize how many things could (and should) be changed, but also how many barriers we have or perceive to change. That said we should always question or risk becoming passive promoters of the status quo. More importantly we should have an open mind to others questions and suggestions.

1.      Why do we use forms and information sheets? How does this shape how we view our students? What does this cause students to become when they do them?

2.      Why do we require new students to attend an on campus orientation? What does this say about how we view our students and their capabilities? How does this define our role in the students time at WOU?

3.      I wonder why we don’t use more online materials, forms, communication, etc with our students? Is it because we don’t think students can handle it or is it because we don’t want to embrace the technology in our office?

4.      Why do we only evaluate students English ability using standardized test scores (other university offer other ways)? How does this affect our students? How does this impact the types of students we drawn in? Is it an actual representation of ability?

Image from http://www.mindmapart.com/?s=open+mind Possible resource for a make?

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Made a little video : )

Very cool app... once I got the hang of the features it was pretty easy!

http://www.wideo.co/view/10425091437006042861?from=cp

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Review of “Are Web 2.0 tools designed to support learning?“ by Geeta Bose

I enjoyed reading this article but what I mostly found interesting was the embedded link that directs you to a list of the Top 100 Tools for Learning. The list was created in 2008 and while many of the Web 2.0 tools listed are still currently popular some of them are obviously dated. After I noticed this, I checked the date of the article and it was written in 2009. It made me start to think about how Geeta was, perhaps, a very forward thinking individual. As stated in the article, when Web 2.0 tools first came on the scene, they weren’t intended to be used for training purposes but definitely had the capability to be. The current course I am taking has absolutely opened my eyes to the many ways I can utilize a wide variety of tools!

http://www.slideshare.net/janehart/top-100-tools-for-learning2008-presentation?type=powerpoint

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ThingLink Article

I especially enjoyed the ThingLink article from this weeks readings... it inspired me to “remediate” my current ThingLink and make it even better.

http://www.web2teachingtools.com/support-files/thinglink_73pluswaystousethinglinkintheclassroom.pdf

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.@winnergirl4universe I fixed it! : )

http://www.flippity.net/qs.asp?k=1XMtz4a7JWohgessbUVNKYIfaGt6CrxznoL1UX1Oek3U.

Big Bummer!

Well… it was bound to happen… I spent a ton of time making a really cool game on flippity.net but cannot seem to open it on either of my laptops (work and personal). Feel like I wasted a bunch of time but I guess that goes with the territory. If, by chance, you are able to open this game I would love to know : ).

http://www.flippity.net/qs.asp?k=1XMtz4a7JWohgessbUVNKYIfaGt6CrxznoL1UX1Oek3U

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Did it just continue loading? Because I just found out that because I erased a column it won't work :(

Big Bummer!

Well… it was bound to happen… I spent a ton of time making a really cool game on flippity.net but cannot seem to open it on either of my laptops (work and personal). Feel like I wasted a bunch of time but I guess that goes with the territory. If, by chance, you are able to open this game I would love to know : ).

http://www.flippity.net/qs.asp?k=1XMtz4a7JWohgessbUVNKYIfaGt6CrxznoL1UX1Oek3U

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Week #3 Reflection

This week I focused on a professional development challenge I am experiencing. What immediately came to my mind was the fact that I have all of these wonderful ideas of how I can integrate technology into instruction but do not have access to the tools needed in some cases. I am fortunate, however, to have a Smartboard and a school with a computer lab, thus if I use my time and resources wisely I can incorporate technology and media tools in many ways. As I researched social media tools and applications, I made a point of considering how I could use this tool in a lesson with the resources I, currently, have available to me.

The first application that appealed to me was Popplet. This is an app that can be downloaded on a tablet (Android or Ipad) and allows the user to create a graphic organizer, specifically a web chart. The instructional coach at my school has 8 Ipads available for use to any teacher interested in using them. Assuming that these will still be available next year, I would absolutely use these 8 Ipads in small groups. Expert groups could use them during GLAD lessons (instructional strategy integrating literacy, ELD and another content area such as Science) in lieu of making an anchor chart. Ideally, if time allows I would have students use the Ipads first and then create their final copy on an anchor chart. I might also use this app with my ELLs for small group word work.

The next application that I experimented with was Bitstrips. I have seen these posted on Facebook for quite some time mainly for the purpose of being humorous. I did find this enjoyable but was stuck when thinking about how I might be able to use this application in the classroom. After creating a few Bitstrips of my own with me as the character focus I realized that the categories to choose from when creating my own Bitstrip all contained an emotion and feeling word (i.e. Annoyed, Happy, Surprised, Stressed, etc.). The idea that came to mind was possibly using this app as a tool for a student who struggles with behavior, anxiety or even possibly a tool I could use with my autistic students. I would have them create their own avatar and then, perhaps, give them some time at the end of the day or when they are struggling throughout the day to create a comic that shows how they are feeling and opens up a dialogue for discussion. This is something that I can see being an incentive for a student struggling with behavior as well.

The #CLMOOC has been an awesome yet intimidating arena in cyberspace for me and last week I noticed that the Make Cycle #2 was being called remediation. I came to learn that this meant taking a “Make” I have already created and changing it in some way. I looked through a few Remediations from some of the people I am following on Twitter and I particularly enjoyed viewing creation done by @deannamascle. She used a collage app called Photo Lab to remediate some of her Bitstrips. I absolutely love collage apps and just recently finished creating some Bitstrips so I thought I would give this a try as well. I took my Bitstrips and uploaded them into the app and chose a butterfly layout. The end result had somewhat of a poetic feel even though it was comics used instead of text. I was thinking that I could use the Bitstrip idea explained above but on Friday of each week the student could use that weeks Bitstrips and make a collage out of them. This would give an overall picture of how their week went. It seems like a lot of work and training to actually get this process flowing smoothly and for the primary grades this might, very well, be the case. However, I believe that it would be very feasible to train a 5th grader to become comfortable with this process.

Creating a GIF was, also, something I wanted to try and figure out this week. The process of creating a GIF wasn’t necessarily difficult but finding a program that allowed me to add text on my GIF was, actually, somewhat hard to find. I ended up using www.gifyoutube.com. There isn’t a lot of options for adding text to the GIF but it was the only user-friendly website that I could find that allowed for this option. I would use GIFs and Memes in the classroom for engagement purposes but have not been able to come up with a better way to integrate these social media tools.

Finally, the last social media app that I spent a significant amount of time on was Flippity.net. The topic of #CLMOOCs Make Cycle for week 3 was incorporating gaming into the classroom and this inspired me to find the best game that I could create and use with my Smartboard. I put quite a bit of thought into this game that resembles Jeopardy but unfortunately am currently unable to open it. I will continue to work with it and, hopefully, will be able to obtain positive results at some point. With so many available options available to me, I am not surprised that I ran into a technical issue but it is still disappointing.

Overall, I have spent a lot of time this week thinking about how I can use the resources and tools I have available to me in the best possible way. I have come up with some great ideas and am, very much, looking forward to putting them to use in the upcoming school year.

http://www.flippity.net/qs.asp?k=1XMtz4a7JWohgessbUVNKYIfaGt6CrxznoL1UX1Oek3U