We Have to Stop Pretending

Recently, I received this invitation from Dave Kimball, via Twitter. You can find Dave's response to the prompt here, and to learn more about the origin of the challenge, check Scott McLeod's post.

Basically, the We Have to Stop Pretending challenge asks participants to pass along 5 thoughts on the topic and then to tag another 5 people to keep up the momentum.

I am going to do this cold, not looking at what others have already said, but will surely look later.

In education, we have to stop pretending:

1) That a child's home life and socio-economic status are not significant factors in a child's readiness to learn and succeed in school;
2) That students who speak a second language and come to the USA from other countries with different cultures will miraculously integrate into our educational system;
3) That comparing students' educational levels to those of students' in other countries where very different variables exist makes sense;
4) That music, art, and physical education are not just as important as other subject areas such as math and English/language arts; and
5) That schools are not becoming reflections of the unfortunate violence we find surrounding us in society and the world at-large.

I pass along the challenge of We Have to Stop Pretending to these five connected educators who make a difference in a student's life every day, knowing they'll accept the challenge and write a blog post and tag 5 others.

Marialice Curran @mbfxc
Sarah Thomas  @sarahdateechur  
Starr Sackstein @mssackstein
Scott Boylen @iowasboy
Paul Solarz @paulsolarz

Follow along on Twitter #makeschooldifferent to find others' responses to this challenge.

Students Create Weekly Newsletters Using Digital Storytelling App

I came across this example of how one class uses the Shadow Puppet app to create weekly newsletters about what is going on in the classroom. Thought it was interesting to see how digital tools were used to communicate with parents and how students took ownership of the process.



The Shadow Puppet was created by Mrs. Weber's 2nd grade class.

Thanks to Mrs. Weber's 2nd graders for sharing this. Hope others consider the possibilities of using digital storytelling and apps like Shadow Puppet in this way. Big fan of Shadow Puppet, and recommend educators sign up for the educator's account.

How Well Are We Preparing Students For the World in Which They Will Live?

Over the last month or so, these images have been floating around on Twitter and other social media, and at this point, the original source for all is not known.

Thought I would share them with you, as each asks us to re-examine our teaching and how we prepare students today for what lies ahead for them.

http://www.edudemic.com/new-skills-world-looking/

Which of these images speak to you and how?

Celebrating the Year

As the school year ending is drawing closer and closer, it's time once again to think of how to celebrate your students' accomplishments. Digital tools are just one of many options. Animoto is an excellent tool for making quick video celebrations. If you're a teacher, be sure to use the Free Animoto Educator account when signing up, so you can make longer videos than the 30- second ones that come with a regular free account. Use this link if you need to create your educator account.

 Open An Educator's Animoto account

Here are some examples of Animotos.  I created the first three for courses I teach. The last four feature young children and celebrate camp and field trip experiences. You can view these videos full-screen, using that option (see full-screen icon, lower right corner of each video).

As one of my courses comes to a close, I like to create a recap to show at our last class. I have used Animoto in combination with a slide program to create these videos, which showcase the topics students selected for their research study proposals.

Ending a Course

This one is from an 8-week course taught in fall 2013. Interestingly, one of the students in the course also chose Animoto as a way to present her own final project.

Educational Research, Multiple Intelligences Class, Our Topics


 Educational Research

I just finished teaching the same course in an 8-week format and created this one. Although Animoto allows for creating text right within the program, I prefer to use a slide program and (1) insert in each slide an image with accompanying text, (2) screen capture the slides as images, and (3) upload a full set of images into Animoto, which then creates the video mix.

Educational Research, Multiple Intelligences, Our Topics




International Dot Day: Cross-Class Trading Cards

This additional one was created based on a joint cross-class project done between elementary school students in Maryland and graduate students at University of Saint Joseph. The video was created to celebrate the conclusion to a project we did with trading cards in celebration of International Dot Day. We actually exchanged our cards through regular US mail, and I did a Skype with the Maryland students to connect in person. You can read more about the Skype and the trading card project at this blog post. Skype for Dot Day




International Dot Day Trading Card Project

Summer Camp

Each summer my niece is a counselor at summer camp for small children who sign up to attend on a weekly basis. At the end of each week, on Fridays, a performance is held at which the children sing, dance, or do another kind of performance. A video recapping some of the events told through photos is also shown, and Animoto works perfectly for this. Here are some examples.


Summer Camp, 2012


Summer Fun at Hopmeadow


Summer Camp, 2013




Field Trips

I also like these two videos that teachers in the Integrating Technology and Literacy course created to celebrate school field trips, having parental consent to show the children. Although these were not necessarily made at the end of the year, they illustrate ways to use Animoto to celebrate special school events.


Auer Farm



My Animoto Video

Flander's Nature Center



My Animoto Video


You can also upload Animoto videos to other sites such as Facebook and YouTube, which is another way to share with parents and others.

As the month of May draws closer  an end, what are some ideas you have for using Animoto or similar programs to reflect on the year? What videos could you make to celebrate students' accomplishments or events that transpired during the year?

You Love Coffee, Try EdCafe

Listen to Katrina Kennett explain the EdCafe model, a great way to engage students in the learning and leadership process. Given she is the pro at explaining the process, I will just pass the baton to her without further ado.




Now that you heard and seen the demo and explanation, what do you think? How do you see this model as applicable in the classroom or for other learning environments?

Look What These Kindergarteners Did with iPads

You all know the story If You Give a Cookie to a Mouse. Well, take a look at this Little Bird Tale to see what happens when you give kindergarteners an iPad. Click on the image to view the kindergarteners' story of what they accomplished with their iPads. Their story, "If You Give Kindergarteners an iPad," is both amusing and enlightening, and also reminds us of how given the technology tools and a teacher willing to integrate the tools well, what young children can accomplish. We can stretch their literacy skills as far as possible when we put the tools in their hands and plan our lesson well. This Little Bird Tale illustrates not only effective use of iPads, but also the value of using a tool such as Little Bird Tales for students to create their own books.

• Click to view my tale.
• 

Do You Know About BiblioNasium?

I heard about this site, but when one of my former students, a middle school special education teacher, ready to go off to Argentina, to teach there, recommended it, I decided to look into it. After I did, I was convinced it was an excellent site to engage students in reading and sharing what they are reading.

I even set up a site myself to explore how the tool works. Here is a glimpse into what I have so far, but I invite you to check out BiblioNasium for yourself, and set up a site for your class regardless of the age of the students you teach.

If you work with young students who are not yet reading, you can post on your site picture books you recommend for parents to read aloud at home or share with parents the ones you are already reading aloud in the classroom. If you work with older students, set up a class account, where students can post what they are reading, write reviews, make recommendations, and add books to a wish list. This truly is an interactive site that engages students in the reading, writing, and information literacy processes.

I love this site, and it makes me wish I were teaching students grades PreK through 8th grade, although I did start to set up a site for EDUC 584 just to experiment with the tools. I found the site user-friendly and liked its search box feature and links to "Resources," which includes a full list of Newberry Award winners.

I have also seen rave reviews about the site from teachers. Here are just a few Twitter tweets to give you an idea of teacher reactions.

Add caption

And here is a video I found in the School Library Journal's review of the site, which you can also read: "BibliorNassium, Social Reading for Kids."




Have you heard of the site? Would you consider checking it out and using it with students?

"This Is The Best Video I’ve Seen On Perseverance & Resilience: “There’s no dishonor in having a disability”

I found this video from a tweet posted by St. Louis, MO School District Curriculum Coordinator Justin Tarte who came across it on Larry Ferrzzano's blog, and it is really worth passing along. Feel free to share with others, and if appropriate to share with your students for discussion, a writing prompt, or an introduction to unit of study. It is also a great motivational video to show students the value of persistence and resilience. Let me know what you think after you watch it, and thanks to Justin and Larry for spreading around this video, which has already had over 23,000 views on YouTube. Larry also posted on his blog a link to a lesson plan for using the video with students, and I will be including that link as well.



Here is a link the lesson plan which is sponsored by the TED-ED Lessons Worth Sharing Site: There’s no dishonor in having a disability - Steven Claunch

Cranes for Peace: A Global Project

Once we introduce technology in our classrooms and schools, we open up opportunities for students to collaborate in ways unfathomable before. One excellent example is a quad blogging. The Cranes 4 Peace Blog, a collaborative project, follows this format, with students from countries around the world contributing to a common blog. Here is an image from just one of the posts on the blog,

http://cranes4peace.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/st-thomas-more-cps-peace-cranes/

Check the About page for the project, and then go to the blog itself, The Cranes 4 Peace, to see what the children in this collaborative blog are posting.

http://cranes4peace.wordpress.com/about/

Take some time to look. Don't rush. Leave your comments on this post after you've looked around. Have you gotten any inspiration from The Cranes 4 Peace blog? Would you consider implementing a similar project in your school?

See this website to learn more about the Peace Crane Project. The site will offer ideas for ways you can celebrate in your own schools and bring awareness to world peace.

Here is a video about the project:





For more information about the International Day of Peace, celebrated, Sept. 21, 2013, also  check this website: International Day of Peace, Education for Peace.

Special Education Resources for Teachers and Others

We all teach students with special needs whether we are certified special education teachers or teachers working with students in our classes who have special needs. Here are some resources I recently discovered.

• How Technology is Being Used in Special Education (from Edudemic, includes a helpful infographic)
• On Special Education, an Education Week blog
• Keep Students with Special Needs Safe from Bullying (U. S. Dept. of Ed.)
• U.S. Department of Education Video: It Only Gets Better is embedded below

• 10 Things You Need to Know About LD Evaluation
• Parent Toolkit: Bullying, What's A Parent to Do
• Student's Guide to the IEP
• Accommodations and Modifications in an IEP
• Dyslexia Insight #2: The Best Way to Start a Conversation about Dyslexia  (Also, see how the article's author used Dragon Speak Naturally to help with writing the text)
• Special Needs Digest is a blog that posts information and news daily of interest to the special needs community
• Best Rated Apps for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis
• 13 Free Assistive Technology Resources

Thanks to Melissa Taylor for sharing many of the above resources on Google+.

What are some of your favorite resources for special education teachers? What tech tools do you find most helpful for students with special needs? Which of the above resources were most helpful to you?

Who Will Be My Hero?

This video was produced by students from Waxahachie Independent School District, TX, and the questions it asks are ones for teachers to consider. Thought I would share it with you for reactions.




The video was released just 4 days ago on YouTube and has had over 4,700 views as of today.

First Weeks of School

http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2013/08/back-to-school-week-first-graders.html

Lots of teachers and educators have been sharing ideas for the first days and weeks back to school. Here are some.

1. Beginning the School Year, "It's About Connections, Not Content," written by Jackie Gerstein, offers lots of neat creative ideas to point the focus on the students and them connecting with one another. I love her suggestions. Do you?
2. Live Binder is an online tool for collecting resources in folders for easy accessibility. In this Live Binder, "First Five Days," assembled by talented teacher Joy Kirr, you'll find a bundle of ideas. To use the Binder, note tabs across the top; each opens a binder with resources. 
3. "You Only Get One First Day of School" despite its title offers tips for the first few days. 
   
4. Erin Olson's blog post "First Day, First Week" offers several ways to greet students the first few days. 
   
5. Katrina Schwartz's "10 Ideas to Get those Back-to-School Juices Flowing" is not just for the first dew days but for any time of the year.  Each heading is a hyperlink to access additional ideas. For instance, the heading "Why Read Reading Aloud"  leads to details about this strategy.
6. "How to Tackle Digital Citizenship During the First Five Days" helps with developing school climate and classroom atmosphere for tech use and in general. 
7. The "Brave" video is an excellent discussion starter, especially for students in upper grades. 
8. First Five Days video produced at Alan November's Building Learning Communities is embedded here.
9. "
10. School Year Hopes" is another post about setting a positive classroom climate. 
11. "A Must Watch Back to School Video Guide" showcases eight videos, both for teachers and students.
12. One of my favorite teacher blogs for finding ideas to implement in the classroom, especially at the elementary school level, is Pernille Ripp's Blogging in the Fourth Dimension. Just recently, she posted: "Small Reading Ideas," with lots of small ideas but really they are big ideas with lots of potential to add to your classroom and students' interest in reading.

Looking for more places to find additional ideas, use this hashtag to search on Twitter, and check the feed over the next few weeks for ideas. #1st5days Twitter remains an excellent way to keep current and spread your wings for professional development and forming a personal learning network (PLN). Here is a screen capture of some tweets found on #1st5 days.

Don't forget to share your own ideas for the opening of school and getting to know students and parents, and to let us know which ones of the ideas explored above appeal to you.

What Students Want Schools to Be

This video was made by high school students describing what schools should be like. It was posted by Amy Burvall in a Google Community to which I belong: The Educational Technology MOOC. Take a look at the video. Would you consider making a video such as this one with students you know? Why not try it? Based on grade level, how do you think the responses would vary? What might elementary school students say? What about middle school students? These are high school students in this video. What about college students? Undergraduates? Graduate students? You, in this course? In fact, what do you think graduate school should be? Should we record your responses? Do we listen to our students enough about what schools should be like?

Required Reading

In class this week, in one section of Integrating and Technology, we discussed whether the 4th grader of today will be writing the standard research paper when she enters college in the next decade. This article from The New York Times, "Education Needs a Digital Upgrade," suggests we are teaching students for a world that we don't yet know exists. We can't predict the jobs our young children will have in the future. We don't even know what these jobs will be.

To quote from the article, "According to Cathy N. Davidson, co-director of the annual MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning Competitions, fully 65 percent of today's grade-school kids may end up doing work that hasn't been invented yet." In her book, Now You See It, Davidson urges teachers to stop teaching according to the Industrial Age model.  

The contemporary American classroom, with its grades and deference to the clock, is an inheritance from the late 19^th century.

She claims that the standard research paper assignment, popular in college classrooms, not only yields awful results, but is not even representative of the students' talents.

Check the article, "Education Needs a Digital Upgrade." In addition to what the title suggests, Davidson advocates for a whole new approach to education, not just in terms of technology tools. Do you agree with the statements Davidson makes? If so, with which assertions? In what directions do you believe education should be heading?

Down and Up the Slope of Challenges

Keeping up with technology and the new tools can be a challenge. But watch how this 4th grader dealt with the challenge of ski slope. Plus, tech challenges have no broken bones.


Okay, now you should be ready for the challenges of using tech tools and integrating them into your teaching, right?

Empowering Students with Google Docs

The Ning Classroom 2.0 featured a video of an 8th grade language arts class using Web 2.0 tools to engage and empower students and promote literacy skills.

I have embedded the video because it offers firsthand experience of what the students are doing in the classroom and in particular how they use Google Docs to enhance their literacy skills.

What is your response to the video?

Find more videos like this on Classroom 2.0