Assessing Meaningful Learning

I love the power of rubrics.  I think they are an excellent communication tool.  In class, the students and I write them together to make sure that my expectations are clear.  This also allows them a chance to say what they think is the most important.  This shared activity gives both of us ownership of the process, the learning, and the product.

As another assessment tool, we use clickers quite a bit in class.  Many times, I have pulled out the CPS units (clickers) to do a quick check of where everyone is on a TEK.  It is great because even kids who aren't sure about their response (and would never answer out in class) feel comfortable to click the remote and enter their answer.  I love that I can check all answers and reteach if needed.  It is also very nice to let something else do the grading!  :)

I have not used Kidspiration or Inspiration in a few years.  After looking over the website, it looks like they have made some adjustments.  I want to spend more time playing with it and see how we can incorporate it into our curriculum.

Having a wide variety of assessment tools is a great way to spark new creativity.  It also give students a choice.  I love giving them an expectation and letting them choose how they want to proceed.  Many times, their ideas are far grander and and more wonderful than I ever could have created.

Wow!  Our last blog post!  This class has seemed like a whirlwind of activity.  However, I needed this refresher before I welcome kids back into my classroom on the 25th.  So many of these tools we have used and are currently using at school.  However, my mind has been challenged to find new ways to use them.  I want to encourage them to blog and tweet with me.  I want to see collaboration and creativity used in Voice Thread.  I plan to show them Prezi as an option of a project product.  I can't wait to see what they do with it.   We will continue to use Wordles and Google because I love all of the possibilities with both of those.   This class has been a welcome refresher for this veteran teacher.  I am excited about the 2014-2015 school year and the wonderful possibilities that the Web 2.0 tools have to offer my children.

Technology Application Standards

I will teach Elementary School (4th grade) Self Contained.

Under "Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills by Chapter", the following TEKS are listed as our 4th grade Technology Applications.

126.7. Technology Applications, Grades 3-5, Beginning with School Year 2012-2013.

(a) Introduction.

(1) The technology applications curriculum has six strands based on the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS•S) and performance indicators developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE): creativity and innovation; communication and collaboration; research and information fluency; critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making; digital citizenship; and technology operations and concepts.

(2) Through the study of the six strands in technology applications, students use creative thinking and innovative processes to construct knowledge and develop products. Students communicate and collaborate both locally and globally to reinforce and promote learning. Research and information fluency includes the acquisition and evaluation of digital content. Students develop critical-thinking, problem- solving, and decision-making skills by collecting, analyzing, and reporting digital information. Students  practice digital citizenship by behaving responsibly while using technology tools and resources. Through the study of technology operations and concepts, students learn technology related terms, concepts, and data input strategies.

(3) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.

            (b) Knowledge and skills.

(1) Creativity and innovation. The student uses creative thinking and innovative processes to construct knowledge and develop digital products. The student is expected to:

         (A) create original products using a variety of resources;

         (B) analyze trends and forecast possibilities, developing steps for the creation of an innovative process or product; and

         (C) use virtual environments to explore systems and issues.

(2) Communication and collaboration. The student collaborates and communicates both locally and globally using digital tools and resources to reinforce and promote learning. The student is expected to:

         (A) draft, edit, and publish products in different media individually and collaboratively;

         (B) use font attributes, color, white space, and graphics to ensure that products are appropriate for multiple communication media, including monitor display, web, and print;

         (C) collaborate effectively through personal learning communities and social environments;

          (D) select and use appropriate collaboration tools;

          (E) evaluate the product for relevance to the assignment or task; and

          (F) perform basic software application functions, including opening applications and creating, modifying, printing, and saving files.

(3) Research and information fluency. The student acquires and evaluates digital content. The student is expected to:

          (A) use various search strategies such as keyword(s); the Boolean identifiers and, or, and not; and other strategies appropriate to specific search engines;

          (B) collect and organize information from a variety of formats, including text, audio, video, and graphics;

          (C) validate and evaluate the relevance and appropriateness of information; and (D) acquire information appropriate to specific tasks.

 (4) Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. The student researches and evaluates projects using digital tools and resources. The student is expected to:

           (A) identify information regarding a problem and explain the steps toward the solution;

           (B) collect, analyze, and represent data to solve problems using tools such as word processing, databases, spreadsheets, graphic organizers, charts, multimedia, simulations, models, and programming languages;

           (C) evaluate student-created products through self and peer review for relevance to the assignment or task; and

           (D) evaluate technology tools applicable for solving problems.

(5) Digital citizenship. The student practices safe, responsible, legal, and ethical behavior while using digital tools and resources. The student is expected to:

      (A) adhere to acceptable use policies reflecting positive social behavior in the digital environment;

      (B) respect the intellectual property of others;

      (C) abide by copyright law and the Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia; 

      (D) protect and honor the individual privacy of oneself and others;

      (E) follow the rules of digital etiquette;
      (F) practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology; and
      (G) comply with fair use guidelines and digital safety rules.

(6) Technology operations and concepts. The student demonstrates knowledge and appropriate use of technology systems, concepts, and operations. The student is expected to:

      (A) demonstrate an understanding of technology concepts, including terminology for the use of operating systems, network systems, virtual systems, and learning systems appropriate for Grades 3-5 learning;

       (B) manipulate files using appropriate naming conventions; file management, including folder structures and tagging; and file conversions;

       (C) navigate systems and applications accessing peripherals both locally and remotely;

       (D) troubleshoot minor technical problems with hardware and software using available resources such as online help and knowledge bases; and

       (E) use proper touch keyboarding techniques and ergonomic strategies such as correct hand and body positions and smooth and rhythmic keystrokes.

(Source:  Texas Education Agency at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/)

 

In my opinion, I feel like the 4.2 Communication and Collaboration TEKS are extremely important  because my 4th graders need to be taught how to communicate and collaborate effectively.  They also need to use technology to practice those skills.  I am so excited about some of the new technology that we have learned in this class because it will give my students a chance to practice all of the Technology Application TEKS.   I want to make them more aware of TEKS 4.5 A-G about digital citizenship.  They need to know what is expected of them as they use the web.  They need to understand that there are rules that exist for their safety.  Another set of TEKS that will be throughly investigated is 4.4 A-D because they should be problem solvers.  They need to make decisions while they are deciding which product to create or which software to use.  They will evaluate each other and help each other create better products that meet the 21st century standards!

We have a weekly computer lab time in which the students do a wide variety of things from research to keyboarding practice to Edmodo.  We have three student computers in our room, and thanks to Donors Choose, we have 3 iPads in our room for student use.  Therefore, we use technology a whole lot.  My kids have projects that they have to complete that include social studies TEKS, language arts TEKS, and technology application TEKS.  I want the students to become proficient users of prezi this year!  I am excited to see what they do.  I also want them to blog about various things going on in our classroom and school, books they are reading, and projects they are working on.  This class has really energized me for the new school year.  I can't wait to see what all we accomplish.  I will be sure to put links to what we get done on this blog, so you can come back and look if you would like to.

Visualizing Technology

  I have seen many students shut down when they couldn't get their ideas from their head to a piece of paper.  Many times their hands just won't create what they "see" in their minds.  These tools help students represent their thinking in a visual way.  They give them the independence and alleviate their feelings of frustration and inadequacy.  These technologies can be used across the content areas.  The chapter had some great ideas for mathematical representations.  I want to look into TinkerPlots.  I think my 4th graders would love to use these with our new TEKS about the dot plot graph.  We use digital cameras throughout the school for a wide variety of reasons.  It is always so fun to see the kids perspective through their photography.  Videos are another fun technology to incorporate into class.  We have TEKS that cover weather maps and predictions.  After studying the maps and symbols, students become the meteorologists and make a video of their forecasts.  They love this activity.Since two of my coworkers and myself are the robotics coaches, we have gotten to know a wonderful lady who works for Lego Education.  We were asked to pilot their Story Starters kits several years ago. These kits are wonderful for digital story telling.  We used Lego's software and the iMotion app to capture images and put them together into stop motion videos.  The creativity that pours out of my 9 and 10 year olds is awesome!!  We also did a school wide film festival to raise money to buy iPads.  Each class had to create a short video/film.  We released them through YouTube and people voted on their favorites by making donations to that classroom.  The classrooms that got over $1,000 earned an iPad mini to keep in their room.  The money that was raised was used to buy more iPad minis for the library to check out to teachers and students.  This was an awesome fundraiser!  We were able to get some great technology, and the kids loved, loved, loved making and watching the videos.  

As you can imagine, I love being able to visualize with technologies!  I love the freedom that they give the students!  I love that learning can be clearer, and the pictures in their mind are easier to represent using technology.  The world is constantly changing, and I feel we have to change the classroom, too.  The possibilities are as wide as our imaginations!  Students just need time and tools to create the magic.

Having a way to show their thinking, enables them to make deeper connections to the content.  Being able to show these connections visually to other students makes it not just about learning the TEK, but using the knowledge to create, empower, and teach each other.  I think that's pretty powerful stuff!  Visualizing with Technologies doesn't just impact the learning process it changes it to a richer, more meaningful experience.

Podcasting

1.   What did you learn about Podcasting? How it can be used in the classroom?                     I have watched personal podcasts for a few years.  I subscribe to a couple of photography ones and our church does podcasts of their messages, so I subscribe to theirs.  However, I have never thought to look up ones for school. I just spent some time on iTunes looking up education stuff.  I found one by Grammar Girl. 

There are several for Elementary Schools.  I would LOVE to create one for our school.  I can see using this for student products like book trailers.  I also have had students who need repeated review and/or reteach of concepts like the steps of long division.  A podcast would be a great way for students to review content that they aren’t quite sure of or missed during class.  I think using podcasts in this way would be extremely beneficial!

2.   How is Podcasting different / similar to other Web 2.0 applications we discussed so far?  Podcasting is more one-sided than some of the Web 2.0 tools.  I definitely think that podcasting has its place in the classroom, but it would better serve as review/reteach, presentation, or product.  Many of the Web 2.0 tools were interactive.  To me, a podcast doesn’t allow this.  It is the kind of thing that you watch, learn, and move on.  It doesn’t allow for collaboration like Voice Thread. 

The way they are similar is that both of them allow the students the freedom to learn and present their information, understanding, or comprehension of content in a unique way.  All of them reach multiple intelligences and encourage higher blooms strategies to create their own products. 

3.  Your reflection: Do you own an iPod or MP3 player? How do you use it? Would you use it in your classroom and how? What do you think about the advantages and disadvantages of online communication tools?

I do own an iPod.  I primarily use it for music, videos, and podcasts.  Now that I have the iPhone and an iPad, my iPod isn’t used as much as it used to be.    I had not thought about taking it to my class, but my thoughts are changing. 

I had a student a few years ago who was Autistic.  He needed the steps to multi-step problems repeated over and over.  As a staff, we talked about making videos for him to watch.  However, we never got them done.  The SPED teacher and I would sit with him, while the rest of the class was working, to go through the steps.  We also taught him pneumonics to help him remember.  However, I wish I had made a podcast station for him to tune in to and watch the videos.  I am challenged to do this for my future students. 

I can imagine that podcasts would benefit a wide variety of students.  The advantages are endless, and I can’t really predict a disadvantage as long as everything was secure and safe.

Web 2.0 Applications

My understanding of Web 2.0 tools:

I have tried to get my team to do Wikis, but we didn’t do too well with it.  One of the struggles in education is getting people who have been teaching for a long time to change their ways and try new things.  I thought Wikis would help our team planning and communication, but we didn’t end up using it very much due to others who wouldn’t participate. 

I love social bookmarking.  I use Pinterest all the time!  I have professional and personal pins!  It is a great way to keep up with things that you love on the internet!  It has replaced some of my idea notebooks.  I hadn’t heard of some of the other ones.  I plan to spend some time on delicio.us, Diigo, Yahoo Bookmarks, and Blogmarks this summer to see if they are something I wantto use with my kids.

Voice thread is completely new to me!  I love that it is cloud based and use images, videos, documents as well as voice notes.  I am so excited about learning about this multimedia slideshow.

How can they benefit/impact today’s education?

I have thought about using Wiki with my students, but I hadn’t tried it, yet.  However, I think for a team it is a valuable tool.  I love that I can put stuff on there and others can immediately access it.  We do use Google Docs quite a bit, and that is very close to the Wikis.  We have a social book marking site for our school called ikeepbookmarks.com.  We can up load sites that we want our kids to use, and pin them to that one site.  However, I really like how pinterest uses images to give you an idea of what the page is about.  I want to play more with the others to see if I like them better.  Voice thread is a fabulous idea!  I can see using it for a problem solving station where kids record their thoughts on how to solve the problem.  I could also see it as a station in language arts.  I could put a piece of poetry on there, and the students could add images and their thoughts about inferences or understanding.  My mind is racing with ideas!  I truly hope I can get that up and running before school starts!   I am getting more excited with every assignment!

I know that technology has changed the schools in the last 16 years that I have been in the classroom.  I am sure that in the years to come it will continue to change.  We have to find ways to incorporate these Web 2.0 applications in order to build a student who is a 21st century learner!

Original Copyrights, Fair Use, Cyberbullying, & Netiquette Blog Posting

What did I learn?

As a school staff, we have to do the acceptable use policy course every year.  We have to go through training about what is and isn't allowed in the classroom.   So, we are very aware of the dangers that our students face and the dangers of using things that aren't allowed.  However, I have never seen netsmartz.org.  I plan on sharing that website with my co-workers, students, and parents.   I also loved the cheat sheet for teachers!  I plan on sharing that as well!  The Reproduction of Copyrighted Works

by Educators and Librarians had a lot of valuable information about what we can and cannot copy for our classroom.  I love having this article because I haven’t had anything in print that states exactly what we are allowed to copy.  I have printed it and added it to my files.

How do I feel about it? 

My second job is photography.  I have many friends in the business.  Some of them have released pictures and had someone come along and use those pictures without permission. Though it is an honor that someone loves your work, it is heartbreaking to see it used without permission.  The reason I mention this is because it reminds me of how designers, musicians, photographers, etc. must feel when someone uses their work without buying rights or having permission.  It makes me realize how much more aware of this that I want to be.  I am already careful, but I want to make sure I cover my basis and get things the correct way.

Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians.  The Library of Congress. 101  Independence Avenue, SE. Washington, DC. November 2009. 14 July 2014.   

MAPping Information

Before the MAPping Information Activity

When I was doing my student teaching, I wanted to show my mentor teacher a site about the White House that I wanted to use.  I pulled up the site, and it was NOT about the White House in Washington DC.  It was scantily clad women.  I was shocked and amazed.  I figured out I had used .com instead of .gov.  Thankfully, I only showed my mentor, was able to fix the problem, and lead the kids to the correct site.  WOW!  That was a major learning experience which made me aware that I have to watch the information that my students use in their research and learning. 

Our district, also, has limits in place that keep them from going to certain sites.  However, they still have to be taught to filter through those sites to find who is writing the website and what the author’s purpose is in the site.  

After MAPping Information Activity

I did not know about easywhois.com and archive.com.  I am looking forward to showing the students how to use those two sites.  Another thing I haven’t ever really devoted time to is going over the extensions and what they represent.  I have briefly discussed them, but not in length while giving them the entire list.  This would help them to become educated researchers.  I also think we will compare search engines.  We have never done that.  The students are told that they can’t use google at school. (It’s a district rule).  However, I believe letting the students compare them and come to their own conclusion will help them become better at information gathering.  In short, I am seeing that I need to teach web research with more depth than I have done in the past.

Conclusion

This was a great activity to help us understand the importance of being informed learners.  I encourage my students to constantly seek out truth.  Look to see if they are using primary or secondary sources, etc.  However, I see a real need to look closely at the website that I use and the ones I want my 4^th graders to use.  In fact, I am going to go to my class website and recheck all of the ones I have listed to see who the publisher is and what the purpose is of the website.  This activity has made me question.  I love that!