This is a hot topic for me right now! Teachers feel overwhelmed with the Common Core and when you add the technology integration, they start to panic. My job is to help ease that panic.
Below is one of the excerpts from my Common Core and Technology training I conduct for educators in my district and at conferences.
Enjoy!
Common Core and Technology - Writing Standard #7
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
iPads in the Math Classroom
Quite often I see students using iPads (and technology in general) in the language arts classrooms, but I don't always see it in the math classrooms. Yes, the word "technology" is seen through out the ELA Common Core and not seen through out the Math Common Core, BUT that doesn't mean you can't use technology in math!
So, how can I use an iPad in a math classroom? There are several apps out there that can enhance math standards in the K-6 classroom.
COUNTING AND CARDINALITY
~ Monster Squeeze - This app is by Everyday Mathematics. This app provides two students to practice comparing numbers and working with number line.
OPERATIONS AND ALGEBRAIC THINKING
~ Numbler - This is one of my daughter's new favorite games. This app is just like Scrabble, but with numbers. The player plays against the "computer" to create number sentences using the number tiles provided.
~ Tiny Chicken Learns Math - This is one of the many great apps from Tap to Learn. In this app, Tiny Chicken has to cross obstacles by solving equations.
~ Pick-A-Path - This app is by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Students select a path in order to create a number that meets the target. This app gets harder has you master each level.
NUMBER AND OPERATIONS IN BASE TEN
~ Tiny Chicken Learns Rounding Numbers - Students practice rounding numbers to the ten-thousandth place while helping Tiny Chicken open the vault.
NUMBER AND OPERATIONS - FRACTIONS
~ Virtual Manipulatives - I like this app because it provides students with endless opportunities to practice working with fractions, decimals, and percents.
~ Pizza Fractions - How doesn't love working with pizza? Students can practice their fractions knowledge with pizza.
MEASUREMENT AND DATA
~ Graphs - This app provides both instructional time and practice time. Students can learn about various graphs and then practice what they have learned.
GEOMETRY
~ Geoboard - The name of the app tells you what it can do!
There are also some great general math apps that can fit in any of the domains about.
~ Marble Math & Marble Math Jr - These two apps provide students with a variety of math problems they practice in a pinball type game.
~ Math Champ - I don't know too much about Math Champ, but from what I have read and seen I need to download this app quick!
What apps do you use in the math classroom?
Monday, September 2, 2013
#edtechchat suggestions for PD books
Tonight's #edtechchat topic was all about books! I have to admit, my list of "need to read" is much longer than "have read". I was not able to get EVERY book mentioned, but if you are like me then this list will keep you busy for a while!
What is your favorite book in terms of educational philosophy?
What is your favorite book in terms of educational philosophy?
What is your favorite book in terms of gaining technical competence?
~ The Connected Educator
And don't forget educational blogs!
What is your favorite book in terms of learning methods/processes?
~ The New Social Learning
~ Teach Like a Champion
~ Teach Like a Champion
What is your favorite book in terms of integrating technology into education?
What is the best first book to help someone understand #edtech?
Must have journals...
~ Tech and Learning
~ Learning and Leading
~ District Administrator
~ THE
And don't forget educational blogs!
Sunday, September 1, 2013
blogging in the classroom
The Common Core State Standards have put an emphasis on writing. My daughter, for example, has to write in all of her core subject classes.
One way teachers have integrated writing in the content areas is through a writing journal. Probably the most common way teachers use writing journals in the classroom is with pre-made writing prompts. You can do a search for "writing prompts" and probably be set for life! You have to ask yourself though, are these writing prompts that someone else created benefiting my students.
Writing journals can be used in numerous ways. Students can use writing journals to record science observations and hypotheses for experiments. In math, students can write their thinking or thought process for solving a problem.
One thing these writing journals do not help students with is using technology. Technology is another emphasis you see in the Common Core State Standards. So how can we take the writing journal and make it more Common Core friendly? The answer is the weblog or blog.
A blog is simply an online writing journal. The poster, the one who writes the blog entry, expresses their feelings/thoughts, shares ideas, or just talks about nothing in particular. Blogs can be a collection of entries from one person or multiple people.
The use of blogs in the classroom can be rather beneficial and relatively simple.
The first you need to do is make sure you school district's AUP allows you to incorporate classroom/student blogging. While you are at it, you will want to get some insight into what blogging websites are ok to use in your district. In my district, for example, the teachers incorporate blogging directly within their classroom website. Some districts may allow sites like Word Press, Blogger, or Edublogs. The fun part, for me at least, is creating and decorating your blog. This may be the elementary teacher in me coming out!
Once created, you are ready to start blogging, well almost! This is a great time to talk with your students about digital citizenship and their digital footprint. You want to model, model, model, and model some more about how to blog and respond to comments appropriately. Resources like Common Sense Media can help you with how to talk to your students about digital citizenship and digital footprints.
Ok now you are ready, but what do you want to blog about? What do you want the students to get out of blogging? Do you want your students to respond to a question? Do you want the students to share their writing? Do you want to venture into using blogs in all of your content areas? For my daughter, blogging in the classroom involves responding to a question provided by the teacher. This limits the blog response, but still provides her with the opportunity to express her thoughts in an online format.
So lets get back to the fact the blogging will help with meeting the writing emphasis located in the Common Core State Standards.
Writing Standard #6 (grades K-12)
In this standard, students are to use digital tools to produce and publish writing. By allowing students to create a blog post, they are able to publish writing for varied audiences. You can take this one step further by allowing students to comment on other blog posts. These comments will not be as polished as a post, but it allows the students an opportunity to "write", use a digital tool, and express their thoughts and feelings about someone else's work.
Writing Domain: Text Types and Purposes (grades K-12)
In this standard, students can use the blog to publish their narrative, opinion, or informative writing. This again, allows the students to use a digital tool and gives other students to opportunity to comment on someone else's piece of writing. The comments can't be "I like your story" but rather followed-up with reasons and examples.
Writing Domain: Range of Writing (grades 3-12)
By allowing students to blog, you are providing them the time and opportunity to vary their writing. The above mentioned suggestions provide students with a good range of writing.
Do you allow your students to blog? If the answer is no, then what is stopping you? If you do let your students blog, share your experiences with us!
One way teachers have integrated writing in the content areas is through a writing journal. Probably the most common way teachers use writing journals in the classroom is with pre-made writing prompts. You can do a search for "writing prompts" and probably be set for life! You have to ask yourself though, are these writing prompts that someone else created benefiting my students.
Writing journals can be used in numerous ways. Students can use writing journals to record science observations and hypotheses for experiments. In math, students can write their thinking or thought process for solving a problem.
One thing these writing journals do not help students with is using technology. Technology is another emphasis you see in the Common Core State Standards. So how can we take the writing journal and make it more Common Core friendly? The answer is the weblog or blog.
A blog is simply an online writing journal. The poster, the one who writes the blog entry, expresses their feelings/thoughts, shares ideas, or just talks about nothing in particular. Blogs can be a collection of entries from one person or multiple people.
The use of blogs in the classroom can be rather beneficial and relatively simple.
The first you need to do is make sure you school district's AUP allows you to incorporate classroom/student blogging. While you are at it, you will want to get some insight into what blogging websites are ok to use in your district. In my district, for example, the teachers incorporate blogging directly within their classroom website. Some districts may allow sites like Word Press, Blogger, or Edublogs. The fun part, for me at least, is creating and decorating your blog. This may be the elementary teacher in me coming out!
Once created, you are ready to start blogging, well almost! This is a great time to talk with your students about digital citizenship and their digital footprint. You want to model, model, model, and model some more about how to blog and respond to comments appropriately. Resources like Common Sense Media can help you with how to talk to your students about digital citizenship and digital footprints.
Ok now you are ready, but what do you want to blog about? What do you want the students to get out of blogging? Do you want your students to respond to a question? Do you want the students to share their writing? Do you want to venture into using blogs in all of your content areas? For my daughter, blogging in the classroom involves responding to a question provided by the teacher. This limits the blog response, but still provides her with the opportunity to express her thoughts in an online format.
So lets get back to the fact the blogging will help with meeting the writing emphasis located in the Common Core State Standards.
Writing Standard #6 (grades K-12)
In this standard, students are to use digital tools to produce and publish writing. By allowing students to create a blog post, they are able to publish writing for varied audiences. You can take this one step further by allowing students to comment on other blog posts. These comments will not be as polished as a post, but it allows the students an opportunity to "write", use a digital tool, and express their thoughts and feelings about someone else's work.
Writing Domain: Text Types and Purposes (grades K-12)
In this standard, students can use the blog to publish their narrative, opinion, or informative writing. This again, allows the students to use a digital tool and gives other students to opportunity to comment on someone else's piece of writing. The comments can't be "I like your story" but rather followed-up with reasons and examples.
Writing Domain: Range of Writing (grades 3-12)
By allowing students to blog, you are providing them the time and opportunity to vary their writing. The above mentioned suggestions provide students with a good range of writing.
Do you allow your students to blog? If the answer is no, then what is stopping you? If you do let your students blog, share your experiences with us!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
FETC 2014 HERE I COME!
I am still on Cloud 9 from Friday's FETC workshop acceptance letter! I enjoy presenting and working with teachers during technology conferences! I am a repeat attendee/presenter of MECA, which is the Mississippi Educational Computing Association. This past June, I had the awesome pleasure of attending ISTE and taking in ALL that conference had to offer. Being able to present at and attend FETC, oh man am I excited!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Boys and girls, lets learn the keyboard!
In the Common Core State Standards, we see the word "keyboarding" appear for the first time in the third grade ELA standards.
Writing Standard #6 - (third grade) With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
By the fourth grade, the standard becomes a little more intimidating for teachers and students because of 10 words - type a minimum of one page in a single sitting
Writing Standard #6 - (fourth grade) With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
What do you mean my 4th graders have to type one page in a single sitting?! I can't even type one page in a single sitting half the time! Then you have to wonder, what is considered one page and how long is a single sitting. I wonder if the 1 inch margins and Times New Roman, size 12 is the standard. I am a Comic Sans, size 14 girl myself. :0)
So, what is a teacher to do? Teachers can introduce students to the keyboard! Its not as scary as it sounds, but it does take a little planning and patience. Remember, you didn't start off as a fast typer when your fingers first touched the keyboard .. and neither will your young students!
Students need to have two types of keyboarding activities - formal keyboarding and real world (or authentic) keyboarding. You don't want to focus too heavily on one. If all your students do is real world keyboarding, they may never understand the fundamentals. What is the balance between the two? I don't know. I believe that balance will be different for each group of students.
If you do a Google search for keyboarding activities, you will have an endless list of website to check out. I personally have a two rules for formal keyboarding activity websites.
(1) There can't be so many ads that I can't "see" the keyboarding activity.
(2) The sound can't overpower the activity.
These are some of the formal keyboarding activities that meet my two rules.
~ Typing Web / Typing Ace
These two sites go together. Typing Web is the free version of Typing Ace. Teacher can create classes with individual student logins. The students start with the basics, the home row keys. Teachers can access reports and monitor their students' progress.
~ Typing Club
Typing Club is like Typing Web. There are two additions to Typing Club I do enjoy though. The students can login using the gmail accounts. This is perfect for our district because students in grades 3-12 have gmail accounts through Google Apps for Education. The second thing I enjoy is the students can "play a game" after so many lessons.
~ Peter's Online Typing Course
If you don't want to fool around with student login/password information, you may want to try these typing lessons. There are 16 lessons the students can complete at the leisure and in whatever order they decide. There are some ads, so be careful but the ads don't overpower the keyboarding activities.
If you want just some fun keyboarding games, these are some of my go to resources.
~ ABCYa!
This is an awesome website to begin with, but they have about five keyboarding games for multiple grade levels. I have used the Keyboarding Zoo game with Pre-K students and they loved the activity!
~ Dance Mat Typing
This is another fun keyboarding game that students enjoy using. You don't have any ads and the game keeps their attention!
You can find more keyboarding games on my Pinterest board as well!
Students also need to be involved in real world or authentic keyboarding activities. The Common Core State Standards helps with this within the Writing Standards for all grade levels. Some activities that I see teachers using often include:
~ typing the final draft of a paper or paragraph
~ typing spelling words
~ typing out a science observation
These simple activities allow the students to use the keyboard while working on an academic assignment. This list is rather short, but just about any ELA standard could be incorporated into a real world typing activity.
So, how do you teach and incorporate keyboarding in your classroom? Please share your ideas and thoughts!
Writing Standard #6 - (third grade) With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
By the fourth grade, the standard becomes a little more intimidating for teachers and students because of 10 words - type a minimum of one page in a single sitting
Writing Standard #6 - (fourth grade) With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
What do you mean my 4th graders have to type one page in a single sitting?! I can't even type one page in a single sitting half the time! Then you have to wonder, what is considered one page and how long is a single sitting. I wonder if the 1 inch margins and Times New Roman, size 12 is the standard. I am a Comic Sans, size 14 girl myself. :0)
So, what is a teacher to do? Teachers can introduce students to the keyboard! Its not as scary as it sounds, but it does take a little planning and patience. Remember, you didn't start off as a fast typer when your fingers first touched the keyboard .. and neither will your young students!
Students need to have two types of keyboarding activities - formal keyboarding and real world (or authentic) keyboarding. You don't want to focus too heavily on one. If all your students do is real world keyboarding, they may never understand the fundamentals. What is the balance between the two? I don't know. I believe that balance will be different for each group of students.
If you do a Google search for keyboarding activities, you will have an endless list of website to check out. I personally have a two rules for formal keyboarding activity websites.
(1) There can't be so many ads that I can't "see" the keyboarding activity.
(2) The sound can't overpower the activity.
These are some of the formal keyboarding activities that meet my two rules.
~ Typing Web / Typing Ace
These two sites go together. Typing Web is the free version of Typing Ace. Teacher can create classes with individual student logins. The students start with the basics, the home row keys. Teachers can access reports and monitor their students' progress.
~ Typing Club
Typing Club is like Typing Web. There are two additions to Typing Club I do enjoy though. The students can login using the gmail accounts. This is perfect for our district because students in grades 3-12 have gmail accounts through Google Apps for Education. The second thing I enjoy is the students can "play a game" after so many lessons.
~ Peter's Online Typing Course
If you don't want to fool around with student login/password information, you may want to try these typing lessons. There are 16 lessons the students can complete at the leisure and in whatever order they decide. There are some ads, so be careful but the ads don't overpower the keyboarding activities.
If you want just some fun keyboarding games, these are some of my go to resources.
~ ABCYa!
This is an awesome website to begin with, but they have about five keyboarding games for multiple grade levels. I have used the Keyboarding Zoo game with Pre-K students and they loved the activity!
~ Dance Mat Typing
This is another fun keyboarding game that students enjoy using. You don't have any ads and the game keeps their attention!
You can find more keyboarding games on my Pinterest board as well!
Students also need to be involved in real world or authentic keyboarding activities. The Common Core State Standards helps with this within the Writing Standards for all grade levels. Some activities that I see teachers using often include:
~ typing the final draft of a paper or paragraph
~ typing spelling words
~ typing out a science observation
These simple activities allow the students to use the keyboard while working on an academic assignment. This list is rather short, but just about any ELA standard could be incorporated into a real world typing activity.
So, how do you teach and incorporate keyboarding in your classroom? Please share your ideas and thoughts!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Do you Web 2.0?
I found the best way to grow professionally - every night! I take part in educational Twitter chats throughout the week. So far, I am really enjoying and learning a lot from #edtechchat which occurs every Monday from 7-8 CST and #PATUE which occurs every Tuesday from 7-8 CST. Recently, #MSedchat started - actually it started last week. This chat is every Thursday from 8-9 CST.
This week's #edtechchat was on the topic of Web 2.0 tools. What I loved about this chat, and other chats actually, is the participants didn't start naming ALL the Web 2.0 tools that exist. Rather, we had a discussion about why teachers should use Web 2.0 tools and some obstacles they may need to overcome. The last two questions dealt with what tools we use and what tools we plan to explore this school year.
So, what did I learn?
Web 2.0 tools ...
~ provide students with a way to create, connect, and collaborate.
Tools like ScreenChomp and Educreations on the iPad allow students to create an original work based on a topic. Students can showcase what they have learned through their own thoughts and expressions. Allow students to create something to "show what they know" rather than completing a worksheet provides the teacher with more insight into what the student actually knows and understands. A worksheet just shows the lowest levels of Blooms.
~ should enhance the lesson rather than try to teach the lesson.
Technology can not replace the teacher. Technology can enhance a lesson and provide further learning opportunities. VoiceThread can not teach students about the water cycle, but through the use of VoiceThread, students can learn more about the topic through the eyes and minds of students.
~ need to be cross-platform and easy to understand for both teachers and students.
PC, Mac, iPad, Nook, Kindle - Oh whoa the list can go on and on. Web 2.0 tools need to work on most if not all platforms. This provides all students and all devices the opportunity. This is crucial in BYOD schools. Teachers have to use tools that all students can gain access to and not just a select few.
~ be worth the screen time provided to students.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says children under 2 should not have screen time and children over 2 should have limited screen time, one or two hours a day. Two hours a day may seem like a lot, but that can quickly add up between school and home. If a student spends 30 minutes in a computer lab and another 30 minutes in front of a screen in the classroom that only leaves 60 minutes of screen time at home. Sixty minutes is two Disney cartoons. That doesn't even take into account mobile devices, game consoles, etc. Teacher MUST select the Web 2.0 tools they select for students wisely. Don't let the students play on a mindless math game for 30 minutes. Put their minds to work by creating a graphic organizer on Popplet or creating a story on StoryBird or Little Bird Tales.
~ should be shown to teachers through classroom integration, rather than in a sit and get session.
I am guilty of this statement. I have shown teachers about a Web 2.0 tool in a sit and get session. Teachers need time to play with the tool and decide if its something they will / can integrate into their curriculum. I saw the best PD idea at ISTE this past June. The presenter take us a list of four tools. We picked the one we wanted to learn and explored with in a small group. We then got into a different group and shared what we just learned. THEN she started to talk to us about the tools.
~ need to keep student identity private.
This one is big! We have to keep the identify of students private and the students themselves safe while online. This leads to the teaching of digital citizenship to our students and our teachers! Things like, putting your full name online and going into chat rooms need to be topic of conversation before diving into certain Web 2.0 tools or on the Internet in general.
These are just three of the tweets that really stuck in my mind tonight included:
So, what are some good Web 2.0 Tools you can use with your students?
~ Popplet
~ Google
~ Schoology
~ Edmodo
~ Voice Thread
~ StoryBirds
~ Little Bird Tales
~ Animoto
~ Sock Puppets
~ ScreenChomp
I'm am not going to tell you about these tools though. I want you to go out and learn about them! Don't forget to share what you learn.
This week's #edtechchat was on the topic of Web 2.0 tools. What I loved about this chat, and other chats actually, is the participants didn't start naming ALL the Web 2.0 tools that exist. Rather, we had a discussion about why teachers should use Web 2.0 tools and some obstacles they may need to overcome. The last two questions dealt with what tools we use and what tools we plan to explore this school year.
So, what did I learn?
Web 2.0 tools ...
~ provide students with a way to create, connect, and collaborate.
Tools like ScreenChomp and Educreations on the iPad allow students to create an original work based on a topic. Students can showcase what they have learned through their own thoughts and expressions. Allow students to create something to "show what they know" rather than completing a worksheet provides the teacher with more insight into what the student actually knows and understands. A worksheet just shows the lowest levels of Blooms.
~ should enhance the lesson rather than try to teach the lesson.
Technology can not replace the teacher. Technology can enhance a lesson and provide further learning opportunities. VoiceThread can not teach students about the water cycle, but through the use of VoiceThread, students can learn more about the topic through the eyes and minds of students.
~ need to be cross-platform and easy to understand for both teachers and students.
PC, Mac, iPad, Nook, Kindle - Oh whoa the list can go on and on. Web 2.0 tools need to work on most if not all platforms. This provides all students and all devices the opportunity. This is crucial in BYOD schools. Teachers have to use tools that all students can gain access to and not just a select few.
~ be worth the screen time provided to students.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says children under 2 should not have screen time and children over 2 should have limited screen time, one or two hours a day. Two hours a day may seem like a lot, but that can quickly add up between school and home. If a student spends 30 minutes in a computer lab and another 30 minutes in front of a screen in the classroom that only leaves 60 minutes of screen time at home. Sixty minutes is two Disney cartoons. That doesn't even take into account mobile devices, game consoles, etc. Teacher MUST select the Web 2.0 tools they select for students wisely. Don't let the students play on a mindless math game for 30 minutes. Put their minds to work by creating a graphic organizer on Popplet or creating a story on StoryBird or Little Bird Tales.
~ should be shown to teachers through classroom integration, rather than in a sit and get session.
I am guilty of this statement. I have shown teachers about a Web 2.0 tool in a sit and get session. Teachers need time to play with the tool and decide if its something they will / can integrate into their curriculum. I saw the best PD idea at ISTE this past June. The presenter take us a list of four tools. We picked the one we wanted to learn and explored with in a small group. We then got into a different group and shared what we just learned. THEN she started to talk to us about the tools.
~ need to keep student identity private.
This one is big! We have to keep the identify of students private and the students themselves safe while online. This leads to the teaching of digital citizenship to our students and our teachers! Things like, putting your full name online and going into chat rooms need to be topic of conversation before diving into certain Web 2.0 tools or on the Internet in general.
These are just three of the tweets that really stuck in my mind tonight included:
~ Popplet
~ Schoology
~ Edmodo
~ Voice Thread
~ StoryBirds
~ Little Bird Tales
~ Animoto
~ Sock Puppets
~ ScreenChomp
I'm am not going to tell you about these tools though. I want you to go out and learn about them! Don't forget to share what you learn.
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