December Blog Post

My goal for first semester in BOAT was to begin to get deeper in the SAMR model and begin using modification and redefinition more (at least once in each SS unit), because I feel I stay in the substitute and augmentation stages more often than not.

I feel I've done pretty well with this. In my first SS project I had students create a video about their region. Kids were able to research their region of the US, then they worked together to write a script, record themselves in front of a green screen, then edit their videos adding music and sound effects. It was a great project that really went beyond in the SAMR model.

My second project was a colonies video where students were able to use iMovie like last time or they could use Video Pro (whatever it's called) or ShowMe. They created a video detailing information on the colonies. This time I had my expectations a bit more set in stone with questions, so many ended up writing it and doing more of a reporter/interviewee type of a video, which was really cute. We played around more with editing this time adding captions along with music and worked to make sure the music didn't overpower, but helped the video.

I would say I've begun to meet my goal, but I've really stuck with videos, so I need to branch out in other technologies to create lessons that reach the MR stages of SAMR. 

November Blog Post

Reflecting on the SAMR Model, Modification refers to "significant task redesign" and Redefinition refers to tasks that were "previously inconceivable" without technology. 

Considering this, what specific activities have you tried this school year to use Modification and Redefinition with your students? What has been successful, and what would you do differently?

Today I actually had students doing this erosion lab that we've been working on. Students have created models of a section of the earth that include some type of landform. We've experimented with ice, wind and then today we were seeing how water would erode their landforms. We took before and after pictures and then I had one student from each class record the event in time-lapse to show how the water eroded the landform. They included all of that into a Google Slide to show the change, and let them have visuals that supported what they said happened and could compare that to their predictions. I really liked it. 

After doing it, we definitely need more practice with doing time-lapse. We're clearly not skilled with it. We also need practice with taking better photographs for the particular task in order to make these better next time. I think the practice would make it more effective and helpful.

October - Updating an Outdated Lesson

I wanted to integrate technology into a reader's workshop lesson on inferencing to take our learning to a deeper level. For this particular lesson I read a book, then we filled out a graphic organizer show what the evidence was, their schema, and then share the inference. 

I want to include technology and my goal is to make the lesson reach the M of the SAMR scale. My thoughts on what I can do with this is to have students use a video editing app like iMovie or ShowMe to take a picture book and make inferences involving the same pieces - What is the evidence, what is the schema and then give an inference. My thoughts are that students can snap photos of the evidence and maybe voice over them reading the evidence. After that, they can video themselves sharing their schema of that action, then finally, they can type up their inference and voice over what the inference is. I think they could then present their inference to another group or to the class to get feedback on their inferences.

My commitment is to teach this lesson before the next time we meet at BOAT.

September - Goals for this year!

This year, I would say my goals are largely workshop based when it comes to innovating my teaching. I really want to work on pushing my students further, meeting them where they are and really doing amazing things with reading and writing and building deeper thinking. I'd love to also improve my project based learning lessons to be better and build more critical thinking and integration as well.

Workshop

So, you know when you get really excited about a school year and you can't stop thinking? I'm totally there right now. I had a coaching session this morning with Carrie Rolling and it just has me so excited. She shared some ideas from the book To Understand by Ellin Oliver Keene and I just read 2 chapters tonight and didn't want to stop, but it is getting late...

Anyway, I'm acting the way I act when I'm taking a class. I'm taking notes over what I read. If I owned this book, I'd totally have highlighted it up. I'm looking at ways to apply this new information to my class and I'm so excited.

I know I usually use this blog for technology, but I think I'm branching out because I just needed a place to share my awesome learning and feelings about it and this is my blog, so it's where I plan on doing it.

I'm so excited to really revamp the way I do my reading and writing instruction this year. I'll move away from my quasi-workshop model and really dive into what it is meant to be. I'm so excited to be a part of the PDN with Ellin Oliver Keene and Debbie Miller. I can't wait to dive in with others on this journey and really see how far we can push ourselves and our students this year as we focus on literacy.

I'm so excited for such a wonderful group of kids who all want to learn. They aren't all proficient, in fact, many are behind where I'd like them to be at this point in the year, but I have no doubts that we are all going to grow and develop as readers and thinkers this year.

I'm pumped! Here's to a great year of learning!!!

Starting Back Up

This summer I had a great chance to rest and relax and I am so excited for this school year. In considering BOAT and its purpose, I am really excited to focus on making my lessons go deeper in the SAMR model. I think right now I use it a lot as a supplement, so really digging deep and using technology more effectively will be exciting. I'm ready to roll this year. It's going to be a great year of learning!

April Blog Post

What is your biggest takeaway from participating in BOAT this year? This could be your biggest "Aha" moment, favorite tool you've used, etc.

My biggest takeaway from participating in BOAT is really the reflection part. Reflecting on what I'm doing in the classroom and thinking about what I can do differently to make technology integration even better than what I've already been doing. I think that we've had a lot of great ideas shared and I've been able to consider ideas that I hadn't encountered before.

Some examples of great ideas I've heard were teachers talking about how they manage kids as they are using technology. I also think considering increasing communication and critical thinking through their technology is really helpful and great. I look forward to next year increasing where I am on the SAMR model because I feel that is a place I can really improve.

March Blog Post

March Blog Post

Consider the below ISTE Standard and answer the questions. 

ISTE Student Standard 4: Creative Innovator - Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.
4a - Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
4b - Students select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.
4c - Students develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.
4d - Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.

1. What have you done in your classroom that encouraged "creative innovation?"

I use Genius Hour and Project Based learning to encourage creative innovation in my classroom. We go through the Engineering Design Process in order to design projects and part of that involves generating ideas, testing theories, creating artifacts or solving authentic problems. We've used ShowMe and Google Classroom PDF editor in order to plan our designs digitally. They then go through and test and refine their prototypes which allows them to persevere through open ended problems. 
2. What things would you like to try to increase the "creative innovation" with your students?
I would love to integrate projects more in other areas like ELA and Math, but I'm struggling to find the time to plan it and to make it rigorous enough. 

I commit to increasing creative innovations by allowing more time for (starting science on time as often as possible) Project Based Learning.

February Blog Post

Read the following ISTE standard on Student Communication and answer questions 1-2 in your blog:

"Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals.
-6a: Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.
-6b: Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.
-6c: Students communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.
-6d: Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences."

1. How are you currently incorporating this standard with your students?
2. How could you implement more of this standard with you students?


I use this standard with projects that we do, particularly Genius Hour. We work to choose the sources we will use, the way we will present and who our audience is, which will determine what we will choose as our presentation media. We have a step by step process that we tweaked that made it a process where they brainstorm, ask questions, choose their audience and media for their process, they research, then they create their presentation whether it is a website, a video, a poster, a model or whatever, then they present to the class.

I could implement this standard more if I had more time to plan with the fourth grade team to create STEAM projects. Then we could build projects that are more meaningful and related to everything we're learning, and they can incorporate great technologies. 

I commit to having my students practice communicating more kindly to each other because that is a struggle in our classroom.

January Blog Post

My thoughts about Collaboration in September are still pretty similar. I think that when it is working it is awesome. If you think about the 7 Mindsets, "We Are Connected". We do rely on each other and better things do happen when we work well together. The issue remains that it is hard to make that time. Also it's sometimes hard to have a consensus.

Collaboration with students involves having multiple students work together to accomplish a task. Sometimes that looks like a group of kids smiling and laughing and videoing each other like I saw today, while sometimes it looks like a couple of kids arguing with one another about which way they should do something. Sometimes it works really well. Sometimes you have 3 kids working together and one student isn't collaborating like they should, so that is what you're combatting.

I get students to collaborate on projects, activities, and other assignments. I think that to do that you have to set expectations for what each student should be doing. Sometimes they have different tasks while sometimes they are strategizing together on how to complete the task at hand.

Some specific projects and activities I've done that have resulted in successful collaboration are many of the ones we've done at STEAM. My favorite last year was the BIG Social Studies project where I put together about 50% of my social studies standards into one big project at the end of the year to finish them out along with some ELA, Math and Science standards. Those kids got so into it. Even the kids who typically aren't interested got involved and were creative and the groups that struggled, we talked as a group and split up what each student should be in charge of, then they came together to share their final product.

I commit to having my students grade their group work this month to see if that helps improve our collaboration.