7 Day Photo Challenge

Overall I enjoyed the challenge. At the end of each day I went through the photos in my camera and decided which one would be the subject for that post. I could have been more intentional with my photos, or even had a theme for the challenge, but instead I just looked at the random pics from each day. Sunday was pretty uneventful and I ended up with a Timehop as my photo for the day. I thought it was ok to use a memory for the day as oppose to one that documented a present moment.

I started to use Google Drive to store the photos and embed the images into my posts, however there just seemed to be too many steps involved. Eventually I Airdropped the images from my phone to my computer and uploaded the pics instead. It was an easier process for me.

As I mentioned on day 1, challenges like this can be fun and in some ways give you a purpose when taking the many pics some of us take throughout the day. I think I would do this again, but with more purpose.

I searched for the hashtag I created for the challenge and when the all of the posts related to the challenge came up, I took that url and created an embed code using embed.ly. I wanted to embed the hashtag search as opposed to inserting just a link because I like the visual of the post.

Taking it to the Next Level

Ideas, reflections, change

Be Brave

Every year I look for a new technology to use with my students. Choosing a new tool can be exciting and challenging at the same time and educators must consider many things before introducing something new to their students. 

I taught third graders and occasionally second graders for reading. While many thought they were too young, I believed that given practice and scaffolding, they could master any of the tools presented. And they did. They learned how to use Google Forms, Slides, Docs, and Drawings. They created VoiceThreads, blogged end of quarter book reviews, and learned proper netiquette. They participated in a global read aloud, had Google Hangouts with a class across the country, and engaged in a book talk with another class using TodaysMeet. 

In Untangling the Web, 20 Tools to Power Up Your Teaching, Dembo and Bellow discuss a few things teachers must consider when evaluating a new technology tool.

• Education friendly portal

• Student accounts

• Privacy settings

• Public sharing 

• Global search

• Registration process

• Ability to save offline

• Sharing capabilities

• Publishing options

• Exit strategy

• Cost

For me, cost and the registration process was at the top of my list. It had to be free and it had to be easy for students to log in. I had the opportunity to reach out to teachers in our district and learn about their opinions of this process. Mr. Thomas, Mr. Kent, and Mr. Brashear are technology teacher leaders at their school sites. 

How do you decide which tools to use with your students?

Mr. Brashear believes the project should guide the tool. He focuses on building his students' confidence with the technology by first introducing them to something basic and then building on that with tools that require more skill.

This isn't something I considered, but recognized that it is something I do. Depending on the accessibility of iPads or MacBooks at a site, many of our students only engage with the technology during benchmark testing. Consequently, when they join a classroom with a teacher who has more accessibility to devices, and s/he encourages students to let the project guide their learning, they may hesitate. When asked how to do something on a website or app, I will often tell students to explore and just figure it out.

To build on that idea, Mr. Kent considers the cost-benefit mindset. He takes into consideration the amount of time required to teach the tool itself and if it will ultimately facilitate a deeper understanding of the content being taught. Additionally, he decides if the new technology related skills will likely be needed in future learning, or career.
This is important to consider and communicating this to students can be beneficial too. Engaging them in the decision making process will help them become better consumers and allow them an opportunity to articulate a defense for choosing/declining a certain tool.

Mr. Thomas believes that the first thing to consider is if the tool will enhance their learning. It's risky to add something new and he is careful that it doesn't waiver from the objectives he is trying to accomplish. Like Mr. Kent, he also considers the amount of time that will need to be spent on instructing the students on the use of the tool. Teachers must also be knowledgeable about how to troubleshoot expected mistakes.

Often, with sites that include a educational platform, the teacher's interface can be different from the students'. Before introducing it to students, I create both a teacher and student account and navigate through it as a student. This allows me to see ahead of time where my students might get stuck.

What obstacles do you need to overcome to obtain permission to do such a project?

The response to this was very similar among these three teachers. With the support of their leadership team, they do not feel that permission is needed to proceed with the projects they choose. As Mr. Thomas mentions, technology in our district is a highly sought after addition to the curriculum. The strict firewall does cause some issue with the restricted websites and permissions to use iPad cameras or to have app/software installed does require district approval. The greatest obstacles are access to devices and time.

What advice would you give to a teacher seeking to replicate your efforts?

"Be confident about what you are doing, make sure administration knows your ability and also gain admins faith in you that you are keeping kids in mind at all times." - Mr. Brown

"First - look for examples of how teachers have used it. There are some great examples out there - as well as some not so good ones. Next, find someone who has used them. Pick their brains on what they encountered when they engaged their students. Finally - Be BRAVE! Plan on something going wrong - those moments are great teaching moments - it teaches perseverance, troubleshooting, and problem solving. It's one of those ways to help students become a literate digital citizen. " - Mr. Thomas

"Be unrelentingly persistent. You as the classroom teacher know your students, have an idea of their technology skills (as well as your own), and will need to be a staunch advocate. Students will be at all levels and it will require perseverance but well worth the payoff." - Mr. Kent


I chose to quote their responses to this final question because they were so powerful. I would give the same advice to teachers. Be brave. You can't mess it up and you can't break the device (unless you try really really hard.) Take the risks, share that fear with your students. Let them see you fail and let them see you try again. Look for support and look for examples of how other teachers are using technology.

This First Year

Many times teachers leave the classroom because they are burned out and need a change. I left because I love what I do and wanted to impact students and teachers beyond my school. As a technology coach for the district, my role is to support teachers with the implementation of technology. In this first year, it hasn't been as easy as I thought. It's been a year of building relationships and trust, but I hope that more teachers will reach out and be confident, brave, and persistent. My goal is to meet them where they are and build their confidence so they can build their students'.

Special thank you to Mr. Brashear, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Kent. They each are passionate about providing their students the opportunity to engage in meaningful activities and are true teacher leaders.

Discovery Education Board Builder

Multicultural Day Discovery Board

To access the Multicultural Day Discovery Board, click here and use the assignment code: TAAF5-43AE our use the assignment URL: https://assignments.discoveryeducation.com/?cdPasscode=TAAF5-43AE.

Discovery Education Board Builder

Discovery Education provides a wide variety of content for both teachers and students. You have the option to stream numerous videos not only related to the core content areas, but also Careers/Work Place skills, Research/Study Skills, Visual and Performing Arts, and World Languages. The resources range from kinder through high school levels.

After using Board Builder, I am amazed at how easy it is to manipulate. I know that my students, even as third graders, would be able to use this resource to present information effectively. The board I created is intended to support our school’s annual Multicultural Day. Each year we host visitors and performers from different cultures and celebrate our differences. Each teacher chooses a different country to study and on that day, students rotate from classroom to classroom learning about the different cultures and traditions.

Using Board Builder for this day specifically helps our students develop a respectful and ethical mind. They are exposed to various customs and traditions and learn to respect those that are different from who they are. Board Builder allows an integration of images, videos, and links which gives students a wide range of resources to draw their learning from. Additionally, teachers must take what is being presented in any lesson and have a discussion with students about respecting different cultures. Often while reading a text about a different country’s food delicacies, a few students might respond by saying, “Ewww, they eat that!” It’s important that I address these comments immediately. My students forget that some of their customs, which are the same as mine, may be seen as they see others. They are reminded that they may not like or agree with what they learn, but they must respect it. After this first conversation, they are more welcoming to learning about new customs.

Having access to Discovery Streaming is something that I wish to continue outside of the Instructional Media courses. It is a subscription that is valuable and I wish that it could be available to my district at a reasonable cost. I know that the teachers and students would benefit from all that it has to offer.

Spotlight on Strategies

Spotlight on Strategies

The strategy I highlighted is the ACES strategy. I came across this strategy while researching an effective way to help my students develop deeper responses. The Smore newsletter design tool was simple to use and offered many options to incorporate video, links, images, etc. Including digital media to present this strategy makes it more appealing and can capture the attention of educators or students.

 

Reaching all learners

Allowing students to access digital text (PDFs), video (the online story) and Padlet, I am able to meet the needs of all my students. The digital text provides three levels of complexity and it's their choice as to which they will access. Using the PDFs in Google Classroom, which is where they will be accessing the Smore link, they have the option to have the text read to them. The Library Lion story is very beneficial for my struggling readers. This relieves the stress of having to decode. They can focus on comprehension and mastering the strategy. By using Padlet, my students can share their responses with the class and it opens us up to discussion. We regularly share responses and score them based on the rubrics being used. Although Padlet does require them to include their name, they can add and edit their response from the comfort of their desk and not have the spotlight on them through oral sharing.

Anchor Charts

By including the Evidence Based Terms, ACE, and student response anchor charts, my kids have a model for what their answers might look like. With this being digital, their resources are at their fingertips. The walls in my room are covered with whiteboards and space for anchor charts isn't an option. Including the anchor charts as images, allows them to access support when they need it. It's done privately without them worrying about needing it in front of their friends.

Smore

I created both a teacher and student version.