I feel like I've been at the amusement park and riding rides and it's only 3:00. So while I'm excited I have more time for more rides, I'm starting to get a wee bit tired from all the ones I've been on thus far. So let's clarify I would not change the fact that I have iPads or that I've had to create a blended room to get five iPads to work with my class size. But with all the whirlwind I feel like there's been lots of hills and valleys that I've gone through this year and that there's more to go. Here's the basics of things...
Step One: Groups
First things first, you gotta plan. I created an excel chart that I just mark up with pencil, for who my students have grouped with and who they haven't (X - they have; blank box - they haven't). I could probably keep this in excel, but I like my paper copy of this for some reason. Their first group they got to choose (speed grouping), but after that they've been paired by me. I'm currently on track so that every student in my room will have worked with every other student by the end of the semester.
Step Two: Planning What They Are Doing
The second step of my planning I analyze what I'd like them to learn about from the unit that I don't have time to go in depth about and what they are potentially going to need in future classes and create a web quest that allows them to go in depth about the material, and then specify how many days for each of the mini assignments. Who ever decided that one semester for 5,900+ years of history obviously didn't like history or want to spend time on it (Shame on them).
Step Three: Implementation
I have students come in to a bell ringer. The bell ringer takes five minutes of the period (which is how many minutes students had to answer each constructed response question on the World History MSL in the fall so we're practicing). During that five minutes I take attendance, hand out iPads, and hand out any fill-ins to the opposite side of the room. Then it begins, before class I've posted the daily assignment on Edmodo so the iPad people sign in, read the directions, and begin - messaging me with any questions. The other side of the room we are doing general notes about the units various topics. They answer their closings and then we switch and repeat the process.
Step Four: Paperless
I'm not paperless in regards to my traditional notes (although I am revamping those so that they are LESS papers), but first semester my technology even had papers. As we went on and I got better at using Edmodo, I no longer give them a copy of a web quest or vocabulary lists. They are online and I attach a file (web quests) or a link (vocabulary), even directions for a project get posted. The benefit of that is there's nothing for them to lose (other than their answer sheet), so even if they are at home they can access the information. My iPad groups rarely ever have papers anymore (unless they're using the internet to do a map). I would love to be a room that is 100% paperless (especially since copies never increased, but printer ink is gone after this year (I'm rationing what I have)), but since I don't have a 1:1 ratio I don't see that part (100% paperless) ever happening, but I'm working on minimizing it. Until that day I have quarter sheets in the back of my room from torn up papers that I'll utilize (reduce, REUSE, recycle).
Things I've Learned:
- Screen Checks are Necessary - I had a student who just came back from being suspended today who decided he'd rather go on facebook, than do his work on the iPad (he's lost the iPad for the next Unit). They need reminders of what they're supposed to be doing and that they need to be doing it. I also have applications that I have them go on when they're done with the unit (Pocket Law Firm is "Do I have a Right" from iCivics - reviews amendments; Mahjong, Map Quizzes, Letris, etc. it is interactive and works on their analysis skills).
- Establish Punishments BEFORE They Do Something - we didn't have to talk about what or why he was losing the iPad for the next Unit. We had it already stated, it's posted on the wall. If there's a next time, he knows that he's off the iPads period.
- Evaluations - I don't just have students tell me about the project and whether or not they liked it; I have them tell me about each other in regards to who did what for the project in the first place. In the future, I'm planning on making google doc forms for this so it will be even faster than the verbal interviews or where they physically put it on paper (I have yet to decide if I'm going to make one general form or separate forms for each unit).
The Great Moments:
- Students Tying it Things from the Web Quests - Sometimes the web quest isn't on something that we are starting the unit with, but something we are talking about in a few days. When someone brings up something from the web quest during the notes/class discussion part of the classroom it makes my day!
- Quizlet - You can tell who has been using Quizlet and who hasn't, it's not difficult. The students who use quizlet typically have a 100% on every quiz. The one's who don't use quizlet or only use it when I've told them they're grade is attached to use it typically get somewhere in the 80's or lower.
- Gestalt Moments - Gestalt is probably one of those guys who you learned about while acquiring your teaching degree while thinking why do I need to know him, but he's correct with his concept of "Aha" moments and those are the main reason I teach; I love being witness to them. Technology is just making more creative presentations of when they're learning them.
Things for Next Year:
- African American Studies - I need to work on more lessons for my African American Studies class. Last semester I tried to have at least one per unit and was doing relatively well. This semester I had planned to do more, but then my class size doubled and suddenly even a blended room would not be enough iPads and computers unless I had groups of 4 or more (which does NOT work with the iPad - three is already pushing it when students have desks and not tables to sit at)
- Tweaking What I've Done - I have some projects I'm going to do slightly differently. Presentations are going to have more things that get graded (body positions, eye contact, etc.). Some web quests are going to stay the same, some are going to change, etc. And then depending on whether I earned a grant or not will decide what further changes their are.
- Adding to It - I'm attending a Teacher Institute as soon as the school year is over. I also have more Pinnacle Training, but I also plan in participating in Twitter Conversations over the summer, checking in with flipbook, etc. for what's going on in the realm of education.
Outside of the Classroom:
I even have a personal blog now for my sewing projects that I'm going to try to keep up with; not because I plan on posting it and getting lots of hits, but just so I can document and see the changes as I move from one project to another (and in regards to redoing certain projects I can re-read and make changes based on what I wrote).
Friday, April 19, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Canterbury Tales and Toontastic/Puppet Pals
More and More I'm adding in Common Core Standards for English in the class (which is not completely easy seeing that I have 5, 190 years to cover in one semester in the first place). But I'm currently taking a literacy workshop that discusses techniques to help students and items that need to be worked on to develop their reading and comprehension capabilities further. At the last meeting, the discussion was on summarization skills and that students can't always put stories into their own words, etc. At the same time in my lessons we are covering the Middle Ages with Geoffrey Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales. I borrowed a short abridged version of the Canterbury Tales from a fellow teacher (used in the E.C. English class).
Round One of my classroom heard the abridged version of the "Knight's Tale" about the two knights who fall in love with the same lady (I'll not tell you more, in case you want to read it or reread it). Round Two of my classroom heard the abridged version of the "Nun's Priest tale" about the rooster and the fox. Students then went into Toontastic for the Knights Tale or most used Puppet Pals for the Nun's Priest Tale. They recreated what they remembered from the story. They were allowed to jot down notes while hearing the story, but were not physically given a copy of the story to make sure they couldn't copy it. I had a couple good versions, but I also had some that weren't so great (there seems to be a correlation between the Lexile Scores of the group members and what they recalled). But it allowed students to make a fun and creative viewing while also covering basic skills for English and content for World History. Most did not miss the Canterbury Tales question on their test because they remembered that it was what their tales were from.
In the future: a) I think I'm going to have a recording of the story so that they can re-listen to it if they'd like to, but still not have a printed version so they can't directly take from the story, b) I'm going to have more time for them to work on it, it was the first time we were using Toontastic and Puppet Pals, c) I need to make sheets for the Apps for step by step how to do it. Some did the whole story in the first scene box of Toontastic, but Toontastic breaks a story down into components, just like an English class would with items like problem, climax, and resolution. So while I'm going to keep the activity I'm going to be doing some tweaking to make it better.
Round One of my classroom heard the abridged version of the "Knight's Tale" about the two knights who fall in love with the same lady (I'll not tell you more, in case you want to read it or reread it). Round Two of my classroom heard the abridged version of the "Nun's Priest tale" about the rooster and the fox. Students then went into Toontastic for the Knights Tale or most used Puppet Pals for the Nun's Priest Tale. They recreated what they remembered from the story. They were allowed to jot down notes while hearing the story, but were not physically given a copy of the story to make sure they couldn't copy it. I had a couple good versions, but I also had some that weren't so great (there seems to be a correlation between the Lexile Scores of the group members and what they recalled). But it allowed students to make a fun and creative viewing while also covering basic skills for English and content for World History. Most did not miss the Canterbury Tales question on their test because they remembered that it was what their tales were from.
In the future: a) I think I'm going to have a recording of the story so that they can re-listen to it if they'd like to, but still not have a printed version so they can't directly take from the story, b) I'm going to have more time for them to work on it, it was the first time we were using Toontastic and Puppet Pals, c) I need to make sheets for the Apps for step by step how to do it. Some did the whole story in the first scene box of Toontastic, but Toontastic breaks a story down into components, just like an English class would with items like problem, climax, and resolution. So while I'm going to keep the activity I'm going to be doing some tweaking to make it better.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Quest to Balance my Blended Room
World History in North Carolina is a demanding course. It asks students to learn information from 3200 B.C.E. to the 1990's C.E. in ONE semester. Every other state I've worked in has had World History broken up into at least two classes (in the one state it was only mandatory that you take one of the two and you could decide if you wanted to focus on Ancient or Modern). While I would LOVE to spend days going into aspects of culture, have more hands on projects, and go in depth with the topics we teach, there just isn't time or resources. So thus far this is my quest for a blended classroom.
We have traditional notes for half the period (my class is broken into Round One and Round Two so you either start on the iPads or start on the notes side - I have five iPads, thus the need for rounds). We have graphic organizers, fill-ins (clozes), Q and A's, or mini projects to work on on the traditional side. The other side of the room, the students have a list of items posted on Edmodo to accomplish as well as the deadlines for them. By having the assignments posted on Edmodo it allows me to include the information for the assignment, the document (so they can use hyperlinks if applicable), AND they can write me with questions without disrupting the other side of the room (except for the pinging of the iPad to tell me that there's a question). This semester I have three things automatically going on for every unit thus far; next Unit is so short we will only be doing one and two.
1) Quizlet - write down their vocabulary and review their vocabulary; I also have Types of Government and Gods and Goddesses on their quizlet for this unit so they can study at home. (They can also put this on their smart phones and study on the bus, etc.)
2) Project - We've done posters and basic things using the technology for research, but traditional supplies for the end product. Last unit we did Voicethread, this unit we are using iMovie, next unit we're going to be using Key Note.
3) Webquests - This is how I'm getting my in-depth information to them. They are given a specific set of websites to go to that has information based on the N.C. Essential Standards and interesting facts that might gain their interest further. They can work as individuals or as a group (individuals come before school or after school or they can work on it from home if they have computer access). Some of the questions from the test are sometimes taken from them or open ended questions during the traditional side of the room are based on what they're covering in the webquest.
By posting items on Edmodo and having the independent side of the room students are not just working on school work for class, but collaboration for the projects, time management skills for making sure they have everything done, etc.
Learning Teams:
My students are also broken up into learning teams that change every unit to every other unit. So by the end of the semester, they will have worked with almost everyone in the class (if not everyone). This semester they put preferences for the first grouping, but have been changed multiple times since then based on my assignments.
Issues Arising from Groupings:
I take their complaints about not wanting to work with someone by letting them know that those types of arguments would not be acceptable in the real world job scenario (you can't go to your boss and say you don't like someone so you don't want to work with them and expect it to happen), so they aren't applicable in my classroom either since I'm trying to prepare them for the 21st century.
So while there are various challenges emerging with a blended classroom I'm still on a quest to make sure it's balanced. Suggestions?
We have traditional notes for half the period (my class is broken into Round One and Round Two so you either start on the iPads or start on the notes side - I have five iPads, thus the need for rounds). We have graphic organizers, fill-ins (clozes), Q and A's, or mini projects to work on on the traditional side. The other side of the room, the students have a list of items posted on Edmodo to accomplish as well as the deadlines for them. By having the assignments posted on Edmodo it allows me to include the information for the assignment, the document (so they can use hyperlinks if applicable), AND they can write me with questions without disrupting the other side of the room (except for the pinging of the iPad to tell me that there's a question). This semester I have three things automatically going on for every unit thus far; next Unit is so short we will only be doing one and two.
1) Quizlet - write down their vocabulary and review their vocabulary; I also have Types of Government and Gods and Goddesses on their quizlet for this unit so they can study at home. (They can also put this on their smart phones and study on the bus, etc.)
2) Project - We've done posters and basic things using the technology for research, but traditional supplies for the end product. Last unit we did Voicethread, this unit we are using iMovie, next unit we're going to be using Key Note.
3) Webquests - This is how I'm getting my in-depth information to them. They are given a specific set of websites to go to that has information based on the N.C. Essential Standards and interesting facts that might gain their interest further. They can work as individuals or as a group (individuals come before school or after school or they can work on it from home if they have computer access). Some of the questions from the test are sometimes taken from them or open ended questions during the traditional side of the room are based on what they're covering in the webquest.
By posting items on Edmodo and having the independent side of the room students are not just working on school work for class, but collaboration for the projects, time management skills for making sure they have everything done, etc.
Learning Teams:
My students are also broken up into learning teams that change every unit to every other unit. So by the end of the semester, they will have worked with almost everyone in the class (if not everyone). This semester they put preferences for the first grouping, but have been changed multiple times since then based on my assignments.
Issues Arising from Groupings:
I take their complaints about not wanting to work with someone by letting them know that those types of arguments would not be acceptable in the real world job scenario (you can't go to your boss and say you don't like someone so you don't want to work with them and expect it to happen), so they aren't applicable in my classroom either since I'm trying to prepare them for the 21st century.
So while there are various challenges emerging with a blended classroom I'm still on a quest to make sure it's balanced. Suggestions?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Anti-Smoking Ad
A person's choice whether to smoke or not at this point is considered to be a personal choice as long as they're old enough to decide how to spend their money. The problem is that more students are experimenting with things like cigarettes at a very young age. The issue is not whether or not they should have freedom of choice, or whether or not smoking is cool, but the long term impact smoking is going to have on a developing body. I saw this ad while perusing FlipBoard this weekend and I gotta say, I agreed with the blog posting it was posted on. It is potentially the BEST Anti-Smoking Ad of all time. My only question would be is if this was done in the United States,
would there be adults who provide the light???
would there be adults who provide the light???
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
iCivics.org
Four years ago I happened upon a website called iCivics.org and I have been using it ever since. Even though I'm not currently teaching Civics and Economics, I still find uses for the website. When we are discussing the Enlightenment and Revolutions in World History and comparing the English Bill of Rights with the American Bill of Rights "Do I Have a Right?" makes for a great interactive review of the rights afforded to citizens of this country. I was disappointed this year when I received my iPads because they do not work with flash and thus do not work with iCivics.org. HOWEVER, recently I was perusing the iCivics site when I found they had developed an App for the iPad. "Pocket Law Firm" is the iPad version of "Do I Have a Right?"
"Do I Have a Right?" or "Pocket Law Firm" has students put in their name, they get to choose who they want to be their partner in the law firm (choice between two different people representing two different amendments), and then the clients start filing in. Each new client comes with an issue - students have to decide whether the person's rights are being violated or not, and if they are being violated they need to match them with the correct lawyer for that issue or ask them to come back and try to acquire the right lawyer before the next round. They also win money for winning court cases. With the money they need to budget to get more lawyers, fix up the waiting room, spend it on things for the lawyers to make them smarter and faster, etc.
"Do I Have a Right?" or "Pocket Law Firm" has students put in their name, they get to choose who they want to be their partner in the law firm (choice between two different people representing two different amendments), and then the clients start filing in. Each new client comes with an issue - students have to decide whether the person's rights are being violated or not, and if they are being violated they need to match them with the correct lawyer for that issue or ask them to come back and try to acquire the right lawyer before the next round. They also win money for winning court cases. With the money they need to budget to get more lawyers, fix up the waiting room, spend it on things for the lawyers to make them smarter and faster, etc.
I'd recommend this site and app for Social Studies Teachers everywhere
for Middle School - High School Students!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Evaluation for the First Semester Thus Far
So far this semester has been a trivial time of adapting lessons to meet Common Core/Essential Standards demands, while also making engaging lessons for students using technology in a way that lets them learn twenty-first century skills (technological ones as well as social) and lets them delve deeper into the curriculum.
World History is an intense class already - we cover over 6,000 years of history in one semester. So I need a way to cover the main points, themes, and concepts while also not staying in one section for too long. Here are some of the things I've done with my students that have been successful and some that haven't been AS successful as they could have been.
- Webquests - my standard go to at the moment, almost every unit I teach has students going and completing a webquest on the iPads. This really allows me to have students go research and delve into specific topics, while not spending hours on it at the front of the room in straight lecture.
- Quizlet - Students who have not been studying well have seen drastic improvements using the Quizlet app on the iPads (please note Quizlet is a Web 2.0 application on a website and the app came later). Students can access Quizlet not only on their computer at home, or the iPads in the classroom, but on their smart phones as well. Students have seen fluctuations as big as 30's turning into 100's using Quizlet.
- Fodey.com - I did a previous post about Fodey.com; Fodey.com is another web-based application that does not use Flash so it is perfect for the iPads. It allows students to create secondary resources for an event, that look like an actual newspaper, and provide not only an activity where they need to research, develop, and create their story to be historically accurate, but it gives them a finished product that looks quite marvy.
- iMovie - I must say my students love iMovie. We have done two major projects with iMovie. The first was Greek Gods and Goddesses. Students had to create an iMovie trailer that showed their God/Goddess without actually saying the name of their God or Goddess. The videos were then used as a review in class the day before the Gods and Goddesses quiz. The second and most recent was the Enlightenment Interview making an iMovie Project in which one member was the host of the news program, one was the camera person and the third was the person the group was assigned. Students then had to conduct an interview about the person's life from childhood to adulthood as well as why they were famous. This one in the future is going to have a different set up. They are going to have a generalized fill-in for the interview and storyboarding for their camera shots. The videos ended up coming in with highly diverse levels of performance. So it will be edited before next semester.
- Keynote - Keynote (iMovie and Keynote were two apps that I purchased this semester) is like Power Point in certain regards and nothing like Power Point in others. Students who watched the tutorial were more at ease with the transition into Keynote than those who just jumped in trying to work on their presentations. We have done Keynote Presentations on World Religions and Renaissance people. So far I have been impressed with their outcomes.
Some random things, students can easily get frustrated in using the iPads when a program isn't immediately working. If it isn't working just close the program completely and reopen it and 9 times out of 10 it is working again. When students are doing collaboration projects I have them fill out evaluation forms that simply state... "I Did" with lines available to fill in and "My Group Mates Did" with lines available and students are supposed to write about each member of the group independently. I don't allow them to talk or exchange papers during the evaluation to see what each person wrote down and see if they match. If a student didn't participate to the full extent of other group members they do not get the same grade as everyone else.
So far I would say that overall I'm quite happy with where I am thus far and look forward to coming up with more ideas and finding more apps that assist my students in learning more about World History (and hopefully next semester more African American Studies projects as well!).
Fodey.com... I'm in LOVE
While perusing my usual PLN locations, I had answered someone's post about things I do in my classroom to make innovative lessons. The next person that posted truly sent an EXCELLENT Web 2.0 application. Fodey.com allows you to create newspaper article clippings about events/themes/etc. and make it look realistic! It only does the one little corner of an article and if your title is too long for your article is will cut it off. However, it will include anything you typed into the article.
My African American Studies class used fodey.com to create Newspaper Articles for the different events in the Scottsboro Boys cases. We had articles covering from their initial arrest to their initial court case to their retrials and finally the government stepping in to release the boys.
My World History class will be using fodey.com for World War II and creating articles for main events during World War II which will be upload into a Google Doc to put them all chronologically.
This application is quick and easy. Students can change the name of the Newspaper, the date, the name of the article, and then write the article itself. Once they are done they click "Generate" and voila they have their article appear at the top of the screen. They can save it (it is a picture file) by downloading it and then they can either send you the file they sent or they can upload them to google docs and create a newspaper clipping timeline.
My African American Studies class used fodey.com to create Newspaper Articles for the different events in the Scottsboro Boys cases. We had articles covering from their initial arrest to their initial court case to their retrials and finally the government stepping in to release the boys.
My World History class will be using fodey.com for World War II and creating articles for main events during World War II which will be upload into a Google Doc to put them all chronologically.
This application is quick and easy. Students can change the name of the Newspaper, the date, the name of the article, and then write the article itself. Once they are done they click "Generate" and voila they have their article appear at the top of the screen. They can save it (it is a picture file) by downloading it and then they can either send you the file they sent or they can upload them to google docs and create a newspaper clipping timeline.
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