Thinking About Learning

I’ve been working with a fifth grade class to create an online interactive “Choose Your Own Adventure” story.  I first tried this several years ago using Tony Vincent’s templates from his Learning in Hand site.  The first time, I had students from 2 different classes working in pairs to write the story on a wiki.  That ended up being a lot of stories to manage!

This year I tried something a little simpler.  I met with a class several times and we brainstormed/planned the story using Open Mind 2, a mind-mapping program.  OM 2 lets you attach text or other things to its branches.  Attachments are indicated by the paperclips at the end of some branches.  We wrote the text for the beginning of the story together as a group and planned an outline of how the story would progress.

Then students worked in pairs to write the story parts for the remaining branches.  Each pair then created a PowerPoint slide of their part of the story, and I hyperlinked them together.  The plan was to save the PPT as a single web page, but when I did this, it created an mht file, which will only work in Internet Explorer.  Then I used iSpring to convert the PPT to html, and this seems to work.

During the project, I received an email from Ms. Hughes that said, “I am so excited!  Most of my groups in my homeroom have finished their first drafts and have started revising.  They are doing such an awesome job of writing, working together, and having great discussions about their writing.   I am really impressed with them … it has been a great learning activity.”  Six state ELA standards were addressed during this project.

Here’s the story:
The Mystery of the Old, Abandoned House (When reading, click on the refresh button to return to the beginning of the story.)

My TIS friend, Mike, has been exploring the educational use of the iPAQ Travel Companion, a GPS-enabled Windows Mobile device.  He invited another TIS friend, John, and me to join him.  This GPS device also allows you to upload video, audio files, and html files.   Using mscape software, we prepared instructional content based on the Pacific Theater of World War II.  There were lots of great film clips from Discovery Streaming.  After several months of planning and preparing, we were finally ready to test it with a small group of 5th grade students.  As is always the case when exploring new technology, there were a couple of glitches, but overall things went very well!   Mike inserted a map of our school playground into the devices and set the GPS coordinates.    As students began, only the first location, Pearl Harbor, was visible on the screen.  Students began to walk to that location.  When they reached the “hot spot,” the content about Pearl Harbor automatically began to play.  When that content had finished playing, the next location popped up on the screen.  I had prepared questions that students had to answer as they moved through the content.  Each student had a role: device manager, reader, or recorder.  The roles rotated for each new location so that everyone had a turn to be the device manager, which was obviously the most fun! This picture shows what students saw on the device after they had visited all 7 locations.

On of the advantages of using these handheld devices for learning is that this activity provides for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.  We were especially pleased with our students’ enthusiasm about this learning experience.  They enjoyed being outside and walking to find the next hot spot with the GPS.  One of the greatest benefits of the use of educational technology is the high level of motivation and engagement it produces.

We are working on other content as well.  John created a lesson using a cell diagram for a map, I created another WW II lesson on the European Theater, and Mike created a high school activity on energy choices.  We see a lot of potential for the use of augmented reality for learning!

To view a short video of students using the handhelds and of them talking about the experience, visit our school website, iWarrior.

My friend, John Geanangel, shared this original quote yesterday:
“Give a child an answer – you have solved their immediate problem.
Teach a child to Google – you‘ve taught them to solve their own problems.”

I think this phrase beautifully sums up the necessary shift in pedagogy that needs to take place in our thinking, in our planning, and in our classrooms.  When I was a child, the focus of education was simply memorizing math facts, memorizing sight words, or memorizing important dates in history. Now, there is simply too much information available to memorize it all.

George Siemens reports in elearnspace:

IDC offered a report in 2007 on information growth, and now provides 2008 edition (.pdf): “In this companion to last year’s EMC-sponsored white paper, IDC again calibrates the size (bigger than first thought) and the growth (faster than expected) of the digital universe through 2011″. The main website also allows people to calculate their digital footprint.
The field of informatics (i.e. study of information) is not very developed. We are all impacted by information growth and development – in fact this is one of the areas that most impacts us – and yet we have at best a rudimentary understanding of the nature of information. Sure, we have people telling us information is exploding…that it’s overwhelming…and so on. But that’s a bit like saying the patient has a fever. I’d like to know more. I’m surprised at how little we actually understand of information itself, especially when considering the tremendous impact on our lives.

The study, The Diverse and Exploding Digital Universe, predicts that between 2006 and 2011, digital information will grow ten-fold in five years, from under 200 exabytes to 1800 exabytes. So what does this mean for educators?  There’s already so much information available that I can’t take it all in, and neither can our students.  Our focus as educators must strongly shift to teaching our students how to research, explore, and find the informational resources they need.  We need a greater emphasis on conceptual learning and application of learning strategies.

All of the second graders in my school learned the definition of the word research this year, and they have continued to learn throughout the year through research projects. They understand that research is finding needed information and that sometimes they have to search again and again to find what they need.  They have made connections to see that finding the location and time of the movie they want to see is research.  One little girl came up to me in the hall one morning and proudly told me that she had done “research” at home last night to find out about her baby sister’s rash. She has begun her journey to become information literate.

Yes, John has it right…“Teach a child to Google – you‘ve taught them to solve their own problems.”

Mrs. Brown, a 4th grade teacher at my school, received a district Mac grant that provided her with a MacBook, 3iPods, an iTalk,  2 MacMinis, and a camera.  She has worked hard to integrate the technology in the midst of all the required elements of a language arts classroom.  Yes, her students spend time each day with a book actually in hand and also write with a pencil.  As a former elementary ELA teacher myself, I think there is great value in “hands on” reading and writing.  But as we work with students who are continuously more engaged with the digital world at home, it is imperative that we develop our classrooms into technology-infused environments.  Students are able to listen and focus better with an iPod than to listen to a teacher in whole group instruction.  I’m not discounting whole group instruction; I’m just saying that we need multiple instructional strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners.  Students who blog have the understanding that they are writing for a real audience, which makes their time spent writing more meaningful and authentic.  Most students spend lots of time playing video games, so instructional reading games on the computer are a natural fit for them.  Mrs. Brown does a great job of creating balance in her classroom and providing a variety of learning experiences for her students!

Well, we’ve been back in school for several weeks.  Our SMART Boards have all been hung (well, all but one), we now have a telephone in every class, and we have 16 new teachers.  In spite of the hectic nature of school re-opening, I’ve sensed a higher level of enthusiasm this year.  Our new teachers are all excited to be here and are pleased with the wonderful technology resources we have.   Teachers who were actively engaged in technology integration last year have been eager to jump in this year.  I’ve already started 4 classes on student blogs, introduced Open Mind 2 to a 3rd grade class, modeled a lesson on communities with several second grade classes, and I’m getting ready to begin a project with one of our MAC Grant winning teachers.

One of the things that I had to do the first week of school was the formulation of an Instructional Technology Integration Leadership Plan for this year.  Here are my goals:

Goal 1 (Collaboration) To work collaboratively with faculty and staff to plan specific ways technology can be used to enhance the teaching and learning processes.

Strategy 1: Meet at least once every semester with each grade level
for collaborative planning to become aware of their instructional goals and to offer suggestions of ways technology can be used for instruction and assessment.

Strategy 2: Meet monthly with computer lab assistants to assist them in planning meaningful instructional activities for classes who come to computer lab for related arts. In order to foster the development of 21^st Century skills, computer lab activities will incorporate essential technology skills from a school-wide list of grade by grade expectations and will support grade level common units of study.

Strategy 3: Meet weekly with 5^th grade ELA teachers and the literacy coach to participate in weekly lesson planning. This pilot project is an effort to foster a more intensive collaboration with a team of teachers and another coach.

Goal 2 (Training) To provide meaningful professional development based on teacher and grade level needs that will both strengthen instruction and broaden teachers’ technological expertise.

Strategy 1: Conduct monthly staff development sessions with each grade level during a designated planning period. These sessions will be tailored to meet the needs specifically expressed by each team.

Strategy 2: Conduct regular after school optional staff development sessions to improve teachers’ knowledge and comfort level in the use of equipment, software, and Web 2.0 applications and to share technology-enhanced instructional strategies.

Strategy 3: Continue one-on-one training as needed, especially with the 16 new teachers.

Goal 3 (Modeling/Teaming) To increase the level of technology integration in our school by working individually with faculty and staff to model and co-teach technology-enhanced lessons.

Strategy 1: Model or co-teach at least once in every kindergarten and first grade classroom.

Strategy 2: Model or co-teach at least 1 lesson per month in both computer labs.

Strategy 3: Encourage and support teachers in the use of student blogs.

Strategy 4: Encourage teachers in the use of project-based learning through project idea suggestions that address curriculum standards and by team teaching to conduct projects as needed.

I regret that I was out of the blogging loop for the last couple of months.  Finishing up the school year, having a son graduating from high school,  and a daughter planning a wedding, I’ve just had a lot on my plate!  Now it’s nice to have some time to relax and reflect.

My first year as a technology integration specialist was wonderful!  I was a little apprehensive about starting in a new school after teaching in my previous school for 14 years, but I was very warmly received.  My teachers were very welcoming to me, and they were receptive to what I had to offer in the realm of technology.  I was impressed that they were so open to trying something new.  One of my greatest impacts this year was with blogging.  In December I started with a couple of fifth grade classes, and by February, over 220 of the students in my school had their own blogs.  Students loved it and would ask me in the halls in the morning, “Are we coming to blog today?”  Teachers loved it as a way for students to reflect on their learning.  It was definitely a win-win scenario!

My other area of positive impact this year was  project-based learning.   Podcasting,  Photo Story, and research using Open Mind were some of the most engaging learning activities.  The last month of school, I had a second grade students who each researched an animal and wrote digital stories about their animals based on the book, Diary of a Worm.  They navigated through our school’s social bookmarking site, Diigo,  to locate information to research, wrote and edited text, located copyright permissible images, created a PowerPoint, converted it to JPEGS, created a Photo Story with it, and narrated it.  These second graders learned and used technology skills that many teachers don’t possess.  I was very impressed with what they accomplished.  It was so much fun to work with them, because every new thing that I showed them received a “WOW” reaction.   They were so motivated and enthusiastic!  I don’t think Disney World would measure much higher on their “WOW” meters.  They were sponges soaking it all in and loving every minute of it.  I can’t wait to see what these kids will accomplish next year as third graders!

In thinking about next year, I want to continue with the blogging and projects.  Some other goals I have are to get my teachers more involved with using Diigo and to focus more on using Web 2.0 tools for assessment.  Another emphasis will be to raise awareness with my teachers about copyright issues related to the Internet, fair use, and Creative Commons.  I also want to be a catalyst for greater collaboration among teachers.

I had a fabulous year! This job change was the right thing at the right time in my life.  I have made new friends and learned so much.  I’m already excited about next year…the journey continues!

It’s finally spring break! Yesterday was a gorgeous day, and I went hiking with my mom. Every so often, I need a strong dose of nature to keep myself balanced and connected. I believe that connections are what matter the most…our connections to ourselves, to others, to the Divine, and to the planet.
Ramsey Falls, Chau Ram Park
I was reflecting on the past week and some small successes I experienced in my efforts to facilitate changes in pedagogy in my school regarding teaching from a 21st Century perspective. After a 3rd grade teacher had a fantastic podcasting experience, another 3rd grade teacher wanted to give it a try. She asked me to get their habitat podcasts posted quickly because it would be a good way for students to study for the test. Right then she had a 21st Century “aha!” moment, and she said, “Hey, I don’t have to give them a test. I can use the rubric and grade them on their podcasts.” Authentic assessment for authentic work products…I love it! Making a connection between old expectations and new practices helped her realize that a new way of doing things would save her time and still generate the desired results.

A third grade student in another class made an awesome connection this week as well. When I use my iPod to record student podcasts, I explain to them that if they goof up, I can use Audacity to edit the recording and remove the boo-boos. That seems to relieve their nervousness about speaking into the microphone. After a recording session with me, a girl went back into her class and told her teacher that I could edit their recordings just like they edit their written work. Connections between old ways and new ways… change will happen! I hope that I’ll continue to be an agent for change in both thinking and learning…one teacher, one student at a time!

I’ve been off grid for about 2 weeks…never have time to write at school and had other obligations every night. Cool week at school though! I worked with 3rd grade students to create podcasts after they had researched Revolutionary War battles that took place in South Carolina. After completing the research, they worked in teams to write newscasts about each battle. This was a first podcasting experience for these students. They were very excited, and their teacher reported that she got much better effort with the writing because of their high motivation. In addition to all the Social Studies standards covered in this lesson, 14 state ELA standards were addressed through the course of the unit:

• Analyze informational texts to draw conclusions and make inferences.
• Create responses to informational texts through a variety of methods such as drawings, written works, and oral presentations.
• Carry out independent reading for extended periods of time to gain information.
• Use graphic features such as illustrations, graphs, charts, maps, diagrams, and graphic organizers as sources of information.
• The student will use word analysis and vocabulary strategies to read fluently.
• Use prewriting techniques such as creating lists, having discussions, using graphic organizers, and using literary models to organize written works.
• Use complete sentences (including compound sentences) in writing.
• The student will write for a variety of purposes and audiences.
• Create written descriptions about people, places, or events such as those important to South Carolina history.
• Use print sources such as books, magazines, charts, graphs, diagrams, dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, and thesauri and nonprint media to access information.
• Organize information by classifying or sequencing.
• Paraphrase research information accurately and meaningfully.
• Use the Internet as a source of information.
• Use vocabulary (including Standard American English) that is appropriate for the particular audience or purpose.

That’s the beauty of project-based learning! Multiple standards can be covered in relatively short chunks. Students spent 2 class periods researching and 2 class periods writing/revising/practicing for the podcasts. They also learned about social bookmarking as they used Diigo to locate bookmarked information. Check it out: Ms. Wayne’s Podcasts. Expressive voice was a positive, noticeable focus of student writing. To share my opinion of these student efforts, I will quote a student from the Battle of Camden newcast, “Yes, Sir-ee!”

I love new experiences! Over the weekend I participated in a walking half marathon at Myrtle Beach. Before my friend, Valerie, talked me into doing this with her, I didn’t even know there was such an event. I love to hike and walk, but in the past several years 4 or 5 miles was the most I had done in one stretch. Val and I trained together by walking about 45 minutes 3 times a week. That was some serious training, huh? We had big intentions, but between schedules, after-school meetings, and illnesses, we never got quite as in-depth with our training as we had planned. Even still, steady and persistent, we successfully completed the half marathon in 3 hours and 39 minutes. Our knees and hip joints were aching, but we were quite proud of ourselves!

Being a lover of metaphor, I couldn’t resist this one. Sometimes we have the greatest intentions at school to plan and create ideal lessons, but there are always things that get in the way: meetings, phone calls with parents, behavior issues, paperwork, more meetings. When we find ourselves overwhelmed, we have to just make the best of the circumstances at hand. High expectations are necessary, but beating ourselves up over unmet expectations is very counter-productive. Often we must simply just take our best shot and do the best we can within the circumstances that surround us. Determination can carry us a long way as we seek to give our best to our students.

Curriculum Connections:
Literacy: Poetry links; study poetry and poets; write poetry; podcast student poems, post them on blogs, or make digital poetry books.

My school is in the midst of a blogging revolution!  It all began with one 5th grade teacher who was willing to try something new, (thanks, Emily!) and now it’s the latest craze.  The students in all six 5th grade classes, four 4th grade classes, and even one 3rd grade class have their own blogs.  That’s over 220 blogs in our school!  The goal is to blog at least once a week.  The students love it because it’s fun.  They stop me in the hall in the mornings to ask if today is their day to blog.  Teachers love it because it motivates their students to write, it ties directly into their curriculum, it builds literacy, it improves technology skills, and it provides a great way for students to reflect and share what they’ve learned.

I’ve put together a wiki with some good blogging resources that I hope will be useful.

Curriculum Connection:

All subject areas: Digital books are a great way to express learning.  I have used PhotoStory 3 to do make digital books in the past, but I discovered a really awesome digital class book created by some 5th grade students in Georgia with KeeBoo software.  Check this out: Our ABC Book on Blogging .