Learning something new everyday!

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Embracing the chaos...

The thing about change is that it breeds more change.  We recently began renovating our "new to us" home and what began as a kitchen reno led to moving a wall and rebuilding a staircase and... you know what I mean.

Same thing in the classroom. Having access to some new tools (iPads and SMARTboard) has provided the impetus for a progression of changes in my teaching practice. As has been mentioned several times at my district's Engaging the Digital Learner series by Will Richardson , Suzie Boss and many others,  it is not good enough to do the same things as I have always done with the new tools.  If it looks like a worksheet in the app, or on the screen it likely is and is not making the best use of the tools available.

My classroom has changed much in the last 2 years and I have learned a few things...

  • change is messy
  • change is often chaotic
  • change is not always successful the 1st, 2nd, or even the 3rd time (ie: Fred Banting who discovered insulin as a treatment for diabetes), but is worthwhile
  • change leads to more change
I have become more comfortable with giving up some of my control on the classroom environment and learning to the students, I am adjusting to a noisier, more collaborative environment where students are learning from each other as well as others around the world. I am comfortable with having students making some choices for themselves about where they will work,
what they will work on and when. This means that often throughout the day my students will be working on different projects, in different spaces, at different times.
Yes, there are times when it seems like it is chaos.  Like when I am working with a small group at the writing table on their next goal and the wifi goes haywire for those posting on Kidblog 
and someone else who is testing to see if pumpkins float or sink spills the water. But students are amazing and are learning to help each other (we have 4 students who are our resident iPad experts) , 2 others who know where to find everything and so on. My students now know that if they lose wifi there are several options as we are always working on similar things in different ways. They are learning to solve problems and be persistent and take responsibility for their own learning.

Change is not easy or neat or clear. It is exciting and my students and I are loving learning!


Balance

Balance
It has been a long time between posts here. I've been struggling lately.   I'm struggling with maintaining balance in my life and with the parts of my life that are the most important. This is difficult because I, like so many others, want to do it all and it is just not possible.

I have my faith that keeps me grounded, my husband that is my voice of reason and my rock, 3 kids that that are my light, and a profession that I love. Beautiful right?  Yes.

My difficulty is coming to terms with the many pulls on my time. I am a wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, believer, teacher and learner.  I love my job and I love learning. So, while I am passionate about sharing my learning on this blog, it does take time and I am working on how to make that time in my schedule. I want the same for my kids and my students alike.  I worry that today's children will have even more demands on their time and choices to make of what things/people get their attention. Therefore I want to provide for them a joy of learning within a balanced program. I want them to think for themselves and understand what is important to them. To be able to make difficult choices thoughtfully and to understand that each one of us has the moral responsibility to do the very best we can not just for ourselves, but for others too.

Children need to learn to make choices by doing! 

They need to choose which books they read.
They need to choose which research project is most important to them.
They need to choose where to play, where to work,  and where to read.
They need to learn to work, play, talk, and learn with others. To disagree, argue and solve the problem.
They need to lean what excites them and what is calming.
They need to identify their passion.

I am learning that they can and will do that given opportunity. Yes, some may need more support than others, but that is my obligation and opportunity as the teacher to scaffold their experience. I need to provide a few choices for some and allow them to make mistakes and then try again. Other students are able to make choices for themselves without me first narrowing the field for them. We learn more from our mistakes than our successes. I know this from personal experience, embracing the opportunities provided by our new digital tools have not come easily, but have been enormously worthwhile!



Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Using TodaysMeet

This week we tried a web site that I have used a few times before at workshops, but new to our class. It is TodaysMeet. We have been reading the novel Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, and I wanted to see what my students were thinking as we read. We have been practicing visualizing and making connections as we read and I wanted a quick look....

In TodaysMeet each student had an iPad and made comments during my reading.  The comments were posted in a chat room I had made. We had the "room" open on the SMARTboard to see during the story and students were encouraged to share their thoughts. Some students made one comment and some made many.

My students are 6&7 so I made logging into the web site easy by preparing a QR code for students to scan which sends them directly to the right site.



While I've heard a lot about QR codes and different ways of using them, I've not always seen them as the "best" option. They have seemed like a "gimmick" to me. Fun, but why? I like the "save to home screen" option on the iPads. However, since every time you set up a TodaysMeet you get a new URL that option doesn't work. So QR code is the way.

Guess what? It worked and not only did kids love the scanning, they got to the right site very quickly and were ready to go in no time. I've since used it a few times with the same results.

I used this site to create the QR code.

Because this was the first time using TodaysMeet with my students, I stopped various times while reading the chapter to let kids catch up their typing and read each others comments. When I finished the chapter we reviewed all the comments. Even my most reluctant writers and distracted students were successful.

We will definitely be doing this again!










Saturday, January 26, 2013

Should there be screen time in the classroom?

This is a question that has been coming to my mind often this year and I keep pushing it to the back and continue on. It is not that I want to ignore it, I believe this is a valid question and one that I debate in my own home as well as the classroom, but I am not sure there is just one answer.  I was reminded last week by Bill Ferriter as he spoke at a district workshop, that using the tools available to us (what many refer to as technology today) should be about good teaching and what is best for students.  I try to be cognizant of this as I plan lessons and provide my students choices (to some extent) in the activities they do, ways they show their learning,  and where they work/who they work with. It is not about creating lessons for the latest tech tool, but rather which tool will best support the learning and connections of my students.

My students are 6 years old. They are energetic (13 boys / 7 girls). They are active. They can be loud. They are creative. They are impatient. They are sweet. They are demanding. They love to learn! They deserve to be provided the opportunity to learn in a way that is best for each of them in each circumstance. Often, but not always this involves using a screen of some sort.


  • We practice letter formation on the iPads, but we also practice on personal white boards and paper

  • We listen to authors and illustrators tell about their trades online, again we also look at paper books and have real authors/illustrators visit (though usually only once per year as it can be difficult to arrange)

  • We communicate with other classes to share our learning on google hangout and Skype. We have also used the 'snail mail' to communicate and arranged a face to face visit at our school with a couple other grade one classes from our district.

  • We share our learning and tell our story on our own blogs. Yes, this takes a commitment of time for grade ones to learn keyboarding and build the skills to navigate the blogging platform, but students help each other out of necessity (and a desire to share their story). Read hear about my first experience with Kidblog last year. We are currently loving the Draw&Tell app for the flexibility to add photo and voice at the same time. Students also have paper writing books that they record their thoughts in.  

  • We teach each other how to use the new tools whether they are digital or otherwise.


  • We use manipulatives to build and explore mathematical relationships and then students can record their learning on the iPads.

  • We use drawing apps to create art, but we also use a lot of paint, play dough, plasticicene, paper and glue, fabric etc.





I believe the answer is different for every classroom and each teacher and each student. It is about balance and choice. It is about knowing your students. It is about taking risks and learning along side students. It is exploring. It is asking questions. It is using the tools available to you.  There are many screens in my classroom, but I am always questioning the purpose of using them.

I would love to hear your opinions on the issue of screens.



Saturday, January 19, 2013

Is it meaningful?

This post is more about the questions I am mulling over in my mind right now, than it is about sharing my learning....

A few nights ago I attended the third event in the "Engaging The Digital Learner: Going Deeper" series. There were a couple of teachers from my district sharing ways that technology is improving teaching, sharing, and assessment in their classrooms.Thanks @M1chelGagnon and Brette Galy. I  enjoy hearing about the great things happening in classrooms around me and am inspired to be creative and share as well things that are happening in my school. Later in the evening we were inspired and challenged by Bill Ferriter as he spoke about Teaching the igeneration. 

So...

I believe my students are actively involved and engaged in my room most of the day (maybe most of the day is not good enough?),  but I wonder if being engaged and actively participating is "it".  Can I rest easy knowing that engaged learning is happening in my room?


  • Does the learning meet the curriculum expectations?
  • Are the activities meaningful? Does it matter if the snowman has 2 or 3 or 4 body parts? Is it meaningful to talk about snowmen in winter if there is no snow on the ground?
  • Is it important for 6 yr olds to use technology?
  • Is blogging actually creating an authentic global audience for my students?
  • Is giving my students access to iPads, (even in a centre style as we have 5 iPads in our room) increasing their screen time, beneficial?
  • Is having a word wall the best use of space?
  • Are my guided reading sessions truly targeted individual instruction?
Yes, these are some of the experiences currently going on in my grade one room and yes my mind is spinning with justifications and alternatives. I can answer yes to these questions and tell you my thinking, but am willing to hear suggestions for improving my "best practices".  Some of the games, crafts and apps we use/do may seem frivolous at first glance, but they all have a greater purpose. I am working at making this purpose better known to my students.

I am also thinking of how to 'build a bridge' as Bill said, between what they know about digital tools and how to use these tools for better learning. Many of my students use their tech tools at home for gaming, a few of them are beginning to blog and comment from home as well. We use many more tools in the classroom on a daily basis, but I struggle to ensure it is not about the novelty of the tool, but about the best tool for the job.  

The challenge I was left with on Wednesday evening -  Is It Meaningful? - is an important responsibility to keep at the forefront of my ongoing planning.