First blog with my math students

I just had my math students blog for the first time this Tuesday. Part of this was to introduce themselves to Mr. Abshire's students, and part of this was to answer prompts tailored to their classes that I posted. You can find these at http://macmathclass.blogspot.com . I learned a good deal about what works and what to do better next time. I talked with Doug Abshire about this before and he clued me in to how to turn on and off comment moderation. I decided to leave it off and have students post as anonymous, but leave their first name and last initial in the post. I then turned comment moderation on after the class. Next time, I would give the students more direction and examples of excellent work. Some students did a great job of answering the question thoroughly, but I was not explicit with what I wanted and I therefore got many responses that were extremely short and relatively pointless. I read the posts that Mr. Abshire's students left and they were more what I was looking for. He told me later that he gave the students examples of what he was looking for. So, I learned the hard way that my students will give me just what I ask for, and if I want more I need to be very specific. I graded this initial post as by full credit for a post and no credit for not posting. Looking on the global learner blog, I notice that others have come up with a rubric for blog postings. I intend on being more specific and using a rubric next time.

A Shocking Realization From our Book Blog Project

Students from my fourth grade reading class and third graders from Emily Taylor's class got a chance to "talk" about books using our book blogs. Students from the respective classes read books and posted reviews of them to our blogs. Then, they viewed each other's blogs and made comments about the reviews. At least is how it would have gone if I wouldn't have had "comments" blocked! :) You can see our lesson plans at http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcvnqm3z_14m6bqptff .

But it was a great experience anyway. One thing that I found is that as a whole, Central's students seem to be getting less computer literate than they were two years ago. Since I have students from all four of Central's fourth grade rooms in my reading class, I was somewhat shocked at the amount of time I spent just going over computer basics before we could get to our project. I understand ( I guess) that we don't have the funding for computers as a special anymore, but it is sad to see the impact it is having on our students as "21st Century learners". I think one thing that could slow the computer lit. regression for our students would be to get laptops for all teachers. That way, teachers could consistently be using projectors to model computer use. I have also made it one of my personal/professional goals to consistenly and intentionally use technology with students I have from other classes. In that way, I am hoping to fuel the technology flame from classroom to classroom. I think it is easier and less scary to try new tech when your students have been exposed to it. I know when I was trying to figure out the SmartBoard last year it was extremely helpful that my students already knew more than I did about it from using it once a week with our Math and Technology specialist (Andrew Palmer). When I got stuck the kids would just tell me what to do! :)

Please visit our book blog at http://www.4hughes.blogspot.com/ .

"keepvid.com" to download streaming videos

Hi all Here is a neat tool to download streaming videos that might not normally be downloadable (unless using camtasia or other screen capture programs). Instead of embedding a link to a youtube.com video etc, try this. Its free and works well. Doug

www.keepvid.com

Here is a video showing you how easy it is to use...

And a blog post with more info...

Also worth checking out is real player 11 which can download videos too. Click here for more info.

PS the blog http://tipsandtricks-vista.blogspot.com referenced above is worth rss...ing

"initial reflection on a collaboration project"

Hi all. Christine Mac (ACHS math) and I (ACHS science) have decided to create a collaborative blog between students in her 11/12th math grade classes and my higher math ability 9th grade science students. Today 60+ of her students wrote a short introductory statement while 10 of mine did also.

Our goals will to be:

1. create an electronic dialogue where students of similar math abilities may help each other explore math applications in real life.
2. pair up students from both classes to assist in solving homework / content type problems.
3. allow the teachers to gain skill and experience in other web 2.0 tools applicable to this project such as voicethread, wizIQ, video podcasting etc.

Although we just started this, we are excited about the opportunity to work together and to engage our students with collaborative interactions. The blog is / will be located at http://macmathclass.blogspot.com/ and we encourage you to check back every few weeks as it develops and as we gain experience in utilizing this approach between our classes.

On behalf of Christine and myself, thanks for your time and attention.

Doug Abshire

SmartBoard Vocab Lesson

I want to show you a great activity that I found that uses the SmartBoard and Wordle to teach and reinforce word meanings. I found it on "Teachers Love SmartBoards", a blog that highlights resources and games that you can use in your classroom. I think this game addresses several of the "Cornerstones of Good Vocabulary Instruction" from this post. The video shows how to create it for yourself. Links to the SIOP lesson, the Notebook file and a worksheet to go with the game are on the Global Learners Wiki. We played it at literacy night and it was a big hit.

Technological Lesson Plan - November - Flash-Driven Gallery Walks

Hi all,

Hope everyone is getting ready to enjoy their break.

It's interesting; incorporating technology into the classroom has become such an integral part of my planning over the past year. I often find myself experimenting with older and proven methods by adding a technological "tweak" to my thinking.

To get my students to move, I have created a series of "Flash-Driven Gallery Walks." I break the students into smaller groups (around 5) and I assign them a specific topic as governed by the district standards. I'll use 7th Grade Language Arts:

(3.f) Use complex punctuation (e.g., commas, colons, semicolons, quotation marks, hyphens, end marks) with greater precision

I make sure that each group has a computer and will then assign the group a specific advanced punctuation mark with a few basic guidelines as to what they should include (exemplars, definitions, clarification, different uses). The groups have time to use the internet and their books for research and find examples as to how exactly their specified mark is used. They create a quick PowerPoint Presentation on their assigned punctuation mark. Once they are finished, we begin a group rotation from computer to computer. Each group has several minutes to watch each presentation and then move on to the next. They take a "scavenger sheet" and fill out the information as they go. I look over the sheets and ask each student to provide their own examples of each mark. I collect these and check for comprehension.

I have frequently let students who are already proficient in the assignment stay on their computer and lead the presentations themselves as the rest of the class rotates. Great opportunity for student-to-student teaching opps.

This is a versatile plan that could be incorporated and adjusted to suit your needs.

I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving; get lots of rest and enjoy your loved ones.

Justin

Virtual Sub Plans

Because of things going on in my family, I had to leave for home at the last minute and didn't know when I'd have time to complete sub plans. So I left the sub a brief note and the site of my blog, telling her to have the kids go to the blog for further instructions. I was then able to update my plans and clearly think them out once I had arrived safely back in Michigan. Because we are all so interconnected through Web 2.0, I realize that my classroom can come with me, even to Michigan. Just because I am not physically in my classroom with my students, does not mean I cannot still alter lesson plans and make adjustments as needed.

So my students will go to my blog today and tomorrow, where I have posted the lesson plans, instructions, slides to view, and reminders. My students also know that they can get in touch with me through our gaggle.net email accounts. This gives me confidence while I'm away that the lessons are still being carried out. The students have been empowered because I have given the lesson plans to THEM, and not just the substitute teacher. I hope this will help students to take more ownership for the work they create. Check out my blog if you are curious about what they are doing. Thanks!