Jan
25
Wiki Wiki What? – A View into our Technology Classes
January 25, 2011 | In the Classroom | Leave a Comment
With temperatures well below freezing, it’s comforting to focus on the warmth of Spring Break. For some, it can’t come “wiki wiki” enough. “Wiki wiki” what? In Hawaiian, “wiki wiki” means very fast. But in the world of technology, “wiki” has another meaning.
“Wiki” was coined in 1994 by Ward Cunningham as a name for the application he created allowing users to share ideas on web pages that are quick and easy to edit. The most famous wiki is Wikipedia, an online, editable general reference work. Wikis are extremely beneficial in education as they allow for collaboration, simple editing and sharing, and are easy to include video, audio, pictures, links and much more.
Oakhill Day School Technology Department has a wiki allowing the community to access lesson plans, links, and student work featured on the Student Showcase page. Since wikis are interactive, our students are looking forward to receiving feedback on their work.
You do not need to be a member of our wiki in order to comment on what we are doing. Simply go to the Student Showcase and view some of the projects our students have created.To leave a comment, click on the Discussion Tab. Click on New Post. You create an account by clicking Join. Then, you are free to leave comments!
Now you might be asking, what should I be commenting about? So glad you asked!
- Preschool students practiced basic mouse skills and keyboard letter recognition using Toddler Time software and internet links.
- Prekindergarten students practiced mouse skills and letter recognition using Jumpstart Preschool and Kid Keys software.
- Kindergarten students worked with email, reinforced math skills using the internet, and were introduced to internet searching. They are currently working on their second word processing project – the Snowball poem.
- 1st grade students were introduced to the basic parts of the computer, and reinforced math skills using internet links and Math Missions software. They are currently working on their Hawaii Power Points.
- 2nd grade students were introduced to the inside parts of the computer. They reviewed how to use Power Point to create the “12 Days of Recycling” and are currently working on their Revolutionary War Chain of Events project.
- 3rd grade practiced word processing skills using Power Point. They created flippers about the Midwest states, researched information and typed their facts. They were introduced to the concept of citing sources after finding a related picture on Google images and citing it on their project. They are currently rewriting the Bill of Rights in kid-friendly language.
- 4th grade students learned how to create a poster using Excel. To integrate with Mrs. Fulop’s social studies lessons, students created a poster about the culturally unique cities they researched. Students were required to find three images for their posters and had to correctly cite their sources. Students are currently working on a Westward Expansion webquest to continue our social studies integration.
- 5th grade students learned some specific ways to evaluate websites. Using a scaled 14 question evaluation tool, students reviewed several websites. Then they worked in small groups to share their knowledge with others. Using false websites as the subject matter, students created podcasts demonstrating how to evaluate the site. Their completed projects are on the Student Showcase page of the Oakhill website. Students are currently working on creating a timeline of slavery in the United States using new online software,www.timeglider.com.
- 6th grade learned about wikis using wikispaces.com. As a class, they created a Midwest Influential People Biography Wiki. Each student researched an individual and created a wiki page illustrating their research. Other media (pictures, video, and audio) was a required component of the project. Students also had to correctly cite their sources. Students are in the process of building their own wiki about important innovators from the Industrial Revolution time period.
- 7th grade learned about podcasting. Using their information abouthistorical changes in the Midwest learned during Social Studies, students wrote scripts to answer the 5 W’s about one change. Students learned how to use Audacity software to record and edit. Their podcasts included downloaded sound effects and how to apply the fair use policy and copyright law to their project. They have just begun their MAJOR project – a video about a World War Two topic of their choosing.
- 8th grade spent second quarter working with Scratch computer programming software. After creating an initial “cat dance” to learn the basics of the program, students were tasked with creating their own project, animated story, interactive game, etc. The parameters of the project required students to do some independent learning and troubleshooting as well as collaborate to learn from peers. Students are currently using new software, www.scribblemaps.com , to “write” on Google maps in order to identify and describe important locations during the Civil Rights Movement.
Jan
21
Great iPad and iPod Touch Apps
January 21, 2011 | Technology Ramblings | 3 Comments
Was Santa extra good to your family this year – leaving a new iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone under the Christmas tree? Although the Roche house wasn’t quite as lucky, I do have a few gifts to share with you. Below is a great collection of education related apps, many of them tested by teachers and students alike in classrooms around the world. I hope you take time to check them out and put them to good use. And Cupid, can I count on you for a Valentine’s Day goody?
| App | Description |
| Dragon Dictation
by Nuance Communications |
FREE. Dragon Dictation is a speech-to-text app listed in the Business category. There are lots of possibilities for kids who have difficulty writing. It would also be a great way for kids to practice speaking clearly and articulately. |
| SonicPics
by Humble Daisy |
$2.99. It’s easy to make slideshow movies using your own photos and recording your own narration. Upload one or more pictures from your Photos. Record your narration for each photo. Share your new enhanced m4v file via YouTube, e-mail, or by WiFi. |
| 123 World
by KidCalc |
$0.99 on sale as of October 2010. 123 World is perfect for younger kids who are learning the continents and getting to know the shapes and locations of countries. |
| Writer’s Studio
by miSoft |
$0.99. Wonderful for digital storytelling and publishing student-created books! This terrific app gives you everything you need to write and create pages or books, with art, text, music, and narration. Kids can draw and add text, add shapes (such as circles for Venn Diagrams), and do their own narration. They can import photos or graphics from their Gallery and create books. Great for publishing poems and stories, along with original artwork and the student’s voice reading his/her creation aloud. Have fun with your spelling or vocabulary words! |
| BrainPOP Featured Movie | FREE. Short, fun educational videos starring Tim and Moby. Play the movie, take the quiz, see your scores. Every day there is a different Featured Movie, which you can see for free. BrainPOP is a subscription website, but there are always some free movies and related activities. |
| Math Bingo
by ABCya.com |
$0.99 Lots of fun. Solve 5 equations in a row, just like Bingo. Choose from addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. 3 levels of difficulty. Choose from 8 cartoon avatars. Collect and play with BINGO Bugs when you make a high score. |
| 123 Color HD Talking Coloring Book for iPad | $3.99. Your kids will think they’re coloring a picture, but they are really matching numbers and letters (uppercase and lowercase) to fill in the picture. There are 4 categories of pictures–shapes, cartoons, world maps, and more cartoons. There’s also an option to hear the numbers in Spanish, French, or German. When kids color the World Map, the name of the continent pops up. |
| World Book’s This Day in History | FREE. This iPad only app is easy to use and shows 3-4 events for each day. There are links to short articles for each link. Up at the top there is a calendar icon, where you can select any month and day. See what happened in history on your birthday! Would be great as a research center activity in the library or classroom. |
| TypeDrawing
by Hansol Huh |
$1.99. Create pictures with your own words. You can choose the font, size, colors, and put in your own text. Backgrounds can be black, white, or a photo. I think students could use this app to play with spelling words, write poems, etc. |
| Doodle Buddy
by Pinger |
FREE. Great for any age. Draw with your fingers, use stamps, change colors and effects (brush, chalk, glitter, smudge) and erase. There are also several background options, including tic-tac-toe, hangman, and dot-to-dot, black, white, and photos. Drawings can be saved to Photos or e-mailed. Easy to use. Useful for hangman and other game options. Shake to clear your drawing and start over. |
| PopMath Basic Math,by PopSoft | $0.99. “Pairs of bubbles float on the screen and your goal is to pop each pair” for example “7″ and “3+4″. Once you’ve popped the pairs, you can move on to the next level, or keep practicing. You can adjust settings for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, or a combination of all. You can also limit the numbers for each function, for example if the child is learning multiplication facts up to a certain number. |
| 123 Color, by KidCalc | $0.99. PreK and Kindergarten. Most of them caught on how to color the pictures by matching the letters or numbers. For some students, the navigation was tricky for them, or their fingers were just a little too clumsy to touch the right area. They were happy when they completed a picture and the music played. It is easier to use on the larger iPad. |
| KidCalc 7-in-1 Math | $0.99. A great first math app. Number recognition, counting, and some easy math. The students can solve math problems on flashcards to reveal a puzzle picture. Writing numbers. Quantity recognition. Counting by increments. Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division. Reading numbers spelled out. |
| Stack the States Lite,
by Dan Russell Pinson |
FREE. Answer questions about the 50 states, and then drop them onto a platform. When the stack of states reaches the checkered line, you win a new state for your U.S. map. Kids can rotate the states before they drop them. Sometimes the states tumble and fall off. This part of the app is very entertaining and will motivate some reluctant students to keep answering questions. Questions include capitals, abbreviations, bordering states or countries, nicknames and more. |
| The U.S. States & Capitals, by Moatkin Systems | $0.99. “Identify the states by shape. Learn the state capitals. Help the states fly to their location in the U.S. map, helping you learn their geographic locations and relative sizes.” |
| ABC Dinosaurs,
by StoryBoy |
$0.99. Practice reading and saying the names of the dinosaurs. This is a great introductory app for K-2 kids since they can practice swiping, tapping, volume control, etc. |
| Dinosaurs,
by American Museum of Natural History |
FREE. A great introductory app to use at any age level to explore pictures of dinosaur fossils, recreations, and natural history. Students can explore the mosaic of real photos. They can practice adjusting image size and orientation: swiping, tilting, double-tapping, or pinch & grab, pinch & spread. They can also learn about dinosaurs by selecting its story–scientific name, pronunciation, locale, age, date of discovery. |
| Cat in the Hat, Seuss ABC, The Lorax, etc., by OceanHouse Media | $3.99 each. Kids could read the story on their own, or listen to the story individually at their own pace or on autoplay. We also played the audio over the speakers in the library. When kids touch any of the objects in the illustrations, the word for it zooms up. Great narration. |
| Counting Coins
by K12, Inc. |
FREE. (Both apps!) Practice counting out money and making change. Kids can drag coins, flip them over, sweep the board clear, and there are several real-world activities for them to practice. |
| PennyMe
by Acoco Interactive |
$0.99. Great for coin counting math for younger students. There are two settings–easy and normal. Quiz Game and Counting options. There is also a tutorial, and sound effects can be turned on or off. |
| Cash Cow
by Chillingo LTD |
$0.99 for limited time. Great for counting coins in math. 3rd grade and up. The object is to save the farm by counting change in various games. The games get more involved as you advance, and there are lots of options for improving and designing your farm. |
| ArithmeTick Math Flash Cards
by Pomegranate Software |
FREE. Great for practicing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, or a combination of skills. You can choose the difficulty level–Easy, Normal, Hard, Genius, or Einstein. The column of apples on the right-hand side show how well you are doing. You get up to 10 points for a correct answer, depending on how long it takes you to answer. More correct answers earn you extra time. |
| Math Drills Lite
by Instant Interactive |
FREE. Great for 3rd grade and up. Students solve basic equations and enter the number, instead of just choosing from multiple answers. The math problems can be customized for the student, selecting addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. There are also several problem solving assists for the student: number lines, wooden blocks, facts, and hints. |
| Whiteboard Lite: Collaborative Drawing
by GreenGar Studios |
FREE. A fun drawing tool. It takes a little instruction to show the kids how to tap to draw, tap twice to show hidden tools. Kids can write & decorate their names, draw pictures, save to Photos. Choose from 6 colors and an eraser. There is also a collaborative function. Kids on separate iPods can draw a picture together, even though they’re across the room from each other. Whiteboard Pro costs $3.99 and has more colors and features. |
Jan
7
Increasing Tech Integration (part 2)
January 7, 2011 | In the Classroom, Professional Development | Leave a Comment
In August, I started a new plan to help improve the use of technology within the classroom by teachers themselves. Based on an idea I saw on Twitter last Spring, I launched a monthly tech tip using Voice Thread to share useful websites and ideas with my staff. I wish I could say it was wildly received and immediately implemented, but I can’t. The real challenge here is to know my staff, their skill and comfort level, and know that they remain open to suggestions. Just like Twitter, if you don’t put out useful information, no one’s going to know what they’re missing. So in this post are the other Tech Tips I created. If YOU find them useful, please comment either on the blog or add your thought to how you use these tools ans sites on the Voice Thread itself. Who knows? Maybe you will be the one to motivate one of my teachers?!
September Tech Tip
October Tech Tip
November Tech Tip
Jan
7
Poor Neglected Blog
January 7, 2011 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Well, it was bound to happen. As you can easily see, my blog was reprioritized to the bottom of the list of things to do once school started. BUT that doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking, reflecting, working, producing and writing. It just took a different form. So for the sake of sharing and making me feel better (after all, who really reads this but me 
) here’s a few posts highlighting what I’ve been up to!
Aug
8
Increasing Tech Integration
August 8, 2010 | Professional Development | 1 Comment
For the last two years, one hour each month has been dedicated to increasing teachers’ technology skills. I usually start with a range of ideas, ask teachers for their priorities and interests, then schedule “classes” that each person can choose from to broaden their horizons.
I also purposely chose to be a “traveling teacher” (the only one in the building) so that my technology classes HAD to be in the classroom. Nine times out of ten, teachers actually stay in their rooms and learn something alongside their students.
This year, I’m hoping to up the ante a bit more by introducing monthly “Tech Tips.” I got the idea from @lisamonthie when she posted a Voicethread this spring on Twitter. My goal is two-fold. 1) Share with teachers tech activities that are easy enough for them to do with their students (like voice thread), and 2) Share websites that teachers can use in the classroom either with students to enhance learning or resources to enhance teaching. My plan is to have all the Tech Tips to be done in Voice Thread and I’m hoping to get other educators to add comments so my teachers see the power of collaboration.
This is the first one, scheduled to go out to my teachers in mid-August. Feel free to share your comments to illustrate how powerful these tools can be.
Aug
7
My Role as a Lifeguard
August 7, 2010 | Technology Ramblings | 1 Comment
Each year my principal chooses a theme for both the staff and the school community. We’ve done everything from Relationships to the current theme, “Only at Our School.” We kick of our staff development week with a presentation of the theme to the staff and then each department and major role player introduces themselves and how they are here to support the students and teachers. This year, our staff theme is our school as a resort and all the amenities we provide. Each of our administration team has chosen a different role and is in the process of explaining how that role is reflective of school responsibilities. After much deliberating and trying to be creative (I mean really, what role does tech play at a luxury resort?), I’ve decided that a lifeguard is most reflective of what I do for my school. I tried my hand at my first Prezi in order to share my thoughts with staff. I would love feedback – there’s still time to make changes!
Apr
25
The Power of Connections (second in a series)
April 25, 2010 | Technology Ramblings | 4 Comments
Hello, my name is Bernadette and I’m a Twitter-holic. First step is admitting it, but 6 months ago I was anti-Twitter, anti-Facebook, anti-just about everything along those lines. From my perspective, I had too much to do to bother posting the minutia of my life. Besides, who would really be interested in what I was saying anyway? But my school faculty just wouldn’t let social sites go away. They created school fan pages, teachers were posting to walls, parents were sending reminders, and older students were staying in touch with each other and alumni. Finally I had to face the inevitable – join in or lose the right to carry my tech teacher membership card.
After much discussion among our leadership team, I was chosen (by default) to investigate Twitter, see what it was about and how we could use it in our school. I started by following one educator that I admired, who twittered quite a bit back then and was fortunate to connect early on with the great #edchat founders (@tomwhitby @shellterrell @web20classroom) as well as @andycinek @socratech @jasontbedell @cspeizio and a whole slew of other great Twitters. I got to bypass the whole “Ate oatmeal for breakfast” tweet stage and jump right in to the good stuff. More importantly, I had the courage to tweet my thoughts – and they were validated! As I got to know more people and the specifics of their positions I understood the power of connecting and the potential Twitter held for my dream technology project.
This year our school implemented a brand new social studies curriculum, one written by our teachers for our teachers. As a former middle school social studies teacher, I am passionate about the subject and proud of the work the curriculum committee. Our curriculum is unique in that the whole school focuses on the same umbrella theme each quarter. Starting with our hometown, Kansas City, moving to the Midwest, United States and finally Global, students in PK-8 participate in an age appropriate, in-depth study of their world, spiraling and building upon knowledge as they move up in grades. It’s natural for me to integrate technology into social studies and when I read the Global thread, the dream was born. What if I could make a connection on each continent for each grade to talk with and learn from first hand? Was it even possible?
With social networking sites, my dream finally had potential. Students in each grade K-8th would brainstorm information about our culture to share with a partner school and students on another continent. I originally conceived the collaboration working through Skype, but struggled with connections in Asia and Australia. How could we account for the time difference? Then I learned of Voice Thread and found the solution. Four weeks before the project was scheduled to start, I put my request out on every social site I utilized – Twitter, Nings (Classroom 2.0, Elementary Tech Teachers, Educators’ PLN, Independent School Educators Network), and email list serves. Slowly the responses came in – @whatedsaid, in Australia for my Kindergarteners, @speters in Canada with experience teaching in Kenya for my 1st graders, @colport in England for my 2nd graders, @k_ferrell in Singapore for my 4th graders.
Sure, I had some immediate connections and responses, but I still had some gaps. That is the power of connections. For each person that came forward, I had at least another person pointing me in more directions for help. And in the process, my connection power grew immensely. I learned about the Independent Schools Association of South Africa, International Networking for Educational Transformation, and Association of American Schools in South America. I joined the Education Beyond Borders and Global Education Collaborative nings. And I bookmarked Skype in Schools Directory, Skype Other Classrooms , and Around the World with 80 Schools. More importantly, I met and conversed with some great educators: @ninadavis, @lindawollen, @bealup, @matt_arguello, @marydimonaco, @johart, people who not only helped me with my project, but add to my ever growing, ever powerful, ever connected PLN.
Oh, and as for connection the Web 1.0 way – using email? I discovered it is still essential. Without it, I never would have connected with the American International School of Guangzhou in China (because Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and so many other social sites are banned). My name is Bernadette, and I’m a social site- aholic.
Apr
16
Happy Global Collaboration Day! (first in a series)
April 16, 2010 | In the Classroom | 1 Comment
Happy Earth Day! For most people, Earth Day is all environmental – reduce, reuse, recycle – compost – clean up Earth. For me, Earth Day brings to mind global collaboration. Students at my school are getting the unique opportunity to share and compare with schools around the world. As part of our new Social Studies curriculum, each grade level is focusing on a different continent. Students will be collaborating and learning about these continents through first hand experiences using technology.
Kindergarten will be creating a Voice Thread to share and compare with a Kindergarten class in Melbourne, Australia. We are hoping to have the Australian school return their portion to us by the end of April.
1st grade Skyped with a Canadian teacher ( @speters) who has taught in Kenya and South Africa and will be teaching in Mozambique next school year. The experience was eye-opening for most students as they got to hear and see first-hand what it is like to live and learn in Africa.
2nd graders will be Skyping with a second/third grade class in England (via @colport). Students will get to learn about life in Europe as well as what it is like to go to school in England. This Skype opportunity will allow students to see students in their classroom in England and communicate as if they were just across the street rather than across “The Pond.”
3rd grade will be Skyping with a third grade class in Cali, Colombia. Students will begin by asking Colombian students questions about life in Colombia and what it is like to go to school there. Then roles will switch as our students are interviewed by the Colombian students who will be researching and writing a report about Missouri. Obviously, several Skype sessions will take place.
4th graders will be creating a Voice Thread to share and compare with a 5th grade class in China and a 4th grade class in Singapore. Students will be brainstorming information to share and questions to ask. We will video tape this information and upload it to a Voice Thread slide show to share with our partner school to respond to. We are hoping to have the Asia schools return their portion to us by the end of April.
Middle School will be Skyping with a Doctor of Antiquities. Students in various grade levels have been learning about Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Each class created a Google Earth Tour of their focus area to present to their peers. Additional project such as Egyptian Postcard were also created. Now students will have the opportunity to “ask an expert” questions about each civilization to enhance their learning.
Apr
5
The Great World War II Movie Project
April 5, 2010 | In the Classroom | 1 Comment
Several years ago, I tried to figure out how to cover WWII in the short amount of time I was allotted by the various powers that be. It is a such a HUGE topic with great appeal for my middle schoolers. Late one night it dawned on me – have students create movies about topics of their choice under the WWII umbrella. Thus was born the Great World War II Movie Project.
Now, I had never made a movie before myself, but how hard could it be, right? How wrong I was! The first year I attempted this project, we did the movies in groups and spent WAAAAAY more time on them than I could possibly spend in the future. Thankfully, the powers that be gave me a free pass so to speak that year and we could finish the project.
Last year I had a group of excellent, high achieving students. We started the project the same way, as a group, but it quickly became difficult to integrate as a group because each student wanted to do their own thing in their own way. So about three weeks into it, the movie became an independent assignment and students were much happier. Not only that, I found they were more committed to their projects. I still remember the first Professional Development day during the project time – students showed up ON THEIR DAY OFF to work on their movies. Some even worked on them during Spring Break.
I knew going in this year that I had found a project that was unique and engaging. But I also knew that each group of students brought unique circumstances to the project. So each year I’ve built upon the mistakes and learnings of the previous year. More structure was added this year as well as more tutuorials. We learned to work in small pieces on various programs instead of trusting Movie Maker to do it all. I developed a whole section of my class wiki devoted entirely to the Great World War II Movie project. And once again, students were so excited about their movies, they were coming in before school, staying after school, coming in on days off, during lunch and breaks……
This year, the project added an unexpected dimension as students started to realize the truth behind my words – “I am here for you. Just tell me when you need help.” Our students are so independent or don’t care either way that I don’t think they truly understood what I meant. This year, I had students email me late at night – and when I replied, they were suprised beyond belief. The movie allowed us to create bonds and relationships that weren’t there before as they realized I AM truly there for them. I’m already trying to figure out how to forge that bond at a younger age and how teachers in my school can do the same using technology.
So what’s in store for next year? I’m still not a fan of Movie Maker, but thankfully we only had to recreate one movie this year. I’m thinking next year we’ll try Pinnacle Video Spin And I finally have a good set of movies to share as examples.
To take a look at our final projects, check out our wiki and scroll down to the 7th Grade projects or Youtube Channel.
Apr
5
What I Did During My Spring Vacation (the tech version)
April 5, 2010 | Technology Ramblings | 2 Comments
You may have realized by now that I’m a huge proponent of getting children to use technology at a young age. I love that my preschooler was clamoring to use the computer at the age of two and I revel in the fact that my 16 month old pretends to use a cell phone – not to talk, but to text and surf the web. And don’t even get me started about what my pre-kindergarten student can accomplish on the computer. So what I’m about to say next might come as a surprise to you.
During my spring vacation, I spent 90 percent of my time OFF any and ALL forms of technology! Yes, we had 8 inches of snow on the ground, so there was no playing outside for me, but instead, I took a break, a digital break, from my technology obsession. My Twitter friends thought I had dropped off the face of the earth. My Google Reader had 1000+ items to review. My email was backed up (although I tried to reply if it was really crucial). I even ordered pizza the old fashioned way – I used my phone instead of online.
When school resumed last week, I came back to my technology much more refreshed and excited about it. Instead of just using technology to stay on top of things, I was reflecting and thinking. I was contributing and sharing. My short digital break allowed me to come back and use technology at a higher level of thinking than I had just a few weeks earlier.
As the weather gets sunnier and warmed, I encourage you and your child(ren) to get outside and enjoy nature and each other. Impose your own digital break on your family – no TV, no video games, no computers, no email, etc. Take time to enjoy life around you and I guarantee you will come back refreshed!
Off to smell the roses – the technology can wait until later!
