Updates:
Instructional Tidbits: This is a great time of year to teach students how to clean up their files and organize their Google Drive. If they have multiple files just floating around, they can move them into a folder called "1st grade", for example, and have everything in one spot. You could even have them create a folder for next year's grade to make it easier for the transition in August. Purging is also a great skill to teach! If it is something they absolutely won't need, they can always delete. They will have their Google Drive through their senior year, so encourage them to keep meaningful work and things that make them proud. As you are teaching the kids, feel free to do a little end of year cleaning yourself!
0 Comments
Updates:
Instructional Tidbits: I was recently able to go to Teacher's College and attend the Digital & Media Literacy Institute. This is a topic that has been in our ELA TEKS since 2009, but is often overlooked. That's right, it has more of a connection to ELA than Technology alone. These came into practice over a year before the first generation iPad came to market. See K-4 TEKS below: At the time the current TEKS were adopted, the only examples of digital media listed were e-mail, website, video game, and web-based news article. Did you noticed the other technical terms? Sound, movement, graphics, shape, color, pacing, close-ups. Are we addressing these things with our students? Maybe you have not converted from analog yet. That's okay. There is still something about flipping through the pages of a good book, or picking up the morning paper. The thing about it, though, is there is now a sense of nostalgia linked to those things. Similar to phrases like "roll down the window" or "hang up the phone", our kids do not live in a time where those things make sense in their world. Colleen Cruz, a Senior Staff Developer for TC warned, "It’s going so fast, that if you choose not to jump in it is going to go too far," and, "If kids are going to do it, I have to start doing it." It may be uncomfortable, and it may be difficult, but we owe it to our students to be on board, and teach our digital and media literacy standards. In one of her presentations she also shared the following research: Cruz, Colleen. "Digital and Media Literacy Institute." Digital and Media Literacy Institute. Teacher's College, New York, NY. 20 Apr. 2017. Lecture. I learned some terrific new ideas about how to incorporate these skills and strategies into your current units of study! I'm happy to help you design some lessons!
Updates:
Instructional Tidbits: We have focused a lot on Digital Citizenship this year and made great strides. With all of our hard work, we still have a long way to go! With about 6 1/2 weeks of school left, I want to remind you of the Digital Citizenship TEKS for the state of Texas. K-2 (5) Digital citizenship. The student practices safe, responsible, legal, and ethical behavior while using digital tools and resources. The student is expected to: (A) adhere to acceptable use policies reflecting appropriate behavior in a digital environment; (B) comply with acceptable digital safety rules, fair use guidelines, and copyright laws; and (C) practice the responsible use of digital information regarding intellectual property, including software, text, images, audio, and video. 3-5 (5) Digital citizenship. The student practices safe, responsible, legal, and ethical behavior while using digital tools and resources. The student is expected to: (A) adhere to acceptable use policies reflecting positive social behavior in the digital environment; (B) respect the intellectual property of others; (C) abide by copyright law and the Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia; (D) protect and honor the individual privacy of oneself and others; (E) follow the rules of digital etiquette; (F) practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology; and (G) comply with fair use guidelines and digital safety rules. We started the year providing some district-wide resources that can be found here: https://sites.google.com/a/hpisd.org/hpisd_c-i/2016-curriculum-week In addition, there are lots of resources from Common Sense Media. Need help planning a Digital Citizenship lesson? Let me know! Hi All!
It's hard to believe it is already April. Last week I was busy with STAAR and didn't get to post, and this week I was with our K, 1, and 2 classes learning from Lizzie from TCRWP. Wow, can our students write! Not only can they produce high level compositions, but they absolutely love it! The cheers, smiles, and overall pride when they write is obvious and contagious. Updates:
Instructional Tidbits: Let's talk about STEAM some more. STEAM is not just the individual components of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, but how they intertwine and cross pollinate. STEAM work is often based around Design Thinking processes that set out to solve a problem or create a better solution. With our Moody Innovation Institute grant, our district is dedicated to bringing STEAM together for every child. This is a K-12 endeavor for all learners and teachers. Other districts have magnet schools or a school within a school, but we know the value of STEAM education and how it will shape our future, and don't want anyone left out. It is an exciting time for education. This STEAM stuff can really sound daunting, I know! Don't worry, even our youngest learners can participate in STEAM work which challenges them to think critically, problem solve, collaborate, inquire, and use skills from a variety of content areas. Here is an article from Common Sense Media about that very subject. Please take a few minutes to read it and share your thoughts with your team. Updates:
Instructional Tidbits: Let's talk about videos. We can use multiple apps to produce videos for student assessment- to really show what the kids know. All you need is a picture and an app that can do voice over. Everything from the camera itself, to Chatterpix Kids (30 seconds only), to Videolicious, to Explain Everything, to iMovie. Students love creating these videos, and don't even realize how hard they are working and how critically they are thinking! Most of these can be done with just the picture, but you could enhance the assessment with video clips. Tip: The kids will figure out how to use the app if you give them 3-4 minutes to "play" at the beginning. You do not need to be an expert! Let them do the work. Math:
Language Arts:
Science:
Social Studies:
Updates:
Instructional Tidbits: At TCEA I had the pleasure of attending a session with Alice Keeler. She is a math teacher who is both an Apple Distinguished Educator and Google Certified Teacher. I want to share her blog with you, because she has a wealth of knowledge and resources. http://alicekeeler.com/all-posts-2/. I challenge you to read one or two per week. They are short, but packed with great visuals and how-tos. In addition, you can follow Alice on Twitter- @alicekeeler. Updates:
We are counting down until Spring Break, and so are the kids! We have lots of projects and work going on in the building. This is the time to have another LARK lesson, "read" (Kristin Ziemke) another Common Sense Media Video, and return to our Digital Citizenship page on the website. Remember to use safe search engines such as Kidrex and Kidtopia, or any of our library research tools. You could also have kids role play where they have to act out a Digital Citizenship scenario of what to do next. Remember, teaching Digital Citizenship is about giving the students the opportunity, strategies, and skills to make the right decisions. Updates:
Instructional Tidbits: After our Full STEAM Ahead day yesterday, you might find yourself asking the question, "What is STEAM?" While there isn't always one consistent definition, aside from what the individual letters mean, there is a consensus that this work is important. We know careers in STEAM industries are growing exponentially, and that we do not have enough people to fill the jobs now, much less 10-20 years from now. We know drone pilots and computer science engineers are the top two jobs growing jobs, and the technology is changing faster than people can keep up. We know girls are less likely to be involved in STEAM or lose interest by 8th grade, therefore women are just a fraction of the industry. As we prepare our students for life, we know critical thinking, communication, collaboration, problem solving, risk taking, and failure are vital. STEAM is a way to incorporate those skills, focusing on Design Thinking, and truly answering questions or solving problems that do not have an exact answer or solution. It allows creativity and innovation to come to the forefront so that students can contribute in different ways and different outlets. It integrates the five areas of science, technology, engineering, art, and math in a real world application, so that students aren't just showing their knowledge, but they are demonstrating their skills, strategies, and processes. The great news is we are already doing a lot of this work! One of the Design Team's ideas from our first meeting is that STEAM should be service oriented. In effort to solve real world problems, as stated above, it should be linked to making a difference and helping others. Yesterday, you saw Natalie and her students sharing the story of the necklaces, and the problem solving that came together as they figured out they could just make necklaces here and send the money, which ultimately meant allowing their counterparts in Uganda to keep more money. Five year-olds came up with that. That makes me excited about the future of education and the future, in general. Stay tuned for more on STEAM. If you've volunteered for an Action Team, we'll be in touch soon! Updates:
I’ve been out of pocket for a bit while attending TCEA in Austin. I learned some great things, but also feel like we are already doing so many wonderful things with tech integration. Any of you could present at this conference next year! It is always validating to know that the best and brightest in the ed tech field are just now using things like Go Noodle for brain breaks, Kahoot for an engaging pre-assessment, or Google Classroom for collaboration and organization of work. Thanks for being willing to take risks, let your students lead, and help each other on this journey!
Quick updates:
|
AuthorI am an elementary Campus Instructional Technologist in Highland Park ISD Archives
May 2017
Categories
All
|