Go Noodle!

I am a huge fan of the Michigan Scholastic Educator, Erin Klein.  I love her blogs and pretty much everything she does that has to do with teaching.  After reading her entry about this awesome website that allows students to take different types of brain breaks throughout the day, I had to try it.  As the end of the year was approaching, keeping students focused was a challenge.  As soon as I implemented GoNoodle the kids seemed to have more energy and were ready to learn.

This website is brilliant.  The students can pick a monster-like avatar to represent our classroom progress and as the students complete more brain breaks, the avatar becomes bigger and stronger.  I can choose the perfect type of brain break according to the time of day and/or behavior I observe occurring in the classroom.  For example, if I see the kids need to focus I can do a stretching activity. If they need to get out some energy in the afternoon I can do a more vigorous activity.  I projected the site through a Chromebook onto a big white screen so the kids could see it well.  We also quickly pushed out any furniture that was in the way so we could have plenty of room.  There are so many great mini-videos to choose from.  I would choose most of the time, but if a student was celebrating his or her birthday they got to choose.  There are many popular songs and dances and the number one activity selected in my classroom was singing the song "Let it Go" from the Frozen movie.

Every time this FREE brain break site was used in my room, I participated right along with the kids.  I was amazed how good the stretches felt and how out of shape I felt when we would dance.  It was fun and I discovered that moving our bodies to stay alert and energized is a valid claim.  I will definitely use this on a daily basis next fall.

Go Animate!

All Michigan third graders need to learn about real-world public issues that involve Michigan communities.  We also compare renewable and non-renewable resources in science.  I decided to combine the two as I was cramming us much as I possibly could into their little brains before our school year was to come to an end.  Surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the best lessons the kids experienced in my classroom.

We focused a lot of our non-fiction reading on wind energy and participated in many conversations about wind turbines.  After the students realized that the windiest part of our state is in Lake Michigan, we talked about the pros and cons of building a "wind farm" in the Great Lakes.  After recording sides and perspectives of many different types of citizens, the students needed to participate in a debate expressing the views of the opposing parties while thinking about the question, "Should we build a windfarm in Lake Michigan?".  I could have assigned the students a side and had the students come up to a podium and argue away, but I wanted to be a bit more creative than that.  I wanted them to be excited about their ideas and present them in a way that was interesting and meaningful to them.  I decided to use the app I had heard such wonderful things about - "Go Animate".

With Go Animate, students can pick their own avatar(s), type in text and create a short video of characters talking to each other.  We used the free version and I hope in the future my school district can think about purchasing the upgraded version. The kids were so excited to try it.  When it was time to create I looked around the room and the engagement I saw was crazy.  They loved the kid friendly avatars to choose from and especially enjoyed picking different voices with different accents.  They were disappointed when it was time to stop and get ready for home at the end of the day!

Here are two examples that I quickly videoed with my iphone:

Last day of school - THEY CHOSE TO WRITE!

Ahhhhh. Summer is here and now I have time to write.  I can't wait to post all of the exciting 21st century learning experiences my 2013-2014 third graders did this year.  There are so many - just finding the time to record my reflections has been challenging.

I want to start off my summer blogging by sharing what happened in my classroom the last day of school.  School has been out for a week now and I just can not stop thinking about it!  We had a lot of content to cram into the remaining weeks of school.  Sometimes I felt like I was pushing these 8-9 year olds a little too far.  I didn't want them leaving me without knowing what they were supposed to know! Anyways, we had been working on 2 different writing assignments.  Most students were at the publishing stage of their realistic fiction stories and their Michigan city research projects.  They were publishing online using google doc presentations and weebly websites.

So, on the last 1/2 day of school I had written the schedule on the board as usual.  We started the morning off with watching the 4th graders and teachers duke it out in an exciting tug of war outside.  Then when we came back inside, I jokingly said, "Ok writers.  Let's take a vote.  For the next hour we can work on finishing our writing assignments OR sign each others yearbooks."  I totally expected for an overwhelming response to of course sign yearbooks.  We were done with academics.  I was tired and honestly I was not in the mood to work anymore!  They voted to work on their writing assignments!  When all the hands went up into the air to express their wishes to get out their Chromebooks to work on writing, my classroom parapro and I looked at each other in astonishment and started cracking up!  I must be doing something right to have these kids WANT to work on the last day of school.  I think.

So they did.  They wrote their little hearts out and I am so impressed with their dedication and commitment.  Love those kids.  I'm going to miss them!

Here are some example realistic fiction stories and Michigan research project websites:



Student #13 Michigan City Research Project

Student #10 Michigan City Research Project

Kahoot!

We love Kahoot!  I tried this out with my students after learning about it at the MACUL conference in Grand Rapids.  I was surprised by my students' reactions.  Kahoot created such excitement and engagement in my classroom.  I had kids cheering so loud, I was worried the other teachers in my hall were going to be annoyed with the noise level.  It was such a positive experience though, I had students begging to play it again.  Some even insisted we played the following day at recess time!  So we did!

Kahoot is a FREE game based classroom response system.  We used our individual Chromebooks to play.  I displayed the Kahoot game that I  easily created on their website on my big screen through my projector . I actually used some common assessments that were formed in my district to improve science scores. These force and motion assessments seemed to be a little boring, and I wanted to spice them up a bit. Kahoot allowed me to do this easily. I could even insert pictures and diagrams that went with my questions. The students logged into my game by inserting the game pin y game was assigned at kahoot.it.  They used their first names to join which allowed me to keep track of how each student responded.  

After everyone had joined the game, we started to play.  The question was displayed on the screen.  I read it out loud so my struggling readers knew exactly what it said.  Then they had the opportunity to select the correct answer from four that were presented to them that were color and shape coded.  When all students had responded in 60 seconds or less (I preset that time frame), a bar graph showed what students answered and which answer was the correct response.  The student was able to have immediate feedback and results to see where they went wrong if they did.  All students were given points and those who answered quickly received the most.  At the end there was an ultimate winner of the Kahoot game.  

I was able to print off data to help assess how students understood the introduced science concepts. The data showed how long it took each kid to answer and if they answered wrong, what they chose instead. The report is a clear portrayal of any misconceptions some students may have had.  With a Kahoot account you can also search for other quizzes that teachers have created and use them as well.  I will be using Kahoot in my classroom on a frequent basis.  I am so glad I tried it!

#MACUL14

I had the privilege to attend this year's Michigan's Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) conference in Grand Rapids.  I was thrilled with the knowledge I gained but even more excited about the relationships and professional connections I made.  It was so refreshing to surround myself with educators with the same passion, philosophy of teaching and education reform that I have.  I was delighted to learn about new gadgets, apps and technological devices to implement in my classroom, but I was even more fired up to be reminded once again that 21st Century Learning is NOT about the technology, but about teaching in a way that inspires all students to want to learn.  The key themes that seemed to be repeated no matter what area of the DeVos Center you were located in were developing positive relationships, IEP's for all students, and getting kids to DO ~ not sit around and listen.

The speakers I was able to listen to at this magnificent event have made me excited about my job again. Adam Bellow's key note speech had me crying watching a whiskey commercial,  Erin Klein has convinced me that my students should have an opportunity to choose what they want to learn on a frequent basis, Jennifer Bond persuaded me to finally make my third graders the happiest, little students on the planet by implementing the Minecraft video game and I became George Couros's biggest fan.

As I continue with the remainder of the school year, I will of course keep utilizing my pilot of Chromebooks, but I will be doing it with a refreshed perspective.  Thank you MACUL and Brighton Area Schools!

Digital Learning Day

On February 5th my class decided to participate in Digital Learning Day.  Due to extreme weather conditions Brighton Area School's have experienced 6 snow days, so I honestly thought I couldn't possibly fit an extra, unique activity in.  I am so glad I put forth the effort and went for it.  I designed my lessons for the day to utilize as many online learning experiences as possible using my class set of Chromebooks, 1 personal ipad and my iphone.  I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to stray away from the curriculum for any subjects at all.  I found ways of fitting all the objectives in while providing my students with new, exciting ways to receive and show understanding of the information. I have never seen my students more engaged.  I loved it! My day went as follows:

We started off using my favorite non-fiction website called Wonderopolis.org.  We just learned how to pick out the main idea and supporting details in our reading workshop lessons.  The students watched the video for "The Wonder of the Day", read/listened to the article, used a graphic organizer to record the main idea and supporting details mentioned and wrote a thoughtful response that Wonderopolis immediately responded to.  Our thoughtful responses usually restate something that we learned, a connection we had with the text or a question we are still wondering.  The kids loved the positive, encouraging responses Wonderopolis gave and felt that their writing was for a specific purpose and meaningful audience.

Next we got with partners and collaborated, created and designed Animoto videos on a non-fiction text feature partnerships pulled out of a hat.  In reading workshop we have been noticing and figuring out how non-fiction text features can help us comprehend a text and find information we want to know quickly.  Using the downloaded Animoto app on the Chromebooks the students created 30 second videos using photos they took with their webcam and saved images from the internet to show how their assigned non-fiction text feature helps a reader read a non-fiction text.  The loved that they could choose their own personal template with music.  I was expecting a high level of frustration with this activity, but surprisingly all students were thrilled to be doing creative work and they were proud of their hard work in the end.  So was I. You can see all of their Animoto videos on my webpage at
http://mrsgiannandrea3.weebly.com/animoto-non-fiction-text-videos.html

The Everyday Math lesson that was on the agenda for the day had students practicing writing, naming and comparing 7 digit numbers.  We started with a digital version of the suggested picture book "How much is a Million" By David M. Schwartz.  Youtube had a wonderful uploaded version that we watched as a whole group on the big screen.  Then as we worked on problems that pertained to the lesson in our workbooks selected students used my ipad and the Show Me app to record themselves writing and saying their own 7 digit number they come up with themselves.  The kids love to hear themselves talk and perform.  What a great way to get them to show their thinking!  See this great example:



During science time students learned about light.  They watched the interactive Brainpopjr video, played games, read word walls, read comic strips, wrote about what they learned using their keyboards, and took quizzes all pertaining to the subject of light.  Choice was key here.  It was the end of the day and we were all tired.  Having so many options for the students to choose from that they enjoy is a great,  positive quality of Brainpopjr.

As all of the mentioned activities were occurring in the classroom I was simultaneously sending out Tweets of everything on Twitter.  The kids knew that I was using the hashtag #DLDay and were hoping I would snap a photo of them to show off to our followers, especially their parents who can see what their child is up to during the school day.  Once again a meaningful, authentic audience made a difference of the performance level displayed.  And of course I used Class Dojo, like I do every day, monitoring classroom behavior.  Students were happy to get many "On Task" and "Participating" Class Dojo points as the day progressed while having fun with learning!

Phew!  What a day!

MiGoogle 2013 Conference

I am honored to say I am presenting in this year's MiGoogle Conference located at the Brighton High School on Tuesday, November 5th.  I am excited and nervous all at the same time.  I wanted to share my story of my Chromebook pilot with others because I am so thrilled on how this 1:1 experience has turned out.  I hope presenting at the conference will take me a step closer to convincing my district that we should consider purchasing a Chromebook for every student third grade and up to provide an universal, internet device accessible all day - every day.

My favorite part of this piloting experience has been the collaboration piece.  I have been able to participate in many learning activities such as International Dot Day, The Global Read Aloud and team teaching using Skype with individuals and classrooms around the world.  I love that I have had the opportunity to work with many other Michigan teachers, especially Caldonia Schools third grade teacher, Terrie Morrow.  As a close family friend, I have looked up to Terrie my whole life and to have the opportunity to collaborate with such a fantastic educator has been spectacular.  I've learned so much from her and her passion for education is contagious.  I am so glad she will be presenting with me!

I am also thrilled that a previous student from my last year's third grade class will be presenting with me, too. When he heard I was going to talk about the Chromebooks he came up with the idea himself to present along with me.  This technology implementation is all about the kids, anyways, right?  His name is Kayne and he is a perfect example of how a 1:1 device is useful for children even at the elementary level.  At the beginning of the year last year I would have never imagined this student getting up infront of anyone sharing his ideas and excited about it.  He barely performed well in all subject matters until he had the access to this piloted technology.  It opened up so many new doors for him and he was able to express himself in ways I never even thought possible.  I am so proud of him and can't wait to hear what he has to say!

My session is called, "Third Graders, Wild About Chromebooks".  It will be at the Brighton High School and 3:10pm in room F24.  Wish me luck!