I'm Done!!!

Tool # 11

1. What are your favorite tools you now have in your personal technology toolbox? Briefly describe a particular activity that you will plan for your students using at least one of these new tools.

Well, the first thing was that I actually created a blog and set up everything on that.

That was a great foundation piece. Although it may not be the best "tool" for the students it gave me a place to practice the new web tools and to research what other professionals were doing. So using my blog with my class and parents will be the next step.

As to the other tools, I enjoyed them all. I need to go back and look at tools I didn't have time to explore and work with before due to time constraints.

2. How have you transformed your thinking about the learning that will take place in your classroom? How has your vision for your classroom changed? Are you going to need to make any changes to your classroom to accommodate the 21st Century learner?

This is a definite YES! I am rethinking everything I do this year. I look at a activity or idea I used before and look at it through the lens of 11 Tools/Tech Devices/21st Century Learners. Even a beginning of the year assignment when students share something about themselves so that I can get to know them took new form. I gave the students options on this assignment that included Animotos, Wordles, slideshows (similar to Powerpoint),

as well as the old standby choices and I renamed it "Share and Show." This will develop later into an activity where the class shares new apps or tricks in doing an imovie, or video, etc. as we become "resident experts."

I am also revising how my workstation jobs and assignments will look as well. Even the classroom jobs are in a state of flux. I am rethinking what they should look like as well as the steps needed to teach/train the students to take more responsibility for their learning.

3. Were there any unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

Yes, there were some kinks along the way. Sometimes things were hard to make work the way I wanted and I found that it was easier to ask another 21st century 11 Tools  learner (a coworker) to help me with the specifics ie. imbedding a video.

I followed the directions on the SBISD page for 11 Tools over a 10 day period and they never worked for me. Finally, a preK teacher showed me another way entirely in a 5 minute period and the relief was evident! It was very frustrating there for a bit.

The 11 Tools was a "process" and fortunately, our librarian had shared that with us before we embarked upon the journey and all along the path.

The teambuilding and PLN our faculty had on this journey was phenomenal and a true benefit. We are so excited about the devices that are coming and the foundation that the SBISD district has set up with this course, with the time we spent with Alan November, and the professional discussions that continue. Having access to 11 Tools to go back and delve deeper as well as the Atomic learning lessons will be invaluable.

Tool # 10-Digital Citizenship

I would want my students to understand that the use of digital devices, websites, etc. means they are an informed consumer of these products, sites, etc. They need to know how to check the ownership of a website (the source), the websites' validity of information, and they need to know that the site is safe for students. I would also want them to respect the work of others and understand that content is not to be copied. Sources should be cited on any work they do and they should also make sure items/graphics/pictures/music are copyright free or that they have obtained the proper permission
After a class discussion, I would have the students view the Brainpop movie on Digital Citizenship.
Our librarian, Mrs. Harrell, has links to copyright information and digital citizenship on her webpages.
I will demonstrate with the students how to access these sites and there are a couple in particular I  will require them to view on a visit to the computer lab as their assignment. This way they can pace through it at a speed that works with their learning style and reading abilities.
Digital citizenship is not a one time topic or visit. We will be discussing this and related topics each time we do a new project, utilize a new web tool, etc.
When we meet with the parents on Back to School night, I will share some of these same websites that are on the RCE webpage that the parents can refer to later. We will also address the forms that they have seen about our Google accounts and digital citizenship contracts they have signed and returned.
Also there will be  links on our classroom blog to these sites and information.

Tool # 9

1.Why do you think it is important to tie the technology to the objective? The learning outcome or objective is what drives the learning. Technology is a tool especially used for communication of the skills or learning.Technology devices are used everyday by our students and we don't want their "learning" to stop when they come to school, we want to use the "technology with the learning in school."  Technology devices are motivational, timesavers, and familiar to the students.
When students have choice in using devices that match their learning styles, can choose the device/Web 2.0+ tool to research or practice the learning, and have technology included in their choice of projects or menu items then technology and learning go hand in hand and are being used in the optimal way.
2.Why should we hold students accountable for the stations/centers? Students need to take responsibility for their part in learning and this includes doing what is expected at the centers, incorporating and using technology appropriately, and demonstrating their learning through products or sharing ideas with others. Resident experts on different steps of technology or programs etc. are available for their peers
when the teacher is helping another group. Also when a student "teaches" something then it pushes his/her learning to a higher level.
3.Visit 2 of the applicable links to interactive websites for your content/grade level. Which sites did you like.
Interactivate seemed a little past fourth grade mathematicians, but there were a few items that might work in our classroom.
Thinfinity seems to offer more choices and to match the fourth grade curriculum better. It also has math and science choices.
4.How could you use them as stations? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations? A certain game on the above site Thinkfinity would be assigned to a workstation that week. Time would be set up for exploration and practice during the workstation assignment. A reflection sheet would be included in the workstation for the student to track the time they spent as well as questions they would respond to about that specific task.
5.List two to three apps you found for the iPod Touch/iPad that you can use in your classroom. What do you see that station looking like? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations?
Arithmetic could be used for homework practice of multiplication facts or as a resource in our math facts workstation.
Math Ninja HD Free might me a high interest math game to reinforce basic facts that could be used in a workstation or for reinforcement at home.
Since we start out the school year with an emphasis on multiplication facts, that's why these particular apps appealed to me.
The station set up and accountability was addressed in previous answers.
6.What about other ways to use the iPod Touch/iPad? Share another way you can see your students using the device as a station.
I especially see these devices being used for research, for note taking or planning by small groups. In class I am starting a "Share and Show" where students can share apps they have found useful or a trick in a certain web 2.0+ program that helped them in creating an imovie, a video, etc.

Tool # 8

The Ipods will be extremely useful to offer practice on individual skills that the student needs in math and it can be set up as a workstation in the classroom. The Ipads that the classroom will receive can be used for multiple things. Specifically, I think they are best used for research when the students are working on a project or a menu choice. In small groups, they can be used to take notes, or create a document or contribute to a shared document when solving a math problem or exploring a science concept.
Our grade level is trying to make the students more of an integral part of designing and reflecting on the learning in our classes. We are working towards developing a set of classroom jobs to record and video/take pictures of various learning experiences each week and having students apply for the various job positions and rotating through these as the year progresses. This is a process!!!
We will have an assigned spot or home for the devices and signin/signout sheets to keep up with them.
The classroom jobs will include someone making sure they inventory the devices at the end of the school day as well as someone to make sure they are charged up overnight.
When the devices are assigned to a particular workstation or team for a project, then one of the small group jobs will be to get the devices and be in charge of them during their use and returning them and signing them back into the right place.

Tool # 7

I looked at Class2Class for math projects and one that appealed to me was  the Geometry Gallery of Imaginary Animals Project. This project used geometric shapes and terms in a creative way that I thought might interest the students. I will have to look at this idea in more depth, but it seems very promising.

Design a collaborative project with another classroom.
I think it would be a great collaborative project to team up with our second grade learning buddies.
The content objective would be that TSW design a survey question, conduct the survey and tally the results, and then create a graph to display the results.
A variety of graphs could be utilized, but the ones that the student could cocreate with the second grade learning buddy would include bar graphs, pictographs and pie graphs. Line graphs could be an extension the fourth grader could create for his/her own class.
The implementation would be best early in the school year preferably September. This would be a great project to start off the year with our learning buddies.
The tools that the students use could vary. They have access to Google Apps so that would be a good starting point.  They could take notes or create their basic beginning documents here.
After the initial meeting and sharing of ideas, the buddies could set up a shared document(s) where they could share and post ideas and create their project documents throughout the week while in their respective classes until the next face to face meeting.
Finally, the graphs could be developed online and posted to a class blog or wiki or a slideshow could include the process and graphs to kept in their student folders and shared with parents later.

Tool # 6

I tried to create an account on Skype three times and a coworker also watched me attempt it.
It didn't work even though I had submitted all the information.  I originally wanted to sign up for Skype in the Classroom, but you have to create a Skype account first.  If I could access Skype, I can see it being
used in many different ways in the classroom. In science, you could set up an interview time with an astronaut in science, or have the students set up an appointment with an inventor to interview him/her.
Also, this resource could be used across grade levels to  have students interview a learning buddy.
We could set up times with another fourth grade class in the district or in another state to compare how the students approach a math problem, or use a tech device. The possibilities are endless!

I used Poll Everywhere to set up an example of how you could encourage students to interact by posting an answer to a question. This is excellent as it gives time for the student to reflect or do research before responding. Also for those students who are reticent to participate this gives them a voice. This could also be used as a format for a small group to create interaction when working on a project or a way for a math student to conduct a survey.

Replace your audience response systems with Poll Everywhere

Anytime we can use tech devices or Web 2.0 and beyond as a resource for communication, or for creating a project or product it is motivational to the students.