Handful of Ideas

This week, ESU 10 hosted a great group of social studies teachers at the Social Studies Teachers Network on Wednesday February 8, 2012.  I wanted to put up a quick bit about our extremely inspirational, informative and collaborative meeting.  You can find the full set of notes at http://goo.gl/0srgc

1. Socrative – http://www.socrative.com/ This was probably the most popular tool that they all wanted to go back and try out!  Jamey Boelhower joined us via Skype to share Socrative with them.  This is a web-based student response site.  it can be used via a computer, smart phone, iPod, or iPad.  The teacher pushes out questions to the group from their app or computer and students will receive it then respond.  Socrative includes many options including multiple choice, true/false, or short answer.

2. Animaps – http://www.animaps.com was a hit with the group!  it is a mapping web site that records the journey or story you create.  Very much like Google Earth on the creating trips part (not as robust, of course) with a little easier user end.

3. Flipped classroom was a topic of discussion.  There are a handful of teachers in the ESU 10 area that are trying out this idea of flipping your homework and your lecture.  During our network time we discussed how they might record, how they might use their class time then if they aren’t lecturing, and then how they will grade it.  From this conversation came the idea of creating a You Tube Channel for this group to share and upload their videos so that they aren’t reinventing the wheel every time.  I am very excited to see this develop!

4. Grading was a topic that was brought up as I had listened to a presentation on this book by Ken O’Connor.  Rick Wormeli is also involved in this project and has some great videos on You Tube.   The most discussed part of this idea that came up was allowing test retakes.

5. Virtual Field Trips is always a great topic for Social Studies teachers and it is gaining popularity.  Beth recommended the Homestead National Monument connection to the group and that they should visit with John Stritt for more info on getting these set up.  Other connections that were mentioned were senators via Skype and the National Archives.  Skype for Educators is a great site for making more connections!  The group also mentioned working together on this to debate and connect within the group and their classes!

What a GREAT DAY!  I thoroughly enjoy working with this group!

Last month, the Nebraska ESU PDO had the privilege of participating in a presentation by Kevin Honeycutt (http://kevinhoneycutt.org). I wanted to give you a handful of ideas from his presentation!

1. “Technology used to be a pocket knife for whittling; now we have to hunt with it.” – In the beginning of any technology whether it is the computer or TV, it begins small and almost like a hobby.  Then become something more important, more embedded in the culture.  Throughout history the toys become tools!  The same is true of computers and other technology in education.  At first we got computers to figure grades… and we STILL we kept track of them in a grade book, just in case.  Now they are a necessary part of a students day like a pencil has been in the not so distant past.  Students are not relying on teachers for all the information as we once did.  They can find all the information they ever wanted on the Internet.  Why do they need teachers?  To guide them as they learn to hunt!

2.  Why do we hide our class materials from students, parents, administrators, or patrons?  Post them online so students know where to look for good materials!  eBooks are probably THE HOTTEST news in technology right now.  Unlike in the past where book publication was reserved or the learned and scholarly, these books can be written by anyone.  turn your class materials into an ebook with tools such as Pages (for Mac and iPod/iPad), Scribble Press App, or ePubBud – http://epubbud.com/.  What are the advantages of using ebooks with students?  eBooks are easily used on iPods, iPads, Smart phones, and even in a browser.  They are not just documents but documents containing all kind of multimedia including photos, videos, audio, and active links to more resources.  What a great way for students to be able to access and share materials from your classroom!

3.  Find ways to brag about your students whether it be to parents, patrons, administrators and other teachers. Do that in whatever means you can!  Having students publish is one great way to do this.  There are many online ways to publish whether it be to create a book, or a video.  Any way you can post something online and then share with others.

4. Rewindable Learning – RECORD!  RECORD!  RECORD everything you do!  Why do students go to You Tube for everything? They are looking for information.  They can learn to play a guitar just by watching a video over and over. They don’t have to stop their  teacher to re-explain in order for the learning to happen at their pace.  If they have a recording of your lesson, lab, or activity, they can watch it and learn at their own pace.  How do you share those with students?  Post it on a web site, Moodle, Wikispace, or email it to them.  Do you need to record the entire lecture?  I wouldn’t recommend it as it becomes a large file.  Record the main part or just the important parts.   Also, this is a great way to get parents involved in their learning!

5. Technology Committee – Anoint teachers!  Get your tech committee together and LET the lead teachers lead.  Administrators job them becomes the approval or disapproval of their ideas.  Work together as a team!

According to Marzano’s 9 Strategies, Note Taking is #2 in effectiveness.  So naturally, we as teachers want students taking notes over materials we cover in class.  Have you taught them how to take notes?  Have you taught them what to do with the notes once they have jotted all those gems down on paper?  This is not a skill that we are born with which I think we overlook often with students because typically, teachers are good note takers.

Here are 5 engaging activities that you can do with students to either take notes or review the note they have taken.

1. Use comic strips for both reviewing and summarizing notes!  Many students are visual learners so having them create visuals for their own learning is a great way for them to review.  “In 4 comic frames or less, summarize Plate Tectonics.”  “Tell a comic story using 10 of the 25 vocabulary words from this unit.”  These particular idea can be done on paper or digitally.  You will find there are many web sites for building comic strips out there.  Here are four different sites you might use:

• Super Hero Squad Create Your Own Comic – http://superherosquad.marvel.com/create_your_own_comic
• Read Write Think Comic Creator – http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/index.html
• Make Beliefs Comic Builder – http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/
• Strip Generator – http://stripgenerator.com/

2. Use those graphic organizers! Ed Helper has a great list of graphic organizers to use with students!  http://edhelper.com/teachers/graphic_organizers.htm Remember that Marzano’s #1 strategy for learning is to look at Similarities and Differences.  Have students do some comparing and contrasting with notes using a simple Venn Diagram.  You will also find many graphic organizers built into the software for your interactive whiteboards like Venn Diagrams, tables, and KWL Charts.

3. Use a feedback system whether it is clickers, sticky notes on the wall, or using a web site such as http://stixy.com! Use the stickies to have students do a KWL chart for each unit.  Ask students often to jot down an understanding about the material.  Ask them a “what-if” question about the material.  This gets them applying the new knowledge.  “What if we had volcanoes in Nebraska? What characteristics would they have and why do you think that?”

4. Train the class as Google Jockeys and Class Note Takers!  Each day of lecture assign one student to be the Google Jockey which is someone that is ready to do Google searches at anytime.  This could even be expanded into several jobs: someone to search for images on the topic at hand, someone to search for more, quality/scholarly materials on the topic, and possibly a biographer, someone researching the lives of those involved in the topic.  A class note taker would be the official notes for that lecture to be shared with all the students at the end of class.  For this job, it is crucial for the teacher to make time at the end of the class period, together with the class, to critically review those notes and to add or change anything the class feels was missed.  This demonstrates to the students to review the notes as well as remember what was said in class.

5. Create a backchannel to empower students to ask questions! Have you ever gone to a workshop and sat by a friend and during that time you made comments, made a connection to something that was said, or asked questions of each other?  Or in Kindergarten when the teacher brought up a new topic and everyone’s hands shot up because they have a story to tell?  Today’s Meet http://todaysmeet.com is a simple web site just for such activity.  Next time you watch a video or have a formal lecture with students, set up a backchannel and use it to gather questions, have the students add links or images to what they are already learning, or maybe even have them make connections to other knowledge they may have.  Keep in mind, this is not something you can assume students instinctively know how to use APPROPRIATELY in class.  Pre-teach and Participate!  Let them know how they need to use the backchannel and how everyone will see what is posted.  Also be a part of the chat that is going on.  It lets you know when you might need to pause the video or reteach a concept.  Allowing students to add their voices to the unit gives them buy in and ties them to the materials!

For 2012, I will be trying something new.  I have changed the name of my blog and I have several ideas that I want to try out on you!  I am a tech integration specialist at ESU 10 in Kearney, NE.  I LOVE and work with teachers!

I thought I would try out a theme of 5′s and student engagement!  As a teacher, I like lists because they are easy to “buzz” through to get new ideas.  These list will be on a variety of instructional topics but will focus on ideas for student engagement.  I hope you will find something in my lists that will be helpful for you and your students!

Thanks for reading!

Deanna

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