Literacy Project

I am a full-fledged blogger! For my literacy project, I used Kidblog to create a class blog to use with my fourth graders. I began the project by discussing blogging with my students. Many of them already comment to each other using online tools, but having a class blog seems new to them. I decided that for now, I will pose a question of the week. For my first question, I asked my students to write about their favorite animal and practice posting it to their blogs. Each student posted on his or her own blog page. I am excited to get my students more involved in blogging, and they are beyond thrilled. My next steps for my students are to teach them how to add pictures and videos to their posts, as well as comment on each others' posts.

Check out my class blog!

My First Voki!

Voki has been a fun tool to learn to use, and I know my students are going to love it when I share it with them. This course has been so useful to me as a fourth grade teacher. My students absolutely love anything that has to do with technology, and they are really enjoying using the tools I have introduced. Many of my students have created extra credit projects at home using Glogster, and I introduced my classroom blog today. My students are excited about these new opportunities for sharing their personal ideas and things they have learned.

Updates to Diigo

I have added several new links to my diigo account! Feel free to check it out and follow me if you would like! I have also added tags to several of my links, but I like the organization of the list feature much better.

Bucket Filling Digital Story

Have You Filled A Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud is a great way to build positive character within your classroom. My school has taken on bucket filling, inspired by the picture book. Students are acknowledged by demonstrating kind or caring behaviors with a certificate. In some classrooms, students have personal buckets where other students might place notes thanking them for acts of kindness. I have noticed a positive change in the way my students care for others and our classroom. Allison and I created this digital story to share how bucket filling has had a positive impact on our grade level. We used Windows Movie Maker to import pictures of our students demonstrating bucket filling. Importing and arranging pictures was very easy. Adding music was the hardest part, but we were able to figure it out eventually. I thought the project went pretty smoothly since it was our first time using Movie Maker. I will use this digital story to introduce and reteach the value of bucket filling to my students. I hope you like it and can use it in your classroom as well!

One More Story

If you are looking for a way to spice up your read aloud time, check out www.onemorestory.com! I used this site often when I taught first grade. My students loved seeing the pictures on the smart board and being able to follow the words. It was also exciting to hear a different voice reading to them!

As I explored the site this week, I realized that a few books I read aloud to my fourth graders are also available. There is probably something for every grade level, and I know the students really enjoy it. It's worth a try!

Have you filled a bucket today?

We have taken on a "bucket filling" initiative at our school to create a more positive school atmosphere. Students imagine that everyone has imaginary buckets they carry around. They can fill each other's buckets by being helpful or caring. In some classrooms, students earn certificates when they do something to fill a bucket. In other classrooms, students write down compliments to other students when someone fills their bucket. We began teaching about bucket filling by reading Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. Then we discussed ways students can be bucket fillers at school.

Allison and I both teach fourth grade, and our classes are very involved in bucket filling. We have decided to create a digital story about bucket filling to teach teachers how to introduce it in the classroom, and to teach students how they can become bucket fillers. We will be taking pictures of our students being bucket fillers and explaining some of the ways students can become bucket fillers. We have noticed a positive change in our classroom environments since we introduced bucket filling, and we think it's a great way to acknowledge positive student behavior!

To learn more about bucket filling or purchase the book, visit the "Bucket Fillers" website!

Diigo

I am beginning to feel more comfortable using Diigo, and I am realizing the value of it as an educational tool. I figured out how to create lists, which has been helpful for me to organize the sites I have been bookmarking. Creating lists seems more organized to me than using tags. I am excited to connect to other people's Diigo accounts to begin collecting more resources for my classroom! If you would like to share your Diigo account with me, please share your link so I can try to follow you!

Here is the link to my account if you want to check out some resources I use in my classroom. Happy bookmarking!

Digital Storytelling

I wish student teaching 6 years ago hadn't been such a blur! While student teaching in a fourth grade classroom, I worked with my students using digital storytelling.  My students created digital stories using Photo Story 3. They also published stories as comic strips using a really cool program called Comic Life. I feel like I am starting the process all over again now!

I am teaching fourth grade currently, but I haven't thought about bringing these programs into my classroom until now. My students loved using them a few years ago, and they were both creative ways for students to publish. They were also easy for my students to use!

Here is a tutorial for using Photo Story 3:



Here is a tutorial for using Comic Life:

Richardson Chapters 5 & 6

In chapter 6, Richardson talked a lot about the benefits of social bookmarking. Social bookmarking is probably one of my favorite and most used tools right now! I joined Pinterest last summer and can't stay off of it. It's the perfect way for me to mix business with pleasure. I have found so many useful charts, activities and strategies for teaching, but I have also been collecting recipes, ideas for home decor, and exciting places to travel. It has been so simple and wonderful to be able to organize my internet findings in one place. I have created several different "boards" to store anything that peaks my interest when I am exploring the internet. If you don't have a Pinterest account yet, it's time to make one!

Pinterest vs. Diigo:
Diigo is a newer tool for me. It is similar to Pinterest because it is a place to store and organize useful materials found online. It isn't quite as easy to manage Diigo as it is to manage Pinterest, but I seem to be quickly getting the hang of it. I have found that I can make lists to organize my educational materials by subject (or any way one would prefer), and it creates quick links to saved websites. It is not as visually appealing as Pinterest, but Diigo definitely has a place in education. It is a great way for teachers to store and share their favorite websites.

Hands-On Creativity

I had such a great experience creating an Animoto this week, and I am excited for my students to try it out! I have been thinking about the different types of projects and subjects that Animotos could be created for, and the list seems endless. While reading Anne's blog, I learned about a great tool for students! Anne described Xtra Normal, a site that is easy to use to create videos. On her blog, she demonstrated what a video could look like. Check it out at Anne's Blog: Xtra Normal! I think my students would enjoy working with Animoto and Xtra Normal for different purposes. It's amazing how many useful tools are at my fingertips that I didn't know existed!

New York City Animoto

Wow! Animoto is really fun and easy to use, and I think my students will be intrigued by it. My fourth graders will be beginning a math unit learning about money and elapsed time. To meet our objectives, students will be planning an imaginary trip to New York City. They will be taking the train from Connecticut to New York for the day, and they will have a budget of $150 for their excursions. I created this animoto to give my students ideas of places they might like to visit while they are in New York. I plan to use it as an introduction for the unit to help them as they begin to plan their itineraries for their trips. I hope they like it!

Flickr!

I had no idea what Flickr was until today. I knew it had to do with picture sharing, but I didn't know that it was easy and useful! Flickr Creative Commons offers a wide variety of pictures that can be used in blog posts or for activities in the classroom. If you are unfamiliar with how to use it, definitely check out this blog post about Flickr!

While checking out Flickr, I found this picture of NYC. My students will be doing a project on it soon, and this is a great place to find pictures!

Richardson Chapters 3 & 4

I have been hearing about wikis for the last year, but I didn't really understand how they worked until last week. What a great tool for collaboration! I love the idea of students being able to work together to edit, change, or update a document. Richardson offered some helpful suggestions of how to use wikis with students, but I am still not sure how I would use them practically. I like the idea of using wikis for book reports, but I'm not sure how I could fit it into my schedule. I also liked the idea that students could help create or finish books using wikis. Although it is exciting, I am a little nervous about using wikis with my students and know they would need a lot of instruction on how to properly collaborate using them. Maybe the first step should be blogging before using wikis?

How would you use wikis with your students???

Blogging in the Classroom

I am really excited to start a blog in my classroom, but I'm not sure yet how I want to get started. I looked at some sample blogs from Blogs and Blogging on our class site. Mrs. Schmidt has a great blog that seems like it would be very effective for parent communication, but she doesn't seem to have her students comment on her blog. Mrs. Alaniz has a more student-friendly blog, but her students don't seem to reply to many of her posts.

I think I would like to use my blog with students instead of just parent communication, but maybe it would be better to start by using to to just share information since it is new to me? I began setting up a blog on kidblog. It seems really easy to use so far. I'm not sure if I should have my students create their own blogs or just have them log in to the class page to comment on posts. Does anyone know how that works or have suggestions for blogging with fourth graders?

Animoto

I have been checking out some sample Animoto's to get ideas for my project. I really liked the Frog and Toad sample and think this would be a great way to introduce new vocabulary to students. I haven't tried to create my own Animoto yet, but I have a feeling I will love it when I try it! I think my students will also love it, and it will bring something new and exciting into my classroom. I like how it can be fast or slow paced and put together with music. It seems like PowerPoint but better!

Richardson Chapters 1 & 2

Social media usage is changing for students and teachers. Students are using a variety of technologies outside of school with little instruction on how to use them, and most students are much more computer literate than most of their teachers. When students are in school, their exposure to technology is somewhat limited. This means that teachers need to create more opportunities for students to explore and learn using technology. Teachers must become more knowledgeable in using technology to teach, but they must also become more knowledgeable in teaching students how to appropriately and effectively use technology.

There are many useful tech tools for teachers to consider using in their classrooms. Blogs and Wikis are a great way for students to collaborate and interact with teachers and peers. These tools provide spaces for students to share information, form opinions, and express their ideas. Online photo galleries are an effective way to maintain communication with students’ families. Teachers can easily upload and share pictures to keep parents up-to-date with school news and classroom happenings. Social bookmarking sites such as Diigo.com and Delicious.com provide students and teachers with a space to save resource lists. This would be especially beneficial for students completing research projects in which they are using many online resources. Audio/video casting tools give students opportunities to demonstrate their creativity when publishing stories and projects. Their work can become public and shared with many people.

To keep students safe on the internet, teachers must begin by teaching them how to navigate safely and effectively. Responsible use does not only mean avoiding inappropriate sites, but also reacting appropriately when they do discover inappropriate information. Many schools set filters or blocks to help protect students from inappropriate activity at school.

Teachers should have blogs because it is an effective way to communicate with students and parents. Blogs make information easily accessible and more organized than paper. Blogs also provide students with opportunities for current learning and communication methods and increased opportunities for participation. Blogs make student work more relevant because their work is published beyond the classroom. They have a greater audience which is also a motivator for students. Through the use of blogs, students have opportunities to collaborate outside of their classrooms more easily. Blogs give all students the opportunity to participate and share their thinking. Some students who may be too shy to share their ideas in discussion may feel more comfortable writing on a blog. Participating in blog use also helps prepare students to function in an information society.

As I viewed a few of the blogs mentioned in Chapter 2 of Richardson’s book, I was especially inspired by Mr. C’s class blog. Right now it seems like it would be a daunting task, but what an amazing way to maintain communication and collaboration between teachers, students, and parents! Mr. C updates hisblog often to share what the class is working on. He provides pictures, videos, and links. This blog is awesome! I was also impressed with the Meriwether Lewis Elementary School blog. It is easy to navigate, and any important information parents would need is on the home page. Classroom websites are easy to find on the home page, and there is up-to-date information with pictures of students. This is a great model for any school wanting to redesign their website! 

New Literacies

To me, new literacies means students using the internet effectively to develop online reading comprehension, communication, and learning. The way that students read and learn is changing as technology advances. Information is now at students’ fingertips, but they need to be taught and given opportunities to explore how to navigate online resources. As teachers, we need to guide students to use online resources in a purposeful way and encourage students to expand their reading practice beyond books.

The NETS for Students are the standards for the skills and knowledge students need to develop to live and be successful in a digital world. Students need to not only be able to use technology, they must be able to use it to learn, explore, and analyze information. With the use of technology, students will be able to demonstrate their creativity, communicate and collaborate with peers, teachers and other people, research and analyze information, and use critical thinking skills to complete projects.

The NETS for teachers are the standards of skills and knowledge that teachers must possess in order to work and teach effectively in a digital society. Teachers need to be co-learners with students and colleagues around the world to improve their knowledge of and experiences with technology. Teachers must also feel comfortable allowing their students many opportunities to use and explore a variety of modes for learning with technology. In order to provide students with meaningful experiences using technology, teachers must use their knowledge of technology to guide student learning. It is the responsibility of teachers to design learning experiences for students that incorporate technology, and teachers must also teach students how to use these resources responsibly. In order to teach these skills effectively, teachers must participate in professional development opportunities and be active learners themselves.

In my 4^th grade classroom, my students are currently working on a research project about the changing Earth. After developing background knowledge and exposing students to many factors that impact the changing Earth, students have chosen topics they would like to research. They will be using books, magazines, and internet resources to research information about their topics. As a final project, students will have a choice in their presentation mode. Many students have chosen to use Glogster or PowerPoint to present their information. Students will use computers to research, type, and design a presentation about their research topics. 

Blogging Day 1

Welcome to my blog! Our first class was very overwhelming yet informative. We learned the difference between a Wiki and a blog. I learned how to post on someone's blog and begin to create my own blog. I am looking forward to developing my blog and learning how to effectively use it with my students.

This is a picture of me with my dog Matty on his 9th birthday.