Sunday, May 23, 2010
Looking back on this year
I teach- I learn served 76 fifth graders directly, however indirectly the grant impacted all of the students at Meadow Wood. The fifth graders grew more proficient with the technology- itouches, Mac books and flip cameras- over the course of the year. As their confidence grew, they were sent out to assist teachers as well as students on technology projects. For example, the third graders went on a field trip to a play and they filmed their experience. The fifth graders then took their video footage and used imovie to create a movie for the class. In this way, and many more like it, the grant influenced more than what was originally anticipated.
Our grant impacted our students tremendously. With the itouch being easily accessible to them, they were able to be more independent. Mrs. Lewis had them practice using the application Dictionary.com during a lesson to help build their vocabulary while reading. After becoming familiar with the application, the students then readily accessed the site whenever they came across a vocabulary word they were unfamiliar with. Mrs. Lewis also introduced students to many word game apps such as Word Warp and Scramble at the start of each class for their warm-up activity. Ms. Maniloff had the students use a Math Facts application for increasing their accuracy. Mrs. Wheeler was doing a science lesson on the human heart, and the students used the itouch to access the internet to get a diagram of the heart instantly. Having a diagram of the heart, in their hand, allowed them to individually choose the diagram they wanted to use for their project. The students began to view the itouch as an invaluable resource. As far as special education, once we became familiar with imovie- we were able to video the teachers teaching more complicated lessons and then sync them to the student’s itouch devices for them to refer to later. This was wonderful for our special education students who needed the lesson multiple times. It allowed the students to claim ownership of their learning as well as manage their own comprehension. The itouch device allowed us to “support from afar”.
Another area that was successful was in the mentoring aspect of the grant. Fifth graders worked with many grade levels throughout the year. During October, fifth graders helped kindergarteners learn ABCs, farm animals, and sight words using several apps. Before the Thanksgiving break, fifth graders visited first grade classrooms to play TurkeyTrot for a fun break and a test of their memory. When third graders were researching a planet, the fifth graders used the application planetFacts to help them find facts about their planet. The students worked side by side and the conversations overheard by the teachers were fantastic! The third grade students initiated questions and the fifth graders would utilize the itouch to find the answers if they didn’t already know them. Not only did the fifth graders mentor, they also experienced being mentored. One of our second grade classes had been working with the Mac books and imovie creating Mother’s Day videos. Since they had become experts on editing and creating transitions, we took several of our fifth graders to be taught. Then those fifth graders shared their learning with the rest of their classmates to help create our MWE video.
Our final project with the grant was a History of MWE video. This project was a culminating project which incorporated many different skills that the students had learned throughout the year. Some of the technologies used were: scanners, digital cameras, flip cameras and Mac books. Parental support was instrumental in this project. Parents helped run the “lab” where the students worked on researching our school as well as transferring pictures onto the server where they could be accessed by multiple devices.
Our plan for next year is multi-faceted. The fifth graders will continue to have an itouch at their disposal. Our vision is still to have the itouch as an integral part of a fifth grader’s day. The teachers and students will continue to find apps and podcasts to supplement and support the learning in the classroom. Mrs. Meyer will utilize the Resource room to create projects with the special education students and they will serve as the mentors to the others. The Power to Learn grant allowed us to meet our goals as well as create new ones! It was instrumental in creating a leveled playing field for our special education students. We had several successful experiences with the students and the recognition they gained from the classmates was invaluable! As our expertise grew so did our ideas. We used the technology in ways we had never even thought of! The possibilities keep growing as we learn more about what it can help us do for our students.
Our grant impacted our students tremendously. With the itouch being easily accessible to them, they were able to be more independent. Mrs. Lewis had them practice using the application Dictionary.com during a lesson to help build their vocabulary while reading. After becoming familiar with the application, the students then readily accessed the site whenever they came across a vocabulary word they were unfamiliar with. Mrs. Lewis also introduced students to many word game apps such as Word Warp and Scramble at the start of each class for their warm-up activity. Ms. Maniloff had the students use a Math Facts application for increasing their accuracy. Mrs. Wheeler was doing a science lesson on the human heart, and the students used the itouch to access the internet to get a diagram of the heart instantly. Having a diagram of the heart, in their hand, allowed them to individually choose the diagram they wanted to use for their project. The students began to view the itouch as an invaluable resource. As far as special education, once we became familiar with imovie- we were able to video the teachers teaching more complicated lessons and then sync them to the student’s itouch devices for them to refer to later. This was wonderful for our special education students who needed the lesson multiple times. It allowed the students to claim ownership of their learning as well as manage their own comprehension. The itouch device allowed us to “support from afar”.
Another area that was successful was in the mentoring aspect of the grant. Fifth graders worked with many grade levels throughout the year. During October, fifth graders helped kindergarteners learn ABCs, farm animals, and sight words using several apps. Before the Thanksgiving break, fifth graders visited first grade classrooms to play TurkeyTrot for a fun break and a test of their memory. When third graders were researching a planet, the fifth graders used the application planetFacts to help them find facts about their planet. The students worked side by side and the conversations overheard by the teachers were fantastic! The third grade students initiated questions and the fifth graders would utilize the itouch to find the answers if they didn’t already know them. Not only did the fifth graders mentor, they also experienced being mentored. One of our second grade classes had been working with the Mac books and imovie creating Mother’s Day videos. Since they had become experts on editing and creating transitions, we took several of our fifth graders to be taught. Then those fifth graders shared their learning with the rest of their classmates to help create our MWE video.
Our final project with the grant was a History of MWE video. This project was a culminating project which incorporated many different skills that the students had learned throughout the year. Some of the technologies used were: scanners, digital cameras, flip cameras and Mac books. Parental support was instrumental in this project. Parents helped run the “lab” where the students worked on researching our school as well as transferring pictures onto the server where they could be accessed by multiple devices.
Our plan for next year is multi-faceted. The fifth graders will continue to have an itouch at their disposal. Our vision is still to have the itouch as an integral part of a fifth grader’s day. The teachers and students will continue to find apps and podcasts to supplement and support the learning in the classroom. Mrs. Meyer will utilize the Resource room to create projects with the special education students and they will serve as the mentors to the others. The Power to Learn grant allowed us to meet our goals as well as create new ones! It was instrumental in creating a leveled playing field for our special education students. We had several successful experiences with the students and the recognition they gained from the classmates was invaluable! As our expertise grew so did our ideas. We used the technology in ways we had never even thought of! The possibilities keep growing as we learn more about what it can help us do for our students.
Monday, May 17, 2010
What we have learned
What a year of learning we have had! We found out that the iTouch is so much more than a place to store apps and play games. We learned that it can be used as a voice recorder for students to hear themselves read or brainstorm for writing pieces. We learned that there are so many great FREE podcasts available for students to learn from that keep them engaged. We have seen students enjoy listening to audiobooks while visualizing a story for comprehension. We learned that for some students some great instrumental music helps them concentrate and produce great writing! We learned that the iTouch can be used as a hand-held internet research device for such things as diagrams of the heart, biographies, and animals. Plus we have found over 100 great apps that we have introduced to our fifth graders that relate to our curriculum and they LOVE them! It has been a year of discovering what works and what doesn't, but most of all it has been a year that made us a believe in what technology can do in the 21st century classroom!
MWE Memories
May: This month was dedicated to putting it all together. We had a deadline of May 13 which was the groundbreaking ceremony for the new MWE. Perhaps the most difficult part of the project was the editing. We found it easier to put the entire video on one Mac book however this was not conducive to multiple editors. All movie and picture files had to be brought in through iphoto so this limited us to one Mac book also. We could import picture files from the server but it was more challenging to import movie files. The plan for the students is to let them customize their own MWE video. They took all of the photos and supplied all of the video segments for the video. We will now let them customize their own video!
Learning from one another
April: Reverse mentor project- Second grade was working with imovie to make movies for Mother’s Day. Some of the students shared with fifth graders the ins and outs of imovie and the video making process began!
April 16- Dr. Tabakman visited the 5th grade students to discuss orthodontia and technology. He is the sponsor for our t-shirts and the kids enjoyed meeting the person behind the name. He also chose some students to create molds of their hands. The students received goodie bags at the end of the presentation.
April 16- Dr. Tabakman visited the 5th grade students to discuss orthodontia and technology. He is the sponsor for our t-shirts and the kids enjoyed meeting the person behind the name. He also chose some students to create molds of their hands. The students received goodie bags at the end of the presentation.
Talking it up!
March: This month was spent saving the files- jpeg and movie files onto the server so that they could be accessed by multiple computers. The jpeg files were easy to open however the movie files- avi,mpeg were a little trickier. The Dell laptops would not easily open the files. Students also continued to browse through scrapbooks looking for photos.
Interview process began. Students communicated with teachers through email- my sbisd accounts- and set up appointment times. Working with a partner they interviewed teachers using the flip cameras.
Student interviews were informally arranged on the playground area and at lunch. Once again the flip cameras were used.
Interview process began. Students communicated with teachers through email- my sbisd accounts- and set up appointment times. Working with a partner they interviewed teachers using the flip cameras.
Student interviews were informally arranged on the playground area and at lunch. Once again the flip cameras were used.
TEAM work
February: Students continued researching the past and present of Meadow Wood for our Legacy Project. Teams started brainstorming questions to ask the community, past students, parents, and teachers. Most importantly interview teams developed their questioning scripts:
Student interviews - Leading questions:
1) Who are the lifers? Have been at MWE since PK
2) What students have had or have siblings attending MWE with them?
3) How many MWE alums have children of their own attending MWE?
4) Any husband/wife who both attended MWE and now have their children attending MWE?
5) Organize questions for interviewing students.
Teacher interviews - Leading questions:
1) How long have you been teaching? At MWE?
2) What is your favorite memory of MWE?
3) Why did you choose to work at MWE?
Students were set up on mysbisd email accounts. They used these to communicate with the teachers to schedule convenient interview times. These accounts were challenging for the students to remember their passwords. We had to keep a reference list handy so that they could access their email.
Student interviews - Leading questions:
1) Who are the lifers? Have been at MWE since PK
2) What students have had or have siblings attending MWE with them?
3) How many MWE alums have children of their own attending MWE?
4) Any husband/wife who both attended MWE and now have their children attending MWE?
5) Organize questions for interviewing students.
Teacher interviews - Leading questions:
1) How long have you been teaching? At MWE?
2) What is your favorite memory of MWE?
3) Why did you choose to work at MWE?
Students were set up on mysbisd email accounts. They used these to communicate with the teachers to schedule convenient interview times. These accounts were challenging for the students to remember their passwords. We had to keep a reference list handy so that they could access their email.
Putting it all together
January: Fifth Grade Legacy Project- The History of MWE video project
Students filled out applications for director of the following committees:
Artwork
Building Research- past, present and future
PK-2 Programs
3-5 Programs
Teacher interviews
Student interviews
Editors
Video lay out designers
Audio designers
Faculty Research
Ten directors were then chosen to lead the committees. The teams met from 12:30-1:15 daily to plan the video. Each team had a folder where they could keep track of their work. (This time was during their lunch and recess.) It was a voluntary commitment. We sought the help of some of our parents and they help supervise the students while they researched using the internet and laid out plans for the video. The PTA provided us with old scrapbooks which the students would browse through to find old pictures of the school and then scanned them into the project.
Students filled out applications for director of the following committees:
Artwork
Building Research- past, present and future
PK-2 Programs
3-5 Programs
Teacher interviews
Student interviews
Editors
Video lay out designers
Audio designers
Faculty Research
Ten directors were then chosen to lead the committees. The teams met from 12:30-1:15 daily to plan the video. Each team had a folder where they could keep track of their work. (This time was during their lunch and recess.) It was a voluntary commitment. We sought the help of some of our parents and they help supervise the students while they researched using the internet and laid out plans for the video. The PTA provided us with old scrapbooks which the students would browse through to find old pictures of the school and then scanned them into the project.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Seamless integration
Our goal of getting the students to see the itouch as a learning tool is coming to light. Mrs. Lewis taught a lesson on context clues using the Dictionary.com app. Students practiced determining meaning of words in a small passage, and then worked together to decide which definition fit best in context. Students then used the dictionary app to check what they thought a word meant while reading in their book club books. It was a great (and simple) integration of technology into our Reading day!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Spreading our enthusiasm - what we want to do next
Future plans: Which we do not have any problems coming up with ideas, the problem lies in finding the time to implement!!! Here are just a few:
Purchase green material to make “green screen.” We have parent willing to sew our screen together, but need to research the best homemade plan. Using green screen, students in fifth will write hints about- Where in the World is Lilly? These will be accompanied with pictures of different places and then shared with the school through KMWE. The clues will begin easy so to include PK/K/1st(with the places being around the school) These clues will gradually get harder to include places around Houston, Texas, United States and then the World.
Recruiting parents to help supervise “Lightbulb lab” so that students can work on projects throughout the day when work is completed.
Establish student email accounts through district mysbisd domain to possibly connect with epals and skype partners.
Blogs- students will first contribute to class blog and then after practice- set up their own blogs based on book clubs or topic discussion.
Having students record book club conversations with itouch devices then sharing with others. This will allow the teacher to be “omnipresent.” These conversations can be later replayed by the teacher to provide oral language grades as well as to help hold the students accountable in their discussions. “The teacher is listening!”
Podcasts for instructional uses- having students record their thinking for working math problems and then sharing through itouch devices with other students who are struggling with the concept.
Multi-grade learning:
Third grade Planet project - Reverse mentor- when they have finished with their project, third graders will “present” to fifth graders. After presentation- fifth and third grade students will work together using the itouch and planet applications to further both of their understanding of the planets and then present together to other groups.
Second grade Bird Unit- fifth graders will mentor second grade using bird applications on itouch. They will also help them with their research on purple martins.
Purchase green material to make “green screen.” We have parent willing to sew our screen together, but need to research the best homemade plan. Using green screen, students in fifth will write hints about- Where in the World is Lilly? These will be accompanied with pictures of different places and then shared with the school through KMWE. The clues will begin easy so to include PK/K/1st(with the places being around the school) These clues will gradually get harder to include places around Houston, Texas, United States and then the World.
Recruiting parents to help supervise “Lightbulb lab” so that students can work on projects throughout the day when work is completed.
Establish student email accounts through district mysbisd domain to possibly connect with epals and skype partners.
Blogs- students will first contribute to class blog and then after practice- set up their own blogs based on book clubs or topic discussion.
Having students record book club conversations with itouch devices then sharing with others. This will allow the teacher to be “omnipresent.” These conversations can be later replayed by the teacher to provide oral language grades as well as to help hold the students accountable in their discussions. “The teacher is listening!”
Podcasts for instructional uses- having students record their thinking for working math problems and then sharing through itouch devices with other students who are struggling with the concept.
Multi-grade learning:
Third grade Planet project - Reverse mentor- when they have finished with their project, third graders will “present” to fifth graders. After presentation- fifth and third grade students will work together using the itouch and planet applications to further both of their understanding of the planets and then present together to other groups.
Second grade Bird Unit- fifth graders will mentor second grade using bird applications on itouch. They will also help them with their research on purple martins.
Spreading our enthusiasm - what we have shared so far
We feel strongly that although the itouch devices are housed in the Fifth grade classrooms, the learning they give opportunity to is worth sharing with as many students as possible!
Pre-K/Kindergarten: Using the apps: ABCs free, Color Talk, Numbers and Memory Match, fifth grade students really enjoyed working with and teaching the younger students.
First grade: Fifth graders shared some time together before the thanksgiving break playing "Turkey Trot" and "Thanksgiving Match". It was great to see the partners taking turns and enjoying some problem solving games.
Second Grade (and more):Second grade teachers using them to capture Reader’s Theatre and then have been sharing the readings with the class using AV cables to connect to TV.
Third grade: Small groups are working on putting together their Reader’s Theatre using digital cameras and photostory.
Fourth grade: Factbook app. Tried scavenger hunt originally given to fifth, and are now creating another scavenger hunt for fifth grade to try!
MWE FLIP Crew: students using flip cameras to capture events of the school such as Kindergarten Storybook Parade and Thanksgiving Feast.
Pre-K/Kindergarten: Using the apps: ABCs free, Color Talk, Numbers and Memory Match, fifth grade students really enjoyed working with and teaching the younger students.
First grade: Fifth graders shared some time together before the thanksgiving break playing "Turkey Trot" and "Thanksgiving Match". It was great to see the partners taking turns and enjoying some problem solving games.
Second Grade (and more):Second grade teachers using them to capture Reader’s Theatre and then have been sharing the readings with the class using AV cables to connect to TV.
Third grade: Small groups are working on putting together their Reader’s Theatre using digital cameras and photostory.
Fourth grade: Factbook app. Tried scavenger hunt originally given to fifth, and are now creating another scavenger hunt for fifth grade to try!
MWE FLIP Crew: students using flip cameras to capture events of the school such as Kindergarten Storybook Parade and Thanksgiving Feast.
TEACHnology classes
So many projects- so little time! It has been challenging to coordinate technology lessons within the context of the already packed school day. We would love for technology to be a “specials class” that students go to at least once a week!!! In order for the technologies to be used seamlessly within the classroom skills have to be taught, and this takes time even though the students catch on very quickly.
After completing introductory “skill classes” during voluntary recess sessions on: imovie, iphoto, photostory, windows movie maker, blogging, web 2.0 tools, flipcharts, flip cameras and garage band, we have moved on to projects. We have identified four projects for the students to work on integrating all of the different technologies. The four projects are: a recycle video to share with Terrace Elementary; a history of MWE video to remember our building once we are rennovated; Teacher University to spotlight the collegiate expereinces in our building; and the mentor project to continue building relationships across grade levels. The students will choose which long-term project that they want to work on.
One challenge for this grant has been having enough “man-power”. Due to “technical issues”- that arrive daily- some of our good intentions have taken longer than planned.
After completing introductory “skill classes” during voluntary recess sessions on: imovie, iphoto, photostory, windows movie maker, blogging, web 2.0 tools, flipcharts, flip cameras and garage band, we have moved on to projects. We have identified four projects for the students to work on integrating all of the different technologies. The four projects are: a recycle video to share with Terrace Elementary; a history of MWE video to remember our building once we are rennovated; Teacher University to spotlight the collegiate expereinces in our building; and the mentor project to continue building relationships across grade levels. The students will choose which long-term project that they want to work on.
One challenge for this grant has been having enough “man-power”. Due to “technical issues”- that arrive daily- some of our good intentions have taken longer than planned.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Case issues
We are so glad to have the cases (red and blue iSkins) on the itouch devices for the students, but it has not come without some hang-ups. First of all was the un-earth-friendly packaging the cases came in! It took an assmbly line of four of us working for 30 minutes just to get them out of the package! Then we spent the next 30 minutes putting the cases on the itouches themselves! (We all had sore fingers by the end of it all.) The worst was trying to plug the itouches into the sync cart with the case on. The cord would not fit all the way into the slot, so most of the cases had to be taken off at one end in order to charge and sync the devices. One teacher has the same case for her phone and says once the case stretches out it should be easier, but until then we will have to have the students remove the bottom of the cases when we need to sync or charge them.
Here we go!
The protective cases for the itouches came in on Tuesday, so students spent Wednesday setting up their assigned itouch. They browsed the loaded apps and determined categories to sort them into. Most students set up pages for spelling/word games, math apps, science and social studies apps, mentoring apps for use with the younger grades, and a brain game page. After that the students practiced their cursive handwriting on the ABC Cursive app to reinforce the handwriting practice we have started this week. The students also cleaned the screen, put on a screen protector, and refit the case onto their itouch. The students are looking forward to using the itouch in Language Arts as a resource for their learning!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Ready to jump, but...
We are still waiting to assign the itouch devices to the students on an individual basis. The only hang-up is that the cases have yet to be delivered to us! We do not want the students to have the device unprotected and slick on their desktops for classroom use, but the waiting is keeping us from moving forward. We are ready for the "novelty" to wear off, and for the students to see how this can be a tool they use seamlessly while reading, writing, and learning their fifth grade content. We know there will be temptation to use it for play, but we are going to be very straight-forward about our expectations. We may even set up the itouch screens to be sorted by subject area so that we can tell them that during this time they should only be using apps from screen ___(1,2 3, etc). We hope this will teach them the appropriate times to use the apps we have selected.
iTouch edit
We have experimented with using the Thumbtack microphones. Mrs. Lewis had the students record their compositions about an interesting event in their life using the Voice Memo app on the itouch and the Thumbtack microphone. After making their recording, they used the itouch to listen to their story, revise, and edit their composition. Many students said how much they enjoyed recording their story so they could hear what it was they wanted to say. Many resource and ESL students who did not have a good start to their written story, found that recording the story first was very helpful. Plus, since "voice" is an important part of personal narrative, it was a valuable use of the app for the other students as well.
Tracking our progress
We have set up a planning board where we are keeping track of student’s technology proficiencies. We plan on having a flip crew. These students will be used to go into classrooms and train teachers as well as their students on how to use the camera and then make a movie/burn a DVD. Two fifth graders have already made a DVD from footage taken by a third grade teacher on a field trip. The two students used flip software and created a movie and then presented it to the class. They were so excited about their accomplishment!
We have also set up a bulletin board where we can track the applications that have been used in the classroom setting. We have created a flag to represent USA Factbook and have written the Scavenger hunt questions on cards to create a web. We plan on having a select amount of fifth teach fourth grade about the Constitution using the app and the visual.
We are on our way to making this technology a part of our classrooms!
We have also set up a bulletin board where we can track the applications that have been used in the classroom setting. We have created a flag to represent USA Factbook and have written the Scavenger hunt questions on cards to create a web. We plan on having a select amount of fifth teach fourth grade about the Constitution using the app and the visual.
We are on our way to making this technology a part of our classrooms!
Mentoring begins
We decided that our fifth graders needed some training on the many things available for them to use in their lab, so we have devised a plan. We plan to open the lab on Monday, October 26 to offer tech trainings to the students during their lunch/recess time. We will allow students to sign up for things such as: flip cameras, imovie, photo story, windows movie maker, imovie, garageband and other applications. Fifth grade teachers will take turns teaching these applications that they have become proficient using.
Mentor program- We started the process with two teach teams. 6 Fifth graders on Mondays and Wednesdays and 6 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each fifth grader has been assigned a PK/K student. The time frame is 12-12:15 two times a week and the location is in the PK/K building hallway. Since the fifth graders are so anxious to participate we are only having the 12 fifth graders teach for one week until we cycle all of the fifth graders through. As soon as they have all had a chance, we will interview or choose mentors based on interest.
Mentor program- We started the process with two teach teams. 6 Fifth graders on Mondays and Wednesdays and 6 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each fifth grader has been assigned a PK/K student. The time frame is 12-12:15 two times a week and the location is in the PK/K building hallway. Since the fifth graders are so anxious to participate we are only having the 12 fifth graders teach for one week until we cycle all of the fifth graders through. As soon as they have all had a chance, we will interview or choose mentors based on interest.
"Lightbulb Lab" begins slowly
A group of fifth grade students created a movie using the flip camera and imovie about Lilly and the Plastic Purple Purse by Kevin Henkes. Students burned it onto a DVD and we are in the process of sending the movie around from class to class with a toy mouse and purple purse with the following letter.
Dear Meadow Wood,
Our fifth graders have been busy creating our own “Lightbulb lab”, based on Kevin Henkes’ book- Lilly and the Plastic Purple Purse. In Lilly’s classroom there is a place where the students can go and create! We have made a classroom just for this purpose! Pretty soon you and your class will be invited to join the fifth graders in this lab where ideas are not only imagined but created! Enjoy this movie created by fifth grade and produced in the lab about Lilly and the Plastic Purple Purse. This is just the first of many exciting ideas that will be created in the Lightbulb Lab! We can’t wait for you to join us! We will have an official opening soon!!!
Dear Meadow Wood,
Our fifth graders have been busy creating our own “Lightbulb lab”, based on Kevin Henkes’ book- Lilly and the Plastic Purple Purse. In Lilly’s classroom there is a place where the students can go and create! We have made a classroom just for this purpose! Pretty soon you and your class will be invited to join the fifth graders in this lab where ideas are not only imagined but created! Enjoy this movie created by fifth grade and produced in the lab about Lilly and the Plastic Purple Purse. This is just the first of many exciting ideas that will be created in the Lightbulb Lab! We can’t wait for you to join us! We will have an official opening soon!!!
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