Day 3 Reflection

Day 3 done. Whew! This class has been a whirlwind of trial and error and chasing a three year old! 

I am reflecting back over the work that I have done today. 

First thing this morning I was to spend another 30 minutes growing my PLN. I reviewed my Twitter Feed and visited a couple of sites that I found through Twitter. I also did some peer editing with my partner for this project and learned about how to use the app Chatterpix in my classroom. I already have some ideas on how to incorporate this app into our classroom infused lessons. 

For my Flipped Classroom lesson, I used Educreations. All during last year, I heard this website/App a lot, but I never checked it out. This class prompted me to check it out and I've discovered a great tool to help me infuse technology in my classroom, and also make some videos for my RTI kiddos or my GT kiddos to provide enrichment. I immediately jumped into making my flipped video and my student sample. But the more research I did and the deeper I got into the lessons of my classwork, I realized that it wasn't ready. I recorded both my teacher flipped video and my student sample three times. Yes, I did my own student sample, because I don't think my three year old would make a good student sample,and my upcoming first grader is out of town visiting her grandparents. I tried to sound my best like a student. HA! I found the recording process to be a bit frustrating at first until I felt more comfortable with the app. So now, I know several pointers to help out my own students when we begin to use this tool. 

Deciding on my Bloom's Level is what I struggle with the most. I try very hard to have an open mind about the levels and concrete them into my skull, but I find myself second guessing my knowledge. Plus my cheat sheets are locked away in my teacher cabinet in my classroom at school. :( So I did some research on pinterest and the internet to help. 

My students will be learning about the Life Cycle of a Plant and then creating their own video of the life cycle of a plant and reviewing the parts of a plant with Educreations. So, my students will be Applying their knowledge of the life cycle by illustrating the life cycle parts, and knowledge of plant parts to go out to the internet and find a picture of a plant and label the parts in their video. They will also be Evaluating and Analyzing other's work in a critiquing piece at the end of the lesson followed by a reflection in their science journal. 

I am waiting on my Peer to review my lesson plan and critique it. I'm hoping she isn't too brutal! HA!

Presentations tomorrow! 

Day 2 Refection

Hi there! It's me again!

This morning I posted about overcoming my barriers with infused lessons in the classroom. I have been working all day on my Tech Academy project, and now I am coming back to reflect on my learning from today.

 PLN time - what new resources did you find and what new strategies will you use to enhance your technology infusion for the upcoming year?

My first assignment this morning was to spend 30 minutes growing my PLN (personal learning network). I did some looking on twitter and followed a few new people. Including a lady I found just from googling (flipped classrooms kindergarten); Matt Gomez who is also a Kindergarten teacher, and Todd Nesloney from a webinar I was required to watch. All have awesome ideas and are inspiring.

Just from googling (flipped classrooms kindergarten) I was able to spot quite a few websites, and blogs of teachers who have tried flipping in Kindergarten.

I would say that Twitter will be a new strategy that I will use to enhance my technology infusion for the upcoming year.

Flipped Classrooms - what did you learn from the webinar?

This morning I watched a Webinar on Flipped Classrooms by Todd Nesloney. This guy is a master teacher who has brought the art of the Flipped classroom to life. He teaches in a school setting that is relatively similar to CISD.

I learned so much from watching his video. I learned about a few new sites and programs that I didn't know about. I also learned how he goes about a no excuses environment from both his students and the parents. He also gave insight on what to do if not all students have internet access at home. He talked about ways to stay connected with his parents and to keep them on board with the idea. Then I learned about two PD resources for me to look into.

Your lesson and student sample - what is the lesson that you are using for this course and what web tool will your students use in this lesson?

My lesson for this course will be on the Lifecycle of a Plant. My students will be making their own video to demonstrate their learning using Educreations.

It's been a long and busy day, but I've learned a lot! See ya tomorrow! :)

Crushing My Barriers

So, during my summer break, I am taking a CISD required course called Tech Academy. It is a week long course to help teachers feel more comfortable with and provide more resources for infusing technology into our classrooms.

This morning, I am up early while my family sleeps and have set up outside on my back porch to resume my course work. It is raining and quite enjoyable! :)

Ok, so back to crushing my barriers! Yesterday, I created this blog and my first post was about four barriers that I felt were hindering me to fully infuse technology into my classroom. Those four barriers were: Bloom's Levels, branching out past Popplet, resources for every student, and relaxing and knowing that kindergarteners can handle it!

Today, I am to find some solutions to help me overcome my barriers.

As for Bloom's Levels, there is information available. I have several cheat sheets at school to help me understand the actual levels. It is basically on my shoulders to learn more and become more familiar with the question stems for each level.


(image from CISD website)

This illustration helps us see how the levels can actually flow into and out of each other based on the learner's schema. Not all topics covered in class need to start with the Remembering level. With some topics students would be able to move into the higher levels of Analyze, Evaluate, and Create quickly.

This anchor chart that I found on Pinterest is a great visual for both the teacher and students to see what kind of questions fall into what categories.

(On pinterest, the original author is unknown.)

I also created something similar to this in my classroom with question stems to help me make sure I was asking HOTS. My grade level team did a rotation of HOTS levels each month. I used library pockets and popsicle sticks.

(Found on pinterest, from classroomfreebies,com)

My second barrier was finding other apps and web 2.0 apps other than popplet. Now don't get me wrong, but popplet is awesome! If you are new to infusing technology into your lessons, this is a great one to start with. It is user friendly and easy for students to use. It is a techy version of a plain ol' mind map. With this version, you can add colors, pictures, drawings, etc. Fun stuff! My students and I have created popplets for 2D shape pictures that we found around the school, family vocabulary words, sources of light, and sources of heat.

(google search image)

I have used fotobabble and Flipagram (http://flipagram.com/f/LShiUkL121) too.

(google search image)

Educreations is on my to do list! I like how you can add pictures, draw, and talk on the video!

(google search image)

My third barrier was not having one to one for my students. Like I said in the earlier post, my library does have sets of Ipads which I could check out. So, that again, is on my shoulders with planning ahead and reserving them for my classroom. Donor's Choose is also a route that I could take in getting some devices for my classroom. http://www.donorschoose.org/


(google search image)


My fourth barrier was letting go and letting the Kindergarteners use the devices. Often I feel like I am anxious about them breaking the devices or not being able to use the app on their own. What I often forget is that these kiddos have had access to devices of some sort since they were born. They sometimes know more than I do! :)

(google search image)

So there you have it...my plan for crushing my four barriers. Putting it down in writing and doing a bit of research has made it seem simple enough! We will see!

Four Barriers

Infusing technology into the classroom can be intimidating. Technology is everywhere we look, and people are comfortable with it. So, why are there barriers between technology infused lessons and me as the teacher? Why is it so hard to embrace? 

Our classrooms are equipped with a teacher computer, printer, document camera, Smartboard, 4 student computers, an iPad, and an iPod. So the equipment is available to allow for infusion to occur. 

Infusion isn't just giving the students an iPad and allowing them to play a game. Infusion isn't just letting them play games or type on the computer. Infusion isn't just turning on the Smart Board and watching a video about the life cycle of a butterfly. Infusion is putting the learning into the hands of the students and allowing them to make a product or to showcase their learning. 

The first barrier I face when infusing technology is thinking about Bloom's Levels. Is my lesson just at the Remembering or Understanding level? Or have I raised the bar to Apply, Analyze, Evaluate or Create? 

The second barrier I face when infusing technology is branching out into new Web 2.0 sites. It is easy to use Popplet every time. It is kid friendly and easy for students to use, and it is easy to use with a variety of subjects and topics. I have used Popplet many times from 2D shapes, family vocabulary words, characteristics of the sun, moon, stars...etc. The list goes on...

The third barrier I face is not having a device for every student. Now our campus does have iPad and iPod checkout carts, but they are shared across the campus. So, advanced planning is necessary to make sure they are available on the dates you are planning to infuse. Also, making time to allow students to practice the app or game is necessary so that they can be comfortable using the app. You don't want to spend the whole time troubleshooting or walking students through unfamiliar territory. 

The fourth barrier I face is understanding that even kindergartners are comfortable with technology. They have been raised around technology since they were born. Smart phones, iPods, iPads, and computers have been their way of life. They were born into it. They sometimes even know more that I do. :) It is hard to let go as a teacher and put the learning into the hands of the students. 

As I plan and think ahead about the upcoming school year, I have a goal in mind... more infusion of technology. I want to find a way around these barriers and blaze forward!