Using Technology in the Junior Classroom

Incorporating technology in the classroom is an effective way to engage today’s students and educate them in 21^st century fluencies.  A variety of tools and resources are available for teachers and their students. In my secondary school classes, I routinely use a variety of technology tools including PowerPoint, Document Cameras, Livescribe technology, Poll Everywhere, Google Tools, Edublogs and LiveBinders

I am currently completing my Junior Division ABQ and have been posed the question of using technology in the junior classroom.  Am I able to use these same tools in the junior classroom?  The answer is ‘yes’ for some of these tools and ‘no’ to others.  For example, I routinely used Poll Everywhere in my classrooms as a means to engage my students in a way that allows them to use their cell phones/iPads/laptops to augment their learning.  This would not be the case in a Grade 4, 5 or 6 classrooms since the majority of these students may not have such devices as a result of their age.  Some tools that may be especially helpful in teaching language arts in the junior grades are discussed below.

Blogging

Starting a class blog with general information, homework postings and lesson information is definitely a “must-do” for every teacher.  This platform of communication is user-friendly and allows the teacher to post important information for the class.  The blogging platform effectively engages students and parents alike and allows them to view the classroom happenings through a unique lens.

Teachers can take the blog concept further and create blogs for each of their students (these can be linked to the main class blog).  Students can post on their blog for a variety of reasons – journal reflections, research summaries or even answering questions posed in class.  By providing the blog as a platform to submit assignments, the teacher is motivating the students to prize their work and polish it so it’s worthy of publishing i.e. posting on their blog.  Older students, especially, have a heightened awareness of the value of work posted in the Internet and by giving them the responsibility of posting to a blog, the teacher is allowing the student to take ownership and pride in their work to a new level. 

The ability to blog is one of the “new literacies” that our students are expected to be well versed in.  Blogging allows students to fine-tune their thinking and writing skills and work on all aspects of the writing process including proofreading and editing.  As well, when using student blogs in the classroom, a teacher is able to stress the importance of Internet safety and good digital citizenship while modeling these values.

Great blogging platforms to use include Edublogs, KidBlog, Blogger and Wordpress.  I personally have used Edublogs Pro (paid account) for my Gr. 9 Applied Science class with great success (click here to view the class blog).

Google Documents

This tool allows collaboration between students in a completely new way.  The next time you assign a project in pairs or groups, ask that the group put their work into a Google Doc.  The platform is similar to MS Word, except that multiple users can edit and change the same document in real time.  Just think of it as a “chat window” in which all users can edit each others’ work.  This is a phenomenal way for students to collaborate with each other and with their teacher.  It allows the students to practice teamwork and social skills on a whole new level.

Melanie Wiscount of Wilkes University summarizes the use of Google Docs in the classroom very well in the following slideshare presentation.

Google Docs in the Classroom

View more PowerPoint from mwiscount

Skype

Skype has revolutionized communication in a way that is as dramatic as the first phone had.  Skype allows you to video call anyone, anywhere and chat with them.  I use Skype every day to keep in touch with my sister and my Mom in Chicago and with family in India and worldwide, but can this tool be used in the classroom as well?  The answer is a resounding ‘YES’!!

Skype has launched “Skype in the Classroom” which “…is a free and easy way for teachers to open up their classroom. 
Meet new people, talk to experts, share ideas and create amazing learning 
experiences with teachers from around the world.” An example of one of the featured projects at this site involves “Skyping” with Park Rangers from Yellowstone National Park and learning about a variety of things such as geology, ecology and cultural history.  This program facilitates connections and collaboration between teachers and classes who may geographically very far apart but on the page with regards to curriculum and classroom topics.

I see myself using Skype in a much more basic way.  For example, if I am teaching my Grade 5 students about environmental impact of garbage and recycling, I would love to take them on a field trip to the local city-run recycling plant.  If this trip were not feasible, it would be great to connect with the recycling plant’s community engagement person and arrange a Skype “visit” in the classroom. This would allow the expert guest speaker to “visit” our class and allow the students to interact with him/her and ask questions.  In this was, Skype could be used to bring any expert into the classroom as a guest speaker.

Livescribe

Livescribe technology is one of my favourite technologies for differentiated instruction.  Livescribe technology consists of a special pen and paper that records writing and audio simultaneously.  A quick description of Livescribe technology is shown below along with “10 ways to integrate the Livescribe Echo Smartpen into your classroom” (courtesy of Two Minute Tech Tips, YouTube).

 


Voki

According to VOKI, it is “a great way to have students share their knowledge of a topic in 60 seconds or less. Makes students organize their thoughts to focus on key details.”  This site allows students to create a speaking cartoon avatar and describes its function as anabling “users to express themselves on the web in their own voice using a talking character. You can customize your Voki to look like you or take on the identity of lots of other types of characters… animals, monsters, anime etc. Your Voki can speak with your own voice which is added via microphone, upload, or phone.
”

This can be integrated in the classroom in a variety of ways and teachers can use the “Lesson Plans” tab on the Voki site to explore lesson plans created b y other educators.  I see myself using this tool in lieu of an oral presentation.  Students would enjoy creating their Voki character, voice and script and would especially enjoy watching the Vokis created by their classmates.  This adds a new twist to presentations and would motivate students to learn and communicate concepts due to the novel product that they would create.

Kinect in the Classroom

This is a tool that I have not yet had the chance to use in the classroom, but I am excited for the opportunity to try it out.  Microsoft has listed many ideas of how to use Kinect in the Classroom and has posted the following video on YouTube.

I found this teacher’s blog especially helpful in understanding how Kinect can be used in the classroom and hope to be able to implement some of these techniques in junior classroom of mine.  The gamification of learning motivates students and engages them in a new way and use of the Kinect allows teachers to explore kinesthetic learning and teaching methods.

As professionals, teachers are committed to engaging and motivating students to learn in a variety of different ways through different multiple intelligences and the technology tools described above allow teachers to do this in a unique way.  Just as we commit to ongoing professional learning in all areas of teaching, we must remember to continually learn how to use new technology tools and how to incorporate them into our regular classroom practices.

Classrooms of the Future

So much has changed in the classroom since I was a young student.  When I first heard of constructivism and student-centred learning in my B.Ed. program, I was baffled.  What happened to the "good ol' days" of teachers lecturing and the students frantically scribbling notes down??  Were these really effective learning opportunities?  While some "old school" adults hold the belief that "we learned that way and we turned out fine", others recognize the fact that this method of teaching is no the be all and end all of pedagogy.  Throughout my B.Ed. courses and my teaching practices, I have strived to be an effective teacher by differentiating instruction and adjusting my teaching style to incorporate different learning styles and multiple intelligences.

An “Ideal” Classroom Design

In order to aid this major paradigm shift in teaching and learning, we must support it via the physical environment in which we teach.  No longer is the ideal classroom one in which all the desks are in rows, facing forward while the students quietly focus on the teacher as the "sage on the stage".  The ideal classroom, in terms of physical space has evolved into a very different concept.  While, I have not had an opportunity to teach or to set up my own ideal classroom, I researched many different ideas on what the ideal classroom should include, some of which are listed below (courtesy of www.educause.edu/ero/article/future-learning-space-breaking-out-box)

•     “Writeable surfaces—everywhere in the classroom—that capture and store everything written on them (see, for example,

•     www.cc.gatech.edu/fce/eclass/)

•     Real-time blogging in the classroom—students building collaborative notes on the course site or a wiki

•     Classroom chat rooms—for example, with a teaching assistant (TA) monitoring students’ meta-conversation, including a TA-moderated Instant Messaging "back channel"

•     Dynamically available bandwidth provisioned to and within a room, allowing students to safely access and download rich media objects without choking the local network segment

•     Ubiquitous access to videoconferencing, so simple and intuitive that multisite conversations are "natural" extensions of classroom discussion

•     Video/data-enhanced real-time capture and asynchronous discussion and annotation tools”

The above points focus on embedding technology in the classroom, however I believe that there is more to it than just technology.  Some ideas of my own include:

-     comfortable seating areas including desks, chairs, sofas and carpet that promote collaborative learning and group work

-     access to outdoor spaces for outdoor learning opportunities

-     natural lighting and visually appealing posters/artwork

-     open space for kinaesthetic learning

-     access to art supplies for visual learners and creative expression

-     access to different technology including LiveScribe Pens, netbooks/laptops/tablets, document camera, SmartBoard etc.

-     overall safe, supportive and incusive environment

While there are many more ideas (the list can be endless) we need to focus on what exactly we can implement in our immediate classroom environments.  This may be as simple as rearranging student desks into groups and setting up different learning stations that reflect different learning styles.  By accommodating our students' different learning styles through our pedagogy and physical space, we are demonstrating our commitment to our students and to their learning.  As well, we are demonstrating our ongoing professional practice and professional knowledge when we research the latest technologies and explore their use in our classrooms.

LiveBinders in the Classroom

I have discovered a wonderful online tool/resource called LiveBinders.  I learned about this through a casual comment from one of my instructors at Brock University, and I visited www.livebinders.com to learn more.  What I found was a great way consolidate online resources and my class material.  I was so enamored with LiveBinders, that I prepared 2 different workshop presentations about it for my fellow teacher candidates and I use this site for all my classes.

In a nutshell, LiveBinders allows you to create a virtual 3-ring binder/e-binder to organize your information.  This information can be different websites, YouTube videos, or any files you want to upload.  This tool can be used in a few ways which I have outlined below.

Search for Resources 

I like to go to the LiveBinders site to search for resources compiled by other authors (you do NOT need to register in the site to do this.) I find that the search engine on the site is not too good, but if your keep your search terms quite broad and general, you should be able to find what you are looking for.  I think that since we are so used to Google giving us thousands of results for a vague search term, we have become accustomed to making our search terms quite specific.  Do not do this when you search LiveBinders!  For example, instead of searching “SCH3U”, search “Chemistry”.  I typed “technology in the classroom” into the LiveBinders search and it gave me 397 LiveBinders on this subject!  Each binder is organized into tabs and is an amazing resource!

Organize/"Bookmark" Websites 

I also use LiveBinders to “bookmark” information I find on the Internet.  For example, as a teacher candidate, I conducted countless Internet searches for a variety of different ideas while planning my lessons.  Before LiveBinders, I would either print the information I found (not eco-friendly!) or bookmark the site.  This led to many bookmarks and too much random paper!  I then registered for a free account with LiveBinders and created an e-binder with these resources.  I am able to add virtual “dividers” (tabs), label them as I wish and sort them in whatever order I want.  Under each tab, I can enter a URL and that website will display within my LiveBinder.  This avoids my having to navigate to other sites and open up many different browser windows.  So, LiveBinders literally brings the Internet into your binder!  This can be used to organize your online resources for lessons, Ministry of Education resources or even recipes!

Class LiveBinders 

For my last teaching placement, I used LiveBinders as my class website.  I created a different LiveBinder for each of my classes and each lesson had a separate tab, titled with the date and lesson topic.  Within each tab I uploaded my PowerPoint lessons, the lesson worksheets, YouTube videos and other online resources.  I kept all the organized by using the “add sub tab” feature.  For any lessons that may have been on the chalkboard or overhead projector, I typed out the notes directly into the LiveBinder tab (text layout).  I provided the link to the class LiveBinder to all the students (I posted it on my Google site) and the students were to check the LiveBinder regularly for the daily lessons.  My students loved this!  If they missed a class, all the lesson details were still available to them.  Some of my students brought their iPads/laptops to class and logged onto the LiveBinder during class to follow along with the PowerPoint slides or to access their class worksheets.  I also posted podcasts and video lessons on the same topic so that the students could learn the content from a different source. 

The LiveBinders I created are public and accessible to all and are listed below.  

1. SCH 3U (Gr. 11 University Chemistry)
2. SNC 1P (Gr. 9 Applied Science)
3. SNC 1D (Gr. 9 Academic Science)
4. Implementing Technology in the Classroom Workshop (at Brock University)

Overall, LiveBinders are an amazing resource.  They can also be used by your colleagues or students to consolidate lesson plans or internet research.  The collaborator option in LiveBinders allows multiple people to add to the same binder.

Check out this amazing tool at www.livebinders.com!

"Teachers have it so easy...."

Throughout my journey as a Teacher Candidate, I have learned many valuable lessons but perhaps one of the most striking is how MUCH teachers actually do!  I am consistently in awe of how much there is to actually DO!

"Teachers have it easy.  Their hours are 9am-3pm and they get lots of holidays (Christmas & March Break), plus they get summers off."  How many times have you heard (or even said) the above statement?  Well, let me tell you, it does not do justice to the amount of work teachers do!  Let me illustrate with my schedule from the past few days.

Last Friday, I gave 2 of my classes a quiz, 1 class a test and I collected their labs from the week.  Not a bad day  in class - pretty low key and great for a Friday of a busy week.  As I packed my things to take home, it struck me - now I have to MARK all these items!!!  53 quizzes, 60 labs + 17 tests - WOW!  This was going to take a nice chunk out of my weekend!

On top of this mountain of marking, I needed to plan my lessons in 3 different classes this week.  Because I like to prepare in advance, I try to prep the entire week's lessons on the weekend.  What does this entail?  Researching creative methods & strategies of instruction (not just lecturing!), creating PowerPoint presentations, creating student worksheets and uploading and organizing all info on my website & Live Binder.  On top of all this, since I have never taught 2 out of my 3 classes before, I needed to research & learn new material, what the curriculum expectations are and ways to make the classes "fun".  Weekend? WHAT weekend??  I must confess that I did get sidetracked with family obligations and didn't get around to any of the marking this weekend.  I did, however, plan all my lessons for this week.

Monday morning - I'm feeling great that I have a fun plan for this week's lessons.  Yes, I do have a 75 min prep period + lunch hour, however these fly by with conferencing with other teachers who teach the same courses that I do (our material must match), setting up labs, printing and photocopying worksheets and providing students with extra help.  I usually manage to inhale a quick lunch 10 minutes before my period 3 class.  Monday evening - oh yeah, I need to complete that marking!  Sigh...I tackle some of it, but only put a dent in the pile.

Tuesday's school day is much like Monday, except we have a unit test in one class and a lab in another...more marking!!  On top of this, my plans for an activity for one of my lessons on Wed need to be changed due to weird circumstances so now I need to re-plan a lesson as well (this involved some creative problem-solving and a last minute tip to the dollar store!)  I was determined to finish my marking and I did it the majority of it last night + planned my lesson - mission accomplished!!  How many hours did I sleep?  Just under 4 hours.

I finished the rest of my marking this evening, logged in student marks, made notes about who needs extra help and who is struggling and prepped tomorrow's labs.  It is 8:30pm and I am still at school!

This is just a snapshot of what a teacher's schedule looks like.  Granted, I am a new teacher and I do not have the benefit of having taught this material before.  This part (lesson planning) will get easier as I teach more - I hope!  The marking will never go away and it keeps coming...I think of it as ocean waves that continually crash onto the beach in a specific rhythm.  Just as one wave pulls away, another comes in - that is what marking is like.  I have not yet mentioned the struggles of classroom management and the challenge of incorporating innovative, student-centred teaching strategies in each lesson as well as the need to meet the needs of all the different learners in my classroom.  As well, teachers get involved in a variety of extra-curricular activities to contribute to the school community  - we'll save that for another blog post!

So the next time you hear someone talking about how easy a job teaching is, think of me still sitting here at school on this fine Wednesday evening.  And why do I do it?  Why do any teachers do this?  Its a passion for learning and connecting with students to make a positive impact on their lives.  Some people skydive or go bungee jumping for thrills - I stand in front of a class, teaching chemistry/biology/science, and get the thrill of imparting knowledge, engaging students and helping them learn.  It truly is a thrill!

Technology Domino Effect!

So I have officially come full circle. I started out my year at Brock with excitement (I'm going to be a teacher!) and anxiety (how am I going to balance student-life and home-life?) [Side Note: It seems that I approach every major thing in my life with these two feelings - excitement + anxiety...hmmm]

I recall feeling extremes of both these emotions when it came to my registering in the optional "technology" course. I was super excited that I was going to learn new things and become "tech-savvy" but I also had major anxiety regarding adding more work to an already heavy workload. I actually expressed this anxiety in my blog (here), however, upon completion of the course, I realized how much I had learned and reflected on this too in my blog (here).

Now here I am - about to start my last practicum. In preparation for my lessons this week, I've created my powerpoint presentations - pretty standard - AND I have added my "tech-savvy" touch...without thinking twice. What have I done? Well, each of my lessons + worksheets and resources have all been uploaded to a LiveBinder - one LiveBinder for each class. As well, I wrote out the solutions to tomorrow's chemistry worksheet using my LiveScribe pen. This allows me to "talk through" my solutions and explain how I am solving each question. I feel that this will be a great resource for my students to use when they work on their homework.

When I completed my interactive solutions, I attempted to upload them to my LiveBinder, only to discover that the interactive part does not work! Now it was time to troubleshoot - I had taken the time to write out and talk through all my solutions, so I need to make them accessible to my students! I contacted my colleague and fellow "techie", Iain, and asked his advice. He mentioned that he uploads his LiveScribe files to his Google site...

Riiight - my Google site...the one I made up and used during my first practicum and have not touched since. So I proceeded to update my entire Google Site with new tabs that contain all my LiveBinders as well as my LiveScribe notes. While I'm at it, I should update my "About me" page....oh right, and my blog too.... 

How interesting! I started out implementing ONE technology for my classes and, due to a "domino effect" have now added so much more.  I must say, that this all has taken LOTS of time and LOTS of patience! However, when I give my students the link to my Google site tomorrow, it will all be worth it!

Some Insight into Learning Disabilities

This week, in Special Education class we were introduced to learning disabilities (LD). I didn’t know much about LD initially, but I did manage to read the assigned reading before class. After reading the chapter, I thought I knew what LDs were. However, it was after this week’s class that I realized that I had only understood the technical definitions of LD, not what an LD student actually experiences. This was courtesy of our incredible instructor and Richard Lavoie’s F.A.T. City Workshop video. Its incredible that this video, although almost 30 years old, is still relevant and accurate today!

Through this week’s class I experienced LD firsthand. I watched in shock as Richard Lavoie started his workshop class with fast-paced, rapid-fire questioning of his students, expecting an answer to his question while students barely had time to process the question. I witnessed him “move on” to the next person after obtaining a correct answer and ridicule the incorrect answers. Overall, this was bad teaching practice, however, it was the rapid-fire pace of his questioning that disturbed me. I could barely keep up with his questions and then realized – this is what LD students experience every day! What seems to be a “regular” pace to everyone else is too fast for LD students due to issues with processing auditory information! WOW!

Lavoie then proceeded to demonstrate the difference between vision and perception, that is, seeing something versus actually perceiving it. I could try to explain the activity in detail, but my explanation would not do it justice. I must say that this was very enlightening for me and it really demonstrates the different ways people perceive things. You can check out that part of the workshop here:




Another activity that was eye-opening was participating in a round-robin story. We were asked to each say a sentence in order to form an interesting story…easy enough, and actually kind-of fun! We were then asked to repeat this, but our instructor started us off with “I am going to the bank to get some money”. Oh, and one more key point – we were told that we were not allowed to use any word with the letter “N”. May I suggest that you try this exact exercise with a few friends? It’s hard!! Each person participating in the game had to think carefully about every word they said, and they hesitated after every word. As I sat and listened, I truly had a “light bulb” moment. Some students with LD, must think about every word in a sentence and this results in hesitation and staccato-type sentences. Again, WOW!

I looked up Richard Lavoie on YouTube and found another class of his in which he explains reading issues that LD students, especially dyslexic ones, have. Once again, it was mind-blowing to see/hear his activities & explanations. You can view this class here:



Overall, Richard Lavoie’s techniques in teaching us what its like to have a learning disability are eye-opening. I highly recommend that you look up his videos on YouTube for an amazing insight into learning disabilities. My challenge now will be to learn how to effectively teach these students in a way that they understand and are engaged. Our textbook, “Special Education in Ontario Schools” (Bennet, Dworet & Weber) suggests a variety of in-class strategies including differentiated instruction, empathy and understanding and giving positive, frequent feedback. As well, a consistent systematic approach is important along with graphic/visual support, help in sequencing, help in dealing with print, and awareness of time constraints. Lastly, they suggest helping LD students with time management, making allowances for them and simplifying their environment. Overall, optimism, encouragement and trust are imperative.

I have yet to work with LD students and will most likely get this chance in a few weeks when I start my second teaching placement. I need to figure out how to put this newfound knowledge into actual effective teaching practices during my lessons. Should you have any tips or suggestions, please share! Thank you!!

New Year, New Resolutions

Every New Year, I evaluate my goals and resolve to accomplish certain ones that year – yes, “New Year Resolutions”. While I never formally write them down, I do reflect on these resolutions and make a concerted effort to achieve them. This year I thought that I should share my thought process with you and take the daring step of actually sharing my resolutions. Oh boy, once I write anything out, I am accountable for it…that should help me follow through this year!!

I had the luxury of getting away for the holidays for some much-needed relaxation and family time. While enjoying myself on the beaches of sunny Ft. Lauderdale, I started to reflect on the many things I would like to accomplish in the upcoming New Year of 2012. I resolved that I needed to relax more, spend more time with my husband & children and schedule in more “me-time”. I was able to do all these things during our time away and I came back home feeling renewed, refreshed and optimistic. What a feeling!!

Then reality hit. Back to school and the craziness of being a full-time B.Ed. student while juggling being a mom & wife. What was I thinking?? Reality check: time to re-evaluate those dreamy resolutions! Here’s what I have come up with.

“Relax more” is not going to happen! However, I have resolved to get to bed most nights at a decent time, I am aiming for 11pm (as opposed 1am), since I am up at 6am every morning. In order to accomplish this, I need to work on my time-management so I am not completing assignments and lesson plans into the wee hours of the morning.

“Spend more time with my husband and children” – this is one that I definitely want to stick to, but I need to figure out how I can do this with my current schedule. What I have come up with is to spend more quality time with them. I will make time every day to actually play or read with my kids, even if its just for 10-15 min. I will also start scheduling “date night” so my husband & I can actually spend some special time together.

“More me-time” – I have the perfect solution for this one and it comes in the form of “me-time” at the gym! That way I sneak 2 resolutions into 1 – aren’t I clever?! I have the stereotypical, standard fitness resolutions and I’m scheduling in my workouts as if they were a class at school. Its working so far, but I’m not too sure how its going work when I’m in my 2nd teaching placement in mid-Feb…..

Ok, so that deals with my lofty resolutions dreamt up of at the beach. But that hardly covers it all! Back in class and in “teacher-mode” and I have some important professional goals as well. I have resolved to make a concerted effort to challenge myself to “think outside the box” and really apply different pedagogy to my teaching. I want my lessons to be more student-centred and inquiry-based. I want my students to experience inductive teaching strategies, experiential learning and indirect instruction. In my first teaching placement, I was focused on pure survival and I stuck to more traditional instructional strategies. For my next placement, I truly want to expand my teaching to incorporate the strategies listed above.

As well, I am determined to apply more technology to my teaching. For my next teaching placement, I want to set-up and maintain a class website and include use of some new technologies in the classroom such as Edmodo, Livebinder, Twitter, Facebook, LiveScribe, and/or Remind 101.

Whew! I dream big don’t I? Of course, I have more ideas and reflections that I could share with you but…..I don’t have time! Too much to do! 2012, here I come!