21st Century Classroom

COLLECTING INFO ONLINE

The digital age has students researching using the Web for the majority of their information. It’s easy and quick for students to find information on the topic they're studying, or is it? I believe this is a common misconception that students have. Yes it is easy to search using a variety of search engines, but students are provided an overwhelming amount of results. What do they do with these results? Well they generally visit the top search result and take it for the best site. We need to teach them how to be better researchers, especially on the web. We need to teach them how to judge sites to check to see if they are good sources with relevant information.

Diigo: SOCIAL BOOKMARKING

Why not have students work together to research and judge websites. Diigo is social bookmarking site where students can bookmark and highlight their research right from the web page they are visiting. What I really like about this application is that Diigo provides teacher accounts. Educators can set up their students accounts and even group students. One way I used this was to put my students into groups to research together. We spent time researching and bookmarking sites that fit our topic. I then taught them how to evaluate whether a site was a good source. I then had them revisit their bookmarks as a group and judge them to see if they were reliable sources. Diigobuzz has created a quick video to demonstrate some of the tools you will find within Diigo.

Evernote: ORGANIZE EVERYTHING

One of the slogans Evernote uses to promote its product is I love Evernote! And I do love Evernote. I’m yet to use it with my students, but I see lots of potential in helping them organize their notes and learning. You can create different notebooks within the application to save notes, voice, images, and web clippings. Evernote is a free application (pro version available for purchase), just set up an account using a valid email address. You can download Evernote to your desktop, use to store info online, and even use it on your Smartphone.

So many possible student uses, but the one that again I plan to use with my student is the web clipping capabilities and help them save their research. Evernote also provides you the option of sharing a specific notebook with a group, so a class could work together to complete research.

Introduction Video to Evernote

CREATING

Podcasts (Audacity)

I have found podcasts to play a big role in my class, and my students love making them. It all started when I wanted my students to improve their sentence fluency in their writing. I thought that if they could read and hear their own writing it would help them improve. It did, and Podcasting in my classroom has expanded to other subjects besides writing. Students have used Podcast to show their understanding in other subjects. For example they created commercials for Energy Alternatives in Science. Differentiated learning is a big focus in education, and Podcasts work well to provide students a different way (audio format) to demonstrate their understanding of a concept.

The application that I have my class use to make podcast is Audacity. It might already be loaded on your school computers, but if not it is a free download. I enjoy Audacity as I find it very user friendly. It’s as simple as clicking a record button. It also provides students with many other more advanced options, such as editing, manipulating, and importing. Nothing to worry about though, I just started my students with the basics and they learned the more advanced options on their own. Check out the How to Wiki for Audacity at http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Audacity for more detailed instructions.

Digital Stories (Photostory3 & Voicethread)

Digital Stories are another opportunity for your students to showcase their creativity. What is a Digital Story? According to Wikipedia, "Digital Storytelling refers to using digital tools so that ordinary people can tell their own real-life stories. "In Education students can use digital tools to tell and explain any topic for any subject. It could be a fictional story they wrote for Language, or illustrate instructions for a Math concept. I believe this is another one of my students’ favourites because they can use a variety of tools to create a story, not just paper and pencil. Students can take photographs or scan their illustrations, or use the paint application to create their own digital images.

What tools can you use to make a digital story? A very simple application to use is Photostory3, and is a free download from Microsoft. Photostory3 allows students to import images, add captions, add narration, and add music. However, be aware Photostory3 does not work with Windows7. If students had a Windows7 computer, I had them use Windows Live Movie Maker. Another alternative to create Digital Stories is the application Voicethread. Voicethread is an online program, and is free to educators, and you could create different identities under one account. You cannot create individual student accounts with the free version, but can if you subscribe. Voicethread is similar to Photostory3, as you can upload images, and add narration.

Have a look at the example by one of my students --> RESPECT STORY

Google SketchUp

Google SketchUp is free software for creating three dimensional designs. It is a great application for math and graphic design with many other possible connections. The way I used it in my class was to mirror the competition that Google was hosting – Model Your Town Competition. Students were in small groups and had to recreate the building in our community to scale. Students had to measure, and plan their designs. They then used the software to recreate buildings from our town, and then present their designs to the class. This joint class competition was very successful, and students exceeded our expectations. The program is easy for students to learn by watching the tutorials that are available through Google.

This video is one of the winning designs from my class.

SHARING

Glogster

What can I say about Glogster? Really one of the most used web applications in my class. What is it? Glogster is an interactive poster making application. Students can share their work with the rest of the class, and classmates can then add comments or rate their Glogs. It’s very similar to a blog format. Say good-bye to Bristol board and glue, you may never need them again. My first year of teaching I had students present projects on Bristol board explaining their information to the class. I always felt bad that students worked so hard on their presentation boards, and then threw them out when finished. No more - with Glogster- make and project posters easily online.

Students make posters using graphics, text, and images. Also, they can make them much more interactive including video and audio. By the end of the year my students were making beautifully designed posters, and adding in digital content such as digital stories, and podcasts. Another great thing about Glogster is you can set up education accounts. You create a teacher account and then you can create up to 100 student accounts for free. The teacher has full administrative rights, which will help you monitor your students’ work. Or even change a password for a forgetful student.

Have a look at the following examples from my class;

All About the Olympics

Save the Animals from Oil Spills

Wiki (Wikispaces)

Many people have heard of Wikis thanks to Wikipedia. I’m not sure as many know that it is possible to create your own wiki. Wikispaces is an online application that helps you build a wiki easily and create your own web pages. One advantage of Wikispaces is they support educators by providing them with a free account. If you indicate that you are an K-12 educator it will be free of ads as well.

How I use Wikispaces

- Classroom collaboration/Subject Review: I created a class wiki with multiple pages about a variety of subjects. I then assigned multiple students to each page as a collaborator and had them work together to create a student review page. This was a very successful assignment for two reasons. One they were able to learn how to use the tools of a wiki, and two they had applied previous knowledge from other subjects.

-Student e-portfolios: At the end of our first term we complete teacher-parent interviews to discuss the term progress and set future goals. I have always invited students to join the interviews, and this year I made the transition to student led conferences. I had students create a wiki that displayed their best work, as well as a section to illustrate and explain their future goals. Students were then able to project their wiki on our Smartboard and share their work and goals with their parents.

STUDENT’S E-PORTFOLIO example

Online Group Discussions (Blogger & Wallwisher)

Class participation is often dominated by a few students and you have to encourage others to participate, but many are reluctant to share their ideas. I have used Blogger (blogs) for class discussion to give everyone in my class a voice and a chance to share their thoughts and learnings. It has worked really well for all subjects, and students love to share their ideas in this manner. For example I wanted to gain some insight into my students music background. I had them share about Their Musical Influences on our class blog, Carson's Corner, and instead of one or two voices I was able to hear from all my students.

Extending learning beyond the classroom walls is another advantage of creating a class discussion space online. World events happen everyday and students experience them in many ways at home, and often have thoughts to share. Why not create an online discussion space using Wallwisher.

I used Wallwisher (Online sticky notes on a wall) to extend our Olympic unit beyond the classroom walls and challenged my students to think critically as they watched the Olympics from home. I explained that I wanted them to share and contribute to our wall if they witness any Olympic events that fit our classroom discussion "Are the Olympics Fair and Equitable for All?". I found the students to be more engage in the Olympics, and the online discussion improve our classroom study as well.

BACKGROUND INFO

At the end of last year (2009) I had been using many tech tools in my classroom, and learning about many more- Web 2.0 tools that were easy to use and engaging for today’s media driven students. I was reading a lot of how the education world was finally moving towards a more 21st Century approach. I was spending a great deal of my time visiting many educators and classroom websites that effectively used these tools. The material and school work these individuals/groups were sharing was truly impressive. I had thought to myself how could I create and welcome a 21^st century environment into my classroom.

I thought if I was going to use more of these Web tools I’d need more access to the computer lab on a more consistent basis. However, I was determined to welcome the 21^st Century into my classroom, and that’s when I thought to myself – the key was welcoming. At the end of every year I provide a list of supplies to my future students, and I this year was no different. However, this year list included a letter welcoming personal computing devices. I didn’t state that a laptop was required, but if you had one I’d be happy for you to bring it in and use it for educational purposes. I was planning on bringing in my own laptop, and hoping to get a new netbook for student use. My plan was to create a small station for students to create and publish work using Web 2.0 tools. Well Day 1 of the new school year came quickly, and with it about 20 students armed with different computing devices of all sizes and brands. We decided to support the students without access to a computer, and purchased a few more netbooks for class use. With that I had a classroom with access to computers on a 1 to 1 ratio.

In my letter to my students and parents I had pledge to use all personal computing devices effectively and for educational purposes. Over the summer I researched a variety of tools and uses on how students could meet our curriculum standards. Throughout all of my research one thing was consistent- it was important to set your educational goals first-technology alone is not the key to a successful learning. It has been a great year, and my class did create and utilize their computers effectively to create their own impressive materials/work that met our educational goals.

The year end has come which brings me to a time of reflection. I always take time to reflect on my year and ask myself what didn’t worked, what worked but needs to be improved, and what worked really well. I thought I’d share the Web 2.0 tools that worked really well, as to maybe help out other teachers trying to plan out their future 21^st century classrooms. The following is a breakdown of the Web 2.0 tools I used in my classroom. These are the tools that helped us collect, create, and share information and meet our educational goals.

Digital Citzenship

The internet is EVERYWHERE! Everyday it is getting easier to access the internet either with your home computer, at school/work, and even on your cell phone. What do you use it for? How many people are aware of their DIGITAL FOOTPRINT? Everywhere you go and how you participate on the web leaves a trail. I think in Education we need to teach how to leave a positive digital footprint. Teaching students how to use the online resources and communities responsibly.

BUT HOW?

I think having a conversation about it is a good start. Talk about it as a staff and decide what is important for your school, and then establish an Acceptable Use of Technology Agreement within your school. Not sure what to discuss have a look at The Digital Citzenship Continuum by the Living Sky School Division in-School Instructional Technology Support (iSITS) Committee.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Twitter

I’ve been to multiple workshops, and conferences as an educator, and they were valuable. However, both workshops and conferences take a lot of your time, and may even require travel. Online Professional Development has been one of my greatest discoveries. I thought Twitter was about following famous people and getting updates on what they were doing everyday, or what they were promoting. Still I thought I’d give it a try after talking with my board Technology Consultant who explained to me how she uses it professionally. I have set up my Twitter account to follow other educators who share their ideas about how to use using technology in education. I check it daily, and every day I learn something new. My suggestion to you is start small and only follow a few people who are experts in their field. From there you will watch your list grow and even you will feel more comfortable to share your ideas.

To get your started here are two experts to follow. coolcatteacher & web20classroom - They share great ideas and resources frequently.

SOCIAL LEARNING FOR CLASSROOMS -EDMODO

Social Networking sites are often blocked from schools, but not Edmodo.

Edmodo has a very similar design and concept to popular social sites such as Facebook. It will allow you to create a secure and safe sharing site where students can create a class community to support one another. Also, a great way to teach digital citizenship.

Manage your Classroom and GO PAPERLESS- Edmodo is a great classroom management tool for assignments and handouts. The teacher can post messages, polls, assignments, reminders and more. Students can submit assignments, and the teacher can grade them and return them all online and with no paper. All assignments and handouts can be archived, to be reviewed if needed. Also, once assignments are graded marks are automatically imported into a mark book.

ANOTHER GREAT HIGHLIGHT FOR EDMODO - NO ADS!

SMART Classroom Suite

You may be familiar with SMART Notebook software for use with a smartboard. Are you familiar with the other software SMART has to support a digital classroom? I've had the opportunity to use the SMART Classroom Suite Software with my class this year, and it has been very useful. It is a bundle that allows you to;

1. create lessons using the Notebook software,

2. assess the students using the Response software,

3. have the students create their own lessons using the Notebook Student Edition software,

4. and monitor and interact with students computers using the Sync software.

Read more about the features from SMART,

or watch the 1 minute overview video I made that helped me win more licenses of the software.

21st Century Classroom

COLLECTING INFO ONLINE

CREATING

SHARING

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

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