I've spent a lot of time in these past few days trying to figure out how to best 3D myself. It's harder than I thought it would be! The reason I went on this fools journey was because I was trying to think of ways to spice up my videos and presentations. The way to get these to where you want them was a little complicated. (I am sure there are simpler ways that I will discover eventually.) It included saving, sending, bending, cropping, screencasting, and editing. It's not climing-Mt.-Everest difficult, just took me some digging and trying. If you want more info, send me an IM on Twitter. |
| Option #3: Zepeto |
Option #4 JIBJAB
Maybe you are familiar with this concept. Put your head into fun scenes and, well I think it is hilarious. I even got a subscription. But there's plenty that is free, too. Here are some examples.
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Whew. That took some finagling, as my mom would say. I plan on putting my effort into practice when I jump back into the classroom adventure called school.
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I am reading John Hattie's book Visible Learning for Teachers and my head hurts; but also my heart is happy and I am excited about what I am reading. I need to capture my thoughts and learnings because I am afraid I am going to lose them. I'm going to pull these from my brain to see what I remember so far.
- Teachers are evaluators and activators. It is we who get balls rolling and we who need to evaluate the effect we are having on our students.
- A classroom should be assessment-rich. I didn't even cringe when I read this because it was in context. Checking what they know before we teach and then after we teach is how we find out the effect we are having. I am thinking about having the kids do the "pre" test the night before for HW.
- Teach students learning strategies like mnemonics, note taking, etc. so that they can 'back themselves' as learners. I love that so much. Also, knowing strategies give the learner confidence because she knows what to do when she doesn't know what to do. TEACH STRATEGIES.
- Teachers need to talk less. I know that "direct instruction" has a high effect size, (.60) but I still need to talk. less.
Another summary to document: (a la p. 105)
1. Learners need cognitive conflict
2. Learners need to metacognate
3. Learners need to social construction
I want to integrate this into my kiddos' days. I'm thinking of using the pre-lesson questions as "HW" the night before. Somehow I have to make it doable in the time allotted me (which is never too much).
There are so many ways to learn about what your students are reading and for them to share their favorite texts with others. Here are two ways to add to my tool box.
Whooo's Reading
Use Whooo's Reading as an alternative for or supplement to AR tests. Their tagline is:
Accelerating reading comprehension and writing skills has never been easier... or more authentic.
Accelerating reading comprehension and writing skills has never been easier... or more authentic.
DOGO Books: Book Reviews by Kids and for Kids
Inspired by Donalyn Miller's book, The Book Whisperer, I want to have my kiddos write and read more book reviews this year. I stumbled upon this site and it looks like a good place to start that endeavor.
We as teachers are given a Grand Canyon we must work within. Many things are set in stone for us. Mandates. Data. Curriculum maps. Standards. Scores. It can feel downright confining and suffocating. But what if we see our confines as a Grand Canyon?
Because the Grand Canyon is, well, HUGE. There is so much beauty and space there. There are trails upon trails upon trails. You can hike, ride a donkey, or take a helicopter to the floor of the Grand Canyon. Once there you can ride a kayak down the river.
We are restricted, yet so free. The question I ask myself pretty much daily, is, "How can I do what I must to meet administrative and state requirements and still find joy in the classroom? How can we integrate my teaching style, kids abilities/likes/dislikes/personalities into the mandates to make them our own?
I fuss that we are told to do this and do that and Big Brother is watching you. But it is really not that bad. No one is coming to my room with a checklist to make sure I am doing what I am told. (Sorry if that is your situation.) "Mandates" given to us are sometimes optional, but as teachers we want to please the higher ups. "Look at me! I am doing what you told me to do." And the safe part of that is this: If you do exactly what you are told and your scores are low, well, you aren't the one to blame.
This post is a peptalk to myself. Taking risks is scary by nature. (or it wouldn't be a risk). But I love the way Matt Miller reframed it in a post he wrote. (Go read it!)
http://ditchthattextbook.com/2017/03/16/safe-teaching-is-risky-teaching/
It's scary to take risks, to be sure. But as Matt Miller says, "What we need are mavericks."
It's a big beautiful Learning Canyon we are in. Go places that excite you. Take adventures that your students will remember. And see what the vastness holds for you.
Newsela has been an AWESOME resource over the years. It was free, but has moved to a paid subscription model. (I know, business is business.) ReadWorks has also been a generous location to find texts, but I found that the writing style of the articles was simple and not rich.
I strongly believe that "rigorous texts" doesn't mean "harder texts". Rigorous texts support deeper level thinking. Pulling from a variety of sources helps that happen.
Here are 5 sites that I found where there are an abundance of resources by an abundant amount of authors. Happy reading!
I strongly believe that "rigorous texts" doesn't mean "harder texts". Rigorous texts support deeper level thinking. Pulling from a variety of sources helps that happen.
Here are 5 sites that I found where there are an abundance of resources by an abundant amount of authors. Happy reading!
1. Tween Tribune (and Tween Tribune Junior) From Smithsonian Institute FREE
You will find leveled non-fiction texts at Tween Tribune. You can create a class and assign articles.
2. Wonderopolis FREE
I've used Wonderopolis in my classroom as a search engine for my kiddos during research projects, but I hadn't thought of using it to find articles for topics we are all studying together.
3. Reading Vine FREE
At the Reading Vine, you can choose articles and books and download them as PDFs. There are questions attached that you can use as well. There are primary sources available here as well.
4. CommonLit FREE
Tons of texts: high quality and leveled
5. Scribd $8.99/month
I stumbled upon this site when I was looking for a Beauty and the Beast script last Spring. The wonderful thing about this site is it has books in PDF forms. For example, you can print or embed Green Eggs and Ham. It has a huge library. Texts are NOT leveled. I'm going to try it for a bit to see if it is worth the $, but I am thinking it is. There are chapter books, articles, magazines, and audiobooks. What I need to figure out is if/how my kiddos can access them.
1. Ask your Twitter community for advice on how to get started. Make a Wakelet to gather information. (Thanks, Twitter community!)
Google Sites for Portfolios Wakelet
2. Watch tutorial about the basics of using Google Sites for student portfolios.
2. Create your own site as you watch the video. Pause as needed. Don't think too hard about it. It is just so you get a feel for things and what it's like to start a new site.
My test Google Site
3. Create a template for your students.
Here's the ironic thing. I want everything post to be well thought out, well crafted, well designed, well...perfect, really, before I put it out into the world. But my tag name (or whatever it is called) is MESSY TECH, for Pete's sake! I chose that name for a reason. Ventures are messy, full of ups and downs, mistakes and victories. Ditto with technology integration.
Which leads me to this: Here I am, imperfect, unpolished, and undone (as in unfinished, not as in falling apart in this particular usage).
This is what I want to do. I want investigate and understand how tools (technology) + strategies (Visible Learning) + Bloom's Taxonomy = learning. I want to organize my thoughts and my findings. The only way to do that is to start. One of Steven Covey's 7 Habits for Highly Effective People is Begin with the End in Mind. Although this is a worthy goal, when it comes to creative endeavors, this habit comes up wanting.
I don't have the end in mind. But I do have mini scenic spots where I'd like to stop and ponder and think and reflect and be. It's like a road trip without the detailed itinerary. I know where I am heading, I'm just not sure exactly how I am going to get there. Wait. Yes I do. One step at a time.
Which leads me to this: Here I am, imperfect, unpolished, and undone (as in unfinished, not as in falling apart in this particular usage).
This is what I want to do. I want investigate and understand how tools (technology) + strategies (Visible Learning) + Bloom's Taxonomy = learning. I want to organize my thoughts and my findings. The only way to do that is to start. One of Steven Covey's 7 Habits for Highly Effective People is Begin with the End in Mind. Although this is a worthy goal, when it comes to creative endeavors, this habit comes up wanting.
I don't have the end in mind. But I do have mini scenic spots where I'd like to stop and ponder and think and reflect and be. It's like a road trip without the detailed itinerary. I know where I am heading, I'm just not sure exactly how I am going to get there. Wait. Yes I do. One step at a time.
The time has come. Inspired by my son and members of my Twitter community, I'm taking the plunge. I'm writing my first Messy Tech blog post.
So many "What if..." questions running through my head. What if it's a flop? What if people make fun of me? What if no one reads it? But, funny how they are fear-based, not future based. One of my life mottos is "Live by what you trust, not by what you fear." It guides me in times of question, frustration, and decision making. How about these what if questions, Jill? What if you did what you love? What if you found your wings?
So here I am and I'll tell you why. Well, mostly I want to tell myself. In print. I am here to reflect, share, ponder, and get feedback. All are equally important, but none of those things can happen without reflection.
In my endeavors, I've at times been fretful: Am I spending my time wisely? Am I a fool to try and put myself out there? Am I good enough. Where I am going and how the hell I am going to get there when I don't properly have the end in mind? I decided to write myself a little note. It helped.
So many "What if..." questions running through my head. What if it's a flop? What if people make fun of me? What if no one reads it? But, funny how they are fear-based, not future based. One of my life mottos is "Live by what you trust, not by what you fear." It guides me in times of question, frustration, and decision making. How about these what if questions, Jill? What if you did what you love? What if you found your wings?
So here I am and I'll tell you why. Well, mostly I want to tell myself. In print. I am here to reflect, share, ponder, and get feedback. All are equally important, but none of those things can happen without reflection.
In my endeavors, I've at times been fretful: Am I spending my time wisely? Am I a fool to try and put myself out there? Am I good enough. Where I am going and how the hell I am going to get there when I don't properly have the end in mind? I decided to write myself a little note. It helped.
I mean, sure it did, cause here I am. Welcome along for the ride if you choose to join me. I really do want to reach out to others, learn together, ease some stress in others, and be a cheerleader for joy. Joy matters. Sanity matters. You matter
I wonder if I could put icons on the strategy to match the tools that I recommend. The icons would link to a page that shows the visitor how to use the strategy with that tool.
It might look like this:
It might look like this:
What if I could create "Scavenger Hunts" to teach technology tools? They would be collaborative, thus combining the building of skills and the building of community.
For example:
For Book Creator*, I could make a list of challenges like:
1. Start a new book and and in the title, use the word adventure.
2. Write all of your names on the cover of the book.
3. Change the background of the book to a pattern your group decides.
4. On the following pages
a. Add a video of yourselves
b. Add a shape for each of you
c. Add an image from the web of an animal of your choosing
Hmmm.....big wheels keep on turning!
*In Book Creator students can collaborate on one book at the same time.
Questions: Could I/should I use a template?
For example:
For Book Creator*, I could make a list of challenges like:
1. Start a new book and and in the title, use the word adventure.
2. Write all of your names on the cover of the book.
3. Change the background of the book to a pattern your group decides.
4. On the following pages
a. Add a video of yourselves
b. Add a shape for each of you
c. Add an image from the web of an animal of your choosing
Hmmm.....big wheels keep on turning!
*In Book Creator students can collaborate on one book at the same time.
Questions: Could I/should I use a template?