1 Heroes in History and Literature: A Technology and Library Collaboration

Working collaboratively with my librarian, 10 stations (for 3rd Graders) were created around Heroes in History and Literature. The educational goal was for the students to discover what the person/character did and why they were famous.  Below are the heroes the students researched. The final project will result in students creating Taboo cards with their information.

State and National

• Daniel Boone
• Davy Crockett
• Molly Pitcher

Folktales and Legends

• Pecos Bill
• Paul Bunyan

Mythology

• Hercules
• Perseus and Medusa
• Theseus and the Minotaur
• Menelaus and the Trojan Horse
• Zeus 

Various idevices were utilized (i.e. iTouches, iPads, and Nanos) as well as online resources. Both students and teachers seem to enjoy the joint efforts of this collaborative project. Please view the below Animoto of the results:

0 Need Images? Check Out Photo Pin

Photo Pin

Photo Pin is a newly developed website offering images which may assist students in locating photos for various projects. The site utilizes Flickr, API for Creative Commons search and Fotolia's image library to provide royalty-free images.  With Photo Pin, you type your topic in the search box and preview the photo. The site provides two options for you:

• Pay for Photo ($costs$)
• Creative Commons Photos via Flickr (free to use, link required)

Should you use the Creative Commons Photos option, a dialog box appears providing you with a nice array of image sizes to download, a HTML code to add to a blog post, as well as, a link citing the source of that image. A necessary component many of us and our student forget to do! If you get a chance, check out Photo Pin!

0 Robert Munsch: A Technology and Library Collaboration

Working collaboratively with my librarian, 5 stations (for 2nd Graders) were created around the author; Robert Munsch. The educational goal was for the students to discover at least 2 facts about the author. Various idevices were utilized (i.e. iTouches, iPads, and Nanos) as well as online resources.

Both students and teachers seem to enjoy the joint efforts of this collaborative project. Please view the below Animoto of the results:

0 What’s the buzz? Tell me what’s happening….

I wrote this as a guest for another blog. Thought it was worth repeating.....

Ok, so it is a line from the 1970’s Rock Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Yep…that dates me! As I was deciding on my topic, the terms: 21st Century Education, 21st Century Schools, 21st Century Learner, etc began to bounce around my head, as these are buzz words which have been circulating in our district.

So what about the 21st Century Learner? Schools? Education? Classroom? What’s the buzz?


The technological revolution is upon us and has opened the door to a wealth of information which has the capabilities to enhance the educational structure we offer to our students. The need to change both the role of the educator and meet the demands of the future is imperative. The majority of educators are modifying their teaching approach by facilitating learning, instead of simply dispensing knowledge.

With this said, I believe, Tony Wagner’s “Seven Survival Skills for Careers, College and Citizenship for the 21st Century”, exemplifies exactly what is necessary for the 21st century.

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving - Buzz Words: Reason, analyze, make judgments, solve, make decisions
• Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence - Buzz Words: Engage, part of a team, work with others, contribute, collaborate
• Agility and Adaptability - Buzz Words: Flexibility, accept feedback effectively – positive or negative, compromise, change
• Initiative and Entrepreneurialism - Buzz Words: Self-directed learner, commitment, time management, lifelong learner
• Effective Oral and Written Communication - Buzz Words: Articulate clearly/effectively, listen, utilize various/numerous medias and technologies, diversity
• Accessing and Analyzing Information - Buzz Words: Critical thinking, evaluate, validity of information, process
• Curiosity and Imagination - Buzz Words: The whys, utilizing various perspectives, generating new ideas

I came across this quote: “If we teach today the way we were taught yesterday… we aren't preparing students for today or tomorrow.” As you know, our students are entering the classroom with a wealth of pre-exposed knowledge to technology and are aware of what the internet has to offer. The role of technology in the 21st century is both indispensable and crucial. It offers a vast array of learning opportunities to both the educator and student.

As educators, it is essential for us to evolve with this generation and with the evolution of technology into our daily lives. Two great videos to view (if you have not already) are:

• A Vision of K-12 Student Today: This project was created to inspire teachers to use technology in engaging ways to help students develop higher level thinking skills. Equally important, it serves to motivate district level leaders to provide teachers with the tools and training to do so. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8&feature=related
• Learning to Change Changing to Learn: Learning to Change Changing to Learn Advancing K-12 Technology Leadership, Consortium for School Networking (COSN) Video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tahTKdEUAPk&NR=1
  

To read more about the 21st century learner, please visit the following site - edorigami. http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/21st+Century+Learners. Andrew Churches has created a very informative and insightful wiki about the 21 Century Learner.

Peace.... 

2 Animal Habitat - QR Codes In the Classroom

3rd Grade students at Sem Elementary chose an animal and completed clue sentence stems about their animal's habitat. Students then generate a QR Code for the habitat hints they created. They worked collaboratively to solve the mystery animal and habitat utilizing the NeoReader app on an itouch and ipad.

  

Habitat Clue Sentence Stems:

• The climate in my habitat is.....
• My habitat is unique because.....
• It is a good place for me to live because......
• Some of the other plants and animals that live in my habitat are......
• I enjoy eating.......

Student Example:

• The climate in my habitat is warm in spring and cold in winter.
• My habitat is unique because of the beautiful colors in the fall.
• It is a good place for me to live because I can get all the food I need.
• Some of the other plants and animals that live in my habitat are squirrels, ants, termites, robins, other birds, and chipmunks.
• I enjoy eating pretty much anything I find.

Completed QR Code:

 Simple but what a fun way to incorporate QR Codes!

0 OMG - APPitic - What a FANTASTIC site!

What a FANTASTIC site! APPitic is a collection of 1,300+ apps for Education. Created by Apple Distinguished Educators, APPitic is a directory of apps to "transform both your teaching and learning". It is divided by catagories:

• Preschool
• Themes
• Multiple Intelligences (How cool is this!)
• Bloom's Taxonomy

Not only have they reviewed the apps.....the site has a blog with helpful tricks and tips. This is a must see site!!!!