Class Overview

These past 8 weeks have flown by! We had the opportunity to create a digital story from start to finish including steps for brainstorming, writing a script, making a storyboard, and finally making the video. It is actually a project I am starting with my students right now. They are creating one on their favorite part of their summer. This project gave me a great insight into how to lay it out and set up the final project. I'm excited to see how theirs turns out. 

I really enjoyed working on the info graphic. I chose to make one on the Cardinals, something fun to me. I did experience quite a bit of trouble with it though. I couldn't get any of the programs suggested to work. That's when my husband came to the rescue. He makes info graphics all the time as part of his job. So he helped me learn a little bit of Photoshop and InDesign to create my final project. I have to say it ended up being a blast and I loved finding information to put in there. 

I think I would have liked to learn one more type of project we could use. I had already gotten a feel for digital stories from a previous class, so that being spread out over a few weeks felt like it drug by. I did like the convenience of that though :) 

Overall, I really enjoyed this class and getting more opportunities to be hands on with a few more tools!

Infographic

For my info graphic, I did 10 things you may not know about the St. Louis Cardinals. It was really fun finding these things and learning more about the best team in baseball!

Digital Story

We took an amazing vacation this summer to Disneyworld! We had an excellent time. Watch the video to see how it was!

Digital Storytelling vs. The Writing Process

Time4Writing lists five steps to the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. In my previous English classes, I remember the teacher specifically taking us through each of these steps to help us achieve the best work possible. It helped map out our thoughts and narrow down what we were going to write about. The writing process is used in writing essays, short stories, or just paragraph writing. Anytime you want to get a story or thoughts onto paper in a professional manor, following the steps in the writing process is beneficial.

Digital Storytelling is very similar. As we've been working on this digital story over the past couple of weeks, we are going through each of these steps. We started out by brainstorming about what topics we would like to tell our story about. We then wrote out a draft of what we would include in our story. This week we are doing peer reviews with others' stories. We are giving feedback to what they are going to include in their story. We are then going to make a storyboard for the actual things/pictures we will include and what we will say in the story. Finally we will make our story and publish the final product.

So you can see how similar these two are. The main difference is one is in video story form and the other is in writing. Throughout this digital story project, I've really had fun mapping out my recent vacation to Disneyworld. It's been fun laying out pictures and putting them in video form. It's a new and different way to present a story instead of just writing. It makes the writing more fun.

As a math teacher, I'm always looking for ways to use this in my classroom. How would you see this working in a math class?

Making my Website Useful

Many teachers have a classroom website with varying levels of success. How have you made your classroom website more useful to students, families, and other educators? What gaps still remain? 

I made my classroom website 2 years ago when I started teaching at St. James Middle School. When I first made it, it was really just a place to post announcement, special dates, helpful websites, and had a place to contact me. It wasn't very successful. I would assume most parents didn't even know I had a website. I told my students about it in class, but most of them didn't take advantage of it. After all, it didn't have much to offer!

This past year I included a page where I posted videos. I had just learned what a flipped classroom was. I decided to use it as a place where students and parents could go to view the lesson we had that day. I got an amazing reaction from parents and students alike. They loved getting to have the extra help when they got home to work on their homework. Parents loved being able to help their children. They knew what was expected of them. I feel like it was an amazing leap for my website. Now that I have more parents looking at my site, I also have more parent and student contact through the site.

One thing that is still lacking from my site that I want to incorporate is a blog or discussion board. I really want my students to participate in discussions this coming year. I am still trying to work that out and figure out how to use a discussion board in a math class. Any ideas?

Incorporating Literacy in a Middle School Math Class

When I first started teaching, I thought literacy and math were two separate entities. They have nothing to do with each other. But now that I have completed my fourth year of teaching, I am starting to see how hand in hand they can be. There are so many things I can be doing in my own classroom to help the ELA teachers. 

One easy thing I can do is have a word wall displaying all of the new vocabulary words we've learned throughout the year. I also have my students have a glossary in their binders to keep definitions of these words. But incorporating literacy in my class is so much more than a word wall. 

As we have started incorporating the Missouri Learning Standards, the students are being asked to provide more detailed explanations of their work. This past year I started having my students answer the question of how they would solve the problem and not necessarily have them work it out. For example, explain how you would solve the equation 3x - 7 + 4x = 14. I used questions like these as exit slips for my students. That way I could easily tell if they understood the process. For my lower reading students, I would have them explain it to me in words instead of having them write it out. I have found that by having students explain how to work a problem, their understanding of that topic increases. We also use the Kagan structure 'Sage n Scribe' to explain processes to their partner.

This past school year our building also incorporated using a method called RACE for writing answers. R-Restate the Question; A-Answer the Question; C-Cite the Evidence; E-Explain and Extend. It has definitely improved the writing of our students. We have posters of it in every classroom, including my math class. Mainly we just use the R and A. If it's a word problem, we can incorporate the C, but we have found that it's hard to get the E in the answer. 

By incorporating literacy in my math class, I am not only teaching math but connections to other subjects as well as life. What other ways do you see literacy being incorporated in a math classroom?

Comparing/Contrasting Wikis

The first wiki I found was priestsic6.wikispaces.com. It is a 6^th grade class wiki. The wiki's set up is very easy to navigate. The teacher has a page for each subject area. When I looked at the Literacy page, it was all about poetry. What I found very neat was the fact that she gave the first 2 lines of a poem, then the student added 2 lines of their own. I love that she added pictures of her own classroom. All through the page you see students' works of poetry and literacy.

The second wiki I looked at was a collaborative storytelling wiki where students in grades 3 and 4 got creative and completed a story about a tennis ball (terrythetennisball.wikispaces.com). This wiki showed the creativeness of the students while still keeping them in the parameter of a specific assignment.

Both wikis had students adding onto a story/poem. It shows their creativity and allows them to work together collaboratively to reach a completed story/poem. The wiki about the tennis ball was for younger students. They didn't have full reign of how the story went. They clicked on certain options, then when it came time to add a line or conversation, they were able to add it. The wiki about poetry was for middle school students. They were to build on the previous person's lines to continue the poem.  

Tools of Technology

Through this Master's program on Educational Technology, we have learned about so many different tools to use with technology. With so many tools to choose from, it's hard to decide which one(s) to use. I find myself wanting to use all of them, but I know that wouldn't be good for me or my students right away. 

My school is going 1:1 this coming school year, and I could not be more excited, especially for our students. With that being said, I have decided I want to flip my 8th grade math classroom. So I've been looking for a tool that I can use to help make videos. I have used Animoto a few times for projects, and I love it. For myself, I want to use it to make video lessons for my students and parents to be able to watch at home. I tried this a few times this past year to test it out, and I got great feedback from students and parents. Parents loved it because they could see how we did things in class and could in turn help their child. Students loved it because sometimes they would get home and forget how to do a problem. They would turn on the video and get what we did in class. This provides a great segway into differentiated instruction. Students can work at their own pace with the videos. It also helps the lower students see things more than once.

Another way I would use Animoto in my classroom would be for students to complete projects/assignments for my class. They could make a video showing step by step how to solve a problem. 

One problem I would have with this is those students that don't have internet access at home. For them, I would give extra time to complete and offer extra hours before or after school for them to come in and get help or just have time to work with Wi-Fi.

What are your favorite video tools to use in the classroom? How else would you use Animoto in your classroom?

Being Literate in the 21st Century

As I watched this YouTube video on being literate in the 21st century, it really got me thinking about how literacy has changed since I was in school. I agree with some of the teachers in the video about the definitions of literacy. When I think about when I learned to read, I think about learning letters and sounds. We had big alphabet books (about 12x12). Each book was a different letter. We practiced tracing, writing, and picking pictures that started with that letter. Nowadays, I think about how my 3 years old does so much with technology. There are so many apps out there to help our kids read. How can we use these avenues to enhance our children's learning. 

Also while I was reading about blogging, the thought that it's really more about reading than writing struck me. I had never thought about that before, but it's so true. Before you begin writing a blog, you need to know the ins and outs of blogs you enjoy reading. It's a great way to get students reading and writing in a different manor. It's different than the routine of writing essays. It's a way to get their creative juices flowing and allows them to branch out a bit more. 

Being literate today is so much more than what it meant even just a few short years ago. As technology emerges, we as teachers need to keep up with those trends. It is our responsibility to teach our students in ways that they understand, and as they use technology more and more, why not use those avenues to get them to learn?

EDET 573 Intro

We're starting a new course for our MET program. It's hard to believe we are winding down this degree! I have learned so many new ways to use technology to help my students learn. With our school moving to 1:1  this year, I know these classes will be a huge benefit! As this class begins (Technology of Enhance Literacy), I am excited to learn ways to get my students reading and writing online. Being a math teacher, I also hope to learn and find ways I can enhance literacy in my classroom. I am excited to begin this journey!

Twitter Chat

I participated in the #flipclass chat. Since we are going 1:1 next year at the middle school, I wanted to see and learn what I could. I didn't get all of my questions answered, but I will continue to follow and participate to get more answers. The chat mainly centered around 3-4 people. It was good to hear what they are saying about their classrooms. The proctor asked some great questions. However, most of them pertained to only those who have already flipped their classrooms. It was still good to read about things that they would do differently and things they liked. Once I get into flipping my own class, it will be a lot easier to participate. I haven't followed anyone yet, but I have a couple in mind. I also want to keep following this chat and find others in my grade level/content area. Overall great experience for my first chat.

Web 2.0 for Educators

One tool that I've really started using educationally this year is Pinterest. Over the summer I started seeing the value that it has educationally. I absolutely love it. Somebody out there has already found or made a lesson that worked for them and are willing to share it with other teachers. I can do a search for a specific topic and find endless resources of activities and assignments and lessons. Last summer I began by doing a broad search for Common Core 7th grade math. I found people that had shared an entire unit. I firmly believe in the saying "Why reinvent the wheel?" If people are willing to share what they've found and made, then it must be of some value. I've only used this as a tool to use as a teacher, but I'm sure eventually someone will start pinning on how to use Pinterest in your classroom. Ay ideas?

Social Networking

Social Networking is a network of friends, colleagues, and other personal contacts. It is an online community with a common interest who use a website or other technologies to communicate with each other and share information, resources, etc. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/social+network)

I absolutely love getting to share ideas with other people. I follow Facebook pretty closely. I love being able to stay in touch with old friends and keep track of how they're doing. Over the course of the last year and a half, I am beginning to see how helpful they can be for teaching as well. I started Pinterest a couple of years ago, mainly to find great DIY projects for my home, and I have fallen in love with it. But just over the course of the summer, I have seen how helpful it can be in education as well. So many fellow teachers have created lessons or projects and want to share it with everyone. My philosophy is "Why reinvent the wheel?" If someone has put in all the leg work and is willing to share it with you, USE IT!!!!! I absolutely LOVE Pinterest. 

In the last 2 weeks, I have joined Google+. I really like that you can follow certain topics that interest you. They will pop up any postings on your home screen. You can also post text, pictures, videos, etc. I love the Hangouts and that you can have a personal chat with someone. What's also really cool is the video portion of Hangouts. I think this would be really cool to have a Video Hangout with others schools around the country or even world to show them how diverse we can be. You could also have students follow certain educational sites. I followed Khan Academy, and they are always posting math videos on their page. I could have different students, whether low or high, watch certain videos they post and comment or attempt some problems. It's a very neat way to incorporate a social networking site into education. The kids love it! 

Please share other things you like about Google+ as I am still learning, or any other social networking sites you love for education!

Network Based Classrooms

I am looking forward to making the transition to a networked classroom. I think it can be very exciting especially with how tech savvy our world is becoming. There are lots of good things that can come from a networked classroom. With as much time as our students spend on some form of device, I think they will be much more engaged in what they are learning. It's so different from the traditional method of learning. There are so many different ways students can submit a project or presentation. It allows their creative juices to flow.

With as many advantages that surround a networked classroom, there are also problems that may arise. Of course, you will always have to deal with WiFi issues that arise. As a teacher, I plan on having a back up plan for that case. I also foresee  dealing with students being off task. I thought I had heard of a program that displays all of their screens onto your teacher computer. If any of you know what that's called let me know! I think the biggest thing we may face is that students may not have internet access at home. I want to encourage my students next year to plan time to come in before school or stay after school to get what they need so they won't need to have Internet at home.

I have a couple of programs in my mind that I want to start out using for next year. I don't want to dive in too deep and overwhelm myself. I think trying something new each quarter or even semester would be great. I'm the type of person that needs to experience things myself, then pass them onto my students. I want to use Edmodo for exit tickets. I already put some of my lessons on Educreations and upload them to my website. I want to continue with that.

I think having a networked classroom can be a huge aid in differentiation. I know I've allowed some of my advanced students to work ahead this year. They watch the video lesson and take notes at home, then come in and work on the assignment in class. They've been following a flipped classroom set up, which I love, and so do they. I also have some lower students that have been working on Accelerated Math. I love this program, and I can see how beneficial it can be for all students. Each student has their own track and have to pass a certain area before moving on. It's a great way to focus on certain skills they are lacking or to help students get ahead and focus on skills needed for higher level classes.

Twitter in the Classroom

I am very new to Twitter. I created an account back in August, but I haven't really had the chance to dive into everything it has to offer. I am more of a Facebook person. But as I keep hearing more and more things about Twitter, I have found myself checking Twitter more just in the past few weeks. 

I've started doing some research on how to use it in the classroom. One thing I think I like the best is to create a chat session for help with homework. I wouldn't plan on doing this every night because it would get too time consuming. I would maybe pick a day of the week and a time for students to bring any questions they may have. I also like the idea of maybe posting a weekly extra credit problem or riddle that students could work on. They would be optional, but I would have them due maybe on Mondays. I also like the idea of posting upcoming due dates or test dates. And if we have a test coming up, I would post a review question daily for the week leading up to the test.

Again I am very new to Twitter, but I really like these ideas and would like to start implementing them next year. I think the kids would really like it. What are ways you use Twitter for your classrooms? I would love to hear more ideas to broaden my horizons.

Follow me at @andreaotto08

Professional Learning Networks

In education, professional learning networks (PLNs) are becoming the buzz. As I have started researching PLNs, I have come to love Edmodo. According to Torrey Trust, part of creating a PLN is to have information aggregation and a social media connection. Edmodo resembles Facebook. Therefore, I really think students would gravitate more towards that. While the look is great, I truly love the fact that you can assess your students using Edmodo. This is probably my favorite feature. I plan to use it as a daily exit ticket for my students. This site lists 20 ways a teacher can use Edmodo in the classroom. They cover a range of subject areas. Notice that #1 is to assess students or poll them.  

Torrey Trust also listed information aggregation as a tool to creating a PLN. I really see students using a bookmarking site like Diigo or Delicious would be beneficial. Especially if they are working on a research paper. It provides an easy way to keep all of their resources in one place. 

What are some other PLNs that you like to use or follow to benefit your students?