Sunshine Award

This was sent to my via a teacher, Sarah, who I met last February at the conference on Helping Vulnerable Readers Thrive.  I admire Sarah and had been reading her blog long before I met her.  It was so great to meet her face to face.

Here is a description of this blogging, twitter-generated, meme type task:

The Sunshine Award gives others an opportunity to learn about me as a blogger and then, in turn, I will send sunshine the way of 11 (or so) other fine bloggers for you to get to know! Although I know that everyone is busy at this time of the year, I hope that the bloggers that I nominate will be able to share a few interesting things about themselves.  They can then highlight bloggers that they have enjoyed following.

Here are the rules:

Acknowledge the nominating blogger.  Share 11 random facts about yourself.  Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.  List 11 bloggers.  They should be bloggers that you believe deserve some recognition! Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer and let all the bloggers know that they have been nominated.  You can't nominate the blogger who nominated you.

11 Random Facts about Me

1. I grew up in Richmond and my parents still live in the same house that I grew up in.

2. I am the oldest of 4 and my little brother is 11 years younger than me.

3. In elementary school I was always the last picked for any sports.

4. I have an excellent memory and I very rarely use a calendar to record activities and appointments.

5. I am a fast reader and can finish a book in a day.

6. I dated my husband for 10 years before we married (we started dating at age 15).

7. I have a family cabin on the beach.  Last year we took our old cabin down and built a new one.  Now we can use it year round.

8. I love the ocean.  I love to sit on the beach and reflect, read and listen to the waves.  I love the crashing waves and salty smell in the air.

9. I have 2 boys and two crazy dogs.

10. When I was younger I wanted to be a jockey.

11. I am not a very good cook but luckily I have a husband who is a great cook and enjoys cooking most days.  


Now the questions that Sarah had for me:

1. What is your middle name and why do you have it? 
My middle name is Elizabeth.  I was named after both of my grandmothers.

2. Who is your favourite family member and why?
That is hard to answer as I have 2 sisters, a niece and a mother.  I would have to say that I loved and miss my grandmother.  I spent a lot of time with her as a child and teen and she was very influential in my life.

3. What do you do that you wish that you didn't?
I wish that I was more of a home body.  I have trouble sitting still for too long.

4. What is your secret addiction? or confession that you are willing to make?
I like watching Hallmark Movies and cheesy Christmas movies.  My favourite cheesy movie to watch is the Brady Bunch Christmas.

5. If you could do any other job what would it be?
I really enjoy teaching and can't think of any other job that I would want to do.  I guess maybe be a famous actress.

6.What is your favourite breakfast meal?
My favourite breakfast is called the Gumboot Hash from this great restaurant called the Gumboot.  It is hashbrowns, aged cheddar, avocado, and over easy eggs.

7.What sport would you love to be good at?
Ice hockey and then I could coach my son's hockey team.

8. Do you watch the Olympics on TV? Why or why not? 
I try to watch them but often have to drive my boys to various activities.

9. What is in your freezer right now?
Ice, bread and left over appetizers from holiday entertaining.

10. What were you afraid of as a child?
I was afraid of bees as a child because I was swarmed by them and remember feeling them crawl on my eyes, lips, cheeks, and not being able to do anything but stand in fear.  They eventually stung me.

11. What is your favourite colour? Why?
I love blue because it is calming and the colour of the ocean.  I don't tend to wear much blue though.  I wear mostly black and grey.


Post 11 questions for the bloggers that I nominate:

1. What is your favourite season and why?

2. Where is the farthest that you have travelled?

3. What is your favourite time of the day?

4. What is your favourite TV show?

5. Do you have a favourite movie?

6. What was your most memorable vacation?

7. What kind of genre do you enjoy reading?

8. What is one of the scariest things you have ever done?

9. What is your favourite childhood memory?

10. What makes you happiest?

11. If you could go anywhere tomorrow where would you go?

As I try to figure out who to acknowledge and encourage ( share some sunshine with) as their blogs inspire in various ways I am hitting a road block.  I am realizing that most people have already done this so I am going to highlight their blogs and if they have already done this homework I don't expect them to do it again.

Carrie Gelson

Iram Khan

Tia Henriksen

Tracey Bowers

Beverly Bunker

Deirdre Bailey

Gallit Zvi

Anne-Marie  Middleton

Michelle Hiebert

Jenni van Rees

Diana Williams

TodaysMeet

Using TodaysMeet to make predictions about the character Little Green.

 The past couple of weeks I have been trying out the web tool TodaysMeet.com. I really enjoy using this web tool. I have used it to have my students share their ideas about Flat Stanley, to predict what was in the bucket (worms) and to share their learning about worms.

Flat Stanley TodaysMeet

TodaysMeet sharing what we have learned about worms.

Today I used Todays Meet to have the students make predictions about who Little Green in the story Little Green is.

QR Code takes us to the room in TodaysMeet.

First I created the room in TodaysMeet and then I generated a QR code so that the students could scan and easily find the web site. They love using the QR Reader to scan codes. Then I read 3 pages of the story, encouraging the students to visualize the words and to use these visualizations to figure out who Little Green is. They then recorded their ideas in TodaysMeet. I then read more pages and encouraged them to listen carefully to the words and to see if they needed to change their prediction. They then recorded their new ideas in the room. I observed my students making predictions, changing predictions based on new information, and reading their classmates predictions. During this activity, I saw my students making a great effort to contribute their own ideas.

Have you ever used TodaysMeet before?  Next I am going to use it during a math discussion.

Genius Hour in Grade One and Two

I have really enjoyed hearing about Genius Hour and was thinking about how to implement it in a primary classroom when I realized, with the help of Lora Sarchet, that we already do our own version of Genius Hour every time that we have Centres. The only thing that is missing is the students presenting their creations/learning to their classmates. After discussing this with my teaching partner, Lora, we decided to start making time for the students to share their work.

Centres is a great time for students to explore, create, plan, problem solve, and collaborate.

Bring Your Own Device

Blogging with his personal device.

Should students be able to bring their own devices to school or should they be left at home?  It is a question that is always coming up.

I like having my students bring their own devices.  I see the benefits to watching them complete their assigned tasks on their own devices.  They take ownership of the device as well as show engagement in the activity.  It is very powerful for them to be able to express their thinking and learning on their own tool of choice.

I know that there is a fear with opening the classroom up to students bringing their own devices.  Many questions come up and procedures need to be in place.  Some of these questions are:

Are they allowed to play games?
Will their device distract them from paying attention and finishing work?
How do you keep their device safe?
How do you protect them from seeing inappropriate material?
Will they spend their day texting their friends?
How will their device help them in their school work?
Who will be responsible for their device?
Will they stop doing paper and pencil work?

Before we allowed devices to be brought to school we came up with a Personal Device Protocol.  We sent home this protocol for parents and students to read and sign.  Then we allowed personal devices to come to school.  It was a learning experience as the devices started arriving.  I had to figure out what grade ones and twos could do with their own devices.  Did they have the same apps as I had on our iPads? Would they be able to use their own device to show their learning?  Would their device be a distraction?  Would they just want to play games during class time?  In the beginning, the first devices that came to school, spent quite a bit of time in the cupboard while we learned how to use the iPads and figured out classroom expectations and rules.  As I got more used to the devices coming they started to stay out more and more and soon became part of the students classroom tools.

Some of the devices that come to school have the favourite apps Draw and Tell, Scribble Press, QR Reader and KidBlog on them.  That makes it easier when they are working on their blogs.  My students, who bring their own devices can read books on them, take pictures, make blog posts, participate in TodaysMeet, and do research.  Yes, I noticed that some do text during class time.  But they are texting their classmates about school work.  The first time I saw the texting I was about to stop it when I realized that they are writing.  Why stop them from writing.  They are practising their writing skills and they don't even know it so I didn't put an end to it.  My students take good care of their own devices.  We have a laptop cart in our room that also holds the classroom iPads.  The students can also put their devices in the cart.  Their devices are locked up at lunch and recess.

Using the personal device to look at flowers and draw them.

How do you feel about students bringing their own devices to school?

IPads and Literacy

This year I have been on a mission to use technology in my classroom. I am making efforts to use technology, not as a seperate subject, but rather as a part of our daily teaching and learning. I am also trying to make an effort to not use the iPads as expensive pencils.
Throughout this journey I have discovered that the iPad is a tool that helps to engage the students in their own learning. I have seen their creativity, imagination, writing skills, problem solving skills, and oral language skills increase with the use of iPads.

Reading
My class does a lot of listening to stories and reading on the iPads.  They are often reading stories, TodaysMeet discussions, or blogs. We read stories together (projected on the SMARTBoard), in small groups, with partners and sometimes by themselves.  We have favourite stories on the iPads, such as The Monster at the End of the Book and Cinderella.  We also like reading TumbleBooks.

Blogging

My students can easily access their blogs through the KidBlog app. They are able to create stories and pictures and embed them on their blogs. They are able to comment on other students' blogs both from our classroom and from other classes. Many of my students are showing more and more interest in blogging. Some even blog from home.


Spelling
There are several apps to help them practise their spelling words. I like to use the ones that encourage the students to create rather than drill and practise. Some that are often used are Touch and Write, Word Wizard, Doodle Buddy, and Draw and Tell. My students create their own spelling word lists, practise them and save their word work to their blogs.

Story Making

Story Buddy 2

Felt Board

During writing times, I always give my students choice on whether they write on paper, journals, laptops, or iPads. A favourite tool for story telling is the iPad. There are many great apps for them to use, such as Book Creator, Story Buddy, Scribble Press, Felt Board (then import the picture into Draw and Tell or Explain Everything). They often upload their work onto their blog once they are finished. My students enjoy using their blogs as portfolios.

Writing
Technology has increased my students' ability and interest in writing.  Whether it is on their blog, commenting on other blogs, writing stories, or using TodaysMeet.  TodaysMeet is a web tool that allows people to share their ideas.  My students love using TodaysMeet during discussions.

TodaysMeet

Oral Language Skills
I believe that the iPads also encourage the development of oral language skills.  Draw and Tell is a great app for explaining learning.  The students often write, draw, plan etc.. and then explain their learning on the iPad.  They also communicate with each other while they are working.  My classroom is not a quiet place but rather it is a place full of active learning. Students are working together, sharing ideas, and helping each other.  Quiet students can record their ideas on the iPad and then upload it to their blog.

Google Hangouts and Skype are also ways to encourage the students to talk to each other.  This year we have hung out with other classrooms in Canada.  Some of them we even got to meet face to face.  My students were so excited when they met the students in person.  This year, we have also skyped with an author, Kate Messner.  We took turns asking her questions and listening to her answers.


Technology has become part of our classroom and I can't imagine not using it in our daily learning and teaching.

Teaching Math using iPads

A student using the app Draw and Tell to make an equation.

Using cuisenaire rods and the app Popplet to make equations for 12

This year I have been on a journey to include more technology in my teaching.  I have learned along the way that it is not about the iPad but rather it is about the learning.  It is not about using technology for the sake of using iPads but it is about making it a part of the daily learning.  Technology is another tool just like paper and pencils.  It is another way for students to consolidate and explain their learning.  Technology gives students choice in how they show their learning.  For this reason, we should focus less on fancy drill and practise apps and more on creation based apps.  I look for apps where students can show their creativity as well as explain their thinking.

This year, I have 5 iPads in my classroom.  I have been working on using the apps during math as a way to enhance my students' learning and to give them choice on how to explain their learning.  My favourite apps to use during math are Draw and Tell, Popplet, Explain Everything, iMovie, and Kidblog.  Next I would like to introduce the students to Educreations.  After we work on a math concept my students choose how to show their learning.  Some choose to create using manipulatives, some use paper and pencil, some use manipulatives and iPads, and some just use iPads.
My students often put their work on their individual blogs.  Here is one of the students using her blog to show her learning.


This is a student using cuisenaire rods and the app Draw and Tell to make an addition equation.  She then uploaded it onto her blog.

 Technology is a great tool for teaching but we have to remember that it is only one of the tools and that what is really important is the teaching and learning.  Technology gives students more choice on how they learn and gives them opportunities to explain their learning to a wider audience.  It also helps them to make more connections with their learning and with people.  At the end of the day it is not about the fancy apps but rather how the students can use the apps to help them with their learning.

How do you use iPads in your classroom?

Assessment

Over the years I feel as if I have grown as a teacher and grown in my understanding of assessment for learning.  I do ongoing daily assessment as well as formal assessments in reading, writing and math.  I use my assessments to differentiate my instruction to meet the needs of all of my students.  I know which students need to be challenged and which need extra support and  encouragement.  Which students need more teacher time, visuals, different working environments, etc...  I take every child from where they are and encourage them to strive for their own personal best.  But this is all me.  I am doing the encouraging, reminding and they are doing the listening.  They are not actively participating in using their assessment to decide their learning pathway.  At the end of the day, I am still in charge of deciding their program.  I realized upon self reflection that all of this assessment was me in control.  Although I reminded the students of the criteria before writing and reminded them to edit their work before turning it in it was still me doing the reminding, being in control.  What we want is our students to be in control of their own learning.

I thought that by having student led conferences after every report card  and that by making the criteria known to the students that my students were taking ownership of their own learning but I was missing something.  My students were doing two stars and one wish but it wasn't effective.  Something was still missing.  It was still me reminding them of the criteria and organizing the student led conferences.

Last week I heard Anne Davies, Ph.D speak at the Kelowna Reading Summit When Vulnerable Readers Thrive and I realized what I was missing.  I was missing having the students self assess.  After hearing Anne Davies speak, I went back to school on the Monday and started teaching my students how to self assess.

First we brainstormed criteria for "what makes a good reader".  My students gave me the criteria in their own words which I wrote up on the SMART Board.  All of their ideas were included in the criteria.  As  I wrote we discussed the ideas and then I printed out copies for each of them.  Then before reading they looked at the criteria.  After reading, they again looked at the criteria and decided which things they did during reading and came up with a plan for the next reading time which they then wrote on their own sheet.  The next day, after reading I could hear them telling each other what they worked on and what they were going to work on next time.  I conferenced with a couple and could tell that they were very excited about using the criteria to assess their own reading.

So then I tried it with writing.  We brainstormed our writing criteria and then sat down to write.  For the first time, when they were finished I didn't have to remind them to use capitals correctly or periods.  They were editing their own work without me asking them to.  Next week, we are going to learn about creating a writing continuum.  I am excited to see how this writing continuum comes together.

I have only just started using self assessment and I am seeing how the students are taking more ownership of their learning.  I do believe that it is important to use teacher assessments as well as self assessment.

How do you use assessment in your classroom?

My Journey with Technology

Yesterday while at Ed Camp I was reminded that it was only a year ago that I attended my first Ed Camp, met Karen Lirenman, joined Twitter and jumped into using technology in my classroom.  It has been a whirlwind year, full of amazing learning.  I have learned so many things and in the process have grown as a teacher and as a learner.

I have learned that the iPad is just a tool.  Last June, when George Couros spoke and asked us if the iPad was a tool I didn't know the answer.  It was too new to me and I was not sure if an iPad was a tool or more than a tool.  I now know that it is just a tool.  The iPad can be used to demonstrate creativity, imagination, communication and innovation but it is only one of the tools.  It is how the teacher approaches teaching and learning that matters.  It is the opportunities that the teacher gives the students that matter.  It is listening, hearing and providing the students with the materials that they need to be engaged in their own learning.  It is about transforming their learning and the iPad is just one of the tools.  For this reason, you don't need a whole class set of ipads.  Not all students will choose the iPad to demonstrate their learning.  I have 5 in my classroom and it is working for me to have 5 that the students always have access to.

I have also learned that the apps should be creation based and not test and drill.  My students use the apps to create, demonstrate, expand on and communicate their learning.  Their favourite apps are Draw and Tell, Garage Band, Felt Board, Explain Everything, KidBlog, iMovies, Scribble Press, and Story Buddy 2.

I have learned that the technology can flatten walls and give the students opportunities that they would have never had, such as communicating their ideas on their own blog for others to see. When I first introduced blogging to my students last March I password protected their posts because I thought that I needed to.  I soon realized that by putting those restrictions on they could only share their blogs with their family and classmates.  I realized that the students needed to be able to have open blogs so that they could share their blogs freely.  This has been the best thing.  My students love seeing comments from other students in other provinces and countries.  They also enjoy commenting on others blogs.  My students have also participated in Google Hangouts with other classrooms.

I have also learned that Twitter is an excellent way to find out about Professional Development, teaching ideas and to connect with wonderful, innovative teachers.  The world is getting smaller because of Twitter.  Through Twitter I was able to participate in the Global Read Aloud, Quad Blogging and Primary Blogging.  I learned about Edmodo through the Twitter feed.  I also learned about Google Hangout and Adobe Connect through Twitter.

Through the Surrey Dinner Series I have been inspired from the wonderful speakers Dean Shareski, Shelley Wright, and Bill Ferriter.  I have learned to make 60 second videos and to develop a sense of wonder in my students.  I have learned about the power of choice.  I give my students choice every day in where they sit or stand, where they learn, how they show their learning, what they read, where they read, what they write, where they write, and where they eat.

 I have learned that it is okay to not have all the answers, that learning is messy and noisy and that it is important to include your students in decisions.  I have learned to listen to what the students want and that what I think is fun and engaging might not be what they want to do and that is okay.  Beautiful art projects might look nice on the walls but if they have no meaning for them then they are pointless.  I have learned to let things go and to try different things in their place.  I have learned to not be afraid of technology and to try new things (baking bread, putting on Pro-D for teachers etc..).  I have learned to not sweat the small stuff and to not stress out if the technology isn't working or the wifi is acting up.  For example. failed Google Hangouts are not a waste of time but rather a learning experience.

I am excited to see where this journey is going to take me.  I don't know if I would have gone on this journey if it had not had the support and encouragement from Lora Sarchet, Shelley Brett and Karen Lirenman.

Why I love my SMART Board

I have heard many people lately say that the interactive whiteboard is on its way out and it frustrates me because I love my interactive whiteboard.  I have been using my SMART Board for two years now and I don't see how I could teach without it.  It really helps teach and reinforce concepts.  It is constantly in use throughout the school day.  I have heard all of the arguments against it and I can see their point of view.  Yes it is an expensive piece of technology and yes an iPad hooked up to a projector and Apple T.V. can do the same projecting as a SMART Board.  If you are only using the SMART Board as a projector then yes an iPad can do the same projecting at less of a cost.  In fact, you could purchase at least six ipads for the cost of one installed SMART Board.  However, an interactive whiteboard is so much more than a projector and I see it as having a different use than an iPad.  IPads are useful tools for students to share, create and demonstrate their learning whereas an interactive whiteboard is a good tool for teaching and reinforcing concepts.

The first rule is that the SMART Board needs to be installed.  A moveable SMART Board ends up frustrating people because it constantly needs to be reoriented.

The second rule is that if at first you don't succeed (the screen is purple, the board won't orient, the pens are not working) don't give up but instead try again.  Often in the beginning I would get a purple screen and have to take all the cords out and put them back in again.  It may be frustrating at first but quickly those frustrations are forgotten as you get used to using the SMART Board.

The interactive whiteboard is so much more than a projector.  Yes I use it as a projector some times.  I use my SMART board to :

Google Hangout

• show my students DVD's or video clips from Discovery Education Video Streaming and Learn 360
• for Google Hangouts 
• show Tumblebooks 
• show You Tube clips or class blogs
• with the document camera
• art samples
• maps
• show work on the iPads

I also use my SMART Board to teach my students concepts both as a whole class and in small groups.  Yes during these times not all of my students are interacting with the board but they are engaged in the lessons.  I have created many lessons on the SMART Board.  Here are some of the ways that I use it as an interactive whiteboard:

• Word Wall Bingo- the students choose 6 words off of the word wall and write them on their chalkboards.  Then we use the Random Word Chooser on the SMART board to pick the word. While one student is touching the board and reading out the word the other students are seeing if the word called out is on their chalkboard.
• Make and Break Words- the students use their letter tiles on their desks to build the words while one student builds the word on the SmartBoard.  The students take turns coming up to the board.
• Graphing - and then we print out the graph to take home.
• Morning Message- the students take turns filling in the message.  We can then print the message out so that they can take it home.
• Brainstorming of words for writing activities.  We can then print the words out so that students who need the words can have them on their desk.
• Dice games- roll dice on the SMART Board and then the students write equations on their chalkboards.
• Demonstrate math lessons using interactive cubes, dice, dominoes, cards, pictures, ten frames and then have the students build using real manipulatives. 
• Use the document camera and then write directly onto the SMART Board.
• Calendar

These are only a few of the ways that I use the interactive whiteboard for teaching.  Yes an iPad could be used instead but it would not be the same.  I used the iPad one day when my laptop was being serviced and although it worked it did not have the same effect.  For example, yes I could do chalkboard spelling but the words just appeared.  The students couldn't see the words being printed in front of them.  I could do ten frames with an iPad app but the students couldn't come up to the SMART board and manipulate the objects.  My students love interacting with the SMARTboard.

 My students also love using the SMART Board during free time.  They often are writing on it and then recognizing their words.  They enjoy writing math equations and word problems on it.  Sometimes, they take turns playing teacher and students.  They also enjoying using Kids Pix on the SMART Board.   My students know how to orient it when needed and how to wake it up when it goes to sleep.  

A couple of months ago one of my students wanted to show his classmates how to make a paper airplane.  You can see his demonstration here.  He said that he needed the document camera, paper and the SMART board.

I know that an installed interactive whiteboard is expensive but I can't imagine teaching without it.  It is a useful tool for teaching students concepts both from me and also from each other.   The SMART Board is so much more than a projector and it is more than a fancy whiteboard.  It is a tool to enhance learning and to make it easier to model, teach and reinforce concepts.  

Learning From Each Other

This week, preparing for student led conferences and the Christmas concert has been very busy.  During this busy time one of my students asked if he could show the class how to make a paper airplane.  His father had showed him and now he wanted to share it with his classmates.  There was so much to finish and so much to do and I was about to say not today when I stopped myself.  This was important to him so we could make the time.  I asked him what supplies he needed and he said just paper and the document camera.  He had seen me use the document camera many times to teach math and wanted to use it to teach his peers how to make a paper airplane.  The students were engaged watching and learning from him.  It was a great moment and it reminded me to take the time and to listen to my students.

Teaching is a great adventure in learning!

Last night I listened to Shelley Wright speak to a room full of educators and I was inspired.  Her journey from traditional teacher to project based passion teacher made me think of my own teaching practices.  My teaching style has always been hands on, active, play based, co-operative group learning but it has still been controlled by me.  In the past, I have put the students into literacy groups and have chosen the activities that they do.  I have done math centres where they rotate through the stations in an organized manner.  I have chosen the themes that we learn based on the learning outcomes.  This year I have been making small changes since September.  These are:

*giving  my students choice on where they want to work during seat work times, such as sitting on rocking chairs, pillows, comfy chairs, bouncy chairs, on the floor or standing.

*letting them choose whether to sit on the floor or at their desk during story time (letting them decide where the best spot for their active listening will be).

*moving my desk to face a wall and letting my students sit at my desk and on my chair during read to self times.

*encouraging my students to try different activities on the ipads and to teach me and the others how to use the various apps.

*letting my students during centres put up their own decorations (their own idea) and posters in the classroom such as Halloween decorations, birthday decorations and signs.

*this week I let my students choose their literacy centres.  They were very excited to put their name beside the literacy centre that they wanted to do.  The first day most students chose the computers, ipads and whiteboard but they were all engaged in the various activities.

*today with the encouragement of my wonderful teaching partner Lora Sarchet I asked my students to write down what they want to learn this year.  They were very excited and got right down to work.  They all had very different ideas about what they want to learn about, such as learning about sunsets, teeth, bats, animals, trees and leaves, how to bake a pie, make pancakes, how lego is made, science experiments, how people move, space, flowers and plants, how dolls are made, and fish.  Now to make their wonders become a reality.  Originally I had planned that I would choose one of their ideas each month and have all of the students learn about it but once I saw all of the different ideas I realized that they all need to learn their own topic and then share it.  It is hard to give up control of the classroom and to take a passenger seat.  I now know what my students really want to learn so I have to make sure that I make this happen.  How to go about it though has been on my mind most of today.  I have been thinking about trying monthly wonder afternoons where the students choose their topic and take control of their learning (let me know what supplies they need so that I can help).  Then they can blog about their learning but is that enough?  Does anyone else have suggestions on how I can fit into my day/year time for each child to learn about their own passions?

I want to learn how to make pie.  I want to learn about how lego is made.

I want to learn about bats.  I want to learn about making science experiments.

I want to learn about teeth (how to care for them, keep them clean, how they grow).  I want to learn about sunsets how they go down.

I want to learn about animals.  I want to know more about math and plants and flowers.

We have iPads now what do we do with them?

In September the iPads and charging cart arrived and we were excited.  Finally, our students had access to iPads and could use them all day long.  Previously we had been using one iPad and iPod in the classroom.  Now came the task of figuring out what would be the most effective way of using the iPads, what apps to put on them, and how to get other teachers using them.

Syncing the iPads took hours.  The syncing day was the same day the new IOS was released and all iPads had to be updated with the IOS as well as synced.  Also downloading the apps onto the syncing computer also took awhile.  Lora (my teaching partner) and I decided that we wanted to avoid game and practice and drill apps and instead focussed on creation/imagination apps.  We chose apps that we felt would engage students as well as develop their communication skills (Puppet Pals, Explain Everything, Skitch, iMovie, Comic Life, Popplet, Edmodo, Word Wizard, etc...)

Once the iPads were set up and ready to go the real learning began.  How to fit them into our daily teaching? How to teach everything that we want to in a day that doesn't seem long enough?  How to make sure that students still learn to read and write?  How to make sure that paper art projects still happen?  So many questions and so many worries.  Worried that students will stop the hands on play that is so important still.  Worried that their interactions will change as they become more focussed on iPads and less on interacting with each other.  Worried about what to give up in the day and what to keep.

I realize that the addition of technology to the classroom can't just be used as a supplement to the program that you are already doing.  The use of technology means a change to the way that you teach.  It means giving up control and becoming a learner alongside the students.  It is hard sometimes to give up the control.  It is hard because we all want the best for our students.  We all want them to succeed.  It is scary giving up the driver's seat and becoming a passenger along for the ride.

Right now I have been showing my students the apps and having them explore and figure out what to do with them.  Children don't have the fear that we sometimes have so they push buttons and try things easier than we do.  Last week my buddy teacher and I gave up control and let the students pick their own buddies and then gave out the iPads with the instructions to try something in the Story Maker folder (Popplet, Comic Life, Scribble Press, Book Creator, Puppet Pals, Toontastic).  It was chaotic at first with ipads and groups everywhere in the room doing different activities but the sharing was great.  Groups were naturally showing each other the different things that they were trying on iPads.  For example, they were teaching each other how to make the characters big and small on Puppet Pals, how to take pictures and put them into Comic Life, how to choose different story frames in Scribble Press.  They were busy, they were loud, but they were engaged and learning from each other.  We were also learning.  Angela and I were walking around the classroom asking questions and learning how to do the programs.  It was a noisy but great afternoon.

My classroom is not quiet but it is not chaotic.  When I look around the students are engaged and are learning but they are busy.  Busy taking pictures with the iPads, taking videos, blogging, writing words and listening to what they write, making puppet shows, searching for countries, listening to stories, counting, creating pictures and sharing their learning with each other.  I am still trying to figure out how to do all the things that I want to do in a day and to make sure that the students have a balance between technology and hands on play with manipulatives.

How do you use the iPads and how do you keep a balance in your classroom between technology and hands on activities?

SmartBoard vs the iPad and projector

I hear a lot of people questioning if we need SmartBoard when instead we can use an iPad and projector to do the same thing. This is actually not true. Yes an iPad and projector when hooked up will project the iPad onto the screen but it is not the same as using a SmartBoard.  It is like comparing a Mazarati to a Hundai. The SmartBoard is more than a projector. It is an interactive whiteboard which can be used throughout the day for many activities. Yes it is a projection device but it is also so much more than that.

I have had the opportunity to have one in my classroom for the past year and a half and it has become part of my teaching. I use it to create and show lessons, as an interactive whiteboard, and yes as a projector. I have also had the opportunity to use an iPad in the classroom.  I see great uses for both of these technology tools.  I see that both SmartBoard and iPad are important to have and use in the classroom.  However, they are not the same. The iPad is a great tool for encouraging students to be creative with their learning as well as a great 1:1 device whereas the SmartBoard is not really a 1:1 device.  You can use the SmartBoard to teach mini group lessons but if you are looking for a 1:1 device then the iPad is the way to go.  Yes both iPad and Smartboard have interactive touch screens but  the iPad relies on apps whereas the SmartBoard has Smart Notebook which has a gallery with many tools and graphics to edit and create your own lessons. For example, you can create a notebook page with interactive dice and unification cubes when teaching your students how to add.  You can also go to Smart Exchange to download, create, edit and share lessons. Yes, I love my SmartBoard and can't imagine teaching without it! I also love my iPad and see the value of having iPads in the classroom. They are both useful and handy for teaching and although they are both interactive and can be projected I see them as being used very differently in the classroom.

One final note, in order for the SmartBoard to be used easily by both teachers and students it must be attached to the wall. I have found that SmartBoards on wheels don't get used as much because people get frustrated because the slightest movement means reorienting the board.

I love using both the SmartBoard and iPad but I use them differently and for different things. Which do you prefer to use?

Time flies by

It seems that it was just yesterday that I was saying goodbye to my class of wonderful grade ones and cleaning up  the classroom for summer vacation.  I was just beginning to make summer plans with my own children. July just flew by and before I knew it August was halfway finished. This summer I have managed to read several good books, mostly fiction, as well as have fun vacations with my family to our family cabin and to Penticton. I have even managed to continue to build on my professional development via Twitter. Through Twitter I have discovered many great ideas such as:

*moving my classroom furniture around (moving my desk) to open up the room more and make it even more student centered.
*Global ReadAloud-signed up
*Quadblogging-signed up and starts in September
*Flat Classrom Project-applied and was accepted and will do it in the Spring
*Whiteboard paint on tables- great idea. Now just have to find some tables
*building a terrarium

I have also met some wonderful, inspiring teachers on Twitter. This summer I set up a new class blog and am excited to use it in September.

Next week, I will be excited to go into the classroom and set it up for a new school year. I always enjoy sorting the books, moving the furniture, planning for the year, visiting with colleagues that I haven't seen this summer and meeting new staff. I will also be sad that summer is coming to an end and that the lazy days of summer are coming to an end like reading on the patio, going to bed late, sleeping in and playing at the beach. Instead early mornings, packing lunches, loading up hockey equipment into the car, rushing to work, late dinners, hockey practice, Scouts, and swimming lessons will all be starting again. 

But time flies and before you know it summer will be here again!

The Importance of Play

Often we are rushing to make sure that we teach all the PLO's and we forget to slow down and let the students just play, unstructured play.  Play is so important.  It gives the kids a chance to explore, create, try out the new skills learned, build on the new skills learned, develop their oral language skills, learn to work together co-operatively, as well as discover their own interests.  In a busy world, where the day feels that it goes so quickly, we need to remember to slow down and let the children have unstructured play.

What I have learned this year

This has been an exciting and rewarding year.  I feel that I have grown as a teacher and a learner.  This morning, I opened up an email from a friend and the first line was a comment about how much I have been on Twitter and about how three years ago she would not have imagined me on Twitter.  This is true.  Three years ago I had small, Nokia, cell phone which I only used for phone calls.  I emailed people from my home computer but my main type of communication was talking on the phone.  Now I have a Samsung (and I can text), iPad, iPod and a SmartBoard.

It has been a year with a huge learning curve starting last April when my Smartboard arrived.  I was so excited to have it that I started to use it immediately.  First I used downloaded lessons from Smart Exchange and showed You Tube clips and DVD's and now I feel confident creating my own lessons.  My students, this year, also felt confident using the Smartboard and several even played with the Smart Notebook, creating dice games, flashcards, maps etc.  It was exciting watching them create on the Smartboard.  The Smartboard has become my right hand and I use it all day long when teaching.  It is a great tool for teaching and engaging students. It really enhances any lesson.  I could go on and on about how wonderful a Smartboard is and this is from someone who never used an overhead.

This was my first full year of teaching since 2000.  Last summer, my teaching partner, Lora, encouraged me to go on other teacher blogs where I learned lots of new ideas.  Then we tried to incorporate all of the new ideas and the Smartboard into our teaching.  Starting with the Daily 5.  Then on her insistence I joined Twitter in February. Without her encouragement I don't know if I would have realized the value of Twitter.  She also encouraged me to go to Ed Camp with her in February where I met Karen who inspired me to introduce more technology to my students.  I saw what grade ones could do with technology and was inspired to give my students the opportunity to use technology more.  During Spring Break, Lora and I set our students up with Kidblogs as well as created our own proffessional blogs.  Then we headed back to school and jumped full force into learning using technology.  It has been a wonderful journey where I have met lots of educators along the way.
This year I learned that:
*the Daily 5 is a good way to introduce students to independent work and choice.  Students don't all have to do the same things at the same time.
*students are more engaged when given a choice to use different materials to show their learning such as Smartboard, iPad, laptops, chartpaper, felts, sentence strips or just plain paper.
* students don't have to sit down to work.  They can work standing, they can work lying down on the carpet, they can work on the floor in the hall and they can work at  a table or desk.
* students know a lot about technology and are not afraid to explore and use technology in their learning.
*it is okay to learn along with the students.  I don't have to know everything.  Grade ones know a lot and are able to teach me.
*I learned about "wonder charts" and saw the power when the students were able to come up with their own wonders and then figure out how to find the answer to their wonders.
*Twitter is a great way to collaborate with teachers and to open up classrooms to share learning.

This was my first year back to full time teaching in 11 years and it was a wonderful year!  I look forward to another exciting year of teaching and learning.

Technology in the Classroom

When I first introduced the laptops and iPad into the classroom I was worried that using the technology would take away from my students collaboration skills.  I was concerned that the computers would become babysitters and my noisy, active classroom would become a quiet, library.  However, this has not been the case.  The students eagerly share what they are doing on the computers with their peers.  They usually set up the laptops in such a way that they can interact with each other while on the computers.  Picture a classroom with laptops and students all around on the floor sharing with and teaching each other the various computer programs.  In a few short months, my grade ones can create comics on Comic Life, manouver the Internet independently to access StarFall, Kerpoof, their blogs, ICT games, and explore with Photo Booth and Kids Pix.  Through exploration, my students have discovered all kinds of neat things on Kids Pix.  Their favourite way to use Kids Pix is on the Smartboard.  My students also really enjoy using the iPad and from the minute they arrive at school until 2:34 the iPad is in constant action.  We are finding it really difficult to share one iPad but have come up with a schedule so that everyone gets time on it.  The students also have found ways to share it, often inviting their friends to listen to stories and work on a story or game together.  My dream is to have more iPads so that the students can each have more time with the apps.  Everyday my students show me new things that you can do with the technology.  This journey with technology has been very exciting and I am excited to see what else they can do and learn!

Students creating a story on Scribble Press with the iPad.

Team Teaching

This year, is my first year since 2000 that I have worked full time.  When my job share partner gave me the news last year that she wanted to go back to full time it was hard at first to wrap my head around it.  I had been working 80% for 11 years and the thought of not job sharing anymore was nerve racking.  We had worked so well as a team that I knew I wouldn't/couldn't get a new partner.  I knew that it was time for me to go back to work full time.  In saying this it has been one of the best years!  Instead of job sharing we are team teaching right across the hall from each other.  Having worked together for so many years we have similar ideas and teaching styles.  We also compliment each other well.  She has the great ideas and I have good knowledge on the meat and bones of the day. 

For example, last week, just before Easter, we decided to focus on eggs.  We started with the students writing on yellow paper what they knew about eggs.  Then we did a vinegar hard boiled egg experiment.  The next day, I walked into Lora's classroom and they were wondering about eggs.  Her students were wondering: if they threw an egg across the room would it break and if they could play soccer or hockey with an egg.  Wow, I had never thought of having my students wonder about eggs so I went back to my classroom and asked them to write down what they wondered and then the next day we would try to answer their questions through the experiments.  I braced myself for egg mess and waited for them to wonder about throwing eggs.  Not one wondered about throwing eggs but they did wonder about the following things:
1. would a raw egg break if I dropped it in a bucket of water
2. will a raw egg float in water
3. will a raw egg sink
4. will a raw egg float in Sprite
5. what will happen to a raw egg that sits in Pepsi for over 5 days
6. what will happen to a raw egg in vinegar ( we had already experimented with a hardboiled egg in vinegar)
7. what will happen if I stand on a raw egg
8. what will happen to a hardboiled egg if it sits in Rootbeer for several days (there is a pop theme here)

The next day, the students performed their own experiments.  It was chaotic but wonderful at the same time to see them taking ownership over their learning.  The student who dropped the egg into the bucket of water was amazed when the egg cracked.  The student who stepped on the raw egg enjoyed it so much that he wanted to step on more raw eggs.  The eggs in pop and vinegar are still sitting on the table.  Every day the students are looking at them amazed that the eggs in Pepsi and Rootbeer are turning brown and the egg in the vinegar is slowly losing its shell and the vinegar is evaporating as one student shared with me today. Thanks to Lora, I was able to come up with the new teaching idea of wondering and solving the wonder through experimenting.  A twist to the way that I have always done KWL.  Sharing and collaborating makes teaching so much more exciting and refreshing.

The Wonders of Technology

As I stare at this computer I am trying to figure out how to start this blog.  In the past year, I have been using more and more technology.  It all started with the acquisition of a Smart Board.  Last April I had a Smart Board installed and have been using ít ever since.  I started with using it for lessons that I downloaded from Smart Exchange and by the Fall I was using it the whole day.  I am now hoping that my projector bulb doesn't burn out because I rely on my Smart Board for my daily teaching.  The students also enjoy using the Smart Board and some of them even asked for one of their own in their Santa letters this year.  By playing around with the Smart Notebook, I have learned how to create my own lessons as well as incorporate the web into my lessons.  The Smart Board acts as a white board (recognizing my writing as well as the students writing and changing it into type font), an interactive board for lessons, a projector for DVDs,You Tube, Tumble Books, the document camera and the iPad (which I have just started using).  When I first started using the Smart Board there was some frustrating times when the screen would turn purple or the board wouldn't orient.  For example, the first day of school I planned to show a Tumble Books to the students but up until 10 minutes before the bell rang the screen was purple.  I tried everything and finally it worked.  Once in awhile, I still have small problems with connections but they are solved easily.  As I used the Smart Board more and more my confidence grew and I came to realize what a wonderful tool for learning it is. 

My other two favourite pieces of technology are the iPod and the iPad.  I only have one of each but they are used constantly throughout the day.  The students listen to stories on them, write stories, make puppet shows and practise their sight words and math facts.  I have seen reluctant writers flourish and create wonderful stories on the Scribble Press App.  The students are excited and engaged when using the i-Pad and i-Pod.  I have learned alot this month from playing with these two pieces of technology but it amazes me how much the students know. 

I am excited about incorporating technology into my lessons and teaching.  I have spent this year reading other great blogs and getting great ideas to improve my own teaching.  It is exciting and invigorating to try new things in my teaching.  Last Pro-D, I spent the day at Ed Camp, where I met a wonderful teacher from Surrey who has inspired me to use more technology with my students.  She told us about how her students blog which really interested my friend Lora and I.  This Spring, I am looking forward to having my students blog their own ideas. 

This Spring Break, I have spent my days relaxing but also making new lessons for my Smart Board, book marking several You Tube videos, following Twitter and Pinterest and playing with the iPad.  I have downloaded many new apps and I am looking forward to seeing what my students can do with them.  One of these apps is an animation app called Doink.  I also have spent the last couple of days creating this blog.  A year ago I could barely text on my phone and now I am fully embracing technology. 
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