Constructed Response - EdTech/Literacy Collaborative

If you even kind of follow my blog, you may have noticed that I have been sharing a few slides from quick after school sessions to support teachers literacy instruction with EdTech suggestions.  This week these slides share more tools than literacy methods because teachers have already developed an instructional plan to teach students how-to respond to text.

Here are some basic K-5 ideas to practice responding to a reading without paper.  You will find that I suggest the use of certain tools for a specified grade level range.  Nevertheless, this is merely a suggested range determined by my perception on ease-of-use and the devices being used within grade levels at my school district.  For instance, grades K-2 use iPads while grades 3-5 use MacBooks.  Consequently, I choose more iPad apps or web-based technologies that would work with iPads internet browsers.

Digital Learning Day - #DLDay

On February 5th, many schools across the nation are engaging with various educational technologies for Digital Learning Day (#DLDay).  Many classroom's engage in digital learning activities throughout the entire school year.  But, #DLDay provides districts, administrators, teachers, and students with a specific date to attempt to bring everyone on board.  Here is a student-made video overview from the #DLDay website.

Start Planning Now

The first thing you will have to do is start planning your activities, and there are many resources available with innumerable ideas for classroom teachers (i.e. planning webinar, Edmodo group, Teacher-created idea document).  Many Twitter chats are discussing ideas right now and there is value in watching from the sidelines, chiming in, or sharing ideas with hashtags like #INeLearn or #4thchat.  For more on hashtags, take a look at one of my old posts on using hashtags.

I meet many teachers that are reluctant to use social media like Twitter or Google+ for professional development, but there is a lot of value to listening to the inspirational teachers and what they are doing in the classroom around the country.  To quote the First Days of School by Harry Wong, developing a professional learning network of inspiring teachers (through the use of social media) provides for the perfect opportunity to "beg, borrow, and steal" ideas for the classroom.  Here are the archived chats from two recent educational hashtags #INeLearn and #4thchat on planning for #DLDay.

• #INeLearn 
• #4thchat 

Definitely watch the #DLDay hashtag on February 5th, and maybe leave it running in the background, while teaching.  Here is an interesting idea from +Theresa Shafer from last year's #DLDay.

If you cannot watch the live #DLDay stream, I would at least review the tweets from the day - as displayed within the archived Twitter streams from #INeLearn and #4thchat.  What are you planning on doing?  If you have a specific event that you would like to share on the Digital Learning Day website, you can do so here on the event signup page.

Take the Pledge 

After looking into #DLDay and planning an activity or entire days worth of activities, take the pledge.  This will allow you to announce your goal to "go digital" on the 5th and allow you preview the #DLDay website.  By signing up through the pledge page, you can opt to receive information about #DLDay.  Do you really have to take the pledge?  Not really.  But, I would just to make it your goal to follow through and become involved.

My Random Ideas for #DLDay 

1. Continue what you are doing in the classroom but add an EdTech piece to instruction/learning
2. Engage students in an online discussion throughout the day using Today's Meet backchannel
3. Create several Kahoots to engage students in the content being learned throughout the day
4. Blog about anything throughout the day (Kidblog)
5. QR scavenger hunt
6. Have students continue activities from the #hourofcode or 20 hours of code
7. Teach from Edmodo or another LMS
8. Have students record math lessons with EduCreations 
9. Use the Discovery Science Techbook
10. Use Bubbl.us for mind mapping activity
11. Use Padlet to promote online communication
12. Use Mural.ly to create information webpages with students
13. Pick an web-based application idea from the ICT Magic Wiki
14. Teach digital citizenship lessons - CommonSenseMedia, Digital Passport, Net Smartz, or NSTeens

Apple Ideas

1. Use Photo Booth to create video exit slips
2. Use Pages to create brochures reflecting on the days experience
3. Use Keynote to apply reading comprehension strategies narrated slideshow movie file
4. Use Numbers to create a science lab report or various graphs for data collection
5. Use iPhoto to create slideshows with text describing a concept being learned
6. Use iMovie to create short video to play while student reads a writing piece from writer's workshop 
7. Use GarageBand to record a group of students discussing the recent section they read in a book as a podcast
8. Engage students with digital storytelling apps on the iPad
9. Engage students with various creation apps

Google Ideas

1. Teach using Google Apps all day
2. Use Google Docs for classroom communication
• Use whole class shared documents,
• Group shared documents, and
• Individual documents shared with the teacher
3. Create a Google Slide (Presentation)
• Whole group, 
• Small group, or
• Individual
4. Use Google Forms to formatively assess students
5. Give students opportunity to write a post for your classroom blog
• Use a Google Doc to collect student writing
6. Build a Google Site for sharing classroom projects 
• Create informational Google Sites with students like a Wiki
7. Use Google Hangouts to connect to other classrooms or professionals
• Find a virtual fieldtrip from the Connected Classroom Google+ Community
8. Use Google Tour Builder

Overall 

What student-level, classroom-level, school-level, or district-level events do you want to create for Digital Learning Day?  Can we make these epic events?  Let's do this together!

Another Web Search Blog Post

Web searches are an overlooked skill that need to be taught to students.  The following video resources were retrieved from GoogleHelp YouTube channel.  If you have a YouTube account, I suggest following this channel as they come out with a lot helpful videos related to Google Products. These resources were compiled here in order to provide help with Google Searches and can be good tips to share with students.  The first video shared above all of the rest is a basic set of tips that can provide help for any search.

Basic Search Tips

Specific Search Tips

The next set of videos are more specific search tips.  They are extremely short and straightforward, which is exactly what I like to see in a YouTube video.  I'm not a big fan of watching videos that are over ten minutes on YouTube.  For me YouTube is my quick and dirty way to learn something.  I say dirty because sometimes multiple videos have to be used and sped up to find exactly what you need sometimes.  Even though you might have to weed through a few bad videos from time to time, YouTube is still one of the fastest ways to learn a difficult skill that couldn't be learned through tinkering.

Ideas and Techniques

Although this document, which I believe was created by +Richard Byrne, provides a list of search techniques to try that will make a "Google Search Star," there aren't many examples displayed here.  The second tip has a video associated with it, but the other techniques do not.  That's where I challenge you to locate someone demonstrating these techniques on YouTube.  Use YouTubes search bar and locate the reading level filter.  Or if you are like me, try it first and then seek help from YouTube.  

The #Gamification of Education #Infographic

The Gamification of Education 

I wish I created the following Infographic, but regretfully I didn't.  Scanning through this infographic is a great gateway into the the concept of gamification.  To start, here are a couple gamification definitions to keep you in the loop:

1. "Gamification is the use of game thinking and game mechanics in non-game contexts to engage users in solving problems." Gabb Zichermann and Wikipedia 
2. "Gamification is the concept of applying game-design thinking to non-game applications to make them more fun and engaging."  Gamification Wiki

Everyone loves games!  I will say it again.  Everyone loves games, but they might not all like video games.  Games are just fun, and create pleasureful chemical reactions within our nervous systems.

Nevertheless, since I was a kid in the 80s, video games have been getting a bad rap.  Not until I read the book Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal (TED Talk), did I feel proud to be a gamer. I've always had this in-the-closet mentality about my video game play--especially as a teacher. Teachers didn't ask in the teacher's lounge, and I didn't tell them.  However, rather than discredit video games' value or claim they are the reason behind unmotivated students, try to see the value in using existing video games or game elements in the classroom.  Heck, why not start to play video games yourself or better yet try to make your own basic video games through online platforms like: Scratch, GameStar Mechanic, or Spolder.

It's probably safe to assume that many teachers have used some type of game to promote learning.  The use of games for learning isn't really anything new and neither is video gaming in the classroom (i.e. Oregon Trail, Carmen Sandiego).  As a teacher, I have been gamifying (to a degree) non-game systems within the classroom for a while.  But, we haven't always been using the types of games near and dear to students' hearts.  For instance, Jeopardy PowerPoints created to review the concepts before a test are cool and all, but what student cares or even knows the Jeopardy theme anymore.  Most of the time, games within the classroom are arbitrary instances that are temporary solutions for engaging students.  I would like to see students engaged within a gamified learning system that occurs regularly.

The idea of using Game Elements, Game Design, and/or Games for Learning within the classroom, isn't a completely new concept, but has been intriguing me for the last two years.  I have always employed the use of games for learning, but I can always become a better classroom "game designer." If you want to join me in implementing game elements within the classroom, feel free to book a time with me to plan an on-going project.  If you aren't privileged to work with me on a regular basis (JJ), please comment with any Gamification ideas you have below.  Hopefully this infographic inspires some ideas for the classroom and/or makes you want to learn more about Games and Learning.

Two Questions  

1. How can we add game elements (especially from video games) into the classroom on a more regular basis?  
2. What other opportunities are there for gamifying classroom activities?  

 
Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

#2:00 EdTech Goals

Not too long ago, I was talking to my 18 year-old brother about developing an app (you know, just normal brother talk). Basically, my brother is a big time gamer, and I like bouncing ideas off him about game elements within eLearning projects or hypothetical game-based educational apps.

When I was walking out of his room, I saw the image above taped to his wall.  The post-it-note attached to the wall with electrical tape caught my attention.  I asked, "What's with 2:00?"  And after a few attempts to avoid answering my question, he eventually told me that is when he writes.  I think he was a little embarrassed to admit that he writes, and I wonder why.  Being a teacher, this absolutely made my day.

Of course, I had to probe deeper into this "2:00 thing," which could be the real reason he was hesitant on revealing what it was.  Eventually, he told me he had been writing a fantasy inspired by the video games (WOW and League of Legends) he plays and the books he reads.

We all need our 2:00 goals.  I sometimes have too many.  If you knew me on a personal level, you would know that I like to pose fabulous "I would like tos."  For instance, I would like to own my own a Coffee Truck, start-up an EdTech company, write a children's book, make animated short films, rebuild my dad's old motorcycle, write for comedies, and so on.  My problem is that I like to talk about these ideas more than act on them.

My latest 2:00 goal is to develop an educational game app for iOS.  I was thinking about using the MakeGamesWith.Us platform to get started, and then figure out how doable my idea is.  I tried a few things with Tree House when I had a free account, but I didn't force myself to sit down and learn.

Being a proponent for change in schools, especially with the use of EdTech, I hear the phrase, "I don't have time." But, it's a matter of making time.  Clearing out all of the unimportant and trivial tasks that fill our days is a must.  Make time!

Then, to ensure your goals are being met, go public with these goals and make sure people know what you are attempting to complete.  As I gear up to take a stab at app/game development, I will try to post my reflections occasionally.  I don't know if what I make will be educational at first, but I need to just try.  And if it is too difficult, I can maybe just hire and/or partner with an app developer, like the following cartoon suggests.

With New Year's resolutions knocking on our doors, people will be writing or talking about how to achieve their goals for 2014 over the next few weeks.  But regardless of the New Year Resolution bandwagon, making time for your goals is more important than making wild "I'd like to..." statements.

My 2:00 is about taking action and finishing my personal goals.  I need to start completing or at least making progress toward these goals.  That's why I am going to dedicate a specific time at least weekly to accomplish at least one of my goals.

What is your 2:00?