This month, I've had the pleasure of facilitating a 3rd grade reading group for an hour each morning. We're reading Silverwing, which is absolutely an amazing book to read, and it's rich and complex and leads to great discussions.
After about a week or so, I realized our group had a ton of papers and sticky notes all over the place: a character chart we were all adding to, a paper for our new vocabulary and then a million sticky notes about our questions as we read. I started thinking of a more organized way to track our thinking.
Enter the Silverwing Readers wiki, a lovely little work in progress. One stop shopping for our growing character traits, vocabulary added to our 'batpack' and a place for us to document our discussions. I absolutely love it and see huge potential for it as a practical way of using technology in the classroom. Just imagine how authentic and organized a student-led conference would be if a student showed their parents how they are tracking their thinking this way.
The only downside to this that I see is the legwork involved in getting kids set up on the wiki and teaching them how to use it. My thought is to work with interested teachers and set up small groups of book clubs to get them started.
Here's one more example of a 5th grade teacher here at ISB, Chrissy, who is already using wikis for book club thinking.
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
My Own 21st Century Kid
My two year old...
In her short life, she has only used Skype to talk to her grandparents.
She sees computers in ordinary things. A play garage becomes a computer station to her as she pulls up a chair and works at her 'computer.'
She builds them out of Legos.
And finally I found kid headphones for the plane. Trying them out here (big hit!).
What I wouldn't do for a kid-friendly Kindle for traveling with big color pictures and big font. Maybe someday soon...
In her short life, she has only used Skype to talk to her grandparents.
She sees computers in ordinary things. A play garage becomes a computer station to her as she pulls up a chair and works at her 'computer.'
She builds them out of Legos.
And finally I found kid headphones for the plane. Trying them out here (big hit!).
What I wouldn't do for a kid-friendly Kindle for traveling with big color pictures and big font. Maybe someday soon...
Friday, 6 March 2009
Easy, Cheesy Book Reviews
Our school made the switch to the Destiny online catalog this year, and I am starting to work with classes to teach the students and teachers how to do online book reviews and ratings. It's one of the best features of the new system, and I am finding that it is also one of the easiest and most successful ways to teach some 21st century literacy skills. A one-hour commitment from start to finish, it's doable with a teacher's busy schedule and a very authentic way to have students communicate with each other. 
I loved to see how the kids were so jazzed to get their reviews posted and approved by me. A 3rd grader put it best: "It was great to not have to work two or three days to finish something, but instead I got to finish it quickly and see it on the computer."
A little instant gratification does us all good every now and then.
Next stop, 4th and 5th grade classes. Ultimate goal: kids finishing a great book, grabbing a laptop and writing reviews. And I'm promising myself I won't get obsessive about correct spelling.
Friday, 13 February 2009
The 21st Century Poster Child
While searching for an image of a book cover today online, I stumbled upon this--an incredibly cool 21st Century Learner poster! The creation of author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds (same guy who does the amazing children's books Ish and The Dot) and actor Eric Close, they came up with it at the National Educational Computering Conference in San Antonio while leading a session on the characteristics of a 21st century learner. The tiny print says it can be used for educational purposes, so I'm already planning where to hang them around the school and in classrooms where I know kids will love it.
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Musings
It's been a while...
When I reflect on why it's been a while since I've posted, I know the reason. It's because I feel that what I am learning is still so basic. Maybe it's because I spend too much time with my groovy colleagues, Jeff and Kim, who are somewhat famous in the blogosphere. I tend to start thinking that everyone already knows what I've just discovered.
But I'm wrong. Today, as I sit in a room full of librarians all working in international schools in the Asian region, I see that so many librarians are just now dipping their toes into technology. There are some, of course, who are charging ahead, but many are still just getting started.
And this is why I started this blog in the first place. To share with those who are just starting out, to make it less scary for those who know they have to get on the tech train now.
So, I'm back on track, writing for the audience much like the woman working in Myanmar whom I met at this conference today. In the lunch line, she asked me, "Do you know of any websites where I can learn some activities to do with elementary kids?"
Why, yes I do. Here's the perfect introduction to any conversation with students regarding online safety. It's called "Think Before You Post," and it's incredibly powerful about how permanent things are that we post on the web.
When I reflect on why it's been a while since I've posted, I know the reason. It's because I feel that what I am learning is still so basic. Maybe it's because I spend too much time with my groovy colleagues, Jeff and Kim, who are somewhat famous in the blogosphere. I tend to start thinking that everyone already knows what I've just discovered.
But I'm wrong. Today, as I sit in a room full of librarians all working in international schools in the Asian region, I see that so many librarians are just now dipping their toes into technology. There are some, of course, who are charging ahead, but many are still just getting started.
And this is why I started this blog in the first place. To share with those who are just starting out, to make it less scary for those who know they have to get on the tech train now.
So, I'm back on track, writing for the audience much like the woman working in Myanmar whom I met at this conference today. In the lunch line, she asked me, "Do you know of any websites where I can learn some activities to do with elementary kids?"
Why, yes I do. Here's the perfect introduction to any conversation with students regarding online safety. It's called "Think Before You Post," and it's incredibly powerful about how permanent things are that we post on the web.
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Voicethread and Kinders
Voicethread is still one of my favorite tech tools to use due to its simple format and its appeal as an easy, fun way to record kids' voices.
Inspired by Mrs. Gamache's kindergarten class, I met with one of our kindergarten teachers here at ISB and suggested we do something along the same lines of taking a familiar nursery rhyme and changing the words. She loved the idea, and so did the kids.
Here is the kindergarteners' final project. Quick, easy and great fluency practice. Embedding something like this into a class blog would be a fabulous way to share with parents.
Inspired by Mrs. Gamache's kindergarten class, I met with one of our kindergarten teachers here at ISB and suggested we do something along the same lines of taking a familiar nursery rhyme and changing the words. She loved the idea, and so did the kids.
Here is the kindergarteners' final project. Quick, easy and great fluency practice. Embedding something like this into a class blog would be a fabulous way to share with parents.
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
Making Ordering Even More Fun
I was recently told of a site called Lookybook, and it has quickly become my new favorite place to hang out and check out books. Lookybook has a huge selection of children's books you can read online, cover to cover, with full illustrations, pretty close to having the book in your hand.
At first I thought it was just a great resource for teachers, but I soon discovered a fabulous benefit for me:it gives me a chance to leaf through the book and decide if it's something the library collection will love. Pouring over illustrations, looking for the rhythm of language that appeals to kids, and having a gander at recently published books has allowed me to discover some gems that I've added to the order, like this Canadian book I know many students and teachers will enjoy. The only negative is that I have to wait until August to have the books in my hands.
At first I thought it was just a great resource for teachers, but I soon discovered a fabulous benefit for me:it gives me a chance to leaf through the book and decide if it's something the library collection will love. Pouring over illustrations, looking for the rhythm of language that appeals to kids, and having a gander at recently published books has allowed me to discover some gems that I've added to the order, like this Canadian book I know many students and teachers will enjoy. The only negative is that I have to wait until August to have the books in my hands.
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