"Stand up for what you believe in, even if you are the only one standing." This is a quote I have hanging up in my classroom. We reference it often throughout the year. We talk about putting yourself in front of something you believe in, even if you are alone and different than the rest of the crowd, is how you "champion" a cause or belief. We talk about how that looks at a 10 year old level. How students should respond to bullying, cheating, meanness, and general bad behavior that requires a champion. This is how I teach children to champion for others.
I find that being a champion for others may look different for me. Although it still has to do with standing up against bad behavior, it also has to do with being an encourager and lifting people up. Not only students, but teachers as well. To be a champion means to be there when people need you, be someone to count on.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Monday, April 6, 2015
Microblogs?
Microblogs....like little snippets of information that take only moments to read....
I have to admit I borrowed this amazing idea from +Kelly Stidham who commented in my last post about Twitter. She gave me the quick idea of short little microblogs...LOVE IT!
So here is mine for today.
Presentation by small groups in Math today to demonstrate the learning of integers. They are researching famous places above and below sea level, demonstrating the magnitude (distance away from zero) and the direction (positive or negative) and then the opposite integer of the information they have found. 3 in a group...each find one!
Also they have to find 3 places around the world that have differences in temperature, again demonstrating magnitude, direction and opposite integers.
Super quick and easy and these kids are talking integers!!!!
I have to admit I borrowed this amazing idea from +Kelly Stidham who commented in my last post about Twitter. She gave me the quick idea of short little microblogs...LOVE IT!
So here is mine for today.
Presentation by small groups in Math today to demonstrate the learning of integers. They are researching famous places above and below sea level, demonstrating the magnitude (distance away from zero) and the direction (positive or negative) and then the opposite integer of the information they have found. 3 in a group...each find one!
Also they have to find 3 places around the world that have differences in temperature, again demonstrating magnitude, direction and opposite integers.
Super quick and easy and these kids are talking integers!!!!
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Twitter...not just the "what I had for breakfast" social media
When talking about Twitter to my colleagues, there seem to be different camps. The first camp is the "Not for me" group. This is the group of people who just aren't interested in learning the "new fangled" technology. They believe that this fashion fad of Twitter will die out just like other social medias of the past. They are just fine doing things the way they have always done. They are not abundant, but they are the few, the proud, and the strong.
The second group is the ones that are willing to move forward, but don't really see the need to add another social media site to their repertoire. They think that Twitter is a site used to share what you had for breakfast, and what movie you are seeing. They do not understand the power of Twitter. I will tell you that I was in that camp for a long time. When I first joined Twitter, I will admit I joined to hawk my kids and their friends. I knew that Twitter was amazing for doctors to see the latest surgery and practices instantly, but did not see or realize the impact for education. A little more than a year ago, I realized the power of the PLN (Professional Learning Network).
At that point, I joined the last group. The ones that are already on board. The group of campers of hard core PLN people use twitter everyday. Sometimes several times a day. These are the people that are gung ho, and working hard. This has been like when someone first gets a spouse. They want everyone to have someone and they try hard to set people up. I try to move my colleagues from the second group to this one.
My argument: Here is what Twitter has done for me...
Twitter has connected me to other fifth grade teachers in my district, my region, my state, the nation, and the world. It has enabled me to learn from others that have gone before me with 1:1 iPad classrooms, and those who are using technology in other ways. I have been able to have global curricular projects with classrooms across the pond, and in another hemisphere. It has opened conversations through #edchat of many kinds and helped to grow me as 21st century teacher. I was perusing through Twitter this morning, and this tweet caught my eye...
The top 12 "must reads"
Twitter. It is not the "what I had for breakfast" social media. Try it. You might like it.
The second group is the ones that are willing to move forward, but don't really see the need to add another social media site to their repertoire. They think that Twitter is a site used to share what you had for breakfast, and what movie you are seeing. They do not understand the power of Twitter. I will tell you that I was in that camp for a long time. When I first joined Twitter, I will admit I joined to hawk my kids and their friends. I knew that Twitter was amazing for doctors to see the latest surgery and practices instantly, but did not see or realize the impact for education. A little more than a year ago, I realized the power of the PLN (Professional Learning Network).
At that point, I joined the last group. The ones that are already on board. The group of campers of hard core PLN people use twitter everyday. Sometimes several times a day. These are the people that are gung ho, and working hard. This has been like when someone first gets a spouse. They want everyone to have someone and they try hard to set people up. I try to move my colleagues from the second group to this one.
My argument: Here is what Twitter has done for me...
Twitter has connected me to other fifth grade teachers in my district, my region, my state, the nation, and the world. It has enabled me to learn from others that have gone before me with 1:1 iPad classrooms, and those who are using technology in other ways. I have been able to have global curricular projects with classrooms across the pond, and in another hemisphere. It has opened conversations through #edchat of many kinds and helped to grow me as 21st century teacher. I was perusing through Twitter this morning, and this tweet caught my eye...
The top 12 "must reads"
What Connected Educators Do Differently
Todd Whitaker and Jeffrey Zoul
Cited From: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/12-must-read-books-on-learning-for-2015/#ixzz3W9QpHnUXTwitter. It is not the "what I had for breakfast" social media. Try it. You might like it.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
April Fools Day (For real this time)
Hello folks,
April Fool's Day. The day that elementary teachers and parents everywhere dread. The one day of the year when every teacher has a spider on their shoulder, shoelaces untied, and something spilled on their shirts. Elementary students are just beginning to explore their joke status. They love to pull off the "amazing joke" that makes everyone laugh.
By middle school (fifth grade and up) there is a clear cut "class clown" and students are really trying to nail down their sense of humor. I love how they are trying out one liners during math class and piping in with random thoughts of the day during transitions. Then there is also the one who has the physical comedy routine to provide us with hours of comedic relief. We look forward to any and all comedy given during the day...April Fools!
I have to admit, I am giggly excited to be on spring break this week. But never fear fans, my 19 year old son, filled the shoes of my students, by rigging a small explosive to my bedroom door this morning, to provide the quickest wake up call ever delivered....BANG!
April Fools day. Who created this day? Who is responsible, I ask....Well, here is a bit of history.
According to history.com, this wonderful day of celebrating pranks was started in the US way back in the 1700's, although some historians believe it goes as far back as 1582. (We have had class clowns for a very long time) The day is said to have begun when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. People who were slow to get the news out were outted with a paper fish stuck to their backs.
Ancient festivals in Rome called Hilaria involving costumes and disguises. In Scotland, it is a two day event when gullible hunters were sent out to hunt for the elusive "gowk" or gooney bird. (Which I cannot help but connect to the summer night when my father took my friends and I out snipe hunting)
Which bring us to modern day fools day, when companies such as Burger King, Taco Bell, and the BBC all got in the game. With phony news reports and the release of the "new left handed burger". Right up to April Fools Day 2015. UNL released some great big news on Harvey Perlman's Twitter page:
Here is the info and the link...new major offered at UNL!
Following some advice from @warrenbuffett a while ago, we’re launching a new major at #UNL today: https://vimeo.com/123435835
Well, April Fools Day...a day for everyone to have a little fun. So glad I only had one kid providing jokes, not 25! :)
Thursday, February 5, 2015
The Math Disaster!
Well, as an iPaddie, I am always looking for new ways to teach the curriculum by utilizing the iPads and since I am the most uncomfortable as a student and teacher with Math, it has been the last great frontier for my exploration.
I have slowly dipped my toes in, with some flipped video lessons when I am going to be away at a conference or curricular meeting, so my students still get Math lessons taught by me (for consistency you know!) I have occasionally used the Explain Everything App for an assignment so the students can demonstrate their working knowledge of the topic taught. But nothing dramatic...until this last venture!
We had just finished up Unit 12 in Math, which is a topic concerning area, perimeter, and circumference. So another fifth grade teacher with 1:1 iPads, (shout out to Steph for keeping me on task and sane!, joined me and we created a scavenger hunt of sorts. It was rudimentary in its tasks, but as a first undertaking it seemed like a monumental job. First, we created some posters (12 of them) like below.
I have slowly dipped my toes in, with some flipped video lessons when I am going to be away at a conference or curricular meeting, so my students still get Math lessons taught by me (for consistency you know!) I have occasionally used the Explain Everything App for an assignment so the students can demonstrate their working knowledge of the topic taught. But nothing dramatic...until this last venture!
We had just finished up Unit 12 in Math, which is a topic concerning area, perimeter, and circumference. So another fifth grade teacher with 1:1 iPads, (shout out to Steph for keeping me on task and sane!, joined me and we created a scavenger hunt of sorts. It was rudimentary in its tasks, but as a first undertaking it seemed like a monumental job. First, we created some posters (12 of them) like below.
We hung 12 different posters around the room, some dealing with area of square, rectangle, parallelogram, triangle, and irregular shapes. Some have a perimeter of different shapes (even a star)! And two circumference ones!
My students (and their iPads) paired up with a two other fifth grader students from non-iPad classrooms and the worked the math on paper. Then they came to see me and I would ask for their problem. I would tell them "#5, well, you can find that answer posted near the front doors." The students would walk to the front doors of the school, and somewhere there would be posted a QR code, which my students (of the trio) would use INIGMA app to scan the code. It looks like this...
It was labeled "Area #5" because it was an area problem, and it was the fifth one we created. The perimeter ones were labeled "Perimeter #__". So they knew they had 12 problems to solve. And this labeling helped them keep track of the ones they had completed. When they scanned the code, they would see this...
It was a duplicate of the poster, but the answer was included on the poster. And it was AMAZING!!! The kids were so motivated to work out the problems, and there was discussion after discussion on how to solve, the different formulas, if they made a mistake-how to correct it! It was the greatest moment for me as a teacher to see them thinking for themselves. I could not have been more proud. I was floating on air. It was one of those elusive ethereal moments teachers dream of when they are under the influence of their rose colored glasses in those precious first few years...
then my first group came back from getting #1.
They had a serious concern because the answer on the QR Code told them that the answer was 32cm but 32cm was a perimeter and the question asked about area, SO, they argued, that the real answer should be 64 cm squared.
And thus crashes the airborne teacher back to the ground with a swift kick in the pants! I had figured the wrong answer to #1. And I had to explain that one to the next 22 groups that made their way over to me after being confused, talking it out, and coming to the conclusion that I must be wrong (which I was).
AND THEN, another group approached to discuss the merits (or demerits) of #4. I had again posted the wrong answer embedded in the QR Code. Sheesh! So far my odds were not stellar! 2/12 wrong. Then approach the students about #3! Thats right folks, another mistaken answer printed on the QR code answer key! This was getting ridiculous and turning into a disaster. I became more nervous as the groups rolled in, worried that it wouldn't be long and another mistake would come to light.
Thankfully those were the only 3! However if we were grading this, I would have a 75% and that is a C. Luckily I don't settle or strive for mediocrity, so I went in and made the changes and now it is set for 100% perfect! My fifth grade teaching partner that helped build this scavenger hunt, can use it without worry of crashing! Her students will have a miraculous experience with very little hiccups!
The final lesson the student took away was several great life long lessons...
1. Always proofread!
2. Even my teacher makes more than one mistake a day!
3. It is fun to collaborate with others to prove a point.
4. and lastly...When you finish a product, don't sit back, but continue to push and make improvements. It can always be better. :)
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Agile Classroom 2.0
Well it has been some time since I have written a post, but I have several ideas brewing. Here is the most pressing. I am still in the process of updating my agile classroom. It is constantly changing. I have added a few critical pieces and taken out more of the student desks. I am down to 5 total. They do get used regularly and so I do not see myself getting rid of them altogether, but 5 is a nice number.
The most important thing I needed was a place for each student to call their own. Before they each had a desk that they could keep shoved full of whatever they wanted until it would explode onto the floor, at which point I would have to intervene with some "un-hording" tactics. (You know what I am talking about!) Well, by removing the student desks it created some storage problems.
I brainstormed several ways to fight this problem, baskets for each student on a bookshelf, little plastic drawers that would act as end tables, book boxes, and the list went on and on. I even considered having a rolling cubby built to the tune of $1500! CHA CHING!
Then I remembered my little summer field trip to IKEA in Minneapolis. I did some research, went online, and ordered some ORDER to my students chaos. Here is what the finished product looks like. (this is the only pieces of furniture I have purchased btw...)
The most important thing I needed was a place for each student to call their own. Before they each had a desk that they could keep shoved full of whatever they wanted until it would explode onto the floor, at which point I would have to intervene with some "un-hording" tactics. (You know what I am talking about!) Well, by removing the student desks it created some storage problems.
I brainstormed several ways to fight this problem, baskets for each student on a bookshelf, little plastic drawers that would act as end tables, book boxes, and the list went on and on. I even considered having a rolling cubby built to the tune of $1500! CHA CHING!
Then I remembered my little summer field trip to IKEA in Minneapolis. I did some research, went online, and ordered some ORDER to my students chaos. Here is what the finished product looks like. (this is the only pieces of furniture I have purchased btw...)
The rest of the classroom has evolved a bit too. I want to include those pictures as well. Here is the main idea behind all of it. Try to find pieces of furniture that are singles (for those kids who need their space) and for multiples. And then try and make it blend nicely into some collaboration spaces. Add some good lighting, and some "coffee tables/end tables" and you have a nice little agile classroom that can quickly become whatever you need it to be.
The only other advice I might offer is try and keep it leather, pleather, or vinyl. That way it all wipes off easily. You may or may not be comfortable with the whole agile classroom idea, but I would encourage some soft spaces! I bet they will be the most coveted spaces you have!
 |
| One corner of the room (we call it the window corner) |
 |
| Looking at the front board. You can see the window seating off to the right. |
 |
| My desk area/guided reading tables |
 |
| The couch seating. Student desks are behind both couches. |
 |
| Single seating. Populated at the reading corner, but can be moved anywhere to join any group. |
 |
| Looking at the class from the front board. |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)