Generating and Testing Hypotheses - Chpt. 11

It's interesting that, as the concepts get more complex, the book tends to focus on detailed explanations of illustrative projects. I can see our students trying far less complex versions of some of these. I like the idea of the spreadsheet investment illustration. However, since we are dealing with little kids, it would be interesting to use smaller numbers that they could relate to more easily. For instance, a student in our school won a $500 prize from the City of Freeport. The teacher could actually use his example, which classmates are aware of, to make the example truly real world. Unfortunately, I think he's already spent most of the money, but that could make the lesson even more meaningful (in a painful way). While the lesson here is worth learning, and technology increases the ease of testing the hypothesis, relevancy is a key component for communicating complex ideas to young students.

In reviewing the web resources, I found most to be heavy in text. This is a stumbling block for early elementary. I recall a Tom Snyder ecology software "game" from long ago and the difficulty my 5th graders had just doing the pre-reading before beginning the fun technology part of the study. Of course, web resources are so numerous that, hopefully, lessons can be constructed in such a way that teachers can lead the students through the more difficult parts, so they can see that there is enlightenment at the end of the tunnel. I've tried to find the reference, but think there was an exercise mentioned in which students predict what would happen if one segment of a food chain was eliminated. This would be an unverifiable hypothesis, but, with some research, could be fascinating. For instance, we have two things considered pests in our area: mosquitoes and bats. We know that bats eat huge amounts of mosquitoes, so what would happen if we were able to eliminate this insect? Or, perhaps worse, what if we completely displaced bats from our area? Of course, neither of these questions might be considered to be of great import, but the kids can definitely relate to both. Our school dealt with a bat infestation last year, and we practically have to bathe in repellent just to walk across campus. The kids would have a great time hypothesizing and looking further for supporting evidence of their opinions. The information, no doubt, would be found in a web resource.

Homework and Practice - Chpt. 10

I hate to always take the word processing tool as one of my choices, but I do feel this is significant in terms of availability and ease of use. As our young writers begin to use word processing, we will need to reduce the level of distraction while still providing resources to aid them in writing. The Research feature fills this need. Rather than having to go to the web for a thesaurus, or to EBSCO or another source for some encyclopedic background, this feature allows the student to stay "within" the document and remain focused on the task at hand. This is helpful for the teacher, since monitoring class computer activity can be difficult, especially when trying to assist students. I also appreciated the example of checking the grade-level rating which led to improving word choice. This is the type of self-monitoring that can rarely be achieved with a red-penned WC next to a circled word. Coupled with the Summary feature, this could/should improve writing overall, if we can get the word processing skills to a level that makes this approach to writing possible.

Our web resources have been highly concentrated on practice. Some are accessible from home, so the kids can continue to practice. I have watched kids doing FastMath and wonder at its value. The strong kids appear to be breezing through, while the weaker students work and rework the same lessons. Many seem to think that speed is the key rather than accuracy. I do like the idea of Flashcard Exchange, having created many of these on my own. I also think sites (IKnowthat) with labeling games for geography can make a task that appears impossible a fun exercise. Based on Nancy's comments earlier, I would assume that Mousercise would be a valuable site visit, too. Perhaps early on, teachers could make this a standard exercise, then revisit it each year as a refresher. Actually, almost all of the free sites can be directly applied, whether projected for the class or individually visited. Perhaps one of the best ways to accommodate kids without home access to the web, would be to assign a visit to these sites, but then use them in class, too. I can certainly see the classroom application for Hurricane Strike!, Kitchen Chemistry and Lever Tutorial, all being projected and used for instruction with student input and manipulation of the computer input.

Identifying Similarities and Differences - Chpt. 9

While this chapter is not short, it did go into much more detail on specific projects and, as a result, didn't actually offer as much in the way of variety. Of course, there were lower elementary applications that can be useful. My favorite, in the word processing category, was the Analogy of the Day Puzzle. If I could sell this idea to my K and 1st teachers, and demonstrate the creation process with relative ease, I think they would use it. Perhaps more appealing is the continuing accessibility of the materials via technology - no cutting out, no laminating, no shortage of cabinet space or staple holes. Also, the teachers could use an occassional grade level meeting to create enough analogies to last the entire year (or at least 9 weeks). The use of graphics with the pre-readers would connect the vocabulary and pave the way for a progressing sophistication of the instruction. Once the students reach the level of the Geography Classification Table, perhaps the teacher could offer extra points for students able to create an analogy involving differing landforms. Not the simple mountain:highland as river:waterway, but foothill:mountain as tributary:river. This type of relational sophistication leads to, and is, higher thinking.

I have to admit, when I taught 5th grade, we spent a great deal of time calculating our weights on various planets. The kids thought it was hilarious and great fun, even doing the math. The idea of using the spreadsheet formulas to do the math...well. Of course, today, teaching the kids how to execute the spreadsheet formulas and apply it directly to something personal is a great idea. Not to mention that, in the text, the intention was to focus more on the why of differing weight. I'm not a spreadsheet person, but I feel that if the teachers are shown specific applications, with a how-to, they will slowly begin to use this remarkable, available tool.

With regard to the -spiration organizing software, I was especially interested in the comparison template. Since we don't have this software, I can again see the K-1 teachers starting this with perhaps a 4 column table in Word. The first column could be the graphics bank, with the other three being land animals, water animals and both. The students could take turns dragging the graphics to the correct column. This approach could be used for several of the comparison/classification examples given in the chapter.

Finally, with regard to data collection, the use of doc cameras is again a valuable tool. Being able to project the body of a real insect and look closely at the parts, and comparing it to others for similarities works well. I can imagine moving to an arachnid without warning and allowing the students to discover the differences, perhaps demanding that this bug be classed differently than the others. Aha!

Reinforcing Effort - Chpt. 8

This is one of the shortest chapters, with the fewest resources, yet its importance is tremendous. I wonder, if I had been educated with an effort spreadsheet (although for me it would actually have been a large sheet hung on the wall, since I was pre-technology), if the all-night cram sessions for exams and marathon term paper writing would have taken place in my college years. The idea of an honestly completed rubric, in many cases, seems idealistic for kids that have already developed a non-effort philosophy and don't seem to care about grade performance. However, if we could begin with a simple smile, flat expression and frown rubric for the little guys - Kinder and even 1st grade - that could be filled out in a non-threatening manner, I think the developmental impact could be significant. If the little kids can begin early to associate the happy face with effort, that goes on to match the happy face of grade/success level, then, perhaps the whole "effort is hard = frowny face" can be avoided. Of course, this simplified version wouldn't require the use of Excel, just a good old word processing application, but for lower elementary, the less sophisticated effort could still yield a smiley.

Even before I read the data collection piece, I was thinking again of the on-line survey tool. For the older elementary kids, I think this would be more effective than the spreadsheet. Admittedly, the spreadsheet could translate straight into a graph for illustration purposes, but I think the kids might be more honest about their effort with a survey. The responses could still be anonymous, but if the survey was taken after the evaluation, the final question could ask the grade result. A post-survey like this could be used to make the point, and later change to a pre-evaluation survey in which the student is asked to anticipate the resulting grade. This subtle change demands that the student assume responsibility for the grade. By predicting the result of the effort, deflecting the blame becomes more difficult. Some might argue that this could all be done without the use of technology and perhaps it could. But the flexibility of the technology applications makes their use the logical choice for today's classroom.

Cooperative Learning - Chpt. 7

As I was reading this chapter, several segments of the book began to cooperate in my mind. It occurred to me that the use of the online surveys could enhance the use of cooperative learning by providing the group members an opportunity to evaluate the experience. This could include not only the learning process, but the composition of the group itself. Often students are reluctant to criticize the participation level of others, and this could offer a means of doing so that could inform the teacher without hurting any feelings. And, this could help to identify not only slackers, but those that overpower the rest of the group. Again, to inform the teacher, after using various forms of cooperative learning, the class could be surveyed as to which method they enjoyed most. The teacher could compare this data with the evidenced learning to determine the true value.

I like the idea of starting small with multimedia. I can imagine having teams of two, equipped with Flip or still cameras, searching out examples of geometric figures found in the school. The assignment, on a lower elementary level, could entail finding the example, preparing a brief description of the figure, and reading the description as the real world example is captured on disk/film. If we can start with something simple to get the kids used to successfully accomplishing a multimedia project, their interest and enthusiasm will grow, along with their abilities to manipulate technology.

I also like the idea of a class-size project, again starting simply. By using one of the classroom connection websites, it would be interesting to have a class here contact a class in California regarding something as practical as emergency drills. If they created lists to compare, the two lists could easily become a Venn diagram. The California classroom would undoubtedly have some earthquake proceedures not shared by Texas students, while we could tell of what to do in the event of a chemical release. This type of exchange could springboard into a study of air pollution, seismic activity, natural disaster versus man-made. Involving kids from across the country would engage the kids in a new way.

Shared bookmarking would also be a timely form of cooperative learning. Students could be given a topic to explore on the web. The premise, originally, could be simply to find the best sites. The teacher could establish a rubric for the students to use in their evaluation of the sites including such aspects as graphics, readability (key for the younger guys), and overall friendliness toward elementary users. When the kids each bring in their top 5 choices, the teacher could assign groups to further narrow the selection to the top 5 for the group. Each group could present their top 5, until a final "top" number is determined. At that point, the kids, or the teacher, could post the links on del.icio.us, or another site, and the students could be assigned a project to complete using the selected sites. The students would have tremendous buy-in because of their involvement in selecting the sites. Hopefully, during the process, much of the research on the assigned topic would already be in their heads!

Summarizing and Note Taking - Chpt. 6

Because we are an elementary school, I think the use of the Track Changes tool in Word would be most useful. As the students progress into 3rd and 4th grades, the need to develop note-taking and summarization skills becomes extremely important. The word processing exercise of eliminating extra info and finding key elements is exactly what the kids need to experience. I can really see this as a "starter" activity, similar to DOL. The ease with which students can edit passages is an excellent feature. It would be interesting for them to have two windows open - one to change themselves, and one for them to use AutoSummarize, to see if they are on the right track. I truly think this would make a laborious task (to the kids) more fun. This skill, as practiced in Track Changes, will translate into enhanced note-taking skills.

I also think the idea of using the AutoSummarize to help students analyze their own writing is interesting. Unfortunately, my experience with students is that their word processing skills are so lacking, it would take too long for the paragraphs to be entered into the computer to make the exercise worthwhile. Until all students can have extensive hands-on access to computers throughout the day, it will be difficult to raise the level of technology expectations for them.

Blogs would make another powerful tool. I like the concept of reciprocal teaching and, like the word processing tools, the use of a blog as the vehicle can make what might traditionally be viewed as drudgery, a bit of fun. One approach might be to have groups/teams take one chapter each from a novel. As a group they would summarize the chapter, clarify vocabulary meaning, accept questions from the rest of the class and offer as well as solicit predictions as to what happens next. The next group/chapter might even comment on the predictions as they begin their analysis. Progressing through the book, groups would rotate, perhaps the class would take time off for a few chapters, then return. For the final chapters, all groups might present their own analyses, with everyone commenting on the others, comparing and discussing. Using this for a novel study would take the pressure off the need for access, since chapters can be covered over several days, allowing groups to read, collaborate, post, and still having time for the class to review and respond.

Nonlinguistic Representation - Chpt. 5

The first tool that caught my attention was the digital microscope. Before getting to our Resources section, I'd already made the leap to our doc cameras. The teachers that have had access to these are crazy about them. Unfortunately, we only have 7 on campus, so access is limited. More than access, though, is the lack of training. I know there are many aspects of the doc cameras that are not being used simply because the teachers don't know they exist. However, the basics of being able to project a science experiment, math manipulative, or even the page of a picture book has resulted in a higher level of attention and excitement on the part of the students. Use of the doc camera also requires a projector, which escalates the cost. However, as we begin to face TV replacement, it may be time to consider abandoning TVs for the flexibility of projected presentation systems. The need for TV access is diminishing as the web provides access to more and more of the same time-sensitive resources. Since our internal broadcast capability crashed, we have no essential need for TV, except for video, DVD and computer projection, which are all possible via the projection setup.

I am also excited about the student animation involvement. I can envision our Kinder kids producing the claymation video using Movie Maker or Storyteller (?). While the book referred to a rain forest project, I can see this easily applied to the Communities Unit that is common in Kinder. Our Kinder teachers are energetic and, if they could produce an example of this work by the kids, it would have a twofold effect. First, it would show higher grade levels that their age groups are capable. Second, it would establish an expectation on the part of the students for this type of activity to be executed and expanded as they continue in school. Assuming the results would be published, either on the school website, the teacher web pages, or simply shown in an open house environment, parents, too, would expect to see more in the future.

A fairly new development in terms of this book is the use of the Flip video cameras. I have the basic Flip, which is inexpensive and very easy to use. I have also used the HD Flip, slightly more expensive, but better quality. This camera (and others like it) will make it economically feasible for schools with small budgets to make video available for kids to play and learn. I'm looking forward to using it next year as an alternative to our broadcast.

Cues, Questions and Advance Organizers

It seems that I always begin these by selecting the word processing application. While I know this is redundant, it also is the one dependable constant with regard to what the kids can access (and what teachers can handle!). I can see using something pretty simple with our lower grades. Even a two column table with graphics in one, and the second column labeled bridges (to use the text topic). If shown on a projected screen, kids could take turns dragging pictures of bridges into the Bridge column. By using several pages, with as many graphics as possible, the kids could all have a turn while also forming an understanding that bridges have many different looks. I could see something similar for slightly older students, with the object being to drag the picture under the correct type of bridge.

I have to admit that I never really considered video clips to be multimedia graphic advance organizers. I have tried to improve our DVD collection to include as much curriculum-related material as possible. The fact that most of the collection is classed as K-4 has always concerned me, but I now see that the use and reuse of these DVDs over the grade levels acts in just that way. For K, it is an introduction to information that they may not understand at all. For each year there after, the videos act as prior knowledge reminders, as well as setting the stage for a further extension of study. I think this is an interesting concept. Although simple, I feel that most teachers regard the use of videos and video clips as supplemental to the study in progress, rather than an organizational component. I can see how the use of clips, or perhaps a video in its entirety at the beginning of a study can set the stage, with clips being used as reinforcement as the study progresses. For some students, seeing and understanding a clip from what they saw earlier and failed to comprehend, could build confidence and self-esteem, as they recognize their own growth.

Providing Recognition - Chpt. 3

The simplest method I've found for providing recognition is the computer generated certificate. I've used Word, Publisher and Print Shop and others. The neatest aspect of the certificate is the ease with which it can be personalized. And personalization doesn't stop with the student name. We recognized whole classes for their "good library conduct" by making each student a bookmark with their picture on it. We used the first class visit as a time to take pictures of all the kids for this purpose. Of course, there are specific certificate "awards" that I give. For instance, when students read a certain number of Cinderella tales (we have over 40), they receive either a Cinderella or CinderFella Certificate. We even use overhead acetate to print the certificates to represent the glass slipper. For most certificates, we also print and present as they are earned, rather than waiting until a formal awards ceremony at mid- or end-of-year. By using technology, we don't have to wait to order printed certificates that have to be filled out by hand.

I plan to make another form of recognition available online that involves a tech tool called Animoto. We may get to this later, but I have used it as a recognition tool in the past and plan to continue. Animoto is an online slide show service that takes your uploaded photos and turns them into a fun slide presentation with musical accompaniment. They have a free educator membership that allows you to avoid fees for presentations longer than the free 30 second format. Although I did not post this on our school site, I plan to do so next year. The link provided shows students who completed an author challenge, reading 4 books by the same author in a grade period, scoring 80 or better on the AR quizz, plus earning a passing percentage of goal and overall passing average on AR. Of course, the point of the show was as much to encourage other students as it was to recognize the accomplishment. The kids loved it.

Providing Feedback

There are so many interesting aspects to this chapter, it's hard to narrow my response to 2 things. We have a couple class sets of the classroom response systems at Jane Long, and the teachers that use them, love them. Knowledge of this tool is mostly hearsay outside the 4th grade however, as that grade level either purchased them or made the request. Regardless, this feedback tool is remarkably easy to use. The kids get a game show feel and enjoy using the system. What I didn't realize was the ability to create reports concerning the responses. This takes the use of the tool to a higher level.

For my use, in the library, I thought the blog was a great tool. My first thought (not original, I know) was to create a blog about the Bluebonnet Award nominees for the school year. I could post a basic synposis of each book, give the kids an evaluation rubric, and invite them to respond to the books as they read them. This blog would serve multiple purposes. First, the kids could voice their opinions about the books. Kids who have not read the books could consider the feedback in selecting those they want to read. The LA teachers could use the postings to evaluate writing. I, or the reading teacher, could use the postings as live classroom dicussion springboards.

The other tool that caught my attention was the idea of instant messaging. Personal appearances by children's authors earns them more money than the sale of their books, and, for the most part, we can't afford hosting them. However, if I could manage a 20 minute exchange with an author, responding to questions posed by the students, I think the kids would be quite excited. They would be the ones experiencing feedback to their questions from someone they would consider a celebrity. I could coordinate this with the reading and writing teachers in 3rd and 4th, and the questions from the kids might pertain more closely to their current curricular emphasis. The cool thing about this idea is that it could work with virtually every grade level, and could be coordinated with multiple authors. For the little ones, although they might come up with questions, reading a response on the screen might not be very meaningful. However, for the same amount of effort, it might be possible to schedule a phone call with the author on speaker phone for all to hear.

Hearkening back to the previous chapter, I could use one of the survey tools to determine the authors that the kids are most interested in. Naturally, they wouldn't all be available, but with a bit of preliminary work, perhaps the list could be composed of those most likely to cooperate with the project.

Chapter 2 which is Chapter 1

I can see some fun possibilities with the Objectives. I suppose the simplest tool would simply be the Word chart for KWHL. I can see using this with the lower grades especially. It could be used by individual students or, if the kids are pre-writing, it could be teacher led, student fed.

For my 3rd and 4th grade students, in particular, I would love to use the SurveyMonkey. I can see providing an array of general research topics to select from, narrowing the focus with additional selections, including options on how to conduct the research. I think the kids would buy in with this ability to have input on what's going to happen.

I can also see using this as an end-of-year survey tool regarding the library. Something as simple as which book I read was a favorite could be very interesting and help me with planning. Naturally, after doing a project or two, surveying the kids about what they enjoyed, whether they felt the project was worthwhile, what worked/didn't work, would they like to learn more - pretty cool.

21st Century Learners

I've seen this video many times. It's scary in a way, because I feel so many of us are comfortable in the traditional delivery methods of teaching.
Practically, I also wonder... I don't think that many of our kids have as much access to technology as those in the video, so I'm not convinced that this pointed demand is being made on our campus. However, the role of an educator does demand that we be equipped to deliver an end product that can succeed in the real world. As a result, with the digital era comes the requirement for us to answer with appropriate teaching abilities. Hopefully, we will have the tech tools available for all students to take advantage of digital education strategies.