During a recent Twitter chat, I learned about a new augmented reality app called Chromville. A group of very creative people in Spain have come up with an imaginary world that you can bring to life using this FREE iOS and Android app! My students enjoyed visiting the website,Chromville.com, to print the coloring sheets and read about the history of the villages. They selected their favorite character to color and experience in 3D. We are now diligently working on stories to go with our characters. This has been a perfect opportunity to work on the writing process by brainstorming ideas and getting creative!
The app brings the coloring sheet to life. The animated characters and scenery are inspiring!
The characters and scenery become animated right on the students' desks!
As an added bonus, the students were able to Skype with the Chromville creators all the way from Spain! We were able to ask questions and learn more about the magical world and how it was created! We learned that artists and programmers must work together to create the 3D animation, come up with the stories, and make the app. Some of the students also shared their ideas for the stories they are working on.
We were also treated to a demonstration of another one of their projects: Imascono - Augmented Reality Apparel. The t-shirt image triggers different heads. This one is a power ranger, but we also saw a chameleon and a gorilla!
This good-looking group of geniuses are the creative energy behind Chromville. I can't wait to see what else they have in store for us!
Last week during my Classroom 2.0 LIVE presentation I unveiled my goals for 2013-14: On-going relationships with other classrooms Learning is more interactive and collaborative in nature Project-based learning Inquiry-based learning Creation - Finding our passion This year, we will be using Twitter daily will help meet these goals. Over the summer I attended several presentations about Twitter in the classroom. The most memorable was Matt Gomez's session at TCEA Tots and Tech in June. He explained how he used Twitter with his kindergartners to connect and learn. I have been using Twitter as @frugalteacher and @mrsmorgansclass for a few years, so it seemed natural to have a class Twitter account. I spent the summer carefully thinking about how I would implement and manage Twitter in the classroom because I want it to fit seamlessly into our daily routine and I want to make sure I am covering our state's standards. In past years, we would start our day with "morning work" that consisted of 2 things:
A daily worksheet with sentences that require the students to correct spelling and grammar errors
A map packet with daily questions relating to the map of the week
The students work on these independently and then we go over them together. This takes up a lot of time and I am not sure it accomplishes very much in the way of learning or engagement. Using Twitter allows students to not only work on these skills, but it also is an engaging, interactive way to hit our goals AND the required standards.
Before school started I set up our class Twitter @SycSuperstars and followed a few classrooms. Many of my connections are setting up separate Twitter accounts for their classrooms, so I picked a few to follow.
On the first day of school I introduced our classroom Twitter account to my students during morning meeting. I explained what a "tweet" is and how we only have 140 characters to say what we want to say. We looked at the classrooms we are following and read a few of their tweets and then introduced ourselves to two classrooms. The next day read our replies and then responded. Most of our tweets have consisted of introductions and questions. For example, we learned that in Ohio they call their cafeteria the dining hall, but they eat the same kinds of food we eat.
For the first few days, the students dictated the response and I typed them. They carefully watch the character count and let me know when we are running out. They help revise and edit the tweet so it fits in the 140 character limit.
During the week, an education reporter for our local newspaper followed us and tweeted about how we are using Twitter. My students responded to her by asking questions about her job as a reporter. I used this opportunity to have the students do the typing themselves. Each sentence was typed by a different student. We composed the tweet together.
So far we have connected with two classrooms in Texas and one in Ohio. Enter map skills...We have large US and World maps that we will use to locate our connections and mark with a pin. Tracking real places with real people will bring our maps to life, making them an interactive, ever-changing artifact of our learning. We will also make these connections even more authentic by doing video conferencing sessions using Skype or Google Hangouts.
I am extremely encouraged by the possibilities Twitter has to offer and can't wait to see where it will take us!
I was the Featured Teacher on today's Classroom 2.0 Live presentation today! If you have never participated in one of these Saturday presentations, it is well worth the the time. I have learned so much about web 2.0 tools, best practices, classroom management, and more from these live webinars. Today I talked about making the most of what you have. Instead of lamenting or complaining about what you DON'T have in your classroom, use what you DO have to its fullest potential! In my presentation, I share how I made the decision to do more with technology in my classroom, goal setting, and examples of projects and tools that I have used to transform my classroom in to a global classroom.
My school has had the pleasure of hosting three author visits this year. One was an all day in-person presentation by Susan Stevens Crummel and Janet Stevens. The other two were 30 minute sessions via Skype or Google Hangouts. Bringing authors to school, in-person and virtually, has many benefits to both students and teachers:
We are able to see that authors are real people.
We become personally connected to the author and their publications.
We gain an appreciation for the hard work and effort required to be a writer.
We are inspired and motivated to be better writers.
In-Person Author Visits
In-person author visits can be very expensive, but worth every penny. Generally, they will charge a flat fee for the day plus traveling expenses. A way to cut costs is to find local authors who do not need to travel very far. Another way to help fund the visits is to apply for grants. Our author visit was funded by Target Grants for Arts, Culture, and Design. The $2,000 grant did not completely cover the cost of having both authors visit, but my principal was more than happy to pay the difference.
Author visits create a personal connection
The artwork created during the visit will be a permanent reminder to our school of the special day.
Student participation inspires and motivates.
Virtual Author Visits
A less costly way to bring authors to your school is through video conferencing. A lot of authors will do a 20-30 session free of charge or for a nominal fee. Author Kate Messner has created a fantastic list of Authors Who Skype with Classes. Other resources include The Skype Author Network and Skype in the Classroom.
Because I am so active on Twitter, both of our virtual author visits were a result of Twitter Chats. Erin Dealey popped in on #2ndchat one Wednesday night looking for classrooms to work with on World Read Aloud Day. On another Wednesday night, Dave Roman was a guest on #sharpschu book chat. I simply asked him if he would mind kicking off our 4th grade writing camp, and he said YES!
Skype and Google Hangouts are popular tools to use for video conferencing. Google Hangouts allows screen sharing so the author can show images during the presentation. Premium Skype also has a screen sharing option.
Erin Dealey shares her writing process with 2nd graders
Of course, the 2nd graders loved that she wrote a book called Potty Time!
Students are able to ask questions and talk with the author.
Dave Roman was a hit with the 4th graders. His work on Nickelodeon Magazine, and the Last Airbender and X-Men: Misfits graphic novels got lots of "oohs" and "ahhs".
A Successful Author Visit
In order to get the most out of an author visit, it is a good idea to prepare your students ahead of time by familiarizing them with the work of the author. Before Susan Stevens Crummel and Janet Stevens came, we did a library display of their books and encouraged the students to check them out. The teachers also used the books for classroom read alouds. Our library does not have books by Erin Dealey or Dave Roman, so we got classroom copies ahead of time to read to the students.
If an author comes in person, they are able to sign books that the students purchase in advance. For virtual visits, we did pre-orders of the books and gave the students a signed bookmark to go with it. Selling books is a nice way to thank the author - especially if they have presented free of charge. Most authors have information on their websites about book orders.
Author visits are the perfect supplement to your reading program. The possibilities are endless!
Photo Credits:
Penny Haight, Ginny Limer, Louise Morgan
In second grade, we learn about maps by using worksheets with maps of neighborhoods, states, and countries. We also learn to use a map key and compass rose. This year, I am taking this a step further by doing Mystery Skype sessions with classrooms around the world. During a Mystery Skype, students will ask questions and try to figure out the location of the mystery skyper. Mystery Skype requires students to use their map skills to quickly locate areas on the map. We use an atlas and start on the page with whole world. Once we have pinpointed the continent, we turn to the page where that map is located. Some classrooms, who have access to iPads or laptops, can find the location using Google Maps. After we find the mystery location, I put the school address in Google Maps and we zoom in and take a look at the street view of the location. This helps the students generate questions about the other school and extends the conversation. To find classes to connect with, just use the #mysteryskype hashtag on Twitter and you will find many educators who are looking for classrooms to connect with. You can also join in on the Global Classroom Mystery Skype Project. Educators around the world are seeing the value of this simple but powerful learning activity! Here is a typical Mystery Skype session:
Clue: We are north of Texas
Q: are you in Oklahoma?
A: no
Q: Are you in Kansas?
A: no
Q: Are you in S. Dakota?
A: no
Q: Are you in the United States?
A: no. Great question!
Q: Are you in Canada?
A: YES!
Clue: We are East of Alberta
Q: Are you in Saskatchewan?
A: No, we are further east.
Q: Are you in Quebec?
A: No, we are west of Quebec.
Q: Are you near Hudson Bay?
A: Our province touches Hudson Bay
Q: Are you in Ontario?
A: YES!!!!
Class Response: WooHoo!
If you have further questions, please leave comment!
My class is participating in the Global Read Aloud 2012. This is a month-long, worldwide project created by a teacher named Pernille Ripp. The purpose of this project is for classes to read the same book and then share their thoughts, ideas, and projects via blogging, Skype, Edmodo, Voicethread and other web 2.0 tools. My class is part of a K-2 group. We are using blogging, Edmodo, and Skype to discuss and share our thoughts about the book. We will start reading the book on October 1st and follow a set schedule so everyone will be literally "on the same page". We have selectedThe One and Only Ivan for our read aloud, but there is another group doing Charlotte's Web. Before we start our reading the students will make predictions. On Friday, I showed the book cover and the students wrote in their journals what they thought the book will be about. They will post their prediction on their blogs on Monday. As the week progresses, I will create an assignment on Edmodo that they will respond to. I can also create quizzes and polls on Edmodo so I can monitor their comprehension and engagement in the book. We will also Skype with other classrooms and discuss the book.
It's not too late to join in. Check out the Global Read Aloud Wiki and find a class to connect with!
1. The Daily 5 and the Cafe books by Gaill Boushey and Joan Moser have changed the way I teach!
2. Skype in the Classroom! Connecting my students with scientists and classrooms around the world has opened a world of learning opportunities!
3. Twitter Chats! I love participating in #D5Chat, #teachchat, #elemchat, and #globalclassroom chats. I have learned SO much chatting with educators around the world!
4. Zumba! This is a fairly new love, but it's one that I hope will last a long time. A teacher at our school leads a Zumba class several times a week. It's so much fun and feels really good!
Today my class Skyped with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, an American astrophysicist and science communicator. He is currently the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and a research associate in the department of astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History.
To prepare for our Skype session, we watched the Pluto Files, a documentary on how Pluto was demoted from a planet to a dwarf planet. We discussed what we learned and came up with a series of questions for Dr. Tyson. Some of the questions were about Pluto, but there were other inquiries about other planets and stars, how he got interested in science and space, his marital status, and if he could get Bill Nye the Science Guy to Skype with us.
Although the solar system is not part of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for 2nd graders, I used this as a cross-curricular activity that involved inquiry, questioning, reasoning, communication skills, and social skills. Skyping has changed the way I teach and I love that I have been able to take my students on a virtual field trip around the world this year.
A big thank you to Dr. Tyson for taking the time to answer all of our questions. We hope you liked our "Elvis" thank you!
We got to skype with Mr. S of Living Maths in S. Africa again! This time we played Battleship. We hid ships on a grid and had to try and sink each other's ships. We sunk one of Mr. S's ships, but he was able to pull ahead and defeat us. We WILL have a rematch- double or nothing!
During the game, Mr. S decided to entertain us with some funny faces!
