Twitter Chats Made Easy with Twubs

There are so many education-themed Twitter chats but many new Twitter users do not know how to participate. When I began using Twitter over two years ago, I learned about Twitter chats by following hashtags. Hashtags are labels that help categorize tweets. For instance, I use #globalclassroom and #2ndchat hashtags quite frequently depending on the content of my tweets.

Twitter chats are designated times for tweeters to come together and chat. There are hundreds of chats that occur daily. @cybraryman1 does a great job of keeping up with the educational chats, but new ones are cropping up daily. 

Once you find a chat you would like join, just jump in. When I first started, I would "lurk" and not say much, but when I finally got the courage to jump in, I would inevitably forget to add the hashtag. Without the hashtag the tweet becomes part of general news feed, but the chat participants won't see it. 

I recently found Twubs, which is a great site for managing twitter chats. Twubs allows you to follow one hashtag at a time and adjust the feed speed from fast to slowest. Using this will keep you from getting overwhelmed with all of the tweets that can come so quickly during a chat. Enabling "chat mode" gives you a nice big screen with just the tweets. You can type your tweet into the box at the top and the hashtag is automatically added! You can also reply to, retweet, and favorite any of the paricipants' tweets. From my personal account, I can add all of the chats I follow and find new chats in the directory.

Chat moderators can also register a hashtag. I love this feature because it allows you to set up a personalized page with photos and links that relate to your chat. I also like that it shows all of the contributors who have tweeted using the hashtag. You can also schedule your chat and it becomes part of the Twubs global calendar and you can embed a live feed widget on to your website or wiki. 

Here is a screen shot of the #2ndchat Twubs page:

Try Twubs.com for your next chat!

#ISTE13 Reflection and a New Goal

Learning from and collaborating with like-minded educators: Karen Lirenman, Melvina Kurashige, and Paula Naugle

I have read some great reflection posts this week as I have been, as Paula Naugle calls it, "decompressing" from #ISTE13. What I have discovered is that so many of the educators who I encountered at ISTE were there for the same reasons: To follow their passion, to connect with like-minded educators, and to learn new things that they can use in their classroom to create learning environments that spark curiosity and imagination.

The overriding theme that I kept encountering was, while all of the technology and tools are important, the relationships we have with our students and finding ways to inspire and engage them are far more important than the technology itself. Many of us are in school districts with limited resources or where we are the "lone wolf'" on campus, but we are still able to connect globally and engage our students in new and innovative ways. Our hope is that our actions will inspire our colleagues to get on board.

For the past two years I have called my classroom a "global classroom" because of the connections we have made through blogging, Edmodo, Skype, and Twitter. My students have global awareness because they have communicated with students around the world.

My goal for this next year is to not only make connections, but to take it to the next level by teaching my students how collaborate and create with other students. I want them to be able to create, solve problems, innovate, and find their passion!

How will I do this? I am comfortable with the tools, now I have to change with way I teach by giving up some control and allowing for some messiness. My students will take the lead and I will challenge them find their passion.

It won't be easy...I like structure. I like calm and quiet. But I also like creativity and that can't always happen in a calm and structured environment. I will have to find time each week for this to happen.

There! I've put it in writing. Now I can't turn back!  In order to meet this goal, I will be actively learning from other educators this summer by staying connected through Twitter and other online professional communities.  

What goals have set for the summer and upcoming school year?

My First Day at #ISTE13

My first day at #ISTE13 was both overwhelming and exhilarating at the same time. So many familiar faces from around the world with whom I have conversed with via Twitter, Skype IM, and other social networks came to life today. It was so fun meeting everyone face to face!

The highlight of the day was the Global Education Conference Summit where breakout groups worked together to plan and discuss global collaboration. The Global Classroom Project was well represented with several participants including: Karen Lirenman, Anne Mirtschin, Melvina Kurashige, and Paula Naugle.

Louise Morgan, Karen Lirenman, Paula Naugle, Melvina Kurashige

Louise Morgan, Karen Lirenman, Anne Mirtschin, Preston Morgan

The plan for the session was to include some virtual participants via Google Hangouts, but the room was so loud - but it was a good loud with so much conversation going on about global collaboration. The discussion was rich and engaging. 

My take away from this session: Now that we all know how to connect and use the tools, how can we take it to the next level and make it more meaningful, ongoing, and part of our everyday classroom activities? The educators in this session are not interested in making one-time Skype connections. The consensus is that they want real, ongoing, and authentic collaboration between classrooms.  

The goal for this session was to brainstorm project ideas for the upcoming 2013-14 school year, but it was so fast and furious that we did not really get to that. If you would like to submit ideas for the Global Classroom Project please fill out this FORM.  You can also learn more about the Global Classroom Project by referring to this GOOGLE DOC that has a lot of great links and a place for you to ask questions or make comments.

I am looking forward to the next three days of learning and sharing. Follow my tweets on Twitter @mrsmorgansclass. You can also folllow the ISTE twitter feed by searching #ISTE13. 

#ISTE13 is Finally Here!

I am very excited to be attending my first ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Conference in San Antonio!  I have followed the Twitter hashtags for the past 3 years and always wished I was there. This year I am attending AND participating in the Global Education Summit at ISTE2013. During the summit I will do a brief pitch for The Global Classroom Project and then lead a group session where participants will brainstorm ideas for projects and activities for the 2013-14 school year. If you would like to join us virtually via Google + Hangout on Sunday June 23rd, please email me and I will send you the details.

Sunday June 23rd, Room 103(convention center), 2-5pm CST
Hangout will around 2:30-3:15

Please add your ideas to our GOOGLE FORM

Be sure and follow all of the action on Twitter: #ISTE13 AND #globaled13

Here is the presentation I will be using:

The Global Classroom Project from Wezie Morgan

TCEA Tots and Technology Conference

image source: http://www.tcea.org/

 

I am so excited to be attending the TCEA (Texas Computer Educators Association) Tots and Technology conference in Galveston Texas.

My husband and I will be co-presenting these sessions:

Skype in the Classroom
Monday June 10 - 10:00
Tuesday June 11 - 1:00

Motivating Students to Write Through Blogging
Tuesday June 11 - 10:00

Creating a Global Classroom
Tuesday June 11 - 11:00

We will also be attending sessions and meeting educators from all over Texas!  I will keep you posted on what we are learning!

VersaTiles Review and Giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS ALLISON! YOU WON!

Giveaway is now closed.

*Winner selected by random drawing at rafflecopter.com

 ETA hand2mind VersaTiles Science Starter Kit

I was first introduced to VersaTiles several years ago when one of our math teachers used them for after school math tutoring. I always thought that they were used only for math, but I recently discovered that they also have resources for science, readiness, and reading/language arts!

VersaTiles takes worksheets to he next level by requiring students to place number tiles on a corresponding letter that matches their answer. When all of the tiles have been placed, the students closes the answer case, flips it, and opens it back up. If the pattern matches the one at the bottom of the worksheet, the students has successfully answered all of the questions correctly. If the pattern does not match, the students can easily find their mistakes and make corrections.

I chose the Science Starter Kit because I have a hard time fitting in extra science activities. All of the workbooks have activities that fit perfectly with our scope and sequence.  My students have done activities relating to weather, the moon, and plants.  They are great for independent work or small groups.

The Science Starter Kit include a Teacher Resource Guide, 2 Science Process Skills,  Earth Science, Physical Science , and Life Science books. It also includes one answer case.

Students can work independently once they learn how to use VersaTiles. 

VersaTiles are engaging and challenging.

Students can self-check their work and make corrections. 

And now for the giveaway...

Win a VersaTiles Science Starter Kit!

Giveaway ends Sunday April 7th

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The Benefits of Author Visits

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:

1. We are able to see that authors are real people. 
2. We become personally connected to the author and their publications.
3. We gain an appreciation for the hard work and effort required to be a writer.
4. 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