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, butthe 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.
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
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.
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 honor of Black History Month, we spent some time painting portraits of Martin Luther King, Jr. The students don't get to paint very much because we do not have art at the elementary level in our district, so this was a special treat. While they painted, we listened to songs and audio recordings:
Shed a Little Light - James Taylor Live 1993
We Shall Overcome - Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr.
We Shall Overcome - Speech by Martin Luther King, Jr,
I Have a Dream - Speech by Martin Luther King, Jr.
This point that I like to stress to my kids during Black History Month, is that Martin Luther King would be so happy to walk in our school and see that his dream did come true!
The portraits will be hung in the hall where we have our Black History Month display.
I have been using the Easi-Speak USB Recorder to work on fluency and prosody in my classroom and I love the instant feedback it provides. Another great tool from from Learning Resources is the HearAll Assessment Recorder. This handy little device works great with groups and allows me to go back and listen to the recordings and plan what I will work on the next time I meet with the group. I also like that it can hold up to 4 hours of recordings! Some other features of this product include:
There are many different uses for individual or small group activities
You can download the recordings to a computer
You can listen to and analyze the recordings after class for a more thorough assessment
You can share the files with parents and interventionalists
You can save several recordings over time to review or compare later
