Michelle's EdTech Cafe

This is an update for the iMovie 09. There are few changes although fairly minor. This document should show you how to get to most of the major tools.

This lesson was accepted by ISTE for their 2010 conference in Denver, CO. I will present the lesson with two Fox Creek students on Wednesday, June 30th at the 11:00am Student Showcase. Here is the link to the session.

Lesson Abstract:
Students will create a self-directed eLearning project that teaches the viewer about the phases of the moon. Viewers will be able to click on any phase of the moon from the “home” slide to go to a slide that explains more about that particular moon phase.

This lesson uses moon phases as its topic but this same presentation could be adjusted for many different lessons. Some include: biographical timelines, historical event timelines, lifecycles, story webs. Do you have other ideas? Please add them to the comment section below. Any other comments for the lesson are welcome as well.

As resources for the session I have included the following below. The embed tool will allow you to download the documents. I kept them in Word format so that they can be edited:

1. Lesson Plan
2. Rubric
3. Exemplars

Here is the Lesson Plan and Rubric. They are located on tabs within the embed tool:

Below is a link to two sample presentations. They were created on a Mac with PowerPoint version 2003:

• http://drop.io/nonlinearppt

For my teacher portfolio, I was asked to read several books. I found many of the books to be excellent resources that would benefit any teacher's toolbox. Below are the reviews and reflections I wrote. I hope you find a book to add to your toolbox. I have starred (**) the books I enjoyed the most.

• Creating Culturally Responsive Classrooms~A Reflection
• Decoding and Phonics ~ A Reflection
• First Days of School ~ A Reflection
• **How to Differentiate Instruction~ A Reflection
• How to Grade for Learning ~ A Reflection
• **Lost at School ~ A Reflection
• Making Standards Useful ~ A Reflection
• Other People's Children~A Reflection
• Results Now~A Reflection
• Teaching Reading in the Content Areas~A Reflection
• The First Year Teacher's Survival Guide
• **The Way Schools Work ~ A Reflection
• **When Kids Can't Read~A Reflection

Do you feel like you don't have enough time to teach all the amazing ways technology can expand your students' learning? A technology club might be your answer. For us, it was also about building strong "technicians" in our classrooms. If our teachers had a "techy" student that could help them solve technical problems, it would build the confidence of our teachers and hopefully lead to more technology integration in the classroom. Here are the steps I took in building a technology club. I am still on the road to our first meeting so I'll continue to update the post as I achieve each step.

Step #1: Develop your goals
What do you want to achieve? What do you see as your outcomes? Here were the goals that I initially developed.

1. Foster a deeper understanding of technology by exposing students to a wide variety of software and technology applications.
2. Promote technology integration at Our Elementary by shaping student technology leaders within the classroom.
3. Provide authentic opportunities to apply new skills through school-based projects.

Step #2: Seek approval
Who must approve the club? Do you need to go to a committee or simply obtain permission from your principal? I put together a document that gave a basic outline of what I envisioned a meeting to look like and sent this to my principal.

Step #3: Permission forms
Since our club membership was all elementary, we needed to obtain special permission for attending the club as well as for participating in the various Web 2.0 tools we would be using. The permission form includes allowing the child to use an email address to communicate and log into certain tools, permission to post work online and permission to use backchanneling tools.

Step #4: Select membership
Determine how many your feel is appropriate for your club and then determine how you will choose your membership if more students express interest than you have room for in your club. We will use an questionnaire to select membership. The questions will be simple and posted as a Google Form. Questions will be:
o Why do you want to join the technology club?
o What ideas do you have for club projects?
o How are you responsible at home?
o How are you responsible at school?

Step #5: Plan your first meeting
Make sure your first meeting goes smoothly. Make sure the session is well planned and that you give the students an idea of what they can look forward to for the rest of the year. Make sure you build a learning community just as you would in a classroom.

Permission Form:

Do you feel like you don't have enough time to teach all the amazing ways technology can expand your students' learning? A technology club might be your answer. For us, it was also about building strong "technicians" in our classrooms. If our teachers had a "techy" student that could help them solve technical problems, it would build the confidence of our teachers and hopefully lead to more technology integration in the classroom. Here are the steps I took in building a technology club. I am still on the road to our first meeting so I'll continue to update the post as I achieve each step.

Step #1: Develop your goals
What do you want to achieve? What do you see as your outcomes? Here were the goals that I initially developed.

1. Foster a deeper understanding of technology by exposing students to a wide variety of software and technology applications.
2. Promote technology integration at Our Elementary by shaping student technology leaders within the classroom.
3. Provide authentic opportunities to apply new skills through school-based projects.

Step #2: Seek approval
Who must approve the club? Do you need to go to a committee or simply obtain permission from your principal? I put together a document that gave a basic outline of what I envisioned a meeting to look like and sent this to my principal.

Step #3: Permission forms
Since our club membership was all elementary, we needed to obtain special permission for attending the club as well as for participating in the various Web 2.0 tools we would be using. The permission form includes allowing the child to use an email address to communicate and log into certain tools, permission to post work online and permission to use backchanneling tools.

Step #4: Select membership
Determine how many your feel is appropriate for your club and then determine how you will choose your membership if more students express interest than you have room for in your club. We will use an questionnaire to select membership. The questions will be simple and posted as a Google Form. Questions will be:
o Why do you want to join the technology club?
o What ideas do you have for club projects?
o How are you responsible at home?
o How are you responsible at school?

Step #5: Plan your first meeting
Make sure your first meeting goes smoothly. Make sure the session is well planned and that you give the students an idea of what they can look forward to for the rest of the year. Make sure you build a learning community just as you would in a classroom.

Permission Form:

I will begin with full disclosure. This incredibly fun idea is from Kelly Tenkely. This lesson is a great way to reinforce knowledge of actions verbs while creating a simple project that the students can relate to: an iTunes ad! We only slightly modified the lesson and used a green screen since we had recently purchased one and thought this would be a great way to use it!

This lesson was done on a Mac using Pages (word processing). Our version of Microsoft Office for the Mac does not have transperency. I am guessing that version MS Office 2008 for Mac does have transparency (the "wand" on the Picture Toolbar). Using the same tool, (the "wand" in the Picture Toolbar), you could also do this activity on a PC.

The lesson we did is outlined below:

1. Begin by taking each student's picture, posing in some kind of action, in front of a green screen (walking, running, dancing, etc.).
2. Next, make sure the images are compressed. I used iPhoto and exported them as the lowest quality (smallest size). Pages seemed to work much more easily with the compressed images.
3. We opened Pages to the "blank" layout and turned the paper to landscape so that it looked like an iTunes card.
4. Drag in the picture with the green screen onto the Pages paper.
5. While clicking on the image, go to Format --> Instant Alpha. You may see a small pop-up window and your cursor will turn to a small cross hair. At this point, you can click and drag on the color you would like to make transparent (green). If you did a good job of compressing the image, the green will slowly turn a purplish color. Try to turn all the green this color and when you click away, the white background will come through.
   
6. Now it is time to turn the student to a solid silouette. go to View --> Adjust Image.
7. In Adjust Image, you will do 3 things:
   1st: Slide contrast all the way to the left
   2nd: Slide brightness all the way to the left
   3rd: Slide the bottom most levels all the way to the right.
   
8. Now resize your image so it takes up most of your page.
9. Add a text box and add your student's name.
   
10. Print the image on bright paper of any kind.

This lesson was a favorite of my students last year so I wanted to repeat it again this year. It incorporates so many great aspects of reading comprehension combined with information literacy and technology skills. I have referenced only the technology standards in each of the lessons so you will have to add the literacy standards. This lesson incorporate graphic organizers, VoiceThread (for primary), GarageBand, drop.io to hold the podcast files and hopefully iTunes if they approve our podcasts. The lessons are described below. You can download the lesson plans and rubrics from the embed.it document display.

1st and 2nd grade:

The lesson will begin by all students listening to an online story. Students will then outline the story elements in Kidspiration. Once students have completed the outline of the story elements in Kidspiration, they will be called in groups of 3-4 to discuss the story while being recorded on the Internet website VoiceThread. The discussion will include a “thumbs up or thumbs down” review of the book and each student will be asked to support their review based on the discussion. At the end of the unit, the presentation will be viewed by the class and shared on the teacher’s website. Students who have completed the outline in Kidspiration will begin work on anchor activities posted on the Fox Creek technology website.

3rd-6th Grade:

Students will record a “book review” of a recent fiction book they have read. They will begin by using a graphic organizer, Inspiration, to identify and categorize the basic story elements of the book. These will include, as appropriate for grade, plot (3-6th), main character (3rd-6th), secondary character (5th-6th), effect of setting (5th-6th). Students will add pictures and words according to their readiness level in the graphic organizer. Once students have completed their work in Inspiration, they will begin to record their podcast in GarageBand. The “Book Review” will include a summary of all the story elements (Students may leave out “ending” so as not to spoil the book for any listeners). The podcast will then be posted on a website and submitted to iTunes for listening by a global audience.

There are 4 documents embedded below (1 lesson plan for 1st-2nd and 3rd-6th & 1 rubric for 1st-2nd and 3rd-6th)

These two documents below are the primary and intermediate six-trait writing rubrics.

As always, comments are welcome and encouraged!

Dr. Scott McLeod has asked edubloggers to write about effective school technology leadership to help promote 21st century technologies and learning in the classroom. For me, technology leadership in a school district is a simple matter of managing the change of a complex process.

Utilizing new technology in schools is a classic example of a change management initiative. All parties involved must change the process of the things they do each day. Teachers must be willing to learn and utilize new technologies to engage kids while teaching them skills essential for the 21st century. IT Leadership must be willing to open gateways that allow students to collaborate with other learners and have access to new technologies and other learning tools we may not (and can not) conceive at this time. District leadership must be willing to create technology guidelines that protect our students while giving them space to use tools not even developed yet to maximize learning opportunities and prepare them for the 21st century.

Anyone that has studied change management knows there are many resources available to ensure successful  organizational change. I cite some of the more important points in Change Management Related to Technology by Luo et al and address some of the items:

1. Unless each level (impacted by the change) perceives the intended change to be in their own interests, they may not cooperate with implementation.
   The Problem as I see it: I see this suggestion as a major barrier in school districts trying to implement change. What benefit can an IT department see in allowing Twitter or YouTube to students? In no way does access to these programs impact the IT department except to take up significant bandwidth. Administrators worry what the students may be exposed to and the parent complaints that may follow.
   My Solution: All parties need to remember why we are there..the students. If all truly believe that technology will benefit the students, there must be compromises that can be reached. If YouTube is too risky, are there safer alternatives that still provide the same learning benefits? All parties must be willing to find solutions for the students.
2. Contextualizing readiness involves helping individuals to develop attitudes and beliefs that provide the "big picture," to understand the larger context in which the new innovation will be implemented.
   The Problem as I see it: Based on my experience the change agent is usually a member of one party, usually a very tech savvy teacher. This is almost ensuring failure. The benefit of the technology must be put in context for ALL parties involved. Why would allowing students to publish Web 2.0 websites be desirable for the IT department? Why would a teacher not familiar with buiding websites take the time to learn how to do so?
   My solution: I feel the change agent in schools must be a multidisciplinary team that is willing to compromise and work to achieve change that will benefit our students. By including members of all parties involved, compromises that try to meet the concerns of each group may be achieved.

There are some other points from the article I see often when facing a need for technology change to benefits my students. Here are some of them:

About Resistance to Change

• Resistance is inevitable, to the extent that the intended changes will cause some individuals loss of control
• The degree of resistance hinges on the extent to which people like the change
• Resistance can be overt or covert. Both are equally damaging

Leadership
Effective change leaders employ the following behaviors:

• Embrace change when needed and take initiative
• Develop a vision for change and communicate its urgency
• Communicate with managers and employees, individually and through mass media, with feedback options
• Stay actively involved
• Direct and review change management planning and implementation

Six Questions for Starting the Change Process

• Exactly what problem are we trying to solve with this rule/regulation/innovation?
• Is this really the best way to approach it?
• What unintended consequences can be anticipated?
• What alternative approaches might work better?
• What is the "value added" of the innovation? Is it easily evident to those who carry it out as well as to those for whose benefit the innovations have been introduced?
• Can you actually demonstrate the added value?

It is my hope that some of the items from this article stimulate you to think about technology change in schools as it did me. Thank you Scott McLeod for this insightful activity.

Reflection is the act of pausing, looking back to ponder, evaluating and reassessing oneself. This process builds self awareness and builds skills necessary in becoming a life-long learner. Katie Charner-Laird, co-author of the book Cultivating Student Reflection, describes reflection as "the mind's strongest glue" for making the connections essential to understanding, regardless of the subject matter (http://www.edutopia.org/student-reflection-blogs-journals-technology). Personally, I feel reflection is one of the most powerful tools in a learner's arsenal. If delivered correctly, it teaches learners to say, "I don't understand. I need to approach this another way." It develops metacognition. Students of all ages can use reflection but our younger learners may need more direction.

Preece, Alison states that time spent encouraging students to reflect is time well spent but is best administered by following these guidelines:

• students need relevant reasons for reflection and assurance that their reflections will be accepted;
• students' opinions and judgments must be generally valued;
• students need vocabulary; and
• students need relevant criteria to judge their efforts.

However, without specific prompts, younger elementary students may give simplistic answers to reflection questions such as "I learned alot" or "I had fun". Anne Davis, an edublogger, suggests asking elementary students very specific questions such as:

• What did you learn?
• How do you know you learned it?
• What got in the way of your learning?
• What helped your learning?
• How did you feel?

It may also be beneficial to use symbols for very young learners to gauge their feelings after a particular lesson or topic. Symbols such as the ones below could be used on a paper and pencil reflection assessment or in a computer based form such as a word processor or graphic organizer.

Year-end reflection is also a valuable exercise. It can help the student be more aware of their learning styles and what to be prepared for in the new year. Here are some excellent year-end reflection questions:

1. Of all your work in your portfolio, which artifact represents your greatest academic achievement? Explain?
2. Based on your artifacts, what were your greatest challenges in demonstrating proficiency in the school-wide academic learning expectations?
3. Reflecting on your growth/progress this year, what did you learn about yourself as a learner while compiling your portfolio?
4. Now that the school year is coming to a close, set two learning goals for your next year.

Where does technology come to play in the process of reflection? There are countless tools available to use to help students reflect. Also, because most students are engaged by these technology tools, it keeps the process of regular reflection from becoming mundane and repetitive. Regular reflective exercises should be varied to maintain focus and keep the students engaged. Below is a list of technology tools and some simple classroom examples for implementing reflective exercises with your students.

Reflection ideas using images and/or text:

1. Wordle.net: Wordle.net allows students to create word clouds. I've used this in our technology lab to review lessons. As a class, I facilitated a discussion of terms, ideas and concepts that the students learned. For the younger students, I typed these as we discussed each one and kept them displayed on the projector during the activity. The questions above are great prompts for the discussion component. The students then create a word collage of what they learned. They love having the freedom to choose different colors and fonts. Be sure to have the students link directly to the create page: http://www.wordle.net/create. The gallery is not filtered and may display word clouds that are not appropriate for in a classroom setting.
2. Picnik.com and webcams: An easy reflective activity could be to have students take pictures of themselves and add words and clipart that illustrate what they have learned. Picnik is free and you can upload images from the home page. By going to the create section, you can add text and clipart and other effects. Students could be instructed to create a portrait that answers some of the reflection questions above in their portrait.
3. Comic Life, StoryTop, pikikids: These tools will allow students to tell their reflective stories in a comic strip format. Comic strips are effective learning tools because they form the basic foundation of multimedia learning by combining images and text. Students also love to tell stories, especially their own. Have the students retell their learning journey through images either of themselves (using an iSight or webcam images) or images they collect from the internet.

Reflection ideas using more advanced multimedia:

1. GarageBand, VoiceThread, Animoto, PowerPoint or Keynote: These multimedia tools allow learners to combine images, text, music and narration. A project could ask the student to answer questions similar to those above. I feel a learner's own voice is a powerful tool in reflection. Again, images could either be of the student or of topics learned.
2. iMovie or Windows Movie Maker: These tools use all of the multimedia tools available. You can combine video, images, music, and narration. Students can rearrange them as desired. I have used iMovie as a reflection tool by having students answer reflective questions in a "video confessional" format. It is a format most students are familiar with from reality television and students found it very engaging. I feel an element of privacy during the recording sessions helps students to be more reflective and honest in their answers. I will post the lesson plan below.
3. Reflective portfolio websites using Google Sites, Wix: Reflective websites are a great formative assessment tool. The structure can be setup many different ways. By having the student post and reflect on major acedemic artifacts, they are able to see their growth through the year and how reflection has guided their learning. Remember to vary the reflective exercises to maintain student engagement. Both Google Sites and Wix are free and have online tools to create the webpages.

These are just a few ideas and tools. Please leave comments on other tools you have used and found successful for student reflection.

Images used:
Emoticons created with Microsoft Clipart.
"Ponder" image by CathyK

Lesson plan for 6th Grade end-of-year reflection:

As an instructional designer and educator, I understand the importance of words and images in mulitmedia learning. Richard E. Mayer states, "Students learn better with pictures and words than with words alone." This lesson teaches the basic technical skills necessary in working with and understanding digital images. It also adds a layer of higher level thinking by having the students edit the images and add descriptive text.

The basic lesson has 2 components. In the first, the students take a digital image and edit it in a Web 2.0 image editing tool. The 2nd portion has the class create original images using a scanner by bringing in objects that represent a topic recently learned in the classroom.

Comments are welcome! Here is the lesson: https://sites.google.com/site/ideastoimages/