I love when my students want to improve their work. One way in which they have been doing this is by using Bibme‘s Score your Essay option. In short, you paste in your essay and the program grades it on several points – for FREE! Not only does it score it, but tells you what you can do to make it better.
The results appear quickly:
And even though my essay scored a 5 of 5 in Organization, it still gave me a suggestion. Love that!
And at the end, it gives you a final score. Is it perfect? No, but it is pretty great. And FREE, did I already mention that? Give it a try.
Author: Admin
Speech Recognition Add-On
Today the Speech teacher asked if there was a way that Google could do an audio recording. I immediately thought of Google Voice. Then she explained that she needs to transcribe what was said. I changed my mind. While Google Voice does transcribe conversations, it requires a Google Voice Number. I’m not sure the teacher is ready for this. I was thinking in terms of what would be easiest for her, now.
Docs Add-Ons ‘Speech Recognition’
I currently have a student using this tool. He finds it difficult to get his thoughts from his head to his fingers. He’s been using this tool with great success. The tool is simple to use. Go to ‘Add-ons’ > ‘Speech Recognition’ > Start. A toolbar will appear on the right side of the screen. Press ‘Start’ and begin speaking. The text will appear in the space. Once you are done speaking, press ‘Stop’ and the text will automatically be inserted in the document.
Just like voice recognition texting, the speaker will have to say, “Period,” in order for periods to be inserted. So in the case of the school’s Speech teacher, she’ll have to go back and insert them herself, but hey that beats transcribing the whole conversation! I also suggested recording it on her phone for reference.
Get The Add-On 
What Motivates Learning?
This week’s #youredustory prompt is:
What motivates learning?
Innate curiosity motivates learning.
I know it sounds simple, but we all have it. In the right setting we are encouraged and our curiosity is fostered. In the wrong setting, our curiosity is squashed and we become resistant.
So What Is The Proper Setting?
One in which we are encouraged to ask questions, probe further, and investigate that which interests us. Some great examples of setting that foster learning are: Genius Hour, 20% Time, Maker Space/Maker Movement, and Project Based Learning. In each of these examples, students are encouraged to take ownership over their learning, investigate, create, question, an expand themselves.
What Happens In A Wrong Setting?
In the wrong setting, students have little to no control over what they are to learn. Learning is mandated with a top-down approach. Pacing guides, mandated (use with fidelity, no supplements allowed) curriculum, over testing, high stakes testing, etc. I think you get the idea. Basically, traditional school.
How To Break Free
Push and challenge the thinking at your school. Start small, and build upon your successes. Begin with Genius Hour. Prove to the powers that be that there IS a different way to teach and learn. MAKE learning fun for your students. Tap into their interests and build on that. Change the culture of your classroom and then the school.
Science Camp
Every year the 5th graders attend Science Camp at a local park, and the teachers each choose a station to teach – over and over and over, 8 times over 2 days. So keeping it fun for you, and the students is important. Okay, really keeping myself entertained was my primary goal. My partner teacher and I taught about solute, solvent, and solutions via bubbles.
Sounds fun right, the kids got to make a bubbles solution and be ‘mad scientists’ experimenting with what made the best bubble solution for them. In the process, the students made ‘bubble wands’ out of pipe cleaners. And in the name of keeping myself entertained, and seeing exactly what I could make kids do, I made them repeat after me – before creating their wands – “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Yeah, nothing to do with science, but totally fun to do. I was impressed that a few students could ‘Name That Movie’.
Then there was some ADHD moment early on when we talked about separating water and salt which led to a tale of Gilligan’s Island. So I went into a whole shpeil about this show just to say that if you boil salt water the result will be salt (as the water evaporates). Yeah, I had a good time. Hope other did as well!
Minecraft EDU
Um, OMG!!!!
Somehow John Miller arranged for the #awesomesauce folks at Minecraft EDU to come to our tiny little town on their TeacherGaming Tour 2015. So this afternoon I sat in a packed room with eager teachers – waiting to find out what the buzz was about – and some really great tutors – 6th and 7th grade students.
For a few years now, my students have begged me to include Minecraft in our classroom. They know they can hook me with most things tech. And for years now, I keep telling them that I don’t get it. I’ve tried it, and quickly get bored, or in the case the other night, die within 5 minutes. The ‘regular’ Minecraft isn’t for me. I’ve seen some of my students create some great worlds during Genius Hour, I just don’t have the patience for that. So when John shared the opportunity to do this, I jumped on it. I mean, this many kids can’t be wrong!
So there I sat, between 2 tutors. Apparently, I looked like I’d need more than one. Axel and Lauren were a great help. In 2 hours we were taken through maps and tasks. First we started off with just getting use to the controls and how to manuver our people. On a side note, I was glad NOT to be Steve! I got to pick out a character.
Once we were use to manipulating our people, we were given tasks to complete. We navigated through mazes, built structures with partners, and coded turtles – which could help us navigate through the map. See, it is pretty cool!
You know it’s a good training when they have to ‘freeze’ you in order to get your attention! Yeah, we were frozen a few times so that we could learn how to operate things from the teacher end, and talk about how to use it in our classrooms. At one point I was frozen right in the middle of my turtle running the program I coded. It was then that I made some strange unintelligible sounds. I really wanted to see if I programmed the little guy properly.
So clearly, I’m beginning to ‘get it’! Boy will some of my students be happy. Formers will say something like, “Sure, now you get it AFTER we’re gone”. I’d like to explore this more and see how I can incorporate this into my 5th grade classroom. I think, and it’s been proven, that there are great possibilities with this. I’d also like to explore some of the maps (worlds, mods) that are available.
It was a great workshop, my only complaint: we only had 2 hours. Wish we had more time. Thank you to everyone!
5 Things We Have To Stop Pretending
This challenge was given to me by Alice Chen. This is a part of the #MakeSchoolDifferent Challenge. This couldn’t have come at a better time. I have been thinking about all the things that we do to sabotage ourselves as teachers. How can we change education?
flickr photo shared by schoschie under a Creative Commons ( BY ) license
5 Things To Stop Pretending:
- “I have a paperless classroom” – Oh, how we love that phrase. But let’s face it, if you’ve recreated that ditto in a digital format, can you really claim to be paperless? Literally, yes. But I believe that ‘paperless’ refers to transformative. That ditto is NOT transformative.
- Using any technology is innovative. We need to stop pretending that just because we can claim to be 1:1 or 2:1 does NOT mean we are using technology to it’s full potential. Playing games, or taking AR quizzes, is not innovative.
- Stop jumping on every new theory (aka bandwagon). Trends come and go, stop falling into the trend of the moment.
- Policies that are created from the top and pushed upon educators are the best practice.
- Isolation is good – No need for PLN.
Solutions:
- You want to be paperless? Then be innovative. Create lessons and assignments that require deeper thinking. Will all your lessons magically become innovative and ‘rigorous’? No, but little by little you will change the landscape of your classroom, and the learning of your students. Go ahead, try it with just one lesson this week.
- Too many times I have seen districts, including my own, get class sets of computers or iPads, with no training. Technology requires a shift in how we view teaching and learning. Let’s focus on good pedagogy rather than the trendy new techie device. Once this shift happens, the cool techie devices are much more relevant in your instruction.
- As a whole, education has too often fallen pray to the ‘latest research’. The truth is, good teachers know what works and integrate new teaching practices that are more conducive to their goals. I’m not saying don’t change, just be selective and know WHY you’re doing what you’re doing.
- Education policies need to stop being mandated. Whether it’s NCLB or district policies. Conversations with educators, from all levels (admin to para educators), need to be had. We are all in this together. No one group should be dictating policies.
- Share! Seriously, what’s the big deal? Some districts/sites have cultivated a culture of singling out teachers for great work. This is fine done in moderation. However, many (like in my district) refuse to give up their best ideas because someone else might do it better. I say if you can make my idea better, do it, then share! Again, we’re all in this together. We’re here to educate our communities, not some egocentric ‘make you feel good’ trip.
I will now challenge 5 #awesomesauce educators to tell us what we should stop pretending. Let’s here from: Kevin Ashworth, Pam Hernandez, Andy Losik, Rea Fearing, and Travis Phelps.
Research Toolbar
Recently I gave a training on Digital Literacy. One of the points I illustrated, was how easy it is to cite a source or image using Google Docs Research Toolbar. Here is a quick overview on how the tool works:
Here is a copy of the document:
3D Printer Fun
I believe in thinking BIG! That’s why when I decided I wanted a 3D printer for my class, I wrote a proposal and placed it on Donors Choose. Honestly, I had no idea what I was going to do with it. I figured I would allow students to create objects during Genius Hour. In addition, I was going to have THEM figure out the programs and printer – within reason, it is an expensive item.
So when I was notified that my project was funded by Chevron, I was beyond thrilled. Just after Spring Break our printer arrived. The following Genius Hour a group of students and I set it up. Fortunately, one of my girls had gone home and done research on the type of printer we received (Dremel). She knew more about the printer than any of us. After setting it up, we printed out a die. It was a pre-fab file on the SD Card. That was pretty cool. Then came the following week…
We discovered Tinkercad! Since then we have been creating, creating, creating! The early attempts were simple, but fun. I have students coming to school early wanting to create objects for their moms, brothers, selves…
They work together to solve design issues, and talk about new creations – there is a chicken in the making. I have another girl who went home and taught herself (with the help of the provided lessons on Tinkercad), how to use the program. She is our ‘Go To’ person. She is teaching us some of the ins and outs of the program.
It’s fun to see girls leading the way with this technology. It’s also interesting to watch the students watch the printer. It reminds me of the 1950 ads for TV, where everyone sat around as close as they could. Yeah, that’s what’s happening in my class.
I can now see how I can incorporate this into my curriculum. How fun would it be to have students working together to create the digestive system? Fun right?! Or create geometric shapes based on specific dimensions. Or create an object with a specific volume. Or create a topographic representation of a state. The possibilities are endless. This is just the beginning, I can’t wait to see where this takes us!
Google Classroom: Save Draft Assignment
You now have the ability to upload an assignment in Google Classroom and ‘Save Draft’; and assign when necessary.
Create an assignment as usual, but instead of ‘Assign’ choose ‘Save Draft’. It will then appear on YOUR wall as ‘Draft’. When you are ready to ‘Assign’ either click on ‘Draft’ or the arrow on the right. Then click the name of the assignment, a pop-out window appears where you can see the settings of the assignment and have the option to ‘Assign’ or ‘Save Draft’. This time ‘Assign’.
Google Classroom: Invite Another Teacher
Today Google Classroom has made yet another improvement! Teachers have been wanting to share their Classrooms with other teachers. Today, Google has given us this opportunity.
Invite Another Teacher
Choose the Classroom you would like to share with another teacher. Once in the Classroom, navigate to the ‘About’ page (1.). Once there the teachers the Classroom have been shared with are located on the left (2.). Notice that the owner of the classroom is listed first. Below the teachers is an ‘Invite’ button (3.). Once this is chosen, you find the teacher you would like to share the Classroom with – within your domain. It will send an Invitation to the teacher. All they have to do is accept.
Nowa Techie 