Classroom

Student Presenters

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Recently a friend and I were talking about some of our district meetings, some of which are the occasional ‘Tech’ meetings. We have tried the ‘Cafeteria’ style, where teachers choose from a list of presenters & presentations/workshops. It’s worked ‘okay’, but not great. And as my friend and I were talking, we got around to all the different things that my students do in class. She then suggested having students give some of the presentations/workshops!

I know, she’s brilliant! Now many would be skeptical of the idea of having 5th graders presenting to a group of adults. I will admit that, while I thought it was brilliant, I had my doubts that my students would be open to the idea. To my surprise, they were on-board. Many of them asked when the meeting is, and what they should present! Two girls want to show off their knowledge of ‘Animoto’, another boy wants to do a whole presentation on using iMovie from an iPhone (via Reflector – his idea), and a few others that want to present, just not sure on what. My students are FEARLESS and amazing!

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After school I was talking to another teacher about the idea and my students’ responses. She also felt that it was an awesome idea. She pointed out that many teachers don’t think students can do what they have seen in the (past) presentations/workshops. She went on to state how powerful the experience could be for the students and the teachers. Teachers would not only see that students COULD do it, but have a deep understanding of the different tools or apps being used, and how these tools can be used to show their knowledge in different subjects. And the students would shine, gain confidence, and experience something so HUGE at such a young age.

I can’t wait to see how this ends, or should I say begins (let’s hope this is the beginning of something great)! I’m so excited. I will definitely be blogging about their success in about a month! Stay tuned.

Student Demo Slams

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If you have been to a Google Summit or other Googley type event, you have most likely witnessed a Demo Slam. For those of you who have not, a Demo Slam is where a presenter (anyone really) is given 3 minutes to show off their coolest, geekiest, most interesting tech ‘thing’. I have seen Demo Slams on tricks in YouTube, useful Chrome Extensions, tools in Google Docs, and Google Easter Eggs.

I began doing Demo Slams in my classroom. It began as a way to teach my students some simple tricks to help them in class. For example, I showed them ‘Build With Chrome‘, how to search images with reuse policies, and a few Chrome Extensions. It was a success from the beginning.

My story doesn’t end here. Not to be outdone, my students begged to begin doing them. You see, they like to ‘Out Geek’ me. They have each made it their mission to find a trick or two that I don’t know about. And yes, they have taught me so much! Of course I was thrilled that they wanted to do slams. So now I have a sign up sheet in my class. They can sign up for a slam anytime they want. I also have official time keepers. I just sit back watch, and learn new things from them.

One of the biggest successes came with ‘Build With Chrome‘. I briefly showed the tool, and as always encouraged them to explore it more on their own. I have a student who loves Minecraft, Legos, and creating, but is not big on getting up in front of the class and presenting. He took the idea and ran with it. He signed up for his own account, showed others what could be done with it, and ASKED if he could do a Demo Slam on it!

So pleased with their initiative, I have offered to share out the Demo Slams with other teachers. Recently, 2 girls went to a second grade classroom to show them a few keyboard shortcuts. I had 2 boys read about Anne Frank, and give a Demo Slam about what they read. Yeah, we decided Demo Slams don’t have to be tech related. It’s a HUGE success with my students. They are confident, learn from their mistakes, take chances, and freely share their knowledge. What more could a teacher ask for?

Real World Vs. Standardized Tests

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Today began our Second Trimester Benchmark Assessments. Fortunately, I am in a 1:1 Chromebook classroom. This means that my students are able to take the assessment online. My students work online daily, so this is no big deal – or so I thought.

The students had 1 open ended question to answer. As I was checking them, I noticed that two boys, who sat next to each other, had the same wording for their answer. My immediate thought was, “Oh great, they cheated.” That wasn’t really the case.


cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Enokson

When I spoke with them, I asked why they both had the same answer. One boy, honestly answered, “We were helping each other.”

And that’s when it hit me. With or without Common Core, we still have a disconnect between how students learn, and how we ‘record’ their knowledge.

Common Core has students working and collaborating together. Common Core encourages students to problem solve in groups, using technology to assist them.


cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Laurie Sullivan

And then what do we do? We (not just my district) then decide that in order to show us their knowledge, they are to take a test, on their own – in isolation. I’m sure I’m not the only one that sees this disconnect.

How is it that we expect ALL students to do well when we teach, and they learn, in one way; then have them take a test in isolation? No wonder my students thought nothing of helping each other on the Benchmark Assessment, it’s what they do daily.

Here’s a crazy idea: Let’s ditch the tests altogether. Yup, class tests, district assessments, state, national, PARCC, and SBAC. As a nation we need to focus on learning, problem solving skills, collaboration, and teamwork. THESE are the skills that employers are looking for, not can someone take a test on their own.

What employers want

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credit: Dr. Beverly Young, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Academic #ccttcd2014

Google Presentation Background

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So, say you like a particular Theme in Google Presentation, but not the color. Well, that is an easy fix!

1. Choose the desired Theme. For this example, I chose ‘Label’.

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2. Just above the slide, there is a toolbar. One of the options is ‘background’. (NOTE: be sure that the slide is selected – on left – NOT a space on the actual slide, otherwise you will not be able to see this option.)

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3. A pop-out window will appear. This is where you can select a new color.

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4. Select ‘Apply to all’ in order to have a uniform looking presentation. Then select the blue ‘Done’ button, and viola you have customized the Presentation Theme.

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Form Letter in GMail

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I like to stay in contact with my students’ parents. One way in which I do so is through a weekly email. Each Thursday I send home an email updating the parents on what we have been learning, what we will be learning, and any important dates or events that are coming up.

The Problem:

How do I create a form that I can use week after week? I like to have the subheadings ‘pop’ with color. I didn’t want to have to rewrite the ‘Update’ weekly, nor did I want to copy and paste the previous week’s ‘Update’ for 36 weeks.

The Solution:

Canned Response! I created the first ‘Update’ email, and saved it as a Canned Response template. Now when I send out my ‘Update’, I simply insert the ‘Weekly Update’ Canned Response template. It’s so simple.

How:

Canned Response can be found on the bottom of an email draft – 1 (bottom right, small arrow). Once it’s chosen, additional choices can be made. Choose – 2–  ‘Canned Response’. From here, you can: ‘Save a Canned Response’ (save to use in the future, like I did with my ‘Update’), ‘Insert a Canned Response’ (like I do each Thursday), or ‘Delete a Canned Response’.

Canned Response

Comment in Google

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Another feature that allows for easy collaboration in Google Documents is the ‘Comment Feature’. This feature allows me to highlight a particular text and comment on it, for clarification or questions. It’s really very easy.

First, highlight the desired text (can be a word, phrase, sentence).

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Now you can add your comment. There are 4 ways in which to access the ‘Comment Feature’:

1.  From the Tool Bar iconPic 1

 

 

2. ‘Insert’ option on Tool Bar

3. Keyboard Shortcut

 

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4. Gray Comments button next to Share button on top right.

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A yellow comment box will appear to the  right of the document. This is where you will type your comment.

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If more than one comment is on the document, and you are unsure of which comment goes to which highlight, simply click on either the comment or the highlighted section. If the highlighted text is chosen, then the comment will ‘pop up’ and show in the yellow box. If the comment is chosen, the highlighted text will become a darker yellow.

When you have finished making your comment, be sure to chose the blue comment button.

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