In Conclusion

I can't believe that 8 weeks have already passed.  I feel like I am taking so much away from this course in the knowledge that I have gained.  It is amazing now to think that technology in the classroom can be seen as adequate with a few computers and smart board.  Although that is a start, incorporating technology is so much more.  After participating in blogging with students, I have seen how wonderful it could be for the students.  They have the ability to connect with people all over, and students receive feedback to make them truly feel like authors.

Another tool that I have been incorporating in my classroom more and more is Animoto.  Before this class, I have never even heard of it.  After we created a video using Animoto for an assignment, I saw how much my students enjoyed watching it and I began to create more for my students.  Many of the videos I have created are "book trailers" but it truly excites the students for the books that we are going to be reading!  Now that I have been introduced to this tool, it doesn't seem so overwhelming and I like creating these videos.

Although there are so many more tools to be found, I feel more comfortable with trying them out.  I am even thinking of opening a Twitter account to use in my classroom to follow our favorite authors and for different resources that other teachers post.

One of the last tools that I was determined to try was GoAnimate.  I had some difficulty with this tool; however, I think I finally figured it out!  Check out my video. Reflection by Miss Stryjewski on GoAnimate

Literacy Project

For the literacy project, I was trying to think about something that we were already doing in the classroom that the students would really enjoy working on.  Since we have been reading Out of My Mind, I wanted to incorporate some activity for my students in relation to the book.  My students and I have had lengthy conversations about the difficulties Melody faces because she does not have the ability to talk and how difficult that must be.  I had my students sit for one minute demonstrating how long that seems to last when you are not able to talk or move around freely.  Some of them looked as though they were about to burst!  Then I asked my students how difficult it must be to have all those thoughts in your head and not be able to truly express yourself for 10 years.  So many of us take for granted the words that we use daily that I wanted my students to think about what would be the most important thing they would want to convey to someone if they did not have the capability.  Then I got the idea that for my project, I would have my students make a video of what Melody would say if she were able to talk.  The program I originally wanted to use was not the best for me to use in the classroom unfortunately, so I had the students create comic strips and then we made a class Animoto.  Below is our class video, I hope you enjoy!

Skype and Google Hangouts

This class has really opened my eyes to all the resources we really have at our fingertips.  I always considered myself to be somewhat knowledgeable when it comes to technology and with practice, I can usually figure things out on my own.  However, some of the resources we have used in this class so far, like blogging and Google hangouts, I would probably not try on my own.

Our last class, we had the opportunity to try two different Google hangouts and I really enjoyed be a part of them.  It was amazing to talk "face to face" with Kathy Cassidy and ask questions about her book and her experience using technology in her own classroom.  We also had the chance to try a "mystery" Skype, in which we had to ask questions to figure out where our guest was located.  This was my first time communicating through this way, and now I can absolutely see how helpful it could be in the classroom.

My school librarian has used Skype in order to talk with authors of different books the students love; however, not all the students are able to participate in this opportunity.  It is pretty much a first come, first serve type of sign up and if the students don't sign up early enough they do not get the chance.  One thing that I would really like to try in my classroom is a mystery Skype.  It would make the students use their map skills to figure out how to ask questions on the person's location.  It also requires the students to use their speaking and listening skills to accurately communicate in order pinpoint their location.   What a great way to help students learn Geography and connect with people in different locations!

Water - Digital Storytelling

I decided to make a digital story on the topic of water.  This is one of the units that we cover in Science and I wanted to create an interesting way for the students to be introduced to the topic.  I touched on different aspects of the water cycle and plan to pause the video at different points to discuss with the students in more detail so they have a better understanding.  The digital story is a brief synapses of what we will be covering within the unit to familiarize the students with the content.

This was my first time using any programs to create a digital story, but I think now that I have some experience with creating one, it would be a great resource to use in my classroom for other topics in Science and Social Studies.  It will also give the students a different way to receive the information.  I can really see my visual learners remembering this information better than reading it out of a book.

Enjoy!

Classroom use of Twitter

I personally don't have a Twitter account, and never imagined creating one for myself.  As I am learning more and more about great online resources for the classroom, I am beginning to realize that Twitter is one of those resources.  The way my classroom would be able to connect and follow other people would really be a fun way to get the students excited to read and write.  We could follow a favorite author that we read in the classroom and then send a tweet in hopes of hearing back from him/her.  Since technology is so fast, we could possibly hear back from that author within a couple of days.

 Like Cassidy mentions in her book, Twitter got a bad reputation with people tweeting everything from their daily lives.  However, after reading this chapter on Twitter, I realized how important it could be in the classroom.  Twitter would be a good way for students to practice reading and writing.  Considering many of my students could have their own account in the next couple of years, it would also be a great way for the students to practice "safe" procedures on an online resource before they have their own accounts and are not as supervised.

Caring for Others

I was reading through Kathy Cassidy's book and I read a section that really stuck with me.  Cassidy mentioned that when her class made online connections with other classes around the world, she found that her students began to genuinely care about those other students.  When her students learned that a class they had been connected with lived close to a volcano, the students cared about their safety.  In the past, I have read a book called Escaping the Giant Wave which is about how a boy and his sister are caught in the middle of a tsunami.  Usually during or after reading this book, the students begin to question how likely we are in Connecticut to experience a tsunami.  They are typically not worried about other parts of the world that are more likely to experience these events because there are no connections with people who live in those areas.
I began to think how different my students' reactions might be if there were more connections with people in areas that are more likely to experience a natural disaster.  Would they pay more attention to news around the world?  Would their questions throughout the story be different?  Having those connections, I would have to say that yes, they would be more interested in what is happening in other parts of the world and their questions would be different.
Having a blog or skyping with other classes in different states would be a great way for my students to expand their worldly knowledge.

Bridge to Terabithia

One book that I love to read to my class is Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.  I have found that many students are able to relate to being a new student, like Leslie, and finding that one friend who can appreciate the person they are.  I have used this book as a "think aloud" when we complete our Following Characters into Meaning unit.  We practice growing theories about characters and analyzing how the characters change throughout the book.  In addition, we discuss topics such as bullying and loss.  I love to see how interested students become in the book and their reactions to what the characters think and how they act.  I showed this Animoto to my students and they are extremely excited to start reading Bridge to Terabithia as a class.

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Today's Learners

We have been writing realistic fiction stories and as I began my lesson today to include dialogue in our writing, I went directly to my computer to display my example on the smart board, instead of using the chart paper I already had set up for my lesson.  Without even thinking, I began to type and explain to the students the correct way to use dialogue in my sample story.  It didn't occur to me until later that using the computer was my preference to show the students something I wanted to teach them, as oppose to the chart paper and markers.  Even though I had the students decorate their writer's notebooks to help make the students want to write in them, I began to wonder how many of my students would prefer to use the computer to write their stories?  How much more (or less) would I get out of them if they had the chance to type instead of write?  Using the Writing Workshop model, the students have a chance to "publish" their writing, but would they try harder if they actually had an audience online who could see their "published" work?  I have been impressed so far with the writing stamina that my students have shown, but I know the answer to many of these questions are:  yes, they would prefer to use the computer to write their stories; and given the time, yes, they would give more in their stories.  I also believe that many of my students would feel more like authors if they were able to publish their work in a safe place online that people, other than me, could read and provide feedback.

I realize that the thought of sharing student work online could be scary (I myself experience a little discomfort when I think about it), but our students are digital learners and we as teachers need to learn how to teach to support them.  This YouTube video captures our learners of today.

Making Connections

As I started to read Kathy Cassidy's book Connected from the Start:  Global Learning in Primary Grades, I began to think about my students and all the technology they are growing up with now.  In many cases I have found that the students know so much about computers and sometimes more than me.  I start to question how much longer we are going to be using "traditional" methods of teaching (teacher up at the front of the classroom, students writing with pencil and paper, for example), when so many students are "connected" online.  Having a more digital classroom will not only reach the students on a level they are familiar with, but it will also motivate the students to complete their work more enthusiastically.  I am starting to think about setting up a class blog which the students would be able to write comments to each other and the feedback is immediate.  We could also get in contact with students from other states to have my class practice writing for an audience other than me.  Creating a classroom web page with blogs will also allow parents to check in on what the class is doing, allowing to be a part of the class.  Check out Ms. Cassidy's Class for some great ideas on classroom blogs!

Meet the Teachers

Even in my 4th year of teaching, one night that always gets my nerves going is "Meet the Teachers."  I know everything is going to work out (because it always does!), but it doesn't stop my stomach from churning just a little.   It's the first time that I will be seeing the parents, although luckily I have met several of the parents before.  However, this year seems just a bit more nerve wrecking since this is also my first year in a fourth grade classroom.  So a little more planning and reviewing what I am going to say in my head than years before and I will be ready!

Hoping for a good night!