FETC Notes

Day 2 Notes from MISD's Tech Conference: Converge 2017

My Notes from Day 1 of MISD's Tech Conference: Converge 2017

The Innovator's Mindset & Ideas

I've started reading a very popular book called

The Innovator’s Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity by George Couros.  

George will be the keynote speaker on Day 2 of Converge this week.  He's very inspiring and I highly encourage you to attend his presentation, follow him on Twitter, and check out his blog: http://georgecouros.ca/blog/. 

Check out what people are saying on Twitter: #InnovatorsMindset







On a similar train of thought, I came across this TEDTalk video in a research study I had to evaluate for my master's class.  It's about how to foster the development of ideas.

This video hits at the heart of the shift in how the library is to be seen as a learning or information commons.  It should be a place where people come together and build upon questions with ideas.  This is what our makerspace and other new programs like coding club are intended to do.  I try to keep lessons and activities open-ended so that students are hopefully inspired and they step out of what they already know to discover something new on their own.  I want them to have the room, physically and

mentally, to experiment, invent, think, plan, and create solutions to problems.  The successful individuals of the near future will be the people who can think for themselves, rather than simply regurgitate facts.  With an innovative culture, we're better preparing our students for the constantly changing world they'll enter as adults.  Things in society change too fast for us to teach students everything they need to know when they become adults.  We cannot possibly predict the technology that our students will need to master in their future careers.  So, we have to teach our students how to learn and adapt and problem solve.

Bonus Tech Tip:
Like my image with the quote from the book?!  I used Snapchat and Bitmoji together!  This is called a #BookSnap.  Learn more about how to do it and how to use it in the classroom from Dave Burgess' blog: http://daveburgess.com/booksnaps/

Digital Fluency: Sketchnoting Notes ~ 3/31/17

Sketchnoting, a.k.a. visual note-taking = doodling while listening to something interesting.

Why?
A combination of visuals and text is more powerful than just visuals and just words.
Here's the link to a great article about the "why" & the "how" - Sketchnotes: The What, Why, and How of Visual Note-Taking

How?
Paper or pencil or make it digital!  There are many free apps, and quality iPad stylusessssessen...  styli??  (Pause for a quick Google search... )  Wikipedia says... "A stylus, plural styli or styluses, is a writing utensil, or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example in pottery."


Below is a 3 minute instructional video about what, why, and how to do sketchnoting:

My first attempt:  I was given a noun and an adjective, and I had to draw a visual representation of the object.  I tried it on paper and then on my iPhone using the free Paper 53 app.  The app allowed me to draw on my phone, and then I took a picture of the paper drawing I created.  See below... you may laugh.

My second attempt required me to create a visual representation to explain the meaning of a word.  This activity reminds me of SIOP/ELL strategies and the Frayer Model.

Sylvia Duckworth is the queen of Sketchnoting!  She makes great visual and textual representations to communicate.  Follow her on Twitter: @sylviaduckworth or on Google +Sylvia Duckworth.  Her sketchnoting is shared all over Twitter.  She's even written a book on sketchnoting!

My third attempt was more intense.  We watch a short video clip twice.  Here's my first actual sketchnoting creation!  

I promise it'd make more sense if you saw the video.  I am a terrible artist.  Give me a computer and I can put together something attractive, but with pen and paper... ouch, it's a different story.  However, it was fun to get messy and give it a try!  I enjoyed sketchnoting, and I think adults, and STUDENTS will too!

1st Graders Creating with Technology

Our first graders have been busy doing research and creating digital products using iPads!  Mrs. Rich's students wrapped up a study about rocks and their properties using the app ChatterPix.  Students took a picture of their rock, then recorded their voice describing what they've learned about rocks.

Mrs. Sowe's students studied Texas symbols and then used the free app Tellagami to record the facts they learned.
Check one out by clicking on the image below...

Google Cast

Google Cast for Education is a free Chrome app that allows teachers and students to share their screens wirelessly from anywhere in the classroom. The app runs on the teacher’s computer, which is connected to the projector; students use Google Cast, which integrates seamlessly with Google Classroom, allowing the teacher to set student permissions and remain in full control at all times.
Here's a great tutorial showing you how to install the app and how, and why to use it with students.

Create Quick Presentation Videos with Tawe

Tawe is a free app that can be used on iPads and iPhones.  The creator takes a picture of something, could be something they wrote or drew, or an image found online or saved on the camera roll, and then records a voiceover annotating the image.  The app allows you to show only a portion of the image at a time, and record over that snapshot.  I plan to use this with a group of first graders who will complete a story retelling graphic organizer.  Then, they'll take a picture of the whole page, and then using the app, annotate one portion of the graphic organizer at a time, creating a video retell.  The unfortunate thing about this app is, there are limitations for saving and sharing the videos.  They want you to buy credits or purchase a subscription to post your videos online.  For now, my plan is to have the kids experience creating the videos, practice communicating clearly to retell a story, and then sharing their videos in person by replaying them on the iPad.

Here's an informative video about how Tawe works:

For more ideas of digital tools to use when wanting students to create presentations of various kinds, visit the Slaughter LC wiki, Digital Products page.

Try Flipgrid: Video Communication Tool

With Flipgrid, teachers create a grid, post a prompt, and then students reply to the prompt via video.  They can then watch the other students' videos.  This might be a great exit ticket alternative, or simply a virtual discussion format that requires all students to contribute.  I haven't tried using this one with kids yet, but it's designed with students as creators, not just consumers, as the goal.  I think there's a lot of potential for this tool with all subject areas.  This might be a great tool to align with our 4C's goals, because students create videos, communicate their thinking, and collaborate online.


The Power & Purpose of Flipgrid


Brief introduction to what Flipgrid is...


Here is a fantastic step by step tutorial that includes creating a grid and post, and how to share the grid with students.  Grids can be embedded into sites, or directly into Google Classroom.

Have you heard of Bitsboard?

Bitsboard is a free app for iPads and iPhones. The games are fairly simple brain games that many kids are familiar with like word search, scrambled words, flashcards, etc.  The games are good for building spelling, reading, and word recognition, as well as vocabulary.  There are also games about parts of speech, and much more!  The format of the games also encourage critical thinking.  You can track your students progress, too.  There are also math games and math classes available, including multiplication facts, but the focus of this app is more on developing reading skills.  These games can also be great for ELL's who are working to boost their English vocabulary.   

 Here is a fairly thorough video of how the app works to navigate and play the games.

Here's a video demonstrating how to create your own boards, so that you can customize the words that students will work on.