Using Videos to Pre-teach or Introduce

Image from www.capbluecross.com

If you have a classroom blog and your parents have subscribed to email updates, you can use this as a way to present information you wish families to know ahead of time.

Check out the beginning of the school year video presented on Adam Ronnenberg's blog.  This is a great way for him to remind students about the expectations for Morning Movers as well as get them excited for the start of the school year.

As a blogger, keep in mind that embedded videos (videos placed directly within your blog post) do not show up in email updates.  Parents must either click over to the actual blog post to view the video, or the blogger can include words which are linked to the video (or the post itself), for the parent to click.  Just be sure there is some indication that your post contains a video (such as Adam's invitation to "take a couple minutes and check out the video I posted").

Students love watching videos of their favorite people from school, over and over!  My kids have already watched Adam's video twice!  Consider using this as a way to communicate with families this year.

Inviting Parent Readers and Experts to Your Classroom Through Technology

Image from convertiblesolutions.com

Use technology this year to invite parents into your classroom, even if they can't actually be there in person.

In the elementary school, parents can volunteer to record their voice reading a picture book or one chapter of a longer book.  As suggested in this post by Techie Teacher Julie Smith, a letter can be sent home to interested parents containing instructions for recording.  This recording can be created using any smart phone or device.

At school, the recordings can be paired with QR codes so that students can scan, listen to the recorded voice (i.e. Stripes read by Jack's Mom), and follow along in the book.  What a fantastic listening center!

For middle and high school students, parents can share expertise through a voice recording  of their knowledge about a topic or even making a short video to explain or instruct.  A short survey can be sent out to parents to determine whether there are curriculum-related experts who are willing to share their knowledge.

These recordings can be paired with QR codes for students to access as they learn.

If you would like help notifying parents, creating QR codes, getting books set up for listening centers, organizing information presented by expert parents, or teaching the students how to access the recordings, please click here.

Connected Student Blogging

Image from gregmillerprincipal.com

Sometimes teachers begin the blogging journey with their students, and are disappointed when it seems no one visits their site to view students' creations. 

Your online audience must be notified and interested enough to view and respond to student work.  Parents and classmates are the best place to begin.  I have created letters that you can use to help get families involved.

Another way to connect your bloggers is to join a global initiative such as the Primary Blogging Community (4 classes are grouped together and rotate whose blog is the "focus blog" each week) or the Global Read Aloud (connections are made based on a shared read aloud). 

In my experience, great connections can also be formed by reaching out to educators you know personally in other schools (or other states . . . or countries).  They are most likely to follow through with planned connections and maintain communication.

Click here if you would like to learn more about student blogging!

Student Blogging

Image from www.trailsoptional.com

Many of you have heard about students in our school blogging.  After facilitating blog experiences for several classes over the last three years, I've seen the benefits and challenges of this mode of writing.  I will resist pulling out trite "ed tech" phrases and tell you in plain English my thoughts:

It's Good Because:

Students like it.

Parents have online access to their child's writing.

It is a natural setting for lessons about digital citizenship - which, in my opinion, ought to be a regular component of today's classroom.

Blogs can be used to post more than writing.   Photos, drawings, voice, or video can also be posted.  This allows a wide variety of possibilities throughout the year, while giving one central mode of publishing.

Students care about other people reading what they write.

Students learn to give constructive feedback on other people's work.  This analysis and reflection improves their own craft of writing.

Students learn to troubleshoot digital problems.  They help one another and they help you.

It's Hard Because:

It's not in the curriculum.  You have to plan for blogging as a method to achieve the same goals in a different way.

To be done well, it takes intentional instruction in good digital citizenship.  This takes class time.

Technology doesn't work sometimes.  Like the computers.  They might not work.  Or someone's log-in isn't working, and you have to figure out why.  This happens all the time.

For some kids, typing takes forever.  (The speech-to-text software on iPads is helpful for this!)

How I Can Help:

I have developed almost everything you need to begin blogging with your students.  

I have: 

* parent communication letters

* digital citizenship lessons before, during, and after blogging (for me to come teach or you to teach)

* Rubrics for blog posts, blog comments, and digital citizenship

I can partner with you as you begin your students' blogging journey.  I can come in to teach your class as they get started, run small groups to help them practice, and help behind the scenes as you monitor and approve blog posts.

Fantastic Advice:

Use this as a way to publish an assignment you already do.

Plan to continue publishing for at least 2-3 assignments.

Know that digital citizenship and online publishing experience are as important in your students' lives as good writing skills. Look past what's "on the test" and imagine what will be important for their future. 

View blogging as a tool in their toolbox rather than a one-time activity.

Click here to indicate interest in learning more about student blogging.

Are you Digitally Ready for School?

Image from http://www.mummypages.co.uk/

It's August!  I have heard from some teachers who have begun spending time in their classrooms, slowly beginning to get ready for the upcoming school year.

One way to welcome your students is to create a Welcome Video on your class website.  Click here to request help with this, and be sure to check out 

Carol Tongen's Kindergarten Welcome Video.

In Carol's letter to parents, she includes the link to her video as well as a QR Code so parents can easily scan directly to the video from her letter.  (The following image is Carol's 2014 letter.)

What is it like to access a video from a QR code?  Download the "QR Reader" app on your phone or tablet, and point it at these to see where they take you.  (Reading this post on your device?  Take a screen shot, then use the option within QR Reader to "scan from photos".) 

Include one in your class letter this year!

Join Twitter - Here's Some Help!

Explore Google Classroom

Image from www.alicekeeler.com

Of the Maple Lake Teachers who filled out my spring technology survey (still available to take), many expressed an interest in learning more about Google.  

For teachers in grades 6-12 (whose students have access to their own school-based Google account), Google Classroom may enhance your teaching.

With Google Classroom you can:

*Give, receive, and respond to written assignments through Google Docs

*Post videos, images, links, or prompts for class discussion

*Give students timely feedback

Google for Education has created lessons for teachers to learn how to use Google Classroom.  

Click here to go to the Google Classroom tutorial page.  

Invest some time and learn!