Using Pixie to Animate
Mrs. Robson’s class learned how to use Pixie and iMovie to make stop-motion animation. Here is one student’s example that uses forty different images he first create in Pixie, then exported as .jpgs into iMovie to create his animation. Great work!
ShowMe on the iPad
First-graders in Mrs. Sharpe’s class at Ashe used the ShowMe app on the iPad to take pictures in their environment and use them to write simple math sentences. Good thing I wore interesting socks that day!
Virginia is Our Community
First-graders went above and beyond learning about what makes our Virginia community special with Mrs. Hubard making movies in Pixie. Here is just one example of their fabulous work!
Persuasive Book Reports
Second-graders had an opportunity to present the tried and true book report in a novel way – by taking on the role of an advertising agent and persuading an audience that they should indeed select this particular book to read over all others. Take a look at more of the finished products posted on Mrs. Waite’s blog! Way to go Lions!
StoryKit in Kindergarten
Students in Kindergarten have embraced the power of the iPad technology that has been introduced into their classrooms this Fall. Students are beginning to find their voice as they create their own books using the app StoryKit, including original artwork, text, and voice. The possibilities are endless!
Redefining Our Value as Educators?
I was reading a recent blog post by Will Richardson, a self-described “outspoken advocate for change in schools and classrooms in the context of the diverse new learning opportunities that the Web and other technologies now offer”, and was stopped in my tracks by this:
“Here’s the point: if we see direct instruction as our value, if what we care about is “higher student achievement” in the context of passing the test, we are, in a word, screwed.”
This quote not only stood out to me, but really made me consider exactly what our value is as educators – not just what others perceive our value to be. Is our value just in getting kids to pass the test? Is that “all” we’re good for? Of course I cannot agree with that – we have so much more to offer the students we serve. BUT is that all we’re seen as? I might have to agree. The conversations I hear most often seem to be centered around the next test and making sure kids pass it. Very few conversations are started to talk about how students can take control of their own learning to master the content at hand. If kids master the content at a higher level, won’t they then naturally have the low-level, regurgitave skills needed to pass a bubble test? Isn’t that our real value as educators – not getting kids to pass a minimum proficiency test, but in fostering the characteristics students need to grow into lifelong learners?
I thought Will made a compelling argument for why we need to honestly evaluate who we are and what we do. Click this link for the whole post if you’d like to read more. Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment below!
Scheduling to Work with Me!
You will now find a couple of changes to the Scheduling page of my blog to (hopefully) make the process a little smoother. I am adding all of my appointments right to the calendar so that you can see what times are available each day that I will be in your school. I’ve also changed from Acuity (what you used to use to pick your time) to an embedded Google Form (what you see on the schedule page now). I made this change for the reasons below:
1. Some folks indicated that having the calendar and time request mechanism on one page would be most helpful. The Google Form seemed to be a logical solution to that request.
2. The Google Form allows us to work out any kinks in our plan prior to blocking off the time to ensure that our plan is viable and worthwhile.
Please let me know how you think it’s working so that I can continue to tweak the process to meet your needs!
A New Direction
This year I decided that I needed to be more deliberate in managing my digital resources in order to maximize my own learning. I had found that although I had stumbled across several blogs that provided content I considered intriguing, I just couldn’t keep up with them all. I then decided to use Google Reader to manage my subscriptions to become more effective with my own professional development, and it quickly became apparent that this was a great way to take control of my growth as an educator.
The blogs I follow provide insightful commentary on topics germane to educational technology, research-based instruction, educational reform, and the like. I find myself looking forward to reading updates from particular writers as they often challenge my views and encourage me to stretch myself professionally. I can easily get lost in the information they provide as I then am able to dig further using their resources as a starting point. This led me to the inevitable question – does my blog do the same for other people? And the answer is obvious – not a chance.
This year, I hope to change that. Yes, I want to continue to showcase student projects. Yes, I want to continue to give tips and tricks for using technology. But I hope to do more. I hope to stretch my own thinking by providing you with information to stretch yours. I hope to generate meaty discussion around heady topics. I hope that you are patient with me as I learn, but more importantly, I hope that we are learning together.
Famous American Projects
Mrs. Arkwright’s second-grade class did a fabulous job on their Famous American projects! Students, working in small groups, chose a technology tool to present their research on a selected Famous American that had been studied.
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The Important Book
Mrs. Lobosco’s third-graders took an ordinary classroom object and wrote their very own “Important Book” about it using Keynote.
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