Explain Everything Spanish 2

Students completed their second experience with Explain Everything.  Students were to create a picture with text that demonstrates the present.  Along with this, students created a part of the section of the product that included video to demonstrate the pres.prog.  I truly don't understand Spanish so the exact concept is new to me.

I do know that Explain Everything has become our main focus for this year to allow students to create items that "show what they know".  We want students to become so familiar with the technology tool (EE) that they don't even think about the tech tool, but simply focus on getting their knowledge to a digital medium.

Below is the information given to the students.  We are focusing on "Creativity" from the four c's for the entire year.

An example of the student's work is below.

Tech Gift Ideas 2015

Lunch N' Learn provides multiple learning opportunities for our staff. From classroom teaching strategies and workflow to fun ideas, it's an opportunity for our staff to learn about technology.

Today, with the "shopping season" about to be upon us, I am providing ten technology tools, that for the most part are $60 or less, to our staff.  Two of these tools, The Tile App and Google Cardboard, will be experienced by the staff during Lunch N' Learn.

If providing a technology tool to one of your loved ones is on your horizon, consider these options.


Celebrating Christmas!  For me it's Christ's birth and providing gifts to loved ones and friends just as gifts were brought to Him after He was born.  These technology gifts may just be what brings a smile to someone on Christmas Eve or Morning!

Explain Everything for Spanish 2 Directives (Morning Routine)

Students continue to learn the features of Explain Everything while practicing the Spanish language.

SimpleMind and Notability to "Show What You Know" for Three Branches of Government

To allow students to "Show What They Know" in seventh grade, Mrs. Burch provided students with an introduction to the SimpleMind app and smashed it with Notability.  Google Drive and Canvas were used to finalize the workflow of product to instructor.

The SimpleMind app is a tremendous app that serves as a "graphic organizer" with multiple options for colors.  This was the best app for creating a web graphic so students could describe the Three Branches of Government.

We found that when we smashed the SimpleMind app into Notability the students were able to include images of topics described in the SimpleMind app.  Students were also able to add hand written annotations using tools in the Notability app.

As students took more than one day, we were able to export the Notability and SimpleMind creations to students' Google Drives via the app.  This allowed for students TO NOT need to same iPad each day of creation as the Notability app allows for importing of content from Google Drive.

As part of the assessment, Mrs. Burch chose the creativity portion of the four c's standards to assess along with the content.

From a tech coaching aspect, I (the tech coach) taught the the features of the app and the workflow needed completely to the first group of students.  During the second group of students, Mrs. Burch taught the features and workflow, while I was in the class for support.  It was a great interaction between Mrs. Burch as she was able to teach almost all aspects of the project while asking a few questions of me in front of the students if needed.  For the remaining two classes I was not in the room, but followed up with an email to see how the day progressed.

Overall, Mrs. Burch and myself believe the process worked well.

View the images of students working

iPad As A Research Tool

A teacher recently asked me, "How should I best use the iPad as a research tool with students?'

Some suggestions:

Effective Research:

• Share effective researching strategies
• Use this resource

Flipboard: Get The App

• After understanding effective researching strategies, I would absolutely  download the Flipboard app and create an account.  Searching any topic in Flipboard will provide digital magazines for the students to follow.  I would also have the students create a magazine that they would "flip" potential resources into as students are researching.
• Flipboard in Global Issues Class (Slides 10-12)
• If account is created on an iPad, the same account can be used on a smartphone or on the computer by downloading the app or using Flipboard.com

Notability: Get The App

• Once resources are found in Flipboard or using a "Google Search", Notability becomes the one stop shop for "housing" all of the information.
• Full-featured handwriting
• Advanced word processing
• Media insertions of images, web resources, audio notes
• VIEW DETAILS

Exporting:

• Notability fully exports as a complete file or pdf to the Canvas app

Utilizing Canvas' Peer Review Option

In creative writing, Mr. Krause and Ms. Tubbs utilized the "peer review" feature in Canvas.
Positives:

• Automatically assigns a peer to review the paper
• In Speedgrader, the instructor can see both the original paper, and the peer review

Challenges:

• When using Google Docs, students must have viewing rights of their paper open so that the peer can review it.
• The questions to guide the peer reviewer on not able to be placed in Canvas.  We wrote them on the board.

Witness the process:



LEARN MORE from Canvas

Group Projects in the Flex Mod Schedule Using Thinglink

Our Civics teachers are formulating a plan to enable groups to gather information, interpreting of that information, and providing the information for other students enrolled in the course.

Prior to the flex mod schedule, students (about 280 of them) would be assigned the project, work in groups on consecutive days, and present those findings to  their classmates.  With the flex mod schedule (and unless a person is in it, it may not actually make sense) students are together on Monday in a lab, but the same group of students are NOT together until the following Monday.  Our workflow for this project provides an opportunity for students to complete the project outside of class via Google Documents and Canvas.  We have chosen Thinglink as our creation tool as it provides the same user experience on the iPad or on a computer.  Below is a tutorial to explain Thinglink.



While thinking through the project has required some time, we believe that the project has retained its integrity minus one element.  In the past, students have presented their information in person to their classmates.  We were unable to work that aspect into this particular project.  We will find another project to practice those skills.

Some forms that were used to facilitate the process.

Colonies to Constitution Timeline Project 2015 

• Learning Target
• Task
• Directions
• Content
• Work Time Schedule
• Reminders for Students

Timeline Accountability Form 2015

• References (Websites Used)
• Planning Common PLT (Personal Learning Times)
• Sketch of Thinglink
• Daily Participation Log
• Evaluation

Colonies To Constitution Website Resources

• Suggested Resources
• Some Guidance

Table Of Contents

• Listing of Teachers
• Listing of Class Meeting Day
• Listing of Class Meeting Mod

Mr. Pirman and Mr. Nickerson Timeline (Only One Example

• Student Thinglink final products
• Order of Major Events

Some Examples of Student Work (they are in progress until November 9)

• Scroll over the image to reveal additional information that students are discovering and sharing about the image.