A New Look at Professional Learning

This time of year tends to be difficult on teachers. The long stretches before another break, lack of sunshine when entering or leaving school, less outside time with students make for long days and stressful times. Springtime also means assessments are right around the corner, and everyone begins to feel the pressure. Teachers are wearing down, and begin to struggle with student behaviors more often. Self-preservation becomes necessary.

Meredith Akers write about a creative solution to this problem in her blog Edu Podcast Tasting + Podcasts & Pedometers for PD with Choice and Movement. Meredith explains that instead of the typical sit and get format for professional development (PD), her school has begun to offer two "Podcasts and Pedometer" sessions a week, where teachers could walk around the school while listening to an educational podcast of their choice. After walking and listening to the podcast of their choice, teachers would complete the "Podcasts and Pedometers Exit Ticket" that asks them to name their podcast, takeaways, and how they will apply it. This seems like an easy trade off for a unique option for PD.

Since reading this blog, I am considering how this could work within my school. It is a great option for self-care and professional learning because it allows interest based learning, movement, and reflection. However, would JCPS consider this as an acceptable PD? Could it count toward the PD hours we need for the year? I ran this idea by a few coworkers. They were very interested. I would be interested to see what my principal would think about something like this. Until then I will be checking out some of these podcasts Akers suggests within her blog.

Edu Podcast Tasting

Podcasts and Pedometers- Exit Ticket

Students Created Learning Playlists

In their book, Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools, Horn and Staker (2014) give several examples of schools using learning playlist created by teachers. These playlist provide a more individualized learning experience for all students. Data is collected through digital formats that teachers use to assign new learning playlists to students. These playlist might include online videos, paper pencil practice, research, small group practice, independent practice, or something similar that teachers believe would be a good fit for their students.

This week, Meredith Akers wrote a blog on student created learning playlist. She explains that the typical use of a jigsaw would provide students with a section of text to read and require them to present their findings from that section to their group. However, this method does not allow students to be very creative, nor does it include the use of technology. Akers suggest allow them to create a learning playlist instead. By assigning a small sub-topic instead and providing them with a list of online resources to use, students can use high levels of thinking in order to demonstrate learning.

Akers provides a template and example of the student centered learning playlists she created. Within the template, students are asked to insert a video relevant to the topic, select an appropriate article for classmates to read, insert an image, create a 10 question formative assessment, and a prompt asking classmates to create something to display 3 important facts they have learned.

This is an image of the Learning Playlist Akers provides in her blog. The yellow boxes are the directions. The blue boxes would be what is displayed for other students to follow. 

This is an example for teachers to use while learning to use this tool. 

Chromebooks: 1 Ms. Chapin: 0

Over the past couple weeks, we have been working to draft opinion pieces. We started by reviewing what an opinion was and how to use reasons to support their opinion. 2.6 paragraphs were introduced to help them organize their thoughts into well crafted paragraphs. Next, I modeled to show students how to complete organizers to include their opinions, reasons, and support evidences, as well as, what someone with an opposing opinion might think. Students were taught how to use their organizers to create their 2.6 paragraphs. Finally, we were reaching the point of being ready to publish.

Students were eager to get to the publishing part after the mention of typing and Chromebooks. Pieces were being finished fast than it had taken them to finished one paragraph over the last few weeks. I was feeling pretty confident. With the 6 Chromebooks in my classroom, I began to assigned students the task of typing. This is where the challenges began. I really hadn't planned for the needs students would have during typing. While conferences with other students, many were calling my name, coming up to me asking questions about formatting, starting a new paragraph, tabbing, and sizing.

I was surprised by all of these questions. I honestly had assumed they would have received instruction on these concepts within computer lab before coming to third grade. Clearly my assumptions were wrong. This really has me reflecting on the reading we have been doing. I can't assumed that students are digital natives in the sense that they have a basic understanding of all technology. In the future, I will plan for instruction in these concepts to support student success. To make this work, I gave small group instruction to several groups as they began to type their pieces. Several students then became my tech experts and helped others students who encountered trouble.

Overall, this wasn't a complete fail, but in the future, teaching these concepts to the whole group would have been much more effective and less disruptive.

Computer Intervention: MobyMax

At my school, we are currently using MobyMax as a computer based intervention for math. After taking a placement test at the beginning of the year, MobyMax provides individualized learning for each student that allows them to progress at their own pace. MobyMax provides additional instruction for its struggling users to help them progress toward mastery. Instruction is direct and adaptive to the individual students. At the end of each unit, students are given a formative assessment that will provide them with re-teaching or move them on to the next topic. There is a variety of data provided to teachers that assists in tracking student progress.

After using MobyMax in my classroom for a couple years, and a couple different grade levels, there are a few standout pros and cons to the program. Below I will discuss these pros and cons.

Pros of Moby Max

• Teacher Control: MobyMax allows teachers to select the content students will be exposed to while on the program. 
• Student Incentives: Game time is provided to students in small time increments (seconds) as they complete questions. This is supportive of on-task behaviors. 
• Fact Fluency: Fact Fluency is an option for students while engaging in MobyMax. The fluency facts given are related to their individual placement assessments. 
• Data: MobyMax provides teachers with ample data and notifications of student progress. 

Cons of MobyMax

• Ineffective Reteaching: When students are struggling, the reteaching and support provided isn't strong enough for students to gain knowledge. Many times, students are coming to me for support with these concepts, which interrupts small group learning in my classroom. 
• Unlimited Fluency: Students can practice their fluency skills for an unlimited amount of time. This could skew the data when looking at math instruction. 
• Lack of Engagement: Students often are off-task due to lack of interest or inability to complete the assigned questions without support of other classmates of teachers. With limited game time, they aren't as willing to partake in their program as they are others.

To me, MobyMax is more of a hassle than useful in the classroom. I am not available to during the times of MobyMax use to support them through learning the concepts they are being presented. I am asked my principal about the opportunity of using something new. She is completely on board, but the problem is finding what the program would be. 

What are you guys using in your classroom? What makes it something that you would recommend to another teacher?

Any and all suggestions welcomed! 

Drawing for Poor Artists

While browsing the Cult of Pedagogy Blog this week, I came across a blog titled 6 Ed Tech Tools to Try in 2018. Jennifer Gonzalez highlights 6 tech tools that educators should try out in their classrooms this year. I was particularly interested in a tool called AutoDraw. AutoDraw is a predictive tool that will guess what you are drawing. It provides you with a variety of professionally drawn images to insert that may match your doodle. There are a variety of easy to use tools including text, shapes, fill, and select. Gonzales points to the power of images in helping us remember things. Using a tool like this could be very helpful in helping students learn new content. 

While trying out this tool, I found several pros for using it within the classroom. 1. It is easy to get started. There is no registration and sign-in. When you go to the website, it allows you to start doodling right away. 2. The tools of AutoDraw are very simple and allow for little instruction on how to use. 3. Drawing doesn't have to be perfect or anywhere close for the predicting to be accurate. 4. It is fun to see what images will be given to you. Each of these pros make me very excited about trying it out within the classroom.

AutoDraw can be used for a variety of things within the classroom. Here are a few ideas:

1. Brainstorm: Students can brainstorm ideas to write by drawing on the page and seeing what items are predicted. They can then write a story about these images.
2. Knowledge Dump: Students draw pictures to show what they know about a topic. 
3. Newsletters: Students could draw and write about a topic they are learning about in school. 
4. Story Elements: Students can draw pictures of elements within a story they are reading. 
5. Field Trip Reflection: Students can draw and write about what they learned while attending a field trip. 

These are just a few ideas of how to use this awesome tool within the classroom. AutoDraw is an easy tool to use, and would be easy to implement within the classroom. Let me know what ideas you have for using this tool within your classroom. 

Computer Based Interventions: Lexia

At my school, we use Lexia Core5 as a reading intervention. The program was adopted 2 years ago to help build students' reading skills. This program was selected because it was closely tied to the Big 5 introduced within the Bellarmine Literacy Project. There are both pros and cons to using this program. I will give you a brief overview of the program followed by my pros and cons below.

Reading: Lexia Core5

Lexia is a program that provides differentiated literacy instruction for all students grades kindergarten through fifth grade. Students take a placement test before beginning the program. The assessment lasts around 40 minutes to an hour. After the assessment is complete, students are placed within the appropriate level of learning. This may not be grade level work depending on the abilities of students. There are 6 targeted areas of instruction: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Structural Analysis, Automaticity/Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. Within each of these areas, students are provided game-like activities that engage them in practicing the skills.  Student progress is closely monitored, and teachers can access up to date assessment data on a daily basis. Lexia offers a variety of graphs and charts that make tracking student progress pretty easy.

Pros: 

• easy to access through the web or app
• students practice skills in a game like environment
• provide students with reteaching when needed
• notifies teachers with a red apple on the screen when students are struggling after a couple reteachings; provides teachers with lessons to use to build the needed skill in students
• give students information on their progress toward complete target areas, units earned, and time spent on Lexia
• Lexia provides skill building handouts for students to use after completing the target areas for further practice
• data can be used for progress monitoring

                                                                                    Cons:

• teachers can't control the content offered to students
• content doesn't always align with grade level standards
• students grow bored and tend to lose care and attention
• teachers need training on how to use the program effectively with students

Overall, I would say that Lexia has benefitted our students. They often reference things they have learned on Lexia when they are being taught in class. It provides all students, including those struggling and advanced with instruction at their levels. However, I do wish there was more teacher control over content. By having more control over content, I could better align it with the standards being taught within the classroom. 

Program Compatibility

Before the age of Google Suite, there was Microsoft Office. Just like me, many teacher have save documents in Microsoft Office, and struggle to use them within Google. Eric Curts, ControlAltAchieve, explains three ways to make Google Suite compatible with Microsoft Office in his blog, 3 Ways Google Drive and MS Office Can Live Together in Harmony. Each of these options seem like easy ways for teachers to use the old and the new within their classroom with engage students in learning. I'm going to tell you about 2 of the easier options to use.

Option 1: Convert Microsoft Office Files into the Google Format

• After adding the Microsoft office file to your Google Drive. You can right-click, select with with, Google Docs (or the other file type you may be looking for)
• This is an easy way to convert your older documents into Google Documents. However, it can be challenging as Curts points out because not all of the formatting will transfer to the Google Document created. 
• I have used this easy conversion in the past, but did experience these formatting complications. This complications can be fixed fairly quickly if you are familiar with the formatting options of Google. 

Option 2: Do Light Editing of the Office Files with the Office Editing Extension

• After downloading the "Office Editing for Docs, Sheets & Slides", you can use this Google Extension with Google Drive. 
• By double clicking on the file, a light web-based version of Microsoft Office will open and allow you to make your edits. Updates will be save to your drive upon saving. 
• When converting to Google Formats after downloading this extension, you must click file within the Microsoft Office extension and select save as a Google Doc. 
• I have not used this type of converting, but it seems simple. However, I'm not sure if being in a Microsoft Office file is better or worse than a Google Format. I would consider converting with option 1, the better option. 

Hopefully these tools will make your life a little bit easier with using Google Drive in the classroom.