Connected Educator Month

Dear Friends,

Did you know that October is Connected Educator Month? You can join in Chat sessions, Twitter Chats, Webinars, and Book Clubs with the authors!  How cool is that?!

Earlier this week, while doing my daily reading of emails, I read about Connected Educator month in three separate emails.  I took that as a sign... three is the magic number right?  I had a faint memory of hearing something about it from last year and I had also bought a digital book by Kathy Cassidy entitled Connected From The Start, which I had recently started reading again.



So, I clicked on a link or two and ended up participating in a Webinar... not easy to do with a time difference of 11 hours!  It was 6 am here in Thailand and I was catching the 7pm webinar Kick-off Panel on Personal Learning.  At 6:00 am, I just really want to hit the snooze, not join a webinar.  But I beat the battle of the bed and got up to the sound of a very strong rain.

Now normally, one doesn't connect not being able to do a Webinar with the weather, I mean, you don't need even to leave your house. However, if you live internationally, you just might know where I am going with this... Yes, when it rains here, it is likely the internet will go down. Sure enough, I had no signal. None.  The phone actually said, "No Service".  It didn't even try to connect.  I said oh well and jumped in the shower.  Checking my iPhone when I got out of the internet had connected enough to let me through.  Half dressed, I laid in bed and listened in to experts, including the author of the book I mentioned above, Kathy Cassidy.  Not long after, my two young children awoke and came running into the bedroom to see what I was doing.  They were fascinated that people were talking but there were no pictures.  So, this is PD in the 21st Century... learning in my own home, in laying in bed, before school with my kids by my side - not bad, eh?

So, I was able to listen in as I fed my kiddos, exercised and progressed through my normal Thursday morning routine.  It was amazing to be connected and listening to people I admire and follow on Twitter. The biggest Webinar take-aways were to create a 'culture of learning' in your school, with your staff, and with your students... and the idea of sharing a 'lifestyle of learning' with my class.  One speaker mentioned the idea of creating a bulletin board that is dedicated to sharing the teachers learning.  I think I'll do that.  The thing I related to most was the concept that that in education we need to make it safe for teachers to take risks! 

The Webinar, led me to look further into Connected Educator month... and that is when I found edConnectr, a social media site for teachers that has a bit of an eHarmony (the dating website) feel to it.  It collects your interests, your roles/expertise, what you can help with and what you'd like to be able to help with.  Very cool.  So, I joined up and found out there were book clubs starting each week of the month.  Book Clubs with the authors!  I hope some of you will check it out and join as well.  I signed up for just two - as it is a bit unrealistic for me to be able to read 4 books at one time in a month.  The book clubs I chose are reading The Connected Educator by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Teacherprenuers by Berry, Byrd, and Wieder.



Here are some resources for you to check out:

edConnectr - the Educator's E-Harmony

 

 

 

 

 

Tutorials for edConnectr

Webinar Archives for CEM 12

Kickoff Panel- Personalize Learning Webinar Recording 

 

#CEM13 

Dot Day - What I am learning

Hi Friends,

Have you read or seen the book, The Dot, yet?  Do you know about Dot Day?  Are you participating? Well, as I mentioned in a previous post I am participating in International Dot Day and am loving being involved with creative educators and students around the world!  You still have a chance to sign up and get involved.  International Dot Day is starting Sunday click here for details.

After a successful 'Skype In The Classroom' call to celebrate Dot Day with Christine Gillion's Grade 2 students in Australia, I have learned a few things that help make a Skype in the classroom call successful.  Here they are:

Getting Connected..
1. Test your skype connection before the official connection (Swap contact details, search for the other person, then add them to your account.  Then they will have to accept your invitaiton. )
2. Decide who will call who and make sure that you have your time zones correct
3. Decide what to do if you get disconnected (How long will you wait?)

Discuss with the other teacher

1. How long do we want the connection to last?  (ie Let's connect for 20 minutes)

2. Will we talk "class to class" or "student to student"?

3. Will one class share and then the other? Or will you take turns?

4. What will the kids talk about?  Ask Questions?  Give information?

Kids get very silly when presented with talking to other students online.  (Or at least my students do!)
They know you are focused on the logistics and your attention is no longer on them so...

Prepare your kids (So important, eh?)
1. Prepare the students for the behavior that you expect as a speaker and as a listener
2. Teach them how to be independent and call the next student up to speak
3. Do a run through of how you would like it to go (ie practice!)

During the Skype -
1. Take photos of your students
2. Share the photos with the other school

After your Skype - 
1. Have your students reflect on their communication skills and behavior

If you are in an IB School this is a perfect time for students to apply their communication skills and show their international mindedness.

I'll share more as I go along on this skyping/Dot Day Journey.

Cheers,

Cleaning Up/Tidying up Songs...

Hi Friends,

One thing you would notice if you were a fly on the wall, in my classroom, is that I use songs to teach just about everything.  We are always singing.  I have songs for routines,  songs for transitions, songs for reading strategies, songs for everything.

Some songs are ones that I have acquired over the years, from who-knows-where,  that I sing Acappela. (Not too nice on the ears of adults, however kids are much more accepting!)

Recently though, I have  fallen in love with Youtube for teacher songs.  I no longer need to sing in my tone-deaf voice, I just click play and listen/watch! (Of course, I like to sing-along too!)

Here are a few of my favorites for cleaning up... It is so much more fun to put on music and watch the kids get to work.  Your kids will be experts at tidying up and you'll be stress free.

Tip: show the video first and ask the students to come up with the expectations for what it will look like and sound like in the classroom.  Otherwise, your kiddos will just want to dance or try to see the video on your computer!

Songs are also great for cementing in concepts.  I love to start my units of inquiry, math inquiries, or any inquiry with a song as a provocation... I'll share more of those soon.

Favorite Educational Tune-sters:
Harry Kindergarten 
Dr. Jean  
Jack Hartmann

For Reading Strategies chants and songs, check out Reading Power!

Our class song for this year is ... Will.i.am's What I am!  I just love it.

We may just re-write the song a bit to include the IB PYP Learner Profiles...

Do you use songs in the classroom?  I'd love to hear how, comment below.  

International Dot Day

Hi all,

Have you heard of International Dot Day?  I never had, but it sounded cool, and when I watched the video of the book, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, I  just had to participate.  The theme is creativity, encouragement, and the power of a teacher.

So, I have listed all the links here for you to be able to participate in International Dot Day, which is taking place September 15 (and beyond).   Students and Teachers around the world will be connecting based on the theme - "make your mark and see where it takes you". 

Let me know if you would like to connect with Grade 2's in Thailand!  Just leave me a comment below or contact me on twitter @ innovatecreater.

Here is the main website...
http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/

Watch this video of the book
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5mGeR4AQdM

Here is Skype In The Classroom link
https://education.skype.com/projects/5776-international-dot-day-2013

Here is the Google Doc you can use to sign up and find classes to connect with

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yvBmah-o0JBXgk_ojCMH2SaajThmc4l4MLHMkicg2Os/edit

Here is the link to the International Dot Day Teacher Handbook

http://www.fablevisionlearning.com/pdfs/fablevision_dot_day_handbook.pdf

The Twitter Hastag is

#DotDay

Here is a link to an International Dot Day Connection Sheet I will be using to keep track of our connections.

International Dot Day Connection Sheet

I'd love to hear your comments!






Cheers,

bloglovin'

Dear Friends,

Need a google reader replacement?  bloglovin' is one option that I am checking out after seeing it on Tori's Teacher Tips' Linky Party.  Check it out!


<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5799377/?claim=r7xmtqj9err">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

http://toristeachertips.blogspot.com/2013/06/bloglovin-blog-hop-linky-party.html

Optimum Organization

Dear Friends,

Optimum Organization

Do you love to organize your classroom?  Or hate it?  Or maybe it's a love-hate relationship?  Have you ever noticed that your students behavior is better when your room is more organized and less cluttered?  Is organizing always on your to-do list?   To get some great ideas, I am reading all the great links and linking up with Kristen and Elizabeth for the Optimum Organization Linky party.

My contribution is probably well known and well used - color coding and student numbers.  I know other people have blogged about numbering students, I do it as well and it works wonders for organizing student assessment and files.

This is my anecdotal records system.  The note cards are taped to a front cover of a recycled three-ring binder, bound with book tape along the sides.  Each card is numbered for a student.  I have one of these for each subject I teach.  I know everything should be trans-disciplinary, but our report cards are still organized by subject, so my assessment is as well.  

Yellow - Reading

Red - Writing/Spelling

Pink - Art

Blue - Math

Green - Units of Inquiry

Light Green - Personal and Social Education

Each Area of my classroom has the color coded sign. 

  

Then for a quick visual in my planbook, each block of time is color coded.  (Purple corresponds to all specialists classes) 

 The supply, book and math bins in each section are also color coded. 

 

These color-coded sticky notes help me to organize and label all the paper work in my student files. 

 

Above you can see some of the formative and summative assessment papers, including a Daily Reflection Sheet.  Notice all the work of a subject is clipped together and labeled with a color coded sticky note.  You can see the files below are numbered.  Using numbers means you don't have to be changing the labels each year.

Do you use color-coding or number systems?  I would love to hear your comments.  

Cheers,

How We Organize Ourselves - Effective Group Work

Hi Friends,

Do you use cooperative groupings in your class?  Most of us do, don't we?  We have groups for The Daily Five, Math Workshop groups, or research groups.  For today's, learner's socially constructed learning is a reality and a necessity, right?

Well, one of my  How We Organize Ourselves Unit of Inquiry (A transdisciplinary unit) focused on the central idea 'Groups are organized in order to achieve a common goal'.  The most interesting line of inquiry for my students was:  'An inquiry into the different roles people can have in groups'.   During this unit, my students inquired into what makes group work effective and how could the ro'les people have help the group to succeed.

The teacher questions and the concepts included:

• What is a group? (form)
• Can you name a common goal of that group?  
• What types of roles do people play in groups? (function)
• What is leadership? (form)  
• Why is leadership important in achieving a common goal?  (function)
• What is needed for a group to work together well?  (perspective)

I had really loved doing this unit last year and was excited to see where the students would take it this year.  My previous class and I co-created a rubric for effective teamwork (free download) as a part of their summative assessment.  

 

 Looking to innovate
This year, my students used this rubric to evaluate their own group work.  The new students thought it was really cool to use a rubric created by last year's class.  Somehow the fact that other students had helped to create it, gave it more importance.  Anyway, they were very honest.  Through this reflection, they found out that it was common for at least one group member to not fully take part in the group and therefore not every group was successful in achieving their goal as a result.  After this realization, there was definitely more awareness, but not a quick or easy solution.  It was at this point when I entered into my own inquiry into how I, as the classroom teacher, could help the students be more successful in their cooperative learning groups. 

What I created
Why don't the students fully participate?  A frequent answer was that students just forget what they were supposed to be doing.  So, to help the students be successful, I thought I would to add a manipulative that could serve as a reminder.  Maybe its not the most creative solution.  However, my kids love to have things to hold.  If I can turn an activity into one that is hands-on or add in a manipulative, it is oh, so much more engaging to my kiddos. (Ask me about boo-boo tape and revision!)

To this end, I am pleased to report that I have just created my first paid product for TpT and Teacher's Notebook.  I designed role cards that could be used for a variety of groupings:  Leader, Writer, Fact Finder, and Speaker for example. I also added Literature Circle roles and beat the calculator cards.  There are twenty-one role cards and two different versions of each.  Check them out.

 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Role-Cards-for-Cooperative-Group-Work

Can you relate?
How do you handle cooperative groupings?  Do you have good strategies for getting all your students to participate in group work equally?  Do you use role cards? Do you find it helps?

I would love to hear about the successes and challenges you have in your class.  Leave me a comment below and let's chat.


Thanks for reading and commenting!