Flipped Instruction Video
K12 Online Conference
Pre-conference Keynote: Launching Learning by Kevin Honeycutt
In this video, Kevin discusses how teachers must use student's natural interests to create engagement in the classroom. Some students are interested in dinosaurs, trains, planes, or construction. Kevin's interests were in the space center. As a result Kevin asked his students to become "experts in their field." He encourages teachers to introduce students to experts, use Skype, and other technology to further instruction.
In my classroom, I have several students who are already interested in wars and battles. While teaching the American Revolutionary War, I've asked these students to do further research and present on their findings to the class. One boy was given the research topic of the Battle of Bunker Hill. He shared all his knowledge and created a chart with his findings. This improved his math and critical thinking skills. Many of my students are also already interested in internet communication. As a result, I have introduced Kid Blog to encourage students to share their ideas in a safe forum.
Speak Up! Transforming Classroom Discussions by Robert Appino
Blogging with Little People by Bess Altman and Terra Bodkins
In the first video, Robert Appino explained that virtual discussions allow for better participation and more on topic discussion from introverts. The argument is that shy students who are hesitant to speak up in real life classrooms are now being given a voice. Teachers can use this information and create a virtual space for students to voice their ideas and participate in a positive way. At the end of the video, Appino gave several ways to implement class blogs and discussion,
In the second video, Altman and Bodkins discuss how blogging is a great way to connect student learning to an authentic audience. It also provides a great way to receive feedback and review peer work. Alman and Bodkins also mention how students can upload their work in class and also add voices to videos. They end the video by explaining how to be safe and talk to parents about blogging online.
Knowing this information, I have already introduced Kid Blog in my room. It is incredible to read the thoughts of some of my students who are hesitant to speak up in class. In my room, discussions are primarily dominated by several individuals. In a virtual world, everyone is given in equal chance. While Appino didn't say to replace conversations with virtual forums, I also believe that incorporating virtual space into a classroom is an excellent idea. I would enjoy uploading voices to our Kid Blog, similar to Altman and Bodkins post.
A Story + A Green Wall = 1 Amazing Transformed Digital Story... by Katie Ann Wilson
In this video, Wilson discusses how to create a digital story using iMovie. She discusses how its wise to place illustrations in iPhoto. Have students write out their story and practice telling it to others in the class. The more students practice, the better. The green screen is an interesting idea because I do have the space to create a green screen at my school. I would love to teach my students to use this feature in the future.
I was interested in watching this video because I am currently trying to have my 5th graders create a digital story through iMovie. To do this, they have created a script from a biography of a famous person. My students are currently in the process of creating photos to illustrate the narration. My next step will be to import the photos and record student voices. I'm excited to see the ending product!
Making and Sharing Fugleflicks by Tricia Fuglestad
Fugleflicks are student-created teaching resources that teach art concepts. Fuglestad recommends sending out a permission slip to a small group of students. Next, a storyboard should be created -- typically in the form of a music video. Fuglestad uses the remaining of the video to share her video-making process. The video shows students creating story boards, singing into a microphone, and displayed in a fun music video. It looks like tough work!
Ultimately, I don't foresee myself being able to replicate a video like Tricia Fuglestad. I don't have the knowledge or equipment of doing this. I'd love to be trained on this type of thing, but it looks incredibly difficult and time-consuming! Regardless, what a fun video conference to watch!
In this video, Kevin discusses how teachers must use student's natural interests to create engagement in the classroom. Some students are interested in dinosaurs, trains, planes, or construction. Kevin's interests were in the space center. As a result Kevin asked his students to become "experts in their field." He encourages teachers to introduce students to experts, use Skype, and other technology to further instruction.
In my classroom, I have several students who are already interested in wars and battles. While teaching the American Revolutionary War, I've asked these students to do further research and present on their findings to the class. One boy was given the research topic of the Battle of Bunker Hill. He shared all his knowledge and created a chart with his findings. This improved his math and critical thinking skills. Many of my students are also already interested in internet communication. As a result, I have introduced Kid Blog to encourage students to share their ideas in a safe forum.
Speak Up! Transforming Classroom Discussions by Robert Appino
Blogging with Little People by Bess Altman and Terra Bodkins
In the first video, Robert Appino explained that virtual discussions allow for better participation and more on topic discussion from introverts. The argument is that shy students who are hesitant to speak up in real life classrooms are now being given a voice. Teachers can use this information and create a virtual space for students to voice their ideas and participate in a positive way. At the end of the video, Appino gave several ways to implement class blogs and discussion,
In the second video, Altman and Bodkins discuss how blogging is a great way to connect student learning to an authentic audience. It also provides a great way to receive feedback and review peer work. Alman and Bodkins also mention how students can upload their work in class and also add voices to videos. They end the video by explaining how to be safe and talk to parents about blogging online.
Knowing this information, I have already introduced Kid Blog in my room. It is incredible to read the thoughts of some of my students who are hesitant to speak up in class. In my room, discussions are primarily dominated by several individuals. In a virtual world, everyone is given in equal chance. While Appino didn't say to replace conversations with virtual forums, I also believe that incorporating virtual space into a classroom is an excellent idea. I would enjoy uploading voices to our Kid Blog, similar to Altman and Bodkins post.
A Story + A Green Wall = 1 Amazing Transformed Digital Story... by Katie Ann Wilson
In this video, Wilson discusses how to create a digital story using iMovie. She discusses how its wise to place illustrations in iPhoto. Have students write out their story and practice telling it to others in the class. The more students practice, the better. The green screen is an interesting idea because I do have the space to create a green screen at my school. I would love to teach my students to use this feature in the future.
I was interested in watching this video because I am currently trying to have my 5th graders create a digital story through iMovie. To do this, they have created a script from a biography of a famous person. My students are currently in the process of creating photos to illustrate the narration. My next step will be to import the photos and record student voices. I'm excited to see the ending product!
Making and Sharing Fugleflicks by Tricia Fuglestad
Fugleflicks are student-created teaching resources that teach art concepts. Fuglestad recommends sending out a permission slip to a small group of students. Next, a storyboard should be created -- typically in the form of a music video. Fuglestad uses the remaining of the video to share her video-making process. The video shows students creating story boards, singing into a microphone, and displayed in a fun music video. It looks like tough work!
Ultimately, I don't foresee myself being able to replicate a video like Tricia Fuglestad. I don't have the knowledge or equipment of doing this. I'd love to be trained on this type of thing, but it looks incredibly difficult and time-consuming! Regardless, what a fun video conference to watch!
Professional Development
Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to teach a professional development class at Granite Elementary. I chose to teach my fellow colleagues how to use the iPad app, Nearpod. This app has been a very helpful engaging tool in my room, and I thought that other teachers might appreciate a tutorial on how to use it in their own classrooms.
Before teaching my professional development class, I created an outline on my lesson. I planned to use the first 3 minutes to share the benefits of how this app has been useful in my class. I hoped that starting my class this way would create interest and motivation for learning the tool. I then taught a brief 15-minute lesson on idioms, using the Nearpod app. My colleagues were the students, and they logged in and completed the assignment similar to how I used the app with my own class. Once this was finished, I had my colleagues create a username and password. The last 15-20 minutes of class was used helping my colleagues use the app from the teacher standpoint. The following is my brief outline:
1-3 min - Engagement: Explain the benefits of Nearpod. Share success stories.
10 min- Role of the Student: Teach the lesson Idioms and have teachers be the role of a student
15 min- Nearpod for the Teacher: Start a Nearpod lesson and navigate through the lesson as a teacher.
1-3 min - Closing: Share student reactions. Restate purpose of Nearpod.
The training went quite well. Many teachers were impressed by the capabilities of the app. Most enjoyed the variety of assessment questions and the ability to teach at your own pace. The student portion of the training went very well. The teacher's enjoyed playing with the app and submitting their answers to various questions.
There were a couple items in the "teaching" portion that could have gone better. First of all, there were different tech savvy levels among the teachers. While some needed very little instruction, others required more explicit explanations. To solve this, I spent more time with those who required more help and let the others play with the app themselves. Second, this portion lasted longer than I anticipated. Teachers needed help with their passwords, linking their computer to the iPad, and switching among different display options. In conclusion, this type of professional development would be much more helpful to a smaller group of similar-skilled individuals.
My ed tech, PJ Giles, told me that she was engaged throughout the whole lesson. She wasn't familiar with the app and consequently told me that she thought it was a fun and beneficial app for teachers to learn. PJ told me that I was enthusiastic and taught at a proper pace. My materials were helpful for teachers to review if they were to go back to their classrooms and play around with the app.
One piece of advice PJ had was to have a stronger introduction. She and I concluded that allowing my colleagues to take the role of a student in this lesson was probably the most engaging portion because they could see first-hand how "fun" the app was. My debrief with PJ was very useful because she gave me constructive criticism that I"ll remember for future lessons.
Before teaching my professional development class, I created an outline on my lesson. I planned to use the first 3 minutes to share the benefits of how this app has been useful in my class. I hoped that starting my class this way would create interest and motivation for learning the tool. I then taught a brief 15-minute lesson on idioms, using the Nearpod app. My colleagues were the students, and they logged in and completed the assignment similar to how I used the app with my own class. Once this was finished, I had my colleagues create a username and password. The last 15-20 minutes of class was used helping my colleagues use the app from the teacher standpoint. The following is my brief outline:
1-3 min - Engagement: Explain the benefits of Nearpod. Share success stories.
10 min- Role of the Student: Teach the lesson Idioms and have teachers be the role of a student
15 min- Nearpod for the Teacher: Start a Nearpod lesson and navigate through the lesson as a teacher.
1-3 min - Closing: Share student reactions. Restate purpose of Nearpod.
The training went quite well. Many teachers were impressed by the capabilities of the app. Most enjoyed the variety of assessment questions and the ability to teach at your own pace. The student portion of the training went very well. The teacher's enjoyed playing with the app and submitting their answers to various questions.
There were a couple items in the "teaching" portion that could have gone better. First of all, there were different tech savvy levels among the teachers. While some needed very little instruction, others required more explicit explanations. To solve this, I spent more time with those who required more help and let the others play with the app themselves. Second, this portion lasted longer than I anticipated. Teachers needed help with their passwords, linking their computer to the iPad, and switching among different display options. In conclusion, this type of professional development would be much more helpful to a smaller group of similar-skilled individuals.
My ed tech, PJ Giles, told me that she was engaged throughout the whole lesson. She wasn't familiar with the app and consequently told me that she thought it was a fun and beneficial app for teachers to learn. PJ told me that I was enthusiastic and taught at a proper pace. My materials were helpful for teachers to review if they were to go back to their classrooms and play around with the app.
One piece of advice PJ had was to have a stronger introduction. She and I concluded that allowing my colleagues to take the role of a student in this lesson was probably the most engaging portion because they could see first-hand how "fun" the app was. My debrief with PJ was very useful because she gave me constructive criticism that I"ll remember for future lessons.