Lip Dub: Collaborating World Wide

As some of you know, I've been participating in an online course, the Educational Technology Massive Open Online Course (known as ETMOOC). There are thousands of people in the course. We get a chance to participate in various ways, and we can select how and when we want to participate. One recent project was a Lip Dub, and I am sharing the final video to illustrate how people from around the world can collaborate online. Let me know what you think. Enjoy.

Do You Want to Share a Pinterest Board?

Sharing is caring, so if you have a Pinterest account where you have created boards with resources for learning, would you consider letting us know? Just post the URL in the comment section.

While reading through blog post responses, I came across a link to an excellent board with resources for teaching in the lower elementary grades. Here is a screen capture of that board.

It seems many of you already have a Pinterest account, and as teachers, let's assume you have considered pinning school resources.

Although I am  an avid Diigo fan, I also use Pinterest. I am also posting a link to my account. This account is used only for educational resources. I hope you find something there that you can use.

Click on the image to get to my boards. Happy pinning! If you don't use Pinterest, perhaps you can share why. And if you do, remember, sharing is caring. Post what you generously want to share in the comments by copying and pasting the URL for pertinent boards.  Thanks again.

Blogging in the Elementary School Classroom

I found a link to this great YouTube video on "Blogging in the Elementary Classroom" while reading Lesley's blog, Teaching in Heels, and just had to share it. I appreciate that Lesley posted this video. Check her blog for other valuable resources.

The video captures teachers and students speaking about the value of blogging. I like that the teachers also address how blogging promotes literacy skills. After all, we should be first figuring out our goals and not just implementing tech for the sake of tech. The real goal is to expand students' literacy skills.

Let me know if this video gives you ideas for expanding students' literacy skills. For those who teach young learners, who might be too young to blog, does the video give you other ideas for how you might promote students' engagement in the literacy process in other ways?

Additionally, today a principal I follow on Twitter put up a link to blog post that Karen Lirenman wrote in which she embedded a video about how she uses blogging in her first grade classroom: "Blogging in Grade One". Karen's blog, Sharing and Learning with Ms. Lirenman, is an excellent one to follow. I am embedding the video she posted here.

After viewing her video, share what ideas you gained from her presentation. As always, comments are welcomed. How are you feeling about blogging as a professional, as a teacher, or with students? What advantages are you seeing in students blogging?

Fun Way to Teach Spelling

Today when I was on Twitter, I came across a tweet from a Canadian school principal whom I follow that tweeted this:

I was curious about why George sent out this tweet, so clicked on the hyperlink in his tweet, and found this image, which I captured and annotated using the Awesome Screen Capture and Annotate feature I have attached to my toolbar. Take a look at what these 2nd graders are doing with the tweets of the NFL football players.

I retweeted George's tweet, and one of my followers, a college English professor, was concerned that the exercise might reinforce stereotypes about football players.

I tweeted back that this activity could be used in the classroom with tweets from others on Twitter.

In addition to building spelling skills, this activity can also build proofreading skills, and it might encourage students to proofread their writing, especially when it will go online. Now, I know we encourage young learners to use invented spelling to get their ideas "on paper," but still the misspellings these 2nd graders noted are easy enough for the average student that age to find.

What is your opinion on this teaching strategy? How do you encourage the development of spelling skills in your own teaching?

Now, if I have misspelled anything in this post, please feel free to so note it, and to use my post as a learning activity in your own classroom. 

Little Kids, Big Potential

In browsing through blogs this week, I found a link to this video in Abbey Menard's blog post, "Whoa." I clicked on the link and recognized the name of the teacher, Mrs. Cassidy, who posted the video to YouTube in 2010. It's amazing to see what these students were doing back in 2010, not that long ago, but at a time, when many teachers were barely having their students blog, use wikis, or try Skypes.

Granted Mrs. Cassidy has considerable experience with the tech tools and has them in her classroom for students to use, but most of all, the message is that these students are communicating and learning in new ways. View the video, and take a few minutes to leave your reaction.

Thanks to Abbey for posting the link to the video. Visit her blog for other information. Busy as a Bee.

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Coincidentally, just today a tweet came across my Twitter feed that linked to a recent blog post Mrs. Cassidy wrote on the Innovative Educator blog, 5 Rewards of Teaching Young Students to Blog. If you're not convinced about the power and potential of teaching young learners to blog, you might check the post. Perhaps you agree with some points and disagree with others. After checking her blog post, 5 Rewards of Teaching Young Students to Blog, let us know your thoughts. Do you see rewards in teaching young students to blog? What issues do you see in young students blogging?

The Way We Think

Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat, and Al Gore, author of numerous books and a former Vice President, both offer commentaries on how the technology revolution is changing the way we think, operate, and educate. Take some time to read these recent pieces by both that appeared in the popular press, and leave a reply.

Thomas Friedman, editorial, New York Times,

OP-ED COLUMNIST

It’s P.Q. and C.Q. as Much as I.Q.

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Published: January 29, 2013 340 Comments

Al Gore, article in Atlantic:

Al Gore on How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think

Connecting Classes

Looking to connect your students with other students through blogging. If you teach grades 1 and higher, you should check this blog to make connections: The Comments4Kids.

Even if your students are not blogging, they can still comment on other students' blogs. The Comments4Kids blog posts information about classes who are looking for others to write replies to blog posts.

The Comments4Kids would also be a good blog to follow in your Google Reader. William Chamberlain, a middle school teacher, maintains the blog and updates it often.

Seeking Websites and Apps to Integrate Into Your Classroom

Check Jacqui Murray's resource pages for websites and apps. Click on the images below to access each of these. Let us know what websites or apps you find that you believe other teachers should know about. Let us know if you're using any of the recommended sites or apps. Which might you consider for the future? Note these resources are primarily for grades K-6, but some are applicable to other grades.

Great Websites

Great Apps

Crash Course: YouTube Channel--How Students Study Today

Yes, students use YouTube to help them study for school. CrashCourse offers some excellent and entertaining videos for students to brush up on what they're studying in English, social studies, and science classes. Check this list below of subject areas and the number of videos presently in each category.

Even if you don't teach high school, you should be aware that high school and even middle school students are going to sites such as CrashCourse and other sites to review for school.

I am posting three examples from CrashCourse to give you an idea of how the videos work and their quality. I have sent some high school students to CrashCourse, and they reported the site was helpful.

Here are two for English classes: one on Emily Dickinson and one on Catcher in the Rye:

Here's one for social studies:

Check CrashCourse to see the collections of videos available. How do you feel about students using sites such as CrashCourse? Would you send your students to such a site? Should you as a teacher be aware of the kinds of videos available online to help students study? Do you provide a list of videos for your students to review at home?

Get Going with KidBlog

Looking for some additional information on using KidBlog. The first video takes you through a teacher's and student's explanation of the why's and how's of KidBlog, and the second video is a quick overview of how to get started with KidBlog. Let me know if these videos are helpful to you. Post a comment.

The Voice of the Active Learner

Scott, Boylen, the teacher whom two of the sections of Integrating Technology and Literacy hooked up with for the KidBlog exchange, posted this video on Twitter. Thought I would share it with you. Am interested in your reaction to it. The connections with Scott's classes will continue, but now the Manchester Cohort will also (maybe?) set up their own KidBlogs for the students in Iowa to write responses.

Okay, those in the cohorts, what do you think would make a good topic to use for the Manchester Cohort students to use for their first post on KidBlog?

So, here's the video Scott shared. How do you think his 7th and 8th graders will react?

Impending Snow Day

In hopes of a snow day, this group of students produced this video.  The video was shown at a conference I attended Saturday (virtually--I was in Connecticut--the conference was in Philly.)

What's your response to the video? Speaking of multi-literacies, note the communication skills these students use.

Other videos from the conference were archived at this site, including one featuring Will Richardson, author of Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom. 

EduCon 2.5 Videos

There's two by Richardson at the link, one he delivered last June at the International Society for Technology and Education (ISTE) and one he delivered at this weekend's conference in Philly, "Why School?" Hold on to these two in the event we do, indeed, have a snow day (well snow night):

ISTE Presentation:

This second one is a full recording of a live presentation that went for an hour, so definitely good for saving when you have the time. The beginning is a bit scratchy as equipment is getting set up, and remember this is a live recording of a presentation as it was happening.