SPRING II WEEK SIX DISCUSSION (DIS 01 & 02)

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Emily June Hughes on April 19, 2014 at 2:21pm

I love the topic that you chose!  I always love to minimize the time that I have to work outside of school.  Sometimes I feel grading consumes our lives.  I just started to attempt to have the students take quiz through Google Docs.  I also like quizlet and then having the students show you their grade after they have completed the test.  The quizlet method does take more monitoring but it is worth it and then the students see where they make the mistakes right then.

Permalink Reply by adfasedf asdfadsfa on April 20, 2014 at 8:07pm

Your selection is very attractive to overwhelmed teachers! Although teachers should try to use technology to promote meaningful learning in the classroom, it would be insane if we didn't also embrace technological conveniences. The less time we have to spend on grading quick comprehension checks or other housekeeping duties means that we have more time to devote to our students. Personally, I love using Google Drive to create quizzes that can be easily graded with a third party script called flubaroo. Recently, I presented Google Drive/Flubaroo at our district's tech conference, and although it requires a large time commitment up front, our ELA teacher swears by it now and is currently working on digitizing all her Romeo and Juliet quizzes. The great thing about Google Drive/Flubaroo is that it can give students immediate feedback through email. Additionally, linking Google Forms to classroom websites gives students access to educational resources outside of school.

Permalink Reply by Megan Rice on April 25, 2014 at 6:14pm

Hi Samantha,

I was initially driven to your post as what teacher wouldn't like to find ways to save time.  I think one of the biggest hardships teachers have is the lack of time... between planning, grading, contacting students and parents, and reaching administrators, our time is spent.  That doesn't even include trying to find innovated ways to teach or differentiating instruction!

When I viewed the article you read, I like how it actually separated the problem and the solutions they offer, even some things that are out of our control, like slow computers.  There were a few that really resonated with me... contacting parents and really utilized social media to reach them, grading (as you mentioned), and the drowning in emails.  I like the way the mention closing the email down and only focusing on it when you actually have time, not all day every day.  And also that's it is okay and even appropriate to be brief.  Those are two key points I need to remember.

Anyway, this was a great post and a great read, thanks for sharing!

Permalink Reply by Mary Tippett on April 26, 2014 at 7:05am

Samantha,

Great choice of article for your post! I really feel that sometimes my biggest career goal as a teacher is to save as much time as possible in order to go home at night/for the weekend, and not need to worry about doing things for school! Oh the dream! :)

I totally agree with the first tip, creating a student-centered and self-directed classroom. That is my biggest goal for my students. The short 45 minutes I have with them is used so much better when they can get up, get the materials that they want to use, and be responsible for using them and putting them away. It makes my day SO much easier and makes the class itself much more relaxed. No hectic 5 minute cleanup and students rushing around.

I also really liked the tip that you discussed as well. Creating self-grading quizzes is actually a fantastic time saver! In my classroom I might even use Google Drive Forms to create self-assessment questions. Granted, they wouldn't be self-grading, but I could grade them wherever instead of lugging 3 or 4 classes worth of papers home!

Overall, awesome post and thank you for the link to that very resourceful article!

Permalink Reply by Deb Unruh Miller on April 17, 2014 at 2:49pm

I chose the article, "15 More Apps To Create Books on the iPad".  In this article, a list is given of the top iPad applications to encourage students to write and publish their own books.  What I thought was really beneficial about doing this, was that this would be very enticing to reluctant writers.  By offering them a new platform to do their writing, they might be more engaged and interested in writing and publishing.  There were many different apps that would appeal to students of all ages and academic levels.  This would be great for differentiating instruction.  Best of all, published books go to the iPad's bookshelf where they can be shared and read by peers.  A con to writing this way is that students do not get the fine motor practice that comes with using a pencil to paper.  However, as an added tool, I think this is a great idea for writing in the classroom.  I love the Teach Thought blog, and I will definitely keep my eye on this, as well as other educational blogs and online articles to help stay current with technological trends.  In short, I will use technology to keep up with technology!  You can link to the article here:  http://www.teachthought.com/apps-2/15-literacy-apps-to-create-books...

Permalink Reply by Tom DeMatteis on April 17, 2014 at 5:56pm

The apps for creating books with iPads sounds like it would be a good tool to use with high school students.  By that point the concern about fine motor practice should not be an issue.  It may be a good tool for increasing the students’ confidence and also a good one to use to increase writing in the classroom, as you said.  I also agree that sharing the books is a great way to encourage collaboration.  I’m going to make some of my colleagues who teach the higher phase upperclassmen aware of these tools.

Permalink Reply by Emily June Hughes on April 17, 2014 at 6:01pm

The article that you read seems really interesting.  I agree with your thought that creating a book on the iPad would definitely entice reluctant writers because then they could write and publish what they could get feedback.  It is also great that there are so many different apps available to allow the teachers to differentiate the instruction based on the student.  Great post!

Permalink Reply by Deb Unruh Miller on April 18, 2014 at 3:59pm

Great post Christina.  I agree that iPads are reliable and certainly much better than the netbooks that our district purchased for classes to use.  I really liked the wide variety of iPad app articles.  It's not always easy to know if apps are quality or not, and I have purchased more than my fair share of bad ones.  It's nice to get a "Top" list that lets you know where you can find the best of the best.

Permalink Reply by Eric Tsavdar on April 19, 2014 at 11:46am

Christina,

I accidentally chose the same article as you, and so consequently, had to go back and do another one!

In any case, this article initially caught my eye for the same reason it caught yours: I have some access to iPads at my school, I agree that they are far superior to the laptops, and the kids love them.

I really like your methodology for staying current on technology. It's easy to become overwhelmed by what's out there, so I think the smartest thing to do is to pick one that stands out to you and commit to it. It's probably better to be great at one or two things than just ok at several.

Permalink Reply by Emily June Hughes on April 21, 2014 at 12:55pm

Wow!  You are lucky that you are able to have access to iPads in your school!  Having your students be creative is a great way to engage them and to help them better retain what they are learning. I agree with your statement that iPads are more reliable than the cheap laptops schools tend to purchase. My school has the cheap laptops and they are always giving out on the students.  Either the internet will not connect, the students will not be allowed to log in for no reason, or the laptops will just fail to work.  I like how you plan to use ShadowPuppet, and Pintrest on the iPads.  Pintrest is something that I want to incorporate more into my classroom!  I haven't quite figured out how I would use it yet since I do not have a class set of laptops or computers and even if I go to the computer lab our computer lab only has 22 computers and I have 28 students in one of my class.  So, then I come to the dilemma that I would need to request both at once or try to figure out how to group my students in order to make the lesson work with the technology I have.   Great Post!!  It was extremely informative and gave me some great ideas!

Permalink Reply by Ashlynn Maloy on April 17, 2014 at 6:27pm

The article I chose to read was "20 ways to use Edmodo In The Classroom ". I chose this article because I am constantly looking for new tools as well as ideas to help "spice" up my lessons. The article has given twenty great ideas that can be incorporated into the classroom using Edmodo. Not only does this article include different ideas that could be used but it also included a small description of each lesson. The list of lessons that could be done through Edmodo could be easily adapted through many grades. The lessons could even be differentiated which is one thing I am consistently doing within my classroom. One con of the article is that I would not be able to adapt all of the ideas provided into a Kindergarten classroom. Where as in a classroom with older and independent students the students and teachers would greatly benefit from this tool.

A few of the lessons that I would love to adapt into my classroom would be student writing projects. I have a difficult time with having my students to write and explore their creativity. Therefore using a different tool with the students may encourage them to write more. Another aspect of Edmodo that I liked is that you are able to connect with parents and keep them update with what we are learning within the classroom, as well as keep them up to date with how they are doing within the classroom. Another great idea I loved would be using Edmodo on a mobile device. The example that was provided was to bring the devices on a field trip and have the students take pictures, upload them to Edmodo as well as create scavenger hunt polls and questions. Even though this would not be age appropriate for my Kindergarteners this would be a great idea for older students! The last great idea that was provided was incorporating project based learning through Edmodo. I will be able to keep up with the technology emerging trends by incorporating Edmodo and different activities that involve Edmodo into my classroom. This is a great article that provides many ideas I would highly recommend taking the time to read it!

Ashlynn Maloy

http://www.teachthought.com/technology/20-better-ways-to-use-edmodo...

Permalink Reply by Christine Smith on April 18, 2014 at 10:36am

Nice work Ashlynn.  Sounds like Edmodo can be incorporated in a lot of aspects of teaching.  I like that it's yet another way to communicate with students and parents.  I have friends who utilize this site in their classes.  I agree it is more applicable with older, more independent students.  It's not something I've taken the time to learn just yet.  Definitely a possibility for the future.

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