Final Destination...err, Presentation

Oh my goodness! What a task this was! I have worked so hard and hit so many snags while completing this project. I think I've got 2 dozen new gray hairs to prove it. I really, really wanted to use Prezi as my presentation tool. I spent hours and hours working on it, to no avail. I got myself so twisted up, I thought I would never find my way back out. So on to Plan B. My tried and true, albeit somewhat stale, PowerPoint to the rescue. With all the excitement of learning about all these cool new tools for teaching, I have to say I was mighty disappointed in myself and my technology skills. I promise that I will continue to work on my skill set. But, for now PowerPoint is my friend.


 


The following is my final project. I'm no Kardashian, but I'm trying to keep up.


Presentation Proposal


 
Title: Keeping Up With the Kids: Flipped Classroom Web Tools


 
Audience: Elementary Librarians


 
50 word description:


 
Keeping Up With the Kids: Flipped Classroom Web Tools is an educational overview of user-friendly, SOL aligned resources that will enhance teacher lessons and promote student engagement. In this session you will get an overview of Thinglink, Blendspace, Easel.ly, and Aurasma and ideas for using these tools.


 
http://www.slideshare.net/terisang/teaching-technology-51403715

Blogs to Follow

Each of the blogs that I explored this week have some wonderful features and a plethora of information. However, the blog that I am most impressed by is The Adventures of a Library Girl. Youcan clearly see how talented this librarian is and appreciate her creativity and wealth of knowledge. I just wish I could go to lunch with her one day and pick her brain to get some additional inspiration. She seems like a very lively person. It is easy to see why she has won the ALA, New York Times and Carnagie Corporation's "I Love My Librarian Award" and be named a Library Journal "Mover and Shaker." (bio/headshot:Jennifer LaGarde).

I also follow the blog The Library Voice. Author, Shannon Miller, is knowledgeable and creative. She also is a well-deserved, award-winning blogger. She provides unique and relevant ideas, activities, and links. Her blog is also visually pleasing with a white background and just the right amount of photos and graphics.

Staying Current

 There are just so many amazing websites and apps for teaching! How did I not know about these until now? My teaching habits are going to be receiving a major upgrade after this assignment. I simply cannot wait to begin using these tools in my lesson creations and student activities. I am fully embracing the makerspace philosophy and so many of the websites I have now discovered lend themselves perfectly to the implementation of makerspace in my classroom this year and in a school library in the future. These tools are wonderful sources to help foster students learning. As a teacher, it is crucial that my approach change from “the sage on the stage” to someone who is readily able to guide my students in the right direction to learn and grow at their own pace and interest level.

Gooru

This free Google educational search engine is a wonderful source of lessons. There are plenty of pre-made lessons to choose from in the content areas of science, math, social sciences, and language arts. There are lessons from kindergarten level to 12^th grade. You are free to choose from the shared lessons or you can create and share your own lessons. It allows students and parents the ability to access the materials and information at any time, provided they have internet access.

Engineering is Elementary

This website is an amazing tool for enhancing your STEM lessons and or your makerspace. There are classroom lessons for grades 1–5, engineering adventures for grades 3-5 and grades 6-8 for use in the classroom or for afterschool clubs. Parts of the lessons can be downloaded for free. But, in order to access the entire set of lessons for each unit the user must purchase them. For teachers just starting out in their implementation of STEM lessons or makerspaces, this is a wonderful source for getting the ball rolling and for getting students involved in creative thinking and problem solving.

Knowmia 

This is a free website and is also available as a free app. Students can easily type in the topic they are studying or interested in. It is a great tool for differentiating units of study as students from 4^th – 12^th grades can easily watch videos at their own level of understanding. Teachers have the option of creating and uploading their own lessons as well. The iPad app allows the teacher to create, design, import and edit images, add videos, imbed links, and record lessons for students and parents to access as needed.

Digital Storytelling Tools

This week has been all about learning the many options for presenting and sharing information. I have really enjoyed learning what is available. I am so used to simply using PowerPoint and Smartboard to create and present my lessons. Now, both of those tools seem so boring. I am excited to get started using more eye-catching, attention-grabbing lessons. The two tools that I enjoyed the most are Blendspace and Thinglink.

Blendspace

This web tool is a game-changer for me. It is so simple to use! I was able to create a lesson in about 10 minutes on my very first attempt. I love how this tool allows the user to add pictures from your personal photos or Flicker images, videos, documents from your Google Drive or Dropbox, webpages, and more. Each lesson starts off with six boxes that you simply add whatever you choose. Each of these are linked together. The user can go through each section in chronological order or move back and forth between sections at will. This tool is a real time-saver for lessons. Instead of bouncing around from website, to document, to quiz, etc. all sources and links are conveniently placed together. The other feature that I liked was that when you select Youtube videos, only the video plays. No need to wait out the annoying advertisements at the beginning of each video.

Thinglink

This tool is similar to Blendspace in that the user can add several different links to the same presentation. However, this web tool requires the user to use a still photo rather than several separate pages. This tool would be excellent for use as a portfolio of student growth throughout the year. Students could add pictures and videos of their work. Parents, teachers, and students could then easily monitor progress over the school year. Students could also use this tool to create projects and presentations. It would be a wonderful way of presenting their progress as they work through STEM challenges, science experiments, book reviews, and more.

3D Printing, Coding, and Robots, Oh My!

Oh my, indeed! I am completely blown away by how things have changed in my lifetime. What was once pure science fiction is now becoming science fact. The thought of robots conjures memories of the robot from Lost In Space calling out “Danger Will Robinson” and Rosie, The Jetsons’ household robot. Back then, it all seemed so unrealistic and unbelievably impossible. But, now the advancements in technology have turned the impossible into reality.

Actually, this has been a challenging week of study, trial and error. I was definitely pushed far out of my comfort zone and experienced many difficult issues along with a laptop totally infected with malware, spyware, etc. Thank goodness for Geek Squad! But, in the end, I certainly gained a better understanding and appreciation for all these technological advancements.

I am especially fond of the coding programs available. I am currently teaching in a summer STEM program and one of our stations is coding using the website code.org. So, I was glad that I had the chance to research this site prior to using it with my students. This site offers tutorials for each section and it walks you through with step by step increments. My group of students are gaining confidence each day. They spend a great deal of time problem solving and thinking critically. They are also collaborating at a level that I have rarely seen with students.

I was also very impressed with the Google site madewithcode. I love that this is geared more towards girls as the ratio of females to males in the field of engineering and computer science is so slim. This site has so many options for creating things from fashion design, to animation, to avatars, to music and beats, and more. The creative possibilities are endless. I plan to sign up for An Hour of Code and start a coding club at my school this year.

I just loved the robots that are being developed. I would love to have my own Musio to talk to and interact with. He is just too adorable. His creation for interacting with students trying to learn a new language is such a wonderful idea. As someone who has tried for years to learn to speak Spanish, I know firsthand how difficult it is to try out your newly learned words and phrases with others. Musio reacts to what it hears and formulates conversation giving the person that much needed feedback without fear of judgement. The MEDi robots are also a wonderful invention. These robots provide much needed support and comfort to kids receiving scary medical procedures. Using robotics in the classroom is certainly increasing in popularity. With the focus on STEM related teaching, the study of robotics fits in perfectly.

My least favorite was the 3D design. I really struggled greatly with creating my project. I am not sure if that was the Tinkercad program itself or user-error. I felt completely out of my comfort zone on this. I can definitely see the benefits of 3D design and printing for classroom use. It would be so powerful for students to research, design, and then print artifacts of things that they would never have the opportunity to see in real life.

QR Codes

This week’s assignments were all about layered reality and its uses in the classroom. I have to say that I am totally stoked by this! I’ve seen QR codes in the past and have even used them with my students. Generally, it was simply basic information for school supplies or classroom routines. I have never actually created my own up until now. After completing my research this week, I have discovered just how easy it is to create my own QR codes. I enjoyed the blog post from The Daring Librarian. By the way, her blog is amazing. What an attention grabbing front page! After reading her blog and reviewing her infographic for creating QR codes, I simply dove right in. And just as she claimed, it was super easy. I used Google url shortener and then took the new url to I-nigma. Since I am teaching summer school again this year, I decided to do my QR codes to assist in my new students’ learning. I will meet my rising 4th graders tomorrow morning. Our STEM based theme for this group is creating and testing out a lunar rover prototype. So we will be spending the next 6 weeks researching our Solar System. The QR codes I created take the students directly to National Geographic video clips. I cannot wait to see the students’ reactions.


I will be sure to keep you posted.

 

Online Video Tools

This week I have spent a great deal of time researching web-based video tools. Some of them are so user-friendly and allow first time users to easily jump right in and create. Others, however, seemed very cumbersome and time intensive. I am sure with the correct training and practice all of the sites would prove to be very beneficial. I can certainly see the benefit in becoming highly proficient in the creation of videos as they could prove to be wonderful student hooks when presenting new information and then could easily be added to teacher blogs for students and parent to review the information outside of class.

Of all of the sites I reviewed this week, three of them stood out as my favorites. Powtoon was easy to use and I enjoyed the cartoon creations. I feel that they would provide so much impact to pull even the most reluctant learners in to see just what information is being presented.

As a science and math teacher, I also felt drawn to the Animoto web program. I feel that the ease of use would provide a wonderful tool for beginning videographers and the design of the program lends itself to a step-by-step display.

My third favorite was Sharalike. I created this video using Sharalik for personal use. However, I could see the benefit of using it as a slideshow of student events and lesson activities to share with parents at events such as end of marking period awards and celebrations.
            

Trail Walking

Trail Walking is the video clip I made using Animoto. I snapped the pictures with my iPhone during my daily fitness walk this week. I used one of the templates provided by the site and simply uploaded my own pictures. Next, I added my own caption to each of the pictures. Unfortunately, I did not quite figure out how to adjust the font type and size for each of the captions. Therefore, they seem pretty puny in comparison to the pictures. Additionally, because I used the free version, the site watermark is inserted on each segment of the video covering most of the text.

This site is one that I will definitely continue to use for personal use as well as in the classroom. I am thinking that this would provide a wonderful opportunity for students to explore, record, analyze, and make conclusions for their scientific investigations throughout the year. The way the site segments out each of the pictures provides a natural transition for each stage of the scientific method. It would also be a great tool for retelling stories read in reading groups or creating their own photo type stories.



Powtoon Sample

Check out my first attempt at creating a video clip. I used Powtoon to create it. They have a quick how-to video at the start. It goes by really, really fast. So, for newbies like me, it was not quite enough. However, the site also includes so many templates that you can edit and save. I chose the back to school welcome template. The teacher doesn't really look like me. But, I did not know how to make any changes to the avatar. All I changed for this one was the information. If you upgrade from the free portion, you can change the music &/or add your own voice-over. However, since I am just experimenting with the different sites, I won't be upgrading anytime soon. Also, I had to save this one as a slideshow rather than a video clip. You will have to keep clicking through all seven slides in order to view the entire clip.

My Symbaloo

Here is my reading Symbaloo. I actually use this with my students during the school year. It is an awesome tool to use for independent stations and for students to use at home to practice own their own. It is simple to use and very intuitive. However, I will warn you that it is very time consuming during the initial setup. The process for creating your own Symbaloo is as follows:

1.     you will need to go to each website of your choosing,

2.     copy their url, paste it onto a tile,

3.     pick your tile color,

4.     decide what graphic to use to represent that tile.

Shelfari Widget

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

So here is my attempt on using Shelfari. It is actually really easy to set up your own bookshelf and it is easy to make any changes to the books you select. I think it is a great way to reach students in order to offer them choices of some excellent literature. I have also included the Shelfari widget onto my Weebly website. I simply used the exact same widget code that was provided to upload it here. The only drawback that I see in using this is that it is an Amazon product and the links take the reader directly to their site for purchasing the books you select. I do buy almost all of my books through Amazon. I just think that this is a bit self-serving on Amazon's part. Great marketing tool, though.

10 Things Every Teacher Should Try This Summer

10 Things Every Teacher Should Try This Summe

This is an excellent read. And, I actually did accomplish #5. Enjoy your time away from school.

School Library Websites

 My personal favorite site is Parkview and Fairview Libraries. This webpage is set up with a bright and colorful homepage that is loaded with tiles that lead the viewer to a variety of reading based information, activities, games, and more. One tile actually displays a world map that shows “Who in the World is Visiting the Library Today.” The viewer can see small red dots on the map indicating others who are viewing along with a blinking white target indicating the viewer’s location. As a school for global learning this is an excellent tool to show the student how far-reaching a website can be along with the knowledge that others around the world are right there with you.

The Grand View Elementary School Library, a Manhattan Beach school website is simply amazing. There is a wealth of information there. One could almost get lost in the vortex of all the links available. However, on the front welcome page the design is streamlined and includes pictures of the school library, links to include various monthly events, lost library book directions for parents, hours of operation, summer activities, and an Amazon link for purchasing books.

The Media Center Memo on wikispaces is another interesting site. This site has a very simple design on its homepage. What is unique about this site is that you begin with a simple motto statement and a greeting and welcome from a Voki avatar which provides an instant attention grabber for the viewer. The additional links provided are easy to use and lead the viewer to several more links to other websites, tools, and games. Many of these links are no longer functional, which emphasizes the need to constantly monitor your website to ensure that the information provided is current, relevant, and in working order.

I love the ideas that I have gathered during my research of websites. I chose Weebly to create my webpage. I have used Weebly before and am familiar with it. It is fairly intuitive and easy to create each page. I hope that one day my site will look something like the ones mentioned. However, I am clearly a complete novice and I know it will take many attempts and revisions to get my site to represent something that I am proud of. But, for those of you who are interested, please check out my first attempt at  http://threadingnook.http://threadingnook.weebly.com/weebly.com/

Podcasts

I have spent a lot of time this week researching podcasts. There are a wide variety to choose from. Some are amazing, others mediocre, and then there are others that leave you shaking your head in wonder. Since I am moving from teaching math back to teaching science again next school year, my focus has been looking for science related podcasts. I love the National Geographic site and have signed up for an account. However, it's going to take me a bit more research to be able to navigate this site to find podcasts that work for me and my students.

I also discovered BytesizeScience. This site offers a fantastic series of podcasts engages students by demonstrating the relevance of science in real-life situations. From exploring the chemistry behind the Thanksgiving turkey to investigating the science of photography, this is science in everyday life brought alive for students of all ages.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reactions/id266670954?mt=2

As I am sitting and working tonight, my wonderful dog is as usual, right under my feet. She is definitely overdue for a grooming and is smelling quite ripe. So, this link is absolutely on point for what I am currently experiencing right now. :-) https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/why-do-wet-dogs-stink-+-other/id266670954?i=343678241&mt=2

SMART Notebook 11 Embed Your Voki

Vocaroo Voice Message

Vocaroo Voice Message

Audio Tools

Vocaroo is a very simple to use web application. All you have to do is click on the record button, state your piece, listen and then either save or redo your recording. You need to be sure to download your Vocaroo recording if you plan to keep it for any length of time. The url provided on the Sharing option only allows you to use your recording for a short period of time. You can load your recording to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or your own blog. You are also provided the option of saving your recording in the form of a QR code. This option would be useful when giving students directions and information for an independent assignment, center, or station. Student could in turn record their own responses to you by creating their own recording in Vocaroo. This one is probably the easiest one to do with your students. There is no need to build a classroom site, no login information to be kept, and it is totally free.

Voki is by far my favorite of the audio tools. It speaks to my creative side. There are just so many options for creating your avatars. There is definitely a learning curve involved with this one. It is not nearly as streamlined as the Vocaroo site. However, this one is much more likely to gain the attention of those you are trying to reach. It is really cool to watch the avatar talking to you using your own voice. I love the way the avatar follows the cursor movements with their eyes. On this site, you are required to put in your email information. And, in order to use it with your students you must purchase Voki Classroom. In Voki Classroom you have the option of setting up several different classrooms which is helpful to those of us who departmentalize or work with many different groups. I did try this one out with my homeroom class of 5^th graders. The students absolutely loved creating their avatars and spent a great deal of time to get it just right. However, they really struggled with the recording portion. The site allows for up to 90 seconds of speech. Only 5 of my 19 students were able to successfully save their work. So, although I love this site and do plan to continue to use it, there will definitely need to be many attempts to get the students to become fully proficient. My next goal is to learn to insert my Voki onto my daily/weekly Smartboard lessons.

Blabberize is also one that I have used in the past and enjoyed using with my students. It was fun for my students to create and record. The students were given the choice of several famous scientists. They had to research the scientist that they chose and gather information such as when and where the scientist was born, what the scientist was known for, challenges they faced, and any other interesting facts. The students then wrote a script as if they were that scientist. They used pictures of the scientist that I had posted to the handout folder (I needed to make sure the pictures were appropriate to use.) The students and I both enjoyed this activity. However, as I was working with this site for this assignment, I became very frustrated. For some reason, every time I uploaded a picture to begin making a new Blabber, my picture uploaded sideways! I tried and tried to find a way to adjust or rotate the pictures to no avail. I was so disappointed as I really want to be able to use this with my students next year since I will be teaching science once more.

 

 

I just made a new Voki.

Wow! This one was a real challenge to create and to finally get posted correctly. I have dabbled with Voki in the past. But, I never really did much with it. Now that I have finally figured out how to actually make my avatar with accompanying voice, I can see the beauty of using this in the classroom. I plan to try it out with my students this week. With this being the last full week of our school year, it may be a challenge to keep the students on the right track. With this program, I hope to entice my students to some fun learning. The plan is to have each student create his/her own avatar and record a message to the upcoming 5th grade class to be used as a "How to" guide for a successful new school year.

Classroom Rules for Transitions

I created this infographic using easel.ly. I found this website much easier to use than my previous attempt with Canva. Easel.ly provide a bit more freedom for creativity. I felt that the Canva templates, while extensive, kept me more constricted.

easel.ly

Infographic Design Attempt

This one is pretty basic. I created it using Canva. I am still trying to navigate my way around this wonderful website. I would love to use this with my students. They would absolutely love creating posters, vocabulary notecards, study guides, etc. with this.  The options are endless. I need to figure out how to set up student access. Please let me know if you know how to set up student/classroom access. 

How To Create Infographics (The Ultra-Simple & Easy Way)

This youtube video is really helpful.

DoppleMe Avatar

Say "Hello" to my avatar! I'm not sure this one looks much like me. But, it was fun to create.

http://doppelme.com/userarea/

My Modified Image

Well, since I have a serious case of baby brain this week, I have decided to use a picture of my perfectly, wonderful new grandson. I used PicMonkey to make the modifications to my original picture. I absolutely love this website. The almost endless possibilities for editing and ease of use make it a wonderful site to create your own little masterpieces. I could see this becoming an addiction for me.
Here is my photo of my little love. It was taken at the hospital during his second day of life. I love the way he is looking right at me.

In this edited version you can see the changes I put in place. I used the effects tool to add a Frost look. Next, I tried using the Touch Up tool to enhance his eyes. I'm not sure how successful I was with that though. I added in the text box and moved it to the bottom right. The font I chose for this was Sue Ellen Francisco. I used the Overlay tool to add in the heart shape around him and the Frames tool to add the Craft Scissors background.

Using PicMonkey in the classroom could be so powerful. I envision taking pictures of the students modeling various classroom and school rules. Students could then take those photos and edit them in PicMonkey adding in the text to state the rules. This would allow the students to gain more ownership and buy-in. 

Other uses could include creating vocabulary cards for individual units of study, creating memes of themselves for parents to read at the annual Open House night, and novel reviews in lieu of a book report.

 

Creative Commons Image

I am so very ready for summer. And, I just love the beach. I am hoping that in my retirement days, my husband and I will be living right next to the beach where we can wake up to this type of view on a daily basis.

By Fraser Hart (http://www.hermitagebay.com) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Quotes for Parents

While researching today, I came across a quote that really spoke to me.


http://www.pregnantchicken.com/pregnant-chicken-blog/2012/7/19/15-inspirational-quotes-for-new-parents.html

It’s Just the Beginning of a New Journey

I am so thrilled to be here. I am a lifelong learner and avid reader. I just can't seem to get enough. Every time I think that my journey as a student and learner has come to an end, I soon realize that my life's breath depends on my incessant search for knowledge. So, with that being said…I'm ready for more!
The font that I have chosen for my blog is Rockwell. Typically, my choice runs to the bubblier, curly fonts as it allows me to express my creative side. However, as this is for my readers' benefit, the Rockwell font has a "distinct, bold, confident, good display type." (Reynolds, 2014, p. 40). Since blogging is an entirely new experience for me, it is important that the reader is able to clearly read and navigate through each entry. Being a minimalist is not generally a strong suit for me. Understanding that less is often better, it is important to curb my tendency to add too many details and to keep the fonts and lines clean and easy to read. (Reynolds, 2014, p. 34). It was enlightening to read about creating harmonious relationships within documents and presentations. (Reynolds, 2014, p. 43). Here again is an area that ties in with the less is more philosophy. It is so important to keep the fonts streamlined rather than adding in so much variation.
The creation of Wordles is something that I have always enjoyed doing with my students. I have also used it on my own as a way to organize my thoughts of life in a very creative way. I love the way you can change it in an almost endless number of ways.