I had the privilege of presenting to Brandon University's Faculty of Education students last Friday. As always it was a great day, sharing and learning from each other on how to infuse SMART Board technology and SMART Notebook software in the early years classroom!
For student feedback and participation:
Poll Everywhere
Today's Meet (back channel)
Extreme Collaboration (SMART Notebook add on)
In my kindergarten classroom:
Calendar Activities
Early Years SMART Board Activities
More SMART Board Tips and Tricks
SMART Notebook App
Other resources:
Turning a Skype Call into a Learning Call
Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano, Around the World With Skype
Learning Activity Checklist
Developed for the Microsoft Peer Coaching Program, now Peer-Ed
Favourite Resources
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Tools to Support Project-Based Learning
If you've read my previous post, Surprise! We're Learning About Dinosaurs!, you'd understand how suddenly project-based learning opportunities can sneak up on you in the early years classroom. Since I wasn't expecting the dinosaur craze to hit today, I went with my go-to strategy--turn it back on the kids, brainstorm a list of what they know already, what they want to find out about the topic/what they can do to help, and how they can get the information they need. It worked well today, and in less than 90 minutes we accessed the school and classroom libraries, Brain Pop Junior, and composed a blog post that tracked our learning. Not bad for being caught off guard by a passel of passionate learners!
Every time I engage in a new learning project, I like to stretch myself as a teacher by bringing in one or two new tools to support the learning in the classroom. What am I thinking for our new dinosaurs project? Here's a few things I'm hoping to use...some tried, true, and tested, others brand new that I'd like to incorporate into my kindergarten program!
Skype in the Classroom is just one of those tools I can't get over. Skype is my go-to for just about everything. I plan to use this great site to connect with another class learning about dinosaurs and/or access a guest speaker--a paleontologist would be absolutely amazing. Or a Skype tour of Royal Tyrell Museum in Alberta would be terrific!
Popplet is a collaborative mindmapping tool that is web-based and available as an app. I heard about it this summer on Twitter as I follow #kinderchat. I think that Popplet will be the perfect tool for tracking, showing relationships among, and sharing our learning. I plan to start with using Popplet on our interactive whiteboard, then download the app to the mobile devices in our classroom. Check out this great interview with Kinder Chat co-founder Heidi Echternacht on the uses of Popplet in kindergarten.
Microsoft Auto Collage: the pictures are where we're at in kindergarten, and already we've already spent many minutes pouring over gorgeous full-colour images of dinosaurs in many print resources. The students' fascination with pictures of dinosaurs provides a rich opportunity to model ethical and responsible use of images. We'll have a brief lesson about whose pictures we can use and visit Creative Commons together. As a class, we'll search for and download a few dinosaur pictures. Students usually lose interest pretty quickly in this process, so we'll do some together and I usually seek out the rest on my own. Once we have a bank of dinosaur pictures, we'll use Microsoft Auto Collage to create our own dinosaur collages to showcase our learning--students will generate their own topics, but I anticipate collages showing meat eaters, plant eaters, etc. This will also be a great time to teach students about the importance of generating their own images--by molding dinosaurs out of clay and photographing, drawing/painting dinosaurs and photographing, or using an app such as Draw and Tell or even good old Microsoft Paint! Auto Collage is available at Partners in Learning Network, so be sure to join for access to many free resources and a worldwide community of educators!
As always, we'll share our learning and seek out collaborative partners through social media. We try to tweet regularly as @olcskinders and we post daily on our classroom Facebook page (it's a secret group). Read these past posts to learn more about how I use social media in kindergarten! Tips and Tricks for Tweeting in Kindergarten The New Face of Parent Engagement
And who knows what directions we'll take next week as we continue to learn about dinosaurs. Our first priority will be to read dinosaurs books and keep track of important facts as we learn to use Popplet. As with all project-based learning in kindergarten, it's the students who are driving the bus! I'm just keeping it safe, purposeful, and pointed in the right direction!
Every time I engage in a new learning project, I like to stretch myself as a teacher by bringing in one or two new tools to support the learning in the classroom. What am I thinking for our new dinosaurs project? Here's a few things I'm hoping to use...some tried, true, and tested, others brand new that I'd like to incorporate into my kindergarten program!
Skype in the Classroom is just one of those tools I can't get over. Skype is my go-to for just about everything. I plan to use this great site to connect with another class learning about dinosaurs and/or access a guest speaker--a paleontologist would be absolutely amazing. Or a Skype tour of Royal Tyrell Museum in Alberta would be terrific!
Microsoft Auto Collage: the pictures are where we're at in kindergarten, and already we've already spent many minutes pouring over gorgeous full-colour images of dinosaurs in many print resources. The students' fascination with pictures of dinosaurs provides a rich opportunity to model ethical and responsible use of images. We'll have a brief lesson about whose pictures we can use and visit Creative Commons together. As a class, we'll search for and download a few dinosaur pictures. Students usually lose interest pretty quickly in this process, so we'll do some together and I usually seek out the rest on my own. Once we have a bank of dinosaur pictures, we'll use Microsoft Auto Collage to create our own dinosaur collages to showcase our learning--students will generate their own topics, but I anticipate collages showing meat eaters, plant eaters, etc. This will also be a great time to teach students about the importance of generating their own images--by molding dinosaurs out of clay and photographing, drawing/painting dinosaurs and photographing, or using an app such as Draw and Tell or even good old Microsoft Paint! Auto Collage is available at Partners in Learning Network, so be sure to join for access to many free resources and a worldwide community of educators!
As always, we'll share our learning and seek out collaborative partners through social media. We try to tweet regularly as @olcskinders and we post daily on our classroom Facebook page (it's a secret group). Read these past posts to learn more about how I use social media in kindergarten! Tips and Tricks for Tweeting in Kindergarten The New Face of Parent Engagement
And who knows what directions we'll take next week as we continue to learn about dinosaurs. Our first priority will be to read dinosaurs books and keep track of important facts as we learn to use Popplet. As with all project-based learning in kindergarten, it's the students who are driving the bus! I'm just keeping it safe, purposeful, and pointed in the right direction!
Surprise! We're Learning About Dinosaurs!
My boys and girls came in from recess, engaged in a very serious
debate. How did the dinosaurs die? Could I please “esplain” it to them
because everyone had different ideas. 15 minutes ago, no one had cared
about dinosaurs so I was kind of surprised. But I gathered the boys and
girls on the carpet and asked them to tell me all the different ideas
they had been discussing. Most of their thoughts focused around the Ice
Age and too much ice and snow for the dinosaurs to live.
Their enthusiasm was contagious, so I made the decision that my perfectly planned lesson on pumpkins and their life cycle could wait for another day! I began by asking them where we could go to learn more about dinosaurs and answer our questions. They suggested the computer, YouTube, and Brain Pop. One student said we should ask the older kids in our school because they might know. A little boy said we should look in books. So as a starting point, we went to the library and chose about 20 books that looked just right for a kindergarten classroom. Next, we started on a KWL
.
What do we know about dinosaurs?
-t-rex dinosaurs eat meat
-some dinosaurs were plant eaters
-some dinosaurs were meat eaters
-some dinosaurs lived in the water and some lived on land
-some scientists think a big meteor hitted the earth and killed some dinosaurs. Some scientists think the dinosaurs died with a big snowstorm and then it was really icy.
-some dinosaurs killed other dinosaurs
-dinosaurs are extinct
-some dinosaurs bite themselves
-triceratops was a kind of dinosaur
-pteranodons ate fish
What would we like to know about dinosaurs?
What are the names of some dinosaurs?
What did dinosaurs eat?
What kind of plants did dinosaurs?
Were there dinosaurs in Manitoba? What kind of dinosaurs lived in Canada?
We were so excited to explore the new books!
Their enthusiasm was contagious, so I made the decision that my perfectly planned lesson on pumpkins and their life cycle could wait for another day! I began by asking them where we could go to learn more about dinosaurs and answer our questions. They suggested the computer, YouTube, and Brain Pop. One student said we should ask the older kids in our school because they might know. A little boy said we should look in books. So as a starting point, we went to the library and chose about 20 books that looked just right for a kindergarten classroom. Next, we started on a KWL
.
What do we know about dinosaurs?
-t-rex dinosaurs eat meat
-some dinosaurs were plant eaters
-some dinosaurs were meat eaters
-some dinosaurs lived in the water and some lived on land
-some scientists think a big meteor hitted the earth and killed some dinosaurs. Some scientists think the dinosaurs died with a big snowstorm and then it was really icy.
-some dinosaurs killed other dinosaurs
-dinosaurs are extinct
-some dinosaurs bite themselves
-triceratops was a kind of dinosaur
-pteranodons ate fish
What would we like to know about dinosaurs?
What are the names of some dinosaurs?
What did dinosaurs eat?
What kind of plants did dinosaurs?
Were there dinosaurs in Manitoba? What kind of dinosaurs lived in Canada?
We were so excited to explore the new books!
Friday, September 27, 2013
Project Based Learning: A Road Map for Success in Early Years
For a number of years, I have been an enthusiastic proponent of
project-based learning in early years. Our collaborative project Little Hands, Big World (with colleague Leah Obach)
has been an ongoing series of multidisciplinary, student-led learning
experiences--many with an environmental/sustainability focus. So what
have I learned that could make your journey into project-based learning
smoother?
It can't be forced. The real-life
problem or issue needs to come from the students themselves. I’ve tried
to bring my ideas to the students because I see terrific learning
opportunities, but both the students and I have felt a lack of
enthusiasm and reliance on the teacher’s lead. The best projects have
arisen from an issue that is very real to the students, easily observed,
and directly impacting their lives. Our Hopping to Help project began with a student bringing a frog for show and tell!
Be willing to step back and let students do the heavy lifting.
It is so tempting to do the work yourself—after all, you can do it ten
times more quickly than your students, right? But the most authentic
learning comes from students determining and executing the important
steps of the project. When we are immersed in a project, we begin every
day with a class meeting and generate/modify our to-do list.
Referred to throughout the day, it sets an intense focus as all tasks
are essential and laden with rich learning! Occasionally the students
and I decide that a task is best completed by an adult but they are part
of that decision.
Engagement and enthusiasm run high. Managing it can be challenging.
In kindergarten, learners are in different places with self-regulation.
When students are truly immersed in a project and taking ownership for
its success, their energy can be boundless. Channeling it requires
careful management, clear expectations, redirection, and reinforcement.
Students can quickly be brought back on task when they are reminded that
they have a very real job to complete that is crucial to the project’s
success.
Make a difference while building important skills. Project-based learning requires risk-taking. Things won’t go perfectly, the learning will be messy, and your classroom will be even messier. However, the benefits are numerous and often immeasurable. The synergy, sense of purpose, and making a real difference while meeting learning outcomes and developing 21st century skills can be addicting-- you and your students will be planning your next project as the previous one draws to a close!
*This post was orginally published on Microsoft Partners in Learning Hot Topics blog. View the original post here .
Make a difference while building important skills. Project-based learning requires risk-taking. Things won’t go perfectly, the learning will be messy, and your classroom will be even messier. However, the benefits are numerous and often immeasurable. The synergy, sense of purpose, and making a real difference while meeting learning outcomes and developing 21st century skills can be addicting-- you and your students will be planning your next project as the previous one draws to a close!
*This post was orginally published on Microsoft Partners in Learning Hot Topics blog. View the original post here .
Thursday, September 19, 2013
From First Steps to Digital Footprints: Developing Digital Citizenship in Our Youngest Learners
Most children enter kindergarten as technology users, but their
knowledge of how to use it safely and appropriately varies as widely as
their abilities to print their names and tie their shoes. As their first
teachers, it is unquestioningly our duty to develop digital citizenship
alongside scissor skills and sharing.
Collaborative, project-based
learning experiences provide many authentic opportunities for students
to acquire and practice digital citizenship skills that will see them
safely into adulthood as they begin to develop and manage their first
digital footprints. In Manitoba, we have a Literacy with ICT Developmental Continuum
that fosters critical and creative thinking skills as students learn to
use ICT safely and responsibly. How does this actually look in
kindergarten?
We can use technology to share our learning with others and learn from others. Skype in the Classroom connected us with a classroom in New Jersey when we were learning about frogs. For more information, check out these blog posts: Frogs Skype in Kindergarten
We can self-regulate as we use technology. Modeling and guided practice goes into growing self-regulating learners in kindergarten. We practice how to behave in front of the web cam, posing thoughtful questions that no one has asked yet, and thinking about what we know and want to learn.
We can use technology safely and responsibly. We used Twitter in kindergarten to challenge other classrooms and share results in our litterless lunch competitions. Students gained experience in what information is appropriate and safe to share as well as password security.
We need permission to use someone else’s music, images, and ideas. We frequently make movies to share and celebrate our learning. We understand that we can’t use popular songs off the radio in our soundtrack. Tools such as Songsmith are a copyright-free way to generate our own music.
These simple understandings provide a strong foundation for digital citizenship. Regardless of the students’ age, it’s never too early or late to begin. There’s no doubt that digital citizenship is the 21st century version of “plays well with others” and our students’ future success will depend on it.
*Originally written for Partners in Learning Network Hot Topics, September 18, 2013. View the original post here.
We can use technology to share our learning with others and learn from others. Skype in the Classroom connected us with a classroom in New Jersey when we were learning about frogs. For more information, check out these blog posts: Frogs Skype in Kindergarten
We can self-regulate as we use technology. Modeling and guided practice goes into growing self-regulating learners in kindergarten. We practice how to behave in front of the web cam, posing thoughtful questions that no one has asked yet, and thinking about what we know and want to learn.
We can use technology safely and responsibly. We used Twitter in kindergarten to challenge other classrooms and share results in our litterless lunch competitions. Students gained experience in what information is appropriate and safe to share as well as password security.
We need permission to use someone else’s music, images, and ideas. We frequently make movies to share and celebrate our learning. We understand that we can’t use popular songs off the radio in our soundtrack. Tools such as Songsmith are a copyright-free way to generate our own music.
These simple understandings provide a strong foundation for digital citizenship. Regardless of the students’ age, it’s never too early or late to begin. There’s no doubt that digital citizenship is the 21st century version of “plays well with others” and our students’ future success will depend on it.
*Originally written for Partners in Learning Network Hot Topics, September 18, 2013. View the original post here.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Fresh, Shiny, and New
So year-end craziness in May and June combined with two months of summer fun has been hard on my blog. But it's a brand new school year and I'm excited to share what's been happening in my classroom. I'm also planning to post on some exciting project-based learning that occurred in June in my K room, leaving me far too busy to document it at the time.
This is my sixth year of teaching kindergarten, and every year I refine my start up procedures. The first week is under my belt, and I was really pleased with how smoothly everything went. I am teaching a combined junior and senior kindergarten program again, and I have 15 four year-olds and only 5 returning five year-olds. With 75% of my students and their parents being new to the program and classroom, it was more important than ever to explain things clearly and make sure everyone understood the procedures and routines in my classroom.
It only makes sense that your first contact with a family should be a positive one. At the beginning of August, I mail out a welcome letter for the child, a kindergarten handbook for the family, and a school supply list. I also add new parents to our classroom Facebook page, and give last year's families a couple of weeks' notice that I will be removing them from the page.
This year, my welcome letter was printed on pink paper and contained a handful of pink feathers. Parents reported that it was a big hit with their children!
Tickled Pink welcome letter
Kindergarten Handbook
My kindergarten handbook has been a work in progress for years--it's been added to and changed ever since I taught Grades 1 and 2. I conference with all families the day before kindergarten begins, and the first thing we do is review the handbook together. It gives me a wonderful opportunity to make sure everyone understands rules, procedures, and expectations, and I can answer any questions.
Parent/Child First Day Booklet
When families drop in for their conference, they bring their child and his/her school supplies. They complete this booklet together, touring different areas of the room. Then they sit down, enjoy a snack, and meet with me. First we go through the school supplies, making sure that the child's name is written on every item. Then the child puts them away in his/her cubby, with me assisting as needed.
Conference Checklist
This conference checklist guides our discussion. I review every point on the checklist with parents, then give them the checklist to take home.
Remind 101
This year, I asked all parents to bring their mobile phones to the pre-kindergarten conference. I added everyone to Remind 101, an app that allows me to text everyone at once. I think it's going to be great for quickly getting the word out and reminding parents of classroom happenings.
Overgram
I always take the traditional first day of school pictures of my kindergarten kids. Last year, they each held up a sign saying, "First day of junior/senior kindergarten 2012". This year, I decided to take the pictures with my iPad and use Overgram to add text. The parents and I were thrilled with the results. Thanks to the families who agreed to let me share these! Have a look....
Who doesn't think that teaching kindergarten is the best job in the world? One look at those adorable faces, so full of promise, confirms it for me. Here's to another great school year ahead!
This is my sixth year of teaching kindergarten, and every year I refine my start up procedures. The first week is under my belt, and I was really pleased with how smoothly everything went. I am teaching a combined junior and senior kindergarten program again, and I have 15 four year-olds and only 5 returning five year-olds. With 75% of my students and their parents being new to the program and classroom, it was more important than ever to explain things clearly and make sure everyone understood the procedures and routines in my classroom.
It only makes sense that your first contact with a family should be a positive one. At the beginning of August, I mail out a welcome letter for the child, a kindergarten handbook for the family, and a school supply list. I also add new parents to our classroom Facebook page, and give last year's families a couple of weeks' notice that I will be removing them from the page.
This year, my welcome letter was printed on pink paper and contained a handful of pink feathers. Parents reported that it was a big hit with their children!
Tickled Pink welcome letter
My kindergarten handbook has been a work in progress for years--it's been added to and changed ever since I taught Grades 1 and 2. I conference with all families the day before kindergarten begins, and the first thing we do is review the handbook together. It gives me a wonderful opportunity to make sure everyone understands rules, procedures, and expectations, and I can answer any questions.
Parent/Child First Day Booklet
When families drop in for their conference, they bring their child and his/her school supplies. They complete this booklet together, touring different areas of the room. Then they sit down, enjoy a snack, and meet with me. First we go through the school supplies, making sure that the child's name is written on every item. Then the child puts them away in his/her cubby, with me assisting as needed.
Conference Checklist
This conference checklist guides our discussion. I review every point on the checklist with parents, then give them the checklist to take home.
Remind 101
This year, I asked all parents to bring their mobile phones to the pre-kindergarten conference. I added everyone to Remind 101, an app that allows me to text everyone at once. I think it's going to be great for quickly getting the word out and reminding parents of classroom happenings.
Overgram
I always take the traditional first day of school pictures of my kindergarten kids. Last year, they each held up a sign saying, "First day of junior/senior kindergarten 2012". This year, I decided to take the pictures with my iPad and use Overgram to add text. The parents and I were thrilled with the results. Thanks to the families who agreed to let me share these! Have a look....
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Mindshare Learning's 21st Century Digital Classrom Video Challenge: A Look Back
A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by Robert Martellacci of Mindshare Learning. He asked if I would be interested in giving a video interview for the May edition of the Mindshare Learning Report, reflecting on my technology journey and how winning their video contest two years ago had impacted my classroom practice. I was thrilled to talk to Robert again about the amazing opportunity afforded to my students and me by Mindshare, and in preparing for the interview, I went on this walk down memory lane....
In February 2010, I watched an amazing video created by Kathy Cassidy and her Grade 1 class. It was an award-winning entry in Mindshare Learning's 21st Century Digital Classroom National Video Challenge. Mrs. Cassidy and her students won $15 000 worth of technology prizes and professional learning, and I was inspired to enter the contest the following year.
I eagerly watched for the contest announcement. It was my first year of teaching a combined junior and senior kindergarten class, and I had made some changes in the ways I was infusing technology to support student learning. My students and I decided on a "Goodnight Moon" theme. We brainstormed a list of all the technology tools that helped us learn, then filmed a movie of us saying goodnight to each of them. The students explained how we used these tools to communicate, collaborate, problem-solve,and think critically and creatively. After an entire day devoted to editing and narrating, we had a movie that we were very proud of!
What tools did we use?
-a digital camera
-Microsoft Photo Story. Join the Microsoft Partners in Learning for access to great free tools for creating movies!
-Freeplay Music for a copyright-free soundtrack
In mid-January, I was meeting with my principal in her office, and our administrative assistant knocked at the door. She said there was someone on the phone for me. and she thought it might be about that video contest my class entered. With great trepidation, we took the call on speaker phone. After a brief chat with Robert Martellacci, he shared the exciting news--Goodnight 21st Century Learners had been selected as the Central Canadian prize winner. $15 000 of technology prizes and professional learning were on their way to Oak Lake Community School's kindergarten classroom! It was definitely the most exciting moment of my teaching career at that point, and I didn't hesitate to throw a party to celebrate with my friends and family after school!
We had so much fun posing for our picture for the official press release. We went with the theme of "We're 4 and 5 Going on 21...21st Century Learners" and dressed up as what we would like to be when we grew up.
It was like Christmas that spring as prizes from a variety of donors arrived by mail and courier. My classroom were the lucky recipients of:
-a huge SMART Board with a short drop projector
-SMART Response system (early years version)
-Front Row Lasso classroom amplification system
-Dell netbook
-Flip video camera
-year's subscription to Discovery Education
-professional learning sessions from Blossom Learning
-year's subscription to Net Trekker
-all-expense paid trip to the ISTE in Philadelphia
Two years later, we still use all of these tools on a daily and weekly basis. Our SMART Board is in constant use, as is my Front Row Lasso system. We engage in a variety of collaborative projects through Skype, Twitter, and Xbox Video Kinect, and the SMART Board and Front Row system greatly enhance these collaborations. Our Flip video camera has proven to be the perfect size for little hands, and it has been used to create countless videos sharing our learning.
But the best was still yet to come...an all-expense paid trip to the ISTE in Philadelphia in June! Through the generous support of our school board, my principal Brenda Masson was able to attend with me. We left on the weekend so that we could have a couple of days of touring and sightseeing, then attended the conference Monday-Wednesday. Although I had attended a Microsoft Global Forum before with 500 participants, I had never attended a conference of this magnitude! The most exciting moment was when we checked out the displays on our first morning. We found the Mindshare Learning booth and what did we see? Goodnight 21st Century Learners projected on a big screen, and my kindergarten students' cute faces smiling down from a banner!
Over the course of the conference, Brenda and I attended some terrific sessions. We also spent quite a bit of time in the vendor displays, entering lots of draws, collecting the free giveaways, and learning about so many amazing products and services. Some of my favourites were:
Front Row: I made a great connection with Front Row at the ISTE that has evolved into my role as a teacher advocate for Front Row!
Brain Pop and Brain Pop Junior: I continue to love this wonderful video and educational resource site. The new Game Up! and Educators' Community have enhanced this already terrific site, and I was so excited to meet Dr. Kari Stubbs of Brain Pop in Prague at the Global Forum in 2012. Brain Pop very generously gave a free subscription to every educator at the Global Forum.
Reading Plus: this web-based tool builds fluency and reading comprehension in students from Grade 3 and beyond. This company provided us with training and a complimentary 6-month free trial. We absolutely loved Reading Plus and saw significant gains in our students' reading abilities. Sadly we were not able to afford a subscription the following year.
Learn to Be Healthy: this subscription site provides health education resources (videos, learning activities, etc.) for K-12.
As fantastic as the conference was, the absolute highlight was Mindshare Learning's Award Reception held jointly with the Canadian Consulate on Tuesday, June 28. The venue was beautiful--Philadelphia's Union League. When Brenda and I were touring on our first day, we passed the Union League building. Our tour guide shared that it was one of the United States' most exclusive clubs, occupying an entire city block with hotel, restaurant, and function rooms, and that most people would never see the inside of it. When we saw Robert at the ISTE and he told us that the Awards Ceremony was being held at the Union League, Brenda and I were beyond excited. We also decided that the dresses we brought we not fancy enough for an evening at the Union League and straight to the stores we went!
Philadelphia's historic Union League building, Abraham Lincoln Room, was the scene of the reception
The Canadian Consulate jointly hosted the reception with Mindshare Learning, and the Canadian Consul presented our awards.
Only one of the winning videos was shown at the reception. It was an extremely special moment when Goodnight 21st Century Learners was shown to the large crowd!
Receiving our awards and posing with the Canadian Consul, president of ISTE, and Robert Martellaci
The evening ended on a patriotic note when the crowd gathered and sang O Canada in both English and French. In honour of our location, we also sang Star Spangled Banner. It was a touching moment! Check out Mindshare Learning's Flickr photostream of the event.
As detailed in my video interview, winning the Mindshare Learning video challenge, receiving so many great tools, attending the ISTE, and the many great connections I made as a result have had a profound impact on my classroom practice. I would highly encourage every classroom teacher to enter this video challenge. Whether you're a winner or not, examining your classroom practice and sharing it with others is always an excellent opportunity for professional growth!
In February 2010, I watched an amazing video created by Kathy Cassidy and her Grade 1 class. It was an award-winning entry in Mindshare Learning's 21st Century Digital Classroom National Video Challenge. Mrs. Cassidy and her students won $15 000 worth of technology prizes and professional learning, and I was inspired to enter the contest the following year.
I eagerly watched for the contest announcement. It was my first year of teaching a combined junior and senior kindergarten class, and I had made some changes in the ways I was infusing technology to support student learning. My students and I decided on a "Goodnight Moon" theme. We brainstormed a list of all the technology tools that helped us learn, then filmed a movie of us saying goodnight to each of them. The students explained how we used these tools to communicate, collaborate, problem-solve,and think critically and creatively. After an entire day devoted to editing and narrating, we had a movie that we were very proud of!
-a digital camera
-Microsoft Photo Story. Join the Microsoft Partners in Learning for access to great free tools for creating movies!
-Freeplay Music for a copyright-free soundtrack
In mid-January, I was meeting with my principal in her office, and our administrative assistant knocked at the door. She said there was someone on the phone for me. and she thought it might be about that video contest my class entered. With great trepidation, we took the call on speaker phone. After a brief chat with Robert Martellacci, he shared the exciting news--Goodnight 21st Century Learners had been selected as the Central Canadian prize winner. $15 000 of technology prizes and professional learning were on their way to Oak Lake Community School's kindergarten classroom! It was definitely the most exciting moment of my teaching career at that point, and I didn't hesitate to throw a party to celebrate with my friends and family after school!
We had so much fun posing for our picture for the official press release. We went with the theme of "We're 4 and 5 Going on 21...21st Century Learners" and dressed up as what we would like to be when we grew up.
-a huge SMART Board with a short drop projector
-SMART Response system (early years version)
-Front Row Lasso classroom amplification system
-Dell netbook
-Flip video camera
-year's subscription to Discovery Education
-professional learning sessions from Blossom Learning
-year's subscription to Net Trekker
-all-expense paid trip to the ISTE in Philadelphia
Two years later, we still use all of these tools on a daily and weekly basis. Our SMART Board is in constant use, as is my Front Row Lasso system. We engage in a variety of collaborative projects through Skype, Twitter, and Xbox Video Kinect, and the SMART Board and Front Row system greatly enhance these collaborations. Our Flip video camera has proven to be the perfect size for little hands, and it has been used to create countless videos sharing our learning.
But the best was still yet to come...an all-expense paid trip to the ISTE in Philadelphia in June! Through the generous support of our school board, my principal Brenda Masson was able to attend with me. We left on the weekend so that we could have a couple of days of touring and sightseeing, then attended the conference Monday-Wednesday. Although I had attended a Microsoft Global Forum before with 500 participants, I had never attended a conference of this magnitude! The most exciting moment was when we checked out the displays on our first morning. We found the Mindshare Learning booth and what did we see? Goodnight 21st Century Learners projected on a big screen, and my kindergarten students' cute faces smiling down from a banner!
Brain Pop and Brain Pop Junior: I continue to love this wonderful video and educational resource site. The new Game Up! and Educators' Community have enhanced this already terrific site, and I was so excited to meet Dr. Kari Stubbs of Brain Pop in Prague at the Global Forum in 2012. Brain Pop very generously gave a free subscription to every educator at the Global Forum.
Reading Plus: this web-based tool builds fluency and reading comprehension in students from Grade 3 and beyond. This company provided us with training and a complimentary 6-month free trial. We absolutely loved Reading Plus and saw significant gains in our students' reading abilities. Sadly we were not able to afford a subscription the following year.
Learn to Be Healthy: this subscription site provides health education resources (videos, learning activities, etc.) for K-12.
As fantastic as the conference was, the absolute highlight was Mindshare Learning's Award Reception held jointly with the Canadian Consulate on Tuesday, June 28. The venue was beautiful--Philadelphia's Union League. When Brenda and I were touring on our first day, we passed the Union League building. Our tour guide shared that it was one of the United States' most exclusive clubs, occupying an entire city block with hotel, restaurant, and function rooms, and that most people would never see the inside of it. When we saw Robert at the ISTE and he told us that the Awards Ceremony was being held at the Union League, Brenda and I were beyond excited. We also decided that the dresses we brought we not fancy enough for an evening at the Union League and straight to the stores we went!
As detailed in my video interview, winning the Mindshare Learning video challenge, receiving so many great tools, attending the ISTE, and the many great connections I made as a result have had a profound impact on my classroom practice. I would highly encourage every classroom teacher to enter this video challenge. Whether you're a winner or not, examining your classroom practice and sharing it with others is always an excellent opportunity for professional growth!
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