At the Fork on the Trail-Cyber PD #3

Special Thanks to Cathy Mere (July 3), Jill Fisch (July 10) and Laura Komos (July 17)

for hosting the collaborative learning opportunity.
At the Fork on the Trail
Cyber PD #3

 

 

As I finished reading the last two chapters (5&6) of Who Owns the Learning?, I realized that  I've come to the end of the book with a choice of two trails on which to continue. I can head down the safe trail, the sure trail, the one that I've been following for a long time! Or I can follow the new trail. The trail that will not yet be marked, muddy and somewhat unsteady but full of learning adventures and students who are creating, collaborating and communicating with the world. This trail I'm envisioning has more teamwork, choice and opportunities for creating which occur more frequently while using digital tools to make it happen...

After reading Chapter 5 and 6, there is no doubt that the roles of global communicator and collaborator are necessary to foster the "sharing" with others to make the work purposeful and meaningful in the world. In the book, the examples shared from Garth Holman's and Mike Pennington's classes provided evidence that kids owning their learning makes a difference! Learning about teaching students empathy and understanding of other views by doing more detailed command searches for different points of view was also valuable. Thanks to Alan November for sharing how to set the searches to get a different points of view about topics being researched.

 

One of the concepts that I really keyed in on was the idea of the "computer side chats" that Garth and Mike shared from their work together.  I connected with both of them via Twitter to let them know.  I heard back from Mike with this tweet:

@aruddteacher100 Thanks Amy..a parent told me she would listen to them with her son: they would listen, pause, research and then move on
— Mike Pennington (@ProfessorMike1) July 16, 2013

We also shared these tweets:

@ProfessorMike1 that's just so neat! Parent and child learning together...what if more teachers did this...
— Amy Rudd (@aruddteacher100) July 16, 2013
 

@aruddteacher100 I would love to see that! I wish every teacher would find a chat buddy and help change teaching/learning
— Mike Pennington (@ProfessorMike1) July 16, 2013

 

These tweets lead me to consider other times when collaboration grew because of having a buddy to check-in with (Instructional Rounds, Literacy Coaching, Ready Schools) and see how things were going.  I think checking in with a buddy raised the level of accountability and also support for what was to be accomplished.   So how could we as a community of learners (Cyber PD)  support each other so that this learning (so new for many of us) continues to grow?

Additionally, over the course of reading these chapters, some other collaborating took place. I connected with Julie Balen and she used popcorn maker to add a video scribe I made to her creation...totally fun!  We are also hoping to get the Coggle I started up and running-another way to collaborate on a web via the internet.  Also, I connected with Lesa Haney on her S'more.  I love the idea of how it can be linked and shared as well.  Finally, connecting with everyone on Pinterest for our CyberPD board started by Cathy Mere was fun as well!  As I mull over all of the fun ways collaboration happened, I am thinking about what this would look like for the students...
 

Think, think, think...I'm still pondering the solid plans that will need to be in place for the learners traveling on this path...I'm still unsure as to how this looks in the primary grades, but I know I will get there-the GPS is loaded with the destination. I just need to enter a few more details and have some more support in place.  Then, I will hit "start"!

 

What do your plans look like? Which trail will you head for?  How will you seek support to grow your learning?

Further down the trail...Cyber PD #2

Special Thanks to Cathy Mere (July 3), Jill Fisch (July 10) and Laura Komos (July 17)

for hosting the collaborative learning opportunity.

As I moved into reading chapters 3 and 4...I feel like I have put many miles on the trail behind me with lots of learning and still many more miles to go-much learning to do.  Thanks to everyone who's participating in this event with me as you've all touched and inspired me in so many ways...

I am reiterating what I shared in my previous thinking about reading this text digitally.  By reading the book Who Owns the Learning? by Alan November on my Kindle app, I am able to instantly move to the digital links offered within the text.  When I've gone to these links, they've been another resource of information to support the Digital Learning Farm way of thinking.  Two links of think for this section via twitter...1) Why am I not already following @globalearner (Alan November) and 2) Why not connect to Darren Kuropatwa @dkuropatwa since he's got a great handle on what the digital scribe should look like-and I want to know more about how the "digital scribe" looks in the primary classroom.  So, I sent him this tweet:

.@dkuropatwa Do you know of any primary classes who are newbies implementing digital scribe roles defined in Who Owns the Learning? #cyberpd
— Amy Rudd (@aruddteacher100) July 9, 2013

He responded with the following suggestion:

@aruddteacher100 In K-2 classes I suggest using narrated images to create daily scribe posts. For tools see @wfryer's http://t.co/zbBNKsVOB3
— Darren Kuropatwa (@dkuropatwa) July 9, 2013

That led me to the link "Mapping Media to the Common Core" by Wesley Fryer-along with a suggestion as to how it might look in K-2 classes.  When I went  to the link, and you'll probably notice too-go there now if you haven't (I'll wait)... that some of the apps we've read about and discussed as a learning community are found there.  It also took me back to the student as tutorial designer-and at Fryer's site-there are many other options in addition to the video scribe and screen chomp.  The site is chocked full of tons of ideas on how you can take your students and get them creating anything they desire...

A key point that was touched on in chapter 3 is publishing and getting feedback from an audience!  I know first hand how great it feels to get comments and feedback on blogs!  I see this wonderful feedback through two lenses-as a writer (receiving comments on my own blog) and as a teacher (seeing my students connect with other students on their blogs).  An idea that was shared in giving feedback that I connected to was the "star and a wish" idea-which I also follow when conferring-but I call it "two hugs and a push".  Reinforce things done well and add a suggestion for work when next we meet.  Most importantly though-remembering technology growth is not the end point...

This led me to my next link of think...I saw this pin via Pinterest and went in search of the original source:

   

@alicekeeler : Yup. The picture is mine and is licensed CC-A. Here's where you can find it on Flickr: http://t.co/7tMt8omQYe #enjoy
— Bill Ferriter (@plugusin) July 8, 2013

So that led me to think more deeply about what do we want kids doing with technology-which I believe is important in a digital learning age-but the message is clear-it's not just about creating the project as an end to itself-tools should be used to move toward what @plugusin Bill Ferriter is suggesting and what I believe Alan November had in mind when he authored his book...

Technology should move us toward things like raising awareness, joining partners and making a difference. 

As I read chapter 4, student as researcher, the idea of designating one computer as the official research station for the room got me onto another link of think-how many classrooms in the USA-land of the free and home of the brave-have not one computer linked to the internet...I am shocked!

Here is the data via The Institute of Educational Sciences-

In 2009, 97 percent of teachers had one or more computers located in the classroom every day, while 54 percent could bring computers into the classroom. Internet access was available for 93 percent of the computers located in the classroom every day and for 96 percent of the computers that could be brought into the classroom. The ratio of students to computers in the classroom every day was 5.3 to 1.

Teachers reported that they or their students used computers in the classroom during instructional time often (40 percent) or sometimes (29 percent). Teachers reported that they or their students used computers in other locations in the school during instructional time often (29 percent) or sometimes (43 percent).

Teachers reported having the following technology devices either available as needed or in the classroom every day: LCD (liquid crystal display) or DLP (digital light processing) projectors (36 and 48 percent, respectively), interactive whiteboards (28 and 23 percent, respectively), and digital cameras (64 and 14 percent, respectively). Of the teachers with the device available, the percentage that used it sometimes or often for instruction was 72 percent for LCD or DLP projectors, 57 percent for interactive whiteboards, and 49 percent for digital cameras.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2010). Teachers' Use of Educational Technology in U.S. Public Schools: 2009 (NCES 2010-040).

I thought there was less technology out there than the statistics suggest (these are from 2009).  Leading me to think that we've got to start using technology differently.  Which is why I am glad we are having #cyberPD on this book...

To that end...two routines are popping into my mind as I've recently seen both on blogs or twitter...Wonder Wednesdays and Genius Hour.  I am thinking that these times would serve as opportunities for the roles that are suggested in the book to become regular habits where they could serve to move students forward in the roles suggested from the book (tutorial creator, scribe, and researcher-so far). 

Back to the learning trail...

Let's Hit the Trail-Reflection for Cyber PD

Special Thanks to Cathy Mere (July 3), Jill Fisch (July 10) and Laura Komos (July 17)

for hosting the collaborative learning opportunity.

I am fortunate to be able to find talented educators (like the ladies above) who are forging a digital path into the future.  These educators are trail blazers.  I am working hard to follow in their footsteps and have started down the trail after them...

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail--
Ralph Waldo Emerson

 I am involved with a book study this summer called Cyber PD where we are reading the book, "Who owns the Learning?  Preparing Students for Success in the Digital Age.

For this book study, I decided to get the book for my Kindle App on the ipad.  Since the book is about learning in the digital age, reading it in this manner seemed so appropriate.  I've learned some new tricks through reading this way-I am able to highlight, keep notes and have also linked it with my twitter account so I can tweet out interesting points as I read.

Now for the learning...I am so glad I am reading this book.  I feel like I've been getting my feet wet with the Digital Learning Farm approach for the last few years.  I was first inspired by learning about blogging with students.  You can read posts about this learning here and here.  I then moved on to experience Digi-Camp for teachers.  You can read about that here.  Digi-camp really got me stoked about using technology as a way to grow a learning community and I learned so much through the use of Twitter.  Twitter put me in touch with the trail blazers I mentioned above and as I read Who Owns the Learning I imagine each one of them as people who've walked the walk.  They are getting their students to interact globally, share work and connect 21st century learning through collaboration and publication for authentic purposes.

The book inspires thinking of how it can be done with examples.  Imagine the possibilities...it gives an overview of what sparked the beginning of the Digital Learning Farm concept.  Then, author Alan November shares classrooms where the Digital Learning Farm is happening.  Here's what I loved about reading it digitally, I could just click the hyperlinks and go directly to the sites that were in the book or scan the QR codes with my QR Reader and it would take me there as well.  The first blog the QR reader took me to was Kathy Cassidy's Classroom Blog!  I was so excited to know it was her blog I connected to because I could honestly say that I believe she is a leader in curating the Digital Learning Farm concept.  I exchanged tweets with her about this:

 

After reading the Introduction and Chapter 1, I was encouraged with the way the author suggests that transitioning to the Digital Learning Farm way of thinking and teaching is to imagine students being easily motivated when creating videos, podcasts and other digital media for a purpose.  He gives suggestions as to specific roles students could take on such as tutorial designers, scribes, researchers, and global communicators and collaborators.   He also identifies specific software to use. It's helpful that there are concrete examples that inspire ways to get the digital learning started.

 

The connection I'm making is that I'm inspired by seeing and knowing of educators who are doing just what the book recommends.  These educators are shining examples of where digital learning is happening in classrooms all over the globe.  There are many trail blazers who can inspire through things such as Twitter Chats, #1stchat, for example-check out the list of first chat teachers on the wiki here-and connect with them.  A few who I've connected with this past year are Leka DeGroot, Jenni VanRees, Kristen Wideen and Karen Lirenman.  I want to be like them!  Thanks Ladies!

 

My take aways here-I'm heading in the right direction.  I am hooked up with people who are inspiring me to do the right things and I've been experimenting by beginning blogging with my firsties and hosting a blogging club for students in grades 4, 5, and 6.   I want to work at having them create content and avoid giving them the "$1,000 pencil" when using technology.  I want to continue to experiment and play with screen caster software and other tools like Jing to learn more about ways to make videos.

 

I invite you to make this leap of learning with me.  Move from the old fashioned way of doing things and get on board with the modern way-Let's hit the trail-with a modern horse of course!

 

 

Cat's out of the Bag!

Hello #1stchat friends and all of you out there in blogger land! 
A special thank you to Laura Komos and Val Ruckes for hosting the 1stchat blog
and allowing me to be a guest writer!
First Grade Rocks!-www.weare1stchat.com

 

I'm letting you in on a secret today about some great news!  But before I get to the news, I have some stories to tell...



 

As a classroom teacher, I began the year reading the Pete the Cat stories, I Love My White Shoes, and Rocking in My School Shoes.  My class begged me to read them over and over.  They love singing Pete's songs.  Then, Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons came out and we got that and read it too.  As we talked about during our Sunday evening #1stchats, kids really love the Pete stories.  Then, Pete the Cat Saves Christmas came out in late September.  The kids love this Pete the Cat just as much as the other 3. 

 

 

November was Picture Book Month and my class voted for Pete the Cat, I Love My White Shoes, as their favorite book of the year so far.  Whenever we read it, we keep walking along and singing Pete's song.  Seriously, if you've heard the songs before, you know what I mean.  If you haven't heard them yet, you can go to the HarperCollins Books Website and download them for free. HarperCollins Featuring Pete the Cat

 

And now, to let the "Cat out of the Bag!" Pete is going to be featured in "I Can Read" Books.  The first 2 titles (Pete's Big Lunch and Play Ball) are due out in late February, and the third title (Pete at the Beach) is due out in May.  I am looking forward to sharing these books with my students as I know they will "eat them up".  As it is right now, whenever they have Daily 5 Read to Self or Read to Someone, the Pete books are always what they want to read first.  I wonder if and hope that the easy readers will be a big hit with my students...How do you think your students will react to the Pete the Cat Easy Readers?

 

 

And now, the cat's (Pete) out of the bag!
It's all good!



Balance...

Bringing “Balance” to My Life...

Weekly Slice of Life-Two Writing Teachers

 

So, my ship has sailed on 2012 and it was an awesome year of learning for me.  The true professional growth in becoming a writer started this year-really!   My growth began when I took the Slice of Life Challenge in March of 2012 at Two Writing Teachers.  I have so many great people to thank for encouraging words and kindness during that month.  I want to personally thank Ruth, Stacey, Michelle, Linda, Dana, Maria, Terje, Anita, Lynn,  Cathy , Donna and Diana and so many others as well.  The month of writing, posting and commenting each day was challenging and rewarding at the same time.  I didn’t meet the goal of posting each day for the month-as life sometimes happens…but I did learn so much about myself as a writer (weaknesses and strengths).  I also learned a great deal from the writing community as a whole and continued to add stories through the Weekly Slice of Life here on my blog, The "Rudd"er!

During the month of April, with use of my rudder, I learned more about and becoming a user of Twitter.  Fellow slicers Michelle and Cathy posted Twitter advice on their blogs that helped me to understand it better and how to use it.  I am still learning but it’s been a great tool to further my professional growth.  After I attended digi-camp in the summer, where I learned even more about Twitter, I also became involved in learning about TweetChats!  I learned how to join in and participate in chats to gain even more knowledge about teaching and learning with varying topics.  I now try to participate weekly in the #1stchat TweetChat on Sunday nights.  Through the chats, I met even more great twitter peeps-great teachers like Karen, Kristen, Kathy, Laura, Val, Kristin, Kathy and Jenni to name a few tweeps there…

Then, came Pinterest.  With signing up for Pinterest, again, thanks to Michelle I had to increase the need for even more balance in my life.  I love Pinterest and could literally be lost for hours looking at all of the great ideas that people have pinned and shared with it.  I now set a timer for 15 minutes and after that I have to sign out-unless it’s on a night when I can’t sleep at which time there will be no timer set!  J

The big push in becoming even better at writing and teaching writing came when I got involved with Teachers Write-a virtual summer writing camp for teachers and librarians via Kate Messner’s Blog.  I learned so much by participating in the writing I did via prompts posted throughout the summer. I feel fortunate that I was introduced to more authors of great children’s literature and even started following some of them on Twitter.  I finally worked to keep the writers notebook I started with the Slice of Life Challenge and referred to it as I started Writer’s Workshop with my students. 

It’s been such a year of learning for me-but my one little word has to be balance.  I need to balance all of this professional learning with my personal life too, as I have a great husband, son and daughter who need me as well.  Oh, and one more little part of balance, I hope to read more as well.  As 2012 is now history, this reflective slice on the sailing that occurred is to remind me that in 2013, I must remember “balance” in my life!  What’s your one little word for 2013?

Here's my post in wordle...I think it's interesting that Learning came out to be one of the biggest words!

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