Classroom Backchannels Allow All Students to have a Voice and Venue to Share and Ask Questions

A backchannel is a, typically, online conversation, that occurs hand in hand or along side another activity.  It may occur as a conversation while students are watching a video in social studies.  It may be where students post their questions during a conversation or learning session in science.  It may be where students post their question or comments about a story they are reading.  It may be where the teacher poses a question and then watches the responses to see if the proper depth of learning has occurred.

In any case, it is a place where the extension of the discussion and questioning can occur. What is great about this is that a backchannel is not inhibited by time or speed.  If a student needs more time to think, they can take the time they need to process and think through their questions and then post them.  In a real time discussion, the speed is determined by the students and some students get left in the dust.  The other great benefit is that most backchannel tools create some sort of transcript file of the conversation.  To read more about the power of a backchannel in your classroom, read this article on eduTopia.  

Great tools to use for creating a classroom backchannel
Padlet 

How to use Padlet in the Classroom

Padlet Examples and Resources
Padlet:  Create a Virtual Wall and Engage your Students

Try out this sample Padlet

BackChannel Chat

Try out this sample Bachchannel Chat

Today's Meet

20 Useful Ways to Use Today's Meet in the Classroom

Try out this sample Today's Meet

Learning with Video Content ~ A Few New Spins for Flips

If you wonder why you should use videos in your classroom and want to use them to transform learning, keep reading ....

Videos in the classroom have power,  BUT, we have also noticed that after watching the video content, students have a tendency to lack the comprehension of the information we had hoped for.  Here are some ideas to combat this......  These ideas and tools will, hopefully, help you students view videos more deeply and critically.  In reading, we talk about close reading. Here are some ideas to promote close watching in your classroom.

One great tool that will help students takes notes and reflect while watching a video is Videonotes.  The best and frankly, only way I would use this tool with students is by integrating it into their Google Drive accounts.  Why? Then, their notes documents will save in a folder in their Drive account.  The power of this tool is that students can put the video URL (Youtube videos seem to work as do other video sources... but not all sources work.  Teacher Tip:  Test the video before assigning to your students).  The video plays on the left and the student is able to take notes on the right.  You need to give this a try!  I think this tool could have great power in the classroom.  

If notetaking online is not a critical skill you want students to do, you might consider creating a Google Form that students interact with while watching or after watching the video.  Students will need to learn that watching a video for learning is not like watching their favorite show.  Rather, they will pause and start frequently to answer teacher posed questions or to take notes.  One teacher created a WSK (wisk) format for student to use when watching video content:  Watch, Summarize, and Question.  Read more about this here and/or watch the video.

Another great tool that may help when using video content is tubechop.  This tool is helpful when you find the perfect youtube video, but it is just too long. Shorter segments of videos are more successful than long videos. Tubechop allows you to chop the youtube video and save only the most relevant part.  

Looking for good video to use in the classroom.  A great source of standards aligned videos, which can be searched by topic, subject, grade level, or common core standard is Open Ed.  This would be my first stop when looking for video content that aligns which the standards I am teaching.


Of course, youtube is a powerful classroom tool.  Click here to learn more about ways to use YouTube effectively in the classroom.

How have you effectively used video in the classroom? What videos tools have used and want to recommend to others?

Compass Works on the iPad

Download this app!  It is an iPad browser that allows a select group of educational  apps to work on the iPad. (It allows for Flash on the iPad!)  Compass is one of them.  It is free so download it today!  GREAT NEWS!!!!!


Other sites that work with Puffin Academy browser, from my quick look, are ABCYa, Scholastic Study Jams, and more.  Some are free and some are subscription.

Creating an iTunes Store, App Store, iBooks Store, and Mac App Store account without a credit card

Please follow these steps to setup your iTunes account with NO CREDIT CARD.....  You can download the Find your iphone app or any app of your choice. 
 
Click here for steps:  http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2534
 
Once there, please click on the words Creating an account on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and follow the steps.
 
If you have trouble, let me know......

Welcome to our new iPad Friends

Today we welcomed all K-2 teachers into the iPad (no longer a Pilot) group.  Yeah!  and each of you took home an iPad to learn and play with for the summer.  This blog is our place to work and learn together how to best use these awesome tools in our classrooms.  Those of you new to it, please look back at our work from this spring.  

This will also be where I post new information and ideas for you to think about as we move forward.   You will receive an email when new information is published to this blog.  Happy iPadding!

Thinking & Blogging / Writing about Math ~ What questions do I ask?

Developing Mathematical Thinking with Effective Questions

It is important to get kids thinking about math and writing about math, but how can we do that?  By having kids write, speak, or blog about their math thinking.  

Here are some question prompts to get their thinking out...

To promote problem solving, ask…

• What information do you have? What do you need to find out?
• What strategies are you going to use?
• Will you do it mentally? With pencil and paper? Using a number line?
• What tools will you need? Will a calculator help?
• What do you think the answer or result will be? 

To promote problem solving, ask…

• How would you describe the problem in your own words?
• What facts do you have?
• What do you know that is not stated in the problem?
• How did you tackle similar problems?
• Could you try it with simpler numbers? Fewer numbers? Using a number line? What about putting things in order?
• Would it help to create a diagram? Make a table? Draw a picture?
• Can you guess and check?
• If you compared your work with anyone else’s, what did they try? 

To make connections among ideas and applications, ask…

• How does this relate to…?
• What ideas that we have learned were useful in solving this problem?
• What uses of mathematics did you find in the newspaper last night?
• Can you give me an example of…?

To encourage reflection, ask…

• How did you get your answer?
• Does you answer seem reasonable? Why or why not?
• Can you describe your method to us? Can you explain why it works?
• What if you had started with… rather than…?
• What if you could only use…?
• What have you learned or found out today?
• Did you use or learn any new words today? What did they mean? 
• What are the key points or big ideas in this lesson?

To help students build confidence and rely on their own 
understanding, ask…

• Why is that true? How did you reach that conclusion?
• Does that make sense?
• Can you make a model to show that? 

To help students learn to reason mathematically, ask…

• Is that true for all cases? Explain.
• Can you think of a counterexample?
• How would you prove that?
• What assumptions are you making?

To check student progress, ask…

• Can you explain what you have done so far? What else is there to do?
• Why did you decide to use this method?
• Can you think of another method that might have worked?
• Is there a more efficient strategy?
• What do you notice when…?
• Why did you decide to organize your results like that?
• Do you think this would work with other numbers?
• Have you thought of all the possibilities? How can you be sure?

To help students collectively make sense of mathematics, ask…

• What do you think about what ____ said?
• Do you agree? Why or why not?
• Does anyone have the same answer but a different way to explain it?
• Do you understand what _____ is saying?
• Can you convince the rest of us that your answer makes sense?

To encourage conjecturing, ask…

• What would happen if…? What if not?
• Do you see a pattern? Can you explain the pattern?
• Can you predict the next one? What about the last one?
• What decision do you think he/she should make?

Click here to link to PBS TeacherLine

How can you get your students to show their thinking about Math?

Using Technology Tools to Make Math Stick

As students spend more time and efforts on standardized tests that are computer based, I see a need for two things to evolve in our classrooms. To read more about technology's power in math education, read this article.

First, students need exposure and experience using technology based tools to help them visualize, represent, and solve mathematical problems.

Second, they need to explore solving real world, multi-step math problems.  Click here to see a blog post that shares online resources to support this need. 

                      Web Based Math Tools

]Math Playground - Math Manipulatives

Thinking Blocks

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

Virtual Manipulatives

Illuminations

Crick Web: Numeracy

What other online tools or websites do you use to enhance student learning?

Blogs ~ Tools for my PLN

BLogs are a great source of learning for your PLN.  MAny educators create blogs to share information and tips with others.  They also use blogs to create a collaborative culture.  Part of learning is sharing with others.  Deeper learning occurs when there is the two way "street".  Blogs are also powerful in that they allow people to not only reflect , but also do so and receive feedback from others. and not just people in their proximity but people all over the world, perhaps.  Blogs are very powerful ` both for the read and the writer.  

There are so many great educational blogs our there that help me think, learn more, and reflect.  Here are a few of my favorites:

• Powerful Learning Practice
• Reading By Example
• Free Technology 4 Teachers
• Tech with Jen
• VanMeter Library Voice
• Edudemic
• Class Tech Tips
• SmartBlogs:  Education
• Langwitches Blog
• teach thought blog

Zig Zagging through Education & Technology (great for iPad ideas)

Mrs. Wideen's Blog
(Great for iPad ideas)

Middle Web
(All About Middle Grades)

EduBlog Award Winning Blogs ~ Use these websites to find popular education-related blogs to subscribe to

Teach 100 : A Daily Ranking of Education Blogs

What blogs have you found that are great Professional Learning Tools?

April Evidence of iLearning

Here are some examples of great things happening in our classrooms using iPads.

We have been exploring eggs through books and egg-speriments this week.  The kids took notes and did some sorting (comes from eggs/born alive) in their IN9s.  Then, they used their notes to write what they felt were the most important pieces of information to share about eggs. The second grade students' goal was to create a circuit so that it would work and to know the parts of the simple circuit.  They also needed to know that a circuit needs to be a "circle of electricity," which is why one of them commented on the fact that it was a circle.  On their test, they will need to draw and label a circuit, so Megan thought this would be a great way for them to use their actual experiment in the classroom to practice.  This was our first time doing videos so the sound quality is not great, but this will improve with more video practice.  Click here to see their model. In Kindergarten, we are learning that there are multiple ways to make the same number. In Everyday Math, these are called "Name Collections."  Using Easter candy, the kids explored name collections and took photos of their ideas.  In Second Grade, we have been learning about prefixes, suffixes and root words.  I had different words written on cards and they had to use Skitch to take a picture of the word on the card and identify different parts of the word and tell me what it means.  I had them email their work to me and then they shared it with the class.  They LOVED it and it was a great way for me to see assess their knowledge of prefixes/suffixes/root words. The children used the iPads to take pictures of plane shapes and three dimensional shapes found in the school.  They then returned to the room and wrote the characteristics of their shapes.  There writing and pictures were then put into the following presentation using the Skitch and Educreations apps.  Click here to see the video. Kindergartners are visually showing their understanding of place value using Froot Loops and then writing their understanding in expanded form and as a number sentence. These kindergartners start their morning by using the iPad to respond to their teacher's blog question of the day.  What a great way to start their day writing their thoughts and ideas!

Modeling Math Thinking with iPads

The iPads are a great tool for having students make sense of math and talk through their thinking as evidence of their learning.  Kids can illustrate math thinking using an app like Educreations, and talk through the steps they are taking.  Talk as they illustrate!  They can also look at how to solve problems in a different way.  Visual examples could be created  for the class of different ways to complete a math task.  Imagine your students having a conversation about math and how to do math.


Can you think of an application of this idea and have students model math and share their thinking?  Share it here.


Here are some links to support this:


How to Establish a Digital Math Culture in Kindergarten
Making Math Thinking Digital with iPads
Math Think Alouds
Zig Zag Blog:  Math
Explain your Thinking with Math

My Favorite iPads Classroom Blogs

There are some lovely teachers who are blogging what great things they are doing in their classroom or about cool and useful apps.  Here are my favorites for inspiration and ideas..... in no particular order!

Mrs. Wideen's Class Blog
Zig Zagging thru Education & Technology
Matt Gomez
TeachThought:  iPads
Apps in Class

What are your favorite sites with great ideas?  Share here.

Sharing Learning w/ ThingLink

Here is a great example of how second graders shared their learning using ThingLink.   
The students' goal was to create the circuit so that it would work and to know the parts of the simple circuit.  They also needed to know that a circuit needs to be a "circle of electricity," which is why one of them commented on the fact that it was a circle. 

On their test, they will need to draw and label a circuit, so Megan thought this would be a great way for them to use their actual experiment in the classroom to practice.  This was our first time doing videos so the sound quality is not great, but this will improve with more video practice.

Check out these examples:http://www.thinglink.com/scene/502931421719953408

http://www.thinglink.com/scene/502932256180928514

Showing Learning w/ Skitch

Here is a "creating" ipad activity I had my kids do using Skitch.  We have been learning about prefixes, suffixes and root words.  I had different words written on cards and they had to use Skitch to take a picture of the word on the card and identify different parts of the word and tell me what it means.  I had them email their work to me and then they shared it with the class.  They LOVED it and it was a great way for me to see assess their knowledge of prefixes/suffixes/root words. :)


Students were very capable at the second grade level to be independent for this activity.  These finished products could then be shared and used for learning examples for the class.

Kinder Kids Learning Antonyms and Synonyms

Check out these two links to see how our Kindergartners are learning and showing their learning about 

Antonyms and Synonyms.

Explore Apps & Websites by Common Core

Found a very useful tool today to help find technology resources ~ both apps and websites ~ as they align to Common Core standards at each grade level.  I can't wait to dig a little deeper into this tool.


Common Sense Media Common Core Explorer