Turned on to Tech

Digital Citizenship - Engaging in Conversation with Kids

2014-01-20T08:11:00.000-08:00

Teaching our children about digital citizenship is a 24/7 job. Every time they use a piece of technology, there is the opportunity to discuss appropriate ways to use the tool. It is also important to discuss when technology is being used inappropriately and engage your children in honest conversation about their options and possible consequences of their actions. Here are some role-playing scenarios to help start conversation about the nine themes of digital citizenship.

Scenario 1: A friend stumbled upon a website at home with inappropriate pictures. The next day at school, he pulls up the site in the library after school and shares it with you. How do you respond? (Digital Access)

Scenario 2: You want a subscription to a game site but need your parents’ credit card. Dad is out working in the yard and his wallet is sitting on the kitchen counter. (Digital Commerce)

Scenario 3: You had a bad day at school. When you get home you went straight to Facebook and posted some negative comments about a teacher to share with your friends. What can happen? (Digital Communication)

Scenario 4: You have a science research project due in a few days but you are having trouble finding information. What resources are available?

(Digital Literacy)

Scenario 5: Two friends have a sleepover where they make dance videos together. After the sleep over, one friend decides to post the videos to You Tube without permission. (Digital Etiquette)

Scenario 6: A student leaves her computer without logging out of her email account. Another student walks by, sees the "open" account, and sends vicious emails using the other girl's identity. You see everything that has happened. What are your options? (Digital Law)

Scenario 7: A number of your friends have Facebook accounts but your parents say you are too young. A friend offers to make an account for you. What are the consequences? (Digital Rights and Responsibilities)

Scenario 8: You like to go bed at 9:30 but your friends go to bed later than you. They wake you up with their late night messaging. (Digital Health and Wellness)

Scenario 9: You begin getting text messages from a number you don't recognize. (Digital Security)

Scenario 10: You get a message from someone you just met online playing games. What information is OK to give them? What should you watch out for? (Digital Security)

Raising a Digital Child

2014-01-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

With the introduction of iPads into the daily routines of our Middle and Upper School students, faculty are, more than ever, focused on helping their students become responsible and ethical users of technology and media. We strive every day to help our students become good digital citizens.

Digital citizenship is defined as the expected behavior of individuals as they use responsible practices with regard to technology. As a way to better understand the complexity of digital citizenship and the issues of technology use, abuse, and misuse, the International Society for Technology in Education has identified nine general areas of accepted practices that make up digital citizenship.

1. Etiquette: electronic standards of conduct or procedure

2. Communication: electronic exchange of information

3. Education: the process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology

4. Access: full electronic participation

5. Commerce: electronic buying and selling of goods

6. Responsibility: electronic responsibility for actions and deeds

7. Rights: those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world

8. Safety: physical well being in a digital technology world

9. Security (self-protection): electronic precautions to guarantee safety

Faculty and parents need to serve as role models each and every day in the nine areas listed above, and we must think about what is developmentally appropriate at all times. Here are some websites, articles and books to get you started learning more about raising a good cyber citizen.

Raising a Digital Child by Mike Ribble

Digital Community, Digital Citizen by Jason Ohler

Rules of the Road for Parents in a Digital Age

Our Space: Being a Responsible Digital Citizen of the World

Digital Citizenship – Using Technology Appropriately

The Hour of Code is Almost Here!

2013-12-05T08:26:00.002-08:00

The week of December 9^th -15^th has been designated Computer Science Education Week. Students across the Shorecrest campus along with more than 5 million students (and counting) across 164 countries will participate in The Hour of Code sponsored by Code.org.

With computer programming jobs growing more than two times faster than students entering the field, it is essential students get an early start in learning these important skills. Even if your child does not become a computer programmer, coding teachers them to think logically and systematically as well as problem solve.

Shorecrest students will engage in conversation with their peers, explore coding apps and software on their iPads and classroom computers, and work with self-guided tutorials in various programming languages during CSE Week.

Learn more about The Hour of Code at http://csedweek.org/ and be sure to check out next week’s E-bytes for pictures and videos of campus events.

We would love families to consider spending time coding at home too. Here are some of the iPad apps students will be using next week.

BeeBot: FREE (Ages 3-6) The Bee-Bot App is based on the Bee-Bot floor robot. The app uses directional language and programming through sequences of forwards, backwards, left and right 90 degree turns. The app has 12 levels.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/bee-bot/id500131639?mt=8

Daisy the Dino: FREE (Ages 4-6) Learn the basics of computer programming with the easy drag and drop interface. Kids will learn the basics of object sequencing and loops by solving this app's challenges. After playing Daisy, kids can choose to download a kit to program their own computer game.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/daisy-the-dinosaur/id490514278?mt=8

Move the Turtle: $2.99 (Ages 6-10)
Move The Turtle teaches the basics of creating computer programs using intuitive graphic commands. Students can also create their own programs from scratch.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/move-turtle.-programming-for/id509013878?mt=8

Kodable: FREE (5 and up) The Fuzz Family crashed their spaceship on Smeeborg and need your help to explore the planet's mazes. Drag and drop instructions for Fuzzes to follow. Hit Play to watch them roll through the maze.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/kodable/id577673067?mt=8

Cato's Hike: $4.99 (5 and up) Cato is a little boy who likes to play. One day Cato was playing outside when a portal to another world opened up! Cato stepped through and discovered that this world didn't follow the same rules. Every time he tried to take a step he'd find himself stuck in place until he discovered the rules in this new universe.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/catos-hike-programming-logic/id574335479?mt=8

Cargo-Bot: FREE (5 and up) Cargo-Bot is a puzzle game where you teach a robot how to move crates. Includes tutorials to teach the game along with easy, hard, and advanced puzzles. A game about programming, programmed entirely on iPad. https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/cargo-bot/id519690804?mt=8

Hopscotch: FREE (5 and up) Hopscotch allows kids to create their own games and animations. Hopscotch programming language works by dragging and dropping blocks into scripts. As you get more advanced, you can add more objects and use custom events, such as shaking and tilting the iPad, to run your code.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/hopscotch-coding-for-kids/id617098629?mt=8

Light-bot: $2.99 (5 and up) A programming puzzle game that use procedure, loop, and conditional commands to guide a robot to light up tiles and solve levels. Features 40 levels. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/light-bot/id657638474?mt=8

i-Logo: $2.99
LOGO is a 1967 computer programming language. It has functional programming capability. Students can use variables and test calculations with polish notation, test recursively, and use arrays. https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/i-logo/id435280247?mt=8

Codea: $9.99 AU
Codea is a code editor that lets you create games and simulations. Turn your thoughts into interactive creations. Codea is built on the Lua programming language. Uses visual editing tools. https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/codea/id439571171?mt=8

Here are links to some of the online programs students will be using in the computer labs and library.

http://www.kidsruby.com/

Software available for Mac or PC utilizing Ruby as its programming language.

http://light-bot.com/flash-lite.html

A programming puzzle game that use procedure, loop, and conditional commands to guide a robot to light up tiles and solve levels. This is the free flash-based lite version of the app by the same name.

http://scratch.mit.edu/

A tile-based visual programming environment and toolkit, lets kids make games, animated stories, interactive art, and share with others.

http://www.tynker.com/

Easy to use, step-by-step curriculum by grade level. The premium version has additional lesson plans. Uses a drag-and-drop interface.

http://edu.kde.org/kturtle/

KTurtle is loosely based on the Logo programming language. Simplifies programming by translating commands and error messages into the native language of the programmer.

http://www.alice.org/index.php

Teaches students computer programming in a 3D environment. Students drag and drop graphic tiles to create a program. These tiles correspond with standard programming statements in Java, C++, and C#.

Another Round of Monsters

2013-05-13T18:04:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe the school year is almost over. Even though there are only three weeks of school left there are still so many technology projects to wrap up with the students. This week third grade will be finishing up their Pixie presentations on European Explorers, fourth graders continue to work on their iWeb digital portfolios, and first grade will begin recording facts in their Under the Sea VoiceThreads.

One project that just wrapped up today, which also happens to be one of my favorites, is the Monster Project. This year 33 first, second, and third grade classrooms from around the United States and Canada drew, described, typed, and exchanged monsters as a way to learn about the power of descriptive words to paint a picture for the reader.

Here are few examples of student writing, the original monster, and the redrawn monsters that came back to us as well as the links to each class set of monsters:

Mrs. Deegan's Class

Mrs. O'Mullane's Class

Ms. Graham's Class

Mrs. McKenzie's Class

Instagrok - A New Kid-Friendly Search Engine

2013-04-23T06:50:00.001-07:00

When researching with young children, I typically utilize a Symbaloo to organize sites by different topics and to make access easy. Symbaloos are simple to create and edit, and are easy to pull up both on computers as well as the iPads. Just last week, the first grade students launched their individual research on ocean animals using sites provided on Symbaloo to get started. Here is the link to my page: http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/ldcomputerlab

Fourth grade students, on the other hand, begin practicing their own searching skills to learn about individual states during colonial times. Rather than using Google, which is really geared more toward adults, I introduced students to several more kid-friendly search engines. Some of my favorites include Kid Rex, Boolify, and Quintera for Kids. I also started to use a new search tool called Instagrok.

What makes Instagrok different is how it utilizes both a visual and traditional interface to help kids see connections between topics and ideas. Kids are able to customize their search and even share their results with others. Searches can also be saved for later reference. Check it out at www.instagrok.com

New Word Cloud Site

2013-04-10T14:48:00.001-07:00

This week I came across a new 'word cloud' site called Word Clouds for Kids. Sponsored by www.ABCya.com, this site allows students to input text to create a graphical representation from a block of text or other list of words. If words are entered more than once, they are given more prominence in a word cloud.

The idea of creating word clouds is not new. Websites like Wordle, Tagxedo, and WordItOut have been around for many years and have been used effectively by our students. What is different about Word Clouds is its easy to use interface. It is also Flash-based rather than Java-based. Word Clouds is recommended for grades 2-5 but can easily be used by younger students as well.

Here are some of the ways our students have been using word cloud sites this year:

Introduce themselves at the beginning of the year
Practice spelling words
Build story or character clouds based on a book
Create USA clouds
Reinforce vocabulary words
Review important terms and concepts when reviewing a chapter
Reflecting on a project or activity

Scratch Projects... Finally!

2013-03-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the very patient third grade students who have been anxiously awaiting for me to post their final Scratch projects from their last rotation in the lab. They all did an amazing job! I can't wait to share their projects with the first and second graders over the next few weeks. You can access the projects here.

2013-03-26T09:58:00.002-07:00

It has been a busy few weeks so far in the Technology Lab. Many grade levels are immersed in research projects, and it is always wonderful watching the children as they engage in learning about new topics.

Kindergarten has launched individual research projects on animals and have been introduced to the online encyclopedia World Book for Kids (WBK) to help learn about them. WBK is not only easy to navigate but it has a text-to-speech option which allows the children to have the articles read to them.

The children began recording facts on a graphic organizer and will continue their research in the classrooms. They are learning about how their animal looks, how it moves, where it lives, what it eats, and other interesting facts.

Second grade wrapped up research on various bodies of water last week. This week they used Pixie to write and illustrate riddles they will share with each other. Here are some examples:

Third graders spent several days working with partners to research European explorers. This week they will begin work on creating multimedia slideshows using Pixie. Each team will create a slideshow that will include audio, hand-drawn images, images from the Internet and text. The slideshows will cover the explorer's early life, reasons for travel, expeditions plus other interesting facts.

I Love Geocaching!

2013-03-04T18:01:00.001-08:00

Taking my students geocaching across the Shorecrest campus is one of my favorite activities. Typically I geocache a bit later in the year, but I just had to take advantage of the beautiful weather we had last week. So, I setup caches for both the second and fourth graders.

As the second graders have been learning about the seven continents, I thought it fitting to also learn about some of the different bodies of water around the world. Hidden inside their caches were slips of paper listing the names of the oceans as well as gulfs, seas, bays, and rivers. After a class discussion about the differences between these bodies of water, students used WorldBook for Kids to research a specific body of water. Next they will write, illustrate, and record riddles to share with each other.

The fourth graders have been studying the concepts of latitude and longitude in math, so learning how to use a handheld GPS receiver was a wonderful hands-on opportunity to better understand absolute location. They also learned how to track distance and use the built-in compass. Hidden inside their caches were coordinates and riddles related to famous places important during the American Revolution. Back in the lab, the students used Google Earth to look up the coordinates to figure out the important city or colony named in their riddle.

Pixie Introduced in Kindergarten

2013-02-10T18:09:00.001-08:00

Since returning to school after winter break, the kindergarten students have been learning how to use a new technology tool, Pixie. Pixie allows students to draw pictures, publish stories, and create slideshows using original artwork, images, video, and voice narration. During the initial introduction students were introduced to six basic drawing tools including their favorite, a 3-dimensional brush. Last week, students practiced using the shape tools and fill bucket. Each student was challenged to draw a picture utilizing at least five different shapes. Next week they will be introduced to the text tool to label and add writing to their pictures. Here are some wonderful examples of their creativity:

2013-01-06T18:57:00.001-08:00

'Harlem 1958'
Photo by Art Kane
http://harlem.org/images/mainimage.jpg

At the end of January, the 4th graders will be performing in their annual show We Haz Jazz.

To help prepare for their roles, the students worked with partners to research a famous American jazz musician and then share what they learned using the online tool, Glogster.

Each group was asked to share 15 facts about their musician and include at least three pieces of media such as pictures and videos on their glog.

Students also learned about the importance of properly documenting media according to 'Fair Use Guidelines'. You can check out their amazing glogs here.

Comparing Native American Tribes of Florida

2012-12-19T06:48:00.000-08:00

During their last rotation, third graders spent time researching Native American tribes as a culminating project for their social studies unit on Florida. Students individually researched one of five tribes - Apalachee, Calusa, Timucua, Tequesta, and Tocobaga - utilizing links provided through my Symbaloo page. The first two days focused on how to read for information from a website and how to take notes. The following questions helped guide their research:

In what part of Florida did your tribe live?
When did your tribe arrive in Florida?
What kind of houses did your tribe build?
What language did your tribe speak?
What did your tribe do for food?
Was your tribe peaceful?
What tools and weapons were used by your tribe?
What was the father's role? Mother's role.
What was used for clothing?
What are some important customs of your tribe?
Where is your tribe today?

On their last visit, students were partnered with a class member who had researched a different tribe. Using a Venn Diagram template through Inspiration, they added text boxes and images to compare and contrast the two tribes. Here is an example of a finished project:

2nd Grade Begins Work on Electronic Portfolios

2012-12-13T19:03:00.000-08:00

During the second grade year, each child works with their classroom teacher to create an electronic portfolio highlighting their work for the year. The portfolios are created using the online tool, VoiceThread. The portfolio includes writing samples, classroom projects, technology projects, art work, photographs, and reflections about the year.

This year, the students will use both the computer as well as iPads to work on their portfolios. Just this week, they learned how to access the VoiceThread app, sign in, navigate through slides, and record themselves speaking in Spanish, reciting alliterations, or reading reflections about Poetry in the Park. The students also learned how to add text comments as well as titles to their slides.

I can't tell you how excited I am about using the iPads for this purpose. It helps make the development of the portfolios a student-driven rather than teacher-driven project.

Third Graders Reflect About Legos

2012-11-29T07:28:00.001-08:00

During the 3rd grade unit on Lego robotics, I challenged my students to reflect about what they have learned while building and programming the different projects. Each partnership keeps a journal where they record the building process, keep project explorations, write reflections, and answer questions about how each project they build works. They also use digital cameras to document their constructions.

Here are some reflections to the question "What did you learn by working on this project?" from Mrs. Hensler's class.

"As the projects get bigger, they get more complicated." - Quentin, Julian, JC

"We learned to work together as a group." - Hannah, Annie, Skyler

"We learned how gears work." - Cian, Jake, Chris

"We learned that compound machines are made up of simple machines." - Julia, Zara, Devyn

"We learned how to activate sensors and motors and how to fit gears together. We also learned TEAMWORK!" - Luke and JT

When building the dancing birds, "we learned the motor spins the first gear and that spins the pulley system for the second bird to move." - Lizzie, Anna, Isabella

This week the students will use the photos and journals to create ComicLife posters highlighting their work over the last few weeks.

Special University Visitors

2012-11-05T18:41:00.002-08:00

Today I took a break from my typical Monday teaching schedule to welcome some visitors to Shorecrest. It was a privilege to tour Dr. Isa Jahnke from Umea University in Sweden and Dr. Swapna Kumar from the University of Florida through Lower Division and Early Childhood classrooms. The purpose of their visit, to observe how our teachers and students are using iPads to enhance teaching and learning.

There are many 1:1 initiatives currently being implemented throughout Scandinavia, and Dr. Jahnke is interested in learning how other countries introduce mobile technologies to teachers and students, as well as how schools support teachers in the implementation process. I spent time discussing Shorecrest's 5th-12th grade initiative for the 2013-2014 school year as well as our plans to integrate iPads with the younger students. I shared examples of apps that we are using as well as the different professional development opportunities, both formal and informal, that are taking place to help prepare teachers. We also discussed my role as an Instructional Technologist, a position not usually found in Scandinavian schools.

Here are some of the wonderful ways they observed teachers using iPads today.

Second graders in Mrs. McKenzie's class worked with partners to research individual species of penguins. Each partnership was asked to answer eight essential questions about their penguin as well as other interesting facts on a recording paper. Rather than searching independently on the Internet, students used a 'short cut app' created through Safari that took them directly to a site with pre-selected resources.

First graders worked in small groups with Mrs. Raumann to practice writing words families. Using a whiteboard application, they worked on spelling words with short vowel sounds as well as consonant blends. This activity also worked on the students fine motor skills as they practiced writing their words with only lower case letters.

The Junior Kindergarten teachers started the day by showing a YouTube video on the Seminoles of Florida. The students were able to see traditional dances along with clothing worn by the tribe. The iPads were then used to show other videos along with images to the children at their morning centers as they crushed fruits to make dye, created their own headdresses, and participated in other Native American related activities.

Kindergarten students worked with the application Monkey MathSchool Sunshine to reinforce math concepts such as shape, pattern, sequence, less/more, and counting sets.

Dr. Jahnke and Dr. Kumar were impressed with the overall program and work students were doing in the classrooms as well as the openness of the campus and classroom spaces. Of course, the students were wonderful about having visitors. After quick hellos, they would always get right back to work.

Kindergarteners Create Symmetrical Pumpkins

2012-10-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the story, Spookley the Square Pumpkin, students were challenged to create their own pumpkin on the computer. Now I must tell you, these were no ordinary pumpkins. Not only were the pumpkins square, they were symmetrical. Using a template in the drawing program Early Learning Toolkit, students used a variety of drawing tools (marker, circle, square, line, spray can, paint bucket) to create their own Spookleys while exploring the mathematical concept of vertical symmetry. The kindergarten teachers will continue exploring this concept in their classrooms with their students.

Here are a few sites if your child would like to continue exploring symmetry at home:

Symmetry Artist
Line of Symmetry
Symmetry Patterns
Reflective Symmetry

Nugget Reaches the Czech Republic

2012-10-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

A bit of a departure from my regular posts - I had to share this adorable picture of the latest carrier of one of the 2nd grade travel bugs, Nugget. Nugget was released on January 16, 2009 and has logged 23,400 miles. He has visited three different continents (N. America, S. America, Europe), nine countries, and ten states. Wish I had as many stamps in my passport! Right now, Nugget is traveling across the Czech Republic.

Nugget is one of 16 travel bugs released by second graders over the last four years. The Class of 2023 will be releasing their own in the next few weeks.

Visual Maps Help Organize Information

2012-10-05T07:16:00.004-07:00

Two key software programs embedded into the Lower Division curriculum are Kidspiration and Inspiration. Both programs allows students to visually connect concepts and ideas by combining pictures, texts, numbers and spoken words.

Kidspiration is used in K-2nd grade. It has a simple interface built specifically for young children. In addition to students being able to create their own webs, there are many math, science, and social studies templates that allow the classroom teachers to extend technology into these units. This week, for example, first graders worked with partners to create webs sharing facts about the bone and skeleton. It was a great way for students to showcase what they have learned and also serves as an assessment tool for the teachers before moving on to a new unit.

Inspiration is built for older students. It utilizes a similar interface as Kidspiration but includes many more advanced tools. This week, fourth graders also built webs, but focused on organizing their weekly vocabulary words based on their Greek and Latin roots. Information represented spatially allows students to organize and group similar ideas which makes better use of their visual memory. Visual learning is also reported across educational literature as an effective way to improve critical thinking, comprehension, and retention. The use of color and shape also help enhance with the experience.

Keeping Things 'Simple' in Third Grade

2012-09-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

Throughout the third grade year, students will be engaged in a variety of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) activities including robotics and programming. To help prepare them for these future projects, they are engaged in a thorough study of simple machines. After researching the six types of simple machines, students gathered together as a class to create an information web. Students then practiced identifying simple machines through a variety activities including sorting images on the SmartBoard, visiting online simulations, and exploring a simple machines app on the iPad.

This week, students will go on a photo safari to search for simple machines throughout campus. The digital images captured from the photo safari, once edited, will be used to create posters using the program ComicLife.

Here are few of the fun links students used this week.

Museum of Science and Industry Chicago

EdHeads - Simple Machines

Simple Machines Mind Quiz

K12 Simple Machines

Starting the Year Off with a Bang!

2012-09-04T03:19:00.000-07:00

The computer lab was buzzing with excitement last week as students in kindergarten and second grade were the first to use the new iPad Rolling Lab cart. The cart contains 30 iPads and will be available for checkout by classroom teachers to individualize instruction for students, support the current curriculum with educational applications, and provide more opportunities for students to engage in 21st century skills such as research, critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration.

Each lesson began with the development of iPad rules generated by the students followed by a brief introduction on basic functions of the iPad such as turning it on, navigating screens, and selecting apps. The majority of the students were quite familiar with the basics and were quick to point out other features for the class such as adjusting volume and changing the orientation of the screen. Anyone watching the scene of children as they worked and talked would be hard-pressed to deny that technology has become ubiquitous in the lives of our children.

2nd Graders Play Rush Hour from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

3rd Annual Third Grade Explorer Movies

2012-05-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

I know it is the end of the school year when I'm posting the videos created by my third grade students about European explorers. The first year I facilitated this project, students created their movies utilizing clay animation. Last year, the students exercised their 'acting chops'. This year, students created puppet shows. Puppets and sets were painted in art with Mrs. Rowe while planning the storyboard, filming the puppet show, and editing the movies in iMovie took place in the computer lab. Script writing took place in the individual classrooms.

The puppet shows were really adorable but filming presented some interesting challenges. Learning how to keep hands and heads out of the frames along with figuring out how to position the puppets so that they were always facing forward was hard. I think making larger puppets might help solve some of these issues. I'll also have to figure out a different way to make the sets so that the puppets are closer to the scenes and a bit more sturdy. The tri-folds boards weren't as stable as I had hoped.

Mrs. Hensler's Class
Hernan Cortes by Carson, Jay, and Shaherzad

Lewis & Clark by Kirsten, Samuel, and Ella

Marco Polo by Brenna, Shannon, Lucas

Leif Erikson by Ava, Alexander, and Zachary

Ferdinand Magellan by Hailey, Lily, Luke

Francisco Pizarro by Hannah, Kendall, Zoe, and Aiden

Mr. Wolfrath's Class

Sieur de La Salle by Lilianna, Lucy, and Julia L.

Vasco da Gama by Anthony, Russ, and Channing

Hernan Cortes by Sebastian, Aidan, and Mac

Francisco Pizarro by Connor, Nico, and Ryker

Christopher Columbus by Lauren, Sofia, Dylan, and Abby

Lief Erikson by Clara, Julia, Olivia, and Zaynab

Ms. LaDuke's Class

Hernan Cortes by Sheppard, McIntosh, and Mario

Francisco Pizarro by Louise, Ivy, and Abby

Juan Ponce de Leon by Nkechi, Ella, and Maggie

Christopher Columbus by Jett, Leddon, and Zach

Marco Polo by Faith, Leah, and Julia B.

Leif Erikson by Lia, Makenna, and Hailey

Vasco de Gama by Jonathan, Oliver, and Noah

Mrs. Mitchell's Class

Marco Polo by Destiny, Molly, and Rachel

Leif Erikson by Eric, Kyle, and Nico

Christopher Columbus by Rachel, Sole, and Caitlyn

Hernan Cortes by Dorothy and Gage

Juan Ponce de Leon by Jordan, Blake, and Rylan

Lewis and Clark by Kelly, Emma, and Lauren

Ferdinand Magellan by Sarah, Jonah, Haydn

2012 2nd Grade Monster Project

2012-05-14T17:45:00.003-07:00

For the sixth year, students in 2nd grade participated in the Monster Project. After an in-depth study of adjectives, students wrote descriptive paragraphs about monsters created on the computer. Great emphasis was placed on clearly listing the attributes of each monster feature related to size, shape, direction, number and design to help paint a detailed picture with words. The written student descriptions were then exchanged with students from other schools. The final descriptions along with the original and recreated monsters were then posted for students to view. Comparing the final monsters and analyzing how to make one's writing even better is the final key component of the project.

Ms. Deegan's Monsters
Ms. Graham's Monsters
Mrs. McKenzie's Monsters
Mrs. O'Mullane's Monsters

Second Grade VoiceThread Portfolios

2012-05-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

This week I had the pleasure of participating in a very special activity with the second graders - the sharing of their digital portfolios. While I help the classroom teachers organize the portfolios, gather and upload artifacts, and support the students throughout the creation process, I am always so touched by the actual portfolio shares. Watching the students so engaged and excited about their learning as they showcase and discuss their work is the highlight of my year.

Artifacts included in the portfolios represent all areas of the second grade curriculum as well the special subjects of art, music, and Spanish. Videos of students sharing projects were also included. I know these portfolios will be cherished by both students and families for many years to come.

Setting Up Restrictions on Apple Devices

2012-04-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

This week's post is inspired by two conversations I had with family and friends over the weekend.

First, I was talking with a good friend regarding how her son uses his iPad during a Saturday baseball game. During our conversation, she shared a few stories of 'unauthorized purchases'. She shared how she setup her son's iTunes account utilizing her email address so that she could monitor his purchases (which I highly recommend), but in the same breath remarked she had no actual control over what her son could download both through iTunes and through the App Store. So while she was being notified of what her son was doing, she really couldn't stop him from doing it because he was not following the family rule of asking before purchasing. She was also concerned about her son downloading music and apps at school. She really wanted his iPad to be solely for educational purposes.

On Sunday, I was engaged in a conversation with my sister-in-law regarding a related issue. My niece had just bought her own iPod Touch, and my sister-in-law had no idea about how to set it up, much less how to secure the device for her young daughter. In fact, she had been told by friends that it was not possible to secure the device.

So, here is a quick step-by-step guide to setting up Restrictions on Apple devices.

Go to General > Settings > Restrictions. The default setting is Off.

When you select Restrictions, you will be prompted to enter in a Restrictions Passcode and then confirm the password. Note, this password should be different than any code you setup for general access to the device. This code should not be shared with your child.

You will have the ability to limit access to the Internet (Safari), You Tube, Ping (social networking through iTunes), installing apps, etc.

You can also setup restrictions for access to email accounts as well as location services that can identify the location of your device through games, etc.

You can set restrictions for the types of music, movies, tv shows, and apps based on ratings (i.e. PG, PG-13, R). So if you allow your child to download on his or her own, you may still want to check these settings to restrict inappropriate content.

Be sure to pay attention to the controls for In-App Purchases which will allow students to purchase new apps within apps even if Installing Apps is turned off above.

If you don't want your student to play social games, you need to pay attention to the 'Multiplayer Games' and 'Adding Friends' setting. These control the social networking aspects of the Game Center App built into each device.

It's The Technology Lab!

2012-03-23T11:09:00.001-07:00

It's official. I decided this week that I no longer want my classroom to be known as the Computer Lab. I want it to be called the Technology Lab. While this may not seem like too big of a deal, it highlights the exciting changes taking place across our school regarding meaningful technology integration and its potential to change how students learn.

In the last two weeks of school, my students have spent more time using digital cameras, iPads, and handheld GPS. Part of the reason for this switch is taking advantage of the gorgeous weather we have been having. But the bigger reason is because I love watching the excitement and engagement of students as they use these other technological tools to construct their learning.

Kindergarten: Before break, kindergarteners used digital cameras to take photos of shapes and symmetry in the world. This week they are using the online tool Wordle, to create word clouds of words they can spell independently.

First Grade: Before break, the first graders used the iPads to explore the Brittanica President's app on to enhance their current USA unit as well as problem solving and drawing applications such as Rush Hour, Tangrams and Doodlecast. They are also working on a VoiceThread about the presidents.

Second Grade: Second graders were introduced to the basic photography concepts of composition, focus, and lighting as they searched for objects around school tied to adjectives (slideshow to come). It was Shorecrest's version of the photographic scavenger hunt, 26 Things.

Third Grade: Third graders used GPS to geocache on campus to kick off their unit on the Iditarod. Each hidden container, called a cache, held one vocabulary card related to the race. Students then returned to the lab to become experts about their topic (i.e. dogs, vets, mushers, supplies, rules, race route), create information webs in Inspiration, and share their findings with their classmates.

Fourth Grade: Fourth graders also used GPS to geocache and kick of their next unit. Through their research on meteorological, hydrological, and geological natural disasters, they are practicing information literacy skills related to evaluating and citing them appropriately.

Acquiring satellites.

Finding the hidden cache.

In addition to watching a BrainPop movie on the topic, we discussed these five essential questions:

WHO? Who is responsible for the site? Is there an author?
WHAT? What type of site is it? Look to the URL.
WHEN? When was the site created and or last updated? Does it have current information?
WHERE? Does the site indicate where it got its information from?
WHY? Why was the site created. What is the purpose of the site?

They are using kid-friendly search engines such as Boolify and Quintura for Kids to help them find appropriate resources.