Turned on to Tech

3rd Graders Teach Spanish with Scratch

2012-01-26T19:08:00.000-08:00

Back in November, I posted about the LEGO WeDo Robotics program that is part of the third grade curriculum. The program facilitates critical thinking, problem solving, and collaborative work, all essential 21st century learning skills. I just loved watching how engaged the students were, building and programming their robots. I thought it couldn't get better than this! Then, I introduced Scratch.

As a way to build on these beginning programming skills and to help make their experience more authentic, the students used Scratch to design games, simulations, and interactive animations to teach Spanish vocabulary to their kindergarten peers. The kindergarten students will be viewing the projects in Spanish with Ms. Diaz-Leroy in the next few weeks. This was the first time I tried such an ambitious project with the third graders. They amazed me yet again.

As with many of the technology projects that take place in my lab with the older students, I asked them to take some time to reflect about their experiences. Taking time to think about one's work, the good and the bad and it how impacts you as a learner, is very powerful. I will be posting all the final projects in the next week to share but thought I'd share one project and reflection with you to help you understand the process the students undertook to complete their projects.

"In computer lab, I learned a program called Scratch. Scratch is a program that teaches children about the things that you program it to do and say. For example you could put a character to say a word that you wanted them to learn. My project was a snowman. There were also clothes to one side. You had to drag the clothes to the snowman to hear their name in Spanish. What I found easy about my Scratch project was making and finding the clothing and snowman. What I found difficult about the Scratch project was programming. I learned Spanish words that I did not know before from my Scratch project." - Brenna

Brenna and Hailey E.'s Snowman Project Link

Here is a screen shot of the Scratch platform.

Gudli.com Learning Games

2012-01-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

I recently stumbled across a new site I wanted to share. Gudli.com is a free website of educational activities geared for preschool to second grade. In addition to games, there are videos, worksheets and arts/craft ideas. The site has a nice layout and easy to use interface, and all of the games are labeled to help parents and educators choose appropriately leveled-games. Games can be located by age-level or content area and cover all areas of the curriculum. Worth a look.

Relative and Absolute Location with Google Earth

2011-12-06T19:40:00.001-08:00

Relative and absolute location are important geographical concepts for young children to understand. A great way to help children visually see these concepts is to use Google Earth.

After looking at a globe we turned to Google Earth, where the students and I discussed the seven continents and the oceans. Using the rotation tools, we looked at the poles, the oceans, and the placement of the continents on Earth. We discussed how we live on the continent of North America.

Next, we talked about the United States and the 48 contiguous states and the location of Alaska and Hawaii. We looked at our borders and discussed how Hawaii was formed. Of course, the students remarked that Hawaii is made up of a series of islands.

Next we flew to Florida and talked about the concept of a peninsula. The children were quick to notice the different shades of blue and knew it represented the different depths of the water.

Flying into Tampa Bay, we looked at another peninsula.

Finally, we flew to Shorecrest. The children were quick to notice this satellite picture must be old - the track is black not red. We spent some time talking about the perspective of bird's eye view before turning on Street View.

But the best part of class was the excitement and chatter as students flew to their own houses and viewed where they lived using both a bird's eye view and street view. If you have never used Google Earth, I encourage you to download the free software. It really is an amazing learning tool. There is also a free app available for mobile devices.

Second Grade Alliterations

2011-11-18T07:36:00.001-08:00

The second graders performed beautifully in their annual program, A Small Part of the World. Here is the alliteration slideshow students completed to showcase their countries and flags to their families. After a lesson on the differences and purposes of nouns, adjectives, and verbs, students used dictionaries to brainstorm a list of potential worlds based on the sound of the first letter of their first name. Students were challenged to use at least ten words in their alliterations as well as include a picture of their country's flag in their illustration. Enjoy!

Lego Collaborations

2011-11-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

Over the last two weeks, third grade students have been building and programming Lego models in the lab as an extension on their simple machines science unit. After building models using blueprints, the models are attached via USB to the computers and programmed using special software. Students are paired in teams of three and take turns as designers, builders, and recorders:

Designer: Uses the book or computer and directs the builder on how to build the project. This person finds the needed materials based on the blueprint and hands them to the Builder.
Builder: Follows instructions from the designer. This person assembles the project and uses the WeDo software to program the project.
Recorder: Takes notes about the project in the journal. Answers reflection questions with input from the group. This person also uses the digital/video camera to record the overall process.

Today, students had the opportunity to build kickers, goal keepers, and cheering fans. After the builds, students participated in math extensions. For example, kickers measured the distance of kicks with kicking leg programmed at various heights. When asked "Did the height of the kicking leg impact how far the ball travelled, " one team in Ms. LaDuke's class responded the following:

"If it was positioned low, the leg had less time to get momentum. When it was set high, it over kicked the ball. When it was medium, it had just enough time. The medium kickers had the highest average distance."

Students building goal keepers took turns scoring goals by 'flicking' styrofoam balls. They learned that "If you did it from closer, then you would be more likely to score. Also, the goalie moved in a pattern, so you could watch when he was opened."

Two teams in Mr. Wolfrath's class gathered together for a friendly competition to see who could score the most goals. One group built the kicker, while another group built cheering fans that would move up and down and cheer when goals were scored. The second build used a sensor, so when the ball passed through the goal, the fans were programmed to sense the ball and cheer.

A Google Earth Tour of South America

2011-10-26T04:32:00.000-07:00

Developing geographic skills such as reading maps and understanding the concept of relative location is essential to the second graders continent study. After a lesson on different kinds of maps and their purposes (physical, political, road, topographic, climate, road, etc.), second graders enjoyed a virtual tour of South America via Google Earth.

Facts for each country along with images representing the geography, economy, and people were embedded within the tour. Students were asked to read the facts at each tour stop. They also spent time using the navigation bar to zoom in on landforms and cities. Students loved zooming in on the Amazon River and were amazed at its size. They were also surprised to learn that the country of Brazil alone makes up half of the continent.

Students will continue to use the tour in their classrooms over the next few weeks. A follow up activity includes using a graphic organizer to record facts for each tour stop allowing students to practice taking notes.

iPads in Kindergarten ... Finally!

2011-10-11T04:56:00.000-07:00

I never thought the day would come. Weeks searching for applications and days for setup - but finally, the iPads have been launched in kindergarten. It was so wonderful to see months of work finally come together. I'm not sure who was more excited - me or the kids!

I was so fortunate to buy ten iPads for the kindergarten classroom. While the devices were introduced in the lab, they will be living in the kindergarten wing. The three classrooms will utilize the iPads during center rotations. They will also be used over the course of the year by Miss Diaz Leroy in her Music/Spanish classroom. Special connectors have been purchased to connect the iPads to the classroom projectors to facilitate instruction.

After their introduction, each class developed a class set of rules to follow. This list wasn't too difficult for the students to develop, especially since so many of them use these devices at home. Here were some of the student recommendations for Our iPad Rules:

Only use gentle fingers. Play with then nicely.
Make sure your hands are clean and dry.
Always carry with two hands.
Always make sure the iPad is in a safe place. Never leave it on the floor where someone might step on it.
Only get an iPad from the cart with an adult.
Always walk when you carry your iPad.
Only use the apps the teachers tell you to use.
Don't forget to turn it off when your turn is over.

I think we are off to a great start!

4th Grade Animated Important Poems

2011-09-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

Students used the program Frames to create digitally animated characters of themselves reading important poems modeled after those in Margaret Wise Brown’s book The Important Poem. Characters were created by manipulating and layering shapes. Then, after selecting a relevant background, students duplicated frames altering mouths and eyes to animate their character. Finally, students edited their frames so the length of the images matched the length of the recordings. Timing mouth and eye movements with breaks in speech was especially challenging! Check out their movies here.

World Book for Kids: A Kid-Friendly Research Tool

2011-09-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

The Internet is a wealth of information; unfortunately, helping young children find information that is developmentally appropriate can be a challenge.There are lots of great websites for children, but one of my favorites is World Book for Kids (WBK). This year marks the fourth year Shorecrest offers this online resource for our Lower Division students to use both at home and at school. This developmentally appropriate website offers:

• Simple search and navigation features
• Easy-to-read articles with embedded multimedia
• Thousands of images, illustrations, and videos
• An Important People feature with several thousand biographies
• A collection of age-appropriate science fair projects
• Atlas, interactive maps, and outline maps and flags
• A tool for exploring and comparing places and animals
• Hyperlinks only link within the site
• Educational games and activities

Second grade students were introduced to WBK in the lab this week. In addition to learning how to navigate the site, they were given instruction on how to read for information by taking short notes. Working with partners, students used graphic organizers to record facts about the continent of North America, their current unit of study. Students learned the technique of highlighting each sentence as they read to help them better focus on the content. This is an important navigational strategy to help children read and understand computer-based text. Next, they pulled the important fact(s) from each sentence. Students could record just one fact per circle on their web. Additionally, they had to figure out a way to write the fact with no more than five words. Learning how to take notes is difficult and one that requires lots of practice.

Teaching Digital Citizenship

2011-09-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

Every Monday morning at Town Meeting, our Lower Division students recite the motto "We respect ourselves, each other, and the environment." Every time I hear it, I can't help but think about the motto in respect to technology use. As the technologies encountered by young children continues to grow, it is essential we redefine the concept of citizenship to include digital citizenship, using technology appropriately and responsibly. In his book, Raising a Digital Child, Mike Ribble discusses the important role parents play in educating their child in this ever-changing digital world.

While most of you have already read through Shorecrest's Responsible Use Policy for Educational Technology (RUP) in the Lower Division handbook, I encourage you to place the policy below near your home computer and engage your child in conversation about how they use technology in their every day life. Students in third grade started the year reviewing S is for Safety. Fourth graders are learning to respect the digital identities and work of others as they log in to their keyboarding program, Type to Learn 4, share laptops with other students, and access the school's server to save files.

Here are some free Brain Pop videos on Internet Safety and Digital Etiquette you can use to engage your child in conversation.

C•H•A•R•G•E•R•S
Responsible Use Policy for Educational Technology

C is for Courtesy.
I will treat others online as I would have them treat me. I will never send out mean or threatening messages nor will I respond to any such messages that are sent to me.

H is for Honesty.
I understand that it is against the law to copy others’ ideas, words, and pictures and use them as my own. I will document all information obtained from web sources such as sites and photos in class work. I will not plagiarize the work of others. I understand that copying software or illegally obtained files (i.e. MP3 files) is against the law.

A is for Accountability.
I will only use computers, technological devices, and the Internet for schoolwork. I understand I can only go to sites my teachers has approved. I will not enter chat rooms, play unapproved games, send chain letters, and download music (MP3) files. I will follow these same rules in all classrooms, in the computer lab, in aftercare and in the library.

R is for Responsibility.
I will be a good digital citizen and not do anything that hurts other people or is against the law. I know the Internet is a useful tool, and I will always use it responsibly. I will report to an adult any email, messages, or pictures that make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I see something bad accidentally. If I do see something inappropriate, I will close the window and tell an adult immediately.

G is for Gift.
Shorecrest has made and will continue to make a significant investment of time and money to bring technology into the classroom. Using computers and other technological devices at school is a privilege, not a right. I understand the importance of these privileges, and will follow all rules outlined in Shorecrest’s Responsible Use Policy for Educational Technology.

E is for Equipment.
I will protect all equipment including computers, printers, cameras, clickers, and other hand-held devices. I will handle all equipment with care, following the rules given by my teachers. I may not install software to any campus computer without permission and proper supervision. I understand that I may not change any settings on the desktop, including control panels, preferences, system components, or configuration files or unplug any parts of the computers unless directly supervised by a teacher. I understand that I will not eat or drink near computers.

R is for Respect of Classmates.
I will respect the computer identities of my peers. I will not log on as anyone else or use anyone else’s account. Except for my own schoolwork documents, I will not delete, change, or move files. I will not tamper with another person's files.

S is for Safety.
I will never give out private information such as my last name, my address, my telephone number, my parents' work addresses or telephone numbers, or the name and location of my school without permission from an adult.

Easy Access Bookmarks

2011-08-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

In my role as Instructional Technologist, I try to stay current on the newest technology trends. This isn't always so easy given the rapid pace with which technology develops. In fact, at any given time, I can have forty to fifty different online tools or websites on my investigation list. My latest discovery is Symbaloo, an online tool for bookmarking websites. I've heard about this site for about a year now, but when I saw my 7th grader using it to access his class links, I knew I had to finally give it a try. This online tool offers many features.

It's free.
You can create an online account that can be accessed from anywhere. This means you can take bookmarks with you from computer to computer.
It uses both a verbal and pictorial interface which makes creating bookmarks for non-readers easy.
It allows you to create different matrices to organize your bookmarks.
The site can be added as the opening page of your browser for easy access.
You can add up to 64 links on each matrix.

So, I setup my free account and created my first matrix in about half an hour. Here is a first look.

This tool is a great way for teachers to organize bookmarks for easy access for students both at home and at school. Also a great way for parents of young children to make their favorite websites easy to find.

James & the Giant Peach Celebration

2011-07-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a fun reading and writing activity for the summer, you must check out Follow that Peach! Inspired by the 50th anniversary of Roald Dahl's book James and the Giant Peach, kids can send a virtual peach to travel around the world or download a paper peach to send through the mail. First, kids send their peach to their chosen "peach pal". Then it is forwarded to another "peach pal". The goal is for your virtual or paper peach to complete its journey by reaching 50 people. The website has lots of fun activities to download too. An interactive map tracks the movements of launched peaches. As of today, 1,578 peaches have traveled 182,777 miles around the world.

Thanks to @shannonmmiller and @kellyhines for posting on Twitter.

Lower Division Digital Porfolios Recognized by Education Week

2011-06-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about the recent publication by Education Week Magazine of it's summer issue, Digital Directions: Trends and Advice for K-12 Technology Leaders. Check out the article E-Portfolios Evolve Thanks to Web 2.0 Tools highlighting the great work on portfolios at Shorecrest!

Downtime in the Summer

2011-06-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

Whoever thinks teachers have it easy over the summer doesn't know me very well. While deadlines are a bit more relaxed in June and July, there is still several To Do piles stacked along my desk that need my attention. One of these piles called Investigations, is where I stack interesting articles, printouts of blog posts, my notes during the school year, etc. It is the pile where I put everything new and cool I would like to explore and learn about but have little time during the regular school year to pay attention to.

At the top of my pile is an article recently published in TechTrends entitled Digital Citizenship in K-12: It Takes a Village along with Mike Ribble's book Raising a Digital Child. These two resources will be beneficial as I prepare to speak on a panel at my alma mater in September entitled "Social Networking and Our Youth."

Next is a stack of notes and articles about iPad apps. As I will be helping teachers in Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten integrate these mobile tools into their classrooms in the fall, I am on a hunt to find great apps. Along with this I am reading the book Mobile Technology for Children: Designing for Interaction and Learning to find out how other teachers are doing it! This work is related to my current teaching practice but is also of great interest in my professional research. I continue working on my doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Educational Technology from the University of Florida. My current research path and possible dissertation topic is related to integration of touch technologies in the early childhood classroom.

Finally, I get to the fun stuff! I love taking pictures but find little time to do so. I was reading my Twitter feed yesterday and stumbled across The Daily Shoot. According to their site, "The Daily Shoot is a simple daily routine to motivate and inspire you to practice your photography, and share your results! It’s not a contest and there are no prizes. It's simply about encouraging you to pick up your camera and make photographs."

This is how it works. Each day you check into the website to find the challenge for the day. You then post your picture via Twitter for others to see. This was just the creative outlet I needed this summer. I can't wait to get started. Today's challenge:

Make a photograph of something shiny today!

Third Grade Explorer Videos - Mr. Wolfrath's Class

2011-06-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

Wolfrath-Magellan from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Wolfrath - Marco Polo from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Wolfrath - Lewis & Clark from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Wolfrath - DeLeon from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Wolfrath - DaGama from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Wolfrath - Columbus from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Third Grade Explorer Videos - Mrs. Hensler's Class

2011-06-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

Hensler-Columbus from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Hensler - Pizarro from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Hensler - Marco Polo from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Hensler - Magellan from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Hensler - LaSalle from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Hensler - DaGama from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Third Grade Explorer Videos - Mrs. LaDuke's Class

2011-06-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

LaDuke - Pizarro from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

LaDuke - Lewis and Clark 2011 from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

LaDuke - Erikson from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

LaDuke - LaSalle from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

LaDuke - Cortes from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

LaDuke - Marco Polo from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Third Grade Explorer Videos - Mrs. Mitchell's Class

2011-06-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

Mitchell - Pizarro from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Mitchell - Magellan from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Mitchell - DeLeon from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Mitchell - Cortes from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Mitchell - Columbus from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Mitchell - DaGama from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Fun Website for First Graders

2011-05-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

For their last visit to the computer lab, first graders had fun using the website Build Your Wild Self (http://www.buildyourwildself.com/) sponsored by the New York Zoo. This creative website allows the kids to create a human character with their favorite animals parts. This is a fun way to learn about the characteristics of animals. It is also a great story starter. After creating their Wild Self, the students were challenged to write a creative story about how they turned into their animal character. Here is a wonderful example:

One time we went to the grocery store. My mom bought this bottle that said, "This drink will change your personality!" My mom didn't think that was true. But I did, so I had a drink. When we got back we saw a butterfly. It went on my finger. I grew butterfly wings. I flew home instead of driving. When we got home there was a cockroach on my floor. Then I grew antennas. I stayed like that forever.

The Monsters Have Arrived in Second Grade

2011-05-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

The second grade students were so excited to finally receive their monsters from their partner schools across the United States. As always, I was delighted to watch each child's face as his or her monster was unveiled. After viewing their original monster along with their redrawn monster, students were challenged to reflect about their work and answer the following questions:

Do you think you partner did a good job redrawing your monster? Explain.
What did you learn about writing and the writing process by completing this project?
List at least two ways you could make your writing better.
What did you like best about the Monster Project? What did you not like about the project?

While writing a reflection about their work is challenging, the opportunity for reflection is a key component in helping students extend the writing lessons introduced in this project (pre-planning, writing with details, painting pictures with words, using adjectives, word choice) to future writing.

I hope you can take a moment to check them out!

Mrs. Graham's Class
Mrs. Cameron's Class
Mrs. O'Mullane's Class
Mrs. McKenzie's Class

Kindergarten Slideshow

2011-05-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

The end of the year is always so chaotic. Between finalizing student portfolios, wrapping up explorer movie projects, assessing keyboarding in 4th grade, and creating end of the year slide show, there is little time for blogging. I promise to write a lengthier post soon. In the mean time, I thought you would enjoy seeing "Everything We Learned We Learned in Kindergarten" slide show presented to the kindergarten families today at their program.

Kindergarten Program Slideshow May 6, 2011 from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Venn Diagrams in Second Grade

2011-04-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

The Venn Diagram is a graphic organizer that enables students to record similarities and differences between two topics. Introduced by logician and philosopher John Venn in the late 19th century, the diagram consists of two overlapping circles. Students write details that tell how the subjects are different in the outer circles while details on how the subjects are alike are written in the middle where the two circles intersect. This tool can be used with any subject and provides students with a visual way of comparing and contrasting concepts.

Second grade students created Venn's using Kidspiration. Working with partners, each student was given an information sheet on countries in Africa. Students were asked to record at least three facts in each section of the Venn.

First Graders Use Clickers

2011-03-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

First graders enjoyed using clickers to review fun facts about Florida. Clickers are a wonderful way to engage every child in their learning as each has the opportunity to answer all questions about Florida's borders, state symbols, and landmarks with their remote.

Kindergarten Shape Slideshows

2011-03-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

Check out the kindergarten photos from the shape scavenger hunt!

Shapes Around Shorecrest by Mrs. Minke's Class from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Shapes Around Shorecrest by Ms. Conroy's Class from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Shapes in the World by Mrs. Vigue's K Class from Anna Baralt on Vimeo.

Kindergarten Uses Digital Cameras

2011-03-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

While teaching basic computer skills is a core part of the lower division technology curriculum, instruction on the use of technology tools such as still cameras, video cameras, handheld GPS, scanners, document cameras and interactive white boards is also given. Kindergarten students were thrilled to use digital cameras today as they explored shapes in our school environment.

To kickoff the lesson, students were shown Tana Hoban's book Shapes, Shapes, Shapes and asked to identify the various shapes in the photographs. It was then explained that students were going to create their own shape photography books. Before embarking on the scavenger hunt, rules for appropriate camera use were discussed. These rules included:

• Keep your hands clean.
• Keep the camera away from sand, dirt, and water.
• Use the wrist strap at all times.
• Always walk when holding the camera.

Finally, students were given a brief introduction in using the camera such as powering it on/off, learning how to focus and zoom, and holding the camera properly. Working with partners, students took Shape photos across campus.

During their next visit in two weeks, kindergartners will go an alphabet scavenger hunt to further develop their photographic eye.