Nunaka Librarian

Cubing/Think Dots

Cubing/Think Dots are instructional strategies that ask students to consider a concept from a variety of different perspectives. Cubing uses a concrete visual of a cube with its six sides to serve as a starting point for consideration of the multiple dimensions of topics within subject areas. For example, the cubes are six-sided figures that have a different activity on each side of the cube.  A student rolls the cube and does the activity that comes up.  Think Dots is similar – offering six choices for response. 

Cubing/Think Dots provide a way for students to explore one important topic or idea but to accomplish tasks at their readiness levels, in their preferred learning styles, and/or in areas of personal interest. All students are working on activities dictated by their materials; the activities are differentiated for individual students or groups of students. 

Six sides of a cube include the following:

Describe it

If applicable, include color, shape, and size.

How would you describe the issue/topic?

Compare it

What it is similar to or different from.

“It’s sort of like ______________________ .”

Associate it

What it makes you think of.

How does the topic connect to other issues/subjects?

Analyze it

Tell how it is made or what it is composed of.

How would you break the problem/issue into smaller parts?

Apply it

Tell how it can be used.

How does it help you understand other topics/issues?

Argue for/against it

Take a stand and support it.

I am for this because __________________.

This works because ___________________ .

I agree because ______________________ .

 

 

 

Keeping Kids Safe

As an elementary librarian I think a big part of my job is to be a “human filter.” When I provide students, who are all under the age of thirteen, with websites for research I make sure I have previewed the site first. I filter Web 2.0 sites by reading the terms of service that is located in very small print on the bottom of most sites. Most of the sites restrict use for students the age of thirteen, but allow parents to provide log in or e-mail access for students. I also filter sites by the way they look. For a student in elementary we are looking for less words, more pictures and pictures that are clickable.  If sites have pop-ups and adds I look for something else for them to use. 

I am also the “human filter” for staff. They tend to use resources more that require no log in or e-mail. When I suggest sites to staff I also look at the option to print materials for free. If teachers spend the time to go online, they want the ability to use what they find.

Keeping kids safe is my job and I don’t mind being a “human filter.”

Graphic Novels

For many teachers and adults, graphic novels, sometimes called comic books, are simple escapism - but graphic novels offer the opportunity for insight and discussion.

Many students are reluctant readers who feel that texts studied in school are altogether inaccessible. Their lack of enthusiasm for a text to which they have no attachment can be misinterpreted as apathy or laziness. Contrary to appearances, students are often avid readers but in a less than traditional manner. Their preference: graphic novels.

Graphic novels are a powerful support of visual literacy using words and images to provide a nontraditional bridge to convential text. These valuable learning tools “hook” readers draw them into the story by engaging twenty-first century skills such as vocabulary building, making inferences, and drawing conclusions. Literacy experts agree that the ability to extract meaning from printed pages is more important than simply reading words. Graphic novels combine recreciational reading and curriculum support in a way that makes sense for students in our visual culture.

What is the difference between a comic and a graphic novel? Most simply, length.  A comic and a graphic novel are told via the same format, officially called sequential art: the combination of text, panels, and images. Comic strips, comic books, and graphic novels are in this sense all the same thing, but comic books stretch a story out to about thirty pages, whereas graphic novels can be as long as six hundred pages.

 One of the biggest benefits of graphic novels is that they often attract kids who are considered “reluctant” readers. This is not just hype — the combination of less text, narrative support from images, and a feeling of reading outside the expected standard often relieves the tension of reading expectations for kids who are not natural readers, and lets them learn to be confident and engaged consumers of great stories. That being said, graphic novels are not only for reluctant readers — they’re for everyone! It’s a disservice to the format to dismiss it as only for those who don’t read otherwise, and relegating graphic novels to a lower rung of the reading scale is not only snobbish, but wrong.

Graphic novels are not and were never intended to be a replacement for other types of traditional books. Sequential art is just another way to tell a story, with different demands on the reader. So, yes, graphic novels don’t work exactly the same way that traditional novels do, but they can be as demanding, creative, intelligent, compelling, and full of story as any book. Give a graphic novel a try; see for yourself what all the hype is about. 

 

 

Giving Students Options

Allowing students to choose their assignments is another tactic that automatically differentiates instruction: Rather than creating one learning activity to meet an objective, create several for students to choose from. They will pick the one that interests them the most and, at the same time, self-differentiate according to their capacity and needs. If a student is challenged in writing, will often choose the graphic novel over the essay. If a student is more academic, then she will select the research paper instead of the television infomercial. Coming up with activities that involve similar amounts of effort and require the same level of learning takes time but the effort is well worth it.

Tic-Tac-Toe is a simple way to give students alternative ways of exploring and expressing key ideas and using key skills.  Typically, the Tic-Tac-Toe board has 9 cells in it, like that of the game.  Boards can be easily adjusted for the needs of the many different students in your classroom.

Adaptations

·      Allow students to complete any 3 tasks–even if the completed tasks don’t make a Tic-Tac-Toe.

·      Assign student tasks based on readiness.

·      Create different Tic-Tac-Toe boards based on readiness.

·      Create Tic-Tac-Toe boards based on learning styles or learning preferences.

·      Create Tic-Tac-Toe boards based on Multiple Intelligences.

From Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom by Carol-Ann Tomlinson

I created an Iditarod Tic-Tac-Toe Board for class last week and have shared it with a fourth grade teacher in my building. We do a lot of collaborative projects together and share many teaching ideas and strategies. She had never heard of Tic-Tac-Toe boards but thought the concept was great and would work well with the students in her class. We are both on the alternative evaluation from this school year and plan to develop a Tic-Tac-Toe board for Theme 6: Nature: Friend or Foe for the Houghton Mifflin Reading curriculum that is taught in our district. Our focus will be volcanoes, a topic that is often talked about due to the many volcanoes in Alaska. The nine space volcano board will focus on connecting Gardner’s nine multiple intelligences with technology. For assessment we plan to develop quantitative rubrics for each of the nine squares. 

I think back to the lack of choice I had in school and I know a Tic-Tac-Toe Board would have made a big difference for me. As I look over the board I know for sure that I would not pick the Logic Smart or Word Smart boxes. I would have picked Nature Smart or Wonder Smart as my first two choices.

This project has made a very powerful impact on me and has made me really think about my instruction and how important it is to give students a choice.

 

 

 

Project Based Learning takes planning, organization, and management for the successful outcome desired. The time spent organizing before getting started will save you time and frustration along the way!

Before your begin, ask yourself the following questions:

• What theme do you have in mind?
• Why do this project?
• What content standard will the students learn?
• What are the key skills students will learn?

Six steps in planning for PBL:

1. Develop project idea
2. Decide the scope of the project
3. Select Standards
4. Incorporate simultaneous outcomes
5. Work from project design criteria
6. Create the optimal learning environment

 

 Steps for PBL organization:

Driving question

Essential question or problem statement. The statement should encompass all project content and outcomes, and provide a central focus for student inquiry.

Assessment

Define the products for the project. What will you assess?

 

•                   Early in the project
•                   During the project
•                   End of the project

Criteria for exemplary performance for each product

Map the project

What do students needed to be able to do to complete the tasks successfully? How and when will they learn the necessary knowledge and skills.  KWL charts, already learned, taught before, taught during

What project tools will you use?

•                   Know/need to know lists
•                   Daily goal sheet
•                   Journal
•                   Briefs
•                   Task lists
•                   Problem logs

            In the elementary, I would use any type of checklists for the students. The simplest of the tools is the PBL Checklists. This site provides free writing, presentation, multimedia, and science checklists at grade levels that include K-1, 2-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Teachers simply select a list of criteria for the desired area and grade level and then check the specific criteria they want to assess (possibly adding criteria of their own). A semi-customized checklist that includes only the criteria selected can then be printed. The criteria are written in student-friendly “I” statements, making these checklists ideal for use as a self-assessment tool, especially with younger students.

List key dates and important milestones for this project.

Management

What preparations are necessary to address needs for different instruction for ESL students, special-needs students, or students with diverse learning styles.

How will you and your students reflect on and evaluate the project?

•             Class discussion
•             Fishbowl
•             Student-facilitated formal debrief
•             Teacher-led formal debrief
•             Student-facilitated formal debrief
•             Individual evaluations
•             Group evaluations

      It is also important to have common language when it comes to student conflict management. Review how students handle conflict with group members and frustrations that come up. Taking time to set procedures before conflict happens will same time along the way.

     If working in groups, I would use the Group evaluations as the project moves along. Depending on how many groups you have a rotation could be stet up for this process. Communication with specialists on staff can help ease the preparations for the different types of learners in your class. Take advantage of their knowledge and expertise to help you through your PBL experience.

Plan with the end in mind

• What do you want the final product to look like?
• When will the project end?

Remember, PBL takes twice as much time as you think. Give yourself enough time.

Driving question

Essential question or problem statement. The statement should encompass all project content and outcomes, and provide a central focus for student inquiry.

Assessment

Define the products for the project. What will you assess?

•                   Early in the project
•                   During the project
•                   End of the project

            Standards are important to integrate into the PBL process. Be sure to list only those you plan to assess. Often, too many standards are listed and in the end only four or five are given formal assessment.

Criteria for exemplary performance for each product

Map the project

What do students needed to be able to do to complete the tasks successfully? How and when will they learn the necessary knowledge and skills.  KWL charts, already learned, taught before, taught during

What project tools will you use?

•                   Know/need to know lists
•                   Daily goal sheet
•                   Journal
•                   Briefs
•                   Task lists
•                   Problem logs

      Again, in the elementary I would choose to use any type of checklists for students to help them stay organized. I also like the Journal for daily project reflections.

List key dates and important milestones for this project.

If working in groups I would use the Group evaluations as the project moves along. Depending on how many groups you have a rotation could be stet up for this process. Communication with specialists on staff can help ease the preparations for the different types of learners in your class. Take advantage of their knowledge and expertise to help you through your PBL experience.

 

Project planning forms to help you organize your PBL can be found at

http://pbl-online.org/ProjectPlanning/PlanningForm.htm

Information about the PBL process can be located at

http://pbl-online.org

 

 

 

 

 

      

Three Web 2.0 Reviews

 

Diigo: Digest of Internet Information, Groups and Other stuff

 

Pronounced as Dee’go

www.diigo.com

 

Diigo is an impressive online collaborative platform that lets web users to bookmark and tag websites. In addition to simple bookmarking of websites, the platform also allows its users to highlight some specific portion of the web pages. This feature tremendously helps users in enhancing their research productivities by allowing them to share the information in a more precise and concise manner.

Diigo offers many different functions

• Two services in one
  • Research and collaboration tool in one hand
  • Knowledge and sharing in the other

• A Collaborative Research Platform
  • Easy to share

• Social Content Site

• A Knowledge-Sharing Community

• Highlighting Feature
  • just like you would highlight in a book

• Saving Pages
  •  is easier using Diigo toolbar

• Functional Commenting and Real Conversations

• Send Bookmarks
  • to Facebook or Twitter with one click

• Simultaneously bookmark things to Diigo and elseware – even Delicious
  • Bookmark and search entire web pages
• ·      Allow users to effortlessly tag and annotate web-pages.
•       Users can also add “sticky notes” to the tagged web-pages.    
•   Enable users to access its services through diverse platforms, like PC or handheld devices
• Assists users by providing personalized recommendations to them.

The terms of service do not limit access by age, which makes this a great tool to use in the elementary. Diigo  also offers a premium account for educators. This information is located at the Diigo homepage.

Educator Account: K-12 & higher-ed educators

• • Create student accounts, e-mail is optional
  • Same classes are automatically set up as a Diigo group
  • Privacy settings are preset so only teachers and classmates can communicate with them.
  • Ads are limited to education-related sponsors.

Diigo can serve as an amazing resource for knowledge enhancement and is recommended to all who believe in the notion of sharing knowledge using the internet. The fact that it can act as information repository adds to its usability.

Check out how others are using Diigo in the classroom.

http://beyond-school.org/2008/03/31/three-uses-of-diigo-in-the-history-and-language-arts-classroom/

http://theclassroom.ca/2007/07/31/using-diigo-for-organizing-the-web-for-your-class/

 

WikiSpaces 

WikiSpaces is a free wiki host providing community wiki spaces, visual page editing, and discussion areas. Create simple web pages that groups, friends, and families can edit together. Wikispaces is built to work anywhere, anytime. All you need is a web browser and an Internet connection. Members can create pages and spaces without undue restrictions or rules. Guests can edit pages without creating an account. Wiki pages are fully internationalized, so you can contribute content in any language you like. They take care of hosting, backups, and upgrades so you don’t have to. history from the very first Here’s a good video tutorial called Wikis in Plain English

WikiSpaces Features

• Visual Page Editor
• Image and File Upload
• Simple Page Linking
• Widgets
• Easy Setup: Username, password  and e-mail address
• Unlimited Members, Pages, and Messages
• Easily Collaborate with Others
• Page Histories
• Discussion Forums
• E-mail and RSS Notifications
• Public, Protected, or Private Wikis
• Real - Time Backups
• Great Customer Support

Making your own Wiki is easy, fun, and free. There are lots of Wiki types available, although I’d suggest starting with Wikispaces. It is free, very easy, very basic, and offer special features for K-12 (such as helping teachers get students enrolled, even if the students don’t have email addresses).

Check out the following sited for ideas on using Wikis in the classroom.

Wikis in the Classroom

Wikispaces: A tutorial

 

Animoto  www.animoto.com

The End of Slideshows

Here’s an awesome Web 2.0 opportunity for digital story-telling. This one is a lot of fun and will engage plenty of learners, as well as many of their teachers. With Animoto, you can combine a set of still photos with a music track to create a free 30 second video with considerable dramatic flare.  Animoto provides a creative alternative way to view and listen to slideshows. Created by film and music producers, you upload your photos, choose some music you like from their huge range of styles and artists, or use your own music or voice, and you get an impressive slideshow.

• All automatic
• Completely customized
• Takes you just minutes
• No two videos are ever the same
• Unlimited shorts (30 seconds) for free
• Created by TV and film producers

Animoto does have an age limit of thirteen to register with their site, they also require an e-mail address and password.

Features:

• Cinematic Artificial Intelligence
  • Automatically analyzes the music and photos to build a custom video.
• Remix
  • No two videos are ever the same.
• Spotlight
  • You can give specific images added prominence and time on the screen.
• Include Text
  • Add messaging to go along with your pictures
• Share and Download
  • Share via e-mail, on a blog/website, YouTube, or download to your computer

Animoto for Education

            Educators can request an all access pass account via e-mail. This account allows teachers access to unlimited full feature videos. Once downloaded, student created Animotos can now be uploaded and shared on Teachertube. The availability of downloads is also significant for teachers who work in school environments where Animoto is blocked. These teachers can now create Animotos away from school and then bring them into the classroom as video files. Indeed, it is helpful for anyone who wants to be able to share an Animoto when unable to be online.

In my opinion, Animoto is  one of the best tools in all of the world of Web 2.0. Animoto allows our students to be creative in ways that were not possible before. It’s a great way for our “digital age” kids to produce and share knowledge.

Annimoto in the Classroom

Check out these online sources for many different ways Animoto is being used in classrooms.

http://k12.learnhub.com/lesson/3180-animoto-learning-made-fun

http://www.slideshare.net/steven.anderson/the-digital-classroom-animoto

 

 

 

 

 

NETS-S and Web 2.0

 

The National Educational Technology Standards for Students was revised in 2007. The new revision focuses more to higher order uses of technology than in the past. Many of these standards can be addressed through the use of new Web 2.0 technologies, as well as traditional, tried-and-true classroom technology. Educators need to become familiar with these new standards, as they provide an ideal backdrop for thinking about integrating Web 2.0 technologies effectively into the 21st century classroom. It also is very helpful to use these standards in conjunction with state standards to make sure students are getting a well rounded and rich technology education to make them functional in the current workplace.

 

From ISTE site:  http://www.iste.org

 - “Global Learning in the Digital Age - As foundational ICT skills penetrate throughout our society, students will be expected to apply the basics in authentic, integrated ways to solve problems, complete projects, and creatively extend their abilities. ISTE’s National Educatonal Technology Standards for Students (2007) help students preparing to work, live, and contribute to the social and civic fabric of their communities. The new standards identify several higher-order thinking skills and digital citizenship as critical for students to learn effectively for a lifetime and live productively in our emerging global society.”

 

NETS-S

• Creativity and Innovation

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology

• Communication and Collaboration

Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

• Research and Information Fluency

Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information

• Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

• Digital Citizenship

Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.

• Technology Operations and Concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.

 

Skills that Web 2.0 bring to education:

Engagement. The power of Web 2.0 to engage students because of the authentic nature of the work rather than being required assignments.

Authenticity. Whether it is the peer audience in school which keeps their Web 2.0 programs within the walls of the school network, or it is publishing for the world, both the work and the audience are authentic.

Participation. Students actually become contributors to the world’s body of knowledge. Previously, to pursue an educational interest as part of a larger part of one’s life work, that interest had to be within the relatively narrow confines of existing institutional structures in order to be worthy of publication or presentation–and was rarely available to students. A student can write a report on an historical figure, or a scientific theory, and both publish that to the web and also participate in meaningful ways with other students and adults interested in the same topic.

Openness and Access to Information. The backbone of the Internet “Revolution” is openness. Open computer standards, open software, and open content. Web 2.0 is making obsolete many of the restrictions on access to information that were intended to protect the rights of creators, but instead mostly inhibited learning by others. The ability to “look something up” or to learn something new has never been greater.

Collaboration. In the world of Web 2.0, collaboration is not only king, but it can be seen and assessed–look at the history page of a wiki, for example, or the linked list of contributed comments on the personal profile page of a social network. Web 2.0 has created an unparalleled ability to build or participate in personal learning networks and communities of interest or practice.

Creativity. A regular student can write, film, and edit a video, which then can be uploaded to the internet and potentially seen by more of an audience than some commercial films actually garner.

Passionate Interest and Personal Expression. More than just the ability to build a profile page on MySpace, Web 2.0 actually gives both students and educators to build for themselves a online portfolio of the endeavors they are passionate about.

Discussion. One of the great features of Web 2.0 is the discussion forum, which provides an environment for learning how to actually talk about things.

Asynchronous Contribution. The abilty to contribute to discussions after class, or from home, provides a much broader opportunity for participation that the traditional class discussion. Students with different contribution styles, or who process information over time, are now more participative.

Pro-activity. Web 2.0 inherently rewards the proactive learner and contributor. The world has changed, and employers want and the world needs students who have learned to participate actively and independently.

Critical Thinking. The vast amount of data on the Web requires more critical thinking than ever before. There is a lot more diversity of opinion on most topics on the Internet that students are exposed to, which quickly becomes evident when you drill past the first page of a Wikipedia article and look at the discussion and history tabs.

“Teachers must become comfortable as co-learners with their students and with colleagues around the world. Today it is less about staying ahead and more about moving ahead as members of dynamic learning communities. The digital-age teaching professional must demonstrate a vision of technology infusion and develop the technology skills of others.  These are the hallmarks of the new education leader.”

—Don Knezek, ISTE CEO, 2008

The number one challenge I face integrating global PBL is the age of the students I work with. I am an elementary librarian who services students in grades K-5, all of the students are under the age of thirteen. Many of the web 2.0 tools limit access due to age. Many also limit my students access because they require an e-mail address. Currently our school district does not allow elementary students to access web-based e-mail accounts from within the District network. I hope to get this policy changed by showing a need to access web 2.0 tools for PBL.  The other factor that limits use is the need of parent permission slips for special projects. I do think this is important and a positive PR move but it takes time to get the slips back.

Time, the other challenge in providing global PBL in the classroom. Being an elementary teacher may have an advantage in this area because the students are in the same class all year. Middle and high school students change classes every 8 to 12 weeks. Though elementary students are in the same class all year the teachers are bound by state and national testing and curriculum restrictions. Many just do not feel they have the time to teach outside the box. 

Time is also an issue across the states and countries. Collaborating across the time lines requires a great deal of organization and flexibility to access and share at the same time. Being creative with the restrictions of global time is a real challenge.

Going global also requires a commitment of all parties involved. There is a huge risk of setting up a great project and then having one or more partners drop the ball.  Finding educators you can trust, who are organized, who are flexible and committed to the global PBL process are essential qualities needed for the success of any PBL project.

Though there are many challenges integrating global PBL I believe they are all worth it. Global PBL do not just make learning relevant, they also make teaching relevant as well.