Google Slides

Google Slides may be great for presentations, but it is also a great teaching tool when parent-teacher conference time comes around. I took it upon myself to conduct student-led conferences with the help of….. Drum roll, please… Google Slides.

I created this template with possible measures in the speaker notes for students to follow along. I also provided a student led conference sample for students to refer to, in case they need some ideas.

I provide my students 10-15 minutes to fill in each slide according to the criteria on the  template. By doing so, students are taking the responsibility to input their scores, strengths, weakness, and setting goals. Aren’t we all working on reflecting and goal setting?  Students were able to be creative by adding a personal photo and style when designing their Google Slide. Students took responsibility for their conference, and I saw a large turnout of parents who showed up. Don’t get me wrong, there were those few parents that didn’t come, but no problem. The slide presentation format made it easy for those students to conduct phone conferences or the presentation can be easily printed out to be sent home, it is up to your discretion.

Using Google Slides, students are able to lead parent-teacher conferences.

As with anything, when you invest your time during the beginning stages it goes smoothly when it’s ready to be executed. Here were some of my observation from the first parent-teacher conference:

1. Parents were attentive
2. Students were excited to share
3. Students encouraged parents to come to see their Slides presentation
4. I was a facilitator of learning rather than being the guardian of knowledge
5. Parent, teachers, and students walked away feeling positive

Note: I did not go over any behavior during the conference, all conferences were data-driven.  

We are moving toward 1-to-1 devices district-wide. Let’s move forward with making the technology and home connection.

If you feel you need some more clarification and help with Google Slides, no problem. Come to my December 19th PD at Adams, and I can support you.  Email me at mtsou@stocktonusd.net, and I would be happy to provide a screencast video instructions based on your needs.

Titanoboa: Giant Snake From Earth’s Past

With all the hype right now with Megalodon Sharks (Meg), Prehistoric Dinosaurs (Jurassic Park), even the Predator films are dealing with evolution and (future) fossils. My kids this month took a step back as well. We took a step back in time, nearly 65 million years back!

This past summer I was lucky enough to receive a travel grant to attend a conference at the University of Florida Natural History Museum’s @iDigFossils Teacher Program. There we learned about incorporating fossils with our current 3D printers into the subject matter across all educational domains. We learned how to blend NGSS into CCSS, and include engineering, art, reading, and even PE into lessons about Earth from millions of years ago. We went panning for shark teeth, digging for miniature horse bones, and even got to touch the well-documented find-of-a-lifetime, Titanoboa vertebrae.

These students are working with the 3D fossils they printed.

Now, my 10-year-olds were more interested in what did it eat (full crocodiles), how did it catch its prey (asphyxiation), and how big was it really? To help answer that last question, we created our own PBL units that were published by the department. My class used the vertebrae template, the scanned image(s) of the fossilized bone found by UofF professors in Columbia, and worked in groups to design ‘the most efficient way to print them on our printers.’ Students worked in groups using computer assisted drafting (CAD) software, TinkerCad, to complete their tasks. They used math measurements to try and minimize supports (these are tree-like structures a 3D printer uses on overhangs, to keep the shape of the object you are printing). The problem with supports is that is wastes your printer filament (the plastic it prints with). So the kids finally managed to design a print that contained two bones on one printing plate, with minimized supports, and settings that allowed us to print twice a day, on each printer.

Students do a compare and contrast activity with their printed fossils.

The kids had fun working together towards a common goal. After about a week we had 45 vertebrae finally printed. We took some white yarn and our fossils and went out to the playground. I wanted the kids to really understand how long this snake was. We measured out 45 feet of yarn, and at about every 12 inches, a student tied their individual fossil onto the main string. It was quite the site to seek the shock, and terror, in some of their faces when they realized the size of this monster. We did a wiggle activity and the kids followed me around on the blacktop as we slithered back and forth as a snake playing follow the leader. Back in the classroom, we worked with units of distance and converted everything from millimeters, centimeters, inches, feet, and yards. We hit standards on standards and we weren’t trying too hard.

We finished up our Titanoboa Week with a ‘chat with a scientist’ interview with the awesome Ms. Jeanette Pirlo, representing Florida Museum Of Natural History, Vertebrate Paleontology Department! She gave kids a great glimpse into the fields of science and paleontology. We learned some new facts about Titanoboa, and she helped motivate some of my little girls to think about maybe one day going into a field of science and STEM. They are SO very excited to each be taking home their very own full sized Titanoboa 3D printed fossil!

Students show off their 3D printed fossils!

Titanoboa might have been from Earth’s past, but with today’s technology, it is fueling the curiosity of kids from today. Check out the @FossilProject for plenty of 3D Printed fossils, lesson plans, and tips and tricks alike.

Cheers!

Number Talks

“My students struggle with number sense.”

“I have students that don’t know their basic facts.”

“The students in my classroom lack the ability to reason about math problems.”

Common phrases heard in math classrooms. I have said them when I was teaching and I hear them now all too often in professional development sessions. But why? Why are our students not grasping these skills under our guidance? What are students missing? Our teachers are implementing the standards, providing engaging lessons, and reinforcing skills all throughout the year. What else can be done? But alas I have the answer!

Number talks. Short math conversations where students solve problems in ways that are meaningful to them. Little to no prep on the part of the teacher, with a huge return from students! You read that right, little to NO PREP on the part of the teacher. Why wouldn’t you try it?

Number talks, developed in the early 1990’s, have recently resurfaced with the shift of implementing the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics. The CA Math Framework references them as a strategy for increasing math discourse in the classroom and supporting the 8 Mathematical Practices that are foundational for learning in the CCSS. The Framework says, “the problems in a number talk are designed to elicit specific strategies that focus on number relationships and number theory. Students are given problems in either a whole- or small-group setting and are expected to mentally solve them accurately, efficiently, and flexibly. By sharing and defending their solutions and strategies, students have the opportunity to collectively reason about numbers while building connections to key conceptual ideas in mathematics.” (CDE, 2016) Implemented routinely for about 10 minutes a session, number talks have shown to increase students mathematical abilities to think flexibly, examine errors, identify misconceptions, and solve computation problems. All in all showing a strong understanding of number sense, fluency with math facts, and the ability reason about math without struggle.

But, don’t just take my word for it, hear from Sherry Parish, the author of Number Talks. Listen as she describes the process and its success. Consider watching students engage in at all grade levels. Dive in and take a look at the Number Talk resources linked in your SUSD Unit of Study resources; all available as Google Slide presentations (NO PREP) and chunked in a variety of skill sets.   And, finally ask for support or a demo in your classroom by reaching out to your site Instructional Coach or me, Angela Pilcher, at the Curriculum Department.

Ten minutes a day will change your phrases to

“My students are strong in their number sense!”

“I have students that know their basic facts!”

“The students in my classroom have the ability to reason about math problems!”

We grow at one rate and technology grows a thousand times faster!

I have to be honest. Lately, I feel like I’m the teacher that is afraid to turn on the computer. OK, it’s not that bad but I do feel like I can’t process one more thing. Since I need to know and I truly want to know it stresses me not being able to keep up. If I’m feeling that way, I can’t imagine how some teachers feel.

Keeping up with technology can be a challenge for many teachers especially teachers who only use technology in the classroom. Even more so if the teacher only uses it to take attendance or give MAP testing. Although I must say that by now we’ve been testing with MAP for over 8 years and you should at least know how to log-in! Sorry, I digress.

Considering everyone learns at different paces, and taking into account the less you use it the more you are likely to forget, it has been brought to my attention that it would make my life easier if I made “cheat sheets.” The cheat sheets should be printed on bright colored paper, laminated, and made in double quantity. My goal for this summer is to take some of the programs, reports, assessment, and anything else that I get called to help with and create the sheets. If anyone already has a few sheets to share, please do. The first one will be “What to check if nothing turns on” (Yes, there are times when I get called and all I do is plug something in).

The teachers that are new coming straight from college, for the most part, seem to have a handle on most of the basic technology needs. It is great when they help other teachers. One of the things, as we build our PLC community, is getting everyone comfortable with helping each other. I don’t always have time to help teachers when they need it which sometimes causes them more stress. But as they work with each other and they grow as professionals they all become more comfortable with at least clicking on the blue link.

One More Thing

Do you ever feel like you have to give your students one more thing? Whether it be
a survey, an assessment, etc.? Do you ever feel like there is one more computer
program that the students just “have” to use for them to see their test scores
soar? Imagine Learning? Mobymax? ST Math? Khan Academy? No Red Ink? Quizlet? Kahoots? The list seems to be never-ending and continues to grow. I know with my students the last thing they need is #onemorething. They, just like us, will become overwhelmed (and just maybe frustrated) with #onemorething.

I understand that we are trying to move away from paper and more towards being paperless, but I think Alice Keeler said it best when she said that “paperless is not a pedagogy.” Alice Keeler! Thee Alice Keeler said that ‘paperless is not a pedagogy.’ For me, I think what I need to focus on the most is finding what works for each of my students and make those accommodations and/or modifications necessary for them to be successful and not just #onemorething. Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that we can’t explore other, or even more educational programs, but I think we need to know when to say enough is enough and when to follow the adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

 

If you don’t follow @alicekeeler on Twitter, you should.

I am writing this just in case there are others out there, who like me, are feeling a
tiny bit overwhelmed and are feeling as though you’re being pulled in every direction when it comes to #onemorething. You’re not alone, and we can get through this together. We need to do whatever it takes for our students to be successful. If one student sees success on Imagine Learning but not in Mobymax, then we need to find out why that is and tweak it. Make it work for your students and you. Not every kid learns the same nor do we. If we keep that in mind then we might be able to get through the rest of this year and all the other years more than just by the skin of our teeth.

Now if this post isn’t relatable to you or you need someone to blame, you are more
then welcome to #blameitonprescott, I’m fine with that.

A Research Graphic Organizer That Will Save You a Lot of Headache

At the beginning of the school year, my 5th graders were asked to do a research paper- a task the students and I both dread for different reasons. To put it simply, they didn’t like doing it because it was a lot of work. I, on the other hand, worried about them using online sources and plagiarizing from them. To solve our problems, I created a graphic organizer on Google Docs that saved us all a lot of time, stress, and even managed to make the whole learning process much easier.

Starting off, the graphic organizer doesn’t look that impressive, but as I tell my students the boxes will expand based on how much information they input in there. Also, I did notice that they didn’t feel overwhelmed starting this project because the graphic organizer just looks like a small worksheet that they needed to fill out. Them feeling that way is already a good starting point to this whole research process.

Step-By-Step to Using the Graphic Organizer

Anytime I am doing a research paper, I find myself having the most trouble doing the introduction paragraph since it is the paragraph that grabs the readers’ attention. With that at stake, I told my students to save that paragraph for later and to work on their three supporting paragraphs, which according to the graphic organizer,  are the reason 1, 2, and 3 draft boxes. Once they understand the task, they come up with three reasons to build their supporting paragraphs. For example, one of their tasks required them to write an opinion piece on who they believe is an important figure. That important figure should get the honor of having a monument made of himself or herself. With that understanding of the task and after deciding who they will research about, the students then come up with their first reason.

Let’s examine Justine’s research process to better understand what I am talking about. Justine’s first reason about why Dr. Seuss deserves a monument was because he was a good writer. She simply writes “good writer” in the same line that says “Reason 1 draft”. After that, she researches online about what makes Dr. Seuss a good writer and would then copy and paste that information into the “Notes” box as well as copying the website’s address into her “Source” box. Next, she reads and underlines the part that provides the evidence showing how he’s a good writer. After the underlining, she makes three brief bulleted notes using short phrases all in the “Notes” box.

The next step is developing her first supporting paragraph which becomes a challenge because she has to paraphrase her research to avoid plagiarism. From a teacher’s perspective, this organizer helps me to better understand her progress because I can see right away how her sentences are constructed as compared to the original source. It saves me time from having to research where she got her information and whether she copied the source. She then goes through the same process for developing the other supporting paragraphs and after all the research, she has a clearer vision of how she will develop both the introduction and conclusion paragraph. Once the whole organizer gets filled and approved by me, she cuts and pastes her paragraphs and formats them to look like an essay or in this case, a letter.

Doing a research essay can be a very daunting experience for many students but using this graphic organizer has been a much easier process for all of us. It was definitely less of a headache to track them through the whole process, and I liked that it made learning more engaging and smoother for them.

 

Technology Use is a Foundational Skill

This school year I decided to make a conscious effort to help students develop the foundational skills needed for using technology in a kindergarten classroom. I chose a specific classroom, one with a teacher whom by her own admission is technophobic. She states constantly that she doesn’t have the capacity to teach her students to become better users of technology. She also claims that her students are not ready, nor are they capable, of using the computers for more than just game-playing, test-taking machines. (I took this on as a personal challenge, because) My philosophy is that kindergarten is the perfect grade for students to begin learning how to access and use some of the educational applications that are available to them.  So I took it as a personal challenge to devise a plan and demonstrate how this could be done for our kindergarten team.

Students in the upper grades are becoming increasingly dependent on the use of their computers to not only complete daily assignments, but to also collaborate on group projects, complete research, and connect with the world. With this increased utilization of computers for productivity and learning in the intermediate, middle, and secondary grades; it only makes sense to begin teaching students how to become effective users of technology in the primary grades. Of course, our expectations and instruction should be reasonable and grade appropriate. We don’t expect kinder students to write full five-paragraph essays, nor do we expect them to know their multiplication facts or be able to read Lord of the Rings. So it stands to reason that we should not expect a kinder student to be able to use a computer as efficiently as a high-schooler would be able to use one. Just like with reading and mathematics, there are foundational skills that must be learned so that students can harness the computer as an educational tool and resource, and not just a gaming device.

When I began working with this Kindergarten class we started off very slowly. By the time I entered into this classroom to embark on my personal challenge, the students already knew how to open their computer, access the apps that are available to them, and use the mouse pad, as well as the touchscreen.  I wanted them to launch their Google Chrome account and begin using some of the basic educational Google tools. We started with Google Docs and sharing Docs with their teacher. The classroom teacher asked if I was going to bring in a few 8th graders to help her students with logging in. I laughed and explained to her that would defeat the purpose of this exercise. I wanted to prepare these kids to be independent but she wanted to prove me wrong. I was amazed at how quiet the students were, engaged and ready to type whatever I told them to type. I showed them what we were going to learn, and what they would be able to do on their own once they learned the skill I was going to teach them. I provided each student with an 8 x 11 sheet of paper with their Username and Password information typed in large letters, which made it easy for the students to read. I demonstrated how to log in to their Google Chrome account and with very little support, each student was able to successfully log into their own account. Students were then able to launch Google Docs and type a simple sentence.  Then with minimal assistance, they were able to share this document with their classroom teacher. When each student received a response from their teacher they became very excited about the new technology skills they had just acquired they wanted to write more so that they could share with their teacher. These kindergartners were engaged and enthusiastic learners when they were presented with the opportunity to explore their Chromebooks in a more meaningful way. They could see how this new found skill directly impacted their own school work.

As technology use becomes a more integral part of a child’s learning, it is essential that we teach the foundations of tech use as early as possible. With increasing access to smartphones and tablets, the digital divide seems to be shrinking faster and faster. Students who might not have had access to desktop computers a few years back, now have access to the Internet through smart devices and even gaming devices. Students proficiency in technology is often greater than academic skills such as letter identification and basic counting when they enter Kindergarten. We, as educators, must the recognize the importance of teaching the foundations of effective technology use for academic purposes.