Education Techitorium Link

Education Techitorium: Tools for Students, Teachers, and Librarians

Here is a link to our presentation for technology tools for students, teachers, and librarians. You can access links to reviews, additional readings, and other similar technologies. Enjoy!

Quest to Be 21st Century Learners

With the Next Generation Science Standards making their way to the scene in 2017-2018 and the Standards for the 21^st Century Learner, there is a strong emphasis being placed on inquiry-based learning in the classroom. Web Quests, or inquiry-based lessons where students interact with online tools to gather information, are one way to bring inquiry learning into the classroom.

WildWeather (click on link) is an excellent resource for students, grades K-2. This introductory web quest is highly engaging, and offers young students a variety of online tools at different levels for a wide range of abilities. Since it is geared towards primary students, the inquiry is very simplistic and straightforward so students become comfortable with the process of using online tools to gather information. In this web quest, students COLLABORATE, CREATE, SHARE, and EVALUATE their learning! Some Web 2.0 tools are suggested for sharing information with others.

Here are some highlights of Wild Weather:

·    High Interest: Young students, grade K-2, will be learning about weather patterns in the world around them. Many students find severe weather fascinating, so their curiosity leads to inquiry.

·    Simple: This web quest is geared towards primary students. The inquiry question is straightforward, and the directions are clear.

·    User-Friendly: The structure of the web quest is laid out sequentially on one page. Students click on the image for the severe weather type they choose, and all of the online resources are listed together. Usernames and passwords are provided so students do not have to interrupt learning to ask for them.

·    Choice: Students get a choice in their inquiry-based learning. There are four different types of severe weather listed: tornadoes, blizzards, hurricanes, and thunderstorms. The students also get to select the final product to share their inquiry with the rest of the class.

·    Organization: The web quest is organized logically and sequentially. All information students needs about the web quest including the task, process, and evaluation rubric are on one page. This makes navigation through the web quest easy, and primary students will not get lost through the journey.

·    Variety of resources: Students do not just use online print resources, but videos are also included for students to view and listen to. Additional online resources schools have access to can be added to the lists.

·    Collaboration: After the initial process of gathering information independently, students work in small groups according to the severe weather type selected, and they share what they have learned through a guided discussion with questions provided. Questions are open-ended, and allow for debate among students.

·    Creation: Students use their creativity to share the information they learned in a unique way. Students can create a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation, a brochure, or a blog. Teachers or librarians can add other tools such as PicCollage, Explain Everything, Little Bird Tales digital storytelling, or other new technology tools for students to creatively share the information they learn with others.

·    Sharing: Student groups will share the final product with the rest of the class.  Each member of the group is encouraged to present some part of the information or final product.

·    Evaluation: The rubric is simple. Students evaluate the information gathered, the final product, and their participation within the small group.

If this web quest does not meet the needs of your students, all parts can be modified. For example, some primary students may have a difficult time reading the online articles from Weather Wiz Kids, Scholastic, and Science Kids. The teacher or librarian can plan to have an intermediate class, grade 3-5, partner with the students to help read the information aloud. Another idea would be for the information to be prerecorded on an iPad so that students can listen to it while having the webpage open to follow along.

This web quest is an excellent starting point for inquiry-based learning in the primary grades. With the youngest students, the inquiry process needs to be simple, straightforward, and clear so they are successful using the process and tools. This is just the beginning of their quest to be life-21^st Century learners and life-long information seekers!

References:
Giradi, M. (2016, June 26). Wild Weather Web Quest. Retrieved from 
http://goshenschoolsny.org/Schools/SAS/TeacherPgs/mwest/Weather%20Webquest.cfm

Screencast for Digital Storytelling

According to Shelby-Caffey, Ubeda, and Jenkins (2014), "Through digital storytelling, students learn to research, develop a point of view, and create an emotional connection to the content they are learning about," (p. 196). This "How To" video teaches my Kindergarten students how to create a digital story using the website Little Bird Tales. This user-friendly digital storytelling tool is also available as an app for iPads and iPhones. Once students have completed a story, they are able to share it with other students, as well as family members.

This screencast begins after students have logged in to my password-protected class page. I show students how to create a cover page for their first published book of the year, a pattern book that has repetition. Students learn how to select an image that was uploaded into a gallery for their book. This tool also allows students to use the drawing tool, personal pictures uploaded from home, or images of their illustrations I capture with a camera and upload. Within the screencast, I model how to type in text (my students would have a rough draft sitting next to them). I also model how to record their voices using clear speech, and show how to playback recording. I demonstrate how to SAVE their stories after every page because Kindergarteners forget that step often.

I anticipate that I will have to show this screencast to my students a few times and provide them with time to practice. If a student is absent, I can have the student view the video without having to reteach the rest of the class that is ready to move on.

Since Kindergartens cannot take in a lot of information at once, I felt it was necessary to break the tasks down and introduce them in separate screencasts. They need to learn a little bit at a time and have practice with it before moving on.

Future screencasts for Little Bird Tales for my Kindergarten students will include:

• Adding additional pages with image, text, and voice recording
• Playback of entire story
• Sharing story with class and families by embedding link
• Accessing stories stored in the password-protected site
• Using the drawing tool to create illustrations

Here is my screencast:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6P4GtL1hadFaURjR3l1eldmZnM/view

References:
Shelby-Caffey, C., Ubeda, E., & Jenkins, B. (2014). Digital storytelling revisited: An educator's use of an innovative literacy practice. The Reading Teacher 68(3), 191-199. doi:10.1002.trtr.1273

21st Century Classroom

Technology is a game changer for education. Technology makes it easier for teachers to create instructional materials, flip a classroom by pre-recording a lesson, and communicate with students, parents, and colleagues. It also creates opportunities for students to collaborate with others and share their knowledge with the rest of the world. Students are no longer sitting idle in their seats listening to lectures where information is stuffed down their throats. Instead, due in part to wireless internet and portable smart devices, information is literally at our fingertips ready to be discovered. As technology rapidly changes, schools must be responsive and integrate these technologies into the classrooms to prepare students for living in a technology-driven society.

CDW-G’s 21^st Century Classroom Report indicates “86% of students say that they use technology more outside of school than in class,” (2011, p. 11). Considering how many high school students have access to smart phones and laptop computers these days, this statistic is not surprising. While this statistic tells us that students are using technology outside of school, it fails to tell us what the technology is being used for. Are they using social media to connect with friends? Are they using search engines and databases to gather information for a research project? Are they watching YouTube videos to learn how to install a stereo into a car? What this statistic does tell us is that technology is prevalent in students’ everyday lives. Therefore, students need to be taught how to use it safely, ethically, and for its intended purpose.

In addition, CDW-G’s report states that 94% of high school students “say they use technology to study or work on class assignments at home,” (2011, p. 11). When I first read this statistic, I immediately thought about accessibility of information. With wireless Internet and smart devices, students are now able to gather information literally anywhere. Classrooms and instruction are responsive to rapidly changing technology. Because students can now access information on their own, classroom teachers are able to dedicate class time to direct, differentiated instruction of content, and conferences with students to provide immediate feedback or to set learning goals. Students no longer need time in a computer lab to do guided research. They can go to a coffee shop or home to complete this task. Although some may see using technology at home as a missed opportunity for collaboration with peers, others may view this as a resourceful extension of the classroom. Bottom line is that students will be using technology outside of school, and they will not have access to personnel in doing so. The teacher-librarian needs to provide opportunities within the school day to support students with these technologies so that they can use them successfully on their own.

As a teacher-librarian in the 21^st Century Classroom, there is a shift in roles. As students are taking more ownership and responsibility of their learning, the teacher-librarian becomes a guide. One responsibility of the teacher-librarian is to collaborate with classroom teachers. Teacher-librarians need to know curriculum so that they can help classroom teachers integrate technology within lessons to create meaningful experiences that help move students forward in their learning. In order to do this, the teacher-librarian needs continued professional development to learn about cutting-edge technologies and seek opportunities to share these educational tools with staff. The teacher-librarian needs to consider himself a coach, often times co-teaching with the classroom teachers to support technology use in the classroom. Technologies should go beyond wireless Internet, personal computers, interactive white boards, and digital content which the CDW-G 21^st Century Classroom Report revealed were the “must-haves” according to faculty, (2011, p. 5). According to the CDW-G 21^st Century Classroom Report, 14% of students felt that while teachers using technology for instruction, the students were not allowed to use it in class, (2011, p. 8). Teacher-librarians can help faculty look for ways to allow students opportunities to use these technologies whether it is through grant writing to obtain more devices, or co-teaching so teachers feel comfortable releasing the use to students.

When it comes to working with students, the teacher-librarian needs to guide students through the process of research using approaches such as The Big6™ or Super3. Process becomes key for the 21^st Century learner because the tools students use will continue to evolve, but the skills in which they need to be successful citizens will remain the same. Students will always need to be problem solvers, communicators, and collaborative workers. With statistics that show so many high school students using technology at home to complete school work, the teacher-librarian has an important job of making sure students are using the right tools, and that students know how to use them correctly.

Caraher, K. & Braselman, M. (2011). The 2011 CDW-G 21^st Century Classroom Report. Retrieved from:   http://webobjects.cdw.com/webobjects/media/pdf/newsroom/CDWG-21st-Century-Classroom-Report-0611.pdf

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Elida Vandenbergh. I currently teach all-day Kindergarten in Naperville Community Unit School District 203. Prior to teaching Kindergarten for the last two years, I taught First Grade for eight years and Third Grade for five years. My 15 years of teaching experience have all been at the same school, Highlands Elementary. When talking about my career, I never describe it as something I do. Teaching is a part of who I am. I am truly blessed to be able to spend my life doing something I love. My favorite part of teaching is watching five- and six-year olds learn how to read. There is nothing more rewarding that seeing a child’s face light up when he or she discovers the wonderful journey books have to offer.

Prior to teaching, I received my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Go Illini! My first Master's Degree is in Reading and Language from National-Louis University. I hold a Type 10 Reading Specialist certificate; however, I have not wanted to leave the classroom. I am also Nationally Board Certified in Reading and Language Arts, and I will be going through the renewal process shortly after earning my second Master's Degree from Olivet.

I am married to an extremely understanding and supportive husband, Matt. He knows the sacrifices of being married to a teacher. He works for a company that partners with Cisco Systems, and he sells training classes to IT Departments within companies across the midwest. Matt and I have two children. Niklas is two-and-a-half years old, and he is into everything sports and construction. Elin (pronounced "eelin") is nine months old, and she is exploring the world on her hands and knees. Our family enjoys outdoor activities such as walks with our two yellow Labrador retrievers and swimming at the pool. In my spare time, I coach the Varsity Dance Team at Naperville North High School. Dance has been a part of my life since I was young.

My love of children’s books is one reason I chose to pursue a second Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science. Every time I walk into a bookstore, I walk out with new books. I cannot control myself, it just happens! Another reason I chose this path is because I am looking for new ways to integrate inquiry-based learning into my Kindergarten classroom as the Next Generation Science Standards are rolled out in 2017. I know that meaningful learning occurs when students are curious and given opportunities to explore their interests, so I felt that this program would help me locate reliable resources for my students, as well as understand the technologies they will be using to locate information and share knowledge.

After reading Maness’ article titled Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and Its Implications for Libraries, and learning more about Web 2.0 tools, I rated myself a two on the scale of one to five for being technology-literate. Despite using technology daily in both my personal and professional life, I realize that I have a lot to learn. I believe that my career as a Kindergarten teacher is part of the reason I am not very technology-literate. As a Kindergarten teacher, I build the foundation for technology use. I teach my students how to login with a username and password, how to open up a web browser and navigate our school’s webpage to locate online resources, and how to access electronic books that are read aloud. My students are not using sophisticated Web 2.0 sharing tools such as wikis, blogs, or social networking. Instead, my students share their knowledge with others using more simplistic technology tools like Explain Everything and Story Maker. I believe if I taught students at a higher-grade level, I would have more experience with Web 2.0 tools. Technology changes so quickly, I am having a hard time keeping up with everything that is out there. But fear not, I am ready and eager to learn!