Staff Meeting, Feb. 24.2014

1:1 Essential #1

There are 4 key 1:1 essentials:

1. Having a digital “Home base” to create, make available, and receive student assignments and information.
2. Managing a 1:1 classroom
3. Creating & managing digital assessments
4. Setting Goals (to maintain focus and build confidence)

Today: Digital Home Base

Having a “home base” to create, make available, and receive student assignments and information is essential for any 21st century classroom. Teacher websites are the most common format for this, but there are other learning management environments -- teachers are limited only by their purpose, skill base, and creativity.

   Some may wonder if having different formats for different classes/teachers is an impediment for learners.  If you ask me, students need to develop an ease in navigating a variety of learning platforms. And as it turns out, students will generally adapt to differing online formats much the same way they adapt to different classroom setups, teaching styles, and teacher personalities.  It just takes a little time, exploration, and patience.  

Additionally, teachers who want to get better at integrating technology must explore the use of many possible technologies until they get one that is the right fit for them.  Teachers need to be comfortable in their Home Base and not have it ascribed to them.  So having choice is, in my opinion, very important.

A few options:

Classroom websites, which are the most common choice for a classroom Home Base, are popular in this district. Google Sites, probably since it is part of the Google family of apps, seems to be the most-used tool.  There are many fine examples here at the middle school (see below), as well as at the high school, which would show why they're a mainstay classroom learning environment.

Here are just a few examples from the high school that show the versatility of a website:

• Mr. Comeras utilizes many engaging tools and posts his daily agenda with links (anyone who might be absent can still work from home)
• Mr. Nethers' cool, clean format is easy to follow and maintain. He helps students stay current with their assignments; he also has separate tabs set up for assignment turn in and weekly objectives. He has chosen to maintain a different website for each different preparation as well as for each period (Sociology and World History).
• Mr. Zidron's site is blog style as is Mrs. Dudgeon's. Mrs. Dudgeon uses a separate tab for her classroom notes.

You can review more Licking Valley High School Google Sites HERE

Now for a few here at the middle school, some of which are Google Sites, some not  (These teachers will be giving us a virtual tour of their sites at our Staff Meeting on Feb. 24.)

Google Sites

7th grade team (with links to each teacher)

  

Adam Britton                                           

Christy George

Nikki Thompson
Stacey Hamilton 

Sara Lang

Wix and Weebly Sites

Justin Fickes

Melanie Strock

 Kristin Dennis

             Middle School

             Elementary School

(Wix and Weebly are free, easy-to use website builders: check them out HERE and HERE)

Tutorial Videos

Weebly tutorial that starts at the beginning  HERE and HERE 

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From the Wix site, a good series of video tutorials to get started.  

And from youtube, some good editing ideas for Wix.

A couple of other non-websites
 to consider as a Home Base:

Edmodo: it looks like Facebook and is more social in format and use. Students can also turn in assignments and take quizzes. Information and learning guide

How a teacher uses it to flip his classroom and a bit of how to

Livebinder:  Livebinders is a tool that organizes information and shares via a set of tabs. Livebinders has been around for a while but has recently added a lot of new features that make it more versatile and "Home Base" friendly.

Examples of the old Livebinders Format:

As a teacher website:  old look
P.E. Resources

Family & Consumer Sciences resources

Gluten info 
How Art Benefits Students with Special Needs

Projects and portfolios

Livebinders Classroom Website Pages: New Look

Mrs. Gurney
Mr.'s Gibson and Irby

In the end, whatever you decide on as a Home Base, what is important is that you have one.  Try different things and look at what other teachers have done/ are doing.  With some due diligence -- and yes, time invested, you'll end up with a place that will make you and your students feel at "Home."

Find the random name generator we used, as well as other fun teacher tools, HERE.

Four Bright, Shining Faces

In the last blog, I mentioned bright smiling faces… I can’t resist writing one more post about a Waiver Day because there were 3 particularly bright faces – and one particularly hairy one -- who shared some of their expertise on the second Waiver Day.  Here's a shout out -- and some resources for when you're ready to try out any of their ideas.

Who wouldn't love these faces?!

Kristen Dennis:  I couldn’t resist posting a picture of some of the extensive wiring in her classroom.   But if you've been in her classroom, you know the abundance of electricity in her room doesn't just come from her use of technology.  

 Kristin shared with everyone a classroom website she utilized at the elementary school (she’s currently building the MS version).  She uses a free website builder called WIX. Her website can be found HERE.  And – if she didn’t show you on Waiver Day, there’s a video of Kristin on stilts and juggling as she talks to her students about the “art” of life.  It’s on the TEACHERS tab on the website (scroll down to the video and she’s about 20 seconds in).  If you’re interested in viewing some other teacher Wix sites for inspiration and ideas for your own website (whether it’s a google site, Wix, Weebly, or other), you really have to check out this web site with sample teacher Wix sites and tutorial videos… a great resource.

Justin Fickes   I emailed Justin to see if he minded my poking a little fun at his beard.  He was ok with it, of course, because he's cool that way. He also has a cool-looking Weebly website which features another great thinker with well-known hair. Weebly has an easy to use drag and drop menu for adding elements.  

Justin also shared some info about the use of green screens.  A couple of sources for you:  Jason Ohler, an expert on digital storytelling (I have his book on digital storytelling in my room if you want to have a look) has posted a nicely detailed project description using the technology.

Jeff Wills:  When I popped into Jeff Wills’ room to ask if I could take a quick picture of him working, he just smiled and replied, “I work?!” 

I think Jeff is a real 1:1 teacher’s teacher – generous, patient, and always optimistic.  He shared with us his use of Socrative student response system that also creates quizzes and games.  Here’s an in-the-classroom video of a teacher using Socrative.

Adam Britton knows what he wants to accomplish with his students and shared with us that he is already planning for next year’s 1:1 by recording some video tutorials for his students (who won't need to wait until next year to utilize them): one of them is embedded below.  

       
Some time this year we’ll have a session on screencasting; for now, here's another look at Adam's really useful, detailed review of screencasting resources.  Adam is a committed 21st century teacher ready to talk tech.

Thanks again to all these teachers who shared!  Remember... this blog is meant to serve as an archive for resources. When a teacher wants to try something out, it can be on that teacher's time -- so resources (both human and technological) will be identifiable whenever the teacher needs them.  These teachers and others (and I) are eager to help anyone who needs it.  Just let us know!