Tech reflection

I think the greatest thing about taking a education tech course is that it actually gets you thinking about technology! Sometimes I get so caught up in just getting curriculum to my kids using the basic resources that are given to me OR just doing it the way I always have because it is what has become easy. To be honest, before I took a tech course, I did not think too much about how important it really is for students to be interacting with technology in school. I suppose if I were to be asked why, I would say that many of them use technology so much at home and it is not always easy to incorporate in the classroom. I have come to find, however, that it is important. While much of my time using technology is for fun, I also use technology for business and my own education. As technology is becoming more and more prominent in our lives, it is vital to learn how to use it in this way (business/education) at a young age. The more fluent students become in using technology and even tech etiquette, the more prepared they will be when they are immersed into the "real world." Since starting my course, I have tried to increase technology use where I can. I have been using my smart board with my students more and incorporating our class Surface and iPad more with the kids. Whenever we are able to have small groups, I try to have the iPad be one of the activities so that students can practice using it. I would like to put more apps on it for students to use, but finding time in our structured day is a challenge. I plan on stressing technology use in our take home projects we assign, such as our quarterly book reports. I would like to see my students use PowerPoint or Prezi for their presentations. It is a work in progress, but I am glad that the course has got me thinking on how I can help my kiddos be successful with technology in their future!

Digital Storytelling Logitstics

I am so excited to incorporate digital storytelling in my classroom! I've enjoyed learning how to use Prezi, how to record a story, and how to put the pictures and sound together to create a digital story. I know my students are going to love doing this project. They love writing and using technology. I think they will also love sharing their stories with their classmates and parents. The biggest question I have now is the best way to go about guiding my students through the process. According to the research I've done, the time consuming nature of digital storytelling is one of the issues that turn administrators away from allowing their teachers to use it in the classroom. In order to be able to do this project with my students, I will have to present a plan to my team of teachers and administration that will keep the process to an acceptable length of time. In order to do this, I have a few ideas in mind and I would love to have feedback from anyone out there on what they think would be the best approach! 1. My first idea is to begin this project shortly after winter break in order to give students time to put their digital stories together during their time in Media. Classes visit Media as one of their special areas once every two weeks. If we write and illustrate our stories in January, students could use time during Media over the following 8 weeks to record and complete their digital stories. While I do not care for the idea of the project being so spread out, it would maximize the time they have in their homeroom classes, which would most likely appeal to administration. 2. In order to get the digital stories done in the classroom, we would use one of the computers on wheels that our school has. This would allow for all students to have a laptop. We could put our Prezi's together during class, but I would probably ask for assistance from tutors or parents in order to help the process go quickly and smoothly. This process would probably take at least a week, which would hopefully be an acceptable amount of time. I am not sure, however, if that is a realistic estimate of time? 3. The final idea I have is to teach students how to use Prezi in the classroom and then assign them to complete their digital stories at home for a homework project. While this is certainly the option that leaves the most classroom time open, I am not crazy about the idea of my students doing this project at home. They all have different accessibility to technology at home and their parents all have different abilities when it comes to navigating the technology we will be asking them to use. Grading can also be a challenge when it comes to at home projects, as it is not clear what amount of work was actually done by the student. Those are the ideas I have so far! Please let me know your thoughts on these ideas and any further ideas you may have! Thanks!

Digital Story Rubric

 Here's my digital story, I had so much fun making it! If you haven't been following my posts, this is for my 2nd graders' Fairy tale unit that we do at the end of the year. I'll use this as an example of what they are going to do, which is rewrite a fairy tale and create a digital story. Please let me know your honest thoughts about what you like and what could be improved =) Thank you!!!

Digital Storytelling Ideas

Since my last post about digital storytelling I have been brainstorming how I can use digital storytelling in my classroom in a way that will allow my students to practice writing narratives, learn more about technology, and be creative while also incorporating second grade LAFS (Language Arts Florida Standards). The idea I am leaning towards would be incorporated into our Fairy Tale Unit. Our Fairy Tale Unit is awesome! We typically do it at the very end of the year as a really fun way to review narratives, hit a few LAFS that weren't previously addressed as often in the year, and as an enjoyable way to spend the end of the year together. Students are introduced to many different fairy tales, folktales, and fables through books, digital media, and reader's theater (which we record and play back for them to watch themselves perform!). Students also analyze the stories they hear, compare and contrast different versions of the same story, discuss point of view, and get to express their creativity through both the reader's theater and writing their own fairy tales. The following 2nd grade LAFS are just the main ones addressed in this unit:

- LAFS.2.RL.1.1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

- LAFS.2.RL.1.2: Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

- LAFS.2.RL.1.3: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

- LAFS.2.RL.2.6: Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud

- LAFS.2.RL.3.7: Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

- LAFS.2.RL.3.9: Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.

- LAFS.2.W.1.3: Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

- LAFS.2.SL.2.5: Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

However, there is one LAFS standard that we haven't been able to fully address:

- LAFS.2.W.2.6: With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

Now, in the past our students have written informational pieces about the weather and then created a PowerPoint to present the information from their writing. While this has been a great learning experience for them, we could definitely do more! This weather PowerPoint is the only time during the year that our students use digital media.

By incorporating LAFS.2.W.2.6 into our Fairy Tale Unit, students would have the opportunity to be exposed to other different types of digital media and have so much fun doing it! As mentioned previously, part of the Fairy Tale Unit is writing their own fairy tale, folktale, or fable. They are given so much creative freedom with this assignment! They can rewrite a new version of an existing story OR create their own entirely new story using the elements of fairy tales. This story would be perfect for transforming into a digital story! Once their stories are written, students would use their knowledge of reader's theater to turn their story into a script that they will record themselves reading. They can also incorporate LAFS.2.RL.2.6 by keeping in mind the point of view of their characters and speaking in different voices for them. Then, we can incorporate LAFS.2.RL.3.7 by having students create illustrations that will help their readers better understand the characters, setting, and plot. Finally, by having students complete their digital stories, LAFS.2.SL.2.5 and LAFS.2.W.2.6 are both being addressed.

So, by using digital storytelling to present fairy tales, students can learn how to better tell their story to their audience, gain knowledge of technology, and enjoy learning. It's also a win-win situation for us teachers, because our students are mastering many 2nd grade LAFS at the same time! I am so excited to learn more about digital storytelling, teach my team teachers, and finally use it in our classrooms at the end of the year =)

Digital Storytelling

Digital Citizenship in the Primary Classroom

I've been so excited about my students' interaction with technology! Although I feel as if I have only scratched the surface when it comes to incorporating technology in my classroom, I'm proud of the direction it's heading in. My students have been using our smart board more and we've done an iPad learning center a few times. It is challenging to do this, as we only have one iPad for the small group to share, but so far it has gone better than I had expected. I have also been using the camera on my Surface to "interview" students about what they are working on and to show their work on the board. They love it! I've also had them use our Doc Cam for their book report presentations so the class could see their projects better.

As I come up with more plans of how my students can interact with technology, I have become more and more conscious of the need to teach my students how to be good digital citizens. Citizenship is as standard that is heavily focused on in 2nd grade. As citizens of a digital age, I think that my second graders need to learn that being a good citizen includes making responsible choices with technology, too.

While looking for ways to teach my students about digital citizenship, I found a blog written by an elementary teacher turned librarian named Sandy Liptak. She created a blog post about how to teach digital citizenship to young learners. I thought her lesson would be a great one to do before we further our technological adventures!

Liptak's digital citizenship lesson includes teaching students how to make safe and smart choices with technology in the classroom. For example, one part of the lesson addresses the issue to cyberbullying. According to the article, Cyberbullying: Review of an Old Problem Gone Viral 20%-40% of students have been victims of cyberbullying (Aboujaoude, Elias, et al., 2015, p. 10). As an adult on social media I have seen other adults treat each other in hurtful ways online that I never see in "real" life. People seem to feel more comfortable being disrespectful to each other when they are not face to face with them. By teaching students at a young age that this type of bullying behavior is hurtful and unacceptable, hopefully fewer of them will be victims of cyberbullying in the future.

I haven't yet taught this lesson to my students, but I plan on using it during one of our "class council" meetings in the near future. I'll give an update on how it goes! Let me know in the comments below if you teach your students digital citizenship! What works well for you? Let me know!

To see Liptak's lesson, follow the link to her blog: http://lessonsbysandy.com/2012/10/digital-citizenship.html

To purchase the poster and materials that go along with her lesson, visit her TpT store (only $3): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Digital-Citizenship-with-Elementary-Students-343272

Aboujaoude, E., Savage, M. W., Starcevic, V., & Salame, W. O. (2015). Cyberbullying: review of an old problem gone viral. Journal of Adolescent Health, 57(1), 10-18.