Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Exciting Times

January has been a busy month with much excitement! I am expecting to go out on maternity leave within the next two weeks and as a result have been working to get in one final lesson with many teachers and provide them with professional development they can use to continue their technology integration while I'm gone. I've supported teachers in their use of PicCollage, SMART Boards and Notebook 14, Seesaw, Kahoot, and navigating the new TestNav 8 software that students will use to take their SOL tests beginning in May. Additionally, I've worked to get student iPads on our new management system so that hopefully they can be more easily maintained while I'm out and limit the number of password and update pop ups that students have been experiencing. Oh, and we can't forget the three snow days! Below are some of the lessons I've been fortunate enough to be a part of this month.

Map Skills
Second grade teachers have been working to incorporate social studies and science content into their reading centers. As a result, I've created a couple of webquest type activities that help students explore these concepts further and deepen their understanding. I worked with Mrs. Davidson's second graders on a map webquest where they looked at how a legend, compass rose, and title provide information for a map. Students used Google Earth to locate major geographical features in the United States such as the Appalachian Mountains and Great Lakes. Students compared the location of major mountain ranges and practiced labeling features on maps.


Story Retelling
First grade students have been working on retelling stories by identifying the beginning, middle, and end of books they have read during guided reading. I had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Ahladas' and Mrs. Dingman's classes helping them create digital retellings in Seesaw. This learning experience allowed the teachers to hear each student retell a story and share the work with families. Additionally, saving the work to Seesaw allows teachers, families, and students to revisit the work throughout the year to monitor student progress.

Passion Projects
Mrs. Davidson's second graders have been working on their passion projects for several weeks now. This month they finished up their presentations - which range from posters, to Pixie projects, to booklets - and will have the opportunity to share with others next week. I loved being a part of this project because providing students with this opportunity built on their natural curiosities and created an experience that made learning meaningful for them. 


A student working on her Pixie presentation


Students working on their final products
Digital Citizenship
Four of the five fifth grade classes have completed their three digital citizenship lessons with me where we've focused on Acceptable Use, Private Information, and Netiquette. Students should now be aware of the impact sharing information digital can have on themselves as well as their family and friends. I've emphasized the notion that information shared digitally is easily spread. Students have been encouraged to err on the side of caution when sharing digitally and to consider if they would like the information they're communicating shared publicly. We've also explore the importance of clarity in digital communication. Without the help of body language and voice it can be challenging to interpret the tone of a digital message. While our lessons are "finished" these are concepts that students need continual reminders of at both school and home. 

Graphing
Kindergartners have been learning how to create tally charts and bar graphs to represent a set of data. To practice these skills independently, Mrs. Sinsabaugh and Mrs. Wagner's classes were given a series of winter images and a blank tally chart which they took a photo of in Seesaw. They then drew on top of the chart to create a visual representation of the data. After creating the tally chart, students then followed the same steps and created a bar graph. Using the information they recorded in the bar graph, they included an audio recording sharing information. A student sample can be found here. 
A tally chart in progress

A student constructs a bar graph

Animals and Ecosystems
Mrs. Hanneman's third graders have been learning about animals and the ecosystems in which they live. To apply concepts such as habitat, community, population, and environment and practice their writing skills, students conducted a brief research project where they learned about the ecosystem of an animal and then wrote a paragraph sharing their learning. Students were required to include some of the key terms to deepen their understanding of these concepts. Additionally, they practice paraphrasing while taking notes and developing thoughtful endings to their paragraphs. Here is an example of student work.
Students typing their paragraphs as a caption in Seesaw

Hard at work

Geometry Scavenger Hunt
Mrs. Gillam's fourth graders applied what they've learned about geometry to the world around them by completing a geometric scavenger hunt. Students were given a list of terms studied in class to find examples of in their classroom and the courtyard. They created PicCollages that included photos of the terms with the example highlighted and a label. Here are two examples of completed student work Student Sample 1 and Student Sample 2 This was a great way for students to review the terms and make connections between the content learned in class and real world. Additionally, it was a formative assessment for the classroom teacher to determine what concepts students had a firm grasp on and which needed additional instruction. 

Searching in the courtyard

Drawing on a photo to identify a term



Skip Counting
In younger grades, learning how to count is a basic skill that is essential to future math development. But how does a teacher have time to listen to 20 or more students count by 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s? Seesaw provides a great platform for students to practice their counting skills that their teacher can review during planning or even while relaxing at home. First grade students took a photo of a hundreds chart and then used the drawing and record feature to demonstrate their ability to skip count by 2s, 5s, and 10s. Here is a student sample. In addition to providing a formative assessment for students, sharing the work with families on Seesaw allows them to see how they might be able to provide additional support to their children. All work, even that with mistakes, was saved so that student progress can be monitored over time. 


Digital Storytelling
Students in Ms. Hoggan's second grade class have been learning about the elements of fairy tales and crafting their own stories. I was fortunate enough to join them in class and teach them how to use the app Toontastic that they'll work with to tell their original tales. This learning opportunity was especially powerful to some of the reluctant writers in her class. They are excited about crafting a toon that will showcase their writing. Additionally, with the ability to create their own characters in the app, students are excited about putting themselves into their stories. 

Creating original characters

More original characters


Monday, January 2, 2017

Holiday Happenings

In December, many teachers embraced their students' excitement by incorporating holiday activities into their instruction. Mrs. Williamson's fourth graders worked on self assessing and improving their reading fluency by practicing and recording short stories and nonfiction text related to holidays around the world. The students recorded their work on Seesaw which allowed them to listen back to their recordings and share their work with classmates and families. 

This lesson was part of JGES's Tech Take-Out in which several ITRTs spent time with teachers and students helping with their technology integration. Teachers learned how to make Kahoots! and use Seesaw as well as other iPad apps. With the support of ITRTs, students learned how to use Google Apps for Education, write and comment in Seesaw, and more. A special thanks to Mrs. Verlander, Mrs. Letter, and Mrs. Causey for their support with Tech Take-Out! 

A Group of 4 Practices

A Cozy Spot for Recording
Run, run, as fast as you can... Mrs. Sinsabaugh's kindergartners went on a QR code scavenger hunt through the school to track down the Gingerbread Man. Students worked in small groups scanning QR codes that opened up audio recording clues. After listening to a recording, students had to determine what part of the school was being described and head to the next QR code location. Their final stop? The cafeteria! Each student was given a gingerbread man eraser and winter stickers for solving the clues.

Scanning Outside Mrs. Keck's Office
A Bit of a Backup at the Clinic

Not all work was holiday related, to share what they learned about Ancient Greece and Rome, Mrs. Coston's third graders created ShadowPuppets showcasing their knowledge. Using a four square for planning, students brainstormed important information including facts about their civilization's government, culture, economy, and the geography of their region. After finding photos that illustrated their facts, students created audio recordings, and then saved their work to Seesaw. This allowed them to view one another's project as well as share with their families. Here is an example of a student's work! 

Looking for Photos to Illustrate their Information
Recording New Knowledge

Making a Comment on a Classmate's Work
 First graders in Mrs. Ahladas' class have been working on retelling stories by sharing important events from the beginning, middle, and end of a book. Students used the app ShadowPuppet to take pictures and record key events from familiar stories. Here is an example of a student's work! 

Taking a Photo

Selecting and Sequencing Photos

Friday, December 9, 2016

Hour of Code & STREAM Night

This week was a blur as I finished up two graduate courses at the University of Richmond and helped host two events, one at each of my schools. However, the reaction from students and parents made all the planning time well worth it! At both events, Hour of Code and STREAM Night, students participated in learning opportunities that aren't part of their everyday experiences.

Hour of Code
On Tuesday we had approximately 80 of our 300 JGES students stay after school for our second annual Hour of Code. Mrs. Churchill, our librarian, hosted the event in the library and we used resources from code.org. We recommended different activities from the site based on each student's coding experience. Once everyone was checked in and logged into their computers, there was a buzz in the air. Our hour easily could have lasted two as most students were not ready to shut down once parents started arriving. The pictures below speak for themselves as students work together to write their code in a comfortable environment. Check out this video created by Mrs. Churchill for more pictuers.








STREAM Night

Staff members at HCES planned a variety of stations related to a STREAM field to engage students and their families. Each family had an opportunity to pick four of the stations that sounded most interesting to them and then were given a schedule of three stations to visit. The stations ranged from creating paper glider boats to balloon towers to coding. All of the station resources can be found here. Though the cold raining weather kept some families away, a great time was had by all! It was great to see families engage in such a creative and fun way.

Paper Glider Boat

A Pyramid

Constructing a Catapult

Constructing a Catapult

Coding

The First Grade Team Leading the Pyramid Station

Sink and Float

Thursday, December 1, 2016

November Happenings, Part 2

Magnets
What does it mean when magnets attract and repel? How are magnets used in our everyday lives? These are some of the questions second grade students searched for and explored as they completed a web quest. Using this ThingLink and guiding questions, students watched videos and read to deepen their understanding of magnets and how they are used.

Watching a video on magnets

Illustrating magnets attracting

Seesaw for Schools
JGES and HCES are both piloting Seesaw for Schools which more easily allows resource teachers and specialists to connect and communicate with families. Over the last couple of weeks I've been busy meeting with teams sharing the features that are now available to them through Seesaw for Schools.

If you are a parent and are not already connected to your child's Seesaw account, please e-mail me at jmullenaux@hcps.us Seesaw allows parents to have a glimpse into what their children are doing at school. It's easy to use and free!

Then & Now
Kindergartners have been learning about the past and present. After reading a short story with me, students in Ms. Wagner's class selected something to illustrate in both the past and present. We discussed how transportation, cooking, houses, schools, and more were different in the past. Below is an example of a student's work showing transportation in the past verses transportation today. Be sure to click on the caption to hear her explanation!
Click here for recording

Passion Projects
Second graders in Ms. Davidson's class are exploring a topic of their choice through passion projects. Each child has picked a subject from erasers to dinosaurs to Texas that he or she wants to learn more about. After developing several questions about their topic, students are now in the research phase of the project. They're using resources from our library as well as a variety of online sources to find their information. Providing students with choice about their topic motivates them to read and write in their research.

Upcoming Events
Next week is Computer Science Education Week. Students at JGES are invited to participate in the Hour of Code after school on Tuesday, December 6th. Students will learn the basics of coding or further their skills if they're experienced coders using resources on code.org If you're child is interested in coding, but can't attend, check out this website!

HCES families are invited to STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) Night on Tuesday, December 6th. Everyone will have the opportunity to rotate between three of ten stations related to one of the STREAM fields. Participants should be prepared to be active and have fun! Stations range from coding to building balloon structures to learning about the aerodynamics of snowflakes.

Please contact me at jmullenaux@hcps.us if you would like to register for either of these events. Stay tuned for photos in my next blog post!

Monday, November 14, 2016

November Happenings

What did you do this weekend? 
Each week kindergarten students in Mrs. Barnes' class have shared their "Weekend News" by drawing a picture of something they did over the weekend and dictating a sentence to an Instructional Assistant. To improve on their verbal communication skills, students have started taking a seat behind our "news desk" to broadcast an event from their weekend. This project is a fun way for students to practice speaking in complete sentences and providing details that allow their audience to better understand an event. Check out this example! 

Behind of scenes of Weekend News
York River Organisms 
Students in Ms. Ferment's 5th grade class have been learning about organisms that live in or along the York River. This research project has been a collaboration between Ms. Ferment and our school librarian Mrs. Churchill. I had the opportunity to join in on the action when students began creating their digital products. Students were given the choice to create a Pic Collage, Shadow Puppet (here's an example), or TV Show to share what they learned through their research. It was great to see students' creativity and I learned a lot by working with them. And not just about the organisms! I picked up a few helpful hints in Pic Collage from a student too!

A student works on his Pic Collage
Mrs. Churchill works with students on their Shadow Puppet creations
It was a beautiful day for recording outside
Pic Collage example
Change is in the Air
Over the last week in our area fall has made its presence known. First graders in Mrs. Cox and Mrs. Dingman's class have been learning about fall. To apply what they've learned in class, students created Pic Collages with signs of fall and sentences about the changes that fall brings.

Students capture a bit of frost lingering in the mulch
Leaves and acorns are beginning to cover the playground
Time to write about fall 
A student's work
A student's work
An ITRT Does What?
So what exactly does an ITRT in Hanover County do? Well in addition to collaborating with teachers on awesome projects like these, there are a lot of "behind the scenes" projects I've been working on the last two weeks. 

On November 1st the ITRT team had our second "Tech Take-Out" at our district's central office. During this day employees could request help with their technology use. Requests ranged from how do I create a district benchmark to how do I correctly share Google Docs and much more. I'm excited that JGES will be having the first school version of "Tech Take-Out" on December 9th. Teachers will have the opportunity request support on their own use of technology tools or lesson collaboration. 

As you may have noticed I, and teachers at both of the schools I work at, LOVE Seesaw. We've been looking for ways to have our resource teachers use the app to increase communication with families and Seesaw for Schools may just be the answer. Each school is piloting the program for four months. In order to get us up and running each student's ID number had to be tied to their accounts so that no matter what class work is uploaded in, parents will have access. I'm excited that this tedious work is now behind me and we (students, teachers, families, and administrators) can take full advantage of the perks Seesaw for Schools has to offer. 

HCES's STREAM Night will be held on December 6th. Families will join us for an evening of hands-on activities that involve Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. We had a productive planning meeting last week and a flyer will be going home to families on Wednesday with more information including how to RSVP. 

What should a kindergartner in HCPS be able to do in regards to technology? How about a fifth grader? The elementary ITRT team has been working on developing a set of Technology Competencies for students. This project is in the infancy stage of development and there will be much more information to come. 

Friday, October 28, 2016

Fall is in the Air

Summarizing
Third graders have been working hard on developing summaries of their reading. While retelling a story is sometimes a simple task, determining which events are most important to include in a summary can be challenging. The examples shared below involved students recording their summaries verbally in order to improve their verbal communication skills and to not be limited by the physical process of writing. 

One class of third graders created hand-drawn storyboards of the four most important events of the story "The Most Magnificent Thing" (a book they read on Epic! about persistence). Once their boards were complete, they took pictures of each frame, uploaded them to Shadow Puppet, and then recorded a summary of the book focusing on those four events. 

A Completed Storyboard

Recording the Summary in Shadow Puppet
A second class of third graders worked on retelling the story "Nate the Great San Francisco Detective" after a sequencing activity. The sequencing activity had many events that happened during the story, but students had to use their analytical skills to determine which ones were essential to the plot of the story. These students recorded their retellings in Seesaw. 
Recording a Summary
From Problem Solvers to Problem Makers
First graders have been working on solving part-part-whole story problems. This week several classes took their learning to a new level by creating story problems of their own. Students were given a part-part-whole template that they took a picture of in Seesaw. They then illustrated their story problem, wrote the parts and whole in the corresponding boxes, and then recorded their problem so that viewers would best understand their illustration. 

An Example of the Template and Beginning of an Illustration

Illustrating a Story Problem

Recording a Story Problem
Pumpkins
Kindergartners have been studying the changes pumpkins go through during the various stages of their lives. Recently they went on a field trip to a local pumpkin patch to learn more about pumpkins and see them in the various stages of growth. As a way for them to demonstrate their learning, students sequenced a series of six pictures of pumpkins in Pic Collage and then imported their collage into Seesaw where they recorded their knowledge. This activity was a great assessment of their knowledge of pumpkin growth, but also helped students with their verbal communication skills as they worked to describe what a pumpkin looks like at each of the different stages.

A Student Listens to Her Work
Explorers
In Social Studies, third grade students have been learning about explorers. After completing research to determine who sponsored a specific explorer, his contributions, and his exploration goal. Students created a recording in ChatterPix to share their own discoveries. The projects were uploaded to Seesaw so that students could learn from one another by viewing each other's work and share with their families. Click on the link below to view an example!


Eek! A Spider!
In the spirit of the season, first graders have been learning about spiders. Using their knowledge (and some impressive new vocabulary like arachnid), students created circle poems. I joined in on the fun by having students photograph their poems and record themselves reading them. This activity allowed students to practice their reading fluency. By creating it in Seesaw, students will be able to revisit their work later in the year and see how they've progressed! As they finished their recordings, students then used the note tool to write sentences about their new knowledge. 

A Student Photographs his Spider

A Student Practices Writing Skills Using the Note Tool