Holiday Hangout

Most students enjoy watching movies, but not many understand the process involved behind the scenes. This week, Franklin Elementary students got to meet a film writer and director via Google Hangouts.

Students got to ask Joe Clarke questions about the recently-released holiday movie, Up on the Wooftop. They got a chance to hear the background of the film's creation, learn about the many staff and crew members involved, see behind-the-scenes photos from the filming here in Iowa, and learn secrets behind some of the special effects.

Bringing Twelve Angry Men Into the 21st Century with Podcasting

Freshmen in Sydney Schuler's English 1A class recently had a chance to showcase their critical thinking skills during a unit on Reginald Rose's classic play Twelve Angry Men. As students read the play, Schuler focused their attention on how they could use evidence from the text to make inferences about each juror's character.

Students then worked in groups to demonstrate their understanding of the play and the characterization of each juror. The students completed a project designed by former BHS teacher Cathy Olson (check our her blog here!) in which they recorded a news interview with one of the jurors from the play and published it as a podcast.

The project had four parts. Students first had to collaborate using Google Docs to create an interview prep. sheet for the interviewer with biographical information about the juror. This required students to find evidence from the text to support their claims about the juror's life. Next, students collaborated on writing a script for their interview before recording the actual podcast. Students used a Chrome app called Twisted Wave to record their audio. They also had to find music suitable for an introduction and conclusion and edit it into their recording -- the music needed to reflect the mood of the interview. Twisted Wave integrates easily with Google, so it was a snap for students to save their podcasts into their own Google Drives. Finally, each group collectively wrote a document explaining the rationale for each of their choices in creating the juror's biography, the interview questions, and the juror's answers.

While students used technology to record and publish their podcasts, the true focus of the project was on the students' learning. They had to think critically about how to best represent their chosen juror and then had to defend their thinking, all while negotiating through the dynamics of working with a group. Click the links below to listen to a few amazing examples.

Example #1

Example #2

Example #3

Hour of Code

On Friday, December 11, the Boone Middle School participated in Hour of Code activities.  Coding is very important in our every day activities and because of that, programmers are in high demand.  Hour of Code activities introduced all kids at the middle school to coding.

Coding in style

Almost Like Christmas!

Yesterday felt a little like Christmas in Boone. Our district's 1:1 initiative includes class sets of ipads for all second grade classrooms, and they have arrived!  Imagine the excitement as a truckload of ipad sets arrived at school!

Teachers waited at the door with anticipation as carts were unloaded!

Students cheered as their teachers opened the carts and showed them their new learning tools.

These second graders are so proud of their ipads!

Teachers are excited to create innovative new learning opportunities for their students with these devices. Plans include: differentiated practice of reading and math skills, promoting critical thinking, creativity and digital citizenship skills, and using digital portfolios to stay connected with families.

VoiceThread and Visual Literacy

A great tool to get students collaborating and communicating is VoiceThread. Users create a simple slide show with images or text that they then upload into VoiceThread. Sharing the link with students enables them to comment on the slides through writing text, recording audio, or annotating the screen as they speak. VoiceThread then plays back all of the comments for viewers like a short movie, or viewers can click on individual comments to view as they choose. Using this tool allows students to practice visual literacy skills, analysis, and communication skills, and it gives them a chance to collaborate with other commenters at the same time.

Advanced Composition students at BHS use VoiceThread to analyze writing and share comments about literature they have read. In the example below, students commented on a painting as a warm-up activity to focus on sensory details and descriptive word choice.

VoiceThread has some phenomenal resources for educators, including this digital library of educational examples showing how teachers use VoiceThread across disciplines and grade levels.

Tuning in to Music Stations

Ipads were an important part of this first grade music lesson. The teacher worked with small groups of students learning about rhythm while the rest of the class rotated among three other stations. An interactive flipchart projected on the board guided students to the next station they needed to visit.

Students were able to practice reading notes as well as create and edit melodies with the apps: Joy Tunes Piano Dust Buster, Tune Train, Freddie the Frog, and Pluto Learns Piano.

In order to simplify the process and manage student activity, the teacher cleared the ipad dock of all default apps and moved them to the second page of the home screen. Expectations for the activity were made clear by having apps located on the dock this way.

Nearpod

Nearpod is an interactive multimedia presentation.  Teachers synchronize students devices and are in control of the pace that the students move through the lesson.  Students receive immediate feedback from the teacher.  The students in these photos are learning about slope intercepts in math class.  

Third Grade Researchers

Boone third graders are learning informational research skills and critical thinking skills using the sites Pebble Go and Nat Geo Wild Kids. Using a simple research report template, students chose an animal to research, then visited both sites to collect information and check for conflicting facts. They were able to think critically by comparing and contrasting the key details.

Google Drawings in Math

Students in Mrs. Greiner's class have been studying slope.  They used Google Drawings to create "Mr. Slope Man" using facial features to represent positive, negative, zero and no slope.  Students were super creative with this project.

 

Movenote in Chemistry

Students in Justin Baute's chemistry class recently used a great app called Movenote to narrate presentations they created explaining an element on the periodic table. Several teachers have used Movenote to record video lectures to share with students, but Mr. Baute's students show the awesome potential for having students use this tool. The Movenote video presentations can be shared with the entire class for students to refer to later, and creating them gives students an alternative way to show what they know and practice communicating clearly. A few stellar student examples are included below:

https://www.movenote.com/v/S2WZsbMSM31

https://www.movenote.com/v/MlWCiiKoycr

https://www.movenote.com/v/TZAbUHk4uhYcl

For more information on getting started with Movenote, see a tutorial video at this link.

Global Read Aloud Connects Students Around the World

Boone 2nd graders are excited about reading the book Chopsticks, learning to use chopsticks, and connecting with other classrooms around the world as part of the Global Read Aloud program.

Global Read-Aloud's purpose is to connect children through literature and "make the world a little smaller" knowing that the book they are reading is also being shared by classrooms all around the world. This class joined an author study and will be reading several books over 6 weeks by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. There are many online communities created for teachers and students to connect. 

Students learn digital citizenship concepts as their teacher shares class comments about the books on Twitter and the Global Read Aloud Facebook page. Learning how to use chopsticks was even easier after they watched it modeled on a youtube video.

This year's Global Read Aloud continues through November 13th. 
Here are other opportunities for teachers to get classes involved with world-wide interactive learning projects:
National Dot Day
Projects By Jen
Global School Net
21st Century Schools

BHS Students Get Creative with Video Tools

BHS students across the curriculum are using video tools to creatively demonstrate their learning. Teachers have students using a variety of apps and devices for recording and editing video that allow them to exercise their creativity.

WeVideo, a Chrome app, is one great tool for creating video. It lets users record, upload, and edit video projects which can then be saved directly to Google Drive or shared via a link. Students in Laura Beaver’s foods class used WeVideo to film a short video highlighting their understanding of equipment, cooking terms, and measurement. The students demonstrated each of these skills in their video, which also allowed them to practice their communication and public speaking abilities. Check out one great example below:

In Shannon Lumley’s biology class, students used iPads to record and create a music video comparing and contrasting mitosis and meiosis. Working in small groups, the students collaborated to write lyrics describing and explaining the phases of each of the cellular processes. Some students edited their videos using the iPads, some used WeVideo and their Chromebooks to do the editing, and some used their knowledge of more advanced video editing software to craft professional-looking projects (see one of them below!). A future project in Mrs. Lumley’s classroom will have students using video again to film a TED Talk-style presentation. Students are not only learning important scientific concepts, but also how to communicate these concepts to others. To see more great student examples, visit Mrs. Lumley’s YouTube page.

Another great video creation tool in use at BHS is Animoto. Students in Jim Fitzgerald’s Introduction to Agriculture class used this web-based tool as one way to showcase the meaning of the FFA creed. The project helps students to memorize the creed as they represent it symbolically, moving toward deeper levels of understanding. Students helped each other learn to use the technology, and the results were some fantastic videos demonstrating their understanding.

For more information on having your students create videos, take a look at this pdf resource from Richard Byrne's FreeTech4Teachers page on six styles of classroom video projects.

Using Google Maps for Social Studies Projects

Sixth grader, Ella L. recently used Google Maps to create a social studies project.  She used a google map to show the movement of the earliest settlers.  She placed pins on her map with information and pictures to complete this activity.  What a great use of technology.

 Google Map-Social Studies Project

Google Keep

Do you need a place to jot down your ideas or make a checklist?  Try Google Keep.   There are many great features of Google Keep.  It syncs to all your devices, you can share notes with others, you can set reminders and you can easily copy to Google Docs.

At Boone Middle School, the students are using Google Keep as an organizational tool for their homework.  They create check lists for each class and they can set reminders for themselves.  It is a way for them to know what assignments are due and what assignments are coming up in the future.

Extending Classroom Walls with Digital Field Trips

These fourth graders enhanced their learning about federal government when they got to ride along with some visitors to Washington DC and see the city for themselves. This was accomplished via Google Hangouts on their teacher's laptop computer. Students collaborated in small groups ahead of time to plan for their field trip and brainstormed questions about Washington DC. One group at a time got to stand in front of the computer, be on camera, and present their question.

Digital field trips are a great way to create meaningful learning opportunities for students. Additionally, this can overcome obstacles due to distance or budget restraints.  Even if these students are never able to visit Washington DC in person, they will always remember the day they traveled there virtually from their classroom!

Click here for a collection of digital and virtual field trip resources.
50 Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom

Class Dojo Helps Parents Stay Connected

Elementary teachers must have a lot of tools in their "toolbox" to manage their classrooms and keep students engaged and encouraged through each school day. Class Dojo is a digital tool that many Boone teachers are using. It works along with the teacher's regular classroom management plan and enables teachers to recognize students for behaviors like teamwork, participation and perseverance in a fun way. Each student is represented with an avatar and the class wall can be projected during work time. With one click on his/her phone, ipad, or computer, a Dojo point is given to an individual, a group, or the whole class. One teacher commented that whenever her students hear that soft ding, they eagerly glance up at the board to see who got the dojo point.

Students can be grouped and work as teams to earn the most dojo points for good behavior in a day. Another teacher awards "Top Dog" status to the team with the best behavior that day. The following day, an adorable stuffed pet gets to live on that team's table for the day. Some teachers transfer Dojo points into Pride Points that students can save and spend on prizes.

Parents can download the Class Dojo app and receive updates on how their child is doing at school that day. The messenger feature is very valuable to parents and teachers alike. A quick message can be sent to tell a parent about something that happened with their child at school, or a group announcement can be sent to inform parents about an upcoming event in the classroom.

Keeping parents informed and involved in their child's education is important. This is a fun and convenient way to reinforce positive behaviors and communicate with families using the same tool.

Creating and Collaborating with Google Drawings

For the past few years, Boone students have been successfully using Google Apps for Education to create documents, slideshows, and spreadsheets that are easily saved on the web. One often overlooked app is Google Drawings, which allows students to create and edit images that can be saved online. Like all Google apps, Drawings is collaborative, enabling students to share their creations with others and work together with peers on the same image.

Some students in Leshia Anderson's high school Spanish classes recently used Google Drawings to make posters celebrating Mexico's Day of Independence and National Hispanic Heritage Month. The assignment gave students the chance to work with a partner on an informative project that would explain these important events and draw in an audience. Here's one awesome student example:

Students in Mrs. Gus's class created similar posters using Google Drawings to share what they learned about Costa Rica:

To learn more about Google Drawings, check out these resources created by Kasey Bell at Shake Up Learning:

Google Drawings Cheat Sheet

10 Ways to Use Google Drawings in the Classroom

Digital Portfolios with Tackk

Tackk is a fantastic tool students and teachers can use to create a simple webpage to display digital content. Users can create a Tackk to advertise an event, to showcase research projects, to display images and videos they create, to publish writing assignments, or to let virtually any other type of digital project shine. Richard Byrne at Free Technology for Teachers made the Tackk page below to highlight innovative ways teachers around the country are using Tackk in their classrooms.

Students in BHS Advanced Composition classes have been using Tackk to build and publish a digital portfolio of their work as they progress through the semester. As they add videos, documents, and other writing assignment components to their Tackk page, they have the opportunity to reflect on their progress and show the thinking behind their decisions.

View full version on Tackk
Create your own customized Tackk page

Virtual Reality at BHS

Future animators, aerospace and mechanical engineers, game designers, and software moguls are honing their skills at Boone High School through their participation in the Virtual Reality program. Students use sophisticated programs like Blender and SolidWorks to create realistic 3D models and animations. When I visited the VR room, I saw students working on projects as varied as creating a 3D animated Indiana Jones character, building an animated model of a working engine, and designing a square coffee mug. The students collaborate on projects and help each other learn the ins and outs of the programs they use to bring their ideas to life. With BHS’s new MakerBot 3D printer, Boone students can even print and work with tangible renderings of their 3D designs.

Virtual Reality facilitator Peggy Watkins says that in the past VR students have worked with teachers to help design 3D models they can use to aid in their classroom instruction; one group of students designed a 3D model of a cell for their science teacher. Watkins says the students would welcome challenges from Boone teachers for other model or animation projects.

The VR program is also gaining the attention of other central Iowa schools. On Monday, September 28, the high school TAG teacher, curriculum director, and selected students from Perry High School will be visiting the BHS Virtual Reality program for the purpose of starting their own program.

Sophomore AJ Seeman, who says he wants to pursue a career in exterior automotive design, works with a 3D engine model he has created using Blender.

Freshmen Hunter Sherry, Matthew Kordick, and Jacob Sterenberg 

work with engineering software to create 3D models

Future Computer Programmers at Work

Boone first graders have been learning the basics behind computer science with programming activities from Code.org. It is a free online learning platform for students in grades k-8 which introduces students to the principles behind computer programming. Aligned with common core standards in science, math, language arts, and 21st century skills, these lessons give children a chance to collaborate as they problem solve and use critical thinking skills. Unaware of all this valuable learning, these students simply loved the chance to solve the online puzzles that accompany each lesson.

Why teach computer science? Click here to find out more.

Kami for Collaboration

Several BHS teachers have discovered a useful app called Kami (formerly called Notable PDF), which allows users to annotate, highlight, and comment on pdf documents. The ability for students to type on scanned documents adds convenience and efficiency for teachers as it eliminates the need to print and distribute paper documents in class.

What I love most about Kami, though, is its potential for collaboration among students. Teachers can create a link to a shared pdf that multiple collaborators can annotate together. What a great way for students to practice close reading, pool their knowledge, and learn from each other as they note points of confusion, identify key ideas, and analyze an author’s craft in a piece of text!

Explore in Google Sheets

Use Explore panel in Google Sheets to create charts and graphs automatically.  It helps students to visualize and understand data quickly. 

Elementary Classrooms Go 1:1

These 4th graders are getting acquainted with Google Classroom, which connects them to activities and assignments posted by their teacher.

There has been much excitement about the rollout of Chromebooks for students in grades 5-12, creating a 1:1 environment for learning at Boone Middle School and Boone High School. What people may not realize, is that 2nd-4th grade students at Franklin Elementary will also be 1:1 this year! Thanks to the reallocation of devices around the district, third and fourth grade students will have Macbook laptop computers to use in their classrooms while they are at school. Each second grade student will have an ipad to use at school.

Teachers are planning activities for the year using google tools, apps, and web resources to research, create content, and collaborate. Watch Boone's younger students as they extend their learning experience past the doorway of the classrooms.

Introduction to Google Classroom
Google Classroom Tutorials

ClassFlow

 

​Class flow is an interactive whiteboard program that will work with chromebooks so all students are involved in the lesson. It solved the problem of only one student being actively engaged in the lesson.  It allows for differentiation of course work.  It also allows for quick formative assessments and data based feedback. Classflow.com

BHS teacher Caroline Sallen uses ClassFlow to send interactive slides to students'
Chromebooks and receive immediate feedback on their understanding of key concepts.

Google Docs Adds Voice Typing

Google docs is constantly evolving and adding functionality for its users. Its latest update has some exciting implications for educators -- the ability to type with your voice. Students with accommodations can more easily complete writing assignments by speaking their content into the Google doc, making writing a more positive experience. Check out this quick video tutorial to see how it works!