11.11.2013

Making Connections Around the World

Last month, I helped Ms. Chenette’s Spanish IV classes use VoiceThread.  Ms. Chenette has reached out to three different schools in Spain (Madrid, Canary Islands, and Valladolid) for her students to communicate with over the course of the school year.  They first started connecting by sending letters to the other schools - starting a pen pal system.  All parties involved appreciated receiving and hearing from a student across the globe.  However, in phase 2, Ms. Chenette wanted to kick it up a notch.  So we brainstormed and decided to have students create a VoiceThread presentation. The advantage of using this tool allowed for visual images, audio recording, and video recording. A win win solution!  (click HERE to read a previous blog post on VoiceThread and how it was used in a Science course).  

Process:
  • Students created a free account with VoiceThread
  • Demonstration on what students can do with the tool was provided as well as documentation on using the tool (click HERE to view this documentation)
  • Class determined what information should be shared to their pen pal
  • Students worked on producing the product
  • Students shared link to the VoiceThread through a Google Assignment Submission Form
  • Teacher shared links to the cooperating teacher in Spain

Producing the Product:
Students had to...
  • Find images that connected to their story (some images were of their own pictures while others were screen shots of their writing)
  • Speak their story (and annotate over images if it made sense)
  • Turn on the webcam so that their pen pal can see them speak to them

Things to Keep in Mind:
  • Since students were creating a VoiceThread that was being shared to the world, they were told not to share detailed information about themselves.  For instance, my full name is this, and I live at this address, and my social security number is this, and I love to do this, etc were examples of info that we asked students NOT to share for obvious reasons.  This was not so much a big deal seeing as though students already wrote a letter to their pen pal prior to this assignment.
  • Some parents/students did not feel comfortable using this tool so they had an alternative approach to completing this assignment

I thought that this project was a great way to connect with their pen pal seeing as though in our society now, people love to see pictures and watch short videos.   Ms. Chenette was also able to assess her students not only on their written Spanish, but she could also assess how they spoke.  As a bonus, a couple of weeks later, a couple of the schools in Spain shared some videos that they made to send back to BHS.  Very cool connection Ms. Chenette and her Spanish IV students are making with the help of technology!

10.29.2013

Pinning it Up at BHS

Last year, I wrote a blog post regarding how a group of teachers were using Pinterest to help create a 'Virtual Museum' with student work.  This was all managed by the teachers creating the board and pinning students projects to the board.  The big advantage to this was the fact that students did not need a Pinterest account to make this happen. (Click HERE to read that blog post)

However, this month, I have had the opportunity of helping students in two classes, Photography and Interior Design, use Pinterest to complete a project.  I am always excited when staff want to utilize tools such as social media with their students.


For those of you who do not know what Pinterest is you can watch this quick 90 second tutorial that I shared with the students prior to using the platform.



What I am most excited about is not that the fact that the teachers were using this social media platform, instead, I was excited that they were using the tool to enhance/improve their current projects.

Interior Design Class
Mrs. Shultz's main goal was for each student to have a board to share images that connected to a specific design style.  For instance, a student was responsible to find design items that pertained to Caribbean style.  Not only did students pin pictures of these items, they also provided a reason as to why they picked that project or why it connected to the specific design style.

This process proved to be a great way of collecting student ideas and thoughts.  Not only that but Mrs. Shultz was able to show all these examples to the class from one location as she did not have to worry about receiving different links to projects.

Click HERE to view the Pinterest Boards from class.

Photography Class
Originally, Mrs. Hogan wanted to do the same thing that Ms. Shultz did.  Ms. Hogan shared a board, called 'Environmental Portraits', with all of her students.  The purpose of this was for students to share images that they found online that they thought matched the theme of Environment.  Again, once a student found an image, they attached a description as to why they pinned that picture.

Since then, she has taken this social media platform to the next level.  She has had all of her students create a board, that is shared with her, so that students can create their own portfolio of work for the class.  In past years, students would complete their assignments and take pictures.  However, these pictures would be stored on a school hard drive that only Mrs. Hogan owns and/or on the students' school network account.  Now, anyone that has the link to their photography board, can see the great work that they are completing for the class.

Lastly, I believe Mrs. Hogan has also started created other boards as a means of providing resources for her students on particular content.

Click HERE to view the Pinterest Boards from class.

How this as Accomplished:

  • Students got parental permission to create a school Pinterest account prior to using the social media platform
  • Students created their account
  • Students followed their teacher (teacher using a school Pinterest account)
  • Teacher created a board and shared that board with their students via email
  • Students were shown how to pin to a board (inside Pinterest as well as on a regular website)
So there you have it, a couple different ways in which Pinterest can be used in the class.  As always, if you think you want to use Pinterest in your classroom, or you want to learn more about it, just stop on by room 222 and I can assist!  

Happy Pinning...

9.30.2013

Creating Your Own 'DropBox' with Google Forms

Ever feel like you are in this situation?
  • Want to give students the ability to decide what web tool to use for a project but don't want to receive an email from all of your students with the link to the product?
  • Want to ask students to share a Google Document, Spreadsheet, or Presentation to your 'schoogle account' and they don't name it the way you asked.  This then causes an issue as you have to spend time searching for the right document in your own Google Drive account?
Google Form: This is a GREAT solution to the two situations stated above.  Google Forms is one of the options included in your Google Drive account. Several teachers at Bedford High have created what we are calling an Assignment Submission Form (the original idea came from a presentation I sat in given by Allison Mollica.  Basically, teachers are using the form option as a means of a dropbox.  Oh and did I mention that they are doing this with very little work.

Advantages to using this type of system:
  • No more emails are sent to your account
  • You can grade all student work from one spreadsheet as long as you have internet access
  • You never need to change the link to your assignment submission form on your teacher website (even if you add assignment names to question 4 of the Google form)

Here are the suggested written steps regarding creating your own Assignment Submission Form:

A.  Create a new Google Form
B.  Name the Form
C.  Fill in your questions.  Suggested questions to ask in the form:
     1.  Last Name
     2.  First Name
     3.  Block
     4.  Assignment Name
     5.  Link to Assignment
D.  Choose a location for your Responses. (I usually say create a new spreadsheet with the name)
E.  Click on the View Live Form. Copy the link to this form and provide the link on your teacher website.

For those of you who are visual learners, I have also created a short video tutorial:

Creating Your Own Assignment Submission Form


For those of you who have a large number of students or you want to have some sort of system, watch this short video explaining how you can organize all of the student work in different tabs inside of the same Google Form.

Organizing Responses from Assignment Submission Form


So the next time you assign a task for students to complete, and it is web based (either through Google Drive or another web 2.0 tool) ask yourself, should I have them submit it through a form?

As always, if you ever have any questions, stop by room 222 and I will help you troubleshoot how this tool can be used in your situation.

Schoogle Away...

9.15.2013

Transitioning to Teacher Google Sites

At the beginning of the school year, staff at BHS were told that they would have to make the transition of switching over their teacher websites to Google Sites.  This was done primarily for a couple of reasons.  1.  We have fully implemented using Google Apps for Education, so why not be in one location for everything.  2.  The current service that we use for teacher sites costs $23.00 per teacher.  As may already know, Google Sites is free.

I have been amazed with the number of staff that have already decided to make the switch.  Some staff have taken it upon themselves to figure it out, while other have received formal training from me.  Over the course of the school year, I will be providing more training at different levels (beginner versus advanced).  In order to help make the transition, I have created some videos showcasing how to create as well as manage a Google Site.  These videos have been broken up into no more than 4 or 5 minutes long highlighting different aspects of Google Sites.  To watch any of the videos from the 'Google Sites - Teacher Websites' playlist, CLICK HERE.  These videos highlight:
  • Creating Site
  • Creating New Page/Deleting a Page
  • Customizing Theme, Fonts, Colors (look of a site)
  • Allowing Ability to View Site on Mobile Devices
  • 3 Ways to Report Assignments
  • 2 Ways to Provide Resources
  • Embedding Google Documents, Calendar, YouTube Videos
  • Adding Image in Header of Site
  • And more...
Teachers have been creative regarding how they are managing their own site.  Below is a list of 7 teacher sites.  My hope is that maybe one of these sites will showcase something you had not thought of that you can include in yours.

Mr. Cannon's Website (Humanities Teacher)
Mr. Zeller's Website (World Language Teacher)
Mr. Guerard's Website (Wellness Teacher)
Mrs. Morrissey's Website (Science Teacher)
Miss Mac's Website (World Language Teacher)
Mr. Ingram's Website (Humanities Teacher)

As always, if you have any questions regarding creating a Google Site, you know where to find me.  Room 222 is just around the corner...


8.25.2013

School Year Just About to Start...Commit To Something New

On Tuesday, we will be starting our seventh year as a bulldog!  Seems just like yesterday we were opening up the doors for the first time to our high school students in Bedford.  Over the course of those years, I am just amazed at how much has changed technologically speaking at BHS.  Seven years ago, we were not:

  • teaching our own hybrid/online courses
  • interacting with our students through social media
  • using Google Apps for Education as a means of collaborating
...and that is just to name a few.  If we did not have staff who were willing to step outside of their comfortable limits to try these new ideas out, we would not be where we are today as a bulldog community.  We are very fortunate!  

Last week, during my tech training with the BHS staff, I showed the video of a girl who was learning how to ski jump for the first time.  Over the course of a minute and a half, you could gain a sense of uncertainty, and nervousness.  However, this girl wanted to push herself.  In the end, she had a blast, and was glad that she challenged herself.  

I showed this video because I wanted the BHS staff to do the same, regarding using some sort of new technological tool in their classroom this year.  I wanted them to commit to something.  So, I encouraged the staff to use a website called 'futureme.org'.  Basically, this website allows you to write yourself a letter in the future.  You compose the letter and then choose the date you want to receive it.  I thought that this would be a great way for a staff member to have a letter sent to them after the first quarter to see if they have met their goal, and if not, it would be a friendly reminder to challenge themselves.

I encourage all of you to challenge yourself to implement a new technological tool in your classroom.  No idea is too small.

** As a side note, I can see Advisors asking their advisory students to use futureme.org.  Students could write themselves a letter their freshmen year and request to receive it a week before they graduate from high school.  Great idea for students to see if they have accomplished what they hoped to, without burring a time capsule.  


8.20.2013

Getting Ready to Start the New Year

Wow, it sure has been a very long time since I have last blogged in this space.  It is not due to the lack of material by any means.  In fact, we at Bedford High have been doing some really GREAT things.  All the more reason why I need to get back into blogging.

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to teach a Graduate Course with Mary Marotta.  Mary and Nancy Marrese (a student taking the course) really made me realize that I need to get back into blogging.  I could see the power behind it and how both of them were using this tool in their educational setting.  Thus, I am making it one of my goals this year to truly blog throughout the year.  I would like this to be a great source for not only the educators at BHS but anyone who is interested in learning how we are using technology in education.  Sure it is great to learn about a new tool, but what is even better is learning how it can actually be used.  That is the purpose of this blog.

While I am exhausted trying to get things ready for the school year, I am pumped. I am excited for all of the changed our district is making and can't wait to help the staff at BHS utilize all of the tools that are now available to them.  Here is to an EXCITING school year!

Another Great Day to be a Bulldog!

2.01.2013

Integrating Pinterest in the Classroom

This has been an exciting week at BHS with all of the new tech integration that is occurring.  One big project was with the freshman Humanities class.  Students were tasked with researching about a famous artist during the Renaissance time period.  Once the research was compiled, students learned to use a new, free web 2.0 tool called Smore (I had written a blog post about this tool earlier in the school year).



Once students completed their project, they shared their Smore link to their teacher through a use of a Google form.  Alot of times, this is where the project stops.  The teacher clicks on each of the links, and grades the students with a rubric.  These teachers however wanted a means by which everyone in the class can look at what each other did, in addition to answering some questions about the particular figures.  In other words, the teachers wanted to create their own version of a 'Virtual Museum'.




We put our heads together and decided that the best way of having students 'experience' a virtual museum would be through Pinterest.  Thus, one of the teachers, Mr. Santy created a teacher Pinterest account (to separate his personal account), to create a Renaissance Virtual Museum board for all three teachers (Mr. Santy, Ms. Ferrelli, and Mrs. Dreyer).  He then, opened up each link that was given to him, pinned it, and added it to the board.  The best part is that students who have a pinterest account can choose to follow the board.  Students who do not have the account, can just view the page from the teacher's website.  To view the board, click HERE.  This is just a great way of seeing each others work...plus what better way than engaging students through means by which they are familiar with...social media.



I look forward to helping integrate Pinterest in other classes.  If you have any questions about how you can integrate this in your own class, stop by 222 and we can chat!

1.24.2013

Hybrid/Online Courses @ BHS

Over the 2012 summer, Mr. Mezeske and Mrs. Dreyer each taught a BHS hybrid/online course, In Writing and Personal Finance respectively, to students who were wanting and willing to learn in a different environment.  It was so successful, the administration decided that it was a good idea to offer hybrid/online classes this semester.

We learned a lot of information regarding the process and the tools that we used.  One big restriction we had needing to find tools that were free to allow the learning environment to happen.  We ended up using three different platforms:

  • Google Drive:  Producing and sharing products
  • Anymeeting:  Video Conferencing
  • Engrade:  Online Grading
Of course, there were some issues, in particular to Anymeeting not necessarily working perfectly and Engrade not providing a seamless discussion board.  So, we went back to the drawing board.  Just about the time we were reevaluating, Google gave us the ability for students to have a Google+ account under our school Google accounts.  Thus, this semester we are getting our feet wet with having students use the Google Suite for the hybrid course.  (If things go well, we will open up the chat and video feature for all of our students).  This is what we plan on using:

  • Google Drive:  Producing and sharing products
  • Google+:  Receiving information regarding the class/collaborating
  • Google Hangout:  Video Conferencing
  • Gmail:  Direct correspondence
  • Google Groups:  Discussion board
  • Google Sites:  Display work for Digital Portfolio
To help assist students, I created documentations on using particular components of the Google Suite.  Feel free to use this documentation for yourself.

We are very excited about the possibilities ahead of us.  Of course, we will have a better idea after the semester is over, whether or not our ideas were on track.  More to come at the end of the semester!