The Sequel: This is the blog post that doesn't end. Yes, it goes on and on my friend.

During the 2012-2013 school year I wrote a blog post that I updated throughout the year to capture what technology looked like in my classroom. Since then I have been to three GAFE Summits and many EPSB Community of Practice Sessions. So, while it is only two years later, I feel it is time to do this again! Please join me on my journey!

School Set-Up

Before students arrive in my classroom, there are a number of things I do to get my classroom technology ready. This year I'll be adding Google Classroom to the mix.

Computer Code Cards

In division one it is tempting to write student's usernames AND passwords on their nametags or have them in other visible places in the classroom. The issue with that is it is not encouraging digital citizenship in regards to password safety. 

While it is not perfect, I use computer code cards instead. Each student gets a laminated card to keep in their desk. It has all their usernames and passwords, as well as the computer/laptop/tablet number they have been assigned. I also like to sent home a copy as well. 

When introducing the computer code cards, I want to talk about passwords and keeping them private. I like CommonSense Media's K-2 lesson about powerful passwords. 

iPod Music Centre

I try to start the day with music. I play music during independent working time, when appropriate, especially during art. I had a small iPod that was not being used at home. So I loaded it up with a number of playlists: 

• Good morning music - mellow music with no lyrics for when students enter class.
• End of day music - exciting music, like What The Fox Say, for when students leave.
• Movement breaks - music that students can move to for a break.
• Curriculum songs - songs that relate to math, science, etc. 
• Songs to borrow from - traditional songs that we can use to make up new songs (for instance last year we used Row, Row, Row Your Boat to write Melt, Burn, Cook, Boil to show what the class learned about hot temperatures. 
• Whole albums - I have a number of children's albums I also uploaded (such as Raffi, Michael Mitchell)

I used the iPod a bit last year, but  I would like to turn it over to student helpers more this year. 

Headphones

Each year I include headphones in my supply list for parents. However, some headphones that arrive do not last long. As well, there are occasionally students who do not bring any initially. So I always have about 5 extra headphones for use in class. As well, I offer to sell them to families who did not send them at cost. I buy them at dollar stores. The over the head type are not always at the dollar stores, so I stock up when I can find them. August-September is a good time of year to look.

Google Classroom

Our district now has Google Classroom. However, I believe that it will no longer be invite only soon. I set up my class and took the tours that popped up as I did so. I also looked at Google Classroom Set Up and Tips For Teachers. I turned the email notifications off as I do not think this is needed in grade two. 

What It Does (based on my initial experimentation)

• Allows you to share items from your drive with students, much like Doctopus does. 
• Allows you to post announcements on which students can comment.
• Allows students to submit their work easily, much like the hand-in option on SchoolZone
• Allows you give feedback to students on their submitted work. 
• Allows you to record the grade you give an assignment. 

What It Does Not Do (as far as I can tell)

• Give parents access, like SchoolZone
• Embed a classroom calendar
• Replace ePortfolios
• Give you access to a "student view"

Google Classroom - Set Up and Tips for Teachers from John Sowash

SchoolZone Set-Up

For the past few years I've tried to go as paperless as possible for classroom-home communication. So I have tried to maximize my use of SchoolZone. I post topical items in the news and events sections. I use the resources section as a database and archive. 

This year I have created one entry in resources with headings for each subject area. That way I can add to the entry as needed while still keeping it easily to navigate for parents. 

September: First Weeks Of School

Usernames, Passwords, Memberships, Oh My!

More information coming soon.

Class Writes on The Blog

More information coming soon.

Logging In For The First Time

Second week of school! Get helpers!

• RazKids!

Spelling Online

• SpellingCity (multiple times)

Blogging

• Kidblog - writing comments

Repetition

October

Shared Folders to Share Photos

Why Shared Folders?

I wanted to create a fast and easy way for my students to access photos. With Google moving away from Picasa and toward G+ for photos, I needed a way to easily give students access to class photos. By creating a shared folder called "Photos for Room 13", I only have to create share settings once. Now when I have new photos to give to my students, I just have to add them to that folder. I did not spend a lot of time explaining shared folders. You can watch the video Managing Shared Folders for more information.

When Do I Use Photos From the Shared Folder?

For Students To Use In Their Work

My students created a brochure on Edmonton 100 years ago. They needed to put pictures in their brochure along with their sentences. Many of their great ideas did not have suitable (easy to access) images to go with the topic. So I shared the photos from our class field trip to Fort Edmonton Park where many of the buildings were things they wrote about.




Using the Smartboard, I demonstrate how they go to the image icon and then they select "Shared with me" under Google Drive.

For Sharing On SchoolZone

During Halloween I took photos of all the students. So I put the photos in the class "Photos for Room 13" shared folder and put the link on SchoolZone. More recently I took photos of students sorting by two attributes. It is a tough skill to master and I wanted to visually show parents on SchoolZone what it would look like. I uploaded one photo to SchoolZone and then put the rest in the "Photos for Room 13" folder with a link in the SchoolZone entry.


Try it for videos too!

Making Your SchoolZone Parent Resource Page Easy To Navigate

A Paperless Lesson

Two years ago I decided to go paperless for class communications*.  Instead, I started posting the PDF or Word versions of the documents in class news of SchoolZone for a set period of time. Then I would also post it for future reference in the reference section. What I ended up with was not very user friendly. 

* I do provide paper copies for families who request them.

Using Headings 

Last year what I decided to try was to create a heading for each subject area at the start of the year. I even colour coded the headings. As I had something to add to that subject area, I would go back to the date that heading was created on and edit that post or insert an additional document. So, for example, all math items would be together and easy to find. I set the end date for the end of the year for each category/post. 

The Category and Date Matters

I set the the "class" for each heading as "home room" otherwise SchoolZone will be helpful and order the topics alphabetically (art, English LA, etc.). I prefer to have my school start up information first followed by the core subjects. 

This led to another discovery. If you catgorize everything by "home room" the date you set as your start date matters when you set your resources page up this way. If you want General Information first, make sure it has a start date that is the LATEST. I found it useful to put all the information I sent home the first few weeks of school together under General Information. Then I had the core subjects, followed by everything else. 

You can have all the items under one "start" date but if you change your mind about the order you want them to go in, there is no easy reordering solution. Assigning each item/topic area a different start date was an easier way to manage the Resources page for me.

Don't Forget

I am surprised at how many teachers still do not know that they can assess their Discovery Education (formerly United Streaming) through the staff resources section of the resources tab. You no longer have to remember that username or password! 

Parents and students also have access to Discovery Education through SchoolZone as well as access to LearnAlberta. 

While We're Talking About SchoolZone

On August 19th a new version of SchoolZone was released. Two of the most significant changes for teachers were:

• no more workspace tab for schools that use Google Apps.

• SchoolZone News said: "When teachers make changes to student files shared through the Hand In box, students will now get a flag alerting them of the change.  Click here to learn more."

Your Turn

Please post your September SchoolZone tips in the comments! 

Well, That Didn't Go Smoothly

We started the Google Apps part of our grade two Inuit culture research project today and it was anything but smooth. However, it was not a disaster - which I attribute to a few things I think are worthwhile pointing out:

1. My class followed an established routine and expectation during computer time (and really, any class time). 
2. I had a solid understanding of how Google Apps work and how they are shared that allowed me to problem solve.
3. I had booked an hour block of time with the net books, which gave me the breathing room to problem solve.
4. I had an exemplar ready to go.

So What Happened?

I had created a Google presentation template I wanted my students to use. I had set the share settings to Public on the web - Anyone on the Internet can find and edit. Then I had created a homework assignment in SchoolZone and I attached the Google presentation to that homework post.


The students clicked on the link. The goal was for them to make a copy. However it did not give them that option (it was grayed out). 

So What Did I Do?

1. I checked the original document and its share settings. It was correct but in the meantime I noticed my students' names were under Who has access. 
2. I also noticed it said 50 people were viewing the document and that many of them were "anonymous". That was unusual.
3. I had my students close the tab with the presentation.
4. I directed them to their Google Drive. My goal was to make sure that Google/Share was having them logged in correctly. 
5. Then, since I had seen that the share had happened, I had them select "Shared With Me" and sure enough, there was the presentation. 

So What Happened Next?

I had them open the presentation again and it opened the presentation but this time it gave them a message that the document is very popular and they should try again or dismiss. This was a bandwidth issue I thought. I explained to them it is like lining up for music. We cannot all get through the door at the same time. However after a number of minutes we were still encountering the same issue with only 17 students. I had my students close the tab with the presentation and try opening again. No luck.

So What Did I Do?

1. I had them all put their monitors at 45 degrees and decided to go straight to the teacher demonstration of what they would be doing for the first few steps. I used the template as an exemplar on the Smartboard of what I wanted them to do once the issue was resolved.
2. After my demo, about 10 minutes later, I had students open the Inuit presentation from their Shared With Me folder and we had success.
3. Students then got access and made a copy and were able to work on their project.

Why Share This Misadventure?

I am sharing this adventure not to discourage people. Rather I am hoping that it shows that even "tech savvy" teachers encounter problems. As well, to spotlight the value in spending time in understanding how the new tools of our trade work so that we can not only problem solve on our own but demonstrate to our students how to problem solve when encountering technical problems.

Oh and to get helpful feedback - thanks Terry for the helpful comment!

Introduction Lesson on how to use Presentation

This is a lesson I have taught in two grade four classes and one grade two class.  It is expected that students have been on the netbooks/laptops before and have logged onto SchoolZone for this lesson. 

As well, like many lessons, this could be taught in one or two class periods depending on how much time you have or the skill and/or age of the class. I was able to teach this to a grade four class using laptops in 90 minutes. The same lesson was done over two days with a grade two class using netbooks (one hour each day).

Set

To start, I let them know that the main purpose of the lesson is to learn the technology skills they need to do a Presentation for science. I inform them that they will be doing their own presentation after they have learned the skills needed. I believe it is important to teach these skills prior to integrating other curriculum. 

I put up my Presentation Steps poster. As you will see, this is very low tech! :) As I do this lesson as a demonstration lesson in other classrooms, I leave this behind for the teacher. I also usually write on it as I go some reminders. 

Depending on the age and technology skill level of the class, I set a "finish" line for each chunk of activity. For example, in grade four I told them that once they had their laptop, they needed to get to step 4 right away. The grade two class I taught this in had limited technology experience, so we went more step-by-step.

Once everyone is at step 4, I have them put their netbooks/aptops at a 45 degree angle to indicate they are done. At this point I show a short 5 minute video about the science topic the class is currently studying. For example I showed Teachers' Domain: Beavers to the grade twos. This five minutes allowed me and the classroom teacher to problem solve any outstanding technical issues while the video was playing so that everyone was ready to go by the end of it.

Body

After the video, I display a Notebook file that has my beaver research jot notes (for grade four it was about plants). This contains facts from the video. I briefly touch on the fact that we usually don't write sentences when doing research. I let them know we'll be using these jot notes to do our Presentation.

At this point I lead students through steps 5 - 8 on my poster. I have a star between step 5 and 6 because if a student has never used Google Apps before, they will have to agree to the terms of their Google Account. 

I also do not deal with theme in the first lesson, so that is why I have them just select OK when asked to choose a theme in step 8.

When it is time to input the information, put up another poster. The one below was used in my grade four lesson where we worked on plants.

Each time that I teach them a new skill, I ask them to have their netbooks/laptops at a 45 degree angle. I demonstrate it once. Then I have them put their screens back up and walk them through it.

The first thing I have them do is create a title for their presentation. I use a worksheet as an analogy. When you do an assignment, everyone's worksheet has the same title. That way it is easy for the teacher and students to go back and find the activity. I usually show them my Google Drive at this time to illustrate how many documents they may end up having.

If using netbooks, you may find it useful to introduce the F11 function of full screen. 

When you open up a new Google Presentation, it provides a default first slide. I have the students use that first slide and have them input a title and use the subtitle box to put who it is by. At this time I review the use of the "shift" button to make a capital letter. This is a skill most student in grade two are not very familiar with. As well, I introduce the "undo" button. However in  all three lessons I have taught with this format, someone has needed the undo button almost right around the time I am about to bring it up, so it happens naturally.

Before moving onto step three, I pull up the jot notes again and review what we're doing a presentation about. I identify one of the subtopics that we will be making our first slide from. I inform them we'll be doing a list for the purposes of today's activity but that their teacher may be asking them to write in proper sentences for their actual individual Presentation.

For step three, I teach them how to add a new slide by using the arrow beside the plus sign. I ask them to choose "title and body". They type a title that we decide on as a class and they choose 3 facts from the jot notes to write down (those who finish early can do more). I show them the bullet function at this time. In the grade two class I modified this slightly. They chose "title only". 

Once everyone has two slides, I put up another poster.

At this point I go back to my analogy of the worksheet. If they had a worksheet, they'd put their name on it and hand it in. How are they going to hand this in? How will they share it with their teacher?  Again, with their netbooks/laptops at a 45 degree angle, I show the students how to share their Presentation with me. I have them type my last name and have them then look for my full name. I remind them that it must have @share in it. They then press "Share and Save" and then "done".  I switch to my "Shared with me" folder on the Smartboard so that they (and I) can see their file arrive.

Now you may want to wrap the lesson up at this point. I do have one more step that I have taught as a part of this lesson. No poster for this part... yet.

The last part of the lesson is to teach the students how to insert a picture. With their screens at a 45 degree angle, I walk them through the steps. First, they are to select the image icon. This will open up a box. I direct them to the bottom "search" portion. With the grade fours I told them about the Life and Stock Images option. I ask them to leave it at Google. We discuss using keywords. I demonstration a search. I show them how not all the images will fit and that they need to think before selecting. After an image is selected, it will open very large in the slide. So I demonstrate how to size and move it. I walk them through the steps again and let them insert a few images that fit the topic. With the older grades, this allowed me to go into my Shared With Me folder and open all their Presentations and leave them a comment - "great sharing". With the grade twos I was needed to help problem solve. 

Closure

 At the end of the lesson I try to ask some follow up questions, such as:

• how do you undo a mistake
• how do you share
• how do you make a capital
• which icon will allow you to insert an image

With the grade fours, I told them I had left them a comment. Before they shut down, they were to read my comment and write a 3-4 word reply.

With all classes I let them know that I'd work with them again on the technology skills they'd be needing to do a Presentation. I also encouraged them to share what they had done with their parents at home.

Reflections

I initially thought that using the netbooks would be the best option with division one students who had limited experience with technology. Even with using the F11 function, the screen was quite small. I would not use netbooks to introduce Presentation in the future.

Additional Thoughts

I try to weave into my lessons proper technology vocabulary. Sometimes I point things out specifically. So while not necessarily noted above I discuss the use of the words icon, tabs and browser.

Other posts on this topic include:

• Google Presentations in Grade One!?!?
• Google Presentation for Visual Learners

A One Stop Shop! The Benefits of a Class Website

Years ago, when I first started using the Internet with younger students, I quickly grew frustrated with the amount of class time was spent dealing with typing errors as students tried to get to websites. Back then I used a Word document for each lesson. I would prepare the links ahead of time and then the students would just have to open the hyperlinks from the document. It made life so much easier! This eventually evolved into a class website. 



Benefits of a Class Website
Here are my top 3 reasons I maintain a class website:

1. Students can navigate the web faster. At the beginning of the year they learn they type  Ms Mondor into Google and my website is the first link. Once there, all they have to do is click on the links related to the lesson at hand.

2. Students can use the class website at home to review concepts and share what they have learned with their families. I often do a "summary of the week" to support this.

3. It is an automatic “bookmark” site. By the end of the year, I have a great collection of websites that I can use over and over again, year after year.

Considerations
Here are my top 3 things you should think about before starting a class website:

1. Time. Setting up an effective class website takes time. I believe it is worth it, however.  

2. Skills. Creating and maintaining a website involves using an online program (I’ll discuss some options below). You may have to invest some time into learning the skills required.

3. Keep It Simple! It is easy to look at other websites and get overwhelmed at how amazing they are. Start small and remember your ultimate purpose is to create a tool that will simplify your students’ experiences online.

Option One: Website or Blog
There are many free options out there if you want to create a website. I like wordpress.com and I know that Blogger is another popular site. Please post a comment if you use another site and what you like about it.

There are three elements that I have focussed on (msmondor.wordpress.com):

1. I use Wordpress’ “blog roll” to store regularly used websites. My students use Mathletics, SchoolZone, Raz Kids and Tumblebooks regularly. So I have these permanently stored at the top of the page for easy access.

2. I use Wordpress’ pages to create a page for each subject area. This is where I store websites that we have already used as a class. I add to these pages throughout the year.

3. I use Wordpress’ “blog post” function to create posts for specific lessons or centre work. I often delete or modify blog posts after the relevant lesson is over.

Option Two: Google Sites
Google sites are easy to create and offer a variety of templates to build from. I had no experience with building a website when I created the “Great Grade 1 Websites” site and in an afternoon I had curricular pages with at least one link on each. One of my main objectives was to create a site the students could navigate independently. I followed the apps model and used pictures as links to websites we have used.



It is easy to embed movie clips and other links to curricular content that will support student learning and involve the parents. This gives students the opportunity to review movies that have been watched in class, to reinforce concepts or enrich their learning by having a conversation about these topics with parents.



Even though the site is a work in progress it is included as a resource link on SchoolZone for my class. The students enjoy going to see what is new as well as playing the games! Including it on SchoolZone also provides easy access so students can find it independently.



Option Three: SchoolZone (Edmonton Public Schools)
If your school uses SchoolZone, you may want to use your class’ SchoolZone page as a class website. You could create an ‘event’ for a lesson that includes hyperlinks. The resources page can be used to store websites students have used in past lessons.

Option Four: Use Someone Else’s Website
There are many excellent class websites out there. If you are not ready to tackle developing and maintaining your own yet, then use someone elses! I will try to collect/add sites that you may find useful as a portal.



Division One General

• Black Gold ICT Division I

Grade One

• Mrs. Cassidy’s Class
• Mrs. Zider’s First Grade
• http://mrssmithgrade1.weebly.com

Grade Two

• Ms. Brown’s Grade 2 Blog
• Ms Mondor’s Grade Two Website (self promotion :-) )

Grade Three

• Mrs. Evon’s Class

I would love to hear your stories about class websites. What have you learned? What to avoid? What works great.