Mystery Location Hangouts

We're Going To Start A Little Off Topic

The reason I blog is two fold. Yes, it is to share what I have done with others to show how technology can be effectively used with younger students. However, I blog mostly for myself. When I blog, I reflect on the activity and research the topic in more depth which helps me think about what my next steps are. As such this, as with many other blog posts, is a mix of what I have done and what I have learned and what I might do next.
   

What Is A Mystery Location Hangout (or Mystery Skype)?

Typically, Mystery Location Hangout (aka Mystery Hangout or Mystery Skype) is a game played by two classrooms in different* cities that connect to each other using Google Hangouts or Skype. The objective of the hangout is to correctly guess the city each classroom is located in by asking each other questions using a webcam.

*It does not have to be two different cities. My Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) class did their second Mystery Hangout with a class that is a part of the "Greater Edmonton Area" (Sherwood Park). This was great as we were studying Alberta geography at the time. 

How Do You "Play"?

Students use their geography skills to guess the location of the other class. However, there is some preparation required with younger students and I would also recommend preparation with older students for their first few Mystery Hangouts. Prior to the Hangout, I have my students prepare the clues we are going to share. I then try to order the clues to keep the game going as long as possible, if time allows, I included students in this planning (for example should we tell them we are next to Saskatchewan as a first clue?).

Prior to the Hangout, I assign a pair of students to welcome the other class. Everyone else is paired up and each pair is given a numbered clue to read. Before their first Mystery Hangout I also have my students practice with the webcam on (and display it on the Smartboard). Then each pair goes up to the webcam and practices reading their clue (or greeting/ending). I typically do not do this extra practice for subsequent Mystery Location Hangouts.

During the actual Hangout, my class and the other class alternate reading the clues to each other. My students use a combination of simple atlases and Google Maps (on Chromebooks) to try to locate where the other class is. 

I typically give a tutorial to the students that help on the Chromebooks to help them use Google Maps prior to the Hangout.

Once both classes have located where the other class is from, a pair of students closes the Hangout with a good-bye and appreciation.

I am intrigued by the idea of having students be assigned (or selecting) various roles, as described by Pernille Ripp. I am not sure what that would look like in the younger grades yet. 

Cybrary Man has a list of some unique questions older students might want to ask if you are doing a Mystery Location Hangout with a class in your own country. For example:

• How would you describe the weather now?
• Do you experience any extreme weather? If so, what kind?
• Do you live in an urban, suburban or rural area?
• What time is it where you are right now?

After our first Mystery Hangout this year, I added a follow up lesson. We reviewed our clues and the clues the other class gave. Then we revised our clues based on our experience to help us on our next Hangout.

Why Do A Mystery Hangout? Let's Look At The Social Studies Curriculum

As I am a grade two teacher, I am going to pull from the grade two Alberta curriculum. However, if we start with the front matter, this applies to kindergarten to grade twelve. The front matter reminds us to "infuse technology". Other aspects of the curriculum doing a Mystery Location Hangout will help address are:

• demonstrate a global consciousness with respect to humanity and world issues 
• apply historical and geographic skills to bring meaning to issues and events     
• use and manage information and communication technologies critically
• communicate ideas and information in an informed, organized and persuasive manner

Looking more specifically at the grade two curriculum, Mystery Hangouts offer students the opportunity to use their geographic thinking by using simple maps to locate communities studied in the world. It also makes using an atlas have a purpose! When you have students using Google Maps to figure out where the other class is, they are sharing information collected from electronic sources to add to a group task.

How To Find Classes To Connect With?

Without a doubt, finding classes to connect with is the hardest part of doing a Mystery Location Call. If you are flexible about who you connect with (and where they are from) and when you can connect, you will have no problems! Twitter is a good way to locate teachers to connect with. You could use the hashtags:

• #eduhangout
• #mysteryskype
• #mysteryhangout
• #MysteryLocationCall 
• #GHOLocationCall

In my opinion, the best way to find classes to do Mystery Location Hangouts with is by joining some G+ Communities.   

• Connected Classrooms
• The Global Sister School Project
• Mystery Hangout For Schools
• Mystery Hangouts for Foreign Language Teachers
• Mystery Location Calls
• G+eduhangout Community

There are many spreadsheets out there that you can add your name to as a teacher/classroom available to do Mystery Location Calls. I find these resources hit and miss and more time intensive than say Twitter or Google+. However they do occasionally work. Just this week I got an email asking to do a Hangout.

Often the classes I do Mystery Location Hangouts with are with teachers that I have made a connection with through another project such as Dot Day or the Global Read Aloud. The more you are involved in global projects and the more you develop a digital PLN, you will find it easier to find classrooms to connect with. In these cases, often a Mystery Location Hangout is the introductory activity to a larger collaboration project.

Four Important Tips

Tip One: Place your webcam carefully. Try not to have that Canadian flag or other identifying items visible to the other class. 

Tip Two: Try to do a test call prior to (ideally the morning of) the actual Hangout. That way you can try to work out any technical problems ahead of time. 

Tip Three: Have a back up plan if technology problems do occur. What will students do while you (or the other class) problem solve? 

Tip Four: Related to tip three, give yourself MORE than enough time to do the Hangout in case of technical problems. If you think it is going to take 30 minutes, give yourself at least 45 minutes instead of trying to squeeze it into a 30 minute block. 
.................................................................................................................
Stay tuned for a sister post to this one: Mystery Number Hangouts.

Reflections On: Connected From The Start PART 1: "Skype"

Connected From the Start

When I started using Google Apps For Education in the classroom, there were very few lower elementary educators who were sharing what they were doing with technology in the classroom. There were even fewer K-3 Canadian educators sharing. Kathy Cassidy was one of the few exceptions. So I was excited to have a chance to see this trailblazer at the 90th Annual Greater Edmonton Teachers' Convention. I went to see her session called "Connected From the Start" which is also the name of her book which covers the same topics.

It IS All Connected

Like many teachers who use technology in class, Kathy uses a wide variety of technology devices and applications. Her classroom has one-to-one iPads. Her session had three main sections: Skype, Blogging and Twitter. I am going to review each section in a separate blog post.

However, I want to add a caveat to blogging about these topics separately. The magic in what Kathy (and other educators like her) does is that she does not just do ONE of these in her class, she does ALL of them and more. That's where the magic happens. Students are not simply bloggers, tweeters or Skypers, instead they see themselves as connected to the world throughout the day, across the curriculum. I know that can seem daunting to someone who has not tried any of these tools. However, I think people who only try one platform or only do blogging for one assignment will not be able to appreciate or experience the magic that happens when you open your classroom up to the world in multiple ways and vice versa. 

Part One: Skype (Google Hangout)

For those of us in EPSB, I would suggest using Google Hangouts rather than Skype (both are video chat platforms). However, the program used is not what is important here. It is how and why video conferencing is used in the elementary classroom (based on Kathy's presentation):

• Can't get an expert to come in class? Have them Skype in: Nurse? Geologist?
• Buddy reading  
• Mystery Skype (she did not recommend this for grade one)
• Mystery Number Skype
• Skype an Author

How To Connect With Others?

Kathy recommends checking Skype for Educators to find other teachers/classes/experts to connect with via Skype. She also encouraged people to use the Twitter hashtag #mysterySkype and Connected Classrooms community on Google+.

 

My Reflections

As I began to write this blog post I realized that we have not blogged here at Div1Edtech about Google Hangouts yet. I have used Google Hangouts a number of times. I find it an excellent, yet fairly simple way to make learning relevant for students. It is great of any age, any grade. Going to Kathy's session reminded me to pursue more opportunities for Hangouts this year. 

• Can't get an expert to come in class? Have them Skype in: Nurse? Geologist? This is sometimes easier said than done. However start with people you know. Kathy mentioned she uses her sister, a nurse. I will say that this is when being a "connected" educator comes in handy. It is amazing how many opportunities you can create for you class because of your Twitter or Google+ PLN. Note, developing these connections does not happen over night.

• Buddy reading. I love this idea! I think students would find it motivating. I have already lined up Mr. Reilly for a test run! Look for a blog post about how it goes. 

• Mystery Skype (she did not recommend this for grade one). As someone who has never taught grade one, I appreciate her opinion about grade ones' readiness for Mystery Skype. I have done it in grade two, and with guidance and structure, it is a worthwhile social studies activity.

• Mystery Number Skype. See her blog post Mystery Number Skype: Even A Six Year Old Can Do It for more ideas. 

• Skype an Author. Kathy shared a website: Authors Who Skype with Classes & Book Clubs (for free!). She mentioned that usually the authors can only Skype for ten minutes or so. I cannot wait to make use of this information!

Pear Deck In Grade Two

Pear Deck

What is Pear Deck? In a nutshell: it takes slides, makes them interactive and gathers student responses in a visual way.

It should be noted that not all the "cool things" mentioned in the video are a part of a free account.

How I Used It: Social Studies

My first degree was in Classics with a minor in Anthropology. Despite a love of all things social studies myself, it can be a challenge to foster that love in students at times. I like to think I do a pretty good job of making social studies interesting and engaging. However, sometimes we just have to do some dry reading to learn. 

So this week in my class, it was time to learn about work done in Nunavut (natural resources, goods, services and so on). In the past I have had students create a Google Presentation as we read. However, we have done a lot of Google Presentations this year, so I was looking to switch it up. Plus, I want them to do a Presentation for their final product for this part of the unit.

I heard about Pear Deck about a year ago but have not tried in class yet. I was looking for something that would engage the students as we read and this program seemed to fit the bill.

Creating A Pear Deck (Free Account)

Creating a "deck" is creating simple slides, much like a PowerPoint or Google Presentation. Each slide has a place for you to write a question at the top. You can chose for students to answer with short answer text, with numbers, with multiple choice or in a paragraph.

You can add images, text boxes, videos or lists to your slide. I chose to scan and upload the pages from the textbook we'd be reading. 

It was simple and easy to use.

Use In Class

Traditionally I may have taught this type of lesson by having students do choral/shared reading as a class and then have a discussion after each paragraph. With Pear Deck, students did not have to put their hands up and wait to be called upon. All students could respond to the questions I asked about what we read.

Students had to log on to Pear Deck. It logs them in via their Google account. The first time they log in they will have to "allow" access. Then you provide them a code to access your presentation. This remains at the bottom of the projected display for those students who accidently close the tab and need to log back in.

While we were reading I kept the "show student responses" option off. Once we finished reading the passage, I turned it on and students began to answer. Their responses then showed up on the Smartboard. What I liked is that the answers showed up immediately and that motivated students to look for answers. What I did not like is that it would only show about three at a time and then you'd have to scroll to see newer answers. Not a big deal but it'd be nice if Pear Deck could make more effective use of the display real estate for that function. 

Students could submit a second (or even third) answer. Their first answer would show up as crossed out on the display and their second answer would show up above it. You are also informed of how many students have responded.

When the teacher navigates to the next slide the students' screen automatically change as well. 

Viewing Responses

While you are using the presentation, you can see how many students have responded. However, you cannot see who has typed what answer in the free version. 

After you have ended a session you CAN export responses. This provides you with a spreadsheet of what each student answered for each question (as they are logged in via Google, their usernames are attached to their answers). However if they changed their answer during the activity, it will only show their final answer.

Thoughts

I used the quick question function at the end of the activity. This is where you can add a question on the fly. I used a yes/no question and asked if students wanted to use Pear Deck again and 100% said yes.

It will be interesting to see if the novelty wears off, but my first experience was very positive. I can definitely see the appeal of getting a full subscription, but for use in grade two, I think the free version is sufficient. 

A List of Christmas Sites That Will Engage Students in Learning

Ahhh, teaching in December! Report cards and conferences are done, but we still have another few weeks to teach while working around Christmas Concert schedules and uber-excited students. Some of us dig down, ignore the holidays and get through as much curriculum as we can, while some go all out and embrace the holiday spirit. However, who says we have to give up one for the other? Here is a list of Christmas sites that will engage students in learning, with a few games for when they (and you) need a bit of a break!

Language Arts is one of the best ways to integrate holiday themes into your classroom. TheNorthPole.com offers reading and writing activities related to Santa and his North Pole workshop. The Elf Pal Academy has many printable activities especially suited to little ones and English Language Learners.

My students LOVE MadLibs. Classroomjr has a variety of printable winter and Christmas MadLibs, word puzzles, mazes and math sheets.

ABCteach also has a variety of printable Language Arts activities, including word scrambles and comprehension sheets. (ABCteach does require an account, however it is free.)

Storynory is an online story resource that has Christmas-themed audio stories that can be listened to online or downloaded for later.

Social Studies

How do students around the world celebrate Christmas? Education World has more activities than Santa has in his sack (sorry, couldn’t help myself!). This Christmas Symbaloo also offers links to Christmas around the world sites.

While NoradtracksSanta starts tracking Santa on Christmas Eve, the site also offers games, books and music related to Santa.

Need more ideas? Here are a few Symbaloos  (my favourite bookmarking site for younger grades!)  

Christmas Fun has over 15 000 users, and no wonder, with math, stories, games, and puzzles

for all grades.

And Christmas 23 is the place for holiday music for your classroom!

Do YOU have any favourite sites for the holiday season? Share them with us in the comments!

(And have a Merry Countdown to Christmas holidays!)

Lissa Davies

Add The World To Your Lessons

Google Apps For Education (GAFE) offers great opportunities for collaboration and connecting students to other students in the world. However, in division one, this is not always easy due to students' skills. Google Hangouts offers a simple way to connect your classroom to other classrooms through a webcam.

There are actually three types of Hangouts. You can do instant messaging/chat. You can do a Hangout video call. Finally, there is Hangouts on Air which is when you broadcast your video call. This post will focus on the video call hangout.

Tools You Will Need

A Google Account

To participate in a Google Hangout, you will need a gmail address or a GAFE email address. The person/class you are connecting with will also need a Google account. To connect with another person/class you will need to be Google+ contacts with them or you need their gmail address. 

Camera

You can use a built-in camera on your device however an external webcam usually offers better quality. The first time you use the camera, you may be asked to "allow" it in a pop-up window.

Microphone

You can use the built-in mic in your device. If your desktop computer does not have one, then you will have to use an external one.  The first time you use the microphone, you may be asked to "allow" it in a pop-up window.

Speakers

You can use the built-in speakers from your device. However, sometimes you will get feedback or echoing, so you may want to use external speakers that you can move to limit this. If the conversation is one-to-one consider using a headset mic.

Bandwidth
If you have a poor internet connection or slow computer speed, you can adjust the bandwidth. The lower the bandwidth will also lower the quality of the Hangout.

Make Learning Relevant: Add The World To A Lesson

What Is A Mystery Hangout?

"Mystery" events started (and still continue) with Skype." Mystery Skype is an educational game, invented by teachers, played by two classrooms on Skype. The aim of the game is to guess the location of the other classroom by asking each other questions." ~ https://education.microsoft.com/skypeintheclassroom

The same process can be used with Google Hangouts. Watch the video below to see how it works.

Not Just For Social Studies

There are a number of different ways teachers have begun to use Google Hangouts and Skype, not just Mystery Hangouts. Really it is only limited by a teacher's imagination and connections. Here are some events and activities:

• Dot Day in September
• Global Read Aloud in October - November
• Google Virtual Field Trips - various
• Mystery Number - various

Please leave a note in the comments for other events and opportunities!

Make It A Part Of A Larger Collaboration

This summer I had an opportunity to see how division one teachers have used Hangouts in combination with other GAFE resources to connect their students with others. A class from Alberta connected with a class from Illinois through Google Docs and Google Hangouts.

Collaborate With Other Teachers

This summer I participated in Project Overseas. My team was made up of teachers from Ontario, New Brunswick and Alberta (me). Prior to leaving we needed to collaborate and plan. We used monthly Hangouts as a way to communicate face-to-face. It provided a much easier and effective way to collaborate before we left than by only using email.

Pitfalls

Anyone who has used technology in class, from old-school overhead projectors to iPads, knows problems WILL happen.  Sometimes these are avoidable (properly charged devices) and sometimes they are inevitable (light bulb dies). Using Google Hangouts is no different. There are some issues that are avoidable, if you know what to plan for, and some you will have to deal with when they happen.  One thing I like to do to be proactive is do a test Hangout with the teacher I'm connecting with before we connect during class time.

What timezone is that again?
My student teacher learned this the hard way last year. He did not double check the timezone that the class we were going to Hangout with was in. As a result, they were not in class when we tried to call them.

Webcams and Microphones - Give Access!
When a user first uses a webcam/camera or microphone on a device, the device will often ask for you to allow this. It is a small pop up that sometimes can be missed.

Bandwidth
If you know your school's internet is going to be heavily used on a certain day, avoid setting up at Hangout for that day.

Okay, So How Do I Find Like Minded Teachers?

Twitter

Social media is the best way to locate another class to connect with. On Twitter, you can start following like-minded educators. You can also follow hashtags, such as:

• #eduhangout
• #mysteryskype
• #mysteryhangout

Google+

Google+ is another great resource for connecting. Again, you can add like-minded educators to your circles. You may want to add Google in Education on Google+ to your circles. This is Google’s official education account on Google+ and they host and post educational Hangouts. You can also join communities that are all about making connections, such as:

• Connected Classrooms (website: Connected Classrooms)
• The Global Sister School Project
• Mystery Hangout For Schools
• Mystery Hangouts for Foreign Language Teachers
• Mystery Location Calls
• G+eduhangout Community

Facebook
I try not to use my FB account for teaching. However, I am sure there are a number or groups there for Google Hangouts or Skype as well.

Please leave a note in the comments for FB events and opportunities you know about!

Further Reading/Viewing

• Edu Hangouts website
• Google Hangouts Guides for Teachers
• Gooru: How to use Google Hangouts
• 6 Ways Teachers Can Use Google Hangouts
• Spreadsheet of curricular ideas from EduHangout
• Hangout resources from Cybraryman

 * Disclaimer: As Hangouts has gone through many changes, many of these links do not have updated information.

Unleash Your Students' Knowledge With ScreenChomp!

Recently, I attended a professional learning opportunity on assessment which was led by Myron Dueck.  Myron is the author of "Grading Smarter, Not Harder: Assessment Strategies That Motivate Kids and Help Them Learn", and a leading authority and speaker on effective assessment in the classroom.  In one of his sessions, Myron shared with us the use of using whiteboards for assessing children in the classroom.  Essentially the student shows their learning of a particular concept using a small whiteboard and marker while explaining their understanding.  The teacher or another student can record the "whiteboarding" session with a camera or tablet.  The teacher can then assess the student's learning and also show the child's learning during parent/teacher meetings or student led conferences.

The day after the professional learning opportunity, I ordered thirty whiteboards from Scholastic using my Bonus Bank.  When the whiteboards arrived, I was eager to get started.  I gave pairs of students a whiteboard and an iPad and asked them to show six ways to represent numbers which was a concept we covered previously in math.  One student would show their knowledge on a whiteboard while the other student would record the "whiteboarding" session over the shoulder of the presenter.  This was a fantastic way to gain insight into a child's thinking and it also provided a powerful sample of work I could use for assessment and/or evaluation.

One other reason I wanted the students to record their thinking was to share their "whiteboarding" videos on our YouTube channel so that other children who may be struggling with a specific concept could watch our student videos and hopefully learn from children their own age.  This is essentially the same strategy to learning that Khan Academy has been so successful with.  The issues I have found with the above "whiteboarding" strategy has been camera shake, lots of noise from the camera, and often a limited view of the student's work.  Enter the ScreenChomp app.

ScreenChomp is an amazing iPad app produced by Techsmith, the same company who brings us fantastic software such as Camtasia, Snagit and Jing to name a few.  The app is completely free to download and use and the simplicity of the program is pretty amazing for division one students.  My students were able to essentially pick up the iPad and create some pretty awesome videos after playing with the app for only a few minutes.

There are many ways that students and teachers can use ScreenChomp in the classroom.  Some examples are:

• Students demonstrating their knowledge on specific concepts (e.g., rock/water cycle, math concepts, verbs/nouns).
• Teaching a concept for a student who was absent or for a flipped classroom.
• Students creating videos for other students to learn.
• Teacher lessons and extension activities
• Students creating videos about their families
• Demonstrating traditional and cursive handwriting
• The possibilities are endless

Examples of Student Created ScreenChomp Videos

Here are some ScreenChomp videos that students from my grade three classroom created.  This is a YouTube Playlist so you can skip between videos.  Also, text was added to the video using Movie Maker.

ScreenChomp is extremely easy to use and I encourage you to play with it and let your students create videos on a topic of their choice.  Below is an extensive tutorial on how to use ScreenChomp.

ScreenChomp Tutorial

Main Screen on ScreenChomp- Refer to image below

• Your ScreenChomp Videos - this is where your videos save to.  You can see in the image below that I have 3 created videos there.
• Adding Backgrounds - here you can add a background image as you will see later.
• Complete Erase - if you hold this picture down, it will erase the entire whiteboard except backgrounds.
• Multiple Pens - you can set the pen colors/thickness ahead of time or on the fly as you will see below.
• Eraser - this allows you to erase like a normal eraser.
• Record Button - press this button to begin recording your whiteboarding session.

Main Screen on ScreenChomp

Creating Videos Using ScreenChomp

Hannah creating a ScreenChomp video

Adding a Background Image

When you start creating a video on ScreenChomp, you may want to add a background image.  In this example, I am adding an image of the water cycle for a student to explain.  First you need to click on the "Background Image" tab as seen below and choose where you would like to upload the image from. You can choose an image:

1. on your camera roll by selecting, "Choose From Library",
2. from your Dropbox account.
3. by taking a photo using your iPad.

Background Choices

After you choose your image, you can move it, resize it, or rotate it.

Move, Zoom, or Resize the Background

Below is the image of the water cycle inserted and ready to go for my "whiteboarding" session.

Water Cycle Background Added

Setting the Pens

You can always change the pen colors and thickness while you create your video but I like to have three pen colors chosen before I record my video.  To do this, just choose one of the pens and a color/thickness screen will popup.  See the image below.  Choose a pen color and thickness for each pen.

You Can Change the Pen Color and Thickness

Recording Your "Whiteboarding" Session

You are now ready to record your video.  To record, just hit the "record" button.  Once you press the record button, you will be given a countdown screen like the one below.

Countdown to "Whiteboarding" Session

Your ScreenChomp session will begin when the countdown session is over and you will know it is recording because you will have a microphone and timer in the upper right hand corner (see above image).  During the recording, you can do several things like pause the recording, change pens and colors, erase small sections or completely erase the entire screen except the background.  You can also scroll to a new white space.

Full Erase and Spot Erase

To erase everything except the background, you can hold down the "Complete Erase" image for three seconds.  A cloth will appear and will erase the screen.  The cloth does not show up in your video.  To erase only small sections of the pen drawings, you can choose the eraser and erase on the screen.  

Two Eraser Options - Complete or Spot Erase

Scrolling

While recording, you can scroll up or down.  This will give you white space where you can continue your "whiteboarding" session.  To scroll, put two fingers on the screen and scroll up or down.  See the image below.

Scroll Up or Down While Creating Video

When you are done creating your video, press the "stop" button and your video will be saved.

Saving Videos Created Using ScreenChomp

Hannah enjoying ScreenChomp 

Viewing your video
You are done recording your video and are ready to preview it.  Once you press the stop button, the screen below appears.  From here you can:

     1. Playback the video
     2. Delete your video and try again
     3. Give you video a title
     4. Share your video

Options For When Your Video is Created

Saving Your Video

In order to save your video, you need to choose the "Share" image above.  This will save your video back on the main ScreenChomp screen.  You can see in the image below that I have three saved videos and one that is currently saving.  Videos are saved on the ScreenChomp server but I like to download them in MP4 format.  This will be covered below.

Where Your Videos Are Saved

Accessing Your Saved Video

You have now saved you video and you want to access the link or download it.  To do this, choose the video you wish to access from the files of saved videos.

Accessing Your Saved Videos

Once you choose the video you would like to access, the screen below will open.  From there, you can:

     1. Play the video - also in full screen

Share It

     2. Copy the link

     3. Email the Link

     4. Tweet the video

     5. Open the video in Safari

Sharing Your ScreenChomp Videos

Downloading Your ScreenChomp Creation

Downloading on your iPad

     1. From the screen above, click "Open in Safari"

     2. Safari will launch with your video.  Scroll down below your video and click on the "download"

         link.

Downloading ScreenChomp Videos

Downloading on your computer

     1. Choose "Email Link" (see two images above).

     2. Email the link to yourself so you can open the url on your computer.

     3. When you click on the link, you will be taken to your video like the above image.  

     4. Scroll down until you get to the option to "Download".  

     5. Click on "Download" and save it to your preferred location.

If you have any comments or questions, please post them below.  I will update this post if questions arise.