21st Century Learning: Collaboration is Key

Much has been written about 21st Century learning and what tools students will need as they head into the future. Most sources, such as Tony Wagner in Creating Innovators, agree that collaboration is a key skill needed for success. How do we harness technology to help students hone their cooperative skills? Here's an infographic I created to help explain some ideas.

or

CATE Conference

Over the weekend, I attended the CATE (California Association of Teachers of English) Conference.  I was amazed at how large a conference it was with so many diverse speakers and learning opportunities. Here's the flyer. Some of my highlights:

• Catlin Tucker's session on creatively connecting curriculum to the Common Core was inspirational. Her approach to learning and teaching is so refreshing. She is always scooping out terrific resources that allow for better teaching practices. For example, myShakespeare.com which allows students to hear his plays voiced by actors along with "interviews" of the characters for deeper understanding. 
• Also, vocabulary.comvocabulary.com which allows teachers to set up word lists based on books or articles and helps students go at their own pace to master new words. Hearing a session from this company and having some time to have her guide me though, helped me see that there is more to this tool. For example, word lists are already created for many novels we read in the sixth grade that could help students build deeper understanding of key terms before they read the books. This may help them understand the material better when they go to read independently. Students love this tool already and its inherently competitive feel.
• EdPuzzle. I'd heard of EdPuzzle before. However, I didn't really have a good grasp of what this online video teaching tool could do. Attending a session on it helped me see how teachers are using it help differentiate (students can play the videos as many times as needed and teachers can insert information to pop up as to vocabulary or background knowledge students may need). Additionally it can sync seamlessly with Google Classroom (which I've been meaning to look into more too. Is it better than Schoology for some tasks? Is it redundant if already using Schoology as a campus?) EdPuzzle though has such potential.

I hope I have the chance to attend again next year!

Student Digital Portfolios (Using New Google Sites)

Why digital portfolios?

As the end of our first trimester draws to an end, it's a great time to reflect. We build in times for reflection throughout the whole year of course, but with the end of a grading period comes time for more formal thinking about our learning process. As teachers we are thinking about report cards and making conference schedules. Conferences are student-led in our sixth grade which does not happen without a lot of teacher guidance and support. The main tool for our students through this reflection process is creating student digital portfolios. We set them up now in the Fall of sixth grade and add to them throughout this year. In seventh and eighth grade, the process continues with students sometimes adding on to the original sixth grade site or redesigning a portfolio for each each. It's their choice. By the end of our middle school program in the eighth grade, they will have a body of work to look back on along with reflections and goals through the years.

Google Sites' new update makes it easier than ever!

I am so excited by the new Google sites update. It is sleek and so user friendly. This year's group of sixth graders have taken to it like ducks to water. The themes are simple yet easy on the eyes. This frees up the students to focus less on playing with the font styles and colors with more emphasis on their work choices and reflections. I love it! If you haven't seen it yet or had time to play with its features, check out this introduction on Youtube. Also, here's a handy "cheat sheet" by the wonderful Jennifer Judkins.

Digital portfolio process:

My Digital Portfolio Model's Home Page

Preparation:

* I started by first setting up my own example portfolio. It helped me guide my students by going through the process myself as well as served as a model for them throughout the process.
* Set up an assignment sheet. We use Schoology, but here's a Google doc version of my assignment sheet with rubric and help links that students had access too.

In Class with Students:

1. Introduce the idea to classes and brainstorm a list on the board of what we did in each class over
the trimester. This takes time but it helps them realize what they've learned and how much they have accomplished in just one trimester. It also helps to have them write a trimester reflection in their notebooks as a "bell-wringer"/warm up. The prompt can be a simple: How has this trimester gone so far for you?
2. Show my example digital portfolio and explain the requirements. I gave students an overview of how the website builder works (modeling with my own portfolios) but didn't go into detail. I've found that many can't take it all in visually in these early stages and tune out to long explanations of tech features until they actually need them. So I opted not to show the whole how-to video of features but to link a video for students who needed it to use as they needed it. About a quarter of students opted to view this first while many wanted to jump in first for some hands on experience.
3. Students had three and 1/2 class periods to build their pages. I gave a few quick tips at the

beginning of each class and referred them back to the requirements.
4. On the last page building day, students choose partners and we peer edited with this sheet to see what still needed to be completed.
4. After they were "done" building, I went through and evaluated each digital portfolio providing my feedback of what could be improved for each student.
5. Students had time to address concerns and redo parts to make them better (and earn back points). Those that were still having trouble after the recheck were asked to come in for an extra help session at lunch.
6. We'll write speeches in our Language Arts time next week, practice in small groups, and then present them to parts at student-led conferences.

It's not an easy process, but by the end students have a digital portfolio that they can be really proud to show their families. It also helps shape the culture of learning at our school in which work is not just to be seen by teachers once and then forgotten. Instead, work is displayed digitally, revisited, and hopefully remembered.