Kidblog 101

Kidblog is an online website for blogging that is used in classrooms. Teachers set it up, monitor it, and direct students in any direction they need to go. It is a great way to get your students digitally involved!

http://eett.sylvan.k12.ca.us/wordpress/?p=879

• How to access the tool?
• Like I said, Kidblog is an online website. It is used for blogging in the classroom. You can go to the website at http://kidblog.org/home/ to set up your classroom blog. It is also easily accessible from any device and there is an app you can download from the Apple store and Adroid market. 
• Compatibility of the tool?
• Kidblog is very compatible. Students can sign on to their classroom blog from any device that has a connection through the web because it is a website. There is also an app for kidblog. Students can access/download that app to any apple or android device. If the student does not want to download the app, they can go to the web browser, type in the website, and log in from there. This is a great tool to use with students, even if your school is not1:1, but you have access to computers or the internet. 
• What does it do?
• Allows students to voice their opinion, share ideas, answer questions, write their thoughts, etc. all through blogging online. Kidblog is an opportunity for the students' learning to be inside of the classroom and move outside of the classroom walls, moving forward in this digital age. 

• "Kidblog is Different--Kidblog is built by teachers, for teachers, so students can get the most out of the writing process. Our mission is to empower teachers to embrace the benefits of the coming digital revolution in education. As students become creators - not just consumers - of information, we recognize the crucial role of teachers as discussion moderators and content curators in the classroom. With Kidblog, teachers monitor and control all activity within their classroom blogging community." (http://kidblog.org/why-kidblog/)

•  Kidblog provides teachers with tools to help their students safely navigate the digital world:
• Teachers have adminstative control over all accounts
• Students blogs are private by default; only viewable to teachers and students
• Teachers can add password-protected parentand guests accounts
• Comment privace settings block unsolicited comments
• Does not require any personal information from students
• Kidblog provides a student-friendly publishing experience:
• There is no advertising of any kind
• A student log-in menu is built in for them to select their names from a list
• Clutter-free design
• Blog directory and navigations allows students to find other students' blogs easily
• Most current conversations are in the activity feeds
• Teachers are able to review every detail of students' blog posts before they are posted. 
• Students are able to comment on others' blog posts and provide feedback. 
• Students are engaged and enjoy writing their thoughts online to share with their peers! 
• How do you use it?
• Go to the website. 
• To create a class, click "create a class."
• Fill in all information and create your class! 
• Continue by following all of the steps on the screen. 
• Then, throughout your experience, you can post blogs, assignments, and goals for the students to reply back on. 
• You can monitor blog posts through your dashboard found on the home screen. 
• Classroom Ideas
• There are many ways you can use a blog in the classroom. One way you can use it, if you are in upper elementary or highschool, is to do response to readings. This is how the students could practice their skills. For example, if you worked on summarizing a text you could blog an example and then ask the students to do that with a book they are reading. The blogs can be used as an informal assessment tool if you are doing things like checking for understanding of a skill. 
• You can also have students reply back to others' posts, giving them feeback and ideas. 
• Another way to have students use their blog is having them "live" blog the class for the day. This allows the teacher to check the students writing and critical thinking. Students can take turns doing this throughout the week. This allows parents to see what is happening in the classroom on a daily basis. 
• There are many ways to use a blog in your classroom. Here are a few more ideas:
• create classroom discussions
• learn digital citizenship
• practicing writing skills
• create an e-portfolio
• reflect on learning
• formatively assess writing

A little something to leave you with... ENJOY KIDBLOG :-)

http://onyxdigital.co.za/2012/06/web-comics-a-sign-of-our-modern-times/web-comic-kid-blog/

Speed Geeking

Have you ever heard of speed geeking? I had not until last Wednesday.The term comes from "speed dating."  Many people use speed geeking to do very quick presentations for groups, which in a way, is like speed dating. While there were not people "presenting" for my peers and I, there were still quick presentations. We were going through different technological devices, seeing the benefits and drawbacks of each. It was a lot of fun experimenting with different devices, applications, and online tools. 

http://www.securedgenetworks.com/secure-edge-networks-blog/bid/82406/20-Pros-and-Cons-of-implementing-BYOD-in-schools

Some devices that we looks at were: Chromebooks, Nexus 7, Kindle Fire, and Surface Tablet.

Some applications we explored were: Write About This, Educreations, iMovie, and WeVideo. 

Some online websites we browsed through were: Padlet, Educreations, and Powtoons. 

All of these sources had some benefits and some drawbacks, but I did have my favorites. I am a GOOGLE LOVER. I love that there are many things you can do with Google, keep on Google, save/share on Google, and learn on Google. That is why, after experimenting with many devices, I still love the Nexus 7. There are many applications for google and it will also link to any other google device you have through gmail. 

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/nexus-7-review/

The Nexus 7 would be a great device to have in your classroom. There are many opportunities through Google and the applications for learning and development. Although I love the Nexus 7 and would be happy to have and incorporate it into my classroom, I still would pick a different device.

What device would I pick for my classroom? An iPad! I would pick an iPad for my classroom for many reasons. Students are more familiar with the iOS software and if they are not, it is easy to learn. I also think that even though they are kind of expensize, they have many benefits. The APP store offers millions of educational applications that are free or sometimes very inexpensive. It is also important to consider that many of the applications that teachers love and use are through iOS. With that being said, they would not be able to use that App on any other device. There are also things like iMovie that is fun, easy to navigate, and engaging for students to use in their development. On the iPad they can also incorporate many Google tools, like Google Drive. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/write-about-this-free/id601382666?mt=8

One application that is only available from the Apple store is Write About This. This is an application that I would love to incorporate into my classroom writing workshop. I would use the iPad and send students different prompts to practice their writing with. Write About This allows you to do just that. It links a prompt with a picture and question. Then the students can write right on the iPad through typing or using a stylus, or they could write on paper. You are also able to create your own. This app, and many others, are the reason I am for iPads in the classroom. 

I would also use iPads in many other ways. Students could collaborate on Google drive, create iMovies together, or even blog. The iPad does not limit you to many things, but broaden your horizons as a classroom teacher teaching with technology. Even though I am an android fan, I think Apple products in the classroom, when used appropriately, can be highly effective. No matter what device you use, I hope it compliments your teaching in ways that your students can be more engaged in their development and learning. 

#EdCampIowa

Welcome to #EdCampIowa!!!!

This weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Ed Camp Iowa. This is a conference that takes place all around Iowa, all in one day. There were five cities that were participating and over 700 educators total at all of the sites. The day is full of networking, communicating, and best of all, learning what you want to learn. The set up of Ed Camp is my favorite type of professional development I have participated in. You arrive to the site in the morning... with nothing planned. The planning starts when you arrive. All of the educators write down what they want to learn on a piece of paper when they arrive. That is how the sessions are determined! What a great way to learn. The day is split up into four sessions, all about 50 minutes long. During each session, there are five different topics you can choose from. It was great to be able to decide what I wanted to learn about. The conference was also very "laid back." By this I mean it was full of conversations. Educators from all around were making connections, learning from one another, and becoming a better professional. We were even able to follow the twitter hashtag #edcampiowa and be able to keep up with everyone's day. The hashtag is still going on, so if you are on Twitter, you should follow and learn from all of the wonderful educators our there. Everyone I met during Ed Camp always had a smile on their face and was willing to chat. I would definitely recommend Ed Camp to everyone, no matter if you are a preservice teacher, teacher, principal, superintendant, tech coordinator, etc. There is something for you!

Here is a link to the #EdCampIowa website that shows the schedule and sessions! Just click the hashtag!

https://sites.google.com/site/edcampiowa/home/central

Now, I would like to tell you all about the sessions I had the opportunity to attend. Although, I wish I had the time to attend all of them, I went to four: Twitter 101, Teaching 101: for preservice teachers, Rocks or Sucks, and Critical Thinking. 

Twitter 101:

Twitter 101 was a lot of fun. I had the opportunity to learn from many educators, including Mr. Toby Brown. This man is extrememly knowledgeable, intelligent, and enlightening... oh and extrememly hilarious. If I recommend you to follow anyone on twitter, it should definitely be him at @tbbrwn. The chat was very informal. We learned all about setting up twitter (for those who did not have one, can you believe it?!), hashtags to follow, people to follow, and ways to integrate it or use it as a tool in our classrooms. One hashtag that interested me was #ntchat. This is a hashtag for new teachers and it is a chat between "new teachers" to give each other tips, tricks, and help! When learning about ways to integrate Twitter in the classroom, I was astonished by how many people already do. It sounds like such a great resource for students. One way was to have someone live tweet your class for parents and sick students to see what you are doing. If you are not aloud to have twitter, there are even ways to "practice" twitter. One example was to post hashtags around the room and then have students put their "tweets" on sticky notes to add to the posts. Lastly, one way to use twitter as a great connection is through #mysteryskype. This sets you up with a person who will then let your students interview them over skype. The purpose is usually for the students to use their good questions and critical thinking skills to figure out the location of this person. Overall, this was a great session. 

Teaching 101:

During teaching 101, I learned a whole bunch of important things for that every preservice teacher should know. Having the opportunity to talk to new teachers, experienced teachers, principals, adn even superintendants was extremely important and helpful. So, what are some key points I learned?

• Build relationships with the students. One thing that was advised was to not have any content the first week and to learn the students' names, about them, and set expectations together. 
• "You should remember they were there!" By this, the person who said it meant that you should know the students so well that when they leave you should be able to redo or take attendance. 
• Be able to tell your students WHY you are doing something and if you can't... MOVE ON. 
• Catch them being good, not bad. 
• Laugh with them, because you will make mistakes. 
• Social media is a great way to engage your students and their fmailies. Examples are using instagram for an exit ticket to a prompt or twitter to live tweet. 
• Keep snacks... for those students who may need something to eat. 
• Attach yourself to the positive people, not the negative ones. 
• DO NOT GRADE EVERYTHING... yes, use it to check where the students are at with understanding, but do not grade everything. 
• Interviews: many principals are asking teachers questions on perserverance; like how you overcame your obstacles. 
• Some other interview questions may be: how competetive are you, what are you willing to do, what are you reading for fun, or what are you reading for educational purposes. 
• Ask your interviewer questions about the job like when school starts and if you will have a room. 

Rocks or Sucks?

Rocks or sucks is actually a format of discussion. This was a very fun session. It was almost like a debate for professional purposes. We were given a topic and then had to decide if we thought it rocked, sucked, or we were in the middle. After we decided, we went and stood with our group to discuss for a minute. After the minute, we were give five minutes to defend our stances. It was a FUN and intriguing way to interact with each other. Some of the topics we discussed were: standardized testing, professional dress, and social media in the classroom. I will definitely be taking this form of discussion with me to other professional development opportunities or even to my classes. 

Critical Thinking:

This was the last session of the day. During this session, we talked about the importance of getting our students to think through the processes of their learning. This was the first session that I got a headache! Why? Because I had so many thoughts about what to say. It was a lot of fun to be able to understand what was going on and participate in the conversation. One topic that continuously was brought up was FAILURE. The educators in the room kept going back to the fact that we need to teach our students that it is okay to fail and we can do this by modeling it. To model this we can go through our thoughts out loud so our students can hear our thinking and see that we have to try hard also. We can also "purposefully" fail. This is something I do a lot; to check for understanding and model that it is okay! I think it is a great teaching strategy. In the end, we want our students to understand that from failure, you can improve and succeed. Other than failure, we talked about questioning our students. Everyone shared that they think it is important that we ask them different levels of questions (tier teaching). Dig deep into their thinking and explore their mind. One thing I believe is important is that we explain to students that we cannot see inside of their brains and we know there is a lot going on in there; that is why we need them to tell us words to explain what their brain is doing. Many great critical thinkin strategies embedded in many of the conversations. 

Some suggestions given to me throughout the day:

• Read Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess
• Read the book Teaching with Love and Logic
• Watch Common Sense Media: In Plain English
• Watch you digital footprint
• Use Remind 101 or Google Voice

As you can tell, my experience at Ed Camp was on of the best. I cannot begin to explain how happy I am I chose to go. No matter who you are, I think you would enjoy the common interest in the love of teaching. 

http://www.pinterest.com/katieboiter/wordspiration/

Thank you Ed Camp Iowa for providing me with this wonderful experience to learn and become a better educator for the future. 

Remixing Classrooms

This week, I had the opportunity to do some research on remixing the classroom. I chose to research this because I had no idea what it was and it sounded very interesting. When I think of remixing something, I think of taking music and changing it to sound like something you like and you think others will. That is how I like to think of remixing the classroom/curriculum; changing the content into something that you like and think will benefit others.  If you are like me, before I said this word, you probably had never heard it and are wondering: but what exactly is remixing? Well, to me, remixing is when you are being creative and innovative. It is when teachers take traditional content and make it their own: new, exciting, and online. Teachers are able to pull material from many different sites that they think will benefit their classroom the most. One of the best parts is it will most likely be FREE.

What does remixing mean for teachers?

First, and foremost, it means that teachers have the ability to creat a curriculum that is digital. They can pull many different contexts from the web. That is also why it may be free. Teachers can choose to use many sites that give you great articles, ideas, and contexts that are free! It also allows teachers to pull many different sources into one. I like to call that "mashing." They are taking a bunch of different contexts and putting it into one, having the ability to decide what will benefit your students most. Lastly, they can combine media with text, giving it a new and interactive meaning. This will let the students be engaged and be more likey to learn the content. 

What does remixing mean for students?

One of the best parts of remixing your classroom is you can choose what will engage your students. The design of remixing is much more interactive, allowing your students to be engaged and want to learn through things like animations, simulations, videos, and graphics. Remixing for students also means that their learning will be able to move beyond the classroom walls. Assuming, if you are remixing, you are 1:1, students have great opportunities to continue learning at home and with their families. 

So, what are the benefits to remixing?

There are many benefits to remixing your classroom and curriculum. First, education becomes FREE: textbook materials and learing devices are found online. For example, Khan Academy. Another benefit is that students will definitely be more engaged. Like I said before, there will be animations, simulations, videos, graphics and texts. These different forms of interactions will differentiate between many students, allowing them all to find ways to learn. Remixing also broadens teachers horizons. It allows them to provide up to date information. Finally, it goes back to collaborating online through communities. Teachers can form different learning communities and be active in them, allowing them to learn from other educators. They can share different materials that will benefit the students. 

Are there any down falls of remixing?

I would not call them down falls, but obstacles. There are a few obstacles that many teachers may run into when trying to remix their classroom. First is time. It may take teachers a lot of time to put together their new "classroom," but if the teacher is willing to do this, the students will benefit much more. Second is the digital divide. Some students may not have access to internet or a device. The easiest way this can be solved is by in class work or having a 1:1 classroom. From that would be cost. Schools have to be willing to pay for devices and also better connections. They want the broadband to be able to successfully work for all students at one time. Lastly, file viewing. Depending on what device the students have, certain files may not be able to be used. For example, if you download something from the AP store, it will only work on devices with ios. 

Remixing is important to keep our students engaged and up to date.

One thing we have to remember is that our students live in a digital world. They are working with, creating with, and learning with technology. The importance of using and modeling with content from the web is huge; it will help our students engagement and capabilities to learn. I love the idea of remixing the classroom if you have the ability and tools to do so! 

SITES TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND & REMIX: 

• http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/02/are-you-ready-to-remix-your-curriculum/
• http://www.mentormob.com/beta/splash
• https://www.khanacademy.org/
• http://www.ck12.org/student/
• http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/02/08/02digital.h05.html

And I will leave you with a thought to ponder...Our students are living in a digital world. 

Twitter: Social Networking

This week was full of all kinds of networking online!! All of this networking took place in one great place: Twitter. I have always loved Twitter and its' purpose, but after this week I have an entire new found love for it: networking. Twitter is a great way to stay connected with friends and family, but it is also a great way to build your PLN and make connections with educators or professionals from all around.  This week I learned a lot of things about Twitter that I did not know existed. For example, you can follow different professional/educational conversations! It is a great way to connect with others and learn about different topics. Another is TweetDeck for Google Chrome. It is an Ap through Google that displays different columns that you want to follow. I followed one called #IAEdChat. By following this, I could see all tweets that have that hashtag in it. I also following #EdCampIA because I will be attending this conference next week and want to know what people are saying about it.

If you are new to Twitter, there are four main steps you need to follow to use it successfully:

1. Create a Profile
2. Follow meaningful people, organizations, and #hashtags. 
3. Interact: participate in conversations, reply to posts, and retweet posts. 
4. Use #hastags, but not too many, so you can be brought together in chats. 

If you are struggling to find people or hashtags to follow, here is a link that will take you to important tweeters and hashtags that will make a difference: Twitter 101

http://the-house-of-anubis.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:AnubisSibunaAunbis/The_Hashtag_Club!

Like I said earlier, one topic that I followed was #IAEdchat. This chat was all about the exceptional learners and how we can help make all students successful. Just through watching and participating in the conversation, I learned new ways that I can work with students to give them all the opportunity to learn! There were many links posted and ideas thrown out there from people all around. I saw people post ways to adapt your classroom, lessons, or even parents working with their students at home. Here is one blog that was posted that helped me understand the struggling learner. To me, this twitter chat was awesome! It lead me to so many links and ideas for my future classroom. Will I participate in Twitter chats in the future? Absolutely! It was extremely helpful and I would encourage others to do so. I am excited to see what it will be like to follow other professional conversations. The internet has so many ideas/learning point out there that we can use to help us be successful educators. Twitter chats will be in my future and I hope yours too. 

I would encourage you and your friends to get involved in Twitter chats and networking, to build your PLN. You can make professional connections and learn so much, just by the click of a button. Some people that I follow that are great at providing information are @Newsela, @IowaCommNetwork, @coolcatteacher, and @flourishingkids. I follow these people because they provide me with up to date information that I can use in my classroom or help be a successful teacher. If you are not an educator, you can easily search "people to follow on Twitter for __" in Google. You will find tons. I highly encourage you to follow Newsela. It is a source that has many literacy articles for you or your students that are up to date and can be used for different levels of readers. 

http://spectra-llc.com/twitter-is-important-for-all-businesses/

Twitter is definitely a great place to go for help, learning, and fun. It will help you be successful and build a PLN that is meaningful. GO OUT AND START TWEETING! :) 

Find me on Twitter at @Breannakb