Tuesday, October 14, 2014

IW 14-15 October: 2014 Fall Debrief

We have discussed many topics over our last sessions in Inspired Writing. 
( Prewriting, Drafting, Editing, Mindsets, Fishbowl Discussions, Teacher websites, Blogging, TPACK, SAMR, Gradual Release Model...)

What have you used? 
What are you planning on using in the future?  
What do you have questions about?  
What ways are you supporting writing with technology?
How have the first 2 months of school looked like in your classroom. 
Have you tried anything new?

17 comments:

  1. Students in my room are also using their Chromebook cameras to document in a photo, their notes from Independent reading books. They respond online to a blog (independent) every week, and to a class blog. I place a "topic" they have to address each week, responding to each other. I check the posts and only those with clear thoughts, correct punctuation are posted to our site. This greater audience makes them want to take the extra time to make sure their thoughts are what they wish.
    Powerful learning via the written word.

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  2. What have you used? Fishbowl discussion, teacher website, writing partners, padlet, google drawing, google slides, coverit live...

    What are you planning on using in the future? I will continue using all of the above.

    What do you have questions about? No questions yet, except wondering when my class will get its own google chromebook cart :)

    What ways are you supporting writing with technology? spanish 1 started their writing partners project with Jorge Mena and I am excited to see where it goes this year! The kids are stoked to be writing so early in the year and I am excited to be trying something new.

    How have the first 2 months of school looked like in your classroom. - lots of change and new things. The kids know and get happy when they know I feel comfortable enough to try these new programs, games, ideas, projects, etc. I love their feedback, too!

    Have you tried anything new? see question #1

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  3. IW 14-15 October: 2014 Fall Debrief
    1. What have you used? Prewriting, Drafting, Editing, Mindsets, Teacher websites
    2. What are you planning on using in the future? Blogging- I'm in the process of getting a class blog set up so that students have a place to post short synopsis of the books they're reading during independent reading. Also plan to use more of the research/edit tools as we begin our informational writing unit. I also hope to try a Fishbowl Discussion soon.
    3. What do you have questions about?Want to know when we will have Chromebooks, the eee's are a little outdated.
    4. What ways are you supporting writing with technology?They are using tech to plan, draft, and edit their writing. They use tech to write in response to reading. Our online ITTs have helped make this connection. We were doing an online lesson related to our shared reading story, where students made a copy of the double bubble map and used it to pre-write their compare contrast ideas about the 2 selections we had read. We then wrote paragraphs from our maps, and color-coded them the way we had been coding our paragraphs in writing. Students were amazed at the connections we were making between the two subjects. I hope they get to the point where they see the interconnections on a daily basis.
    5. How have the first 2 months of school looked like in your classroom.The students are using their computers more now than ever before. We use them every single day, and usually two-three times a day. Having the 5th grade shared website has given my teammates and I a chance to share ideas and docs with our students in an efficient manner. Students are engaged in the writing process and are getting much better at navigating the different areas of Google Docs, Websites, etc… Now I just need to get them some keyboarding skills...where’s that time going to come from?
    6. Have you tried anything new?Getting group docs from the website and making copies is new. Using the computers to put our reading assessments online is definitely new. Creating the blogs with the students is new. Having students create presentations to share with their parents is new.

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  4. 11/7/2014
    What have you used? My students have been exposed to a whole bunch of different things this year. We have taken a snapshot of ourselves or writing plans and inserted them into documents. Also, we have been using the Inspired Writing pre-writing section a lot. We have created online assessments for students to get ready for the PARCC, and blogs where they can record the 40 books they have read this year - thank you for the idea!!!
    What are you planning on using in the future? We are moving into information text writing. I am hoping to show the kids how to create a bibliography in Google Docs. Also, to add pictures with captions, glossaries, headings, etc.
    What do you have questions about? We have tried to insert a picture and then write a caption underneath. This doesn’t work so well in a document. My teammate said to have them create this in a drawing first and then insert the picture with caption into their document - we are going to try this.
    What ways are you supporting writing with technology? See above. Also, for pre or post assessments in writing we are allowing kids to choose whether they want to write using their computer or a paper and pencil. Last post assessment, I had 100% of my students choose to do their post assessment on the computer.
    How have the first 2 months of school looked like in your classroom. A ton more online items in my classroom. Examples: using the pre-writing tab for almost all of our plans, modifying some of the prewriting plans to fit the needs of my students, giving students options on how to plan, etc.
    Have you tried anything new?One of the greatest successes this year was our student led conferences. Students created individualized power points to share with their parents at conferences. They linked some of their writing samples and note-taking sheets too.

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  5. What have you used?
    I have been using Padlets for discussion, student blogs to track progress, my website to clarify, student sites to show their thinking, student Tellegami's to present, Drawings for pre-writing thinking maps, as well as the tools on docs to peer edit and revise student writing. The most influential tool I have used is SnagIt to record my comments on a students writing piece and sharing the video with them for an immediate conference. With a class of 32, this has given me the gift of time and feedback for kids when I was feeling like I would never get to conference with all the kids.

    What are you planning on using in the future?
    I'm really excited to play more with CoverItLive. I have a class of 32 5th graders and they are all so eager to be heard! I'm excited for the opportunities CoverItLive offers for my quieter students who keep getting lost in the midst.

    What do you have questions about?
    App suggestions for the iPad specific to improving writing (planning, drafting, editing/revising)?

    What ways are you supporting writing with technology?
    Students in my classroom are using technology in their writing in many ways, but most importantly to plan their thoughts, to edit/revise, and to collaborate with classmates. Google drawings and the tools in docs have made the process more exciting for them. They live for opportunities to work together on a shared doc!

    How have the first 2 months of school looked like in your classroom.
    The kids are SO excited and motivated by the technology. They are increasingly more comfortable using technology to improve their writing and with sharing their thinking and work with classmates to collaborate. They are embracing the iPads as a tool rather than a toy to plan and explain their ideas.

    Have you tried anything new?
    I came home from the edTech Google Summit in Boulder with so many great ideas. I learned more about google apps like SnagIt which I have used for conferencing, and Lucid Press which I am looking forward to using for Social Studies final projects. I have students in math and science creating diagrams and videos in Explain Everything to show their thinking. I'm also inspired to support students in creating a digital portfolio site to house their work... I love the pride in their work that I have already seen when we reflect on their work going into their "digital portfolio."

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  6. Although I love the “fishbowl” idea, I will be initially launching into the 40 Book Blog!! What a fun idea! We were all planning on doing the “Book It” program to encourage the kids to read 40 books this year. By using this idea I will be supporting writing in the classroom by improving summary writing and editing hoping to intrinsically motivate the kids when they realize that their peers will be reading their work.

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  7. The first two months of school have been challenging, but amazing. The students are using chrome books to do research, work on google docs, and explore a variety of learning sites. While we are still doing our pre-writing on paper, the kids have started drafting and editing/revising in google docs. At one point, I printed out their rough drafts in order to help them make the connection between what a hard copy looks like (this is what they are used to seeing), and what their work looks like on the screen. This was helpful, as they made some great changes after seeing what things looked like on paper. I still have questions about using doctopus, because I think it would make things easier on me from a logistical point of view.

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  8. I have used the editing tools that we had for one of our assignments. My students were writing Life Event paragraphs and I took them through the planning and editing process. We really focused on highlighting the first word in every sentence and using the research tool to find synonyms. We have really focused on using descriptive words in our writing, so that tool has been great! I really love how I can see their original word off to the side. I also enjoy having those conversations about why a synonym doesn’t always fit… I love seeing the kids thinking through their sentences for meaning. When students finished the editing process they were able to publish their final Life Event on Glogster. We need to move on to a larger writing piece next… we have a lot of students who struggle with writing in our core. Sometimes I struggle with what writing trait I need to focus on as they have significant deficits in each area. I would love to see what other teachers are doing on a writing project from start to finish :)

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  9. I have been using the comment sections, and devised a system for kids to change their grammar if I highlighted in yellow, change their punctuation if I highlighted in red, and capitalize if I highlighted in green. I need to figure out how to keep them writing instead of having them line up at my desk waiting for me. It is overwhelming me!

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  10. What have you used? gradual release
    What are you planning on using in the future? blog
    What do you have questions about? getting everything slowly but surely
    What ways are you supporting writing with technology? by using google doc for all writing assignments
    How have the first 2 months of school looked like in your classroom.
    Have you tried anything new?

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  11. My teammate and I are currently using Skype in our classrooms to offer professional development in real time.

    No matter what collaborative team that I’ve participated with in the past, there always seems to be one person who is light years ahead of where I am professionally. They’ve completed more research, read the newest book or taught more years than I have.

    What I finally figured out was that I could benefit from their knowledge by leveraging Skype to my advantage.

    In the past I had taken part in lesson studies, but the time commitment and scheduling with other teachers at different grade levels was problematic. An absence for an entire day was hard to justify when we have high-stakes testing on the horizon!

    As a result, my teammate and I decided that my class would watch her teach the lesson live to her students in her class while my students stayed in my room. I then could observe her modeling of instructional proficiency in real time, then confer about the lesson during our common planning time.

    This system is proving to be more efficient both in time and effort, so we’ll see if this continues to work as the year progresses.

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  12. March 28, 2015

    What have I used in the classroom? My third graders have learned to log in efficiently. During our unit on Persuasive Writing, they made a copy of an IW template and used that template in planning their persuasive speeches. They then drafted, revised, and edited their speeches online.

    What are you planning on using in the future? My plan is to continue to use the Inspired Writing website as a resource for our units of writing. I am also planning to use the resources available (Venn diagrams, Cause/Effect diagrams) as students respond to their reading.

    Questions? I find the ability to leave comments on my 3rd grade student’s work extremely useful, and they have been responsive to these comments. I’m interested in how other teachers conduct formative assessments in writing online. I also am interested in any success stories in supporting our students with keyboarding skills.

    Ways to support writing with technology? Since our third grade classrooms each received a computer cart of EEEs, it’s been much easier to support writing with technology. Overall my students are more responsive to revising and editing their writing using technology.

    Tried anything new? I’ve tried many things that are new this year. My biggest (and most rewarding) challenges have been using technology to support the entire writing process and setting up a class website to communicate with my students and parents.

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  14. I used Padlet in the classroom. After reading an article in a Scholastic magazine on manners, we discussed and explored the opinions on having good manners. Then I had each of the 3rd graders use a Chrome book to post their opinion on our class padlet. I installed it on my website and actually had all 92 3rd graders respond. We only have 5 Chrome books so it took us a little while to share computers and get posted.
    What I like about Padlet is they don't need to sign in to use it. They can just click on the board and write a sticky note. On the other hand, they don't have to sign in like Blogger so I had a few sticky notes with random numbers and letters instead of a thoughtful response. We also didn't know if we would all fit on the board. Once we saw that it was pretty limitless, I encouraged the kids to scroll down or to the side to find a blank space to click in and write on their sticky note. I also like that it is easily accessed on my website at any time and it is easy to add in more padlets.

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  15. As the first couple of months of school have gone by, I'm feeling better and better about myself with regards to technology and using it in the classroom. Although we don't have 1-1 technology with our third graders (currently we have 95 students sharing a cart of EEEs and around 8 Chrome Books) at least we're getting students on technology pretty much daily. We have set up Google Doc writing folders for all students, and they have used them to draft their narrative pieces. The students are obviously thrilled about using the EEEs and/or Chrome Books, and definitely seem more engaged.

    I find the nicest part of having the students share their drafts with me is that I'm able to give immediate feeback to students along the way in the writing process even though I might not have been able to meet to conference with them 1-1 in the classroom. The ability to use Google Docs comments/suggested changes is that it allows me to connect with more writers on a daily/weekly basis, which has been invaluable with this large group of third graders this year. The students love to receive comments too!

    We've also been using Writing Partners in the classroom as we partner with students from Twain. Although the kids LOVE to receive and write back to partners, it really hasn't worked as well as I would've liked. I'm thinking this is due, again, to the lack of 1-1 technology both at our school, but also for Twain as well. The timing doesn't always work that well!

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  16. As the first couple of months of school have gone by, I'm feeling better and better about myself with regards to technology and using it in the classroom. Although we don't have 1-1 technology with our third graders (currently we have 95 students sharing a cart of EEEs and around 8 Chrome Books) at least we're getting students on technology pretty much daily. We have set up Google Doc writing folders for all students, and they have used them to draft their narrative pieces. The students are obviously thrilled about using the EEEs and/or Chrome Books, and definitely seem more engaged.

    I find the nicest part of having the students share their drafts with me is that I'm able to give immediate feeback to students along the way in the writing process even though I might not have been able to meet to conference with them 1-1 in the classroom. The ability to use Google Docs comments/suggested changes is that it allows me to connect with more writers on a daily/weekly basis, which has been invaluable with this large group of third graders this year. The students love to receive comments too!

    We've also been using Writing Partners in the classroom as we partner with students from Twain. Although the kids LOVE to receive and write back to partners, it really hasn't worked as well as I would've liked. I'm thinking this is due, again, to the lack of 1-1 technology both at our school, but also for Twain as well. The timing doesn't always work that well!

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  17. Oh my heck, since the beginning of the school year my use to technology in the classroom has increased tenfold! I first started out with the basics and most of all publishing. Then, I started incorporating graphic organizers, templets, google classroom, discovery education, and more! Lastly, my editing/conferring with students has evolved from comments to videos, allowing me to be more specific and being able to differentiate for all my students!

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