tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58183105759141012702024-03-10T15:46:21.197+13:00Chelsea's Digital Learning JourneyI'm Chelsea Donaldson and I am a fifth-year teacher. I teach in a digital 1:1 learning environment and am passionate about using technology to engage and extend my learners. I'm all about making my lessons
engaging and fun, and creating a safe, inclusive and happy
classroom. This year I am teaching an awesome class of year 5 & 6 learners at Glen Innes School, and documenting my learning along the way.
I've previously taught year 7 & 8 students.Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-25149074177138795392019-02-04T08:08:00.000+13:002019-02-16T15:08:24.016+13:00Team Building: Creating a safe, fun and inclusive classroom environment<div style="text-align: left;">
Team building activities are an essential for the beginning of the year, especially with upper-primary/intermediate students. It is a chance for students to make connections, collaborate and realise their potential as confident and capable members of the classroom. Every year I use the same words when beginning this fun team building unit - safe, inclusive and fun. I strongly believe that if a classroom is safe, inclusive and fun, then learning and achievement will come naturally. A happy student is a student who will feel ready and motivated to learn!</div>
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This year I have brought in some old favourites, and introduced some new team building activities. Here are my favourites:<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
People Bingo!</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHI7P0KsXAk8rpr_aGgrMcqoA-MINSymBhBSWOYZC5hjy3wfGn_ZuQMB483Kb1kst8IOqyiQxgzGa_8iiwN9G4_QggplcEacR6cFHsAp7QoDJ1F7ocaBAAyFxT4PQiwa1UjheEsA2smHQ/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHI7P0KsXAk8rpr_aGgrMcqoA-MINSymBhBSWOYZC5hjy3wfGn_ZuQMB483Kb1kst8IOqyiQxgzGa_8iiwN9G4_QggplcEacR6cFHsAp7QoDJ1F7ocaBAAyFxT4PQiwa1UjheEsA2smHQ/s320/1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mzVSKyHUa6ADrTeIllOF6zivjkOcHShKErJS1zJFSsO6AnqqxlVJ-v6vZyR4XQDD_DwaHJp6s1x3bvLY6SCe_nrUAdSH3HgLngso2YzuxKrBWCutf05592oYuIIxO7O4KAmJJNVfjvQ/s1600/Untitled+drawing+%252812%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="515" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mzVSKyHUa6ADrTeIllOF6zivjkOcHShKErJS1zJFSsO6AnqqxlVJ-v6vZyR4XQDD_DwaHJp6s1x3bvLY6SCe_nrUAdSH3HgLngso2YzuxKrBWCutf05592oYuIIxO7O4KAmJJNVfjvQ/s320/Untitled+drawing+%252812%2529.png" width="301" /></a></div>
Since I had a feeling my students would need a little push to interact with each other, I decided to use a ice breaker activity that would <i>literally force</i> them to <b>talk to everyone on day one</b>. I created a 5 x 5 grid and came up with a bunch of statements about students likes, dislikes and hobbies. I purposely used a 5 x 5 grid so students would practically speak to everyone (there are 27 students in my classroom).<br />
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<b>Instructions: </b>Students need to roam around the room and find someone who matched the statement. Their challenge was to dill their entire grid, and only have a persons name <b>once</b>.<br />
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<b>Duration</b>: 10 - 15 minutes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPqCG-0pm_KnWdqPDN9nXmvOP_c6vUI32ISFNpYuP4KX2yNE8cz9j5i3BawetBTtZUhsDObyu7A5Frq194ywc5QbHkkyllBG8tfQpbmVxVVR2aVyuj308TG4Ea6JcQ63YF-ryL6cBCcs/s1600/IMG_3253+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPqCG-0pm_KnWdqPDN9nXmvOP_c6vUI32ISFNpYuP4KX2yNE8cz9j5i3BawetBTtZUhsDObyu7A5Frq194ywc5QbHkkyllBG8tfQpbmVxVVR2aVyuj308TG4Ea6JcQ63YF-ryL6cBCcs/s320/IMG_3253+3.JPG" width="320" /></a><b><br /></b><br />
<b><br /></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNOfFdxYli-kkM0eRMoFmMSgy7syJb5TI1FiWpEvtbWSrxprcCN1CvMNs0GU29bNZ9jNjxjgWZQA_U8eY-duXWuwXyDF84rmEdQYW8f2QOqQ0WYGMDlUoYABvL8d-nvhuaHVkHo-RtB0/s1600/IMG_6128+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNOfFdxYli-kkM0eRMoFmMSgy7syJb5TI1FiWpEvtbWSrxprcCN1CvMNs0GU29bNZ9jNjxjgWZQA_U8eY-duXWuwXyDF84rmEdQYW8f2QOqQ0WYGMDlUoYABvL8d-nvhuaHVkHo-RtB0/s320/IMG_6128+2.JPG" width="320" /></a><b>Adaptations: </b>this activity usually calls for students getting 5 names in a row, however I wanted to force them to speak to all of their new classmates. Also, because I knew some would be shy, I allowed them to choose between working with a peer or by themselves. This really helped my introverted students, as having a buddy gave them more confidence to approach their new classmates.<br />
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<b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b><b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b><b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b><b style="text-align: center;">The verdict</b><span style="text-align: center;">: Students started off pretty quiet, so I had to be patient with this one. After about 3-5 minutes, students had already asked their 'friends' to fill in their sheet, so they </span><b style="text-align: center;">had</b><span style="text-align: center;"> to start asking people they didn't know. About 10 minutes in the class was buzzing with movement, chatter and giggles. If you have patience and keep encouraging your students (and hyping them up!) to take risks and speak to everyone,</span><b style="text-align: center;"> this is great for to use for your very first ice breaker</b><span style="text-align: center;">.</span><br />
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<b>Build it from memory</b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSni-2pRZsm8u2hwnSnLWqIoUDDpgM2176a5yrDdHcOsxJ3jt8OdJLv6vEi1rpfmypbHPeMWjNJ5su1NCJfuy15OjHXAxJoL2cmwK6j-C0-SnI5TUrjHt3iVsMH41r-t09-h7VRvP1XbY/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSni-2pRZsm8u2hwnSnLWqIoUDDpgM2176a5yrDdHcOsxJ3jt8OdJLv6vEi1rpfmypbHPeMWjNJ5su1NCJfuy15OjHXAxJoL2cmwK6j-C0-SnI5TUrjHt3iVsMH41r-t09-h7VRvP1XbY/s320/2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWcG859QfMUvzEcPjcbYhzhdMuKZVXkpxOsINnFOLMCrIPwtZc5qbbz_iVFRY-j8aDzy3Vz_tD8VSHkqu0MjdLC49l5QjWvGeUhFtufYkTAOD81CZELLCcIOMDXUKvReRKtn1I5FxhoQ/s1600/Untitled+drawing+%252813%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="483" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWcG859QfMUvzEcPjcbYhzhdMuKZVXkpxOsINnFOLMCrIPwtZc5qbbz_iVFRY-j8aDzy3Vz_tD8VSHkqu0MjdLC49l5QjWvGeUhFtufYkTAOD81CZELLCcIOMDXUKvReRKtn1I5FxhoQ/s200/Untitled+drawing+%252813%2529.png" width="191" /></a>Create a structure (or series of structures like I did), and place it somewhere that the students can't see from their workspaces. In groups of 4, students have to work together to recreate the structure, <b>making it exactly the same as the example.</b> </div>
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<b>Instructions:</b> One at a time, a student may look at the example structure for 5 seconds. The catch is, if they are the one that has looked, <b>they cannot touch their blocks</b>. Students will have to use their memory and communication skills. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSo6LcgLKBSx_gTSBQeI-VFlYXnvrdZxZUzKEqIsRADt65rHGHmQEp2HmSvWH3F5EBrzaOCQP_RHA-0YVWoal-XN0XXz4uEsNOBKaHrUvAv5ZMsb39Iph3jeeB4TmIwziBSld_AJNuTFU/s1600/IMG_8351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSo6LcgLKBSx_gTSBQeI-VFlYXnvrdZxZUzKEqIsRADt65rHGHmQEp2HmSvWH3F5EBrzaOCQP_RHA-0YVWoal-XN0XXz4uEsNOBKaHrUvAv5ZMsb39Iph3jeeB4TmIwziBSld_AJNuTFU/s320/IMG_8351.JPG" width="320" /></a><b></b><br />
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<b>Duration</b>: Around 15-30 minutes, depending on your students and the types of degree of difficulty of the structures. For my class, this took just over 20 minutes for three groups to finish.</div>
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<b>Adaptations: </b></div>
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To make it easier:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGf4hPo3hiDW41Kz9XmiqvO1XC1VkMZehYkwXX1cLqVDa7nRiWa9fFWrQkWwT8EJwjdteLKwztxeo_u_WhUOF3GjfhT58VvSO8jNKnnpiB8Vr_zR9wqLHUUD2vf9fIoQ-7vK7QVc9dKNE/s1600/IMG_0846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGf4hPo3hiDW41Kz9XmiqvO1XC1VkMZehYkwXX1cLqVDa7nRiWa9fFWrQkWwT8EJwjdteLKwztxeo_u_WhUOF3GjfhT58VvSO8jNKnnpiB8Vr_zR9wqLHUUD2vf9fIoQ-7vK7QVc9dKNE/s320/IMG_0846.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<li>Allow students to look for 10 seconds</li>
<li>Be more flexible about the choice of colours of the blocks.</li>
<li>Have less structures, or more simplistic ones.</li>
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To make it harder:</div>
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<li>Add additional blocks to their piles so students are not sure which ones are needed and which are surplus.</li>
<li>Set a time limit to add more pressure.</li>
<li>Make structures more complicated and involve more pieces (I was restricted by the number of blocks I had).</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXGFQcJX9BWMn0PBHZVL2zg7kFtiC97lDm5S3YMIFb4uOkcFaph15NAWV3OXRsCWyaXB34MmxvmEfTWiUclVjvqPbo9jvqGD7vAy1izx5AiKLOFJIn_8cMJDUINRW87rUV5VXwKY1qc4/s1600/IMG_4134+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXGFQcJX9BWMn0PBHZVL2zg7kFtiC97lDm5S3YMIFb4uOkcFaph15NAWV3OXRsCWyaXB34MmxvmEfTWiUclVjvqPbo9jvqGD7vAy1izx5AiKLOFJIn_8cMJDUINRW87rUV5VXwKY1qc4/s320/IMG_4134+2.JPG" width="320" /></a><b></b><br />
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<b>The verdict:</b> this activity was <b>so much fun!</b> it was great to see students using their communication skills with their teammates, and coming up with strategies to make their structures the fastest. This activity does require a lot of teacher preparation, as you need to make sure that each student has the same exact blocks to work with.<br />
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Can you draw it?</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCj2_h4Ig6-vTLpYgrXm1Fp2x90QBqoTkgas-sqJE2pWsxjho-jrlKk2k2RH0ZaUG5PL1vEBPzTTllLaU1fWp8VkMYLqn7RXSdk4DEc9ox_l-np7w_O55kzVrmrPlSL6aeRTX2e20GJ4/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCj2_h4Ig6-vTLpYgrXm1Fp2x90QBqoTkgas-sqJE2pWsxjho-jrlKk2k2RH0ZaUG5PL1vEBPzTTllLaU1fWp8VkMYLqn7RXSdk4DEc9ox_l-np7w_O55kzVrmrPlSL6aeRTX2e20GJ4/s320/3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is activity is a class favourite! You will need to find a simple drawing for your class to recreate. Each group (4 students only) will have a print out of the drawing, their own A3 paper and a felt pen with four strings attached.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3X3y2lQFHc9nzAyYIo6xDfB8YR4TIOf09_orDnWD1mSqXLQbdE5NodzZ8DBI-L6YaJ686sUrgmt-71-rLI3apvOMtFxzTIAYsrJ6kTvUjvH3ibuh70pQYmcBDs26RuB4IFHZcM6PNSqY/s1600/IMG_2159+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3X3y2lQFHc9nzAyYIo6xDfB8YR4TIOf09_orDnWD1mSqXLQbdE5NodzZ8DBI-L6YaJ686sUrgmt-71-rLI3apvOMtFxzTIAYsrJ6kTvUjvH3ibuh70pQYmcBDs26RuB4IFHZcM6PNSqY/s320/IMG_2159+2.JPG" width="320" /></a><b>Instructions</b>: Each student must be holding onto the string. They need to communicate and work as a team to complete their drawing. They are not allowed to touch the felt, and all four students must be taking part and holding onto a piece of string.<br />
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<b>Duration</b>: depending on your students and the drawing you choose for them, it could take between 5-10 minutes. This a quick but super fun lesson! You could draw it out for longer by stopping part way through and having a discussion about why some groups are more successful than others.<br />
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<b>Adaptations:</b><br />
To make it easier:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mz_CkjAURkX60I_Dy2ajZribbvsH63dvmNtLW6CwaF-eQbAY0g6eAnAHdM5sVFH-STbq5k1JjLhLBFKNtDQfSQBG2w9g82G082MqjbnACMhFqwC2VPJ71kAoaxTr4S-YQmyh79gZmr8/s1600/IMG_6083+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mz_CkjAURkX60I_Dy2ajZribbvsH63dvmNtLW6CwaF-eQbAY0g6eAnAHdM5sVFH-STbq5k1JjLhLBFKNtDQfSQBG2w9g82G082MqjbnACMhFqwC2VPJ71kAoaxTr4S-YQmyh79gZmr8/s320/IMG_6083+2.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<li>Securely tie the strings to the felt pen (I didn't do this because I wanted the students to problem solve and work collaboratively, as if one student pulled up too fast then the string would come off).</li>
<li>Get them to write TEAM or TEAMWORK instead.</li>
<li>Choose a very simple drawing</li>
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To make it harder:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpJh1ACggOjpkBGRUxVCe4fcY5X0D-NTszXkct6ajclbqXDieMgnTg69mm4ouEkRiyDlBINWpFV5Kdx005bHkE0P18rW2QKn8G-eeJYW6Z1UpI3Wdjh3ACu7ZdACTn44WOQhtI7GncrA/s1600/IMG_9189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpJh1ACggOjpkBGRUxVCe4fcY5X0D-NTszXkct6ajclbqXDieMgnTg69mm4ouEkRiyDlBINWpFV5Kdx005bHkE0P18rW2QKn8G-eeJYW6Z1UpI3Wdjh3ACu7ZdACTn44WOQhtI7GncrA/s320/IMG_9189.JPG" width="320" /></a>
<li>Don't give students any guidance or tips.</li>
<li>Give your students the tools and ask them to figure out how to assemble the strings so they are controlling the felt pen but not touching it.</li>
<li>Have a complicated and detailed drawing</li>
</ul>
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<b>The verdict:</b><br />
This activity is always a hit with students. There is a lot of laughter during this activity, as it is really tricky to draw as a team. <i>Can You Draw It </i>helps students to work on their communication skills, problem solving, their patience and co-operation as it is vital that all students take part, listen to each other and work as a team<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGbsXhF8oTa91sAjfYm2o37ZJdhtjN6Qn0C7VW_6CZ_1-XJ_dLcTmjtVe7ruLh9Zu5aby6lSz9KE9myf84g1wD7q24OQRGjkjWf6Mswg9V_Gt8xUCwd59sMiqO9axbmAoklXSaymJl2A/s1600/IMG_8192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGbsXhF8oTa91sAjfYm2o37ZJdhtjN6Qn0C7VW_6CZ_1-XJ_dLcTmjtVe7ruLh9Zu5aby6lSz9KE9myf84g1wD7q24OQRGjkjWf6Mswg9V_Gt8xUCwd59sMiqO9axbmAoklXSaymJl2A/s320/IMG_8192.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Minefield</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSUXxWYlX-1DzgDHKG308U2P6fvdZ-gioERXRI8ftSrBBJGTYzDNtnA-qx00Dixjhqy8MhdRwJMYBpIbQLbjXw291ofA_nyGDiEWrIU8o-DbFnlNsxaz3Pwm5HrsVwxu9Gyx5kMD87Dw/s1600/4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSUXxWYlX-1DzgDHKG308U2P6fvdZ-gioERXRI8ftSrBBJGTYzDNtnA-qx00Dixjhqy8MhdRwJMYBpIbQLbjXw291ofA_nyGDiEWrIU8o-DbFnlNsxaz3Pwm5HrsVwxu9Gyx5kMD87Dw/s320/4.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another classic team building activity. You will need a large playing space (indoors and outdoors works fine!) some obstacles for students to avoid and some blindfolds. It can also be useful to have a minefield for each group so that more students can be involved, and to add a bit of friendly competition!</div>
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<b>Instructions:</b> Students get into small groups and wait at the start of their minefield. One at a time, a blindfolded student will attempt to make their way through the minefield. Their team members will need to give clear, simple and careful instructions!</div>
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<b>Duration:</b> between 10-20 minutes.</div>
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<b>Adaptations</b><b style="text-align: center;">:</b></div>
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To make it easier:</div>
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<li>Space out your 'mines'</li>
<li>Have less 'mines'</li>
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To make it harder</div>
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<li>Have tarpaulins (or something similar) to crawl under.</li>
<li>Set a time limit to add more pressure.</li>
<li>Add lots of 'mines'</li>
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<b>The verdict</b>: this activity is great for building students communication skills and trust. This is heaps of fun and is a good way for students to take risks and trust their classmates. My students also enjoy making it into a little competition with the other groups.<br />
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Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-42700730936876908162019-02-02T13:34:00.001+13:002019-02-02T13:50:24.109+13:00Start of the year: teaching values to set your expectations for the year<div style="text-align: left;">
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In my opinion, there are two crucial things to begin the school year with - t<b>eam building activities</b> and <b>values</b>. It is these two things that help students to settle into their new classroom, establish connections with their peers and understand the expectations.</div>
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Beginning the year with values (either school or the Key Competencies in NZ) is absolutely imperative for a number of reasons...</div>
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<ol>
<li><b>It sets up expectations</b> for how you want your students to work and behave for the year.</li>
<li>It will be useful when creating your <b>class contract </b>or<b> treaty</b>.</li>
<li>It can be used to create a <b>meaningful wall display.</b> It is something that the students would have had an active role in creating, which can be used as a point of reference and a constant reminder of the values and expected behaviour your the classroom.</li>
<li>Is a great way for students to start learning how to work <b>collaboratively</b>.</li>
</ol>
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This year at Glen Innes School, we have introduced our brand new school values. They are Responsibility, Effort, Ako, Commitment and Honesty... aka REACH. Since it was our first year with school values, it was super important that students made a connection to them. I expect my students to become role models to the rest of the school in showing the REACH values. Here is how I have taught them to my classroom.</div>
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Bus stop rotation</h2>
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<b>The purpose:</b> This activity helped students to recognise what they already knew about each of the school values - aka their prior knowledge. It is also a great way to maintain enthusiasm and energy, as students are at each station for a short period of time, and have to get up and move to each station.</div>
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<b>Preparation</b><span style="text-align: center;">: I created a <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i1Bk7U7S1P8MQkmINfA9HTuTDNgNMcQyodhm1jNseqM/edit" target="_blank">Google Doc</a> which I printed out as a3 and double sided. For each REACH value, there were four sections: What is it? Definition in a sentence, What would happen if we did use <i>(value)</i>? and What would happen if we did not use <i> (value)</i>? Each 'value' is stationed at a specific group of desks.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDr_tKo_8daaQ4x1q9nLyN7MPJGet_28iDOvv0irTZTeWR3WPktQLzKBWFmYn1VvW_8ElKv0BxZUVvXDxPoh-9lpel8I5qgQ-e_TV9c333ULla3oIHzN0NRt0KGACBtdBgbMY4lrghuGk/s1600/Untitled+drawing+%252814%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="755" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDr_tKo_8daaQ4x1q9nLyN7MPJGet_28iDOvv0irTZTeWR3WPktQLzKBWFmYn1VvW_8ElKv0BxZUVvXDxPoh-9lpel8I5qgQ-e_TV9c333ULla3oIHzN0NRt0KGACBtdBgbMY4lrghuGk/s400/Untitled+drawing+%252814%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Bus Stop' activity in action</td></tr>
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<b>Instructions</b><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<ol>
<li>Students get into groups and begin at a specific 'station', where a large sheet of paper and some questions/prompts on it (or just one question/prompt if you want). </li>
<li>Students work collaboratively to record their responses to the first question. </li>
<li>After about 3-4 minutes, students get up and move to the next 'station'. </li>
<li>Then, students read what the previous group has written, and adds their own ideas to the first question. If they feel they can, they move to the second question on their new sheet. </li>
<li>This cycle continues until the teacher feels the students all have shared enough ideas and they have a good understanding of the topic.</li>
<li>Then come together as a classroom to have a conversation about what they can remember about each value.</li>
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Class discussion of the values </h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students' suggestions of values</td></tr>
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Since it was the first time using these class values, we also had a discussion about their general thoughts on each value, as well as values that they felt were also really important. It was interesting that some students felt like commitment was not that important, as it could be tied into responsibility and effort. Students also spoke about Attitude, Respect, Perseverance and Courage. I was very proud of my students for being able to think critically and come up with additional values that could be used in our classroom. As a side note, students will soon come up with a response to the values and propose the addition of Courage into our school values (which I think is awesome!).</div>
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What does each value 'look' like?</h2>
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After the bus stop activity, the class came together to think about how we could show our school values in the classroom. Students had to share their ideas on a collaborative Padlet, which was displayed on our Activboard. For this task, I let students work in peers. I explained that students would need these ideas for the next task.<br />
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<div class="padlet-embed" style="background: rgb(244, 244, 244); border-radius: 2px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); box-sizing: border-box; overflow: hidden; position: relative; width: 653px;">
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<iframe allow="camera;microphone;geolocation" frameborder="0" src="https://padlet.com/embed/7vlzunql67k0" style="display: block; height: 608px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 651px;"></iframe></div>
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<a href="https://padlet.com/?ref=embed" style="border: none; display: block; height: 16px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank"><img alt="Made with Padlet" height="16" src="https://resources.padletcdn.com/assets/made_with_padlet.png" style="background: none; border: none; box-shadow: none; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="86" /></a></div>
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Walking the walk</h2>
Next, in groups of around 6, students were tasked with staging photographs which showed the students using each value. I also told them that they could edit them with speech and thought bubbles to make each value clear.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5K4lllRLIxE5cjEch6Vn18j0x8yGdV-95FqG_qLgV4xv2s_Frw9n-M72_uAH85tFWsRfBIYHiXCbN3sZOL60iQq26LfTqmLW7-xWsvI5q4I2ogBJeEc-2Dm92si0Jeg9nMlqZUnDm8l0/s1600/Untitled+drawing+%252815%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="950" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5K4lllRLIxE5cjEch6Vn18j0x8yGdV-95FqG_qLgV4xv2s_Frw9n-M72_uAH85tFWsRfBIYHiXCbN3sZOL60iQq26LfTqmLW7-xWsvI5q4I2ogBJeEc-2Dm92si0Jeg9nMlqZUnDm8l0/s400/Untitled+drawing+%252815%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my students photos to show our school values</td></tr>
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Creating a DLO </h2>
A DLO (Digital Learning Object) is Manaiakalani speak for 'creating something to show what you have learnt'. Since a lot of students haven't done this before, the school values lessons are a great way to introduce DLOs. Students work in groups of 3 to create a DLO that explains their understanding of the school values. For each value, students MUST<br />
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<ul>
<li>Have <b>their own</b> explanation of the value (use the bus stop activity and Padlet to help them)</li>
<li>Include a their <b>photo</b> that shows the value in action (they can add in thought or speech bubbles to make the value more explicit)</li>
<li>Explanation of <b>why the value is important.</b></li>
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<b>Quick plenary</b></h2>
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As a second form of the 'bus stop' activity, students share what each value means. For this activity, cut up coloured paper (a different colour for each value) into strips. Again, I created stations for each of the values, and included a new value - courage, to the task. Students had to write their ideas in big letters so that it could be easily seen on the wall. </div>
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This task is great because it serves as a plenary AND you can use it for your wall display, saving you from writing or typing them out yourself. Also, having the students write their ideas themselves makes the wall display more purposeful and meaningful.</div>
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Make it a wall display</h3>
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Make some lettering, print out the photos and staple everything onto your wall. And there you have it, your first, purposeful and student-created wall display!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our values wall display. Next to it is our class jobs and class dojo rewards and consequences (we came up with this as a class). Underneath those will be our class contract.</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
What's next?</h3>
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Now you can use your lessons and wall display to help create your class contract or treaty. You can also refer back to your wall display to reinforce expectations in your classroom.</div>
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Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-77807488595486898752019-02-01T18:41:00.000+13:002019-02-02T13:29:36.951+13:00Back to School 2019<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Same room, <i>very</i> different students!</h3>
Week one 2019 is already done and dusted! This year will be an interesting one as my classroom is <b>very different</b> from last year. They appear a lot calmer and reserved. Last year I had <b>a lot </b>of super extroverted, bold and confident year 8s who immediately were established as the 'leaders' and big personalities of the classroom. In turn, the class fed off the energy, and the classroom was pretty lively from the get go. In stark contrast, this year my year 8s are a lot more laid back but quietly confident, and most of my year 7s are pretty timid.<br />
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My mission</h3>
My mission this term is to help my students to break out of their shells (especially the year 7s), and to help them to feel safe, included and happy in room six. I also want to help the year 8s realise their potential to be fantastic leaders.<br />
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How will I do this? With activities in the first 3 weeks that encourage students to make connections, take risks, collaborate and have fun together! Stay tuned to find out more about my team building activities and lessons about our school values.<br />
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So far I am absolutely loving my new classroom. I am looking forward to getting to know my new students and helping the class to be the best class they can be!<br />
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Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-76710242462080805882018-02-12T18:27:00.003+13:002018-02-12T18:27:44.420+13:00Reaching milestonesTwo crazy years of being a beginning teacher, MDTA teacher and part time student has paid off! Last week I was ecstatic to open an email informing me that I am officially a registered teacher! If that wasn't enough great news in one week, I also received an A- for my dissertation on integrated reading and writing instruction. I am super stoked with this result, as I put a lot of effort into setting up the intervention in my classroom, gathering data and drawing conclusions.<br />
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I am looking forward to continuing to challenge myself by sharing my practise through Manaiakalani Google Class OnAir. The site is going live tomorrow and I am really looking forward to putting myself out there and sharing what I do. Here is a sneak peak at my little introduction video which will be on my Class OnAir page. Sorry it is not the best quality and location for filming, I had to film on my laptop and it was too rainy to shoot outside! I hope my video will help viewers get an idea of my personality and beliefs about teaching, as I feel that they heavily influence the way I teach and the lessons I create for my learners. </div>
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I am glad to have my beginning teacher years behind me. Now it is time to refine my teaching and ensure I am doing the best for my learners. I think that Class OnAir will help motivate me to continue to push myself and get my learners to think critically. <br />
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Onwards and upwards!Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-82893018573581511482018-02-03T19:31:00.000+13:002018-02-06T17:23:41.559+13:00Why "don't smile till Easter" is the worst piece of advice for a beginning teacher<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-N0IofLXIRJ-3LhYfZP8Zk23brmxd9qeKJ9ejmJTZhBoMXmRawkXboBrTDdjxfFB-jGlGG9MhA-APsSY_-B74QQkZeYACsxGaqeVHwLQ73XGrXca0zuXhu3V-7-GOq5fIPktMVa9cfM/s1600/images.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-N0IofLXIRJ-3LhYfZP8Zk23brmxd9qeKJ9ejmJTZhBoMXmRawkXboBrTDdjxfFB-jGlGG9MhA-APsSY_-B74QQkZeYACsxGaqeVHwLQ73XGrXca0zuXhu3V-7-GOq5fIPktMVa9cfM/s1600/images.png" /></a><br />
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I am sure that every beginning teacher has heard it before. <i>Don't smile till Easter. </i>No smiling means that you mean business. It demands instant respect with a hint of fear. If you appear too human and friendly, it will be way too difficult to manage your students come term two...<br />
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While I can <i>see</i> the reasoning behind the mantra, I think it is a terrible piece of advice. It implies that being friendly and smiling is a weakness, and will ultimately lead to an unruly classroom. This is totally untrue.<br />
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Clear expectations and routines must be put in place from day one. <b>However</b>, it does not need to be done in an inhuman manner. Teachers should firstly think about the type of learning environment they want to create. Want it to be quiet, serious and teacher centered? Then don't smile. Want it to be inclusive, positive and safe? Then smile!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvkacPLhmIvgP0YUqhcNoTmD7jvQn4ZCIurpKRBZ1J13-XDJEZq0iC7h5B4Q_b_H7DgmTS9lZY1ZlgrlrwSklrJgN0owCl53SpyN1vdcGAOlKEuWp4GxdoeIoVBSLbTw2DkvWLV6HyT8/s1600/images+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvkacPLhmIvgP0YUqhcNoTmD7jvQn4ZCIurpKRBZ1J13-XDJEZq0iC7h5B4Q_b_H7DgmTS9lZY1ZlgrlrwSklrJgN0owCl53SpyN1vdcGAOlKEuWp4GxdoeIoVBSLbTw2DkvWLV6HyT8/s1600/images+%25281%2529.png" /></a></div>
If you want to create a safe, inclusive and positive classroom environment, then ask yourself this: <b>how does a unsmiling teacher help this?</b> How will students feel safe to take risks, share ideas and be a part of the learning community if you are demonstrating one of very things that you wouldn't want in my classroom? Is an unsmiling teacher <i>really</i> a good role model for how they want their class to look or feel?</div>
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If you want to create a collaborative, inclusive and positive classroom environment, then be a smiling teacher. A smile means that you are welcoming, approachable and positive. It shows that you want to be there, and that you care about your students. A smile is contagious, and exemplifies the kind of disposition you want your learners to have. Teachers have the power to set the tone of the classroom, so a smile goes a long way in helping to create a happy classroom. It helps to ease the anxieties that come with being in an unfamiliar environment with new peers. A smile does not mean that you are weak. </div>
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Start the year the way you intend it to continue</h2>
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Instead of the old "don't smile till Easter" line, here is what that I go by: <i>Start the year the way you intend it to continue</i>. Just because you are not an unsmiling teacher, doesn't mean that you do not have expectations and routines that you expect to be followed. Here are my tips for doing this while still smiling!<br />
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<b>1. Give the students ownership over how they want the classroom to run/feel.</b> Ask the learners what helps them learn, what doesn't, and what kind of classroom would they like to be a part of. When I do this, recurring themes are collaboration, friendship and inclusivity.<br />
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<b>2. Start on day one with purposeful activities.</b> Choose activities that require the types of behaviours you need to help create your positive, inclusive and safe environment.<br />
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<b>3.</b> <b>Be clear with your expectations</b>. Set clear expectations regarding behaviour during these activities and use positive reinforcement when you notice that the good behaviours are being used.<br />
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<b>4. Whenever student behaviour isn't good enough, stop</b>. Even if it is only a little disruption, or students are becoming slightly less focussed. Don't be afraid to stop the class and remind them when they are not using positive behaviours. Relate this back to the reason WHY it is important (how it will help create the classroom environment they want and help them to learn).<br />
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<b>5. SMILE. </b>Share a smile with your learners. Remember that you set the tone for your classroom and that a smile is contagious.<br />
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These steps will help students to understand your expectations as a teacher and will help to create a classroom environment that students (and teachers) will want to be a part of!<br />
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I'm going to finish this post off with a brilliant excerpt that was sent to the staff by our awesome AP.<br />
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...I have a sneaky suspicion that this kind of teacher would smile on day one!</div>
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Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-4928129883346210372018-02-01T14:11:00.002+13:002018-02-01T16:21:35.017+13:00New year, new role, new challenges!After a relaxing summer holiday I am ready to hit the ground running as a third year teacher. Heading into the year, I feel a lot more confident and relaxed. I have a much better idea of what it takes to be an effective teacher, and how to a better work/life balance. So after successfully tackling my first two years as a BT while completing my honours, I feel I am ready for some more challenges!<br />
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A change in year levels</h4>
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I have made the move to teaching year 7 and 8s - a slight change from my year 6 and 7s last year. This will bring a new challenge, as we all know that the hormones will be well and truly kicking in... bringing all sorts of lovely things into the classroom! I found that the year 6 and 7 combo worked really well last year. In my opinion, it helped make the year 6s step up and mature, while still keeping the year 7s grounded. Last year there was a noticeable difference in the attitudes and behaviour between the year 6s in room 6, compared to the other year 6s. I treated them like seniors and spoke about them being seniors - despite being year 6. As a result, they really did step up! I loved teaching year 6 and 7s last year but am excited to teach year 7 and 8s. A challenge will be making sure that I am helping the year 8s to grow into being positive role models and proud leaders of the school. The year 8s have a very strong influence on the other students in school, so it is important that the year 8s make positive and responsible choices.<br />
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I'm going OnAir!</h4>
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I also have picked up a new role, taking part in Manaiakalani Google Class OnAir. I will be recording and sharing a range of lessons which embody Manaiakalani's 'Learn, Create, Share' Pedagogy. This will offer an authentic window into what happens in my classroom and how I use LCS to engage and extend my learners. This is something that I am both nervous and excited about. My time in the Manaiakalani Digital Teacher Academy (MDTA) has really helped me grow and become at ease in a digital 1:1 environment. I have moved from solely focussing on making learning fun and engaging with the use of digital tools, to how I can extend and challenge my students thinking, and really make use of the affordances provided by digital tools. Being a part of Class OnAir will help me to ensure I am always engaging, exciting and stretching my learners.<br />
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My goals</h3>
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I have a four goals that I have set for myself which I think will help improve my teaching practice.<br />
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1. Stick to timeframes</h4>
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So often I would want to keep teaching a group or subject, even if my allocated time was up. Sometimes the class would be so engrossed in what they were doing, that I would let the lesson run for longer. While I thought this was a good thing at the time, some other subjects ended up getting less attention. This year I would like to try and keep to the timeframes so I see all groups for the same amount of time and also give enough time to every learning area.<br />
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2. Continue to integrate reading and writing</h4>
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Last year the focus for my inquiry and dissertation was to discover whether integrated instruction led to an improvement in students understanding of audience, and quality of writing. The integrated instruction led to a significant improvement in students quality of writing and students also loved the integrated activities. I intend to keep integrating the two practises this year and continue to extend student's quality of writing. Additionally, I would like to see if integrated instruction leads to any improvement in students reading ability. Further, integrated activities will mean I am killing two birds with one stone, which will help me with goal one!</div>
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3. Use 'wait time'</h4>
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This sounds so simple, but<b> pausing for a second of two is not using 'wait time'</b>. This topic came up while I was at a Teachers Matter conference held by Karen Boyes. After asking a question, Karen suggests <a href="http://www.karentuiboyes.com/2015/10/enhancing-thought-full-classroom-dialogue/" target="_blank">waiting 7-10 seconds before speaking</a>. This sounds terribly long and has made me realise that I definitely do not 'wait' long enough! Students need enough time to stop and think before they can answer a problem, and not enough time can lead to student's feeling anxious and saying 'I don't know'. However, with the use of digital tools such as Nearpod, Mentimeter and Padlet (check out my tags to find examples of how I use these tools), I find I have the opposite problem. Students start hurriedly writing responses because they like seeing their ideas on the screen, and the anonymity helps them to feel safe. I think using 'wait time' will help increase the quality and depth of student ideas.</div>
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4. Encourage more creativity</h4>
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Because I am a part of Manaiakalani, I am confident with using digital technologies to enhance the learning process within the Learn, Create, Share pedagogy. I have also worked hard to empower learners to share their learning on their blog (<a href="http://chelseadonaldson.blogspot.co.nz/2017/06/getting-kids-hyped-about-blogging-update.html" target="_blank">read here</a>). This year, I would like to encourage more creativity. I have spoken before about learners at Glen Innes being<a href="http://chelseadonaldson.blogspot.co.nz/2017/07/what-my-kids-think-about-using-digital.html" target="_blank"> unfamiliar with the creation of DLOs</a> (Digital Learning Objects). Most students are only familiar with using Google Presentations, Google Drawings, and some storyboard creators. This year, I don't want to use this as an excuse for not encouraging creativity. During the first term I will ease students into the idea of creating DLOs, but by term two I would like to encourage learners to become more creative when sharing what they have learnt.</div>
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I am looking forward to tackling the new year and continuing to become the best teacher I can be!<br />
<br />Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-32315975317893111492017-08-29T20:37:00.000+12:002017-12-08T13:21:28.434+13:00Dealing with conflict in the classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDC-OalQKQEQ_YTLrMj1oEveOzmE90Ww_-oyFyvVE9UCaBsHLYEB2yk7aKdd1bSBN_Jywft52QCQ9hQKPxyhIApZoDRFI3apbjg1WMSUoRCCZp-lyU8Q0xgM5GXFKEVjvoRx8l_two1do/s1600/conflict.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="550" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDC-OalQKQEQ_YTLrMj1oEveOzmE90Ww_-oyFyvVE9UCaBsHLYEB2yk7aKdd1bSBN_Jywft52QCQ9hQKPxyhIApZoDRFI3apbjg1WMSUoRCCZp-lyU8Q0xgM5GXFKEVjvoRx8l_two1do/s320/conflict.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This term has seen some significant changes in my classroom. Due to an almost school-wide reshuffle, my classroom lost 4 students and gained 5 more from another, younger classroom. This was something that my class really struggled to cope with. Prior to the class change-up, room six worked hard to create a close-knit classroom. Everyone was mates, and nobody wanted their mates to leave. At the same time, the new students were coming into an unfamiliar classroom environment - one which had a very close bond. This made the new students feel somewhat unwelcome and apprehensive to join their new classroom.<br />
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This term we have had to work hard to work hard to establish a new classroom culture, where both new and original room sixers feel included, safe and happy. This is an honest reflection of the realisations I have come to.<br />
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Here are some important things I have discovered when dealing with conflict in the classroom</h2>
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Getting to the bottom of problems ASAP</h3>
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As soon as I have gotten wind of a problem, I have made it my priority to deal with it straight away. Sometimes this has meant that I have had to leave the rest of the classroom whilst dealing with a small group. I think this has helped because things were not left to escalate, or become worse by others getting involved.<br />
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Two sides to every story</h3>
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This is something that we all know- but do our students? Before starting a restorative conversation, I have learnt the value of expressing this to my learners. There are two sides to every story, and there are always truths on both sides. Emphasising this fact helped my learners to understand that I was willing to listen and support both parties. As a result, situations were calmed down because both parties knew that I cared and would listen to what they had to say.<br />
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Compartmentalising problems</h3>
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I noticed that often the 'big problem' between the two parties was created from many smaller, unrelated problems. Some of these problems involved intentional unkind acts, whilst others were not. I felt that it was really important for the students to see that while there were some instances of meanness, other times it was just misinterpreted and innocent.<br />
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As a group we work through each problem in isolation. Initially this is difficult, as students will bring up other issues when trying to deal with the one problem in particular. I needed to remind the group that we would make sure we shared and solved each problem, but it was important to focus on one at a time.<br />
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Asking why</h3>
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A problem isn't solved unless you get to the root of it, and find out what caused it in the first place. Asking why helped to find out more details, understand the feelings and thoughts behind actions, and also find out how the problem began. It also helped to discover when actions were intentional or just misinterpreted. The more information you ask for, the better you understand the problem and how best to solve it.<br />
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Taking time to talk, listen and say sorry (and <i>mean it</i>)</h3>
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It turns out that one of the biggest problems we had this week was due to a fight that happened last year. There a physical altercation between two groups and it was broken up by the teachers. It turns out they were still holding onto what happened a year ago, because they never actually dealt with the problem. Instead, they were just told to apologise. This meant that body language, meaningless comments and moods were misinterpreted as angst towards the other group.<br />
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The biggest problem with this is that they never able to move forward because there was never any restorative conversation. Instead, their anger was just left to fester and become much worse. It can be easy to just make children apologise and expect them to move on. However I have seen the value of taking time to allow all learners to share their perspective of what happened, why and how it made them feel. It was much easier to give a genuine apology once they understood the thoughts and feelings behind the actions. Following that comes the joint decision of how to move forward.<br />
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Understanding learners cultures and family backgrounds</h3>
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This is probably the biggest thing I have learnt. Due to their cultural and family backgrounds, children deal with conflict in different ways. At home, some children are free to share their problems. Others are expected to 'suck it up' and never voice their problems. Some children are even punished for speaking their minds. It was pretty naive of me to think that all learners would be able to voice their issues with ease. In fact, this turned out to be a huge barrier to dealing with conflict. This had meant that small issues were left to fester, leaving all parties more upset, angry and confused.<br />
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It is really important that students know that they have permission to share what is making them angry, hurt and upset. In saying this, it is also important to acknowledge that all families deal with problems differently, and that is okay. The last thing I would want is to come across disrespectful towards my students families and cultures. While stressing this to my learners, I also explained that at school we need to be able to talk about our problems so we can solve them together and move on.<br />
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And lastly...</h3>
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Everyone always says it, but it is so crucial to know your learner. I have found that if students feel valued and cared for, they are more likely to open up and respond better to restorative conversations. The hardest students to get to talk were the new students to room six. Building rapport takes time to develop but I feel it can make such a difference.<br />
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Summing it up</h2>
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This week has been quite the challenge. I have seen how important it is to deal with problems as soon as they arise. I also have learnt that students home lives and cultures can play a huge roll in how they deal with conflict. This can make it difficult for some learners to openly express their feelings. In saying this, it is super important that students understand that they are encouraged to share what is bothering them. At first it felt personal that my learners were unwilling to share how they were feeling. But taking the time to the right ask questions allowed me to learn so much more about my learners. <br />
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<br />Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-60944249821963244262017-07-17T14:27:00.000+12:002017-10-24T16:36:18.298+13:00My inquiry: the research design of my studyAs discussed previously, my dissertation/inquiry this year is about the <a href="http://chelseadonaldson.blogspot.co.nz/2017/07/my-inquirydissertation-integrated.html" target="_blank">effect of integrated reading and writing instruction on students understanding of author's purpose</a>. It is my suspicion that if students are able to identify and articulate why authors have chosen to use specific structures and language features to communicate their purpose, then students could transfer and apply this knowledge in their own writing. Initial data gathered from writing samples and student work indicated that students did not have a strong enough understanding of the structures and features used for specific purposes.<br />
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Action Research</h2>
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My action research will gather quantitative data relating to effectiveness of an integrated reading and writing approach. As the integrated reading-writing instruction will be standard classroom practice, all students will be involved in the intervention.<br />
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After looking into the current literature and studies supporting integrated reading and writing and considering the needs of my learners, I have created an intervention. The intervention period has begun, and will continue until the end of term three. In order to determine whether the integrated instruction will make a difference, I have taken a number of measures which will allow me to compare students writing samples and awareness of author's purpose before and after the intervention. A survey containing a number of tasks was given prior to the intervention period. Writing samples were also collected. The samples were graded against a rubric, which specifically assesses whether students have deliberately chosen structures and features appropriate to their given purpose. </div>
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During the intervention period, I will have detailed lesson plans. I will also keep a diary which reflects deeply on the student's ability to identify the structure and features author's use to convey their purpose, as well as their ability to transfer this knowledge and apply it in their own writing. I will also have informal check-ins, gauge students understanding of the learning during the experiment. These will be audio recorded and transcribed.</div>
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Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-37616804585639682982017-07-17T14:23:00.000+12:002017-08-12T14:35:21.045+12:00My inquiry: integrated reading and writing instruction<div>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Does integrated reading and writing instruction affect year 6 and 7 Maori and Pasifika students understanding of author's purpose in writing?</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This year I have merged my teacher inquiry with my dissertation. I have chosen to investigate the effectiveness of integrated reading and writing instruction, with a focus on understanding the author's 'purpose' of writing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Why have I chosen this?</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have chosen this topic for the a number of reasons. Current data from my school suggests there is a need for some kind of change in the way we deliver reading and writing lessons. Also, many theoretical frameworks support the use of integrated reading and writing instruction. The theoretical framework has also led to numerous studies that have found that integrated reading and writing instruction can lead to improved outcomes for some learners (Aminzadeh & Sadat Booyeh, 2015; Cho & Brutt-Griffler, 2015; Corden, 2007; Fitzgerald & Shanahan, 2000; Griffith, 2010; Jesson, McNaughton & Parr, 2011). As the integrated reading and writing instruction is a broad topic, I chose to narrow my research and focus on author's purpose.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Underachievement in writing</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In Aotearoa, Maori and Pasifika students are underperforming in writing (Amituanai-Toloa, McNaughton, Lai & Airini, 2009). The data for students achievement in writing in my classroom mirrors the trend in New Zealand of Maori and Pasifika learners underachievement. Therefore, a change in the way writing is taught is necessary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What the literature says </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Integrated reading and writing instruction is supported by the theoretical conceptualisations about the similarities in knowledge and processes involved in reading and writing. Prior to the 1980s, reading and writing were taught independently of each other. At that time, reading was believed to be a receptive skill, and writing a productive skill (Tierney & Shanahan, 1991). In addition, developmental ‘readiness’ theories also played a role in justifying the separation of reading and writing. Educators had believed that writing was dependent on the previous attainment of reading skills (Fitzgerald & Shanahan, 2000). The receptive skill of reading was posited as being the basic, foundational skill which had to be mastered before acquiring writing skills (Shanahan, MacArthur, Graham & Fitzgerald, 2006). Educators were fearful of teaching writing prematurely, as it was thought to be was ineffective, perhaps even harmful (Fitzgerald & Shanahan, 2000). Therefore, educators would not teach writing skills until students had mastered reading skills. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">During the 1980s, the traditional theory of reading and writing as separate domains was challenged. Tierney and Pearson (1983) presented the argument that both reading and writing involves the processes creating meaning and composing texts, thus questioning the notion of reading as a passive skill. Readers create meaning through considering the author’s purpose, information in the text and their own knowledge and experiences (Lee & Schallert, 2015; Tienery & Pearson, 1983; Wittrock, 1983). Essentially, readers are composing a text in their minds in an effort to create meaning from these cues (Lee & Schallert, 2015). Writers also create meaning through using their experiences, considering their audience’s prior knowledge and experiences and what they want their readers to think or do (Tierney & Pearson, 1983; Wittrock, 1983). Therefore, readers and writers use the same cues to construct meaning and compose texts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The 1980s also marked the new understanding of shared cognitive processes involved in both discourses. There are four fundamental types of knowledge that readers and writers must use; metaknowledge, domain knowledge, knowledge about universal text formats, and procedural knowledge (Lee & Schallert, 2015). Understanding the shared knowledge between reading and writing allowed educators to better understand how an integrated reading and writing approach would strengthen students understandings in both domains.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What previous studies have shown </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Many studies have concluded that integrating reading and writing can lead to improved outcomes for learners (Aminzadeh & Sadat Booyeh, 2015; Cho & Brutt-Griffler, 2015; Corden, 2007; Fitzgerald & Shanahan, 2000; Griffith, 2010; Jesson, McNaughton & Parr, 2011). An integrated reading and writing approach allows learners to transfer their knowledge of reading strategies to enhance their writing skills. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Many studies have found integrated instruction leads to improved outcomes for ELL and tertiary students (Cho & Brutt-Griffler, 2015; Plakans, 2008; Sadat Booyeh, 2015). However, there is little action research or experimental studies that inquire into the effect the approach has on English speaking learners in primary school. Therefore, more research is needed in order to discover the impact on English speaking learners in primary school contexts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Additionally, there has been little inquiry into reading and writing integration for a low decile learners in New Zealand. In saying this, Jesson, McNaughton and Parr’s (2011) case study uncovered the elements of effective teaching of integrated reading and writing programmes. Their case study involved an in-depth, descriptive look into four teachers who had been recognised as ‘effective teachers of writing’ (Jesson et al., 2011). While the study was insightful, I believe it would be useful to have a study of an action research design, to further discover the effect of integrated reading and writing instruction. The 'intervention' period of the action research will allow me to discover whether integrated reading and writing will have an effect on my students achievement in writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Author's Purpose</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Upon examining students writing samples, I noticed that there is no evidence of deliberate use of structures and features when writing texts for a purpose. I hypothesize that strengthening students understanding of 'author's purpose', in both reading and writing, will improve their writing. It is my thinking that if a student is able to identify the structures and features authors use to communicate their purpose, then they will be able to transfer this knowledge when they are writing their own texts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Summing it up</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Given the current data on underachievement in writing, it seems a change the way that writing is taught in my classroom is necessary. Literature and current research into the effect of integrated reading and writing instruction suggest it can improve students achievement in writing. I endeavour to discover whether it will have an impact on year 6 and 7 Maori and Pasifika learners, as previous research has not been aimed at this particular demographic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">References:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Aminzadeh, R., & Booyeh, Z. S. The Comparative Effect of Reading-to-Write and Writing-Only Tasks on the Improvement of EFL Learners’ Writing Ability.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Amituanai-Toloa, M., McNaughton, S., Lai, M. K., & Airini (2009). Ua aoina le manogi o le lolo: Pasifika schooling improvement – final report. Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland UniServices Limited.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Cho, H., & Brutt-Griffler, J. (2015). Integrated reading and writing: A case of Korean English language learners. Reading in a Foreign Language, 27(2), 242.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Fitzgerald, J., & Shanahan, T. (2000). Reading and writing relations and their development. Educational Psychologist, 35(1), 39-50. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Griffith, R. R., PhD. (2010). Students learn to read like writers: A framework for teachers of writing. Reading Horizons, 50(1), 49-66. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.auckland.ac.nz/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/236477675?accountid=8424</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Jesson, R., McNaughton, S., & Parr, J. M. (2011). Drawing on intertextuality in culturally diverse classrooms: Implications for transfer of literacy knowledge. English Teaching, 10(2), 65.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Lee, J. , & Schallert, D. L. (2015). Exploring the Reading–Writing Connection: A Yearlong Classroom‐Based Experimental Study of Middle School Students Developing Literacy in a New Language. Reading Research Quarterly, 51(2), 143–164.doi:10.1002/rrq.132</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Plakans, L. (2008). Comparing composing processes in writing-only and reading-to-write test tasks. Assessing Writing, 13(2), 111-129. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.auckland.ac.nz/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/61956348?accountid=8424</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tierney, R.J., & Shanahan, T. (1991). Research on the reading–writing relationship: Interactions, transactions, and outcomes. In R.Barr, M.L.Kamil, P.Mosenthal, & P.D.Pearson (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (Vol. 2, pp. 246–280). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tierney, R. J., & Pearson, P. D. (1983). Toward a composing model of reading. Language arts, 60(5), 568-580.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Wittrock, M. C. (1983). Writing and the teaching of reading. Language Arts, 60(5), 600-606.</span></div>
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Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-54007805031974710792017-07-07T11:48:00.000+12:002017-07-07T12:04:06.591+12:00What my kids think about using digital toolsAs term two draws to a close, it has been a great opportunity to gather feedback from my students. Along with my surveys about my teaching, I also wanted to find out my classes perspective on using digital tools. This has been a massive change compared to how they had learnt in their previous classrooms. I use digital tools on a daily basis, and not just Google Apps for Education (such as Docs, Drawing, Slides). While I love teaching using digital tools, I wanted to know what my kids actually thought about it.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Digital tools vs. traditional Think-Pair-Share</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5fjFQRHFsCj34HL0nAuu8vOPxzkqDS3p1FVfvs8xBrdT85LiZLIZvHW_h4xq6O_Hw0ZeRodLxd1Bvw69tZ2KDgtlgaAuOu2Am5Jh1Vc_04CWYgJy-KrYN81k8T_0LKJnY0RUKlWpTSs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+6.51.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="520" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5fjFQRHFsCj34HL0nAuu8vOPxzkqDS3p1FVfvs8xBrdT85LiZLIZvHW_h4xq6O_Hw0ZeRodLxd1Bvw69tZ2KDgtlgaAuOu2Am5Jh1Vc_04CWYgJy-KrYN81k8T_0LKJnY0RUKlWpTSs/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+6.51.20+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have spoken previously about the affordances of digital tools, compared to the traditional and verbal Think-Pair-Share approach. I have always believed that they increase engagement and participation, as they help students to feel comfortable and willing to share their ideas. I also believe the quality of responses is higher. My own opinion on digital tools vs traditional T-P-S proved to be the same as my learners. I posed the question: <i>Do you prefer sharing ideas verbally, or with digital tools? </i>Out of the 16 students who took part in the survey, 15 said they preferred digital tools, while one student said he liked both.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is what they had to say about <i>why they prefer digital tools</i>:</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;">Because it is better</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;">Because it's easy to use and it's really fun</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">because it is faster and because half of the class don't even share there ideas verbally.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Because we can share our ideas and I like the word clouds.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Because I can see everyone answer.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">because I don't like writing on paper</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;">because it easy and a little bit fast.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Sometimes I like doing it on both.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">Because it helps us with our learning </span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">I like Nearpod because it helps us answer questions on what we learn and you get to write as many words as you can.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">because it's good for us to learn </span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">I like nearpod because it shows your Ideas on the screen.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">I like using it because we share our ideas with the whole class.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">I like mentimeter because It has lots of things and its fun.</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange;">Because you can write more sentences.</span><br />
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Creating DLOs</h2>
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As Glen Innes School is a part of the Manaiakalani cluster, our pedagogy is Learn, Create, Share. I wanted to focus on the 'create' aspect, and discover how my students <i>really</i> felt about it. After students have learnt something, they use any app they like to create a 'Digital Learning Object' (DLO). <br />
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Essentially, a DLO is something that is created by the student to show their understanding. A way that it is explained to students is that it can be used to teach somebody else. Therefore, a DLO needs to be clear and easy to understand.<br />
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Again, I used a likert scale to find out whether they liked creating DLOs for reading, writing and maths. I wasn't surprised with the responses I received:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5NwCASIU_G8JwglOcK_wy-yZS4-7DKOs6dE39HmJwV_D22ESOZ0rnw1oBrTVN4ccQ5n_UDsSKvR60aKnZKtVaypWUZBAYhybYAbIHkmHIV1wNiwH1rmquQPVJR78TuEiYNuINTHY3nQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+7.15.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="550" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5NwCASIU_G8JwglOcK_wy-yZS4-7DKOs6dE39HmJwV_D22ESOZ0rnw1oBrTVN4ccQ5n_UDsSKvR60aKnZKtVaypWUZBAYhybYAbIHkmHIV1wNiwH1rmquQPVJR78TuEiYNuINTHY3nQ/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+7.15.21+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Overall, students enjoy creating DLOs to show their learning</td></tr>
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It is pretty clear that my learners love to create DLOs about maths. My class was relatively new to the concept of creating a DLO, so I initially focussed on creating DLOs in maths. Now that they are experienced with creating DLOs for maths, my class absolutely loves it. They are always engaged, and their DLOs are becoming more detailed and articulate.</div>
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While the response towards creating DLOs for writing and reading is still mostly positive, there are students who either don't like it, or feel impartial. In an effort to boost their enthusiasm, I am working on introducing new tools for learners to use. I wonder whether their lack of exposure to creating DLOs in reading and writing has contributed to some of the students not enjoying it. I am hoping that over time the students will enjoy creating DLOs in reading and writing as much as they do in maths. </div>
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Students perspective on using digital tools</h2>
I used likert scales to determine how students felt about the commonly used digital tools in our classroom. Here are the results:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="394" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xtrQviskzMYnFGvRdV0ewoDe1HPtOiKnsSnHUk660ZU/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="600"></iframe><br />
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Class favourites</h2>
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The most common favourite digital app was Kahoot, followed by Google Apps (Docs, Drawings and Slides) and Canva. Some students chose more than one favourite, which is why there is more than 16 responses. To help make sure these really are my students favourites, next time I would list all the digital tools we have used to help learners pick a favourite. There is a possibility that the students choose these apps because they were spoken about and used in the last two weeks. </div>
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<b>Here is what they had to say about their favourite apps and why...</b><br />
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<i><span style="color: orange;">Read theory because when you are done read you can answer the questions </span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">google doc,google drawing,and more</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">Collaborative Problem solving</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">Cause it's fun playing on kahot! and plus learning from you mistake.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">kahoot because it cool</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">Kahoot, quizizz and canva</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">Quizzes because you don't have to wait for the teacher to press Next like on Kahoot. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">Canva because you can create your own posters </span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">I like kahoot because it's fun and it is also helpful</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">I like using them for work because they're easy to use.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">I like DLO because it helps us what we did for maths.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">Kahoot because we want to win so it motivates us to read the question carefully and be fast to answer it. Nearpod because I think it helps me understand that it doesn't matter if I get a question wrong, because I'm not the only one who got it wrong. Canva because I get to be creative and make inforgraphics.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">youtube and because you can play music and a movie</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">I like mentimeter because its fun </span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: orange;">Kahoot because you can play games and learning games.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Notes</b>:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">When students mentioned DLOs I counted this as GAFE because they mostly use Google Drawings and Slides to show their learning.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">I have copied and pasted the responses exactly how they were written - hence the typos and grammar issues.</span></li>
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Least favourites</h2>
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Here are my students responses to their least favourite digital tools:<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><i>ANSWERGARDEN because it doesn't let us write lots </i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Nothing</i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>nothing I like all the digital apps that we use.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Nothing</i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Socrative because it dose not have funny meme's like quizizz.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Kahoot because you have to wait for the teacher to press Next.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Answer garden because you can only use 40 letters or 20</i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Mentimeter because I don't like how it is created. </i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>none because I like them all.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>I don't have one.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>none</i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>play store because you can download games </i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Answer garden all you got to do is write the answer for the question and the words get bigger </i></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><i>Answergarden because you can only write like 40-60 letters</i></span></div>
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While the majority of students said they don't have a least favourite digital tool, the next most common response was AnswerGarden. I think this is interesting because their reasons is one of the reasons why I personally like AnswerGarden. Because of the word limit, AnswerGarden forces respondents to be succinct. This can be a challenge for students.<br />
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Summing it up</h2>
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It is great to see that the response to digital tools is mostly positive. Digital tools help to increase student engagement, as they are more willing to share ideas and collaborate on tasks. My survey has also shown that the class prefers using digital tools over traditional verbal methods of sharing and collaboration. I will continue to expose my learners to new and exciting digital tools, as I think this will help them to become more comfortable with using them.Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-52202245614440705732017-07-06T14:03:00.000+12:002017-07-07T11:46:46.711+12:00Mid-year reflection<span style="font-family: inherit;">Where has the time gone?! It is crazy to think that we are half-way through the school year. With the end of term two quickly approaching, it has been a good time to reflect on how it has been going. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I created a Google Form to gain insight into the feelings and opinions of my learners. I stressed the importance of my students taking their time and answering the questions as honestly as possible. I explained that the purpose of the survey was to see what was <b style="background-color: orange;">working well</b> in room six and <b style="background-color: orange;">what I could do better</b>. It was very important that my kids felt comfortable to be completely honest. There is always room for improvement! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The feedback I received was really heart-warming. When asked the question D<i>o you like being in room 6?</i> the students had to rate between 1 and 5 (1 being no, and 5 being yes). It was awesome to see that the general </span>consensus<span style="font-family: inherit;"> was that my students enjoyed being in the class. This question was followed by </span><i>Why do you/ do you NOT like being in room 6? </i>I did this because I wanted to know <b>why</b> my students liked or didn't like being in room 6.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZkzKBGcvdrZ3Tk8VeTvV45-fEs_6c92GZM0KZqm2Sx3grsARhbSqgO8jkWtMNBSHqoMVwERZSAID_uOkrdx2ki9v2mHYgiznpFElKKO_rEnVA21NJNDeZWrvsinf4iixNSsZ97Jv6WI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-05+at+7.07.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="405" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZkzKBGcvdrZ3Tk8VeTvV45-fEs_6c92GZM0KZqm2Sx3grsARhbSqgO8jkWtMNBSHqoMVwERZSAID_uOkrdx2ki9v2mHYgiznpFElKKO_rEnVA21NJNDeZWrvsinf4iixNSsZ97Jv6WI/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-05+at+7.07.53+PM.png" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQGmPyAxyp6XOSYSUlbXZCS9anqUTiysXrwTsS9J83w9NW_JxUwnaA_Yn7uBoCNZuVawNhH8K5NcWVBV4_bbFXeddJgae7OIefn4GpMTub_cBnmqr6w7VTMBY1VfMSDRNQrNu-nS-4pQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-05+at+7.25.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="690" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQGmPyAxyp6XOSYSUlbXZCS9anqUTiysXrwTsS9J83w9NW_JxUwnaA_Yn7uBoCNZuVawNhH8K5NcWVBV4_bbFXeddJgae7OIefn4GpMTub_cBnmqr6w7VTMBY1VfMSDRNQrNu-nS-4pQ/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-07-05+at+7.25.45+PM.png" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Here are some of their responses: </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I like being ing room 6 because we always learn new stuff everyday.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">Because it is cool and I got a cool teacher...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">I like being in room 6 because I have lots of friends and I learn more</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;"><b>It depends on what we do.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">I do like being in room 6 because miss tries to make learning fun. She makes it so that we want to learn and no one is forcing us to learn.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">We learn a lot of things </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">because my teachers kind and I learn lots of things</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">I like room 6 because Miss D makes learning fun </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;"><b>because we hardly get free time</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">I like room 6 because we can talk about our feeling about each other. Room 6 is the best classroom ever. Give things a go. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">I like being in Rm6 because I got a awesome teacher that helps me learn and achieve my goals now and for the future. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am so glad that my learners feel that<b> <span style="background-color: orange;">learning is fun in room 6</span></b>. This is something I am always trying to keep in mind when planning. At the start of the year, most of my learners were well below national standard. This had meant that I have needed to be creative in my approach to teaching the class. I had wanted my class to be engaged and to enjoy learning. I love that many of my students feel they are learning heaps in my class. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another firm belief I have is that <b><span style="background-color: orange;">in order for kids to learn, they need to feel happy and safe</span> </b>(because who wants to learn in a class where they are miserable and uncomfortable?). I think the responses clearly show that I have created a safe, happy and positive classroom environment. This makes me incredibly happy. It is something I have continuously worked on throughout the year. Whenever the wheels started to fall off, we would revisit the key ideas of discipline, collaboration and kindness. We also <span style="background-color: orange;">celebrate shift and small victories</span>. I have chosen to focus on shift rather than national standards, and as a result I have seen my students confidence and self-efficacy rise. I believe these things have made a huge impact on my students - academically, socially and emotionally.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The responses in blue are the two students who rated 3 on the first question. The student that said it depends on what he does is one of my top students. This makes me wonder whether he is possibly bored/not challenged enough. I am going to have a discussion with him so I can figure out what he would like from me.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reading, writing and maths in room 6</span></span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MxLhmR9GQ19OunrR8_fCOcUFK5mRaJF9DawEq949kykV0_kXDeJmRYzBiGk58Bu6fwT7ETol4QHj_3MMDvY1sfiWsc0EzPGsJ84fq94ATXG5K0KIsYZek0E3AS1-GB7GSV3lGf7KxcU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+12.34.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="475" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MxLhmR9GQ19OunrR8_fCOcUFK5mRaJF9DawEq949kykV0_kXDeJmRYzBiGk58Bu6fwT7ETol4QHj_3MMDvY1sfiWsc0EzPGsJ84fq94ATXG5K0KIsYZek0E3AS1-GB7GSV3lGf7KxcU/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+12.34.13+PM.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I wanted to discover my students attitudes towards reading, writing and maths. I asked them a series of questions, with likert scales and open-ended questions. As you can see, the majority of my class loves maths, and feels okay about reading and writing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px;">I also asked my learners what they liked, didn't like and what I could do differently for reading, writing and maths. The responses were mostly positive. The main negatives I got was that they hate sitting on the floor for maths, and a lot of my students don't really like writing. With respect to writing, I think I need to be a bit more innovative.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pHbWI469lVdKrmRMBqYE6EGQB84n_qPKvejhSBi43lY/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Here</a> is the link to the survey results.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px;">What's working well</span></span></h2>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Students feel safe and happy in room 6</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Room 6 loves learning maths</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">lots of accelerated shift in achievement - yay!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">An increase in self-efficacy and confidence in students learning and ability</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Students enjoy using digital tools to help them learn (blog post coming soon)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">What's next?</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px;">From the feedback I have recieved from my class I have formulated a few questions which will help to refine and improve my teaching</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How can I use digital tools to increase engagement and understanding in writing?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How can I help to excite my learners about reading and writing? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How can I engage one of my high achievers?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How can I continue to accelerate my learners achievement in maths?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">How can I make sure that my use of digital tools and lessons are deliberate and effective? </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The past two terms have been challenging but so incredibly rewarding. It is so great to be a part of my learners growth and development. We have come a long way from day one and I am very proud of the effort that every student has put into their learning. I am looking forward to seeing what the next half of the year brings!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">Parting words from my learners...</span></h2>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Finish this sentence: I want Miss D to know....</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">I want to do basketball sometimes when we go out for PE.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">that I love being in her class</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">that we like spending time with Miss D</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">"that I want to do more fitness and I don't like writing. </span><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">sorry miss"</span></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">do fitness in the morning </span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">i don't wanna move classes because i like it in this class</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">How I love this class</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">What I am doing</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">i hate writing</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">she is the best teacher</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">That she is the best teacher ever off my life.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">I want Miss D to know that she is the best and funny teacher I've ever had.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">I want Miss D to know that no matter what she picks for next term for the class I support her 100%.</span></div>
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<style type="text/css"><!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--></style>Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-77981011255090191712017-07-06T11:59:00.002+12:002017-07-06T12:01:00.675+12:00Battle of the Presentation Apps: Mentimeter vs NearpodI have been using <a href="http://nearpod.com/" target="_blank">Nearpod</a> and <a href="http://mentimeter.com/" target="_blank">Mentimeter</a> religiously since I discovered them earlier in the year. At first, I leaned more towards Nearpod, mainly because it is free. Unfortunately, the free version of Mentimeter only allows for up to 3 questions. Because of this, Nearpod became my first port of call. However, I loved the word-cloud and scale features. <br />
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Recently I bit the bullet and a purchased a one-year subscription for Mentimeter. I am so glad that I did. Now I feel like I can more accurately compare Mentimeter and Nearpod. These are my thoughts about what sets Mentimeter and Nearpod apart from each other.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGJHFahRy-QANN0FRM7n1x64PtI7uBX1VEXmGlAB78bf4QsjeI699Sxeap-WUxJMdQ9U-dnyEcAg9EMh3xqu1UzjC5JtD5pXkQutMYzyi8NrV6Mk0yVDm9CXXIyZy30C88iK83JI8ByE/s1600/download+%25283%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="270" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGJHFahRy-QANN0FRM7n1x64PtI7uBX1VEXmGlAB78bf4QsjeI699Sxeap-WUxJMdQ9U-dnyEcAg9EMh3xqu1UzjC5JtD5pXkQutMYzyi8NrV6Mk0yVDm9CXXIyZy30C88iK83JI8ByE/s200/download+%25283%2529.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzm3jde5fLlAyPkLHV8CYNEfb6Qf2CdGh6VwTcsztIZyzSA3EMTnwaXgGqqvrTcucgoLS0IAhInbdCuN6e6iG1KJRIg5ItvlVa15RMyIIsG__-uL18KIazxDBPHC9KK1BSlPJ2hgYQjRY/s1600/download+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="117" data-original-width="431" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzm3jde5fLlAyPkLHV8CYNEfb6Qf2CdGh6VwTcsztIZyzSA3EMTnwaXgGqqvrTcucgoLS0IAhInbdCuN6e6iG1KJRIg5ItvlVa15RMyIIsG__-uL18KIazxDBPHC9KK1BSlPJ2hgYQjRY/s320/download+%25282%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">
Mentimeter</span></h2>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Scale questions </h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuAgd_ZgihoTFCtspgNCRCUY4mQ3sygxa480At_tXpKXAf3gFAdW3tKO4wk2J4YHnXWFILXYbSnRU8g8Zwq4ss23_CykYPGkboDPKvROVHpzo5nxY8itGTPh-fW18zKBt5NVOp5rBGAU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.32.46+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="1244" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikuAgd_ZgihoTFCtspgNCRCUY4mQ3sygxa480At_tXpKXAf3gFAdW3tKO4wk2J4YHnXWFILXYbSnRU8g8Zwq4ss23_CykYPGkboDPKvROVHpzo5nxY8itGTPh-fW18zKBt5NVOp5rBGAU/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.32.46+AM.png" width="320" /></a><br />
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You can use this scale questions to gauge opinions or understandings of students. Mentimeter displays an average score (the circle) as well as the distribution of votes (just above the line). I find this to be a great visual way to show students responses.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Word clouds</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmqi_g7bIhuzybY4b1GIOS3oR3uU_IEjNbw9a_kzhlmAmbA_wPomH07dL8KMpq7O4YJarHyRI1gSdQPkVvxUt4Osnv4adU6yW8q09nOfwmvsd6EVgDonmQJgDlB3hf0bvxUrVfXnQ3Eo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.31.55+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="1244" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmqi_g7bIhuzybY4b1GIOS3oR3uU_IEjNbw9a_kzhlmAmbA_wPomH07dL8KMpq7O4YJarHyRI1gSdQPkVvxUt4Osnv4adU6yW8q09nOfwmvsd6EVgDonmQJgDlB3hf0bvxUrVfXnQ3Eo/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.31.55+AM.png" width="320" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
I am a big fan of word clouds. While I will always love AnswerGarden, I also love that Mentimeter also has a word cloud feature. It became really frustrating when I would create a presentation in Nearpod, but would really want to have a word cloud. Word clouds are useful when you want learners to share and notice commonalities amongst student responses.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Rewindable</h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhqGkk3lfLuhkzrk4BuKX7Wge4YW6I0TquUerOS3VtoGuLaxqNBJrZktASoabkK3gWV4-CmTINW7kPGVeOdTZM5K6xQWdthVSG-3wkS8LmUOLDJCbXPKRU-NTSybLSU35GMmzCm-E6gM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-05+at+8.32.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="787" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhqGkk3lfLuhkzrk4BuKX7Wge4YW6I0TquUerOS3VtoGuLaxqNBJrZktASoabkK3gWV4-CmTINW7kPGVeOdTZM5K6xQWdthVSG-3wkS8LmUOLDJCbXPKRU-NTSybLSU35GMmzCm-E6gM/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-05+at+8.32.48+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downloaded report from Nearpod... not the greatest for some purposes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
This is ultimately what drove me to purchase Mentimeter. Sometimes we would have amazing lessons using Nearpod, but I wouldn't be able to capture those moments. If I didn't take a screenshot of the results right then and there, the responses would be lost. You can download a report, however it mostly displays participation rates. The reports are not something you could use as a display or share with your class for later reference.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gR5CQnT1WSCb7-uB64-yYjZoC7gfXVmBjJFvqif8_qW4mYI8qMm7fwINccYFQIJI8fMEUMwfsQ7h1NhCo_SFMJ3UvyA5ngsPpadaTcEUW33QbsiuzkdkmfJpERctzZgljlU160wPpoY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.36.39+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="1184" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gR5CQnT1WSCb7-uB64-yYjZoC7gfXVmBjJFvqif8_qW4mYI8qMm7fwINccYFQIJI8fMEUMwfsQ7h1NhCo_SFMJ3UvyA5ngsPpadaTcEUW33QbsiuzkdkmfJpERctzZgljlU160wPpoY/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.36.39+AM.png" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a>With Mentimeter, you can download each activity as a jpeg. You can also download the entire presentation as an Excel document or a PDF I have often created shared folders in Google with all the downloaded jpegs from our lesson. This has been helpful as this <b>makes the learning rewindable</b>. Students are able to revisit the learning and see their responses. Students can also enter the code at a later date, and submit results.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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Nearpod</span></h2>
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Draw it</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie03JN_qg-awzNQ_hATKOPr_JHAGcWWngt2C7SxUkMxKhQuqf0PCYS-PqfcxLUCtxKj525Mg7RxrwW2Cxm3WZE57WZl1lSf3HVmZ6hGPaEDLdD1ybJpkmZU0ad9NCDOhh1oMpk0fl1z4I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.26.28+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="713" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie03JN_qg-awzNQ_hATKOPr_JHAGcWWngt2C7SxUkMxKhQuqf0PCYS-PqfcxLUCtxKj525Mg7RxrwW2Cxm3WZE57WZl1lSf3HVmZ6hGPaEDLdD1ybJpkmZU0ad9NCDOhh1oMpk0fl1z4I/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.26.28+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Draw it is an activity where students can annotate an image you upload. Students can highlight, draw and add text. I have found this to be very useful in both writing and math activities. I use it for punctuation activities, paragraph correction and filling in the blank activities.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Collaborate</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6nDgfxTBDDZ41Ln4Pm3gNTFl75qDJhzGdq_h-U8XSdjraqRPjCtkS1fxmDFRFe4yQY_lYnFvcta_xePQaaAMqOv3PFtL-LdfzbXafYz_SH5wU8ccP8wNOALqPJ0_8k0DB-rIRaloCSg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.29.19+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="935" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6nDgfxTBDDZ41Ln4Pm3gNTFl75qDJhzGdq_h-U8XSdjraqRPjCtkS1fxmDFRFe4yQY_lYnFvcta_xePQaaAMqOv3PFtL-LdfzbXafYz_SH5wU8ccP8wNOALqPJ0_8k0DB-rIRaloCSg/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.29.19+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you like platforms like Padlet and LinoIt, you will like the collaborate activity on Nearpod. Students can add text as well as images onto a platform that closely resembles Padlet. Students can also 'like' other peoples ideas, which they love.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Students opinion</h2>
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I asked my class to rate the digital apps we use out of 5 (1 being no; 5 yes). Here is what they had to say about Mentimeter and Nearpod:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yHqGSTs4JJhTAtt45kOc0Xb3G14Lz99wrvIkc4SaiZRgoGOVl2vCdtZzmbQWR3W6q_i2dZzPQ5XmBRpXcM_F6XMCi_S50xKPqIdNnAXc1wP2Ht52UNEmtQqrOiapAOxP-W5BRMKccEU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.15.52+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="473" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yHqGSTs4JJhTAtt45kOc0Xb3G14Lz99wrvIkc4SaiZRgoGOVl2vCdtZzmbQWR3W6q_i2dZzPQ5XmBRpXcM_F6XMCi_S50xKPqIdNnAXc1wP2Ht52UNEmtQqrOiapAOxP-W5BRMKccEU/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.15.52+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYK_hplv6oCA9G4P5HtyTh4eA9TUR0ucjiiDVDdxP1uWnKIjJUB1s-Pp48ILcSNvpSoEuDwexIoceG7Zr4JboJ9a_-rH9GkjtrznyLlQlsmbgOBfN0YoqsfjwLRhP4BZD7cSjS4Z__w8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.15.58+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="474" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYK_hplv6oCA9G4P5HtyTh4eA9TUR0ucjiiDVDdxP1uWnKIjJUB1s-Pp48ILcSNvpSoEuDwexIoceG7Zr4JboJ9a_-rH9GkjtrznyLlQlsmbgOBfN0YoqsfjwLRhP4BZD7cSjS4Z__w8/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-06+at+11.15.58+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
As you can see they are basically the same, although there is a slight preference for Nearpod. The graphs also show that majority of my class enjoys using these presentation tools, with only two students rating 1 and 2 for both Mentimeter and Nearpod.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
So, what is the best?</h2>
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It is pretty hard to choose between Nearpod and Mentimeter. While they are both presentation apps, they can be used for different purposes. I think Nearpod should have better download options, as I would like to be able to print off and display some of the awesome work we do on Nearpod. For Mentimeter, I think they should include a function similar to the Draw it activity on Mentimeter. The only reason why I would choose Mentimeter over Nearpod is because of their options for downloading presentation results.<br />
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Overall, I couldn't recommend these presentation tools more highly. They increase engagement and participation, compared to the traditional verbal Think-Pair-Share model. Both tools help students to feel comfortable and willing to share their ideas. I also think the quality of ideas is a lot better. This could be because they are talking more time to think and compose their responses. Using these tools take longer than TPS, but you get a lot more out of your learners.<br />
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<br />Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-39027789112910688992017-06-24T21:17:00.001+12:002017-06-24T21:21:43.711+12:00Getting kids hyped about blogging: an update<div style="text-align: justify;">
A few weeks ago we looked at our blog stats and our global audiences. Since then, my learners have become more interested in sharing their learning on their blogs. I really wanted to capture and keep their enthusiasm, so I have made a display for the room. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqUFcFPhjkkVr3zXGFu76u3c_HNhmRCxGgDSZP8CZPW5WtT3iAm4qrV96v6Mgw6jxJibMdNyGXDtGvD2FSbWkmix0yIQ9WORTXy-rZwCcNt0Oywbt2anDhX6lW_qiOYA2uU46g9Jpxz4/s1600/IMG_0358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqUFcFPhjkkVr3zXGFu76u3c_HNhmRCxGgDSZP8CZPW5WtT3iAm4qrV96v6Mgw6jxJibMdNyGXDtGvD2FSbWkmix0yIQ9WORTXy-rZwCcNt0Oywbt2anDhX6lW_qiOYA2uU46g9Jpxz4/s640/IMG_0358.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
1000 club</h2>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
My kids were really excited to see their blog views as well as the countries. I decided to encourage this attitude, as well as a little competition. I started off with just the '1000 club' - for students who have 1000 blog views or more. Since some of my students have only just got blogs, I decided to also include a '500 club'. I want my learners to feel proud of their blog views and celebrate their global audience. </div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Top bloggers</h2>
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I also wanted to encourage my learners to regularly post high quality blog posts. I decided to run a weekly competition, using a tally system. Every time a student posts a high quality blog post, they get one point. The top blogger of the week gets a prize. I have enlisted the help of 3 students to check the blog posts and record the points. My helpers check that the blog post clearly explains their learning, how they went and what they can do to improve. My helpers also check that the blog posts make sense. It has also been helpful to have helpers, as it can be hard to check every blog post before it is posted.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Infographics</h2>
At the bottom of the display I have included the students infographics about their global audience.<br />
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How it's going</h2>
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Even though I have just started using this blog display, my learners are already so keen to get sharing their learning. In fact, after explaining how the top bloggers competition works, something crazy happened. The bell went for morning tea, and no one moved. Every student stayed and completed their blog posts. And it kept happening throughout the week. Personally, I think a little extrinsic motivation can work wonders. When students write a blog post they are summarising, evaluating and reflecting on their learning. Even if they are motivated by the idea of a prize, they are still summarising, evaluating and reflecting on their learning, which I think is awesome. </div>
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Next steps</h2>
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I am hoping that my students enthusiasm towards blogging will continue. It is important that I continue to stress the importance of quality blog posts, where students summarise, evaluate and reflect. I would like my learners to write more detail in their blog posts that is more than "I need to try harder". I would like my learners to be more specific as this will help them to understand their next steps in learning.</div>
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<br />Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-15596347833063668612017-06-22T08:33:00.000+12:002017-10-29T19:29:33.336+13:00Getting real about meanness<div style="text-align: justify;">
Over the last couple of weeks I had noticed a change in some of my students behaviour. There has been some unkind comments towards other classmates and bad sportsmanship happening. While this change in behaviour was in its beginning stages, I decided to do something about it ASAP before it got worse. Here is what happened!</div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Wordcloud of 'mean' words</h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZkRhVTvfLTTS1HzUKxDTvy3Jh5eKTmy5HODhjs2aRycUXa79GbTt4Fn5n662TE29JKSrWBBMdYj7rxAXvXqWveMF4iLtffAJnnf6LVtGMLaadGWLdw30C2iMvb3amKtKTKx-kxBFADE/s1600/Word+Art+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="707" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZkRhVTvfLTTS1HzUKxDTvy3Jh5eKTmy5HODhjs2aRycUXa79GbTt4Fn5n662TE29JKSrWBBMdYj7rxAXvXqWveMF4iLtffAJnnf6LVtGMLaadGWLdw30C2iMvb3amKtKTKx-kxBFADE/s320/Word+Art+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Word cloud created on <a href="http://tagul.com/" target="_blank">Tagul</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I know my learners are awesome and good kids, so I wanted to shock them and make them reflect on their words and actions. First up, I displayed a word cloud on the SMART board. I got them to have a long, hard look at the words. Then, I asked if any of the words could be used to describe themselves. A lot of them said yes. We talked about the fact that these were mean and negative words. Then I told them that I actually created the word cloud based on what I was seeing in the classroom. My students looked a mixture of shock and guilt. I asked them whether they felt proud of those words, obviously nobody was. I also reinforced the point that I believed my students were good, kind kids and that it was important that they understood how their actions and words affect others.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Creating a not-so-pretty picture</h2>
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Next up, we had a look at the mean things that were being said in our classroom. Sticky-notes and felts were handed out. I asked the class to write down all the 'mean' things that have been said about them. For this one instance, I allowed them to also record swears, except with asterisks instead. I understand that it may be controversial to do so, but I felt it was needed as I wanted to be real with the kids and I wanted them to see all the mean things on paper.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMnxSm29vomH8kiXtmgYZ2QCCA9akE4_5AlPfy53ifeeGkZXlubyAE5mGCupN5mOVBy74pbir65O83fafLVtjnyOgdVVIq52rbseTxIi01KA1rl1fDAZZKrOtIudN6aLg_f1gQYRATdM/s1600/149804335330529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMnxSm29vomH8kiXtmgYZ2QCCA9akE4_5AlPfy53ifeeGkZXlubyAE5mGCupN5mOVBy74pbir65O83fafLVtjnyOgdVVIq52rbseTxIi01KA1rl1fDAZZKrOtIudN6aLg_f1gQYRATdM/s400/149804335330529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was surprised by how open my students were when it came to writing and sharing their sticky notes. Some students were okay with putting their own up, while others preferred me to come around and take them. My whiteboard quickly filled up with sticky notes. <b>It did not paint a pretty picture</b>. Again, the students reflected on what was up on the whiteboard. I read most of them outloud, which shocked the class. Then I asked them to put their hand up if someone in our class had said some of the mean things to them. All but one student put their hand up.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Consequences of meanness</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHA86KG8fEaMdDk4sGGPP-tJChw5Q3ZDjpJR8Av72yJxdRwFWloplGvy6wTsdMTANcSalJq5Lu44JecbZPPCfhXALjH2Ci2Egywuy28gsagnTvb9RfcR9_hARB4NSShKhZJSxR69ci7rU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-21+at+11.35.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="882" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHA86KG8fEaMdDk4sGGPP-tJChw5Q3ZDjpJR8Av72yJxdRwFWloplGvy6wTsdMTANcSalJq5Lu44JecbZPPCfhXALjH2Ci2Egywuy28gsagnTvb9RfcR9_hARB4NSShKhZJSxR69ci7rU/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-06-21+at+11.35.54+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next, we used <a href="http://answergarden.ch/" target="_blank">AnswerGarden</a> to answer the question <b><i>How does it feel when people say mean things? </i></b> AnswerGarden was a great tool to use for this particular activity because <b>we could see common thoughts/feelings the class feel as a result of meanness</b>. Again, we talked a lot about the ideas shared on the sticky notes and the direct consequences they had on our classmates. I reiterated that sometimes people don't mean to hurt other people, but it is important to realise how words and actions can affect people. I also reminded them that I knew that they are better than this, and that knowing effect of words/actions will help them to make better choices.</div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Stepping up and taking action</h2>
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Following all the heavy stuff, I wanted to turn the mood around. I chose to talk about<b> being a bystander vs stepping up and looking out for our classmates</b>. I chose to use this particular YouTube clip because it had a few powerful messages, as well as an array of famous people that the students would know. My class was able to take away the key messages that were in the clip. While they understood the power of their negative words, they also realised the power they had to help someone in need of a friend.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-yl3nmon59w" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lastly we used <a href="http://www.mentimeter.com/" target="_blank">Mentimeter</a> to so share our ideas about what we could do to ensure we are being kind. I decided to make a connection to my initial 'mean' wordcloud, by asking my learners to share how they want to be remembered/described. Next students came up with ideas in response to the question: <i>What can you do to make sure you are being a kind person. </i>The class came up with heaps of ideas (64 to be exact) and we had a discussion about most of them. The mood had changed and the class was positive. I could really tell that they were thinking carefully about what they could do to be a kind person. Lastsly, students shared their ideas about why it is important to be kind. They used what they had learnt from the lesson to come up with some serious ideas. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wuh_iYOnnTdVfE6RPTbmUy-rFbLpl3AsATat-COpjuM/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Summing it up</h2>
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I was very pleased with how this lesson went because it did have the potential to go wrong. My students showed maturity, empathy and understanding throughout the lesson. I was relieved that my class was open and willing to participate in the lesson. I understand that it took courage to share the mean things being said, as well as how it affects them. But it also meant that the learning was more powerful, as everyone was serious and honest. Talking about mean words and the effect it has on people seemed to strike a chord with class. It was important to use a lot of wait time, as I wanted to make sure my learners were thinking about the seriousness of our lesson. It was equally important for me to turn it around into positives, by reminding them that I knew they were good kids and that it was up to them to make it right. </div>
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<br />Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-60505375142385970612017-05-28T14:23:00.000+12:002017-05-28T14:23:01.731+12:00Student blogging: getting kids hyped about their global audienceI have been thinking about ways to encourage and motivate my learners to share their learning on their blogs. This is something that is expected in Manaiakalani, however I feel that my learners are not really interested in it. We have learnt about what to include in a blog post as well as writing blog comments. Now I have turned my focus on helping my learners to <b>want</b> to share their learning on their blogs (rather than me telling them).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMl4qvLboV5PDf11G0fALQn5sCZjHhgFMt_KqbYVBvw9ueCkdHxq428PpQNo2HYBB8uOqfIVf0YhbHdfr4jR15nCPjWQqa3qj2jw9RvatWTQQJrtcSJu048_SuupmKih9OXP-ALKa9GSo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+1.45.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="686" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMl4qvLboV5PDf11G0fALQn5sCZjHhgFMt_KqbYVBvw9ueCkdHxq428PpQNo2HYBB8uOqfIVf0YhbHdfr4jR15nCPjWQqa3qj2jw9RvatWTQQJrtcSJu048_SuupmKih9OXP-ALKa9GSo/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+1.45.15+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1877PDU1fB8Sm7cC0tw6AePy2TrzmyUuXqRr95i0u8-A/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a> to view the Google Drawing that was used for this lesson</td></tr>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
The motivator</h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6iccRfI8hFLdGzEP213f3INPy5YeEmHCrDzR4Jj4yXjPiHe1JHydOwX2q9o8uB6Ljqjr6U6oBp6Kj3Q-WphkMsNPRc2ruBB7OZWq3vzXETItiQAjFxhN9WBHDIWH0X2gQxqXdFT2hfU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+1.53.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="113" data-original-width="574" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6iccRfI8hFLdGzEP213f3INPy5YeEmHCrDzR4Jj4yXjPiHe1JHydOwX2q9o8uB6Ljqjr6U6oBp6Kj3Q-WphkMsNPRc2ruBB7OZWq3vzXETItiQAjFxhN9WBHDIWH0X2gQxqXdFT2hfU/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+1.53.00+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pbszebas.blogspot.co.nz/2016/04/meat-and-vegetable-soup.html#comment-form" target="_blank">A student at another Manaiakalani school received a comment from a famous author.</a></td></tr>
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Before we started looking at our blog statistics we discussed the idea of a 'global audience'. To motivate my learners, I shared with them a blog post from an ex-student from another school. In her blog, she wrote about a recipe that was inspired from a book she had read. The author actually found her blog post and commented on it! This was a powerful way to illustrate that sharing your learning online can be exciting and gives you a global audience. We also discussed the importance of sharing enough detail in your blog post and using labels, as this helps people to discover posts.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Looking at our stats</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pEqnbi-FiMN1t8LFBfD3B9kgc_CH_IWqrs4ugEB_x9FhvsB2x78dCCJF3FsOiK0jci-JcQ7bW5nsFN7YfTgK3jybQI-Mlkg1146eKh8vIsr8bYboB7tiTOytvqTfrnFG_LKru8IwczU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+1.41.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="1162" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pEqnbi-FiMN1t8LFBfD3B9kgc_CH_IWqrs4ugEB_x9FhvsB2x78dCCJF3FsOiK0jci-JcQ7bW5nsFN7YfTgK3jybQI-Mlkg1146eKh8vIsr8bYboB7tiTOytvqTfrnFG_LKru8IwczU/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+1.41.34+PM.png" width="400" /></a>First, we all had a look at our statistics. I had my own blogger dashboard up on the SMART board, and asked students to figure out where they could find out how many blog views they have. I was surprised with how pleased they were with how many views they had. We discussed that the more we shared, the more views we would get, as well as reiterating the importance of quality blog posts with labels.</div>
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Next, I asked them to see if they could figure out where to find out which countries the viewers were from. After some investigating, learners hopped onto the Audience section and were surprised with the results. The students exclaimed over the countries. Some had visitors from more than 6 different countries.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Infographic time</h2>
Now that the learners were feeling motivated and proud of their blog statistics, it was time to share it on their blog. I decided to introduce the class to creating Infographics. When we learnt about Infographics in the MDTA, I had created one about my global audience (read about it <a href="http://chelseadonaldson.blogspot.co.nz/2016/08/infographics-fun-way-to-display-data.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I used my infographic as a model of how they could present their statistics. My learners loved the look of the infographic and were eager to begin creating their own. We used <a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank">Canva</a>, as I have found it to be easy to use and very effective. I also like how you can upload your own images for free on Canva, which is something that you can't do on other infographic creators.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJVbLlm4EVqSxq4qUmYVeNEkhM1Z4BbsVPUbi1f9UGsvQ3OpDUW0IQClS5YMSNporUb_p6MMVZkY21ARMpuHs_qpP0subfQqSg_ffYMmRmmTyieyoO97GM1LaucszV1cey7DanU_uuvc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+2.05.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="613" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJVbLlm4EVqSxq4qUmYVeNEkhM1Z4BbsVPUbi1f9UGsvQ3OpDUW0IQClS5YMSNporUb_p6MMVZkY21ARMpuHs_qpP0subfQqSg_ffYMmRmmTyieyoO97GM1LaucszV1cey7DanU_uuvc/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+2.05.02+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gisangeltt.blogspot.co.nz/2017/05/infographic.html" target="_blank">Angel's blog post</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HSDGyFUcA_g-3ua9ygH9DzztxAcJlbVoTNUT8E0DJPgc84eTqVL2d_Zl54Va1BJfoVCMTkE9GqfwvpUSMzzhMGo1-X-DvrxfnnDxIfJ4jPstsAt47kzRQa1j6KjZVOSCZI0t8yEqP3c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+2.06.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="632" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HSDGyFUcA_g-3ua9ygH9DzztxAcJlbVoTNUT8E0DJPgc84eTqVL2d_Zl54Va1BJfoVCMTkE9GqfwvpUSMzzhMGo1-X-DvrxfnnDxIfJ4jPstsAt47kzRQa1j6KjZVOSCZI0t8yEqP3c/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+2.06.24+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sione's infographic</td></tr>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Summing it up</h2>
I was a little nervous to introduce a new way to create a DLO, however this was the perfect opportunity. The students loved using Canva, and some grasped the concept of using less text and symbols better than others. This is something I can continue to work on. The class was really engaged in this lesson and they loved seeing their statistics. I do think they felt pretty empowered and motivated. I am hoping this will motivate them to want to share their learning (instead of me always telling them to). Stay tuned!<br />
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I also decided to create an updated infographic about my global audience, enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECyRgE8GGgxRAKGhOttPfPDxDe3ReCk202nyeBFd3L8jCHso8gHJsT11a3OnSIumbNYTKMReUi2NyMn9CEn_RyALC_TiR7hzTPqgiH7ET4j7bdw7X1AlAoESjzvD8bvaCrvanmliZmhs/s1600/MY+GLOBAL+AUDIENCE.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECyRgE8GGgxRAKGhOttPfPDxDe3ReCk202nyeBFd3L8jCHso8gHJsT11a3OnSIumbNYTKMReUi2NyMn9CEn_RyALC_TiR7hzTPqgiH7ET4j7bdw7X1AlAoESjzvD8bvaCrvanmliZmhs/s640/MY+GLOBAL+AUDIENCE.png" width="256" /></a></div>
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<br />Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-12094494115192008282017-05-28T13:35:00.000+12:002017-05-28T13:35:12.868+12:00Using YouTube & Google Docs to Teach Recount WritingFor writing this term, our main focus is on Recounts. I am trying to make my lessons more engaging and meaningful for my learners. After using YouTube for <a href="http://chelseadonaldson.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Class%20OnAir" target="_blank">poetry</a> & <a href="http://chelseadonaldson.blogspot.co.nz/2017/05/life-lessons-with-short-films-nearpod.html" target="_blank">learning about acceptance</a>, I decided to use videos as inspiration for recount writing.<br />
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We have covered the language features used in recounts and we have learnt the acronym TREE to remember the structure of a recount. So this week we have narrowed our focus to the first paragraph of a recount - the 'Reveal' paragraph.<br />
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I chose to break my teaching down like this as I have found that the majority of my class struggles with writing. My thinking is that breaking down a recount into more manageable chunks will allow them to have a deeper understanding of each section. I also choose to break up my class into two groups. This is because I want to make sure everyone is participating in the sessions. Oftentimes, certain learners will share and contribute while others will remain quiet.<br />
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This week we used Google Docs and YouTube to learn more about the 'Reveal' Paragraph. To start with we discussed the key components of a reveal paragraph - a hook to grab the reader's attention and the 5ws. Then we had a go at identifying the Ws and the hook in an exemplar paragraph.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
First up, a vlog!</h2>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OXGPeUnAknYXBxy6XmzkR8K66D2SA5a_f5pQC6KpHKY/edit" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="831" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1kTFnomLu-cErc2S00-2XzTnw88LcSlP7_LRrJWxzVPP0H2K060seoHilEy481mQpUk7wXhE8GE0TkxpHYqZpOwf3VAzyzSQjiG9lS9zElNn17MuDi0T3oCTV-aD5RLVqPQe8U8Hn18/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-26+at+10.32.13+PM.png" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OXGPeUnAknYXBxy6XmzkR8K66D2SA5a_f5pQC6KpHKY/edit" target="_blank">here</a> go to group 1's collaborative Google Doc</td></tr>
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Then, we turned to the interesting bit! We used Google Docs as an online form of a modelling book. Each student had their Chromebook and editing rights. First we had a go at writing a reveal paragraph as a class. I chose to use a vlog about her first bungy jumping experience. We watched the first minute and discussed what we saw. We brainstormed as many answers to the 5ws as we could. Then, we worked together to write our paragraph. Lastly, we added our 'hook'. After sharing each other's 'hooks' we combined the best ones and added to the beginning of our paragraph.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fdt6Kl1fA57L2Pl49PaFc4XqpQU7-K77Tfuvw6DRx7Wu89svstiNHDjOp19MEcbJU9wpdYD_hCi1nZZzz62Ek6d5J7uqz5QGKAzHkE7zdch_ygJ-m0QPYjxLU4zfoTca6sgJAKu5VsE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-26+at+10.31.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="815" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fdt6Kl1fA57L2Pl49PaFc4XqpQU7-K77Tfuvw6DRx7Wu89svstiNHDjOp19MEcbJU9wpdYD_hCi1nZZzz62Ek6d5J7uqz5QGKAzHkE7zdch_ygJ-m0QPYjxLU4zfoTca6sgJAKu5VsE/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-26+at+10.31.47+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">click <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OXGPeUnAknYXBxy6XmzkR8K66D2SA5a_f5pQC6KpHKY/edit" style="font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> go to group 2's collaborative Google Doc</span></td></tr>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
The Present: pair paragraphs</h2>
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Next the students worked in pairs to write another 'Reveal' paragraph. I chose to use <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjqiU5FgsYc&t=2s" target="_blank">The Present</a>. I felt that the students would find it easier to write about The Present because we have already used The Present to<a href="http://chelseadonaldson.blogspot.co.nz/2017/05/life-lessons-with-short-films-nearpod.html" target="_blank"> learn about acceptance (& more)</a>. Since we were only focussing on a 'Reveal' paragraph, we only used the first 30 seconds. Again, the pairs brainstormed 5ws and then began writing their paragraphs. I decided to get my students to choose the Ws that they felt was important with setting the scene. I have found that sometimes recounts can get a little boring, as there is too much focus on addressing all the Ws (ie <i>On the 21st of June on a cold afternoon, I was playing PlayStation</i>... boring!). Instead, we chose fewer Ws and also elaborated on some of ideas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjjGr8GhMDFk3emkJSDnZJhyphenhyphenWNLp7_A_lXIQlMi-gMfp1yR8Y0NMtj2kO4lrgFkoWGe-mgNkqQNchbTSL57nhIif6rOJoUEUDvFftk7iHSumcSreMy4t21_m-g6vm4O2lojiXFZWWj8E/s1600/IMG_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjjGr8GhMDFk3emkJSDnZJhyphenhyphenWNLp7_A_lXIQlMi-gMfp1yR8Y0NMtj2kO4lrgFkoWGe-mgNkqQNchbTSL57nhIif6rOJoUEUDvFftk7iHSumcSreMy4t21_m-g6vm4O2lojiXFZWWj8E/s320/IMG_0013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Going it alone</h2>
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Lastly, students had a go at writing their own Reveal paragraphs. I was able to get up to this with G1 but am planning on finishing this lesson with G2 next week. I was pleased with the quality of the paragraphs. Students were also adding in interesting hooks, which helped to grab the reader's attention.<br />
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Pair/individual follow up task</h2>
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The follow up task was <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Nn19K2H63q84l_HGl5e5WrYhrvChbhvHnU0f3WfckJA/edit" target="_blank">Revealing Paragraphs</a>. This involved a number of steps. First, students had to unpack a reveal paragraph by identifying the Ws. Next, they added in an interesting title. Lastly they found ways to improve the paragraphs by making them more interesting by adding in a hook and some extra description.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYqSEHNnhP2Rv0iEJIOjxJuO3YZOF60wwA3t7Y6sqJHibdNzF4oOAl_-inLouIdWTNxy_gCnTvfXxkTe0qHDMM-c8f4ChwFdBlc0AoKaEJO95tod9bAZGHr3jvjtmX8urfpZQ7tHPcCU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+1.20.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="742" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYqSEHNnhP2Rv0iEJIOjxJuO3YZOF60wwA3t7Y6sqJHibdNzF4oOAl_-inLouIdWTNxy_gCnTvfXxkTe0qHDMM-c8f4ChwFdBlc0AoKaEJO95tod9bAZGHr3jvjtmX8urfpZQ7tHPcCU/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+1.20.03+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Summing it up</h2>
Overall I am pleased with how this went. Both groups were able to create some interesting reveal paragraphs. I think using YouTube really helped, especially with my lower writers. It was also important that the students planned out the Ws before writing their paragraphs. <br />
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Using Google Docs was useful as all students could collaborate on the same document during our guided writing session. I had the Doc projected up on the SMART board, so was able to discuss the paragraphs as well as address any errors. It will also be something that we will be able to return to, unlike writing on whiteboards that will disappear after the lesson.<br />
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I did notice that my class struggles with correctly using dialogue. I will work on this next week before I continue onto teaching the 'Events' section of a recount.<br />
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Wherever possible, I will definitely be using Google Docs as a form of modelling books as well as using YouTube to help students in writing.<br />
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<br />Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-16012561501516469912017-05-01T21:53:00.000+12:002017-05-27T11:05:12.785+12:00Life Lessons with Short Films & NearpodLast term I did an awesome lesson which used two of my favourite apps - Youtube and <a href="http://nearpod.com/" target="_blank">Nearpod</a>. As the term was coming to an end, I felt that my students needed to be reminded of the importance of acceptance, kindness, non-judgement and tolerance. I was talking to one of my workmates, not sure of what to do on a Friday. She said that she often used YouTube as a starting point for writing. She uses CGI short film animations. This got me thinking about how I could use film to help teach some concepts that I felt my learners were forgetting. Then I remembered <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjqiU5FgsYc&t=2s" target="_blank">The Present</a>.<br />
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The Clip</h2>
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The Present is a very powerful clip that my kids loved! We watched it twice before beginning our Nearpod. I chose to let it run through without stopping or asking questions because I wanted them to take in the film as a whole.<br />
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Retelling</h2>
My first activity on Nearpod was using 'Collaborate' where students had to retell the most important bits of the film. I was impressed by the level of engagement. As always, I use their ideas as a starting point for further discussion/elaboration.<br />
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Inferring</h2>
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The next activity was an 'Open Ended Question'. This was an inference question, which asked students to think about why the mum wanted to give his son a present. The next activity was a 'Collaborate' asking <i>Why did the boy get so angry when he noticed what was wrong with the dog?</i> The students were able to come up with some insightful ideas for both questions.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/193XJZcQUBg88xH9e9PCYVv2mclUFuIgvSsw00wx10w8/embed?start=false&loop=true&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe></div>
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Evaluating</h2>
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Next, students shared their opinions on the boys reaction to dog, and whether it was right or wrong.</div>
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Author's Purpose</h2>
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Lastly, students shared their ideas about what the message was that the author/creator was trying to tell their audience.</div>
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Creating a DLO</h2>
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After all the discussion that was drawn from the Nearpod activity, my learners created DLOs to share their learning. I let them create anything they wanted. They created Comics, Google Drawings, wrote poems, recounts and wrote explanation pieces.</div>
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Summing it up</h2>
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Overall I was pretty pleased with how this lesson went. My learners were really engaged and it created a great opportunity to discuss being grateful, kind and non-judgemental. They loved the film and Nearpod helped them to feel eager to share their ideas with the class. Creating a DLO was a great way for me to see what they took away from the lesson. It was cool to see the broad range of DLOs created. </div>
Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-57664943463589630482017-03-16T15:07:00.002+13:002017-03-17T08:54:25.543+13:00Creating Our Own Quizzes!<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My learners love of Nearpod</span></h2>
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I have been using Nearpod as a way of engaging my learners and building on their knowledge of stormwater pollution. <b>They absolutely love it</b>. Whenever we use Nearpod the students are so much more engaged and eager to participate in the learning. We have done a lot of learning so far about stormwater pollution and our local river - Omaru River. I wanted to come up with an exciting way for my learners to show me what they have learnt so far. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1SzB4bbNumonRjex8aXCm_gxj2DWMB6Cg9eDyrNysf84/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Since they love taking part in quiz-type presentations like Nearpod, I decided that they could create their own quizzes to show me what they have learnt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My learners loved this idea and immediately began creating their own tasks. Since Nearpod is actually created for educators, I gave students two platforms to choose from:Kahoot! and Socrative. All students ended up choosing Kahoot! because it is very user friendly.</span><br />
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Creating Quizzes</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjSzaFQqMwatQVLLmdn9pwFXsDD6tkzpAOzLFnJcmkzuN1X3xV88IuQqJYVdZxKd7dFwsp-EdvDN5Rfy80qACxj2RZKm2GF3UHjLN8F9SGGsXX2o7y5K0bEnxxjG1x1YnBCFzE90y1Kw/s1600/IMG_8934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjSzaFQqMwatQVLLmdn9pwFXsDD6tkzpAOzLFnJcmkzuN1X3xV88IuQqJYVdZxKd7dFwsp-EdvDN5Rfy80qACxj2RZKm2GF3UHjLN8F9SGGsXX2o7y5K0bEnxxjG1x1YnBCFzE90y1Kw/s320/IMG_8934.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1yvMHedbWweiUOj9W3Fe_DAoCzLVaCX0CScPBYSf37LUcHMPpe6ceZMTa1us72ucaROW5iQLMTqIwtCPi-b7vRatrGPyxERT1D3VAn0B-wnT_J5M6kRj7P_KvDi8RsviKsqTH9v-6oQ/s1600/IMG_8933+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1yvMHedbWweiUOj9W3Fe_DAoCzLVaCX0CScPBYSf37LUcHMPpe6ceZMTa1us72ucaROW5iQLMTqIwtCPi-b7vRatrGPyxERT1D3VAn0B-wnT_J5M6kRj7P_KvDi8RsviKsqTH9v-6oQ/s320/IMG_8933+2.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was interesting to see the types of questions and answers my learners were creating. I think creating a quiz added an extra element of difficulty. Not only did they have to come up with a question and an answer, but also other </span>plausible<span style="font-family: inherit;"> but incorrect answers too. My learners seemed to enjoy the challenge though! When some students became stuck I modelled a couple of example questions on the board. This helped to make a connection between what they had learnt and how they could use it in a question/answer form for the quiz.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Quiz time</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After looking through the quizzes, I am pretty pleased with how they turned out. They show that my learners have actually learnt a lot about stormwater pollution and our river. The next part of the activity is to have a go at eachothers quizzes. Stay tuned to see how the learners respond to having a go at eachothers quizzes!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-10558670981295836862017-03-06T22:17:00.001+13:002017-03-07T07:57:27.105+13:00Digital Tools my Learners are LovingI can't quite believe I am almost half-way through my first term of teaching in my own classroom! It feels like time has flown by, but it also feels like yesterday that I met my classroom for the first time. However, the students have grown to be a lot more confident using digital tools - which is very different to how they came into my classroom.<br />
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I was super excited to begin teaching my learners in a way they hadn't learnt before. Luckily, my learners really took to using digital tools - so much so, that they get pretty thrown when we do anything on paper.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Here are my top three tools/sites that my learners are loving.</span></b><br />
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Nearpod</h2>
I've wrote about it <a href="http://chelseadonaldson.blogspot.co.nz/2017/02/i-found-new-digital-tool-it-is-awesome.html" target="_blank">before</a>, and I am still a massive fan of <b><a href="http://nearpod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Nearpod</span></a>.</b> My learners absolutely love using it. They go from reluctant, shy learners to confident collaborators. So far I have used Nearpod to gauge students Prior Knowledge of explanations, as well as inquiry lessons about stormwater pollution and the health of rivers. I have been using a range of its features, such as polls, quizzes, open-ended questions and collaborate (like Padlet and LinoIt). What is so great about Nearpod is that you can add as many slides and activities as you want. I often have slide with an image to start conversation, followed by a poll or quiz, and then an open-ended question or collaborate. Another cool feature that my learners love is the ability to 'like' posts on collaborative activities.<br />
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<img src="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1RBJtnqpBzKmCdXt6YmSebhw5qasKnAclw6Htq1SKXe4/pub?w=481&h=347" /></div>
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One day I discovered I accidentally erased the student's contributions to a Nearpod. Instead, I got my learners to participate in a quick bus stop rotation, where they had to share their ideas about a photograph to do with stormwater pollution and rivers. The content of the lesson was basically the same as what would have been done with Nearpod. However, the students level of engagement was completely different. It was interesting that as soon as we got back to using digital tools (Mentimeter this time) the students perked up and were engaged once again. This shows the power that tools like Nearpod and Mentimeter have on my learners. They are are highly engaging and my learners love them!<br />
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<span id="goog_927247555"></span>Answergarden<span id="goog_927247556"></span></h2>
This was suggested by <a href="http://ashleyschellingerhout.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">Ashley</a> during Summer School and I wrote about it in a <a href="http://chelseadonaldson.blogspot.co.nz/2017/01/summer-school-17-digital-tools-i-am.html" target="_blank">previous blog post</a>. 5 weeks down and my learners are still loving <a href="http://answergarden.ch/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Answergarden</span></b></a>. I have used Answergarden when creating a class contract, getting prior knowledge, during writing lessons and 40 character summaries in inquiry.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="400px" scrolling="no" src="https://answergarden.ch/embed/441738" style="border: none;" title="AnswerGarden" width="600px">&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="https://answergarden.ch/441738"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Go to AnswerGarden&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
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I think this tool works for a number of reasons. Firstly, it encourages students to summarise and be succinct. It is a great way to see the ideas that are common amongst a group or class. Learner's also find it much easier to share their ideas on Answergarden instead of verbally. While it's easier for them to share, learners are still sharing their ideas with their peers before they post, so they still are sharing their ideas verbally.<br />
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Prodigy</h2>
I discovered<b> <a href="http://prodigygame.com/" target="_blank">Prodigy</a></b> from a Facebook post on the NZ Teachers (Primary) page. It is a maths site where students are wizards and battle pets and other characters. In order to attack, students must correctly answer a maths question. Teachers can assign certain topics and decide how long the topic will run for. You also can track your students achievements and the topics that they are struggling with.<br />
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I was so surprised with how much my learners loved using this site - so much so, that they were using it during their 'free time' at Tech (at Tamaki College). One afternoon, with a change of plans I suddenly had the last block free. I decided to let the students pick between finishing three tasks - Hour of Code, an all about me activity or Prodigy. All but two students choose to go on Prodigy. Further, learners stayed on the site <b>the whole block</b>! No cheeky changes of tabs or going on other sites.</div>
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Summing it up</h3>
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I use <a href="http://nearpod.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: orange;">Nearpod</span></b> </a>as a way to expand on my students ideas. It serves as a conversation starter and allows for my learners to confidently share their ideas. They love seeing the poll and quiz results, as well as watching their ideas on collaborate get 'likes'.</div>
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<b><a href="http://answergarden.ch/" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">Answergarden</span></a></b> is an awesome way to identify common thoughts/ideas around a topic. It is also a useful tool to help learners to summarise and be succinct.</div>
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<a href="http://prodigygame.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: orange;">Prodigy</span></b></a> has added some extra excitement to my mathematics rotation. The 'game-like' features have hooked my learners in. The 'Reporting' section helps me to see where gaps are in my learners knowledge.</div>
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All in all, I'm really enjoying using digital tools to help engage learners and encourage collaboration. I will definitely continue to hunt for new and exciting tools to try in my classroom.</div>
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Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-12035858060561052642017-02-09T21:46:00.002+13:002017-02-09T21:47:34.173+13:00I Found a New Digital Tool & it is AWESOME!So a few weeks ago I wrote a <a href="http://chelseadonaldson.blogspot.co.nz/2017/01/summer-school-17-digital-tools-i-am.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>blog post</b></span></a> about some digital tools that I'd newly discovered and was keen to use in my classroom. One of those mentioned was <a href="http://mentimeter.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">Mentimeter</span></b></a>. It sounded great and I was so excited to use it. I signed up and began creating my first interactive presentation. I created two activities, and then it told me I needed to pay a subscription in order to add more. Needless to say I was super gutted... and seriously considering paying. Instead, I did a quick Google search for similar digital tools. I couldn't really find anything.<br />
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I randomly stumbled upon a digital tool when reading <a href="https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/ed-tech-tools-2017/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Jennifer Gonzalez's blog post </b></span></a>about digital tools to use this year. And I am so glad I did because I discovered <a href="http://nearpod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Nearpod</b></span></a>! It was Jennifer's number one pick, and I can see why!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsyKaSiXDNb0tumIQmT0NOoyidAYVUSu8Kw97fPlM0_mXibBHlvw8kE_uRuIv28uKU3CYy_jJYLScFaKEX_nPw8QeChzTzR5GigeUONZrs832p7tXxsNhnclVLXcV6ySig1mly6lIwB4/s1600/download.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsyKaSiXDNb0tumIQmT0NOoyidAYVUSu8Kw97fPlM0_mXibBHlvw8kE_uRuIv28uKU3CYy_jJYLScFaKEX_nPw8QeChzTzR5GigeUONZrs832p7tXxsNhnclVLXcV6ySig1mly6lIwB4/s200/download.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Why Nearpod is so Great</h2>
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As far as I can tell, Nearpod is basically <b>free</b>. You can pay a subscription if you want even more features (collaborate, fill in the blanks and memory test), but the free version lets you create 'live lessons', using quizzes, open-ended questions, and polls. Also, unlike Mentimeter, you can add in heaps of activities on one presentation.<br />
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It's really easy to use. You create a new presentation and choose between creating a slide with content, web content of an activity.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPs5U_M7ojCn-sEMmIlUYR1sbJikFtgGxpJpV_IYuEbjUp815AK0pr1O9xaGTg7a2Y_6imHrM-2bVW82_aBwVYS2WaGlhUXi3F8fDGh84UPYds0ds55zhtYFJrHwowcXauNI1BIFp19as/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-02-09+at+7.53.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPs5U_M7ojCn-sEMmIlUYR1sbJikFtgGxpJpV_IYuEbjUp815AK0pr1O9xaGTg7a2Y_6imHrM-2bVW82_aBwVYS2WaGlhUXi3F8fDGh84UPYds0ds55zhtYFJrHwowcXauNI1BIFp19as/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-02-09+at+7.53.22+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The 'live version' of Nearpod is the free one, and it is the best option. This is one that the teacher uses during a teaching session. The difference between the live and student paced lesson is that the teacher controls the live version. <br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
My Nearpod presentation</h2>
I created a Nearpod presentation to introduce my learners to explanation texts. The purpose was to discover whether my learners could identify an explanation text, and if they could explain why/why not a text was an explanation. <br />
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<b>In my presentation was:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>A slide with a screenshot of a text type </li>
<li>A quiz, asking <i>"Is this an explanation?"</i></li>
<li>An open ended question, asking "<i>Why is this/is this NOT an explanation?</i>"</li>
</ul>
So for every text type, there were three slides. I had about 6 different text types (each with the screenshot, quiz and open-ended question).<br />
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Because I wanted my learners to collaborate, they were put in groups of 3 or 4. This meant that they could share their ideas before deciding on their answers.<br />
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How it went</h2>
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I was surprised with how enthusiastic my learners were during this lesson! I knew it would help them to be engaged, but they were also super excited by the task. Even my most reluctant learners were super engaged and wanted to see whether they got the quiz questions correct. They liked that they could see what each other got, and there were no </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2V5Wzo9Nh1BQZWyR8lGiSxZ5zPUjLB4XdR2K37O869oQjoOagoNxmcBYFcdRX6y05zIzkV68oXg87UgzTOyPO3rZRZoD7X3gaJCs7EGO-gdG9uwWJ-ixDOApjGUx5JhHmsh9CtrF017k/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-02-09+at+7.47.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2V5Wzo9Nh1BQZWyR8lGiSxZ5zPUjLB4XdR2K37O869oQjoOagoNxmcBYFcdRX6y05zIzkV68oXg87UgzTOyPO3rZRZoD7X3gaJCs7EGO-gdG9uwWJ-ixDOApjGUx5JhHmsh9CtrF017k/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-02-09+at+7.47.54+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teacher's screen for quiz</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JC2Ub_wFMMwkJivZPftPe8xpRoSp1OEu8QMWvWm5RI45LIvUu8ncK7mJyMjtWI__LQgCAJGXrdCa71x_3HUv_t_hdkmy1-cUtBKfsQNbhTjnMRNrlcSkyDcdnZoEbRiKRygGWFXGV6o/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-02-09+at+7.49.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JC2Ub_wFMMwkJivZPftPe8xpRoSp1OEu8QMWvWm5RI45LIvUu8ncK7mJyMjtWI__LQgCAJGXrdCa71x_3HUv_t_hdkmy1-cUtBKfsQNbhTjnMRNrlcSkyDcdnZoEbRiKRygGWFXGV6o/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-02-09+at+7.49.14+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students' screen for the quiz</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiak32XK7uPRNcjLuDdeRIfvIimgjKQajDHkZ-m7wesDlIcZkVcZoVBPOWcmRyhqb0JnUTAnX9RakVuPcSqKl-ftTg6RVz0niXCUoZ36KCVaA9Zn3FRa_WKsu58tRET37gx-tO9bm0B3ek/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-02-09+at+7.48.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiak32XK7uPRNcjLuDdeRIfvIimgjKQajDHkZ-m7wesDlIcZkVcZoVBPOWcmRyhqb0JnUTAnX9RakVuPcSqKl-ftTg6RVz0niXCUoZ36KCVaA9Zn3FRa_WKsu58tRET37gx-tO9bm0B3ek/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-02-09+at+7.48.30+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teacher's screen for open-ended question</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvE8s9cmbqxPFtZ0vi82CjFcZFHg87rHdCKT0nPmhEYNEMFbsGW8HlyxQUhaa3pb1wiSx0gmxyV_c1Ezfrcmfv7gs1HsYFh0T0Ur-IlBE_znfXCGnI8dwzw5KFCT8hFbrytYFCO7Sqz8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-02-09+at+7.48.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvE8s9cmbqxPFtZ0vi82CjFcZFHg87rHdCKT0nPmhEYNEMFbsGW8HlyxQUhaa3pb1wiSx0gmxyV_c1Ezfrcmfv7gs1HsYFh0T0Ur-IlBE_znfXCGnI8dwzw5KFCT8hFbrytYFCO7Sqz8/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-02-09+at+7.48.59+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students' screen for open-ended question</td></tr>
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I realised that if the teacher's display was always on, then the students would see who got the right answers. This could be a problem, as some students could wait to see what the other groups said and then choose the correct answer. To avoid this, when it was the quiz time, I changed my tab to a student's screen.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1SzB4bbNumonRjex8aXCm_gxj2DWMB6Cg9eDyrNysf84/embed?start=true&loop=true&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe><br /></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Final thoughts</h2>
I think <a href="http://nearpod.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Nearpod</b></span></a> might be my new favourite digital tool. The level of engagement and enthusiasm it brought to my lesson was unlike any other tool I have used. It was a great way to see what my learners already knew about explanations and to begin to form some ideas about the structure, content and features of explanation writing. The students were motivated to take part, which was a massive win, as I have some reluctant learners. I could also tell that they felt proud and very pleased with themselves, when they saw that they got a correct answer.<br />
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I will definitely be using this tool again. Students could even create their own presentations to show what they have learnt.</div>
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<br />Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-10507154330250096782017-02-05T13:46:00.000+13:002017-02-05T16:24:55.722+13:00Creating a Collaborative Classroom: Team Building <div style="text-align: center;">
This week I have focussed on creating a safe, inclusive and happy classroom environment. One of my favourite tasks so far would have to be the one we completed on Friday. </div>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Can You Draw It?</h2>
I'm not sure of this games exact name, but it is a variation of <span style="color: red;"><a href="https://nz.pinterest.com/pin/386042999280753293/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>this</b></span></a> </span>team building exercise, found on Pinterest. This is what you need:<br />
<ul>
<li>Groups of four - five is ok too, if one student is the instructor.</li>
<li>A felt tip pen with two strings tied to it, creating four pieces of string.</li>
<li>A2 or A3 paper for each group</li>
<li>A print out of a simple drawing</li>
</ul>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1SLqXIM-7eVL22pUuGRLQDHf4s1N6Sj3h1uJvupp9v5s/pub?w=473&h=190" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All you need: A felt-tip pen with two strings tied, a simple drawing and some A2 newsprint paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Instructions</h2>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ol>
<li> Each group member holds a piece of string. They each have a piece of A2 paper and a print out of a simple drawing.</li>
<li>The group has to work together to replicate the simple drawing.</li>
<li>Students <b>must</b> be holding onto the string, they cannot touch the pen.</li>
</ol>
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The group with the best drawing wins!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/zrh8v2hqKqI?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="500"></iframe><br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1TVEpUNOnDsVr2n5Ws2UVN6EA6fAlrBUM2y4SILlpfak/pub?w=465&h=141" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1TVEpUNOnDsVr2n5Ws2UVN6EA6fAlrBUM2y4SILlpfak/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">The finished product. Click here to see a larger version of their drawings</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This activity was lots of fun and pretty hilarious. There was laughter and a bit of frustration, as teams worked together to draw the image.<br />
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Although this activity was meant to be fun, there were some more serious lessons which underpinned the students success. The students had to work together. Everyone had to help out and take part. If one group member decided not to try, then the pen would not stay upright and the team would struggle.<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>Moral of the lesson</b></h2>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Everyone must work together, if one person doesn't then it won't work</span></span>. This is the case for collaborative work. It is crucial that everybody pitches in and helps out. In order to succeed, everyone needs to play a role and contribute to the group.<br />
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Once students had calmed down from the excitement, we had a discussion about what the point of this task was. I was happy that they could relay that it was about the importance teamwork and everyone doing their bit.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Next week...</h3>
Next week I am planning to continue setting team building challenges for my classroom. This is helping my learners to feel safe and confident in my classroom. It is also building a collaborative environment - which is what my learners asked for. I am looking forward to watching my learners progress from shy to confident classmates.<br />
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Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-90404365923121827912017-02-04T22:02:00.001+13:002017-02-05T14:12:26.385+13:00Creating a Collaborative Classroom: Day One & Two<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is always hard starting the new year with a new teacher and new classmates. So this week I have focussed on creating a collaborative and inclusive classroom environment. Whilst it started off a little slowly (with technical road bumps and <i>very</i> shy students), I am starting to see and hear collaboration happening in my classroom - and only on day two!</span><br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Key Competencies - TRUMP</span></h2>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My first day was focussed on learning more about the Key Competencies. The NZ Curriculum says it is important, and our learners are even graded on the KC's in their report. Despite this, students generally do not know what they are and what they mean. Today we focussed on unpacking each of the Key Competencies: Thinking, Relating to Others, Using Language, Symbols and Text, Managing Self and Participating and Contributing.</span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Finding out their PK</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To start with, I wanted to get the students Prior Knowledge, so they participated in a quick bus stop rotation. This was when they shared what they thought each word meant. This was supposed to be done on Google Docs, but we had no internet at the time. It was great to see that my learners already knew quite a lot!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Students PK from the Bus Stop rotation</span></td></tr>
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Unpacking as a Class</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After this, we unpacked each one as a class. We drew on their ideas from the bus stop activity, and think-pair-shared our ideas of what each KC meant. After this, we discussed how we could show each KC. I helped them think about this by asking them "If the Principal walked into our classroom, what would he see if you were ___". Asking what people would see helped my learners to understand what each KC means and 'looks like'. To start with my learners were hesitant to share, but after lots of encouragement and positivity, there was a lot more talking happening amongst the table groups.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Student's photographs of them showing the Key Competencies</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After sharing our ideas and recording them on the board (there was no internet, so no LinoIt! 😞 ), my learners were given the challenge of taking photographs of them showing each of the 5 KC's. They seemed to enjoy this part. The boys and girls worked together to take photographs. They were sharing their ideas and starting to relax with each other. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I created a wall display which used their definitions and ideas, as well as their photographs. This will serve as a visual reminder of the ways my learners are expected to behave. Because it is their ideas and their photographs on the wall, there is more accountability for them to stick to rules and show the KCs.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our wall display with the students own definitions, ideas and photographs</span></td></tr>
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Class Contract</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next day we created our class contract. I started the lesson off by revisiting the KC's and asking why it is important to know and use them. For the class contract, I decided to use <a href="https://answergarden.ch/" target="_blank">AnswerGarden</a>. The question on the first AnswerGarden was "<i>What helps you learn?".</i> AnswerGarden was a great tool to use because the ideas that were repeated would grow bigger. This was a great way to see at a glance what was important to my classroom. Learners also collaborated on an AnswerGarden asking "<i>What DOESN'T help you learn?</i>". Both questions were incredibly insightful and gave us lots of things to draw on for our discussion. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://answergarden.ch/420190" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">AnswerGarden for "What helps you learn?" click here access the AnswerGarden</span></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://answergarden.ch/420191" style="font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">AnswerGarden for "What DOESN'T help you learn?" click here access the AnswerGarden</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">AnswerGarden was a great tool to use to get students to share their ideas. It was an easy way to see what was important to my learners. I also think that it helped the students to share their ideas because their names were not attached to the ideas they posted. It was also reassuring for them to notice that many others had said the same thing (when their ideas grew bigger, or from noticing someone had said something similar). I would definitely use this tool again with my classroom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Class Discussion</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Following the AnswerGarden, the class choose the most important words/phrases relating to what helps them learn or not learn. Using <i><a href="http://www.adlit.org/strategies/23277/" target="_blank">Think Pair Share,</a></i> we discussed the importance of each of the ideas as a class. I choose to keep relating their rules back to the idea of us wanting to create a safe, inclusive and happy environment. Next, I got the students to form small groups and write 6 rules for the classroom. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lastly, we shared our rules, mixed them together and adapted them to create a set of rules that we were all happy with. It was great to see my students gaining more confidence, with some of my shyest students sharing their rules.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wall Display of Class Contract</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: right;">I created the class contract on </span><a href="https://www.canva.com/" style="text-align: right;" target="_blank">Canva</a><span style="text-align: right;">. In hindsight, I could have gotten the learners to help choose the template, colours and fonts (this would have given them more ownership of their contract). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LB6iRmIN2WZmMzHBMs-o-MOKdCdC5UCC9V8dNffzBGmx8lyE8lrFpFZNJ-GefouQs5Fd9KfGaIHUJTcZzdWP2WmVBIuDEq4QJOUUCzf3TiXiL8wfYD8gsIzZ9b75mcqKyz_ysChU_08/s1600/ROOM+6%2527sCLASS+CONTRACT.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LB6iRmIN2WZmMzHBMs-o-MOKdCdC5UCC9V8dNffzBGmx8lyE8lrFpFZNJ-GefouQs5Fd9KfGaIHUJTcZzdWP2WmVBIuDEq4QJOUUCzf3TiXiL8wfYD8gsIzZ9b75mcqKyz_ysChU_08/s400/ROOM+6%2527sCLASS+CONTRACT.png" width="282" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1b4kR8EpfwDUfUGuIE2C8H7a97u64R-QZ93iqVzbWCD3-X2HKXAP9d8danz063CrI3gwhGOMpR7FnOaNY-g6mziKYgVBju_ajaHhYKf_BmTq3UHpiacVR-UpJ2_cYiDW6-Uzldz-HMU/s1600/IMG_8157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1b4kR8EpfwDUfUGuIE2C8H7a97u64R-QZ93iqVzbWCD3-X2HKXAP9d8danz063CrI3gwhGOMpR7FnOaNY-g6mziKYgVBju_ajaHhYKf_BmTq3UHpiacVR-UpJ2_cYiDW6-Uzldz-HMU/s400/IMG_8157.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Instead of getting the students signatures or hand prints, I chose to use puzzle pieces. Before getting the students to make their puzzle piece, we discussed the importance of the contract and adding their puzzle piece.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Where to next...</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall I am pretty pleased with how the first two days have gone. I will need to keep going over/referring to our class contract and our KC wall to reinforce our class expectations. Despite their shyness, the majority of students (17/19) said they preferred working with others in groups. So I need to continue to encourage learners to work together and share their ideas. One thing I noticed was the reluctance to work with the opposite gender. This is something I need to keep in mind. I will continue to encourage my learners to collaborate and celebrate when they do so. They have already showed me that they can do so much more when they work together. I was also really happy with the way they have grasped using digital tools like AnswerGarden. I need to continue to find new and engaging tools that will allow my learners to feel confident to share their ideas with one another. </span></div>
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Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-27275849374714973302017-01-23T19:00:00.001+13:002017-08-23T12:55:02.445+12:00Summer School '17: Digital Tools I am Excited to Try<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week I have not only come away with lots of knowledge about learning theories, pedagogies, and affordances related to digital technologies, but also an array of apps and programmes that can enhance the learning. It is easy to get stuck in your ways and use the same tools, so I'm glad I learnt about some tools and their uses in the classroom. Here are some tools which I am excited to try this year in my classroom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I came across <a href="https://answergarden.ch/" target="_blank">AnswerGarden</a> thanks to Ashley and <a href="http://ashleyschellingerhout.blogspot.co.nz/2017/01/summer-school-monday.html" target="_blank">her activity</a> on Growth Mindset. It is a great little app that could be used in many ways. If you want a smaller version, or want to conduct a poll where participants can't see the answers, use <a href="https://answergarden.ch/about-microgarden/" target="_blank">MicroGarden </a>instead. This can be done when selecting 'share' on your AnswerGarden. If you want to share your finished AnswerGarden you can export the data to <a href="http://www.wordle.net/" target="_blank">Wordle</a> or <a href="http://www.tagxedo.com/" target="_blank">Tagxedo</a>, which creates pretty Word Clouds you can add on your blog, or print out. If you want to read more about AnswerGarden, read <a href="http://innovateinstructinspire.blogspot.co.nz/2015/07/answer-garden-quick-and-easy-polling.html" target="_blank">this</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://lataifaapoi.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">Latai</a> introduced me to <a href="https://www.mentimeter.com/app" target="_blank">Mentimenter</a>, and I am so glad she did! It is her favourite app and I can definitely see why. It will be a great tool to use to check understandings, share ideas as well as serve as a brain break. There are many pre-made examples from different categories too. This tool can be used by teachers, as well as students. Its really easy to use, and getting your learners onto your Mentimeter is easy. All they need to do is jump onto <a href="http://menti.com/">menti.com</a> log on to and put in your code.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://linoit.com/" target="_blank">LinoIt</a> is a collaborative multi-media sticky note tool which <a href="http://beyounooneelsecan.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">Georgia</a> suggested the MDTA cohort to use. I am already quite a fan of Padlet, since it is pretty user-friendly and offers a lot of the same things as LinoIt. Both tools allow for collaboration and you can add in images, videos and other links. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here are a few aspects which set LinoIt apart from similar tools.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As with similar tools, LinoIt has many uses in the classroom. Click <a href="https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2011/08/14/part-1-digital-collaboration-series-linoit-no-student-log-in-plus-50-integration-ideas/" target="_blank">here</a> to read an exhaustive list. If you want so see an example of LinoIt's use, check out Georgia's <a href="http://linoit.com/users/dougherty/canvases/Olympic%20Values" target="_blank">LinoIt</a>. Her students have colour-coded their sticky notes and used tags to share what they know about the Olympic Values. They have also used various modes to show their understanding (images, video clips and text).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://trello.com/" target="_blank">Trello</a> was introduced to me by my lecturer who used it to show the outline for each day. Trello is a collaborative tool which helps you organise your projects using a board with lists and cards. It shows you what is being worked on, who is working on it and what is completed. You can organise your board with a series of lists, and can add 'cards' under each list. For each card, you can add labels, due dates and attachments. Make your Trello a collaborative document by adding members. You can see what group members (and you) have done by looking at the 'activity' section, which shows the board's history. You can learn more about Trello <a href="https://trello.com/guide" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This tool can be used by both teachers and students. I am keen to use Trello as an online to-do list to ensure I stay on top of my workload this year. I would also like to encourage my learners to use this tool when working collaboratively in groups.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am looking forward to seeing how my new classroom responds to the new digital tools I will be using in my teaching!</span></div>
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Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-50963908208501360832017-01-18T19:42:00.000+13:002017-06-06T15:11:11.193+12:00Summer School '17: Digital Enhancement<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The MDTA is half-way through our last course before we begin our dissertations. Our week-long course is jam-packed, as we learn about theories of learning, learning design, affordances and pedagogies relating to digital technologies.</span></div>
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Readings, Readings and More Readings</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Since there is so much to fit into such a short course, we had <b>9</b> readings we had to complete before Summer School. These readings were all very lengthy and wordy, with a lot of challenging concepts. To help us understand our readings, we were set with the task of creating an engaging activity based on a reading. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My reading was <i>Affordance, Opportunity and the Pedagogical Implications of ICT</i> by Peter John and Rosamund Sutherland. I found this reading incredibly hard to comprehend, and found myself having to read it over and over again. I decided to create a quiz to help test the MDTA's knowledge of the ideas discussed in the article.</span></div>
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Creating an Activity</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I chose to use the platform </span><a href="https://b.socrative.com/" style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Socrative</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, rather than Kahoot! Personally, I prefer Socrative for a number of ways. Here are some reasons:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. While Kahoot's leaderboard feature can be great for some learners, it can also put struggling learners off. With Socrative, teachers can choose to keep the student's names hidden.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkvwMAxu_TdaUD1bxj1Kms_5ky8Yf06nBwO8GWA3E35PC7eWm1QrUpbp0AflUGCEA6zaJtQeXu2PmCPBAMLJHtZcFDiiB9Nq-qEC67mwDTpFEi08gGOzfW-FhRc4C-0Z0lFBHL3zr0Wg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-19+at+10.27.19+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkvwMAxu_TdaUD1bxj1Kms_5ky8Yf06nBwO8GWA3E35PC7eWm1QrUpbp0AflUGCEA6zaJtQeXu2PmCPBAMLJHtZcFDiiB9Nq-qEC67mwDTpFEi08gGOzfW-FhRc4C-0Z0lFBHL3zr0Wg/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-19+at+10.27.19+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. </span>The questions and answers are displayed on the students devices, as well as your main screen (through AppleTV, projector, SMART board, etc). With Kahoot, the answer options are displayed on the main screen, and the students can only see the multichoice icons/colours. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Socrative allows you to create mutli-choice, short answer and true and false questions. This is great if you want to have a variety of types of questions. Kahoot, on the other hand, only allows multichoice questions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Creating my quiz helped me to consolidate my understanding of my reading, as well as the other MDTA BTs. Taking part in each others activities helped us all to gain a deeper understanding of the readings. This will help us a lot for our first assignment, which is based on the readings.</span></div>
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Chelsea Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17934715161253748283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5818310575914101270.post-89210677136992164092016-12-11T16:05:00.000+13:002017-01-25T09:24:21.089+13:00Creating my Digital CV<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For our last (ever!) digital immersion day we created an online CV. It was a great opportunity to use our digital skills to showcase our learning journey, teaching pedagogies and digital capabilities. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had a look at my 'digital CV' I created last year when I applied for jobs and I couldn't help but cringe a little! I had just been introduced to Google sites and I created my first ever site as my Digital CV. I used the drop down menu function and choose a template. It was a pretty good effort for a first timer, but it shows just how much I have learnt. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For my 2016 digital CV I wanted everything to be on the same page. I wanted it to look as simplistic as possible, so used HTML to create tables for each of aspects I wanted to include in my CV. </span><span style="text-align: center;">I wanted to use more images and less text. I used Google Draw to turn my images into links.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With the help of Dorothy, I created an album of photos to provide a snapshot of my teaching. I did this by creating a Google Presentations and inserting photos onto each slide. Also, on each slide I included left and right arrows, which were hyperlinked to the previous or next slide. You need to publish it to the web and make sure the auto advance settings are on. Once you have created your Presentation, you add it as a Gadget on your Google site. The Gadget you use is 'Slideshow Maker'. Then you follow the steps to add in the slideshow and specify the height and width.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Make your site pretty</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I use a few websites to help make my website look good. I like to choose fonts that look interesting and compliment each other. I will always use different fonts for titles and normal text. It can be hard choosing from such a large range of fonts, so I always use <a href="http://100daysoffonts.com/" target="_blank">100daysoffonts</a> to help me. Note that this probably shouldn't be shared with students as some of the text used is not appropriate for kids.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also like to choose colour schemes and use a few different sites to help me. <a href="http://www.color-hex.com/color-palettes/" target="_blank">Color-hex</a> and <a href="https://coolors.co/" target="_blank">coolors</a> are my go to. My favourite is coolors because <b>a)</b> you can adjust the shades <b>b)</b> you can save your colour palette by exporting it and <b>c)</b> you can upload an image and use the colour picker to find the hex-codes for the colours you want!</span></span><br />
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