Demo Lesson with Inspiration (Reading)

Yesterday I demonstrated an iPad opportunity with a group of children at Hingaia Peninsula School. They had read the book 'Squid Monster ' by Jill Eggleton
One of the key features of the story was all the emotions the characters were feeling in the book.
The follow up activity was to find other synonyms for the emotions which we did by using the following apps
iPad Apps

• Inspiration Maps (Free or half price at the moment NZ $9.99) for iPads only
• Dictionary (Free for iPod Touch and Free for iPad)

Laptop Apps (wireless mirroring to a laptop connected to a projector)

• Reflection (Mac only NZ$14.99 single user or $49.99 for 5 licenses) this was the one I used but PC users could use the one below
• Airserver (Mac & PC $14.99 for 5 licenses)

We talked about the different emotions that the characters felt in the story and looked at the highlighted words in the book. Using the mirroring  software I was able to introduce the 'Inspiration' app

• Find the Inspiration app on the Writing page or Press the Home button once and once again to get to the Search Window, start typing Inspiration tap on the app to open it

1. Tap on the Templates window
2. Tap on New Diagram
3. Type the name of the first character we are looking at

 

Find the Dictionary app by going to the Page it is on or by pressing the Home button to get to the Search Screen as seen below. Start typing Dictionary and then tap on the app when it appears

Type in the word to be found in this example it is 'anxious'.

At this point there was a lot of discussion about the word 'anxious' and what it meant in the context of the story. The students looked carefully at the Synonyms and talked about which of the words there would be correct to use in the context of the story.

Once they had chosen a word I showed them how to get back quickly to Inspiration to add the new synonym.

Double tap the Home button and tap on Inspiration.

Add the word to the new symbol.

Then click on the arrow to get a new symbol.

Add more symbols, remembering to tap on the first symbol (Tomas) to start the new word synonym find.

All of the students caught onto the moving between apps very quickly. 

When I saw one particular student had become very proficient quickly then I showed her how she could organise her information by colour and shape. She is now the 'Inspiration Expert' in the class. She will be able to share her knowledge by teaching other students.

 In 15 minutes these students were able to

• find apps using a search function
• flip between two apps
• find Dictionary meanings and synonyms in the time it took them to type the word
• add information to an Inspiration mindmap and organise it
• how to save their diagram
• discuss the words and the meanings they were finding and through that discourse make informed choices

Other ideas that came from the teachers observing were that the students could use the note feature for further activities.

They were using an iPad each, and their book Squid Monster. They could have used a paper Thesaurus or Dictionary, but the speed it took them to the information they needed I think they would rather use the iPad.
To begin with this has been about the apps, but students and teachers alike need to know how the apps work before they can make good use of them. Already teachers are thinking about how they can use Inspiration in their reading in a variety of ways.

 At this stage Inspiration is not compatible with the desktop version. These diagrams are saved as pictures and can be emailed or sent to Dropbox.

Management of Apps

Students and teachers can waste a lot of time looking for Apps. They need to be categorised and organised into folders.

Set up 'curriculum' pages.

Maths

These could be set up into strand, stages and/or Number Knowledge and Number Strategies.

Students should be directed to the folders that are related to the teaching and learning intention of that day.

Writing
Literacy needs to split up into at least Reading and Writing. Depending on how many apps you have you  may split it even further to have a Spelling and Grammar page. In this example I like to have a separate folder that offers many different ways to publish.

Reading
In this example the books have been divided up into Junior and Senior Books. You may want to consider reading ages as folder names.
I have separated the 'interactive' books such as Mushroom Age or The Mystery of the Crystal Porter as they have less reading and more interactive tasks in them.

Music

I have divided up the music apps into the different categories of

• Wind
• Percussion
• Strings
• Singing
• Piano

Art

There are so many wonderful art apps available. I have separated the drawing ones from the apps that do special effects.







The other curriculum apps like Social Sciences and Science can be divided up between pages as well.

iPads, iPods & Devices in the classroom

Schools have bought iPads or iPods and given them to teachers.
Schools have bought iPads for their administration teams.
Parents are buying them for their children.
We are hearing that iPads are great to use and...

'there is an app for that!'

I believe that these devices are the way of the future in education BUT they are not a quick fix. Teachers need to understand them and how to use them.

The use of ICT across schools in New Zealand

I was sent this infographic by Paul on behalf of Adobe who together with Interface Magazine conducted a survey of 280 educators across New Zealand.
Further findings can be found on this Interface page.

Interface Adobe ICT in SchoolsWhat are the implications of this for schools?

In a year just over half of the schools in NZ will have Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB) giving 60% of students and teachers fast access to internet. So then the following questions need to be asked...
Do schools have the necessary equipment and infrastructure to access it?
Will all teachers make good use of it? 
Does the rest of the community have the same access?
In one small country town I know, they already have UFB in the school, but the houses down the same road cannot get internet at all. Those teachers want to use online applications like Google Docs with their students and colleagues but they all have no access to it in their own homes.

Educators are saying that students will be able to be more self directed, they can create multimedia projects, online resources will be more available, and wider collaboration opportunities can be used. For the teachers who can manage this learning it will be a godsend, for the majority who can't it won't make any difference.  As with all of the other barriers listed the same problems exist with the addition of Bring your own Device (BYOD), a great idea in theory... if your network can support the influx of devices and if the teachers are confident and knowledgeable enough to allow the students to use the devices in the classrooms. I am regularly seeing school networks struggling with the flood of extra devices whether it is through BYOD or the mass purchase of iPads.

I would contest the last finding of only 25% of teachers saying there is a digital divide between them and students. I would argue that the percentage is much higher than that and would like to see a survey result using a larger sampling. I still regularly have those discussions with some teachers, most who are excellent practitioners, who tell me that they don't need this equipment forced upon them, they didn't ask for it and they can't see how it is going to make any difference.

These teachers are scared of the technology, they are nervous when children are using devices, they don't understand how they are using them and feel they have lost control of their students to the internet.
As with all advents with technologies making their way into school, what often is the case is that there is not enough Professional Development (PD) with teachers to show how these tools can be used. It is not just the internet anymore, it is Digital Citizenship, Cyber Safety, social networking, cloud computing...all words and phrases that are terrifying to a lot of teachers.

So let's do it right this time, provide PD to teachers that will give them the knowledge, understandings and tools to be confident social networkers, who know how to be safe online, can use online resources and can positively include these tools in their teaching and learning practice.

Writing Modelling

Tracey uses her mimio to create a modelling book for her students. She includes her WALTs, examples of structures, layout and language features.

Writing whole class

View more presentations from Jacqui Sharp

Student Digital Toolkit

It is becoming more apparent as teachers and students get more familiar with the online  digital tools and devices that there needs to be some management of these. Some teachers still get tied up with the old adage that all the students in the class has to 'produce a product at the end using this tool'.
It doesn't have to be so...I encourage teachers to have a 'Teacher Digital Toolkit'
This is an example of a basic one

For more teacher tools go to this website.

Students need a Digital Toolkit as well. I am working on 2 different websites at the moment, one is called
 Publishing Ideas

• ways to publish using online and offline tools
• variety of ways to publish i.e cartoons and comics

and the other is called Web 2 tools and Widgets

• tools and widgets that will enhance your blog or wiki
• photo presentation tools

Set up a student toolkit so that students know what is available and what they can use. In consultation with you, you both can decide what is the best tool for their learning.
The  following could be an example of a Student Digital Toolkit

Adding a Jigsaw to wiki and blog

A great way to start off and introduce your wiki/blog at the beginning of the year is to add a jigsaw using photos of your students or places around the school. Jigzone allows you to upload your own photos and embed jigsaws.

Get a Calendar Widget for your blog or wiki

Add a calendar widget to your blog or wiki by going to http://mycalendar.org
and search for your country. New Zealand calendars are found here.

New Zealand Calendar

or how about weather widgets

Weather in Auckland

Weather Today in Auckland

Avatars

http://creativelearners.wikispaces.com/home

A great way to start students off with an online presence is to create an avatar and add it to your wiki or website front page at the beginning of the year, such as in these examples.

http://room32010.wikispaces.com/

One of the teachers I worked with today wanted to use  Build Your Wildself

Students can create their own "Wildself'. To save it as a picture file you can either do a screen capture on a Mac or Windows using Prt Scn...or Click 'I'm done'  then click on Get a Wild Desktop. Do a right click on the next screen and select Save as...

  Create a table on your web site or wiki and insert all of the avatars. Later on in the year you might link each child's avatar to their own online page.
Click here to see different types of avatars that your students can make.

Five things I would want my teacher to know about me

Shaun Wood sent me this challenge which was first started by Allanah King. It is a worthwhile challenge to do with our students because it will make them think about how they learn

5 things I would want my teacher to know about me

1. I like art, I am visual... if you talk at me you will see me doodling in my books
2. I can listen to you and do other things at the same time
3. I don't like to sit for long periods of time, I need to move and I do fidget
4. If you are telling me something I already know then I will get bored and will look for something else to do
5. I like open challenges, pose a problem and let me choose how to solve it

 I challenge @dbeehre, @krivett1, @llaburn, @lindalehrke, @KseniaNZ to do this challenge

e-Learning Conversations Feedback

and more Favourite Conversations...

... quad blogging and using the technology fully with young children

Inanimate Alice

Ipads

Google sketch

The talk at the start

Unfortunately I could only stay for the first two eLearning conversations but I enjoyed both. I especially liked the quad blogging idea and am sad our blogs are being moved to ultranet.

Where did the desks go and the website smackdown

Smackdown

Where did our desks go?

Building a  new school

Google Sketch

Linda's Goodle Docs and Lynn's e-learning in the juniors

Also really liked the Smackdowns for a quick and varied intro/taster to a wide range of tools/sites etc."

All of them.

 

What would you share with others about the day?

"Great day, relaxed.  Not strict.  Teachers talking to teachers.  No stress.  Every level.  Social."

"The great list of websites I have created from the day to use with the children.

Have already shared QR code info with someone and have talked them into using them!"

That it was fab and you could learn at your own speed.  Not too scary.

I have shared Evernote and Pearltrees with others. I am also having a close look at Diigo.  How inspiring it was to hear new things and reaffirm familiar/usual practices.

What great sessions were being run and how informative it was.

The importance of these weekend sessions with staff / colleagues who were not there and the value that you gain from it.

"They missed a great day!"

New websites and Apps.

Use of Survey Monkey survey for reading comprehension.

The websites I got from the smackdown, the ideas around 'The Class Without Walls' from Dave, the photography tips and guides

Fantastic day - punctual informative but informal. People who know and are in the job using and practising what they preach. Great to network and enjoy a shared lunch with others.

"That I learnt a lot."

It was well worth going.

Will investigate then share websites after I have used them well.

It was an amazing day of teaching and learning conversations with teachers who love what they do.

That it's well worth the time to go to to touch base with others and see what and how they are doing/using e-learning in their rooms, what they find works well, learn about new Apps, websites, tools.

I think the informality is a real big sell and it should be kept that way.  

Many thanks to all of those who attended and 'had conversations'.

I think the above comments speak for themselves