A wiki for everything and everything in its wiki...

Yesterday was not a good wiki day with my students.  I have said in other places that I tend to jump into new technology and get my feet wet.  I play and explore.  I realized after I launched my students into creating their own wiki pages for science that they had not had ample explore time.

We restarted today and I gave some students mini-tutorials on how to use the wiki.  A few were able to figure things out from my Jing videos and the other helps I had link to the wiki.  Other students appeared to have more ability to adapt to the new thing Mr. G was throwing them into and got right down to work.

It showed me again that kids today are no different than when I was in school.  Some catch on right away to new things and others need more help or some need a little bit of peer tutoring.  I believe this science wiki will work.

Richardson (2010) talks of how a wiki can be a "tailor-made resource" and that is what I have in mind.  I am hoping that the wiki my students create will be be an example to the next class so we can build "reliable  source of information"(Richardson, 2010) that can be used here or any where across the world.

A teachable moment came out of yesterday which I addressed today, plagiarism.  From some of our discussions yesterday they did not understand why they could not just copy and paste.  So, yesterday I added some videos links about plagiarism and one document.  This morning, I went over the information.  Afterwards, one of my kindest, sweetest and most pleasant students approached me and said,
   "Mr. Greenshields, I am a bad student.  Can I edit what I did yesterday?"
   "Yes. Why?" I replied.
   "I am bad, I copied some information," she said.
   "No problem.  You can fix it." I said.
She walked away and looked very relieved.  I love the teachable moment.  At times we strike when the iron is hot and good results come of it.

Here are some good wiki references that I enjoyed looking at:

• http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/home (Check the tools on the left)
• http://comic-life.wikispaces.com/Schools
• http://mslew.wikispaces.com/home (The title alone was worth a look)
• http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Examples+of+educational+wikis
• http://msit.wikispaces.com/home
• http://driscoll-class.wikispaces.com/Study+Skills

• http://youtu.be/Mwbw9KF-ACY(It is not in English.)
• I found it here:
• http://library.stfranciscollege.edu/plagiarism-video.htm

Reference:

Richardson, W. (2010). Wikis Easy Collaboration for All. Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful Web tools for classrooms a multimedia kit for professional development. (pp. 55-69). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Jing + Logitech = Invention

   











Necessity is the mother of invention.  Today I added Jing to my repertoire of neat things.  Jing is a screen capture program which I had not planned on using.  As I was preparing my wiki for my students I found some of the wiki help videos did not help.  After a quick trip to Staples, I now own a Logitech USB Headset H390.  I am thankful to the United Sates for their Thanksgiving as the headset was on sale for a great Black Friday price.

Anyway, with the headset and Jing I was able to make a view basic videos to instruct my students.  I don't expect hollywood to call but for a one minute video I think I did alright.


My sample videos are here:

http://grade-56g.wikispaces.com/Grade+6+Science

http://screencast.com/t/phzVopA0d


Reference:

Jing suggestion from page 100 of

Berger, P., & Trexler, S. (2010).Choosing Web 2.0 tools for learning and teaching in a digital world. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

A Wiki Divided

How do you teach two classes at the same time, in the same period?

A wiki has proven useful for teaching split classes. Each grade can have an individualized assignment. This means that one teacher can provide material for two grade levels, while they are studying two different areas of the same subject.  Presently both grades in my class are studying biological science.   My grade five students are studying the human body and my grade six students are studying the diversity of life.  Through using the class wiki I am able to plan activities that suit their grade level learning outcomes. The grade sixes are working in project groups and the grade fives have individual assignments. For me a wiki has become a solution in how to teach in a split class and fulfill the demands of the curriculum and to "facilitate inquiry".

I am enjoying the professional challenge of delivering curriculum in a new way.  Our wiki will develop as we progress through the year.  I am hoping it will produce the kind of learning Berger and Trexler (2010) suggest can happen with a wiki:

"1. Supports planning, collaboration, and critical thinking skills
2. Facilitate Inquiry
3. Encourages personal accountability
4. Provides practice in peer editing and reviewing
5. Empowers through shared authorship
6. Encourage responsible writing
7. Deters plagiarism by showing process
8. Engages and motivates students
9. Supports constructivist learning
10. Provides practice in validating information (p. 99)"

Reference:

Berger, P., & Trexler, S. (2010).Choosing Web 2.0 tools for learning and teaching in a digital world. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Our class blog:

http://grade-56g.wikispaces.com/

The Audacity continues...

Gregory's Creature  Click to hear  the story.

It always takes longer than you think it will.  My students began uploading their stories to our class blog in audio format on Friday and we are about halfway through.  I am hoping that my new deadline of Wednesday, tomorrow, will mean all my students will have their stories uploaded.

As I have mentioned previously, we are using Audacity.  It is an open source program which first came on the scene in May 2000.  It is a good program and by this I mean it is intuitive.  I personally, find that a program that is easy to use the first time is one I will use again.

I looked through other features and was impressed at how you can do a lot different kinds of audio work with Audacity.  You can combine tracks of music and voice into a MP3, WAV, WMA, AIFF just to name a few.  You can play with all kinds of effects such changing speed, tempo or pitch.

Audacity creates two files.  One is a .aup file that looks like a Word document.  It has an icon.  The other file is a folder of audio packages or data files.  I learned that when transferring from computer to computer or computer to server you need both the .aup file and the folder other wise you have no recording.  This is important at school, as my students were transferring and handing in files on a server drop box.

The loading of the audio files to the class blog was the easiest part as kidblog.org easily imports MP3 like other blog programs.  I can see how podcasting can be done by anyone with a fairly good microphone and good computer.  Overall, I can say that Audacity is a program I will use in the future.  In fact, I am trying to dream up a project in which my students can use the effects and include musical tracks.



Reference:
Audacity: Credits. Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder. Retrieved from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/credits

Wiki Beginning

Our class wiki will launch this week.  I am taking simple steps as I want the wiki to grow and develop over the year.  It is a modest beginning but it is important to begin.  I have set up some science review material from last weeks work.  Take a look here:

http://grade-56g.wikispaces.com/



Wiki can a very useful learning tool:
References:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pR5yogCmkA&feature=related

http://www.creativeeducation.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/06/class-wiki/

Audacity

On Friday, my students recorded their stories using Audacity.  The plan is to upload the stories onto our class blogs.  We used a Logitech USB headset.  We should be able to finish this by Tuesday.  Each student showed the next student how to use audacity after I demonstrated for  the first student.  I am looking forward the the results which will be posted to our class bogs.

Reference:

http://kidblog.org/MrGs56class/

Quality Comments

Today at school we worked on writing better comments.  I found a very good video from Mrs. Linda Yollis,  a teacher in California.  Her students presented the following tips for writing comments.

1.Compliment the writer in a specific way!

2. Add New(factual)  Information!

3. Make a Connection!

4. End with a question!

5. Proofread your comment!

Here is their video:

How to Compose a Quality Comment! from yourwonderfulteacher on Vimeo.

I have have already seen results:

One of my students gave a response like this in October,

Nice job Rasina.

and now she is responded like this today,

So progress is happening.  By the end of the year, they will be expert bloggers.

Creating Bloggers: Next Step

I will blame Nancie Atwell if our blogging takes off.  I attended a workshop based her book, "Lessons That Change Writers" on Thursday November 10th which was presented by a colleague.  I was then re-reading Will Richardson's book on blogging over the weekend and I realized something.  The basic idea that reading good writing helps students be good writers.  So therefore, good blogging begets good blogging.  In order for my students to blog well they need to read good blogs.  So today we spent time reading over some good blogs.


Another thing I took from the Atwell workshop was a method to review blogs with students.  The idea is not original with Atwell.  So I am now having mini conferences with my students one blogger at a time.  We looked over their blogs and the comments they contributed on other people's blogs.  We talk about good writing form.    


Richardson's contribution is "start small".  I tend to jump in with two feet when really I should stick a toe in.  Anyway, Richardson talks about how we need to try it ourselves before you start blogging with your students.  So I am trying to do two things at once.  But I think we will prevail because I see the students blogs as long term.  We are going to blog all year.  So in the long term I am starting small.  


Stay tuned for more blogging steps from my class.  

  

Here the sites we looked over as a class: 



http://kidblog.org/MrsRippsClass/
http://areallydifferentplace.org/
http://34gblog.global2.vic.edu.au/
http://kidblog.org/ferrell/
http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/p/digital-storytelling-tools.html



References:


Atwell, N. (2002). Lessons that change writers. Portsmouth, NH: Firsthand/Heinemann.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful Web tools forclassrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Media Literacy Week

"To be media literate in this new environment, young people need to develop knowledge, values and a range of critical thinking, communication and information management skills - and media education is an essential tool in helping them acquire these skills." (http://www.medialiteracyweek.ca/en/about_overview.htm)

Media Literacy Week is a upon us.  Is this something that is advertised at school? school boards?  What are you doing to promote media literacy?   I think of media literacy as something I try to do every day with my students.  I will share the link tomorrow with my students.

Before I swam,  I was aware of water but I had to become literate in how to swim with proper training and guidance before I could fully dive in the deep end.  Many of our students are aware and already immersed in the new media.   So let's be media literacy "swimming" teachers!


The swimming example is from William Kist (2010).
References:

Kist, W. (2010). Chapter 5 "Venti" .The socially networked classroom: teaching in the new media age (p. 99). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin.


Media Literacy Week | Semaine Education medias. (n.d.). Media Literacy Week | Semaine Education medias. Retrieved November 13, 2011, from http://www.medialiteracyweek.ca

Survey Monkey Says...

Have you ever watch Family Feud? 

I used watch it faithfully when Richard Dawson from Hogan's Heroes was in charge.  He would say in a loud voice, "Survey Says!"

Survey Monkey is not the jazziest Web 2.0 tool but it is practical and it is not alone.  I thought that it was the only real survey choice much like some think that google is the only real search engine but boy was I wrong.  I found a review of Survey Monkey from two years ago and it listed these other survey tools.

http://www.listio.com/web20/app/SurveyMonkey/

Survey Monkey seems to have better features than most.  As I said previously it is an very environmentally way to survey.  I have pretty neat list of other uses for survey tools.

http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/Quiz+%26+Polling+Tools

I will examine some more ideas about surveys this week.  Stay tuned and find out what the survey says.  

Creating Bloggers

Blogging about blogging!


      I have discovered something.  Kids love to blog.  They want to share what they know or don't know.  They like to share.  They also want to comment.  We spent sometime blogging in the school computer lab on Friday and blogging was easy for them.


      But here is the rub.  They don't blog very well.  This is not to say they don't have interesting content or that for the most part their blogging is engaging.  As with most good writing, they write from what they know and it is from the heart. One of my students is writing about being married to Justin Bieber.  This is definitely from the heart!


      What they need is to practice good writing.  The fundamentals of writing is our next step.   They need to use correct capitals, punctuation and spelling.  They need to vary their sentences.  This will increase their focus and emphasis on their message.  This is not discouraging.  It is why we are blogging.  
We are applying classroom learning for all to see.  It has been discovered that,  "Students who lack the reading and writing skills they need to succeed also may lack the motivation to practice those skills. Many are motivated, however, to chat virtually with their friends.(Jackson, 2011)".  So that is another big reason why we are blogging to engage reluctant writers.


     So on Monday, we will look at the grammar and sentence structure of our blogs.  The ideas are there.  They just need refining.




Take a look at Grade 5/6G class blog.






Reference:


Jackson, L. Education World® Blogging Basics: Creating Student Journals on the Web. Education World: The Educator's Best Friend. from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/techtorial/techtorial037print.shtml








Blogging Rules – Proper Etiquette

Is it Easy or Right?

"... Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy"

Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the The Goblet of Fire 

This quote has been running around in my head since I watched the Goblet of Fire movie with my son a few weeks ago.  This struck me in a couple of ways recently.  First I think about the recycling survey we just did at school.  I truly believe recycling and composting  is the right thing but I know habits are hard to change.  A second way it struck me was that it is as a great line to use with some kids in my class before they go out for recess.  In other words, watch your behavior kids. The final way this quote struck me is with Web 2.0 ideas and there use at school.  Schools change slowly.  I came across this blog article and it hit the right notes.  These are my questions too. 

"Like:

• Is it better for our kids to be grouped by chronological age, or is it just easier for us?
• Is it better for our kids to separate out the disciplines, or is it just easier for us?
• Is it better for our kids to give every one of them pretty much the same curriculum, or is it just easier for us?
• Is it better for our kids to turn off all of their technology in school, or is it just easier for us? 
• Is it better for our kids that we assess everyone the same way, or is it just easier for us?
• Is it better for our kids for us to decide what they should learn and how they should learn it, or is it just easier for us? " Will Richardson 2011

My addition would be:

Is it better for our kids to use textbook instead of the Web 2.0 tools or just easier for us?

Is it better for our kids to write a daily journal on paper instead of a blog or is it just easier?

Coming back to Dumbledore, we will not know for awhile if avoiding Web 2.0 tools at school is a right choice or an easy choice.  It takes time to see how things develop but if a tool engages children and they read more or tell others or can explain more because of that tool then maybe we should consider the tool.  

Reference:

Richardson, W. Will · Easier vs. Better. Will. Retrieved November 3, 2011, from http://willrichardson.com/post/11927962621/easier-vs-better

Reviewing the Survey Monkey!

      I used Survey Monkey to gage my staff's ideas and concerns about expanding our composting and recycling at school.  My school is piloting a Department of Education recycling and composting program.  I am heading up this initiative.  I needed to find out where the staff stands on aspects of this program and how we will approach this program.
     
      I have taken many surveys with Survey Monkey before but have never actually used the program.  I signed up for the free basic package.  I found creating the survey very easy.  I chose a basic lay out.  This lay out has a variety of questions.  

Simple Design Lay Out

Many Question Choices.

   

    Posting the survey was also easy.  All I had to do was to post an e-mail link in our school's e-mail system and teachers could access the survey at their leisure.  

Easy linking to various locations, even Facebook. 

       The only real issue came when I went to analyze the results, all the feature I wanted were not part of the basic package.  The price and plans are quite reasonable so I upgraded to "Select".  My favorite feature from using Survey Monkey this first time is Crosstab.  I was able to separate my survey results between classroom teachers and non-classroom teacher respondents.  

For example, here are responses to one of the questions from both groups, classroom teachers only and finally non-classroom teachers.

Better proofreading on my part is needed: fun cup = fruit cups.

       I presented the survey result to my staff today.  It made for a very easy discussion.  I would definitely use Survey Monkey again.  This is a very powerful tool.  It is a time saver.   The best feature was not having to tabulate surveys on paper.  This is such green way to survey.  No paper ballots were destroyed in the making or tabulating of this survey.  They are all still readily available online.