Podcast Possibilities

According to the book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts "Podcasting is basically the creation and distribution of amateur radio, plain and simple." (Richardson, 110).  Technology has made this form of communication very easy to create.  Because of this ease and simplicity in creation, podcasts are ideal for classroom use.  It affords students with a fun, creative way to express their ideas.  There are endless possibilities for lesson ideas in all grade levels. I'm very excited to start using this tool in my 5th grade classroom.

I've been toying with several possibilities for using podcast in my classroom.  We will  be studying the historical fiction genre next month.  I thought it would be fun for the kids to create interviews of the characters in the books they read.  They could think of questions to ask and also come up with answers that they think the characters would give.  Since we will be using historical fiction novels the students would have to some background knowledge about the time period or setting of their book.  I think this would be a great way to really talk about the importance of historical fiction.  It would also be a fun way to do a book project in place of a boring book report.

Now if this is going to be a true ITS lesson it needs to have an authentic problem.  I am terrible at coming up with these creative real-life scenarios.  I've used a few of them in my classroom this year and I feel like I have lost all credibility with my kids.  Any ideas for a really great and convincing authentic problem?

Wiki Wondering

We recently discussed Wiki's in Grad School and it got me thinking about how I could incorporate Wiki's in my classroom.  Blackboard has a wiki tool that can be easily used in my classroom.  After hearing about how other teachers are using Wiki's, I thought I could use it as a fun, interactive way to review.  Usually my social studies and language arts classes are my Guinea pigs for trying out new technology tools.  This time I would like to involve my math and science classes.  I think I'm going to create a Wiki for reviewing our latest science unit before the test.  Students will have to enter information and correct inaccurate entries during class time.  That at home they can use the site as a study guide.  I also thought I could create a problem solving wiki for math class.  We work on problem solving all year round and I'm constantly giving the kids little hints or strategies for finding a solution.  How great would it be if we could keep track of all the strategies we have learned about.  The Wiki could list steps and give examples.  It could also include links to practice sites that have games and sample problems.  My professor also told me about another teacher that created a wiki for book recommendations.  I teach advanced reading and I have a hard time getting my kids to do anything but reading.  They are constantly asking for book recommendations since they read so much.  It would be nice to be able to refer them to a wiki site where they could find summaries and personal recommendations from other students about books. 

Now that I have all these great ideas, I have to find the time to implement them.  Stay tuned to see how it goes!

Blogging blues

I started using the blog tool available on our blackboard site last year with my second graders. I would post prompts like "What is your favorite winter activity." or "what are your plans for the weekend." The second graders loved it, but often only replied in short phrases or one sentnce. When I moved to fifth grade I created similar prompts and the fifth graders responded with more detailed answers. They also started treating it like I chat room. I would hear comments like "I'll be on the blog at 6, meet me there". Then I would see posts like "hello..where is everyone." After a class discussion the fifth graders understood the purpose for the blog. As this year as gone on the students have been asking for their own blogs where they have more freedom to post their ideas. I made an account with Edublogs and was all set to introduce it in the computer lab. Then I had a conversation with my SBTS and said technically those sites are not permitted in my school district. Apparently anything that requires a username and password are not allowed. Since I'm already breaking that rule with spelling city, I thought that it would be best not to add another. So that left me with the blog tool on blackboard. I played around with the tool and discovered that you can create individual blogs that serve as private journals. Only the student and the instructor can view what is written. While this is not ideal for a blog, I thought this would be perfect for reading response journals. So next week instead of writing in their composition books, the students will be posting to their blog. This not only saves paper but it saves me from lugging 24 composition books home each night.

I still would love for the kids to have a blog where other students can comment on. Apparently our blackboard is being updated over the summer with new features and becoming mobile friendly. Maybe they will improve the blog tool.

Computer Counter OCD

Okay now that I just vented about my technical frustrations I will tell you about my frustrations with the computer counter set up.  Each morning I arrange the laptops on my counter so they are evenly spaced and has a chair pushed underneath.  Each afternoon I find the computers all scattered on the counter, not plugged in and chairs missing!  I ofcourse have vented my frustrations to the students, but that doesn't seem to have helped.  My latest idea was to put stickers on the counter and telling the students to make sure a laptop is on top of each sticker.  This has somewhat worked, but I don't think it is a permanent solution.  Any other anal teachers out there have any ideas??

Technical Frustrations

One of my biggest pet peeves in my classroom is when the technology does not work.  I have 5 laptops in my classroom and more often than not only 3 of them are in good working order.  The usual problems include freezing, no internet connection, or the students are unable to log in.  When the computers do not have these three problems the students still complain that they are running too slow. 
I recently planned two days of math stations in my classroom which promoted differentiation and individualized assignments for my students (huge push in my county right now).  I was so proud of the hard work I put in planning these centers and was very pleased when the students were enjoying their work and actually learning something.  Right up until the fabulous algebra games I found online could not be accessed because the computers were not working - surprise, surprise!  I had to stop working with my small group in order to try to remedy the problem with the computers.  I was unable to fix the problem and had to tell the students to go get a laptop from the cart in the hall.  This is a terrible solution because it takes those computers at least 5 minutes to start up and then halft the time they have a problem.  Needless to say I was no longer proud of centers.  The group on the computers were not learning anything and I abandoned my small group. 

However, this Tech Savvy teacher is not discouraged.  Next week I'm going to incorporate math menus and if the computer is not working then the students just have to go to the next thing on their menu.

Check out two of the fabulous algebra games that my students did not get to enjoy...
http://www.funbrain.com/cgi-bin/alg.cgi

http://www.vectorkids.com/vkvariable.htm

Blackboard 24/7 Learning

My school district uses Blackboard 24/7 Learning and it is required that every teacher or grade level team maintain a page.  My team decided that we would create a 5th grade page.  Our goal for our site is to include links to useful websites, teacher contact information, digital copies of flyers and newsletters, study guides and project details, and quarterly plans.  We have also included a tab for each teacher so they can add any additional information.  My tab includes homework assignments and unit outlines.

I have done a decent job of maintaining my blackboard site for the past few years.  Since I moved to fifth from second grade this year, I made it a goal to utilize more of the tools that blackboard offers such as blogs and discussion boards.  I created discussion boards for my Language Arts class as part of their requirements for book clubs.  Each week I required the students to post one new thread and reply to someone else's thread.  This worked very well and the kids seemed to enjoy it.  I also used the blog tool as a way to allow students to post their thoughts.  I would post a prompt or a question and the students would reply.  It got challenging to read because the strands were so long.  Since we are required to write a lesson plan using blogs, I thought I would create a blog thread for each student and allow them to post their thoughts about something.  My plan right now is to use this blog as a replacement for their reading response journals.  Instead of writing in their journal about the book they are reading, they can post on the blog.  I can then check the blog and respond like I would normally do in their journals. 

Any thoughts on my idea?  Suggestions for improvement?

Here is a screen shot of one of my blog posts.