Even though I recently retired from teaching in
the classroom, I will always be a teacher...
It's not just something you do. It's not just a
job. It's who you are. It's part of your soul...
Now I find myself with time...
Time to share. I have projects and ideas that I
can't easily discard. I want to share them with you! So now I will blog. Each
week I will share one idea, lesson, or project. It is my hope that one or more
will be that one great idea you have been looking for to spark motivation and
engagement in your classroom! Many involve technology, but not all. Most of the
technology I used is quite simple. All can be tied to the standards, but they
are not driven by standards. All will be driven by learning, passion, and
fun!
So here we go! Here is that one great idea to
start off your year! This one may not be new to many of you. It has been my
experience, however, that even though technology is present in schools, there
are many teachers who are not yet comfortable using it! If you are one of those
teachers, this is a safe place to begin. As a matter of fact, there are
standards requiring students to use digital tools to publish their work, and
this will meet those standards. Even if you are not comfortable, trust that
your students are and give this simple idea a try:
How I
Spent My Summer Vacation
That
seems like an obvious choice for a retired teacher. That idea has been around
forever. Combine it with digital storytelling, however, and post it to a class
Youtube channel or secret group Facebook page, and you have an old idea
revitalized! Have each child post their video to their Google Drive and share
it with friends for comments. Feature one a week on your class website and ask
for comments from parents. I guarantee your kids will write more and with passion
when they realize they will be using their stories to create with technology! I
am including some examples from previous students in my second grade classroom.
Rule number 1: kids help kids. Find the tech expert in your classroom and put
him or her to work teaching the other kids.
How
to:
- Assign the
writing, using appropriate standards and targets. This is an easy one!
- Ask the kids to
bring in photos from home, or to send them digitally from their parents'
phones where they are most likely captured. An alternative is to have the
students draw pictures that go with their story. They will also need to
create a title page.
- Once the
stories are written and photos are ready, students will practice reading
their story for fluency and expression (another standard!).
- To create the
digital story, students will use a slideshow or movie-maker program. We
used iPads and iMovie, but the same can be accomplished using other
platforms and apps with voice recording capabilities. Ask the technology
people in your building for advice on the tools to use.
- First, students
will take a picture of each photograph or drawing to be included in the
digital story. Be sure and take a picture of the title page as well.
- Next, they will upload
the pictures to the app or program and place them in order.
- Students will
need to find a quiet spot in the classroom to record themselves reading
their story into the device.
- Adjust the
pictures to match the audio.
- Add music if
desired.
- The teacher
will need a class Youtube channel to upload the finished digital stories
for sharing. Simply do an internet search for How to create a Youtube channel for
instructions. Leave off any names or identifying information from the
videos and you have a safe environment for kids to share.
- Upload the
stories and enjoy! You can share the finished work with family by sending
home links, posting the videos to a class webpage, or creating a secret
Facebook page for your class families. I found that grandparents at a
distance were very grateful to see the work of their kids!
Here are a couple of examples from my incoming second grade
students in years past:
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