iPad Scout- Week 4

As we get more comfortable with the iPads in our classroom, the students are becoming so much more independent. Last week we did not do as many new things, but the ways in which we used the iPads helped us be much more efficient in our learning.

One thing I have been doing more of is using Edmodo to send students a document I want them to have. I can attach a PDF file to an Edmodo assignment, and students can download the file and open it in Notability. They can then annotate on top of the image. I have to thank Mr. Krena for showing me how to do this because it makes getting information to and from students much easier.

Because we are studying geography, I sent the students a blank world map. I put directions on the ActivBoard about labeling each continent with a specific number (1= Asia, 2= Pacific Ocean, etc.) Students completed the assignment, and then they saved the assignment in their Edmodo "backpack." They could then send the assignment back to me to be graded. It was a quick and easy assessment piece, and the students were much more engaged than if it had been on paper.

Another way we used the Edmodo to Notability feature was a reading self-assessment. I sent the students a rubric for reading fluency, which they downloaded. Students listened to their previous recording of themselves reading a poem aloud. They then scored themselves on the rubric. Here's the best part- not only did they circle their rubric score, they also recorded their voice as they explained why they gave themselves the score and discussed what they could work on for next time. Students then saved this note to their Dropbox, so I could listen to it later. (Unfortunately, it would not save the voice recording to upload this to Edmodo). I loved listening to their reasoning and giving them an opportunity to assess themselves. If I had done this aloud with students one-on-one (which is of course also very valuable), it would have taken up a lot of class time. This did take up more of my own time, but I love that I have the recoding to keep to document their thinking. I have to thank Jennifer Bearden from Robinson for giving me this idea. I love it and will definitely use it again.

This image hardly does justice to the great thinking that was in the recording they turned in.

All of these ideas are saving paper. In the past few weeks, I have made fewer copies than I have all year. For Earth Day, our class set a goal to have a paperless day. Except for our spelling list (which was already copied anyway), we did not use any paper. We were creative and found other ways to do things that didn't need paper. For example, we took our spelling pretest on the iPads using Notability. I would certainly not want to eliminate the use of paper and pencil in our classroom completely, but I do love that we are saving trees and money.

Another thing that I have noticed is that students are developing their own preferences. Some students prefer to type when we are working on problems or taking notes on the iPads, while others prefer writing with a stylus or their finger. Some have preferences as to which apps they use- like Notability over Pages to word process, or Educreations to work out a math problem, rather than Notability. Just like adults, they are finding ways to use technology that works best for them. Some students even independently organized their apps into folders because they didn't like that their iPad home screen looked "messy." These second graders are not only becoming more tech-savvy, they are also becoming independent thinkers and problem solvers.

iPad Scout- Week 3

When I asked my students on Friday what they thought about the iPad scout this week, most agreed that it felt "easier" than the past two weeks. I completely agree. I think it has been a combination of getting used to using the iPads (the students and me) and getting a few bugs worked out, but this week, things seemed to flow much more easily than the past two weeks. Here are a few of the highlights of our week:

What we did this week:
- Popplet app: We have been writing poetry, and we learned about similes and I was about to print a graphic organizer for the students to use to organized their ideas for their simile poem. Then I remembered an app I had seen called Popplet. It is a kid-friendly graphic organizing app in which students can touch the screen to create a new Popplet (or bubble). They can organize the Popplets and connect them to make a web, which we use often. I love this for several reasons- #1, we saved paper. I know that this is just a substitution for something we could have easily done on paper, but we are all about being green in the Bartin Bunch. #2- The engagement was high. Students loved using this app, and it was very easy to use. The web I was going to print for them had 5 bubbles to write in, but they loved it so much, most kids filled more than 5 Popplets with their ideas.

Eddie's Popplet about his dog.

Sydney's Popplet- She really fills my bucket!

- We did our first word processing on the iPads this week. Students had written autobiography poems, so we decided to publish them. I went back and forth on which app to use, but finally decided on Notability. Students have gotten comfortable with this app, plus it is easy to insert pictures and save to Dropbox directly from the app. This went very well. The only complaint was that Notability does not have options like centering text (which many students wanted to do). Students took a picture of themselves which they inserted onto the page with their poem,  and saved them to their Dropbox folder. I could then open the files and print them from my computer, and parents can view them from Dropbox.

- In reading, we have been practicing reading poetry with expression. I wanted students to record themselves reading a favorite poem aloud. I had a difficult time finding the right app to do this. At first we tried Notability, since you can record voice, but the students could not open the file in Dropbox and listen to it on their iPads. I then wanted to use AudioBoo, which I have heard good things about, but it is rated as ages 12 and up, so the students couldn't access it. Finally, I found Voice Record Pro. It is a free app that will save voice recordings directly to Dropbox. It is easy to record, but then it takes about 6 steps to rename the file and save it to Dropbox. It did the trick though, and now students will be able to listen to their own and each other's recordings this week as we critique our reading fluency.

- Educreations- I talked about this app last week. It is great for math, as students can work out math problems and mirror them to the projector or record their word. This week, I used it as an incentive. I was looking for students who showed great math thinking and could explain their work aloud, and I chose some to make videos about addition strategies. I will be posting these to our class website, to help students and parents who want to know more about how we solve problems. I love it!

Here is Pete, explaining how to use splitting to solve 3-digit addition problems:



- We have been using Safari more often. We learned how to make bookmarks to our favorite sites, which is very handy and saves time later on.

- We took the Edison test on the iPads. This did not go as well as I had hoped. None of the images would display on the iPad, which was especially difficult on the math assessment. Next month, we will take the Edison on the laptops, which my students refer to as "the old-fashioned way."

One thing that I have noticed is my students' use of the word scout. It has become part of our vocabulary. I have heard comments such as "I am going to scout this out", or "well, things don't always go perfectly when you are scouting." They even use this term when we are not using iPads at all. 

Edison Tests

Each month our classroom takes a standardized test on the computer, called the Edison test. We take tests in reading and math. These tests help provide teachers with data about individual students and the entire class, and it can help guide my instruction. In addition, it is a great opportunity to teach test-taking skills. Every month, we discuss different test-taking strategies that can help students be more successful on this test, as well as future tests they will take.

Last week, when we went to the Big Show Kickoff Assembly, Dr. Painter showed some data from third, fourth, and fifth grade students. We looked at graphs that showed their progress on the MAP test, as well the Edison tests. My students were pretty impressed with their progress.

Each month my students keep track of their own test scores, and they set personal goals for themselves on each test. We talk about if they personally are making progress and what strategies they can try to do even better next time. I had not this year discussed our class data. This week, as we got ready to take our Edison tests, I decided to share with them their class average data. Our math graph looked like this:

I asked the students if they thought we could improve, and they wanted to set a class goal of 90% for April. We then discussed test-taking strategies we could use. This is a combined list of the strategies they came up with for math and reading:
- Look back at the text before you answer questions. (reading)
- Underline the answer in the text and write the question number next to it. (reading)
- If your answer isn’t one of the choices, try the problem again. (math)
- Underline key words in the question.
- Eliminate the answers that you know are not true.
- Look at all parts of the text and question- including pictures, captions, and graphs.
- Make sure to read all of the answer choices.
- Read the text more than once.
- Make sure to answer every question.
- Have a growth mindset.
- TAKE YOUR TIME!

Everyone really took their time and did their best on both tests. They each had a few more difficult problems, and everyone worked through them using their strategies.

I am happy to report that their hard work paid off. Our results for April were (drum roll, please)......

93% in math
87% in reading!

Way to go, Bartin Bunch! I can't wait to see how we do in May! I bet we can get our reading score to 90% as well.

iPad Scout- Week 2

Week two of our iPad scout certainly included some ups and downs. It was a week to practice some of our skills, as well as experiment with some new apps and features.

Here are some of highlights of the week:

- In math, we used our iPads to show work on different problems. We used Notability, which we had used the previous week. In this app students can show their work by typing or annotating (with their finger or stylus). The most powerful part of this is being able to mirror their work to my desktop computer, which then shows on our projector. This is much more efficient than students coming up to the board to recreate their work to show the class. Students have gotten really good at mirroring their iPad to the board. It is very engaging because they want their work to be selected, so everyone stays focused and does their best work.

- In addition, we used the app Educreations in math. It is similar to Notability, in that students can annotate and show their work. Another great feature of that app is that students can record their work, both the writing and their voice, and save it as a video. Students practiced solving problems, while explaining their thinking aloud and recording it. Again- engagement was high, and the quality of work was great.

- This week students installed their first apps from the App Store. To do this, they needed to know their Apple ID passwords. These are pretty long (which makes them more secure), so it often took a few tries to type them in correctly. We installed a poetry app, to go along with our writing unit, as well as a counting money app, to use in math rotations next week. One thing that was interesting- I had originally found a different poetry app I wanted to use, but the students could not install it on their iPads. I hadn't realized that it was set as ages 12+, so the filter wouldn't allow it. That's just another way that our students are being protected from inappropriate content.

- In addition, I created a Dropbox account for the class, and each student set it up on their iPads. They each have a folder in the Dropbox. It is one way that they can share documents with me and with each other. Since my students can't take their iPads home, it is also a way for them to share some of their work with their families. They can open the Dropbox on any computer. I know that it may fill up  quickly, so we will careful about how much we put into it, probably just 1-2 files per week. Hopefully that will last us the next six weeks.

-On Friday, we used Kidblog on our iPads.  We have been blogging all year on the laptops using Kidblog, so I wanted to see if it would work on the iPads. We had tried using the Kidblog app a few times, but students were not able to publish. On Friday we decided to just use kidblog through the Safari browser, and it worked pretty well. Students blogged about their experiences so far with the iPads. You can see their blog posts here- www.kidblog.org/bartinbunch
As usual, they have some great ideas, and I love learning about what they think is most important.

Things that didn't go as well:

- We had some problems with Safari this week. Mrs. Handley, our fabulous technology specialist) had to collect all of the iPads and change some setting, and by the end of the week, all was fixed. Thank goodness for Mrs. Handley!

- We also had some kinks with Edmodo. Our district tech gurus were on the case, and they got it working for us. We are so lucky to have such smart and hard-working people working behind the scenes.

- Google Docs is not working right now. I am sure our above-mentioned district tech gurus will figure this out soon. I have created some Google forms that I want to use with kids. 

- I am learning about what is filtered and what is not. Things that work on my iPad do not always work on the students' iPads. For example, I had a YouTube video I wanted students to watch, but it wouldn't let them open it. I am sure this is for a very good reason, as YouTube has a lot of content that can be inappropriate for kids. I just need to think ahead and find ways to share some of the content I want them to have, while still keeping their safety in mind.

Overall, it's been a good learning experience for the students and me. I am looking forward to using the knowledge and skills we have gained so far as we venture into even more exciting uses with this new technology.

iPad Scout- Week 1

The iPads are here! The Bartin Bunch has been selected to participate in a scout for the district, trying out 1:1 iPad Minis in our classroom for the fourth quarter. We have been talking about it for several weeks, but when they finally arrived, the excitement in the classroom was huge.

We started out by participating in iPad Boot Camp. I know that everyone has had different experiences with iPads before, but I wanted everyone to pretend they had never used an iPad. Together, we went through some basic skills, such as how to turn it on and off, how to use several features in settings, how to use finger gestures, etc. As I suspected, everyone caught on very quickly. The favorite activity of day 1 was to take their own picture and set is as their wallpaper.

Allison takes a picture of herself.

Zack and Alex take pictures of each other as we explore Photo Booth.

Alexis and Kira help each other learn some new skills.

Throughout the week we learned some more basic skills and tried out a few apps. Some favorites were PhotoBooth (this was a huge hit), Spelling City, Edmodo, and Kidblog. We realized we had a few kinks to work out in using some of these, but that is the purpose of a scout, right? Other favorite activities were learning how to scan QR codes and take screen shots.

Learning to scan QR codes

Pete explores some apps on his iPad.

Learning to mirror our iPads to the projector. We discovered that we could mirror up to five at a time.

On Friday, we learned how to use Notability. This is a note-taking app in which students can type or write with a stylus, record their voice, or take pictures right in the app. We went through a basic tutorial in the morning and practiced making a note. During science time, we had our first really great learning experience. Since we have been learning about simple machines, we went on a scavenger hunt around the school. I told students to take pictures of anything they saw that makes work easier. Students were supposed to take pictures, and then type or write notes next to it that tell what the object does.

Sydney and Sarah learn to use a stylus.

I was very impressed with how students handled this task. The kids were almost silent as we walked around school taking pictures. Then we went outside, and they found many more things to take pictures of. I love how observant they were. They took pictures of little things, like screws on a table leg, wheels on the bottom of an easel, and door handles. We learned that taking pictures outside (on a beautiful sunny day) was a little trickier due to the sunshine on the screens, but everyone managed.

Olivia, Audrey, and Eddie find simple machines at the bike rack.

Clayton finds a shady spot outside to take some notes.

The most powerful part of this learning experience came when we returned to the classroom. One student realized that he could move the pictures on his note around. He asked, "Would it be OK if we organize the pictures by the type of simple machines we think it is?" Of course- what a great idea! I love that this idea came from a student, and that it took the learning to a whole new level.

Without the iPads, we could have done the scavenger hunt with paper and a clipboard, making sketches and taking notes with a pencil. The iPads definitely brought a much higher level of engagement to the activity. But with the idea of moving the pictures around and sorting them, I feel like this really enhanced the learning. When we returned to the classroom, students spent at least another 30 minutes writing notes and organizing their pictures. Then several students mirrored their notes to the projector and shared their images and thinking. They were completely engaged and participating in some very high-level thinking. It was a great learning day for the Bartin Bunch, and I can't wait to see what other adventures we have with our new learning tools.

The Bartin Bunch has an awesome outdoor learning experience- with iPads!