Learnist as a learning tool

Our last blog was about teachers using Pintrest, but now we’ve found another option.  Learnist is an up and coming site that is remarkably similar to Pintrest in the sense that they are both virtual bulletin boards.  And like Pintrest, Learnist also has an education section; but it also has sub categories.   For example, if we go to the education section we can then click Common Core English Standards: Language: Conventions of Standard English Grade 6 there are a variety of articles to scroll through, making it easy to find just what you were looking for.  The education section has articles ranging from teaching strategies to the algorithm to solving a Rubik’s cube and everything in between.

One of our favorites is Virtual Summer Camp for Teachers - 2012 where “you will find multiple opportunities for Professional Development over the summer: learn new web tools, investigate the Common Core, explore essential applications and more!” 

We found Learnist through and article “How Educators are Using Learnist” by Mindshift.   They make many good points; one being that “Students can also use Learnist to share resources for group projects, to prepare notes to study for tests and write papers. The Facebook integration ensures that they can keep each other up-to-date when they make changes to shared study boards.”

It sounds like a great site for both teachers and students, but we want your opinion.  Explore the site and let us know; which do you like better, Pintrest or Learnist?

Teaching with Pintrest - Continued

          Yesterday we posted about how teachers can use Pintrest in the education field.  Today we found an article that backs up what we said as well as gives some ideas we didn't think of.  So for some more great ideas for using Pintrest take a look at "3 Ways To Use Pinterest In The Classroom" posted by Terry Heick. 
          Happy Pinning!

Need Ideas for New Lesson Plans? Pintrest Can Help!

                Pintrest is a website that’s popularity has exploded in the last year and now, you can find almost anything on there.   Created for the “do it yourself” or crafty crowd it has evolved into a great resource for teachers.  The idea is that the site is like a giant corkboard where people “pin” pictures of the things that interest them.  Simply click on the picture and it will take you to the original website.  To make it even easier there is a list of categories at the top you can choose to narrow your search.   This is where we found the education section that we just had to share with you teachers!

You can find lesson plans, fun ways to engage kids, craft ideas for students and for decorating your classroom, facts about today’s education system, and much more.  For example, activities for a kindergarten classroom can be found here.  And to show teachers how much they really are appreciated, look at this.  Scroll through or create your own account to swap strategies with other teachers and see how your classroom can be enhanced!

Second Life helping Professional Development

             We are always looking for ways to improve and expand the teaching of Professional Development.  Recently we found an article on zite that does just that by introducing the use of the website Second Life.

Second Life is an online, virtual world where players can create a representation of themselves called an avatar.  The site allows you to live through this alternate version of you, earning money (called L$ in the game), buying virtual products, socializing with others, exploring the world and more.   

Since its creation in 2003 many educational institutions have built buildings in the virtual world and used it as a learning tool for students.  Project DIRECT did this to create a place for teachers to meet and converse.  According to the article “The mission of Project DIRECT (Distance Innovations for Rural Educators using Communication Technologies) is to support rural schoolteachers with the integration of technology into their content areas of reading, writing and studying, and to be in a safe community full of teacher collegiality.”  The program is conducted almost entirely on Second Life. 

Because the project was created for rural teachers, the participants are not centrally located which makes an online program ideal.  The avatars explore the campus Project DIRECT has lain out where there are instructions on how to use different features on the site and therefore expanding familiarity with technology.  Once teachers get the feel of navigating the simulated world, they can go on learning safaris.  Each safari teaches a new aspect of Professional Development.  It also creates a space for teachers to meet each other and share ideas or questions. 

Project DIRECT was just one application of how Second Life can be used for Professional Development but the possibilities are endless.   

If you would like to read the article for yourselves or watch the video that accompanies it, you can find it here.

Moodle in the Classroom

                Moodle is “a free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites” as defined by Moodle.com.  It works effectively for traditional classrooms, online classes and hybrid sessions.  Hybrid learning is a mix between online classes and face-to-face classes.

                We learned from a YouTube video by Molly Tipton, an 8^th grade social studies teacher, that Moodle is beneficial for both teachers and students.

                Moodle is a great way to keep everyone up to date on important news and announcements.  Plus there is a calendar which can show events or lessons that are yet to come or remind students what homework is due and when.

Another great aspect is that it allows students to take their tests online.  This is good news for the students because they have instant feedback on their score.  In the same respect, teachers save a lot of time on grading.  Moodle collects these results and can give an up to date grade for each student, keeping both the child and parent well informed.  Moodle can also be set to allow the tests to be taken more than once, in which case kids can learn from their mistakes and perform better the next time. 

                The site also creates a quick and easy way to share links, videos, and other online content.  Then students can be asked to study the content before coming to class or they can refer back to what they learned during the class period.

                One option Ms. Tipton mentioned was the online chat room Moodle can offer at the teacher’s discretion.  In Ms. Tipton’s classroom she allows this with the rule that students must behave on there the same as they would if they were in the classroom.  She says she allows this because it brings her class closer together and keeps them safe.  No one without a classroom login can join the chat session.

                Overall, Moodle seems like a great addition to the classroom and an excellent way to expand learning beyond face-to-face time.

                To watch the video for yourself, you can find it here.

Subtracting the Negativity

All too often we hear students say “I hate math!” or “why do we have to learn this stuff, I’ll never use it!” when in reality everyone uses math every day.  So why does math have such a bad stigma around it and how can we, as teachers, change this?  Kids need to be shown that math can be fun, it is used in the real world and that with a positive attitude it may not be as hard as they thought. 

It is obvious that math topics build of each other, you can’t add unless you are able to count, you can’t find area without being able to multiply.  Therefore, kids need build a strong foundation early on to succeed in the future.  Unfortunately the whole school day can’t be spent on one subject, but luckily for math it can be incorporated almost everywhere.  For example, for kids learning to count, count to ten jumping jacks in gym class. 

There are plenty of kid friendly sites that can show examples of real world math problems;  Math Playground has problems for grades 1-6 of varying difficulty.   To make things more fun the same website also has games that don’t seem like math but stimulate the logical part of the brain, the same part that helps us build math skills.  Factory Balls asks players to recreate the design on the ball using different color pants and tools.  To succeed one must paint the ball in a specific order, much like an equation must be completed by order of operations. 

There are many creative ways to make math exciting and with the right activities we can work to erase the negativity surrounding math!

Morning Meetings In The Classroom

Morning meetings are important to incorporate into your teaching practice because they increase social skills and academic engagement, establish a positive classroom climate, increase learner investment and independence and decrease disruptive behaviors. 

A morning meeting has four components: Greeting, sharing, group activity, news and announcements.

The purpose of a greeting is to get to know one another on a personal level. It should ultimately set the tone for a positive day, provide a sense of recognition and belonging and give students an opportunity to practice hospitality.

The purpose of sharing is to share new interests, respond to one another, and articulate thoughts, feelings and questions in a positive manner. Morning meetings should give students an opportunity to practice caring communication, get to know each other better and give opportunities to practice speaking to a group in a strong and individual voice.

The whole class can do a short activity together to build cohesion through active participation. It should build community, foster active and engaged participation, heighten the class’s sense of a shared group identity and help students have fun together. The “human knot “for example is a good community building activity.
Students practice listening skills and build a sense of community by discussing news and announcements. This should help students be aware of happenings, develop and reinforce personal and academic goals and reinforce social skills. Some examples include information on a change in schedule, homecoming events and personal news students wish to share.


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Twitter in the Classroom?

The use of social media in the digital age has raised controversy over social media in the classroom. 

Many teachers are using technological advances and digital communication to their advantage, while some believe that schools are no place for social media sites.

We found a great article on Zite, a free personalized magazine for iPad, iPhone and Android phones, on the topic of Twitter and education.

Using Twitter has obvious convenience advantages for both students and teachers. Twitter provides an additional way of communicating and sending reminders, which in the busy lives of students and teachers is an advantage. Teachers can choose to create content pertaining to a specific subject or course by using hash tags. Twitter can also serve as a tool for announcements and updates or other creative ideas teachers have in bettering the classroom experience.

Apart from reminders and updates, Twitter can be used to share links, videos, blogs or other useful content with students and other teachers.  Zite once again suggests how the use of hash tags makes it easy for teachers around the world to collaborate.

With a little bit of creativity, Twitter can expand beyond purely informational. Challenging students to post stories, poems or collaborate on a story or poem is a good tool for creative writers. In the Zite article, writing in the tone of a historical person to give students a sense of language from that time period, is also a useful way to utilize Twitter. Including Twitter as part of class discussions encourages more students to participate and leaves the discussion open to return to even after the class has ended.

Games, such as scavenger hunts, have been practiced on Twitter before and are applicable to education. Sending students on a scavenger hunt while teaching concepts is an alternative and interesting spin on learning. Google Earth or Google Maps are suggested scavenger hunt tools from Zite. There are no limitations as to how you can use Twitter, it might just take some time creating your own ideas!

Depending on what your purpose is, different Twitter ideas will be useful. Online book clubs or book discussions can be used for literature courses or other classes where there is a significant book or part of a textbook being explored. Testing foreign language abilities by responding to tweets in foreign languages is also a good way to utilize Twitter in and outside the classroom. Twitter also serves as a great brainstorming place where ideas can be shared, inspired and improved!

Thanks to the Zite Article where we adapted this information!


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Decision Matrix

What it is:
A decision matrix is a chart that allows a team or individual to systematically identify, analyze, and rate the strength of relationships between sets of information. The matrix is especially useful for looking at large numbers of decision factors and assessing each factor’s relative importance.

When to use it:
A decision matrix is frequently used during quality planning activities to select resources, products, services or features, develop process steps and weigh alternatives. For quality improvement activities, a decision matrix can be useful in selecting resources or projects, in evaluating alternative solutions to problems, and in designing remedies.

How to use it:
Identify alternatives. Depending upon the team’s needs, these can be resource/product/service, process steps, projects, or potential solutions. List these across the top of the matrix.
Identify decision/selection criteria. These key criteria may come from a previously prepared affinity diagram, from a brainstorming activity, a recommendation list, or research. Make sure that everyone has a clear and common understanding of what the criteria mean. Also ensure that the criteria are written so that a high score for each criterion represents a favorable result and a low score represents an unfavorable result. List the criteria down the left side of the matrix.

Assign weights.
If some decision criteria are more important than others, review and agree on appropriate weights to assign (e.g., 1, 2, 3).

Design scoring system. 
Before rating the alternatives, the team must agree on a scoring system. Determine the scoring range (e.g., 1 to 5 or 1, 3, 5) and ensure that all team members have a common understanding of what high, medium, and low scores represent.

Rate the alternatives. 
For each alternative, assign a consensus rating for each decision criterion. The team may average the scores from individual team members or may develop scores through a consensus-building activity.

Total the scores. 
Multiply the score for each decision criterion by its weighting factor. Then total the scores for each alternative being considered and analyze the results.


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Thinking About Research?

Thinking about Research? 
Research does not have to be scary! Take the following questions into consideration and ease the process of research. Even though research may differ from field to field, and topic to topic, you can start thinking about research by keeping these questions in mind.

Statement of problem
Purpose of the study-Why have you decided to conduct research on this topic? Why is the topic you have selected important to you and your practice, as well as your learners and the greater community of educators? What is the specific gap that you are hoping to close as a result of the study?
Objectives of the study – What do you hope to accomplish by conducting your study? What are your research questions and sub questions? What information do you hope to gain by posing these questions?

Review of the Literature
Include several resources, especially from peer reviewed journals. Google scholar for example is a great tool for research.

Methodology
Participants (research subjects) – who will participate in your study and how will the participants be selected for the study? Why have you chosen these individuals as the participants for the study? Include basic demographic information (age, gender, and ethnicity).
Procedure – What specifically will you change in your practice in order to conduct your study? What is the sequence of events that will take place? What will the participants in the study experience as a result of being involved in your study?
Research Design – What tools have you chosen to gather the data that you believe will answer your research question and sub questions? Have you thought about triangulating your data in order to increase the validity and reliability of your study?

Once you answer these questions, you will hopefully be more prepared to get going on your research with more ease and confidence!


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Tell Your Story: Part 2

2 More Steps To Sharing and Bonding!

Stage 3: Finding Commonalities while Looking at Diversity (5 minutes prep time, 30 secs/person, plus 15 minutes debriefing)  [Excellent to use with a group that thinks they know each other. Also works with strangers. This has the potential to be very powerful.]

Hand out one note card and pencil to every person. Ask them to think about one moment or experience that changed them and made them unique/different.  It should be something that absolutely no one in the room knows about them.  It can be something that happened to them or something that they chose to do.  It can be something sad or something joyful.  It can be something that makes them angry, nervous, and frightened or something that makes them happy, hopeful, or excited.  They are to write one or two sentences describing the event/experience.  They are not to identify themselves on the cards.  Be sure to tell them in advance that the cards will be collected and redistributed and read out loud (although they will NOT be identified).  This will allow them to really think about whether they want to write something on the card to share with the entire group. Each person will then read the card out loud that they are given.  Debrief by asking people to describe, analyze and apply what they discovered from the experience of hearing the other stories.  Most likely you will hear people say things like: “Wow, I was surprised that there are so many people in the room who have experienced something tragic.” Or “I will be more careful in the future about how I speak about XYZ because I never thought there would be someone right here that experienced XYZ.”  Or “I wrote ABC on my card… that was me.  And I was so surprised that two other people also wrote about ABC.  I thought I was alone, but now I know I am not alone.”

Stage 4:  A Place at the Table (1-2 hours) [Excellent for building a deeper sense of community while discussing uncomfortable issues.]

This activity is based on the notion that not everyone in our society has a place at the metaphoric table of democracy.  Participants and tables are numbered.  For example, if you have 20 participants (no. 1-20) and four tables/sessions (no. 1-4), you will want to make up a session chart placing different people at each table for each session.  This chart should be arranged thoughtfully; mixing participants as much as possible.  Each table/session is given a topic (race, differing abilities, gender, GBLTIQQA, socio-economic, etc.).  Provide general information based on the knowledge level of participants at each table (e.g. barriers, demographic information, struggles, stereotypes, etc.).  Ask participants to discuss accordingly at each table.  Allow them 15-20 minutes at each table. Make sure there is a symbolic empty chair at each table to represent the voice(s) that may or may not be represented by the table’s topic.  Encourage each table to dig deeply and honestly into their own perceptions, stereotypes, prejudices, etc.  Allow time at the end to debrief this activity:  What did you learn from this experience?  How can the table be more inviting and accepting for our diverse brothers and sisters?  What can you do to make this happen in your school, community, family?


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Tell Your Story: Part 1

Luckily, people like to share. 

Through sharing we learn about people and about ourselves. Everyone has a story if only someone would ask. Here is an activity that has been done in community learning before and can be replicated as a bonding activity.

Stage 1: Find the Person (20 minutes; need note cards and pencils) [Excellent for a new community or a new group of people working together.]

Ask each person to write one unusual thing about themselves that they are certain no one in the room knows about them. Tell them not to identify themselves on the cards.  Collect the cards and redistribute.  Then ask each person to try to find the person based on the description on the card they were given.  Once the person is identified; encourage them to share basic information such as name, hobby, etc.  Each person is then responsible for introducing the person described on their card to the rest of the group (e.g. this is Jane.  She once saved someone from choking. She is a math teacher at Lincoln. Her partner and she have three children under the age of five.).

Stage 2: Tell me Your Story (4-5 minutes per person) [Excellent for really getting to know someone and creating a comfortable, safe space to share personal information.]

It is best to give the participants some notice, but not necessary.  Ask the participants to share some personal story with the rest of the group (e.g. what experience motivated or affirmed your choice to make education your career?).  Gather the people in a tight half circle (rows may be necessary) and place one chair at the front of the circle.  Each person takes turns sharing their story.  Be prepared for lots of laughter and tears.

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Welcome To Our New Blog!

For all of you teacher leaders-the ones who continue to make a visible difference-it is important to stick together. The knowledge you have gained and the skills you have acquired should be shared, borrowed, replicated, and enhanced! We have created this blog, just for you, to help you achieve a community of learning outside the classroom. Learning communities are what we do. We believe that experienced teachers can best learn from each other. You are the experts after all! With your collective knowledge and experiences together, the possibilities become infinite!  It is important to us to nurture the passion you have and become a resource for all teachers looking for a way to network and connect. The Master of Education-Professional Development Learning Community Program at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is dedicated to building teacher leaders through our seven strands of best practice pedagogy! This blog is the beginning of a community who will share experiences, frustrations, suggestions and opinions about teaching!

Please connect with us on our website www.MasterTeachersCommunity.org and look for us on Facebook. We look forward to meeting you!