A digital worksheet is still a worksheet...unless....

I learned long ago that worksheets don't work.  Circling the noun and underlining the verb 50 times is redundant, ineffective and superfluous....did I say redundant?  However, not all worksheets are created equal. I have a few favorites that make kids think, synthesize and make some serious connections. I still want to use them...without the guilt.

For example, each Christmas season my students and I read O'Henry's classic short story, "The Gift of the Magi".  The vocabulary is challenging, the sentence structure is complex and it has a rich theme perfect for this time of year.  A couple of the activities (substitute worksheet here) I do with the story require students to identify the different types of figurative langauge and the theme.

They really are great activities...really! However, this year I wanted to "tech up" my Christmas lesson but I really still wanted to do those *whisper* worksheets.
I'm very unorganized when it comes to keeping up with paper so I couldn't find my laminated copies of the short story and worksheets - no worries - I had the digital copy and Google Classroom!  So I posted the PDF of the story and the figurative language questions on Google Classroom with an audio version of the story for anyone absent the day I taught the story.

Here's the doc I posted and they turned in on Google Classroom. I know it's a worksheet but I saved 240 copies by not copying the story and the worksheets. They didn't' lose them, I didn't have to store them and my absent kids have access to them.

Now, that's all very well...and boring. I know - it's not flashy - but honestly day to day school is reading and answering questions.  We do it a lot. By using Google Classroom I solved a lot of problems - my own and my students'.

The second activity asks students to determine the theme of the story and two pieces of text evidence to support the theme... I know- very "Common Core". I Googlefied this worksheet as well and then had students use graphic design app Canva.com to desing a Christmas card from the main characters in the story with the theme inside.  It was fun and creative - AND it was based on a worksheet.

Here's one of their Christmas cards - from the Dillinghams to you ...with love.

So, yes... a digital worksheet is still a worksheet unless you make it meaningful.

Using Do Ink's Green Screen App to teach kids to summarize.

...

We just finished our first round of green screen vidoes and boy, did we have a blast.  I learned a lot - some things went well and some things can be improved upon but I will definitely do this project again. Here's an outline of how I did the lesson - learn from my mistakes!  

1. I provided articles for students to read about different aspects of ancient Egyptian civilization.  I teach two levels of classes.  I placed all the articles in a Goole Drive folder and shared it on Google Classroom.  This was great because I didn't make any copies and students could access them from any where.  The issue came with my lower level students.  They had problems dicerning which article went with their assigned aspect of civilization.  It was a good thinking process for them because they had to skim the article to evaluate if it was an article useful to their topic.  It did slow them down and cause a bit of frustration.  I don't know that I would do it differently next time - but having done it before makes anticipating their struggles easier.  

2.  I taught students to summarize using a rule-based summary frame.  Summarizing is difficult and requires higher order thinking skills to evaluate which information should be kept and which should be left out.  Here' the summary frame I used: 

Topic- Restriction-Illustration
What is the general statement or topic?
What information narrows or specializes the topic?
What examples illustrate the topic?

Students had to identify the topic of the article and what was unique or special about that topic and then find examples of in the article that demonstrate the characteristics of the topic.  Some students read articles about Ancient Egyptian's belief in the afterlife while some wrote sumamries about the priests role in the social pyramid.  This process when well but several times I called their summaries scripts and it really threw them for a loop. Next time I would just work on the summaries and then have them change the tone to a script. 

3.  I had no idea how to use the app but our student media assistants did and they came to my class and taught two students how to do use the app.  Those two students recorded all the videos for each group and taught them to drop them into Imovie and submit the video on Google Classroom.  Then those two students taught two students in my other class and the process continued.

4. While videos were being recorded I worked with students to make their cue cards, rehearse and spruce up their performances.  They were told from the beginning that their videos would be published online and they only had one take.  This kept them working hard and prevented them from getting silly - it also made the process go a lot faster.  

5. It took my AIG students 3 days and my Inclusion students 4 and a tiny bit of a 5th day.  I'm sure it'll be even faster next time.  

Here's one of our videos: 

My First Attempt at integrating Minecraft.

Lesson objective:  Students can describe the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia and its advances that enabled them to flourish.

Amazing, huh?!  My media specialist approached me about this lesson and I jumped right on it!  The experience was incredible.  I literally know nothing about video games and especially Minecraft.  The media specialist and I were truly out of our element but the students took over and blew us away. It was quite scary at first because it looked like students were just wandering around the game world setting fire to stuff and knocking things down.  I tried to question them about what they were planning but their answers sounded like Greek to me!  They were collaborating, praising each other, and fluently using the terminology from the content that I needed them to know!  It was the PERFECT LESSON - and I had nothing to do with it.  It was all student driven and student centered - all I did was put the tool in their hands.

Google Classroom is my BFF!

 

I've been using Google Classroom almost daily for a month now.  I can not express how easy it has made my teaching life.  Giving assignments, posting links, grading and returning papers have all become easier.  I am much more efficient and that allows me more time for planning or providing good feedback.  

Most importantly, I've seen how it has empowered my students.  All their assignments are posted right to their screen, all the resources they need to be successful are easily retrieved from Google Classroom or from the email Google Classroom sends.   I've had students miss several days and they can go in read over everything we did and come to me with specific questions rather than just walking up to me saying, "Did I miss anything last week?".  

Students still come to me asking, "What do I do?" and I can honestly tell them that all the information is in Google Classroom and they should go back and read it again and then come back with specific questions.  They rarely come back but when they do it's because they don't understand the content not because they don't know the directions.  

Google Classroom isn't only for 1:1 classrooms. It's great for any teacher who integrates technology regularly enough for students use it enough to become familar with it.  

If you haven't tried it - do it for your next tech lesson or unit.  

Don't Smile 'til Christmas! NOT!

Traditionally, this has been the basic advice for new teachers - all teachers for that matter.  In an effort to "manage" a class the teacher is told not to smile or be warm to their students.  Many years ago, I tried.  I really did.  I desperately wanted to be a good teacher - but instead, I was miserable and so were my students.

I believe in the  deepest place that being firm, fair and consistent is not mutually exclusive to being warm, kind and approachable.  I run a tight ship - I do.  My students know my expectations but more importantly, I know theirs. They expect to be safe, loved and challenged.  So - instead of "Don't Smile to Christmas"  I live by the saying that I had applied to my classroom door this year....

Learning is messy, noisy and chaotic.  We laugh and create and even sometimes cry.  You're welcome to dropy by anytime - but put on your happy face!

Don't Waste My Time - learning about Andragogy

I hate team building exercises!  I hate copperative grouping actitivities in teacher meetings! I hate having to make up skits or cutsey posters to display information.  NOW I KNOW WHY!  Because I'm a grown-up! I know I don't often act like it but I am and that means I learn differently than my students. 

I have prior experiences that cast light on what the presenter is teaching. I have many other important things to do on top of attending professional development. I really just want the information and why it's important to me. I also TIME - time to process and use the new learning doing something that I can use in my room.  I really want the presenter to be quiet and let me process or integrate the new learning with my prior learning so that my time in the seat was meaningful. 

During Pinnacle this week we learned about the theory of andragogy (teaching adult learners).  The tenants of andragogy are especially important as to remember for teacher leaders in order to make the impact on teachers and ultimately students! Three things to remember when teaching teachers are:

1. Be sure they know right away why they're there and how the learning will impact their classroom.

2.  Be sure not to waste time. 

3. Know your audience  - you will have all learning styles in the room - be sure to offer as much choice as to how to learn the material as possible.  

4. Allow them time to connect the new learning with their prior experiences.

Huh - these all seem like great ideas to use with my middle schoolers as well!  I realize that teaching adults are very different but many of these concepts would be great to put into practice in the classroom as well!   

What I learned over Spring Break! THIS IS BIG!

I'm too excited to sleep!

Remember this commercial for Disney World?

I love that!  My family and I are true Disney fans!  In fact on a recent BuzzFeed Facebook Quiz, I scored an 81 out of 100 rating me as a Disney Fanatic.  But that commercial sticks with me for other reasons.  I often feel that way when I've learned some new strategy, method or technology tool to use with my kids.  I hope my students feel that way too - at least in the hall on their way to my class.

My most recent reason to be "too excited to sleep" was a week long iMovie project where my students created book trailers advertising books they've read as part of their 40 Book Challenge (Read The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller).

The current reason I'm losing sleep is Aurasma!  It may be old hat to some but for me it's a potential game changer that I'm trying to get my head around. If you haven't heard of it, check out this Prezi by Matt Hollowell.   What do you think?  I know right!   I heard about it on Twitter - my new Twitter friends have gotten me all excited and offered tons of advice and even help creating lessons.  

What's got you too excited to sleep?  Is it a new tool?  What about a student who has made some exciting progress?  What about some new opportunities to learn or collaborate with like minded colleagues?  If you don't have a reason to lose sleep - find one!  It keeps the "job" from being a job and more like the trip of a lifetime!

I love Hall Duty!

Yes, you read that right!  I love hall duty!  Just like the kids, I look forward to that interaction in the hallway with my peers.  School is a community and I believe hall duty was the original professional learning community.  Those few minutes before school or between classes are perfect for sharing.  Standing in the hall with my colleagues are where I hear genius ideas on lessons, classroom management or even a heads-up about a particular student who might be having a bad day.
The key is to have positive people on your hall.  I love my hall mates because as soon as classes change we end up in the hall sharing funny things the students said or even how lessons fell apart.  We laugh and learn together - just like I hope my students do!

I am Noelle Van Der Meid and I teach 6th grade Language Arts and sometimes Social Studies in North Carolina. I am passionate about curriculum, instruction and technology integration.  I've come to blogging later than many of my fellow techy teachers because I always thought I was too busy preparing lessons, researching methods and finding new ideas to use with my students.  Until I realized that maybe a blog would be the ultimate hall duty where we can share classroom success and failures, ask for advice and reflect on the craft.  Feel free to post a topic or question - we can laugh and learn together!