Coding For Kids

• Understanding code helps understand the world
• Learning to code develops problem solving and computational skills
• Coding is Fun!

Integrating coding into the curriculum

Hour of code-try a one-hour tutorial-ideas for coding lesson activity

Scratch- putting the puzzle pieces together to make something happen- coding puzzle pieces put together- then try out

Lots of resources!

Glitch-creating code for web pages, running apps

Csunplugged-collection of free teaching material without computers

http://bit.ly/336Code

CodeMonkey (on iPads)

Grasshopper Learn to Code

Computer Science Unplugged-how coding works-computational thinking to understand coding from basics-ages 5-14

 

How Can Video be used in the Classroom??

Teach kids how to be comfortable with advancing technology

Pros

Teaches digital literacy

Take your class anywhere

Video makes concrete the person, place, or thing they are learning about

Identify who the visual learners are in the class

 

Can be used to replace written text to keep subject material diverse and exciting! Watch movie clips and critically discuss after

Student made videos (video journaling, creative films, how to videos)

iMovie for Macs

Shortcut for PCs

Use of iPads for younger students

Youtube!…What a jip! Not the best because have to be 13 or older to have a Youtube account

Some ideas:

• Big question- for thinking/keep critically engaging while watching clip
• Multiple viewings-might watch through first time with no notes or pausing, then go back and refer back to big question-or encourage to go watch on their own
• Keep it short-if choosing longer videos, Break it up!
• Use 3rd Party tools like edpuzzle, Flipgrid-more tool for students to create video and share with you-can respond to prompts

Video as a tool for assessment:

• Pedagogical narration
• How-to-Videos
• Digital Portfolios

Cautions:

Preview your video

Have a purpose

Equipment dependent

Don’t just play whole video

Make sure they’re engaging!

Auto play on Google Slides

Can also choose what time want click to start

Movies can disappear online as there could be copyright issues

Digital Storytelling

Storycenter

What is it? Why worth bringing into classroom?

A multimodal literacy that enables students to create a deeper understanding and emotional connection with their audience through narration, music, and images

3 types of digital stories

7 element

• Point of view-purpose of story
• Dramatic question-a key question that holds viewer until the end
• Emotional content
• Voice-record voice narration
• Soundtrack
• Economy- a picture tells a thousand words
• Pacing-consider the rhythm. Keep it short 2-4 minutes

Can self-assess for the Core competencies-communication, thinking, personal and social awareness and responsibility

Integrate into other areas of curriculum 

Pros-multimodal, writing, oral, student voice and engagement, digital literacy, critical thinking, decision making, cross-curricular

Cons-time consuming-long time to scaffold digital literacies that comes with younger grades, students need devices (some might have tech at home but others don’t) want wealth of resources for everyone, might be hard for some to be vulnerable-be psychologically safe

Risks: teach could fail you, where will the final product be kept? Students should know the rules around copyright infringement

iMovie

Powerpoint

Google Slides/screencastify

Animoto.com

 

Apps worth a look

• Comic Life
• Imagine Forest
• Speech Journal

Tips:

• Use storyboards to plan out
• Set clear criteria about what elements of digital stories to include
• Slowly scaffold learning around apps with repeated practice sessions over time
• Allow personal creativity and inquiry

english-Can make book trailers, personal narratives, family history, comics,  voice over

Social studies-Social commentary, history project, advocacy projects

science-Documenting experiments, telling life cycle story of rocks

Helps teacher by flipping lessons

Reinforce subject matter

Present new information in a fun, accessible way

Promote increased participation from sick and absent students

Multimodal, comprehensive way to assess students’ takeaways

 

Language and information technologies

Two communication obstacles

Language

Increasing number of immigrants in classrooms

Increasing difficulty to structure learning that fits all students

 

Learning impairments

Diverse population of learners in classroom-use technology to help

 

Communication tools for language learners

Imagine how exhausting it must be for students who don’t speak any English 

 

Language Technologies 

Teaching for ELL students

Think of the United Nations..use tech to accommodate various languages

Google Translate: Live transcribe function and Google Lense

App has lots of features-more than online

Reads out the translation-which is great for students who can’t read

Can see the sentences structures side by side

Can download a whole language so can do offline translation-now don’t need data

Can go into camera-click can’t keep pictures-then aim at text and will translate words over top

Could take a picture of worksheet-upload and translate to their language

Camera so can translate a sign when travelling for example

 

Google translate not perfect however, can be difficult in a noisy classroom,need to speak loud enough-slight pause in conversation as wait for app

Might be worth using a device that is strictly for Google Translate

Take into consideration what Google Translate does with info-can ask not to use pictures

 

PowerPoint

Subtitle language-if speak slow-will translate your words-but class has to be quiet and you have to speak very slowly-and they have to be literate

 

Record your slide-come up with other screen-talk into it-can draw on the slide-once recorded it-when hit play, will record your voice and the click-can’t use subtitles-but students learning the language with a fairly good grasp of english can take file home- go through more slowly and process

 

Powerpoint demonstration and access visibility

 

WT2 Translator: Redefine Translation

Wireless headphones that offer instant translation in real time

36 languages

84 accents

3 translation modes

$239 American for the headphones

Considerations-want children to be immersed as well- so wouldn’t want to use it for too long-maybe even just an hour a day for relief

 

Assistive Technologies

Technology for a specific purpose

Assistive tools have been around for a long time

Modern tech has made much more streamlined-less clunky

 

Touch Chat

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAc)

$400

How successful it is depends on the learner and EA using it

Some might be over stimulated

Doesn’t pause after speaking the phrase-so can get caught up hitting the same thing again and again-doesn’t acknowledge you spoke-so would be helpful if screen paused 

 

Rewordify.com

Can rewordify text

If too wordy or don’t understand it can make the wording more simple

 

Teacher to student communication-video modelling, daily schedule

 

Best practices and tips

Visuals visuals visuals

Newest is not always best-especially if expensive

Keep technology for language and learning separate from technology for games and play

 

Universal Design-make sure everyone knows how works so can contribute to whole classroom community

 

Considerations

Cost of tech

Know tech before use it

Technology and Outdoor Education

Species identification

Citizen science-contribute to online research

Surveying (adding to global library of species

 

Pros

• can enhance learning in outdoors-increasing access of information
• Increases digital literacy
• Students can see and learn about things they might otherwise not have been exposed to

Cons

• need a device
• Increases screen time

Risks

Technology could detract from time outdoors if used inappropriately

APPS

iNaturalist

Useful for IDing plants and animals

Get help with identification

Collaborate with others

Backed up ID becomes “research grade” and contribute to science

FREE

 

BioBlitz- not an APP

But is a communal citizen-science effort to record as many species within a designated location and time period as possible

 

SEEK is an app by iNaturalist

Allows user to identify different flora and fauna (uses the “research grade” surveying data from the iNaturalist app to help with species identification)

Quicker and more simple than iNaturalist

Free

Once something is identified, you can go to the link for more info.

(Not contributing to the research grade) -Can go to iNaturalist after

 

iTrack Wildlife

Interactive learning about animal tracks

User friendly

Names given in english or latin

Slight cost

Limited use

Really fun

 

Merlin-from the COrnell Lab

What saw, where was, what size, etc.

Or take picture of bird and upload to app

App will give info or sounds and can hear bird calls, and gives map to find bird

Fun interactive games online-learn about anatomy, history, habitat ingo.

Check out live webcam

 

Marine Debris Tracker

“An open data citizen science movement”

A platform for tracking marine debris

-contributes to a database

 

Seaweed sorter

-makes identifying seaweeds more simple

This app could be relevant to this area (close to marine environment)

 

PeakFinder

This app identifies the names of peaks around you

Simply hold up your smartphone camera and your screen will label the peaks (like the photo above)

This can be useful for taking students on outdoor trips as well as for orienteering

Works offline

 

Peak Visor..like Peak Finder, but free!

Goes through walls…

360 degrees-names of mountains

 

Globe Observer

Data collection for weather, mosquitoes, tree height, and land cover

Can discuss satellite imagery, citizen science, weather patterns, tree growth, and height, life cycles

 

NASA app

Simple but full of amazing content

Contains detailed info about the galaxy, solar system, and NASA

Access to live streaming of people in space 

 

Skype a Scientist

Class connects via webcam with a scientist

Hundreds of scientists to choose from

Also have live sessions on youtube-can prepare questions-can watch previously held sessions-do a Q & A 

Some apps can download packages so can check out at any time

So then can do on iPad and not need connection for example

iNaturalist needs data though-could take pictures and later input data and ID

 

A lot of these apps provide an Augmented Reality

We had a really neat class in the conference rooms, where we got to use the video conferencing technology. Verena Roberts had a video conference with us from Calgary, and while there was some technical difficulties, it was still so cool to see how it all worked.

Verena talked about OLDI (Open Learning Design Intervention) and how to expand learning in high school classrooms.

• Stage 1: Building Relationships
• Stage 2: Co-Designing Learning pathways
• Stage 3: Building and sharing knowledge
• Stage 4: Building PLN’s
• (Reflections all throughout)

 

• LP4: What is my story and how does my story inform my identity?
• LP3: How do I solve a community problem?
• LP2: Who is my online audience?
• LP1: How do I search and communicate online?

Distributed Learning

Asynchronous Fully Online or Blended

• If teaching online, can use synchronous video
• conversation-chat/text/back channel chat-can silence learners or can hand over control so learners can present
• Video conferencing-some wheeled into rooms
• Second Life-avatars, designed classrooms sitting around a fire for example!

Used to be face to face OR online- now BLENDED

• Supports all learners/preferences/physical health
• multiaccess-personal portals
• Robotics

Stop Motion Presentation

• App called stop motion- free for Apple
• Question button and shows you what every button means
• Animated it on Photoshop
• Added a drawing component onto the stop motion
• Used twinning button-she did 4 layers
• Take your time, leave room for error, and have fun with it!

Resources

• Makerspaceforeducation.com
• Iste.org
• sites.google.com/site/waldportfolio

 

Maps Presentation

• Google Geographic projects
• Google Maps
• How can get students to make own maps- Google My Maps
• Can find out perimeter, routes, and area of shape
• Attach media
• Can colour the map based on numerical value (e.g. temperature and red for hotter and blue for cooler)
• Share the map to collaborate

Lesson/project ideas

• Points of interest map
• Student commentary
• Family heritage map
• Where people are from
• Where they’ve visited
• Map languages
• Map out fictional settings from novels
• Trip planning- real or imaginary

Google Street View

• Not just streets
• cultural , political, physical geography
• Google cultural Institute
• Museums, natural wonders, architecture
• Art, curricular content, historical documents, deep dives

Google Earth vs Google Maps

• Google maps more for utility but don’t get a feel for what places are like
• Google Earth gives high resolution 3D imagery-immersive experiences for children
• On Google Earth can:
• Find your house and get up close with Street View
• Flight simulator
• View the past-sliding scale from current to years ago to see how the land has changed
• View layers- can add for different data-global awareness layer-can see endangered habitats and species
• I’m Feeling Lucky button- go look at a place haven’t thought to look themselves
• Google Moon, Mars, and Sky- moon had immersive interactions with apollo missions-narrated by people who were actually on the missions
• Voyageur- curated tours of various places around the world-one of chimpanzees in Tanzania for example

For lesson plans

• Could do 20 questions
• Real world math
• Explore different environments
• Create your own KML tour
• Scavenger Hunt- coordinates and ask children what is at the coordinates found
• Another wants you to find the latitude and longitude

Using my Maps in the classroom: Grade 4 cross-curricular project

• Could have students follow main characters during the Gold rush, can measure distances and give criteria for visiting specific sites along the way
• Could keep road trip journal
• Can add in custom icons, change the base maps

What Google Maps knows about you can be scary or awesome

• Give up a lot of privacy
• Google can track you if you don’t opt out
• Go into Google maps and click on timeline
• Settings-location services turn off-won’t track anymore but don’t have the same benefits of convenience
• In class could talk about online presence and responsibility
• Can speak about corporations and their power-take your information and use it to sell you stuff. Fair?

What is Digital Literacy and how can we bring it into the Modern Classroom Presentation

• Information literacy- being aware of what is authentic and teaching kids how to recognize that-quality and credibility-who benefits from the information- biases
• Ethical use of digital resources-what is plagiarism-how do you properly cite information-do you or do you not need to cite
• Understanding your digital footprint-passwords, IP address, internet service provider, cookie-what are you leaving behind
• Protecting yourself online- be careful how sharing your privacy-privacy settings- have a critical understanding- if needed to go deeper- can talk about data encryption and hacking
• Handling digital communication- don’t be a jerk, don’t let the screen dehumanize conversations, cyber bullying-what to do when someone’s bullying you online-encouraging to walk away, not engage, and tell an adult (build trusting relationships)

Pros

• Experiment more in classroom
• Promote more student participation
• Boosts engagement
• Endless resources that could be used
• Less paper

Cons

• Can be distracting sometimes
• Not everyone has equal access
• Less opportunities for in person group discussion
• Not all research is reliable
• Potential exposure to inappropriate content online
• Cyber bullying
• Some students and children have little to no experience with digital tools

Strategies, tips, and best practices

• YouTube- Crash Course Navigating Digital Media Series
• Fact checking
• Lateral reading-checking for biases-who’s writing this and why
• Evaluating evidence
• YouTube: Crash Course Media literacy series
• History, influence and persuasion, advertising, media ownership (how impacts us/biases)
• MediaSmarts.ca
• Canadian specific content
• Resources for teachers and parents
• -including lesson plans

Best practices

• Student choice and voice
• More creation than consumption
• Include multimodalities
• Centre collaboration
• Ensure accessibility of all learners
• Crowd-accelerated learning (e.g. citizen science-need data processing but can’t teach computers how to do it so get human brains to engage with data-e.g. Categorizing pictures of galaxies with telescopes galaxy not galaxy galaxy not galaxy-mildly boring-but some really interesting citizen science projects can get students engaged in and working through that data
• Social media and peer-to-peer social learning
• Core competencies

How to talk to parents about digital literacy

• Don’t assume parents understand and are aware
• Different families have different rules
• Not all know about their child’s online use and footprint
• Digital literacy is a key component of the BC Curriculum-21st Century Citizens
• Communication with parents is key- helping them understand what teaching their kids, how engaging them with digital literacy
• -You could organize a Digital Family Night (classroom or school wide)

 

PRO TIP:

Doc.new will give you a new document quick if already logged in

Technology integration

No technology in class is starting point

Think about ways how to Substitute -tech acts as a direct tool substitute, with no functional change (enhancement)

Augmentation- Tech acts as a direct tool substitute, with functional improvement (enhancement)

Go deeper- Modification– tech allows for significant task redesign (transformation)

Redefinition-tech allows for the creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable (transformation)

 

SAMR

Image from Sylvia Duckworth

https://sylviaduckworth.com/

 

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)

Technological Content Knowledge (TCK)- google maps to teach Geography

Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK) how to know how to use technology appropriately/effectively, and not just because new and shiny

http://www.tpack.org/

 

 

We had a great presentation about Minecraft today by a teacher and five Grade 8 students from Colquitz Middle School. They talked about how Minecraft allows people to develop their communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and critical thinking. The teacher talked about how it can also help students to develop their leadership skills, and gave an example, where students would ask her for help and she would give them the recipe on how to do it, and one of herstudents would tell them the materials they needed but would let them figure the rest out. She also talked about how students who were really quiet in some classes would really shine in the computer lab working on games like Minecraft, where their voices really came out. I thought this was a great example of how everyone has different passions and interests and shine in different ways.