Creativity in the Classroom

Every year I set technology goals to implement in my classroom and for my own professional growth. This year, two of those goals are to blog professionally, and to have my students express their creativity in many ways. 

Last Friday, I had the chance to hear Dean Shareski speak at my SAGE (Special Area Groups of Educators) conference at Manitoba's province wide PD day. Dean's amazing session on 5 Minute Creativity got the wheels turning in my head for simple ways to have creativity in the classroom in easy but thought provoking ways. It also made me realize that creativity doesn't just have to be arts related and that I was already giving my students chances to be creative with the videos we create and the point of view blogs we write amongst other projects. I decided that I wanted to focus on quick creativity activities using technology in achieving my goal as then we could be creative more frequently.

I decided to take Dean's idea of the what if videos , where people complete the sentence "what if everyone" and you make it into a video, and combine it with something my students use on a regular basis. I thought it would be interesting to create a what if blog and then get responses from around the world. My students each contributed their own what if to our class what if blog and I tweeted out our blog link asking for the world to join in by commenting back to us about their what if. 

We received a comment from Dean Shareski himself and comments from across North America, Australia, UAE, and the Netherlands. My students loved seeing how people around the world were looking at and sharing in their creativity. Quite a few teachers even commented on our blog and on Twitter about how neat this project is. 

 Here is the link to the what if blog if you wish to contribute: What if

I was all set to move on from this project when I thought; what if I switched it up and we drew our favourite what ifs out and wrote them out to share with our global audience. We decided that we would pick our favourite one, draw it, write about it, video record ourselves (on iPod touches) sharing what would happen, and then use Aurasma with them. The plan is to use the art as a trigger and then have our video-recorded explanation of the what if scenario as the overlay. We will be starting them this week and and they will be displayed on our bulletin board for student led conferences. I can't wait for the parents to see how creative we can be!

Through this what if project I learned how easy and quick creativity can be. Dean has inspired me to continue to try new quick creativity activities. Our quick creativity journey will continue after student led conferences with 6 Word Stories to share who we are with our blogging and tweeting buddies. Stay tuned for our creativity updates.

Why Can't I Blog?

I want to blog, trust me I do. I did blog a few posts but I just can't seem to keep doing it. I don't know why I can't seem to bring myself to write and publish blog posts. I am a huge advocate of students blogging in the classroom. In fact, my students blog at least three times a week. I just can't bring myself to do it. I've been trying to figure out what is holding me back since I have thoughts to share. Is it a fear of people thinking my thoughts are crazy? Is that I know I am not the greatest writer (grammar and structure wise)? Is it a fear that because I am not a great writer people will be put off by my blog or make fun of it?  Is it a fear that nobody will read it?

After pondering about it for a long time, I've started to realize that it is a fear of failure holding me back. As a classroom teacher, I try and make sure my students try new things and aren't afraid of these experiences but, yet my fear of failure is holding me back from something that I know I can do. I need to remove my fear barrier and share my thoughts through my blog. I am going to need some help from you though. Can you please help me out by giving me some tips or thoughts? Go easy on me and don't laugh. Thank you.

The Power of Connecting

My students have been making some amazing connections lately. I have connected with quite a few teachers through Twitter. These connections have allowed my students to explore and learn through the power of connecting. I thought I shared these experiences so that others can see the amazing connections my class has made. We've made some smaller ones, like classes Tweeting with us or commenting on our blogs, but we have done some bigger connections, like our interactive literature circle blogs and our connecting with 4GH at Millgrove school on Skype and with Google Documents plant research collaboration.

The first major connection my class did was interactive literature circles with Dana Ariss' 3/4 Bears in Fort Assinboine. This project came to be when I was planning for literature circles the "old school way" in my classroom where students are in groups and meet to discuss their book. I wanted to try something that I had done a few years ago. I had my students do literature circles on a kidblog page with a class at another school in my city. The students all did the same bookmark reflection as the class members in their group, and then blogged. The students then commented on the bookmarks of the rest of their group. We had one group that was composed of members from my class and the class at the other school. They commented on the blogs that they wrote regardless of being in different schools. I wanted to try this again, but with all students in both classes not one group from each class. Dana was more than keen to start this adventure together. I set up some Google Docs of the bookmarks I had used for chapter reflections (predictions, connections etc) to share with her. We Skyped during Spring Break to plan things out and then, near the beginning of April, we started our interactive literature circle project. We had four groups comprised of students from both of our classes. The students in each group read the same sections and did the same bookmark and then blogged it. They would comment on each other’s blog through our connected kidblogs. The students on both ends were always excited when they got comments from their group mates in the other class. It was a hit and I can't wait to do it again next year. Perhaps, we will have more classes involved.

Our second connection is still on-going. We are working with Kelli Holden and Lindsay Graham's class of 4GH in Spruce Grove, Alberta. I had Tweeted out a request looking to connect with a class studying plants. Kelli responded saying her team teacher was doing plants with their students and they'd love to connect. We decided we'd Tweet and Skype our plant progress as well as do a collaborative research project with our students researching a topic together. Over the May long weekend Lindsay and I had a Google Hangout session to plan our outline of the project. We created a Google Doc topic planning sheet and decided we'd put two of their students with one of mine (as they have 48 compared to my 19). We assigned them topics and Lindsay created a list that had websites that corresponded to each topic. Her groups started the Google Documents and shared them with us. The groups are still doing the research, but when they are done they will start a Google Presentation to share what they've learned. We also decided to play a game on Skype with our classes as well as their two guests, called "You Know You're In ____ When..." They created slides for us to answer on Alberta (what they'd learned about in Social Studies) on Skype, as well as one on Canada, to do with their guest Michelle Baldwin, who was a teacher visiting from the United States. My class had studied Australia and their other guest, George Couros had just returned from Australia, so we created questions on a Google Presentation for him to answer. George is the Division Principal of Innovative Teaching and Learning for the division Kelli and Lindsay teach in, as well as an amazing technology workshop presenter. We played all of this game live through Skype. George was an amazing contestant in this surprise game show (he had no clue we had planned this) and my students immediately took to his enthusiasm. The students from both schools had great fun, as did I. For me, it was extra special as I have been following George on Twitter since I joined this winter and I am in awe of all that he does technology wise. It was neat to "meet" him. But back to the student connections. My class will continue to connect with 4GH as our plants grow and we explore different topics through connecting. We'll Tweet pictures of our plants and look at pictures of theirs as well as Skype about what we are learning.

We are living in a world where we can expand our classrooms beyond our school, or our community, even our province or country, so why not connect and learn with other students learning the same things.

Blogging and the Reluctant Writer

I am a big fan of blogging in the classroom. I love it for several reasons. 

1. Audience: After the posts are approved by me they are automatically out there for an audience to choose to read. My students are able to choose which classmate's blog they want to read and comment on. I don't force them to comment on any specific person other than during our interactive literature circles. 

2. Paperless: We  have a class set of NetBooks and are working on going somewhat paperless.

3. Global Connections: In grade 3 we study different countries so blogging allows us to connect with classes around the world. 

4. Reluctant Writers Love Blogging:  I don't really know why but my reluctant writers seem to enjoy writing if they can blog and will choose it in Daily 5 for that reason. I hadn't explored the why of this until  the other day when I was questioned on Twitter about why I think it transforms some of my students into less reluctant writers. I really didn't have much of answer other than my guess that it was that they find it easier to to type out due to issues with fine motor skills.  

After being asked about it, I decided to go investigate it the next day. We had Daily 5 in the morning so it was the perfect time to go and inquire. During Daily 5 I got down on the mat with one of my reluctant pencil and paper writers who loves blogging and picks writing often during Daily 5 and blogs. This time he was actually writing in his notebook but, that wasn't by choice. Our Internet wasn't working so he had to write in his notebook. I laid down on the floor and started recording his answers to why he liked to blog. I teach grade 3 so they aren't always able to explain why they prefer one method of writing or learning over another so with some questioning I was able to reach some sort of an explanation. He prefers it because he doesn't have to worry about being neat as he doesn't have the greatest fine motor skills. Blogging allows him to express his thoughts in  a more comfortable manner. My understanding is that it is easier  for him to type than print as he doesn't have to focus on the organization part. Then I moved onto another student who isn't a reluctant writer in the sense that he won't write but, that he won't write as much as he is capable of. His view was similar to the other student. He informed me that he finds it harder to write on paper because he has to worry about how the letters should appear and where they should go and he spends too much time doing this. When he blogs the letters are there on the keyboard and he doesn't have to worry about perfectly placing them in the right spot. He feels like he can get his words out faster when blogging and is worry free. I can definitely see this considering that within twenty minutes he blogged two well written blogs on his mother's iPhone while at the airport. 

After the interesting discoveries I planned on investigating with some other students the next day but, we got locked in our room for the second time that week so the students were a bit off for the rest of the day. I do plan on going back and investigating this week. I want to see if I get similar responses or some different ones. I'll be sure to share any new responses.  

Blogging Rules!

My students love to blog. They love connecting and commenting on blogs of students from around the world. When they are blogging a pin could drop in the room and you'd hear it.  3B was blogging so quietly that I thought it of the poem Twas the Night Before Christmas (and the quiet mouses etc) by Clement Clarke Moore and I decided to adapt his poem for our situation even though it isn't Christmas time. Way to go 3B bloggers.
 

Twas the Morning before Blogging-adapted from Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore:
 
Twas the the morning in 3B, when all through the classroom
Not a student was making a sound, not even a mouse.
The netbooks were going tap, tap on the desks,
In hopes that I (Ms. Bettess) would love their blogs like she always does.

The children were nestled all snug in their desks,
While visions of stories danced in their heads.
And me in my scarf,
Had just said thank you for your great blogs.

When out in the hallway there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.
Away to the door I flew like a flash,
Tore open the door and threw up  my hands.

The sunlight from the hallway
Gave the lustre of the shiny students outside
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature group of kids, eight tiny fourth graders wanting to blog with 3B

With a little teacher, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be the grade 4s.
More rapid than eagles their teacher they came,
And the teacher whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Bob! now, Jon! now, Patty and Victoria!
On, Colet! On, Carla! on,on Donny and Blair!
To the hallway, to the gym!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

Adapted from Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore

Twitter Love and Teaching Digital Citizenship

Today  I was defending my love of  Twitter and using it in the classroom. I was talking about how I recently started using Twitter personally and in the classroom.The background story is as follows:  I created a class account to use with  my class. We have connected with three other classes that we Tweet with on a daily basis (3:15 is Tweet Time in 3B). The three classes share; what they are learning, anything interesting that happened, and ask each other questions. On our end, all of Tweets are composed by my students but, I type and send them through the social media manger site hootsuite (which allows for us to Tweet without having to have Twitter unblocked). We ask questions to students in other countries to help us with our research projects. This gives my students answers about what kids their age like to do for fun and what they think about their country. It brings the learning down to their level. We wouldn't be able to do this easily or as quickly as we can with Twitter. I understand that there are predators online but, I am very careful with the Tweets we send  and I monitor all Tweets sent to us. Of course, my showing them how to use these technologies can lead to them using them at home and not being safe but, it is my job as an 21st Century educator to show them how to be responsible digital citizens. I'd rather that they learn from me instead of doing it at home (considering some of them have already have various social media accounts) that aren't being monitored. Of course, some parents may not like this if they start doing it at home but, I have the curriculum outcomes to prove that it needs to be taught. As teachers in the digital learning world we need to expose them to all of these different types of media and make them become responsible digital citizens at an early age before they are exposed without the knowledge and understanding behind being digital citizens.

On another note, today we connected with Sean Quigley (singer of the empowering "Our Generation") on Skype (who I connected with through Twitter). My students asked him some great questions about making change and how we can help out with our make change social action project for our local homeless shelter. He answered all of our questions and gave us some great advice. You would never know he was only 17. It is nice to see a young person with such a drive to make change and make a difference in the world.

We will continue to use social media in our room as it is an amazing way to learn in this digital world.

New Tech Love

This blog is going to be short and sweet. I discovered (through an article link posted on Twitter) an amazing word cloud website. We are reading James and the Giant Peach as a class so we made peach shaped word clouds with our thoughts on the book and character sketches. The peach shaped word clouds were a great hit with 3B. I can't wait to print them out and post them on our bulletin board! After showing one child how to save her word cloud she told me "We should call you Queen of Technology!" Kids say the darndest things! It made my day. Before I go, the site was http://www.tagxedo.com/. Be sure to check it out if you haven't used it.