"Last year, while our first grade teacher was absent for an extended period of time, I spend a few sessions with them to read a book from the Magic Tree House series, Vacation under the Volcano, and then pulled students out in small groups to record them. You can read about the process and my reflection on this post "Podcasting with First Grade"."
"Teaching ourselves, our students and other educators how to use screenshooting (images) and screencasting (video) tools is a relevant skill to have that integrates in so many areas. Think Tutorial Designers (A role from the Digital Learning Farm) or the Flipped Classroom model. Being able to create, share and take advantage of readily available screencasts touch upon so many of the skills (create, communicate) and literacies (network, media, information literacy)."
"There is something about doodling…illustrating… as you are listening to, absorbing and reflecting about content or an experience. I have questions…?
Does doodling calm a mind, that is constantly bouncing of its walls?
Does doodling help one focus on auditory material?
Can doodling help clarify content?
Does doodling only work for the artistically inclined? (What if I can't draw?)
Is doodling only beneficial for the visual learner?"
"The more we podcast and have our students create video clips or other digital storytelling projects, the more we need to teach storyboarding as part of the process. Being able to pre-visualize how your story will unfold is becoming a vital skill to have for storytellers."
"Mike Fisher and I had the pleasure to sit down with Stephen Wilmarth and five of his Chinese High School students in the International Experimental Class at the Number 1 Middle School attached to the Central China Normal University in Wuhan. Steve is piloting the first 1:1 iPad program in all of China."
"As an extension to my first blog post "Add a Global Perspective to your Google Search", I wanted to add a video that was inspired by last week's keynote presentation by Alan November at CMI 2011."
"The step from using a static website or emails as a mean to share announcements or calendar items to sharing the same type of items on a blogging platform is not far nor a steep step. My ultimate goal for using a classroom blog or student blogfolios though, is that of creating transformative teaching and learning opportunities, not to have a platform that substitutes a composition book or paper journal. To make the difference visible and clearer, I am looking through the lens of the SAMR model."
"The GIN (Global Issues Network) conference brought together an amazing group of young people, all united in their desire to change the world for the better and collaboratively find solutions to the world's problems.
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" From Visible Thinking Routines to 5 Modern Learning Routines January 11, 2015 - Featured Carousel, Learning, Sketchnoting, Visible Thinking Routine - no comments I have been a fan of Visible Thinking Routines which were developed by Project Zero from Havard, for a while now. I have used these routines with students, as blogging routines and in professional development workshops."
"I just returned from a consulting/coaching visit to Mount Scopus Memorial College, a K-12 Jewish Day School, in Melbourne, Australia. It was a one day full faculty (K-6) keynote style workshop to set the tone for a four day intense follow up work with the upper primary school teachers and students. Together with Edna Sackson, the Teaching and Learning Co-ordinator of the school, we planned the overall theme, Documenting FOR Learning, of the intense week to connect with the whole school goal of using data to inform learning. "
"I am borrowing the notion of the Leitmotif, a recurring theme, and applying it to learning in the 21st century. For me it always seems to come back to a red thread of self-motivated and self-directed learning that connects all."
"How is geography being taught in your school? Is it a weekly time block designated under the umbrella of Social Studies in Elementary School? Is it a semester or one year required credit course in High School?"
"One of our first grade classes read the book Flat Stanley by Jim Brown. They sent paper Flat Stanleys to relatives and friends around the country and received images and stories back."
"I am currently enjoying a wonderful week at BLC11, Alan November's Building Learning Communities Conference in Boston. I wanted to share the presentation slides and resource links to my presentations here on the Langwitches as well.
Pre-Conference Workshop: Orchestrating the Collaborative classroom"