Task 5

Wow, lots of great things in this lesson, Sandy! Third graders did a Kidblog activity last year for their national park unit. I liked the blogging rubric you shared and would like to update the blogging rubric we used and include some of the wording used in the shared example. The children enjoyed doing the national park blogs and for the most part were fairly successful. I could for see trying one or more of the following items this coming school year:

• Wikis - To share and cooperatively write and share information about their Florida explorer
• Scrapblog - Using Flickr to download images of the social studies field trips we do to Cracker Country and H. B. Plant Museum and the Florida History Center. I take photos of the third grade field trips anyway. Having the children write about what they saw and experienced would be a great follow-up activity. The Scrapblogs could then be posted for parents to peruse, too.
• Pixton - This site looks like lots of fun. During the first few weeks of school, perhaps the children could create a comic about themselves as a homework assignment and post it for all in the class to view. Is this a possiblity, Sandy?
• Go Animate - During the rocks and minerals science unit, using the book Rocks and Minerals, A Gem of a Book, I think the children would love to choose a type of rock or mineral and create a "Mineral Marvels Comic Strip."
• Word Counter - I like this site for copying and pasting student written work to check for overused words or phrases in their writing samples (then, then, then or next, next, next). The transition words typically give third grade writers fits!
• Museum Cube - I love this program. I would like to use it for our first ocean unit and sea animal projects. Do you think it is too overwhelming for third graders at the beginning of the year, Sandy? I viewed some of Hillel School's animals projects with animal sounds, photographs, etc. I think the children would think this a cool ocean project!

I created a short Go Animate project:

GoAnimate.com: Welcome Animation by Rhonda S


OK, Sandy, I tried several times to imbed this animation. What am I doing wrong??

Ah ha, thanks Sandy, one little click makes all the difference!

Flickr, Etc. Task

I had fun viewing all the options that were included in this task. I created a Bubblr about one of my favorite subjects, PUGS!


Pugs Love to Eat by Rhonda

There were lots of ideas from this task that I hope to use with my third graders and on my classroom blog this year:

• I will definitely use Flickr to search for pictures for my classroom blog and items for power points and worksheets I create.
• I hope the children can successfully search Flickr (using Compfight) for science and social studies projects.
• The visual dictionary might be useful for unfamiliar Wordly Wise vocabulary.
• Third grade has used the Trading Cards before, but I liked some of the reading, book character ideas that I saw in Task 4.
• I think they would love the Bubblr tool, perhaps an idea based on the annual Third Grade Pet Show would be fun!
  

Task 3

I am straining! my brain trying to think of third grade presentations that might be enhanced with Voice Thread. Here are just a few ideas that I have contemplated:

Sharing of Ocean Sea Creature Short Stories
Information Sharing of Different Aspects of Timucua Indians Lives
Discussing some of LeMoyne's Indian artwork (post a drawing and ask a question)
Information Sharing of Florida Explorers
Shared Reading of Picture Book by Discovery Group (Virtue Discussion)
Shared Reading of Poems for Mothers' Tea

I am just not sure that Voice Thread is the best tool for these ideas. Voice recordings can take a good deal of time to accomplish successfully, and only a couple can do it at a time. It probably works better if those recording can be somewhere other than the classroom where there is almost always inherent noise. I need to take some more time and view more projects done by others. I did note that the children need to be very prepared prior to beginning their Voice Thread recording sessions, or the outcome would not be as successful as everyone would want. Ah, more time....that thing that I am always chasing!!

Task 2

I have used Wordle in the past for Wordly Wise vocabulary lessons, classroom rules/behaviors brainstorming, and Discovery Group discussion of the Berkeley Touchstone. The children like this program and it is very user friendly, so I foresee using it again this year.

I can see the benefit of using Vocab Grabber and Word Sift with the children for text (online or printed) that the children have read for content material in both social studies and science. It might help them review and thereby retain important concepts and vocabulary.

I created a Wordle based on the Summer of Excellence Math Week Newsletter blurb that Kelly Neal and I composed. I was not sure how to post it to the group, but posted it here and emailed Sandy the Wordle.

Task 1

OK, I will admit that I am a Digital Immigrant (perhaps even bordering on the Digital Dinosaur). I have been teaching for 33 years, and am doing my best to keep up with the onset of technologies in the teaching world. Funny, this helps me know why the "Zits" comic strip is so often "on the money" for my son, Justin (25), and me!

(Click the picture to see the full cartoon.)

I know I am extremely tardy with my first posting. June and July have been very eventful for me, but here are my thoughts regarding 21st Century learners and the teachers whose task it is to "teach" them. Trust me, I learn from my students every single day as well! Never too old to learn as they say.

Two 21st Skills/Programs I hope to more successfully use this year are:

Diigo:
To help me organize numerous bookmarks and highlight specific information for students when they use websites for Florida Explorers and National Parks studies, etc.
To help me share information, sites, etc. with my third grade team.

Class Blog:
To share information with students and parents, include home(work) activities and interactive sites, and continue learning with repetition/practice of concepts at home. I am in awe of Kelly Neal's class blog and hope she will help me with mine this year!

Thoughts regarding the 21st Century Learners:

I just watched the movie "Freedom Writers" for the second time last night. I was once again so impressed by how that teacher connected with her students, a caring teacher who establishes a safe learning environment is so important.

This year, I would like to:

Establish that safe and caring classroom environment during the first week

Remember to include movement and 10 minute learning segments (turn and partner/table discuss, on the spot practice of concepts)

Introduce new concepts/ideas with websites or interactives (Brain Pop, etc.)

Design worksheets that include appropriate colored visuals ( remembering the "F" brain processing of my students and include colorful visuals on the right side and about half-way down the documents)

I think, thanks to Sandy, Gail, and Tamarah, third grade has come a long way in designing some projects that are "cutting edge" and include many of the elements discussed in the articles I read for Task 1. I felt a sense of validation when attending several ASCD conference sessions this June. The presenters were touting many of the programs that we implemented last year with our third graders. I know we will continue to update how we teach our curriculum to focus on our children as 21st Century learners. I know I will also continue to address the basic literacy knowledge that I feel the children need to have as core knowledge to attack these new learning endeavors. I go to bed this evening knowing that this in a daunting, challenging, but exciting undertaking!