Day 2 was due for some more excitement. It was the day I was waiting for since signing up for ISTE. I opted to sign up for an additional workshop. Karen Lirenman and Kristen Wideen presented iCreate, iInnovate, iEducate in Math Technology.” I was super excited to learn from them as I have been following them for awhile now. The presentation was professionally done with connections to the common core math standards, information and examples of student work, and the best part was play time! For each strand they used this format and then had us share our creations on a padlet by accessing it using a qr code. This was a great way to show how padlet can be used as a sharing tool as well as provide us with examples for each of the strands that we created. It was also very differentiated and relaxed. I had already seen many of the examples and played with many of the apps so I chose the option to smash some apps together. An interactive whiteboard is key when smashing apps and using voice. Draw and Tell HQ is a great app for drawing but even more so a great interactive whiteboard for a primary students. Unfortunately, it is not free. :-(
For me, I already found a way to structure my reading block to include digital creations, my next step was for math. Kristen shared that her math block is 80 minutes long which includes a mini lesson,math stations, mid workshop check in, and a share session. All of her math stations are open ended and are changed on a monthly basis. Kristen assigns students to specific stations each day. This structure is worth trying with my kids next year. I can't wait to see it in action! We are really going to be working on that workshop model :-)
My colleague and I were on a mission this ISTE to find a platform that would allow for multiple students to skype on several devices without an email account attached. While we are still on the hunt we did have some prospects today. An app called zoom allows students to connect through meeting rooms set up by one teacher but all of the meetings rooms ultimately ok connect to one person on the other end. My colleague presented the idea to DRAWP and they LoVeD the idea and will hopefully be working on that soon.
In the meantime, I did find a fun option of setting up a computer in a paper box for privacy and sound purposes that was connecting with another class as an entry idea to talk with other students. Students can rotate through there. And who better to connect with? We also met up with a bunch of boys from Mexico. They were awesome! They explained how they used the app Unity to create an augmented reality learning experience from dinosaur fossils. The project was amazing and their English proficiency was incredible. This led to the next idea of making a connection with these students and comparing cultures.
I am picturing a graffiti type board where my students can skype with these students and they can ask questions about their school, weather, famous people, and holidays. What fun it will be to learn about a new culture with people who actually live there!
We also had the opportunity to play with coding using Dash and Dot robots. It was alot of fun! I can see kids persevering through tasks, trying new ways, and working collaboratively to navigate the robots.
Tips:
Stay at ISTE central you never know what events you will find
Download the ISTE app on your iPad (wifi) only. The ISTE app drains your phone battery as well as your data as it is constantly updating. You can adjust this in your settings as well, but I learned the hard way that the ISTE app on my phone drained my data in minutes of non wifi access.
When looking for workshops search for people you follow on Twitter, read blogs from, connect with, etc. it will provide you with presentations that you are interested in from people you enjoy following. We were sad to have missed George Couros present, because we had no idea he was there!
Take time to play! Find a coding robot, 3d printer, etc. you will enjoy it.
Plan a day/ couple of hours to see the sights of the city you attend. You can be stuck inside for hours learning and the city has so much to offer but plan it so that it doesn't interrupt your flow or sessions you want to see.
Take aways from the day:
I want to set up a space in my room for Personal skyping (put laptop in a box for privacy)
Find a place in my classroom for bookmarks and qr codes to access sharing platforms- transform room into a collaborative and creative space .
Robots for coding to enhance speaking and listening skills as well as the obvious problem solving.
.
For me, I already found a way to structure my reading block to include digital creations, my next step was for math. Kristen shared that her math block is 80 minutes long which includes a mini lesson,math stations, mid workshop check in, and a share session. All of her math stations are open ended and are changed on a monthly basis. Kristen assigns students to specific stations each day. This structure is worth trying with my kids next year. I can't wait to see it in action! We are really going to be working on that workshop model :-)
My colleague and I were on a mission this ISTE to find a platform that would allow for multiple students to skype on several devices without an email account attached. While we are still on the hunt we did have some prospects today. An app called zoom allows students to connect through meeting rooms set up by one teacher but all of the meetings rooms ultimately ok connect to one person on the other end. My colleague presented the idea to DRAWP and they LoVeD the idea and will hopefully be working on that soon.
In the meantime, I did find a fun option of setting up a computer in a paper box for privacy and sound purposes that was connecting with another class as an entry idea to talk with other students. Students can rotate through there. And who better to connect with? We also met up with a bunch of boys from Mexico. They were awesome! They explained how they used the app Unity to create an augmented reality learning experience from dinosaur fossils. The project was amazing and their English proficiency was incredible. This led to the next idea of making a connection with these students and comparing cultures.
I am picturing a graffiti type board where my students can skype with these students and they can ask questions about their school, weather, famous people, and holidays. What fun it will be to learn about a new culture with people who actually live there!
We also had the opportunity to play with coding using Dash and Dot robots. It was alot of fun! I can see kids persevering through tasks, trying new ways, and working collaboratively to navigate the robots.
Tips:
Stay at ISTE central you never know what events you will find
Download the ISTE app on your iPad (wifi) only. The ISTE app drains your phone battery as well as your data as it is constantly updating. You can adjust this in your settings as well, but I learned the hard way that the ISTE app on my phone drained my data in minutes of non wifi access.
When looking for workshops search for people you follow on Twitter, read blogs from, connect with, etc. it will provide you with presentations that you are interested in from people you enjoy following. We were sad to have missed George Couros present, because we had no idea he was there!
Take time to play! Find a coding robot, 3d printer, etc. you will enjoy it.
Plan a day/ couple of hours to see the sights of the city you attend. You can be stuck inside for hours learning and the city has so much to offer but plan it so that it doesn't interrupt your flow or sessions you want to see.
Take aways from the day:
I want to set up a space in my room for Personal skyping (put laptop in a box for privacy)
Find a place in my classroom for bookmarks and qr codes to access sharing platforms- transform room into a collaborative and creative space .
Robots for coding to enhance speaking and listening skills as well as the obvious problem solving.
.