So that's it - my first year teaching a 1:1 chromebook elearning class!
It's been a big change and a year of massive learning for me. Mistakes have been made and systems have been refined, no doubt this will continue next year and beyond. After all isn't that what we call learning?
Would I go back to pen and paper style teaching? NO!
Would the students prefer to go back to pen and paper style learning? NO!
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that elearning enhances student learning across every part of the curriculum and builds life long learning and collaboration skills as well. Reflection about our learning and personal goal setting has become a feature of my chromebook class and this was something I didn't anticipate at the beginning of the year. Learning how to learn and using the language of learning has become an intergrated part of the programme.
I've shared many of my favourite sites and strategies and I'm sure that these ideas will continue to grow and change.
One thing that won't change though is the absolute priority that must be given to cybersafety and digital citizenship. This must be a focus at the beginning of the year and revisited throughout. I've also learnt that students need regular reminders about what is and what isn't appropriate use of their school chromebook. Random daily checks on the 'history' of the student computers is a good idea. The intentional 'misleading' of students about my capabilities of looking into their computers remotely has been useful as well. Good routines are essential.
Starting with a brand new year 7 class was very difficult (see previous blog posts.) For that reason next year I will keep half of my current students and take on new Year 7s to form a composite class. My year 8s will be leaders and I look forward to helping students to develop a tuakana / teina learning relationship.
I'm looking forward to continuing the journey next year with the personal goal of attaining the 'Google Educator' level one badge. Watch this space.
4 July
Reflecting on Term Two
I've been teaching using chromebooks for two terms now and here are some of my current favourite tools:
Edmodo: This is an online sharing community for teacher and learners. I like it because it allows students to collaborate but it is very safe. Groups are not public and members can only join using a code or by requesting access. Kids like it because they get to share their learning and have discussions online. They can also build a profile and earn badges. This term I've used it for #NZreadaloud and to communicate with our Indonesian friends at Dian Harapan school in Jakarta.
Padlet: is a great tool for class brainstorming or for sharing short ideas and learning responses. Here is an example of a padlet wall that my class made as part of a writing unit. They went on to write a poetic description.
Padlet: is a great tool for class brainstorming or for sharing short ideas and learning responses. Here is an example of a padlet wall that my class made as part of a writing unit. They went on to write a poetic description.
Google forms and flubaroo: I love to use google forms for assessment and reflections. Flubaroo is a great 'add-on' tool to use when gathering formative data, it will mark a test for you. Students like to have their results emailed to them. I also find forms useful for encouraging reflection about learning and I have recently distributed my second end-of-term-learning-reflection form. Occasionally students make some quite revealing comments.
Kaizena: I like to use this add-on tool for giving feedback on student writing. I like it because I can leave tags, notes or oral comments on student writing. My students seem to like being able to listen to teacher feedback through their chromebooks.
Screencastify: In my classroom we have recently started to use an app called screencastify. It is still early days but I think this will be a great tool for students to use when explaining the learning they have done on their chromebooks. We have started to build a shared folder of computer tutorials too.
Kahoot! https://create.kahoot.it/#public/kahoots/featured This is a web based interactive quiz site which is proving to be a hit in my class. It's lots of fun and I think it will be a fun way to introduce a new unit of learning.
Google Classroom Vs Hapara Teacher Dashboard
I been running a 1:1 chromebook class with my Year 7 students for almost two terms now. I've explored different management systems and styles and I've still got a lot to learn. In this post I will outline why Google Classroom is (currently) my preferred tool for managing student learning activities.
Assigning learning activities:
It is very easy for me to give out learning tasks to the various groups in my class. I have created a 'class' for each of my reading groups as well as a whole class groups for writing and unit studies. I can assign tasks with a due date and students will automatically receive an email with the details. They can also access their learning directly through the classroom page.
Students hand-in their learning:
Back in the old days (last year) I had a box labelled 'IN' where children placed their books for marking. Now my students hand in their work with a couple of clicks on their chromebooks. They still get that satisfying feeling of - 'DONE!" and are learning how to work to deadlines. Then, with the click of one button it becomes very easy for me to see who has and who hasn't completed the task. Google classroom allows users to add a comment and I'm now finding that students will hand in their work with a comment about how they felt about it. This quick reflective practice is something I intend to grow.
`
Keeping Track:
By having previous learning tasks sitting in Google Classroom, they are available to me at any time. I don't have to use teacher dashboard to go 'into' a child's computer and find their file. (not always an easy task!) This means that google classroom becomes almost like my assessment files where I can easily remind myself how any particular student performed in any particular task.
If I add a quick comment (often just a thank you) on the google classroom page as I assess each student's work then it becomes very easy for me to see which ones I have marked without having to open the work.
Self Assessment and Feedback:
After a couple of failed experiments it's now become easy for me to manage self assessment and feedback on student writing activities. I simply assign the task with the instructions highlighted at the top and the self assessment rubric according to the learning intention for the lesson at the bottom.
The student can type their piece directly below my instructions. Then they fill in the self assessment chart at the bottom. Then they can delete my highlighted instructions and make their work look good on the page. Finally they hand it in through Google Classroom. Easy!
I add my feedback / feedforward directly on their work, and then I insist that they email me with their goals for next steps in writing based on that feedback. Should they want to add their writing to their blog without including the rubric or feedback it is easy to use copy / paste.
Access:
I have found that students like to use Google Classroom. I have been delighted on a number of occasions when a student has been away from school and their work pops in to Google Classroom. It has become very easy for me and my students to work on learning activities where ever internet is available. Of course this can happen on Teacher Dashboard too, but perhaps it is more obvious on Google Classroom because one can see those 'Done' numbers ticking over so clearly.
Using Add-Ons:
Google classroom works well with Kaizena mini for those times when I prefer to give a quick verbal feedback. I can talk to my computer and students can listen to my feedback later. Kaizena also offers a resources link, but I haven't yet been able to make this work using kaizena mini. I'm sure there are other good add ons which will work with google classroom as well. Let me know if you find something worth exploring.
The Negatives:
Even now some students will still hand in their learning without ensuring that the sharing permissions are set to 'can edit.' I get frustrated when I open a piece of work to see - "You don't have permission....." Grrrrrr!
Apart from that small problem (still learning.) I'm currently finding that Google Classroom is the most convenient way to manage my students' learning activities. I really enjoy not taking that 'IN' box full of books or papers home and being able to mark work from the comfort of my couch.
Perhaps the title of this post is inappropriate; I do use Hapara Teacher Dashboard becauseI think it is imperative that from time to time I monitor what children are doing on their computers. For me Teacher Dashboard has become my 'big brother' portal whereby the students know that I frequently check up on how they are managing their learning and behaviour on-line.
So those are my current (mid term 2) thoughts about managing student learning. Always subject to change of course - still learning!
Thanks for reading.
29 March
In a chromebook classroom, the learning conversations don't stop when the kids go home.
15 March 2015
Reflecting on Term One
I started a new year 7 class seven weeks ago. On the very first day of school each student was issued with a brand new chromebook. In this post I'm going to reflect on some of the
Here's what I'd do differently next time:
1. Slow Down
Although I have been really pleased with most of the learning happening in the classroom I think I should have given the children more time to explore and let some of the result driven stuff take a bit longer. This might have helped build a collaborative culture in the classroom a bit faster.
2. Assume Nothing
I assumed that most children would have had some experience in using google docs. They did not. If I were starting this class again I would spend more time on showing them the power of google apps and setting up activities where the students would actively explore the process and benefits of working collaboratively in a shared doc.
3. Building Greater Peer Support
Along with assuming they know nothing, if I could start this class again I would more actively encourage those who know something to support their peers. I think a peer support system for using the tools is vital. My students clearly were not used to asking their peers for help and it has taken time to build this collaborative culture. I'd make this a greater priority.
4. Don't work the same old way
I confess that I did find myself issuing too many learning tasks which could have been done with a pen in an exercise book. It's not a pen. The real strength of a chromebook is the power to collaborate and in having all the tools of the www instantly available. WOW. Next time I'd really try NOT to make them use it like a fancy pen.
The Chromebook Journey
I've been using 1:1 chromebooks in my Year 7 classroom for 5 weeks now and it has been great. The learning curve is steep but things are getting easier as the students and I learn new skills and we continue to work out what works well for us. Below I have outlined some of the challenges and interesting observations of the journey so far.
The physical management of the chromebooks:
As a teacher you'll work this one out, but certainly it needs some thought. A good system for storage, charging and distributing / collecting the computers is essential.
Teaching Digital Citizenship:
I made this an absolute priority at the beginning of the year and approached it as a major teaching and learning unit. I'm glad I did this. There is masses of material on line for this topic and it took time to sift through and create a unit specific for my class. Digital Citizenship is something that I will continually re-visit and really try to embed into the classroom culture.
The range of prior knowledge bought by the students:
This is a new Year 7 class at a central city intermediate school. The 29 students come from at least 6 different contributing schools. One of my early mistakes was assuming that every child would have some knowledge of using google drive. They did not. I tended to over estimate their ability and experience with computer use. I think a peer support system is essential, this teacher simply could not get around all the computer beginners and support them at every step. Some students were not used to asking their peers for help. Giving the children permission and encouragement to seek help from each other is an important step in developing that peer support culture in the classroom. Even now, I'm still working on this.
The substitution trap:
After my first 2 weeks of reading rotations I was feeling pretty pleased with myself. The ability grouped lessons went well and the students were completing follow up learning tasks. In fact I'd been piling on the work. Then I realised that I was asking the students to use their chromebooks like a 1B5 and a pen to finish their work and hand it in. I was substituting, using chromebooks instead of exercise books without adding real value. Where was the student collaboration? What was the point of having these amazing learning tools? (Insert Homer Simpson style D'oh!)
So since that realisation I've changed focus, slowed down my expectation of 'student work output' and put the emphasis on learning together using shared tools. I'm still working on this and always looking for ways to get students learning together.
So since that realisation I've changed focus, slowed down my expectation of 'student work output' and put the emphasis on learning together using shared tools. I'm still working on this and always looking for ways to get students learning together.
Putting it all out there:
I have spent a lot of time developing my class google site. This is new learning for me and it wasn't always easy. But perhaps my biggest challenge is using google sheets for all my general classroom planning and then making it available for all to see. My weekly planning including learning intentions is on our class site, it includes links to separate sheets for maths and reading rotations and links to learning activities where possible. It is completely available to my students, their parents and anyone else with whom I choose to share the link. This is a big change for me. I can see the benefits. This transparency means that students and their parents always know what is going on. If students are away from school they can still access some of their learning. If I were to be away from school the students (and relief teacher) will still have access to the plan.
So far this has been working well, but then I have been putting in long hours making sure that it is perfect. Our school has a rotating timetable which doesn't help as each Monday is different from the Monday before. I think it will get easier. I'm still learning.
So far this has been working well, but then I have been putting in long hours making sure that it is perfect. Our school has a rotating timetable which doesn't help as each Monday is different from the Monday before. I think it will get easier. I'm still learning.
Next Learning Steps:
Continue to explore google classroom. (Although I'm wondering if I might prefer Kaizena because of the feedback options and resource links)
Set up individual student blogs (first posts before the end of term)
Introduce students to more ways to share their learning (QR codes, fotobabble ... )
Broaden student collaboration to other NZ contexts and beyond. ( #NZreadaloud1 #Kidsedchat
I'll also be looking at ways to collaborate with an Indonesian school through an exciting cultural connections experience )
Set up individual student blogs (first posts before the end of term)
Introduce students to more ways to share their learning (QR codes, fotobabble ... )
Broaden student collaboration to other NZ contexts and beyond. ( #NZreadaloud1 #Kidsedchat
I'll also be looking at ways to collaborate with an Indonesian school through an exciting cultural connections experience )
The Journey Starts Here!
I'm excited to be starting a 1:1 chrome book class in 2015. It's going to be great.
I have just one question, "What's a chrome book?"
Yep, it's true, I've got lots to learn. Lots more questions to come.
I adore the feedback example = Priceless!!!
ReplyDelete