Author: technologytidyteaching
Apps for You
Apps for you |
Book Creator:
Tool Function: An app to increase students creativity by making their own nonfiction of fiction resocurces across the whole curriculum. Students can work individually or collaboratively and the final product is easy to share. SAMR potential: Modification – Redefinition Server location: United State Cost: Limited time right now for school licence is $999. Minimum age for use: All ages with consent. Young students find it easy to use. |
GarageBand
Tool function: An app that has the ease of learning, playing, recording, creating, editing and sharing music or podcast. SAMR Potential: Modification-Redefinition Server Location: Stored on your personal device (apple only) Cost: free app Minimum age for use: All ages |
SeeSaw:
Tool function: Is an easy to use (for teachers and students alike) tool for students to share and reflect on their learning; creating and curating a portfolio has never been so simple or fun. It allows learners to explain their thinking without writing. Good for differentiation and assessment, Translate tool – good for ESL SAMR Potential: Modification – Redefinition Server Location: Canada Cost: Free Minimum age for use: need consent from parents of children under 13. Young students find it easy to use. |
Google Docs:
Tool function: Allows students to create, edit, share, and collaborate resources SAMR Potential: Modification-Redefinition Server Location: United States Cost: free app Minimum age for use: Over 13 or with consent. Young students find it easy to use |
Media Arts in the Library
Well the adventure continues as we build one element onto the others in the Library. Here is how I would include Media Arts in the Library.
Follow my Linoit here and look at the bottom pink stickies to find Media Arts.
updated: 
Update Plan
Here is a link to my updated plan for the library I wish to see in the future at my current school. Linoit
Many of the photos are from my current library visit to a school that I admire. They are ever changing to modernize their space in relation to all of the areas the make a Library Commons better than great.
In relation to the current desired role of the library and the librarian is that they are to be the communicator, community builder, collaborator and learner to help create this caring, cooperative, comfortable space for all to enjoy. You will see in the yellow stickies and the pictures surrounding ideas that relate to my desired role.
The curriculum drivers: This could be stand alone or embedded lessons that bring the curriculum to the library. You will see ideas related to this area in the blue stickies and surrounding images: robotics, Ipads, research, ongoing experiments, show casing student projects and experts visiting and sharing their learning. Bringing STEAM ideas into the library will be a coming soon as well
The environment is one of the most important aspects in creating the space for all students, colleagues and families to want to come. The physical layout needs to be flexible, comfortable, easy for kids to arrange, provide student choice in seating areas. It has to have flow. The circulation desk needs to be easy to access as well as mobile devices, areas to work individually or with partners when working on Ipads/computers, table and chairs arranged to move from individual to group to whole class setting. All of my new and updated ideas are in green stickies and have surrounding pictures that relate to the physical space.
Communication needs: Areas comfortable for teacher to check in in students no matter where they are working, interactive bulletin boards so the community have ideas flowing and being discussed whole school, leadership roles to create holiday bulletin boards or the authors choice bulletin boards, collaboration time where colleagues can meet to plan, scheduling so all have access in this dynamic work space
It sure is a ever changing area that has all members of the school included. I look forward to building it and watching them come.
Steam in My Library
After reading the article, I truly agree that every library can be STEAM fit. STEAM: Science Technology Engineering, Arts, Mathematics. As the Learning Resource Teacher at my school, I am thrilled to have learned more about STEAM programs and fully see how the Teacher Librarian, teachers and I can work together to include all learners in the library. Books, story time and quiet studying has typically been the understanding of libraries. This doesn’t fit many learners, especially students with Low Incidence special needs. The transformation over the past few years by adding maker spaces and ideas such as recurring clubs, hands on projects (at least that’s how long it has taken in my school), draws in more students than the fit quiet reading, book loving ones. I believe every school has students that would be more than thrilled to see interactive exploration tables with ongoing experiments and places to show case student learning. I look forward to seeing how my schools library will transform over the years to include all o the suggestions in the image below.
Five Year Horizon for My Library Learning Commons
| 5 year goal: Long Term Goals |
Evolving Nature of the Scholarly Record: As the article mentions, libraries are “No longer limited to text-based products, scholarly work can include research data sets, interactive programs, complex visualizations, and other non-final outputs, as well as web-based exchanges via social media.” I feel to be a truly evolved library, this will be a long term goal. We have began using the databases in the school, online encyclopedias, online programs and apps, but when asking kids about their research, their first and sometimes their only go-to is Google or Safara and Wikipedia to be more specific. Teachers are asking for a broader range of places where the research is found, especially in Grades 5 and 6, but it will take time to get all teachers explicitly teaching and asking for more than the easy search.
Solvable and Wicked: It is a solvable challenge but will take time. More professional development and teacher training, having time to collaborate with the Teacher Librarian will be needed to change the old ways to research and find information. Teachers need to become comfortable with the new online resources and be able to explicitly teach students step by step how to use them. Training and collaboration takes time and money. What I notice is the difference between tech support in the private independent school where I had been teaching, was much quicker than where I am now, in the district. If there is a tech issue, it could take days or longer and this leads the challenging to being Wicked as well.
| 3 year goal: |
Cross Institutional collaboration: It was as early as last week, I was mentioning to my colleague about getting student’s a library number to begin using the resources at the public library for research and enjoyment. By collaborating with the public library, we have access to many more resources to help alleviate cost being a problem. Helping students get a library number to be able to pick out audio books, use the tumble books account and their databases as well as our, students will become etc. As the article mentions, “Libraries are initiating programs and partnering with university faculty {and hopefully elementary schools} and other organizations to promote active learning and innovation. I look forward to seeing where we can take this idea to in the next 3 years as a solvable problem.
| 1-2 year goals: |
Patrons as creators: Solvable but possibly difficult too. Even though this is a midterm goal in the article, I feel it is a short term goal for our school. As it mentions, “People now look to libraries to assist them and provide tools for skill-building and making.” Our new Teacher Librarian and Principal are well on their way to creating these spaces and have began organizing an active maker space that is attached to library. This room is large and has been the maker space for 2 years, however, it wasn’t until last year that it became a functional room, not just a room to store everything. My goal, as well as theirs, it to work with teachers to incorporate this very large space into their curriculum and start increasing student’s opportunity to problem solve, collaborate or work on their own creating projects either using the 3D printer, robotics or in the sand table etc. As mentioned in the article, kids need tinkering time and creative time to allow them to process what they have been learning and a space for them to do is readily available at our school, we just need organization and order. It is a solvable problem since most of the items have been purchased.
Rethinking the Library Spaces: This is currently happening as we speak in my school’s library. We have a new librarian who has ordered new tables for student to collaborate, work on their own or as whole class teaching. We, as a team, are going through our book collections to wean out the number of books on the shelves to provide more space. Money does hinder us a little bit and so we are being creative by not always ordering top of the line seating but using what we have to create these comfortable areas. It doesn’t seem to be a wicked challenge as of yet, and very solvable.
Research Data management: We have made this a short term 1-2 years since the purging of print and electronic material has already began. Solvable but it is a team effort so other points of view are heard besides one expert. Even though short term and solvable, this is a goal that will be continuing.
Valuing the User Experience
We need to make sure that all teachers, students, parents and admin are comfortable and have a place or a voice in the library. This was brought to our attention last year when we were using library for mostly circulation. We have since ordered more flexible seating for individual, group work, and comfort to relax with friends or family. We need to ensure that the community has access to all of the materials available. We have created a sign out system for robotics that we are trying new this year. It will be about a 1-2 year to iron out all of the details.
Challenges that we face can be very different and even out of our control. Some will take time and others will be more solvable.
Solvable problems are ones that we understand and know how to solve. These problems are ones that all teachers are on board with and open to solving together and typically shouldn’t take too much time.
Difficult problems are ones that are we can understand but which solutions are more difficult to achieve since we may not truly know the answer. Computational Thinking is an example of this.
Wicked Problems are problems that are harder to define and could be out of our hands, such as finances and budget.
No matter the size of the problem of the task at hand, it is key that the school have a library policy and all be working together to make this space a Hub of learning; a common place for all to come together to communicate, collaborate and be comfortable to create and innovate.
3D Design
My 3D Design: building, turning, stretching, entering text, and creating holes….finally
This past school year, I had the pleasure of going to our nearest highschool and borrowing a 3D printer after a day of learning. It was thrilling to be creating something of my own from scratch and watching it the printer put it together.
The program that I had used was different from tinkercad. I found tinker cad to be a simple tool that gave me the power to design easily and with a lot of flexibility. The students seemed to create very unique 3D designs that came to life.
I found it easy to combine shapes together but tricky to create holes. I am sure it is my inexperience that was at fault. It was easy to stretch and rotate the shapes however and move them around the board.
Potential Use in the Library:
“A 3D printer should not be purchased for the sake of having the newest technology. However, you should not discount the idea of having one in an elementary school. Teaching our students about the design process is one of the most valuable skills we can give them. In addition, getting a chance to see the tangible results of planning, problem-solving, and collaboration can be the most powerful way to make an impact.”
Terri Eichholz: 3D Printers in Elementary Schools, June, 2015
3D printing helps students develop critical-thinking and creative problem-solving skills. Have them plan and design avatars that represent their personalities. An avatar that doesn’t physically look like them but one that your classmates will recognize as belonging to you. This requires students to identify the qualities they wanted to represent and then visualize their avatar before they began designing it.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Imagine if students could hold that picture as a 3D object, one that they designed and created, in their own hands. It changes how they see and understand the world.
Making meaningful Math: Make Manipulatives. Fostering both math and creativity. Making shapes that have specific area, take up space, volume. By printing out the shapes they create, students have to ensure that their prints are not too big for the printer to make.” Download a Fraction Pie that helps them visualize parts of a fraction as it relates to a whole, determine which fractional unit is larger, and how fractions and decimals are related.
I am not certain how long we will have the 3D printer in our library, but it will be exciting to collaborate with students and teachers to see where we can take our lessons to, creatively designing and innovating when we can.
Computational Thinking
When using scratch, I am a simple beginner. I had used it in the past with my class and they would do amazing things that I enjoyed watching and learning from them. The codes are pretty self explanatory and simple to move around, select new Sprites, and movements for each. I have created my name here after watching the tutorial. It was easy to change their direction, add in text, change the colour of the letters and code in some sounds.
The other app I have tried is BLOCKLY and Kodable
Scratch
– designed for approximately 8 years old and up, but it can be used for younger. Reading is needed. There are many cute Sprites, which are the characters and many backgrounds that you can change easily throughout your code. Although I am very new to this app, I have heard that some of more of my advanced students are able to create their own games and animations. Scratch, compared to Blockly, is better for making animations and sharing code to your user community.
Blockly
– Similar to Scratch, Blockly uses drag-and-drop block-based-programming to help kids code with puzzles like Nosy Robot and Magic Dot Ball.
– designed also for similar age groups; you need to be reading to become more advanced. One area that I am not too sure about, but have seen that Blockly does, where as Scratch doesn’t is translating the blocks into javascript, PHP, Dart and Python, which are other langanges in technology.
Both programs can be downloaded to your PC and are great for doing math and user friendly for first time coders.
Kodable: http://www.kodable.com
– this app coud be used for even younger ages, as young as 5 or 6. My son, at the age of 5 had a great time learning basic logic through the challenges on the app. He had to make up the steps and directions to navigate himself from the start to the finish. This is one that most of my fellow colleagues are using for ease, comfort and quick coding skills for all levels.
Computers and Communication Devices
My library serves K-5 mostly. When I put in the words “computer”, “communication devices”, in the search line I received nothing for k-5 in any area of study. This is hard to believe that the search doesn’t bring up anything considering all of the expectations that we have on us as teachers to be integrating computers and communication devices. However, when looking specifically at the curriculum big ideas, you can be using computers and communication devices such as Dash Wonder Pack robot and Lego Mindstorm robotics as a tool to work towards many curriculum areas and competencies. For example, in Grade 5’s ADST curriculum, one of the big ideas is to: “The choice of technology and tools depends on the task.” We know that the new curriculum allows teachers to be flexible with how they go about diving into the big ideas to allow kids to fully understand. I see this big idea would be great to use robotics if the task at hand is to be: Ideating – Generate potential ideas and add to others’ ideas. Students need to collaborate when using Lego Mindstorm Robotics and one student adds step by step instructions (ideas) to the robot and partners will add to others’ ideas.
So even though the search comes up empty, it is up to us teachers to use our creative thinking to see how we can create opportunities to be using computers and communication devices when focusing on different curriculum areas.
Other areas where these robotics can be used within the different curriculum areas:
| Math | English | Science |
| – measurement
– degrees – time |
– procedural writing
– response writing – presentational skills |
– recording date using digital technology |
Computational Thinking and Robotics
Critical thinking, computing, creativity, collaboration, problem solving and communication skills – these are the skills most talked about these days in education. Many of which are related to computational thinking, a topic I am currently studying about. When combining critical thinking skills and the power of computing, you have a foundation for making decisions or innovating solutions that can improve our quality of life. What I have discovered is that computational Thinking provides a shared vocabulary and a framework to unify teachers’ efforts. The site http://www.codebc.ca states that “Computational thinking (CT) is a critical thinking process which is not only vital to the improvement and ongoing innovation in personal computing applications, but can likewise be utilized to bolster critical thinking over all orders, including the humanities, math, and science.”
After reading and watching the video on the ISTE site about computational thinking: I feel there is a great similarity between it, the 21st century skills and the core competencies in BC’s new curriculum. Here is an image that sums up the 21st century skills and one of the core competencies to display how closely they relate to each other.
| 21st Century Skills | BC Core Competencies |
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| Image: “21st Century Skills.” The Leader In Me, http://www.theleaderinme.org/information/what-is-the-leader-in-me/21st-Century-Skills/. | “Student Template.” Hannahs Blog, myriverside.sd43.bc.ca/studenttemplate/core-competencies/. |
Computational Thinking within the BC Curriculum was more readily mentioned then robotics. It is mentioned throughout different grade levels and in a variety of areas such as the ADST and math curriculum.
Robotics: within the BC curriculum, I was surprised to see that there wasn’t anything until Grade 6. It is under the content section and mentions the kids will understand that a robot is a machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. Although there are many schools, including my own that have a variety of robots at school for the students to be using computational thinking. After a full professional development day on the robots such as Cubetto and Dash Wonder Robot, I feel many of our teachers see how they can teach the competencies through the use of these technology tools.
The new curriculum allows the freedom for teachers to create and build their lessons with the tools they feel comfortable with. I believe the more confident the teacher is with knowing they don’t have to be experts with the tools themselves and allow the students the time to tinker and explore with these tools, the greater learning experiences everyone will have.
Resouces:
ICT, Mr P. “Mr P’s ICT Blog – Tech to Raise Standards!” If They’re into the Craze, Use It to Engage!, Blogger, 29 Mar. 2018, mrparkinsonict.blogspot.com/2018/03/if-theyre-into-craze-use-it-to-engage.html.
BC curriculum: ADST: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/adst/6
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