Module 4-2 Emerging Technology - Interwrite MOBI

I borrowed a colleague's MOBI this week to check it out, and WOW!  This interactive whiteboard is super cool!  It has a wireless transmitter that plugs into your USB port on your computer, then you can walk around the room with the tablet and write on a white board or computer image that has been projected onto the screen.  I usually feel tied to my document camera, since I'm recording whatever we're discussing or completing, and this allowed me to stand anywhere in the room and still write on whatever was up on my screen!  I can see this also being used by students - rather than having them leave their seats to write on the board or projector, I could walk it by their desk and they could contribute their answer/thought!  It's a little difficult to navigate with the mouse/pen at first, but after using it for even a day, I felt pretty comfortable.  I'd like to continue playing with it to see what else it does.  Think of all the paper and overheads we could save if we could just pull up digit copies on the desktop and write on them using the MOBI!

http://www.einstruction.com/products/mobile-interactive-whiteboards 

Module 4-2: Digital Literacy

I read an article by Eric Brunsell, on his blog, called The Five Features of Science Inquiry: What Questions Do You Have?
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/five-features-science-inquiry
I'm a bit obsessed with the inquiry process right now and seriously want to implement it into my second grade curriculum ASAP.  Based on what I've read, it seems like the science field will lend itself to the this method of learning, then we could branch off into other curricular areas once my students have a grasp on the process.
In his article, Brunsell briefly mentions how the National Research Council has five features of science inquiry:

• Learner Engages in Scientifically Oriented Questions
• Learner Gives Priority to Evidence in Responding to Questions
• Learner Formulates Explanations from Evidence
• Learner Connects Explanations to Scientific Knowledge
• Learner Communicates and Justifies Explanations

(Brunsell wrote another article in 2010 specifically about these features.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-science-inquiry-based )

One of my favorite quotes from Burnsell's first article is, "'How do you know?' should be one of the most frequently asked questions in your classroom."  I believe that by implementing scientific inquiry into the curriculum, students will become accustomed to answering the question.

Back to the article that I originally looked up, Burnsell states that legendary coach Lou Holtz is quoted as saying, "I only learn things when I ask questions."  Sadly, and I am at fault here too, teachers spend so much time talk to (at?) students that there is no time for them to ask questions!   Burnsell goes on to tell about a time that he judged a community science fair, where students often explained that they had picked a topic/project from a list, or because their teacher had suggested it.  As I posted earlier, I think that student ownership is so important in a project because it will mean much more to them, then if it's chosen for them.

While choosing a project/topic can be intimidating to students, if they are taught to ask "big questions"they'll be much more prepared for inquiries and knowing which questions are be able to distinguish which questions are scientific, and which are not.  One suggestion for getting students engaged in science inquiry is from John Burke, a science teacher in Georgia.  Mr. Burke created a slideshow of 150+ images on his computer that naturally lead to the question, "What's that?"  Rather than providing an answer, he guides his students to create questions that will lead them to the answer, or possibly, more questions, which in-turn could lead to an inquiry.

Burnsell also provides additional resources, blogs, website, questions, etc. for teachers who are interested in scientific inquiry and need a jumping off place.

Once again, I'm inspired (and overwhelmed) by all of the possibilities!  I'm ready to start inquiring!

Early Education Video - Module 4

I love this video of kindergarten students in Alabama. The curriculum is project based, focusing on student interests and is driven by their curiosity in a topic. Check it out below.

http://www.edutopia.org/kindergarten-project-based-learning-video

This video inspires me to take on a more project based approach with my students.  Seeing the level of engagement that the students in the video display is unreal, (in a good way!)  I love that their questions and curiosity really drives the projects that they are working on and that each child seems to take such ownership of their contributions.  I currently reading Collaboration and Comprehension: Inquiry Circles in Action by Harvey Daniels and Stephanie Harvey, all about different kinds of inquiry based learning and it's really intrigue me.  Earlier this year, my class worked on "outer space inquiries," where they got to choose a topic, develop guiding questions, research those questions, and put together a poster using Publisher to present their findings. While this project took a LONG time with my second graders, they really enjoyed themselves and showed a great deal of ownership with their final presentations.  My wish would be that there would be more time in the day (for many reasons!) and not so much "packaged" curriculum.  I'm planning an animal centered inquiry for my students in May when we've finished our reading curriculum requirements and have more time!  Yea!

Emerging Technology 1: Wordle

I am a big fan of Wordle right now!
www.wordle.net
It's super easy for my students to use, which makes it fun for them because of the immediate results they see - no waiting for further directions - yea!  They click on the link I created on my website, choose "create" on the Wordle site, type in their words and "GO!"  This week we used Wordle to practice our spelling words.  Each time someone made a new Wordle, they wanted to show everyone!  We could have all stood around the computers, looking at each randomized font/color combination all day.  I know that the intermediate grades in our building use Tagxedo, (www.tagxedo.com) with their students, which I also tried out, but I think that for primary students, Wordle is fab!