SDE Conference on Technology





The SDE Conference held in Vegas from July 7-8 featured great sessions from Technology to Differentiated Instruction. The above video was created using the app called PowToon.

Over 3000 teachers from around the world attended this conference which offered 4 sessions per day from presenters around the world.  The conference was well organized and went beyond meeting my expectations!!

Erin Klein

One of the featured speakers at this conference was Erin Klein, (Pinterest), a Scholastic award winning teacher who is very passionate about teaching and technology!

Erin presented at 8 different sessions over the 2 days and I attended 6 of them.  The topics ranged from Digital Storytelling, Tech Tips for writing and reading, Math centers with a Tech twist, Differentiating Math with Technology, and Tech tips for Struggling Readers.  All of her ideas can be found in the above links for Erin Klein.  You can also google Erin Klein on Twitter and blogger.com.

Erin's Big Question: 



Would you like to be a student in your own classroom? 

Students should be coming to your classroom feeling safe and content to be there! Erin feels that through more student choice in the classroom, more teacher-driven content, more creativity, more student voice, more inquiry based projects and more technology,  kids will love coming to school every day! 
Adding technology increases student engagement.

The simple truth about how we learn is that we learn when we are self-motivated. We learn when we are doing something we love. 

Give kids time to explore!!  Creativity and innovation lure kids into discoveries about their own interests and strengths. Watch the YouTube video  - Cain's Arcade, and you might be inspired to find out about the passions of the students in your class!




During an interview Cain was asked: "What did your father do for you to encourage your success?"
Cain answered “ He gave me space”.  

Doesn’t this mean that we might need to provide less structure and limitations? How?

1. Challenge kids—but not too much.
2. Make assignments feel relevant to students’ lives. 
3. Encourage choice.
4. Set clear goals (and give feedback along the way).
5. Build positive relationships. 
6. Foster deep concentration. 
7. Offer hands-on exercises. 
8. Make ‘em laugh. 


Digital Storytelling: 
Use Digital Storytelling to get in the mood for writing.
You can use MindMaple and Popplet to brainstorm ideas.

Matt Gomez has great posts on his blog about Digital Storytelling (without the writing).

During Language Arts you can use Feltboard or Toontastic to create an image, take a photo into camera roll and then use Educreations to record the story (especially for those students who are reluctant writers).

In Mathematics: Matt Gomez says he will start simply, such as the answer to a math problem.  
For example you could say "Mme Hussey loves to read. The answer is 8.  What is the question (problem)? The kids then use their fingers or manipulatives to work out the answer. These problems encourage higher order thinking and more importantly allow for many different answers. Afterwards the kids share. They hear how other kids are thinking about math, and kids teaching kids is always powerful. He often uses  Educreations, a virtual whiteboard, that allows you to record the whiteboard screen and audio as the kids work out the problem.

Technology:
Erin Klein is a strong believer in infusing technology all day in her classroom.  She uses iPads, iPods, interactive pens such as Livescribe, Sifteo cubes, Flip Video Cameras, Osmo (combines technology with objects - such as word building or tangrams), and the  Boogieboard.

Here are some of the ways Erin uses technology in different subject areas:

Station                                       Device

Partner reading                         Record and listen with a Flip Video Camera
Listening Center                       Storyline - Online or books recorded on Educreations
Spelling                                     Ipad using Educreations
Math                                          Ipad games (see below for suggestions) or lessons centers recorded on                                                   Educreations


Literacy:
New Bells South Africa TV Ad - Here is a video about the joy of reading and the love of parents. Check it out here.



Storyline - Online has celebrities reading stories to kids. Check out the site.

To begin every day, Wonderopolis.org  (http://wonderopolis.org) has short videos that can give kids something to think about.  For writing, kids can keep a Wonderopolis Response Journal! Check out the Jack-0-Lantern video.

Educreations:
Educreations is a great Whiteboard app that is easy to use. There are many ways both teachers and students can use this app in the classroom! 


YOU CAN CLONE YOURSELF IN THE CLASSROOM WITH EDUCREATIONS!
Presenter Erin Klein explained how she would use Educreations to record her lessons for small group activities or for absent students. Also Erin had a listening Center using iPads - she recorded her voice while filming a story book using Educreations.

http://edtechyness.blogspot.ca/2013/03/what-to-do-with-1-ipad-in-kindergarten.html

See other student-made projects by clicking here on educreations.

A Math problem solved by a student using Educreations







Aurasma:
Aurasma is an app that provides augmented reality to projects. In augmented reality, something is hidden behind another thing.   An example of a great way to use Aurasma in Math is to have the iPad hover over a Math term and then be taken to a definition of that term.
You can have an image with an educreations overlay.  Great example is on my pinterest page - it is called Teaching with Aurasma.

Aurasma augments reality with your students. It is similar to QR codes. QR code apps such as i-nigma provide a link to a new page and are in some ways easier to use, especially with text based information sharing. Whereas, Aurasma provides a platform for students to interact with each other or with other media independently to create a different reality.
Click here for more info on both of these apps.


Brain Breaks: 
Brain breaks give kids a change to recharge and refocus.  You might need to do stretching to wake up,  move vigorously to release some energy, or do some deep breathing to reduce stress.

A site that has FREE brain breaks for kids (especially useful during our repeated indoor recesses of winter) is gonoodle.com.  There are a variety of 5 minute video activities on this site.

To see some recommended Brain Breaks from Matt Gomez, go to :

http://mattbgomez.com/my-favorite-videos-for-brain-breaks-transitions-and-indoor-recess/


Other Recommended Apps: 
Rubistar :
Rubistar can be used with or without student collaboration to create rubrics for assignments or projects.  This site offers prompts for the creation of your rubric but it also allows for you to create your own descriptors.

Sonic Pics :
Sonic Pics can be used for itouch devices .  Photos can be narrated as you flip to each image when
you are ready to talk.








Voki:
Voki can be used as a language tool to improve oral communication in your classroom. It allows students to create avatars to represent themselves while for class presentations. Helps out those shy presenters.







PowToon
Awesome app to create animated presentations. You saw mine at the beginning of this blog!



Free Games:




Study jams has great videos to explain ideas about math and science. Check out the one about place value at http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/math/numbers/place-value.htm

quizlet.com  to make a quick quiz or use one already available.

code.com introduces your students to creating code on a computer in the most simplest terms.



ENJOY THE FUN YOU CAN HAVE WITH TECHNOLOGY!!