6th Grade Middle School humanities teacher, Emily Vallillo, was ready to add another layer to her literature circle discussion. Her learning targets for the literature circles were clear. Learning Target I can participate in high-quality, text-based literature circle discussions I can support my claim with relevant and specific evidence Below you will find an "Official Scribe" post (authored by me as an observer) to their classroom blog, documenting the process. Students prepared for their literature circles by going over the chapter read and were writing their questions down on a sticky note.       Literature Circle Protocol Read Norms Transition Clarifying Questions Deep Discussion Transition Debrief/Reflection Shareout Each student wrote down a goal their  literature circle. Ex. Keep people on topic more often The class went over the previously agreed upon  Norms Come prepared share the flow you can read ahead, but don’t talk ahead stay on topic follow protocol be respectful discussion centers be responsible for everyone’s knowledge Everyone got into their literature circles groups and prepared a camera to film the group. The purpose of the recording is to have evidence of their discussion skills and literary analysis of a text. Students used the rubric below to rate their participation in the group. Students got into their literature circle groups and got to work.   Here are some things that were overheard:  "I have a deep discussion questions. What made me think of it was…" (showing evidence of claim) "I think it is on page 1 … " (showing evidence of claim) "What if  he could…" (fuel discussion, look at different points of view) "But how can he see the future without bamboo?" ( fuel discussion) "Guys, we have to focus". (responsible for learning of all) "What else? Do you have anything?" (Inclusion) "In the book, it said…right?….yes, the there is also evidence earlier in the book…." (looking or evidence in book) "I have a counter argument…" (listening to others and fueling discussion) "This is off topic" (Owning your learning, staying on task) "I still don’t understand why they left him? It is still confusing…" (asking further questions) Back in class, students debriefed by writing a blog post about their take away and learning of today’s discussion questions. The class ended with each group uploading their video from their recording devices to the computer to be edited and annotated. Sooo, now it was time to take already very well planned, structured and executed lesson in helping students practice and develop skills of a good reader and add another level…. to be continued…

In Part 1 of Literature Circle Discussions, I shared 6th Grade Humanities teacher, Emily Vallillo‘s well structured and organized Literature Circle lesson. Literature circles are a way to support students in becoming critical readers. Beyond spelling it out for students in a rubric,  modeling and practicing good behavior that leads to developing good reading habits, how do we make students aware of the strategies and their own behaviors when reading? We saw an opportunity to add another layer to  meta-cognitive practices and to make students’ behavior, observations and discussion of text visible. Emily developed guidelines to support students in becoming aware of high- quality text based discussion components and being able to recognize these behaviors in their discussion. Students recorded their Literature Circle discussion and then edited the video in groups. They were asked to "annotate" the video by overlaying "text" at specific parts on the video, when they saw literary analysis behavior exhibited. I have been intrigued by the development and usage of annotexting in education. Mike Fisher and Jeanne Tribuzzi have written previously on Langwitches about ANNOTEXTING. They defined annotexting as: Annotexting is a process that involves the collection of thoughts, observations and reactions to reading that show evidence of critical thought. These annotations, rather than being on paper, can be collected with different web tools so that students can collaborate, both locally and globally, around the conclusions that they will ultimately draw from their reading. [...] Expecting students to read deeply and draw meaningful conclusions is at the heart of the Common Core ELA standards. Students are asked to read closely, cite evidence, and make evidence based inferences when they read. They are expected to deepen their learning by valuing textual evidence and reading critically.  Annotating text is one way students can cite textual evidence, infer and deepen meaning as they read.. While Mike and Jeannie were primarily talking about reading TEXT, we started transferring the concept to "reading" VIDEO. The traditional notion of reading was being expanded to include "hearing" and "seeing". Here is the video with a few snippets from completed student annotexted videos. Find Emily’s plan for the Literature Circle Video Analysis below: Your task is to digitally analyze your literature circle discussion. With words, images, and quotations from the text, you will show evidence of how your literature circle discussion met or exceeded expectations, as well as give constructive comments. Finally, you will create a blog post that reflects on your own participation in the literature circle discussion in which you will embed this annotated video as an artifact. General Guidelines ___ Cut out "dead air" (this is when no one is speaking and nothing productive is happening related to literature circle discussions) ___ Do not use anyone’s last name (only use first names) ___ Use LARK (The goal is not to police or embarrass anyone, do not annotate "There is Emily goofing off again!") ___ Constructive criticism is good Literature Circle Literary Analysis ___ Clearly identify the segments of discussion: Clarifying Questions and Deeper Discussion ___ Highlight and annotate the video when you do something that is part of a high-quality, text-based discussion: ___ Evidence from the text is used to support a claim ___ Quotes from the text are used to spark discussion or ask a question ___ Questions are asked that fuel discussion ___ Questions are asked to clarify something confusing ___ Claims, inferences, opinions, connections, or predictions are made ___ Highlight and annotate the video when you are exhibiting good discussion behaviors: ___ Tracking the speaker with your eyes ___ Actively listening ___ Inviting others to join the discussion ___ Highlight and annotate the video when you notice there are places for improvement. Make sure to explain exactly how you would improve that moment in a constructive way. Self-Reflection Blog Post ___ Explain what your Literature Circle Video Analysis is and why it will help you improve and reflect upon your literature circles. ___ Reflect upon your own participation in the literature circles, what you did well and what you can improve on, based upon the video. ___ Embed the video into your blog post as an artifact. ___ Choose an engaging and relevant title for your blog. ___ Check punctuation and spelling. ___ Check professionalism - does this blog post look professional or have you done something like this (MY VIDEO iS sO aWesOmE!!!!!!! XOOXOXOXOXOX!!!!!!!!!) Here is the rubric developed by the teacher for the discussion analysis and video creation. Download Literature Circle Analysis Video Rubric as PDF Two samples of student blog reflections: Gabriel wrote a reflection after editing and embedding the video analysis on his blog: Literature circles is a when we make small groups and then we need to read chapters and after we get again together and discuss about what we read. In my literature circle I think I went really well because I always participated and I always added to what other people said and there thoughts. Things you would hear me say are: I liked how you said that but I would also like to add that… I disagree because… Some discussion behaviors I did were listening to what other people said and adding to their comments. Also in a good discussion you don’t interrupt others. A good literature circle discussion requires that you pay attention and talk a lot so the discussion takes more time and stays more interesting. GianLuca wrote: Something very important that I had done on the literature circle so that I could had accomplished my tasks was to, mostly, participate! But participating in a specific way, not just participating in the way of, well, participating! I participated in a way that I didn’t just expressed my thoughts, (talked) but I also participated in a way that I also writed "stuff" in a way that I also participated on the discussion, but in an "un-verbal" way, coming up with a simple word called: writing. Actually it is five words: Expressing my thoughts by writing. Or even maybe seven words: Expressing and communicating my thoughts by writing. I used this "ability" to participate on a literature circle before in all of the discussion, but every discussion we had, I "evoluted" this ability, making me better every time. I also will use this skills again not only in literature discussion, but yes, in life! (So I can communicate with people all over the world! That’s also my core value: communicator). I think that something that I still could had improved on my participation on the literature discussion was to use the book just a bit more, because I simply fell that the amount of times that I used the book on the discussion wasn’t enough for my group. That is because there wasn’t enough information about the book that I told the group, but yes, instead of information, I expressed thoughts and questions for the group, which made the discussion more interesting and "fueled" until it ended. So I came up with a solution. For next time, I’ll improve my "ability" of participating by, well, using the book a little more often! Continuing to amplify learning Students and teachers are getting a taste of and are being reminded that learning in a connected world is never over… The simple fact of documenting and taking the time to publish "what we are doing in class"… is connecting us to a world of learning opportunities. After the publishing of Part 1 of the Literature Circle discussion blog post, Author, founder and co-director of  Habits of Mind, Bena Kallick commented to me in a private email: "I cannot help but comment on the Habits of Mind that are being displayed here: -listening with understanding and empathy -questioning and problem posing -thinking interdependently What an opportunity!! I could not resist and asked Bena, if she would be interested in skyping into our 6th graders classroom here at the American School of Sao Paulo? ….and she said YES! We are now in the process of setting up and preparing students for the Skype call with our expert… so stay tuned for Part III of Literature Circle- Adding (yet) another layer of learning! Are you using Literature Circles with your students? What layers are you adding to amplify learning and supporting your students critical analysis of "text"? Please connect and share your experiences and ideas…

As part of Curriculum21 Social Learning Institute and in collaboration with Eduplanet21, I have authored a Learning Path for the Globally Connected Educator. Take a look at the modules offered. If you are interested, Eduplanet is giving away 5  free access codes to the learning path.  Continue reading to find out how to claim one of these free access passes. Heidi Hayes Jacobs, author of Curriculum21 and the upcoming book series on Contemporary Perspectives on Literacy, created the introduction to my Learning Path. I started my educational career as a World Language teacher. From the beginning, I tried to instill in my students the awareness that we are NOT alone in this world. Since the 1990s, I created websites to share lessons, ideas and ways to connect my students to the world. Social networking platforms, like blogs, video conferencing and micro-blogging came as the perfect solution to not only share OUT , but to bring IN the world. As Vicki Davis, co-founder of the Flat Classroom Project expressed before, I wanted to not only talk to my students about the world, but support them in talking TO the world. The world around us, the way we learn, my role as an educator has changed. I have become the facilitator to help students create content,  find opportunities for authentic learning experiences that are relevant and meaningful. Through strategically designed readings and activities, you will take steps from a traditionally local isolated educator to a globally connected learner. Module 1 We are going to RAISE AWARENESS by Defining Global Literacy, Global Learning and Global Competence. I will give you tips and suggestions how to become more globally aware. Module 2 We are asking you to make a COMMITMENT to Global Learning. Do you recognize the urgency of global education? Can you articulate and advocate for your students to become globally literate? Module 3 We will introduce you to four selected tools and highlight their built in ability to support you in learning , collaborating and connecting globally. The activities will give you a sandbox to try out and play with features and through carefully selected videos and articles show you real examples from the classroom as these tools are used to connect to the curriculum. Module 4 will help you start building a Personal Learning Network. We will look at establishing yourself as a "brand". How do you get started in selecting, following and learning from other committed educators? Module 5 we will take a look at amplifying your curriculum. We will help you define amplification and create a ripple effect of a lesson of your own choosing. If you would like to receive 1 of 5 free access passes to the Globally Connected Educator Learning Path, send me an email, explaining the reason why you believe becoming a globally connected educator will help make a difference to you and your students. If you are interested in taking a peek at the course on Eduplanet21, click here to log in and  you will be taken to the Globally Connected Learning Path      

Alan November elevated the "Official Scribe" as one of the roles that empower student learners. I see the role of the scribe as follows: The official scribe plays an important role in the classroom community. Their work is essential for students who were absent from class or need a review on a specific topic previously discussed. The official scribe also takes pressure off other students from having to take notes, but invites them in to contribute with corrections, additional information or resources. Several teachers at my new school are taking the leap of creating a classroom blog as their central hub for classroom communication. There are using blogger (integrated with our Google Apps for Education account) as the platform. Their blogs are becoming a space to give students the opportunity to create the "perfect notes"to share with the classroom, parent and global community. How can we support students in documenting learning and to add value by adding extra research, resources or experiences that contribute to deepening of the topics discussed in class? Justin Prophet, our school’s 7th Grade Science teacher has developed the following Scribe Purpose and Description To write what you learned. Contribute and collaborate to make a set of class notes (textbook).  People from around the world may look at these as well! Take an opportunity to learn and to practice writing useful notes supported by media (images, video and other) Sometimes we just do things in class without taking the time to think about what we learned.  When you think about what you did and what you learned from what you did, and write down what you learned, you will be much more likely to remember what you learned. Taking notes is a skill you will need for high-school and university. Students that miss class can have a quick summary of what they missed. Scribe Procedure During Class Start to create your post right away. Open your computer at the start of class. Do not do the tasks and activities. Take photos/video of the tasks and your classmates learning. Try to take photos that relate to the content or skills. If you find anything interesting related to the class, add them! Add youtube videos and images that are NOT copyrighted. You must choose the next class scribe. In collaboration with Emily Vallillo, our school’s 6th Grade Humanities teacher, we are developing a rubric to support students in aiming for higher level note taking. Download Official Scribe Rubric as pdf Development of a Rubric different types of media included (images, video, audio, screenshots, etc.) clear and logical timeline and progression evident in notes reiterate what was covered in class (no added value) - word for word? /summarized?/ gaps? documentation of further questions to research added value (commentary, annotations, links to further resources)- The Official Scribes in action: Mr. Prophet’s Science Blog- It’s a balloon, it’s an airplane, no it’s a water rocket Ms. Vallillo’s Humanities Blog- Literature Circle Discussion Preparation and Recording, Learning About the Soweto Uprising Further blog posts & resources The Official Scribe: It’s All About Learning Styles & Collaboration Taking Notes- Summarizing Information- 2nd Grade Style Backchanneling-Movie Watching-Note Taking-Information Scribes Distributed Teaching & Learning by Darren Kuropatwa   When looking at implementing an "Official Scribe in the classroom" role, put on the lens of the SAMR model. Substitution: Students use computer to type up notes. Augmentation Students are printing out or emailing their notes to share with their classmates. Students use formatting options to organize, highlight, edit, rearrange their notes. Modification Students are creating their own blog post, using a variety of technology tools and methods to create anotated screenshots, videos, images to bring in different perspectives and address various learning styles Students are creating collaborative notes via a Google Document, which is shared with the entire class. Everyone can contribute, add information, edit incorrect information,etc. Note taking is not confined to remembering and regurgitating information heard in class, but (hyper)linked to further reading of text, images, audio and video. Students are labeling/categorizing their blog post and information to make organization and information search easier. Students are solving problems of how to handle information overload and filter relevant information. Redefinition Students are contributors to a collaborative blog site, alternating being the Official Scribe of day.Collaboratively they "write"their own online textbook. Students express their understanding through a variety of media. Students use the blog as a learning hub to communicate and connect beyond their classroom walls, connecting with peers and experts from around the world

I am thrilled to see so many students creating blog posts and going BEYOND "writing" text made up letters, words, sentences and paragraphs. Being able to "read" and "write" in other media is part of becoming fluent in media literacy. In addition to media literacy, knowing your rights and responsibilities as an ethical digital citizen is a vital part of participating in our digital world. My frustration with educators not knowing about observing copyright when producing content online was expressed in a previous post titled  No! You Can’t Just Take It!. I see sprinkled attempts of students trying to "do the right thing", but coming up short many times. This is all part of the process for students, but frustrating when they do not receive any feedback from a teacher of how to correct the behavior. Would it be helpful to create "What if scenarios" for teachers and students to follow?  Could we crowdsource a few more examples? Leave another scenario (also student using, inserting or embedding different media) in the comment section or by writing your own blog post and then leaving the link in the comment. Take a look at the example below: A student used an image for his blog post. He/She links to the source of the image. When we follow the link, we are taken to Flickr, an image sharing platform. Flickr hosts many Creative Commons images, but NOT all are licensed under Creative Commons. By scrolling down, we find out that the image is indeed COPYRIGHT protected. The student does not have permission by the owner to copy the image and place it on his/her blog. It does not make it "right" by simply linking to the copyrighted image.   What should the student do to practice and act like a responsible and ethical digital citizen? First thing to do is to remove the image that is infringing on the owner’s copyright.The students has several choices. They could try to contact the owner of the image and ask for permission to use it on their blogfolio or… if he/she does not have enough time to wait to for a response… Continue to search for an appropriate image that is indeed licensed under Creative Commons. The student could find a similar image on Flickr… Check that it is indeed licensed under Creative Commons… and then attribute it properly "Image licensed under Creative Commons by tq2cute - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tq2cute/6384672459 "

Every once in a while I visit the Microsoft Office Clipart Gallery. I just realized that they have redesigned the page. It is suddenly titled "Find Images Where you Need Them" and is divided into three sections: Using the Newest Office on Your Desktop Using Office Web App Using Bing to get Images. It is the last section that caught my attention. Bing is a search engine, just like Google . You can read the following step-by-step directions to find images with Bing Search   Open Bing.com in your browser, type a word or phrase describing the art you want, and start the search Hover over your selected item in the result set and right click you mouse to bring up an Options menu Click Save picture as… in the menu. Save image What is WRONG with these instructions?  From my perspective Microsoft, so keen in protecting their own copyright on their products, feels that it is irrelevant to even bring it to the attention of their users that the images showing up in their Bing search results might be copyright protected and it is not as as simple as right clicking and saving them. From my perspective, these kind of instructions even ENDORSE copyright infringement! For the fun of it, I typed in "langwitches" on Bing and saw the following results. According to Microsoft, just right click away and save this images to your computer!   Oddly enough, Microsoft explains copyright on another page by stating explicitly: If you use someone else’s copyrighted materials without permission, that use generally violates the copyright owner’s exclusive rights, and is copyright infringement. So if you create a new work and include parts of other people’s works in it (such as an existing photo, lengthy quotes from a book or a loop from a song), you must own or have permission to use the elements you borrow. There are other companies, like Soundcloud, a community of music and audio creators, on the other hand seems to be much more proactive in helping raise awareness and educate their users about copyright. They even have prepared and included a very useful Copyright Checklist. SoundCloud is a platform for creators and we expect all SoundCloud users to respect other people’s copyright. What is copyright? What is copyright infringement and how can I avoid it? Copyright Checklist Further resources Copyright is complicated. If you have any doubt regarding the extent of your rights in any sounds, you should consult with a suitably qualified lawyer before uploading anything to SoundCloud or making any claims or counter-claims regarding your rights. However, as a general guide, here are some of the issues you might want to consider before uploading anything to SoundCloud. I applaud companies, like Soundcloud in their effort to bring copyright awareness to the surface and am very disappointing in companies like Microsoft who even seem to encourage copyright infringement!

After teaching a 1:1 Toolkit class for incoming Middle Schoolers tothe 1:1 laptop environment this past quarter, I am currently teaching a Media Basics course for sixth graders. I am using a school blog to document the class (among others), showcase student work, share resources and give written step-by-step directions for projects we are currently working on. My colleague Jennifer Kagohara, who is also teaching a section of the same Media Basics course, and I have narrowed the course down to an introduction to the following three tools (Photoshop, Garageband and iMovie)  in order to prepare students to create different media for future projects. We are paying special attention to media literacy, digital citizenship as well as communication and collaboration. We want students to see themselves as ethical creators and members to a larger community by contributing media under Creative Commons. In addition, students are practicing the following workflow and learnflow: Search for background and already existing resources (look at tutorials created by others) Experiment (time for sandbox activities) Share process publicly (upload blog post, including step-by-step guide of creation) Look at and read classmates’ guide and product (on each other’s blog) Receive feedback from peers (via comments on blog) Remix and build on other work, create something new (observe copyright and proper citation) Receive feedback (teacher, peers) Share final product Receive feedback (global audience) As an example, I wanted to share the following Photoshop projects with Langwitches’ readers. Students were experimenting and working with animation in Photoshop. Once they created the animations and exported them as .gif files, they inserted them in their blogs with a step-by-step guide answering potential readers’ question "How did you do that?" Pedro’s Animation post Felipe’s Animation post Maya’s Animation post Once the animation posts were uploaded, students received the following instructions below: Image licensed under Creative Commons by Enokson- Start out by taking a look at your classmate’s animations on their blogs today. Leave them a comment. You are to write an original story using the animations from your classmates and your own. Choose at least 3 different animations and save the .gif file to your computer (for a total of 4 including your own). Upload all the animations to a new blog post. DON’T forget to give credit to the creators of the animation. "Image used with permission by Silvia T" (do not use last names). Please link the name to the owner’s blog post where he/she uploaded the original animation image. Write an original short story. Think of a title for your story that will hook the reader. Use the animations to support your story. It is my pleasure to share two stories, as examples, from my students. By Maya W.: Belen and the Billion Drops of Rain Image by Jessica S Image by Maya   Image by Amanda R Image by Noah R In a very rainy gray day, a girl stood under the rain. Everyone that passed by running in such a horrible weather wondered why the girl didn’t move. Some said, "I think she is crazy?"While other argued, "No, no, no, she must be waiting." "Under the rain?!" Each curious traveler that passed by had a different hypothesis, however they all were wrong.  It was her birthday and her best friend hadn’t sent her anything! She, Belen, was depressed. Days and nights passed, and the girl stood completely still under the rain. After many sunrises and sunsets, the rain stopped, so the girl decided to head home. She walked what felt like a century, but step by step she got home. The first thing she did was sit on her desk by her computer and check her email. Her mouth dropped in disbelief, her best-friend, Noah, had actually sent her a happy birthday email. Belen never stood in the rain ever again! Animation Story by Pedro C.: Rodrigo, the Hunter Animation by: Rodrigo M. Animation by Pedro Animation by: Felipe M. Animation by: Felipe L. Once there was this hunter called Rodrigo and he was looking for a bird to hunt. When he found this majestic blue bird he wanted him. So he looked down his aim, and… POW! He got an excellent shot! He went there to pick the loot and he found an egg. He went to his house and made an egg, it was DELICIOUS! After this Rodrigo wanted to go surfing, so he got in his car and was going to the beach. Suddenly, his car crashed right in the middle of a forest! In the forest he found this mysterious monkey. This monkey loved to swing on branches. From that moment on the monkey and Rodrigo

In Part 1 of Literature Circle Discussions, I shared 6th Grade Humanities teacher, Emily Vallillo‘s well structured and organized Literature Circle lesson. In Part 2, I shared the upgrade of traditional lit circles to a new learnflow which included filming the discussion to annotexting the film with behavior’s observed and metacognitive reflections on student blogfolios. DUE to the sharing of their work on their blogfolios and the dissemination on Langwitches blog as well as via my network on Twitter the learnflow did not stop, a new learning opportunity arose, when Author, founder and co-director of  Habits of Mind, Bena Kallick made contact. Students and teachers are getting a taste of and are being reminded that learning in a connected world is never over… The simple fact of documenting and taking the time to publish "what we are doing in class"… is connecting us to a world of learning opportunities. We arranged a Skype visit. In order to prepare for the call, students learned about the author by researching the Internet and set up different jobs they were responsible for during the video conference. Videographer (recording Skype call) photographer (taking visual notes with images) Official Scribe (official note taker of Skype conversation) Speakers (introduction, keep the flow of conversation going) Note Takers (taking individual notes for themselves) Live Blogger (create a post for the classroom blog) We looked at our objectives for the Skype call Awareness that sharing with a global audience amplifies learning opportunities Learning and information do not only come from texts and books Metacognition of learning habits Connections to own work Communication skills Collaboration skills Note taking skills Awareness and modeling of network, media, global and information literacy Agenda for Skype Call Introduction Students explain their work in literacy circles, process of creating the video and annotexting. Bena talks about how she found out about students’ work about Literacy Circles. How she made connections to her own work What are habits of Minds? How are they related to learning targets? Q & A While the different stages of the Literature circle work were part of the learnflow, lit circle discussion> filming > annotexting> reflecting > sharing > disseminating> receiving feedback > making connections> Skype call I observed the students’ workflow in the classroom: Speakers were in charge of introducing our school and talking with our expert. They had been prepared with the agenda of the skype call A collaborative Google Doc had been shared with all the students to add questions that they had for the expert. One student, sitting next to the speakers was in charge of keeping up with the incoming questions and speaking to the expert during Q& A time.  He marked already asked questions and selected best suited questions from the growing list on the document. A Live Blogger was in charge of preparing a post on the classroom blog. He was to incorporate images from the photographer and video segments, once the video was edited. After the call was over, we realized that we had much information about the call "stored"in different places as well as as different media. Our job was to figure out HOW to CONNECT the different types of information. in our brains on the Flip camera images on our phones and iPads on a Google Doc (Official Scribe) on the classroom blog (Live Blogger) on individual notes (note takers) on a collaborative Google Doc The Official Scribe documented the Skype call. See a sample below: Bena - "What kind of questions do you ask at the circles? Brenna - "Clarifying questions and Deep Discussion Bena - How does that extra person help? The person taking notes in the discussion. Maya - At the end of the discussion, they tell us what we do well on, what we should improve, what they liked about the discussion. Bena - Are you using Habits of Mind? I think it would help sort of, help you guys to discover new things. No, but I think we might start to. Where did you get the idea of habits of mind? And When did you make it? Bena - "I had the idea since I worked with my partner, and we started looking at all those different ways to think like in those literature circles. All of those skills like comparing and contrasting. Disposition for thinking - not only do you know how to compare + contrast but you dare to do so disposition attitude are called habits of mind. Listening is a habit of mind and empathy, because you are not just going to say something, but you ask questions and try to understand the points of view." "When I hear another person’s perspective, you try to understand - Helping your mind be as flexible as possible" Why did you choose us? Bena - "You are special. I was interested in what you guys were doing. Since I was following Mrs. Tolisano, I saw it. I wanted to bring Habits of Mind to your work, so you don’t just use ordinary skills, but you understand them. I skyped with other classes. What makes you special, is that you guys brought in technology." Can we have this for other subjects? Bena - "Habits of mind are beyond any of the areas. You can use it for any area and even outside school. I worked with students working with habits of mind, some people started getting bored at a party, and they thought flexibly and used skills. I hope you can bring them everywhere. Where would you get it? Bring it to some of your classes and show them about it." Have all your books been about habits of mind? Bena - "They have been about educational things. Not all habits of mind, but all about how to think and ways of thinking. Higher level thinking is how the world is right now. You are asking good questions which is a habit of mind. Communication, which you guys are doing. From Mrs. Tolisano, I noticed you guys work hard, and maybe you can start mapping things out. I have co authored all my books 16! Thinking collaboratively, is also a habit which is why I worked with a partner." As part of the debriefing, students contributed a short "One Thing I Remember…" ( here is a selection of their answers) I remember that she said "Habits of mind are everywhere"that affected me because it made me think that we think all the time and we don’t even notice it -Jess- What I remember the most is the I remember the most from the conference was how she talked about how you should be flexible, so that creativity will come to you, also, you will learn more. -Maya- I remember that she said that habits of mind can be used outside of school. - Jack I remember when she said that she made the museum for teachers and students who is going to learn about habits of thinking. -Nana- I remember how she said that it [HOM] wasn’t only for humanities or english but it is for everything.-Martin- One thing I remember is how Bena said that people need to learn how to use more exquisite language in our everyday talking instead of saying "that was awesome" but saying why it was "awesome" and making our conversations meaningful-Claudia I remember when she mentioned that she made a museum for a good reason that really was an inspiring thing to help kids understand about how important habits of mind.. -Juan Pablo Something I remember Is that she said habit’s of mind can be used anywhere.- Camila One thing I remember is that she said that she created the museum for students and teachers that were going to about the habits of thinking and I thought that was really cool. - Gabe André - One thing that I remember she said was that she said that two people are better than one, so she likes to write books with other people. One thing that I remember is that she said that not all [her]  books are about habits of mind but all of them have a connection to education. Juan Yael - I remember is that she said she worked with partners because of the habit of Thinking Interdependently. Also, how she worked with a partner for all of the books because it is better to work with two minds that have two perspectives, than one mind that thinks on its own. I remember that she said how people at a pajama party decided to use the habits of mind and think flexible. - Brenna   Habits of Minds from langwitches on Vimeo.

Another mind shift that is taking place around us and that we need to be aware of in education: the MIDDLE MAN is gone! The middle man between me and: a global audience information an author an expert eye witnesses and current events the customer service of a company the research and development department software developers is gone! This morning, I was working on an infographic in Piktochart. I really wanted a puzzle piece icon to use as part of my infographic. Piktochart has the icons arranged in categories (entertainment, people, shapes, etc.) It was not very efficient to go through each one of the categories to see if a puzzle piece was present. A quick tweet went out to see if I could catch @piktochart’s attention. Not even 3 hours (!!) later, I received a response… My wish was granted and magically the search box for icons appeared! Thank you Piktochart! It could not have come at a better moment, as I was working with a 7th grade Geography class, who had been working on creating their own infographics in Piktochart. They were in awe to see that Piktochart had responded and  they were eager to continue creating their data stories to then share them on their blogfolios, write a reflection and review of the creation process, knowing that there was an audience. I felt that the time spent to make this process (workflow) of writing, tweeting, documenting, strategically disseminating was valuable for students. They learned: about Twitter grammar (mention @username to catch someone’s attention) they have a DIRECT VOICE (that understanding is part of network literacy for our students) about the importance of a company’s social network presence (and response) their role in research and development (and marketing) for a web based company Our generation did NOT grow up with the notion, that we can directly be in contact. There was always a middle man. A newspaper editor, a publishing company, an agent, a representative… That middle man is no longer….Let’s teach our students be aware of and USE their direct voice for action!

Our school‘s fabulous PE teacher, Claire Arcenas, is bringing blogging to her PE classes. She is incorporating Visual Thinking Routines to help her students become reflective commenters. In a recent planning session, she reminded me of the book Making Thinking Visible by Ron Ritchard, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison, that I had download but not read yet. We then started diving into the core routines outlined on Visible Thinking from Harvard University. The core routines are a set of seven or so routines that target different types of thinking from across the modules. These routines are easy to get started with and are commonly found in Visible Thinking teachers’ toolkits. Try getting started with with one of these routines. What Makes You Say That? Interpretation with justification routine Think Puzzle Explore A routine that sets the stage for deeper inquiry Think Pair Share  A routine for active reasoning and explanation Circle of Viewpoints A routine for exploring diverse perspectives I used to Think… Now I think… A routine for reflecting on how and why our thinking has changed See Think Wonder A routine for exploring works of art and other interesting things Compass Points A routine for examining propositions 3-2-1-Bridge A routine for activating prior knowledge and making connections Each one of these routines seemed well suited to help guide students in quality blog post writing as well as  commenting. We couldn’t help but expand the notion of the above by developing specific ROUTINES, to define thinking moves, support and make thinking visible as students were blogging. Here is our first attempt: Blogging as Information/Research Research- What have you read that has informed your position? Remix- What are you modeling after and how can you re-purpose it? Add- What new perspectives, value and resources have been added to original research? Purpose- What kind of thinking is involved- To make sense of a concept that I am trying to understand or wrapping my mind around. Drive for further inquiry. Application- When and where can it be used? To help learner document and carefully think about, analyze and amplify information that has influenced their thinking. Launch- Learner looks at topic, concept, image, video, art work, etc.Follow thinking thinking routine, in order to represent train of thought. Blogging as Reflection artifact choose a variety of media platforms beyond text to display many different forms of creativity and communication. reflection (you can use any of the Visible Thinking Routines above) Blogging as Documentation summarize Review, recap, give the main points or the run down of what occurred. add Add images, videos or other media, that enhance, support and bring perspective to documented content. label Make your documentation searchable. Label, categorize and/or tag your blog post, to strategically link to other written posts with the same thoughts, ideas or topics. Blog Commenting- Feedback- through strategic and thoughtful commenting routine. read Read the blog post, read other blog posts, articles and books on the topic. connect Make connections to your own experience, knowledge and related information. Link these connections to original source. add Don’t just agree or disagree or compliment the author of the post. Add value to their writing. Click on infographic below to enlarge What are some thinking routines you use with your students to support them in making their THINKING visible as they are blogging or commenting? Please add your thoughts and ideas as a comment (maybe even be inspired to use one of the above routine ex. commenting : read-connect-add

As I am speaking of the benefits of blogging as a professional and student, I sometimes wonder if the word "blogging" is not a word we speak as we talk at cross-purposes with other educators. When I use the word "blogging", I am NOT seeing : technology a project an add-on to the curriculum content. When I use the word "blogging", I am seeing: learning how to read and write in digital spaces the possibility of writing for an authentic global audience a platform for reflection, investigation, documentation and curation a platform that supports and amplifies modern skills and literacies On the tails of Visible Thinking Routines for Blogging, comes this new blog post that wants to make Blogging VISIBLE! A few days Blake Wile tweeted "Actual screenshots of blogs are so useful" So, I am continuing to highlight, screenshoot and annotate to make it VISIBLE what I think,  when I say "blogging". There is value in auditing blog posts and comments transparently in order to help other educators in the process of understanding the value of blogging in all area of learning. I am not adding assessment for traditional writing skills (grammar, vocabulary, genres, etc. )to the scenarios below, trusting that teachers will see and find ways to use blog posts/comments for formative assessment of these traditional skills and objectives.  I am placing emphasis on modern skills and literacies as well as the goal of transformational use of blogging as a platform to support these objectives in ways that traditional paper and pencil could can’t do. Scenario 1: Connections (to other people as well as resources) A sixth grade Humanities student, writes a blog post during the study of Apartheid in South Africa. His post shows evidence of connecting his thinking to other learning experiences and to further resources, by hyperlinking (one instance, moving up along the Taxonomy of hyperlinks) He receives a comment from a classmate,  that alters his thinking. She not only points out the parts of his post, that she agrees/disagrees with, but she ADDS to his thoughts. The commenter is actively looking to continue a conversation with the author of the post. It will become part of the learnflow (in time…) Although he does not respond to the commenter directly as a reply to her comment, he shows evidence of reading and embedding her thoughts into his own thinking by leaving a comment on another classmate’s post. He refers back to the comment that was left for him. [In time...] he will also leave a (hyper)link to the original comment that was left, to follow his train of thought. Scenario 2: Process In another 6th grade class, the teacher asked students to take notes on a Popplet, document their understanding of a topic at different points of the unit.They visually mark their notes by color coding bubbles, changing the colors after another learning activity or resource explored on the topic. Using the popplet as their notes, students write a blog post reflection/summary of their understanding  at different points in time. The first summary being written after a "visual gallery walk", where student were exposed to images about the topic The second summary after a text source Third summary after further reading of different perspectives on the topic The image below models the next step of asking students to make their learning process and (potential)  growth VISIBLE. Students were asked to create their own annotated screenshot of the 3 summaries from their blog and color code facts, insecurities in their knowledge, incorrect facts that they believed to be true and cause and effect of events. The screenshot image below was created with Skitch Scenario 3: Process In a Media Basics’ class, students  document and reflect on the process of creating and learning, not just a final product. In addition, giving and receiving feedback becomes part of the workflow and learnflow. Not only does the feedback come from more than one person (traditionally a teacher), but it also allows the person who GIVES the feedback to see that it he/she had an impact on the work. In time, the posts will include content specific vocabulary, with evidence of using them in appropriate context as well as explanations. The posts will CONNECT with (hyper)links to previously written posts and reflections, showing evidence of growth in skills.   Scenario 4: Commenting (beyond isolated opinions and non-value added compliments) Another example from my Media Basic class. I made commenting part of our classroom routine. Students READ and LEAVE QUALITY FEEDBACK for their classmates. This could become part of warm-up work, an exit ticket, review or homework. As I  leave feedback for individual students, I  model commenting for my students at the same time.  Emphasis is placed on connecting to the conversation that is going on in the comment sections and adding value to the original post for the author  (and other readers) by giving constructive feedback supported by examples. In time… as receiving and leaving comments becomes ingrained, so will writing with an audience in mind.   The sample scenarios above are from Middle school classrooms. Take a look at a previous blog post, titled Assessment in the Modern Classroom: Part Three- Blog Writing or Quality Blogging and Commenting Audit meme  solicited further links to blog writing and commenting audit  as a form of assessment in an elementary school classroom. ( by Stef Galvin, Andrea Hernandez, Sheri Edwards, Tracy Watanabe, Kathryn Trask, Shauna Hamman) Do you have samples, screenshots and annotations for High School? Why not share and link to them in the comment section?    

Part of my work, at my school, is to create a framework for our Middle School that will take (already) blogging students from Elementary School and prepare a smooth transition for them, as they move on to High School. I am looking BEYOND the one classroom or one specific teacher blogging with their students. As you might have been able to tell due to the increasing blog posts about blogging, my mind is swirling around: making the difference evident for faculty to see blogging as MORE than a technology integration project but a platform for learning making  Blogging Visible to educators who are not familiar with blogging for their own learning share best practices and going Beyond Pockets of Excellence in Blogging putting support structures into place for teachers to start their individual learning journeys. From creating infographics of  Visible Thinking Routines for Blogging to Workshops offered to 1:1 coaching sessions seeing and documenting pockets of blogging here and there, demonstrating different layers and stages in a blogging journey: Blogging as the Official Scribe of the Classroom Currently,  we are in year 1 of implementing blogging across 6th, 7th and 8th grade. All students have their own blogfolios, these portfolios started out with being used to house artifacts and reflections to be shared with their parents during student led conferences (SLC). The idea though was/is to make blogging a platform for writing (in digital spaces) , feedback, conversation, (global) connections and a hub for personal learning. How do we accomplish that not only in individual classrooms or for one individual teacher, but division and eventually school wide? Below are some doodle notes (testing out… practicing sketchnoting…having trouble with illustrations) When several grade levels are moving towards a blogging platform (at the same time), it is hard to develop a scope and sequence for blogging as a tool. I might have the same expectations for 6th graders in their first year of blogging as I would have for the 8th graders. They are writing, commenting, connecting, communication in different media forms and exhibiting the same rules of digital citizenship. Will they all work on the same kinds of "blogging" skills at the same time? How will addressing these skills shift, as we enter year 2, year 3 of implementation? What will happen to new students who come to your school from a non-blogging school? How will we support them? Here are a few more questions and thoughts I have about STRATEGICALLY implementing a division (school wide) blogging platform: I am trying to making the connections between blogging and pedagogy,  modern literacies and standards  and core values (character traits, etc.) evident. I am trying to adapt the SAMR model to take blogs as a technology tool that substitutes traditional tasks to a platform that transforms teaching and learning (watch for future blog posts about examples of blogging at different stages of the SAMR mode) Another aspect of using blogs with students is being addressed by Stephen Downes , who articulates the need to teach students the skills to store, manage and enable access to their work online. How can we best support students to NOT SIMPLY create a digital footprint, but do so strategically and know how to manage their work. What will be the best way to create a consistent label/category system? One that will facilitate evidence of growth/learning over an extended period of time and FOR assessment? For the ones that need reassurance, that they meet standards (in whatever subject area), it might be a good idea to make an upgrade by blogging visible. Are the standards addressed and can be assessed via blogging? Below you will find a sample of ICT standards addressed by upgrading a traditional book report beyond using substitution of merely copying/pasting text onto a blog. I have laid out my thoughts, ideas,  and question of HOW to go BEYOND pockets of individual classrooms and students with one particular teacher or grade level blogging. How can we create a framework that is sustainable across a division or entire school (K-12)? What are expectations of students in different age groups? What are expectations of teachers to make this a COLLABORATIVE way of learning through blogging at a school or district? How do we connect divisions, subject areas and grade levels to make LONG TERM benefits evident? Who is willing to connect with me, as they are working on the same kinds of implementation questions beyond one classroom?  

In its 10th year, the Edublog Awards are open for voting. Thank you to all the the loyal readers of Langwitches who have nominated my blog for Best Resource Sharing Ed Tech Blog for 2013. You can directly cast your vote from this page.   Best Resource Sharing / Ed Tech Blog 2013 - Edublog Awards View more lists from Edublogs Voting will close at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, December 18th. As always, the entire list of finalists are a treasure trove of links to wonderful examples of classroom and student blogs, as well as jewels to add to your PLN, blog reading list and future collaboration and learning buddies. Dive in… read… learn…comment… connect… vote to give recognition to your favorites! Here are all the categories: Best individual blog Best group blog Best new blog Best class blog Best student blog Best ed tech / resource sharing blog Best teacher blog Best library / librarian blog Best administrator blog Most influential blog post of the year Best individual tweeter Best twitter hashtag Best free web tool Best podcasts or google hangouts Best Use of Videos and Media in Education Best educational wiki Best open PD / unconference / webinar series Best educational use of a social network Best mobile app Lifetime achievement  

Alan November’s concept of the Digital Learning Farm, asks schools and teachers to empower students by giving them relevant responsibilities that allow them to contribute in  meaningful ways to their learning community (class/school/etc.). How can we give students the opportunity to CONTRIBUTE versus completing projects that end up in the trash, bottom of their backpack or at best on the refrigerator door for display in their house. I understand that it is unreasonable to make EVERY assignment, EVERY project a relevant and  meaningful contribution Need 1: I am in need for icons to use as I create infographics of the school’s core values . The school’s core values are: Balanced, Communicators, Critical thinkers, Curious, Inclusive, Innovative, Reflective, Responsible, Risk-takers. Why not ask students (7th graders) in one of our computer graphics classes (Thank you Jennifer Kagohara!) to create them? The benefits are mutual: I receive custom designed icons Students are given an authentic task versus a made up activity which might elicit the traditional question of "Why do I have to do this?" They will see their work being used for additional purposes Students will see and feel first hand what it means to create with remixing in mind They will be part of the cycle of creating, licensing, using and attributing under the Creative Commons license.   by Giulia by Tibet by Mathaus and Ji Won   Need 2:  We are in need of music under the Creative Commons license to allow and promote sharing of original music (with attribution of course). Students are creating more and more videos as evidence of their learning. The issue of using copyrighted songs as background music has become a problem. Our Media Basics class (6th graders)  decided that we would contribute original music for other students in our school community to use, but also to make them available to a global audience. We are hoping to continue to grow a music library for students to use in their projects and at the same time teach  and experience the effects of Creative Commons. Feel free to share and use the sound file, created by Graded School students and made available under Creative Commons. (If you use them, leave our students a comment (here on Langwitches) so they can track their impact. You are free to use them under the following conditions: Attribution- please give proper credit  (ex. Music licensed under Creative Commons by Simon) Non-Commercial- you are not to gain financial benefit from using these files Share Alike- you must share the work created with the above files under the same Creative Commons license Music by Maya- https://soundcloud.com/mrstolisano/maya-happy-song Music by Pedro & Rafa - https://soundcloud.com/mrstolisano/pedro-rafa-happy-song Music by Noah- https://soundcloud.com/mrstolisano/happy-song-noah-1 Music by Amanda- https://soundcloud.com/mrstolisano/happy-song-amanda Music by Felipe M- https://soundcloud.com/mrstolisano/happy-song-1 Music by Anna Clara- https://soundcloud.com/mrstolisano/happy-song Music by Toribio- https://soundcloud.com/mrstolisano/happy-song-toribio Music by Belen- https://soundcloud.com/mrstolisano/happy-song-by-belen Music by Rens- https://soundcloud.com/mrstolisano/rens Music by Rodrigo- https://soundcloud.com/mrstolisano/rodrigo-happy-song/s-oH6Qe Music by Simon- https://soundcloud.com/mrstolisano/happy-song-by-simon Music by Jessica- https://soundcloud.com/mrstolisano/happy-song-by-jessica Music by Felipe L- Need 3: I was in need of posters to display around school to promote PD opportunities for our teachers. Again, an authentic need in the school, required students to learn specific tasks (In this case 6th graders had to figure out how to use the tool (Photoshop), about QR codes, typography and color schemes). They saw their final products displayed around the school, fulfilling the intended need. by Belen   by Maya by Rens What are some needs at your school or in your community to connect your students with an authentic task? How can you connect these needs with your curriculum content? How can you help your students see that the skills and learning objectives are valuable in the real world? Please share your ideas and scenarios for all of us to learn from.

There are a lot of thoughts and ideas about what learning in the 21st century is supposed to look like. Most likely you are constantly bombarded with books, workshops, keynote presentations, webinars and good old lectures (yes, even on the topic of modern learning…) that remind you that it is time to upgrade traditional teaching and learning. It is NOT about technology, but about thinking > We live in an era of information overload. We need help in filtering and managing it > Collaboration and sharing is at the heart of learning > What happens to the work that is not shared? > People and relationships are at the heart of learning > Our network is what propels us to action! The following six quotes from Judy O’Connell, Alan November, Mitchel Kapor, Clay Shirkey,  Heidi Hayes Jacobs and Chris Lehman exemplify the backdrop for taking action as a learner in 2013 and beyond…They plant the seeds and layout the path to not just LISTEN TO and TALK about what should/needs to be done, but also set the stage for 3 Steps to START learning how to learn. Some will continue to listen to and read about these visionary ideas, but when Monday morning (or the next week, next quarter, next semester or next school year) rolls around, the routine sets in and everything is back to business… to normal…to last century… I am more convinced than ever ( and will keep saying)  that NOTHING will change in teaching UNLESS, educators have an opportunity and the motivation to EXPERIENCE new ways of learning for THEMSELVES! I have a suggestion for the ones that have heard, have listened, but do not know where to start. 3 Steps to get started in managing their information overload, starting to document their work with an audience in mind and share their work, becoming part of the conversation and the mechanism of connected learning. Curating via Social Bookmarking Using a blogging platform to document work, learn with and through media, create with an audience in mind (read,  write and comments on blogs) Create a learning network via Twitter to build relationships, participate in conversations and contribute to the learning of others by filtering through your lens (perspective/area of expertise) and by adding value   It is about telling your story. As you are telling it, you are teaching and modeling for others. You are engaging in a metacognitive process to help  make sense of learning today (so different than when we grew up). Over time, telling your story, will create your unique brand of learning.  

Guest post by Silvana Meneghini, Academic Technology Coordinator, Graded- American School of São Paulo. Originally posted on her blog On the Edge. Pedagogical ideas like student centered learning, collaboration, and critical thinking have been around for a long time and are slowly making the way into the classroom. When technology came into play in schools, there was a big focus on technology tools and acquiring tech skills. Nowadays, there is a perception that technology has to be seamless and the main focus is on pedagogy.  I couldn’t agree more. But is that happening because technology is actually shoving pedagogy to the center stage? If yes, what are the implications for teacher professional development in the age of fast technological changes? Image: Road by Rick Harrison. 2005. Creative Commons Attribution on Flickr. http://bit.ly/1iPTw2E So let’s have a quick look at TPACK.  If you haven’t seen TPACK yet, it is a model created by Mishara & Koehler to describe the types of knowledge a teacher needs to have in order to integrate technology in their teaching. So this model states that content, pedagogical and technological knowledge are all equally necessary. Image reproduced by permission of the publisher, © 2012 by tpack.org. But as I was reading a blog post by Krista Moroder on "Why I Don’t Use TPACK or SAMR with my Teachers" I also realized that the representation of each component of the TPACK model has indeed changed. Krista argues that pedagogical knowledge is the most important element in TPACK  , while the need for content knowledge is being reduced and the role of technological knowledge is to support pedagogy. I will take one step further to say that technology is no longer the focus because pedagogy and technology are actually merging… More and more we see how fast changing technology is part of the world and how that impacts the ways people learn.  My perception is that the supporting role of technology in learning will only grow and tend to becomes seamless. But in order for technology to be seamless, teachers need to understand the impact of technology in learning.  This is what Silvia Tolisano calls learning how to learn in this 21st century world.  But teachers will only reach that level of "learning how to learn"  by immersing in technologies that foster sharing, collaboration, innovation. That says something about the ubiquitous role of technology if you think about learning … At the same time, pedagogy is growing in importance because of technology. Not only because technology has shoved student centered learning to the core of teaching, but also because pedagogical theories that were initially called upon to interpret the use of technology for learning are now being pushed by new boundaries created through technology itself.  I believe that with global learning possibilities, big data, manufacturing & design crowd sourcing (see 3D printers), Google glass and augmented reality,  just to mention a few, pedagogical theories of how we learn will have to be revised. All that has to impact teacher training. Teachers need to be immersed and  fluent in different digital tools, to be able to use those seamlessly in a flow while also assessing the impact of new technological developments that do not stop coming.  At the same time, pedagogy has to be the central focus of training, as opposed to content knowledge. That is particularly true for Brazilian "licenciatura", where a graduate from a specialist subject area needs to take only a few extra credits to become a school teacher. Only a minority will take a full "Pedagogy" undergraduate course. So content has traditionally been the focus of teacher training. But now, content is indeed extremely accessible because of technology, and the learning how to learn has become imperative.  The push of technology has forced all of us to look closer to pedagogy and make it a priority. But as pedagogical ideas may change as well, we can no longer afford to imagine learning theories without considering an immersion in the digital world. Credits: Thank you to Silvia Tolisano @langwitches for being a great thinking partner and helping review this post. Image: Road by Rick Harrison. 2005. Creative Commons Attribution on Flickr. http://bit.ly/1iPTw2E

7th grade Geography teacher, David J. at Graded-The American School of Sao Paulo, was planning an in-depth country data study and interpretation. He decided to allow his students to explore the use of infographics to visually represent the data and compare their findings. He explained to his students: Instead of a focused, issue-based case study, the major project of the quarter will be a comparison of three countries (one from Europe, one from North or South America, and one from Africa or Asia).  You will research many categories (citing sources correctly), represent the data using infographics (group collaborative component), and then provide reflection (annotations) on how and why the countries are similar or different on these topics.  Additionally, students will write comments comparing their own researched countries’ information to the data of other students.     Some of the students had seen infographics, no one had created one. In an introductory lesson, we introduced infographics with the following resources. What are infographics? Wikipedia defines infographics: Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly. They can improve cognition by utilizing graphics to enhance the human visual system’s ability to see patterns and trends by Hot Butter Studio. Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community - Visually. The Anatomy of an infographic according to Spyrestudio The core infographic is composed of 3 very important parts. Visual -Color Coding -Graphics -Reference Icons Content -Time Frames -Statistics -References Knowledge -Facts -Deductions   Questions to ask yourself as you are "telling the story" of your data WHAT is the story? WHO is your audience? WHY are your telling the story? How will you COMMUNICATE the story about your data? How will I show RELATIONSHIPS between the data? Does my story make the viewer want to ask MORE QUESTIONS? (Possible) Annotations to include in your infographic  draw conclusions Based on the data, what are some trends and patterns you see? Can you make predictions?   The Value of Visualization from Column Five on Vimeo.  Keep in mind…as you design color (correlation) size (quantity) orientation (trends) Don’t forget to cite your sources Where did you get your data from? Don’t infringe on copyright. You can’t just google an image and use in your infographic. Are you using public domain or Creative Commons images or clipart? If CC, make sure you are citing them properly in a Credit section at the end of the infographic. If you are using clipart/graphics from one of the infographic tools listed below, you have automatic permission to use them for our purpose. Example: Image credits: Teddy Bear image licensed under CC by langwitches- http://www.langwitches.org/blog/travel/teddybearsaroundtheworld/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/jose-60×60.jpg (Stated that it was indeed licensed under Creative Commons, followed by attribution and a link to the original file or page) Infographic Examples The Water Rich vs. The Water Poor Education by Country Cellphone Use Around the World Life Expectancy by Country If Facebook were a country Where can you create your own Infographics? Easel.ly Piktochart Further resources about using Infographics with students: Infographics- What? Why? How? Creating Infographics with Students  Have you used infographics with your students? What are some resources /tools you have  used? What about "the critical thinking part", beyond showing capability of visualizing data, but also articulating conclusions, making connections evident? How do you assess infographics? Have you created rubrics? Let’s pool our resources and experiences together. Here are selected student examples from the country study: by Ale by Kari by Sydney by Stephanie by Stephanie by Stephanie        

In an attempt to bring  new additions to your Blog reader, I am starting to feature  guest posts on Langwitches. Be assured that these guest posts are from educational bloggers, I highly value and their voices contribute significantly to my own learning. Today I am sharing a blog post and a newly published book by my friend, colleague and co-author Mike Fisher. Follow him on Twitter and add his blog to your RSS reader. By Mike Fisher Originally blogged on MiddleWeb.com on December 8, 2013 Back in the early 90’s, my grandmother taught me how to bake biscotti in a traditional way. She was a baker by trade and taught me about the precision of measuring ingredients to get a perfect dough consistency, how to lay out the initial loaf, cut on the diagonal and re-bake until the cookies reached their optimum crunch. Over the years, I’ve experimented with the basic recipe, adding additional ingredients, replacing others, trying different thicknesses of the cookie, dipping the cookies in chocolate, etc. My ultimate goal is to get to the cookie, even though my path to get there changes every year. Around this time of year, I start thinking about the biscotti (and Grandma!), and what I will modify, replace, upgrade, or delete for this year’s batch. Sometimes that decision is based on new ingredients, sometimes on the audience for whom I’m baking the cookies, or the event(s) where the cookies will be shared. There is always a modification to the previous year’s process though the goal is always to get to the cookie. I’m using Grandma’s cookie procedure as a metaphor for instructional actions. The end result is always extremely important. The task, the assessment, the demonstration of learning, the product-all of these are the goals of instruction. In this day and age, though, with our new digital landscapes, we have opportunities for replacing pieces of the instructional sequence, invigorating the learning, and producing a better product—a better cookie. The things we need to do with students, the tasks that we challenge them with, are the important factors here. It doesn’t matter that you don’t know Wordle or Socrative or Wikis or Storybird. It doesn’t matter that Padlet or Today’s Meet or Notepad is part of your everyday practice. It matters that you understand and design instruction around the outcome. The path to that outcome is what we will replace, not necessarily the outcome itself. Digital Learning Perspectives In workshops with teachers, I often try to paint a mental picture of the modern student. I talk about the differences between the world this kid lives in outside of school and the one he or she inhabits in school. There should not be such a wide chasm in decades between the two. I realize that there is at least one, maybe two generations separating students from their teachers, but everyone in the classroom is in the present time. Right? I discuss how students are used to working and interacting digitally. Sometimes school is a potential impediment to learning when traditional instructional methods are primarily favored. These modern students don’t separate technology from other activities — they don’t think about it because it’s always been there for them, always been available. Except, many times, in school. These students can find all kinds of information but don’t necessarily know what information is important, why or how they should prioritize it, or how to make connections or creations from it. They are not discerners; they are gatherers. These modern students are not interested, necessarily, in current school constructs for separating Reading, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithmetic. They are looking for integrated and authentic opportunities. I do realize that in the wake of new standards, new devices, and new ways to interact, teachers are becoming increasingly overwhelmed. So much newness is bogging them down and actually decreasing the professional actions they might ultimately take to improve their practice and work within a modern educational mindset. That modern mindset is really about willingness, not digital knowledge. It’s about trying new things and exploring new tools and avenues for instruction. It’s about exploring WITH the students rather than FOR the students. The end result is still a cookie, but over time, that cookie gets better and better. Let’s Take a Bite When teachers decide to start replacing instructional actions with digital tools, they should do so with the task in mind, not the tool. Let’s take the analysis of text, for example. What does this look like in your class right now? (Aligned to CCSS Reading Standards 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3) In a 7th grade ELA classroom, a teacher I work with in Lockport, New York wanted her students to consider how Stanley Yelnats and the other characters in Louis Sachar’sHoles deal with justice as a thematic element in the book. She talked with them about fairness and her ultimate goal: to get them to be able to use textual evidence to write about justice as it relates to the arc of the multiple storylines in the novel. She was really excited about using a collaborative note-taking tool, Padlet, in her classroom, and we had a discussion about HOW she might go about using it. Initially, she wanted to spend a couple of days teaching the students how to use Padlet and hold the students accountable for the depth of information they shared. She was very concerned that students might share non-instructive comments like, "That was cool," or "OMG. LOL." She wanted to use a rubric I had shared with her called Notice, Think, and Wonder (which I recently blogged about HERE) to enable students to think critically about the comments they were making. I asked her what this activity had looked like in the past. She said that students, individually, would locate moments in the book where they saw incidents of justice in any form: Stanley’s day in court, Kissin’ Kate’s reputation and actions, the Warden’s losses at the end of the novel, and (spoiler alert!) the fact that Stanley is cleared of his crimes in the end. I reminded her of her ultimate objective, the writing about justice and the connections between the types of justice described in the book. I reminded her that she can’t favor the tool over the task. The kids still had to write about justice and its interconnections and/or its relationship to advancing the plot of the novel. She decided that short mini-lessons on using Padlet and the rubric for Notice, Think, and Wonder, were better than spending days on either of those things. Students could still collaborate using the online tools, and she would shift her expectations for their writing to include the collective thinking of all of the students and what they assembled on the Padlet Wall as a component of their end product. In sum, she re-focused on the end-result but replaced some of the instructional sequence with a digital tool that moved what was once an individual exploration or small group discussion to a "group think" model where everyone participates in the collection of textual evidence. This, in turn, gives the students opportunities to understand what their peers believe to be important and offers them the chance to collaborate and communicate around deeper text analysis and negotiate deeper interactions than what she’s done before. She amped up the level of engagement while still holding students accountable for evidence of why they were thinking what they were thinking. The tool, Padlet, was a new vehicle for better connections and interactions and thinking, but her lesson wasn’t a "Padlet Lesson." It was still focused on justice as a theme in the novel. The students, in general, provided a more in-depth analysis because they were allowed to see their peers’ thinking in a way they had never seen it before. This led to deeper discussions, deeper connections, and better writing. This teacher changed the recipe and got a better cookie. The big takeaway here is that the task, the objective, the demonstration of learning remain the priority and focal point of instruction. The strategy, however, can be variable while the end point remains fixed. Vary the recipe but still work toward the cookie! Teachers need a treasure trove of strategies, a virtual toolbox of opportunities, to meet today’s student where they need to be met. These digital learning strategies don’t require the teacher to be an expert in their function; they only require a willingness to let the students try some new ways of doing things. This is an opportunity to utilize digital tools for the sake of differentiated instruction and divergent thinking, where students construct their own versions of learning and critique the work of their peers. By the way, you can read my grandmother’s basic biscotti recipe HERE (and download here). I encourage you to try out your own recipe replacements, deviations, and subversions, in the classroom and in the kitchen. This year, as a sneak peek to the reader, I can share that I’m considering some new ingredients including lime juice, cream cheese, and a blueberry/pecan trail mix that I enjoy. If you’re interested in learning more about Digital Learning Strategies and instructional replacement ideas, my new book will be available from ASCD on December 13th. It will be available in both print and digital editions and is part of ASCD’s new short form texts called ARIAS, meaning that the book is meant to be read in one sitting, perhaps while you’re waiting on that first batch of biscotti to come out of the oven. Digital tools bring an entirely new menu of tasks into the classroom. Students can now demonstrate their learning by using apps and online resources to conduct research, solicit feedback, and collaborate with others more effectively than ever before. Digital tools also provide teachers with effective ways to assess student work. Michael Fisher outfits you for this new world by opening your thinking to new possibilities for teaching and engaging 21st century students. Along the way, he provides Six steps for evaluating when it’s appropriate to assign digital work. Ten examples of how digital tools can improve instructional practice. The primary factors to consider for the assessment of digital work.

In the spirit of looking back to 2013, here is a short compilation of posts, you might want to take a second (or first) look. The following are the most read posts on Langwitches in 2013 Bloom’s Taxonomy and iPad Apps iPad Apps and Bloom’s Taxonomy Upgrade your KWL Chart to the 21st Century The following are the posts that received the most comments (according to WordPress stats) in 2013 Get Over It! Thoughts on iPad Fluency and Workflows What the iPad Is and What it Isn’t Citing an Image is Not Enough! I have iPads in the Classroom! Now What? No! You Can’t Just Take It!  

Our 7th grade students are exploring the concept of digital citizenship in their advisory classes (unfortunately only three- 30 minute classes). Below you will find the slide deck with lesson progression, chosen videos, resources and visible thinking routines chosen for the time frame   Using the Think-Puzzle- Explore Visible Thinking routine from Project Zero, students will use their blogs to document their prior knowledge, any questions as well as their thoughts on how they will explore the topic further.   After class writes and reads each other’s blog posts, spark a discussion abou the following terms. Did they come up in students’ blog posts? What other ones were mentioned? What further terms are associated with the ones already mentioned?   As a class watch the following  videos dealing with cyberbullying, online/offline identity, sharing and digital footprint.    Allow students time to explore further resources (searching on their own) or get started with the following sites. Remind them to search a variety of media platforms (infographics, videos, web sites, slide decks, etc.) Common Sense Media- http://www.commonsensemedia.org/video/educators/student-videos NetSmartz Teens- http://www.nsteens.org/   Discuss the following infographic by Mia MacMeekin .   Ask students to use the following visible thinking routine, I used to think… but now I think... Here is the slide deck shared with students after their initial blog post.    

Is it personality? Are some people born with it? Can it be learned? I am talking about REFLECTION. At the beginning of the week, I had the opportunity to be part of a workshop during our pre-service ( we just returned from our summer break here in the Southern Hemisphere) with our ES Principal, MS Principal and HS Assistant Principal. The topic was  student reflection. The following ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS emerged out of the planning for this workshop How does student reflection impact student learning? How can we embed reflection into assessment practices so that it is not seen as an add-on? How can we make the reflection visible and sustainable? According to Carol Rodgers in  Defining Reflection :Another Look at John Dewey and Reflective Thinking, four criteria emerge from Dewey’s work that characterize reflection. Reflection is a meaning making process that moves a learner from one experience into the next with deeper understanding of its relationships with and its connections to other experiences and ideas. Reflection is a systematic, rigorous way of thinking, with its roots in scientific inquiry. Reflection needs to happen in community, in interaction with others Reflection requires attitudes that value the personal and intellectual growth of oneself and others. I know that most teachers acknowledge the role of reflection in learning. I see reflective practice when I visit classrooms, but I also acknowledge that most of that reflection seems to be in oral form. A form that allows the reflection to disappear, to evaporate after the moment has passed.  We wanted to make teachers aware of platforms and experiences that supported reflection in teaching and learning. After orally reflecting with students during a classroom conversation or possible silent ( intrapersonal ) reflection taking place by individual students, the next most used media and platform seemed to be text. Since we have a 1:1 laptop in High School and Middle School, most these types of reflective texts are written on Google Docs, Blogs or digital online sites. I wanted to move teachers’ focus beyond using text as the medium for reflection. We notice when working with students that simply asking them to go ahead and write a reflection, might not be the best approach to be able to expect quality work. We initially introduced our workshop attendees to four frameworks for reflection. KWHLAQ chart See- Think- Wonder Think-Puzzle-Explore 3-2-1 Bridge See a 5th grade sample of using the KWHLAQ reflection routine on a blog. The student’s teacher Paul Solarz is doing fantastic work on reflective eportfolios. Leika Prokopiak’s 6th grade Science students,  here are Graded, are also experimenting with the KWHLAQ reflection routine on their student portfolios. \ After a visit from Libby Stephens, a speaker about the Third Culture Kid experiences, Ms Arcenas, had her 7th grade advisory students reflect, in writing on index cards. They used the See- Think- Wonder routine about their take away from the session with the speaker. Claire Arcenas reflection on using 3-2-1- Bridge in her 10th grade PE class After introducing the four above mentioned frameworks, we asked teachers to choose one article from five pre-selected ones and use one of the four thinking routine methods to guide their reflection of their chosen article. 35 Questions for Student Reflection by Mark Clements Creating a Culture of Student Reflection by Clyde Yoshida Four Levels of Student Reflection by Maryellen Weimer Reflect, Reflective, Reflection by Silvia Tolisano High Tech Reflection Strategies Making Learning Stick by Suzie Boss We briefly shared further visible thinking routines with the attendees and made the application visible by sharing examples from the classroom with them. Blog commenting as reflection. Video as a media for capturing reflection Around the World With 80 Schools- Helsinki from langwitches on Vimeo. Kindergarten using Explain Everything app to explain Math Scenarios from langwitches on Vimeo. Reflection via Infographics. Collaborative reflection via Twitter Hashtag (Teacher Reflection)       Mindmapping as a platform for reflection (organization, grouping, color coding…) Maps as a platform for raising awareness through visualization. Start tracking a the geographic setting of books read to see patterns and gaps emerge that were previously not noticed. How do you reflect with your students? What are your thoughts on using visible thinking routines to give students a strategy? What platforms are you exploring? What types of reflective experiences are you facilitating for your students?

In December, I received a Google Invite to become a Google Glass Explorer. I was not given much time to accept the hefty price tag or let the Google invite expire. In the name of education and my passion for thinking and exploring new ways to transform teaching and learning, I accepted…. (still not sure how I feel about …) On Monday, I took my Google Glass for the first time to school. We had a pre-service workshop planned (we just returned to school after the summer break here in the Southern Hemisphere) and I wanted to test if I could use the device to document the workshop to capture moments of discussion record what the presenters shared share what participants contributed to the conversation Google Glass- Reflection Workshop from langwitches on Vimeo. Here are a few thoughts after the first week: I am overwhelmed ( …too much stimuli) Not as intuitive as I thought it would be…  (I feel like a student driver having to pause, before I step on the clutch>shift into gear>push the gas pedal> slowly let go of the clutch… while at the same time look in all the mirrors and forward to steer where I need to go) My fluency is missing. (…yes… that one… the one that I am so used to having with my smartphone, iPad and laptop…so used to it in fact that I usually don’t think about it anymore… I feel illiterate…) Tickling behind the ear from speaker that vibrates the bone behind my ear… (…It is a weird feeling…) battery life…(…used to battery lasting all day+ with my other devices…) need to build in breaks during the day to recharge.. Unit gets hot when using too much (especially recording video and googling) Long, curly and unruly hair that constantly tangles in front of the camera is a problem in terms of recording,  tapping and swiping. (… not cutting my hair or wearing a pony tail is not an option…) I was not prepared for the attention and the varied reactions the device evoked in people. (… I am admitting that the varied emotions from colleagues and students have hit me almost like a brick… from super excited to curious, not interested to (not openly) negative and almost hostile emotions. Again, NOT all of the reactions were verbal or bodily clues, but more (strong) waves of emotions directed in my direction… Never quite experienced or was aware of something similar… Feeling on the spot when recording… self conscious… what do I say? How does my voice sound? I am definitely in the Substitution stage, when looking at using Google Glass through the lens of the SAMR model. Many colleagues wanted to see what I was seeing and were eager to try the Google Glass on. The easiest instruction, I was able to give, as I could not see what they were seeing on the screen was: When you see the time… say "OK Glass", then "take a picture". Swipe down… then tap on Glass again and swipe forward to see the last images taken. So far, I was not able to screencast from Google Glass to my iPhone via wifi (it continuous to show me the black screen with the instructions, even though glass and iPhone are on the same network. It is simply too much multitasking to handle Glass, turn off wifi, then turn on bluetooth, then connect iPhone and Glass to be able to demonstrate screencast on the spot…) It was interesting (also for me) to later see the images the testers had taken.. (tall perspective… this is how I look to a tall person…I was not aware that the ceiling could look so threatening… :) (test shot from someone that is more of my height) Curious colleagues having a go at wearing Google Glass. Here is a selfie to show how I am managing using my reading glasses at the same time as Google Glass. Not the best solution, but it seems to work for now…. Students were lining up after class asking to wear Google Glass in order to give it a try. Most of them had heard of Google Glass. It spread like wild fire throughout our Middle School.  There were a lot of  "cool" and "wow". It wasn’t long before Paparazzi also arrived wanting to take a picture of Google Glass as evidence of having seen one. Students asked to try them on and immediately chose to take selfies. What does that say about the social impact and culture of picture taking? Do you remember the first email you sent? The first email you received? Remember having to dial in to check your email and not being able to use the phone line while you were online? Above is a vignette image taken with Google Glass. I was sitting with a new students, helping  set up her school laptop. I received a vibration sound behind my ear and looked up from the computer screen at the Glass screen to see that my mother had emailed me an article from the La Nación (Argentinean Newspaper) about how wearing Google Glass could get me into legal problems. The irony of the moment was not lost on me. I am not the only explorer at our school. A High School student, Bruno, is also a committed user. I felt a sort of camaraderie, as both of us are on the forefront by experimenting and walking a fine line.  What is acceptable in a school environment regarding wearable technology and what is not? Bruno has been wearing Glass routinely during the day, showing a much higher fluency and adaptation. He inspired me to make sure that I was only going to find out how Glass was going to transform my work, if I wore it consistently. It reminded me of " The best camera you will ever have, is the one that you have with you" that pushed my iPhone into the number one position to be followed by my SLR camera. While my focus of using Google Glass to "explore new worlds" in terms of teaching and learning, Bruno is focused of finding innovative ways to transform and "make his life easier".  His point of view is that of an app developer. Just as I experienced a myriad of reactions when wearing Glass, a student wearing Google Glass, a technology that all of us (administrators, teachers and peers) are not familiar with, inevitably will bring up anxieties, disruption and fear. Bruno is dealing with setting the example at our school. What will this mean when more and more students start having these powerful devices and will  that mean in terms of teacher/student relationship, student learning, curriculum, assessment practices, what do we consider cheating, how do we deal with multitasking, distractions, inappropriate use of the technology, etc.? I believe Bruno is aware that he is setting the example and is taking on the responsibility.  Our school administrators and teachers are recognizing the need to start the conversation now! WHAT DOES THIS TECHNOLOGY MEAN IN OUR EDUCATIONAL SPACES? They are also recognizing that Bruno is an integral part of that conversation to craft a policy that does not BAN and BLOCK, but encourages exploration and innovation. I am looking forward to being part of that conversation… School policy regarding wearable technology were not the only discussion that were sparked by the simple appearance of Google Glass on campus. I have had super interesting conversation about the meaning of wearable technology and what does that mean for our future? did we not "just" have the same discussion about10 years ago regarding cellphones being disruptive and an invasion of our privacy ? (…I remember the note coming home from my daughter’s school, that it was absolutely prohibited to bring a cellphone to school that had picture taking capabilities…) we wondered if in 10 years, we will laugh about how "silly" we/I looked with such a "big" device on our/my head (same type of feeling when we think of the size of our first cell phones or the big air conditioned rooms that held a computer…) Image in Public Domain Freely giving away our private data (GPS location? What do we see at the moment? What words are we googling? etc.) I am not saying that we are not already doing this with other devices, but wearable devices have the purpose of making it even more "natural" and instantaneous to do all these tasks and transmitting and sending them. (… I have to admit I am increasingly more uncomfortable when Google ( or other companies), by default, takes the choice of NOT wanting to share or collect data away from me… What about Google Glass etiquette? When is it appropriate? When is it inappropriate? What about in an educational environment? What about in public spaces? (… I am very conscious of etiquette… I know I am walking a fine line as soon as I wear Google Glass… I want to be able to gain the trust of colleagues and students… that I will not take images nor film without making sure that they are aware of the device being on and a "no questions asked" policy if someone feels uncomfortable…) How can we use such a "disruptive" device to transform (re-define) what we teach and learn? I was able to take Google glass into a Science classroom (with permission from the teacher ,of course) and take photos and videos of the students conducting a lab. Google Glass is such a novelty though that students were interested in Glass rather than their lab… most of them begging to wear them…I was very conscious of NOT wanting to disrupt the class (…. will need to make sure that students have a chance to look at them, ask questions and wear them… before I go into the next classroom) Google Glass- Science from langwitches on Vimeo. I also wanted to test out wearing Google Glass while driving… yes,  I can hear all of you yelling at me from afar. I literally have a 2 minute drive to school… I left a little extra early for even less traffic… and as you will be able to tell from the video, I am a VERY safe driver… looking several times right/left/right/left and one more time, before turning at an intersection… Google Glass- Way to Work from langwitches on Vimeo.

My colleague, Silvana Meneghini, and I have been working on developing a Professional Development framework for embedding technology use and modern learning litercies based on Ruben Puentedura‘s SAMR model. The template consists of 4 Focus Areas. Each stage of the SAMR model consists of 4 focus areas in the template, that support vision, planning, and evaluation in activity  and task design as well as a professional development framework. Goal Rationale: Start with your goal in mind. What are your objectives? What do you want to accomplish? What learning do you envision? What literacies are being addressed? Process Rationale: Knowing all the answers is not important anymore. Learning how to ask questions and be open to reflect and receive feedback. are the skills to develop. How do we make the process of learning visible? How do we create a "learnflow" within and between tasks and activities? The process will inform your actions. Technology Rationale: Content knowledge becomes less important. Technology pushes pedagogy into center stage. As technology becomes further ubiquitous in our lives, a degree of fluency will be necessary to allow pedagogy to fully absorb technology. The tool will no longer be the objective. Communication Rationale: Traditionally, communication happened synchronously and face to face or asynchronously in written text form. Due to technology, the concept of communication and the types of media that help us communicate with an audience larger than 1 has changed and grown exponentially. Communication no longer assumes the position of a finite, one way communication, but is transformed in the possibility of a two-way, crowdsourced or feedback process. Each one of the four focus areas possesses several subcategories. In a SAMR exercise, technology (learning) coaches support educators in identifying the placement of their lesson or project within the framework. The exercise can tag accomplishments,  potential gaps and  facilitate pinpointing next steps. The initial ideas is  to take a look at a  lesson and identify the ENTRY POINT of the SAMR stage (substitution, augmentation, modeification, redefinition). Concentrate on identifying  the 4 FOCUS AREAS (goal, process, technology and communication). By using the subcategories, the coach/teacher work through areas addressed and possible gaps and potential areas of upward MOVEMENT movement towards redefinition. Example: Name of Activity: Middle School- Official Scribe Activity Description: Students take individual classroom notes with paper/pen to study from for upcoming quiz, test or exam. Students use computer to type up notes. Goals Process Technology Communication Basic Literacy Consume>Produce Note Taking 1: 1 Students use formatting options to organize, highlight, edit, rearrange their notes. Students are printing out or emailing their notes to share with their classmates. Goals Process Technology Communication Basic Literacy Consume>Produce Note Taking 1: Group Students are creating their own blog post, using a variety of technology tools and methods to create annotated screenshots, videos, images to bring in different perspectives and address various learning styles. Students are creating collaborative notes via a Google Document, which is shared with the entire class. Everyone can contribute, add information, edit incorrect information,etc. Note taking is not confined to remembering and regurgitating information heard in class, but (hyper)linked to further reading of text, images, audio and video. Students are labeling/categorizing their blog post and information to make organization and information search easier. Students are solving problems of how to handle information overload and filter relevant information.   Goals Process Technology Communication Basic Literacy Consume>Produce> Feedback Note Taking 1: Group      Network Literacy    Information Literacy Students are contributors to a collaborative blog site, alternating being the Official Scribe of day. Collaboratively they "write"their own online textbook. Students express their understanding through a variety of media. Students use the blog as a learning hub to communicate and connect beyond their classroom walls, connecting with peers and experts from around the world. Goals Process Technology Communication Basic Literacy Consume>Produce> Feedback Note Taking Global Communication      Network Literacy  Blogging    Information Literacy   Silvana and I will be presenting our framework and the SAMR exercise at the ASB Unplugged conference at the end of next month in Mumbai, India. Presentation Description: Let’s take a closer look at Ruben Puentedura’s technology integration SAMR model and how it can be applied as a Professional Development framework in education. How can educators use the model to inspire upward movement from using technology to substitute traditionally taught lessons towards transforming teaching and our own professional learning. Bringing together the SAMR framework with TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) allows teachers and technology coaches to visualize the interconnectedness of the models, making gaps more evident and point to "support opportunities" to move toward transformation. Presenters will share scenarios and examples from different levels and subject areas. Participants will go through the exercise and will collaboratively brainstorm further scenarios to "practice" SAMR upward movement towards transformative teaching and learning. Interested in this type of SAMR template and framework? Shortly, we will be looking for participants in crowdsourcing more examples from the classroom. Stay tuned… Download the SAMR Template as a pdf  

Part of learning in 2014 is NOT to just CONSUME information, but to also contribute and create information. If you enjoy reading the information and resources shared here on the Langwitches blog or via my Twitter feed, consider taking the time to contribute. There is no grade assigned to your contribution, there is no certificate attached and there is no one waving their finger at you, if you don’t turn your homework in. This is about self-motivation and self-directed learning in professional development. This is about being part of learning through the power of the crowd versus alone. This is your chance to collaborate , contribute and pushing forward in education (and LEARN along the way)! Read on… Using the SAMR template (based on Ruben Puentedura),  Silvana Meneghini and I have developed  and  described in my previous blog post, here is an your chance to participate in a crowdsourced opportunity! (It will only work if the crowd gets motivated) How to participate: Read through the SAMR Template Framework for Professional Development, if you have not done so. Think of a traditionally taught lesson/activity. What is the entry point on the SAMR model for your lesson/activity. Take a look a another example (High School History Essay) described below the survey. Fill out the  survey  below to contribute examples of activities and their movement from substitution to redefinition. If you would like us to share the results (examples shared by others) with you, please make sure you enter your email in the form below. Here is an exercise example from Silvana Meneghini for you to follow: Name of Activity:  History Essay Grade Level: High School (Grade 9-12) Activity Description: Essay writing is a very traditional form of assessment in HS History. As a formative assessment for the "Ideas that Shaped the Modern World", students were asked to write 5 essays following chosen prompts covering all the different topics learned throughout the year. Traditionally, the essays were just handed in to the teacher. Students use computer to type up essay, then print it to hand in to the teacher. Goals Process Technology Communication  Basic Literacy  Consume>Produce>Feedback  Writing 1:1 Students develop a design that is inviting to a broader audience and also translates the spirit of the eMagazine. The design follows a magazine style with columns and illustrations searched mainly under Creative Commons. Students research information using Internet, Databases and Books. Students use a shared Google Presentation to get organized in the creation of the eMagazine sections, cover, table of contents and Editor Notes. Students cooperate to create an eMagazines organized by topic sections. Each section shows individual student author interpretations of the prompt for the topic. An Editor’s Note is added to explain the tone of the eMagazine. The eMagazines are published online on Calameo with the open possibility for Comments. (Example http://www.calameo.com/books/00242383955b5bde7fdba)eMags: Goals Process Technology Communication  Basic Literacy  Consume>Produce>Feedback  Writing 1: Small Group    Media Literacy Information Literacy Students collaborate in the writing and thinking process by developing a Section Editor’s Note that analyzes common ideas and disagreements and also a "Bio" of student authors focused on individual political perspectives. Students argue and defend ideas through the eMag comment section. Students follow twitter hashtags that may lead to interesting information and organizations that will help connect to modern day history. Goals Process Technology Communication  Network Literacy  Consume> Produce> Feedback> Revise  Writing 1: Small Group    Information Literacy Media Literacy Students collaborate with classes from other countries to create an eMag with a global perspective analysis. Students invite Historian experts to contribute to information gathering and analysis. Students manage collaborative platforms to interact with other classes and experts around the world, generating an eMag with a global approach and reach.   Goals Process Technology Communication  Network Literacy  Consume> Produce> Feedback> Revise  Writing Global Communication    Information Literacy Media Literacy Global Literacy