6th Grade Update- November in Review

6th Graders have spent November learning how to create a Jeopardy game in Microsoft PowerPoint.  Unlike the traditional, linear PowerPoint slideshow presentation, the Jeopardy format uses internal links to create a non-linear presentation.  Students are currently creating a game about themselves to practice creating and using links within PowerPoint.  In December, they will create a Jeopardy game for history as a way to review material and study for their final unit test of 2012.

4th Grade Update- November in Review

4th Graders have spent the last month in technology class continuing their touch-typing practice.  By the first week in December, every 4th grader should have completed "Type to Learn 4" lessons 1-11.  More than half-way through the program!  They also learned to how insert tables into Microsoft Word to create their own logic problems.  

5th Grade Update- November in Review

5th graders have spent the month of November finishing their Explorers PowerPoint presentations.  They have also completed an Internet Safety unit using Common Sense Media’s new program called “digital passports.”  The program includes five lessons on the following topics: communication, privacy, cyberbullying, searching online, and giving creative credit.  Coming up in December- creating a Plimouth Plantation virtual field trip using photographs, GarageBand recordings, and iPods!

5th Grade Internet Safety- Search Shark

5th graders have now completed their 5th and final Internet Safety online lesson called "Search Shark" where students learned how to choose effective keywords for online searches.  Students practiced selecting relevant keywords after being given a search prompt, and through an online game and class discussion they learned how better to narrow their search results.  Please visit this page for related parent tips.

5th Grade Internet Safety- Privacy

Today during technology class all 5th grade students are discussing the Internet Safety topic of privacy. We are using Common Sense Media's "digital passport" program.  If you are interested in some parent tips, please visit this site.

5th Grade Update- October in Review

5th graders are in the process of finishing up their Explorers PowerPoint presentations, as their oral presentations start next week.  It has been quite a whirlwind of a project with the Plimoth Plantation field trip and the parent-teacher conference day both happening this past week and resulting in a couple of cancelled technology classes.  This class really picked up PowerPoint rather quickly, allowing us to spend three classes on Internet Safety before beginning work on the Explorers presentations.  I am very proud of how much work they got done in relatively few classes- good job, 5th graders!

4th Grade Update- October in Review

The focus of the last month or so has been word processing-  4th Graders have spent the last month working on their touch-typing skills and should now be working on lesson 10 in "Type to learn 4" due next week.  We are about half-way through our typing lessons!  They have also typed up their hopes and dreams and a list of five things I don't know about them in Microsoft Word.

6th Grade- "If You Really Knew Me..." Project Update

Because of Hurricane Sandy, the deadline for the Language Arts Scratch "If You Really Knew Me" project was moved to today.  All final projects will be posted on my Scratch gallery by the end of the day today.  Check them out!

Fablevision's North Star App

Peter Reynold's company, Fablevision Learning, has released a new app called "The North Star Smart Stars Survey."  The app is designed to help kids understand their own unique "constellation" or strengths.  The app is a quick, child-friendly survey based on Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences, and it asks questions about the child's interests, hobbies, talents, and strengths to increase their self-awareness.

5th Grade Digital Passport Parent Materials

All 5th graders have now completed two Internet Safety lessons- one on cell phone use and another on cyberbullying.  The next lesson will be on copyright law.

The digital passport site has the following resources available for parents:

Communication: Twalkers (proper cell phone use, multitasking, and distraction)
Cyberbullying: Evolve (cyberbullying, targets, upstanders, bystanders, and bullies)
Creative Credit: Mix-N-Mash (copyright law, plagiarism, and giving credit)

New CommonSense Media app

Common Sense Media released a new, free Kids Media app for parents, featuring Common Sense's age-based rating and reviews of media for kids.  The app covers movies, TV shows, music, books, websites, video games, and apps.  Click here for the press release.  Click here to view it on Apple iTunes.

6th Grade- "If you Really Knew Me..." Project

6th graders are starting their Scratch "If You Really Knew Me" projects this week.  After finishing their "The View from Saturday" discussions in Language Arts class, they had a challenge day where they shared  stories about themselves as a way to get to know each other better and build community.  As a follow-up to their class discussions, students are now creating Scratch projects about themselves in Technology class.  The projects include a background, a narrative which will be recorded, and an avatar, a virtual version of themselves.  The final projects will be posted on one of my scratch website galleries so students can view each other's projects before departing for Hulbert.

5th Grade Internet Safety

This week 5th grade students started using Common Sense Media's new Internet Safety program called Digital Passport.  Digital passport is a web-based program designed to teach students about digital citizenship, with topics including online safety and security, privacy, cyberbullying, copyright and creation, and finding information online.  The program uses videos, games, and classroom activities and discussions to prepare students for using online and mobile technologies.  It's a perfect introduction to the topics that we will discuss more in depth next year as a part of the 6th grade technology curriculum.

Is Your Child Interested in Programming?

If your child is interested in programming, check out this book I just bought: Super Scratch Programming Adventure!  The comic book is a great way to introduce kids to programming, as it teaches them fundamental programming concepts while they create their own games.  The book takes kids on an adventure, teaching them Scratch programming along the way.  The website for the book also includes downloadable resources such as sample Scratch projects that the kids can play.

Video as a medium of expression

Video is an engaging medium which can tell a story, illustrate a concept, or enrich instruction. Videos can be included in class websites or as evidence of learning.  Here are some examples of teachers and students experimenting with the use of video at BB&N...

As a celebration of Spanish language, and leading up to the Hispanic Heritage Dinner, Upper School teacher Profesora Sánchez-Gómez created a video asking students and faculty members of Hispanic origin about their favorite Spanish word.



Here is an example of a video some students threw together in advance of homecoming...

Last night we attended a professional development conference "Shaping Our Digital World: You Have the Power" hosted by Common Sense Media and The Good Play Project at Harvard Graduate School of Education, with the Brookline Parent Education Network.  The evening's discussion was centered around tackling the opportunities and challenges of media and technology.  One panel included Howard Gardner (Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Co-Director, The Good Play Project, Harvard project Zero), Karen Campbell (a member of the Brookline Parent Education Network), and Elon Fischer (a Brookline High School teacher and parent), while the second panel was comprised of five Brookline High School juniors and seniors.

Panelists discussed the pros and cons of technology in education, and an important take-away for parents was to stay connected with their teens and keep the dialog open.  Gardner pointed out that one of the benefits of technology is the ability to individualize education, yet he acknowledged that one of the pitfalls is the assumption that everything can and should be "technologized."  A theme that emerged through the panels was the desire for a balance between face-to-face and online communication.  Gardner referenced a study in which students rated face-to-face interaction as their preferred form of communication, reserved for close friends.  Texting, which they claimed to use for organizing their lives, came next, with FaceBook surprisingly lower in the ranks.

Towards the end of the evening, when addressing the topic of social change, Gardner also commented, "You'd be nuts not to use social media, but you'd be nuts to think digital media itself can make the change."

-Jen Lavenberg and Megan Haddadi

6th Grade Scratch in the Classroom

6th Grade students are starting to use MIT's programming environment called Scratch.  Their first assignment will begin when they finish reading and discussing "The View From Saturday" in Language Arts class.  They are learning how to use the software by completing the Scratch Cards and several mini projects.

4th Grade- Tech RUP

Fourth graders are currently discussing BB&N's Technology Responsible Use Policy (p. 17 of the handbook) and my computer lab rules while they continue their touch-typing homework assignments.

5th Grade Update- September in Review

5th graders started their year in technology organizing their network folders on our school server for storing electronic schoolwork such as PowerPoint presentations and Word documents as well as getting acquainted with their brand new BB&N GMail accounts.  Their first technology project of the year, PowerPoint presentations on explorers, will be a coordinated effort between the homeroom teachers, Heather Lee the librarian, and myself, Megan Haddadi the technology teacher.  Over the last week or so, students have started learning about PowerPoint by creating a presentation about themselves.

Please ask your child to tell you about SmartMoves, a "body puzzles for the mind" program I am trying out with all of my students this year for transitioning into the classroom and improving focus.  "SmartMoves is an award-winning cognitive fitness program that combines music and movement to transform the classroom and change the way students learn."  (http://shop.fablevisionlearning.com/smartmoves/learnmore/overview/fa/shop.detail/productid/2564/)  

6th Grade Update- September in Review

6th graders started their year in technology organizing their network folders on our school server for storing electronic schoolwork such as PowerPoint presentations and Word documents as well as getting acquainted with their brand new BB&N GMail accounts.  Earlier this week students set up blogger accounts for both history and language arts blogs.

Please ask your child to tell you about SmartMoves, a "body puzzles for the mind" program I am trying out with the students this year for transitioning into the classroom and improving focus.  "SmartMoves is an award-winning cognitive fitness program that combines music and movement to transform the classroom and change the way students learn."  (http://shop.fablevisionlearning.com/smartmoves/learnmore/overview/fa/shop.detail/productid/2564/)  

4th Grade Update- September in Review

4th graders started their year in technology learning about their new computer accounts and accompanying network folders for storing electronic schoolwork such as Word documents.  During the month of September we also began the touch-typing curriculum which includes homework twice per week.

Please ask your child to tell you about SmartMoves, a "body puzzles for the mind" program I am trying out with my students this year for transitioning into the classroom and improving focus.  "SmartMoves is an award-winning cognitive fitness program that combines music and movement to transform the classroom and change the way students learn."  (http://shop.fablevisionlearning.com/smartmoves/learnmore/overview/fa/shop.detail/productid/2564/)  

5th Grade Math Students Pilot "The Lure of the Labyrinth"

This year, fifth graders in my math group piloted "The Lure of the Labyrinth," an interactive website at http://labyrinth.thinkport.org/www/. The site is designed to provide practice with essential math skills for students in the middle grades. The premise of the game is simple: after students have created a cartoon character for themselves, complete with monster costume and pet, they are informed, through a sequence of comic strips, that their pet has just been kidnapped by monsters. Their mission is to rescue their pet -- by traversing a labyrinth of rooms, each of which contains a puzzle centered around a particular math skill. One unique characteristic of the site is that the instructor, in the process of creating an account, sets up an educator account, which gives them access to data revealing how much each student has played, which puzzles they have mastered, and how far they have advanced into the Labyrinth. It is therefore possible to monitor, assign, and assess learning through the website.


Perhaps the greatest strength of the game, however, is that the practice, though it targets important fourth and fifth grade math skills, is not drill-based. Each puzzle presents an interesting problem that requires creative thinking to solve. For example, students use the notion of common multiples to select portions for monsters' lunch trays in the cafeteria, or solve algebraic equations in many variables as they pore over hieroglyphs in an underground cave. So, while they are never asked, "What is the least common multiple of 25 and 5?", they have a rich experience that leaves them with a greater depth of understanding of that question's underlying meaning. The result is a meaningful exploration of central skills... that's a lot more fun than worksheets!


-Ellie Cowen
5th and 6th Grade Math

Peer-to-Peer Networking

As the school year winds quickly down it was truly a pleasure to hear some of our "launch grant" recipients reports to their colleagues at recent faculty meetings. At the upper school meeting we heard from three of this year's participants. Paul Ruhlmann spoke about his work with creating videos of common woodworking techniques, Rosario Sanchez-Gomez spoke about her development of SmartBoard instructional lessons, and Leah Cataldo spoke about her comparison of Google Sites and Haiku Learning Management software. This peer-to-peer sharing was one of the highlights of my year. Perhaps it is the fact that their experience resonates with colleagues, or perhaps it is the result of the active collaboration which these grants foster, but whatever the case, it is clear that peer-to-peer sharing is an extremely valuable part of our professional development efforts. We had similar results from the recent google apps training, in which several teachers at each campus were involved in delivering training to their peers on this new collaborative platform. The future of technology at BB&N is bright because we continue to build on the experience and expertise of our faculty.

KNBC revamped MS Clubs and Organization webpage

KNBC, Knights Broadcasting Club, a student media club, meets weekly during the school day. Projects from the 2010-2011 school year included Cambridge's contribution to the collaborative documentary project, Mapping Main Street (http://www.mappingmainstreet.org/) and an exploration of new media including Meez, Flipbook, iMovie, ComicLife, GarageBand, iPhoto; in the second half of the year, students put their skills into practice as they developed and ran several seminars on BBN Arts Day in March and produced a variety of short films for the final assembly in June.

In addition to building on these initiatives, members of KNBC 2011-2012 worked on a few longer term projects including photoshop and original short animated films. KNBC meets during study hall on Tuesdays, with the occasional off-campus field trip to locations such as the WGBH studios, Museum of Science and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA).

KNBC's latest project was revamping the Middle School Cubs and Organization page. Students worked in groups using a variety of media to create content for KNBC, Chorus, Science, Community Service, The Spark, Jazz Band, Affinity Lunch, Chamber, D-Squared, Literary Group and BB&N Players. In addition they created this fun video to capture their work.

Enjoy!

US 2012 Launch Grant Recipients Reflecting on Haiku

For me the Haiku platform has been a great choice for all my class websites. It is very user friendly for both me and my students. I am not a lover of textbooks and Haiku allows me to have all my documents, videos, links, and audios organized under one umbrella. It is also great to be able to use the Discussion tab as a blog and the Wikisites for class projects. I also ask students to turn in a lot of his assignments in the Dropbox. As we work on a possible Spanish Department Exchange Program for next year, I can see that having a website for the trip will be very useful. I am now taking an online course about creating your own online class and it uses the Haiku platform as well, so it has been very easy for me to start working on all my assignments and see it from the perspective of a student.

- Dr. Rosario Sánchez Gómez

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Haiku was a useful platform for each of my courses as a central (and green) location for readings, syllabi, assignments, and language arts exercises. It was also a terrific tool when school was unexpectedly cancelled, everyone had done a key reading, and we all wanted to keep momentum going with an online discussion before school resumed. (In that event I'd just add a new page named for the reading, post some questions, and let the kids take the discussion from there.)

By far the best aspect of Haiku, though, was the way it allowed students to communicate in my senior writing workshop, True Stories and the Personal Essay. I designed an easily navigable Feedback Forum where every student had his own page. There five student writers each week would post their work for peer review and commentary before the live writing workshop during long block. This kind of at-home connecting made in-person discussions so much more thoughtful and efficient, and it got the students talking exponentially more to each other rather than through me. Haiku also allowed me to post timely polls that were useful to me for course redesign (e.g. What was the most enjoyable reading in this unit?) and to the students for contest submissions (e.g. Which of Carly's six essays would you rate the best?). We even used Haiku for brainstorming. One week the theme of the essay assignment was "pettiness," and the students had fun gearing up for it by consulting a class-constructed Haiku list of "Hateful Things."

I had an equally awesome time revising and augmenting my wiki (http://speechwritingpublicspeaking.wikispaces.com/) for my senior Speechwriting and Public Speaking elective. On that site I have built a master page I covet and often direct the kids to called "Worthwhile Links," with professional examples of contemporary and historic speeches from live political events and arts ceremonies and commencement addresses to standout film clips and TED talks and Ignite presentations I've encountered over the years. I also made a page for each of the nine speech genres assigned (Storytelling Speeches, Call to Action Speeches, Speeches to Inform, Tributes, etc.), and on each genre page I embedded YouTube widgets featuring the seniors delivering that kind of original work live, on a Speech Day we'd held during the weekly long blocks. Using the wiki, peers would revisit the speech (and speakers would self-evaluate) before clicking over to comment on a Haiku Feedback Forum set up much the same way as the True Stories Feedback Forum worked. For the speechwriting elective, though, I ran Haiku polls that tended to follow up on the speech content (e.g. How many of you have cooked with kale since Alicia's speech?). For some reason my Haiku page for the Speechwriting class appears to have vaporized, though, so unless you can help me solve that mystery (?help!), you won't be getting a screenshot of that.

-Allison Kornet

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Remember the days of dial up internet? 

Here's a pretty cool infographic comparing the internet of today to when it was first invented. Take a trip down memory lane! 

The Internet of Yesterday vs. Today

MEMSET at BB&N

Next Wednesday, May 9th, at 5pm, BB&N will host the next MEMSET meeting.  MEMSET is a group of Massachusetts Elementary and Middle School Educational Technologists who meet every couple of months to discuss technology in schools.

If you are free and would like to join in our discussion, please contact your campus ATS to let them know that you would like to attend the event.  In addition, you are more than welcome to join us when we meet at other schools in our area.

At this month's meeting we will discuss curriculum and benchmarks, such as the ISTE NETS and the Massachusetts standards.  After dinner several teachers will present on a variety of topics including the BeeBot, LEGO WeDO and Scratch, SAM animation, iPad apps in science and art, Internet Safety, a science "electric quilt" using e-textiles, voicethread, Museumbox, and bitstrips.

New Tech Help Request System

The BB&N tech department is pleased to unveil our new help request system this week. It is a system which puts each tech request into a database that allows us to have better accountability, communication, and history of all the requests that we handle. The beauty of it from the customer's point of view [this means you] is that all you need to do is send us an email at "tech help" or help@bbns.org and it will flow right into the system and create a new "ticket" for us to address. Any email responses to a particular ticket will get added to its history in the database. When we add a note to a ticket, you will get an automatic email with the info. On the back-end of the database we triage the requests, set priority levels, and get reminded if a ticket lingers too long without action. You can see the history and status of all your tickets by logging into the system at https://helpdesk.bbns.org when you are at school. This is the new system that is replacing the FirstClass technology conferences.

6th Grade Glogster and QR Code project

Glogster is a tool that allows your students to make interactive online posters by mixing images, text, music and video.

This year the 6th grade French and Spanish students are using Glogster to complete their MFA ACTion (Arts, Culture, and Technology) projects. All students visit the MFA, and in art class they choose a painter and a painting for a master study.  In French and Spanish classes the students research their painters and paintings to create interactive online posters. Using Glogster, students are able to embed video clips and insert images of their artists and their paintings as well as audio clips of music from the artists' time periods.  Lastly, students can use Glogster to record their own voices in their target languages.  Each glog results its own unique URL.  During technology class, students will turn their URLs into QR codes, and on Sunday, May 13th, the student paintings will be hung on the MFA walls along with the QR codes linking the students' physical artwork to their interactive glogster posters, accessible online via iPads and smartphones.

Below are a few examples of student projects:

Frank Weston Benson

Salvador Dali

John Singer Sargent

If you are interested in learning more about Glogster in the classroom, check out Glogopedia to see sample projects to get ideas on how Glogster could be useful to your students.

For more information on QR codes in the classroom, please see:

Edutopia- Using QR Codes in the Classroom

Edutopia- 12 Ideas for Teaching with QR Codes

The Thinking Stick

Personal Learning Networks (part 2)

Following up on my post about PLN tools from last month, I wrote a long description about "making the most of personal learning networks" for my presentation on this topic at the 2012 NAIS conference that took place in Seattle at the end of February. The NAIS conference attendees are primarily school leaders, so I framed the discussion for this audience, describing what PLNs are, why they are important, and how to grow one's own.

 I encouraged participants to take the following steps to start, and to grow, their networks:

1. Get on a list-serv.
2. Start blogging.
3. Try using twitter.
4. Use Google Docs.
5. Start using social bookmarking.

The full post has a lot more info on each of these, as well as the description and rationale.