Upper School Tech Byte #4- Taking Attendance

This week history teacher Gustavo demonstrated how to take classroom attendance using an iPhone or iPad with the FileMaker Go app.

Technology Integration in Upper School Spanish: Book Creator App in iPads and Skype

Several exciting activities have been happening in Rosario’s classes! Spanish III students recently created a story using the iPad app Book Creator. Stories were based on a crime scene set up in the classroom and required students to include a narration of the events using past tenses and utilize a video of a witness interrogation. You can check out their work here: Crime scene book

Meanwhile, students in AP Spanish have been Skyping with students at a school near Barcelona and discussing the Catalan independence movement happening right now. An example of their conversation can be found here: AP Spanish Skype

Students in Spanish 5 Honors have also been Skyping, but this time with two alumni who are currently in Spain studying on a semester abroad. The entire class period was spent discussing (in Spanish, of course) life it Spain and what it’s like to be a student there.

-Katrina Fuller

Need to Explain Everything? Part I

Need to Explain Everything? The math department is exploring ways to create a flipped classroom and is quickly becoming experts in making their own tutorial videos. Kelsey created her first videos (using Explain Everything) last year and used them as part of her final exam review days, though she’s now beginning to use them more frequently with her classes. Here is one of her final exam review videos... warning, this is a long one!

After seeing how successful these videos can be, Christine created her first video last week for her Algebra II class. If you also use Explain Everything, please let me know, as I'd love to see how other people are using this technology with their classes. If you have questions, see Kelsey or Christine for a quick tutorial!

-Katrina Fuller

The "Hour of Code" at the Lower School: Programming in the Classroom

In honor of Computer Science Education Week (December 9-15, 2013), the website code.org launched the "Hour of Code" program with the idea that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn code.  There are several opportunities for our Lower School students to program:

Kindergarten used the BeeBot, a programmable robot, in literacy in January.

In December, 2nd graders completed the first hour of code on the code.org website.  In January and February they did also used the LightBob app and the BeeBot app.  After March break they plan to create math word problems in MIT's Scratch programming environment.

During several technology classes this winter, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders also used the code.org website, creating online accounts so they could continue their progress at home if desired.  4th graders have been learning Scratch as well and are now learning how to use Scratch with the LEGO WeDO kits' sensors and motors.

5th graders will spend their spring trimester in the technology lab learning how to program in LOGO, an educational programming language (in fact, the first programming language for children) originally designed in 1967.

6th graders have been spending a lot of their time in the technology lab exploring the new online Scratch 2.0 programming environment.  They are currently working on programming challenges from the Creative Computing Curriculum Guide, a design-based introduction to computational thinking.

6th Grade app fluency

6th graders spent much of their time during technology class this past November and December increasing their app fluency and experimenting with app smashing.  The term "app smashing" was originally coined by Greg Kulowiec (@gregkulowiec), but the concept of using multiple apps to merge content is also referred to as App Synergy by educational technology Lisa Johnson (@techchef4u).

Below are some articles on app smashing:

The History 2.0 Classroom: App Smashing Part I

Edudemic: How to use 'App Smashing' in Education

Unleashing Creativity

Tech Chef's App Synergy: The Art Form of App-Smashing

Beth Holland on App Smashing by Greg

Launch Grant 2012-2013: iPads in the LS Science Classroom

The best laid plans....

At the start of the Launch project, my goal was to use iPads in order to create a portfolio of QR (Quick Response) Codes that contained extension science activities and games for kids to use during choice time or as enrichment. In theory it was a good idea. QR codes are easy to generate. The basic premise is you take a web address enter it into a QR code generator program, and an image like the one below is generated that contains a link to that website, video, or any other digital data.



Young kids, instead of having to type long web addresses, can scan the code (with a QR code scanner app) in order to get to the place or video. It is a great idea and particularly useful for younger students who are still practicing literacy skills, never mind keyboarding!

There are a myriad of free QR code generators including:
GOQR.ME http://goqr.me/
KAYWA http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
SNAPMAZE http://www.snapmaze.com/
And QR scanners (from the APP store – free):
SCAN
QR BARCODE SCANNER
QR READER for iPAD

While in theory this was a good idea, and is a concept worth implementing for next year, I found that I did not have enough time in the science classroom to apply QR code use. Instead, I decided to use the iPad as a tool for the kids to express ideas, and demonstrate the knowledge they gained at particular instances during the year. I used the iPads during three targeted units at each grade level I teach: K, 1 and 4.

Fourth graders used the app Explain Everything which is a screen casting application to keep track of the work they were doing during the construction of the solar cars. They also made a movie for next year’s fourth grade with tips on how to solve some of the most common problems that come up during the design and construction of the solar cars. Below is one of the videos made.

To demonstrate their understanding of the mealworm lifecycle, first graders drew pictures of each of the stages of a mealworm’s growth and animated them with and app called Animator Free. Enjoy the movie below...

As the culminating activity of the motion unit, kindergartners designed and created marble coasters. Part of their responsibility included making sure they got a picture with their coaster. Once the picture was obtained, the kindergartners reviewed the path that the marble took on their track, as they animated their picture using the app called Animator Free. Take a look below!

The moral of the story is...you have to go with the flow with technology! While the original goal of my project changed half way through it, I was surprised to learn what a great tool for the science classroom the iPad is. To quote from the EdTech Teacher folks iPads really did “help make (my...) science classroom a site of active learning and critical thinking, furthering student inquiry and connections with the materials.”
Movie 1

-Maria Elena Derrien

Launch Grant 2012-2013: Using iPads to enhance 2nd grade music class

Below are comments about a variety of apps I found on iPad.  Some I used in 2nd grade classes.  Others I might like to use next year, and some are better for younger children.  There are many fun ones, and some very sophisticated.  My goal was to try to help the 2nd graders do something they couldn’t do without an iPad.  I think that goal was achieved when the children played music on iPad instruments.  I plan to continue using iPads next year - there is more to do!

Apps used in class:

Learning about instruments:

MSO Learn from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Kids can hear an entire orchestra play, and then listen to each section of the orchestra playing the same piece. Also has bits played by each instrument solo, and recommendations for further listening available on iTunes.

Super Flash Musical allows kids to identify musical instruments by sound, as well as through pictures.  Free, or can upgrade for more instruments.

Learning Music History

Classical Kids Student's Edition.  Stories about famous composers.  2nd Graders  listened to "Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery", a story set in 17th century Venice, and told from a child's point of view.  This had been part of the 2nd grade curriculum for several years using a CD.  It was helpful to the children to have still pictures to enhance their ideas of the period, and the vocabulary they heard.  Several other composers’ stories are available as apps, but the amount of time it takes to listen makes it prohibitive to do more than one story a year.

Making music:

Toca Band - experiment with different characters in different “jobs” in a band.  In each level the character’s sound becomes more complicated until, at the top level, the character is the soloist. Lower levels include bass line, harmony, rhythm. The children who tried this loved it.  They suggested sharing their “bands” with the class by plugging in to the interactive whiteboard.  The board does not have an interface with the app, but it does project so that the whole class can see what the individual student does on the iPad.

(Dr) Seuss Band.  Learn to play songs by touching colored dots that float in the rhythm of the song.  Change the sound of instruments at will.  Earn more levels of difficulty and more songs.

The kids who are taking piano lessons like this one a lot.  The song that the app plays is introduced at various levels of difficulty.  Fun!

Music Sparkles allows kids to create songs on a variety of instruments. Choose other instruments to accompany. Try to play with the beat of the accompaniment.  Find and remember a sound combination you like.  The second graders loved this app, but it would have been great if they could have jammed.  The only approach I found was to have them work with a partner, listen to what that partner did, and try to add something to it.

Apps not used by the children this year:

Smule - this is an amazing app, but needs more support than our present iPads offer.  There are several different “instruments” available.  The piano is played by tapping colored dots that float rhythmically down the screen (similar to Seuss Band).  An ocarina can be created using an iPhone.  By blowing into the top of the phone the sound is produced.  The fingering is on the screen held between the two hands with 2 or 3 holes on each side.  The app offers several different popular songs, and individuals can join the band.  As with Garage Band, the person playing along has to be quite competent on the instrument in order to play at the proper tempo, with the proper pitches and rhythm.  Smule is another way to “Jam”.  

Garage Band (see apps used by the teacher)  The instruments available in garage band are incredible. They can be set up and played in ways that would not be possible on a non-digital version of the instrument.  Given more time, 2nd graders could play endlessly with the sounds on Garage Band.  Similar to Music Sparkles in the creative arena, but with the sounds of real instruments.  

I watched the entire instruction series of youtube videos to get a grasp on how to Jam using Garage Band.  It would require more equipment than we have at this point in time, and would be difficult to do with most second grade children.  Better for middle or upper school students - or their teachers!

Monkey Drum have the monkey copy your rhythm.  When my 9 yr old grandson got hold of it he had the monkey spinning it’s head around.  This app is ready for any age!

Singing Fingers - finger painting with sound.  As you make a sound you also draw on the screen.  The sound is saved, linked to the drawing.  Playback occurs when you touch the picture drawn - can be reversed, scratched.  The sound follows your finger.

Piano Pad - records songs on a keyboard labelled with letters for each key.  Shows the notes being played on a staff simultaneously.  Lots of options for playing with the song recorded.

Pitch Painter - by Morton Subotnick  Draw a melody with your finger.  Then play with it - invert, play backwards. Global music component allows choosing instruments from different parts of the world.  Change one “painting” to instruments from different continents.

Go Go Xylo - choose a prerecorded song.  The app shows how to play the song on a colorful xylophone.  The notes for the song are highlighted in music notation.  With or without singing the words and/or accompaniment.

I Can Xylo - leads you through playing a song by highlighting the note to press on a xylophone. Good for younger kids, or anyone inexperienced on a xylophone.

Apps used by the teacher:

Garage Band - this is a handy recording device for live recording of children’s performances, using the microphone option. The file can be sent via e-mail to a computer where editing can happen.  I haven’t determined whether there is a music editing app for iPad, so I edit the files on my computer using Audacity, a free download.  Little children love to hear themselves singing, so I recorded various different class throughout the year, and they enjoyed listening.  Sometimes the recordings are used for performances in the gym where it’s nice to have the security of the students being able to sing with a recording of themselves.

-Ada Park Snider

Launch Grant 2012-2013: Kindergarten iPads

This year’s iPad Launch Project in Kindergarten North has been a huge success.  When we originally agreed to implement the use of six new iPads in our classroom, we were hopeful that they would assist with our documentation of student work (through photos, videos, and note-taking) and help to reinforce our students’ academic learning (through math and literacy apps).  What we did not expect is how well the iPads would help us in addressing and assessing students’ individual academic needs.  After almost a full school year with these devices, we have found that the iPads have been an invaluable addition to our lessons and daily routines.   

The benefit of having iPads for teacher-use was immediately apparent.  From the very first day of school, we were able to take photos and videos of our students and their work with the ability to see the footage instantly and on a large screen.  Notes, observations, and dictation of the students’ descriptions of their artwork, block structures, and more could be taken immediately and easily saved on these devices.  If the children wanted to see what a certain African animal or building in Boston looked like, it could be pulled up quickly on the iPad and displayed for the entire class to see.  Additionally, we have downloaded a terrific selection of children’s audiobooks for the students to listen to during Literacy Stations and Rest Time.

The impact of the iPads on our students’ academic learning has actually surpassed our expectations.  We spent the summer researching various math and literacy apps on our own and through professional development – searching for activities that would reinforce the content that we covered throughout the school year.  We found numerous apps that focused on important Kindergarten skills, such as hearing beginning sounds in words (Sound Sorting: Beginning Sounds app), matching letters with their appropriate sounds (Super WHY app), letter and number formation (Letter School app), and how to sequence numbers (Mathlandia app).  An unexpected benefit of having the iPads was how well these devices allowed us to differentiate instruction based on specific students’ needs.  One child could use a particular app to practice his/her sight words, while another student could work on identifying teen numbers.  Certain apps, such as Smarty Pants School, even have built-in assessments that identify areas that an individual student needs to work on and then provide activities and games that strengthen those particular skills.  We have had a positive experience using these iPads in the classroom, and we are excited to discover additional ways to incorporate them next year.   

iPads in English Classroom

This past fall I experimented with expanding the use of iPads with my 7^th grade English class.  We used the iPads in a number of ways: as a communication tool within the class, as a reading/annotating tool, as a tool to share ideas during class, and as a tool for creating projects.  The students each borrowed a school iPad and during our study of Before We Were Free and our Myth/eReader project.  Students borrowed a single iPad, which they used in school and at home.

Communication tool:

            I posted class assignments, handouts, and other resources on our class website.  Having the iPad at their fingertips allowed students to access these materials at anytime at home, in class, study hall, etc.  Aside from saving trees, the iPads proved to be a great way for seventh graders to keep these materials on hand and organized. 

                       

Reading/ annotating/classroom sharing tool:

            Active reading and annotating are skills central to our English teaching in the Middle School.  Students had always practiced these skills in their traditional paper texts.  With this novel, however, students had both the paper copy and eReader on the iPad. I asked the students to read at least the first two assignments in the novel, complete with their active reading, before they chose which form of text to use for the unit.  They did their active reading using the tools available on the eReader itself.  Without exception, students chose to read and take notes on the iPad.  After the initial “Cool” phase, followed by the “Wait, this takes more steps than on paper” phase, they saw real benefit to notating on the iPad.  The active reading “sticky notes” could be as long and detailed as they chose, and they invariably wrote much more; they could easily highlight in a range of colors, thereby color-coding the topics (yellow is characterization, pink is foreshadowing, etc.), and the page remained neat and easily readable.  In addition, the iPad allows them to list and search their notes for easy reference later.  Perhaps the best benefit, from my point of view, was that the students could project their annotations on the Smartboard, and we could discuss their note-taking strategies and ideas as a class.

            We used Notability as their tool for taking notes in class.  Again, students loved the easy organization.  And again, we could project their class notes on the Smartboard to discuss note-taking skills as a class.  During one particular lesson, students used Notability to make a character chart illustrating the complex relationships between characters.  They were creative with the app and projecting their work on the Smartboard made sharing and refinement of ideas much easier.

Projects: 

            We did three projects using the iPad:  Trujillo research/Timeline using Timeline Maker), Flyers using Infographics, and illustrated myths using Book Creator.  The students conducted research online and illustrated with Drawing Pad, Scratch, and other online tools.  With few exceptions in converting online illustrations onto Book Creator, students found the process for these projects pretty easy to master.  

Betsy Canaday

English, Department Head

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.

Using Technology in the Classroom - the Mobile Experience

Making class a little more fun can be easy with technology. To further expand, "making class easier" can seem a lot like making class harder for the teacher. Now with access to everything from "Angry Birds" to Educational Apps on iPad, to blogs and webcomics on the internet, classes have become inundated with technology to try. In some ways it may seem more difficult to pick through the tangle. If we look at something more specific, say the iPad, then we see it has been geared toward education, but has it been geared toward teaching? Perhaps it is, but not necessarily the way of teaching as experienced previously.
In a recent conversation, the need to adapt teaching styles to new technology arose. One of the participants in the discussion noted that it was good to instigate integration of technology into the classroom, but without understanding how to utilize the technology in new ways it would be useless. Nobody likes to be told they are "behind the times", as seen in the post in the "Bright Ideas" blog titled 17 Signs your classroom is behind the times, but as life gets more and more mobile, noted in the article over at eSchool News, there is an increasing need to familiarize with the mobile technology available not only in life, but also in the classroom (which is purported as the preparation for life).
As a demonstration of the more common way to teach, in a recent article posted at iLearn Technology blog, the author mentions using webcomics to enliven a class*. The webcomic they refer to is "Brown Sharpie" (a mathmatics webcomic**). By using iPad applications and webcomics, the teacher integrated technology into the classroom in a manner similar to the old way where maybe a clipping would be brought in and discussed. Furthermore, the judging of resources for research are eased with Apps from the app list mentioned by Apps in Education in an article on iPad Apps used to research projects.

In a more modern approach, the student is given the power wherein they must utilize the search and collate functions important to life outside the classroom. In an article by Michele O'Dell, two approaches to the iPad in conjunction with curriculum are approached. The Apps in Education blog also has a comprehensive list of strategies posted recently as Mobile Learning and Tablets in Education RoundUp!. If each student has access to an iPad, then learning how to individualize the learning experience through projects like creating an eBook on the iPad might be considered.

Whatever the method of integrating technology into the classroom, hopefully this post assisted in pointing out some resources to assist the process.

*Although these are educational comics, it is always recommended that one checks that the specific comic of the day is up to standard for the age group the viewing thereof is geared toward.

**[In this mathematical and science vein, some other fun math comics are "Spiked Math" (although it is for a slightly more college-aged readership at times), "Peebles Lab" (Apologies to English grammarians for there is no apostrophe - it is a science based comic), "xkcd" (the golden standard of stick-figure geek comics), and "(x, why?)" (a math comic - tends toward puns). Some of the fun of using webcomics is not only in the connection, but also in updating how one interacts with technology. Some of the webcomics (Brown Sharpie) also include apps.]

iPad review

For the last year, I used an iPad as part of my work at school. In the end, I actually think it is the iPad 2, and any future upgraded versions, that will actually be able to be of use in the classroom.

The most significant issue with the use of the original iPad in the classroom is its inability to mirror the display, a problem that it should be of note that Apple has fixed with the iPad 2. This lack of mirroring meant that that many of the interesting educational apps that were produced for the iPad over the past few years were far less useful than they would have been had I been able to actually to use them in class by projecting them through the SmartBoard. The ability to mirror on the newer generations of the iPad will greatly expand the usefulness of the device in the classroom.

The other issue of note with the iPad is its lack of Adobe Flash capabilities. An increasing number of publishers are making much less expensive electronic versions of their textbooks, but some of those textbooks require flash. Steve Jobs has said on more than one occasion that he has no plan to ever put Flash on the iPad, so there will continue to be both websites and textbooks that cannot be used on the device

A clear benefit of the iPad is the ability for both teachers and students to greatly reduce the number of textbooks needing to be carried on a daily basis. I was able to put all of my textbooks, as well as supplementary texts, onto my iPad through the purchase of eBooks from publishers and/or the Kindle or iBook apps. The only exception was my US History textbook that necessitated the use of Flash [see aforementioned Flash issue]. Some publishers are also making a free copy of an electronic textbook available with each purchase of the paper text. One could also certainly argue that it is a lot harder to ever forget your book for class if all of your books are just one device that you have to grab.

A drawback to use the use of eBooks, however, is the inability to make margin notes; most of the books allowed for highlighting, but not writing in the text. Additionally, there are sometimes differences in pagination between electronic and paper texts, and so if both versions are being used in classroom, page numbers to use as reference points may not match.

The feature of the iPad that I found the most useful was the ability to save handwritten notes. I greatly prefer to handwrite my notes to typing them, and using the Evernote application, I was able to take notes in meetings that would be automatically saved and dated for easy access later. For students [or adults!] struggling with organization, note-taking applications could be of great use.

The iPad is fun, nearly effortless to transport, and makes both carrying and organizing notes and textbooks easy. An interesting idea for the future might be to have an entire classroom pilot the use of the iPad to fully test its usefulness as an educational device. For me, the iPad certainly saved me time, money and effort in a myriad of ways, but I cannot quite support Apple’s early claims that it is the educational wave of the future.

By Nia Hays

iPad 2

You may have heard a bit about the iPad 2 which will be available March 11th. But if you want to learn more then visit apple.com and watch the video. There are some significant new features on the iPad. In addition to the 2 cameras, there is iMovie and Garageband, which almost completes the iLife suite of software available on other Macs.

Singaporean Schools to Utilize iPads in the Classroom

"A high school in Singapore has recently spent a lot of cash ($103,430 to be approximate) for 150 iPads from Apple. Part of a pilot project to determine how useful iPads can be in the classroom, the iPads have been given out to children to take notes, make worksheets, and look up additional information on their current subject. The dean of the curriculum wants this project to give children more freedom in the classroom, to depend less on their teachers and traditional ways of teaching. With an iPad, children aren’t limited to sitting down at a desk, since they don’t need a table to write with anymore, but how effective this project will be is yet to be known. This means that teachers now have to spend extra time teaching kids how to operate iPads (not all of them might know how to use one). Though the use of the iPad in a classroom would have some significant benefits – kids no longer need to lug heavy school books with them to class, no more money needs to be spent on paper and stationary. If the experiment is successful, the Singaporean government plans to implement iPads into the education system throughout the whole country. "  link to the original source for this post

iBOOKS, PODCASTS, MINDMAPS Exploration

In my work as Learning Specialist at the Middle School, I encounter students who often struggle with the reading volume and rigor the curriculum asks of them. They may lack the ability to read for main ideas, get mired in details of the text and miss important themes being emphasized in their classroom instruction. Lack of reading fluency may continuously bog them down. I was intrigued by the possibilities of exploring digitized text on the iPad and how using this technology with my students might make the reading assigned more accessible to them given the interactive design. I wanted to model active reading strategies with this technology in the hopes that students would be more apt to apply these approaches independently. I was also interested in learning about applications that would enable me to vary instruction of certain skills (i.e. mind mapping, organization of ideas prior to writing) based on the student’s learning needs.

iBOOKS

I was able to find several of the MS texts in iBooks (some were free.) The ability to highlight and create notes (or post-its) allowed me to model to students in a very concrete way the skill of reading for main ideas – something that is just not automatic for some. The Dictionary function within iBooks only adds to increasing comprehension and the Search function is an instant link to Google or Wikipedia to gain background information on any event, concept the student encounters in the reading. Lack of background information can be costly for a student, creating an impediment to fluid reading and comprehension of the text. Shakespeare Pro is an excellent app, containing over 30 plays, quotes from various works and a glossary function that defines several more words within a passage than the text students read.

PODCASTS

Various podcasts are also available to download (and email link to student) of texts Middle Schoolers are reading. A valuable asset, podcasts can take the place of audio books and truly make a difference in reading comprehension for many of our students who learn and process more effectively when information is presented orally. Librivox in iTunes and iTunes U offered some of the texts students read during the 7th and 8th grade English classes.

MINDMAPS

Both Whiteboard and iThoughts HD are solid mindmapping apps that have the added bonus of exportability. Either can be easily exported to students’ email (Whiteboard via Photos) so that whatever map or visual a student and I create is waiting for them in their First Class email to either view or print at home and work from. I am eager to keep applying these findings to my direct service work and continue to explore this technology. The interactive nature of the iPad forces one to be active with information, which ultimately seems to engage the student more.

Jamie Wallace, Learning Specialist at the Middle School

eReaders in Education

Reader

Once you’ve negotiated the Gordian knots of getting accounts through the school, iPad, Nook and Kindle perform exactly what their advertising promises, so...

eReader

Which is my favorite? iPad; no contest. I can build and organize an extensive library (much of which is free), bookmark several books at several points, enlarge print (or change style of font), even have the ‘read aloud’ function on (though with fiction this is more annoying than I can stand). In short, I’m carting around a virtual wheel-barrow full of books that doesn’t spill or get out of order.

Danger danger: This is soooo addictive.

The Big Picture: Illustrations are happening. The Earnest Shepherd ones for Pooh, for instance, have colors very close to the original. I expect more and more picture books by the day.

Dictionaries, highlighting and note taking functions make this seem like a great teaching tool.

Oh, and email and all my favorite sites are right there too, including Netflix and any games I might want plus the iPad functions as an iPod and can be my photo album etc.

Nook and Kindle do the electronic reader thing adequately. All 3 make great one on one learning tools. Ask me for my list.

Problems: Kindle has hampered itself in that it cannot accept materials from anywhere but Amazon. Nook likes Barnes & Noble. The advantage: no distractions like sample games or surfing.

Conclusion: It’s a rapidly evolving technology… so new models arrive in the Spring.

Next moves: Using these with students, and researching group rates.

Recommendation: School could make setting up an account simpler.

-Heather Lee
Lower School Librarian

iPads at the Upper School

The Upper School History department has been given 2 iPads this year through a launch grant. Nia Hays and Tom Siegel will be researching ways to use iPads in their classrooms. One thing they are examining is whether their textbook can be used electronically.

BTW, I also make custom-designed iPad cases (and laptop cases, purses, diaper bags, quilts, etc.) Website with pictures under construction.

-Letitia