Some Pallet Fun

This is what you do when you start your summer holidays - build a bbq table! We've become a little obsessed with what you can build with old pallets. Not just because of how they look but probably because they're free...

We've found a building supplies store in town that's happy for you to take their pallets away for free and we're only too happy to oblige. This latest addition, adding to our bike and shoe racks and also a coffee table, was made yesterday afternoon after some inspiration from Pinterest. It was also a great excuse to get out the circular saw I bought last week (yes, more man points). I couldn't believe how much fun that thing is.

My plan is to scrounge around for some retro looking bike wheels to add to the front. That will make the BBQ more transportable. "Where should we BBQ tonight, honey?"

Rewind'ed' and Mash'ed'

Yesterday our class created some artwork using a simple checkerboard pattern and a 3D effect. To walk them through the process I used the paperfiftythree app - great to screen share with the appleTV and create your own digital whiteboard.

It was when I used the rewind feature (2 fingers moved in a circular motion) to show them the process from start to finish that I realised the whole process could be captured in a screenshare movie. And with a little 'mashing', here's what it looked like.

So - here's the process from 'woah to go' (why is it in that order? Nonsensical).

1. Create the drawing in Paperfiftythree

2. Screenshare to laptop using Reflector app

3. Capture video using Quicktime Pro

4. Import and create video on iMovie

5. Create soundtrack clip on Iambeatbox app

6. Share to Soundcloud and download

7. Add to video project in iMovie

8. Upload to Youtube

Phew. It's always amazing how apps, programmes and sites share to each other. That's what you could call 'Mashed'.

Aurasma - an Interactive, Digital Display

We have a third year college teacher, @mattmurraynz, working with us this year and he is proving to be a handy innovator in his own right.  One of his college assignments this term was to create an interactive display in the classroom.  He told me his class were thinking, 'What? How do you do that?'

With a little bit of chatter and after seeing a great ipad app called aurasma lite he came up with an idea for using augmented reality and the student's learning about taonga - special treasures.

The student's held their taonga and spoke about it's importance to them, then Matt made this into a video. The video is uploaded to aurasma and a screen shot of the video was printed out and hung on the wall.

Matt then went through the steps on the app to take an image of the photo and linked it to the uploaded video. And below is the result. When you hold the aurasma app view finder up to the image it shows the video of the student speaking inside the image of the photo.

How cool would our classrooms, office foyers, shopping mall walls, and street signs be with this kind of interaction?

Time Lapse Fun!

During the last school holidays I edited and posted a movie on our class and school blogs. I wanted to showcase the 'business' of our days for the parents of my class - a push back against the 'nothing much' response to that age old question from our parents, 'What did you do at school today?'

The video was posted on the Core Education blog here, a few weeks later.  It was great to see the comments coming in and a few questions asked and the gawker software I used to create the timelapse video is something I'm keen to use again.

Easy Infographics

Yesterday I found an easy (easier) way to make some cool infographics online! Infographics are information, stats and images mashed together in some cool posters. Makes maths super cool! You can see some amazing infographics examples here at coolinfographics or even better, on their pinterest page. There's nothing like seeing info and stats in a visual way - for us 'visual' learners and people who like things that look cool!

A few months ago we had a go at making an infographic in our class, with varying degrees of success, using popplet and uploading images.  They didn't really like look like the genuine article which is ok. Sometimes things don't always go to plan but I was happy with the process of collecting data and displaying it in a static image.  It meant the learning intention which was the goal.

So here's the online tool that lets you use easy templates and input the data you want, where you want. It's called Piktochart. It was super easy to use, lets you add your own graphics if needed but gives you that all important structure that can be hard to make on your own.
And here's my first attempt. It's using some data I collected from a parent survey in Term 1 from my class. I'm looking for another chance to create something else.

Now... where can I get my hands on some stats. Never thought I'd ever write that in my lifetime!

Thinking Hats for big kids

This week I got a great idea for deepening the critical / reflective skills of my class - something I've been wanting to do for a while. @MsBeenz sent me a reflective template that uses De Bono's Hats (this site has some great resources to download and use, too) to structure the students through an amazing reflection.

Her class used them to write reviews on their ipad apps and I slightly adapted it to help the Year 6s reflect on their camp from the week before. I was REALLY surprised with the way it scaffolded some great reflections by asking them to think across the sprectrum of thinkers hats - logic and facts / feelings, positive / negative and creative / facilitative. (My own take on the hat names but I do like the 'cautions' word instead of negative, perhaps)

When some students saw the posters I put together, below, I heard, 'Oh those - we did them in the juniors!' and, 'Those are for babies aren't they?' Well, you can imagine my face - very black hat reaction! Amazingly, the reaction was pretty accepting when we got into it and I showed them how we'd use them. I even explained that a lot of businesses use them to help make big decisions.

When we've finished I might post a couple of their reflections. I think they're pretty good. Much better than hatless, anyway!

The template for the camp reflection is in the folder above, also - thanks @MsBeenz!

Geocaching - Treasure Hunting for Short.

Abbi and I went treasure hunting last weekend. That's what our family calls geocaching because that's what it is. I have a feeling it might be a new hobby of ours since it combines a short hike with hide and seek. What a great combination!

We use this app and the website that goes with it to search and log our finds. The site has all the info you'll need to get started.

I put this together on comiclife - a hugely underestimated programme in my opinion - partly to show my class a model of how you can tell a story through the pictures and captions. Also... it's just so much fun and so easy.

Abbi - you're a rock star cacher!

Things to Learn - Vid

Here's a great vid - by Matt Edgar. Some very cool messages. Now I'm wondering how we can use this as a model for our class to communicate something they've learned...

things to learn from Matt Edgar on Vimeo.

Just the right amount of cage!

One of the dominant themes in all the dialogue around educational change is the need to encourage and foster creativity and independence in our students. The focus, we say, should be on developing self directed classrooms as the demand for initiative and problem solving skills grows with the rate of change in our ever shifting society landscape.

One of the results of this new emphasis is the call for teachers to 'let go' and work along side students in a more facilitative role. "Allow more freedom and the learning will happen," is the cry. So, one of the strongest values I seek to develop in my classroom is the student's ability to be more in control in the decisions about their own learning. BUT - there is, however, a need for balance with this approach. There are strong parallels here with the analogy of caged birds.

There are some classrooms that aim to put their students in little manageable cages with only enough room to stand up and hardly enough to stretch their wings. You could argue that this would be the dominant model of the 20th century class. The result, of course, being that the bird never really exercises its wings to their full potential.

The other danger is in freeing the bird to fly too soon. Even nature has learnt that a mother bird restrains their young before allowing them to fly the nest. The danger in pushing them out too soon, obviously, can have disastrous effects! Also, if we allow birds to fly too far before they have mastered the art, then we risk them going in circles, or even worse, flying into danger.

The balance that is needed for creativity to grow, in my experience, is for a student to have just the right amount of scaffolding and support. If we drown our students in rules, direction and dictation we risk suffocating them. Likewise, if we allow students to roam around with little support, discipline and direction then I think we are actually doing them a disservice.

So, here are a few things I use in class to provide that structure and guidance.

1. Co- Constructed Criteria

This is a criteria we created together to help us work out what a great Skype is. We had a look at what skype does and used our prior knowledge to make this chart. It helps guide us through each step of the process.

2. Self Review Slips

These Self Review slips are printed, one for each student, and pasted into their writing books. When they have finished their first draft they use the slips to do a self ad peer review that helps them guide their second draft. It also helps me guide the feedback I give, too.

There is plenty of license for them to add their personality and own style to the writing. This slip gives them some parameters to work within a specific genre of writing. Once their second draft is completed they are ready to post their writing to their blogs.

3. Challenge Blogs

One strategy I've used a few times is to create a blog of different activities that are targeted at specific learning intentions.

This blog - "The Not Lost Project" is a blog I've made. It has a combination of links to a variety of mapping, compass and directions geometry skills that target levels 2 and 3 of the NZ Curriculum. The special ingredient to these types of blogs, I've found, is that the student is able to choose the activities he or she completes - but still cover the learning objectives needed. They are motivated to complete 2 tasks on every page to earn their 'Scout Badge'. These blogs even become a quality homework option, too.

4. Independence Licences

This is a fantastic strategy I've picked up from a colleague I once worked with. There are 4 levels of the license and students can work up or down the levels depending on the responsibility they show in and out of class. With each level come certain rights, also. Level 1, for example, ensures that the student work in plain sight of the teacher and asks for permission to use the computer, leave the room and go onto a task. Level 4, however, can work in any learning space around the school, is allowed to use any resource at 'mostly' any time and is largely free to make their own learning decisions throughout the day.

I've found this strategy to be incredibly motivating and rewarding for the students who are genuinely making an effort to become independent and responsible - and rewards them for doing so!

So, let's continue to create and use the right amount of structure for our students to become the creative, problem solving, engaged learners that we know they can be! Free as a bird - with a few fences thrown in...

Habits of Mind Heros

One of my favourite breakouts at this years Ulearn conference was one taken by Karen Boyes.  She presented on how to embed the Habits of Mind into the life of a classroom and school.  I'm a HUGE fan of the Habits - they compliment the Key Competencies so well.

One of my goals this term is to consolidate and deepen my classes understanding of the Habits.  I've led some activities that taught them explicitly and we often refer to them during the day.  We have a 'Superkid' who gets to sit on the sofa chair and watches for a student to be the next Superkid - someone who displays one of the habits, for example.  These little moments help us focus on what I think is one of the most important parts of being successful.

This term we are creating our own 'Habits Heros.'  The class had to choose a Habit in pairs and design a super hero - using The Hero Factory.   They then had to create a comic life poster that explained what their hero wears and how that relates to their habit.  Here's an example from Gabby and Ella.

 

 The habit they chose was 'Remaining open to continuous learning' - interesting!   I learnt a lot about the students from their choice but the greatest part of this project (apart from looking so cool around our room) is the investigating that had to happen for the groups to create their hero.  Most students had to explore their habit some more to be able to apply their understanding in a hero context.  'Why does your hero's cape help them fly into humour?'  'What does their sword do to help others manage their impulsivity?'

Embedding the habits into our class room culture?  Priceless.

Wallace and Grommet Maker

Here's another avatar maker - Wallace and Grommet style.  Thanks to Mark Warner for the link (and twitter, of course)  Tip - wait for a while for it to load, it took a while for me...

Stop with the changes already!

I like changing things. We just changed house the rooms in our house are used - we now have a study, but it's the third major change we've made since moving in 9 months ago. And...I've just changed the template on my blog, again!

You might say I'm a restless soul but I think it's just because I like being creative. Not in the sense that I'll make a living in the arts (a pretty narrow view but quite common) but that I LIKE MAKING THINGS. I LOVE the satisfaction of having a vision for something and seeing it come together and I see it come out in so many different ways.

I've realised that this blog is something I can make and remake, over and over again...and a few people read it. Crazy.

I've just stumbled on the Simpson's Avatar maker which is on their movie site. Pretty fun!

Postscript - My wife thinks my avatar looks too young and needs more grey hairs...gutted.

Incredibox - new version coming soon...

 I LOVE this site.  I found it a few months ago and this week saw that the new version is out soon.  Can't wait!

Tikatok Journal

We're back to school this week. It's always a good time to start a new project and I'm hoping to inspire the student's creativity and writing voice with an online journal. It's going to be hand written and drawn but downloaded digitally using Tikatok. Here's the first of my own example - it's just the title page. More to come.

Critical Thinking Odyssey!

We all hear a lot about how important critical thinking is for our students. Employers are saying that problem solving and team work are two extremely important traits they look for in their work force and it's something I look to develop in my class programme as much as possible.

This year I've stumbled on an interactive game (and I use the word with hesitancy because that word has a bad rap in education circles) that is probably as much of an ongoing narrative and visual 'epic' as it is a learning experience.

Samorost 2 is the story of a pyjama clad hero in search for his alien abducted dog. You are the hero in this space odyssey that has you searching, experimenting, questioning and defeating various levels, or scenes, on your way to the dog's liberation.

The benefits I've seen from children playing this are increased conversation (coming up with strategies) and negotiation skills, knowledge of machinery and basic physics (if you push this it will move that and turn this off, etc) and the accumulation of experience and hindsight that comes as each scenario is conquered (using prior knowledge).

I haven't yet thrust this at my class but trialed it on my own two daughters (six and eight) at home. The free trial you can play on-line is only the first chapter but held my girls attention (completely undivided) for a couple of hours which, despite their dad's computer fixation, was unusual. It was fascinating to watch them problem solve their way through the challenges and even occasionally, by my own questioning, have some help at times.

I'd be really interested to see how this would fair with my class of 9 and 10 year olds and I'll post their progress soon. I'd also love to read of any others who've used Samorost in a school setting. How easy would it be to justify it's place inside the curriculum you're working within?

FOLLOW UP -
I've wanted to find some links to classrooms who have used Samorost (thanks to twitter search) and stumbled on an example at Mr Sales Blog. His class used it to inspire some creative writing (a year 6 class) and, by all accounts, they loved it. The class were asked to watch the start and then describe what they could see, hear and touch. I liked his encouragement to add mystery and atmosphere to their writing. What a great use of this game! His blog is one I'll be keeping an eye on.

Thinking Kids

It seems, sometimes, that children seem a bit lost in class when we ask them to think for themselves. The bain of a teachers life is dealing with questions like, 'I've run out of room on this page, what should I do?

Last year I started a semi regular 'Out of the Box' competitive activity for getting groups to be creative and think together. Here are some examples of what we did -
- Five Photo Story
- Twitter Challenge
- Other Examples

This is a site I've found (thanks, Angela Maiers) that actually builds on this idea and shares the ideas on a website. It's called 'Think'. What a great idea - kind of the point of the whole thing.