Julie Kalvels - Blog

Google Apps

8/24/2013

1. How could Google Apps help you to be more efficient as an educator?

Google is an amazing free platform that offers so many tools which teachers can use to help organize aspects of their classroom to be more efficient. I am a Kindergarten teacher. In my room we use Google docs to organize parties, volunteers for center, snack sign up, and for setting up conference times. It is simple, fast and easy for teachers and parents. The teacher can create any document and send the link to parents to have access. It is efficient in the
fact that it is real time. If a parent signs up to volunteer one day and another
parent access the Google doc they will instantly see that someone else has taken
that day. There are no delays so teachers don’t have to worry about double booking a parent. Google forms is another Google App that teachers can use in the classroom to receive instant feedback from parents. In the past I have created and sent surveys to parents with the click of a button. The layout is easy and there are so many tutorials and YouTube videos available if you get stuck and need assistance. Teachers can also create quizzes and have them graded too!

2. How could Google Apps enhance collaboration between you, parents, and students?

Google Sites is a great App that can enhance collaboration. Teachers can create a website to host information about the classroom.
Google is great because it allows not only the creator to edit the site, but also anyone who the creator gives permission to edit as well.
In my classroom I use this feature to allow my classroom coordinator to log on and relay information to parents on the volunteer tab of my website. It’s great because it’s one less thing I have to worry about. Google docs allows teachers to create and edit documents together. At my school we used this feature to create and edit our back to school information packet for parents. We are each able to contribute to the packet in real time. It saved on lots of emails and the chance of a teacher adding a section that another teacher already added.

3. Did you learn something about Google or yourself that you didn’t know before?

I’ve discovered Flubaroo! Flubaroo lets you easily grade assignments and do in-class assessments. Teachers can create a quiz by creating a form, and then they can be the first one to take the quiz submitting the correct answers. Flubaroo then grades all the answers to the quizzes it receives. It is a great tool for teachers because the feedback is instant and the teacher can adjust his or her teaching to the students needs!

Free/Open source courses!

8/17/2013

Free online class? Can it be true? Yes! This week our task was to find a free/open source course and participate in the class. I choose a program called “Skype in the Classroom.” It is an online professional development class that was originally developed for teachers in Baldwin County Public Schools. The purpose of the course is to introduce teachers to Skype and discuss how Skype can be used to enhance classroom essons. I choose this class because I am new to Skyping and would like to know how to Skype so I can use it with my Kindergarteners this year!

The design of the course was very basic, easy to understand and could be completed in about a week. There were 4 main self-guided topics. Each topic had two questions at the end. These questions were basic and did not encourage reflection of blooms higher order of thinking. The class presented the materials in a variety of ways, including videos, tutorials, reading, and researching.
I particularly liked how Skype was introduced. It was very visual! I first watch a video called Skype Explained Visually, and then read about what Skype was on Wikipedia. To further help explain Skype we experienced it in action. There was a video of a class using Skype to talk to a truck driver. They had read a book called “Dear Mr. Henshaw.” The main characters dad was a truck driver. The students wanted to get a better understanding of what it was like to be a truck driver so
they Skyped in with a truck driver. The kids asked questions like where do you sleep in your truck and do you enjoy your job. It was eye opening to see and hear the kids response to their questions.
It was in real time and they even got to see the inside of the truck through the Skype camera.

The next topics involved downloading Skype and connecting with other teachers in the class via Skype. There were tutorial videos to watch every step of the way. We had to research about how to use Skype in the classroom and post articles and resources for others to view. The culminating task for the course was to create a lesson plan that telling how we were going to use Skype with our students to address one of state standards we are responsible for teaching. Overall it was a great experience! I was able to connect with different teachers and learn how they would use Skype in their classroom. My lesson plan idea was Skyping to Kindergarten classes around the world and creating a Wiki entitled “Kindergarten Around the World” where every class would post pictures or presentations of what a day looks like in Kindergarten. Our kids could ask each other questions and learn about each other’s culture.

One of the benefits I liked about taking this class online was that I was able to go at my pace. I was able to watch the video and pause it to actually follow the steps to set up Skype. It was very
valuable. I think this lesson is a perfect example of how online learning can be better than the traditional classroom. I would not have had time to explore resources on my own and connect to the literature I read if I had been in a classroom environment. In the classroom I always feel rushed to be done, so I wouldn’t be the last person finished. Being the last person, in my eyes insinuated that I was a slow reader. If you have never experienced taking an online class I would suggest you give it a try. You just might be surprised how much you like it!

online Assessments

8/7/2013

Virtual Reality in the classroom?

8/3/2013

This week we were asked to investigate the possibilities of using virtual reality in the classroom. We discussed the advantages and disadvantages. Do I think virtual worlds give students a better learning experience than real world experiences? In some cases, yes! There are many different
types of virtual reality. I agree that virtual reality field trips and online simulations can imitate the actual event and can offer a better education rather than the traditional method of talking about something or in some cases doing it in real life. An example is a student training to be a pilot.
Obviously the simulation does not take the place of the real thing, but if a student is training how to be a pilot, I think he or she would feel more comfortable and less stressful learning in a simulation where one little mistake would not lead to them falling down and crashing. Another example where a simulation can be better than the real world experience is a drinking and driving simulation. When I was in high school we had a car come to our school that was programed to turn and act like you had been drinking. Even to this day, anytime I have a glass of wine I think about that simulation in high
school. I can remember trying to turn the wheel to of the car, but it wouldn’t let me because there was a delay depicting a person’s reaction time after they had been drinking. Needless to say I hit lots of cones that day and did not stay in my own lane! I don’t think a teacher sitting in a classroom talking about how drinking impairs your ability to drive would have impacted my learning the same as the simulation. Virtual Field trips give students the ability to see, hear and navigate through an experience that could not be possible in the classroom. Should students only go on virtual field trips and not experience real ones? No! I’m saying that in some circumstances virtual field trips make the
experience seem more real and possible. For example, if you live in Colorado taking a field trip to Washington DC in Kindergarten is more than likely not going to happen. So the next best thing is showing the students a virtual field trip of “the house.” Every class is different, every child learns differently. I think teachers are smart enough to make decisions weather or not simulation or virtual field trips would be more appropriate than the real world experience. Below is a map showing some examples of virtual reality sites teachers could use in their classroom.

social networks and digital citizenship

7/27/2013

This week we researched different types of social networks and how they can be used to enhance education. We then explored digital citizenship and the importance of teaching it to our students.
This was an eye opener for me. I was amazed to see so many teachers already using blogs and even twitter in the classrooms. One teacher said they had been tweeting and blogging in her Kindergarten room for three years now! Was twitter even around three years ago? Apparently! Where have I been? I watched a video of a Kindergartener telling why they love
blogging! It inspired me to think, yeah, why not! What I liked most is that it gave me TONS of great ideas of how I can blog in my own classroom! In Core I teach the seven continents and the goal is for the children to understand that different crops, animals and structures come from different countries and that each one has a unique culture. I discovered a Kindergarten Wiki called “Kindergarten Classrooms Around the World.” Kindergarten kids from around the world took pictures of their school life and created a Voicethread explaining different aspects of their day.
The children then saw how school was run in different countries. They asked questions and communicated with the children from around the world. They might have even Skyped at some point! What a neat hands-on experience! Here is a blog about it: http://www.coetail.com/bsheridan/2012/04/11/kindergarten-classrooms-around-the-world-use-voicethread-to-connect/

I learned something new about Digital Citizenship. I assumed it meant acting responsibly on the Internet. Not giving out personal information. Keeping the golden rule in mind and treat others the way you would want to be treated. But it’s more than just that! It also refers to HOW we use technology. For example, if you are talking face-to-face with someone and your phone rings, should you answer it? I know I have! Is this good etiquette? When students see adults using technology inappropriately, they might assume it is the norm. This can lead to inappropriate use of technology.
The problem I see is that there doesn’t seem to be a social norm for using cell phones in public. Every store I walk into there usually is someone glued to their phone. I have another funny example of bad phone etiquette that is a little more personal. My sister sent a text of a picture that her three year old daughter, Ella, made the other day. She drew a picture of herself talking on the phone with her finger pointing out at someone. Ella showed it to my sister and said, “don’t talk to me I’m talking on the phone!” WOW, that says it all right there! Our parents didn’t teach us public phone etiquette because when I was growing up cell phones were not around. We did have a rule in our house not to answer the phone (land line) when we were eating dinner. My husband and I have the same rule with our cell phones. So our parents taught us well on that regard. Perhaps we need to do a better job at teaching the newer cell phone generation proper etiquette about phones in public.

Think: Have you ever answered your phone when talking to someone?

Reflecting on creating an AUp

7/20/2013

This week we had to research different AUPs including our own schools and compare them using the six elements that the National Education Association suggested as components of an effective AUP. My first thoughts were what is an AUP! After researching, I discovered that my school does have one that was developed 2 years ago by our Instructional Technology Specialist. It actually took me two days to access the document through our school website. It was in Google Docs and I had to request permission in order to view. I wondered why the document wasn’t just attached as a word document. What if parents or students wanted to access it quickly? It was written in a kid friendly manor using Poudre School Districts AUP as a guide. It was short and sweet, but lacking three of the six elements of an effective AUP!

So, this week I learned that revising an AUP is not an easy task! I looked at over 7 different AUP’s so I can get an idea of what different districts are adding to their AUPs. There was no consistency on layout, organization, or content. I got different ideas from each of the AUPs and then changed my
schools. I was confused along the way by how detail to word the AUP. Some of the AUPs were vague and open to interpretation and others were very detailed and left no room for misunderstanding. Some had lots of negative words and others were more positive. I thought it would have been easier to create my AUP with someone else at my school where we could talk and reflect on what we as a school thought was important to get across in the AUP.

I added and deleted statements over and over again struggling with how long it was getting. Are parents and students really going to read a four page policy? At the end I was happy how it turned out. I think it is a start, but in order for it to be effective I think all parties involved should have input into how it is written. I don’t teach with kids accessing the Internet every day. I teach Kindergarten. I’m sure other teachers and our technology specialist has a different view point about how our schools AUP should be written. I do think that it should reflect the beliefs of the school and how they approach technology. If I were a parent reading a policy I’d want it to focus on more positives than negatives. I’d like to add more acceptable uses to my policy so they outnumber the unacceptable use
section. Perhaps I could talk to teachers and get more specifics about how their students use the Internet.

My school also has a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy as well. I was wondering if the Internet Use Policy and the BYOD Policy could somehow be combined to reflect a Technology Policy at our school. MMMMmmmm!

Below is the AUP I created.

kalvels_lt3__aup_created_for_bethke_elemschool.docx
File Size:	28 kb
File Type:	docx

Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

7/16/2013

The National Education Association suggests that an effective AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) for the Internet contain the following six key elements.
1. Preamble                        4. Acceptable Use
2. Definition Section          5. Unacceptable Uses
3. Policy Statement            6. Violations/Sanctions

The attached file contains a comparison chart describing these six elements with Bethke Elementary schools AUP.

aup_comparison_chart.docx
File Size:	20 kb
File Type:	docx

In summary, I think Bethke’s AUP could be improved. Three of the six elements were missing and the organization of sections could be changed to make it easier for the readers to organize what they can and cannot do while on the Internet. At the bottom of the policy there is a link to more information that helps parents know when and how to talk with their children about being online. I think this is a great resource for parents and I like the fact that it was included in the Bethke’s AUP. I’ve attached the document below.

chatting_with_kids_about_being_online.pdf
File Size:	1026 kb
File Type:	pdf

I copied and pasted Bethke's AUP to create a Wordle.
A link is attached to the photo so you can view better.

        What stands out to you?

Reflecting on Bloom and Marzano

7/10/2013

After creating some lessons with Bloom and Marzano in mind, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s just good teaching.
Many of the strategies I use daily in my classroom without even
thinking. For example, at my school we have “bob bucks” we give to students who model one of our four character traits. This is a way to personalize recognition and praise individual students. My Kindergarten kids are visual learners. We compare and contrast stories, sort words into similar ending and create picture timelines using graphic organizers. We like to move around a lot by using our bodies to make graphs, compasses or clocks. We work together on projects, experiment and ask questions about why things happen. This kind of teaching creates an environment where students deepen their understanding of knowledge along with their understanding of themselves as learners.

I actually have a cheat sheet of Blooms verbs and activities associated with those verbs in my lesson plan book. I have not actually looked at it in a while, but I know it’s there along with a sheet on asking those higher level thinking questions. I have used them to spark ideas of something new and exciting to enhance my lessons. I wonder if other teachers have similar go-to resources handy. In one of my previous Regis classes I created a website titled “Designing Powerful Lessons.” It talks about designing activities in the classroom keeping in mind the three learning theories, Marzano’s strategies, Universal Design of Learning and the Technology Standards. Here is the web address: http://tpckplanningtool.weebly.com/. It is missing Blooms Taxonomy. This website would be a great resource to share with other teachers at my school. It would be the one stop shop for
effective research on what makes a lesson spectacular!

In looking deeper at Marzano’s Nine Instructional Strategies I am curious that assessment FOR learning is not mentioned as a strategy. My school is a data driven school. I am constantly informally assessing my students to see where the lesson should go. Do they get it? Do I need to speed up or slow down? Do I need to stop talking and have them DO?

After researching about strategies that make teachers effective, if I had to pick the most important information to share with my colleagues it would be that students must do more than just listen!
They must read, write, discuss or be engaged in solving problems. It’s important for them to be actively involved in Bloom’s higher order thinking tasks such as evaluating and creating. In my opinion having your kids doing and then thinking about what they are doing is the key to learning.

Lesson ideas using bloom's digital Taxonomy and marzano's strategies

7/9/2013

kalvels_lt2_applying_bloom_and_marzano_into_the_classroom.docx
File Size:	22 kb
File Type:	docx

How to improve the lessons you teach!

7/8/2013

By incorporating Bloom’s taxonomy of higher level thinking skills and Bloom’s digital version teachers can improve upon the lessons they teach. I am a Kindergarten teacher at Bethke Elementary school. As soon as I mention any form of technology in my room little eyes and ears are immediately focused on me and me alone! As soon as I introduce a new piece of technology to my kids they take off running with excitement. For example, I introduced the story telling app Puppet Pals to my kids this past year. It was the end of the day and we had some extra time so I showed them how to create a story. From then till the end of the year my children begged for a chance to
“play” on Puppet Pals. Below is a sample of a child creating a video during our Friday fun day! I wasn’t sure if Kindergarteners could use this app, but now I know they can! This coming school
year I will use Puppet Pals to enhance a writing lesson I teach on beginning, middle and end. Puppet Pals has several character themes you can choose from. For example, community workers, fairy tales, farm animals, monsters, pirates, Christmas, Wild West and American
history. I will begin by showing them all the possible characters and explain that they will be writing a story that has to have a beginning, middle and end. I would have introduced Puppet Pals prior to this lesson, so they would know how to manipulate the characters and create a video. I will start by giving them a copy of the all the characters in the theme they chose. This will give them a visual of the characters that can be in their story. I will give them paper with three boxes where they will draw pictures of what will happen at the beginning, middle and end of their story. Next, we would create a class rubric describing the expectations of their stories. They would then write their stories using their pictures as a guide to help them remember to include a beginning, middle and end to their story. I will be sure to read their stories when they finish and make suggestions or comments. Now they are ready to tell their story using the app Puppet Pals. They will not read their paper. They should know their story enough by now to create a spontaneous version of it using the characters on Puppet Pals. I will remind them to make sure their story has a beginning, middle and end. I will scan their stories onto the computer and put their written stories and the Puppet Pal videos up on our classroom website for parents and grandparents to see at their leisure. This lesson incorporates Blooms highest level of thinking, Creating! Some of the digital verbs accomplished throughout this lesson include planning, constructing, making, producing, and recording.

How could you use Puppet Pals in your classroom?