Tech Tools I'm Grateful For...

Day 15 of the Attitude of Gratitude Reflective Teacher @TeachThought Blog Challenge...

Anyone who knows me knows I have a passion for technology in education and the possibilities it offers both us and our students.  I've been guilty over the years of getting incredibly excited about anything new that I can grab hold of and experiment with.  I still have this excitement but it's tempered by this question:

What impact will this tool have on learning and teaching - what is the 'why' of using this particular tool?

If I, or my students, cannot clearly articulate the answer to this then I am cautious about using a tool or persisting in it's use if we can't quickly answer the question through initial use / experimentation.

I'm excited about the possibilities of Google Apps for Education (GAFE) and Google Classroom and can't wait to experiment more with these as I believe they hold the key to flattening the classroom walls and flipping learning and teaching to allow for anywhere, anytime learning.  I'm still a huge fan of using Blogger as my classroom blogging platform as it's easy to set up and use.  All things Google seem to be my main area of excitement at the moment as it provides a way of connecting learners, teachers, parents and communities, both locally and globally.

Storybird is one of my favourite digital storytelling tools.  It can be used in so many ways to inspire writers - even our more reluctant ones will become excited about it.  I've used this for many years with all levels from Year 2 through to Year 8.  It's been a consistent tool that I can use to motivate and engage learners in reading and writing and also visual language.  Great all-rounder.

ePals is another tool I've used for many years.  Like our old pen-pals, (seems such a long time ago now!!).  I think I first used ePals way back in about 2005 as a way of connecting my students globally and locally.  There are a range of options for authentic inquiries and projects and we added in Skype to the mix a few years back.  We also have Skype In The Classroom now, so that's another tool that can provide authentic learning contexts and connect students locally and globally.  There is huge potential for tapping into experts in their field using this tool.  Have a look at it and see what you think.

YouTube is also one of my 'go-to's' that I'm very grateful for.  Again, you can access expertise through this medium or watch inspirational people share their knowledge.  Creating your own classroom channel also offers another way of connecting with your communities.

ScoopIt is my favourite digital curation tool and I use this as part of my professional learning for resources.

There are so many tools I use for so many different purposes but I'm grateful for what they give me and my students - the chance to connect and provide authentic learning which we can share in real-time with others and receive relevant feedback. 

Students reflection on their learning - Powerful ways to engage and promote reflection

Day 19 of the +TeachThought Reflective Teacher Blog Challenge!

Reflection on learning is a powerful tool for all of us - students and teachers alike.  It's how we can make changes to improve what we do and what we know.

I've been teaching for around 15 years and have always used reflection as a tool to improve learning and teaching.  Choosing the 3 most powerful ways this can happen wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but here are my favourites:

1. Blogging - combined with face-to-face discussion and questioning, feedback.
2. Journals - written - this was in the days before we used online tools.  
3. Indidual Learning Conferences combined with journals - usually between individual students and me.

The easiest part of this was choosing the most powerful one and it stands out a mile..

BLOGGING

I've been blogging now for around 7 years - both for my own self-reflections and for student-reflection.  It really is one of the most powerful tools I've ever used for changing practice, being clear about the what, why and how of my practice and when applied to student learning it helps them to become reflective as well.  The impact on student achievement and parent engagement is incredibly powerful.  It is crucial that the skills of giving feedback, knowing what makes an effective blog and blog post, etc are carefully taught to the students in the beginning.  The importance of digital citizenship can't be underestimated when blogging.  Respect for others' ideas and opinions must be valued and emphasised at all times as must knowing your audience.

Blogging continues to be one of my most powerful tools - not just for self-reflection but also for writing.  It provides a real and relevant audience for the writers with the chance of receiving feedback to improve learning and achievement.

For reasons why we blog which some of my younger students wrote please read Room 14 Learning Journeys - this is my old classroom blog but it still has many great resources on it.  

Blogging gives everyone a voice - no matter what their ability - and it's particularly good for quieter students who may be reluctant to speak up in class or who may take longer to consider their thoughts and ideas.

Blogging teaches students - and teachers - how to give constructive feedback but we need to teach the skills first.  Students and teachers need to know and understand how to coach and what effective feedback is.

#reflectiveteacher

Blog Developments and Student Experiences

The last couple of weeks have been quite busy, hence the lack of blog posts on here.

Have started my Masters and that's been pretty full-on. Have just completed three weeks' worth of readings and two assignments! Am now up-to-date but need to make sure that I comment on the readings online.

It's a really interesting learning environment and one that is quite different from the last time I studied extramurally. Fantastic people and everything is online - my favourite learning environment.

I've been busy helping the class set up their individual blogs. They came up with the Internet and Blogging Safety Guidelines as well as the information about blogs, why we blog and the important role they can play in our learning. I am incredibly impressed with their thinking. Fantastic 21st century learners.

They are beginning to add some of the fabulous gadgets to the blog but they also know the true purpose behind blogging. They are working on introducing themselves and beginning their discussions on blogging.