Ramping up

As the calendar year comes to a close it's exciting to look at how things are really starting to ramp up with the TLLP project.
Now that Jennifer has carried out what sounds like a tremendously successful day of job-embedded professional development, Cheryl and I are getting into the details of how a similar day will run at her school.  Administration is completely on-board, recognizing the benefits to staff as well as leveraging some of the monies available for release time.

Some of the equipment we've ordered has already arrived and I've already had some very positive feedback from using the LiveScribe pen.  For running records it's an invaluable tool, completely non-threatening and natural to use.  The portable document cameras should be tremendously effective with mobile device demonstrations in particular.

It's amazing to me the way that small, very subtle changes in approach can have such a big difference in focus.  I say this because of Cheryl's very careful wording of the release time being offered by her administration to support PD:  Instead of "sign up for a technology workshop that interests you", she's made teachers think about the all-important "why", and asked them to consider a student or two who is at level 2 or below, and come to the workshop with that student's specific needs in mind, with the intent of leaving with specific strategies to address those needs.

This is going to make a huge difference.

I've been to many, many workshops that have been billed as, "Paul's going to show us how to use the (insert tech toy/software here)", with teachers attending only mildly interested.  In these cases I find I'm constantly having to create hypothetical contexts for the usage of the tools:  "For those students who might benefit from seeing the lesson again on their own time, use this...", or "If you have a student who is shy, you may want to try this..."
But with teachers arriving with "those" students already in mind, their focus should be laser-like, with pointed questions and specific lessons in mind.
Can't wait.

I love my job.

Ministry Licensed Software

Recently I have been exploring Clicker 5 and Photo Story, two Ministry Licensed pieces of software.

I am excited by each of these tools and have loved watching my grade 2 students learn to use both programs.

It is amazing to see how quickly the students can figure things out and how these tools can enable some children to demonstrate knowledge and understanding in ways that may otherwise be difficult.

I have targeted a few specific children with Clicker 5 and regularly make simple vocabulary grids to support them with writing tasks. For one of my students the ability to use Clicker 5 has allowed him to go from a dependent writer (asking how to spell each word and not being able to re-read his own work) to an increasingly independent, more motivated writer. By reducing the writing frustration and scaffolding the student through access to key words he can independently produce text that is coherent and legible. I have watched excitedly as both on-task writing behaviour and productivity have increased.

The next step for me is to learn how to use Clicker 5 beyond the creation of basic grids.

In the new year, I am hoping to learn how to create Digital Stories with this tool and will offer another job embedded PD sessions for a few teachers on Clicker 5.

Photo-Story is being explored by my grade 2 students thanks to the support of our wonderful teacher-librarian Rose Gordon-Rak. Mrs. Gordon-Rak and I have been working in collaboration to create meaningful tasks for the students as a way for them to demonstrate their learning in the content areas. The students have recently learned how to find and import pictures and use voice overs using Photo-Story with our Science Unit on Solids and Liquids. By the end of January each of the students will have completed their first Photo Story which they can share with others.

It is my hope that the students will be able to create their next digital Photo-Story project independently and will be able to choose to use this program for a future culminating task.

A special thanks Rose!!

Our project continues to move forward....

Our TLLP project is well underway... we have been working on building teacher capacity for the use of technology as a tool to support student learning.

Recently, Jennifer hosted a very successful job embedded PD session for teachers at her school while Paul and I will be doing the same at Forest Run in late January early February. Teachers will be asked to think of specific "at-risk" students they feel would benefit from the use of technology when planning their teaching/learning task.

In the spring, each school will have a celebratory party... where teachers involved with the PD sessions can showcase the technology they have used with students.

Beginning in January, I am hoping to begin informal "Tech Talk" teacher sessions twice monthly. During these sessions, teachers will be encouraged to share questions, concerns, successes and challenges with using tech tools with their students. Hopefully teachers will bring artifacts and or work samples to showcase how various programs an applications can be used as a way of differentiating instruction. This forum should allow us to develop an in-house PLN and build our collective expertise and experience.

I'd like to consider inviting students to some of these sessions to discuss some of their experiences and insights with technology in school.

WELCOME CHARLES HOWITT TEACHERS!

Now that you're here, please tell us how you use technology now, and why you decided to take part in this PD opportunity.