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I wonder how this might work for collaborative concept mapping? Could be fun!

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I love how many possibilities that can be done with this collaboration site!

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Can't believe this is working

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I use it to solicit questions and responses.

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Hello Kelsey!!!

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I wish the technology would work in this technology session...

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I wish the technology would work in this technology session...

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(it is a Google site- forgive the bad formatting)

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Videos have a complex presence in our classrooms. Humorously we may cite showing films as a "lazy teacher" move, (see Bad Teacher (2011) clip above) showing a film in class is the easy lesson plan readily available. Whatever the message of the films we show (or have shown) in class, just the presence of films does have a distinct purpose and role.

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Stormboard - Digital Sticky Notes - stormboard.com

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Stormboard - Digital Sticky Notes - stormboard.com

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Jillian uses in a Grade 3 classroom to collaborate and build knowledge! I used it flight and novel study.

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I am classically trained in Knowledge Forum. Throughout my university studies at ICS, the online collaborative technology known as Knowledge Forum, was heavily preached and practiced all around me! It was admired for both its simple, low tech aesthetic, and its messy tangled web of intertwined ideas.

Ahhh Knowledge Forum.... I remember watching children in junior grades log onto their laptops, and post new ideas about their understanding of light or ancient civilizations, and ask new questions! Then, when I was working as a Special Education teacher I used this technology to facilitate a DIEP (Dynamic Individual Education Plan) and build information about a student with special needs with parents, classroom teachers, OTs, and SLPs. When I taught my first Grade Two class at the Mabin School I knew that without a doubt, like the many greats that came before me, I too would use Knowledge Forum in my classroom! We raised salmon that year and during "choosing time" I would pull students aside one by one and help them type out a note, or comment on a friend's note because that was the only way I could manage it with twenty-two seven year olds! I always projected the database on the smartboard so we could collectively read and write notes together, but it was certainly overwhelming to introduce this technology to my young students.

Stepping Back

Last year was the first year I took a step back from the big KF and did not use it in my classroom. It was beginning to feel inauthentic, and perhaps more work then it was worth. Also, my students were just learning how to type, and navigate their way around a computer. Moving into teaching Grade 3, I didn't have the flexibility of "choosing time" in our schedule, which meant less opportunities to pull children aside and scribe one-on-one to other children's notes...and how effective was that anyways?

Still there was a void to be filled. This year through joining the Cohort21 community I sought to discover current, Grade 3 friendly alternatives to Knowledge Forum.

What else is out there?

After a fantastic tip from Marci I discovered edistorm! This is my new favourite tool! http://Edistorm.com/ is a password protected collaborative online learning environment to build shared knowledge, all through sticky notes!!

So far I have used edistorm in two ways. In our unit researching flight we created a "KWL" (Know, Want to Know, Learned) chart on edistorm.

The children added electronic sticky notes to each of the categories. I specifically wanted to focus on the "Want to Know" section and take a look at how we ask questions. Using a helpful "q-chart" (thank you again Marci!) the children learned to ask different types of questions: knowledge, analytical, summary, and prediction questions. I found that at first many of our questions were knowledge based ex. "When did the first person fly?" These types of questions are interesting, but you can open a book or go online and find the answer. We talked about "juicier" questions, the ones that you really need to use your brain to answer. For example, an analytical question such as "How did the first World War change flight history?" Using the q-chart the children have the language right in front of them to ask these interesting questions. The sticky notes on edistorm were colour coded by question type. If you are asking "Why would someone want to fly," then your synthesis question is typed on a green sticky note.

Novel Study

We also used edistorm to collaborate on our novel study, Flight From Big Tangle. The children inserted their vocabulary words, text-to-self connections, and I wonder questions into an edistorm webpage with three background panels. Each sticky note was colour coated to match their hand written homework stickies, completed as they were reading the novel.

The great thing about edistorm is that you can comment on other people's sticky notes. In the example posted you can see that one of the unfamiliar vocabulary words was "pontoon." With a lesson on using wordcentral.com a student was able to define the word pontoon, and link a photo of a pontoon to his comment. Also, check out the photo of students responding to the question, "Why does the character use a walking stick?"

Online vs Face2Face

I feel that any technology I introduce to Grade 3's needs to be taught in a careful, and structured way that includes quite a bit of reflection and classroom discussion. I always begin and end any edistorm session by projecting our work on the smart board. We talk about "edistorm etiquette," how to answer a question, and explain your thinking in an appropriate and articulate way that builds knowledge and furthers our thinking.

My Action Plan

Focus: My question now is what else is out there? What online or digital forums exist to build collective knowledge in an elementary classroom setting?

Research: I would like to get out there, both in person or over the web, and see what other teachers are up to. I would like to try at least one new medium in my own classroom. This research will have a case-study feel to it. I am particularly curious what road blocks or strategies other teachers have developed to ensure the technology is accessible to younger students.

Feedback Loop: I'd like to work with other Cohort 21 colleagues, speak with colleagues within my school, and hopefully be linked up with other colleagues from the Cohort21 network. I am also curious about Diigo research groups.

Publishing and Sharing my Exploration: I will update my blog when I come across a new finding, or reflect about the events occurring in my own classroom. I will share this information with my staff during a pd session. I would like to write an article and share with other teachers through another online medium - any help or advice in this area would be appreciated!

Looking forward to learning more!

Jillian

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I am classically trained in Knowledge Forum | Jillian Green

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I am classically trained in Knowledge Forum. Throughout my university studies at ICS, the online collaborative technology known as Knowledge Forum, was heavily preached and practiced all around me! It was admired for both its simple, low tech aesthetic, and its messy tangled web of intertwined ideas. Ahhh Knowledge Forum....

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Anyone else use Diigo? Other tools to organize and manage internet research? Post in this area!

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Anyone else use Diigo? Other tools to organize and manage internet research? Post in this area!

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Post anything about Padlet, or other visual collaboration tools here!

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Post anything about Padlet, or other visual collaboration tools here!

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A Sudent Prezi Comparing The French Revolution and the Egyptian Revolution

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A Sudent Prezi Comparing The French Revolution and the Egyptian Revolution

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The question they were asked to investigate: Does the equation enlightenment + absolutism always result in revolution as the French Revolution did?

Egyptian Revolution: http://prezi.com/gwzz-kbn8ogr/egypt/

Tienanmen Square: http://prezi.com/utkenqt9ytik/french-revolution-tianianmen-square/

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This is a way of organizing digital research. It is free for educators, and you can highlight, annotate and add sticky notes. You can also share your research, and your notes (as I sometimes ask my students to do). This is a good video summary.

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Diigo V5: Collect and Highlight, Then Remember!

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Awesome cloud-based information management tool that enables users to collect, highlight, access and share a variety of information, on a variety of devices.

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On a documentary- small class only 7 students, but very quiet. This allowed them to articulate some ideas in writing and then share them on the board.

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Cohort 21 - Re-thinking Learning For The 21st Century

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Cohort 21 is a year long professional development experience for CIS Ontario Educators looking to explore new tools, ideas and pedagogies.

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This is a "padlet"- very easy to use, double click and you can post anything. They embed easily and you don't need an account to create or edit one (however you do need an account to keep a "wall" for more than 30 days)

Only you can delete, and move your posts, however this can be changed in settings.

Below I linked in a padlet used for key term review in a freshman humanitites class

Potential problems:

- only one link for an image/website etc.

-When you copy and paste text, sometimes the box gets really WIDE as it is a nearly infinite space (math teachers please forgive me)

-Sometimes you happen to click to post on the same place as someone else, there is a "stream" feature to put everything in order, but then you don't get to move stickies around

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There are many ways to integrate/approach technology as a collaborative tool. Post in this area ways in which you try to integrate technology.

For Example:

Basic Assignment: After having my students read an article (often NYTimes) I have them find the article online and post a comment at the end of the article reflecting on their opinion.

Or General Approaches: Another type of thing you might want to post here are more general ways you use technology. Sometimes I design my classroom using the SOLE approach....this is a "Self-Oriented Learning Environment" a Ted Talk buzzword after Sugatra Mitra's "Build a School in the Cloud" Ted Talk earning him a $1 million grant. The TED Talk is linked below- but the main way I use this in high school is to have students develop a big question and then try to answer it collaboratively.

The key: only one computer for every four students (they still have to talk to each other) and the can move around from group to group as they wish.

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Sugata Mitra: Build a School in the Cloud

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Onstage at TED2013, Sugata Mitra makes his bold TED Prize wish: Help me design the School in the Cloud, a learning lab in India, where children can explore and learn from each other -- using resources and mentoring from the cloud. Hear his inspiring vision for Self Organized Learning Environments.

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This is great timeline software (with a relatively low cost 50 accounts for $125).

http://www.tiki-toki.com

I used it as a review tool for my AP US students who generated timelines over breaks. So glad they will not be tested on memorizing this much information every again, but you can take a look here.

You could also use it as a virtual "journal" for a long project.

Benefits- you can sort into "three categories", you can post video and/or images for each entry, group edit is possible, and very easy to use.

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The Development of an American Nation and Identity

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A joint stock co. that received permission/acceptance (charter) from King James I to create a Virginia Colony. Promised gold and passage to the Indies. Bad for the actual colonists because the company would pull out if they didn't turn a profit

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This is great for both dynamic student created productions, but also when you would like to have layers in a presentation for your students. This Prezi examples I made highlights some of the cool ways to play. The one linked below is for a freshman humanities class as we learned about the French Revolution and read A Tale of Two Cities, I also have this one on Henry Morton Stanley's travels as a visual for how much this man got around: http://prezi.com/reibnfotciwc/henry-morton-stanleys-travels/

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Geography of "A Tale of Two Cities": The Bastille

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Fauburg Saint-Antoine, Defarge Wine Shop and the Bastille

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- Great use every day (constant backing up information)

- Collaborative Writing (team essays)

- Can see Revision History

- Can chat while writing

- In class team approach OR

- At home, at a ski race, in different dorms

- Curriculum Planning

- So much more- please post ideas here.

Problems

- The Font Changers

- Too many people on a document- slow internet