https://padlet.com/stephanie_holtz/bp2xa5go0jyd en-us 2017-06-28 19:28:34 UTC 2017-07-19 03:27:39 UTC hello@padlet.com stephanie_holtz https://padlet.com/stephanie_holtz/bp2xa5go0jyd/wish/177680534 4. How difficult will it be to let student work be authentic and creative without trying to control the products before they are shared? 

SH - Piece of Cake!! This was a bit harder for me when I was a younger teacher as I thought I needed to control everything that happened in my classroom. Not the case any longer however, I love providing the students with a framework and watching them grow and learn!! 

JP-It has been hard letting go of control, but definitely worth it! Sometimes they make the project harder than what I would have assigned; they challenge themselves. Sometimes their efforts will surprise you if you give up some control. Set some parameters and then let the students go from there. It was an amazing first experience with GH.

RR - I think I'm okay with the idea of letting go of control over the projects and allowing students to be creative. I am wondering how many students will challenge themselves and how many students will not push themselves to their fullest potential. I'm also thinking about the author's idea of not having a timeline. What do students do when they complete their project and present? Do they begin another project?

BB- I'm totally fine with it. It almost seems like less work for me. Like the text states: students will put more effort into their work when they know they are presenting it to the world. I'm sure there will be some jack-waggons...there always are... but a majority, I feel will take it seriously. 

AW - This is my favorite part ... allowing students to make those decisions for themselves, seeing them fail and working through that process.  We all grow together when this happens.  

JS:  I think this is the exciting part! The creativity of students is amazing and they are so excited to share in different ways. I do agree that there will be students who will need to be pushed, but there always are!!

DL:  This could be a little difficult at first but I have been getting much better about this over the years.  If they know they are presenting their work to an audience, it will be a direct reflection of the work they have put into it.

KH: I'm okay giving up control. I do want to see how it connects to the standards. As long as it does, I'm okay with it.

JW - I am okay giving up control. I can see myself having some issues with making sure kids are where they should be throughout the process. I am sure that I will be able to get over it though. :-) ]]> 2017-06-28 19:35:42 UTC https://padlet.com/stephanie_holtz/bp2xa5go0jyd/wish/177680534 stephanie_holtz https://padlet.com/stephanie_holtz/bp2xa5go0jyd/wish/177680567 3. How transparent is your classroom? What can you do to become more transparent? 

SH - My classroom is very transparent - you can "see" everything!

JP-Very! You will know exactly what we are studying just by walking in the door. Look at the walls, books, signs, board, student learning spaces and you will have a VERY good idea about our learning.

RR - I feel like my room is pretty transparent - posters or thought processes are always up on the boards and walls. I know there's always room for more though!

BB - I like to live in the shadows....cloak and dagger....smoke screens...tools and tricks I have learned from our administration. I think if I had some more windows, my transparency would increase immensely 

AW - Being transparent and doing our work in the open is so important! When we work this way we can quickly and easily learn and grow from each other, we can offer feedback and that leads to chances for reflection.

JS: I am excited to only have one subject to focus on this year to increase the transparency of what we are learning in our classroom! I always have standards posted and discuss them with my students. 

DL: Smoke and mirrors. We are talking about geography here. Any types of special effects we can use we have to. Standards are on the wall, I can's are on the board. Daily plan is there, I think its pretty transparent. 

KH: My room is also very transparent. The agenda and Essential Question is always on the board. I try to have stuff up around my room, but with 5 different classes between TransMath and AVID, it's hard to make it make sense. I have certain areas of the room for each class.

JW - I would like to think that my room is transparent; however, I am sure there is room for improvement. ]]> 2017-06-28 19:36:35 UTC https://padlet.com/stephanie_holtz/bp2xa5go0jyd/wish/177680567 stephanie_holtz https://padlet.com/stephanie_holtz/bp2xa5go0jyd/wish/177680597 2. What are some specific ways that you can share student products?

SH - Post them on walls, in the team area, in the library - wherever they fit. I had some girls post their poster by the music rooms as their project focused on music and the brain. I am so thankful for teachers who encourage our students and help them throughout their journey! 
I have posted my own social media posts concerning what my students are doing. I mentioned WeVideo in a Twitter post and they commented!! I shared this with my students and they were so excited. 

JP- Agree with the above. I have had students take their products to the Heritage Center, medical centers, and elementary schools for show. I liked how some students used their product as a teaching tool or public service announcement type of thing.

RR - I always have students' work up on the walls, but I really like the idea of sharing with an audience that will find it meaningful--outside the music room, hospital, etc. I know my daughter had a project that she did on pandas and it was posted at the zoo, and she was so excited to go and see it there!

BB - I like all of the above. I agree with Double R - the audience matters. News reporters are always looking for stories. 

AW - depending on the type of product work can be shared in many ways.  Together with my students we've shared work on websites, newsletters,  with other classes.  I agree - the news is always looking for a great story.  Also, we have many resources within our district (Facilities and Transportation, grounds crews, accountants, nurses, social workers, etc) to take advantage of; not to mention the awesome community we live in!

JS: We have shared projects with other students in our school. We have also invited parents into our classroom. We need to find ways to reach into our community to find audiences for our projects.

DL:  Hanging in the hallways, making a display for someplace in the school, having another team for an audience.  I think in the past Baron and I have combined our classes at times to share projects out, esp the really great ones.  Some kids like to show off their work, some don't. Another cool place to show off work would be our feeder elementary schools.

KH: All the ways mentioned above are great!

JW - I ditto KH.]]> 2017-06-28 19:37:09 UTC https://padlet.com/stephanie_holtz/bp2xa5go0jyd/wish/177680597 stephanie_holtz https://padlet.com/stephanie_holtz/bp2xa5go0jyd/wish/177680617 1. How do you feel about an authentic audience? Are you comfortable sharing student work on social media? 

SH - I believe authentic audiences are necessary. Why have students go through all of the work on a passion project and then not allow them to take it to an authentic audience??? I am comfortable but it doesn't seem like our district or state legislators are comfortable. There are many things we can't do. Find the loopholes!! 

JP-The kids really liked the authentic audience idea. They put more effort into the final product because of the fact someone other than a classmate or teacher may see their product. I don't mind sharing on social media. It would be fun to show a gallery somehow to parents on SM.

RR - I think having an authentic audience is a very valuable thing to have for students. I do believe the quality of work improves knowing that other people besides classmates and the teacher are going to see it.  I'm fine with sharing on social media and working with our digital lit teacher on appropriate digital citizenship and how that can look for sharing project ideas.

BB-  I feel like the authentic audience is the "meat and potatoes" of the project....what would be the point of a passion project if you won't make a difference when it is complete? 
I'm not comfortable with social media...too many trolls. 

AW - Students will naturally go above and beyond when the audience is authentic!  An authentic audience will help students see purpose and make connections.  Social Media is a tough one.  I feel there are many other safe alternatives to Social Media, blogging and sharing that link or creating websites.  However; our students are all using Social Media and we need to embrace that and model good use.

JS: Authentic audiences provide a purpose and motivation for learning and completion of a project. I have shared student work through a private classroom Facebook page with parents. As an elementary teacher, any use of social media was strongly discouraged. I think we need to find ways toembrace it, though, as it does provide an authentic audience for our students. 

DL:  Having an authentic audience is really important for kids to feel value in the project.  They need to know who their audience will be prior to the start of the project.  I like the idea of sharing online but I would be a little worried if there was the ability to comment on the projects, esp if they are available to the general public.

KH- Authentic audience- YES. It's an important real-world component. There have been lots of comments about social media. It's a love/hate thing for me. I see the potential and value, however it can be a tough thing when working with young kids. Ultimately, parents need to have a voice in the conversation too. As a parent, I am concerned about the online profile/digital footprint that my child might be creating for himself. I'm sure most passion projects would be appropriate and fine, however I can see the possibility for concern in some cases.

JW - Yes, I am comfortable sharing students' pieces of work on social media. I would have to be more aware of the "opt out" list to make sure that I am not posting something I shouldn't be. 
I also believe that an authentic audience will be a valuable motivator for many students. It creates a purpose.  ]]> 2017-06-28 19:37:32 UTC https://padlet.com/stephanie_holtz/bp2xa5go0jyd/wish/177680617