Student Blogs...Coming Soon

It has been awhile since my last post. The Christmas season has come and gone and school is getting back to normal.  I am sad to admit that I did not meet my goal of getting my students blogging online by the end of 2014.  However, I am not discouraged because we are only days away of letting the world hear what we have to say!  This past week my students have spent time setting up the look and layout of their blogs, and I have to admit it has been very exciting. They are learning how to access them from their ipads, tablets, ipods, and smartphones. But most importantly, they have been writing, writing, writing.  It has been fascinating to see how focused they have been on their writing.  Having an authentic purpose for their writing has made an enormous effect on the length and quality of their writing.  I see them completely focused and taking responsibility for their work.  Several students have written more than one post and show no signs of slowing down.  They are all very excited to see how many people read their blogs and are hoping to have people comment on what they post.

We have decided to wait until everyone is ready so that we can publish together.  I expect to have our first posts published by early next week.  Stay posted....


Have you had experience with student blogs?  I would love to hear about other classroom blogging experiences.

Choosing Their Own Voice

Recently, our 4th grade class finished reading the book Rules, by Cynthia Lord.  The book is about a young girl who has a younger brother with autism.  The young girl, Catherine, has a loving relationship with her brother, but has a difficult time with the way others see him.  She is protective of him and at the same time embarrassed.  During a visit to her brother David's OT clinic, she befriends a boy who is confined to a wheel chair and is unable to speak.  He uses a communication book which allows him to point to words in order to have a conversation.  At the same time Catherine is trying to make friends with the "cool" girl who moved in next door. She is torn between her brother, her new friend who can not speak, and pretending they don't exist in order to impress her new neighbor.  As we read this book, we focused on the question: "What does it mean to have voice?"  

After we finished reading the book, I gave my students a communication book of their own with words that I chose for them.  They were not allowed to add words of their own to the book, but their friends could.  In the novel, Catherine adds to her new friends communication book so that they could have conversations about things that were important to her.  My students also had to rely on others to give them words.  

After some time, I asked them questions that they had to answer using their books.  They agreed that it was a fun activity, but also very frustrating not to be able to say exactly what they wanted to.  I tried asking them questions that they would have difficulty answering with the words I had given them.  Earlier that day our chapel message was about being an ambassador for Christ.  My students really took this lesson to heart, so I asked them how they could be ambassadors for Christ.  Knowing that I did not give them the words that I would expect them to use to answer this question, I expected them to be frustrated.  To my surprise, they all flipped to the back of their communication books, where I had left blank spaces for their friends to add words.  Each one of them had the words, Christ, God, and Love!  They chose to add these words to each others books so that they could communicate better, not the words, video games, One Direction, or Mindcraft.  When they contemplated the need to have their own voice heard, they chose the words: Christ, God and love.They never cease to amaze me!

Why Don't We Run Out of Water?

This week I posed the question to my class: Why don't we run out of water?  I set them up for their 3rd SOLE session with one modification.  I had the students take notes on what they were finding instead of cutting and pasting into the scrapbook that is available through The School in The Cloud website.  I wanted to eliminate their desire to spend a great deal of time finding pictures rather than concentrating on reading to find information.

What I loved about this particular Big Question was that when the students began to look for information, they typed in the question and the results were not very helpful.  They were quickly frustrated, but soon realized that they needed to think of the question in a different way.  They began asking questions about where water come from.  They immediately found information about the water cycle and were soon taking many notes on the subject.  To show what they had learned, I had them create posters.  I made three interesting observations while they were working on their posters.  The one student in my class who is exceptionally verbal chose to do the drawing for his group's poster.  Drawing is not something he has ever been comfortable with and I was surprised that he chose that task. The second interesting observation was that the one group who seemed the least interested in the big question and chose not to use all of the allotted time to research, appeared to be re-energized when they began working on the poster. Finally, I realized that letting my students do things in their own way is very difficult for me.  The noise level in the class room was very high, but as I walked around between the groups, they all were focused and excited about what they were doing.  I gave them a time limit to complete the posters in hope that it would keep them focused on the task at hand.  It did indeed keep them focused, but also increased the energy level of the classroom.  Noise does not have to mean not working.

I have included below pictures of the students at work and their finish posters.

A Second SOLE Session

This week, my 4th grade class held our second SOLE session.  SOLE stands for student organized learning environment and we used the resources found on The School in The Cloud website.  If you have not done so, I invite you to read my earlier post regarding our first attempt at a SOLE session.

After studying volcanoes for the past month, we began by discussing the different rocks that are formed by volcanoes. Then looking at some rocks that were found in our area, we asked the question: what other ways are rocks formed?  The students were given a half hour to complete their task.  When the students were asked to chose groups, I noticed that the previous groups that had trouble working effectively chose to work in different groups.  Having had a previous experience with this type of independent task, the students quickly got to work.  All of the participants were focused throughout the allotted time.  There was one group that finished early, but when evaluating their presentation, it was apparent that they did not have enough information to fully answer the question.  One group in particular was fascinating to watch.  Each time they found something useful, they cheered for themselves.  As they found more information, their excitement grew.  At the end, this was the group that had the most thorough answer to the big question. 

After the students completed their quest, and created their presentation, they had the chance to share with the whole class what they were able to find out.  Part of this sharing process is taking time to analyze how they worked in their groups and the effectiveness of their presentation.  One group in particular seemed disappointed when then realized that what they thought was a complete answer to the question really did not answer it at all.

 

For the most part, the groups worked well together.  The students were much more focused on the question this time than the first session and did not venture to see what other groups were doing.  If seemed as if the shorter time gave them more urgency to stay focus at their own station. Perhaps extending the time during our next session would eliminate the pressure and allow them more ease in collaboration.

I am planning another session for next week. I am considering eliminating the computer presentation that is part of  The School in The Cloud website.  This would eliminate the time the students want to take finding pictures rather than information on the given topic. Students can take notes and create a poster presentation after the session is over.

I would love to hear from anyone who might have tried a SOLE session in their class.  

Faced with a New Challange

    So far, this year has been very exciting.  I have been trying new things which have been welcomed in my class.  Now I am faced with a new challenge that I know I will need help with.  I have a remarkable student in my class who needs to be given the opportunity to be challenged daily.  I have had very bright students before that needed the classwork to be differentiated in order to meet their needs, but this is different.  This student's knowledge is beyond the 4th grade and at the same time he is just a little boy.  I gave our year end math test and he got 20 out of 22 questions correct..  Mind you this is only October and we have only completed 2 topics out of 16 in math  He is reader like I have never seen before. Last year he read a total of 87 book including the complete Harry Potter series which he completed in 3 weeks.  He was 8 years old. He has an unexpected understanding of the world around him and needs no prodding to research anything he is interested in.  In short, he really does not need to simply trudge through the complete 4th grade curriculum.  He has a thirst for knowledge that goes beyond the walls of our classroom.  I struggle with knowing how to meet his needs. I have no problem enriching his language skills, but when it comes to math and science, he needs more than I can give him by differentiating my instruction.  I was considering flipping the classroom for him so he can explore subjects and advance his math skills at his own pace.  My problem is I am not so sure how to do this.  Has anyone been successful in doing this for a particular student?  I would love your ideas and suggestions!

SOLE Session

  This week, I tried something new.  I had my students participate in a SOLE session.  SOLE stands for student organized learning experience and is the creation of Sugata Mitra.  Mitra is a professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University.  In 1999 Mitra began conducting his "Hole in the Wall: experiments where groups of children were found to be able to learn anything by themselves if given the right tools and allowed to work in a community.  In 2013 Mitra presented his findings in a TED talk and as a result received TED prize grant to develop his ideas into an educational tool for all children.  He since created The School in the Cloud.  On this website are all the tools necessary to create SOLE sessions in the classroom.  I was a little nervous about the process, as my students are not used to be given that much independence with their own learning.  The computer situation in our classroom is not what I would like it to be in order to conduct one of these sessions, but I figured we could adapt with what we have.  I hoped for the best.
    When I explained to my students what we were going to do, they were very excited.  Their eyes lit up with excitement and trepidation when they realized that they were going to have to rely on their own instincts and get the work done.  I set the session up for an hour because I knew they would need time to figure out how the online program worked: cutting, pasting, using the scrapbook.  At first they were afraid to ask each other for help, but as soon as one started, they began to communicate across different groups.  We did have some computer issues that I need to intervene with, but for the most part, they were able to figure out how to search, cut, paste, and create a presentation on their own.  One student in particular became the go to person for advice in these matters.
   Although the SOLE  session is designed with student independence in mind, it does not mean that the teacher has no role at all.  As this was the first session and my students are young, I often had to remind them that they could think for themselves and be successful.
    As it turned out, several of the groups were very successful answering the question and creating their presentation, but others had some difficulty staying focused.  It was a great opportunity to discuss why some groups were more successful than others.  We analysed how people's behaviors during the session effected the outcome.  For me, the purpose of this first session was not only to come up with an answer to our question, but to gain independence in getting there.  After the session and discussion, I asked my students what they thought of the process and I received a resounding two thumbs up!  I am looking forward to the next session.

Sunday Sermon

The following post was not written with the intention of being posted on this blog. I was asked to fill in for our pastor this Sunday morning and deliver the message during worship.  After worship this morning I realize that my message was indeed a reflection on what is going on in my classroom.  For this reason, I have chosen to publish by thoughts here.  Feel free to pass it on.

Focus, Focus, Focus

By Kristine Houghtalen

     I was hoping to be here this morning with a sermon that was based on a critical analysis of a scripture that I had challenged myself to read and study.  I was planning on choosing a verse that I had never really considered before and try to breathe life into it.  The problem is it is September and I am a teacher and a mother.  As you can imagine my days and nights have been filled with lesson planning, bulletin boards to decorate, student’s summer homework, student assessments, figuring out how my students learn, who can sit next to each other and who can’t, back to school night with parents to impress and this year, learning how to use blogging and other technology to foster learning in the classroom.  We have only finished our 3^rd week of school and my son has already missed 5 days of school because he was ill!  So, now I am trying to keep on top of him and his teachers to make sure he is caught up on missed work.   The thing is though; I am really good at multitasking.  The busier I am, the more I seem to take on.  I thrive on the challenge of keeping those balls that I am juggling in the air.  On the other hand, I am exceptional at procrastinating!  And that is just what I did with preparing for this morning, I put it off.  Just let me get through the first week of school.  Then, just let me get through our meet the teacher night.  Then wait, I need to plan lessons too.  As the days went by, I began to panic.  I still had no idea what I was going to talk about.  And then those emails began to come.  The emails from Reverend Wolter asking for the scripture I had chosen and the title of my message.  I tried to ignore them, but he was persistent.  I thought I really don’t have time for this.  Why did I agree to this at this time of year?

            As I struggled with my frustration to focus on my plans for this morning, I realized that this was not a problem unique to me.  Looking at the lives of my friends and family and co-workers, it is obvious that their lives are just as crazy as mine.  The balls we are juggling may be of different shapes, sizes, and colors, but we are all part a great juggling act.  Maybe you’re a parent trying to keep up with your children’s many activities, or it is your job that is pulling you in different directions. Maybe you are caring for someone who needs your constant attention or maybe you volunteer your time in the community or are involved in various community organizations.  Perhaps it is even your church that is placing many demands on you.  It seems that life has taken on a speed that is somewhat out of control.

            This year in my school, I have fallen into the position of spearheading our initiative to incorporate using technology in innovative ways to enhance student learning.  I feel as though I have fallen off a cliff into the world of social media and blogging.  If you haven’t ventured into this world, you may not realize how fast information is moving around the planet and beyond.  And I mean beyond!  We have even been linking up with astronauts on the International Space Station.  It is absolutely fascinating the knowledge and connections that are at our fingertips.  Last Monday I had the opportunity to join something called a twitter chat.  I finally figured what those #s are for!   It was a group of Lutheran educators who were discussing different ways to develop a passion for professional development.  I spent an hour trying to keep up with the flurry of activity.  There were so many posts and conversations going on, my head was spinning.  But, at the end of it, I realized that I was able to “meet” many other teachers who had great ideas that allowed me to connect with even more people with more ideas.  The ball has begun rolling, and it’s getting bigger every day.  I’m still juggling, but as the balls get bigger, it is getting harder and harder to keep them in the air. 

    As I shared my experiences with a friend, he asked me if I thought that perhaps being that connected might lead me to burnout quickly. Even though I was feeling exhilarated about what I was learning about being connected to the world, I had to stop a minute and evaluate that question.  Is the fact that we can take this little phone from our pocket and reach out across the world opening up a world of possibilities or is it leading us to exhaustion?  If Jesus was alive in this day of social media, how would it affect his ministry?  Would it be a dynamic way to reach the masses, or would his voice have been lost in the chaos?  I think many of us right now are lost in the chaos.  We recognize the power we hold in our hand, but we are either too afraid of it, or we have not learned to follow the map through the vast land of social media.  We play, we tinker, and we get lost in it.

     Back to my friend’s question, does being constantly connected lead to burnout and exhaustion? I think it is definitely something we need to be aware of.

     By now, you might be asking yourself, what does all this have to do with this morning’s scripture from Colossians?  Well the answer is not much…and everything.  If our lives are moving at such a rapid pace, how do we stay focused on what is important?  How do we prevent ourselves from feeling burnt out and exhausted?  It is extremely difficult to do on our own.  We get caught up in the rip tide of life, and we need to reach out for help.   Well, think about it, there is no better life ring than the words of our holy scripture.

            I am very lucky to work where I do. Working for a Lutheran School, I am forced to stay focused. We pray every morning at the beginning of the school day and we pray every afternoon at the end of the school day.   Every Wednesday at 10am I bring my students to chapel.  With all the scheduling and have tos in school, this is the one thing that no one ever complains about.  Even though our chapel is designed for young children, it is a time to slow down and focus on what is important.  We also choose a scripture each year that is our theme or focus for the year.  It permeates everything we do.  We discuss it with our students; we use it with our disciple, and use it in devotions during faculty meetings.  Yes, we get to pray at faculty meetings. I told you, I am very lucky to work in a Christian school!  Whether I like it or not, this scripture becomes the foundation for my school year.  As you might have guessed, this year’s scripture is from the book of Colossians, chapter 1, verse 10. In this scripture, the Apostle Paul is praying for the people of Colosse, people he had never met.

            “ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,”

     What a great focus for our lives.  Wouldn’t it be comforting to know someone was praying this with you in mind?  Live a life worthy of the Lord, be fruitful in your good work, and gain knowledge of God.

    This scripture is an extension of last year’s scripture focus, Galatians 5:22-23,.  This scripture identifies the fruit of the spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self -control.    So when I hear the words from Colossians: be fruitful in your good work, to me that means that every choice I make, every interaction I have, I must do so through one of these 9 fruits.  It seems very `simple, and it really is.  I challenge you to familiarize yourself with 9 ideals listed as the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control.  You might have read them before. You might even have something at home that lists them, a coffee mug, plaque, a greeting card.  The challenge is not in reading them, but in living them.  If you ask any of our students about the fruits of the spirit, not only will they rattle them off to you without hesitation, but they will explain to you how they use them to reach their goals, interact with each other, or maybe how they forgot to use them on the playground.  They are our guide in praising our students and if need be disciplining them.  And just like by teaching my students to do mental math, my mental math skills have increased, by teaching my students how to focus on the fruits of the spirit, I to have become more focused.  As I said, I am very lucky to work in a Christian school!

    Our lives are crazy, there is no doubt.  Information is flying around this planet at speeds we never could have imagined a few years ago.  We are all sometimes just trying to keep up without getting lost in a world of virtual reality, but it does not mean that there is no life line. 

     Find a piece of scripture that inspires you, and can guide you to a more purposeful life.  Colossians 1:10 is a great place to start, or maybe buy that coffee mug with the fruits of the spirit listed on it.  Claim it as your own and remember to visit with it often.  I have the fruits of the spirit listed in bold words both in the front and back of my class this way both my students and I can keep focused throughout the day and throughout the year.

     So, if you happen to be my friend on facebook or if you follow me on twitter, you will see me posting more often as I search for ways to globally connect with others. And if you see me on Sunday morning on my cell phone during worship, please don’t judge me. I am not lost in the world of social media.   I am focusing on the morning’s scripture reading because like everything else, there is an app for that!