Category: professional development

Posted in professional development, Uncategorized

Something New

Posted on by @cwilsonspanish

(This is just a Google Series intermission! Have no fear!)

In groups, I see kids gravitate towards what they know. They choose the task they are most suited to do. They regurgitate the knowledge they already firmly held. 

That isn’t learning. And, while they may be very good at it… it isn’t helping them get the most out of the experience.

This is the concept behind Cooperative Learning. In Group Work, students choose a task and complete it with the group. In Cooperative Learning… Students are assigned roles that contribute to the learning of the whole. Cooperative Learning works best when it is used often. Sometimes students will choose the role they know they are good at… other times, they teacher will assign the a role which will force them to grow. 

This has been my thought process as I debate my choices for my masters degree. I have narrowed it down to two choices (well, two for this masters, anyway). The programs I am choosing between are either: something that I know well, that will get me where I want to go (aka, the less challenging route) vs. something I don’t know as well, that will also get me where I want to go. (aka, the scarier, more challenging route.)

I’m excited to say, that as a (more) mature learner, I understand that I’ll grow more in the program full of new topics for me to study. It will be a different road, a more challenging one, but it will be worth it.

These are the moments I look for in my students. I alternate between them choosing roles and me assigning them… at some point, some of them decide to jump in and try something new, all on their own. When I recognize this, my heart smiles.

Today my heart is smiling at the re-realized remembrance that teachers are learners too. 

What do you still want to learn? Please share it with me! 

-CL

Posted in Google, professional development, teaching

Google Series Part 4: Google Drive

Posted on by @cwilsonspanish

What is Google Drive?

Google Drive is essentially a cloud service by Google. Using Drive means that your files are accessible to you from any device that has internet connection. 

Why is Drive better than other cloud services, or better than my flash drive… or better than my hard drive?

Haha, I’m glad you asked! I have iCloud on my iPhone… but it only comes with 5GB of storage–which seems like a lot… until they ask you to pay for more. If a person has a gmail… they get 30gb free! If you have an educational Google account (as I do, since my district has “Gone Google”) then you have UNLIMITED drive storage. 

I signed up for Google Drive over the summer, in one of the very first google trainings that our new district Director of Digital Learning was hosting. Since then, I have been trying to convince the world of its awesomeness. Finally, the Digital Learning Committee (which I chair) recommended to the campus that on our next staff development day, all teachers be required to attend a training and sign up.

…Shortly after that, I ran into one of my fellow Spanish teachers, sitting at her desk. She was looking at her Drive in awe. She shared with me the many ways Drive was going to make her life easier. Here is a picture of her Desktop and her Desktop (ha, see what I did there?)photo 2

photo 1

 

 

 

Drive has been my Go-to and saving grace this year. I am a frazzled lady, and I often start working on a task at home and get to school, only to realize the file I need is on my home computer. Drive has changed my productivity, for the better. A teacher’s productivity is directly related to student outcomes. In a teacher’s world, every second counts. If I can save some time, that is time I can be interacting with kids, providing feedback and growing relationships. 

Tips, Tricks and Ideas for Google Drive: 

  • Google Drive works best when you check the box that allows any file to be converted into a Google file. This means that if you upload a “Word” document… you’ll be able to open it, even on a computer that doesn’t have Word. Most of your formatting will be the same. Every now and then, something changes… but you can always convert the file back!
  • Google Drive has a Google search bar… this is amazing! You can search for the title of the file or any word that might be in the file. This is much easier than the process to do the same thing on a normal computer… and even better, you can do this from ANY computer with internet access (or device!)
  • Google Drive allows you to seamlessly share files with contacts. We’ll get into this more in the next post but: you can share items with links through email, invite others to edit your files, push files to the web as individual webpages with links and more!
  • Drive has an intuitive “incoming” folder that keeps a list of any files shared with you, almost like an “inbox”.
  • As mentioned in my previous post about Google Classroom, Classroom actually creates and manages assignment folders and files in your Drive. When a student “submits” the assignment, it magically appears in your folder!
  • Any file can be added to drive. I have uploaded tons of videos and sound files that I use for listening assignments in my Spanish classes, and Google opens them with the web-based Google Play. This is amazing, since teachers often have to fight with quicktime and windows based systems that may not agree in file type.

The best part about this tool, for me, is that it’s free. Most of the things I can think of that would save me some time or chaos… cost too much money. Everyone knows teachers only spend money on Bills, Students, Their kids or their “other kids”… rarely on something that is just for the purposes of making their lives better.

Are you using Drive? How has it changed your world? Leave a comment 🙂

-CL

Missed part of this series? Get caught up!

Part 1: Google Voice
Part 2: Google Voice (cont.)
Part 3: Google Classroom
Posted in Google, professional development, teaching, Uncategorized

Google Series Part 3: Google Classroom

Posted on by @cwilsonspanish

I can only compare what I know. I know that about 2 years ago, I was introduced to the world of Flipped learning, and as a teacher who had interned with Florida Virtual School, the idea of putting part of my teaching life online appealed to me.

Think about it… Students are online anyway. Most of the time, they really don’t mind adding a school website to the list. They end up doing what they do on all the websites… in fact, they probably are doing what you did to get here. They scroll; they get lost; they read mindlessly; they click on links and learn stuff unintentionally. Its almost osmosis. 

Our current Academic Dean and a team of others in our district introduced me to Edmodo. I’m an all or nothing person (for better or worse!) and a dove right in. Within a few weeks, all of my classes were signed up, students were completing assignments, and we were rolling. I flipped some, but for me, the value of the online medium was the potential for the increase in the language production. 

In a matter of weeks, my students were:

  • Commenting on things in Spanish.
  • Presenting stuff to me (writings AND videos) in Spanish
  • Communicating with me openly about their grades, questions, concerns
  • Sharing relevant content.
  • Making up absent work
  • Completing other assignments, notes and more on Edmodo!

Believe it or not, I didn’t have the commonly feared “inappropriate” posts, even with nearly 200 teenagers 14-19 years old enrolled! In fact, I even conducted part of my maternity leave last year on Edmodo.

But… I did have these problems:

  • Constant log in issues. (Thankfully, on edmodo, teachers can reset student passwords, that is a huge plus!)
  • Problems with the “feed”. Edmodo is modeled after a social network style, and the feed brings up the most popular “posts” in their “network” or classes… meaning that since some students didn’t actually click on my class, they missed out on important posts.
  • A confusing interface… for teachers AND for students.

Of course, neither of these lists is exhaustive. Edmodo has served me well, and my students are still currently enrolled… but over the past few months, we’ve transitioned away to the sleeker, simpler: Google Classroom. 

Google Classroom Vs. Edmodo

Google classroom is accessed by students through their own Gmail accounts, or through school created ones, if you school has “gone Google” (as ours has). This means, students will have to set and reset their own passwords… BUT since they probably already have gmail accounts, they likely already actually know their passwords…. unlike the password for the random educational thing they were forced to sign up for….

It is also a simplified version of blackboard, essentially. Instead of a lame (sorry, Edmodo) version of Facebook, the interface actually mirrors a system they will hopefully be using in a few short years, if we do our jobs and prepare them for college.

The feed in each “classroom” is sequential, meaning the most recent posts appear at the top, instead of the most popular.

Students can turn in assignments, teachers can edit those assignments, and return them with comments. Its amazing. Providing feedback is at the core of constant improvement; Google Classroom make it easy.

The most amazing  part of Google Classroom, for me, is its integration into the rest of the Google world. For instance:

  • Students can attach content from Google docs/ Google Drive directly to their assignments.
  • Assignments are automatically  organized into folders in my google drive by class period.
  • Students log in with Gmail
  • and more!

Although some would complain that the tools Edmodo offers (such as Snapshot, quiz making, and the Apps) aren’t available in Google, I’m glad. In fact, this is part of what contributes to the simplicity of the tool… which directly contributes to my student’s success. AND I am simplifying as a result. For instance, I have been using tools like Kahoot or Google Forms instead  of quizzes by edmodo. Additionally, as a language teacher, production really is my ultimate goal, and encouraging interaction instead of participation in automatically graded quizzes, really is more inline with my goals.

Are you using Classroom? What are your thoughts? 

-CL

In case you missed Parts 1 & 2:

Part 1

Part 2

Also, check me out on Tpt! 

 

 

Posted in Google, professional development, teaching

Google Voice Part 2: In Any classroom

Posted on by @cwilsonspanish

Google Voice: In Any Classroom

 ed504646a0bc389d89324e43190f510b

Ah, the dreaded exit ticket. 

Really, it sounds like such a great idea at first. Hold the kids accountable. Use those last few minutes of class productively. Get a quick snapshot of student understanding. Have something quick to grade for a daily grade. Have kids actually apply the standard you just covered.

Win-win, right???

Ha. Wrong.  You see, first you have to cut out all those exit tickets. Pass them out. They have to do them. <–All of that is the easy part. People suggest these exit tickets as a regular part of the routine. Several times a week or even every day. The only problem is: there are some things that paper clips can’t fix. i.e.: my desk. See sample below.

messy-desk

You see, for teachers like me, who are moms and wives and department chairs and, you know, 12 other responsibilities to mention, we don’t have time for that. I don’t need another tiny slip of paper (or stack of them) to try to remember not to lose.

How can Google Voice help?

With Google Voice, you get a phone number. Not only can students leave you a voice message (as mentioned in Part 1 of this series), but they can also text the phone number as well! The messages collect in your Google Voice account, and are also sent to your email account.

This is life changing. 

At the end of class, kids put their things away, and I ask them a short question. For me, usually, this is a short production task (in Spanish), perhaps, a question to answer or a topic to write about. Students text the phone number and the assignment comes to my email.

Why is this so awesome?

  • Sometimes kids need more time to finish than time allows. They can take the cell phone with them.
  • You can provide feedback! Text back!
    • Are you worried about the privacy implications of that? Well, worry a little less. Texting through Google Voice creates a paper trail. All messages to and from the account are saved. Its the ultimate teacher “CYA”.
  • Students without phones can still complete the assignment on a sticky note, or from the phone of a friend.
  • It eliminates (or nearly does) the tiny stacks of paper ravaging your desk.

Other ideas: I haven’t tried but really want to!

  • Give this phone number to parents instead of your regular cell phone number. Keep the conversation going via text.
  • Encourage kids to text questions about homework, projects and more.
  • Create lists in Google voice to text extra credit opportunities, links to important info and more.

Have any ideas yet??? Comment below! 

-CL

Posted in Google, homework, professional development

Google Voice: Part 1- In The Language Classroom

Posted on by @cwilsonspanish

Google voice has rocked my world this year. I had previously wanted to see what I could use Google Voice for, but, like most teachers, I didn’t have time for another “tool” to add to my list and make my life harder. After attending the ACTFL Convention this year, however, my perspective changed.

I sat in on a session by one of the ACTFL teachers of the year, Carrie Toth, who runs http://somewheretoshare.com as she talked about different way she has added authentic assessment to her classes. She shared that when students have projects that many classes traditionally “present” (aka: waste 3 days of class time presenting), she instead uses Google Voice. In a room so crowded with people that I was in a corner on the floor, here I sat, suddenly engaged beyond measure. This woman had the answers to all my problems.

Any student who has ever sat in my classroom knows 2 things (ok, hopefully more than 2 things…)

  1. Mrs. Wilson doesn’t waste time.
  2. Everything we do has a purpose.

I literally refuse to waste even a second. And, if a student asks me “why” I usually have a dissertation like response of my thought process behind the request.

Presentations had always been an irritation of mine. They worked so hard… shouldn’t they present it? To be honest… these presentations aren’t going to be that great. Who listens to them anyway??? The class can’t hold their attention span long enough to hear more than one. UGH now we are a week behind 😦 

Instead, Carrie explains, that she has students call and leave their presentations using Google Voice. Genius. Students are then able to:

  • Speak with a lower affective filter.
  • Practice several times before calling.
  • Call again to record a better version.
  • Not waste 3 class days listening to their Spanish 1 classmates repeat all 15 words they know (ahem, I mean…. um… sorry!)

I was anxious to try this, and I was amazed at the results. My students did fantastically. They even worked harder on their accents, because they felt that me having a voicemail was more “permanent”.

Tips and Ideas: 

  1. Carrie suggested using some of the time that would have been spent on presentations to do a “museum” style walkabout, encouraging students to interact in the TL instead (Interpersonal).
  2. Use Google Voice for AP level classes to record their cultural comparisons.
  3. Google Voice voicemails cut off at 3 minutes. When students don’t have much dead space… that is actually quite a lot of time! But, be careful about assigning something that can’t be recorded in the time limit. For example, during their celebrity family presentations, I graded their project as a written piece, but asked students only to share the 5 most interesting things via voicemail.
  4. You can set up Google Voice to ring to a phone… but since the main use for it is voicemail (for a teacher), I recommend setting it to “Do Not Disturb”, so that it will automatically record voicemails.
  5. In your voicemail message, remind students to leave their name…haha, seems obvious, but you are a teacher, so you understand.
  6. Space your assignments out, so that your voicemail box isn’t clogged with too many assignments at once. One week I gave an assignment to Spanish 1. Once those voicemails had been graded, I assigned a Voice assignment to Spanish 3. A few late Spanish 1 assignments got mixed in, and there was a delay in grading them.

Have any ideas yet? 

-CL

 

 

Posted in Google, professional development, teaching

#AllTheGoogles

Posted on by @cwilsonspanish

Google owns the interwebs.

Google_logo

This was my revelation about 2 years ago when I went to sign up for gmail, and I found that Google already knew my email address. It was a funny “conspiracy” theory then as I laughed it off…but since then I’ve discovered the world of Google–and more than just a search engine or email platform… Google is a set of tools beyond what I could have ever imagined. This year, Google has changed my classroom for the better.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be detailing my Google adventure from the perspective of a language teacher, but so much of what I’ve found has implications for any classroom. This summer, I’m even planning to get Google Certified!

Check back to see my posts on:

  • Google Voice
  • Google Classroom
  • Google Drive / Docs/ Slides
  • Google Forms
  • YouTube
  • Picasa
  • Google Play

See you soon!

How are you using Google? Tell me below!

-CL

Posted in professional development

Catching up– Reflecting on my practicum with FLVS

Posted on by @cwilsonspanish

In the Spring of 2011 I was able to participate in a pilot program where I could complete part of my practicum through Florida Virtual School and the other part in the traditional classroom. The reality of education today is that online education is becoming a more and more popular option for students for a variety of reasons. Schools are finding that offering online classes of less popular sections is more cost effective. In addition the online environment is an extremely effective option for students who can succeed in a less traditional environment.

During my time working with a middle school beginning Spanish class, I worked with a student who was taking the class from Italy because their father was there with the military. I met FLVS teachers who had worked with students online to help them achieve their high school diplomas from home while dealing with terminal illnesses. I also found that for some students with social disorders, FLVS was an option that allowed them to be successful as well.

I learned so much from my time with FLVS–and in particular, two incredibly valuable concepts. First, I was able to witness first hand how a system of constant communication between the student, teacher, and the family create success and accountability for all parties involved. FLVS has policies and standards in place that require documented communications between the three parties involved. Unlike in the traditional classroom, almost every communication is personally addressed to the student which helps establish personal rapport and a real relationship. The teacher communicates with each parent regularly, and in fact, if the teacher does not contact the parent after a certain amount of time, the student is prevented from continuing in the course. This system holds students accountable to their parents and their teachers; it holds the parents accountable to the teacher and the student; and it holds the teacher accountable to the parents and the students.

Secondly, I learned how to provide effective, encouraging feedback to students. I cannot emphasize how monumental this learning was for me. College teaches theory, but this experience gave me practice. I learned that students need to know: 1.) What they did well, and 2.) How they can improve. Believe me, sometimes its hard to tell a student who scored a 0/20 what they did well, but it forced me to take a look at the student’s thinking process and realize, “Ok. They are getting the first step of this, but they need to practice of this…”. Feedback is more than a Star or a Stamp or an X.  Feedback should build students up and help them grow–no matter their ability level. Even an A student has room to improve.

I had a wonderful experience with FLVS and it helped me develop a new appreciation for teaching in the online environment. The burning question is: What do I like better: teaching online or teaching in the classroom? Honestly, it is hard to say. In fact, it is impossible to say. I love FLVS for the relationships it helps build and the success it allows non-traditional students to have. Nothing can replace the feeling to helping a student who needs a different type of environment succeed. On the other hand, my greatest joys in my college career and in my internship have been: 1.) developing my own lessons and curriculum (which is something FLVS teachers do not do) and 2.) personally and physically teaching. I love that tired feeling I have at the end of the day from the mental, emotional and physical involvement of teaching. As I have heard it said, “It is the hardest job I have ever wanted to go back to.”

As I said, it is tough to say which I enjoy more. I feel like there is a real place in education for both of these, and there is a place for me in either one of these environments.

Posted in professional development

iteach

Posted on by @cwilsonspanish

I am so excited about the iteach initiative at USF. Last semester, I applied for and was accepted to the iteach program for pre-service and continuing education teachers. One of the main goals of the program is to reach out and teach teachers the many ways in which today’s ever-growing body of technology can revolutionize how we reach our students and how effective we are in the classroom. I am extra excited because one of the requirements of the program is that we have to purchase an ipad as part of the program. Mine is scheduled to arrive in just a few days… ! So far, I have participated in two workshops: one about “Challenge-Based Learning” & one about “Facilitating Collaborative Learning Using Web 2.0 Technology”. I can honestly say that I have never been more excited than I am about these new opportunities. As a language teacher, my class needs to be relevant so that students will want to use the skills they learn outside of the classroom. Challenge-Based Learning involves having students identify a problem in their school; community; etc and going through a process to solve it. Imagine a process that is developing critical thinking skills; team work; leadership etc and allowing students to actually carry out their plan…. all in the target language. Simply amazing. The opportunity to facilitate collaborative learning using Web 2.0 technology has also revolutionized how I think about teaching. While in the public school we have to be sensitive to the fact that not all students have access to certain technologies at home, the reality is that online classes are the classes of the future. FLVS** (Florida Virtual Schools) is a great example of how even high school and middle school are successfully  being taught in an online environment. When teaching a class in which communication is the key to learning such as a foreign language… I need to be thinking about how I can facilitate true, authentic communication in an online environment and develop a community of learners in ways people previously thought would be impossible over long distances.

As you can tell… I am rather excited about this opportunity. Look out for links about the group 2.0 workshops and other such awesomeness.

**Look out for a reflective post on my time as an FLVS intern this semester as well!

-CLW

Posted in professional development

A journey through…. Technology?

Posted on by @cwilsonspanish

Well, tomorrow ends a short, but intense journey through educational technology. I find it interesting that I am young, and have, until now, lived so successfully–and unaware, of so many great and useful technologies. This course has taught me a lot of things, but the most important are these:

-Successful integration of technology puts pedagogy first.

-I need to be resourceful. There are a lot of free resources out there, and I need to continue to find them, learn them, and use them when they will help my students.

-Technology changes and evolves. And so should I. Continuing my professional development so that my teaching can stay relevant is key : )