Frank's Fantastic Find - Word Wizard

This week's Fantastic Find is the iPad app "Word Wizard - Talking Movable Alphabet & Spelling Test for Kids".  This app is great for those students working on their phonics skills. As students make words  the app sounds them out. It also allows teachers to enter spelling lists so students can practice their words using the app. The app would make a great center for beginning readers. Check out the screencast below to see a demo. If you think you might use this app please share in the comment box how you will utilize this app in your classroom.

Word Wizard $2.99

Kidblog On The iPad

Several teachers recently requested help to discover an easy way for students to upload pictures to their Kidblog. After a little research I discovered that there is actually an iPad app for Kidblog which makes it super easy for students to take pictures and upload them to their blog. Kidblog is such a great tool for building an authentic audience for their writing.

www.kidblog.org

Frank's Fantastic Find - Intel Educator Tools

I recently heard about Intel's Education Tools. One of my favorite tools is the assessing projects tool. This tool provides some examples of checklists, and rubrics for assessing things like critical thinking skills, presentations, creativity, and problem solving skills. It does require an account which is free.

Intel's Educator Tools Website - http://goo.gl/UUHWY

Frank's Fantastic Find - Trading Card Creator

Today's Fantastic Find is on Read, Write, Think's Trading Card Creator.  The website offers lesson ideas for various grade levels on how to use the Trading Card Creator. For those interested in trying this  activity on the iPad there is also a free app called Trading Cards.

Frank's Fantastic Find - Chrome Extenstions #3

This screencast is our third and final tutorial looking at Chrome and its extensions.

Frank's Fantastic Finds - Chrome #2

This is a continuation of my look at Chrome. This video is a start to some of the Chrome extensions I have found to be useful.

Pollyanna Play Trailer

This weekend I (Beth) worked with Katie Beary, Mid-Prairie's new Drama Director, to create a trailer for the fall production of Pollyanna. The trailer combines cast interviews with scene snippets and cast photos at a local Victorian home. It was a fun way to collaborate and promote the play at the same time. I used Camtasia to put the video together. Check it out!

Frank's Fantastic Find - Chrome

A New YouTube Channel

I created a YouTube Channel for the Middle School today.
Click here to connect to the channel.

This channel will be a great place to share the videos student and staff created videos for classwork.

So just to see how it will work - I uploaded a video on creating student accounts in Google.

It really worked pretty slick!  Stay tuned for much more interesting content! :)

ITEC 2012

Today we had almost 100% of our staff at the Iowa Technology Conference in Des Moines! ITEC is one of those inspiring and idea filled conferences that I have attended for many years. But, to have a Mid-Prairie person there each time you turned around was pretty cool! I hope people experienced new understandings and we have a chance to share those with one another.

We did have two presenters from our midst today... Amber Bridge led a workshop called, "From Pilot to Flipcon12" about her journey flipping her 8th grade science classroom.  She shared her findings comparing a pilot group and a test group, the tools she used and her vision for the future of her flipped science classroom.

I, Beth Swantz, also presented. My talk was, "Technology Mentorship."  It was was a crowd sourcing workshop where we spent time creating a document sharing our common knowledge and helping one another.  It was incredibly cool to see the document grow as the workshop progressed!  Check it out here: iTech Mentoring.  You can copy this URL and add it to your google docs to gain info - or even better yet  - add your ideas to the doc.  The power of mentoring to me is realizing that we all have so much to offer to one another!

Amber and I created a website that includes both of our presentations and other supporting details.  Check it out MP TECH TALKS.

Frank's Fantastic Find

Weekly Tweet Challenge Video

Fur.ly how to

Learning Design Coaching Changes

One of the hardest parts of creating a new position is being able to predict what will work. In the spirit of that philosophy the Learning Design Coaches are readjusting they way their job works.

Beginning immediately Frank will focus on the elementary schools and Beth will focus on the MS and HS. Frank will continue to give leadership to iPad app purchases and Beth will be working with the WCRF grant process and mentoring.

We feel that this change will help us use our time more efficiently and make it easier for the staff to know who to contact.  

So – you may use the LDC@mphawks.org email address or email either Beth or Frank directly.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to work together.

ITEC Details

It's hard to believe that ITEC is actually next Monday – so it's time for the details.

Basic schedule for the day

ITEC Schedule
8 - 8:50	Workshops
9 – 10:35	Keynote
10:45 – 11:35	workshop
11:35 – 12:40	lunch
12:40 – 1:30	workshop
1:30 – 2:15	Break
2:15 – 3:05	workshop
3:20 – 4:10	Workshop

Details for drivers

• This website includes all the details about where ITEC is, including maps, parking and the cost.
• http://www.iowaeventscenter.com/convention/attend-an-event/maps-directions-parking/

Details for bus riders

• Two buses will leave from the HS

• One at 6:30 AM on Monday, October 15.
• One at 6:45 AM on Monday, October 15.

• The buses will return…

• One bus will leave DM at 2:00
• One bus will leave DM at 4:30

• All bus riders must sign up on this form to let me know which of the buses you will ride
• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dC1MS2RaVTN4YkFzV3psZmRISzdpS2c6MQ#gid=0
• This needs to be completed by Wed, October 10.
• We will have a checklist on each of the buses to make sure we don't leave anyone in at MP or in DM.

Other stuff

• If I have not heard from you (as a bus rider) by Thursday, October 11– I am assuming you are getting to DM on your own, not on one of the MP school buses.
• I will heading to DM on Saturday – but you can contact me all weekend – 319.430.0867.
• The times and workshop descriptions are finally available on the ITEC website  - you will get a booklet when you register – but it's a great idea to have a bit of a plan before you arrive.  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgSZExHoQOSpdFhrNVA4cWFMWmNfZHFvdnlBZU5EMWc#gid=0
• Email me this week with any additional questions

My Diigo Election Suggestions

Some election resources I've compiled from a variety of sources.

·     Free Technology for Teachers: Play the Election - Games for Learning About the U.S. Presidential Election   more from www.freetech4teachers.com

·       Newest Resources On Presidential Election | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…  more from larryferlazzo.edublogs.org 

·      Election resources to share   more from blog.schoollibraryjournal.com 

·       C-SPAN StudentCam 2013   more from www.studentcam.org 

·      Lessons and Posters About the Electoral College   more from www.freetech4teachers.com 

·      Videos - The Evolution of Republicans & Democrats   more from www.freetech4teachers.com 

·       IDEA Guide to 2012 Presidential Debates   more from www.freetech4teachers.com 

·       Who Is Paul Ryan? more from larryferlazzo.edublogs.org 

·       Neat Word Cloud From The Republican Convention   more from larryferlazzo.edublogs.org 

·       Excellent Series Of Election Lessons From The New York Times   more from larryferlazzo.edublogs.org 

·      Old School Presidential Campaign Videos   more from www.freetech4teachers.com 

·      The Latest Presidential Election Resources   more from larryferlazzo.edublogs.org 

·      election | Search Results | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…   more from larryferlazzo.edublogs.org 

·       AllSides   more from www.allsides.com 

Why Prezi?

Last week I introduced Prezi to a group of 8th graders working on a presentation centered on scientists and their contributions. As I began to prepare I kept asking myself, “Why Prezi? Why not Powerpoint, or Google Presentation?” Don’t get me wrong Prezi is “pretty neat”. However, is “pretty neat” the criteria we use when deciding what is used in the classroom?

After some investigation I have come up with several positives that lend to the use of Prezi.
1. Prezi is web based. You can sign on to it from any computer and have access to your presentations.
2. It lends itself to creativity. Students can zoom in on graphics, organize their ideas into shapes and interesting patterns which add to the communication of the message.
3. Prezi is not just linear in its format but can be organized in a way that reflects the way people think.
4. The easy to use zooming feature helps the presenter to bring focus to important information in a creative way.
5. Prezi is simple but offers a wealth of possibilities. The menu is fairly basic but as you learn how to work with content you discover endless possibilities.
 
 Some things to consider before starting a Prezi project are….
1. Each student will need an account. Students must be 13 years or older and have an educational e-mail to have an educational account.
2. Educational accounts are free with a valid education e-mail account.
3. Free accounts rely on an internet connection.

While there are some nice positives to the use of Prezi, I do believe it is important to also teach Powerpoint, Keynote, Google Presentation, and other presentation platforms. After all it is the message we are trying to communicate that should determine the tool as we do not want the tool to limit our message. Therefore, we need to equip our students to be able to use a variety of different tools to provide them with clear platform which best communicates their ideas.

Tutorial Video
http://www.youtube.com/user/PreziVideoChannel?ob=5&v=_XtjBxGzFkc&lr=1

Skyping with Governor Branstad

Today was an exciting day in Mrs. Bell's 2nd grade classroom!  The students were able to ask questions of Governor Branstad, Iowa's governor.  

Superintendent Schneider sent an email link to an article on Radio Iowa's blog inviting students to Skype with the Governor to all staff members. 

http://www.radioiowa.com/2012/08/13/governor-and-lt-governor-asks-students-to-skype-them/

Mrs. Bell's class is the first to make the connections.  The Skype call lasted about 1/2 and hour and students were able to hear about his life as governor and learn a little about his favorite part of the state fair as well as many other details.

Stay tuned for other Skyping classrooms across the district!

Seen Around the District - High School Style

This is an amazing example of what a staff can do!
This took precise planning, organization, technical skills  and a bit of rhythm!
And it was all a secret!!!
Congratulations on an awesome idea and a fantastic kick off to learning at Mid-Prairie High School!

Whose bucket have you filled today?

Fill my bucket....

Washington 
Township 
styl

Keota Day

Today we 'swarmed' Keota.

Frank, Miranda, Phyllis and myself all spent the day doing our various jobs at Keota. So - you may wonder what our various jobs actually are.  Here is a bit of an overview of how we spent our day.

• Professional development planning meeting  @ 7:30 - Beth.  
• Installing Type to Learn on all the computers in the elementary lab  - Phyllis
• Setting up Prezi accounts for all 8th graders - Frank
• Teaching 8th grade prezi - Frank
• Writing lesson plans - Miranda
• Meeting with Mark - Beth
• Placing orders for new equipment - Beth
• Processing Books - Miranda
• Phone calls and emails to Great Prairie to set up Professional development speakers - Beth

And then it's back to Mid-Prairie.

Seen Around the Building - Kalona Elementary

As Frank and I travel around the buildings at Mid-Prairie we want to share things we see.  So today is the first installment.  These were all wall decorations at Kalona Elementary.  Stay tuned for pics from other buildings.

This is a Twitter door. The teacher posed a twitter challenge question and the students responded in 140 characters or less. Each of the cards are laminated to all them to be wiped clean for the next challenge. This is the first step in preparing students to tweet on the classroom account.

  

This door is filled with words that describe life in the classroom.  They also happen to be words taken from the Keynote given by the Learning Design Coaches on the first day back with additions from the students. 

There are lots of great displays around the building demonstrating how students fit into a class here are two.

Finally the staff is in the process of creating a board in their lounge to share their expertise.

A Prezi to share

2012 - 13 Iowa Children's Choice Book Trailers on Prezi

Miranda Kral, the K-12 Teacher Librarian in our district created this great Prezi to share book trailers for this year's Children's Choice awards books.Prezi is a great tool to share your expertise with the world. Miranda tweeted this link and and it was retweeted by another teacher librarian. That is the power of social media!  Thanks for sharing, Miranda

Genius Board

An example of a "Genius Board" for technology

Collaboration - in a classroom and in the staff room

How do we help kids really understand what collaboration is?

That was the beginning question that Terra Huber, 7th grade science teacher, asked the Learning Design Coaches.   Terra's 7th students were working on a group project to create a container to keep an egg safe during an egg drop. She had provided video and print materials to teach the concepts and it was time for the groups to begin working together.  So it was time for COLLABORATION!

As a team, we (Terra, Frank and I) created our own list of skills necessary if collaboration is working.

* listening           * taking turns           * inclusion

*accepting new ideas          *sharing ideas freely  

From this list we made a plan - we decided to start with a role play of the good and the bad, then students would create T charts of what they saw and we would create a class list. Finally, the groups would begin working.

Our role play was a hit - Terra was the science brain and Frank and I were the lazy ones depending on her to do all the work in our first skit.  For the second one we included turn taking and building on each other's ideas to a final design concept.

Students then created their T-chart on their own and then shared ideas with elbow partners.  The picture on the left shows the list one of the classes created on the smart board.

Following this discussion the students moved to their Egg Drop groups and we watched to see if they were using the things from the list.

It certainly wasn't perfect, but students were engaged and sharing their ideas. We know that this is step 1.  But, I think it was a good step.  And we realized how important it was to break the concept down into finite skills for the students.

I can't help but reflect on the idea of collaboration for our staff members as well. I think that we forget why we collaborate sometimes. It can feel like just a task the superintendent (our 'teacher') says we have to do.  In reality, collaboration provides a chance to create something together that would never happen if we were working on our own.

I am not a science thinker - the marshmallow challenge and this egg drop activity make me shudder because I have no clue. But, by working in a group I was able to contribute my very limited ideas to the entire project. I cared much more about the outcome and had a hand in the process.  I doubt that I gave any ideas that were unique or pivotal - but I had a voice and it was honored in the process.

That is collaboration.

It's not easy or fast, but my goodness it can help us end up at a much better place.   So - maybe as adults you won't see us huddled around a group of desks - kneeling on the chairs with our heads together totally focused on an activity.  But, the process of focusing on a clearly defined problem and following the rules of collaboration will certainly benefit all of us.
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“No one can whistle a symphony.  It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” - H.E. Luccock

Mid-Prairie Blogs and Tweets

We asked the teachers to share their twitter hashtags and blog addresses with us. We want to promote these during the school year.
This is the beginning of the list - watch for additions as the year progresses.

Who	Twitter	Blog
Lori Simon		http://simonspenler.blogspot.com/
Lynda Wilson		http://wtfourthgrade.blogspot.com/
Alex Abbe	@mrabbe @MP7thSS #mp7thss
KE Title Blog		http://ketitle.blogspot.com/
Kerri Bell	@mrsbell2nd	http://2ndgradebellblog.blogspot.com/
Briana Goodenbour	Pre-Calc: mphsprecalc Algebra: mphsalgebra
Joyce Billups		www.kbillups.blogspot.com
Marc Pennington	Twitter - @GoldenHawkHoops
Ross Schumaker	@RossSchumaker	http://www.schumaker.weebly.com/
KE 4th Grade		http://kefourthgrade.blogspot.com/
Denise Busch	@WE4B	http://web4b.blogspot.com