Public Service Announcements

While viewing two public service announcements, I was taking on the role of a parent and my thoughts and reflections on the questions reflect this role.

“The Essay”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-uOO6O9uus

1. What was the main idea or point being made?

As I watched this video, I feel the main idea or point being made is to allow your child to take risks and be creative regardless of what others may think.  I believe it is acknowledging that children are our future and teachers need to be aware of and teach 21st Century skills that may be unfamiliar.

2. What audience was the video trying to reach?

I think the audience for this video is both teachers and parents. It provides teachers insight as to the thought processes of a young student and how she views and understands technology.  I believe the target audience is also parents.  It pulls at the heart-strings by having a young child reading a profoundly written essay about the future and having confidence in herself even when faced with adversity.  The video demonstrates parents standing behind their child and providing support of their child to be bold and brave.

3. Were the methods used to create the video effective?  Why or why not?

I think the methods used in this video were effective because of the child reading the personal essay. The child’s voice catches my attention as a parent because it makes me think of my own son.  I think by using parent emotion and other students’ reactions are powerful, but I did have to replay this public service announcement several times due to difficulty in understanding what the child was saying due to her accent.

“We Think”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiP79vYsfbo

1. What was the main idea or point being made?

The main idea in this video is showing the importance of sharing ideas and connecting globally to others around the world with the ease of technology.  It is demonstrating the ways to use the web for the creative mind, but also as a way to increase knowledge about mass innovation while sharing ideas to help others learn.  It is a way for people to work together to learn and invent.

2. What audience was the video trying to reach?

I think this video is trying to reach both teachers and administrators.  In the video, it provides many reasons as to why people should use the web, such as to encourage innovation.  It is important that when my child attends school, he learns 21st Century skills like sharing ideas collaboratively with others online, along with thinking creatively and being encouraged to innovate.  This video is also demonstrating to teachers and administrators that students need to have a voice and a say in their learning.  By using technology, this can be achieved with ease.

3. Were the methods used to create the video effective?  Why or why not?

I think the methods were incredibly powerful that were used within this video.  They were powerful due to the music and using only words.  It forced me to focus and read without a lot of other distractions.  The video flowed from one idea to the next and thoughts were short and powerful.

Using Infographics with Third Graders

Infographics are a powerful tool that can represent factual information in a creative way.  Students are using 21st-Century skills by comparing data and deciding on its importance.  They are creating an image that is strong while making a statement about the content they are displaying.

I believe that I could implement infographics with my third graders.  We do PBL within my classroom and it would be an excellent way to culminate a final project's findings.  Students could develop their infographic to display the vital information learned from the PBL and then design it for their target audience.  This would be an excellent way for my third graders to decide which information is important to share and how to display that information in a way others will understand.
As I ponder the thought of infographics and how I can use them within my classroom, I was thinking that my third graders could research a skill in a math unit.  Then, after they are proficient with that skill, they could teach others about it via an infographic.  It would be an attractive way for the students to display important information on their math skill.

I am lucky due to the fact that I have ten iPads within my classroom and I have access to two iPad carts, Macbook carts, along with five Chromebooks.  My third graders are accustomed to using technology in my classroom and would be excited to display their hard work in this creative format.

Thinglink VS. Adobe Sparknote Video

I had the privilege of making a Thinglink presentation and an Adobe Sparknote narrated video with images.  In this blog post, I’m going to be quite honest about my feelings on both of these presentation websites in ways of the ease of use, my final product, and whether or not I believe elementary students would be able to use either of these applications with success.

When I created my Thinglink, I found the website to be a little confusing at times.  When I started working with the tools, I noticed that many of them needed me to upgrade and pay in order to use them within my presentation.  I wasn’t a huge fan of this; however, I used tools that were free and I thought my presentation turned out well.  The dots are a neat feature, but I would’ve liked to do a voice-over in order to intrigue my students to read each one of the points about two-dimensional shapes.  I thought the colors that I used and the background image were attractive.  I think that I would use this as a whole group or small group presentation and most likely not independent work for my third-grade students.  I would want to make sure they hit on each bullet point I wrote and go in the order in which I presented the content.

My Adobe Sparknote video was extremely easy to create and narrate!  I loved making this video because I was able to pick a template, add music, and create a voice-over with ease.  I was also able to complete my voice-overs on each slide as many times as I needed to make it perfect. My students could refer to this tutorial during station time and could replay it as often as needed.

I believe these are two very different types of presentations that I created which could be implemented with elementary-age students.  I could see myself using the Adobe Sparknote video feature due to it being very kid-friendly.  I had an easy time navigating the site and uploading my images and narration.  

My students are currently working on researching a body system for Health.  The project consists of the students finding information on their particular body system and then creating a Google Slideshow to present their findings.  I think it would be more powerful to use Adobe Sparknote video because they will be able to add images, voice-overs, and have fluid transitions to capture their audience’s attention.  I would be able to assess their content and I could also use a presentation rubric to assess how they narrated their information. Students would be able to get their presentation finished in the allotted time provided as we have access to iPad carts, Macbook carts, and our own classroom Chromebooks.  I look forward to trying this out with my third graders to see how their presentations turn out!

Morning Meeting... What's all the fuss?

Picture Credit

I have been a teacher for the past nine years and when I student-taught, my co-op demonstrated many lessons about the art of educating young children.  However, one aspect of her daily routine became part of mine the very first day I set foot in the classroom: Morning Meeting.  Why do I value Morning Meeting so much?  What are the components?  What are the benefits?

When I taught second grade, I was in a district that was not a Responsive Classroom district.  I was questioned at times why I took thirty minutes out of my day each and every day to conduct this classroom ritual when I could be instructing my students on 'valuable' content.  I simply would reply "Morning Meeting is the MOST important part of our day.  It is something that I will never give up as a teacher because I believe in it."

When I moved districts to be closer to my home, I was lucky enough to be hired in a place that provides Responsive Classroom Training and values Morning Meeting just as I do!  So, you may be asking yourself "What is all the fuss about Morning Meeting?"

Photo Credit

Morning Meeting Includes
- Greeting (Examples: Shoe Greeting, Butterfly Greeting, Elbow Rock)
- Sharing (Would you rather... What did you do over the weekend?... What are you looking forward to most today?... )
- Activity (Class Builders, such as: Zoom, Squeeze, Classroom Web)
- Classroom Announcements/News

How do I run Morning Meeting?
Morning Meeting is a time when my students and I come together and create a classroom of learners who genuinely care for one another and work closely as a team to accomplish common goals.  It is a way for my learners to transition from home to school and a way for them to start fresh.  We have one common goal during Morning Meeting and that is to create a common bond with one another that will last throughout our entire school year.

During our Morning Greetings, we include EACH person that is in our classroom, whether you are an adult or child. If you are in our room, YOU are part of our team.

Next, we include a sharing time.  This is a time for students to open up and to think about various topics.  Sometimes sharing times are silly, but sometimes they can also take a serious tone.  They can be a time for students to simply "free share" and get something off of their chest.

Then, we complete a class activity where we come together and work as a team to solve a problem or to simply compete with ourselves as a whole.  An example of this is when we complete the activity called, "Squeeze."  We stand in a circle and hold hands.  I start off the squeeze by squeezing the hand of the person to either my right or left.  The squeeze is timed to see how long it takes it to come back to me.  We challenge ourselves to beat our best time.

Finally, I always have a classroom announcement stating what to look forward to for the day. It is a way for me to share some of the fun activities throughout the day and provide students with an opportunity to become excited about an aspect of their day.

Resource
Check out Fun and Fearless in First for downloadable Morning Meeting Cards.

To Sum It Up
Now that you have an idea about the components and benefits of Morning Meeting, will you give it a try?  If you already do Morning Meeting with your students, what are some fun sharing ideas you have?  What are some creative activities or greetings?  Feel free to share your thoughts below!

If you are one who is still skeptical about how Morning Meeting benefits your learners, I urge you to try some of these ideas.  See the children's responses and how they form a cohesive bond with each other after completing team building activities each day.  It is amazing the cooperative learning that takes place within my classroom due to this simple thirty minute activity.