Final Project & Reflection

Introduction Video

My final project "Let's Tell Their Stories: Famous Vermonters" is about providing students with another way to show their learning, through digital storytelling using WeVideo.  Initially I started developing my final project on a Google Doc, but then decided that I wanted to present it in a Google Site.  Here is the Site. 

I have been working with a fourth grade class who is studying Vermont, and their culminating project in the spring is to do biographies, so I decided to do a project that I would be able to implement later in the year.  I wanted to make sure the teacher I am currently working with would be able teach the project comfortably.  I wanted to make sure the video project didn't limit student creativity, I think it's important we give them choice on what they wanted to create, as long as it met the exceptions of showing their learning about the person.  I had fun developing this project and I am exciting to work with students in the spring on it.  

It was good to create a project from start to finish.  Perhaps because my position is usually just working with others on creating projects, I don't usually see the whole thing through, so it really made me step back and think about every step.  I initially tried a couple different ways to develop my introduction video, because I didn't want to be on camera, but in the end decided I would just "get over it" and record myself.  Of course it took many "takes", but in the end I was satisfied with what I produced.  

I decided to put it all together in a Google Site, because I like the way you can visually structure things.  I tried to keep in mind who my audience would be, and I knew that simpler would be better.  

It's great that I have something I will be able to use later on this year! 

Week 12: Final Project Framework

My final project idea is to work with a fourth grade class on digital storytelling using WeVideo.   They will be wrapping up their year long study of VT by choosing a famous VT person to research.  Using WeVideo students will create a 5 minute digital biography about the person.  They will be able to choose the format of their video, for example recording themselves as the person, creating a music video, making a music video, advertisement, etc.

Students will use an online graphic organizer- either Google Draw or Lucidchart (or paper for those who would like) to curate their information.  Once they have gathered their information they will start planning their video using storyboards and writing scripts.  

Working in pairs students will use their Chromebook to record their videos.  We have CTL Chromebooks, so the camera flips around.  They will use microphone to record better audio.  They will then edit their video in WeVideo.  I will also be working with the teacher on setting up and managing her class on WeVideo.

Here is a link to my Final Project Outline.

Week 11- Advice to New Teachers

My initial advice to new teachers would be to start to build your own creativity.  Take up a hobby.  It could be something new that they’ve wanted to try out, or something they tried before.  Once they start, they then need to practice.  The focus should be on the process, not the goal.  To live in the moment, and appreciate all the steps.  As Robinson says “the answer now is not to suppress our creativity but to cultivate it more seriously and with a greater sense of purpose.” (Robinson, 2138).

Next they should connect to other teachers, look for inspiration from them.  Join Twitter, Facebook, follow other teachers blogs and Pinterest boards.  Take their ideas and modify them accordingly.  Don’t try to do it alone, education and teaching isn’t meant to be a lone thing to do.  While doing this they should be collecting and organizing their ideas, and then start to share as well, it’s important to give back too.  They need to realize that we all have the potential to be creative, so don’t be afraid to try anything.  Another important piece of the creativity process is to take the time to reflect on their teaching- did it work, why or why not? What could be changed to make it better?  Make sure all along that they give their self time to practice and learn, and remember not to be too harsh on oneself.  Expect from yourself as you would expect from your students, and remember “imagination is the root of creativity” (Robinson, 1890).

When we look at all the content requirements in education, I would tell new teachers to start with the big picture- the idea of backwards design, what is it you want your students to learn.  From there, then find the connection in the subjects, how can they be blended together?  Next look at what types of creative problems and questions can be extracted from this to engage students.  “When students are motivated to learn, they naturally acquire the skills they need to get work done, ” therefore the “real driver of creativity is an appetite for discovery and a passion for the work itself.” (Robinson, 1913).  They must remember it isn’t about the content, it’s about the learning.  If we can engage and motivate students, no matter what the subject is, they will learn.  Not only will they just learn, but they will invoke their own creativity within themselves, and take the idea of learning to the next level- to prepare students for life after school, to discover things they are good at, strengthening their will and skills to pursue them, and find their confidence, capability, and passions.  (Robinson, 1799).

Week 11 Reflection: Coding

As the Hour Of Code quickly approaches, it was great to start coding this week. A long time ago when I was in middle school, I learned how to write BASIC programs, but I have since forgotten how to do so.  It's been a while since I've used Scratch.  I used it when it first came out about 12 years ago, but haven't really gotten back to it since.  I'm glad to see new updates to the program. 

The Google CS First would be great to use with students. I liked the pace of the tutorials, easy for students to follow, and guides them along with success.   For the program below I tried all the basic features out.  I modified the sprite (changed colors, added parts from other sprites), created a gif (drew the color bomb), added sounds/music (I recorded the Candy Crush song from my iPad), and uploaded a new background.  I was able to move the ball and the sprite around.  If I was to add more to it, I would have the sprite somehow catch the balls.

Week 10 Reflection: 3D Printing

I have done a little work before in Sketch-Up, but Thinkercad was new to me. At first I had a hard time trying to figure out how to make my object, as I knew what I wanted to make (chicken roost holder) but couldn't seem to figure out how to design it. I realized that I kind of had to think a little backwards, then I was able to design it as I wanted. I wasn't able to get it printed up, but I'm still going to try. I really want 4 for my coop!

I think 3D printing offers students a new type of hands-on learning, that literally brings a new dimension to their learning experience.  It can also help bridge the gap between what a student imagines and the reality of a tangible object, and it lets students learn how to endure adversity and persist in problem solving.  It helps connect abstract concept to real life, aids in the development of spatial intelligence, and ignites the imagination.  3D printing increases active student engagement, emphasizes collaborative learning, and increases student exposure to problem solving skills and content knowledge.  The physical touch can make the connection for students, it brings the concepts alive.

3D Printing and Biology- Curated Articles/ Videos

I decided to look into 3D printing in biology.  It was hard to find articles on 3D printing and biology, but I found a couple.

In 6th grade my students study the human body.  The first site I curated was a video of students at Marshall University printing out skeletons of extinct animals and bones in the hand that they needed to learn.  In the 6th grade they could print out small models of an entire skeleton, that could be taken apart and put back together.  They could also print out organ system, and learn how they work.  Students also learn about cells structures, so bringing them into 3D form make understanding them much easier.   

In 6th grade my student every year dissect a real sheeps heart and virtually dissect a frog on their iPads.  I found an article from the Smithsonian where they were printing out whole frogs in parts, so  instead of dissecting a frog, students can build a complete frog.  I love the idea that an animal doesn’t have to die for our learning experience, that children aren’t exposed the harsh chemicals used in preserving the bodies, and yet still have the hands on learning experience of being able to look deeper into parts of the body.

This last one is a video about a child’s prosthetic hand, that he and his dad printed.  The idea we are teaching students, is that anything is possible.  Let make learning come alive, be engaging and fun, and let students explore endless possibilities.

Printing in plastic is just the beginning.  What if we could print food, organs, cells, etc.  What would our schools look like then?

Week 9 Reflection: Podcasting

What That BuZZZ All About?!

It took me a couple days to figure out what I wanted to do a podcast on.  I listened through a variety of podcasts, and finally decided that I was more engaged with podcasts that had woven in music and other sounds effects.  At first I was going to do a podcast at school, recording people about a topic, but then quickly realized I didn't have much time to get the recordings.  So then I turned it back on to myself, and asked myself what am I interested in that I could talk about, and that might be interesting to other people.  This brought me to the idea of making a podcast about bees.  

As a new beekeeper I have been very excited about learning about bees and what it takes to be a beekeeper.  At first I thought maybe to do a podcast about what it takes to be a beekeeper, but then I thought I might be able to grab the interest of a larger audience if I talked about what are some things we all can do to support the population of bees.

I decided to start my podcast out with a little 101 about bees, and then move into what can we do.  I wanted to do my podcast using WeVideo, as we have a school subscription and I had never thought of using WeVideo for podcasting, so I wanted to try it out.  Plus I knew that I could bring this idea back to my teachers, which I did, and I already have a couple who are interested. 

First I wrote a script of what I wanted to talk about.  I wanted it to have that introduction, middle and conclusion feel, as some of the podcasts I had listened to, so I tried to write it in that style.  I did two full recordings of it, and decided the second one came out better.  One tip I had read about, was when I was recording, if I made a mistake to make a pause, so that it would be easier to go back and edit.  This worked out great.  I didn't feel the pressure of trying to get it all correct in one speaking session. 

One major issue I ran into was that after I went through and edited the entire narrative, I went to add in sound effects (like Pooh Bear) and realized that WeVideo audio editing wouldn't allow me to drop audio between audio, without messing the rest up.  I emailed help, and unfortunately received back this response.  
         "I'm afraid that only the pieces on the Main track automatically arrange themselves. If you want to add the piece of audio from Audio2 track on the Audio1 track, between the two pieces, you will have to arrange every other piece that comes after. Sorry for the inconvenience this is causing."

So, suddenly I realized that my desire to add in lots of sound effects was going to be a much longer process than I had anticipated.  But I worked though it, and for my first podcast, I think it came out pretty well.

I have some students who are studying the Olympic in Ancient Greece, so I was thinking maybe have them make some sports podcasts.  In PE they are learning some Greek Olympic style games, and it might be fun for them to narrate them.  There are lots of great idea for using podcasts with students, I definitely need to try some out with them.

Week 7 & 8 Reflection: Midterm Collaboration Project

Transforming the Classroom- eBook

For this midterm collaboration project I ended up working with Jamie Gallagher. It was a little difficult figuring out who was going to work with who. I think we were all kind of waiting for the others to take the initiative and get things set up. The online environment made it a little more challenging, as we all tend to work at different hours, I felt sometimes I was just waiting for others to respond. Eventually I was partnered up, and then the next challenge was trying to communicate through our schedules.

 We started out project planning process by starting at the end- deciding we wanted to create a WeVideo. Working backwards, we ended up with the question of how to do PLPs and Project Based Learning help to transform schools, while supporting a creative learning environment. We first worked in a Google Doc, then moved our thinking to a storyboard template. From there we decided that we would make an eBook instead, partially due to time restrictions, and thought it would be a better way to present our collaborative thinking. We each worked on different pages of the books, then reviewed each other's work and modified it accordingly.  In the end, we developed an eBook that explains the idea of how PLPs and Project based learning can support creativity, we used Issuu to publish the book.

Reflecting back, it might have been easier to be paired up instead of trying to figure out who was going to work with who.  This process might have been easier face-to-face, as people's different access to the course work varies person to person.   I think time planning and expectations from each other are very important to have this process run smoothly.  Overall the collaboration experience was interesting, and yet eventually was doable.  It definitely showed me that online collaboration isn't as easy as I thought it would be.