tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84296714021864380912024-03-19T01:37:27.654-07:00#Ms.HaughsEmpowering young scholars, providing authentic learning experiences via design, and making CS education accessible to all@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-44079671148398140322022-10-29T08:54:00.008-07:002022-10-29T08:57:22.680-07:00Rapid Prototyping as CS Assessment (Design Thinking in CS)<div class="separator"><p style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_MJRR8nzXDnuFlhxxC-h5n4zh2cxxLKlvyrrkuH8MMtolAEzSPrAbIPOTUAkjfcnA68gWHPcZkkKZh4DXoLAta9O1C86sgS-EkwJgVclLq7BVEuWQA0w8v81V1BZ3b_v6I8g65rfaY9_uv37pG5YfyrXVsJj4fhi5DjlrPw5CcoAbMhVQz9tlMjs/s4032/IMG_6157_Original.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Student prototyping in Scratch and using partner interview notes to guide design." border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_MJRR8nzXDnuFlhxxC-h5n4zh2cxxLKlvyrrkuH8MMtolAEzSPrAbIPOTUAkjfcnA68gWHPcZkkKZh4DXoLAta9O1C86sgS-EkwJgVclLq7BVEuWQA0w8v81V1BZ3b_v6I8g65rfaY9_uv37pG5YfyrXVsJj4fhi5DjlrPw5CcoAbMhVQz9tlMjs/w200-h150/IMG_6157_Original.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>As my first round of 5th graders wrapped up their computer science elective last week, we spent the last two days of class with a culminating project-- the <b><i>Design for a Partner sprint. </i></b>Integrating design thinking in computer science has been a powerful way of giving students a meaningful and authentic purpose for their work and a chance to demonstrate what they've learned in our class. </div><div class="separator">During our 5th grade design sprint, students were challenged to interview a partner to get to know more about their typical school day-- how their morning starts, how they move through their day, and after school routines-- and then rapidly prototype a technology-based innovation to help with a challenge in their partner's day.<p></p></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-8c9d1b37-7fff-9518-5a4d-2029b0b345b3" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="diagram of the design thinking process" height="177" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/BQSWkS7k_rDMjgKMjcy5HjFEtqmInt1dPbcdhwgG0e6C7nyNLT2XMzj2_XvNamJOlqf2oYIeRj4UuCpWVboUN7JmpkIjzUaR3fja8HcXQIaKF3MYVAxOUfxf6CcxHEK1lcPnZ5wQiihx_t8evCNQG5oVY2FXeaihUF8D7LyR-m9BtHsSO6xj38ttB1E=w200-h177" width="200" /></span></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;">What is design thinking?</h3><p><a href="https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/design-thinking" target="_blank">Design thinking</a> is an empathy-based, human-centered, problem solving process and mindset. Design thinkers focus on user research, needfinding, and setting aside our own assumptions about the world. It is the mindset in which we design instruction at the TK-8 school in which I work-- <a href="https://csi.campbellusd.org/" target="_blank">Campbell School of Innovation</a>.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Design thinking in CS</h3><p>As an interviewer, their goal was to seek opportunities for design while talking to their partner. Were there problem spots in the day that they might design around? Or something new that they learned about their partner? Could they design with the intention of making their partner smile?</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Design for Partner sprint (two 50-minute class sessions):</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTeqRwkWvkwilmEEisUHe0AAfskGWBzGbMkm3RrDbuZ5pC8GsD-lGEMFcQbqCsLDDAwT5XrX-1gkouNwCm35bpdYsxLRjtSjTSynIq6QtESWavCoUJ-Odn1JSwpK8fKxoMByUHHlI5iMYf_QlOxrjjQlQ_oE1n2LzsC_12SgzmuCjuokieKdEy7YHG/s4030/IMG_6168_Original.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4030" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTeqRwkWvkwilmEEisUHe0AAfskGWBzGbMkm3RrDbuZ5pC8GsD-lGEMFcQbqCsLDDAwT5XrX-1gkouNwCm35bpdYsxLRjtSjTSynIq6QtESWavCoUJ-Odn1JSwpK8fKxoMByUHHlI5iMYf_QlOxrjjQlQ_oE1n2LzsC_12SgzmuCjuokieKdEy7YHG/w200-h150/IMG_6168_Original.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Interview</b> -- 2 minutes to interview your partner and learn as much as you can about their day.<br /> Focus on asking follow-up questions to get more information.</li><li><b>Needfinding</b> -- where do you see opportunity for design? Problem to solve? Design something to make your partner smile?</li><li><b>Ideate</b> -- 2 minutes to brainstorm (sketch or write) 3 or more technology-based innovation ideas for partner</li><li><b>Plan</b> -- sketch your prototype with as much detail & pseudocode as you can (5 minutes)</li><li><b>Rapid Prototype </b>-- choose the best innovation idea for partner, then rapidly prototype using one of the tools/skills we learned in computer science (in this case, Scratch, Python or Circuit Playground Express)</li><li><b>Share & digital gallery walk</b> -- "present" to your partner by posting your creation with a description in our Seesaw learning portfolios</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">CS + Design outcomes</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kDgPuY4xNxu9_Ek0YtscqKR76HlX5JBZibUSnsRsDsRu86oXAJrzt4m_fU26fltY4OQ9iI6ks8E7yN63G2Swjc7UdUpFxsYBilQbOKXwXgDRY_gSh2FvfUCEP-KkgeKNhAiUCTfBICZHdKI34B6KDT1m7yEC_j7rmOqiZrgogrdXv5b7fDiyFEMc/s1593/IMG_6171_Original.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="818" data-original-width="1593" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kDgPuY4xNxu9_Ek0YtscqKR76HlX5JBZibUSnsRsDsRu86oXAJrzt4m_fU26fltY4OQ9iI6ks8E7yN63G2Swjc7UdUpFxsYBilQbOKXwXgDRY_gSh2FvfUCEP-KkgeKNhAiUCTfBICZHdKI34B6KDT1m7yEC_j7rmOqiZrgogrdXv5b7fDiyFEMc/s320/IMG_6171_Original.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />From hairstyle/clothing-picker apps to automated pet feeders, bedroom alarm systems to customized video games, and emotional regulation apps, students blew me away with how thoughtful & creative they were in their designs. <div><br /><div>This project-based format gave me an opportunity to see whether students could apply some of their CS learning in an authentic way. In this format, students are not graded on how well they can code. Rather, I am more interested in their planning and understanding of concepts that we've covered-- can they identify a coding concept that might be useful in their prototype & can they find relevant resources to support that plan?<br /><p></p><p>Integrating design thinking mindsets into my students' computer science work also allows them to think about how they might apply their skills in the future, and how various computer science skills can be used not only to make fun things, but also to make things that can help others.</p><p>Subsequently, many students did find themselves learning new programming & making skills in the process. As they were planning their prototypes, they found inspiration in MakeCode or Scratch tutorials and integrated what they already knew how to do with new ideas and techniques they may not have used before, allowing for a personalized learning experience wrapped into an assessment piece.</p></div></div>@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-53461962613098176982021-11-22T07:55:00.004-08:002021-11-22T08:35:10.760-08:00Raspberry Pi Pico Plushy Nightlight for Baby<p>Toward the end of September, as autumn arrived, the weather started to change, the days became shorter and the nights became longer, we took our 2 1/2 month old son out one evening for a ride in the car. We noticed that as it started to get darker outside, and baby boy could no longer see anything in the car, that he started to whine and fuss until we turned a light on in the backseat.</p><p>And so, I decided to try and use my new Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller to make a plushy nightlight for baby boy's car seat.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Brainstorm</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5vX7KmIhVbvZV1NZ6nnCDjYc-uLGZFcd8rFfLmEn804WqXEZXT3u9O_on3bYlaxGAgi5xfWPdGBpYG0hisCof-gEqMLExbX0Wl2lo9JYbhYm9pQq2QccHmEf4nfrxMoM4cZPKADQxPM/s2048/IMG_2897.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Plans sketched out on paper for Raspberry Pi Pico Pillow prototype" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5vX7KmIhVbvZV1NZ6nnCDjYc-uLGZFcd8rFfLmEn804WqXEZXT3u9O_on3bYlaxGAgi5xfWPdGBpYG0hisCof-gEqMLExbX0Wl2lo9JYbhYm9pQq2QccHmEf4nfrxMoM4cZPKADQxPM/w240-h320/IMG_2897.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>My goal was to use a light dependent resistor to create a pillow that would sense the light levels in the car and signal the LEDs in the pillow to light as it got dark outside.<p></p><p>I'm a decent sewer, but not an expert by any means, so I had to keep the design simple. My original goal of sewing the plushy into some cute shape was quickly scrapped and replaced with a basic rectangular pillow shape, with a pocket on the back for holding a battery pack, and LEDs sewn inside to shine through the fabric. </p><p>I also planned on sewing velcro straps onto the back of the plushy so that I can hang it on baby boy's car seat or stroller.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Process</h3><p>This was my first Pico project and I was really happy to find that both the "Getting Started with Raspberry Pi Pico" guide on the <a href="http://projects.raspberrypi.org">projects.raspberrypi.org</a> page and with the <i>Getting Started with MicroPython on Raspberry Pi Pico</i> book made it incredibly easy to learn how to program the Pico. I was up and running in minutes, blinking my first LED! </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><u>Coding</u></h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Once I had my first LED blinking, I started playing with PWM so that I could pulse the lights in my<br /> pillow. </li><li>Then, I researched how to program a photoresistor (LDR) using MicroPython. I'd never used a photoresistor successfully before on my Raspberry Pi 3s, but I found a <a href="https://peppe8o.com/how-to-use-a-photoresistor-with-raspberry-pi-pico/" target="_blank">really simple tutorial</a> online that helped me to get the photoresistor connected and programmed on the Pico fairly quickly.</li><li>With my LEDs pulsing and my photoresistor sensing, I put both programs together into my final project. I created a function for "twinkling" lights and a function for "no twinkle", then programmed the Pico to pulse the LEDs on/off randomly depending on the level of light in the area. </li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz_t3UR5kfW12dzT7VNER8_vSTqzHoVhWySnyTrU6j7PbLWJpwP4MFtRPKKYJvYHymD-IsD07dtGXmJgjZqEw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><u>Soldering</u></h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLio7005Pxx0WwvCEi71_D2Tp2knIDeBYDwHiVOofXP3kRdhpWvTfJ9b0liPRIEX-SWFPJbqkI6pKisDCH3WtBUQv-iEg9LQMLdbjhRGXmrHVBy4w9W-so8-V6P8V98m_rf9Cqhj8IJnc/s2048/IMG_2465.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Used needle-nosed pliers to bend LED legs into loops." border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLio7005Pxx0WwvCEi71_D2Tp2knIDeBYDwHiVOofXP3kRdhpWvTfJ9b0liPRIEX-SWFPJbqkI6pKisDCH3WtBUQv-iEg9LQMLdbjhRGXmrHVBy4w9W-so8-V6P8V98m_rf9Cqhj8IJnc/w200-h150/IMG_2465.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Up to this point, my LEDs were loosely connected to the jumper cables by sliding the LED legs into the female ends of the cables. With everything running smoothly I decided to go ahead and solder all the cables and LEDs together for a more permanent connection.</li><li>This was my first time soldering LEDs to cables, so there was a bit of a learning curve for me. First, I stripped the cables. Then, for the purpose of sewing the LEDs into the pillow, I used needle nosed pliers to bend the legs on the LEDs into the circles, and wrapped the jumper cable wire around the legs of the LEDs. </li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuZFMy1MPJv3D02iMnDY-bO8CL0uCyqKbi2VnPD7BzK6lHsugZue7nLVyl3vxaYU9QEo4KYn5GzBkUNqJosrczmG2169g9aRApmvIFc0tQZeBfR61LYHw4AwGwtm3sM1qBUJ1Ng7bo4c/s2048/IMG_2622.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Soldered jumper cables onto LEDs" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuZFMy1MPJv3D02iMnDY-bO8CL0uCyqKbi2VnPD7BzK6lHsugZue7nLVyl3vxaYU9QEo4KYn5GzBkUNqJosrczmG2169g9aRApmvIFc0tQZeBfR61LYHw4AwGwtm3sM1qBUJ1Ng7bo4c/w240-h320/IMG_2622.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>I also bent the legs on the photoresistor in a similar fashion and wrapped the jumper cables to the LDR & its resistor in the same way. </li><li>Finally it was soldering time. Not having done a ton of soldering in the past (aside from soldering leads onto Raspberry Pis) this was a great learning opportunity for me. I ended up with some messy cables, but they all work! </li><li>Later on I found a great & <a href="https://youtu.be/n8jBvWkCA4c" target="_blank">simple tutorial on YouTube</a> with some practical tips for a cleaner & maybe easier way of soldering together jumper cables and LEDs that I want to try next time.</li></ul><i>(Yes, I could have purchased pre-soldered jumper cables & LEDs, or sewable LEDs and conductive thread, but when I dreamed up the project, the goal was to prototype the pillow using what I already had around and not to spend a lot of money on new materials.)</i><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><u>Sewing</u></h4><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Sewing commenced next, and this is when the project got more complicated. I didn't want to buy a whole bunch of new materials, so I stayed away from expensive conductive thread and (after some searching online for <a href="http://www.wearabletutorials.com/making_leds_sewable_for_wearables_conductive_thread/" target="_blank">LED sewing tips</a>) played with ways of using regular diodes and sewing them into my pillow. </li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwmki71oVUDnTgoL5oOmhPKkGzYzJt8COJgFmNgzNY4d7H4oKpFsb1xvEmVq7MmcxB4AerVEFXuqWYDJIvTMdeT9BYzbQM4Q-srgeKZp1KFPQPlttCHfBcnAtNWNbDVSpTMaEMXqGkFo/s2048/IMG_2717.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Sewed LEDs onto the fabric using the looped legs & thread" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwmki71oVUDnTgoL5oOmhPKkGzYzJt8COJgFmNgzNY4d7H4oKpFsb1xvEmVq7MmcxB4AerVEFXuqWYDJIvTMdeT9BYzbQM4Q-srgeKZp1KFPQPlttCHfBcnAtNWNbDVSpTMaEMXqGkFo/w200-h150/IMG_2717.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I am also not a master sewer (I know enough to put together some basic projects, and a Halloween<br /> costume from time to time), so please excuse the not-so-pretty stitch work. After getting the LEDs sewn into patterned fabric, I sewed the pillow backing to the front along one edge (by hand unfortunately, as I do not have a sewing machine at home).</li><li>Luckily I was able to schedule time at my mom's house where there is an actual sewing machine. It was there that I realized that sewing in my pocket would be easier with the front and backing separated, so I tore out all of stitches to start again. </li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCxkQ3ktGpB04OrMMgUSb01caHb0tw_Y0uy4oJ8LZp0hcouSch1P3-eYBfNRqtYvnx5_Zdt-pWwQZeU20-uIg1qCgawYFqaybfOKPan2bXFqM1bgKGbuKECwhyphenhyphenozMPo4xlnisRptDs_I/s2048/IMG_2815.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Sewing a button hole" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCxkQ3ktGpB04OrMMgUSb01caHb0tw_Y0uy4oJ8LZp0hcouSch1P3-eYBfNRqtYvnx5_Zdt-pWwQZeU20-uIg1qCgawYFqaybfOKPan2bXFqM1bgKGbuKECwhyphenhyphenozMPo4xlnisRptDs_I/w150-h200/IMG_2815.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><br />I also decided that a button hole might allow me to run a power cable from the pocket into the microcontroller inside the pillow, so I learned how to sew a button hole with the machine, then attached a pocket to hide the hole, and finally I sewed the pillow backing onto the front, leaving the bottom open for stuffing.</li><li>I used standard polyester crafter's stuffing to stuff the pillow, making sure that the Pico microcontroller was still easily accessible. </li><li>Then (home again with no sewing machine, sadly) I hand-sewed a hem on the bottom edges of the pillow before then sewing the edges together. However, after closing up the pillow, I decided that I wanted to still be able to access the Raspberry Pi Pico inside, to update the code or in case of troubleshooting, so I ripped out the stitches and started again, this time leaving a small opening and attaching Velcro connectors that I could use to open and close the pillow.</li></ul></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="Pico & stuffing inside pillow" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1L-vvTeqIzHQBOWEz2Dss5GJ4lIPVFu9qBifXHbvoE7fgU2c1Uya6FMDIQ-3pA1jjHjyJg3LyWZVzvvcH4T5eyuUID2L-1Q-T7xl7b5lIyZjhwDByJtyT21Yjno6U0rAnZenecBC9rzA/w150-h200/IMG_2831.JPG" width="150" /> <img alt="Photoresistor sewn into corner of pillow" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Q9_GcFw4kOOMll31BDHzTN5hLYWcwjjMuicZOZLQhT0FUXcpxb745Gm39r48J940m3efvXabDHZ287cAeI_6RMCsKVm7j8XbM1WNrH6UHKXG9YuWpRSSrn5-cx-P8pF_lDO1Y3zq7FU/w150-h200/IMG_2862.JPG" width="150" /> <img alt="Pocket sewn on back of pillow" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4C1fQYgOhOU0TgZAHdSgzQwC0Ml7qOjLCPNpS-uqcYfmfMHpk1PRJ-pVvidAio864zCJ4P-ojkPGRzB49dCE52wsr3IC5z-yIDqQRtelD-OqEC1TDrIRW8h4rOUgf0-rGG0ORBfIWdH0/w150-h200/IMG_2861.JPG" width="150" /> <img alt="Cable inside of pillow, strung threw button hole" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguEuvte9817m0aHVubcFQhV3Si8xYsnb7hG7UZONB_Y1caegIJ57_OzfJP3Frh0j6yKklUnNeM3uiBypZklZwz-tT0If-eqDCx_-_z2xrH5bZVFq2bZ3uEbesjhteishOsh5eFqoFz8-4/w150-h200/IMG_2863.JPG" width="150" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Final Product</h3><div>I didn't end up sewing the straps on the back of the pillow, but may go back and add those later on. I also would like to find a smaller battery pack to run the microcontroller, that is more easily hidden in the outside pocket, but otherwise I am happy with the way this first attempt turned out. </div><div><br /></div><div>The pillow is small enough for baby's stroller and car seat, and adds a nice, soothing lighting effect to the back seat of the car when the sun goes down.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Velcro opening" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-M5ERQTijmMgwMKah7ja5ztJw-QM4NLicoB658u9Z0hnqw_cc7GBmpvkYmZL4gou1q-wzaQk2X_EN7TkyEWN8V-4LidzX6T4PaID1_xMxXTlg1AzD-xGzu_Gy3qNStesSNImANKqlzfA/w200-h150/IMG_2864.JPG" width="200" /><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><img alt="Pillow in car seat" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1gRo2u0AXgyzM-oZXh363w7P5aD7AMPzA8tVFhUpYN5mGJ0s3q5YV2U2d7J679AIl6e7gowIRahdHA99WYPZ9_LXpbf7hiMkzV9jArHD1-qFreJxM8_NdpE9VDT6nn-SbPDpOJVnUFg/w200-h150/IMG_2867.JPG" width="200" /> <img alt="Pillow in crib with LED lit" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5gBChfsZkAetPBkpyDD_19LMpm_Mh5nlj-yBEE-gqRY18_VP8uf82qc_YP7_Ca-BDoJo1z47bKyFA2EBNSVd_rkdf81u-fS-rnOrH-pG3DaL8I1nQJJmb8K79z_5cOxQKBO14clBNiw/w200-h150/IMG_2895.JPG" width="200" /><br /><br /></div><br /></div><br /><h3><br /></h3><div><br /></div><h3><br /></h3><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzOQepvNm36MHC98k3HI5S83jblSQlpLbpwXVlHbOSslYU1blbBbxErvUvPZOTuYudqW0bCH04GGYbxhPDsJA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3>Resources</h3><h3><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/projects/getting-started-with-the-pico/6"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/projects/getting-started-with-the-pico/6</span></a></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><a href="https://peppe8o.com/how-to-use-a-photoresistor-with-raspberry-pi-pico/" style="font-weight: normal;">https://peppe8o.com/how-to-use-a-photoresistor-with-raspberry-pi-pico/</a></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.wearabletutorials.com/making_leds_sewable_for_wearables_conductive_thread/">http://www.wearabletutorials.com/making_leds_sewable_for_wearables_conductive_thread/</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #196ad4;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://youtu.be/n8jBvWkCA4c">https://youtu.be/n8jBvWkCA4c</a></span></span></span></span></li></ul></div></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Code</h3><div><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">from machine import Pin, PWM, ADC</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">import random</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">from time import sleep</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">photoPIN = 26</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">blue1 = PWM(Pin(20))</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">white1 = PWM(Pin(16))</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">blue2 = PWM(Pin(14))</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">white2 = PWM(Pin(11))</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">blue3 = PWM(Pin(7))</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">white3 = PWM(Pin(3))</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">blue1.freq(1000)</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">def readLight(photoGP):<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>#function to access photoresistor</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>photoRes = ADC(Pin(26))</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>light = photoRes.read_u16()</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>light = round(light/65535*100,2)</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>return light</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">def twinkle():<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>#function for twinkling lights</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>light = [blue1, white1, blue2, white2, blue3, white3]</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>for i in range(10):</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>pulse_light = random.choice(light)</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>for duty in range(65025):</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>pulse_light.duty_u16(duty)</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>sleep(0.0001)</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>for duty in range(65025, 0, -1):</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>pulse_light.duty_u16(duty)</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>sleep(0.0001)</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">def no_twinkle():<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>#function to turn off all LEDs</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>light = [blue1, white1, blue2, white2, blue3, white3]</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>for duty in range(0):</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>light.duty_u16(duty)</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>sleep(0.0001)</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">no_twinkle()<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>#start with all LEDs off</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">while True:</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>print("Light: " + str(readLight(photoPIN)) +"%")</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>light = readLight(photoPIN)</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>if light <= 5:</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>print("It's dark... let's twinkle some lights")</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>twinkle()</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>else:</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>no_twinkle()</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>sleep(1)</p></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3>@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-65397656156596577342021-04-09T10:22:00.002-07:002021-04-09T10:22:52.616-07:00"BUG Books": student-designed design work<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1358" data-original-width="1018" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Wxw-SmrQCSxE8QidphZZVfiQP_kmK8CPoKvICWq7jECHDOg6ScnFziYHY7vkIOqYJYD_u0JPA9HT6aaX5i5npY8yGIYamVbBSqh1Mdg7H4jsIctxb9Cl5It542s0t64o227_UkSzjhc/s320/Bug+list+%2526+research+lesson.jpeg" /></div></div>Inspired by one of Stanford's design school classes, I recently launched the second year of "BUG books" with my 2nd grade students. The process starts with students sketching or writing a list of as many things as they can think of that bug or annoy them. Once students have a fairly extensive list generated, we shift mindsets and look at our lists as opportunities for design. Students then choose 1 "bug" to focus on, turn it into a "how might we"-style research question, research currently existing solutions for that challenge or problem, and then ideate their own innovations or solutions for improving the issue.<div><br /></div><div>The "BUG books" have quickly become one of my favorite units of work each year, as this project-based approach to learning provides authentic experiences for students and integrates academic skills in a meaningful context that keeps students engaged. And because of student's connections to the topics, the quality of student work, and effort put into each phase, is so much greater than we would see on a more "traditional" assignment or worksheet.</div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br />Empathy & insight</h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBGQbpFB-RlnoB31Pg3Y4r2bVqbgnr5xG55O2ltlwOkr-O2Si-wWZvYcQa3HGLAd54HkmZ8b6ey1XnSqamGcBJHzOVX4cGAX_jw_X9MKeZxGcDQZaWwXlcVoOayXvDDw1GNMguYMZ9pw/s1659/bug+list.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1244" data-original-width="1659" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBGQbpFB-RlnoB31Pg3Y4r2bVqbgnr5xG55O2ltlwOkr-O2Si-wWZvYcQa3HGLAd54HkmZ8b6ey1XnSqamGcBJHzOVX4cGAX_jw_X9MKeZxGcDQZaWwXlcVoOayXvDDw1GNMguYMZ9pw/w320-h240/bug+list.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>While it's easy to assume that students this young might tend toward more superficial topics for their research, prompting students to think about topics that really bother them, versus just topics that they are interested in, has led to more meaningful and impactful work. Their choice of topics has been incredibly insightful for myself and my team; we've learned a lot about our students based on the work they've designed. In the last two years, our 2nd grader's research questions have addressed everything from anxiety to bullying to inclusion to mental & physical health issues, such as: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"How do I stop biting my nails?"</li><li>"How do I make more friends?"</li><li>"How do I get my sister/brother to play with me more?"<br /></li><li>"What can I do about my allergies?"</li><li>"How do I help my family stop fighting so much?"</li><li>"How do I help myself get up earlier in the morning?"</li><li>"What do I do about bullies?"</li><li>"How do I stay safe from germs?"</li><li>"How can I make school better/enjoy school more?"</li></ul><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIpIcxVHTFaWm_ubmuFrfZ80Io6jKAy8M2qWc-l08Q7_xKn9P84_lzPNksuciZe7tlfD1_OeW81J_yt14_TPOdadA2HJ8m_xE3tXCWpxeEF5UDdr3gJUUKge-nyU3f9Vzyh6QbgiVH7k/s1024/example+research.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1024" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIpIcxVHTFaWm_ubmuFrfZ80Io6jKAy8M2qWc-l08Q7_xKn9P84_lzPNksuciZe7tlfD1_OeW81J_yt14_TPOdadA2HJ8m_xE3tXCWpxeEF5UDdr3gJUUKge-nyU3f9Vzyh6QbgiVH7k/w200-h127/example+research.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Research & digital literacy skills</h3><div>For our young students, this is the first major research project any of them have worked on, so we integrate mini-lessons on the skills they'll need for the work. Topics include:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Where do we research?</li><ul><li>We generate a list whole group of where we go to learn things (not just the Internet)</li><li>We teach them about search engines & start them off with "kid-friendly" and teacher-vetted search engines... and then if they cannot find what they need, they can venture off onto Google</li></ul><li>Reliable resources</li><ul><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWu7tpb7k1XVxkQM7fa-ecMW1wfSwvnLWCeCCy_zGPZYrzJTLYZQ73BgD_506hHkIRnJGFFvuEODr5pfQFwbhaOYOQGD9ZL_WCUaBsPsPDuuVOUR8MEV4tinNcu5HSSiawspPUoH-xq0/s517/example+research2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="455" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWu7tpb7k1XVxkQM7fa-ecMW1wfSwvnLWCeCCy_zGPZYrzJTLYZQ73BgD_506hHkIRnJGFFvuEODr5pfQFwbhaOYOQGD9ZL_WCUaBsPsPDuuVOUR8MEV4tinNcu5HSSiawspPUoH-xq0/w176-h200/example+research2.jpeg" width="176" /></a></div>How to vet your resources (especially online)</li><li>How to cross check information that you read online</li></ul><li>Crafting search terms for web searches<br /></li><li>How to read for information</li><ul><li>Up to this point, literacy in K-2 has leaned heavily on "learn to read" & not as much on "read to learn"</li><li>We also discuss how to use our text features to help us locate information we need in a long article</li></ul><li>How to take notes</li><li>How to write about what we learn</li><ul><li>Summarizing versus plagiarizing</li><li>Creating topic sentences in our writing</li></ul></ul><div><br /></div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Thinking like design thinkers<br /></h3></div><div>Once students have formulated their research questions and collected information about the problem, as well as existing solutions or recommendations, we dive into our design work. </div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Define → Students analyze what they have learned in their research.</li><li>Ideate → Students brainstorm as many ideas as they can for either innovating an existing solution OR creating their own solutions</li><li>Prototype → Students choose 1 innovation from their brainstorm (the one they think is the best or has the most potential for being helpful) and prototype that solution</li><li>Test → Students test the solution they prototyped and collect data on it's effectiveness</li><li>Reflect & repeat → Students reflect on their tests and reiterate on their designs as needed</li></ol><div>Unfortunately, last year's design work was interrupted by COVID-19 school closures and so we never made it beyond the ideating phase. This year, I look forward to moving students through the entire design process, and seeing what ideas they choose to prototype and test in an authentic situation.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2JrS6qoHHAjKg9-5MyaT92uzyRs56ZBP_N09P-54Or3pAJw836RoNsPyCbmeEMswuMWWzloGscBAjDMZ2J2TXfvfmcKiiX177uWGvbFUknXS6LYrwcPE6CvXdu48Ergd7US7udUSUhY/s1600/libteratory+design.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The design model includes noticing & empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, testing, reflecting" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2JrS6qoHHAjKg9-5MyaT92uzyRs56ZBP_N09P-54Or3pAJw836RoNsPyCbmeEMswuMWWzloGscBAjDMZ2J2TXfvfmcKiiX177uWGvbFUknXS6LYrwcPE6CvXdu48Ergd7US7udUSUhY/w640-h480/libteratory+design.png" width="640" /></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Modifying for a blended class setting</h3><div>As I mentioned, our school site closed unexpectedly last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak. School shifted to a full time online format from March 2020-March 2021, and so much of our design work had to itself be redesigned. What typically launched as a project involving a lot of brainstorming and sketching on paper needed to change for this year's launch. Below is a list of ways that we redesigned our "BUG books" and design work for a blended or online model:</div><div><h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://jamboard.google.com/" target="_blank">Jamboard</a></li></ul></h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0um-eDqnwmEIrSFVk68og8jsOQ5t-baXPTrrhzQmLCV_KKsWUNJuOxWGQB79-Ecc5y8GA5h322WeXlDIZgNwgIkW50htd4GxkLhyXrkxERSpkSxBQEUUktjknWR5KKrAPPd9o8Y_hdmc/s1422/Example+bug+list.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="example of a bug list started on paper & uploaded into Jamboard" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1422" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0um-eDqnwmEIrSFVk68og8jsOQ5t-baXPTrrhzQmLCV_KKsWUNJuOxWGQB79-Ecc5y8GA5h322WeXlDIZgNwgIkW50htd4GxkLhyXrkxERSpkSxBQEUUktjknWR5KKrAPPd9o8Y_hdmc/w320-h181/Example+bug+list.png" width="320" /></a></div>We used Jamboard to launch our "bug lists" this year. Students could either sketch or write on<br /> screen OR keep a list on paper and then upload a photo of that paper into their Jamboards</li></ul></ul><h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Google Classroom</li></ul></h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>I used Google Classroom to manage each piece of the project instead of pushing out 1 large packet of work like we did previously</li><li>Because "bug lists" are an ongoing project (we took 2 weeks just to populate our lists), I would set a due date on the assignment, and then extend the due date and manually move the project up on the Classwork tab each time students were "reassigned" to add more to their lists. The moving due date ensured some accountability and that students didn't wait until the end of the 2 weeks to start their lists.</li></ul></ul><h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="1128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz41c_lPAwF5keiR2cOu3KQHReoDUJEMp563GrzWD12mCCvml3tBc7mHtGuFm7ptOBop1uoyDleAsfKQr_9P_T4bNuCPtBelRIqnDAOGPKgjHM3IMe81NU4Z5Qkyzyi0IySzzQxZzXWnk/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-04-09+at+9.44.33+AM.png" width="320" /></div><li><b>Clever </b></li></ul></h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>Clever is a single sign-in system our district uses that also allows us to create landing pages for frequently used apps</li><li>I created a custom page and section in my Clever account where students could find links to vetted websites for starting their research</li></ul></ul><h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Flipped mini-lessons</li></ul></h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>I used <a href="https://www.screencastify.com/" target="_blank">Screencastify</a> to create mini-lessons on everything from created a bug list to writing a research question to modifying search terms and more. Students were assigned to watch these lesson first on their own time and start their work independently. </li><li>During our live sessions (either online or now in-person during our hybrid class model) we can jump right into reviewing what work they've done so far and then customizing the days lessons to what each individual needs support in.</li></ul></ul></div></div>@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-23263340652155709432021-03-16T08:25:00.004-07:002021-04-09T10:23:13.334-07:003-Act Math Virtually: redesigning the lesson for distance, hybrid or flipped learning<p>When we were first thrown into our emergency distance learning format 1 year ago, we kicked off our new online classes in survival mode. Students spent a lot of time those first weeks completing lessons on adaptive learning apps. But as we settled into our new model of school, I wanted to get back to a mathematics model based more on inquiry and hands-on learning. </p><p>One of my favorite inquiry-based math models are the <a href="https://blog.mrmeyer.com/2011/the-three-acts-of-a-mathematical-story/" target="_blank">3-Act Math tasks</a> (originally developed by educator <a href="https://blog.mrmeyer.com/" target="_blank">Dan Meyer</a>), which are designed to inspire curiosity in students and an authentic desire to solve a mathematic problem. </p><p>In our online (and soon-to-be hybrid) format, I've had to redesign the method of delivery some to allow for inquiry, collaboration and experimentation in math during both our synchronous and asynchronous times of day. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">3-Act Lesson Resources</h3><p>Since Dan started the 3-Act model, several other educators have become regular developers of 3-Acts, and there are lessons available for all grade levels: </p><p><a href="https://gfletchy.com/3-act-lessons/" target="_blank">Graham Fletcher's 3-Acts for K-5</a> (scroll to bottom of page for even more resource links)</p><p><a href="https://tapintoteenminds.com/3acts-by-author/kylepearce/" target="_blank">Kyle Pearce 3-Acts for grades 3-12</a></p><p><a href="http://robertkaplinsky.com/lessons/" target="_blank">Robert Kaplinsky 3-Acts for K-12</a></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Presentation with slides & Google forms</h3><p>Several years ago I started converting my favorite 3-Acts lessons into a slide deck format. The slides were a nice way to help me not only reveal one step at a time, but to also help me plan ahead and remember what questions I wanted to ask as we were working through the task. </p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="200" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTKFHN_t6iGxKXZ6GLZB5VMNvHs7BULV_KPFgJC5X4Pmp3u_Qlc3byRDZOyZ-tsyDUzQLn4dRk-jMwp/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="320"></iframe> <iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="200" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRqaWhR1ViLoFkj5GNJ0P_yP8mXcUdLWkRJ2JuBJLwYjMpEOwQpZQd0hSdmDkzdXpYdZSepDbG5Dkpq/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="320"></iframe></div><div>In our virtual setting, it's a helpful way to present online, and take notes that students can see clearly during our classroom conversations. The slides also make it easy to download individual pages that I may want to share to students during asynchronous works times via Google Classroom or another digital management tool.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumN9ztcpMmarwK2i97FC3uU1nZZ5725PFzFAKQZJod9crHC1581DZshr2Q5i7_E5Nf7FDRvqzgZRxoK5S5DoISNlUwlsNYfZeI4y48hZpek3m9OZC97DPvkegH2fJFqFX9bRdIJRsU0Q/s1314/Screen+Shot+2021-03-14+at+9.43.09+AM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1314" data-original-width="870" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumN9ztcpMmarwK2i97FC3uU1nZZ5725PFzFAKQZJod9crHC1581DZshr2Q5i7_E5Nf7FDRvqzgZRxoK5S5DoISNlUwlsNYfZeI4y48hZpek3m9OZC97DPvkegH2fJFqFX9bRdIJRsU0Q/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-03-14+at+9.43.09+AM.png" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I also recently tried using a <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kyFBcKYHF96msCUa8ZMw3BPx_WYGX08FCrSxIyriG-k/copy" target="_blank">Google Form</a> to present and guide students through a 3-Act task. After discussing as a group, the form gave students an opportunity to also record their individual thoughts and work. And using multiple sections in a Google form is a great way to still manage the Act 2 and Act 3 reveals to occur after students have generated their own questions and thoughts about the "math mystery" presented.</div><div><br /></div><div>With a significant amount of our day asynchronous, or in smaller synchronous groups right now, the format of using a Google Form also allows me to assign some 3-Acts as independent work or to small groups to work on in a breakout. While I prefer the collaboration of discussing a 3-Act task whole group, I've also found success (once students have practiced the task several times) in letting some small groups lead these tasks on their own (especially my students needing a math extension) or starting the task with a whole group notice/wonder and then letting students work independently on solving before reviewing our work again as a whole group.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Jamboard for collaborating & visualizing thinking</h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DnzQ0IKKDz8sRurSrW8jLytZJkT1unRmAJJRRNciwO29ZuBQanHF-q_pbWhFBQXWMmW9hjFdhlL0wcVa-qBjkZLWBD4mOQ1UG3-Gsvt3BrPq1DXs3EFT3Ulp-HMWkfmEVGgxFD0UBRU/s1422/It+All+Adds+Up_+Copy+of+3-Act+Jamboard+template+1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1422" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DnzQ0IKKDz8sRurSrW8jLytZJkT1unRmAJJRRNciwO29ZuBQanHF-q_pbWhFBQXWMmW9hjFdhlL0wcVa-qBjkZLWBD4mOQ1UG3-Gsvt3BrPq1DXs3EFT3Ulp-HMWkfmEVGgxFD0UBRU/w200-h113/It+All+Adds+Up_+Copy+of+3-Act+Jamboard+template+1.png" width="200" /></a></div>Google's Jamboard whiteboard app has been my new favorite tool in the last year for digital collaboration. It's been simple for my 2nd graders to learn and use, and gives us a lot of options for both group work and individual work. </div><div><br /></div><div>Jamboard has become my tool of choice for our virtual notice/wonder activities. It gives me the options of doing all of the recording on the page, or allowing students editing access to write thoughts on the board themselves. Jamboard also makes it easy to manage separate pages for my small groups as I repeat the 3-Act task with each group. I can create templates for each part of the task by uploading pre-made images, duplicate pages quickly for each group's notes, and even download individual pages to share with teams or students as needed.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div>Students love being able to draw on a Jamboard screen, collaborate with their team, or upload images of their work on paper. Assigning a 3-Act Jamboard to students via Google Classroom (either a collaborative board or as a "copy for each student") has worked well for students' estimating and submitting their thinking about the task. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1422" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFrx9hgL0EPUobe82d6czz8KcSRE1WWxz3DHGxouBx9zHtxgES-rdY5ZvbfVMuFY7-hDWxz85FDLBoXnd4sExaNvEPWZyASn7ZUbmvYXP9hmtg1YjfV-OJ8AljVYenwG7vl2k-xcvC28/w200-h113/Jamboard+estimating+example.png" width="200" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1422" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2GN1NfhL3sDrPdcc4Rrb5dDKJTyQf6dR6K2zZqrk5jMnSYKeFpZPUW3sSzS3XbBp8S3V_gB9Zxrw5C_JfhZQ9xl3uqtdXOgh9JjRjjLg73c4F3fcGlTPRZ1fl74xXhm1mJTivhLwEy4/w200-h113/Jamboard+sharing+work+example.png" width="200" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2v7i-UHm063Nmgjjw2U0ZgjWqo0oxoxLPdB6HNg-3or0bXimI_UqLPgASdgQigai_68af4ZC-v4xVZvXSUUiaqBPZbLMyvzZUCCQ1sz5ift7YbAOdcY-SqtJS7B3bMfSNkrTktwcde8s/s1584/Screen+Shot+2021-03-16+at+8.08.50+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1584" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2v7i-UHm063Nmgjjw2U0ZgjWqo0oxoxLPdB6HNg-3or0bXimI_UqLPgASdgQigai_68af4ZC-v4xVZvXSUUiaqBPZbLMyvzZUCCQ1sz5ift7YbAOdcY-SqtJS7B3bMfSNkrTktwcde8s/w200-h103/Screen+Shot+2021-03-16+at+8.08.50+AM.png" width="200" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Structuring the task within new time constraints</h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZvRAht2qE_gqUi8nfJl-9c4ZWjCrwwdHgCAiLRL35sDry7L3pYC7iC1KIl6_5BIBY3rvkDWkiy5DqEnbumTFUhtCM_M2dPxYVpuris59k1YdiCg4F-qVAmVTBUHomVU5EUWdPa7AcG0/s1508/Screen+Shot+2021-03-16+at+8.22.49+AM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZvRAht2qE_gqUi8nfJl-9c4ZWjCrwwdHgCAiLRL35sDry7L3pYC7iC1KIl6_5BIBY3rvkDWkiy5DqEnbumTFUhtCM_M2dPxYVpuris59k1YdiCg4F-qVAmVTBUHomVU5EUWdPa7AcG0/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-03-16+at+8.22.49+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>In our distance model (and soon in our hybrid model) we've spent more time working in small groups for shorter stints of time, instead of having long blocks of live time together like we did in class. For that reason, I've restructured the 3-Act tasks to happen over the course of 2 or 3 small group sessions. The tasks are already designed well with natural breaking points, so we typically cover Act 1 (the hook, the notice/wonder, the estimating) in our first session, and Act 2 (the release of more info + work time) in another session and Act 3 (the reveal and reviewing our work) in a third session. </div><div>Sometimes, Act 2 can start in a live group and then continue independently. This has given students an opportunity to work at their own pace to continue thinking about and solving the problem, so that everyone has something to share when we return to our small groups for Act 3.</div><div>This model has also worked well in our typical, in-person classroom setting for assigning some 3-Acts as an extension activity to small groups of students.</div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Links to my "virtual" 3 Acts</h3><div><a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WxdQ0S41k0IxSnQcUj3uG6PwUMFNyY6-?usp=sharing" target="_blank">"Downsizing Tomatoes"</a> materials</div><div><a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14x24kbUnASjAriVst1hx0fep_m7qMbzc?usp=sharing" target="_blank">"It All Adds Up"</a> materials</div><div><a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cUHRPBcHsgdtG5RhIf-_qZ_pwQarkJta?usp=sharing" target="_blank">"Cover the Floor"</a> materials</div><div><a href="https://jamboard.google.com/d/1ak4akh-ZgO7BD6IqyA5XC3QfG-a9GM74TvxP76vcehU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">3-Act Jamboard template</a> (for recording work)</div><div><br /></div>@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-14287319855156878972021-02-06T10:55:00.002-08:002021-02-06T10:56:39.574-08:00Personalized Programming Pathways: developing student-led learning in CS & coding<p>I'm trying to rethink the way that I teach my students about coding. I've always been a fan of a project-based approach over any other, and this year I started thinking about how I might also make that experience more personalized to my students' interests and needs. </p><p>Having spent nearly a year teaching 2nd grade online during this pandemic, personalizing the learning experience feels even more important now than ever before. I am constantly seeking out ways to motivate, inspire and engage a group of 7 and 8 year olds who are all having to do this school thing more on their own than ever before.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ad3f94;">Design Challenge</span></h3><p>Most recently, my latest experiment was to pose a programming design challenge to a group of my more advanced learners. In math, we've been spending a lot of time on strategies for adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers and I noticed that a majority of my students were still having trouble mastering their early facts (sums/subtraction within 20), which is then getting in the way of their work with larger numbers. </p><p>So, the problem that I posed to my programming groups was: "design a math video game to help other 1st & 2nd grade students practice their math facts".</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ad3f94;">Process</span></h3><p>Honestly, I'm figuring out this process as we go. I knew a group of my students needed something more challenging to work on, I knew they enjoyed the coding we'd done so far this year, and I wanted there to be a design element since we are a design-focused TK-8 school. Most of the decisions I've made about the process have happened on the fly (i.e. the night before the next assignment or the day of). Here's what we've come up with so far:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_y_KLQqDZVJqGVRlg2XEQUBGhRW8mAR6j3CBtF0CIXevkMEM7KbBDb6xwnwab5yeYzPcHk0IU6jrQPY_p_1jsOoUkwYUBDSShGFEvLjs65Wm2zYGghtE8gHbWVPL-Map_RLyYxZEjDac/s813/Screenshot+2021-01-25+at+1.32.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="813" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_y_KLQqDZVJqGVRlg2XEQUBGhRW8mAR6j3CBtF0CIXevkMEM7KbBDb6xwnwab5yeYzPcHk0IU6jrQPY_p_1jsOoUkwYUBDSShGFEvLjs65Wm2zYGghtE8gHbWVPL-Map_RLyYxZEjDac/w320-h245/Screenshot+2021-01-25+at+1.32.27+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><b>Sketch out or storyboard a plan for your game with pencil & paper<br /></b></li><ul><li>Label what the user will see on the screen</li><li>Label what the user will have to do or accomplish</li><li>Label any buttons or interactive elements you think you might want to have</li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Conference with teacher about your plan</b></li><ul><li>Think about what coding and design skills you already have</li><li>Create a list of skills you need to learn in order to move forward with your game</li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Complete coding mini-lessons</b></li><ul><li>Skills assigned to individual students based on their requests</li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Use what's learned in mini-lessons to build out video game prototype in Scratch</b></li></ul><div><b><br /></b></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ad3f94;">Personalized Coding Pathways</span></h3><div><br /></div><div>I conferenced with each student individually to review their plans and determine what skills they already knew and what coding & design skills they would need to learn in order to realize their project. I was impressed to see that they were able to identify quite a few skills that would better help them to create what they wanted. They didn't necessarily use all of the coding terminology in their descriptions, but I went ahead and added the vocabulary terms as we went along.</div><div><br /></div><div>After meeting with each student, I looked for patterns in their requests and I've started developing mini-lessons and challenges to help them learn and practice new skills. </div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><u>My lesson design plans:</u></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Keep it short to ensure that students are able to maintain attention and so as not to overwhelm their <a href="https://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/cognitive-load/" target="_blank">cognitive load</a> for new material. </li><li>Package each mini-lesson into a "hyperdoc" format with <a href="https://udlguidelines.cast.org/" target="_blank">UDL design principles</a> in mind-- text option, video option, lots of visuals-- so they all have different ways of accessing the new content. </li><li>At the end of each mini-lesson, students complete a mini-make to demonstrate understanding (by following along with a video example & customizing as they like). </li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div><b><u>So far students have completed mini-lessons (in Scratch) on:</u></b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Using the ask/answer blocks </li><li>Using selection/conditional statements (if/then/else blocks)</li><li>Creating & using a score keeping variable </li><li>Creating & using lists</li><li>Creating a game timer <i>(coming soon with the help of another wonderful educator in Canada, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/afmcdnL" target="_blank">Andrew McDonald</a>)</i></li><li>Creating a side-scrolling effect in game <i>(coming soon)</i></li></ul><div><i><br /></i></div><div>So far, so good. Students have maintained engagement and are starting to incorporate their new programming skills into the actual games that they want to build. </div><div><span style="color: #ad3f94;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ad3f94;">Additional Personalization Plans</span></h3></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">1) Build out collection of mini-lessons</h4><div style="text-align: left;">As students start building out their final game prototypes, we'll continue to revisit their individual learning needs and I can create additional mini-lessons based on those evolving needs. Ideally, I can accumulate a collection of mini-lessons that can be used with future classes and hopefully in the CS class I'm designing and opening at our school site next year.</div><div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>2) Badging</b></h4><div>In the future, I'd also like to add a gamified element to the learning process to help students celebrate their learning, track their growth, and identify peer "experts" that they can learn with and from. </div><div><br /></div><div>This year I successfully launched a <a href="https://mshaughs.blogspot.com/2020/11/using-badging-system-to-level-up.html" target="_blank">digital skills badging system</a> with my 2nd graders, and in years past I used a similar badging system in a cross-grade level digital making/programming explore class for 2nd-4th graders. I'd like to combine and expand on the badging system to use in my CS classes in the future.</div></div><p></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Gr 2-3 Ss 💚 earning their Pi programming badges in our "Hacking Minecraft Pi" + phys computing class. Thx for the idea <a href="https://twitter.com/thehughes2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thehughes2</a>! So motivating & great tool for assessing learning! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CUSDRockstar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CUSDRockstar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MakerEd?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MakerEd</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Picademy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Picademy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/K2CanToo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#K2CanToo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSk8?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSk8</a> <a href="https://t.co/V83nRezo4I">pic.twitter.com/V83nRezo4I</a></p>— Amanda Haughs (@MsHaughs) <a href="https://twitter.com/MsHaughs/status/1235700225748025344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2020</a></blockquote><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>3) Peer & Self-assessment process</b></h4><p>I'd also like to embed more self- assessment and possibly peer assessment in the process. In our online format this year I've lost momentum with the self-assessment process that had become such a regular routine in the classroom. I am still using learning targets to help students clearly identify the specific goal they are working toward, but trying to get back to a self-assessment process to support more reflection on their learning and next steps.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaz9AJqC4GJSjDtxvvpA9rLWmdk_1hB-wKblp92ojYQtqxBwVTZwzFBhaFHZmY1HV4f_w_j7JcB0qPb-ueABHuDPmxm-31pmjl4JXJs8Eh1vGkF9wmE8-Jz22cm8SNVz7lttuH43N6Hco/s1580/CS+learning+targets.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="CS learning targets example" border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="1580" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaz9AJqC4GJSjDtxvvpA9rLWmdk_1hB-wKblp92ojYQtqxBwVTZwzFBhaFHZmY1HV4f_w_j7JcB0qPb-ueABHuDPmxm-31pmjl4JXJs8Eh1vGkF9wmE8-Jz22cm8SNVz7lttuH43N6Hco/w640-h318/CS+learning+targets.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-1917564365886634052020-12-01T21:14:00.000-08:002020-12-01T21:14:10.754-08:00Scratch Voting Apps-- a design-based CS project revamped for distance learning<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllCKry_jv1fQeJR2fJz0ahzJhyAAygq5Q0X3dCrzUemo_PBF7DsceOWLQtUj-J1DdwN5Vh4DHkmO8n-5lcTHI-R647QRjmTzEbjkqCkVH0wSt1NpAAsKzciVFr8uz9CnvF2WkTPMrWVo/s1914/Screen+Shot+2020-12-01+at+8.57.52+PM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1404" data-original-width="1914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllCKry_jv1fQeJR2fJz0ahzJhyAAygq5Q0X3dCrzUemo_PBF7DsceOWLQtUj-J1DdwN5Vh4DHkmO8n-5lcTHI-R647QRjmTzEbjkqCkVH0wSt1NpAAsKzciVFr8uz9CnvF2WkTPMrWVo/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-12-01+at+8.57.52+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>For the last four years around October/November I've enjoyed launching my government & voting unit <br />with my elementary students followed by a computer science-based design challenge in which we introduced students to some basic coding concepts by creating a digital voting booth. <p></p><p>Usually I get to use the project to introduce students to physical computing (where they learn some circuitry by creating working buttons with a Raspberry Pi and program the buttons in Scratch). This year, since we are still teaching 100% online, I made a few adjustments for our online format, and wrapped the unit within a design thinking method.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">How Might We Make it Easier for More People to Vote?</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCZgMce9BjWRZsE575ldFjnnis57SmbMp5d7AmUDaI3qqpCoRi2bk6eY_LRCE6dYTRn08BqLEW5mrvJ_gQS8mtS0wg_cvMsRwB8_Bu7zQ0QUF-o9FjM2GDa1jm-NBA218NkI73syc4U0/s1422/Voting+%2526+Laws+1.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1422" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCZgMce9BjWRZsE575ldFjnnis57SmbMp5d7AmUDaI3qqpCoRi2bk6eY_LRCE6dYTRn08BqLEW5mrvJ_gQS8mtS0wg_cvMsRwB8_Bu7zQ0QUF-o9FjM2GDa1jm-NBA218NkI73syc4U0/w320-h181/Voting+%2526+Laws+1.png" width="320" /></a></div>With this being a presidential election year, my students were hearing a lot about voting this year. And one of the major topics in the news was about helping more people to vote during a pandemic (and to increase participation generally). This current event inspired our guiding question, 'how might we make it easier for more people to vote?'<p></p><p>Our first steps as designers were to learn more about voting, and then to ideate around how we could create systems or items that would make it easier for people to vote. Students suggested everything from door-to-door ballot collectors to apps, buttons installed in our homes to mobile polling places, text messaging services to ballot delivery drones. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Planning our Voting App</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0iRP_xpspIIFtqVYMfVLNH72u0WBckM5CDXHusHesxQcBJYPv9Ti3hnF2GCcobgAOAU6RpbgHlpiMf5j3VXeYf_UnSrBmTJ54Cs_R1N3zVocO3od7wjSEk4kGkNibSuwcSAa9BXnOt8/s1422/Ideating+--+voting+apps+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0iRP_xpspIIFtqVYMfVLNH72u0WBckM5CDXHusHesxQcBJYPv9Ti3hnF2GCcobgAOAU6RpbgHlpiMf5j3VXeYf_UnSrBmTJ54Cs_R1N3zVocO3od7wjSEk4kGkNibSuwcSAa9BXnOt8/s320/Ideating+--+voting+apps+2.png" width="320" /></a></div>Before we launched into app development, I then tasked the 2nd graders with ideating around what <br />features they thought our app should have in order to be accessible by many different types of people. I prompted them to think about what helps them learn and understand best. I was impressed by their thoughtful ideas around accessibility elements (sound, images, clear instructions), security and ease of use.<p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Coding Lessons</h3><p>For the last several years I've taken a project-based approach to teaching programming to my students. Students begin to learn by copying, and then play with and customize those basic programs to learn more. I have also learned that my students prefer more pictures and lesson text in their coding lessons. </p><p>For this project, I took my previous lesson deck, took out the physical computing, updated it for Scratch 3, and simplified it even more (one to-do per page; a few images and even less text). </p><p><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b><i>**slides embedded at the end of this post**</i></b></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Facilitating the Coding Lessons</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLa_3Sy8ILFtJYauvtJ9vKUtMgOKSGfnjYPjk7XHUBcnDgjZtwvlgkBDqDr1bjVHKpz5960lA1hXygk7V6u1ndLfJXiR8t7crac_uDLkpRjWDWm6mtYoFWO-znmMR28XZbEstTnJ4-Ms/s1392/Screen+Shot+2020-12-01+at+9.11.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1228" data-original-width="1392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLa_3Sy8ILFtJYauvtJ9vKUtMgOKSGfnjYPjk7XHUBcnDgjZtwvlgkBDqDr1bjVHKpz5960lA1hXygk7V6u1ndLfJXiR8t7crac_uDLkpRjWDWm6mtYoFWO-znmMR28XZbEstTnJ4-Ms/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-12-01+at+9.11.30+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>Previously all of my 2nd graders completing a name animation as their introduction into Scratch, so students had limited knowledge of coding with Scratch, but did have some. The coding work was done during a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions. The only explicit direction was when I <br />taught students how to use the lesson deck and then students followed directions in the slide deck at their own pace to learn how to create and program digital buttons. <p></p><p>I also chunked out the lesson slides into smaller sections. Part 1 was copied into a smaller deck and assigned separately from parts 2 and 3, so that students could achieve small successes along the way to their final prototype.</p><p>As students got stuck or needed help, they were able to get support from peers, 2 parent helpers that volunteered to work online with students twice a week, or from myself. I am lucky to have a Go Guardian district account that allows me to view all of my student's work screens while they are online, so I could talk students through finding what they needed while viewing their screens or sending a quick text message in the Go Guardian platform. When working with our parent helpers or in breakout rooms with their classmates, students could take turns sharing their screens to get the help that they needed.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Presenting our Prototypes & Soliciting Feedback</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mrMkx1vA8Wg1W6MnRLCDLDuwQ3u9S-ChXYlJtFB5zs6YMAQKqll_F6G3zfIxSWy_MyNnzuUD6aPj6KfQXZ6HtX5ppT9GYVxqd6AiFXaCzWfI9Mimr9u8aBVa94DE6bjCUJC0plYuDfE/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-12-01+at+8.56.48+PM.png" width="320" /></div>New this year, I invited several guests (2 board members, a classroom parent and our school principal) to test the students' voting app prototypes and provide some feedback for improvement. It was incredibly motivating for students to know they would have a real audience for their work, and a good opportunity for students to learn how to accept and use feedback, and to reiterate. After the presentation, all students were required to make useful updates to their projects and then publish their second or third iterations to their Seesaw portfolios.<p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">What We Learned</h3><p>The design thinking approach to this project was a positive update that encouraged more thoughtful work, grounded in empathy, and having an authentic audience for their prototype showcase was a great motivator for students to learn deeply and practice their programming skills carefully. They wanted to showcase work they were proud of, and that kept them engaged in the project for hours at a time.</p><p>Next year I look forward to bringing back the physical computing aspect of this project, as well as improving in our empathy work, by finding community members that we can talk to about voting habits so that we have real data with which to guide or design work.</p><p><br /></p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQdg_IHuttXpOb9rVVn4oTIrGq-5v353V53oTXJNu2CIzFux3JYl6W5IzKusKBAlgKKuXjA70a_ey4i/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe>@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0California, USA36.778261 -119.41793248.4680271638211551 -154.57418239999998 65.088494836178853 -84.2616824tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-45686143396336410512020-11-23T08:33:00.003-08:002020-11-23T08:33:54.192-08:00Using a badging system to "level up" students's digital skills<p>Every year my 2nd graders learn quite a lot of digital skills over the course of the year. This year, in distance learning, I needed my students to pick up a lot more digital skills a lot faster than they would need to in a normal school year. So I set up a gamified system to explicitly teach students the skills that they would need to be able to navigate their Chromebooks and online classroom more independently, and hopefully to motivate them to complete those lessons.</p><p>I started by brainstorming a list of all of the skills and tools that I thought they might need, and then I broke those skills down into sets of even smaller skills. I wanted the lessons to be no more than 2-5 minutes each, with clear outcomes, so that students could celebrate little successes along the way and maintain motivation to keep going. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hqkBq-hQEjFBS183O-uSqElBkuxuteCOLuDewhir58IU4QGMEixh6EM2pTS65rZMnEYtfWtsu2XJcJ_cSThZ50e5rMWrX31P1fT7ST6KLSVP2rwZlxzkaaS6azyFC-jWJIANsVHtxmo/s1730/Screen+Shot+2020-11-23+at+8.07.55+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hqkBq-hQEjFBS183O-uSqElBkuxuteCOLuDewhir58IU4QGMEixh6EM2pTS65rZMnEYtfWtsu2XJcJ_cSThZ50e5rMWrX31P1fT7ST6KLSVP2rwZlxzkaaS6azyFC-jWJIANsVHtxmo/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-11-23+at+8.07.55+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>For example, learning how to use Google Classroom has turned into a whole series of mini-lessons including:<p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>How to use "classwork" view"</li><li>How to open an attachment on an assignment</li><li>How to use the "mark as done" button</li><li>How to unsubmit</li></ul><div>...and the list goes on. </div><div><br /></div><div>I pushed out the lessons in order of need (and added lessons to the list as new or unforeseen needs arose). The first lessons were about logging into our Chromebooks, how to take a screenshot (they'd need that a lot to submit their evidence of mastery), how to bookmark a website and how to use Clever (our single sign on app). </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8w0o7LE4A0yj79HTRkDFA2owvQerfPGlcN7YVOYMwgbsYDLugBrdXWya3Y-cHx9Ech7sPihr2afOUqWYYYsxv72JQp8IKQi1FJdEQWS6nUf3UnunLp4ntmluvszeh_wdXPl0B_pMndRM/s1318/Screen+Shot+2020-11-23+at+8.16.29+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="1318" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8w0o7LE4A0yj79HTRkDFA2owvQerfPGlcN7YVOYMwgbsYDLugBrdXWya3Y-cHx9Ech7sPihr2afOUqWYYYsxv72JQp8IKQi1FJdEQWS6nUf3UnunLp4ntmluvszeh_wdXPl0B_pMndRM/w200-h194/Screen+Shot+2020-11-23+at+8.16.29+AM.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />I create each lesson in a Google Form. It's been the most straightforward way for me to package the lessons and the simplest way for me organize submissions as they come in. Most forms include either a video mini-lesson or a step-by-step graphic, followed by a specific task the students need to complete to demonstrate mastery of the skill and earn their badge. At the bottom of each form is a space for students to upload their evidence (using this tool on a Google Form was also one of the early mini-lessons), usually a screenshot, but as time has gone on, sometimes students create audio files or video files to show their learning.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>--> Click links to view <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfa1aDzhFc1A4-_8Zt_0eIUEjC9Zi3aRxRtZlGcoDMY13EwuQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank">example 1</a> & <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOWSQai-4Xz9eTJlk62NuLaOlWhk8O3VS7d-pGujPFa4q29w/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank">example 2</a> of the mini-lessons</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9T2AKLd9h0YSJ94h_I223Jl-GgZpdYDNd3fZ0qbaCA0Z-HbI-Big9maqRSoG_wTvqyFUQ1o8Dx3jcpFeRj1GqCHTGty95xbdH5oaoskTMC8cOY8zB0ycjBAUU8Yt1NOlBfDQPSoPo4nE/s960/Intro+to+Gmail+badge.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9T2AKLd9h0YSJ94h_I223Jl-GgZpdYDNd3fZ0qbaCA0Z-HbI-Big9maqRSoG_wTvqyFUQ1o8Dx3jcpFeRj1GqCHTGty95xbdH5oaoskTMC8cOY8zB0ycjBAUU8Yt1NOlBfDQPSoPo4nE/w200-h150/Intro+to+Gmail+badge.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /></div><div>As students demonstrate mastery of each skill, they earn a digital badge celebrating their accomplishment. I create simple badges in Google Drawings and download them as .png files to paste into a spreadsheet where the students can view their badges. I'm sure there are ways that this can be automated, but since I manually have to check the evidence that they submit anyway, this works just fine for me, and isn't any more work than assessing any other assignment.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>--> Click to <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19MZPW_64uc8hN_8XP1ei2t5DkCr3gr_N?usp=sharing" target="_blank">view badges</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div>While I would like all of my students to participate in the skills badging, they do not. But, those who do participate are having fun "leveling up" when they get a chance, and others can use the spreadsheet to see which students are "experts" in which skills, and then tap those students for peer support when needed. And with all the lessons archived in our Google Classroom, any student that wants it has the opportunity to go in and complete older lessons to earn those badges.</div><div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>--> Click link to view <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-vB5q7VWwPz_VaSc1JXIq_x_MU-Ds7kR1EHckIOW7rs/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">example of spreadsheet</a> with badges</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, the majority of students enjoy the lessons and have fun trying to collect as many badges as they can. I've noticed that my students did learn how to use their Chromebooks more proficiently and quickly this year than years past, and I plan to continue this practice even as we return to the classroom.</div><div><br /></div><div>-----------------------------------------------</div><div><i>**This system was inspired by a badging system I used last year to differentiate and individualize computer science instruction for my elementary students. Those resources will come in a future post.</i></div><p></p>@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-72584679699921861332020-10-24T09:45:00.005-07:002020-10-24T09:46:29.840-07:00Strategies for Supporting Self-Direction in K-2 Students in Distance Learning--> UPDATED<p>Distance learning has definitely put my Masters in Digital Learning Design to the test in the last year! Our schools closed last March, and a couple of months later I wrote a post about how my 2nd grade team was designing for online learning that allowed our young scholars to be self-directed at home. </p><p>Now, since we will likely be in some type of distance learning format through the end of the school year (whether fully online or some type of hybrid or blended model), I wanted to share some up-to-date tips for supporting more student self-direction at the K-2 level, based on my (and some of my colleagues's) experiences this year having to train students in a fully online format in self-directed routines.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><u>Provide explicit technology training for students </u></h2><div style="text-align: left;">Do not assume that students in the digital age will be able to figure it out on their own (or that parents will). Explicit technology training & tutorial videos help our students learn use devices and apps more quickly. Plan on reteaching every time you introduce a new tool. I know it can be hard to "give up" live class time for tech training, but putting in the work up front to help students learn the tool means that the technology is less likely to get in the way of their learning once you start using the tool with curriculum.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i><b>What tech tutorials might you provide to students?</b> </i></h4><div>Consider not just app tutorials, but what general tech skills students (and families) might struggle with at home, or what new challenges might arise when sharing a computer at home. <a href="https://youtu.be/wELV--pFi34" target="_blank">Click to view </a>an example of a tech mini-lesson we recorded for our 2nd graders.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some of the topics that we developed training on included:<br /></div><div><ul><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Tluw5Pyl5KURHfhzow3YRNzolNLPprXjzNKQaGzAqtbW12p6x-8CpeKIcQp_RyeF8pcspUt4ng-G_cxXTxZoFNAE0Fa7Ltkkzl5FkSsEyaoJOj5QNCUTEcRjDGMCK6n2bgLj6mLC7Ag/s1830/Screen+Shot+2020-10-24+at+9.27.18+AM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="1830" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Tluw5Pyl5KURHfhzow3YRNzolNLPprXjzNKQaGzAqtbW12p6x-8CpeKIcQp_RyeF8pcspUt4ng-G_cxXTxZoFNAE0Fa7Ltkkzl5FkSsEyaoJOj5QNCUTEcRjDGMCK6n2bgLj6mLC7Ag/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-10-24+at+9.27.18+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>How to create & navigate multiple Google profiles on a shared computer</li><li>How to use multiple tabs in your internet browser</li><li>How to use ZOOM (both on a Chromebook or on a tablet)</li><li>How to view & turn in work on Google Classroom</li><li>How to find & turn in activities on Seesaw</li><li>How to use our online reading curriculum</li><li>How to use our online math curriculum</li><li>How to copy & paste links/web addresses</li></ul><font color="#0f9d58"><b><i>Tip--></i></b> try to record screencasts using the student view of an app. Open an incognito browser in Chrome, log into one of your students' accounts (with permission from the student, of course), and screencast the app exactly as a student would see it rather than from the teacher app.</font></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYePnI0fmoTieI8wqRNFZtbBllonWhhyphenhyphenEEt6fSATeSB2po-QhjgLtQ2DVvU5YzqPxXCEKKaN8R1agGPOQEBPpikMwD6tH0a5T1IW-92xDP9mzl0RKxA5Nocd4Q4sr6exP0_HuB0NBBW2E/s1316/Screen+Shot+2020-10-21+at+7.07.01+AM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="988" data-original-width="1316" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYePnI0fmoTieI8wqRNFZtbBllonWhhyphenhyphenEEt6fSATeSB2po-QhjgLtQ2DVvU5YzqPxXCEKKaN8R1agGPOQEBPpikMwD6tH0a5T1IW-92xDP9mzl0RKxA5Nocd4Q4sr6exP0_HuB0NBBW2E/w200-h150/Screen+Shot+2020-10-21+at+7.07.01+AM.png" width="200" /></a></div>Technology "badging" system</h3><div>We also started a technology badging system for students. Students earn digital badges for learning and demonstrating technology skills. They get excited about collecting badges and they are learning a lot of skills in the process. I started creating the badges in Google Drawings, and I paste them into a Google Sheet as students earn them. <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1N151JOAEpJrxAM-3_T9B_zEEJfZT1pTaRawKOXrb1GE/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Click to view </a>an example of a badging lesson.</div><div><u><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></u></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><u>Google Classroom in K-2</u></h2><div>After lots of trying, failing, and changing the way we do things, the following ideas have helped make Google Classroom much more accessible for our primary-aged students and emerging readers.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Create "Topics" in Google Classroom</b></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6By0-XLVY3Wv1fmMDA0mWRKy85NRZ7nCqZUMn4rYBEgtpMuUBcWb9UdhneekRGGF3N2FpMWAj9Yoke0PjLngc0F2aBxov7yJSZKnbhkj4-eYDTY45jcOXAwvpG6Heue1iZ7ZE_Lc0iCU/s1328/Screen+Shot+2020-10-23+at+7.35.01+AM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="1328" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6By0-XLVY3Wv1fmMDA0mWRKy85NRZ7nCqZUMn4rYBEgtpMuUBcWb9UdhneekRGGF3N2FpMWAj9Yoke0PjLngc0F2aBxov7yJSZKnbhkj4-eYDTY45jcOXAwvpG6Heue1iZ7ZE_Lc0iCU/w200-h167/Screen+Shot+2020-10-23+at+7.35.01+AM.png" width="200" /></a></div>Topics allow students to filter to assignments for a particular week. Train students to find learning activities on the "Classwork" screen, where topics are listed like a table of contents on the left side of the screen. </div><div><br /></div><div>We create two topics for each week and name them <b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">"Week #.... self-directed (dates)"</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">"Week #... class time with Ms...."</span> </b>Asynchronous lessons get tagged with the "self-directed" topic and resources that we might use during our synchronous class time get tagged with the "class time" topic. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Creating Assignments for young learners</h3><div><ol></ol><ol><ul><li><b>One post per assignment: </b>In the spring we tried a few different formats, but now that we're back to a more regular school day schedule, the work load has increased. We discovered that posting every lesson as a separate assignment allowed students to check off each lesson as they go and use Google Classroom as a "to-do" list of sorts.</li></ul></ol><ol><ul><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3tws9GggnqJ5JxOY0F-OxrvUI__YPTFpr93KHLE_-PLc9-OFE_xKzRcd7pYv3fSfJk2948kTt6z82KpZPqLCKcPrj3m3NBPt917ce_fDw-Bk4pw2Q2hbbem5_akXOf2nPANeVmk7Fls/s1094/Screen+Shot+2020-10-24+at+7.30.46+AM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="1094" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3tws9GggnqJ5JxOY0F-OxrvUI__YPTFpr93KHLE_-PLc9-OFE_xKzRcd7pYv3fSfJk2948kTt6z82KpZPqLCKcPrj3m3NBPt917ce_fDw-Bk4pw2Q2hbbem5_akXOf2nPANeVmk7Fls/w200-h114/Screen+Shot+2020-10-24+at+7.30.46+AM.png" width="200" /></a></div><b>Use emojis 👍🏻</b>: Give students visual clues with emojis. I use emojis often in the assignment names and in the instructions to support emerging readers with understanding instructions. Now, when they see a green book emoji on a post, they know right away that they're doing something in their green phonics books. When they see a pencil, they know there will be some writing.</li></ul></ol><ol><ul><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI17Gq8opVy5bsLqViS8lIaorMlhKqsi3tU3btJoClKHKY5udWKzYha4lMaoofZKtznsl71LP5OEwu4OrsVF8U6c39EqR1qWNYSWqSmaBepFWinR-SsOz12h2xT9TjWqzejUHKaa0jtYU/s1674/Screen+Shot+2020-10-24+at+9.34.32+AM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="1674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI17Gq8opVy5bsLqViS8lIaorMlhKqsi3tU3btJoClKHKY5udWKzYha4lMaoofZKtznsl71LP5OEwu4OrsVF8U6c39EqR1qWNYSWqSmaBepFWinR-SsOz12h2xT9TjWqzejUHKaa0jtYU/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-10-24+at+9.34.32+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><b>Video directions on each post ⏯:</b> I try to record myself reading directions aloud on each assignment post. Videos are always titled "listen to directions..." and assignment name on the back. The "listen to directions...." video are separate from the lesson videos. These are strictly a screencast of me reading directions on a post. If students are confused by directions, or struggling to read, they can read along with me when they watch the video.</li></ul></ol><ol><ul><li><b>Live class meeting links 🔗:</b> This year we organized all of the weekly meeting links into Clever, since our district has an account. That way all regularly used links are in one place-- Zoom links, Google Classroom, Seesaw, Epic, and other creation apps. I created one class meeting link that reoccurs every week, so the link never changes. As did our reading interventionist, our art teacher and the other homeroom teachers. If your district doesn't use Clever, organize Zoom or Hangout links together under one topic in Classroom. Students could use the same links each week for meetings that they need to attend, including links to class meetings, art class, office hours, school clubs, etc. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndqH0d5pLSN-EFZo7HROdFHFDcEXRdMrvPWq0CfR7_cAIRszkLad0M-JPMbN3KEzzo1qSsiuoqXQBJ5S9fN58twtjY1xgA_-3m-GeDL7yh0Qs0GyzuERJLLP5l_GihBWZ9qdJjpW0VQk/s990/Screen+Shot+2020-10-24+at+8.08.51+AM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="852" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndqH0d5pLSN-EFZo7HROdFHFDcEXRdMrvPWq0CfR7_cAIRszkLad0M-JPMbN3KEzzo1qSsiuoqXQBJ5S9fN58twtjY1xgA_-3m-GeDL7yh0Qs0GyzuERJLLP5l_GihBWZ9qdJjpW0VQk/w172-h200/Screen+Shot+2020-10-24+at+8.08.51+AM.png" width="172" /></a></div></li></ul></ol><ol><ul><li><b>Try Mote 🎤: </b><a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mote-voice-notes-feedback/ajphlblkfpppdpkgokiejbjfohfohhmk?hl=en-US" target="_blank">Mote</a> is an extension for Google Classroom that lets you record audio feedback for students in a document or in Google Classroom itself. It has been a game changer! My students love being able to listen to feedback or notes that I leave in comments to them. Mote is also another great way for me to leave a read aloud of instructions on the bottom of a post.</li></ul></ol></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Designing digital lessons in K-2</u></b></h2><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Keep it short ⏱: </b>In a classroom we think a lot about how much time young learners are being asked to sit and listen. The old rule of thumb -- 1 minute for each year of a person's age-- is still true in a virtual setting. Keep it short! If you are teaching 5 year olds, keep the video lessons shorter than that. For our 2nd graders, video lessons are about 6 minutes or less. Any longer (just like in a classroom) and they start to get wiggly and distracted. If they are no longer focused, my lesson is no longer effective. </li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtL8JMBgRgPPPT6pMk35X04Z2NCrZd0ffwAqzG5tJ5wi_jf-sAsEcW2WlCeele_0RxHKi4vzpden3imloUNSjUMKQV5DRJmZWpras4UljBj7LJX8M76ctWK-U1m2UeE0TgJSpaC1YwJU/s1338/IMG_9606.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="1338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtL8JMBgRgPPPT6pMk35X04Z2NCrZd0ffwAqzG5tJ5wi_jf-sAsEcW2WlCeele_0RxHKi4vzpden3imloUNSjUMKQV5DRJmZWpras4UljBj7LJX8M76ctWK-U1m2UeE0TgJSpaC1YwJU/s320/IMG_9606.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">counting collections from home</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Make it hands-on</b> 🧮: I am a believer in constuctivist and constructionist theories that we usually learn best by experimenting and doing. Just because students may not have access to the manipulatives in our school buildings, doesn't mean we can't find ways to incorporate hands-on experiences. My team sent home a box of materials we call "Innovation Kits" with the student's workbooks. The boxes include dice, play doh, recycled materials, colored tiles for counting, a small succulent, a hand full of Lego bricks, and more. Things that cost us little or no money and we weren't afraid to have get lost. We've also had students find things that they already have at home that they can use for math and sciences. This week's counting collections were made up of macaroni, beans, legos, Q-tips, toy trains, rice, and more! </li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Virtual Manipulatives 🎲: </b>There are also a lot of great virtual manipulatives available online for free that students can use to make sense of math and science concepts. <a href="bit.ly/3lV7OlW" target="_blank">Click this link</a> to check out my post on virtual manipulatives for math. For science, we've had students become observers of natural phenomena around them-- plants, the moon-- to allow them to engage in science off the page. <a href="https://mysteryscience.com/distance-learning" target="_blank">Mystery Science</a> is also a great resource for low to no-prep hands-on investigations or printables that you can send home or drop into a Seesaw activity... and they are still offering a free distance learning version of many of their materials. </li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Make it predictable 🤔: </b>Incorporating predictable learning formats lessens the <a href="https://elearningindustry.com/cognitive-load-theory-and-instructional-design" target="_blank">cognitive load</a> for students, allowing them to focus more on the content and less on learning how to use the technology or complete an activity properly. Our phonics routine is a popular one with our 2nd graders-- they love knowing that every lessons starts with a mini-lesson video by my colleague, <a href="https://twitter.com/thehughes2" target="_blank">Mrs. Hughes</a>, and then typically follows with a workbook page or word work game. Inspired by <a href="https://twitter.com/jcorippo" target="_blank">Jon Corippo</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/mhebern" target="_blank">Marlena Hebern's</a> <a href="https://www.eduprotocols.com/" target="_blank">EduProtocols</a>, we've also created a new set of reuseable templates for learning routines in math and reading, including some <a href="https://mathreps.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">#MathReps </a>activities, <a href="https://app.seesaw.me/pages/shared_activity?share_token=OxmWZLAOTaivjiVwaRXj2g&prompt_id=prompt.fc962f92-8710-404d-a32e-3f99f9c2739b" target="_blank">counting collections</a>, frayer models for vocabulary and <a href="https://app.seesaw.me/pages/shared_activity?share_token=vKRHVaPUSeCHznkFWDEtXw&prompt_id=prompt.3aff4311-10d0-49dd-9e17-fc43a5defcc9" target="_blank">story maps</a> (click to see our <a href="https://app.seesaw.me/#/activities/library?profile=pub.person.aab61041-6065-47ee-8de2-bd0a1efaf2d8" target="_blank">shared templates</a> on Seesaw). The best part is, we will continue to use these routines when we go back to school, to allow students's more independence in the classroom while I can focus more time to focus on small group teaching).</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6o9pD5jDSfdMt8U-V0Q2FKkZGAjj9sKnUv3WLEAFkpAJFyn-a_brfWuS7arMq0-u-QNlDjiTdqOQJnBNUm2ENLSIBIvt8rGpgAYZwIG_yFJQhQG7mHnmuFWQ6TpFm9_MOeSlMje8APng/s2048/IMG_9496.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="2048" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6o9pD5jDSfdMt8U-V0Q2FKkZGAjj9sKnUv3WLEAFkpAJFyn-a_brfWuS7arMq0-u-QNlDjiTdqOQJnBNUm2ENLSIBIvt8rGpgAYZwIG_yFJQhQG7mHnmuFWQ6TpFm9_MOeSlMje8APng/w200-h118/IMG_9496.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Don't forget opportunities for creating 🎨: </b>While we do like some predictability, we still make sure to make learning fun. As a school centered around design thinking, it's a priority for our students to engage weekly in elements of design, creativity and innovation. Our 2nd graders start every day, as we are all getting logged into our morning meeting, with a "Do Now" creativity sprint. These short warm-ups range from drawing challenges to scavenger hunts to creative math challenges. Our young learners also have opportunities to create digitally with free tools like Scratch or Scratch Jr., Google Drawings, Seesaw drawings, Adobe Spark and more. They engage in low to no-prep art and music lessons (we are lucky to have arts teachers recording lessons, but we've also pulled lessons from YouTube recorded by teacher from all across the country). They make and build their ideas using recycled materials at home.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Design with UDL in mind 💭:</b> If you aren't familiar with Universal Design for Learning (UDL), it is a framework for the design of instructional goals, assessments, lessons and materials that is broken into 3 major guidelines -- engagement, representation and action/expression. What I most appreciate about the model is that it reminds us to design every lesson with all learners in mind. Using UDL guidelines for design ensures that we have scaffolds built into every lesson (no need to create 3 or 4 different versions of a lesson to meet different needs) and help develop agency in our young learners.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKlG6kVeZlewG9poynSg9mZrFtCgsb1QGXZmQzueXMQn6MW0SPzUWkjWaw2pv8YWmKd7C_dNWGnOlnZWnW1FULveRUxpl3FTJL5ZmCo7jXXd5B2kZKqPdzwrOC5Qj6Yl63IxSqUdNgJM/s1518/Screen+Shot+2020-10-24+at+8.56.16+AM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1518" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKlG6kVeZlewG9poynSg9mZrFtCgsb1QGXZmQzueXMQn6MW0SPzUWkjWaw2pv8YWmKd7C_dNWGnOlnZWnW1FULveRUxpl3FTJL5ZmCo7jXXd5B2kZKqPdzwrOC5Qj6Yl63IxSqUdNgJM/w320-h178/Screen+Shot+2020-10-24+at+8.56.16+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><b>Multiple means of representation 📖🎧📺: </b>Design lessons so students have <b>access to text, visuals, videos <i>and</i> hands-on opportunities</b> in the lesson. It sounds like a lot, but once you get into a design routine it comes together pretty quickly. An example-- our independent reading lessons are posted with a story to read, an audio file to listen to while they read along, visuals to help front load vocabulary in a story, and we use TPR (total physical response) to explicitly teach tricky vocabulary or phonics patterns during live lessons. </li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><b>Multiple means of engagement ✏️📹💬: </b>We incorporate <u><b>student choice</b></u> into most of what we do. Literacy choice boards let them decide whether to read, practice word work skills, or write during part of their literacy time. They have similar choice with weekly math choice boards. Students often also have choice of how they demonstrate learning-- type or hand write, draw or create a digital image, write or speak responses, and in some larger projects students can choose topics of study and/or how they present their learning (video, animation, speech, writing, etc.). Tools like Seesaw, Flipgrid, and Google Tools allow our students lots of choice in sharing what they know.</li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li><b>Goal setting 🎯: </b>Students engage in simple weekly goal setting and reflections. We train them explicitly in how to do this for the first several weeks, and they it become an independent task in which students think about what they need more practice in and/or want to learn this week. They document that goal at the start of the week and reminded throughout the week to keep it in mind while working on learning tasks. This helps them determine where to place the more of their effort, or how to make strategic choices for their learning. Fridays are reflection days and students are asked to think about what new skills they learned during the week, and what they still want to work on the next week.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LAyKsYX5P_bL4ZUVPw2y6oSUibl20TnNbU54gRQYIHtJifWR316zHgz8kjbhOirghs7Emd3Vb3Q6-c-JGcfp-STggoieje_NGFmz8BCnsUAuaoQjNNtZaWc763LdHV9MqMEemvEuj_Y/s1076/to+do+list.PNG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="1076" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LAyKsYX5P_bL4ZUVPw2y6oSUibl20TnNbU54gRQYIHtJifWR316zHgz8kjbhOirghs7Emd3Vb3Q6-c-JGcfp-STggoieje_NGFmz8BCnsUAuaoQjNNtZaWc763LdHV9MqMEemvEuj_Y/w200-h182/to+do+list.PNG" width="200" /></a></div></li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><b>Executive functioning skills 🗓: </b>Students (and many adults) of all ages benefit from explicit teaching of executive functioning skills (i.e. how to self-manage and monitor progress). We start every year with explicit stamina training, timing students during work time to show them how long they work without getting distracted (they love seeing the graph increase over time). This year, we've had to take additional steps to help students develop skills for managing their time at home on their own. We've taught students how to:</li><ul><li>Use timers throughout the day to time their breaks and work sessions (some buy timers, but there are also plenty of free apps and YouTube timers). </li><li>We've explicitly taught them how to use the calendar and to-do list features in Google Classroom. </li><li>We've taught them how to create their own to-do lists on paper (or sometimes provide them with a template). </li><li>We've taught them how to break a task into smaller parts. </li><li>We've taught them strategies for goal-setting and making strategic learning choices. </li><li>I also like to have students teach each other. Just this week, as I noticed students work stamina waning, students shared with each other their strategies for staying focused at home (ideas included hiding toys, using a timer, finding a quiet corner, do everything before a certain time, ask Ms. Haughs for help, etc.)</li></ul></ul></ul></div><div><ul><li><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></li></ul></div>@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-3629539077241610912020-09-05T08:42:00.006-07:002020-09-05T08:44:39.867-07:00Digital Math Manipulatives for 'hands-on' math in K-3 virtual learning<p>Now that many teachers have had to take their lessons online, finding ways to engage students in hands-on manipulation of mathematics concepts is more important than ever. It can be easy to find ourselves wanting to simply plug students into adaptive math video games in this format, but as the CRA model shows (a research-based learning model that uses a concrete - representational - abstract process of introducing students to mathematical concepts), math is more meaningful and concepts more "sticky" when students engage in hands-on and visual explorations and discovery before being taught an algorithm or rule.</p><p>Without access to all of the wonderful manipulatives and tools that we have in our classroom, I've had to get creative about how students can engage in more hands-on, visual and inquiry-based math experiences in my distance classroom. </p><p>Below are some of my favorite online manipulatives for digital math inquiry.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://www.mathlearningcenter.org/resources/apps" target="_blank">Math Learning Center's free math apps</a> </b></h3><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0VuhiyfCngbzIrdLf0N2mJryvgECedHrzsH0bDlcs5lw60Jqcj71U41tG6ZioQ_iSG7mcb4WLT0FIJRosUUo1gwmA_oxRCw22fyYEXQyfkHse7n85IaIpPu_FncrbK6N4alHic1in1Q/s2048/Screen+Shot+2020-09-05+at+8.06.45+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="2048" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0VuhiyfCngbzIrdLf0N2mJryvgECedHrzsH0bDlcs5lw60Jqcj71U41tG6ZioQ_iSG7mcb4WLT0FIJRosUUo1gwmA_oxRCw22fyYEXQyfkHse7n85IaIpPu_FncrbK6N4alHic1in1Q/w256-h149/Screen+Shot+2020-09-05+at+8.06.45+AM.png" width="256" /></a>The Math Learning Center math manipulative apps work on a variety of platforms, and even allow teachers to set up and share out specific tasks to students using a share code. Drop the link to your created task in Seesaw or Google Classroom, and students have quick access to an exploration using virtual tools including number racks, geoboards, number frames, and more!<br /><br /><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;"></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://toytheater.com/category/teacher-tools/virtual-manipulatives/" target="_blank">Toy Theater's virtual manipulatives </a></h3><a href="https://toytheater.com/category/teacher-tools/virtual-manipulatives/" target="_blank"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://toytheater.com/category/teacher-tools/virtual-manipulatives/" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-TjVQ0gzr9G1Z1twEf39ZRL4h1q-lTI15Oesab2ntSduMIRPNYdrLlDgpfT_dEoRHnRWPBMo4CLsVIuWhBn0D6-jyJQga-v7wAjdjrBE9Em63Z5DmwKoTMVQyb66UhBKOx85lyr0TK8/s1500/Screen+Shot+2020-09-05+at+7.19.35+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1500" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-TjVQ0gzr9G1Z1twEf39ZRL4h1q-lTI15Oesab2ntSduMIRPNYdrLlDgpfT_dEoRHnRWPBMo4CLsVIuWhBn0D6-jyJQga-v7wAjdjrBE9Em63Z5DmwKoTMVQyb66UhBKOx85lyr0TK8/w256-h203/Screen+Shot+2020-09-05+at+7.19.35+AM.png" width="256" /></a></div><div>Spinners, dice, place value mats, marble jar, and the list goes on. You can share a link to a specific tool in your platform of choice and students can manipulate visuals and numbers in the Toy Theater's uncomplicated, ad-free, web-based (works on any device) app. Teach your students how to take a screenshot and they can share their work back to you via Seesaw, Google Classroom or an LMS.</div><div><br /><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://seesaw.me" target="_blank"><b>Seesaw</b></a> </h3></div><div>If you're an elementary teacher, you should definitely check out Seesaw. Originally designed as a digital portfolio where students could showcase their work for parents and peers, Seesaw is now also a space for students to demonstrate learning in a variety of ways, and educators to design interactive lessons that allow students to engage with the learning in multiple formats. Seesaw's whiteboard tool includes several built-in math manipulatives within the "shapes" menu including place value blocks and 2-dimensional shapes. You can also upload clip-art using the "image" tool, making the Seesaw whiteboard a great space for designing hands-on learning experiences in math.</div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://hundredgrid.classworks.com/" target="_blank"><b></b></a><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://hundredgrid.classworks.com/" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_5unJDHoaBXQv7WfYs5wOshinYGdrvw83QGIApUmSwwGdVEEgsHGcREE2-APqbtgOePLbOH0gbmF-70rL8nZmQhj1XfvSBNyl7zKdWWlYVlaG4d_jgOumuWdqMeOj6XL4eBwF96TEMA/s1692/Screen+Shot+2020-09-05+at+8.28.26+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="1692" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_5unJDHoaBXQv7WfYs5wOshinYGdrvw83QGIApUmSwwGdVEEgsHGcREE2-APqbtgOePLbOH0gbmF-70rL8nZmQhj1XfvSBNyl7zKdWWlYVlaG4d_jgOumuWdqMeOj6XL4eBwF96TEMA/w164-h132/Screen+Shot+2020-09-05+at+8.28.26+AM.png" width="164" /></a></div><br />Hundreds Grid by Classworks</b> </h3></div><div>This is a fun, stand alone app for exploring number patterns with students. The reason I like this digital hundreds chart over others is that you can use the slider to view numbers anywhere between 0-1000. I like to display this whole group for number talks, using various colors to highlight patterns and practice different count-bys (counting by 10s, 5s, 3s, etc.).</div><div><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-86002b8f-7fff-372d-61bd-09f2f46fc9dc" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img height="" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/0r2X2BNrGFUc6D_l-iqofyAJrnKxI1r5H9dDYJQEJLT_rzYKQXVxI3_eJp20uxrayp4T8cjcOHm0W4bc7zM7XTBX67Q_vXwOjB0h6ZkOMjTQj7icxMru_qts1TZeMYcxJgWqfhsInIE=w228-h171" style="border-radius: 0.5px; border: 1px solid rgb(89, 89, 89);" width="" /></span></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Clipart + Google Drawings or Jamboard</u></b></h3></div><div>If you're feeling crafty, you can also create your own interactive experiences using some downloaded clipart and Google apps. My favorites right now happen to be Google Drawings and Jamboard, or a mashup of both. Recently I've started using the <a href="https://mathreps.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">"Math Reps" Eduprotocol</a> (using a basic template to provide students with the repetition needed to develop skill fluency) plus some free clipart downloads off Teachers Pay Teachers to design a set of math reps templates aligned with our current math curriculum. We push out our math reps as a weekly Seesaw activity and include tasks such as manipulating a number rack, jumping by 10s, using number sticks and place value flats. <br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1tm7oJLFlVQHXCCLzI720gYvAM1wgQMetmtDyp8sKQcQ/copy" target="_blank">Click here </a>for a sample template created in Google Drawings. </li><li><a href="https://app.seesaw.me/#/activities/library?profile=pub.person.aab61041-6065-47ee-8de2-bd0a1efaf2d8" target="_blank">Click here</a> for my Math Rep Seesaw activities for my 2nd graders.</li><li><a href="https://mathreps.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Click here </a>for some Math Reps templates in Google Jamboard</li><li><a href="https://www.eduprotocols.com/" target="_blank">Click here</a> to learn more about Eduprotocols</li></ul></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><a href="https://www.geogebra.org/m/NPDu3rCm" target="_blank">Geogebra</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.geogebra.org/m/NPDu3rCm" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkX2oz0IMK_24HPK1BDkmsFkCOr6zJlyjB0RfwBG2X-96JLzXjN8z1CO8IoYypdZhGEACcper8-RSledATgAp2PuqbFsXrUs9XF-rPyOCe3VHW5g7gAwb_z3B_VIdWyf6qB1mld_FhrYg/s1676/Screen+Shot+2020-09-05+at+8.40.41+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="1676" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkX2oz0IMK_24HPK1BDkmsFkCOr6zJlyjB0RfwBG2X-96JLzXjN8z1CO8IoYypdZhGEACcper8-RSledATgAp2PuqbFsXrUs9XF-rPyOCe3VHW5g7gAwb_z3B_VIdWyf6qB1mld_FhrYg/w256-h180/Screen+Shot+2020-09-05+at+8.40.41+AM.png" width="256" /></a></div><br /></u></b></h3><div><a href="https://twitter.com/dhabecker" target="_blank">Duane Habecker</a> has also created some really nice virtual manipulatives in the Geogebra app including place value disks, color tiles, reknreks and ten frames. I really like the pattern blocks app that locks the blocks into place, making working with the blocks a lot easier than it's been in other apps where they slide around and don't fit up against each other quite right. These pattern blocks and sized just right and fit into a grid that allows for more accurate exploration of composing/decomposing shapes, fractions of a part, and completing pattern block puzzles or artwork.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>DIY Manipulatives at home</u></b></h3></div><div>You can also get creative about helping students to make their own hands-on learning experiences at home. Everything from beans, to egg cartons, to buttons, to string, to building blocks, to measuring cups can be a math manipulative for children to use while learning from home. Have students prep for the next day's math lesson by giving them a suggested list of materials around the house that can be used to practice counting, sorting, graphing, adding, subtracting, multiplying and more. Students can manipulate the materials right along with you during a lesson and take a picture or video of their work in Seesaw, Google Classroom, Flipgrid, etc. to help them share their work and explain their thinking.</div><div><br /><p></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTL6BicpmkLvqnt5L-3WtHCwQ5cCbk1zH4LB4A6upMN5899n2wwwlx3NAVWpSfCmqZmCKOL5t4y3G5y/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe></div></div></div></div>@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-53769184208368055372020-07-02T08:08:00.003-07:002020-07-02T08:14:53.100-07:00Distance learning in K-2: student agency & self-direction while learning from home<div>
I've written and presented in the last couple of years on how we can support our primary students with being more self-directed & independent learners at school, and the last few months of school definitely put all of that work to the test. </div>
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Our schools closed mid-March and after a short break, students were asked to continue work at home via distance learning through the end of our school year (mid-June). While some of our classroom structures and practices did prepare our 2nd graders for working from home, there were also a lot of changes that we had to make from week to work to better support the new learning situations that everyone was in. </div>
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After weeks of reiterating on our lesson design, and numerous meetings and conversations with parents and students, and surveys of both groups, below are some of the lesson design elements and structures that were most successful in supporting more self-directed learning for our young scholars. </div>
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<i><font color="#7baaf7">Note --> The student population at our school is incredibly diverse-- linguistically, economically and in terms of number of students with special needs. With that, our school & district ensured that all students had a Chromebook and internet access at home, which students will get to keep through summer. Our school library also continued to offer a modified book check out system, and our school office organized a packet pick up system weekly for those who needed or preferred paper-based assignments. We also were able to continue offering counseling services remotely to those students who were receiving them before school closed. I mention this because I know that not all schools and students had the same access to devices or resources at this time, and the privileges we enjoyed in our district also directly impact the work that students were able to continue at home.</font></i></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;"><u>Provide tech training & tutorials</u></h3><div>
Our 2nd graders had been using Chromebooks, Google Classroom and Seesaw all year long up to this point, so we assumed that the transition to using these tools at home would be seamless... we were wrong. Plus, we were going to need to use a couple of new tools for distance learning (i.e. video conferencing, etc.) and not all parents were familiar enough with these tools to help their children get up and running at home. </div>
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So we started recording tech tutorial videos and including tech training into our live class time. We posted the videos on a class website that we'd already been using all year (and revamped for distance learning communications), and shared them to students in both their Google Classroom and Seesaw. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EyTexsqTed7mSf0oSvnQZyv3jqm5dWRo39Zg8CuY5ReqzK0H3ZpyFQnJ5UvRJYJcyLVoomWGTXtO6hoilwl3EchB03K9KNBhnxXjJtJMXkov8o_vnUznXdwwr9EcIlhrlZHP32Yz2-0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-05-29+at+8.20.23+AM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EyTexsqTed7mSf0oSvnQZyv3jqm5dWRo39Zg8CuY5ReqzK0H3ZpyFQnJ5UvRJYJcyLVoomWGTXtO6hoilwl3EchB03K9KNBhnxXjJtJMXkov8o_vnUznXdwwr9EcIlhrlZHP32Yz2-0/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-05-29+at+8.20.23+AM.png" width="208" /></a>We also taught them how to view the tutorial videos during our live class time, covering topics including:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>where to find the videos </li><li>how to rewind, pause and fast forward </li><li>how to skip ahead & rewatch a section that best answered their questions</li></ul></div>
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What tech tutorials might you provide to students?</b> </div><div>Consider not just app tutorials, but what general tech skills students might struggle with at home, or what new challenges might arise when sharing a computer at home. Some of the topics that we developed training on included:</div>
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<li>How to create & navigate multiple Google profiles on a shared computer</li>
<li>How to use multiple tabs in your internet browser</li>
<li>How to use ZOOM (both on a Chromebook or on a tablet)</li>
<li>How to view & turn in work on Google Classroom</li>
<li>How to find & turn in activities on Seesaw</li>
<li>How to use our online reading curriculum</li><li>How to use our online math curriculum</li><li>How to copy & paste links/web addresses</li></ul><font color="#0f9d58"><b><i>Tip--></i></b> try to record screencasts using the student view of an app. Open an incognito browser in Chrome, log into one of your students' accounts (with permission from the student, of course), and screencast the app exactly as a student would see it rather than from the teacher app.</font></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;"><u>Parent office hours</u></h3><div>
While this is a post about helping young students be more self-directed, I am also realistic about the fact that we are working with 5-8 year olds who are not going to be completely independent all the time. They are going to need to ask questions, and in this format without their peers and teachers nearby, the people that are most available to them all day long are their parents or caregivers. </div>
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When distance learning first launched, and the emails began streaming in, many of our teachers began setting up regular parent office hours. My team chose to stagger these office hours so that families who couldn't attend an evening session, could choose a morning session, and vice versa. Office hours became a work help, tech help and Q&A session for family members supporting students, and allowed parents a time to connect with, commiserate with, and support each other.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;"><u>Work Flow -- keep it simple</u></h3><div>After lots of reiterating and lots of feedback from students and parents, we knew that we needed to keep the workflow as streamlined as possible. (And I'm sure this will continue to update in the new school year!) What we came up with was a 2-part system for pushing out weekly assignments.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Week-at-a-glance Overview document for families</b></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>This document was mainly for parent and caretakers to use. While we regularly emphasized that it was okay for families to create their own weekly work schedules based on their specific needs/situations during this odd time, many did request that we send home a suggested plan that somewhat mimicked what our school day might look like.</li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>The document was organized by overarching subject area and then noted what assignment was to be worked on each day of the week (see example attached).</li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Google Classroom for students</b></li></ul><ol style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><b>Use topics:</b> After a lot of revising to this system, we finally settled on an organization structure that my teacher fiancé, <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottDenman8" target="_blank">Scott Denman</a>, had put into place with his 5th graders after a suggestion from a colleague-- we created <b>topics for each week of distance learning</b>, with the dates in the topic name.</li></ul></ol><ol style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><b>One post per subject each week: </b>We created one post for each subject area, outlined the whole week's worth of directions in that post and tagged the post with that week's topic. </li><ul><li>The type of work that students engaged in might be in other apps (<a href="https://info.flipgrid.com/" target="_blank">Flipgrid</a>, <a href="seesaw.me" target="_blank">Seesaw</a>, <a href="https://goformative.com/" target="_blank">Formative </a>and <a href="https://quizizz.com/" target="_blank">Quizizz </a>being some of our favorites for our 2nd graders!), but this was always their starting point.</li></ul></ul></ol><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrigrDCZDNmQos2kxhX9vE6o6yEoYtYMK0xQe_cmByeDiXP871hFHktvwSbhk2I9_VWpkfgG4lTCZJz0D1N3rqi0ihEMEMzy6SClTBR-pCiOrN0j_yTsceMbKyCfJFFyRkVzNPtNr-J4/s1645/Screenshot+%252824%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="1645" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrigrDCZDNmQos2kxhX9vE6o6yEoYtYMK0xQe_cmByeDiXP871hFHktvwSbhk2I9_VWpkfgG4lTCZJz0D1N3rqi0ihEMEMzy6SClTBR-pCiOrN0j_yTsceMbKyCfJFFyRkVzNPtNr-J4/s320/Screenshot+%252824%2529.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">organizing Google Classroom</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><ol style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><b>Video overview on each post:</b> Also at the suggestion of my fiance, we began recording screencasts of ourselves reading the directions on each Google Classroom post and attaching the video to the post to support our non-readers or anyone overwhelmed by all of the text in the Google Classroom post.</li></ul></ol><ol style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><b>Live class meeting links:</b> We organized all of the weekly meeting links together as one topic in Classroom. Students could use the same links each week for meetings that they needed to attend, including links to class meetings, art class, office hours, school clubs, etc.</li></ul></ol></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Provide visual & auditory supports into instructions/lessons</u></b></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Emojis: </b>Text-heavy assignments can be overwhelming for adult learners, let alone young <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAFJlKGwu4_nIGAqTVhTFLK9y3MoC5EfuMcna8aTKl8wOab_kJEjIE14WzXMolY23XtETzz3041J-8-q-HvXOSGcrBlpwu8NphZA3OZsxzcF4lXw5qy3X9HJvBW1WTxXVuSabTOzqwGM/s865/using+emojis.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="865" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAFJlKGwu4_nIGAqTVhTFLK9y3MoC5EfuMcna8aTKl8wOab_kJEjIE14WzXMolY23XtETzz3041J-8-q-HvXOSGcrBlpwu8NphZA3OZsxzcF4lXw5qy3X9HJvBW1WTxXVuSabTOzqwGM/w256-h173/using+emojis.png" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">using emojis in lessons</td></tr></tbody></table>learners who likely have not yet mastered the art of reading. Emojis were one way we could break up the text in a set of instructions and give students clues as to what the upcoming sentence might be about. We used emojis as visual cues mainly in Google Classroom, Seesaw and Flipgrid directions. This was especially useful in Google Classroom, which doesn't allow teachers to embed any visuals or videos into posts.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>"Multiple means of representation & expression"-- universal design of lessons:</b> Without the just in time support of their teachers and peers at home, considering UDL guidelines is more important than ever in developing flipped and synchronous learning experiences for our students. If you haven't heard of UDL before, or need a refresher, I've linked resources for learning more at the end of this post.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><b>Video lessons</b>: All of the lessons that we pushed out to students were presented in a video <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfjgPcfc4ZriL_4jR0OTW7VVld_UtW3dwHJ6MY86XJ2RXjAKiCAUVCHFTN_xqlFOcuFBqbQ_D5bXZ5oeYeRel5K45N9C9J2lm6CMBczQb8vYt1nadiyulhlXInnZ4K50674HWqkmUj_M/s1522/video+directions+embedded.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="1522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfjgPcfc4ZriL_4jR0OTW7VVld_UtW3dwHJ6MY86XJ2RXjAKiCAUVCHFTN_xqlFOcuFBqbQ_D5bXZ5oeYeRel5K45N9C9J2lm6CMBczQb8vYt1nadiyulhlXInnZ4K50674HWqkmUj_M/s320/video+directions+embedded.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">video lesson embedded in doc</td></tr></tbody></table>format. Phonics and ELD lessons were screencast, math lessons were recorded in Seesaw and science lessons were sourced from video curriculum providers like Mystery Science. Students could read along in their workbooks or rely solely on the video lesson, but in all cases they had both text and video lessons to support learning.</li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><ul><li><font color="#0b8043"><u><b>Screencasting tips</b>: </u></font></li><ul><li>Keep it short. 5 minutes is my magic number. <i><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11251-009-9110-0" target="_blank">Cognitive load theory</a></i> in learning design explains that our working memories are limited and if we overload working memory when teaching a new concept, learning can actually be hindered. The younger the student, the smaller the chunk of information that they can process in one sitting. </li><li>Try to include your face in screencasted lessons. Students love seeing their teachers faces AND it allows students to process facial expressions and mouth movements that may help them to better process or understand the information that they are learning in the video.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX56uNX0ilzZ2qMYt7qcdb09B8IILgz5TUUxzH3eXRl3UOZG8K21jmFdrghiq4QeVroPnIfc9k-EfCvwwr3sLag47OuseEnQQtekxaW-6b-QbIRrZ2kFUfF4QvxqiDsDbRyLiSlia-J2E/s1126/listen+to+directions.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="1126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX56uNX0ilzZ2qMYt7qcdb09B8IILgz5TUUxzH3eXRl3UOZG8K21jmFdrghiq4QeVroPnIfc9k-EfCvwwr3sLag47OuseEnQQtekxaW-6b-QbIRrZ2kFUfF4QvxqiDsDbRyLiSlia-J2E/s320/listen+to+directions.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">listen to directions attached to post</td></tr></tbody></table></li></ul></ul></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><b>Video & audio read-alouds of instructions:</b> Instructions for weekly assignments, practice pages and quizzes were recorded on video or audio files. For example, <a href="https://quizizz.com/" target="_blank">Quizizz </a>was a favorite tool for quickchecks as we could record ourselves reading each quiz question and answer choices. In Google Classroom, we recorded screencasts of ourselves going over the typed directions on a post so students could both read or listen to the text presented.</li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><b>Diagrams and charts:</b> Some students learn best from visual diagrams or reminders that can be printed out and referenced. Annotated screenshots or visual/icon-based how-to resources (made in programs like <a href="https://piktochart.com/" target="_blank">Piktochart </a>or <a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank">Canva</a>) can be useful for students who are learning how to use a website or need to repeatedly reference step-by-step directions for a task or procedure.</li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><b>Student choice: </b>When submitting their work, we gave our 2nd graders plenty of choice about how they could demonstrate learning. Choices ranged from workbook pages or other paper (turned in by taking a picture and attaching to Google Classroom or Seesaw posts) to video to digital drawings to typed responses to photo collages. Whatever worked best for the students or made the most sense for an assignment was accepted as a work sample.</li></ul></ul></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Executive functioning supports for the win!</u></b></h3><div>During the live school year, several of the 1st and 2nd grade teachers had done work in training our young scholars to make more choices for their own learning using structures such as the <a href="https://www.mathlearningcenter.org/bridges" target="_blank">Bridges Math</a> work places and <a href="https://www.thedailycafe.com/cafe" target="_blank">The Daily CAFE</a> literacy model. </div><div>Part of helping students make choices for their learning also includes giving students resources for understanding what skills they have mastered and what skills they need more practice in. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LAyKsYX5P_bL4ZUVPw2y6oSUibl20TnNbU54gRQYIHtJifWR316zHgz8kjbhOirghs7Emd3Vb3Q6-c-JGcfp-STggoieje_NGFmz8BCnsUAuaoQjNNtZaWc763LdHV9MqMEemvEuj_Y/s1076/to+do+list.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="1076" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LAyKsYX5P_bL4ZUVPw2y6oSUibl20TnNbU54gRQYIHtJifWR316zHgz8kjbhOirghs7Emd3Vb3Q6-c-JGcfp-STggoieje_NGFmz8BCnsUAuaoQjNNtZaWc763LdHV9MqMEemvEuj_Y/w256-h233/to+do+list.PNG" width="256" /></a></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Checklists:</b> In class, our 2nd graders practiced using a template to create monthly checklists of "must do work", including documenting due dates to help them prioritize their work choices during the school day. We realized several weeks into distance learning that this structure might be even more important at home. Each Monday, when we pushed out the week at a glance document to families, we included a checklist document for students to help them develop working goals for themselves throughout the week and keep track of what they needed to complete by Friday.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Goal setting & reflection:</b> Another routine we'd practiced weekly in class, we asked students to continue this practice at home. During the live school year, we assigned a Seesaw goal setting activity every Monday in which students set a learning goal for themselves. Each Friday they would receive another Seesaw activity that asked them to reflect on their Monday goal and whether they felt as if they met that goal. During distance learning, we continued pushing out the Friday reflection, asking students to reflect on work or learning they were proud of that week and to post an artifact that supported their reflection.</li><li><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table></li></ul><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRHgju46FU-DSYA_vryVrUluLy4j8QWZlexSC3TqQUe_p1AMo1W3jskGcRlh68DYezlqo1ZOsAKcwCAR840Ry7NOGGeEiyFqkv9tR7HZM0G_IgsjazXA7aDiwj43R9JKgUrj_uiG7Fm1c/s1174/Screenshot+%252826%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1174" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRHgju46FU-DSYA_vryVrUluLy4j8QWZlexSC3TqQUe_p1AMo1W3jskGcRlh68DYezlqo1ZOsAKcwCAR840Ry7NOGGeEiyFqkv9tR7HZM0G_IgsjazXA7aDiwj43R9JKgUrj_uiG7Fm1c/w320-h140/Screenshot+%252826%2529.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning targets in assignments</td></tr></tbody></table><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Learning targets:</b> In order to help students hone in on what it was they truly needed to be able to do independently after each lesson, we continued to use learning targets in our distance learning model. Learning targets explained specifically what skill students should be able to demonstrate after a lesson, and were included in lesson videos, on practice slides, in Seesaw activities and in Google Classroom posts. Teachers reviewed the targets in video lessons and instructions.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Data analysis for self-reflection:</b> In order to set learning goals for themselves, students needed to know what they still needed to know. During live class time we had data talks with our 2nd graders, reviewing phonics, reading & math assessment data with them regularly so that they knew what skills they had mastered and what they needed to work on next. While distance learning students used data from Quizizz quizzes, feedback/comments from teachers on Seesaw posts and the reflection prompt, "what can you do mostly by yourself, and what do you mostly need help on from family members?" to help them reflect on what learning goals they should be setting for themselves.</li></ul></div>
@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-91372298714318141632020-06-18T07:48:00.002-07:002020-06-18T07:57:05.920-07:00Virtually Code Club: hosting an elementary Code Club online in the midst of distance learning<div class="separator">When we asked our students about the things they really missed the most about school during our shelter in place, the answer was nearly unanimous-- it was their friends and their social life that was the biggest loss for them.</div>
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So in April I decided to launch our school's first Code Club. It would, of course, have to be online, as we'd be sheltering in place for the remainder of the school year, but the goal was to provide students with a place to "hangout" with friends and potentially make new ones. I started by tapping a few colleagues with an adventurous spirit and interest in coding in schools to facilitate the club with me (thanks to the amazing <a href="https://twitter.com/AHamiltonCUSD" target="_blank">Alicia Hamilton</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Cre8ingArtNC14" target="_blank">Kimiyo Cordero</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/MrsLibearian" target="_blank">Sandy Richards</a>!), and then we worked on redesigning the club experience to fit in an online space.</div><div><br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><font color="#7b1fa2" size="5"><u><b>Getting Started </b></u></font></h3>
We decided this club would be for students in <b>grades 2-5</b> (mainly they needed to be able to read mostly independently) and we advertised that students would need to be comfortable working in a self-directed format (i.e. they should not expect us to be teaching coding lessons).<br />
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We didn't put a limit on the number of students that could sign up-- the online format meant that space wouldn't be an issue, and, including myself, we had 4 teachers lined up to facilitate the group. We've discovered through distance learning that having more adults on a video conference is a great way to make sure that more students are "seen" during lessons and allows us more opportunities to provide smaller group and 1-on-1 support when needed.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for timing, we held our live club time once a week for 1 hour. Throughout the week, as students worked independently on projects, they were also welcome to share those projects and "chat" with each other via our Scratch Studio and Google Classroom.</div><div><br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><font color="#7b1fa2" size="5"><u><b>Our Virtual Club Setting & Materials</b></u></font></h3>Our district was lucky in that we had the resources at the start of this emergency distance learning to provide a Chromebook check out to any families that needed them. So all students in our school had access to the club if they were interested, and were either working from a Chromebook or whatever device they owned at home (some on Macs, some on personal laptops, and a couple on iPads).</div><div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9lToWH3Wf6WXCU_xFWqsbEKfQlLM1Lalvs6bjdZpdkqdv6bOT4XWgXaEbjZHxoWmR43AMl0gEgKvLTpuYY6uA-BvDziMzmHxIXYiOXKgTe500TPiwHlZEUdi1ve6onNYrR3nwhyrWOA/s787/Screen+Shot+2020-06-18+at+7.10.01+AM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="screenshot of our Google Classroom for Code Club" border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="787" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9lToWH3Wf6WXCU_xFWqsbEKfQlLM1Lalvs6bjdZpdkqdv6bOT4XWgXaEbjZHxoWmR43AMl0gEgKvLTpuYY6uA-BvDziMzmHxIXYiOXKgTe500TPiwHlZEUdi1ve6onNYrR3nwhyrWOA/w320-h271/Screen+Shot+2020-06-18+at+7.10.01+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>Before our first session, we enrolled all the students that signed up in a <b><a href="https://classroom.google.com/" target="_blank">Google Classroom</a></b> for our Club. It was a space that all of the students were already familiar with since we already used Google Classroom in our school. The Google Classroom held several roles-- </div><div>1) it was where we shared links to lesson resources and tutorials; </div><div>2) teachers could leave messages for students in the space since we did not yet have email set up for students in our district; and </div><div>3) it could be used as a place for students to share links to their projects and communicate with each other during non-club hours.<br />
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We hosted our live sessions in <b><a href="https://zoom.us/" target="_blank">Zoom</a></b>. It was the tool that most teachers were using for their class meetings, so by the time we started our club, all of our students were familiar with how to use Zoom. We also liked that Zoom allowed us the ability to open breakout rooms, as our club ended up hosting about 60 students on some days. We ended up using the breakout rooms to offer small group sessions-- either for students working on similar projects to work together, or for others who didn't feel as confident with coding, to engage in a guided lesson led by student volunteers.</div><div><br /></div><div>We used the <b><a href="https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/codeclub" target="_blank">Raspberry Pi Code Club</a></b> projects page and <b><a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/at-home/">Digital Making at Home by Raspberry Pi</a> </b>as lesson resources. The Code Club projects page offered a little something for everyone and students loved having the option of learning Scratch or Python or HTML/CSS. For students that preferred learning via video lesson, the "Digital Making at Home" was a favorite.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><font color="#7b1fa2" size="5"><u>Day 1: Launching the club</u></font></b></h3><b><font color="#7b1fa2" size="5"><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://create.piktochart.com/output/46172068-code-club-dig-cit-2020" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3bhB7fMWhdHr4HzbBn-2HRs6h5YX1RsNYAWjKVeg_aQbJBGiMCKuXGs0TsG0PYVIe20uXv32FZWWN8DMe6JatL3r6t56Yq-3wMviLHgXKUZA4JmzrU7L7y4gJYcQcd1ZlGhphxBISbc/s320/Code+Club+digital+citizens.png" /></a></div></u></font></b></div><div>We started off by making sure that everyone had an account in Scratch, either a school account (meaning we helped them track down their passwords if they had already used Scratch in their classrooms that year) or we helped them set up a personal account with parents. Before launching our first session we used a Google Classroom poll to find out whether they would need to set up a Scratch account and then communicated with those individuals outside of club time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our first day of Code Club we introduced our goals for the club (talk to friends online, make things together, and share our work) and went over our digital citizenship expectations, both for communicating in our video calls and for engaging with others in Scratch. Students were expected to be kind online, give credit when remixing and report bad behavior if needed.</div><div><br /></div><div>We also decided on day 1 to walk all students through "get to know you" coding project-- the "animate your name" lesson in Scratch-- so that everyone had a chance to introduce themselves in a creative way, and we could make sure that all of the students had a baseline understanding of how to log into Scratch, follow project instructions on screen, and share to a Scratch Studio.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><font color="#7b1fa2" size="5">Learning, Making & Sharing</font></u></b></h3><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZPkisd4vM9-tTKSOWaqgzbCA6W8Hg5KmJfTnSPnF96cJKZB_ev-ui7NuyqPOb9wOPaPbNtCL0_KgJUwlzXA1JuUjIdeIDO1ZpDlfbATYs69cinSIZJfX6dZctbhG-wcLbkorw41dgEKY/s796/scratch+studio.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="screenshot of Scratch Studio used for Code Club" border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="796" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZPkisd4vM9-tTKSOWaqgzbCA6W8Hg5KmJfTnSPnF96cJKZB_ev-ui7NuyqPOb9wOPaPbNtCL0_KgJUwlzXA1JuUjIdeIDO1ZpDlfbATYs69cinSIZJfX6dZctbhG-wcLbkorw41dgEKY/w256-h219/scratch+studio.JPG" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Code Club Scratch Studio<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Moving forward, students were welcome to create projects in any language that they wanted to learn or practice, either using the <b>Raspberry Pi Code Club</b> projects page or project ideas of their own. Many stuck to creating in Scratch, but some used the lesson resources to start learning more about programming using Python 3 or HTML. No matter their age, the Code Club resources gave them enough choices to satisfy their various experience & interest levels. We were so impressed to see the complex platformer games being remixed and developed by some of our 4th graders, art projects and stories being programmed in Scratch by 3rd graders, "Minecraft-style" games being created by a 2nd grader with Python 3, graphics being created by a 3rd grader using HTML/CSS, and stories and animations of all types in Scratch being created by students of all ages!</div><div><br /></div><div>While we originally decided that we wouldn't be hosting coding lessons during club time, we did find that there was a handful of students that showed up because they wanted to learn more coding, but didn't know where to start or had a tough time following all of the lesson directions on their own, so we did end up offering a small breakout group for those that wanted an explicit lesson. The first time we tried this, I thought I'd be leading the lesson until one of our students offered to lead the lesson for us. We happily let her take over and it worked out so well that each week we asked the students which of them would like to teach the breakout group.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwkKd8lMGeOFP4NBpFOQrpIMTdjYAERucdzH5aX4MuHFTyGZ4r3_wBRbH5ZW0n4SUkPviU7cCFX27LrWAPpXA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>Since the focus of our club was to provide some social time for students, mics and chat were allowed on and students could speak to each other and teachers at any time (no hand raising necessary). It was wonderful during club time to listen to a group of 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders complimenting each other's projects, asking questions and helping each other. Really, for the most part, the students were able to run the show and adults were just there to manage timing and the video conferencing-- and we loved watching them take ownership of the club!</div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CHemKQFLiu_Ow-tzVFOYWdmuhgS46t0sXkOtOJi_Kly6ObHTe0jbYpRuWxePLvog2i3zvcxtp9a-Mw6fEjdtxEttI_GlYlyfnfJCmSJf29AcdTKIo8yiKbXPELcLUv3udOiNpHB7P3Y/s1786/IMG_8207.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="screenshot of student sharing a coding project via Zoom" border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1786" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CHemKQFLiu_Ow-tzVFOYWdmuhgS46t0sXkOtOJi_Kly6ObHTe0jbYpRuWxePLvog2i3zvcxtp9a-Mw6fEjdtxEttI_GlYlyfnfJCmSJf29AcdTKIo8yiKbXPELcLUv3udOiNpHB7P3Y/w256-h164/IMG_8207.JPG" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Student sharing his latest project<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Each week during our live session we also saved time for sharing. We felt that this was the most important part of our synchronous time together, and made sure that anyone that wanted to share their work was able to do so. We gave students screen sharing rights, and each time it was someone's turn to share, everyone else turned their mics off while the presenter took a couple of minutes to demonstrate their progress on a project and/or demo a game or story they were creating. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><font color="#7b1fa2" size="5"><u><b><br /></b></u></font></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><font color="#7b1fa2" size="5"><u><b>Tech Help</b></u></font></h3><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVopSFVab3DUPVoJP6Kb_c10gTn8xReBqaqlZQjMJQKeCIQzohoyQFnNTF7QgNtEzjkxCQRmGayF9uhkJ95c2GxmQuEIrJfJYXu5E_ldqIhqhHqfV_YLJuPOxk0ueTkkxXp5hGBncwxc/s1232/Screen+Shot+2020-06-18+at+7.12.44+AM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="screenshot of technology tutorial videos hosted on class website" border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="1232" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVopSFVab3DUPVoJP6Kb_c10gTn8xReBqaqlZQjMJQKeCIQzohoyQFnNTF7QgNtEzjkxCQRmGayF9uhkJ95c2GxmQuEIrJfJYXu5E_ldqIhqhHqfV_YLJuPOxk0ueTkkxXp5hGBncwxc/w320-h162/Screen+Shot+2020-06-18+at+7.12.44+AM.png" width="320" /></a>While our students had all worked online in some capacity during the regular school year, "doing school" (or clubs) online did require some amount of new tech training. New skills that many students were developing included:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>screensharing via video conferencing</li><li>copying & pasting links</li><li>taking screenshots</li><li>joining & leaving breakout rooms</li><li>toggling between multiple tabs in a browser</li><li>how to send an email (turned on for students in our district about half way through our jump into our emergency distance learning adventures)</li><li>adding projects to a Scratch Studio</li></ul><div>During live sessions, we could share screens to show students how to do many of these things, and they were great about teaching each other, but for those that missed a session or needed a reminder outside of our live Code Club hour, I also created video tutorials on various tech skills and hosted them in our Google Classroom or on our school's distance learning website.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I also used a lot of annotated screenshots to show students where particular links, menus, buttons or directions could be found on a website.</div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><font color="#7b1fa2" size="5">Next Steps for Future Virtual Code Clubs</font></u></b></h3></div><div>Moving forward, I'd like for physical computing to also be an option for our distance learning Code Club students. If we could secure more devices, I'd like to put some type of check out system in place that would allow students the opportunity to borrow and take home a Micro:bit or Raspberry Pi or Makey Makey kit.</div><div><br /></div><div>I would also love to find out how we could set up some type of "rent to own" program. I'd do the work or purchasing all of the devices and materials for a "making kit", and families that may not have the resources to buy their own computers for home would be given the option to purchase the kit from the school, or make payments over time, so that they could keep it and continue physical making at home beyond our Code Club time.</div>
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@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-90765080697062132502020-04-19T12:54:00.001-07:002020-05-27T13:01:23.810-07:00Animal Crossing pixel art & mathAlright, it's official... I've jumped onto the Animal Crossing bandwagon & I love it! I just started playing a couple of nights ago and after having seen numerous posts on social media about all the customizations in the game, the thing that I was most excited to do upon setting up my avatar that first day was to draw my own t-shirt design.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYy65akCmW1kgo8Zuzv198QlIQRqmsvNszQFnEm5O1GnVQi2vpr77NkfvvVkol_W6FHJ60Vv6N0NMN-8KeYKeZdIS5NezUirugqg8VdmUnJk0axMTu8RqJKge_X8PPXXe4N5BCf38eLeA/s1600/IMG_7725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYy65akCmW1kgo8Zuzv198QlIQRqmsvNszQFnEm5O1GnVQi2vpr77NkfvvVkol_W6FHJ60Vv6N0NMN-8KeYKeZdIS5NezUirugqg8VdmUnJk0axMTu8RqJKge_X8PPXXe4N5BCf38eLeA/s200/IMG_7725.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
It didn't take long, while we were drawing out my first design on that coordinate grid, for my fiancé (also a teacher) and I to start commenting on how fun it would be to have our students create some pixel art that we could dress our avatars in.<br />
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And so, I dug around my Google Drive, pulled up the pixel art template that <a href="https://twitter.com/ericcurts" target="_blank">Eric Curts</a> shared out several years, and converted it into an "Animal Crossing Pixel Art" activity for our students. This week's assignment-- create some new t-shirt art for Ms. Haughs's avatar, practice a bit with fractions & area, and submit for the chance to be featured art on Ms. Haughs's Animal Crossing island!<br />
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BONUS-- once my students turn in their spreadsheet art/math, they'll receive the link to an online Animal Crossing Pattern Tool where they can turn their final art into a QR code that will allow me to simply scan and upload their design into my account.<br />
<a href="https://acpatterns.com/editor">https://acpatterns.com/editor</a><br />
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<b>Want to do something similar with your students? The spreadsheet template is below. </b><br />
<b>Simply "File --> Make a Copy" and edit/customize/share away!</b><br />
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<iframe height="600" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTdortOydnJthbufPaGuWP7rUS55ztORYQfPGNp4O-6pwxbKkz_k2VIi2p2xay6txMXAxx2sE36AMeB/pubhtml?widget=true&headers=false" width="750"></iframe>@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-43526131505361506312020-04-11T10:33:00.001-07:002020-04-11T11:03:58.632-07:00Sifting through the noise re: "distance teaching & learning"As my county gets ready to embark on our fifth week of shelter-in-place, our fourth week of school at home, and our first "official" week of "distance learning & teaching" (even though some of us have been engaging with our students for four weeks already...) I notice a lot of advice, complaints, commiserating and reprimanding happening all over social media, from both teachers and parents alike. People have a lot of opinions about the role of education at this time.<br />
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Most recently I ran across a lengthy, emotional post on Twitter by a well-followed individual who shared her dismay at the lesson plans that her elementary-aged son's teacher was sending home, noting that teachers should not be sending worksheets home because her family was just to busy to teach and work from home, and, in her opinion, her son learned reading and sciences and math at home just fine on his own or from his parents... so she also let her son's teacher know that he would not be participating in school for the rest of the year.<br />
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I have also been inundated with tweets by educators about what students need at this time. Our students need routine first, our students need to connect with their teachers first, our students need to focus on family time first, our students need... and the list goes on. Messages about what we should be doing, about what we shouldn't be doing, and about how we should be doing it.<br />
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What I struggle with is not that anyone is wrong, per se. It's the one-size-fits-all messaging. A lot of these opinions about what students need right now are just that-- subjective opinions. What would be wonderful to see is what each of us learning when we asked students what they need. Or asked their families what they need.<br />
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These are, as they say, unprecedented times. We cannot presume to know what "all students" need right now, but what I can say is that, just like in our classrooms, all students likely need something different.<br />
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In addition to scheduling live face time with our students via video in the last several weeks, our teachers have also scheduled live face time & phone call opportunities for parents and caregivers. We ask them how it's going at home, what they need, what learning looks like for them right now, and what questions they have for us. Each time we meet with parents the consensus about learning at home is that there is no consensus and we're all overwhelmed. Every household is different. Every family has different needs and wants.<br />
<br />
Some opt out of work because they do, indeed, just need some family time right now. Others relish the suggested lesson plans and assignments coming home because they want some type of daily structure for their kids. Others are health care workers, gone all day, with no time for school work. Some have children who are already reading 2 & 3 grade levels behind and are panicked about school being out the rest of the year. Others work several jobs, don't have access to technology at home, are raising several kids under the age of 10 and spend most of their day trying to figure out how to get to school to pick up free lunches and to borrow a Chromebook.<br />
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As for our students... some are indeed missing their teachers. Some are missing friends even more. Some are enjoying the novelty of having their parents home all day. Some are missing having school as a safe place to go every day. Some students are doing just fine self-directing their learning at home because it's what they love to do. Others push back every time someone at home asks them to sit down and do a math lesson. No situation is exactly the same.<br />
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So what do our students need during sheltering-in-place and "distance learning"? Unfortunately, I don't think there's one simple answer. I think we continue to check in with families and do what we can to support each of their unique needs. I think we check our expectations of students at this time because this isn't normal for anyone. I think we try to rethink what our roles are as educators, and what learning looks like. I think we just continue to do our best, and I think we continue to figure it all out as we go.<br />
<br />@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-85170051127370065012020-02-23T07:44:00.001-08:002020-04-11T07:13:20.419-07:00"Tomato Pi" & "Scarecrow Pi"-- Raspberry Pi in our urban gardenLast summer my fiance and I got really excited about gardening and raising vegetables on our back patio. We have a really nice sized garden bed that my dad built for us and over the course of a couple of months, we were getting some really nice growth out of the tomato bush and peppers that we had planted. Unfortunately, we noticed that one of our tomato plants wasn't growing as well as we hoped and we discovered the local urban wildlife was enjoying the fruits of our labor before we ever had a chance to. So I decided to get making and see how we could use the Raspberry Pi to help us with our urban gardening challenges.<br />
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<i><b>**The programs that I used for the "Tomato Pi" and the "Scarecrow Pi" are embedded below at the end of this post.</b></i><br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">
Project #1: "Tomato Pi" soil sensor</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7dkvvzWY49m3DmwhvT1QGuHrVjOemDZnDIDm_t-En__uJSk-4aFcOqyNCvvS5PZFLf2ROxCnRlmMB0P04RcmhIbjC24oG5KUqz2Bgi07MrLLjDznfuJOSfexLGfJCzsU-ZL-ncym4xU/s1600/sensor+with+mcp3008+converter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1139" data-original-width="854" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7dkvvzWY49m3DmwhvT1QGuHrVjOemDZnDIDm_t-En__uJSk-4aFcOqyNCvvS5PZFLf2ROxCnRlmMB0P04RcmhIbjC24oG5KUqz2Bgi07MrLLjDznfuJOSfexLGfJCzsU-ZL-ncym4xU/s200/sensor+with+mcp3008+converter.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">capacitive sensor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our first task was to make watering our tomato plant more efficient and accurate for a better fruit outcome. Inspired by the Raspberry Pi agricultural work of <a href="https://twitter.com/reginius214" target="_blank">Chris Regini</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/melanieshimano" target="_blank">Melanie Shimano</a>, I jumped online and purchased some inexpensive moisture sensors and got to playing.<br />
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While shopping, I discovered that there are two types of moisture sensors you might use with your Raspberry Pi or Arduino-- a double-pronged resistive sensor that outputs both digital and analog data, or the capacitive sensor that outputs only analog data. I'd read numerous blog posts stating that the resistive sensor was prone to corrosion when left in soil over time, so I purchased a couple of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gikfun-Capacitive-Corrosion-Resistant-Detection/dp/B07H3P1NRM/ref=pd_sbs_86_t_0/147-4122337-0668700?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07H3P1NRM&pd_rd_r=1eaebe8e-6117-4ddf-a7a2-576008426c7b&pd_rd_w=cDSmu&pd_rd_wg=FCzsy&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=T7K3ERG50YCNR0DXEJ5F&psc=1&refRID=T7K3ERG50YCNR0DXEJ5F" target="_blank">capacitive sensors</a>, which sounded as if they would hold up better if left in the soil for an extended period of time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QxlRS9YNYmlBUkdQh3WamDqv2b_3i1WitIXVZlNT2Wze7G15_Z3mwwgqQmwZy5q4lVOd6spt5qZTl6Pm_lWu-sEd81tCi5PjZvcuK41aGNeTUVUWeZ7DyXWJTTArBlXKpd19OnyxbOA/s1600/tomato+pi2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1578" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QxlRS9YNYmlBUkdQh3WamDqv2b_3i1WitIXVZlNT2Wze7G15_Z3mwwgqQmwZy5q4lVOd6spt5qZTl6Pm_lWu-sEd81tCi5PjZvcuK41aGNeTUVUWeZ7DyXWJTTArBlXKpd19OnyxbOA/s200/tomato+pi2.JPG" width="200" /></a>However, if using a capacitive sensor you will also need to use some type of analog to digital converter, as the Raspberry Pi does not include an analog pin. You can purchase an MCP3008 analog to digital converter pretty cheaply for the project (great instructions on how to do this on Maker.Pro website), which I did, before also realizing that my Explorer HAT Pro also has an analog to digital converter pin. Using the <a href="https://github.com/pimoroni/explorer-hat" target="_blank">Explorer HAT Pro</a> and accompanying python module made it SO easy to set up the moisture sensor!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJmqlOUbMpZOZd2zRVkyKQOUZR91tDDcR_o6HU1y9Ccs9shHhNuC8SogZNHfqeqXpgR2TICbC9hCC5n7RJEKPSlbeoIogqXmPnpx0tXOhT4oWaugq8v_hvSnyLmSlOUnSZgPzvef5_5Y/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-02-23+at+7.33.37+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="447" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJmqlOUbMpZOZd2zRVkyKQOUZR91tDDcR_o6HU1y9Ccs9shHhNuC8SogZNHfqeqXpgR2TICbC9hCC5n7RJEKPSlbeoIogqXmPnpx0tXOhT4oWaugq8v_hvSnyLmSlOUnSZgPzvef5_5Y/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-02-23+at+7.33.37+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">email notification from Tomato Pi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The final step was testing the sensor to determine what values meant good soil moisture, too little moisture or too much moisture. We also programmed the Pi to send an email every 6 hours with a soil moisture update so that we knew whether we needed to go out and water or leave the plant alone.<br />
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While I still have to up my "packaging game" (I know this set up isn't the fanciest or prettiest) we were pretty happy with the results and reliability of the sensor.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">
Project #2: "Scarecrow Pi" motion-activated wildlife camera & scarecrow</span></h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnS5vGn_I6y7_ffninAyNuSUjw_Y9sQhbpkQy1Sj3hXcztx_tYYYYaPFfCxfEtuoMd-_8776jaYPKgjaINLdtwVY0Efmo9m5OLd6Pg0Kb1fRs6fz6e_1AslmmmvqluMVY716v_dQKZzo/s1600/scarecrow2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="848" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnS5vGn_I6y7_ffninAyNuSUjw_Y9sQhbpkQy1Sj3hXcztx_tYYYYaPFfCxfEtuoMd-_8776jaYPKgjaINLdtwVY0Efmo9m5OLd6Pg0Kb1fRs6fz6e_1AslmmmvqluMVY716v_dQKZzo/s200/scarecrow2.JPG" width="200" /></a>One of the major annoyances of having an urban garden is discovering that the local birds and squirrels are getting into our vegetables before we are! So I decided to play with some automated solutions to our garden pest problem.<br />
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Building off the idea of wildlife cameras, I first put together a motion-activated camera to capture the culprits in action. (Really I wanted to use a distance sensor so that the camera would only go off if an animal got within a certain distance of our planter box, but I haven't yet got one to work so...)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotF72ij1zXND0WGtaVn0VpMPqDdda1hH-sGcImZruBGE5D38mErYgIpsQEerG6CQYmhXwzbLu9pVKIlYMamC65RAMRnP0o34Y6J_rCT1_BcIlN451v_Be4J8f3TbJ9XqgrIEqF7K7TG4/s1600/scarecrow+prototype.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="514" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotF72ij1zXND0WGtaVn0VpMPqDdda1hH-sGcImZruBGE5D38mErYgIpsQEerG6CQYmhXwzbLu9pVKIlYMamC65RAMRnP0o34Y6J_rCT1_BcIlN451v_Be4J8f3TbJ9XqgrIEqF7K7TG4/s200/scarecrow+prototype.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
I also wanted to incorporate some type of scare tactic to keep animals out of our plants (without hurting them!), so I decided on the servo motor. And while the scarecrow itself doesn't yet look like a scarecrow (I'm thinking I'll hire a student to build me a better looking scarer), shiny materials are said to keep birds away so as far as we can tell, having the motor shake shiny paper in front of the birds when they set off the sensor seems to be working just as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyylieCln3IQfkuQkqNTtfTvUVscoqGNJ7xYe4z_-LbwdxlBNiV9x-7nRgSd1jd3GGY2DiH2oPunGrMK0yjBDLEOkK9BOHZP4rHhOHZvFc_JNmLHfwVgNhTvt2g0XPDRZ3Kebak47LHiE/s1600/scarecrow1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="848" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyylieCln3IQfkuQkqNTtfTvUVscoqGNJ7xYe4z_-LbwdxlBNiV9x-7nRgSd1jd3GGY2DiH2oPunGrMK0yjBDLEOkK9BOHZP4rHhOHZvFc_JNmLHfwVgNhTvt2g0XPDRZ3Kebak47LHiE/s200/scarecrow1.JPG" width="200" /></a>In order to run our "scarecrow" headless I also programmed the Pi to autostart the program on boot, and I programmed a "shut down" button so that I can shut down properly when I need to. As for power, I'm currently running the Pi on a solar powered battery pack-- although I'm thinking about just running an extension cord to the garden box as the battery, even though solar powered, doesn't tend to last more than a day. I still need to track down some of these batteries that I've seen others use more successfully for multiple days.<br />
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I still need to adjust the sensitivity of the motion sensor, and my next steps will be to update the camera to take video and stream online, but in the meantime, this is definitely doing the trick!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyqPl8Y4OgoyYVeAuqV6FYJkUboK854Ut99R4xOTSC_W0y_EpAFvtu50EpdVQtBUrTd1Qlg6eRwFB7QvU3wwQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Tomato Pi code:</span></h2>
<iframe height="300" src="https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRKvEJX6O1QiBDJdx9HmqP2laPUK6uUKLO-rQl1JRfw5J10iwJ9b-UYVg0ByhgoCZweJKWQcOnE23ri/pub?embedded=true" width="600"></iframe>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">
Scarecrow Pi code:</span></h2>
<iframe height="300" src="https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSIWesR9X0IJizBaxUmoMplfneAdPYNyfzKq6jDfK7nsSBjkdL7TcOBYbiw4G-ShoZqx_KjiZbhWGjB/pub?embedded=true" width="600"></iframe>
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Learning resources:</h3>
<h4>
Soil moisture sensor</h4>
<a href="https://maker.pro/raspberry-pi/tutorial/interfacing-soil-moisture-sensor-with-raspberry-pi">https://maker.pro/raspberry-pi/tutorial/interfacing-soil-moisture-sensor-with-raspberry-pi</a><br />
<a href="https://www.element14.com/community/community/raspberry-pi/raspberrypi_projects/blog/2017/08/23/iot-garden">https://www.element14.com/community/community/raspberry-pi/raspberrypi_projects/blog/2017/08/23/iot-garden</a><br />
<a href="https://gpiozero.readthedocs.io/en/stable/api_spi.html#spi-keyword-args">https://gpiozero.readthedocs.io/en/stable/api_spi.html#spi-keyword-args</a><br />
<a href="https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/downloads/pdf/reading-a-analog-in-and-controlling-audio-volume-with-the-raspberry-pi.pdf">https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/downloads/pdf/reading-a-analog-in-and-controlling-audio-volume-with-the-raspberry-pi.pdf</a><br />
<a href="https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/soil-moisture-sensor-hookup-guide/all">https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/soil-moisture-sensor-hookup-guide/all</a><br />
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<h4>
With ExplorerHAT Pro</h4>
<a href="https://github.com/pimoroni/explorer-hat/blob/master/tutorial/welcome-analog.py">https://github.com/pimoroni/explorer-hat/blob/master/tutorial/welcome-analog.py</a><br />
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<h4>
Shutdown button</h4>
<a href="https://core-electronics.com.au/tutorials/how-to-make-a-safe-shutdown-button-for-raspberry-pi.html">https://core-electronics.com.au/tutorials/how-to-make-a-safe-shutdown-button-for-raspberry-pi.html</a><br />
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<h4>
Servo motor (for moving scarecrow)</h4>
<a href="https://gpiozero.readthedocs.io/en/stable/api_output.html">https://gpiozero.readthedocs.io/en/stable/api_output.html</a><br />
<a href="https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/projects/grandpa-scarer/3">https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/projects/grandpa-scarer/3</a><br />
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<br />@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-56673928108393437622020-01-20T10:43:00.001-08:002020-04-11T07:03:57.579-07:00Owning their own learning v.2 (goal setting in 2nd grade)<i>As a grade 2 teacher for the last couple of years I wanted to find ways to empower our young students to take ownership of their learning at an age and grade level where they are often more accustomed to a teacher-directed format than a student-directed format. Last February I wrote a piece sharing my team's first steps toward helping primary-aged learners become more self-aware and self-directed in their learning. This follow-up post covers all of the latest strategies & tools that our students use to reflect on & design their own learning goals and paths.</i><br />
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<div>
It can be difficult to imagine our primary-aged students effectively self-directing their learning, but really, students in Kinder-2nd grade are at an age when they are still so curious about the world around them. If we spend those formative years encouraging that curiosity and desire to learn, maybe they can carry that passion for learning with them into their upper grade career in which we, unfortunately, start to see our students' innate curiosity start to wane in favor of compliance and getting the work done for a grade.</div>
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<div>
In order to better engage my 2nd graders in their own learning, I have been working on various goal setting and reflections strategies that help students to take ownership of what they need to learn and how they learn best. As we progress through the year, continuously revisiting accomplishments and next steps with our students, we notice that they become more motivated in areas that they may not have been before. We notice them advocate for themselves more and make strategized choices for their learning. It's exciting when my 2nd graders start independently asking for flash cards during their free time because they want to be a better reader, or ask if they can research a topic that they're passionate about just to learn more, or request that I open our math menu and not just our literacy menu during "learning cafe" time because they noticed that their fact fluency to 20 isn't where they want it to be.</div>
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<h3>
Goal Setting Tools & Strategies in 2nd Grade</h3>
<h4>
1) Data review</h4>
<div>
The first step in helping students take ownership of the learning path is the data review. Part of our first six weeks of school involves a number of reading fluency, reading comprehension, phonics and math assessments that help us understand what skills our students are starting the year with. Once we've completed those assessments, we take the time to individually review the data with each student and what that data tells us. We continue to review assessment data with our students throughout the year (both district benchmark data and ongoing formative assessments) so that they have concrete information to help them celebrate their accomplishments and set their "next steps" goals.<br />
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<h4>
2) Personalized learning plan</h4>
<div>
During our beginning of year "data chats" with each student we completed a personalized learning plan with each child using the template below. The template was inspired by the book <b><i>How to Personalize Learning</i></b> by Barbara Bray & Kathleen McClaskey and is a meant to be a living document for students and teachers to revisit together throughout the year. It includes space for not only setting goals but also devising a plan for achieving those goals. At the beginning of the year a lot of the work plan was more teacher-directed, as most students don't yet have an idea of how they learn best or what resources they have access to. As the year goes on, and we revisit this document after each district benchmark, students have a better idea of what resources they have at their disposal and which of those resources helps them the most.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe height="300" src="https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vR3pRJzmZ90cI8yFmQ_A1i4jHBIOofXi3fIOmKaSQ7rBITw9MiG41ZNuppj47PY0smDCpK0KFa7xK1H/pub?embedded=true" width="700"></iframe><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfr9UFRhjtmZo_RFKX7LBWL_k2oPppa4va-aBS7ZONVH12Cnk6QSYE2b4ePZv9JnaIjUvscbPSrQDwTvx24kGw7dNYVz5askoUsILHQ6-JD9ER6AOVXs2HWwzYdOoTHT00J44KjpM25vU/s1600/Screenshot+%252811%2529_LI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1085" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfr9UFRhjtmZo_RFKX7LBWL_k2oPppa4va-aBS7ZONVH12Cnk6QSYE2b4ePZv9JnaIjUvscbPSrQDwTvx24kGw7dNYVz5askoUsILHQ6-JD9ER6AOVXs2HWwzYdOoTHT00J44KjpM25vU/s320/Screenshot+%252811%2529_LI.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weekly goal setting in Seesaw</td></tr>
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<h4>
3) Weekly goal setting activities
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<div>
We also teach our students how to set weekly learning goals and have them reflect on those goals at the end of the week. Students usually set one goal each week based on either a project they want to accomplish, or a skill that they want to get better at (based on informal self-assessments of what work might have been challenging for them the week prior or what topic they might want to learn more about). The goal settings & reflections are pushed out as activities in <a href="http://seesaw.me/" target="_blank">Seesaw </a>that students complete during their Monday & Friday morning "soft starts".</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://app.seesaw.me/pages/shared_activity?share_token=OL6beLX4Tl-GbebtKk_UGQ&prompt_id=prompt.fce3c4ca-b477-4536-831c-014d4d9894a3" target="_blank">"Weekly learning goal" activity</a></div>
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<a href="https://app.seesaw.me/pages/shared_activity?share_token=YCdPsT-SScaoB9t5WTbtVA&prompt_id=prompt.56aba215-89f0-426d-b8e2-ca1d2bd2affa" target="_blank">"Reflect on your goal" activity</a></div>
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<h4>
<b>4) Morning meeting/Closing circle goal setting</b></h4>
<div>
As a <a href="https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/" target="_blank">Responsive Classroom</a> school, our daily morning meetings & closing circles are also prime opportunity to make goal setting a part of our classroom culture. We often ask students to set, share or reflect on daily learning or behavior goals during circle time, sometimes with just a partner and sometimes with the whole class. Sharing their goals aloud helps some keep themselves accountable and for some is a chance to improve their own goal setting by learning from others. </div>
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<h4>
5) Self-assessment strategy</h4>
<div>
An important part of teaching students to be self-aware and self-directed in their learning is also teaching them how to effectively reflect on their learning. We use some simple self-assessment strategies with our 2nd graders to help them be more accountable to the learning goals that they've set for themselves. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGl2vagdJRZ_AeGfsrdPunHj-et1-IfGnGEysG_sLdsK8HInY1BuwlLd-tWV-YgEy2e1fT-X2qiQt-TZ_t6Eo55H0KXF8UecDuPT4OKQlhWpnibAKImm4y3qzqAxLSIhSSsFEtwswPIYA/s1600/Self-+Assess+Rubric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1056" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGl2vagdJRZ_AeGfsrdPunHj-et1-IfGnGEysG_sLdsK8HInY1BuwlLd-tWV-YgEy2e1fT-X2qiQt-TZ_t6Eo55H0KXF8UecDuPT4OKQlhWpnibAKImm4y3qzqAxLSIhSSsFEtwswPIYA/s320/Self-+Assess+Rubric.jpg" width="320" /></a>One of those is a simple 3/2/1 rubric that can be customized to numerous activities or projects. We've asked students to use this rubric to reflect on everything from behaviors that we've taught and are practicing, to communication and social-emotional skills, to how well they did on their learning goal for the week. We also use more detailed rubrics and class-created rubrics on specific assignments and projects, but the 3/2/1 rubric is our go to for frequent and formative check-ins.</div>
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6) Check lists or <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yrUJcbiomWrBriqPZnRSjLbHSrkpH_ffVMP1mrfc_Io" target="_blank">"to-do" lists</a></h4>
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In order to teach executive functioning skills including organization and how to make a plan, I also like to use "to-do" lists or check off sheets with my 2nd graders. The to-do lists we usually fill in whole class as I assign a project that is considered a "must do". We revisit the list whole group, as well, so that students can practice checking items off or prioritizing tasks.<br />
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I also use menu-style check off sheets to teach students how to make strategic choices for their learning. In our CAFE/Daily 5 style literacy and math blocks, students often have choice time after a lesson. The choice time format includes instruction in how to make choices that will help us learn best. For example, if a student hasn't practiced writing in several days, they'll know that by revisiting their check list they should prioritize writing during choice time. Or if a student's weekly goal is to improve their phonics, then maybe iReady is a good choice on that day.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcZsGxQpbp3PScBYK9VqCbBFrgsee0VpNCJScud3apXr_U_QoFo2aH2Pmy3Iu9f5diq5tZq37KwfegEJSVDzXLMnMt-DT0VkUudVKwN9LKef2YxmRhwKPfHgNkH2-O76A2VmhgkjDOD8/s320/Literacy+Cafe+Choice+check+off.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="246" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ULPmmF0iEJDXoSId2dgfbSDSxiKqT2MIYMnFfSN5t0s" target="_blank">Link to Lit Cafe choice log</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUS_nhfufOoqe7BwytMo9L1dcSK87Mip7xDP68hk11aWykav4Md6X2I97zYDig2Z2MudkWD4NPvwfu9OHPag7WixZNeE2zdgneon0MmIzPk0gg9SCae_SBTYaQj0-xF6ywBTTiwAtbhPA/s320/Math+Cafe+Choice+check+off.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="246" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1M3MOP6sx9Bie-IunBtLVIfuhI6Wm5pMQ8ZslAWEWuAA" target="_blank">Link to Math Cafe choice log</a></td></tr>
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@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-71867541134062189832019-12-03T06:31:00.003-08:002021-04-09T10:23:58.769-07:00Introducing research skills to 2nd graders with hypermapsWith all of the smokey, save the air days that we've encountered this year due to the North Bay fires, students inevitably had questions and comments about the wildfires and their impact on our neighboring community. So, we launched an inquiry project last week that began with a "What do we know" & "What do we want to know?" chart and led to a clustering of the students's questions to look patterns and connections.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16iHmi8OJ8D7oX1Hn2cHilnbyTU2gqCds9EQ9dLBo5zy4l0RzC8ir2CNnGc2W-NFJi0kp_ikDrcv-53CXoY7waNaidXTIAWlSOedYUVzKer5kJdHnCHp4K-Wypd04kPyxtqhxEnO9eM8/s1600/IMG_5187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16iHmi8OJ8D7oX1Hn2cHilnbyTU2gqCds9EQ9dLBo5zy4l0RzC8ir2CNnGc2W-NFJi0kp_ikDrcv-53CXoY7waNaidXTIAWlSOedYUVzKer5kJdHnCHp4K-Wypd04kPyxtqhxEnO9eM8/s320/IMG_5187.JPG" width="320" /></a>(Last year's situation was much, much worse this time of year, and having been stuck inside for weeks due to extreme spare the air days, students last year also had similar questions, so this year's project was actually and revamp of last year's inquiry project with our students.)</div>
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We discovered 5 overarching questions that the students had about the wildfires in California:</div>
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<ul>
<li>How do they start?</li>
<li>What is fire "made of"?</li>
<li>Can wildfires be beneficial?</li>
<li>Where do wildfires happen?</li>
<li>How do we stop a wildfire?</li>
</ul>
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The goal now-- to have students research the answers themselves using a guided research technique. I also realized that this could be a great opportunity to have students explore local geography so I create a <a href="http://mymaps.google.com/" target="_blank">Google MyMap </a>with pins at various fire sites in California.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYT5wdUXMJS-fHRyDviWCi5QVDnSMcxYwU5KqsNPpXIiePXbHM15ZZHp-qJlB9VYiU5GNizDKOJGokY8mSn0XQaP-Tau7xWgdZjh81R6o-Ow8MgKUwEx404n97estPvP6LL6_NOkHlK0/s1600/IMG_5327+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="1600" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYT5wdUXMJS-fHRyDviWCi5QVDnSMcxYwU5KqsNPpXIiePXbHM15ZZHp-qJlB9VYiU5GNizDKOJGokY8mSn0XQaP-Tau7xWgdZjh81R6o-Ow8MgKUwEx404n97estPvP6LL6_NOkHlK0/s320/IMG_5327+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>On each pin I embedded different photos of wildfires, videos about the science of wildfires and links to articles and readings on each pin so that students could "search" for the information that they needed. I color coded the 2018 pins and the 2019 pins so students could easily see the difference in the number of wildfires in California last year vs. this year. I also loaded KMZ files of wildfire maps created by local news organizations that traced out the size of some of the largest wildfires as a way of comparing the fire areas to the size of local communities that our students are more familiar with (we could view the fire area overlay against the size of our local town, for example).<br />
<br />
Before launching our hypermap, we gave a mini-lesson to our 2nd graders on research skills. The <br />
topics we covered included:<br />
<ul>
<li>Writing a better search phrase</li>
<li>Honing in on the content you actually need (and avoiding all the other "noise" on the Internet)</li>
<li>Using reliable resources</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAshwfdHdnqUm3I6jDl2YkcYRkTMkvs_2oNi9Gx-sOUS1LJCX5VEodzffXxD4BFraX3UPF_gd5ZCHzOwFTdNmb8YOLgaAXEQ-Dd8QzJCpNQ76Yg8A2BUy4R1itG6W-qFaIy8Ag2UAboBc/s1600/IMG_5333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1172" data-original-width="1600" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAshwfdHdnqUm3I6jDl2YkcYRkTMkvs_2oNi9Gx-sOUS1LJCX5VEodzffXxD4BFraX3UPF_gd5ZCHzOwFTdNmb8YOLgaAXEQ-Dd8QzJCpNQ76Yg8A2BUy4R1itG6W-qFaIy8Ag2UAboBc/s320/IMG_5333.JPG" width="320" /></a>We modeled using the hypermap to "search" for the information that would help answer their <br />
individual research question and ignore everything else that was not relevant to their topic. We also explained the importance of paying attention to the reliability of resources (and let them know that we pre-screened everything this time so they don't have to rate the reliability themselves). We linked the map into our Google Classrooms so that students could easily access it and they were given 2-3 40 minute sessions to explore and practice researching. </div>
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Our students loved having so much learning choice organized into one place (maps, video, reading and photos) and are practicing important Internet research skills in a scaffolded and safe format.</div>
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Our Map:</h3>
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<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/drive?state=%7B%22ids%22%3A%5B%221SSyUc_r8HGxwUSv_RDd8XvAv--q4kcRX%22%5D%2C%22action%22%3A%22open%22%2C%22userId%22%3A%22112696659796438864629%22%7D&usp=sharing" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="1600" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNKgXTMPtnIRamrN4jvkZSi-89WJdqj851SBv3RcfBfxRR5B_NjpGzF3r7seX0wbn0pnW832PMUioMwwj_KRILIhsbb4a9WHEDWpLWuLhfrXfvqS8nSrk8mPC14c6C-9EtExtWJEi9-o/s640/Screenshot+%25288%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-64788978916079463962019-10-29T18:17:00.003-07:002020-04-11T07:12:42.124-07:00Empathy interviews: teaching 2nd graders skills needed to "learn from others"This week we launched a deep dive into interviewing skills with our 2nd graders as part of a design thinking project related to this year's <a href="https://theglobalreadaloud.com/" target="_blank">Global Read Aloud</a> books, <i>Dreamers </i>by <a href="https://twitter.com/yuyimorales" target="_blank">Yuyi Morales</a> and <i>Stella Diaz Has Something to Say</i> by <a href="https://twitter.com/andominguez" target="_blank">Angela Dominguez</a>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TJ_kxqjvDpW1Xj8P5KmWsX2ZN41ugWkAoDMowMZo7XqrgEOYCgj8PDrPk8PFaM68no9jh4eu-WSME57jwpIB4PACH0pLLo4DZC7sY6Vy5pumC47BY6b_OkRNJHOqEleVDbuZuN2C7Vg/s1600/design+abilities+%25284+of+8%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="1110" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TJ_kxqjvDpW1Xj8P5KmWsX2ZN41ugWkAoDMowMZo7XqrgEOYCgj8PDrPk8PFaM68no9jh4eu-WSME57jwpIB4PACH0pLLo4DZC7sY6Vy5pumC47BY6b_OkRNJHOqEleVDbuZuN2C7Vg/s320/design+abilities+%25284+of+8%2529.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students learn from others & synthesize information-- <br />
2 of the 8 design abilities</td></tr>
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Empathy is not only the heart of design thinking, but is also imperative to living and working in our increasingly globalized society. As a design thinking school, our goal is for students to develop a strong base in how to empathize with others, and truly empathizing with someone requires getting to know them. Strong speaking and listening skills are paramount for developing more empathetic students.<br />
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Our students had previously practiced interviewing each other in quick fire design challenges, but my team and I wanted to use this opportunity to explore in more detail the skills that are required to interview another person and then organize and synthesize the information that an interviewer gathers from their interviewee.<br />
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As part of the design thinking committee at my school, our first meeting this year was all about breaking down the interview process and what types of skills students may need to practice in order to become proficient empathy interviewers.<br />
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<b><u>My 2nd grade team and I decided to focus on the following:</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li>The difference between open and closed questions</li>
<li>How to write good interview questions</li>
<li>How to build rapport with an interviewee</li>
<li>How to actively listen during an interview</li>
<li>Taking notes</li>
<li>Asking follow up questions</li>
<li>Organizing notes post-interview</li>
<li>Synthesizing information from multiple sources (as students would need to use what they learned from both interviews and from reading <i>Dreamers </i>and <i>Stella Diaz...</i>)</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YdvUCgAliH3qWDHBEoKLpp-VEkmzPwj-taxRnbWxZUkPD0uXVCkX_a-LsArKJQhzxpMp2flYy4umeO9KcBzpcAjhWZaewvqrnu8dj7BOXMzqdqYQm9DeQgWjcS0K4oTDsH9bMB1WyFE/s1600/IMG_4629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YdvUCgAliH3qWDHBEoKLpp-VEkmzPwj-taxRnbWxZUkPD0uXVCkX_a-LsArKJQhzxpMp2flYy4umeO9KcBzpcAjhWZaewvqrnu8dj7BOXMzqdqYQm9DeQgWjcS0K4oTDsH9bMB1WyFE/s320/IMG_4629.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<h3>
How to write questions</h3>
We started by talking about the problem/opportunity for design as a whole group. Before we wrote <br />
any questions, we needed to determine what we wanted to learn more about-- in this case, what it feels like to not be able to communicate or to not be understood in the place that you live.<br />
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We crafted a problem/opportunity statement as a whole group (mostly teacher-led at this point, since students are not yet proficient in writing problem/opportunity statements) and then dove into the idea of open vs. closed questions. The teachers started asking students how we could learn more about the way it felt being in a country where you didn't speak the language. Students brainstormed a variety of questions and we recorded them on a slide for the whole class to see.<br />
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A strategy our 3rd grade team recently taught us that we want to use the next time we generate interview questions is to use an empathy map to guide our questioning. What should we ask to learn more about what they do, say, think, feel? I like the idea of giving students a template to help them generate a variety of questions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJV_WiP3QGTkKQXgROyhqcnaRez-VtU4ovGhVfdQe7AaEOalF0v7CiE-GApVg_RaKid5rbM6joSvJ8Oa3_4PDRBR83xGLFdxHPByhWCmFd2PPEzmzTCNVIRLR_NiW89m0P45RqAj8nQF8/s1600/Dreamers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJV_WiP3QGTkKQXgROyhqcnaRez-VtU4ovGhVfdQe7AaEOalF0v7CiE-GApVg_RaKid5rbM6joSvJ8Oa3_4PDRBR83xGLFdxHPByhWCmFd2PPEzmzTCNVIRLR_NiW89m0P45RqAj8nQF8/s320/Dreamers.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Before launching our interview, we also had to discuss what it means to build rapport with an <br />
interviewee. We explained that it might be tough for a stranger to immediately start talking to them about an emotional topic, and that we should ease our way into the interview with lighter "get to know you" questions. And so our 2nd graders added a hand full of opening questions to the list like "where are you from?" and "when did you move here?"<br />
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<h3>
Taking notes</h3>
We gave our students a very basic note taking sheet to record what they learned while interviewing our subject, their 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Flores, who herself was an English Language Learner in her early days of school.<br />
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We didn't want writing to be a barrier for our students during the interview so they were allowed to write, sketch or both. We also talked about the power of recording an interview so that you can go back and listen to the interview later when synthesizing your notes, so we set up an iPad and used the voice recording tool to capture the entire interview.<br />
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<h3>
The interview</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRROF_XP_OOkj5XRD6eKw5p1H3movd174vELm3lU453wVMzhdK5flJQMKInUQDVtXcsM9ygGSaH7pe3wctmdq5vm2TowXAsjuBll-h4r2rpCZ1mITOoXMNxIOqcYKMaNr2iyEZtrDGeWc/s1600/IMG_4636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRROF_XP_OOkj5XRD6eKw5p1H3movd174vELm3lU453wVMzhdK5flJQMKInUQDVtXcsM9ygGSaH7pe3wctmdq5vm2TowXAsjuBll-h4r2rpCZ1mITOoXMNxIOqcYKMaNr2iyEZtrDGeWc/s320/IMG_4636.JPG" width="320" /></a>We left the list of questions posted that students had generated as a group and then asked for <br />
volunteers to ask those questions of Mrs. Flores, keeping in mind that we wanted to practice a "soft start" to our questioning. So we determined as a whole class which question we should start with and a student stood up and asked.<br />
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We were pleasantly surprised at how well they paid attention to the flow of questions and politely corrected each other or made suggestions when they noticed that we needed to change our questioning.<br />
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Most every one of our 70 students were so engaged in the interview process that they were actively asking for more time to fill in their notes, and were independently asking follow up questions based on Mrs. Flores's answers (a skill we thought we might practice <i>after</i> round 1 of questioning, but it ended up happening really organically!).<br />
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We also recorded audio the interview on one of our iPads while the students were asking their questions. This way, we could revisit the interview and analyze our questioning strategies and follow up questions.<br />
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<h3>
After the interview -- synthesizing our learning</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIn5K7XEFPRxJ4STlas-aVXmGDh9NpHLJKwbjnCjKrGHEm4BZKJ5EuE8CuxEtEfPUDGM4-as0DOGrtrb1mirvq9lav4DnkBQsyGJlkHnLI1HhImNAK4XnTjuNDroYDrsT23EJb6MazB9A/s1600/IMG_4678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIn5K7XEFPRxJ4STlas-aVXmGDh9NpHLJKwbjnCjKrGHEm4BZKJ5EuE8CuxEtEfPUDGM4-as0DOGrtrb1mirvq9lav4DnkBQsyGJlkHnLI1HhImNAK4XnTjuNDroYDrsT23EJb6MazB9A/s320/IMG_4678.JPG" width="320" /></a>We wanted our students to learn more about organizing their notes after interviewing and how to <i>Dreamers</i> book), so we used <a href="https://www.thinkingmaps.com/" target="_blank">thinking maps</a> to compare and contrast information from the two sources. We launched this whole class, and then I had my students continue on their own.<br />
synthesize what they learned (from both the interview and the <br />
<br />
I posted the audio recordings of our interviews into our Google Classroom, plus a video of Yuyi Morales talking more about her book, <i>Dreamers</i>. Students could use the notes that they took live during the interview and could listen to the recordings of Mrs. Flores and of Yuyi Morales to add additional learnings to their thinking map.<br />
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The final step-- using those organized notes to write a syntheses statement describing what they learned about how it feels to live somewhere where you don't speak the language.<br />
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<h3>
Impact</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9b0rZxxzZlWcYVLAhyphenhyphen81rFHrW1X2mt_Qtf8NOCE7rW7MGBwzYkoLrTLHa5CIrYHz-0-OvdxOf-V1FrEeXfc-vPi6C40WDn76fS0v9hsr_3W2Go_BbOeu8E4GNnXKLgGGpIX6m4COAyJQ/s1600/IMG_4771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="1600" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9b0rZxxzZlWcYVLAhyphenhyphen81rFHrW1X2mt_Qtf8NOCE7rW7MGBwzYkoLrTLHa5CIrYHz-0-OvdxOf-V1FrEeXfc-vPi6C40WDn76fS0v9hsr_3W2Go_BbOeu8E4GNnXKLgGGpIX6m4COAyJQ/s320/IMG_4771.JPG" width="320" /></a>It was exciting to see the way that our students' more in depth analysis of their empathy <br />
interviews/observations led to more curiosity, additional questioning, stronger connection-making and more thoughtful ideations as we moved through the design process.<br />
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Having only previously interviewed their grade level peers in design work, we were also pleasantly surprised to see our seriously and carefully our 2nd graders worked through the interview and analysis process. Working with a real "client" added an authenticity to the work that made it more important to them, and so it became work that they cared about doing well.</div>
@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-83092936222461002002019-09-21T09:57:00.002-07:002020-04-11T07:15:00.605-07:00Redesigning Back to School Night at Campbell School of Innovation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-zUuHkue8Whbmm9sHCU0Zc5IbXLcX9RBXbY1baLI434iMXZrticJ3gyEMUbv09iP1Bq6LZ9bw1MYKkmdBe7gCwFfjVGcmzLCmnCckTnq2CNAFxKicP9DzIT6nRM7EiVQl4wLOHTj4-A/s1600/IMG_4421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-zUuHkue8Whbmm9sHCU0Zc5IbXLcX9RBXbY1baLI434iMXZrticJ3gyEMUbv09iP1Bq6LZ9bw1MYKkmdBe7gCwFfjVGcmzLCmnCckTnq2CNAFxKicP9DzIT6nRM7EiVQl4wLOHTj4-A/s320/IMG_4421.JPG" width="320" /></a>This week's 2nd annual Back to School Night event at <a href="https://twitter.com/CampbellCSI" target="_blank">Campbell School of Innovation</a> (CSI) was the most fun I've ever had at a back to school night!<br />
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Last year, our inaugural year as a school, we committed to rethinking back to school night. If we are a school of innovation, focused on design thinking and creativity and innovating the education experience for students, we couldn't very well host a "traditional" sit and get back to school night for our families. So last year began our journey into rethinking what back to school night would look like in our learning suites and our school, and this year, in our 2nd iteration, we had an opportunity to build on last year's event to create something even more engaging and meaningful for our families.<br />
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<h4>
<b>Our plan-- allow parents and families to experience a "day in the life of a 2nd grader".</b></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AIDkL3OPg-6NeLMqNTrswN1L3m0LHKN6MWGXxvGo94G-tytbG_Ck2dc-lCkyMrrn6hhs0piyNH-QZGPZ1f2AYa-aoWlKFTLF41k6AwxpSb8x9KikiebcW2yCkx3ebqe9Db7bayPBClw/s1600/IMG_4422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AIDkL3OPg-6NeLMqNTrswN1L3m0LHKN6MWGXxvGo94G-tytbG_Ck2dc-lCkyMrrn6hhs0piyNH-QZGPZ1f2AYa-aoWlKFTLF41k6AwxpSb8x9KikiebcW2yCkx3ebqe9Db7bayPBClw/s200/IMG_4422.JPG" width="200" /></a>We began by having all of our 2nd grade families enter our Wonder Lab together-- a shared workspace between our learning suites in the 2nd grade building. We regularly have all the 2nd graders work and learn together, with all three teachers (rather than the old school model of having them spend their time solely with their one teacher in their one classroom) so we wanted our families to experience that as well. We had some fun music playing and a welcome message up on our TVs while families had a few moments to meander in and socialize a bit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5g09xQjIUW9SQyhEKg1JlCe67bQ21CJH20hMGR-DYOVEOo5EKKZFlB3FjIxEX_Ci_d_xcT55x_Ht9f19APY69IeVY07hI4gIhEzyJyF5ZuXLMPgRu62D8H9XL1tZspW7rLHOEN9Sa94/s1600/IMG_4419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5g09xQjIUW9SQyhEKg1JlCe67bQ21CJH20hMGR-DYOVEOo5EKKZFlB3FjIxEX_Ci_d_xcT55x_Ht9f19APY69IeVY07hI4gIhEzyJyF5ZuXLMPgRu62D8H9XL1tZspW7rLHOEN9Sa94/s200/IMG_4419.JPG" width="200" /></a>Last year, with just two 2nd grade classes, we had families circle up for a pared down morning meeting (a la Responsive Classroom) during which they introduced themselves and read a morning message, but we're much bigger this year so this time we just had families stand around the Wonder Lab while we read a welcome message to the group.<br />
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The 2nd grade team then used 10 minutes or so whole group to introduce ourselves and also other team members that we, and the students, work closely with on a regular basis; to run quickly through some FAQs (mainly about our communication tools-- and that we'd send home weekly all the things info they'll need this year); and finally, we played a video that we made of the students describing what makes CSI unique and special to them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRBCFO_iwR__hy5dPQtLDzWWCeU8zSlzpf4LFxhKcKG6RAC23RYanx3WBA7EtV_y0B2mFuSUIOeqR2MTiAw8aYe4Qw2qqMNjcJrbR_z8Mi0VBc55N0lbRC7vW6c5whvpuNk084yjLH2g/s1600/IMG_0105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRBCFO_iwR__hy5dPQtLDzWWCeU8zSlzpf4LFxhKcKG6RAC23RYanx3WBA7EtV_y0B2mFuSUIOeqR2MTiAw8aYe4Qw2qqMNjcJrbR_z8Mi0VBc55N0lbRC7vW6c5whvpuNk084yjLH2g/s200/IMG_0105.JPG" width="200" /></a>Finally, it was play time! My team and I set up three different stations that we thought best represented the 2nd grade experience. In one learning suite we set up a <a href="https://twitter.com/breakoutEDU" target="_blank">BreakoutEDU</a> game--the first game that students completed with us this year. In another suite we set up a mini design challenge-- parents were given a planning sheet and were asked to empathize about their kids, ideate, and then rapidly prototype a gift for their children. In the third room, we asked families to design and color in dots for their children (as we celebrated <a href="http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/" target="_blank">Dot Day</a> all of last week) that the kids will be able to view in 3-D with the <a href="https://twitter.com/quivervision" target="_blank">Quiver</a> augmented reality app.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKVRLKYedn7TGNTHttlohyxEjFGTLi30gI8T8m3YVXae1bfy2mq6Nz-cnkV35GRgIZnCwkbNuv6Uknuc1mB4WUSGocALjJPeDUzdZu50p_P85iDEfOpwyuZES1PDOEEuC7VzhwzAJD5E/s1600/IMG_4424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1199" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKVRLKYedn7TGNTHttlohyxEjFGTLi30gI8T8m3YVXae1bfy2mq6Nz-cnkV35GRgIZnCwkbNuv6Uknuc1mB4WUSGocALjJPeDUzdZu50p_P85iDEfOpwyuZES1PDOEEuC7VzhwzAJD5E/s200/IMG_4424.JPG" width="149" /></a>Families chose how many stations they wanted to visit, we opened up all of our learning suite walls just like we do for our students, and the families spent the rest of their time designing, creating, prototyping, and playing together with the entire 2nd grade community. In the process we had a chance to model the ways that our 2nd grade students engage in learning choices, creative thinking, collaboration, empathizing, exploration, hands-on experience, authentic learning, reflection and play.<br />
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<b>The feedback was beyond what we could have asked for! Below, some quotes from families, & observations made, during and after the event:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>"...we've decided that this is so relaxing..." (comment from parent coloring a dot)</li>
<li>"... this is so great!"</li>
<li>So fun to see families taking so much thoughtful time on their design planning pages & really diving into their prototyping work</li>
<li>The gorgeous dot art that families spent 15, 20, 30 minutes creating for their children</li>
<li>"I hope he/she likes it..." (when talking about the prototypes they were creating)</li>
<li>Shouts of excitement from the BreakoutEDU room as families began to solve puzzles & open locks!</li>
<li>"But we're not done yet!" and "...we're having too much fun!" (comments from parents as Back to School night was ending and they were still making)</li>
<li>"Our children are so lucky to have you!"</li>
<li>"I was a little underwhelmed at the thought of doing a back to school night for the 13th straight year (and did feel guilty about it) but have to say your school/grade/classes made it such a fun experience... Love the concept and now can confidently say execution of the school!"</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBB7UbLqitFODsNXUEj_gV-BUDTjmSoU_HJyZJ5sM1wKNVwB1gZvnn_uAQP0R8bxOhs7ENo_0Kh5CvWyMBdKlhJcUPO2eqBCDo1aQfaAZ7S8GpRZNQZTl0FLwpTUlCSS4kaGiQ9-XzSAY/s1600/IMG_4417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBB7UbLqitFODsNXUEj_gV-BUDTjmSoU_HJyZJ5sM1wKNVwB1gZvnn_uAQP0R8bxOhs7ENo_0Kh5CvWyMBdKlhJcUPO2eqBCDo1aQfaAZ7S8GpRZNQZTl0FLwpTUlCSS4kaGiQ9-XzSAY/s400/IMG_4417.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo by @thehughes2</td></tr>
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@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-46328615651698630182019-09-14T10:55:00.003-07:002020-04-11T07:12:14.353-07:00Scaffolding the "Ambiguity" for 2nd graders with "Design for a Buddy" 2.0<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWI-aQYR1hmDfmwHn57Nj8_dvY6HmCX-Q2xbNG9S6a5C_DbGgYD5_iIbOu4xMJ9ot1d1-9LbPAffmjaQS8q3v1GkQAr9JFKVCNGMdsc1zeKG_W1qoRecPLhDXi-Dksd8KYiQUzbMAWorE/s1600/IMG_4251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWI-aQYR1hmDfmwHn57Nj8_dvY6HmCX-Q2xbNG9S6a5C_DbGgYD5_iIbOu4xMJ9ot1d1-9LbPAffmjaQS8q3v1GkQAr9JFKVCNGMdsc1zeKG_W1qoRecPLhDXi-Dksd8KYiQUzbMAWorE/s320/IMG_4251.JPG" width="320" /></a>A new year has begun and that means an opportunity to iterate on the design work and projects that we engaged in for the first time last year in our 2nd grade classes!<br />
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Our first day of school kicked off this year with a design quick fire challenge that we also used on last <span id="goog_807056941"></span><span id="goog_807056942"></span>year's "first day", but this year our work included a few upgraded elements. Last year's first day of school design experience left a number of our 2nd graders in tears as they struggled through their anxiety about failing, their fear of the unknown (i.e. no directions to follow & no cookie-cutter project to create) and their perfectionist tendencies.<br />
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Now in year two, my team re-vamped our "Design for your Buddy" design challenge-- with a particular focus on ideating, rapid prototyping, navigating ambiguity, and iterating skills-- to include scaffolding elements to support those students that need the support while developing their design mindsets.<br />
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<b>Update #1: Diving deeper into empathy with <i>Toy Story</i></b><br />
<b><br /></b>Our new grade 2 team member, <a href="https://twitter.com/DayanFlores1990" target="_blank">Dayan Flores</a>, had the brilliant idea of launching our project with a clip from the new Toy Story 4 movie, to help students develop empathy for their classmates and how they might be feeling on the first day of school (for many a new school, since we just opened last year). Students related extremely well to the main character's experience of being nervous at a new school and others were even more excited to get prototyping once they made the connection between the Forky character (who the little girl makes out of everyday materials to be her friend) and the project at hand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC18NM5M5WmfURiVjjfIEgsQFnTFQWW_lbhuzMC5K7gNYSG6857V3DKDxDhGNqKKNAox6BElu-DLjEPH0TVe3V0hGcZchoWKDnHyDBsBOrPnoxy5cJK_bmM77DTf23II6ShkXHgLc4Yj4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-09-14+at+10.45.01+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="875" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC18NM5M5WmfURiVjjfIEgsQFnTFQWW_lbhuzMC5K7gNYSG6857V3DKDxDhGNqKKNAox6BElu-DLjEPH0TVe3V0hGcZchoWKDnHyDBsBOrPnoxy5cJK_bmM77DTf23II6ShkXHgLc4Yj4/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-09-14+at+10.45.01+AM.png" width="320" /></a><b>Update #2: Design vocabulary instruction</b><br />
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We embedded explicit vocabulary instruction into our day 1 work. We defined key design words we wanted our students to be able to use that day, integrating multiple means of accessing the language (movement, orally, visually). Understanding the language had a huge impact on their understanding of the process itself. Spending time defining "prototype" and "rapid prototyping" for example also meant they were better prepared to create something quickly and not get so wrapped up in making their creation perfect.<br />
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<b>Update #3: Supporting design conversations</b><br />
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Most 2nd graders aren't used to interviewing others, asking questions and giving feedback so we spent a significant amount of time modeling this process and brainstorming sentences we might use to interview our partners. The teachers did most of the modeling in this first design challenge of the year, but as a grade level we had the students help us come up with example questions for the interview process. We recorded the suggestions on the board and then read them aloud whole group so that students had the language that they needed to talk to and interview their assigned buddy.<br />
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<b>Update #4: "To-do" lists</b><br />
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In our design work, the teams often end up working at different paces, and it becomes challenging for students to know what's next as everyone around them is working within a different part of the process. This year we integrated a "to-do" into our 1st design challenge to help students keep track of where in the process they were working and what was coming next.<br />
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To-do lists became a regular fixture in our projects last year, but not until the second half of the year. We decided to launch this executive functioning tool right away this year to help students "navigate ambiguity" (one of the <a href="https://twitter.com/stanforddschool" target="_blank">d.School at Stanford</a> design abilities for design thinking) and it really helped many of our students move at their own pace and cut down on a lot of the "what next" questions.<br />
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<b>Update #5: Maker bags as an option</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6ETv0f-x_DINRlec-LQEBBKY5Gdv94Ywhf9CEG1dswezCgQGL4XqH0f_tpe6mdAad6EAuiXn_BDh4lrHOogz2mYGnDnmjk7PxwbOpsEed6NOgJLXGuXtPHmdG7p6ak_6ieoJwfUtKGA/s1600/IMG_4252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1084" data-original-width="1470" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6ETv0f-x_DINRlec-LQEBBKY5Gdv94Ywhf9CEG1dswezCgQGL4XqH0f_tpe6mdAad6EAuiXn_BDh4lrHOogz2mYGnDnmjk7PxwbOpsEed6NOgJLXGuXtPHmdG7p6ak_6ieoJwfUtKGA/s320/IMG_4252.jpg" width="320" /></a>Many of last year's melt downs during our 1st day of school design challenge had to do with the "openness" of the work. Ideating, choosing materials, deciding how to craft a prototype in a timed setting... for some students this was more than overwhelming. This year, we decided that we'd have a few pre-made sets of materials available as an option for students that needed a starting point.<br />
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With many of our students now in their second year at CSI, we didn't have as many needing that kind of support, but there were still a couple that did. We were able to talk them through getting started a little faster with their rapid prototyping when they had a small set of materials to choose from rather than an entire room full of materials. The kits quelled some of their anxiety and is hopefully a first step toward them independently navigating ambiguity in future design work.<br />
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"So you want to make a cat for your buddy? Okay, well this paper tube looks a bit like a cat's body to me...what do you think? What else might your cat need? Which of these items on the table looks like a tail/leg/etc?"<br />
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<b>Update #6: Reflection starting day 1</b><br />
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Knowing that reflecting is such an important part of learning, our team wanted to improve on how often we embed reflection time into our work. In "Design for a Buddy" 2.0 we carved out about 10 minutes time at the end of our work for students to reflect on the process. We basically just wanted them to start thinking about what went well and what was challenging. In our second design cycle (post coming soon) we had students do more reflective writing and then recording in Seesaw to explain some of their thinking and design process.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vR2T2LRtHetOF0-b5OIJGfmhtD1VHQ3Vka0WW0KRYmS1wL9goe1bo1hp-mfcnOJW0XL_L_lmaqbP250/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="480"></iframe>@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-88750898497715994602019-08-15T10:10:00.000-07:002019-08-16T07:58:26.585-07:00Raspberry Pi Troubleshooting PrintableI noticed among my colleagues in the last couple of years that a barrier for them in getting started with the Raspberry Pi is not knowing how to troubleshoot common issues that arise in the classroom. I also discovered while using the Pi with my elementary students that I often need a quick reference sheet for them to use when doing their own troubleshooting. For my students, it takes too much time during our school day to try and navigate the web to find the help they need mid-project.<br />
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And so, I decided to put together a printable 1-pager of common issues that both teachers and students can quickly reference when working with the Raspberry Pi in school. Feedback welcomed!<br />
(you can also access this document via <a href="https://create.piktochart.com/output/31902676-raspberry-pi-troubleshooting-tips-mshaughs-2019" target="_blank">Piktochart</a>)<br />
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<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MV_r8Cvizzz3fWdcAXyJbARnq5b2TazD/preview" width="640" height="480"></iframe>@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-91614923461310986542019-08-13T08:47:00.002-07:002020-07-21T06:46:29.429-07:00Elementary CS through the lens of design thinkingA couple of weeks ago, Andrew Collins (inspired by an article on the CSforAll website) asked the Picademy community whether anyone is using design thinking methods with students in their programming and digital making work. As an educator at a school centered around design thinking mindsets (<a href="https://csi.campbellusd.org/" target="_blank">Campbell School of Innovation</a>), I am excited about the impact of design thinking in our programming and making work.<br />
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In the last couple of years I've tried to move beyond simply offering "color by numbers" programming lessons. Rather, a number of the programming and digital making lessons in my classes are now centered around solving a real problem or designing for a "user".<br />
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<h3>
Some background on design thinking...</h3>
Design thinking is an iterative and creative problem solving method that has been in play in the <a href="https://medium.com/@szczpanks/design-thinking-where-it-came-from-and-the-type-of-people-who-made-it-all-happen-dc3a05411e53" target="_blank">business world for several decades</a> and has really been made popular in recent decades by <a href="https://www.ideou.com/blogs/inspiration/what-is-design-thinking" target="_blank">IDEO </a>and the Stanford d.School. It's only been in about the last 10 years (if that) that design thinking has made it's way into education and K-12 classrooms.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUq5AYkSu1C2PyAo1ScvpnXBwlTXceU-ftXBsMkEXjSBmZdBl8g81jZecxtnXyI_yi-d-rIXhgNbZjrQLNuTAYxSH9ZqEBDKfJC7jQFyiZTtcCabZQEyPGbvSm9P_66WASYm6rje-9AXo/s1600/Seek+Learn+Lead.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="677" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUq5AYkSu1C2PyAo1ScvpnXBwlTXceU-ftXBsMkEXjSBmZdBl8g81jZecxtnXyI_yi-d-rIXhgNbZjrQLNuTAYxSH9ZqEBDKfJC7jQFyiZTtcCabZQEyPGbvSm9P_66WASYm6rje-9AXo/s200/Seek+Learn+Lead.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CSI design model</td></tr>
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The thing that really makes design thinking unique from other design processes is the focus on "human-centered" design-- the empathy piece of the puzzle. Rather than designing what we think someone might like, we engage in needs analysis and empathy mapping to fully understand our audience and then design for their needs.<br />
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The design model that we created for, and use at, CSI is the Seek, Learn, Lead circular model. Using this model, we challenge our students to become opportunity seekers, innovators and reflective designers and makers.<br />
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<h3>
My 1st design + programming project </h3>
I've always been a fan of project-based programming lessons, but during the 2017-18 school year I wanted to up the ante a bit. So I partnered with talented art teacher, <a href="https://twitter.com/Cre8ingArtNC14" target="_blank">Kimiyo Cordero</a>, and my creative TOSA colleague at the time, <a href="https://twitter.com/MistyKluesner" target="_blank">Misty Kluesner</a>, to develop a project that challenged a group of middle school art students to learn some programming with the goal of creating a piece of art for an authentic audience. <b><i>We asked students how they might create a statement piece about the environment for an audience of their peers and families by simulating the aurora with recycled materials and LEDs.</i></b> (more details about the Aurora Borealis project available <a href="https://mshaughs.blogspot.com/2018/03/awe-wonder-aurora-middle-school-digital.html" target="_blank">here</a>)<br />
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Most of the students had zero experience coding and couldn't fathom the relationship between programming and art. But knowing that the plan was to make something unique for an authentic audience, they hesitantly agreed to give it a try. Over the course of about 5 class periods I introduced our group of 7th and 8th graders to physical computing using the Raspberry Pi, Sense HAT and lots and lots of loose LEDs. It didn't take long for students to begin experimenting with their programs to create more interesting lighting effects to potentially use in their sculptures and paintings.<br />
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Knowing they were creating their work for someone other than their teachers inspired them to invest more thought and energy into learning and making, and inspired me to develop more design-focused computer science content in order to bring empathy and meaning to our project-based programming lessons.<br />
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<h3>
Learning CS through the design process</h3>
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1. CS lessons are designed around opportunities/problems</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsKJcEQccZf0NZuQUGUEPSqPJZeGAhYcF-kl_7W-DVjSH236JSsqcsE088_cszZFXfAFBd7cJOm71aTYnYJ9cgf62JqRLl25YZiONqGPtd-eSJpOV4owF8T-hbzzgFvjeN8-IGI0BoS4/s1600/animal+observation+ideas+2019.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="899" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsKJcEQccZf0NZuQUGUEPSqPJZeGAhYcF-kl_7W-DVjSH236JSsqcsE088_cszZFXfAFBd7cJOm71aTYnYJ9cgf62JqRLl25YZiONqGPtd-eSJpOV4owF8T-hbzzgFvjeN8-IGI0BoS4/s320/animal+observation+ideas+2019.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd grade design brainstorm</td></tr>
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This happens one of two ways in my classroom. Since we are, to an extent, still training our 2nd graders to seek out opportunities for design, this doesn't always come naturally or quickly. As such, my teaching team and I will sometimes already have a project in mind and will use a guided inquiry or brainstorm model to lead students to believe that they came up with the idea. </div>
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For example, one of the NGSS 2nd grade performance expectations is for students to make observations of plants and animals in different habitats, and my grade level team thought, 'wouldn't it be fun to find a way to authentically observe nature in our local urban habitat?' A perfect opportunity to incorporate some digital making with our Raspberry Pi computers! Unfortunately, this was not a question that students had posed as of yet, so we led a little guided brainstorm session during which we asked students to help us come up with ideas for safely and respectfully observing urban wildlife on campus. As students built on each others' ideas, we, as a class, eventually landed on trying to build and program a camera that would take pictures of animals as they set off a motion sensor nearby. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vtdwmltaN02F-Z6IUH-PM8NwJbvymX-sZy5-BYwsa0xMA3FnlkW9JzR2ZUNgWkiqO-Xuezw-Lj6Li0Rh_a-cGB_R1X3O0aLJEgKs7YdLKT20KSCIpXcNCPOV426PCuyuceIdT5zTU7M/s1600/IMG_9514.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vtdwmltaN02F-Z6IUH-PM8NwJbvymX-sZy5-BYwsa0xMA3FnlkW9JzR2ZUNgWkiqO-Xuezw-Lj6Li0Rh_a-cGB_R1X3O0aLJEgKs7YdLKT20KSCIpXcNCPOV426PCuyuceIdT5zTU7M/s320/IMG_9514.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Touch sensor wildlife camera with Pibrella and MakeyMakey</td></tr>
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The second method of lesson design requires a little bit of a willingness on the teacher's part to not overly plan for a class. While I do keep my "intro to physical computing" and "intro to coding" lessons well planned ahead, for the most part, I want to design our programming and making lessons around an opportunity for design that we've determined as a class. I may have generic outline for a lesson ready to go, but the details are added as students identify learning needs specific to their desired "make". For example, I'd originally thought we'd use motion sensors on the wildlife cameras, but students had a great idea to attract animals toward the cameras with food dishes. We ended up using my original "intro to PiCamera" lesson but then ended up adding a mini-lesson on Makey Makey to the mix so students could add a simple touch sensor instead.<br />
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<h4>
2. Projects are empathy-based</h4>
The heart of design thinking is empathy. Design thinking helps students develop a mindset of innovating for the purpose of improving the lives of, and helping, others. Approaching computer science instruction through the lens of design thinking has inspired many of my young students to want to learn even more about programming and digital making as they discover just what you can create once you learn some basic electronics, coding and computer science skills. While they have fun playing games to learn on Code.org, it's when they are challenged to create for someone else that my students really push their thinking.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ji26YAJ9ZxjJ3-fNJd7VHcdzu_26gRlz482k49wd1VzPOuiM-44Cc9Dbijw3pTOTbG3LIMsUPMyBCOP0skzoAmA35QlmXcbsh3YJbdhFWuevhM1_B6xK62uFGenfyq1G4kEGQ0oq2e4/s1600/auto+fish+feeder.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1599" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ji26YAJ9ZxjJ3-fNJd7VHcdzu_26gRlz482k49wd1VzPOuiM-44Cc9Dbijw3pTOTbG3LIMsUPMyBCOP0skzoAmA35QlmXcbsh3YJbdhFWuevhM1_B6xK62uFGenfyq1G4kEGQ0oq2e4/s320/auto+fish+feeder.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Auto pet feeder prototype with motor & ExplorerHAT</td></tr>
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During our Innovators Hour course last Winter, I asked my group of 2nd-4th graders, as part of their culminating project, to look for a design opportunity in their home, school or community. They would then use their new programming and electronics skills to create a prototype to present at our Innovation Fair in the Spring. Students' ideas ranged from at art bot for a sibling that loves art, to an automatic pet feeder to help their busy family with chores, to a math study app for a friend, to a robot "reseeder" for California's wildfire scorched forests, to a button press "signal machine" for me so that I wouldn't have to stress my voice trying to get the classes attention during our hectic maker projects.<br />
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Thinking empathetically in design also transfers into other areas of their lives. Once students begin to develop a mindset for understanding other people, their motivations and their needs, they begin to think that way more often in their social lives as well. Giving them specific skills for understanding others in design means they also now have those specific skills to draw from when communicating with friends, settling conflicts or learning to understand someone else's unique characteristics or abilities.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-Bk-OK62bjdgzmcXpmObPghp7kXS9AUtCvjnttDd0cnwa_ww3c1AhdatEKhWPx5lgYcPRt1EvEhDDTu0xafAGk5IzW0x7Ay8YP7SiJWrkWw9dDY44g8l9KU_19Y2zUnPtaBm6JCKwkg/s1600/microbit+watch+%25282%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="639" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-Bk-OK62bjdgzmcXpmObPghp7kXS9AUtCvjnttDd0cnwa_ww3c1AhdatEKhWPx5lgYcPRt1EvEhDDTu0xafAGk5IzW0x7Ay8YP7SiJWrkWw9dDY44g8l9KU_19Y2zUnPtaBm6JCKwkg/s200/microbit+watch+%25282%2529.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watch rapid prototype</td></tr>
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3. Rapid prototyping & personalized learning through "authentic" builds</h4>
Students are highly engaged in computer science through design thinking because they are learning programming while creating authentic artifacts. Even my 2nd graders, with their introductory skills in programming and digital making can at least create "rapid prototypes" that mimic what their final device would look like. Rapid prototyping is the process of quickly creating a physical mock up of the design solution that you've envisioned. Sometimes my students come up with some really great ideas-- like the wallet scanner that a student wanted to build for his dad so that he'd never again be surprised that it was time for a trip to the ATM-- but don't yet have the skills (and, often, neither do I) to build a working model. However, students can create a rapid digital prototype that showcases what it is that their invention would do.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjWVB575sblORNR0_fZLiLzAZzlhj5VgFy5SuMObz6SBzBsOn5uOLGwwmy6D8Pq3JBfxMISLJT7ZqMA86zo8BiT84Xtst5PouPLJ30lKHt9R_lWO0PanIcOH3GaUtSCc-Tn_I_j8561c/s1600/GClassroom+screenshot.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="1600" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjWVB575sblORNR0_fZLiLzAZzlhj5VgFy5SuMObz6SBzBsOn5uOLGwwmy6D8Pq3JBfxMISLJT7ZqMA86zo8BiT84Xtst5PouPLJ30lKHt9R_lWO0PanIcOH3GaUtSCc-Tn_I_j8561c/s320/GClassroom+screenshot.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Classroom for personalized resources</td></tr>
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Students also tend to be self-motivated during this process to research ways that they can most accurately prototype their idea, leading to new programming and electronics learning along the way and truly personalizing the learning experience for each student. Yes, it can be challenging at first for me when I'm trying to help 20-25 students with each of their own unique creations. However, instead of trying to teach each and every one of them how to make what they want to make, I shift to providing lessons on research and online learning strategies. I used Google Classroom to push out YouTube videos, websites and my Raspberry Pi activity cards to groups based on their skills they were trying to learn. I also connected teams that were working on similar skills so that they could support each other in learning what they needed to learn in order to complete their custom projects.<br />
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4. Reflect, Iterate & Develop Patience</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPCWsuUlO7dvhJTsMaw7armE7rkjcB0apkP0aTTvDZaAHzYIfWegjcvaWczP4SCGPGNICHifQ8zI-4SV-SBb3LRDAUf1E4b62Cc6su_YxwXahSvWcxKIOQ9iEwsUyqvBka5S3pDP6jv0/s1600/perseverance.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="844" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPCWsuUlO7dvhJTsMaw7armE7rkjcB0apkP0aTTvDZaAHzYIfWegjcvaWczP4SCGPGNICHifQ8zI-4SV-SBb3LRDAUf1E4b62Cc6su_YxwXahSvWcxKIOQ9iEwsUyqvBka5S3pDP6jv0/s320/perseverance.jpg" width="240" /></a>Beyond prototyping an initial solution to a problem, design thinking also involves testing an idea, receiving feedback from a user and developing 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. iterations of the prototype to continually improve the original idea. This can involve a lot of patience... something that elementary aged students don't always have. Teaching students to be precise in their work, reflect on their work and iterate to improve has been much more successful in our design work than simply asking them to go back and fix their errors on a rote worksheet.<br />
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Early in the school year, during last year's primary election season, we studied government with our 2nd graders and talked about the importance of voting. We also read an article about how slow it can be for votes to be counted and the effect that has on the election process. Students then brainstormed ideas for "speeding up" the vote counting process and decided on creating a voting app because it could automatically calculate votes as people submitted.<br />
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At the start of the school year, most of our 2nd graders had little to no coding experience, so the work we started in Scratch at this point was complicated and at times frustrating. That being said, not a single student gave up on the project. They worked with each other to learn and fix their bugs, several made creative changes to their projects that made them unique from our class project, and some spent the entire school year continuing to iterate and improve upon their app as they learn more programming during the year. This kind of commitment to improving a project is unlike anything I'd ever seen before in my 10 years of teaching! For me, this was a testament to the impact that design thinking has on not just computer science instruction, but on learning in general.<br />
<br />@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-69936800970497737452019-07-19T16:14:00.004-07:002020-07-22T07:37:20.946-07:00(Re)Inspiring Innovative Mindsets Through Making<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bringing making into education isn't just about access to the materials; it's also about developing a maker mindset in our students and cultivating their confidence to be makers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">During the first week of school last year, my teaching partner and I tasked our 2nd graders with a quickfire design challenge: get to know a partner and then make a gift for that person out of the materials of your choosing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of our students were thrilled with this first "assignment", but not all. Having not taught 2nd grade before, I assumed that all 7-8 year olds would be thrilled about an assignment that required them to cut, paste, color and glue, but that wasn't necessarily true. A handful of our 2nd graders weren't at all excited. On the contrary, they were stressed... some stressed to the point of tears each time we launched a making project that didn't come with step-by-step directions of that put them at risk of not doing something "perfectly" the first time.</span></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In his <a href="https://www.ted.com/speakers/sir_ken_robinson" target="_blank">2006 TED Talk</a>, Sir Ken Robinson stated that we tend to grow out of creativity, or more recently, that we are educated out of creativity. It was in that moment with my students on the first day of school that I learned that this is happening even earlier than I'd realized, and that we have a duty in education to help bring that creative confidence back to our students.</span></span><br />
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<h3>
Why Develop Creative Confidence?</h3>
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So why is it important to cultivate more creative confidence in students? We know that our world continues to change rapidly, and in the larger scheme of things, the future of jobs is changing significantly.</div>
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The <a href="https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2018" target="_blank">World Economic Forum 2018 "Future of Jobs" report</a> found that 50% of companies expect automation to continue to replace some of their workforce by 2022, and because of that, new jobs will be created, but with a stronger emphasis on more flexible roles. Anything that can be done by a machine, simply be creating an algorithm for that task, will be. In the coming years, there will be a larger need for those in the workforce to be more adaptable, multi-skilled, able to think critically and creatively in their roles. <b>Creativity is third of the list of skills reported as most likely desired by employers in 2022 and innovation is number one.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnxMbD0mxUf4bqhUegLzof79dm2JY6SmTCNTrrRfXSWeGk_pDdqyFzT2CVbrsVpmEGYuJrn06yX2CWqehmMHXY5HVNsyMwNX6c20pYGFcHScXqFi0fp1LGTuM18ljpfrw4puYcDUEOTw/s1600/Sir+Ken+quote.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnxMbD0mxUf4bqhUegLzof79dm2JY6SmTCNTrrRfXSWeGk_pDdqyFzT2CVbrsVpmEGYuJrn06yX2CWqehmMHXY5HVNsyMwNX6c20pYGFcHScXqFi0fp1LGTuM18ljpfrw4puYcDUEOTw/s320/Sir+Ken+quote.jpg" width="320" /></a>Also a part of his 2006 TED Talk, Sir Ken Robinson reminded us that if "...you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original..." A characteristic of the maker, the creator, the innovator is the confidence to try something and know that it might not work out the first time and that's okay. Having creative confidence and a maker mindset is being willing to continually fail forward on the journey toward creating something amazing.</div>
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<a href="https://inventtolearn.com/seymour-papert-father-of-the-maker-movement/" target="_blank">Seymour Papert</a>, often referred to as the father of the maker movement, questioned in his book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerful-Ideas/dp/0465046746" target="_blank">Mindstorms </a>(first published in 1980), "Is the computer programming the child, or the child programming the computer?" With all of this technology around us, it is imperative that we understand how it all works. Artificial intelligence and machine learning may sound like things of a Ray Bradbury science fiction novel, but they are already, right now, impactful parts of our everyday lives. Digital making ensures that students are not just using computers to create, but are actually learning how to control those computers as they create with them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYzMcik_-5XVGdiyM38ccctUPPWQQro8dqAyWn7PzVyXZIdU5pPViUF8dIhffpqrEc0KbzNFqQnojGVEqoq2UuLemb2QwbInPfATMVi6dXS5JmaXt3QsVc9Z3c4I2e6sPL8Mo5NQ2meQ/s1600/Learning+by+Making+Event+2019+AMANDA+HAUGHS+%25281%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYzMcik_-5XVGdiyM38ccctUPPWQQro8dqAyWn7PzVyXZIdU5pPViUF8dIhffpqrEc0KbzNFqQnojGVEqoq2UuLemb2QwbInPfATMVi6dXS5JmaXt3QsVc9Z3c4I2e6sPL8Mo5NQ2meQ/s320/Learning+by+Making+Event+2019+AMANDA+HAUGHS+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>Most importantly, it is the hands-on learning, the authentic experiences, and the learning by doing that we know really make learning stick. This is not a new idea, and yet it is still not common practice in all of our classrooms. Seymour Papert also wrote in <i>Mindstorms </i>that "...discovery cannot be a setup; invention cannot be scheduled." The most powerful learning happens when we make authentic discoveries and have to solve authentic problems. Mitch Resnick echoes this idea in his book, <i><a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/lifelong-kindergarten" target="_blank">Lifelong Kindergarten</a></i>. Learning through making means learning to iterate, take risks, solve problems, think creatively, and collaborate authentically. It's a chance for students to learn in context, making the learning more sticky.</div>
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<h3 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
The Barriers</h3>
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We know that children are naturally curious, so what then become the barriers that create such an anxiety in some of our students at such an early age?</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oww7oB9rjgw" target="_blank">Psychologist Thomas Curran</a> studies what he calls the "plague of perfectionism" and notes in his research that there has been a siginificant increase in perfectionist mindsets in our youth in the last 25 years. Two of the causes that he discussed in a recent TED Talk stood out to me.</div>
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One was the onslaught of social media in the last 10 years or so and the effect that social media is having on young people. The images of the "perfect lifestyles" that are portrayed all over social media instills in our students this overwhelming need to achieve that perfect life. And while you might not think that this would be as much of an issue at the elementary level, it is. Yes even 7 year olds are dialed into the most popular "YouTubers" of the week, and if you've ever watched the Seesaw and Flipgrid videos that my students record for me, you can tell that quite a few of them hope that they'll soon be the next YouTube star.</div>
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A second cause of perfectionism that Curran talks about that was even more concerning to me was the way that we rank and sort our students in schools. Part of this problem is such a hugely systemic issue, it's hard to know what to do about it as a classroom teacher. State required testing, AP tests and SATs are not something that the average educator has much control over, and the pressure that those tests put on students, teachers and parents alike is, according to Curran, affecting students' mental health like never before. Even at the elementary school level I notice the stress that our testing culture has on young students... the tears, the escape acts to the bathrooms every 10 minutes, the heads down on desks during a short math quiz, the scribbling or ripping up of papers in a moment of frustration... I've seen them all. </div>
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That being said, I am not at all anti-assessment. Knowing what my students can do independently helps me to plan better instruction, suited to their individual needs. But the type of culture that we develop around assessment in our homes and classrooms can either positively or negatively impact our students' beliefs around assessment. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7Wf50AFw8AHWKD8uCjw_KIofIy9spwHKhHYBhOujCN-PruBPnd9sONK5KaqXSbAi40X5iJHKxG8XJcQEMOJK2KgX1VsiGtGnbIl73Wzf6rm_vwrlVSF8hIBmEJX9ZtYevQws7ZotbUQ/s1600/Making+mayhem.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="848" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7Wf50AFw8AHWKD8uCjw_KIofIy9spwHKhHYBhOujCN-PruBPnd9sONK5KaqXSbAi40X5iJHKxG8XJcQEMOJK2KgX1VsiGtGnbIl73Wzf6rm_vwrlVSF8hIBmEJX9ZtYevQws7ZotbUQ/s320/Making+mayhem.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making mayhem</td></tr>
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It also seems that fewer and fewer students are being given time for creative moments and play in their overly academic, overly scripted, overly planned, overly plugged in days. This is one of the reasons that my schools is a no-homework school. We may send our students home with the option to continue a project that we've started in class, or to teach their families a new game that we learned, and we also encourage them to read at home, but generally we want our students to go home in the evening and have time to play, spend time with family, explore, follow their passions, be creative. And at first, it was a tough adjustment for both students and their families. But now, it's fantastic to see students go home and make cardboard sculptures in their free time, and develop their own video games in Scratch, create slideshows about the things that they love, produce movies about their vacations, play with the new Micro:bit or Raspberry Pi that they're parents bought them, write fantasy stories and books... and then bring those creations back to school to share with their peers and teachers. We love seeing students working on their passions at home instead of spending hours on busy work.<br />
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<h3>
Nurturing Creative Confidence</h3>
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How do we help nurture our students' creative confidence? And help them develop more of a maker mindset?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students present project made with Raspberry Pi & MakeyMakey</td></tr>
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<b>1. Provide more opportunities for making</b></div>
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First off, simply providing more maker and creating opportunities in the classroom can have a huge impact. We constantly tell students that practice makes permanent in the "core" subject areas and the same goes for creativity. The more we engage in creation and making, the more proficient we become in ideating, trying new things, getting messy in the making process and being okay with that.</div>
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In the book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073HJR8HR/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" target="_blank">Empower</a></i>, educators and authors <a href="https://twitter.com/spencerideas" target="_blank">John Spencer</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ajjuliani" target="_blank">A.J. Juliani</a> remind us that even with all of the content that we must teach and the assessments that we're required to give, we are still the ones designing the learning experiences in our classrooms. "Standards are the architect's blueprint," they write, "and you, the teacher, are the still the builder and designer." Finding the time for our students to play, make and create empowers them as makers.</div>
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<b>2. Scaffold creative work</b><br />
Secondly, we can scaffold creative and maker projects in our classrooms. Some students will need a framework within which to start their maker projects. In my classroom, all making projects typically start with some type of mini-lesson or guide to help them get going. With our digital making projects, I use printable, <a href="https://mshaughs.blogspot.com/p/stem-lesson-resources.html" target="_blank">step-by-step guides</a> that my students can use to learn the basics at their own pace. I might also provide them with videos or project directions from the <a href="http://projects.raspberrypi.org/" target="_blank">Raspberry Pi</a> or Code Club World websites that they can use to help them create (and then customize) what they want.<br />
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<b>3. Give them a target</b><br />
I also like to give my students a specific learning target to work towards. For many students, having a clear end goal in mind gives them necessary constraints within which to focus their creative thinking.<br />
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<b>4. Create by copying</b><br />
Sometimes we use templates that students can duplicate and then customize to make the work their own as they're learning a new tool or technique. During our first digital design project last year, I pushed out a Google Drawing to all of our 2nd graders and they were able to use the template to change as much or as little of the design as they chose to, so that they could get comfortable with the new tool while creating. When they are ready to create their own from scratch they will, but in the meantime that have the resources that they need to help them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students use targets & printable guides to learn new making skills</td></tr>
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When practicing creativity, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oww7oB9rjgw" target="_blank">artist and writer Austin Kleon</a> encourages us to "steal like an artist." Something I've noticed in some of our students suffering from extreme perfectionism or maker anxiety is the belief that you can only truly be creative or innovative if your idea is completely new. This belief holds them back from ever getting started. Kleon, however, reminds us that nothing is ever complete original. Our creative work is often encouraged by something we saw or read somewhere else. Creativity is many times a collaborative effort-- an idea built from someone else's idea, that was built from someone else's idea, that was built from someone else's idea. I let my students know that copying to learn is perfectly okay.<br />
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The <a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/" target="_blank">Scratch </a>platform is a great example of this. Scratch encourages what they call "remixing." Copy someone else's program (with credit of course) and remix it, change it, improve upon it and then reshare it. When working within the design process, we teach students that ideating involves not just coming up with as many new ideas as you can, but it can also mean building off of others' ideas as well.<br />
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<b>5. Model, model, model</b><br />
We can also encourage more creative confidence in our students by modeling that mindset for them. We model reading, writing, math, science skills with our students... why not model creative thinking and maker mentalities. I like to create alongside my students in the classroom, doing the same creative work that they are and modeling aloud make ways of thinking when I can. "Well, I don't exactly know how to do this yet, but let's look it up..." or "...let's see what happens if I try this...." or "This isn't looking quite the way that I'd imagined, but this part is kind of cool so I'm going to keep it and see how it turns out."<br />
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I tell them stories about my own maker projects and setbacks that I've faced and how I work through those setbacks. How it took me 6 months to figure out how to successfully record audio waves on my Raspberry Pi and then to convert that into sound waves that print in a graph, but after a hundred failures and a lot of help from friends, I finally had part of it figured out!<br />
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The Impact</h3>
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It is easy to say that we don't have time for more making in our classrooms. That there are too many other things to do, but the benefit of nurturing students' creative confidence and maker mindsets is the impact that that mindset has across all aspects of student learning. Making offers a safe and engaging space for students to practice making mistakes; a more low stakes arena within which to fail and then figure out a new to try and make something work. And having spent months developing that mindset within my own young students, I have seen their attitudes toward challenges and difficult tasks change. They aren't as quick to get frustrated and they are much more solution-focused than they were at the beginning of the year. They take more initiative to solve problems and to make decisions for their own learning.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Student statements on importance of making in education<br /><br /></td></tr>
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And for some of our students, making finally gives them the opportunity to shine. One of my favorite <br />
examples of this happened a couple of years ago, when I was working with a 5th grade class on a digital making project in Minecraft Pi. One of the students in the class had been struggling with math most of the year. The project that we were working on involved using the Python 3 coding language to program the construction of a colonial tool in Minecraft Pi. This particular student happened to be a big Minecraft fan, and although he had zero experience programming, he quickly became one of our project experts. Suddenly, a student that was barely getting by in his traditional math class, was explaining 3-D coordinate systems to his classmates, and calculating area and perimeter in Minecraft as he made construction plans with his team.</div>
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Maybe most importantly, providing more time for creativity and making, and helping them develop more confidence in their ability to be makers, my students are now more excited about learning when they get to make something real. They have more fun creating than filling in worksheets, and it is exciting to see the pride in their faces when they've created something out of seemingly nothing.<br />
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<b><i>"Cultivating Confident Creators" talk given at Pi-Top Learning by Making series, L.A. </i></b><br />
<b><i>(April 2019)</i></b><br />
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@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-1874301032267222192019-05-04T08:18:00.000-07:002019-05-04T08:19:42.219-07:00Creating Urban Wildlife Cameras with Raspberry Pi in 2nd gradeOur first full Raspberry Pi project with all of the 2nd graders was a success-- well, mainly in that most all of the 2nd graders loved learning how to use the Raspberry Pis and program LEDs and cameras. We were not as successful in getting our projects to work the way that we wanted to, but our students did learn yet again how to adapt when a project is turning out that way that you originally planned.<br />
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We launched the digital making project as a part of the ecosystems NGSS & ELA unit that we were working on, as a way of addressing CS standards as well as the NGSS standard that students make observations of plants and animals.<br />
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Before diving into making our wildlife cameras, my teaching partner, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/thehughes2" target="_blank">Terri Hughes</a>, and I did a little background work with students to make sure that they had some understanding of the hardware that they were going to be working with. We read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hello-Ruby-Journey-Inside-Computer/dp/1250065321/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1505456464&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><i>Hello Ruby: Journey Inside the Computer</i></a> to each of our classes and discussed the difference between hardware and software. We also taught students computer-related vocabulary so they could speak accurately about their machines and the work we'd be doing (monitor, mouse, cursor, inputs, outputs, etc.).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uVs2X2iSIhTo465ToVHvI6ftMySDfuGpyG_7sPnTvPO8s9RRTUoNQKMjnCM3UU5cfqn1WNwhKL2vH_88U11ZSMkUpyYF2ZzuLt1OG-mz_JsQeQmoS9TF5OzCLTwn8716w_d1Y1_SHYI/s1600/IMG_0065+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uVs2X2iSIhTo465ToVHvI6ftMySDfuGpyG_7sPnTvPO8s9RRTUoNQKMjnCM3UU5cfqn1WNwhKL2vH_88U11ZSMkUpyYF2ZzuLt1OG-mz_JsQeQmoS9TF5OzCLTwn8716w_d1Y1_SHYI/s320/IMG_0065+2.JPG" width="240" /></a>Next, we brought all of the 2nd graders together and launched our digital making project with a <b> </b>question. We reminded the students that we had watched lots of animal videos throughout our ecosystem unit, and that we noticed their interest in animals on our own campus--so we asked them, "<b>how might we better observe urban wildlife in our own community?"</b><br />
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Before ever mentioning that we were going to make our own wildlife cameras, we had students practice their brainstorming skills by coming up with all the methods they could think of to make observations of nature on our school campus without disturbing that nature. When several started talking about cameras, it was at that point that Mrs. Hughes and I announced that we thought that sounded fun and that Mrs. Haughs had everything we needed to create and program our own wildlife cameras.<br />
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Day 1 of digital making involved getting students into teams of 3. I've found that groups larger than that don't tend to work well-- there's not enough for everyone to do. I told students that we wanted the teams to be balanced, so that each team had a strong coder, editor and builder/electronics person (or, even if they weren't sure they were strong in an area, that at least it was a skill they were very interested in) and then had the students develop their own teams. They did a fantastic job of making the teams themselves, and took the process very seriously, pointing out to me who would be the "expert" in each skill on their team as I approved each team.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ye_hLUEO5nOA-ef28gPDYT41br61594P8bKreZ6fB5RJRC1gOM8b6US7dlMA7oAkpC4hfT656ddosc8-JYQKl1rvLG87O0fcZ195y-ANDKIvISY1VnCICsW4e-brKNKuxS7pDUYAeBI/s1600/Teamwork+RPi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="849" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ye_hLUEO5nOA-ef28gPDYT41br61594P8bKreZ6fB5RJRC1gOM8b6US7dlMA7oAkpC4hfT656ddosc8-JYQKl1rvLG87O0fcZ195y-ANDKIvISY1VnCICsW4e-brKNKuxS7pDUYAeBI/s320/Teamwork+RPi.JPG" width="320" /></a>Next, we reviewed the parts of the computer that we'd learned with <i style="font-weight: bold;">Hello Ruby </i>as a whole group, and pointed out each of those parts on the Raspberry Pi. I asked students what was missing from our Raspberry Pi so that we could use it and they had to list off the other parts of hardware that we'd need (keyboard, mouse, monitor, power). Then we took turns, one person at a time from each team, picking up those materials from our computing corner until teams had everything that they needed to get started.<br />
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As for electronics components, I decided to use Pibrella HATs, motion sensors and PiCameras on this project. I put the Pibrella HATs on the Raspberry Pis ahead of time so students wouldn't have to learn that on day 1, and left PiCameras off for the first couple of lessons, while students learned how to setup the code that they needed in Scratch in order to program the Pibrella. The goal was to get the motion sensors up and running first, as I tend to struggle with these from time to time. I've found that they end up being way to sensitive or not working at all, and I wanted students to be able to get over this hurdle in the beginning and leave the "easier" stuff, like the Picamera, for last.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXxKQDe102Imer39Sr5QWnILPsR_MAs8pEVxHEWX8H1qrq1OQZZ4pu63P4gO-Losmg1Hn24fx2FzprtQHcDzCNLSYDn-t9V0k7HRNWMeoD2wvfFUlHynkNypVqHO1aZyEOE35spwT4o8/s1600/camera+success+Pi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="852" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXxKQDe102Imer39Sr5QWnILPsR_MAs8pEVxHEWX8H1qrq1OQZZ4pu63P4gO-Losmg1Hn24fx2FzprtQHcDzCNLSYDn-t9V0k7HRNWMeoD2wvfFUlHynkNypVqHO1aZyEOE35spwT4o8/s320/camera+success+Pi.JPG" width="320" /></a>To help students learn how to program each element, I made a <a href="http://bit.ly/pibrellascratchtasks">Pibrella-focused slide deck/activity card deck</a> that we printed off for the groups. I like the "copy to learn" format for getting students started. With the printed card deck, groups could move as slowly or quickly as they wanted through the project and then customize as they learned how their program worked. This format helped teams worked more independently and try to solve their own problems while I circulated the room.<br />
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As I suspected, we ended up not able to get the motion sensors to work quite right, and as we didn't have much time for troubleshooting, we reviewed the term "prototype" and how sometimes in design we put things together as a sample of how the real thing might work, even if it's not exactly how we want the final product to look. Then, we learned to program buttons instead and by the end of the unit, every team was able to program their button to turn on at least 1 LED and take their picture.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8ivPij_baB3jkWpC6tcA0U1tPu3IQD8mAFxTzt_8jrwIWxcCZjtnYarsZATXD_9BeDP50Dbq2L8P9Z6-aKcQmZI58ANWu0ZWiPvRKQutODelaJhnZ-3x8opJzoAodwvScCCKAjysXuw/s1600/IMG_9514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8ivPij_baB3jkWpC6tcA0U1tPu3IQD8mAFxTzt_8jrwIWxcCZjtnYarsZATXD_9BeDP50Dbq2L8P9Z6-aKcQmZI58ANWu0ZWiPvRKQutODelaJhnZ-3x8opJzoAodwvScCCKAjysXuw/s320/IMG_9514.JPG" width="320" /></a>In the end, one small set of students wanted to keep working on their project independently and so in their free time they recreated the camera project, adding a Makey Makey and copper tape for touch activation and trying to create some "camouflage" elements to the prototype so that we could more easily hide the cameras somewhere on campus (even color matching our school walls to the paint they used for camera cover).@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-59149261255879199052019-02-02T09:47:00.002-08:002019-02-02T10:01:00.602-08:00How do you teach a 2nd grader to own their own learning?One of the goals that we had as a site upon opening CSI was to personalize learning by helping our students become more self-directed learners. The question is, and continues to be, how do you teach elementary-aged students to take ownership of their own learning?<br />
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When we talk about self-directed learners, we're not talking just about students being able to work independently, but also that they will take initiative in their own learning. Educator and writer, <a href="http://www.spencerauthor.com/choice-menu/" target="_blank">John Spencer</a>, created a simple and concise visual for explaining self-directed (see below & read his blog post "Taking Choice Menus to the Next Level" for more info).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of John Spencer</td></tr>
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As an elementary school teacher, I fully believe that even our youngest students are capable of becoming self-directed learners. The trick is, how to get them to a place of making their own learning choices, and sticking with those choices when they get tough.</div>
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Our First Steps Toward Self-Directed</h3>
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In my 2nd grade classroom, I've started a few routines to help scaffold the journey toward more self-directed learning. Most of my 2nd graders came to me this year ready to follow directions and complete the tasks offered to them. Asking them to make decisions for their own learning, however, was a bit trickier, and figuring out to support my students' journey towards self-directed learning has become a matter of trial and error. </div>
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Here are some of the more successful strategies that I've used so far:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLriFFrEd-I9COp8jTrSSDg-x2XXtcz7zg1QbXdXMjaAjNF3YAiCRFPq7FMga0WPh4QaQoT2RtNrYMPG0W8pOgGoEU9Rr50B3ejYCfc5ZgTJio3c2UnefiK7X4UVG3b0phxXwVPVRfknM/s1600/IMG_8051.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLriFFrEd-I9COp8jTrSSDg-x2XXtcz7zg1QbXdXMjaAjNF3YAiCRFPq7FMga0WPh4QaQoT2RtNrYMPG0W8pOgGoEU9Rr50B3ejYCfc5ZgTJio3c2UnefiK7X4UVG3b0phxXwVPVRfknM/s200/IMG_8051.heic" width="200" /></a>Learning Targets</h4>
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This was actually a district initiative, put into place about two years ago as we began our PLC (professional learning communities) training with <a href="https://www.solutiontree.com/" target="_blank">Solution Tree</a> and as one of our schools became an <a href="https://eleducation.org/" target="_blank">EL School</a>. I mention all of that mainly to say that I cannot take credit for the idea of learning targets, but I can say that the more that we use them in our day, the more powerful they become for helping students personalize their own learning path by giving them a clear target to achieve. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdnjf41dZrAGP8CVlwttoAq-0vufuBtmkVLMbGaDCrbbMeKrjYI5U8cEZI0QmghexE558SFo7llFt0kxcCdeRSRbFViZwI5ttFmqGTPX40QAi7XeDmxkcoKm0Eogf9cDRwDMuxm-qd7A/s1600/IMG_1504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="475" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdnjf41dZrAGP8CVlwttoAq-0vufuBtmkVLMbGaDCrbbMeKrjYI5U8cEZI0QmghexE558SFo7llFt0kxcCdeRSRbFViZwI5ttFmqGTPX40QAi7XeDmxkcoKm0Eogf9cDRwDMuxm-qd7A/s200/IMG_1504.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_7F6NlyGZGrnbg5KhWojLxXU8veSEHoyPIQRHB2pH2fg_dv57WFx16w7e2l2vOOuf3mhqxZpLZg4PCL_gQcvwsvoOFvheviueGxyjHZ446n-LZfRUPDRdsGNsZbyKUzy9LdPwochp1g/s1600/IMG_5263.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_7F6NlyGZGrnbg5KhWojLxXU8veSEHoyPIQRHB2pH2fg_dv57WFx16w7e2l2vOOuf3mhqxZpLZg4PCL_gQcvwsvoOFvheviueGxyjHZ446n-LZfRUPDRdsGNsZbyKUzy9LdPwochp1g/s200/IMG_5263.heic" width="200" /></a>The idea of learning targets is to begin each lesson with a statement of what essential skill the students should be able to accomplish by the end of that particular lesson. It is not the same as the standards, as those are typically what we hope for students to accomplish by the end of the school year. The learning target tells students what I want them to accomplish by the end of just that 1 lesson. We review our learning target before and after the lesson, breaking down its parts and defining important vocabulary, and ask students to self-reflect on their progress throughout. And we don't just use learning targets for academic skills, we also write them to help students focus on "soft skill" goals.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TVYTNNPoqGTTOb6_Sa5Xi71f1FECUzLB6gie0_PpA7HPqqMw_tl__XuOmqv8RukH6_apAgpv66mC_miRA03rC56qIWhmuVFixy3EW9Zj3bhm9Odqg1ol7OMwohQfy1Pu9MgswdXj1WY/s1600/IMG_6811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TVYTNNPoqGTTOb6_Sa5Xi71f1FECUzLB6gie0_PpA7HPqqMw_tl__XuOmqv8RukH6_apAgpv66mC_miRA03rC56qIWhmuVFixy3EW9Zj3bhm9Odqg1ol7OMwohQfy1Pu9MgswdXj1WY/s200/IMG_6811.jpg" width="200" /></a>When students have a clear target in mind at the start of the lesson, it becomes easier for them to determine the path they'll need to take in order to reach that target. (<i><a href="https://eleducation.org/resources/chapter-1-learning-targets" target="_blank">Leaders of Their Own Learning</a></i> is a great read for anyone wanting to learn more about this.) As students have become familiar with using learning targets, they even help me write the targets from time to time, now.<br />
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Executive Functioning Supports: Our "To-Do" Lists </h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgJROxm4mSvqLId8RPlyFB1-YGemvtMZrpiYmRDd9NzcAPpKl9InKc8trn3T48GLBR4NIMi4kTTAD3qjRQsMblxMPEshCmBihrORKtZdyFIDkbJVYcNEjtmPIGjiaV2v0bYT5wm0BKNI/s1600/IMG_5467.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgJROxm4mSvqLId8RPlyFB1-YGemvtMZrpiYmRDd9NzcAPpKl9InKc8trn3T48GLBR4NIMi4kTTAD3qjRQsMblxMPEshCmBihrORKtZdyFIDkbJVYcNEjtmPIGjiaV2v0bYT5wm0BKNI/s200/IMG_5467.HEIC" width="150" /></a>Executive functioning skills are so important for helping students to become self-directed learners in our classrooms. Directing their own learning requires some type of strategy for organizing and planning learning tasks, monitoring progress, and determining how they'll demonstrate that learning. </div>
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One support I've put into place this year for my 2nd graders are our monthly to-do lists. Work in our class is made up of a variety of "must-do" work and choice work (using a version of the Cafe/Daily 5 models). Each time a new "must-do" is assigned, we add it to our to-do list. Weekly, we all take out our to-do lists as a class and review what work we've turned in and what we still have left to complete. It's not a perfect system yet, but it is helping quite a few of my young scholars learn how to balance their time between choice stuff and the required stuff.<br />
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Choice Boards</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhnnMiUnxgm0cNBoWy37a7zm4gjvN5JSY2PjdrbMa00yB_Rs7JEF1wiGQbw22UWu4esym9bqmXVl7M7rJ4u_5fSTBuZ2fYJsb-CgCcE8wNRZZL1UAWfFa2VojXBtlU45-50aCqvLlK4M/s1600/IMG_5784.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="1600" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhnnMiUnxgm0cNBoWy37a7zm4gjvN5JSY2PjdrbMa00yB_Rs7JEF1wiGQbw22UWu4esym9bqmXVl7M7rJ4u_5fSTBuZ2fYJsb-CgCcE8wNRZZL1UAWfFa2VojXBtlU45-50aCqvLlK4M/s320/IMG_5784.HEIC" width="320" /></a>Wanting to find a structure that would allow us to better personalize instruction for the variety of needs in our classes, our 2nd-4th grade teams have adopted the Cafe/Daily 5 model as a way of providing student's choice in their learning, and for teachers to provide more small group instruction. Students love having choice during Cafe time and it also becomes a way to help students learn how to make choices that benefit their specific learning targets. </div>
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Because Cafe time is about students learning to work independently for extended periods of time, some training (and ongoing practice) is needed up front on how to maintain focus during work time and on what students can do to help themselves when they get stuck. As suggested in the Cafe trainings, we spent the first several weeks timing our independence and regrouping as a whole class as soon as a few started to lose stamina. We used that whole group time review our progress, record our "stamina times" and refocus on our learning targets. </div>
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We also spend a lot of time reviewing what resources students have in our learning suite to help themselves (instead of always defaulting to asking the teacher) and keep these clearly posted on our Cafe wall. As the year has progressed, students are able to work independently for longer and longer periods of time, and are becoming fairly adept at solving their own problems until I'm free for conferencing with them in a small group or one-on-one.<br />
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<h3>
My Next Steps</h3>
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While we still have a long way to go, it's exciting to see my young scholars inching their way closer to becoming the self-directed learners that we hope they will be by the end of their stay at CSI. Now that my students are showing more independence during their learning time, I want to take additional steps to allow them even more ownership of their learning, including independently designed "inquiry projects" and student designed learning paths. In the coming month, my hope is to start meeting with students one on one to conference about their growth so far this year, and to help them set their own goals for their learning moving forward. I've created a "Learning Goals" recording sheet where each student can track their current learning goals, their personal assessment plan, and their reflections. </div>
@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429671402186438091.post-7034132803793158522018-12-16T09:18:00.002-08:002018-12-16T11:31:45.139-08:00Empathizing with the Enemy: 2nd graders use design thinking to try to empathize with a 'misunderstood' character"How do you think the character feels?", I asked one of my 2nd graders as she worked on completing her empathy map for our latest design work.<br />
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"Mean, callous, cruel..." she replied, utilizing some of the latest vocabulary she had learned in our story.<br />
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"Okay, but I think that's really what <i>we</i> feel <i>about</i> the character. Usually people don't describe themselves as mean. So, looking at the character's actions, can we think about what might make the character do those mean things? I'm not a mean person, but sometimes I might do or say something that comes out mean if I'm feeling a certain way. Why do you think that is?"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKdbp_SxtbGZX1_39IakbMUed1yvdYe2gMeuCGNC_N5z7KBEk1-xGM3rFcSud8H7sB6VJndJVRb6iHwBuvAqb30GurUm90YoOUVoH9H9XcgXrOuJaLX3vFrcOf2zTYVconmPnoWht_lg/s1600/IMG_6811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKdbp_SxtbGZX1_39IakbMUed1yvdYe2gMeuCGNC_N5z7KBEk1-xGM3rFcSud8H7sB6VJndJVRb6iHwBuvAqb30GurUm90YoOUVoH9H9XcgXrOuJaLX3vFrcOf2zTYVconmPnoWht_lg/s200/IMG_6811.JPG" width="200" /></a>As we worked on designing for "misunderstood characters" in Cinderella stories this week, it was fascinating to hear how students struggled to put themselves in someone else's shoes, especially when that person is the villain in the story. For 7-year olds, who are developmentally still growing out of their more egocentric mindsets, asking them to understand other people's mindsets and needs can already be challenging, so asking them to empathize with an enemy has been an even bigger stretch.<br />
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After reading several versions of Cinderella, I asked my students to choose a character to design for from one of two versions that they had access to in their reading curriculum-- <i>Rough Face Girl</i> or <i>Yeh Shen. </i>Their only constraint was that they were not allowed to choose the Cinderella character. Using templates adapted by my colleague, Kami Thordarson, each student recorded their "observations" of and "inferences" about the character before being asked to write a "needs statement" for that character.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYJZzmAjBjp6DcLUK1WtavhROXORiqEibZJsMCHG6BGL6qAeEKlMfxug0LwGFc_bg8031xukNG-jkAwYRuT5_Q5DBJ2uBuA9tWGHOWwYaKkO10RbPUyAebKp1CtBp5gC-CcXKWqAKvfc/s1600/IMG_6812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYJZzmAjBjp6DcLUK1WtavhROXORiqEibZJsMCHG6BGL6qAeEKlMfxug0LwGFc_bg8031xukNG-jkAwYRuT5_Q5DBJ2uBuA9tWGHOWwYaKkO10RbPUyAebKp1CtBp5gC-CcXKWqAKvfc/s200/IMG_6812.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Empathy map</td></tr>
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Writing their needs statements was by far the most challenging for my 2nd graders, who always want to jump right into thinking about what they're going to make. In writing their needs statement we guided them to think about a list of verbs to describe what their character needed. Then they would choose one of those verbs and fill in the frame: (USER) needs to (VERB) because (INSIGHT). Initially, many wanted to write something along the lines of "step-mother needs a robot (because for some reason, all of the characters seemed to need a robot...) to do the chores for her". Pushing them to think beyond objects to actions took a lot of conversation and rewrites. However, both the students and I found that struggling through the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rewrites on the needs statements made this the most insightful part of the work that we did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJvts6a3Li1XrC4nVVbF1X0oSGg1RFx-_bJnLGIBNUY8jSvZ4Fu85Ktma0tFC2OaoqGJlqu6u46V2a8YKKSgAd12HrCQ6qak4VQ4qxhJkm2M9b0lnMe3z8B2PWYQH5sFCpOGtfY-QMd4/s1600/IMG_6813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJvts6a3Li1XrC4nVVbF1X0oSGg1RFx-_bJnLGIBNUY8jSvZ4Fu85Ktma0tFC2OaoqGJlqu6u46V2a8YKKSgAd12HrCQ6qak4VQ4qxhJkm2M9b0lnMe3z8B2PWYQH5sFCpOGtfY-QMd4/s200/IMG_6813.JPG" width="200" /></a>For some, the needs statements even became a way of communicating aspects of themselves that they don't often understand or share. One of my students, who often struggles with anxiety, wrote that her character needed to "let things go" more often in order to be happier, while another of my students, who has a sibling of his own, focused mainly on sibling rivalry between step-sister and the Cinderella character and how helping step-sister find a place where she might be able to feel noticed and important could solve her problem.<br />
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The experience of designing for a villain has also led to some powerful conversations related to the social-emotional learning that we've been focusing on in class. As we think about why our peers might act in mean or teasing or bullying ways sometimes, how can we think a little more deeply about why they acted that way? If a friend gets angry and lashes out as us, do we assume them to be a bad person or try to figure out what really made them act that way and perhaps even try to help? Instead of getting even or feuding with a friend or sibling, how can we assume best intentions and give second chances?<br />
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Moreover, developing empathy for others is also helping our 2nd graders learn to understand their own emotions, and how to take time to think about those emotions before they act. How will our actions effect others, and is that the influence that we want to have?@mshaughshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04899774067637064137noreply@blogger.com0