Digital Notetaking

Notetaking is one of the most dreadful tasks that high school students can conjure up in their minds.  Never having learned or been taught how to take proper notes, it was a bit of a guessing game when I first starting having to record what my teachers presented in class, commencing around grade 7.  It was one of those things that you were expected to learn through osmosis, similar to how I recall learning how to read. There wasn't an explicit way I was taught- I seemed to pull those skills out of thin air.
Jennifer Hart and Allison Papke, doctoral candidates at the University of South Florida, presented some practical strategies that students can use to take a proper set of notes on the second day of the Florida Educational Technology Conference.  One of the first strategies presented in their Get Caught Passing Notes presentation, was using the Cornell Note-taking system, which has students structure their notes using a graphic organizer.  Check out this helpful video here, which clearly outlines the process.  As participants, we were given an article and asked to go through the process of summarizing the article using this outline.  I found it incredibly useful and wished I had heard of this technique years ago.  Jennifer and Alison suggested that this technique be presented to all students, taking the time to go through and model each step of the process.  You can copy and use the template that was shared with participants here.
What I enjoyed most about the session other than the above mentioned tool, was the fact that the presenters discussed tech tools I had never heard about.  One of them was Canva, which allows users to create a infographic using pictures and text.  It was pretty user-friendly and new to me.  An easy way to cite references is to use citelighter, which, if you are a regular user of Google Chrome, can also be added as an app to your browser.  Simply highlight text from an online article and the app will cite a reference in APA, MLA, or Chicago format.  Jennifer and Alison presented  few other amazing tech tools, including my favourite, Evernote. This comes in both a web based and app form.  If you haven't heard of any of these technology tools, then I would highly suggest checking out these great apps that can be used to assist students at the middle and senior years level.

Using Digital Assessment Tools in the Classroom

Yesterday morning, bright and early, I sat in on a great session delivered by Mike Meechin at FETC.  The two hour session was appropriately-paced and informative.  Meechin spoke about a variety of free online assessment tools that can be used to collect data on student understanding in an efficient and engaging way. He is proponent of quick and easy-to-use tech solutions to collect instant student data, feeding into the instructional practices of the educator.  Although I had downloaded the free Socrative app about a year ago, I've never really had the time to play around and learn the ins and outs of this application, available in both iDevice and online form.  What I like about this app, (other than the fact that it is free) is that classroom teachers can quickly set up tests and quizzes to give to students prior to lectures or as an exit slip after a lesson plan to determine student understanding quickly and without heavy marking.  The Socrative app allows teachers to set up an online 'classroom' which students can enter and complete teacher assigned tasks. This app provides students and teachers with instantaneous feedback about their understanding of facts related to the concept taught. Rather than handing students a paper quiz and collecting dozens of papers for marking, the teacher can quickly administer and collect the data needed to inform their teaching on the fly.
A similar tech tool that was presented during Meechin's session was the use of www.infuselearning.com (Also free!). Sign up for an account online and the app does all the things Socrative does, but allows educators to push out links which open up in a browser tab as soon as the student clicks on it.
One of my favourite suggestions from Meechin's presentation was the use of QR codes, a piece of technology that I've never used before, but have heard other educators rave about.  He had a couple of QR codes set up in his presentation slides.  When we scanned them using our smartphones, using a QR reader app, we had access to content that he had placed in each of the codes.  Meechin suggested using this tool to have students go through a gallery walk.  You could easily infuse this technology in lessons to have students complete think-pair-shares, responding to questions that you have placed up around your classroom.  

Nutrition and Living Sustainably

One of the most important life skills we can impart on our students is knowledge of good nutrition.  In the next couple of months, I plan to teach a unit on Healthy Lifestyles, incorporating mental wellness, proper nutrition, and exercise.  As always, I had a look for some great apps that could be used to review these important concepts.  I found the review in iTunes on Nicholas' Garden to be quite good.  It encompasses the 'farm to fork' values that are key to living sustainably.  Students can view healthy, kid-friendly recipes, create grocery lists, all while making healthy choices.  His recipe board is set up in a very visual manner, much like Pinterest.  You can check out the Nicholas' Garden website here.  The Apple app is free in iTunes. Another great app designed for both the iPhone and iPad is Awesome Eats. Reviews peg it as a kid-friendly and engaging way of exploring healthy foods in a game-like platform.  I plan to use both of these free apps in my unit and I hope that there are ways you can incorporate them into your teaching as well!

Music to my ears!

Including students with a variety of physical and cognitive challenges into a band or a music class can pose a challenge at times.  iPad technology and apps can be a great way to introduce the creation of music with students. Reg Swanson has compiled a great list of music apps that you may consider using with students. You can view the app icons and descriptions here.

Technology Applications and the Cognitive Process

I had the opportunity to present to admin council last spring about educator use of technology.  I had recently come across the work of Ruben R. Puentedura, who has examined how we can stack the use of technology onto Bloom's taxonomy of learning.  I felt that particular opportunity was a good time to look at how technology can be used or infused in the classroom, while projecting Puentedura's SAMR model up on the wall.  I approach many teacher PD presentations with this model in mind. Technology can be used in the classroom, but it can also be infused in ways that allow learners to explore, create, collaborate, and blow down the walls of the classroom in ways that wouldn't otherwise be possible without technology.
This past fall, I had the opportunity to listen to a keynotes presentation at the Manitoba School Library Association's SAGE, delivered by teacher-librarian Kathy Schrock, who has woven Puentedura's SAMR framework throughout her website. Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything is a goldmine of resources on  literacy, assessment, and technology- many of the targeted areas of our school division's strategic plan.  If you are interested in both the SAMR model and the use of the iPad, Android, and Web 2.0 tools in instruction, then please have a look at her Bloomin' Apps page.  I would also recommend perusing the rest of her webpage for countless resources, rubrics, and links that you can use tomorrow.

Writing IEP Goals for Students that Use AAC

We are upon IEP season, which means we are busy coordinating and hosting meetings for our students and are thinking of ways to support students across the span of the school year.  If you are already working in collaboration with your school's Speech and Language Pathologist to develop goals for students on your caseload that have a communication device, it would be worthwhile for you to review this document which provides some guidelines for creating IEP goals for AAC users.  It has a list of considerations for you to use when formulating a goal that you would like to have your team assist in supporting the student who is an AAC user.  Robin Parker and Carole Zangari have developed this amazing document that you may want to consult, along with your division's Speech and Language Pathologist, to consider some ways to further your student's progress and development with AAC use.  See a few other resources on their blog page.

Great Blog for You

If you are a resource teacher working with a student who has communication needs and you haven't started following Robin Parker's PrAACtical AAC blog, I would highly recommend it. Parker's posts on Wednesdays are themed, Watch it Wednesdays and today's post has all to do with considering ways that you can build communication opportunities into your students' daily routines.  When I clicked on the link to the YouTube video, I was directed to a great collection of video resources that you could use with students who have a variety of disabilities or social concerns.  Check out the Watson Institute's YouTube Channel here if you are interested in watching some short and valuable videos to support students with whom you are working.