W4_Reading

Ideas from my readings to shape my action research

Through my readings this week, I decided to take a look at how independent reading increases reading skills. I found scholarly work  that supports independent reading as a great way  to enhance reading skills in the classroom.  I am going to add some of the references I found to my reference list for my action research. I will use some of these resources to support my desire to have students blog about their independent readings. Here is one of the sources I will add to my reference list!

Toppings, K., Samuels, J., Paul, T. Does practice make perfect: independent reading quantity, quality, and student achievement. Learning and Instruction, 17 (3) 253-264. Retrieved October 22, 2010, from ERIC database.

FV_Option 3 Tigers Talk Books Action Research Project

Here is my final video which is a pitch for my Action Research Project titled Tigers Talk Books. Hope you enjoy it!

PE6_Part 3 Action Research Design

This week I went back to my practical experience with Google forms and found a template I used to create a reading log for students to log their weekly reading during my action research project. Here is the link to the actual form.I can link the weekly reading log above to my blog post each week, so that I can track student reading, motivation to read, and if reading increases for the students as they blog throughout the cycles. 

I also created a second reading form for students to record books they complete during my action research project. I can provide a link directly on my blog post page for the form below, so students can access the form below anytime to indicate that they complete a book during my action research project cycle, and what book they complete. 

I tried out the book recording form for myself, and it actually creates a spreadsheet of the information gathered on the form. This will be an amazing tool to use as students submit their completed books and weekly readings during my research. The information appears right in my Google docs area on my computer in an organized spreadsheet. What a great tool for the classroom, and for all teachers to track student reading! Be sure to check it out! I am including a link for the reading form I created below.

Spreadsheet of student reading

Form students submit with book information as they finish reading books during the Tigers Talk Books Project

PE5_Part 2 of Action Research Design

For my practical experience part 2 I decided to look further into experience that would help me with my action research project. After designing my blog during part 1 of my practical experience I decided to look at the survey I created through surveymonkey.com in a previous class. I took the survey I previously created, and changed it to better adapt to what I am hope to find out about the students as readers for my action research project as it begins. Click here to go directly to my survey.

I then created a draft of my possible first blog post on my blog site for Tigers Talk Books. On this post I place a link for students to go directly to the reading survey. There is also an area on my blog titled Tiger Topic which I have decided to include in each post for my students, to give them questions to answer, or something to reflect on as they comment on the blog about the books they are reading for pleasure. Check it out!

Draft of Possible First Blog Post for Tigers Talk Books

Tiger Topic which I will include in all blog posts during AR

 This practical experience has laid the groundwork to shape my Action Research project. It is exciting to have a more clear direction for what I hope to accomplish after my scholarly research reviews. Please leave me comments and suggestions! I would love to hear them!

PE4_Part 1 of Action Research Design

Tigers Talk Books Blog

I decided to dedicate the practical experience this week to my Action Research project. First, I decided to take some time look into blogger and create a site for my book blogging site for action research. I am titling my book blog Tigers Talk Books as our school mascot is a tiger. I took time to create the site and add gadgets such as a counter, images, followers, comments, and more. Check it out by following this link. I added some guidelines for the students to keep them safe and let them know expectations for their blog posts. 

Blogging Guidelines I created for the student blog

W3_Reading

Here is a concept map I created with my research from this week.

Readings for Week 3

References

Barone, D. Wright, T. (2008, December). Literacy instruction with digital and media technologies. The Reading Teacher, 

62(4), 292-303. Retrieved September 14,2010,  from Literary Reference Center Plus database.

Crawford, C., Freeman, L. (2007). Integrating multimedia components into the traditional and innovative instructional 

environment. International Journal of the Book, 4(3) 109-119. Retrieved September 29, 2010, from 

Literary Reference Center Plus database.

Ellison, N. B., & Yiehua, W. (2008). Blogging in the classroom: a preliminary exploration of

student attitudes and impact on comprehension. Journal of Educational Multimedia and

Hypermedia, 17(1), 99-122. Retrieved October 2, 2010, from Library Information Science & Technology Abstractdatabase.

Zawilinksi, L. (2009, May). Hot blogging: a framework for blogging to promote higher order thinking. The ReadinTeacher, 

62(8), 650-661. Retrieved October 8, 2010, from Literary Reference Center Plus database.

PE3_Part 3 of Google Docs

For my practical experience part 3 I decided to stick with Google docs and look into Google presentations. Prior to attending Full Sail I had little experience collaborationg on the internet aside from social network sites and through email. I have been pleasantly surprised and amazed by all that is available for collaboration in the classroom among students. I have used Google docs throughout my group projects at Full Sail University to collaborate on documents, but had never spent much time in Google presentations since I use Keynote and Powerpoint. I was impressed, however with the ease of use of Google presentations. I found through a blog site that LeVonda Vickery, one of my critical friends at Full Sail University, had used Google presentations to create a photo scrapbook and talked about using Google presentations for a beginning of the year activity in the classroom where students could add information to the presentation. I had looked into Google presentation prior to reading her blog, and liked the fact that students could collaborate on one slideshow and have access to the presentation from home and school as well. The main obstacle I would see in trying to implement this in my own classroom however, is the fact that students at my school do not have email addresses, and therefore I could not share the document with them. I tried to research the site to see if there was any other way to create a group and share documents through one teacher account, but was unsuccessful in finding it. I did find some other useful information, however. Up to 10 students could work on a collaborative presentation at the same time from home with access to parent email addresses, which could come in handy as a teacher. Up to 200 students could potentially view a presentation at one time, as well. If there is a way to create a group to share with other than through personal emails and you are aware of that, please let me know. Otherwise, I would love to see Google make this possible for teachers! 

Google presentations can be made easily, and I loved the blackboard background for the classroom. We are reviewing fact and opinion so I created a few slides to use with the students as review. I also like to use the backgrounds in class to type information on as we discuss topics like fact and opinion. 

Here is an interesting link for ways teachers can use Google docs presentations in the classroom to engage students during a presentation and more useful ways to use google presentations. Click here to visit the link.

BP12_OMM Toondoo

Here is my one minute video I created about toondoo.com.

BP11_Comments to Anne Alsup

Example of PLE created on symbalooEDU

I examined symbalooEDU after looking at Anne's blog post. Click here to see comments I left for Anne Alsup about what symbalooEDU can do to make the internet work through this personal learning environment!

BP10_Comment to Ellen Woodfin

I looked into the web 2.0 tool Museum Box from Ellen's blog site. Check out the post I wrote regarding the site and ways I would use this site in the classroom. Click on this link to go to the blog post I left regarding the Museum Box tool. Enjoy the post and check this one out!

Descriptive Sentence Lesson Idea I Created Using Museum Box Web 2.0 Tool

PE2_GoogleDocs Templates

For part 2 of my practical experience this week, I decided to delve into Google docs templates to see what exists for teachers. I found many useful tools, although, I must admit the pool of templates was small considering all of the teachers who could submit lesson templates. I landed on a colorful template for a Venn diagram. 

Original template on Google docs templates

This week we are using graphic organizers in my classroom and looking at character traits and comparing and contrasting characters in a story. I used a predesigned template to create a simple Venn diagram to share with the students comparing and contrasting attributes of my cat Kirby, and myself. I used this template because it was colorful, and had a nice visual effect for a large screen in the classroom. 

Venn Diagram I created using Google docs template

I will use this to review Venn diagrams with the students and then go on to discuss character traits and pair up the students to create Venn diagrams comparing them, and character traits they possess to character traits of one character in our novel Running Out of Time. I will definitely use Google document templates in my classroom. I also want to submit templates of my own, as I create them for my own class. For my next practical experience I will check out how easy it is to create a Google template for classroom use and submit it to the template site. Stay tuned to find out how it goes.

PE1_Part1 GoogleForms

I decided, after looking at several applications, that I should focus my practical experience on Google docs, and items that can aid my action research project, blogging about books, this week. I turned my focus towards Google forms using the templates feature, as Google forms interests me, and I have little experience creating these forms. I found several templates I was able to adapt for my learning environment, there were a lot of amazing ideas submitted by educators around the world. One form I adapted can be sent to students participating in the book blogging research I will do for my action research project. It can serve as a conversation starter, and provide valuable research information for my project. This form can serve as a reading log for students to record what they are reading during their free time, how much reading they are doing during the project, and their attitudes about reading in an interactive way. I can have all students fill out this form as they complete books, and compare the reading of students who do and do not participate in the book blogging.

Reading Log created with Google forms template

Another form template I tweeked for my own class, serves a separate purpose. This form focuses on student reflections about reading. Although I would not use this directly for my action research, it is something I will have students fill out to show their understandings of readings we are completing for novels in our language art classroom, and for refections about the readings we are completing. Google forms is a great place to find templates that are easily changed to accommodate the learning taking place within one’s own environment. I love the fact that the forms are filled out on screen. This will appeal to students in my classroom.  Google forms can  definitely be quite useful in education!

Reading notes created with Google forms template

BP9_Toondoo.com

Toondoo creation of words: accurate, approximate, and course

I found an interesting web 2.0 tool that can easily be implemented into any curriculum. It is called toondoo.com and it is an easy to use cartoon building site. Students, or teachers can create 1, 2, or 3 frame cartoons in a matter of minutes. The tool contains characters, scenery, props, text boxes, and more! This tool can be used in a language arts class in numerous ways. I plan to use it to have students illustate definitions of words in context, as well as use the comics to practice spelling words. I presently have the students create comics on paper for spelling words, and the technology aspect will motivate students in a new way, and get them excited about creating comics in a new way. I also plan to use the tool toondoo to have students summarize what they are reading in a small number of words using the 3 frame comics. I will implement toondoo as a tool where students create comics about characters feelings, story settings, events that occur within a specific chapter of a book we are reading, or to reflect on readings. This can be a powerful tool for students to use to demonstate text connections, as well. Students create comics to show connections relating the text to their own lives, or to the world. Similar tools are makebeliefscomix.com and wittycomics.com. I prefer toondoo as it seems easier to navigate, and the graphics are visually interesting.

There is a way teachers can pay to create a toondoo space to house all toondoos created, as well. This allows students and teachers to see comics in a private environment. It costs approximately $50-60 per 9 month subscription for 30 students or $100 per 9 month subscription for 60 students. This paid feature allows teachers to track students and their creations. Conversely, the free membership allows students to use one email address to get online and create comics saved to one account. Students can print comics and share the paper copies with the free service, as well. The possibilities for classroom use of toondoo seem endless! Check out toondoo.com today! You won’t be disappointed.

Sample of characters in toondoo.com

 

W2_Reading

Concept Map of Week 2 Readings for Blogging about Books

Cielocha, K. Dean, T. Handsfield, L. (September, 2009) Becoming critical consumers and producers of text: teaching literacy with web 1.0 and 2.0. Reading Teacher, 63(1), 40-50. DOI:10,1598/RT.63.1.4

Huffaker, D (2005) The educated blogger: using weblogs to promote literacy in the classroom. AACE Journal, 13(2), 91-98.

Ehrlich, J. (September, 2008), Back to basics: electronic pedagogy from the (virtual) ground up, Shakespeare 4(3), 287-299.  DOI:10.1080/17450910802295161

Kajden, S. Bull, G. VanNoy, E. (March 2004). A space for writing without writing: blogs in the language arts classroom. Internet Learning and Leading with Technology, 31(6), 32-35.

BP8_OMM_StoryJumper

Storyjumper lets you create stories and more!

Here is a short video to show students why storyjumper.com is a great web 2.0 tool for writing in the classroom. Parents, and educators will enjoy this video as well. Click on the following link to watch the video! Story Writing Made Simple

BP7_Comment to Thanh Kirby

Please visit my link to Thanh Kirby's blog post about simple diagrams. I will definitely use this tool often in my classroom. Here is an example of how I might brainstorm a topic to show the cause/effect relationship in everyday life to my students.

Cause/Effect relationship Shown through Simplediagram.com

BP6_Comment to Susan O'Day

Here is my link to Susan O'Day's blog I commented on about Edmodo and education. She gives some great suggestions for using Edmodo in student groupings. I share my desire to continue student group collaboration outside of the classroom and the way Edmodo could do just this.

Edmodo can extend group collaboration outside the classroom!

BP5_Edublogs

The web 2.0 tool I am using to accompany my Action Research project on book blogging is edublogs located at www.edublogs.org. This will be the hub for my students during the cycle phase of my action research. Students will respond to prompts initiated by me, and then use the blog as a place to comment on other student’s readings, and write about interesting things that are going on in their particular book. Edublogs fits as a great site to use for my action research project as it seems fairly simple to set up a blogging site, and seems simple for students to use, as well.

As a trial of the site, I used this site as a spot for an invitation to my son’s 7^th birthday. I wished to see how user friendly the site was, and saw the birthday party as a great place to experiment with site use. I posted my son’s slideshow style party invitation to the site, and then guests were encouraged to respond to the blog posting. It worked very well, as I provided a link for parents to find the site. I was dealing with a lot of parents who have no prior experience using blogs, much as my research participants will have no, or little, experience with blogging. It was simple to manage the site for the birthday party, and there were a few things I really liked about the site for blogging. First of all, the site is set up for educators, so I feel parents will feel good about the children going to this site. Second, I can actually look at the responses and approve them before they go on the wall, which will keep comments unrelated to books off of the site. I also like the ease of uploading media including podcasts, video links, and images for students.

I am excited to implement edublogs as a tool for my action research project when I begin the cycle phases of my project. I am including a snapshot of my draft page of my book blog site below, as well.  If you are interested in using a class blog, consider creating one for communication with parents, students, or blogging about books. I find edublogs to be a great site for bloggers of all skill levels- this includes novices like my students and myself! Enjoy!  

Draft of Book Blog for Action Research

BP4_Storyjumper

This week I looked into an amazing writing site called Storyjumper at http://www.storyjumper.com. It is a web 2.0 website where teachers can create a free account and have access to amazing, user-friendly tools for writing stories. I set up a site for my students where I can see all of their writing, and student accounts are created under the teacher name. I am planning to use this site to have the students create cause and effect relationships with scenery and props accompanied by text they can create using the many tools available to them at this site. I created an example page with cause and effect statements. Here is what the sample page I created looked like.

Created by Kristi Swartz at Storyjumper.com

The students and I will review cause and effect with this visual. Students will create cause/effect relationships with a partner using the site, and we will then share them in class using our LCD screen allowing each pair of students will explain their cause/effect relationships with the class and how it relates to their particular scene and props they added to the page. There is a large library of scenes and props for students to use on projects, as well as the ability of students to write entire stories and pay for a published version, as well.  The site is user friendly, and I am sure the 5^th grade students will thoroughly enjoy the visuals available on this site.  We are beginning personal narratives later this week, and I am thinking of letting the students create their final narratives on Storyjumper. I would highly recommend this site to any elementary classroom teacher as well as middle school students. Older students may find the site interesting, but the pages do not allow large amounts of text. Enjoy Storyjumper!

W1_Reading

Book Blog Research of 4 Articles

References:

Anderson, R. , Balajthy, E. (March, 2009). Stories about struggling readers and technology, Reading Teacher, 62(6), 540-542. DOI: 10.1598/RT.62.6.9

Cowan, J. June, 2008). Diary of a blog: listening to kids in an elementary school library. Teacher Librarian, 35(5), 20-26.

Morgan, Brian, Smith, R. (September, 2008). A wiki for classroom writing, Reading Teacher, 62 (1) 80-82.

Witte, S. (October, 2007).  That’s online writing, not boring school writing: writing with blogs and the talkback project. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 51(2), 92-96. DOI: 10.1598/JAAL.51.2.1

 

BP3_Diigo Group

Diigo Book Blog-Spot Group

Here is my Diigo Group I created for research in regard to my Action Research Project. I am amazed at the capabilities Diigo has to offer, after a long while trying to get some understanding of Diigo's possibilities!! I love the bookmarking features! Now, I just need to practice with Diigo to get the hang of it! I am still waiting for a response to join my Diigo group from several critical friends!  

EBSCOhost: HOT Blogging: A Framework for Blogging to Promote Higher Order Thinking

• EBSCOhost: HOT Blogging: A Framework for Blogging to Promote Higher Order Thinking

  How blogging helps higher level thinking skills

  tags: blogs reading creativity blogging

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

BP2_iGoogleScreenshots

Here are my iGoogle Screenshots:

Home Screenshot

FSO Screenshot

AR Screenshot

ETC Screenshot

GR1_Google Reader

Edublogs is located at http://edublogs.org. This is a free education blogging site. It lets you create blogs for teachers and students. The blogs are easy to create and customize. Video, photographs, and podcast can be added safely and securely. I have created a “book blog spot” for my action research project through Edublogs. It seems simple to create and manage a class blog for independent reading. It is important to me professionally, as I can create class publications, eliminate paper newsletters and post video podcast and documents for students and parents.

Langwitches Blog: The Magic of Learning is located at http://langwitches.org/blog/.  This blog showcases web 2.0 applications for elementary school. This site will benefit me professionally, as it links me to many 21^st century tools available to use in my language arts and social studies classes. Check out the cool graphic representation of digital storytelling by Silvia Tolisano on her blog, posted on the site on February 6^th, 2010! What a great graphic to show students, educators, and parents all of the benefits of digital storytelling. I can’t wait to check out more blogs on this useful site!

 

Mixbook at http://www.mixbook.com/edu offers educators a great collaborative environment where students can write, edit, and produce books. It is a secure environment where students create digital stories as they collaborate together with free collaborative tools. There is a gallery of examples and a blog to get ideas for projects in the classroom. This is a useful site to educators!

Dictionary.com offers a word of the day link at http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/ offers just that. A different word each day for students to discuss, use in writing, create graphics to accompany, and connect to other areas of study, or words in the classroom. I enjoy this as a reference site for students as they learn new words, and there is even a notes area where students can add their own word of the day to be published!  

Thinkfinity is located at  http://thinkfinity.org  . It is a great site for up to date professional news. There are lesson plan ideas as well as links to interesting blogs and stories about the use of technology in education and education reform. I easily connected with many of the feels in reference to web-based learning and 21^st century skills. This is definitely a feed worth looking at! 

That is all for now! Enjoy Swartz Bloggin… Feel free to comment about any feed you find particularly interesting! I will cross the next bridge when I get there…hope you will join me...