[Integrated Learning Weekly] This week in the news...

I am exploring new ways to share updated information and news with my collegues. Here is my current method. It is a List.ly list that I am hoping to curate weekly. All of these links came from my own reading from my Feedly page, Twitter, and shared articles. I save these posts using Pocket, and it was easy to get them to post here. I am hopeful this works!

[Mentor Text Monday] The New Culture Club

Okay, not really. The old Culture Club was enough to tide us over for a few more decades at least. Admittedly, I did just scour Culture Club lyrics for something witty. There may be a Culture Club mentor text coming soon.

For today, I want to thank one of my amazing siblings for this mentor text from OpenCulture.com.

OpenCulture's Twitter Bio describes it most succinctly:

https://twitter.com/openculture

The site itself is mind-boggling and will require much more of time to explore thoroughly. I may have found a third favorite source (UPPERCASE Magazine and WIRED Magazine being numbers one and two). Expect to hear enough about this site to become bored and eye-rolly.

From an array of options so huge I cannot even rest my thoughts, I have chosen this article and video as my mentor text for today.

Forrest Gump Directed by Wes Anderson

What I imagine here is a mentor text for a book or film trailer, or a summary of an historical even to science topic. Because this is a specific "wes-andersonian" style, I'd have to decide if I was going to dive into both the trailer and the style, or focus on one or the other.

I'm fascinated by the way an entire movie can be portrayed using text and simple images--I see some great summary or synthesizing practice here. Picking out only the points that are most important, and then distill them down to text and one or two images.

I'm equally fascinated by Wes Anderson's film style or, more to the point,  the concept of having an artistic style. How is a style developed. Students can examine the styles of favorite authors--create a book trailer that honors the style of the author. Students can examine their own style. How is style developed?  Can style change? Is your writing so very "you" that someone could try to mimic it?  I might segue into the figurative language concept of a synedoche during this discussion as well. Such infinite possibilities.

In my own planning, I start with a text or texts that strike my fancy, and then work to plan using the Common Core State Standards. I teach lessons in a variety of classrooms, and in this case I am planning something for 4-6th grade 1:1 technology classrooms. This video has so many options running through my head, that it was tough to narrow it down to one or two standards.

At first, I chose:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.4
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

After reading the standard as it progressed through the grades, I realized that this was not my most effective focus. In grade K-5, this standard lends itself to a more specific focus on word usage and connotation than I want to do with this text. 

So I changed my focus to:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.7
Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.

I always use a writing standard as well, and will be focusing on:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

I read through each grade level of each standard to make sure I understood the intent and the progression. Click here for a documents showing the progression CCR.R.4 and CCR.W.4.

This post is getting long. I will post my next planning steps later this week!

While I'm at it, is this video something you could use in your classroom? Is there something else on OpenCulture.com you might be able to use? What Common Core Standards might you use?

[Personal Accountability] My Double-Standard

Okay, I admit it.  I have been a hypocrite.  Ooooh, what an ugly word.  I even looked up synonyms to try to soften the blow, but no.  That's the word. Although, on a side note, this definition is pretty lame...

I digress. It's time to admit my hypocrisy.

I have been presenting, coaching, going to events, and talking on blog radio about digital literacy, Connected Educator Month, and the importantce of being connected learners.  All the while, my blog is sitting idle since August, my SDAWP Photo of the Day posts have been barely trickling in, and I tweet only when reminded.
Oops.

So, today I am making a committment to my corner of the world.

I, Barb Montfort, will post on the blog, post on Edmodo, tweet, or upload to Instagram at least one time per day, every day, for the rest of forever. 

Yes, I said for the rest of forever. I almost changed it to some lesser commitment, but really--I need to walk my talk, right?

Please, hold me accountable. You may follow me on Twitter at @barb_montfort, or on Instagram at @bypenorbythread, or on Edmodo as Ms. Montfort.  Please do.  And nag me.




I aloms

[#leadershipday13] What if?

It's Leadership Day at Dangerously Irrelevant! To celebrate the author has given a throw down:

On Thursday, August 15, 2013, blog about whatever you like related to effective school technology leadership: successes, challenges, reflections, needs, wants, resources, ideas, etc. Write a letter to the administrators in your area. Post a top ten list. Make a podcast or a video or a voice-narrated presentation. Highlight a local success or challenge. Recommend some readings. Create an app, game, or simulation. Draw a cartoon. Do an interview of a successful technology leader. Respond to some of the questions below or make up your own. If you participated in years past, post a follow-up reflection. Whatever strikes you. 

And, so.  Here. I. Am.

I want to start by asking you to take a minute and list all of the reasons you can't use technology.  Every one.  List them all. Embrace your Negative Nancy and reach for the... not stars... but the pit of despair (bonus points if you know the movie). Indulge yourself. List them, celebrate them, bow down to them.

Now. Ask yourself a new question.

What if?
What if it scared you and you did it anyway?
What if you did it, failed, did it a new way, failed again, and learned exactly what not to do next time? What if you have no idea how to do it and have to ask someone?
What if it takes you an hour to do something your students can do in a minute?
What if you don't know the answer and you allow your students to teach you?
What if they have to teach you more than once, you get frustrated, and they see that?
What if?  What would happen if all of that were true?

Many of us have heard or quoted the famous line, "What would you do if you could not fail?" most commonly attributed to Robert H. Schuller. In this age of technology and innovation in our schools on the starting line (first lap?) of the Common Core State Standards, I have started asking another question:

What's the worst thing that could happen in you failed, and why don't you try it out and see?

We learn from failure. We learn what not to do, what to do differently, what to do instead, how to work around things. We learn from mistakes much more powerfully than from successes, in some ways. I wrote and rewrote this line a few different times.  It's risky because it can be taken out of context, but here goes:

Let's embrace the possibility of failure in our learning and even in our teaching. Let's make every mistake we can think of! Let's fail right in front of everyone and celebrate the learning that happens.

Pick up a computer, a new device, an app or program you haven't used and use it! Learn how with your students, with your teachers, by yourself behind the shed.  Struggle through it and learn something--anything. 

[SDAWP] Be Like Sweden

If you are old like me, or like I'm fixin' to be soon, you might remember this commercial:

Rather than launch into a discussion about how this irritated me when it came out, how it's a tag phrase I remember now, and how it is possible they were making a joke (I hope), I will instead encourage you to..

Be Like Sweden!

Sweden launched a Twitter campaign (recently?  I don't know when...).  Each week a new Swedish citizen takes over the Sweden Twitter account and tweets for a week.  It is a week-in-the-life view of Sweden, and it's super cool!  It's here.

My SDAWP cronies decided to be like Sweden.  And... drum roll please... I will be the second SDAWP Weekly Fellow.  So, get your Twitter accounts revved up!  I'm learning Twitter and, in my usual fashion, am diving right in head first! I'll try my best to be interesting.  Failing that, I'll at least be prolific.

If you are already using Twitter, follow me at @SDAWPBarb.  If you aren't and are willing to, sign up here.  If you aren't, aren't willing to, but are morbily curious, well...  I'm not sure what I'll do for you folks.  May the cape be with you!

[Friday Free Day] NPR--rrific

It is no secret, I am a public radio nerd.  I listen to my local NPR station to and from work most days, and on road trips.  I learn something new on a weekly basis--probably more, but I try not to exaggerate other than for means of literary hyperbole.  I often leave myself short voice notes or typed notes (illegally) to remember what I've heard (examples here and here and here and here).

This week I heard about two things that struck my fancy.

Cool Thing #1 Foldit--Solve Puzzles for Science

http://fold.it/portal/

I heard about it once before, and forgot to leave myself a note.  The other day I remembered.  I am no scientist, but here is my version of what this "game" does:

Some muckety-muck scientists at the University of Washington created a game out of unfolding proteins.  My understanding is that proteins are folded up in some grand scientific way, and unfolding them leads to breakthroughs for curing illness and solving problems.  How that works is a mystery to me and will remain so.  A less simple, perhaps better explanation of that can be found here.  Either way, the smarty-pants scientists made a game out of unfolding proteins and all the gaming geeks in the world are solving protein problems galore.  Here's a video:



If you are like me in any small way, this video little other than show what the game is about.  What I understand is that unfolding these proteins leads to cures for things like Parkinson and Alzheimer and stuff.  Simplistic explanation, I know, but cool. For more info, try this.

Cool Thing #2    Super Better

https://www.superbetter.us/

This isn't completely up and running for the public yet, but here is a blog that describes one users experience.  It sounds like it is a game structured like a social media site.  You use the site to achieve personal goals. The description was intriguing, but not altogether clear.  I requested access to the "sneak preview" so we'll see what happens!

Happy Friday!

[Tech Tip] The Storybirds Are Flying

Earlier this week I told you about something I was going to try in my classroom--Storybirds.

Well my caped friends, the birds they are a-flyin'. As the lovies finish their stories I'll add them to the Student Story Bird page on this blog. In the meantime, here are two that made me smile or laugh out loud--both from the author's humor and with joy at their learning. The writing mechanics are a little dicey, but remember that this is one week into the school year, and these are EXTREMELY reluctant writers. I am tickled lime green and purple that my lovies showed voice, used ideas from our mentor texts, and played around with text forms. They took pride in editing (although they had trouble staying focused on the task for ALL of their pages), and were even more excited to share their work with the class. Their classmates (remember--kids kicked out of other schools) clapped and cheered and pointed out the text devices the authors used.

"Hey that's a hyphenated whatchamacallit like we saw yesterday!"
"Did you see that figurative language?"
"I like the word nemesis!"
"He used an ellipse!"

To put it simply, I am sparkling proud of my little dumpling heads for their work.

Presenting... The Animals of the Forest by T.

The animals of the forest on Storybird

Presenting...Hide and Seek by A. 

Hide and Seek on Storybird

Wanta try it?  Go here!

[Techie Tech] Tweetability

I took the plunge.  I started a Twitter account and linked it to Wear the Cape.  I thank SDAWP* and the National Writing Project for lighting a fire under my hiney and making me rethink my stance on Twittering (that it was evil and nasty and good-for-nuthin').  You can follow me by clicking to the right (somewhere--please try to figure it out.) I'm using Wear the Cape as my testing ground and researching uses for my classroom.  In fact, I'm doing that right this minute.  Right this very minute. So, peace out for now. More to come soon.  Honest to goodness.


*Note--I can also thank SDAWP for utilizing every single second of my time so far this Summer.  While I truly am thankful for everything I am learning and doing, I would like to divert all complaints regarding the lack of posting on this blog to SDAWP and their too-amazing-to-ignore Summer Institute.  Seriously.  ALL complaints go straight to them!

The Day They Discovered PhotoBooth