Differentiation in patterning

Okay, the only way I used the ipad in this lesson is to have the students explain their pattern to me (I recorded it on my ipad but in the future I could use theirs) and to take pictures.

This lesson was 2.6 in Everyday Math. I found that my students are advancing rapidly and the pattern lesson in 2.6 was just going to be to easy (and I wanted them to record their work, using the connecting level, and begin moving them to more abstract patterning.) This activity is a modification of Math Their Way. I often use Math Their Way activities to initially make the learning activities more concrete and manipulative based. The students were instructed to make a pattern identified for them on small index cards. The index cards had their names and 1 or 2 patterns on it. There were 2 patterns for many of them because if they were done early I wanted them to have the opportunity to make another. Almost all of them (all but 4) had the pattern written in letter form, AABB, ABC, ABAB, etc. The other four were written in the shape I wanted them to use (see Zachery's below). Here a bunch of examples of cards.

 

The students completed the patterns and I was able to observe. When I found the students with an error in their pattern, I just used their cards to jot down a quick note. See Kenyah's above. I wrote down her mistake with pencil. Here are the students patterns.

 

I am able to display their work and could use their cards as well next to them (if I didn't write on them). These cards can be used again by adding more patterns for them to make. I would have the previous patterns they made.

This is just a quick way to differentiate and record students' observations.

Recording science experiments part II

The FOSS lessons for our unit of study on rocks include experimentation of river rocks. On Day 1, the students sorted and explored river rocks. The sorting was more challenging that simple colored blocks but many students still were able to sort. The students recorded their observations on educreations.com (all ipads were signed up to my account so I have access to each of their recordings).

Here is another student's sort.

Day 2, the students were told that highways and roads are made with river rocks but that they have to be sorted. How could we sort these rocks by size. After their suggestions, I then held up a large screen and asked how we could use the screen. The students then went back to their tables with the materials. They poured the river rocks through the large screen. We came back to the rug and discussed our results. The students then recorded their results.

The students labeled some pebbles, large on top of the screen. Below the student labeled rocks. Here is another student recording. They are able to change the color of the rocks too using educreations. However, there is no brown color.

Here, the child used the red to label and used black and gray to draw the different river rocks.
I am also able to instantly share their labels using the apple tv. Each child's ipad is on my network (the one named after me located in my classroom). I just project the child's ipad image on the screen (the same way I do mine).

Recording science experiments

Yesterday, I showed my students how to use educreations (a 30 second lesson). They have seen us use this app for our intial whole group writing instruction but we have never talked about how to use the app. I just showed them how to end lesson, save lesson and name it. Prior to this I set up each of the educreations account on their ipad with my email address and password. Therefore, technically all their work shows up in my educreations account so I can review them all. We have disabled their ability to email on the ipad in kindergarten so they can't email me their work. This actually works better and saves an extra step. However, if I had to email (which my original intent was for the students to email me), I was inputting my email address so when they started to write my last name, my email would pop up.

The students are working with rocks. Yesterday, they were given a bag of 6 rocks, 3 different kinds, 2 of each kind of rock. they observed the rocks and sorted them. Today they made a hypothesis of what happened when they rubbed the same 2 rocks together. Then they were recording their work. Last year, I had a cute little geologist page where they recorded what they did. This year with ipads, they drew their observations on educreations.

Here is one student's work:
http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/cameryn-rocks/1679781/

Here is another student's work:
http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/breonna-rocks/1679772/

On a side note, I used educreations for my word study group. They were writing 3 letter words. This is the second day I did this. The first day they had stylus and half of them had difficulty using the styles so I didn't use them today. It was amazing how they remembered how to save the lesson, name the lesson, etc. It is amazing how quickly they pick it up. I really didn't have to say anything but we are saving this lesson.

All of their lessons are on their own individual ipad but they are also on my educreations account too. If a parent wants to see their work, they can open the educreations account on the student's ipad and look at their lessons. Also, all of this work can be upload to three ring, an electronic portfolio I will use this year.
Carrie

New App: Skoolbo

I worked a little last year with piloting a new app: Skoolbo. I had difficulty because my old iPads were iPad1 and I really needed iPad 2 to use Skoolbo. However, I upload the app and had my kids use it so I could also still do the demo.

This is a free app. It can be used on the Mac, PC and iPads. It can truly be used at home or at school for all ages. The students get to pick their player by deciding the color of hair, skin, clothes, shoes, etc. Even though they compete against themselves earning points, they can actually see their friends in the "race" with them. My daughter and son were both on at the same time and they saw each other's names as they were playing.

The parents have to register the kids at Skoolbo.com and then set up their child's password. They are super easy to remember and took my little one about 30 seconds to remember "green" "dragon". They have to identify a color and picture (mostly of animals). The parents set up their own dashboard and then can invite the teacher to view the results. My teacher dashboard has all my students and I can see the number of minutes they have played, the percentage correct, the number of questions they answered and the kind of questions they have been asked. The dashboard will also show today's stats, the last month's total stats, and further back.

I also created a little guide sheet for signing up though it is so easy you don't need anything!

Protecting our investment

Now that I have 27 ipads, what about protecting them from the inevitable drops by a 5 year old? We decided to purchase the following cases. An expensive investment but when you consider the cost of the ipads, it is important to protect the investment. Amazon sells them for $33 each. We might have gotten a deal because we bought in bulk and school purchaser.

These are super cute but the real reason we got them is the ipads will be protected. The hands are easy for the students to hold. They are soft and can easily be gripped by little hands. The ipads pop in and when we carried them up the stairs swinging them (only as a test), the ipads didn't fall out. They were sturdy. 

Oops! While waiting for the sync cart and the cases, I realized that we never thought about fitting these cases in the cart. They do not! Yikes. Well teachers are creative and inventive and with the slats in the cart they do not fit. We figured out this situation by easily removing the slots. We had a bigger sync cart so they actually stand up while being synced. 

Last year, I put a colored piece of paper and number on the back of each ipad. I started this same label system this year until I got the cases. I was paranoid of dropping one of the ipads until the cases came. The students learned their numbers (I am not sure they even paid attention to the color) in about 2 days. When we put the ipads in the new cases, the number/color on back were hidden. We decided to just write with permanent marker on the front of the case (on the leg) the number of the ipad. I think I will also put it on the side of the case as well. Students can readily grab their ipad with the visual number. Also easy for me to grab them as well. The ipad cases will be good year after year.

  

I have clear plastic tubs with the students' folders and headphones in them. Originally the ipads were there too. They will not fit now. From another colleague, she had the suggestion to have a place on the counter or shelves where students can pick up their standing ipad. On the counter would be the matching number. Students would put their ipad on the corresponding number when not using. This is also good for departmental teachers who may have students from different classes using the ipads each period.  I don't have space for 27 ipads in a row but I have smaller spaces for 10 in each location. This will actually be better because then I can have multiple students getting ipads in different locations and they are not all crowded around one area. Save time, avoid conflicts--both things I love.

REALLY becoming an iPad user--Changing my practice

I got my first iPad last year to use with my residents. I mainly used it for videoing them. I bought a bunch of apps that my own children enjoyed. I had a recommendation for Smarty Pants from another colleague and figured this would last my students most of the year learning sounds, letters, and sight words. I could implement iPads in my room, no problem.

Initially I only had 10 ipads. I used 6 of them during guided reading time for literacy centers. This wasn’t too difficult, I thought. Then I realized that the information on Smarty pants needed to be attached to the same student each time. Okay, so I set up a rotation. These 5 students are on one ipad, the next 5 students on another, etc. I had 10 centers so the 5^th and 10^th center were iPad centers. Worked perfectly. Students enjoyed the center with the iPads. I reviewed their data daily. I was happy with the results but I realize that I had nothing to compare it to.

In math, I used the iPads for math centers and at the end of the day if students wanted to use them during free choice time. I found a free app called Find Sums. I liked this app and I could differentiate it for each student.

In January, I was given a whole class set of iPads for limited time during the day. Ohhh, I was excited. Now the students could do Smarty Pants for literacy centers every day while my residents and I pulled for guided reading. This app was working with word study and sight words while I worked on reading at their level with them. So, this organization would require a little more thought to make sure all 28 students had their own iPad, clean up, set up, recording data (there was no way I could realistically look at 28 iPads daily). I consider myself very organized and a little over the top with organization too, so I had to figure something out to have the students manage this organization and take on this responsibility—it would take me way to long to do it all. Here is what I came  up with (that all students with varying degrees of ability could accomplish):

·      I bought colored file folders. These colors corresponded to the take home folder. The take home folders were organized by cubbie location. I have 5 sets of cubbies, each having 5 different sections, one for each kid. Since I have 28 students, some students share. The color of the folder eases the handing back of these folders since all the red are together, orange are together, etc. I wrote their name on the file folders along with a number. This number would be attached to their iPad.

·      Each file folder had assessment data inside. One for Smarty Pants, one for Find Sums but more could be added as more apps were used. On the front of the file folder was Velcro.

·      I took pictures of the different apps and the different sections in Smarty Pants. I made 30 copies of each, lamented them and put Velcro on the back. On the front of the file folder, I put the picture of the app/section that the child was assigned to do. Each child could be at a different place of the app. They would know where to go based on the picture of the file folder.

·      The assessment piece inside showed a picture of the assessment data on Smarty Pants so students would see where to get the information from.

Each table had a tub to store iPads, head phones and the assigned file folders for the children at that table. Pencils were also kept in the tubs. The file folder color and number corresponded to the back of the iPad color and number. Children would only have to learn one number. I also had a whole list of students posted in the front of the room. The child’s name corresponded to the color of their file folder. Names were put in numerical order based on the number of their iPad.

So this was working and then I realized that many students were almost done with Smarty Pants. What to do now? Yikes. I had to think quickly. I found TeachMe kindergarten and first grade. My own children were on these apps. I didn’t need an assessment sheet because the app keeps this data for me. I quickly took a screenshot of the app, make 30 copies, and laminated and put Velcro on them. The students easily switched to the new app when the app changed on their file folder.

Well, the school year 2011-2012 ended and the children make really good progress; more than I had ever had in the past. We took the MAP test and the number sense and word study showed great results! Maybe because of the iPads. Hmmmm! What else could I do next year? I needed iPads all day!!! Not just during guided reading.

Be careful what you wish for!!! The 2012-2013 school has started and I have 27 iPads in my room all day. They are all mine! Now what! I was excited BUT very scared!!!! I really don’t know what I am doing. It wasn’t so bad to have an app here or an app there. But to do it all day? I had a MAC book last year too (which mainly collected dust) because I am a PC user. I like my PC. I know how to do everything that I do on the PC. I used the MAC occasionally last year to sync. They put an apple tv in my room (I didn’t even know that wasn’t a real TV when I was trying to figure out where I was going to put it).

I started to not want all this stuff!  I couldn’t do it. I just was so frustrated with this MAC, with all of this. I am a high achiever and also do what I set my mind to do and this just seemed IMPOSSIBLE. My husband would often see me frustrated with this MAC, yelling at it, wanting to throw it across the room. How do you save a document? How can I change that margin?  I can’t even do the simple stuff, how was I going to master anything else? I converted back to my PC. I just don’t have 20 minutes to figure out margins. I’m done with this stuff.

Well, late nights didn’t help my relationship with the MAC, it really just strengthened my stable relationship with my PC. However, I know that I could do it, if I try. I am not a quitter, thought there were many nights that quiting sounded like a good idea to me!

So, I decided to put my friend the PC on a shelf for a little while. I would try to use the MAC all the time (even if it killed me). I started simple and started to do stuff that I was able to do the little stuff.

Now I had to try to tackle the iPad rules chart. Everyone else in my school who was 1:1 iPad had their rule chart made from teachers last year. The problem is that my kindergartners are not reading yet so I need to put pictures with the words. Ughhh! I wanted to cry. This was so unfair. I had to do this on the MAC!!! Okay, after calling around to people that new MAC, bugging my tech person at school for even the stupidest thing, I figured it out. I cheated a little, decided that this is just the way it was going to format and had a finished project.

Know I am using the MAC daily, and I still have my ups and downs but it is going okay. I synced all the iPads with my apps. I know I need to do this again because there are new apps I want and I will have to try to remember but I will do it.

Here are some more frustrations:

1.    Everyone using the iPad in my little 1:1 cohort has big kids. Mine students are little. There experiences don’t always help me and sometimes I feel isolated, alone with my experiences and problems. BUT this is what I have figured out to help me. I have done some searching for others with iPads in kindergarten and am now following 2 other blogs. I initially thought I don’t have the time (I am not a facebooker, tweeter, etc) but realize that some of these blogs will help me and the posts can be sent to my email. I don’t have to search. I didn’t know that.

2.    I have to be more organized and print friendly with my students. The cohort doesn’t. I again feel isolated and alone as they share their rules and other documents that they have made. I can’t really use much of their stuff. BUT this is what I have figured out to help me. I can use the MAC and adapt some of their work. I know that I have to be picture and word friendly to help ALL my students “read” the print. This is the right thing to do and it is all done for next year. I can also share with others and help other teachers who have felt my frustrations.

3.    I can’t figure out how to SAVE, PRINT, or other things. BUT this is what I have figured out to help me. I have gone on YouTube and seen some videos. I write everything that I learn down and make my very own cheat sheet for me. Some PC stuff relates to the MAC. AND when I get to show someone how to “right click on a MAC” and I feel just a tad bit smarter. I’m getting it I tell myself.

My job is not done. I still have a lot to figure out but I have begun.

If I am going to do this, I am going to do this with everything I have got. That is me. I am going to do this RIGHT! And exceed even my expectations.

My next task is to use the iPad all day and not just substitute it for paper and pencil task. I broke down my day into different activities and made a chart of those and worked with my residents on how to brainstorm iPad usage with each activity.

Breakfast in the classroom	Play soft music (classical). No pictures. Initially we had pictures of forests, ponds, mountains that come as screen savers during the music but we found for a few of our children this is a distractor.
Book boxes (independent reading)	Right now, they are just reading books that are in a basket. My thoughts are that there are free books that are leveled. I am planning on having a library for them on their iPad and they could read their leveled books. (I will share when complete.)
Morning Meeting ·      Second Step (character education program) ·      Flashcards ·      Letter to students (agenda)	Second Step is a program so no iPad use right now. Maybe show videos, music to supplement. Flashcards (Working on making them on my iPad). I would need to be up at the screen when I point to the words and the students read the letters. Is there an program that I can point on my screen and the students will see the pointing? I am investigating this. Letter to students. Right now I write it on chart paper, we read as a class and at the beginning of the year, we circle some of those sight words. If I project it on the screen, students could stand in front of projector while circling it and the words would be blocked by their bodies. Also, students could circle on iPad but it is seen differently from the board to the iPad, may be difficult developmentally to refind to a new location. All kids could possibly have this on their iPad and circle all of them on their own (OHHH, I just thought of this, have to figure out how to make it work.) But they all could do this and not wait for their turn….
Read Aloud and Content Integration	I read a book and I don’t want to totally get rid of this. They love to read books and is probably the calmest time of their days. They get engrossed and I like to READ. But the science that can be connected….
Science	As scientists, they need to record their work. We can have them draw and label. We can have them describe and draw and write/record their information to share with the class. Working on the details with the app and how to show all.
Writing	I am using educreations app right now. I project it up on the screen (and unlike an overhead I don’t have to be by the projector). I can be anywhere in the room helping one-on-one with a student, redirecting a student, etc and still continue my lesson. The students know where to look—the screen—and I am not always in their view. This has been very helpful with students that have attention issues where I can be close to monitor. I can really address all their needs and not run back and forth to the overhead. I was just told about Doceri and downloaded that app. I will let you know what it goes. More tools for teachers I am told. (Educreations can be recorded so I can tape my lessons for my residents to listen to or even for me to review and catalog in my library). Possiblity for a long term sub, maternity leave, sick leave, too many options here.
Michael Heggerty’s Phonological awareness	Still just do it with the students. Maybe I can adapt to iPad for students that need accommodation and/or modification.
Bathroom	I have a bathroom in my room and have the students on a math app (right before math time) while we filter through the bath time. I can accommodate and differentiate at this time. They also don’t play in the bathroom because they want to work on their iPads.
Math	I have not done calendar on the iPad yet. Still need to investigate this one. Any ideas? I teach Everyday Math and am incorporating ideas. Have a lot to work on with iPad integration. I have some good apps but they are limited use. Ideas are welcome. I know that we are working on this part in our 1:1 iPad cohort so this piece will improve.
Guided Reading	Explained above but will be using Smarty Pants, TeachMe K, 1st grade, and 2nd grade to meet students’ needs. Also looking into guided level readers. Will use educreations for the students to write and then record their work with the instruction being recorded as well. Sorta like a worksheet but you get to hear all the instruction too. This will be sent and put in their electronic portfolios. I had the students read into the iPad so I could assess fluency. This is sorta like a running record. I found I could be in many different places at once doing this.
Word Study	I know a colleague used Words Their Way on the iPad. I did a lot of adapting of WTW last year as I think some students are good at cheating on some of the sorts. I made some myself. Still need to adapt to iPads. I could envision something similar to Guided Reading but not sure yet.

Future Plans: I have a lot as you see above. I guess starting small and taking baby steps is my path. I feel like small successes fuel me to have bigger successes and push me even further.

I feel like I could one day say I was a MAC user and smile about it.

I feel like as hard as this seems on any given day or any moment of frustration or success, my students are benefitting from every baby step. They will meet and exceed all expectations. We can close the achievement gap. They will truly be 21^st century learners.