Showing posts with label Jenn Scheffer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jenn Scheffer. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Day 167 - The American Revolution Comes to Life with Chatter Pix - Fox Hill Grade 3

This post first appeared on the BPS EdTech Blog

Ms. Saia’s third-grade social studies students recently conducted research about famous Patriots from the American Revolution including John Hancock, Abigail Adams, Benjamin Franklin and more. Through their research, students learned about their Patriot’s childhood, the contributions they made to our country which made them famous, and other interesting facts. In addition to their written research, Ms. Saia had her students create portraits of their famous Patriots. Students used crayons, markers, and colored pencils to make their portraits and their amazing finished products are proudly displayed outside of Ms. Saia’s classroom door.


Ms. Saia was so impressed by her students’ drawings, she decided to add a digital component to this unit. Specifically, Ms. Saia wanted her students to bring the portraits to life using Chatter Pix and compile their research in a book using Book Creator. The digital component of this unit allowed students to gain additional practice with keyboarding, oral reading fluency, and digital design principles. I was able to co-teach with Ms. Saia on this unit and coach students through the “app smashing” process which combined Chatter Pix and Book Creator. Taking this project to a digital level gave students the opportunity to share their voice with a larger, authentic audience, exercise their creativity in the design process, and demonstrate their competency in using technology. The finished Book Creator projects, featuring their Chatter Pix, were shared with parents through Seesaw. Below are several examples of students’ finished Book Creator projects and we hope you enjoy viewing them as much as we did!


Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Day 156 - A Fox Hill First Grader Explains Folders in Seesaw - Ms. Scheffer - BPS EdTech Team

This past week, first-grade teacher Nicole Ray reached out to me looking for a way to have her students create a digital reading log for her ELA class. She explained that she wanted students to take pictures of the books they read during independent reading time and put them in an organized place. She then wanted a way to quickly and easily check in on their reading logs. After listening to what she wanted to accomplish, I instantly recommended Seesaw and specifically Seesaw’s folder feature. She agreed to give Seesaw folders a try and determine whether or not it would meet her needs.
To create a folder in Seesaw, Mrs. Ray went to her class settings located in the upper right corner of her ELA class (the little wrench icon). From there, she scrolled down to “Folders” and clicked on “Manage Folders.” She then clicked “Create New Folder.” She named the folder “Reading Log” and kept the default color red. This process took about thirty seconds!
After creating the Reading Log folder in her ELA class, I visited Mrs. Ray class and walked her students the simple process of:
1. Selecting their ELA class in Seesaw
2. Taking a photo of the cover of their book
3. Selecting the Reading Log folder
4. Uploading the photo to their journals.
Students verified they uploaded the photos to the correct place by seeing a red Reading Log folder label at the bottom of their post. After students were shown these steps, they began practicing independently and after a few tries, all students were successful at independently uploading their photos to the Reading Log folder. I asked if any students wanted to demonstrate the process they had just learned on YouTube and the BPS Edtech blog. I had many students “audition” to showcase their technical knowledge and skills, and I am so proud of each and every one of them. They are definitely Seesaw superstars!

Mrs. Ray, Mrs. Carew, and the Seesaw Superstar first graders of Room 26

Below is a video of first-grader Raphael explaining how to take a photo and upload it to his Reading Log folder. Mrs. Ray is definitely interested in trying this with her new first-grade class at the start of the 2018-2019 school year. She likes that she can look at each student’s folder individually and see, at a glance, and on a specific date, everything they have uploaded. Over time, Mrs. Ray may have students add additional folders, audio recordings to their journal items, videos, and more. She also liked that she was able to turn off approving posts before uploading so she could view student work as quickly as possible.
During our meeting, while students were independently practicing their skills, I had the opportunity to show Seesaw’s Activity feature to Mrs. Ray. She seemed impressed by all she could do with activities, and I think this might be another feature in Seesaw she will explore in more detail for the 2018-2019 school year. It’s wonderful to work with teachers on integrating technology into their curriculum, especially as we approach the end of the school year, and when it’s technology that meets the needs of teachers and students. I’d like to thank Mrs. Ray for trying my Seesaw suggestion. It was a rewarding experience to see students develop a new skill that they will use throughout their time as students at Fox Hill!

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Day 96 - Thoughts From Third Grade Bloggers: Because Even Though We Are Small Doesn’t Mean We Can’t Make a Difference

This post first appeared on the BPS EdTech Website


What do you like about blogging in Seesaw?


“Blogging in Seesaw is a way to be able to post your own work and share your work with kids all over the globe. I can also communicate and have a conversation with other kids just like me from all over the world. Something that some kids can only dream of. Not only can I communicate with other kids just like me I can also get their feedback and to be able to know what other young minds are thinking is a true dream of mine. Because you never know what they could be thinking. They might encourage you. Because even though we are small doesn’t mean we can’t make a difference.”
-Kate, Fox Hill third grade
The paragraph above was written by third-grader Kate. It was her response to the question, “what do you like about blogging in Seesaw?” and was part of her fourth blog post published to Karen Saia’s third grade ELA Seesaw class blog, Ms. Saia’s Superstars. 

Ms. Saia’s students writing the first drafts of the first blog posts

How is writing in Seesaw different than other writing assignments?
“Seesaw is different from other writing assignments I’ve been given in school because you are able to just tap a button on your iPad to see someone else’s work that they have done. Not just one piece of work. You can see every single piece of work that they’ve uploaded just with a tap of a button! Another reason why Seesaw is different from other writing assignments is that instead of writing something on paper with all those erase marks and wrong spelling when you write on SeeSaw you won’t have to erase anything you can just tap the delete button. The digital device that you are using will let you know if you have incorrect grammar. But the biggest difference of them all is that the majority of my writing assignments are on paper. Not electronics. So you can see how different writing on SeeSaw can be.”

-Kate, Fox Hill third grader



Class discussion on digital citizenship and blogging

Why should you create a blog in Seesaw?

“I think other teachers should set up a blog in Seesaw because it will help students get better at writing. When I blog in Seesaw I try to do a great job. When you know someone will read your writing you will want to try and impress them. Over time when you get used to blogging you will atomically get better at writing regularly on paper. Then your report card will be all E’s( exceeds) your parents will be happy with you. They will congratulate the teacher for helping their child get better at writing and everyone likes to be congratulated. Writing is an important skill that you will use your entire life. The better you get at it, the better future you will have.”


-Rina, Fox Hill third grade

Blogging brings digital citizenship to life for Ms. Saia’s third graders.


What have you learned about digital citizenship as a result of blogging?

“By blogging, we are learning about digital citizenship. We learned that online you need to be a good citizen just like you need to be in the real world. Cyberbullying is an example of being a bad digital citizen. I went online to Google and I found the website stopbullying.gov: “Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation.” When you don’t cyber bully you are probably not being a bad digital citizen there are other ways of being a bad digital citizen but they are similar to being a cyber bully. Now I will tell you how to be a good digital citizen. A good digital citizen “knows what is right and wrong Is not typing bad things, hacking other people’s account or embarrassing a person online Not erasing your digital footprint Not ” shouting” words online Is not uploading or downloading illegal stuff And not sharing personal stuff online about others or you” These are things I learned from the website BeAbetterdigitalcitizen.weebly.com”

-Rina, Fox Hill third grade


Connecting Classrooms to the World with Seesaw Blogs


Like many Fox Hill teachers, Ms. Saia is open-minded and always willing to try something new with technology. She has been an active user of Seesaw since last year’s pilot, so when I approached her a few months ago and explained the blogging feature in Seesaw, I knew she would agree to try it without hesitation. Part of the appeal of a classroom blog for Mrs. Saia was that she would be able to connect her students to other third grade classes throughout the world. I think this fact was just as exciting to Ms. Saia as it was to her students! In addition, her students would be learning about digital citizenship in an authentic way. Like all Seesaw features, creating a classroom blog is a simple process and teachers can visit the Seesaw Help Center to learn more about creating a classroom blog. However, to make the process even more simple, I handled the technical aspects of creating the blog for Ms. Saia’s class. This allowed her to concentrate on collaborating with me to develop blog assignments that would align with the standards in the third grade ELA writing curriculum.


To connect Ms. Saia’s students with other students through Seesaw, I began by contacting other third grade teachers via email who were listed on the Seesaw Connected Blog by Grade Level document. I introduced myself as the Fox Hill Instructional Technology Specialist and explained I was working with Karen and her students and that we wanted to start blogging once a week. We wanted to connect with classes that would comment on our posts and our students would do the same. While waiting for responses to my request, I taught Ms. Saia’s ELA students about blogging as a way to share their writing with a global audience. We had multiple, in-depth discussions about the importance of the content of our writing, as well as the writing mechanics (spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization). Additionally, we talked about important digital citizenship concepts including creating a positive digital identity through being kind to others when commenting and practicing digital safety by not sharing personal information (address, phone number, passwords, etc.).

Ms. Saia’s Superstars – pioneer of blogging in Seesaw

Our collaborative goal in creating a Seesaw blog was to improve both the quality and the quantity of students’ writing. We are extremely proud to say that we have accomplished both of these goals and students have exceeded our expectations. Since introducing students to blogging, Ms. Saia has seen substantial growth in her students’ writing skills. Students have published personal narratives, informational writing, and persuasive writing through their blog posts. Furthermore, students are excited to write and to share their thoughts with other students in places like Alabama, Pennsylvania, Texas, and China. They are engaged in relevant digital conversations. They are learning in authentic ways what it means to be a digital citizen and these are lessons they will carry with them as they continue to use digital tools in school and in their personal lives. This will be a huge advantage for them as they continue their academic careers.


To date, students have written five blog posts:
  • An introductory post with facts about Massachusetts 
  • Their family’s holiday traditions 
  • Their New Year’s resolutions 
  • Their thoughts about blogging 
  • Their experience at the Lexington Symphony 

It has been incredibly rewarding to read the students’ blog posts and the comments they’ve received from other third graders across the world. I’m hopeful blogging in Seesaw is something that other Burlington teachers will consider trying. I am confident you will see a spark and excitement in your students if you give them this opportunity. They will become not only engaged but also empowered to produce their very best writing.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Day 66 - One School, Many Cultures-Fox Hill Family Holiday Traditions Maker Day Event! - Ms. Scheffer and Mr. Murphy - Fox Hill Learning Commons

Mr. Murphy and I are excited to announce we will be hosting our first Family Holiday Traditions Around the World Maker Day Event at the Fox Hill Learning Commons the week of December 18th through December 22nd from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The purpose of the event is to give students the opportunity to create either a digital or analog artifact which represents the holidays, customs, and traditions of their culture. Once completed, students will share their creations with their teacher, classmates, and families through their Seesaw portfolios.
Students will have four different stations to choose from in the Learning Commons including:
  1. Book Creator- BYOI (Bring Your Own iPad) holiday traditions book or greeting card
  2. Scratch Jr. – BYOC (Bring Your Own Chromebook) coding an interactive greeting card
  3. Handmade greeting card – glitter, glue, yarn, and more!
  4. iMovie- holiday traditions video with the green screen and iMovie
One School, Many Cultures
When designing this event, Mr. Murphy and I considered the strategic initiatives and goals outlined in our district’s Planning for Success document. Specifically, we created this event to target the district’s cultural competence initiative and to provide an enrichment opportunity to supplement the culture diversity lessons already being taught in Fox Hill classrooms. Participating in this event will help students develop awareness and understanding of other cultures’ holidays, customs, and traditions; giving ALL Fox Hill students the chance to learn about and celebrate the diversity of our school in an authentic manner.  Students will begin to understand the complex concepts of empathy and tolerance through peer to peer learning. This event also contributes to their social and emotional development through building confidence and self-esteem as students will be able to share their expertise about their family’s holiday customs and traditions.
Beyond teaching cultural competence, this inclusive, cross-curricular learning activity has tremendous benefits. It combines skills across several content areas including writing, speaking, math, computer science, art, and technology. Students will gain practice with Book Creator and iMovie, two of our foundational apps, and uploading their work to Seesaw promotes positive digital citizenship. It also helps us continue our progress towards the district initiative of digital portfolios. We’ve intentionally designed this to be a differentiated learning experience for our students by allowing them to choose an activity based on their interest and skill level. For example, students who excel in the art may decide to pursue creating a handmade card, while those who are passionate about math may choose to code their own card using Scratch Jr. Providing students with choice makes this not only a differentiated but a personalized learning experience. The larger audience (thanks to Seesaw) brings relevance and meaning to the activity and will increase student motivation. Creating a product for a relative or friend makes this a real-world experience and many students become more invested in the production of their work when they know it will be shared or viewed by others.
To show our students just how diverse a family’s holiday traditions can be, Mr. Murphy and I (well, it was really my 10-year-old daughter Carly) created example holiday books using Book Creator. Fifth-grader Madison also created an example. Clearly, we all have different holiday traditions and this underscores the diversity we have here in Burlington Public Schools.
We encourage Fox Hill teachers to show their students these examples, and we hope this will lead to a healthy discussion about the diversity of the holiday season prior to attending our Holiday Maker Event! We look forward to seeing the many different holiday traditions of Fox Hill students the week of December 18th through the 22nd!
Mr. Murphy’s Holiday Traditions


Ms. Scheffer’s Holiday Traditions




Madison’s Holiday Traditions





Monday, November 6, 2017

Day 44 - Parent and Family Technology Resources - Jenn Scheffer- BPS EdTech Team

Thank you to BPS EdTech Team member Jenn Scheffer for creating this list of technology resources for parents and families. Parent and family collaboration is a critical component of the Burlington Public Schools 1:1 Learning Program. The BPS EdTech works with families so they understand the technology initiatives and implementation of 1:1 learning devices and applications. We encourage you to be involved with your child and their use of technology on a daily basis. As families, students, and teachers working together, we become a stronger learning community, therefore creating more opportunities for our students to become successful.
Please follow the BPS EdTech Team for updates about upcoming Family Tech Nights in Burlington.

Connect Safely is a non-profit, Silicon Valley based company. They are dedicated to keeping kids safe online, while also teaching them how to be empowered when using technology. The Parent Guides and other digital resources listed below will give you the information you need to understand popular social media tools used by kids and teens and help to ensure your child is safe online. 
Many kids and teens love to watch, make, and upload videos to YouTube. The resources below will help parents understand how to keep their children safe and productive members of the YouTube community.




Family Safety Basics -10 practical tips for busy families about how to keep your children safe online
Family Link from Google– create & manage a Google account for your child on an Android device
Advice from Google on how to set secure passwords – An important conversation for all families
Google Tips for Families– how to create strong passwords, use content filters, balance screen time, and more
Cybercrime Prevention– Information on how to avoid scams, online identity theft, malware prevention
Easy-to-Use Safety Tools – Everything from controlling the ads you see, to reporting inappropriate YouTube comments. Parents can search safety tools by category or by product (see screenshots below)

Online Safety YouTube Playlist (7 videos) -Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google SafeSearch
Online Safety Cards for Kids - Buying a smartphone, tablet, gaming system, or computer for your child? Download and print these AWESOME cards to go along with their new device. 
Family Online Safety Contract – a contract for PARENTS and their pledge to be good digital parents
Good Digital Parenting – Downloadable guidelines for parents of children with autism



Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Day 16 - Can’t Stop the Feeling at Fox Hill! - Jenn Scheffer - Fox Hill Tech Integration


We are on fast forward here at Fox Hill, and September has been an incredibly busy and productive month! A definite highlight of the first month of school, and an excellent example of school-wide collaboration among teachers, students, and staff, was the production of Fox Hill’s version of  “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” To celebrate the start of the 2017-2018 school year, our “tiny dancers” showcased their best moves in an adorable video that was shared with parents at our annual Back to School night. The video also features class pictures of kindergarten through the fifth grade and will be a wonderful memento for parents, students, and teachers to look back on at the end of the year. We are excited to be sharing our video with the Burlington district as well as a global audience, and we will continue to highlight the creative and collaborative work of our students and teachers on this blog, so stay tuned! Special thanks to David Miyashiro, Superintendent at Cajon Valley Union School District in El Cajon, California, for the inspiration to produce this video!



Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Day 177 - National Park Persuasive Writing - Mr. Murphy and Ms. Scheffer - Fox Hill EdTech Team


Ms. Scheffer and I are ending our year with one of my favorite projects. We are working with Mrs. Nolte and Mrs. Hevey’s 4th grade students on their National Park persuasive writing projects. In this project, students are tasked with writing a persuasive essay about why their parents and families should take them to a National Park during summer vacation. What makes this project so exciting and unique is that so many other subjects are integrated into the research that helps them form their persuasive writing. Students incorporate math by researching how far away their park is and analyzing the cost of the trip. They incorporate social studies skills by incorporating maps into their projects. They incorporate critical thinking and reasoning by determining the best way to access their park. Can they drive in the case of Acadia, or do they have to fly in the case of Yellowstone? They incorporate science by learning about their park’s wildlife and geological formations dating back millions and even billions of years. They learn stewardship by learning climate science and discussing ways to protect our National Parks for future generations. They then synthesize all of this information and then use their writing skills to craft their persuasive essay on why their parents and families should bring them to a National Park during summer vacation. We put all this research together to display in the form of a video presentation and use our green screen to transport the students to their park. Hopefully their essays are successful and they are able to convince their families to pack their bags this summer! I know they’ve convinced me to get out to our National Parks for sure! Check out some examples below!

 
Epic Everglades – Celeste



Wildlife Wonders – Kritika



The Wonders of the Wild – Bella

Friday, June 2, 2017

Day 165 - Pollination Comes to Life - Mr. Murphy and Ms. Scheffer - Fox Hill EdTech Team

This post first appeared on the BPS EdTech Blog

Mr. Murphy and I recently collaborated with Mr. Lisano’s fourth-grade science class on a pollination project where students had the opportunity to use either Book Creator or Explain Everything to demonstrate their knowledge of the reproduction process of a flower. 

Students are already well-versed in Book Creator, however, they visited the Learning Commons to have a lesson on some more advanced features of Explain Everything including the lasso and laser pointer tools and how to animate objects. After the lesson, students were able to use Explain Everything to discuss how male and female flowers reproduce and the role of a pollinator in the reproduction process. Students uploaded their final projects to Google Classroom and below are three highly entertaining examples featuring Bobby the Bee and Henry Howard that we are proud to share!

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Day 138 - Google Classroom: Explained by a 4th Grader - Jenn Scheffer - Fox Hill IT

This post first appeared on the BPS EdTech Blog

I am pleased and very proud to share a tutorial on Google Classroom created by fourth grade Fox Hill Help Desk student Celeste. In this tutorial, Celeste demonstrates how teachers can create a class, invite students and co-teachers, how to post announcements, assignments, and questions, and how to change the classroom theme. Celeste shows how easy and intuitive Google Classroom is for teachers and students and her tutorial is a must watch!


Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Day 101 - Introducing The Fox Hill Learning Commons - Mr. Murphy and Ms. Scheffer - Fox Hill IT Team

This post first appeared on the BPS EdTech Blog

Since the start of the school year, Mr. Murphy and I have taken collaboration to a whole new level through the creation of a Learning Commons here at Fox Hill. In the simplest terms, a learning commons is a “full-service learning, research and project space,” and this is exactly what we have developed. Previously, the technology integration specialist was in a different space than the librarian. This year however, Mr. Murphy and I are working side by side in the same space. There is no longer a separate computer lab for students and we’re starting to see what a positive impact the Learning Commons is having on our school culture and specifically on teaching and learning. Teachers now have a great deal of freedom and flexibility as to when and how they use the Learning Commons. They can schedule time to use the space through a shared Learning Commons Google Calendar and multiple classes can use the space simultaneously. Students and teachers are still using the Learning Commons for traditional “browse and borrow” library time and formal technology lessons, but they’re also using it for a variety of learning activities including:
  • Individual and group research with digital and analog resources
  • Writing assignments
  • Brainstorming and idea generation
  • Computer programming and coding activities
  • Movie creation with the green screen
  • Long term, multi-media projects for science and ELA
We explained our vision for the Learning Commons at a staff meeting just before the holiday break and shared some of the characteristics of a modern Learning Commons:
1. Student-centered, inquiry-based environment
2. Active & engaged learning (research, writing, creating)
3. Inspire creative and collaborative work
4. Students meet, talk, brainstorm, design, play, build
5. Offer a variety of tools & resources; digital & analog
6. Flexible environment, Moveable furniture
7. Staffed with specialist (library/media/digital learning)
8. Foster student-to-student, student-to-staff relationships
9. Preparation for secondary & post-secondary levels
10.Cross-curriculum, project-based learning
Since returning from the holiday break, many of our teachers have been using the Learning Commons in new ways and in the video below, third grade teacher Mrs. Lisano, fourth grade teachers Mr. Daley, Mrs. Nolte, and Mr. Lisano, and first grade teacher Mrs. Carroll share their perspective on the new space and how it is impacting their students.


The transition to a Learning Commons model has taken time, but we are excited to see our teachers embracing our vision and what an exciting learning environment we have here at Fox Hill. We hope to continue to develop the space, both aesthetically and with the curriculum, but we are pleased with what we’ve accomplished so far this school year and it’s definitely thanks to the open-minded teaching staff of Fox Hill. Check out the iMovie trailer below and take a look inside the Fox Hill Learning Commons!

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Day 75 - TED Ed at the Elementary Level - Jenn Scheffer - Fox Hill Instructional Technology

As a member of the first co-hort of TED Ed Innovative Educators, I’ve had the opportunity to develop TED Ed lessons targeted to high school students. However, TED Ed video lessons, many of which are created by TED’s professional animators, are also available for elementary students. Please consider adding TED Ed into your instructional practice as we move into the second half of the 2016-2017 school year. You can access TED lessons by visiting ed.ted.com.

Why TED Ed?
TED Ed video lessons are an excellent way to introduce students to a new topic in the curriculum. Whether it be social studies, science, or math, TED Ed lessons can be fully customized, or remixed, to meet the objectives of a specific unit. TED Ed lessons are available for elementary students in the following core subject areas:
Mathematics –
Algebra, Data Analysis & Probability, Geometry, Numbers & Operations

Science & Technology
–
Earth & Space, Life Science, Physical Science, Environmental Science, Nature of Science
Social Studies-
Anthropology, Area Studies, Civics, Geography, Civics, History, Media & Journalism, Sociology
Lessons are also available in the Arts, Business & Economics, Design, Technology & Engineering 

TED Ed Lesson Format

TED Ed lessons generally have four parts: Watch, Think, Dig Deeper, and Discuss. Teachers who choose to customize lessons can decide which parts to include.  Each lesson starts with a “let’s begin” statement which provides context to the video students will be watching.


After watching the TED Ed video (usually three to five minutes long, perfect for the elementary level) students are asked to “think” or answer questions about the video they just viewed. Teachers can use the existing questions, or create their own true/false, multiple choice, or short answer questions, and students’ answers are automatically graded. The “dig deeper” section of a TED Ed lesson is where teachers can begin to differentiate and provide additional resources for students to explore. The final section, “discuss” is where students can have an online discussion (in or outside of the classroom) about what they learned. The discussion section of the lesson is an effective way to integrate digital citizenship into the classroom and specifically digital communication skills.
TED Ed lessons can be based around any TED Ed Original, TED Talk, or You Tube  video. They are easy to create, will engage students in their learning, and can be meaningful homework assignments. Please come visit Mr. Murphy and I in the Fox Hill Learning Commons if you’d like to learn more about how to bring TED Ed to your classroom.