The History of Thanksgiving from the History Channel

Creating a Video Game using Promethean's Activ Inspire

I am currently developing a video game using Promethean's ActivInspire software. I'm hoping to get my students involved in creating video games for reading assignments, and I think that this is a good way to begin without a lot of coding.

Activ Inspire is a program for Promethean's interactive whiteboard, and I feel that it can be used for more than just hiding and revealing answers, or quizing students.

Teachers it time to think out side of the curriculum.

Data Driven Instruction and the Dynamic Group Learning Environment: Making Standardized Testing Useful in the Classroom

Data Driven Instruction and the Dynamic Group Learning Environment:
Making Standardized Testing Useful in the Classroom
By Nicholas Gallimore

Twenty or more students enter our classrooms every year, and we have only a few days to establish a baseline. Some of our students are repeating the grade. Some have been socially promoted due to age or previous retentions. Some are working at grade level. Yet others are working on a more advanced level than everyone else in the classroom. It is essential that we address the needs of every student, and that simply cannot be done through a constant whole group instructional approach. Using standardized testing data from previous years, students can be placed into dynamic groups that allow teachers to alternate members depending on the skill being addressed. This will increase student engagement, understanding, and retention rates; while simultaneously reducing misbehavior in the classroom.
Whole group instruction has been used in the American Educational System for years, yet now it seems with increased accountability that the gears of reform are starting to get a little more oil. Whole group instruction is perfect for tasks that require repetition, basic memorization, teacher modeled instructions, or addressing an issue that concerns the entire class. However, whole group instruction falls short in maintaining student engagement over an extended period of time with such a diverse audience. While the teacher is remediating the class on basic skills, the advanced students are bored. While the teacher is trying to introduce new skills, the lower leveled students are confused. Essentially, teaching using a strictly whole group approach results in lessons that are geared toward the lower performing students in the class and often exclude some members of the group.
Ability grouping has been tried in the past by many classroom teachers. This approach allows the teacher to address the diverse needs of their students, while simultaneously increasing lesson engagement. The students are placed in high, medium, or low groups depending on academic ability. The teacher then creates lessons for each performance level. Unfortunately, this often results in the teacher merely assigning worksheets to the groups that were not working with the teacher. Ability grouping allowed some of the students to be engaged some of the time. Most of the time the lower performing students still monopolized instructional time, because they simply needed more time to process new information.
A dynamic group is one that is assembled by the teacher based upon the student’s need in a specific skill area during a specific time. In using this approach, the classroom is divided into several dynamic groups that are simultaneously learning different skills. These skills can be based upon aspects of the same subject or in different subject areas altogether. While one group is working on punctuation, another is focused on grammar, and the other is focused on reading comprehension. These dynamic groups can be initially formed through the use of the data that has been collected throughout our students’ educational career.
Our students are tested to the point of exhaustion. I feel that it is time for the classroom teacher to take the reins of this ever increasing mountain of data, and utilize it to drive a more individualized instruction. I understand that educational think-tanks, the government, and local school boards spend countless hours analyzing data to construct another round of educational programs. However, children are more than test scores, and raw data. Social constructs, up-bringing, attitude, and environment come together to transform the children in our desks into contributing members of society. As classroom teachers, we have the capacity to see past the raw test data into the heart of each student’s potential. Since we understand our students as individuals, we can understand their shortcomings and address each student’s unique educational needs. The question with which most teachers struggle is, “How can one person meet the individual needs of so many students”.
The simple answer is that we can’t realistically fix every deficit or inspire every student. However, we can set in motion the means for every student to become inspired or to identify ways that students can experience achievement. Teachers have many tools at their disposal; one of which is our students. Children learn more through teaching and explaining to their peers than a teacher could ever hope to achieve. Peer teaching and discussion increases the engagement of our students and forces them to problem solve in a natural and authentic setting. However, this tool must be used with extreme caution. In order for peer teaching in dynamic groups to be successful, the teacher must lay the initial instructional foundation and establish a rigid classroom management routine.
The teacher must establish how the groups will transition from one station to the next, the expectations of student behavior while at that station, how the students will flow from group to group during the course of the year, and the role each student takes in their own education. I feel that this approach may help to put the students in charge of their education. Instead of being educated by an outside source, the student can utilize their natural curiosity and build a need to know. In this setting the teacher becomes a facilitator of knowledge rather than a dictator of truth. The archaic student teacher relationship is challenged and student centered learning can occur.
As a facilitator, the classroom teacher must transition between the dynamic student groups and illustrate ways in which students can find needed information. More importantly though, is the facilitator’s role in showing group members ways to digest that information into authentic usable solutions. The ability to memorize facts has not lead to human prowess. It is our ability to problem solve that has built our strength. The importance of memorization is decreasing with the rise of technology. Information can be found on any topic with the use of a keyboard, but it is what we do with that information that is essential to forming solutions for our problems. The role of the classroom teacher is no longer to be the sole provider of information; instead it has become a manager of information. We show our students how to discern which information is legitimate and which is misguided. We guide our students to transform the information and the data into usable solutions. We are charged with the responsibility of nurturing the desire of our digital natives to become responsible, contributing digital citizens.
It is time that we teach by example. We need to take the data that has been giving to us by the think-tanks, our government, and our principals and transform the information into a usable solution. We can group our students based upon their need. This is different from ability grouping, because each group is formed to meet the needs of a student’s deficit. We need to identify the problem before we construct its solution. As the student’s deficit is identified, individual learning goals can be established by the teacher. Once these goals are met and the student’s deficits are reconciled the student can transition to another area of need. In this model groups are formed and dismantled as needs arise and are addressed.
Dynamic groups should be viewed as another tool in your teaching arsenal. It is another way to engage your students. This method may not be feasible in your learning environment, but I feel that it is one way that we as teachers can realistically meet the needs of our students. As students become disengaged, the potential for problem solving decreases; while conversely behavior problems increase.

Serious Gaming for Serious Engagement

Here is a presentation that I have been working on for the upcoming Louisiana Computer Using Educators conference in Baton Rouge.

If you have ever wanted to try something different in your classroom, why not try gaming?
It has been proven to help kids learn, but you have to implement them correctly. Do not just stick the kid on the machine, and hope it will do the work for you.

Here are some ideas that will help.

Serious Gaming for Serious Engagement interactive .swf

Original PowerPoint

Serious Gaming for Serious Engagement.ppt

Podcast?

This is my first Pod Cast attempt. I decided to talk a little about Ancient Egypt.
I hope that you can use it, and or that it works.
Click here to listen, or download.

Second Life Gives "Second Wind" to Educational Gaming

Ever think that your children are wasting time with those mind numbing video games? Many studies have been conducted showing that gaming is not as detrimental as we once thought.

Second Life is an online environment completely created by it's users. If the player wants a motorcycle, then they model it, program a script for movement and sound, and if it is good enough they can sell it for real money via slboutique.com

Anything you can imagine can be created... Think of the possibilities! Engaging chat rooms with 3d avatars, programming students can script in real time and get immediate feedback from instructors and peers. Students could understand the concepts of business and commerce through actually selling what they have created.

They have an education page check it out and let me know what you think. Watch the videos on the side menu. I was quite impressed. Could this be a possible future of education?

Second Life:Education

Here are some videos from YouTube:

Watch these architecture students design a house based upon actual blue prints while their instructor oversees the design process

Architecture on the Double

added by Keystone1111 on January 25, 2007

Architecture on the Double

A video game that can teach Neurology?

The Virtual Neurological Education Centre (VNEC) has been developed as an experiential learning environment for an Identified community and health care professionals.

An educator gives a walk-through of some of the benefits of Second Life.

VNEC Second Life

Added bylhetherington on May 10, 2007

VNEC Second Life

(Note: The green boxes on the table once clicked will bring up a window that shows symptoms, diagnostic strategy, etc. Notice also communication can be done via video on the flat screen tv, or from their lecture area.)

Education in Second Life: Explore the Possibilities

created by xxArete2xx on May 29, 2007

Education in Second Life: Explore the Possibilities

Ways to Group Students Quickly and Effectively

In the struggle to reach every student in the classroom it occasionally becomes necessary to divide them into groups, but how? Whether it's for an activity, remediation, or even a quick little game, grouping students quickly and effectively can be tricky. I have been struggling with this concept, because my kids really want to work in groups on a full time basis. However, I'm doubtful of how much actual work will take place if I spend too much time helping one group over the other.

That dilemma has sparked a search for a solution. Like most teachers I need a solution that works in the classroom, not one that just sounds great on paper. Since classrooms are made of different personalities, I've decided to try different ideas to determine which works best in my class.

Here are some grouping strategies that may work for you.

• Setup an area for groups in your classroom- this works well if your kids don't stay in groups throughout the day, or if the groups change regularly.

• Pass out one playing card to each student-this way you can separate them by suite, evens, odds, factors of a number (factors of 6), the same number (four 9's), card-runs (2,3,4,5; or 6,7,8 depending on how big you want the group), divisible by, etc. The kids will be less likely to complain about the card they have, because they don't know how you are going to call the groups.

• "Number Pops"- "Number Pops" works like this: Get a bunch of craft or Popsicle sticks and write numbers on them. These numbers should correlate to the number of groups that you would like and the number of people in each group. Example: If I wanted six groups of four students, then I would have four 1's, four 2's and so on. This may take a while to prepare for the teacher, but once it's done... it's done. Note: If you don't want to set it up ask a few of your "helper" students to do it for you during recess or something. Even better you could write on the can the number of groups. That way you could have cans that separate your class into groups of 4, 5, and 6.

• Synonyms- on index cards you can write synonyms and have the students find their partners by matching the words together. Note: This concept can be confusing to some students. You may want to go over which of the words match before hand to calm the kids confusion.

• "Group of the Day"-this strategy should be setup during the first few days of school, while you are still setting up your classroom routines. Have different groups for different days of the week. (Groups of 4, 5, and 6 for Mondays, Tuesdays, etc. That way on Monday if you say groups of four they know who they belong with, and on Tuesday their group of six maybe different) By doing this the students can get accustomed to getting in their groups, and you can develop a routine. Routines are a teacher's best friend!!! The kids will know immediately what is expected of them and who they should pair up with. Make a Bulletin Board sized calendar just for this grouping, this way the kids can reference it throughout the year.

• Partners, Teams, and Panels- like "group of the day" you may need to establish these at the beginning of the year, but it works well for the different types of activities that you need them to achieve. Once established don't change the people in the groups, because keeping a routine will make the transition very quick. Once created the teacher will just have to say, "I need Partners to do such and such", "I need my Teams to complete...", or "As a Panel discuss....."
  
• "Partners"- pair the students up or have them in groups of three. These types of groups work well for study groups, or paired reading.
• "Teams"- separate your kids into groups of three and four. (NOTE: DON'T PAIR TWO GROUPS OF PARTNERS!!! They will become too friendly or get tired of each other. Plus it's good to have fresh input into the group.) These types of groups work well when there is a "hands-on" activity to be completed.
• "Panels"- the kids are separated into groups of five or six. These groups are designed to talk. However, the teacher should have something constructive for them to talk about. Since the groups are so large you don't have to walk around as much just a quick visit to make sure they're on task. (Note: These groups are best at discussing written works, hot topics, "what if" scenarios, cause and effect, and problem solving. Make sure to give each student a participation sheet so they can document their feelings, ideas, solutions, etc. This will make each student in the group accountable for their individual work.

• Birthday Buddies- match the students according to the months that they were born. This may or may not work depending on the dynamic of your classroom. I for example have 5 birthdays that fall in June, while only 1 is in March. So for my classroom, I chose to do "Birthday Buddies" by season. You could also separate them by the beginning, middle, and end of the month.

• Burger Buddies- have your kids choose the fast food establishment they like the best. Have choices for the number of groups that you would like. Example: Which do you prefer? McDonald's, Burger King, Hardee's, Subway, etc. You may have to even up the groups by asking which beverage they prefer. (Note: I teach in a very small town and they only have one fast food place. So, I took it a step further and asked what is your favorite type of food to get from this place/what would you like on your burger.)

• Genre Groups- separate your kids by the types of books, movies, music, or subjects that they enjoy. (Note: "Genre Groups" and "Burger Buddies" can be done through an interest survey at the beginning of the year. Since these surveys are done on paper, they will have no clue that you are using the survey as a means to group them. They will probably think that you are just trying to get to know them better.)

• Color Pencils-have your kids pick colored pencils out of a can. Have four or five of the same color and have as many colors as you need groups.

I hope these ideas help to make grouping your students a little less stressful.
-Enjoy