Goodbye, Texture

I love the opportunities living in a digital world has given me.  It is easy to connect with my friends, family and other educators near and far.  I no longer have to wait on an educator to publish a book about the work they are doing with students, I can read fresh material every day on blogs.  I basically carry my bookshelf in my hand, my music library too.  (As a kid with a record player waiting on the newest single to be sold at the record store, I never imaged that!)  Until May 28th, I carry my magazine library everywhere I go too.

Yep, May 28th, Texture is saying goodbye (read as bought out).  I prefer digital reading, and Texture had a great format for reading magazines (my post about my appreciation for Texture).  It was as close to a paper magazine experience as you could get.  Magazines are so expensive these days, but Texture managed to find a way to make it reasonable to subscribe.  Texture is/was the Netflix of magazines.

And so it goes with digital sites, Texture is ending.  I've seen a lot of them come and go.  I've said goodbye to:

Jog the Web

Google Reader

Ghostwriter

Today's Meet

Google Plus

goo.gl

...among others.

I was crushed to hear that Apple was shutting Texture down.  Yes, I'm putting that one on Apple.  I'm sure they'll say "Apple News" is what you need, but I'm not so sure I agree.  Honestly, as I look back at my list of closing they usually can be traced to Google or Apple.  Either Google decides they no longer want to keep the site running or Apple updates (or money to keep up with those updates) end a favorite application.  I've tried to be much more selective about what I use, but still it happens.

So...goodbye Texture.  I'm still jury out on Apple News.  They are offering a "free month" to try it out.  I'll save my thoughts/opinions so far for another post.  Right now, I'm just going to wallow in my sorrow of losing another favorite digital tool.

Transforming Teaching and Learning with Digital Tools

"Helping teachers seek out connections with others fuels their creativity and generates a feeling of support, of a connected community (digital page 42)." -Dr. Stephanie Affinito

I've been learning from Dr. Stephanie Affinito for some time now.  Originally connecting with her work in literacy on Twitter (@AffinitoLit), it wasn't long until I was following her literacy thinking on her blog and joining her in virtual learning opportunities.  As a literacy coach, I was quite excited when I heard she had a book coming out about literacy coaching and the ways digital tools might help us to connect our learning community.

When we think about technology, we often think about the ways we can now connect with others far from our classrooms.  Through technology, I have been able to connect with teachers in other states and around the world.  These connections, outside of my daily community, have shaped my practices as an educator and given me much to think about.  I'm quite sure I would be a very different educator today without the connections I have made over the past ten years through social media, blogs, and expanded digital learning opportunities.

While we tend to think of the ways technology has allowed us to talk with educators timezones away as if they taught across the hall from us, I'd be remiss if I didn't also acknowledge what these tools have done to grow my connections within my community as well.  In the busy life of teaching and learning, it can be difficult to find time for extended conversations with colleagues.  As we work within our classroom communities, it can be challenging to find time to sustain the rich conversations necessary to continue to grow.  Technology can allow us to continue conversations beyond our day, see what is happening in the classroom down the hall, and collaboratively grow resources with one another, among other things.

I just finished reading Stephanie Affinito's book, Literacy Coaching:  Transforming Teaching and Learning with Digital Tools and Technology.  Stephanie reminds us of the ways technology can bring our local communities together in extended learning.  Here are three key ideas I'm pondering after reading her book:

1. Digital tools for collaboration:  Digital tools can help to "cultivate a shared sense of inquiry into literacy instruction (digital p. 15)" and create a culture of collaboration within our learning community. 
2. Digital tools for innovative practice:  As literacy coaches, we can leverage digital tools to, not only deepen our community conversations about teaching and learning, but also to help teachers envision new possibilities for "using them in more academic ways for reading, writing, teaching, and learning (digital p. 28)." 
3. Digital tools for connection:  Digital tools can begin to "open the doors" of our classrooms if we utilize it to "take [our] experiences and make them visible and accessible for all (digital p. 66)."  

In her book, Stephanie shares concrete examples of the ways we can use technology to work smarter, deepen professional conversations, and grow our connections with one another.  While the book is written for literacy coaches, I couldn't help but think it would be a smart read for any teacher who wants to discover ways to connect conversations within their team or building.  I thought of many teachers who lead from their classrooms who would benefit from reading this book.  Full of charts to show how digital tools can extend possibilities for the work we do, Stephanie shares ideas for launching this work in your learning community.  

Going Digital with Our Youngest Learners

It always makes me smile to walk into the classrooms of kindergarten children with spaces set up for learning and discovery, interactive writing hanging on the walls, as well as tools of learning placed carefully in areas for our youngest students.  These classrooms are always filled with math manipulatives to solve problems.  There are picture books around the room to help students take their first steps into our literate world.  These classrooms are full of markers, crayons, pens and a variety of styles of paper for our youngest learners to draw and write to tell their stories.  In addition, you'll find a variety of other tools for students to use to grow as learners.  Our youngest learners benefit from these concrete experiences, from being able to physically hold items and move them, from being able to test out their hypotheses, and from opportunities to learn beside friends.

What does all of this mean as we add iPads and digital tools to the classrooms of our youngest learners?  When I'm thinking about ways to grow digital opportunities for our youngest learners I like to consider applications that allow students to do the same things they like to with other tools found in a kindergarten classroom.  I look for tools that allow students to create, discover, talk, and solve.  I also consider how applications work across platforms and ease of sharing.

Here are a few of my favorite applications for our youngest learners:

VoiceThread:  
What It Does:  This is one of my favorites for the K-2 learner as it allows students to take pictures, create video, and use audio.  They can talk, write, or draw in VoiceThread.  This tool works best when wanting to share creations and connect with other learners.  Students can ask a question, as well as share a book, creation, or picture on VoiceThread.  Students can talk about what they are sharing, and then publish it to get comments from peers.

Benefits for Our Youngest Learners:  It's easy to create and navigate using VoiceThread.  It allows students to talk to share their thinking, build oral language skills and helps our youngest learners share all they know with greater ease.  You can create identities within the teacher account.  This was a game changer for me.  When Deb Frazier showed me how to put all of the students under my account I was then able to use this during our whole group lessons and small group lessons for students to share their thinking around topics as we talked together (and sharing this with parents was helpful).  This was a great way to begin before giving students their own VoiceThread accounts.  (Having district accounts is an additional benefit for our learners.)

This Tool Allows:  Creation, Connecting, Collaboration, Commenting, Curating, Embedding other media, Sharing

Here's an example of a VoiceThread I created for first graders as a geometry preassessment (nothing fancy, but it shows how the tool works):  

Kidblog
What It Does:  When we think about blogging, the first thing we think about is writing --- and let's be honest, writing isn't all that easy for our kindergarten students in the first weeks of school.  However, I like to think about Kidblog as a box as it can hold a variety of types of media.  Students can use Kidblog to share their creations with others.  Kidblog provides a place for students to share writing, video, images, and so much more with an audience.  When my K/1 students would begin to use this tool to write, I worked to maintain appropriate developmental expectations for their writing.  A K/1 blog will look like a K/1 student wrote it.

Benefits for Our Youngest Learners:  Kidblog allows students to share their thinking, work, and creations with others.  It is very intuitive and easy for our youngest learners to navigate.  Teachers can moderate posts and comments, and have the ability to set the preferred privacy for a class.  Students accounts stay grouped as a class, making it easy for young learners to find their friends' posts.  Kidblog gives our quietest learners space to share, and commenting helps to build community.

This Tool Allows:  Creation, Connecting, Collaboration, Commenting, Curating, Embedding other media, Sharing

Made in Kidblog:

Pixie
What It Does:  Pixie is one of my favorite applications for our youngest learners.  It's versatile allowing students to draw, take pictures, write, type, and use audio.  It is possible to put multiple pages together in Pixie to create a story or connect ideas.  When sharing creations in Pixie, it is possible to share as an image, a video, or a Podcast.

Benefis for Our Youngest Learners:  It is easy to use and has a variety of tools available for creation.   Students can create in a variety of ways.  It's an application that grows with students.  As they gain control over greater abilities to write and draw, Pixie will allow them to work in different ways.  Of course, I appreciate the ease of audio for our youngest learners.  Creations from Pixie can be shared in Kidblog or VoiceThread.

This Tool Allows:  Creation, Drawing, Typing, Writing, Inserting Image, Adding Audio, Making Multiple Pages and so much more.

Made with Pixie:

There are so many things that can be done using these three applications that they might be all a primary classroom would need.  Taking the time to use these applications in shared and interactive learning experiences before moving toward independence is a smart way to begin.  Just like shared reading and interactive writing, using these tools as a class to share thinking and to connect with others will help students begin to understand, not only the tool itself, but the significance of purpose and audience in selecting which tools to use.  

SaveSave

Blogging as a Genre

Recently, I sat down with a group of first through fifth graders to kick off our Slice of Life writing group.  Our group would have the goal to write every day in the month of March.  We would meet once a week to provide support for one another.  After much debate I had decided to set up a blog on Kidblog to host all of the writers.  They weren't required to write in this space, students could write on their class blogs or personal blogs if they had one, but most chose to stay in this space.  

As we talked about the blog questions began to surface:

"Can we write about whatever we want?"
"Can I get on the blog whenever I want to get on the blog?"
"Do we just write in the comments?"  

I hadn't expected these questions.  Of course students could write about whatever they wanted, but we did chat a bit our responsibility in public writing.  I assured them they could get on their blog anytime they wanted to get to their blog.  It would be possible for them to access the blog at home, at school, in the library, at grandma and grandpa's house.  I then showed them how they would have their own space to write about topics of their choice.  They wouldn't need to write in comments to my post, but would have their own digital space. 

Considering Blogging as a Genre

I have written before about blogging with young learners:  Am I Crazy?  Blogging with First Graders.  In this post I consider the reasons I think blogging with young learners is an important part of building a learning community.  The day we started our writing event and the conversation with students reminded me of the importance of teaching blogging as a genre.  In today's world, blogging seems like a worthy genre study.  Taking time to help students to understand what blogs can give them as readers and how they could use them as writers is worth some time.  

In teaching blogging as a genre we should consider the purpose of blogging.  Why do bloggers blog?  Why do readers read blogs?  As a reader, I have blogs I follow because I know they provide information I want to know.  I read blogs for entertainment, information, and to push my thinking.  There is something about having "fresh writing" that appeals to me as a reader.  I also read blogs to join conversations with others.  There's something about being able to interact with the author and other readers I find interesting.  As a writer, I blog to ask questions, to reflect, to join larger conversations across blogs, and to connect with an audience.  

In teaching blogging as a genre we should consider the characteristics of blogs.  Providing opportunities for young learners to read blogs and begin to consider the characteristics of these digital spaces through inquiry can help to understand blogging as a genre.  What do you notice as you visit blogs?  What are blogs about?  What does the space usually look like?  There are blogs that write about a particular topic.  You'll find blogs that focus on sports, cooking, books, movies, education, science, gaming, and other areas of interest.  You will find blogs where authors focus their writing around a topic, but you will also find blogs where people share life experiences with a larger audience.  Some bloggers write every day, others weekly or as they are inspired.  It's helpful to understand the features of blogs such as blogrolls, useful links, and other features bloggers will include in their spaces.  

In teaching blogging as a genre it is important to consider the connectedness of blogs.  Blogging changes audience and purpose.  Students can get their writing and thinking beyond the teacher and into their community and the world.  There's so much power to learning that your voice can make others stop to think.  Unlike other genres there is a connectedness to blogging.  There's something about being able to interact with the author to ask questions, add to thinking, or share stories.  There's something about being able to read through comments to find out more or join the conversation.  Often conversations connect across blogs and blogging events often help to support this connectedness.  

In teaching blogging as a genre we have to consider digital responsibility.  Of course, with public writing comes the need to understand our obligation as digital citizens.  In blogging, our writing will speak to who we are as people.  Writers need to understand their voice will be sent into the world so there is an obligation to being thoughtful about our contribution.  Additionally, in blogging there is a responsibility to comment, collaborate, grow conversations, and interact responsibly.  

Dictionary.com defines genre as:

It seems considering blogging as genre with particular form, content, and style would allow us to open new doors for young writers.  If we use blogging in the traditional ways we've asked students to write so we know if they understand, we have missed the greater possibilities provided through blogging.  Blogging allows writers to extend their voice out into the world.  By allowing students to use blogs in the way they are used by readers and writers in the world, we open the door to new possibility.  Literacy is power and students can learn this by interacting in these connected environments.  

I'd love to hear your thoughts.  What do you think we need to help students to understand about blogging?  How does it change learning?  Can it be considered a genre or is just another place where writing can live?  

Canva for Design

It's DigiLit Sunday.  Stop by Reflections on the Teche to link and find other posts about digital literacy.  Thanks, Margaret, for hosting.  #K6diglit

Lately, I've had a few projects I've wanted to create, but haven't really found a smart - and easy - way to design my own work.  I have wanted something that allows me to use my own photos, flexibly add text, and easily share with others.  I've tried some of the photo apps, but have found them to be very limited in ability and hard to use --- and don't get me started on "in app purchases".  Then Julie Johnson told me about Canva.  I think I may have found my new design app.

Canva allows you to pick the size of your design, add your own images or use images already available in the application.  It's easy to add text and changing the color or font is a snap.  There are many choices for your layout and changing backgrounds is effortless.  The search makes finding things on Canva easy to do.

Canva is a social networking design tool.  It's easy to see the designs of friends and other users.  It works with social media allowing you to share with Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.  I have not found the share feature to be quite as smooth as the application itself, but I'm just learning Canva so it's likely user error.

Julie tells me Canva has a Design School and suggests checking it out.  Our internet is limited so I'll have to save that for a day at the coffee shop, but I look forward to going to design school to learn more that I can do.

So far, I've created this quote pic:

and a new Facebook cover page:

Thanks, Julie!  I can't wait to spend some more time with Canva.  #playtolearn 

DigLit Sunday: Infographics #playtolearn

I've been a bit fascinated by infographics lately.  When they pop into my feed, I can't help but take a look at them.  They're an interesting form of digital media.  They look official, but often lack any kind of reference to sources.  For this reason, we have to read them carefully and consider them with a critical eye.

Infographics are not only full of interesting thinking, but they are pleasing to the eye.  There's something about being able to think through a topic graphically.  Looking at an infographic I've always thought they must be easy to make, but I have found considering your content and message for an infographic to me more challenging than I had anticipated.

Yesterday, I decided to give creating an infographic a try for my post, Teacher as Personal Trainer.  I used Piktochart for yesterday's infographic.  Templates were limited unless you are willing to pay $29 per month which I consider to be far out of my price range.  I found creating on the site to be a bit time consuming, but manageable.  There were many options for sharing the final product.

Today I thought I would try Venngage.  While this site was much easier to use, I found embedding the final infographic to be more of a challenge.  In Piktochart the embed code could be adjusted before copying it.  Piktochart automatically adjusted ratios for effective presentation.  Today's infographic about DigiLitSunday wasn't as easy to adjust to embed into my blog.  You cannot see the entire infographic here, but instead will have to click this link.



I'm thinking infographics could be useful as an option for sharing thinking digitally.  Though infographics aren't new, I'm in the beginning stages of exploring their possibilities for students.  I'm wondering what you have tried.  Favorite creation apps for infographics?  Infographics you like to use as mentor texts?  How have they worked in your classroom?

Infographic Resources 
Cool Infographics (mentor text)
Daily Infographic (mentor text)
Kids Discover:  Infographics (mentor text)
Now I See:  Collection of Infographic Resources (information)
Cybraryman:  Infographics (information)
The Guardian: Infographics What Children Can Learn from Data (information and mentor text)

DigiLit Sunday: The Need for Continuous Access

As part of a continuous collaboration among educators interested in digital learning, Margaret Simon has started a weekly Digital Learning round-up on her blog:  DigiLit Sunday.  I'm joining the event for the first time today.  Stop by Reflections on the Teche to read and link.


Beyond Event Technology
When I think back to how I used technology years ago, I realize how much my thinking has changed.  It used to be technology seemed very separated from the real work students were doing in the classroom.  I always felt like I was planning for technology.  It was unnatural and out of place in our daily routine.  The lessons never quite fit into what students were learning.  We'd wheel the carts to our classroom to have, what I now call, event technology.  In this case, everyone used the same device, the same software, and completed basically the same task.

This was a response in Pixie to sharing new
learning in nonfiction.

In my days of event technology students didn't really own this learning.  I planned most of what we would do, when we would do it, and how the final product would look.  In the last five years, I have changed the way I personally use technology which has changed the way I think of using it with my students.  As I discovered Twitter, Shelfari, and Pinterest, I began to see ways we could use these applications to collect, curate, and collaborate with our families, community, and the world (class Twitter, Shelfari, Pinterest).   As I began to blog, I realized the power in developing a learning community that blogs as well.  As I started playing with applications I began to find those best suited for the learning taking place in our classroom.  I began to realize that students needed opportunities to use technology in ways that worked for them, in times that worked for them, to create artifacts that mattered to them.

Curating, Creating, and Collaborating

When available, students now use technology to share, create and collaborate.  When available students pick up devices to create artifacts to show their understanding of topics of study.  They write about their reading.  They create new pieces for writer's workshop.  They show new math discoveries or ways to solve problems.  They write for, and respond to, their friends.  They interact with communities beyond our classroom as well.

A math partnership shares their problem solving strategies.

As students create and share their thinking I am able to reflect on their understandings, strategies, and challenges.

However, when technology isn't available this all comes to a stop and the rhythms of learning are temporarily slowed.  This happened Friday as students started to settle into our Reader's Workshop, I noticed a buzz beginning in our classroom.  It quickly grew louder as students looked around to see if we had any technology available.  Often we are able to share a few iPads and a laptop or two between our first grade classrooms, but today there wasn't any technology available.  I explained to the students that everything was checked out for the day, but they could still use one of the three desktops available in our classroom.

Desktops work well for writing a blog post or commenting on a friend's blog.  We can also use them for creating in Pixie, but desktops can't always do the same thing an iPad can do.  First graders can easily use an iPad to create.  They can snap pictures, record audio, capture video, and create digital artifacts to show their thinking.  My students like to use Educreations, Pixie, and Kidblog to create, collaborate and share.  They can carry a laptop over to an area where they have books spread out or math tools are being used to learn.

This impromptu "how to" video was created after Skyping with Mrs. Moran's class in Maine about indoor recess possibilities.  It has made a perfect springboard for conversations about "how to" writing, but wouldn't have happened without immediate access. 

The Need for Consistent Access

We're truly fortunate to have desktops consistently in our classroom, and access to iPads and laptops as they are available.  I know many educators wish for this type of access.  I'm fortunate to teach in a district that has been very strategic about its plan for technology by keeping technology, not only available, but up-to-date.   When technology is available for our workshops students use them to share their thinking.  Sometimes they write responses.  Sometimes they publish stories they have written.  Sometimes they create digital pictures, screencasts, or videos to share their thinking digitally.  However, when they are not available the work comes to a screeching halt and momentum is lost.

The internet is abuzz with talk of one-to-one devices.  Surely, this will be common in the future, but for now we could do so much with just a few different devices consistently available in our classroom.  With a couple of iPads, a few laptops, and the desktops students have a wide variety of choice for tools.  More consistent access would also help us work toward improving the quality of artifacts created by being able to revisit them in a timely fashion.  Consistent access to a variety of tools allows students to choose the tool to match their purpose.  Want to write a blog post?  Go to the desktop.  Want to create something on Educreations?  Grab an iPad.  Want to write about a book you are reading and need to be at your seat?  Choose a laptop.  Want to turn a written story into a digital book?  Grab an iPad.

In a time when we value personal learning and innovation, it makes sense to have the tools available to support student choice.  It makes sense to have a variety of devices available for students to use in learning all of the time.  It makes sense to have continuous access for learners.

Writer's Notebook: Going Digital

For the first time I'm participating in Teacher's Write hosted by Kate Messner.  This event runs from June-August, and I'm looking forward to learning from this large writing community.  I will be participating in this event from Merely Day by Day.  This week we are talking about writer's notebooks.  As a teacher of writing, I know the time spent writing makes a difference in my day to day conversations with young writers.  Keeping a notebook gives me a place to play a bit.  

Writer's Notebooks

One of the biggest obstacles for me lately has been a struggle between bound notebooks and digital notebooks, a struggle in finding a place for ideas (read more about it here).  In the past I used a writer's notebook, but I am slowly finding tech to be "at my fingertips."  My goal for the event is to find a way to collect ideas --- a way that works.  

In my writer's notebook I like to:

• collect ideas
• write about my family 
• write poetry
• record memories
• create lists
• play with words (synonyms mostly)
• collect interesting words (usually from reading)
• collect lines from poems and books that make me stop 
• record phrases
• make webs
• store articles
• really....anything goes

Digital Notebooks

In order to determine whether it is best to collect ideas in a paper notebook or using a digital tool --- or some combination of the two --- I will be searching for a digital application that works much like a paper notebook, but I think there might be some things a digital application can do that a notebook cannot.  I'm hoping to find an app that:

• is "journal-like"
• has typing features like font color changes, size changes, bolding, ability to add bullets, etc. 
• allows tagging (color coding would be a nice plus)
• can link with Evernote (preferably sync with EN, most could be emailed too)
• allows images to be inserted
• allows linking
• audio recording would be a plus
• has drawing/handwriting capabilities
• is available on both the iPad and iPhone
• has cloud storage 

Apps to Try

Over the weeks to come I will be trying to find the app that works for capturing ideas.  I may find that the notebook is still the best place for keeping ideas or that some type of balance between the notebook and a digital app can work.  We'll see.  Here are a few apps I'm going to explore first:

GhostWriter:  I use GhostWriter in my classroom for form recording because it allows you to create your own paper, take a picture, and then write on it.  It has been perfect for data collection with students in the process of RtI.  I suppose it also has potential as a writer's notebook.  I work with it a lot and find it to be a bit glitchy.  It's typing feature is sometimes difficult to manage and moving between text styles can be challenging.  It's worth a closer look as a writer's notebook.  

NoteShelf:  Noteshelf reminds me of Ghostwriter.  I like it's journal-like look, the way you can choose paper styles, and the ability to add different topics of notebooks.  It would be easy to have a notebook of quotes, booklists, poetry, memories, and other topics most recorded.  While I haven't yet discovered recording abilities within it, I do so ways to write, type, draw, and insert images.  

Penultimate:  Penultimate is in the Evernote Trunk as notes from this app can be stored in Evernote.  This app looks perfect for writing and drawing, but I'm still not sure how you can type in it.  It does allow images to be inserted on pages.  

Moleskine:  Yesterday during a conversation on Twitter, Dawn Little reminded me of MoleSkine.  I put it on my iPhone and find it works much like a real MoleSkine.  It is perfect for lists, quick notes, short jots.  I haven't tried to share it with Evernote yet, but I'll be interested to see how that works.    

iDo Notepad:  I already use iDo Notepad when I'm on the go. I especially like it for working on writing a poem before putting it on my blog.  It is mostly a typing app, but it is easy to work with and allows some variation in fonts.  

Right now these are the five contenders for the job.  I'm sure there's an app out there I haven't even heard about yet that might work.  Please recommend away.  I'll let you know what I discover.  While Evernote will not really work for me as a writer's notebook (the place I write), it will be THE PERFECT place to store it all.  I've started a Writer's Notebook board on Pinterest to help me organize my search.  I look forward to continuing conversations like this one in the weeks to come.