Creating Meaning With Visual Images: It's a snap! Right?

"There can be infinite uses of the computer and of new age technology, but if the teachers themselves are not able to bring it into the classroom and make it work, then it fails."

Nancy Kassebaum, US Senator via Tony Vincent

As the word "AUGUST" looms on my calendar I'm finding my thinking slowly switching from "relax and reflect" to "plan and prepare". The beginning of the new year is coming, and I'm starting to feel the excitement of planning for a new group of students. This year I want to provide more opportunities for my students to use technology. My goal is to find manageable ways for students to use it purposefully and with authenticity. I've spent a good part of the summer learning to use many of the tools available for obtaining and sharing information, trying to determine which may work in our community.

This summer, I've joined a group of teachers from my district to discuss "The Digital Writing Workshop" by Troy Hicks. (Here you will find my wallwisher of quotes from the book I am pondering.) My hope is that with the help of this community I will be able to find ways to use technology purposefully with my students. When I read the section "Composing Digital Pictures and Creating Photo-Essays with Online Photo Sharing" (pp. 61-63) my attention piqued. There seemed to be such potential for young learners to use visual images to create meaning.

Photographs, digital stories, and other visual media hold many possibilities for young learners developing oral language and a sense of story. They hold possibilities of supporting exploration, inquiry, and observation with budding scientists. The improved availability of tools like camera phones, digital cameras, and flip video cameras make it much easier to incorporate visual images into student learning. Applications like Voicethread, Flickr, Smilebox, and Animoto (to name a few!) are making it easier to use digital photographs to share a message or create a story.

When I read these quotes by Hicks the ripple of ideas began. Here are a few of the quick possibilities I've considered as I think about ways to use digital pictures, photo essays, and digital storytelling with students. This is really just a brainstorming of ideas so they're not necessarily sequenced ---- and not necessarily that amazing. However, linked with some sites I have found inspiring, they may provide a springboard to get your thinking started.

ENVISIONING POSSIBILITIES:

Hicks: "A picture is words. And a picture with a smart caption, combined with just a few other photos, can be worth even more." p. 61

My Thinking:

As writers, young students need to know the importance of adding captions to help clarify our thinking for our readers. Images can enhance understanding, but proper captioning makes a powerful difference. Knowing how to choose the best image to tell a story also strengthens the meaning for readers. The image of the flower can mean so many things to you, the reader, right now. You are likely asking why I even placed it here. If I were to add the caption, "This pink lily bloomed in July in my Ohio flower bed," you know more about the flower.

As readers, students need to understand the importance of reading captions to understand meaning. Beginning readers have to be taught to read the captions connected to photographs to help consider the authors message.

Maybe We Could:

Get To Know You: To help get to know students and learn to use the camera feature on the computer, students could take a picture of themselves then add a caption or speech bubble to tell something about themselves. Perhaps using Pixie to take photo as in this example from Katie D. at Creative Literacy.

Explore Captions: Find pictures with strong captions.

Add Content Captions: Students could add captions to a picture from a book read, a science experiment, an observation photo, etc..

Read Captions for Understanding: First show a picture from a nonfiction book. Have students discuss what the picture is telling the reader. Then read the caption. How did the meaning change? Then read the text near the photo. How is the meaning different now?

Hicks: "Digital cameras--and now, mobile phones with built-in cameras--allow us to capture and share images in ways unimagined just a few years ago." p. 62

My Thinking:

Instead of having students go home to write or draw about something they have discovered during the exploration phase of new content, it seems to make sense to have them take pictures of these discoveries and bring them back to school. In a day where many families have a phone with a camera, sending these pictures would be easy. Students could find the example, snap a picture, and send it to me via e-mail or a shared site. Photos could then be shared with the class for discussion (Smartboard, mosaics, digital prints, slide shows, etc...you get the idea.)

Maybe We Could:

Create Exploration Mosaics: In this case, I made a mosaic of tools that measure from around my home as an example. Student photos could easily be shared in a mosaic like this one or in other digital formats. Similar ideas could be used to snap a picture during any exploration or inquiry: find a rectangular prism, find an example of change in matter, show something that is important to you (or collect other writing ideas through photographs), show us your favorite reading spot at home, take a picture of the books you have at home, etc..

Hicks: "Photo-essays offer students a chance to compose with both images and words." p. 63
My Thinking:

Young writers are learning to find, develop, and sequence ideas to tell a story. Pictures can, not only spur ideas, but can help writers organize and develop their writing. Writers who are learning to match their oral language to the text they write, can use digital storytelling to use their voice to tell their story over pictures.

Maybe We Could:

Create a Photo Essay: We study mealworms as we learn to investigate as scientists. We could take photos of this process and add words to tell what we have learned. Photo essays could be used in science experiments, how-to writing, personal narratives, etc..

Create a Digital Story About Me: This would be a great beginning of the year way to get to know each other. Younger learners could take a picture of themselves in Photo Booth or Pixie, for example, and use voice to record something they wanted others to know. Older students could create short digital stories about themselves to share with the class.

Study Cultures Through Photo Essay: I stumbled upon this photo essay, A Day With Kentaro, about a boy who lives in Japan. It tells much about his daily life. The internet brings many possibilities for bringing this study to life for students.

Reader Response: Voice thread offers some great possibilities. In this example children tell about friendship, but I think this format could easily be used to respond to a read aloud, to discuss characters, to share learning, and much more.

Want to Know More? Here are some links to help:

Creating Meaning With Digital Images:

• The Possibilities: Cyrbraryman (@cybraryman1) has links for using slideshows and photos with students. As well as links for evolving into digital storytelling. His links will connect you to many digital tools and tutorials.
• Considering a digital writing workshop: Troy Hicks discusses important characteristics of Digital Writing Workshop.
• Voicethread: A Voicethread booktalk on The Digital Writing Workshop.

Student Examples:

• Mommy's Garden: Here is a sample photo essay in its simpler form. The writer has taken pictures and text has been added to tell the story.
• How To: How to make a lego car from Creative Literacy.
• Voices for a Cause: How to save the world at Authentic Learner.
• Sharing Our Worlds: A Day in the Life of Fern Elementary
• Other Student Examples: Kathy Cassidy's website provides many examples of student work using technology. (For future reference her site is moving to Mrs. Cassidy's Class.)
• Voicethread: A collection of links to Voicethread examples.

Words bring clarity to an image. An image provides a deeper understanding.

If you have student examples, websites with information, blog posts on this topic, or tools you wouldn't live without, I hope you'll share them in the comments.

Technology: What are the questions to ask?

If we engage students in real writing tasks and we use technology in such a way that it complements their innate need to find purposes and audiences for their work, we can have them engaged in a digital writing process that focuses first on the writer, then on the writing, and lastly on the technology. Troy Hicks, The Digital Writing Workshop, p. 8.

You can call me Snow White. Not because I took an apple from the crazy lady in the woods, and not because I live with the dwarfs (just crazy teenagers), but because I feel like I've been asleep forever. I awoke about a year ago to find all that technology can do for me. It can bring me a recipe in a second, it can help me keep up with family and friends near and far, it can allow me to make a book/slideshow/photo album in seconds. It can get my pictures developed without leaving my house. It can take me into other classrooms and provide enough professional development (amazing professional development) to last a lifetime.

Since the awakening I have switched to a more functional e-mail account, joined social networks, and started following blogs. I've updated my tools to allow me better access. For the last year I've been learning my way around the place again. As I've been learning more about technology, I've been discovering all that is available.

Along the way I've started to realize (ok, maybe I already had realized, but now I'm doing something about it), I need to catch my teaching up to the world around me. This was never more clear to me than when we went on a multi-family vacation in Florida. The house was filled with kids and chatter. The adults surrounded the pool, and the kids started getting out movie cameras and computers. In a matter of hours, they had worked together (ages 6-15) to produce a YouTube video. They planned their parts, shot video, edited, put it together, and sent it off to be viewed by the world in minutes. It was this moment that shouted to me that our kids are way ahead of the teaching we are doing in school.

I am just past the anniversary of my awakening. I'm reading books about technology, developing a diverse learning community on Twitter to hold my hand, and have found a group of people who inspire me and push my thinking. I discovered a community of online bloggers who continually talk about tech and education (and great literacy ones too!).

I've been working to answer the question, "What is available to use with the primary (insert any age level) students in my classroom." However I'm realizing that I need to change my questions I'm asking about technology, but what are the questions I should be asking?

When our tech group meets we look at applications recently discovered as well as those members have used in their classrooms; applications we think have potential for our learners. Our group is diverse (teachers K-5, tech people, media specialists, intervention specialists), but we're always asking if we can use this in our school. I'm always inspired by the experience of these learners, and their unwillingness to accept obstacles.

I know I want my students to be able to choose the technology which helps them to get their message out to others. As primary learners, I know this is going to mean I'm going to have to find time to show them how to use different applications and give them time to explore. I will need to demonstrate, guide and support. I'm going to have to develop their visual literacy skills alongside their reading and writing. It's all about meaning, message, purpose, and understanding. I want to stop thinking about technology as something that sits in its own space in our curriculum, but instead as something that is woven within it seamlessly. I need to broaden my definition of literacy.

So, what are the questions I should be asking? How will I start my year differently? Where will I carve out time to teach about technology and allow for exploration? How will my literacy workshops change as a result? How can I teach content more effectively with technology? How are my students already using technology at home? How can we use technology to help us do what we already do in an easier way? I need to move beyond the "what" question, and I'm thinking you can help.

I'm hoping you'll comment and discuss some of the questions you consider as you think about the use of technology with your students.

August 10 for 10: Our 2nd Annual Picture Book Event

Start Searching!
Mandy Robek, of Enjoy and Embrace Literacy, and I are so excited to announce the 2nd Annual (cue flashing lights and loud music) AUGUST 10 FOR 10 PICTURE BOOK EVENT (#pb10for10).  Yes, that's right.  It's time to dig through your stack of picture books once again to find the 10 you just cannot live without in your classroom.   Now I know many of you have been participating in #bookaday, making wishlists on Amazon, and answering the door when the delivery truck arrives with new books so you might want to look through those new stacks too.  This isn't going to be easy.  


What is August 10 for 10?  
It's a conversation about picture books.  Last year, Mandy (her post last year) and I (my post last year) began to wonder which picture books were the ones we just couldn't live without in our classroom?  Which books did our students beg to have read over and over again? Which picture books had language we loved?  Which books could serve as mentors for our young writers?  Which books sparked lively conversation?  Which books did we know our children would return to time and time again?  We began to wonder what other educators would say about this, and this wonder led us to this event.

Last year, 40 blogs participated in this event.  Each blogger put his/her own spin on a list of 10 favorites and the result was an amazing resource of over 400 picture book titles.  This year I am hoping these same blogs will participate and more bloggers will join us.  I am looking forward to hearing the "must haves" of so many literacy friends knowledgeable about children's literature.  


Join Us
So start your search.  Write a post about the 10 picture books you couldn't live without in your classroom. Sometime during the August 10th event, comment with a link and brief description of your post to my blog or to Mandy's at Enjoy and Embrace Learning (no need to link to both). We will then link all of the blogs together.  (Oh, no blog?  No worries.  You can comment on Twitter using the #pb10for10 hashtag.)


Pass the news along to your friends and join us on August 10th for a virtual book tour - a picture book party! Just in time for back-to-school shopping. Let us know you'll be joining us on our blogs, on Twitter (@mandyrobek or @cathymere) or by e-mail. You can grab the picture and place it on your sidebar so others will know you are participating.  On the day of the event we will both be linking to the posts of your "faves". Can't wait!!!!!

So I met Cleo...

It happens every year in first grade: the chapter book craze. Honestly, I'm always a little sad to see it. To me, it's somehow like letting go of your childhood a little too early. There are so many amazing picture books. Picture books that make you laugh. Picture books that make you cry. Picture books that make you stop and really think.

Parents brag about it, "My child is reading CHAPTER BOOKS." For kids, it seems to be some significant entry into the reading club. I usually try to not sweat it as I see the chapter books start creeping into book piles of these beginning readers. They proudly carry them around as if to say, "See I can read long books. I'm a reader too." The truth is, they may spend a few minutes with the book, but most readers quickly return to their picture books.

The challenge of chapter books for young readers is they require students to be able to sustain reading for longer amounts of time. Among other things, readers have to be able to follow multiple characters, understand dialogue, consider the connection among events to the main idea of the story, and have strategies for going back when the reading doesn't make sense. Because of the "chapter book craze" I'm always careful to not read chapter books too early as a read aloud. Because I know the chapter book craze will happen despite my best efforts, I am also always on the lookout for books with a chapter book appearance but with supports for my young readers.

Recently I met Cleo, and she just might help me out. On a trip to Cover-to-Cover I received an ARC copy of Uh-Oh, Cleo: I Barfed ON Mrs. Kenly by Jessica Harper and illustrated by Jon Berkeley. Let's be honest, kids are going to like this book right away because it has the word "barfed" in the title. Just reading the word aloud will elicit screams of joyful disgust.

Though this is the third book in this series, it is the first time I have read about this character. Young readers enjoy books with well developed characters and being able to follow them in a series is a bonus for most readers. Cleo tells her story of how it happened. Cleo has a history of getting carsick, so overeating pancakes before climbing into the back seat of a crowded car was likely not a good idea. You can imagine where the story goes from there. You can't help but empathize with Cleo's uncomfortableness and embarrassment in her situation. Like all of us, Cleo perseveres through the barfing incident to enjoy the party with her friends.

I could see some of my voracious first grade readers enjoying this story. While many text features in this beginning chapter book support young readers, they will have to be savvy with their knowledge of text structures to understand the events of the story. I can't wait to check out the published copy of this book to see how the illustrations support the text (no illustrations in the ARC copy).

Cleo is a fun character who is a lot like many of the young readers who will pick up a copy of this book. I'm going to be honest, what teacher can resist the quote on page 44-45, "Then I did this thing I do sometimes. I thought of what happened that day like it was a story, like a tiny book inside me."? Now I'm going to have to read the rest of the Cleo books.

Tech Gathering: Extending Professional Communities

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."

- Helen Keller

Last week I was fortunate to be able to attend an evening technology chat at Katie's house. Nearly a year ago (after the Michigan trip that changed my technology/professional life) I attended my first chat with friends from nearby districts. At that time, I was just getting started reading blogs, following twitter, and thinking of ways beyond Pixie to use technology in my classroom. I've learned a lot since then, and was feeling much more confident as I entered the house. I'd prepared a list of questions before arriving, and actually had something to share about how I had used technology differently in my classroom in the past year. All was good.

Maybe it was the food, maybe it was the conversation, but when I arrived the kitchen was full of people. After snacking, chatting, and catching up, we began our conversation about technology. The plan was to go around the circle, each person would introduce herself/himself and share something s/he had done with tech. Of course, each introduction resulted in questions and conversation. Everyone had so many useful ideas for technology. (Franki shares her reflections to tech night at A Year In Reading.)

After almost making it around the circle, we broke into smaller groups to share websites, show examples of student work with technology, and ask/answer questions. It was an amazing evening! Now to figure out how to support my primary students to become more independent and flexible with technology. On Twitter, Mary (@MMBrothers) reminded me, "Let primary kids explore tech, model for them, let them guide each other and they will become independent." It sounds so easy...

I'm left wondering:

• How will I begin my year differently with technology?
• What do I want my students to be able to use/do?
• What are the possibilities with wikis? (Most of the teachers at this meeting are using wikis for so much more than I am. I think I'm missing something.)
• How do I want to digitally save student work, videos, photos, etc. to create a "portfolio" (there is probably a better tech word for this) I can send home with students at the end of the year?

Shared sites I want to explore:

• I'm very interested in finding more ways for students to digitally create and publish their work. Katie shared Kathy Cassidy's website. It is full of examples for ways primary students can use technology purposefully (not just "let me tell you about them"....actual examples which show children demonstrating understanding through technology). Katie also shared Kidblog a site which allows kids to blog in a secure environment.
• Mary Lee shared Toondoo. A site which allows students to create comics.
• Everyone's talking about, and it constantly came up in our discussion: Animoto. I have no idea what can be accomplished with this site, but everyone keeps telling me to use it. I guess I need to explore a bit.

The evening was thought provoking. Ideas for using technology in word study, using Flip cameras in the classroom, and pros/cons of Glogster were also shared. I suppose in the past year I've significantly increased the amount of technology I use for "consumption". Twitter has exponentially grown my professional community and constantly provides me with new information about teaching. Blogs help me to improve my practice. Communication with educational professionals continues to become easier.

In this next year I know I need to grow in my use of technology to "create". This is true in my classroom as well. I need to find ways for my students to create with technology. By myself, change would be challenging...

but with this community, it is possible.

Hope

"Hope is finding happiness in simple things." Lauren Thompson from Hope Is An Open Heart

Recently I was able to attend breakfast with several central Ohio bloggers at the Northstar Cafe. Mmm...the food was good and the company was delightful. Listening to Mary Lee and Franki of A Year in Reading, Bill and Karen of Literate Lives, Tony of Learn Me Sumthin', Julie of Raising Readers and Writers, and Lisa of Two Learning Journeys is always a learning (and laughing) experience. I was thrilled to finally meet Mandy of Enjoy and Embrace Learning as we have been keeping up with each other in the blogsphere and on Twitter. It is always fun to finally put a face with all of the wonderful writing I read online.

After nourishment, our group then went to Cover to Cover. Cover to Cover is a picture book lover's paradise. I carefully set my spending limit before even walking in the door. I knew being in this bookstore with so many other book lovers was going to be expensive. Katie from Creative Literacy joined us. She has already cost me so much money as I follow her blog, I knew she'd hook me into several books while we were there.

I'm pretty sure I'm the last person to discuss what was in my reading bag. I'm trying to keep it top secret! If you follow my blog (or know me), you know why I'm really the last one to write about what was in my bag.

The first book I fell in love with was Hope Is An Open Heart by Lauren Thompson. Published by Scholastic the cover shows it to be a "help for Haiti edition". Scholastic is donating $50,000 to Save the Children's Scholastic Recovery Fund through this title.

Each page of the book has a photograph of a child with a short line of what hope means. My favorite line is ""Hope is sad tears flowing, making room for joy." The image of the sadness being pushed away by the joy is powerful for me. Hope so often lets us push away difficulties to find something better to fill the space. Because of its repetitive text structure it is a book I think my students will be able to use as a mentor for their own writing.

The ending is powerful. "Hope is a heart that is open to the world around you. Hope is knowing that things change - and that we can help things to change for the better."

In the last pages the author discusses where she got the idea for her story. Interestingly it wasn't the devastation of Haiti, but the attacks of September 11, 2001, that originally impacted her life. On these pages she discusses several of the photographs. Some of the children photographed have experienced great hardships, but found their way through them with hope. This book celebrates the resiliency of life and the strength of children.

The next book I placed it my bag was called....Hope. I was starting to develop a theme in my shopping. Hope is by Isabell Monk and illustrated by Janice Lee Porter. This book was written in 1999, and I wonder how I have missed it all these years. I was grabbed immediately by the first page of the book. The line, "I think Aunt Poogee holds all the love in the world inside her and lets it out bit by bit through the twinkle in her eye," is enough to take your breath away. I could have closed the book right there and bought it.

I kept reading, however. Hope is the story of a small girl by that name. The book is written from Hope's point of view. There is something powerful about a story written in first person. I always feel like I'm right there with the character. Hope tells the story of visiting her Aunt Poogee each summer, and describes all the memorable pieces of the trip. She loves helping Aunt Poogee sell cosmetics and going to the fair with her, but most of all Hope loves the stories her aunt tells about the family.

The summer she is going into second grade, however, something happens to make Aunt Poogee tell Hope how she got her name. While at the fair a friend asks Aunt Poogee if Hope is "mixed" because of her lighter skin. Aunt Pogee is quite annoyed by the question asked without thought of Hope. That night instead of stories about the family, Aunt Poogee tells the story of how Hope got her name. I want to quote the words for you right here, but I feel I will be spoiling some of the beautify of this book. Hope is a book that rests in your heart for awhile.

My goal this summer is to add new books to my classroom library. It needs "freshened" a bit. These two books will be excellent additions. I promise to share more of the books hiding in my bag in the weeks to come. You won't want to miss it!

The Trouble with Blogging: A Writer's Lament

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium. ~Norbet Platt

Let's try this again. If you look (and please don't), you will notice my last blog was well over 3 months ago now. The guilt over this has finally become overwhelming enough for me to remedy the situation. It's bad enough when you don't privately keep up with your writing, but even worse when you fall short publicly.

I began blogging near the start of the new year as a way to:

• reflect on my practice as an educator.
• refine my teaching.
• participate in the larger conversation of educators on the internet.
• work toward a more purposeful role as a community member in my school and in the profession.
• improve my writing.

Knowing I would struggle with the same obstacles I work to overcome in my writing, blogging was sure to be a challenge for me. For this reason I set a goal that wasn't ambitious, but obtainable, to post by Thursday of each week. Of course, it wasn't long before I let a Thursday slide, then another, and another. You see, the trouble with blogging is the same as the trouble with writing. To be a better blogger, I have to become a better writer. Somehow I think (hope) placing these personal goals on a public site may make me more accountable, so I'm telling all of you I need to:

1. make blogging/writing a part of my routine. As much as writing takes time to put "pen to paper" (archaic expression), blogging takes time to put "fingers to keyboard". Once I had a writing habit. I dabbled with ideas for a bit of time each evening, waking early on Saturdays and Sundays to write longer pieces. Ideas had been brewing for days making it easy to get much accomplished in these writing bursts. Somehow life kept creeping into my writing time and soon my established routine was gone. You see, I'm a creature of habit. If I am to be successful at blogging, I have to plan time to write posts. This will be easier in the summer as my teenagers sleep until after noon. (Good parenting says I should break this habit. The writer/reader in me loves the quiet. What to do? What to do?) I'm going to have to hold myself to my commitment to post each Thursday, at the very least. These morning times to write will work for now, but I'm going to have to come up with a new plan when the school year starts afresh.
2. find time to be inspired. Writing/Blogging require inspiration. Lucky for me, I have so many insightful educator friends who inspire me. Of course, Twitter and blogs constantly provide new thinking and dialogue in education. Additionally, I know I need to continue to find time for professional reading to keep my thinking fresh and challenged. Thanks to all of you, I know I will remain inspired!
3. record little thoughts and ideas so they don't slip away. I'm pretty sure I suffer from pre-alzheimers as I can't remember ideas for any length of time. I think I need a blogging "notebook" to jot blog ideas down whenever they occur to me. I keep a notebook for my writing, but adding a separate one for blogging may help me. Some of you are probably thinking I should keep my ideas on my phone in keeping with the "techiness" of blogging. Hmmm, maybe I should.
4. consider audience. For most of my life, writing has been personal. It has been enough for me to write for myself. It has always been a way to maintain balance - "equilibrium" - with the world. Recent experiences in my career, with fellow professionals, and on the internet have led me to understand the importance of putting my writing out in the world. As someone who changes her thinking often, I am a bit intimidated (to say the least) with placing my thoughts in any permanent form. Writing is often more like footprints in concrete as opposed to footprints in sand. Scary!
5. fine tune my purpose. A strong piece of writing has a clear purpose and structure. Readers leave it somehow moved or changed by its message. It seems to me, blogging should be the same. My favorite blogs have some kind of common thread holding posts together. Sometimes it is in the routine of the types of posts. Sometimes it is in the message of the posts, the structure of writing or the voice of the writer. I have to find the thread in my posts to pull my writing/blogging together.
6. find internet (or QUIT MAKING EXCUSES). I'm writing this post from my dad's house as we have used all of our internet again this month. This problem is unique to blogging, and most of you do not even have to worry about it. One of the biggest obstacles to writing a blog post is having enough internet megabytes to do so. The only way to get "high speed" (faster than dial-up) internet where we live is through cellular companies. We have a MiFi from Verizon which has changed our world, but is limited to 5 GB. Can you imagine 5 GB in a house with two high school students, a college student, and myself? Luckily my husband still prefers his books to internet, or we'd really be in trouble. So what happens? We run out of MB a week or two before the end of our billing cycle. It's hard to post if you don't have internet. Of course, this is an easy out when the writing is challenging. I guess I really don't have to find internet, I have to give up the excuse. To be a successful writer/blogger, I am going to have to quit making excuses. Ouch!

The trouble with blogging is writing. To fix it, I'm going to have to fix my writing. I hope you will comment with your tips and tricks for successful blogging/writing.

Still looking for writing/blogging advice?

Inspirational Posts:

Finding Time to Write (Two Writing Teachers)

Finding the Time (Writer Unboxed)

Blogging Advice for People Who Have No Time to Blog (Spark Minute)