ASP Tech Club Visit #5

Today was our final ASP Tech Club visit at Hyalite Elementary.  My partner, Chantal, and I helped the students finish up their iMovie videos about Montana wildlife.  When the photos were compiled, Chantal helped them record their voices over the video, narrating the facts they had researched earlier.  This day was especially fun, since a few of the kids had taken home invitations to their parents, and four parents had shown up to see their children's work in class.  Unfortunately, we had technical difficulties with the Smartboard, so we had to watch the videos on the Macbooks.  The students and parents didn't seem to mind, though, and all ten or eleven of us huddled around the laptops to see the students' work.  The videos were full of awkward pauses and grainy photos, but the students were proud, and their enthusiasm was contagious.  I have been struck by how friendly the whole experience has been.  The teachers are unceasingly helpful, the parents are appreciative, and we formed an instant bond with the students.  I was honestly sad to leave today.  We were given a giant hand-made thank-you card, and everyone lined up for hugs or high fives.  Although I was initially nervous about the whole thing, I found that by working together with my partner, learning from the faculty, matching the lessons to learning objectives, and feeding off the energy of the students, the whole experience was fun and beneficial for all those involved.

ASP Tech Club Visit #4

Our fourth ASP visit was a continuation of the lesson we started in week two.  To recap, the students had chosen specific Montana animals to research, and had found at least five facts about that animal.  On this day, we showed the students how to use Google Images to find photos of their animal.  We had several issues with this visit, the first being scheduling.  After School Program the week before Thanksgiving had been canceled, and of course we did not have ASP on Thanksgiving day.  Thus, it had been basically three weeks since we had seen the students, and since they had touched their projects.  Second, we had quite a few new students for this class, and had to differentiate for those who had not prepared for this Thursday's work.  Third, there was a new student in the class who had emotional difficulties, and broke down in the middle of the class.  Thankfully one of the usual ASP teachers was present, and told us about his difficulties.  The teacher took the student by himself for a while, and he suddenly calmed down and finished two days-worth of work in about half an hour.  This turn-around was fascinating, and the calm way that the teacher handled the situation was key.  Overall, this day was a lot of new information and methodical work for the students, but I was impressed with their work ethic, and they got a lot of work done.  They are almost ready to create their final videos.

ASP Visit #3

Our third week of ASP Tech Club went smoothly.  We let the students use a website, www.montanakids.com, to research the animals they had chosen the week before.  Each student was required to find five facts from the website, and write them down.  The 2nd graders had impressed me the week before with their ability to navigate online, but when actual research was involved, slowed down somewhat and required more assistance!  I speak tongue-in-cheek here, but in seriousness, it was a good lesson in engaging students in less-interesting topics.  There was more pressure this day, since Beth Kennedy, the coordinator, was observing as we taught.  Although the students were not extremely focused, we apparently handled everything alright, because Beth was pleased.  She has been wonderful to work with, and is constantly willing to aid us, direct us, or criticize constructively, all while allowing us freedom to operate by ourselves.  We had our lesson cut short, because the students had another group come in to work with them, so we had to adjust on the fly.  We helped the second group, Destination Imagination, for a half hour or so before leaving.  This was unexpected, and a little disruptive, but it was a good learning experience.

ASP Tech Club Visit #2

My second trip to Hyalite Elementary was a fun adventure into the world of actual teaching!  My partner Chantal and I were moved to the 2nd grade Tech Club, where we taught a lesson on local wildlife.  There are about 15 students and each one has a Macbook in class.  Our first lesson was to research one local animal species on the internet, and we will continue into next week, when the students will develop their personal experiences with wildlife into a digital story.  The students have been a joy to work with, and are very cooperative and smart.  They know the school better than we do, and are eager to help us out!  The teachers, personnel, and coordinators have been helpful and open to our ideas.  I have been surprised how smooth the transition has been from planning lessons in my classes to actually using them in a real class.    I really appreciate all the work the coordinators have done to make that possible.  The standards, curriculum, and methods are all a little intimidating, but I feel much more comfortable in the classroom than I expected.

Polleverywhere.com Podcast

Here is my podcast on www.polleverywhere.com, the internet poll website we used in class.

Digital Storytelling

EDU 370 Digital Storytelling Contextual Analysis

     My digital story follows the migration and life cycle of a common North American bird, the Swainson's Thrush.  The context where it would be viewed is a middle-school science lesson, preferably in late spring.  We are studying birds and their life cycles.  This project will come after a field trip into a local natural area.  The plan is for students to further investigate the birds that live around their home, and choose one to study more in-depth.  I will guide their research for a week or two while they discover facts about the bird through observation, books, and internet research.  Then each student will create a short but informative digital story covering nesting, migration, identification, and conservation in whatever style they choose that retains factual integrity.  The digital story will be an effective method of conveying this information because birds are visual creatures, and this medium will allow students to use a large number of photos or their own drawings.  The quick-moving format of a digital story would be an appropriate and more entertaining way of showing information among peers than simply writing or speaking.  Also the chronological element of a video would enhance the cyclic aspect of the subject.

Learning objectives:
Students will investigate the bird life in the local environment through observation.
Students will explain life cycles of local birds to their classmates.
Students will explain the effects of climate and habitat on wildlife.


Montana Science Content Standards:
1. Students, through the inquiry process, demonstrate the ability to design, conduct, evaluate,
and communicate the results and form reasonable conclusions of scientific investigations.
3. Students, through the inquiry process, demonstrate knowledge of characteristics, structures
and function of living things, the process and diversity of life, and how living organisms
interact with each other and their environment.

ASP Tech Club Visit #1

Setting:  Hyalite Elementary School, 2nd Grade Tech Club
Technology: Smart Board, Macbooks
Curricular vision: Focus on typing and use of internet for research.
What challenges me?  I do not feel prepared to teach young students, simply because I haven't thought about it.  I have the knowledge and skills, I just haven't put them into practice before.
What interests me?  I love how quickly and readily younger kids learn, so I am excited to work with children who are still fairly new to school and technology.
What scares me?  I am not sure how interesting I am to 2nd graders, but I also don't want to be overbearing.  Finding the right balance of enthusiasm will be a challenge.  I also feel a lot of pressure from the administration to perform well.  This is fun in a way though, because I feel very motivated by this pressure.