Day 55 – Learning About Authors Using QR Codes

November 1, 2014 / HSE_21

In the library media center, the numbers we used to focus on were ones like 551.5 or 796.32 – the Dewey Decimal System numbers! Today we’re thinking a bit more outside the box! During the fall of 2014 we focused on these numbers: 1 goal; 2 grades; 3 months; 4 C’s; 5 W’s and a partridge in a pear tree. OK…no partridge, but QR codes and authors in the LRES LMC!

At Lantern Road Elementary School I have one goal for my students when they come to the library each week – learn something new! It might be a new story, a new fact or how to use a new piece of technology. Two grades, third and fourth grades, collaborated on a special project this fall to help students quickly reach that goal. It took us the better part of three months, but our goal was reached! We incorporated the four C’s, communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity, to introduce 560+ students and parents to some of our favorite authors and their websites. Once they were able to visit author websites via the iPad and QR codes, students were able to gain knowledge of the five W’s – who, what, when, where, and why!

Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” I wanted the students to learn about authors and QR codes so they created and used them. Knowing very little about QR codes (Quick Response codes) myself, in August I took an online webinar through www.simplek12.com about QR codes and differentiating instruction using them. That’s all it took – I was excited to create with my students. In September the third grade students learned how to create QR codes using www.qrstuff.com. They created signs for the library media center that included an author’s name, a picture of the author, and a QR code linked to the author’s website. During October, fourth grade students used iPads and the QR Reader app to go on a scavenger hunt to find interesting information about authors and their books. Hopefully now when parents come in on our Family Reading Nights, they can use their devices to scan the signs for information also!

The numbers certainly add up to learning at Lantern Road Elementary School!!

-Submitted by Lori Silbert, Library Media Specialist, Lantern Road Elementary School

Day 45 – Need a New Workout Video? Students Can Help!

October 15, 2014 / HSE_21

How many of us have slowly stopped working out after following the same workout routine day after day…week after week? Well, the students in Mr. Simms’ and Mr. Bratton’s Physical Education classes at Fall Creek Intermediate School are out to change that! They are collaborating to design new fitness routine videos to excite and engage, spicing things up for the Physical Education classes. “We get to be a part of making exercise routines that are different and fun for our whole class!” was one group’s consensus today.

These videos provide more than just a means for students to get more exercise. Students work together to come up with and incorporate a variety of stretching and cardio activities to get them moving and active. They collaborate with their team members to lay out the routines, record video, and utilize iMovie to create their final polished version including videos, correct exercise form instructions, music, and more.

Creation has abounded as students have applied their physical education understanding to transform their own learning and real-world applications. Once students own the information and can apply it, it is theirs for a lifetime! They are on their way to owning the keys to a fit future!

-Submitted by Kim Day, Fall Creek Intermediate Assistant Principal

Day 44 – “R2-D2, Meet Your New Droid Friend!”

October 14, 2014 / HSE_21

His name is Rusty (the droid, that is). Kneeling next to Rusty is Mr. Alex King, a fifth-grade science teacher at Sand Creek Intermediate School. It all started one day last winter, when Mr. King learned that he’d been awarded a Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant to build an Astromech droid, better known to Star Wars fans as ‘R2-D2’!

HSE21 Shorts caught up with Mr. King and Rusty today to find out exactly how Rusty came to be, and to learn how Rusty will extend learning for Mr. King’s students and the wider community.

HSE21 Shorts: How in the world did you know where to start with building Rusty? Are there ‘directions’ somewhere for things like this?

Mr. King: There is a builder’s club for Astromech droids (which is what R2-D2 is in the movies); you can find the club at www.astromech.net . I had to buy parts from guys in the club that would do a “run” of a specific part, like the dome, and start organizing them, cutting pieces out, painting and assembling, all without a master plan. They have blueprints and the like, but I generally used reference pictures form the movies or asked for advice from the Astromech forums.

HSE21 Shorts: When was Rusty completed?

Mr. King: Rusty is not complete yet, but the majority of the building was completed the week before school started this year. I have still been working on him and have had a couple of build days with other central Indiana droid builders. Rusty started driving the week of September 8^th. I am hoping to get the lights and servos placed in the dome in the next couple of months.

HSE21 Shorts: I assume that your goal was not just to build Rusty, but to build him for the benefit of kids somehow. Was the purpose to get kids interested in robotics…or what?

Mr. King: My initial goal was simply to build the droid and take him to conventions and such. Then I met some folks from the 501^st Legion, a national Star Wars costuming group. They support loads of charities and are a non-for profit organization. They are simply requested to show up and they do. They were very excited to meet someone that was building an R2 unit. I will take R2 to children’s hospitals and charity events in addition to comic and gaming conventions.

HSE21 Shorts: How have and will you continue to partner with Rusty in your teaching and in the community?

Mr. King: In addition to the above, I will be available for character appearances for schools and other organizations. I went to the Brownsburg YMCA for a health fair two weeks ago. I am also starting a robotics club at SCI, for which Rusty will be our mascot. I will also probably show up at different sporting, events since Rusty just happens to be red & white…the colors of Fishers High School!

If you’d like to read more about Mr. King’s project and the creation of Rusty, visit Mr. King’s R2M5 blog!

Day 36 – You Are a Genius, Part 2

October 3, 2014October 3, 2014 / HSE_21

In You Are a Genius, Part 1, we saw ways in which Genius Hour fosters creativity and student-centered inquiry in our youngest students. (If you missed it, visit HSE21 Shorts Day 35!) Today’s Genius Hour post–presented as a conversation with FHS English teacher Kyle Goodwin–illustrates the depth of student engagement, personalized learning, and 21st century skill development that exist when high school students are allowed to investigate their own curiosities in the context of English class.

HSE21: Start by describing the parameters of Genius Hour in your class.

Mr. Goodwin: Students begin by understanding the building blocks of Genius Hour to be autonomy, mastery, and purpose. From there, they follow five steps:

STEP 1: Choose something you’re passionate about…and pursue it.

As a Genius Hour session begins, Mr. Goodwin reminds his students of their goals for the day.

STEP 2: Pitch Your Project. The Pitch is a “three-slide” or presentation, followed by a Q & A from the class.

STEP 3: Blog Your Process. Students set up a blog and update readers on their progress. The first post should answer, “What are your goals for this project?” and “How will you measure your progress?” From there, other blog posts discuss progress, discoveries, and setbacks. Students should be able to answer, “What have you learned about your topic? What have you learned about yourself? Where do you go from here / what’s the next step?”

STEP 4: Vlog an Insight. Students are asked to create a video blog answering “What / who inspired you in relation to your specific project? How have your readings and resources informed your approach?”

STEP 5: Share Your Learning. Students write, design, and perform a meaningful TED talk. I give students a suggested organizational pattern for their talk (hook, transitions, logical order to your main points, effective conclusion), and suggest content (inspire your audience with your passion for your pursued activity; explain the process and show the products of your project; talk about your purpose or what the audience should learn from your product; include a meaningful take-away). Classes vote on the best couple of presentations, and the winners will be asked to deliver their TED talks in the FHS auditorium on a Saturday in May, where we invite an authentic audience: teachers, friends, parents / families, administrators, experts from the field, etc.

HSE21: Wow. The potential for creative invention seems huge! And what an opportunity to practice 21st century career skills: locating, evaluating and synthesizing information, managing time, reflecting on learning, and presenting to an audience in a variety of formats. Have there been any challenges in establishing Genius Hour for your students?

Mr. Goodwin: The greatest challenge we’ve seen so far with Genius Hour has been students feeling comfortable thinking for themselves and creating. I don’t say that to bash our students, by any means, but in the past, the overwhelming majority of their educational careers has been spent through a series of acts of compliance. They listen to teachers teach, they receive an assignment, and they complete the assignment. It’s like a gigantic factory. Genius Hour lets them be in control of their own learning.

HSE21: Absolutely! Through Genius Hour, learning becomes active instead of passive. What has been the greatest benefit of Genius Hour for your students thus far?

Mr. Goodwin: The greatest benefit to students has certainly been an opportunity for students to think for themselves. The students have already surpassed my expectations, and we’re only six weeks in! Their creativity has been “unlocked” in some sense, and every week I’m surprised with what some of my students are capable of. It’s been a challenge for me, as a teacher, to let go a little bit, but when I see what students are doing, creating, and walking away with, I know it’s for the best. My role has changed from “sage on the stage” to “instructional coach” on Genius Hour days, and it’s been a wonderful experience, to say the least.

In a later post, HSE21 Shorts will explore some of the individual Genius Hour projects that Mr. Goodwin’s students have undertaken this year. We’ll also check on students’ progress throughout the year. Stay tuned!

Day 35 – You Are a Genius, Part 1

October 1, 2014 / HSE_21 / 1 Comment

There is a genius in all of us, right? The teachers at Thorpe Creek Elementary think so too! Many TCE classrooms from kindergarten to fourth grade dedicate instructional time to Genius Hour each week. Students inquire, explore, and expand their wonderings and passions. They are given time to wonder and ask questions about their world, research and explore, and then students share their findings with the class and community! And it looks different in every classroom!

Mrs. Eby modeled her own inquiry for her kindergarten class when she shared how she discovered that her broken air conditioner had actually been struck by lightning! She shared how she asked questions, where she went to seek the answers, and how she shared her findings. Her students then started asking their own questions. Some first graders in Mrs. Potter’s class asked questions like, “Why do bees sting you?” and “Why do we have an attic in our house if we never use it.”

Mrs. Gibson’s fourth graders are finding that some of their wonderings are turning into projects! One group wondered how gluten-free ice cream is made, and now they are making their own and sharing it with the class! Another group of students in her class is learning about robots and attempting to build their own. Mrs. L. King’s second graders are making informative videos, including one about the dangers of poison ivy!

What do you wonder about? How do you find answers to your questions and share the information with others? We all do this every day! That’s what HSE21 instruction and Genius Hour is all about…purposely, creatively, and safely navigating our everyday inquiries!

-Submitted by Leslie Hopper, Thorpe Creek Elementary Media Specialist

Day 27 – Marble Moves

September 20, 2014 / HSE_21

DELIVER A MARBLE TO A TARGET.

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These were the instructions given recently to Riverside Junior High 8th grade science students. Supplies were provided, but the method…wide open!

Science teachers Stephanie King, Ashley Heckly and Teri Folta developed this inquiry project to introduce their students to the scientific method and the process of design. As they accomplish this task, the students are learning how to write procedures, and to collect and analyze data. The next step in the activity will be to synthesize their learning by composing their first lab report; class discussion will focus on the process of inquiry as well as the difference between precision and accuracy in data.

zip3 This introductory science inquiry project gives a clear example of HSE21 learning in action. In dynamic 21^st century classrooms, students think critically and creatively to find solutions to problems. In this case, teams pooled their creative ideas and scientific knowledge to design a successful marble path. Along the way, they learned the concepts of precision and accuracy, and they gained experience in collecting/analyzing data, writing lab reports, and collaboration. Heckly, Folta, and King will spend the rest of the year helping their students build on these foundational skills as classes delve deeper into chemistry and physics through the school year.

–Submitted by Shawn Humphrey, RJH media specialist

Day 26 – #Dot Day: @TeamMurch4 Makes Their Mark

September 18, 2014 / HSE_21

After discovering the #Dot Day on Twitter, students from Mrs. Murch’s 4^th grade class decided to join the creating, celebrating and, most importantly, the connecting during this day! Students were challenged to think outside the box and create their own unique dots, math games that incorporated concepts using dots, writing activities and goals all around message of the book The Dot by Peter Reynolds. Students and teachers were challenged to think of ways they were “going the make their mark” on the world; they had time to self-reflect and set goals for this school year and for the future.

Dot Day also provided Mrs. Murch’s class with the opportunity to work toward another class goal for the year: 50 states in 180 days via Skype in the Classroom. 50 States in 180 Days challenges students to connect with all 50 states this school year through #Mystery Skype. @TeamMurch was able to add two more United States schools because of Dot Day! They also participated in their first international Skype with a school in Canada! Students read and discussed their perspective of The Dot with 2^nd graders in New York, and they shared and explained their “dots” creations with 5th & 6^th graders in Canada–they even learned a bit of French during the call! Finally, they shared their writing and ways of making their mark with students in TN. Dot Day was an amazing HSE_21 day for all learners!

-Submitted by Amy Murch, Brooks School Elementary, 4th Grade

Day 22 – Creativity for a Cause

September 16, 2014 / HSE_21

SCE One component of HSE21 is the principle of contributing positively to the community at large. Miss Coffman’s 4th grade class at Sand Creek Elementary recently enjoyed a day of cross-curricular arts study AND worked towards the welfare of endangered species in the process! Ms. Golando, SCE music teacher, led students through the Carnival of the Animals; students then selected their favorite endangered animals based on the music they heard. Afterward, Ms. McDuffee, SCE art instructor, guided students through the creation of clay bowls out of patterned animal shapes. The creations will be raffled off later in the year with funds donated to WWF. Creativity for a cause!

Submitted by Laura Collier, SCE Media Specialist