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    Confessions of an Avid Conference Participant

    by Julie D. Ramsay
     | Apr 23, 2014

    In today’s world, the topic of using technology in the classroom can be intimidating. In this monthly column, join one teacher on a quest to discover the best way to meet the needs of her digital-age learners…moving beyond the technology tools to focusing on supporting each student’s learning. 

    It’s almost that time again…time to pack our bags and head out to IRA’s Annual Conference. As one who has the opportunity to participate in multiple conferences a year, I often get asked about how I prepare to get the most out of the short time I have at each one. Beyond the “wear comfortable walking shoes” and “drink lots of water” types of practical advice, I thought I’d give you a peek into some of my conference practices to help you get ready for IRA 2014.

    Whispers of an Adventure
    IRA14 AppA conference program, like the one IRA offers, can potentially become overwhelming with all of the opportunities to learn, connect, and grow one’s practice. Since the conference only lasts for a few days, it’s important to plan your schedule to get the most bang for your buck in this jam-packed event.

    Each year, I have one or two large goals for my professional growth. Having that focus helps me peruse a conference program and identify sessions that will help me move towards meeting my goals. I look at sessions by not just well-known, established presenters, but also sessions led by educators who seem to have an area of expertise where I want to sharpen my teaching practice.

    Since most sessions have limited seating, I typically will select multiple sessions scheduled during the time slot. That way, even if I arrive to a session and it is already at capacity, I have a plan for continuing my professional learning without losing too much valuable conference time. This year, I am really excited that my entire schedule of sessions is neatly organized in IRA’s conference app, keeping me organized on the go.

    A non-educator friend once asked me why I loved attending professional learning events so much. I told her that it was more than the learning and networking with my colleagues from around the world; it was a kind of family reunion. Conferences were our time to meet face-to-face and continue our conversations that we have conducted through social media or our classes’ collaboration during the rest of the year.

    In fact, many of the members of my personal learning network (PLN) have become friends because we have dedicated time at a conference to meet and chat for a meal or over coffee. I have discovered that those face-to-face times have deepened our professional relationship and yielded connections and collaborations far beyond what would have been possible simply through social media. Therefore, I typically reach out through social media to discover who else will be attending the conference and begin scheduling time.

    Mid-level Educators Tweetup This year, I am thrilled that IRA has scheduled several tweetups throughout the conference where my PLN, both established and yet-to-be-met, can have dedicated time during the conference to build these important relationships. If you have never attended a tweetup, and even if you are not on Twitter, this is a great opportunity to meet other educators, establish relationships, and tap into the greatest resources of all…one another.

    For many conference participants, attending a conference is a major undertaking involving flights, hotels, conference registration, confirmation numbers, ground transportation, recommended restaurants, and possible sightseeing opportunities. If you are like me, you want to carry as little as possible around an unknown city and convention center. I pull each of the sites up on my smart phone. Then I save it to my home screen. Once I have everything saved, I drag it all into one folder for that trip. That way, I have easy access to all of my information right at my fingertips. (I have also done this using Evernote. However, at one conference, the app was unreachable and I was unable to gain the access that I needed while I was en route.)

    Full Disclosure of Ongoing Learning
    Typically, I arrive the day before a conference officially begins. Often, I check into registration and then walk round the convention center to get the lay of the land. Because that first day is mostly a travel day for me, I usually am unable to attend any pre-conference workshops. However, this year, IRA is also offering Edcamp Literacy the Friday before the conference kicks off. Edcamps are a fantastic opportunity for informal learning. Schedules are typically developed on-site based on what conversations participants want to engage in with others. Because Edcamp Literacy begins midday, it’s a wonderful way to meet others and get a jump on the professional learning.

    Edcamp LiteracyOver the last several years, my note taking practices have changed. I now travel with my iPad to conferences. While I am in a session, I tweet out the resources and important points made by each presenter. For each of us who are fortunate to attend IRA, there are ten or twenty educators who are learning from a distance by following the conference hashtag (#IRA14) on Twitter or Instagram. When someone posts a slide with a really good idea or conducts an activity or demonstration, that’s a perfect opportunity to take photos to post to Instagram. Tweeting and posting photos on Instagram is a perfect opportunity to not only remember what you are learning, but also pass it along to those learning from afar.

    At conferences it is easy to get information overload. I have found that content curation is key to getting the most out of what I am learning. As with Twitter and Instagram, when a presenter shares a great resource, I take the time to pull it up and often pin it to a Pinterest board for my (and others’) future use. This can also be done on Evernote by using the Evernote clipper. In Evernote, notes and notebooks can be shared with others, extending your learning beyond the physical presence in a session.

    I don’t know about you, but often times I’m in a session and I think of another colleague that I know would really benefit from the information being shared by a speaker. By using these tools, you can very easily tag them, or email them access to the information you have curated during a session.

    Much Buzz about Something
    Because conferences are marathons and not sprints, I often come out with a brain bursting full of new connections, ideas, and inspiration. When speaking with others about the conference, sometimes I struggle to have just one takeaway. I’ve found that it takes time for me to process and reflect upon all of this new knowledge.

    One of the ways that I find is best for me to crystallize ideas is to review my notes, tweets, and Instagram posts, and begin to find the ideas that will truly sharpen my practice. For me, the best way for me to clarify how this knowledge will fit into my professional life is to begin writing a series of blog posts. This does two things: First, I reflect and put the pieces together for my own practice. Second, it shares my perspective and learning with others who may or may not have attended the conference.

    Taking the time to formalize your thinking gives you time to truly think about the reality of the place of newfound knowledge into your practice. You are much more likely to successfully integrate this new learning if you have a plan of how it will play out in your classroom. It also opens up further conversations on new topics, which pushes you to deeply contemplate and reflect on the direction this new learning will take you and your students.

    Since meeting friends (old and new) is one of my favorite parts of professional learning events, I always try to follow up with any collaborations that we might have discussed at the conference. Some of the most meaningful and powerful collaborations in which my students have engaged have come from educators that I met at a conference. You never know where one tweet, photo, email, or introduction might lead. And who are the ones who really reap the benefits of all this professional learning? Our students. That makes all of this professional learning even more powerful…because it truly is all about them.

    In addition to the Mid-level Educators Tweetup on Sunday, May 11 at 1 p.m., you can also find Julie in the Digital Classroom on Sunday, May 11, from 11:20 to 11:40, presenting “Twitter-a-ture: Creating content and Connections Using Twitter.” And you don’t want to miss her session, “The Global Read Aloud: One Book to Connect the World.”

    Julie D. Ramsay is a Nationally Board Certified educator and the author of “CAN WE SKIP LUNCH AND KEEP WRITING?”: COLLABORATING IN CLASS & ONLINE, GRADES 3-8 (Stenhouse, 2011). She teaches ELA to sixth graders at Rock Quarry Middle School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She also travels the country to speak, present, and facilitate workshops in applying technology to support authentic learning. Read her blog at juliedramsay.blogspot.com
    In today’s world, the topic of using technology in the classroom can be intimidating. In this monthly column, join one teacher on a quest to discover the best way to meet the needs of her digital-age learners…moving beyond the technology tools to...Read More
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    Through the Pages: Digital Journeys, Connections, and Communities

    by Julie D. Ramsay
     | Mar 26, 2014

    In today’s world, the topic of using technology in the classroom can be intimidating. In this monthly column, join one teacher on a quest to discover the best way to meet the needs of her digital-age learners…moving beyond the technology tools to focusing on supporting each student’s learning. 

    One to two days a week, I am free from lunch duty. At the beginning of the school year, I had several students who asked if they could stay in the classroom with me so that they could read. That very quickly led to all of them being engaged in a discussion of the books that they were reading, and sharing additional book recommendations. Within a matter of weeks the students formed a book club that they named The Literary Association of Bibliophiles. That’s LAB, for short (I promise that title really did come from 6th graders).

    The students meet once a week, depending on my lunch duty schedule to discuss a book that they selected to read and discuss together. Yes, I’m involved in the conversations, but they each take turns leading the discussion. Needless to say, the popularity has grown to include more students anxious to participate in the conversations.

    This month, I have read much about book clubs. It has caused me to reflect on the popularity of book clubs. What is it about book clubs that draw people to them? Why did my students begin this club that draws in students who wouldn’t necessarily call themselves “readers”?

    It is because reading is a solitary endeavor that envelops a reader into another world; it spurs thinking, questioning, and connecting with the text. As humans, we want to share these thoughts. We want to take this solitary pursuit and make it social. We want to share our perspectives, ask our questions, and push our thinking.

    p: mrsdkrebs via photopin

    So in a world of pacing guides and prescriptive programs with pressure to push students to perform on standardized testing, how can we include book clubs as an integral part of our learning environment?  With such a demand on our time, where can we find opportunities to connect our readers not only with one another, but also with their global peers? I thought I would share a few opportunities that you could bring to your students to get the book sharing started.

    1. International Dot Day is a day centered on Peter H. Reynolds’ book, “The Dot.” The official day is September 15th. Based on the book, the entire day is spent focusing on the importance of creativity, imagination, and individual talents and how each individual can harness their own uniqueness to make a mark on the world.

      Students can connect through Twitter (and Instagram) using the hashtag #DotDay and #MakeYourMark. This is an opportunity for your students to not only discuss the overarching theme of “The Dot,” but also internalize the text by making applications to their own lives. Classes can also connect through Skype in the Classroom to have a “face-to-face” book chat about “The Dot” and share all of their conclusions about the meaning and its application to their lives in the world.

      This is a one-day event that could very easily become an overarching theme for a week or month-long study. As a teacher, you can connect with other teachers through Twitter (#DotDay), Facebook, and Pinterest to share ideas for implementing it into your schedule. This network of very creative and imaginative teachers is more than willing to give you all the ideas you need to bring this international book discussion to your students.

    2. The Global Read Aloud is a phenomenal project founded by Pernille Ripp, a 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin. It is elegant in its simplicity. One book is selected (per grade range) and students from all over the world connect to discuss the book with one another. Teachers sign up through the Global Read Aloud website and then connect through Twitter (#GRA14), Facebook, and Edmodo to plan ways of implementing it with their students.

      One of the great aspects of this project is that you can do as much or as little connecting as you feel comfortable with. If you want your students to connect with many classes to discuss and analyze a book, then you can do that. If you want to form one connection that lasts the entire six-week long project, then you can do that too. If you want to have your students connect only with other students in your class or school that is also perfectly acceptable. You can customize it to your students’ needs.

      The wonderful part of this project is that you have a network that can support you as you try out new practices with your students. The point is for this to be simple for students to read, enjoy, and share a book together.

      My students have participated for three years and it is always a major highlight for them. We connect through Skype, Twitter, blogging, TodaysMeet real-time book chats, and collaborative publishing. No two years are alike because the book is always different, as are the students and the connections. By connecting globally, students have an authentic audience and gain a perspective of their place in their world. Everyone shares his/her voice.  It is exhilarating to see students accurately analyze, draw conclusions, synthesize ideas, and create new content all focused on a great piece of literature.

      Want to see what’s possible in a classroom with the Global Read Aloud? Check out my session on The Global Read Aloud at IRA’s 59th Annual Conference in New Orleans. I’ll be sharing my students’ work, their stories, as well as management and connection strategies on Saturday, May 10th from 1:00-2:00 pm.

    3. I have written before about the power of having my students blog on KidBlog. This is also one of the easiest ways to give students a portal to openly discussing and analyzing a text with an authentic audience. My learners set the expectations for their blogging each year. Typically, one of those expectations is that they will write a blog post about something that they have been reading each week.

      A couple of years ago, one of my students wrote a post about a book you may have heard about called “The Hunger Games.” As I always try to write comments on students’ blogs and model the expectations that they have set, I realized I couldn’t accurately comment without reading some of this book. I went by the bookstore and bought a copy of “The Hunger Games,” initially thinking I would read through the first few chapters so that I could comment on the post (Fast forward a week later…I had finished all three books.).

      After I commented on her blog, and we began talking about it together in class, other students joined in the conversation. Within three school days, two-thirds of my class, plus students in other classes, were commenting on her blog and sharing their thoughts on the book. What came next? We began having book chats at the lunch table where other teachers joined us. How did all of this come about? One blog post brought together a community of readers, which broke down boundaries to unite many voices all in pursuit of reading and sharing an exciting piece of literature.

      With KidBlog, it is simple to connect to other classes who are also on KidBlog. We have found other classes through the connection we have made with Dot Day and the Global Read Aloud. We also have found other classes through our class connection (@RamsaysClass) on Twitter. Another option is to connect with three other classes through Quadblogging where four classes connect and comment upon one another’s blogs. Each week, you rotate to comment on a different class’ blogs from a different location around the world. This helps students to gain a global perspective while finding commonality among one another in sharing and discussing great books.

    So whether you choose to start small within your class or go global, there is no doubt about the impact that book clubs have upon our learners. It empowers them to truly internalize, analyze and share their perspectives in a real and meaningful way. They are no longer reading because they have to fulfill some requirement, but because they want to dive into other worlds, learn about themselves, and share their ideas with others. So jump into the digital book club pool. The water is great and your students will thank you!

    Julie D Ramsay on Reading Today OnlineJulie D. Ramsay is a Nationally Board Certified educator and the author of “CAN WE SKIP LUNCH AND KEEP WRITING?”: COLLABORATING IN CLASS & ONLINE, GRADES 3-8 (Stenhouse, 2011). She teaches ELA to sixth graders at Rock Quarry Middle School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She also travels the country to speak, present, and facilitate workshops in applying technology to support authentic learning. Read her blog at juliedramsay.blogspot.com
    In today’s world, the topic of using technology in the classroom can be intimidating. In this monthly column, join one teacher on a quest to discover the best way to meet the needs of her digital-age learners…moving beyond the technology tools to...Read More
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    Behind the Mask: Providing Students with a Safe Online Presence

    by Julie D. Ramsay
     | Feb 26, 2014

    In today’s world, the topic of using technology in the classroom can be intimidating. In this monthly column, join one teacher on a quest to discover the best way to meet the needs of her digital-age learners…moving beyond the technology tools to focusing on supporting each student’s learning. 

    When February rolls around in Alabama, minds turn towards the big celebrations surrounding Mardi Gras. A little-known fact is that Mardi Gras actually began in Mobile, Alabama, not New Orleans, Louisiana—a fact that any Alabamian will gladly share with anyone who thinks that New Orleans is the birthplace of Mardi Gras in the United States.

    p: andy castro via photopin

    In spite of having been one of those who needed educating in the true origin of Mardi Gras, I find myself thinking fondly of travelling to New Orleans to attend IRA’s 59th Annual Conference. Even though Mardi Gras will be a memory for many by May, I can’t help but think of all the beads, costumes, and masks that are found year round.

    The masks are masterful works of art that disguise the wearer while still allowing him/her to actively participate in festivities. As a classroom teacher, I am immediately reminded of how that parallels with what we want for our students in their online learning; we want for them to be present and actively engage in a world of possibilities for their learning while also learning in a safe environment.

    Many ask, How can you include learning activities that include digital and social media when there are so many seemingly potential dangers lurking? The fact is that students are already engaged in these mediums with or without us. With us, they are in a safe environment where there are filters and safeguards put into place. If a student makes a poor choice, we have the opportunity to have a discussion where they can identify an unsafe practice and determine why they need to make a change. When in our classrooms, we are giving them the opportunity to build safe habits that they carry with them once those safeguards are absent, which for many of them is when they return home. It is not uncommon for students to come and express to me how unsafe they had been in their online profiles or practices and how they have immediately made changes to protect themselves.

    Because safety is a topic about which I am most often asked, I thought I would share a few of the practices that I have put into place to help students develop an understanding of the rules in this digital playground.

    Let them set expectations. Even though I teach middle level students, it surprises me how much they do not know about making good choices online. Quite often they express that no one has ever talked to them about digital choices. Sometimes learners may know not to do something, but they have no understanding as to the “why” of the discussion. I often write about the importance of students taking ownership over the practices in the classroom. They need to discover and understand how the choices they make could impact them or those around them. I do not believe in scare tactics, but I do believe that students need to have a clear understanding of the potential ramifications that something they put out in cyberspace can have, positive and negative (and yes, these need to be age appropriate).

    At the beginning of the school year, I guide my students in a discussion about the world of possibilities available to them through digital mediums. We start with a beginning activity where they work in small groups creating a list of what they know about online practices and opportunities. Then they share their list with the class. A crucial part of this conversation is having the students share the “why” behind each of their ideas. They need to begin connecting the dots between their choices and the impact that they could have.

    After a week of these conversations, my learners create a list of expectations for their online behavior; they are building their mask. Because we have discussed this over the course of several days, they have a clear understanding as to why each element is included on their list. Each year the list is a bit different because my students are different each year. You will notice that the list my students created this year includes a lot of positives. Yes, safety is addressed and each one of my students can enumerate in a very detailed explanation of each characteristic, but this is their list, not mine. They have complete ownership over this process and they hold one another to these practices.

    Let them create a safe profile. So many of the tools that students use, from Voice Thread to blogging to Google apps have users set up an online profile. Since this is a part of connecting with other people, it is important that students have the opportunity to build a profile that gives them some individuality while still providing the protection that he/she needs.

    One way that we create individuality while staying behind the mask is through various online avatar creators. Students have the ability to create an online avatar that is unique to them to use in all of their accounts. That becomes their mask where other students can identify them with just their profile photo while not putting their photo out for anyone to view.

    My learners’ favorite avatar creator is Build Your Wild Self. On this site, users have the opportunity to select a cartoon version of different boys or girls and then add fun animal parts to their avatar. It is something that can be as unique as each of your students. And who wouldn’t remember a girl with peacock feathers and octopus tentacles?

    If your students are into superheroes like many of mine are (and let’s face it, who wouldn’t like to be a superhero?) Marvel’s Create Your Own Superhero and Hero Machine are both really super options. Many of my learners are into Legos or Claymation characters. If they would like to become a Lego character, the Mini-Mizer is fun, while creating a clay version of themselves on ClayYourself (like the ones in the Hotels.com commercials) may appeal to other students.

    Whatever their interest, there is a way for them to create a safe, fun, and memorable profile “photo” that helps them to connect and build relationships with a parade of learning opportunities from around the globe.

    Let them communicate and collaborate through class accounts. When discussing social media, many teachers shy away from bringing these tools into their classrooms. There are students whose parents do not feel comfortable in having their students on social media. Once I explain that we will be using our class account where I am the only one with the login and I am the one controlling what content comes into and out of our learning environment, I have never had any students denied access to all of the learning opportunities possible through these tools.

    One tip that I would suggest is that you set up accounts separate and apart from your own accounts. For example, my Twitter name is @JulieDRamsay while the class account is @RamsaysClass. The audience needs to know that the tweets, posts, or photos are coming from students, not an adult. It changes how individuals or groups respond to content put out through different feeds.

    I’ve written in previous columns about the amazing learning opportunities that have resulted because my students are on Twitter, blogging, and Instagram, which are all done on our class iPad. An incredible amount of in-depth, real world, authentic learning would not have occurred had we not been actively involved with connecting with other students, authors, and experts through social media.

    One more idea I’d like to share is that the purpose of social media is to be, well, social. That is what appeals to today’s students. They know they have an authentic audience; someone who will be reading, commenting, and questioning their thoughts and ideas. When you create a blocked account, you are extremely limiting the individuals who can connect with your students. If you are using a class account, you are already serving as the filter. You will quickly be able to identify those trolls who will offer no learning experiences for your students. Blocking them is a matter of a couple of clicks.

    So as the Mardi Gras parades and festivities march on, let us remember that we can open up a world of possibilities for our learners through digital resources while providing them the protection they need from behind a mask of sound online practices. Until I see you in May, Laissez les bon temps rouler!

    Are you a fan of Plugged In? Come see Julie D. Ramsay present “The Global Read Aloud: One Book to Connect the World” at IRA’s 59th Annual Convention, May 9-12, 2014, in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

    Julie D Ramsay on Reading Today OnlineJulie D. Ramsay is a Nationally Board Certified educator and the author of “CAN WE SKIP LUNCH AND KEEP WRITING?”: COLLABORATING IN CLASS & ONLINE, GRADES 3-8 (Stenhouse, 2011). She teaches ELA to sixth graders at Rock Quarry Middle School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She also travels the country to speak, present, and facilitate workshops in applying technology to support authentic learning. Read her blog at juliedramsay.blogspot.com

    In today’s world, the topic of using technology in the classroom can be intimidating. In this monthly column, join one teacher on a quest to discover the best way to meet the needs of her digital-age learners…moving beyond the technology tools...Read More
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    The Right Tool at the Right Time

    by Julie D. Ramsay
     | Jan 22, 2014

    In today’s world, the topic of using technology in the classroom can be intimidating. In this monthly column, join one teacher on a quest to discover the best way to meet the needs of her digital-age learners…moving beyond the technology tools to focusing on supporting each student’s learning.

    pinterest boardRecently, I was in a professional meeting and an administrator mentioned that the teachers who he considers experts in using technology to support student learning will not be the teachers who you will always witness using technology with students when you enter the classroom. He went on to explain that the key element in someone being an expert is knowing when and how to use digital tools to foster and promote student learning.

    Upon further reflection, I have to say that I wholeheartedly agree with these statements. Teaching in today’s digital world provides us with a plethora of opportunities and tools. However, our focus should still remain upon our students and what they need. The assertion that “good teaching is good teaching” still rings true today; just because we have more options does not mean that those options are intrinsically better than practices we have used in the past.

    With that thought in mind, I wanted to share some strategies used with one tool that has proven to be very effective in promoting the learning of my diverse learners.

    The Writing on the Wall

    This year, I moved to a new school. Since I had the opportunity to totally re-think the classroom learning space, I did a lot of research about how to design an environment that promoted creative and reflective thinking. I wanted a space that would establish balance and calm while still sparking conversation and meaningful learning. (You can check out my Learning Spaces Pinterest board.)

    One idea that continued to pop up in different posts was to create spaces where students could collaborate and notate. This needs to be a space that is readily available, but also can adapt based on the needs of the learners. I came to the conclusion that I needed to have an “idea wall.” This would be an entire wall in my classroom that I can paint any color and then put a top coat over it that turns the entire wall into a dry erase board. We chose to use Idea Paint, but there are other choices available to you in different price ranges.

    Now I have this blank canvas that literally stretches from floor to ceiling and wall-to-wall. The first time I “accidentally” wrote on the wall, the students had a massive, collective gasp. Once they realized that it was a dry erase board, they cheered and ideas of ways to use it erupted.

    Of course, like with any novelty, students need an opportunity to play with any new tool. We began by having students share their knowledge of different punctuation practices that can impact the successful conveyance of meaning in one’s writing to an audience. Students eagerly gathered around, dry erase pens in hand to add their bits of knowledge into one collective bank of information. As we discussed their choices, students began adding to one another’s ideas and justifying the choices that they made in adding to the wall.

    A Fly on the Wall

    When we participated in the Global Read Aloud, I added “Quotes That Speak to Me” onto the wall. I wanted students to think deeply about the text that they were reading in OUT OF MY MIND, by Sharon Draper, and WONDER, by R. J. Palacio. My goal was for them to consciously look at a text in the greater framework of their lives, making connections, drawing conclusions, and analyzing how an author writes to share others voices to teach all of us about different perspectives. 

    The choices that they made in sharing quotes from each book throughout this project gave me insight into how each learner viewed the world and how they were changing as not only readers, but also as individuals in their perspective of the world around them and their role within it. One student commented at the end of the Global Read Aloud that she was sad to see us erase the wall because it seemed to be living and growing alongside us as we read those two amazing books. Immediately, students broke out their devices to shoot photos and videos to document that learning experience. It became very personal to each of them.

    While involved in a mystery unit, we used our wall in two different ways. We were reading THE LONDON EYE MYSTERY, by Sioban Dowd, which included many British phrases and colloquialisms unfamiliar to my students.  The wall became a collaborative, evolving glossary to serve a resource while reading. Students became experts at using context clues to determine meaning. The other way we used it was as a “motherboard” in analyzing the text structure of a mystery. Students determined suspects, clues, and red herrings and wrote them on the wall. They learned to dissect the text critically to make valid predictions that could be supported by citing text evidence. The sharing of their independent ideas on our wall sparked many discussions amongst small groups of students. The wall was making their thinking visible to their peers, thus deepening the learning of all.

    The Thunderous Silence

    Yet another way that our idea wall had played an important part in our learning environment was when I facilitated a Chalk Talk. This is a strategy that asks students to respond to a quote, idea, text, or open ended-question, using only their written words. There must be complete silence while they reflect, respond, and generate new ideas. Students must actively read not only the text, but also one another’s comments and respond accordingly.

    I wrote a poem up on our wall. It was one that included much imagery, figurative language, and some deep meaning. Like most poetry, much is left up to an individual’s interpretation. I explained Chalk Talk procedures with my learners, handed each of them a dry erase marker and stepped back to let them proceed. Initially, I anticipated that this learning activity would have the duration of ten to fifteen minutes. 

    After thirty minutes of complete silence and active written conversations on the idea wall, they were still going strong. At the conclusion, my students demonstrated the ability to analyze a poem, identify elements, make connections with other pieces of literature, apply lines to personal experience, and value one another’s ideas, and empathize on a level many believe middle level students are incapable.

    Wall to Wall

    Could some of these activities have been done digitally? Yes, I will admit there are tools that provide students with similar abilities. However, what is missing with those tools that the idea wall provides is the human element. With our idea wall, every student had a voice. Having our idea wall strengthened the climate of our learning environment; everyone had a crucial role to play by sharing on the wall.  Without everyone sharing, the students realized their learning would not be as great. This wall facilitated thinking in a way I had not experienced using technology. It promoted the importance of each individual’s voice while fostering face-to-face conversation that some middle school students shy away from in class.

    Does this mean we will stop using digital tools? Absolutely not. We use many different technology tools to support learning. However, one of the first things that my learners share with visitors to our classroom in person or when we Skype with others is the fact that “we get to write on the wall.”  It’s become an integral part of their learning and their learning space. Every student has different needs. That is why as a teacher, we must take time to find the right tool at the right time, whether it’s digital or not.

    Julie D. Ramsay is a Nationally Board Certified educator and the author of “CAN WE SKIP LUNCH AND KEEP WRITING?”: COLLABORATING IN CLASS & ONLINE, GRADES 3-8 (Stenhouse, 2011). She teaches ELA to sixth graders at Rock Quarry Middle School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She also travels the country to speak, present, and facilitate workshops in applying technology to support authentic learning. Read her blog at juliedramsay.blogspot.com

    © 2014 Julie D. Ramsay. Please do not reproduce in any form, electronic or otherwise.

    In today’s world, the topic of using technology in the classroom can be intimidating. In this monthly column, join one teacher on a quest to discover the best way to meet the needs of her digital-age learners…moving beyond the technology tools to...Read More
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    Where Do We Go From Here? Tools for Providing Timely, Personalized Feedback

    By Julie D. Ramsay
     | Dec 20, 2013

    In today’s world, the topic of using technology in the classroom can be intimidating. In this monthly column, join one teacher on a quest to discover the best way to meet the needs of her digital-age learners…moving beyond the technology tools to focusing on supporting each student’s learning.

    In October’s column, “How Do We Know What They Know?,” I shared some ways that we can assess our students to determine exactly what they know and design our instruction to meet those needs. But, now that we have that data, where do we go next?

    Often, when you are looking at a class of twenty five students that means you have twenty five different areas of need. If you are teaching an English Language Arts class, that is often compounded by the fact that each student has a different level of mastery in the standards of grammar and mechanics, reading, and writing. If you broke those broad areas down even further, the sheer volume of data that we would have for one class becomes mind-boggling. Does contemplating this cause anyone else to become overcome with overwhelm?

    Getting Directions

    The world of a teacher involves so much more than just the face-to-face time we have with our learners. Our attention and energy are pulled in so many directions, threatening to cause us to derail in our true mission: meeting the needs of each and every learner, each and every day. At times, it’s tempting to return to whole-group instruction simply because it is easier to manage the time. No matter how well we plan and schedule, the reality is that we live in a world with students, students who are always changing. How do we balance time and provide students with meaningful, personalized feedback to direct their growth?

    The great advantage of living in the digital age is that there are tools that can help us meet our needs. The real trick is finding the ones that can easily be embedded to support not only our teaching practice, but also the individualized instruction our learners need to continue down the path of their learning journey.

    One fabulous feedback option is through their individual blogs. Those of you who are familiar with my classroom know that blogging is an integral part of the learning process for my students. They use their blogs to reflect on their learning, connect with their global peers, publish their writing, set personal goals, and share their voices with the world. My learners are voracious writers because their writing is meaningful and purposeful. They have an authentic audience who will respond and push them to think deeper. And as amazing as all of this student-directed learning is, on KidBlog, the home of all of this fabulous-ness, my favorite feature is the private commenting.

    With KidBlog, you can set the safety standards of who can view blogs or make comments and when they live online. For my students, I have the setting where every post and comment must be read and approved by me. With it set in this way. I read everything that my students are writing. Once a post is approved, the blog administrator (classroom teacher) has the ability to submit comments to students that can only be viewed by the blog’s author.

    Private comments are the perfect opportunity to ask probing questions, redirect a line of thinking, conduct some reteaching, or provide a new link for further study. Many times, my comments request that the students make changes in a comment on their original post. Because blog posts and comments are published chronologically, it shows a student’s growth while also documenting the feedback and dialogue. Often my students will look back on a previous line of learning on one of their different blog posts as a reminder of their growth and how to push themselves further down the learning path.

    A Different Route

    While providing feedback on blog posts is a fantastic way to personalize instruction, most times those conversations are asynchronous. The dialogue may take place throughout the course of several days. However, there are times when synchronous conversation is needed. My students are involved in much collaborative writing. In those cases, since more than one student is working on a piece of writing, timely, synchronous feedback becomes more crucial to keep each individual headed in the right direction.

    p: jonny goldstein via photopin cc

    Enter Google Drive. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the benefits of Drive and probably use it yourself. However, the ability to have multiple students working on one document or presentation from different devices or locations takes collaboration to a whole different level. I can have one student curled up on the floor with pillows and his iPad while another one is sitting at a classroom desktop computer and another student is sitting at their desk using their smartphone all working on the same document at the same time.

    I teach in a district where every student (and teacher) already has an assigned Google account. However, there are several tutorials online about how to assign students accounts using only one teacher Gmail account. All notifications will be sent to the teacher’s account, not the students’.

    Once the students are logged on, one student from the group will need to invite the other students and the teacher to share and edit that document. Then students can begin working on their part of the document. What is fantastic about this option is that anyone invited can also make comments, which appear on the side of the document or presentation. That means that as the teacher, you can confer with many different students while they are writing from your computer (I usually have multiple tabs open and work on several pieces at the same time). Each collaborator is assigned a different color so that you can see the changes being made while they are making them.

    You can reteach, redirect, and cause them to probe deeper. Your learners can respond to your comments; now you are having a synchronous conversation about their writing as they are writing. They can ask one another (or you) questions about the choices that are being made before they get to the end of writing their first draft. Once they have worked with the ideas from one comment, a student can mark it resolved.

    The first time my students experience the synchronous conversation while they are writing, they are ecstatic. One student told me that this was the coolest thing she had ever done in school. I asked her to explain and she replied, “Well, with Drive, I’m able to see my writing from different people’s perspective. The comments make me think harder while I’m writing so I get a better piece when I’m done. I like that.”

    Today’s digital age students live in a world of “right now.” They crave that instant feedback. Through Drive, I am able to give them guidance while not hovering over their shoulder. The feedback is timely and relevant for each student. Furthermore, the dialogue and learning are documented throughout each writing project providing a clear view of a student’s growth.

    Full Speed Ahead

    I realize that the options for providing student feedback are numerous. My intent was to provide you a map demonstrating how digital tools can support your drive to providing your learners meaningful, individualized, and timely feedback.

    I am always on a hunt for new ideas. If you have a tool that you love using to provide feedback for your learners, please share it with all of us in a comment. With all of these ideas, before we know it, we’ll all be on the road headed to timely, personalized feedback for our students.

    Julie D Ramsay on EngageJulie D. Ramsay is a Nationally Board Certified educator and the author of “CAN WE SKIP LUNCH AND KEEP WRITING?”: COLLABORATING IN CLASS & ONLINE, GRADES 3-8 (Stenhouse, 2011). She teaches ELA to sixth graders at Rock Quarry Middle School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She also travels the country to speak, present, and facilitate workshops in applying technology to support authentic learning. Read her blog at juliedramsay.blogspot.com

    © 2013 Julie D. Ramsay. Please do not reproduce in any form, electronic or otherwise.

    In today’s world, the topic of using technology in the classroom can be intimidating. In this monthly column, join one teacher on a quest to discover the best way to meet the needs of her digital-age learners…moving beyond the technology tools to...Read More
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