Communication is one of the 4 C's of Education in 21st Century Skills, and it overlaps with the other 3 C's(collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking) constantly. As I look back over my career as a teacher, I am in awe of what I once thought was strong "communication" in our classroom and just how different my outlook on communication is now . In today's society, we have information communicated to us all day at an overwhelming rate. Technology and the power of modern media/tools are continuing to expand, and we are being called to help raise learners who are aware of, know how to respond to, and can rise to the challenge of being effective communicators in today's world and in the world of the future. So, how do we help our students become strong communicators? How do we help create learning experiences that will challenge them to apply communication skills? What tools do you use? And, what does it look like in the classroom? Communication ...
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Our new Hue HD Camera
Recently, my students and I were fortunate enough to connect with Hue and try out their HD document camera and stop motion animation kit. Before our exploration of this new tool, I knew nothing about stop animation other than what it actually was. I had no idea how the motion films were created, how exciting it was to create films using stop animation, or what all went into creating such a project. Was it hard? Easy? Could this be something that my 5th graders could do without me? When our kit came in, I opened it up and installed the software super quick. I love how easy it is to plug the camera in the laptop. This means that we can take the camera and laptop anywhere in the room, building, or school with no problem! I played around with it at home just to feel comfortable enough to show my kiddos how to run everything, and then I brainstormed a list of ways that we could use this tool in the classroom. *Content specific short films *How-To videos *Student modeling of ...
I’m Not Ready…to Say Goodbye
I know that summer is getting close for many teachers and students. Many of us are just days away from the end of the year. But, I am NOT ready to say goodbye. This happens every year. There are countdowns, end-of-the-year celebrations. Parties. And, I am just barely holding it together. I don't want to do countdowns. I don't want to celebrate saying goodbye. I don't do goodbyes well. Each year, these students become my family, and I am not ready to send them on. I literally could cry if I really let myself think about just how much time I actually have left with my students. This year has been magical. It has been beautiful. The new grade level has been challenging. Some days I thought that I was the worst teacher in the world and other days I felt we had it going on! Did I mention that this year was magical? I don't want it to end. I love these students. I am going to miss them writing on our ...
