While no-one was thrilled to come to school on MLK Day, we embraced it like Forest Trail staff do and opened our minds to a day of learning. While some teachers were involved in discussing the upcoming textbook adoptions for science and math, the rest of the teachers were involved in immersing themselves in differentiation. While the word 'differentiate' is not new, it has become somewhat of a 'buzz' word and administrators felt it important to bring this to front of people's minds as we enter a new year of learning. Below you will find details of the different sessions attended by teachers as well as information on how the day was planned.
Providing Choice This session was led by our Educational Technologist, Janet Couvillion, and involved looking at ways choice boards can be used to differentiate and organize instruction. The main focus was on the tool Thinglink. Janet provided examples of the various ways this could be used when planning for differentiation:
Closing
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The First Grade team approached me in December about helping them with a unit they would be teaching at the beginning of the new year. Many ideas were bounced around and we landed upon using a Thinglink to organize links so students could learn about different penguins. Once researched they would create a Keynote presentation of their findings. This would involve children taking notes and then applying them to a presentation tool. Once we embarked on this project, several teachers came to me because students had been asking about creating their own Thinglinks. That project starts this week and I will be excited to share the results. For a link to my Penguin Thinglinks, click here.
iMotion HD is an intuitive and powerful time-lapse and stop-motion app for iOS. Time-lapse is a cinematography technique which accelerates movement. It can be used to photograph cloudscapes, plants growing, crowds... Stop motion is an animation technique which makes a physically manipulated object look like it’s moving on its own. ELA: iMotion can be used to retell stories using Lego, paper etc. Math: iMotion can be used to record how manipulatives are being used to solve a math problem. Additional Support Resources: Watch video on how to use iMotion Link to iMotion HD website Ms. Fromberg, a third grade teacher here at Forest Trail, has embarked on a new journey with her class. Back in November, Kim attended Tech Forum in Austin, TX and learned how @TechNinjaTodd had flipped his classroom. She was so excited by the idea of this, and the potential to transform the teaching and learning experiences in her classroom, she decided to get certified through Sophia. Flipping the classroom gives students instant feedback and creates more time for interactive learning. I am excited to chart her journey and the journey of her students. Click here to watch her first video!
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AuthorJanet Couvillion Archives
August 2016
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