Thinking Critically about your Seesaw Posts

Students are going to think critically about the type of Seesaw posts they make in their learning journals and set a goal.

VR and NGSS Integration

Grade 1 students went on a virtual field trip using Google Expeditions to explore the concept of structures and functions.  We 'stopped' at various points on our Borneo virtual field trip to investigate different plants and animals.  While we observed them, we took note of structures and then thought about the function of that structure.   

Make a 10 with Coding

Grade 1 students learned to sequence precise instructions, use the language of programming, decompose problems, make a plan for a code, AND reinforce the math concept of making a 10 all at the same time....phew! What an exciting and engaging lesson for students.

STEAM Teacher

I have accepted a new job for next year at the Singapore American School and I am really excited about the possibilities.  I will shift to being a Science teacher for grades K-2 with an emphasis on developing a STEAM program.

Technology in the classroom: digital learning at schools in Singapore

Technology in the classroom: digital learning at schools in Singapore

http://honeykidsasia.com/technology-in-the-classroom-digital-learning-at-schools-in-singapore/

SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL (SAS) – Kelli Rae Buxton, Elementary School Educational Technology Coach
What are the school procedures that teach students how to stay internet safe while using technology in the classroom?Today our students are using the immense power of digital media to explore, connect, create, and learn in ways never before imagined. With this power, young people have extraordinary responsibilities. At Singapore American School we build key skills and mindsets around digital resilience, online safety, and online security through a variety of ways.

Students are explicitly taught about going online safely, protecting passwords, and maintaining a positive digital footprint. We also observe digital citizenship week. Teachers facilitate the viewing of relevant digital citizenship videos and guide discussions on the key points. Additionally, teachers model good digital citizenship related to current school and internet communities topics throughout courses of study. Parent engagement and support is also crucial. We strongly encourage parents to use Common Sense Media and other resources to support their child(ren) in developing appropriate online behaviour.

Our primary mission is to ensure that students, teachers, and parents all feel empowered to have continuous, open, and honest conversations about online activities that reinforce positive character, morals and values. By providing opportunities for these conversations, SAS students can learn how to engage online in safe, respectful, and responsible ways; therefore, building digital resilience.

An Earth Inquiry

Mr. Lewis's KG class inquired into the Earth.  We had great fun learning about why the Earth is so colorful, which led us to investigate Biomes!
  

A Robust Educational Technology Program

As an educational technology coach, I am responsible for exposing students and teachers to a wide variety of ways to integrate and embed technology into the curriculum.  

At the Singapore American School, I am able to provide opportunities in the strands of integration, coding, robotics, virtual reality, Creation Stations: An Innovative Learning Space, and makerspaces.

For integrating ipads into the curriculum, we use the ISTE Standards which we converted into student-friendly 'I Can' statements.  

With respect to coding, my students use apps such as Kodable, Daisy the Dinosaur, and Osmo Coding.  We celebrate Hour of Code and engage in a Coding Reboot learning activity.

For robotics, Beebots are embedded in the math curriculum.  We also expose students to Dash robots in a more discovery and inquiry style approach.

Virtual Reality comes in the form of Google Expeditions and YouTube 360 videos aligned to grade level NGSS units.

Students experience open-ended learning at the Creation Stations; a center focused on art building, coding, engineering, and filmmaking.

The Makerspace is a student-centered learning environment that provides opportunities for children to explore a design cycle (Imagine, Plan, Create, Improve, Share). 

    

Makerspace Magic

Grade 1 students always amaze me at how engaged and energized they are in the Makerspace.  For this session, they arrived with knowledge of expectations of how to use the space along with a labeled plan/sketch in order to use the space purposefully.

I loved seeing the wide variety of creations; cardboard castles, dog on a leash, shark wall art; sewn pillows, a beaded necklace, and a mosaic bunny rabbit.  Individual passions and creativity were clearly evident.

      

Connect Making to the Curriculum

Grade 1 students made connections with their writing and making.  What an excellent example of authentic integration!

Digital Citizenship Week 2017

Today our students are using the immense power of digital media to explore, connect, create, and learn in ways never before imagined. With this power, young people have extraordinary responsibilities.

As one way to build key skills and mindsets around digital resilience, online safety, and online security, the SAS ES will observe Digital Citizenship Week from Oct 23-27. Linked below please find a youtube playlist of helpful videos and discussion points for teachers to use with their class. If able, please take approximately 5-10 minutes a day this week to show one video per day and then facilitate a brief discussion on the key points.

K-2

K-2 Video List and Discussions
Monday: What is the Internet?
-Ask your students the questions from the video
-What is the internet?
-How does it work?
-What can you do with the internet?

Reiterate that the internet is a way to connect people and their ideas no matter where they live and this week students are going to find out how to use the internet responsibly.

Tuesday: My Online Neighborhood
-Review the Going Online Safely Rules
-Ask permission to go online first
-Stick to people you know
-Stick to just right places

Wednesday: Follow the Digital Trail
-Information (words, photos, blog posts) you put online leaves a trail
-This trail is called a digital footprint, information about you on the internet
-Only share information (words, photos, and blog posts) that you are ok with everyone seeing

OK to Share (interests, hobbies, first name)
NOT OK to Share (address, full name, information that would hurt others)

Thursday: Pause and Think Online
-Only share information (words, photos, and blog posts) that you are ok with everyone seeing
-Show respect, be fair, and be nice online
-Lead a balanced online and offline life (screen time is a sometimes activity)
-Let an adult know when something online is not OK or makes you feel uncomfortable

Friday: Super Digital Citizen
-Ask students, “What does it mean to be a super citizen?”
-It is important to act safely, responsibly, and respectfully both online and offline
-Always follow the SAS core values

3-5

3-5 Video List and Discussions 
MONDAY 
- What's in Your Digital Footprint?​ (1:08)
- Follow the Digital Trail (2:29)

​Discuss with students:
-​Personal Histories: 
-What information about you recorded? (names, birth certificate, passport, medical information, school records...)
-Who keeps information about you? How do they get this information? (teachers/school; parents and those parents give permission to)
-How are histories of people recorded? How has this changed?
​-What information about yourself do you share? 

TUESDAY - Mindful Messaging (1:47)

​Discuss with students:
-What are some differences between saying something aloud to someone and writing it in an email?
-What are some ways to be respectful when sending an email, text, or IM?
-What should you do before you send an email, text, or IM?

WEDNESDAY - The Power of Words (2:55)

​Discuss with students:
-Why is it a bad idea to send mean or scary messages online?
-What can kids do when they get cyberbullying messages?

THURSDAY - Pause and Think Online (3:15)
​
Discuss with students:
-Why should you think before you go online?

FRIDAY - Super Digital Citizen (2:09)
​
Discuss with students:
-What kind of power does the Internet give us?
-How can we help others to be good digital citizens?

Suggested handout to email parents.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/classroom_curriculum/2015_digcit_week_onepager.pdf

Videos and resources from https://www.commonsensemedia.org

Word Detectives Breakout

Some of the G1 teachers are launching their Word Detectives Reading unit with a breakout box.  So much fun and so engaging!

Another Great Collaborative Inquiry

Students in Mr. Lewis's class were inquiring into their friends' interests at school, hobbies outside of school, and places they like to visit.

Collaboration at the Creation Stations

Getting to Know our Classroom

Grade 1 students used the Seesaw Go emoji QR Code Hunt lesson to learn about the different spaces in their classroom.  They absolutely adored the gamification element of it.  


G1 Seesaw Emoji QR Code Hunt

Working at the Singapore American School Rocks!

Be a Role Model

Blog post #3: Peer Videoconference What skills are needed by principals and leaders in technology rich learning environments?

James and I discussed this question by referring to an article in Flipboard, 7 Habits of Highly Effective Tech-leading Principals. According to Jennifer Demski (2012), there are seven practices that should be part of a principal's repertoire in order to lead in today's tech-rich educational systems.

1. Create an atmosphere that inspires innovation
2. Foster collaboration
3. Be open to new ideas
4. Be a connected learner
5. Locate and provide adequate resources
6. Take risks
7. Have a Visionary Focus

School leaders who model these practices will more likely inspire the same habits in their faculty and staff.

References

Albert Einstein. (2013). Retrieved from http://soulofdavid.deviantart.com/art/Albert-Einstein-376029609

Demski, J. (2012). 7 Habits of Highly Effective Tech-leading Principals. The Journal. Retrieved from https://thejournal.com/articles/2012/06/07/7-habits-of-highly-effective-tech-leading-principals.aspx

                                          

Discussion #2: TED Talks

Key Takeaways

Will Richardson at TEDXMelbourne
Will Richardson's talk was centered around the idea that learning inside of school is different than learning outside of school.  He spoke to ideas on how schools should respond and change to mitigate this factor.  The comment that resonated with me the most was "don't neglect the immeasurables". Skills such as being creative or a problem solver are essential for students, even though they are difficult to measure, don't neglect explicitly teaching them.

Sugata Mitra Build a school in the cloud
I admire the work and extreme ideas that drive Sugata Mitra to claim that "knowing is obsolete." His focus on encouragement really aligns with my teaching style.  By encouraging students, we are building their self-efficacy, agency, confidence, and promoting life-long learning.

Sal Kahn Let’s use video to reinvent education
According to the Kahn Academy website, "Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom."  In the video, Sal Khan shared that his very first instructional videos were used as a supplement, for motivated students, or in homeschooling.  Then, the videos gained traction with teachers; they were using the videos to flip their classrooms.  Sal Kahn stated that this style of teaching used technology to humanize classrooms. A very interesting and thought provoking statement, in my opinion.

Blog Post #8: Interview Reactions

For me, the most salient points in John Burns’s interview (Boll, 2015) center around taking a closer, deeper look at your own organization and finding ways to work better together in order to make connections.  He mentions that these connections can be made by 'deprivatizing' practice and having a deliberate plan on how to scale change.  Aspects such as robust learning environments, a technical infrastructure, and a willing and capable faculty are all crucial to 'deprivatizing' practices and scaling innovation. At Singapore American School (SAS), we have all three of those components, so why is authentic and consistent technology integration only happening in pockets or still seem a bit haphazard?  I would argue that there is very little sharing of practices vertically across the school,  One way John Burns mentions in his interview to build better community and a sharing of practices, internally and externally, is through social media.  SAS does have a hashtag and teachers do post, but it seems to always be a small select group of teachers that post and learn from each other.  Our school is so large, it is hard to keep up with everything that is happening, but with tools such as Twitter it is possible.  I will admit that even though my office is on the 2nd grade hallway, I learn the most about what they are doing through Twitter.  If SAS coaches were to build a greater online community of teachers sharing, I believe practices would become more 'deprivatized' and teachers would be more connected at our school.  I try to encourage and promote change by using social media as a platform to highlight teachers’ practices that are compelling evidence in support of a new change, innovation, or initiative happening at SAS.

Blog Post #6: SAMR

A Grade 1 “Redefinition” Lesson According to Ruben Puentedura’s SAMR Model:

Title of Lesson: Show Data Digitally - Which app is best for the job?

Topic or Main Idea: Graphing and Choosing the Best Tool for the Job

Objectives: Students will think critically about the apps they know and decide which app is best to use for creating graphs of a given data set.  

Standards: Represent and interpret data - CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.C.4

Technology Standard - Critical Thinker - I can use digital tools to represent data.

Materials: iPads, whiteboards, markers, snap cubes, or other materials that students choose to use in their graph creation

Activity: Students will create graphs using a variety of apps.  They will communicate with their peers and collaborate on ways to create the graphs in the apps.  Students will problem-solve how best to include the required components of a graph in each app.

Assessment: Are students able to verbalize (reason) which app they felt was best and why?  Do they show an understanding of the various parts of a graph?

For me, this lesson classifies as a "redefinition" lesson due to the autonomy and ownership that students have in deciding which app they use to create a graph. The stop motion example is of particular interest to me because when this student asked if he could use the Stop Motion app to create a graph, I was skeptical that it would work. My initial reaction (in my head) was "No, that app won't be the best tool for this job. I don't think you can do it." But....my verbal response was, "How do you imagine creating your graph with Stop Motion? How do you plan on getting started?" When he was able to answer those questions I positively reinforced his desire to try something completely different and his creativity. In the end, as you can see in his video, he was successful in using Stop Motion to make a graph.

Student Sample using Stop Motion

Show Data Digitally Lesson

Blog Post #7: Your Personal Inquiry

My personal inquiry is how to achieve more consistency with technology integration in SAS’s Elementary School’s (ES) 1:1 ipad program.  This inquiry directly connects to classroom learning and instruction as it clarifies expectations for teachers and students in relation to technology integration.  By identifying Technology Power Standards that align with our school’s Desired Student Learning Outcomes (DSLOs), very similar to 21 Century skills, providing natural curricular pathways, and sharing examples of lessons or student work for each standard, consistency will be easier to achieve.  This work is crucial for moving our 1:1 ipad program forward, and it couldn’t have been done without the support and input from teachers.  Teachers will continue to be responsible for helping to maintain and support this work with their teams next year.  Building capacity within our faculty is a critical change element in our context.  According to Michael Fullan (2013), one of the Six Secrets of Change, #3 Building Capacity Prevails, he states that successful innovation means harnessing the collective power of all faculty and administrators to implement change.

https://www.amazon.com/Six-Secrets-Change-Leaders-Organizations/dp/1118152603

Reference

Fullan, M. (2013). The six secrets of change. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass.