I know my blog is named "Tech Teacher on a Mission", but every once in awhile I like to post other classroom ideas that have not very much to do with technology.  Consider this as your forewarning that this post is one of the "non-techy" ones, but it is by and large one of the coolest things that happens in my classroom. This idea has been adopted from my practicum experience in a multi-aged (Grades 1, 2, & 3) classroom and is now used weekly with my Grade 3/4s.

The concept is simple: a class meeting. That's it. Seemingly, it's nothing groundbreaking. But, like anything, it's all about how you frame the learning that makes it so powerful.

As an aside, I purposefully set up a lot of unfair and unstructured environments in my classroom that allow students to design the rulings within the space. For example, the job chart is a hot mess of disorganization in September, there is no set regulations on turn-taking in our classroom comfortable reading space, and there is certainly no order as to who gets the high honour of turning off the lights when we leave the classroom. These are things that are very important in the eyes of my students as they can cause social duress... Small people, small fights.

So I use Class Meeting as a place for my students to govern their own school experience. The activity is designed to allow them to make rules within the classroom to help it run more effectively.  These can include regulations that may positively impact their safety, learning, or social experience. My students run the Class Meeting session completely from start to finish. I model this at the beginning of the school year by using a loose framework of Robert's Rules of Order. 

1) Set-Up & Orientation

I always begin Class Meeting by setting my students up in some type of circular format so that everyone can see the person who is speaking. We do this on an open mat area on the floor, but if space is limited, moving desks into a circle works just fine, too. It is most important that the Chairperson and Secretary sit in a space where they can make eye contact with each person attending the meeting.

The meeting runs once every week, and is used to create new rules, amend or abolish old ones (the kids use this language!), or to re-visit unsettled business from a previous meeting.

2) Selecting a Chairperson

When modelling this, I highly emphasize that the chairperson is a responsible student who has the ability to manage the meeting. There are many speaking and listening challenges integrated within this role, as well as social expectations surrounding leadership.

The Chairperson is the student whom the meeting centres around, as they will be the one who keeps the entirety of the meeting on track, setting the agenda, and moving through that agenda within half an hour of time.

The Chairperson lets the class know that business has officially begun. Several students raise their hands to suggest topics:

• "Daily 5"
• "Using technology"
• "Line ups"
• "Math Centres"

These are among several topics that are brought up in my classroom. Each student's name and topic is recorded by the secretary (typically me, but I have had students do this job in the past) before any are discussed formally. We usually can get through 5-6 topics in half an hour.

4) Carrying out the Agenda

The Chairperson calls upon the first order of business recorded and that student will present their rule to the class. The Chairperson then paraphrases their rule back to the student to clarify what the follow-up discussion will be. Once the presenting student consents with the rule description...

Student hands fly up to ask questions of the presenter and to vocalize their support or rebuttal for the rule itself, stating evidence that backs up their opinions. By pushing for the "why", students will begin to see alternate viewpoints and consider how the rule may impact others, ultimately helping them to develop empathy and to exercise social problem-solving skills. Typically, the Chairperson limits the question and support/rebuttal commentary to three students, but if it is a hot topic or more discussion is required, they will allow for additional dialogue.

Votes are carried out after each rule is proposed, summarized, questioned, and defended. Sometimes rules will change on the fly depending on the line of questioning. In these cases, the Chairperson is responsible for clarifying the rule being voted upon before the vote occurs. Students are taught the difference between 'Yes', 'No', or what it means to 'Abstain' one's vote in the first few meetings and are encouraged to use their own voice to vote for what they believe in, not just to follow their friends.

In the event of a tie, the chairperson (who does not vote in the original rule election) must vote to break the tie. Remember, rules can always be amended or abolished at later meetings if they're a point of contention. As a teacher, I will often re-propose these topics at later meetings to see how opinions have shifted on topics in the classroom.

The students repeat going through each rule proposal, summary, questioning, and defense until the entirety of the agenda is carried out.

5) Closing

My students close the Class Meeting with what I like to call the Self-Esteem Circle, but it can really be any variation of speaking and listening activity with a talking piece. With a mirror in hand, they state one thing they like about themselves, and pass the mirror along to their neighbour telling one thing they like about them. This continues around the circle until it has been passed to every set of hands in our classroom, making sure that each person is included in the activity. We've also done this as a Gratitude Circle. This small, but effective activity has built up a ton of friendly community in the room, and the kids are adamant that the adults are included, too!

I am also intending on creating a how-to video on Class Meeting this year so that other classes can see how self-regulated and powerful this activity is for us. Engaging students in critically thinking about the social governance of their learning space is a powerful way to put the importance of community into their hands.

My students have been busy learning the rules of the road for posting online and representing ourselves appropriately.  As we have become more comfortable with replying to posts, using hashtags, and knowing who to follow, I have begun to pose more difficult challenges for my kids. This particular challenge is one that I would like to invite you and your classroom to be a part of: The #Grammar911 Project.

#Grammar911 is a hashtag that the @EduMinions (my class) will be using to learn about appropriate grammar and punctuation when posting online.  All too often, I have to remind my students to use capitals, periods, spelling, and appropriate subject-verb agreement in their written work. Through social media, students can create and complete their own collaborative "Daily Oral Language" exercises.

The coolest part is that my kids are very engaged in completing this task as a part of their Daily 5 work in Language Arts. I can offer bite-sized, contextual grammar lessons and my students can immediately experiment with their applications.

1) Begin by modelling. Post teacher-created "messy sentences" with the #Grammar911 hashtag attached. 

When beginning this project, error rates in your modelled messy sentences should start small with one or two errors per sentence.  This way, students will get used to the idea of searching for specific things to correct. Make sure the #Grammar911 hashtag is attached to your messy sentence.

2) Have students correct errors to create a "clean sentence".
     
Here is an example of how we have complete this in our class:

The clean sentence author should begin with an indicator that it the sentence is fixed.  We use two stars -- ** followed by the student's initials so I can track how many contributions each student makes. 

Here are the steps my students typically take: 

1. Select a tweet and hold down your finger on the "messy sentence"
2. Click "Select All" and then "Copy"
3. Tap the Reply arrow
4. Tap and hold in the tweet box and click "Paste"
5. Move the cursor around the tweet using the magnifying glass - hold down and move your finger on any part of the text (students who are unfamiliar might need practice to get used to this feature)
6. Fix the errors, ensure ** and initials/name are attached to "clean sentence"
7. Check with a teacher before tweeting (Some students may not even realize that they haven't corrected all the errors, either!) 

If you want to aim messy sentences directly at your class account, you can do so as I have in the second example below.

Things can also get increasingly difficult as time goes on by adding extra grammatical elements like quotation marks, spelling errors, etc. You can get creative -- as long as it is generally readable! 

You can also create your messy sentences with classroom context in mind. 

3) Have students create messy sentences for each other.

Once students get comfortable, have them begin to create the messy sentences.  Mine started asking if they could post their own almost immediately! Again, they still need to check with their teacher before sending out tweets, and should only be including 1-3 errors per sentence to begin with.  Don't forget to add the #Grammar911 hashtag!

Here is an example of a student-created messy sentence with another student correcting the tweet:

4) Students can create, find, and clean up messy sentences on their own by following #Grammar911!

This is the phase I'd ultimately like to see the project get to.  This would happen when students understand the rules of the road around the project and are using the hashtag appropriately.  My class is getting a point where they are completing the task in a self-directed fashion, and this is where YOUR class comes in!  I'd like to invite you to join the #Grammar911 conversation so our classes can interact and work together on the online language-editing process! 

If you would like some more examples about how this project works, check out this Storify of a few #Grammar911 corrections from my class. 

If you have any questions or would like to contact me, please feel free to comment below.

The first week of school in my district can be confusing, stressful, and nerve-wracking for some, perhaps even most.  Our classes are not set until the end of the first week as we wait for upper management to confirm and crunch the final numbers for student enrolment at each school.  Careful thought is put into class composition as we move forward to determining which students we will be working with this year. 

But while all of that is going on, we are still teaching.  We are not necessarily teaching our kids that we will receive, though we might have a few of them in our midst.  We don't know that until the classes are set on Friday.  This is something that challenges me year after year as I always strive to create purposeful learning opportunities.  I stress over planning aspects because I find it difficult to make my teaching meaningful when I can't continue the journey with the same students.  It's all about relationships.

But the group I have been working with are a wonderful bunch of Grade 4 students who have made me feel incredibly at home in my new job.  Not only have they been welcoming, kind, and receptive to my style, but we have had so much fun in the little time I've gotten to know them.  Needless to say, I'm going to be sad to see many of them move on to other classrooms.  Luckily, a few of them will be staying with me as I am teaching a Grade 3/4 split this year. 

Today we journeyed through the first stages of the MindUP program.  I am a huge advocate for promoting social responsibility and self-regulation within students.  I believe that everyone, no matter the personality or background, deserves an opportunity to develop the skills needed to become an independent and contributing citizen to their communities.  This can translate in many ways depending on the needs of the learner, but as always, I'm challenging them to meet a higher standard than the one in which they enter my classroom.  

MindUP is based upon deep-breathing exercises and metacognition.  It allows students to understand the parts of their brain at work in social processes and to become more aware, or "mindful," of the impact they have on themselves and others.  By using a common language in class that includes brain anatomy and neural processes, students begin to understand that they are truly in control of their reactive selves in social situations, both in the classroom and in real-world contexts.

My big edu-win today was that even though I may never teach some of these kids again, the lessons we experienced together were meaningful, filled with enriched discussion, and curiosity.   I even had a couple who approached me to say that they wanted to continue learning about "self-control by using their brain."  This day made me forget all about being stressed out about creating "one-off lessons" and to remember that every day, every moment, can impact the life of a student.

Thanks for reading!  I encourage you to comment below to tell your classroom's stories of building community, relationships, and mindful learners. 

Remind101 is a free, safe, and efficient way to communicate with students and parents via SMS (text) messaging.  You can sign up for the service on their website or through their iOS or Android apps on your phone or device. 

Remind101 does not give your subscribers your personal phone number and does not allow for them to reply to your reminders.  Likewise, you cannot access the personal phone numbers of your subscribers. Messages cannot be edited or deleted once sent, either. 

Once you sign up and create a class, Remind101 will generate a domestic phone number and unique class code so that subscribers to your class can begin to sign up.  Any phone that receives text messages will be able to subscribe to your class reminders.

Through both the web portal and the app, you can schedule SMS messages to be sent out at specific times.  Another cool feature is that if you are composing a message at a late hour - let's be honest, teachers work often work late - you will be prompted to schedule the message to roll out at a more reasonable time.  After all, your subscribers probably don't want to receive a text message at 12:30 AM! 

The text message interface is set up exactly as a regular SMS message.  In the screenshot below, I have sent the code to subscribe to my class texts, and followed the prompts sent back to set up the subscription.  Having your parents and/or students inputting their full name is important so that you can manage your subscription lists.  You don't want to have anyone on your subscription list that isn't a part of your class.

Near the bottom of this same screenshot, you will see that every time I send out a text message via the Remind101 web portal or iPhone app, my name will appear at the front of the text.  This will remind parents and students who don't save your Remind101 number into their phones that the text is from you. 

It is my hope that these instructions can help you get set up with this awesome app.  Communicating is easy when you have Remind101! 

This post will be available for future reference under "Remind 101" on my site. 

Aurasma is the primary app and web resource that I utilize for getting my students to create their own augmented reality (AR).  For those that do not know, augmented reality is the ability to digitally overlay images or video overtop of a static image or "trigger image."  AR is often jokingly referred to as "QR codes on steroids." After creating an aura using Aurasma, you would then point the iPad camera at the trigger image, which would automatically generate the overlay video or image onto the screen of your device. 

There are some specific things that you need to know before getting started with Aurasma in your classroom:

1) You need an account via Aurasma Studio 

2) Create a Channel for your classroom/class section through your new Aurasma Studio Account

3) You will need to sign into your account on each device that you will use in your classroom OR follow your channel to see the auras you create on your studio account (see gallery below for visuals)

4)  UPDATE: Auras created on devices can be viewed immediately on other devices that are signed into the same Aurasma account. However, they cannot be added to a channel for other users to view on their devices. (...yet. Perhaps soon on another update!)

When getting started with Aurasma, it would be prudent to go through these amazing tutorial videos on twoguysandsomeipads.com.  The authors of the site are Drew Minock and Brad Waid, and they are leaders in the field of augmented reality in education.  There is also a fantastic compilation on their site of "Meaningful Integration of AR in Education," co-authored by several educators, myself included, that hosts some amazing ideas of integrating augmented reality into the classroom. 

Happy augmenting of reality! Thanks for reading!

This post will be available for future reference in the "Augmented Reality" section of my website. 

Part of the technology plan at Gordon Greenwood has been to get iPads into the hands of our teachers and support staff in order to give them an idea of the possibilities that technology can  present for their students. A few weeks ago, Sarban Sangha, a principal at Lochiel U-Connect here in Langley, was kind enough to offer his services to provide a discovery session for our special needs educators. And more recently, I was able to finish the preparation of our teacher sets of iPads to release into the hands of our teaching staff.

In my opinion, there is nothing more empowering for a learner than hands-on experience. I could stand in front of a group of staff members all day and show them what they could do on an iPad, but none of it means anything to them unless they actually have the iPads in their hands. Moreover, I find that learning on devices is more authentic when the learner makes the discoveries themselves rather than through delivery of app knowledge. The part of these sessions that excites me the most hearing the little murmurs between engaged staff members, "Oh, this would work really well with [Student A]!" or "My low reading group could really benefit from this app!" or "This is a great extension for [subject area]." For teachers who are really stuck in the discovery process, I get them started with  apps like GeoBoard or FindSums that are user-friendly and immediately engaging and they usually move on on their own from there. 

After a few discoveries have been made and some play has ensued, most of the educators I've worked with have aligned themselves with the idea that the devices have something to offer their students.  Following this process, there will certainly be a more vested interest if you do want to introduce increasingly complex apps such as PDF annotators, note-taking, or file sharing apps. Or maybe you just want to show them how to buy an app. It's a neat challenge for teachers to look for apps that matter to their students and classroom, and I'm finding this far more valuable to staff than just me calling all the shots when installing apps. (And it's really fun for me to monitor their discoveries as my device is the Master iPad on our iCloud)

Over the past two weeks, I have been developing a technology action plan for our school for the coming years. The plan is to be carried out over the next five years with a major focus on the budget and teacher professional development as we move forward. It is my job to promote this initiative for the school to the teaching staff and to support the implementation of that idea.

To begin, we held a meeting for tech direction, which I previously discussed in this blog posting, and there seemed to be a bit of resistance toward the idea of "more tech stuff." The money that our PAC is graciously donating to the project is specified for tech, so I came back to staff with some options: do we replace a computer lab or do we take the leap into the world of iPads? 

Now, if you follow me on Twitter or my blog, you know what my answer is: iPads all the way. But some of the teaching staff at GGE immediately had a few concerns at the delivery of this suggestion. One of the people pushing back gave me something to think about - What if iPads are a fad? 

This teacher went on to explain that she's seen things come in and out of education over the past 20 years. Math programs, reading programs, manipulatives, learning tools... fair enough. Her argument was that a school continually invests thousands of dollars into things that may not eventually be used. So are we getting the best bang for our buck?

To this I replied that iPads may be a fad, but the Internet isn't. Even if you just scratch the surface at elementary stuff like emails and file-sharing, you should be able to convince any traditional educator that the Internet plays a substantial role in our ability to communicate, to work, and most importantly, to LEARN in the 21st century. 

After the meeting, I let everyone cool down and think about it for a week. I made a choice to speak with each staff member individually to see what they had to say about the situation and vote for their preferred choice of technology. This is where things got interesting for me. There were SO MANY voices that weren't heard in that initial meeting!!! The conversations I was privileged to have with my colleagues were eye-opening and enriched. Some of their commentary on the possibilities that tech can provide kids just made me want to thrust an iPad into their wondering hands. The funny thing was that even though there seemed to be so much resistance to the thought of iPads initially, about 95% of our staff ended up voting for iPads rather than a computer lab!!! And it's not like I was going in with a sales pitch - just a conversation.

This process taught me something important. In tech administration, pursuing these progressive conversations with each staff member is imperative to make them feel supported and included. It is extremely easy in this job to support only the people who ask for it or to target specific individuals who need to get off the ground. Teachers from each level of tech-ability gave me things to consider as we move forward with our 5-year plan and I loved the collaborative input throughout this process. The next step is getting a class set of iPads into the hands of our kids.

After weeks worth of work setting up iPads, purchasing and configuring apps and set-ups, and making small but important choices about logistics like log-ins and passwords, today was finally the day. 

What day, you might ask? It was the day that a few of our school's first 10 iPads made their way into the hands of our Learning Assistance students. 

I've been sweating about this because I want to make sure that lessons run as seamlessly as possible. The last thing I want is the teaching staff not recognizing the value of this connected learning tool. But today, I didn't need to worry about that because it turned out to be absolutely amazing. 

This pilot lesson took place in the block right before our first recess break - 10-10:30 am. The group of children in the lesson were learners who struggled with literacy concepts (all 3/3) as well as behaviour issues (2/3 of them). Our goal was to use this app to introduce some vocabulary in a story they had been working on. The kids each made a customized vocabulary list where they had to type in the word from the book's glossary and record themselves saying it. The app then integrates the vocabulary words into activities such as spelling, reading, and identification from a list with motivation to build characters like the one seen below. If they get stuck with the reading aspect, they are able to play back their own recorded voice to identify the word. This was something that got them very excited!

Previously, this group had a lot of issues completing their work before the recess bell rang. And if the recess bell rang, you might as well have packed it in anyways, because nothing else was going to get done with everyone else playing outside the classroom's windows. But not today. 

The kids finished up recording their vocabulary words just as the bell rang. They didn't even flinch and continued on playing with the language activities. Not even a glance outside toward the playground! Amazing. 

On Tuesday, when the group meets again, we will continue with a small review on the iPad before reading the story. Therein lies the crucial portion of the lesson - will we experience positive transfer from tablet to storybook? 

So yeah, I'm learning to drive this thing.  I'm going to post my short autobiography as my first post to give you an idea of who I am.  I am hoping to grow not only as an educator but also as a writer as I maintain this site.  What you see below will permanently be posted in its own page so future readers can be introduced properly to yours truly.  Enjoy. :)

My name is Victoria Olson and I am currently in my second year of teaching with School District #35 in Langley, British Columbia. I teach at Gordon Greenwood Elementary (@GGEGeckos) in a multi-age classroom (Grades 1,2,3) with another part of my position dedicated to administering and supporting technology in our school. 

I have two missions and motives for creating my own website:

1) I am determined to expand my PLN to keep up with our digital world. Our kids are in it. Let's dive in and find out what's out there.

2) I want to document my career path as I move through my first years of teaching.  Personal reflection on successes and failures has thus far been integral to my growth as an educator.  I might as well share it with someone who cares.

More about me...

I have just applied for my Masters in Educational Technology through UBC in Vancouver.  I am on pins and needles waiting to find out if I have gotten accepted as my future as a "tech teacher" hangs in the balance. This year, I was fortunate to gain my position through my experience in the multi-age classroom.  Throughout the school year, I have exponentially increased my knowledge of digital learning tools, software and hardware issues, our online world, administration of technology from iPads to projectors, and just how much support teachers really need with tech.  (They, me included, need a lot!) But I don't have a degree or any documentation that I know this stuff, which really just gave me an excuse to learn more through a Masters program.  Wish me luck! 

Onto the other side of my job.... Whenever I tell someone that I teach in a multi-aged classroom, without fail, I get replies like "What?!", "Why would they do that?", "Is that normal?", amongst other commentary that I probably shouldn't publish.  The worst part is that it is extremely difficult to explain the concept of peer mentorship, collaboration, and mindful classroom learning to people who aren't immersed in the world of education.  Others who are in the world of education may argue that it doesn't work, the gaps are too wide, and that they do all of those things in the regular single-grade classroom, so why have the program at all?  What's worse is that those people usually walk away thinking that I got duped into a crummy job because I'm a young teacher.  

They couldn't be more wrong. 

I love teaching in a multi-age classroom.  I love facilitating learning rather than being the primary source for information.  I love watching as my students assist each other in problem-solving activities whether the subject is math, science, using technology, or a social issue on the playground.  I love being able to call upon my students to "teach" the others in their own language as I'm often called out by my Grade 1s for using big words.  They make their own class rules and vote on them and they run their own routines like calendar and class meetings without teacher intervention.  The self-regulation that begins to occur is out of this world due to peer expectation and reinforcement.  I could go on but that's a blog post within itself. 

So perhaps one would argue that it is worth the difficulty to explain exactly what it is that I do in this position that encompasses both a multi-age classroom and technology.  So I'm on a mission to share and catalogue some of my experiences so that I can give people a place to go when they are scratching their heads about my current job description.  But I'm also here to learn and make mistakes along the way.  Happy reading :)