We want students to use these 5 C's as we use the 3D printer from Makerbot in our library in the next weeks. Students will be using the Blokify app to create designs that we will print. We cannot wait to see what they create!
Today 4th graders at Korn School played in the sandbox. No, we didn't bring sand into the library (although that might be fun). Our tech integration teacher and I shared a new app with them and let them figure it out. We talked with them about some C words: Creative, Critical thinking, Communication, Collaboration (P21.org poster) and the folks at Fablevision added Compassionate. We loved talking about thinking outside the box too! A final thought before students got to work was the idea of Failure - not giving up and trying again in a new way to solve the problem. We believe that these are key ideas for 21st century learners. We want students to use these 5 C's as we use the 3D printer from Makerbot in our library in the next weeks. Students will be using the Blokify app to create designs that we will print. We cannot wait to see what they create!
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Students and teachers in Regional School District 13 showed a little courage and a LOT of excitement December 9-15 during Computer Science Education Week. Trying something new that most knew little or nothing about was a big challenge. But the Hour of Code was a huge success! Students and teachers in grades K-12 participated. Some used code.org to get to the Angry Bird/Zombie tutorial and learn some basic computational thinking. Some used iPad apps such as Kodable, Light-bot, Daisy the Dinosaur or Cargo-bot. However they did it, these newest coders loved it and wanted to do more. Watching kindergarteners, who, when asked if they thought they would be good at coding said, "NO!", grow big smiles on their faces and try again and again when they got stuck, was an absolute pleasure. Fourth graders jumped right in and helped each other when they were puzzled about what to do next. They were all building stamina and the ability to persevere, even when things got tougher. Teachers were taking risks here - big ones! It definitely made them feel better when they were reminded that they really didn't need to know what to do - the kids could do it! When teachers tried it, they LOVED it! Many confided that they became a little addicted themselves. The Hour of Code provided a way to show just how essential computational thinking and coding are for the future of these students. I think it truly helped teachers, who had little or no experience with coding, to understand students for whom this is a passion, a little better. I can't wait to see where this excitement takes us next! Click HERE to see 6th grade coders on Channel 30 news. Click HERE for article in The Town Times (see pages 14 & 19). It was amazing! Pierce, one of our Korn alumni, came over on Thursday afternoon and together we got the printer going. It was a little nerve-wracking; we actually read the directions. We really didn't want to break it or cause any problems. We followed the directions step by step (the screen on the printer tells you what to do). We got all the parts put in the right places and then we had to align it. That took a little time, but we figured it out. And then it was time to try it! So it heated up and it worked. The SD card that it comes with has projects already programmed, so we picked the shark and watched it work. It was really neat. It is a new way of thinking about printing, because there is that added dimension, but we could immediately see all kinds of possibilities. 18 minutes later (or so), it was finished. The 3D printer was fascinating to everyone! My 6 year old daughter was mesmerized. My principal and some staff members stopped by to ask a question and couldn't stop watching. We created another shark and then a bracelet (see picture below). Our next step is to program our own items. I asked Pierce to do a little research over vacation. He is so passionate about technology! It is a pleasure to work with him! I can't wait to see what he discovers and what we will create next! I also can't wait to share it with the students and see where it takes them! To be continued . . .
On December 4 & 5, Mrs. Martin was a special guest at our library! She came to help us get excited for this year's Science Fair which will be taking place on Thursday, February 27, 2014. Mrs. Martin talked to us about the difference between a demonstration, where we watch something interesting happen, and an experiment, where a question is asked and a hypothesis tested. We are hoping that all students will be presenting an experiment.
For more information and the permission slip, please go to the Science Fair page. Following some great discussions about our reading habits, I showed my third and fourth graders how I keep track of my books: Goodreads. I love almost everything about this site and have a great time reading recommendations and seeing what my friends are up to in their reading lives. I am continually inspired. My students thought it was pretty neat too! They were so thrilled when a friend on Goodreads had read and reviewed a book that we had just read too! So I decided that I really needed to get Biblionasium going with my kids. Biblionasium is an online bookshelf for kids. I love how kids can keep track of what they are reading, recommend books to one another, find ideas, and so much more. I have been thinking about using it for over a year, but wanted to be sure it was safe. Another reason I decided to go for it was being able to hang out with its founder at AASL in Hartford. She was amazingly passionate and wanted to know what kinds of things we would want to use Biblionasium for and what would make it better. So when I returned from AASL, I got busy putting the classes in - and boy was that easy to do. Just have the information in an Excel spreadsheet and it just goes right in. I also love that multiple teachers can be added to each class. That way myself, classroom teachers, reading teachers, special education teachers, the principal - can all be involved with creating that culture of reading and sharing books. The kids LOVE it! They had so much fun choosing an avatar, adding books, and then recommending them to each other and their teachers. It has been one of those weeks that is so much fun because they were so into it. Many of them went home and spent time doing more. I can't wait to log in and check out some of the great book ideas they have sent me. UPDATE! On Thursday evening, Nov. 21, this project was funded! Amazing! Several families from our school community had supported the project and were matched by another donor. Then, Makerbot and a final family finished the funding. It is so exciting to imagine what we will be able to do and how many kids we will be able to inspire. Thank you, thank you. Many of you know how passionate I am about Makerspaces, making, tinkering, and inventing. My children and I had an amazing summer "making" all kinds of things from soda bottle boats to balloon propelled lego cars and "throwies" made of LED bulbs and batteries to cardboard creations. We have been inspired by Caine of Caine's Arcade (please watch - it is so amazing!) I have read blogs and articles and am inspired daily by the book Invent to Learn by Martinez and Stager. I believe so much in the ideas of having students think, create, share, and grow. Creating a Makerspace in my school libraries is a huge goal that I am working toward this year. But I think it is worth it. Students deserve this opportunity. Last week when I was at the American Association of School Libraries conference in Hartford, one of my good Twitter friends Andy Plemmons told me about an amazing opportunity from Makerbot and Donors Choose. They have teamed up with the goal of putting a 3D printer in every classroom! This is not a technology that is simply for colleges, universities, industry and other agencies to explore. This technology can be for everyone and what better way to move our students forward? Creating a Makerspace with this type of technology brings together what we do in the library every day - research, thinking, questioning, connecting with experts. All 21 century skills which will take our students places we can only imagine. I submitted my proposal last night and it was accepted this afternoon. I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that this project will be filled so that we can start thinking about how to use 3D printing and other Makerspace ideas. Please take a look at our project Follow Your Passion and Make It!, consider donating, and hopefully share about this project with others. I believe that our students will benefit in so many ways from this opportunity! I can't wait! If you are able to donate by 11/26, use the word INSPIRE at checkout and Donors Choose will match donations up to $100. It's only October 30 and I am thrilled to have connected my students with 3 fabulous authors! What a way to say to students and families that yes, reading is so important to all of us. September 13 brought illustrator Bill Thomson to Brewster School. Bill is a local author who I discovered last year. Even better, one of our staff members knows him well and when she saw his book Chalk being shared in the library, she came right to me and connected us. Bill came as part of our celebration of International Dot Day. He even included dots as part of his presentation. Bill's books are stunning. When I first shared Chalk with my students, as soon as we finished they said, "Read it again!" I knew it was a special book. Bill shared his process for creating books with the students - showing them the thumbnail sketches, the photographs he takes to use as models and how he finishes the illustrations. We even got a sneak preview of his newest book that would be coming out in just a few weeks. Throughout the presentations, Bill connected with the students. At the end, they did some collaborative drawing together, imagining what could be created from a shape that was drawn. Dots were always added. The students were thrilled when Bill hung out with us during library times when he wasn't presenting and even joined first graders for lunch. Probably most amazing of all was the fact that Bill signed each and every book that students and staff ordered and he did in just one night. Each child that ordered a book has something very special to cherish. The icing on the cake was the special gift for our library of a copy of Fossil, his newest book. The students have had a blast reading it and remembering how he shared his process of creating that book with them. To find out more about Bill Thomson, click here. Our second author visit was of the virtual kind. Patricia Newman and her books were new to me, but I had connected with her last spring and as a thank you, she wanted to do a Skype visit with a class. I found 2 of her books at a local library and knew immediately that these would be well loved books. On October 23 I shared the 2 books, Nugget on the Flight Deck and Jingle the Brass with one of my 3rd grade classes at Korn School. They had so many questions to ask her! We could have talked to her for an hour. At 11 o'clock we were all set to go, having brainstormed questions. We called and had an amazing 25 minutes. Patricia clearly LOVES children and even though she was in California and we were talking through a screen, the students were engaged and so excited. We did a quick introduction but mainly she wanted to hear from them and they asked question after question. Her books are unique with interesting and varied vocabulary which really grabbed all the kids. Patricia gave us a peek at the cover of her new book that will be coming out April 1 - Plastic Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Very intriguing. Patricia emailed us shortly after our visit and commented on how well prepared the students were and what great questions they asked. To me this demonstrates how important connecting is for our students. To find out more about Patricia Newman, click here. Finally, on Tuesday, October 29, Korn School welcomed Ann Hood. Many thanks to R.J. Julia Booksellers for arranging this visit. Once again, they introduced us to a new author and what a pleasure it was. While I was teaching at my other school that day, I immediately began to receive tweets and emails about what a wonderful presentation she was giving. Ann Hood is well known for her books written for adults, but her children's books were new to me. I found copies of her Treasure Chest series at a local library and read the first one. Lots of fun. Love that it is set in nearby Newport, Rhode Island, a place that is familiar to many students. My 8 year-old son was so interested that he was reading over my shoulder. As I shared these books with the library classes, they were excited. Many of my students are big fans of the Magic Tree House series and the Treasure Chest books are similar. During Tuesday's presentation, Ann shared about her inspiration for her books and took ideas for her next books from the students. Teachers and students alike reported what a great visit they had with her. Visit Ann Hood's website here. Read for the Record is one of my favorite days to celebrate reading! This year, Otis, by Loren Long will be celebrated! We love Otis at Brewster and Korn Schools. Here is a trailer for the event: Otis Read for the Record trailer Enjoy! We have our copy of The Dot by Peter Reynolds. The playdough has been purchased. The iPads are being updated with the Press Here! app and Colar app (for amazing 3D dots!) We have plans for paint too! Tomorrow is the first of my 2 Dot Days: first Brewster and Thursday at Korn. We are so excited! It is amazing to see the excitement, wonder, and fun that goes along with Dot Day. This year close to 1 million participants will be exploring how to "make their mark". In addition to our Dot Day at school, we will continue to be inspired as we connect the dots with schools from around the world. Check out the map below. Some will be old friends, but many will be new. We will share stories and things we did on Dot Day. Stay tuned for updates, pictures and more in the next week or 2. How will you make your mark this year? Toward the end of the 12-13 school year, I talked with the 2nd graders at Brewster School about what they could share about their school since they were moving on to Korn next year. They had lots of ideas as you can imagine!
But then I asked them to consider something new: audience. Who would they be sharing with and how did this change what kinds of things they would want to share? After much discussion, we figured out that there were 3 general categories of people with whom we would be sharing: new kindergarten students, faraway friends from the Skypes and connecting we do, and friends & family. 2nd grades thought that the new kindergarteners would want to know about where things were in our school - the lunchroom, the gym, the art room, music, library and who the teachers are. They thought faraway friends might be interested in what specials we have (important stuff to 7 and 8 year-olds). Friends and family would want to know about the favorite parts of Brewster. While some of these overlap - it was an interesting and important discussion to have with them. First students planned out what they wanted to include - some used a storyboard and some sketched it out on paper. We used the iPad app Creative Book Builder to create eBooks. It took a little longer than I thought to plan them out, so many of the books are not finished, but they are pretty neat! Students quickly became experts at adding photos, headings, captions, text, and a few even tried using a Table of Contents, since part of my goal was to have them include some of the informational text features we had explored this year. Below are a few of the books we created. Please note, in order to see them, you must use an iPad or device that will read .epub. For more of our books, please visit the Student Work page. |
AuthorMrs. Lussier is a Library Media Specialist at Brewster Elementary School in Durham, CT and at John Lyman Elementary School in Middlefield, CT. I am passionate about getting kids reading (ok, everyone!), wondering, using technology and having FUN! President of CT Association of School Librarians Blogroll
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