Osmo

I had heard about Osmo several months ago, but it wasn't until I went to FETC in January that I had the opportunity to interact with one.  After the conference, I decided to research how I could use the device in my classroom.  When I learned about some of its features, specific students came to my mind, and I knew this could be a beneficial tool for us.

 

With parent help (each student brought in $5.00), I was able to purchase an Osmo Genius Kit a couple weeks ago, and we have been enjoying using it in class!

Osmo is an educational technology tool that connects with the iPad to create an interactive game system.  It is compatible with almost all variations of the iPad, but it doesn't currently operate with Android devices.

 

Included in the kit is a base/stand for the iPad and a red plastic apparatus with a mirror inside that covers the front-facing iPad camera (This is used to "see" objects that are placed on the surface, in front of the iPad, and respond with them):

The Genius Kit also comes with the following games, and users must download five (free!) apps in order to play: 

1.  Tangram--Players use the seven colorful wooden game pieces to complete puzzles on the screen.  There are over 600 puzzles with varying degrees of difficulty so that students from K-6th can play.  Okay, even I have been challenged by some of the puzzles!   

 2.  Newton--This physics game drops spheres from the top of the screen and kind of reminds me of a pinball machine.  Players must guide the spheres to different locations in order to hit targets on the screen.  You can draw lines on a piece of paper in front of the iPad or even put down real world objects (like your hand, a ruler, pens, etc.) to guide the spheres to the targets.  I've also used the Tangram pieces before.  There are 60 levels, and the levels progressively become more challenging. This game can help students with spatial relations, cause and effect, and problem-solving skills.

3.  Words--Reminds me of Hangman and Wheel of Fortune.  Players are provided with a visual clue and then they must guess a hidden word by placing letter tiles in front of the iPad.  This is great for spelling/vocabulary review, and the neat thing is that teachers can create their own word games by uploading specific pictures/words.  I've already customized a Word game that relates to our space unit.

There are four levels of difficulty, so students from ages 5-12 can play on their level.  Honestly, I've even been stumped on the "Impossible" category!  This game really encourages outside-the-box thinking because the picture may represent a noun, adjective, or adverb.  It can get a little tricky! Students use the provided letter tiles and slide them in front of the iPad to correctly spell words.  This can be done individually, cooperatively, or in a Versus mode.  

 Here are a couple clips of my students playing in Versus Mode.

  4.  Numbers--This fun, aquatic-themed math game provides practice for several math skills: number recognition, addition, subtraction, multiplication, ordering numbers, and creating equations.  There are multiple ways to solve each puzzle and students are given immediate feedback.  The math challenges become increasingly complex the longer one plays.  Osmo has partnered with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in order to make Numbers compatible with their Go Math! and Math Expressions programs.

5.  Masterpiece--Allows you to draw an image by "tracing" the lines you see on the screen.  This sounds easier than it actually is!  With this app, you have the option to take a photo to draw, upload an image already stored in your photo album, choose from provided drawings, or even search online.  There are many possibilities!  While drawing, the iPad records all movements and at the end, it is able to show you a time-lapsed video of your artwork.  Artists may then share the video on social media or via email.  I love that this app also provides outlines of numbers and letters so students can practice their handwriting (both print and cursive!).  Masterpiece definitely helps with fine motor skills.

Click here to see a time-lapsed video of one of my student's drawings.

Besides using this app in art class, I could see teachers using it for geography (drawing maps), math (numbers, shapes, geometric concepts, etc.), language arts (print/cursive practice, book reports, writing in another language, etc.)...there are numerous possibilities! 

As you can see, the Osmo promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills, spatial awareness, fine motor skills, word play, and math fact fluency.  Masterpiece helps students develop stamina for completing tasks that are challenging and require more focus, and it can inspire students to become better artists.  I have a very creative bunch this year, so Masterpiece is their current favorite app.

One of the things I enjoy most about the Osmo is that it's a tech tool that actually encourages interaction.  When I use it with students in the classroom, they are sharing ideas, talking, solving problems, and even laughing together.  This isn't just putting a child in front of another screen; students can interact with real objects and each other.  This game play goes beyond the screen and encourages social interactions.  It's been a wonderful addition to our classroom!  

This post contains photos from Google images. 

The Value of a Twitter PLN

I joined Twitter last July in order to build my PLN...only I didn't know that's what I was doing at the time.  After seeing hashtags everywhere (even on Facebook?), I decided to check out Twitter and see what it was all about.  I knew, however, that I wasn't interested in following celebrities or Hollywood gossip.  I simply wanted to check out Twitter and see if there were any educational resources available.  I had been playing around with Pinterest and discovered valuable information there that I could use in my classroom, so I thought, "Maybe there's something valuable on Twitter."

Boy, was there ever!  Teachers from all over the world were tucked away in this little corner of the Internet.  At first, I had to really search to find them but that shows just how much of a treasure they are.  I have stumbled upon something so worthwhile.  Connecting and collaborating with so many talented, creative, passionate, and innovative educators on Twitter has been the single most important thing I've done this year to enhance my professional growth.

I have heard some teachers say that taking part in Twitter chats or really trying to build their PLN through social media would take too much time and really isn't worth it.  I say that reading the posts/links and sharing ideas is time well spent and I'm shocked that anybody would think it's a waste of time!  Actually, having a PLN has saved me time.  For example, just this week I took part in a 45 minute Twitter chat about extension activities in math.  Educators from all over were joining in and posting links, sharing resources and ideas, and encouraging each other.  By the time the chat was over, I had 30 tabs open which were full of relevant information and resources.  Do you think I could have found all that information in 45 minutes on my own?!  Sure, I could have surfed the web and found many math sites, but I knew this was valuable information.  I could trust the sites that were recommended because they had been used by other teachers whom I respect.

I also love that I can pose a problem or question and (sometimes within minutes!) teachers in my PLN will tweet a response, doing their best to help.  A Twitter PLN is so supportive and helpful.     

I am so thankful for all the creative and passionate teachers out there who are willing to share ideas and resources with me, along with lots of encouragement and support.  There is great value in a Twitter PLN! 

"Genius Hour" "20% Time" "Passion Projects"

I didn't know about "Passion Time/Genius Hour/20% Time/whatever you want to call it" until this year and a week and a half ago I took part in a Twitter chat to learn more about it.  The chat helped me understand it a little better and in my opinion, @PaulSolarz has the best resources on the topic.  I think he's done a wonderful job implementing Passion Time in his classroom.

For those who are unfamiliar, this idea (as I understand it) is based on Google's "20% time" or "Innovation Time Off" which is a policy that allows employees to use 20% of their work time actually working on ideas/projects that interest them instead of just working on those that they are required to do.  This practice has now found its way into classrooms and many teachers/students are taking part.  I've read about teachers allowing their students an hour or so each week to focus their learning on whatever they are passionate about (hence the terms "Passion Time" and "Passion Projects").     
   
After taking part in the chat, I was inspired to try it out in my classroom.  The only problem was, I only had one week left in the school year!  I told my students about "Passion Projects" the day after my chat and they said they would love to try it out.  So, during the last week of school, we had a modified "Passion Time" where students were given freedom to work on a project that they were passionate about.  I even had a few students begin their projects at home over the weekend.  Hey, that's okay!  That shows that they are definitely passionate about it! 

I wanted students to work individually, but some shared the same passion and wanted to work together.  I allowed no more than two students to a group.  I had a pair of students who told me they wanted to learn more about ocean creatures (particularly sharks).  They researched information online and used books from our classroom library to create a PowerPoint that showed what they learned. 

One student in my class is passionate about acting and has even auditioned for several roles in local productions at FSU's film school.  He's actually been in several short films this year.  He and another student spent their Passion Time filming and editing clips using the apps iMovie and Action Movie FX.  They showed the class their "movie" at the end of Passion Time and everyone raved about what they were able to put together.

A couple of my girls want to be fashion designers.  They love drawing and creating dresses and even have a composition notebook full of pictures of outfits that serve as inspiration.  One of the girls created this sample dress:  

And the other fashionista designed several outfits, along with a board on which you can mix-and-match clothes to see what you'd like to wear. 

It was amazing how quiet my classroom was as the students worked.  They were so focused and engaged during this time and they enjoyed being able to present at the end. 

 

I'll have to do more research on this activity over the summer and see if it's really something I want to implement next year.  I still have a few questions about it.

 

Here are a few links to sites I've found helpful:



• http://psolarz.weebly.com/passion-time.html  (Link to Paul Solarz's site--great resources)
• http://geniushour.wikispaces.com/
• http://www.20timeineducation.com/
• https://theglobalgeniushourproject.wikispaces.com/
• http://hughtheteacher.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/1-genius-thing-we-did-in-our-class-this-year/
• http://www.gallitzvi.com/2/post/2012/10/introducing-genius-hour.html
• http://mrsdkrebs.edublogs.org/2013/01/19/a-year-of-genius-hour-what-have-i-learned/
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-von-jan/unstructured-classroom_b_1024404.html
• http://royanlee.com/?p=2755 (Interesting post--great questions) 

Digital Learning Day 2013

Image from Google

This year, February 6th is National Digital Learning Day.  Digital Learning is "any instructional practice that effectively uses technology to strengthen the student learning experience.  Digital Learning Day is one day that highlights this practice, but the hope is that it will continue year round."

I signed up to take part in this event, but I didn't plan anything over-the-top for my class.  I decided to keep it simple and focus on three things.  I introduced my students to glogs, showed them how to create a word cloud through Tagxedo, and got them started on KidBlog.  I gave my students a writing assignment this morning and asked them to share how they use technology to help them with schoolwork, explain what they like about the way I use technology in the classroom, and offer one suggestion on how I can improve my teaching (with technology).  I enjoyed reading their feedback and a few of them offered good suggestions.

I informed my co-workers of DLD and let them know that you don't have to have fancy tech tools (i.e. Promethean board or iPads) to participate.  You can simply introduce your students to a new website like www.flocabulary.com, observe in a technology-rich classroom, video-tape yourself teaching a lesson (and review it to improve your practice), or just get on Twitter and connect with other educators.

Here are a few sites that I found helpful: 

• http://digitallearningday.org/ (Check out Project 24)
• http://pinterest.com/diglearningday/ (DLD on Pinterest)

Save the date for February 5, 2014--the next DLD!

My classroom and The Four C's

In a previous post, I stated that I wanted to focus on The Four C's this year: critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication.  Someone in my Twitter PLN posted a link to this video and it gave me some things to think about.  I wanted to pass it along to you:  The Four C's: Making 21st Century Education Happen

Ideas for my classroom:

• Have students create exhibitions (to understand content better)
• Get out of my classroom--observe coworkers and collaborate with them
• Create assessments worth teaching to

ER Grammar Activity

At the end of September I had the incredible opportunity to visit the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, GA.  I was inspired by all the teachers at this school, especially Kim Bearden, who uses creative teaching methods to engage children.  During a workshop, she encouraged us to transform our classrooms into different kinds of learning environments in order to bring learning to life for our students.  I decided to follow in her footsteps and turn my classroom into an Operating Room for a grammar lesson; my students worked on "sick sentences" in an activity that reviewed parts of speech, synonyms/antonyms, appositives, analogies, types of sentences, and punctuation.  Everything the students did aligned with our Shurley Grammar curriculum. 

This type of activity took a great amount of preparation and planning, with each child getting his/her own, unique "patient" to work on, but it was so worth it!  The students were completely engaged and really seemed to enjoy this lesson. 

When I was in college, one of my professors explained that we, as teachers, should try to engage as many of the students' senses as we can during a lesson (this helps the brain learn, of course), so I tried to do that throughout this activity. I attempted to create a visually stimulating environment that actually looked like an operating room--I covered students' desks with white sheets, hung white curtains, had bags of fluid and "blood" hanging next to plastic tubing, and projected a picture of nurses and doctors working in an Operating Room. The students dressed the part of doctors/nurses by wearing gloves, surgical caps and masks, and disposable surgical coats. I even dressed in scrubs and donned a stethoscope around my neck. While the students prepared for "surgery," I played sounds from my Promethean board that one might hear in a hospital--phones ringing, doctors being called over an intercom, machines beeping, etc. During the "operation," I played the constant beating sound of a heart. Finally, to alert the students that they had 1 minute left to work, I played sounds from an EKG with a flat line alarming them in the last 10 seconds. I initially gave the students 20 minutes to operate, but ended up have to extend the time a little in order for everyone to finish.

 My young surgeons, getting ready to go into the OR:

 Since there were no written directions on the patients, I clearly explained beforehand what the students were to do once they arrived in their Operating Room.  They immediately got to work:

 I circulated while the students worked and asked if anyone needed assistance.  At times, I would hear a student yell, "Dr. Bowman, you are needed in Operating Room #2!" when help was needed.  I encouraged them not to yell since I was making my rounds.  Once I was able to assist, I, of course, responded with, "Yes, Dr. ____?"  They loved this and it was so much fun to see them in character; two of them began using a British accent...I'm not sure why but I just went with it. 

The students were allowed to name their patients if they wanted: 

 Mainly, cutting and pasting were involved in this activity.  However, I did have students highlight the nouns in several sentences.

 Here's one patient--Harry--and you can see how I created him.  I wish I could attach the documents and share with you, but each patient was different.  I used an 11x17 size copy paper and hand drew the patients.  In the head area, you can see that I created fill-in-the-blanks for vocabulary words and definitions.  On the left arm, I created basic sentences and had the students glue down the correct end marks.  On the right arm, I gave a couple of analogies and had the students identify the types.  The legs had sentences listed in which the students were required to highlight the nouns.  As you can see, this student messed up on Harry's leg, so he needed a Bandaid.  Finally, the feet had synonyms/antonyms listed and the students had to identify them. 

  You could use this any way you want (or for other subject areas!).  I just put information on the patients that lined up with what we are currently learning about in our Shurley Grammar program.  This activity was a huge hit and I think the students will remember it for a long time.

 

Note: I used clothing racks to hang the sheets and enlisted the help of parents in order to get all the supplies.  I did go around to local hospitals and doctor's offices and ask if they would be willing to donate materials.  While some places couldn't give me everything on my wish list, I always walked away with something, even if it was just a bag full of tongue depressors!  The community was very willing to help out my class.  As I said, though, the parents were the biggest contributors.  They let me borrow the racks, sthethoscope, etc.  One mom in my class is a nurse, another dad is a doctor...so they were able to bring in lots of supplies to help make sure this activity was a success.  

What is 21st Century Education?

This YouTube video about 21st century education is quite interesting.  It gives me chills because it scares me and excites me at the same time.  It makes me wonder, "What will this mean for me/my students in the next 5 years?  10 years?  Next year?"  "What does this mean for Christian education?"  Check out the video and see what you think: 

Points that stuck with me:

• Many of the top jobs in 2012 didn't exist in 2002.
• Many of the jobs students will have don't even exist yet.
• And they'll use technologies that haven't been invented yet.
• Preparing students for the 21st century isn't just about technology.

How do we prepare our students for the future when we don't really know what things will be like when they graduate?  We don't know what jobs or technologies will be available.

What I do know is that the role of teacher is changing and I cannot teach the way I was taught.  I must (as www.p21.org says) "fuse the 3 R's and 4 C's."  As you know, the 3 R's are reading, writing, and arithmetic.  The 4 C's are as follows:

1. Critical Thinking (Problem-solving)
2. Communication
3. Collaboration
4. Creativity (Innovation)  

So, how do I effectively teach critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity to my digital natives?  Well, I'm not exactly sure right now, but it's something I'll be thinking about throughout this year.

Comments/ideas/suggestions welcome!