Nearpod

What is Nearpod?

Nearpod is a presentational tool that makes presentations more interactive and engaging, which would be good for teaching lessons to students. Nearpod is free for the most part; some presentations costs money but you can do almost everything with the free version.

Benefits of Nearpod:

• Students can have the presentations on their own devices
• Engages students
• Great for whole-group instruction, allowing for groups and discussion settings
• Allows the teacher to be provided with instant feedback
• Allows students to self-pace their own learning
• Great assessment tool- the teacher can immediately see what the students get and do not get
• Benefits students with special needs- lessons can be individually made according to each students' needs and teachers can also chunk the lessons and use tools to keep them on task
• Does not put children on the spot when they do not understand concepts

What All Can Nearpod Do in the Classroom?

• Virtual/virtual reality field trips
• Interactive lesson plans and activities
• Provides ongoing formative assessment
• Allows classrooms to be flipped and provide children the opportunity to learn wherever they are, allowing for deeper discussions in class the next day
• Can be used in all content areas

Resources:

• https://nearpod.com/blog/using-nearpod-support-differentiated-instruction/
• https://classtechtips.com/2017/05/14/small-group-instruction-nearpod/
• https://nearpod.com/blog/best-nearpod-tips-2018/
• https://samsonsshoppe.blogspot.com/2019/03/how-to-use-nearpod-to-increase.html - Nearpod in Science
• https://nearpod.com/blog/virtual-field-trips-extending-learning/?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=blog-extending-learning-vr-field-trips

Reflection:

I have never really studied or looked into Nearpod before so this presentation was very helpful. I can see myself using it as an assessment tool in my teaching career. I never thought about it as beneficial for students with special needs, but through this presentation, I understand that Nearpod allows for self-pacing and individualized instruction for all needs in the classroom. I like the idea of it allowing for interactive and engaging discussions between classmates and teacher. I also like how it provides the opportunity for a flipped classroom! I like the idea of having a tool in my pocket to create interactive presentations for my students!

All pictures are from Google and Pinterest!

STEAM Pre-K-2nd Grade

Think about the STEAM experiences you had as a student in your early childhood education experience...

What is STEAM?

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics

STEAM builds critical thinking skills through an engineering or design approach in creating and solving real-world problems, while boosting students' skills in science and math.

Is STEAM Possible in PK-2?

STEAM does NOT have to be difficult in order for children to gain necessary skills. Do not overcomplicate things! Keep it simple!

What Does Simple Look Like?

• Science- performing small experiment and answering thought-provoking questions based off the experiments
• Technology- crayons and paper for the design
• Engineering- thought processes are the foundations 
• Arts- illustrate concepts
• Mathematics- playing with and organizing shapes

Students need to start somewhere!

Why STEAM?

• We have no clue what future job opportunities and desires our students will have
• 4 C's- creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking
• Real-life applications and 21st century skills
• Project-based learning
• Teamwork
• Engaging learning method
• Hands-on learning

How to Implement STEAM Into the Classroom:

• Can be used in all content areas
• Makerspaces- an area in the classroom that provides students with multiple materials to complete tasks for STEAM; they support children's learning
• STEM bins
• Play planning-students plan their play and map it out and then build it
• Can be done in whole-group, small-group, or centers

Resources:

• https://teachoutsidethebox.com/
• https://stemactivitiesforkids.com/
• https://ourfamilycode.com/31-days-of-low-prep-steam-activities-for-kids/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=463126268_15934288_380173
• Draw and Tell app- draw out STEAM designs
• Pic Kids app- collage their favorite designs for inspiration
• "If I Built a House" by Chris Van Dusen
• "What to Do With a Box" by Jane Yolen
• "The Most Magnificent Thing" by Ashley Spires
• https://www.naeyc.org/

Reflection:

I knew about STEAM before this presentation but I never knew it could be implemented into the early childhood classroom. It blows my mind that young children can perform STEAM projects and experiments. I believe this knowledge will be beneficial for my future classroom because I will no longer underestimate the power and ability of young children, which will only aid them in learning more beneficially and engagingly. I also did not know that STEAM could be as simple as using crayons and paper to illustrate ideas and concepts. This presents the concept that STEAM does not have to be too complicated or expensive, which can be two intimidating aspects of STEAM.

All pictures are from Google and Pinterest!

Virtual Field Trips

The World is in Our Hands!

Who does not love a good field trip?

Field Trips Have Advantages and Disadvantages:

Advantages

• Provide learning experiences in new and exciting ways
• Reinforce what students are learning in the classroom
• Provides students with new situations
• Give teachers a point of reference when touching on specific topics

Disadvantages

• Takes a lot of time to plan a field trip (how to get there, collecting money to get there, sending and receiving back parent-approval letters, etc.)
• Not all students can afford to go on field trips
• Teachers have to plan lesson and activities for students that are not able to go on the field trips

So why not partake in virtual field trips?

Virtual field trips are online/digital "trips" or explorations of specific concepts being taught in the classroom. 

Benefits of Virtual Field Trips:

• They are free for the most part (some costs may apply depending on the VFT)
• Less hassle in preparation
• Can take students almost ANYWHERE (places students could not go on an actual field trip)
• Allows students to make connections to what they are learning in the classroom
• Provide real-life applications to content
• Opens children's eyes to the huge world around them and exposes them to the many things the world encompasses
• The weather on the day of the field trip does not matter
• Scheduling issues are almost non-existant
• Benefits students with disabilities (move and learn at their own pace, multiple methods of instruction and learning, and accessible and safe)
• Increases achievement levels

WARNING: Always check out the VFT before integrating it into the classroom! Make sure it is appropriate for your class!

Resources on How to Integrate VFT's Into the Classroom:

• https://www.edutopia.org/blog/ipad-apps-virtual-field-trips-monica-burns -Free app ideas for virtual field trips!
• http://theteacherspassport.blogspot.com/2016/07/bring-world-into-your-classroom-with.html -Fun ways to bring the world into your classroom!
• https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/use-virtual-reality-google-expeditions-classroom/ -How to use Virtual Reality and Google Expeditions in the classroom!

Search around on Pinterest and you will find an abundant amount of resources!

How Do VFT's Work on Google Earth?

Reflection:

I have heard about virtual field trips for a while, but got a deeper look during my ECE block when I had to interview a tech-savvy teacher! The teacher I interviewed was big on virtual field trips using Google Earth. She told me how her students had been everywhere and how exciting it made the whole learning process. That interview really opened my eyes to the idea of virtual field trips and how knowledge of the world around us is as simple as downloading Google Earth or other apps that allow for VFT's. Before this presentation, I had never really looked into the challenges field trips can bring because I did not really know there were other options available to experience real-world connections to what students are learning in the classroom. I can definitely see myself using virtual field trips to enhance the content material I teach in the future. I really see myself getting involved in the virtual reality aspect of VFT's. I will use VFT's to visit whatever content material I am teaching, because, as Jessica stated, there are almost as many virtual field trips available as there are websites. I can probably find a VFT on almost anything I am searching for.

All pictures are from Google and Pinterest!

The Orton-Gillingham Approach

What is This Approach?

The Orton-Gillingham is an approach to multisensory reading to aid all students, specifically those who struggle with reading, writing, and spelling.

Where Does This Title Come From?

• Samuel T. Orton was a physician that studied on learning disabilities. Orton is well-known for his work on investigating the causes of dyslexia and the methods of treatment for it. He introduced the idea of multisensory instruction, enhancing both the right brain and the left brain functions.
• Anna Gillingham was a psychologist who publicized materials for instruction on teaching skills and strategies for breaking down and translating the English alphabet and its phonemes.
• Together, these two combined their studies to form the Orton-Gillingham approach to instruction and learning.

Why Implement the Orton-Gillingham Approach in the Classroom?

1. This approach started out as the signature/main approach for disabilities in reading, but now it is viewed as a learning and instructional tool for all students. ELL students even benefit from this method.
2. Reading is a necessary skill to not only master success in school, but in life as well. Almost everything we do requires us to read to some degree
3. If students can read, they will be more successful in all content areas.
4. This approach has been proven to allow teachers to assess their students more quickly. Teachers can pick out the strugglers easily.
5. It is an engaging learning process for all students.
6. It encourages teachers to learn their students' learning styles.
7. The OG approach allows for differentiation in the classroom.
8. It has been proven to have positive effects on student-learning outcomes.

Orton-Gillingham Activities:

• Writing in sand, shaving cream, or rice bins
• Writing in the air, whether it is writing a single letter or a whole word
• Feeling and tracing letters on sandpaper
• Building words with magnet or foam letters
• Reading words, building the words, and then writing the words
• Tapping out sounds in words
• Using story sticks
• Highlighting parts of words
• Touching and saying words or letters in reading
• Using manipulatives during instruction

I typed "Orton-Gillingham" on Pinterest and it pulled up hundreds of ideas on how to use it in the classroom...HOW CONVENIENT!

Reflection:

Before watching this presentation, I had never heard of the Orton-Gillingham approach! I find it very interesting and something I would love to look into more. In my ECE block practicum experience, I made a sight word sensory bin with magnetic letters and sight word cards that allowed children to find letters in the rice to spell out their sight words. My CT used that bin throughout my time there and it seemed very effective. Not only were the students learning to read, identify, and spell out their sight words, they were also having fun in the process. I believe multisensory learning approaches are very engaging for the students. In my future classroom, I plan on learning my students' various learning styles to provide multisensory approaches to learning that fit the needs of my students.

All pictures are from Google and Pinterest!

Digital Portfolios and Student-Led Conferences

What feeling do you get when you hear the word "conference?"

Remove the fear or anxiety when hearing this word by changing traditional parent conferences into student-led conferences!

What are Student-Led Conferences?

Student-led conferences: where the students are the leaders of meetings held with teachers and parents. The teacher is just there for additional support and assistance.

Benefits of Student-Led Conferences:

• Builds relevance to the material students have learned
• Provides the opportunity for children to accept responsibility for their learning
• Allows children to reflect on what they have done and learned in the classroom
• Children learn important leadership skills
• Parents are more involved in the conferences
• Empowers students by giving them a voice and allowing them to take on that leadership role
• Helps build student accountability by having them set goals and strive to meet them throughout the school year
• Allows for deeper conversations and deeper levels of thinking
• Positive environment

How to Start Student-Led Conferences in the Classroom:

1. Decide on what work samples or assessments should be highlighted
2. Think on how the students will present the imformation
3. Make sure to gather materials from the very beginning
4. Get parents to sign up
5. Organize the classroom according to the desired flow
6. Have the students practice 1-2 days before
7. Implement student conferences
8. Evaluate the student-led conferences with the parents

What are Digital Portfolios?

A  collection of students' work, assessments, goals, and reflections that is built through the use of technology.

Benefits of Digital Portfolios:

• Students own up to their achievements 
• Allows them a place to showcase what they are interested in
• Allows students to reflect on their own learning
• Allows students to set/meet/recreate goals
• Showcases strengths AND weaknesses
• Allows for collaboration between the students and teacher to decide on what is showcased

Resources to Build Digital Portfolios:

• Imovie
• Seesaw
• ClassDoJo
• Google Classroom
• KidBlog
• Google Slides

Why Student-Led Conferences?

Student-led conferences build preparation skills, organization skills, reflection skills, and communication skills. They also provide individualized learning experiences while also allowing students to be leaders of their own learning.

Reflection:

Before my first semester in the education program, I had never heard of digital portfolios and student-led conferences and had no clue what they were. I had a good idea after my first semester, but did not know how capable they were. I think what stuck out to me most on this presentation was the statement that teachers tend to be too focused on the performance during student-led conferences, rather than focused on what is put into it and what comes out of it. As a future educator, perfectionism will be my largest obstacle and I could easily see myself getting caught up in putting on the "perfect" show for parents instead of putting more time and focus into the content. One thing that I did not know about student portfolios is that there are no requirements to the amount or content of entries; digital portfolios grant students the freedom to express what they have learned in their own personalized format. In my future classroom, I can see digital portfolios as an aspect of my student-led conferences. I can also see myself using student-created digital portfolios as an assessment tool of what my students have learned.

All pictures are from Google and Pinterest!

Autism and iPads

What is Autism?

Autism is a neurological disorder characterized by challenges with social skills and interactions, repetitive behaviors with a strong dislike of change, and difficulties with speech and nonverbal communication. Autism makes building social relationships very difficult and discouraging. Children with autism have a range of symptoms depending on the degree of autism; symptoms vary from child to child. One major characteristic of autism is that it does not discriminate; autism affects everyone.

WARNING: Just because a child has autism does not mean that they are intellectually disabled!

How Many Children are Affected by Autism?

One in fifty-nine children are affected by autism.

What are iPads?

IPads are like computers, but can do much more than a computer can do. IPads are portable; you cannot carry your computer in the car with you on the way to school. With an iPad, everything is at the touch of a screen. 

Benefits of iPads for Children with Autism:

• iPads support individualized learning 
• iPads allow for self-pacing
• iPads are generally predictable and organized
• iPads provide many accessibility features
• iPads can increase social relationships in-and-out of the classroom
• iPads are portable
• iPads provide the opportunity for children to express their emotions
• iPads offer many apps for the various needs of children
• iPads offer multiple methods for communication

Accessibility Features of the iPad:

• VoiceOver- tells you what is on the screen
• Magnifier- allows for text to be the desired size
• Facetime- beneficial for nonverbal communicators (sign language)
• LED Flash- you can see the phone ring
• Switch Control- a switch controls what is on the screen

The list goes on!

Reflecting on Autism and iPads:

Before watching this presentation on autism and iPads, I knew about accessibility features but I did not see the bigger picture of how they could be used to aid children with autism. To me, I see accessibility features as extras on my phone. Think about how much of a life-changer they are to children who have autism. I will definitely be using these in my future classroom. It is mind-blowing how something so simple can take children so far. In my future classroom, I will use iPads as not only a method of instruction and learning, but as a tool for children with autism to express their emotions and learn important skills that they were unable to build before. IPads have the power and ability to turn the lives of children with autism around.

All pictures are from Google and Pinterest!

iPads For Teaching and Learning