A Day Learning = A Good Day!

I was very fortunate this week ... I got to participate in four full days of LEARNING!

Even though I played the role of facilitator and presenter on those days, I not only got to see learning happen for almost everyone there but I also learned many things myself!

For me, any day that I learn something is counted as a good day!

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, we participated in CampInspire, where teachers learned, explored, and created using Promethean ActivInspire. (We have pictures to share!).

On Thursday and Friday of this week, we participated in SMARTcon12, where teachers learned, explored, and created using SMARTboard Notebook. (We have pictures to share!).

I have been to several workshops and trainings for both Promethean and SMART before, but I still learned about things I never knew I could do with both products before.

We followed the same format for both mini-conferences. On Day 1, participants were able to choose which sessions they wanted to attend. We had session descriptions to help them choose, as well as a "Two Feet" rule (if you find out a session is not what you thought it would be, feel free to use your two feet and leave to go to another session).  On Day 2, participants were given a chance (and time) to use some of the things they had learned the day before to work to create, experiment, and try things out.  There were locations for people of similar grade levels or subjects to work in the same area so collaboration and sharing of ideas could take place.


On Day 2 of both sessions, I walked around with a Bloggie or a Flip Camera asking people to tell me at least one thing they learned, an A-Ha moment, or something that really stood out to them. After repeated reassurrances that the videos would not be posted but just used for our group to review, people were excited about sharing what they had learned ... most people even had trouble picking just one thing to share!

I will not post the videos, since I promised I would not, but I will share some of the reoccuring themes from both sessions:

• the ability for participants to CHOOSE which sessions to attend
• people who were just starting out enjoyed the sessions focusing on the basics
• people who had been using the product enjoyed the sessions that went beyond the basics 
• the format that was used allowing for learning and doing
• "There were so many things I did not know that I could do with ________" (insert Document Camera, sound, SMART, ActivInspire ...)
• having lots of people around to answer questions
• being able to work with others who teach the same level or area

In my mind, these days of inspiration, motivation, and learning were successes ...  


The more I reflect on the learning that happened for me and for these teachers, the more I wonder how we can use the things we learned from these experiences to help our students ....

I guess the focus should not only be on what I can do with a certain product, but how I can use the things I am able to do with a product to benefit the learning of students!

photo credit: Krissy.Venosdale via photo pin cc

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Learning in a Shed?

When you hear the word shed, what do you think of?

I admit, when I hear shed, I don't generally think of interesting things ....

But all that changed when I found The Literacy Shed!

I think the description of The Adventure Shed says it all:

Welcome to a little shed

that opens up when you get inside! 

So The Literacy Shed is really more than just one shed .... and each shed has its own unique personality, look, and inspiration!
Here are a few of the sheds you can find inside The Literacy Shed:

• The Thinking Shed
• The Fairy Tale Shed
• The Inventor's Shed
• The Picture Book Shed
• The Mystery Shed
• The Flying Books Shed
• The Great Animations Shed

You just never know what is going be in the shed once you walk through the door ...

• The Literacy Shed is home to a wealth of visual resources that I have collected over my 10 year career as a primary school teacher.   I trawl youtube, vimeo and other sites looking for suitbale resources to use in the sheds. The sheds are broadly thematic but sometimes a resource could go in 2 or more sheds, I slot it in where I think it works best.
  Most of the resources can be used in KS1 and KS2 but some do lend themselves to the upper age group and above. The aim is to provide high quality resources that can be used in stand alone literacy lessons, can form the basis for a whole literacy unit or can support literacy units that you already have in place.   With the many book based activities I would advocate using the book alongside the digital resource.  

I see so many possibilities for reading, writing, thinking, art, and all kinds of literacy that I am having a hard time choosing my favorite shed and favorite activity ...

They all look really neat too!

Which is your favorite shed?

If you could create your own shed, what would it look like and what would it contain?

 image from The Literacy Shed

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Do You Need to Ask More Questions or Better Ones?

Questions, Questions, Questions ....

Do you ask basic questions that require little thinking?

Do you want to ask questions that require higher order thinking skills?

I know that those types of question are not necessarily the first one that pop to my mind .... especially when I am trying to make moment count during transitions, time spent standing in line, and those extra minutes that suddenly appear!

To help combat not being able to think of the questions I wanted to ask, I created a list of questions based on Marzano's Instructional Strategies. My special booklet was made of laminated colored cardstock connected by a ring covered in different leftover pieces of ribbon. I hung it by board so I would know where it was when I needed it.

Since leaving the classroom several years ago, I have not used my question booklet very often .... maybe I should use it to challenge myself (and coworkers) more often ...

I found something that reminded me of my question booklet on The Art of Education blog:

I developed this “Deck” of Power Point Slides called “Art Room Questions.”  It’s a formative assessment tool I use while the students are standing in line.  It has lists of generic questions you can ask students that provoke higher order thinking and can use any project or curriculum you are teaching. Sort of a “fill in the blank” format, if you will.

The questions in this deck of card are aimed at exploring the features of art, but I see many ways the same questions can be used to explore all types of media in order to improve media literacy skills.
Here are just a few of my favorite questions:

• What technique did the artist use to create _____?
• The artist DOES NOT use _______ to create artwork
• What if the artist would have used a different technique? How would that have changed the art piece?
• What message was the artist trying to tell us by making this picture?
• What clues do you see in the artwork that make you feel that way? (colors, shapes, lines, space ...)

I think these questions would work so well with the artwork that can be found on the art2day website:

• this website is dedicated to inspiring and promoting artists from around the world
• enabling ARTISTS, STUDENTS and TEACHERS to independently and easily search for contemporary art and photography
• the aim is to assist all people involved in creative industries or education 

My mind is racing thinking of ways these question could be slightly altered to become literacy questions!! You could explore literary features, styles, making inferences, looking at author's purpose .... I guess the questions are doing those things anyway and could be applied to any topic!


Think of the ways technology could be used to keep these questions at your fingertips! The questions found on the blog post linked above are already in a powerpoint presentation that you could keep on your computer to quickly pull up when needed. You could also create an ActivInspire flipchart or a SMART notebook file. There questions could even go on ActivExpressions, CPS units, or even on a backchannel like TodaysMeet!

Questions open up so many possibilities for deeper thinking .....

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Starting the Day with a Wonder

Let me tell you a little about how I like to find fun things for students to do in class to start the day off right.  I think that the old saying is that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that students need it to start the day off in a good way.  Well I think that we also need to start their classroom day off right as well.  Something that feeds their minds when they get to school just as much as breakfast does before school.

About a year and a half ago, give or take a month, I was introduced to Wonderopolis by a co-worker as a site that offered up something different.  What they offered was short video clips that talked about some things that most people just wondered about.  I learned about the site in January of 2011 but the site had been up since October with its first wonder, Why are Flamingo Pink? That launched on Oct 4, 2010.  Wonderopolis is… “a program brought to life by the National Center for Family Literacy, engages and inspires families in the pursuit of education and learning together.” It also a product of Verizon Thinkfinity which… “offer comprehensive teaching and learning resources created by our content partners – the most respected organizations in each academic subject and literacy.”

In January of 2011 I started talking to teachers about how to use Wonderopolis in the classroom and how it could benefit the students as the day begins.  I talked to the teachers and showed them the website and their eyes were wide open by all of the information.  Many times I would show the site to them and they immediately would start talking about how to connect what was on the site with what they were working on in class at the time.  As this was going on I would show them how they could search through all of the Wonders either with a keyword search or through the category options along the left side of the page.  The teachers were amazed at how much information was available to them as they looked at each of the wonders.  There is a description of the wonder, some additional questions, did you know section, some vocabulary words and even some fun project ideas to go along with the wonder of the day.  

I really enjoy the site and will continue to share it with as many teachers as I talk with.  The site offers so many additional resources associated with the wonders that even though they are meant to be short lesson starters, it is more often than not they can be turned into full blown lesson designed in conjunction with the curriculum.  

With all that being said, go to Wonderopolis and see for yourself.  I can be sure that there is something on the site which will add to your daily instruction.  Who knows you may even explore beyond the site to some of the other resources available from Verizon Thinkfinity and extend the learning even further.

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The Power Of Connectedness

I spent the better part of 4 days taking part in various parts of the #ISTE12 experience. (Basically, if you don't know, ISTE is the international conference for technology educators. This year it was in sunny San Diego.) I had the chance to meet with educators and friends from all over the world. I sat in on sessions and had conversations in the Bloggers Cafe and in the hallways and the one theme that kept coming up over and over is connectedness.

As educators, we are all part of something greater than ourselves and our classrooms. We have the power and potential to do something great. It is tough to do alone. But thank goodness for the power of connections. Getting plugged in and taking advantage of the power of others is an important step in our journey.

I have made so many friends, and had so many wonderful opportunities. I am lucky I am a connected educator. I take pride in it as well. And spending time last week mingling, mixing, chatting and conversing has recharged me and made me once again believe in the power we have.

Whether you were in San Diego or not, we all have the power to get connected. You've already started if you are reading this blog. Maybe it came to you through your RSS or maybe you saw a link on Twitter. That's a first step. But take the advice from many here at #ISTE12. Make connections that matter. Spend time in your network talking and learning with and from each other.

Thanks to @sraslim for the picture today!

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