Starting Point for Student Creativity using GAFE

     I love to learn.  This is probably one of the reasons I love to teach as I strive to be the very model of a life long learner.  This is one of the things which I love about myself.  This is also something I try to keep in check during this first year of 1 to 1 technology roll out.  While this may sound somewhat confusing for me to say, allow me to elaborate some.  If in this first year I spend my time absorbing all the technological knowledge I can handle, yet fail to allow my students the same opportunity, I feel I would be doing my students a disservice.
    I want my students to be able to create in the same manner I can create if not better.  Just like when we teach our students that some tools work better than others in certain situations (ex. when to use a bar graph instead of a line graph), I want them to know that some digital tools work better than others in certain situations (ex. creating a budget using a Sheets vs Docs). But again, I found myself asking the same question I asked myself in my first blog . . . "Where do I start?"
    One of the best places for me to start was a combination of Kristina Smekens' philosophy of giving students a choice in how they want to present their knowledge and Rozlyn Linder's philosophy of building charts to enhance understanding.  Mixing these philosophies together and then adding the ingredient of GAFE gave me what I felt I needed to get the ball rolling.
   I need to briefly give some background by explaining how our particular math series at my grade level jumps right in with operations using decimals.  One of the biggest complaints and struggles I see is students trying to remember what to do when.  For example, one has to line up the decimals when adding and subtracting, but can basically ignore them for a while in multiplication.  Knowing when, where, and why to move the decimal in a division problem adds a whole new level to the complexity of it all.
   This situation presented an opportunity to truly assess the student's understanding by having them create what I called "Visual Aids for Decimals."  They were challenged to think like a teacher and create a graphic organizer or chart which would help their students understand the operations of decimals.  They were given freedom to choose any of the GAFE applications they felt was their best choice to complete this task.
   I was very pleased with the results as they not only showed the student's creativity and gave them the experience with the tools, but it also gave me a quick snapshot of the area of need (in our case dividing decimals) so I could reinforce the instruction.

Below are some samples of what was submitted:

     

Google Docs to take the stress out of the sub plan!

Let's be honest with ourselves for a moment.  Every teacher has had that day they weren't planning on missing.  After all, life just has a way of happening.  From personal or family illness to the frozen pipe that finally busted, there is naturally a time we can't make it in to teach our class.  And that's when the panic sets in . . . "How am I going to get sub plans completed and to the sub?"

Sure, most teachers have that teammate or back up person that will help them out.  But even that seems to have that edge of not wanting to bother the other person or be a burden.

Once again, GAFE has given me a solution to make life less stressful.  And once again, this is going to be a blog post that doesn't go overly deep into the SAMR model or blows your mind in its creativity.  However, the practicality of this idea made it worth sharing.

I have created a Google Doc.  This is the doc I will use every time I have an unexpected sub.  I went into the share setting of my doc and created a link. This is a pretty standard way of sharing a doc with multiple people but here is a screenshot to confirm to what I am referring:

I also made certain I changed the setting to anyone with a link can view.

On my sub-folder, I have a section which gives this link to my sub. They just have to type in the link in the browser, and they have access to my sub plans.  So now, if there is ever a day I am unable to make it in to work, I can type the sub plans on my document wherever I happen to be (yes I've had to type sub plans from an ER room).  The sub can access the document on the computer in my classroom and I don't have to stress about getting the plans there, emailing them to a colleague, or one of the other back up plans I used to have.

It's important to note in order for this strategy to work, one has to be in the habit of leaving your sub-folder in an easy to find place on a daily basis.  I actually leave my sub folder right on my desk every day when I leave because, well, you just never know!

If anyone reading this has an even better idea, please share!  But to date, this is the most convenient approach I have found.

Using Google Form for lunch count is a great starting point!

So here it is!  The year I have known was coming for quite some time.   Our school corporation has gone 1 to 1 technology.  Being passionate about technology integration, I, for one, am excited at the possibilities.  But if I'm taking a moment to be honest, I'm also overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite directions one could go with technology and, frankly, the biggest question of all is, "Where do I start?"

This question can quickly become a double-edged sword because a great starting point must not just be a safe place for me, but must also be a safe place for my students.  Just because I may fully understand a specific tool and thus it lies in my comfort zone doesn't mean the same may be said for my students.  

The solution, or at very minimum A solution, for me was found in part of our daily routine . . . our lunch count.  First, before I go any further I must give a shout out to Andy Wallace (@MrAWallace) for doing an incredible job leading his eLead2016 conference session which challenged my thinking of what can and cannot be done with Google Forms.  

In using Google Forms to gather my lunch count, I was able to create a routine for the students using technology as well as save me the time of totaling up all the check-marks in the tiny columns of the old lunch count sheet.  

Yes, I know this doesn't go deep into the SAMR model and isn't a model of students using tools to create earth shattering projects.  However, as the title of the blog suggests, it is a great starting point.  

The form I created is a two question form.  The first is a short answer type of question (need more info on how to create questions?  Click here.) and is where they submit their name.  The second question is a multiple choice question for them to choose their preference for the day.  That's it!  When done the students hit submit.  

Once all of the forms are submitted, I look at the responses on the form.  One may look at individual responses if one desires or need to do so.  Fortunately, in my school corporation they are interested in the totals.  This allows me to just use the SUMMARY option on the responses tab.  By hovering my mouse over the pie chart, I get the totals I need and can move on with my day.  ONE LAST THING, if you choose to use this method, once you have submitted your totals to the cafeteria, be sure to clear all responses so it's reset for the next day (see a quick video on how to delete responses here.)