Micro Lesson #1: Integrating Technology

Integrating Technology Micro Lesson #1

Student Digital Journals

               

Jonathan ‘Robb’ Gambrell

ETC 447: Technology in the Classroom

Jay Wilkie NAU Fall 2016

Lesson Plan

Introduction for Students

Journal Creation & Initial Entries

Introduction to Lesson

For this lesson in 4th grade English Language Arts I have integrated the use of technology and a digital journal program called Seesaw to assist the students with creating, authoring and maintaining personal journals, online. The students will be strengthening their Language Arts skills through various styles of writings included in the Seesaw lessons planned throughout the school year.

The students will create accounts and join Mr. Robb’s Class to begin creating their own online journals. They will then follow the steps of the lesson plan in order to make a journal of their own. These digital collections will be utilized throughout the school year as we continue to add to them and build Reflective Student Portfolios. The digital journals also serve as great assessment tools as the teacher has access to the student’s works at all times for the formative, as well as the final portfolios for the Summative.

	Digital Journal Lesson
	BY: Jonathan ‘Robb’ Gambrell
	4th Grade Language Arts with Technology Integration
	Students Will Be Able To… Use technology to create and share writings Use technology to collaborate and interact Use technology as a tool for… Research Photography Communication Community Building Publishing Works
	AZ Standards
	AZ.4.W-6: With some guidance and support from adults, use  technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting. AZ.4.W-10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for 10. research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline‐specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. Other Standards Covered AZ.4.W-1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. AZ.4.W-1: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. AZ.4.W-3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. AZ.4.W-4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.   AZ.4.W-5: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 4.)
	ISTE Standards
	Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments Model digital age work and learning Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility Engage in professional growth and leadership
	Instruction The Hook Intro to Seesaw Video
	Task 1: Set a purpose for keeping a journal.  Show your class the “Student Intro Presentation” here. As a class, brainstorm benefits students see in keeping a journal.
	Task 2: Establish rules and procedures for responsibly using devices. This is great time to introduce or review school policies regarding devices. You may also want to create a classroom policy to post in the room.
	Task 3: Establish classroom expectations for using Seesaw. Show the video below: Journal Entry Guidlines--Seesaw Video
	Task 4: Begin building student ownership. Have students choose or design an icon for their journal. This is the image that will appear next to their name. In order to change icons, log in as a teacher > tap your profile photo > Manage Class > Manage Students and select a student > tap icon. Choose “+Take Photo” option at bottom of the screen if students designed an icon that will be photographed.
	Task 5: Teach students how to sign in and add a photo. Students will add a photo of themselves as their first journal entry.
	Task 6: Model annotating a photo. Show students the mic and text icon.   Students will use either the mic and/or text tool to introduce themselves and their journal.
	Task 7: Teach students to review their work. Do they like how their entry looks and sounds? Model how to erase recordings or text.
	Task 8: Establishing expectations for journal entries. Encourage students to turn and talk with a partner. What items should go in your journal? What is appropriate and not appropriate? When is a good time to add items? Review the guidelines you set earlier.
	Formative Assessment Review the basics. Ask students to teach someone else (Peer or Teacher) how to sign in, add an item, explain it, and save it in their journal. Monitor the student’s progress as they model what they have learned.
	Summative Assessment The Seesaw Digital Journal will not only serve as the year end assessment for this project, but also a way to assess the student’s progress throughout the school year with the use of the Teacher and Parent portals.
	Group projects are great. When students work together on a project, you can easily select multiple students and add the same item to multiple student journals. Keep it simple. You don't have to use all the annotation tools (audio, drawing, text) on every item -- sometimes just a quick photo goes a long way. Parents love getting a glimpse of their child's day even if it’s incomplete (and can always ask their child follow up questions).

100 Ways Students use Seesaw

Share writer’s workshop stories with voice recordings	Give a book talk	Record a science experiment & explain	Connect with peers globally
Model and practice digital citizenship	Record thinking to solve a math problem.	Demonstrate a skill	Create a class blog
Document growth over time using multiple formats	Make a scavenger hunt with QR codes	Differentiate instruction for a small group	Empower students to lead conferences
Engage families with insights from the  classroom	Create audio /visual newsletters	Retell a story from a character’s perspective	Document a makerspace project
Reflect during genius hour projects	Practice commenting and giving feedback to peers	Capture stages of projects in art and science	Support oral language development and storytelling
Organize and share digital creations from other apps	Provide choice for students to show what they know	Visit and learn with classrooms around the world via Seesaw Blogs	Empower students to manage workflow independently
Code with Apple's Swift Playgrounds.  Save into Seesaw.	Record and share reader’s theater	Draw self-portraits,app smash with Chatterpix, and record a goal!	Send a message to  a student who is out sick.
Organize genius hour resource with students. Links, videos,	Model an activity	Create quick screencasts to personalize learning	App smash with Book Creator. Save to Seesaw as video or PDF
Create a class for a school-wide makerspace. Students share	Add a quick note or reminders to families	Make interactive bulletin board w/ QR codes	Encourage student self-reflection through videos
Give students with special needs voice & tools to capture strengths	Create green screen projects with DoInk and post to Seesaw.	App Smash with Tellagami for storytelling or word work.	Share your code.org projects in Seesaw and teach your parents!
Support ELL families and students. Audio record in any language.	Share book trailers created in iMovie.	Record reading fluency. Students evaluate oral reading.	Share Adobe Spark videos on Seesaw.
Record differentiated spelling words, students listen & rec	Implement in after school clubs to share learning	Share links to resources with students  and parents	Create a class for Read Across America and share favorite books
Encourage collaboration. Show how you worked through a task.	Post an illustration then write and tell about it.	Create talking flashcards	Share links to Google Forms with students and/or parents
Interact with authentic world around you - find 3D shapes	Share an important memo to families!	Capture skills during physical education	Share safe video links with students made using SafeShare.tv
Practice musical instruments.  See growth and progress over time!	Select work from Google drive and share with an audience via Seesaw	Maintain connection to families working overseas or traveling	Record an interview with an expert
Create tutorials with Shadow Puppet EDU videos for  next year	Take a picture of your art and write a haiku poem about it	Encourage students to take over the weekly newsletter	Write notes to your class when you’re at a workshop
AppSmash w/ditty.com for creative reminders	Invite specials teachers as co-teachers to connect	Use copy-edit tool students complete “exit slips”	Video a difficult concept and make it available for class review
Record oral counting 1:1	Screen-capture Raz-Kids reports and set goals, share with parents	Create skills and view progress over time	Post information for homework and have peers respond
Create “commercials” to promote events at school	Choose “Best work”  Put in a “Best of” folder for reflection	App-smash with Shadow Puppet to create a “Guess My Number”	Share photos or videos with parents by posting to “Everyone”
Create with the suite of built-in drawing tools	Follow Flat Stanley’s adventures over the summer	Capture photos of physical creations & “take them home”	Create a folder just for common websites. Enter links
Create how to videos and print out QR code for the students	Set goals. Update progress every nine weeks. Cheer successes	Share animal research in Doink,to Book Creator  export as video to  Seesaw.	Print  QR codes to do a blended lesson in the classroom.
Showcase student work via Apple TV or SMARTboard	Advertise a book.  Make a commercial and “sell” it to others	Share a class with pen pals. Write, share pictures, and ask questions.	State learning goals with “I can..” and show what you know.
Share special events with families who could not attend	Promote active learning during PD. Create a class and share examples	Create folders to organize work	Send a letter with an interactive QR code that shares Seesaw post
Video record a science experiment in action. Reflect after	Listen to stories from peers around the world via Seesaw Blogs	Read aloud a story and narrate a new ending	Add Seesaw QR codes to books to you can hear peers read them.
Rethink paper/pencil assessments. Encourage multiple formats	Use video to capture communication via sign language	Build, test, redesign. Capture process & reflections	Create narrated digital stories with Shadow Puppet EDU and save

Conclusion

I enjoyed learning about the program Seesaw while creating this Interactive Writing lesson. This is only a small portion of lessons used to create a year long portfolio project for your students. The Seesaw website, as well as Pinterest and the internet, offer many suggestions for fitting these online journal programs into many classroom types and grade levels. With technology booming at a pace we can not grasp, the integration into our students lives is a must, and why not utilize the technology to assist our teachings and assessing?

References

**All Seesaw materials used with permission of paid subscription by myself**

Youtube video

Youtube Video 2