"Making the Most With What You've Got"

While reading this season's issue of One Day (TFA's alum magazine), I came across a really fantastic article called "Ed Tech 101: Making the Most With What You've Got" by Lewis Leiboh. One of the reasons I like this article so much is that it doesn't just name different ways to use technology in the classroom; it not only explains how to use these tools and gives examples, but also says what you need to be successful.

The first part of the article "Skype's the Limit" talks about different ways to use video chat. Leiboh suggests video chatting with "the author of a book... an expert scientist... a classroom from another community or country... a friend or professor... join a college class." I bolded my favorite because I've had this idea before. I just don't know where to get started. He suggests going to http://education.skype.com/ for project ideas. I did a little searching and found tons of people reaching out! This is a great way to get started with connections. I don't think I'll do anything this year but I look forward to incorporating Skype in my future classrooms. My eventual goal is to establish a relationship with one or two teachers and maintain that relationship throughout the years. That way, our students are always receiving this great experience and the other teacher(s) and I are perfecting the project each year. In addition to a laptops with webcam (or perhaps ipads) and speakers, a projector, and a videochat service that Leiboh recommends using, I would also suggest an activity of some sort so that the kids have an idea of what they should be doing while talking. This will help deter any awkward silences that may arise if you just want the kids to talk about whatever. As relationships and language skills develop, I think it'd be a great idea to just have conversations every now and then, and have the students write about what they said after the conversations.

The second part of the article is "Get Your Head in the Cloud." This one talks a lot about using class websites and eliminating the use of paper. This not only helps absent students and families stay in touch but also allows students to go back and review something if they need a little extra support. Leiboh suggests using "tools like Google Sites... [and] edmodo.com [which is] a private classroom social network."I don't really have experience with this and don't have the time with my 27-minute elementary classes, but think it is a great idea for a high school or middle school, especially if there is a 1-1 laptop ratio.

The last part of the article "Go Island Hopping" I love, mostly because I love stations. And I love how Leiboh calls them islands instead of stations... it's just so much more whimsical. I struggle with stations in my short time period, but have still made it work. Leiboh has a whole week of lesson plans for stations that goes as follows:

Monday: Whole group lesson, no islands
Tuesday-Thursday: 3 stations=1 station/day - the stations are 1) "instruction island" with is a small group with the teacher; 2) "independence island" which is 2 smaller groups for independent practice exercises and 3) "study island" where students use online tools at their own pace to master the content. You could change the study island sessions to include any online tool that you want, not just Leiboh's suggestion.
Friday: Wrap-up and quiz

He doesn't use the islands every week but it does break it up. Other ideas for islands include "watch instructional videos, practice fluency by having students record themselves reading out loud [and] complete group activities using a SmartBoard." I think these are all great ideas and there are so many more great ideas out there as well. This can be adapted for any age or grade level. Maybe one of the islands could even be FaceTime with another class and combine the first and third part of this article!