This summer I scheduled Dream Big Talks via Skype for our enrichment program. My goal was to expose my students to several successful people who have made their dreams come true in hopes of inspiring them to do the same. Along the way, these guest expert speakers got me thinking about my own dreams, particularly Abdul's talk. He encouraged us to dream big but also make plans on how to go about achieving our dreams. I think this last part is very important when talking to students, especially gifted students, about dreams or future plans. It takes organization, planning, action, reflection, trials, and triumphs to make dreams a reality. That's the message I got from not only our Dream Big Talks but in reading, watching, and even talking to successful folks. As a result, I wanted to share my Dream List.
Elle's Dream List
1. Travel to a new country every 2-3 years 2. Visit a different U.S. city every year 3. Teach abroad for about 3-5 years 4. Secure a career path that involves technology & education or gifted education (or both!) 5. Become a homeowner 6. Run a 10K race
So what's on your Dream List?
To conclude this post, have a look at what my students included on their Dream Lists.
This summer I had the privilege of being the tech teacher for an enrichment program in my district. I was super thrilled by the opportunity and decided to focus on Cybersafety and Digital Storytelling. I saw my students for 30 minutes, twice a week, which was not nearly enough time to devote to making videos. Nevertheless, I gave it a shot. Here is what I learned throughout the process:
1. I felt a need to start the course discussing Cybersafety and how to stay safe online. It came to no surprise that a majority of my students were already using Facebook and Twitter. I reiterated this topic during our Parent Appreciation Event with families to further equip and encourage them to monitor their children's use of the internet and other tools.
2. The programs I used to create movies were developmentally appropriate. I chose to use Microsoft Story 3 with my 3rd and 4th graders and iMovie and iPhoto with my 5th-7th graders.
3. Classroom management was an area that I need to work on next year. This was most evident with classes that created movies in larger groups. I let each group plan everything out on their own. Since our students are very new to the movie making process, I will consider assigning specific jobs within each group to keep all members engaged.
4. On a similar note, our students needed more guidance in how they can portray their message or story. While I included footage and recordings of students' authentic (and mostly unedited) work, the quality of the message can always be improved. The best way to do this is probably to dedicate a little more time to viewing and analyzing some quality student final products and different elements within those products. I understand that this will not happen in one summer, but rather is a work in progress.
5. Lastly, I see a need to show our students how to use macbooks. Being a newbie macbook user myself, I wasn't ready to take this plunge this year. Over the course of the next few summers, I hope to start by introducing the basics and eventually transition into giving students more autonomy in the editing process in iMovie. The trailers were a perfect way to introduce iMovie thanks to their easy to use templates.
Overall, I was very proud of our students' hard work in planning and executing their projects. Below are a few examples of some final products.
On Friday, June 29th PBS premiered its Summer Arts Festival with the special, Mariachi High. This documentary featured a year in the life of gifted Latino students from South Texas and their journey in competing and winning a Mariachi competition. As a Mexican American, I was so proud to see their story and accomplishments showcased. I was also captivated by their musical talent and how these young people captured the soul of Mariachi music. I can only imagine what their teacher, parents, and families felt.
When I was a girl, I remember my mother shedding a tear when she would see images of her beloved Mexican flag wave in El Zocalo and not understanding her reasoning for those tears. But after watching these young Latinos keeping the tradition alive and excel in their personal and academic lives, the tears hit me. Mine came from the feeling of nostalgia that mariachi music brings as well as pride for our next generation.
Talking to my Abue (short for Abuelita) for the first time on Skype has been my absolute favorite and most heart felt Skype moment. Her reaction to the fact that she could seeand talk to me: Priceless.
What an amazing journey we have had with Skype this year! With the help of my fabulous PLN on Twitter, I was able to incorporate new ways to utilize Skype in my gifted classroom. Here are just some ways we made it even better:
1. Content Specific Calls- This year I decided to focus on Math with my enrichment group to practice and apply skills in a fun way. To learn more, check out my Math Skype Buddies post.
2. Celebrity Skype Calls- Thanks to some connections made on Twitter, we were able to talk to a couple celebrities. Our kids were very excited about these calls! Check out our calls with Olivia Holt, from Disney's Kickin It, and Kristan Cunningham, from HGTV and the OWN Network.
3. Collaborative Projects- This year we combined Skype and Edmodo to work on novel study units for Tuck Everlasting and The Whipping Boy.
4. Skype Jobs- This is the first year we tried Skype Jobs during our calls. These are a must when it comes to talking to guest expert speakers, during Mystery Skype Calls, or during games/competitions for Math.
Have a look at some clips from our calls. My hope is to continue to connect with classes around the world and work on more collaborative projects that combine several Web 2.0 tools. What ways have you used Skype this year? Feel free to leave a comment with your favorite Skype moments.
Last week our
school hosted its Second Annual Culture Day. Our Spanish teacher and I host this event to explore and celebrate
diversity in our school and around the world. This year, however, we made a few
changes to improve the experience for our students. Our goal was to organize a
way so that all our students can fully experience cultural exploration. Let me
say we achieved this and much more!
I was
fortunate enough to have two university partners who were willing and flexible
in making my vision to have guest speakers in our classrooms a reality. They
helped me gather international students in their departments to come speak to
our classes. These university students had prepared engaging and interactive
presentations for our children.
Volunteers presenting on Japan to our Pre-K students.
Another
component of Culture Day was our Diego Rivero Exhibit. Our Spanish teacher was
awarded a Spring PTA grant that provided our school with a traveling exhibit from Teacher's Discovery that our whole school and community could enjoy. She also focused a unit around
his murals and had students create their own murals to decorate outside her
classroom. We can all agree that this has been a great addition to our Culture
Day Celebration! Have a look at these stunning masterpieces!
The culminating
event included two variety shows with student-led performances and
presentations. So it comes to no
surprise that my 4th and 6th graders had to take part in
some way. They had the huge task of preparing introductions for our
performances, serving as helpers (who took pictures and escorted speakers to
their designated classrooms) during the classroom presentations, and even
preparing for performances of their own! In a nutshell, they researched, they
planned, and they practiced. The best part is that I didn’t make this mandatory
or really an assignment for that matter. They took it upon themselves to
complete these tasks to ensure the Culture Day would take place. And that is
what reaffirms why I do what I do. Without them, this event could not have been
made possible!
I am
grateful for our Spanish teacher, Music teacher, Strings teacher, faculty, and
administration for participating in our shows and providing much needed
support. In addition, I appreciate my university contacts for helping make my
dream of bringing the world to our classrooms a reality.
This month our 5th graders had their very first Global Mystery Skype Challenge. I came across the idea of Mystery Skype Call on Twitter and found many positive responses among my PLN and fellow Tweechers. I then modified this kind of call to challenge my students to think more globally. The objective of the call was to same as any Mystery Call: Ask yes/no questions to determine the exact location of our partner class. If our partner class answered yes to one of our questions, we were able to ask a follow- up question. But if they answered no, then our turn was up and we had to answer their questions. Although the rules were simple, the task itself was a lot more difficult than we expected! In fact, it took us all day to complete the call. The great thing was that our partner class was also a gifted class and had the flexibility to continue our call throughout the day. Although this was my students' first experience with a Mystery Call, they did an excellent job of narrowing down the country and province of our partner class. However, they struggled with pin pointing the city they were in. Overall, this was a great learning experience because my students had a chance to work cooperatively and problem solve on the spot. As with most Skype calls in my class, I assigned Skype Jobs. Here is a summary of some of the jobs: 1. Greeters & Inquirers- These students were responsible for greeting our class and asking our questions. 2. Map Keepers- These students had atlases and Google Maps available to narrow down the location based on clues. 3. Question Keepers- These students kept careful track of the questions asked and reported these to the Inquirers. 4. Logical Reasoners- These students were responsible for listening to the clues given and putting the pieces together to determine the exact location. They worked with the Question Keepers to construct questions. 5. Runners- These students were messengers who shared clues, questions, or tips between the Map Keepers and the Logical Reasoners. They also were responsible for giving the Inquirers our class' questions.
And if you're wondering where to find classes to try out a Mystery Call here a few places to look: 1. Skype in the Classroom- I posted my project here and received many responses from other teachers who are members of this site. To join this fast-growing community, click here. To view my project page, click here. 2. Twitter- There are many teachers on Twitter who are currently seeking classrooms for Mystery Skype Calls. I normally come across them tweeting and RT to help them find others in my own PLN. 3. Twitter Chats- Several grade level chats on Twitter have accompanying wikis where participants can sign up for Mystery Skype Calls. A few include #4thchat and #6thchat. If you click on these chat names, you will be directed to their Mystery Skype sign up page on their wiki.
I hope that these resources help in your journey with Mystery Skype Calls and enjoy them as much as we have!
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