Digital Citizenship Prezi

 Mr. Reed's 5th grade classroom at Walled Lake Elementary School recently had a "BYOD Day" (Bring Your Own Device).  As part of their learning for the day, the class had a lively discussion about digital citizenship, which resulted in the creation of a class Prezi presentation.  See it here, and be sure to watch the final video!

While students and teachers are anxious to integrate new learning tools into the classroom, taking the time to empower our students by giving them instruction in digital citizenship is critical.  Students must understand the consequences of being irresponsible using digital tools, as this could affect their futures.

Mr. Reed helped his students understand the importance of using technology responsibly in a perfect way. Instead of providing information by lecturing or presenting digital safety tips, his students were active participants in the process, which makes it more meaningful and relevant.  Way to go Mr. Reed and his class!

 

First and Third Graders Share Poetry in Radio Show

The 3rd grade students of Mrs. Bond at Glengary Elementary teamed up with first grade students of Mrs. Brossard at Commerce Elementary to share poetry in a radio show this afternoon.  Both schools are part of the Walled Lake Consolidated School District in SE Michigan.

The students celebrated the writing of original poetry with oral presentations in their own classrooms.  The radio show allows students to share their poetry with others outside of the classroom walls.  It is apparent that they practiced for the show and were proud to share their outstanding work with others.

Congratulations to the students and teachers for a job well done!  Click the play button below to listen to the 8 min 45 second Poetry Fest Radio Show.




Listen to internet radio with Celebrating Third Grade on BlogTalkRadio

Is there a difference between integrating technology and using technology?

I just read an interesting article from edudemic.com titled "12 Ways to Integrate (Not Just Use) Technology in Education."  This is something that I try to explain on a fairly regular basis. Usually asking a question that makes people think about the benefits of using technology is helpful, such as "Is it more effective for students to complete a worksheet using technology than with paper/pencil?"

The edudemic article includes a nice chart from Teachbytes (see below).   The chart could be used as part of a PLC discussion or staff meeting.   The facilitator could ask everyone to jot down on paper a list of how they used technology in their instructional practices over the past week.  The Teachbytes chart could then be distributed.  In small groups a discussion could take place about whether the technology was "used" or "integrated". This could be a very powerful discussion!