Two Free Resources That Build Students' Global Awareness

While I'm skeptical of the overuse of technology in classrooms for game and "free time"-related purposes, I also know that on a day-to-day basis, teachers need a bank of self-explanatory and highly engaging resources for students to use when they are finished early or when you're working one-one-one with other students. Here are two tools that fit that need, but also build upon students' global awareness, problem-solving skills, and vocabulary.

1. Freerice

This website has been around for more than 10 years now, so it's nothing new in the EdTech world. It is, however, still a quick and effective way for teachers to pair rote memorization tasks, like memorizing multiplication facts, with a larger humanitarian goal.

Freerice allows players to play multiple-choice quiz games in certain subject matters. For every question that a player answers correctly, 10 grains of rice are donated to populations in need via the United Nations World Food Programme. The questions will start off fairly easy, and progressively get more difficult the more a player chooses correct answers. Quizzes are available in a variety of subjects, including English grammar and vocabulary, multiplication facts, world capitals, and even the periodic table of the elements.

2. Geoguessr

This app and website is a game that plops players down in the middle of nowhere in Google Street View, and based on evidence from the local surroundings, players have to figure out where they are in the world. This game can definitely get students to employ problem-solving and research skills to triangulate their location. They might come up a street sign in a different language, or a phone number of a real estate add, or a significant landmark that they can use to research where they are in the world. Each "game" is five rounds long, and players can set time limits on how long they can spend figuring out their location.

Using any other games/tech tools with a global focus in mind? Comment below (I actually think the comments work now!).

Video Apps/Tools that Support Student Creation

Remember Bloom's taxonomy from your college/ed credential schooling? The original framework consisted of six major categories (Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation). It is used to organize cognitive skills from the most basic to the most complex. The taxonomy was revised in 2001, and the new authors changed "Synthesis" to "Creation" and placed that category at the top of the hierarchy. This structure basically says that while it's very necessary for students to recall facts (Knowledge), it is important for them to move up the hierarchy and use their knowledge to create new and original works.

Of course, the standard mode of getting students to create is a written report, a 5-paragraph essay, or a poster. One of the most important elements of current technology in schools, or course, is that it gives students access to a wide range of tools with which to create new multimedia works. Why not let them create a video to show their understanding, analysis, and application of a concept instead of an end-of-unit test or report? Requirements and learning objectives can be just as rigorous, if not more so, than the more "traditional" means of assessment.

If you've decided to take the leap and have students create a video in your class, here are a few simple apps and tools that can help get them creating right away:

1. iMovie

This app comes preloaded onto pretty much everything Mac/iOS these days, so many students and teachers are already familiar with using it. You can get fairly sophisticated with it, or keep it simple and create a slick-looking video with younger kids using the "Movie Trailer" option. There are plenty of guides and tutorials out there online for iMovie, from Apple's official support page, to their Starter Guide in iBooks, to this YouTube video tutorial by Justin Brown.

2. The Screen Record feature on the iPad

The screen record feature is a great way for students to make a video on any app and then record their screen and any narration they want to add. For example, a student could create their visuals in an app like Notability or Google Slides, select the Screen Record feature, and then scroll through these visuals while narrating.

How do you screen record?

1. Launch the “Control Center." On iPads running iOS 12 or later, swipe down from the top right corner with one finger.
2. Tap the screen recording icon – two concentric circles.
3. Your iOS device will start screen recording with a 3-seconds countdown.
4. A red bar on attached to the top of your screen signifies that the screen is being recorded.
5. Tap the red bar to stop recording. The recording will be saved in your Camera Roll.

 

3. Adobe Spark Video

Although I sometimes have complaints about Adobe's usability and their account management, there's no denying that Adobe Spark Video is a very powerful tool for student creation. The interface is simpler than iMovie for beginning filmmakers, as students make movies by layering narration over still images and/or video clips. Spark also contains story templates, including "A Hero's Journey" and "Tell What Happened" that support students in telling a complete story. It's very quick & easy to get started and make a good-looking product with this tool. If you are interested in using this with your class, you do need to contact you school's tech department/IT admin to see if you already have an Adobe Admin console (ugh). The app itself is free, but it's a little bit complicated to get the teacher admin/dashboard up and running to use with students.

4. Stop Motion Studio

This free app (iOS & Android devices) provides the basic tools students need to get started making a stop-motion animation. The interface looks a lot like iMovie, and I was able to figure it out and teach myself how to use it within a matter of seconds.

5. ChatterPix Kids

This free app is perfect for getting young ones (PK-2) interested in simple movie-making. Basically, you take a picture of an object, draw a line where you want the "mouth" to be in your picture, and narrate what you want to object to say. When you play the movie, the picture you just took will speak your narration from the mouth you chose! Students can also choose from a selection of decorations and designs to add to their pictures.


Happy creating!

A New Years Challenge

Happy New Year! 'Tis the season of resolutions, and while I'm not a huge fan of resolutions, I do see the value in using the new calendar year as a springboard for fresh starts and new beginnings. As a teacher, I've always felt that "real" new year came in August and September. As I've gotten more experience, I've learned to see the value of reassessing my work in January. It's a time usually midway through the year when routines have been set, the curriculum is rolling, and I feel more comfortable with my students because I know them better than in the fall.

With the coming of 2019, I have a challenge (not necessarily a resolution, if you're not the resolution type), should you choose to accept it. It is:

Try one new thing that will allow students to either...

         ... engage more fully with your academic content

         ... express their ideas in multiple ways, OR

         ... access academic content

One of the key words in this challenge is ONE. It can be small - in fact, it should be small and completely manageable. I am certainly not proposing a complete overhaul of your curricula, or your teaching methods, or your teaching mindset. As Vicki Davis, host of the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast frequently says, "Innovate like a turtle." It's easy to get overwhelmed with all of the great new methods you "should be" using, the research you "should be" reading, the mindsets you "should" adopt, and the professional development opportunities you "should be" taking advantage of.

My hope is that if you focus on changing one small thing in your routine, or an upcoming project or assignment, you'll realize that small changes are easier than you think. Perhaps most of your students won't even notice this change, but think about the impact it would have if one student learned how to express her ideas more clearly, or if one student could comprehend what he read better because of a tool you introduced.

You might have already sniffed it out - this is totally a UDL challenge! There are many resources on the CAST UDL website that are extremely helpful. Want to get some ideas of tech tools that are out there? Check out this post from the Cult of Pedagogy blog by Jennifer Gonzalez.

Have an idea about what would be your one new thing? Leave a comment below (for those of you who have tried to comment previously and were unsuccessful, I think I figured out the glitch - please try again!).