Gena+Real+Life

Early Adopter: Inquiry & Design Challenge
Engage: 2014-15

**2014-2015**
- Fear of sharks: __Sharks__. Stop-motion animation. Theme explored, completed, presented - Stop girl bullying: __She__ __Did It Again: Medusa steps in.__ Explored, storyboard completed, initial video shots, explored Blue screen (Green Screen will be available this coming year), 5th graders graduated, 4th grade wants to finish it this coming year - What makes something a legend or real: __Loch Ness Monster.__ Explored, facts collected, storyboard almost completed, art work and sources gathered (student left the program)
 * Reflection:**
 * **First year EA:** Our DST class was more about getting our feet wet with creating digital stories and learning the tools we would need in order to create. During that year, we understood the importance of co-creating Group Agreements in order to be able to collaborate and function in a way that would be productive as a group. All based on self-monitoring instead of 'teacher rules.' We also learned that our creativity needed to be channeled or focused if we wanted to complete a project and accomplish our purpose. So, we learned about storyboarding and how mind-maps are good for brainstorming and refining our ideas. We tried out reflecting and helping each other with ideas through Edmodo as a tool, and we experimented with iMovie and had a lot of fun learning about frames and camera shots, visually conveying a message, etc.
 * **Second year EA:** Although we kept the name DST for our class, I didn't feel it really conveyed what the class was all about. It evolved into something different. We had a mix of previous year digital storytellers and new kids. The second year kiddos helped the first year ones sign up on Edmodo and introduced them to the concept of having a Group Agreements chart. Several kids had an idea of what project they wanted to do, but many didn't, so the groups changed a lot during the first few weeks as groups formed by interest. Not everyone seemed to be interested in collaborating through Edmodo, but there was a lot of lively discussion and activie working directly on chart paper to construct storyboards. There was a lot of cross-group cooperation to create props, refine character dialogues and storyboard sketches. One pair of partners even placed their project on hold in order to collaborate with a group that needed extra people for their play. So, I met with the partner group way after our DST class had closed for the year so that they could finish their stop-motion animation science project and self-assessment rubric and they got to present it in their homeroom class. The outcome was an exploration of various themes, expressed in some form using technology tools, but not all groups completed their projects:
 * **This coming year:** I want to change the class focus to open ended projects. The last 2 years have convinced me that it will always be messy, and that high productivity comes with choice. I'm not comfortable with not completing a project, but I'm totally for finishing it, even if it needs to carry into the following year. Some thoughts about what I envision for the class.

1. Name: Playheads (like the video editing tool because it pinpoints/highlights a place on the timeline where something needs to be added, deleted, adjusted, etc.), flexibility, adaptability... 2. Why: for kids to speak about this idea = 'this is how I learn" 3. How: kids->based on interest; me->facilitate learning about personal tools like adaptability/flexibility, plusing, error->opportunity 4. Starting point: PSI how to reflect about their learning 5. Student./teacher tools: Symbaloo, Wiki or Google Sites, for team building Gamestorming.

Team challenge games and debrief (what worked in your team, what did you contribute, what could you have changed to help your team, what worked well for you personally or didn't work, what 2 things do you need in a team, what strengths do you bring to your team, what do you need from your group and what do you bring into your group) Day 1: game Day 2: debrief day-1, new game/ challenge (bigger challenge) = game 'noodle challenge' Day 3: debrief day-2, and draft Group Agreements (non-negotiables), new game = 2 'hoola hoops' hanging from ceiling, each team gets 3 pieces of paper pencil and one piece of notebook paper. Team work involves: to agree on a design to build first model and test, test, reflect, modify, and make second design, test, reflect, modify, and third is final fly-off. Every member of the team participates in every part of it. Reflect about critical piece of project: keeping up with team, variables in experiment, how did you allow redesign of first and second design to perfect the final design. Emphasize community/team building this year. Model and scaffold process of 'replying under the question' on the Google site (to prevent accidentally starting new ribbons)
 * Meeting with Sara notes:** collaborative team building activity

1st 9-wks: team building activities: game challenges, Minecraft community, Scratch 2nd 9-wks: Digital Storytelling 3rd 9-wks: 4th 9-wks:
 * Four 9-wk periods:**

Kenny Jones, SFMS

My 3 important take aways:
 * Curiosity! Don't stifle curiosity by setting a ceiling...join in!
 * Embrace failure! Be vulnerable and the kids will be vulnerable too!
 * Embrace the mess! Look for opportunities within the mess!

=2013-2014= Reflection #2: My big question is: Will it work like I envision it for my tutoring groups to truly own their learning and show progress? I am not self-contained and I need for my reading tutoring groups to have independent access to post their collaborative work. So, instead of using Edmodo this year, I've created a Book Club Wiki for my 4th gr/Bilingual tutoring group to post their group reflections and questions, etc. I chose Wikispaces because it has added features that give students more flexibility for posting their work. One useful widget is the 'Insert Special Character'

Reflection #1: If only...my students would take what they have learned about collaboration and take it to independence...they collaborated with each other, celebrated each others' accomplishments, realized that through collaboration they also grow individually, not just as a group. If they took that and owned it, and ran with it, without me, then they would be on their way to become truly independent self-directed learners. The underlying thread this year: independently collaborating.


 * independently collaborating
 * communicating effectively (butterfly video example of peer feedback through the lens of a tech helper)
 * build a personal network of resources



__6 Words Memoir:__
 * discombobulated || puzzled about what EA was about ||
 * courage || resolved to explore ||
 * cave-exploring || deep dive into the unknown ||
 * disoriented || lost in the maze of new learning ||
 * reflection || captured by the shining stalactites! stalacmites! ||
 * mapping || **//reflecting on my path of learning//** ||

Walking the Walk

 * Given our discussion this morning, please consider and respond to the following, as they relate to your personal learning journey this year:
 * Identify your Goals & Objectives
 * What Obstacles/Problems do you anticipate?
 * What Strategies will you use to overcome these obstacles?
 * What resources and materials will you share via our EA wiki and learning community?
 * Data Collection:
 * Pre-assessment - //how will you determine the base-line of your students in your target area//?
 * Action Research Assessment and Evaluation:
 * How will you measure success?
 * How will you know if you have succeeded?
 * What will you collect as evidence of success?

=**2012-2013**= Destination Postcard:

Name: Real Life is about the kids exploring all the job possibilities out in the real world as they start thinking...'when I grow up, I want to be...' It's also a way to discover that there are various paths to pursue their dreams! > //What skills have you learned, through the process of creating your digital story, do you think you will use the rest of your life? // > // 1. collaboration skills // > // 2. dissecting a problem and the process of coming up with solutions // // How would kids explore Real Life jobs to find out // // 1. job possibilities // // 2. which type of job interests them // // 3. what they see in themselves that would be useful to perfom the job they're interested in //
 * =====Campus: Westwood Elem. =====
 * =====Grade Level(s): K-5th =====
 * =====Discipline: Elementary Education =====
 * =====Topic: Real Life applications =====
 * =====Focus Question: d//raft a focus question and subquestions, that include student learning, and be prepared to revise these throughout the challenge //=====

How is your journey like that of a storyteller? Or a researcher? My pebble got reshaped, from 'real life' to 'digital storytelling' ABOUT real life.
 * An Opportunity in Overalls**

What question did you start out to find answer(s) to? My driving question was: What is Digital Storytelling? What is the place of Digital Storytelling in the classroom? Then I found two awesome websites: Bernajean Porter's Digitails and Jason Ohler's Digital Storytelling, so I purchased Jason Ohler's book, __Digital Storytelling in the Classroom.__ Just ATE them up!!! The real question after that became: Storytellers of...what exactly? 'Stories' has a such a broad meaning! And then, there was another question following: What is a storyteller...so, the initial driving question generated so many others, until the driving question ceased to be about the technology tools and it focused on the whole point of DST: what STORY do we WANT to tell?
 * What tweaks, edits, modifications have you made to your focus question?
 * I need to not just understand the different backgrounds of my students, but more importantly how their background affects their perceptions.
 * What question(s) remain?
 * What tools can I employ with my students with to help them step outside of "their bubble" and how do I do this?
 * What new questions have surfaced as a result of your exploration this far?
 * How can I best measure/resolve my students' perception or point of view hindering mastery of content.
 * How can I best measure/resolve my students' perception or point of view hindering mastery of content.

As a researcher: What are you measuring?
 * What patterns are surfacing?
 * What themes are emerging?
 * What does your data suggest?

As a learner:
 * In what way(s) has your professional perception been expanded?
 * How are you allowing yourself and your authentic, real, professional learning to be 'seen'?
 * In what way(s) have you found the courage to be 'imperfect'?
 * How do you define vulnerability in the context of our work?What about this process makes you feel vulnerable?
 * What strategies are you using through this process that might benefit your students as well?
 * What **//a-ha!//** moments, or elements of a 'spiritual awakening'/'breakdown' have you experienced? What might these insights suggested to you?

What story is unfolding from your research?
 * (//just bullet point notes for now//)

__

//Journal of my Journey//
1. Update: When I started out with our digital storytelling group, I had a skeleton lesson plan and an agenda for the direction I wanted to take the class, but it only took two class meetings to realize that if the goal was for the kids to truly move independently through their learning, then, I needed to just set the parameters for how our class would work together, let go of my agenda, and 'create' one together with the class to fit the direction they wanted to go with digital storytelling.

2. Learning: my thinking has either shifted or taken shape in ways that are completely new to me. Here are some thoughts. learning to occur. We need a comfortable basic familiar structure to operate in, where everyone comes in and knows what to expect, and awareness of a time frame to gauge effort for individual planning. For example: come in, have 'together' time (talk about where we left off, request buddy help time, etc.), get to work on our particular phase of the project, request/provide peer expert support, then meet 10 min. before end time to reflect & plan for the next time. Kids leave and I make notes to remember what they will need next time. putting a partner in a hard spot, and allows for the needed flexibility so we can support each other's learning). to complete. The first semester class worked on a whole class digital storytelling project, and chose project-parts to be responsible for either individually or in partners. The second semester students are working on individual projects, but still need the same type of peer expert support that first semester students provided tor each other. The agendas are different, but the agreements on group dynamics and collaboration will be the same.
 * It's not about completely letting go of structure altogether, but the group only needs a basic parameter to operate within in order for true
 * The group needs to create a chart of our 'agreements' as the basis of our community building (prevents abandoning project at crucial times and
 * Agenda: since each class group is different, it only makes sense to co-create an agenda with each group to fit the type of project they want

3. Major Ahas: > At what point did it happen? Was it so gradual that I didn't see it until the contrast with the incoming group made it obvious?
 * One is what I have observed in the second semester DST class, composed of both first-semester returning students and new incoming students. The first-semester students exhibit the concern, patience and empathy needed to make sure that everyone will learn and be successful, and they model the commitment to problem solving using what they know and the persistence to figure out what they don't know.
 * Another is that my idea of success has shifted. Beyond the brilliance of a project idea, I see the value of the excellence brought about through the collaborative work of a group of experts whose agenda is the success of the group's goal.
 * One last Aha: it continues to be a very 'messy' learning process as my students try the technology communication tools we have available to give their creativity a form, and as I take on the challenge along side them. And I still don't have the know-how and all the answers.

3.Artifacts of your learning

media type="custom" key="22358584"


 * Professional payoff - learning sharing engagement
 * Student shifts:
 * Next step ideas and needs

**Resources**:
 * Documentation & Reflection - http://balancedtech.wikispaces.com/Documentation+and+Reflection+Prompts
 * Inquiry - http://balancedtech.wikispaces.com/Inquiry
 * Resources: search for existing resources (articles, websites, blogs, videos, etc.) - please be sure to add them to our [|Diigo]
 * []


 * ===== Activity: =====
 * Individually, design a student resource, activity type, or project to try in the classroom over the next month to test. Then, get feedback from partners.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Try out resource, activity type, or project during the month(s), documenting plan, process, execution and reflection and collect student work samples.
 * Round 1
 * Round 2
 * Round 3

//Please create a page for your activities that will help others understand the steps you are taking in your inquiry and design process.//

**Creating Your Activity Page [[image:sbisdlearnsymphony/InqDesign.png align="right"]]**

 * 1) Please make a new page:
 * Title: <name, topic, Round 1>
 * Template: activity design
 * Tag : design, campus
 * 1) SAVE your page
 * 2) Check to be sure your page appears at the top of our Activity Share page

//example:// Jennifer F. Round 1