So where are we now? 1:1 and Windows 8 - 3 weeks later

In just 3 weeks - we have accomplished so much! The kids have adapted to having a computer as an additional learning tool with minimal hurdles.

Our 1:1 classroom is fully functional. We are using our computers on a daily basis, routines are being established and online learning is happening. We asked each student to provide their own headphones/ear-buds, and a flash drive for moving documents to our school network. We have already seen a decrease in the amount of "paper products" that are being produced.

I spent a few minutes and created a list of what we have done so far - regarding web based programs, productivity tools and Windows 8 Applications....

In just 3 weeks the kids have used, and are very familiar with the following:

Web Based Programs:

Kidblog - communication and journaling

XtraMath - daily math fact practice in a "fun" way

TenMarks - review of math concepts with problem solving and application

BrainPop - Story Elements and audio/visual explanations of reading concepts

Our Virginia Online Textbook - communication of Virginia History concepts

SolPass - review of Virginia Studies SOL's in a fun and interactive way

MathDictionary for Kids - introduction and review of math vocabulary in an interactive way

Productivity Tools:

Excel - creating graphs and spreadsheets relating Solar System planets size and distance from sun

Word - keyboarding skills and composing

Powerpoint - creating presentations about books read, including basic story elements

PhotoStory3 - taking powerpoint shows and saving them as JPGs - then creating a visual movie with sound  and transitions

ActivInspire - creating slide shows using the interactive tools to depict the Va SOL Native American information

Copy/paste between programs

Embed HTML code

Saving images as JPGs

keyboarding skills

Windows 8 Tasks:

Switch between desktop and start screen

Navigating around the start screen and finding various apps that apply to what they need to do

Pin/unpin programs to start screen

Camera

How to Connect to WiFi and troubleshoot if there is a problem with the connection

And here they are in action:

Collaborating, Creating and Communicating!

Windows 8 in the hands of fourth graders!

The day finally arrived! After 9 months of planning and preparing - our 1:1 computing classroom is a reality! Microsoft Windows 8 is alive and kicking at Mountain View Elementary School in Purcellville, Virginia!

The LCPS van pulled up LOADED with our Windows 8 computers...

The Dell Backpacks were loaded in with the Tablet PC inside each one...

Carefully unloaded and brought into the school

uploaded into an empty classroom to be labeled, serial numbers recorded and issued to the students

 After all of the documentation was complete, the students were given the computer to "open up" and use for the first time! We only had about an hour left in the day. We have been talking about Windows 8 and some of the differences, so they were ready for the grand unveiling. We turned them on, logged on and scrolled through the initial welcome piece...

And then they were there - the Windows 8 start screen on their brand new Dell Laptop XT3 with a swivel screen and touch capabilities! The kids were ecstatic and very aware of the seriousness of following directions and making good choices. You could tell they were proud and trying very hard to be mature and contain the excitement.

We hooked one of the computers up to our promethean board as a demonstration tool for the kids to look at.

 The look of pure joy on their faces couldn't be captured on camera, but is visible in some of these pictures. They have waited 6 weeks for this day and it finally arrived.

We spent about 45 minutes today exploring the apps and the start screen. They were thrilled to find familiar programs and we allowed them some exploration time to play.  They loved the touch capabilities and we started talking about the "charms" that swipe in from the right hand side. They also got very excited about just typing what you are searching for on the start screen and the program will show up.

Tomorrow is another day, and as I said to the students today..they way you are learning in this classroom is about to really change!

We can't wait to see what lays ahead!!!

Prepping for 1:1 Computing - Starting with 2:1 and giving away the Power!

We are another week closer to getting our laptop/tablets and starting 1:1 computing in Fourth Grade. As we get closer, the students and I get more and more excited. I am still grateful for these extra weeks before, and I am finding more and more ways to make them useful for all of us. 

I don't think the students really know what is ahead of them and the "fun" they are going to have with 1:1 computing. I continue to talk to them about how we are training for our own computers, and I am watching them for signs of being responsible and able to follow directions with technology.

We used the school laptop cart for the first time this week, and the cart of 12 was just about perfect for my class of 25 to do 2:1 computing in the room. They were very excited to work with their partners on an exploration task with a math website.  The looks on their faces and their attitudes toward the lesson reinforced the fact that using technology is where these students belong.  They were engaged, focused and completely on task. They were "in the zone."

Later in the day we started our first blog post. We will be using Kidblog and we had discussed and previewed the site earlier in the week. Today we were "blogging." Again, not enough computers on the laptop cart for everyone to do it at once, so I had half of my class working on a reading assignment and other half blogging, then we would switch.  It got crazy and I realized that by myself, I couldn't take care of all of the questions and issues that arose as the students explored "blogging."

I had to "Give Away the Power!" As teachers, we tend to be control freaks or Type A personalities. I am both of those, and up until about 1 1/2 years ago, I was always the Queen of my Kingdom and I was in total control. As I worked with my TRT on the project that we took to the Microsoft PIL Forum in 2011, I began to realize the joy of giving away the power. The idea of students collaborating and students teaching each other was something that I only did when I had a structured cooperative learning activity planned, otherwise, I was in charge and everyone did what I said.

As I help these students to become 21st Century learners, I have realized the importance of collaboration and moving from controlling my classroom to managing my classroom. As certain students became profficient at the steps to using Kidblog, I let them help the many other hands that were raised with questions.  At one point I stood back and watched 4 different conversations going on with students teaching other students, and the smiles of success on the faces of all.

So as I get ready for 1:1 computing in my classroom, 

I need to remember to...

 

GIVE AWAY THE POWER 

and 

MANAGE my classroom, not CONTROL it!

If you Build It...They Will Come! - Prepping for 1:1 Computing

We are still a couple of weeks away from receiving our computers for our 1:1 classroom, but the preparations are well underway!! Preparations for the students and for the parents.....

For the Parents:

We had our evening Parent Information Meeting and it went very well. There were representatives from Microsoft, Dell and the LCPS Administration present and all shared information with the parents about hopes, expectations and our plans for the pilot program. It was a great night with meaningful discussion and valuable questions. I think everyone came out of the meeting looking forward to this great learning adventure.

The "team" behind this Student 360 Initiative with LCPS and Microsoft!

a handout that the parents received with information about what the students will be using...

We had abaout 35-40 of our 50 families involved with this pilot, present at the parent evening. The parents are very excited to see what this journey holds for their children and we can't wait to begin!


Prepping for 1:1 computing with the students:

Initially, I was disappointed that the computers would not be on the desks for the first day of school. Now, I am grateful that they weren't.

  Creativity, Critical thinking, Collaboration are all skills that we will be working with this year, but they aren't necessarily skills that the students are coming to fourth grade ready to use. We are taught in teacher prep classes that K-3 are "Learning to Read" years, and then in fourth grade the students move into the "Reading to Learn" years. It is a developmental process and students move at different rates, speeds, levels.....

I can see comfort levels with technology being the same - some students are ready to move out of their comfort zone and create, others are waiting for the directions from the teacher and want the exact steps that they need to follow in front of them. It's a developmental process and all the students are going to move at different rates. Our job as 21st century teachers is to provide them opportunities to move forward and develop those higher level skills.

What I witnessed today with my fourth graders filled me with joy, and reassured me that they are ready for 1:1 computing and will do great things this year!!

Today was only day 2 of fourth grade, but the students are totally aware that "the computers" are coming in the near future. We had some small discussions yesterday, but today I decided to take them to the computer lab for an extended time period with a job to do, and set them free.

The short version of our discussion went as follows:
"You will not get a piece of paper telling you what to do, we will DISCUSS it together before you start, but you will need to THINK about the steps and LISTEN to our discussion."

"You will each CREATE your own project. Everyone's project will look different because we are all not the same, so our projects shouldn't be exactly the same."

"I am not the only teacher there, you may ask your friends for help. If you finish early, I may ask you to be another teacher and help others who aren't done yet."

The task was fairly simple to most adults, but very "multi-step" to these 9 year olds, with  a lot of techno-babble and applications...

• open Microsoft Word - type a list of 20-30 words representing yourself (the list was written in class earlier)
• save the Word Document
• Open Tagxedo.com (a word cloud program)
• copy the words
• Paste them into Tagxedo
• Create their word cloud - changing font/color/theme/shape
• Save it as a JPG
• Open Powerpoint
• Insert the saved JPG into the slide
• Manipulate it/crop/resize
• Save the Powerpoint slide

Wow!...Off they went, and never looked back. I looked at this project as a form of Diagnostic Assessment for 1:1 computing. Are they capable of  following all of these steps? Are they able to think about what to do next? They didn't have any kind of written directions to look at. Are they getting frustrated? I fully expected tears or fits. Are they comfortable to ask friends for help? I fully expected, "Mrs. Rahn, Mrs. Rahn, Mrs. Rahn."

My class is very diverse in academic levels and I wasn't sure how all of my students would respond to this task. After all, it was day 2 of school and many were still in summer mode.

All I can say is, "If you build it, they will come!" As educators, we aim to set the bar high. To raise expectations, in hopes that all of our students will strive to achieve those high expectations. Many achieve, and those that don't still end up at a higher level than if the bar had been set at their academic level.

This is what happened in my classroom today - my students were shining stars! They LISTENED, they COLLABORATED, they were THINKERS, and they WANTED to be successful. This project was meaningful to them and they were excited about it.

No one was yelling for Mrs. Rahn or Mrs. King from across the room, they were discussing with their friends, they were helping each other and they were thinking. They were allowed to get out of their seats and ask someone a question. They didn't have to "be quiet."  Every one of the 25 students of my very diverse classroom finished this project in about an hour. One student finished first, and spent the next 40 minutes wandering around the room being an "assistant teacher." The students responded to him, and welcomed his help as much as my own.

I now feel more confident that this group of students is ready for 1:1 computing. They are already demonstrating creativity, classroom collaboration and thinking through multi-step problems.  These kids are prepared to tackle any challenge that we put in front of them.

Are they 21st century learners? I think so!

If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It! - My classroom this year!!

“If You Can Dream it, You Can Do It!”

– 1:1 Computing with Loudoun County, Microsoft, Dell and 30 4^th Graders

     In a few weeks another teaching dream will come true.  Every fourth grade student in my classroom will be in possession of their own laptop, and I will enter into the world of 1:1 computing.   Six months ago I had a question and an opportunity.  Now I will have 30 computers and enter into a partnership with organizations that have shown how important they think education and teachers are.

     Walt Disney once said, “If you can dream it, you can do it!”  Here’s the story of a teacher who dreams and how her dreams continue to come true.

     About a year ago, I had the incredible experience of participating in the 2011 Microsoft Partners in Learning Forum in Redmond, WA. I was surrounded by 102 passionate educators and a team from the Microsoft Education Sector that made me feel important.I came back refreshed and wanting to do more. I had more questions; I had more thoughts and ideas and I wanted to try it all out. The Microsoft Education team continued to stay in contact and offered support through Twitter, face to face meetings, and just a general sense of “being there.” 

       I ventured out of my comfort zone and brought my classroom into the 21^st century with technology. Some things worked, and I was proud. Some things didn’t, but through the virtual professional learning community I had created, I was able to find alternatives and solutions.  I knew there were people that would offer suggestions and that were there to support me with ideas and new strategies to implement.  I had a great year! My fourth graders excelled and the response from parents about what was happening only gave me more joy and encouraged me to do more. When I shared my successes with the Microsoft Education team, I truly felt that they were proud and wanted to celebrate with me.

     The one frustration through the year was a recurring theme. There was not enough time to do what I wanted. Time management is a common stressor for many educators. My recurring time stressor was that our 13 laptops available to classes on a rolling cart were not enough to satisfy the growing technology needs of my students.  They were blossoming and creating, collaborating and innovating in ways that I truly didn’t think possible. The students wanted more time with the computers, and I couldn’t give it to them. Upon voicing my frustrations to my Technology Resource Teacher, she agreed and said to share my concerns with the Microsoft Education team and they may have some ideas about different avenues I could go down to “get more computers.” 

   

     Our district had a great technology plan in place, but the funding wasn’t available to begin to implement it, so I knew that I would have to go elsewhere.  I had been invited to a School-Business Partnership Breakfast by Andrew Ko, the General Manager of Partners In Learning for Microsoft Education.  I was one of many Loudoun County Teachers that Andrew invited to this breakfast. Again, Microsoft was showing that they value education and support their teachers. I went to that breakfast with an idea and a question. I left that breakfast feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve. Might I just get the biggest present that a teacher could ever dream of?

     I asked Andrew about different possibilities for entering into 1:1 computing in my classroom.  He didn’t blink an eye and looked straight at me and said that Microsoft can probably help with that.  Teachers don’t get what we ask for. We have dreams for our classroom, and spend our own money to make them happen or just continue to dream.  That first conversation in February of 2012 reiterated the fact that the Microsoft Corporation fully supports education and is looking for ways to show that support.  

     The next 6 months became a whirlwind of continuing to hope, dream, work hard and still not totally believe that I would have a class set of computers for my students at the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year.  I returned to my school and shared the news with my TRT and my husband, who also teaches fourth grade in the same school. My husband had implemented a 1:1 classroom 5 years earlier with handheld computing devices.  The three of us researched/developed/wrote and revised a 3 page proposal  to submit to Microsoft, which eventually turned into 5 pages. We were requesting to enter into a partnership with Microsoft to develop 2 1:1 computing classrooms.  Microsoft would arrange for the devices to be given to us, and we would then enhance our teaching methods by integrating more 21^st century skills and utilizing the computers in a 24/7 learning environment.  

     I still didn’t believe that it was actually going to happen. We had some face to face meetings with the Microsoft Education team and also began the discussion with our school district.  Our two classrooms (my husband’s and mine) would become pilot classrooms in our county demonstrating 1:1 learning.  We would also be pilot classrooms for the Microsoft Corporation demonstrating different ways to use 1:1 computing in the elementary classroom. We would become model classrooms for the nation to look at. 

     It began to sound extremely exciting and awesome – in the truest sense of the word. It was still hard to believe that this all started with a simple question, and it was evolving into an incredible learning journey. I spent every extra hour researching successes and pitfalls of 1:1 classrooms, the newest technology innovations for elementary school students and just basic management ideas.  We continued to talk with Microsoft and our District Asst. Superintendent of Instruction.  Microsoft was entering into discussions with the Dell Corporation for the donation of 60 computing devices for this Student 360 Initiative that would be happening in Loudoun County, Virginia. …and the 2011-2012 school year came to a close.  We had no definitive answers, but a lot of ideas and everything seemed to be going forward. 

     I had just finished my 22nd year of teaching and couldn’t wait for the next year to start. I had tried new things, learned a lot and couldn’t wait to continue the following year. Summer came and the emails continued from Microsoft and the LCPS Administration. A meeting was planned at the Microsoft Building in Northern Virginia and the attendee list and agenda was sent out.  There would be 15 people around the table – including 6 Microsoft Executives, 2 Dell Executives, 4 Loudoun County Public School Administrators and 2 teachers.  Also included were 2-3 executives on Conference Call.  

     This meeting was happening because I asked Andrew Ko a question, and he proved once again that if Microsoft believes in you, they will support you.  At the end of the three hours, decisions were made and many discussions were had, but it was finally announced that Microsoft and Dell would be partnering with LCPS and Laura and Don Rahn to implement 2 model 1:1 computing classrooms for the 2012-2013 school year.  

     As I look forward to that first day of school and the expressions on my student’s 9 year old faces, when I tell them that this computer is theirs for the whole school year, I think about how I am no different than any other teacher. I want what is best for my students. I want to help them learn in a way that will help them to be as successful as possible and I want to help them become global citizens. I want them to learn how to solve problems, think critically and creatively and to learn how to collaborate with their peers and other adults.  I had a question, and luckily, I asked the right person!

     Thank you Microsoft and Dell for supporting education and making a teacher’s dream come true! Those two organizations have proven that support for education initiatives is alive and well, and have reaffirmed my belief that …”If you can dream it, you can do it!”

     *** This blog will be the place where I will share the journey that I am about to take. I will talk about the successes and struggles of 1:1 computing with fourth graders.  I will describe the excitement and anxiety through photos and discussion. I will share the ideas and strategies that I come across as I help my students become innovators and critical thinkers.  And most of all, I will continue to learn and grow as I move ahead in “Making it Real” for my students and myself with technology in the 21st  century!   

My One Year Anniversary

Who knew a year ago, that I would be where I am today in my teaching.  I certainly didn't. After 23 years of teaching, you're just supposed to pull out last year's plans and go forward, right?  That was DEFINITELY not the case this year.

A year ago I had just gotten accepted to participate in the 20ll Microsoft Innovative Education Forum (now being called the Microsoft Partners In Learning Forum)- I didn't really know what it was and I had no idea what would come from it. As my husband stated to me just yesterday, "Who knew that one project would change your life this way?!"

Here is a link to a blog post that I did about my adventures at the 20ll Microsoft IEF (Microsoft PIL Forum):  How To Make A Teacher Feel Like A Rock Star

Upon returning from Seattle and the incredible experience that I had, my head was spinning and I wanted to do it all.  Thanks to Microsoft I felt like I could...so my next journey began......

I started a Twitter account and began to develop my own Professional Learning Network to learn more and get more ideas. The wealth of knowledge was tremendous and the ideas were pouring in from all parts of the world. I was SO excited to start the new school year and see where this path would take me.

The year started and I realized that my 24 fourth graders wouldn't be taught in the same way that I had taught fourth grade for the past 8 years.  But could I make it work? Would it be too much work for me? Could the students handle the new ideas? Could I handle the new ideas? Would my building administrators let me try out some of these things that I was finding and learning about? How would my colleagues and peers react to the craziness that I was bringing into my classroom with added technology? All of these questions were swirling in my head as the year started in September.

Through the year, I had ups and downs.  I had successes with technology and failures.  Some ideas were shot down and my ego was definitely deflated a time or two, but I persevered and continued to find new ideas and try out new things.

The one constant through this whole year was the enthusiasm of the students and the parents in my classroom. The kids never questioned a new idea or a new opportunity.  The only problem they had is that they couldn't have enough time on our 4 computers or in our computer lab to do all that they wanted.  The students were my visionaries. They questioned what I was doing and couldn't wait to try it out.  The kids took it to the next level and discovered things about these programs or "toys" that I hadn't found out yet. We learned together. When I announced that I had a new program or idea to share with them, they couldn't wait.....my traditional way of teaching was slowly changing and moving into the 21st century.  I was finding ways to integrate technology into all that we did. 

Some of my "new to me" discoveries this year include:

• Creating a class KidBlog page - the students in my class are blogging and communicating with each other in an online venue.  They LOVE it! Over 2/3 of my class have blogged from home!
• Using VOKI as a fluency tool.  The kids have recorded poetry - created personal VOKIs to introduce themselves to the class and have worked with their first grade buddies to create first grade VOKIs for the first graders to practice their reading fluency.
• Using WallWisher to record comments about tools and things we are doing in the classroom
• Using Wordle and Tagxedo to create word clouds about different instructional topics
• Using Superlame.com to add speech bubbles to regular JPEG images - who knew parallel lines could talk to each other?
• using Photostory 3 to create movies demonstrating their knowledge of Geometry with photos taken from around their homes and school
• becoming experts at Powerpoint and creating beautiful, professional looking presentations on a multitude of topics
• using Microsoft SmartArt graphics to organize their learning and share what they have learned with others
• Using TenMarks as a math review site
•  the list could go on, and I am amazed on a daily basis at what the students can do

The parents in my class have been very supportive.  Some were repeat parents (I had taught an older sibling) and were surprised at the changes that they were observing. The others have been fully on board from day one with my ideas to help their children become 21st century students.

It's now almost May and we are getting ready for our state tests - the high stakes testing that the country is abuzz with right now.  I feel like my kids are ready and actually excited about the tests.  They aren't burnt out and/or nervous from all of the test prep....because there hasn't been a lot of test prep this year.  The kids have been applying and learning the information all year and it hasn't been with a pile of worksheets or the 200 pages in a textbook.  Am I nervous? Yes! I have approached the curriculum in a different way this year. I have covered all of the material, but not in the same traditional way as in years past.  My colleagues tell me it will all be fine, but only time will tell if this year has been as successful as I feel it has been.

I honestly have to say that my "transformation" is all due to my TRT (technology teacher) in my building who got me involved with the IEF a year ago, and Microsoft Partners in Learning for accepting me into the forum a year ago and providing the support that they have for this past year.

I felt like there was an invisible "big brother or sister" watching me and cheering me on as I tried to keep my head up and go forward with this self-directed mission of improving my teaching and becoming a teacher of 21st Century Skills.  The contacts that I made through Microsoft PIL have reached out to me and have been there when I have reached out to them over the past year. It's not often that a public school teacher can say that they know there is someone there who will always help them and support them. The Microsoft PIL team has done just that.

As I finish out the year and get ready for "the tests," I am already excited about next year and what the future may hold. I am crossing my fingers and hoping for as much success and learning as I have had this year, and the opportunity to do more innovative and creative things with technology in my classroom next year!

Thank you Microsoft PIL and Happy Anniversary to me!

"FLOW" in the classroom - Do we have to stop?!

When my students don't want to stop...and they beg for more time in the classroom "doing work," I know that I have achieved what every teacher hopes for - student engagement!

Recently I found some articles talking about student engagement using technology.  I had just started a project in my classroom as a culmination of our Civil War study and had begged, borrowed and stole enough computers for all of my students to work independently. We are a school district with 4 computers in each classroom (2 are laptops), and then a travelling cart with 12 laptops. I borrowed additional laptops from across the hall, down the hall and the technology teacher had a few extras. We were set...each student had a work station and the computers were mine for 3 days.  We have a computer lab and are allotted 2 30-45 minute time slots per week with open times that you can use if no one else has signed up for them, but that was full.  Mission accomplished - computers for all (how I hope and wish that I will someday have 1:1 computing in my classroom on a 24/7 basis).

What I witnessed in that first hour pleased me to no end.  The task was to create a powerpoint show about the Civil War.  That's all - no additional guidelines....they had the instructional background - we had watched video clips, taken virtual field trips to some of the battlefields, read in our textbook, looked at primary sources and now they were to apply what they learned in a presentation.  I told them to make it their own and ceate/publish in a way that would show what they had learned. We talked about the intended audience and how to paraphrase and not copy someone else's words.

Then...later that evening at home I was on Twitter and saw a tweet about student engagement, which led me to learning about "FLOW,"  (http://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-engagement-elena-aguilar ) I was very excited about this, because that is EXACTLY what was happening in my classroom. The author states:

1. The goals are clear (i.e. design an experiment which demonstrates xyz, write a persuasive essay, paint the ceiling of the chapel)
2. The goals are attainable and within one's skillset and ability; and the challenge level and skill level are both high
3. You get clear and immediate feedback so you can adjust your course

I did more research and found this graphic: (flow-a-measure-of-student-engagement/)

This graphic shows exactly what my students were feeling...they were all in that top corner - they were interested and being successful!

Take a look at these candid shots to see the level of engagement that was happening in my classroom -

Here are some samples of finished products. The work is all done by the students. They helped each other with design elements, and then used the information from class and a folder of pictures that the technology teacher and I had pulled as a resource.




We worked for 3 days on this project - for a few hours each day and when I announced we had to finish because Spring Break was starting in 2 hours, there were actually moans because they wanted more time! It was a GREAT time to be a teacher! :)

I can only imagine the kinds of activities and student engagement I could achieve in my classroom if I had technology available to these students on a daily basis. If you have 1:1 computing in your school, what kind of activities and student projects are your kids working on and how do you manage it?

Exploring MS SmartArt Graphics...the possibilities are endless!

 This week I introduced my 4th graders to SmartArt graphics using Microsoft powerpoint.  And that is all I had to do was...introduce.  No further instruction was needed, an explanation of the assignment was discussed and then they were off to explore, create and collaborate.  I continue to be amazed at the abilities of young students when they are given the opportunity to explore on their own and create their own independent projects. 
    21st century skills - creativity, critical thinking, independent learning, and collaboration....all were present on the two different tasks that were assigned.  I loved watching the joy as one of my students "figured out" how to do something and truly yelled at me from across the computer lab that she "did it!"  I couldn't help but jump up and down with her, she made her graphic work...on her own...with her own solution!  Another student, couldn't get a piece of hers to work, her friend sitting next to her...paused from her own project and turned to help.  The excitement and enthusiasm for technology has been growing by leaps and bounds this year in my classroom.
    I have come to realize that I don't have to be the expert as I introduce technology tools to my students. The excitement and motivation to learn far exceeds the need for me to "teach them how to do it."  They want to explore, they want to see if they can change the shapes, the colors, the backgrounds...they want to figure out HOW to do it.  They don't need me...I am giving them the tools and they are making them their own and MAKING IT REAL!

Our first assignment, stemmed from a Reading skill that we were discussing - Author's Purpose - the three main purposes: to inform, to entertain, to persuade.  In previous years, I have used the circle/pie picture to discuss the three types of Author's Purposes.  This time - I showed them SmartArt and said create a graphic organizer that shows the 3 types - be creative and have fun!
Here are some examples:






Later on in the week, we were working on researching Famous Virginians - looking at key years and events in their lives.  I assigned the kids the task of creating a basic timeline for their Famous Virginian.  Again, I showed them some of the options in SmartArt, provided them with some pictures and said, "GO!"  That was all that they needed to create beautiful, well thought out time-lines.







The above examples are just a very few of the great learning activities that my kids completed this week.  All it took was a simple tool and some discussion and they were using their knowledge and applying it to create, instead of just circling answers on a worksheet or reading about it in a book!!