A Reminder: Social Media Best Practices
Tuesday, June 4, 2013 | Posted by swalker at Tuesday, June 04, 2013 0 comments
Labels: 21stcenturylearning, collaboration, digitalcitizenship, socialmedia, summer
Summer Adventures - Physical and Digital
During those cool down times, or times when the weather won't allow you to get outside and move there's no doubt students will want to use technology, and play on their gaming systems. Common Sense Media has a list of games and technology sites that includes everything from art, to music, to building, to computer programming. These apps, games, and websites are rated for safety and appropriateness, and are categorized by age level so you can find safe digital activities for children that will help them problem solve, and be creative. Keeping our students moving and thinking will help nurture them and develop healthy habits and a well-rounded knowledge base. You never know what talents children may discover!
photo credit: Lighttruth via photopin cc
Friday, May 24, 2013 | Posted by swalker at Friday, May 24, 2013 0 comments
Labels: common sense media, engagement, fun, learning, summer, Winston-Salem
Problems Take Time - A Life lesson
They hear me say it, but rarely do they completely believe me. I'm certain to continuously encourage them and tell them it does not matter what level they finish on, but that the only requirement is THEY DO NOT GIVE UP!
What's amazing to see are students who get to the point of frustration, some to the point of tears, won't give up, but show an unwillingness to stop playing the game. Games and gamification are emerging teaching methodologies according to the annual Horizon Report, which yearly identifies emerging trends in educational technology. Students are able to maintain concentration far longer when playing a video game than if they were asked to do some other type of learning activity so why not leverage that in school?
My goals are by having students engage with these types of learning opportunities they build stamina for learning and develop a growth mindset where they authentically believe they can conquer any problem given time and teamwork (sometimes they are allowed to work in groups or teams) and that it translates to the regular classroom.
In processing these experiences I always reference the Wright Brothers (Orville and Wilbur), who invented the control system for the airplane and talked about how they tested dozens of wing shapes until they found the one that gave them lift. It took a good seven years for the Wright Brothers to invent a fully functional flying machine. Problems worth solving take time. What if they had given up? Encouraging our students to never give up in a worthwhile pursuit! Watch Steven Johnson explain his research about creativity, innovation, and where good ideas come from and see if you don't agree in the video below!
photo credit: DonnaGrayson via photopin cc
Monday, April 29, 2013 | Posted by swalker at Monday, April 29, 2013 0 comments
Labels: learning, mindset, PBL, problem solving, time
Book Club off to a Page-Turning Success!
The discussions were lively and parents were able to identify with just how deeply their children must engage with books as they learn to read and comprehend on a daily basis at school. A book club is a great casual way for parents to build strong relationships with their children.
Some of the students are actually looking up other books by Clements and parents had comments like, "awesome book" - "great opportunity" and "I love this book." Students also made decisions about whether or not the book was fiction or non-fiction and made connections about events in the story, and with local historical events.
The book club is just getting started and will meet again April 11th at 6:30 at the school with 4th grade students reading "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbitt. The book club is limited to 10 student/parent participants and are chosen by random drawing on entries received. Thanks to Mrs. D'Souza for organizing this event and for Ms. Southerland and Ms. McRae for facilitating discussions.
Monday, March 11, 2013 | Posted by swalker at Monday, March 11, 2013 0 comments
Labels: 3rd grade, book club, D'Souza, Frindle, Kimmel Farm, McRae, reading, Southerland
Password Safety
What are the risks? You don't want your personal information public, and that threat remains constant, especially if you are using free and unsecured wireless connections at fast food restaurants or coffee shops. It's amazing how easy it is for others to see what you may be typing into your phone or computer when the wireless is not secure. Computer viruses are another risk which can cause damage to your device which can be costly to repair. Worst of all, people can damage your online identity which is difficult to repair. The way you are seen online is very important and experts have said that your online reputation may be as or more important than your real life reputation because that's how employers and friends close and far will know you. If negative postings or activity under your name appear online it's hard to correct.
So how does one make a secure password? There are a few simple rules. NEVER use the word "password" as your password. Believe it or not, many people use this as their password. Common Sense Media recommends these steps in creating safe passwords. Changing passwords every few months also is smart for particularly important data.
• Don’t use passwords that are easy to guess – such as your nickname or your pet’s name. People who know you well can guess these kinds of passwords.
• Don’t use any private identity information in your password. Identity thieves can use this information to pretend to be you.
• Don’t use a word in the dictionary as a password. Hackers use programs that will try every word in the dictionary to guess passwords.
• Do use combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols. These are harder to crack than regular words because there are more combinations to try.
Although we have talked about this at school, talk about this with your students and teach them safe password habits. It's a skill they can use the rest of their lives.
photo credit: marc falardeau via photopin cc
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 | Posted by swalker at Tuesday, March 05, 2013 0 comments
Labels: common sense media, digitalcitizenship, internet safety, passwords