App-time at Naptime: Pic Collage

Welcome to my new summer series...

App-time at Naptime.

Since I never got around to posting about how we use iPads in our Kindergarten classrooms at my school, I thought maybe a summer series about apps and how we use them would be fun to do.  I only have time to write when both my girls are napping so the name App-time at Naptime seems appropriate. 

Let's talk 

Pic Collage

Pic Collage is one of my favorite apps in Kindergarten because it is really easy to use, very intuitive, and it's FREE! I think the kiddos could figure it out even without directions, but of course I structure the introduction carefully because there are certain functions that I don't use and don't want the kids messing with. I never let kids "just explore" apps on their own because typically I use them in a very purposeful way as part of instruction and don't want my students having the mentality that they can just play around with apps. I always give a clear purpose and specific directions and slowly walk the kiddos through the various steps of using a new app before I have them use it independently. And typically, since it's Kindergarten,  I review a lot and give specific instructions for each project so they are reminded of the DOs and DON'Ts.

I took a bunch of screenshots to explain how Pic Collage works.

Simply tap the screen to create a new project. If you're working on a project you already saved, you can just swipe to view all of the projects that are saved in the app and tap when you find the one you want. 

When you start, you see this screen that shows the basic directions/functions. 

The plus at the bottom brings up a menu where you can take a photo, add photos from your device, search the web for photos, add video, add text, or add stickers. Typically, I have my students either add photos from their device (I create specific albums containing a variety of photos that go along with whatever their project will be about) or sometimes they are in charge of using the camera on their iPad to take their own photos. 

I do not have them search the web ever and I do not have them use the stickers. I feel stickers don't add to the quality of the work and they are distracting. The kids LOVE the stickers and I know this because they use them in extended day during their reading intervention time, but in choose not to introduce them in my classroom given the amount of time I have in half day Kinder. 

When they click on add photos they will see a screen that shows the various albums on their iPad. This is a shot of my own personal iPad, but if it were a school one, there would be an albums relating to various topics we've studied such as trees, frogs, fish, 3D shapes, 2D shapes, winter activities, pets etc. I usually create albums based on the weekly reading themes we study particularly if we are reading non-fiction stories on a particular topic.

When you click to add text, there are a variety of different fonts to choose from as well as font colors and background colors. I always let my students choose any font, color, and background they want for their name. I always ask that their writing be in the "Avant Garde" font because the letters look like how we write our letters and I ask that they select black for the font color without a background color. When we are using our iPads for writing practice, I want the typed writing to look as similar to actual writing as possible. I don't want it to be fancy or scripty and I don't want the kiddos getting distracted by all the choices. Sometimes kiddos take 10 minutes to complete their name, which is a good indicator that they enjoy making their own choices, but that it's important to set limits on choice making in the interest of time. 

I typically don't introduce apps like this until the kiddos are pretty solid in their writing skills, but the app is very versatile so Kindergartners could easily use one-word labels with pictures as opposed to complete sentences or phrases. 

Here are a few examples of projects my kiddos created this year. 

Assignment: Import 3 photos from the fish photo album and write 3 facts about fish. We did this during our focus on informative writing. 

Assignment: Build 2 towers of different sizes with unifix cubes and take a photo of the towers side by side. Label towers using the vocabulary words "short" and "tall." We did this during our math unit on measurement. This is an example of a project where students took their own photos.  

Funny sidebar...we did another project similar to this one on weight. I was very pregnant at the time and one student asked if he could take my photo for one of his examples. Sure enough I was the "heavy" example. Thanks...

Assignment: Import 3 photos from the trees album and write three facts about trees. We also did this one during our unit on informative writing.

Assignment: Import 3 photos from the winter activities album and write three things you enjoy doing in the winter. This project went along with one of our reading units on seasons. 

These are all examples from my stronger writers from various points in the year. Not all kiddos produce work like this, but everyone is engaged during these projects. They like using real photographs and being able to choose which ones they want for their projects. Since importing photos is a quick process, they spend more time focused on writing than on making a drawing to go with their writing. Also, for kiddos who are still acquiring English, using photos gives them specific images/ideas to look at while they think of what to write. The photos are great prompts to support those kiddos and help them build language as they practice writing. 

Although I typically use photos with Pic Collage, students could draw a picture with another app (we use Sketchio, but I've heard it doesn't work well with the new iOS updates). Students can save their drawing to their camera roll and import their own work rather than photos. 

One of my students' very favorite Pic Collage projects was a Friend Collage. I import and album that contains a photo of each child. They get to create a collage that shows their friends' photos and label the photos with their friends' names. That is a great project to do when the kiddos are just learning how to use the app. They think it's a lot of fun and the writing part is not too difficult. It also encourages social interactions because they can go ask a friend how to spell his/her name if they are not sure. 

As students become more competent in their writing skills they can move from one-word labels, to phrases, to full sentences, to paragraphs. Older students can use the app as well with higher expectations for their writing output. 

Another great thing about Pic Collage is that my students email me their projects at the end of the lesson and then I can view them all from my computer and easily forward the projects to their parents. There are other options to post to social media sites, but I don't use those. The process of teaching them how to send emails is very tedious at first and a very long lesson in itself, but once they get the hang of it, they can quickly do that step when it's time to cleanup. I also rely heavily on students helping other students and they enjoy having that role. 

Stay tuned for the next installment of App-time at Naptime where I will focus on Educreations. 

The Power of Stories

My mom always read to my brother and me when we were little. I know she firmly believed that reading to her kids would help us become smart kids and now that I am a parent I completely agree.

And, now, this article indicates that pediatricians are confirming the importance of reading and recommend reading to children from the time they are born. I always joke that Baby Sneaker is so smart because she did Kindergarten twice while she was in my belly. Clearly, this news is not new to us, but I think it's great if pediatricians encourage parents to read to their young children. 

NPR also covered this topic yesterday in talking with Professor Susan Neuman who is an expert in literacy development from New York University.

Now that Baby Sneaker is 2, she truly understands stories and loves to read. She is constantly bringing me books and asking me to read to her and I LOVE that. She loves to hear the same stories over and over and amazes us by filling in the missing words when we stop short and let her finish the sentences. Her vocabulary is incredible and she sometimes acts out events that happen in her stories when she is doing imaginative play. She even pretends to read the stories to her stuffed animals. 

Check her out...

Blue Hat, Green Hat

We are participating in the summer reading program through the library and she loves to put stickers on her reading chart for every 15 minutes we spend reading together. Each night before bed, both Mr. Sneaker and I read stories to her.

 Her current favorites are:

I think one of the most rewarding parts of being a Kindergarten teacher is seeing children enjoy stories and grow into readers. My class this year would beg me to read more whenever I did read alouds. Not the stories from the reading programs, but the stories that I picked out of my own personal collection. 

Sadly, some kids don't get read to at home. It's hard for me to imagine, but for some of the kiddos in our classrooms, the stories we read at school are the only stories they hear. Not only were they not read to as babies, but they weren't read to as toddlers or preschoolers either. Maybe a book here and there, but their parents don't build reading into their daily routine in order to establish an appreciation for books and stories and reading. When we read big books, we are supposedly recreating the experience of lap reading, but do we really achieve that? When I read to Baby Sneaker she interrupts all the time to ask "what's that?" as she points to various things in the illustrations. She repeats some of the words and tells me what comes next. I don't admonish her for interrupting because it's only her little voice and it's just the two of us. That's not the same experience kiddos have in my class when I am reading to 28 children at once. 

I can't judge parents for not reading to their kids because I don't know what their situation is. Not all parents have the resources that I do to fill my child's bookshelves with books. Maybe they don't have a car and it's too far to walk to the library. Maybe they can't read in English. Maybe they can't read at all. But, I think it's great if pediatricians begin emphasizing the importance of reading from day 1 so that hopefully families who experience barriers can also share the special experience of reading with their children.

What are your favorite stories to read with your kids or your students? 
Were you read to as a child?

Kindergarten "Redshirting"

Let's talk "Redshirting"

I came across this article that discusses whether or not children with late birthdays should start Kindergarten when they are very much on the young side or be held out assuming they will be more ready for Kindergarten the following school year. 

The article refers to a phenomenon called "redshirting" 

Redshirting is the practice of postponing entrance into kindergarten of age-eligible children in order to allow extra time for socio-emotional, intellectual, or physical growth. This occurs most frequently where children's birthdays are so close to the cut-off dates that they are very likely to be among the youngest in their kindergarten class. 

Based on how rigorous Kindergarten has become, I can definitely sympathize with a parent who believes that their young child just isn't ready for the rigor that comes along with the very academic program. Yet, what about children who are ready for the academic rigor, but are not socially ready for school? If they do start Kindergarten when they are on the younger end of the spectrum, how will they fare in classrooms that spend a lot more time on academics than on helping students gain social skills, learn to regulate emotions, take turns, play well with others, and work cooperatively. I can't speak for all Kinder teachers, but in my half day classroom, we don't spend time on social skills to the extent that students need to learn and practice these social skills. Should they stay in preschool longer in order to have prolonged access to a more play focused environment? 

My niece is an example of a kiddo whose parents had to decide whether or not to send her to Kindergarten. I am not sure when the birthday cutoff is in their state, but her birthday is in January. She actually began full day Kindergarten as a four year old and was four for nearly half the year! Yet, given how smart she is (despite her young age she is already reading and writing), it would have seemed silly to keep her out another year. 

Personally, if I got my class list and saw that a child did not turn 5 until January, I would be very skeptical about that child's presence in my classroom. I would be extremely worried about behavior problems and immaturity. I wouldn't expect a four year old to be able to cooperate, share, and follow directions to the same extent that five and almost six year olds can. Yet, for my niece, none of those things were an issue. Clearly, this is a case by case issue and parents will likely know what choice will result in the best outcome for their particular children. 

I think the biggest problem is when parents decide to go ahead and send their young child to Kindergarten when the child truly is not ready. My colleague told me she was in the office earlier in the spring when a mother was registering her son at our school for Kindergarten. She overhead the mother tell the secretary that her son had been kicked out of Head Start due to his behavior and he is very hard to control. His Head Start teachers told the mother he is not ready for Kindergarten, yet she was there registering him. I am fearful of what it will be like to teach that child next year if he is in my class. With the possibility of having 27 other kids in the classroom, will I be able to give that child what he needs to thrive? In his particular case, I think he would have benefitted from more preschool experience before beginning Kindergarten. I wonder what factors made that mother decide to register for Kindergarten instead of listening to the advice of her son's teachers. 

In Oregon we now have a Kindergarten readiness assessment, yet this assessment is not given until the child has already started Kindergarten. Does that even make sense? What if I determine through my evaluation that a particular child was indeed not ready for Kindergarten? There's not turning back once they have registered and started the school year, so how does this assessment really help?

What do you think about Redshirting?

Should children who have late birthdays wait an additional year before starting Kindergarten? 

A few more articles on the subject of Redshirting in Kindergarten...

Youngest Kid, Smartest Kid

When Should Kids Start Kindergarten?

'Redshirting' in Kindergarten is Still Subject to Debate

"Academic Redshirting" in Kindergarten Prevalence, Patterns, and Implications

Things That Make You Go Hmmm...

Some inspirations for the day...

I just may print these out and put them in my planner this year. <3 p="">

Quiet

Have you seen this Ultimate Summer Reading List for Teachers from Scholastic Instructor Magazine?

One of the books on the list is currently on my Kindle, and although I haven't read the whole thing, I love what I've read so far. 

If you consider yourself an introvert, this is a must read. 

The book that started the Quiet Revolution
At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams. It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak—that we owe many of the great contributions to society. 

In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.

-Amazon.com

Do you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert? 

Common Core

I belong to a Facebook group that's called Encouraging Teachers. It was started by Angela Watson who is an educational consultant in New York City. Angela's blog The Cornerstone is packed full of resources and insight for teachers and she has authored several books. Angela started the FB group to create a place where teachers could go to support one another and focus on the positive aspects of teaching.

I just came across a post linking to this article about the Common Core. The slideshow at the end of this post offers a succinct clarification of exactly what Common Core is, which is helpful, because many people who fiercely oppose CCSS believe that it is a national curriculum, when in reality, Common Core is a set of standards.

Although I don't like to engage in political discussions and therefore have not entered into a verbal battle with anyone on the topic of Common Core, I do enjoy reading about both sides/perspectives. It helps me have a better understanding of people who so vehemently oppose the status quo of public schools and now Common Core and to figure out exactly where I stand on the topic.

The first thing I noticed about this presentation/article is the words Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation painted across the first slide. I think, when digesting this information, it's important to take into consideration how much monetary support the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given to CCSS. Although informative, I can't say this presentation offers an unbiased explanation of CCSS.

A few slides I'd like to highlight...

http://www.ed.gov/k-12reforms/standards

I appreciate how this slideshow clearly indicates there is a difference between standards, curriculum, and assessments. Some people clearly do not understand the difference between standards and curriculum, so that is a very important distinction to make.

  The above statement about curriculum, however, makes it seem as though teachers have a lot of freedom in how they go about teaching to the standards. That may or may not be true depending on where said teachers work. My "creative license" with curriculum is somewhat limited. I am not at all criticizing the district/school I work for/in, rather just addressing the fact that these statements are designed to convince a particular audience and don't necessarily represent the teaching reality for all educators that are subject to CCSS. To say that CCSS just gives me the standards and I can teach to those standards however I want, is not true for me.

I don't feel as though I have gotten a straight answer regarding whether or not, and to what extent, teachers were involved in the creation of the Common Core standards. People who oppose CCSS claim that teachers were not involved, yet other sources indicate that they were. I am fairly certain the source where I read teachers were involved was more reputable than where I read that teachers were not involved, but it's frustrating that misinformation floats around so much. Also, the statement that teachers overwhelmingly support them is not true. I know there are many teachers who are frustrated with CCSS and would not group themselves among supporters.

Personally, I feel as though as an educator in public schools, I will see many changes to the ways in which we teach children and I am willing to go with the ebb and flow of those changes. In focusing on my particular students, grade level, standards, and curriculum, I see no reason to oppose the CCSS. Our state standards in OR have always been high, therefore CCSS has not brought about big changes in what we teach. Also, my students do not participate in state testing, therefore, in my little Kindergarten world, there are huge aspects of CCSS that I don't experience and am not as knowledgable about.

Something that is really interesting to me is the emphasis that CCSS places on critical thinking, yet people are very quick to focus on one source of information and take that as gospel. That's not critical thinking, now is it?  I agree that the world needs more critical thinkers! We should be critical consumers of all this information and I am a firm believer in seeing both the positives and negatives in anything because that is reality. It's not all good. It's not all bad.

I think many (not all!) people who are against CCSS don't truly understand what it is, yet at the same time, there is so much (mis)information out there, even as an educator I have a hard time grasping what is truth and what is not.

I like this page that addresses Myths versus Facts about CCSS.

More Myths and Facts from the US Dept. of Education

Another interesting link is 10 Things You Should Know About Common Core from the NEA website.

Also, the Common Core State Standards Toolkit, which can be downloaded from that link.

Take a minute to click through this slideshow. 

As fellow educators, I'd love to know your thoughts!