July 9th - APP Smash Presentations, The Myth of Average and The Reading Process

I really enjoyed seeing each APP smash project, as they were all unique and different in many ways.  I love how we were all given the same assignment; however, you could easily see how each group put something about them in each presentation and found different ways to make their presentation engaging.  I also loved all the experimentation that each group did, and it seemed to me that a lot of people really made some breakthroughs and learned a lot (myself included).  All of the discussion around the terms, Assistive Technology, Universal Design for learning, Disruptive Technologies, Assuming Competence and Convergence of Technologies really helped to confirm some things I already knew, and make some other things more clear.  Overall, a really valuable project!  I made some notes below about each group’s presentations and some ways which I could use some of their ideas in the classroom.

Jonathan & Angela:
As one of the first slides opened with KidDoodle, all I could think about is how much kids would love working with those bright colors and creating different works of art.  I think you could use this presentation technique for Art (technology is an outcome :), as well as for students who are experimenting with words.  When I taught grade primary I would let students write words they knew with white boards and markers, and I could see them being extremely engaged using this app to write many words they knew! I also loved how you joined the two tellagami’s using PicPlayPost.  That was not something I was even aware you could do and could have used that in my presentation!  

Ashley & Ainslie:
I thought it was so interesting how you interpreted it through the eyes of a curly haired person!  Very original and I could see how this could be an explanation that could possibly help simplify the use of terms for people.  Especially convergence of technologies!  I remember when I used to iron my hair… Now I am the proud owner of a straightener and couldn’t imagine doing something like that. 
I LOVEEEEEE the Imovie trailer!  So engaging and I could really see kids using that in the classroom for millions of things!  Recording what they know about a topic, introducing a new topic in a jigsaw, there are so many options!  I also LOVEEEEDDD the sockpuppet app.  I will DEFINETLY be putting that one in my bank of ideas, in particular the reader’s theatre idea! 

Shauna & Liz:
I really liked Liz’s description of Video Scribe.  This was one of the apps that I played around with briefly, but was having a hard time navigating it.  I think that once I was more comfortable with it, I would have no problem using (and paying) for it; however, I think it would be an app I would have to be familiar with because it was not as user friendly as some of the others (in my opinion).  With that said, it was very cool when people used it.  And I really enjoyed it.  I also like the idea of the volume purchasing program, where apps can are cheaper. 
Mark & Darah:
I was very enthralled by your strip design and found it to be very engaging.  That is not one that we experimented with and I really like the look of it.  I think kids would love that, and there are so many options when working with strip and comic strips, especially when teaching around how to use quotation marks and dialogue in writing.  I can definitely see that coming in handy next year with Grade 3’s.  You guys had a lot of great apps and your book was very engaging.  I could really see kids being drawn to it and I could certainly see the effort you put in to thinking about what kids would like. 

Greg & Kate:
As you were presenting, I couldn’t help but think about all the options for Kidspiration in the classroom.  For example, students could use this app to help plan their writing, to help them when story mapping and determining importance.  In other subjects they could also use Kidspiration to help them record what they already know about a topic as a diagnostic assessment tool, or to show what they know as a summative assessment tool.  In my experience, I have found that students DO NOT like using graphic organizers, but by using this app they are more engaging and more exciting. 
I also liked how you guys included so many YouTube clips.  I use YouTube a lot in the classroom as a teaching tool, as I find it a good way to keep students engaged.  What is it about students enjoying watching videos more than listening to their teachers?

Janet & Lindsey:
I loved your use of the Ipad Imovie trailer.  One thing that I really like about this movie trailer as well, is the possibilities for non-verbal students when using Imovie.  They could show what they know without ever having to actually say a word.  I think that this is an amazing tool, and I hope to become more familiar with it in the future.  I also liked the key word approach could using Word Cloud that Lindsey talked about.  It would be useful for big ideas especially in Science and Social Studies.

Simon & Eleanor:
I really enjoyed how you guys did more than one app on each page, because it made it more engaging and interesting.  I could see that being useful for students, especially if I am creating an Ibook for them to use in class.  I also thought that your connection to Stephen Hawking as he is often someone who is well known when discussing assistive technology.  I hope to check out the whole video as soon as I am back online.  

Ashley F. & Nat:
I absolutely loved your intro done with VideoScribe.  It was super cool and I can soooooo see kids loving that.  Again, something I need to look into and get more familiar with! 
As we were watching some of your Temple Grandin video, I kept thinking about how teaching kids about presuming competence is a really important idea.  They spend time with many of the same students we do, and it is important that they continue to presume they are competent.  It may be useful to use the Temple Grandin video you used in class with students. 
Christi-
I really liked your use of Kidspiration and how you also incorporated sound and pictures.  I also found the bright colors and “comic like” icons you used very engaging and I could easily see how kids would love those icons and find them really engaging.  They are also great for presenting to students.  I also found your talk about accessible computer games very thought provoking!  Thanks for introducing me to a topic I know very little about.

After we finished up with our presentations, we watched a very significant and powerful Ted Talk, called The Myth of Average.  If you haven’t seen it, I URGE you to check it out.

Here are the 3 main ideas I took from this video.

Ban the average in education.

There is no such thing as an average student.  If we don’t design learning opportunities that are carefully planned out to reach all learners (or the edges), many of our best students will not have the opportunity to succeed.  

Design your learning outcomes & activities for the edges, not the average. 

Creating flexible, inclusive and engaging learning activities and outcomes for all is essential to ensure student success. 

Allow multiple opportunities to nurture individual student potential.

Unfortunately, for many students, oftentimes their weakness (whether it be literacy or math), makes it hard to see their strengths.  Giving students opportunities to showcase their talents gives them a chance to feel successful in school.

In my classroom my adjustable seat is technology.  Technology allows many students to access outcomes in different ways and create many different flexible learning environments.  This way we can stop wasting so much talent and instead create a deeper talent pool. 

Task analysis of the reading process ->

After being tasked with reading a passage from Dracula Candice and I came up with the following as our reading process for the activity.