3D Design and More for First Grade Second Semester

Wales First Graders have experienced a lot of growth in their digital literacy skills second semester.  Students not only have used the computers to practice math and reading skills, they also have discovered educational tools using our library digital Makerspace links.   With regular visits to the lab, students have been introduced to proper technique for Keyboarding the Home Row, narrated an animated nonfiction slide show using PowToon, built virtual Lego creations using Build it With Chrome, and made a 3-Dimensional design to accompany their Realistic Fiction writing.  The links they have been using in class are free and open for use throughout the year.  

Here is a link to the library page with summer reading resources: https://sites.google.com/a/kmsd.edu/wales/summer-reading.  There are many great ways to keep your child reading and growing over the summer.

Sample 3D Designs:

Puppies

Pool, bus, ipod, & house.

Couch, basketball court, bike, & houses.

Cellphone, pompon, cat.

Basketball hoops, girls, & dog.

Cat, tiger face, skateboard.

Binoculars, rain clouds, golf flag, dressing room with girl.

Digital Badging takes a Village 

Wales Elementary fifth grade educators have taken a new approach to help empower students to take charge of their own learning and to acknowledge student strengths in what’s being referred to as “digital badging.” These badges build upon Wales Elementary’s aim to develop students as independent

Online digital badges, like those earned in Girl/Boy Scouts, are earned once a student is ready to demonstrate understanding in areas such as touch keyboarding, USA geography knowledge, argument essays, math fractions computation, and Guidance Career Skills ePortfolio.  

There are other badges offered as incentive to get students to explore themselves as learners. They may earn a badge for developing a personalized learning plan, analyzing themselves as a kinesthetic, audio or visual learner. In addition, students are able to earn a badge when she or he demonstrates higher order thinking innovations using a newly implemented Makerspace.  

“This new approach is a good fit to Kettle Moraine School District’s vision of personalized learning,” said Library Media Specialist Stephanie Wieczorek. “Allowing students freedom in choice and voice in their learning path gives them great motivation in developing learners of today.  Evidence is clear in the satisfaction on a student’s face when they work hard to achieve a learning goal set with the variety of badges.”  

Implementing the digital badges has been a collaborative approach since the onset. Students focus specifically on improving independent learning skills four times a week for a half hour at a time called Achieve. Three supervisors (Candice Cullen, Laura Kirley and Stephanie Wieczorek) collaborate to guide and monitor student progress. The language arts teacher, Laurel Hopkins, checks the Argument Essay badge.  The school guidance counselor, Kim Osborn, monitors the online career readiness ePortfolios badge.  The math teachers, Debra Culhane and Cari Racine, check the Pizza fraction computation proficiency.  All teachers involved maintain high expectations for evidence of student competencies and motivate students to push themselves to a new potential as a learner.

If they are not actively obtaining a badge, students read articles and complete quizzes in an online tool called Newsela. They also practice math through classroom applications like Front Row and Ten Marks.  In addition, they read or listen to school library books through Overdrive to summarize and offer their opinion.

Wieczorek said the success of digital badging is attributed to the village of teachers and support staff that demonstrate daily the love of learning and help students achieve new heights.

Introducing: Makerspace at Wales Elementary and KM Explore

"Makerspace" is a designated area in our building to support creativity, problem solving innovation, and extensions of learning.  It will not be a “play” place, but a flexible “tinkering” space where classes can grow and develop big ideas.  A space for students to maximize their creative genius!

To foster the Wales’ Growth Mindset Model, Makerspace will promote experimenting, building, taking risks, making mistakes and learning as you go.   Student generated ideas will incorporate science, technology, engineering, arts, and math in a project based atmosphere.

Our Makerspace lab is located in the Dragons Den. It will be available for all students in Wales and KM Explore. Students will be accessing Makerspace during learning times designated by their classroom teacher. In the future, we will send out communications asking for supply donations for the space.

We are looking forward to this exciting new learning opportunity for your child!

PIE Night: (Parents in Explore)

October 7,  2014

KM Explore, the charter school within Wales Elementary Campus, invited me as guest speaker to discuss internet safety and digital tools to extend learning.  I shared the variety of ways we teach and learn using the Google Apps in Education, LMC Site and online tools available through our Maker Space links to extend student learning beyond the school day.  PIE Night allowed an opportunity for parents and teachers to team in building more understanding of technology issues related to use in school and home.  To continue the discussion I invite you to attend an event where KM Media Specialists will be hosting another parent opportunity district wide March 5, 2015.

**The details of the event sponsored by KM Parent Resource Network**
The KM School District Library Media Specialist team will be offering a social media / internet safety parent program on Thursday, March 5 from 6:30 - 8:00 in the Cushing Activity Center. They will be presenting important information about social media that parents need to know and providing a family toolkit filled with resources such as digital safety tips and media agreements for your family to use at home.

Celebrating Digital Citizenship Week 2014

Connecting kids via technology is unavoidable these days.  With increasing gadgets at home and learning tool access at school, kids spend increasing amounts of time online.  As students grow up interacting in a variety of ways using technology it is very important that parents and teachers guide and discuss the importance of Digital Citizenship.

This Common Sense Poster gives a simplistic view to build Digital Citizenship awareness at the Elementary level.  In 5 labels students can learn of the need to:

• Protect private information
• Stay safe online
• Stand up to cyberbullying
• Respect themselves and others
• Balance their time

No matter the age of a student, these Common Sense Family Tip Sheets can serve as guides to help keep the lines of communication open in the effort to establish sound Digital Citizenship practices as students grow.

Gr3 Opinion Writing "Traveling Road Show"

Mrs. Hjorth’s 3rd grade class culminated an opinion writing unit with a twist.  Her students have written reviews about restaurants, books, pets, movies, cursive and other interesting topics.  Seeking a greater audience to give their writing more purpose the boys and girls took the project a step further by working in groups to create what they call a “Traveling Road Show.” 

After working on expression, eye contact, enunciation and delivery, students traveled the school presenting their opinion pieces to various classes, the principal, librarian, guidance counselor and anyone else who would listen.  The speakers were a bit nervous at first, but soon gained confidence and enjoyed the experience.  

Student volunteers who offered to capture their work by videoing their “Traveling Road Show" are attached below.  Enjoy.

Tynker + 21st Century Learners = Unlimited Extensions for Learning

Today’s hangout with +Kevin Elgan, Tynker’s Director of School Programs, set the stage for extensions for learning for my 4th/5th Grade KMExplore Seminar students to build upon.  Students were highly motivated hearing from an expert directly from Tynker, a leading programming tool they became hooked on at first sight. Getting students engaged and enthusiastic about the problem solving nature of coding was simple: I started a class, had my students join with their school assigned Google accounts and showed them the tools.  I added a few optional free lessons for them to solve and started teaming with them to create unique programs to express their charter school foundational habits of mind.  I quickly learned students Tynkered at home as well as during our 45 min. seminar time at school.  They couldn’t get enough.

During today’s hangout we were able to get a sneak peak into Tynker’s soon to launch programming promotional event “Hour of Code.” Kevin interacted with the 9-10 year olds in solving some of the preset puzzles which allowed my students to rise to the challenge in order to impress him with their coding skills. We were able to get a virtual tour of the office area and hear of upcoming Tynker projects. I am thrilled to see where the group wants to pursue this robust, educational tool.  I look forward to our partnership for providing feedback and showcasing programs.  What a great day!  Thank you Google Hangouts, for making it easy for a school in Wisconsin connect with an expert in California! Thank you Kevin, for your time and expertise.

Motivated 9-10 year olds by connecting with 

Tynker's Director of School Programs, Kevin Elgan.

Problem Solvers at Work