Our class has been using YouTube to record messages using Google Hangouts on Air (GHO). Our messages have been created for other classes. We have found that creating video messages for others is a great way to engage them and to have them learn about, and take the risk, to create a video response. We feel as though we have the perfect set up for our class. Our computer, camera, and microphone are always ready to be used - we can create a video or respond to one in just minute.
Using GHO to connect classrooms and kids is one more way to teach students (and teachers)
how to leverage digital technology tools to create, collaborate, and communicate;
about digital citizenship, responsibility, accountability, and privacy;
how to model responsible risk taking and invite others to try something new/different.
We will continue to connect with other learners to share our learning and encourage them to do the same!
Here are some videos that have come our way based on our initial messages:
A recent message we made to our friends and people we hope will become our friends:
With a few more months left in the school year, we look forward to connecting with more people to benefit our learning and growth.
We believe there's no better way as an educator to feel refreshed and re-energized than by connecting with other passionate educators and learning about best practices, exciting new technologies, and problem-solving to help our students be the best 21st-century learners they can be. The "Connecting Kids and Collaborating Teachers" offered such an opportunity. I don't know about you, but after Monday's conference, I felt ready to jump in to engage students and enrich their learning through opportunities using Blogging, Hangouts, and VR.
We wanted to consolidate our learning from Monday in a neat package and came up with this. Enjoy!
Our connection with +Carlos Roque's class in Cambridge is taking off! Carlos' students have provided my students with two Math tasks that we have worked through. The activities that we are engaging in are exciting to the students and provides them with 'real life' reasons to "do" Math. It's interesting to hear them and watch them work on solving the patterning questions that have been shared with us via Google Drive.
Since the activities are being created by students for students, there seems to be a lot more engagement and 'pride' in creating and completing tasks. It's not all work though, there is some fun happening as well. Carlos' class sent us a Halloween message via YouTube - check it out:
Prior to this message by Carlos's students we had created two videos for them - answering the Math tasks that they had sent to us. Jeff represents our class in sharing our process/answer in the first video and Amanda represents our class in sharing our response in the second video.
I'm sure you have noticed that I am not sharing the identity of the students in my class. For recorded videos that live on the Internet, my students and I have decided not to share their identity. However, that doesn't stop us from using our audio which the students are very excited about. It may lead to a few podcasts which are another way for us to connect with other classes and share our learning.
We recently created a Math activity for Mr. Roque's class via Google Docs. We shared the Doc with Mr. Roque and then made a short video about it:
We look forward to hearing back from our friends in Cambridge and can't wait for our next live meeting with them. It certainly is a valuable connection for the teachers and students involved. As we progress on our learning journey, Mr. Roque and I continue to learn how to leverage the tech tools involved in getting our classes together. As we are learning, so are our students - first hand and in real time. They know that the walls that surround our classrooms are simply physical barriers that protect us from the elements, not from learning with anyone in the world that has access to technology. Until our next post, get and/or stay connected!
