Eighth graders in Roald Dejean’s math classes at King Middle School studied math in the world around us by examining and creating infographics. As part of the graphing unit, students analyzed different kinds of graphs such as bar graphs, circle graphs, and line graphs. They focused on how infographics use data and graphs to present information visually. Then students collaboratively designed the culminating project with Roald. They collectively brainstormed possible topics which included the wingspan of birds, water consumption, sports statistics, and the wage gap.

Students worked individually or in pairs. They began by selecting and researching a topic of significance to them in the library and had time over the course of two weeks in class and as homework to complete the project.

After collecting their data, students entered it into Google Sheets to create graphs. Students chose from a curated list of tech tools to present their findings. While most used Google tools such as Slides and Drawings, some experimented with platforms such as Canva and Easel.ly.

This fun student-driven math project mixed together research, technology, and graphic design skills. It presented students with opportunities to collaborate and be creative, showcase their thinking, and play with math.

– Mia Gittlen, K-8 Instructional Technology TSA

Pick up a picture book.  The one closest to you.  Look through it to find out the race or ethnicity of the people depicted in the book.  No people?  What types of characters are in the book?  These are some of the questions posed by Devin Daugherty’s 4th graders as part of the Social Issues Book Clubs unit in their reading and writing curriculum, TCRWP (Teachers College Reading and Writing Project).  After discovering this infographic and learning that there are more trucks and animals represented in children’s books than people of color, the students were moved to action.

This is such a lovely example of students being moved to action on a social justice issue raised through our curriculum and of the power of technology to get their message out to an authentic audience, which is far larger than their classroom community.

Ms. Devin’s class was really interested in exploring social issues that were relevant and connected to their local community.  Students were motivated to learn more about how to find books with characters from backgrounds similar to their own and that of their friends.  They decided that they could help their Malcolm X Elementary School peers choose books with more diverse characters and to get their message out to an even larger audience.

The class came up with a strategy to break into small groups with the goal of conducting research and publicizing their findings in various ways.  Some students did interviews with the Malcolm X Library Media Specialist and Vice Principal because they each have influence over what books are purchased.  Others created a class web site using Google Sites so that students and families from other schools could learn about this issue and their passion for it.  Their web site is published here.

The majority of the class research was published in a printed book which was shared throughout the school.  In reflecting on why they were compelled to learn more about and publicize this topic, these 4th graders wrote, “We knew this had to change because if this issue went on and never stopped who knows how bad it would get…That’s why we wanted to spread the word about this so that other people could also help…”

Finally, a team of students created a fabulously interactive presentation using Google Slides and went to classrooms throughout the school teaching a lesson on the importance of diversity in children’s literature.  After sharing why they are passionate about promoting diversity in books and some research they conducted, they had students return to their desks to get their current silent reading book.  Students looked through their book to determine the diversity of characters and these 4th graders led a rich discussion that included having the younger kids use white boards to write about what they found.

This student-initiated project was both integrated with the unit of study of our reading and writing curriculum, TCRWP, and used technology to more effectively and efficiently reach an audience far larger than their own classroom community.  Love it!

Middle school teachers have been exploring how tech tools can promote opting in during academic conversations (such as Socratic seminars and fishbowl discussions). Last spring, Caitlin Alastra’s sixth grade students at Longfellow Middle School used Padlet, an online discussion board, to reflect on the major themes from the novel they had just read, The Outsiders. Caitlin set-up five discussion questions, each on its own discussion board, and students rotated through the prompts, posting their ideas and responding to their classmates.

In preparation for the BUSD Oratorical Fest, sixth graders in Kathryn Mapps’ class at Willard Middle School also used Padlet with a modified fishbowl structure to analyze a series of mentor poems. For each poem, Kathryn divided the class into thirds: one group made up the inner circle who discussed the poem and the prompt, another group who documented and reacted to the discussion on Padlet which was projected on a classroom wall, and the third group who served as co-pilots and captured ideas for the inner circle on post-it notes.

Another awesome tech-infused variation took place in Jill Barash’s 7th grade history classes at Longfellow. As part of their study of West Africa, students read and annotated a series of articles and watched video clips about the wealth of knowledge found in the manuscripts in Timbuktu. To prepare for an online, collaborative debate, students worked in pairs to collect evidence for or against whether or not the manuscripts should remain in Timbuktu using graphic organizers. Then they drafted an opening statement for their assigned side of the debate using sentence frames.

All student pairs participated in the online debate during one class period. Jill explained how the online debate would work and she clearly communicated the academic language expectations and how work would be graded. Students logged into Padlet, an online discussion board, using their Google accounts. Then they accessed links from Google Classroom to one of two Padlets that Jill had set up for the activity–one for pro and one for con.

Partnerships posted their opening statement on either the “pro” Padlet or the “con” Padlet, based on their assigned side for the debate. As students were posting their opening statement, they could see and learn from posts from other groups, elevating their thinking and persuasive writing. Once they completed their opening statement, students accessed the other Padlet link for the opposing side. They read through all of the comments and crafted counter-arguments. Towards the end of the period, students returned to their initial Padlet, read all of the counter-arguments posed as comments on their post, and responded with a closing statement.

This structure provided an opportunity for students to explore the multiple perspectives in rich ways. Everyone engaged and participated throughout the activity. Partners worked collaboratively while sharing their thinking, crafting ideas, writing and responding online. Everyone was heard from — even reluctant voices. The format permitted built-in think time which is especially valuable when students are building rhetorical skills. The debate is also documented. Jill’s students may go back to these boards and review the format and feedback before starting a similar activity in the future.

NOTE: Padlet has just announced a pricing restructuring since the time this blog post was drafted and these activities took place in classrooms. Now users can create a limited number of new online discussion boards for free or pay a monthly fee to create more.

Please reach out to DigiTech if you’re interested in ways technology can amplify academic conversations and we can figure out an activity and a tech tool that meets your needs.

– Mia Gittlen, K-8 Instructional Technology TSA

Do your students love doing math? Do they do it cuddled up in bed?  Snuggled on the couch?  On the beach on vacation?  In pajamas on a rainy day?  I often wonder if we could universally answer “yes” to these questions if we had as many recreational math opportunities for children as we do for reading.  We expect kids to read books of their choice for 20-30 min. a night and have summer challenges to ensure that their love of reading continues to develop even when not in school.

Recreational math can be beautiful and relaxing.  Artwork with compass and straight edge, such as this traditional Islamic design can be enjoyed by students (and adults!) beginning in elementary school.

And while there’s no shortage of recreational mathematics, puzzles, etc. done on paper, here are a few favorite ways to have a whole lot of fun doing math on a computer.  In class these ideas can be used for free choice, in the after school program, for early finishers, or simply for fun open-ended math homework.  At home, these ideas can be used as often as you wish!

In previous blogs we have shared ways Desmos tools are being integrated with our Engage NY curriculum in math class. However there are many really fun ways to push your mathematical thinking using Desmos simply for fun.

Marbleslides are a set of puzzles which become more challenging on each slide following the basic premise of launching balls into a basket.  Marbleslide Mini-Golf is a great challenge for 5th graders who are ready to play around in all 4 quadrants when graphing, and an equally as exciting challenge for older students and adults.  Watch an example of playing with coordinate pairs to get the purple balls into the hole.

Looking for more  Marbleslide fun on different math topics?  There are fabulous additional challenges from Desmos.  Try them with a friend and you will see that doing them in pairs creates some tantalizing mathematical conversations.

Click here to try Marbleslides:

• Marbleslides Mini-Golf for 4-quadrant graphing
• Marbleslides for graphing linear equations
• Marbleslides for graphing quadratics

Another super-fun set of math puzzles are the Solve Me Puzzles which have three types of puzzles, all building algebraic reasoning.  The mobiles can be initially solved using basic arithmetic, however they too become more and more challenging for puzzlers of any ability.  Below is an example of the mobiles.  Check out their entire web site here to see all three puzzle varieties.  The tools to write on the screen are helpful as the puzzles become more challenging.  You’re able to make a free account in order to save your progress on the puzzle series.

Finally, the math challenges published by the University of Cambridge are another series of endlessly rich puzzles to work on while snuggled up in bed.  Special thanks to Sara Niesen, 4th grade teacher at Thousand Oaks for teaching us about this fabulous collection of challenges. They are found here at https://nrich.maths.org/

If adding recreational math to class, after school program, or home is something that excites you as much as it excites us, check back later in the year as we launch a BUSD web site with many more ideas.  In the meantime, snuggle up and enjoy.  Reach out to allisonkrasnow@berkeley.net if you have recreational math ideas that you’d like included.

Ideas spread. This is often the case with teaching and technology. One example of this in Berkeley is using Screencastify with book projects. Last June the DigiTech blog featured how fourth grade students in Stefanie Wissmann’s class at Cragmont created and shared screencasts about historical fiction. Inspired by this, David Spiegelmann’s 7th grade humanities students at King Middle School followed this format for nonfiction book projects.

Script for Slides

After students completed a nonfiction book of their choice, they created a Google Slides presentation to highlight key aspects of the book. David had students practice presenting in small groups several times. The classes discussed what makes a compelling presentation and agreed that the script shouldn’t be read verbatim. It was more important to hit the highlights and be engaging. Then students were ready to record their presentations. Each class visited the library to spread out. They used Chromebooks to create video recordings using Screencastify, a Google Chrome extension which captures the computer screen as well as audio narration.

Non-Fiction Slide Presentations: Page 1 of 6

Screencastify videos are automatically saved in Google Drive so students needed a way to share them. David’s goal was to replicate Stefanie’s launch page so he created a Google Doc that all of his students in his core classes could access to add their screencasts. He figured out the best way to manage this part of the process was to bring up small groups of students, assign them cells in the table, and have students add an image of their book cover and link it to their screencast (see image left). Students also learned how to change the sharing settings so that others can view their work. Afterwards, David had to spend no more than 20 minutes cleaning up the document and changing the sharing settings of the launch page to “view only.” This one document includes links to the 55 screencasts created in all of David’s classes. This way students can view work from David’s other English class.

These projects will be posted on King’s library website for easy access. Students will be able to go back to these screencasts in the future when they are searching for nonfiction book recommendations. What a fantastic way to share reading!

– Mia Gittlen, K-8 Instructional Technology TSA

This DigiTechTeach blog is a testament to the many powerful ways technology is boosting students’ learning in Berkeley. Although the Chromebook carts primarily live in third through fifth grade classrooms at the elementary level, second grade students are being introduced to technology and building foundational tech skills. Some second grade classes are even buddying up with fourth and fifth graders.

Caroline Brooks who teaches second grade at John Muir Elementary and serves as the site’s Tech Teacher Leader put together a master schedule for John Muir staff listing when Chromebook carts are usually used by the grades 3-5 teachers. Now John Muir’s K-2 teachers know when the carts are available and can implement tech-infused activities. Caroline also put together a presentation for teachers filled with helpful links for getting started.

Her 2nd graders now have “tech buddies” in Alessia Cook’s 5th grade class. Alessia’s students visit Caroline’s classroom for a half hour every two weeks. The peer mentors have taught the younger students how to log into their Chromebooks and introduced them to Typing Club, a self-paced typing program consisting of typing lessons, games, videos, and tests. The fifth graders are stepping up as teachers, the second graders are learning how to navigate computers, and friendships are forming.

Photos Courtesy of Caroline Brooks

Susan Gatt’s fourth grade students at Rosa Parks have second grade reading buddies that sometimes collaborate on special projects. Just recently her students introduced the 2nd graders to Tynker, a self-paced coding program which students can use to animate their own scenes and characters, solve puzzles, and play games using block coding.

All 3rd – 5th grade students have Typing Club accounts and all elementary students have access to Tynker. Students access these subscriptions using the big blue Clever button on the library webpage and logging in with their students.berkeley.net account. Please reach out to one of us on DigiTech if you’d like to learn more.

– Mia Gittlen, K-8 Instructional Technology TSA

Formative assessment is such a valuable part of teachers’ pedagogy. Knowing what students know and what misconceptions they have and adjusting your teaching to take this into account is so powerful. However, having efficient systems to do this for your entire class (or for more than 150 students if you are a middle or high school teacher) and regularly communicating this information to families is an ongoing challenge.

Inji El Ghannam, Transitional Kindergarten teacher at King Child Development Center, regularly lets families know how students are doing using Seesaw, an online portfolio app.  In the beginning of the year, she creates a list of standards-based skills which her students are expected to know by the end of the year.  These each become a folder in Seesaw where she can tag photos and short videos of students documenting their progress.

Then, throughout the week, Inji uses her classroom iPad to photograph or take very brief videos of students when they are demonstrating a skill that she is teaching on that week.

After class, she tags the photo with the skill being demonstrated such as this one on holding a crayon/pencil correctly.  She then shares the photo to that student’s portfolio which means that their family is automatically notified via a text or email.  Only that individual student’s family is notified and families have the option of inviting other family members to join if they want them to receive the portfolio.  Similar to social media accounts, families can leave a fun comment for their child to see.  Some even write quick notes to Inji and she can respond right there.  Although this is a private communication platform, it looks and feels similar to social media so its quite easy for families to learn to use it and easily accessible from a phone.

What I especially love about Inji’s use of Seesaw for Formative Assessment is how strategic she is to ensure that she focuses on documenting no more than 3 skills a week and that she has the opportunity to observe and meet with every student.  She uses this observation sheet to organize her data.

Here are a few more delightful examples of the work her TK students are doing, including number recognition, using scissors effectively, and demonstrating general coordination.

Seesaw is a free app which is available for both Android and Apple devices.  It can be used by teachers of all grade levels to document their students’ progress and share out with families.  As always you can contact any member of the DigiTech team for classroom support in getting started.

Elementary, middle, and high school students across the district now have access to tools that can assist the reading and writing process on the computer when necessary. One such tool is Google Read & Write. It is a Chrome extension (a program that is added to a Google account which adds features on the Internet). Google Read & Write for Chrome reads any website aloud and includes additional capabilities when students need the help.

150 students are piloting Google Read & Write and teachers and students alike are praising the tool.

One 4th grade student at Cragmont likes using the word prediction tool when she’s writing in Google Docs. Google Read & Write offers the writer a list of possible words as you type. She shared, “It’s good when you hear the word. It can read it back to you to make sure you pick the right one.” She also noted that she sometimes uses the highlighting tools to highlight important words.

Another student in the class uses the read aloud feature in Google Docs. “I’ve been using it to correct what I write,” he said.

A third classmate concurred that this is his favorite feature. “I use playback when I finish a sentence — just to make sure every word is good.”

A student at Berkeley High noted appreciating these same features:

“I use it for all its different purposes but mostly for having it read back to me and to highlight an article from the internet. The highlighting feature is an underrepresented aspect of Google Read & Write but I think it is one of the most important. What you do is, when you highlight all the different key sentences in the article, you can press a button and it will take all the highlighted sentences and put them into a Google Doc. This aspect of Google Read & Write is really helpful for writing big essays because it takes sentences that either you can base your thesis on or quote as evidence. The other feature that I use the most is the read back feature. This feature can be used to read articles to me but more importantly it can be used to read back an essay. When reading back an essay you can catch mistakes that you might have made or better ways to say things.”

Jeni Wendel’s entire fifth grade class at Thousand Oaks Elementary added the extension during the argument and advocacy unit. Students used the read aloud tool while researching debatable issues using sources available from the elementary school library website. Jeni recently noted, “I think it will be useful when we start working on the research information unit.”

A John Muir student reading on a Chromebook

Theresa Hove at John Muir Elementary works with a number of fifth graders using Google Read & Write in the classroom and afterschool. She reported that this tool is helping students access the curriculum and feel more a part of the group. She noted that students have mastered the use of the tool and are using it without prompting. “When a student sees a red line indicating a misspelled word, the student fixates on it. This distracts them from getting their ideas on the page,” she shared. Google Read & Write is helping students capture their ideas.

Students using the tool agree. All of them recommend it. One of the 4th graders at Cragmont declared Google Read & Write is: “the go-to for word prediction and playback!”

If you would like to learn more about Google Read & Write, check out this guide. Note that a premium version is free for all educators who register. Click here to register for a free premium educator account.

– Mia Gittlen, K-8 Instructional Technology TSA

This week’s blog post is by guest blogger Mary Ann Scheuer, BUSD Teacher-Librarian.

It’s no secret that many teens love social media. They want to know what their friends are doing, liking and sharing. At Berkeley High, we’ve been using Goodreads & Pinterest to engage our readers, encouraging them to find more books to read. Goodreads is a social media site for readers, letting you mark books you’ve read or want to read, add reviews and share them with friends.

BHS Library on Goodreads

Key to this process is valuing all of the books our students are reading. The masterful teacher Donalyn Miller writes passionately about how we must value and encourage our students’ choices in what they read.

Using Goodreads has let us honor and value our students’ reading choices, whether they love horror graphic novels like Tokyo Ghoul, powerful nonfiction like The 57 Bus or contemporary YA like Libba Bray’s The Diviners.  Each reader is different, with different tastes, preferences and interests. I have loved the conversations that come from learning more about what they like.

Yesterday, I was talking with a freshman who liked reading Nightfall, by Jake Halpern–an intense action-adventure story that kept him up all night reading. When I read his review, it made me think of how much I had liked reading Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet. So I built a Pinterest board focusing on wilderness adventures. My student said to me, “Wait, you created this just because I liked Nightfall? Just for me?” It was a powerful moment–and he left the library with a new book to read: Trapped, by Michael Northrop.

Berkeley High Library’s Pinterest page: Survival & Wilderness Adventures @ BHS Library

The true power of using social media to engage teen readers is that it lets our students develop their own authentic voices. I have loved working with fellow Berkeley High librarian Meredith Irby to focus on how we can encourage teens to write authentically about their reading experiences. I so appreciate how thoughtful she is, helping teens develop their writing styles. This type of writing is actually a lot like the personal essays teens will write for college applications. As Donalyn Miller writes in Reading in the Wild:

“If we really want our students to become wild readers, independent of our support and oversight, sometimes the best thing we can do is get out of the way.”

Follow Berkeley High Library on Goodreads & Pinterest  to see what our teens are reading and what we love sharing with them.

©2017 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books

1) Hour of Code: An Introduction to Coding for Students

Hour of Code map zoomed in to Berkeley. Source: https://hourofcode.com/us/map

Berkeley students and teachers continue to stretch themselves outside of their comfort zone with technology by trying new tools and learning new skills. This was once again evident during the days leading up to Winter Break when many classrooms participated in the Hour of Code to commemorate Computer Science Education Week; students were introduced to the fundamental building blocks of computer programming through hour-long coding activities (available on the Hour of Code website).

Lots of Berkeley elementary and middle school students joined the over 500 million people worldwide who participated in this 4th annual code.org initiative (“Hour of Code Around the World”). Here is a sampling of participation from across our district.

Photo Courtesy of Nancy King

• Students in Nancy King’s class at Cragmont completed a whole week of code with many students enjoying the activities so much that they continued them at home. Nancy reported students enjoyed: Lightbot, Pong, Alice in Wonderland, Code Monkey, Google Logo, Flappy Bird, and Hack the Code.
  

  Photo Courtesy of Megan Abramson-Ward

• At Malcolm X, Amy Cottle showed videos about coding and discussed how it connects to future jobs. Students chose a coding activity and many were drawn to my personal favorite, the new Google Doodle design activity. (Note: The Google 4 Doodle contest begins on January 8th!)
• Megan Abramson-Ward at Thousand Oaks led a code.org “unplugged” (paper and pencil) activity as well as one online. 
• Shawna Suzuki reported to me that parent volunteers at Emerson have organized Hour of Code schoolwide for the past four years. She shared that: “This year was the best ever because of the improved sites, our access to chromebooks, our experience, and amazing parent volunteers.” I watched second graders participate in their second (!!) annual Hour of Code. Last year they programmed Moana. This year a group of parent volunteers led them through the new Minecraft: Hero’s Journey activity.
• Patricia Coe at Longfellow has done Hour of Code for years in her computer classes. Since they’re already working on computer programming projects, she launched Makey Makey, an electronic invention tool that allows users to connect regular objects to computer programs.
• Most math classes at Longfellow also participate each year. I observed the third annual Lightbot competition on iPads in Crystal Paschel’s class (Lightbot is also available as an Hour of Code activity). Melanie Ford organized Hour of Code resources for students and teachers on the Longfellow Library website.
• A number of teachers including Alessia Cook and Jessica Mejia-Smith (both at John Muir), Carla Inniss (Oxford), and Steve Conley (King) bravely launched Hour of Code for the first time. The fifth graders at John Muir made animated winter greetings and students in Steve’s classes created their own Google logo.

Many teachers dedicated more than one hour to coding as the students enjoyed these activities so much.

Even though Computer Science Education Week has passed, the Hour of Code activities are available year round at: https://hourofcode.com/us/learn because it is never too late to take the leap and start coding!  

Photos Courtesy of Shawna Suzuki

2) Making Education Relevant and Interactive through Technology (MERIT): A Professional Development Opportunity for Educators

The Hour of Code is often the first time our students and teachers experience computer programming (but hopefully not the last!). After observing and leading a number of Hour of Code activities, I realized students who are coding and the teachers leading them went through the same kind of learning curve as I did as part of the MERIT ed tech professional development program.

MERIT, which stands for Making Education Relevant and Interactive through Technology, is an intensive summer institute with follow-up throughout the following school year. It provides educators the opportunity to expand their technology and teaching horizons. Participants dig into the latest and greatest in instructional technology with the ultimate goal of realizing a more dynamic vision of education. This program provides comprehensive tech training covering filmmaking, blogging, podcasting, design thinking, preparation for Google Certified Educator Levels 1 and 2, and more. Highlights included learning ways to go beyond making presentations in Google Slides, incorporating digital storytelling including how to use a green screen, and all about Hyperdocs (to create student-centered, inquiry-based instructional activities where students explore online content and use tech tools to create something that showcases their understanding).

At the end of the two week long summer session, participants leave not only with lots of experience with different tech tools and well-crafted lesson plans and resources, but also an innovative mindset ready to approach teaching and learning in new and inspired ways.

When I began this role (as a teacher on special assignment in instructional technology) just over a year ago, I eagerly applied to MERIT wanting to expand my skill set and build more confidence. Each day of MERIT brought on new challenges and I found myself still self-questioning as I prepared and presented my final project, “Storytelling through StoryCorps” Hyperdoc. Thankfully my confidence was boosted in part because the MERIT middle school group selected my project, as well as a couple others, to present to the whole cohort. Since that experience, I’ve now presented at a number of local workshops and teachers around the Bay Area have used parts of my StoryCorps project. This enhanced my ability to perform a crucial part of my role–leading professional development (PD)!

The most valuable part of my MERIT experience has been establishing my professional learning network (PLN) and finding what I’m now describing as my “tribe.” My cohort continues to connect through social media, email, online classes, and local conferences and workshops. We get together around the Bay Area to eat, discuss books, work, and play. A MERIT friend even came from San Carlos to freeze outside while watching the final performance of the Berkeley Rep’s The Temptations musical, Ain’t Too Proud, with me on the big screen at BAMPFA on a Sunday night. Our cohort uplifts and inspires one another. We bounce ideas around, share resources, and continually teach and learn from one another.

My MERIT infographic

As a member of the MERIT 2017 cohort, I can definitely say this powerful, transformational experience is well worth the commitment. Interested educators should know from the outset that the program demands a significant amount of time. In addition to the summer program, there’s an orientation in the spring and four follow-up days on Saturdays in the fall and winter. Participants also engage in ongoing PD and continue to learn and share over the course of the year. Also keep in mind that MERIT takes place at the Krause Center for Innovation located at Foothill College in Los Altos. Participants receive a stipend upon completion of the summer institute and the entire program.

Check out the MERIT 2018 website for more information and to access the online application (which involves answering a series of open-ended questions and submitting a letter of support from your supervisor). The deadline to apply is January 26th, 2018.

Note: As the website states, participants range in age as well as teaching and tech experience. Anyone in any role who is excited about taking technology to the next level is encouraged to apply!

Please reach out to me if you have any questions and if you’d like to hear more about MERIT.

– Mia Gittlen, K-8 Instructional Technology TSA