Netbooks+-+St.+Francis+-+Oct+2011


 * St. Francis Netbooks - Fall 2011 **

**Ian Stang & Craig Baskerville **
media type="youtube" key="Pwp5WUHjbO8" height="432" width="768" align="center"

3-D Project Legacy
 * How do we know we have been successful? **


 * 1. IMPORTANT PIECE - Students are reporting on their experience - (2 - 3 students sharing - recorded on video) attach videos to the wiki. The video only needs to be short so that it can be loaded easily. Sample questions could be - What did they learn, what did they like, did they feel engaged in their learning ****? (Be sure that the student has a FOIP form signed) **
 * This is completed and posted to the wiki. **

2. Students have acquired new technology skills that they had not had previously - please see the 21st century list below

3. Students have learned about digital citizenship - please see the digital citizenship list of skills below Students have definitely learned valuable digital citizenship skills. These skills were acquired through discussion in class prior to, during and after using the netbooks.

4. How has our teaching changed? What practices will you continue? Our teaching has changed by making new and exciting web tools relevant to the students. Getting the Netbooks into the hands of the students helps them to realize that not everything needs to be done using paper and pencil. Students are given an opportunity to use a new technology that they would otherwise not be exposed to.

5. What are some best practices? Using Edmodo and Microsoft word as much as possible. By giving students the option to complete projects, notes and assignments using the Netbooks, we are allowing them the opportunity to make choices. This process empowers students and gives them a feeling of ownership of their assignment. It is important to try to tie as many activities into using the Netbooks. The more students use them, the more confident they become. This confidence and willingness to use the machines allows students to become more proficient, which ultimately makes your job as the teacher easier. The more familiar students become with the technology, the less “technical difficulties” the students have.

6. Listing what I have learned and what were some of the challenges Most of the challenges we experienced were centered around the machines not having capabilities that a regular desktop and or laptop computer has. For example these computers were very slow when downloading files from Edmodo, which really limited how you could use this web 2.0 tool. These computers haven’t been updated with “flash”, which made watching videos and using some websites impossible. These machines lacked useable programs like Google Earth. Another difficulty was that students would often have to try logging on to the wireless network multiple times before being granted access. This sounds like a small issue, but it really does slow down the flow and productivity of a lesson.

7. What was your personal growth as a learner? <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">We enjoy giving students the opportunity to use technology in their learning. Using the Netbooks again this year reminded us that there are always new ways to present material to students.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">8. What are some tips for next time users? <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">Make sure you are clear about how students need to log onto the wireless network, and make sure you are clear that you explain how students need to shut down the computers. If students don’t shut down the machines properly, then the next student who uses the machine will be slowed down (they will have to shut down the machine properly before they can use it). <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">It sounds very simple, but it is important to make sure the students are very diligent plugging the machines into the cart after they have been used. Students will want to just place the computers on the cart and then walk away.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">9. What is your legacy piece? How have you left a digital footprint to let other know about your important work with kids? (Video, digital storytelling, celebrations with parents, inviting senior administration, manual, collaborative place for yourself and your students) <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">Through a video that we developed and posted on the wiki. We feel that it demonstrates the fun and excitement that is generated by giving students the opportunity to use this engaging tool.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">10. Sample lessons - share 2 lessons that you taught using the equipment (short form – objective of the lesson, brief description of the activity, how did you assess it, and reflection on how the students responded) <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">Microscope Lab activity. Students completed a lab, then worked on their lab write-ups using the Netbooks. They were given the option of handing in their labs the traditional way (paper/pencil), or they were given the opportunity to complete and hand in their assignment using Edmodo. <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">Objective covered: Students will conduct investigations into the relationships between and among observations, and gather and record qualitative data. Students will do this by using microscopes effectively, accurately collecting, observing and recording data, and organizing data using a format that is appropriate to the task and or experiment.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">11. Websites, tools, or apps that you used with your students <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">Edmodo, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, SMART Notebook

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">12. Other unexpected findings from your project <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">The netbooks are excellent tools for word processing and simple web browsing, however, they a not up to the task when it comes to using other applications that contain much more multi-media and require more memory. I tried to create projects on Glogster and Prezi with my class, and the pages would not even load with the netbooks. I thought it was a network issue, but when I tried the same apps with the school’s 5 year old laptops, they worked fine. The memory and processing power of the netbooks are not capable of handling multimedia on the web.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">13. Final thoughts about your project. <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">Overall, students really enjoy using the Netbooks. They find them exciting and engaging, and having them in the classroom is a real positive for the overall classroom climate.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">14. Would you recommend to use this equipment? <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">Yes, we would. We would urge future users of this equipment to speak with someone who has already used the technology to find out what did or did not work in their classroom.


 * __ Digital Citizenship – ISTE Standard #5 __**

Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behaviour. Students: a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">– because students are exposed to the use of 21st century learning tools like Edmodo, they begin voluntarily sharing information like homework assistance with each other using this site. c. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning d. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship
 * // Demonstrate what you did to accomplish the digital citizenship portion of the project. Were you able to integrate any of the above into your lesson? //**
 * Our school has been focusing on the above mentioned digital citizenship skills in Health class, so we found that our students were aware of the importance of practicing good digital citizenship. **
 * __ 21st Century Skills __**
 * This is a list of 21st Century Skills. Did you witness any of these skills in your students and in the learning activities you provided in the project? Give some examples. **
 * //__ Digital-Age Literacy __//**
 * Basic, scientific, economic, and technological literacies
 * Visual and information literacies
 * Multicultural literacy and global awareness


 * //__ Inventive Thinking __//**
 * Adaptability/managing complexity
 * Self-direction
 * Curiosity, creativity, and risk-taking
 * Higher-order thinking and sound reasoning


 * //__ Effective Communication __//**
 * Teaming, collaboration, and interpersonal skills
 * Personal, social, and civic responsibility
 * Interactive communication


 * //__ High Productivity & Quality, State-of-the-Art Results __//**
 * Ability to prioritize, plan, and manage for results
 * Effective use of real-world tools – <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">use of netbooks and on-line resources (ex. Edmodo)
 * The ability to create relevant, high-quality products – <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Black","sans-serif"; font-size: 13px;">this was evident through the completion of assignments.