Ok, I have wanted to build an interactive map for my course for two years.  Yesterday a student and I were talking about a project he wanted to do to finish off the school year. Together we found the site, ZEEMAPS.com.  I spend about five minutes with him figuring out how it works and then thought, I have wanted to do this for a long time, lets give it a shot.  

So what is published below is my one day effort at building my course on a map.  I plan to add somewhere between 20-30 more items.  If I do they will update to this post without any effort from me--so check back! 

So, I literally have mapped out my course for next year.  Thoughts?  How could you use this software with your students?  Have a good weekend, Cheers, Garth 

Thomas Merrill, @tjm131, was a graduate student in my integration of technology class this last term.  Thomas is also a Professor at the University of Akron teaching creative writing.  He asked me to be involved in an original project that discusses the new idea of TEXT paring.  Below, Thomas gives a brief overview of the idea.  Contact him for more information and resources to try text paring in your classroom.   

Your Challenge: 
Construct New Meaning From History

     Seven score and ten years ago, a cabin-born forefather set forth a new inspiration for our nation called The Gettysburg Address. We’ve learned it since we were kids, you and I. Many among us know it by heart even now. For it gives us a renewed sense of purpose today. Just as it did on the chilly morning of November 19th, 1863, when Abraham Lincoln used the words to change the tide and meaning of the Civil War.  

     272 words. Not many of them were flashy words on their own. But together, The Address is perhaps the most profound and meaningful text in our nation’s history.  Every score and each year since, scholars have debated the independent and interconnected meanings of the words and phrases Abraham Lincoln spoke that day. 

     Now, there’s a new way to look at The Address: in 3-D. 

     You see, if you write out Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address like you would a poem, there’s a quirky anomaly about it that you can explore for yourself. The words and phrases “pair up” quite curiously with other passages Lincoln also wrote. 

I only had 20 minutes to change the plan for the day.  Time is running out, only 16 days left for school.   I needed a quick way to present material to several classes that were going to miss class for a placement test.  So, I pulled out the ipad, found one image online and got to work.  In 15 minutes, presentation done (not my best work, but better then no explantation), posted to web and link provided to all 100 students.  Check out the quick presentation shown below.  

If you have not used educreations yet, give it a shot.  Let me know how you are using it in your classes and what the kids think!  
Cheers, Garth 

Mike and I have talked a great deal in this blog about student's constructing their own knowledge.  



This blog post is just the latest examples of students creating, building and sharing with the world. These interactive  "add-ons" are put into student created blogs.  They get no "POINTS" for this, but are encourage to take risks and try new things with each post.  I think they speak for themselves. 

Another Smore: 

Mike and I had blog buddies for four years.  A blog buddy is a student at a different school, who is taking the same course, that reads your blog posts and leave helpful comments, words of encouragement or just lets you know your work is being viewed--by someone other then me. When Mike left Chardon, I thought this would be over.....but in stepped Travis Armstrong, @DMSArmstong, who teaches a Dublin Middle School.  He had followed Mike and I on this blog and tweeter.  He contacted me about giving blog buddies a shot with his classes.   To skip to the point. We gave it a try.  

We are three weeks in and have been having a hard time getting it all ironed out, but today was a good day.  A student in my six period class asked if he could meet his blog buddy.  Skpye was on so I texted Travis and asked for "Billy" to come up to meet "Ryan".  They have read two to five blogs and have a sense of what the other is all about, but to see each other and talk was a little nerve racking for them: a lot of staring and "what do I say".  Typical 12 year olds.  

Travis is working on a "guest" post for TFT from his perspective on all this, but I wanted to share some pictures of class today as they saw their blog buddies for the first time.   It was a good day:)

I did a post a few weeks back on "clicker" like software that is free and easy to use.    That post talked about Infuse learning and Socrative.  Both softwares work like clickers and push out questions to computers, tablets or cell phones.  


Today, I stumbled on getKahoot.com  It is set up much like the other two, but provides a game like format.  Lots of points and each persons score is pushed to the deceive as they play.  It allow you to upload images, readings, set a timer,  email or download results, build a quiz, poll or discussion (embed a youtube to see before discussion starts).  It even will play music while it waits for next question. 

I made a short "quiz" for tomorrow to check student understanding from a reading and learning that we did in class today.  It will allow me to check factual knowledge before we move on to "higher level questions" so that I know each child has the needed information to move forward.  I will let you know how it works with my 7th graders.    I feel the game nature of it will be useful for certain things during the year.  

If you have used Kahoot, we would like to hear from you.  




UPDATE: 
I used this today with two classes--4 more as day goes on.  They both begged me to play again after the 15 question West Africa review--and we did.  I found a review of the Renaissance made by someone else and they reviewed a past unit:) . 
A few key ideas now that I have seen getkahoot.com work.    First, this works really well and is fun to use.   I could stop and explain ideas, concepts or material students did not understand.  They were able to ask questions, clarify material and gain a deeper understanding of what I wanted them to learn.  Second, this is mainly for factual material.  However, I need them to know facts to move on to higher level thinking, so it fits a need in my classroom.  Third, I really ENJOYED watching them and seeing their excitement--it is a very different experience from Infuse or Socative.  They really had fun.  They got competitive, they cheered each other, challenged the wording of the questions and learned some new information.  They really did enjoy it.  Give it a shot in your classroom--don't even have to make up the questions, many topics already have questions to use and then tell Mike and I your thoughts.  I can't recommend it enough, a real middle school winner.  FIVE STARS. 

Today, I worked with several teachers to welcomed local author Shelley Pearsall. Shelley's bio from Amazon states: 


Shelley Pearsall grew up in the blue-collar Cleveland suburb of Parma where she began writing stories in her bedroom closet as a child. She sent her first story to a New York publishing house at the age of thirteen. Although the manuscript was never published, its themes of survival and freedom ultimately became the inspiration for Pearsall's first published novel, TROUBLE DON'T LAST, written twenty years later. 

In 2003, TROUBLE DON'T LAST received the prestigious Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction among other honors. Pearsall's first contemporary novel ALL OF THE ABOVE was a 2007 ALA Notable book. Her books have received starred reviews and have been named Booklist Editor's Choice, New York Public Library Top 100, VOYA Top Shelf, Junior Library Guild, and have been nominated for numerous state reading award lists. In 2005, read more


After an hour presentation to the whole class by Mrs. Pearsall, students were broken up into three groups and rotated through three activities: 1.  Author group, 2.  Six word Memoirs and 3. Mural project. 
On a side note, I like how she talked about the process of writing historical fiction and hoped the students understood that their blogs are historical fiction and they are doing what she gets paid to do!  Not sure if they did, but I will chat about that tomorrow.  

I worked with Jill Goodman, the language arts teacher on my team.  She had students write six word memoirs.  The goal was to write them on the sidewalk outside, but rain made that impossible.  We did them on colored paper and made a collage in the hall outside my room.  I was pleased with the wisdom, humor and truth many of the students shared.  It did remind me we teach people first, not content.   What a fun day.  Check out a few of my favorites below.  

If you have ever heard of the edcamp movement, then you probably already know what an inspiring idea it is in a sea of monotonous conferences designed to model out-dated teaching techniques; namely direct instruction (sit-and-get), keynotes and make-and-take.  The last of those never gives you enough time and seldom explains where you are suppose to take it. 
If there is one thing that Garth and I have learned it is that the best part of any conference is often those side conversations, long lunches and dinners that end at 2am with great friends.  This is where we talk in real terms, define what has worked with our kids and philosophize about the current administrative structure helping and hindering our endeavors.  It is where many of us often say, "I wish there was a presentation on....".  EdCamps attack this issue head-on.  Several years back a group of us in northeast Ohio began to host random #CraftEDU meetings at craft breweries around our homes, then around the state and now they tend to happen country-wide.  These small, casual meetings were great, but they were not wide spread.

Two years ago, a rather impressive individual named John Schinker brought EdCamp to Cleveland.  John has successfully orchestrated two EdCamps.  This year, he passed the reigns to me and my NORT2H family.  EdCamp is an un-conference, it has no set speakers, no keynote and no cost.  In Cleveland, we even buy you lunch and give you gifts for coming! 

EdCamp's schedule is designed by the participants as the day progresses.  You are not allowed to direct instruct.  We have people facilitate conversations in a circled group of chairs.  Conversation can be about technology, textbooks or a myriad of other topics, but at its hart EdCamp is about education!  

May 17, 2014 will be the next #edcampCLE event.  Independence Local Schools is hosting our event and I hope it is the type of conference where people leave with two things:
1. At least 3 new people in their PLC, whether that is email, phone numbers or Twitter
2. More questions than answers.  The conversations you slip into should stir your creativity as a teacher.

...If you are anywhere in Ohio and can make it out, that would be really, really cool  We have 98 registered for the event.  Did I mention we buy you lunch, everyone leaves with a custom pint glass or custom coffee mug and we have some great donated items to give away (blue tooth speakers, Camtasia software, Instagrok accounts, maybe even some Chromebooks!).

Want more information:
edcampCLE website
edcampCLE flyer


Register here:
edcampCLE14

I learned some great stuff at the Chromebook camp.  Today I did a short (7:30 second) screencast of some cool tools in google docs.  Eric Curts (@ericcurts) presentation Using Google Docs to Improve the writing process, opened my eyes to a few features I did not remember or know existed in google docs.  Ryan MacRaild  (@MrMacRaild) presentation, Digital Assessment tools, has a wealth of resources on polling, assessment and other useful information on digital assessment.  I encourage you to view both links and see for yourself what great things they shared.  My screencast only covers a fraction of what they covered.  

Hi and welcome to one of three sessions today.  My name is Garth Holman and I teach 7th Grade Social Studies.  You can find me on twitter at @garthholman.  Following @professormike1 and I here on Facebook or instagram.  






The links we will use today during the workshop.   Thanks for attending and I hope you find it a good use of your time. 
1. Digital Content
2. Formative assessment 
3. Using Diigo
        Step by step directions to add the diigolet to your iPad safari browser.  It is kinda a pain, but worth your effort in the end.  BE sure to add extension to your computer browsers at home: Check here for directions.