Learning to Create not Consume

My first 5 years teaching (2008-2013) I was with a district that technology was only in a lab not in the classroom.  I had one computer in my classroom and that was my teacher PC.  Students used it only to do Accelerated Reader quizzes.  They considered innovation to be the fact we had active boards in some rooms and projectors.  Also if you were lucky you had a front row system to help project your voice in your room.  I really didn't know any other way.  I began teaching in SBISD in August of 2013.  I entered my Pre-k classroom and to  my surprise I had ipads!  Not just one but several!  I was beyond excited.  So how did we use those ipads?  Well of course I spent hours researching the top education apps for that age group and downloaded all that I could for free.  My kids were merely consumers and I saw nothing wrong with just that.  Fast forward to our district technology upgrades and integration of our mini ipads.  When we were told we would no longer have free range to download apps groans could be heard across the district.  I was one groaning too.    I mean what could a Pre-k/Kindergarten possible do with an ipad if they can't have the educational gaming and learning apps?    So they would just be for Istations and that would just have to be it.  I was bummed my attitude not exactly positive.  Then one day it hit me.  Education is a constantly changing environment and we are leaving the age of consumable technology and we are entering in to the creative technology world.  It reminded me of when my mom who had taught for over 40 years got a smart board.  She called and asked me to come show her how to use it and when I arrived to my absolute horror I saw she had been writing on it with dry erase markers.  At that moment my mom said she knew it was time for her to retire because she had no desire to learn new technology and she knew it was unfair to her students.  That is what popped into my head when I was trying to figure out what to do with these ipads.  So I decided I owed it to my students to learn about the apps on the ipads and in turn allow my students to use them to create.  Now I am not your sit down have a lesson you don't touch the technology kind of teacher.  I am the ok here is the ipad this is the app you will be exploring I have guided access on please enjoy exploring this app kind of teacher.  So we started with scratch Jr.  Guys if you have not used this app I urge you to change that!  The kids have figured it out in no time.  They are creating and coding with it and I love going by sitting down and listening to the stories they are creating.   Is it perfect?  No but it's authentic and engaging.  I have made a personal challenge to expose my students to every app the district has approved that is on their level on our ipads.  It's a gradual process but one that is paying off.  Just this week in our PLC I shared Scratch Jr, Green Screen Live and WonderWorkshop with my grade level and administrative team.  I expressed to them that like many I had to choose to change my attitude and mindset when it comes to how to use technology with my students.  We are no longer using it for them to consume but we are using it to encourage them to create.  We must remember that as educators it is our attitude and mindset that sets the tone in our classrooms, on our teams and on our campuses.  So I encourage you to be the one to think creatively and show others it is what the students in our classrooms need. 

Student 3D Creation and ItsLearning Page for Volume

The unit we just completed focused on solving the volume of rectangular prisms/pyramids, triangular prisms/pyramids, cylinders, cones, and spheres. Before lesson planning for this unit I continued to ask myself "How can I get my students to create?" 

My answer was giving students the shapes that were required and then allowing them to be create whatever their imaginative minds could think of with those shapes. The amount of imagination, dedication, and student learning exceeded my expectations and blew my mind! 

Click HERE to view the rubric students received. You will notice they only received 10 points for the actual creation and 90 points for the mathematics behind the creation. With our previous unit, many students fell behind in their agenda and were not able to truly practice solving for lateral and total surface area. What better way to practice then to spiral it back into this unit? Students were expected to use each shape a minimum of one time and were also expected to solve for the surface area and volume of each one of those mandatory shapes. 

The second part of the project was for students to create an ItsLearning Page in which they could upload pictures, videos, and voice recordings displaying the shapes they created and how they solved the volume of those shapes. Sadly, not many students got to this part because they invested more time in creating. However, it was exciting to see the ones who did get to this part. Since time was running short I awarded the students who managed their time and created their ItsLearning Page bonus points for their unit exam.  Here is a video showing an example of an ItsLearning Page that was created (I did remove the student name): 

The results of the unit exam were phenomenal and it was all due to the fact that I had allowed my students to create. Last school year 94% of the students reached the approaches level (they passed with the minimum score) and 26% reached the masters level (commended). This school year 100% of my students reached the approaches level and 54% of them reached the masters level. The school year is coming to an end however, the amount of rigor will only increase! 

Reflections: Harvey did impact the amount of days cut so hopefully, next year I am able to give more time to the prior unit which contains surface area. If it is possible I would like to remove surface area from the creation so that students can focus more time on solving for the volume. This will then allow them more time to create their ItsLearning Page. I will also have students measure their nets before beginning their creations so that they are able to manage their time better. I would also like to have a day in which students can do a gallery walk to view each others creations in which they can leave positive comments on sticky notes. This will help increase the ownership and pride in their work. 

Here are pictures of some of the wonderful creations: 

This student decided he wanted to make sure his was the largest creation. This Robot is large enough to sit on a chair!

Here we have a beautiful park that contains swings, a tent, and even a see saw!

This ladies showed their love for nature and brought in their own animal figures. 

Who doesn't love to go shopping? Don't forget you can stop by chik-fil-a after getting your eyebrows done!

This beautiful city looks so calm and tranquil. Check out that moon!

This city does not exclude cars!

Would you like to have a refreshing water filled day? Come to this water-park!

Welcome to Strangville!

This wonderful home did not forget their Welcome Mat! 

While one student wanted to create the largest robot another student wanted to create the smallest one.