Connected From the Start:

Global Learning in Primary

Awakening Possibilities, Winnipeg

April 16, 2014

I’m delighted to have this opportunity to show you the ways that I connect my classroom and to share how you can connect yours as well. If you have questions or want to see what my class is up to, you can find us in lots of places online. Some of them are listed below.

Kathy Cassidy

Classroom Blog http://mscassidysclass.edublogs.org/

Twitter @kathycassidy

Professional Blog http://kathycassidy.com/

Email kathy@kathycassidy.com

My eBook Connected From the Start: Global Learning in the Primary Grades

Shortened URL for THIS session http://tinyurl.com/MTSConnected  

Please use the hashtag #connectedkids to tweet ideas, connections you are interested in. I’ll gather all of your tweets into a Storify and post a link here. If you are not on Twitter, please use this Padlet. 

There are many, many ways to connect your classroom. I recently posted some of the ways my classroom had connected in the past year. Here are some of my favourites:

Skype (Video-Conferencing)

Getting Started

• Download Skype here.
• Skype Directory (Everything you want to know about Skype - Microsoft download)
• Meeting Planner - Find the best time to connect with other time zones. Or just type “what time is it in ___” into Google search.

Who will I Skype with?

• A friend or colleague
• Check Skype in the Classroom to find other teachers/classes to connect with, Skype projects or experts.
• Skype an Author
• Mystery Skype for location, Mystery Number Skype

Skype in Our Classroom video with my students.

Video conferencing can also work well with Google Hangouts. As long as you have a Google account, you can access this. And yes, it is free.

Twitter

Getting Started with Twitter

• Sign up for Twitter
• Twitter FAQ - Intro to what Twitter is and what it’s about.
• Twitter Checklist - A list of steps to help you learn how to make the most of Twitter.
• Tweetdeck Allows you to create feeds for specific hashtags or users.

Who should we follow?

• Choose a class already on Twitter (example @mscassidysclass) and look at who they follow/who follows them. The following/followers of those classes will lead you to more great choices.

• Other classes of a similar grade in another country

• Eight Great Twitter Accounts for Students to Follow
• A class tweeting in a language you are learning (check out classes tweeting in French here)
• An astronaut such as @Cmdr_Hadfield
• Anyone tweeting about a subject your class is studying
• A park or zoo
• Mo Willems’ Pigeon
• Classrooms that tweet (In order by grade level)
• More classrooms that tweet (In random order)
• Olympic Athletes

Other Twitter Resources

• Using Twitter as a Backchannel with hashtags
• Use a hashtag with other classes Example #SaystheGBMan
• Storify Lets you aggregate all of the tweets with a certain hashtag in one place. Example: #2D3Dshapes
• Sixty Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom

Twitter in Our Classroom Video with my class

Blogging

Hosts

My top choices as hosts for student blogging:

• Edublogs
• Kidblog

Examples

• Primary Blog Examples Sorted by Tool (Ages 3 - 8) If you have a blog, or start one, why not add your link to the list?)
• Elementary Blogs Examples Sorted by Tool  (Ages 8 to 12) f you have a blog, or start one, why not add your link to the list?
• More Elementary Blog Examples (Grades 2 and up)

Other Blogging Ideas:

• Quadblogging
• Student Blogging Challenge
• Primary Blogging Community
• Blogs as Digital Portfolios -- This wiki gives lots of information about options for hosts, tools and apps that can be used for digital portfolios. The examples are primary, but the same principles apply no matter what grade level you teach. There are also examples of digital portfolios for all ages here. (or come to my digital portfolios session tomorrow!)

How Do You Do That?

• Parental Permission -- Form my school division uses for permissions (Click on Students, then Student Media/Privacy Form)
• Show parent what you want to do
• Offer options - example, not images, pseudonym

Our Blogs video with my class

Video

Students can use video to share their classroom learning, for self-reflection or to show independent learning.

Examples of connections through the use of video:

1. Our Snow Clothes Challenge

• Some of our Challengers

      2. Our Classroom Tour   

• Some Responses to our Tour
• Class From Germany

I want to connect my classroom. How can I get started?

• Connect with someone you already know who also has a blog, a Twitter account or a Skype account.
• Twitter - If you’re on Twitter check #kinderchat, #1stchat, #4thchat etc. for people who may be interested in creating/collaborating.
• List of Educational Twitter chats to help you find other teachers interested in your level/area. Also, Twitter chats by day and time.
• Join a Project

1. Skype in the Classroom
2. Projects by Jen
3. EPals
4. Math Problems

Connect your classroom and extraordinary learning will take place!