Revamping Curriculum with Technology

Remember when I researched and gave a beautiful, eloquent screencast presentation of the SAMR Model? Sure you do, that was a great blog post. Well, after doing that assignment, I had all this technology integration knowledge sitting around in my head just waiting to be used. So guess what I did with it? I took a boring, tired, overdone curriculum and revamped it using technology! Yahoo!

Not excited about rewriting curriculum? Well, at least Ryan is always there to support my valiant teacher efforts...

To start, I first took a fairly boring unit that I teach every year to my students: Poetry. During this unit, each day we read a poem, discuss a given poetry concept, find that concept in the poem, then go to our tables and illustrate the poem. On the last two days, the kids get the chance to write a poem themselves. That's it. Read, discuss, illustrate... read, discuss, illustrate... read, discuss, illustrate... now quick write! Booorrrrring.

While poetry is a freestyle, creative genre, the kids don't get to experience that side of it with the existing unit. All they experience is boring discussions and then they do scribbly drawings in their poetry journals that don't mean much because they are just not into it. By the end of the year--who am I kidding, by Spring Break!--the kids have mentally "checked out" and are ready for summer. This monotonous poetry unit is not engaging enough to reel them in. While I like the monotony of it as a teacher (same thing every day=easy to plan=more time to get end-of-year stuff ready), each year I can tell that my kids don't like it.

With the introduction of 1:1 iPads in my school next year, I knew that this unit needed a technology revitalization. So I did it! And it's great! Take a look!

(For more information about my unit revamp, click HERE to see my presentation notes or click HERE to read the entire assignment.)

After doing this assignment and changing up my poetry unit, I am really excited to try it out next year! It will definitely be more work than the monotonous read-discuss-illustrate model that I usually use, but I have a feeling that my students are going to LOVE it and are going to learn way more. (And that's the point of it all, right?) Before, my poetry unit involved a lot of passive learning where students would sit back and listen to poems and discuss poetry concepts, but they never really practiced applying the concepts until the last day. Now, students are continuously involved in ACTIVE learning with TECHNOLOGY and POETRY! Every day, they are using technology to reflect, create, and express their voices! No more sitting back and daydreaming for my kiddos--they are going to be real poets and engaged learners! Woohoo!

Seriously, if you can't tell, I am super excited.

How about you? Are you excited about technology integrated curriculum yet? Well you will be after you  read these awesome poetry/technology activities that I created for this unit. Perhaps you could use them in your own classroom or modify them to fit your own curriculum/students' needs. Enjoy!

Online Learning Journals

• Tech Used: Seesaw
• Description:
• After reading an example poem as a class and discussing a poetry concept...
• Take a picture of poem and circle rhyming words, underline repetition, illustrate imagery, etc. with Seesaw
• Post illustration to Seesaw learning journal
• SAMR Level: Augmentation - Seesaw replaces the paper-and-pencil illustrations we did before, but provides functional improvement as students take a picture of a common poem (less paper/mess) and post their illustrations into their online journals (organized). Also, teachers can review online posts easily and clearly see progress (saves time). Technology FTW!
• Why I Like It: I like using Seesaw to keep all student journaling localized, organized, and without wasting paper. Also, I like that parents are able to view student work on Seesaw. Home-school communication bonus!

Nature Observation Poems

• Tech Used: Camera on iPad, PicCollage
• Description:
• Take photos of nature in courtyard using Camera on iPad
• Select one “inspiration” photo and write a short poem (by hand) of observations
• Take picture of poem and use PicCollage to juxtapose poem with inspiration photo
• Share creations with partners/small groups
• SAMR Level: Modification - Students are using technology to create visual and written art using multimedia and technology. They are applying poetry concepts in a transformative way.
• Why I Like It: Ahem, getting the kids OUTDOORS in May?! What a great idea! The end of the year is the perfect time to take advantage of the beautiful weather and use it to inspire poetry!

Silly Animal Poems

• Tech Used: ChatterPix
• Description:
• Partners select a random animal picture from hat
•  Partners write poem (by hand) about animal using repetition
• Partners use ChatterPix to take picture of animal and record themselves reading poem together
• Partners share creations in small groups
• SAMR Level: Modification - Students are creating, performing, and displaying poetry using multimedia and technology.
• Why I Like It: I especially like this activity because it helps students practice reading poetry orally in a silly, engaging, nonthreatening way with the help of a partner. Everyone (even the shy students) will have fun participating and practicing French!

Rhyming Word Picture Dictionaries

• Tech Used: PicCollage, Reflector
• Description:
• Walk around class and take pictures of objects that rhyme
• Use PicCollage to juxtapose rhyming word pictures and write words underneath using sound spelling
• Continue making multiple rhyming PicCollages to create a “rhyming word picture dictionary”
• Selected students share picture dictionaries with class using Reflector
• SAMR Level: Modification -  Students are creating connections and practicing poetic tools using multimedia and technology, then sharing with others in class.
• Why I Like It: This activity makes poetry VISUAL and ACTIVE! Plus it is like a word treasure hunt -- I can just see the students being super engaged!

Color Simile Webs

• Tech Used: Popplet, Reflector
• Description:
• Type a color name in the center of a web using Popplet
• Take pictures or write words of objects that could make similes with that color
• Selected students share Popplet using Reflector and class reads web using simile structure (“Color” comme “Object”)
• SAMR Level: Modification -  Students are creating connections and practicing poetic tools using multimedia and technology, then sharing with others in class.
• Why I Like It: Again, so visual! So active! And students LOVE finding colors in the classroom. I think the web structure in Popplet will really help students see the connections between objects and help them understand color similes in an engaging way!

Classroom Poetry iBook

• Tech Used: Book Creator, iBook, Seesaw, School Website
• Description:
• Day 1: 
• After discuss poetry tools we have learned about and practicing how to write a poem as a class...
• Write a poem rough draft
• Take picture of rough draft, record explanation of what poetic tools you used, and post on Seesaw learning journal
• Day 2:
• Type final draft into a blank page on Book Creator
• Express poem by recording audio, illustrating with paint feature, attaching video, and/or taking a picture
• Share book page with teacher
• Teacher compiles Book Creator pages into an iBook and posts as ePub or movie file on school website for parents and other classes to see
• Classroom celebrates publication of poems with iPad Poetry Café
• SAMR Level: Redefinition - Technology has really changed this assignment into something that would be impossible without technology. Students are creating, performing, and displaying poetry using multimedia, then using technology to collaboratively create an iBook as a class and to share their work outside of classroom walls. Wow! Learning has been transformed!
• Why I Like It: Collaboration! Self expression! Voice and choice! Poetic freedom! There is so many good things going on in this final project -- I love it!

So there you go! Some SAMR examples of how to change a unit from ordinary to extraordinary! Feeling more excited about curriculum yet?

I am really glad I revamped this unit. The sample activities I came up with are so different than what we did before. I think it will really help students stay involved and engaged in learning. (Even though it will be taught in May!)

This is my last blog post for my EdTech course. However, I am willing to continue my blog if there are actually people out there who are interested and want to learn more about using tech in early education. I have some fun apps up my sleeve that I could introduce, or I could talk about topics that interest you or answer your questions. So, if anyone is listening out there, please let me know if I should continue this or not!

Merci! :) Happy summer!