What Else

We’re on our way to 5 adventure stories.

Enjoy our presentation (here’s how we started- Adventure Collaboration ).

Who are we? @gallit_z   @MsLHall   @lindapemik   @mrsdkrebs  @grammasheri

Imagine your own story as you flip through the slides 1-6. On slide seven (7), click one of the links to hear a story from these same slides, but rearranged for each author. More coming soon.

Adapted from #etmooc
7: Plan a “Choose Your Own Adventure Story” (Collaborate) Adaptation:
Draw an object Then ask a peer to draw a related object. Pass your peer’s drawing on to another peer and have them draw a related object. Keep doing this until you have 5 drawings (including your original object).
Create a story that links the original object with the last object drawn. What is the connection between the first object and the last object?
Write a brief story, then try to create multiple pathways that a user could go through the story. Use a mind-mapping tool

http://etmooc.org/

What story do hear? Want to create your own? Make a copy of the slideshow and rearrange the middle three slides of the story (slides 2-5) to create your own. Let us know the link to your adventure in the comments below…

We learn everywhere…

In #etmooc and #ceetopen, we encourage collaborative learning by challenging each other to try building artifacts that demonstrate understanding.

Our #ceetopen participants (and my PLN buddies Scott Boylen and Denise Krebs ) recorded very short videos of where we learn and uploaded them to a dropbox from which a single movie was created. Read more here.

The next challenge was to POP that video with another learning story. Here’s mine:

So, I wonder…

How will you use this in your classroom?

What investigative project would work here — pollution — or acts of kindness?

What do you think?

What story could you tell with our video, or one of your own collaboration?

An Adventure in 5 by GrammaSheri
How do you create an adventure story?

You invite your Professional / Personal Learning Neighborhood to join in on the fun!

Inspired by Digital StoryTelling #etmooc number seven (Choose Your Own Adventure), I adapted the idea and invited my friends, none of whom I’ve ever met!

Thanks to my PLN: @mrsdkrebs @gallit_z @MsLHall @lindapemik via one tweet to Denise Krebs, who passed it on to Gallit, who passed the story on to Ms Hall, who passed in on to Linda, we now have a story, and hopefully five stories in five steps.

Here’s the invitations and brief directions:  https://vimeo.com/59327792

an adventure invite from Sheri Edwards on Vimeo.

DIRECTIONS TO AUTHORS

On our Adventure in 5 Google Presentation, the directions are:

On the first slide is a drawing, the beginning.

Please add to the tale in the next slide with your drawing You may copy my drawing and edit it, or create another new drawing.

When your tale has extended the story, invite another person to add to the next slide. Add your name to the title slide.

When we have 5 drawings, each of us will outline a different “adventure” in Mind42 from story slide 1 to story slide 5 (that’s three choices in the middle).I will invite you to collaborate — send me your email at grammasheri at gmail dot com

Mind42

If possible, when we all have an adventure, each of us can “narrate” the story by rearranging the slides and screencasting our own story. I can do it for those without access to screencasting. Link to your story on the first slide.

For screencasting, the directions were:

Adapted from #etmooc
7: Plan a “Choose Your Own Adventure Story” (Collaborate)  Adaptation:
Draw an object Then ask a peer to draw a related object. Pass your peer’s drawing on to another peer and have them draw a related object. Keep doing this until you have 5 drawings (including your original object).
Create a story that links the original object with the last object drawn. What is the connection between the first object and the last object?
Write a brief story, then try to create multiple pathways that a user could go through the story. Use a mind-mapping tool

http://etmooc.org/

Screencasting tools:
http://www.smashingapps.com/2012/04/25/8-free-screencasting-tools-for-making-video-tutorials.html

http://mashable.com/2011/03/08/screencast-tools/

Built in to QuickTime on a Mac — How to

I used SnagIt to screencast, then imported to iMovie to add the music loop included in iMovie.

The Slideshow

I wonder what you would do with this idea?

Stories: crystals of life held for time…

A remix…

Watch Darren Kuropatwa‘s archived session here, learn from Darren’s Slides and find more resources here.

During the session Darren asked participants to record and share 5 seconds of video with him via DropitTOme and then compiled them into this “Beauty” short video. He invited others to Popcorn it !  Above is mine after an inspirational video remix by Rhonda Jessen.

Won’t you remix this ”Beauty” short video too?

The Commons: No copyright

Let’s brighten up our connections:

Here’s an idea, this first project from 2//11/13 to 2/17/13:

Please tweet with #midlevt an idea you are using in your classroom (lesson, tool, strategy). It could be an easy tweet, or link to a post — old or new!

Do you think you can?

Just ONE tweet during that time.

Thanks, Sheri

What do you think?

+++++++++

I have decided to play with this Projects thing. Have any of you used this aspect of wikispaces?

Well, it seems that since we are all organizers, we can’t be in teams, because as organizers we see all teams and projects. Interesting…

Let’s see what happens to the Project Page.

Look forward to your sharing… Thanks, Sheri

I’ve been thinking about this “Choose your own adventure,” and “curating multiple paths to learning” that Ben Wilkoff suggests in his Learning is Change series.  My response is this:

Choose A Motivating Environment #etmooc from Sheri Edwards on Vimeo.

When a person is motivated, they jump in and choose their adventure, their path, their neighborhoods. Here’s the story of Denise and Sheri — and how their adventure blossomed:

Two Connected Learners #etmooc from Sheri Edwards on Vimeo.

What do you think?

How doe we create an environment for staff and students with open paths wherein each path can motivate?

Photo by Sheri Edwards

How do you build a PLN? Take a risk. Be JoLLE: Join, Lurk, Learn, Extend.

In 2011 Denise Krebs and I began an adventure, and I am forever grateful for the friends and support that have been shared back and forth since then, and continues even now.

Here’s our story, approved by Denise, my friend, because @cogdog asked for stories of positive connections:

Two Connected Learners #etmooc from Sheri Edwards on Vimeo.

And that’s what happens when you JOin Twitter (or #ETMOOC), Lurk around awhile, Learn a few things and spaces and tricks, and the Extend yourself into conversations and projects.

Think: What do you hope to do in the next year?

I’m behind ( need rhizome post) and ahead (digital storytelling) — racing like a turtle  and I can’t keep up, yet I add to the story with a segment from  past post from 2009 because of this encouraging post by Verena Roberts for next week’s digital storytelling #etmooc. We have much to learn the next two weeks. And another idea those of us teaching, might be to to use poetry as a vehicle to tell a story.

April is Poetry Month and on April 18th, it’s Poem In Your Pocket Day.  Want to participate? Here’s an idea…

Share Poetry Strategies and Digital Tools

Help spread the power of poetry — share ideas on twitter for how to create and share poems during the weeks before 4/18 — or do this right now to develop a project ready to use in your class —  for “A Poem in Your Pocket Day” on April 18th. Label tweets hashtag #pocketpoem, the official hashtag. Then we’ll have many strategies and tools to choose from for a fantastic Poetry Month.

An audience. A purpose. Authentic.

Here’s an example:

Create your own visual poem on Bubblr; blog or email it to friend for “A Poem in Your Pocket Day” on April 18th:

My Poem:

Spring

Barren earth

Blossoms in bubbles

Of delicate dew

For butterfly blessings

Mother Earth to you.

The visual:

Or link here: A Poem for Your Pocketby Sheri Edwards

Here’s HOW TO:

Go to Bubblr at http://www.pimpampum.net/bubblr/

Use the “tag” box to type a topic on which you want to write a poem.

I chose these (separately as needed): soil, spring, dewdrop

For your search, many photos will appear for you to drag to the current slide.

As I chose my photos, I added the cloud and text.

Then I published with a title and name from which the code can be created to embed or link or email. Enjoy.

Other Poetry Resources:

National Poetry Month

Poem in Your Pocket

Eagles Write Poem in Your Pocket 2011

The Challenge before 4/18:

Please learn or relearn or share a tool for poetry, or a digital storytelling idea from #etmooc which can be adapted.

Create it.

Post your creation and a how to.

Tweet your post with your poem and howto: hashtag #pocketpoem, the official hashtag

If you  can, comment here with your poetry post link!

Thank you for encouraging poetry, and have fun with digital storytelling for #etmooc.

Go boldly and scatter seeds of kindness…

Reflect curiosity and wonder…

We’re building a new neighborhood. Want to visit for a while?

As I learn more about PLNs through #etmooc, especially from @bhwilkoff, I realize I have a responsibility to help find and support the sub-committees that have a common focus.  Ben Wilkoff calls these sub-committees “neighborhoods.” These neighborhoods support each other in efforts to transform education, to make changes for our students’ futures.

The people listed in the image at left are connections I’ve recently made through ETMOOC  blogging, Google Plus, and Twitter. The educators are passionate middle level educators — teaching students in grades 5-8 (10-14 years of age). From their tweets and blogs I am learning more about educational technology and student engagement.

As a middle level educator, I find we have needs that differ than other levels. So, I’d like to invite middle level educators to connect in order to support our efforts to develop curriculum, pedagogy, and strategies to infuse technology and student engagement through other strategies, such as project/problem/passion-based education or the #geniushour. I appreciate the inspiration received from my friend, Denise Krebs, a fellow middle level educator in our neighborhood.

What if we connect and reflect together via Google+, Twitter, and blogs? We can add common documents and resources to the Connect In The Middle wiki and share resources in this group Diigo. We can connect our blogs, and reflect/comment on our questions and solutions together. Perhaps we can design student projects that connect these middle school students in a safe environment as they apply their digital citizenship to complete these projects.

The possibilities are endless, and involvement would be only as needed for each of us. Some might visit for a while; others might connect more fully, and some visit occasionally.  After all, we would be building a neighborhood that we visit for different purposes.

The first questions I’m considering, based on the first week of ETMOOC are:

• How important is connected learning? Why?
• Is it possible for our classrooms to support this kind of learning? If so, how?
• What skills and literacies are necessary for connected learning?
• How do we develop these?

Please read my responses here: Connected In The Middle Post. Do you have ideas about these questions? What are your questions? How can we help each other?

Please consider joining the conversation / connections for middle level educators to act on the conversations in ETMOOC and beyond.

To build your middle level neighborhood, please follow these educators who have inspired me this week.

Laura Gilchrist ‏ @LauraGilchrist4

Bernice Homel ‏ @BHomel1

Gallit Zvi ‏ @gallit_z

Rhoni McFarlane ‏ @rhonimcfarlane

Scott Hazeu ‏ @scotthazeu

Laura Coughlin ‏ @CoughlinLaura

Ben Wilkoff @bhwilkoff

Joy Kirr ‏ @JoyKirr

Lorraine Boulos ‏ @RaineCB

If you would like to join the middle level neighborhood, please comment below, and join the Connect In The Middle wiki.

Thank you, @grammasheri and welcome to the Connect in the Middle Neighborhood !

Photo by me:
 Some rights reserved by teach.eagle

Have you seen Ben Wilkoff’s Vlog “From Network to Neighborhood?” Take a spin in what he calls his “Personal Learning Neighborhood,” as he shares not just connections, but the learning created in his neighborhood.  Isn’t that a wonderful description of the connections and learning we develop online?

In my second vlog, I wandered through my “neighborhoods.” I wish I had thought of calling it that, but I didn’t. And I inferred my learning, but did not explain it.

So, I’d like to thank my neighborhood, and share them so you, too, may find these connections.

The People:

Denise Krebs : I learned about collaboration and taking risks from Denise. She modelled jumping into the online conversations and presenting to share how to do so. She is one of the founders of #geniushour, the idea that students need time to develop their passions, and one of our main tasks is to guide them there. Together (we’ve never met f2f), we planned through Twitter, Google+ Hangouts, and Google Docs a presentation during Connected Educator Month to encourage others to “Extend the Conversation.” Her blog shares her wisdom, passion, and love for  teaching middle school and in teaching and connecting through Personal Learning Networks.  She’s holding the camera above. You can’t help but be inspired from her.

Tracy Watanabe : Do you need information on project and problem based learning, Common Core State Standards, technology in the classroom? I am continuously thankful for the sharing of detailed information about these topics by Tracy (she’s at lower right in the image above). I adapt her ideas to my situation and am a better teacher because of it.

Theresa Allen :  To the left of Tracy is Theresa, a frequent tweeter and model online learner. Read about her work in her blog, Computer Classroom Connections, and visit the EVPD Educator Virtual Professional Development wiki to connect with the professional development that she and others provide for her school community. I learned about Socrative and Edmodo from her. She sets a positive, welcoming tone where-ever she is, and that attitude encourage me to join with Denise in our presentation. Her enthusiasm is infectious.

Kristine Full : On the lower left is Kristine. I had just met her during this hangout, and the best thing about connecting is that the “neighborhoods” blend into other areas. Enjoy Kris’s Pinterest for teachers and hobbies (yum! ); I’ve added cooking and photography tips from her. You never know! Thanks, Kris!

The Organizations

 ASCD Edge: A community of educators discussing today’s issues.

NCTE Connected: Keep up with Language Arts input in this community.

Classroom 2.0: Tens of thousands of technology learners to interact with and learn from through Saturday Blackboard sessions – Classroom 2.o Live. I probably attended every Saturday morning for two years to learn how to … VoiceThread, Edmodo, Skype, etc. (no show 1/26) EduCon 2.5).

English Companion Ning: Again, thousands of teachers forming groups and helping each other learn to be better LA teachers.

 What about your “neighborhood?” What learning can you share from yours?