instagrok: A Pathway to Understanding Thoroughly and Intuitively

(Originally posted March 9, 2015 on Greenwood 50's Technology Leaders and Coaches in Action! blog at: http://kidblog.org/stls/823673c8-64ee-4e47-81b0-aca3e1d5b807/instagrok-a-pathway-to-understanding-thoroughly-and-intuitively/ )
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As the media specialist in an elementary school of inquiry, it shouldn't be shocking to learn that the question I am asked most by teachers is in regards to good, educational, kid-safe search engines and tools for web-based research projects.

Since promoting the integration of technology in classroom curriculum and easing that integration for teachers are both goals of mine as School Technology Leader, I have been searching for good research tools that are user-friendly, reliable, and authoritative in sourcing.  When I found one that met each of those criteria - plus was intuitive and interactive - I knew I was on to something that could really be of benefit to my students and teachers.



instaGrok is an interactive search engine for educational use that not only retrieves reliable information, but helps students to develop better searching skills by presenting the information in a visual, concept mind-mapping format that allows students to see a number of searching options and then narrow those options until they pinpoint the information they need from quality, educational websites - .edu and .org sites.  Results also include photo and video content from PBS, BBC, Discovery, etc.



instaGrok is free and can be used online or through iPad and Android apps.  Users can use the research tool without registering or they may register a free account to customize searches and share concept maps.  Teachers can also purchase classroom accounts that allow them to track student progress, make and collect assignments, journal, and much more.  So... students and teachers can use instaGrok as a quick research option from the web interface or iPad/Android apps without accounts, or they can take full advantage of it's capabilities and register student and/or classroom accounts for more intensive use.  The possibilities for it's use are numerous.



Because of its interactivity and concept mapping interface, instaGrok works well for both beginning researchers as well as middle and high school students.  The limits are set only by their searches.  For example: if you search instaGrok for information on WWII, your search results will return a concept map with the WWII heading in the center and all related subjects in surrounding connected concept circles.  If you narrow that search to "weaponry", the concept map will branch off into another circle group showing results specific to weaponry used in WWII.  Each colored tab can be clicked to reveal key facts, websites, videos, images, and concepts. Plus, there is an additional section for notes.



The depth of the search is controlled by the keyword relations as well as a sliding difficulty setting in the top left corner of the search engine.  Beginning researchers may only need the overview information returned in a single keyword search.  With the difficulty level set to the far left, the returned results will be more general and simple to understand information.  More advanced researchers can move the difficulty level as needed and also narrow more and contrast their original keyword search to another keyword search, creating multiple circular concept maps highlighting results containing information specific to the relation of those keywords.

As with most technology, the best way to understand instaGrok is to use it.  Give it a try by clicking here.  I think you'll easily understand how advantageous this search engine can be for both beginning and/or struggling researchers as well as those who are a little more advanced in their searching skills.  I personally love the interactivity and intuitiveness of it.

For more ideas on how you can use instaGrok in your classroom, see the video here:

Intro to Augmented Reality... With a Heartbeat

(Originally posted March 4, 2015 on Greenwood 50's Technology Leaders and Coaches in Action! at:  http://kidblog.org/stls/823673c8-64ee-4e47-81b0-aca3e1d5b807/intro-to-augmented-reality-with-a-heartbeat/  )
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Trying new technologies and finding ways to incorporate them meaningfully in the teaching process has been a goal and focus of mine all year as School Technology Leader.  As so, I've been flirting with Augmented Reality and it's application with elementary students for a while now and recently took the plunge with a school-wide introduction to the technology and it's use in engaging elementary instruction.

 

What Augmented Reality does, basically, is takes a static image and overlays or superimposes additional information - video content, photo content, weblinks, and/or just about any other digital content, including scanned images and original videos.  The technology itself presents limitless possibilities for projects in all curriculum areas.

 

I introduced the technology to students with HeartCam, a free iPad app that uses Augmented Reality technology to allow users to "see" into the body and watch a virtual heart pumping.  I chose this app because as an introduction, it allows students to see the end product.  It opens the door to discussing how the technology actually works and to how it can be applied to projects in the classroom.

 

My goal was simple... I wanted even the youngest students to be aware of the technology, be able to recognize it when they see it used, and to be able to give it a name.

 

When you create an original Augmented Reality project, you use an Augmented Reality app (such as Aurasma) to scan in a static image - a photo, drawing, graphic, or in some cases, a special AR Mat. The technology uses that static image as a trigger.  Once the image is scanned, you then link the related content.

 

When the end user scans the original trigger image with the Augmented Reality app, the additional content (video, animation, photo, weblinks, etc.) is displayed over the image - similar to the way QR (Quick Response) Codes are scanned to direct your browser to a specific destination or webpage.

 

The difference between QR codes and Augmented Reality technology is that with Augmented Reality, the overlaid information appears hovering or superimposed over the original static image. You aren't simply scanning an image and being taken to a predetermined weblink.

 

The possibilities for technology rich projects within any standards-based curriculum unit are nearly infinite.  Students conduct the research and locate or create the content - both static images and digital content.  They learn the technology application, create a traditional display with the trigger images, and then overlay the related content.

 

Viewers can view the project as a traditional, static bulletin board/mind-mapping type display or they can be given iPads loaded with the Augmented Reality app and literally be able to participate in the learning process through the technology!  They can be shown video content, directed to informational websites, taken to scanned writing work authored by students, or invited to join in interviews conducted by students with local project-related community leaders.  If you are really courageous, you can even link an image in the display to live streaming content - presentations, interviews, performances, etc.

 

Basically, you can do as much or as little as you like.  Media related lessons for such collaborative projects include research skills, note-taking tips, source citations, teaching the actual Augmented Reality technology, and of course, preparation and completion of the technology content.

 

Augmented Reality is not a new technology but it is emerging and changing in application.  Just as QR codes are vastly more prevalent now than they were 5 years ago, Augmented Reality will become more and more the same, growing in it's use and daily application.  Because of this, I wanted all of my students - kindergarten through 5th grade - to be exposed to it, to explore it, and to be aware of it for future projects

 

To demonstrate how Augmented Reality works within the HeartCam application, I gave each student a small HeartCam trigger image with tape on the back and asked them to place it on their chests where their heart is located. Before I had them try the app, I asked for a student volunteer and had them come up in front of the class and scan the HeartCam image I was wearing to see what happened.  Their reactions were absolutely priceless!  They were amazed that they could "see" inside my chest and watch my heart beating.

 

After the demonstration, I asked students to work with a friend to scan each other's HeartCam image. It got a little loud with their "oohs" and "ahhs", but it accomplished exactly what I wanted to accomplish, without fail.  Every class wanted to know exactly how it worked.

 

Door open.  Let the learning begin.

 

Admittedly, I was a bit hesitant to use this lesson with kindergarten for fear of frightening them with the computer animated heart video.   But with appropriate preparation prior to using the app, kindergartners actually handled and understood the technology better than some of my older students. They understood it wasn't a real heart, or their partner's heart, they were seeing.  They understood that it was computer animation and not real.

 

I prefaced each of the lessons with a short talk about Augmented Reality and how it works - very basically for kindergarten through 3rd grades and a little more in-depth for 4th grade.  My 5th graders are getting ready to start collaborative Science and Social Studies based Augmented Reality projects, so I covered the technology in more detail with them.  After viewing the HeartCam app, we began brainstorming our project and how we could use the technology to tell our story.

 

We just started research for those projects last week and I am super excited to see what they will come up with because what I have learned with every level of student I teach is that if they are engaged and excited about the end product, they will do everything in their power to learn what they need to know - curriculum and technology-wise - to present their very best work.

 

 

Our Week on Teachability

(Originally posted February 17, 2015 on Greenwood 50's Technology Leaders and Coaches in Action! blog at: http://kidblog.org/stls/823673c8-64ee-4e47-81b0-aca3e1d5b807/our-week-on-teachability/ )
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Last week I was offered a wonderful platform from which to tell a bit of our daily education story in the library and I couldn't think of a better way to work towards my goal of promoting technology integration than by showing others - both locally and across the world wide web - the things we're doing here in the library at Hodges Elementary/Greenwood School of Inquiry.

Teachability (Pearson Education) hosts an Instagram account and gives teachers from all disciplines across the country the opportunity to "takeover" their account for a week and use the technology to tell their specific story.  The goal is to highlight and share the wonderful things happening in all facets of education.  I hope I helped further that goal and gave viewers a glimpse into the things happening in our little corner of the education world.  I took great pride in presenting a glimpse into the daily life of our school library.  Based on comments I received and contacts I made, I definitely feel the week was successful.  It was certainly an honor.

I'm attaching each post I made to the Teachability account here.  You can click each photo to see the full post.  If you like the photo and have an Instagram account, click the photo to link to Teachability's account where you can "like" it.  Thank you all for following along on this journey with us!

Teachability Instagram Homescreen

Introduction

Getting ready for an intro to augmented reality with HeartCam

Kindergarten's first experience with augmented reality

Promoting our blog

Upcoming Augmented Reality Project with 5th Grade

Setting up for Story Sequencing with Animated Film 

Story Sequencing with Animated Film

Dog and Bone App to Practice and Reinforce Story Sequencing

For the Love of First Graders

Independent Checkout

iPad Cart Updates

New Otter Boxes for an Older iPad Cart

School Website Updates

WHOD Morning News Program

Processing New Books

Prepping for 3rd Grade Animoto Book Trailers

5th Grade Exploring Augmented Reality Technology with the Heart Cam App

Behind the Scenes Work

MinecraftEDU Server through Teacher Gaming

3rd Grader Gathers Photos and Information for her Animoto Book Trailer Project

Students Teaching MinecraftEDU to the Teacher

Thank You from Hodges/GSI Library!

Thank you again for following us on this journey!  I had a blast telling our story through photos on the Teachability Instagram platform.  Social media is a wonderful tool for sharing the great things going on in our library and for learning from others through the wonderful things going on in theirs!

 

MLK, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Information Literacy

What do Martin Luther King, Jr., Old Crow Medicine Show, and information literacy have in common?  A lot, if you use a multidisciplinary approach to teach fact verification and information seeking skills through music and technology.

I have always been a huge music fan and I've always loved all kinds of music.  Most often I'm drawn to a song because of the lyrics.  The first time I heard Old Crow Medicine Show's song "Motel in Memphis" - a song about the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - I knew that I wanted to use it in a lesson someday, somehow. The song lyrics touched me in a way that made me see the assassination of this man in a way I had not before.  The mere words to the song brought a piece of history to life. I hoped it would do the same for my students - make them view the life and death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in a way that would provoke a new appreciation for his legacy and for the many reasons he is celebrated and recognized with a national holiday.

But I don't teach music and I don't teach history.  I am a media specialist.  I teach information literacy skills - how to locate information, how to evaluate information and authenticate sources, how to be responsible users of information, and how to learn from the information we find.  What could that possibly have in common with this song, the man, and the fact that we celebrate his life with a national holiday?  

Everything...if you go about it the right way.

I started with the song lyrics that had so moved me and thought about how, like myself, my students were not present when Martin Luther King was alive nor when he was so brutally murdered.  Like myself, those lyrics could bring new meaning to a part of history they had often heard about, but never experienced.  And so I did what I love to do and found a way to incorporate technology and music to teach a lesson about a great man using a thoughtful song with historically specific lyrics to engage my students in a information seeking/fact authentication and verification mission. 

I started by using "Motel in Memphis" as the background music for an Animoto photo montage video depicting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life, assassination, and funeral. The lyrics to the song were printed on a worksheet for students.  Third and fourth grade students were asked five questions specific to facts in the lyrics and instructed to use research and fact verification skills to answer and/or verify the answer to those questions.  

I allowed a little more autonomy with my fifth-graders, asking them to use information from the lyrics to learn more about specific details illustrated by the song.  For example, one line from the song reads, "Were you there with Mahalia wailing at the funeral?"  Students were to use the information in that lyric to learn by using their research skills that the "Mahalia" referred to was Mahalia Jackson, a gospel singer and friend of Dr. King, who sang at his funeral service.

Through both of these activities, students learned multiple cross-disciplinary lessons.

• They learned that music and music lyrics tell a story and that sometimes that story is a historically factual one.  
• They learned about a great man by starting from the day he was assassinated and working back through his life to discover detailed information about the equality and civil rights he fought for.

I used technology and music as tools to paint the picture for them and they used technology through online research to locate, verify, evaluate, and develop what I know was a greater understanding of the history and the man.

But most importantly, they used their own natural curiosity and inquisitive behavior as a catalyst for responsible information seeking and fact verification. 

What I learned was that I wasn't alone in being touched by the song, I wasn't the only one to see history from a different perspective because of it's lyrics, and that given the opportunity to interpret factual and artistic expression through music lyrics, students were led to not only find and verify the factual information, but also to dig even deeper to satisfy their personal curiosity about the facets of this particular history that most fascinated them.

Learning Technology Organically

Working with K5 kindergarten students on iPads is always one of the most incredible things.  To see these young, innocent beings willingly and excitedly dive into technology is amazing.  They aren't afraid.  They haven't learned that fear, yet.  They take chances and they make mistakes.  But it doesn't phase them.  They simply start over and learn from what they did wrong.  They're fearless in the best ways - wide-eyed, excited to learn, and innocent.

I love working with kindergartners and technology - particularly iPads, which are so wonderfully tactile and make the process and experience of learning incredibly multidimensional.  In my opinion, they represent hands-on learning as an active pedagogy.  Students are active in their learning - engaged, involved, and present, using higher order thinking skills easily aligned with Bloom's Taxonomy.  In later projects we will work towards higher levels of the cognitive process with creation projects and self as well as peer evaluations.

But today...well, today we played.  We played productively and learned how the iPad works. We learned tips and tricks to navigating the technology.  We learned how we should use it respectfully and responsibly.  We learned by actively doing.  And then we learned through explorative play, choosing any app and practicing our navigation skills until we discovered the app we most liked and wished to explore further.

My favorite part of a lesson like this is watching how each of these little learners "play" with the iPad - from the way they learn to use their fingers to navigate the touch screen to the apps they are most attracted to.

Learning is a process.  It is planned.  It is discovered.  And it is created.  It's a pretty special process to participate in and an even more remarkable one to witness when it happens organically.

A picture is worth a thousand words... and a little extra Thanksgiving gratitude.

It's a short holiday week, but we are still learning and using technology to express familiar ideas in not quite so traditional ways.  Today my 3rd and 4th grade learners worked on iPads to find ways to express the things they are most thankful for during this Thanksgiving season.  In planning this lesson I thought of the myriad of ways students are often asked to express themselves and/or present their ideas.  For this short project, I wanted the focus to truly be on them.  I wanted them to be able to express their ideas in as individual a manner as possible.  What better way than a self-portrait?  We used aTypo Picture, a free and simple to use word photo app, to create self-portraits highlighting the things they are most grateful for this Thanksgiving.  This was one of my favorites, from a very expressive and creative 4th grader...