Word Cloud

We used tagxedo.com, a word cloud creator, to create this. To create the word cloud, each participant had to choose 20 words that encapsulated their learning during this course. We compiled all the words into a Google doc and then copied and pasted them into Tagxedo. The larger, bolder words are words that showed up on the list multiple times. Word clouds can be used as an effective analysis tool to prompt deeper discussions.

Global Collaboration Via Skype

Grandview Park Baptist School teachers collaborated with Greater Lisbon Christian Academy educators to review Project CRISS strategies via Skype. This was a great opportunity for Deb Vail, my Professional Development partner, and I to model risk taking with the implementation of global collaborative teams.

We knew:
It is critical to check all connections ahead of time. We planned for this but were not able to check all ahead of the actual Skype session.
Feedback might be a problem with multiple Skype sessions going on at the same time, however, we wanted to have Lisbon Academy teachers be a part of each of our collaborative groups.

We learned:
More than one Skype call in the room does create an echo and feedback problem.
Solution - spread out and move into other rooms. We were fortunate that we had the options to do this.
Thanks to our Lisbon partners as this was a Friday, end of day afternoon session for them! Thanks for making our collaboration meaningful and for helping us to see that global collaboration can and does work! Obrigado to our friends and colleagues!

Learning About Primary Sources

The Grandview Park Baptist School staff provided their rationale for their chosen primary source. 

Learning about Primary Sources

Grandview Park Baptist School staff provide rationale for selection of a primary source.

Reflection to Dust Bowl "Rules for Dining".

Please respond to "You Ought to Be In Pictures"
This is the view from your car window.
Journal your immediate thoughts, feelings, or emotions. Write in first person.

Collaborating with Grandview Park Baptist School Staff

Friday Deb Vail and I will  have the opportunity to work with the secondary staff from Grandview Park Baptist School in Des Moines, IA. We will be revisiting the principles of Project CRISS and learning about new strategies to encourage active involvement of students. Several of the strategies will involve the opportunity to write on my blog as we study the topic of the Dust Bowl.

from: http://allthingsmundane.wordpress.com/

Staff will be synthesizing learning from a module about the Dust Bowl. They will upload an icon that encapsulates their understanding of the Dust Bowl.
Think about the elements incorporated in todays learning activities: primary source documents, multiple resources, technology integration that all fall within a Framework for Learning.  
Explain how this icon represents the Dust Bowl for you.

Partnering to Learn

I am so excited that I found a teacher who wants to learn how to use blogs to support instruction and work with me on this journey of learning together!  It will be fun to experiment with different blog formats and options to turn a plain blog (mine at the moment) into one that has many options and can support the documentation of learning for all students in a class. Thank you Teri for being willing to be my partner in learning! I can't wait to see how our PLN will grow through this experience!