A Safer Internet Experience

We teach our kids that Digital Citizenship means the appropriate and responsible use of technology.  Using technology safely and ethically to access information is important in our technology-driven world.  But, just because we have access to all the information, doesn’t mean we should, and this is especially true with our kids.  How do you search the Internet?  More than likely, you Google it, and our kids do too!  So, if our kids are going to use Google, lets talk about some options.

Google is one of the most popular search engines used today.  Like all search engines, it is a system designed to let us search for web sites on the World Wide Web.  Yes, the World Wide Web.  That’s a lot of web sites!  When the Safe Search feature is turned on in Google it will filter out inappropriate content including inappropriate images.  It isn’t 100% accurate, but it helps.  Did you know there are Google-powered search engines specifically designed to ensure safe and kid-friendly searching for kids of all ages? Below are four excellent Google-powered search engines worth a closer look.

Google Safe Search for Kids

When using Safe Search for Kids, the Safe Search feature is automatically turned on.  It actually overrides any computer settings you may already have turned on.  This means there is an automatic filter on images searches to protect kids from inappropriate images and other content.  You can read more about it here.  Click on the icon below and try it out for yourself!

Google Junior

Google Junior uses Google Custom Safe Search to filter out inappropriate content.  Click on the icon below and try it out for yourself!

KidzSearch

KidzSearch was designed with feedback from Teachers, Administrators, and Parents.  When searching for information using KidzSearch, the results are automatically filtered for harmful content, and the results are high quality and child friendly.  You can read more about KidzSearch here.   Click on the icon below and try it out for yourself!

KidRex

KidRex is a fun search engine geared to a much younger audience.  Like the others, it also has an automatic filter on harmful content.  KidRex has a really useful tips for on-line safety page.   Click on the icon below and try it out for yourself!

All of these search engines can be set to your computer home screen.  While it may not be possible to watch our kids 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, we can encourage the use of kid- friendly search engines to ensure a safer internet experience.

McDevitt Library News

Summer Reading and Ready Player One

This week our 8th grade students have been busy with activities designed to celebrate the end of their middle school years.  On Monday, Ms. Russak, Mr. Campbell, and I were busy preparing them for their High School summer reading book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.  You can read more about the Waltham High School One School One Book program here.

Ready Player One is a science fiction novel with a lot of references to 80's trivia.
To promote the book, we played Jeopardy and watched The
Goonies.

Our Library Paraprofessional Mrs. Walsh created the game using trivia found on various sites devoted to Ready Player One. She crafted some excellent trivia questions designed to challenge the kids on just how much they know about the 80's...they know their 80's
trivia!

With 80's music playing in the background and jelly bracelets for prizes, we all had a lot of fun! Thank you Mrs. Walsh for creating the game and thank you Ms. Russak and Mr. Campbell for helping me promote summer reading!

Speaking of summer reading, why not add Ready Player One to your list?  A few of our McDevitt staff have already read the book, namely 8th grade science teacher Mr. Mullahoo...by far the most avid staff reader in McDevitt Library, Ms. Russak, Mr. Coyne, Ms. Agustsson, Mrs. Walsh, and me.
   
No room in your suitcase for books? No problem! You can access Ready Player One and hundreds of other free books from OverDrive.  The collection is growing and waiting for you...don't miss out on this fantastic resource to access books anytime and anywhere!

Are you ready for summer?  Happy reading!

Teaching Primary Sources and the Power of Collaboration

One of my favorite lessons to teach is Primary Sources: Observing, Analyzing, and Interpreting Artifacts from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Rome, and Greece.  I know what you're thinking...Seriously, that's a favorite lesson?  Yes it is, and here is why:

It's all about collaboration, creativity, and connection.  This is a 1-day lesson, and it always happens in April and May before our 6th-grade students head off to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) for their Ancient Worlds Exhibit field trip. After many field trips and many modifications, this lesson has become a thoughtful, interactive, and meaningful experience for students and teachers.

The library is set up before students arrive to accommodate the lesson and class size.  This year each class had 9 groups with 3 students in each group. Tables were labeled in a few different ways to help students get settled without a lot of confusion.  A pile of artifact images were placed at each table.

In early spring I participated in a class called Thinking Through Teaching taught by Dr. Carol Gordon. One of the things I learned was the value added in designing authentic learning tasks with formative and summative assessments, otherwise known as evidence of student progress. I took what I learned from that class and applied it to this year's Primary Sources lesson. Students were assigned the role of "docent" and were asked to become experts in the MFA Ancient Worlds collection.  This may not be the richest example of authentic learning tasks, but it is a start.  You can read my introduction to students here.

Using Nearpod, students were introduced to our lesson and guided through an exemplar of what they were being asked to do: observe, analyze, and interpret a primary source.

Students were then asked to choose one artifact from the pile on their table and read and discuss questions on the note-taking sheet provided.  Summaries of their artifact description were then shared with me on Nearpod and presented to their classmates.

Nearpod can be used on an iPad and a laptop, making it the perfect tool when working with students who have iPads and with students who do not.  Students with iPads created their summaries in Explain Everything and uploaded them to Nearpod.  Students with laptops used the "draw it" feature in Nearpod to create their summaries for sharing.

The "reports" feature in Nearpod is a really great tool for collecting data on student achievement.  This feature captures information from any student activity and can be easily shared with collaborating teachers. You can look at the Nearpod lesson I adapted for laptop users here.

So where does collaboration enter in to the mix?  It has been there all along.  This lesson is just one part of a many-layered collaborative effort with Art Teacher Ms. Agustsson and Social Studies Teachers Ms. Meredith and Ms. Briedenstine.  Long before my Primary Sources lesson takes place, we are sharing ideas on guides for docents and scavenger hunts for students.  Ms. Agustsson created an amazing e-book using Book Creator this year! We are preparing students for their visit.  Ms. Meredith created a fantastic "what to expect"  video on iMovie! Planning  the perfect Primary Sources lesson.  We are co-planning and modifying. Ms. Briedenstine and I have met many times to modify and re-modify!  All of this is possible with our shared commitment to working together to achieve our goals and to help our students achieve their goals.

Teaching this lesson is fun. Collaborating with my colleagues is powerful. Watching students make connections to the real thing at the museum is hands down the most gratifying experiences about this lesson!

How do you teach Primary Sources to your students?

Nearpod and Teacher Rounds

Last week teachers participated in Teacher Rounds here at McDevitt Middle School. If you are not familiar with Teacher Rounds, I can tell you it is a fantastic professional development opportunity for presenter and observers alike.   You can read more about the basic premise of Teacher Rounds in this Edutopia article: Teachers Observing Teachers: Instructional Rounds.

Ms. Hanes, 6th grade Academic Support Teacher, did a fantastic job with her planet review lesson using the Nearpod APP. Nearpod is an interactive presentation tool that allows you to create, share and assess content in real time. You can read more about Nearpod here. Ms. Hanes has been using Nearpod throughout the school year and seeing her in action has been on my list of classes to visit. Teacher Rounds couldn't have come at a better time! Ms. Hanes began her lesson talking to students about planets and the distance between planets and showing a short Bill Nye the Science Guy video demonstrating the distance between planets. Great video!

With iPads open, students and guests followed the Nearpod presentation that included important facts about planets. The cool thing about this presentation...many of the slides were created by students! After every 3 or 4 slides, Ms. Hanes inserted an assessment slide.  What an effective way to check for understanding! I love the interactive qualities of Nearpod. Students are actively participating in the presentation and submitting answers to questions. Participation is private to the class and viewable only by the teacher which is a really nice feature especially for students who may not be completely confident with their answers.


While Ms. Hanes was checking for understanding with mini quizzes on Nearpod, students were busy completing a study sheet with the answers to those questions. One detail about Nearpod worth noting: content cannot be saved. So, this study sheet was the perfect take away for students to use at a later date.

One of the things I was really impressed with when watching
Ms. Hanes with her students was her seamless use of content specific vocabulary throughout the class. As an inclusion teacher and a classroom teacher, she is in the unique position of knowing what is taught in other classes and incorporating what she hears and learns into her classroom lessons. Students clearly benefit from her knowledge.

Thank you Ms. Hanes for inviting us into your classroom!

Best quote by a colleague at the end of class: "your energy is infectious"! I couldn't agree more.

If your schedule allows, definitely take advantage of Teacher Rounds. It is an ideal collegial and team building experience. If you haven't yet tried Nearpod, definitely check it out.

Have you signed up for the next Teacher Rounds? Have you tried Nearpod in your classroom?  

E-Tickets

One of my favorite things about being a Library Teacher at McDevitt Middle School is the range of opportunity when working with teachers throughout the day and every day.  Last week, 6th-grade social studies teacher Jessica Lamothe and I collaborated on a fantastic 2-day research project about Ziggurats.  This project was great for a lot of reasons.  You can read more about that on the McDevitt Library: One Month at a Time Wiki.

When I meet with teachers to plan a project in the library, the challenge of exit tickets always comes up.  What should we do?  How much time should we take to do it?  What will we do with the information once we have it?  To me, these challenges are opportunities.  I love trying out new technology tools in the classroom and this time I met the exit ticket dilemma with an e-ticket solution.

Clipped from: www.wallwisher.com (share this clip)

Yes, an e-ticket.  Rather than handing out paper, students answered their exit question on wallwisher.  Wallwisher is an online notice board maker and true to it's claim, it is "easy, effective, and intuitive".  It's also fun!  Students were directed to the Wallwisher link I created and asked to answer the question posted on the wall: Please type one fact you learned today about Ziggurats.  I had the web site projected on our Smart Board and students were able to watch their wall grow, and grow, and grow some more.  Wow!  Great answers! Great wall!    

Clipped from: www.wallwisher.com (share this clip)

  
How do you handle exit tickets in your classroom?

Read 'm and Speak!

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

The 8th-Grade Book Club, Read m' and Speak, is back! We had our first meeting last week with boys and girls from East and West Cluster. Laura Bernheim, Head of Reference at the Waltham Public Library, is joining us again this year and Laura Russak, 8th grade English Teacher, is joining us for the first time. Thank you Laura and Laura!

Read m' and Speak has gotten off to a great start with our first book choice Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. So far everyone is loving the book and I'm quite sure some have already finished the series! If you haven't read Hunger Games, stop by the library and check out a copy.  Once again, students will be able to discuss the book, post comments, and vote on which books to read on their blog Read 'm and Speak.  The blog is a great way to ge us all talking outside of school about what we are reading and want to read.   

Next on our list is Smile by Raina Telgemeier.  Smile is a story about a girl named Raina who just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth.  What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly. (GoRaina!.com)  If you've never read a Graphic Novel, now is your chance! 

One of the best things about book club is reading books you may not have chosen on your own.  Check back soon to see what's next on our shelf!