From Pencil to Publication: Book Creation at SCS

Ms. Fraser’s Grade 5 and 6 class at Strathclair Community School has been working diligently to develop their writing skills, undertaking the project of creating short stories.  Many students have now published their digital books with text and illustrations using Book Creator.  You can see their work showcased here in our PWSD Library:  https://read.bookcreator.com/library/-Ma-CVa4E0FsnEgnHer1

When I visited this class recently, the class shared the steps they’ve taken to create their work and it was evident that they’ve invested much time and energy in this writing project!  

Ms. Fraser provided a comprehensive planning guide to help students with the writing process.  Students used Ms. Fraser’s template to brainstorm and plan their title, setting, characters, problem, events/action in the story, resolution and conclusion.  Next, they drafted each section of the story including a beginning that introduces the setting and character(s), description of the key events in the story, a conclusion etc.   Students drafted each section of their story with paper and pencil before incorporating technology for the final publications.   

After drafting their stories, students created their books using Book Creator.  Authors added text and images, which could include hand-drawn illustrations or images sourced from the internet.  Students also recorded their voices to add narration for an audiobook version of their story.  

The Grade 5 and 6 class has shared their work with staff and students at their school and I’m excited that many of them gave me the opportunity to share their work online too! Choosing to publish their work led to some good conversations about online privacy and sharing. We explained that students who wished to publish would need to have completed PWSD permission forms for sharing work online. (This is part of our division's registration package that goes home each year for families or guardians to sign and is kept on record at the school office so we can check before sharing student work.). We also had a discussion about how much personal information students wanted to share in their published books: Did they want their full name listed as author or just a first name? Did they want to include their photo in the about the author section or not? Was it a good idea to include their full birthdate when sharing online? I think having these conversations in context is one of the best ways to help our students develop digital citizenship skills and online safety. Students chose to revise their books if they wanted to adjust how much they were sharing before I published them.

Book Trailers released by Decker Colony School!

One of the projects I have done with students this year is creating Book Trailers.  The latest book trailer releases come to us from the Decker Colony School Grades 7 & 9 class.  This group of students began by planning their trailers with a graphic organizer.  We viewed some sample book trailers (both professionally-created and student-created) and set criteria for their work.  Next, students had an overview tutorial of WeVideo.  We reviewed the basics of how to use this video creation tool, which we are currently accessing as part of our Edwin pilot.   Students eagerly got started with this video creation project. 

When I returned to visit this classroom last week, it was evident that students had worked diligently to create book trailers which convey the mood and message of their chosen novels.  I was impressed by their video design skills, including their choice of music, images and fonts to enhance their trailers.  These book trailers sure do the job of hooking a viewer - I want to read them all now that I've watched these!

Check out their awesome work below:

Camp Blackeagle by Sigmund Brouwer
Book trailer by Matthias


Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
Book trailer by Alex


The Emperor's Code by Gordon Korman (39 Clues)
Book trailer by Gabriel


The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Book trailer by Daniel


The Night They Stole the Stanley Cup by Roy MacGregor
Book trailer by Jesse

Sharing Knowledge and Building Skills with Video Production

One way for students to demonstrate their understanding is through video production.  In my role as LwICT Teacher Leader, I was privileged to work with Mrs. Facey and her awesome group of Grade 8s on a video production project this term.   The grade 8 class was working on a "Power of Media" theme along with Project 11 activities on self-esteem.  Mrs. Facey gave her students the opportunity to produce videos as part of their learning.  Not only did the class create some powerful videos to share, they also engaged in deep, meaningful learning.

Although I was not in the classroom every day of this project, it was evident during my classroom visits that the grade 8s were learning a lot.   Their project included a wide variety of learning activities/assignments, such as:

• research on self-esteem
• viewing and analyzing existing media related to self-esteem
• planning: students identified their target audience and intended message, they planned a style/format for their video and identified setting, actors etc.
• script writing: students learned to use a two column script to plan for audio and visual aspects of their videos
• revising and editing: students worked hard to make their work high quality, which involved revising based on peer feedback and teacher feedback
• videography: students filmed, edited and shared their videos 

When students completed their scripts, they were grouped into video production teams.   The team then had to review each team member's script and decide which video(s) to produce.  When I met with a team at this stage of the project, I was so impressed with the collaboration, negotiation and discussion taking place.  Once a script was selected by the team, they undertook further revisions and planned their set, props and costumes.   Next, the groups assigned roles such as director, assistant director, videographer and editor.  They selected actors to fill each role.   Once their plans were in place, students used the school's available video equipment and filmed footage on an iPad.   Upon completing filming, editors worked in iMovie.  The final products were shared on the class YouTube channel in hopes of reaching their target audiences.  Students started sharing their work and made a plan to reach their targeted audiences.

The final videos are very well done and very powerful.   I would encourage you to watch them below.  However, the final videos can only begin to show the meaningful learning that these students engaged in throughout the project.   I'm sure that my short description above cannot fully convey all of the learning that took place, but from meeting with this class, I know that they gained valuable knowledge and developed important skills through this project. 

Why I Think This Project is Awesome
Yes, the videos are excellent and that definitely makes this project awesome, but behind those videos was a lot of learning that make this kind of project so worthwhile.  As a teacher, I saw a lot of good things happening with this project. 


Purpose for Learning: I've written before about students doing "work that matters" and I think this is an excellent example. Students created these videos because they wanted to share an important message and have an impact with their work.  Some groups focused on educating others about self-esteem while other groups shared messages to encourage and uplift others.  Regardless of the message, students were writing, revising, editing, filming and sharing for a purpose. They had a reason to read, write, view, analyze and discuss. 

Authentic Audience:  Students identified an audience that they wanted to reach and actually shared their videos in places where those people could access them.   I love when audiences outside of the classroom get to see the great work that students are doing!

Building Skills: The variety of learning activities involved in completing this project provided opportunities for students to develop skills in collaboration, communication, problem solving and critical thinking.

How to Create Digital Books

Publishing digital books is a great way for students to share their work with a wider audience.  In my role as LwICT Teacher Leader, I am fortunate to work with many teachers and students on a variety of LwICT projects.

This term, Mrs. Dreilich worked with students in her Grade 7/8 ICT class to support them in creating digital books.  Mrs. Dreilich shared sample digital books created by my class to provide inspiration, then she guided her students through planning, drafting and revising their own writing.  Many students chose to write children's books and several of them used a question and answer format.

(samples no longer available)

Ms. Cowling's grade 7 class collaboratively published their first digital book, which is a collection of poems.  Each student contributed a "bio poem" for the collection. I especially liked the plan the Grade 7s created for sharing their digital book:

So how can my students publish books?
I've helped students publish books in a few different ways.   Here is one process that might work for you and your students:

Writing
Provide the same structure that you normally would when students are doing a writing project.   Students will need to plan, draft, revise and edit as part of the writing process.  Often, traditional pencil and paper are the best tools for these first steps.  Sometimes, students may draft and edit using a word processor or online document.   Whatever the case, writing mini-lessons and student conferencing will be important to help your writers develop quality written work.  I have found it also helps to identify a target audience and a plan for sharing early in the process.

Illustrating
Often, students create their illustrations on paper.   The illustrations can then be digitized by using colour scanning (most school copiers will do this efficiently) or by photographing each illustration.   Another option is to have students plan the images they need and then take their own photographs or source royalty-free images online (I like Pixabay).

Publishing
The next step is to put together the writing and the illustrations.  One tool I have used is a digital scrapbooking tool called Mixbook. I typically  upload images to Mixbook with/for students and then have students put together their illustrations and text on each page.   Students may wish to type directly on each page in Mixbook or they may have their typing saved so they can copy and paste their text into the book.  

Sharing
Mixbook creates a beautiful digital book and you can "flip through" the pages of your book on their website. Mixbook allows you to share a display link or embed your book in a website or blog.  My class often shares their work through this blog or by sharing the link on social media (such as Twitter).   The book links can also easily be emailed to families, partner classrooms and other stakeholders.

Variations

• Students complete their writing and illustrations on paper and then photograph/scan the finished pages to include in the book.  
• Students type their story and print out the text they want on each page with blank space for illustrations, then draw illustrations.  When the pages are complete, then photograph/scan the finished pages to include in the book.  
• Book Creator is a great app if you want to create digital books on an iPad.  The files export as a PDF or video file.   Book Creator offers the option of adding a recording to each page, so students can easily create an audio book! 

Digital Books: Christmas Mysteries by Ms. Fraser's Class

I have been helping students publish digital books over the last few years.  After students go through  planning, drafting, revising and editing, students digitize their book.  Why?   I am passionate about students doing work that matters and work that has a purpose beyond the classroom.  Whether it is taking action to solve a problem through project-based learning or creating something amazing to share with others, I think that students benefit from learning beyond the classroom.  Extending the writing process to include digital publishing allows students to share their work with a wider audience.  Rather than just the teacher and (maybe) peers seeing student work, digital books can easily be accessed online by families, community members, partner classrooms and others.  It is highly motivating and engaging for students to write for a real audience outside the classroom.   

In my role as LwICT Teacher Leader, I was excited to work with a class to publish their Christmas Mysteries this holiday season!  This week, I visited Ms. Fraser's grade 4/5/6 class.   They had their mysteries written and were diligently working to finish illustrations when I arrived in their classroom.   I was able to support students in digitizing their finished books during my classroom visit.  I was so impressed by the interesting stories and beautiful illustrations!  The grade 4/5/6 class agreed that I could share their work here on my blog, so please take a look at some of their books below and feel free to leave a comment to pass on to them. 

The Case of the Missing Skidoo by Matthew

Where are Blitzen and Donner by Josie

The Mystery of Santa’s Eaten Cookies by Damion

Lost Little Santa Paws Finds a Friend by Kylee

The Mystery of Frosty’s Hat by Sean

Global Read Aloud is Going Strong!

In my role as LwICT Teacher Leader for PWSD, one of the projects that I am supporting is Global Read Aloud.  Global Read Aloud is a wonderful global reading project started by Pernille Ripp.  Pernille's vision was to use one book to connect the world and, with over 2 million students involved this year, I think her project has done just that.   Students and teachers in PWSD are connecting with classes in other countries to share and learn.  This project aligns well with our PWSD goals; I have witnessed many great examples of "providing innovative learning opportunities" and "bringing the world to our students".  I will share below a few examples of how students and teachers in PWSD are connecting and collaborating for Global Read Aloud (GRA).

Mystery Skype 
Some classes have met their GRA partners through a Mystery Skype call.   Each class asks yes or no questions to determine where the other class is located (think 20 questions, but with a world map).   I was part of one of these calls and I heard grade 3/4 students asking questions like "Do you live in the United States?  Is your school in British Columbia?  Is your town south of Brandon, MB?"  Mystery Skype is a great way to build communication skills, apply mapping skills and learn about other people and places.

 
Book Discussions - Gone Global (or National or inter-city!)
Thanks to tools like Skype and Google Hangouts, our students are able to participate in book discussions with learners in other locations.  Many of our PWSD classrooms have had the chance to discuss their GRA book with a partner class in another province or country.   Through these discussions, students often hear new perspectives.  Students practice communication skills and learn how to collaborate using technology.  There are also opportunities for students to learn about other cultures, traditions and communities as learners are typically eager to get to know the partners that they will be learning with.

Mr. Langlois and his class at Waywayseecappo Community School meet their GRA partner class in Ohio for a book discussion. 

Collaborative Learning 
Students and teachers are using a variety of tools to support collaboration and cooperation between classes.  One example is having students from different classes respond to a discussion question or prompt using Padlet or FlipGrid.   These tools provide an option for posting online so that students can share their ideas with a wider audience and also gain from reading or viewing others' ideas.  Having students' ideas viewed by an "audience" outside of the classroom often motivates students to share their best work - whether it is a written response or a video response. 

Grade 7/8 students in Miniota share ideas with other classes by writing responses on a Padlet board

Twitter Chats 
Each week, a GRA class somewhere in the world leads a slow chat on Twitter for each book.   The class posts discussion questions using a hashtag and other participating classes from around the globe respond with their answers.  Again, students have the opportunity to share their ideas with a wide audience and they can read/view others' responses.  If you want to check out an example, search #GRAWild3 on Twitter.

Grade 8 students in Binscarth respond to Twitter chat questions about The Wild Robot

Postcard Exchange
Some classes have written postcards for their partner class or even set up pen pal exchanges.   The postcards are often designed by students and some have even included a QR code with a link to more information about the class, school or community.  

New Year, New Adventure

As a new school year gets underway, I am embarking on a new teaching adventure.  I have accepted a new role in Park West School Division.  For this term, I am excited to be the Literacy with ICT Teacher Leader for our 15 schools!  In this role, I support students and teachers in using technology to enhance teaching and learning.

Over the last month, I have worked in all of our schools.  This in itself has been great; I have enjoyed experiencing each school and witnessing the awesome and unique things going on at each one.  I have had the opportunity to work with numerous teachers and I've started working with students and teachers in classrooms as well.  Just like a classroom teacher, it is my goal to be responsive to needs and interests, so we've been working on a variety of projects around the division.

So what does this look like?

spending lots of time traveling around our prairie province

Basically, I drive to a different school (or two) every day.  I am getting used to spending lots of time in my Jeep enjoying the beautiful prairie landscape!  During my longer drives, I have started listening to podcasts and playlists to pass the time.   Each day, I carry my "office in a backpack" so I have access to a technology toolkit and my work laptop wherever I go.  Every day is different, but some of the things that I do include meeting with teachers individually or in small groups, sharing ideas at staff meetings and working in classrooms with students and teachers.


What kind of LwICT projects are students and teachers in PWSD working on?

How we use technology to support teaching and learning is different in each classroom and is based on the learning goals, needs and interests relevant to each situation.  Some of the projects currently underway include:

Global Read Aloud: American educator Pernille Ripp started this incredible project with the idea of "one book to connect the world".  Students and teachers around the world are collaborating as they read the 2017 Global Read Aloud books and many PWSD classes are joining in this year!

Video Creation: Some classrooms are working on video planning and writing scripts so they can produce their own videos.  Some teachers are looking at ways to record lessons, tutorials and student work for instruction and assessment. 

Digital Binders: Students and teachers are using digital binders to organize their work while also reducing their paper use.  Digital binders allow students and teachers to access their work anytime and anywhere.

How can we find out more?

I plan to update my blog regularly with ideas and samples from schools around our division.  Please follow this blog for updates.   If you work in PWSD, feel free to call or email me to book an appointment to talk about LwICT projects in your classroom. 

Follow me on social media to see the latest updates:

Twitter : @LeahO77 for updates from me  @MrsObachsClass for updates from classrooms I work in

Instagram: @MrsObachsClass

Assessment: key ideas from today's professional development

Our first Park West School Division professional development day focused on assessment.  Our guest speaker was Tom Schimmer, an independent education author, speaker, and consultant from British Columbia. 

Key ideas from his session included: 

A good coach is always assessing his or her players

Likewise, a good teacher is always assessing his or her students.  This doesn’t mean a good coach/teacher is always giving tests or assignments, but rather he or she is always considering: What skills and knowledge does this student/player have?  What skills and knowledge do they need to develop?  How can we help him or her improve?

Different does not always mean worse

One of the most dangerous ideas is “this is the way we’ve always done it”.  We need to change, adapt and improve.  There’s always something new in education and in society. 

Accuracy and confidence matter the most

Students need to feel confident that they can succeed. 

Schimmer shared two quotes from the book “Confidence” by Rosabeth Moss Kanter:

“Expectations about the likelihood of eventual success determine the amount of effort people are willing to put in.  Those who are convinced they can be successful in carrying out the actions required for a successful outcome – who have the self-efficacy- are likely to try harder and persist longer when they face obstacles.” 

“It’s not mistakes that cause winners to lose, it’s panic” 

Educators need to consider: Do our classroom practices increase anxiety or do they increase confidence? 

Think about a good coach – would they want to generate anxiety in their players before a game?  No.  They’d rather have relaxed, confident players and that’s what teachers should aim for too. 

Teachers should gather accurate information about their students considering:

Why are we assessing students? 

What are we assessing? 

How are we effectively going to assess students (based on our why and what)?

Don’t distort – grades should reflect learning, not behavior 

Teachers should strive to include ONLY information about learning in their scores/grades/marks.  For example, if you lower a student’s grade because they hand work in late, you are indicating that they know less about the subject area.  Does a student know less about math because they did the assignment two days later?  Or is the lateness a separate issue unrelated to their skills and knowledge?

Balance is important

The best approach to assessment includes different types of assessments:

-         both formative (practice/rehearsal) and summative (final performances)

-         different forms of assessment (a variety of assignments, tasks, tests)

-         separating academic knowledge and skills from traits we hope to instill in students (timeliness, neatness, organization, positive attitude)

Consider frequency and recency

Students learn at different rates and different times.  Think about when babies learn to walk – we accept that they may walk at 9 months or 10 months or 11 months of age.  However, we are often discouraged and frustrated if a student learns a concept earlier or later than we “expect”.  Why is it a problem if a student masters fractions in May instead of October?  Why do grades often reflect a student’s lack of knowledge in October when they have gone on to master the area more recently?  We need to give students credit for what they know at PRESENT.  Don’t average out old performances with new performances.  For example, we wouldn’t average the results of an old driver’s test with a new driver’s test.  We also wouldn’t want to average proficiency in one area with poor performance in another area.  For example, we don’t want a pilot that got 100% on take-offs and 30% on landings to average a “passing grade”. 

It is also important to consider how often someone has demonstrated knowledge or skills.  Has a student shown proficiency on only one occassion or have they demonstrated it multiple times?  (Again, we wouldn't want the pilot with only 1 successful landing.)  Giving students the chance to demonstrate their knowledge frequently is important!