While I was modeling the use of Explain Everything in fifth grade, I stumbled with a skill and drew a blank. Sure enough, the students in the rooms coached me through the problem without even batting an eye! I LOVE it when this happens. Students are actively recalling skills or predicting solutions based on the tool.

Spiraling instruction isn’t just a good teaching practice, it’s a GREAT one. Introducing a topic and slowly layering in more complex ideas through the school year, or from one school year to the next, helps move knowledge into long term memory and make way for deeper learning. We see the benefits of this teaching strategy not only in the classroom, but also as students build their digital skill set.

What does this mean? We need to continue to build and grow on our students’ previous knowledge. Muscles only grow when they’re used. While learning new technology may feel a little intimidating to us individually, it doesn’t feel that way to our students. To them, it’s merely the next chapter in the book or the next door that opens. A new school year doesn’t have mean teaching new technology, it can really just mean learning how to use technology is new ways!

Our students are considered digital natives, they have been raised in the “digital age” and have a much different comfort level with technology than previous generations. This makes them naturally inclined to learn and incorporate new technology. While it doesn’t mean we should expect them to be producing top notch videos in kindergarten, it is appropriate to introduce students to digital video making in kindergarten. Doing so allows them to add to that skill set each year.

We definitely see the benefit of spiraling technology at Lowes Island, both in the classrooms and Innovation Lab. We’re on our third full year of Google Apps for Education, and our fifth grade students are incredibly adept with Google Slides, Docs and Classroom! It’s our second full year with iPads carts, and our students are demonstrating tremendous recall in regards to apps they used last year in class. In particular, we see large portions of classrooms with previous knowledge of FlipGrid, ChatterKid, and iMovie. We also see our students’ understanding and engagement with computer science increase year over year. Coding isn’t relegated to just the Hour of Code event in December, but can be seen in the building throughout the year as we incorporate Scratch Jr, Sphero EDU, and Swift Playgrounds into lessons.

This is such a rich environment for innovation at all ages! With the basics under their belts, students are poised and ready to explore new ways to apply their skills and knowledge. To see the great adventures in technology happening this year at Lowes Island Elementary, follow @lowesislandelem on Twitter!

Ready, set, GROW!

One of our summer reading PD options was Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros. As an instructional facilitator of technology (IFT), I return to this book often to remind myself of something very simple: innovation in teaching doesn’t mean teaching with technology.

Mr. Couros defines innovation “as a way of thinking that creates something new and better” and “is a way of thinking.” In terms of technology, it really comes down to if we use it, how we use it to create innovation. I want to spotlight two lessons that happened in our Innovation Lab last week, one with and one without technology, but both equally innovative.

The first lesson invited first graders to introduce themselves using Wixie. In the past Wixie, or Pixie as it was called, was often used as a reward for finishing work as it allows students to paint, draw and use different art features on the computer. This year students were given the opportunity to use Wixie to introduce themselves and share a little about them including a selfie and audio recording! Using Wixie as an art resource is one way to use it, but inviting first graders to use it as a communication tool is innovative. As a parent, I love this activity. I would have relished the chance to see what my child thought was a great selfie or wanted to share in the audio file!

The second lesson was completely technology free; the third grade team presented students with the challenge to create a paper airplane capable of carrying a load of five pennies from one destination to another. This lesson was fascinating to watch! Students designed all types of planes, shared ideas, and continuously refined their designs based on feedback. Students used an innovator’s mindset as they thought about the changes they needed to make to their airplane to achieve the objective. Did most of the students end of using tape to secure their payload? Yes, but no one told them they had to use tape or how to use it in order to be successful and this was reflected in their various designs.

Mr. Couros writes, “Having the freedom to fail is important to innovation. But even more important to the process are the traits of resiliency and grit.” In both of these lessons, the students encountered problems or struggles, but they did so with a smile. It was great to see them take the bumps in the road in stride and turn to their classmates for advice and guidance. Whether we use technology or not, I hope we all find such joy and excitement in our innovation journey!

Have you ever wanted to go back to 5th grade? You definitely would if you could see the innovative STEM investigations happening in 5th grade!

STEM doesn’t only occur during science lessons. The great part about experiential learning, like many STEM investigations, is that they fit into any content area, serve as team building opportunities, and present critical thinking challenges. Our 5th grade team has done a great job of integrating STEM into Morning Meeting as well as science lessons. If you’re following the team on Twitter, you can’t miss the huge smiles on our students faces as they make their observations and revise hypotheses!

Topics such as solutions, water tension, weight bearing structures and immiscible liquids could be taught with a Slide deck or worksheet. Now, imagine you were learning about those same topics with gummy bears, pennies, spaghetti, marshmallows, and milk. It makes a big difference in terms of student engagement when the learning is not only hands on, but also includes every day items seen and used in new ways. In Mr. Paniagua’s post, Innovation in teaching: No more waiting for Superman, on the Brookings Institute’s Education Plus Development Series, the author points out that by developing teaching around our natural inclinations to play, share emotions, create, collaborate and investigate, teachers consciously engage learners. In The Nature of Learning by the Innovative Learning Environments Project, emotion and motivation are the “gatekeepers” to learning. Positive emotions and motivation move the student towards deeper learning by increasing recall and making them more effective learners (page 4).

STEM and innovation might be a little messy, a little (lot) loud, and take more prep-work, but research shows that our students are learning a great deal and making lasting memories! So, don’t wait for Superman, create innovation. Or, get a few tips from these Superwomen!

Our 5th Grade Team at Lowes Island

A sampling of the STEM investigations so far this year!

Everything is in one place. Finally.

In a public entity, such as a school system, this is no small feat. “Going Google” was piloted in selected schools and immediately caught the attention of students and educators for its ease of use and practical application of Google Classroom. Many schools still opted to go Google, even before they were granted permission from the county. Why? Google was created for students. It was created for education, not for business. As teachers, we are in the business of education.

The overwhelming positive reaction to schools within the county convinced leadership to formalize its’ relationship with Google and move forward with student accounts and a LCPS Google cloud.

This year, Lowes Island Elementary made the commitment to go fully Google. It was certainly not an overnight decision, nor one taken lightly. Change is always a process of small steps. Sensing the direction the county was moving, the groundwork was laid to facilitate the transition to Google three years ago. Year 1 entailed creating student accounts, educating students, facilitating and supporting professional development, and moving and reformatting resources into Google Drive. Year 2 saw teachers using both Microsoft and Google, but Innovation Lab support focused on Google Apps for Education and how to use its’ tools to collaborate. Many teacher-leaders shared their positive experiences with Google, helping it grow naturally within the building.

We now find ourselves at the start of Year 3. Our school now has the Lowes in Focus Google Site to house resources and information from administration, specialists, and support staff. The Technology at Lowes Site supports device management, manages resources, and shares information regarding technology integration. Lastly, a Google Team Drive replaced our constantly-full staff drive and moves collaboration online. Despite all of this growth, we aren’t done with this transition. It continues to need refinement, professional development, and “on the spot” support. Most importantly, we need to continue to give our students opportunities to increase their fluency with the tools (even if we haven’t mastered them yet).

As a runner, I always think back to a quote from Kara Goucher, “Don’t try to rush progress. Remember-a step forward, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction. Keep believing.” We are all on the same path moving forward now, and I can’t wait to see where we go from here!