Education technology and game-based learning resources, tool tips, innovative pedagogical musings, and general "thinkalouds" of a Digital Learning Consultant. Follow my educational journey on Instagram, X , Threads and Bluesky @watsonedtech, my Facebook Page (facebook.com/edtechelixirs), and the blog hashtag #edtechelixirs. Note that opinions are mine alone, and reviews/mentions of edtech products do not qualify as an endorsement. Subscribe to the blog at bit.ly/signupedtechelixirs.
YouTube is full of incredible videos for education. In its native page, however, it is also full of distractions: ads before the video starts, suggested videos along the right side, and comments below. Potentially, all of these may have inappropriate material, especially when considering elementary students.
Here are two main ways to get around this: using embedded codes, or using an alternative site that shows a "clean" version of the video.
Embedded Codes
When you go to a video on YouTube, go below and click on the Share tab. By default, the first tab (also labelled Share) is shown first, which has a URL. For most instances, copying and pasting this is fine, but the URL will bring you to the "official" YouTube page in all its glory...and distractions.
Instead, click Share and then click Embed:
Copy and paste this code. If you use Schoology, the same place you would paste the URL for the video will also accept this embed code. The difference for the student is that the video will play inside of Schoology and not launch to a new page or tab outside of it. Also, no ad will play at the beginning, and since you are only seeing the video, you will not see the comments or the videos alongside yours.
*If you want another level of control, you can also turn off the suggested videos at the end of playing the video. (This means the only thing a students will see at the end is a chance to replay the video.)
In your "Embed" tab as shown above, click on "Show More":
Next, uncheckmark the first box for "Show suggested videos after the video finishes":
The embed code will now be altered to reflect this change. Copy the embed code as before and paste it into Schoology.
Alternative Sites for Viewing
Another option for a "cleaner" interface is to copy the YouTube video's URL and paste it in another site. There are multiple options on the Web where you can watch the YouTube video in the same way as above: no ads, no comments, no suggested videos. Two that I would recommend is View Pure (and thanks to Donnie Piercey for his blog entry about it!) and Safeshare.TV. Once you paste the original YouTube URL in these sites, a new URL is generated. This View Pure or Safeshare link is the one you want to copy and paste into Schoology, your email, etc. When a student clicks it, they will be taken to this clean interface version.
There is an important caveat for both of these options, however. When either embedding or filtering, YouTube will not allow a site or system to block the YouTube logo in the lower right of the video frame. If a student clicks on it, a new tab/page will open that is the video's original page on YouTube.
For a more detailed video on both of these options, please view below.
*Update 2/25/16: I added the directions for going to "Show More" and turning off the suggested videos at the end. Thank you Yasmine Fleming for the tip!
Just a short post to announce that the FREE tickets to our second annual Edtech Share Fair are available now! (You can read about Edtech Share Fair 2015 here.) The event is Wednesday, March 23, 4:00 to 5:30 pm EST, and is open to educators both inside and outside of our district. The Edtech Share Fair will be held at Southside Elementary; we will start in the campus's Blair Center and move into the school itself for the presentations.
Worksheets are a nasty, nasty word in education. Fair or not, they epitomize the "one size fits all" approach to mindlessly giving out the same photocopied work, year after year after year. However, like other maligned educational words and phrases that have fallen out of fashion (like "direct instruction"), we must be careful not to throw out a good tool that has been used poorly in the past . . . especially if they get a twenty-first century upgrade.
Which brings us to the focus of this entry: Wizer! (That's pronounced like "wiser," as in "I hope to become wiser in integrated technology as the years go on.") These self-described "blended worksheets" can become another powerful formative assessment for your digital classroom, despite the pedigree of the dreaded W word.
How does it work? You need an account to either make or take Wizer worksheets, but registration is free and you can even use your Google account as a sign in. (GAFE users, take note!) Once logged in, look in the upper left of the page to access your previously created worksheets or to create a new one.
Once you choose to create a new worksheet, you must choose a theme. (Like Google Forms in the beginning, there are a narrow amount of choices with some seasonal influences - I saw a Valentine related choice, for example - but you should be able to find enough variety.) Next, you will see various ways of editing the worksheet at the top and right side. At the top, you can indicate the grade level of the work or tag it with indicators. Down the right side, you can save the worksheet as you go (there doesn't appear to be an auto-save), preview what it will look like to students, change the cover photo, and last but not least, edit the color and font of the worksheet's title. The wording of the title itself is easy to click and edit, which will automatically give the worksheet its name when you look under "My Worksheets" in the top left.
In the body of the worksheet, you can choose various Tasks. Perhaps by design, the top row of choices are interactive, and the bottom row are more passive/informational. So you can choose from interactive options such as matching, multiple choice, labeling a picture, and open response questions to more passive embedded material such as YouTube videos, pictures or links. Another plus is how simple it is to edit Tasks and change the order of their appearance on the worksheet.
I'm particularly impressed with "Fill On An Image" and "Matching," which among online formative assessments are fairly unique choices.
After the worksheet is completed, you go to the upper right to toggle the Publish button, and now you can "Assign to students." From here, you can create multiple "classes" to assign the same worksheet for the sake of organization (and control turning on or off access class by class). You can provide a link to the worksheet (in an email, a Schoology Assignment/Update Post, etc.) or directly integrate it with Google Classroom.
Note that you can choose to give or not give "Automatic feedback to students."
Once students complete the worksheet, you can go to your worksheet and click on "Assess Answers" in the upper right. Right/wrong answers (like multiple choice) will be automatically graded for you, and you can toggle through student submissions to manually grade Tasks such as open responses or override Wizer if it says a student was incorrect. There is even a space for teacher comments. Once saved, all of this will be available to students when they next log in.
Note that by default, all published worksheets are available in the public "gallery" on the home page of the site, which can be shared or copied to their own account by other users. However, you can make your worksheets private by going under "My Worksheets," finding the worksheet you want to change, clicking the three dots button, and clicking on Make Private.
How could you use it? The beauty of Wizer can be summed up in a sentence: it's a formative assessment that is easy to navigate with Tasks that could be used K-12. If you are worried about the "one size fits all" of old school worksheets, why not make multiple versions and differentiate? (You can copy one of your existing worksheets and edit it accordingly.)
Downsides? Questions are automatically a point per answer; you cannot customize the values. There is no way to search public worksheets (currently, you can only browse the ones shown on the home page), but since worksheets can be tagged when created, I believe this is a feature likely to come down the pike. While already packed with several Task features, I look forward to using other tools in the future such as drawing or audio.
Wizer is getting user input for which Task will be added next.
All in all, Wizer is a great new free online formative assessment that is already impressive. If it continues to grow and improve, this could easily become a favorite in my toolbox.
Be sure to share a Comment below if you've used Wizer already or after you give it a try!
As our area is enfolded into the first major snow event of winter 2016 and we have officially crossed into the second half of the school year, it's giving me a chance to take a breath and reflect on where our district is headed.
When the timetable was moved up on our initiative and we decided to get Chromebooks into the hands of our middle schoolers now instead of in August, there was definite joy in the air! Last week, our deployment went even more smoothly than our high school deployment a few months prior. Although we did it in two nights instead of three, there were few hiccups and we have grown into an efficient edtech delivery system. (One of several lessons learned from the high school deployment: have an info sheet with a bar code prepped for every student to make checkout happen at laser zapping speed.)
It's true that I spent time last year prepping teachers for the 1:1 initiative, and our Digital Learning Team has worked with the middle school staffs in the weeks leading up to the deployment....but still, I was concerned. Would the sped up deployment schedule rattle and dampen the middle school teachers' enthusiasm and tech integration? In short, were they ready?
The short answer is: yes, they are ready...very much so!
The long answer is, teachers all over are jumping in with both feet. Naturally, Google Apps are a popular tool and a powerful partner with Chromebooks. But a pleasant surprise was how many teachers are already wading into Schoology -- learning as they go, learning from their students, and learning from each other. At both East and West Middle Schools, educators are putting their feet on the accelerator and not looking back, whether it's in setting their norms, organizing their class, or applying physics knowledge with online simulations. And this was barely 24 hours after deployment!
But Schoology extends beyond 6-12. Our K-5 educators are also embracing it, even when they struggle with less than ideal 1:1 device penetration or tech consistency. Third Grade teacher Nick Cottrell shares his story in the video below. I love how his student surprised him with a feature he hadn't used himself yet!
Technology integration and digital classroom conversion is not for the timid. Failing is likely, fumbling is typical. But failing forward among the safety net of other enthusiastic practitioners of the teacher arts is the key. I am so glad to be inspired by my colleagues and am invigorated to keep up with them.
Last school day of 2015! As we prepare for our winter break, I wanted to share instructions for Shelby County staff who encounter problems with Schoology. We now have a system in place for Schoology issues to be addressed in the same way as other edtech problems: via the work ticket system.
The troubleshooting tips and work ticket directions below were created by Yasmine Fleming, one of our Digital Learning Coaches. It's also available here as a PDF.
Please note that TEACHERS should be putting in work tickets on behalf of their students.
Before completing a work ticket, the main thing to remember for logging in issues (especially for students) is this:
1) Do you know your email address and password? Your local IT can quickly get you the student's email address. If they don't know their password, get the IT to reset it.
2) Can you log into your GAFE account or email? Since it's a single sign-in system that ties Schoology info to your other accounts, if you can log into one, you should be able to log into all. (If you can't log into GAFE or email, chances are you have the wrong email address or password. See #1.)
However, if you know the email and password is correct and you still can't get in, or you have another problem (for example, you are a teacher and can log in, but there are no rosters of students) it's time for a work ticket.
This week (Dec. 7-11), Shelby County again celebrated the #HourOfCode! In my entry last year, I went into detail what the Hour of Code is. In short, students are encouraged to try programming and coding for at least one hour.
Teachers and librarians across the district have been facilitating student coding all this week. Here are some highlights!
Vicki Stoltz (LMS at Clear Creek Elementary, who made a Symbaloo last year listing some great coding resources) captured some fifth grade students Minecrafting via the Code.org website. She particularly praised how these students, like many, worked collaboratively side by side to problem solve their way through the modules:
When I emailed out to the district to talk up the Hour of Code, several other teachers replied with their own pledge to give students this learning opportunity: Tina Eden (East Middle), Teresa Walther (Talented and Gifted), Tyler Harris (SCHS), Julie Webb (LMS at SCHS), Sarah Smith and Meredith Morrison (both from Southside Elementary).
One particular partnership, between Wright Elementary's LMS Sarah Price and our Area Technology Center (ATC) teacher Valerie Ricchio, really caught my attention. Every day this week, Ms. Price took on a huge challenge of making sure that all of Wright's K-5 students got an hour of code -- as far as I know, the first time in Shelby County that one of our schools got 100% student participation in coding. In addition, Ms. Ricchio arranged for students in her technical computer program (from Collins and Shelby County High School) to come over to Wright as mentor-helpers. Using iPads, the Wright students interacted with both Code.org (besides Minecraft, the Star Wars modules were particularly popular!) and the app Lightbot.
It was wonderful to see our younger and older students have such meaningful interaction (as well as such valuable teamwork between a librarian and a teacher from two different schools). But cross-collaboration and compassion are not limited to technical assistance in Shelby County. It's part of our mission statement to "embrace social responsibility." It's part of our Strategic Leadership strands: globally effective, healthy and responsible students. So whether it is intermediate elementary students being readers for primary students....or high school students purchasing holiday gifts for elementary students who are less fortunate, or helping them code....or our plans for student-run help desks as our 1:1 initiative simply becomes another part of our daily learning culture....helping is just another day in the district.
What have you done for Hour of Code this year? Please tell us in the Comments below.
Before discussing today's topic, a special announcement! Our 1:1 deployment of Chromebooks has already been accomplished for our high school students. The next group of middle schoolers were going to get their devices this summer . . . but thanks to the generous support of our Board, the timetable has been moved up! Chromebooks for our 6th to 8th graders have been purchased, and we hope to deploy them next month in January. So I now will be spending a majority of my time floating between our two middle schools for support.
And now, to the topic of the day: makerspaces!
Makerspaces are "free play" areas often, but not exclusively, found in libraries. (For some schools that enthusiastically embrace the concept, the makerspace is the library.) The materials to inspire creativity and critical thinking are varied, but the key thing is that students have choice and freedom. There is nothing to prevent teachers from creating lesson plans or project-based learning around these areas and materials, of course.
Here in Shelby County, several of our librarians are well on their way to populating our school libraries with makerspaces. In order to build and collaborate on makerspace ideas, we have created a Google Doc. Feel free to view and share with others!
One of our most active and prominent Kentucky educators is Heidi Neltner. She was kind enough to respond to an interview request to share her knowledge of makerspaces and how she transformed her school library.
Welcome to Edtech Elixirs! Please introduce yourself to our readers.
Hello! This is my 15th year in education. My undergraduate work was in Psychology, English and Secondary Education. I completed my Master’s in Library Science at the University of Kentucky and a Rank I in Instructional Leadership from Northern Kentucky University. Currently I am the teacher librarian at Robert D. Johnson Elementary in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. In my previous education life I taught high school English for 10 years, with six of those years being at Highlands High School in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. In 2015 I was awarded a Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching and the A.D. Albright Outstanding Teacher in Northern Kentucky.
You identify yourself as a “teacher librarian,” as opposed to a LMS or something else. Why is the title “teacher librarian” important to you?
I identify myself as a “Teacher Librarian” as opposed to a Library Media Specialist because I think teacher librarian more fully describes what I do. I am always a teacher first – whether I am working one on one with students, acting as a guide on the side with a large group, or working with a group of teachers on incorporating technology or research methods into their classwork. Of course, I also function as the librarian in very traditional and nontraditional ways at my school where I work endlessly to encourage reading, maintain a library collection and connect stakeholders with the most current resources to support the learning community. These resources can be anything from print and ebooks to apps for the iPads to green screening tools to circuit kits – whatever we need to inspire creativity and learning.
When do you remember starting to significantly integrate technology into student learning?
During my student teaching in spring of 2000, when I sat down with three versions of Romeo and Juliet and two VCRs and spliced together short clips of the same scene so students could compare and contrast how different directors might envision the scene and to see how different interpretations could change the tone or mood of a work. It was pretty fascinating to see the students making complex connections. Through the next few years I worked to encourage high school students to find ways to use tools such as PowerPoint and video clips in presentations to demonstrate connections. Thanks to many incredible advancements, even my elementary students can do this seamlessly today.
The term “makerspace” has become popular these last few years. How would you define what a makerspace is?
A makerspace is a physical or digital environment where learners (no matter the age) can come together to make. In an educational capacity, a makerspace functions as a common area for students to access the tools, materials, or programming they need to learn from doing or demonstrate what they know.
What are some examples of makerspace activities and materials you currently have in your library?
My school’s makerspace is evolving to meet the needs of my school community. We have access to computers, iPads, art materials, circuit building kits (Snap Circuits, littleBits) a Makey-Makey, Raspberry Pi, green screen, Legos and a Lego table I converted from a donation. I also have an online access point for students to access websites like DIY.org, and coding sites like Code.org, Scratch, Tynker and Made with Code, and we have MinecraftEDU.
I encourage the use of the makerspace weekly in “Maker Recess” where students in 3-5th grades can come in and “make”. They build on the Lego table, work in Minecraft, build circuits, make rainbow loom or LoopdeDoo bracelets and experiment with different apps on iPads that they ordinarily might not get a chance to try out. We having Minecraft mornings each Monday and I have 3 coding clubs that meet once a month. I also use a Maker Center approach to expose students to different ideas and processes. Last year we had our first maker centers right before winter break, and I wrote about it in a post “Maker Centers – a Learning Experience for all of Us”, I plan to do that again, and used a similar format already this year with kindergarten and first grade using the guiding question “How can we show what we know about Digital Citizenship?"
I find the most value in the makerspace comes through project based learning. Last year, for example, my first graders did an author study and when it came time for them to do their project, I asked them what they could do to show what they know? They brainstormed things they had done and seen in makerspaces and came up with many excellent ideas. I wrote about that experience in my blog post “Using the Super 3 Research and Our Makerspace to Inspire 1st Grade PBL.”I used a similar approach with 3rd and 5th graders who did Genius Hour research last year. I had 5th graders making how-to videos, building websites, models, and so much more. Currently, students in 3rd and 5th grades are researching Digital Citizenship issues and designing projects using makerspace materials in the same capacity. While many students are making videos and posters, they are also making use of apps such as Aurasma and QR codes to make things more interactive.
A few more projects that we have happening are just not beginning with 4th grade, and will likely expand to full school participation. Students in 4th grade are being given the choice to work on a number of projects here at school that will benefit everyone including: building a butterfly garden, putting together an aquaponics garden, writing a program to turn our Raspberry Pi into a book tweeting station, and learning about and looking for ways to improve Google Cardboard. Thanks to the hard work of Julie Dashley, one of our Spanish teachers, we have been awarded a grant to build a butterfly garden. With the help of the Campbell County Cooperative Extension, kids are going to have a real opportunity to build the garden.
What are some activities or materials you would like to include in the near future?
For the future I’m working on grants to purchase a variety of different kinds of robots – everything from Bee Bots to Sphero to Arduino based robots so that students can see in a more hands-on way how computer coding can work to affect something in the real world. I would also love to have a 3D printer that we can use to prototype and possibly use with MinecraftEDU, a poster printer so kids can better apply principals of graphic design, a Dye Cutter and a variety of LEDs and more littleBits. I would also like to plan more after school activities, designed around particular themes or showcasing different skills and teachers.
Why do makerspaces matter?
A makerspace matters because it provides learners with a common area where resources are shared in a way that allows for students to be inspired to learn or show what they know. It can be an area where students can tap into skills they don’t often get to practice or learn about in a traditional classroom, but it is most importantly a place where everyone is a learner and can safely practice 21st century skills like collaboration, problem solving, creativity and innovation. Many of the ways students can engage in the use of a makerspace will directly connect to standards students are working within the classroom environment – CCSS, NGSS and Program of Studies. For example, last year during our Maker Centers, students were exposed to a Raspberry Pi and when they learned about circuits in class they were able to identify what a circuit board was and make connections to other things in their class before their teacher could do it for them. Students use the writing process to create, edit and revise video, they use math to make calculations in Minecraft when crafting things, and they use Engineering standards when they are creating models and making improvements. In a makerspace you truly have a cross curricular experience where students are at the center of their learning.
I know you and James Allen founded KyGoPlay. What inspired you to do so? What is the purpose of KyGoPlay?
James Allen and I were inspired to create a #KyGoPlay movement during a #KyEdChat side discussion with Marty Park and Chris Walsh. We were talking about how teachers really need to be encouraged to “Play to Learn.” One thing James and I noticed is that when people ask us how we learned something technology based, our response is typically “I played around with it." Many teachers find that they simply don’t have the time to play around to learn things – but if you make that time, it can be really rewarding for you and your students.
The purpose of #KyGoPlay is to bring an awareness to the benefits of playing to learn as an adult and to encourage teachers to take an hour of their time during one week and "just try it." We put together a video that included some research and explained the premise here.
We also are encouraging people to host #KyGoPlay events at their school to bring colleagues together for Play Dates so they can learn together, increase collegiality and get a good laugh hopefully.
We would love for you to take the “Pledge to Play” on Kygoplay.com! Last year was our first year launching the challenge, and we’d love to see more participation. We shared out ideas through the #KyGoPlay hashtag and we have a Twitter account @KyGoPlay. You can get ideas there.
What advice or first steps would you give to librarians hoping to transform their library into a makerspace?
If you want to create a makerspace in your library – the first thing you need to do is assess the needs of your stakeholders. Look at resources like your CSIP, your school mission and vision to identify priorities, ask your administrators, teachers and students what they’re missing and design materials and events that will help fulfill real needs in your school community. You also have to consider budget and a sustaining budget so that you have a plan for maintaining expensive items and replacing consumables. Making is an attitude and you can encourage a maker movement in your school with not much more than some makers and paper, so don’t feel pressured to have all those high dollar things right away. You can check out my more complete answer to that on “Makerspaces – Getting Started” and see some more resources on KyMakes, which will hopefully turn into a place for people in Kentucky schools to share maker ideas. You can also tweet with the hashtag #KyMakes to share what you’re doing.
Thank you, Heidi, for your generosity and time!
What are your thoughts on makerspaces? What materials or use of space currently happen in your library or classroom? Please share your thoughts in the Comments below.
