Mind Maps post field trip

It's no secret I love the Mind Maps. You can read my initial blogpost on the subject here. I recently used them to assess my students understanding after a field trip. We are learning about migration and all things "moving people". We enhanced this learning by visiting the Haka Museum. This chronicles the migration of the Haka people from China to Indonesia. Many of the students on the trip and Indo-Chinese so this trip had specific significance for them personally.

When we returned to class, I asked the kids to show me what they learned at the museum about the Haka's Migration. This is what they came up with.....

Whole Novels in Middle School English

I ran across the book, and I'm mid-way through, but I couldn't wait to log my initial thoughts. Now, I don't want to toot my own horn but teaching novels is what I do best. I love teaching literary devices, morality, life, everything really through the lens of a novel. I have also been told by many an administrator, fellow teacher, parent, and students that this has been their favorite part of the learning in my class. Imagine my surprise when I read the back of this book and was told that I'm doing it all wrong. I immediately downloaded the sample and read it. The ideas are quite interesting..but not completely dissimilar to what I'm already doing. At any rate I bought it, am reading it, and will be implementing in my teaching.

The basic premise is this, allow students to read THE ENTIRE novel before discussions begin. This initially went against the grain for me. I was flooded with questions. What if the kids don't read the book? How will I know if they are understanding the material? What if they don't get everything in it? But then Ms. Sacks presented me with an analogy. What if I was watching a movie, and becoming absorbed in it, and the lights were turned on midway through and I was asked to make comments and predictions to prove I was indeed watching and "getting it". I immediately decided I would give this new approach a try.

Sacks gives many ways to ensure that students are understand and cites research which supports her theory/ program. She details how to use the program to teach literally themes and devices as well as making connection to writing. I am intrigued. I am enthralled. I love PD, even if it is self directed.
I'll record my progress and thoughts as I process and implement this new methodology. You can check out the book here on amazon. 

Google My Maps: Adding Meaningful Technology in the Classroom

overview of one student's family history

We all know how important it is to incorporate technology into the classroom.  The problem, for me anyway, is how can I make the technology meaningful and an internal part of the lesson. So often I hear teachers proclaim that they run a 21st century classroom but they seem to focus on the same aspects of technology. I do not mean this as a criticism of the teacher, but I say it to highlight the problem we have in coming up with new ways to implement technology in the class.
Yes, there is a time an a place for Powerpoint or Prezi presentations. Yes, teaching students to blog can be a useful tool to help them display their learning and their reactions to the world. Yes, we should be doing more. I know many teachers are much better at this than I, but this is a personal struggle for me in my class.

This brings me to the topic at hand; this is how I have used Google My Maps to successfully incorporate technology into my class in a meaningful way. As you may know, I currently teach at an international school in Indonesia, and we are using a thematic curriculum, the IPC. This unit we are focusing on Migration and the moving of people for various reasons. The curriculum called for students to create a personal "family tree" to document their own personal familial migration. I thought this would be a great way to incorporate tech in a meaningful way.

Students were able to create an interactive map, with a different color line for each member of their family. By doing the students can add to their map
over time and add new colors, new lines, and new places without starting over.  I find that my students enjoy using tech because it adds a visual and interactive aspect to the learning, which this lesson does in spades. Google My Maps allows a great degree of customization including making notes at each destination or changing the icon.

My kids really enjoyed creating and        
displaying their family histories in this way.

Take a look at some of the screen shots of my students maps. They all had the freedom to create their map as they they saw fit. The only constraints given were that all students were required to show were there family had been and where they went. The objective was to show the increased mobility of people as the world become ever more globalized. Meaning your great grandparents may have moved once in their life, but you parents have live on three different contents for work and school.I feel like this was a meaningful way to attain this objective. My students were engaged, learned about their history, and learned how to use My Maps.