Designing a Google Classroom for Elementary Students with a Human Centered Approach

When designing a Google Classroom for elementary students I began to create one classroom with various topics.

 

 

As the topic list grew, I began to wonder if students would want one Google classroom for a 5^th grade class or would they prefer separate classrooms by subject with a secret agent hub (homeroom for things not content related). I reached out to two MassCUE peers, who both had differing opinions with great reasons. One friend said to create one classroom for consistency, ease of use, and less notifications to families. A second friend suggested multiple classrooms to be used as pods with a homeroom classroom. She also gave the idea of color coding each individual classroom created. After listening and thinking I decided the best way to decide was to ask former 5^th grade students.

 

I met with a small focus group of former students and showed them what I had created. They saw the classroom set up and most of them immediately said I should do one classroom. When I asked them why they felt having one place to go to with a Google Meet link would be helpful. They would have less email notifications for them and parents, and fewer classes to manage. They liked the idea of everything in once place. One student offered that I should create multiple classrooms to able to add more for the content areas than what he was seeing. When I politely explained I would add more as the year went on in one classroom and that what he was seeing was just the start of the year he quickly changed his thinking.

 

I was excited to build an online community for our future agents. The first thing I did was remove notifications from the stream.

 

 

 

This helps keep the stream less cluttered. I designed a classroom banner in Google Draw to add some personal flair to our online home.  I challenged myself to think about best practices and decided to include emojis and fonts to support visual learners. Thanks to Holly Clark's suggestion, I created an emoji guide for students too, so they would know what the images meant. I learned how to do this through a YouTube video posted below.

 

 

I thought about a human centered approach, focusing first on relationship building activities. I know the content pieces will come, but I was easily able to start adapting activities done in a physical space for an online space. I strongly recommend educators start with the good work they are already doing when contemplating where to start in building a Google Classroom for remote and hybrid learning.

 

Helpful Links:

 

EmojiCopy

Emojipedia

Fancy Text Guru

Fancy Text Pro

Lessons Learned in #Remotelearning This Summer

 Our classroom is student driven, so students often make some big decisions! I asked students in June if any of them wanted to continue with remote learning over the summer, and many said yes. Students designed the schedule, suggesting we meet twice a week for an hour each session. They asked me to prepare engaging leaning experiences that included the read aloud book I started before school closed. After reflecting back on our experiences this summer, I realized there was so much good that came out of continuing to build our classroom community remotely for our students. They were faced with having a summer like no other, so I was pleased I could support them in activities to keep their minds engaged and their hearts connected to their classroom community. Here are some lessons I learned and activities you might want to try adapting for your own learners!

 

1.     Give students a plan for the meeting so they know what to expect. Always send an agenda, so students know what to except. It is ok to be flexible and amend the agenda with students, but they appreciate knowing what the plan is ahead of time. Thanks to Laura Cahill for creating this template. It really worked well to help us all stay on track.

 

2.     Engage students in real world discussions. I created a current events activity for students. They loved being able to share their perspectives around the protests, Juneteenth, and the Black Lives Matter movement. These topics were not part of the current standards in our 5^th grade curriculum. These led to conversations about media literacy and source checking, forming an opinion from a news story, and accepting when other’s think differently then you. These are real like skills for students to explore!

 

 

3.     Provide opportunities for building relationships. Students loved connecting with each other over games, whether it was a group math game or board games that can be played in a virtual setting. Game play also allowed me to focus on student’s social and emotional wellbeing. We laughed a lot and were challenged to think critically and creatively.

4.     Create some learning experiences that offer choice. Students could work on a choice board in between our meets. The choice board consisted of activities in different subject areas. One of the activities was creating a Wonderopolis Google Site, which embedded technology literacy into the lesson. Thanks to Tracy Leighton for her shared materials that inspired this Choice Board!

 

5.     Support students where they are. Students had an optional summer reading program, and to support that initiative I asked students to make a Netflix Book Trailer for their summer reading book. Thanks to Nick LaFave for the template and Zachary Mcdermott for the inspiration!

 

 

6.     Expand their knowledge through experts. I always seek ways to bring other voices into our student’s lives. Jason Reynolds created a dynamic writing hub for students called Write. Right. Rite. His videos were short, entertaining, and draw listeners in! He provided students with a task that can be created using paper, pencil, or digital tools. Our learning was enriched through our discussions of work created.

 

7.     Connect work to previous learning activities. Our students were lucky enough to be paired with Chris Tebbetts, author of the Stranded and co-author of the Middle School Series, through #Kidsneedmentors. He had come to visit us physically and virtually during the school year to support our young authors! Over the summer students were invited to imagine they were stranded in the middle school. I was able to secure a map of the middle school for our students to familiarize themselves with. Students were challenged to write their own versions of Stranded. We had some very colorful tales written!

 

 

8.     Challenge students to explain their thinking. Students had the opportunity to explain their thinking in an activity called Which One Are You? I got the idea from Andre Daughty. I simply created a Google Slide to share with four related imaged and asked students which one they prefer. Listening to students explain why they chose the image they chose taught us a lot about them! Some students even wanted to change their minds after hearing the rational of classmate’s choices.

 

As the school year approaches I plan to take these lessons with me as I begin to envision how to build a community remotely. It is possible to take best practices into the remote world!

The Possibilities of Student Centered Remote Learning

Can remote learning be student centered? That was a question I grappled with as our 5^th grade staff came together to create a remote learning slide deck for all our students. Running a student centered classroom physically is a daunting task full of risk taking and adventure. I discovered the physical space transfers over to the virtual space. It just took my own students to show me this!

We have had our Google Classroom set up since September, so our students were well versed in navigating the virtual space. Students started asking me if they could do some of our work we were doing in the classroom online. The first student asked if we could do our end of day circle in Google Classroom. We gather together at the end of the day and share either an appreciation, an apology, or an a-ha moment. I created the 3As online and a discussion ensued. Students started sharing their thoughts!

Another student emailed me letting me know the question of the morning was missed. Each morning we ask a question to check in with students. I took the slides and transferred it to a question in Google Classroom. I scheduled them to go out each morning. This engages students in conversation with each other. We even are modeling how to use the @symbol to alert classmates to responses.

A third child questioned whether or not we could have our discovery quests continue. So I designed a space for students to share their presentations. We are hoping with the addition of Google Meet students will be able to eventually share their work. A student shared a Ted Talk with me about 100 Days of Rejection. This inspired a Ted Talk topic with prompts to discuss.

Another child asked about if we can design a podcast, continuing our story. This one I was not sure about as we had no access to mics, and the students were not physically together to design a segment. The more I thought about this the more I realized we can podcast. We just have to keep it simple. Armed with my phone and my laptop I had my niece test out voice memos with me, and it worked! So I asked students if they wanted to design a Covid19 podcast segment. They came up with the questions and signed up to be interviewed. I called them at home and could feel the smile though the phone! We recorded using Voice Memo on my Mac, which we would normally use on our class iTouch. I then uploaded the segment to Anchor and deleted the file on my computer with the student on the phone. I had an interviewee inquire if she could get a group together to design their own segment, and I could call them to record it once we discussed their ideas. Why not offer this as an option to students?

These moments inspired me to then create a Google Form for the entire 5^th grade to get feedback on our remote learning slide deck. This helped our grade level teachers create the second remote learning slide deck. I encourage everyone to just ask their students what they are missing or want to see as part of their remote learning. Let your students be part of the process!

Some of their suggestions I never thought about, but I am so glad they advocated and asked! These are the life skills they will never forget! It is the experiences we create for our students that mean the most. So yes! Remote learning can be student centered. All we have to do is listen and ask our students.

The Dangling Carrot: A Badge Program to go with Remote Learning

In a mere three days our students have jumped from 1000 IXL problems to 5000! When our school was planning a remote learning website for students, I began to ponder what content would be pushed out. I knew it would have something organized by subject, using the tools available to us.

Wondering about the content took a back seat when I started to ask a much bigger question. How do we motivate kids at home to go to the remote learning website and what best pedagogical practices can I employ to get them there while working from home? This question plagued me for the rest of the night.

At 4 AM I woke up with an epiphany! Educators get motivated by badges, so would students do the same thing? Could a badge be my dangling carrot as Daniel Pink so passionately discussed in his TED Talk, The Puzzle of Motivation?  I began to work on a badging template for a remote learning site I had yet to see. Calling a student was also helpful, and we worked together to create a badging program to go along with the remote learning website. When the website was released the student and I figured I could paste in the content to go along with the badges. Having a student help assured me this would be in student friendly language, so parent support would be at a minimum once kids started going through it.

After the site was released, I emailed out directions to families. They could continue going on doing their own enrichment and engagement. They could peruse the Remote Learning Site, choosing activities at their leisure, or students could choose the badge challenge. I planned to make the badges as students earned them in Google Draw. Badges were then emailed home to the parent and student, with feedback about his or her work. Feedback and reflection continue to be an important part of our learning process, even in a virtual classroom.

An announcement of badges was also made in Google Classroom, encouraging other kids to check it out. I kept track of their badges in a Google Sheet. I check each night to see what students accomplished. It provided me another avenue to communicate to home and build connections with families.

Half the class has been working on badges for a week! I emailed individual students yesterday morning, encouraging those who had not yet started to check it out. As educators we need to think about how to motivate all our students, remembering pedagogical strategies for student success.

*If you would like to use the badge program or want the badges find me on Twitter and connect to me there!*

Staying Connected to Our Kids During #Covid19

Recently I shared with some people that my entire life prepared me to deal with colon cancer the best I could, and the colon cancer prepared me for dealing with covid19. The mile a minute Rayna who would do so much in a day could have never sat back and relaxed, read, and connected with people during the covid19 pandemic. I imagine the old me would have been gung-ho, preparing learning experiences for kids at home. However, the directive from the DESE in MA is to provide enrichment and engagement opportunities for students. My district asked us to think in terms of low tech to no tech. I spent a few days thinking about what this could look like.

Here are some things my students have been doing to stay connected to our classroom community:

·      Every week throughout the year I send home an awesome problem of the week. It is a math problem from the Exemplars program, or you could make problems up. Students have a week to solve the problem if they choose. They have been emailing me answers, sharing in a Google Doc, or writing it down and sending pictures. Then if they solve it correctly, we post a picture of the group with awesome problem solver signs. Due to social distancing and no school this option is no longer possible. So, I asked students to create their own sign and send me a picture, and they did! One student even used scrabble letters. Love the creativity! Next year I might have the kids make their own sign too. The pride on their faces shine through!

·      Each week I send home a week in review in a Wakelet that I create using Adobe Spark and put in YouTube as an unlisted video. This week I encouraged families to send me photos with a caption (features of nonfiction). And I got so many photos the video was 3 minutes long!

·      I had a student email me this morning. Every day we do a circle meeting at the end of the day, participating in the 3As. Students can share an apology, an a-ha moment, or an appreciation. My student asked me if we could still do this. I told her sure! I created an ungraded, optional assignment in Google Classroom where students can share one of their A’s whenever they want!

·      I  also created a place in Google Classroom, which all students have access to, where students and parents could find activities at home to do. Kevin Carroll, author of the The Red Rubber Ball, sent me a great link to Play at Home. Students still need opportunities to move, play, create, make, and have fun!

·      Students are sharing inspirational quotes and telling us why they shared it in Google Classroom. Using the @ symbol to respond to individuals is helpful!

·      We also have a space for students to teach us something new in Google Classroom. A student already shared How to Count to Infinity!

·      One of my students used her leg as a canvas and sent me a picture of her painting. Canvases can be anywhere! Art is everywhere!

·      Some students are continuing to blog, work on digital portfolios, and reading letters because those assignments were part of their regular routine.

It is important that we keep connecting with our kids, letting them know we are here (even by an email or phone call or Google Form (Shout out to Allyson Apsey for the form idea)). There is a lot of information out there but remember keeping it simple is also something to consider. After all we want our kids engaged and enriched during this time. We want their minds going, synapses growing, and smiles flowing!

Reactions Show Character

Many days as an educator I often see students doing things that makes me pause. Some of the things I have seen this week:

·      A pencil being thrown across the room

·      Water bottles being flipped (guess this is back)

·      Students out of their seats visiting peers when it is working time

I often ask a child why he or she did the action he or she chose to do. It is getting to their WHY that is important. It could be as simple as I have no idea why I did that, or I was not paying attention, or I felt like it. There also could be more underlying things going on with the choice. By being proactive rather than reactive I invite a conversation with the child to get to the root of the issue, problem solve, develop a goal, and work towards a solution.

However, what I shared with my students about my thought process was surprising to them. I told them to throw the pencil or flip the bottle. It is their reaction to my response that matters more to me than their action. A reaction shows me their character. Will the child talk back? Will the student take responsibility for his or her actions? Does the child even want to share his or her thinking with me? How someone reacts to a situation tells me more about the person than their original action itself.

I look forward to building relationships with students, and this is one way to strengthen them! Allowing a child to make a choice and then reflect on the action can be very powerful. I hope students will pause and think about their reaction to my comments moving forward. It comes from a place of good intentions and full of heart.

The Power of the Written Word when Problem Solving

For the past few days we have picked up our students from their specials and gotten the same report. Students (not all but many) had trouble following directions, focusing, listening, and getting work done. As a teacher you are often disheartened when you hear this because you know the potential of your students. Our specialists have precious time with our students, and that time should be maximized with learning versus redirection of class behaviors.

In the past I have had students write notes to the teachers about the problems they saw with potential solutions. This time I decided to have discussion with the students about what happened. Sharing their observations with each other was an engaging! Students had clear ideas of what was working and what was not. So, I turned this into a narrative writing experience. Students were tasked with the assignment to create a narrative story about a specials class. They could choose the setting (art, music, physical education, or health), characters, problem, and solution. We discussed prewriting strategies such as making a table to identify their narrative story elements.

We shared potential problems that could occur in their other class, some of which were based on actual life experience. One student discussed that she wanted “equal rights” in her classes. When I asked her what she meant she told us she needs a break. We discussed strategies for taking a break with other classroom teachers.

Students then got to work writing their narratives. To help students build their writing skills they had a conference with one of their teachers. We were able to support them with revision and editing ideas, building on their work. Students discovered looking at crayons helps get more descriptive with using colors. Saying his face was red versus his face was violet red or red like a fire truck can enhance their pieces. Meeting with each student was a vital part of his or her success. It also shows them their teachers believe in them, believe in their work, and truly care about what they are doing.

We were able to take a problem and turn it into an engaging writing experience where several students asked to write a second narrative while others were still working on the third page of his or her first story. We could have just had a conversation and been done with it, but it was more important to dive into problem solving through the written word.