Keeler School Virtual Space

Our Virtual Learning Space
Keelercommons.weebly.com 

"The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting." - Steve Jobs

I believe that the statement above is in support of the Learning Commons Virtual Space we are aiming for at Keeler School: A site that students contribute to and choose to use from any device, at any time, simply because they can't stop thinking about their schoolwork!

We've been working extremely hard on the philosophy in the school and on the physical space in the Learning Commons itself. Now, though, the focus has shifted to anywhere, anytime learning.
We chose Weebly as a site-creation tool because it looks great on all devices. It is also extremely easy to embed collaborative documents, forms, spreadsheets (from Google Docs), and PDFs (scribd.com). It is important that google forms can be embedded in there, as we are a google trial school and we're finding the feedback to be invaluable. Here is what we have included so far.

Tutorials.

I've found that I'm teaching the same "click here, now here, now here" to help students with simple or complex tasks on their computer... So the next logical step was to create short, snappy tutorials to help students out!The newest section on our virtual space is tutorials.

Students and teachers can hover their mouse over Tutorials and select the program they are using. By clicking the video that is connected to what they need they are stepped through whatever they are struggling with. I'm trying to keep the clips under 2:30, so they can be watched and absorbed quickly. I've found this to be helpful as students can watch a tutorial as frequently or infrequently as they need - meaning that it levels the playing field a bit. And if students are working at home, they can see them there as well, 24-7.

I've tested this out during a few classes at this point, and found it hugely successful - despite how strange it was to hear my voice coming from different corners in the Learning Commons!

Projects.
This section is dedicated to projects that are taking place in the LC. Students are able to click on their current unit of study to find links to resources or online work they are doing (for example, the grade 4s are working on their first Wiki). This section will hopefully grow to include teacher write-ups about the projects, student samples, rubrics and links. We'll see... It's still young!

Forms.
By embedding google forms, all students can feel like they have a say about what is not only on the site (as in links, pictures, etc.), but they will also feel that they have a say about what books are in the Learning Commons. I'm just getting this going, so I'm offering a prize to students who provide the best resources in the 4th and 5th grades... Hopefully in the future I won't need to do this...

Teachers have also been using embedded google forms. And it has been an astounding way to communicate with our technician who we only host for 3 hours a week. In this section, teachers are able to report any technical problems with their SMART Boards, student computers, teacher computers, or printers. So far, it seems like a promising way to remove the middle man (me) from wasting time attempting to solve problems that are time consuming and complex!

Class Web Pages. We signed up to use the project server from the Calgary Board of Education and made it available for teachers to create class web pages on iWeb. Student work is being posted up in a variety of ways - sometimes it is pictures of students working in the classroom, problem solving a task. Other times, teachers are using the blog feature to showcase student writing. This has created a sense of pride in the students, and we have found the visits to our sites steadily increasing.





Links.
We've included links to everything from the Khan Academy to Glogster. We're looking for students to take initiative and either check up on concepts they don't fully understand, or to try a new web 2.0 tool. It's my belief that we should not shelter students from these tools, but instead teach them how to use them in a responsible way. When we asked our students in grade 6 last year who was on Twitter about half of them raised their hands. When asked if they upload to Youtube, about a third of them admitted to having a channel. They are going to do it anyway, we need to teach them how to be smart, not turn a blind eye!

We have links as well to the e-library (CBE's online catalogue). In the future, I'd like to post tutorials on how to use a catalogue and how to find books through the Dewey Decimal Stystem. 

Admiral Use Policy. 
We have also included a page dedicated to our Admirable Use Policy at Keeler School. This was developed at the start of the year, and we're hoping to get students using it and thinking about how to properly behave online. Again, I was thinking about having students create videos describing digital citizenship... I just need to overcome the paperwork and see if we can put them online!

Feedback.
I'd love feedback... If you're reading this you are most likely connected to education in some way or other. What would you add? What should be taken out/simplified? Do you have any suggestions for other great Web 2.0 tools to help students to represent their learning?

Thanks,
Mike MacKenzie

Got iPad?

Our school bought iPads in the Spring of 2012. After a trial period to explore their value we soon came to realize that they would be one of the most powerful and exciting learning tools we have would have as part of our learning commons.

This post is dedicated to the work that we do on our iPads. I made the following blog/website to share  some of the amazing work that our students do on our iPads.

http://marlboroughipads.blogspot.ca/

We love to share the work our students do and we also love to have feedback on the projects. Please visit and share your thoughts and ideas.

Cheers!

Steve Clark

Marlborough Learning Commons.

The Virtual Learning Commons

One of the latest developments in The Marlborough Learning Commons is the introduction of the Virtual Learning Commons, or as we are calling it, 'Marlborough 5th Corner' - https://sites.google.com/site/marlboroughvlc/.

Screenshot of the "Marlborough 5th Corner" Virtual Learning Commons Homepage

The name fifth corner was 'borrowed' from another learning commons that inspired us to begin the journey, the Monterey Park Learning Commons. It refers to the Learning Commons being an extension of the classroom, or another part of the classroom. This also applies to the Virtual Learning Commons. This online space is simply the online hub of our learning commons space. It will be a place that students go to when they begin a journey of learning in the online environment.

Our hope, in launching our VLC is that we will make our Learning Commons come alive at all times of the day, whether it be during school hours or after school. When students want to access certain documents, information, or work on collaborative projects, they will come to the VLC and then be spring-boarded in a certain direction depending on where they need to go. Throughout this year we hope to launch new areas of the VLC to make a truly collaborative work space.

Our Virtual Learning commons design is modelled off a template that was offered to CBE school by the 'gods' of the Learning Commons concept, David Loertscher and Carol Koechlin. The template they offered can be found here. More information about the Virtual Learning Commons can be also be found on the Library to Learning Commons Page they created for the Calgary Board of Education.

At this point, we have five pages within our VLC. They are as follows:

Home Page - Welcome and News

This is where we will upload the news of the learning commons. Anything new that we want students to see as soon as they open their web browser.

Love of Reading - Literacy Centre

As a part of our school development plan we are focusing in on improving reading skills. We also hope to encourage our students to love reading. One way we hope to do this is through promoting books and web sites that we (and others) think are worthy of reading and. We also will ask our students to add their favourite books.

We are planning to start a blog (using www.kidblog.com) for students to respond to books they read and then share their thoughts with their peers. Through the use of QR codes and possibly Aurasma (Augmented reality) we will share blogs posts that students write.

We have also started a book of the week which could be chosen by teachers, or by students, and then promoted online and in the library.

Book of the Week/Month for November - In true Remembrance Day spirit.

Our First 'Book of the Week' QR code

LC Links - Links to Internet Resources

The links page is a collection of tools and reference tools that can found from a variety of places. We have collected these over time and are continually weeding and reevaluating them. 

How We learn - Ideas for Learning

This is a page that I, as the learning commons teacher want to begin developing. Here will will have different ideas of showing what we know. It is a place to get ideas for projects, share ideas for projects and showcase and celebrate the diverse ways we learn in our school.

Marlborough Life - Culture Page

We place a fair bit of energy in our school to help develop the culture and community of the school This page will share some of the activities that are going on throughout the year. We will begin adding to this page very soon.

LAST OF ALL...

We welcome comments and questions about our virtual learning commons. We want to make this website a live and would love all the feedback we can.

An Intro to the hub of our school

Welcome to Falconridge Learning Commons!

My name is Ms. A and I work in this wonderful space with all of our students and teachers at our school. This place can get pretty busy. Here are some of the things that this space has allowed us to do in the last few months.

Grade 6 Social Studies (Social Action)

The grade 6s celebrating WE day and watching the live video in Calgary.

      
                        

Grade 2 Insects and their Habitats

Grade 2s busy creating their insects and insect habitats to share with their teachers.

                                                

Grade 1 Senses Centres

Recording observations from a microscope

Tasting and Describing Samples - then recording data

                      

Touching and Predicting what is in the box

Grade 2 Teachers Interviewing students while they work

Grade 1 Teachers observing and having conversations with their students about senses being used and their importance