Differentiation in the Math Workshop with Freckle

Some of you might remember Front Row Math from a few years back.  Front Row has revamped itself as Freckle Education and offers a free, differentiated experience for your students.  There is a paid version but it isn't really necessary.  The free version has everything you need to get started.  If you are brand new to Freckle, check out my set-up tutorial screencast by clicking here or going to the Featured Screencasts tab of my blog.  Then, head over to Freckle.com to get started!

In our district, the math workshop model is implemented so teachers create stations for their units of study where students work at their level on tasks to help strengthen their math knowledge.  Freckle is perfect for these math stations and provides meaningful technology integration.  Progress can be viewed on the teacher device, allowing that data to assist in planning future instruction.  

Differentiating Content and Process:
Freckle offers several types of assignments that promote differentiation and personalized learning in the math workshop.  The adaptive practice begins with a pre-test on a particular unit of study and then place students on a path according to their instructional level.  They continue to work on this path and move up as they learn. The targeted practice assignment allows you to assign a set of 10 questions focusing on a specific standard.  This is great for students who need extra support with a specific standard.  The benchmark assessment allows you assign by standard or domain, and they even have some free inquiry-based projects for students to collaborate on!  When students complete assignments, teachers can view the reports to see trends in understanding and similarities in student needs to help them create math groups.

Freckle also gives priority to how students learn.  When students work within Freckle, they have access to virtual manipulatives, the ability to do their work in a digital workspace right next to the problem, strategy video tutorials in case they get stuck, and a list of classmates who have mastered the skill who may be able to assist.  Plus, students always have the option of having the questions read out loud to them as well.

The only challenge is that, in the free version, you can only give one of each type of assignment at a time and they need to be finished before another can be assigned.  However, with the math workshop model, this is easy to work around.  Below is one way you can schedule your week: 

If there is any app/website you are going to use in your math workshop, this one, in my opinion, is one of the most differentiated available.  I've even created some station signs for my teachers to use with their students.  Feel free to click and copy for your own use!

Tech Trouble: Tips and Tricks for When the Tech Lets You Down

Recently, I asked some teachers in my schools and online, what causes some of their biggest tech headaches in the classroom.  I found that many of the answers were similar no matter what grade level they taught.  While the optimal scenario would be for everything to work out perfectly every time, the chances of that happening are slim.  However, in order to save our teacher sanity, I do think it is important to stay solutions-focused and at least share with you some strategies, fix-its, and workarounds that have worked for myself and my teachers.

According to my data, the biggest frustrations stem from:

• Planning a great lesson that integrates technology and the tech not working at the exact moment you need it.
• Keeping kids focused and not straying to other websites/apps.
• Too many usernames and passwords for different sites (remembering them all)
• Devices being taken for testing dates
• Filters being different for the teachers and the students

Tech not working?

This is the number one complaint across the board.  Unfortunately there is no easy fix.  Did you have everyone restart their devices? When in doubt, turn them off and back on again.  However, if it isn't just a hiccup and the whole building is down, you'll need a back-up plan.  Don't create a second lesson plan.  It isn't practical and you have quite enough planning to do already.  Instead, think of a way you could adjust it so students still receive the same benefit from the lesson.  If your schedule allows it, be flexible. Can you flip today's lesson with tomorrow's lesson or save this lesson for the afternoon instead of the morning?  If you work with high schoolers, have them get out a few phones and work in groups.  The phone can be a functional tool in the classroom when used appropriately.  Above all, don't sweat it.  Focus on what you can control.  Your awesome lesson will still happen, just not at that moment.

Kids easily distracted?

If your district doesn't subscribe to a service such as Hapara or GoGuardian where you can see student screens on your teacher computer, you have to be creative with your device management.  I suggest setting up guidelines from the start, giving the students ownership of their behavior.  Begin with mutual trust and give them a chance to show you that they can be responsible while also letting them know your expectations.  Using iPads?  Guided access will be your best friend.  Set a password and kids can only use the app chosen.  Chromebooks?  Do random history checks.  Have them sign a contract at the start of the year, discuss with parents how they can support you and their children.  If you do have a problem, have a plan for how you will deal with it.  

Too many usernames and passwords?

So many different websites have sign in credentials.  If you are a Google Suite user, this isn't so bad but if you aren't and you have multiple e-mails or passwords, this can be a nightmare.  My suggestion is to use an app on your phone such as Keeper or, if you prefer paper and pencil, a little password book.  You can get one on Amazon for under $10.  For younger students, print out their logins and use clear packing tape to put them inside the front or back cover of a notebook or homework book. Don't forget to make sure the websites you are using are ok for the under 13 crowd.

Devices collected for testing?

Unfortunately, aside from chatting with your admin about how this can be remedied, there isn't really an instant fix.  Our admin bought four Chromebooks for each classroom in addition to the carts so that stations could still be run throughout testing.  Our older students are all 1:1 so it is no longer an issue.  I do think it is worth the conversation with your admin however, to brainstorm possible solutions to this problem.

Teacher filters are different than student filters?

We have this issue as well.  My advice to my teachers is to use a Chromebook, iPad or even with your phone connected to the student wifi to test the sites a day or two before they are to be used.  This does take a bit of time but it prevents the frustration on the day of the lesson when students can't get onto the site.  Another option is to create a student tech team in your classroom and make this one of their jobs on Friday afternoon or Monday morning.  They can report back to you and you can adjust as needed.

Obviously, there are no quick fixes.  The best remedy is a mindset that allows you to stay calm and not let frustration take over.  Model for the students how you are solving these challenges with creativity and finesse.  A strategy they can use outside of the classroom as well.  

Making the Most of the iPad Accessibility Tools You Never Knew You Had

This was me six years ago when I switched positions from 4th grade teacher to technology coach.  I had an iPad.  Heck... I was pretty adept at using it too, but I had no idea of its capabilities beyond using apps and websites, etc.  

In my second year, I was asked to do a share session with the special education teachers on how they could use iPads to benefit their students, I naturally did some research so I could plan effectively.  I was so extremely excited by what I found!  Fabulous tools built right into the iPad that, in my opinion, can be used for all students in the classroom.

My absolute favorite of the accessibility tools is the assistive touch feature.  This puts a small, moveable dot on your homepage.  When you tap it, a small window opens with options that you customize to meet your needs.  How does this help?  It makes it super easy for students to take a screenshot, lock rotation, turn volume up or down, etc.  Little fingers can have trouble pressing and coordinating the iPad buttons and this cuts out all the frustration and gives them a sense of confidence and independence.

Another great accessibility tool for the classroom is guided access.  This allows you to set up students in one app and lock it so they cannot leave or be distracted by other apps on the device without it being unlocked.  Very useful for stations when you may need to be working with other students or for specific students who may have difficulty staying on task.

The iPad has specific features for students with vision challenges and/or hearing challenges.  It can read a page or a selection out loud for students, magnify the screen, enlarge the app buttons, and more. However, it would be a very long blog post if I described every accessibility feature available so instead I'm adding a link to the website that describes them all.  Click here or on the photo below for details about how other accessibility tools can support your students and your instruction.  

I know that my teachers are loving these features and I personally commend iPad for offering such great services.

Five Ways to Use Epic Reading in Your Classroom

Epic is one of my favorite apps/websites for the K-5 classroom.  Not only do I love that it easy to use but also that it is one of few apps out there that are completely free for educators (for now anyway) and allow you to differentiate for your students according to their reading levels and interests by assigning book collections that you create.  If you aren't aware of Epic, take a look at my Featured Screencasts page for a brief overview and then head on over to Getepic.com to get started!

Here are five ways you can use Epic with your students:

• During your nonfiction unit of study.  Assign a general collection of nonfiction books or let students browse on their own.  Have them look for nonfiction features and create a tally chart for all the features they locate.  If you have shared devices, half of the class can use iPads/Chromebooks and half can read independently. Then switch!  Even less devices? Make it a station!  
• Also for nonfiction,  find out what topics students want to learn more about and create collections for them.  Assign the collections and you are giving them a great resource for their research!
• Use Epic as a listening center.  Students can explore the "Read to Me" or "Audiobook" sections or you can have them choose from a themed collection to match your reading unit of study!
• Read aloud!  Project Epic on your interactive board or just use an iPad to read aloud to your students or to model a specific skill or reading strategy.
• Use the Epic monthly calendars as part of your daily routine.  Epic puts out a new calendar every month full of activities you can do as a whole class during morning meeting or as activities when students are unpacking and getting ready for the day.  You'll find these calendars in your teacher dashboard on the left hand side.  Check out the calendar for March below and click here to grab a copy!

To-Do List Template for Note taking Apps

Last year, my district started a pilot for 1st grade which included Apple TVs, iPads, etc... lots of goodies for the classroom.  One of these items was an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil for the teacher in each classroom.  As tech coaches, we each got one as well and the paid app Goodnotes 4.

Once I started using Goodnotes, I realized that I could make templates in Google Drive and import them to use on the iPad with my Apple Pencil.  I started doing just that and became mildly obsessed...lol. You can see my teacher productivity templates in my TPT store but I'm also creating some generic planning and productivity templates.  I started with a to-do list because I know from experience that teachers have to-do lists all over the place (For me, this means literally everywhere...😆) 

This template was made for Goodnotes, and can probably be used by a few other note taking apps as well.  Click here to open the PDF and make a copy for yourself!  Then import it into your note taking app!

Tech Integration: What Does It Really Mean?

Well, I can give you my definition but everyone's opinion is different.  Some might say that it is easily defined as "Using technology in the classroom."  Others might give you some elaborate tech babble (yes... I went there 🙄) full of buzz words such as SAMR and TPack, substitution vs. transformation, or technology integration matrix.  Too many big words for me.  I'm a simple kind of girl.

Sure, I know all about Samr and TPack and I believe they are good models to follow and share when the intended audience is ready. But when it comes down to it, technology integration in my opinion, simply needs to be meaningful and focus on enhancing the learning of the students in your classroom.  It shouldn't be about an app or a website but about enriching student experiences.  It isn't about finding time somewhere in your already crazy day to use technology with your students, it's about infusing it into your instruction to engage, promote independence, deepen knowledge, and to give them a voice.  It's about asking yourself, "How can this tool benefit my students?" or "What will change for my students if I utilize this tool?  

My goal as a coach is to help teachers see the "why?" in technology integration and that isn't always easy.  My goal for this blog is to share ideas, reflections, and support for busy elementary teachers who are doing their best to navigate the world of technology integration.  I hope you enjoy the journey.