Technology Integration

Creating Websites Easily Pg. 2

Elementary Bloggers Pg. 3

Beyond the imaginary world of technology Pg. 6

Secondary Teachers’ Experiences Pg. 7

Inspirational Stories Pg. 8

Technology Projects Pg. 9

Elementary Students and an interactive classroom

Pg. 4

Sharing DocumentsRobot Model Creation

Pg. 5

Table of Contents

The ANS mission is to provide its multicultural student community with a US-accredited college preparatory program based on

democratic and universal values, that develops critical thinkers and ethical individuals cpable of realizing their leadership potential by

making meaningful contributions to society.

Technology integrated into our classrooms ...

Integrating Technology into our classrooms2

Weebly for EducationCreating Websites Easily

Computer skills and technology knowledge are essential tools every student in a 21st century world must have. At ANS we are integrating such technologies into our classrooms. Teachers and students are enriching their teaching and learning through different software and websites. A great example of this integration is the easy website creation online.

Twelve grade students learned how to create easily a website for their Spanish class. Their teacher assigned them a project in which they had to create a website with the biography, bibliography, images, videos, music, activities and sources on three Nicaraguan postmodernism poets, Salomon de la Selva, Azarías H. Pallais and Alfonso Cortés. The tool they used to create this websites was Weebly for education (www.education.weebly.com), which is an easy drag & drop website creator. Using Weebly students created their websites and organized their content; under their teacher’s website and management. Students when asked about their satisfaction using Weebly to create their websites, and being able to add content (images, videos, embedding) easily 59% of them answered that they were satisfied with Weebly. Students were also satisfied with Weeblyes user interface (UI) and said that it was user friendly and easy for anyone to use and develop a website. They also agreed that they could use Weebly for another school project or personal purposes.

Students also used other tools into their websites. They used Voki (www.voki.com), an avatar with voice creator and Jigsaw Planet (www.jigsawplanet.com), a puzzle creator. Both tools were useful to make their websites more intuitive and call the reader’s attention. Voki was used to read out to the website visitor a poem from the different postmodernism poets. This way websites visitors wouldn’t simply read the poem but hear it if they preferred it. Jigsaw Planet on the other hand was used to have an intuitive activity for visitors to entertain themselves and learn about any of the postmodernism Nicaraguan poets. Students were also asked about their experience in using these two different tools to enrich their website content and they came up with different comments. The majority of them said that Voki was a great tool because they didn’t have to read but rather hear. When asked in what subjects they could use Voki the vast majority answered that it could be implemented in any subject (Spanish, English, History, Science, etc) and that it was a very interactive way to transmit ideas and content online.

Check these Websites:http://los3grandesdelposmodernismo.weebly.com/alfonso-cortes.htmlhttp://dnr-posmodernistas.weebly.com/poemas1.htmlhttp://posmodernismolml.weebly.com/index.html

Ms. Patricia RuizSpanish 12 Teacher

www.ans.edu.ni| American Nicaraguan School 3

Kidblog: A tool for EngagementElementary Bloggers

Blogs have become an important tool in today’s society. People all-around the world use blogs to express their ideas, as personal websites, or to present to the world different types of information. At ANS we are introducing our young students to such technologies, this way they are learning

the different types of tools the internet proportions them to enrich their learning and knowledge.Ms. Rodinsky, a fifth grade teacher says: “The fifth grade team has been using Kidblog during the first semester. Kidblog.org is a website designed

especially for teachers and students. Both students and teachers are given Blogs on which they can create posts, comment on others’ posts or even reply to other comments. One of the best features of Kidblog is its secure login; each student is given his or her own username and password to login. We have primarily used Kidblog in Social Studies and Science for two functions. First, we have created posts to complement our in-class teaching. In these posts we include links to videos, poems, songs, articles, or sites that enhance the lesson given in the class. Then, the students are asked to comment about the post, either answering direct questions or reflecting on their learning. The second way we have used Kidblog is by asking the students to find Current Event articles or news clips. The students post their Current Event, with a summary and a reflection about it, and then all of their classmates post a comment about it as well. We find that student comments are often thoughtful and are a meaningful way to begin an in-depth dialogue about new ideas. Students also reply to each other with questions and new ideas. Our team has noticed that through engaging the students with technology, we are able to see their critical thinking in action. Students really enjoy the multimedia components we are able to add to the lessons and in this way we continue to strive to meet the needs of all learners.”

Our fifth grade students have begun to use KidBlog.org (www.kidblog.org), a blogging service site for teachers and schools. Students use it to give their opinions and thoughts, through commenting on a topic their teacher posts on his/her blog. KidBlog.org enables teachers to manage all their students’ accounts, blogs and comments. It is a “safe and simple blog for students”, because teachers are the administrators of each student’s accounts and can revise and delete inappropriate comments; all students are identified easily because of their accounts, so teachers have a better control on who posted and who didn’t. Fifth grade students loved the experience of writing and are in constant communication with their classmates and teachers through their KidBlogs.

Sample Blogs:http://kidblog.org/MsRodinskysClass/author/srodinsky/http://kidblog.org/MsRodinskysClass/author/Hillary25/

Ms. Susan RodinskyGrade 5 Teacher

Integrating Technology into our classrooms4

and an Interactive ClassroomElementary Students

I have been using Mimio with PreK-3 and have found that at this age they are not only fully capable of using this technology but thoroughly enjoy how interactive it is. It is great tool to use

in any classroom to review topics already learned and even to introduce new ones. My kids loved it! I was surprised how quickly they caught on and knew exactly what they needed to do. I highly recommend it for kids of any age.

My teaching life changed the day I got my hands on the interactive whiteboard (mimio). I really cannot picture myself teaching (math specially) without it.

The use of the interactive whiteboard has given me the opportunity to present information to my students in a variety of ways. I use it to project the book and work on the problems together, show videos and word problems with bar models using colors, get a quick assessment on who is getting it and who is not getting it through personal whiteboards. Use other teacher’s lessons to help support my teaching. It also gives the opportunity for kids to come up and show their knowledge to the class. It helps them to be engaged.

I recently purchased an iPad. I use to record my conferences with kids, analyze their work through pictures and to keep a digital portfolio of each of the kids. It also allows me to show their work through pictures in my web page. I also use it for small group or one on one tutoring. There are several applications like notability and Singapore math that support my teaching daily. The incorporation of the iPad in my teaching life has helped me to show my student’s work in a variety of ways.

Ms. Ann MartínezKinder 3 Teacher

Ms. Vivian CalderaGrade 2 Teacher

www.ans.edu.ni| American Nicaraguan School 5

using dropbox

Robot Model Creation - 3d Printing

Sharing Documents

On March 20th, I asked students to put their Google Sketch-up of Ancient Rome in their Drop-box folder. I made a folder for each student. It takes time to

make a folder for each individual student, add their ANS email to the shared folder. Students also have to check their email, accept their invitation. But that’s the hardest part of the Dropbox folder.Once, it’s established, students can easily put their items in the shared Dropbox folder. It curious, because of the novice of the folder, students ask, “Can you check the folder if it’s there?” Yes, it’s there. In my short time with experimenting with it. It’s easier than adding the attachment. It’s easier to open the projects than downloading them from an email. It has larger capacity.

We found My Robot Nation Website and inquired about how to make a robot. This Website has a page

where you can select the various components of the robot you wish to create. Once you have completed your selection, the design is fed into the 3D printer, which processes the 2D image and begins to print layer by layer to create the 3D image by applying a 2-D image layer by layer on a 3-D surface. The Website describes this process as follows: “just as an inkjet moves over paper to print a document, it deposits a binder with 24-bit color layer-by-layer into the plaster-like base, literally building your robot millimeter

by millimeter from the powder.”The method used for this particular robot

starts with the material, which is a combination of plaster powder (paper and polymer) applied in layers and a bath of hot sand used to give it a cemented look.

This is how My Robot Nation describes its 3D printing technology: 3D printing is cutting-edge technology that takes a digital 3D model and realizes it in the physical world.

Mr. Noel RiosRobotics Teacher

Mr. Sergio SánchezHistory Teacher

Ms. Belinda LópezEconomics Teacher

Ms. Liza TeránGrade 7 Teacher

Integrating Technology into our classrooms6

world of TechnologyBeyond the Imaginary

Today’s world demands more use of technology to effective teaching and learning. As educators, we face more challenges on how to integrate the

different tech applications or “gadgets” in our daily classes and prepare our students for the 21st century. When students are using technology as a tool or a support for communicating with others, they are in an active role rather than the passive role of recipient of information transmitted by a teacher, textbook, or broadcast. The student is actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information. Technology use allows many more students to be actively thinking about information, making choices, and executing skills than is typical in teacher-led lessons. Moreover, when technology is used as a tool to support students in performing authentic tasks, the students are in the position of defining their goals, making design decisions, and evaluating their progress. The teacher’s role changes as well. The teacher is no longer the center of attention as the dispenser of information, but rather plays the role of facilitator, setting project goals and providing guidelines and resources, moving from student to student or group to group, providing suggestions and support for student activity. ANS has taken a leading role in the use of technology in classrooms. I strongly believe that technology maximizes learning and give more opportunities to keep us updated with our teaching.

Keeping these ideas in mind, I took the challenge of asking my students to design a Google Site plus a wiki (web page creation tool that allows anyone to be able to create a team oriented site where multiple people can collaborate and share files) for this 2012 ANS Science Fair. It turned out that it was an empowering tool to my students. Learning how to use Google Sites enhanced their self-esteem. I observed a much more facilitating atmosphere because my students helped each other so

much. Some students did more stylistic things in terms of how they wanted to emphasize their ideas so creativity was also accomplished. I told my students that their Google Sites will serve as reference for other ANS students in the future and they will be available to anyone in the world. Amazing!

On April 1st 2012, Google launches a yearly event http://google.com/events/sciencefair/ where students submit their Google Sites to win cool prizes: a

scientific trip to the Galapagos Islands with National Geographic Explorer, unique scholarships and real-life work opportunities in iconic science centers of excellence like CERN in Switzerland. My students will submit their sites to compete in this year’s edition.

Mr. Vince HernándezChemistry Teacher

www.ans.edu.ni| American Nicaraguan School 7

experiences in tech integration

Blogging

Secondary Teachers

“Obstacles are those you see, when you take your eyes off your goals”, I really love that quote and I also apply it to my life.

Indeed, technology is an obstacle for some veteran teachers like me. The hardest part in the process of moving from chalk boards to interactive Mimios is adaptation.

I realized my students were way ahead of me in terms of using technology and I want to catch up with it. As you get into the technological world, you soon discover your life as a teacher is getting easier and easier every day. In the sense of Lesson Planning, Developing Evaluations, One-on-one student interaction, ans all those teachable moments you couldn’t have the chance to do it without the use of technology is now a reality.

I changed my OHP for a Document Camera, then I moved from Document Cameras to Interactive Boards, and lately I am using a Mimio Tablet one of the best leading edge technology devices. To evaluate my students, I am going almost a 100% green with the use of Google Docs applications.

One of the most useful ones is Exam General or Google Doc Forms, your students are so used to doing things on their computers that they will love to have all kinds of assignments on their computers.

It is unbelievable the available resources we have, which we haven’t had the chance to explore and experience.

I believe we have to get ready to face the issue of dealing with technology, and becoming a tech savvy is just wonderful.

“I can communicate with my students on a daily basis and we have formed a new and advanced way of learnig and “blogging” with our entire seventh grade class and now abroad with an overseas Charter school in Pennsylvania. My students love the idea and grasped it right away. You are free to look us up and check out all the activity that has been going on since January of this year. I totally wish to continue with this method of teaching and chatting with my students in an innovative way.”

Mr. Norman HuertaPre-Calculus Teacher

Ms. Liza TeránGrade 7 Teacher

Integrating Technology into our classrooms8

Technology brought into the ClassroomInspirational Stories

I’m the learner when it comes to using some of the technology that has been introduced. I try to stay one step ahead of the students, but I’m not always successful. Thanks to all the help of colleagues and the tech department new ways of using technology has been implemented in the classroom. The interesting

thing about kids trying new things, is that their parents are often involved in the learning process as well, and the students become the teachers. All of the 4th grade students did a Prezi for the Native American project. Almost all of it was done outside the classroom, which meant that in the classroom we could do some “hands-on” investigations about the Native Americans. Google Forms is another program that has been used several times. Students have responded on Forms as part of their daily reading at home. They are now in the process of filling in a form for the 5Ws of a newspaper article. 4th grade has also used Kidblog for committing on the reading they have done. It’s a great way for students to view the thinking of their peers. I’m excited about all the possibilities that are out there to explore.

Effectively integrating technology to my teaching has been a challenge since the beginning of my teaching experience almost 15 years ago, when technology usage was limited in the classroom; I have realized that the acceptance of change

is what has allowed me to incorporate as much technology as possible to my classroom added to endless reading and inquiry as well as wonderful professional development opportunities I have participated in thanks to many people who believed in me.

Technology demands continuous learning I constantly try to expand my knowledge about education and technology and the relation between them to better serve my students; providing them with the tools for success in the 21st century. I strongly believe technology extends learning in very powerful ways. Students and teachers can have access to up-to-date, prime source material; methods of collecting and recording data, opportunities for expressing understanding via images, sound, and text; ways to collaborate with students, teachers, and experts around the world; and training for publishing and presenting their new knowledge.

I try to provide students with a variety of resources to enhance their learning and develop the necessary skills for their future, providing them with the tools that will allow them to succeed in life. By including technology and integrating these wonderful tools to my teaching I have accomplished many things; I honestly never imagined the effect the use of these tools would have in students and parents. I have found students to be more engaged and interested in the class, a greater percentage of parents are involved in their child’s education and I have less number of failing students.

Being able to share my experience and knowledge with other educators has been great; it’s really wonderful to have colleagues including former teachers come to you for help or advice. Sharing my experience with the use podcasts and vodcasts has been exciting; I have received a lot of positive feedback from teachers as well as many questions from those brave ones who tried out podcasting on their own after attending the professional development sessions. What we are doing at ANS is just the beginning there will be many

more changes, opportunities and resources that will arise and will help educators provide students quality education while preparing them for life.

Mrs. Yvonne NixGrade 4 Teacher

Mr. Roberto PerezalonsoGrade 6 Teacher

www.ans.edu.ni| American Nicaraguan School 9

Elementary, Middle & High School

Animal Facts - Voicethread

Contemporary Narrative - Projeqt

Technology Projects

Voicethread (www.voicethread.com) is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos; allowing people to navigate slides and leave comments in 5 different ways: using voice, text, audio file,

or video.Mrs. María Burke’s class researched on the different kinds of animals

and community helpers. Children surfed the internet to look up for a picture of their assigned animal or community helper. They saved that image into their computers, then they typed in Microsoft Word a fact or something interesting on their animal or community helper. Afterwards, as a class they worked on their Voicethread project.

Students added their picture, comment and their video into voicethread.

Sample Voicethread project:http://voicethread.com/share/3048743/

Projeqt (www.projeqt.com) is a web tool for presentations. Using Projeqt presentations never remain static, you can pull live tweets or blog feeds, insert an interactive map, audio notes or stream videos.

Students wrote comtemporary narrative essays and then they presented them to the rest of their classmates using Projeqt, in a more dinamyc way.

Ms. Ruiz then did a survey to her students to know their opinions on their experice using Projeqt for their assignment. The web tool used to do this survey was Obsurvey (www.obsurvey.com)

Mrs. María BurkeGrade 1 Teacher

Ms. Patricia RuizSpanish 12 Teacher

Integrating Technology into our classrooms10

Elementary, Middle & High SchoolTechnolgy Projects

Dino Blog - Kidsblog

Changing the way to do Presentations - Prezi

Second graders have begun their blog, a blog about dinosours. In this blog the Second Grade Team, specialists and principals can participate. Teachers post some questions or topics to their students. Second graders then answer those questions or

simply ask a question if they have doubts. This way teachers and students communicate, reaserch and learn about dinosours.

Dino Blog address:http://kidblog.org/DinosANS/author/2ndans/

Elementary students have been learning how to use different web tools in their technology classes with Mrs. Bendaña. One of those tools is Prezi. Prezi is a tool that can help you create amazing presnetations and in a unique way by panning and zooming. students

Students are now using Prezi instead of the always static Microsoft PowerPoint software.

Sample:http://prezi.com/3xgoy7dd7odo/apple/

Ms. Fina RamírezElementary Spanish Teacher

Ms. Guisselle BendañaGrades K - 5 Technology Teacher

Mr. Ryan NygrenGrade 2 Teacher

Ms. Ruth AlbuquerqueGrade 2 Teacher

Ms.Vivian CalderaGrade 2 Teacher