Occasionally, Powerful Learning Practice likes to share great opportunities that we are doing in our Year Long Connected Learner Experience with others. We have decided to invite the public to the fourth of our Virtual Classroom Visits.

Amy Musone is a third grade teacher at Roundtown Elementary School in York, PA. Her students are building a community in a PBL unit – one rich with technology infusion for authentic learning.

Description in Amy’s words:

Content

As we examined geometrical concepts, we talked about how geometry was all around us, that we couldn’t open our eyes without seeing it. That led to conversation about where we see it. There were some themes that emerged…buildings, gardening, and art.

From student conversations a question surfaced: How will we plan, develop, and construct a community?

The organic process has resulted in a PBL exploration that incorporates math, social studies, and language arts curriculum. The specific curricular concepts with which students will engage as well as our concept map can be found here in this Spiderscribe. Generally speaking, students will be actively engaged with ideas involving geometry, measurement, scale, reading & writing, and problem solving.

The video documents our journey as students are learning to design and build a community. We’ve shared how we brainstorm, lay the foundations, talk with a township official about zoning, problem solve and tinker with Sketch Up, and hang out (Google Hangout) with an architect.

Technology

The technology infused in this project enables students to learn in ways not possible previously and is utilized for the following reasons:

• create (Sketch Up, Skitch)
• problem solve (Sketch Up, Skitch)
• collect information (Linoit, Google Forms, Twitter (Storify), Answer Garden, Video/Photo archive)
• share resources (Linoit, Google Hangout)
• connect (Google Hangout, Twitter)
• document learning (Google Sites, Twitter)
• formative assessment (Twitter, Linoit, Answer Garden, Google Forms)

Resources

TPACK In The Classroom from Amy Musone on Vimeo.

Lesson

Artifacts from their exploration

In our Virtual Classroom Visits we watch the teacher teach the lesson and then engage in a threaded conversation around what she did that was in the best interest of kids or what we would change or sometimes just how do you do this.

Then we meet together online for 30 minutes and have a chance to debrief with the teacher about her lesson. We would love for you to join us.

Thursday, April 18 at 8 PM-8:30PM EDT New York
In Blackboard Collaborate (Click Here)

Amy Musone has been teaching elementary aged students since 1991 and is currently teaching third graders. She continually aspires to create a connected, authentic, relevant learning environment through PBL, use of primary documents, and of course, with the help of technology. She cannot imagine being able to do the things she is able to do without the support from her colleagues, PLN, and communities of practice. She participated in the PLP year 1 experience, is a PLP Connected Coach, and has been  involved in an online book club. “The more I learn and grow, the more I want to learn and grow.” Besides teaching children and being involved with PLP, she has facilitated a variety of professional development sessions. Amy blogs and can be found on Twitter.

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Lani Ritter Hall

Lani is Community Leader for Powerful Learning Practice. She also serves as the “Newbie Maven”, helping along and nurturing newbies to the PLP experience, as well as facilitator for the Connected Coaches. Lani brings more than 35 years of teaching experiences in urban, sub urban, and independent schools at the middle/secondary level in the U.S and Canada to this work. A national board certified teacher, she and her students began collaborating globally in the late 1980’s. Lani has created and facilitated professional development around technology infusion into learning for over twenty years and served in a leadership role for the K12Online Conference for 2 years. She is co-author of The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age.

Latest posts by Lani Ritter Hall (see all)

• Through new lenses– - January 5, 2015
• Connected Coaching: Reflections & a new course starting soon! - September 24, 2013
• Virtual Classroom Visit — Sketch Up and Google Hangouts in a 3rd grade classroom - April 15, 2013