This morning in the car I was having a conversation with my three and a half year old daughter in which she said she was learning something. I promptly asked her if she liked learning, and she enthusiastically replied, "Yeah! I love learning; it's my favorite." As a teacher, I was very proud to hear this from her, but then I got to thinking about some of the students that have passed through my classroom and the ones I will be teaching this year and wondering how few of them would have replied in the positive with the same enthusiasm as my daughter. I'm guessing not too many of my secondary students!
Where have we gone wrong as a society and a system that we have taken this innate curiosity and love of learning and quashed it into a chore or something that our students resent? We are born with a natural desire to understand and learn, especially for those of us subscribing to the Piaget/Vygotsky Constuctivist ideals; what a shame that it is the exception among many secondary students to observe. It's not hard to point out some reasons for this (broken grading systems and policies, poor instructional strategies, sit-and-get learning, lack of choices, high-stakes testing, etc.).
But, what are we doing about it? We are very quick as schools to investigate the magic pill that will increase student achievement and test results because of poor performance by focusing on standards and teaching to tests and changing this and that in our system, etc. etc. etc. But I have never heard in all of my PD hours a mention of restoring this innate love of learning that I have witnessed in my own (and others') three year old child.
As the new school year rolls out, why don't we take a moment (or more) to forgo state standards (gasp!) and teach something that your students might find interesting or that may remind them of how enjoyable they once found learning? Not school, but LEARNING! Maybe you could be the spark that reignites this passion in one of your students!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
An Interesting Dichotomy
I know it's been awhile, but it's been a busy summer so far. This summer I have been given an exciting and busy change of assignment for the upcoming school year, as mentioned in previous posts, that I am beginning to think about more and more as I work on the task at hand. In the upcoming school year I will change roles from a math teacher to a technology teacher, and this change has got me thinking about this job from a different perspective.
At the beginning of the summer I was told about this switch and my principal told me I would have free run in writing these courses as our retiring tech teacher was more of a business teacher than strictly a computers teacher, and the classes that I would be teaching didn't currently exist in our academic program. He just needs course titles, a description, and a syllabus to present to the superintendent and board. On one hand, I was very excited to have the freedom to develop my own courses and teach a curriculum that I deem appropriate. I mean, it's every teacher's dream, right? To have the ability to teach what I choose in a class not tested under NCLB, where students will actually learn and take something away from.
Throughout this work, however, I have begun to think about the implications of this. The freedom that is so refreshing to have does come with a cost. In a bigger district, this job would be the responsibility of a curriculum director, and I would be given a curriculum to work from, adjust, and implement. When it comes down to it, I am a teacher, not a curriculum director. I am confident that I will put forth a fine curriculum, that is not my concern. My concern is what sort of precedent is being set by my work. As we negotiate a contract during this time when, as with many other teachers, we are being asked to do more and more for less and less, I am concerned about where this precedent will lead. Yes, part of it is a bit of selfishness in which I would like to have some compensation for this non-contracted I am doing, but I know I have to do it because I am a teacher, and we teachers can't half-ass things when we are asked to do them and know that they are in the best interests of our students. Most of it is concern about the district's policy for the school and for the students. My concern is, where would the district be left if I were to take another position or not return for the upcoming school year? They would be hiring a cheap, young teacher in August to walk into a room full of computers and tell that person to teach a non-existent curriculum. How many of our first teaching assignments have started that way!?
In the grand scheme of things it comes down to our lack of value for education. We are in this position because schools lack the proper funding to fill positions like curriculum directors, technology directors, arts instructors, and in many cases the appropriate number of teachers. Contracts all over the State of Michigan are changing language to raise the per pupil ratio in order to lay off teachers while still being in compliance with labor agreements, and remaining teachers are being asked to do work that is beyond their job descriptions. Yes, we will do the work because we are morally obligated to do it, but where will this lead? The only way we will be able to "race to the top" is if we are valued and properly supported to do so.
At the beginning of the summer I was told about this switch and my principal told me I would have free run in writing these courses as our retiring tech teacher was more of a business teacher than strictly a computers teacher, and the classes that I would be teaching didn't currently exist in our academic program. He just needs course titles, a description, and a syllabus to present to the superintendent and board. On one hand, I was very excited to have the freedom to develop my own courses and teach a curriculum that I deem appropriate. I mean, it's every teacher's dream, right? To have the ability to teach what I choose in a class not tested under NCLB, where students will actually learn and take something away from.
Throughout this work, however, I have begun to think about the implications of this. The freedom that is so refreshing to have does come with a cost. In a bigger district, this job would be the responsibility of a curriculum director, and I would be given a curriculum to work from, adjust, and implement. When it comes down to it, I am a teacher, not a curriculum director. I am confident that I will put forth a fine curriculum, that is not my concern. My concern is what sort of precedent is being set by my work. As we negotiate a contract during this time when, as with many other teachers, we are being asked to do more and more for less and less, I am concerned about where this precedent will lead. Yes, part of it is a bit of selfishness in which I would like to have some compensation for this non-contracted I am doing, but I know I have to do it because I am a teacher, and we teachers can't half-ass things when we are asked to do them and know that they are in the best interests of our students. Most of it is concern about the district's policy for the school and for the students. My concern is, where would the district be left if I were to take another position or not return for the upcoming school year? They would be hiring a cheap, young teacher in August to walk into a room full of computers and tell that person to teach a non-existent curriculum. How many of our first teaching assignments have started that way!?
In the grand scheme of things it comes down to our lack of value for education. We are in this position because schools lack the proper funding to fill positions like curriculum directors, technology directors, arts instructors, and in many cases the appropriate number of teachers. Contracts all over the State of Michigan are changing language to raise the per pupil ratio in order to lay off teachers while still being in compliance with labor agreements, and remaining teachers are being asked to do work that is beyond their job descriptions. Yes, we will do the work because we are morally obligated to do it, but where will this lead? The only way we will be able to "race to the top" is if we are valued and properly supported to do so.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Wrong Attitude
"Yeah, but this is Morrice." This phrase gets under my skin like nothing else I can imagine when said in that depressed, condescending tone that admits defeat and implies that our students are second-rate nobodies. And much like many other small, rural schools dotted throughout the countryside, it's use is far too prevalent around school and needs to stop.
Besides being an appalling attitude that will get you nowhere, it's insulting. It's insulting to the teachers who work tirelessly and passionately to make sure every student has an opportunity for success in their future provided through a top rate education. This comment permeates our perceptions and becomes a reality, negating all of the countless efforts of a passionate staff.
It's insulting to our students who work extremely hard each and every day to be the best they can be. This comment pigeonholes students into a mindset of mediocrity that they do not deserve. Every student deserves not only the opportunity for success, but also the opportunity to believe in themselves. Don't strip away their self-respect.
It's insulting to everyone, like myself, who graduated from a small, rural school with more swine farmers than white collars. This attitude makes the assumption that my teachers were sub-par, my education was second rate, and that I am one of the lucky ones who escaped. Do not insult my hometown; I love where I am from and I love every one of my friends from "back home." Just because they are working in or near Urbana does not make them any less successful because there is an abundance of farmland or a smaller population. And my teachers and education were second to none.
It's insulting to our taxpayers and community members. They expect us to do more with what we have than chalk up our losses to an incorrectly stereotyped version of them. Just as I want more for my own children than I had myself, every single student has a parent at home who wants better for them. Our job as educators is to provide this opportunity, not to make excuses.
"Yeah, but this is MORRICE!" should be shouted with pride because we are a small, rural school in a farming community, not in spite of it. We have a unique opportunity at our small school, just like the other small schools everywhere. We have the opportunity to know each and every one of our students better than any other teachers at any other schools. We have the opportunity to follow through on providing more for our students than their parents had provided for them. We have the opportunity to mold successful citizens, not to send off far and away, but to remain in and return to our community and strengthen it.
Yes, this is Morrice, just like it was Graham for me, a small school in rural Michigan with the ability and the charge to make a difference.
Besides being an appalling attitude that will get you nowhere, it's insulting. It's insulting to the teachers who work tirelessly and passionately to make sure every student has an opportunity for success in their future provided through a top rate education. This comment permeates our perceptions and becomes a reality, negating all of the countless efforts of a passionate staff.
It's insulting to our students who work extremely hard each and every day to be the best they can be. This comment pigeonholes students into a mindset of mediocrity that they do not deserve. Every student deserves not only the opportunity for success, but also the opportunity to believe in themselves. Don't strip away their self-respect.
It's insulting to everyone, like myself, who graduated from a small, rural school with more swine farmers than white collars. This attitude makes the assumption that my teachers were sub-par, my education was second rate, and that I am one of the lucky ones who escaped. Do not insult my hometown; I love where I am from and I love every one of my friends from "back home." Just because they are working in or near Urbana does not make them any less successful because there is an abundance of farmland or a smaller population. And my teachers and education were second to none.
It's insulting to our taxpayers and community members. They expect us to do more with what we have than chalk up our losses to an incorrectly stereotyped version of them. Just as I want more for my own children than I had myself, every single student has a parent at home who wants better for them. Our job as educators is to provide this opportunity, not to make excuses.
"Yeah, but this is MORRICE!" should be shouted with pride because we are a small, rural school in a farming community, not in spite of it. We have a unique opportunity at our small school, just like the other small schools everywhere. We have the opportunity to know each and every one of our students better than any other teachers at any other schools. We have the opportunity to follow through on providing more for our students than their parents had provided for them. We have the opportunity to mold successful citizens, not to send off far and away, but to remain in and return to our community and strengthen it.
Yes, this is Morrice, just like it was Graham for me, a small school in rural Michigan with the ability and the charge to make a difference.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
A Daunting Task... Excited for Next Year
Our technology teacher is retiring. Not Earth shattering news, I know. However, being enrolled in the final three credit hours of an Educational Technology Master's program, I am optimistic for a big change in course load next year. I know that this could be a very busy summer, learning new curricula and probably writing new courses, but I am very excited for a summer full of school work for the first time in my life.
I came out of college wearing rose colored glasses. I loved Mathematics and took it upon myself to convince everyone I came across that math, although challenging, could be interesting, beautiful, and, dare I say, fun. I think I have made some progress, but along the way I have found a new passion in technology. I entered this Master's program because I was interested, and over the past two years I have become obsessed. Math, although it will always be my first love, has taken a back seat to the new and exciting things that could be happening in our schools. I may have some freedom in writing a couple of new courses, and although that would take a lot of work and be a big risk, I would be so excited to teach students about something that I am passionate about again.
Where I used to have to convince students that my subject could be enjoyable, I would have interest on a broader scale when students walk into my room, and this is something that I've never had. I must admit I'm excited about the prospect of not needing to focus so much on hooking students and be able to just instruct rather than make a sale in the process. However, as I sit and think about it, I'd still have to be a salesman, just with a different audience. I'd need to convince administrators, board members, and network administrators to allow me to do what I wanted to do, with the applications I wanted to use, and use the websites I wanted to use that may currently be blocked. But, I'd take it. I would love to have classroom full of excited students that I can educate in a subject that is both exciting and relevant to them and me.
If anyone reading has any ideas for elements of these these possible courses, I'm all ears. I could possibly be teaching an Office course in trimesters to Jr. High students, a multimedia applications course to underclassmen, and/or a Read/Write Web course to upperclassmen. I really appreciate any ideas you might have.
I came out of college wearing rose colored glasses. I loved Mathematics and took it upon myself to convince everyone I came across that math, although challenging, could be interesting, beautiful, and, dare I say, fun. I think I have made some progress, but along the way I have found a new passion in technology. I entered this Master's program because I was interested, and over the past two years I have become obsessed. Math, although it will always be my first love, has taken a back seat to the new and exciting things that could be happening in our schools. I may have some freedom in writing a couple of new courses, and although that would take a lot of work and be a big risk, I would be so excited to teach students about something that I am passionate about again.
Where I used to have to convince students that my subject could be enjoyable, I would have interest on a broader scale when students walk into my room, and this is something that I've never had. I must admit I'm excited about the prospect of not needing to focus so much on hooking students and be able to just instruct rather than make a sale in the process. However, as I sit and think about it, I'd still have to be a salesman, just with a different audience. I'd need to convince administrators, board members, and network administrators to allow me to do what I wanted to do, with the applications I wanted to use, and use the websites I wanted to use that may currently be blocked. But, I'd take it. I would love to have classroom full of excited students that I can educate in a subject that is both exciting and relevant to them and me.
If anyone reading has any ideas for elements of these these possible courses, I'm all ears. I could possibly be teaching an Office course in trimesters to Jr. High students, a multimedia applications course to underclassmen, and/or a Read/Write Web course to upperclassmen. I really appreciate any ideas you might have.
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Beauty of a Class Webpage
As I sit here this morning before 7 a.m. on a Monday morning waiting and waiting and waiting for a new son to decide he's ready to finally join us, I can't help but profess my love for my school web pages. I have taken the day off as it seems as if our baby wait may soon be over, and the fact that I have this website available for my courses makes me feel like I am still engaged somewhat with my students. Rather than showering and putting on my shirt and tie, this morning I logged on and posted announcements for my students to remind them of the assignments and projects they should be working on today, as well as what to expect in the upcoming few days. I have everything set for my sub, but this website gives me the chance to connect with my students through a more direct intermediary that I have a bit more control over, and I like that. It must also be nice for the students to have instructions directly from a teacher rather than wondering if the substitute is telling them correctly, and the ability to embed video could make my absence days even more productive for students. Imagine sub days without losing instructional time!
What's next? Getting students to buy in and learn to use this asset they have available to them. In every announcement I post regarding my absences, I refer students to my email address and ask them to contact me with any questions, but I get very little response while away. Without the two-way communication, these announcements are more for my peace of mind and over-glorification of what I am doing than actual instruction. Once students learn to engage in this type of learning and communication, we can really have no lost instructional time chalked up to teacher absences. Wouldn't that be awesome!?
What's next? Getting students to buy in and learn to use this asset they have available to them. In every announcement I post regarding my absences, I refer students to my email address and ask them to contact me with any questions, but I get very little response while away. Without the two-way communication, these announcements are more for my peace of mind and over-glorification of what I am doing than actual instruction. Once students learn to engage in this type of learning and communication, we can really have no lost instructional time chalked up to teacher absences. Wouldn't that be awesome!?
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Say it ain't so, FLIP
I am so surprised and disappointed at the news that was spreading yesterday. I heard on the radio on my long drive home that Cisco is going to stop making the FLIP camera, a pocket sized video camera designed to record and easily upload digital video to the web. By the time I got home and looked around on some news feeds, my disappointment sunk in and turned into some frustration as I realized I hadn't heard wrong. Cisco is going to kill this very popular consumer-based project to "focus on selling its core products," which unless you are a systems manager, you probably have no idea what they are. You can read more about it here.
A few years ago when my first child was born my wife and I bought a FLIP to share our daughter with her grandparents who are located in different states and countries. We have loved this camera, as have our parents who get to keep up with their granddaughter's exploits from afar. It has only been recently that I have brought these cameras into my classroom, and they have been very useful and worth every bit of the $100 or less price tag. So it only figures that this would happen as soon as I get something going. On a daily basis, my students record homework problems being completed and explained so that I can post them to my webpage for homework help for students at home, and numerous student groups have incorporated digital videos into projects for my class to add a bit of flair and interest to their work and/or presentation. The more I use these cameras, the more I find I can do with them, and I have gradually been working them into class projects more and more.
Earlier this school year I convinced our school to purchase two of these cameras for our use, and I have essentially had permanent possession of one of them. Feeding my disappointment is the fact that Cisco does not plan on selling the FLIP product line to another company, but rather, they are just killing it. With this news, my concern is that we are going to be stuck with only two FLIPs rather than growing to the point of having at least a classroom set of 10-12 of the cameras to really get some use out of. I really don't think I have the persuasive abilities to convince a district examining possible layoffs because of budget concerns to spend their money on more video cameras.
My advice to anyone reading this is to get out there and buy up these cameras while they are still available. They have really been an asset to my classroom, and I highly recommend getting these devices into the hands of your students; you will love the results of their work with them. For a few examples of FLIPs being used in the classroom, visit the links below:
My Class Website
David Sladkey's work with FLIP cameras
Megan Powers' Book Projects
A few years ago when my first child was born my wife and I bought a FLIP to share our daughter with her grandparents who are located in different states and countries. We have loved this camera, as have our parents who get to keep up with their granddaughter's exploits from afar. It has only been recently that I have brought these cameras into my classroom, and they have been very useful and worth every bit of the $100 or less price tag. So it only figures that this would happen as soon as I get something going. On a daily basis, my students record homework problems being completed and explained so that I can post them to my webpage for homework help for students at home, and numerous student groups have incorporated digital videos into projects for my class to add a bit of flair and interest to their work and/or presentation. The more I use these cameras, the more I find I can do with them, and I have gradually been working them into class projects more and more.
Earlier this school year I convinced our school to purchase two of these cameras for our use, and I have essentially had permanent possession of one of them. Feeding my disappointment is the fact that Cisco does not plan on selling the FLIP product line to another company, but rather, they are just killing it. With this news, my concern is that we are going to be stuck with only two FLIPs rather than growing to the point of having at least a classroom set of 10-12 of the cameras to really get some use out of. I really don't think I have the persuasive abilities to convince a district examining possible layoffs because of budget concerns to spend their money on more video cameras.
My advice to anyone reading this is to get out there and buy up these cameras while they are still available. They have really been an asset to my classroom, and I highly recommend getting these devices into the hands of your students; you will love the results of their work with them. For a few examples of FLIPs being used in the classroom, visit the links below:
My Class Website
David Sladkey's work with FLIP cameras
Megan Powers' Book Projects
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
5 Easy Ways to Start Using Technology
Let's get moving. Technology doesn't have to be some mystical and expensive tool that we can't fit into our curriculum. I don't know of many schools without a functioning computer lab, and more and more students have computers to work from at home. This is all you really need to get a start. All you have to do is go for it. With today's focus on Web2.0 tools, we don't need the expensive hardware or even fancy software to start using technology to improve what we do as teachers and what our students do as students. Here are five simple ideas to start with:
- Use Wikis.
Wikispaces.com is great; they offer free wikis for education, and students pick up the nuts and bolts very quickly. For your next project, try replacing the poster board with a wiki. - Utilize Google Docs
Have students write a paper collaboratively, or participate in another writing group activity. All your students will need to do is create a free Google username and have an assignment to complete, and they'll be off and running. The interface is a simple text editor that any student familiar with Word will be comfortable with. - Create a Class Website
It could be as simple as posting classroom announcements and homework assignments to discussion topics and extension assignments as well as sharing student successes; a class website could be the key to communicating more easily with parents and possibly engaging more students. If you don't have the capability through your school's website, webs.com or weebly.com offer free web hosting under some limitations. - Start a Discussion Board
This is a great way to get students involved in thinking outside the box and expressing their thoughts while using what they have learned in class. You could go as big as blogging and commenting on blogs to a more formal 3rd party hosted discussion board to discussion threads hosted on your classroom website to simple and easy, informal boards like Wallwisher. - Start using Digital Media
I know, I know, I said no expensive hardware and devices. But, almost everyone has a digital camera or could access the one on their cell phones to participate in a project involving digital images. There are tons of ideas out there, and these could even be merged with projects involving wikis and shared on your class website. Create a Flickr group for your images, or if you're capable, jump into digital video projects with Flip Video cameras.
Monday, April 4, 2011
A Quote From 1992
A quote from 1992
Scott McLeod posted a quote from Schools for a New Century, a 1992 publication, last week on Big Think's Dangerously Irrelevant blog. I find this extremely sad that in nearly 20 years, we are still in the same place. We all know, just as we did in 1992, that technology is not in our schools at the level our students need it to be. Why is this still the case? As I come to the end of my Master's program in Educational Technology I find myself very frustrated by how resistant to change our schools are. Every other sector of our society embraces technological advances that keep them current, and our schools keep falling farther and farther behind. Aren't we the ones that are supposed to be preparing our students for life? Shouldn't we be the early adopter's of new technologies? Imagine the job we could be doing if we weren't stuck in the same mindset we were at the turn of the 20th Century!
I'm with Scott, "What's it going to take for us to start taking seriously the power and potential of learning technologies? How much more evidence do we need?"
It makes me want to scream!
Wake up!!!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Finally!! But...
Nation & World | Obama asks Congress for education bill by Sept. | Seattle Times Newspaper
Urging Congress to send him a new education law by fall, President Barack Obama focused Monday on the big concerns of parents and lawmakers alike: how student progress is measured and how schools that fall short are labeled.
Finally, someone in power recognizes what a mess No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has created in our country. President Obama cites new estimates showing that "four out of five schools may be tagged as failures this year under provisions of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law." Really!?!? I get that we can improve upon what we do; if I didn't I wouldn't be teaching. But 80% of us are failing? I find this hard to believe. Were schools really so bad ten years ago that we had to turn education on it's data-driven head to be good at what we were doing? I graduated from high school in 1999, and I think I had a great K-12 education. I learned the core curriculum well enough to earn a number of scholarships and score highly on the ACT; I developed a value for the arts; I was a three-sport athlete; and I learned many valuable skills in my vocational agriculture classes. Programs were not cut because they didn't produce high test scores, and I wasn't forced into a 7-period day with no electives and class sizes pushing 30+. Were some students left behind? Absolutely not, especially not as many as we are leaving behind today. Sure there were some who did not excel in the core curriculum, but these students had numerous other programs, including a great vocational school, in which to participate and gain valuable experiences that I know served them well once they too graduated even if there were no tests for them to demonstrate their success.
No child left behind? Gimme a break! You can place a name like that on a mandate, but that alone doesn't make it come true. In my humble opinion we are leaving more children behind today than we were 10-15 years ago. Sure, a name like that appeals to every teacher who hears it, but it is completely unrealistic to expect 100% proficiency in every level of every content area. And further, it is criminal to withhold funding from schools who are not. Are we finally moving out from under this NCLB mushroom cloud? I hope so.
But wait! What do we have to look forward to? Race to the Top (R2T)! Another handily acronym-ed program that comes from every teacher's Bag o' Cliches. To be honest, I don't really know which, NCLB or R2T, scares me more. I see the same standards-based assessment programs (albeit a different "common" set of standards), the same support for charter schools (choice), the same data driven dependence on test scores, and the same focus on non-performing schools. But, now we can also look forward to "revising teacher evaluation, compensation, and retention policies to encourage and reward effectiveness" according to the White House. I'm not completely opposed to the idea of merit pay, but it needs to be based on more than test scores and I just don't see that happening here.
Diane Ravitch seems to be the only person talking that is making any sense arguing, screaming, that "the latest vision of education reform is deeply flawed." She continues, "the Obama administration is promoting the privatization of large segments of American education and undermining the profession of teaching." Why does it feel like no one is listening to us, begging them to just let us do what we do? Just let me teach! My teachers did it, and they did a damn good job of it, catchy acronym-ed mandate or not.
Urging Congress to send him a new education law by fall, President Barack Obama focused Monday on the big concerns of parents and lawmakers alike: how student progress is measured and how schools that fall short are labeled.
Finally, someone in power recognizes what a mess No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has created in our country. President Obama cites new estimates showing that "four out of five schools may be tagged as failures this year under provisions of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law." Really!?!? I get that we can improve upon what we do; if I didn't I wouldn't be teaching. But 80% of us are failing? I find this hard to believe. Were schools really so bad ten years ago that we had to turn education on it's data-driven head to be good at what we were doing? I graduated from high school in 1999, and I think I had a great K-12 education. I learned the core curriculum well enough to earn a number of scholarships and score highly on the ACT; I developed a value for the arts; I was a three-sport athlete; and I learned many valuable skills in my vocational agriculture classes. Programs were not cut because they didn't produce high test scores, and I wasn't forced into a 7-period day with no electives and class sizes pushing 30+. Were some students left behind? Absolutely not, especially not as many as we are leaving behind today. Sure there were some who did not excel in the core curriculum, but these students had numerous other programs, including a great vocational school, in which to participate and gain valuable experiences that I know served them well once they too graduated even if there were no tests for them to demonstrate their success.
No child left behind? Gimme a break! You can place a name like that on a mandate, but that alone doesn't make it come true. In my humble opinion we are leaving more children behind today than we were 10-15 years ago. Sure, a name like that appeals to every teacher who hears it, but it is completely unrealistic to expect 100% proficiency in every level of every content area. And further, it is criminal to withhold funding from schools who are not. Are we finally moving out from under this NCLB mushroom cloud? I hope so.
But wait! What do we have to look forward to? Race to the Top (R2T)! Another handily acronym-ed program that comes from every teacher's Bag o' Cliches. To be honest, I don't really know which, NCLB or R2T, scares me more. I see the same standards-based assessment programs (albeit a different "common" set of standards), the same support for charter schools (choice), the same data driven dependence on test scores, and the same focus on non-performing schools. But, now we can also look forward to "revising teacher evaluation, compensation, and retention policies to encourage and reward effectiveness" according to the White House. I'm not completely opposed to the idea of merit pay, but it needs to be based on more than test scores and I just don't see that happening here.
Diane Ravitch seems to be the only person talking that is making any sense arguing, screaming, that "the latest vision of education reform is deeply flawed." She continues, "the Obama administration is promoting the privatization of large segments of American education and undermining the profession of teaching." Why does it feel like no one is listening to us, begging them to just let us do what we do? Just let me teach! My teachers did it, and they did a damn good job of it, catchy acronym-ed mandate or not.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Family Tech: Non-geeks love tablets | InsideNova
Family Tech: Non-geeks love tablets | InsideNova
I couldn't help but think of my rant last week regarding teachers not interested in using technology in their classrooms suddenly very interested when the prospect of being given a tablet from the county's shared technology office. But, I think I've gotten over my initial feelings and come to look at this from a more positive angle.
These tablet devices may just be the key to getting technology in our schools. I'm seeing this happen more and more, non-tech geeks are very excited about these tablets, and if we can get the disseminated to our teachers we may just get this technology ball rolling... finally. Could this be the key?
Saturday, March 5, 2011
So, what now?
As of today my course is complete. I created this blog as a course requirement, and along the way found myself enjoying posting in this space each week. It was a way to share, learn, vent, collaborate, etc. But, what now? You see for the last 8 weeks, I knew I had an audience. I had a reason to share my thoughts, but if I'm not sure anyone is following, is it worth my time even if it's enjoyable? Without being "required," will I still have a reason to post? If I do lose my audience, how do I gain a new one?
I guess I'm a bit lost. I have found an enjoyable, useful tool, but where do I go from here?
I guess I'm a bit lost. I have found an enjoyable, useful tool, but where do I go from here?
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Seriously?
Is anyone other than John Stewart calling foul on what is going on currently, both in Wisconsin and in education. This is the first segment from the show on February 28; why are we taking this?
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Crisis in Dairyland - Angry Curds | ||||
| ||||
What will make teachers embrace technology?
Cool toys!
Today our principal forwarded our staff an email from the shared technology department of our county RESD stating that they were going to be coming into possession of some iPads and Android tablets to pilot the educational use of these tools and some selected apps for them in some districts throughout our county and the neighboring county. They are looking for some volunteers across the districts and grade levels to volunteer to use these devices and report back to provide data on their educational benefit from administrators and teachers. Of course I replied with a firm, exclamatory yes, and asked them to sign me up. Hopefully the fact that I am nearly through a degree in Educational Technology will help me stand out as a good choice for this pilot.
The surprising part to me, however, was all of the other teachers in our building also asking to be considered for this project. Some of the same teachers who are slow to implement new technology into their classroom, or resist and fight it altogether, all of the sudden are very interested! I guess we're not as excited about building online content on a school webpage or utilizing ExamView software or using wikispaces for student projects because we can't take them home and play with them. Or maybe it's because these things aren't the subject of a brilliant TV marketing campaign. But an iPad... now we're talking educational technology we can all buy into.
C'mon guys, you're either in our out. There isn't a box to check that says, "Only if it's cool."
But I suppose there is a lesson to be learned here. If we invest in some of these cool toys, maybe we could get some more teachers on board with the real value technology can offer to our schools. Dress up the windows and maybe they'll come in. When they come in, they're sure to buy in.
Today our principal forwarded our staff an email from the shared technology department of our county RESD stating that they were going to be coming into possession of some iPads and Android tablets to pilot the educational use of these tools and some selected apps for them in some districts throughout our county and the neighboring county. They are looking for some volunteers across the districts and grade levels to volunteer to use these devices and report back to provide data on their educational benefit from administrators and teachers. Of course I replied with a firm, exclamatory yes, and asked them to sign me up. Hopefully the fact that I am nearly through a degree in Educational Technology will help me stand out as a good choice for this pilot.
The surprising part to me, however, was all of the other teachers in our building also asking to be considered for this project. Some of the same teachers who are slow to implement new technology into their classroom, or resist and fight it altogether, all of the sudden are very interested! I guess we're not as excited about building online content on a school webpage or utilizing ExamView software or using wikispaces for student projects because we can't take them home and play with them. Or maybe it's because these things aren't the subject of a brilliant TV marketing campaign. But an iPad... now we're talking educational technology we can all buy into.
C'mon guys, you're either in our out. There isn't a box to check that says, "Only if it's cool."
But I suppose there is a lesson to be learned here. If we invest in some of these cool toys, maybe we could get some more teachers on board with the real value technology can offer to our schools. Dress up the windows and maybe they'll come in. When they come in, they're sure to buy in.
Monday, February 28, 2011
A Lot to Keep Up With
Since the middle of last school year I have maintained a webpage for the classes I teach. I have really enjoyed this process, and I see a lot of benefit in having it for my students to use. I post announcements, homework assignments, notes from class, worksheets to download, links, help videos, etc. for students and parents to have as a resource. I have had a lot of positive feedback from the parents and students who use it frequently, and I even have a couple of students who already have the worksheet I am handing out each day because they printed it out at home.
I made the commitment to my students and parents at the beginning of the year that the pages would be updated for the upcoming week by Sunday evening (or Monday morning) so they would know in advance what to expect each week, and I have kept this commitment (for the most part) throughout the school year. Recently I have really been noticing that the more involved I get with creating this online content the busier I feel over the weekends and throughout the week. I frequently block out time over the weekend to gather all of my materials and put them up online for the upcoming week, and I make sure that they are available on my page before the beginning of each week. This has been especially challenging on weekends when we are traveling or committed to other activities. My planning hour at school is often eaten up with uploading videos that students have recorded of homework problems being explained or uploading notes from class. If I change plans mid-week, I have to remember to change the assignment due dates both on the webpage and in our online gradebook. It seems sometimes like the more organized I am the more disorganized I feel.
As a disclaimer, I am not trying to dissuade anyone from creating a class webpage, but much to contrary. I have enjoyed it, and my students have benefitted from it. But, if you are considering it, start small and work up slowly from there. It's really easy to jump in with both feet, but be ready to be consumed at first.
I made the commitment to my students and parents at the beginning of the year that the pages would be updated for the upcoming week by Sunday evening (or Monday morning) so they would know in advance what to expect each week, and I have kept this commitment (for the most part) throughout the school year. Recently I have really been noticing that the more involved I get with creating this online content the busier I feel over the weekends and throughout the week. I frequently block out time over the weekend to gather all of my materials and put them up online for the upcoming week, and I make sure that they are available on my page before the beginning of each week. This has been especially challenging on weekends when we are traveling or committed to other activities. My planning hour at school is often eaten up with uploading videos that students have recorded of homework problems being explained or uploading notes from class. If I change plans mid-week, I have to remember to change the assignment due dates both on the webpage and in our online gradebook. It seems sometimes like the more organized I am the more disorganized I feel.
As a disclaimer, I am not trying to dissuade anyone from creating a class webpage, but much to contrary. I have enjoyed it, and my students have benefitted from it. But, if you are considering it, start small and work up slowly from there. It's really easy to jump in with both feet, but be ready to be consumed at first.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Best Addition to My Classroom
My interactive whiteboard has been by far the best addition to the technology in my classroom in the past two years. It has completely changed the way my classroom operates from planning to content to activities, and as a bonus I never have chalk handprints on my pants or Smurf fingers from Vis-a-vis pens.
I consider myself very lucky to have found about this little project a year-and-a-half ago, and I am still shocked that it hasn't completely exploded in popularity. You see, I don't have a $2,000+ piece of equipment hanging from my wall. I have a $35 piece of equipment hanging from my ceiling... a Wiimote. [Increasingly] Many classrooms are now equipped with digital media projectors, and once your classroom has this one piece of hardware you are only about $75 away from an interactive whiteboard.
All it takes to build your own IWB is a Wiimote ($35), a bluetooth dongle ($10-20), an infrared light ($20 for a nice pre-made IR pen), and one or two free software downloads. There is a bit more of a learning curve than using a SmartBoard as it works by "vision" rather than pressure, but for the savings, I couldn't be happier.
For anyone interested, the following links are great resources for further investigation. I strongly urge you to check them out and give it a shot. It really isn't as complicated as some of the explanations make it seem at times; and above the fact that it is an awesome teaching tool... it's really, really cool (and fun to play with).
http://wiiteachers.com/ - A great source for materials (avoid the economy pens, the next step up is worth the extra $$$.
http://www.uweschmidt.org/wiimote-whiteboard - Some nice software to make it work. Pentabulous is also a good one, but not as capable as this one. Linktivity Presenter is a must also.
http://johnnylee.net/projects/wii/ - Some amazing stuff.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Thoughts of a Teacher: "Are you sick of higly-paid teachers?"
Thoughts of a Teacher: "Are you sick of higly-paid teachers?": "We've all seen this in one form or another, whether it be the current derivation or some other form of the same argument through chain e-mails or other forms over the years.
I could not have said it better myself; cheers Brian!
I could not have said it better myself; cheers Brian!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Wikispaces - Teach by Example
I have begun using wikispaces.com quite a bit in my classroom for completing projects. There are no more posters being brought to school to paste together a project that may or may not be hung in the hallway and get thrown out as soon as it is graded and returned. We are now completing our projects for the world to see online, and students can work on these "digital posters" collaboratively without being in the same physical space. While 8th graders will seemingly always be more interested in adding flair than they are in the content, I have had a lot of success with this method of project completion, and the students really enjoy putting these projects together.
While working on our current project about cost analysis of either driving cars with differing fuel efficiency or purchasing a mobile phone contract with different text messaging rates, I have referred to my own wikispaces page to teach them about embedding content, citing sources, and using creative commons content appropriately. Having completed a couple of projects for my current course through a wikispaces page, I have been able to show students examples of all of these ideas for them to refer to as well as being able to model for them the appropriate use of content they find online, especially creative commons images. Seeing that I have done it for a class I am taking makes them realize that copyright issues and citations are really important. It is awesome to watch them work, and I feel like I have won a minor victory when I see that Flickr and WikiMedia Commons have almost entirely replaced Google Images as a way to find pictures for them to use in their work. I have even had a couple of people searching through Internet Archives Community Audio to find music to add to their Math projects without worry of any copyright issues!!
My suggestion to anyone thinking about using wikispaces pages in their classrooms is to create your own page where you cite creative commons content, embed video, add music, etc. so that you can use it as an example for your students to use as a resource.
Here are a couple of samples of their work if you are interested. The project due date is still a few days away, so keep in mind they are still a work in progress, but they are doing a nice job.
http://legroupproject.wikispaces.com/
http://camarovsprius.wikispaces.com/
http://kunlls-bffs.wikispaces.com/
While working on our current project about cost analysis of either driving cars with differing fuel efficiency or purchasing a mobile phone contract with different text messaging rates, I have referred to my own wikispaces page to teach them about embedding content, citing sources, and using creative commons content appropriately. Having completed a couple of projects for my current course through a wikispaces page, I have been able to show students examples of all of these ideas for them to refer to as well as being able to model for them the appropriate use of content they find online, especially creative commons images. Seeing that I have done it for a class I am taking makes them realize that copyright issues and citations are really important. It is awesome to watch them work, and I feel like I have won a minor victory when I see that Flickr and WikiMedia Commons have almost entirely replaced Google Images as a way to find pictures for them to use in their work. I have even had a couple of people searching through Internet Archives Community Audio to find music to add to their Math projects without worry of any copyright issues!!
My suggestion to anyone thinking about using wikispaces pages in their classrooms is to create your own page where you cite creative commons content, embed video, add music, etc. so that you can use it as an example for your students to use as a resource.
Here are a couple of samples of their work if you are interested. The project due date is still a few days away, so keep in mind they are still a work in progress, but they are doing a nice job.
http://legroupproject.wikispaces.com/
http://camarovsprius.wikispaces.com/
http://kunlls-bffs.wikispaces.com/
Friday, February 18, 2011
Outliers
I've just about finished my most recent read, something I don't get to do nearly as much as I would like during the school year but with a long weekend because of our parent/teacher conferences last night I had some time to devote to finishing it up. It has really spurred my thinking. The book is called Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. If you haven't read any of his stuff, I would highly recommend it. The book investigates some of the reasons our best and brightest are the best and brightest. After our parent/teacher conferences last night I keep coming back to a few of the highlights:
- 10,000 hours. This is the number concluded as the amount of time one has to put into his or her field in order to be the best of the best, or an outlier. Whether you are a cellist, athlete, computer programmer, pilot, etc., 10,000 hours of work is required in order to reach the elite level of success. Not many of us are willing to devote this much time to a single focus.
- There is a big part of the book devoted to external factors that influence success. Had Bill Gates been born any time other than he was (to put him right in the middle of the personal computing revolution) it is doubtful that he would be in the position he is. He had his 10,000 hours in at just the right time. Although his birth date is a major factor, it is not the ONLY factor; 10,000 hours...
- The environment in which children are raised plays as big a role as IQ in determining one's eventual success. He contrasts Oppenheimer and a man named Chris Langan, both of whom possess high IQ's but were raised in very different environments, and where their lives took them. Along with these men, Gladwell draws from Lewis Terman's psychological studies of intelligence during the early 1900's that reinforce this. This is a big one for me as I see many of my students being raised in less than ideal home settings. The thought that saddens me is that these parents don't even realize how much they are handicapping their children by making the choices that they make.
- Lastly, as a math teacher, I love his take on the stereotype of Asian countries' successful math scores year after year. He focuses on the fact that these cultures typically have very strong work ethics because of their involvement in rice farming and the difference this makes in the mathematics classroom. I draw from this with my students frequently when discussing success in my classroom and how much of their success in my classroom is directly related to the amount of work and focus they put into into it.
How can we change our school culture in order to put our students in the best possible position for success. We as teachers do a lot, but sometimes (maybe after seeing only 20% of my parents at conferences when many of my students are underachieving) it feels like we are fighting an uphill battle against a cultural adversary. Teaching is easy, but creating a culture that breeds success and where earning an education is important is extremely difficult. How can we change the culture?
Monday, February 14, 2011
Elementary, my Dear...
With IBM's Watson on 'Jeopardy!,' how trivial is trivia?
I am so excited right now. In the next hour, two of the greatest Jeopardy contestants of all time will square off against Watson, a computer built by IBM over the past 4+ years just to compete on the show. Even though I already know the result (the episodes were filmed awhile back) I can't wait to watch on TV. People keep referring to Deep Blue vs. Kasparov in 1997, but almost unanimously state how much more impressive this machine is. I sincerely hope that in 15 more years, people are still referring to the impressiveness of Watson vs. Jennings and Rutter.
This article from the Washington Post, though, brings up a great point about the influence of technology on us humans. As a loyal Jeopardy fan and purveyor of fine trivia knowledge, I was really moved by this article. We have heard it before, but this is living proof that the ability to recall trivia knowledge is taking a back seat to the ability to locate facts. I'm guilty of this myself as I sit on my chair in the evenings looking up answers to the questions my wife and I have randomly through our conversation. I can't tell you how many times I pulled out the smart phone last night while watching the Grammy's to check on things like, "How OLD is Bob Dylan?" Have I really caved to the laziness mentioned in this article?
The big point for us as teachers, however, lies in Petri's next-to-last paragraph, "But there is a point at which convenience ends and laziness begins. We're freeing up a great deal of mental space - for what?" For what? I really hope us teachers can answer that question, or we all may just be in for a bit of a rude awakening.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
I love my right-click
Every time I turn around, whether while reading or surfing online, watching TV, or listening to the radio all I seem to see or hear is iPad this, iPhone that, iMac, MacBook, and on and on. But I have to say that I love my right-click. Most people are die hard about being a PC or a Mac, and I admit that I am die hard PC, and I don't see any changes to that, so I warn you that this post is pretty biased and strictly my opinion. My wife uses a Mac laptop for digital video coding for her job, and she constantly tells me that if I use it enough I would change my mind. I have been using her laptop more and more lately so that I don't have to be at our desktop station while working, and I can tell you that I still don't see it. I guess I feel a bit more chic with a Mac on my lap, but it just doesn't feel right. And the more engrossed into educational technology I get, the stronger I feel about my PC bias.
PC just seems so much more intuitive, for one. It makes more sense to use. When I work on my wife's MacBook, it always takes me awhile to "find my way around." I realize that there is a learning curve when switching platforms, but PC just seems like the easier one to learn, and this is big when teaching students how to work with computers.
And with all of the news floating around about the tablet revolution, us PC folks are coming to be known as Android folks. A few years ago while teaching at an online school in Ohio a coworker of mine had a theory that Google was like Dr. Evil, trying to take over the world. I chuckled at the moment, and then over these past 6 or 7 years, I gradually succumbed, and I am full-on Google based. I started by setting Google as my home page because I appreciated the simplicity of their search page. From there, I created a Gmail account, Google maps replaced Mapquest in my searches for directions, I started checking their news feeds before other sites, I use their RSS reader, calendar, blogger, and so on to the point that my homepage has been replaced by iGoogle where I can see everything all at once. Then the big one... I bought an Android phone. Everything I do, either on my phone or computer, is synced and this Android device made my world come together. While I am sure that Apple has the same capability, I don't think I could ever walk away from my beloved Google. I must also say that I am very excited to see the progression of Google's Android based tablets that come out this year, and look forward to seeing how they stand up to the iPad.
Further, the interconnectedness that Google affords is a big reason that I think, when these tablets invade our schools (as they most certainly will), it will be Android that comes out on top. There is a lot of talk going around about iPads in the classroom, but we don't hear much about Galaxy Tabs in schools! I only hope to see some news about Motorola's Xoom or LG's G-Slate in classrooms later this year. As we gradually move toward incorporating Web 2.0 tools in our classrooms, Google's tools are a great asset; I know they have been for me as I work my way through this current course. I just hope this evolution happens before I am finished with my teaching career.
PC just seems so much more intuitive, for one. It makes more sense to use. When I work on my wife's MacBook, it always takes me awhile to "find my way around." I realize that there is a learning curve when switching platforms, but PC just seems like the easier one to learn, and this is big when teaching students how to work with computers.
And with all of the news floating around about the tablet revolution, us PC folks are coming to be known as Android folks. A few years ago while teaching at an online school in Ohio a coworker of mine had a theory that Google was like Dr. Evil, trying to take over the world. I chuckled at the moment, and then over these past 6 or 7 years, I gradually succumbed, and I am full-on Google based. I started by setting Google as my home page because I appreciated the simplicity of their search page. From there, I created a Gmail account, Google maps replaced Mapquest in my searches for directions, I started checking their news feeds before other sites, I use their RSS reader, calendar, blogger, and so on to the point that my homepage has been replaced by iGoogle where I can see everything all at once. Then the big one... I bought an Android phone. Everything I do, either on my phone or computer, is synced and this Android device made my world come together. While I am sure that Apple has the same capability, I don't think I could ever walk away from my beloved Google. I must also say that I am very excited to see the progression of Google's Android based tablets that come out this year, and look forward to seeing how they stand up to the iPad.
Further, the interconnectedness that Google affords is a big reason that I think, when these tablets invade our schools (as they most certainly will), it will be Android that comes out on top. There is a lot of talk going around about iPads in the classroom, but we don't hear much about Galaxy Tabs in schools! I only hope to see some news about Motorola's Xoom or LG's G-Slate in classrooms later this year. As we gradually move toward incorporating Web 2.0 tools in our classrooms, Google's tools are a great asset; I know they have been for me as I work my way through this current course. I just hope this evolution happens before I am finished with my teaching career.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Some Optimistic News
FCC Pushes For Universal Broadband Access
This news story aired on NPR's All Things Considered on February 9, 2011.
I heard this story on the radio yesterday afternoon, then it repeated again this morning, and I must say I got really excited of the prospect of universal broadband internet access. I'm sure there are districts where access isn't really an issue, but teaching in a rural district with many families living without a broadband (or any) internet connection has limited the extent to which I can force technology into my curriculum. I have to book the computer lab and allow plenty of work time during my class for many assignments and projects that could be completed outside of the classroom if everyone had access. The subsidies worked so well for building telephone infrastructure that it is unheard of to not have a home telephone; broadband internet is the obvious next step. I realize that this wouldn't happen overnight, but I still can't help be excited about the prospect of universal broadband access. Let's get this going! With the access available, we can take one more excuse off the table for parents and students to use for not fully participating fully in their education.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
8 Jules Verne Inventions That Came True (Pictures)
8 Jules Verne Inventions That Came True (Pictures)
Jules Verne was born 183 years ago today, and oh how much has changed. This is a nice little entertaining summary of some gadgets we take for granted today that Verne had the foresight to think of long before their time. It kind of makes you wonder, what types of "science fiction" gadgets from today will be everyday items in 150 years or so? And also, we keep saying how fast technology is advancing today and wondering how far it can go, but don't you think they probably said the same thing in the mid-nineteenth Century?
And one more thing, if you missed the Google Doodle today, you might want to kick yourself. If you read this before it's removed, it's worth a trip to Google. If it's too late, cross your fingers and hope they have a fully interactive version saved in the Doodles Archive.
Jules Verne was born 183 years ago today, and oh how much has changed. This is a nice little entertaining summary of some gadgets we take for granted today that Verne had the foresight to think of long before their time. It kind of makes you wonder, what types of "science fiction" gadgets from today will be everyday items in 150 years or so? And also, we keep saying how fast technology is advancing today and wondering how far it can go, but don't you think they probably said the same thing in the mid-nineteenth Century?
And one more thing, if you missed the Google Doodle today, you might want to kick yourself. If you read this before it's removed, it's worth a trip to Google. If it's too late, cross your fingers and hope they have a fully interactive version saved in the Doodles Archive.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Audacity: More Than Just Podcasts! (?)
A couple of months ago an instructional aide who works with our autistic children approached me about the possibility of finding a program that would allow her to create "books on tape" for some of our special education students who are at very low reading levels. I told her what I knew about at the time and that I would keep my eye out for anything that might work better. As I was completing a podcasting assignment this week using Audacity, it suddenly occurred to me that this program might work great for this. My concern with what we had available at school was file size and format. Even just a small chapter of a book would be a huge .wav file, and .wav's aren't as versatile as far as playback is concerned. Because Audacity can export to .mp3, students could consume these files in a number of different ways, and .mp3's are compressed enough that they wouldn't take up a ridiculous amount of disk space. Since every kid under the sun (it seems) has some sort of digital media device, they could listen to their textbooks on their music players, files could be uploaded to our school's website (abiding by copyright law of course), or audio CD's could be burnt so that non- or low-readers could have an excellent resource available to help them read.
I shared this information with our principal and special education teachers, and they seemed eager to give this a closer look. One special education teacher who works predominantly with our Jr. High students seemed very excited about the prospect and even brought up the idea of creating these audio resources to accompany textbooks from other classes, i.e. Social Studies, that involve a lot of reading.
This little experience has opened up my eyes a bit. As a regular education teacher who is constantly experimenting with new technology tools, it is really easy to get excited and think, "Me, me, me. How can I use this?" But to step back for a second or two and look at the big picture, there are some absolutely fantastic, and amazingly obvious, uses for these tools that others may see more naturally than me that could be a great benefit to a number of students.
Friday, February 4, 2011
St. Baldrick's Foundation
I know it's a bit off topic, but for the past 5 years I've organized a St. Baldrick's Day event at my school, and we are just now gearing up for this year's event in late March. St. Baldrick's a great foundation that raises funds and awareness for childhood cancer. Please take a look, and if you are in a generous mood I encourage you to look into either donating or organizing an event at your school. Sorry about the boldface promotion, but I truly believe it's worth it.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
A Whole New Opportunity
I recently came across an article while roaming blogs about an open source textbook project called CK12.org. With our older, unaligned textbooks that I use in my classroom falling apart I got very excited about this find. My mind started racing about ways I could begin using this resource instead of the outdated beat up books my students tote around. Of course I would need to do a bit of work in auditing these "texts," but I am now eager to get this moving. At first glance these books, called flexbooks, look awesome. They have YouTube videos embedded in the text, outside links, and all of the typical stuff you would expect in a textbook. The content focuses more on mathematical application and problem solving than my current texts, which focus more on knowledge and basic skills. Not only do these flexbooks incorporate multimedia elements, but they do it for free; a big plus in this time of tight budgets that often does not allow for purchasing new texts.
And so I sit here on Sunday wondering: how can I get this going? Can one just pick up and switch books mid-school year? Would the network be more willing to unblock YouTube if it were a part of my Math textbook?
This idea of using a free online texbook gets me very excited, and I can't stop thinking about how to get this ball rolling.
And so I sit here on Sunday wondering: how can I get this going? Can one just pick up and switch books mid-school year? Would the network be more willing to unblock YouTube if it were a part of my Math textbook?
This idea of using a free online texbook gets me very excited, and I can't stop thinking about how to get this ball rolling.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Why does it have to be so difficult?
In Marc Presnky's newest blog post he has posted his newest "thought piece" about education reform.
The Reformers are Leaving Our Schools In The 20th Century: Why most U.S. school reformers are on the wrong track, and how to get our kids' education right for the future.
It's a bit more of a read than a lot of the articles he puts out, but it makes so much sense. I highly recommend giving it a look. Why does something so seemingly simple have to be so difficult for so many to understand?
The Reformers are Leaving Our Schools In The 20th Century: Why most U.S. school reformers are on the wrong track, and how to get our kids' education right for the future.
It's a bit more of a read than a lot of the articles he puts out, but it makes so much sense. I highly recommend giving it a look. Why does something so seemingly simple have to be so difficult for so many to understand?
Thursday, January 27, 2011
When Good Tech Goes Bad
We all must have stories of the massive failure of a lesson because of a technology problem; the projector bulb burnt out, the network is down, my computer won't read the file on my flash drive, etc., you know, all of those things that anti-tech teachers use as ammunition whenever you mention the word computer!? I had another one of those this week.
Last semester I designed a Personal Finance hybrid class for a project in a Distance Education course. The timing of this course in our program was perfect as I was building a course I was about to teach for the first time beginning in this new semester on our new SchoolFusion website that I was "testing out" in order to help other staff learn. I have been so excited to finally put this project to use, and through the first week and a half of class my students seemed to really be both enjoying it and getting a lot out of the way I had set it up. I was flying high, loving every minute of my 7th hour.
Our first test was scheduled for Wednesday, and I had written the test in the test builder on our SchoolFusion class page. We were going to go paperless for tests. Students logged in, loaded their tests, and began working... awesome! All of a sudden a student points out that the instant feedback was telling him that his answer was incorrect and that he had chosen an answer that wasn't even an option to select. I thought it was odd and that I must have made an input error. Slight problem. As I began my way over to let everyone else know that they may encounter a problem, another student points out the same problem on another question. Starting to sweat! Before I knew it, every one of my students was having the same issue. Bomb!! Apparently when numerous tests are being submitted from the same network address at the same time, the system has a hard time keeping track of who answered which question with which answer choice and starts giving Student A feedback that matches Student B's answer, but to the fifteenth degree. Sorting through the item by item results was pretty hilarious. "Correct" answers made no sense for the questions. "How much interest is earned on an investment of x at a rate of y over z years?" --- False --- Correct! After resetting the test for each student and having them complete it either at home or at a different time the following day alleviated the problem, but it looks like my ambitious venture has found a flaw in our system and we might have to use those trusty #2's for awhile longer.
On a positive note, I was amazed at the way my students reacted. No one freaked out, no one lost it, no one complained; they all just accepted it as a glitch in technology, and that was ok with them. I think they may have been surprised to see me not freaking out (noticeably) as well. It was a good example of how students are used to technology, and they get it. Maybe some teachers should start learning a thing or two from our students.
Last semester I designed a Personal Finance hybrid class for a project in a Distance Education course. The timing of this course in our program was perfect as I was building a course I was about to teach for the first time beginning in this new semester on our new SchoolFusion website that I was "testing out" in order to help other staff learn. I have been so excited to finally put this project to use, and through the first week and a half of class my students seemed to really be both enjoying it and getting a lot out of the way I had set it up. I was flying high, loving every minute of my 7th hour.
Our first test was scheduled for Wednesday, and I had written the test in the test builder on our SchoolFusion class page. We were going to go paperless for tests. Students logged in, loaded their tests, and began working... awesome! All of a sudden a student points out that the instant feedback was telling him that his answer was incorrect and that he had chosen an answer that wasn't even an option to select. I thought it was odd and that I must have made an input error. Slight problem. As I began my way over to let everyone else know that they may encounter a problem, another student points out the same problem on another question. Starting to sweat! Before I knew it, every one of my students was having the same issue. Bomb!! Apparently when numerous tests are being submitted from the same network address at the same time, the system has a hard time keeping track of who answered which question with which answer choice and starts giving Student A feedback that matches Student B's answer, but to the fifteenth degree. Sorting through the item by item results was pretty hilarious. "Correct" answers made no sense for the questions. "How much interest is earned on an investment of x at a rate of y over z years?" --- False --- Correct! After resetting the test for each student and having them complete it either at home or at a different time the following day alleviated the problem, but it looks like my ambitious venture has found a flaw in our system and we might have to use those trusty #2's for awhile longer.
On a positive note, I was amazed at the way my students reacted. No one freaked out, no one lost it, no one complained; they all just accepted it as a glitch in technology, and that was ok with them. I think they may have been surprised to see me not freaking out (noticeably) as well. It was a good example of how students are used to technology, and they get it. Maybe some teachers should start learning a thing or two from our students.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Mobile Phones in Class
There have been a few blog posts recently regarding cellular phones in school, one by Audrey Watters on ReadWriteWeb and a response to this by a classmate, Jennifer. I began typing a comment on Jennifer's blog, but realized I had much more to say than was appropriate for that small comment box, so thank you, Jennifer, for the kickstart.
Our school has an anti-cell phone policy similar to most other schools that I am aware of. I have tried a bit recently to work around this policy to incorporate this technology at appropriate times into my classroom. I had a great experience this past Friday that I really want to share.
Seniors in my new semester of Personal Finance were given an assignment to listen to a portion of the Dave Ramsey Show and summarize the caller's problem and what they thought of Dave's advice. After realizing that the online stream of this show is blocked on our network because it is considered "internet radio," I began thinking of alternative ways students could complete the assignment. In giving alternatives, one of my suggestions was for students with a smart phone to download the TuneIn Radio app from the Android Market and find a stream of the show that way. Very hesitantly, a few students caught themselves reaching for the phones that should be in their locker and said, "Really!?!?" After convincing them that I was serious, two students did so and did a fantastic job of listening to a segment and summarizing it.
This brings up two major points:
Our school has an anti-cell phone policy similar to most other schools that I am aware of. I have tried a bit recently to work around this policy to incorporate this technology at appropriate times into my classroom. I had a great experience this past Friday that I really want to share.
Seniors in my new semester of Personal Finance were given an assignment to listen to a portion of the Dave Ramsey Show and summarize the caller's problem and what they thought of Dave's advice. After realizing that the online stream of this show is blocked on our network because it is considered "internet radio," I began thinking of alternative ways students could complete the assignment. In giving alternatives, one of my suggestions was for students with a smart phone to download the TuneIn Radio app from the Android Market and find a stream of the show that way. Very hesitantly, a few students caught themselves reaching for the phones that should be in their locker and said, "Really!?!?" After convincing them that I was serious, two students did so and did a fantastic job of listening to a segment and summarizing it.
This brings up two major points:
- The only reason I had students use their phones was to get around a ridiculous network filter that prevented students from learning. In a way, I am glad that filter was there because it gave us an opportunity to experiment, and that experiment went very well. In that 54 minute period, students realized a bit more that their phone can be a powerful tool, not just a cool toy.
- Kids inherently want to do the right thing, and they are capable of more maturity than we often give them credit for. We often don't trust things like cell phones in the classroom because they weren't in our classroom, and they are not natural to us digital immigrants. But they are natural to this group of students. Sure there will always be the ones that screw it up for others, but if you give them a chance, they just might surprise you. Just because we have to monitor their use doesn't make them worthless in our schools.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Why You Need a Class Webpage
Beginning last school year I started editing a class page for each of my courses. I initially used Webs.com, a free hosting site with a built in content editor. I started small, posting announcements and homework assignments, and gradually started embedding content I thought would be beneficial or entertaining to my students and doing more with it. This year, our district contracted with SchoolFusion to redo our much outdated website, and with this change every teacher in our district was given a page for each class to edit and manage. I took this opportunity and ran with it. I even have one course that is built as an online hybrid course with all of the content online. I have found that there are three huge benefits of building and maintaining this content:
- It takes away excuses.
Students have no excuse for losing a worksheet, not having notes, not knowing when something is due, etc. Almost anything required for class each day is available online. Students who miss days of school can still keep up with what we are doing, and I even have a couple of students who consistently come to class prepared with worksheets I haven't even handed out yet. - It keeps parents informed, and they love that.
Every time I give out the URL of our new school website to a parent and explain exactly what is there they cannot say enough about how much they love it. I have parents who will print out the assignment their student conveniently left in their locker, and with notes from class available it helps them help their student with their work at home. - It provides an easy way to differentiate.
For the high-achieving students in class, my web pages allow an easy way for them to put their skills to use or challenge themselves. It is easy to provide relevant links to online content that allows them to further explore a topic. Recently I have had more capable students recording digital videos of solutions to homework problems (rather than doing busy work that they can complete easily) that I upload for students to view at home as examples of correct solutions to problems. It benefits all.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Tablets and Mobile Devices
Let me preface this by saying it took me a very long time to get on board with all of the technology we now have on our phones, but I have now embraced it. This is my first post from my tablet I got for Christmas this year; a generic Android tab that has some limitations but is nonetheless a cool toy. The novelty is worth the effort required of not typing this on a physical keyboard. But the bigger point is that the mobility offered by these tablets and smart phones makes being involved in the Web 2.0 world much easier. I can "stay in the loop" without being tethered, and I've realized the value in this after a very short time involved. I can't imagine how long it would feel I had to be wired to that desk in the other room.
This also makes me wonder why we are fighting the mobile device battle in schools. I get the concern, but we fail to look at the benefits. Being able to do my work from these devices gets me excited and engaged, and I am 30! Imagine how engaging it would be for a teenager! Just like any other tool, it comes down to the teacher. I would not be nearly as concerned with a mobile phone in my classroom as I would be with a computer in some other teachers' rooms. Let's stop making blanket policies based on bad teachers and let the good ones explore the possibilities of where technology could take our students.
This also makes me wonder why we are fighting the mobile device battle in schools. I get the concern, but we fail to look at the benefits. Being able to do my work from these devices gets me excited and engaged, and I am 30! Imagine how engaging it would be for a teenager! Just like any other tool, it comes down to the teacher. I would not be nearly as concerned with a mobile phone in my classroom as I would be with a computer in some other teachers' rooms. Let's stop making blanket policies based on bad teachers and let the good ones explore the possibilities of where technology could take our students.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Google Reader Android App
Just before I began this ReadWriteWeb course I began learning a bit about RSS Feeds and using them to keep track of a few different sites because our new school website enabled me to subscribe to changes made to it. Then I started following a Wikispaces page that my 8th Graders were working on for a class project so that I could keep an eye on the work that they were doing out in cyberspace where anyone can see what is posted. It seemed like a cool new toy. Now, being required to monitor different blogs for class I can see enormous value in the fact that I don't have to reach out to view numerous different pages that I may or may not have saved in my bookmarks. I love the fact that I can get it all in one place.
Now comes another example of the blurring line between phone and computer... Google Reader on my Samsung smart phone. I love my phone, and I tried to follow feeds with another reader app on it this fall, but it was clumsy. I just installed this app, and it works great. It syncs with my Google account so I don't have to mark items as read twice, and I can easily star items on my phone and come back to them easily later. Now I have one more thing I can do without being planted behind my desk at home, and one more thing I can use to get around our school's blocking of blogs on the network.
A side note... I love the Barcode Scanner too.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Frustration
As we begin another seemingly very useful course on our way towards a Master's in Educational Technology I am becoming more and more frustrated by the restrictions I encounter while trying to implement elements from this program in my classroom. Much of what I have learned about technology and what I can do with it as a teacher has been very exciting, however when I get to school I find that numerous roadblocks are in place preventing its use. As I begin my first blog and investigate its educational uses and merits I am saddened by the fact that I can't use it from school. All websites classified as blogs are blocked on our network! A nice little message comes up saying that the website is blocked for the sole reason of it being a blog. Do you realize how many blogs come up in Google search results? I do, and it is a lot, because I get blocked every time I click on one. Along these same lines, if I find a nice little YouTube clip to use in my class, forget it. YouTube is blocked as well, including any YouTube videos that are embedded in other pages. If I want to use a video from YouTube I have to download it through keepvid and save it to disk at home in order to show it at school. This is fine, but it limits some of the off-the-cuff teachable moments we all love. The other day in class a student was talking about learning in Science that pure sodium metal explodes in water. Without YouTube it was pretty difficult to find a video of this to share.
In addition to our network restrictions, our hardware is beginning to become more and more of an issue for any work done on computers. Not only are our computer labs unable to accommodate our large class numbers one-to-one, but the computers are also horribly slow to work on making it hard to accomplish enough during one class period. Maybe the fact that we are such a small school will make a one-to-one laptop/netbook initiative easier to push through in the near future, but it will be a tough sell with the current budget situation. One can dream, right?
On the positive side, we do have some access. My Eighth Graders just finished their first ever Web 2.0 project. Students were assigned to groups across sections and created a biography of a famous mathematician on Wikispaces.com. While their work is not perfect, I was very pleased with the work they did, especially considering it was their first experience in this work environment. Students did an awesome job of learning how to use the tools available to upload pictures and embed video to supplement their pages, and they even worked on it over Christmas break! It also gave them a chance to learn about the importance of watching for plagiarism, citing their sources, and being respectful while working in a wiki format. It was somewhat sad, though, to break the news to an eager student that her YouTube video about Pythagoras on her page looked great from home, but her classmates couldn't see it when she tried to show them at school because the powers that be don't think we should be allowed to see it.
Check out my students wikispaces project at http://mathhistory8.wikispaces.com/
In addition to our network restrictions, our hardware is beginning to become more and more of an issue for any work done on computers. Not only are our computer labs unable to accommodate our large class numbers one-to-one, but the computers are also horribly slow to work on making it hard to accomplish enough during one class period. Maybe the fact that we are such a small school will make a one-to-one laptop/netbook initiative easier to push through in the near future, but it will be a tough sell with the current budget situation. One can dream, right?
On the positive side, we do have some access. My Eighth Graders just finished their first ever Web 2.0 project. Students were assigned to groups across sections and created a biography of a famous mathematician on Wikispaces.com. While their work is not perfect, I was very pleased with the work they did, especially considering it was their first experience in this work environment. Students did an awesome job of learning how to use the tools available to upload pictures and embed video to supplement their pages, and they even worked on it over Christmas break! It also gave them a chance to learn about the importance of watching for plagiarism, citing their sources, and being respectful while working in a wiki format. It was somewhat sad, though, to break the news to an eager student that her YouTube video about Pythagoras on her page looked great from home, but her classmates couldn't see it when she tried to show them at school because the powers that be don't think we should be allowed to see it.
Check out my students wikispaces project at http://mathhistory8.wikispaces.com/
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