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 My mind started racing about ways I could begin using this resource instead of the outdated beat up books my students tote around.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.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
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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