Like Krazy

Move over Jeopardy and Blingo, this review is a Space Race

2011-11-22T20:36:00.002-05:00

While I like to give the students an opportunity to do a game-like review (Jeopardy and "Blingo"* are two popular formats) before a test, the time and resources are not always available for me to create an appropriate amount (and type) of questions. But now I have the students generate the questions and then it just takes a cut and paste to build the review into Socrative.com.

The review session is done in pairs with students sharing an iPad (or netbook). In a couple classes there was an odd number of students so there was one group of three, but the third person seemed a bit left out and could not read the screen very well with the others. In most cases, as they worked through the review, one student read the question out loud and they both discussed the answer before selecting.

The review game in this case is Space Race, which is part of Socrative.com. At first appearance it may seem a little "young" for high school students but my freshmen and senior classes have found much enjoyment in it. Student pairs are assigned a colored space ship and with each correct question it slowly advances. The display is projected from my laptop on the LCD projector and students can see (and comment on) the progress of all the space ships. It is the lack of progress of certain color ships that garner the most comments. There are usually two or three teams assigned randomly to each color and then they ask out loud who else has the same color to figure out who they are working with. The game continues with words of "encouragement" for each other which adds a fun and competitive spirit.

To build the question bank, students were asked to create one or two multiple choice questions (with 4 or 5 possible answers) that deal with main points or themes of the readings. I tried to get them to focus on what they thought was important and relevant (hint, hint - our notes) and not random, minute details. Reading over their questions gives me a chance to see if they are on the right path in looking for the ideas (as opposed to the trivial facts) that matter in the readings. Some of the questions end up appearing several times in different form, depending on how the student worded it. One student commented on how helpful that was to him in remembering some of the key points. Heading into the last test, students asked to do this review game again because many of them thought it was a great help in preparation. But the student generated questions can create some controversy.

These sessions have been very lively. The student generated questions are included, warts and all, which creates constant debate. At first I thought that this was something that was not going to work but that changed.
"That's a (insert your choice of adjective here) question!"
"They spelled that wrong."
"That is NOT the correct answer!"
These were just a few of the comments directed at the question creator/offender, even if he wasn't in the room at the time. Would they feel as comfortable discussing these problems and mistakes out loud if I had created all the questions? Probably not. It seems they have no problem letting each other know when they have made a mistake and I think a lot of good connections comes from these comments and the discussions that follow. It reminds me of the way gamers comment to each other, whether they are playing together in the same room or online. Certainly it has some similarity to group study and the way they argue, discuss, and, hopefully, laugh. In any case, it is not a quiet, individual activity and that is exactly what I was looking for.

The process: The students create the questions in a Google form I have created. I copy the information from the Google spreadsheet to the spreadsheet template from Socrative. At that point I upload the quiz through Socrative and it is ready to go. The process has become so quick that on the last one, I completely forgot to do this before class and was able to complete it as they walked in the room.

*Blingo is very similar to Bingo and gets its name because the middle "free" space features a picture of Mr. T. The game card was designed by my brilliant colleague, Sam Haller.

Three days and things are becoming routine

2011-10-12T08:01:00.001-04:00

Things started to settle down on the third day as if it was almost routine in my classroom to take a quiz on a smartphone or netbook computer. But I did not want the same issues I had with the computers not connecting to the wireless (turns out it was a faulty wifi switch but I didn't know it at the time) so I brought out the big guns - the iPads.

We purchased a cart with 26 iPads over the summer and I put it to use for the first time. The students were extremely excited and most put down their phones to have a go. The quiz program worked perfectly (Socrative.com) but I immediately realized how easy it must be to see such a big screen from a nearby desk. Does the fact that that is one of the first things I thought of mean that I am getting cynical? I hope not. Maybe just more "wise." I realize that there must be some special advantage in using the iPads (or any other tablet) over a smartphone for this particular exercise but that wasn't happening just yet, but I did discover one that will be mentioned in my next post.

In any case, it went very well and there were no problems during the quiz. Afterwards, though, they had even more distractions because it was another new toy. That's fine because now I have a new "threat" for anyone who does not do what they should be doing on the iPad when they complete the quiz - they will have to use the netbook next time. It could be one of the first times in education history that a student has been "threatened" with the use of a certain technology if they did not act accordingly.

Overall, it's not a bad situation.

Paper to computer quiz - Day 2

2011-10-07T12:19:00.000-04:00

The honeymoon is over.

Well, sort of. The second day did not go quite as smooth as the first because of technology issues. Shocker!

In each of the two classes, one student had extra difficulty getting his computer to connect to the wireless. I helped and tried several solutions and a couple different computers before finally getting it going. The other students were very patient but it was because they were using their computers for many things beyond getting ready to take the quiz. At least they were distracting themselves and I decided to accept that early on in this process. I'll work on something more "productive" to keep them occupied if (when) this happens in the future.

There have been several positives already. I found that I can create questions with a little more detail and make them multiple choice. In the past I did not think it fair to expect them to recall details but they should be able to identify or recognize them in a list. It works very well to separate those who are reading the actual text as opposed to the SparkNotes readers. I am also able to put quotes on the quiz and have them identify the speaker, another way to determine if they have an understand of a character.

While I expected many problems and issues initially, Day 2 brought the realization that there would be growing pains each and every day. That expectation will help with the mindset of dealing with the practice of solving each issue. I am sure the students will quickly become the "deputies" for me and help each other deal with the issues.

From paper to smartphone assessment - Step 1

2011-10-04T22:55:00.002-04:00

"Take out a piece of paper and fold it in half length-wise."

Almost every one of my English classes for the last twenty years has begun with that statement. What follows is a short, five-question quiz on the previous night's reading. Recently, one or two of those questions comes with notebooks open, which gives students a chance to see how well they are taking notes and keeping track of what is important from the day's discussion. In any case, both students and I get a quick look at how well (or if!) they are reading and understanding.

"Take out your smartphone or get a netbook from the cart."

That's how today's class began for two of my classes. Those students took the quiz (created in a spreadsheet and imported into a quiz program) using the netbooks, their smartphones, and on an iPad. They loved it, but that's not surprising. It was something different and not only used technology but used something (cell phone) that is banned in school. If I had them take quizzes on slate using chalk they would probably think that is cool for a while too. When it wore off a little bit I could introduce color chalk and get a few more quizzes out of the novelty.

But novelty is not what I am looking for because I know it will wear off. The use of technology needs to go beyond engaging and should be useful and relevant to the student. That's what I am working toward. Initially, I may only be replicating something I have been doing all along but that's not necessarily a bad thing. After all, pens replicated what was done with a slate and chalk initially. Things improved and they will in this instance.

So step one needs to be followed by step two (which will happen tomorrow). This experiment has just begun and will continue long after the novelty has worn off. It is only then that it's true worth will become known. Otherwise, it's just cotton candy.

"When will I ever need this?"

2011-08-16T18:59:00.001-04:00

"When will I ever need this?"

To a teacher, it's like a slap in the face. But not the refreshing wake up call kind. The kind that can be interpreted as "What you have committed your life to and have a passion for seems totally meaningless."

The word "seems" is my interpretation, on purpose, because they really mean "is totally meaningless" but I refuse to take it that way. I have used many responses in the past but since this is a family blog I will not repeat them here.

I teach at an all male high school so what I have used recently has developed from their possible interest in sports. It begins with a question (don't most interesting things?):

Do you play a sport?

"Yes. I play ______."

(If they say no, I ask if they play an instrument and change the questioning accordingly)

Excellent! Are you preparing for a game soon?

"Yes. We are getting ready to play _______."

Oh my, they are pretty good. Have anything special planned? I promise not to call their coach.

Smiling. "We have a few things that may take them by surprise."

Really? Isn't that extra work? Why don't you just do the same things each week?

"Well, coach saw some things on film and thought this may help us win the game."

Wow! Are you going to use them again next week? Next year? In college? In the pros? Why would you waste all that time? When will you ever use those again?

Pause.

"Oh man! Anyway, this is different."

Really? How?

How to Lead the Horse to Water?

2011-07-31T13:20:00.000-04:00

Apparently, I can't even lead a horse to water, much less make it drink.

I held a tech session recently at school to introduce interested colleagues to free and ongoing professional development opportunities. The plan: show them several ways to learn online (Future of Education interview series (www.futureofeducation.com) and Learn Central webinars) and then show and have them sign up for Twitter and have it culminate in participation in a Tuesday edchat session. It was going to be great to show them immediately how to learn from others all over the world.

One person showed.

The week before I held a session on organization and document sharing. Two showed for that. I should have quit while I was ahead.

Of course, it was in the middle of summer and I only gave them a few days notice so that could have been a big factor. Maybe the topics were not that exciting, interesting or maybe I used terms that had no appeal on their own. But I had a theory that I thought would make this work: use known terminology ("collaborative documents" and "take and store notes, save class files, post assignments" instead of "wikis" and "Evernote") and enticing wording ("many ways to learn online ... You can even carry on a discussion with colleagues and 'colleagues in spirit' at any time") to lure them in.

It's time for a new plan: show and tell. I'll invite several faculty members to show something they are doing. At least they might show and we'll have some built in attendees. Even if they are the only ones we will learn from each other. Then discussion will follow. Anyone who is there who is not "presenting" will find out what his or her colleagues are up to. They are welcome to be lurkers. After all, that's how it starts for many on Twitter and through webinars.

So maybe the key isn't leading the horses to water. The key may be to figure out how to make them thirsty.

Will it work? Do you have other ideas?

The "Unplugged" Flipped Classroom

2011-07-07T11:18:00.000-04:00

The more I heard about the "flipped" classroom model, the better it sounded - introduce students to a topic at home and then work through and learn the process/content in class with the teacher. And then I did the (warning, I'm about to go very cryptic with the next reference) "Hey ... HEY!" double-take from classic 1940's films like "It's a Wonderful Life" because I think my classroom has always been flipped (if I understand it correctly).

My English students do a lot of reading during the course of the year and almost all of it is done at home. They do the assigned reading and we discuss it the following day (usually after a quick "did you do the reading?" quiz at the beginning of class). The discussions usually include reading of passages from the text out loud, which is an important part of the process to understanding and appreciating literature. Maybe it is because I have always done things in this manner and therefore, I am a little biased, but it seems like this works great for literature. Of course, some reading assignments are more difficult and students need to be "prepped" in some way (Shakespeare comes to mind) ahead of time.

The hope is that the class discussion turns from "how to approach the reading" to what ideas are being presented and why. That's one of the reasons why the readings (maybe with a little nudge from me :)) need to give students something to latch on to. Otherwise, I will lose them along the way.

This unplugged version of a flipped classroom has worked in my literature courses but has been met with some resistance from those who believe that assigning any homework is a bad thing. Honestly, I'm not sure I can be convinced to change the process. Having students read great stories and discuss and experience them as a classroom community is a very positive thing. Note that the word "great" does not necessarily imply classic, important, or something parents can brag about at a cocktail party that their son is reading. It is simply something that is very effective with high school boys and leads to the discussion of their ideas generated from the reading. It's a process that they hopefully continue for the rest of their lives.

In a pub, laptops open, silent

2011-06-28T15:42:00.000-04:00

As part of ISTE11, on June 27 some #EngChat participants met upstairs at a pub and participated in the weekly discussion together.

Awkward.

I am not gonna lie. It felt awkward sitting upstairs in a pub with about 15 others, laptops out and open, participating almost silently in a virtual chat. The quiet was purposeful. We were reflecting on reflecting and writing about it.

But we weren't just online with each other (which would have added strange and unusual to the awkwardness). We were chatting and writing and sharing with others from all over the world. We would have been quiet at home doing the same thing but we were in a social gathering place meant to foster face to face discussion.

Did this make a difference? As a matter of fact, all of us had done the same type of chatting weekly on #engchat and various other Twitter chats throughout the week. But this time some of us were physically together for the process and it just felt strange.

Temporarily.

The group, both in the room and around the world, was led masterfully by Bud Hunt (@BudtheTeacher). He moved the discussion along online but also managed the process of those of us in the room through distractions, comments, late arrivals and more. It was great to watch and was further evidence to me of the importance and value of observing fellow teachers in action.

Except that this was a pub. But that didn't matter to Bud and because of that, it didn't matter to any of us in attendance either and probably wasn't noticed by those who were participating virtually. It was a great experience.

If Bud can pull it off in a pub, I can work to get my students (all male) to sit and write and reflect without awkwardness or distraction. If Bud can turn a pub (moments before Open Mic Night was to begin) into a classroom, I sure as heck should be able to turn my classroom into a similar place of reflection.

Don't flip out over Khan

2011-06-24T14:48:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately, I have been hearing a lot of negative conversation about Khan Academy recently. It does not seem right to put down someone who has done so much to help others in an extremely proficient way. There are so many great uses for what he (and others) have created. If not at the center of a flipped classroom model, the videos can be used as reference by students who may not have completely understood a topic initially. In this example, Khan becomes the classic textbook example on steroids. My daughter occasionally watched a Khan video this past year to help her with a calculus topic. It must have been useful because she recommended the site to friends.

One of the tasks of students (and teachers) in the near future will be to keep track of the virtual teachers who may provide them the best outside help. It would be great to have a site similar to Netflix for learning, with suggestions and recommendations based on your "favorite" virtual teachers. Along with teachers, there can also be online games or virtual worlds that work best for each student in creating learning.

The blended learning model seems a great way to combine the flipped and traditional approach. In some cases, students get the introduction to a topic before the first class activity. A few topics may even take a Hollywood-type movie trailer to peak interest. But that's okay because there are many creative teachers and students out there to create them. In other cases, the videos and games are used for reinforcement or further reference. ("Tonight for homework, work towards your 'Cell membrane badge' on Club Penguin so you can trick out your igloo with another big screen TV"). Eventually, some games may even be creative enough to help create deeper learning. ("There are still six gold coins to be found in the ancient Egyptian ruins in Club History so further investigate this evening. Winner gets to pick the next century we visit").

It is a very exciting time to be in education. While a tool such as Khan Academy is not the be all end all in learning and teaching, as with any tool, it becomes useful in the way you or your students use it. Whether that be flipped, double flipped, blended, or other (why do I have a craving for Starbucks?), it's great for students to have so many choices.

20 Years of Summer Goals

2011-06-14T11:56:00.003-04:00

It occurred to me the other day that my 20 years of teaching has led to 20 summers of to do lists, big plans, and usually stress as the days ticked away and the list did not get much smaller. That experience has given me a little insight and I have made some changes to my approach to the summer.

The problem the first several years (16 or so!?) was that I just planned a little too big - organize the house, figure out a method to avoid large stacks of essays to grade, raise the Titanic, etc. The chance of getting any of these items complete during the summer was the same, zero. There were MANY items like this on my list and I was always frustrated by the time the school year rolled around again because I was still behind on my tasks!

I heard a saying years ago that went something like - if you expect nothing, you have all things. Now that is a mantra I can head into summer with! Unfortunately (and quite reasonably), my wife did not quite get as excited about that quote as I did. I needed to find a happy medium.

So, balance, realism, and prioritizing have taken over my approach to summer tasks and learning. Organize one pile a week instead of the entire house, fix one garden bed a week instead of re-landscaping the entire neighborhood, and so on.

Like many, I have a large stack of books to read. Simply figuring out what will work at the beach or around the pool (Kieran Egan's The Educated Mind = no; Neal Bascomb's The New Cool = probably) and what I REALLY need to read before the school year begins is a good way to prioritize for me. The tasks and ideas I would like to implement in school next year are listed and will be prioritized in the same way.

One particular task (or habit) I want to develop this summer is to start blogging more consistently, so one of my 11 main tasks (while 10 is a nice round and manageable number, "these go to 11" is a phrase that sticks with me always) is to write one blog post a week. It takes me quite some time to plan and write each post so this is a decent goal for me. I learned that I should not get caught up in thinking about it too much and just need to be satisfied with any length and topic. One page of scribbled notes should be enough.

Contrary to what I have heard for quite some time, I read somewhere recently that you should NOT tell others your goals. Maybe telling others puts extra pressure on you to complete the goal but since it is MY summer, I choose not to believe this research (or theory) and add that pressure. I will not delve into my list any more than that but I thought that others may want to join me in blogging a little more this summer. We can read and support each other in this task. I will report in September on my ability to achieve this weekly goal and maybe someone can add to their research about the theory of telling others about your goals.

Whew! One task for week #1 is now complete. If I stick to the plan I'll have another post published before ISTE11 and maybe by then tens of tenths of people will have read my posts and started their weekly blogging habit as well. Then both of us (or maybe all three!) can meet there and pump each other up to continue each week throughout the summer.

No Spoon Feeding Zone

2010-12-11T10:38:00.004-05:00

"So, what's the answer?"

Cringe.

The question came from a student the other day after a long discussion about the reason a character was so enraged. I was tempted to say that the character had been discussing an important topic with others and one of them had not been paying attention and so he was enraged. But I have been told that sarcasm does not work with boys. Dang.

It's a fair question, sometimes. It's not easy to follow a discussion with many students providing input and insight. After a while they figure out who has something to say that has a high percentage of being insightful.

For others, the class dialogue may drag on and after several minutes they zone out. Once they "come back" they are ready to move on. They want the Spark Notes version (or Reader's Digest or Cliff Notes, depending on your generation).

It’s not like it is the first time anyone has asked that question in class. It comes often enough that I began to ask them if they wanted me to spoon feed the answers.

“Yes!”

“That was a rhetorical question.”

“What does ‘rhetorical’ mean?”

“I can’t tell you because there is no spoon feeding in here.” (It's pretty much impossible to resist sarcasm twice in one class when you're set up so nicely. Sorry experts.)

There is a balance to anything in the classroom. While I want them to inquire and figure things out on their own, they come with many questions. I haven’t figured out how to be the “guide on the side” all the time and sometimes I feel like they need me to be the “sage on the stage.” They want to know and if I choose wisely in what I have them read, they will get some answers to questions some of them may need to know.

Recently, I posted a large broken plastic spoon on the bulletin board in the front of the room as a “subtle” reminder to students. Yesterday, a student raised his hand and asked why it was there. Before I could answer, a student yelled out.

“No spoon feeding!”

I thought I detected a bit of pride in his voice when answering. Was it because he knew the answer as to why it was up there? Maybe he was happy that I would not spoon feed them the answers in my class?

I knew which one of those two I wanted it to be and thought to ask him to find out the answer. But given the topic I couldn’t. The entire scene would have been a little too ironic.

acapela.tv as a Tool to Explain, Introduce, and Comment

2010-08-09T13:10:00.003-04:00

There are several ways to introduce units and ideas, explain content, or comment on anything, and one simple tool to use for any or all of these is acapela.tv (www.acapela.tv). Users select a character (with 12 to choose from), type in the text for that character to say, and then view the completed scene. A URL is created so that the animation can be emailed or copied to embed on a website.

This has been an engaging way for me to introduce topics (this example is embedded on the introduction page for my Literary Terms Visualized site) and explain ideas (this example is also part of the Literary Terms Visualized site and explains the irony in the clip from Caddyshack when Chevy Chase's character tells Bill Murray's character that he has a pool and a pond and that the pond would be good for him). Students have also used the tool and embedded the videos on to my class wiki.

Most of the choices are for one character but one of the options ("Cute Cartoon Creator") allows you to have a brief discussion (3 text bubbles) between two characters. The explanations can get a little more involved using this option as this example does explaining the irony in another scene from Caddyshack. In the referenced scene, one of the characters (played by Rodney Dangerfield) has just said some unflattering things about a hat he sees on the rack, unaware that someone is behind him the entire time wearing the same hat.

While acapela.tv is simple to use, there are a couple of downfalls. There is no way to edit what you have typed so once you create the video you can not go back and make any changes. It is a good idea to create the script in an editor first and cut and paste the text each time. The links for each animation remain active for one month. If you want to save them, I suggest using a screen capture tool to create a permanent video of the ones you want to keep.

Most recently, I had the kids in my Fun with Filmmaking camp create a short animated explanation of the film process they had learned (Stopmotion, flipbooks, etc.) or a review of one of their films. Those were added before and after each segment on the DVD they took home with them at the end of the week long camp.

If you have other ways you have used acaelpa.tv in the classroom I would love to hear about them.

PLN Trailer

2010-07-30T01:06:00.003-04:00

The Worldwide Chalkboard Lurker is intended as a brief teaser to get some of my colleagues interested in building a PLN. If it works, I hope they explore web pages that I will soon build and populate with "baby steps" into building a PLN. It will begin with Twitter (set up an account, follow 20-25 of the educators I have found to be very sharing, and set up TweetDeck to watch the magic happen!). The next steps: check out an #edchat archive and use TweetChat to follow a Tuesday session. At the same time they can explore and join several Nings. At this point they will be well on their way to building on a great base.

I know I am missing many things but the idea is to give them steps they can achieve without becoming overwhelmed. Does this seem like an effective approach?

What Atticus Finch can teach us about educational reform

2010-07-13T12:56:00.003-04:00

Fifty years ago this week, Harper Lee published "To Kill a Mickingbird" and in doing so introduced the world to Atticus Finch, the lawyer who stood up against racism in the 1930's in a small Southern town. He did so not because he wanted to make a statement or move on to bigger and better things, but because he felt it was the right thing to do for the defendant (Tom Robinson) and his own conscience.

Recently there have been those who have stated that Atticus' methods would not work today because they are not forceful or vocal enough to be heard. If the novel were written or published today, maybe he would have held a one hour special on CNN (or Oprah?) and announced his intentions to actually defend Tom Robinson even though most believed he should not?

But I doubt it.

Atticus firmly believed in himself and allowing the opinions of others the respect they deserved. He didn't force his opinion on others via shouting matches or violence. He choose to do what was right and allow that to speak for his beliefs knowing that it was the best thing for his client and the society as a whole.

Even though many changes have taken place since the publication of the novel there may be a lesson to be learned from Atticus' method. While we can use social media to help spread word of the great things going on in education, we should concentrate on what's important in our own classroom for our students.

(spoiler alert! :)) Atticus expectedly loses the case in the novel but his defense and the trial has created a slight ripple in the town that had been well entrenched in racism. The question that follows is this: will that ripple we create in our classroom be enough?

Are We Testing Enough?

2010-05-24T18:42:00.004-04:00

As I watched my sons play a new video game the other day, it occurred to me that maybe the problem isn't that we are assessing students too much, it's that we are assessing them too little. Look at gaming environments. Players are constantly being assessed, challenged, and tested. They adjust and maneuver or crash and/or die. Then they get back up and begin the process all over again. It's demanding but the gamers are resilient.

I have often wondered how this type of learning could be transfered to the literature classroom. An obvious possibility would be to create time periods or even particular settings so that students could experience them first hand. Imagine going into the house from Poe's "The Black Cat" and interacting with the characters. I am not sure what the "game" would be - stop the murder, find the body, or even attempt to throw a dead cat through the window? What fun! My parent/teacher conferences would be standing room only. While this may be taking it a bit too far, there are many possibilities here. Grammar, though, is another story altogether.

Or is it?

What was happening on the screen of my son's game was extremely far from any way I would think to teach grammar. It seemed ludicrous to envision a similar method to use. After all, the thought of a "Grammar Land" is far more horrifying to me than any Poe story. But what if we borrowed the continuous assessment aspect of the gaming model, not the graphics? Take the workbook model (more horror!) and make it interactive, level based, and have it provide immediate feedback.

For example, give the students one thought or topic (a type of noun for instance) and then begin the assessment with many examples and immediate feedback. Continue until they have mastered the "level" and move on. Let them learn by making mistakes in an environment that allows them to happen with little consequence and give them a chance to perfect it. It seems as if something similar could be set up in other areas of literature (vocabulary, etc.) and in most subjects.

Can this be a creative and engaging way to learn or is it just an electronic version of the workbook? I'll have to experiment with it over the summer. In the meantime, I need to go help my kids finish their homework - a couple of pages in their workbooks.

A Questionable Pedagogy

2010-05-06T23:08:00.007-04:00

Tony Wagner's The Global Achievement Gap left me with many ideas and much inspiration. My main take away has to do with teaching and learning which was my main purpose in reading the book anyway. In his many interviews and observations, Wagner mentions that one of the most important aspects of teaching is learning to ask the right questions. If we can do this as teachers and get our students to do the same we will have much success.

Upon reflection on many of my most "successful" lessons based on my perception of student engagement (therefore, VERY unscientific), it seems to hold true when I ask the right questions. I had not concentrated on working toward students learning to ask their own "right" questions but I am sure that at least part of the time they were heading in that direction and that is why they were so engaged.

While I have several pages of notes from the book about successful schools and approaches, it seems if I always come back to the central question in any lesson I will find my students will be willing participants in the dialogue. After all, is there anything more important in the classroom?

If at First You Don't Succeed

2010-04-13T23:12:00.004-04:00

My drive to and from school each day has taken on quite a change over the past few months. It used to be that I would set my XM radio (The Loft and The Spectrum are my stations of choice) for a commercial-free and concentration-free commute. Lately, though I have been listening to the Steve Hargadon interviews from FutureofEducation.com and Conversations.net multiple times and each time I seem to find something new to spark ideas and get me thinking about education and things I should try in the classroom. One of those ideas is to create some online content for my students to watch and review from my own lessons, similar to what I have been doing with those recordings.

I planned to set aside some time this summer to create these lessons. These would be topics that I will cover and discuss in class, but can be viewed in a less interactive but maybe more visual format as often as needed. My thought was that this type of lesson would lend itself very well to a discipline like math, where an example could be worked through and then put online for students to examine as many times as necessary. It just seems to make so much sense to create examples of some of the more important (I know, I know, they are ALL important :)) or at least the ones that are more difficult to understand.

I mentioned this to a colleague who teaches math and she seemed somewhat opposed to the idea saying that the students would not pay attention in class if they knew it was going to be online. I have heard similar concerns about placing notes online for a class.

Are these legitimate concerns? What are the arguments for this practice in order to convince those who have their doubts about its effectiveness? While I have every intention of continuing with my intended project, it would be nice to help others do something similar in their discipline that would be effective for them.

Snow Days off Anymore?

2010-02-11T23:25:00.003-05:00

For the past few days Mother Nature, via a blizzard and then the snow version of a left hook a few days later, has provided everyone in Maryland an opportunity to pause and many, many opportunities to shovel. While I have had no choice but do the latter, I have gone beyond the pause to learn from many educators through Twitter and online conferences. In jumping from one blog to another, I came across the above video and my thoughts turned to, of all things, my summer vacation plans and the school grant I hope to get to study more on the video's topic.

I love this mash-up video by Punya Mishra for several reasons, but what is most interesting to me is that it confirms one side of an argument that I am having with myself (it's usually the only chance I ever have of winning one) while at the same time confirming the other side of the same argument!

On one side is the incorporation of one aspect of technology (in this case a video of a lecture but it could be a Powerpoint presentation, etc.) into education. More teachers are putting more content online for students to reference. This is A great use of the technology but not THE use. The idea is that students use technology and they will flock to our learning because it is on the computer. I don't think it takes long for them to realize that it is the same as handouts except in a different form. But it is a form that should be used just as writing and recording tools have developed over time. It's just not healthy to confuse storage and retrieval methods with learning.

On the other hand, a video of a lecture (or lesson) does provide 24/7 and repeated access to the delivery of an idea. If the student did not understand the lesson, maybe another viewing (or more) will help. The video pokes fun at the fact that a lecture is still a lecture, no matter what form. I agree, but a digital version becomes a lecture that is not only portable but also one that can be commented on, annotated, and even mashed-up. The possibilities are endless.

But it should not stop there. If a teacher is explaining a topic to a student who does not understand, they usually try another approach. Can this be replicated online? Should other students create explanations of the same ideas ("this is how I figured it out") to add to the list for students to choose from? These can be kept from year to year and even "rated" like the comments and reviews given to movies and books online ("was this helpful?"). This is just a beginning to the front end of learning and technology can provide so many avenues.

While it's not surprising that winter storms would lead me to thoughts of summer, it was not always the case that my learning continued and was inspired on snow days. This time it helped me to begin my summer studies on what technology will work best for my students and my colleagues. Step one seems to be looking at the content and turning it into a virtual file cabinet. The next step for me is to examine the many ways my students can learn and teach others using this technology. Ultimately, the video shows one power of technology while putting down a "lesser" power of the same technology. The good news is that there is room for both. Just as there is room for several snow days to learn, think, and write.

P.S. As I was writing this post, I received a message from Christian Long through Twitter containing this link to a video by Christina Jenkins. Its relevance to my post and timing couldn't have been more perfect.

When Back channel becomes Front channel

2010-02-03T22:16:00.015-05:00

This post was inspired by this post from hadleyjf. I commented on that post but felt I wanted to expound on my thoughts here.

Before you begin reading, press the play button on the Voki below this paragraph and then immediately continue reading while it speaks. Try it. It'll be educational and will barely hurt, I promise.

Get a Voki now!

This past weekend I participated in educon thru elluminate and in the past year took online courses using a similar program. In both experiences I was able to participate in a conversation that was taking place during the presentation/class using a chat window. Having done that many times now I have come to realize that I find it impossible to multitask in that way. Many times the chat session became the "front channel" and the presenter/teacher went to the back of my attention. I found that I missed some of what the presenter said while I participated in the chats. But at the same time I also find that I learn greatly from that part of the experience and I learn much from the other participants and make great connections.

At this point the Voki should be done talking. If you remember the ideas it AND the first paragraph conveyed, please tell me how in the comment section. I need the advice! In any case, I am reminded of this each time I ask a student to respond to a question in my own class who I know has missed the question because of his own distraction. At that point it becomes a lesson in attention and respect for the student. But it also serves as a reminder to me of my own learning and participation in events.

I am torn on this issue because I can see the advantages of the backchannel while at the same time see the disadvantages as it pertains to my attention to the speaker. Until I figure it out, I just hope none of the speakers or presenters puts me on the spot and asks for my answer to a question previously stated. Then again, that taste of my own medicine may be just what the doctor ordered for my Attention Overflow Disorder.

Do your ideas stay just that?

2010-02-01T22:29:00.007-05:00

This video from Langara College, "Rethink Scholarship," is a very creative look at continuing motivation of ideas. While conferences such as educon and discussions like edchat inspire me, it may take a short video like this to turn that spark into a fire.

This is the main reason I decided to act and begin writing much more frequently to this blog. It is a chance for me to put down my ideas and let them sit for a while. If others happen to read them (and I won't leave it totally to chance as I will push these posts to those I have connected with on Twitter) I hope they may leave their own comments and impressions. None of us can truly learn without others and the feedback is always welcome. Heck, I'll just take the non-feedback to mean that the ideas must be so far ahead of their time that others need a chance to catch up. :) Or that they are really, really lame. In any case, I'll take it. Something's better than nothing to get the ideas in motion.

I find that there are many sparks daily through suggestions and comments from my PLN but they all can't be acted on immediately. Having said that, I do need to begin working exclusively with those ideas that are most important to me and my students and focus.

Focus. Focus.

And believe.

And sometimes, even sleep.

Interactive Lectures #1

2010-01-31T22:50:00.006-05:00

I came across a site for presenters entitled Interactive Lectures that contains summaries of 36 formats for making a presentation interactive. Certainly my job as a teacher is part presenter and I found many ideas to work with in my own classroom. I decided to put my notes here as I examine some of these formats and how I may use them. Please use the comment section to add your ideas and allow this to grow.

Format #1: Best Summary
Each participant prepares a summary of the main points at the end of a presentation. Teams of participants switch their summaries and select the best summary from each set.

This reminds me of an "Exit Slip," which is a good way to check student understanding before they leave the room. The summary could be done in many formats (and may even be done several times during a class session).

- working in groups or individually, put summary on index card. If in groups, have them read each out loud. If individuals, collect and read a few out loud.

- technology options could involve students sending their answer via text message to polleverywhere, a class backchannel or put their response directly on the class site. (can also be done using the initial low tech method.)

This is a great way to gage understanding of every student and can be done in a variety of ways. While reviewing the main points often happens during class time, this is one way to get feedback from everyone and gives voice to even the quietest of students.

I can't help but think there is much more learning to be done with the responses once they have been collected:

- Does using a backchannel or putting them on the class website (a wiki) have any merit?

- Sure, students can review what they and others have summarized, but will they?

- What is the lure to get them to visit the ideas again and again?

- Is having them put the ideas in a different form (xtranormal is my personal favorite) on the site meaningful?

I am often left with these types of questions and proceed anyway, letting the student reaction be my answer.

Change Agent's DNA?

2010-01-30T18:04:00.005-05:00

While I was viewing The Field Guide for Change Agents created at Educon today I was reminded of an article I came across a few weeks ago entitled The Innovator's DNA. In it the authors identified five "discovery skills" in creative executives: associating, questioning, observing, experimenting, and networking.

It is no surprise that the skills necessary to become an innovative executive mirror those of a change agent in education. The fact that the change agent presentation was created at the Educon conference not only entails networking, but us noneducon attendees (or educon nonattendees?) can only imagine the amount of associating, questioning, observing, and experimenting that went on to produce such a document. They are skills that Change Agents (and probably most of the best educators) wield.

The great news is that in being drawn here and taking the time to read this post proves you have several of the "skills" of that innovative DNA. In this case, though, the DNA is not physical but a mental one you have developed over time. In becoming a part of a PLN and connecting with other educators, their thoughts and ideas, I feel that my DNA has been greatly modified for the better. The Field Guide for Change Agents is just the latest example of that.

Is Sherlock Holmes obsolete in the Google age?

2010-01-21T00:04:00.002-05:00

During a recent class discussion about a Sherlock Holmes story ("Adventure of the Speckled Band") my students and I had read, it occurred to me that maybe Holmes would be out of work in the 21st century. After all, anything that he could possibly think of (in this case it was a "swamp adder" from India) could be googled. So I asked my class what they thought. The immediate response was that Holmes was obsolete. Google could take his place. All of his knowledge was available right there for quick and easy access. Why memorize when you can google it?

Then there was a pause.

They caught themselves and actually began to think about it. I could have stopped right then and called the entire class session a success. Heck, that might even be considered a successful week. But we did continue. It was time to press my luck and see where this thought was going. First one voice (you gotta love that one - the one you sometimes wait to call on until many others have had a turn), and then several more chimed in and realized that it would be highly unlikely to have thought of what to search for without prior knowledge. Holmes put the pieces together because the pieces were already there, in some form, for him to work with. He had studied and learned the material previously. Did this lead them to an "a-ha" moment and then did they succumb to the fact that they need to study every minute detail and learn it all, thus becoming scholars and making me a hero among my colleagues and a positive topic of conversation at parent cocktail parties? Not a chance.

What it did accomplish was to make me realize that there needs to be some content in memory before we can begin to process and work with it. I often hear the question "Why memorize when we can search the internet?" Was a similar question asked 30 years ago but modified to "open an encylopedia" instead? It seems that some content knowledge needs to work as a foundation. Brain research and recent studies in cognitive science support this as connections are made which are an essential part of the learning process. Sure the content and knowledge are going to change. They always have. What that content is will be up for debate for as long as there are schools. But do we stop learning about something because in 10 years we may see some things differently?

It seems that we can use these tools for research and information retrieval quite well and need to pass that on to our students. But I think the tools can be used far more effectively in helping us learn the content. Whatever process we created to help us learn the information in our notebooks or books may be recreated and/or improved using the available tools. Maybe then we can all be a 21st century Sherlock Holmes. It's certainly not something just "elementary" to strive for.

Backchannel modified for rudeness

2009-11-25T16:17:00.003-05:00

In reading over this blog post by Tom Whitby and this post by someone about the negative end of this experience, it appears we may need to be more careful with the way backchannels are used. Obviously, the relative anonymous nature of Twitter allows cowards to be rude and unkind during presentations. Unfortunately, I don't think this will change but probably just needs to be tweaked.

Instead of allowing the Twitter stream to appear on the overhead, it should display only for the presenter (or a moderator) to see. Then the presenter can take what is relevant and professional and work it into the presentation as needed. I have seen a similar situation pulled off pretty well in some of my online graduate level courses.

While it certainly is an added skill and complication, with practice, many presenters may turn it into a positive experience - one that allows virtual "hand raising" and input with hardly any interruption.

When EdChat becomes EdAct or EdDo

2009-11-25T14:08:00.006-05:00

Harold Shaw (hshawjr) had an interesting and insightful blog post concerning the November 24, 2009 #edchat discussion. Edchat takes place every Tuesday at 7pm and is a great way to discuss ideas with teachers from around the world. He feels that the discussion may have moved to involve a little too much "squeaking." While I agree with his perception about the direction of the #edchat discussions, I do think all teachers need that opportunity to "squeak," especially to those who understand where they are coming from. Having said that, it has come to the point where we need to act and try some of our ideas with our students and then share our success and failure with our PLN.

One of the participants (@nashworld) voiced that opinion when he said, "I would love an edchat where everyone agreed to IMPLEMENT an innovation, and then return here to debrief." It's a great idea. Maybe the edchat sessions can add that dimension each week. Vote each week on the topic to discuss and a possible idea to implement for the week. We can discuss how we may best implement, depending on our discipline, and then give it a try. The next week can be a debriefing as well as thoughts for future improvements and the next weekly idea.

I consider myself lucky in the environment where I teach. I have the support and the freedom to try what I feel may be effective and useful. It seems as if many public school teachers have their hands tied which will make for more difficulty in implementing almost anything. Given that, it is time for me to attempt and then share with those who care to listen. The more teachers we have implementing new ideas effectively and reporting on it, the more support those who need it will have. It is then we can turn Edchat into EdDo.

True poetry

2009-10-18T17:09:00.002-04:00

It has been a while since I posted to this blog but the course director of the Education Media Design and Technology masters program at Full Sail Dr. Ludgate shared this on the program blog and I thought it very relevant and impressive. We will be doing some "puzzle poems" in my classes sometime in the next couple of weeks and I think this may qualify. In any case, it is certainly worth a look and something that I hope is shared by many.

With online learning, pedagogy is still the key

2009-08-03T16:26:00.008-04:00

No guarantees

With the advancement in authoring systems, the wide array of web content creation tools, and the variety of available Web 2.0 applications online lesson creation is within every teacher’s grasp. But just as the fact that a teacher is given the material and steps into the classroom does not guarantee learning will take place, the ability to create a lesson and post it online does not guarantee success. Several factors play a key role in e-learning and educators must understand how those factors relate to the lesson that is intended. In a meta-analysis that was conducted using over 650 empirical studies which compared distance learning that involved media with traditional learning, the findings concluded that achievement was more strongly correlated to pedagogy than it was to the media itself (Handley et al, 2008).

It’s the content AND presentation

The ability to post class notes, a presentation, or even an audio or video lecture online has existed for some time. But “there is a delicate balance between promoting technology tools and encouraging teaching and learning with technology” (Little & Page, 2009). Research has determined that several principles enhance online learning:

Learning and retention improve when the material is presented with words and pictures and not words alone (Clark and Mayer, 2008, p. 74).
Images are relevant to the instructional purpose, not decorative (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 74).
Relevant images and text should be presented near each other (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 95).
Use audio narration or text to explain on-screen graphics, but not both (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 130).

Understanding of these principles will help educators develop effective lessons, ones that take advantage of the multimodal approach through e-learning and may even be better for student learning . Handley et al (2008) state: “Students engaged in learning that incorporates multimodal designs, on average, outperform students who learn using traditional approaches with single modes” (p. 13).

Go where reluctant teachers are - at first

With a vast array of tools and applications available for educator use, it can be overwhelming and intimidating to go forward and online. Little and Page (2009) state: “Keeping faculty one step ahead of emerging technologies—and providing them with the support to manage what often feels like a rising tide of new tools and learning research—can indeed be difficult. Managing the widening gulf between early adopters and less technologically savvy faculty can be downright frustrating” (p. 16). The trick may be to approach resistant teachers with a language they can understand and relate to. Lee Lefever (2009) suggests: By taking technology out of the picture in the beginning and speaking in recognizable terms, you can prevent your audience from throwing up their hands and saying ‘I don't get technology!’ Instead, you're offering an invitation - an introduction to the subject that speaks in their language and lives in their world” (“Explainer Tip: Stop Talking About Technology”). Once they have a grasp of what it is and how it relates to what they already know, they may have the motivation to make it their own.

References

Handley, C., Wilson, A., Peterson, N., Brown, G., & Ptaszynski, J. (2008). Out of the classroom & into the boardroom. Retrieved August 1, 2009, from www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/educause/docs/EducauseWhitepaper.pdf

Lefever, L. (2009, July 28). Explainer Tip: Stop Talking About Technology - Common Craft - Our Product is Explanation. Retrieved August 1, 2009, from http://www.commoncraft.com/explainer-tip-stop-talking-about-technology

Little, J., & Page, C. (2009). Charting the Course and Tapping the Community: The EDUCAUSE Top Teaching and Learning Challenges 2009 (EDUCAUSE Review) | EDUCAUSE. Retrieved July 29, 2009, from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume44/ChartingtheCourseandTappingthe/171775

miniCMS - my course websites

2009-07-08T23:06:00.006-04:00

As I begin to study Course Management Systems (CMS) for a class in my Masters program at Full Sail University, I can't help but see a connection between the large scale CMS programs being discussed and what my students and I can create (and in some cases have created) for my course using a blog and a wiki. In a way, the course sites have become a personal version of a CMS.

The National Learning Infrastructure Initiative (NLII) identified five learner-centered principles (http://net.educause.edu/nlii/mappingthelearningspace/2954) that lead to "deeper learning" in the learning experience: social (feedback and interaction between learners and instructors), active (peer and expert feedback), contextual (learner-centric design), engaging (individualized learning), and student-owned (some degree of self-control).

Through a comment section and added chat window, the site can become social and active for my students. It is contextual in the fact that students can explore the links and information in any order but it has also allowed me to build a visually interesting and somewhat interactive site. This also makes it more engaging for many of my students, although I do not think they are given multiple paths to all of the information. Finally, with a connection to the wiki the site is student-owned in many respects.

The study of CMS has lead me to further examine what I do with my own web presence for my students and courses. This will also be valuable to me as I develop my media project in the coming weeks. Keeping the sound CMS principles in mind will help guide me to a stronger and more powerful learning environment. Hopefully, one that leads to deeper understanding of the content.

What I Learned - Part 2

2009-06-26T15:22:00.002-04:00

There were several specific things I learned in relation to my media project this month. My intention was to find out as much as I could about displaying videos and video segments on a web page and add some sort of interactivity. Some of the things I learned:

embed video (from another site) in a blog or other website
embed a portion of a video (from another site) using begin and end points
using a program called embedr, I can set up a display list of videos segments
a website on Wetpaint is easy to set up, looks nice, and incorporates video nicely
Wetpaint only incorporates video from YouTube, Google video, and Hulu, which rules out my hopes to use embedr!
Animoto may be a good presentation tool for parts of my project, keeping things interesting and varied.
taking a clip from a DVD and incorporating it directly into a web page

While these are some of the specifics, I did get a much better overall sense of what I want this media project to be. Through my experiments and exploration, I have ideas that will be usable in the project and any other media related projects the future holds.

What I Learned - Part 1

2009-06-26T14:05:00.004-04:00

I thought that this final project for the Media Asset Creation course as part of my Education Media Design and Technology masters program at Full Sail University was going to be easier than the "Show me what you know" project from week #1 because it only covered this month while that project covered eight months. I was slightly mistaken! In looking back, there has been plenty that I have learned, discovered, and explored. Between looking for relevant tools, reading for my thesis, writing blogs posts, and going on MANY tangents, I feel that I have learned much and hopefully become better prepared for my students come this fall.

Caution - Wetpaint (Wk 4 #5 EDM613)

2009-06-25T14:55:00.004-04:00

One of the programs suggested to me for development of my media project was Wetpaint (www.wetpaint.com). It is a wiki that has more functionality and design options than pbworks, which has been the wiki of choice for my classes. The reason Wetpaint was mentioned is my need to incorporate video and it did not disappoint. It is easy to update text and add video, as long as the video links are to YouTube, Hulu, or Google video. I typically use Safari but Wetpaint works better with Firefox, allowing more functionality.

The "practice" project I am developing using Wetpaint is actually a real site for the faculty at my school. I have started a summer technology institute for faculty and hope to create a page that corresponds to each of the sessions. My hope is create an organized, easy to use, and non-overwhelming site for faculty to reference. I have found that many of those teachers not using these technologies need a gentle nudge as to WHY, WHAT, and then HOW. I want the site to answer all of these questions.

The organization of the site is important to its usefulness. Many of the "veteran" teachers (myself included in age!) still crave the linear learning method and I want this to be possible. At times I have been feeling overwhelmed with the number of tools and sites that are available and I know this may keep some people from delving in. A simple, modular approach giving a brief description and a few links and videos is what I am going for. As opposed to a final destination, I would like it to be the jumping off point (should have called the site the Admiral Benbow) for their foray into Web 2.0.

Although it is it in its early stages, I would appreciate any input. SocraTech Dialogue website.

Outside Outside Reading (Wk 4 #4 EDM613)

2009-06-23T23:48:00.005-04:00

I began reading Daniel Willingham's Why Don't Students Like School? last week (while I should have been writing my thesis) but I thought that I could justify the outside reading for a few reasons. I came across the book through one of my feeds as part of an online discussion forum with teachers from all over the world. I had never participated in a discussion of this sort and thought it would be great to learn and share with teachers in this way. The second justification is that the book probably contains something I could use in my thesis so it would not be a total detour. And finally, I figured I was learning some new ideas about teaching and the classroom and it sounded like it would work well with Zander's The Art of Possibility. All was not a total loss.

After having read just the first two chapters, I have come across several ideas and practices that will be very useful as I think about my teaching for next year. An idea that Willingham discusses concerning engagement (Zander's "enrollment"?), "our curiosity is provoked when we perceive a problem that we believe we can solve. What is the question that will engage students and make them want to know the answer" (p 16)? He states that a teacher's ability to discover that question for each topic will help determine student engagement. The first part of the quote speaks to the problem itself. We must frame the problem so that it is neither too easy or too difficult or the engagement will be minimal. We have all experienced those two ends of the problem spectrum and both are frustrating in their own way.

I have also found several ideas on learning similar to those mentioned by Jensen in Brain-Based Learning and even some arguments against the approach to Gardner's intelligences. Both will be useful for my thesis (which I hope to begin writing real soon!). As for the online discussion with educators from all over the world, I was to write some entries in a community blog and share ideas with my group. Not surprisingly, I did not find the time to complete that activity this past week. But that is okay because I have still been learning and collaborating and commiserating with some of the best educators I have ever known. The same ones I have been working with since October.

Sources
Jensen, E. P. (2008). Brain-Based Learning: The New Paradigm of Teaching. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Willingham, D. T. (2009). Why Don't Students Like School: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Adding a chat window to my site (Wk4 #3 EDM613)

2009-06-23T16:23:00.004-04:00

I have been attempting to find a good chat window to use with my class blog and wiki but the gadgets that came with the programs were not very useful for my purposes. I may have found the solution with a program called Yaplet. Students click an icon, type in their name, and begin chatting real-time. The chat is saved and continued when a new session is begun. Now my students not only have the ability to read and respond in the comment section but in a chat window as well. And both are saved for further study and review.

Be the Board (Wk4 #2 EDM613)

2009-06-23T00:23:00.004-04:00

This scene from The Karate Kid (1984) clearly conveys what Zander is saying in The Art of Possibility when describing the idea of Being the Board. The example Zander gives is when the boss of someone does not listen to his advice. Instead of blaming the boss, he looks at the situation and decides to "design a conversation that matters to him," enrolling him in his idea.

Once again, this is another example of a paradigm shift in looking at the student who is totally disinterested. I have found myself too often quick to blame the student in this situation. The student may be upset not with the content itself, but with the fact that he is not engaged with the content. On some level that student desires to be engaged with the material. As a teacher, how do I engage him? A "good" teacher, like Miyagi, will find a way. I will have to be like "Daniel-san" in this instance and become a good student in order to strive to be that "good" teacher. Wax on, wax off.

Video copyright Delphi Films (1984).

Sparks of possibility (Wk 4 #1 EDM613)

2009-06-22T22:38:00.004-04:00

Rosamund Zander, in The Art of Possibility, defines the term "enrollment" as "the art and practice of generating a spark of possibility for others to share" (p. 125). I am not sure there is a better term or definition to describe the art of teaching as this one does. While I know that I do not actually light the sparks in my students as much as I would like, I am pretty sure that they appreciate the energy and enthusiasm necessary to generate those sparks nonetheless.

Sources
Image from www.morguefile.com, accessed June 22, 2009.

Life Imitates Art (Wk3 #5 EDM613)

2009-06-21T21:23:00.003-04:00

I received a link to the following video through Twitter and have been following the messages that have come out of Iran with the #iranelection hashtag. As I was watching this video, I could not help but think of "Horton Hears a Who" and parallels that can be drawn to the voices and calls for help coming out of that country. Who will be their Horton?

Wk3 - Scratch tutorial

2009-06-18T12:26:00.003-04:00

Both Scratch and Alice peeked my interest because I teach a computer programming course. I have worked with the Alice program in the past and although it looks very interesting and powerful, it seemed to have a steep learning curve. I had seen the Scratch program and realized that I had actually already downloaded but had never worked through it.

The Scratch tutorial was a limited but well done introduction to the program. It walks the viewer through the basics and was enough to get me started. I am almost certain that my background in programming helped me understand it more so than a student new to programming would, so I think that I will need to work with students beyond this tutorial to get them up and running. Once they have done so, I think this program is a great introduction to the basics of program and will give them the background needed to understand the concepts as we cover them in class. It is fun, easy, and educational. What more could you ask for?

Ron Smith interview in segments

2009-06-17T19:09:00.009-04:00

Video copyright Full Sail University 2009.

I broke the interview up into several sections based on the Dr. Ludgate questions. The questions I created are associated with each segment but I need to figure out how to display those. Can I access them while playing, that is the question.
Here are the questions, by segment, to be answered in the comment section.
1. Hollywood High
How is Hollywood High different from most high schools in terms of goals for its students?
A: Most are on a career path to Hollywood jobs.
2. Current media trends for HH students
What is the "hot" media with students at Hollywood High?
A: animation, and in particular, Flash
3. Ron Smith teaching style.
What technologies did Ron Smith try in his classroom before most teachers?
A: podcast and texting
How are Ron Smith's assignments different than those assigned in a "traditional" class?
A: Students have several options as to the format of what they turn in
4. Teacher reaction and acceptance
What program does Ron Smith NOT allow his students to use?
A: Powerpoint
What program do most of the teachers at Hollywood High use that Ron Smith does not agree with?
A: Powerpoint
What does Ron Smith mean when he says digital teaching is "front loaded?"
A: There is a lot of preparation work to be done in order to use technology for assignments and in the classroom
Why does this keep teachers from accepting technology?
A: They do not have the time to prepare
5. Hot technologies
What does the program Scratch do?
A: It is used for building games.
What did Mr. Smith do as a project with Goggle Sketchup?
A: Downloaded a picture from Google Earth from New Orleans for students to create a 3-D virtual block
What does Blender do?
A: 3D animation program
When Ron Smith gives an assignment with a new software tool, how is his teaching approach different than the "traditional" approach by many teachers?
A: He shows them how the buttons work and then they must figure it out from there
Would you like to be given assignments in this manner? Why or why not?
A: This would depend on the student, but many are used to like to be told the "answer" and not have to figure it out themselves
6. Education trends
What is the trend that Ron Smith sees in the immediate future for education?
A: curriculum going online
What type of students will benefit from this trend and why?
A: Those who move at a different pace and those who are not comfortable in a classroom setting

Sources
Video copyright Full Sail University 2009.

Week 3 Reading (EDM613)

2009-06-17T12:10:00.003-04:00

What I have appreciated most about The Art of Possibility is that it is written by educators and they give an overview perspective as opposed to a content one. In "It's All Invented," I wonder if the example given is where "think outside the box" comes from? My thought is that if we think outside the box, what does that say about our head?

"Stepping into a Universe of Possibility" started the question of measurement and really set me up for the next chapter, "Giving an A." I really wrestled with the idea of measurement in the classroom and how I view my grades for students. Are my grading scale and the standards I hold my students to invented? It was only when he gave the approach he has in the classroom about giving an A and then having students write in past tense on how they earned it that I saw the power of this approach. Stephen Covey, in 7 Habits for Highly Effective People, has readers "Begin with the End in Mind" in the same way. Through this approach in the classroom, students will work in the class to evoke change and learning in themselves for their own sake and not just for the grade. It may be the best way to bring about true development in our students.

I love the attitude brought about by "Being a Contribution." As a teacher and for my students, it can only lead to positive things in the classroom. I have asked my students at the end of the year what they think they have contributed to the class but I think it makes much more sense to have them think about it from the very beginning. They need to know that they can be a contribution and look for ways to do so. This attitude seems to connect with "Leading from Any Chair" in this way. This also supports the benefits of students teaching a lesson or topic to their classmates. I had done this in the past but had gotten away from it recently. It is time to bring it back to my curriculum in some form.

"Rule Number 6" is an important one to keep in mind as I work with students daily. It helps me work in collaboration with the students as opposed to "me say, you learn." They all have something important to offer and ignoring Rule Number 6 may keep me from looking for what it is they have for everyone.

Video clips clipped (EDM613 Wk3 #2)

2009-06-15T22:26:00.003-04:00

Video clips will be a key component to my thesis media project. One of the things I think I will need to do is to present a portion of a video clip that may be located on YouTube. My hope was to create an embed link that allowed me to add a code to the end to designate the start time and end time (or length) of the clip to display. That way, if a video was 5 minutes long but I only wanted to examine 25 seconds, that is all that would display.

I was able to find the code needed to display a clip beginning at a certain point (add #t=##m##s to the end of the URL) but was not able to find how to end the clip presentation. I experimented with many different and logical (at least I thought anyway) possibilities but to no avail. I was able to find two sites (TubeChop and Splicd) that gave me the option of putting in the URL and the start and end time and it created the URL. The one that worked the best for me was TubeChop because it allowed me to embed the code to the video clip in my blog while Splicd did not give me that option. While I would much prefer to add the code to the end of the URL myself, giving me total control over the video embed, I found this to be a satisfying compromise.

The video I choose not only speaks about the amazing technology that we use everyday, but of how quick we are to take it for granted and come to expect it.

Online notes using presentation tools and Flickr (EDM613 Wk3 #1)

2009-06-15T16:17:00.006-04:00

I am planning to have students put notes online each day next year and I thought presentation tools may be a much more interesting format to use. Students can create the slides and save each as an image. Those images can then be placed on a Flickr account and organized by topic. Using a presentation tool such as Animoto they can present the notes for viewing by other students. I tested the process using cell phone pictures my kids took on our first "Mystery Ride Monday" trip of the summer. The pictures were emailed to me and then I created a "set" in my Flickr account for the pictures. Animoto will go to the set and grab all the pictures in the order I have arranged them. It is a quick and simple process to create a 30-second "review" of the material from a class, for a test, or even field trip.

Wk2 #5 - Reading (EDM613)

2009-06-14T17:33:00.003-04:00

I was very excited to read Jenkins' statement, "For a growing number of young Americans, images may represent as important a set of rhetorical resources as texts" (p. 233). That may seem contradictory for a literature teacher to be saying, but my excitement was in the fact that my thesis work is in finding media (images and movies) examples of literary terms and this helps support my belief that it is important for students to see the literary terms as well as read about them. I have also been reading "Reading in the Dark" by John Golden and he has seen marked improvement in his students' ability to analyze and critique literature by learning to do the same with film. By making students more aware of the images they see everyday online and in the media, they will learn how to judge content and read what is presented to them with better understanding. (photo from www.morguefile.com)

What Harry Potter can teach us about writing (EDM613 Wk2 #4)

2009-06-11T19:21:00.005-04:00

In Henry Jenkins' "Convergence Culture," he discusses the way students have been inspired to write about the Harry Potter novels as interpreters and creators. I thought about how much writing I have my students do and I am determined to give them more opportunities to write next year. This chapter solidified that for me because I can approach the writing using the Harry Potter method and be confident of success in student engagement.

This method is simply this: begin by having the students write about something they are interested in or about which they have a working knowledge. Jenkins makes several points that support this approach:

Because they are already familiar with the topic, they can spend time mastering the writing craft and working on how to communicate their intended message.
When they are writing about fictional characters it provides a distance between them and the character, allowing them the freedom to reflect and then express.
They will develop a relevant vocabulary using peer review and discussion through a class website and will also learn from each other about revision and rewriting.

If I start in familiar territory, we can work on and correct semantics first and then concentrate on ideas and arguments as we progress. Come September, I am heading to Hogwarts.

Finding Podcasts in iTunes (EDM613 Wk2 #3)

2009-06-11T10:18:00.003-04:00

I have found the MacMost tutorials very well done and helpful. The tutorial on using iTunes to find podcasts was no exception. I have not used iTunes very much at all so this gave me a chance to see how useful it can be. The tutorial cleared up a possible confusion initially as to where to find the podcasts, explaining that the podcast option in the menu is actually your own podcasts and not a place to search. In working my way through the different layers I found those podcasts dealing with education and can now search for a few to use in my discussion board entries. This is helpful on several fronts!

Several tutorials - iMovie '09 (EDM613 Wk2 #2)

2009-06-10T23:20:00.006-04:00

Even though I do not own iMovie '09, I decided to work my through some of the tutorials to see what is available on the newer version that I may be interested in using. "Enjoying and Organizing Your Videos" was a good overview of how the videos are organized when they are created (not new to me) and how to rename or even combine (new to me) events. There was a noticeable difference between the way audio is handled in "Trimming Edits between Video Clips" in that it can be overlapped and changed. This was a powerful effect that I can take advantage of when I would like to keep an original soundtrack but lay different video on top. "Cropping and Rotating" was not new in the cropping sense but was in the rotating ability. I see that as something that may get annoying if used indiscriminately. Themes are something new that we mentioned in "Adding Themes and Titles" and I definitely think I would use those. Finally, "Add Animated Travel Maps" introduced a fun new map to add to travel movies. Overall, the tutorials are very well put together and are clearly expressed. They also made me want to upgrade to the new version soon. (image taken from a screen capture athttp://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/#imovie on June 10, 2009)

Show Me What You Know

2009-06-10T13:03:00.006-04:00

The video is a sampling of the many things I have learned as part of the Education Media Design and Technology Masters program at Full Sail University. In working on this assignment, I had an opportunity to examine and review eight months of effort and learning. The video above uploaded to the class YouTube page, a process that was much easier than the one needed for the Viddler account.

Adding video embed to a blog (EDM613 Wk2 #1)

2009-06-10T12:34:00.004-04:00

I have set up an account on viddler.com in an attempt to upload videos links to my blog. One of the reasons I choose Viddler is its ability to allow the user to make comments during the course of the film, which is something I may want students to be able to do in my thesis media project. This particular video is one that I created in an early class. There were several problems initially in uploading the video as it gave me error messages but did not explain what the error was. After several attempts it worked! I then attempted to post to my blog from viddler but had no success. This was posted by hand using cut and paste of the link.

Week 1 in a flash (EDM613 Wk1 #5)

2009-06-08T20:05:00.005-04:00

Looking ahead at week one for the course I had expected loads of extra time to complete projects as my school year wound down and I only had to proctor and give exams. It's amazing how much I was wrong. That extra time filled up so fast it was Sunday night before I knew it. I guess after eight months I should be used to that by now.

One of the most productive parts of the week was examining everything I had done so far in the Education Media Design and Technology Masters program at Full Sail University. It gave me chance to appreciate how far I have come. And yet, how far I have to go. To my habits I am adding something new: blogging. It is something I had planned to do more of and this is my opportunity to develop a voice and rhythm. I have found the reading extremely relevant and I wonder if part of the reason is because I am just getting better at it through practice in this program. I have found the tutorials somewhat helpful but I have issues when the person works through the presentation as if it is not scripted and there is too much randomness. I am learning about what to do and what not to do while viewing them. The bottom line is that week one has been a blur and with three weeks of class and a thesis remaining, I don't have time to blink anymore.

CS Bridge introduction (EDM613 Wk1 #4)

2009-06-06T13:09:00.004-04:00

I have partially watched several of the tutorials given in the list and the one I have found most useful so far was the tutvid.com introduction to Adobe Bridge ("Why use CS Bridge?"). I had never heard of Bridge and that is one of the reasons I chose to watch. While it is probably longer than it needs to be for an introductory video, it is well presented and the speaker seemed prepared for what he was going to say. I have had some difficulties working with the Adobe Suite programs and this should make things a little easier to navigate, if nothing else.

Twitter can be useful to teachers (EDM613 Wk1 #3)

2009-06-05T22:30:00.010-04:00

A few months ago I found out about Twitter and created an account. My wife did the same thing at that time and after about 15 minutes of exploration neither of us was convinced that there was anything worthwhile in it. She said "Let me know when you find something useful to do with it" and was done. It has taken a while and although I still haven't found a reason for her to use it, it has become a valuable tool in my learning as an educator.

The list of those I follow has taken time to build. It began with people I knew (not many Twitters!) and through online real-time discussion forums such as educhat and Classroom 2.0 has grown to include teachers throughout the world. The people I follow generally have suggestions and ideas of web tools to use in the classroom (and beyond) with my students. I recently received a tweet about a kindergarden teacher sending tweets during the school day keeping the parents in the loop and encouraging them to ask their children about the specific activity when they get home. My bookmarks have increased to the hundreds and more keep coming everyday. As a matter of fact, I had to avoid checking them (I use a collection tool called Tweetdeck) recently so that I could get my school work complete. While "What are you doing?" can be very trivial and a waste of time coming from the wrong person, it can be valuable and extremely inspiring coming from the right teacher.

A product placement idea (EDM613 Wk1 #2)

2009-06-05T13:24:00.008-04:00

I don't think I could ever have been convinced that there was some educational value to be gleaned from American Idol or Survivor. But that was before reading Henry Jenkins' (2006) "Convergence Culture." In my previous post I mentioned a connection I saw between Survivor "spoilers" and student collaboration. In literature, a "spoiler" can be the student who finishes the book on his own and can't help but share the information with classmates. They love to know a secret and have a tough time keeping it to themselves. In teaching literature, I need to learn something from these "secret sharers" and do more of it myself. But in this case, it connects to the practice of product placement on American Idol which I have to admit, albeit very reluctantly, may contain some educational merit.

With product placement in mind, I need to start working on "idea" placement. Too often I have my students read something and expect them to see all the literary elements and nuances because they are as obvious to me as the product placement on American Idol. Viewers have turned spotting these products placed in shows into a game. Of course, the content of these shows isn't nearly as interesting and enriching as the text my students read (correct?!?) so that might be all that can be of "intellectual" interest to them. But a game is a game and that certainly adds an element of motivation to the reading. Without being too obvious or forceful, I need to plant the idea (the "product") and let them discover it in the text. At the same time there must be a balance so that I avoid being too much of a "spoiler." The trick is always to give them ideas to look for that they care about and to which they can relate because only then does it become a game that they want to play.

Survivor Spoilers in education (EDM613 Wk1 #1)

2009-06-04T22:26:00.009-04:00

I am currently reading Henry Jenkins' "Convergence Culture" and was struck how the idea of collective intelligence applies to Survivor "spoilers" and also transfers to the classroom. The idea of collective intelligence centers on virtual communities who rely on the combined expertise of the members to accomplish something collectively. In the case of Survivor, they pool their resources in an attempt to figure out what, where, and who about the show before each airing. An undergraduate in history likened the skills of spoiling to that of cultivating skills as a student.

That is where there is much to be learned from the process of spoiling. What enthuses the spoilers is not the possession of knowledge, but the process of acquiring that knowledge. They work together from all over the world with a common purpose and goal. This same process happens in the classroom at times (I wish I were able to facilitate it much more often in mine) and can also happen online. This is one of the powerful ways collaboration tools can be used by students outside the classroom to continue and build on the learning. I have had some early success in this area with my students as they prepare for exams (see image) because there is some built in motivation. I hope to find a way to create a "spoiler" culture in my classroom where students diligently work together and feel each has something to give to the whole.

Classes switch, ideas exchanged - online?

2009-04-12T22:53:00.008-04:00

This post was prompted in part by Ten Sites, Huh? I wrote a response and wanted to reprint it here and expound on what I wrote. What connected with me was that Todd Seal has had a difficult time finding useful lesson plans online, even with all that is out there. I felt the same and began thinking about how that could be possible given all that is available.

As a recent entrant into the web 2.0 foray (December 2008 through a masters class) I have been somewhat overwhelmed by what is out there. It has been like getting a drink of water from a fire hose. (Using a quick search I found this visual.) I have over twenty bookmark folders and the one titled "Teacher Resources" has well over 100 sites bookmarked. When am I going to get to all of these? How can I use them to help me become a better teacher? While many are tools that I have started to implement and some I hope to use in the future, only a couple are actual lesson plans for the stories and novels I teach. My best source of resource information has always been my colleagues at school. In a five minute conversation between classes they have often given me ideas that have taken root and grown with me as I have introduced them into the classroom. But those are relationships that have developed over time as I have found whose ideas seem to work best with my personality and style of teaching or that particular group of students.

Ironically, the more developed an online resource, the less likely I seem to be able to incorporate it. My teaching is so connected with my personality and students that I need to find others who give me the ideas that I can, in a sense, make my own. This is where the PLNs of the web can really be helpful through RSS feeds from blogs and Twitter. Twitter has gone from something that I had no use for to a great resource. I follow and take a look at what floats by and find an idea that can be a seed for growth. The next step for me is to refine the list of who I follow. If I become part of a network of people who teach the same novels and stories, we can pass ideas as general as approaches to a novel to as specific as what worked in discussing a particular chapter or quote. A dialogue can begin when I find an idea that may work for me and/or my students and that may lead to something even better for all of those involved.

It is too early for me to have developed the same type of relationship and connection to teachers all over the globe that I have with those in my building. It will take time and experimentation, just as it did with those in my own school. As a matter of fact, I have already found people whose ideas and suggestions resonate with me and what I do in the classroom. After 18 years in the classroom I feel like a first year teacher all over again and it's rather exhilarating.