Back to Blogging...taking a closer look at Google Apps

Apparently unless I am forced to blog to obtain a grade for a graduate class, I don't really find the time to post!  I've decided that with some upcoming changes to my professional life, it was time to get back to the blogging side of educational technology coaching.  

I've been using the Google Apps (and also the Google Apps for Education) for a few years now and quite frankly, I think I've taken much of what it can "do" for me for granted.  While the obvious uses for Google Apps include the Gmail App and the Google Docs (or Drive) App, there are many other uses that I feel like we've just scratched the surface of.  

The real time collaboration available in the Drive App means that teachers can share and comment on student work whenever they want.  The ability for students to share work with teachers, students, or even their parents, means that whatever is being worked on can be seen by a greater audience with the click of the keyboard.  

Google Forms is a nicely designed tool that can be used in many different ways in the classroom.  Teachers can create forms that they send to groups of students.  Forms can also be created to be shared with colleagues.  Tracking student behavior or creating a form that can help intervention specialists work with students are just some of the ideas that can be used with Google Forms.

Finally, Google Classroom is a newer feature of the Google family.  Teachers can set up online groups for any variety of classes.  Homework can be assigned through the Classroom (coming in as an attachment or linked to the Drive), student work can be assessed and evaluated (again through the Drive), and students can post comments and/or questions to teachers or classmates.  Teachers can grade work and then return assignments to students.  

There are many other uses of the Google Apps...we're just getting started.  Stay tuned, I'll be looking at the three things I've talked about in this post in more detail and I'll include examples of how these apps can be used at different grade levels.  

As always, if you are interested in learning more about educational technology and have some specific topics that you'd like to explore, please contact me at stansley18@hotmail.com.

Happy Technology!!

Teacher Professional Development and Technology

Teacher professional development is a key component of any educator’s success in the classroom.  For many teachers, participating in professional development is a requirement for maintaining a teaching license.  There are many different methods that teachers can use to obtain professional development in a variety of curricular areas.  One of the methods that is gaining popularity is using online sources.  Teachers can use online resources to participate in professional development.  This can be a good choice as it offers teachers the flexibility of getting what they need when it is needed.  Many teachers use online sources because it saves both time and money.  Because teacher professional development is such an important part of the educational system, it is only natural that the methodology that is used to obtain professional development be studied and reported upon.

                As teachers look for professional development opportunities that will help them meet their curricular goals, they may also consider the method used to obtain the instruction as important.  Utilizing online sources may then offer the teachers the added benefit of seeing how they can incorporate educational technology into their classes as well.  In the first article read, “Professional Development 2.0:  Transforming Teacher Education Pedagogy with 21^st Century Tools”, the authors undertook a study which they hoped would expand their knowledge of using collaborative approaches in the classrooms.  Too often, teachers are constrained by old teaching paradigms and need to see the benefit in how new emerging technologies can be used in both teaching and learning.  Many faculty members are considered “digital immigrants”, those who are not native to using educational technology in their daily teaching lives.  Unfortunately, they are teaching digital natives and must alter their teaching paradigms enough to make use of technology and provide effective instruction to their students (Archambault et al, 2010). Technology offers many ways to reach students’ today.  The use of Web 2.0, or online resources that offer students and teachers the chance to not only read what is on the web, but to write and modify or create as well.  For this study, the researchers found that of the teachers surveyed, most felt like they could not only effectively participate in online environments, but could become facilitators so that their students could use the online resources more appropriately.  The teachers felt that the biggest difference was that learning about technology is very different than learning what to do with the technology in an instructional setting.

                While the use of Web 2.0 applications can be very powerful in a classroom setting, there are still many reasons why teachers don’t feel comfortable using them in the curriculum with students.  In the second article read, the issues of digital natives vs. digital immigrants is the underlying thought process as to why teachers do not feel like they are able to use technology, specifically Web 2.0 in the classrooms.  Convincing teachers that there are better ways to teach to reach more learners requires a carefully designed professional development experience and teachers need to know that there is a positive end result.  Helping them feel comfortable in an online environment and determining if there was a specific subject or grade level in which teachers felt more at ease teaching and learning in an online environment seems to hold great impact in their future technology experiences.  Teachers need a clear idea on not only what to do with technology, but more specifics in how to use the technology (Holmes, et al, 2010).  For many this is too challenging and they do not use technology to the fullest potential in the classroom.  There are many tools at a teacher’s disposal everyday and only those which can be seamlessly integrated into the everyday lessons are going to hold the most promise. 

                Teachers know that one of the biggest draws to getting students involved is to make sure they are active participants in their own learning.  A good constructivist learning environment allows for students to collaborate with others and create content that demonstrates they are growing their knowledge base.  The last article that was read entitled, “Editorial:  Examining Social Software in Teacher Education”, once again points out that software, specifically social software like Facebook or MySpace, can play an important role in both teacher education and ongoing professional development.  The author does not dismiss the potential negatives with using this software in a classroom setting and perhaps it is important to realize that not all technology tools and applications should have a prominent role in a classroom.  It still comes down to teachers knowing their learners and understanding how to use technology to reach those learners.  Finally, this article gives an important rationale for allowing students (and teachers) to “publish artifacts of their learning” and that these artifacts can then “promote feedback and reflection” (Ferdig, 2007).

                As with any example of how technology might be used in a classroom, the important distinction is that teachers are prepared, been properly trained, and have the correct support on a regular basis.  In the future, we will definitely see more professional development take place online and that can only further enhance the experiences that teachers can provide for students.  There are many ways that technology can be used to have students collaborate with each other and then create content to share with a greater audience.  Having the support and guidance of a teacher who has been properly trained in using these tools can make the difference in student learning success.

Resources:

Archambault, L., Wetzel, K., Foulger, T. S., & Williams, M. (2010). Professional Development 2.0: Transforming Teacher Education Pedagogy with 21st Century Tools. Journal Of Digital Learning In Teacher Education, 27(1), 4-11.

Ferdig, R. E. (2007, February). Editorial: Examining Social Software in Teacher Education. Journal of Technology & Teacher Education. pp. 5-10.

Holmes, A., Signer, B., & MacLeod, A. (2010). Professional Development at a Distance: A Mixed-Method Study Exploring Inservice Teachers' Views on Presence Online. Journal Of Digital Learning In Teacher Education, 27(2), 76-85.

Multiple Intelligence Theory

Howard Gardner set his sights on changing the way that intelligence is looked at.  He considered the view of a single general intelligence (“g”) as outdated and unable to account for some of the issues he was encountering as he studied individuals who had suffered from some sort of brain injury.  While his perspective was mainly that from a psychological standpoint, his theory of Multiple Intelligences soon became a “beacon of light” for educators around the world. 

                Gardner has designated at least 8 different intelligences that he believes (and in his opinion, empirical research has proven) exist in each individual.  Those intelligences include:  linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and natural intelligence.  He continues to question the existence of a ninth intelligence, existential intelligence.  In order for an intelligence to “qualify” it must meet a series of criteria.  These criteria include:  the potential for brain isolation by brain damage, its place in evolutionary history, the presence of core operations, susceptibility to encoding, a distinct developmental progression, the existence of idiot-savants, prodigies and other exceptional people, support from experimental psychology, and support from psychometric findings. (Gardner, 1983)

                Because educators grasped so quickly onto Gardner’s theory and looked for ways that it might impact what was going on in the classroom, it seems natural that we should look to see how Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences might apply to educational technology use in schools.  Gardner believes that technology is “a tool, not positive or negative” (Weiss, 2000) and believes that the use of technology in the classroom can allow for different intelligences to be “showcased” in a variety of ways.  For example, someone who exhibits a strong musical intelligence, might be highly engaged when they’re using a computer program to compose music.  Likewise, someone who is strongly intelligence in logical-mathematical intelligence, might enjoy creating a new computer program or modifying existing programming through the use of Open Source Software.  Just using the Internet might expand upon interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences due to the very collaborative nature of online resources now available.  There are numerous other ways in which multiple intelligences may be strengthened by using educational technology resources.

                Gardner cautions against seeing the multiple intelligence theory as a “educational prescription” that will cure what is wrong with students in the educational system (Gardner, 2006).  Rather, he envisions his theory as a platform for understanding about how education is to be designed for student understanding.  If teachers are using the theory correctly in the classroom, students will be given the opportunity to demonstrate or show their learning in a fashion that best suits their strengths.  Similarly, he believes that the assessment practices currently in place in the United States need to be looked at closely for their connection to multiple intelligences. 

                One of Gardner’s fundamental assumptions about his theory is that there is a relationship between genetics and culture.  Without the culture valuing a particular intelligence(s), it will not be important to the child.  Our educational systems are products of the cultures in which we live.  The role of technology in the educational system is also a by-product of our cultural value.  As we move forward, it seems apparent that technology is not going away and as educators, it is our responsibility to ensure that students are given opportunity and experiences to best use their intelligences in their learning.  It is through this design that Gardner believes that his multiple intelligence theory can make the greatest impact.  He reminds his readers that it is especially important that we not allow technology to not dictate the uses, but rather, the educator and the student. (Gardner, 1999)

 

Resources:

 

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind. Basic Books:  New York.

Gardner, H. (1999). The disciplined mind. Penguin Books: New York.

Gardner, H. (2006). Multiple intelligences. Basic Books: New York.

Weiss, R. (2000). Howard Gardner Talks About Technology. Training & Development, 54(9), 52.

Social Networking

Social networking seems to have become the glue that keeps everyone closely tied even though they may be far away geographically!  I have been using Facebook for several years and use it for both personal and professional connections.  Professionally, it has become an important part of my Personal Learning Network (PLN).  I've connected with professional organizations, other teachers, and other technology coordinators and use Facebook to share resources and suggestions.  It is a good way to keep these resources in one handy location, one that I visit daily as I connect personally with those on my "friend list".

I've not used Linkedin before.  I have looked at it, but haven't invested the time in really exploring it too much.  I guess for me it was just the "one site too many" that I really didn't have the time to commit to!  Students today are using Facebook less and Twitter more.  I do use Twitter, much in the same way that I use Facebook, but I don't comment as much on Twitter, but instead, use the resources shared by those I follow.  I can see why students, especially high school age and beyond, are using Twitter.  They can quickly type or tweet from their smart phones and those tweets pop up like texts.  In using the 140 character limit of Twitter, they've started to develop their own shortcuts for language and find acronyms for many things.

Sites like Ning are interesting to me as well.  I've had several teachers create Ning environments in which their students became someone and carried on interactions as this persona throughout the unit.  Our junior high history teacher has students join a Ning about the Constitutional Convention and they each become founding fathers of the country.  They participate as if they are the person and react as that person in history would have reacted.  Our science teacher had students participate in a Ning environment as well.  Students worked as a particular scientist and created an online museum displaying their findings.  It was a huge hit with the kids as they got to create their own Ning page.  The downside is that the Ning site is no longer free and the teachers have to pay to continue their projects.

Social networking does just what the title implies, it allows a place (or places) where people can share words, videos, photos, etc. with whom they choose!  David Warlick compares social networking to an ecosystem of sorts.  He says "we are working an information ecosystem in which we cultivate the information, we become information gardeners" (2 Cents Blog).  I think I can really identify with that comparison.  Those who cultivate their social network will see it grow and those who let it go or ignore it, will see that their personal learning network "withers" and doesn't thrive.

These are important tools that teachers can use to their advantage.  As with all social networking, responsible use is important to maintain credibility as a professional.  There are certainly negative drawbacks to using social media and I'm not sure at the elementary level, sites like Facebook are appropriate for students.  Students at the elementary level still need much guidance on what is acceptable and how something typed can sound differently then when you say it in person.  The ISTE standards of digital citizenship can be explored if you are interested in using social media with your students. 

For Diigo, the group that I chose to join is "Classroom 2.0".  I chose this particular group because I am very interested in how Web 2.0 applications are and can be used in the classroom.   I still haven't become used to going to Diigo to check in on a regular basis as many of the sites that I follow I have in my Google Reader and get new RSS feeds through that application.

The biggest drawback to any use of social networking to me is the time involved.  Sites that I can use on my phone are of the most interest to me.  I can check my Facebook, send tweets, and check emails to stay connected to my personal learning network!

Gaming

I was really excited about this topic as I thought I didn't really know as much about this topic as other technological tools for the classroom.  What I was surprised to find out is that even at the elementary level, we are already using some great gaming sites for educational purposes! Many schools are already using these tools.  Although, as stated in the Horizon Report from 2011, "the scarcity of quality educational games is impeding more rapid adoption", there could certainly be more educationally rich games available at the grade school level.  Software developers need to remain focused on developing good quality software for elementary students.

According to Katie Salen (2005), "games work as rule-based learning systems, creating a world in which players actively participate, use strategic thinking to make choices, solve complex problems, seek content knowledge, and receive constant feedback, and consider the point of view of others".  Salen, a game desiginer and professor, started the Institute of Play in 2007 to help students learn by playing games.

Gaming has the potential to reach students who don't respond to traditional teaching methods.  For students who have learning disabilities, the chance to learn by playing a game may make the school day and their learning of content more relevant and fun.  

I've had experience with Second Life, but found that it was just too time consuming for me at that point in my life.  I can see the benefit of such an environment and depending on the field that you are in, the potential to use these technologies as teaching tools is amazing. 

Augmented reality (AR) was also a relatively new topic for me, although I have an understanding of what it means and entails.  I can certainly see the benefit in using something like the ARSights, in which students can take a virtual field trip to a 3-dimensional object, like the Coliseum in Rome and not only study where it is at (by using Google Earth) but also get to manipulate around the object to see it from different perspectives.

Students again, potentially have so much experience already with using something like the Xbox 360 Live with Kinect, a gaming system that uses augmented reality in the camera system.  Bringing these tools into the classroom can only continue to enhance the environment for students.  That doesn't mean that these tools are necessary for all students all the time.  As educators, it is our responsibility to determine when using these types of technology is appropriate in the curriculum.  As I mentioned before, these tools might have great benefit for only a small portion of the student population (like special needs students), but teachers need to be aware of their availability and their implications for the classroom. 





Gaming sites explored:

Our students regularly use Starfall Reading to listen to and interact with stories of many different types.  This is used primarily with our Kindergarten and first grade students.  Students are able to navigate this site easily and they have little difficulty with figuring out what to do.

Our junior high science students have used the NDSU Virtual Cell Learning Environment as they studied the cells in physical science.  Students after using the Virtual Cell then created their own cell model based on some of what they had seen during their experience.

Lastly, I explored Whyville.  This site has been around for quite a while (in technology years), launching in 1999.  Whyville is an online presence in which children can become a citizen and actively participate in different activities.  They can create an avatar and interact with other members in a safe setting.  It seems very similar to Club Penguin, an online presence sponsored by the Disney company.  In Club Penguin, a monthly membership can be purchased and children can create their own "igloo" for their penguin, travel around the area and interact with other penguins.  My own children have played Club Penguin in the past and really seemed to like it.

Open Content and Ethical Issues

Educators have throughout history been "sharers" by nature!  If a teacher finds a good resource, it is often shared with others. It is this sharing that makes an educational community a great one!  The issue of "open content" takes sharing to another level.  According to the Horizon Report (2011), open content "allows and even encourages the re-purposing and reusing of scholarly works".  As we enter even more technological pervasiveness in the educational community from early education to higher education, it is clear that the digital resources that come to the forefront in any discussion of open content are even more relevant.  On the OER Commons website, teachers can find numerous resources that are meant to be shared, modified, and reused.  One of particular importance is the Common Core Aligned Resources.  As we move toward more integration of the Common Core, teachers are going to be looking for and finding more resources. The searchable nature of this particular website (and I know there are others, but I really like the ease of this one), allows teachers to search depending on both the resource they are looking for and the grade level.

Textbooks are also another important piece of the open content puzzle.  As the standards change, teachers need to be able to find resources that may not be available in the textbooks they are given.  Textbooks are expensive and become quickly outdated by the changing standards. The ability of a teacher to use an "open" textbook means that when a specific topic is needed, there may be a text online that meets the needs.  As we try to differentiate instruction, this again, is a helpful way to make sure that teachers are able to reach all of their learners. E-Readers are making a splash in the textbook arena.  Both e-readers and tablet computing offer users the opportunity to read books, downloaded or stored in the cloud, on their own time.  I can see that schools are going to start looking seriously at the practicality of using online textbooks with student e-readers or tablets.  Imagine the possible savings. Over time, it could be a money saver for districts who want (and need) for their students and teachers to have access to current material that can be tailored to meet their specific curricular needs.  As a teacher, I've used Google Books to preview books that I may want to use with my students and as a student, I've previewed books that I may consider purchasing for my own use.  My own children use their e-readers daily for the personal reading.  We've had so many students start to bring their own devices (BYOD) to school that we are constructing a new policy to cover the use of the e-readers or tablets in school.

Just because the technology makes it very easy for us to find and use what we are in need of, teachers need to be respectful of the rules that govern the copyright of the online resources.  Creative Commons provides guidelines for those wanting to use/contribute to the multitude of resources (including images, video, music, documents, etc) now readily available on the Internet. Creative Commons offers creators of content a "bridge from content to community" in which anyone can enter. There are differing levels of use, mostly dependent on giving the creator the control over how their content is used and ultimately shared.  The attempt of the Creative Commons is to make copyright easier and more "user-friendly".  These are important topics that educators who use technology should be aware of.  ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) includes this "digital citizenship" category in the student standards revised in 2007 (ISTE, 2012).

It is clear that these are important topics that are going to continue to come to the forefront in education.  As our access to technology continues to improve and our students come better equipped, teachers and administrators will need to understand the implications (both positive and negative) for these issues.  Open Content can provide schools with a viable alternative to spending thousands of dollars, assuming they are practicing the ethical, digital citizenship we expect from our students!

Resources

Adams, S., Haywood, K., & Johnson, L. (2011) The NMC Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition.  Austin, Texas:  The New Media Consortium.

Creative Commons. (n.d.). Licensing. Retrieved February 3, 2012, from http://creativecommons.org/licenses.

International Society for Technology in Education. (n.d.). ISTE: NETS for Students. Retrieved February 4, 2012, from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx.

OER Commons. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2012, from http://www.oercommons.org. 

In The Clouds

Educational Technology Wordle from David Warlicks 2 cents Worth blog.  

Cloud computing has become an important aspect of the educational community.  Economic times have forced schools to look for services that can be provided which bear little cost for the school.  Cloud computing allows for collaboration and sharing of ideas, projects, etc. between users without having to "store" the file on a specific computer.  Storage on "the cloud" means that anyone can have access to the file without having to open an email attachment.  Many everyday tasks can be completed "on the cloud" and many smart phones provide capability of using cloud computing. 

In my particular setting we use Google Docs for many of our teacher collaborations.  We jointly collaborate on a weekly newsletter and use Google Docs for our jr. high team discipline and missing assignments.  Our students use Google Docs for presentations and to share word processing documents.  

Another site that we've used before that is consider "cloud computing" is Kerpoof Studio!  My younger students use it to create pictures, story scenes and even movies.  They love the interactivity and if they create a login, they can use it at home or at school. Kerpoof offers teachers the chance to create a class login and assign students to different classes.  We've been using this for awhile and it has continued to add more features every year! 

Also, we use Museum Box.  Our 5th graders who study the American Revolution can create boxes about different faces of the revolution.  They can then share their box with the rest of the class.  Along with this project, they are also reading novels about the American Revolution. Use of an online tool like Museum Box allows us again to focus on collaboration and cross-curricular technology projects!

Overall, these cloud computing websites have allowed us to continue to encourage our students and staff to collaborate with each other and share their work!  

I don't regularly use bookmarking sites like Diigo or Delicious.  Mostly because I don't have the time to maintain.  I can generally share sites with my students by linking to our school website, which is easier for me and I don't have any filtering issues.  I can certainly see the value in tagging different bookmarks or blog topics and I do use tagging that is done by others.  It saves time when I'm looking for a specific topic, like "web 2.0" or "elementary".  

Many of our students have created word clouds in different classes.  There are teachers who have had their students create class word clouds about what they hope to learn that year.  Our junior high students created word clouds about the school that were used for an Open House and given to prospective students.  Personally, I use word clouds when giving presentations about technology to other teachers.

Blogging & Twittering

I guess it's time to dust off the blog and begin again! In looking back, the past year has been truly busy for me. So busy that I forgot to blog!! I created this blog a couple of years ago in order to mostly organize what was going on in both of my classrooms. When I began the blog, I was (and still am) very interested in personal learning networks. I think that every teacher has a personal learning network and I had hoped my blog would become part of mine. I spend time each day reading the blogs of others in my field and learning from them, sharing ideas and resources, and generally stay connected professionally to those not close geographically to me, but those who shared my educational technology philosophy. I never really intended the blog to become a tool of communication for the parents of my students. We have numerous other ways that we communicate with them on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. I can see the value in me keeping up with my blog to expand and maintain my professional learning network, which again, is extremely important to me!

I've been on Twitter for awhile and while I don't "tweet" as much as I could/should, it is again something that I use professionally as a part of that PLN. It allows me a quick peek into ideas or thoughts of those I read regularly without having to go to multiple sites. If someone posts a link, I can get to the site quickly and if someone poses a question, I can answer, if I feel compelled! I understand that the communication on Twitter is a two way street and I probably should respond or post more than I do, but again, it's the dreaded time crunch I find myself in all the time! In one of the linked resources for Week 2, David Pogue shares his frustration with Twitter. I think, like David, I eliminate many of the tweets that have to do with people's personal lives and try to remain focused on the professional aspects of the application.

I've mostly chosen to follow other Ed.Tech. people on Twitter, but I do have some personal "tweeters" as well. I do have the app installed on my phone and iPad, so I do check into Twitter regularly! Again, its a wonderful professional tool and an important part of my PLN.

2nd Technology Conference of 2010!

Back from day 2 of the Smart Ed. Services "Ohio Free Tech" conference and all I can say is "WOW"! First, it was free! 2 days of quality presentations, for the most part, and I came away with as many ideas (some more practical then others) as I discovered in the 2 days I was at the eTech conference in early February. I think the biggest difference between the conferences was that the focus in planning seemed to be on the attendees. Pre-registering for sessions allowed them to hold the largest sessions in the largest room. eTech just squeezed as many as possible into 1 room and then shut the doors. I think many of the presenters at the Ohio Free Tech presented a couple of times and that allowed more people to attend their sessions.
I was particularly impressed with 2 of the presenters. Tammy Worcester presented loads and loads of free and practical tools for teachers from a variety of sources. I've "known" Tammy (never met her in person, just followed her in the ed. tech. world) since my beginning days as a technology coordinator and she was a complete ball of energy! She was quick and gave many ideas/resources/concepts in a short time frame. Very organized and I was impressed! Jim Klein is the IT person for Saugus Schools in California and he presented numerous ideas for both Open Source solutions and a variety of Learning 2.0 ideas/themes. I was interested in Jim's session on Open Source software because we run Ubuntu on our data server and I think that when we first built the server, we were almost ready to ditch commercial software for the Open Source solutions. For a variety of reasons and multiple changes in the volunteer department, we didn't proceed. Jim's passion and enthusiasm for what he does is obvious and I now really want to take a second look at what we've planned for and how we could make some important changes. I think the best idea that Jim presented was that all of the technology in the world doesn't "make" students' learn, we must give them a platform to share their learning with the larger community.
The conference also included many other fantastic presenters. Dr. Jamie McKenzie was on hand both days and shared with us his ideas for higher order thinking skills and how technology integration can move on from being "scooped up and smushed" information to creating original content. I've read many of his articles and it was nice to see him present in person.
I certainly give kudos to the Smart Ed. Services people for planning and pulling off events like this one. I hope they continue to do this type of conference and continue to attrack quality presenters like this year. Very well done!

Next Novels for Literature Circles

Still trying to finalize which novels the 5th and 6th graders will be reading in the next few weeks. I've consulted with our History teacher and the 5th graders are studying the Revolutionary War so I think we'll go with that theme. Novels I'm considering currently include: "My Brother Sam Is Dead", "George Washington's Socks", "The Fighting Ground", and "Hope's Crossing". I still need a couple more choices for the 5th graders.

I had titles ready for the 6th grade, but then decided that maybe featuring African-American authors might be a great theme. Some titles for the 6th graders include: "Elijah of Buxton", "Bud, Not Buddy", "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry", and "A Friendship for Today". I think those titles provide some variety for the 6th graders to choose from. I'd like to find a few more choices. I still have a few days to decide. For the 6th grade novels, I'll be including some author activities as well as having the students study where the novel takes place. That along with their regular Literature Circle jobs should lead to interesting discussions. For our last class novel, we didn't do the Literature Circle jobs and I think the kids liked changing things up a bit!

And I've decided...I'm a book junkie! I could spend hours at the library finding books and even more hours reading them!! Have a great week!

Reflecting on eTech Ohio 2010

I had to return a day early from eTech to attend a funeral, so unfortunately, I missed 1 day of motivation and exciting presentations. One of my colleagues and myself attended both Monday and Tuesday sessions last week. One of the things that I find the most interesting about attending a conference is the amount of new energy I return with and the willingness to jump in and try new ideas. Because this was a technology conference, I was particularly interested in how I can energize my teachers with new project ideas and resources.

It had been a couple of years since I last attended the eTech conference and I was pleasantly surprised at the availability of wi-fi throughout the conference center. I only wish that sessions that were totally filled could've been live streamed for those of us who couldn't get into the room. I attended a few sessions on making movies in the classrooms using a variety of resources. While we've used movie making before as a project outcome, it was helpful to see other options and ideas. I really like the idea of building "digital backpacks" for students to utilize when they tackle a movie or digital picture project.

Twitter was another popular topic for a few of the sessions at the conference. I use twitter mostly as a professional development resource. I follow lots of other educational technology folks and I learn alot from them, even though I don't always "tweet".

Monday's keynote for the afternoon was David Warlick. I've followed David for a few years now and he's certainly someone who knows of what he speaks(although now when I read what he's written I hear it with a southern accent!)! I could've listened to him for another hour. He talked about building your Personal Learning Network (PLN) and showed us some new and some not so new tools for adding to your network. To me, personal learning networks are the heart of my personal professional development. They are key to helping me discover new, sometimes better ways of accomplishing tasks. They provide resources and support when needed. I'm a firm believer in not re-inventing the wheel and my PLN helps me greatly!

Overall, I was glad to have attended the conference and hope that my enthusiasm continues. It is the kind of "re-charging" I need in February! Now, if we can only find the funds to do what we want!!

Independent Reading with Middle Schoolers

I believe that one of the biggest contributing factor in developing good readers (in terms of fluency, critical thinking, etc.) is that students have enough time to read. While I see both of my Language Arts classes for several blocks each week, I want them to read outside of class. They have a library time each week and they seem to spend most of that time trying to figure out how to get out of the library.

Our librarian, beginning to get frustrated with them, searched for an idea to make them want to read. No, we didn't bribe them with gifts, cash, or extra recess! We came up with the "Passport to Reading". We gave them a goal and we gave them choices. We came up with the required genres that we would like them to read (including a free choice or two), they will choose the order and they can read the stories that interest them.

After they read their selected novels, I will have them fill out a "book talk" sheet with basic information including what they liked and/or didn't like about the book and if they would recommend to another student. To meet curriculum requirements, they will then present a short live "book talk" to the class. After completing this requirement, they will get their passports stamped. Each passport entry (both their summary sheet and their live book talk) will earn them points for class. They'll have the rest of the school year to work on their passports and if they read above and beyond their goals, they can earn chances for extra prizes at the end of the year.

They seem really excited about this new activity. I hope we can keep that great spirit going for a few more months!!

It's My Journey

I've really struggled with where to take the direction of this blog. Technology resources, teaching experiences, professional development, or my personal educational journey? I guess it really doesn't matter. All of these topics are important to me. They are what I've built my career on. My job isn't just a job, its my career. Finding technology resources, learning more everyday about best practices in education, sharing my enthusiasm with other teachers and learning from them, deciding on the next path on my journey...all part of my career. So, I guess it's ok to jump around and talk about what is important to me, it's my blog, after all.

So, while I don't really know if anyone in the blogosphere is reading...it really doesn't matter. This blog is an important part of my educational journey.

Books We're Reading...January 2010

My 5th graders recently finished a Literature Circle with Newbery Award winners. They read A Long Way From Chicago, Holes, Rules, The Princess Academy, and Ginger Pye. I'm always excited when they get excited about a book. Some are now reading books that they didn't choose for their Literature Circle. Some are exploring sequels to their books. Some even bought their own copy to keep at home! They are reading and I love it!!

The 6th graders also recently finished a Literature Circle. Their focus was on the mystery/survival theme. Their novels included: Among the Hidden, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, The Westing Game, and Hatchet. One of my students has decided to continue reading the Among the Hidden series (Margaret Peterson Haddix). Another student has decided that he likes how Gary Paulsen writes and has borrowed a couple of his books from the classroom library.

I don't think I would necessarily classify many of these students as reluctant readers. Many certainly didn't think they enjoyed reading at the beginning of the school year. They thought it was a requirement of school that they trudged through regularly. I wanted them to have some control over what they were reading, while still reading quality novels with good themes, writing styles, etc. The Literature Circle has made that possible. It's totally time consuming and totally worth it. They handle their "book discussions" like professionals. I'm so proud of what they've done and we're only 4 months in to the school year.

The 5th grade will take a couple of weeks to hit a genre study in their reading text. The 6th grade will spend the month of January reading Flush by Carl Hiaasen.

I'll keep you posted on their progress! As for me, I'm trying to read some of the Newbery Nominees for 2010. Those awards are handed out later in January by the American Library Association.

New Year...Happy 2010

I always seem to have big ideas and then life has a way of consuming all of your time and the big ideas get smaller and smaller. I had every intention of continuing to blog about things technological...wellllll...three kids, two of whom have started in a new school, one who has started preschool, numerous family issues, and various assorted new job tasks have piled up and the time I had hoped I could spend changing the world with my blog has disappeard.

With the beginning of the new school year, I began to teach not only the technology portion of our school curriculum, but also Language Arts to grades 5 and 6. It has been fun, challenging, and has kept me busier than I could've imagined. That, together with a complete break down of several key components of our school network, has nearly plunged me into the abyss of a depression.

So, as we begin a new year, I am hopeful again that I can use this platform to expand my personal learning network and continue to engage myself in new ideas for my colleagues and my students.

The End of the School Year

The ending of a school year typically brings shrieks of joy and excitement from students and teachers alike. It’s getting warmer and harder to keep the attention of students who would rather have extended recess all day long. Who can blame them? Sometimes I’d rather have recess too! For some teachers, this is the time of year when they can wind down and relax. Take a few months off and recharge their battery for the next school year. Relax. Sit by the pool. Read books for the pure enjoyment. Sleep in.

For other teachers, summer recharging means going to class!! Some teachers actually recharge their internal batteries by going back to school. Taking classes, attending workshops, and learning about new methodologies and strategies for improving their classrooms and their students learning. Interesting concept! I think the misconception is that students stop learning over the summer vacation. They don’t. Their learning experiences change from books and classrooms to zoos, parks, pools, friends, and vacation spots. Teachers really aren’t any different. Instead of being in front of the group, they are sitting in classrooms learning about something new or changed. Instead of lunch or bus duty or faculty meetings, there are conversations with other educators about what works.

For every teacher who takes classes, reads a book about education, works collaboratively with colleagues about the upcoming year, thank you! You are helping to restore teaching to a more glorious position! Too often, teachers and schools are put down because of a flawed system. Red tape, hoop jumping and other pitfalls prevent teachers from doing an effective job.

So, if you’re sitting around in your classroom after a very busy, warm day, wondering how you could possibly have the energy to sit in summer classes and attend workshops, fear not! Believe me, attending those workshops, sitting in classes, even reading a book about education will give you renewed hope and enthusiasm for the coming year! And it’s an added bonus that you are changing the perception of schools and teachers. You’ll be proud that you took the step and accomplished something positive for your students and yourself!

Event Based Learning Meets Great Technology Integration!

Our junior high science teacher picked out two modules of Event Based Learning for her science classes this year. The 8th graders studied physics, mathematics, design while working through the "Thrill Ride" module. The "Thrill Ride" module is explained as:
Thrill Ride! allows students to explore Newton's Laws of Motion and other basic physical science concepts in the context of amusement parks and roller coasters. A contract to design a ride for a new amusement park provides students with a reason to learn. And as with all Event-Based Science modules, much of the information that students need is provided in the pages of Thrill Ride!. However, more information is needed. Information from the Web about real amusement parks and ride design companies will add to the authenticity of your study.
They studied numerous physics concepts, researched, designed, and ran many different trials of their own "Thrill Ride". There were roller coasters, water rides, ferris wheels, bumper cars, swinging ships, and the ever dangerous, dead-drop ride. Students spent time developing their ride, noting the laws of physics evidenced in each ride. They created safety brochures to give to potential riders and they had to make sure they had put safety features in place for their rides. The most important part of this event based module was their connection to the topic. They will be visiting an amusement park as part of their class trip and they will be expected to take part in many different activities related to their curriculum while they are at the park. They were highly engaged throughout the process and the learning of the physics concepts that took place was amazing!
Not wanting to be left out, the 7th graders were fortunate enough to get to complete the second module purchased "Survive!". From their module:

Survive? allows students to explore concepts related to animals, heredity, diversity, survival of the fittest, and evolution in the context of the discovery of deformed frogs in Minnesota.

In Survive? students play the roles of scientists who have been sent to explore a newly discovered island and report their findings and predictions in the form of a museum exhibit.

They have become scientists who are exploring where frogs were found with deformities and their job is to find out why. They are making use of a class Ning, in which they have assumed the identity of their scientists and are communicating the results of their research to the outside world. They are posting pictures of the animals they are finding and their job will be to create a museum display that will be visited by the rest of the school. As part of their classroom Ning, they will join different groups of scientists looking for answers to the deformed frogs.
The most amazing learning is taking place. Their teacher was concerned that they wouldn't learn the concepts that she wanted science-wise, but they are certainly proving her wrong. They are using terminology that indicates they are learning the desired concepts.
The most difficult part of this interactive learning is how to effectively assess that everyone is doing their part and keeping on track. We've developed a rough rubric that will allow for us to check each part making sure they are all completing the requirements of their task!
As a note, the class Ning is remaining private even though students have created "alternate" identities of their scientists.

Microsoft Helping Send Teachers To NECC!

Microsoft is offering scholarships for teachers to attend NECC 2009! As part of the application process, they are asking educators to explain "how Microsoft can help you teach better?" I'm not sure there is any easy or correct answer to that question. I think that Microsoft could offer the tools to help in my student's learning. Right now, students at the 4th grade level who are studying Ohio history are using MS Word to create posters about inventors. Students use Microsoft products to create presentations, videos, timelines, web pages, graphs, stories, and many other products!

Still the most important part of planning a lesson that uses technology is knowing that using technology is appropriate for that lesson! Using technology because you have it isn't always the most effective way to teach a lesson or "get" a concept through to your students!

Teachers must know the curriculum they are teaching and understand how Microsoft products can help them in teaching their standards!

Professional Development

One of the most frequently visited branches of my PLN (Personal Learning Network) is iLearnTechnology. Recently featured was a post about Mike Summers, who commented that we spend so much time revisiting the same questions about education, learning, and teaching. We all know the answers, but seem unwilling (or unable) to affect the changes necessary. I was so intrigued by the way that Mr. Summers wrote about how frustrating it is to spend time going around and around, how he felt after he read and re-read so many edublogs about the possibilities of educational technology. I will agree with some comments made on his blog and others. Relevant professional development is the key to successful integration of technology into educational settings. If teachers see the inherent value of the technology integration, along with being given the time to explore, see the outcomes, explore the difficulties, and collaborate with others, it will work.


I tell my colleagues that we have to meet our students where they are at and go from there to give them the best educational experience. Administrators have to meet their teachers where they are at and create professional development opportunities that allow teachers at all integration levels to grow their knowledge and experiences. It will and can work.