If you recall, I was creating a webquest for my genetics section. Well, it's done and here it is!!
Journey to the Center of the Cell - the website's a little rough, but I still have time to work on it before I show it to students. It's the content that's important.
And for those who want it in all one succinct package - here's a link to a google doc.
That's all I really wanted to say in this post. It's short and sweet. So here's a cute cat video.
So, I'm going to begin this blog with one of my favorite songs:
Appropriate? Of course it is! This post is about what I've learned from this course and what I want to know more about. Mulan learned that she is not who everyone thinks she is and that she doesn't know who that person is herself. See the connection now? Good! Let's keep going.
First, a bit of reflection of my own - I've created my second podcast reviewing the final learning objectives for this course.
Why is it important for all teachers to integrate technology into the lessons they teach, regardless the age of the students or genre that they teach? Or is it?
It is! And I think I covered this in my week 9 post, but I will reiterate in short form. Teachers will never go out of style - a passionate person speaking about a subject they love can inspire. Technology however, will constantly change. Wait, this seems like the opposite argument . . .what's going on here? Bear with me. While we stand up there lecturing our hearts out, students are getting jazzed by the latest technology. And if we can combine those two passions, think of the things we can accomplish. Here's an article by Edudemic that talks about how students are using technology. The short answer is - for almost everything. According to that article 96% of college students have experienced an online component to their courses. NINTEY-SIX PERCENT! If colleges are moving to embrace technology, we can not do our students the disservice of not doing the same.
Discuss what may be barriers to technology integration and how you as the teacher can overcome them.
Appropriate to this discussion.
In my opinion, the biggest barrier to technology integration is funding. Most of the technology that I have taken advantage of in my classroom came from me. I used my tablet, my laptop, my webcam, etc. to make my classroom a more interesting and inviting place. In the last couple of years, we have acquired a great deal more technology for the classroom - laptop carts, smartboards, student information systems, etc. But all that came because the funding was put in place to do so. School boards and the public in general needs to see that technology is an integral part of our society. As a teacher, its my job to show them. To make my programs and resources visible to them in fun and interesting ways. I want them to say "Wow, that's great! How can other teachers do that?" By being a futurist, I can encourage and inspire others to come along with me. I want students to show their parents the great work their doing using Animoto or Vimeo and have the parent attend PTO meetings and discuss the great uses of technology and have it spread from there. Like that old shampoo commercial - and they told two friends, and they told two friends and so on and so on. Here's a great article that can help get parents on board and riding the technology train. One of my favorite parts the the "Follow up with parents" step. Inviting parents in to see what their student has done or other students have done is a great way to get people excited. One year for parent teacher night, we ran a looped video that showed students doing science. It was a big hit!
Another barrier to technology integration, sadly, may be the teacher. Some people are just fearful of technology. One of the fears they have is not knowing how to use it and their students getting some advantage they didn't know about that will decrease the rigor of an assignment. Its an understandable problem. Marc Prensky writes about it very well in his article about Shaping Technology. He says "resisting today's digital technology will be truly lethal to our children's education," and I agree with him. We cannot fall back on old ways with the new ways out there waiting for us. So, my solution is to be a teacher to my fellow teachers. I want them to feel like they can use technology without fear of something going wrong. They have to know that (in most cases) their "dabbling" as Mr. Prensky puts it, is not going to break anything. I'm planning on having Tech Tuesday at our monthly meetings at school to introduce new technology to my colleagues. And then, they can introduce it to others and so on and so on (see the theme here?). I love technology and I love teaching, so I can combine two passions into one and help my fellow teacher. Some of the tools I will be covering come from Edudemic's 100 best Web 2.0 tools. Things that will be helpful to everyone like Diigo and Wordle.
Personal Learning Network
Throughout this blog I've talked about the framework I'm constructing for my classroom and my colleagues. To put a formal name to it - it's a PLN. I'm connecting to others through this class, through Diigo, through the interview process with Mrs. Carney. Plus, I get to bring all of this information back to my colleagues in my department and staff meetings. I get to bring everyone who gets excited about technology into my personal learning network. And that's just the start - I'm planning on reaching out to experts to speak to my class through Skype and Google+. I'm planning on continuing my role in my district as a technology go-to guy so that when people find new things to share, I can get in on the action. I think having an open mind about technology can really help lead to a better place for teachers and students alike.
So, this is my last blog post for this class. What should it be about? Technology!! Yes, that's right, the theme of technology continues. Shocking, I know.
Where is technology going in the classroom? That's a really great question that I challenge anyone to try to answer. My answer (and it is by no means complete) is that technology is going personal. Here's one example of what I mean. Technology is moving into the students' pocket. Cell phones are becoming more and more powerful and more and more useful for education. In the example above, his classroom is effectively going virtual - students are able to learn at school, at home, on the bus, or wherever they happen to be. And his classroom is getting support from Verizon!
Does everyone have a cell phone now?
There is a wonderful quote by Sister Rosemarie DeLoro - "You can't stay in teaching and keep going to the old ways." And I agree with her. She's been teaching for 60+ years and she knows what's up. And the new ways seems to be working. This article from US News & World Report discusses how teachers and administrators feel that new technology is improving student performance and even attendance. The article goes on to say that the numbers aren't there yet to show that technology is improving test scores, but if the teachers are seeing more productivity in their students, then something good must be happening. But the technology (much like anything) is just a tool. It's not the technology that drives the learning, it's the teachers. William Astore of the Huffington Post wrote an excellent article about this topic. He and I are of the same opinion on distance learning (online, correspondence, etc.). The one online course I took I really couldn't tell you what I learned. There was no delivery of material, it was just reading and writing down what I read in my own words. This isn't going to excite young minds to learn. So while technology is moving forward, we as teachers have to move with it because we're a critical part of the system.
With that in mind, I interviewed Mary Carney, a history teacher at Dracut High School who has been adapting to new technology for several years now. As her blog work is with students, it is not public, so I won't link it here. Suffice to say, she is a dynamic teacher that is really embracing the technology movement. Click on the picture to read the complete interview (which I have placed in a separate post in the interest of brevity).
Read my interview with the amazing Mary Carney!
Its no wonder that Mary & I are good colleagues! We believe in the same basic principles of technology in the classroom. Technology is great, but will never replace a teacher. One of the great things I took from the interview was that she uses her blog to connect with parents as well as students. This is a great way to get parents to see what the technology is doing and can be used for. Often parents are a bit afraid of technology, leaving them out of the loop on a lot of things that are happening today. By getting them used to communicating through blogs/websites/social media/etc. they can learn the challenges that their students are facing and then help them to grow into better digital citizens. And blogging is just one way - here is an article by Adam Steiner (who may have worked in my district for a year) about ways to connect to parents through technology. He gives great advice on blogs, email newsletters, website and more to help bring parents into the classroom. As he mentions, studies have shown that an active parent leads to student success. By helping bring in parents, we can help our students be more successful. And technology can help!
For those of you who are interested in learning more about using technology with your students, I've included a few links to get you started: Blogging - http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/blogging-with-students/ Social Media - http://www.teq.com/blog/2013/07/7-steps-on-how-to-use-the-new-edmodo/#.U_TF7Pk7vWc Technology in general - http://www.edudemic.com/9-wrong-and-8-right-ways-students-should-use-technology/
As the last article suggest - technology is amazing, but it is just a tool in our every growing toolbox of teaching implements. Just like when a shop teacher hands over a saw, we have to teach our students to be responsible with the tools they have available to them. We don't want them cutting their hands off with a saw, do we? Are cell phones as dangerous? Maybe not physically, but they can be used in ways that are harmful to themselves or others. We don't get good carpenters without training them. What makes us think we will get good digital citizens without training them?
Interview with Mary Carney, High School History Teacher Me: How has technology changed during your tenure as an educator? M. Carney: I have taught for 9 years in the same high school. In that time I have transitioned from using an overhead projector with transparencies, to a projector that connects to a pc, to a mobile smart board, to a permanent smart board with a laptop that has the appropriate smart software. In 9 years I have not had the same level of technology for more than a year or two. On one hand it has been wonderful to see the level of technology increase and on the other hand it has been a constant job to keep up with the changing technology without the appropriate professional development or technical support. There has also been a tremendous change in student data software. I began my career keeping physical grade and plan books. All discipline referrals were hand written and submitted in person (often prompting a conversation between myself and the administrator about the situation). Book lists, attendance, and other administrative tasks were all paper based. While the implementation of this new software was unnecessarily difficult, the end result is a much more efficient and certainly more earth-friendly system. Additionally, the technology available to students has increased dramatically in the 9 years that I have been in the classroom. When I began, many students had cell phones that functioned almost exclusively as phones. Throughout the last decade texting, social media, smart phone technology, and addictive smart phone games have all entered the classroom with positive and negative results. While the students have the amazing new ability to access virtually all of the world's information at their fingertips, they are constantly distracted with games and social media.
Me: How have those changes changed the way you teach? M. Carney: I have tried to adapt my practices to keep up with technology. Of note, I have moved most of my content to an online format that supports the in-class instruction. I use a free online blog format to provide notes, class announcements, parent information, extra credit, and homework to my students. I believe that the blog has been a great change in the way I assign homework because my students can interact with the homework in a way that replicates work they will have as professionals. Each homework assignment is a blog post that consists of reading, a video, a webquest, audio, or an interactive activity and several questions. In the field of history, this is especially important because it breaks the students free of the narrow thinking that textbook sections and questions require and promotes higher order thinking skills. It also requires students to develop computer skills that will serve them in a modern world. Finally, it allows them to see the academic use of the internet that they will encounter in college.
One goal I have for myself this year is to incorporate the new technology in our school more in the day to day lessons in my classroom. Specifically, I want to learn that many ways I can use my smartboard and its corresponding software now that it is fully available.
Me: What do you think is the next trend in technology and the classroom? M. Carney: In the field of history and social studies, like many other fields, I hope the next trend is the globalization of the classroom. It would be amazing to facetime/skype with high school students from around the world. It would be wonderful to learn about other cultures from the people of the region itself. Imagine the experts that can be brought directly into the classroom through new technology. However, I feel so strongly that this all will be so much more meaningful in small classes with professional teachers leading them. There is so much value to online learning but I worry that society will lose sight that it is a distant second to a professional, passionate adult in young people's lives.
Me: What is one piece of technology that all students should have access to in a classroom? M. Carney: Honestly, I do not think there is any one thing that exists today that will level the playing field for all students. As soon as every student has a brand new ipad, a new and even more powerful device will come out and change everything. In a perfect world, a device that can only be used for educational purposes would be wonderful but that is impractical so we need to teach kids how to manage technology and their attention spans.
Me: What is one piece of technology (hardware or software) that no teacher should be without? M. Carney: An electric tea kettle or coffee maker. Just kidding (sort of). I think that teachers need to have a reliable device (laptop, tablet, etc) with a constant and strong internet signal and the ability to project. I also think a fully functional, user-friendly student data system is critical for the operation of a school. Much like my answer to the previous question, I think that more than any specific device, teachers have the responsibility to adapt to new technology constantly and districts have the responsibility to acquire this technology to the best of their ability and train their staff regularly.
I would like to thank Mary Carney for her excellent and enthusiastic participation in this project. I look forward to working with her on advancing technology in the future!
This week's blog post is about digital storytelling. Digital storytelling is just what it sounds like - telling a story using digital resources. Kathy Schrock has an amazing page of collected digital storytelling resources. Here's an example of one that I created as a representative project for the Biomes Lesson Plan that I use in my class. The students normally create a poster to show off the biome they've selected, but with Animoto, you can create short videos to do something very similar. Here it is:
We can use tools like this to help our students meet the standards that we strive for them to reach. For this project we could link to the following two Common Core standards (taken from corestandards.org):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.2.A Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
We can also use this for technology standards (ISTE) 3b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media 3c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks
Reflection:
Having actually gone through the process of creating that video, I'm thrilled to add it to my curriculum! It was so fun and easy for me to put together a simple 3 minute video. I will actually use this video as a demonstration to my students for what I expect them to create. The process was simple enough for any student that can do a Google search. I think students will find this process interesting and engaging and means they no longer need to buy posterboards. It took me about 20 minutes to create the whole thing, so I would expect it would take them about twice that - so, conveniently, one class period.
One of the resources I found interesting was from the University of Houston website on digital storytelling. They say "Teacher-created digital stories may also be used to enhance current lessons within a larger unit, as a way to facilitate discussion about the topics presented a story and as a way of making abstract or conceptual content more understandable." This means that I can take part in the fun too! I'm always looking at the projects I assign and wonder how I would do them. Maybe it stems from me not being challenged in my education to be creative while learning at the same time. I think that if I share my own digital storytelling with my students, they will relate better to the material and to the class in general. Another resource that I could use for this particular project is Meograph. Meograph allows the creation of map-based or timeline-based digital stories. Students could link particular places to their stories - very useful in a geography lesson! Students can upload images and add music and voice to the project as it moves from place to place (or time to time). They give this example on their website - if you're a basketball fan you might like it. Plus, the image links to an article about Meograph from Visual News.
WeVideo is another great online digital storytelling resource. They are an online video editing software. Students can upload footage or import footage from other sites. They have a variety of tools based on the individuals experience with video editing. One of the best things they have is collaborative editing! Students can work together to produce a video of whatever the project might be. Again, they have an excellent video demonstration of their software.
Finally - I must thank the following website for the great images I found and used in my video. A lot of them are student created project - oh the irony.
http://biomedesertvacationproject.weebly.com/ - The Map of Desert Biomes, the Armadillo Lizard & the Food Web.
http://desertbiomepro.weebly.com/symbioticcompetitive-relationships.html - for the snake picture
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/grassland-biome-animals-and-plants.html - for the Armadillo picture
http://www.buncee.com/buncee/32676 - for the various desert images
http://bioexpedition.com/desert-tortoise/ - for the desert tortoise
http://www.glogster.com/ultmawolf/desert-biome/g-6lvg8kra9tav5aqq5micga0 - for the scorpion
http://laurentmikhail.hubpages.com/hub/Desert-Biome - for the adorable fox
https://biomee.wikispaces.com/Desert+Biome - for the barrel cactus
http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~jaliff/biome.htm - for the saguaro
http://www1.whsd.k12.pa.us/courses/J0088/Biomes_Webhunt/plants-desert.htm - prickly pears
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larrea_tridentata - for the creosote bush
