Leaving our Teachers Behind

I just got back from co-presenting at the Expeditionary Learning National Conference in Portland, OR with Stephanie Gallegos.  Our presentation relied heavily on technology - which has become an essential part of our active pedagogy.  We brought with us iPods from our classroom, we were going to have the participants use TodaysMeet.com to have an ongoing conversation with us during the presentation.  We were also using the iPods for video and music as part of our instruction with them.  I was quite shocked to find that there were many participants who did not know how to use the iPod.  I've been living in my little technology world with my students, that I have lost sight that there are many teachers who are not literate in technology, and some are even resistant to the new technology.  It makes me think a lot about how we have high expectations for students and technology...but do we have high expectations for our teachers to learn this? I keep thinking, how are we going to move our students into the 21st century when some of our teachers can't get there?  How are going to raise the bar without leaving our teachers behind? 

A Review on "Do Web 2.0 Right"

The last time we met as an E2T2 cohort, David gave us an article from the publication Learning and Leading with Technology from February 2011.  The title of the article is "So Web 2.0 Right"  The article is not a step by step guide on how to incorporate Web 2.0 tools, but more of a philosophy of Web 2.0 tools to consider.  The author, David Light, went into 22 schools and interviewed 39 educators throughout the country about how they incorporated Web 2.0 tools.  

As I was reading this, I found myself agreeing on what Light found based on what my experiences have been thus far with incorporating some of these tools into my own classroom.  Light writes that "we identified three elements that have clearly shaped how these teachers used Web 2.0 to create sustained, meaningful communication among their students:

• instituting daily practice
• carefully considering the audience
• teaching and enforcing appropriate behavior (11)"

Instead of using these tools as "special projects", teachers should use these tools "the same way adults use them in a social or business context(11)."  When thinking about this, this makes sense, especially when you look at standard #2 of  National Education Technology Standards (NETS)  for students.  This standard requires students to use digital media to communicate and work collaboratively. If students are using a daily blog or wiki to help build a common understanding of content, instead of just during "special projects" they are more likely to be motivated to use the tools, and use them correctly and more effectively.  

I was surprised about the section about audience and why some students don't post on a classroom/public wiki or blog.  While we have our entire reading class posting on their blogs, we are having a difficult time getting our entire social studies classes posting on the wiki.  Some students have forgotten their login information, and I don't have access to that, and wikispaces doesn't make it easy to get that information.  But I wonder if students fear posting their opinions because they don't have the trust in their classmates.  Which is what part of this section on audience discusses.  I will need to further think about this. 

Appropriate behavior is key on the web.  Just like we need to teach our students how to behave in class, and how to behave in groups, we need to teach appropriate web behavior.  I wonder what and how these teachers do to build online communities of appropriate learners and behaviors?  The article doesn't go into how teachers do this?  What do teachers in E2T2 do?  I'd love to hear your strategies...

Noel 

Peaks and Canyons

I would have to say that our reading blogs are going very well.  Students have gotten into the routine of getting their iPods at the start of class, silent reading and blogging their inner voice.  Stephanie and I have gotten into the routine of providing feedback on their blogs weekly.  This has become a well oiled machine.  What hasn't become routine, is students posting feedback to each other.  We have set each student up with a blog buddy.  They are to be posting a star (something that student is doing well) and a stair (something that student can work on) using the class rubric that we created earlier in the year.  However, not everyone is posting.  Students are to be posting on their blog buddy's blog during the first few minutes of tech class twice a week.  I wonder if Stephanie and I need to incorporate time in our class to ensure that this happens more regularly.  At least until it becomes routine.  

The Social Studies Wiki has yielded some AMAZINGLY deep thinking from the 6th grade.  I am blown away by it.  But I am disappointed by the lack of student involvement.  It seems to be a select few who continue to post.  So we are not reaching every student with this Wiki.  I wonder why - is it because some students fear posting because of spelling, or is it more of a technological issue and they can't remember their log in?  Or are they done with the topic?  We are about to launch into our next investigation - Mexican Immigration - a highly charged topic that may elicit more comments.  Any suggestions on how to reach all students with the Wiki?

We may try Survey Monkey and take a climate/readiness survey.  Will keep you posted...

Chapter 6 Review

I like how it was suggested in Chapter 6 of Reinventing Project-Based Learning that teachers should "Take time to inspire interest and learning what students already know and care about (95)" before launching a project.  Creating an immersion into a project helps to inspire and excite students about the upcoming work.  It may also help to aleviate student concern over the project as well if they aren't thrust into the project. 

I agree one hundred percent that teachers should teach "the fundamentals first (100)."  From experience, it is important to front load students with knowledge to give them the self confidence that they will need to perservear through a project.  It is difficult to, when first starting off, to identify what the fundamentals are, and easy to overlook things - especially with new technology.  Therefore, it is essential that you be transparnet with your students.  When you find you have made an error, and you need to take a few steps back with your students, you have to be able to swallow your teacher pride and take those few steps back with your students in order to move them forward.

There are a few things I would like to investigate further:

• I would like to see examples of Project Logs of Project Journals - sometimes I need to see examples of things before I can move forwad with them.  
• I would also like to further check out Screencasting - I have not heard of it until reading about it in this chapter. 

 

Cool Site - TodaysMeet

Last week Stephanie and I attended iPod training from Apple.  This was set up by the district for the recipients of the classroom sets of iPods.  We learned about a website called TodaysMeet.  It is a really neat site.  It acts somewhat like a Twitter account, but it is less binding -  to add comments, you don't need to create an account, and you don't need an email account.  But, you are limited to what you can post - you can only include so many characters.  A teacher can create a TodaysMeet address, and can open it for a day, week, month, whatever.  Students can access it during class time, and it can act as a way to post as a ticket in/out the door, as a way to post questions, comments during class, as a way for teachers and students to provide feedback and a way for teachers to adjust instruction based on student posts.  Teachers don't even need to have iPods or iPads...if you are in the computer lab for the day or whatever, create a TodaysMeet site for that day.  One drawback is that you can't delete posts once they are posted, and therefore, if you post without spell checking, you can't change it.  It is a free site...I think it has been up for about 2 years now.  We have been using it for a week now, and almost daily.  Students love it, we love it.  Feel free to check our posts out - be warned though that we use it in a variety of ways.  It's a constant feed, and jumps from topic to topic depending on our prompts, but the thinking is good.  http://todaysmeet.com/falk-gallegos

Noel

Suggestions?

Anyone out there have experience with Voice Thread?  What have been your successes and failures?  I have had great success with blogging and wikis and my class is about to start their photo essay product.  So I am not sure if adding voice threads would be a burden or add to the curriculum...voice threading would not happen until spring...  Any thoughts out there?

Reflections on Management Strategies for Teachers and Learners (Chapt. 5)

The idea of using a "project calendar" as suggested in Chapter 5 of Reinventing Project Based Learning seems like a simple suggestion...but it is a MAJOR element to a successful project and therefore, a suggestion that is worth its weight in gold!  Our 6th grade team has a website that we maintain together.  Each content teacher has their own "page" with a calendar of due dates.  So students and parents can access homework and due date information whenever they need it.  It has been successful, and having this website truly allows us (the teachers) to mold our students into becoming more responsible for their learning.  This chapter discusses using a web based calendar, or a paper calendar, or magnetic calendar...but I suggest you use them all.  Not all students have access to the internet at home, and all students should have equal access to important due dates.