A bit of a vent...

Class sizes aren't going to change, and neither will our technology access problems/issues change.  I was sad to hear that the Director of Technology position has been cut due to budget issues.  Who is going to champion now for better access to technology?  Who is going to ensure that teachers have equal access to computer labs...because right now, that is not the case.  Who is going to finally say that computer labs are obsolete, that we shouldn't be taking kids out of our classroom to technology, but the technology should be brought INTO the classrooms?  Our students won't be proficient in 21st century skills if we keep 21 century skills only in technology class - just like we are all teachers of reading and writing in our specific content, we should all be teachers of 21st century skills - and that won't happen until we have better and equal access to what our students need.  

Noel 

Technology Glictches...

Students are completing their final of their photo essay.  They have been working on and off between Tech class and social studies and writing class - taking pictures, downloading them, editing them into black and white, formatting Word document to our specifications, pre-planning in social studies, pre-planning in writing, rough draft, revising, typing draft, revising...and revising more.  Finally, last week, all their work was coming together into the beautiful final piece.  It's been HARD work for them, and us.  Computer issues have been many, mainly...getting students onto the server, because they couldn't.  Other problems, students working faster than other kids...so what do you do when they get done?  Or how do you support those students who are seriously behind when the number of students who don't need lab time outweigh those who do?  What happens to the student project who was almost done, and the computer just completely crashed his project, and no matter what you say, it is MONTHS of exhaustive work that has been lost, and the prospect of starting over is just too much?  I don't have the answers, and it is discouraging.  

One last question...maybe someone can help?  We want students to get onto our laptops under their server log in so that we can save their project onto a flash drive while we are in the classroom during other work.  This worked for us well last year. We can move on, without having to be in the lab.  However, when students have tried to login using our laptop, Microsoft Word does not exist...and they can't pull their project up.  It comes up as a text edit box thing.  Ultimately, students can't pull their projects up on our laptops...is it because we have Microsoft 2011?  

Noel

Reflections on Chapter 7 - Keeping a Project Moving

This chapter discusses the  importance of communicating with all the teachers involved in a cross-curricular project; and ensuring students are on the right track by asking the right question and becoming an observer in the classroom.  I liked the section about asking higher order questions - claiming that these types of questions are part of the everyday life of a project based classroom.  I completely agree with this, as asking these types of questions is just good teaching.  

At one point in the chapter, the authors discuss having students ask good question (for an interview, or to form a historical question to research).  I was hoping that the authors would spend time on how to teach kids to write a quality question that would drive their own research (which is one of the new Colorado Standards for history).  I am disappointed and frustrated that this was not addressed.

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.