A Whole New World Week 10

Week 10   It's a Whole New World

How have I created a personal learning network?

It was a "Whole New World" to me just ten weeks ago.  Since then, my learning has been revolutionized.  WHEN I learn has dramatically changed.  I used to think professional development was the 3 days school would release me from work to attend a conference.   Forget about it, I have spent way more than 45 hours learning, changing, and growing in the past 10 weeks.  Finally excited, I connect to new blogs and realize that it is this very connection that helps me learn.  Relaxing to me is no longer watching an hour of TV, except for Wednesday nights....ABC's In the Middle and Modern Family are still a must see, rather I opt to fire up the computer for an hour of reading Feedly or re-reading suggested readings from our course.   The chains are broken and I am free to learn any time and every day!

This new world includes new technology.  I've enjoyed my Diigo account, not only bookmarking sites for my lessons, but also finding groups to join and reading the sites suggested from our class.  I also tried out Facebook, by accident.  I posted a comment about class and found several reply's.  Since then, I've connected with my cousin in North Dakota.  We've been sharing ways to use Twitter and the feeds we follow.  Larry Frates and I have been discussing PBL (we also connected via Facebook) He would like to team up with LRCC  and teach a course.  I've also been brainstorming with a colleague at work.  We will be collaborating on a new district initiative this summer.   Feedly has been useful too.  I follow Cool Cat Teacher Blog , Dangerously Irrelevant,  Edudemic,  and Kathy Schrock.  Only a few for now.  I really want to make feedly part of my routine and don't want to be overwhelmed with it. 

As I stated this really is a whole new world for me.  I've found it all to be so worth while, it just is happening so fast that it becomes overwhelming.  So as I figure out my new reality I will make more room for my PLN in my daily routine. 

Project Based Learning Week 8

Bok students conduct science experiments in Crooked Lake

Have you ever heard the idiom that teaching isn't for the faint of heart?    Teachers face many challenges  every day.  They are asked to balance time, standards, motivation, engagement, and assessment even before their students enter the room.  It's these challenges that make resources such as project based learning (PBL)an important tool for teachers. There are many reasons for educators to look into designing lessons and units that include problem based learning activities.  

One of the main reasons I would suggest incorporating project based learning opportunities in a middle school classroom is because it represents best teaching practices. These practices include using essential questions and designing your lessons and activities after you have developed the assessment.  Developing project based learning (PBL) units and activities begins with a driving question, or essential question, which will encourage students to solve the problem.  Designing lessons using backwards planning, such as what is described in Understanding by Design (UBD) “will advance the design of instructional activities to promote high levels of student achievement”.  PBL therefore is an ideal practice that teachers should consider using. 

Another reason to use PBL in your classroom is because digital learning encourages differentiated instruction.  Students are able to answer the driving question in different ways, unique to their skills and talents.  Teachers can create parameters around the work being done to maintain persistence, student input can be used to build the rubric which will enhance student understanding of the goals.  Web 2.0 tools, such as what Tony Vincent suggested from the Learning In Hand video,  will facilitate differentiation for student's needs and creativity.   

Although I understand the wide variety of benefits to students, you might ask why my students have not experienced one?  The truth...I have concerns.   Honestly, I have never been good with writing effective essential questions.  It takes creativity and I am not gifted with this ability.   I would like to find a unit or lesson that has already been created.  I just have not been successful finding one that I am ready to try out.  This is my first year teaching 7th grade and it has taken time to become familiar with the new frameworks.  Additionally, building a scope and sequence that meshes current events with historical concepts will be a primary focus of the work I do this summer.  (Truthfully, this course has opened up my eyes to so much that I just need time to sort through it all!)

Besides time, what will it take to get started?   Identifying a professional learning network to tap into would ease some of my hesitation. To gain confidence I can tap into PLN such as tweets on PBL on Twitter.  I have to remember that there are many people out there who have already tried them and listen to their advice.  A colleague at school is currently doing a PBL unit.  She had success with this unit when she taught 7th graders and found that it isn't working as well, even with the modifications she put into it, with the younger (6th grade) students.  I've stopped by and seen her students in action.  She has talked about some of her frustrations with planning and assessing but found that the planning she put into it in the beginning paid off.   

As you can see I think PBL is a wonderful tool to use in the middle school classroom.  I believe the tool should be one of a wide variety of methods teachers should use.  PBL is one that demands focus, planning, and dedication and for these reasons I would not recommend jumping into a unit without thoughtful decision making.  PBL can greatly benefit students and enrich the classroom but it isn't for the faint of heart.  


 

Webinar titled Flipping Social Studies Instruction; My Journey as a Classroom Teacher

Webinar Title: 

Flipping Social Studies Instruction; My Journey as a Classroom Teacher 

Are you considering flipping your classroom? Have you tried flipping a unit or a lesson? This webinar identified reasons to flip, what supports are needed to flip, and pitfalls to avoid.  Link to Webinar


This webinar was very helpful. In fact, I watched it two times. I decided to watch it twice because the instructors really outlined what it was like to flip their classrooms. They acknowledge not only their struggles but also all the web tools they are using to ensure their success as well as the success of their students. At first I didn’t understand why they spent so much time talking about their student population but by the end I realized that most schools fit into this broad spectrum and that my school can do this, that I could do this, if I wanted to.

I've been contemplating "flipping" my classroom and this webinar caught my eye.  I usually like to jump right in and bite too much off and get all stressed out, then I sort things through.  However, after seeing how much support both of these gentleman have, not only with well developed personal learning networks, but also with the webtools such as Techsmith, Safari Montage, and Camtasia Studio. I don't think I am really ready for that kind of move.  Additionally, I am new to teaching 7th grade and would like to feel more comfortable with my scope and sequence before I get all crazy changing things up again. 


Something that is more feasible would be flipping my homework and assignments.  I've contemplated  using blogger, posting videos and summaries of learning, and doing the synthesis and evaluation types of things in the classroom.  Perhaps I can find a good project based learning activity for inside the class and send them home with follow up work, something high interest.  Andy and David both stressed starting out small.  

Recently, for students who were absent and missed the lecture and reading we did in class, I listed two videos I wanted them to watch. I asked the students to write a 5-8 sentence summary and submit it via Google Docs.  I received almost 100% of their work.  I've also had students complete a primary source analysis guide using the chrome books in class.    Now that I know how to use VoiceThread, I could envision students analyzing a primary source using the analysis tool from Library of Congress and submitting their work via VoiceThread.  
 
What I am really waiting for is the end of this school year because the district has invited me to participate in a "think tank" for technology and innovation in the district.  2Revolutions, a consulting group affiliated with the NH Department of Education through their Innovation Network will be working with us. This group will work to design and implement several new projects, and further develop others already under way, that will advance the use of instructional technologies and personalized learning in our district.  So in the mean time, I am thinking, talking to other staff members who use web 2.0 tools, and observing.  I want to see what others are doing so that I can find a personal learning network at school.  For me, collaboration with others is very important.   Mr. creativity and I have a problem, but if I know someone else is willing to work with me than I know I will be more successful.  

Webinars are a fantastic way to get professional development.  This was not my first webinar.  I've participated in at least 4.  Most recently through the Library of Congress.  Live webinars are good but some times the chatting begins to feel like multitasking and I start to lose focus or get distracted.  It is nice to be able to ask questions at the end of the session once others have left the group.  Then its like a private tutorial between you and a few others.  However, recorded webinars offer flexibility that this busy mom and full time teacher needs. 

I grappled with how much to share with you. But after much reflection I decided that I wanted you to walk away with something valuable, something that you too could use in your teaching. Although I am not ready to flip my class (it appears that is much to learn and do before I make that change) I took away the power of Twitter and Google Hangout. I immediately signed up for a Twitter account and started looking deeper into a Ning they recommended called Flipped Learning network.

I felt that this webinar met two learning outcomes.
 • Promote and demonstrate effective use of digital tools and resources. Familiarize students with Web2.0 tools that may be used professionally or within the classroom environment to establish deeper learning experiences through proper curricular standard driven development.
This webinar met the learning outcome because it listed many types of tools they use in order to successfully flip their classrooms.  I was able to find each of the tools on the internet and read a little about them.  For future reference I included a link to each of the tools.  

And
 • Become familiar with current technology issues, trends and technology use within the K- 12 environment. Discuss how technology use impacts student learning outcomes.
The webinar was about a current technology issue, flipping your classroom.  I had never heard of such a thing just 9 weeks ago and now I am contemplating it myself.  Both teachers found that by flipping their classroom they were able to increase student achievement.  Students were better prepared for classwork, they were using higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy, and their engagement had increased.  

Summary of Webinar:
This webinar  spotlighted two high school social studies instructors who flipped their classrooms. Two instructors break down the process of how they came to the decision to flip their classes, the process in which the “flipping” occurred, pitfalls to avoid, and supports that helped them.

Andy’s Journey:

Andy Kastl is a social studies teacher at Clintondale High School  (Check out this website!) which is located 10 miles from Detroit, Michigan. The student population is approximately 600 students in grades 9-12 who come from the surrounding urban area. All teachers and all subjects in Andy’s school are now considered “flipped” although it wasn’t always that way. Andy was motivated into trying to flip his class because he felt he wasn’t meeting the needs of his students or being an effective teacher for his students. Homework wasn’t coming in, large numbers of students were failing, and standardized test scores were low. He was willing to try something new. He was one of a small group of teachers piloting the program in the first year.

Andy used many web tools and collaborated with different groups to make his change successful. His group was aided by Techsmith  and used Snag it (Check out the video on how educators use it), Camtasia Relay and Camtasia Studio. He spent hours digging through archived video clips, PowerPoint Presentations, and decades of lessons as he reviewed the standards. He enjoyed weeding out old material and took the opportunity to have his own “garage sale” in the teacher’s room. Consulting other staff members was a great asset because he was flipping his classroom along with a few others. He enjoyed finding new ideas for his lessons using YouTube videos and PowepointPalooza. According to Andy, making the videos was intensive and many mistakes were made. Length was a concern and he found that videos between 8-12 minutes worked the best.   Sound quality was also another concern but with time he was able to create a video library.

In order to ensure success for his students he used Google Groups to submit questions and found that students were more likely to complete the homework when it was presented in this manner. Initially, Andy reports that students were excited because they thought it meant “No homework”. A small amount of students wanted to cling to the traditional mode because it felt safe to them. He had fewer failures at the end of the fourth quarter. There are several students who do not have access to computers so he has allowed time before and after school and uses a program called Remind 101 and Edmoto to motivate students.  

David’s Journey:

The second instructor was David Fouch. He is from Northern High School near Grand Rapids, Michigan. David was motivated to flip his classroom because of the time it took to cover the AP History content compared to the length of the school year. Homework was also an issue and students were struggling with it. He felt like he was wasting time in the classroom because he could “Only go as fast as the slowest note taker”. He was also drawn to the idea of working 1:1 with his students.

David spotlighted several technologies that helped him. He was most happy with Camtasia Studio and Safari Montage. He reports that over time his videos have slowly improved and that student feedback has contributed to that improvement. David went on to describe the way he organizes his 50 minute class session. Routine homework includes watching a 5-7 minute video that he created and reading 5-6 pages in the text book. At the beginning of class he usually asks comprehension questions based upon the video and textbook. Next, he has class discussions that enrich the nightly reading and finally the last part of class is to work on projects such as writing pieces because AP History requires such a high degree of writing proficiencies. This process allows his students to gain a deeper understating of concepts, applications, and connections to content. He is using higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy than ever before. Students can receive support as needed in class without having to hold all students back.

Final Recommendations:
Both instructor recommend starting small, one lesson, one unit, and one week at a time. They also reminded us to make sure teachers were modeling the correct way to do their work at home. This is new to all students and should be modeled to them for several weeks. Both instructors warned not to be isolated in this process. People are willing to help. David commented about how Twitter helped him with resources. He was able to meet great people who are flipping their classes and they were willing to share resources. Monday night they have an 8pm #flipclass chat which was the best professional development he ever attended. They even got together in a Google Hangout. Andy recommends being collaborative with your fellow staff members.

If you are still reading......I hope you understand why I grappled with such a long summary.  I found writing the summary to extremely valuable because its saved to my blog.  I hope one day I will be ready to flip my lesson or unit and will be able to retrieve this valuable information in a snap.  Perhaps you could too!

Digital Citizenship

Week 7 Reflection The Distracted Generation

The Distracted Generation

Are you a competitive person? Do you like the satisfaction of winning? I know I do. Our students like to compete for trophies, perhaps  a “personal best”, or the blue ribbon.  I end up competing in my classroom, usually for the attention of my students.




When I first began to teach I was concerned about student attention, thinking that perhaps television was affecting their attention spans.  It seemed like students really could only pay attention to the task for 10-12 minutes.  Some people, including myself, thought that perhaps it was due to the placement of commercials in television programs. Perhaps the show would air for 10-12 minutes before inserting a break for commercials allowing movement and a distraction. 

It seems like teaching is different today.  I am not worried about competing with the television or frankly commercials, in fact I wish I was. At least I could get 10-12 minutes of attention. Now days it seems like I am competing with all different types devices and a billion distractions such as video games, texts, instant messages, and web searching. It seems like their attention spans are even shorter and there is even less time to hook my students on the lesson before they switch the remote in their heads to mute or change the channel all together. I’m not alone in this belief, both the Pew Internet Project and Common Sense Media have research to support these beliefs. 87% of the teachers in the study said technology is creating an “easily distracted generation with short attention spans.” Pressure is being put on teachers to be more interesting than the media. But, I won’t place all the blame on television or digital media. I often reflect on my teaching checking for best teaching practices and hooking my students to create motivation and engagement.   Perhaps I needed a better plan for differentiation? 

According to the PBS video Digital Nation distraction is a major problem among our students.   I felt this distraction first hand while watching.  I too checked my Facebook account, verified that funds were in my checking account to pay my mortgage, stopped the video in order to answer the many questions my kids had to ask, and checked my email.  Was I able to multitask well?  I think I did pretty good.  I was able to stop and start the video as needed and I could rewind it too.  Would I multitask if I were a student in a classroom, absolutely.  Would I always be able to do a good job?  I don't think so. 

The virtual gaming section of the video amazed me.  I wasn't aware of this world, its intense following, or even what makes it appealing. I have never played a virtual game.  After watching the PBS video I can totally understand how it would be intense and consuming.

Watch Digital Nation on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

 I have friends who play games through Facebook and I have now seen what online gaming is about.   I can understand the relationships that are built.  It is similar to the ones I build through this online course.  Although I have never met any of these people individually, I learn to respect their ideas because the work they produce is good.  However when the video introduced the idea that I  could remake the world into something I fit into, my curiosity was peaked.  For example, if I was a peasant and could play a game where I became a Queen, would I? While this particular question doesn't hook me personally, I could transcend that idea and could fantasize about becoming something different.  Like a firefighter or maybe a missionary traveling in Africa.  Now, I could be hooked.  I could try out something that I would never be able to do in real life!  Potentially with no ramifications to my personal or professional life.  Amazing.   Trying it out is less risky.  Perhaps I could find success and that I liked this new world.  Would I change my real life or just keep both worlds, separate, but keep both?  Would this dual world fill voids and make life more enjoyable?  I'm not sure, but it is fun to imagine and I suspect will create a lively conversation at the Sunday dinner table.  

Which means, I would have to unplug in order to eat.  

Our young family, the first 17 years