Google Teacher Academy Reflection

This opportunity was amazing.  I have been an Apple Distinguished Educator for 1.5 years now and love the networking opportunity.  The networking with GCT has been just as wonderful for networking.

The Academy was a neat adventure to be with 50 incredible educators and then cramming in the great wealth of Google into our brains until near explosion.  I consider myself to know lots about Google, but there were many things I found that I didn't have a clue about.  

As part of my follow up activities, I am hoping to produce a 40 things you can do tomorrow using Google in your classroom.  I would then be able to present this as a workshop to provide a condensed version of our experience.  Seeing what is possible is one way to open the eyes of educators to change.  At the same time, I want to caution educators to be careful how deep and how far they choose to go.  We want to make sure that we are using our time wisely to use what we need.  Here is where Just In Time learning comes in for teachers as well.  

I think for teachers JIT learning is almost as important as for students.  If we try and learn it all now, without direct application, it will just be added to the frustration level.  Prior to April of this year, I had experimented in Google Earth and created a basic virtual field trip.  During April of this year I was asked to share Google Earth in a meaningful way.  To me this became creating a Google Lit Trip. I have since created 2 Google Lit Trips; however, I built my skills as needed to complete the tasks.  (I still have a personal goal to learn the time coding features - but I don't have a project that needs it yet.)

I found the value of the GCT Academy in being:

1. Expanding my network of incredible educators,
2. Expanding the fly past knowledge of the Googlverse
3. Forcing me to think deeper about how to apply and present Google and its wealth of resources as meaningful tools to teachers (that may not be as eager as I can be.)

Kevin

Google Literature Trip

I had the pleasure of presenting with Jerome Burg at BC Literacy Forum conference. The link to the recording of our presentation. It does require a bit of Java install (automatically).

https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/launch/play.jnlp?psid=2008-06-19.1739.M.4E2872FEDB7D69F3FCADABF491B2F1.vcr

I cannot say enough about how pleased I am to have worked with Jerome on this presentation. I was challenged to complete a second literature trip to share and learned new information to be able to share it. In preparing, I summarized what I see as the Return on Investment.

Student Engagement
Deep Learning with Many Connections
Reaches Visual / Spatial Learners
Reading with Purpose
Cross Curricular applications
Encourages global links to sources, people and resources
Alignment with PLO’s, IML Learning Capacity and NETS-S

A personal note for teachers thinking about doing a Google Literature Trip. Try it and you will learn more about that piece of literature than you may have in studying it with your students for years.

Kevin

Web 2.0 is not the Future of Education

In response to http://injenuity.com/archives/207#comment-1109

Jen,

An interesting conversation. I have to say I found your initial post provoking; however, I understand where you are coming from.

Our District Motto is "Keeping Learners at the Centre."

I don't know that Web2.0 is the right catch all but I will work within that category. I believe students today are different than even 10 years ago. If we want to keep them at the centre, we need to change as they and society changes. I do a lot of professional development workshops and get quite annoyed being asked to teach a software title. I reflect back to the requester to tell tell me what their learning goals are and ask how this will integrate to the curriculum.

A quote from Brigham Young University that I just love is "The goal of teaching is to teach our students to be learners. The content is what they practice with. "

With the world changing in ways such as a online community being compared to being a country with its size and other features. Students are different and have opportunities to learn differently. A few years back (probably 10 now) Bernajean Porter worked with our Ministry of Education to define technology use in three ways - Literacy - Adaptive and Transformative.

At some point we all need the literacy level (skills), then we can move to doing what we already do (PPT) to doing things not possible before. Transformative is where I want to see most of the time spent. Voice Thread was an example discussed earlier. If we just record ourselves that is just literacy, if we use it to practice a speech that might be adaptive, but if we use it to , that could have been done before . Using Voice Thread for a global (or local) conversation with voice, text, files, annotations was not possible.

Students and Teachers don't need to learn every Web2.0 application; however, we do need to prepare students to learn and use the tools that they will need throughout their life. (I actually don't use Voice Thread myself but I can see the potential.) I love working with wikispaces.com. It doesn't matter if you use Wikispaces or PB Wiki or any other tool. What I am teaching is becoming creators of information and publishing to a limited (or global audience.) I would hope that spending time learning to write with a wiki would transfer to other wikis, blogs, voice threads, and even podcasts.

I love using technology. I see so much potential. I totally agree that learning should be central.

I question where the balance is between "I am teaching them to learn so technology is a lower priority" and "I am teaching them to learn with technology"
Kevin

Security

I had an interesting conversation yesterday about security on a school network.  The "Ah Ha" moment for me was when I was informed of the greatest security risk - the USER.  When networks become super secure, the user is encouraged to find ways around the security.  When you can't do what you believe you need to do, frustration and creativity set in.  

I found this amazing and I agree.  Last year, I was introduced to the Yes And concept....  There are three kinds of people.  

No Way - They don't want to try things and whatever you suggest is just a No Way.

Yes, But - They like the ideas but have lots of reasons why it won't, can't or shouldn't work.

and

Yes, And - These people like the ideas AND seek for ways to make them work.  There are always hurdles, and there are lots of ways to overcome hurdles.  In terms of Security, the Yes, And group is the most dangerous.  We don't take no very well and seek creative alternatives.

I had to laugh when a school district recently blocked Facebook.  In the same breath I was told about the blocking, I was informed about UnblockFacebook.com as a way around.  I realize that that may be blocked soon too, and it will have another way around it created just as fast.

In the end, if we weren't so restrictive and diligent with some forms of security, then the Yes And group could do what they believe they need to do without putting their creative energy to just getting access, instead it would be channeled into doing what is needed better.

Kevin

Grafting Mac to Novell - Burnaby School District - Ken Kiewitz

Technology in Burnaby School District – Ken Kiewitz

 

Burnaby is the 4 th largest district in BC.  Currenlty they have 4000 computers (predominantly PC based) over 53 sites.

 

The presentation focused on Visual and Performing Arts.  When you want to bring in new technology, you have four options

1. Don’t bring in new technology
2. Bring it in and run it separate from existing structures
3. Bring in the new and out with the old
4. Try to make the two work together.

 

So the model was chosen of option 4.  Now it has been a lesson in grafting.  There are 39 Mac computers working with the network to service the Visual and Performing Arts.  The metaphor works well.  You can graft, use hybrid breeding, easier propogation.  The point of grafting is to use existing strengths (such as a tree and its root systems) 

 

At the same time as adding new hardware, it had to be made to fit with the existing infrastructure.  This meant that there needed to be administrative control to make the Macs that are aimed at single user work well with multi-user environments.

 

With planning and support the integration of the 39 Macintosh computers to meet the needs of students that were likely graduating to the Emily Carr Art Institute has been successful.  There was consultation and training directly with Apple.  The project will now be integrated into the other High Schools.  The suit of tools has been provide that are designed to support ‘artistic’ approaches instead of the ‘business’ style model. 

 

Students now have an advantage when applying for work experience or further education.  They are able to share a portfolio of successful work done on the platform and with the software tools that are commonly used in these areas.

 

In conclusion – Expanding the Orchard

-       choose an appropriate site,

-       prepare the soil,

-       mitigate the hazards,

-       establish the product,

-       market the product

 

If it offers us a better way of doing something, we don’t want to stand in the way of that.  If we can address the need with existing structures, that needs to be considered as well.

Apple Digital School - Session 1 - SD42

School District 42 Initiatives in the Classroom

Rory Payment and Peter Valbonesi

 This session is an overview of technology used to support the SD42 school district.

School District Environment

 - 22 elementary schools, 6 secondary schools

 

Moodle

Connected Learning Community – recently launched the front end to the service portal.  http://clc_online.sd42.ca  - working with MAMP – Mac– Apache – MySQL- PHP

 

BCeSIS – Teachers in 9 elementary schools have been given macbooks to support the needs of BCeSIS.  While they are used for that, teachers are also doing iLife and other productivity applications.

 

SMART boards

Implemented at 8 schools and the district office.  There is a great wealth of software bundled with the SMART board that allows for high interactivity in Math and Science.

 

SEED Carts

Teachers can book carts for a term.  It is designed for two teachers to work together on project based learning.  (MS Office is purposefully not installed)  Each cart set has a different set of software available.

 

One to One

400 students in grade 6/7 (20%) in 15 classrooms.  Classroom is integrated from September to June

In terms of results, it is not about the improvements in writing.  There are so many benefits to the students overall learning and the lives of the students.

Ah ha – some students do better paper-based. 

In some cases, the school decided to load all of the special needs students into the laptop class.  The results from teachers of those classrooms is that it is easier to teach than a class with less identified special needs students and no laptops.

Learning is differentiated as students can demonstrate their learning through Comic Life, iMovie, Podcast, WebPage and more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Digital School - Keynote - Paul Witzel

Shoreline School District 1 to 1

 

A large portion of the success has been with the leadership of the Superintendent.  They are able to support with financial decisions and political ones as well.  Roadblocks are much more likely to be removed with this kind of support.

 

This success story started with a single cart for  Mathematics project 6 years ago.  An early finding is that the mobile cart was used for many other educational opportunities.  Early in the implementation all teachers were provided with a laptop. 

 

Peer Coaches were provided with release time (1/2) day per week to support their peers and funding a 0.5 tech specialist teacher.  Roadblocks and bumps in the road were removed so that teachers didn’t experience that one problem that gave them reason to abandon technology.  The 0.5 tech specialist was phased out; however, the peer coaches still continue to support.

 

Additional funding was arranged through grants and a 2 student to 1 computer ratio was established.  Programs grew and additional stakeholders came and observed what was happening.  Grade 4 to 8 became 1 to 1 and then the carts that were used for the intermediate grades moved to the primary classrooms.  In years 4 and 5, all schools in the Shoreline District went to 1 to 1 implementation.  (Changes to the support included training days,1 hour classified time, 0.2 tech specialist teacher, district technology specialists and continuation of the peer coaching.)

 

Common Agreements

-       Just right – Just in Time staff development

o      Surveying staff to assess needs

o      Differentiated instruction

-       Building-wide curriculum mapping

-       Vertical planning (discussion between grades)

 

Success :>

Over the five years of study,  students scores on the WASL are higher.  They are careful not to claim technology has made this change; however, technology integration is not a detractor.

 

Student Engagement through

            Writing

            Story Telling – engaging the family in sharing their stories

            Movie making – take existing clips, remove audio, create own tracks

           

Differentiation

            Projector – Visual learners, websites, modeling

            Individualize software – NLVM – Rainforest Maths – Net Trekker

                        - Achieve 3000 – United Streaming – Explore Learning

– Note Taker

 

Access – Not all students have home access or internet access

            Offer Breakfast Club

            Offer Homework Club

            Parent Classes – supporting parents to talk technology with students

 

Efficiencies

            Above and Beyond

                        Podcasting

                        iMovie

                        Communication

 

Interesting Comment to a question about Cyberbullying.

We have not have many issues with this but it is an administrative issue.  What we are looking at is just new ways of creating the same crimes.

 

http://tiny.cc/woGfO

Closing thoughts

I have now finished a whorl wind of a conference.  I have tried to blog and share my experiences.  I was very impressed with the last session I attended by Sharon Taylor.  The term VUCA will stick in my head now.

I found a bird of a feather sharing the same frustrations with much 'teaching' and same motivation to meet the needs of students.

Kevin

VUCA - Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous

Sharon Taylor - Thompson University (Williams Lake)

Henry Jenkins refers to todays students as producers(creators, collaborators, convergers) rather than consumers.  Time Magazine identified 'you' as the person of the year - with the release of Web 2.0

This was the only the second presentation during this conference that actively integrated YouTube into the session.  Many still have not seen what are now 'classic' videos with the "A Vision of Students Today" and "The Machine is Using Us."

Many of our technologies are converging.  Facebook, Wikis, Blogs are bringing many areas together.  YouTube has many remixes or mashup.

Aca-Fan is a term for an Academic in a Fandom.  There are many assumptions that 'Fan Clubs' are for younger generations.

Educators work in a VUCA world (military term first used in 2004).  This is where history happens.

Bob Johansen in Get There Early (2007) shifts this to Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Agility.

While we may not have the answers, we can network and have a quick search and get valuable information.  A starting place looking up the Abject Learner could lead to blogs from

Brian Lamb(UBC Professor), Bruce Eisner, Future Blogger, Daniel Lemire(Professor in Montreal)

We have all heard how close Wikipedia and Enclyclopedia Britanica are for accuracy.  The difference Michael Wesch highlighted was that Wikipedia's errors were all corrected in 30 days or less and Wikipedia is 15 times larger.

I found it amazing that a professor told his class how bad information about Latin American Authors was on Wikipedia.  He made it a class project to improve Wikipedia in this area.  Working for the semester only 3 articles made it to Featured status and 8 to good status. What a great way to show students that you need to be thorough and referenced and with good writing to be accepted in academic terms.  

Sharon Recommended the book, "The University of Google" by Tara Brabazon

We have no idea what our students will be doing a year or 5 years from now.  In 2003 blogs didn't exist.  Today there are over 71 million blogs (including this one).  Returning to the video that we started with is that university students are training for jobs that won't exist and not training for the jobs that have yet to be created.  We need to remember that students are adaptable and need to continue to be adaptable.  Instead of providing information, our job needs to be to build skill to create knowledge for themselves with the information that they can find.

Kevin

A final comment that Sharon made was rebutting another presentation that said students were lazy, unmotivated and disengaged.  She said they are not any of the above.  Instead they are extremely productive, motivated and engaged, but not in the world you may be teaching in still.

Designing for Success

Often first year students at university struggle or are not successful.   Working as a cohort for the first year allows a time to think and develop the ability to think.  They have three programs that use a cohort model.  The one discussed today was the Explorations program.

The content is interdisciplinary and process of learning is stressed.

Success is felt by students and staff.

The students enjoyed the smaller class size (only 100) and that the instructor actually knows your name.  

It is student focused and develops students who are involved in their learning.

It sounds like a good program is developing.  It is now in its third year and creating a positive teaching and learning experience.  It will be continuing next year with another 100 students having a cohort First Year Experience.

Kevn

Edutainment and Technotainment

Both of these methods of teaching offer opportunities to reach students and improve their learning.  This might include learning tools such as:

• multimedia
• animations
• music 
• interaction
• gaming

If we pick media that is relevant to students lives, they will be better prepared to connect to the content we are trying to share with them.

Several examples were shared including subscription service for multimedia, YouTube, Images, and Clickers.

Integration of Facebook / YouTube in Learning

McGraw-Hill Ryerson & SFU Teaching for Learning - Session 1

Social Networking Integration

This session highlights two forms of social networking - YouTube and FaceBook

The integration first involved students creating promotional videos for the Co-Op department of SFU.  A few important considerations:

• FOIPOP
  
• Legal - Copyright images, music
  
• Making the regulations achievable with reasonable effort
  

This first effort of this contest received 39 entries from the SFU Co-op community

A question from audience was about the amount of tech support provided to the students.  SFU provided links to resources and highlighting on campus support.  Some students were from graphic arts classes, but many of the top videos were students first attempt at video.

Students posted their videos to the SFU Coop Video Contest Group and the voting feature was enabled so that a 'People's choice' award could be given.

Facebook

Another form of Social Networking.  Students are very active with Facebook in Canada.  For many it is becoming a hub to keep in touch with friends and family.  While you may not have time to phone your network to tell them about your new job, you can update your status and all of your friends will have the update.

Embracing Facebook involves

• Going where the audience is
  
• More effective and efficient service/messaging
  
• Email is becoming ineffective
  
• Students enjoy being able to personalize and create a profile.
  

An interesting event is the Career Guide - Wil Fraser.  He is on facebook with almost 800 friends.  Updates can be sent to students and students can ask questions.  When Wil responds, he provides links directly to existing resources and answers from the university.  He is a character while on each of the three campuses.  

This project has integrated department support, facebook, real life interaction with him.  Wil is a person with personality, history, photos, friends and interacts with his friends.  Wil Fraser has acted as a hub for communication and community for the Work Integrated Learning Department at SFU.

Understanding Todays Youth and Educating

Max Valiquette - Youthography

Youth is defined as 10 to 29.  The distribution of the 5 year sub-groups is even so each sub-group has equal push on popular culture.  

Adulthood is starting earlier

- starting schooling by 4 years old

- if they smoke - 1st cigarette by 12

- early onset of puberty (27% of African-American girls begin puberty by age 7)

On the opposite side Adulthood is taken on in fullness later

- average age of post secondary grad - 25

- average age of first marriage - 28

- average age of first child - 29

This is resulting in a prolonged pre-adult stage

Youth value:

1. Relationships
2. Communication (70% of teenagers have a cell phone)
3. Information
4. Diversity
5. Empowerment
6. Technology (can now send message to one person with same energy as all of your network)

Max shared an interesting consideration - 24 year olds or younger are Digital Natives, while older are Digital Tourists.  (Organizing music by CD cases and titles or click on sort by artist)

Change - things used to change but the way we get them didn't.  There has now been a change in how we get them and how much we pay for it.  TV, VCR,DVD, HD TV - each time the speed and cost has gone down.  HD TV reached 70% market penetration in 5 years.  iPods have changed 8 times in 6 years.  (The Sony Walkman took 8 years to change to the walkman 2.)

Charge - Personal Control - Culture and Control on demand - You can record you TV shows with PVR, you can purchase a cell phone without a credit card on a Pay as you go system.

Challenge - The street starts to drive and dictate trends.

NBC aired a SNL show - reached 5 million - somebody hacked it and posted to YouTube - 7 million views.  The next major skit was then sent to YouTube by NBC- instead of 5 million hits - 45 million hits.

The control is changing.  There are ways now to become a member of an online company that is a large group of consumers paying a small amount of money ($35).  SellaBand allows you to own part of an upcoming artist.  There are 21 artists that have been sponsored this way for $50 000 and 3 have already paid dividends.  There is also a soccer team, and a clothing brand done this way.

We are at a stage of convergence - You need only a couple of devices - your mobile device and desktop entertainment system (cell phone and iMac).  With an iPhone you can call, watch TV and surf the internet.  Students often start research with Google.

This all leads to choice. - The number one TV show is getting less following.  Gunsmoke in 1961 had 61 million watching it weekly.  Now American idol has 30 million weekly following but 500 channels available.  (Younger people are reading less books; however, they are reading more than any previous generation.)  

Implication for Teachers - How do we move from content providers to content facilitators.  The learning environment is changing and going to continue to change.    The main branch of the library is no longer needed.  You can request from smaller branches or access online databases with the same content.  Instead the Library is the gateway to the knowledge out there;however, so is your bedroom!

(Interesting with podcasting - How do you compare to the other 'lecturers' they are watching?)

Implications for Teachers - What is official and unofficial for referencing?

While wikipedia is not considered academic, it references other works and now other works are referencing wikipedia.  Wikipedia is more current for news than any print work or 'official' encyclopedia.  Wikipedia also contains information that you will not find anyway else such as your favourite band, artist, or product.

Content Facilitators also need to be content improvers.

The top 4 websites in Canada

1. Google
   
2. YouTube
   
3. MSN
   
4. Facebook
   

The next trend will be a single online delivery system that can go anywhere we go.  Young people have redefined book, music store, and social networking.

In closing :

10 thought starters for Education

1. They are used to networked communication
2. They are more collaborative than any previous generation
3. and they have a different definition of plagiarism and copying
4. We are on the verge of the $200 laptop
5. We can't keep media of any sort of school... and by the time they get to college, it is simply expected
6. So some of the learning that comes from you might have to come on-line
7. What if you don't have the Internet - that question is the same as what if you don't have a calculator (desk, watch, cell phone, computer)
8. What is the value of 'official' source right now? Who determines what is official any more?
9. What is a career now any way - what is the right level of education for that career?
10. Remember that as a facilitator of learning you have experience and expertise to share.

Questions

How do you get students to figure out the 178 000 hits from a search?

- Instead of Googling students will be reaching out to their networks.  If you want a hotel in Paris, you would ask your network who has been there.  Then they might give you a couple of ideas, you would then tag the sites and consider the hotels.  Once you have been, you become an additional resource in your network.

I was able to speak to Max afterward and asked how a teacher can manage to keep up with the change and all of the tools that students might bring to the classroom or want to use?

- his response was interesting that we needed to reduce the workload of teachers and reduce the curriculum to allow them to spend time together learning.  It could be that every Friday afternoon staff worked in groups and one presented to the group about teaching and learning to meet their needs.

Kevin

Assessment for Learning - Kathleen Gregory

Tonight was the second session of the Assessment for Learning Series.

One of the opening quotes that was useful was that Assessment of Learning is the looking back, while Assessment for Learning is looking forward.

The focus of the workshop is on six aspects of Assessment for Learning.

1.  Making Learning Intentions clear

2.  Setting Criteria

3.  Increase the use of Open Ended Questioning

4.  Descriptive Feedback

5.  Self and Peer Assessment

6.  Ownership / Communicating Learning

Kathleen highlights the use of cards from a couple sources

Shirley Clarke - Formative Assessment in Action

and

Voices of Experience

Examples from Increase the use of Open Ended Questioning

• finding opposites
• your own questions?
• Right?Wrong? Why? (Show several answer 5 squared = 3,7,10,25,125)
• Agree / Disagree
• Give the answer - ask for strategies - Strategies - Answer - Written Evidence (SAW)
• Alternative Viewpoints

I appreciate how Kathleen engages the group with only about 10 minutes of talking then 10 minutes of work / engaged discussion time.  The time is well used providing real examples from colleagues.

The final one shared that was neat was called Review Cues - Students created an alphabet book as review (fold 11x17 into 24 squares) then pull words for each letter with

A ll letters used

I llustrations

M eaning - connections to meaning

Then to 'mark' it, students can be given an AIM, AI, AM as feedback.

While we can engage students and grow assessment for learning, eventually we need to evaluate.  To do so we take assessments of learning, observations and interactions with the students to determine the 'marks.'  The Assessment has been for learning and for the student.  The evaluation is for the school, parents and the student.  I like how evaluation and assessment were connected but aimed at different audiences.

Kevin