Monday, August 12, 2013
Rubistar - Free Choice
One of my personal commitments this year is to have clearer academic expectations. I want to do a better job of being very clear about what it is the students should know and be able to do. One great way to do that is through the use of rubrics. While for math and science the rubrics will probably take more of the form checklists, in Language Arts the use of detailed rubrics for larger projects can really help focus and guide the students in their work. They can self-assess as they make progress and make sure they are on track to have a successful project when they are finished. Below is a rubric that could be used for a 1st person narrative writing. While Rubistar lacks some of the design bells and whistles of more current educational tools, I like the ease of use and sharing capabilities it has. I definitely plan to use this program to search and get ideas for my own rubrics.
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=ShowRubric&rubric_id=2107883&
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=ShowRubric&rubric_id=2107883&
Fitness Assessment
Scenario 1: Collaboration = Harassment?
A student is using Google Drive as a writing and collaborative tool for peer reviewing. Juan and Jeremy have used the platform instead to exchange comments that involve name-calling and racial slurs. Jeremy’s parents object when his account is suspended claiming it will negatively impact his academic progress.
This first scenario is one that I really struggle with right now. I am having a hard time knowing where my boundaries as a teacher start and stop. In this scenario, things are happening within an assigned online interaction, so this is clearly the teachers responsibility to step in, but I often hear about things that were said on facebook, or comments posted on pictures in instagram. They really having nothing to do with school, but these are kids that I care about, and cyber-bullying is a real issue. It isn't realistic to be policing over a hundred online lives, but I do feel some responsibility for how my fifth graders treat each other, regardless of where they are, and what means of communication they are choosing.
The obvious issue here is that students are taking an education tool and using it inappropriately. Like with anything, expectations need to be crystal clear about how this tool is to be used when you are first presenting it to the students. It would be very beneficial to pull some real life examples of inappropriate and appropriate dialogue; sadly the first will be must easier to find than the latter. If expectations were clear from the beginning, and students understand that using the online forms of communication is not a right, I would hope the parent would understand that this is an appropriate natural consequence. The student should be given an opportunity to earn back that privilege
I fortunately haven't had any real issues with appropriate communication online (for school related activities). I hope that by continuing to have clear expectations, and modeling what it looks like, I will continue to see good choices made by the students.
Scenario 6: Course Management Overload
Ms. Carlson is excited to use Edmodo, a course management system similar to Moodle with her students. Although Edmodo isn’t officially supported by the tech department like Moodle is, she is excited to use it because she finds it much more intuitive to use and she likes the interface better than Moodle. Ms. Carlson is vigilant about the privacy settings, has informed her principal and parents of her instructional goals and objectives. Her students jump on board and post to the discussion at record numbers. Ms. Carlson is pleased to see such motivated dialogue on a novel that had previously felt like pulling teeth. Two weeks into the unit, she receives a parent complaint. The complaint is as follows:
Dear Ms. Carlson, Mr. Miller, Mr. Hamilton and Ms. McIntyre,
Although my son is a motivated and active participant in all of your classes, I am concerned that the school does not seem to have a unified course management system. He is using Moodle in Math, Edmodo in English, Schoology in Science, and Kidblog in Social Studies. Furthermore, all of these sites require different logins and passwords. As a parent, I am having a difficult time keeping this all straight and am requesting that the school discuss this issue and figure out a more streamlined approach.
Thank you for your consideration,
A supportive but confused parent
I chose this scenario because I feel it is very applicable to the issues currently facing school districts across the country. There will be major pressure to choose the right programs, and provide adequate training to get the greatest possible return on investments. The challenge lies in how rapidly the tools available to educators and parents are changing. It will be important to not just go with the wind and adopt every new technology that comes along, but it is equally important to not get stuck and let innovation pass us by.
When I originally started reflecting on this scenario I was going to write about the importance of having continuity across schools/programs/districts, but the more I thought about it, I'm not sure that is what is best for the student. While it would make life easier for over-involved parents, a situation that is that controlled does not help prepare students for what students will experience after graduation. Because the technology landscape is so rapidly changing, our students need to develop perseverance, determination and troubleshooting skills. This year, when (not if) technology issues come up, rather than be apologetic, I am going acknowledge the situation as a part of the technology learning process, and engage the students in solving the problem with me. In the case of this scenario, it could be as simple as creating an assignment where each student has to develop a system for organizing and accessing all of their logins and passwords online.
In response to this concerned parent, I would write her a message explaining the value in requiring the students to be able to navigate in a variety of platforms. Emphasizing the connections to the issues they will deal with throughout their lives. You might also want to help that parent see that each class has different needs, that are best suited by different course management systems.
A student is using Google Drive as a writing and collaborative tool for peer reviewing. Juan and Jeremy have used the platform instead to exchange comments that involve name-calling and racial slurs. Jeremy’s parents object when his account is suspended claiming it will negatively impact his academic progress.
This first scenario is one that I really struggle with right now. I am having a hard time knowing where my boundaries as a teacher start and stop. In this scenario, things are happening within an assigned online interaction, so this is clearly the teachers responsibility to step in, but I often hear about things that were said on facebook, or comments posted on pictures in instagram. They really having nothing to do with school, but these are kids that I care about, and cyber-bullying is a real issue. It isn't realistic to be policing over a hundred online lives, but I do feel some responsibility for how my fifth graders treat each other, regardless of where they are, and what means of communication they are choosing.
The obvious issue here is that students are taking an education tool and using it inappropriately. Like with anything, expectations need to be crystal clear about how this tool is to be used when you are first presenting it to the students. It would be very beneficial to pull some real life examples of inappropriate and appropriate dialogue; sadly the first will be must easier to find than the latter. If expectations were clear from the beginning, and students understand that using the online forms of communication is not a right, I would hope the parent would understand that this is an appropriate natural consequence. The student should be given an opportunity to earn back that privilege
I fortunately haven't had any real issues with appropriate communication online (for school related activities). I hope that by continuing to have clear expectations, and modeling what it looks like, I will continue to see good choices made by the students.
Scenario 6: Course Management Overload
Ms. Carlson is excited to use Edmodo, a course management system similar to Moodle with her students. Although Edmodo isn’t officially supported by the tech department like Moodle is, she is excited to use it because she finds it much more intuitive to use and she likes the interface better than Moodle. Ms. Carlson is vigilant about the privacy settings, has informed her principal and parents of her instructional goals and objectives. Her students jump on board and post to the discussion at record numbers. Ms. Carlson is pleased to see such motivated dialogue on a novel that had previously felt like pulling teeth. Two weeks into the unit, she receives a parent complaint. The complaint is as follows:
Dear Ms. Carlson, Mr. Miller, Mr. Hamilton and Ms. McIntyre,
Although my son is a motivated and active participant in all of your classes, I am concerned that the school does not seem to have a unified course management system. He is using Moodle in Math, Edmodo in English, Schoology in Science, and Kidblog in Social Studies. Furthermore, all of these sites require different logins and passwords. As a parent, I am having a difficult time keeping this all straight and am requesting that the school discuss this issue and figure out a more streamlined approach.
Thank you for your consideration,
A supportive but confused parent
I chose this scenario because I feel it is very applicable to the issues currently facing school districts across the country. There will be major pressure to choose the right programs, and provide adequate training to get the greatest possible return on investments. The challenge lies in how rapidly the tools available to educators and parents are changing. It will be important to not just go with the wind and adopt every new technology that comes along, but it is equally important to not get stuck and let innovation pass us by.
When I originally started reflecting on this scenario I was going to write about the importance of having continuity across schools/programs/districts, but the more I thought about it, I'm not sure that is what is best for the student. While it would make life easier for over-involved parents, a situation that is that controlled does not help prepare students for what students will experience after graduation. Because the technology landscape is so rapidly changing, our students need to develop perseverance, determination and troubleshooting skills. This year, when (not if) technology issues come up, rather than be apologetic, I am going acknowledge the situation as a part of the technology learning process, and engage the students in solving the problem with me. In the case of this scenario, it could be as simple as creating an assignment where each student has to develop a system for organizing and accessing all of their logins and passwords online.
In response to this concerned parent, I would write her a message explaining the value in requiring the students to be able to navigate in a variety of platforms. Emphasizing the connections to the issues they will deal with throughout their lives. You might also want to help that parent see that each class has different needs, that are best suited by different course management systems.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Polling and Data Gathering
I obviously won't receive any responses until this next school year gets going, but setting up the poll was incredibly easy. The idea is certainly an awesome one. The bittersweet aspect of a tool like this, is to think about how awesome it would be if each student had their own chrome book or something like that. It is a huge undertaking to think about getting technology into the hands of every student in the district, but just think of the possibilities. With Poll Everywhere, I don't quite understand how the response feature works. How does Poll Everyhwere know what poll is being responded to when all responses go to PollEv.com? I think I understand the multiple choice options, because they are number coded, but what about the open ended responses?
For the last few years I have been using Google forms to organize the sign ups for the Science Olympiad team at Island Lake. Here is a link to the form that I used last year. They are really easy to set up, and are a great way to gather information from a group of people. It is great how all of the entries are organized into a spreadsheet. I am really excited to use it more this year since I believe I will be operating in more of a flipped classroom model. It will be nice to have their homework graded before they walk into the room!
https://docs.google.com/a/moundsviewschools.org/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGxHS2FXcElfMkF1QzBfMlktNG8ydnc6MQ#gid=0
For the last few years I have been using Google forms to organize the sign ups for the Science Olympiad team at Island Lake. Here is a link to the form that I used last year. They are really easy to set up, and are a great way to gather information from a group of people. It is great how all of the entries are organized into a spreadsheet. I am really excited to use it more this year since I believe I will be operating in more of a flipped classroom model. It will be nice to have their homework graded before they walk into the room!
https://docs.google.com/a/moundsviewschools.org/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGxHS2FXcElfMkF1QzBfMlktNG8ydnc6MQ#gid=0
Cloud Computing
Below is a link to a document that I created to help organize and record ideas of things I want to remember to do as we move forward with next year. It is a very simple word document, but it is nice to have one consolidated location where I can record new ideas that come up in meetings, while reading books, or searching the web.
https://docs.google.com/a/moundsviewschools.org/document/d/1WtdS28pquL6zu629UEX9jd_1GKSuvogmhpIPgjStWGI/edit
The thing I like about using cloud computing for an example like this is that I don't always come up with ideas while sitting at my school computer. Having this document (and other like it) stored in Google drive allows me to easily access and edit them wherever I can access the internet. I can make updates on my phone while driving in the car, or sitting at home on the couch.
Cloud computing in the classroom is a powerful tool for a variety of reasons. First, it allows students to easily work on projects at home, and access them at school without having to mess around with jump drives or other data storage devices. Prezi is a tool that I have asked my language arts students to use. When it comes time to present, it is so nice for them to be able to just quickly login to their account and pull up their project. Due to some of the sharing capabilities in Google drive, cloud computing allows for instant feedback/communication with the students while they work. The ability for multiple collaborators at the same time with many forms of cloud computing opens up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to group work.
I am having a hard time coming up with cons about cloud computing. The real obvious drawback is for students who do not have easy access to the internet. I suppose there could also be security issues. When your data is stored in "the cloud," I would have to believe that it is easier for others to access it. Teachers need to be careful about when and how they share information in the cloud.
https://docs.google.com/a/moundsviewschools.org/document/d/1WtdS28pquL6zu629UEX9jd_1GKSuvogmhpIPgjStWGI/edit
The thing I like about using cloud computing for an example like this is that I don't always come up with ideas while sitting at my school computer. Having this document (and other like it) stored in Google drive allows me to easily access and edit them wherever I can access the internet. I can make updates on my phone while driving in the car, or sitting at home on the couch.
Cloud computing in the classroom is a powerful tool for a variety of reasons. First, it allows students to easily work on projects at home, and access them at school without having to mess around with jump drives or other data storage devices. Prezi is a tool that I have asked my language arts students to use. When it comes time to present, it is so nice for them to be able to just quickly login to their account and pull up their project. Due to some of the sharing capabilities in Google drive, cloud computing allows for instant feedback/communication with the students while they work. The ability for multiple collaborators at the same time with many forms of cloud computing opens up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to group work.
I am having a hard time coming up with cons about cloud computing. The real obvious drawback is for students who do not have easy access to the internet. I suppose there could also be security issues. When your data is stored in "the cloud," I would have to believe that it is easier for others to access it. Teachers need to be careful about when and how they share information in the cloud.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Study Tools
I decided to try Tagxedo to start. I really liked this site. I appreciated not having anything that I had to sign up for. The one problem with web 2.0 is that one becomes over-saturated with user IDs and passwords to remember. Not needing a login makes it really easy to access and use in the classroom with students. Parents seem to be much more weary of web based programs that their child has to create an account for.
I decided to create a character web cloud that I will use with my students as a discussion piece during one of our afternoon meetings early on in the year. The cloud was inspired by a book I read last week called, How Children Succeed, by Paul Tough. It was a really fascinating book about how traits like grit, perseverance and character are more reliable indicators of success than more traditional academic measures such as IQ or achievement test scores.
I decided to create a character web cloud that I will use with my students as a discussion piece during one of our afternoon meetings early on in the year. The cloud was inspired by a book I read last week called, How Children Succeed, by Paul Tough. It was a really fascinating book about how traits like grit, perseverance and character are more reliable indicators of success than more traditional academic measures such as IQ or achievement test scores.
The second study tool I decided to try out for myself was Quizlet. I have had some of my science olympiad students use Quizlet to help prepare for events, but I have never made anything on Quizlet myself. I must be completely honest and say that this Quizlet I posted is not my creation, but it is one that I am looking forward to using with my students right away next year. The beauty of Web 2.0 is that if there is something already created that fits the need you are looking to fill, you can borrow from others. I look forward to using Quizlet with my language arts and math classes as we have our different vocabulary units throughout the year. I like Quizlet for its ease of use, both on the setup side of things as well as on the studying side. There are just a few simple options the students have to choose from that will get them engaged and using the material right away. I am going to make a Quizlet using the math vocabulary flashcards we purchased as a grade level last fall. I will post it here when it is finished.
Introducing the MVMrLundberg YouTube channel
Creating a YouTube channel has been something I have been wanting to do for quite some time, but just haven't made it a priority. I was excited to finally be forced to sit down and get it set up. I found it very easy to do. But even if I hadn't, I wouldn't admit it, because it seems every 13 year old in America can figure out how to set up a YouTube channel.
I am hoping to make more tutorial types of videos this year using the screen casting tools we have been learning about. As I ask my students to do more and more of their work online, I need to make sure that I provide the appropriate instruction on how to use the tools. It will be great to have one centralized location I can post and store my videos. I still have a lot to learn about YouTube regarding privacy settings and those types of things. I have only used YouTube as a consumer thus far, so I am looking forward to learning more about being producer!
I am hoping to make more tutorial types of videos this year using the screen casting tools we have been learning about. As I ask my students to do more and more of their work online, I need to make sure that I provide the appropriate instruction on how to use the tools. It will be great to have one centralized location I can post and store my videos. I still have a lot to learn about YouTube regarding privacy settings and those types of things. I have only used YouTube as a consumer thus far, so I am looking forward to learning more about being producer!
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