SmartNotebook Lesson Review

I have used Smart Notebook Lessons before as add-ons to lessons I am teaching in class, although I have never used one as a full period lesson plan. I intend to use the Jeopardy reviews as they are useful and the kids really like them. The only issue is that you have to have Senteo (or the Smart Response System) and I don't have those. So a lot of the lessons I might want to use were unavailable to me.
I ended up reviewing a lesson called You Are What You Eat! created by Kathy Gann of the Wilbur Middle School. I thought the lesson was set up very well. The first slide has the introduction to the lesson with some basic information, but I liked the second slide, which covers all the standards addressed and the curriculum connections.
The lesson itself covers many different formats to reach different learners, and to keep the lesson fresh and interesting. Many of the slides contained interactive activities that were fun (I enjoyed them) if not a little simplistic. I liked the slide that allows a student to create a healthy looking breakfast by choosing the correct items for the plate and throwing out the "bad" items in the trash can. Students can relate to the activity, and they can have fun interacting with it.
With this thought in mind, I have to comment on Jeff Han's presentation about the new type of interactive software for tools like Smartboard. I almost jumped out of my chair when I saw it. One of the biggest problems I have with the Smartboard is that only one person can interact at a time. That makes certain activities sort of endless and boring. With this type of interactive software, a group of students could create a healthy breakfast plate instead of just one kid at a time going up to the board and interacting while the other students get bored and impatient in their seats.
I may use this lesson as a review for my students about the food pyramid and different food types before we start the chemical structure of macromolecules.

Open-Source Educational Tools

In September I began teaching a new crop of hormonally challenged youngsters. Eighth graders, that is. This year I am teaching integrated science to my non-Regents classes and that includes meteorology, biology, earth science (physical science) and a little genetics and chemistry mixed in somewhere. Somehow they also have to learn graphing, charting, data tables, measurement, sketching, reading comprehension, language acquisition, vocabulary, writing skills and the scientific method. Of course, I have my mandated Word Wall, too. And that's just my class. They take a NY State test at the end of the year that runs the gammut from fourth grade to their current year of study.
I can use all the help I can get.
That said, the world of Open Source software is riveting, eye-opening, fascinating. I didn't even know it existed. If I weren't already working more hours than the day has, I'd be perusing the seemingly never-ending options for use of this source. I did manage to peruse the OpenScience site and I found intriguing options.
The blogs are great, I scrolled through a few and particularly enjoyed Dr Ben Goldacre's Bad Science site. He manages to combine humor and scientific discussions in the proper balance. Check out his blog on "The caveat in paragraph number 19". (http://www.badscience.net/category/uncategorized/) You'll never read an article the same way again...(which paragraph am I on now? Maybe I should stop here...)
In addition to great blogs, the OpenScience site provides truly incredible and usable software for the science classroom. Many of the applications were geared more towards research, applications in the working world of science, or, at the very least, high school and college science. I did find some applications for my middle school classroom, though. Under the software heading, Converters and Calculators, Measurements and Units, I found some great conversion software. My favorite was http://ostermiller.org/calc/ . This software allows for conversions of almost any nature in measurement. Many units that are no longer even used were included and I thought this could imply uses for cross-curricular work. For instance, discussing the meanings of terms used in some of the classic novels that students may not be familar with. The ability to convert them to current units brings Lit class into the Science lab and vice versa. Also, boy could I have used the converter for practicing measurement this year. It's clear, concise and easy to use. Oh - and nothing to download! Score.
Among the many other software options I plan on sharing with my high school and college teaching network were the Stellarium and Jmol. I did not download Stellarium for fear my already taxed CPU might just give up and commit RAM-icide, but if you are an Astronomy teacher it looks like a must-have. Allows you to check out just about any view of the stars (and available planetary views) at the click of a button. Amazing. Jmol is an interactive site that allows you to view the molecular structure of just about anything in 3D, among other applications.
It's going to take awhile to find the sources I'll end up depending on, but it's going to be worth the time spent.

Naming the Puppy

Tonight I logged in to Google Docs and edited a document that I am working on with my team from a computer troubleshooting course. My team members will respond by editing the same document. We will email each other and disuss the progress of the document. Then I logged in to Google Sites and made some adjustments to my PBL site that I am working on for another class. I fully expect that the other students will read and comment on my progress (to some extent). I will use their feedback to improve my project. Obviously, many people, myself included, are already immersed in e-learning.  Previous to reading an article about PLE (personal learning environment) I hadn't really considered the learning situation I am actively involved in. The PLE model allows us to think of this learning environment not only as a means of communicating with other students and our professors, but as a means of learning and organizing in one's own personal way with the input and objective criticism of the public domain.
After reading the Personal Learning Environment Framework at Mohamed Amine Chatti's site the real attraction to PLE for me is the concept of putting students " in charge of their own learning processes, challenging them to reflect on the tools and resources that help them learn best." (Chatti, et al, 2007).
Learning how to be an online learner has been the biggest challenge for me while taking many of my ed tech courses online. At first I was very frustrated and felt that the personal connection was lost in this model, but having a greater comfort level with it at this point, I feel that I am learning how to use online resources to organize data, connect with others, and discern reliable info from unreliable info. Being given the freedom to work on projects at your own pace, and absorb info the way it makes sense to you, allows for learning in a way that makes sense to the individual. I am seeing now that each person involved in my courses has their own methods for completing projects, keeping up with work and connecting with others. Whatever works for the individual is acceptable.
I wonder how this model of learning applies to the younger grades. Of course, allowing for open-ended projects (even when they're not based online) is already allowing students a certain amount of educational freedom within a structured environment, but at what age do students learn to be truly aware of their learning styles and when are they able to have a certain amount of autonomy over the learning process?  It would be interesting to conduct a study of gradewide online projects within a PLE framework to see where the greatest success lies in terms of pre-college age students.

Social Networking and Students

In perusing educational blogs, I came across this one (more of a blurb than a blog) about social networking and students. NYC Educator blogs about friending your students on facebook which I think is so completely inappropriate I don't even know how to respond. It seems more prevalent at the high school level where students may be more mature, and maybe teachers have a harder time distinguishing the teacher/student relationship from the relationship with an intellectually blossoming senior student. While I don't think there is any situation that should condone inviting a student into a teacher's social network, I also don't think teachers should be wrongly accused by students, and then have to pay for these accusations. Even when they turn out not to be true, the teacher's career is generally ruined.
In a nutshell, be clear about maintining your private social life as your own personal information. Do not share personal sites with students. Keep any use of social networking for educational purposes strictly outlined and user protected. As the blogger at NYC Educator says..."I don't friend students on Facebook, and I'd advise you not to do so either.  Simply having done that could potentially bolster a false claim against you". Don't put yourself in the position of having to defend your actions.

Wikis in Education

Are you sick of the heaps of binders you have in storage full of meeting notes, IST's, 504's, collaboration material, etc...? The Innovative Educator blog site had some great information about how to use wikis not only in the classroom, but also as teachers and administrators. The blog "The Innovative Educator: 8 Ways to Use A School Wiki to Increase Communication, Collaboration and to Enrich Instruction" outlines several good practices for wikis. I agree with many of the suggestions and I feel that confining all the daily materials in one nice, neat package is very appealing in a  profession where we are all running around adrift in a sea of paperwork. ANd that doesn't even include all the student paperwork, I'm just talking daily management here.
One of the first suggestions is
"1. Decrease Disruption of Instructional Time with Digital Daily Announcements".
This happens to be the only use of wiki that I don't agree with amongst the other useful possibilities. This is assuming you have a classroom full of very attentive, very responsible students that will actually sit and thouroughly read the day's announcements (and then not instantly forget them). The thought of taking the time to have each and every kid get situated with a working laptop (assuming there are enough for every kid in the whole school to use..which there aren't), log on (let me share with you that on a daily basis at least 10 of my students come to me and ask for their password to log on, which they have forgotten in the transfer from one class to the next..and then return to me later to ask again), read the announcements, and THEN start class...I just don't see the point. The announcements take 2  minutes at most and serve as a good reminder to students. This is one of those situations where I feel that pushing technology just for the sake of technology is the drive.
That comment aside, I see a lot of merit in using wiki's for organizing meetings, uncluttering desks, having schedules posted and collaborating on curriculum maps.
Specifically, our school is working on a schoolwide push towards better acquisition of vocabulary, drawing connections between classes in terms of term usage. A wiki would be very useful for starting a vocab list that each teacher can add to. The list could then be organized according to usage and definition and easily available for teachers to edit or peruse for their own classes.
My only question here really is a question of time. The amount of time it takes to sit down at a computer, read all the necessary information, and then provide input and respond to issues, isn't granted to the typical teacher during the school day. Time would need to be provided so that staff could properly use the wikis successfully.

Waiting for Superman

I have to respond to the statements I read on practicaltheory.org. First, teachers have awaited a moment of education reform that actually responds to the needs of the teachers and the students. I hope everyone welcomes education reform on a national level with open arms. But after reading a detailed description of the basis of Waiting for Superman, I see that yet again the teachers are ultimately blamed for the entire steaming heap of unsuccessful initiatives and programs that are forced down our throats (and just as quickly discarded) at an alarming rate. The standards for hiring and keeping teachers should be high and I agree that all students should be privy to the same worthy education. However, the state tests that teachers are forced to teach to have absolutely no basis in reality. They neither account for or accomodate for the diversity of learners in even one single classroom. We are supposed to integrate, modify, associate and diversify learning to extremes. Yet the tests we are preparing these kids for (the same tests that judge us so harshly as "good" or "bad" educators) don't reflect in any way on the actual learning process. They don't account for the ESL students who have just been assimilated into the classroom and don't understand half of what you're saying. They don't account for the special education students who have suddenly been "released" from sheltered learning environments and are expected to instantly learn in a completely altered classroom environment. The tests that are so close now to being the deciding factor as to whether or not a teacher is valuable or dedicated offer no glimpse into the real, working world of a passionate and challenging profession. Nor do they offer true feedback as to the level of learning that is actually occurring in a classroom. I hope that what I've heard about this documentary is untrue, and that Weinstein does not portray teachers as the weak link in the educational chain by spotlighting a few of the burnt out or dispassionate teachers. From what I've read, this does seem to be where he's gone with this film. I hope he remembers a teacher he had somewhere along the way that cared enough to provide the best education for him that was possible. And I look forward to the possibility that his film has any accurate portrayal at all of any of the hard-working and dedicated educators I am familiar with.

Thoughts on Blogging for the Classroom

After reading an article about blogging, I have very conflicted feelings on the matter. I don't have any experience with blogging, other than to come across the occassional blog by mistake in my online quests for science lessons I can use in class. Blogging seems to be a very connected and emotional response to events that are occurring. People seem to blog because they have something important and relevant to say and they welcome the responses of others to their comments. It is very journalistic in nature. And very personal on some level. I absolutely feel like this could change the classroom environment. There is ample opportunity for students to relate to each other, to respond to each other, and to connect in a safe format. However, I don't know if I feel like this is the right forum for an eighth grade class. My students have a lot on their minds, and a lot to say about all that stuff on their minds. That's great, and I welcome the opportunity for them to connect with each other in a structured setting to discuss comments and hear each others' voices. As a matter of fact, my most emotional reaction to the possiblity was the comment made that blogging lends equality to all the voices involved. Everyone has an equal opportunity to post, and read, and be heard. This is great for student involvment. Also, blogs are really easy to use. I find that most of my students are comfortable enough learning about new technologies to actually adapt more quickly than I do. I can teach them something one day and have them point out new applications to me the next. There is an ease of organization that is useful and a simple format that isn't intimidating. Blogging appears to be a great way to teach students about how to be a purposeful participant in a conversation without being insulting (although there does seem to be a fair amount of criticism in the blogging community - at least it is usually backed up with facts). I see many benefits to the use of blogging in the classroom, and I see how it could change the classroom environment. I also see the disadvantages.
The daunting thought of policing their comments and structuring their responses does seem to take away from the inherent purpose of blogging to begin with. If a student has an impassioned response to a certain blog, than it seems like they should be able to respond in a way that expresses their interest. Also, many of my students have very poor writing skills. It would be difficult for them to participate in this type of online conversation. The blogging participant has to be fluent enough in the language, and good enough at writing and composing comments, to be a contributer on any level.
I plan on experimenting with blogging next year to see whether or not this adds or detracts from student participation. Forcing someone to have an opinion is difficult, but maybe my students can come up with a topic they feel passionate enough about (within the scientific community) to blog about. I am using science journals for reflection for the first time this year. That might be a good place to start with blogging. Students can use the blog as their science relflection journal. Hmmmmm...ok. The ideas are starting to roll in. I might jump on this bandwagon...
As a teacher, I see the potential positive impact of blogging and how it could turn the classroom into a more global and interactive environment. This is an amazing thing, for students to see their input read and responded to by people that don't even know them. It also presents a problem when dealing with students on a maturity level that may prevent them from objectively absorbing the input of others and being able to process it without reacting in an inappropriate way. I guess I'll have to find out for myself...