Module 4 - assignment 7 - BYOD

The quest for the perfect teaching strategy goes on. We hop from one platform to the next, balancing our Marzano with our STEM. Regardless of the content, however, one thing seems clear. We have to reach our students via the most effective means. Five years ago this meant Smart boards - now it means Smart phones and other devices. It's time to let the students take a more active approach to seeking out their education. Perhaps by handing some of the power in the classroom back over to our students we will be able to engage them. Let's make this personal by allowing students to use their own, personal devices. It's time to implement Bring Your Own Device.

The concept of BYOD is not entirely new. After all, for years we have asked students to bring their own notebooks and own pencils. Periodically we even asked them to bring their own folders and colored pencils or crayons. Kindergarten students are often asked to bring their own glue and pencil case. Ownership allows for both comfort and comprehension. If students aren't constantly trying to determine how the devices we force on them work and can instead take advantage of their own familiarity with their personal devices, we should be able to utilize the time savings to expand our curriculum.

Additionally, students who bring their own devices will also be bound to a system that allows us to better take advantage of the flipped classroom concept. If a significant portion of our students have their own devices, it also means they have access - otherwise they would never have the phone or device. And if they have access, they can participate in the flipped classroom. Even if we have to make adjustments for those students who lack the specific devices or technology necessary to participate at home, we can provide essential technology at the school and before or after as needed to those few who require it.

Students often share ideas and technological advancements that we are not familiar with. Let's ask the students what programs and software they use the most, and how they would utilize that in the classroom. Let's make them the designers of their own educational experience. Each student creates a lesson and learns the subject enough to teach it with the technological experience of their choice. The best advantage of this strategy is the constant impromptu professional development that the teacher is receiving in the classroom, while student learning is also being accomplished.

If we hand ownership and creative design back over to our students, they can personalize their own experiences and make them unique. Differentiation will happen all on its own as each student will seek out the techniques and strategies they are most comfortable with. Even the standardized experience can be captured and presented in completely new ways. Students who hate the test will now have an opportunity to make the test, and in the process learn that there are two sides to every coin. Students will experience satisfaction but also frustration as others provide feedback on the experience and are challenged to complete and then analyze the task set before them by their peers. The potential empathy students will begin to feel toward the role of teacher in the classroom may perhaps be a valuable step in connecting the student experience to the teacher experience. Students will develop an understanding that education is more than just tests and talks.

Above all, students will gain confidence and be forced to solve problems. By stepping into the lead, they will learn how to guide their own learning in a way that will help them down the road. When they head off to college or trade school or the world, they will remember that they can create learning opportunities, and know how they can adapt their technology to continue their own journey. As their technology leaves with them, and new technology enters the school, this experience updates itself, much as a software program has to be updated by its creators to remain current. Students drive the evolution of the classroom, and the evolution of the academic experience. And we get to hang on tight and enjoy the ride.    

Module 4 - Assignment 5 - Explain Everything

Explain Everything explains a lot. I am really interested in this program for use in a flipped classroom approach. Though I have started branching out, I still use PowerPoints frequently for students to follow as we go over concepts. Students often tell me that they need to review or repeat the viewing of the PowerPoints after class is over, but they don't have me narrating or emphasizing the same special points I do in class, so they miss the connection between the topic and the PowerPoint. My using Explain Everything to create a file they can use before and after class, and re-watch as many times as needed will provide them with the opportunity to review at their own pace.

Another value to this program is for the often absent students. We all have students with medical or special issues that frequently interfere with their education. While it is easy to hand them missed assignments, just copying the notes from someone or reviewing a simple PowerPoint on their own often just confuses them rather than teaching them. Explain Everything creates a format that will teach them the same lessons presented in class, and allow them the luxury of repeating it over and over. It also frees me up as the teacher to continue going forward instead of having to review constantly for a class or a single individual.

Finally, if I am diligent about posting and emphasizing its usage, Explain Everything creates that most desirable characteristic of a flipped characteristic - extra instructional time. It creates a self-learning environment that allows students to capture a portion of the lesson outside of regular class time, which opens up actual classroom time for answering questions, clarifying confusion and working one on one with students on problems or activities. 

Module 4 - Assignment 4 - Dropbox

I like using Dropbox, but every so often find it a little confusing. It works very well for most applications, but I forget to share files or accidentally change the permissions and find myself having to go back and tweak my settings. It is so much easier to share the file with someone than sharing the link that I had to repeat this twice before I realized the link had been copied (it wouldn't show me the "get link" message that was mentioned in the tutorial). Dropbox is a great way to share entire folders of materials, including lesson plans and images that aren't presently being co-edited or used in a collaborative file. This is also a good way for students to submit project work, images they need printing, etc.

Natural Selection of Teddy Grahams

The only limitation with Dropbox is again the digital divide. My classroom has iPads instead of computers, so its difficult for students to load or create Microsoft files, and if they do it from home instead it screens out those students who don't have a computer with Microsoft. I believe I need to continue to look for alternative file types to use for students who don't have a computer any longer.

Module 4 - assignment 3 - Google Docs and Sharing

I have been using Google Docs for a while now, but I still find new things every time I work with the program. For example, I love the ability to share photo albums - something I didn't know about before. And the ability to comment on a document without editing it is a great way to get feedback on files without emailing it back and forth. That functionality alone makes it worthwhile. I plan on using Google Docs with my National Honor Society students to modify and amend our Constitution and our bylaws, and I have recently used Google Docs to create a scheduling template for my in-laws regarding help with watching the boys when I am working late, and a roster at school for remediation schedules.

For this assignment, I chose to post an assignment I gave to my AP Biology students that is worth half of their final exam grade. I originally just had this file available for them to download, which is fine, but this way they would be able to comment on any areas they are having trouble either understanding or researching. By having this as a public comment document, other students who are having the same problems would be able to see possible solutions, or they could relate how it connects to their own project. I didn't get this in place for this assignment this semester, but I believe this could be very useful next semester with projects like this, review outlines, etc. This might have spared me some heartburn from this assignment.

Here was their project: Organ System Assignment

This type of interaction would have saved me a lot of class time spent answering questions and providing specific feedback to students that I then had to repeat to other students with the exact same questions. That would have allowed for more instructional time in the final weeks of the semester. Oh well, better Doc next time...:)

Module 4 - assignment 2 - PhotoPeach Embed

Mom's flowers on PhotoPeach Mom's flowers on PhotoPeach
I really enjoyed this activity and I appreciate the embed option which lets me put this straight into my blog versus a link. Since this is flash driven, it seems like the link is still important for me to add in case someone is trying to access it via an iDevice, but this would be useful as a "hook" for students entering a new subject, or using the images from an online textbook or even just for fun. Sometimes fun is educational too. 

Module 4 - assignment 1 - PhotoPeach

This was just plain fun. I threw a handful of pictures from mom's gardens in just to try this out, and I love the effect. I think I will have to set the entire folder of mom's gardens to this so that we can all enjoy them, and I bet our family photos from Christmas will also enjoy this treatment to be shared with folks. You can check out some of mom's garden pics from Barefoot Farm and Gardens  and I'll be sure to post the Christmas photos after the holidays!

I can imagine doing this with a set of images of student work that has been completed and posting to our website so others can see what our students are doing. This would also be cool for students to use to create a presentation of images based on a theme or a slideshow that others might enjoy. I see using this as a fun lesson idea for the middle of winter when the days are getting long for students and teachers alike. 

Module 3 - assignment 7 - Mobile Devices in the classroom

The practice of BYOT is being trialed in Henry County schools this year, beginning at Bassett High School. I appreciate that the article addresses both sides of the concept. My experiences of trying to integrate student owned technology into the classroom have spanned the gamut of both positive and negative. From a positive perspective, students do seem more involved in certain activities, however they can quickly find themselves distracted by the social connections they have while online. I have many students who use their camera features to record pictures of diagrams from the board, or even pictures of their notes in case they lose them, but I must also monitor closely that they aren't taking pictures of themselves and others just for posting. I think that so far, for every appropriate use of the technology in the classroom I have seen, there has been a reciprocal inappropriate usage. In this sense, the partial adoption of the technology affirms the writer's citation that “[it]

involves more than merely incorporating new technology into current pedagogical strategies; it requires an instructional paradigm shift that promises to fundamentally change the way students learn.”

Since we close out the Earth Science semester with Astronomy, I decided to look up applications that would support student involvement in this topic that they could access both here and at home. Since students are not at school at night, the app has to be able to help guide them in a way that they can learn and then share when they come back the next day. The two apps I liked were the NASA application, and the StarWalk App.   The NASA App is a great general information App that lets students not only explore the galaxy, but also lets them see our place in it and our efforts at studying it. I like the updates on Satellite views and rocket launches, and I appreciate the description of the different projects taking place that are studying our earth. Students tend to think that our only studies were the moon and now Mars. This App gives them more understanding of the constant scientific inquiry taking place above them. 

The Star Walk is great for teaching about the constellations, star color and magnitude, and positional movement and rotation. The fact that students can go outside in day or night and see what is above them and even study specific stars or planets that they can see encourages them to explore their universe. They have a real-life connection and can specialize their experience based on what appeals to them. The downside is that the App does have a cost, but perhaps a grant could be found to cover it on a set number of iPads and we could have a "field trip to outer space" one night at the school, where students come to the school at night and we use the iPads to study the night sky.

 

Module 3 - Assignment 6 - Flipped Classroom

The flipped classroom has been a powerful buzzword recently in our Professional development opportunities. The concept is great - students actively engaged in learning and being tasked with the responsibility to prepare for the classroom before they ever set foot in the door. The opportunities to expand education, cover topics more thoroughly, and expand our presentation format are all immensely appealing. The real question however is how will the students react? My early efforts at asking students to learn outside of the school walls have been largely unsuccessful. I hope that a more integrated and dedicated approach like a true flipped classroom will succeed where my scattered attempts have failed in the past.

I am dismayed, however, by the fact that Youtube is presently not supported by our high school so I will have to save videos for use or else use more accessible sites for video resources. I realize that this makes sense from a filtering standpoint, but it is complicating the construction a bit to have to save everything and upload it for use. I hope that this will only be a small hurdle in the path to a flipped classroom.

Module 3 - assignment 4 - Creating a Google Doc form

It's that time of the year again, and Google Doc forms seems like a natural way to gather information on the Christmas Goodie exchange! I usually don't ask and just bring goodies for folks, but an exchange sounded like more fun. Of course there is an option for the non-bakers in the bunch so they can still make out like a bandit, but it's all in good fun. I love to bake, but don't always have time to make everything, so this will help me decide if I can get away with one or two treats this week, or if I will need to diversify my efforts for a more finicky crowd!

Christmas Goodie survey

I really like the Google forms options and versatility. I also appreciate the ability to edit as I forgot to check the "required" box on some of these, so I went back and corrected that. I feel it is a friendlier, less sterile way to collect information than a written sheet or a basic excel spreadsheet that users fill in. It is more approachable for fun topics like this one, and the ability to open it to the web as a whole makes it useful for other applications. The ability to choose a theme is also perfect for the time of year. I just hope at least one person agrees to exchange!

Module 3 - Assignment 3 - Exploring Google Docs forms

    I never really understood why people were Google crazy until I began diving into the various pieces of the Google toolbox. I really like the input-output sequence of Google forms. On the input, students, parents and others can answer specific questions or input ideas based on a user-friendly template that makes one feel more at home. Most folks have ordered something online and are used to the sometimes complicated forms that exist in the online marketplace, so these forms seem simple by comparison. The fact that the data is being aggregated into a worksheet file, or other reporting mode is spectacular - it allows for digital collection, editing, and saving of all information in one spot. Perfect for the Biologist who is sometimes referred to as "the Piler" when it comes to papers and forms.
 
   I see several ways to utilize Google forms. Six of them are included here, but there are many more that are bouncing around in my subconscious now as possible tools for the future.

• Beginning of the year survey - what a concept! As simple as it sounds, the ability to have all information already completed without having to retype everything into a spreadsheet, or keep up with piles of papers or index cards is sweeeeet.
• Quickwrite - Perfect for teaching the art of the free-response to AP students and teaching writing in the sciences in general for all courses. This is a great starter for the day for an AP class.
• Data gathering for a science experiment - no more creating tables on the board for students to fill in their data and others to copy. As students complete a laboratory exercise, they submit their data to the form and it is automatically included. If the form is placed in a common access, students can then download the form and complete the experimental analysis quickly.
• Textbook reading - students are assigned a passage or pages in the textbook to read for content understanding and then respond to given questions - again a great way to avoid piles of paper for a daily assignment.
• Requests for after-school assistance - students can utilize the form to request help after school without the embarrassment of asking in front of others, and I have documentation of their request and my response.
• Feedback from parents - any parent with a concern can reach me with it day or night and they are organized into a single document for record keeping purposes. On my side I can have a form for myself showing how I responded, that downloads into the same document.

Long live Google forms!

Bunn Module 3- assignment 1 - Classroom Blogging

 
       I liked the articles I read that were presented on classroom blogging, and tried to think about how the feedback given by the writers would affect my students in AP Biology. Since AP Biology includes a lot of writing prompts for the free-response sections of the test and also to demonstrate understanding of content, it occurred to me that a great way to integrate the a blog into the course would be to utilize it to have students submit free response essays. The style of the essay would be more communicative than most free responses, but would allow others to see how they were each thinking. To me, this sort of brings in the real world application that the authors of "Blog On" cited.

The ability to focus student review on a scientific concept and to have some collaboration between classes is also a system that I would like to begin to use. Classroom pairings can be useful learning tools, except when one student does all the work. By using a blog setup and pairing students between classes, it sort of forces them to both contribute, and allows me to see the depth of the contribution just by reading the postings. If one student was assigned to start the blog comment, and the other reply to begin the discussion, it would allow for one to ease into the role the first time around, and then the responsibility could be flipped. It also makes it that much harder  for students to cheat by copying others since their blog discussion could take a uniquely different path while still remaining true to the topic.

I searched around for some ideas of how blogging was being integrated into the sciences, and one article I really liked was found at: Blogging in the Science Classroom: The Worksheet is Dead. I have been seeking to reduce my reliance on worksheets for a while now, and this seems like an interesting way to tackle this problem. I like how the author addresses both pros and cons in his article, and describes how he worked around the problems - solutions often fail to appear in articles like this so it was helpful to see the suggestions. The recommendation to use Google Reader to track students blog posts using the RSS feed was a great idea, and I loved the thought that students would have a permanent notebook online versus the pile of crowded papers. The old problem of students without access still rears its ugly head, but the online storage concept has really expanded our ability for students to learn in multiple locations, rather than carrying and losing the classic flash drive. I believe I will be trying out the blogging system with students in the spring and look forward to seeing how we all learn together.