Try PADLET

I did an activity in a middle school math class last week where the teacher created a “Problem of the Week” sheet which had a different problem for every class taught.  We then had the students work with a Partner, solve the Problem for their class period, and post it on a Padlet (an Internet Bulletin Board).  Students were to explain how they solved the problem, as though the person reading the explanation was being taught the concept for the first time.  Students posted their explanation on a Word Document, saved it, and then uploaded it to the site.

We locked and password protected the site so that students could only see their own class’ work until the end of the day.  They were to then go home and finish the other class’ problems for homework…but not for posting.

Using the Padlet allows students to work outside of their classroom and also share their work with parents.  The Padlet allows you to Monitor and Control the contents of the wall before it becomes live on the web, as well as allowing the teacher to set a password, create a unique web address, and keep the site Unlisted or Private.

As a “twist” to this activity…students within the class can be paired up, with each group working to solve a different problem…then at the end of the period, students posted their work to the Padlet board representing the problem they worked on.  Students went to the Interactive White Board, having the Padlet up on the screen, and shared with the remainder of the class, how they solved their particular problem.

The nice thing about this type of activity is that it can be used over many different disciplines different types of activities, and at varying grade levels.  On the Padlet you can post pictures, Word Documents, PDF’s, URL’s, Power points, Photo Story presentations and videos.

The great thing about this activity is it really registers high up on the scale as far as their Communication & Collaboration with audiences outside of their classroom, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving to engage in open-ended learning experiences that require higher order thinking skills, Creativity & Innovation by having the students apply existing knowledge to create ideas and products…Research & Information Fluency to use information and resources to accomplish real-world tasks.

This free tool can be found at www.padlet.com

Keith

Technology and Mayberry

Mayberry, NC is the home of one of the most beloved television programs of all time, The Andy Griffith Show.   But as far as technology, there really wasn’t a lot by today’s standards.  In one episode in particular, “Crime Free Mayberry”, Barney Fife is upset at the modern marvels of the neighboring Mt. Pilot police department and jealous because Mayberry was so far behind the times.  He told Andy, “We don’t have any submachine guns, no tear gas, and we don’t even have a “hee-lio-copter.”  Barney decries to the fake FBI agent that “Sir, we’re working under very primitive conditions here.”

What would Barney have been able to do had they had a radio dispatch operator other than Sarah, the town phone operator, a computer mounted in the Ford Galaxy patrol car for access to outstanding Warrant records, an Eye-in-the-Sky heat camera for tracking escaped criminals on the run, or even an iPhone?

The technology wasn’t prevalent in Mayberry, but some of the Technology that we have today has replaced what the folks in Mayberry used to communicate.

So often, Mayberry folks had heart-warming interactions, which were lessons for us, by way of face-to-face interactions.  You might see two friends, sitting down to talk with one another about a situation...a nephew sharing feelings with his Aunt…or a father having a heart-to-heart with his son.  Today we could do the same thing, but it might be via an email, a text, a Tweet, or a Snap Chat.  We share what’s going on in our lives with a Facebook message or with an Instagram photo and comment.  And as you know, people tend to share more boldly via Social Media without having to look the other person(s) in the eye.  We can share thoughts or pictures, but it’s hard to read the voice inflection, the excitement, the sadness, the concerns, and joy that we get with face-to-face interaction.  So although technology and connecting with friends using the many tools that are available is great…it is wonderful to spend time talking with friends over a meal or a cup of coffee, with our phones in our pockets or out of reach.

It wasn't that long ago that we didn't have email, text messages or cell phones. We did our banking in the bank with a Teller.  We did our shopping by going to the store.  We checked in at the airport with a flight assistant instead of an App on our mobile devices.

Whether we will admit it or not, we all have a strong primal need to be remembered, to connect, and to belong to something outside of ourselves and our immediate environment.  Technology can certainly put us in touch, but don't forget to connect as human beings.  Reach out to others; share your lives with friends and family...with a handshake, a hug, and face-to-face communication...just like we used to do. 

Next time you are out at a restaurant; take an informal poll of the lost art of talking and sharing face-to-face.  Look around and see how many folks are on their phones while sitting across the table from friends and family members…not talking.  Technology is great, but I still think the world needs a little more Mayberry.

 

- Keith

COLLABORATION

Often times the first thing we think about when someone says the word "collaboration" is a group project or meeting. It sometimes carries a negative connotation due to the fact that most of us were at some point in our lives, a part of a group that had as its mission, to plan, decide and act on a task. Miriam-Webster says it means to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor. Some of those groups may have resulted in a "not-so-good" experience.

Another definition given says, "To cooperate with an agency or instrumentality with which one is not immediately connected." Here's where I want to discuss "collaboration." Even though you may be a part of a school's classroom, a church or civic group, or even a member of a community, you are not necessarily immediately connected. Some synonyms for collaborate are: band (together), cooperate, concert, concur, conjoin, conspire, join, league, and team-up) and unite. Some related words are: affiliate, ally, associate, combine, hang together, and interface.

Our young people see examples on television of how NOT to collaborate...at least not in a productive manner, as they tune into all of the "Reality Shows" that are shown in prime time. So how can we collaborate if we are not immediately connected? The Internet. Most of America is already connected via Face Book, Twitter, Instagram, Snap Chat, and Blogs…to mention a few.

But there are lots of sites where you can collaborate with other professionals online. The bottom line is this…Collaboration is something that adults must teach and model in our classrooms and at home. We are responsible for teaching our young people how to be good digital citizens, how to properly use “Social Media” and demonstrate appropriate collaboration.

Here are just a few sites that are good for you to explore that are collaborative by design:

Edmodo             www.edmodo.com 
Google Docs      www.google.com
BlogSpot           www.blogspot.com
Mind42              www.mind42.com  
Wiki Spaces       www.wikispaces.com  
Type With Me   www.typewithme.com  

Using the F3 Key to Search Terms of Service

Often, as one of three Tech Coaches in the Georgetown County School District, teachers will ask us via email, about new web tools they've found. What they want to know is, “Hey, I've found this new site, and I think it looks pretty good. I want to use it with my students. What do you think?"

Here are some things to keep in mind when you do find new Web Tools:

1. Is this just a cool tool that can go with an activity...or was the lesson planned, and now you are
    looking for a tool to use to enhance the content?

2. Is the site FREE?

3. Is it sustainable? Meaning, is this a site you can use year after year, and even bank items you've
    created for future use...or is it a trial period site tool that you have limited usage to without being
    required to upgrade to the "Premium" account.

4. Do the Terms of Service meet the requirements for use by students above or below the age of 13?

5. Does using the Web Tool require parental consent?

6. Does the site, and more importantly the use of it, abide by the stipulations of CIPA, COPPA, and
    FERPA Laws for Internet safety of minors?

Items 1 - 3 are easily answered. Numbers 4 - 6 require a little more investigation.  First go to the site, and then find the Terms of Service or Terms of Use (usually at the bottom in fine print). Click on these Terms. Now use the F3 key on the top of your keyboard to bring up a "Find Box." This usually pops up at the top left under the web tool bar. Type in key words and scroll down to help you find the information you need quickly. I like to type in "13", "18", "age", "legally" and "binding."

Watch the video below. I hope this has been helpful.





Keith Brown

Twitter is “all the rage”…but what is “all the rage” about?

Twitter is “all the rage”…but what is “all the rage” about?  If you are diligent in finding the right folks to follow on Twitter, you will get a Twitter Feed with all kinds of good information, wonderful and enlightening articles, and tools to help in your particular quest.  You can certainly choose to follow those that have “like-mindedness” toward certain subjects. ..thus creating a ProfessionalLearning Network.   Here are some reasons to ue Twitter.

·         First and foremost, Twitter is limited to 140 characters per message and therefore provides messages and information that are short and direct.  This encourages the writer to capture your attention fast and gives you a synopsis to glean the information in the Tweet in a quick scan.

·         Twitter allows you to enter pictures that may further illustrate your post.

 

·         Professional Interaction can take place outside the walls of your class or school.  A short time  invested to create your Twitter account can pay off big later in the eveniong while in your easy chair. 

·         Connect through Twitter to other learning communities.  Here you will find deeper applications to the educational subject matter you crave.

·         With Twitter, you can be easily transition to an array of multimedia sources (YouTube, dedicated URL’s, Blogs, etc.).

·         The availability of smartphones and tablets with their own network connections, or even over Wi-Fi, allow you connect on the go.  (THAT DOES NOT MEAN WHILE DRIVING.  BE SAFE AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE ROAD.)

Happy Tweeting!

 

Keith

A simple adjustment leads to a collaborative environment

Last week as myself, Keith and Marc were working in the office to prepare for the upcoming school year, we realized that our current office setup was hindering a collaborative atmosphere. 

Marc and Keith currently share an office while I am situated in a cubicle 15 feet from their door. Last Tuesday,  as I sat in my cubicle, I heard sounds of collaboration coming from their open office.  I listened intently as a small idea was presented and the two worked together to weave that idea into a viable plan.  Instantly, I knew I wanted to be a part of this! It was clearly evident that collaboration was being used to take their ideas beyond what either one could accomplish on an individual level.

I knew that I had to get in on this collaboration!  So I approached them about completely moving our office space around.  Being the awesome guys they are, we quickly equipped ourselves with a hand truck, and a tool set.  In the hour and a half that followed we literally moved hundreds of pounds of filing cabinets, took down walls of a cubicle, and thoroughly worked up a sweat in our slacks, button down long sleeve shirts, and ties!

What we were left with though, was an environment that encourages collaboration between the 3 of us.   In the short time since the office rearrangement, we have worked together to develop ideas and plans that will allow us to be more effective and efficient technology coaches.

So I encourage you to join the conversations at your school, break down barriers that may be negatively effecting collaboration, and create an environment that is open to new ideas!

Technology and the School Administrator

     As Instructional Technology Coaches, Marc, Doug and I will start the year meeting with Administrators and Curriculum coaches to discuss goals and plans for the year.  We all created a Professional Development Calendar on Outlook and have shared it with all that will play a part in the professional development of our school professionals.

     Building level administrators can play a huge role in promoting technology in the classroom, and helping to encourage our teachers to do the same.  Here are FIVE ASKS that we think can help:  

1.        Ask Administrators to allow you, the Technology Coach, to speak to their staff at an after school meeting near the beginning of the year to review the terms of CIPA, COPPA, and FERPA…as well as talk to them about the importance of teaching and modeling the practices to be Good Digital Citizens. Use this opportunity to tell the teachers that you are there to help support what they do, and that you want to help in any way you can.

 2.       Ask Administrators to ask for a VOLUNTEER Tech Team.  A VOLUNTEER army can prove to be a most powerful advocate. This would consist of a cohort of 5-6 teachers from the school that would like to VOLUNTEER to meet periodically throughout the year to plan, demonstrate, model and share instructional best practices as well as how we can best go about integrating technology.  Ideally, this Team would be teachers from different grade levels…mixing the core subject areas, and including the Elective or Exploratory area teachers.

3.       Ask Administrators to please allow the Tech Team members to showcase new technology integration and strategies at staff meetings.  Try to attend those meetings to support the teachers.

4.       Ask Administrators and Curriculum Coaches to “model” technology at staff meetings and with communication tools.   Have staff members bring their Laptops, Pads, etc. to staff meetings and use them to share and collaborate with some of the many Professional Learning Network tools available.

5.    Ask Administrators to encourage their staff to model technology integration, and have a place on their Observation Walk-Throughs that addresses such.

 

TECH TIP:  One tool that we’d like to recommend to you is Remind 101.It is a one way texting tool that allows owners to send brief messages to group members without ever seeing anyone’s personal phone number.  Just imagine being able to send reminders to students about a project that is due, a major test, an important PTA meeting, or even use Remind101 in place of the old fashioned “Calling Tree” we use to use to notify staff members about school closings due to inclement weather.  For more information on this tool, click on the Remind 101 in this Blog.

Teachers Teaching Teachers

The model of Teachers Teaching Teachers has been around for a long time.  The idea is that you focus your efforts on a small group of teachers in your building for a particular program or set of skills, then you have them go out and share with their peers.  Thus the learning is passed along to everyone.  So why isn’t this as successful as it should be?

In talking with teachers, there are several factors that indicate that this T3 approach can work.  Here’s what they say can foster such staff development and growth:

·         Providing time for small group learning sessions

·         Providing time for the group to practice the new knowledge

·         Helping to set up Professional Learning Networks (PLNs)

·         Giving opportunities for others to observe model lessons

·         Allowing teachers to “showcase” lessons for the entire staff

·         Providing curriculum support

·         Providing technology support in the classrooms

 

In choosing to focus on Communication and Collaboration in 2012-13, we had in mind the goal of moving from Providing Instruction to Providing Opportunities for students to work collaboratively to Designing challenges that promote collaboration within and beyond the classroom toward an authentic task to formatively assessing authentic tasks where students are engaged in purposeful collaboration…and therefore moving them along a continuum to having students take responsibility for their own learning...using technology and web tools just puts icing on the cake.

Need to Review Terms for EOC: Try Flashcard Stash

 Flashcard Stash - I like this site a lot for its searchable vocabulary lists, types of activities, and the lists can be embedded into a website.  Teachers create an account and the fun begins with searching for lists.  Teachers can create their own lists but again, it is that time of year, and time (see #3 above) is lacking.  Once a teacher finds a list she likes, the students can do several activities:

1. Learning Mode - Students click on word and get definition.
2. Practice Mode - There are two parts to practice mode.  In one part of the practice, you are given the definition, and you must type the vocabulary word.  As you type the vocabulary word, blue means you are getting it correct and red means it is wrong.  The second part of the practice you are given the word and must choose from a list of definitions before time runs out.
3. Match Game - You drag words to match definitions.
4. Waterfall - Reminds me of Tetris, but you don't have to move blocks to fit into a section.  Anyway, definitions scroll down from the top.  Before the definition gets to the bottom of the screen, you need have to type the vocabulary word up top.

Once you choose the list you want, you can embed the list and all the activities above into your website.  See below.

View List |Play Match Game |Play Waterfall Game

Little Bird Tales: Not Just for the "Little" Birds

Little Bird Tales is a free web-based story building tool.  It is extremely user-friendly and ridiculously easy to use.  After registering for their free account, teachers can add students and/or multiple classes.  Little Bird Tales allows teachers to create assignments for students, share their assignments with other teachers, while also providing students a creative platform to build their own projects.  The website hosts all of the tales eliminating the need to save the projects on a flash drive. Users can edit at any time, as long as they remember their username and password.
Little Bird Tales even has a Common Core Standards Template where teachers can preview lessons that address the Common Core Standards.  In our district, students in grades K-5 have created projects and completed assignments with this tool.  Don't let the name fool you, by no means necessary is this just for elementary students.

See how to create, assign, and share in using Little Bird Tales. 



Embed your Little Bird Tales into your webpage.


Student View of Little Bird Tales.

You Need Vector File? Use Online Convert to Make a JPEG into a Vector File

On May 24th, my school district has our technology fair to showcase the technology our students and teachers are using to improve learning.  We give some type of gift to the participants to show our appreciation, and this year we will be giving ear buds with our technology fair logo on it.

As we were speaking to our vendor, she asked if we had a logo and yes we do.  She said that was great and to send to her it as a vector file.  A what?  As good technology coaches, we did not ask any questions and said sure we could.  Two seconds later we googled it and learned what it was.  From what I can best tell, a vector file is a graphic design image that can be placed onto pens, cups, ear buds, flash drives, etc, and one of the file extensions is eps.

So how do you create a vector (eps) file from jpeg?  Using Online Convert, you upload your image and the website will convert it for you, no sign in required.  You can simply download the converted file.  However, how do you view your new file without a vector or eps program to run it?

Voila, you can Microsoft Word to view it; I am using the 2010 and not sure if it works on older versions of Word.

1. Go to Insert
2. Insert a Picture
3. Where it states "All Pictures" choose "Encapsulated PostScript" - Long for eps.
4. Choose Insert and your new image will appear.

How do I Embed a Scientific Calculator (or Something Else) Into My Website?

Richard Byrne who writes the blog "Free Technology for Teachers", recently posted "Put a Scientific Calculator on Your Classroom Blog."  I love the idea that you can embed widgets from Web2.0calc of the calculator into your website or blog for the students who may not be able to shell out the money for one at home.

My district's curriculum math coach and I passed this along to our teachers, but I forgot one thing.  Many teachers do not know how to embed widgets, videos, or other web 2.0 tools into their websites.  The tutorial below will go through the steps on how to embed a scientific calculator (or something else) into your website.

By the way, if you are not already reading Richard's blog or following him on Twitter, I suggest you do.

Website Not Loading Properly: Try Compatibility View in IE

Learned something quite easy today and new.  We have an IT work order system in our district.  However, it does not work using Internet Explorer (IE) so up to now we have opened Firefox to make it work.  Now, you are probably asking, "Why don't you use Forefox or Chrome all of the time?"  Well, IE works for most of our websites and the others do not.  I guess it has something to do with our Firewall, but I'm not a IT person.

So back to the original problem, we have to open Firefox to use our work order system.  One of our techs saw this and said, "Why don't you click on the 'compatibility view' in IE?"  What is the compatibility view you say?  When you are in IE, if the website you are at does not work fully in the current version of IE you are running, you will be what looks like a page break in the address bar.  You left-click on this once and Bam!, the website will become fully functional.

I'm sure those of us at GCSD will be happy to hear less to solve websites problems, "Try another browser."

Embed Voki into a PowerPoint

This short video gives you step by step instructions on how to embed a Voki into your PowerPoint presentation.  It's as easy as creating a Voki...sharing the Voki by "publishing" your avatar, copying the embed code, and inserting it into your PowerPoint.  Although it will look as though it didn't work when you first insert it, it will load and show as soon as yoou begin the Slide Show.

Watch the webcast below to see how easy it is to enhance your presentations.  If you want to download the step-by-step instructions, I have it in a PowerPoint, just go to my website and download the instructions.  Click HERE to get to my Tech tool of the Month.  The Tech tool of the Month will change in April, but the PowerPoint Instructions for this Blog will remain on the page. 

Using PADLET to Showcase Projects

We have been sharing with some of our teachers lately, a tool that allows them to showcase their student projects. The tool is called PADLET, formerly known as Wallwisher.  It is located at www.padlet.com.  Most often, we have created the sites or “pages” with teachers so the students can post notes to the page in response to a question or to share thoughts.  Now we have started using the online bulletin board tool as a way to share  things like the students' respose to an essential question, written documents, posters, Power Points and Weebly Web pages.  We make sure to adjust the Privacy Settings so a teacher has to approve a piece before it goes live on the web.  Be sure to observe all of the precautions for Internet safety for our students, conforming to the CIPA and COPPA laws. 

Watch the very basic video tutorial below and start showcasing your students’ work online.

 

 

Persuading: Being Buoyant in the Face of Rejection

Chapter 5 in Daniel Pink's book To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others is titled "Buoyancy." It is the second chapter of Part II in the book titled, "How To Be."

Many of you reading this post are teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators who are leading the way in integrating technology effectively.  As we are on our journey, how many of you can describe situations similar to that of a door-to-door salesman.  “He found door-to-door selling especially brutal.  These rejections came fast and ferociously, often in the form of a rude comment and a slammed door.” (Page 99 of 260, Loc 1190, Kindle App for iPad)  Now I’ve never had a teacher slam a door in my face but many emails go unnoticed.

In order to stay positive in our quest to integrate effectively, Daniel Pink suggests we stay buoyant.

1) Have Interrogative Self-Talks – Example – How can I best persuade the teacher to have his/her students write online?  “Can I move these people.” (page 117, Loc 1399)

2) Positivity Ratios – Be positive about what you are trying persuade teachers to do.  Negative emotions narrow people’s vision while positivity broadens it. (page 105, Loc 1286).  Also, you need to believe in the positive effect that technology integration has on the learning for students.

3) Optimistic Explanatory Style – “View your rejections as temporary rather than permanent, specific rather than universal, and external rather than personal.” (page 111, Loc 1369)

Practicing buoyancy is going to be important for me.  Many times, like today, I get dismayed when only a handful of teachers welcome me into their classrooms to share ideas of technology integration.  However, I need to be positive, have interrogative self-talks before entering a building, and be optimistic to help myself be persistent through the tough days.

Using Tagxedo in the Classroom

Finding ways to keep the interests of students is certainly challenging.  For years, “manipulatives” were hot items because they occupied the mind and hands of students, allowing them to connect the different modalities in one lesson.  Today’s students are a lot more tech savvy and seem to get bored quicker.  I continue to search for ways to engage students while exposing them to content.  With that being said, here’s an interesting way to use a “word cloud” tool to focus on content, vocabulary and spelling.  The site is www.tagxedo.com. Tagxedo lets you build word clouds, but with an additional spin.  You can import shapes and pictures, or choose from the stock shapes on the website to create a picture using words.  You’ve heard the expression, “A picture paints a thousand words” haven’t you?  Well here is proof!

 

Here are two project ideas:

1)      SELF-PORTRAIT. What you will need:  Laptops or computers, list of words describing themselves, a picture of the student either on a Flash Drive or on the computer hard drive. Part 1:  Have students create a list of words that describe themselves.  Have other students in the class contribute to the list by adding positive attributes that a student may not list about themselves.  This is a cool activity for programs like “Capturing Kid’s Hearts.” Next, have the students use all of the words created in the list to write an autobiographical paper.  Part 2:  For the follow-up activity have students open www.tagxedo.com.  Once there, students can import their picture, load the Tagxedo with the list of words or even better, the autobiography and watch as the words spin a likeness of the student using words.  Save, Share or Print out. 

2)      FAMOUS PEOPLE/SPEECHES IN HISTORY.  What you will need: a famous speech and a picture of the person who delivered the speech.  Part 1:  Find an important speech from history.  Discuss what was happening around the time the speech was delivered, and the importance of the speech.  Now, after doing your research about the speech, the person, what was happening in this time period in history, and the impact of the speech…use the words to the speech and load them into Tagxedo.  Import a picture of the person who delivered the speech.  Watch as Tagxedo spins a likeness of the person using their own words from the speech.

 

Watch the video for the basics of how to use Tagxedo.  The program is pretty intuitive, and in no time at all, you will be creating all kinds of really cool projects on your own.



Follow me on Twitter @Bdy4Lyf

Use Student Responses to Drive your Lessons

A FREE Interactive Student Response system...easy to use and fun for students and teachers alike.  The system provides immediate item analysis and features a teacher paced question and answer session that allows time for discussion and lesson feedback.

See the Video below on How to Use Socrative...and enjoy!  www.socrative.com

 

Follow me on Twitter @Bdy4Lyf

Yes!! I'm An Ambivert!!!

Chapter 4 in Daniel Pink's book To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others is titled "Attunement."  It is the first chapter of Part II in the book titled, "How To Be."

How often as curriculum coaches, teachers, and administrators due we take the perspective of those we work with into mind?  When I'm introducing a new technology to teachers, do I take into account what they want or need or have time to do?  When administrators add a new rule, do they first think of its consequences on teachers or students?  When we teach a lesson to students on a topic, do we take the time to see how they view it?  I think all of us need to take just a little more time and understand the perspective of the people we are trying to sell an idea too.

Perspective = If you want to persuade someone, understand their perspective.

As a technology coach, I have a responsibility to convince teachers to integrate technology effectively into their lessons and transform how a lot of them have been teaching for many years.  I also do a lot of professional learning sessions including how to use the district's new online assessment software and using social media responsibly.  As I read the chapter, I asked myself if I take into account the teacher's perspective as I prepare and deliver these professional learning activities.

Tomorrow I have to deliver professional learning to high school teachers using the district's assessment software to create tests.  After reading this chapter, here are some strategies from the chapter I will use to "sell" the teachers on using the software.

1. Amazon - Yes, the company Amazon. When the higher ups in the company have a meeting, they always leave one chair empty.  This chair represents us the consumer and reminds them not to forget us.  I will have two empty chairs in planning;  one is for the teachers and the second is for students.
2. Be confident that I am an ambivert.  I have know for the past 20 years that I was more on the introvert side of the introvert/extrovert scale.  I have never been shy but was never the center of attention as well.  At a party or meeting with strangers, I am always quiet and reflective of the group before opening my mouth to make suggestions. You would think to convince others you have to be an extrovert, but I learned in this chapter, that us, ambiverts, are more powerful at selling.  We are in the middle and not on the extreme edges.
3. Mimic the mannerisms of the group.  When a teacher asks a question, pay attention to him/her.  Repeat the question they ask, if they lean in then I lean in, if they cross their arms then cross my arms.
4. Assume I'm in a position of lower power.  This will help me better understand the teacher's perspective as I teach them.

Are you an ambivert?  Check out Daniel Pink's assessment to see if you are.

Caveat Magistra/Magister: Teacher Beware

Chapter 3 in Daniel Pink's book To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others is titled "From Caveat Emptor to Caveat Venditor."

When I bought my first truck 15 years ago and again when I bought my second truck 10 years ago, I went to the dealerships without any information.  The dealer had all of the information about the trucks, and I was at their mercy.  Daniel Pink would refer to this as Caveat Emptor, buyer beware.  However, when my wife and I bought our SUV 5 years ago, I had researched the same brand from dealers around the state and had print outs of the competitors similar makes and models.  Five years ago the roles had reversed to Caveat Venditor, seller beware.  I had all of the information necessary to make an informed decision as what to buy.

When I was going through high school in the late 80's and beginning my teaching career in the early 90's, it was Caveat Discipulus, or student beware.  The teacher had all of the information and knowledge of the subject area.  Students went to school to learn this knowledge from their teacher, a textbook, and an encyclopedia.  Now let's fast forward to 2013 and it has become Caveat Magistra/Magister, teacher beware.  The roles have reversed and the student has access to as much or more information than the teacher.  The teacher is no longer the sole holder of the knowledge.

"Today's, it's possible for a motivated secondary school student with Internet access to know more about the causes of the Peloponnesian War or how to make a digital film than his teacher...Today's educators and health care professionals can no longer depend on the quasi-reverence that information asymmetry often afforded them.  When the balance tilts in the opposite direction, what they do and how they do it must change." (page 58, Loc 742, Kindle app for iPad)

I have believed for a few years that students no longer must be given Power Points to copy for 90 minutes because they have access to information, and I argue too much information.  Our responsibility as educators to to teach students what to do with all of this information.  How to find correct information, understand it, analyze it, compare it, and create an argument using the information.

Influencing, Persuading, and Changing Behavior

Chapter 2 in Daniel Pink's book To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others is titled "Entrepreneurship, Elasticity, and Ed-Med."  As an educator, there are two quotes that make we stop and pause.  The first:

"We try to espouse the philosophy that everyone the customer touches is effectively a salesperson," says Cannon-Brookes.  At Atlassian, sales- in this case, traditional sales-isn't anyone's job.  It's everyone's job." (page 34, Loc 440, Kindle app for iPad)

This past summer district leaders, including principals and high school teachers, had several days of professional development called "Capturing Kids' Hearts" taught by the Flippen Group.  This professional development taught us techniques on getting closer to our students and showing how we care for them.  The quote above relates to this but also expands the idea of Capturing a Kid's Heart to the entire school staff including custodial staff, office staff, etc.  All of us in the schools are responsible for making a successful school climate.

The second quote is:

"Health care and education both revolve around non-sale selling: the ability to influence, to persuade,  and to change behavior while striking a balance between the others want and what you can provide them." (page 42, Loc 542, Kindle app for iPad)

Go into any school, locate an excellent teacher, and the trait of influencing, persuading, and changing behavior will be found in that teacher.  The teacher does not persuade his or her students with a stick or carrot, but is able to change behavior by learning about that student and making the curriculum relevant to that student.  One of the teachers mentioned in this chapter is Larry Ferlazzo.  His blog, "Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day", is one I read and follow when I get a chance, and I suggest all educators have his blog in your Reader account.  He also has a strong presence on Twitter @Larryferlazzo.

I am enjoying this book a lot and look forward to the next chapter.

Chapter 1 Summary: To Sell Is Human... by Daniel Pink

As a instructional technology coach, I spend most of my days trying to convince teachers and administrators to integrate more technology effectively into their lessons and their schools.  In other words, I'm trying to sell them an idea or a new way of thinking.  I truly believe that integrating technology effectively into everyday lessons is imperative if we live up to our goal to produce lifelong learners and productive members of our society.  The difficult part is getting my message through to the teachers and administrators that I work with.

Daniel Pink has written a new book which deals with all of us, especially in education, are salespeople of ideas.  Each day we do our best to convince young people that reading, writing, arithmetic, social studies, etc. are important to their lives.  In his new book, To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others, Daniel Pink explores the idea that most of us are sales people.  In the Introduction he states, "But all of you are likely spending more time than you realize selling in a broader sense-pitching colleagues, persuading funders, cajoling kids.  Like it or not, we're all in sales now." 

 

Part I "Rebirth of a Salesman", Chapter 1 "We're All in Sales Now" 

 

Mr. Pink begins the chapter by telling the story of Norman Hall who is Fuller Brush Salesman.  Now being 42, I should remember a Fuller Brush Salesman coming to my hometown in Greene, New York, but the memory escapes me.  However, I do remember vacuum cleaner salesmen, the Charles Chips guy, and the two encyclopedia sets my parents bought.  Norman, as a door to door salesman, must convince people to buy brushes in his catalog, and it is a lost art.  As Mr. Pink points out, whatever I want to buy in 2013 I go to the Internet and buy the item much like I bought this book.  I read reviews online, saw posts on Twitter, and purchased the book through Amazon for my app without ever having to leave the comfort of my home.


The next part of the chapter reveals stats of many sales people are in some countries around the world.  Mr. Pink references 1 in 9 Americans are in direct sales, but as he points out, most of the rest of us are in indirect sales for example, "Teachers sell students on the value of paying attention in class."  In a study he conducted, 40% of us spend our time at work persuading, influencing, and convincing others but more powerful, we consider this time crucial to our work. (Chapter 1, "The Rise of Non-Sales Selling").

I'm looking forward to reading the next chapter and the ones after.  After all, my job and responsibility is to sell to teachers and administrators the value of effectively integrating technology into the classroom. 

Two Tools - One Presentation

This post will feature a video of how to embed the HTML Code from a Voki Avatar (www.voki.com) into a Weebly Webpage (www.weebly.com). The cool thing about this is that it allows you to use one tool to create a talking avatar, and then use it as a part of another Web 2.0 Tool by putting the Avatar directly into your Weebly Web page.

You will need to have created the Voki ahead of time...and be on an already created Weebly. Once both pieces are in place, have both the Voki and the Weebly tabs available so that you can move easily between the sites.

1. In the Voki: After you have created a Voki Avatar character and given him or her an audio message to relate. Then click Publish. On the right side you will see a box that gives you an Embed Code. Click into the code and then click the Copy button right above the box. You are now ready to move to the Weebly.

2. In the Weebly: While on one of your pages, click on into the "Elements" tab. On the top left you will see the word "Basic" under the Weebly Editor. Click to make sure you are in Basic. Then on the far right, you will see a box called HTML. Drag and Drop this box into you page. Wait on it to settle...then click in the box and Paste the Embed Code from your Voki into this box. Click outside the box and wait a few seconds. You should see your Voki inside your Weebly.

Good luck.

Follow me on Twitter @Bdy4Lyf

Tech-ing the High School Research Paper

Writing an effective research paper is an important skill for a high school student for a number of reasons.  Students learn…

1) research skills

2) to cite sources and give credit where credit is due.

3) to analyze information, make an argument, and support the information/argument with sources.

4) to organize their ideas.

5) to write as academics in the field they are studying.

 

However, too often we ask students to complete the process using the same techniques I was taught in the 80’s.  Students go to the library and get a demonstration of where to find the books on the shelf.  They are allowed to use the Internet (didn’t have that in the 80’s) but are not taught how to do an effective search.  Sources are organized onto note cards and the final paper is turned into the teacher to correct.

I recently completed graduate school from a local university and had to complete one research paper in most of my classes.  However, I could not give you directions to the library and have no idea where it is on campus.  Why?  Because I used the library’s database of information and did effective searching for articles on Google.  Let's teach students to complete research papers using the tools available to us in 2013 from choosing a topic, locating sources, organizing thoughts, publishing their work, and marketing the final product.

Below are steps to the research paper, and how I would "tech" the steps up.

 1. Pick a topic.

                Wallwisher - This is a great site for brainstorming.  Students can post to the wall any idea they have for a topic.  Could be used as whole class or in small group to brainstorm topic ideas.

 2. Find sources, both primary and secondary. 

               SCDiscus - SCDiscus is South Carolina's public library system online and is a free service to all residents of South Carolina.  According to its "About" page, "DISCUS - South Carolina’s Virtual Library is the “information place” for all South Carolinians. DISCUS – which stands for Digital Information for South Carolina USers – provides free access to an electronic library that’s available 24/7."  For users in other states, check with your media specialist to learn what state library resources are available in your state.
              
                Google Advanced Search - Most students I've observed using Google only go to Google's homepage, type in a search term, and choose one of the top ten results.  However, Google's Advance Search can be very helpful.  To use them, go to Google's homepage, type in a search term, and search for results.  On the right hand side of the page, there will be a gear symbol, and one of the choices is Google Advanced Search.  Some of the great options in advanced search is the ability to search by key words, phrases, domain (.gov, .edu, etc,) and reading level.

                Google Scholar - Google Scholar is an excellent search for engine for your honors and AP level students.  "Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature."  I used this search engine a lot in my graduate studies when articles through the library were insufficient. 

               

 3. Organize the ideas and sources.

 

                Symbaloo - I would use one of the online bookmarking sites like Symbaloo. Symbaloo allows you to save links in a matrix, and each link can be color coded and given symbols for better organization. Symbaloo is free, and students under 16 need written consent from a parent to use.

                Livebinders - It is another online service to store all of your ideas. Think of Livebinders as 3-ring notebook with tabs and sections. Students can upload their materials, pdfs, links, word documents, etc to their Livebinders. Livebinders expects its users to be 13. 

                pbworks or wikispaces - With pbworks and wikispaces, students can create different pages for source information including quotes, citations, etc.  With both services, teachers can create accounts for students, so under 13 are welcomed.

 

4. Organize the research paper.

              Popplet - Popplet is an online web making tool.  Students can use the service to organize their paper and how the ideas will flow.  If it is a group project, other Popplet users can be sent invitations to work together.  Popplet expects its users to be 13.

5.  Publish the research paper.
                Kidblog - In the past, the only person who saw the research paper was the teacher.  Kidblog is a blogging service that is free where a teacher sets up a classroom and has many privacy controls which is great for younger children.  Students publish their research paper as a blog-post and other students, teachers, administrators, parents, and professionals in the field can read and comment on the papers.
 
               pbworks or wikispaces - In my graduate studies, one professor had us post our research papers to a wiki so others in the class could read our research papers.  On the final exam, questions came from the research papers posted.
 
6. Market the research paper.
               Twitter and Email - We did not market our research papers in the 80's so this is new.  Share student research papers for others to read, comment, and learn from.  Mitch Resnick, an MIT professor stated, “We wouldn’t consider someone literate if they could read but couldn’t write.  Are we literate if we consume content online, but don’t produce?”

Enjoy "teching up" the research papers.

Student Poetry Gets Animated

Students have been reading, interpreting, analyzing, and writing poetry since the beginning days of education.  The problem is we still ask students to do all of this using the same strategies for centuries.  With technology, we have the ability to get our poetry animated and allow it to come to life.

South Carolina English Language Arts teachers recently had their conference at Kiawah Island, South Carolina.  A teacher who attended the conference heard of animated poetry so we did some investigating.  At first, we thought the presenter had used Adobe Flash, but I am not a fan of it simply because it is a pay program.  Next we looked at Animoto and it seems to be a good solution.

First Animoto is free.  Educators can get an education license which allows them to create full length movies plus the the teacher can create 50 student accounts.  The promo code for the student accounts will be sent to your email.  Your education license plus the 50 free student accounts allows you to create full length videos and download them.  Your education license is good for 6 months then you must renew.  The normal free license only allows 30 second videos and no download. 

With the Animoto for Education service, students under 13 may use the service.  Before using however, I strongly suggest you read the terms of service for Animoto for Education first.

Creating an animated poem is fairly easy.  First, we read our poem, Cross by Langston Hughes, and did a voice recording using the free software Audacity.  Audacity allows you to turn it into an mp3.  Next, we gathered our images then uploaded the images and mp3 track to Animoto.  I suggest playing around with the themes in Animoto because it really brings your poetry alive, or should I say ANIMATED!!

Here is the link to my Animated Poem, Enjoy!!!

P.S. I made the video before registering for an education account, so I was limited to 30-seconds.

http://animoto.com/play/m10jfA4J1KrjoYsxqoMCGQ

Get Students to Be Creative Simply with PhotoStory 3

Giving students the opportunity to express their creativity and knowledge using technology is essential in this century.  However, the problem is the learning curve and and the time associated with it. 

There are many state standards to teach and learn so having technology that is simple to use and efficient is a must.  One such technology is Photo Story 3 for Windows.  It is free as a software download and can be taught in 10 minutes or less.

Most movies can be completed in two one-hour periods or less.  I recommend students write their storyboard and locate their images on day one and create their movie on day two.  Frederick County Public schools has a storyboard I like to use.

No Paper Needed Teacher Observation Form for FREE!

A lot of school districts use a triplicate form for teacher observations, or they pay very good money to a company to do the observations online.  Like most districts, we do not have the dollars to pay for an online observation form but want to move to paperless.  We now have a solution.  We use Google Forms with Google Drive.

Administrators will now have an option to take a laptop pr tablet into a classroom and complete a teacher observation.  There are three large advantages to this.

1. The administrator completing the observation does not have to fill out paperwork later about what he or she remembered in the classroom.
2. The observation data is stored in a Google Form spreadsheet that can be sorted and filtered to analyze data, powerful data.
3. Our process goes one step further.  Upon submission of the observation an email of the data is email to the teacher being observed and administrators (principal, assistant principals, curriculum coach) in the building. 

Below is a video on how to create one for your school.

Solve Your Communication Problem with Parents and Students

Teachers and Administrators,

It is halfway through the school year, and it is time again for report cards to go out.  Inevitably you will have a parent or two come see you and ask why her son has such a low grade.  The parent doesn't understand the grade because her child states there is never any work to do in your classroom even though you regularly give homework, quizzes, and tests.  How will you improve your communication with the parent?  I have the perfect solution, and it is called Remind 101.

Remind 101 is exactly what its name states; it is a reminder service.  Texts messages go from you the teacher to the students and parents.  You are probably saying something sarcastic like, "Great, I will have parents' and students' phone numbers, they will have mine, and worse they will be replying to me all night.  No thank you!!."  Remind 101 does not allow any of this which is one of the reasons I recommend the service.  Here is a list of reasons to use it.

1) It is FREE!!!

2) It is an opt-in program.  You create groups, get unique codes for each group, and share with parents and students to sign up.

2) Remind parents and students of upcoming tests, quizzes, etc.  It has a schedule feature so you can post your comments and have them sent at a later time.

3) It is a reminder feature so it is one-way traffic.  You text them, but they can't reply to you.

3) No phone numbers are shared.  They do not see your number, and you do not see their number.  You do see user names in case you need to delete a user.

4) Let students and parents know that standard message rates apply so they should only use the service if they have an unlimited plan because you plan on communicating with them a lot!!

5) There is an app for that.  Both iPhone and Android has an app you can use.

Social Media and Professionalism

My Human Resources department asked me to speak with induction teachers(first-year) and their mentors about social media and professionalism at their monthly meeting.

First, I am a huge advocate of using social media in our classrooms for many reasons.  However, I also want educators to use it responsibly.  Social media in the schools has many benefits including better communication with stakeholders, professional learning networks, a 21st century skill, and teaching students how to interact appropriate online and being good digital citizens including modelling that for them.

I get very irritated when people question the use of social media in the classroom because students do not use it correctly, their grammar is poor, or they will say something inappropriate.  In reality, all these "bad" things will happen, but as educators we have the opportunity to turn these instances into learning experiences. 

I do understand the need for privacy and security for the students in the classrooms and the differences for each level of schooling (elementary, middle, & high) plus the level of comfort the teacher has.  But, I believe the benefits out weigh the risks.

One of the most important lessons I can give to teachers is to understand your district's policy on the use of social media.  Many, like mine, have clauses if what you post personally effects the school environment, you can be disciplined up to and including termination.

Below I've embedded the Prezi I shared with teachers.