The Common Core State Standards initiative was state led and coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers to create benchmarks for learning from kindergarten through grade 12. The standards themselves “were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts” and are divided into two separate sets of standards: English language arts and math.  The English language arts standards also include history, science and technical studies.

The Common Core State Standards seeks to develop students who:

- Demonstrate independence

- Evaluate complex texts

- Possess strong content knowledge

- Communicate effectively

- Comprehend and critique

- Locate and use evidence effectively

- Feel confident solving real world problems

- Understand other perspectives and cultures

- Apply their existing knowledge to new situations

- Use technology and digital media strategically and capably 

According to the Standards, teachers must teach and students must learn using relevant technology that students will need to succeed beyond high school. 

10 Tech Tools That Can Help!

English Language Arts Standards:

1. Diigo - free online research, note taking and annotation tool. Students can read articles online, insert post-it notes to annotate the text, bookmark, highlight and easily share their notes with others. Diigo makes it possible to teach students how to effectively manage digital resources and meet reading standards. 

“Through reading a diverse array of classic and contemporary literature as well as challenging informational texts in a range of subjects, students are expected to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspective“(Common Core Standards).

*Note: Educators can upgrade to an education account that has special premium account features provided specifically to K-12 & higher-ed educators. Once your Diigo Educator application is approved, your account will be upgraded to have these additional features: 

• You can create student accounts for an entire class with just a few clicks (and student email addresses are optional for account creation) 
• Students of the same class are automatically set up as a Diigo group so they can start using all the benefits that a Diigo group provides, such as group bookmarks and annotations, and group forums. 
• Privacy settings of student accounts are pre-set so only teachers and classmates can communicate with them.
• Ads presented to student account users are limited to education-related sponsors.

2. Collaborize Classroom- structured online discussion platform with question types that make it easy to teach argument writing, which is prioritized in the standards. 

“The ability to write logical arguments based on substantive claims, sound reasoning, and relevant evidence is a cornerstone of the writing standards, with opinion writing—a basic form of argument—extending down into the earliest grades” (Common Core Standards).

3. Google “Advanced Search” – Teach students how to refine their online searches to find more relevant and reliable information. For 10 Tips to help your students search smarter, CLICK HERE.

“Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism” (Common Core Standards).

4. Study Blue - an online tool for making flashcards with video and audio elements, taking notes, and preparing for exams.

“The standards expect that students will grow their vocabularies through a mix of conversations, direct instruction, and reading. The standards will help students determine word meanings, appreciate the nuances of words, and steadily expand their repertoire of words and phrases” (Common Core Standards).

5. Google Docs  and Forms – Shared documents are perfect for group collaboration on a piece of writing. Forms can be used to create specific forms and rubrics to help students provide each other with quality feedback. 

“Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.”

Math:

6. Survey Monkey - free online survey tool. Teach students how to design a survey, collect information, analyze data, and draw conclusions. 

“Understand and evaluate random processes underlying statistical experiments. Make inferences and justify conclusions from sample surveys, experiments and observational studies” (Common Core Standards).

 7.  Creately - is an online tool that makes it easy for you to create, share, and collaborate with data-rich diagrams.

“Diagrams of various kinds, spreadsheets and other technology, and algebra are powerful tools for understanding and solving problems drawn from different types of real-world situations” (Common Core Standards).

8. Gliffy – design, collaborate and share floor plans (great for geometry!), flowcharts, technical drawings and diagrams.

“Mathematically proficient students who can apply what they know are comfortable making assumptions and approximations to simplify a complicated situation, realizing that these may need revision later. They are able to identify important quantities in a practical situation and map their relationships using such tools as diagrams, two-way tables, graphs, flowcharts and formulas” (Common Core Standards).

10. YouTube.com/Teachers - was created to help teachers use YouTube videos to educate, engage and inspire their students. “Teachers can also sign up to become part of the YouTube Teachers Community, a mailing list that allows them to share ideas and best practices.” There is a growing collection of teacher-produced videos on math topics. 

The math “standards define what students should understand and be able to do in their study of mathematics. Asking a student to understand something means asking a teacher to assess whether the student has understood it” (Common Core Standards).

11. Khan Academy - Thousands of video tutorials explaining mathematical concepts and practice problems available to support students in developing their understanding of math.

“Mathematically proficient students consider the available tools when solving a mathematical problem… They are able to use technological tools to explore and deepen their understanding of concepts” (Common Core Standards).

Please post any questions and/or share any of your favorite online tools that you use to help you teach the Common Core! 

As a blended learning enthusiast, I have played with the flipped classroom model, seen presentations by inspiring educators who flip their classrooms, and even have a chapter dedicated to this topic in my book. However, I am disheartened to hear so many people describe the flipped classroom as a model where teachers must record videos or podcasts for students to view at home. 

There are many teachers who do not want to record videos either because they don’t have the necessary skills or equipment, their classes don’t include a lot of lecture that can be captured in recordings, or they are camera shy.

Too often the conversation surrounding the flipped classroom focuses on the videos- creating them, hosting them, and assessing student understanding of the content via simple questions or summary assignments.

I wish the conversation focused more on what actually happens in a flipped classroom. If we move lecture or the transfer of knowledge online to create time and space in the physical classroom, how are we using that time to improve learning for students? What is our role as the teacher in the flipped classroom? How are we maximizing the potential of the group when students are together to design collaborative, creative, student-centered activities and assignments? This is the part I want to hear more about!

For me, the beauty of the flipped classroom lies in the simple realization that instruction can take place in different mediums. We are no longer limited to a class period or a physical classroom. We have the opportunity to match the instructional activity with the environment that makes the most sense. Ramsey Musallam, defines “flip teaching” as “leveraging technology to appropriately pair the learning activity with the learning environment.” This flexibility is why technology has the potential to be so transformative in education.

The goal of the flipped classroom should be to shift lessons from “consumables” to “produceables.” (Okay, I realize I just made that word up, but I hope my meaning is clear.) Students today must be generators and producers. They must be able to question, problem solve, think outside of the box, and create innovative solutions to be competitive and successful in our rapidly changing global economy.

Blake-Plock makes a strong point when he says we learn by “doing.” He points out that many of the lessons students are given are “consumables” and this is my concern about the current language being used to describe the flipped classroom. Too often the flipped classroom requires students to watch videos, which is passive learning, but what are they asked to do with this information?

 Often the homework described in the flipped classroom model only engages the lower level thinking skills described in Bloom’s Taxonomy – remembering and understanding. The application, analysis, evaluation and creation are rarely engaged at home. There is an opportunity to get students thinking at a higher level at home if we pair content with extension activities that require that they think critically about what they have viewed. The important element is to connect students online outside of class so they have a support network of peers to ask questions, bounce ideas around with and learn from. This is why I am such a big supporter of integrating online discussions into the traditional curriculum. 

 In my presentations on the flipped classroom, I’ve advocated for 3 things that I think would make this model more appealing to most of educators:

 1. Take advantage of the ready-to-use content available. There is so much ready-to-use content on the web that teachers shouldn’t feel pressure produce videos (unless they want to or it works for their subject area). Let’s use what is out there and save time when we can.

I hate to limit the potential of the flipped model by telling teachers they have to record their own video lectures. Instead, I encourage teachers to flip all kinds of ready-to-use media.

• History.com
• PBS.org
• NationalGeographic.com
• KhanAcademy.org 

These are sites are great resources for media ranging from documentaries, interviews, demonstrations, tutorials, primary/secondary sources, articles, biographies, photography, graphs, artwork, etc.

 If you are wondering…can I really flip my class with photos or images? I say yes. If students have time to really sit and appreciate the nuances of an image or graph and think deeply about the details, they will get much more from that then if it is projected for 3 minutes as a teacher talks. There is not time in class for students to control the pace of their learning. This is a clear advantage of moving information that needs to be “consumed” online.

For example, consider the example below that presents a painting, then asks students to analyze the different aspects of the painting to select the art movement they think it was produced during. Students have time to evaluate the various elements of the painting then articulate an explanation supporting their position. They also benefit from reading what their peers have said.

*This topic is available in the Collaborize Classroom topic library, click here to view. 

2. Don’t just show them. Make them do something with that information that requires higher- order thinking. I encourage teachers to wrap the content presented at home in dynamic online discussions, debates, and/or collaborative group work. This way students must think critically about the content, engage with their peers, and produce something (an argument, a clear analytical explanation, formulate questions, synthesize information from multiple sources, etc.).

I agree with Blake-Plock’s assertion that ”It is perfectly fine to watch a video. It is perfectly fine to view a lecture. It is perfectly fine to quiz yourself on what you remember from the video or the lecture. It is perfectly fine to write a brief response about a big question. But let’s not call that a lesson. That’s just a starting point. Lessons come from doing.”  So why not pair the content with an activity that gets them “doing” then imagine where you could start the actual class activity?

For example, consider the debate question below. Students are asked to view a Khan Academy tutorial then debate whether or not they think Napoleon could have successfully won the Peninsular Campaign. This forces students to think critically about what they have watched, articulate a position and support that position with information and analysis.  

*This topic is available in the Collaborize Classroom topic library, click here to view. 

3. Use the flipped model to create a student-centered classroom. Focus class time on getting students practicing where there is a subject area expert in the room. Get students actively engaging in the learning process. Do more:

• labs, experiments, and fieldwork
• creative writing assignments 
• collaborative research projects
• acting, dramatic readings, tableaus
• project based learning
• art work
• reenactments
•  debates
•  model construction

By Jens Rötzsch (Jens Rötzsch) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)

I’d love for other educators to share the innovative things they are doing inside their flipped classrooms! How are you using your class time to build on content presented at home?

For those who love Google Docs, “it is built right into Google Drive, so you can work with others in real time on documents, spreadsheets and presentations.” Post comments and replies to any file type and get email alerts when other collaborators post comments on a shared file. 

Right now, you can “ install Drive on your Mac or PC and can download the Drive app to your Android phone or tablet.” Google is currently working on a “Drive app for iOS devices.” 

There is a search feature built in so it is easy to find files by type, author or key word. This will make navigating your saved and shared files that much easier! There is even Optical Character Recognition technology that makes it possible to scan images so they appear in a search. So, if you have photos of your summer vacation in Mexico by the beach and you search “beach,” any image with a beach should appear in your search.

For those of us who are big fans of Google, it’s nice that Google Drive was developed to work seamlessly with the suite of Google tools. Currently, you can attach images from Google Drive right into Google+ and soon this will also be the case with Gmail.

Exciting future developments will also appear as Google works with other 3rd party companies “to do things like send faxes, edit videos and create website mockups directly from Drive.” 

As an educator I’m excited to explore how Google Drive can make it easier for me and my students to manage the variety of different Google tools we currently use. It is important to note in these times of budget cuts in education that up to 5GB of storage is free. “You can choose to upgrade to 25GB for $2.49/month, 100GB for $4.99/month or even 1TB for $49.99/month.”

Click here, to check out Google Drive.

What I know now will radically change how I teach my students to research in the future, so I wanted to share some cool tips with other educators. 

First, let’s get the lingo down (since I didn’t know the terminology before I started digging into the resources Lisa provided).

Your search is called a “query” and you type it in the “query box.” 

I know that query means question or inquiry, but I had no idea that is what you called the little box on the Google homepage. So, now when I say query box, we’ll all be on the same page. 

Note: When I type an example query, I will use brackets [ ] to indicate that it is a query.

Here is some quick and interesting information on how Google improves your searches. Google:

• suggests spelling corrections and alternative spellings.
• personalizes your search by using information such as sites you’ve visited before.
• includes synonyms of your search terms to find related results.
• finds results that match similar terms to those in your query.
• search for words with the same stem, like “running” when you search for run.

10 Questions & 10 Answers to Help You Search Smarter!

1. Not a great speller? Not sure how to spell a word? No problem!

“Google’s spell checker automatically defaults to the most common spelling of a given word, whether or not you spell it correctly.”

2. Are you looking for a specific file type?

Do you want to find PDFs, PPTs, or XLS? Refine your search by adding filetype:[insert 3 letter file abbreviation] 

example: [tips google search filetype:PPT] = yields results for PPTs only

3. Did you find a great website and want to find others like it?

Search for related pages. example: [related: insertURL]

4. Have you found a great site but want to search within that site for specific information?

If so, begin with your key words + site:[URL]

 5. Looking for a specific type of site, like .edu, .gov or .org?

If so, begin you query with site:[type of site]+key words

6. Do you ever wish a search engine could read your mind, complete a statement or fill in a blank? It can…well, it gets really close to mind reading!

Put an asterisk * in a phrase or question you want completed and Google will fill in the blanks.

7. Looking for an exact word, phrase or sentence? Put your query in quotes to search for exact matches or enter your query, click related searches in left sidebar and click “verbatim” for exact matches without using quotations. This can limit the results you get, so make sure you know exactly what you are looking for when you use it.

8. Wish you could determine the reading level of the information you find? No problem. 

If you are having students in your class do research and want to make sure they will be able to read the information they find, just…

1. Click More search tools on the left side of the search results page.
2. Click Reading level. You’ll now see results with reading levels and percentage breakdown of results by reading level.
3. To filter your results by a specific reading level, select your desired level (Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced).

9. Are you searching for a specific type of image when you search? Wish you could filter out all the clip art or irrelevant images? You can.

1. Go to Google and click “Images” in black bar at the top.
2. Enter query
3. In left hand bar, you can refine your search by size, color, type (e.g. face, photo, clip art or line drawing), standard view, etc.

10. Have you ever found an image but don’t know where? Do you wish you could find out where it came from so you can cite it or find other images like it?    It’s as easy as a dragging and dropping.

If you click the small camera icon in the Google query box. It allows you to drag an image directly into the query box. It searches for information on that image and provides “Similar Images” you can view.

I will be adding new blogs each week to share some of the awesome tips and tricks I learned at the Google Teacher Academy. Feel free to post a comment to add to this list if you have fun Google Search information to share with other educators!

Team Rubik Rocks!

Digesting what I learned at the Google Teacher Academy will take months. An impressive collection of both Google Certified Trainers and Google staff  introduced an immense amount of information in just 2 days. It was mind boggling- especially after 3 plane flights and almost 24 hours of travel! I took copious notes and will be dedicating a series of blogs to teasing out the important information I learned during my time in London. In addition to notes, my goal is to share instructional strategies to inspire other educators who want to incorporate technology into their existing curriculum. The array of awesome Google tools provided free to educators has the potential to transform the way teachers approach instruction…very exciting!

Several themes reoccured throughout the academy:

• Localize learning
• Student/child-centered learning
• Let students lead & don’t be afraid to learn from them
• Choice, freedom & flexibility
• Get rid of rows! 
• Reach all students 
• Storytelling  
• Communication & collaboration 
• Imagine what students could do with 20% time (like Google Time)
• Pursue your passions
• Think bigger

I walked away from GTA with so much knowledge about Google tools, a network of inspiring educators, and tons of ideas about how I can use technology in my classroom to improve engagement and create student-centered learning opportunities.

The challenge now is to “dream out loud” and create an action plan. I need to decide how I will put what I have learned (and will continue to learn) into action to inspire my students and, hopefully, create positive change on a larger scale. A daunting task for sure, but one that has created a sense of urgency for me personally and professionally. As Mark Wagner said in his address to the group, “With science and the human heart there is no limit.”

I am excited to learn more, grow more and be more. I hope that in doing so I can infuse my students with the same desire to grow and learn.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The 21st Century Classroom

Chapter 2: Blended Learning

Chapter 3: The Role of the Teacher in a Blended Learning Model

Chapter 4: The Art of Asking Questions Online

Chapter 5: Develop a Dynamic Learning Community Online

Chapter 6: English Language Arts

Chapter 7: History/Social Studies

Chapter 8: Science

Chapter 9: Math

Chapter 10: Flip Your Instruction With Online Discussions

Chapter 11: Assessing Work Online

Preface

Why Did I Write This Book?

I wish I could say my decision to adopt a blended learning model stemmed from a desire to be innovative and progressive. To be honest, it came from a place of desperation. I was drowning in work. Larger class sizes, overwhelming stacks of grading, and more pressure from administration to prepare students for “high-stakes” standardized exams were the true catalysts that led me to adopt a blended learning model.

I was hesitant, even skeptical, at first. I worried about student access to technology, the time required to facilitate online work, and how I would create a virtual safe space to support respectful dialogue.

I had eight years’ experience teaching high school English in the classroom and three years’ experience teaching online college-level writing courses. My goal was to blend the best of both worlds—the face-to-face interaction of the classroom with the flexibility of online discussions, collaboration, and group work—in order to enhance my effectiveness and combat the growing number of pain points afflicting the teaching profession.

I have learned a great deal about the web tools available to me over the last few years. And I have explored the limitless potential of online discussions as a foundation for myriad online assignments. I evolved from asking analytical questions about literature to using my learning platform to support collaborative group work, creative writing, peer editing, student-driven projects, and standardized test practice. As a result, I feel more empowered. I realize that technology cannot replace me, but it can make me more effective, decrease my grading load, and teach my students critical 21^st century skills they will use long after they have left my class.

What Is the Purpose of This Book?

Most teachers are so overworked it is daunting to imagine shifting to a blended learning model. This book presents a clear path teachers can take to adopt a blended learning model that works for them and their students.

Many college-level texts on blended learning focus on the pedagogy, theory, structural design, and budgetary issues at the heart of a blended learning model. This book was written for teachers in upper elementary through high school, so the focus of this text is practical application of these theories in Grade 4–12 classrooms.

Why should a teacher buy this book?

1. It advocates for a teacher-designed blended learning model with concrete strategies, ready-to-use resources, and examples grounded in the Common Core State Standards.

2. It shows teachers how they can use an online environment to give every student a voice, increase engagement, drive higher-order thinking, and make homework an interactive experience instead of a solitary practice.

3. Teachers will learn how to integrate technology into their existing curriculum in order to build community and create a student-centered classroom that challenges students to be active participants in the learning process.

This book will also provide professional development instructors, instructional designers, curriculum specialists, administrators, and credential programs with resources needed to support upper elementary through high school teachers in effectively shifting to a blended learning model.

The theme of the student-centered classroom is woven throughout this book because the ultimate goal of using technology to complement work done in class is to shift the focus in the classroom from the teacher to the students. Technology can be used to introduce information and engage students in discussions and collaborative group work that have traditionally required large amounts of class time. This frees up precious class time to focus on activities that utilize the potential of the group.

How Is This Book Organized?

Chapters 1 and 2 describe the changing landscape of education, identify 21st century skills that students today need to be successful, and define what the term blended learning means. This introduction lays the foundation for subsequent chapters, which provide strategies, concrete resources, and examples.

Chapters 3 through 5 cover topics that will help teachers get started with a blended learning model. Chapter 3 focuses on the teacher’s role in a blended learning model, with a discussion of learning platforms, facilitation roles, and weaving the two mediums—face-to-face and online—together. Chapter 4 is about the art of asking questions that successfully drive dynamic discussions online. It includes tips and strategies teachers can use to design engaging online discussion questions and topics for students. This chapter covers question types that drive discussions as well as question types that kill conversations. I have designed a variety of example questions for each of the four subjects covered in the Common Core State Standards: English, history/social studies, science, and math. Chapter 5 describes a clear strategy for building relationships online and teaching student how to contribute in a respectful, supportive, and substantive way. This chapter walks teachers through the best practices for creating a virtual safe space, establishing expectations, and fostering relationships online. I encourage teachers to begin with a solid foundation to avoid problems online (e.g., cyberbullying) and raise awareness about netiquette.

Chapters 6 through 9 are subject-specific chapters that focus on the four subject areas covered in the Common Core State Standards: English, history/social studies, science, and math. Each of these chapters provides examples of online discussions and activities that address the Standards for upper elementary school (Grades 4–5), middle school (Grades 6–8), and high school (Grades 9–12). I have clearly identified the Standards associated with each online task.

Each online example is followed by three lesson ideas for student-centered in-class activities that build on the work done online. These activities are not complete lesson plans; rather, they are designed to inspire teachers who want to draw online work back into the classroom to create student-centered learning opportunities. For those of us with little technology in our classrooms, I suggest low-tech strategies for extending online work done at home back into the physical classroom. For those with 1-to-1 programs, computer labs, or laptops, I offer suggestions for incorporating technology into these student-centered activities. Throughout Chapters 6 through 9, I include information in the sidebars about the web tools I mention. You will find the URL, a brief description of the tool, and information about costs associated with using it. I have tried to focus on web tools that are free or have a lower cost for educators.

Chapter 10 discusses the flipped classroom, which is an instructional model that falls under the umbrella of blended learning. In this model the work traditionally done in the classroom and the work done at home are flipped. Students view videos of lectures, demonstrations, documentaries and other forms of media at home, then class time is used to apply that knowledge. The goal is to maximize class time to facilitate hands-on practice in the classroom and shift the focus from the teacher to the students. I encourage teachers who flip their classrooms to wrap the content students view at home in a dynamic discussion or debate, which improves retention and encourages students to demonstrate higher-order thinking.

Finally, Chapter 11 ends the book with a discussion of how teachers can assess the work done online, while making the points for virtual work visible. Because many teachers are feeling pressure to prepare students for standardized exams, there is a section dedicated to using the online space to prepare students for these high-stakes tests without sacrificing class time. I also designed and included a collection of rubrics that are anchored in the Common Core State Standards to aid teachers in assessing online work more efficiently. These can be used as is or adapted for individual teachers’ needs.

Each chapter ends with a summary and a collection of study questions. Because I believe discussion is central to learning, I designed questions to encourage further conversations about the topics covered in this book. They may serve as a helpful guide for school districts, credential programs, and groups of educators completing a book study of this text. These questions are intended to invite reflection and produce discussions about how educators might implement, adapt, or build on the ideas presented.

CLICK HERE to pre-order your copy.

CUE 2012 gave me the opportunity to both learn and teach. I attended a variety of sessions in addition to the session I presented. For those unable to attend the conference or who did not attend these sessions, I wanted to pass along the information I found interesting, thought provoking and relevant.

“Producing Powerful and Effective Presentations” by Ken Shelton

Image Credit: José Manuel Suárez (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

I attended this session to improve my own practice as a presenter. I wanted to learn the strategies, techniques, and methods to produce effective presentations. Here is what I learned:

• Use visuals, not text.
• Never use comic sans. It is too informal for a presentation (like using crayons to fill out a job application).
• High resolution images are a MUST.
• Image must be relevant and carefully chosen.
• Make the most of slide real estate (800 x 600 dimensions).
• Don’t read text verbatim. You should know your points. If you are reading off of your slides, why are you there?
• Presentations are about the human connection.
• Don’t use pre-canned themes.
• If you have a quote on a slide, don’t read it. Give your audience a chance to read it silently.
• Brain processes visual information more quickly than text, so you are more likely to communicate effectively with visuals.
• Effective use of color can help help communicate your points.
• Color can help you tell your story and direct viewer to the most important information.
• “Simplicity is sophistication.” Simplicity leads to clarity.
• The STORY is key to a compelling presentation.
• Use sans-serif for presentations -Future, Rockwell, Optima. Remember that the font you select says something about you and your message.
• Play with font size and color to emphasize points.
• Places to find photos for presentations:
  • Stock.xchng
  • Wikimedia Commons
  • Morgue file
  • Open photo
  • iStockphoto (some free photos weekly)
  • Public-domain photos
  • PD photo.org
• Take your own photos- no copyright issues and resolution issues.
• “Creative process is therapeutic” – go create images with your own camera.
• Project 365- you make a photo everyday for a year. Each week or month focus on a new topic (i.e. shape, color, texture, metal). This will help you build a diverse photo collection quickly.
• Adobe Photoshop Library is a great tool for saving, archiving and tagging photos.
• Picasso- free image archiving but does not allow for editing in the program.
• Web tools for playing with color: Colour Lovers, Color Scheme Designer, & Adobe Kuler.
• Don’t print and photocopy your presentation…it is a waste of paper. Host and share it online.
• Publish presentations with: Author Stream, Empressr, Slide Boom, slide rocket,HelloSlide, Google.docs, Slide Share.

“iPads, Android Tablets, Chromebooks, & What’s to Come” by Rushton Hurley

Image Credit: Glenn Fleishman from Seattle, Washington. Interface is copyright Apple Inc. (Behold the iPad in All Its Glory) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Listening to Rushton Hurley speak was like taking a course in effective public speaking. He was engaging, thought provoking and entertaining. Here are some of my favorite takeaways from his presentation:

• 90% students don’t engage in discussion for a variety of interpersonal reasons. However, many of those same students are comfortable engaging online.
• “When kids make something and they know other kids will see it, they want it to be good. When kids make something and they know their teacher will see it, they want it to be good enough.” We as teachers should be supporting students in collaborating, creating and publishing their work, so they take pride in what they have created.
• Free tools are great for teachers, but they are also great for students. When teachers use free tools, it makes it possible for students to also use those same free tools at home.
• “The two biggest barriers to trying new things: fear and time.” Don’t let them stop you from exploring and experimenting. After Rushton’s session, I was tweeting with Jon Corippo who said, “Microfailure leads to Macro success.” So poignant!
• “Kids will push a button to see what it does. Adults will ask what button does.” We can learn a lot from each other…as teachers this is easy to forget. Teaching and learning should be reciprocal.
• Collaborative writing is essential in secondary environment and iPad presents some challenges for writing. It is not the keyboard that is the issue, but rather the interface that can be challenging for complex and collaborative writing assignments.
• “The perfect device is one that does what you want it to do”
• Paper is going away…why not create and post documents online? If some kids don’t have access, just make copies for them.
• Going away…calendar-driven curricula. Why do we assume all students move through a course at same speed?
• We need to teach new approaches to note taking. How many teachers actually teach kids how to take notes effectively?
• “What matters now…Let’s communicate with students effectively, encourage kids, and enjoy what it means to learn.”

I would encourage people to sign up for Rushton’s newsletter, which is full of great information about all things education and technology: http://Nextvista.org/newsletter

“Getting the Most Out of Your PWB- Personal Web Presence” by Steve Hargadon and Alice Keeler

Image Credit: Matthew Bowden www.digitallyrefreshing.com (http://www.sxc.hu/photo/145972) [Attribution

This session was unlike the others I attended because it was more of a conversation than a presentation, which I really enjoyed. The session covered the following topics:

• What does it mean to have a personal web presence?
• Why is it important to consciously build a personal web presence online? What are the benefits and/or drawbacks?
• What do we like or find compelling in a website or blog? What elements do we want to incorporate into our own websites? What would we want to avoid?
• How is a personal web presence (PWP) different from a personal learning network (PLN)?
• Should educators market themselves? If so, what is the motivation? If not, why not?
• How is building a personal web presence important to the work we do in education?

Because this was a discussion, attendees had various answer to these questions. Below I have listed some of my thoughts and reflections on these topics.

• Anyone using the Internet is creating a digital footprint, which makes it necessary to be conscious of the way we are perceived by others.
• By consciously building a personal web presence, we open the door to connect with others in our field or who share common interests.
• The main difference between a PLN and a PWP is that a personal learning network (PLN) is focused on helping us connect with and learn from others within our profession. In contrast, a personal web presence (PWP) can help nurture and feed our other interests. For example, as an educator my PLN provides me with support and inspiration related to teaching and professional development. My PWP may help me to learn more about my other interests- travel, reading, cooking and yoga.
• As an educator who wants to be treated as a professional, I realized I need to order some business cards. I asked my PLN on Twitter for recommendations and several people recommended http://us.moo.com. This is now on my “to-do list.”
• We also discussed the importance of having your own website or blog. I realized as I looked through a variety of blogs that I really like websites/blogs that have substantial information. I shy away from websites with ads or ones that are too busy.
• Those looking to establish a PWP should consider buying a domain name.
• When we invest the time to build our own PWP, we can more effectively support students in creating their own PWP. We also model the importance of life-long learning when we teach students how to create a PWP.

I walked away from this conference with exciting new ideas to improve my practice as a presenter, teacher, curriculum designer and professional development facilitator. I expanded my own PLN, which will help me to continue growing and learning! Thank you to all the fabulous presenters I had the pleasure of learning from and to all of the teachers who attended my session.

This Saturday I am off to San Jose to present at SVCUE to continue the journey! Join me. I will be presenting “Fighting Engagement Deficit Disorder” and “Don’t Just Flip Your Classroom, Transform It!“

http://www.svcue.net

http://2012.cue.org/

Tomorrow I am flying to Palm Springs where I will have the pleasure of both attending and presenting at CUE 2012. The Computer Using Educators conference promises to inspire with topics that will support educators in exploring the way technology can be woven into curriculum to engage students, improve learning outcomes and inspire innovation!

I’m looking forward to seeing Rushton Hurley, Steve Hargadon, Diane Maine, Alice Keeler, and more! Check out my schedule:

“Don’t Just Flip Your Classroom- Transform It!” (Saturday at 9:30AM) is my session on flipped instruction. My session will focus on the variety of media you can use to successfully flip your instruction. Most teachers think they have to record and host videos online for students to view, but that is just the tip of the iceberg! If you are camera shy or don’t have the time or tools to produce your own tutorials, demonstrations or lectures, come learn about alternative strategies for flipping your instruction to engage students, drive higher-order thinking and save time! I will discuss the benefits of wrapping content in dynamic discussions and collaborative group work online.  I will provide resources, suggestions and strategies to answer the following questions:

• How do I go about designing a flipped instruction lesson? What happens in class? What happens at home?
• What do I do if students don’t do their homework?
• If I use online discussions and collaborative group work, how can I make sure dialogue online is supportive and respectful?
• How can I build on the content viewed online with student-centered assignments?
• How can I use mobile devices and QR codes to amplify curiosity in the classroom?

If any of these topics interest you, join me on Saturday morning. I look forward to meeting other educators interested in the potential of blending online work into their curriculum using web 2.0 tools.

I will be tweeting from CUE 2012. Follow me at @CTuckerEnglish. I’ll share any fun tech tools I hear about and share the best take aways from each session!

Image credit: salisbury.edu

This is a question everyone has been asked at one point in their lives. When I ask my students this question, most stare at me with a blank expression or mumble “Uh, I don’t know.” When pushed, some will say doctor, lawyer, fire fighter, or teacher. These are careers they are familiar with; they encounter these careers in their own lives. They have teachers growing up and see their doctors for checkups, but do they really know what is involved in pursuing these careers? Do they know what type of degree they need or how many years of college are required? Do they know what an average day in this profession is like?

I find it ironic that there is a national push to get students “college and career ready,” yet very little time is dedicated to talking to kids about why they should consider attending college (and for many, incurring mountains of debt). If more students were given the opportunity to explore career paths in middle school and high school, they might be more motivated to work hard in school to get into a good college. Others might decide to look for an internship or apprenticeship to learn a trade while still in high school.

My point is…if students were exposed to the multitude of different career paths as they progressed through school, they are more likely to be “college and career ready.”

Next Vista, an educational non-profit, has a collection of videos for students. There are 3 categories of videos on the site: 1. Light Bulbs, 2. Global View, and 3. Seeing Service. The Light Bulb category includes a “large collection of careers videos to help middle and high school students better understand and connect to their future possibilities.” After previewing these videos, I designed a multi-media project where students explore different career paths and think about their futures.

Project: Career Exploration

Step 1: First students have to be exposed to the wide range of careers available to them. How would they feel about making a living as an organic farmer, tupperware executive director, chef or nasa engineer? To do this you can have your students watch the videos on the Next Vista site and discuss them in class.

I designed discussion topics on my Collaborize Classroom site so students could watch a different career video each week and discuss whether this career interests them or not.

For more career spotlight discussion topics, you can access them all HERE.

The online discussions give students an opportunity to discuss what they like and/or dislike about different career paths. Students can ask questions and share personal stories about people they know who work in a related field.

Step 2: Once students have viewed a variety of career videos, ask them to research a career that interests them. These can be careers that they learned about from the videos and/or careers they have been exposed to elsewhere. During their research, they should generate a list of questions they have about this career. These questions will be used in their interviews.

Step 3: Interview a person in this profession. Students should use the questions they generated during their research to interview a person in their chosen career. Teachers can incorporate a lesson on “how to write a business letter” so students send emails that are respectful and professional when they ask if they can conduct an interview.

Image credit: ipadio.com

Students can use iPadio to record interviews using their smart phones (see app). The iPadio app lets them record up to 60 minutes of audio, which can be translated to text or shared on a website.

Step 4: Observe for a day. Students should shadow a person in his/her chosen profession. This gives them a chance to truly experience a typical day, take pictures (if possible), ask questions and learn more about the day-to-day realities of this job.

Step 5: Once students have completed research, conducted a formal interview and shadowed a person in this field, this project culminates in a multimedia presentation where they share their findings with their peers.

Students can create their own videos about this profession, which in turn can be submitted to Next Vista where other students can learn from their work. For more information about guidelines for submitting videos to Next Vista, click here.

www.nextvista.org/careers-in-art

Alternatively, student can create informational websites on their career path using Wix.com– a free website builder. Wix flash templates are customizable and free. Students can combine their research, interviews, pictures and videos on one site for other students to explore.

www.wix.com/learningresource/careers-jungle

Teachers who want to add a career writing component can teach students resume and cover letter writing. I like to have students build a variety of writing samples in their Google docs for future reference and use. It’s a fun “real world” exercise for them to learn how to organize a resume and write a cover letter/business letter for an application.

This project teaches students to ask questions, research, communicate effectively with both their peers and adults, collaborate, write digitally and develop technology skills while exploring career paths that will hopefully inspire them to become “college and career ready!”

This weekend I booked my flight, found an affordable place to stay (thanks to Airbnb!) and started collecting important information to store in Evernote to have handy while abroad. I have a copy of the London underground, the bus schedule, and a list of the closest Starbucks to where I will be at all times. (I will need large amounts of caffeine to combat the jet lag.)

With many of the little details taken care of, I have some time to contemplate this incredible opportunity. In my application video, I began by showing a black and white photograph of a Victorian school then transitioned to a picture of a typical classroom today. The purpose was to show how little has changed in the last 150+ years. Desks are arranged in rows, students have books, pencil and paper, and the teacher stands in  the front of the room near a large chalk board. I, then, showed a series of pictures from typical classrooms today and asked the questions: What has changed? Who is talking? Who is engaged?

The challenge educators today face is transforming the classroom to create student-centered learning opportunities to engage all students and give them a voice. I asked my viewers to imagine classrooms where…

• students talk

  

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/69031678@N00/5475485327/

• students collaborate

   

  

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/36258727@N04/6215701465/

   

   

• students problem solve and…

  

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/48734005@N03/6217626367/

• students teach each other.

  

  www.flickr.com/photos/d-lab/4955115698/in/photostream/

I believe technology is the vehicle needed to achieve this transformation. Technology can empower students in the classroom. Before laptops, iPads and mobile devices, there was a single subject area expert in a given classroom. It makes sense that many students were not comfortable talking or collaborating, because they were not confident in their own expertise or their ability to problem solve. Now, students can access a wealth of information in the classroom, which opens the door for a dramatic shift in the way students learn…and the way teacher’s teach.

My know the Google Teacher Academy will help me leverage technology to create this powerful change in  my own classroom, so I can help other educators do the same! I will be tweeting from London sharing insights and ideas as I collaborate with other educators. My strength is curriculum design, so I look forward to brainstorming ideas for how educators can use this technology with students. Follow me on twitter to hear about the Google Teacher Academy and feel free to pepper me with questions!

@CTuckerEnglish