Visual Thinking

I've never really considered myself a "visual learner." I've always been more of a words and numbers kind of guy. Visual representations never really made as much sense to me as a good old-fashioned outline or a well-crafted essay. But I do like online collaboration tools so I approached this week's assignment - comparing and contrasting online mind-mapping tools - with an open mind.

I looked at Bubbl.us, Webspiration and MindMeister. All three allow users to create visual maps or graphic organizers for use in brainstorming and representing ideas, concepts and process flows. They all offer the ability to save, print and publish maps to blogs and websites and to work collaboratively online with others. 

Bubbl.us

Example from http://ca018.k12.sd.us/bubblus_example.htm

I found Bubbl.us to be quick to learn and easy to use. In fact, you can create a map without even creating an account. It is very versatile and I like the relational "family tree" structure and the fact that you can change colors and fonts to convey deeper levels of meaning.
The free account allows you to save 3 sheets at a time. For $3 per month you can save 10 sheets.
As a side note, I found out that this software was created by two students at UW Milwaukee.


Webspiration

Example from http://www.mywebspiration.com/examples 

According to the Webspiration website, "Visual thinking methodologies have been proven to increase understanding, improve retention and effectively communicate information." Seems like reason enough to check out this resource.
Webspiration seems like a feature-rich tool that would take some time to learn. The Beta version out now allows users to create a free account and start using the product right away.
I like that you can export maps as Word documents or directly into Google Docs. The website offers a clear introduction and explanation of the concept of visual thinking and several really good examples to give you an idea of the many uses of the software for business, academic and personal use. Webspiration will also let you add notes and convert your mind map to a text outline.

MindMeister
Perhaps the most intriguing of the three tools I looked at is MindMeister. The free version only allows you to save 3 mind maps, but for $18 a year you can get an academic subscription that allows you to 

Example from http://www.mindmeister.com/3365188/notes-from-get-rid-of-e-mail

save an unlimited number of maps. Again, I like that you can work collaboratively and exports maps as pdf documents and publish them to blogs and websites. I particularly like that you can access your mind maps on a mobile device because I love being able to get work done on my phone when I don't have easy access to a computer. I also like and the ability to create and work on maps offline as well.
The business applications for meeting management, project planning and presentations would be particularly useful for me, and I could see our students using MindMeister as a note taking and archiving tool.

Learning Strategies

As far as the learning strategies we discussed this week go, I understand the significant benefits for students in the classroom and the challenges for teachers in incorporating technology tools in implementing them. The challenge for me has been to examine these strategies and see if they can be applied to what I do.

Cues, Questions and Advance Organizers
One of the critical components of successful online learning is new student orientation. iQ Academy employs a mix of virtual and face to face orientation strategies. Using cues, questions and advance organizers may be a way to increase understanding and retention of the concepts presented during orientation.

Nonlinguistic Representation
Staff development is important in every learning environment, but it is particularly important in a virtual school where informal collaboration happens less frequently since teachers are not in the same building every day. There may be ways to incorporate nonlinguistic representation in the staff development program. The technology tools that allow online collaboration could be especially useful when SD sessions are held virtually. There may also be an opportunity to use nonlinguistic representation when meeting with prospective new families to explain the concepts behind online learning.

Summarizing and Note Taking
I participate in a number of virtual meetings and conference calls each week. Incorporating some of the summarizing and note taking strategies - particularly the technology based tools like MindMeister - could be useful for me personally to keep track of all the projects I am involved in.

Feedback That Fits

Before I get to the heart of this week's blog, I have to relate another example of the stark contrast between the impact of technology on society and the painfully slow adaptation of technology resources in education. A quarter century ago when I used to go bowling with my friends, we would argue over who has to keep score. It had to be someone who was trustworthy, had good math skills and legible penmanship because it was all done by hand. I just finished an afternoon of bowling at an alley where the players names are entered electronically along with their handicap. The automatic scoring system detects which pins are still standing (which was many in my case) and suggests a strategy to pick up the spare. The computer calculates the scores and before we could finish off a post-game libation, the tournament organizer handed us a printed summary of our scores. At the end of the month, final tournament results will be posted online. If bowling can adopt this level of technology, why can't education. How can we justify a society where technology tools are more pervasive in bowling alleys than in classrooms?

Now on to this week's article, Feedback That Fits by Susan Brookhart. Giving student feedback is not a topic I have really considered much before so I found the article rather interesting. Specifically, it puts a lot of pressure on the teacher when you consider the potential harmful effects of ineffective or poorly crafted feedback. This is another area, like setting learning objectives, creating learning activities and formulating summative assessments that has to be carefully considered when planning a lesson or unit.

I must say that I have experienced much more ineffective feedback than effective feedback in my academic life as well as my professional career. As a manager, a lot of the concepts presented in the article - like carefully considering the timing, amount and mode of feedback - could easily be applicable to employee and teacher evaluations. Just as it is important for students to know where they stand and what they need to do to reach their learning goals, it is equally important for employees to know how they are doing and what they need to improve on to meet organizational and professional development goals.

Now if I could just get some effective feedback on my bowling game...

Meta-Analysis Misses Mark

The title of the article, A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Teaching and Learning With Technology on Student Outcomes is a bit intimidating. So it is with some trepidation that I dare to suggest that the authors (Waxman, H.C., Lin, M., & Michko, G. M.) may have drawn the wrong conclusion. Previous studies showed that integrating technology in the classroom produced positive effects in terms facilitating independent learning and increasing time on task. This study sought to quantify the effect of classroom technology integration on student outcomes.

I'm not a research expert so I really can't comment on the study's methodology and results, but to make my point, I'm willing to accept them as valid. The analysis shows that teaching and learning with technology has a moderate positive impact on student outcomes. I am completely on board with that. My problem is with the authors' conclusion which states, "The result from the present study indicate that the overall effects are nearly twice as large as other recent meta-analyses conducted in the area of instructional technology. This finding suggests that the overall effects of technology on student outcomes may be greater than previously thought." I disagree. What this finding suggests to me is that the overall positive effects of technology on student outcomes is increasing over time.

To me, this misinterpretation is a prime example of how the educational establishment has failed to grasp the transformational effect technology has had on society, and the implications of that transformation for education. To be sure, some schools have made some progress on this front since this study was published in 2003, but while the adaptation of technology in schools has been incremental, the technological advances in business, medicine, entertainment, etc. have been monumental. The job I do today didn't even exist in 2003. When I graduated from college, the technology required to do my job would have filled a small warehouse. Today, I can do almost my entire job using the technology available in my iPhone. Are we adequately preparing young people for the kind of employment opportunities that exist today? Or do we really believe that they are better served by continuing to educate them in institutions that are not substantially different that they were 75-years ago.

If anyone is looking for a very interesting read on the topic of why education has been so slow to adapt to the "Knowledge Revolution," I recommend Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology by Allan Collins and Richard Halverson. 

Principles of Teaching and Learning

Oddly enough, after reading the article Principles of Teaching and Learning from the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence at Carnegie Mellon University, the first thing that struck me was the juxtaposition of the two elements. The title lists Teaching first, but the body of the article talks about Learning first and Teaching second. It may seem trivial, but I think this is an important distinction. The introduction points out that a "learner-centered perspective is a hallmark of the Eberly Center’s approach to teaching." Despite the title, the article seems to have the sequence correct; the principles of learning and the needs of the students must direct the application of the teaching principles, not the other way around.

From my perspective as a non-teacher, the Principles of Learning seem to be true and accurate. One principle addresses the impact of student motivation on learning, pointing out that intrinsic motivations play a larger role in student learning as they, "gain greater autonomy over what, when and how they study and learn." Since virtual school students have a great deal more autonomy than their traditional school counterparts, this point is particularly relevant to the students at iQ Academy. According to the article, student motivation is maximized when they find positive value in the learning goal, expect to be successful and perceive support from their environment. That makes perfect sense to me and could serve as an important reference point for our teaching staff.

I found several similarities between the Teaching Principles, and the topics I hear being discussed in iQ Academy staff development sessions; things like aligning learning objectives, instructional activities and assessments, articulating explicit expectations and progressively refining our courses. The principle that talks about "acquiring relevant knowledge about students" is particularly challenging for online teachers who don't have the benefit of seeing their students every day. This was a major topic of conversation at a summit meeting I attended last week where a research firm presented their findings from a market segmentation study that looked the characteristics of different "categories" of virtual school students. The challenge to the school leaders in attendance was to figure out how to use that information to better serve our students and families. I left the meeting with a personal action item to discuss this point with our staff to see how knowing this kind of information might change the way they approach their teaching.

Overall, I found a lot to like about this article, but I do think they should consider changing the title to Principles of Learning and Teaching.

Full-Time E-Learning Not Seen as Viable Option for Many

I recently spent 3-weeks traveling around the state talking with anyone who would listen about iQ Academy Wisconsin, the virtual charter school through the School District of Waukesha of which I am the Program Manager. One thing I always emphasize with prospective parents is that full-time virtual charter school does not work for every student, just like full-time face to face public school does not work for every student. The critical goal for every parent should be to find an educational program that fits their child's individual needs and abilities.

Now that I'm back in the office and catching up on my reading, I came across this article:
Full-Time E-Learning Not Seen as Viable Option for Many

The author seems to be thinking about virtual school all wrong. She implies that most children will not be successful in a full-time virtual school unless they have a parent at home to help them. While that is certainly true for elementary school students, the level of parental involvement needed for middle and high school students varies widely depending on each individual student. Some students at iQ Academy do just fine with minimal parental involvement.Others need a weekly check in while still others require daily parental supervision.

The author also seems to be caught in the traditional mindset that "school" only takes place during the time when working parents are not home. One of the hallmarks of virtual learning is that it is not bounded by school buildings or traditional school hours. Brick and mortar schools force students to conform to the school's schedule. To a large extent, virtual schools conform to the student's/family's schedule. If a child needs direct parental involvement, they can design their "school time" around the parent's work schedule.

My real issue with the article is that it seems to miss the larger point. Parental involvement in their child's education is important regardless of whether the child attends a virtual school or a traditional school. The level of involvement and the form it takes, whether it be reading to a young child, helping with homework, reviewing an online grade book, attending parent-teacher conferences or home-schooling, is a decision each family has to make for themselves based on each student's individual needs.

Can students be successful at a virtual school if they do not have a parent at home during the day? Of course they can. In my experience, there is no direct correlation between parental involvement and academic achievement. Some students do well with minimal parental involvement, others would benefit from more active parental participation. I suspect the same is true at any school.