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This is my first attempt at connecting across social media platforms. Enjoy some photos of one of my favorite photo subjects...
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
No Excuses For Not Using Classroom Tech Tools
Recently, I volunteered to help a parochial elementary school formulate a new strategic plan. The principal is very enthusiastic and optimistic about the school's future and very open to the transformative potential of incorporating new technology tools to improve student learning. She has bright students, a talented and dedicated teaching staff, involved parents a balanced (if somewhat inadequate) budget and stable (even slightly increasing) enrollment. By all accounts, this is a school that is primed to take a major step forward in 21st century education.
At the first strategic planning committee meeting, I did a presentation about the changing nature of education and the challenges these students will face in the knowledge economy they will encounter after school. I talked about using technology tools to teach essential 21st century skills. I explained how they could incorporate virtual classes, individualized online programs to help struggling readers and mathematicians, classroom blogs and websites, 1:1 computer programs and using technology to expand student learning beyond the school walls. The parents and teachers on the committee seemed excited.
After several more committee meetings, we were ready to craft the plan. Imagine my disappointment when the parents and teachers' initial enthusiasm for educational technology had turned to skepticism and a prevailing attitude of "it'll never work." In the end, they proposed a "strategic" plan that was really nothing more than "let's just keep doing what we've always done."
Now I didn't specifically talk about classroom wikis, but I can see how teachers, schools and districts might be tempted to shun the use of such technology tools in favor of the safe, familiar approach. I can imagine teachers in my school (a virtual school of all places) saying something like, "Sure it sounds like a wonderful opportunity to teach students in a new and exciting way, and it might work in some schools, but it will never fly in our school. It's impossible." I implore teachers, school officials and parents to give technology tools like wikis and blogs a chance to radically improve education and prepare students for a future in which such skills will be not only important but indispensable. Will there be challenges to meet and obstacles to overcome? Of course. But nothing worth doing ever comes without having the courage to take a chance. To those who say it's impossible, I would remind them that people said the same thing about winning WWII, climbing Mt. Everest, ending apartheid, landing a man on the moon and building a vast network of interconnected computers so everyone has equal access to the whole of the world's knowledge.
At the first strategic planning committee meeting, I did a presentation about the changing nature of education and the challenges these students will face in the knowledge economy they will encounter after school. I talked about using technology tools to teach essential 21st century skills. I explained how they could incorporate virtual classes, individualized online programs to help struggling readers and mathematicians, classroom blogs and websites, 1:1 computer programs and using technology to expand student learning beyond the school walls. The parents and teachers on the committee seemed excited.
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| Photo courtesy of www.st-alphonsus.org/school |
After several more committee meetings, we were ready to craft the plan. Imagine my disappointment when the parents and teachers' initial enthusiasm for educational technology had turned to skepticism and a prevailing attitude of "it'll never work." In the end, they proposed a "strategic" plan that was really nothing more than "let's just keep doing what we've always done."
Now I didn't specifically talk about classroom wikis, but I can see how teachers, schools and districts might be tempted to shun the use of such technology tools in favor of the safe, familiar approach. I can imagine teachers in my school (a virtual school of all places) saying something like, "Sure it sounds like a wonderful opportunity to teach students in a new and exciting way, and it might work in some schools, but it will never fly in our school. It's impossible." I implore teachers, school officials and parents to give technology tools like wikis and blogs a chance to radically improve education and prepare students for a future in which such skills will be not only important but indispensable. Will there be challenges to meet and obstacles to overcome? Of course. But nothing worth doing ever comes without having the courage to take a chance. To those who say it's impossible, I would remind them that people said the same thing about winning WWII, climbing Mt. Everest, ending apartheid, landing a man on the moon and building a vast network of interconnected computers so everyone has equal access to the whole of the world's knowledge.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Using Web 2.0 Tools in a Web 1.0 School
"What did we do this week that you can apply in your school or job and how might you use it?"
That is really a two-part question and requires a two-part answer. The answer to the first part may sound patronizing, but everything we did this week could apply to my job/school. The answer to the second part, how might you use it, is the real challenge.
Contrary to what you might expect, most of the online K-12 curriculum currently available to schools and districts is what I would call Web 1.0. Sure, it is online as opposed to in a book or delivered in a classroom by a teacher, and most of it is designed to be accessed in an asynchronous manner by individual students working remotely at their own pace. But that doesn't make it collaborative, or what one of the authors we read this week referred to as social constructionist. It is primarily "read-only" and the assessment and feedback is primarily between the teacher and the student. So even though my virtual school is conducted entirely over the Internet, the method of instruction has yet to incorporate the full potential of the Internet in terms of moving beyond the traditional model of acquiring factual knowledge from teachers and textbooks and regurgitating it on standardized tests, or even the more sophisticated attempts at meaning-making, critical thinking and metacognition.
If we really aspire to become a school that harnesses the full power of the Internet as a "read/write" collaborative classroom without boundaries, we must find ways to incorporate all the Web 2.0 tools we touched on this week, from edublogs and wikis to podcasts, mobile devices and game-based learning. We must open our virtual doors and let the world in by publishing to the web and welcoming interactive comments and peer review. Virtual school cannot just be a place where students go to escape the "drama" of brick and mortar school life. It has to be the medium that leads the way in opening up young minds (and not so young minds for that matter) to a new way of thinking about learning... where the distinction between being "in school" and being "out of school" is blurred. In other words, a world where life is school and learning occurs constantly.
It's not as big a leap as we might think. Every kid that updates their status on Facebook is, in essence, blogging. And every kid who comments on the silly picture their friend posted is participation in social constructionism whether they realize it or not. It's up to us as educators to first understand the learning potential of these technologies ourselves, and then help students safely and responsibly harness the power of technologies they are already using and familiar with to expand their knowledge and understanding of the world.
That is really a two-part question and requires a two-part answer. The answer to the first part may sound patronizing, but everything we did this week could apply to my job/school. The answer to the second part, how might you use it, is the real challenge.
Contrary to what you might expect, most of the online K-12 curriculum currently available to schools and districts is what I would call Web 1.0. Sure, it is online as opposed to in a book or delivered in a classroom by a teacher, and most of it is designed to be accessed in an asynchronous manner by individual students working remotely at their own pace. But that doesn't make it collaborative, or what one of the authors we read this week referred to as social constructionist. It is primarily "read-only" and the assessment and feedback is primarily between the teacher and the student. So even though my virtual school is conducted entirely over the Internet, the method of instruction has yet to incorporate the full potential of the Internet in terms of moving beyond the traditional model of acquiring factual knowledge from teachers and textbooks and regurgitating it on standardized tests, or even the more sophisticated attempts at meaning-making, critical thinking and metacognition.
If we really aspire to become a school that harnesses the full power of the Internet as a "read/write" collaborative classroom without boundaries, we must find ways to incorporate all the Web 2.0 tools we touched on this week, from edublogs and wikis to podcasts, mobile devices and game-based learning. We must open our virtual doors and let the world in by publishing to the web and welcoming interactive comments and peer review. Virtual school cannot just be a place where students go to escape the "drama" of brick and mortar school life. It has to be the medium that leads the way in opening up young minds (and not so young minds for that matter) to a new way of thinking about learning... where the distinction between being "in school" and being "out of school" is blurred. In other words, a world where life is school and learning occurs constantly.
It's not as big a leap as we might think. Every kid that updates their status on Facebook is, in essence, blogging. And every kid who comments on the silly picture their friend posted is participation in social constructionism whether they realize it or not. It's up to us as educators to first understand the learning potential of these technologies ourselves, and then help students safely and responsibly harness the power of technologies they are already using and familiar with to expand their knowledge and understanding of the world.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
E-Valuating Student Work, Hardware and Software
What does it mean to evaluate something? Well, the root of the word evaluation is "value," which, as it turns out, is a word with a variety of definitions depending on what is being evaluated.
One of this week's topics was the use of rubrics to evaluate student work. Before starting this class I had only a vague understanding of rubrics so as with many unfamiliar concepts, I approached this topic with some trepidation. However, the more I read about rubrics and the more I learned as I worked on creating my own rubric, the more I have come to appreciate their usefulness. Several of the referenced articles mentioned how parents really seem to like rubrics "once they understand how they are used." This, I think, is an important consideration because most parents are probably unfamiliar with rubrics and probably regard them like I did initially. So to evaluate a student's work using a rubric is simply to measure it's worth or degree of excellence compared to a carefully considered menu of pre-defined criteria. One way to define the criteria is to base it on previous student work on the same or similar assignments. Rubrics are useful for self-evaluation by the student, the other students in the class who participate in peer evaluations, parents who want to help their child with their work and teachers who can save time in grading the work. As a non-teacher, I can think of two ways I may be able to incorporate rubrics in my daily work; in assigning and evaluating projects given to staff or teachers and in employee performance evaluations.
The other topic I spent some time considering this week was evaluating hardware and software purchases. In this case, the value is more tangible in that you are looking at the features and benefits derived from a product or service in relation to the monetary cost of that item. Most people do this kind of evaluation all the time; at the grocery store, working on the family budget, making a major purchase, planning a vacation, etc. In my previous position, I had to evaluate the purchase of promotional items and advertising space. In my current job, I provided input on the purchase of laptop computers for student use taking into consideration things like, cost, reliability, features, security, longevity and liability. For example, Apple laptops were generally more reliable and had a longer useful lifespan, but we decided to buy 1,000 Compaq laptops instead because they were a third of the cost, more familiar for most students and more easily repaired. I also evaluate software and subscriptions to learning resources like Explore Learning Gizmos and United Streaming videos. I have the teachers who request these services provide justification for classroom applications then weigh the cost implications in the context of the school budget.
I do have to take issue with one of the web resources provided to learn about evaluating hardware and software. The article has an intriguing title, "How To Buy An Educational Software In Sixty Seconds Or Less," but that turned out to be misleading. I was hoping for something that would help simplify the process, but what I got was cursory dose of low-level, and sometimes contradictory advice. On the on hand, the author says to make sure the software is fun and entertaining while later on he cautions that if the graphics are too flashy, they can be distracting to students. He also says that using educational software should be effortless. I disagree. I think teachers should put as much thought and effort into choosing education software as they do selecting any other resource and maybe even more because we all know that technology should only be used if there is a clearly identified educational purpose.
One of this week's topics was the use of rubrics to evaluate student work. Before starting this class I had only a vague understanding of rubrics so as with many unfamiliar concepts, I approached this topic with some trepidation. However, the more I read about rubrics and the more I learned as I worked on creating my own rubric, the more I have come to appreciate their usefulness. Several of the referenced articles mentioned how parents really seem to like rubrics "once they understand how they are used." This, I think, is an important consideration because most parents are probably unfamiliar with rubrics and probably regard them like I did initially. So to evaluate a student's work using a rubric is simply to measure it's worth or degree of excellence compared to a carefully considered menu of pre-defined criteria. One way to define the criteria is to base it on previous student work on the same or similar assignments. Rubrics are useful for self-evaluation by the student, the other students in the class who participate in peer evaluations, parents who want to help their child with their work and teachers who can save time in grading the work. As a non-teacher, I can think of two ways I may be able to incorporate rubrics in my daily work; in assigning and evaluating projects given to staff or teachers and in employee performance evaluations.
The other topic I spent some time considering this week was evaluating hardware and software purchases. In this case, the value is more tangible in that you are looking at the features and benefits derived from a product or service in relation to the monetary cost of that item. Most people do this kind of evaluation all the time; at the grocery store, working on the family budget, making a major purchase, planning a vacation, etc. In my previous position, I had to evaluate the purchase of promotional items and advertising space. In my current job, I provided input on the purchase of laptop computers for student use taking into consideration things like, cost, reliability, features, security, longevity and liability. For example, Apple laptops were generally more reliable and had a longer useful lifespan, but we decided to buy 1,000 Compaq laptops instead because they were a third of the cost, more familiar for most students and more easily repaired. I also evaluate software and subscriptions to learning resources like Explore Learning Gizmos and United Streaming videos. I have the teachers who request these services provide justification for classroom applications then weigh the cost implications in the context of the school budget.
I do have to take issue with one of the web resources provided to learn about evaluating hardware and software. The article has an intriguing title, "How To Buy An Educational Software In Sixty Seconds Or Less," but that turned out to be misleading. I was hoping for something that would help simplify the process, but what I got was cursory dose of low-level, and sometimes contradictory advice. On the on hand, the author says to make sure the software is fun and entertaining while later on he cautions that if the graphics are too flashy, they can be distracting to students. He also says that using educational software should be effortless. I disagree. I think teachers should put as much thought and effort into choosing education software as they do selecting any other resource and maybe even more because we all know that technology should only be used if there is a clearly identified educational purpose.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Presentations and Digital Stories
There are some interesting similarities and contrasts between Garr Reynolds approach to presentations and Bernajean Porter's take on digital storytelling. Both emphasize the importance of using images to help tell the story and both spend a considerable amount of time discussing how to obtain, manipulate, edit and position images for greatest impact. This is an interesting approach since traditionally, both presentations and stories relied much more heavily on words than images - the printed or spoken word in stories and the much maligned bullet-point lists so often found in presentations.
Prezi fits nicely into this new way of telling stories because of it's very visual, non-linear approach to presentations - although the zooming nature of Prezi can fly in the face of the simpler, zen-like style advocated by Reynolds. I have seen some Prezis that overdo the zooming to the point beyond distraction to bordering on seasickness.
The other element both authors emphasize is the spoken narrative. Both talk about the importance of delivering the narrative in a natural way, as opposed to reading a script. Reynolds focuses more on the "naturalness" when presenting live while Porter describes how a digital storyteller can use their vocal performance tools (pauses, inflection, etc.) to help tell their story.
The combination of high-quality, carefully selected images combined with a well-planned, purposefully created narrative and tempered with restraint, simplicity and creative design makes for powerful communication instruments in the form of more engaging presentations and entertaining digital stories.
Prezi fits nicely into this new way of telling stories because of it's very visual, non-linear approach to presentations - although the zooming nature of Prezi can fly in the face of the simpler, zen-like style advocated by Reynolds. I have seen some Prezis that overdo the zooming to the point beyond distraction to bordering on seasickness.
The other element both authors emphasize is the spoken narrative. Both talk about the importance of delivering the narrative in a natural way, as opposed to reading a script. Reynolds focuses more on the "naturalness" when presenting live while Porter describes how a digital storyteller can use their vocal performance tools (pauses, inflection, etc.) to help tell their story.
The combination of high-quality, carefully selected images combined with a well-planned, purposefully created narrative and tempered with restraint, simplicity and creative design makes for powerful communication instruments in the form of more engaging presentations and entertaining digital stories.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Presentation Polarization: Is There A Right And Wrong Way To Use PowerPoint?
If there is one thing we can all agree on, it's that America is becoming more polarized. Public/private, conservative/liberal, the haves and the have nots. We see it clearly in politics where there doesn't seem to be any middle ground any more. The same seems to be happening among digital presenters. I'll call the two camps "conventional" (those who use templates, bullet points, graphs and charts and hand out copies of their slides at the beginning of the presentation) and "contemporary" (no templates, lots of images, few words and a separate handout of the supporting data at the end of the presentation). I propose that in the battle for digital dominance, the two sides can, and should, coexist.
I participate in at least 2-3 meetings a week (some in person but most via web conference) and most of those meetings involve one or more slide presentations. Almost all of those slides are designed in the conventional way (i.e. Title, bullet points, charts, graphs, clipart). And you know what? They generally get the job done. I get the information I need. Are they exciting? Usually not. Are they memorable? Not particularly. Are they informative? Yes. Do they take the presenter an inordinate amount of time to create? No. Those last two points are important considerations in the corporate world. Plus, conventional PowerPoints transmit well online and are small enough files that they can be emailed to people who were not able to attend the meeting.
Now I 'm not suggesting that there is no room for improvement in the world of corporate presentations. But I do think that the principles discussed by Garr Reynolds in Presentation Zen are just not necessary or practical in every situation. If you are presenting at a conference, to a potential new business client, to make a sale or even in the classroom, a more contemporary presentation along with an accompanying handout that is not merely a printout of the slides is likely to be more effective. And in those situations, I agree entirely with Reynolds' suggestions. However, I disagree with the extremists who want to criminalize the use of PowerPoint templates and administer electric shocks through the mouse of anyone who dares to hover over the bullet point toolbar. As with most issues, there is a middle ground. Conventional PowerPoint templates are still useful and appropriate for the day-to-day business meeting.
Having said that, I found the process of taking one of my more conventional PowerPoint presentations and applying some contemporary elements to be very enlightening. Since this presentation was designed for a student and parent instructional setting, not a corporate business meeting, I think the contemporary approach is more appropriate. To that end, I eliminated much of the text, added some more graphic elements and completely revised the accompanying handout. Here's an example of the changes I made:
As you can see, the original slide has a distracting and unnecessary background and contains no less than 11 bullet points. It also has inconsistent fonts and colors. This information should be mentioned by the presenter and included in the handout.
The revised slide is simplified and much more visually engaging. It uses a high-quality image and a simple title that is direct and to the point. The font and color of the text is consistent with the other revised slides which incorporates the principle of repetition.
The bottom line is I will be using the Presentation Zen concepts, but not in every situation. Future presentations to students and families or at conferences will be more contemporary, but I suspect my presentations to teachers about new procedures for using the Online Enrollment System will look very much the same as they always have.
I participate in at least 2-3 meetings a week (some in person but most via web conference) and most of those meetings involve one or more slide presentations. Almost all of those slides are designed in the conventional way (i.e. Title, bullet points, charts, graphs, clipart). And you know what? They generally get the job done. I get the information I need. Are they exciting? Usually not. Are they memorable? Not particularly. Are they informative? Yes. Do they take the presenter an inordinate amount of time to create? No. Those last two points are important considerations in the corporate world. Plus, conventional PowerPoints transmit well online and are small enough files that they can be emailed to people who were not able to attend the meeting.
Now I 'm not suggesting that there is no room for improvement in the world of corporate presentations. But I do think that the principles discussed by Garr Reynolds in Presentation Zen are just not necessary or practical in every situation. If you are presenting at a conference, to a potential new business client, to make a sale or even in the classroom, a more contemporary presentation along with an accompanying handout that is not merely a printout of the slides is likely to be more effective. And in those situations, I agree entirely with Reynolds' suggestions. However, I disagree with the extremists who want to criminalize the use of PowerPoint templates and administer electric shocks through the mouse of anyone who dares to hover over the bullet point toolbar. As with most issues, there is a middle ground. Conventional PowerPoint templates are still useful and appropriate for the day-to-day business meeting.
Having said that, I found the process of taking one of my more conventional PowerPoint presentations and applying some contemporary elements to be very enlightening. Since this presentation was designed for a student and parent instructional setting, not a corporate business meeting, I think the contemporary approach is more appropriate. To that end, I eliminated much of the text, added some more graphic elements and completely revised the accompanying handout. Here's an example of the changes I made:
 |
| Before |
 | |
| After |
As you can see, the original slide has a distracting and unnecessary background and contains no less than 11 bullet points. It also has inconsistent fonts and colors. This information should be mentioned by the presenter and included in the handout.
The revised slide is simplified and much more visually engaging. It uses a high-quality image and a simple title that is direct and to the point. The font and color of the text is consistent with the other revised slides which incorporates the principle of repetition.
The bottom line is I will be using the Presentation Zen concepts, but not in every situation. Future presentations to students and families or at conferences will be more contemporary, but I suspect my presentations to teachers about new procedures for using the Online Enrollment System will look very much the same as they always have.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Same Story, Different Medium
I've always enjoyed a good story and I've always been intrigued by new technology so this foray into the world of digital storytelling has been a fascinating experience so far.
I particularly liked the collection of digital stories from Next Exit Digital Drive. The storyteller does a nice job of incorporating digital tools without losing track of the elements that make for a good story. And I believe that is the key. Just like in the visual arts, the medium should never detract from the message. Rather, it should complement and enhance the message.
Finding that balance will be a challenge for teachers trying to use digital storytelling with their class. It would be very easy for students to get caught up in using video, audio and other graphic tools and lose sight of the elements of good storytelling.
The elements of good storytelling and good, or at least better, presentations are things that make them "sticky" according to this week's reading from Garr Reynold's Presentation Zen. I think the "stickiness" concepts of concreteness, credibility, simplicity, emotion and unexpectedness apply equally to stories and presentations.
I can envision using digital stories in my role as marketing manager for iQ Academy. One of our biggest challenges is communicating the value of virtual schools to families who in many cases have never been exposed to anything other than traditional public education. To that end, digital stories told by students, parents and teachers could be particularly valuable. They are also easy to distribute to prospective families via email or posted on our website.
I particularly liked the collection of digital stories from Next Exit Digital Drive. The storyteller does a nice job of incorporating digital tools without losing track of the elements that make for a good story. And I believe that is the key. Just like in the visual arts, the medium should never detract from the message. Rather, it should complement and enhance the message.
Finding that balance will be a challenge for teachers trying to use digital storytelling with their class. It would be very easy for students to get caught up in using video, audio and other graphic tools and lose sight of the elements of good storytelling.
The elements of good storytelling and good, or at least better, presentations are things that make them "sticky" according to this week's reading from Garr Reynold's Presentation Zen. I think the "stickiness" concepts of concreteness, credibility, simplicity, emotion and unexpectedness apply equally to stories and presentations.
I can envision using digital stories in my role as marketing manager for iQ Academy. One of our biggest challenges is communicating the value of virtual schools to families who in many cases have never been exposed to anything other than traditional public education. To that end, digital stories told by students, parents and teachers could be particularly valuable. They are also easy to distribute to prospective families via email or posted on our website.
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