I thought I would offer this link for anyone to view some of the projects we do at our school. This is my wikipage. Some of the projects are from last year but I continually post new additions.
Computerclick
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Professional Standards for Michigan’s Teachers
It seems somewhat ironic or appropriate that I am choosing this topic to discuss the same week NBC has launched it’s much hyped “Education Nation” and the documentary, “Waiting for Superman” hits select theatres around the nation. My U.P (Upper Peninsula) community no longer has a local theatre so I will be waiting for the DVD. But through this media frenzy, much of the blame, I feel is shoved right into the teacher’s lap.
Teaching is one of the few professions that provide, by law, that one must participate in professional development to renew a license. I whole-heartedly agree that a teacher must participate in lifelong learning in order to be engaged in the classroom. We are all in this class to become better teachers.
The standards set forth by the State of Michigan are thoughtful and important. It provides guidelines to establish professional development that is rich and valuable to teachers. I believe this course addresses each point of Standard Seven: Technology Operations and Concepts, in a way that maximizes the student researchers’ knowledge base as well as providing an environment where each participant can use the assignments to become more competent in the use of technology.
I felt, at first, the assignment about plagiarism (Section a. Understand the equity, ethical, legal, social, physical, and psychological issues surrounding the use of technology in K-12 schools and apply those principles in practice) was not very valuable because I teach mainly elementary age, but as I moved deeper into this course work I saw its importance: Students from the moment each touches a mouse must learn to acknowledge the sources of information each has found.
I think the most important part of these standards in my daily teaching life is Section E: Implement curriculum plans that include effective technology-enhanced methods and strategies to maximize student learning.
I struggle each week to create valuable technology-enhanced lessons for students grades Young Fives through the fifth grade. It is extremely important that my students have experiences that go beyond “playing games”. Technology is so much more than just the Internet so it has been very valuable to compare and contrast the use of technology in our lesson plans. I am ever mindful that students are enchanted with technology and just surfing the web for sources opens one up to potentially dangerous and erroneous data. But it does provide a vast and engaging platform for teachers to use standards and methods like those described in our text to reach all students.
Student researchers, like ourselves, who have taken this class have found its course objectives aligned with the Michigan Standards for Professional Teachers. We have taken the time and a have the ambition to become better teachers. Through this course and the many more we will take in the coming two years have the potential to be the “Superman” every one is waiting for.
Bibliography:
Professional Standards for Michigan Teachers. Adopted by the Michigan State Board of Education, May 13,2008. (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/SBE_approved_PSMT_May_13_2008+coverpg_258601_7.doc) Retrieved from September 27, 2010.
Thoughts on Online Learning
I truly believe that our country’s future and survival depends on our educational policies to change. It is imperative that those who have been disengaged and forgotten in our schools be given other opportunities. We cannot keep building prisons. It was very interesting to read about the programs that have been started through online learning.
One area that caught my attention was the comment made that, “While school administrators might have an idea which students are at risk of dropping out, they often lack the definite indicators warranting intervention. Hence the need for adding early warning signs reporting to local data systems.” (2010) I think most elementary teachers could give the administrators some early indicators of at risk behavior that could potentially lead to dropping out: namely tardiness and absenteeism. Even as young as second or third grade, if a student has difficulty making it to school on time or are chronically absent it sets a precedent that school is not important and not a priority. Granted parental responsibility comes in play here, but if the guardians of these children are not acting responsibly than I feel teachers and administrators need to empower these students to take it upon themselves to want to come to school.
I am certainly not naïve enough to think that getting children to want to come to school will be the answer to it all. I know each case is different and far more complicated than any child should ever have to face so I was intrigued by the steps Michigan has implemented to help reduce the drop out rate. The fact that students are supervised in these virtual classrooms does calm some of my fears. The image of students who already have had difficulty in the school setting given the opportunity for online learning like we have, setting our own pace, being responsible about deadlines is a disaster waiting to happen. I looked at the “Not School” website and despite sounding like a commercial it did looked well organized and credible. It was a relief to know this online learning environment had some basis in research and experience.
I hope the steam does not run out on these programs that can support and provide a future for these disenfranchised young people. Michigan has so many other serious economic problems I hope that they do not forsake these students. Because if it does, then one can guarantee that they will become economic burdens of our state.
Bibliography:
Umstead, Bruce with Grigg, Kyle. “Michigan Uses Online Learning to Reach At Risk Students”. June 6, 2010. eschool news.com. Retrieved September 27, 2010 from http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/06/02/michigan-uses-online-learning-to-reach-at-risk-students/
Review on the 2009 Michigan Educational Technology Standards for Students
As I took a quiet evening scrolling through the 2009 Michigan Educational Technology Standards for Students I took a moment to let my mind wander to the many projects I have created for my students: There was the movie a third grade class created through a reader’s theatre of “The Three Bears Rap”, a newsletter for fourth graders on animals, numerous PowerPoint presentations for first graders that made creating books so easy, and a monthly video new magazine our fourth grade class writes, edits and presents eight times a year. One must think I spent endless hours aligning my curriculum to these standards because each project covered so many of them. I just got lucky.
But now I really do look at them. I have worked with the MACUL (Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning) for the past two years and have been working this year in the Project-Based Learning Program. I initially joined this program so I could go to the MACUL conference for free but it has become so much more. It has really focused my organization of these technology-enhanced projects. It really brings in all the standards from all the curricula as well as providing guidelines to provide the best outcome for students.
I, of course could not just create a simple project for this initial endeavor. No, no, a colleague and I have set out to use the second grade social studies GLECs for 4 quarterly projects. The first semester, students will be creating a video tour of their school. Each student has taken photos of different areas in the school and will be developing map skills through various activities. Second semester, students will be exploring the nature preserve adjacent to the school through geocaching. In the third semester, second graders will take a field trip around the “downtown” (what’s left of it) and explore the rich history of our community. During the final months of the year students will create a video exploring the hopes and dreams each has for our community.
I admit it sounds very ambitious and it is a great deal of prep work. But much of my prep work for these projects start in Kindergarten. I have students take digital pictures of each other so each has valuable experience with equipment and software like KidPix and Kidspiration. They can then use these skills in the upper grades to create rich and engaging projects that deepen their knowledge of their academic subjects. The Michigan Educational Technology Standards are excellent guidelines for all educators. We just need to look at them more often.
For further information:
MACUL: http://www.macul.org/
PBL (Project Based Learning) http://www.leadingpbl.org/
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Cyberbullying, “Sexting” and Other Horrible Things People Do…
Everyone has that moment whether it is real or one has always dreamed of doing something horribly mean to someone else. Mine was 7th grade. A group of friends (it would not have had the impact if I had done it alone) wrote a terribly mean note about our teacher. We made sure she found it, and she found us. Instead of yelling at us, she cried. At that moment I understood the power of my words and deeds.
Cyberbulling, online harassment, and sexting are only the latest form of cruel behavior we as humans inflict on each other. It has all the components of note passing, bathroom wall graffiti and schoolyard bullying we all can visualize. However the Internet has no police out there to check the “cyber halls” or ‘cyber stalls” for violators.
In a blog written by Mel Riddile entitled, “Kids Are Mean: Cyber-Bullying, “Sexting,” and Other Harmless Pranks “ (2010) he observes, that the Internet are “electronic signals that know no boundaries”. It is too late to ban its use from our children’s lives. They have embraced its power and must be taught its responsibility.
Schools are in a delicate position when monitoring inappropriate cyber activity. If the behavior happens on school grounds, using school property, the responsibility of the school is clear, IF the district has established and will enforce the policy. However Riddile brought up a valid point in his blog: It is the school’s responsibility to create a safe environment and if an act of cyber bullying occurs off school grounds but creates an environment where it is difficult for students to feel safe or work to each child’s best ability, then the school has a duty to at the very least investigate, gather evidence and proceed appropriately to help both the victim and the bully. We, as educators, are legally bond to report child abuse and neglect. Cyberbullying, online harassment and sexting are no different.
I believe a school’s policy should be clear and be aimed at prevention. It must be a part of our philosophy that students have the right to a safe, healthy school environment. Lessons in positive behavior must include “Netequitte” (love that word!) starting at the moment we put that mouse in their tiny little hands. Your mother was right: If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Anywhere, because we are all listening.
Bibliography:
Riddile, Mel. (2010, January 6). , “Kids Are Mean: Cyber-Bullying, “Sexting,” and Other Harmless Pranks “ Retrieved September 19, 2010 from Lessons Learned From the Middle.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Joe's Non-netbook
Joe’s Non-Netbook
See Joe. See Joe click the page. See Joe fail. As clever as this almost absurd video is, it reflects the reality that students and teachers are encountering in the classroom. Students are no longer getting the majority of their information from print. Educators must adjust teaching methods to incorporate this reality.
I know this all too well. From the tender age of 5 my students are becoming hard wired to read and respond to computers. Their eyes are being trained to follow the screen. But I don’t think that is all that bad. Students with visual impairments are able to adjust the size and font to make it easier to read and analyze the material. It can talk to each child to support struggling readers. Poor Joe, he can’t look for any additional information on his “non-netbook”. Students using iBooks or Kindles can look up definitions and add valuable knowledge to their reading experience.
It is truly humorous rendition but I wanted my discussion to go one step farther. I embedded this video on my wikipage and showed it to two of our computer classes, one fifth and one eighth grade. Maybe it was the early hour, or just the class but the eighth graders were stunned at the video. It took them a while to figure what was going on, but did see a bit of its humor. The discussion did lead to thinking about the possibility of having on-line texts (no more heavy backpacks) but felt there was a word of concern: what if the Internet goes out (which is what happened this morning)? It was a reality in our rural community….
The fifth graders were surprisingly more vocal about this video clip. I had a short discussion and then sent them to our class blog. This is our second attempt at blogging so I am working very hard on expanding their responses so many comments were short but clear. I was surprised this young age (10-11) many understood that he didn’t know what to do. Another response commented, "it would be a lot easier to use online books we could get updates". But truly my favorite from one wise observer: "Joe's problem is that he doesn't know how to make the book do what he wants the book to do. He's been on the computer to much."
Bibliography:
 |
| Topic discussion to guide class blog. |
Student comments retrieved from Anne Asplund’s class blog. www.blogmeister.com. September 17, 2010.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Michigan's Education Technology Plan
Michigan’s Education Technology Plan
So let me give all my faithful readers a little bit of background to my discussion. I teach in a small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We have slightly over 800 students in the district, about 300 at the elementary level, which is the level I teach. We have about 60-70% of the district receives free or reduced lunch. About ten years ago we received a Intel technology grant that placed computer labs in all the schools and set a president that our school was to be on the cutting edge of technology. Well that philosophy has maintained in principle, but reality, Michigan’s economy and the State’s lack of commitment to its school system has sunk in and our district has struggled to keep up with all those goals and expectations that have been set forth in Michigan’s Education Technology Plan.
Yes, we get new computers every two years and there are at least one computer in every classroom. And I say the last phrase reluctantly, because I had to strong-arm a veteran teacher to take back the computer she was given because I told her we could no longer print all the notes from the principal: the information was only coming via email. Not totally a lie but rather dramatic so she would believe me. But this was the portion of the METP that I worry about: Professional development for all teachers, even those who feel hesitant and reluctant to try to develop 21st century skills for the twilight years of their employment. The professional learning goal 3 states: “MDE will publish guidance for satisfying Michigan’s five hours of online professional development requirement that includes definitions of sound online professional development practice, including critical elements of NETS-T/A, 21st Century Skills, and the Principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)” (p.12). We have been told this requirement exists but a timetable for meeting it has not been established. I sometimes think people will just ignore it and try to forget about it in hopes of it going away. I don’t think this one is, however.
I enjoy the online collaboration and community professional development. It provides me with new perspectives and often-innovative ideas not expressed in our rural community. I feel it is my obligation (and honor) to help teachers explore these online experiences. Sometimes, it is the technology itself, navigating the website and finding the proper information that frustrates learners. It is going to take collaboration with those who feel comfortable with online professional development to support all teachers as we all learn how to become stronger and more informed educators for our students. I hope to be that person.
Bibliography:
2010 STATE OF MICHIGAN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLAN. Approved by the Michigan Dept. of Education, (2009). Retrieved September 13, 2010 from http://techplan.org/STP%202010%20Final.pdf
Monday, September 13, 2010
National Education Technology Plan Review
National Education Technology Plan Review
After watching the one-minute YouTube video of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan discussing the National Education Technology Plan (NETP) I felt drained. How was I going to comment on such a vast plan. So I clicked on the PDF file and did a little digging to understand the NETP a bit more. I think I can now make a few observations.
The writers of this technology plan take on no small endeavor. Quite plainly, the NETP calls for “revolutionary transformation rather than evolutionary tinkering” of the educational system And that is an understatement. Education, as we know it would no longer exist. Students would be assessed using technology, a curriculum would be developed for that student, and through technological resources, students would became a self-driven, self-guided student reaching his/her full potential.
Okay, maybe I have pushed the argument a bit too far, but I am not too sure. This document makes a very open claim that students will become online learners. Does this mean that the teacher is not there to guide and channel research and discovery? And I mean, really there. Physically, and emotionally, is there a teacher in the room. I have given violin lessons to my niece through SKYPE and it is exhilarating to reach her 2000 miles away. However, I cannot reach here physically, to shape her hand the way it needs to be molded, to hold her form to establish and maintain proper playing posture. It really limits the spontaneity of my instruction. However, I accept these limitations as all teachers do, and strive to create an environment that allows a student to learn. I love the idea of using this technology but I am not sure this is the best situation to use it.
After reading the PDF and watching the video clip I scrolled down to the comments that had been left. One caught my eye and sums up my concerns and cautious opinion of the NETP: Stephen Lien,
Math Teacher & Technology Coordinator
of the Laporte School District, Laporte, MN concludes “Technology is only as smart as the programmer who designs it, and it's only as effective as the teacher who wields it. If a piece of technology is effective at improving instruction and enhancing the classroom setting, it's not the technology we should thank, but rather those that know how to use it.” This technology plan will never be successful if all teachers are not given an opportunity to engage in, be motivated and learn the valuable ways technology can and should be used in the classroom. The educational system needs to start will providing teachers with skills and equipment to educate students. Or teachers will be playing catch up and trying to keep up with their students who are embracing technology faster than I can log on to the Internet.
Bibliography:
Lien, Stephen, Math Teacher & Technology Coordinator of the Laporte School District, Laporte, MN. Retrieved September 13, 2010 from The National Education Technology Plan 2010 and comments. http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Action Research
Action Reseach
I looked at the eyes of 23 first graders and wondered. What can I do this year to help them gain the technology skills that will be successful in this global network we are creating and changing everyday? As I read Chapter One, “An Introduction to Action Research: It’s Not All That Complicated”, visions of those eager, wanting, and trusting eyes came back to me. I struggle year after year with the question: Are my teaching methods working for students. If so, how do I know?
Although the article was rather dry and clinical at times, I felt there were moments of inspiration and guidance that I can use in my teaching career. The quote by Stephen Corey was breath-taking for me. “Our schools cannot keep up with the life they are supposed to sustain and improve unless teachers, pupils, supervisors, administrators and school patrons continually examine what they are doing.” (p.18). That was written 47 years ago and we are still grappling with the legitimacy of research in education. We burden teachers with so many other responsibilities that it makes good teachers frustrated and bitter. I feel we have swayed so far over the edge of standardized testing that we run the risk of shutting out valuable teaching methods that reach many non-traditional learners. Yet if action research can be applied to many different teaching methods there is hope for those who do not “test” well and for true and genuine school improvement.
Action research promotes reflection and self-assessment (p 27). I was relieved that the article admitted that reflection was time consuming. I was trying to think of when would there be a moment of reflection in my day: maybe the shower at 5:30 am. But that would be fine if it is a time I could think through my teaching methods. Sometimes my best ideas and “a ha” moments are full of suds! No too scientific, but a beginning. Action research needs to be continuous and evolving. It gives us tools to help guide our teaching practices. I love that idea: every child is different and every person learns in different ways so we as educators must continually re-examine our technique so that we can look at those hungry eyes and say yes, I can help you understand.
Bibliography:
Glanz, Jeffrey. Christopher-Gordon (2003) “Chapter 1: An Introduction to Action Research: …” taken from the book “Action Research: An Educational leader’s Guide to School Improvement”.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Wikiabliity
Wikiality: The New Reality?
I had very little personal experience with Wikipedia. I looked at it once with my children who were in college at the time. They enjoyed a chuckle as they demonstrated how to change the information. Right away the red flags of an educator flew up and I have steered clear of it ever since. But I read some interesting articles in preparing for this discussion and I have lowered the flags…slightly.
Stephen Cobert is a genius satirist. I enjoy his somewhat twisted humor and spot-on criticism of the absurdities of our culture. He really perpetrated the fear that most educators have with Wikipedia: Anyone can change the information and if enough people agree with it, it in turns becomes accepted. This is true, to a certain point. Wikipedia is very open about this fact. In an article by Jeff Young in the Chronicles Of Education entitled, “Wikipedia Founder Discourages Academic Use of His Own Creation” (2006), Wikipedia’s founder Jimmy Wales, agrees that students should not use the free encyclopedia as a cited source for school projects and serious research. He also includes a disclaimer of sort on the Wikipedia site itself that offers users that one should “consider these views with discretion.” The website also offered two simple rules: Use any encyclopedia as a starting point for research, and use your judgment, all sources need to be evaluated. (2010) This was a welcome addition to the respectability of the website, it was buried on the side bar of the site amongst at least a dozen other topics. I’m not sure too many students look there before they begin search out information on Wikipedia. I feel the responsibility lies in teachers providing demonstration on what situations would be appropriate, for example looking for odd bits of trivia that may or may not be totally accurate.
I am glad I had to research some of the misconceptions that I had about Wikipedia. I thought that once you found enough people to agree with your submissions it was considered fact and was allowed to go unchecked and unsupervised. Wikipedia does not want false information on its site and provides cautionary notes of its reach of validity. However, like plagiarism, it is up to educators to stress where this free encyclopedia is valuable and teach responsible and in depth research skills to one’s students.
$200 Textbooks for Free, You Do the Math
My reaction to the article discussing the emergance of online textbooks holds a cautionary note as well. As the article expounded on the wonderful world online textbooks would create, I began to remember the discussion our school superintendent had concerning the purchase of online texts and materials in hopes of cutting costs and providing current and updated materials to students. I could not fault the desire of our school to remain current and solvent, however the implementation of this program created a slippery slope that concerned me. If these were basically e-books, needing to be read on electronic devices, i.e. laptops, iTouch, or iPads, wouldn’t it off set the money saved by not buying textbooks? If laptops are available for each student, then is he/she allowed to take them home? Who is responsible if something happens to the electronic device if it is taken off the school grounds? The questions go on and on for me. I am not against using online resources if they cost effective and reliable, but at this stage of development, I think most public educational institutions will be hard pressed to fund such an endeavor.
Bibliography
Young, Jeff. (2006, June 12). Wikipedia Founder Discourages Academic Use of His Creation. Retrieved September 1, 2010 from The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Wikipedia: Academic Use. Retrieved Sept. 1, 2010, from Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Academic_use/
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