Lesson #8: Teach for the Future

      There are numerous ways to incorporate technology into the classroom: Web 2.0 Tools, Communication Tools, Smartboards, Smartphones, Tablets, and more. The goal and challenge for the classroom teacher is to come up with ways to use the technology effectively. So, how do you do that? Well, you could read what the U.S. Department of Education has to say on the matter (Enchancing Education Through Technology). However, it is always easier said than done. My recommendation is to be a sponge. Keep your ears and eyes open to new ideas and techniques from other teachers. Since technology improves everyday, teachers should be open to new ways of teaching daily. The more we educate ourselves the better we can teach for the future. It is very challenging teaching for a future that is unknown, but it it imperative that we, as educators, raise to the challenge. 

     

When incorporating technology into a lesson plan, ask yourself these questions:

1. Is it student or teacher-centered? 

2. Does it promote critical thinking?

3. Is it just presentation or does it enhance the content? 

3. Does it inspire creativity?

4. Is it compatible with different learning styles and multiple intelligences?

5. Will it build on the students' prior knowledge?

     

References:

Rhonnieful. (2009). Teaching Tomorrow Today, Preparing for the Future. Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF2xT_PEL0M

U.S. Department of Education. (2011). Part D - Enhancing Education Through Technology. Available from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg34.html

Lesson #7: Be Flexible and Have a Plan B (or C, or D...)

     Have you ever found a video or website that you were so excited about sharing with your students and come to find out, it's blocked on the school computers? It can be very frustrating. Due to the Children's Internet Protection Act, schools are blocking more and more websites, but are schools taking it to extreme?

     According to the article, Dispelling Myths About Blocked Websites in School by Tina Barseghian, there are certain myths and criticisms that need to be addressed.

• "Accessing YouTube is not violating the [Act]." I just started teaching Civics in a new school district. To introduce an unit about the U.S. Constitution, I wanted to show a Schoolhouse Rock clip about the Preamble. I was shocked that I couldn't access YouTube with my teacher login. There are so many good educational videos on YouTube. It is a shame that some schools block it. 
• "Websites don't have to be blocked for teachers." The act does not mention that websites have to be blocked for teachers. Actually, I fully believe that schools should trust their teachers. 
• "Kids need to be taught how to be responsible digital citizens." Blocking websites are like training wheels. They are good for the lower grades, but someday, students need to learn how to use the Internet responsibly. The training wheels need to come off!

     Are blocked sites really blocked? When I was denied access to watch the Schoolhouse Rock video, I had half the class say they knew how to gain access to YouTube. Why block the sites in the first place, if most students and teachers know how to get around it? What's the point?


Reference:

Barseghian, T. (2011). Dispelling Myths About Blocked Websites in School. Mind Shift. Available from http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/09/dispelling-myths-about-blocked-websites-in-schools/

Lesson #6: Extend Learning

     A modern teacher extends learning by incorportating Web 2.0 Tools. If you are like me, Web 2.0 Tools can be a little overwhelming. There are thousands of free tools! How do you even begin to use them?  

     A great resource I use for lesson planning is Discovery Education. Within the site, there is great information for teachers involving technology. There is some wonderful tips and advice, especially about Web 2.0 Tools. They break down the main categories of Web 2.0 Tools:

• Presentation
• Video
• Mobile
• Image
• Communication
• Best of the Rest

     An overview video is posted for each category describing different tools and tips. It is kind of like a user guide for Web 2.0 Tools. Here is an introduction video:

References:

Discovery Education. (2011). Web 20.11. Available from http://web2011.discoveryeducation.com/web20tools.cfm
DiscoveryEd2010Web. (2010). web20_Intro.flv. Available from http://youtube/KN11ZoDJXD4

Lesson #5: Inspire Creativity

Lesson #5: Inspire Creativity

During my student teaching assignment last Spring, I was introduced to Animoto, a video slideshow maker with music. Technology certainly has inspired more creative ways for teachers to create assessments. Instead of writing out vocabulary with plain old pencil and paper, students can create short movies with Animoto. If you keep your movie under 30 seconds, it’s completely free and the possibilities are unlimited. 

    The weekly assignment for my 6th grade social studies class was for each student to create their own Animoto using one vocabulary word. The requirements for the short movie are identify the word, display the definition, add 3 images that describe the word in the context of the unit, and music (Animoto provides a wide selection of music for free). The students had so much fun making and sharing their creations. I would choose three unique movies for the week and display them for the whole class to watch. The students loved it!

Another fun free online tool that inspires creativity is ToonDoo. I discovered this fun tool through my subbing experience. At first, I thought the students were playing games on the computer instead of doing their homework! ToonDoo is a website where you can create mini comic strips and/or comic books. It is endless fun, because you can use the characters provided or create your own. I have seen ToonDoo used for any subject: Language Arts (vocabulary), Math (problem-solving), Science (lab safety and Scientific Method), and Social Studies (re-telling history). 

Anytime that you can inspire creativity more than likely the students will be enthusiastic over the activity. Animoto and ToonDoo are great alternative assessments or can be excellent instructional aids, but that is just the tip of the iceberg! There are thousands of Web 2.0 Tools available for students and teachers. It should be a modern teacher's goal to explore the fountain of Web 2.0 Tools online in order to come up with new and exciting lesson plans every now and then. Sometimes teachers need a little inspiration for creativity, too. 




Reference:


AnimotoGuys. (2008). 60 Second How to Use Animoto. Available from http://youtu.be/6-apaZXsQrQ

Lesson #4: Develop a Community

Nowadays, every teacher has a class website, but are they using it to it's fullest potential to create a community? In this digital age, social networking is vital. You can fight it, but there is no way around it. Facebook changed how the world works in all aspects: Social, Education, Business, and Media.

We have to develop an online community in the classroom to keep up with society and the new way of learning. Schools all around the country are adopting small learning communities, but they should also develop online learning communities as well. Does Facebook have a place in the classroom?

Of course it does. I remember when I first made my Facebook account back in my senior year of college.  I used it solely to connect to my classmates and professors. It was a way to connect with peers from your college and other universities only. It was an easy way to ask questions and clarify assignments without waiting until the next class time.

I find it funny that many schools and districts have their own Facebook page or Twitter account, but those websites are blocked on the classroom computers for students. It just doesn't make sense to me. Educators can like Facebook in Education, a group on Facebook devoted to providing information to educators on how to safely and effectively use Facebook in the classroom.

It is a controversial issue on using Facebook in education due to safety issues, but there is a similar social networking site design for educational use: Edmodo. I have successfully used Edmodo during my student teaching assignment. Since it looks almost exactly like Facebook (it even uses the same color scheme), students and teachers catch on very quickly. I like how it's a social network with the features of an online class. Students are able to submit their assignments online, and the teacher is able share their work to the whole class and give immediate feedback. A teacher can also create groups to differentiate instruction. I know at the school where I student-taught, they used Edmodo for most of the gifted and talented projects. It was an excellent way for those students to collaborate outside of the classroom.


Whether or not you are a fan of social networking sites like Facebook, it is critical that teachers create some sort of online community for their class. An easy and safe way that teachers can create an online community is by incorporating blogs, podcasts, and web 2.0 tools to their standard classroom websites. Just a little extra time in designing a fun website is one step closer to creating a classroom community!


Reference:

Edmodo. (2011). Make Your Classroom a Community. Available from http://www.edmodo.com/assignment?mid=16207711

Lesson #3: Be Open to Criticism

     I read an article in the current issue of Educational Leadership about virtual coaching. It got me thinking about my student-teaching experience and the lack of coaching that I received. All too often, novice teachers are pushed in the lion's den before they are ready to handle it. That lack of training will make or break a new teacher quickly. 

Educational Leadership
October 2011

     Thankfully, I survived my Spring semester 6th grade student-teaching assignment, and now, I am facing the challenges of classroom management being a substitute. The other day the principle of the school I sub frequently for observed me, and then called me to his office after school to discuss what changes that I need to make to become a more effective teacher. Since I am still considered a novice teacher, he wants to help me become the best teacher that I can be. 

     The principle only had a small amount of criticism to share with me: 1. I need to make sure that I don't have my back to any student. (A little tricky since it's not my own classroom, and the desks were position in a way that made it nearly impossible to move about the room and maintain eye contact with all students at the same time.) 2. Be more in control during non-lesson times such as, dismissal/reading time/transitions.    

     While he was discussing how I could improve, I kept thinking back to the article, The Power of Virtual Coaching by Marcia L. Rock, Naomi P. Zigmond, Madeleine Gregg, and Robert A Gable. The article tells about the advances in professional development. Instead of letting a teacher struggle all year without a clue on how to improve, a coach can assist the teacher during the actual lesson. Using a webcam and a bluetooth headset, the coach can easily guide the teacher with immediate feedback during actual class time. 

     The principle told me that I need to be more in control during non-lesson times, but he didn't pinpoint what exactly I did for him to think that. With virtual coaching, teachers can have immediate guidance on what to do when chaos erupts or during an lesson that didn't quite go as expected. Talk about learning on the job!

     The article claims that virtual coaching makes teachers more effective faster. So, is this the future of evaluating teachers? Will this eventually be the new basis of PDAS?  The only drawback is that some teachers might be closed off to virtual coaching, because they might view it as Big Brother and be afraid. People can only improve if they keep an open mind and accept other's ideas. I believe that virtual coaching is the right track to help novice or expert teachers improve to provide the best education to students.

Reference: 

Rock, M.L., Zigmond, N.P., Gregg, M., & Gable, R. A. (October, 2011). The Power of Virtual Coaching. Educational Leadership. 69(2), 42-48.

Lesson #2: Turn Distractions into Learning Tools

     I had an interesting substitute assignment this past week....Sophomore English. I usually take 5th or 6th grade assignments, but I thought it might be fun to go back to high school. Wow. Things have changed. As I walked through the hallways trying to find the classroom, I was surprised to see almost every student listening to music and/or using their cellphones. What surprised me even more is that teachers where doing the same thing!

A Modern Sophomore English Classroom

     At this particular high school, it is acceptable to carry and use a cell phone at all times. It is up to the teachers whether or not to allow cell phones in the classroom. The students were thrilled that there are no consequences to use their phones all day long. They actually bring their phone chargers to class, so that they can text, listen to music, and watch videos ALL DAY LONG without having the worry of a low-battery. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

     Honestly, I think it has potential. Why not take a distraction and make it a fun learning tool? Cellphones can be called "the swiss army knife of digital learning" (Kolb 2011). Cellphones are definitely not just for roadside emergencies anymore. In fact, I think I use my cellphone more like a computer than a phone. Like the rest of society, my phone rarely leaves my hand. I use it for everything and so does the average student.

     So, the great debate: Do Cellphones Have a Place in the Classroom? Absolutely. But schools must do more than just allow students to listen to music and text during the school day. Teachers need to be educated and encouraged to use cellphones on a daily basis to engage the modern student.

     Some innovative activities that involve cellphones according to Liz Kolb include:

• Podcasting, Oral Quizzes, Oral Recordings
• Mobile Geotagging
• Digital Storybooks
• Student Organization
• Photo Projects
• Classroom Response Systems
• Information Gathering

     I encourage everyone to read her article, Adventures in Cellphones, in the February 2011 issue of Educational Leadership. It is a must read for the modern teacher! 

    Teachers, Administrators, Students, Parents....Should we open up the classroom doors and let cellphones in? Watch this video, and let me know that YOU think: 

   
References: 

Kolb, L. (2011, February). Adventures in Cellphones. Educational Leadership, 68(5), 39-43.


Goodman, S. (2009). Cellphones in the Classroom: Learning Tools for the 21st Century. Available from http://youtube/aXt_de2-HBE