A Healthy Jealousy - Quick Reflection on Virtual High School

I actually don't know if there is such a thing as a healthy jealousy. But I could not help but to recognize and name the feeling as such as we met today as a region to look at Virtual High School, a not-for-profit global organization that makes available some of the most interesting full and half year high school level courses you could imagine. Students talking about taking pre-veterinary medicine classes on their way to Cornell; other students nurturing personal interests in entrepreneurship; and still others taking rich literature offers driven by their personal love for writing. The fact that these courses are online offers obvious challenges and opportunities: the students who shared their tacit experiences with us via videoconference spoke of the discipline both needed and developed in order to thrive in such an environment. They verified the rigor of the coursework and spoke very highly of the content and the opportunity to collaborate with other students across the planet. I can't help but to think of how their experiences were enriched (in ways most likely not measurable)by exposure to different strengths and virtues presented by students from different cultures and nationalities. Made me feel somewhat provincial, thinking back to my own high school experience where doing "group work" was about as global as it got. Hence the jealousy: what I wouldn't give to enroll in high school again and live as a pre-collegiate learner in the 21st Century - not simply learning 20th century content with modern tools, but developing an understanding and a knowledgebase that is unique to these times we all share.

Educating the Mobile Generation - Elliot Soloway & Cathleen Norris

Elliot Soloway and Cathleen Norris of Universiy of Michigan talk about the opportunities cell phone computing has for one-to-one computing in schools. While this is a conversation you've likely had over the past decade with some frequency - perhaps its time has finally come.

Due to some advances in technology, the state of the economy, and some significant pedagogical changes in schools, cell phones may actually be at a point where districts can explore their use in classes.

You may remember the NY Times article "Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops" several years back. The article cited three basic reason why: the devices didn't have educational software; lacking adequate professional development; and the cost of sustaining the hardware was prohibitive or impossible.

Soloway and Norris suggest that it is for these very reasons that the cell phones or maybe even netbooks can be successful and point out how schools can ensure that they are.

Educational Software - Establish the device as an Essential Tool

It is critical for success to create a device that is an essential tool. A tool that students and teachers can't live without to do their jobs. To do this we must provide operating systems and software that is job specific. In the private sector essential knowledge workers have devices that do just that. Real estate agents, accountants, doctors and engineers all have software that is specific and "essential" to their jobs. Education need to create portals and dashboards that deliver information and tools to our knowledge workers; students, teachers and even administrators that is essential so they can be successful knowledge workers in the 21st century and beyond.

Create professional development that is Sustained and Virtual
Professional development programs need to be "just in time" , relevant and continous for teachers. Bring online courses in to the mix of options for teachers with Learning Management Systems such as Blackboard, Angel and Epsilon.

Cost of Sustaining - Outsource device and connectivity costs to telco

Schools have learned that while they are experts in the education business they need out outsource services such as food services and transportation - why not technology. In this mobile market why not pay the telephone provider a monthly fee and get the device and the connectivity - making the entire thing eRateable. If you have a device that costs $300 divide by 10 months that is $30 per month. Cell companies can create plans that do not provide phone service - data only is all we need to provide students.

While they recognize we are in the infancy of this converged technology for schools, the presenters believe now is the time to get started in our district school with pilot projects. Start small with a target group, find a teleco company that will support your the effort.


Resources:

Redfly - cell phone device that has full size keyboard and larger screen. http://www.celiocorp.com/
mobi Controller for controlling cell phone devices - http://www.soti.net/default.asp?Cmd=Products&SubCmd=MC

Collaboration and Synergy - Jamie McKenzie

International author, presenter, thinker, and former superintendent of Bellingham schools in Washington State, Jamie McKenzie considers the idea that schools need to do a better job prepare teachers and students for synthesis and collaboration.

Taking ideas from Pete Senge, he reminds us that there are significant differences between passive listening and active listening. With active listening individuals are required to "suspend their assumptions". Take a moment to reflect on the last adult meeting you attended and think if you saw any evidence of suspended assumptions or worked with your colleagues toward the synthesis of new ideas and thinking. McKensie suggest that this is a necessary part of any "true" collaboration framework and that we will never really get the results we want in the collaborative web until we do.

McKenzie suggested trying Debono's Thnking Hats model with your staff to facilitate the appropraite level of thinking in activities.

On the side:
Did you know Virtual Thesaurus has multiple languages?

From Now On - McKenzie's web site

Malcolm Gladwell NECC Sunday Keynote

Renowned author and writer Malcolm Gladwell greets ISTE/NECC Conference on Sunday evening with thoughtful ideas about "Learning Environments" from his book "The Outliers".

Gladwell points to the learning theories of Capitalization and Compensation (anyone remember Psych 101?) to demonstrate the idea that learning environments where indivduals are challenged and have to overcome conditions actually are met with higher levels of success than those that are considered "gifted and talented" out of the gate.

Capitalization Theory suggests that you build on successes and advantages in a linear sequential way toward a goal.

Compensation Theory is a multi-directional approach that reinforces the idea of "learning from mistakes".

That individuals with Dyslexia may in fact experience higher levels of success because they have learned to "compensate" for the challenges they face with reading and writing. Skills such as negotiation, leadership, communication all compensate for a lack of ability in reading and writing. "30 % of the best known entrepreneurs suffer with Dyslexia" suggesting that these compensation skills are as if not more valuable that the standards for that type of work. These individual learn how to work in teams because they need others to help them, they learn how to lead those folks getting them to help them and finally they communication with verbal skills because they do not have the skills to communicate with writing.

Gladwell suggest we should consider creating learning environments where students are appropriately challenged and to build skills where they may not believe they have an inate talent such as math or music. Gladwell believes that by challenge peopole appropriately you will watch them work creativity and develop innovations as they compensate.

http://www.gladwell.com/

To Strengthen and Empower the Consortium

Another June is upon our region, but this particular year will stand out as being peppered with moments of both great travail and change, and great possibility and promise. Within the Model Schools service the consortium has spoken and expressed ideas which will help us to maneuver our talents and advocacy on your behalf for the best possible outcomes. What follows are some of the ways we believe Model Schools can adapt to help you sustain a modern learning environment in your respective districts:
Facilitate and nurture true professional learning communities. Each member of a school community has a story to tell about how technology is changing the way they conduct their profession, from principal to director of technology to administrative assistant to faculty member. Model Schools will work diligently to use every possible tool to help connect the dots, build bridges, and foster a true sense of "e-community" during the next year.
Deliver more sustained professional development opportunities. The anchor of the Model Schools program has been the face to face session and while these sessions continue to play a role in the program, we realize the need to build in more sustainable structures so that the experience of learning can truly "stick" after a teacher leaves a Model Schools session. We will diversify our offerings in terms of locations (using host districts from within the region), time, and delivery method (look for more webinars and opportunities to participate via videoconference in next year's Core Catalog.) Provide strong curriculum correlations to Model Schools sessions. We know technology does not occur in a vacuum, but within the context of curriculum with specific learning objectives and goals. We will continue to design our courses and sessions with an eye on 21st Century Skills as well as core content competencies. Keep up the strand for building administrators. This past year was the first year we designed a strand specifically with the needs of building principals in mind, as the instructional leaders of their building. We will continue to develop and expand this series of sessions in a way that respects your specific feedback and increases the exposure and participation.Build and manage a robust online collaborative and informational environment. We have the tools to deliver, archive and redistribute content both synchronously and asynchronously. Look for a "Model Schools eLearning Center" to provide access to archived webinars and instructional sessions, podcasts, media clips highlighting what other districts are doing that's innovative, and a place to dialog and compare notes about common problems and accomplishments.
Thanks to each of you that participate in the service. No matter what the extent of your individual participation, your voice is valued as a component district that we serve. We'll be posting some periodic updates on the development of the Core Catalog for the next year and always welcome thoughts, feedback, and involvement.

A Picture is Worth.....Well, You Know (authored by C. Calabrese, LHRIC)

Apparently that old adage is indeed true. In her presentation about Visual Literacy,, Dr. Lynell Burmark shared several facts that support the idea and how we as educators can use that information to shape our teaching. Several concepts really struck me as critical to education.

The brain can process images 60,000 times faster than text

In a school environment where educators are expected to impart more and more knowledge to students, one would think we would jump at the chance to speed up that process. We could spend weeks on a concept that could be represented and supported by pictures.

Brain ‘bandwidth’

Our eyes send information to our brain through two optic nerves, each consisting of 1,000,000 nerve fibers. By comparison our auditory nerve consists of 30,000 fibers. I can only think of Confucius’ quote "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

“Words can only recall images we have already seen” – Lynell Burmark

At first glance I wasn’t sure about the truth of that statement. If someone were to describe lots of details of an image, surely I’d be able to have an image in my mind. Instead, what happens is that I bring my prior experiences to my image building and the person describing the image brings their experiences. What happens when those experiences are not similar? An example that Dr. Burmark gave was to say the word ‘flower’ and then ask what the participants had envisioned – how many ‘saw’ a daisy? a lilac? a rose? white baking flour? A simple word could be interpreted in many ways.

Start with the picture, but the picture itself doesn’t always tell the story

In her example, Dr. Burmark showed a photo of two women laughing and asked us to tell her who they were, why they were laughing, what was the event and what was their relationship. Needless to say we all came up with a different interpretation. So the photo itself does not necessarily stand alone.

Start from concrete tasks and move to abstract ideas

Using the photo above, ask students to write a story from the point of view of one of the characters. Only after the students have experienced the varied points of view would a teacher introduce the concept of point of view.

Dr. Burmark challenged and encouraged us to

• use pictures first, then text or audio
• put a projector in every classroom
• start lessons with a picture
• don’t assume that one person’s experience is the same as the next
• use humor

Visit her website is www.educatebetter.org for many resources for images and project ideas.

The Effective Use of a Wiki in a Classroom

Hedi Lappi 2:40 – 3:40

Heidi has some very practical uses of wikis in her classroom. I’m assuming everyone reading this blog understands the functionality of the wiki so I will jump to the important points.

Heidi teaches 9th grade Living Science and an Honors Marine Biology course for seniors. She purposes her wiki for the level she is teaching to.

I was impressed with Heidi's knowledge of learning styles. She has every student take a learning style quiz at the beginning of the year and the students reference their learning styles throughout the year (wow - sounds so simple, why didn't I think of that?).

How does she use the wiki in 9th Grade Regents Course?
Students have to create review questions and answer the questions on the wiki.. Students then use this as a learning tool and some use it as a review when studying for a test.

Throughout the year Heidi also has students, in groups, post science information/resources related to their learning styles. Students must add a digital resource; a description and what learning style this resource will meet. Heidi then uses the resources throughout her lessons that year and she tags them and adds them to delicious. As a teacher she now has 20+ students times 3 periods combing the Internet to find the best resources on a variety of topics in Science. She has the learners mining the Internet while simultaneously building her own database of resources to use in subsequent years. I couldn’t’ think of a better use of instruction.

This is Heidi’s second year using the wiki in her classroom. Last year she started it mid-year. This school year she implemented the wiki in September. She announced that she saw a 10% increase in her mid-term exams from last year. She believes it is because of the 100% participation she receives through the wiki.

12th Grade Science – Honors
Students select an environment to study. They are responsible for both individual and cooperative grades. She has a 5-page rubric (see resource links below) that she has created to structure the project so effective learning happens.

As students work on experiments she embeds data sheets into her wiki from Google spreadsheets so students can see the results of their data collected. Students get to see in real time the results of their experiments – sometimes without even being in the classroom.

She uses the historic data in wikis to see who is working when and to measure how much each team member has contributed to the project . She then uses the wiki history against their individual grade.

We should have given Heidi a 90-minute session; she had so much information to share. I felt while watching her that time was not on her side – probably why she embraces technology – she has so much to cover and assess that learning has to happen outside her classroom.

I measure a good teacher by a very simple filter – would I want this teacher to teach my own kids? The answer is an affirmative YES! She knows her content, she understands this generation and she embodies constructive learning. I think many of her students must walk out of her classroom and want to be biologists, researchers or scientists but most importantly they are excited about learning. Who knows, she may have taught the next “Google” creator or the next teacher but most importantly she has taught them to think, cooperate, share and manage their own time online. Kudos to Heidi!

So go visit her site SOON! She will only have the guest account access for a short period of time. And while you are there let us know what you found valuable and share with us how you are using wikis in your school. Remember the best teachers are thieves and in this era of social networking - thieves share their secrets!

Resources-


Wiki Site: https://lappi.wiki.ccsd.edu
ID: guest09
PW wiki2009

http://delicious.com/hlappi
www.google.com - google docs & spreadsheets
Flipcam – uses to record short video of student work and reflections.