How a "New" Couch Will Encourage Patience, Understanding, and Collaboration Among My Students.

Well here it is: The newest "addition" to our new and improved 2016-2017 6C classroom:

"A couch in a classroom??" you may be thinking. Yes, indeed.  I want my classroom to be a space that my students want to spend time in.  One where they feel comfortable and loved.  It's why I'm adding a Makerspace, an aquarium, and a couch! And I'm doing it all on a low, low, LOW budget - as in free, well almost.  The aquarium, taken from my oldest son's bedroom, had nothing living in it other than a gross amount of algae - ewww!  Hubby cleaned it and the contents and helped me lug it to school. It's all set up and ready for the fish and the kids.  The MakerSpace (part of our 'design thinking' curriculum) is full of stuff I've had in my science cabinet for years - old, broken games, unused kid rockets, soil test kits, a broken laptop, and more. Confession: at home I throw everything away, at school, I hoard. I think hoarding is a part of a teacher's DNA.

Anyway, back to the couch. I started thinking about redesigning my classroom earlier this summer. Inspired by many Twitter friends (thankyou @dennisdill) to #StarbucksMyClassroom, I knew I wanted to add a comfortable seating area.  I scoured Craigslist for weeks looking for a free futon but to no avail.  Then one day I happened into the newly opened Habitat for Humanity Restore near my house and lo and behold, found the couch.  It was tagged at $40, too steep for my budget so I sadly walked away.  I went back a few days later to see what else they had and guess what, the couch was reduced to $25!  SOLD!!  Hubby cleaned it (isn't he great?!?!) and helped me lug it into school. I threw an old blanket and some pillows we never use at home onto it and BAM!, it's ready for the kids!!

So how is an old couch going to perform the magic I suggested in the title of this post? Well, I wrote down some "couch rules" so the kids wouldn't tackle each other to get to the couch each day, and I am hoping (optimistically) that the kids will love the couch so much, that they won't want to jeopardize their chance to get a turn. Yes, it will require patience (especially on my part), understanding, the ability to get along, and some prayer certainly won't hurt.

So will the couch be a permanent fixture in our class or will it be the next dumpster victim? I'll let you know how it's going in a month when school begins...

Examining Generational Differences: Technology for Today's Classroom

https://larrycuban.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/kind-wifi.gif

We have studied a great deal about the digital divide - the divide between those that have access to technology and those that do not - but what about the generational divide?  The generational divide is a belief by some education researchers that due to the nature of the "Millenial Generation" and the fact that they have grown up with the proverbial technological silver spoon in their mouths (well, in their hands), their educational needs differ from all previous generations. In his article Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants - Part II: Do they really think differently?, Marc Prensky suggests that because these "digital natives" have grown up with their "entire lives surrounded by and using computers, video games, digital music players, video cams, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age"(2001) that their brains are somehow wired differently. He goes so far as to vaguely suggest that today's students' brains have physically changed. However, Jamie McKenzie in his article Digital Nativism: Digital Delusions and Digital Deprivation strongly disputes Prensky's claims as being completely unfounded and having no empirical evidence or proof. McKenzie states, "Prensky's labels are crude, inaccurate and based on no data.  His gross generalizations lump complex segments together as if identical."(2007)
In his article "Do Generational Differences Matter in Instructional Design?", T.C. Reeves takes a different approach.  Reeves takes a much closer look at what defines the generations. He believes it is much more complex than just dividing them into "digital natives" and "digital immigrants".  After spending considerable time studying generational differences, Reeves concludes,

"Instead of worrying about whether Boomers, GenXers or Millennials will learn more from direct instruction or virtual reality games instructional designers and educational technology researchers working closely with practitioners and subject matter experts should begin by identifying the needs of any given set of learners, design the best possible prototype learning environments in situ, and then conduct iterative cycles of formative evaluation and refinement to optimize the solution and reveal robust design principles."(2008)  

In other words, educational technologists should focus more on the individualities of a particular student or class of students rather than considering their learning styles and needs as being dictated by an entire generation. I would tend to agree with Reeves. I would agree that today's students are digital natives in that they have been raised in the fast paced world of instant messaging and social media, however, many of the students I teach are not "digitally literate".  They are capable of texting at 200+ words per minute or 'snapchating' their every mood and thought, but when it comes to using technology for educational purposes, they are not as adept. My 6th graders still struggle with effective Internet search techniques, developing a solid Powerpoint presentation, and creating an informative infographic.  Technology can be used to differentiate, engage, motivate and meet the individual learning needs of each of our students. As educational technologists, these are the things we should be concerning ourselves with.

Wouldn't you agree?

References
McKenzie, J. (2007). Digital nativism: Digital delusions and digital deprivation.From Now On, 17(2). Retrieved from http://fno.org/nov07/nativism.html

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants – Part II: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, 9(6). Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Reeves, T.C. (2008). Do generational differences matter in instructional design? Online discussion presentation to Instructional Technology Forum from January 22-25, 2008 at http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper104/ReevesITForumJan08.pdf

Digital Divide/Digital Inequality

The term “Digital Divide” refers to the gap between people who have computers with Internet access and those who do not. Digital inequality refers to how digital resources are used among individuals, households, businesses, or geographic areas, usually at different socioeconomic levels or other demographic categories.  Barbara O’Connor, a professor emeritus at California State University, Sacramento, and secretary of the California Emerging Technology Fund states “Closing the digital divide in California is essential for fairness, equity and economic prosperity. Today, 21 percent of all American households remain offline at home. Rural and poor children can’t use the Internet for homework assignments and fall behind in school. Low-income adults can’t search for better jobs, and public safety in times of emergencies is compromised.” O’Connor also points out that today, much of our community and government information is online, so if people are not able to access the information, they are being excluded from “democracy itself.”

In order to combat this problem, our team came up with nine proposals, four of which we felt were most workable and useful to the people of California.  The four proposals we felt would be most effective were 1. to install more computers in public libraries and expand service hours, 2. to provide digital literacy courses to library patrons, 3. To create a program of renting or loaning laptops and tablets through the public libraries, and 4. to provide additional staffing in public libraries. We felt these four proposals would best serve the needs of the citizens of California.  We believe that California should consider these proposals a priority when allocating funds in their effort to bridge the digital divide.

Through this experience,  I have a better understanding of how the digital divide and the lack of access to technology and the Internet has a tremendous impact on those not privileged to have these resources.  It is also important to note that just having access is not enough.  Without knowledge of functional digital literacy the technology has little value. One takeaway I have from this project is a greater understanding of working collaboratively. We each brought our unique talents and world views to this assignment and contributed to what I believe is a quality final product. As I assign group projects in my own classroom, I will be mindful that the skills of collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity are vital to 21st century learning.

This post is based on a group project I completed with a team from my EdTech 501 class.

Guest Post: Sketch Your Thinking by Teresa Gross

Introduction: One of the best ways I know to grow as a teacher is to follow and glean from the amazing teachers on social media.  And that is just how I "met" Teresa. Two things Teresa and I have in common are being middle school teachers and a love of books.  It is this love of books, specifically Launch by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani, that first brought us together on Twitter.  You can find Teresa on Twitter @Teresa Gross or writing her own blog Loving Literacy.  I asked Teresa to write a guest post for my blog and I am excited to share it with you here.

Sketch Your Thinking

Dear Readers,

As a Language and Literacy Teacher, I have always used anchor charts in my classroom. They serve as a "blueprint" of instruction and the main purpose is to develop independent thinkers and learners. I consider my walls "living" in that they change throughout the year as we embark on our learning journey.

A few months ago, I was first introduced to Sketchnotes by Stacey Lindes (@iruntech) during her 100 day challenge. I started paying attention to posts on Twitter.  One day while skimming through, I saw a few from #ISTE2016.

It paused me to stop and reflect. I have been creating "thinking charts" for years. Was there a way to improve upon my practice? I have always thought of them as putting my thought process into a visual representation. It is essential for students (and teachers) to see the process and/or planning to reach an end product and/or goal. 

A problem I often have is the number of charts I create. Would I be able to condense some of those into one chart depicting a process instead of several?

#LAUNCHBOOK

I spent quite a bit of time interacting with LAUNCH as I prepared for the book discussion.  I was drawn to the visual representation of the LAUNCH Cycle. I had read where Sketchnotes were used to capture ideas while reading or listening for professional development. I tried it out with LAUNCH. 

• I knew that I was going to set it up similar to the LAUNCH Cycle in a clockwise direction. 
• I work well using key words, ideas and phrases.
• My mind organizes information in categories with bulleted lists.
• My mind thinks in words/language, it does not think in numbers and rarely in pictures.
• I like to group things together using boxes or "clouds", in addition to highlighting/starring key concepts.

What you see, is a first/final draft of my first ever sketchnote! It came so naturally to me! A few things I learned:

• Rewriting the information in a way that made sense to me, made me engage with it even deeper.
• I was able to capture everything I deemed important in one chart.
• A student who knew nothing about LAUNCH was able to identify it was a process or steps of some sort. It made sense to one of my students.
• I was able to include quotes, character traits, etc. that I wanted to remember.

When I stand back and view it, I captured the LAUNCH Cycle in a way that was meaningful to me.

My next step, would I be able to do this "live" in front of students?

Genius Hour

As a summer enrichment class, I offered a 2hourX3days Genius Hour type class. (I am going to skip ahead to day two for a moment.) I decided to try creating a Sketchnote live with the students. I told them it was the first time I was trying it and we would see how it went! Of course, they were on board and came along for the ride!

I took a different approach and was not entirely sure where I was headed until I started. This time I started counter clockwise and we talked about what research is and different resources. We also discussed bias, opinion, agenda, etc. (Have you ever asked students what research is? Try it, you will get interesting responses.)

We were talking about building stamina, so I geared our key concepts and ideas toward the process of research stamina. On the right, we broke down how we actually engage in the research process. I learned:

• Students think they are going through the entire process, but actually might be missing key steps, such as planning!
• Deciding on a topic and formulating a question (more to come on that in a moment) take time. 
• They need to realize their question can be revised, many times if needed, they do not need to go back to the drawing board. It is truly a process and steps can be repeated as often as necessary.
• One student said, "That's what is in my mind. It's what we are thinking."
• I often think back to something Lisa Eickholdt (@LisaEickholdt) tweeted once. "If we do not show students what is happening in our minds, think aloud for them, they think we can do something they cannot do." The visuals help them connect to us as learners too. They see that their thought process is similar to ours.

This Sketchnote was not planned (other than the topic: Research Stamina) and was created on the spot with students. 

Important Reflection: I realized as I created these that they also depict what thinking is, messy! It shows students that the creative process, the research process, any learning process is messy! It gives them permission to think that way as well!

Anchor Charts Turned Sketchnotes

On the left, you see my day 1 anchor charts (total=4) and on the right, my days 2 and 3 sketchnotes. I wanted to capture all the work we did designing a research question. I use the word design because it truly is a process that takes time, creative thinking and patience. Here is what I came up with:

 

Again, I went in a clockwise direction. I learned:

• It is powerful to see the process like this. We started with a topic, narrowed those topics, created questions, revised the questions and decided on a question to start with.
• It is important not to call the end result "the final question" because they then move to the research phase where they can revise the questions as often as needed.
• It really shows the thinking process of creating a question that can be researched.

A Perfectly Messed Up Story

One of my all-time favorite picture books is A Perfectly Messed Up Story. The main character is attempting to write a story, but he keeps getting interrupted or peanut butter and jelly are falling on the page. However, at the end he learns an important lesson. Writing is a process and stories can be started, interrupted, revised and continued. 

Just like our thinking. Thinking is messy and we need to empower our students with the skills/strategies to become independent thinkers and learners. They need to be able to ask questions, relevant and thought provoking questions. They need to see our thinking as a model. 

Are we preparing them for their futures with the appropriate skills/strategies? Would you be able to teach students how to design thought provoking, powerful questions?

Warmly,

Teresa

I'm Not the Entertainment Committee - A Commentary

So this picture [below] pops up on my Facebook newsfeed and I'm instantly intrigued.  Lately all I've been hearing about is the augmented reality game Pokemon Go, and I've been contemplating giving it a try - even though I know absolutely zilch about Pokemon.  But then I read the caption below the picture, "Your kids bored at school? Tell them to get over it." and I think, "What???"

You see, the most recent book in my "summer professional development series", Launch (2016) by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani, has gotten my mind flowing. Design thinking, growth mindset, the maker movement, Teach Like a Pirate (TLAP): that is what I have been thinking about.  So when high school English teacher, Laura Hanby Hudgens, suggests students should just get over it [boredom], "As a result we have a generation of students who think that if a lesson or an assignment or a class is not interesting, if it isn't engaging and fun and inspiring, then it simply isn't worth caring about", I have to respectfully disagree.

http://hrld.us/29U195b

As educators, our aim should be to capture a child's imagination. We should be encouraging play and exploration and excitement for learning. To do this we must be intentional about getting into their world.  Activities that are relevant, authentic, and engaging help students to see how school relates to the real world and in turn prevents apathy.  As Dave Burgess puts it in TLAP (2012),

"Education can be used to uplift and inspire or it can be used as a hammer to bludgeon and bat down.  We must collectively agree educating the next generation is worth the time and effort and that our students deserve to be uplifted and inspired."

 I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Up for Discussion: Professional Development

"The best professional development experiences I’ve ever had were the kind that I didn’t have to go to." John Corshen

I have found that the best professional development (PD) is often that which the professional chooses for themselves.  While this PD may not be "certified" in that it is not a graduate level course or required/provided by their employer, it is a greater learning opportunity because the professional is invested and interested in the topic.

As a teacher, in the past few years I have gained more practical application for my classroom from Edcamps, my PLN, and Twitter than I have in 20 years of faculty meetings and teacher conventions. Last year I had to attend a beginner SMARTBOARD training even though I have been actively using a SMARTBOARD in my class for the past 5 years. So how can this dilemma (if it is one for you) be solved?

My suggestion is twofold: employees (especially those in the teaching profession) need to speak up and ask your administration to consider an Edcamp style PD - personalized and relevant; and for employers (especially those in the educational field) ask your teachers what they are truly interested in learning about.  Just like the students in our classrooms, when we are passionate about what we are learning, we all benefit.

Educators, what do YOU think?  How can we improve professional development?  I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

literacynewmexico.org

Make Room for a Makerspace

Photo courtesy of www.makerspaces.com

Whether you call it a Makerspace, Genius Hour, or a DIY Space, the idea is the same.  Give your students a place where they can explore, tinker, collaborate and play and their imaginations will soar.  According to Michelle Hlubinka, "Makerspaces allow students to take control of their own learning as they take ownership of projects they have not just designed but defined."1

Below are some handy links to help you set up your space:

Make magazine: This bimonthly magazine is full of project ideas, guides, and articles.  It is available on the web or as a hard copy and would be a great resource to have around to spark your students' imaginations.

Photo Courtesy of www.benbrooklibrary.org

Renovated Learning Blog: Writer Diana Rendina has compiled a list of articles, videos, books, blogs, and other resources to help in the creation of a Maker space.  The blog itself is also full of useful Maker information.

MakerSpace: An online community from Make Magazine.  Includes a helpful forum.

Pinterest: As always, Pinterest offers tons of ideas, pictures, articles, and guides. Search: "Makerspace" and the possibilities are endless.

Youth-Makerspace-Playbook: A how-to guide on setting up your Makerspace.

World's of Making: Best Practices for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School: Laura Fleming @NMHS_lms, author of World's of Making, "focuses on the nuts and bolts of imagining, planning, creating, and managing your own makerspace." A succinct guide for educators, administrators, or anyone interested in creating a Makerspace.

And this just popped up in my RSS Feed today! Pop Up and Make Space

Let me know in the comments below if you have other resources for Makerspaces.

1https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli7095.pdf

Read the best books first...

Read the best books first, or you may not have chance to read them all. Henry David Thoreau

A current theme recurring in my life right now is TIME, or lack of it.  Yes, I am a teacher. And yes, I have the summer "off".  But my summer off includes cleaning a house that hasn't seen a vacuum cleaner in months, spending quality time with my family, and my newest endeavor: getting my graduate degree in educational technology.  So one of the things I don't seem to have enough time for is reading, one of my favorite activities.  Following is my list of books that I am currently reading; or desperately want to read before the summer is over.  Maybe a few more beach days with just my books and the sand are in order?!

Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator by Dave Burgess. A fantastically, inspirational book that challenges us to break out of our shells and inspire our students. 

"For many students, school is filled with monotony, drudgery, and soul-killing suckiness. When I think about a student's typical school day, it makes me completely understand why so many of them don't want to be there.  Too often school is a place where creativity is systematically killed, individuality is stamped out, and boredom reigns supreme.  There are really only two possibilities; either your class can be a reprieve from all of that or it can be a contributing factor.  I am thoroughly committed to having my class be a reprieve." (p. 55) 

Wow! This book, which I have actually finished, challenged me to make every day in the classroom count.

Educational Technology: A Definition with a Commentary by Alan Januszewski and Michael Molenda. A required read for my EDTech 501 class.  My first thought when I saw this book was, "The authors needed 369 pages to define 'educational technology'?!" In reality, the authors introduce educational technology as defined by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) on the first page.  The rest of the book provides commentary on each of the key concepts of the definition.  Perhaps not a page turner, but definitely a good read for anyone interested in the pedagogy of technology integration.

Creating Cultures of Thinking: The 8 Forces We Must Master to Truly Transform Our Schools by Ron Ritchhart. Ritchhart, director of the Cultures of Thinking Project explains that when students know that their thinking is important and valued, they become invested in the class and a creative class culture is created.  By employing the "8 cultural forces", Ritchhart believes our classrooms can be transformed.  If you truly believe that schools should be more than just the memorizing of facts and passing of tests then Creating Cultures of Thinking is a must read.

Worlds of Making: Best Practice for Establishing a Makerspace for Your School by Laura Fleming. One of my goals for this upcoming school year is to create a Makerspace in my classroom. I dream of an environment where kids are free to experiment, explore, invent, and create to their hearts' content. This book is a quick read (just 65 pages) but chock full of practical advice.  Whether your Makerspace is going to be primarily recyclables and arts & crafts or a high-tech workshop equipped with all the latest gadgets, Fleming shares why the maker movement is integral to bringing 21st century learning to your school.

The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity by George Couros. I must be honest, I have not even read the introduction to this book!  I bought it simply because Couros is one of the most inspiring people in the field of education that I follow on Twitter.  The back cover states, 

"The Innovator's Mindset is for you if: You are a teacher who wants to create relevant learning experiences and help students develop the skills they need to be successful."

Yes!  That's me!  This book is on my 'read before the end of the summer' list.

I'm sure before the summer is over and I'm welcoming a new group of 6th graders to my room, I will add a few more books to my list.  But for now, I think I have enough to keep me busy:).

Update 7/21/16:  I just finished LAUNCH: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in Every Student by A.J. Juliani and John Spencer.  Another fantastically inspirational read.  Juliani and Spencer explain how The LAUNCH Cycle will revolutionize your classroom.  I can't wait to LAUNCH this fall and see my students dream, create, imagine, innovate, and explore!

RSS Feeds: So much to read, so little time...

In the words of Mitchell Kapor, “Getting information from the internet is like getting a drink from a fire hydrant.” Do you ever feel that way?  There is so much out there and not enough time to read, let alone process, it all.  If you have had this experience RSS feeds may be your answer!

RSS stands for Rich Site Summary, a format for delivering regularly changing web content. The purpose of RSS feeds are “to have web sites of your choice deliver their latest news directly to your monitor. So instead of having to visit 14 different places to get your weather, sports, favorite photos, latest gossip, or latest political debates, you just go to one screen and see it combined ("aggregated") into a single window.”  For educators interested in the latest technology, this means being able to browse many sites quickly to locate the most relevant news.

There are many types of RSS aggregators.  Feedly, RSS Feed Aggregator for Chrome, and Digg are three that I have tried.  Feedly and Digg both have a very pleasant interface with a magazine-like look.  RSS Feed Aggregator for Chrome has a more basic look but is very simple to use. Many websites today are RSS feed enabled. This means you can subscribe to the site and receive updates through a feed reader when new content arrives. One great advantage of using RSS is all of your sites update in one place as soon as they are updated on the web. This is much better than having to receive numerous emails. In addition, you do not have to open the entire web site in order to read the newest posts.

RSS feeds can have many uses in the classroom.  Examples may be helping your students to keep up with current events, helping students evaluate sites to look for the most reliable information, or listen to literature and improve comprehension skills through podcasts.  Three ways to use RSS feeds could be most useful in the classroom would be to help promote global understanding, promote authentic learning, or introduce a daily bit of inspiration.

Promoting global understanding is paramount in our ever-changing, always connected world.  Students are exposed to so much through social media and news sites, and yet they don’t always know how to filter this mass of information.  A teacher may choose to create a news feed that focuses on other cultures and lifestyles that differ from their students’.  This can help young people to develop understanding, promote empathy, and help them to realize that there is a world outside of their own.  Students can compare and contrast religion, types of government, and make historical connections. RSS feeds can provide a window into the world.

Authentic learning is a constructivist approach that encourages students to explore real-world problems that are relevant to them.  When students see a connection to their world, they are motivated to investigate and reflect more deeply.  The teacher can direct students to live feeds such as zoo cams, weather centers, or news blogs and help them connect to sites that are meaningful and important to them.  Data collection becomes much more meaningful when students can apply it to real life.

A third usefulness of RSS feeds could be to provide daily inspiration to the classroom.  Beautiful photographs from a photo blog or a poem of the day can motivate students to begin their day with positive thinking.  Teachers can spark students’ interests, allowing them to journal, or even create their own blog, as a morning activity. A simple photograph with a thought provoking quote can promote discussion and collaboration among students.

The uses in the classroom for RSS feeds are as numerous as the feeds themselves.  By tailoring their newsfeeds to their students’ interests and needs, teachers can create valuable tools for learning.  

Parts of this post are from a post on my Edtech learning log.

Information Avalanche Rescue: RSS Feeds in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved July 7, 2016, from http://eduscapes.com/sessions/rss/

What Does “RSS” Stand For? (n.d.). Retrieved July 7, 2016, from http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/rssandlivewebfeeds/f/rss.htm

Trying Again!

The journey through life is full of successes and failures.  After attempting to set up my first blog, working on it for a week, and then finding the posts had completely disappeared, I decided to try again.  And that is the theme of this post: when your first attempt doesn't work out, keeping trying until it does!  That is a belief that I try to impart to my students everyday.  Things won't always go as planned but don't give up!

This Weblog is going to be a series of posts about my journey as a teacher and a graduate student at Boise State University.  I have created this Weblog for my Edtech 537 course: Blogging in the Classroom.  If all goes as planned (haha), I will continue to post beyond just the requirements of this class.  I hope you will join me on my journey...