The first time I ever used a computer to teach was in 1989. I was a student teacher. I was teaching evolution, and my soon-to- be husband, a scientist, was experimenting with a two year old taxonomy program called MacClade.
MacClade is a software program that helps evolutionary biologists make a type of family tree (called a clade) in order to analyze how organisms are related in evolutionary time. I thought that the program would help my students understand the concept that organisms demonstrate that they are related through shared characteristics inherited from a common ancestor. This is an important concept in science, and it is also a slippery one to grasp.
If the school had a computer lab, I never saw it. MacClade runs on the Apple operating system, so we carried my Mac SE into my classroom and set it up as a learning station. Students liked working with the program, and I don't recall their being focused on the computer itself, although they must have been to some extent.
The memory hit me recently in the context of what it means to educate using technology. In the days before 1:1 laptop programs-- in the days before laptops at all-- being able to use a computer in class was important. It was not, though, an end in and of itself. The Mac SE and the program were part of my class so that I could teach a difficult concept. The learning drove the decision-- and the access to technology helped the learning a great deal.
This
is a question I am often asked by parents at the beginning of 6th
grade when students are required to have a laptop for our middle school
program. I tend not to say too much, but show them through other students’ work
why I think it is essential to be tech savvy in this ever changing world.The words that do come to mind when
thinking about this question are - excitement, passion, empowerment, creation,
collaboration and sharing globally.
I
recently sat through a long but exhilarating day of student led conferences
where my 6th grade students had used their technology skills to
plan, create and share a presentation about themselves as learners. They all
used Google presentations and although the frills and level of content
differed, each and every student was able to stand proud and share with their
parents some very thoughtful reflections about their strengths, challenges and goals.
I was amazed at their clarity and conviction of how important their learning
was to each one. Parents were delighted to hear the level of self-awareness
their children possessed, and one father stated that if this was a job
interview, he would definitely hire his son. He also said that he knew many
adults who could not do what his son had just accomplished.
So
what does this really have to do with technology? I have had very successful
student led conferences in the past where students have prepared similarly with
observations, reflections and goal settings with a packet of information and
work to share.
So
what was the difference?Technology
- Google Presentations…
1.The creation
of a presentation that was meaningful to the students
2.The presenting
of themselves, which was so empowering for each student (not reading off a
packet of papers)
3.Students
being in total charge of the conference
4.Making it
real by doing what adults in many professions
This
was real to the students…they were in charge; reflecting on themselves as
learners, creating something powerful and sharing with others.
What do your
students know about copyright? By Shirley
How many
students and teachers download their favorite music or find pictures on Google Images
to copy or embed into their papers, reports and projects, without even thinking
that copyright applies to them? Over the past few years, my students have
been using a variety of online sites, and web 2.0 tools to share their work
with people around the world, and it has become very clear that copyright
applies more online than anywhere else in their daily school life. Fair Use Policy for
educators no longer applies when teachers and students are creating and sharing
globally.
Copyright
Laws have always been difficult to understand and decipher because of the legal
terminology and the fact that educators are under the misguided impression that
anything can be used for students and teaching as long as it is for educational
purposes. The basic rule is that everything
is copyrighted unless stated otherwise. Of course these laws were passed before digital copyright was an issue.
Taking an
online course and being part of an Edublog Challenge a few years ago really
started me thinking about what was legal to copy or embed and what was
not. And so I found a number of
useful sites for public domain pictures, copyright free pictures, Creative
Commons (CC) pictures and free music sites – lifesavers in students’ lives so
they can use those great pictures to illustrate their work and play background
music to enhance their project or presentation, of course with the correct
attribution. Attribution should include a link to the site being used and the
name of the author, photographer etc.
Teaching
about Copyright is an essential part of teaching technology today, especially
when students are creating and sharing more of their work globally. Watching
videos about copyright, finding helpful sites and using examples with correct
attribution have helped my 6th graders become more aware of
copyright laws.
Edublogs has a very helpful page for understanding copyright restrictions and this You Tube video is also enlightening for students...
Here are some useful links for finding usable pictures and free
music…
One of my 6th
graders recently found an ideal picture to use in a wiki page he was designing
and creating on medieval architecture and arts, but realized that the site he
has used, The Canadian Center for Architecture, had a copyright license on all of
their art in the collection. Lukas decided to email the curator and ask
permission to use this picture. Within
two days he had received an interesting reply, “Thank you for your email and your interest in the CCA
Collection. Since this particular image is from the 17th century, it
is out of copyright (or in the “public domain”). It will not be necessary to
obtain our permission for the use in your wiki. We would love to see your wiki
page once it has been completed. If you want to, please send us the link and I
will show our curators here at the CCA.I f you have any questions, please feel
free to contact me. Good luck with your project!”
Another
student, Manny was making a Voki about Poet’s Walk, (which is a favorite local
spot) to embed into his blog page and found a local photographer’s pictures that
were copyrighted. He also decided to e-mail the owner of the site and ask
permission to use two pictures. He too received a great email , “My photographs
are copyrighted, so I do appreciate your requesting permission to use the
photographs. Normally I do charge for use on a website, but I will waive my fee
and you do have my permission to use both photographs in your blog.
Please give me photo credit – Linda T. Hubbard. And please send me the
link when you finish your project, as I would like to read it. Please let me
know if I can help you any other way. You have picked two of my favorite
places.
What a great real life learning experience for these two students who obviously understand the moral issue in this copyright confusion and were able to follow the process to successfully work with copyright restrictions. As we use more technology in schools there will be many more similar questions to investigate and new problems to solve.
Back in September our middle
school watched an inspiring Ted Talk by William Kamkwamba, a young man who
developed a windmill to power electricity for his village in Malawi. My 6th
grade students were so enthralled by his story that I decided to make William's
biography The Boy who harnessed the Wind a
read aloud book for class. Each day, my students would eagerly gather in our
meeting corner, with a variety of pillows, ball chairs and floor chairs awaiting
the next chapter of William's story.
Our discussions during these
read aloud times became very powerful as students compared living conditions,
houses, jobs, schools and life in general to that of their own. Their general
conclusion was that we have so much and they have so little. It was difficult
for 6th graders to comprehend that this story took place not a hundred years
ago but as recently as the 1990's. At the same time, students could see some
benefits in this simpler life…playing outside in the fields with handmade,
creative toys and building a multitude of projects with whatever could be found…quite
appealing to many of my 6th graders.
The one problem that became
apparent all too often during this time was the time spent in discussion and
the fact that not everyone was able to share their thoughts, ideas and opinions
every time we met. We then talked about what we could do to improve this
situation...students suggested using name cards, having only a certain number
of comments each class, taking turns from a list etc. but nothing we came up
with really solved the problem.
Recently, I participated in a
conference online using Todaysmeet and thought...why not
use this in class for a silent discussion and see how it works? Todaysmeet is a
platform where a number of people can very easily and quickly sign into a
private chat room and discuss whatever topic is chosen.
I began my class next day by
asking everyone to stay seated at tables for our read aloud and explained that
we were going to experiment with a new social media tool. I quickly explained
what I had used and then had everyone sign into our room called Boy and gave two tasks that everyone had
to complete.
1) Everyone must write at
least one statement, opinion or question during the read aloud session.
2) Everyone must comment on
someone else's statement, opinion or question.
I had the online chat
projected on our screen so that we could all follow what was being said.
For about ten minutes I read
aloud and then stopped. There was silence around me and I didn’t know what to
expect…
I asked who still had to
write something for number 1, expecting a bunch of quieter students to say they
hadn’t yet. To my surprise, all students had written at least one comment. In
fact, everyone had responded at least once and most were on their second or
third comment. Not only had all students commented but they had also responded
to someone else. I continued to read and the discussion stream continued to
grow.
When we were finished, we
took a few minutes to look over our discussion on Todaysmeet and I was
surprised to see many thoughtful and thought provoking statements, opinions and
questions. My next step was to ask the students how this experiment went. Overwhelmingly
the outcome was positive and all students said this was a fun and fair way to
have our discussion. The one negative – it was difficult to listen and comment
at the same time. Students had two comments to make about this…it may get
easier as we do it more and next time we could stop reading and thendcomment.
It was unanimous that we try it again.
Our first attempt at backchanneling
was a definite success and it brings me back to my constant mantra that to use
technology successfully in the classroom teachers must be willing to try and
experiment with new tools. It is not necessary to be an expert and it is so
much fun to learn along side our students.
February 1, 2012 was the first ever national Digital Learning Day. Schools around the country participated with nearly two million students participating in some way.
Poughkeepsie Day School is a technology enhanced place of learning. Because our students use laptops in every class, we know that digital learning takes place consistently. For Digital Learning Day, we decided to celebrate what the teachers were learning. In the week preceding February 1st, we wrote to our colleagues daily, asking them to try to learn one new thing. We didn't care if the new thing was a technique or tool, or if it was particular content learned through digital means. We also thought that both professional and personal learning was appropriate--anything adults learn in one area of their lives cascades to enhance the other.
We set our 6th and 7th graders off on Digital Learning Day to film as many teachers, staff and administrators as possible. When the footage was strung together, we had video of well over ten minutes!
After an extensive editing process, a two minute movie has emerged. For me, this was a learning experience in itself. I am gradually trying to accumulate some iMovie skill. I know I have a lot to learn! The movie is framed by the words of Will Richardson. He has been a strong and articulate proponent of teacher engagement with digital learning in order to create 21st century bold schools that prepare students to take advantage of the myriad of ways they can learn.
Just before winter break I was running through the class agenda with one of my seventh grade classes. We'd spent the fall studying water quality and understanding the scientific explanations for how various forms of pollution affect aquatic ecosystems. Part of the day's plan was to watch a short film about the aftermathof the Deep Horizon oil spill.
Ben, who didn't quite hear me, casually asked, "Did you say we're going to watch a movie, or make a movie?"
I stopped in my tracks.
His matter of fact tone was the arresting part. Either making or watching was fine with him. Even more, his tone implied, either watching or making a movie could be expected on the agenda in science class. In his eight or so years of schooling, Ben and his classmates have come to expect a wide array of ways to acquire knowledge. These students also have come to expect a wide array of ways to demonstrate, integrate and cement their understanding of what they are learning in school.
Our school makes this array readily available to students because the internet, media and media making tools are available to all students, all day long. As I stopped to explain to the class why Ben's comment made me so happy, another student said, "That's why our school is so awesome!"
Ben's matter-of-fact question also told me that he anticipates that in any given class he will be expected be a consumer of knowledge-- as watching a film will facilitate. Clearly, though, he has also come to expect that he will be asked to show what he has constructed of his understanding, or be a creator of knowledge-- as making a movie will facilitate.
As it turns out, just a few weeks ago, Ben and his lab group did make a movie in science class. Students were asked to propose and promote a law that would improve a community's water quality. Having learned that motor oil drips from automobiles and then runs off
into surface water, Ben's group proposed a law to mitigate the
harmful effects of motor oil. Their law required "green," or "G-oil" to be available for purchase, instead of just traditional oil. (G-oil is an actual product.)
In this production, Ben and his classmates showed me that they were able to continue to be consumers of knowledge: they researched current solutions to the problem of motor oil pollution and they also integrated their knowledge about water quality into their pitch. They also showed me they were creators: they selected visual images that go beyond the obvious to support their points, and they empathize with their audience in a way that allowed them to anticipate and address (through their use of rhetorical questions) arguments that might be raised in opposition to the proposed law.
There was a recent chat on twitter #isedchat about what constitutes an innovative teacher, classroom and school. It made me really think about how much my style of teaching has changed in the past few years and how lucky I am to be teaching in a school that allows for innovation and has encouraged me to be innovative. I am in no way an expert in technology but using technology has enabled me to help my students create, collaborate, share globally and teach others around the world. Yes, the technology tools are only that – tools, but they have helped created the innovation in my classroom and that in turn has encouraged much more independent thinking and doing by my students. I have taken a back seat more and more and see myself not as a teacher but as a facilitator who guides, models and encourages students to take charge of their own learning.
We use a variety of social networking tools in class including our class blog, our Twitter account @pds6th, Skype, Edmodo, Class Wikis - Crispin and Our Ancient Greek Studies.
So what have my students accomplished with these tools that is innovative?
How about these three examples…
1. A group of our 6th and 7th graders from Poughkeepsie Day School in New York experienced some exciting real life learning when they participated in theITU Telecom World 2011conference from Geneva, Switzerland titled, Visions of a Networked Future. Students sat enthralled watching and listening to the innovative speakers’ predictions about the future of technology, sometimes agreeing and also disagreeing with the panel’s ideas. They then rapidly fired inspiring questions to the panel of expert futurists through a Twitter feed, which were then answered by various members of the panel. This was an amazing example of how technology can make it possible for students and experts around the world to discuss and share their ideas. Our classroom truly has no walls……
The panelists were…
Gerd Leonhard... CEO,The Futures Agency,Switzerland Juliana Rotich... CEO, Ushahidi Inc., Kenya Rachel Armstrong... Senior TED Fellow, Senior Lecturer, University of Greenwich, United Kingdom Rohit Talwar,... CEO, Fast Future, United Kingdom Simon Torrance... Founder 2.0 Initiative, and Chief Executice Officer, STL Partners, United Kingdom
It was a great class and now Rachel wants to Skype with us and talk more about the future....
Some students views...
2. 6th grade students from PDS enjoy blogging and welcome comments, ideas and suggestions from other students around the world. They recently took part in a student blogging challenge organized by Edublogs and met each challenge with excitement, enthusiasm and a variety of wonderful posts and web2.0 tools. They are now participating in a Quadblogging project with three schools from the UK.
Here is our blog page telling the world all about it....
Quadblogging in 6th Grade
We are excited to take part in the QuadBlogging project for January and February 2012.
Here is a video explaining what we will be doing…
These are the three other schools we will be visiting through blogging. We uses Google earth to find these schools and will also Skype and get to know each other as students and bloggers. The other schools will be browsing and commenting on our blog the first week. The following three weeks we will browse and comment on each of the other schools' blogs. We also hope to do some collaborative writing with these schools.
We really liked how you put lots of pictures and video’s on your blog and now I can finally see
how different our schools really are! Great work.
We love how you made litte avatars for when you comment on something. It’s brilliant!!!
3. 6th and 7th grade students at Poughkeepsie Day
School are involved in the 20/20 NAIS Challenge, which is a team problem solving activity. We are working with schools in Spain, Argentina
and the USA to help solve the real global problem of Education For All by finding solutions that can be implemented at the local area as well as globally. We use Skype and wikis to collaborate, plan and share our
ideas and projects. Here are links to our wikis explaining
what we are doing…
