CEdO540 - Session Two

Arggggg... I think I have the z score table figured out and then it escapes me. So I really had no troubles with the first three study guides but the 4th is my challenge right now. I have answers to all of the questions - sometimes two - and therein lies the problem. I'll be emailing Jim or asking tons of questions later tonight!
On to brighter topics. The research and background information on surveys and their creation always leads me to consider ways to incorporate these into my classroom. I currently use Infinite Campus when I want to survey my students on a topic as it automatically posts the next time they log in and keeps appearing until they've completed the survey. I usually survey students at the beginning of the year (looking at why they chose the course, what they expect to learn etc.) and then at the end to evaluation both their and my semester together. Occasionally, when I write new curriculum units, labs, or lessons I'll also post a short survey to gather feedback on how it went from the student perspective.

CEdO540 - Session One

This week was a statistical review and preparation for more data analysis. I really enjoyed looking at the WINSS data through the Wisconsin Department of Instruction web site. I found the site extremely easy to navigate and it was really easy to manipulate the variables to look at many different aspects of education. The site is enhanced with the ability to simply look at general state trends or to focus on specifics. I choose to see if the ACT scores on the science portion showed any gender differences. Many sources cite females lagging behind their male counterparts in science and I wanted to see what the data for my school would bear out. (Results can be found here.)

I have to admit that when thinking about the assignments I kept putting them off due to what I perceived would be tedious, like I remember my last statistics course. What I had forgotten was that I really like mathematical analysis and working with data - so when I finally sat down to start these assignments and guided practice I found myself enjoying playing around in Google Spreadsheet to create a chart (which I had never done before). The YouTube video "What is Statistics" was a bit outdated but the material was still applicable. Simply working through the video identifying problems, describing data collections and conclusions felt very comfortable as I teach science so I felt very much in my element. I may even "steal" the assignment to use with my students when I discuss types of data collections and the scientific method in general as students sometimes have a hard time grasping the real-world relevancy of the textbook presentation.

Facilitating Collaboration - Session Five

Well, to be honest, I haven't been giving class my full attention these past few weeks (hence the tardiness of this post). No excuses though! I loved creating the Ning for my science department (thanks Terry for the idea...) In general, I'm all about being organized - my students swear I have OCD and having things up and running before using them on the job is my usual procedure. But, with the creation of the wiki for my students in forensic science and other (new) topics I'm covering in my classroom, it really feels liberating to say to my students that we'll be tackling some of the material together and that it's new for me too. That's not to say that I can jump into a classroom unprepared, but I no longer feel guilty (not sure if that's the best word) when something doesn't go as I planned or something unforseen pops up. I have been confronted by the students that are out there to push buttons and will ask questions until they trip up the teacher to "prove" how little we know, but I've always been able to handle them with some finesse. It's just that when I've planned a lesson, activity or lab and I haven't anticipated all of the angles, my usual internal response is frustration that I didn't have it perfect. With really focusing on collaboration these past weeks, I've learned to let a little bit of that go and have been able to bring in some activities without hours of preparation and pre-planning attempting to find all of the stumbling blocks ahead of time.
So this week, I've been just working through the immediate task at hand and I've set up my sci dept wiki, invited the other teachers to it, but have yet to see any collaboration. I've run into the same issue with setting up a blog for my staff development team here at school. I started small with both endeavors - for staff development I only invited 3 members and my sci department consists of just 4 others. Everyone is so busy that they really don't want to take the time to learn something new, even if it will benefit them immensely in the near future. (Although I just realized that we have a sci dept meeting today and I may have a captive audience...)

Facilitating Collaboration - Session Four

For the class this week, we're to start a wiki or Ning and I have half a mind to use one that I just created for my Forensic Science final exam. My class has no textbooks and so I often copy off various print sources for my students and provide additional online resources through the class Moodle. When starting this class, I decided to play around with the idea of having the students create the class text in a wiki (Ning is blocked at our school) as their final exam. I set up the wiki and created pages that would be like the chapters in a book. Next, I added members (I created user names and passwords for the students that contained no identifying information in case the wiki is ever made public) and checked to be sure that all students had access. Finally, I assigned students to groups and pages that they would be editing together. During our final exam periods the students created content following a rubric we had put together the previous day. I gave them three days to edit and in the process, students created a few new pages and re-organized the groups while working in etherpad to be sure that each student was contributing. Creating this wiki (I've opened it up to a protected status so that you can see what we're up to) was our trial and error session that I will use to plan out and create a new wiki for facilitating collaboration. I'm hoping to include the podcast I'm working on. I've scripted out an explanation of one of the anatomy labs we do to study the effects of muscle fatigue.

Facilitating Collaboration - Session Three

So this week we worked on RSS feeds, setting up a photo sharing site and thinking about Nings in education. How can they be applied to my school or job? Well, first of all I have to recruit some individuals willing to go out on a limb so to speak and get out of their comfort zones. For example? I started a blog for my teacher development group - we're looking to implement a portfolio component to the high school curriculum - and I invited the three other members of my team (start small, right?) and there has been no action (as you can see here). I'll I've heard back that it was too confusing and hard. It was too much to take in just to keep information accessible. UHHHGGGG!(I feel like Charlie Brown when Lucy pulls the ball away at the last second...)
Soooooo, I must first find a few individuals willing to be daring - OK, open-minded at least - that will succumb to my exploits of engaging their brains. The RSS feeds are easy - I already envision my students blogging (when the sites are unblogged - I mean unblocked)and subscribing to their feeds so that I don't have to search out their individual blogs to find updates (I was wondering how Louie has managed that all of this time.) I also see using feeds when I find cool blogs that I want to follow, like the science ones I found last week. I've also played with the RSS reader account provided by Google and have created a shared page with interesting blogs I follow.
Photo sharing is also an easy incorporation for me. I've been taking photos during my classes and labs - not of the students, but of the labs and activities themselves. I plan to post these as slide shows and use them in video clips (like those we made in Animoto). I want to post them in various places - my school web pages, our Moodle, the Wiki etc. This would make them viewable by those in the class and on the outside - I hope to help parents answer the question "So what did you do in school today?" Now, understand that there wouldn't be updates by day, but an overview of topics and activities.
Finally, I would love to use Ning in our school, but the site is blocked as social networking and I'm having a bit of a time getting our tech crew to adjust and tweak the filters so that the district is maintaining their policies while opening up restrictions in some areas. So I started a wiki in wikispaces (I'd link you to the home page, but it's private right now to "protect" the students) instead.

Facilitating Collaboration - Session Two

When researching about the uses and abuses of blogs I really found the link to Electronic Frontier Foundation interesting. When I first started reading, I was thinking about using this in classes to give students an understanding of the material that may be considered appropriate to blog about. Then as I read further, I found the material supportive of the first amendment rights but it seemed to condone making editorial comments about students, teachers and schools and although it did offer warning, it seemed more like a guide to how much could be written and still be protected. It seemed a little too much like a “how to” manual for students who want to know how much can be said and done while still being protected. So while I think the content is good information for teachers and administrators, I wouldn’t use it in the classroom (as a link for additional reading) just to introduce blogging to students.

I feel an even better way to approach my school district administrators to ease control over blogs and social networking (even Google Docs falls under social networking in our district) would be to introduce the 2007 tech.blorge blog post on school – boards’ reluctance to open up such access by David Cassel. (I would like to see some new numbers posted concerning these restrictions – I’ll bet they haven’t changed very much). I also found Cassel’s comments on the double standard interesting – stating that over 35% of districts report that 90% of their staff members are already participating in social networking outside of their school day.

Finally, I think that I need to subscribe my principle and district administer to the RSS feeds of David Warlick. His simple posts (May 2006 and December 2005) are direct and to the point concerning schools turning away from the technology due to the fear. His 2005 post is a perfect example – I wonder how far we’ve actually come as an educational community. I would tend to believe that there are many educators attempting to introduce more of these technologies into the classroom every week.

Facilitating Collaboration Session One

Wow, I've been reading about the wonderful world of blogs and to be honest I thought very little of them previously. I guess it took Richardson to spell it out for me - blogs are amazingly complex and intricate and the levels of blogging he mentioned really hit home. Now I think I've been doing a good job of "true" blogging, but I didn't really know the pedagogy behind why I was being asked to maintain a blog for this program, other than documentation (which I appreciate in and of itself.)
In the book by Richardson, I've found that the balance between teacher and student is again shifting as the students have much more expertise in many of the areas of collaboration with social tools and the teachers and districts are a step (or more) behind. I like to think that I'm looking to the future and working towards implementing the 21st century skill set in my classroom and that I do a pretty fair job of it already. I also like to think that I'm ahead of the administration at the school (which is a bit tough as the principal is also the technology director) but I never imagined that even though I may be ahead of the curve in some instances, when it comes to a majority of my students I'm still light years behind. I struggle most with getting all of the students on an equal playing field as well, considering the differences in access level to the internet, interest level etc. I mean, most of my students were pushed to the limits by my Pecha Kucha (Pet-cha what? they said through their snickering) and I think their ears were bleeding because I talked so fast in many of the slides...I showed them my Animoto video on blood spatter analysis and most of them had never seen that application. So my struggle is finding the time to pull it all together - the resources, the content (I am a science teacher after all) the examples, the tools, the applications, the access etc. so that THEY can be creating and sharing. My personality type has me wanting to do so much of it right away but I can't wrap my head around one idea before our class has launched me in a new direction. I know that I just have to step back and take it one day at a time and start small (didn't Richardson say that too?)

Digital Storytelling CEdO530 - Session Five

Well, I can tell you that I'm a little frightened to start the Pecha Kucha - I think that I'll have a difficult time finding just the right photographs to use in the presentation, making the building process lengthy. On the other hand, I do like the fact that the "thinking" part of the work is already done in my storyboard so I don't feel the pressure to be creative - I have a plan, now all I have to do is execute it. The other assignment was to create a rubric for a multimedia presentation. I already have in mind a plan and so with the background we have already had in rubrics from other classes and the resources in session five, I don't think that will take to much time.
The resources on buying guides have been minimally helpful. I am in the process of looking for a digital SLR camera right now and have found many resources and reviews online. Then I went to the two links from session five on how to buy digital cameras and found that my research and planning to play with some cameras in a store was right along the guidelines. In fact the guides really served only to reiterate what I already knew - but it was nice to know that I hadn't missed any major "steps".
I've taken a brief look at the two resources that my group is responsible for investigating (SlideSix and authorStream) and both programs seem fairly straightforward and easy to use and implement. At first glance both seem to have many similarities to VoiceThread without the commenting options from outside sources which may be an advantage to the question posed in class on Tuesday. I think Kara had asked what to do about the "openness" of these sites and how to go about controlling the commenting by third parties especially when using these tools with younger students. If I find any major advantages with SlideSix or authorStream, I'll be sure to address that in the evaluation.

Digital Storytelling CEdO530 - Session Four

After the long break between the session 3 and 4 I'm finding it hard to get back into the swing of things. (Not to mention last week it was my birthday, Friday was our anniversary and we were hosting 17 classmates/cousins for my daughter's pirate themed party yesterday - arrgh!) So this morning I finally got my computer out and spent some time looking over Prezi and the associated videos. I'm intrigued and feeling a bit challenged out of my comfort zone this week. The last assignment of revising an existing presentation within powerpoint and uploading into VoiceThread was less intimidating (although still time consuming)than learning a new presentation style & tool like Prezi. That feeling is compounded a little by also attempting to storyboard the Pencha Kucha. It feels like a lot but I am looking forward to the challenge and working on presentations that are so different from the norm. I feel like the Presentation Zen reworks what I already know and Prezi and Pencha Kucha are the new tools to attempt when presentations where the typical powerpoint (even one that's more zen-like) isn't the best choice.

Digital Storytelling - CEdO530 - Session Three

So, session three. First, I have to say that I really appreciated the break from grad classes as the new school year is starting up - it has eased the "to do" list quite a bit this week. I continue to enjoy searching out and listening / watching different digital stories as we work through this class. Many give me ideas for possible stories that I could do either on a personal level or for my students. I'm even tempted to let the students loose and create their own, but I need to check with other departments to be sure that I'm not stepping on any toes. At a minimum I could share with the other teachers all of the great resources and sites that we've been discovering in class.
I'm really still very happy with VoiceThread and I've been planning (yes, planning analog)some of the presentations that I want to create for particular lessons in two of my classes. I would have to say that the most frustrating thing for me right now is that I can think of a million applications for biology and that's the one class I'm not teaching this year! I'm also excited to start playing around with Animoto, but I haven't been approved yet (or my approval is sitting in the school's spam folder that I can't access).
I've had a wonderful time with the photos - it's forced me to pick up my camera and now instead of thinking I have to take pictures, my attitude has changed to what pictures will I find today and even though we've completed the required 28 photos, I find myself carrying my camera with me almost all the time now. I've even started a checklist of "images" I want to capture for some of my new presentations. I kind of wish this class had been a little earlier this summer as I'm finding tons of ways to incorporate what we've been learning about but I feel a time crunch as I have to use some of the presentations that aren't quite ready yet. Oh well - I guess my little OCD will have to be put on the back burner as it really isn't practical to try and have ALL of my presentations completed now.

Sorry for the delay in posting as I was unable to access the internet from home last night!

Digital Storytelling - CEdO530 Session Two

I'm a thinker. I tend to usually spend lots of time taking in all of the new information, rolling it around and then wondering and semi-planning how to incorporate those new ideas into my classroom. Oftentimes I come up with vague ideas that "I'll work on later and refine it."
I wasn't two minutes into VoiceThread and I came up with several concrete ways to incorporate that particular technology into my personal life as well as in the educational field. I've learned tons throughout this program so far, but I have to say that this tool has been one of the most exciting as far as potential for me. A few ways that I've already figured to utilize it include visual tours of our cottages, lectures available online for students on medical leave or absent (or even the parents) as I can link to the presentations in the school Moodle, & classroom lessons on fingerprint analysis and investigation. I believe that VoiceThread has really increased the ways in which presentations can be made accessible to the creator, collaborators and the audience. The beauty is how simple they've made it - I worked on it for about 20 minutes once I got my educator "upgrade" and confirmation and I already had a presentation uploaded and commented on. VERY COOL!
I also would like to comment on Ken Robinson's "How Schools Kill Creativity" - I know that we watched it in another one of the classes but I did watch again because I wanted to share it with my mom. I have to tell you, the second time around gave me even more to think of in relation to how I want to set up my presentation in the classroom as well as how I can inspire my students to at least attempt more creativity without fearing it so much.

Digital Storytelling Intro - CEdO530 Wk 1

Looking at the introductory information from this first week of digital storytelling, I’m anticipating a class that is both presenting brand new information as well as refining techniques I’ve previously learned. The work will really come when I start revamping presentations in my classroom based on the concepts in Presentation Zen as most of my current examples are glorified overheads. I can however think of a few of my lessons and lectures that really do follow the simplicity concept and involve more storytelling than actual lecture notes when explaining to my students. For example, when it comes time to talk about jellyfish, I use a few pictures of my snorkeling dives in the Bahamas and tell the students about their former classmates getting stinging jellies in their bathing suits. I use these stories to introduce the structure of the “stingers” that jellyfish and related critters use. Now I’ll just need to figure out the storytelling “angle” for more of my lessons and really put them together.
A think that refining what I’ve already learned and attempted will come with the digital storytelling. I’ve had lots of experience with telling family histories and stories in digital form in recent years. A few summers ago, my two aunts, my mother and I were asked to create a presentation telling the family history in the Fish Creek area. We wrote a script, scanned photos into powerpoint, found music, I dressed in my grandfather’s fishing slickers, etc. and we presented. The only problem was that the story never held unless the four of us were there together to tell it and the powerpoint became a useless collage of both historical and recent photos without a purpose. My mom and I were convinced that it would have to become a movie and the following summer we spent countless hours putting it together as a digital one – I say movie and not digital story because it had many, many stories incorporated as it followed the history back seven generations. What resulted however was a different kind of family heirloom that has preserved many of the stories told to my mother’s and my generation by our past relatives. It is also a way to share the history with my children and other future generations.
I'd like to use this class to take what I already know about digital storytelling and apply it to practical use in the classroom making my lessons and "lectures" much more engaging and memorable. Hopefully this will spark the interest of my students more than I've been able to previously.

Remember the Yellow Brick Road? (CEd0525 Week 5)

One of the first posts I made had references to my feeling like Dorothy landing in Oz and the fact that I didn't really have a handle on the journey ahead, all I knew was that I was on the yellow brick road. Well, I'm still on the road and I have a much clearer picture of where I'm going. That's not to say that I'm near the end, rather I have broken the journey into more manageable steps and sequences. This past week, I've evaluated an online lesson that reinforced my determination to incorporate more cross-curricular activities in my classroom. In addition, the opportunity to revise a current unit of mine has really been enlightening. The forensic science class that I teach was a 9 week class and starting this fall will be changed to an 18 week course. This means that many of the activities I have done in the past need to be revised and the learning deepened. Focusing on the instructional strategies and the technologies that support them through class is so timely because I need to complete the same process for the unit revision for much of the forensic science activities, lessons and units. Completing the assignment has forced me to start the process and hopefully I will get better and better at it as I progress.

It's a Wild Ride (CEd0525 - Wk 4)

Wow, I was totally amazed by the unit plan for the roller coaster project. I mean, I thought I was a pretty organized teacher as far as projects in my classroom, but I got so many pointers from the unit plan. I really liked the red book project "manual" as it included all of the necessary information and assessment pieces as well as resources for the students. It really reminded me that even though I teach high school students, I can't expect them to know and fulfill roles in the group unless I specify and give examples for them to follow - the roller coaster project really does a great job of that. The fact that all of the pieces are in one place makes it so much easier for the students to know what to expect and it really allows them to be successful as well.
The other thought I had when I looked at this project was how lucky I was in my middle school. I attended Jackie Robinson Middle School in Milwaukee (part of MPS)and I remember so many instances of this type of integration between disciplines as well as collaborative projects. I feel that I really had an excellent foundation when I "compare notes" with others recalling their middle school or junior high experiences. I find that the single biggest challenge to integration between disciplines currently, is that lack of planning time. I'd love to get a few other teachers on board to plan and implement some projects but we never seem to have the time or opportunity to move forward. Right now, they remain great ideas that haven't been realized and I'm hoping that using some of the tools and techniques I've learned in our classes can be utilized towards that end. In effect, I think I need to create my own red book of ideas and ways to implement them, as well as assessment on whether or not I've (we've) made progress.

Bubbl.us, Inspiration & Education Oasis (CEd0525 - Wk 3)

I really enjoyed Bubbl.us! It is so easy and intuitive when you start using it and you actually start using it before you even need to register. Registration is VERY simple and there’s no opening an email link to activate the account and once registered, you are able to collaborate and share in addition to saving the sheets and graphics you are working on. The collaboration element may be one of the stronger points for Bubbl.us as it reminds me very much of GoogleDocs and the ease with which students can work together. One of the major limitations seemed to be the inability to add transition/connector words between bubbles. In addition, the sheet seems to readjust in a strange way; when I’m attempting to spread out the graphic and move one bubble, the remaining bubbles snap to a predetermined grid, making the move of the first bubble pointless. Overall, this tool reminds me of a watered down version of Inspiration which doesn’t offer collaboration, but includes images and connectors.

Inspiration seems to offer much more to the user in terms of flexibility and whereas this may be desirable, it can often lead students to focus more on the presentation of the information, rather than the information and content itself. This potential drawback would have to be balanced with the advantages of clip art, graphics, and connectors that are available in this program. Another drawback is that Inspiration is a software package and Bubbl.us is completely free to access and use.

Finally, the Education Oasis site offers free “canned” graphic organizers for a variety of applications. This is the least flexible of the options explored here but it represents the many areas that graphic organizers can be utilized. An educator can also use this data bank of organizers as a jumping off point to show students what organizers can look like or to show how one can take the idea behind a particular organizer and modify it for another purpose. There is no registration to use the organizers on the site and they are all linked as PDF files that include copyright restrictions.

Feedback that Fits (CEd0525 - Wk 2 cont'd)

The article “Feedback that Fits” is a reminder of excellent educational practices that sometimes remain undeveloped or underdeveloped in many teachers (myself included). I don’t mean to make excuses, but with the stacks of paperwork and administrative duties in the classroom, sometimes it’s hard to find the time to keep up with and strengthen the skills necessary to make one of the biggest differences in student learning.
As to the content of the article, I feel that the point made about how (or if) students hear the feedback is such an important one. At times I feel that it doesn’t matter what I say to a particular student because s/he has a preconceived notion as to how smart s/he is, whether or not the topic is interesting enough to warrant time and attention and that individual has already made up their mind that I’m not really that important to their education. So I think that not only do we have to consider how the student hears the feedback but also who delivers it.
In the example with Anna, many potential comments and suggestions for feedback are given but the article fails to mention that in some cases a particular comment may be received better if it comes from a different teacher. I believe that rapport with students can be a large influence on how they “hear” things. If a student has made up their mind that a teacher doesn’t care or is indifferent, that will affect how s/he hears any comment made, whether positive, negative, effective or not. However, if a student has a good rapport with the teacher, then the feedback is received or “heard” with more understanding.

Electronic Student Response Tools (CEd0525 - Wk 2)

There are many choices when one looks at the possibilities for student response tools that can be integrated in the classroom - everything from simple surveys to software to online classroom platforms. I investigated survey tools like Survey Monkey, Zoomerang and Poll Everywhere, software programs by Inspire Data and Ignite Learning, quiz programs like Quia and Quizstar and online classroom platforms like Blackboard and Moodle. In general all of these have the potential to increase student interaction in the classroom using non-verbal methods. The success with their implementation will partly depend on how seamlessly the technology is integrated into the curriculum. In addition an educator must consider what technologies are available within his/her district, whether or not they are accessible by all students, and if the school district will allow access to particular sites. (For example, within my district, all access to Google Docs is blocked by the filter because it is categorized as an email application.)
Click here to view a chart that summarizes some of the major characteristics of each type of student response tool.

Combining Technology with Instructional Strategies (CEd0525 – Wk 1)

Principles of Teaching and Learning
The article concerning learning and teaching principles is a great review and combination of key concepts in education. I don’t think that the information is new or revolutionary to an educator however, the simplicity of it’s presentation and guideline format make it an excellent review of very important ideas. I also liked that the principles were gathered in one place and included brief explanations with the references listed. This format triggered a few “aha” moments as I thought about this past year of teaching in my classroom. Some of the moments were successes and others were reminders of things I may have forgotten to address at one time or another. Finally, this article and the introductory quote by Simon reflects the need for teachers and all involved in education to remember that the role of the educator is shifting from deliverer of knowledge to the facilitator in the classroom. This change represents a difficult shift in the paradigm for many educators.

A Meta Analysis of the Effectiveness of Teaching and Learning With Technology on Student Outcomes
The meta-analysis article again didn’t necessarily shake any foundations for me – one would expect that delivery of content and mastery of skills would be enhanced with the application of appropriate technology. It did however point out that the studies referenced lack many pieces of information that would lead to a better ability to determine what technology increases the effectiveness. Additionally the researchers were disappointed that much of the technology used in the studies was over 10 years old. In an age where we are advancing exponentially, one can only assume at this point that the effect of technology is also increasing. Although there are many limitations in the meta-analysis, it provides for 2 major elements. The first is that it now can serve as a baseline for future research studies in the use of technology and the second is that the authors gave many guidelines as to how to set up and conduct research projects (i.e. the kinds of information to consider and record) so that they may provide excellent points of reference for a future meta-analysis.

Internet Safety & Copyright Issues (CEd0520) Wk 4

So here I sit, finally done with school. I've moved to my semi-permanent summer residence in Door County and as I type, I look out onto the bay and forget all about the hassles of the last week with school. The reprieve also allows me to finish up my work for this class while my mom takes my kids to the beach!
The privacy and internet security issue has never been one that has really concerned me greatly. I think that the internet is one more way that security can be breached - not the only way or the worst way, just another way. The internet safety for children information, while not new, opened my eyes to what I have to face as a parent. That issue will be very different to deal with when I'm the parent compared to when I'm the teacher as my responsibilities will vary greatly.
I think my favorite part of this week was looking at Creative Commons. I'm excited to search for media that I can use and remix into my own creations (per licensing) without the fear of someone calling me up one day telling me that I'm guilty of copyright infringement. While starting to set up my classes on Moodle, I've already had to modify some of my presentations as they contain materials that may cause issues if published for public viewing (as this is necessary to link for the Moodle). I think in addition to continuing with the cohort, I will be spending a majority of my summer going through my presentations, pulling out those questionable resources, finding items in the commons and then using and citing those within my work...and of course, I'll be getting some CC licenses for the collaboration and sharing of what I've created as well.
Ahhh, well I think it's time for a little R&R at the waterfront and maybe a little afternoon siesta. 'Til next time.

Investigating Internet Tools to Promote Learning (Ced0520) - Wk 3

Wow, you know, I had heard of GoogleEarth before but has never taken the time to delve in and see what it's all about. I love that this class affords (and forces upon) us the opportunity to spend time with the assortment of tools out there. I bet that I wouldn't have checked out (or even known about) half of the sites on our list this week, had someone not physically gone online and put my nose in front of the computer. It's also nice to know that there are competing programs and tools out there. For example, I've been using SlideShare to upload my powerpoint presentations so I can link to them in Moodle. The only problem is that if I want to make a change to a slide, I must open the original, make the change, delete the old version from SlideShare and upload the newer version. I find this week with 280 Slides that I can create and publish my presentations within the program which means that I can change them without all of the hassle! (Now to switch everything over...in my spare time!)

In exploring new tools, I've also found myself sharing more and more about what I'm learning with my colleagues. Just today in a curriculum conference among 4 science teachers at my school, I was explaining how GoogleDocs works to another teacher and how all of our shared curriculum planning (we're working on our greenhouse curriculum at the moment) should be shared within an online program instead of one of us acting as secretary and sending email copies to the others to have to save to each personal drive. (Maybe this is because I always get stuck as the secretary!) Without having the opportunity to cruise the tools and read other cohorts' reactions I would probably not feel as comfortable encouraging their use with my school colleagues.

Evaluations of Web Resources (CED0520) - Wk 2

Wow, what a full week. I've been trying to keep up with all of the end of year issues at school as well as with class and I found myself procrastinating until the last day. Oops! Unfortunately I just set up my Google Alerts today and so I will not have much to say about how they've been working for at least a few days, so check back for more on that later.
As far as the rest of the material this week, I honestly felt that we were stepping back and covering some of the same material we touched on earlier in the program when I looked at the assignments. After actually completing them, I can say that although some of the material overlaps a bit, it really isn't redundant. With each activity I learned something new or created something that I can use tomorrow in my classroom or found new lessons that correlate with items I already teach.
The piece on search engines gave me a better understanding of how the crawlers and spiders work, the differences between engines, databases, directories etc., and methods other than Boolean logic to narrow and refine my searches (ie field searches). When investigating the Wikipedia debate, I resolved my own position on the subject as I was reading the perspective of other professionals in the field of education. In addition, I was also reminded that teachers don't only have to teach students, but we have to teach one another - I think the line I liked best from the blog was something to the effect of "allowing teachers to make lemonade from the lemons". Oftentimes, teachers are the hardest to teach something new to as the paradigm shifts from teachers as the givers (and keepers) of knowledge to the facilitators to help students to develop knowledge. The evaluation of web resources and using Noodle Tools both afforded me the opportunity to create and find new lessons and activities that can be supplemented into my classroom in the next few weeks and the next school year.

Internet Resources (CED0520 - Wk 1)

OK, so I know this blog should be about what we’re covering in class, but I have to talk about Moodle. It’s an internet tool on its own anyways. Many of my classmates were telling me how much I’d like using it in my classroom and now that I’ve finally gotten “trained” within our district I’m already in love with how flexible an application it is.
I mentioned something to the same effect in my response to internet resources in the wiki, but I think the point is a very important one. I have always struggled with how to organize and keep track of the great internet resources - favorites and bookmarking are some of the current tools to hold onto those great sites, but there is still the lack of a method of incorporating them right into the curriculum. Enter Moodle…
I think that one of the advantages of Moodle is that even though it is usually intentioned as an online course management tool, it has many other functions. One teacher is using it as her study guide as students read a novel - each chapter is broken into topics with related activities, another teaches week to week like we have been doing in MEIT, a third uses it to keep the student FACT group informed. And as far as I’m concerned, I’ve finally found a place to actually incorporate some of those great resources that are available online, instead of bookmarking them and then never remembering to go back to them later. In my classroom, I like to offer a lot of choice assignments where students have the ability to pick a topic or project from a number options and the internet is a potentially limitless source of those options. Now, I can put links to all of those options in a text piece within Moodle and let the students choose and work right on-line. Up to this point, I’ve taken those resources, cut-and-pasted them into word documents with all of the options and then printed them off, then hauled the class into the computer lab to research/work and lo and behold a student would find the site that I pulled the assignment/idea from in the first place…etc. etc. etc. What a waste of my time and energy when there is a method to pull it all together. Now I know that wikis are an option for this online organization as well, but with internet filters and limitations as to where the students can go, having a “district approved” alternative is really helpful. As far as class this week is concerned, I’m looking forward to finding and learning about new resources because I’m encouraged to think that not only will I have them, but I’ll know how to implement some of them in a very immediate and concrete way for my students.

Computers & How They Work - A Review

How does this course, and its content connect to you? Is it useful information that will help you in the future? If so how? If not how might it be improved?

I found this class to be very connected to my professional and personal life. As an individual in a technological society I use computers all of the time. Knowing how they work and the components that are used as well as the history of their becoming what they are today gives greater understanding and meaning to that use. The knowledge also has given me greater resolve to not be afraid of what I don’t know about computers, but to experiment with them like I did when we opened up the box and when we tested different operating systems by creating live CDs. I would never have guessed that I would have come away with greater ability to care about the “how and why” computers work instead of just the “if and when”. When programs or applications don’t work or don’t work well, I think I’ll be able to troubleshoot many things on my own before having to seek assistance and when I do, I can give an accurate and (hopefully) helpful explanation of the issue or problem.

As far as the usefulness of the information…while I don’t plan on ever becoming an IT in the future, knowing how to talk like one and understand the lingo is very important. In addition, seeing where computing may be headed down the road (cloud computing, netbooks, etc) is not only exciting but has given me an edge in the classroom. I was very interested in working towards writing a grant that would put a laptop in each student’s possession while in my classroom. Originally I was thinking traditional laptops but just as we were discussing netbooks in class, our Technology Director was asking me if I knew about these little laptops that were a fraction of the cost of traditional laptops - go figure. (I of course told him that I knew of them and their abilities and that if he would simply outfit my classroom with them, I would volunteer to be the model classroom for their use! - I haven’t heard back from him yet…) I also think that the class has been useful to me as I look to the future of education in our district. Our principal is moving on to a superintendent position in Medford next year and our district isn’t hiring a person to replace him - we’re restructuring our current staff. This tells me that the more hats a person can wear in the building, the better chance of either moving up (if that’s the intention) or more importantly sticking around! I think it increases my value to the district.

The only area in class that I would seek improvement would be the commenting on others work. When submitting assignments, I was so focused on finishing that I really didn’t spend the time looking at other student work - I found myself giving many of them a quick look over and then making my comments. I think that if you give one or two days after the assignment is due for the comments, there may be a better chance of getting some discussion going through the comments. (For example, if the assignment/blog is due on the Tuesday, give until Wednesday or Thursday to post comments.) We actually did extend this time for the last week’s materials and although I had already commented, I really liked the idea of having more of a chance to respond.

Disaster Recovery - Organization

ORGANIZATIONAL PROTECTION REFLECTION
This one is a bit tougher than what I want to tackle, but I think that it requires attention. The organization that I want to protect from “Data Disaster” is my family’s resort business in Door County. Below is my powerpoint that describes the business and the planned virus protection I would like to see implemented, but virus protection is only part of what needs to be considered.

Viruses And Their Cures

View more presentations from annperry09.

Because this business runs financial documentation between 3 computers and other forms of data like confirmation letters, emails and web pages between about 5 computers, data back up and recovery should be a priority. Most of the work is conducted on the two computers on site – a laptop and a PC – so much of the back up would need to be focused on those two. The documents and emails that are generated on and between the other computers is minor compared to the amount of irreplaceable data on the two on site computers, so I’ll focus mostly on those.

One area that requires attention is financial data. All of the business accounts are run through a software program that is formally backed up once a year in the form of an accountant’s review copy after taxes are submitted. If the computer crashes, the data would be recoverable as it is duplicated in the checkbook register, but the time required to bring the data back to the computer would be immense as every transaction is entered individually.

As far as correspondence between my mom, my uncle and myself, I believe that if we started using an online collaborative tool like GoogleMail & GoogleDocs, we wouldn’t have to worry about the back up of this form of data as it is online storage in nature to begin with. This would also help alleviate the duplicate forms of letters and documents as we edit and change them for each successive year. Additionally, it would allow any one of us to access these documents from any computer with internet access without having the document on the hard drive. (We currently have some software issues where one person will create an invoice for example, but the other computers don’t have the same software and therefore are unable to open the document.)

ORGANIZATIONAL PROTECTION – THE PLAN…
1. Download and install virus protection that runs the same on all computers that use or work with business information and data. (See BitDefender in Viruses and Their Cures)
2. Set up Google accounts for all members/workers in the business (mom, uncle, aunt and myself) and begin using this exclusively when emailing each other and writing documents together.
3. Purchase an external hard drive that will be used to back up the two on site computers on a regular basis.
4. Find online storage for all of the business documents like letters of confirmation, address files for all of our customers and internal documents like cleaning schedules. This would be in addition to storing backups on the hard-drive. This would ensure that if anything happened on site (fire, theft etc.) the data would still be recoverable.

The system administrator

a. would need to find online storage that is stable and encrypted and begin backup of all data for both the on and off site computers
b. would have to organize and oversee the actual back up of related data to disks or USB drives monthly from the other computers so that they could be transferred to the desktop PC on site
c. keep the external drive and any disks with information in a secure location (??? is there really such a place ???)
d. maintain payments for online storage and virus protection
e. provide technical support or access to tech support for other users in the business
f. program/schedule automatic backups of critical data on a daily basis during the busy season (could be weekly in the off season)
g. organize all past files into an archive, create DVD backups and store off site so that the daily backing up is focused on current season data

The users

a. would have the responsibility to break from tradition and learn to use GoogleDocs (easy for me to say but very tough to actually get everyone to do)
b. maintain their own backups of data relating to the business in the forms of DVDs or USB drives on a daily basis in the busy season and weekly in the off season
c. provide these forms of backed up data to the system administrator

Author's note: If cost REALLY weren't an issue, I'd hire it all done!

Disaster Recovery - Personal Computer(s)

PERSONAL COMPUTER PROTECTION REFLECTION
For one’s personal computer, an individual can follow a number of different trains of thought concerning data recovery and backup protection. This protection can come in the form of recording data to CDs/DVDs, using thumb drives or backing up to an external hard drive but the drawback to these methods is that they can be lost or corrupted just as easily as the computer itself. One also has to consider the potential cost of using one of these methods as it will vary with the amount of memory necessary to effectively and efficiently back up the data.

A second train of thought involves on-line data storage with many options available at a variety of costs. There are options for data, pictures, music and video available through services like DropBox, Box.net & SnapFish, and while there are plenty of free options, many charge annual fees for their storage services. Other than associated costs, another potential drawback of online storage is the integrity of the service. It is necessary for a person to feel that the online service is trustworthy and stable enough to remain operational for the long term. On the flip side, these services are offsite and keep your data protected no matter what happens to your computer or the site your computer remains at (no worries about fire damage, water damage etc. that could kill a computer and any external drives or devices that data is stored on).

I have already started on my way to protecting the data on my computer. I began using DropBox initially as a method of avoiding emailing documents back and forth to myself from my personal computer to my school computer. I really like the convenience of having my files accessible no matter what computer I’m on (although downloading DropBox on any computer that I create documents on can be a drag). I currently am having issues with QuickTime on my computer so I have no access to my music because I’m unable to open iTunes. After doing my best to clear up the issue and consulting with a computer technician, I was told that I’d have to save all of the data I have on the computer, wipe the hard drive clean and start over with re-installing all of my programs. I’ve known about this problem since January and I still haven’t taken any steps towards this because it seems so time consuming – I wish that more of my data was already backed up in some form so that I could just start fresh.

My real issue is the back up and protection of my picture files. I can’t even begin to count the number of pictures on my computer. I did back them up once a few years ago but I haven’t done it since then. Honestly, I think I’d lose almost every picture of my 4 year old daughter and all pictures beyond when my 6 year old turned two.

PERSONAL COMPUTER PROTECTION - THE PLAN…
1. I plan to purchase an external hard drive with enough memory to back up my personal computer. I would want one that could also back up a desktop that we just inherited at the same time. (My husband just picked up one with 320GB of memory for $125 for his computer at work and our home PC.)
2. I’ll continue to use DropBox for online storage of my schoolwork files so the external drive would be primarily for music and pictures.
3. I think that I would also save the pictures to DVD’s and stash copies of them at home, work and with relatives. This would be a really inexpensive method to ensure that even if my computer/external hard drive crashed I would still have copies floating around.
4. As far as virus protection, I currently run Kaspersky 2009 and am very happy with how it works.
As the system administrator and only user of my computer, I would just have to make sure that I consistently backed up my data to the external drive and that I used my DropBox. In addition, I would need to continue to run virus updates and regular scans to keep my computer protection current.

Computer Failures - 3

Honestly as I think about it, I would survive a computer crash except for one thing – my pictures. I have all of our digital pictures on my computer, so if it failed and I lost all of my personal pictures, I would be heartbroken. Many of the pictures of my two kids might be replaced from other sources as I’ve copied disks to give to family members, but the most recent pictures would be lost. This would bother me the most.

If my computer failed, I would miss all of the documents but they can be replaced or rewritten for the most part – not fun, but definitely survivable. As far as work is concerned, I’ve started using Dropbox when I create work on my laptop that is to be used at school. That way I don’t have to worry about saving to a jump drive and transferring documents. Even my favorites have been modified to utilize Diigo so I can get to them anywhere I have internet access. I just perused my personal documents and found many outdated and unnecessary files that need to be cleared out but there are a few items that I would consider irreplaceable.

All in all, I would survive a computer crash – not happily and with some irreplaceable pictures and a few documents gone forever. There would be a considerable amount of time and many headaches associated with recovering from the crash, but why tempt fate that way when there are so many options to circumvent the inevitable? My husband just picked up an external hard drive with 320GB – more than enough to back up both of our work computers and personal computers. Now, to become disciplined enough to make saving to an external drive part of the process of turning off a computer...

Future of Desktops - 510 W2

Just watch television advertisements and I think the advent of cloud computing is pretty much the way of the future. As the technology continues to develop and the machines get smaller and handier, the desktop will take second seat. I don’t think that there will be a time in which the desktop is gone completely – I see it’s place in schools and businesses to run things smoothly and efficiently. Word processing and setting up spreadsheets, creating movies and editing photographs will still be tasks that require desktops and laptops but with BlackBerries and iPhones and all of the applications to choose from, the need for a traditional computer for each member of the family will dwindle. I also see some of the software becoming less necessary – for example won’t there be a time when we dictate to a machine that will record and print (if necessary) the information for us?

Much of these perceived changes will depend greatly on the users – I can’t see myself tied to a blackberry like my sister is. I was just with her for a few days last week and she is tied to her phone. It beeps and vibrates when she receives an email (an average of 1 per every ½ hour), it rings and toots when she’s receiving a call. Although that may be normal for many people, I can’t see myself or many of my peers living by phone that way. However, if you asked me if my high school students could function that way the answer would be a resounding yes.

Computer History for Ann Perry - 510 W1

So I was enrolled in a Catholic grade school in Milwaukee and there was a special permission slip that went home. For a small fee (I don't remember what it was...) students could sign up to participate in computer training. It was the early 1980's and once a week a semi trailer would be parked next to the school and about 15 of us would walk up the makeshift stairs and thus I entered a computer lab for the very first time. I'm guessing that the computers were early Apples and I spent plenty of time with basic creating blocks of color that spelled out my name. Once we had that down, our final project was to plan and program a full screen picture. We had paper similar to graph paper that we used to do our planning and from there we spent our time on the trailer writing the script that would result in our picture. If I'm sounding vague it's because I really don't recall the details all that well nor do I know the correct terms.
I do however recall our first computer in the house. My mother was a teacher and got a special school deal on a home purchase. It was an Apple II GS with a dot matrix printer. I primarily used it for school work and word processing and it was the computer that went to college with me. I still have pieces and assignments in some of my files that were printed on that special track-edged paper and I remember having to print before quiet hours in the dorms because of the racket created when printing.
The thing that amazed me most about using a computer was the ability to change and edit on the screen without having to worry. When using a typewriter, making a spelling mistake was a huge problem, with the little slips of paper (correctype?), backing up a space, finding a place on the correcting paper that wasn't used, striking the same letter again to get it to erase..... at that point White Out was a big technological advance. And remember having to spool the ribbon when the typing started to fade? Computing for me in high school involved a different freedom as I didn't worry about all of those details - but I was still afraid of making a mistake. I thought I might break the computer!

The Final Countdown

So here we are at the last week of Technology Tools...and I feel like I've accomplished so much. I must admit that although I wasn't a big fan of reading the textbook, I think it will come in great as a resource for my classroom planning. I did like the formats with the guidelines for incorporating concepts like more critical thinking, problem based learning and creative exercises and the lesson ideas were helpful starting points. The resources referenced are also going to come in handy when I'm searching for new ideas and tools. I think that my students will benefit because I am already starting to take bits and pieces from class and incorporate them this year with larger plans for next year. For example, my midterm exam for biology last semester was a poster project on one of the animal phyla. This semester, the students are creating a book on one of the taxonomic groups that will be written for and shared with our seventh graders. All of the text and artwork must be original so Monday I plan on introducing some of the graphics programs from Week One. The plans for next year are to have the students do more of the planning with us like choosing the grade level of the audience and contacting teachers in the other building to set up sharing times. So I have utilized ideas and theory from the text that I can't really put together all at once, but I can build on from semester to semester.

Week One opened so many doors because I've already put some of the presentation programs to work for me in my absences from the classroom. I blogged about Kids and Cadavers two weeks ago and talked more about how I was able to have a productive class even though I was absent. I'm hoping the trend continues and I'm still working on a way to start video taping some of the lectures and labs for students who were absent to reference or for those who are going to be gone for extended periods to keep up while they are out of the building. Why can't I have students Skype me and keep assignments posted through a Ning or Moodle? Week Two was helpful in that it opened my eyes to the possibilities of collaborative projects that aren't a nightmare to organize with one student having lost their school email passwords, another saving a document at home only to find that the school's programs can't open it, and the person who has all of the information saved to their account absent on the day we're supposed to print and edit to be ready for submission deadlines. In my dream world, all of the students have an account on WriteWith or GoogleDocs and I see hands flying over keyboards, training their mouses - clicking away and I hear the sounds of only happy students excited to be doing something that they consider worthwhile. And then they bring me chocolate... OK so maybe I'm pushing it, but even without the chocolate and some of the other aspects - meeting the kids in the middle would make my day.

Weeks Three and Four really had me implementing some tools I was familiar with (spreadsheets) in additional areas in my curriculum. Science is a natural fit for spreadsheets with all of the data collection and my area of weakness was using the spreadsheet to create charts and graphs to assist in analyzing the data. I am going to make a more concerted effort to not only collect and compile data in spreadsheets but also teach the tools of charting and graphing to all of my students. The tool that was new to me was the database. I can't wait to really start making good use of this tool. I began the NHS documentation of hours and service and the information is so malleable. I can organize to see what seniors are in danger of losing their status because of not having items complete or I can switch the filter and search for the students that have paid their dues and are eligible for scholarships. My next step is to learn how to mail merge so that I can get letters home to parents and students so that they are aware of their status.

Finally, Week Five got my interest piqued as we talked about whether or not schools kill creativity. Things really started coming full circle for me as I was receiving emails with great tech tools, the ideas for modifying my midterms started rolling around in my head and I wrote what was to become my guide for integrating technology wholeheartedly in my classroom. It's easy to blog about and choose bits and pieces to start with but the novelty can soon wear off and then I feel like I'm stuck in that rut again. With the technology plan, I can do all of the little pieces with a much larger focus. Now I'm going to do this as part of something bigger and not just because it was part of an assignment or because it was kind of fun or cool. I'm a checklist kind of person and I love crossing things off of a "to do" list, so my tech plan has become my new list. I'm motivated to start making some of the larger changes so I can say that I made them... and so my students will have the benefit of a teacher who still loves what she does and never quite does the same thing twice

Culminating Events

So I was thinking - what can I really do to address all of the ideas and concepts we've been covering in the class so far? To believe that my lessons in class encompass all of the best practices, utilize technology in an engaging manner and use PBL to foster critical thinking while encouraging creativity is truly wishful thinking. Not that I'm saying I'm not a good teacher - great even at times (although maybe not ever awesome like Ryan!). I try different things in class to address bits and pieces of the whole... it's just that I still feel like I'm not doing enough because I don't have a plan of attack.
There are all sorts of great ideas that have been rolling around - I want to attempt for some grants to get a flotilla of laptops and some probeware for the science dept... I want to refurbish my biology classes to make the students the givers of knowledge... I want to completely rewrite the course outline for forensic science to make it more PBL... I want better dissection software that works when we need it to... I want to create Moodles for my classes... I want to create custom search engines for the four classes I teach... I want to scour the internet and sites like NetTrekker, Learn360, and Teacher's Domain for materials to support my student's learning... the list could go on and on and on. I want students to be excited about science!
And then I look at that list and I get down... how can I possibly do it all? And believe me I know that the longest trek starts with a single step and all the rest of the motivational mumbo jumbo, but seriously - where should a person begin without getting lost?
Now, when I read the assignments for the week I'll be honest, I did groan at the thought of putting together my Personal Technology Plan and I thought about what a monumental amount of time it would take. But after looking at my "to do's" I realized that instead of this just being an assignment, it was also an opportunity. Just the other day I blogged that I found a great new site and the author posed the tenent that when the phone rings, a hand is raised or a question is posed - I can deal with it as an opportunity or as an obligation. The assignment is the obligation, but depending on my point of view this might be just the right opportunity to truly lay down a plan of attack to prioritize the "to do" list into a series of goals and objectives that will ultimately accomplish what I want it to in the classroom.
So when asked to blog about what was covered this week and how it will impact my teaching I must say that it has given me a new vision for my methods of teaching as well as a renewed sense of the importance of taking that first step and building beyond it. I'm a great teacher right now, but I have the opportunity to learn and do so much more with my students. With this vision in mind, I can start my Personal Technology Plan with a purpose that will drive my ambition to never rest on "good enough" because I've fulfilled my obligations. Instead the ambition will help me to uncover the opportunities and build on them both in and out of the classroom.

Tools for the Classroom

Just had this site emailed to me and considering our conversation about schools killing creativity last night, I thought the comment by the author about "obligation or opportunity" really applies.
By the way, the link to the free software page has lots of great materials...

Addendum to Kids and Cadavers...

OK so I finally got away from the evil filters at school that were blocking the streaming of the video and I watched the Computer Microscope Project. It was OK. To be honest with you, the video best helped me to see the methodology of the teaching rather then how the technology drives the project. All in all, the video didn't provide much more than the associated materials that were available...so I'll leave my original post about Intime as it stands!

Week Four - Kids and Cadavers

Well, to be honest I was really interested in some of the Intime video clips but had many troubles accessing them from the school computers as well as my laptop at home. I did review the associated materials for the lesson titled, QX3 Computer Microscope Project. The project revolves around using computer microscope hardware from Intel to learn about a chosen biology topic and then prepare a powerpoint to demonstrate the knowledge gained. Just cruising the site, I found the ideas helpful but would probably "tweak" most of them to fit my style. In addition, some of the links were outdated and didn't work (the Intel link for example) and I tend to like more concrete examples and ideas, rather than vague descriptions like "students will explore new areas of biology in which they are interested". Now I do need to take a step back - maybe the video itself gives those concrete answers and the links can easily be found with a little more searching. For now, I think that Intime would be useful when I'm not feeling the most creative and I need a little impetus to try something different. At that point I might go to Intime lessons for some new ideas.

On another completely unrelated note, I had great success in class when I was gone at the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers Convention this past week. I was out of the classroom Thursday and Friday and utilized SlideShare to present notes that my students needed to take from a powerpoint of mine. I didn't want to leave my passwords out there for the sub to access my files and I also didn't want to have every slide of the powerpoint available to the students. With SlideShare, I copied only the targeted slides for each day and then in the sub notes left a URL for each day's notetaking session. When I returned on Monday, my students only needed a little redirection and focus on the notes and I didn't have to labor over giving a whole block of notes in one sitting. In addition, they were being productive while I was gone! (This was a big relief as my current biology students are a little squirrely to say the least...)

The convention itself was a great jumping off point as I found out about many new and not so new technologies and tools. For example, there is a site called Teacher's Domain, hosted by the Educational Communications Board for the state. It is set up to search all public access information (mostly in science, but expanding to other disciplines) and from there a teacher can create lessons and groups. In the groups you can save certain sites and objects to file and post student instructions for each item. The beauty of the site is that teachers, students and parents can all access the information for free, there is no software to download and all of the resources are public domain. It was an awesome learning experience for me and another tool I can add to my expanding kit of technology. There were many other tools taught at the convention as well. If a teacher out there doensn't already know about it, visit the Jason Project - it's geared towards middle school science but has great potential for cross-curricular integration.

The absolute highlight for me was a visit to the Marquette University Human Gross Anatomy Lab for a 3 hour lecture/lab combo. (For anyone with a queasy stomach, you may want to navigate away from my blog at this point, because I'm going to describe what I did...) With all of the positive applications of technology in teaching, I had the opportunity to do the old fashioned hand's on version. We had a brief lecture before heading into the lab where I had the chance to see and investigate a number of bodies with the grad and undergrad students facilitating. I held a human heart in my hands and watched a craniotomy. It was astounding (and humbling) to think of what a perfect machine the human body is. The experience also served to remind me of two things. The first is that the human specimens I was privledged to see and learn from benefitted from technology - I saw brain shunts, pacemakers and artificial joints. The second was that in some instances there is no technology that can replace or substitute for an actual experience with all of the external stimuli (sights, sounds, smells) and the internal emotional reaction.

Week 3 - NetTrekker, Spreadsheets and More

So I was a little concerned with the spreadsheet assignment that involved Net Trekker. I've used Net Trekker before and have really found it useful as a place to find great resources or to spark new ideas. My concern came when I searched for a science lesson that involved a spreadsheet and all I came up with were chemistry titration experiments. And then I found a template for Jeopardy of all things. And I thought - what does Jeopardy have to do with spreadsheets?
Well, as I found out, this template uses a spreadsheet with hyperlinks to the different sheets that have the answers and associated questions. Pretty cool, something I had never seen before and very easy to set up - the template can be found here.
As far as using spreadsheets in the classroom, I do quite a bit of data management in classes when students are compiling group data, figuring class averages etc. I guess that's why the Jeopardy surprised me - I had never considered using a spreadsheet to that end. So I ended up downloading the template, creating a review of Simple Invertebrate Biology, and using it in class on Friday morning to help my students review for Monday's Quest.
It became more of a learning experience for both the students and myself then I had intended or planned on. When an answer appeared on the screen that I had created, the students started to create potential questions. We found that there was more than one possible question for the answer provided and so the very stuffy, "canned" review I had planned to simply reinforce some of the content became a much better experience as the students evaluated my answers and questions. In the end, I couldn't have created a better review as they initiated conversation and tried to guess the question word for word and then come up with other possible (and I must admit, much better) questions so the time was spent more on conversation than on regurgitating content and definitions. I think that next time around, I'll have the students working together in groups to create the answer and question combinations for a Jeopardy category. If I can get them working in GoogleDocs spreadsheet (still some issues with figuring out the hyperlinks to go to a different sheet and not a URL in the online format - any hints?) the class groups could create the whole game and then analyze each others categories and assess them as the review for one of my assessments.

Response to CEd0515 Week Two Posts

Response to Michele's Feb 15th Post:
I also liked the idea of using the differing search engines to find more information and was amazed at how much of the web is left out if you don't check a few engines. I created a custom search and can really see using that in classes for various topics and projects that I already have done the legwork for and know the best sites. This will hopefully avoid lost time as the students are searching for specific information. As far as collaboration and online word processing, I'm really excited to begin to implement a program like WriteWith or GoogleDocs in my classes. I'm going to take a day in May to learn the Moodle program and then add my classes to it slowly over the course of the summer and next fall. I'm hoping to be able to use some of these technologies within Moodle and in addition to it.

Response to Danelle's Feb 21st Post:
Isn't it funny how some parents are so concerned to see their students participating in collaborative projects that seem to normal to those of us in the educational field? I wonder if the parent that contacted you was a traditional learner and just may not understand that her son is learning in a different manner. It's great that the class readings gave you the extra bit of credibility and support!

Searching in the Spotlight

So I've searched plenty of times, in fact I really like to search and I think that I'm pretty good at it. I have always liked Ask.com because of the format that the results and related searches are presented. I've also been a fan of Google because it seems like the universal search engine. So needless to say, I was very surprised at the statistics from class that discussed how many of the engines don't search the same sites or areas of the web and that one engine really isn't enough. When researching the search engines I tool a little walk back in time with Lycos. I remember the adds with the dog as their icon going to "fetch" information from the internet.

Keeping these things in mind, I was having students word process some activities in class and many of them were searching for additional information. Not one of the students deviated from Google so I took the opportunity to mention the statistics from our class and then offered up some alternative search engines. All of my students enthusiatically attempted other engines and then compared their results page with other engines on their neighbor's computers. It took no time at all to incorporate this little bit of technology and caused me to once again focus on the fact that technology doesn't always have to take hours of prep and teaching to get the point across. The students are so much more adept at changing "lanes" and trying something new. This willingness to attempt the new and unknown on their part is also a good model for teachers that are "stuck" in a mold - not necessarily afraid to attempt new things and making mistakes, but maybe very comfortable with the way things are working... (if it ain't broke, don't fix it!)

This mentality and openness on the part of my students in all classes makes me more inclined to include some online collaboration. I really like GoogleDocs because it works for me but in researching other options, I'm intrigued by WriteWith. It includes setting a deadline for the collaborators and allows the writers to compare the original document with the revisions made. I think that in teaching any content area, we are all responsible for teaching writing and editing skills and I believe that using an online collaboration tool like WriteWith can be an effective method. Not only can a group or pair of students work together and work on peer editing, but a teacher can also collaborate with students in this more productive way instead of with the red pen to the final paper that's turned in.

Forward?!?

OK, so just when I think I have a handle on things and am on the straight and narrow and catching up... I find that for each step forward I'm drawn two or three back. So I get myself organized and socially bookmarked for the first time (entering tags for no less than 300 bookmarks!). I get all of the sites I need at school cleared in our filtering program and can access all the sites I need for class. I get DropBox for my online file storage and download it on my school computer so I can organize all of my duplicate files. I figure out a way to get my cell phone tethered to my computer as a modem so I can get online while I'm at home.

Then I find out that my school computer dumped my files and DropBox, I'm now limited to 15 minutes on the social networking sites at school, and my cell phone just won't support the speed I need to be able to handle class. I think ARGGGGGG! This is the most common complaint I hear about integration of technology - it's great when it works. I feel that I'm a day late and a dollar short when it comes to being able to keep up with it all. Yet I know that if I don't try I'll just keep getting farther and farther behind which is why I'm taking this class. And thus, the cycle continues and I decide to plug away and keep moving forward regardless of the drag.

And with that I started in on Chapter One and checking out graphics sites and presentation sites. I couldn't help but wonder where I would use the graphics and presentation sites and I realized that it's not only about me but where I could see my students using these programs. I honestly don't think that I'll be uploading my current powerpoints to the web unless it's simply for student access but I can see my students' creating presentations for class and having access to them online. The graphics programs would be a fun way for them to create small comic strips that teach a concept or lesson and I can even see using them to draw something like the stages of mitosis... as I begin to let my imagination run, I'm reminded of the notation in Chapter One that discusses not using the technology just because it's there but to choose to be sure that the technology is relevant to and supportive of the content.

Web Cams, Storage and Social Bookmarking, Oh My!

I kind of feel like Dorothy these past two weeks. At first I was just landing in OZ and very unsure of my surroundings - and now I'm on the yellow brick road with a purpose in mind. I'm still reeling from the differences between my world and this technological world and most if it surrounds the vocabulary. For example, does a browser plug-in mean the same thing as a bookmarklet or is it a stand-alone toolbar that can be added to access a social bookmarking site faster/better? So although I have a clear purpose, I'm still befuddled in some of the details. (Enough about the vocabulary - as I tell my students, vocabulary is simply something you've got to get before you can really "get it" and it's a process that doesn't end.)

Another reason my mind reels is that I am filled with all of these new ideas of what I can use in my classes and we start a new semester on Monday so I'm pretty excited. I really need to decide what one or two things to try and implement so that I can focus on those items and make them valuable tools and not just a whim. I'm seriously considering planning on leaving video directions for my students and substitutes whenever I'll be out of the classroom for conferences or training days. I really am intrigued by the idea that instruction can continue on without my always having to be there physically to drive it. I think that the substitute teacher (or teachers as we teach in block and often have two teachers covering per block if a regular sub can't be found) can act more as a proctor to oversee the students progress much like is done in a distance learning class. This would be a change from my choosing less than desirable assignments to be sure that the students would "have something to do" in order to avoid potential discipline or behavioral issues.

The second item I really want to implement is the usage of Google Docs for class projects and teacher collaboration/information sharing. I ran into the issue today with a student trying to turn in her final exam project. She had one of the pieces printed out for me, another was locked up as an attachment in her email account (which was frozen on her computer) and the third part was on her personal laptop which she had to haul from home to school where she could get a jump drive to download it to my computer. Come to find out, she had made the project on notepad and because it included images and other items, I couldn't open it correctly with the programs available on my school computer. AAAHHHHHH! Does any one else face these kinds of problems with project based assignments? It always seems like I'm trying to ask more than the students are capable of pulling off and I keep thinking that it can't be that hard. I'm sure if I had given explicit instructions on what programs the students could use and that they would have to only work on the school computers and use their school email to turn in the projects that I wouldn't have quite as many issues... I fear that other issues would crop up as well.

Another application for me would be keeping the teachers updated on the status of our Earth Day activities. I'm the National Honor Society Adviser at the high school and one of our service projects is to organize sites at which our student body can volunteer at for a day of service (leaf raking, spring cleaning, marking sewage drains with "Drains to River" signs etc.) Ultimately, I'm responsible for signing up our 570 students to these sites around the county and keeping the teachers appraised of which students have been assigned to them. The students get to choose their sites by turning in their permission slips to me - these obviously come in at various times and I try to process them quickly, meaning that the data changes up to a dozen times in a day. This year, rather than email an attachment with the updated lists 3 or 4 times a day to teachers, I want to set the table up in a Google Spreadsheet and then invite the teachers as viewers of the file. This way they could have access to the most up to date student assignments without a pile of emails from me everyday. Any idea how to get 40 people (many who really dislike computers) to all get their own gmail account so they could view it?

So here I sit, in the hotel breakfast room (yes, I'm still working out the tech glitches at school - almost done but have no webcam there. Maybe the hideous wallpaper here is contributing to my head reeling...) thinking that I do have a purpose on this yellow brick road. So although there may be twists and turns and unforeseen obstacles, I'm ready to proceed to the Emerald City... next week. (If you haven' t figured out yet, I'm a fan of musicals - anybody seen "Wicked"?)

CEd 0501 - Week One

Well I must admit, the orientation session of the masters program had me a little frustrated...with technology of all things. For example, to make things easier for the school to run, all teachers have a phone in their room with an extension number. That very tool, the extension number, made it too hard for Louis to include me in the conference call. Add to that the time delay I experienced in the video and audio and I was left me holding my head in my hands thinking that this was going to be a long program.

However, after a week of thinking and getting myself organized, last night's first class in WiZiQ had me very excited. I'm still battling some technology issues (I'll discuss in a bit...) but have a much better outlook with how easy it was to be a part of the class. As far as my expectations for ME-IT, I've been looking forward to understanding some of the lingo my colleagues at school are using.

Even more than that I'd like to use some of the technology to collaborate with other classes/teachers in the building as well as allowing my students to collaborate. In the block schedule, it's sometimes very hard to get any cross-curricular projects going but I've already been thinking about using GoogleDocs between teachers to create lessons and allow students to work together. An example would be having my science students run a lab and collect their data, organizing it into tables in GoogleDocs, then having a math class studying statistics analyze the data for us and add their analysis to the document. After my students use this analysis to formulate their conclusion, I'd like to have a technical writing class edit that work. This sharing of information could be accomplished without any face time between the classes and without (hopefully) much difficulty. Another area in which I'd like to use GoogleDocs would be when students in my class are working on projects together. Right now, we email attachments back and forth between students and I'd like to see the use of GoogleDocs for ease of collaboration.

Thinking about how to set up GoogleDocs and the article about how to set up a blog got me thinking about the issues with child safety in school while accessing the internet. How do we balance those concerns with decent access? Right now, I can unblock certain sites for up to 15 minutes at a time, but this can limit what is to be accomplished.

This is where the technology issues I mentioned above are cropping up. Because I live in the northwoods, I am unable to get broadband at home. So, I travel to school to participate in class (the coffee shops, etc. all close by 5 or 6pm in the winter and the library closes at 6 or 7pm.) But while working at school, I am subject to the internet filter and what categories have been deemed "access denied". In order to prevent students from publishing personal information on line while at school, all social networking sites (like Ning) are blocked. That means that I've been blocked too.

Hence my frustration...but enough about that, the curriculum/technology director at the school and I have been chatting about it. (You'll know if the conversations aren't going well because you'll see me at the local Dairy Queen which I believe has WiFi and is open past 8pm - either that or I'll ask a local hotel to let me sit in their lobby on Tuesday nights!)

What I really want to know is "How cool is it to just log on at home and take part in class?"

Success at starting my own blog!