TeachPaperless

What Would Happen If I Broke Up With Google?

2012-01-29T19:20:00.002-05:00

by John T. Spencer

I'm bothered that Google has a profile on me. I've known it for years, but something about the new Terms and Services (I'd go Google it and add a link there, but I'm too lazy) seems like a creepier step closer to Big Brother. Which I think is the problem. I already view Google as a Big Brother - a giant android there to help me, adding the training wheels to life and pushing me on my way so that I can function.

I make the assumption that my data is safe and that this profile is somehow different from the real me that taps away at a machine. But if the online me is still me, a part of me, full of interests and ideas and questions and drives - then I'm making a bold assumption about the inherent benevolence of Big Brother Google.

To illustrate the power of this codependent relationship, I'm thinking about what it would look like if I had a falling out with Google. This has already happened in real-life with my twin brother and the lasting effects are that I'm a little more insecure relationally and I deeply miss the man who shares such a long history with me. On a relational level, the impact is subtly present. However, in terms of functioning, I'm doing okay at life without him.

Now, consider a falling out with Big Brother Google. In one day, I would lose all my contacts. I would lose my calendar, both in terms of what I have already done and in terms of what I need to do. I would have to ask sheepishly for people's birthdays. I would lose my ability to communicate with distant friends through e-mail. I would lose my blog, the domain name that goes with it and the community that has stuck with me for several years. I would lose whole manuscripts of books I wrote and books I'm trying to write. I would lose our family's budget and critical work documents and the fragments of spiritual journals that I started and then abandoned out of boredom. I would lose important things like the PD site I am developing right now and insignificant endeavors like the sketchy videos I've added to my blog.

In other words, I would lose a chunk of life. I would lose a sense of place. I'm sure I would find the manuscripts on my backup hard drive and I would find a way to go to Wordpress and I would hope that people still find me on Twitter. Still, I would instantly break relationships through lack of organization. I would feel lost.

There's something unnerving about how much I depend upon one corporation in order to function in this world. I still have a voice, but I'm willingly filtering it through the white noise of Google, hoping that when they claim "don't be evil" as a mantra, they'll stick to it.

The Most Important 21st Century Skill

2012-01-23T12:37:00.000-05:00

John T. Spencer

Joel approaches me timidly. It's a rare weekend where I have no other choice than to work on school-related projects. He senses my frustration, so he whispers his request, "Dad, can we pick oranges and make orange juice?"

"Maybe later. I have to get this done," I respond.

He comes back five minutes later and I tell him, "Later means really later, okay?"

Christy calls him aside and says, "I'll help you. Daddy needs to work."

Something in the gentleness of her tone and the emphasis on the word "need" that pulls me from the office. I shut the laptop and put on my tennis shoes. It takes me a few minutes to adjust to the sun on my face and the cold air on my hands. But with every orange we snatch from the tree, I am forgetting about the website I need to develop or the videos I need to edit.

Brenna joins us. She picks thirteen oranges, but each time she counts, she stops at eleven. "I have eleven," she says to anyone willing to listen - to me, to Joel, to Micah, to the dog and to Micah's Papa Bear.

It feels like magic when the twirling machine converts each orange into juice. Joel is obsessed with technique and Micah is trying to figure out the mechanics, but Brenna is simply delighted to press down on each orange and watch the juice flow from the spout.

* * *

When I think about the skills I want my students to acquire, I often say things like, "think globally and act locally" or "recover a sense of the terrestrial reality around them." Or sometimes I talk of sustainability and organic learning and growth and . . . what I really mean is I want them to learn what it means to shut off the devices, walk outside and pick oranges or plant a garden or study a sunset.

I want my students to figure out what matters in life and then have the courage, patience and endurance to live accordingly. The greatest twenty-first century skill is simply this: to learn to live well.

Mumford and Sons say it best:
Where you invest your love, you invest your life.

photo credit

Twimpact: Twitter's impact on my week

2012-01-22T21:28:00.006-05:00

By Noah Geisel

I still hear people asking, often in a disgusted tone of voice, “Why would you use Twitter?” They say it’s just for people to see what celebrities are saying. They say it’s just a way for people attracted to the Me Generation ethos to transmit their self-centered Facebook musings to a wider audience. They say what they believe and I respect that, for them, it is the truth about Twitter. For me, Twitter is another story altogether.

The last 7 days have served as a shining example of how Twitter significantly impacts my teaching, learning and professional development. A sampling my week’s Twimpact:

I attended an inspiring TED Talks salon event that I found out about via Twitter. Had I managed to learn about it through other means, it would have been after the tickets were sold out.

I read dozens of articles and blog posts that were shared by the people I follow, 22 of which were helpful enough that I bookmarked them for future use. I copied the links and shared via email 3 of these articles with certain teachers and administrators in my building.

I read 12 tweets that I thought could be valuable to others and were worth Re-tweeting (sharing) to my followers.

I learned about 2 apps that I downloaded to my iPad and believe will be very helpful.

I learned a new trick for the Promethean Board that I never would have known was possible.

I reconnected with a teacher friend and brilliant education mind with whom I had not spoken in 18 months. It led to a phone call and awesome conversation that I already know will impact a lesson for my students later this week.

I had conversations with 16 other educators, many of whom I’ve never met in person.

I had two former students reach out to share with me what is going on in their lives.

I found out about a webcast hosted by an MTV VJ in Mexico, from which I discovered two new bands whose music I could share with my students.

I connected with the lead singer of one of said bands who has agreed to Skype with one of my classes about life in Lima, Peru.

I connected with a Venezulean baseball reporter who has also committed to a Skype conversation in which he will provide a season preview of the Colorado Rockies and take my students’ questions about the team in Spanish.

And, so as not to leave out the celebrities, I favorited 8 tweets by Spanish-speaking artists that used the same vocabulary that my students were studying so as to provide them with examples of Real World, in-context use of our target learning.

I get it that Twitter is not for everybody. In my teaching and learning however, it makes a huge difference. What is the #Twimpact for you?

Imagine if the Government Censored the Web

2012-01-18T10:01:00.000-05:00

It would be like China or Iran or . . . the average American school.

Maybe it's time we advocate for open Internet in every context.

-John T. Spencer

Don't Censor the Web

2012-01-18T09:45:00.001-05:00

Sometimes Lo-Fi Is The Answer

2012-01-06T10:21:00.001-05:00

by John T. Spencer

It's a rough afternoon. My directions were too long and too specific and the students acted out in boredom. I took it personally and yelled. I'm trying to rethink my lesson for the following day with the knowledge that the Clipboard Crew will be stopping by in an effort to see the magical formula that leads to higher test scores. I should be honored, but I'm terrified. I'm doubtful. I'm doubtful about my inability to create the kind of story they're looking for.

I turn on the Iron and Wine cover of the "Waiting for Superman." The song is the perfect marriage of a broken, lo-fi*, acoustic sound with the themes of humility and expectations. I'm reminded that we're human. We're all broken (even the Clipboard Crew) and the amazing story is that powerful things happen in humble places.

It has me thinking about the notion of lo-fi and the concept that sometimes less is more:

Tools: My students blog and podcast and tweet and all that. And yet, give them a composition book and let them draw in it, sketch in it, duct tape it, organize it however they want and their Individual Learning Journals become a powerful statement about minimalism, humanity and the power of low-tech learning. If the Eco House project was a tech-infused Postal Service tune, their journals were Sufjan Stevens with a banjo singing Casimir Pulaski Day in a way that would make you weep.

Directions: The lo-fi approach reminds me that there is a power in simplicity. When I listen to Iron and Wine, I am reminded of the need to slow down and allow for additional mental space. Fewer directions. Fewer assignments. It's often where students find the autonomy to personalize their learning. An indie classroom should have indie thinkers and indie thinkers should be able to customize their learning.

Discipline: One thing I love about the acoustic, minimalist sound is that it retains the human voice. I don't want a discipline management system. I want a relationship that respects the human voice.

Approach: I think it's interesting that Iron and Wine has brought back a pastoral, naturalist lyricism (that never really left). It has me thinking that the natural, the pastoral, the outdated might just be the vintage, the classic and the sustainable that we're missing in our standardized Pop 40 system. It's not trendy by any means, but a philosophical discussion, a confusing parable or even a choral reading or a powerful story all have a place in the 21st Century Classroom.

*I know some people would have a fit with me calling Iron and Wine lo-fi. I get it. Lo-fi is often used in metal (especially 80's lo-fi) but I'm really intrigued by the acoustic lo-fi sound.

The Aaron Rodgers Story

2012-01-03T22:16:00.005-05:00

By Noah Geisel

I’m watching an ESPN profile on Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. If you’ve listened to five minutes of sports talk radio in the last month, then you know people are talking about his season as one of the best played by any quarterback, ever.

One thing that is striking about the story is how it relates to assessment. In the big money, high-stakes world of college football, a lot of work goes into evaluating young men and their potential. Expert scouting begins as early as 14-years-old. As a teacher, this sounds familiar.

At the beginning of the profile, the reporter talks about Rodgers’ dream of playing for Bobby Bowden at Florida State, and how the assessments of his abilities missed the mark: “Florida State did not want Rogers. Nor did any other Division I school.” A guy with a 1300 SAT who would go on to be a 1st Round Draft pick and NFL superstar launched his collegiate career at Butte Community College.

When asked why he believes he was overlooked, Rodgers responds, “Far too much weight is put into your height, your weight, your ‘40’, your bench press. The things you can’t measure: your character, your confidence, your mental toughness, your physical toughness, not as much weight is put into that.” Again, this sounds familiar to educators.

The Aaron Rodgers story is yet another reminder of why we educators need to be implementing in our classes (and pushing for system-wide) assessments that seek to measure the important skills that we know are essential for 21st Century success. We work in a world of high-stakes testing that primarily focuses on evaluating students based on multiple-choice, knowledge-based questions. Certainly, there is a place for assuring that our students have acquired the desired knowledge in our classes but with the weight that is placed on district benchmark exams, statewide assessments and even national exams, we need to be evangelists for the importance of measuring not only what students know but what they are able to do as well.

If School Is Not Relevant

2011-12-27T13:21:00.000-05:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

Had a conversation with a friend a while back; we were talking about how to best evaluate what was working in schools.

After rambling through all the usual arguments about testing and achievement and technology and pd, he said to me, "You know, for all the effort we put into the kids while they are our students, we do really little to gauge how we did once they are out the door. We treat school as though it is the most important thing in the world; and then they get out only to find that most of what they spent all those years doing there wasn't relevant. The only ones who ever really come back to talk to us are the ones who got something relevant out of school -- whether with grades or football or even the class clowns who owned the place while they were here. The kids who got something out of school come back and tell us how great we were. So there we are only getting feedback from the kids for whom the whole thing -- or at least something important in it -- worked. But when's the last time you heard back from any of those kids at the bottom of the rung? The quiet kids? The ones whose names you never could remember right?"

Most of the forms of evaluation and assessment we use have to do with finding out how a kid is doing right now; but "right now" isn't necessarily the best indicator of where we are headed. Even worse, "right now" often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Think about how many kids in reality are graded and assessed in the minds of the teacher before they ever open their mouths; how they are assessed in advance based on the accumulation of all of those "right now" experiences and testing events devoid of the context of a child's life. Unfortunately, for a lot of kids, that becomes the de facto of their school experience.

That's not to knock teachers, it's just reality; as institutions, schools are really good at stereotyping kids and how that plays out at the classroom level in terms of attitudes accorded to students by faculty and peers alike -- well, that's an unfortunate but absolutely real part of the school(ed) experience.

And so we Scantron and five-paragraph essay our kids to death in the interest of getting them to achieve; but what is that elusive achievement? Is it a demonstrable improvement over time? (If so, why do we give grades based on summative assessments?) Is it an accumulation of honors? (If so, does that imply that most kids achieve nothing?) Is it an acceptance to the next level, the next school, the next diploma?

And what of when they leave our tutelage?

Imagine if schools were judged not by how well students achieved while they were in school, but in how well they achieved once they left. If schools saw their worth not in how many kids got accepted to college, but in how many kids went on to live meaningful and engaged lives and who would point back to their school years as the point of relevancy that was the foundation of it all.

If schools gauged themselves not by how many kids passed a test, but in how well it prepared those kids who did not pass the test to see themselves as worthy of respect and ready to take on the challenges of life. In fact, if schools worked to make entrepreneurs and role models of every kid who failed a standardized exam. If failure became a calling card for innovation.

If schools prided themselves on knowing the dreams of the quiet kids. If they prided themselves on helping those kids attain those dreams.

Dreams don't always fit into curricula.

Neither do successful failures.

We need schools that recognize failure as being as much a matter of how well one fits into a prescribed system than how well one understands, well, much of anything really.

And kids know we are blowing smoke when we give lip-service to how everyone should think outside-the-box and then we hand them a box and tell them that everything they've learned should fit back into it. And when they leave things outside-the-box we define them as failures.

We do this at our increased peril.

Because we are all failures of one sort or another. And though we like to focus on what we consider positive, it is more often the case that we live in a world comprised of systems of struggle and unanswerable questions. And we fail on a regular basis. And we need students who understand how to fail.

And we know this, yet we continue to punish students who fail -- as though our invented system of textbooks and number-two pencils were a better predictor of intellectual and creative capacity than life itself.

I wonder if I did a good enough job explaining that to my students. I wonder about the students who slipped through. I wonder about the ones who failed out.

I feel like they are the ones we should be talking to.

They are the ones who understand the impact of schooling. Enough of the smartest kids in the class always getting to answer the questions. I want to hear from the kids for whom school didn't work. I want to hear from the alumni who feel cheated by the system. I want our schools to be judged by how well we respected the humanity of the student who graduated with the lowest GPA and how we celebrated and engaged his or her capacity within society.

Because we are a society, we are connected one and all; and ultimately, if school is not relevant for that kid, school is not relevant for any kid.

7 Things My Boss Gets Right

2011-12-18T22:14:00.003-05:00

by John T. Spencer

Any leader who can get me to wear this is a great leader, indeed.

Have Fun: I'm not referring to simply hosting a potluck. Some of the best leaders go over-the-top either with zany humor or with something extra-classy or with something deeply thoughtful. The bottom line is that these types of events tell a team that the leader is willing to go beyond the expectation. Tomorrow I will sport that outfit above for our department Ugly Sweater party. It is, admittedly, goofy. However, there is power in a shared, memorable, goofy event.
Be Supportive: I can't count the number of times that he has gone to bat for our department when we were being trampled on by the system or misunderstood by other leaders.
Be Critical: Chad is the type of leader who isn't afraid to engage in hard conversations when things aren't working. I can trust his words of affirmation, because he is honest enough to be critical at the necessary times.
Be Humble: I see this in small ways. For example, he sits with us rather than with the directors at meetings. He gives us credit anytime anything goes well and he takes the blame when things fail. He listens. He asks questions. When you work with a humble leader, you give them permission to enter into your world and the concept of submitting to authority doesn't feel like a chore.
Be Innovative: Although creativity and innovation are edu-buzzwords, the reality is that the system often forces people to push compliance above change. I feel the freedom to push innovative ideas and the freedom to fail in the process. It's a powerful motivator.
Be Present: There is an intentionality to the moments when I am in his office. He is truly present. I've worked with people who are thinking about other things or trying to multi-task and the result is something even colder and less relational than an e-mail.
Trust: Although this is the last on the list, it's the most important. I trust my boss and because I trust him, I can be honest and vulnerable and he can step in and help when it's necessary. He doesn't micromanage. He doesn't nag. But he's not entirely "hands-off," either. Trust allows for freedom within the confines of safety.

Flipped: Why It Has to Be A Conversation

2011-12-15T15:50:00.004-05:00

by John T. Spencer

I know that "flipped" is a trendy idea right now. While I am intrigued by the idea of video tutorials to help guide students in learning, it is absurd to suggest that a video can replace a human in creating the ultimate customized learning experience. What this concept misses is the nature of human learning.

Teaching is a relational endeavor.

I'm a proponent of the flipped approach. But if we are pushing for flipped, we need to make sure that remains a conversation. Take the most objective part (an algorithm) of a subject (math) that is perceived to be more objective than the rest.

If it's a multiple choice test, I can hope the answer matches the student's idea (rather than a simple guess). If it's an assignment, I can apply a red checkmark and tell the student that it's wrong. Either way, how does that help clarify a misconception. A simple glance at the problem suggests a few possibilities:

The student guessed that it was greater than and doesn't understand the concept in the first place
The student doesn't understand numerators and denominators
The student saw the bigger number and jumped to that rather than thinking through it logically
The student knows that one-third is less than one-half, but learned it wrong (a crocodile mouth or something like that)
The student doesn't care, because greater-than and less-than doesn't feel the least bit relevant to any context within his or her world.

At this point, a graded paper doesn't make any difference. A new tutorial video is a shot in the dark. What is needed is a conversation where the student can reflect on his or her misconceptions and the teacher can re-teach and clarify.

Teachers can do this with small group pullouts and with student-teacher conferences. I'm a fan of both. However, here is where technology becomes exciting. See, with technology, the communication can be asynchronous. Here are some examples of technology as an interactive dialogue that helps push students toward deeper reflection:

Google Docs: I can highlight text, add comments and start a conversation that will last anytime anywhere. It started with the writer's workshops, but eventually morphed into spreadsheets and documents in math. Students kept documents of common mistakes, vocabulary, etc.
Blogs: Students can take a snapshot of their work and describe the process in steps or in a paragraph. This allows me to start a conversation at any time and any place. This is also a great place to keep math vocabulary or engage in conceptual conversations about the math that students are using.
Multimedia: Students record videos and podcasts showing their math processes and other students have a chance to comment. This allows students to articulate their process and I have a chance to watch them at another time (prep period, early morning, for example)
Twitter: Last year, students used #mathmisconception as a place to post their questions, comments and mistakes in processes.
Forms: Though this is less conversational, sometimes it's as simple as crowd-sourcing the conversation with the use of a survey. Similar to an exit slip, students mark a series of questions and I can organize the data to help me figure out how to approach our one-on-one conversations. In the example above, I can use the five options and gauge how the class, in general, is doing with a particular skill set.

So, when I think about the concept of "flipped," I wonder if the real flipping is allowing students to use the tools to demonstrate what they know, figure out what they don't know and engage in a process where they can fix their misconceptions.

On a New Edtech Community

2011-12-12T09:50:00.000-05:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

Growing up in theBaltimore of the 80s and 90s, my personal heroes were the folks who developedtheir own way in the DIY community. From music to art to literature, it seemedlike these DIY'ers could do what ever they wanted -- and they could. Down in DC,Dischord Records went against everything the "record industry" of thetime stood for; they made their own records their own way and instigated thesame throughout a DIY culture that found itself sprouting up in every nook andcranny where young people were sick of the corporate status quo. Here in town,art co-ops and radical bookstores challenged the ideas that you needed acommercial gallery to make it as an artist or that you needed a publisher tomake it as a writer.

This was all before theInternet, of course. And it had deep roots going back into the 60s, the 50s,and earlier.

The DIY movement of the80s and 90s flourished at that moment because it had to. Like the Beats in the50s who found that Big Publisher wasn't going to touch their work and insteadthey had to do it themselves, the hardcore kids of east and west coast alikerealized that they were going to have to do it themselves. Like the avant-gardeNYC filmmakers of the mid to late 1960s developing their own community tocreate, show, and distribute their films beyond the reach of Hollywood, theweirdo Baltimore poets and zine writers of the 80s and 90s developed their owncommunity to print, share, and distribute their chapbooks, comics, and Xeroxedmasterpieces. And this sort of thing happened all over the place, from New Yorkto San Francisco to Toledo to Lincoln, Nebraska.

I think we findourselves in this type of situation once again.

Coming up through theedtech of the 80s and 90s was to come up through the era of hardware. Schoolsthat did tap into the tech current did so by purchasing ridiculously expensivecomputers and software. In a way, those schools that wanted tech were thenbeholden to computer companies and the companies who repair computers. Thatunderlying structure is still at the heart of so much that goes on in techacquisition. There was relatively little room for DIY to flourish in edtechbecause DIY'ers didn't have the capacity to keep up with the sort of demandeveryone thought they needed. Sure, there were always Open Source heads andhackers making cool stuff -- usually for their own schools/use; but there wasno major flourishing of local DIY tech communities that could really put a dentinto Big Software.

How things have changed.

Back in November, MikeBrenner brought http://educationhackday.org/ to Baltimore.

The mission was simple: listento problems sourced by teachers from around the world, pick a dozen or so totackle, and form teams around those problems that would each come up with andexecute a creative solution to solve them.

Teams comprised ofteachers, developers, and designers then spent two days creating apps specificto classroom needs. The results ranged from a school-specific mobile browser toteacher-customized video software to an image-to-speech app designed forspecial needs students. And one of the most interesting things to develop outof the event: teachers and technologists starting businesses based around theircollaborations.

I see this as indicativeof the way forward. Whereas big legacy operations like Pearson may have themoney and the capacity, they don't have the feet on the ground -- i.e. thepeople creating their products aren't the people using their products. In thatway, they will always be behind the curve. They will always work with the"input" of teachers rather than "with" teachers. Ed HackDay showed a different model. A model not unlike those DIY companies thatdeveloped and in doing so gave something meaningful back to the local communitywhile creating a global ecosystem of DIY networks.

That's what I see as aviable and sustainable way forward in edtech and entrepreneurship. With theadvent of an Internet that revolves around the Cloud and apps that arecost-effective and purchased as-needed (rather than as a big Office-stylepackage), we find ourselves in a situation where local entrepreneurs can besuccessful in tapping into big need -- and need driven by need rather than bygreed.

Alas, there is a catch.(And as we all know, with edtech there is always a catch...)

The catch is that the EdHack model only works because a teacher is involved. There are numerous edtechstart-ups (they are seeming to pop up every day). They see a fantastic marketopportunity created by common core standards, 1:1 mobile, and dis-satisfactionwith the state of schools. I recently talked to a guy who has created an entireLMS that he is selling to school districts and he ensured me that his LMS isthe future. The only problem I saw with his LMS is that from ateacher-perspective it sucked. The entire time I was demo'ing the software, itfelt like I was being forced to think like an engineer as opposed to thinkinglike an educator. While the basic idea of the program made a lot of sense -- andcertainly could be sold to districts -- when it came down to the brass tacks,it felt like something created by someone who had no sense of what it wasactually like to be in a classroom.

That is why the teacherperspective is so important. That's why it is so important to have a teacherleading the design. But there is something else going on as well...

Those Ed Hack projectscame out not only of the experience of real teachers in real classrooms, butthey were intended to be used by those teachers in their classrooms. In otherwords, the designer had a real stake in the usability of the app. This is atthe heart of DIY. And it is at the heart of the developing DIY edtechecosystem. Teachers making stuff for themselves and for other teachers likethem. Designers thinking hyperlocal and through collaboration and communityextending opportunities to the global.

I love Baltimore. I grewup here and I have lived here most of my life. I've seen the best the town hasto offer and I've quite literally seen the darkest stuff. In my experience, themost rewarding thing about the city is the real sense of community that hasdeveloped amongst the seemingly fractious parts of the creative community. In away, Baltimore is a city of misfits. NYC and Philly dwarf us to the north andD.C. reminds us on a daily basis that we are not "serious" enough. Ifthe east coast were a high school, Baltimore would be the drama club.

But because of this,we've developed interesting collaborations that may not make as much sense inother places. Collaborations between visionary art and antique cars, beatboxing and symphony halls, local politics and swimwear.And we may be on to something with edtech in the hands of educators andtechnologists working collaboratively.

I would love to seeBaltimore develop into a Silicon Valley of edtech. Not a city of behemothmindless corporations, but a city where every classroom is a garage. I'd liketo see edtech bring opportunity to city kids and their families. I'd like tosee high school seniors start businesses based on their ideas and experienceusing and developing technology in the classroom rather than watch themstruggle to stay out of the street economy. I'd like to see non-profitsflourish -- advocacy and community training corps who would bring the digitalage directly to the communities most people ignore. I'd like to see small andmid-sized businesses flourish and bring pride back to neighborhoods that haveall but been given up on. I'd like to see edtech explored in dramatic ways notonly as a means of bringing kids up to speed on STEM subjects, but as a way toempower students to create and publish literature, art, movies, music.

I'd like to see anedtech community develop whose goal was local but whose reach could be global.I'd like to see an edtech community develop whose eye wasn't on bringing up thebottom line, but in bringing up those students who have been on the bottom fortoo long. I'd like to see an edtech community develop that doesn't threatenteachers' jobs, but that rather empowers teachers to go farther with theirstudents than they ever thought possible.

I'd like to see anedtech community that flourishes around the idea that we really are connected.And we really can do it ourselves -- together.

10 Tech Tools I'd Like to Replace with Old Tools

2011-12-08T15:58:00.000-05:00

by John T. Spencer

Sometimes people create innovative solutions that seem logical, but end up being a step in the wrong direction. Either the tool is logical but not intuitive or it provides a solution for something that didn't require a solution or it made things easier while taking away autonomy. Regardless of the process, here are ten such tools:

#1: Digital Clock
I prefer analog, not for nostalgia or for beauty. I want to see the progression of time. I want a visual representation of just how close I am to moving toward the next minute. The digital clock doesn't reflect the human need to feel time progress. It is cold, logical and too far removed from the way we sense time naturally.

#2: Alarm Clock
I don't use an alarm clock for a few reasons. First, I want to trust my body. I want my sleep patterns determined by real sleep cycles. It's more than that, though. I want to wake up to silence. I want to begin my day in solitude. The shrieking sound of an alarm clock makes me irritable and panicky.

#3: Faucet
Okay, I know this sounds crazy, but I like the faucets with two handles. I like to control the exact temperature and water pressure. To me this is the classic case of "improving" something by allowing for less human autonomy.

#4: eReaders
I know. I know. I can highlight and tweet it out. It saves my spot automatically. I can jump from book to book. I can use a search function. I can use it on multiple devices. And yet . . . I like the feel of books. I like the way the weight changes as I progress toward the end. I like the asynchronous dialogue that happens when I let someone borrow and write notes in a book.

#5: Cordless Phones
I don't mind being tethered to the kitchen if it means I can find the phone every time it rings. I have a feeling this will only get worse as the kiddos get older, too.

#6: Automatic Transmissions
I drive an automatic right now and it bothers me. I miss the control of the clutch and the gears. The minute I got an automatic, driving became a very detached experience. And a part of me wonders if detachment is the ideal driving method.

#7: Interactive Whiteboards
I like having a white board. I like being able to shine a projector on the white board and then sketching on top of it. Yes, it's less fancy. However, it's multifunctional and I can write on anything without having to change settings, save pictures to a folder, etc. Yes, but one can save a flip chart! True. However, one can also take a quick snapshot of a whiteboard and post it to a blog.

#8: Complicated Remote Controls
I have never, in the process of channel surfing, decided that it would be great to adjust the color contrast, change the sleep function and set the time. It seems like these options ought to be part of a single menu from a single menu button. It's the classic case of offering too many choices when a set of numbers, a volume changer and an up/down button would suffice.

#9: Digital Speedometers
I once had a car with a digital speedometer and it constantly flickered between two numbers. I'd rather gauge my speed quickly and move on.

#10: Thermostat
When I was a kid (back in the days of the Oregon Trail, Culture Club and Trickle-down Economics) the thermostat was simple. One could turn the nob to the exact place. From a design perspective, I wonder if we've made a mistake in replacing knobs with buttons. The knob is faster and more intuitive.

Okay, that's enough. I promise that I'm not always such a curmudgeon.

Using Technology to Organize Your Lessons and Resources

2011-12-07T08:13:00.001-05:00

by David Andrade, http://tinyurl.com/edtechguy

I haven't posted on Teach Paperless for quite a while, but I thought that this article would fit in nicely with the paperless theme and specifically on organizing lesson plans without paper. Like Shelley, I try to have a paperless classroom. Not all my students have smart phones, and I only have 7 student computers, but I've eliminated as much paper as possible. Here's how I organize my lesson plans without paper.

Technology is a wonderful thing. I've been lucky in that my father, a chemist, and my mother, an elementary teacher, both realized that my siblings and I should be exposed to technology early on. I was using a TRS-80 computer in 7th grade (1986-87) and my parents bought us a Radio Shack Color Computer that same year. I took BASIC in high school, using Apple IIe's and then went off to college and majored in Engineering and was an Engineer for 10 years before becoming an educator. I used technology all the time. I started using a PDA in 2000 (Palm IIIxe) and continued on to other PDAs and now smartphones. This early and deep exposure to technology has made it very easy for me to integrate technology into my practice as an educator.

I rarely carry anything home from school because of these tech tools. Administrators ask to see my lesson plans and they are all on the computer. Another teacher asked me how I do this, so after showing them, I thought I'd share it with my readers.

I use a few different tech tools to organize my lessons and resources for school and use a variety of tech tools on a daily basis. Here is the list, with what I use them for. Click the hyperlinks for more information and details on the tool and how to use it.

1. Evernote - Evernote is my main lesson and resource organizational tool. I have notebooks setup for lesson plans and lesson resources, along with notebooks for things to do, things to research, and things to share. My lesson plan notes are set up by unit and have the objectives, links, resources, and attached files (like handouts and lab packets). I also have notes setup by week that I use to keep track of where each class is and to schedule my plans out. I can easily share resources and information with my students or colleagues.

2. Dropbox - I don't have every single file I use for my lessons on Evernote. Some of the materials, including videos and animations, are too big to upload to Evernote. I have all of my files on my home computer backed up to Dropbox, and then I sync the "School" folder to my school computer. This folder has resources, lecture materials, videos, and much more for each unit. I can also put files into a shared folder and share them with my students and colleagues. I also have students submit work to me to a Dropbox folder using Filestork and DropItToMe.

3. Google - Google is my other main organizational tool. I use iGoogle, Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Docs and Blogger to organize my lesson materials and other resources, including my calendar. I use Blogger to create class blogs where I post their lesson schedule, assignments, and due dates, along with resources and links. I can share my calendar with students also. I also have files uploaded to my Google Docs account and use Google Docs to create lesson resources. I can then share or publish these documents, presentations, or spreadsheets for my students or colleagues to use. I also use Google sites for a class site that includes resources, files and links for both the students and myself.

Google for Educators - Resources for using Google in school

4. PowerPoint - I started organizing my lessons with PowerPoints when I used more lecture in my classrooms. I've moved to about 75% student centered learning now with projects, labs, and activities but PowerPoint can be used to organize lessons. Objectives, lecture slides, links to labs and other resources, embedded videos, and much more. I could just mark in my calendar what slide a class was on. That slide may be lecture notes, an assignment, a lab, or a quiz. I don't use this much anymore because I have my lesson plans organized in Evernote.

These are just some ways to organize your lesson plans and resources.

Other tech tools to organize lessons:

Learnboost-online gradebook and lesson planner - announces lesson plan sharing

Discovery Education - lesson planner and integrated lesson planning in your account

Related Articles:

Unfettered by Stuff - or "Why I don't lug stuff home every night"

Evernote - Get Organized for Free on All Platforms

My History with Technology

What tools do you use to organize your lessons?

Do Not Believe Me

2011-12-06T13:07:00.001-05:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

To the best of my ability I will paraphrase what was a conversation I had not long ago with a district supervisor who asked me for data demonstrating how 21st century teaching methods produced measurable results.

I asked him what sort of pedagogy he was referring to. He responded, "21st century methods".

I told him that while I could not speak for the whole of 21st century thought on teaching and learning, I'd be happy to explain my findings based on my own experience. He thought this was reasonable.

"So where were your students in terms of testing when you started?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean, I never made that measurement."

"But then, how did you measure the progress your students made?"

"I asked them," I replied.

"What do you mean you asked them?"

"I asked them. We talked about their learning all of the time. And we talked about their background. And what it was like to be a student. And we talked about whether they felt like they could tell when they really learned something or not. Real phenomenological stuff. And we tried different things to help us learn better in light of these conversations. Sometimes I came up with these ideas, sometimes the kids came up with the ideas. Sometimes things seemed to work, sometimes they didn't. Sometimes things we'd thought worked turned out later to not have worked so well. And sometimes things which in the moment we thought were useless turned out being rather helpful."

"But how do you measure whether or not those things work?"

"Well, only by indirect means. In other words, by thinking about the value and relevance of exploration and inquiry to our community of learners rather than try to adhere to any objective of measurement defined by something out there that ostensibly defines an ideal of learning that applies to everyone all at the same time."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that if the sight of a mountain compels you to climb it, it really doesn't matter how many feet tall it is."

We've spoken of education for so long as though it is representative of an objective academic truth that we've missed the fact that for the majority of human history it was a matter of survival. A matter of love. A matter of inspiration and compulsion. As often a matter of the irrational as the rational.

The best advice I can give to anyone who reads this blog is to not believe any of it; rather, if you want to see if social tech and inquiry based education works -- and whether you will get results you can measure in one way or another -- just try some of the things we've talked about and debated over the last nearly three years. Even better, just get into the mindset of the debate -- whether you agree with me or not. Try things out. Maybe they'll work for you, maybe not; hopefully, one way or the other, it will inspire you to consider that there may not be any objectively "best" practices, only your communities' own best findings in any practice. Of course, within the context of social tech, this may mean something much more than what at first it may appear to mean.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Do Not Believe Me

Fenway Park or the AstroDome?

2011-11-30T08:24:00.003-05:00

by John T. Spencer

I'm at a conference, listening to a technophile gush about the latest available tools that schools need to quit blocking.

"What's relevant to kids these days?"

"Facebook," the audience cries out in unison.

"See, you know it. I know it. What's relevant for the students? Let the kids use Facebook. Get them on Twitter. Find the tools that they use in life."

I have serious concerns with Facebook, ranging from privacy to data mining. However, I'm much more concerned with the obsession with relevance and the blind embrace of technology, regardless of context.

* * *

The Astrodome was the most relevant stadium of its time. With the largest JumboTron, the trendiest color choice and a very modern, symmetrical design, it embodied the Space Age. It was the most technologically-driven. It was the anti-Fenway. It was the ball park of the future. It was relevant.

It wasn't developed with the purpose of baseball in mind, though. A simple foul ball nearly blinded the players, so they had to paint the ceiling tiles, which killed the grass, which led to Astro Turf. Astro Turf was relevant. It was Space Age technology. It made sense. Except it looked ugly and it meant a diving catch could end a career.

The stadium, once relevant, became a joke.

So, I think of lesson design. I'm not interested in relevant. I'm not looking for the trendiest tools. I'm not out to find the latest research from a collage artist like Marzano. I'm not peppering my lessons with the latest pop culture references to prove just how insanely hip I am (not that hip if I use hip, unless I'm a hipster using hip ironically).

Remember Carmen San Diego? Remember Lazer Discs? Remember WebQuests? Remember how all of those relevant technologies were going to transform learning?

Fenway gets it right. The stadium was designed to fit the community, which explains the quirky field dimensions and why it continues to be one of the most creative designs in baseball. It was designed to fit the game of baseball, which is why it's so classic.

I want to teach more like Fenway and less like the Astrodome. Or better yet, I want my teaching to be a hybrid ballpark like San Francisco, where there are still new innovations in structure and design (no one's staring at a pole like they do in Fenway), but a clear embrace of the context, the community and the classic ideas. I want to start with meaning and purpose rather than relevance. And the crazy part? When I start with purpose, students often find it relevant to their lives.

iPads in Schools

2011-11-26T14:37:00.001-05:00

Quick question for the crowd:

Anyone know a ballpark figure for how many iPads are in schools?

I'm working on a project I'm sure I'll be blogging about before long and need this number for part of it. It is proving more difficult to determine than I originally thought. Whether they are 1:1 or iPad carts doesn't mater.

Black Friday Thoughts

2011-11-25T10:36:00.001-05:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

Sitting around in my in-law's living room after a nice Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends, my wife and I were talking to her brother and his wife. They have two small boys and were telling us about how much the kids loved one of the slapstick skits in the original "Singing in the Rain". They originally came upon it on YouTube after watching the movie and being completely amazed by the skit; they pull it up on the iPhone and laugh and roll and tumble. Toddlers being into slapstick is nothing new. Toddlers (or any of us) being able to tap into the collective memory of film culture at any moment via a handheld device... that's something else (and yet we so take it for granted now).

My brother-in-law commented that one of the most amazing things about technology these days is the ability to find and share whatever is on your mind. And it is not just thanks to the technology, but thanks to folks who have engaged with the technology in all of the weird ways that people engage with things. For instance, we had been playing a game involving a wooden maze and a metal ball. You control the ball by using levers to tilt the base of the maze. It is infuriatingly difficult. My father-in-law, humorously exasperated, said that it was impossible. A quick scan of YouTube via iPhone showed a dozen clips of folks finishing the maze -- one of whom completed the whole thing in about 20 seconds. My brother-in-law's response: "Of course it's on YouTube."

In a sense, YouTube provides evidence for human capacity.

On Thanksgiving morning, my daughter was helping my wife bake bread and my sons were rapt in a Minecraft-induced trance. From out of the dining room, one of the boys called: "How do you make a chair?" My wife didn't follow: "What do you mean?" He replied: "How do you make a chair in Minecraft?" She: "Don't know; maybe try YouTube?" Sure enough, within 30 seconds he found a (very dry, but useful) tutorial on how to build a chair in Minecraft.

My daughter, meanwhile, wanted to know the proper pronunciation of "lingonberry" and she trusted neither my wife nor myself when it came to Scandinavian berries. Where did she turn? Guess.

The point it that we've all got questions. Sometimes they are the big questions. Sometimes they are the "how do you pronounce the name of this berry we picked up at Ikea?" type of question. More than anything else, the net offers us a shared space where we can choose to turn with our inquiry when mom and dad don't do the trick. I myself have found myself over the past week looking up info on everything from questions about finance to questions about gall bladders to questions about Kevin McHale's best season for the Celtics. Answers came in a range of qualities, and many pointed to more questions; but that's the nature of all of this stuff -- and as the web represents people, it represents the way people have always dealt with questions; it's just that now you have access to the questions of everybody all at once -- and everybody else does too. Hello, everybody.

I often hear educators say things like: "Change will not happen overnight, but it will happen." And I know they have the best intentions in expressing such sentiments. But the fact is that change already happened. And most schools missed it. It's not that they are going to eventually change. It's that they missed the boat. It left the port. And they are still standing on the dock.

Why didn't they get on the boat?

Well, one reason has to do with the fact that lots of ed tech in the 80s and 90s sucked. I hate to be so blunt, but as a child of the 80s, I can testify from a kid's point of view as to the suckiness. As a nine year old, I was making my own games that were leagues beyond the games they forced us to play in school. And so, between the exorbitant cost of quickly-obsolete hardware and the pedestrian nature of most of the software of the time marketed to "change education", I totally understand why so many educators are gun-shy of anything tech.

I'd be wary of any veteran teacher who wasn't. We talk about "buy in" and to any savvy veteran, that may be exactly the problem.

Ed tech started out like the Titanic. A big hype was made about it, it cost a bundle, it marketed itself as the future, and it failed big time.

But the commercial cruise industry didn't end because the Titanic went down. The commercial cruise industry learned from the mistakes of the Titanic. Technology progressed and the commercial cruise industry kept up with the progress and the ways ships were built, the ways they were navigated, the safety measures involved -- all that changed as well. And as time went by, cruise ships became mainstreamed and for the most part the worst we had to suffer through when it came to cruise ships was syndication of The Love Boat.

Likewise, the best in ed tech has progressed with the times and now engages the social and the mobile; it's lean and handles both personalization and collaboration. Interestingly, some of the most important tools in education were never intended for primarily an education mindset -- Twitter perhaps being the boldest example. And sure, we still have plenty of ed tech that is on par with The Love Boat, but that's to be expected; there is always going to be a lot of crap out there (nothing against Captain Stubing). It's up to astute and educated educators to be able to distinguish between the quality of one and two.

And so, my family and I know how to say "lingonberry" and we get to share funny clips from old movies and we get to learn how to make stuff with the help (very dry) strangers have offered online for no reason other than that someone might come inquiring about such a thing sometime.

And taken separately, these seem like minor things. But taken together, and understood in the context of the great big connected picture, these are connected instances of inquiry. And if nothing else, our connected technological context has laid down the framework for a golden age of inquiry.

The ship left the dock. Some time ago this might have meant you'd either need someone with a speed-dingy or you were just going to have to get into fishing. Nowadays there is another option -- the network itself. It is extending ropes out to you. If you really need it, it'll send a Coast Guard helicopter to pick you up. Just say you want to take part. Say you've got questions. And rather than dwell on the marketed promises and predicted failures of the past, think about how the context of the present matters to you now... and think about how it matters to your students.

This Black Friday, don't "buy in" -- just engage.

The Wikipedia Dilemma

2011-11-24T16:42:00.006-05:00

By Noah Geisel

This school year, millions of students will participate in the time-honored tradition of writing research papers. They will formulate a thesis statement and seek out evidence from reliable sources that supports their claims. In recent years, this seemingly straightforward premise has been complicated by the definition of what constitutes reliable sources.

Some of these students will be told by their skeptical instructors that they may not use any information found on the web. I worry about the sustainability of this approach as newspaper, magazine and traditional book publishing are dwindling and some libraries are moving toward closing their stacks altogether.

Many more students will be told that Wikipedia is not a reliable source. For some, this is a no-brainer while for others it is a travesty. The key question in this debate has nothing to do with Wikipedia or any other source. What we need to be asking ourselves is: What is the point of the research paper? Five, fifteen and fifty years from now, do we want students to know the information they learned from their research topics or is the real value in what future graduates will be able to do, namely seek out information, evaluate it for relevance and accuracy and, ultimately, analyze and synthesize it in order to make an informed argument? If you are in the former camp, you can stop reading now and skip down to comments section to tell me how foolish I am.

For those of us in the latter camp, I believe we need to re-think our approach to defining reliable sources. We need to ask ourselves if we are doing students any favors by compartmentalizing for them which sources are authoritative and reliable and which are not. Even if we coach our students to steer clear of Wikipedia, fringe media and news sources they have never heard of, we are not shielding them from seizing on erroneous information. Three examples:

1. Investigative journalism found in such mainstream sources as The New Republic, Harper’s and Rolling Stone may safely be considered reliable. If you are going to tell your students what is and is not reliable however, just make sure they avoid articles written for these magazines by Stephen Glass, who was fired from them all in 1998 when it was found that he had fabricated all or parts of dozens of stories on topics as important as the Clinton White House and the D.A.R.E. program.

2. For a few hours one morning last March, many were duped into believing that Cheif Justice Roberts was resigning from the Supreme Court. Georgetown Law professor Peter Tague, an indisputably authoritative source, assured his class that he had inside information that Roberts would be resigning and within minutes the news had been picked up by a number of “reliable” news organizations, based on the students' tweets and FB updates. Thirty minutes later, Tague revealed to his students that it was a prank intended to show them that even reliable sources could disseminate inaccurate information.

3. While eating at a chain restaurant last summer, my friend at the head of the table had a different tip total everyone needed to chip in than I did. I asked him to double-check his math but he smugly pointed to the tip calculator printed at the bottom of the receipt and boasted that the computer had already done the math for him. Five people then pulled out their cell phones and jaws dropped as we discovered that the tip calculator was not a reliable source. The 18% calculation was actually over 25%.

A teacher’s blanket assertion that Wikipedia and other web-based sources are not reliable is troubling as it falls prey to the very trap we want our students avoid: not thinking for themselves. Clive Thompson has an article in this month’s issue of Wired in which he presents research suggesting that students today are not effective at searching for information. He minces no words in assessing the problem: “...the ability to judge information is almost never taught in school.”

It is essential that as we prepare students for post-secondary success in the 21st Century, we use the research paper as an opportunity to teach critical thinking skills not only in employing sources to support their opinions but in evaluating the sources. In the case of Wikipedia, there are plenty of academic entries that have been compiled by reliable sources and peer reviewed for accuracy. These should be fair game as sources. The answer to the Wikipedia Dilemma is not in telling students where they should and should not look for information but in equipping them with the skills needed to exercise due diligence in assessing the reliability of their sources.

One solution specific to the Wikipedia Dilemma that may make everyone happy could be the introduction of a new protocol for annotated bibliographies. If students choose to cite a Wikipedia entry, they would also be expected to sub-cite the information by seeking the original source of a specific claim in the References at the bottom of the page and stating how they had verified it for reliability.

Shift Happens: From "Wrong" to "Wrong Context"

2011-11-23T11:13:00.003-05:00

by John T. Spencer - cross-posted from Education Rethink

binomial nomenclature has its place -- in the right context

My mentor looked at me cautiously and said, "John, you're not going to like hearing this, but No Child Left Behind wasn't evil. It was misguided. It was unwise, but there were some good things that came out of it."

"What do you mean?"

"You can disagree with the methods used. They were horrible. You can disagree with the approach. It needs to be changed. But I remember hearing teachers say things like 'that kid won't make it anyway' or 'you can't expect these kids to read at grade level.' In some schools, it was a wake-up call."

"We're being tested to death."

"I agree with you. But I was in those schools before and after and the results have been mixed. There were some teachers with a really low view of what urban students were capable of accomplishing."

She went on to explain the down side of standardized tests, the arrogance of some of the powerful elite and the failure to understand the context. But she also reminded me that many of the kill-and-drill proponents are misguided and unwise, but not altogether wrong in their motives.

"I've met some of those people and it might be hard to believe, but sometimes it's an issue of good people with good ideas with big blind spots."

* * *

It's unpopular in the polemic world of edublogging to step out and say, "Maybe the enemy isn't so much an enemy as much as a misguided protagonist." But I wonder if maybe the real issue in education reform isn't that people are following wrong ideas as often as they are using good ideas, strategies and methods in the wrong context.

The following is a list of things that I've railed against and labeled as wrong when the truth is they each have a place in the right context:

Rewards: Daniel Pink does a great job describing the few situations where a reward works. If it's short-term and the task is very basic and not necessarily intrinsically rewarding. For example, I hate to mow the yard, yet I have an easier time mowing it if I can promise myself a half hour of reading time afterward.
Multiple Choice Tests: The biggest failure in multiple choice is that it's being used in the wrong context. We use the tests to judge rather than inform. Finland uses multiple choice tests as an exit exam to determine larger trends in education. True, the tests are far from perfect, but they are decent at demonstrating reliably the larger trends in what needs to be changed.
District Office Personell: I've ripped the D.O. in the past. I've mentioned why their jobs are useless. What I'm growing to understand is that they are often qualified people with great ideas, but they are placed in a context of compliance rather than leadership.
PLC: I hated the concept when I saw it in action at my first school. (I mocked it for sounding like a drug - alongside PCP or LSD) Last year, however, I experienced a true Professional Learning Community with shared values, transparency and an intentional focus on providing meaningful intervention. It was all about the context.
Politicians: My students had a chance to get to know a few legislators. What we found were people who genuinely believed in what they were doing and wanted to make a difference. The context of a broken system had curtailed their idealism and forced them into a place of either legislative impotence or bargaining against their beliefs.
Lectures: I used to blast lectures. Then I heard a great sermon, I watched some amazing TED and I took the time to sit down and truly listen to the "I Have a Dream" speech. Talks and I realized that lecture had a place. We need stories. We need speeches. The issue is context. How often do we use lecture and where does this strategy belong?
Merit Pay: It's not a bad idea if a job is based upon economic norms. However, in a social context with people who are driven by a desire to educate rather than make shiny objects, it is a colossal failure. The issue isn't the idea. It's the context.
Home-schooling: When I first began blogging, I blasted home-schooling and un-schooling. Then I met people who had created an amazing context where authentic learning was happening. (The same goes for those who are quick to attack public school teachers as thieves, Nazis, slave-drivers or child-abusers)
Edublog Awards: I recently wrote a post that was critical of these awards. The truth is that they do a great job promoting awareness among the blogging community. The problem is the context. It's a bad "place" for me to be when I'm in what feels like a hyper-competitive environment.
Common Assessments: There is a real value in sharing data, planning together and creating assessments that are shared across a grade level. The problem is when they are top-down, hierarchical and based upon a multiple-choice framework.

I could continue the list, but you get the idea. None of those are wrong. The real issue is the context. However, when I attack ideas rather than the context of implementation, I grow close-minded. I miss the nuance and the paradox. I fail to build bridges with the misguided protagonists. And most of all, I fail to see how often I am the misguided protagonist, bumbling through a Don Quixote world of education.

1:1 in your pocket

2011-11-18T16:49:00.001-05:00

So a post on the Android and Me blog about the prototype Cotton Candy, what amounts to an Android flash drive that turns any screen into a computer, intrigued me today. Interesting features is that it works on any screen or device, both Windows and OSX, and works with bluetooth. By the way the price of Cotton Candy is expected to be around $200. But this part moves it beyond cool to perhaps a gamechanger:

"The current device runs Android 2.3, but Borgar also mentions that there’s no limitations to the OS. You could install Ubuntu Linux on this device, as well as the ARM version of Windows 8, once it is available.

The possibilities are endless, and devices like this could turn computing into a whole different universe. You could simply carry this little thing around, and instead of actual computers, schools and businesses could simply set up monitors. The company/organization would save money on PC components, while the user would be able to keep all his information with him, wherever he may be."

So what if going 1:1 just meant buying some screens? Schools could provide the wifi infrastructure and monitors/screens of different types for students to plug in their customized drive.

My school has found great results out of these collaboration centers that allow 4 students to hook up to one screen. Students enjoy using them and the groups that do have better projects because they are truly working together instead of each person lost in their own screen.

So what do you think? Does this type of device have the potential to truly bring 1:1 to all schools? Is this legitimate or do you see some drawbacks?

by Mike Kaechele

What Do We Mean By Twenty-First Century?

2011-11-17T14:22:00.002-05:00

John T. Spencer

a video I created to help people see it goes beyond computers

I'm nervous about the term 21st Century Learning. Then again, I cringe at the phrase "flipped classroom" (sounds a bit like watered-down Constructivism to me).

However, in our district, we have a 21st Century Classroom initiative that blends a different style of teaching, access to a variety of devices (iPods, iPads, netbooks, Macbooks), professional development and coaching.

And yet . . .

Shareholders often see 21st Century in terms of access to technology tools rather than access to knowledge, to the world, to new ways of thinking and new ways of expressing one's self. It's about changing contexts in a changing world. It's not about the latest apps but rather how students are applying those apps to the acquisition of wisdom.

Classrooms and The Web of Things

2011-11-14T08:33:00.001-05:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

There has been talk recently about the "Web of Things" -- cars that communicate problems to the Cloud or refrigerators that keep inventories and schedule replenishments.

What will constitute the "Web of Things" in the classroom of the future? Backpacks that take inventory to make sure students are prepared for school each morning? Surface based tables and desks that differentiate instruction to students?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. And feel free to go way outside the box... this is a
little bit of brainstorming about the impossible.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Conferences

2011-11-09T19:56:00.001-05:00

by Mike Kaechele

Just a quick note about the teacher conferences that I went to for my own children. Last year my son was in a pilot class that got to use iPod touches. This year they get nothing. How does a student go from using technology as a learning tool to not getting access? Not very well.

My son loves science and hands on learning. This year he has done very little of it. They just started science this past week and will not start social studies until second semester. Why? The teacher said it was because the district mandates only math and ELA until after the MEAP (our state standardized test).

I mentioned that ELA in particular could be learned in the context of science and social studies since it is skills based. The teacher didn't seem to like my suggestions and got a bit defensive. (Yeah, I'm that parent).

How do you all advocate for your own children's quality of education effectively?

Call for Ideas

2011-11-05T10:30:00.000-04:00

Is there something you have been wanting and wishing for but haven't been able to find anywhere or the solutions are inadequate?

Next weekend (November 12-13th) nearly 100 programmers and designers will be getting together at Digital Harbor High School in a marathon Education Hack Day. Each team will have programmers, designers, and at least one teacher. This is your chance now to get an idea on the table.

Please SUBMIT ideas by clicking on the link below and sharing a brief description. If your idea is picked up by a team you will be contacted, involved in the process, and rewarded for your contributions!

You can also simply go and vote on ideas that have already been submitted.

Crossing the Digital Divide

2011-11-03T15:55:00.001-04:00

Says Blake-Plock, "The question is not whether we can get an iPod into every kid's hand. It's whether communities can leverage the capacity of networks to make learning more authentic and powerful for students."

Spoke with Edutopia not long ago about the evolution taking place in the nature of the digital divide. Click on over to their site and check it out along with a series of articles on inclusion and accessibility.

The Problem Is Older Than the Factory

2011-11-01T23:13:00.002-04:00

by John T. Spencer

"Dad, if ants are so strong why can't we just make really big machines that are built like ants and can carry heavy stuff for us?" Joel asks me.

Being a first-grader, I struggle with how to teach the difficulty of scalability.

"Sometimes things that work in small spaces don't work when they get too big," I tell him.

"Show me," he dares.

So we build a small Lego structure that works wonderfully as at four inches tall. However when we attempt to create a human-size version it collapses.

"That's the problem," I tell him.

I don't get into the formulas involved, but he's able to grasp in a very tangible way that small things when scaled to larger spaces don't always function as well.

* * *

I've been re-reading Socrates lately. I find it interesting that the same man (presumably) who had engaged in critical dialogue within the public realm had concocted a militaristic, standardized, heavy-handed, prescriptive solution for education. When I re-read The Republic, I am struck by how benign Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind seem.

It would be easy to condemn The Republic as a dystopian fantasy for an ideal society based upon coercion and social conditioning. However, it seems to me that Socrates crafted his vision for Athens based upon what worked for Sparta. The real issue isn't that it was bad ideology (which, in my pseudo-libertarian worldview, I see as a truth) but that it didn't fit the context of Athens.

As much of a genius as Socrates was, he failed to grasp the reality of context, models and scalability. He assumed that what worked with one type of person or one local politic would transfer trans-geographically to a new context without any hiccups.

This has me thinking that the real issue might not be factory education and the real solution might not be as simple as applying home-school, unschool, charter school, private school, Waldorf, Montessori, KIPP, PLC, BYOD or LSD across the spectrum. It's why, as amazing as Finland may be, I don't think the solution will be to copy them, either. We can rail about industrial education, but culprit has less to do with the factory model as much as the reality that the model was applied top-down to all public schools while ignoring the sense of nuance, paradox and context implicit in every educational experience.

The real issue goes further back than the factory and probably further back than Socrates. It's the idea of enforcing one idea, one system and one model across the board and assuming that it will work. It's not so much the problem of one-size-fits-all (in a true one-size-fits-all there is room within the fitting for customization) but a one-fit-sizes-all where the "fit" is used to size up every person, place and institution that doesn't conform to a particular standard.

The real issue is arrogance*.

When I think of where to go with educational reform, I look again at Socrates - though not so much in his grandiose dream of an educational utopia. Instead, I yearn for the Socrates of the street or of Jesus or of any other rabble-rouser who began with humility, with questions and with the notion that challenging social norms through real dialogue is the only way that sustainable social change will occur.

*And I've often been the one laying out grand plans for what I think works in education.

Measurable Success

2011-11-01T21:04:00.000-04:00

by Mike Kaechele

We had our first parent/teacher conferences at our new school last week (project based learning). I had great discussions with parents regarding standards based grading. No one has any issues when there is opportunity to "fix" any grade that is not up to their standards.

But the thing that stood out to me overall about the conferences was how happy parents and students are with our school. We have a diverse group of 100 students including previously successful students who see our school as a place to stretch their independent wings and go deep into curriculum. On the other hand we have students with labels such as ELL, EI, and ADHD with IEP's who have struggled greatly in the past. We have students receiving professional help for depression and related issues. We have students who have lots of experience with suspensions and even have been expelled previously. We have students that I am confident would end up in "alternative ed" or just drop out if they stayed in a traditional school.

by Leo Reynolds

If you just looked at "grades" you would see that some of these students are "failing" at this time. But when you talk to a parent who has been at their wits' end with their child and they say my daughter/son likes being here and is doing so much better than last year you realize that all of our students are "succeeding."

Every student may not reach grade level reading, pass every class, or receive exemplary scores on the state mandated test. Some one somewhere may label them a "failure." But I know that our students belong to our school family and are growing in ways that matter even if it isn't measured in a grade program or on a test.

BYOC: Bring Your Own Context

2011-10-26T16:24:00.002-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

A lot of discussion recently over the pros and cons of BYOD -- Bring Your Own Device. Some folks have been quite adamantly in favor or against.

For all the hub-bub, I think it's worth thinking about devices not just in relation to what kids do with them in the classroom, but rather how they relate to the connection those devices represent for them in the real world.

Fact is that we are living in a time -- not unlike those previous -- when one device will not do it all.

Context is the key.

If I am processing audio, I want to be on a Mac. If I am tweeting on the bus, I want to be on a smartphone. If I am reading the news, I want to kick back with a tablet. If I am learning a new language, my iPod will do just fine.

Does this make life more difficult when you are trying to find a "solution" for you school? Yes. Technology is not making life easier.

Again, context is the key.

Personally, I don't think that forcing a "school standard" will change the fact that for a lot of people, the smartphone represents their connection to the Internet.

Nor is giving me a laptop going to change the fact that I personally read better on an iPad. Nor is giving me an iPad going to change the fact that I type better on a laptop.

There is no "one device".

So why do schools pretend they can provide it?

My wife loves Android. I'm waiting for Windows 8. Fortunately, we can make decisions to experience technology in the way that is most conducive to the way each of us work. So, I can't afford a new fancy Mac to do high-end video, but luckily there is a community center in town that offers time on theirs. I take my iPad to the library, but when I want to do some heavy writing, I use the desktop PCs they have there running OpenOffice. In other words, between what we can provide and what the community can provide, we have a range of options for using devices to do what we need to.

Maybe instead of trying to find the "device" or the "solution", we should step back and think about our role in schools to provide a range of computing experiences -- and to allow kids to bring a range of computing experiences with them. This after all is fundamentally what a school is meant to do: provide a range of learning experiences and accept that kids bring a range of experiences with them.

One of the biggest failures of 1:1 computing in education is school's inability to understand that there is a difference between having a machine and having a lifestyle device.

One of the biggest potential failures of BYOD is thinking that kids can provide equity on their own.

My own approach as a decision maker would probably be to strike a balance whereby the school would provide machines capable of handling the task at hand and the students are allowed to bring their own devices to complement the tech infrastructure.

We need to integrate both into a learning experience.

We need a range of devices to handle a range of problems and provide a range of opportunities.

Going hard one way or the other -- for or against BYOD -- is missing the reality of the way most of us actually compute, and missing a chance to leverage the context in the way we and our students actually understand and relate to technology.

In reality, this isn't about BYOD, it's about BYOC -- Bring Your Own Context.

1000 Posts

2011-10-25T18:15:00.001-04:00

Somewhere over the last couple days, we published our 1000th blog post here on TeachPaperless.

I'd just like to say that I have really enjoyed and appreciated the variety of forms both in terms of writing and philosophy that have taken to these pages since the blog became a community-created endeavor back in January of this year. Thank you to all of the writers, contributors, commenters, and readers who have -- in my mind -- made TeachPaperless the special thing that it is.

Looking forward to 1000 more.

- Shelly

From a PLN to a Guild

2011-10-20T23:30:00.002-04:00

by John T. Spencer

I had a lengthy Twitter instant message conversation with Russ Goerend. We talked about hard issues of desires for teaching, reform in our classroom and burnout. It was a time of vulnerability for both of us. On other nights, we might have talked theory or exchanged instructional ideas. But tonight we were both needing a conversation about the parts of teaching that aren't mentioned in the staff lounge or a PLC meeting.

A few nights ago, I "met" via Google chat with Gregory Hill. Again, the conversation pingponged between teaching and life and the sense of hope and crushed hope that we both experience at different times. On Saturday I met with Robert Greco. We had had coffee and shared stories, geeked out about teaching and society and spoke honestly about what it's like to be a dad. A few nights before that, I Skyped with Jeff Russell. While the focus was on filming student documentaries, he had a chance to see my kids misbehave and my response to him. I felt embarrassed, but he was gracious.

The day before that, I sent some books out to David Loitz, read an amazing post by Justin Stortz and heard some of the best push-back and compliments I've ever gotten by Chad Sansing. That same day, I had a very geeky, intellectual, honest conversation with Shelly Blake-Plock and a long Twitter conversation with William Chamberlain and Michael Kaechele.

If you had caught me on a different week, I would have been interacting with David Wees, Jabiz Raisdana, Jerrid Kruse, Shelly Terrell, Michael Doyle, Angela Watson, Mary Beth Hertz, Stephen Davis or Jose Vilson.

At this point, my entire post could easily feel like a long list of names. However, for me, these are the people who have kept me teaching, writing and thinking when I was nearing a place of burnout. It's a bigger list than I had ever imagined. I am, too a large extent, an introvert. I tend to hang out with Javi the Hippie and Quinn the Business Bohemian.

I've written before about PLNs. I've created sketchy videos to explain how a PLN works.

And yet . . .

I'm not looking for something that works. Not when I have somewhere that I belong. I have a loose band of online friends (many of whom are not mentioned in this post) who offer ideas, ask questions, share stories and, most of all, allow me to be myself. I have a non-geographic place that transcends any medium and it is in this place that I can not only be transparent, but also vulnerable.

So, when I search for a metaphor regarding this space, I'm most likely to think of it as a guild. It is a place where I am known as a whole person engaged in a challenging, meaningful vocation. It is a place where I can share ideas on my craft, tell stories from the classroom and make sense out of my struggles. It is a group that I trust who will fight for me against the forces of apathy, insecurity and standardization that so often derail me as a professional.

Ideally we would all live in a physical community. Then again, ideally I would ride a unicorn to work and instead of a stress ball at work, Carol King and Samuel Beam would stand by my desk and each offer their own singer-songwriter melodies. However, we live in an urbanized, fragmented, compartmentalized world. We can allow emerging technologies to push us toward amusement and fragmentations or we can form a guild and share our lives.

* * *

Note: For the rest of this week and all of next week, you can buy any of my books for one dollar. You can get all five of them for a price of a venti latte. Oh, you'd rather have that venti latte? Okay, I don't blame you entirely.

Troubleshooting Tips

2011-10-20T20:51:00.004-04:00

By Steve Katz

In the ed tech office we often get teachers coming in with computer problems that are solved with some very basic troubleshooting tips. I created this document (in the form of a certificate) with the hope of helping teachers to learn the most basic troubleshooting. I created it as a certificate thinking that people might be more inclined to post it on the wall and refer to it. Please feel free to share the document.

Download the full-size Certificate

Cross posted on my blog.

The Real Public Media

2011-10-19T10:37:00.000-04:00

by John T. Spencer

The Radio

"They seem to lack a unified message."

Really? I heard that phrase twelve times over the course of two mornings on NPR, which implies that unity can only occur through a set of specific talking points and a hierarchal structure. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of democracy, social media and what a grassroots movement is all about.

I'm not a reporter. I get that. But I noticed quite a few signs with words written on them. After reading the words, I noticed people were angry about the bailouts, angry about the corporate take-over of public institutions, upset about the Supreme Court allowing corporations to be treated as people. Sounds to me like a unified message that there is an oligopoly, plutocracy and kleptocracy running America.

Then again, I'm not a "real" journalist.

At one point, a reporter (not someone being interviewed) said, "they haven't seemed to figure out why they are protesting." I've never known anyone who protests just for the hell of it. I doubt anyone said, "Dude, there's gonna be awesome bongo drums. I don't care about why we're protesting. I'll risk being arrested because those bongo drums, my God, they sound great."

The Take-Home

I still like PBS and NPR (someday I'm going to meet Terri Gross in person). However, I need to remember that while they might be the best of mainstream media, they still pale in comparison to the real public media. We are in a new era where information is instantly accesible. Who covered the Occupy Wall Street protests first? (Or for that matter, who paid attention to the Tea Party first?) Who video-taped police beating folks who were exercising their First Amendment rights? Who covered and helped produce the Arab Spring movements?

The Occupy Wall Street movement is proving that the public is the true public media. We are the citizen-journalists. What this means for teachers is that if we want true social studies, we need to teach students to think well about civics and social justice. Students need to move beyond memorizing facts and into the bigger issues of understanding context, distinguishing between facts and opinions, analyzing language, reporting accurately, expressing one's voice respectfully and understanding the bias of both the medium and the message.

Mobile devices have created the Pocket Journalist, where students can access, create, mix and analyze information as it is happening. I can complain about the bias in public media, but my time is better spent helping develop a more informed, accurate and meaningful public media within my own context of the public education system.

* * *

#OWS Consensus

2011-10-17T19:45:00.000-04:00

by Mike Kaechele
Stumbled on this in Google+ from Benjamin Wilkoff about the consensus process being used at Occupy Wall Street.

This has potential for so many questions and discussion topics with students.

What is actual democracy?
Is the current government of the United States a democracy?
Whose voice is most important in an democracy?
For PBL it is a great example of how student groups should function.
What are the weaknesses of this form of government?
Does this scale to a national level and what would that look like?
How can we make sure more opinions are heard and given a true seat at the table before decisions are made?
How can we implement the consensus model in schools?
How could the consensus model be used in your classroom?
How could the consensus model be used with students in curriculum planning and design?

What would you add?

Paperless Coaster

2011-10-13T20:56:00.002-04:00

By Steve Katz

Unfortunately, hard drives don't last forever. But you can keep using them. Here is my friend Kevin's external hard drive shortly after it died.

I love opening electronic equipment after it no longer is in use, so that's what I did with the hard drive. I left it sitting on my desk after opening it. I started using it as a coaster for my coffee cup.

A few days later I came across some of those rubber footpads that are used to keep things from scratching up your table. I stuck four of those to the bottom to keep my "coaster" from scratching my desk.

Reduce, reuse, recycle.

Originally posted on my blog.

A Prediction: What Platform Will Be Running on the Tablets in Your Classes?

2011-10-12T15:29:00.000-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

Windows.

That's my prediction. Here's my rationale: Windows 8 has been designed especially for touchscreen computing. Windows is the overwhelming winner in the enterprise market. Major PC manufacturers from HP to Dell are re-evaluating their business in a post-iPad world. In the short term, no PC company is going to catch up to the iPad. And the Kindle Fire will soak up much of the remaining consumer market for folks who just want to watch movies and read books on a tablet.

While Android phones will continue to gain market share -- though with a $99 iPhone 3S floating around, it will be interesting to watch what happens -- Android tablets will get squeezed out by Apple and Amazon on the consumer side and by Windows tablets in business. Windows is what business trusts and Windows will be what business goes to as tablet computing hits the workplace in a big way. Watch for a company like Nvidia to monopolize the need for increased graphics capability on tablets and watch the usual suspects -- HP, Sony, Dell, Lenovo, Asus -- all come out with Windows-based tablets.

My guess is that this will all burst on to the scene in a big way for the post-election holiday season of 2012. We'll likely see the big commercial blitz over the summer to coordinate with television advertising for the candidates and on the Internet streams of political shows on MSNBC, Fox, and the like.

And then you'll start seeing them in schools. Because high schools -- high schools are likely where the majority of 1:1 tablets will come in because of online AUP/TOS policies regarding younger kids -- will do as they have traditionally tried to do and follow the lead of business and higher ed when it comes to tech buying decisions.

And so, starting in 2013, we'll see the first wave of Windows tablets entering classrooms. That momentum will build as the price of productivity-oriented Windows tablets comes down and the need for 1:1 connectivity will become increasingly an infrastructure and instructional expectation (as well as a necessary way to deal with online textbooks in places like CA) -- starting in a big way in suburban public schools, but also building off early forays into mobile learning in urban and rural schools. Most private schools -- at least those with an eye to maintaining high college placement stats -- will make Windows tablets the standard 1:1 learning device / notebook / organizer in those settings.

By 2016 or so, Windows tablets will be the industry standard.

Of course, I could be totally wrong. This is just a prediction. And in many ways it's a ludicrous prediction, but I'm willing to put it out there.

Why Steve Jobs Couldn't Fix Your Classroom

2011-10-12T12:40:00.000-04:00

by John T. Spencer and Shelly Blake-Plock

The first time I watched a Steve Jobs product announcement on YouTube, I was struck by the way the media seemed to hang over his every word without questioning the high price tag, the closed system he advocated or the war metaphors he was using to describe winning over the market share. It straddled the line between Amway pitch and religious revival. Don't get me wrong. It was much prettier. Jobs was a master marketer who understood the Zen of design. But in the end, it was the same li(n)e that many of us experience: "If you consume, you will find happiness."

I don't hate Steve Jobs. For what it's worth, he's never broken any Windows in my home. However, in the euphoria of Apple-philia, I think we need to remember that his company made a ton of money selling very expensive computers to schools. Whether or not they were worth it (and often they were worth the money), it is important that educators remember the reality that Apple has a vested economic interest in public education. It's why I shudder every time I walk into the district office and see the sheer number of Apple stickers branding the public space.

I mention this because I've read many tributes to Steve Jobs describing how he transformed education. Bloggers have gushed about how Jobs was a visionary for 21st Century Learning. However, like Bill Gates and other technocrats, it's important to remember that engineers often make piss-poor education reformers. Simply glance back at history and see how well techies have done in moving education forward. Thomas Edison believed that classrooms would be radically transformed with phonographs and motion pictures. He envisioned a futuristic classroom where students passively experienced the information. Henry Ford was a technological genius, but his vision of factory schools are the very thing that have gotten in the way of authentic learning.

It's important that we remember Steve Jobs accurately. His teardrops did not cure leprosy and his products themselves did not radically transform education; rather, it was only once the full force of the Internet became a mainstream staple of our culture -- decades after the first Apple IIe was ever sold to an elementary school -- that Jobs' products even had an opportunity to transform education.

If we want to look at the values of Jobs, we need to ask, "Are these really what should drive education in the future?"

High price
A rejection of open source and open knowledge for everyone
Closed systems
An embrace of aesthetics over capacity
Innovation intrinsically tied to corporate power
Competition to the point of forcing the issue of monopoly
Relying on expert-created content (for sale) rather than encouraging user-based content creation (share via Creative Commons)
Intuitive user experience that demands users intuit alike
Emphasis on quality and craftsmanship produced on the back of globalization
Sustainability through products that last until their manufactured obsolescence kicks in
Centralized organizational structure and corporate secrecy
Marketing to children
Lack of Social Justice: Heavy use of manufacturing from under-developed countries
Selling hardware and software for profit rather than relying on connected networks

The list isn't all bad, but it clearly has its flaws and it suggests that maybe it's time educators take a long, hard look at the apple. Consider contrasting Apple to Wikipedia. Yeah, Wikipedia isn't sexy, but it's a far better model of education than a transnational corporation. Apple is the-one-the-only-the-top-of-the-line-thing-to-buy. Meanwhile, Wikipedia is a symbol of the transformation that has occurred as technology became de-centralized and democratized. Which serves as a better model for the future of the relationship between technology and education?

It comes down to this: the iPad is a great device; it could be argued that the iPad will be an essential device. But the iPad is not an essential device because of what it physically is. The iPad is an essential device because of what it represents: mobile access to the fruit of the Internet. The idea that the Internet itself is mobile and accessible by all is far more transformative than the number of megapixels in the webcam or the ergonomics of the leather magnet cover.

In the end, we have to remember that Apple made and continues to make products. It's the artists and designers and thinkers who use those products, it's the people who make connections using those products, it's the rebels who subvert and augment and redefine the uses of those products (think the origination of iTunes University) that defines transformation. Jobs himself would likely agree. It has been therefore ever the more disheartening to see the flood of memorializations and hagiographies that seek to portray Jobs' inventions (as though there were no engineering teams working at Apple) the important thing rather than what those inventions represent within the ecosystem of Internet-era technology. And by Apple's own corporate code, those inventions have represented secrecy in an era of openness, closed systems in an era of collaboration, and high price at a time of great financial anxiety.

Steve Jobs couldn't fix your classroom. In fact, he never really had that in mind.

Essential Anthology of 21st Century Education Blogs

2011-10-06T11:53:00.000-04:00

A colleague recently asked me what I considered the most important writing from 21st century education blogs. I started to respond, but then cut myself off. I did so because I really don't think that question can be answered by a single person. So, I'm asking you to help.

Let's crowdsource our own anthology of the most essential writing of 21C education blogs.

I'd like you to say what the most important writing in 21C edu blogs has been to you. And I'm not asking you to just forward your RSS or Diigo over here. I'd really like you to take a moment, if you would, to think about all that you've read in education over the last few years. What really sticks out? What moved you? What made you think about changing your attitudes and your practice? What compelled you to connect?

Here's the form I'd like you to fill out with the name of the author and the post as well as an explanation of why it's of such significance to you: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE1OZVpHMllhb2Z0V0JURXltSlFhMHc6MQ.

I already posted one of mine as an example; you'll be able to see the results here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0As_ADRi5NNLsdE1OZVpHMllhb2Z0V0JURXltSlFhMHc#gid=0

Let me know if there are any problems with the form or spreadsheet. I look forward to reading (and reading) what you all post. Please forward this around to all the educators you know.

best,
Shelly Blake-Plock
@TeachPaperless

Opportunity Versus Influence

2011-10-05T23:20:00.001-04:00

by John T. Spencer

I'm co-writing a novel right now with my wife. It's an exciting, confusing, invigorating, messy process. It's something we talked about a few years back, but I never pursued it, because I didn't see any opportunity in it. After all, I had to say something re-tweetable on Twitter chats in order to maintain my Klout score. I felt the need to prove myself on a few group blogs and chase every opportunity for teacher professional development. I had the chance to boost my ego, but to co-write a book felt humbling. I wouldn't have control.

I wanted to matter.

I wanted influence.

I wanted my voice to count.

But instead of refining my voice, I grabbed the megaphone and shouted into it with a look-at-me mentality. I chased an Edublog Award nomination and engaged in a who-says-the-smartest-tweet pissing contest. I chose snark over substance. I became increasingly competitive, even when writing posts about cooperation and collaboration. I became envious of the gurus and superstars who garnered so much attention in conferences. I hit embarrassing moments of self-despair over my lack of adequate book sales.

I woke up one morning and began a ritual of checking my stats: subscribers, followers, friends. I Googled myself (not as disgusting as it sounds). It felt empty. I was after opportunity when what I wanted was influence. Not Klout or even clout. I had lost my voice in a yelling contest.

I'm not sure I walked away from that entirely, but slowly I shifted from opportunity to influence. I gave myself the permission to take long breaks from Twitter and to retweet even if a person doesn't retweet my work. I quit censoring what I wrote through the filter of branding. I started talking up some of my favorite blogs instead of silently competing. I decided that I would do Facebook in person for forty days and I would blog about it even if I appeared less professional. I spent more time commenting on blogs.

I'm still in a place of transition. I'm still discovering what it means to bring others into my world. I'm still figuring out what it means to to ask rather than shout. I'm still stumbling over my ego and learning to say "yes" to the things that matter rather the things that will benefit my make-believe pseudo-self brand.

So, back to the novel. I'm writing the kind of novel that I would want my students to read. And, honestly, they might be the only ones to read it. (Or it might be popular. Popularity is a crap-shoot). But if they are, that's okay. I want to speak truth in nuance and narrative, pulling students toward a story that matters. I'm not sure if there's any opportunity in this, but I'm convinced that there is influence.

Office Hours on Google+ Hangout

2011-09-30T12:23:00.003-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

As I am teaching my students virtually this year, it's become important to create a space where I can provide structured office hours. That space is Google+ and from noon to 12:30pm EST most every Friday, that's where I am.

I am opening up that time to anyone in the professional teaching community to chat, brainstorm, and discuss issues in education and professional development. My only caveat is that if one of my students drops by the Google+ office, they get my full attention.

To Have a Digital Soul

2011-09-30T09:16:00.000-04:00

Margaret Roth is a secondary school teaching intern in Baltimore City Public Schools. An MAT candidate at Johns Hopkins, Margaret is interested in leadership and all sorts of avenues of education beyond the traditional classroom. This piece came out of her work in my Paperless Classroom course at Hopkins; it's context is Baltimore, but the theme is pretty universal. I thought it would make a good fit in the pages of this blog, and so I offer it to you. To read more of Margaret's writing, check out her blog: teachingdaisies. -- Shelly

by Margaret Roth

Is there a place for 21st Century Technology in Baltimore City Public Schools?

This is a stupid question. Of course, there is place for social media and digital technologies in Baltimore City Public Schools, maybe not that there is a place, but there should be - there has to be, and we, as educators and parents, have to make it.

I have spent the last five weeks of my life in a class titled “The Paperless Classroom.” Day one I was told to make a Twitter, a freaking Twitter. At first I freaked out and I grasped for remnants of my pre-college too-cool-for-Facebook-MySpace-hating-self to justify my life up to this point. I was then forced to answer the question why? And I didn’t have an answer. For the next five weeks, I signed up for more digital media programs than I ever thought for a second existed. I found out that an entire universe of information was living all around me and that there were people who could breathe it, and I was suffocating. And today, maybe, I finally learned how to breathe in this world. I realized why all of this new media is important, what all this has led up to: I have created my digital soul. I have entered the digital age, and I am a more complete individual because of it.

Yet, this digital world is being made inaccessible to our students.

Why do we send our children to school, if we are not going to let them learn to breathe on the outside? If we send students to school to lock them up in a building, to take away their phones, to restrict them with web filters, to forbid our teachers from forming relationships with them, what are we teaching them?

Nothing.

Nothing but to be afraid of the rest of the world, that the rest of the world and the digital universe are only there to hurt them. We are cultivating ignorance by fueling our students with disconnect and starving them with a lack of resources.

Right now we have the opportunity to give students a global classroom, to connect them with the rest of the world, all of our history, and all of our future. If we don’t make changes and get our students connected to this digital world, we will leave them behind, without a chance of changing. Students in this city have enough problems when they start out, they are already dealing with things that no child deserves to face. How can we knowingly deprive them of the resources to make themselves better?

Our students have the right to extend themselves and we have the responsibility to give them the tools to do so. To extend themselves they need to have an understanding of digital technology, they need to create and have an ownership of their digital soul.

We need to start acknowledging the fact that what we do and experience digitally defines us just as much as the things that we do in our sensory life; that the comments we leave on a website, or photos we upload, are a digital record of ourselves - they are the ultimate journal, a record of our thoughts, saved universally, something that we can never loose, showing how we grow, and pending disaster, never erase. We need to embrace the fact that there is nothing wrong with this - we need to quit teaching our children to be afraid of this.

The digital soul -- the record of ourselves and the redefinition of our personal space -- may be the most important advantage of social media and digital technology.

But due to the culturally created fear and the resistance of our current school policies to change, we have limited not only our own lives but the opportunities for the success of our students. Unless we enable them to move into the 21st century classroom, we are locking them out of success in our rapidly changing world, we are leaving them on the wrong side of a rapidly rising wall - a wall that they can not even see.

Baltimore City students see enough walls. We have to give them the tools to build a place in the digital universe where their digital souls can be just as real as the ones we see dreaming inside of them.

Teaching Kids Programming

2011-09-28T14:40:00.000-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

We've debated Douglas Rushkoff's ideas regarding "Program or Be Programmed" on this blog before. Whichever -- and whatever -- way you feel about Rushkoff, the idea that kids would benefit from learning to program is an idea in and of itself long overdue in the edu mainstream.

In my own experience, I still remember learning BASIC back in second grade as part of a computer science pilot program. That early introduction to programming gave me much more than the ability to write GOTO operations; it gave me a sense of how conditional operations function and thus impressed upon me early the structural value of logic.

We've come a long way since BASIC, but for many kids programming remains something of a mystery. With this in mind, it put a smile on my face this morning to run across a @noblehour retweet of a mention by @edlioinc of the resources available at happynerds.

Happynerds, the brainchild of Rails developer Michael Kohl, provides descriptions and links to a ton of kid-oriented programming learning resources for Windows, Mac, Linux, and even browser-based media.

As the site states:

I believe that in today's world there are many reasons why children should pick up programming early on. In an environment increasingly dominated by computers, accompanying skills should be taught to children for the same reason we teach them languages, mathematics or geography. It is our responsibility to equip children with the knowledge necessary to understand our world and to have a host of options in it and I believe that programming can play an integral part in this.

Happynerds began back in December 2009 and now features everything from Ruby for Kids to game design software. The original post explaining how the project started cites the inspiration of Railsbridge's "Teaching Kids" mission. Some very inspiring ideas both at Railsbridge and at Happynerds; it's well worth your time to check it out.

YouTube Teachers

2011-09-23T16:38:00.001-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

I think this is sort of a big deal: http://www.youtube.com/Teachers

Wondering - why is it that education is suddenly "Failing"?

2011-09-23T13:28:00.003-04:00

by David Andrade

I keep wondering about this. Supposedly, public education in America is "failing". I don't understand how. We have changed how we do things in our classrooms and have all these online resources. Students can access information and help resources from their phones. So why are we "failing?"

When I was in high school, we sat in a chair and took notes. We talked about books in English, studied historical events, did labs in science, and did tons of problems in math. We learned and we went off to college and did well. We had almost no support programs in the building.

Now, as teachers, we differentiate, do projects, have students doing online enrichment work, have social workers, psychologists, tutoring and mentoring programs. Yet, students are apparently failing.

We have "improved" education, yet we are "failing". I don't get it. We do all this "reform" yet nothing is changing.

Of course, it could have something to do with the method of evaluating education being a mostly invalid, standardized test where even students who don't speak English have to take it. It could have something to do with more and more students having less parenting at home due to single parents, absentee parents, or parents working multiple jobs. It could have something to do with students not getting read to and starting to read later in life. It could have to do with the test being completely useless. It could have to do with professional educators being left out of decisions and planning for educational issues.

It just boggles my mind how we have some many support systems, great teachers, incredible lessons and resources, and yet we are "failing."

Can anyone explain it?

-- David Andrade, http://tinyurl.com/edtechguy

15 Free Apps for Your iPod Touch

2011-09-22T17:07:00.001-04:00

by John T. Spencer

There are no free apps. I know, I know. Some of them don't cost a penny. I get that. But they aren't free. Not really. Corporations use "free" in order to sell something. Apple sells more products. Google sells more advertising. App-developers offer "free" with the goal of selling a nicer version. Often, freeware developers have a goal of selling customized consulting and IT development.

Even open source comes with layers of cultural, social and political systemic thinking. Regardless of geography, every medium develops in a context and that context comes loaded with socio-cultural layers. There is a cost to every application. Sometimes it's environmental. Other times, it's social. But it always costs something.

Perhaps we shouldn't be looking for "free" apps at all. Maybe we need to switch to a paradigm that says, "What is the cost?" and "What is the trade-off?" Perhaps instead of saying, "Is this free?" we need to ask, "Is this worth it?"

Minimum Security Prisons

2011-09-19T19:22:00.002-04:00

by John T. Spencer

Someone recently commented on this blog, asking if an innovative high school was simply a "minimum security prison." I'm not shocked by the comment. Lately, it seems that teachers have been compared to slave-drivers, prison wardens, thieves and child abusers. Yes, I've read about the industrial nature of schooling. Honestly, I agree that there are some real issues with compulsory schooling. But prison? Really? How many people who make that comparison have ever known a loved one who spent time in both?

People can slam schools all they want. They can slam the system and complain about industrialization. They can make charts comparing the similarities (walls, cafeterias, lack of free movement, design, etc,) But just as I don’t oppose home learning (as opposed to homework), I don’t oppose an alternative method of education within the confines of the school.

The social and cultural realities are that my students have parents who work two or three jobs and they simply cannot un-school or homeschool. I don’t get to choose my students nor do they get to choose me. We don’t get to chose standards, either.

But . . .

I can do documentaries, independent projects, murals, blogs and all kinds of learning that they find interesting.
I can advocate a humane, meaningful relationship to replace traditional discipline.
I can shift my pedagogy to problem-based and project-based.
I can do away with grades and homework.
I can encourage free movement.
I can have honest dialogue that leads to small acts of liberation.

Some would point to me and say that it’s simply a “minimum security prison.” And at that point, it’s not worth it. When we disagree on metaphors, it’s pointless to have a conversation. Maybe it is a prison. Maybe. But if it is, I would hope that a seed can grow under the industrial pavement and something organic is happening inside a place that is designed to be artificial. I would hope (and perhaps I am naive) that authentic learning can happen anywhere – even within the prison walls. I would hope that if we are stuck in a box, we can repurpose that box.

If it is a prison, don't we need compassionate people working quietly to subvert it? Don't we need a few more Andy Dufresne bringing art and voice and beauty to a place that is so often at war against such things?

What's different?

2011-09-18T16:23:00.000-04:00

by Mike Kaechele

I thought I would reply to Shelly's question about what is different this year. I am at a new problem based learning high school that opened two weeks ago. We have just over one hundred freshman coming from twenty different districts in our county. They have never been in a PBL environment before so we spent the first seven days on a project where students explored what our school is about through various activities. On the last day they had two hours to edit videos they had been taking through out the week and present to their class. The groups are allowed to go into the common spaces and work collaboratively. This is what it looked like:

As a teacher I find this type of learning exciting. We have an open filtering policy. Between the open internet and structure some students are a bit lost and off task at times as this is such a huge culture shift from the traditional classroom that they are accustomed to. I will not claim that we have this all figured out but I loved this moment of walking around and watching students work. I am fully prepared to be amazed at what students will do the next few years as they grow in our space.

Here is one of my favorites:

EdTech Baltimore

2011-09-17T08:12:00.000-04:00

by Andrew Coy

As part of the process of extending the digital conversation into the analog world, Shelly and I have been working to put together a local forum in Baltimore to discuss the future of education and technology. The first of the conversations will focus on using social networking to extend, enhance, and influence education.

I will be moderating the conversation with Dave Troy (CEO of 410Labs, creator of Shortmail.com and Twittervision.com), Tom Murdock (co-founder and chief-architect of Moodlerooms) and Shelly Blake-Plock (blogger-in-chief here at TeachPaperless and founder of GrowConnected) as the panelists. The event will be this upcoming Tuesday (the 20th of September) between 6 and 8pm at Digital Harbor High School. We are looking into live streaming the discussion and tweeting it as well. Think of it as an analog parallel of #edchat.

So this is my question to you:

What questions would you ask?
What topics would you want to discuss?
What problems should they address?

Make a comment below, follow us on Twitter (@EdTechBaltimore), visit our website (http://www.edtechbaltimore.org), join our mailing list -- help spread the word from the digital to the analog and back again.

Do the Opposite

2011-09-14T09:21:00.001-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

Sometimes innovation stems from just deciding NOT to do something.

Have your desks in rows? Change it up. Let your kids set up the room the way they want.

Find yourself lecturing too much? Don't lecture. Having trouble with the wi-fi? Take the kids out for a walk.

Tired of the paper crush? Stop giving assignments that require paper.

Pick something that's been bugging you about your teaching and do the opposite.

Maybe something new will come of the decision to change things up. Maybe not. Maybe it'll turn out to be a big mistake. Maybe not. The only thing for certain is that you won't innovate so long as you continue to do the same thing you always do.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

What's Different? What's the Same?

2011-09-13T13:45:00.004-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

Looking for input from all of you, this afternoon.

School's been back in session for most of us for a couple weeks and I'm interested in knowing "What's Different? And What's the Same?" at school this year.

For me, it's very different. I'm teaching virtually and have been teaching from my dining room, a nearby cafe, a room at the public library, my car (I was parked)... right now we're using Tungle to set up online tutoring sessions. At the same time, working with kids is working with kids and even in the virtual realm much is the same -- from the humor to the concerns to the excitement to the doldrums.

So do tell... how are things different for you this year? And how are they the same?

What I Did During My Week Away From Twitter

2011-09-12T21:52:00.002-04:00

by John T. Spencer

What did I do during my week away from Twitter?

Pretty much everything I do without Twitter, just with a little extra mind-wandering, more doodling and maybe a little less distraction. I didn't write more, run more or watch a foreign movie.

What did I miss out on?

Not much. I had the same types of conversations I have on Twitter, but I was limited by time and place.

What does this tell me?

That Twitter is an everyday part of life. It's a place I like to be, but it isn't home. It's a method of communicating, but it's nothing as vital to me as blogging.

What does this have to do with teaching?

Sometimes techies gush about social media as a transformative tool. This week reminded me that it hasn't transformed much of my life, much less my approach to teaching. It has, however, become normal -- and maybe the normalcy is precisely why it's powerful. When the novelty fades and I find myself drawn toward it again, I am reminded that the place/tool of Twitter has a place in my world.

I am not teaching 9-11 tomorrow

2011-09-11T21:25:00.002-04:00

by Mike Kaechele

Today has been a reflective day for me. I have thought more about what that day felt like than I have since the actual day. The numbness, staring at the TV for hours and feeling like it was not real...

I will talk with 9th graders who were 4 or 5 years old at the time, about it a bit tomorrow. I am guessing they will have a few questions. But I will not teach about it.

My own son who was born less than a month after that awful day asked me why they did it. My wife said it was because they hate us. But that is not the real answer, not a complete answer. The next obvious question is why do people hate us? Many would bring up religion, power, and economics. These are all part of the answer but the truth is so much deeper.

by JasonePowell

The truth is that 9/11 is the result of a complicated story involving the United States, Europe, Israel, Russia, and the Middle East going back to World War II and before. It is a story of war, imperialism, greed, oil, hate, Cold War, and propaganda. There have been many innocent lives lost in this story, but there are no innocent nations.

And the story continues in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Palestine, and beyond. There have been many individual heroes and villains in this story, but the United States (unfortunately) is not the hero of this story but just another self-interested party. The story of 9/11 and the following wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is complex, messy, twisted, and historically based. It can not be summed up in a few words of a 5 minute YouTube video. What happened on September 11, 2001 was an incredible tragedy and I mourn with all of the families of victims this day.

I will never excuse or defend the actions of the terrorists on that day. But the terrorists did not act for no logical reason (at least from their perspective). It is important that we understand the background of this story and their reasons for attacking. Only then can we decide an appropriate response to that day.

Tomorrow will be the fifth day of school. My students are not ready for all of this. Most ~~adults~~ students have little background knowledge of the Middle East and the politics there. So I can't really teach about 9/11 tomorrow, but perhaps by the end of the year students can learn about it in its proper historical context and begin to try to make sense of it themselves...

Remembering

2011-09-11T12:53:00.005-04:00

by Noah Geisel

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of one of the most important moments in our nation’s history. It also marks the 10 year anniversary of my first day of teaching.

To turn on the television during the last week has been to be confronted with the networks’ attempts to help us figure out what 9/11 meant and what it continues to mean. I heard a story on Colorado Public Radio this week about a history teacher’s recollection of that day, companioned with his former student’s version. The former student was so inspired that ten years later he is a teaching candidate, enrolled in his former teacher’s methods class. Touching and inspiring stuff.

9/11 was my generation’s Kennedy assassination: we all remember where we were, what we were doing, what we were thinking and how we coped. All of us who were in the classroom that day dealt with something for which we were not prepared.

I had first period planning and spent the hour before the first class of my career starring bewildered at the television while my coffee got cold. I tried to get more information on the internet but every news site had crashed from the traffic of a world full of people trying to do the same. I checked my email and saw a message from administration explaining that something had happened in New York City (We still didn’t know what...) and to please not alarm the students, several of whom had relatives who worked in or near the World Trade Center. I marched upstairs to my 9th grade World Literature class, guarding this enormous secret, and began my life as a teacher by posing my first essential question: What is art?

With each anniversary, I think back and try to reflect on what happened that day. For me, the confusion and sadness of the attacks are inseparable from the fulfillment and inspiration I felt as I began teaching. While I cried every night as the details emerged and we learned that what had happened was no accident, I spent my days elated by the new experiences I found in education.

In the Jewish faith, we celebrate a new experience by saying a prayer called the Shehekianu. It is our way of commemorating doing something for the first time. It is in this tradition that I memorialize September 11th each year. I seize onto all of the firsts, remembering them and being grateful for them. The first day of school. The first eager student to raise her hand, ask a follow-up question or show self-advocacy. The first activity that seems to engage the whole class. The first student to walk in after the bell or to use profanity. The first phone call to a parent.

Whether it lifts your spirit or frustrates your soul, it is valuable at this time to honor and celebrate the firsts and to appreciate them for the meaning they provide us.

Please leave a note in the comments. What firsts do you celebrate each new year?

Simple

2011-09-09T09:43:00.000-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

Technology is not making life easier.

And the tools we use in the classroom do not make life easier. Going paperless won't make your life easier. Going paperless won't solve your problems and it won't "really" clear up that clutter on your desk.

And I say, "Thank goodness."

Because by striving to make things simpler, by striving to make things more manageable, we put ourselves in the mind-place where we might just wind up making the same sorts of decisions with regard to networked connections and personalization that led to the very things we hate about bureaucracy and standardization.

We have to fight the inner urge to make our lives easier.

Life is not easy. Neither for the individual nor for the society. Life is complex. It takes the ability to solve problems and the ability to face problems that can not be solved; it takes the ability to recognize both beauty and ugliness and to know that you can't have one without the other.

We are living in an age of connections. That does not mean we are living in an age qualitatively "better" than any other. Technology itself is ethically neutral.

And that is the way it has to be.

Technology is not making life easier. We know this. Fundamentally, we understand that we are awash in an alien sea. And to we -- including myself -- who have stated at one time or another how simple a certain app makes something, or how much more manageable a certain device makes something: to hell with us.

Life is not simple. Life is not something to simply be managed.

Our kids get this. Our kids are still of an age where they aren't impressed by the technology they use so much as they are satisfied by it. We teachers are old enough to understand the shift in context and we therefore are amazed and at times overwhelmed. But few 15 year olds on Earth really care about how innovative Spotify is; the 15 year old just wants to listen to music.

They don't want to celebrate the simplicity of the e-music revolution. They don't want to specialize in the management of audio data.

They just want to rock out.

To the 15 year old, Spotify -- and the whole of the technological vista -- is pretty obvious. And pretty simple.

And yet not simple at all. Because what Spotify -- like the radio stations of our youth -- represents is one's identity. And there is nothing at all simple about that. And it is identity that our kids struggle with -- identity within the context of technology.

And so there is really nothing simple about it at all. Nothing simple about it when you put it in the context of identity formation in a 24/7 connected pluralistic society. What's simple is just thinking about the matter from the point of view of technological innovation and dealing with the end result -- the product -- the user interface.

And that's emblematic of the problem with technology in schools. We tend to think about technology in such a way that we divert our attention from the social aspect -- the formative aspect -- and instead look for the easiest-to-use user interface. So often we fall into a pattern of behavior that either obsesses over or ignores the interface because it seems to present itself -- and the "life" it represents -- in such an easy and simple way.

But there is no simple way.

And there never will be. And there shouldn't be.

You can pull up the most easy listening Milquetoast music you could dream of on Spotify and it does nothing to diminish the complexity of the process that is bringing that music to you -- a process equally economic, technological, artistic, labor-intensive, political, and cut-throat competitive. It does nothing to diminish the social and psychological intensity of the process of identifying oneself culturally for or against an aesthetic. It does nothing to diminish the very life-stuff and joys and tragedies and wealth and poverty and salvation and abuse behind every note of music and every blip of byte to byte.

We are teachers. And we know that when it comes to assessing the intellect and understanding of a student, there is no "simple".

Technology itself will never do anything to change that.

In fact, the power of personalized observation into formative development that technology does provide will probably only make the whole thing more complex.

Complex.

Maybe that's what we should be focusing on. Maybe that's what we should be calling this age -- not the Digital Age, but rather the Age of Complexity.

Simple.

So the New School Year is Underway...

2011-09-08T16:24:00.000-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

...and I am just getting the chance to shoot off a quick post about it.

Lot's going on around here. I know my fellow contributors have been busy getting classes underway; I myself find myself starting the school year in a way that's new for me. That's because this year, I am teaching my high school students almost entirely virtually. I have been putting a lot of time recently into my professional development and ed tech pursuits -- such as the Baltimore EdTech Forum which will be on September 20th and will be an awesome beginning for a year-long conversation here in town on what the future of education and technology could look like for Baltimore City school kids -- and thus have been spending more time with teachers than with students.

In a way, this is good; because over the years, I have seen my role developing into more of a facilitator than a "teacher" per se, and I am particularly compelled by being able to help other teachers do what they want to do. But I do think it is extremely important to keep one foot in the classroom, so as to have a daily reminder as to what this whole endeavor is about.

And so, I've created what is the first virtual hybrid curriculum at my high school and I am very excited to see how things work out.

I chose (and paid for) WebEx as our online meeting place (mostly because of it's ability to handle everything from PCs to iPads to phones seemlessly -- even students without smartphones can participate on-the-go via a traditional cellphone call); it's also way slick. I really love Edmodo and that's our place for assignments, calendars, grades, and everything else. For ongoing communication and news gathering we're using Twitter, and for quick chats we've got a TodaysMeet room staked out.I'm running "office hours" on Google+ using Hangouts. We'll see how that works. I think I'll post office hours for students and general Google+ Hangout time for general conversation among peers and colleagues both at school and with all of you.

I am looking forward to fully step into this mobile world. Seems like a lot has happened since that day back in 2008 when I decided not to use paper anymore.

On that note, I've caught some flack recently from people saying that by promoting online media over paper media I am helping to destroy the environment.

Hmm. All I have to say is, yes, data centers and server farms are terrible for the environment; so are poorly recycled laptops and monitors. This is true. My hope -- idealist that I am -- is that the connections allowed through 1:1 Internet access will provide for people to develop new technologies that fix these problems; I tend to think we work better when we are connected and when we have access to the Internet. And real-time collaboration and the ability to search and share volumes of information worldwide is essential.

In short, when it comes to tech, I think we work better and learn more when we base our commitment to education in the context of what's going on.

It is true that technology can be dirty. It is true that technology itself isn't going to fix our problems. Technology really isn't a "tool" anymore. Technology is a context. Context produces culture. This happened before back at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. The context of industry produced all sorts of pollutions and evils; it also produced the medical revolution and eventually gave lift to the social mobility of the lower and middle classes to attend colleges and universities. In the end, it was the decisions people made that -- both for much better and much worse -- shaped the century that was.

Industry used to be the context; Digital is now the context; and yes, there are still so many connections between the two and so many assumptions we all make and so many places in the world where none of this seems to apply and so many places in the world where it all seems to apply. It's confusing. Difficult. It should make you uneasy. And excited. And nervous. And it could all be a mistake.

And if the entire world collapses because of war, disaster, energy crisis, and famine, I am sure I'll be the one to blame <<< snarky alert!

With any sort of technology there really is no easy answer. And therefore, I decline to offer one. Still too busy digging up questions.

All that said, I just wanted to say "Thank You" publicly to all of the readers who make writing for this blog worth it. It's going to be a great year and I look forward to sharing with you all.

Initial thoughts on new Facebook privacy settings

2011-08-31T00:34:00.004-04:00

By Noah Geisel

Facebook is rolling out a flurry of changes and some of them relate to privacy. From what I read at AllThingsFacebook it's not hitting all users at once so I don't know how many of you have already had a chance to explore. So far, my own clicking around hasn't revealed anything that reduces your level of privacy. In fact, some changes could make it more secure for you, depending on your current settings.

The most notable new feature is that when you update your status, you will see a drop down menu just to the left of the "Post" button.

This allows you to choose between Friends (only your friends can see it), Public (this used to be Everyone) and Custom. If you've created groups, then Custom allows you to send the status only to the specific users you choose. Whichever audience you select, it will be the new default setting until you change it. Also, Facebook says that any changes to your security settings automatically update with your mobile app.

If you're the type of person who wants their profile to be on lock down, choose Friends or take the extra step of setting up groups. If you're not sure what your settings are or want to do a quick double-check, The 10 Facebook Privacy Settings You Need to Know is a great resource to walk you through it. (Caveat: Posted in February, so it may not be up to date.)

Social Media: A Place or a Tool?

2011-08-26T19:10:00.004-04:00

by John T. Spencer

John T. Spencer is a teacher in Phoenix, AZ who blogs at Education Rethink. He recently finished Pencil Me In, an allegory for educational technology and he's working onSustainable Start, a book for new teachers. You can connect with him on Twitter @johntspencer

Words to Live (and Learn) By

2011-08-25T23:06:00.000-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

Reader Mrs. Stanley left a comment on an earlier post that I wanted to put in front of your eyes as we are all getting started with a new school year. Words to live (and learn) by:

This fall I enter my last year of teaching, and I have one overwhelming goal -- to shut up and listen more to what my students have to say and to continue to be a better teacher by being a better learner with my students as teachers.

Student Voice

2011-08-23T21:14:00.000-04:00

by Mike Kaechele

I have read various people online pointing out that students are ignored in much of the reform talk in the United States. We rarely ask them what they think or want out of their education. I will be part of a new school opening this fall run by the county wide intermediate school district. In correlation with our "grand opening" media day winners were announced to a student contest. Students had to make a short video of what they would change about education or what their dream school would be like.

Here are my two favorite ones: "If I could change education" and "What you want" (sorry I can not embed them here)

The students did not know that a new school was being launched. It was very cool to see how much of the philosophy of our new PBL school was in the videos.

What will you do to listen to students this year?

A Paperless Math Activity

2011-08-23T13:00:00.006-04:00

John T. Spencer

People often mock me when I talk of paperless math (and rest assured, I still believe in using paper within a math class) and using mental math. However, I see a real value in using student discourse, mental math and multimedia tools within a math lesson. I used the following with a group of fifth graders and the students have been moving further toward meaningful dialogue and conceptual thinking.

Math Discourse / Mental Math

Types of Apps:
Drawing App
Voice App
Comic App
Camera
Survey / Forms
Bonus: Splice

Step One:
Mental math problem:
317+764

Step Two:
Have students write out their answers afterward using a drawing app. Let them explain, verbally, their process using a voice app.

Step Three:
Explain the discourse process and then have them record the discourse with a partner.

Sample Questions:

Clarifying
What process did you use?
Why did you choose to use that process?
Why did you choose that step? (find a specific step)
Can you explain what you were thinking?
What part was challenging for you? How did you get past the challenge?

Analytical Questions
Why does your process work? Is there a scenario where that might not work?
What can you do to prove to me that your process was correct?
Is there another way to look at this?
How did you arrive at that conclusion?
Is there a more efficient way to do this process?

Diagnostic Questions (If You’re Stuck)
What did you do to get to that point?
What part are you struggling with?
Is there another strategy you can use from another math process?
Can you predict the answer and work backward?
What do you already know? Can you build on this?
What information are you missing?

Step Four:
Students can “bump” the audio with one another. Then, individually, students now listen to the discourse and rate themselves on how they did as a pair (using a survey app)

	Falls Far Below	Approaches	Meets	Exceeds
Clarifying Questions: How well did you do at asking clarifying questions?	I asked one of the questions. I had a hard time figuring out what a clarifying question was.	I asked multiple questions using the guide that you gave me. I tried to use a follow-up question.	I used the questions in my own words and asked follow-up questions.	I had a full conversation where we each talked about our process with questions and answers in our own words.
Analytical Questions: How well did you at asking analytical questions?	I asked one of the questions. I had a hard time figuring out what an analytical question was.	I asked multiple questions using the guide that you gave me. I tried to use a follow-up question.	I used the questions in my own words and asked follow-up questions.	I had a full conversation where we each talked about our process with questions and answers in our own words.
Diagnostic (If You’re Stuck) Questions: How well did you do at helping one another when you were stuck?	I wasn’t able to determine when or how my partner was stuck.	I tried to ask diagnostic questions, but I couldnt find the mistake. Or I solved it for my partner.	I asked diagnostic questions that helped my partner figure out his or her mistakes.	My partner and I both used diagnostic questions to have a full conversation about how to solve the problem differently.
Answers: How well did you do at answering questions?	I used one-word answers.	I used complete sentences.	I used complete sentences and gave a reason why.	I used complete sentences and asked questions as well.
Math Vocabulary: To what extent did you use correct math vocabulary?	I didn’t use any math vocabulary.	I used one math vocabulary words.	I used several math vocabulary words.	I used math vocabulary words without even thinking about the fact that they were vocabulary words.

Step Five:
Try it again with a new partner. This time, don’t use the rubric.

Step Six:
Reflection
Option 1: Using e-mail or a word processing app, describe, in a sentence how your process was similar or different from the process of your neighbors.
Option 2: Using e-mail or a word processing app, describe why it’s important to think through one's process

Step Seven:
Using a video app, take your notes, images and audio and put it altogether into a presentation about how to solve this type of problem. Send the final product to your teacher. Or you can create a slideshow using comic program and show the mental process with thought bubbles and character dialogue.

John T. Spencer is a teacher in Phoenix, AZ who blogs at Education Rethink. He recently finished Pencil Me In, an allegory for educational technology and he's working onSustainable Start, a book for new teachers. You can connect with him on Twitter @johntspencer

Options?

2011-08-19T20:08:00.001-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

Been talking to a variety of folks recently -- from ed school professors to urban middle school principals to teaching interns to tech entrepreneurs to professional development pros to cutting edge engineering firms to high school presidents to third graders. And one thing keeps popping up in all of the discussions: technology isn't an option.

There used to be a time when digital technology was optional. This was in the era before the Internet. Before social media. Before mobile tech. That era is gone.

This is obvious to most people.

Unfortunately, it is not obvious to enough people in education itself. It is partly a matter of curriculum not keeping up with the times. If you have been successfully teaching the same thing for twenty-five years without tech, you sure as heck should be questioning why you need tech now. And your colleagues and students should be questioning why you've been teaching the same thing for twenty-five years, as well.

Refusing to create curriculum relevant to the world our children live in is not an option.

Likewise, it is a matter of a broken tradition of resource management that makes schools subservient to textbook manufacturers and the makers of various software. Hint: if your tech folks aren't able to use, make accessible, and mentor teachers on the use of open source material and applications, it is time to find new tech people. Hint number 2: a teacher who knows how to locate and use the public domain and open resources and apps available on the net is worth her weight in gold.

Failing to identify and implement resources that make tech accessible to all is not an option.

Lastly, technology is not about devices. Technology is about context. To focus on the device at the expense of the context is to set oneself up for failure and heartache. Our purpose in educating children is not to prepare them for college, it is to prepare them for the demands of whatever life throws at them. Likewise, the purpose of our integration of technology into learning is not to prepare students to be better consumers of devices, but to be more engaged and connected citizens in a world in which technology is the context.

Missing the context is not an option.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

From Differentiated to Customized Professional Development

2011-08-16T13:15:00.003-04:00

by John T. Spencer

The Issue
We say we believe in differentiated instruction. We say that we want to meet the needs of all students. However, too often in professional development, schools require teachers to learn the exact same information. It might be quality training, too. However, for a teacher who has already mastered the concepts, this type of training feels irrelevant.

Why learn this if it's not an issue in my classroom?

Why learn this in a way that treats first grade and eighth grade teachers as though they are the same?

Why can't I learn in a way that relates to the direct needs of my own classroom context?

Differentiated Professional Development
Oftentimes schools take this reality and shift toward differentiated instruction. It sounds like a great idea. The staff might have five or six options for a weekly professional development. They become mini-classes that allow teachers to delve deeper into a particular concept. However, this model tends to fail for the following reasons:

It doesn't relate to what each teacher needs
The focus is on teacher interest rather than student needs
There are too few options
The PD planners are trying to guess what teachers need rather than allow them to make their own decisions

Customized Learning
A better solution would be for teachers to create their own professional development based upon an identified need in their own classrooms. For example, a teacher might struggle with classroom management. This teacher could attend a differentiated professional development class. However, he or she might also choose to embrace a coaching model (if another teacher could model it in the classroom), peer observation, a book study, a video and a Twitter chat on the subject.

Instead of offering a menu of options, administrators could create a format where teachers could develop their own professional growth plan. This could then set up new structures for book studies, small group classes and peer modeling (give up a few preps and then get your preps back during formal PD times).

The idea here is to keep it student-centered and empower teachers to take ownership of their own learning.

* * *

More Like a Park

2011-08-12T00:17:00.002-04:00

and less like a prison

(Click on the short podcast below)

PBL challenges students to think, then do.

2011-08-09T21:32:00.000-04:00

by Mike Kaechele

I wrote a short article for the Grand Rapids Press today explaining/defending Problem Based Learning. It was in response to a commenter ripping PBL and innovation in the classroom. I think it is important for all of us to promote authentic learning at the local level whenever we get the chance. If you are interested in PBL check it out.

The Importance of Risk-taking in Teaching & Learning

2011-08-04T20:32:00.005-04:00

by Noah Geisel

Earlier this week, the following headline popped up on my daily stat app: "Twice the R&D Budget Doesn’t Get You Twice the Innovations"

The study of around 100 semiconductor and related companies revealed that when companies double down on Research & Development, the effort “leads to just a 22.5% increase in new-product announcements.”

The language in the interpretation of this study (“leads to just...”) implies this is not an acceptable return on investment. One person I can think who might beg to differ is baseball player Ken Griffey, Jr. Had The Kid been able to reap a 22.5% benefit from putting twice as much into R&D on his home run swing, he would have retired with 771 career home runs, 9 more than all-time leader Barry Bonds (Hmmm...). One man's interpretation of diminishing returns is another's immortal legacy.

How does this relate to teaching and learning?

Research & Development are closely tied to risk-taking. As an educator, I am constantly challenging my students to push themselves in the 21st Century Skill of risk-taking, a key force behind invention, innovation and, I believe, general success in 2011 and beyond. Risk-taking is the lone subjective component found in every rubric students receive in my class - to the tune of at least 20% of the total grade. Risk-taking is also the only way a student may earn extra credit on any given assignment. It is one way of showing the students the floor and not the ceiling: show students the ceiling of expectations and some heads may bump the fan; show students only the floor and some will touch the clouds.

It's Okay to Laugh Here

2011-08-01T09:13:00.003-04:00

by John T. Spencer

I have a student who wrote a creative masterpiece as an alternate ending to a story about a woman in the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. In the end, she is caught and faces life in prison because she accidentally wears a pair of white socks (they were forbidden). As they take her away, she cries out, "Cursed white socks! They let me down again. But I would rather die than be loyal to the Yankees."

I chose to affirm it by laughing and writing a note reading, "nice satirical look at the situation." Yes, I want him to take injustice seriously. Other teachers would have lectured the student on the need to "take the assignment seriously." However, I know that humor can be a powerful force on demonstrating the absurdity of those who are in power. By mentioning the ridiculous rule about white socks, he not only makes a baseball reference but also shows that the Taliban is entirely illogical. As a result, he begins writing deep satire about standardized tests, immigration, war and balanced budgets.

It starts an entire unit called Satire for Social Change.

“I think I’m thinking more about issues in the world by writing satire,” he explains.

“Why’s that?” I ask.

“It’s like Jon Stewart, right. He is able to take the world more seriously be laughing at the insanity of other journalists,” he responds.

“I think people miss out on how much goes into writing satire,” I tell him. “Stewart and Colbert are often more honest with their audiences than mainstream media.”

“Humor gives us the opportunity to say what no one is saying,” he adds.

I think there are a few more academic benefits to humor that are often unnoticed:

Humor provides a chance to be creative. When a child can truly create something humorous, synthesis is occurring. Look back at the baseball joke. It proves that he knows a Taliban rule, the ridiculous nature of it, the future history of what happens and the notion of Yankee being a term applied to the United States.
Humor is a skill students will use in life. I can't think of a profession (perhaps a mortician, though I can see a place for dark humor there, too) where humor is not an asset.
Humor is a deeply human endeavor. I need students to feel safe and humor adds a safe, human aspect to an often intense level of thinking I ask of my students. It's not so much "comic relief" (because humor is not in any way a relief from thinking) as it is a reminder of the human side.
Humor is a relational skill. If I want to have holistic learners, I need my students to see the value in relationships. Humor is a necessary part of relating to one another.
Humor requires deep thought. I can argue that teachers are not overpaid. Or, I could write a satirical piece as a teacher who works 9-3, visits Bali, has a polo-playing zebra and owns a yacht (as The Nerdy Teacher did).
Humor helps us with empathy. A class that uses humor learns about crossing lines, hurting others and apologizing for careless language. Students learn to anticipate how others will feel rather than blindly hacking away with arguments.
Humor allows us to be vulnerable. To me, that’s critical. There is a risk in every joke. The silence can be deafening. It’s risky.

I use humor often in the classroom. Oddly enough, it wasn't until I was able to laugh that students took me seriously. When I pretended prototypical "mean teacher," students despised me. However, when I lightened up, used some self-deprecating humor and introduced a little irony, I earned the respect of students. I opened the door for deeper humor on a regular basis. Students need humor if the classroom community is ever going to be creative, empathetic, thought-provoking and fully human.

I recognize that we need to teach students about respect in their humor. I try and push kids away from sexual innuendo, "yo mama" jokes and pooping references and toward a deeper sense of irony. However, I've also recognized that humor I might not appreciate (physical humor, puns) can play a critical role in the class growing closer.

Case in point: Many of my students, being English Language Learners, struggle with idioms. I realized that one afternoon when I made a kid cry after writing a positive note about how he goes the extra mile. “I already run enough in PE. Why me?”

So, early on in the year, I teach my students about the difference between literal and figurative language using a comic strip from The Oatmeal. From there, students begin brainstorming idioms and illustrating figurative versus literal. Here are a few samples:

“Dude, would you quit dropping to the ground?”
“I’m falling for him.”

“I’m still struggling to see why you are asking for a heart transplant?”
“I told him I would literally give him my heart.”

“Would you stop that?”
“Your sign says it up there. It’s KFC. I have every right to lick your fingers.”

“Well folks, it looks like the games over. The Packers had a literally explosive offense today and that seems to be the real issue.”

The humor in this exercise helped bond our class together. We grew closer as a community from the shared laughter. Yet, it also forced students to be creative and to think at a higher level. Humor is difficult to pull off. It’s why I had students write their own satire after watching clips from The Onion News Network. They ranged from silly (a riot at Macy’s after school announced it was a Free Dress Day and everyone showed up to get their free dresses) to cutting (a satirical piece about the standardized test that gets people to Heaven).

I used to see humor as comic relief. It was that “extra” that some teachers were able to use. I’ve learned that it’s a vital part of classroom leadership. Something magical happens when a group feels safe enough to laugh together.

John T. Spencer is a teacher in Phoenix, AZ who blogs at Education Rethink. He recently finished two books, Pencil Me In, an allegory for educational technology and Drawn Into Danger, a fictional memoir of a superhero and he's working onSustainable Start, a book for new teachers. You can connect with him on Twitter @johntspencer

Photographs from the SOS March in Washington, DC 2011

2011-07-31T16:54:00.001-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

Was in DC yesterday for the SOS March.

Nice mixture of people (and opinions) on the Ellipse. Still getting my head around everything I heard and saw and I promise a post soon. In the meantime, here are some photographs I snapped; thanks to everybody for the kind conversation throughout the day.

On Best Practices

2011-07-29T14:08:00.001-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

A lot of talk recently about 'best practices'. Best practices for using the iPad in the classroom. Best practices for social media in schools. Best practices for dealing with kids more interested in Angry Birds than in schoolwork.

Trouble is: There are no 'best practices'.

In fact there is no 'best' anything when it comes to teaching. There is no 'best' in teaching any more than there is a 'best' way to win a football game.

Now, there will be those pundits who claim that one team's Super Bowl victory means less than another's. Pundits make a career of saying what is 'best' for someone else. But we all know that teams win games based on preparation; on the ability to adapt strategy -- often in the middle of a play; on the way their unique culture expresses itself as teamwork. Teams don't win because pundits say what's best.

And student's don't learn because of what the educational equivalent of pundits say is best.

Students learn based on the relationship that exists between themselves and their teacher; they learn because of the preparation, strategies, adaptations, and teamwork involved. And there is no standard way of producing success. That preparation, those strategies, those adaptations, and that teamwork will be different in each class -- or at least should.

Because no two kids are the same. No two teachers are the same. No two schools are the same. We're all working with what we've got. And what we've got -- to slice through all the murk on all sides of the Ed Reform debate -- are relationships.

Great coaches and great athletes know that it is relationships, not 'best practices' that win championships. Love of the game inspires kids. Love of passion and hard work and determination and grit and love of love itself.

No kid wants to grow up to be a pundit.

And no kid is inspired by 'best practices'.

In the end, 'best practices' are just another form of punditry. They inspire nothing but further standardization.

And standardization is the opposite of passion. It's the opposite of joy, motivation, love of being part of the struggle -- the pathos -- of sport and learning alike. Standardization tells you that making a mistake is a bad thing. Standardization suggests there is a clear cut measure. A process that works. No gray.

'Best practices' tell you that there is a 'Way'; and if you just follow that way, you'll find success.

This has never worked. There is no Way in teaching. There are only teachers looking for a way on one hand and those making their own way on the other.

If you really want to inspire learning, you don't need 'best practices', you just need practice best.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Personalized, passionate learning

2011-07-26T11:31:00.002-04:00

By Mike Kaechele

There is a Save Our Schools March in Washington D.C. this week. I can't go but here is my contribution to the discussion.

<p>&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Mike</p>

I Am Not A Great Teacher

2011-07-23T14:03:00.003-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

I am not a great teacher. Many of my former students would probably agree. I'm at times flaky. And I can certainly be absent minded. I tend to ask students to do too much work all at once, probably because that's the way I do things.

I'm a terrible test-prepper. When I do give lectures, I tend to go on tangents. Sometimes I mix up names, dates, events; this happens at family BBQs, too.

I keep my gradebook relatively up-to-date, but tend to prefer talking directly to students about what we've been learning/doing rather than just mark up assignments. This works for some students, it doesn't for others. And thus, I often find myself in the position of doing what I'm "supposed to do" as a teacher when I feel and I know from experience that there is a better way to do things.

When I started teaching, I was absolutely terrible at classroom management. A decade in, I realize that my classroom management issues stopped being issues around year 3 when I stopped trying to control everything going on in my classroom. I don't think any of us really realize what classroom management is all about until years into teaching when we've realized that we haven't thought about classroom management in a while.

I try to talk candidly with parents. And I will argue my point. But I'll also listen to yours. As a father of three elementary school kids, I value conversations with their teachers where they are open and honest with me even if I disagree with what they are saying.

Sometimes I've gotten into trouble because I've been too open or outspoken about things. I know there are many folks on the faculty who don't like me. I've let certain grudges go on too long.

But at the same time, I feel like there are people who get an idea in their head about what you represent, and from there on out, there is no changing their opinion.

Happens in my head, too.

I am not a great teacher. I'm not always prepared. Though I do think I am a pretty good improviser. And I think that is an essential, but over-looked skill. I like the idea that any kid can bring up any point about any subject and within seconds we can be talking about something that could potentially change a life in a way my prepared lesson never could.

I tend to hate most professional development. And yet, I like to design new kinds of PD.

A lot of people confuse me with someone who thinks technology is the answer to all of our problems. Those people are probably people who don't like to read long blog posts.

Fair enough.

I always hated working in groups as a student. But now, I work with groups all the time. In some ways, I couldn't function professionally without my network. That network -- that group ever changing and evolving in thought and substance -- is the circulatory system at the heart of what I think about when I think about education.

I'm not a great teacher. I can't teach you how to be a great teacher. You are probably a better teacher than me. I don't know.

What I do know is that I'm a pretty good learner. I like learning. I'm also a pretty good share-er. I like sharing. When I am learning and sharing, I don't feel like my back is to the wall. I feel comfortable. I feel like my motivations are honest. I feel like I can be myself. And I feel a bit more useful to other folks.

I am far more interested in being a conduit for ideas. A conduit for conversation. A conduit for debate. For real learning. Connecting. Rethinking. Reframing debates. Debates and discussions. The stuff of humanity.

I don't remember off the top of my head what year Napoleon became emperor. I'd have to look it up. I guess that makes me a pretty lousy history teacher.

But I'm willing to not know.

I take a lot of solace in the example of Socrates. Not because I think I'm like Socrates, but because I think deep down Socrates is a lot like all of us. Socrates was a guy who both boastfully and intimately explained that in the end, he really didn't know anything.

And that was enough to change everything.

What Google Plus Could Teach Us About Education Reform

2011-07-20T23:22:00.000-04:00

by John T. Spencer

I am not a Google Fanboy. I promise this. I am not crazy about any transnational corporation poised to redefine the way we organize information. However, in using Google Plus, I'm thinking that we could learn a few things in terms of rethinking and redesigning public education:

User Interface: Form
It finally feels like Google has a "look," with the new Google search pages and Gmail user interface. It's clean and minimal in an online world filled with slick, shiny icons. Unlike Facebook (which has become a cluttered Wal-Mart-style mess), Google Plus makes use of a balance between negative and positive space. The result is both a calm and active ethos, creating a "place" where I want to hang around.

I'd like to see schools pay better attention to this. In my dream school, we have space, open space, negative space. We have murals. We have art. We have bold colors, but also places where things are calm. We have windows. Instead of looking slick and professional, school would look like a place where students want to be.

User Interface: Function
I like the use of muted icons, as if any color chosen is intentional alongside the bold green, blue and red that gently guide me toward what I'm looking for. The end result is a user interface that is intuitive as much as it is logical. Google Plus is easy to navigate from within the system and easy to access from outside (adding the plus one button, seeing the red update box next to my name, the share box, etc.) The result is a system that has a ton of integrated features while still feeling simple.

Schools could learn from this by designing curriculum that allows for fluid integration while still creating a sense of natural boundaries between subjects. Both in physical and in intellectual space, schools wouldn't have to be free of walls, but rather open to half walls, open doors and open windows. Schools wouldn't have to be entirely project-based or independent work, but they could be open to a balanced, nuanced approach of integration and specialization.

Language
Language reshapes the way we define reality. The unspoken metaphors create a semantic environment that both create and reflect our values and norms. Google chose human metaphors. Instead of using "video chat," they have "hang outs." Instead of saying "customized search," they use sparks. Even the emotive, harmonious symbol of a circle (and the common use of spheres and circles to describe relationships) has a much more human sound to it than "lists."

Schools could learn from Google as they push reform. It has to be real, though. We can't use "common" and then create "standardized." Nor can we speak of "learning" and simply mean "achievement." However, if we begin to move toward more human, organic metaphors, our values, norms and structures will eventually change.

Features

Google Plus offers sparks (a customized way of searching and sharing), circles (a chance to direct your communication to your personalized groups) and easily embedded media within status updates. Plus offers hangouts, where small groups can interact on video. And the best part? It's not cluttered full of third party apps trying to spam me into a mafia or a pretend agribusiness or a make-believe coffee shop. In the process, it's both interest-based (sparks) and relationship-based (circles) in a way that feels very human.

School could function as a flexible community while still allowing students to engage with the outside world (plus one approach). Students could engage in community with concentric circles while personalizing their learning according to their own interests (sparks). Students could meet based upon shared social status (age-based, ability levels) while also letting them share in interest-based formats (multi-age classes based upon interests). We could recover recess (hangouts) and we wouldn't have to depend upon third-party apps invading our curriculum and forcing us to interrupt real learning with incessant testing updates. We could learn from Google in some of the smaller features, too. Maybe wait a little longer in student response time and in discipline.

Flexibility
Google Plus allows users to interact in a way that resembles both Facebook and Twitter. Thus, it's easy to embed media, but it's not cluttered with media updates. I can choose to follow you, but you can choose to limit your updates to specific circles. In addition, while social media often defines relevance for the users, Google Plus lets the users define relevance for themselves. Instead of being differentiated, it's truly personalized. Instead of offering choice, it offers freedom. I can sort by medium, by interest or by social communities.

Schools need to shift from differentiation to customization/personalization. They need to allow students to define relevance and meaning, to sift through multiple media choices, to organize information according to the meaning they create rather than the teacher-driven transmission of conceptual systems. Schools could also learn to create fewer options and provide more freedom, relying on the power of freedom and simplicity to generate creativity and authenticity.

Bottom Line
Google learned from the failures of Wave and Buzz as well as the structural problems with Twitter and Facebook. The response was a certain humility that education reformers could learn from. They worked toward creating a social network that feels more social than networked. In designing an online community, they seemed to ask, "How can we humanize this?" rather than "How can we get people to follow this format?"

John T. Spencer is a teacher in Phoenix, AZ who blogs at Education Rethink. He recently finished two books, Pencil Me In, an allegory for educational technology and Drawn Into Danger, a fictional memoir of a superhero and he's working on Sustainable Start, a book for new teachers. You can connect with him on Twitter @johntspencer

5 Issues: Education and the Network

2011-07-18T14:05:00.000-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

Been having a lot of facetime recently with folks out there in the education world and have noticed a few misconceptions that keep popping up regarding the conversation we've been having about social tech integration and networked classrooms. So I thought I'd write this brief post concerning some of the issues folks have had.

1. Networked education will not improve test scores. This is a 100% true statement. Networked education will not improve test scores. Personally, I have no interest in improving test scores because I hold them to be by-and-large a poor reflection of the actual learning, growth, and understanding of our students; that's just me. Other teachers feel differently. And that's fine. I like debate. But as for networked education, improving test scores is not the objective... therefore, do not expect results. You are going to have to redefine what "assessment" means if it's real networked learning you are trying to gauge.

2. Technology will not fix education. This is a 100% true statement. All along, we've been stressing the fact that technology -- and the digital age broadly speaking -- is the context, not the goal. Having computers in your room will not make your kids understand Shakespeare better. But denying the connection in your room will limit your students' capacity to use the connections and resources of the web to better learn, grow, and understand in a personalized and context-savvy way. Eventually, there will be two types of students: connected and not-connected. Connected students will have the power of broad personal and professional learning communities at their fingertips. Not-connected students won't. You are the teacher: decide what kind of student you think is going to have the skills and understanding to make it in a connected world.

3. Smart kids don't need networked learning, because they'll pick it all up along the way. This notion demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of what networked education is. It's not about the "end result"; it's about the process. Networked learning isn't a goal; it's a way of being. It's not analogous to getting the "A" or the "5" on the AP exam; it's about learning to be a thinker, citizen, and engaged person within a connected global network. And that's a life-long ongoing process that doesn't end just because you got into your top choice college. It's not another accolade to pick up at the podium.

4. Wealthy schools will always be the best schools. I get to visit many schools and have walked the halls of some of the most august. And I have seen in some of these schools only what I would consider at best a complete lack of recognition of the reality of what is happening in the broader culture, and at worst a complete mis-reading of what the digital paradigm means for the future of our society. There are many, many so-called "top tier" schools that you could not pay me to send my own children to. In the connected age, the quality of a school will ultimately have less to do with the size of the endowment than with the capacity of the program to produce engaged and creative thinkers who can handle a variety of complexities and types of connection. The future doesn't care about your reputation.

5. Inner-city schools have bigger issues than whether or not their students are using Twitter. While schools of all types face a multitude of challenges, this statement betrays a deep lack of understanding of what social networks represent. I can't help but hear such a statement and not glean the anxiety that social networks might prove to represent the greatest challenge to present and status quo hierarchical systems of authority in education, business, government, and beyond. I could imagine no greater issue facing any school district than whether or not their students are connected and engaged in an empowering and culture-redefining network.

Thinking Outside-the-Box With QR Codes

2011-07-15T03:51:00.005-04:00

by Noah Geisel

I was introduced to QR Codes by Kevin Gaugler's presentation at the 2009 ACTFL convention, when he showed off the Robert Downey Jr. cover of Esquire magazine that employed QR Codes. Simply put, I was wowed. Since then, I've seen a dramatic rise in the use of QR Codes in magazines, on busses and in classrooms but often find the application of the tool to be uninspiring. Marketers (and we educators are in the business of marketing knowledge and skills) employing QR Codes are limited only by their creativity in the uses of this tool and I, for one, would like to see people thinking more outside-the-box.

For example, I recently attended an exhibit at the Denver Art Museum and saw that in addition to descriptions of the art and artists on the placards of each piece in the show, there were QR Codes. Excited for a socially appropriate opportunity to break out my smart phone at the museum, I scanned the code and voila: the same information that was on the placard now appeared on my phone's screen, only many times smaller. Value added: zero.

Last week, I went to what was billed as a QR Code art show. More than 20 QR Codes had been enlarged and hung on the walls. When scanned, the codes linked to a cell phone screen-sized picture of each artist's work. Somewhat snazzy, but again there was no value added. Personally, I'd rather see the full-sized works.

An example of an inspired, outside-the-box approach to using QR Codes is in the photography show of Denver math teacher and travel photographer Paul Knickerbocker. Each picture in his show is named after the town and country where it was taken. Additionally, each picture's placard features a QR Code that, when scanned, links to a Google Map that Mr. Knickerbocker created on which the pictures have been geo tagged and annotated with brief descriptions of the shots. This is a use that adds value! It allows people to learn more about each picture and have multiple ways to connect with them. It opens the door to art patrons conversing with the artist without his having to be at the gallery every day. The QR Codes are used in order to bring something new to the table, not just recycle the same content to a mobile device.

As we seek out ways to engage our 21st Century learners, QR Codes are an attractive option. The challenge is not to find opportunities to integrate them but to do so in ways that, like Mr. Knickerbocker's travel photography show, enhance content and users' experiences. Failure to think outside-the-box can lead to presenting the same information on a smaller screen and that is a tough sell for the learners in our target market.

_____________________________________________________

**Cybraryman's resource page is a great starting place for educators to explore ways to utilize QR Codes in the classroom**

Connected vs Not-Connected Classrooms

2011-07-13T14:28:00.002-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

So, I penned an Op-Ed on 'Connected vs Not-Connected Classrooms' and it ran today in The Baltimore Sun... click after the snippet to read the whole thing. And please do share, comment, and help me understand how you think about these things.

A gap will emerge between those schools that can offer the capacity for network building — represented by their own network of connected teachers and administrators — and those that will not make the connection. This is not an issue of public versus private school or wealthy versus impoverished school. Plenty of wealthy schools are deciding not to make the connection, while many teachers in cash-strapped schools are pursuing a real grass-roots effort to make it happen. This is about connected schools versus not-connected schools.

Read the whole piece.

Why Superman Would Suck As a Teacher

2011-07-09T16:42:00.003-04:00

by John T. Spencer

Some people are waiting for Superman and that's fine. (I have my own thoughts on why Clark Kent wouldn't choose to become a teacher) But for what it's worth, I hope Superman doesn't become a teacher. Here's why:

Superman has x-ray vision, but he is unwilling to be even remotely transparent himself. I'm not suggesting that teachers bare all, but a complete lack of vulnerability prevents students from trusting a classroom leader.
Superman is strong, but rarely gentle. The Flaming Lips ask the question, "Is it getting heavy to use a crane to crush a fly?" Perhaps kids need more strong men, but it seems even more powerful when a strong man can gently say, "I care about your pain. I care about your story."
Superman is always composed, always honorable, always doing the right thing. But in the process, he doesn't get a chance to be humble and apologize. Perhaps he's perfect and maybe kids need perfection.
Superman is too nice. My favorite teachers (Jesus, Socrates, my AP Government teacher) often broke social norms and used language that provoked thought rather than maintaining the status quo.
Superman might be great preventing destruction, but he is rarely seen creating anything. Preservation can't be the bottom line.
Superman saves the day, but in the process he doesn't allow the citizens to help. He doesn't come alongside them and say, "let's serve together." There's a touch of imperialism in flying down and fixing a mess without empowering people to get to the root of the issue.

For eight years, I've taught in a low-income school and I've noticed that kids don't want to be saved. They don't want to be someone's project. They don't want to exist in order to validate someone else's savior complex. They want to learn. They want to think deeply. Superman can't do that. Clark Kent, perhaps, but not Superman. However, I've met a ton of teachers who use quality strategies with students who society has written off as "underprivileged" and the results are way more impressive than a flying man in tights.

John T. Spencer is a teacher in Phoenix, AZ who blogs at Education Rethink. He recently finished two books, Pencil Me In, an allegory for educational technology and Drawn Into Danger, a fictional memoir of a superhero. You can connect with him on Twitter @johntspencer

Question of the Day: Connection -- Is it a professional responsibility?

2011-07-09T11:11:00.001-04:00

Today's question of the day: Should teachers be expected to provide their own 3G device and connection as a professional requirement even if their school does not support them to do so?

(i.e. Do you see it as a professional responsibility that teachers provide and pay for their own way to connect from anywhere if their school will not?)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Interview with Rep. Jared Polis

2011-07-08T15:00:00.006-04:00

by Noah Geisel

Thanks in part to the democratization of communication that Twitter sometimes enables, I had a chance this week to interview Colorado Congressman Jared Polis. Readers of TeachPaperless may already know about Rep. Polis and certainly have reason to be interested in what he has to say about education issues: Prior to being elected to Congress in 2008, the millionaire dot com entrepreneur served on the Colorado State Board of Education, founded two charter schools and served as superintendent of the New America School, a network of four charter schools in Colorado and New Mexico that helps new immigrant students learn English. I asked Rep. Polis about 21st Century Skills, closing the achievement gap, the role of community involvement and education leadership.

What career and life skills do you believe are essential to success after high school?

Rep. Polis: Preparing students to compete and win in the global economy is essential for America’s future. That means building on the basics that our parents understood as a part of school curriculum—literacy, math, and civics—and fostering technological literacy, creativity, critical analysis, problem solving and teamwork. These skills will serve every child well in school, work and life.

What do our schools need to do to prepare students for life in 2020? 2050?

Rep. Polis: We cannot abide schools that fail to ready students to achieve in life and succeed in an increasingly competitive global market. The single best guarantee of our children’s success in school is an excellent teacher in every classroom. It’s also critical to have an effective principal in every school building. Peer learning, mentoring and continuous, high quality professional development have all been found to improve instruction.

We must also increase our investments in reading, writing, math, science, social studies and technology instruction, as well as ensure that students have a well-rounded education, including social studies, arts, and physical and health education. We also need to recognize that our constantly changing economy requires lifetime learning, from quality early childhood education, to improved K-12, through college and beyond.

How can we create more high quality learning environments to close the achievement gap?

Rep. Polis: Robustly funded public schools remain the best way to close the achievement gap. When a school is failing, there must be accountability for administrators and teachers as well as funding available to new leadership to reform a school using evidence-based turnaround models that improve student performance. America’s children must never be trapped in schools that fail to prepare them to compete and win in the global economy.

Reform must always be tied to resources that help districts, administrators and teachers promote excellent schools. Across the board, we must invest more in quality pre-schools, quality teacher professional development, including a focus on disadvantaged students, data-driven individualized instruction, including access to public school choice such as quality charter schools and online programs, dropout prevention and recovery, and access to higher education.

What role do business and community leaders need to play and how easy is it for those who want to contribute to get involved in these learning environments?

Rep. Polis: Business and community leaders can become involved in improving public education in a variety of ways. They can contribute funds to school and school district foundations; serve on those foundations; participate in school and school district accountability committees by offering assistance and advice on instruction and other supports to students; provide leadership in public school communities by convincing other business and community leaders to be involved in school activities; support schools by volunteering their time at events and activities; and offer service learning internships for students. If entrepreneurs want to grow their businesses they have a vested interest in ensuring that their public schools are producing a well-prepared workforce.

Regarding school leadership, what needs to be done at the district, university and state department of education levels to prepare and develop school leaders?

Rep. Polis: It simply makes sense to align higher education admissions and K-12 standards. If we’re not preparing our children to enter college then we’re not supporting the kind of workforce we’ll need for the future. We should also hold teacher preparation programs accountable by linking their teachers’ students’ test scores back to each higher education institution.

Higher education institutions should coordinate with K-12 to prioritize the development of effective school leaders, including principals. Higher education departments, state education departments, and school districts should facilitate concurrent enrollment programs for all students. K-12 and higher education officials should also be in regular communication regarding issues related to college remediation, graduation requirements, college access, standards and assessments.

Apple Versus Google

2011-07-04T09:39:00.002-04:00

by John T. Spencer

An operating system used to be device-specific. However, as we move further toward a completely cloud-based, mobile experience, the definition of an operating system becomes somewhat elusive. Windows lost in its failure to capture the smart phone, tablet and netbook market. Now the war shifts toward a Google versus Apple dual.

Case in point: Apple recently created iCloud and enabled cloud-based iTunes while Google introduced Google Music (which I'm loving, by the way) and the Chrome netbook-laptop-or-whatever-you-want-to-call-it. Meanwhile the smart phone market has shifted almost entirely toward Android versus the iPhone, with endless apps offering device synchronization. (Note: this is not meant to be a product-by-product comparison, but simply a short description of the cloud-based trend)

While it might seem like a simple rivalry between two software giants, both companies offer a very different vision for our online multimedia experience. Apple sells content while Google sells advertising. Apple is betting on a model akin to a movie theater experience where consumers will pay more for quality and convenience. Google is betting on a model akin to cable television where consumers will prefer freedom and value.

Apple wants to customize the hardware and software to be as user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing as possible. It's why an iPhone on AT&T and Verizon look nearly identical and why that same operating system runs seamlessly with an iPod and an iPad. Apple needs people to buy multimedia products - whether this is a two dollar app, a dollar song, a three dollar ebook or an annual service that allows consumers to house what they buy on multiple devices.

Google wants to offer a customized service that runs quickly and allows for more user freedom. It's why Android looks different on various phones and why the Chrome OS is entirely different than the Android. Whether it's a piece of software, an operating system or even the laptop itself, Google needs access to consumer data so that advertisers have access to one's multimedia experience. This is why ultimately Google might want to buy Pandora as an end-route into getting Google music on all the iCandy.

The point is that regardless of the product (a textbook, an iPod touch, a Chrome laptop), there is a power structure and an economic incentive driving the sale and implementation. As long as we treat these items as a simple list of supplies, we deny the political, economic and social nature of each device.

If we, as educators, support a bring-your-own-device approach, to what extent are we allowing these two very distinct business models to shape how out students learn?

Are we okay allowing iEducation to monopolize our purchases and limit our flexibility in learning tools?

Are we okay allowing Google to stream endless advertising into our classrooms?

John T. Spencer is a teacher in Phoenix, AZ who blogs at Education Rethink. He recently finished two books, Pencil Me In, an allegory for educational technology and Drawn Into Danger, a fictional memoir of a superhero. You can connect with him on Twitter @johntspencer

First Thoughts on Google+

2011-07-01T11:20:00.001-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

So, in the category of "as if there weren't enough going on"... the arrival of the Google+ beta.

I have basically holed up in a small room for the last 48 hours attempting to figure out what this thing can do and what it can't do. First thoughts: it is not Facebook and it is not trying to be. Second: it is not Twitter and it is not trying to be. Third: it is not Wave, but it suggests that Google learned a ton from the relatively esoteric things people who gave it a chance were actually doing with Wave.

In short: this really is something different. What does it do? I don't know. What does it mean? Too early to say. Is it going to fail as hard as Wave? Dunno.

In the early estimate, what I can say is that the 'circles' feature around which + is based around offers new options in the ongoing conversation about public and private in social networks. The outcome of this chapter in the evolution of that conversation might be the most important thing to watch -- and the most important thing in terms of thinking what social tech integration means to the structure of classes, courses, schools, and classrooms.

More later, I'm headed back to my hole.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Baltimore, United States

Collaboration and Lesson Planning

2011-06-24T18:33:00.000-04:00

by Andrew Coy

It is summer time! Officially and completely.

For us teachers this means family travel, road trips, camping, or maybe just a second job (especially if you don't budget during the year for 2.5 months without a paycheck). As the school year ends, talk to any teacher and you are bound to hear lofty plans for lesson planning too. We all know how that goes sometimes though. =)

But this brings me to my question for the blogosphere:
How do you lesson plan?

I have used sticky notes, the back of envelopes, word documents (with and without templates), and a wiki... but i always felt there should be a better way to do it. With all that web tools can do, it seems lesson planning and organization has been overlooked. Or maybe it is just me that has overlooked them. Please respond to this with comments telling me all about the ways you paperlessly plan your lessons.

I'll start with one I think is a game-changer for the curriculum publishing but which is just getting going. It is being developed by a former teacher from Baltimore named Scott Messinger and takes a lot of tools from the web and applies them to solving the problems of collaborative lesson planning. It is still in beta but if you are interested in getting an account, I can send you an invite. The site is called Common Curriculum and is quickly becoming my favorite way to organize my semester's plans. Below is a screen shot of a page from the 1st Grade Math curriculum (not what I teach, but an example of it in action already as being used by the Baltimore City Public School System).

Tell Me What to Talk About

2011-06-21T11:08:00.000-04:00

by Shelly Blake-Plock

So, in July, I'll be giving a keynote at Lenovo's ThinkTank 2011 event in DC. And I'm thinking about what to say. And I'd like your help. So let me give you some details...

My talk is ideally going to be split up into a piece where I open my mouth and things come out and a piece where we get to hear from you to get some conversation going. Intentionally, I'm leaving lots of room for improvisation; that's where things get interesting.

Also on the bill that day will be Michelle Rhee. Which is fun given that I think both she and myself would be considered to represent different segments of the education reform thing. Unfortunately, one of the problems, (and I myself am guilty of this), is that the folks camped out in the polar regions of the ed reform debate tend to do little more than actively ignore one another whilst in the doldrums between the predictable lobs of grenades. I'd like to go somewhere different in my talk and conversation.

As an independent school teacher with public school teaching experience; a city kid who has taught kids who live on farms; a f2f advocate who currently is planning a year of virtual teaching; a Catholic school graduate who is a father of three public school kids; a former post-secondary student with tours-of-duty in public, private, and Catholic universities; and as a teacher of Baltimore City Public School teachers in a private university, I see myself both as having a variety of experiences and understandings about how American education works as well as a bit of a twisted up and multiple-personality take on what it all means. Public / Private. Affluent / Not-affluent. Sectarian / Non-sectarian. Urban / Suburban / Rural.

So I'm looking for some clarity.

Shoot over ideas, thoughts, criticisms, hollers, and taunts. I wanna hear the good, the bad, the true. What should I be thinking about going into this thing? Is it just a work of extended ego, or can I make something useful out of this talk? Should I forgo the talk altogether and lead the audience in guided meditation?

Hit me with ideas. I want to help express your thoughts out there.

Confessions of a Techno-Luddite

2011-06-20T13:16:00.001-04:00

by John T. Spencer - Final Reflection on the Living Facebook Experiment (final posts will be up later this week)

It's a warm and windy afternoon, the perfect Father's Day gift for a desert dweller. I inhale the waves of mint and basil and fresh-cut grass in an aromatic ebb and flow. We play barefoot baseball and then imaginary ninja fights. Interspersed through these games are are garden expeditions, where we touch and smell and carefully examine the tomatoes that will soon become marinara sauce. After a few hours, we move inside and play this amazing new app called "puzzle." It's interactive, 3-D and developmentally appropriate.

It's a Luddite afternoon until Micah asks if we can have quiet time and watch Stuart Little. We follow this with silly faces on Photo Booth, a photograph scavenger hunt and a recording session of Brenna's Amazing Animal Sounds. I take breaks to post updates on Twitter and Facebook while the boys play a few games of Angry Birds. We're now immersed in a multifaceted, multimedia, technophiliac reality.

As the boys move back into Luddite mode (doing science experiments in the backyard) and I begin the very earthy task of cooking up a stir fry, I begin a Educational Luddite chat on Twitter (#edlud), posing the question, "What are the inherent dangers in catering education to an image-based culture?"

It might seem like a trendy hipster ploy at deliberate irony (blessed are the hipsters, for they shall inherit the irony), but it's entirely earnest. I want to step out of the ed-tech echo chamber and ask my Twitter friends a deeply philosophical, but also deeply personal, question about the nature of education in our current context.

To my surprise, people join the discussion. True, the topic doesn't fit the medium. It's a bit like creating a Facebook Event for an Amish Barn-raising, but in the moment it feels like a vital conversation to have through social media.

* * *

When I began Living Facebook, I assumed that I would prefer the real-life version to the online version. I would write a quasi-Wendell-Barry piece and come to the conclusion that I needed to destroy my online mask and engage in the physical world around me. Like the lovers of slow food and vinyl records, I saw this project as a chance to recover what we lost.

Instead, I found that social media often mirrors life and that the challenges I faced in doing Facebook in-person or online were the inherent challenges of any medium. Misunderstandings, pride, jealousy, fear - those things are amplified in each medium. This isn't to suggest that social media can be neutral. The linear, organized, shiny methodology of Facebook and Twitter fail to capture some of the messy beauty of in-person interaction.

We have no art on Facebook.

We cannot truly share music on Twitter.

Social media cannot provide a venue for sharing a pint, breaking bread or cuddling up to a loved one.

And yet . . . social media can be powerful and profound and intimate in ways that are often too guarded in real-life.

My friend Quinn the Business Bohemian listens to his favorite records on vinyl and then makes his music portable with an iPod Touch. My friend Rich takes amazing old-school style pictures and then modifies them digitally. My friend Jabiz plays the acoustic guitar and meanders around a garden and dances with his daughters and then blogs and tweets and records podcasts for the world to hear.

So, as I finish my fortieth day of the Living Facebook experiment, my goal is to continue to do Facebook in-person and online. I want to congratulate people on the monumental task of remaining alive for another year by posting to their wall and bringing them cupcakes. I want to share videos in person and online. I want to bust out the Poloroid and tag people in photos and share the old-school photo albums with my children and then I want to comment on my Facebook friends' photo albums as well.

* * *

Some would claim that I'm hypocritical for being part Technophile and part Luddite. Perhaps I am hypocritical. After all, I have an iPad, but I refuse to own a cell phone (smart or otherwise). I listen to low-fi, earthy Iron and Wine and follow that with The Postal Service. I spend an hour in the garden and then blog about it while sitting in my air-conditioned techno-fied barricade.

However, I see it as a paradox to be approached with humility and nuance. Every medium is powerful and it's a myth to assume we can approach tech as a neutral tool to that we can wield for good rather than evil. The reality is that the tools we use will shape us as much as we shape them. Perhaps I'm being animistic here, but I see tools as relational rather than artificial. We get to know a medium and it changes us.

So the paradox is this: I need to criticize the media I use and use the media I criticize. It is deeply human to abandon tools and live in the terrestrial now. Yet, it is also deeply human to use all media available to make sense out of our terrestrial reality.

* * *

So, how does this connect to the classroom?

I want my students to be geeks and gurus.

The geek is knowledgeable about technology. This person loves it, embraces it and knows how to use it in creative ways. One the best days, the geek thinks of the future and how technology can be used to solve social, economic and perhaps even personal problems. (Think Dr. Salk or Batman.) On the worst days, the geek becomes intoxicated by the novelty and applies futuristic solutions that lack foresight. (Think Dr. Oppenheimer in his early days or The Terminator.)

On the other hand, the guru is wise about technology. This person sees it as a force that is sometimes negative in its dehumanizing aspects. On the best days, a guru will remind us that the physical is as important as the mechanical and that some things in life should not be chopped into pieces and processed, compressed and then industrialized. A guru knows that, even when we try and predict it, technology takes on a life of its own. (Think Marshall McLuhan or Dr. Oppenheimer in his latter days.) However, on the worst days, a guru will grow cynical and angry and shake an elitist fist at every innovation while missing out on the ways technology improves society. (Think the Unibomber.)

I want my students to be a bit of both. Call it a paradox or a mystery. I don't want them to abandon technology in a doom-and-gloom fear. However, I also don't want them to get into the mentality that a robotic world will fix everything.

John T. Spencer is a teacher in Phoenix, AZ who blogs at Education Rethink. He recently finished two books, Pencil Me In, an allegory for educational technology and Drawn Into Danger, a fictional memoir of a superhero. You can connect with him on Twitter @johntspencer

Rethinking Science Fairs (7 Ideas)

2011-06-15T10:25:00.003-04:00

By John T. Spencer

When I was in the fifth grade, I realized that my classmates were outsourcing their science fair projects to their parents (think child labor in reverse) while others were making up their amazing experiments altogether (think Three Cups of Tea). So, I went entirely fictitious with my poster board.

I asked the question, "How does music affect plant growth?"

My results were astounding. The country music group became depressed. The gangsta rap group shot each other in a turf war (I thought I would win points for the pun at least). The classical music group became pretentious and refused to interact with the country western group. Eventually the Norteno music group started doing all the work for the classical music group.

I used it as a chance to explore stereotypes, music and cultural norms. More importantly, though, I was writing a hell of a plant-based story through the scientific method. The final conclusion ended with questions such as: what makes us different than plants? Is it wrong to kill plants for food? Do plants actually experience music outside of our human lens?

I failed the project altogether.

I was told it wasn't real.

I didn't believe that reality was the same non-fiction or that fiction couldn't lead us toward scientific truth.

I walked around the cafeteria and noticed the ribbons and judges comments on each science fair board. I couldn't find mine anywhere in the collection. I figured that even if the science was a failure, maybe they'd keep it around for aesthetic reasons.

And thus I learned that I suck at science. I didn't shake that thought until last year.

* * *

So it has me considering ways to rethink science fair projects. Here are a few ideas:

Quit giving awards: Instead of simply celebrating the individual achievements, highlight the collective research that the entire group accomplished.
Broaden the definition of science: My project was fictitious. I get it. However, I had a love of social science and sociology that a teacher could have tapped into for a more alternative, human-oriented project.
Allow fiction: I'm not suggesting that we abandon scientific inquiry. Yet, I can see a place for students proposing theories through allegorical science fiction. Let a kid write a scientific dystopia where he or she examines some of the values inherent in science.
Encourage collaboration: Rather than sharing experiments after the fact, let students collaborate in multiple projects throughout the process. A student who becomes an expert in data analysis, for example, could lend his or her expertise in other projects. Similarly, students could modify experiments based upon the observations of others.
Modify the presentation component: instead of simply boards or papers, allow for podcasts, websites, blogs, videos and social media reflection. Create discussion groups where they share their data verbally in a group.
Make it a real fair: In other words, instead of simply walking around and checking the grades of each project, create a festival. Make it a carnival of inquiry. Bust out the pond water. Take out the magnifying glasses. Let children experience the joy of scientific discovery.
Go global: Let students compare similar experiments across the world. Have students develop a shared experiment using Skype, social media, blogging, shared documents and video and then encourage hard dialogue about the cultural conflicts they experience. Science can become the common ground for crossing the boundaries of presuppositions.

John T. Spencer is a teacher in Phoenix, AZ who blogs at Education Rethink. He recently finished two books, Pencil Me In, an allegory for educational technology and Drawn Into Danger, a fictional memoir of a superhero. You can connect with him on Twitter @johntspencer

Thinking about Collaboration

2011-06-14T14:06:00.004-04:00

By Shelly Blake-Plock

Earlier today in #edchat someone mentioned PLNs for elementary schoolers. My thoughts: You can not create a PLN for someone. Therefore, there is a practical matter involved with setting up that kind of complex network for a second grader. Furthermore, few elementary schoolers have the experience let alone the conceptual understanding of what a network really is and how best to navigate through one; fact is relatively few teachers do. But, the question gets to a bigger issue that I think is extremely relevant.

And that is the issue of collaboration.

I teach high schoolers. And one of the most difficult and frustrating things of all is to see how poorly most 9th graders are prepared to actually do collaborative work. Particularly among our most academically inclined students, we have set up a context of education that is so focused on the grade and personal excellence, that it makes the idea of collaborating somewhat alien.

Sure, we do group work and we have teams. But rarely in the traditional curriculum do we actually assess the value of collaboration to the degree we assess individuated patterns of recognition and response in summative assessments. Why aren't all of our final exams collaborative? Why don't we give an award at graduation to the best student collaboration or the strongest and most vital learning network?

My AP Euro kids spent much of their time this semester studying, sharing, and letting steam off via a class Facebook group they made. And yet so many of them were slaves-to-the-grade when it came down to the nitty-gritty of classroom life. Students in my West Civ class displayed an uncanny ability to collaborate on ideas when in a class setting and yet by-and-large reverted to the self when completing the final exam (even, strangely, on the parts of the exam that called for collaboration). In a way, we have told students: the things that really matter will be discovered in this one way. But that one way tends to be the precise way of thinking that rewards memorized facts and canned essays and penalizes (even disciplinarily) any hint of sharing, collaboration, and out-of-compartment innovation. We bring them up with this attitude from the very beginning, so it is no wonder that they are confused by the time we get them into a high school classroom and ask them to work together in a new way.

And I am just as much at fault, often second guessing my instincts and trying to figure out how to fit in yet one more page of the AP curriculum. It is a constant battle, in many respects: no one should think that this 21st century teaching thing is easy. But, time and again I am surprised by how much my network has to offer my students -- from validating research to collaborating on crowdsourced projects; and I feel that if only the kids came up in a connected culture, they would so easily latch on to it. Because the fact of the matter is that all year, the best work and best learning produced in my classroom happened when we opened the floodgates to shared learning and collaborative connected investigation.

So do we need our second graders joining PLNs? Well, maybe not at least in the way we understand huge networks like #edchat. But we do need them to learn in an environment that promotes and encourages collaboration. Those kids who grow within communities supportive and nurturing of collaboration will be the students who design the networks of tomorrow. And those schools which nurture networked learning will be the successful schools of tomorrow.

How do we get there?

I propose a relatively simple five-part plan.

1. End summative assessment. All assessment should be formative, developmental, and 'graded' by self-analysis and conversation. Project based learning works best given the actualization of the idea and learning in the world. In our school, I have had the privilege of sitting on a scholarship board for the senior project and I have seen this kind of learning and self-reflection literally change kids' attitudes and self-perceptions about learning and living. It is a powerful thing.

2. Involve the community. Starting in elementary school, student learning should be intertwined with community involvement. We are losing so many good kids just because those kids can't stand sitting in a classroom. Let the community itself be the classroom. Inside your building. Outside your building. Let students earn credit for participation, learning, creativity, and problem solving in the arts, sports, student government, service. Stop trying to teach students what they should know and start letting them discover what is out there.

3. Hire connected educators and help current staff connect.
PLN connection can't be 'taught', but it can be modeled. If we expect students to thrive in a connected world, first we have to thrive in a connected world. It is not an option. It is a professional responsibility.

4. Allow student groups to run the show. Do not pay the branding firm to design the logo and slogan for your new campaign. Let students do it. Do not let your tech committee decide what kind of devices your students are going to use. Let students tell you what they are going to use. Involve students in the day-to-day operations of the school. Don't just 'allow' a token student or two to sit on your board; require your board to sit in with the students. How soon we forget that students are the reason the community exists in the first place. Empower them. And then let them empower you.

5. Reward collaboration. Innovative collaborations at your school should get at least as much public recognition as successful sports programs. Connected teachers should activate the power of their own PLNs to open up opportunities for student collaborations and the development of meaning interdisciplinary community and professional engagement. Bring architects, theater designers, computer scientists and video game builders, political campaign managers, and filmmakers into your classrooms: demonstrate to your students just how collaborative all of this work is and let them connect via all the tools at their disposal. Don't let your district's filtering software limit your students' potential. Advocate for openness, collaboration, and active learning.

Okay, that's a lot to think about. I admit that part of the impetus for writing this post is because I do not feel like I have always done a great job promoting collaboration. I have let things slip through the cracks and I have let opportunities pass by in the name of expediency. My goal going forward is to work on behalf of helping students and teachers craft their own collaborative networks. In their own way. Not dictated by a particular theory, but rather created -- made -- by the needs at hand, the motivations under the surface, and the idea that things can be different.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Thinking about Collaboration

Social Media Mirrors

2011-06-11T11:26:00.003-04:00

by John T. Spencer - A Living Facebook Reflection

Warning: This might have nothing to do with teaching. This also might have everything to do with it. I can't decide, yet.

"Has this Living Facebook thing changed the way you view people?" Javi the Hippie asks.

"I think it's pushing me to see the goodness of humanity in a way that I never saw before."

"I think it's making you a better friend. You call on the phone. You send mail. It's the type of thing people used to do," he says.

"I can see that. It's forcing me out of my introverted bubble," I explain.

Two days later, when arriving home from giving flair, I notice an e-mail from someone who was hurt by careless words written on my blog. I immediately edit it, but it's out there in the global sphere, open to anyone interested in reading it. She recognizes that my words weren't malicious, but it doesn't take the pain away. I apologize. We reach a point of reconciliation. However, it has me second-guessing how personal I choose to be online. To what extent am I breaking another's privacy when I choose to be transparent?

It's easy to buy into the myth that Control, Alt and V will magically undo what is done. It's the digital dream of deleting the broken language of a broken man who gets careless and thoughtless. Social media is just that: social. Real people. Real conflict. Real relationships. Real hurt. Real reconciliation. It's beautiful and it's broken.

My friend Jabiz says that social media is simply a mirror of us. I'm thinking of myself in the mirror and the notion that what is backwards feels entirely normal to me. I'm wondering if maybe it's backwards to be more intimate online than I am with my acquaintances. I'm wondering if it's backwards to wish happy birthday to twenty people I've lost touch with and somehow miss a close friend's birthday. Then again, maybe it's not the medium that's backwards. Maybe it's my mentality.

I think again to the medium. If Facebook is a mirror, it's a carnival mirror, offering a distorted view of myself. Online I'm smarter, faster to speak, slower to listen. Online I don't stutter and sputter and laugh too loud. Or maybe it is an authentic mirror and maybe I'm seeing the distortion first-hand and coming to terms with what I see.

And yet . . .

Maybe it is a mirror and maybe it gets out of whack when it's bent by careless words or unresolved conflict. And maybe the beauty of social media is that it becomes a chance to realign the mirror so that we move closer to the authentic, to the real, to the undistorted picture of self that we only hope to see.

Or maybe social media isn't the mirror. Maybe social media is that place where people around you pull you away from the mirror, reminding you that you are not the illusion that you see before your eyes. Maybe social media is the chance to call me away from the backward lies that have defined my identity for too long.

"I'm thinking of ditching this project. I tried so hard not to be cynical. I tried not to hurt people in the process," I tell Javi.

"If avoiding hurt is your goal then you've got your priorities all wrong," he warns me. "Don't you see it? You're growing closer to people. You're running into conflict. You see a sad story of someone you hurt. I see a story of redemption."

I step away from the mirror.

John T. Spencer is a teacher in Phoenix, AZ who blogs at Education Rethink. He recently finished two books, Pencil Me In, an allegory for educational technology and Drawn Into Danger, a fictional memoir of a superhero. You can connect with him on Twitter @johntspencer

Thoughts on the iPad2 in Teaching

2011-06-09T21:05:00.005-04:00

By Shelly Blake-Plock

Picked up my own iPad2 about three weeks ago and, as an experiment, I have set my laptop aside and have used nothing but the Apple in the classroom ever since.

And I have found that there is nothing that I do in my normal activities as a teacher that I have done with a laptop or a tablet PC that I can not do with the iPad2.

Blogging? No problem... BlogPress. Gmail and Google Apps? No problem... G-whizz. Editing pics? Photoshop Express and Filterstorm and 100Cameras. Grading? No problem... PowerTeacher has an app. Documents and presentations? No prob... Pages and Keynote. Handwriting? Penultimate. Note taking and note storage? Auditorium, Evernote, and Dropbox. Dictation? Dragon. Sharing student desktops? Lanschool. Video taking-making-and-editing? iMovie is ridiculously good on the iPad. Music? Let's just say that Korg and Moog have made synth apps that I would be willing to take on stage.

In short, in my experience, all of the criticisms I have heard about the iPad not being 'classroom ready' are bogus. The Flash 'problem'? I have not noticed it so much. The two sites I have had problems with are wikispaces and weebly, but this just means that if they do not make themselves accessible for iPad, I will find an alternative -- i am not married to either of them. Other problems? For all I heard about how difficult typing would be, I have found it rather intuitive. Multitasking? Takes getting used to, but pretty simple and effective once you get the hang of it. Problems as a 'creation' tool? Absurd. Sure, if I am going to do high end design or audio, I am going to use pro gear... but how often do you actually find yourself needing pro gear in your regular duties?

Publishing yearbook? Newspaper? Yeah, you should be on a quad core running Adobe. iPad is not a substitute for that type of machine. But it is questionable to hear some quarters chopping off their nose to spite their face by complaining that a $700 machine you can hold in the palm of your hand can't run InDesign.

One of the things I never realized before was just how much even a tablet PC limits your mobility. With the iPad, I can roam the halls, lay on the couch, run out to the teacher parking lot... All while prepping digital lessons or watching student videos. The mobility factor is huge and will alter the way we think of 'space' in schools. My students joked that my being able to roam around while connected to PowerTeacher made it considerably more difficult for them to get away with sneaking a Skype session than it was while I was tied to the big laptop on my podium. They also like how easy it is to share the iPad. And it is not just a 'cool' thing... It is really a matter of being able to work --digitally and physically-- quick and share it on the fly.

Last thing. There has been a lot of hand-wringing about the 'closed' nature of iBooks and iTunes. I say, if you think it's too closed, use a different app. I get the majority of my e-books via the Kindle app. If I don't like the way a particular newspaper's app works, I just go direct to the web. Like most things, the iPad is mostly limited only by the imagination of the user. In terms of teaching and learning, I just have not hit a major snag yet. That is not to say there isn't one... I just have not run into it.

Is this device the be-all-and-end-all? To be honest, I really do not care. It works for me so far. Next step is to see how it works for the students. And on that front, our school is starting an iPad pilot program to complement the tablet PC program. Ultimately, I see all of these devices as relative within a BYOD environment.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad