Pinterest in the Classroom?

My first experience with Pinterest was several months ago, but I was immediately impressed with the site's ability to share ideas quickly and across large groups of people. Regardless of the educational setting, that is valuable. Whether you're trying to organize a multi-disciplinary unit with your colleagues, or trying to pique students' interest by presenting them visually intriguing topics, I think there is a place for Pinterest, or something like it in the classroom.

As with many of my other posts, I am instantly drawn to anything that is free and doesn't require my students to sign-up using their e-mail. While Pinterest is wonderful, the need to put my students through a sign-up process and the questionable educational value of a triple-chocolate-cheesecake makes Pinterest unsuitable for school use. However, there is still hope...

Meet Wallwisher, which is another digital bulletin board, but with several features that make it better suited to a school or classroom. Like Pinterest, it allows you to create sticky notes with images and videos, or simply text. What is particularly nice about Wallwisher is that multiple people can create and edit a single board and teachers have the option to moderate, veto and approve additions and changes.

There’s nothing wrong with taking two weeks to research and write an essay about a Civil War topic, but imagine turning kids lose on the Internet with a topic and instructions to create a short, educational sticky-note about their topic. Then, in small groups or as a class, students would organize their ideas next to everyone else’s. So, students could extend their learning and understanding by debating whether a post on Confederate general Robert E. Lee belongs next to Abraham Lincoln or Confederate president Jefferson Davis. Further discussion could focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the various sources and mediums of the sticky notes. Any class could benefit from having an interactive, class-wide method for organizing ideas.

Yesterday I asked my students to summarize a paragraph they had read and one hand went up. When I passed out small slips of paper it turned out that 95% of the students understood the paragraph, but didn’t want to raise their hands. Wellwisher could be used as an audience participation board! Instead of simply answering, “The human body has 206 bones,” students could be encouraged to find a source to support their answer. As far as moving away from text books go, I see this as a great form of informal assessment.

If my team ever reads this they could tell you that I’m not particularly good with e-mail. I know what all the buttons do and understand the functionality of it, but I much prefer to meet face-to-face. When meeting face-to-face doesn’t work, I would like to plan things using Wallwisher. Provide a link to the nature center/speaker/event that would perfectly align with your curriculum. Stay connected with other teachers in your curriculum area. Again, there are an unlimited number of ways that teachers could use this website.


The options and uses are limitless, but the value of a visual, interactive and connected e-bulletin board is tremendous. Best of luck!

If you know of another program, app or website that is better or just different, please share it! Likewise, if you think of some other great way to use Wallwisher, please post below. 

I don't even care if you misuse "your" and "you're," well, I do, but I won't give you a hard time about it.


Image: J_O_I_D. stickynote. Accessed on February 18, 2012. http://www.flickr.com/photos/winning-information/2325865367/

The Digital Divide

So many times I have begun planning a unit and recognized an opportunity to meet some "tech" learning standards, only to realize that it won't really work unless students can take the work home. Immediately, the bottom falls out of the plan and, as a result, I offer the "tech" element as an option.

There is no denying that the tablet and e-learning are generating buzz in the education world and in many parts of the country the confluence of these ideas has reached critical mass. However, for much of the country--including the part I teach in--many students do not have access to a computer or the internet outside of school.

All teachers are familiar with differentiating instruction to meet the needs of different learners. Adapting materials and techniques is one of the most important, and challenging, parts of the job. While there are many things to take into consideration when modifying and differentiating, most have to do with the cognitive, behavioral and learning characteristics of the students. I'm beginning to feel like there is a fourth dimension to the modification process and it is access to technology.

It is difficult creating learning experiences that are engaging for the most capable students while still being feasible and approachable for others. The same is true of technology education in terms of the need for technology instruction and the unequal access outside of school.

I think it is important for students to learn word processing and use the internet to research a topic, but the computer labs at school are in high demand and the students need as much instructional time as possible. So, if I want students to research their paper and type it up, that means that I must give up class time that could be spent learning other skills. In my opinion, some of the researching and writing should be done at home. I could give the students worksheets to do at home, but I don't believe that's the best way to improve writing and it causes students to dislike writing.

It is a real problem and it is only going to get worse. This year my school district opened up a mobile device network at the school and students can now bring their own laptops, tablets, and e-book readers to school for approved classroom use. Right now only a few students have tablets, but in a few years the prices will be dramatically lower and they will become accessible to more and more families, but until the tablet becomes as ubiquitous as a standard calculator there will always be a segment of the population that is without. This is compounded by the fact that internet access is second only to electricity when it comes to "powering" e-learning and technology integration in education.

A few months ago I was very excited to learn of the "Connect to Compete" initiative, which was a promise by major telecommunication companies to bring low-cost internet to everyone in the United States. For a rural district like mine, this is the technological infrastructure that will form the foundation of any future ed-tech initiatives. I hope that this initiative is a success!

However, the lack of internet access is not just about income it is also an issue of rural versus urban living. In Northern Wisconsin the internet is available almost everywhere, but in many places it is far too slow to stream a video or download anything larger than a PDF. This chart is a bit dated, but a quick Google search will reveal that America continues to lag behind in broadband penetration, due in large part to our geographic size. Nevertheless, if we are ever going to fully realize the potential of educational technology it is essential that America have a world-class technological infrastructure.



Do you have any thoughts or ideas on this issue? A success story that relates to the "digital divide?" If you do, please share it.

$300 iPad in March

Before you go out and buy an iPad 2, remember that the iPad 3 is due out in March and there are a lot of rumors that Apple will attempt to compete with the Kindle Fire and Nook Color by selling a 16GB iPad for around $300. Of course, even if the rumor is true, that is still a hundred dollars more than the Kindle or Nook, but for that $100 you get a far more extensive collection of apps (we're talking several orders of magnitude), as well as a built in camera and mic. Only time will tell if this is really going to happen.

Alternatives to Interactive Whiteboards

SmartBoards, Promethean Boards and many other kinds of Interactive Whiteboards are a good tool, but not every room has them and, personally, I don’t think they are worth the money. Today I’m going to share some cost effective alternatives to the IWB, but keep in mind that all of these alternatives will require a digital video projector.

One of the biggest challenges of integrating technology into learning is teaching students how to use said technology. An IWB shines here because it allows you to demo the computer program or Internet navigation using your fingers and a giant touchscreen. Of course you could do this from your computer, but then you can’t really see your students and the learning becomes very impersonal. The solution is a wireless mouse and keyboard; I’ve had good luck with Logitech wireless products, but any brand will do.http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboard-mice-combos  With a keyboard, mouse, podium and perhaps a larger mouse icon it becomes very easy to stay in front of the class and still show them how to use their computers. The other advantage of wireless keyboards is that you’re not stuck in the front of the room and can move around the room. If you think you’ll be doing that, then a keyboard (or mini-keyboard) with a built in trackpad might be a good idea. All of these keyboards are simple to “install” and most just require you to pop a USB cord in and connect via Bluetooth. If you don’t know how to connect a Bluetooth device, click here. It is a skill worth learning.

Of course, an Interactive Whiteboard is far more just a giant touchscreen, it also allows you to write on your computer screen and save it. In fact, some teachers even record what is taking place on their IWB for reteaching or getting absent students caught up. To do this you’re going to need an iPad, but compare the cost of a $2000 IWB with the $500 for an iPad.

The app that allows you to write and record a lesson is called ShowMe. Not only is this app free, but there are already thousands of other tutorials accessible through this app and if there isn’t, then you can share yours and extend your skills and expertise beyond the walls of your school. This app is extremely easy to use, but if you “goof up” halfway through your lesson there’s no way to rewind the recording, but then again, you can’t do that on most IWBs. The drawback of ShowMe is that if you want to show the entire class or if you want to record in front of a “live audience” you will need a VGA adapter or a document camera to project your iPad screen. The VGA adapter may seem expensive, but keep in mind that you will find lots of other uses for it.

The second app is not quite as easy to use as the IWB interfaces, but it allows you to control your computer from the iPad, which means you’ve got the touch screen, the ability to draw on the computer screen, the spotlight and blind feature, as well as the ability to hit print AGAIN from your copier room. This app is called Splashtop Desktop Whiteboard ($20) and it is pretty expensive as far as apps go, but compared to a traditional IWBs pricetag it is reasonable and, like the wireless keyboard, you’re not tied to the front of the room. Students can still go up to the front of the room to use the touchscreen, but if you’d prefer that they stay seated, just place the iPad in front of them. The major drawback that I have found with this app is that you need to be on the same internet network as your computer and some schools have a mobile network and a regular network. The bigger problem is that you can't click or scroll your computer screen when you are drawing or writing on it.

If you find that drawing on the computer screen doesn’t work that well, don’t forget that you can point your projector at a traditional whiteboard and write on the projection using a normal marker. If you really want to keep whatever they wrote, just photograph it with your iPad.

I realize that there are lots of little add-ons and programs that are exclusive to one IWB brand or another, but with a little bit of digging and the tools above I'm confident that you can find just about any thing that you could get from SmartBoard or Promethean.

Finally, The evidence that IWBs improve learning is shaky and we need to remember that all technology is nothing more than a tool, like textbooks, markers or overhead projectors. Still if you are considering buying an IWB consider the advantages and lower cost of these alternatives.

Have you found a clever way to “recreate” some element of the IWB? Please share!


Image: AV Hire London. Smartboard 680I Interactive Whiteboard Package. Accessed on February 18, 2012. http://www.flickr.com/photos/av_hire_london/5570898684/sizes/t/in/photostream/

Garageband Spelling Tests

It might sound old school, but students still take spelling tests in my English class. Each week students write in a journal about whatever they want; some students write stories, others share what is going on in their lives and a few share their interests and expertise with me. From these journal entries I gather frequently misspelled words and, each week, I generate a spelling list of about sixteen words.

So what is a spelling test doing on a blog about technology? I record my spelling tests using Garageband ($4.99). There are free apps that will do this too, but I had Garageband already and it is very easy to use and edit.

My tests need to be an accurate reflection of the students ability to spell and by giving students the exact same “context sentence” and pronouncing the word exactly the same every time I ensure that my test scores can be compared from one period to another--not just to other students in the room. Pronunciation might sound like a very minor thing, but for some spellers the difference in annunciation will have a major effect on their spelling of the word.

As I’ve said in previous posts, one of the primary advantages of integrating technology on the teacher side of the equation is that it frees up more time. By recording the test, I’m free to get other work, like entering scores from the previous period. More importantly, when a student misses the test they don’t need a teacher, aide or friend to read the list to them. They just move the iPad out in the hallway (or plug their earbuds into the jack) and take the test.

Eventually, I would like to record the list in advance of the spelling test and post it online for students that want to practice but don’t have somebody to read the list to them.

Box.com Widget (Digital "Missing Work" Folder)

"I forgot all my work at school and spent the night watching videos on YouTube!"

I've never heard that exact quote, but I've heard similar statements; usually the first half is to the teacher and the second is to their friend. This statement combines a common problem and a potential solution. Even the hardest working, most dependable person will forget something, somewhere and will be unable to retrieve it in time.

My classroom blog includes a box.net widget with spelling lists, grading rubrics, and some homework assignments. This allows students and their families to access classwork if the student forgets to bring it home. The teacher needs to set up a free box.com account and embed the widget code, but downloading the spelling lists or science worksheet is easy and doesn't require a sign-in, membership or e-mail address. The student or family member simply selects the document and clicks "download."

The box.com widget will accept almost any format, but if your plan is to share with students, there's nothing better than a PDF. A PDF can be accessed on almost any device or computer and it is a relatively small file, which means that families with a slow Internet connection can still download it quickly. To turn a Word document into a PDF, simply click "Save As" and change the format. (Video explaining process)

Another option for making documents available on the Internet is to use Google Documents and then insert a hyperlink into your blog. Like this one!


In a future post I will share some of the ways that I use Google Docs and Google Apps, but in the meantime, here is some information from Google.

Using QR Codes in the Classroom

One of the fundamental advantages that tablets and mobile devices have over computers is their portability, but the least utilized, I think is the presence of a camera. Today, I want to show you some of the fun ways that I use Quick Reader codes, or QRs, in my classroom.

QRs are those barcode/crossword puzzle looking squares that you see on packages and advertisements. When they are “scanned” with a mobile device and the right app it links you to the website or text of your choice.

1. Typing in web addresses is difficult, especially on a mobile device with a keyboard for letters and a different one for numbers and symbols. With the QR it is as simple as Open App, Snap QR and, in the case of an iPad, open the webpage in Safari. Quick, simple and it avoids the frustration of missing a number or letter and ending up at the dreaded “error” page.
2. Use them to assign seats: This takes a bit of time, but it is a fun way for students to become proficient at using a QR scanner. Create a text QR at http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ for each students name. Print each QR off and place it at the seat you would like them to occupy. Then give each student a mobile device and have them find their seat. It works better if students are not allowed to talk, otherwise,  in their excitement, they will reveal seat locations.
3. Check Your Answers: Some classes, especially math, like to have students complete an assignment and then check their answers. Posting the answers in the classroom or putting them on a piece of paper works, but it is too easy to just glance at it. If you have your answers in a word document, copy and paste them into the text section of the QR generator and post the QR on the assignment or on the board. When the student thinks that he or she is done, they can grab a mobile device and snap the QR. This is also helpful for parents because it can help them reverse engineer the problems if they’re a little rusty. Another variation, would be to post the answers on a class blog or website and put the QR and link on the assignment. That way computers and mobile devices can be used.
4. Quick Assessment: Let’s say I wanted to find out if my students could identify the subject in a sentence. I would put a sentence on the board, like “I saw elephants in Africa.” Typically, students gravitate towards nouns when they’re trying to figure out the subject. I would place a QR under “I, elephants and Africa.” What you do next is up to you. One option would be to have the “I” QR link to a page that says, “you’re correct,” but this is also an opportunity for targeted instruction. Link the incorrect answers to a page on identifying subjects or with additional practice. Send the correct answers to a page that works on predicates or some other worthwhile activity. If the page(s) you forward students to is/are on your blog, you could use traffic data to determine the classes’ overall performance. Just make sure that students are answering the questions honestly and not comparing the QRs to find the odd-one-out. 
5. Useful Feedback: This technique isn’t much different from the one listed above, but it is very easy to integrate into your classroom. If you are correcting, or even just browsing through your students’ work you can paperclip or staple a QR to their work. This QR might send them to a text that says “Congratulations,” but what I like to do is link the QR to a page that will help them do better on the next assignment or activity. For instance, if the assignment was fractions and a student obviously had trouble with finding common denominators, I would generate a QR that takes the student to a quick tutorial on finding common denominators and maybe a Google Form that will allow me to see if the additional activity made a difference.
6. CLASS BLOG: Print out some QR Codes and slip them in with report cards. It is a great way to promote your class blog, especially because the QR is still kind of novel.

Sometimes these techniques may come across as being needlessly technological. Why don’t I just put a page number from the book at the top of their assignment? The answer, for me anyway, is that this is a lot faster and more convenient for me. Furthermore, students seem to be more comfortable with “digital” personalized instruction, whereas singling out students to work on a particular issue seems to be a little less popular, and let's face it, you can't get to every student every time.

If you do something awesome with QRs, please share!

Students, Technology and Boundaries

   

People are often skeptical of technology use in the classroom, especially when their children/grandchildren/neighbor kids seem to use technology for music videos and computer games. Often people see the introduction of technology into the classroom as simply an excuse for kids to play games. I use very few games in my room, but I do try to make the technology use fun. I frequently use project-based learning in my language arts class, and did much the same thing when I taught science and social studies. For a successful project, students need the freedom to explore, ask questions, seek answers and create something of value. These opportunities to explore are also a vital part of developing digital literacy skills; students need to experiment with the best way to find information, organize ideas, evaluate conflicting ideas and create new ideas.

Take a look at Bloom’s Taxonomy and you will see that the lowest level learning, remember and understand, takes place on a path. The teacher decides that all students will go from point A to point B and when they get there everybody will know or understand what a verb is. Along the way the teacher will help some students who are struggling and answer some questions, but there is a very linear, static quality to the experience. Too often I see technology being used the same way, and sometimes I am the perpetrator. Telling students to use World Factbook to put together a paper on the country of their choice is pointless. Wolfram-Alpha or Siri can answer just about any question that will be answered by that paper. Learning to research a paper is a valuable skill, but telling them to use only one source would be the equivalent of putting Lewis and Clark on a leash and telling them to explore the frontier.

Right now my students are working on business plans and one of the project requirements is that they consider competition and demographic data in choosing a location. So, if they’re going to start a miniature golf course, they better spend some time thinking about who uses a mini-golf course and make sure they put it someplace where it will get business. I didn’t tell them to use this website or that website, and a lot of them did end up using the same website, but that is fine. They are learning to explore and complete tasks on their own. I believe this is the right thing to do because their future boss is not going to tell them to use Microsoft Word to type up a 200 word, 12-point, Arial font expense report and pull the average mileage costs from the AAA. No, their boss will tell them that they want a brief expense report and it will be up to them to figure out how to get that done. 

Preparing students for the Digital Age means tapping into human characteristics that can’t be mimicked by computer programming, among these is creative problem solving. I liken a good project to a playground, there are rules and established boundaries, but instead of the objective being “fun,” it is “business plan.” Unlike the hike, students are free to move about the area as they wish and each student has their own objectives. Along the way, they may decide to pair up with somebody or share a success with others, but their final product is the result of their creativity and effort. There is nothing wrong with the entire class using World Factbook, but I want them to find it on their own or through teamwork. My role in all of this is to make sure that students are not crossing the fence or trying to grab the spinning merry-go-round with their teeth. In short, I’m not leading a hike, just supervising the playground.

 

Of course, just like the playground, every now and then students will do something they shouldn’t. Usually it is something harmless, but completely unrelated to their task, like a video of a sleepy bear or a game. Still, it is off task and there aren’t enough hours in the school day or devices in the building for students to spend time doing something they shouldn’t be. I do give the students a chance to defend their actions, but since I have a clipboard with the students’ project topics, they are usually very honest and readily admit when they were knowingly off-task.

They know exactly what comes next and sometimes start even before I get over to them. They close down the device, put it away and grab the “no tech” alternative. If it is a research paper, that might be a book. If we are working on verbs, then it might be a worksheet. Whatever the activity or assignment might be, I always have a “no-tech” alternative, my students know this and some even choose it over the “tech” version. Remember that both activities need to achieve the same learning objective.

This works very well for me because my overall classroom management strategy has always relied upon having engaging activities that students want to do. Of course, when it comes to the activities that include technology I’m always a bit worried that students will view paper and pencils as a punishment, which is not good for anybody, especially that student.

For this reason I make it very clear that the assignment choice is theirs, unless they start making bad decisions. Then it is my responsibility to provide them with a good environment for learning, and that means removing the device.  My evidence that they understand this lies in the fact that some frequent off-task offenders will choose the low-tech option right away and have even thanked me for the option. It is rare, but it does happen. 

Technology is going to be a part of students' lives, and it is full of distractions and improvements for learning. Teachers have always been asked to reach higher while still keeping their students safe and ensuring that they are learning. This is how I do it, but I know there are other great ideas out there.

Please share your ideas, comments and questions because everybody will benefit!

Fun English Apps

If you are visiting from Pinterest, please visit the main page by clicking here. You will find more information and links relating to technology use in the classroom, low-cost alternatives to the SmartBoard, using e-bulleting boards (like Pinterest) in class, and no ads. Thanks for your interest and happy pinning!


In the past few weeks I’ve received several questions about Language Arts and mobile device applications or “apps.” So, I thought I’d take a minute and share some of my favorite games with all of you.

Before we get to the game, let’s be clear that there isn’t a lot of reliable information on the educational value of each specific app. Infusing technology in to school motivates students and teaches 21^st century “digital literacy” skills, but there are lots of “old-fashioned” ways to learn that also work. Furthermore, the apps that I am sharing here are more games than anything else and should come after homework and chores are done. Is there a chance that these games might help with spelling, sentence structure or some other facet of the English language? Yes. Should your student get out of doing dishes so that they can play Word Jewel? That is entirely up to you, but unless you have a waterproof case it should be an either/or decision.

One final note, the American Society of Pediatricians recommends that toddlers and infants spend as little time with “screens” as possible. So while these games might be suitable for your middle-school student, I am not recommending them for babies. With all of that being said, here are some of fun and potentially educational apps.

(Conventions) Spelling: Word Jewel

There are a lot of apps out there that involve spelling (Words With Friends, Boggle, Scrabble, and Letris), but my recommendation is Word Jewels. What I like about this game is that it encourages students to expand their vocabulary and to take risks with spelling, but in a low-stress setting. In order to advance through the game it becomes necessary to start using long and sometimes difficult words. As with all the games, I think that sitting with your student and working with them in different ways can really enhance the value of the game. In this case, looking up each unknown word in the dictionary would be a great way to help the new word stick and potentially add it to their functional vocabulary. One final value of this game is that it forces the player to look for patterns, whether they realize it or not. For example, if your student sees “H-I” on the board it is a good bet that they will start looking for a consonant to complete it, like a “D” or a “P.” Although our language is complicated and lacks “hard-and-fast” rules, understanding patterns is important. This game is all about personal improvement and there isn’t a computer, clock or another person to compete against, which means the student can focus on growing as a speller. Warning: This game is hard to put down.

(Sentence Fluency) Complete Sentences: Word Order

This game resembles those magnetic poetry kits that are found on refrigerators, but this game has a twist. Instead of just randomly moving letters around to create non-sense, this game gives you a small set of words and challenges you to put the words into the correct order. An added bonus is that you will learn some interesting facts. Did you know that Brussels has an underwear museum? I do, thanks to Word Order. Adults can add to the learning by talking with their student about the subject and predicate in the sentence. Ask your student to identify the subject, which simply put, is who or what the sentence is about. Next, ask them to identify what the reader is learning about the subject (predicate). Another option would be to have students identify nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives.

Organization: Toontastic

An important, but often overlooked element of good writing is organization. A great idea depends on a strong organizational system to present the information in a clear and coherent manner. Toontastic is great because it asks student to organize their ideas into the setup, conflict, challenge, climax and resolution and while this doesn’t apply to all writing situations, it’s still a fun and worthwhile activity. To really maximize the learning and quality of the “play,” it is best to write a script.

Word Choice: Synonyms

“Good” is not a good word for describing things and yet it gets used all the time. “Timothy had a good supper,” doesn’t say much about what he actually ate. This game requires the player to make connections between synonyms and antonyms. When they are finished playing, talk with your student about some of the words that they have used and encourage them to write or sentence or two using some of the words.

Some of these are more fun than others, but I think the most important thing to remember is that spending some time using the English language together, in a creative or fun way is always worthwhile and it is easy to turn any of these games into a “no-tech” activity. So, dust off the Scrabble board or have everybody write down a dozen words, cut them out and make silly sentences. If you have any questions, comments or ideas please e-mail me at my school address!

Image: leondel. iPad 2 with Smart Cover. Accessed on January 31st, 2012. http://www.flickr.com/photos/leondel/5745567540/sizes/s/in/photostream/