Learning as a Way of Teaching

There is a great book called Men are Waffles, Women are Spaghetti.  Men compartmentalize their thinking and can block stuff out.  Women’s thoughts are all connected and they have no control over what might pop into their minds.  That is the idea of the book in a nutshell.  Hard to explain in just a couple of sentences, but I bring it up for a reason.

At the end of the school year, I tend to reflect on the past year.  What went wrong, what went right, what needs to change, what needs to stay the same.  As part of the reflecting process, I think out loud with a couple of colleagues to get their input.  I am going to try something new and think out loud in the bloggesphere - just to see what happens.  These reflections have no connection to each other, or maybe they do.  Time to think like pasta.

• Too many clerical mistakes this year.  I need to buckle down and do a better job of documentation.  Too many times I did not have what I needed to make an informed, data supported decision.  That’s gotta change.
• How can I engage students better?  They do not care about making good grades.  Learning is no longer fun for them.  You can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.  Salt his oats and he will drink anything you present.  What can I do as a Special Education coordinator to bring in 21st century tools and salt their oats? 
• Our campus will be acquiring a new mobile wireless lab.  Where do I begin?  Class blogs? Wikis? Podcasting?  Someone stop me before I explode.
• Kids hate math.  When do kids starting hating school?  How can we make them love learning again?

Something else just occurred to me.  I have a blog, I am a member of Classroom 2.0 (Ning), I have used Twitter, Skype, Delicious, Technorati, and who knows what else.  I have made a couple of podcasts, vodcasts, etc.  But the newness is wearing off and I wonder what’s the point of all the connectedness.  And it hit me:  I don’t care about what I am reading.  I have read enough about tech ed.  I understand that we need more of it in the classroom.  I know that our students are being taught in 19th century classrooms.

It is time to find different reading material.

I need Special Education blogs to put in my reader.  I need to connect with teachers who are changing their pedagogies as far as special education goes.

Can anyone offer me some help?

I have been learning a new passion since my last post back in February: wearing a cape while teaching 8th grade Science.  Not something I figured I would be doing when the school year started, but it has turned into something I think is missing in our classrooms - humor and creativity.

In January, Amy (one of our 8th grade Science teachers) approached me with an idea to introduce lessons in preparation for our state’s standardized test, TAKS.  ‘What if you were a super hero named Taksman who helped students through their test?”  It was a simple idea that went through many variations before becoming the episodes that you will find on the “Taksman” link on my sidebar.  Feel free to check them out and let me know what you think.  These are the first episodes, so please overlook the crudeness of some of the editing and special effects; I am learning.

I used a Macbook loaded with Final Cut Express to make the short films.  Each episode was then watched before the lesson was delivered in the classroom.  Students were given the link to watch each episode on the web as well as subscribe to it on iTunes.  I created a gmail account for Taksman so students could write in their own questions or even ask to participate in an upcoming episode.  I only received one student e-mail and she will be in an episode that will be made available only on the web.

Some of the educational content is incorrect, giving teachers the opportunity to point out misconceptions or traps in thinking, as well as adding to the goofiness of this made-up super hero.

There are a lot of things that I loved about this project:

1. It required collaboration between teachers.  We put our heads together to determine the content that was presented, and it was truly a team effort as teachers were brought in to act, film, or provide some other parts of production.
2. It was a medium that students enjoy.  In the world of Youtube and independent filmmaking, students actually looked forward to going to Science class; if only to see what happens to Taksman next.
3. No one had done it before.  As far as I know, the use of home made video in the classroom has never been done before on our campus and it made me feel like a pioneer.
4. I got to be goofy.  God gave me the ability to act like an idiot and make people laugh.  I am comfortable in my own skin (apparently) and I enjoy being the center of attention.

Next idea?  A rip off of “Back to the Future” for History classes.  If I can only find 1.21 gigawatts to power my Ford Taurus…..

I recently posted my response to Warlick’s steps to 21st century literacy. I have completed one of the steps on my to do list. I have created a wiki for my network of teachers to share ideas, links, etc. The hard part is getting my intended audience to buy into it since we meet face to face on a regular basis. Anyway, it is a step closer to literacy. I have a lot to add to it, but it is a work in progress.

I have also recently launched 3 class blogs. I found a 3rd grade teacher willing to let me experiment with her students. I also found a 6th grade teacher willing to start a blog with her 6A class and her 6B class.

Anyone who wants to join in the fun, please do so.

David Warlick helped me to know that I am on the right path.  He provided a path to 21st century literacy that helped me realize what I am doing right and what I need to do in order to reach the next level.

1.  Find two or more other educators in your school who are interested in learning and using emerging information and communication  technologies.

Check.  So far, I have found Jeremy, Maurie, Traci, Joni, Carlene, Amy, Kaylee, Melanie, and Andi.  Only three of them have blogs and they are all fledglings at this point.  But they all share the desire to use emerging information and communication technologies in the classroom (and out of the classroom).

2.  Identify the appropriate person in your school or district who can provide technical support and configuration for your increasingly utilized computers and network.

Check.  My administrators are helping with the purchase of new technologies.  My principal, Special Education director, campus technology specialist, district technology director, and assistant superintendent are all playing a part in helping us get these technologies into the classroom.

3.  Identify some edu-bloggers who are talking about the emerging ICTs you are considering.

Check.  I have set up a Google reader account that has many blogs.  Not as many as others, but they are in there.  I have blogs from ICT people as well as fellow Special Ed bloggers.  I seem to add new feeds every day and I learn something new every time I read.  My favorite blog is Ms. Cofino’s.  I have had the opportunity to participate in a collaboration project with her and learn daily from her experiences.

4.  Delegate!  Assign each member of your team some of the selected blogs to follow, and share specific posts with each other.

Added to my “To Do” list.  The members of my team do not spend time reading blogs like I do (at least not that I am aware of).  Delegation is not my strong suit, but it is certainly the way to get more from what is available.

5.  Read, study, and discuss books about teaching and learning and the world we’re doing it in.

Added to my “To Do” list.  I love to read, so this should not be a problem.  However, there is not a lot of time to devote to books.  Or perhaps I need to find out how to carve out some time.  Reading seems to get pushed to the bottom of my to do list.

6.  Schedule regular meetings (once or twice a month) at a local restaurant, coffee shop, or pizzeria (preferably with WiFi).  Meet and discuss what you’ve learned and what you want to learn.

Added to my “To Do” list.  Bringing my network together would be an amazing feat of organization that I am not real sure is inside me.  Most of the people in my team teach on my campus, but not all of them.  They all have different levels of tech savviness, so I am not sure what to do if I managed to get them all together.  However, any excuse to meet at a coffee shop and talk technology would be widely accepted.

7.  Start a group del.icio.us (A social bookmarks service) account for organizing and sharing web resources.

Added to my “To Do” list.  I have tinkered with del.icio.us, digg, diigo, and technorati.  Tagging is something that I have not totally immersed myself in, but it is definetely something I plan to become more literate in.

8.  Start a wiki for posting notes, links, and step-by-step instructions.

Added to my “To Do” list.  I have used Google docs to share information.  I have not used a wiki for this element of literacy though I have used wikis for student projects.  This seems like a simple process, but I sure would like a framework or look at someone elses wiki to know how to best set one up.

Any suggestions?

9.  Join one or more of the Ning social networks, such as: School 2.0, Library 2.0, Classroom 2.0.

Check.  I have joined Classroom 2.0 and I am a member of several forums inside the social network.  I also have used twitter to connect with other educators and have a dozen or so twitters that I follow.

10.  Start your own blogs for sharing your reflections on what you are learning and how you are learning it.

Check.  This should go without saying.

11.  Start experimenting in your class and share the results.

Check.  I have experimented with a class blog (which will be relaunched soon), student websites, student wikis, and more.  The element that I need to do more of is sharing results with my network.

12.  Share your results with other teachers in your school and Invite them into your conversation.

Add to my “To Do” list.  I have several experiments, but I need to bring more teachers into my conversations.  I even need to figure out how to get all of the teachers to not only into conversations with me, but in conversations with each other.

Is it possible to get too much 2.0?  Over the past three semesters, I have taken on a blog and several wikis for science, history, and English, I have been Skypeing, Twittering, social networking, video editing, podcasting, and interactive whiteboarding.

I have used Celestia in the classroom and soon will start with Stellarium.  Google SketchUp has sat on my hard drive and has not been used…yet.  I have downloaded videos from TeacherTube and YouTube.  Of course, YT is blocked so I have to get what I need while at home.

Our content mastery room and two science teachers have used iPods for oral administration of exams.  On our elementary campus, iPods are replacing CD players.

One teacher accepted the use of building Googlepages rather than traditional posterboard presentations.  Another teacher is looking forward to dusting off the wikispaces we created last year.  I started a blog with one of our elementary classes and hope to revamp it this year.

But how much is too much?  Is there a season of absorption that has to occur before I add anything else?  Mr. M and I agree that our culture has to change before we can infuse more 2.0 tools into the classroom.  Some intense training is needed to bring about all the nifty things I would like to use.  Google Docs are great, but I cannot get teachers to use them.  I have tried collaborating, but it takes time for teachers to see the benefits and want to become digital immigrants.

It occurred to me that I need to write a plan for using 2.0 tools in the classroom.  I need to decide what I need to do first and then put the rest on the shelf.  Perhaps there are steps to take to get it all in. Are there skills that are required before moving on to something else?  Do I need to learn to blog before I podcast?  Do I learn to tweet before I skype?

And what about our students who do not have Internet in their home?  How do we bring them into the 2.0 culture?

So, I have 10 iPods and 2 Macbooks at my disposal.  What shall I try first?

1.  A classroom podcast

2.  Creating spelling tests for various student levels

3.  Dictation practice

4.  Students record themselves reading and listening to themselves

5.  Video lessons for struggling learners (remediation through digital video)

6.  iPod Stations - listen to one lesson here, move to the next station

7.  Audio books (maybe that is too obvious)

8.  Put them in the hands of English Language Learners

9.  Students create alternatives to book reports (mock interviews of characters, stage a radio show interviewing characters from the book,etc.)

10.  Begin a student news program for making daily announcements rather than listen to the principal over the loudspeaker

The list can go on for a while.  I think this might be a good start.  Now if I can just get an extra 10 hours in a day……

I broke the sound barrier when it comes to purchasing technology in our district.  One morning we are using borrowed iPods to deliver oral semester tests, that afternoon I have a school credit card and approved purchase order to buy 10 iPods for our campus.  That has to be an all time record for our district.  I attribute that to an administration that believes that we (and all other public schools) are behind the technology front.  They believe that we need to move ahead (or is it catch up) to the technology that is available and integrate it into our classrooms.  There were some other roads we had to pave to make this purchase happen so quickly, but that fact that the road is paved makes me smile on the inside.  The bottom line is this…when the money starts going to technology, admin “gets it.”Film, or should I say podcast, at eleven… 

“These students are not motivated.”  I hear it at least 5 times a week.  Students spend their days going through the motions.  They attend classes, sit in their desks, and produce nothing.  Teachers’ gradebooks are littered with zeroes for students who simply will not turn in assignments.  We preach to them, give them extended deadlines, threaten them.  We do everything possible to motivate them and get no results.

Granted, 80% of our students do their work and meet deadlines.  It is the 20% that make us scratch our heads and wonder what is in the water that this many students do not have any sense of urgency to take responsibility for their educations.

I know that there is not a magic bullet that will kill the apathy in the lives of my “20%ers.”  But what can a person do to get students to work when detentions, calling parents, and even bribery does not get the job done?

It is a common complaint of all teachers.  Not enough time to do the things that need to be done and the things that we want to do.  I would love to blog every day.  There are not enough hours in the day to do all of the things that I have learned in the world of 2.0. 

Since the fall of last year, I have learned the power of student blogging, wikis, and collaborating with educators from all around the world.  Unfortunately, the roles that make up my job description could not care less of my wishes.  Here is what I have to do (which prevents me from doing what I want to do):  I am the district’s inclusion facilitator, I am the special education coordinator for the junior high, I am on the district’s assisstive technology team, and I am the testing coordinator for the junior high.  If I could only have a few more hours in the day I could do things like:

1. Develop the wiki mentoring project that I started last year.  I had students at the high school encourage students from the jr high in their writing skills.  The seventh graders wrote stories that the high schoolers critiqued and gave advice on.
2. I would teach several teachers on each of our campuses how to use blogs in their classrooms.
3. Podcasting has appealed to me for a very long time and I cannot seem to find the time to delve into it.  I tried getting some students involved in an after school podcasting club, but it went over like a pregnant high jumper.
4. Last year, I collaborated with a class in Maylasia.  It was a lot of fun, it did not last as long as I would have wanted it.  I just do not have the time to try that again.
5. I would like to have a really informative website.  One that can be used by students and teachers alike.
6. Every heard of Moodle?  I have and do not know a lot about it.  I would like to teach classes online, but that requires time that I just do not have.

Could it be possible to just blink my eyes and have this list happen?  The amount of time it would take to launch some of these projects is several lifetimes…..

….and I only have one life.

There are times that I thought parents of secondary students didn’t care.  Parental involvement seems to decline as students get older.  Yesterday was not the case.  Hundreds of students and their families came through our doors for “Meet the Teacher.”  We were all amazed at the turnout and I was very pleased to see that parents still care.