Thinking About Learning

Each year I send out a technology survey to my teachers to get a read on their “technology temperatures.” The survey provides me with a picture of how they perceive their use of technology and of their preferences for professional development.  This year my district generated the list of questions.  I used the free version of Survey Monkey for the survey, so I was limited to 10 questions.  That didn’t leave any space for questions of my own, but the information I received was helpful.  After I received the results, I used Open Mind 2 to convert the results to a web page: Tech Survey 09-10.

The start of school this year has been  particularly challenging due to so many new technology products in our district: new Windows domain, new Outlook email that replaced Groupwise, PowerSchool replaced SASI, and PowerTeacher gradebook replaced IGPro.  There have been so many glitches and frustrations.  In some ways the “tools” have eclipsed instructional support in the areas of time and need.  Now that it’s time to generate the first term report card, PowerTeacher has become a major time consumer.

The survey results, however, provided me with a good dose of encouragement!  Most of my faculty seems to be developing some self-confidence in using technology in the classroom.  They’re also showing interest in learning new technology skills and in exploring a variety of tools for improving and enhancing learning.  Unfortunately my opportunities for providing professional development sessions are very limited this year.  My district adopted a new literacy coaching model this year, and the literacy coaches visit our school every 3 weeks.  This plan eats up designated training time that the math coach and I used to have to meet with grade level teams.  I have found, however, that one-to-one mentoring is actually my best strategy anyway.  I try to meet with teams as they work on collaborative planning so that I know what standards they are planning to teach.  Then I’m able to go to individual teachers with project ideas that will address those standards.  This is the part of my job that I love!  I’m hoping that after we get this first round of report cards printed that I’ll begin finding the time to fully focus on teaching and learning.

We’ve been training for about 2 weeks, and students will begin on Wednesday.  I’ve always loved the beginning of school!  It’s a chance for a fresh start, new dreams, and new opportunities for growth.  I’ve been tossing around some thoughts about what I’d like to focus on this year……

Here are my initial thoughts:

1. Promote Greater Collaboration
Collaboration is a research-based best practice that generates improvement in student achievement (Schools as Learning Communities).  In addition to the research, I had first-hand evidence this past year when my school embraced Professional Learning Communities and experienced phenomenal growth in student achievement.

A. Teacher Resource Center
After spending the past 2 years working with a small group of TIS colleagues on the development of a district-wide Resource Center, it’s finally ready for debut this year!  It is a database of teacher-created instructional materials, including SMART Notebook lessons, PowerPoints, spreadsheats, lesson plans, units, hand-held activities and more that is searchable by keyword, content area, and grade level.  The TRC will allow our teachers to move beyond collaboration within their own building to collaborating across the district.

B.  Social Bookmarking
I have set up a Diigo account for use by my school which is fairly well accessed by students and teachers.  We also have a prominent link on our school web page so that students can access resources from home.  Unfortunately, up until this time, teachers usually send their links to me, and I post them to Diigo.  This year I intend to make sure that the Diigo toolbar is on each teacher’s laptop, and I hope to train them to bookmark their own great finds instead of just saving them to “Favorites.”

C.  Grade Level & Individual Planning Meetings
Regular communication with teachers is the only way I can provide support for instruction.  They many more responsibilities than there are hours in the day, so it’s important that I take the initiative to find out about their units of study and the standards being taught.  This means that it’s important for me to schedule regular visits to grade level collaborative planning meetings.  As I hear what they are teaching, I can make suggestions of ways technology can be used to facilitate the learning.  One of the most success strategies I’ve used to encourage technology integration is to individually approach teachers with ideas for project-based learning activities.  I have never had a teacher say, “No.”

2.  Instructional Support

A. Assessment
My faculty made great leaps last year in learning how to create and use common assessments.  Using common assessments is one of the best ways to measure growth in student achievement.  There are lots of ways that technology can be very assistive in the administration of common assessments.  Here are some tools I plan to share with teachers:

• Hot Potatoes: free online assessment tool with crossword, matching, and cloze activities; great for formative assessment.
• Google Forms: with the addition of a little html code, you can create self-checking quizzes in Google Forms.
• Quia: a reasonably priced “subscription” service that is tried and true with multiple quiz types available.
• iQuiz: create quizzes that can be used on iPods
• SMART Response Sysytems: (formerly known as Senteo): this year each grade level will have 2 sets, and this will be fabulous for instant feedback!

B. Differentiation
I’m still convinced that the use of iPods in the classroom is one of the most motivational, effective tools available for differentiation, so I plan to continue to locate and create instructional content in mp3 and m4v formats.  Student blogs offer another path for differentiation.  We will also continue to use Riverdeep (Destination Reading & Math) , First in Math, and Ticket to Read.

C. Project-Based Learning
During my 4 years of teaching in the 21st Cenury Classroom, I learned that project-based learning motivates student learning and addresses multiple standards in a time “cost-effective” way.  As I collaborate with teachers, I will actively make suggestions of PBL activities to address targeted standards.

3. Teacher Productivity

A. Outlook
Our school email has switched from GroupWise to Outlook.  Besides the basics, teachers need to learn how to create distribution lists and use the calendar. (Love the calendar features!)

B. PowerSchool / PowerTeacher
As part of the big migration, our district has moved from using IGPro to using PowerSchool.  PowerTeacher seems fairly easy to use.  At our initial introductory session, teachers were favorable about the interface.  Some features can’t be accessed until school actually starts.  This will be a continual learning experience for a while.

C.  Google Docs
I’m going to make an effort to go more “paperless” with my training materials.  As part of my beginning of the year training I’m making sure each teacher has a Google account, and I’m sharing technology “cheat sheets” this way, hoping they will see the value in online collaboration.  So far, so good!

D. Document Cameras
Our district has adopted an ambitious 5 year technology roll-out plan based on a bond referendum.  This year all classes in the district are scheduled to receive an Elmo Document Camera.  I’m already collecting resources to help train teachers on the many ways a doc cam can enhance instruction.

E. Teacher Blogs
About 12 teachers have indicated that they are interested in having their own class blog through our district iWeb server.  That is evidence to me that they are beginning to see the power of Web 2.0 tools for the classroom!

It’s going to be an exciting and busy year!  I look forward to observing growth in students, teachers, and myself!

Several weeks ago the Washington Post reported that 46 states have agreed to the establishment of common core standards.  I knew before I even finished reading that my state, SC, would be one of the states not participating.  Our governor has a history of grandstanding in an effort to make his name well-known before the next presidential election, and this was another opportunity for him.  Outrage at Gov. Sanford is nothing new for me!  He has never been a supporter of public education, as evidenced by his push for tax-dollar vouchers for private schools.  His last big grandstand was his refusal to accept stimulus money for schools, and I participated in a protest rally at the state house over that issue.  Now he doesn’t want the federal government telling us what our students should learn.  Okay, it might be different if our state was leading the pack in achievement, but it seems like a no-brainer to me that we could benefit from some collaboration.  Common standards could raise the bar nationally for what students are expected to learn.  In order for our students to be globally competitive, it’s imperative that we raise the bar.

After reading Clay Burell’s post about Secretary of Education Duncan, I’ve been questioning the methodology for determining these standards.  Burell identified the groups that have been selected to write the standards from an article from Education Week:

Achieve, a Washington-based group made up of state policymakers and business leaders; act Inc., the Iowa City, Iowa-based nonprofit organization that runs the college-entrance exam of the same name; and the College Board, the New York City-based sponsor of the sat admissions exam and the Advanced Placement program.

State policymakers, business leaders, and college entrance exam creators…hmmm, there is no mention whatsoever of educators participating in this process.  The same article reveals that subject-matter groups such as the NCTE and NCTM have expressed concern about being excluded from the “Common Core” process.  I, too, have some major concerns about this.  It would be so disheartening to have such a much-needed initiative go awry due to standards being determined by non-educators.  With ACT and the College Board writing the standards, it’s easy to see the next step could be that they would create (and profit from) a national test.  It’s not that I’m opposed to a national test.  I just don’t think that the same entities should determine the standards and write the test.

States have already poured lots of money into developing standards and tests.  Although SC is still at the bottom of the barrel in performance, we have some of the most rigorous standards and testing in the nation.  That’s one reason we rank so low nationally.  Our tests more accurately demonstrate student proficiency (or lack of) than other states.  The same Washington Post article I referenced earlier said:

In Mississippi, for instance, 90 percent of fourth-graders passed the state reading exam in 2007, according to U.S. Department of Education data. But only 51 percent had at least “basic” or “partial mastery” on the test known as the Nation’s Report Card.

SC has many obstacles to improving student achievement.  A large number of our students live in poverty, and our current level of unemployment has reached 12.1%, one of the highest in the nation.  We have a state legislature that is satisfied with only mandating that each child in our state has the opportunity to receive a “minimally adequate education.”  Our governor has demonstrated at every turn that he disdains public education.  We have school buildings in the Corridor of Shame that are a hundred years old and would not be seen fit as a prison facility, but our state has been unwilling to take action.  President Obama raised awareness of the situation in his inaugural speech when he invited Ty’sheoma Bethea, an 8th grader from J.V. Martin Junior High School in Dillon, S.C., to sit with his wife and then told her story.  Even still, help for her school did not come from within our state, but from a furniture supply company in Chicago.

I recount these educational and political woes as evidence that we are in desperate need of change.  Common core standards won’t solve the above mentioned problems, but could at least put us on a more level playing field for measuring academic success.  I was encouraged to read our state Superintendent of Education, Jim Rex’s, comments in the Spartanburg Herald Journal about the movement towards common core standards:

Although South Carolina is prevented from being an “official” participant due to Gov. Mark Sanford’s refusal to sign on, I have been assured by the effort’s leaders — including the National Governors Association — that we can participate unofficially.

That’s good news!  The people of SC continue to fight for progress, in spite of a governor who spits in our faces at every turn.  We have a long way to go, but as an educator, I’ll never give up hope all of our students will one day receive the kind of quality education they deserve.

Research shows that collaborative planning and the use of common formative and summative assessments are key factors in improving instruction and achievement.  I observed this first-hand in my own school this year as my principal led change to transform our faculty into a professional learning community, based on the concepts in DeFour’s On Common Ground. Our students made a dramatic improvement in achievement due to this culture change, so much so that we were specially recognized by our district office.  Since collaboration is so effective within a school, it only makes sense that national collaboration for the development of a core curriculum has the potential to yield great results.   If the development of national standards is handled correctly and if educators are given the opportunity to participate in the process, this initiative could be a first step in molding our educational system into one that will prepare our students to be globally competitive.

I’ve had one week of summer vacation, and I’ve now had enough mental rest to objectively reflect on the growth of technology integration in my school this year.  This was the first full year that every classroom had a SMART Board, projector, and audio system.  That was a huge catalyst for change for teachers in instructional practice.  Additionally, my school experienced phenomenal gains in student achievement this year, which was hugely due to the increase in teacher collaboration and common assessments through the PLC model.   But as indicated by Marzano’s research, I also partly attribute the increase in achievement to the increased use of interactive whiteboards.

As part of my self-evaluation process, I conducted a survey of my teachers to gain some insight into their perspective on growth. (View the results here.)  I was impressed that over 70% of the teachers felt that their use of technology had grown between 50%-100%.  Even more eye-catching was that 97.6% tried something new using technology with their students this year.  During the 2 years I have been a TIS at my school, I have been so impressed with the openness of my faculty to new ideas for technology integration.  Every time I asked a teacher to participate in a project, each one has always agreed!

One example is that this year my 2nd grade team really branched out with PBL.  Every 2nd grade student in my school learned about using the Internet for research (I got to teach that lesson!), used Open Mind 2 mind-mapping software to organize research findings, exported OM 2 to PowerPoint, refined the PPT, and then presented an oral multi-media project.  It was an amazing leap in technology growth for our 2nd graders.  I can’t wait to see what these students will accomplish in the future!

I know that all of my teachers had tremendous growth in the area of technology this year.  I had 15 teachers who were new to our school and district.  Many of these came from districts that did not have the technology resources we have.  They were required to take the TTCA, our district’s level 1 technology competency test.  After some tutoring, they all successfully passed the test and have made great personal gains in their use of technology.  It was a great year at my school, and I’m already beginning to think about how to guide growth next year!

It’s amazing how something so simple as a 140 character reply to the question, “What are you doing?” could have such a huge global impact on society. Tech Crunch reports,

Worldwide visitors to Twitter.com increased 95 percent in the month of March from 9.8 million to 19.1 million.

Businesses use Twitter as a source for free advertising.  Politicians use Twitter for campaigning.  Celebrities use Twitter to increase their celebrity status. (Can anyone explain why Oprah felt a need for this?)  Twitter is having such an impact on the corporate world that according to  BusinessWeek,  some companies are developing social media codes of conduct for employees:

To prevent sensitive information leaks, blemishes on a reputation, and other potential liabilities of a Twittering workforce, companies are drafting new employee codes of conduct and educating workers about what they should and shouldn’t say on the site. The basic rule: Don’t be stupid.

Why is Twitter taking the world by storm?  Clive Thompson sums it up:

Individually, most Twitter messages are stupefyingly trivial. But the true value of Twitter … is cumulative. The power is in the surprising effects that come from receiving thousands of pings from your posse. And this, as it turns out, suggests where the Web is heading.

So why has Twitter been so misunderstood? Because it’s experiential. Scrolling through random Twitter messages can’t explain the appeal. You have to do it — and, more important, do it with friends… It’s practically collectivist — you’re creating a shared understanding larger than yourself.

I love the phrase, “creating a shared understanding larger than yourself.” I have been Twittering for about a year and a half, and I only follow educators.  My primary purpose is personal professional learning.  Twitter is my best source for professional development.  I’ve been slow and selective about choosing people to follow, but I have developed a wonderful network of like-minded professionals around the world.  As I interact with these people in ongoing short phrases, we have a shared understanding of what it means to be passionate about the role of technology in education.  We share great ideas, our successes, our frustrations, and things we’ve learned in the midst of the sprinkled tidbits of our personal lives.  Teacher collaboration has been identified as a key factor in raising student achievement, and through social networking tools like Twitter, I can collaborate and learn from the best around the world.

So my question is this: since Twitter is such a powerful learning tool, how do we go about harnessing that collective learning energy for use in schools? Great Britain is considering recommendations for updating the primary curriculum,  suggesting that children should be familiar with blogging, podcasts, Wikipedia and Twitter by the time they go to secondary school.  They may consider dropping traditional content in favor of emphasizing informational technology, according to the Times.  Although my district is very proactive in the area of providing technology equipment for schools, it still has a very conservative stance on blocking many useful social networking tools like Twitter that enhance learning.

Imagine a classroom where differentiated instruction results in students using MP3 players, cell phones, laptops, and gaming devices to pursue individual learning goals.  They interact with students around the world via Twitter, Ning, or other social networking vehicles to ask questions, collaborate, share resources, and share learning in real time.  Immediate response, immediate feedback, immediate dialogue about learning.  Twitter is changing the way the world communicates.  Why should our students be the last to benefit?

It’s finally spring break! Yesterday was a gorgeous day, and I went hiking with my mom. Every so often, I need a strong dose of nature to keep myself balanced and connected. I believe that connections are what matter the most…our connections to ourselves, to others, to the Divine, and to the planet.
Ramsey Falls, Chau Ram Park
I was reflecting on the past week and some small successes I experienced in my efforts to facilitate changes in pedagogy in my school regarding teaching from a 21st Century perspective. After a 3rd grade teacher had a fantastic podcasting experience, another 3rd grade teacher wanted to give it a try. She asked me to get their habitat podcasts posted quickly because it would be a good way for students to study for the test. Right then she had a 21st Century “aha!” moment, and she said, “Hey, I don’t have to give them a test. I can use the rubric and grade them on their podcasts.” Authentic assessment for authentic work products…I love it! Making a connection between old expectations and new practices helped her realize that a new way of doing things would save her time and still generate the desired results.

A third grade student in another class made an awesome connection this week as well. When I use my iPod to record student podcasts, I explain to them that if they goof up, I can use Audacity to edit the recording and remove the boo-boos. That seems to relieve their nervousness about speaking into the microphone. After a recording session with me, a girl went back into her class and told her teacher that I could edit their recordings just like they edit their written work. Connections between old ways and new ways… change will happen! I hope that I’ll continue to be an agent for change in both thinking and learning…one teacher, one student at a time!

It’s pretty amazing to think of all the changes that have taken place in the past 5 years in my district.  Five years ago at this time, I was working with my TIS to plan a pilot 5^th grade class that would have a laptop for each student along with all the other basic equipment necessary to implement a technology-infused learning environment.  Our “21^st Century Classroom” was the first of its kind in our district.  I taught in that class for 4 years and loved every minute of it!  It invigorated my teaching life and provided some incredible opportunities for both professional and personal growth.  Now I am a TIS myself and working in a different school.  My district is within a year of completing a  five year technology equipment roll-out plan that will put a laptop, projector, and SMART Board or Airliner in every classroom.  District personnel are now contemplating a new five year technology plan.  Some of the things I hope will be included are multi-layer filtering for Internet access so teachers can have greater access than students, a specific technology staff development plan for teachers, and a greater emphasis on the use of Web 2.0 tools in the classroom.

As I think about my own school, I see a great need for the development of a school-wide shared vision regarding the integration of technology as a seamless embedded component of  instruction.  Are there any tools or websites out there that provide a guide to facilitate this sort of visioning process?  Some of the questions that need to be answered are:

• What are our broader school goals?
• How can the use of technology help us accomplish these goals?
• What strategies will we use?
• What tools do we need?
• What training do we need?
• How will we  monitor/evaluate our progress?

I need to find some resources to help with this visioning process and identify a small core of teachers who will be willing to assist with the process.  It will be a huge undertaking in a setting where teachers feel so overwhelmed already with more responsibilities than is humanly possible to manage.  I’m always hesitant to add “one more thing” to anyone’s plate, but I think we are at a critical juncture.  Real progress requires a plan, because “without a vision, the people perish!”

As I have been catching up on my professional development blog reading, I have noticed a common thread. First I read David Warlick’s excellent post, “A Path to Becoming a Literate Educator.” It was affirming to realize that my own personal professional growth matched up well with his suggestions. As I continued to read through my Google Reader, I noticed a transition from personal growth to a collective consciousness.

Weblogg-ed » Changing Ourselves, Changing our Culture
I think Will hit it right on the head. For several years, the question for me has been, “How can I get more teachers interested in using Web 2.0 tools with their students?” Now I’m beginning to see that the question needs to be much larger. In order for real change to occur, there needs to be a buy-in from a larger audience such as a school or district.

My friend, Ron, recently attended 2008 Learning Summit: Learning By Doing. In his latest blog post, A Real Shift is Happening, he says, “Since that time as a school we have started to have some really good conversations about the purpose of our school and the direction we want the school to go and some action has started to take place. One of the best things that has happened is that teachers are starting to truly collaborate and use each other as a valuable resource….It is funny how all of us have come to the realization (it seems so obvious now!) that working together makes us more effective teachers and holds great potential for impacting the learning of ALL students.”

As I sort through all these thoughts, I have come to the conclusion that it will take both components: a personal commitment to continued professional development and a collaborative environment where teachers hold a common vision, share, grow together, and support one another. We CAN make a difference, and I think it’s well worth a long-term investment.

I love new experiences! Over the weekend I participated in a walking half marathon at Myrtle Beach. Before my friend, Valerie, talked me into doing this with her, I didn’t even know there was such an event. I love to hike and walk, but in the past several years 4 or 5 miles was the most I had done in one stretch. Val and I trained together by walking about 45 minutes 3 times a week. That was some serious training, huh? We had big intentions, but between schedules, after-school meetings, and illnesses, we never got quite as in-depth with our training as we had planned. Even still, steady and persistent, we successfully completed the half marathon in 3 hours and 39 minutes. Our knees and hip joints were aching, but we were quite proud of ourselves!

Being a lover of metaphor, I couldn’t resist this one. Sometimes we have the greatest intentions at school to plan and create ideal lessons, but there are always things that get in the way: meetings, phone calls with parents, behavior issues, paperwork, more meetings. When we find ourselves overwhelmed, we have to just make the best of the circumstances at hand. High expectations are necessary, but beating ourselves up over unmet expectations is very counter-productive. Often we must simply just take our best shot and do the best we can within the circumstances that surround us. Determination can carry us a long way as we seek to give our best to our students.

Curriculum Connections:
Literacy: Poetry links; study poetry and poets; write poetry; podcast student poems, post them on blogs, or make digital poetry books.

Over the weekend I went to see the movie Bucket List. No deep thinking was required; it was just a “feel good, appreciate life” kind of movie. The premise of the movie is that 2 old guys find out they have less than a year to live, so they make a list of all the things they want to do before they “kick the bucket.”

This was not a new concept for me. About a year ago, I read Kris Radish’s book, Sunday List of Dreams. This book has a similar premise, but the main character is a middle-aged woman looking to live a meaningful life after years of fear and disappointment. After finishing the book, I composed my own list of dreams and came up with a top five list. Since that time, I’ve actually fulfilled two of them and have added a couple more.

After watching the movie this weekend, I started thinking about my work. My first year as a TIS is half over. What dreams do I have for the remainder of the first year? Here’s my list of dreams or my “bucket list” for the rest of this school year (not in any particular order):

1. To have several teachers from each grade level regularly contributing to our school’s Diigo social bookmarking site as a tool for collaboration.
2. To get all 5th grade students regularly blogging.
3. To see all our Smartboards hung and teachers using them daily.
4. To engage more teachers and students in podcasting.
5. To continue monitoring the needs of my teachers and provide whatever support is needed to enhance and improve instruction.

It’s easy to lose focus when entrenched in the pressing needs of each day, but I heard in church yesterday that in order to live fulfilled lives, we must organize our lives around the most important things. I’m going to try to focus on my list of dreams.

Curriculum Connection:

Literacy/Science: Research volcanoes (Diigo volcano bookmarks). Use Open Mind 2 to collect and organize data such as location, size, history, and volcanic activity. Export to HTML to create web pages for sharing. In my opinion, Open Mind 2 is one of the best graphic organizer tools available.