In my last post, I told you I’m heading to Costa Rica June 6th-17th with a colleague and six students for a summer school travel course in tropical ecology. Today, Matt Scully (our IT guru) started “packing” our “digital backpacks,” what I’ve decided to call our iPads. I’m trying to meld an intense 11 day Life 1.0 field trip with the latest in Web 2.0 digital tools to shape a unique learning experience for our students. Part of what I’m doing here is laying out the logistics and reflecting on what transpires. So, how does “packing” work?
Well, first I created an “image” of a student “digital backpack” on my iPad (most of the apps are listed in my previous post) I also added course related videos, TEDTalks, podcasts, and ITunes U lectures and some related reading via Diigo. Then, I synched it with my computer. Then, I synched each student iPad with my computer. Now, I didn’t give them access to my entire library or all my apps. The beauty of the synch system Apple created is that I select and upload (synch) just what they need. Tomorrow is our trial run. The kids are coming in to learn how to use the iPads, as well as some basics on how to use a wiki and how to post on a blog. Stay tuned…
Last week I wrote a short post lamenting the onset of senioritis in my AP Environmental Science students, and a plan to deal with it during our energy unit. So, my plan was:
Mr. W-handles the fossil fuels
Students-handle the alternative energy sources
Groups of 3 produce 3 products for their lesson:
1. A 15 face-to-face presentation
2. A blog post (homework for classmates to read/watch/respond to the night before the presentation)
3. A handout with key takeaways that students can reference on an open-note test
Well, now we are a few days into turning my class of over to the kids. I must say I’m pretty pleased thus far. The kids are producing short blogs as topic “teasers” for classmates to view the night before (as homework) they present their lesson in class. Here are some of my favorites thus far:
In a way, I’m watching a small experiment in “flipping” my classroom. I am intrigued by the notion of “flipping” or reverse instruction, but I have yet to really try it myself. Perhaps our class blogs can become a good vehicle for hosting a flipped classroom next year? Even if I don’t flip my classsroom next year, this type of activity validates our blended classroom.
Regardless, I hope the activity is boosting engagement a at critical point in the year. Overall, my kids are writing (for a more authentic audience than just me), searching the web for good video content, and helping each other understand the technologies. Next, I’ll do some sort of evaluation when we are done to see what the kids think of our little teaching project.
*Yes, I do step in to clear up misconceptions and “teach” too….
So, I am in the midst of preparing for a presentation at the National Association of Independent Schools annual conference next week. I am privileged to be presenting with an amazing group of educators that includes: Sarah Hanawald, Cannon School (NC); Peter Gow, Beaver Country Day School (MA); Demetri Orlando, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (MA); Jason Ramsden, Ravenscroft School (NC); Vinnie Vrotny, The North Shore Country Day School (IL). The neat part (for me) is I’ve never met Peter, Demetri, or Vinnie in person! Yes, we are organizing our presentation in Google Docs. That would have been impossible 2 years ago!
My piece of the presentation (see session W8) is on the use of blogs in education. I plan to talk to about why teachers should utilize blogs and why teachers/admins should blog. I am certainly no expert, but if you have checked in here over the last year then you know I use class blogs to create a blended classroom. At least, I’m trying…
So, why would you use a blog to supplement your face-to-face classroom time with students? Why do I think EVERY class should have a blog? Well, I think this diagram by Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano gives you several great reasons:
When you have students blog as individuals or as part of a class, you give them opportunities to create and reflect. Maybe more importantly, you give students a chance to dialogue with a more authentic audience than just you as instructor. Who writes just one an audience of one? I think that is called a letter. Right? Don’t you want your students to connect to a global audience? There is so much power in this tool, the trick is just learning to use it…
The days of the static website are numbered. Are you ready to kill yours?
Matt Scully (our instructional technology head) and I had a cup of coffee yesterday morning and started brainstorming the possibilities of running my AP Environmental Science classes off iPads next year….
possibilities
I’m excited, but trying to get my mind around using an iPad as a portal or passport for learning environmental science. As I look at the napkin, maybe portal isn’t the right metaphor. Seems more like a Swiss Army Knife as I look at my doodle…
Is my main reason to replace printed text for my subject, now obsolete almost immediately after printing? PDF “etexts” already exist for many college texts. Digital texts with hyperlinks and animations are in the works. Some good online course content resources already exist (Hippocampus seems like an option).
Or, is the goal to harness the collaborative creative power of social media that I’m already using? Right now, my kids have to wait to go home or the computer lab if we want to access our class blogs, flickr project, etc…While social media has been great for asynchronous collaboration, how would having iPad access during our face-t0-face time change our online interactions? Can I leverage the device to shift my class to a more student-centered environment?
I guess I’m struggling with the why. Why use an iPad as an instructional tool? A Swiss Army Knife has lots of gadgets and gizmos, but sometimes you just need knife…will this just be a big distraction for kids who need to focus? Any advice?
So, this year I finally decided to try an experiment in photo sharing with my AP Environmental Science students using flickr. I was first introduced to the concept when I was a part of a Powerful Learning Practice cohort two years ago. We were are a part of a photo sharing project to help build community (31 pictures posted in 31 days) between group members from all over the world. But in this case, my class has already established some sense of community this year and I was looking for something more. We were exploring urban areas and there impact on the environment. We were discussing urban planning, so I issued the following challenge:
“You must take and upload at least 2 photos (or short video clips) by 11pm on Tuesday, January 11th.One photo should illustrate an urban or suburban area that has employed good design, and the other should illustrate an area that is in need of redesign. You must leave a meaningful comment on ONE photo/video you find interesting that has been uploaded to our group by 11pm on Wednesday, January 12th.*Don’t be surprised if you get comments from our guest speaker (an urban planner) who I have invited to join the group.”
I had already posted two pics in our flickr pool as examples. One was a street level view and the other was an aerial view using Google Earth (screen capture using Jing). So, I expected kids to use their cell phones when they were out in our community (Charlotte, North Carolina, USA) to take pictures and then upload and share them. A few students did this, and a few students used Google Earth also. Well, in the mean time this rare massive winter storm system rolled in:
So, this really cut into my student’s ability to take pictures out in the community. But…sometimes kids surprise you. I was sitting at home, checking in our group pool when I noticed a student had used Google Maps to get a street level view of an area from their home! Well, I did not say they could not do it…this started a trend. Other students started using online satellite and mapping programs in lieu of taking pictures in the community in dangerous conditions. I love it! This is part of the beauty of a blended classroom. The snow shut our physical classroom down for a few days, but the learning continued in a virtual space. Check out the project at our group pool. Feel free to contact me if you want a copy of the assignment.
*Update (1/13/11): Now that we are done, check out the slideshow:
2. Make a Podcast/video version. I made this 18-minute recap a few years ago when I realized I would always have a few seniors gone for the day. I didn’t want them to miss key lessons on sampling techniques and experimental design. Students who can’t join us watch the video and complete a viewing guide worksheet to show me they’ve gotten some lessons from the virtual field trip. It will never replace the real thing, but it has helped a few kids successfully complete experimental design questions on my unit test. I made it with a digital camera and iMovie-its not the best quality, but it works. Then, I uploaded it to TeacherTube. I’ve uploaded other similar videos to YouTube also. Then, the videos are easy to embed in a wiki or blog like this!
I’d love to see examples of what other teachers are doing…
So, the year is ending and I am trying to reflect on and evaluate my experiment with class blogs (see Current Class Projects to the right)…
How does a blog create a “blended classroom?” Using a class blog for each of my AP Environmental Science sections, I was able to extend my classroom in time (asynchronous interaction) and space (beyond the physical class walls). Lessons that began in the physical classroom could be continued in a virtual one. In an earlier post, I shared what the kids say they learned using our class blog. In this post, I want to share some thingsI thinkI learned (sorry, this one is a bit long):
1. Strike the right bargain–use stick and carrot. Students were required to create a graded scribe post once or twice a semester at most, so the assignment never seemed oppressive. The fact that a scribe post was graded could be a stick or a carrot, depending on how you view grades. Students had the option of creating reflection posts just prior to each test for extra credit, so there was some incentive to kick off or participate in a discussion of the material at the blog. For more on the “promise, tool, bargain” concepts, see Chapter Eleven of Clay Shirky’s, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations.
2. Make sure the kids know someone else is watching–use a window. There is a simple widget called ClustrMap, that you can install for free at any blog. I’ve got one embedded on the far right of this blog. Take a second and click on the map and you’ll get a good view of where unique visitors to the site are from on a larger world map as well as a list of visitors by country. Both of my class blogs had over 1,500 visitors from every continent (except Antarctica, which is not shown on a ClustrMap). The kids were excited to watch their list of viewers grow each week. Many were surprised and curious as to who would be interested in their work. Beyond using a ClustrMap, I invited parents to audit our course and made sure kids knew anyone could read their work. When work is only produced for a teacher, I think kids often feel this is an artificial situation/audience and then we don’t get their best work. I think if you spend some time looking at the work my kids produced, it is high quality stuff. I think comments like the one in this Twitter screenshot (below), show the kids that others are watching and value their efforts:
Tweet by PDS Alum RE: Class Blog
3. If they build it, they will come back and use it. While I contributed blog posts to each class blog, the kids shouldered the bulk of the work. I wanted to model good blogging, but I did not want to dominate the virtual classroom. No matter how much I try to turn some things over to students, I still tend to dominate the physical classroom. I think our virtual classroom became a safe space to work through concepts and question things said/done in class. I was thrilled to see comments like these on the end of year course eval:
“Taking risks on the blog was easier than in class-less face to face confrontation.”
“It provided really good notes to study with for the AP Exam. I really liked the organization of the blog into units, it helped concentrate studying on the topics I needed most.”
“The class blog was extremely helpful by the end of the year. It was a very nice resource for studying for the exam because it was a nice overview of all the notes.”
“The Class Blog was kind of like the backbone to all of our class discussions. My study guides would only get me so far, and when I couldn’t remember class notes or I missed a day, the blog was always helpful.”
I’m thrilled we built something students value. I think you can SEE the value of the resource by looking at the data I pulled from the stats section of the blog the day of the AP exam (May 11, 2010):
Student use peaks prior to exam
4. Students can create a remarkable resource, but scaffolding helps. To build on my last comment, this project did not mature on its own. Teenagers need adults to guide their growth as people, and they need teachers to guide their work in cooperative learning environments. I recently saw a tweet in which someone described kids using social media without adults akin to Lord of the Flies. These kids had clear guidelines and a basic AUP. We discussed building a “positive digital footprint” prior to beginning the project. Finally, they helped establish a rubric for what a quality scribe post looks like (which I used to grade them second semester). If you are interested in any of our project guidelines or the grading rubric, contact me by email.
So, those are my thoughts.
What I really need now is some constructive criticism on how to improve this model. I don’t have any other peers using this model at my school currently. For example, how could I give the kids even more ownership? Do I need to? If so, how to do so?
