Twitter and CoPi and Wikis - oh my!

So many thoughts running through my head at this point.

I just spent 2 days in Des Moines developing a Community of Practice that will create an e-Curriculum on global citizenship for the state of Iowa (read as: linked to the Core). Follow the process, thoughts, and relevant articles on Twitter - #IACoPi #ssia (Social Studies section). Read more about our work on our wiki http://iowapilot.wikispaces.com/Home

Speaking of Twitter, I have officially become addicted. I started using it yesterday morning, and have sent out 50-something tweets and gathered about 50 followers. This, of course, is thanks in large part to our CoPi project, but that's okay. I met a lot of amazing people who are really interested in getting into the dirty work of putting all of this together. In the process of becoming addicted to Twitter, I have also created a hash tag for the Iowa Council for the Social Studies that you can follow at #IAcss - I hope to begin using this in not only my professional practice, but my classroom as well - how will this "back channel" help students discuss and learn? That's what I hope to find out!

Wikis - In addition to the CoPi wiki that we worked on over our 2-day project launch, I have also been working in a Collaborative Learning Community to create a wiki that provides PowerPoint tutorials. The four of us came up with some great tutorials that really enhance the presentation experience. This includes tutorials on embedding YouTube videos, using the highlighter/pen function, changing the language of the presentation, etc. You can check out the wiki at http://teamgreen2.wikispaces.com/ - For those of you just introducing PowerPoints to your students or who are looking to take student (or personal) PPTs to the next level, I suggest looking into these tutorials!

Digital Story-telling

I am taking a class now, that while titled something fancy like "Digital Media in Education", is essentially "How to Create a Digital Story". This is fine, it will serve my goal of creating a meaningful video about my father for my children quite nicely, all the while allowing me to learn and practice a new skill that might be used within my classroom.

The Center for Digital Storytelling in Berkeley, California, defines Seven Elements for a Good Digital Story:

1. Point of View	What is the main point of the story and what is the perspective of the author?
2. A Dramatic Question	A key question that keeps the viewer's attention and will be answered by the end of the story.
3. Emotional Content	Serious issues that come alive in a personal and powerful way and connects the story to the audience.
4. The Gift of Your Voice	A way to personalize the story to help the audience understand the context.
5. The Power of the Soundtrack	Music or other sounds that support and embellish the storyline.
6. Economy	Using just enough content to tell the story without overloading the viewer
7. Pacing	The rhythm of the story and how slowly or quickly it progresses.

Adapted from The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling, 2009

I chose to analyze a story called The Gift of Nonviolence, by Dr. LeRoy Moore. Dr. Moore begins telling the story of how he got his start in the nonviolent movement, ultimately teaching courses on nonviolence, the night he overcame the actions of his abusive father as a teenager. The question that entered my mind as the story began was how Dr. Moore would turn such a negative situation into a gift. I would never have thought that anyone would view child abuse as a gift. He shared in his story that he had been beaten for many years, unjustifiably, by his father, with a garden hose.

The idea that something this excruciating, this humiliating, could ever be a gift was beyond my comprehension. However, I realized that this was a trial helped Dr. Moore grow. Just as I have had trials in my life, as anyone has had trials in his or her life, Dr. Moore grew from this experience rather than shutting down. By sharing this deeply personal story, Dr. Moore gave a personal voice to the non-violent movement that he has sparked through his work as a professor at the University of Colorado. Because of Dr. Moore’s experience, numerous students have had the opportunity it learn about the non-violent movement and spread its message and practice.

The music that Dr. Moore chose for his story was subtle. While viewing his video, it was something that barely registered – only once did I consciously note the music. The soundtrack he chose was soothing and did not overpower the message. It enhanced the idea of non-violence in a way that was understated, yet powerful.

Dr. Moore did an excellent job of providing enough information about his background to engage the listener, but not so much as to distract the listener from the topic at hand, which was lessons in non-violence – not advocacy for abuse victims. In under three minutes Dr. Moore created a beginning, middle, and end that took the listener on a journey from his abuse as a child, to the courses in which he shared the impact of non-violence with his students and was overcome emotion at being able to share his victory and growth with others, to an end where he and his students were able to implement the art of non-violence in a protest for the closing and clean-up of a nuclear plant.

Overall Dr. Moore’s story was quite fascinating. He not only captured my attention within the first few seconds, but provided images and sound that enhanced the experience. The images displayed during the story were haunting, peaceful, and practical. The imagery was also consistent and told its own story. The story began with a simple garden hose. The hose represented one like that which the author was beaten with as a child. As he moved into overcoming the abuse and beginning to share his personal growth with his students he chose the image of flowers in bloom. He was the plant, coming into its own and sharing its beauty with the world. Finally, a beautiful Colorado landscape; a vast garden, marred by the nuclear power plant that Dr. Moore and his organization were protesting through non-violent means. The continuity of imagery brought the story to an entirely new level, beyond that of the simple words that Dr. Moore spoke. I hope to be able to so succinctly tell my own story by the end of this course.

How will I use this in my classroom? I imagine that creating and telling oral histories, synthesizing content knowledge into a short film, or producing primary videos about the stories of veterans or other influential figures will be in my curriculum next year. It depends on how quickly I pick up the skill and how adeptly I feel I will be able to implement it into an increasingly complex curriculum.

Objective Assessment- 21st Century Skills

Objectivity in grading is essential to a trusting, legitimate learning environment. Teachers should not show favoritism or leniency to certain students. Are tests the only truly objective assessment? Absolutely not!

Tests. What are tests? “Tests” in the traditional sense of the word consist of multiple-choice, true-false: selected response. A better term that encompasses the modern definition would be assessment. Assessment can include any type of formative or summative evaluation of student work. The key to making any assessment objective is a clear and well-defined rubric.

A rubric, which can easily be created with free online tools like Rubistar,  is essential to objective assessment. Clearly defined expectations and multiple data points allow for as objective of an assessment as any type, and repetition and clarity lead to the smallest margin of error in the actual assessment.

Assessment is used daily in the world outside of the classroom. CEOs assess how their employees are performing, mechanics assess cars, insurence agents assess property values, and doctors assess patients. None of these professionals sits down with a paper and pencil test to get their results, yet they are expected to be objective. Below, you will find a video clip that demonstrates the use of objective assessment in the medical field.

Introduction to Evidence-Based Assessment: Developing an EBA Model for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder from Steve Hughes on Vimeo.

Teachers are assessed on their performance in the classroom based on teaching standards, administrative review, and students' performance. To solely assess students through testing in the trational sense (or worse yet, standardized testing) is not realistically preparing them for the 21st century.

To view different types of assessments, their advantages, disadvantages, and how to incorporate technology with each, visit: http://www.wix.com/pg1936/assessment-website#!page-24/vstc2=about-purple-team

The Technology-Infused Classroom

The technology-infused classroom is one that uses technology to enhance, not replace, education. For example, the article below discusses the value that video conferencing can add to the classroom. Skype, Google video chat, or programs like the ICN can greatly enhance the learning experience!
Video Conference Project Sparks Meaningful Learning

My technology-infused classroom includes taking "trips" on Google Earth using the LCD projector, utilizing Web 2.0 collaborative tools such as Google Docs, Meeting Words, and Writeboard to allow students to work on projects and documents with the teacher or other students in a real-time setting from any location. My students hear lectures from renowned scholars through the C-SPAN video library and have visited European museums on virtual field trips. While Northeast Hamilton is not a one-to-one school, our classes have access to two mobile laptop labs and three desktop computer labs, as well as wireless internet access throughout the building. Social studies at Northeast Hamilton includes the use of cell phones, iPods, and a Nintendo Wii, all of which get the students excited about learning and engaged in the curriculum.

 Credit: David Julian

Being creative with technology is especially important. Even schools with low technology-budgets can infuse top of the line technology with a little ingenuity and innovation. In the following video, Johnny Lee shows you how to create a Smart Board using a "Wiimote"  and infrared light!

Internet and Visual Literacy in the classroom

Here students are visual and kinesthetic learners - using the Wii to play Medieval Games in World History (Jan 2010)

Visual literacy and the internet are important to teaching and learning. The internet offers a wide variety of sources, information, and experiences that cannot otherwise be experienced by the teacher or the student. Visual literacy is equally important. As the internet plays an increasingly larger role in education, so, too, does visual literacy. Students are constantly taking in images via the World Wide Web and it is the duty of 21^st century teachers to provide students the means to be critical consumers of visual information and cues.

Within my classroom I have begun to encourage students to create pictorial representations of concepts that they do not understand. Drawing for understanding encourages a level of synthesis that students may not otherwise reach. Additionally, using tools such as SmartArt and Inspiration allow students to express themselves in a visual way and requires the learner to evaluate text with a much more critical eye. Prior to this visual literacy unit in Grand Canyon University’s Tec538 course I was the one creating the visual representation for the students (or relying on the textbook publisher to do so for me). Upon completion of the unit I have been inspired to encourage students to create their own individual meaning using images. I hope this will encourage taking ownership of their own learning and creating a product that is significant to them as an individual learner.

The internet plays a vital role in my classroom. As our district struggles with budget cuts, whenever I can use the internet to find free or low-cost opportunities for my students I take advantage of it. I am an avid and critical consumer of e-formation (e-information – get it? No? Eh, it was worth a shot). However, with such a heavy reliance upon the internet I must also work toward being a master planner. There is always a potential for circumstances beyond my control (i.e. the server crashing), and therefore it is more important that I am a master of my craft than ever before. A teacher cannot rely solely upon the internet and it is only with practice and continued education that a teacher can even begin to take advantage of all that the internet has to offer.



On C-SPAN's Washington Journal Clay Shirky discusses the role of internet access in the United States' future

Instructional Strategies: Variety in the Classroom

 Using varied instructional strategies in the classroom is essential to student learning. While I subscribe to a constructivist belief in education, it is important to address all types of learning. Some students learn best with hands-on work, others must have a visual approach (a movie, a modeled experiment, etc), while others are audial learners and require lecture or repetition.

 From Best Education Possible from Debra M. West

Technology plays an important role in 21st century education because it allows teachers to address multiple learner types at the same time. Playing a game or conducting a lab online allows students to see, hear, and manipulate things in a way that they have never been able to before.

In the following video from C-SPAN the National Governor's Association discusses improvements for United States education. One speaker notes that we must move past routine cognitive learning and expand to focus on higher level learning. This is a nation-wide initiative and teacher buy-in is imperitive.

National Governor's Association on Education Reform

In the classroom I hope to continue to engage students and enhance my curriculum through interactive technology. Below is an example of student work from a recent project that required students to work in groups to collaborate, summarize the text, and manipulate the Google Map, all while applying their learning to district and state standards and benchmarks.


View South East Asia Imperialism in a larger map