3 Bee Brothers

Blog Guilt

2016-10-20T20:46:00.000-04:00

One of the great tortures of having a blog is neglecting it. It wouldn't take a reader more than a quick scroll to see how badly mine has been neglected. This evening, I sat down to write and spent no less than an hour redesigning the visuals of my blog. I went so far as to go into Adobe Illustrator to create an original picture...for a blog...where I never write...and no one reads. It is amazing the lengths we will go to not write, and I, for one, have made peace with my aggressive laziness.

Yet, here I am, and since I have made the design changes, I feel the need to put some words down as well. The theme of the evening is focus and refocus. My difficulty with this blog has been a lack of willingness to focus on sharing my ideas and thoughts. Do I have them? Oh, my. Hundreds of times a day. I have hand-written notebooks filled with thoughts and observations. I have lacked the FOCUS to put them on paper...or desire. Which brings me to REFOCUS. My original focus for this blog (back those many years ago) was to show off my wicked educational technology skills to those on the interwebs who might somehow be impressed. Well, three kids, two jobs, and a doctorate later...I'm more interested in writing about the things that I enjoy reading.

So, this is your warning...my audience for this blog is now me and my learning. It you happen to find it interesting, then pull up a chair. If not, then I am sure there are one or two other bloggers out there you might enjoy.

So, what am I interested in? Right now, I am into the varied ways people learn. I am into how we can spin narratives in many different ways, and how EVERYTHING in our current world is about telling a story. I am into my kids and the crazy stupid things they do. I am into Marvel movies and Star Wars anything. I am into coding, and banging my head against the wall to figure out how we can do more to transition our kids into higher level languages.

However, this is just today, and I have full blown Adult ADHD and a brain that won't stop. Here's hoping I can send those waves to this space more than once a year.

Technology Tips for Parents

2015-02-16T18:52:00.002-05:00

If you have a teenager in your life, there is an excellent chance they are using technology to access social media and online resources. A recent Pew Research Report found that 95% of teens are “online.” Having a connected device at home for learning can be a great benefit. However, with this power comes great responsibility, and it is important for parents to do their part to ensure kids make good choices online.

Play a role in your student’s online life. If your student has a Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter page, then so should you. Ask them to “friend you.” Just as you are involved in shaping your child in the real world, you also need to help them form their digital image.

Keep track of your child’s internet and cell phone (texting) history. Many parents believe this is a violation of privacy, but kids are more likely to text or post things inappropriate if they don’t believe an adult will find out. All major phone carriers provide a way for parents to monitor their kid’s devices. Just make sure to be honest with your student before you hand them the phone for the first time so they know they won’t be surprised if/when the time comes for a conversation about their use.

Have frequent conversations with your student about the dangers of talking with strangers online. Cyber/sexual predators are better at their craft today than at any other point in history. They are using the internet to collaborate, share tips, and pictures/videos of victims. In many cases, a cyber predator will attain a single inappropriate picture of a victim by acting as a peer online. The predator will then threaten to reveal the picture to the victim’s parents, friends, or school mates if they don’t do exactly what they request.

When it comes to cyberbullying, share possible strategies instead of just advice. Cyberbullying is defined as willful and repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic text. If your student is getting bullied online, they are more likely to tell an online friend that they are being bullied. As a parent you should: know your child’s online friends, expect no information, watch for mood changes (difficult with teenagers), not step in and do something without your child’s permission, make a plan for what to do if/when bullying happens, and use the school as your ally.

Teach your student to be skeptical of internet information. Most internet sites tend to look the same - professional and informative. Kids need to question the facts on internet sites and not take them as factual. Anyone online can pose as a doctor and give dangerous advice. Encourage your students to research on sites with a .org or .edu, and check the validity of information by checking facts on multiple sites.

Help your student make healthy decisions regarding screen time. The US Department of Health and Human Services released a report recommending no more than two hours of screen time for kids aged 12-15. Too much time in front of computers, television, and phones can result in issues with weight, anxiety, and mood. Make a plan with your student about times when devices are not to be used (dinner, bedtime, etc.) and make sure you model these choices as well.

Pushing Trains, Sailing Boats

2015-01-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

As a Director of eLearning, I am in the business of partnering with school leadership teams to launch and move initiatives involving curriculum, assessment, and instruction. Before beginning work with any district, I always share that, “I’m not here to drive the train. I’m just here to help push and make sure we stay on the right track.” In recent months I have come to question the whole “train” analogy or concept of “staying on the right track.” Don’t get me wrong - the idea of a clear track to move forward upon is a wonderful idea, and I understand why we are drawn to the concept. However, within this analogy, the team’s responsibility is to build up steam, get enough people pushing, and keep feeding the engine until everyone reaches their destination. As is often the case, the reality of a “track” is far different when it comes to actual practice. We can certainly get the train moving, but the path is never as clear and straight as we originally hoped it would be.

For this reason, I was quite taken with a quote I saw from the Reverend Barbara Brown Taylor a few months ago:

"We want life to be a train, but it is a sailboat. Every day you check the winds, currents, and resources you have and keep moving."

For me, this analogy represents the multitude of variables educators deal with within schools. We can make extensive plans, but we never know when the next current, wave, or storm may arrive. There are those precious and rare days when the wind blows us in the perfect direction, and many other days when we are dead in the water. In other words, as educators, we are often at the mercy of external forces outside of our control.

Given this reality, how are educators expected to proceed? When the only certainty is that there will be uncertainty (and lots of it), why even bother to make a plan? The answer is clear: a well-drawn map with clear methods of measuring progress will get you closer to your destination than simply “going with the flow.” Many schools are content to just keep the “boat afloat,” and, as a former administrator, I will admit that I spent many days doing nothing but “bailing water.” However, creating a good plan with clear methods of measuring progress towards your destination before you leave the dock can allow leaders to make those small rudder shifts necessary to keep the bow pointing in the right direction - even on the busiest of days.

Just to be clear, I’m not saying that a great plan makes course adjustments a less important part of the process. (After all, the only thing better than a ship with watertight compartments, is not hitting the iceberg in the first place.) What I am saying is that, like guiding a sailboat, school initiatives can be an overall enjoyable experience for all - just have a plan and the tools ready to find your way in case your “three-hour-tour” turns into a whole lot more.

Bringing the Awesome

2015-01-17T16:57:00.004-05:00

I, like all parents I know, have a desire to find the one thing that my kids are flat-out awesome at - that sport or activity that will come to define them as a person and, further more, result in a full college scholarship, professional career, and, of course, product endorsements. When Beardsley turned four, I knew it was time to make that sort of life-defining decision.

I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that we would find his sport of choice on our first try, but I knew we could nail this thing down before his fifth birthday. My wife suggested dance class, and I almost swallowed my tongue. Now, before you launch your attacks concerning gender-stereotyping upon me, it is important to know that I was a musical theatre major during my undergraduate program. I took many dance classes in college, and I can honestly say that it was one of the most intelligent things I ever did. Think about it: I was in a room with incredibly fit and attractive women, and I was one of the only males interested. Even for a pale red-headed ginger, these were great odds. Further evidence of my brilliance was the fact that I ended up marrying a woman way out of my league.

So, just to be absolutely clear - I was cool with dance, but it was a back-up, a creative off-season strength builder for when Beardsley joined the football team. I explained to my wife that we needed to figure out Beardsley’s primary sport first, and then we could develop his other talents. I turned to Beardsley and asked him what sport he wanted to play. At that moment he was too busy pirouetting to fully hear me, but I knew that with those strong leg muscles he was destined for soccer.

The first YMCA soccer game had everyone in the family on pins and needles - except Beardsley. He kept asking us what we doing that evening, and I kept reminding him that he had his big soccer game and “Aren’t you so excited?!?” He stared at me with a confused face for a moment, then sort of yawned and wandered off. The cool head on this kid was unbelievable. That evening we arrived at the soccer field and Beardsley confidently ran onto the field where the rest of the kids in yellow shirts were. I, the proud father, sat back in my chair ready to enjoy some soccer.

Now, I had very low expectations for how four-year olds would play soccer. I fully expected it to be crazy clumsy disorganized fun. However, what I didn’t expect was for it to nearly cause me a mid-life crisis. The thing is that Beardsley and I hadn’t really ever (technically) played soccer together before. In fact, we bought his first soccer ball the day before the game. You see, I assumed part of being a participant in four-year-old soccer was actually being taught the rules and the skills from the beginning….you know…because you’re four. Boy, I was wrong wrong…so wrong.

These kids in yellow shirts knew what the heck they were doing. They were dribbling, weaving, and scoring at will. I sat slack-jawed as this four-year-old Yetti dribbled the ball from one end of the field to the other and kicked it with enough force to kill a small animal.

I immediately scanned the field for Beardsley. He was running and weaving alright, but he was nowhere near the ball - or anyone else on the field for that matter. He was leaping with gazelle-like movements sporting a joyful and downright “cocky” look on his face. He had no idea where the ball even was. The kid was watching himself and appreciating it in all of his glory. There’s only one way for me to describe him at this moment – he was bringing the awesome.

In fact, Beardsley brought awesome and energy at every moment of the game all over the field. What he didn’t bring was any talent, knowledge of the game, or competitive spirit. I yelled to him, “Go after the ball!”

“Heck, go anywhere near the ball,” I thought.

He broke from his daze and scanned the field.

“Glory time,” I thought.

I watched in stunned silence as he ran straight to the soccer ball, picked it up, and took off running. At first, all of the parents sort of laughed, but their laughing stopped when Beardsley continued running past the goal and directly off the field. We all watched in horror as he ran into an un-mowed and wild-looking area. The parents grumbled and glanced side to side. I stood just staring and watching him disappear into the horizon when a troubling question came bubbling from underneath, “Why the heck aren’t you chasing after your child?” I shamefully knew the answer. At this point none of the parents knew that this was my kid who had just stolen the game ball and escaped into the wilderness. I considered just easing back to the car and picking him up on the other side of the Hoosier National Forest, or possibly making a remark about how this talented kid had simply confused American soccer with the European variety.

After about one awkward minute too long, I came to my senses and ran after my child, therefore identifying myself as the shameful parent who didn’t care enough about his son to put him through intense training and private soccer lessons with David Beckham before enrolling him in a four-year-old YMCA league.

I gathered my offspring, checked him for ticks, and sent him back onto the field. The rest of the game I remained silent as each play followed the same script. The Yetti would run down the field spinning the ball on his head or pouncing it from knee to knee, and Beardsley would perform stunning and awe-inspiring superhero poses as far away from the game as humanly possible. At one point he actually took off running as fast as he could and lept into the net. One of the parents laughed and yelled out, “Hey, Beardsley scored one!” Beardsley heard him and turned to me with joy in his eyes. I rolled with it, and shouted some encouraging words back at him. Unfortunately, he had already turned and was attempting to jump up straight in the air and turn in a complete circle while airborne.

It occurred to me, this kid didn’t need me or anyone else to offer words of encouragement. Beardsley already knew how awesome he was. My wife refrained from saying I told you so, but she enrolled Beardsley in dance class the following month. When Beardsley found out he was going to start dance he was very excited, but he did have one concern: “Do I have to wear a dress?” I assured him this would not be happening.

We obviously had indications early on that dance was going to be an important part of Beardsley’s life. As a very young child, he would close his eyes and move to music in an emotional and personal way that (quite honestly) made me a little uncomfortable. When we began potty-training him around two, we tried very hard to come up with prizes that would entice him to complete the transaction correctly. Candy and toys were completely ineffective. We asked him what he wanted.

“Beardsley, tell us what you want. Anything! You learn to go in the potty and we’ll get you anything!”

He told us he wanted “tapping shoes” and “shaky things.” This translated to tap shoes and maracas. We have a picture with him proudly sitting on the toilet shaking the “things” and rockin’ the “tapping shoes” after making a deposit. The boy knows what he wants.

Another example was when we had our family picture taken. I came up with the concept of having us pose as a rock band. Each member of the family sported a different instrument and Beardsley, of course, was the man-in-the-middle with the microphone. The photographer set us in positions and then told us to “do our thing.” I have absolutely no idea what came over Beardsley. If Mick Jagger weren’t alive, I would swear that his ghost had entered the boy’s body. He began lunging, arching his back, and freezing just in time for the click of the camera. Where the heck did he learn this stuff? The photographer froze after a few minutes and said with an awed voice, “This kid needs his own Rolling Stone pictorial.”

The first day of dance we showed up and there were only two other people in his class - two girls in full-out tutus and ballet shoes. I watched for awhile and it looked harmless enough at first, but then a moment arrived when the teacher taught them to do a dance move where they shook their hips suggestively while moving a raised index finger across their front in an “Oh, no you didn’t!” fashion.

This was too much.

I swear that they reviewed that part of the dance at least 53 times, and I had to bite my tongue in half to keep from running in and pulling him out by his dance belt. When I got home, I told my wife that the move must be adapted. I didn’t mind him dancing, but I wanted him to do it in a “manly” way. All I was asking was a little more Gene Kelly and a lot less Beyonce.

My wife came up with a manly adaptation for the “Oh, no you didn’t?” move (the “Oh, no sir you did not,” I suppose). Beardsley was, of course, oblivious to my reaction, and just wanted to revel in his own awesomeness. Honestly, he was a little put-off by the idea of a “routine” and wanted to just freestyle in his own way because as he said, “God made me to dance.”

Who can argue with that?

I made the wise choice not to attend the next dance class, simply because I enjoy the YMCA and I didn’t want to put myself in a position where I might be banned for life. Apparently, the teacher tried to correct the “Oh, no sir, you did not” move and Beardsley barked at her, “My dad says I can’t dance like that!!!” And just like that, I am the uptight pastor from Footloose.

Beardsley has now moved from the YMCA into a proper dance academy. He joined a class over half-way through the year, and I was nervous that he would have difficulty fitting in. This fear was alleviated when I went to pick him up from his second day of class. I walked into the studio and saw the students seated in a circle with their mouths gaping in thrilled expressions as Beardsley belted out, “You give love a bad name…” by Bon Jovi and gyrated around the floor. I realized that soccer be damned…he had found his people.

Beardsley has continued to take his dancing very seriously, and settled on modest aspirations for his future (international rock star). Even now, when the music goes on, it doesn’t matter if he’s alone in his room or in the middle of the mall at Christmas. He will launch himself into intense dramatic dance moves that will cause complete strangers to pause and marvel.

I want to be clear that Beardsley’s dancing isn’t necessarily polished or skilled. I can tell that he will be excellent one day if he chooses to stick with it. He is a true beginner who honestly believes he knows all there is to know about dance.

However, I have come to realize that my oldest boy holds within him the healthiest and sturdiest ego I have ever seen. There is no need for me to find that “thing” that expresses his talents and defines him. Beardsley is beyond definition. Wherever he is, wherever he goes, he knows it will be incredible because he will be there. While I know that growing up has a way of knocking your feet out from under you and making you doubt your own abilities, I can see that Beardsley’s “thing” is his ability to look the world in the face and say, “Oh yeah? So, what?” My job as his father isn’t to shove him in any particular direction. My job is to set some limits, secure the area, and get the heck out of the way to enjoy the show.

No Teacher Left Behind

2013-12-20T13:21:00.000-05:00

“There is no doubt that our students will one day have ubiquitous access to technology. There IS reason to doubt that they will have ubiquitous access to a teacher capable of using technology to reinforce student learning” (Lawless and Pellegrino, 2007).

While I am inspired and in awe of the initiatives taking place in education today, the implications of the quote above keep me up at night. Integrating technology is fantastic, but if there isn’t a teacher in the classroom with the proper beliefs and practices, then we are investing in very expensive paperweights. Even worse, kids today “know better.”

When I was a student, the best I could hope for in my school day was a book, paper, and a pencil. Today, kids have access to teachers who are eLearning rockstars. These kids leave the rockstar teacher’s room, and head into a classroom with THE SAME TECHNOLOGY, but a teacher who just “doesn’t get it.” When I observe these kids, they don’t just look bored - they appear sad. They KNOW learning can be more engaging and effective, and this awareness makes the “doesn’t get it” teacher even less powerful.

In order to ensure that ALL students have access to a rockstar teacher, we must offer professional

Mike and Sully in the Scare Games

learning experiences to meet all teachers at their level of need. I have seen schools purchase a device for every student and declare, “We are 1:1!” In reality, less than one third of their teachers are integrating the technology effectively. It reminds me of the scene in Monsters University where Mike and Sully are trying to race each other to get across the obstacle course first. Although they are the first two finishers, it doesn’t count because the rules state that they will be judged on when the last person on their team crosses the finish line.

As a recovering administrator, I remember how impossible it seemed to get EVERY teacher on the same page - especially with technology integration. While it is very difficult, with the proper methods and expectations it can be done. Otherwise, how do we choose which student has the “rockstar” teacher and which student has the “doesn’t get it teacher?” Which classroom should we put your child in? The only way to ensure equal access and opportunities for all of our students is by making a strong commitment to providing as much professional learning as it takes to get all teachers across the finish line together.

#Hashtag - Your Day Has Come #notcool #overkill #killingtheEnglishlanguage

2013-09-25T13:37:00.002-04:00

When tech-geeks take over the world, there are some "cool" things that we take too far. Hashtags - your time has come.

Hooray for Poo: Part 1

2013-09-12T21:29:00.004-04:00

Dirty diapers are a major part of having a baby. It is amazing the lengths my wife and I will go to in order to attempt to NOT have to change our son’s diaper. The most clever tactics involve talking to our son and avoiding each other altogether.

“Oh, did you poopey? Daddy said he wants to change it, because he loves you.”

Now, what am I going to say?

“Nope, Daddy doesn’t want to change your diaper because he doesn’t love you.”

Of course in the midst of this verbal warfare we forget that our child is 7 months old and has no idea what we’re saying.

The point is that NO ONE is happy about having to change a diaper…until IT happens. Many of you have already guessed it: CONSTIPATION. It starts with a questioning expression on your baby’s face, followed by grunting and reddening of the face that makes you think he is about to turn into the hulk. There came a time when my son’s Herculean efforts would produce something so pitiful that even a rabbit would be ashamed. We went into panic mode.

I don’t know how much prune juice a baby can physically handle, but our son may have been close to a Guinness World Record. It turns out he loves the stuff. However, it caused no movement in the nether regions.

It came time to call the doctor. What is it about calling doctors? For me it’s the fact that I know they are going to just say, “Bring him in,” and I’ll be the father sitting in waiting room trying to keep my son plugged up as he tries to fill his diaper.

What the doctor suggested to me made me question his knowledge. Heck, I wasn’t even sure if it was legal. Yet, we were coming upon five poopie-less days and this was no time to question. He wanted to me to lay my son down in a warm bath and massage his…you know…with a rectal thermometer. My day only got worse from there.

I set up the bath and began undressing my son for the procedure-that-must-not-be-named. He was excited. Poor kid. He didn’t know what was coming. All he knew was that he was getting a bath in the middle of the day and that was a serious bonus! I carried him into the bathroom and held him up so he could see himself in the mirror. He loves seeing himself naked. It’s probably his favorite time of day. This day he was really excited, because he started peeing…on our toothbrushes.

I should have taken this as a warning, but I continued on. I laid him back into the tub and began the procedure. Did it work? Define work. Stuff happened. Nothing I want to talk about right now. The verdict was that we still had a long way to go.

I got him dressed. Sat him in front of a video (only once a day for thirty minutes-don’t yell at me) and cleaned up the mess. What I saw when I came back I will never forget. It was a sight that would have sent many people into cardiac arrest.

Maybe it was bath. Maybe it was the thermometer. Maybe it was the five gallons of prune juice he drank. All the matters is that my son had filed his diaper and most of our former living area with feces.

I’ve never been prouder in my entire life...

What is the Purpose of School?

2013-09-12T21:22:00.004-04:00

Today I sat with ten other doctoral students and pondered, challenged, and speculated on this title question. We made some brilliant points and unexpected connections, but, by far, the best observation came from a colleague who said, "If all of the people here in this room can't agree on the purpose of school, is it any wonder it is such a mess? If Obama came to me and asked me what he could do to fix school, I wouldn't have a clue what to tell him!"

It is a sad state and also a great explanation for the difficulties and challenges we face as educators. Learning isn't black and white, and often can't be encapsulated in a number or something we can put our finger on. However, when we can't find a way to measure what we value, then we end up valuing what we measure. If you're interested in reading more of my ideas and research, then check this out.

You Want to Read Your Blog

2013-09-11T18:16:00.000-04:00

So why do people blog? What makes anyone think anyone would ever want to read something that you've written? If our kids followed the logic of adults, then we would never get an assignment of any quality turned in. We have kids write to practice mechanics, but also to reflect, reason, and reach conclusions. Is there a magic age when we no longer need to practice these skills?

I discovered one more reason to blog today. I found one more person who really enjoyed reading my writing - me. I wrote an article on 9/11 a few years ago, and read it again today. I was moved to read my own descriptions and feelings which I don't even recall a few years later. I learned lessons I had at some point forgotten.

I have never seen my father write anything longer than his name, yet the one regret he has expressed to me about his life is, "I wish I had written something down every day. I just can't remember the details of those moments that were small at the time, but I really want to remember now.

When you consider whether it is worth taking the time to write a blog, and you feel embarrassed to share details that you feel others could care less about, remember that there is always one reader who will be interested and find it of value. (No, not me - you.)

eLearning Admin Academy

2013-01-28T20:36:00.001-05:00

Questions I Have to Get Answered

Speakers' Bureau

Introduction to Blended and Online Teaching

Speak Up Data

Educational Hashtags

What Happens in 60 Seconds on the Internet

Joe's Non-Netbook

Ted Talks

Sir Ken Robinson

MOOCs & Badging

Data on Blended and Online Learning

Exit Ticket

Butterfly Video

PGP Certificate

An Internet PSA from 1995

2012-08-16T15:04:00.002-04:00

If you haven't see this yet, then you will probably have the same reaction I did...this has got to be staged. These kids either had one of the most visionary teachers (secret career of Steve Jobs?) of all time, or they were routinely practicing black magic. As far as I can tell from my research, it is legit. I remember that in 1995 I was using Prodigy to get online, and I was constantly checking the little box that said, "Do Not Load Images," so that I could get my pages loaded in under five minutes.

You Don't Know Jack About Learning (and Neither Do I)

2012-08-14T20:56:00.001-04:00

I am constantly amazed by how little we understand the learning process. If you put 20 well-educated people in a room, they will most likely not be able to agree on how learning happens. Sure, they know it when they see it, and we can tell you how Miss Sally McSmarty learns, but what about everyone else? Is it any wonder we have so much difficulty making learning "happen" with children with a wide range of emotional issues when it can't be defined?

Have you ever tried to "teach" someone how to breath? Of course not. We are born with an intuitive knowledge of how this process works. It is something that we all do hundreds of times per day, but it is invisible and automatic. In fact, thinking too much about your breathing process can cause you to become light-headed and panicky.

As newborns, we immediately began learning faces, sounds, smells, touch, and eventually language. Did anyone ever try to educate a newborn on who their mommy and daddy is? Of course not. Just put a three-month-old in the arms of a total stranger and see how well they have learned whom their parents are.

Learning and breathing are automatic processes. You can't help but be learning all the time. It is a state of being. The difficulties occur when we attempt to teach it and break it down for others. They can become "lightheaded and panicky."

What would you do in real life if someone walked up to you and began lecturing you on a topic against your will? You would surely walk away, or find some excuse to leave the premises. If you were too polite to slip away, you would almost certainly fall into a pattern of nodding and vocal cues - taking in absolutely nothing that they said.

Imagine the same situation, but replaced with you approaching the person and asking, "Could you tell me more about...?" You would almost certainly be much more naturally present and receptive to the information.

Through our efforts as educators to teach, beat, and conquer learning, we have done much to short-circuit the instincts of our kids. We have taken the natural God-given curiosity they had fresh out of the box, and taught them that learning is something that happens TO YOU from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a textbook and a worksheet. Nights and weekend? Nah! Do your homework (of course), but then just find out what is happening with all of your friends, go online to figure out how to get past those levels in a new video game, and watch YouTube videos on natural disasters...you know..."not" learning.

At what point did we decide that transferring information from a lecture or book to a piece of paper was learning? I want to see the research that says this is a best practice. Yet, asking our students to spend hours perfecting this process is common in many school buildings. Basically, we are training kids to operate as copy machines, except for when we are writing research papers - then it is called plagiarism.

Lest you think I am the all-knowing sage lecturing you from my pulpit on a topic against your will (you clicked on the link, remember?), I want to admit that I am the guiltiest of guilty. Oh yes, I have been a packet-of-worksheets-stand-and-deliver kind-of-teacher for many years. The reason I went into teaching was so people would have to listen to me go on and on without being able to complain.

The problem is that now I know this strategy doesn't work as well. Sure, I could keep at it with my students (adult learners), but why would I want to...

Flying a Kite & Other Ways to Injure Your Children: School Edition

2012-08-13T19:40:00.002-04:00

It was the first day of school today, and I offered to get the kids ready for school so that my wife could get into her classroom and prepare for students. I thought this was quite noble of me, and well within my talent set. When the kids were dressed, brushed, and groomed, and ready to eat breakfast at 7:30, I still had a few strands of my vocal chords in place. Success!

I had prepared myself to NOT enter any classrooms for my oldest two children, but I assumed there would be a moment or acknowledgement from them. When I pictured my wife doing this the past four years, I had images of hugs, tears, and tender embraces.

This morning my oldest two sons shunned eye contact and sort of skulked off while my back was turned. There were no tears or hugs. The closest I came to a hug may have been when my middle son brushed against my leg in his rush to escape and may or may not have attempted to deposit a booger on my shorts. I express doubt (not because he isn't fully capable of this maneuver) but because he wasn't successful.

My youngest had a non-traditional first day, which required me to bring him back a few hours later. He played contently while I Skyped and worked furiously to make plans for some eLearning Admin Academy sessions. As the time approached for his day to begin, he began yelling...no...BELLOWING at me to basically get my butt moving. I would have been touched by his enthusiasm if I weren't suddenly concerned that I was being bullied by a three-year-old.

He kicked and cheered the entire ride to school. When we arrived in the parking lot, I unbuckled him, helped him onto the ground, and swiftly closed the door. At some point in this sequence he did not follow the plan and must have turned back towards the car. I know this (not because I witnessed the retreat), but because my brain was seared with the image and sound of the car door thunking off of his head. Thankfully, it was more of a glance not resulting in a goose egg, but it did result in a hug, tears, and an embrace (and he was upset too).

When we approached his classroom door, I saw the mess of parents coddling and coaxing their teary children. There were choruses of, "It'll be okay," and verses of, "I'll be back before you know it." As I stood taking in the moment, my youngest promptly walked through the classroom door. I sprinted after him, but was stopped at the door by the teacher.

"Sorry, the parents are staying outside the room today," I was informed.

"No problem, I just want to wave goodbye to my son because I think he thought I was following behind me, and I don't want him to think I just left him," I replied.

We both stood in the doorway and watched as he hung up his lunchbox, spun in a circle, and walked straight past the door without looking my way. The teacher looked at me with a pitiful face.

"I think he's okay."

I turned back to the mob of writhing children, and did my best to wade through the slippery tears and snot puddling all over the floor.

A mother nearby said, "I think we make a bigger deal about this than they do."

"You have no idea," I replied.

I walked to my car thinking about how proud I am that my kids are confident and independent. It did occur to me that it would be nice to get some neediness at some point, but then again, I was the dad who hit his kids in the head with car doors...

Let's just call it even.

Back to the Future...

2012-08-12T21:03:00.001-04:00

It is an interesting turn of events that has kept me from posting here the past few months. Will Richardson pegged me correctly at a regional conference in Evansville, IN when he said, "You have a blog, but you don't write regularly, and you feel guilty about it." Guilt as charged, Will.

I haven't made this blog a place to discuss personal matters, and yet personal matters have come to affect my focus and content. In this past three months I have moved from a position as a middle school administrator at Scottsburg Middle School to the Director of eLearning at Five-Star Technology Solutions, which is a technology integration and management company in southern Indiana. In addition, I am the Strategic Partner to the Indiana Department of Education's Office of eLearning. Yes, my world has turned upside down, but in a good way.

Yet, as I sit here the evening before school begins again for my own children and former students, I feel quite a tug. This will be the first August in many many years where I haven't followed suit with millions of kids and started my first day of school for the 30th time. This year I am missing the new clothes, new shoes, new backpack, stress pimples, and terse Hellos and How was your summer...s. I am missing them and also missing them. It is the greatest and worst time of year, and it is thrilling and devastating to watch it as a spectator.

My efforts to live vicariously through my own children were dashed when they told me I would NOT be walking them into their classrooms on the first day of school. If this is the attitude at six, then I fear for 13. My last hope is to live through my wife's wonderful descriptions of new students, sore feet, and heavy eyelids at the end of the first student day.

If you are an educator, then as a spectator I cheer you on, and might even try to follow you to your desk with my enthusiasm. Just politely close the door before I make it into the room. I get it. My six year old has already put me in my place.

I share this not to downplay my new role and efforts. They are grandiose in scope, and I have the opportunity to shape the educational system in Indiana through my work with my company and the IDOE. There are initiatives I am working on this year that I couldn't be prouder of or more excited by.

Yet, I won't open one jammed locker, or comfort one sniveling 6th grader, and for that (this evening at least) I mourn.

Curating Digital Content: Free Resources

2012-05-03T10:39:00.000-04:00

I am leading a roundtable discussion tomorrow (5/04/12) at the Tech & Learning Forum in Chicago. Below are the resources I plan to share with the group. Looking forward to some great conversation and learning! Please share your favorite site for curating digital content in the comments.

Google Docs - online document collaboration

My Big Campus - safe, collaborative learning environment

Bundles

Edgar Allan Poe

Edmodo - digital learning environment

Moodle - digital learning environment, requires hosting onsite

Google Sites - create a class website

PBWorks - wiki environment

iBooks Author - a Mac App which can be used to create interactive textbooks for iPads

Livebinders - create a class using websites, pictures, and your text

Edgar Allan Poe

Bundlenut - quick and easy way to create, curate, and share a list of links

CK-12 - free configurable and interactive textbooks, can be exported as pdf or ePub

Blogger - create a blog for class content

Diigo - collect, curate, share, and bookmark sites

Delicious - collect, curate, share, and bookmark sites

iPads in Education

2012-04-20T13:38:00.003-04:00

While I believe that Apple may have missed the boat with the iTextbook, this still provides an awesome step towards a 21st Century curriculum. This video is a must-view for anyone wanting to see how iPads could be integrated into the classroom.

Khan Academy: Free Virtual Education

2012-03-04T21:15:00.002-05:00

(This is a blog I wrote for the Indiana Department of Education's 29 Day Blog Challenge as part of Digital Learning Day.)

If you are a math teacher looking for a way to supplement your instruction, differentiate your curriculum, "flip" your classroom, or move to a digital curriculum and you haven't heard of Khan Academy, then just what have you been doing this past year? This TED Talk from 2011 featuring Salman Khan is required viewing for those who have been living under a rock.

Khan Academy is the creation of Salman Khan, who wanted to find a better way to help his cousins with their math homework. What started off as a video on Youtube has expanded to 2,800 videos covering topics such as math, physics, finance, and even history. In addition, there are 300 practice exercises which students can move through at their own pace. Using a Google or Facebook username/password, Khan will keep track of a student's progress and report this information back to their teacher. If your students are under 13, you can apply to get a Google App account for your school.

How much does it cost? Nothing. Zilch. Zero. Khan Academy is a non-profit company with the goal of creating the world's first free virtual school. There are networks of volunteers working to subtitle and translate videos. As of this moment, there are four million students using Khan in 16 different languages.

Check out this informative video from The Gates Notes on how some teachers at the original pilot school in the Los Altos School District in California feel about their Khan Academy experience.

There are at least four different ways I have seen Khan used in classrooms:

Supplementing Current Instruction

There are Khan videos for almost every Common Core Standard. We have teachers who are posting the Khan video for the standard they are covering each day to their website or digital learning environment (My Big Campus). If the student gets home and can't remember how to do that problem, they have a place to go and find the answer. When I was in school, the best I could hope for was to check the answers for the odds in the back of the book. Students today can take a teacher home with them. Posting Khan videos is a great "first step" for teachers just getting started with technology and wanting to experiment with their curriculum. It requires no student login, as the videos are freely available on youtube, archive.org, etc. In addition, there are many other ways to download the videos offline for student consumption so that you can get around internet filtering.

Differentiating Your Curriculum

I know that the word differentiation has almost become a dirty word. It is what we know we need to do to affect student learning, but the one thing we have the greatest problem actually implementing in a classroom setting. If you have the ability to get your students on devices (1:1 program, laptop carts, iPads, computer lab) even once a week, then you can have each student working at their specific level at the same time. My teachers gets their students logged in, and then monitor their progress on the coach's dashboard. All students start with basic addition, and move quickly depending on their current knowledge-base. After one or two sessions, each student will be covering concepts at their specific level until they show mastery.

Khan defines mastery as seven correct in a row. It does accommodate a miss on question seven, by only asking the student to answer three or four more correctly. Through the coach's panel, teachers can see which students are flying (blue), struggling (orange), or stagnant (red). Students struggling or stagnant can be pulled aside in small groups for remediation on that specific concept while the other students are working on Khan at their own level. Eureka! True differentiation!

The "Khan Way"

After writing the blog, "Khan Academy for Two-year-olds? I Guinea-Pig My Own Kids," I was contacted by a representative from Khan about becoming a Khan school. Working with an original pilot school in the Los Altos School District in California, the Khan team developed a plan for how they would like to have schools use Khan. While I won't go into the specific details, it involved the student spending about 30 minutes a day on Khan (at home or at school) watching videos and taking assessments. Khan became the primary source for the teaching, which freed the teacher to look at more "real-life" applications or projects. While this isn't an option we were interested in at the time, it will be very interesting to look at the data once this pilot has been completed.

Assessment Only

We have teachers who completely ignore the videos and just have their students work through the assessment. It gives teachers and students an amazing amount of data about what they really know and where they need help. This is also an easy option if YouTube videos are blocked in your building and you don't want to have to bother the IT department to get the offline videos working. As a teacher, you can set this up yourself and have complete control. I hear that teachers like control.

Wrath of Khan

I wouldn't be presenting the entire picture if I didn't mention that there are some naysayers and critics when it comes to Salman Khan's Academy. You can find many blogs like the one at Mathalicious which go beyond basic criticism, and label Khan Academy as "dangerous." Why the worries? For starters, Salman Khan doesn't have an education degree. With the Gates money invested in the non-profit, Khan chose to hire scientists before educators, which ignites the argument of content knowledge vs. instructional skills. Finally, critics acknowledge Khan is likely to get a lot of use because it is free, but, without a research base to back it up, what cost will this be to our children?

Final Thoughts

Our kids deserve to learn using the "tools of their time." I have seen our students' eyes light up as they have gotten started on Khan Academy and taken control of their own education. I have also seen these same eyes look bleary and bored after several days of exercises and videos. What's my verdict? Khan Academy is one more great tool to use with our students. Our kids need variety, and the only definite for instruction in any academic area is that the instructional tools must vary.

All math teachers need to get on Khan Academy at some point. My teachers have used it as a "gateway instructional tool" in that they now film and post their own math videos. There is no doubt in my mind that video and education will go hand in hand even more as we move more technology into the classroom and our private lives.

I spent a large chunk of my day talking with kids about their math grades, and kid after kid told me that they feel "stupid" asking teachers to demonstrate a problem more than once. Imagine the power of putting that instruction at their fingertips with the ability to scrub back and forth through specific steps or watch the entire sequence over and over again without judgement from a peer.

Self-empowered learning without peer judgement?

Where do I sign up?

The Challenge

Visit the Khan Academy website. Considering what you see there and what Jason has shared in this post, how do you think you can use Khan Academy in your classroom? If you're already using Khan Academy, share how you use it.

Crazy About Curation

2011-12-13T22:06:00.000-05:00

"Curation" is the latest buzzword in educational technology (and many other industries), and I want to confess that I have struggled a bit with my understanding of it. When trying to explain it to a colleague, I actually said, "uh...like...the Big Dave burger at Wendy's is an example of curation..." I'm not sure my analogy was a winner. The cartoon which appeared in Dilbert (see below) soon thereafter hit home for me (and most likely my colleague.)

A great deal of my guidance in the curation movement has come from trainings from Indiana DOE rep and edtech demi-god @YancyUnger and his Getting the Horse to Drink blog. Yancy describes curation as moving our content out of a warehouse and into a museum. Many times as educators we try to share EVERYTHING about a topic, instead of picking out the major points and elevating them in a meaningful way.

I am guilty of sending my teachers an email weighed down with websites with the heading "GREAT STUFF!"(warehouse) I can now see that this email was most likely met with a sneer, followed by the delete button. My teachers would be much more likely to give me some of their precious time if I send one website or resource with a brief explanation of how they might incorporate it into their curriculum (museum).

Now that I have finished reading A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, I feel that my understanding of curation is finally complete. To summarize, the use of our left brains has led us to an age of prosperity and ease of information. Success today is less about memorizing (left brain) the content, and more about designing or curating the content (right brain.) This doesn't mean that we don't have to know what we're talking about. It means that in the 21st century we have to know our stuff, and be able to make it look pretty as well.

With this reasoning, it would be irresponsible as educators to take on a "content is king" attitude with our students. Yes, content is important, but remember that (with every kid carrying a computer in their pocket) facts are free. Content can be King as long as Curation is Queen in a marriage of equals.

Sort of makes you think twice about cutting those art teachers...

Digital Native & My Big Campus Podcast

2011-11-29T19:50:00.000-05:00

This is a short podcast I created to talk about our movement to a digital learning environment. This combines snippets of two workshops I offer, The Immigrant's Guide to Digital Natives and Become a Champion with My Big Campus.

Getting Carried Away With Technology

2011-11-22T19:16:00.001-05:00

Title One Conference (Bowling Green), Kevin Honeycutt, and My Big Campus

2011-11-18T16:33:00.000-05:00

On November 7, I was asked by the good folks at My Big Campus to attend a Title One technology conference to talk about how teachers could begin using it for free in their classrooms. Although my break-out session wasn't until 2, the conference was in Bowling Green, KY and I wanted to make full use of the day. I arrived at the start of the keynote speaker who happened to be Kevin Honeycutt. Kevin is a great speaker on educational technology and a compelling advocate for our kids. I spent most of the day listening to his break-out sessions and was a little disappointed when I had to go and give my own. The intent of this blog and the next few is to process and share the great tips, sites, etc. that I have picked up the past two weeks.

Lulu - is a site which allows you to publish books for free. Teachers could compile the best writing for the year and submit it to the site in a pdf. The teacher determines the cost (added to the reasonable printing costs) and all sales take place on the site. The teacher can simply give parents the web address and set them loose. Kevin said that some schools are even using this for their yearbooks.

Kevin made some interesting points about how our brains work.

When we have a "lazy eye" or some other deficiency the brain will often "cut bait" for lack of use. This is why it is so important to get treatment to make these deficiencies work harder before it is too late. Kevin's assertion is that this could also hold true for kids who "aren't good at numbers" or "hate to read."
These devices (tablets, laptops, etc.) have become extensions of our brains or appendages. We are outsourcing our data to them because we can access it so readily. When we don't allow students access to these devices at school it is like cutting off their limbs at the door.

Kevin talked about the benefits of backchanneling or giving students the ability to ask questions or contribute information during a class. He mentioned using Google Docs, Wall Wisher, or Today's Meet. An example would be sending kids to find information on Columbus and posting it on the Backchannel. A student who cites incorrectly or cites a non-reliable source would have their contribution deleted. This would help teach the skill of finding reliable information on the internet and not plagiarizing.
Kevin talked about how we should attempt to put information in story format to make it stickier.
A tale of two teachers - Kevin gave us a description of two teachers.

Teacher A - Strong knowledge of subject, strong teacher, depends on self for information
Teacher B - less content knowledge, depends on a network for information

Who do you hire?

Kevin recommends that we think of the teacher they will be 10 years from now. Which one do you think will be the stronger teacher then?
The big question for us educators is: Where do you get your information?

Narratives are powerful vehicles for helping people retain contain. For all subjects, Kevin recommends finding a way to put important information in a narrative format.
Where are we throwing the football? For me, this was his best analogy yet. When a QB throws a football, he doesn't throw it where the receiver is, but where they will/should be. Otherwise, the ball goes behind the receiver. This analogy works for our kids. We need to throw education where the kids will/should be in order to truly prepare them for their future.

Dilbert on Digital Media Curation

2011-10-30T10:09:00.000-04:00

Regret: Star Wars Style

2011-10-24T17:51:00.001-04:00

Tips for Parenting a Digital Native

2011-10-16T20:13:00.000-04:00

We refer to the current generation (18 and younger) as digital natives because they have been born into technology and their understanding of it is complete. Parenting a digital native is a very difficult task because technology is far-reaching, powerful, and everywhere. In past generations you could ground your student to the house with confidence that under your surveillance they would not get in trouble. However, in this age of cell phones and tablet devices your child could get themselves in a great deal of trouble without stepping foot outside their bedroom door. Below are some facts and tips for keeping your kid safe.

Take part in your student’s online life. If your child has a Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter page then so should you. Require them to “friend you.” Just as you are involved in shaping your child in the real world, you also need to help them form their digital image.
Keep track of your child’s internet and cell phone (texting) history. Many parents believe this is a violation of privacy, but kids are more likely to text or post things inappropriate if they don’t believe an adult will find out. Be honest with your kids before you hand them the phone for the first time so they know they will be monitored.
Cyber and sexual predators are better at their craft today than at any other point in history. They are using the internet to collaborate, share tips, and pictures/videos of victims. The three main tools used by sexual predators are attention, affection, and gifts - especially cigarettes.
In many cases, a cyber predator will attain a single inappropriate picture of a victim by acting as a peer online. The predator will then threaten to reveal the picture to the victim’s parents, friends, or school mates if they don’t do exactly what they request.
Teach your student to be skeptical of internet information. Most internet sites tend to look the same - professional and informative. Kids need to question the facts on internet sites and not take them as factual. Anyone online can pose as a doctor and give dangerous advice.
It probably comes as no surprise that the most common communication device for teenagers is texting. The average teenager sends 2000 texts a month. Research has shown that student who send more than 3000 texts per month (hypertexting)are also more likely to try drugs, alcohol, and sex.
Cyberbullying is defined as willful and repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic text. Cyberbullying victims are more likely to tell an online friend that they are being bullied. As a parent you should: know your child’s online friends, expect no information, watch for mood changes (difficult with teenagers), not step in and do something without your child’s permission, make a plan for what to do if/when bullying happens, emphasize strategy instead of advice, and use the school as your ally.

When to Use Rewards - Daniel Pink

2011-10-15T16:40:00.002-04:00