EZ Tech Integration and More

Thoughts on the Gradebook: Mastery Grading

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 16:39:00 +0000

I have to admit that grading is one of my least favorite things to do. It is often impersonal and doesn't move learning forward. There are infrequent opportunities for students to improve their work at the secondary level. A few years ago I started making some changes to the way I responded to assignments and entered them into the gradebook. This post will look at what I am calling Mastery Grading, where students have multiple opportunities to show their knowledge.

In my geography classes, I gave weekly map quizzes. These do not require high level thinking. Attempts at cheating were off the hook. Students usually view them as one-off assignments; they aren't worth a lot of points so why try all that hard?

To make changes, first I had to get to the REASON I gave the quizzes.

I knew my students didn't have a good mental map of the world in their heads and I wanted the quizzes to help them build that mental map.
A decent mental map of the world will help students be more successful in a geography (and later world history) class.
I determined these map quizzes were an important enough tool that students should have multiple opportunities to use that tool to build that mental picture of the world.

I wanted to be transparent about what I was doing and increase buy in with students, so I explained my thought process and the procedures for trying again. Mastery was set at 85% or more correct. Students did not receive a score until they reached that threshold (until they reached the end of the quarter when no score was converted to a zero...I know, I know...this is a work in progress).

What was the result? Scores skyrocketed. Most students achieved mastery on the first try and those who didn't usually reached mastery on the second try. I had one student who got stuck on one map and had to try at least six times. She persevered and got to mastery. I had only one or two students per grading period who did not achieve mastery on all of their map quizzes.

What would I do differently? Converting no score to zero always seemed contrary to what I was trying to accomplish. Carrying over scores through multiple grading periods gets tricky, but it might be a good option if students need additional time.

Thoughts While Running: Grades and the Gradebook

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 16:57:00 +0000

I've been troubled for some time by the way we secondary teachers traditionally "do" grades. We typically have categories such as tests/quizzes, projects, homework, essays, etc. Sometimes those categories have varying weights so maybe tests/quizzes is worth 50% of the grade while homework is only worth 20%. Students, and sometimes parents, diligently watch their online grades to make sure that every assignment is categorized and "counted" correctly.

"Counting" assignments is another issue. Does the assignment get credit for completion? When does that happen? Is it points-based? Is is scored on a holistic rubric? Does the student have a copy of the rubric AND understand it? Is the assignment standards-based or is it something I give every year because "it's a good assignment"? You see my point.

I've been mulling over a change in the way I would set up a gradebook. These ideas have been coming to me as I run. What if:

Categories were aligned to standards? To account for literacy standards AND content in a history class it might look like this: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, Content
Each assignment was tagged with the SPECIFIC standard being addressed? A multiple-choice quiz on the fall of the Roman Empire might be tagged with CAHSS7.1 for the California History/Social Studies standard 7.1 "Students analyze the causes and effects of the vast expansion and ultimate disintegration of the Roman Empire." So the assignment might be listed in the gradebook as Chapter 1 Test CAHSS7.1 and entered into the Content category.
Assignments are placed into categories based on the skill or content knowledge they emphasize. For example, while learning about the Cold War, Modern World History students examine multiple accounts of events from different perspectives. Students write short responses comparing the different accounts "including which details they [authors] include and emphasize in their respective accounts." That assignment would be placed in Reading with the name Cold War Accounts RH6 (RH6 is the Reading Literacy standard in History/Social Studies) because the teacher is looking for student skill in comparing those accounts.
Students have, at their fingertips, all necessary rubrics for reading, writing, listening and speaking. If the class has specific expectations for particular activities such a Socratic Seminars, they have those expectations too.
Multiple opportunities are embedded for student success. This could mean chances for re-dos on some assignments or revisions of others to be included in an end of marking period portfolio.

The end result is a gradebook that should be more transparent and more authentic for students. This doesn't solve every problem with a gradebook and grading. It isn't a truly standards-based gradebook and won't lead to a standards-based report card. It WILL lift the literacy and content standards and should reduce emphasis some traditional gradebook categories that maybe aren't in the best interest of learning.

Extreme Writing in Secondary Social Studies

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 17:48:00 +0000

Yesterday I read "The Power of Extreme Writing: How do I help my students become eager and fluent writers?" by Diana Cruchley. Two thoughts stuck with me. The first was that I did a variation of Extreme Writing with my fifth and sixth graders when I first started teaching. It was fun and addressed some of the early writing standards. The second was that with its emphasis on more creative styles of writing I couldn't see much opportunity for using Extreme Writing in secondary Social Studies.

This morning, as I was out walking, I had another thought. "WAIT! Extreme Writing WILL work in secondary Social Studies!"

First, here's a little bit about Extreme Writing. Cruchley explains that the purpose of Extreme Writing is to build fluency in writers. In other words, students have to get their thoughts on paper in a coherent manner. The way to do that is with practice. This can be accomplished with several cycles of 10 minutes of in-class time for 10 days (with follow up time at home). Years ago, I read Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bones" where she recommended something similar for writers. In fact, Goldberg recommended setting a timer for five minutes and writing. If you don't know what to write about, write "I don't know what to write about" over and over and over until what's trapped inside comes out. Cruchley recommends providing prompts that will spark interest and engagement in students. Cruchley and others have gathering prompts and posted suggestions to the web.

So where does this fit into secondary Social Studies? My 9th and 10th grade geography and history students had a difficult time with essays. In class essays were the worst (and I'm sure my students would agree). Despite reviewing the prompt and thorough planning, they still struggled to put pen to paper and get the essay completed. My AP students also struggled with timed writings. I frequently heard "I don't know what to write" or "This is really hard." I always suspected that part of the issue was lack of confidence in their own ability to express themselves on paper.

Extreme Writing can address this struggle. Most of my students didn't come to me with a lot of in-class writing practice. In most of their other classes, these students were assigned take home essays to be completed over the course of a week or more. This gives students LOTS of time to revise and refine their writing. In a pinch though, some students are nearly paralyzed with fear of the in-class essay. Taking 10 minutes of class time a day for 10 days is worth the "lost" content time to build fluency and confidence in students.

Here are a few other questions to consider:

But what about my content? These prompts have nothing to do with my content! That's actually the point. Extreme Writing builds fluency and confidence in writing. It will start out as a pretty messy process, but over time as student fluency improves, you'll start to see more thoughtful pieces and new skill that will transfer to writing about the social studies.
I'm a History/Social Studies teacher! Why do I need to do this? Check with your colleagues in your students' other classes. Are they doing Extreme Writing or something similar? Perhaps you can share the task. The Common Core Literacy Standards clearly outline shared responsibility for reading and writing development. If writing is a challenge for your students and if no one else is doing it, it's on you. In the long run, Extreme Writing will help make your job easier because your students will be better prepared for the writing demands of social studies courses.
Clearly this is just for younger students, right? Cruchley recommends Extreme Writing for 4-9 grade students. However, in my own experience I was not a super-confident writer when I got to my senior year of high school. I had good teachers who emphasized writing, but getting the words down on paper still was anxiety-provoking. Mrs. Hanley, my senior English teacher, fixed that with her own version of Extreme Writing. We wrote in journals, we wrote essays, we wrote and wrote and wrote. By the beginning of second semester we could write a full essay in 20 minutes with a cold prompt.

Lessons from the Hill: 3 Tips for Getting Involved

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 17:50:00 +0000

Update: This was updated to include relevant links for further information.

Last week I had the privilege of attending the National Councilfor the Social Studies Summer Leadership Institute in Washington DC. Two educators represented the California Council for the Social Studies at the Institute. During the course of the Institute my colleagues and I toured the Newseum and had a private tour with the writer of their Vietnam War exhibit. We also learned about the state of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA...or commonly, for the most recent version, No Child Left Behind), including the differences between the House and Senate versions of the Bill.

One of our major assignments at the Institute was to meet with our representatives in the House and Senate. My California colleague and I were able to secure an appointment with my Congressman, Mike Thompson, and dropped by to visit her Congressman. He happened to walk up as we began talking with his education staffer, so we had a second meeting right in the hall. We also dropped off information in our Senators' offices, but they and their staffers were busy debating the amendments to ESEA that day.

This is the fifth time I have been to Capitol Hill to discuss Geography Education or Social Studies education, and it got me to thinking yet again about the importance of participating in our government (think: don't complain if you don't vote). Most of the Social Studies teachers I have talked with have not visited their state or national legislators and don't seem to participate in government beyond voting. There are things that Social Studies teachers CAN do to get more involved in government. I offer three tips:

1. Become informed about issues, including education policy, and vote. You don't have to be an expert on every issue and you don't even have to vote on every issue, but DO cast your vote for the candidate who best aligns with your values and the issues that matter to you. Don't forget that your local community needs your votes on issues that are important right in your backyard (Should plastic shopping bags be banned in your community? Let your elected officials know!).

2. Write to your city, county, state, and national officials and let them know how you feel. I recently wrote to my city hall to express concern over an uneven sidewalk in my community. Within a week or so, that sidewalk was clearly marked so that others didn't fall. Now, I'm not sure that my email was the immediate cause of the change, BUT it added to the voices of others who had communicated about the sidewalk issue. Most elected officials communicate by email, so don't worry about having to get a stamp. In fact, when you're writing to your Congressional delegation, it's BETTER to email since all regular mail has to be scanned before arriving at the office. Tell your elected representatives how you feel about issues important to you. Offer solutions. Request a meeting at the local office with a staff member. Just LET THEM KNOW. Look up your representative here and your senator here.

3. MEET with your elected official. Go to City Hall or the county Supervisors' chambers or the State Capitol, or to Washington DC. The farther you are from your local government, the more lead time you need to give yourself to secure an appointment. I've found that a minimum of 3-4 weeks is needed to get an appointment with my Congressman in Washington. Be patient when trying to schedule an appointment and make it clear that you are willing to meet with a staff member in order to get your voice heard. Sometimes our elected officials' political views don't match our own. That's okay. You still need to let them know where you stand and they ARE representing YOU. Be polite and agree to disagree. I've learned that it's not that scary to talk with elected officials or their staff. Just have your talking points ready (take a notecard if you need to) and have fun.

As Social Studies teachers we should model civic behavior. Your voice DOES matter so let it be heard.

From the Web: Bystander Intervention In Cyberbullying

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 03:56:00 +0000

Bystander behavior and "diffusion of responsibility" are two concepts in psychology that grab students' attention. This article provides timely, engaging, and relevant insight into modern bystander behavior. How would you use this article (or the study) in your class?

New Study Sheds Light On Bystander Intervention In Cyberbullying

tags: study cyberbullying intervention

Posted from Diigo.

Resources for teaching and talking about Ferguson

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 15:37:00 +0000

Here are a few links to resources that might be useful when talking to your students about the grand jury's decision in Ferguson last night.

Facing History and Ourselves: Talking to Students about Ferguson

http://facingtoday.facinghistory.org/talking-to-students-about-ferguson/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=Facing%20Today%20Blog%20Outreach

Larry Ferlazzo's Teaching Ideas for #Ferguson #Michael Brown (this includes ideas from August)

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2014/08/20/teaching-ideas-for-ferguson-michael-brown/

PBS NewsHour Extra: Understanding the grand jury ruling on Michael Brown's death

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/2014/11/understanding-the-grand-jury-ruling-on-michael-browns-death/

#sschat (Social Studies Chat is a Twitter chat for History/Social Studies teachers on Monday afternoons at 4 pm, topics vary): Teaching Ferguson: Current Events in the Social Studies Classroom

https://storify.com/JoeSangillo/teaching-ferguson-current-events-in-the-social-stu

NEA President on grand jury's failure to bring indictment in Brown killing

http://www.nea.org/home/61203.htm

My Portfolio

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 13:00:00 +0000

As you know, over the past eight weeks I have been participating in a course in Online and Blended Learning. I have enjoyed flexing my tech muscles (though sometimes I feel tired and sore)! Below is the link to my course portfolio, a requirement for Leading Edge Certification.

https://sites.google.com/site/wojoslecportfolio/home

Thoughts on Learning and Teaching Online

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 19:02:00 +0000

Learning online is not easy for me. I am easily distracted and find it difficult to focus for any length of time on a lesson. My reading comprehension is generally poor in an online environment so I have to do reading assignments multiple times (much more than usual), but even then the information doesn't always stick. With that said, I keep seeking out online courses because I know that with practice I will get better at it.

After taking this course in online and blended learning, I have a much better understanding of the ins and outs of online teaching and learning (iNACOL Standard A). It has helped me become a better online learner AND a better blended learning instructor. The grounding in theory and practice seems to have given me a more settled routine to approaching online learning.

When I look at that iNACOL standards, I can see there are a few areas where I am successful. For example, Standard B requires the teacher to know and understand the use of current and emerging technologies to support student engagement in the online learning environment. Though I am relatively new to the online learning environment, I have confidence in my ability in the following areas:

The online teacher is able to select and use a variety of online tools for communication, productivity, collaboration, analysis, presentation, research, and online content delivery as appropriate to the content area and student needs.
The online teacher is able to apply troubleshooting skills (e.g., change passwords, download plug-ins, etc.).
The online teacher is able to identify and explore new tools and test their applicability to their content areas and students.

The last point is a bit of a double-edge sword for my students since I have had them use numerous online tools this year. They are very good with feedback, so some we haven't used more than once. Standard J is easy for me since I seek out opportunities to learn new things and I am generally good with parent communication via email or messaging in Edmodo. I am also confident with Standard E which requires teachers to model, guide, and use appropriate tools and strategies to encourage ethical online behavior. Even in the offline environment, I integrate lessons on copyright and plagiarism into my classroom. My particular areas of strength in this standard are:

The online teacher is able to establish standards for student behavior that are designed to ensure academic integrity and appropriate use of the Internet and online written communication; teach students that copyright laws are created for a reason.
The online teacher is able to model and comply with intellectual property policies and fair use standards and reinforce their use with students.
The online teacher is able to provide resources for students related to intellectual property and plagiarism.

Additionally, I do a pretty good job with assessments in Standard G and Standard H, but I am much more confident with formative assessments than summative assessments in this area. I worry about both validity and security in summative assessments. I am further confident in my abilities in the requirements for Standard F which require online teachers to be able to recognize and respond to diverse learner needs and provide accommodations as necessary. This area was my favorite module of the course because it opened my eyes to tools at my disposal that can help make my students' lives easier. In order to work well in this area I will need to continue to practice.

Speaking of practice, though I don't believe I am failing in any of the iNACOL standards, there are some areas where I really need more practice before I can say that I am confident in my ability. For example, in Standard C, while I am confident in my ability to create and implement a student-centered course, I am not as confident in my ability to create a relationship of trust or facilitate the development of community. As I in previous course responses, Standard D's requirement to provide prompt feedback is difficult for me. My communication skills are appropriate, but I am not good with timely.

I am good with observational data in a face-to-face environment, but wonder if I will adequately catch student difficulties in the online environment as discussed in Standard I. To develop my skills in this area, I have started using electronic exit tickets in my classroom. Reading responses online will help me in this area.

Overall, I feel confident in my ability to teach in a blended or online environment, but I am aware there are several areas where I will need to continue to develop my skills.

Thoughts on Assessment in the Online Environment

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 05:02:00 +0000

I've been using some online assessments this year. These are primarily reading quizzes or unit tests. I am currently split between formative (reading notes quizzes to check for misunderstandings) and summative (unit tests) assessments.
There are several things I need to consider when using online tools for assessment:

What is the tool I am considering? Is it the right tool for the type of assessment I am doing? For example, Socrative might be more appropriate for an exit ticket rather than a chapter quiz.
What type of assessment am I doing? As a history teacher, I often get caught up in summative assessments. Should the assessment be formative instead? For example, today, my students read an article about Crimea. I then had them take a short quiz to check for understanding. The quiz was in Edmodo, so I was able to check each response for every student. I was also able to give feedback to EVERY response that wasn't on the money. We'll do some review tomorrow and look into the reading a bit more, then students will check their understanding again with a new set of questions.
In the example above, I used short answer questions. Is that the type of question that's appropriate for my assessment? In this case, I decided that I DID want to see if my students could extract information directly from the reading, so multiple choice would not have been appropriate.
Should I use a tool for self-grading? This is a no-brainer for multiple choice questions, but for more open-ended responses, self-grading might not be an option.

I like the idea of being paperless and today at least, I had easy access to a computer so I could correct quizzes in a timely fashion. As we move into a blended environment, I am concerned about reading essays online. As I've said, I do NOT find it easy to read large blocks of text on a computer screen, so I will have to figure out a way to make it work for me.

On Social and Professional Networks

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 05:43:00 +0000

For this week's reflection I am going to focus on Twitter as a social media outlet that can be useful for teachers and students. The focus is narrow in an attempt this post from getting too long.

There is no good reason that I can think of for teachers NOT to be using social networking to improve their practice. When new teachers ask me about the best way to learn about their field, I tell them to join Twitter. In the past, I've posted about teachers getting involved on Twitter. I've even gone so far as to say that being on Twitter is akin to a professional responsibility.

Most of the people I follow on Twitter are educators or people/organizations associated with education. With that said, my Twitter use has changed over the past few years. I spend less time on Twitter than I used to. Not because I don't find it valuable, but because there was so MUCH information, I could no longer filter it and spent several hours a day working through my feed. There are so many awesome educators out there sharing what they know and I want to know about ALL of it! Unfortunately, I don't have the time.

Leading Motivated Learners has a post about the potential pitfalls of Twitter for educators. We DO need to find a balance in our online lives.

Students should also use social media to support their learning. Students, also known as Digital Natives, often use social media in different ways from those of us who are Digital Immigrants. This presentation (it's worth viewing even though it's old in internet years) shows some different ways that students interact with media as well as WHY they use social media the way they do. In my experience, students see social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as ways to connect with their friends rather than as a tool to support their learning.

Because students don't spend time in a Digital Presence class learning about the use and misuse of social media, I spend time talking about crafting a media presence and carefully selecting their words and images before posting. It still strikes me as odd that even though they personally know of people who have been bullied online, they often don't consider the potential consequences of every post they make because they view their social media use as between friends (as opposed to something that can get out in the wild and develop a life of its own).

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So…what about MY social media use? As I said, I'm not on Twitter as much these days and in Facebook land I am a grammar-nerdy cat lady who loves taking pictures of food. Since my students are gravitating toward Instagram, I have been experimenting with it, though, frankly, I still don't get it. Even though I am a visual learner, I often forget to take photos of my daily goings on. This is from last week's adventure in Washington D.C.

On a final note, I did use Instagram for a student assignment earlier this year (and modified it for those students who do not have Instagram). As part of the #greatnature project with National Geographic, my students took photos of their local environment and posted them with the #greatnature tag. I enjoyed looking at the pictures the teams of students collected and posted. I will probably do something like that again, but I want to make it more academically rigorous.

Thinking About Web 2.0 Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 04:12:00 +0000

At the beginning of the school year, my AP Human Geography students were assigned two countries to explore in depth during the course of the year. Essentially, students create a portfolio of these countries that includes the seven themes we explore during the course of the year. This is a great assignment for APHG students because it helps them learn specific real-world examples of major concepts.

Students began the year doing this assignment on paper. For each unit, they created maps or charts for their countries. Those documents were placed in their binders. As the teacher I saw their work. They might share with a partner or in a small group. However, their work isn't easily available to the entire class. It could be useful for students to see examples from their peers, so I decided to try one unit's work online.

The assignment was given in Edmodo, which we regularly use in class. Once students finished their work, they had to post it for everyone to see.

For the assignment, students created posters in Glogster. In this case, students were focused on elements of political geography. One example is embedded below. This particular assignment is relatively low barrier for learning this new tool because the information is factual; students were not required to provide comparisons or analysis. Once the posters were complete, students were able to compare the political geographies of the countries they were assigned with those of their classmates.

To complete this assignment, students needed an introduction to the basic elements of Glogster and needed some time built into the assignment for exploration of the tool (they had not used Glogster previously). After that, they could get started adding their information to the poster.

One of the challenges with this project was that I did not have examples to show students. This project was an individual assignment. Few teachers have the luxury of having computers for each of their students, so extra time must be built in for students to have access to computers. Finally, as districts take more control of technology, it can be a challenge to keep computers updated. Glogster requires Flash Player to run. I am fortunate that I can update Flash Player on my own. It would be difficult to move forward with a project like this if a teacher had to call tech support every time Flash needed to be updated.

I will be using Glogster more during the course of the year. One of my goals is to increase the level of complexity for students so that higher order thinking skills are required.

Initial Thoughts on Blended Learning

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 05:04:00 +0000

Several things struck me this week as I went through Module 2. First, my thinking and understanding is largely driven by my current situation teaching in a traditional comprehensive high school. We are short on technology tools and short on time. I am testing my new knowledge against my driving question "how will this fit into a traditional public high school?"

I'm not sure what to make of the idea that blended learning can greatly improve student/teacher interaction and student engagement. The Brem family and the Role of the Teacher videos clearly show how teachers and students engage with each other, and while both videos showcase blended learning, it is true that these programs are mostly online. I wonder how using blended learning in a traditional classroom setting, via flipping for example, authentically enhances student engagement.

Susan Patrick, in "Why Online Learning is a Smart Solution," stresses that quality professional development is key to creating quality programs. The iNACOL Rethink paper suggests that schools use Professional Learning Communities to support teacher transition to a blended learning model. As with any new strategy, training and practice will be important. My concern though is that teachers who are not already regularly using technology would have a difficult time making a transition to a blended model. I can see many teachers needing a great deal of scaffolding and practice.

Furthermore, I was really struck by online and blended learning as hallmarks of the changing nature and relationship between the public and public schools. The Brem family points out they are consumers who expect a quality product. They were concerned about the product of their local school so they shopped for better quality. We are no longer living in an environment where the school is the arbiter of knowledge without challenge from the community. Traditional schools are going to have to adapt to meet market needs or go by way of Etherpad or Google Notebook (in other words, disappear).

Finally, working with GoogleDrawings was a challenge. My Venn Diagram, seen here, took longer than it should have, but the action of creating it, embedding it in the class assignment forum, and saving it as a .jpg for inclusion here was good practice for me. This past week I also recorded my first Jing screencast (can anyone tell me WHY I didn't do this years ago??). It was a quick tutorial on how to use Citation Machine for sources used in a project we were doing in class. It was very easy to do and I was able to record and post the Jing for my students the same day we went over using Citation Machine in class. This is my screencast.

My biggest challenge is to become more flexible in my thinking about content delivery and student processing. As I do planning, I often think "okay, I need to fit in a lecture here on this day" rather than "I could create a short lecture for my students to watch at home, then we do a short reading on the topic and process it in class." While I am relatively flexible with how students show what they have learning (I have even starting having students propose methods that will work best for them. They usually have pretty good ideas), I still need to work with students on things like online discussions.

On Blended and Online Learning: Reflection 1

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 04:47:00 +0000

Note: This post is the first in a series of reflections I will do for a course I am taking in online and blended learning. Over the next two months I'll post reflections such as this one along with other observations and learnings from the class.

After spending much of the last two years studying research in tech integration and tech use habits among youth, I am looking forward to learning about effective strategies and techniques in online and blended learning. This seems a natural next step in using tech in my classroom.

My key goal for implementing online and blended learning in the classroom will be improving management. It seems there are many moving parts in 21st century learning that make management more of a challenge than in the traditional classroom setting. I am also concerned about the time that might be required to manage the 21st century classroom. One of the online teachers in the Edutopia video mentioned that her teaching day starts just before 8 a.m. and frequently goes until 10 p.m. I have a hard enough time setting limits in a traditional classroom setting, so I am wondering if blended learning will create a new set of challenges for me.

Despite these concerns, I am excited to take this next step to make learning more engaging for my students. It seems that online and blended learning has the opportunity to allow students more choice in both content topics and production methods. More self-directed choice could lead to higher engagement which would be a good thing. I would like to read more about the research into completion rates for online and/or blended coursework among adolescent learners.

My online learning self-assessment suggested that I need to consider the challenges that I face finding a specific time and place, free of distractions, to get my coursework done. Probably the best thing for me is to schedule time in my day to do the work, otherwise I will fritter away what time I do have with reading or cooking or baking or hiking or….

Specifically, in this course, I hope to:

learn to make more efficient use of my time when creating online activities.
learn to make an instructional video (either of me or a screencast) that is engaging. My efforts thus far have been less than stellar.
develop a library of activities and tools to use when creating activities for my class
develop effective management strategies for online learning that will keep my students engaged and on track.

Thoughts on Fall CUE 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 19:45:00 +0000

Note: I wrote this post last week for a media literacy class that I'm taking. It is more of a reflective piece on ed tech than a media literacy piece.

This past weekend (October 26-27), I attended the annual Computer Using Educators (CUE) conference in American Canyon. About 1,000 teachers from all over California gathered at American Canyon High School to geek out and share all things tech. Many of the people I admire in Ed Tech were there. At any rate, all of the sessions I attended were good, but I thought I would share a few things that struck me.

First, techie teachers are, overall, willing to share what they know and what they have created. All of the presenters provided links to their presentation materials and suggested that participants use the material, change it, and pass it on. Those presenters who were also classroom teachers, they expected to see their students engaging in the same type of activity in the classroom.

Second, many of the presenters seem to be versed in Ed Tech theory and share the research and theory that drives their own practice. I did not notice that behavior last year. It was kind of cool to hear other teachers talk about Henry Jenkins. It also lent those presentations a bit more credibility since they were situated in both practice and theory.

I also noticed that, since is this a K-12 focused conference, many of the sessions were either about technology and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) or CCSS was mentioned at some point in the presentation even if the presenter is a private school educator. Frequently, presenters discussed specific tools that could be used to help students achieve under CCSS. There are many shifts that must take place in the classroom as the new standards are implemented and it makes teachers nervous. Hopefully, teachers will be able to take time to deliberately plan for the changes.

To close out this post, I thought I would include some of the tools and resources recommended in some of the sessions I attended:

Google Art Project: Somehow I missed this. GIGApixel photos from museums around the world bring the art to your students. It’s almost as good as being there.

Archive.org: Visit this site to find all kinds of video and other documents for classroom use. Much of it is in the public domain. This would be great if students were creating re-mixed videos.

Adventures of the Three Cyberpigs: This is a game to help teach kids about online safety. The presenter and audience members who have seen the game say that it’s fun. Interestingly, they all said to just search Cyberpig and it would be the first link. It’s not. It’s the third or fourth link in the search.

Google Alerts: Jerome Berg, of Google Lit Trips fame, suggested that teachers create Google Alerts for subjects the class is studying. When he taught high school English, he would set up alerts for GIANTS WIN! no, wait. Sorry. He’d set up alerts for Ann Frank when his students read “Diary of a Young Girl.” Her name showed up in the news somewhere in the world nearly every day. Alerts can help you show how your subject is relevant in the modern world.

GeoStuff: The List

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:54:00 +0000

In preparation for teaching AP Human Geography next year, I just created GeoStuff: The List from my Diigo links. There isn't really any rhyme or reason to them yet, but I thought it would be good to start organizing myself!

From the Web: One Tweet CAN Change the World - The Tempered Radical

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

One of the things I really love about Twitter is that tweets, links and posts can get you really thinking about teaching practice. Some scoff at the idea that practice can change in 140 characters or less. Of course it can't, but 140 characters or less CAN get a reflective teacher thinking about new ways of doing things.

What can one class of students do under the guidance of an inspiring teacher? Find out here.

One Tweet CAN Change the World - The Tempered Radical

tags: kiva education twitter pln

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

From the Web: What's Your Learning Style?

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Last week, Edutopia posted a learning styles quiz. I've always liked these kinds of quizzes because it helps me think about how I learn and can help my students think about how they learn.

When I was teaching psychology I always used a quiz similar to this when we talked about learning. Of course, the quiz was on paper and I never had students do the quiz more than once.

Now, I am thinking about using a learning styles quiz more than once in a year. Does your learning style change? Mine did. I used to be heavily linguistic, but when I took the Edutopia quiz I came out highly naturalistic. It might have to do with summer and the nice weather or it might be that my learning style preference is changing. Whatever it is, it's interesting to think about.

From the Web: Renting Textbooks

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:27:00 +0000

Amazon is going to be renting textbooks this coming semester. But wait, there's more! They are renting textbooks for the Kindle.

Amazon promises up to 80% savings on Kindle textbook rentals. The site also promises that your highlights and annotations will still be available after your rental expires. That part I don't really get, but that's okay.

As a relatively new Kindle owner and one who is about to embark on graduate school, I would certainly consider renting my textbooks. My main concern is that there aren't enough titles in a Kindle format to make this possible.

After a quick search in journalism, history, education and science, I finally found a textbook available for rental. Introductory Chemistry by Zumdahl has a Kindle rental price. For three months you can rent the book for $55.22. If you want to buy it, the tome will set you back $114 on a Kindle. The hardcover is $129. Of course, this particular title won't do me any good since I will work on my MA in education, not chemistry.

The rental savings are significant, but the lack of available rentals could be a problem.

Still More Google+ Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Two days ago, I posted eight links with resources to learn more about Google+. Of course, there are more and more articles, blog posts, Twitter comments being written every day. The theme now seems to be turning toward privacy issues.

MSNBC.com reports, through the Motley Fool page, that Google+ privacy is even more of an issue than that of Facebook. Macworld, however, has a different take; Google is doing well with privacy so far in Google+.

ZDnet has a piece about changing privacy settings in Google+ that is interesting. I did go in and modify my settings based on this article.

In other Google+ news...

Larry Ferlazzo has published a wonderful list of resources about Google+.

Lisa Nielsen has written a piece on the possibilities for Google+ in education.

Technobombs compares Google+ and Facebook side by side in an entertaining infographic.

Finally, because I'm sure you're concerned about this one, Motivated Grammar recommends the proper way to write about +1ing (or is it +1'ing?).

From the Web: 8 Google+ Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Over the past few days, I have started collecting resources to help me learn more about Google+. This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but is one that can help you get started. I'm intrigued by Google+, but I am also concerned that it's just another place to go to get information. I DO like the Hangout feature. When I was in a Hangout the other day it was like meeting people at a coffee shop. The conversation was wide-ranging, but good.

Here are a few of the resources I've collected so far:

Google Plus for learning | Scoop.it

tags: Google+ blogs
Google+ Apps & Icons

tags: Google+ blog
The Google Plus Blog: Google+ Cheat Sheet

tags: Google+ blog
Google+ Tips and Tricks - Google Docs

tags: Google+ collaboration
BreakingNews.com finds that Google+ is great for viral sharing | Poynter.

tags: Google+ Poynter
9 Reasons to Switch from Facebook to Google+ | PCWorld

tags: Google+ socialmedia
Google+: First Tips and Tricks | Social Media Club

tags: Google+ tips tools social media
http://edreach.us/2011/07/05/an-introduction-to-google

tags: Google+ social networking

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

QR Codes: 4 Resources to Get Started

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 16:35:00 +0000

I've been interested in QR Codes for a little over a year now. They are those square, bar-code looking things you see in advertisements, in storefront windows and on product labels. They seem to have a great deal of potential to add content to the printed page.

At least one U.S. yearbook publisher is aggressively marketing QR codes and storage space for digital content to enhance print yearbooks. I've thought about using QR Codes in both yearbook and newspaper. For the yearbook, we could easily post additional photos to an online storage site such as Flickr or Picasa Web Albums. We could use QR Codes to direct readers to longer stories or profiles. We could even create a scavenger hunt using the codes and have prizes for the winners.

Newspaper would have similar uses, but could also use QR codes for advertising and directing readers to more information about particular topics. Say we did a feature on online privacy, but only had enough room for one page in the print paper, but enough content for two pages. The QR codes could be used to direct readers to the content that couldn't fit in the print version of the paper.

So, you're probably asking "Why QR Codes and not URLs?" Good question. I'm finding that URLs are getting increasingly complicated. It's fine to copy and paste them into emails or post them on Facebook or Twitter, but if you're looking at a print product and have to type in a 30 character URL, you're probably not going to do it. This is probably why manufacturers try to keep product URLs simple (i.e. http://www.apple.com/ipad/ WILL work because it's simple, but http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20077078-264/how-a-google-gap-keeps-me-on-facebook/ isn't going to work for readers of a print product).

How do you learn more about QR Codes? First, check out the QR Code Livebinder that is just chock-full of resources. Next, look at 40 Interesting Ways to Use QR Codes in the Classroom (this is also in the Livebinder above). Third, read through Vicki Davis' suggestions for implementing QR Codes in the Classroom (this is also in the Livebinder). Finally, Cyndi Danner-Kuhn has a great idea for making print books interactive.

I still haven't decided exactly what I am going to do with QR codes this coming school year. I'll start with a scavenger hunt of some type, then see what my students think about ways to implement them.

From the Web: 5 Places to learn about the First Amendment

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +0000

We all probably need to know more about the 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution. At just 45 words, it packs a punch. Take USA Today's 1st Amendment Quiz to see how you do.

Want to learn more? Check out the Student Press Law Center's 1st Amendment Quiz as well as their numerous resources on the topic.

Don't miss the 45 Words campaign from the Journalism Education Association's Scholastic Press Rights Commission.

The Five Freedoms Project offers a more action-oriented program to get schools and communities involved in learning about the five freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment.

Finally, don't miss out on the 1 For All website, another campaign to raise awareness of First Amendment Freedoms.

From the Web: Social Media and High School Journalism

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +0000

As with many districts across the United States, my district blocks student (and teacher) access to social media. Thus far, we don't have a policy anywhere near as draconian as the one proposed in Rhode Island. Here's a little Xtranormal video I ran across on Twitter (via @SPLC) that explains the situation.

On Hobbies

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles

For many years I've said that I need a hobby. I have trouble with work/life balance and thought a hobby would help. A good hobby would help me find that balance by forcing me to think of something other than correcting papers and preparing lessons.

I could collect something, I thought. Nah, what would I collect and where would I put a collection? I could learn to knit or crochet; those are two trendy hobbies that many of my friends already participate in. Nah, I don't have the patience or attention span to count four and do whatever to two.

I could do half-marathons! Actually tried that one and did several, but it gets kind of expensive when you have to go out of town and get a hotel room the night before for a 7 am start. I did enjoy the sense of accomplishment, but the time involved in preparing became too much once my teaching day started at 7:20 a.m.

Ooh, photography! That's a hobby I could do. Actually, this is sort of a hobby, but I don't seem to get out enough to really practice. The last time I was really out to take photos was when my husband and I visited the ruins of the Sutro Baths (see photo slideshow at right). Photography, as much as I enjoy it, isn't something that I can really practice weekly.

Blackened tofu w/ Jerked Asparagus

I have bemoaned my lack of a hobby as well as my lack of sticking with one. I realized a few weeks ago, that I DO have a hobby and have had it for years. I love to cook. Or bake. I don't know that I'm particularly good at it in the classic sense of expectations, but I enjoy it and my friends seem to enjoy eating my experiments. My husband is great about eating my experiments too (thank heavens he's not a picky eater!).

Lately, I've been into vegan baking. I have two cookbooks from which I'm working and every recipe has been delicious. The carrot cake cupcakes were the best carrot cake I've ever had, period.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Scones

A few weeks back I started veganizing* recipes that I've had for years. My favorite conversion so far has been scones. The original recipe came from a friend of my mom's and has a classic texture (crispy on the outside and light and fluffy, but still substantial on the inside). The recipe veganized perfectly and has the added benefit of flaxseeds! Both the chocolate chip version and the cranberry orange version have worked well.

I've often thought about how foreign it sounds to my American palate to bake without butter or eggs. It also seems odd to cook without cheese or meat (I've been doing without the meat for 20 years though). Think about this, during World War II, food was rationed. Home cooks had to do without butter, eggs, cheese and meat for many of their recipes. Don't forget that flour and sugar was rationed too (along with most other foods unless they were grown in home Victory Gardens). I want to hunt down some of those old recipes and cook them up.

At the same time, I'll probably work on my food photography. I usually have my phone handy so that will probably be my camera of choice, but it will require some adjustments because of flash quality.

Strangely, I feel better now that I know I have a hobby. I imagine I'll stick with this one since it's been around for years (my earliest kitchen memory is helping my mom do the canning when I was about five) and I just seem to enjoy it more and more.

*this is a fairly common word on vegan blogs. Veganize=to make a standard recipe vegan.

From the Web: Apple Education - Summer Semester

noreply@blogger.com (Natalie Wojinski) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Looking for some Professional Development from the comfort of your own couch? Check out these offerings for Apple. The next one is TODAY (Reaching All Learners).

Apple - Education - Summer Semester
tags: apple summer education

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.