[Aha. laptops. We were very fortunate. We had a private donor give us 10 000 $ last year, a good sum of which was used to buy mini-laptops. (this leads to a whole other story about the validity of conversations on tech integration when we know there are many, many schools, students who have no tech to integrate into their learning across not only the world but North America as well.)]

That kind of integration did not happen over night. That scene happened about a month into the school year. It was a result of daily lessons on different ways to respond to query (conversation, video response, written response…), on how to read a blog entry (the whole thing, not just skimming through and then asking – so what do we do?), and on how to work independently. Oh, and I had taught English to the same group of students the previous year as well.

What does learning look like in your classroom? Do you use techy tools? Is it any different than any other kind of student-directed learning, just using different tools?

I’ll be using Teaching is a Verb – Enseigner, C’est Agir to share information with the workshop participants. The workshops will mainly be centred around digital storytelling in the content areas – I figured this was the easiest way to address the task I was given, “Can you put together a workshop on integrating technology in the High School Language Arts, History, and Science classes? Oh, and can you do a second one for French teachers? Thanks.”

At this point I have a whole slew of online resources to offer the teachers and to help organize my thoughts on the matter. I found a great Firefox add-on called Send Tab URLs that helped me to make a list of the resources I’ve collected so far.

There are a few examples of teaching and student practice among these links so far. I’d love to find more! The more I can show my teachers the better. The teachers who will be participating are already interested in the topic so theory will be kept to a bare minimum, though I’ll be able to direct anyone who is interested to the blog I am creating for any theory they want (I love theory :)

What they want is to see what it looks like in a classroom. I can show them final products, I can show them where to go to find different applications, but what I need to show them is what it looks like. If anyone has any resources for that, I’ll love you forever :)

From Send Tab URLs (38 links)

- The View From Here: Teaching the New Writing – Book

http://kentmanning.blogspot.com/2009/07/teaching-new-writing-book.html

- Confessions of an Aca/Fan: Archives: How New Media is Transforming Storytelling: A New Video Series

http://henryjenkins.org/2010/08/how_new_media_is_transforming.html

- How to create …. – Digital Storytelling – Resources for assignments at University of Wollongong Library

http://uow.libguides.com/content.php?pid=82573&sid=612645

- Secondary Cycle Two

http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/sections/programmeFormation/secondaire2/index_en.asp?page=math

- Technology Tools

http://livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=22880

- ecole

http://www.robertbibeau.ca/ecole.html

- Tutoriel pour créer un montage vidéo avec Windows Movie Maker – TIC@le: TIC, langues et formation des enseignant(e)s

http://ticale.canalblog.com/archives/2010/03/27/17379912.html

- Inuktic

http://inuktic.qc.ca/

- Carrefour éducation

http://carrefour-education.qc.ca/accueil_secondaire

- Voicethread – FrankTechCamp2010

http://sites.google.com/a/franklinvillecsd.org/franktechcamp2010/voicethread

- Web 2.0 @ School – DigitalStorytelling

http://mcneice.wikispaces.com/DigitalStorytelling

- CogDogRoo – 50 Ways

http://cogdogroo.wikispaces.com/50+Ways

- USTREAM, You’re On. Free LIVE VIDEO Streaming, Online Broadcasts. Create webcasts, video chat, stream videos on the Internet. Live streaming videos, TV shows

http://www.ustream.tv/

- Your Brain on Computers – Studying the Brain Off the Grid, Professors Find Clarity – NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/technology/16brain.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&ref=general&src=me

- Professional blog | davidwees.com

http://davidwees.com/content/using-google-forms-choose-your-own-adventure-style-story

- Digital_storytelling_Kirsty_McGeoch_IATEFL_2009.pdf (application/pdf Object)

http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2009/sites/iatefl/files/session/documents/Digital_storytelling_Kirsty_McGeoch_IATEFL_2009.pdf

- Center for Digital Storytelling

http://www.storycenter.org/index1.html

- Technology integration

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/6673

- What motivates us to do good?

http://leadingfromtheheart.org/2010/01/18/what-motivates-us-to-do-good/

- edbuzz.org » Teacher Resources

http://edbuzz.org/teacher-resources/

- Aberth Digital Storytelling — digital storytelling, participatory media and easing access to mass media for public expression

http://www.aberth.com/blog/

- Seven things to Avoid when making a digital story

http://www.aberth.com/blog/seven-things-to-avoid-when-making-a-digital-story.html

- YouTube – spmath’s Channel

http://www.youtube.com/user/spmath#g/a

- What does exemplary technology infused Math instruction look like? (Middle & High School) | Welcome to NCS-Tech!

http://www.ncs-tech.org/?p=5850&cpage=1#comment-27740

- Alternative Assessment with VoiceThread

http://alalearning.org/2010/08/26/alternative-assessment-with-voicethread/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20ALALearning%20(ALA%20Learning%20Round%20Table)

- Google Forms for Assessment, Evaluation, and Reflection

http://alalearning.org/2010/05/17/google-forms-for-assessment-evaluation-and-reflection/

- Technology

http://alalearning.org/category/technology/

- VoiceThread as a Digital Portfolio « TeachingSagittarian

http://teachingsagittarian.com/2009/03/voicethread-as-a-digital-portfolio/

- Lightning Bug – Storyboarding

http://www.lightningbug.com.au/storyboarding/storyboarding.htm

- The Digital Narrative – Find your story

http://www.thedigitalnarrative.com/communityhp.htm

- N°482 – Le Web 2.0 et l’école – Le Cercle de Recherche et d’Action Pédagogiques et les Cahiers pédagogiques

http://www.cahiers-pedagogiques.com/spip.php?page=numero&id_article=6882

- Free Technology for Teachers: 140 New Things Being Tried In Classrooms This Fall

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/08/140-new-things-being-tried-in.html

- Free Technology for Teachers: Free Downloads

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/p/free-downloads.html

- Edmodo | Secure Social Learning Network for Teachers and Students

http://www.edmodo.com/

- Storytelling — It’s News!

http://www.storynet-advocacy.org/news/

- digitalstorytelling – home

http://digitalstorytelling.iste.wikispaces.net/

- digitalstoryca’s Bookmarks on Delicious

http://www.delicious.com/digitalstoryca

- monarchlibrary – digitalstorytelling

http://monarchlibrary.wikispaces.com/digitalstorytelling

When it comes to workshops, teachers want practical ideas that they can use in their classrooms so I will be organizing the workshops by practice first and then filling the theory in as we go, as it is needed.

Oh, they are identical but different because one is for English secondary teachers, one for French.

Ideas I have so far:

Digital Storytelling as the basis for integrating tech not only in the language classrooms but in the other classrooms as well

Demonstrating examples using:

• VoiceThread
• Video
• Blogging
• Collaborative creation (using googledocs kind of things)

Here are the workshop descriptions:

Technology as part of the learning process: Specific activities that integrate technology in the Secondary classroom.

In this workshop we will explore specific ways to integrate technology into Secondary Language Arts, History, and Science classrooms. It used to be that technology was an add on, something extra that many of us believed we did not have time for given the reality of rigorous curriculum and time constraints. Now, technology use is part of the curriculum, part of the learning process. We will look at specific ideas that can be used in the classroom – digital storytelling, blogging, voicethread, video, and other collaborative or individual activities – and how they are related to curricular competencies.

The material we cover, as well as ideas for further exploration, will be added to the website Teaching is a Verb – Enseigner, C’est Agir. The website is set up as a blog and I welcome your comments and questions as they can help me to design a workshop that best addresses your needs.

———————-

La technologie et le processus d’apprentissage: des activités spécifiques qui appuient l’intégration de technologie dans la salle de classe secondaire

Il était une fois que la technologie en salle de classe était une activité supplémentaire, quelque chose qu’on faisait si on avait le temps après le ‘vrai travail’ du curriculum. Maintenant, la technologie fait partie du curriculum, du processus de l’apprentissage. Durant cet atelier je vais vous présenter des activités spécifiques que vous pouvez utiliser dans vos salles de classes – le récit numérique, des blogs, VoiceThread, vidéo, et d’autres activités de collaboration et non – et comment ces activités sont liées aux compétences du curriculum.

Le contenu de l’atelier, en plus que des idées pour l’exploration supplémentaire, sera affiché au site web Enseigner, C’est Agir – Teaching is a Verb. En fait, ce site web est un blog alors je vous invite à me laisser vos commentaires ou vos questions, car ils pourraient m’aider à créer un atelier qui répondra plus précisément a vos besoins actuels.

Any ideas for me? Things you think are must haves? Things I should avoid?

I was not only stricken but insulted.

Does all of the work that I and many of my colleagues have done over the past years have no bearing on the future of education? Do all of those teachers out there in schools all over the world who care about their children not count?

I feel we need to get beyond the system is broken kind of thinking and focus on what is working. We see what we look for and if we keep focusing on a broken system we will only succeed in creating more broken system.

Instead of creating a doomsday effect by telling ominous stories of the proliferation of ‘traditional’ classrooms that stifle creativity and connectivity, I prefer to point towards learning that does the opposite, learning that works and educators who ‘get it’.

George Couros
Michael Doyle
Lori Centerbar
Kevin Hodgson
Glenn Moses
Linda Clinton
Elona Hartjes
Darren Kuropatwa
Kelly Hines
Karen S.
Dea Conrad-Curry
Zac Chase
Angela Maiers
Chris Lehmann
Jose Vilson
MRW
Damian Bariexca
J. M. Holland

.
.
.

You get the point. There are good educators who foster good learning in good classrooms in good schools. I keep this in mind as I work towards hope for the future within (and without) the walls of my own school.

That game happened because of Mandela’s inherent leadership. He knew what was needed to inspire his country – his family, as he called its citizens – to begin to become a nation undivided and he did not let anyone get in the way of that vision, no matter how unpopular it was.

These are the words that inspired his powerful vision, throughout his 27 years in prison and his presidency:

Those final two lines, a reminder that no matter what we control how we are in the world.

How do you get your students to speak French (or whatever the 2nd language is that they are learning) in class?

I am not interested in offering rewards. I don’t want to raise a group of trained seals who will do anything for a candy.

click image to view source

I think the answer lies somewhere in here:

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

in creating learning situations where they must speak the 2nd language in order to participate and where they will want to participate…

Have you been able to do this? Tell me your story!

Technorati Tags: 2nd language learning, francais, french, motivation, speaking

Yes, if your passion is to change the lives of young people one day at a time and if you’re willing to see the results of your daily work only years into the future, then yes, you should become a teacher.
But don’t do it for yourself. Do it for that lonely child whose family is in shambles and your classroom is the only safe place to be. They may not show the appreciation now, and maybe won’t show it ever, but you could be the most important anchor in their lives. Do it for the gifted child who is bored and needs someone thoughtful to pull and push them in new directions. Do it for the kid who always pays attention and does their hardest, no matter what you ask of them. Do it for the ones who resist you at every turn. They all need you.
Yes, become a teacher. It won’t make you financial rich like your Wall Street friends, but being a teacher will allow you to sleep at night, knowing you are making a real difference in the world (unless you are wide awake, wondering about tomorrow’s lesson plans)

– Kevin

I became a teacher because I wanted to make sure every kid had a chance to learn how to read. I’ve stayed a teacher for many more reasons but mainly because I still want every kid to have an equal chance at being their best selves.

You?

Technorati Tags: teaching, why teaching?

The notion of systemic change in how we evaluate is utopic since it goes against parent expectations and societal values.

If this were true then women would never have gotten the vote and black people would still be riding the back of the bus and children would still be working in coal mines.

Any kind of systemic change is challenging but certainly not utopic or impossible! If that were the case then nothing would ever change. For this statement to be qualified as true then I must assume the following:

• Parent expectations and the values of society are homogenous and fixed.
• The whole system of education is formed by these two elements alone.
• What educators have to say has no affect on any other element of the education system (esp. parents and society)

One at a time now.
Parent expectations and the values of society are homogenous and fixed
In my experience working with parents I know that their expectations are not fixed in favour of the stagnancy of how we evaluate students. Parents of students who have test anxiety, for example, would love to see formal, high-stakes summative evaluations bite the dust. And societal values? Which society are we talking about? Is there an assumption here that all societies have the same values when it comes to education and evaluation? I’ve worked in a few different social arenas myself and each one held different values. Even within the same school community I’ve experienced some parents who were in favour of rigorous testing while others were in favour of less rigorous practice. Oh and wait, don’t my values as a teacher fall into the realm of societal values? Am I not part of society?

The whole system of education is formed by these two elements alone.
As soon as we talk ‘systemic change’ we can not base our ideas on only 2 elements of a system. Theories about how systems work tell us that a system is made up of many parts and that none of the parts can be looked at in isolation in order to gain a complete understanding of how the system works. This is because each of the parts affects each of the other parts. Think of your own body. Do you think we could get a good understanding of why you have that headache by only looking at your head? A friend of mine’s headaches ended up being as a result of high blood pressure. If his doctors had only examined his head he may never have found out why they were happening.

By its very definition, a system is an arrangement (pattern, design) of parts which interact with each other within the system’s boundaries (form, structure, organization) to function as a whole. The saying, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” reflects the notion that it is not enough to focus our evaluative gaze on single goals, objectives, actors, processes, activities, and the like, without attempting to understand the larger system in which the initiative lives. From Evaluating Systems Change by Hallie Preskill

What educators have to say has no affect on any other element of the education system (esp. parents and society)
This assumes that as teachers/administrators/consultants we have no power within our own workplace, that our beliefs and practices do not count. When looked at within the concept of systems thinking, as briefly explained above, we see this is nonsense. While we may sometimes feel this to be true, we know that if we need to change something we can. Look at how a group of Catholic educators changed public policy on the teaching of ethics and religion in Quebec, look at the number of hits that come up when I google teachers as change agents.

What do you think? Is it erroneous to think that we can change evaluative systems in education?
What would you like to see change in how we evaluate in schools?

Technorati Tags: change, evaluation, systems thinking

Here are my explanations. Translated into English below.

Continuel – l’évaluation est un aspect de mon enseignement que je suis toujours en train de faire.

Conversations – l’évaluation pour moi est comme une conversation entre moi et l’élève, ainsi que leurs parents. C’est une conversation qui permet l’amélioration continuel.

Rubriques - On parle beaucoup de rubriques en évaluation. Je ne suis pas très pour les rubriques. Je trouve qu’ils limitent l’imagination de l’élève. En même temps je crois que c’est important que les attentes soient claires, alors c’est une idée dont que je pense souvent.

Bulletins – Souvent les évaluations sont liées aux bulletins et il y a beaucoup d’enseignant(e)s qui les font seulement pour les bulletins.

Auto-évaluation – C’est important que je m’évalue comme enseignante tout le temps. Les évaluations pour moi sont un genre d’auto-évaluation, car ils permettent une réflexion sur comment j’ai enseigné le sujet qui est en évaluation et comment je pourrais le modifier pour améliorer les situations d’apprentissages.

——-

Ongoing – evaluation is a part of my teaching that I do all the time.

Conversations – I see evaluation as a conversation between me and my students, as well as their parents. It’s a conversation that allows for continual improvement.

Rubrics – I don’t really like rubrics because I think they limit the imagination of a student. At the same time I believe in the importance of clear expectations, so this is something I think about often.

Report cards – many teachers only evaluate when it is time to write report cards.

Self-evaluation – It’s important for me continually evaluate myself as a teacher. When I evaluate student work it is a way to reflect on how I taught the subject being evaluated and how I can improve learning situations in the future.

Technorati Tags: evaluation

———

If we cater to individual preference in terms of how to receive input

aka match our teaching style to students’ preferred learning styles

how can we possibly properly develop the multiple intelligences that, according to Gardner, we all posses?

If all we have is a hammer all we will see are nails. What happens when we come across a screw?

If Johnny, the supposed visual learner, receives only visual input most of the time (as part of his formal learning, since his teacher will be matching how she teaches to his preference…), he will only be able to deal with what can be dealt with visually to any degree of depth.

Sounds pretty uni-dimensional to me.

ESPECIALLY when we know that for knowledge to enter long term memory it is most successful when dually encoded – visually and verbally! The more diverse the input we have, the better the learning.