iTeach

The best 1:1 device is good teaching

2013-05-23T19:50:00.003-04:00

#edtech

Over the course of two years, I, along with the BPS Tech team, had the opportunity to meet and connect with over one hundred schools. The discussions usually involve what device works best in the classroom and how the iPad is affecting teaching and learning outcomes. Usually this conversation is focused on what hardware works best for teaching and learning. While this is an important decision to make, it should not be the focus. In fact, the best devices a school can employ are great teachers.

We have reached a point in education technology where devices are, for the most part, adaptable. Most of the programs a school uses throughout a typical day are web-based and hardly anything is stored locally. At Burlington Public Schools, our Director of Instructional Technology, Dennis Villano, likes to take someone’s iPad and make the motion as if he were going to smash it into a million pieces. This hypothetical simulation is a great example of how little hardware actually matters anymore. While both the iPad camp and the Chromebook camp will argue their respective device is superior, I can easily envision both working well for a variety of content area classrooms. In fact, the idea of going all in with a singular device is starting transition. What School districts and administrators can control is the ways in which they create and foster a culture of adaptability before instituting a 1:1 environment.

As I mentioned earlier, the best device a school can roll out is a teacher who can adapt to new and emerging technologies, does not always require formal training for learning and staying current, and is not tethered to a product (PowerPoint) in order to teach. Education technology will continue to progress and part of this evolution will be for students and teachers to stay current with both curriculum and digital literacy. Even in the absence of technology, a great teacher will continually seek out ways to engage his or her students in great lessons, simulations or challenges.

To illustrate the points I’ve made, I’ll share a story from a school visit we had last week. We had a visitor from Perth, Australia visiting our High School and while our visitor expected to see iPads being used to engage and instruct, what she actually saw was fly swatters. Yes, fly swatters.

We walked into Todd Whitten’s class and witnessed two students at the front of the board slapping fly swatters over terms projected on the wall. The concept was novel, yet effective. Some students were using their iPads to record the review via Evernote, while others watched their classmates have a debate at the board over the subject at hand. Basically, Todd was providing a prompt, students had to slap the term on the board that coordinated with that prompt, and then discuss or debate their reasoning. Regardless of the devices or applications the students were engaged. And I am certain there are many other classrooms out there like Mr. Whitten's classroom. I’m certain that the use of technology can be veiled by innovative learning goals and objectives. I’m certain that Todd did not need training on the technology he and his students were using at the moment to create an engaging lesson.

The simple point is, Todd can adapt to the environment and challenges he faces as an educator. Which is why his classroom desk design is never the same. He not only adapts to new and emerging technologies and teaching strategies himself, but challenges his students to adapt to different classroom designs daily.

Contrary to my assertion is that sentiment that teachers don’t have enough time to learn new things. Or, that professional development must come during contracted hours approved by a union. And that is fine. Eventually these “educators” will be replaced as quickly as the technologies and progressive pedagogy (alliteration breakdown: say it five times fast!) they refute or hold on to for dear life. What will sustain is the teacher who is constantly curious, driven by the possibilities of his or her classroom and never satisfied with repeating lessons and practice. Devices come and go, but progressive teachers who adapt will sustain longer than any device.

I'm proud

2013-05-09T21:44:00.003-04:00

One of the elements I enjoy most about being a teacher is the element of surprise. I'm referring to that moment when a student, or group of students really amazes you. You mentor these students, give them your best as a teacher day in and day out without any required thanks, and occasionally this student or students unintentionally returns the favor in the form of intrinsic motivation. They're driven because they find purpose in what they are learning or doing. This couldn't be more evident than with my help desk students who are organizing and running EdCampxEDU.

This is the first, to my knowledge, EdCamp designed, organized and carried out entirely by students. While I have been an advisor to these students, I have remained on the periphery of this project. Initially, I met with students who were interested in organizing this event and gave them the run down on what the format was and how an EdCamp functioned. Having organized three ntcamps (an edcamp format for new teachers) and created and run EdCamp Tuesdays at Burlington High School along with Dennis Villano, I knew what it took to make an EdCamp work. It's a daunting task for any team of organizers.

The EdCampxEDU organizers have stepped up to the challenge. This week I observed as the team started receiving prizes from various vendors to give out on June 1st, I watched as they planned the opening address, and prepped the final details of planning. Oh, and when the organization team is not planning EdCampxEDU, they are at track or baseball practice, attending a full schedule of classes, or getting ready for work at his or her part time job. Some even managed to fit in prom last Friday.

This experience will impact them more than any SAT exam, AP Test or MCAS test. This experience provides students with the opportunity to elicit skill sets and apply them to a purposeful scenario. It's project based and challenge based learning at its best. It meets the needs of many common core standards and is something that will stand out on any college application or resume. This team wil get to say...

"I designed, organized and carried out an education conference".

"I managed a budget and networked with vendors."

"I used social media for advertising and web 2.0 tools for marketing and promotion."

I am proud of these students.

If you would like to register for EdCampxEDU or sponsor our event, please visit this link

The best technology integration is a conversation: An EdCamp reflection

2013-05-06T12:49:00.000-04:00

One of the hallmarks of an EdCamp is the ability to choose your own adventure. The model allows everyone to participate and have a voice. Nothing is mandated. And, No one is tweeting that they are ‘giddy’ about seeing “Insert so called Twitter Celebrity”. There are no over-priced keynote speakers and you’re not getting hounded by vendors. Instead, everyone is giddy (I promise, last time) to learn, to share, and to listen.

And, before I go further, I understand that the critic would argue that there is no research to prove an EdCamp as an effective model of professional development. However, leave it alone. Participants leave an EdCamp feeling good, refreshed, and eager to get back to work on Monday. That is all the data you need.

One of the misnomers with an EdCamp is that it is a tech conference, or rather, that it is driven by sessions geared toward education technology. This is false. While an EdCamp incorporates a fair amount of technology for promoting and sharing, the sessions really don’t require any technology. If you took a moment to observe the surroundings at EdCamp Boston on Saturday, you would have noticed lots of conversations. Sure, there were some people looking at a screen, but more often than not that screen time was for notes or to share.

In fact, the best technology integration at an EdCamp is a the ability to share and to listen. In short, a conversation. This is why the EdCamp model thrives and continues to grow globally. Not because everyone is on Twitter or understands how to use an iPad, rather that everyone is excited to listen, process, and share. This is why EdCamps matter. This is why the EdCamp model works and will sustain for many years to come. This is why participants leave excited to get to work on Monday after giving up a gorgeous, Spring Saturday in Boston to learn inside. And this is why more schools should be thinking about going one-to-many with conversations before considering any piece of hardware. It’s the best technology integration you could give your students and teachers.

Thank you to the EdCamp Boston organizers for hosting another engaging event on Saturday and thank you to anyone who has taken on the role of an EdCamp organizer. Your efforts are appreciated by many.

The network is down

2013-04-30T14:44:00.001-04:00

cc image via flickr by Jeramiah Ro

Yesterday Burlington Public Schools did not have wifi for the entire day. I know, all bold, OMG, Exclamation point. The cause was a fire in Boston that disrupted our service. The situation was out of our control and we could only wait. Early in the day there was slight panic, but it eventually subsided by the afternoon. Students took to their backup generators (personal smartphones running on data plans) and teachers sought the opportunity to revise digital lessons, integrate simple conversations, and go about the day as if nothing had happened out of the ordinary.

And this simple, yet profound occurrence got me thinking.

In all facets of our lives we are becoming increasingly dependent on technology. In Burlington, we have a lot of technology throughout the district. There are roughly two thousand student iPads (wifi only), roughly 400 faculty and staff laptops, and all of the personal devices we bring on the network on a daily basis. We’re continually shifting our resources to digital formats and relying on digital workflows to manage our classrooms. What’s lost with consistent technology use is the simplicity of the time before technology and how to function in its absence.

Shelly Turkle discusses this idea in her work, “Alone Together”. It’s a worthwhile read and also comes in the form of a TED talk. She discusses the idea of screen time and how we have gone from a society where we pick up a phone to share a feeling, to a society that posts something online to receive a feeling. Networks, and the technology that we use to access them make us all feel as though we belong to something and are a somewhat active participant in major events. However, most of us that grew up and know how society functioned before the dependence on technology can step away occasionally and appreciate life without technology. Those who have only know this world, have a harder time.

A few years ago I wrote a post titled, “Focus”. My assertion was that the hardest skill for the 21st Century learner to master would be focus. And I still believe this to be true. How will our students function in the absence technology? How will they ever appreciate the concept of listening to a speaker, processing the remarks, and formulating a well-thought response that may or may not elicit a constructive debate? How will this generation react when the wifi goes out?

I’ll argue that this is not a simple “technology is a distraction” discussion, rather technology has become a mild addiction for many of us and for our students. It’s wise to step away occasionally and engage in simple conversations or listen and observe what lies beyond the glowing screen. When we do this, we reconnect with ourselves and gain a deeper understanding of the world around us. We reconnect with real conversations, real emotion and real relationships.

Experiencing a day when the wifi goes out is a great learning moment. It reinforces our appreciation for what we have and what we are missing. Therefore, I’m posing a challenge. Take a few days each year, month or week and turn off the wifi. Remove yourself from all technology and experience the world, people, and conversations happening around you.

I learned by failing

2013-02-05T21:14:00.001-05:00

It finally happened to me. I thought I had time. I figured at least twenty more years and several more gray hairs. No. It happened two days ago at Shaws Grocery Store.

I had to make a return trip to the grocery store on Super Bowl Sunday to purchase Avocados that were ripe. Earlier in the day I had purchased Avocados and soon found out that they were a few days away from being ripe. I went to Shaws, purchased three ripe Avocados, and proceeded to the “12 Item or Less” self-checkout lane. I'll usually go to the clerk when I have produce because I feel like I can never find what I am looking for and I hate to hold up the fast lane. Normally, it would have been a quiet Sunday at Shaws, but it was two hours before the start of the Super Bowl. The checkout lines were vaguely reminiscent of the lines to get in the Superdome in New Orleans.

As it came time for me to checkout, I felt the pressure of the five people queued up behind me with their items. Normally, I am fine in these situations, however; I had a quick flashback to my days as a checkout boy. I always dreaded the random produce lookup. And now, here I was about to enter that turf again. I was going to have to quickly find the avocados, enter the amount, and check out.

I completed all of these tasks rather quickly and then scanned my card and completed the standard prompts. After I got through these prompts, I waited. And waited. My brow started to bead up as I could see the people behind me checking their phones and watches for the time. Each letting out a subtle sigh in my general direction. I continued to wait while the machine processed. Then, I felt a tap on my left arm. A voice followed that said, “You have to push the Credit Card button on the screen so it can finish.” I pressed the button, the transaction finished, and my receipt printed. My face red, my countenance feigning coolness.

As I walked away, I realized that I had failed my line. I stood there and waited for the technology to work for me. I didn’t ask anyone how to get things working because I was too proud. I know technology! It’s my thing. It’s all over my resume. How could I lower myself to ask a question with my credentials in the category of technology and education? But my simple pride, in this moment, cost my line some time. Trivial time, no less, but still, the situation stayed with me as I walked out among the snack-purchasing masses.

Over the course of a weekend where I failed my line, the lights temporarily failed at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, and I read a study published out of Queensland University of Technology on “Why parents need to let their children fail”, I felt like I was in good company. What I learned from all three of these events is that we can learn a lot from not knowing or being right. As educators, there is a stigma that we are all knowing and should never seem intellectually vulnerable in front of students. While I agree that we should all be competent in our subjects, I disagree that we should expect to be perfect. It’s just not healthy.

What prevents us from trying something new- whether that something is trying new application, asking a student how to AirPlay an iPad, or a designing a new pedagogical approach- is our fear of that something not working correctly. We want and demand perfection. And there’s nothing wrong with that. More often than not we stay home and stay safe, in our comfort zones. I could have easily went to the line with the checkout clerk and knew immediately that the onus of ringing up the three avocados would be passed off to someone else.

However, I took a simple risk despite the pressure of growing lines and the chance that I would not succeed. I was cocky and thought I knew it all. I didn't need anyone to help me. I get technology. We speak the same language. But, I was wrong, however; I quickly learned because someone interjected to help me. And I was thankful for her assistance. Maybe if we took more risks in our classrooms, even at the cost of it not working correctly, immediately, maybe our students wouldn't be so hesitant to strive to draw outside the lines occasionally to create or share something great, something new. This is the school culture we need to develop. Schools need a culture where students and teachers take calculated risks and ask more questions in order to further their learning.

What I remember most about this simple trip to Shaws for three avocados is that I learned something new. I learned that when I swipe my checkcard before pressing the button on the screen, nothing will process. I also learned that things, especially technology, don't always go as you planned. Even on the biggest stage in sports and television, technology will go awry. If I had selected the line I always go in with a sales clerk, nothing would have changed and I would have never had the opportunity to share this novel story.

Technology integration can make us better

2013-01-30T11:10:00.001-05:00

I recently discussed technology integration with a former colleague of mine who is working on his school’s 1:1 planning team. On the same day, I read a great article by Dr. Kristen Swanson about the approach to technology integration in schools. After digesting both, I reexamined my role as a technology integration specialist and what it means. Here is what I came up with after both encounters.

Technology integration has been happening in schools for years. Every episode, or phase the device or tool has changed. Some dramatic, some not so much. Regardless of the change, technology, in one form or another, has had a consistent place in our schools throughout time. The constant in this evolution is the teacher. The teacher has always been a key component in the learning process and he or she has adapted and incorporated technology as the time has passed. Some teachers have seen many phases come and go, but they have always adapted (at least I hope).

From the advent of the chalkboard, to the integration of the iPad, technology has been provoking teachers to reexamine the way they deliver content and transfer information to their students. But, education has never been about technology or devices. It has always been about good teachers who deliver content or information to their students, adaptability, and a progressive mindset.

While many fear the iPad or even Google, will take the place of a teacher, I’m certain that day will never come. The human element will always propel the educational system forward, but the medium by which we transfer this information will continue to evolve. And that is what we, as educators, must always embrace.

Technology integration is the ability to highlight the intersection of technology and the content areas. In short, the classroom teacher, who is an expert in his or her field is still going to command that room with the intellect and array of ideas, but now, with a dynamic device in place. While some may argue that both the chalkboard and the iPad are simply tools, I’d like to contend that they both possess highly complex operation systems. In both regards, the teacher had to adapt and change with the technology. But this is a good thing.

Technology integration, over time, has provoked teachers to be better and develop new skill sets in the classroom. Although many may see technology as another item on the “to do” list, it’s something that keeps us all on our toes and current in our profession. As I mentioned before, technology will never take the place of the teacher,however; it will continually challenge us to be better in a profession that should never dwell in a comfort zone. Teachers, above all, should be the epitome the constant learner and a consistent example for the students we teach.

A simple challenge

2013-01-27T20:52:00.000-05:00

MSMS Student Tech Support

Tomorrow starts a new semester at BHS. I get the opportunity to meet new students and start fresh in both of my classes: Digital literacy (Web 2.0) and student technology integration (BHS Student help desk). I've revised each course to keep pace with the ever-changing content each course requires. Plus, I get bored quickly.

And that's why I consistently reevaluate and rethink each course I teach. I imagine myself in the seat of the student. Would I want to sit through this? Is this appealing to me? In my time? Are the assessments challenging and purposeful? If I answer no, it's scrapped or reexamined. This simple exercise is healthy practice for all teachers to maintain relevancy in a ever-changing classroom. While I agree that some content remains consistent, the way in which we present and assesses will always have room for change. If we, as educators ever find ourselves comfortable, we're probably not teaching to the best of our ability. A comfort zone has no place in education.

As we set out each year, each semester to challenge our students, we must find ways to challenge ourselves as experts in the field and content area in which we teach. To teach, we must always have the thirst to learn. And this is where my challenge lies to all who set foot inside a classroom. Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. This endeavor may require you to work a little extra (even beyond what your beloved union contract requires) or seek out the help of someone who is younger and possibly intolerable, but just do it. Put on a face, and seek out the myriad of learning resources at your disposal daily in a school. Trust me, the benefits will not only be evident in your practice, but paramount in the lives and experiences of your students.

Please share your experiences in the comments section below for all to see and learn.

BHS Help Desk: Learning by doing

2013-01-21T22:12:00.000-05:00

BHS Help Desk Students with the MA Secretary of Edu

The Burlington High School Help Desk is about to embark on it’s fourth semester. Over the course of three semesters the “Student Technology Integration” Course - how it is phrased on transcripts and course selection catalogs, has gone through major changes since its incarnation. Each semester, the course has evolved from a basic “troubleshooting” focus, to creating tutorials, to connecting our student help with vast audience of educators and students.

At least once a week I receive an email or phone call from another school about our course from all over the world. I’ve responded to each one and have hosted many questions during school visits along with my colleagues. More importantly, the students have responded and engaged with a variety of educators, administrators and professionals in education. In some instances, we used a Google Hangout to address a conference or an interview. The help desk students have worked at district professional development, the New England 1:1 Summit, The Google Apps for Education Summit, The MA Digital Publication Collaborative, after school workshops, and are on hand daily to assist with the technology needs of the entire district . Plus, they’ve presented at MassCUE 2012, The New England 1:1 Summit, entertained and enlightened the MA Secretary of Education and the Commissioner of Education, consulted with app and game developers such as Kuato Studios International, appeared on NPR’s Here and Now program, and on June 1, 2013 they will organize, host and run their first EdCamp in Burlington. I’d say their resume fits into the authentic, purposeful assessment category.

As our first semester of 2012 comes to an end, students will be presenting a TEDx-esque projects highlighting something they’ve learned and researched throughout the duration of the course. And once again, the course will launch with new students in 2013 and a new paradigm for learning. In all four iterations of this course, it has never looked the same. Each semester, my colleague, Tim Calvin and I, reassess the course model, methods for teaching and learning, and how we want our students to connect to the Burlington community and beyond. We take our own learning styles and the learning paradigms of the 21st century student and apply them directly to this course.

@jcasap @sarcasmserved @br0nak at the GAFE NE Summit

In 2013, the help desk will take on several new projects. The first item to tackle will be to design, organize and run a full day EdCamp conference. This conference will be held on Saturday, June 1 and all in education are welcome to attend for free. Not only will the students be putting on an EdCamp, but they will be presenting a session as well. And, we invite other student groups to attend and present during this EdCamp.

Students will have to solicit sponsorships, giveaways, and orchestrate the entire conference infrastructure for the day. To my knowledge, this EdCamp endeavour is the first of its kind. Plus, I had attende Educon for several years at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA and witnessed and experienced students taking the the lead in planning and organizing.

My other inspiration sparked from attending EdCamp Boston last spring. I noticed how many teachers brought their students to present. As I sat in one of the sessions, I wondered what a great experience this would be if a group of students put on an EdCamp. And invited their peers to connect and share as well as anyone involved in the education world. I anticipate a lot of work for the students involved in planning, but I also foresee many authentic skill sets developing as students work through the logistics of planning a full day conference on their own.

Also, the help desk will be developing weekly broadcasts via Google Hangouts. Every week, students from the help desk will put together a script for a show that they will broadcast live via a Google hangout. This hangout will also be archived for those who cannot attend. This medium allows students to design engaging tutorials around applications, devices, and current trends in educational technology while expanding the reach of our audience. Plus, this gives students an authentic audience for feedback and assessment.

Help Desk at MassCUE

Finally, the help desk will be developing training modules for new and emerging tech applications in education for anyone who wants to use them. The students will be developing original, training modules that feature videos and step-by-step, printable scripts for our most frequently used devices and applications. Again, this resource is not simply limited to our school, but available for everyone to access. We’re taking the concept of Khan Academy and focusing it directly on applications that are used throughout the district.

Students will be challenged to find and create modules based on the demand of each application within our community. Each module will start with the basics and the user will work his or her way towards more advanced concepts in the application. Students will be constructing scripts, outlines and interactive media to accompany each module. In the end, these students will be creating an open educational resource for our community and beyond. What’s more, these modules will bear the name of each student. They are adding to their digital portfolio, while creating a sustainable resource for the Burlington community.

This course was designed to be malleable. Both myself and my colleague, Tim Calvin, are constantly looking for ways to rethink our classroom, both in aesthetics and in the learning dynamic. Most recently, Tim incorporated a stand up desk in our help desk room and we’re tinkering with some other ideas for next semester. I guess what I hope my fellow educators get from this piece is that we should always be rethinking, remixing our classrooms. The options I developed and listed above can easily be blended into any core subject. It’s simply a matter of challenging one’s self to step outside his or her comfort zone each quarter, semester, or school year to try something new at the simple risk of failing. And that's a big component in this course: failing. But, removing the stigma so that when we fail, we treat it not as a lost cause, rather a learning opportunity. An opportunity from which many can learn.

Plot user data on maps using Google forms

2012-10-10T18:59:00.001-04:00

So yesterday I tried something new. I wanted my digital literacy students to see the reach of social media. I was introducing them to blogs and what they are and how they have evolved. I was also mentioning how blogs can be a way to highlight talents, promote conversation and to reflect.

I started with a simple blog post.

Everyone…

I want my students to see the power, purpose and relevancy of blogging. Please share one sentence describing “why do you blog?” Thank you.

Please fill out the form below.

Here is the result

I then logged into my Google Apps account. Selected Create > Form and made four simple questions:

1. Name (optional)
2. Twitter name (optional)
3. City, Country
4. Why do you blog?

I selected embed from the forms editing panel in the upper right-hand corner, copied the code, and pasted it in the HTML box of my blog. Before I hit publish, I went back into my Google Drive, found the spreadsheet where my answers were going to be collected. I selected “Insert” > “Gadgets” (pop up window came up) > and then selected “Maps” > Found “Map by Google” > and selected add to spreadsheet.

The video below will help you see how to get a project started using Google Forms and Maps. NOTE: You must have a column that includes some form of address. You can keep it simple and use City and Country or you can solicit full addresses. Depending on the project, you can choose accordingly. Any questions about using this type of project in your classes, as always, see the help desk.

Google Drive for iPad update...finally!

2012-09-10T17:36:00.000-04:00

After a long wait, Google Drive is now available for the iPad with the full functionality of the web-based version of Google Drive. To refresh, Google Drive is the new name for the Google Docs Suite. This suite includes Google Docs, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Forms, and Folders.

The updated version of the Google Drive app allows you to create, collaborate and edit documents with ease on the iPad. Before, this process was rather cumbersome through the mobile view and desktop interface on the iPad, however much has changed with this update. Users can also upload photos and video right to Google Drive directly from the iPad. This will allow students to upload video projects and photos immediately.

: The home screen for the Google Drive App

The best update to arrive in version in Google Drive version 1.1.0 is the editing option. Users can edit much easier and with a cleaner interface. Plus, the editing and collaboration features are much faster through the Google Drive App. Users can also see who is editing on the doc at the same time. In addition, docs can now be accessed offline as well. Users can edit a doc offline and once it hits a wi-fi connection, the doc will sync with Google Drive and save in the cloud. This feature will happen automatically or via the refresh button in the upper-right hand corner of the home screen of the app

: Editing view in the Google Drive App

The Google Drive app also gives users the ability to organize their entire Google Drive. Users can create and share a folder as well as create and share a doc through this app (at this writing only docs can be created directly through the app). Also, users can move docs to folders and organize their entire Google Drive from the iPad app.

: Create a new doc, folder or upload media

While creating presentations, spreadsheets, and forms is still unavailable, I imagine this feature will be added soon. Even though you cannot create presentations, spreadsheets, and forms directly from the app, users can still view these documents within the app. In addition, users can open a Google Spreadsheet and access the “open in...” feature from the app that will allow users to open the spreadsheet in supported apps (such as Notability, Evernote, Dropbox, etc.). For presentations, users can view and present from the app, but not yet create a presentation directly from the app. Again, I imagine these features are not far behind this update.

: Open spreadsheets in supported apps

Users also have the ability to share a doc directly from the app and can access a populated contacts list from simply typing in the first letter of the email. The share feature also allows the doc owner to set permissions for “can edit”, “can comment”, and “can view”. The doc owner can also toggle viewing permissions and completely remove a user from the doc.

: Share docs, view and toggle permissions

If you’ve struggled with Google Docs on the iPad in the past, this is update will make your life and classroom work-flow more enjoyable. This is not a perfect update, but it is a giant step in the right direction for those of us using Google Apps for Education in a 1:1 iPad environment. The Google Drive App update gives us a great opportunity to organize and connect our data in a consistent place and eliminates the clunky, cumbersome workings of previous versions.

A simple life with enormous impact

2012-07-24T10:48:00.001-04:00

Paul tending to his garden

Late summer afternoons on the patio rocker with mother; tending the garden at dusk; mowing the expansive lawn at a slow pace; turning a fallen tree into warmth; a firm handshake and an honest word; a simple life with enormous impact.

These short sentences paint a picture of a man who impacted so many with his simple way of life. Paul Albert McDermott, Sr. was not a scholar nor was he the wealthiest man on the block. In fact, with only a 10th grade education, Paul provided for his family and was quite the innovator. He could take coffee cans and make elaborate organizers that even The Container Store would admire. He saved countless gallon milk jugs that he would cut in half to protect his small tomato plants from an early frost. Before “going green” became trendy, Paul acquired fourteen 50-gallon, plastic barrels (that would have most likely been discarded) from his nephew that he positioned around his old chicken coop to catch the rain. The rainwater was then used to help his garden thrive from year to year. I’m certain Paul was happy he didn’t have to pay Lowe’s $150 for just one barrel.

Material things did not matter to Paul. Paul's riches came in the form of people and the natural elements that surrounded him. His greatest treasure and the purpose of his life was his wife, Peggy. For 65 years Peggy and Paul were an institution of love, and for many, defined the word.

Peggy and Paul raised three children: Paul Jr., Jean, and Dave. Together, Peggy and Paul taught their children to live life humbly, respect those around you, and never waste a crumb. These life lessons were not epic, however; the impact and evidence can be seen in their lives and the lives of their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Paul's efficient solution to watering his garden

Next to Peggy and his family, Paul had his garden and the natural, rural elements that surrounded him in Overlook, PA. If a famed artist were to ask anyone who knew Paul how he or she should go about painting his portrait, it would most certainly show him standing in his garden just as the sun went down, leaving the sky brushed with hues of pink, blue and white. He would be dressed in grey pants and a white shirt and in his left hand he would have a plastic bag filled with potatoes.

From his early days tending to and riding horses at the Pine Barn in Danville, Paul had a devout appreciation for nature and the bounty it bestowed upon us. Paul reveled with joy when he unearthed a potato from his garden and knew that his price for that single potato would beat any market price. His cucumbers were a delight and he taught most of his family how to enjoy radishes and lima beans. The corn Paul grew was of the sweetest variety and was an experience unto itself.

Paul, in his frugal nature, loved making the most of a fallen tree or any unwanted wood that may have otherwise been thrown by the wayside. About two years ago, he built a seat from old lumber - that would have otherwise been discarded - near his garden. What was the seat for? “It’s a nice place to sit and watch the garden or take a break”.

Paul's garden respite

Beyond his tractors and his trap shoot launcher, Paul's favorite toy was his wood splitter. As legend has it, it was slightly better than Paul Junior's. Paul enjoyed watching the power of his wood splitter and how efficient it made cutting wood. Many hours were spent splitting wood with Dave and Paul Junior. Around the campfire with Jean and Dave, Paul would often ask Dave to put more wood on the already burning "toothpicks". Paul's wood stacks were neat and meticulously calculated. Along with Peggy and his family those cuts of wood generated many good laughs and stories around hearths and countless campfires. While most would see a simple slice of wood, Paul saw an element that brought his family together for many years.

In death, Paul returns to the earth he so loved working with. He also returns to the person he treasured most in this world, Peggy. When you think of Peggy and Paul you think of one of life's greatest love stories. You think of two, humble, generous people who lived life simply and honestly. In a fast-paced world, inundated with greed, self-promotion and competitive gains, Peggy and Paul walked gently together; always giving, compassionate and never wanting.

This evening, and many summer evenings to come, just as the sun slides past the horizon and the cool summer air invades the landscape along with the majestic hues of the sky know that Peggy and Paul are sitting together with you on the patio gently rocking back in forth in their chairs.

Simple connections

2012-07-06T12:14:00.000-04:00

A week ago my brother married his best friend, Kelly Marion. The wedding was a beautiful occasion and brought together friends and family from all over the country. For many, it was the first time connecting in person for quite awhile. Friends that were once accessible daily, were now growing up and out with children of their own. The endless hours of carefree youth, now seemed significantly smaller.

However, there was one person who could not connect with his family and friends in person. My Grandpa McDermott could not make the long journey from Central Pennsylvania to Boston for the wedding, but we decided to bring him there via technology. With a fully charged laptop, a great friend, Keith Zulawnik, a wi-fi connection and a Skype account, we brought my Grandfather along with my Uncle Paul and Aunt Yvonne to the wedding. My Grandfather witnessed his Grandson get married, connected with cousins and new babies and friends who just wanted to say hello. I imagine when my Grandfather was marrying my Grandmother over 66 years ago, he could have never imagined the setup that sat before him. This is why technology is a good thing.

This setup was nothing revolutionary in the realm of innovation and technology, but the simple connection that it allowed was beyond anything I could ever write. And this is where we sometimes get lost in the daily stream of self affirmation and static surrounding the educational technology world. The technology we incorporate is not about us or even about the technology itself, but more importantly it's about the connections that it allows us to make. Too many times we get caught up in what is best for us, as educators, and worrying about technology bringing about a "change in working conditions" or something, "I'll never be able to understand", but that should never be the case for technology integration. Technology simply allows us to create a more engaging experience for our students. Technology provides us with avenues to make connections with our past while gaining a better understanding of our present as we step towards the future. Teaching with technology is not a sprint, nor should it be mandated as something everyone must use. Simply put, technology, in its simplest form can connect many and provide us with opportunities we may have otherwise missed.

For my Grandfather, this simple connection was probably one of the best things he has seen in his life. And I am certain it will be a happy memory for him many years to come.

As we spend our summers thinking of ways to innovate our classrooms and incorporate new and emerging technologies, let us not overlook the simple connections we can make with our students and within our classrooms. Don't panic. Technology integration is not a sprint. Consider the skills and lessons you want to convey to your students before thinking of adding a layer of technology. The technology piece will eventually arrive in a blissful eureka moment accompanied by a refreshing smile.

Our Google Hangout

2012-06-05T14:04:00.000-04:00

Last Tuesday, twenty Burlington high school students had the opportunity to visit Google offices in Cambridge, MA. The purpose of the trip was to show students interested in computer science what they could potentially do with a computer science degree and present them with an opportunity to learn from some of the best computer scientists in the world.

Students were greeted by three developers, Jessica, Adam, and Dan, from Google and they presented us with a brief background of the company and an overview of Google's history. We toured several areas of the office and students made note of the lack of cubicles and the transparent working environment. Employees were not isolated from each other, nor did walls partition them. Workspaces were open and visible enabling a collaborative environment. Employees moved around freely and took occasional snack breaks.

Students also took note that Google employees are never too far from food and that the food choices were color coded for their nutritional value. When it came time for lunch later in the day, students were impressed by the abundance of healthy choices available for lunch. However it was sushi day, so most students opted for the mac and cheese.

Not long into the tour one student asked, “Why are schools so disconnected from how people work on a daily basis?” “Why can’t schools look more like this office?” I didn’t have an immediate answer because I have been pondering the same question for years. I reminded this student that a Google office is a small sample of how things occur on a daily basis at most companies, but reinforced how committed Google is to providing the best environment for productivity and efficiency for all of its employees. Apparently Google is onto something.

After the tour, students sat down in a conference room with three Google developers and a Chrome OS developer to brainstorm their ideal computer science course. Before we started, I shared with students that we were in the drafting phase of putting together a hybrid course tentatively titled, “Google Academy” that will be co-taught by the three Google developers in the room and a Burlington high school teacher. The course is tentatively scheduled for next fall and would be available in two sections, as a half-year elective.

Here is the draft of the course description...

The Google Academy will be a unique experience that examines a variety of topics in computer science and explores several languages such as Python, C++, Visual Basic, etc. Beyond the programming aspect of the course, students will participate in an authentic, collaborative environment that promotes transparent, purposeful learning. Students will learn first hand what it takes to work in a major company while learning how to manage time and projects independently.

This course will commence both online and face-to-face. The Google Academy will be co-taught by multiple Google programmers and one Burlington High School teacher. The course will also require bi-weekly participation at the Google offices in Cambridge. The Google Academy will expect the student to work independently, responsibly and manage their time and assignments throughout the duration of this course.

Once we described the potential course, we asked the students how they wanted to structure the course and what they wanted to learn. Students began listing areas of interest in the context of computer science ranging from open source coding to coding games and iOS applications. It was great to hear students discuss what they wanted to learn as opposed to hearing what they have to learn.

Students generated ideas that filled two white boards. The room was filled with conversation and questions. It was rewarding to sit back and watch students casually interact with these engineers and ask them questions about what it takes to get to where they are in their careers. It was one of those moments as an educator where you see the great potential for our schools and our students.

Students left excited and eager to hear more about the course that they just helped design. They were also excited about the free Pepsi “Next” they obtained from the vendor on the street pitching the new soft drink to pedestrians.

I’m excited that my district and administration are open to the opportunity for connecting with the business sector to give our students a purposeful learning experience. I’m grateful for the connection I made with three generous Google employees willing to volunteer their time to guide our students through this course. I hope this is a trend that catches on in the education community; a trend that enables more schools to embrace, not limit technology opportunities that connect students with the community and provide purposeful learning experiences.

The Living Facebook Project: Day 5

2012-03-19T09:45:00.001-04:00

As the facebook-less week draws to a close, I find myself only somewhat interested in getting back on the preeminent social network. The experience for me was moderately eye opening, but fun at the same time. I enjoyed cutting out newspaper clippings and posting them to colleagues' walls. I enjoyed asking people to be my friend. I enjoyed colleagues physically posting messages on my door asking to be friends with me. I enjoyed rejecting some of them and then dealing with the conversations that followed.

I didn't really miss it. When I logged on Saturday morning I didn't really miss much. My cousin got engaged and I hadn't heard otherwise. I'm sure I eventually would have, but it was nice to see a photo of the rock on her finger. Other than that, I didn't miss a beat. I still felt that I was connected with my friends and family when I returned.

So to sum it up, five days without facebook is cake. I returned to my original assertion that facebook employs the perfect design for procrastination and wasting time. It also allows us to vent whatever we want and obtain daily affirmation much like Stuart Smalley did with his mirror on SNL.

I admire John Spencer for sustaining for forty days and want to thank him for starting this project and taking time out of his schedule to speak with my students about this project. That experience really highlighted to my students what you can do and learn from a network. It showed that a teacher from Phoenix and a teacher from Boston can come together to orchestrate a lesson that engages students and models good digital citizenship and why it is important to take care of your digital identity.

I think my students will remember this experience and look differently at facebook, and social media in general. I think they understand that facebook is not a departure from reality and that it is just another medium by which we can engage, interact and voice our opinions and thoughts. It is not a place where we should mask our identity.

The Living Facebook Project: Day 4

2012-03-15T22:54:00.000-04:00

Whitten's wall

Day four of the living facebook project and I'm feeling fine, however my students are starting to get anxious. The link I posted on my colleague's wall has gone viral. Whitten's wall has become the talk of Burlington. His students are really excited to post comments on his board and keep the conversation alive. It's grown rapidly.

The students are starting to see that facebook is not really a place at all and that it is really no different than a wall. It serves the same purpose, however they are beginning to understand the reach and audience that social media commands. This is an important distinction that is not always easily translated to students.

Today as we talked about the facebook project I asked them to define the most important 21st Century skill. Many students described skills involved directly with technology. One student said interaction, while others mentioned searching and researching skills. After entertaining all of their responses, I quoted Alan November and said that the most important 21st century skill is empathy. I related how important this skill is in a global economy and an increasingly connected world. We then transitioned the conversation to a Google doc and came up with some great responses to several questions associated with civility, citizenship, empathy and maintaining and molding your digital spaces.

While this conversation was unfolding on the Google Doc, we were greeted by a group of administrators and teachers who were visiting Burlington. The students explained to our visitors what they were discussing on the doc and the crowd was impressed with their responses. My students immediately relayed the importance of maintaining their digital identity and how someday they will be expected adapt to and use these spaces effectively. Also, they started to see social media as an opportunity for their future as opposed to something that is deemed bad by many. It was one of those moments as a teacher that makes you very proud.

Today's living facebook project was not really about facebook at all. It was about students understanding their responsibility in a variety of digital spaces. Also, it reinforced how important empathy is in a global economy and an increasingly connected world.

The Living Facebook Project: Day 3

2012-03-14T20:57:00.000-04:00

Andy Marcinek is now friends with Todd Whitten

When I left my last post, I came to the conclusion that facebook is a giant time waster. What's more, is that facebook is not something I would classify as 'missing'. What I do miss is the opportunity to share with people that only use facebook. With that element lacking, I decided to take sharing back to the basics and see what others thought about the analog process. So my question is...what happens when you want to share without any audience? And share with an audience of one? More, what would a connected room of students think about this form of analog sharing. I'm also wondering if people share more for the affirmation or more to genuinely help everyone in their network?

Despite having more devices than I know what do with and a digital subscription to the New York Times, I still enjoy reading the print edition of the Sunday Times cover to cover. Call me old fashioned, but there's something very romantic about the Sunday Times. Along with Charles Osgood, I look forward to it each Sunday morning. This past Sunday I read a really interesting piece by Thomas Friedman that examined countries that have abundant natural resources versus those that don't. The countries that did not have an abundance of resources had more invested in education and performed better academically than those with the greatest natural resources. Regardless of the study, I found it to be an interesting read. I decided to bring it into school, cut it out, and share it with a history teacher. Today during Todd Whitten's US-China relations course, I interjected briefly to share the article. However, the first thing I did was to ask Todd if he would like to be my friend. I know Todd, but wanted to make sure we were friends before sharing something with him. Especially if I'm affixing that information on his wall.

Andy Marcinek shared a link on your wall

I asked, "Todd, would you like to be my friend?"

"Yes." He replied.

I wrote this exchange on his board:

"Andy Marcinek is now friends with Todd Whitten"

I then took the newspaper clipping that I found in Sunday's Times and tapped it to his wall. After I posted it, I asked for comments. I later found out that several students liked our new friendship and commented on the article that was affixed to Todd's wall.

The students, along with my colleague, enjoyed watching me live out something we unconsciously do in the social media realm on a daily basis. So I'm curious. Why do we share? Do we share for us? or do we genuinely share to make others better? I'd like to think the latter, but I'm not sold completely. I imagine that some share simply for the affirmation and if you took away the social media platform that person may share less because the spotlight is limited. Obviously, this is a very cynical theory, but I'd like the comments that follow on this post to discuss this point and address the question: Why do we share? And would we share the same way if the social media vehicle didn't exist?

The Living Facebook Project: Day 2

2012-03-14T08:07:00.000-04:00

I am starting to notice two things during my week without Facebook:

1. I don’t really feel left out of the conversation
2. Facebook is designed perfectly for wasting time and procrastinating.

Yes, I occasionally wonder what’s happening in my news feed and if I am missing any great photos or videos of cats falling off of counter tops, but I'm using other venues for information and sharing. And that’s what I find myself missing most. Not so much the cats, but having the venue to share information with my friends and family that don’t use Twitter or any other social network. The same goes with photos. Yesterday I was at the dog park and wanted to share a picture with Facebook. Instead, I sent a photo text of my dog to my mom and a few friends and demanded that they comment and like it. They did.

Beyond the time consumption element, I’m discovering that Facebook is a great party. Everyone is there that you want to be there and it’s usually a good time. It can be a private party or a giant mixer. Most of the conversation is geared towards positive interactions and gaining affirmation. It’s a place where we feel good and can glean some positive reinforcement during a bad day. Facebook is about us. It’s like Cheers: It’s a place where everybody knows your name.

The Living Facebook Project: Day 1

2012-03-12T23:18:00.001-04:00

Today was my first day in sometime without Facebook. I woke as normal with my iPhone ringing as my alarm. While I adjusted to losing one hour this past weekend, I still managed to gloss over my emails and twitter feed after I hit snooze. I noticed the giant blue 'f' on my iPhone homescreen and decided to move it into a folder. I then decided to delete it all together and download it again next week.

I found myself tempted several times throughout the day to check the site. I also started to realize that my attraction to facebook was on the level of watching reality television. For some reason, like most of us, I'm drawn to human flaw and awkwardness. I find this a lot on facebook. It's like all your friends standing out in a field yelling their problems, their triumphs, their favorite quotes, etc, but none of them are wearing pants. It's loud, and awkward all at the same time. And honestly, no one really cares, we're just all looking for affirmation. Facebook, and any social network is about us. It's trying to be there first; It's trying to be original; It's trying to be the coolest kid in school; It's trying to achieve some type of pseudo legendary status among your closest friends. It's vain.

My first day without facebook was not about trying things I usually do on there in real life, but more about seeing it for what it is. Facebook is a great place to connect, and reconnect with friends and family. It's a place where I can connect with my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. all in one place. It's a place where I can easily plan a dinner party and remember a birthday. It's a place to kill time and share links, photos and videos. It's a place where I am 'friends' with my Mother. It's a place that I can easily let go.

Facebook is nothing new. It's not original, nor is it revolutionary. Facebook has been happening for years only in different forums and through different mediums. Some of our oldest ancestors were writing on walls long before Mark Zuckerberg's great, great, great grandparents were born. My first day away from facebook helped me remember that facebook is not something I need, but just another podium from which we can all yell.

Tomorrow I hope to make some new friends and I hope they can suggest some new friends that I may like. Stay tuned.

The Living Facebook Project

2012-03-08T07:44:00.001-05:00

Starting next Monday, my digital literacy students will be living facebook.

"Wait...WHAT!" - Actual response from student

For five whole days, they will not be logging into the preeminent social network and instead, living out their daily interactions on Facebook in real life.

I discovered this project a few weeks ago when I was perusing twitter and happened upon an exchange between Dean Shareski and John Spencer. The link that followed took me to the “Living Facebook Blog: 40 Days of Doing Facebook in Person”. What I discovered was one man’s epic journey of 40 days without Facebook. Everything Mr. Spencer did on Facebook he would now be engaging with in real life. The goal was to compare his experience off line and on Facebook. A simple, yet effective look at what it’s like to remove oneself from a place we travel on a daily basis.

Today, John Spencer will be speaking to my students virtually and discussing his experience with living Facebook. I will also be engaging in this project with my students and blogging about the experience. My students will all be writing reflection posts each day on their experience and highlighting certain aspects of what they did differently. Also, we will have a a daily Twitter chat discussing this project in class and students will be creating video reflections at the end of the project to detail their experience.

My hope for this project is that students will understand that Facebook is simply another space for socializing, connecting, and sharing and not a departure from reality. I want them to start seeing Facebook as a platform that they can use to not only socialize but highlight and empower their voice and talents. You can follow this project through this blog, our Digital Literacy class blog and also on Twitter through the hashtags #dlit3 and #dlit4

Dear Folks,

2012-02-18T10:08:00.001-05:00

Grandma McDermott at Christmas this past year

What I will miss most about my Grandmother are the handwritten notes she sent me every birthday and holiday. These notes followed me through college, graduate school, several jobs and a recent move to Boston. My cousins, Nicole and Michelle, lived in Ohio and in Allentown when they were young and would always get caught up on family happenings through these letters. My brother and I lived a mile from Grandma and Grandpa, so our early correspondences were usually in person. Nicole and Michelle called these letters “Dear Folks” letters for the simple reason of that is how she started each writing.

The letters were a simple, personal greeting that meant more to all of us than any call, text message, or email. And in case you’re wondering, my Grandparents did have a cellphone. They were important and special because we all knew that Grandma took the time to sit down and purposefully construct each word and sentence. And we saved every letter that Grandma sent. Along with my brother and two cousins, we have a written, personal history of our Grandmother, her life, and how much she cared for each of us. Technology cannot replace that.

The letters were usually composed on both sides of notebook paper and often recollected the past few days:

“Today Grandpa spent the morning up in the garden picking green beans. Will probably have some for supper. Joan (my Grandmother’s sister) and Earl are coming over later. I decided to make a turkey dinner even though it’s June. That’s okay, right?”

“Did some wash today and must clean the burners on my stove tomorrow. They need it badly.”

In the past year, Grandma’s health started to decline. She spent most of October and November in the hospital, but made it home for Thanksgiving. It was odd passing through two holidays and not receiving any letters from Grandma, but we all understood the circumstances. A few weeks after Thanksgiving we all received a Christmas card from Grandma and inside was a letter. Despite her weak hands and limited energy, she managed to meticulously construct each line of this letter delicately, and with love.

As I write this post, I am sad for future generations. I’m sad that some children and grandchildren will never get to experience the genuine, personal experience that comes with opening a letter that contains a handwritten note. I’m sad that some will never experience the intimate elegance of writing in cursive and know how it feels to place feelings and emotions into each letter, word, and sentence. I hope that this tradition is passed down and carried on by those of us who spend our days producing and consuming digital text so that future generations can experience what it’s like to receive something so personal as a handwritten letter. It's a tradition we must hold on to in our families and our schools.

A Valentine from Grandma McDermott 2011

My Grandmother passed away this morning at 87. She died at home - the home my Grandfather built over sixty years ago - surrounded by family and at peace. She got to see the sun rise this morning and watch the birds flock to her bird feeder. It was a peaceful, painless transition. I was not there to see her in her final moments, but I imagine she may have wanted to close with something like this...

Well must soon start thinking of starting supper so will say so long for now. Take care & Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Love,

Grandma and Grandpa

Focus

2011-11-20T19:17:00.004-05:00

CC image via flickr by Bethan

The inability to focus will doom an entire generation of learners if we don’t embrace this skill now.

Tonight I did something out of the ordinary. I sat down at my kitchen table and had dinner. No TV. No phone. No twitter. No music. Just the dinner plate, the food I prepared and me. If you’re wondering I slow-cooked pork tenderloin, added some potatoes and an array of spices along with some thyme that I picked from my still lingering windowsill herb garden. I promise, the coincidences in that dinner and this piece were not preconceived.

Typically, I will eat at the coffee table while watching television. I usually watch a DVR program while I blindly shovel food into my mouth. Sometimes forgetting entirely what I just consumed. Sure, the tastes are there, but so are the phone, the television, the iPad and numerous outlets to trending topics happening instantaneously around me. If the food were my significant other, our relationship would surely be on the outs.

I think about the ability to focus and what the future of the learner holds in a culture that is enamored with gadgets and instantaneous information. While I embrace this culture and think a lot of good can and has come from it, I fear for an unfocused future. I fear that an entire generation of learners will spread itself so thin that it will hardly appreciate the small moments in life: a sunset, a book, handwriting, a winter walk, a well orchestrated lecture, a newspaper, or a well-prepared dinner.

I know, I know, I know...these things only appeal to me and the learner of today is well groomed to think and interact in a gaming world of instantaneous decision-making and a myriad of stimuli. They are different than you, Andy. They thrive on technology in the classroom and need it to survive in a global job market. Yes, I agree completely. In fact, it’s my job to integrate these devices and approaches to learning daily; however, I yield at the possibility of limiting today’s learner by throwing too much on their plate.

Today’s learner must be challenged beyond the simple rote, systemic procedures of the past. This concept is a given. For years we taught students to memorize answers and learn in a uniformed way. Many would argue that some aspects of this system still exist in today’s classroom. Students must not only seek out answers, but also develop engaging, thought-provoking questions that will lead them to a variety of answers. I believe this can happen with and without technology in today’s classroom. Technology simply affords us the opportunity to connect, share, and engage with the content and a broader audience. And that is a really good thing. However, we should not let the variety of technologies dilute the learning.

We have a lot of good things in this world and yet we always want something more. It’s like the “new toy syndrome” afflicts an entire society: the syndrome that exudes a strong desire and want for something, yet when we get it, we are looking towards the next new thing. We get the iPhone 4s and we are already anticipating the iPhone 5. The same approaches are happening in education. We get a cart of laptops and we’re already thinking about adding a cart of iPads. We get an HD projector and an Apple TV and we are already anticipating an interactive projector that covers are entire wall. Please, slow down. Appreciate and embrace what we have. Take a moment and learn the new technologies you have in your possession before trying to find out what you can get your hands on next. Administrators, don’t overwhelm your faculty with too many gadgets at once. Give them time to play, learn and use what they have effectively.

This piece is not meant to deter innovation, but rather to promote it. I imagine at some point Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs focused their talents and thoughts in one direction. I imagine that the greatest artists, inventors, composers, engineers, and athletes eventually came to a point in their life where they focused their intellectual or physical capital in one direction. This method is not halting innovation, but making it better, making it stronger.

I fear that if we, as educators race to add gadgets, apps, etc. to our classrooms then we will continue to water down the product. We must give our learners opportunities to experience forms of technology in the classroom, but also give them room to breathe and learn. I work in a school that supplies one iPad for every student and I’ll admit, I see many frustrated students that feel overwhelmed at times with trying to integrate a device into a learning style that is not yet there. I see students longing for the focused format of a book, a pencil, and a notebook.

I'm not asserting that technology is a bad thing, however it is an entity that we must pace appropriately and integrate purposefully. I have no doubt that I will receive criticisms for halting creativity and innovation in the educational system, but remember I am not presenting a sweeping conclusion of extensive research. I simply sat down and had dinner without anything else going on in my life. I enjoyed it. I thought about a variety of things while I was savoring each bite and when it was over I felt good, I felt accomplished, and learned that I should use less salt.

Education Restart

2011-10-28T12:04:00.000-04:00

My digital literacy students started with the project detailed in the post below. They first watched the 2007 video by Michael Wesch titled, A vision of students today. They conducted research and presented their findings in this video. Enjoy.

Room to learn

2011-10-19T09:02:00.001-04:00

CC image via flickr by Marcin Wichary

I have decided to step off of the stage and remove my sage sash (say it 5 times fast...go!). In my digital & Information literacy course my students are the authors of their learning, not me. I still present a new tool or lesson at the beginning of class, but I hardly remain on stage longer than five minutes. This is merely a demonstration. In many classes I am learning with the students and seen as a resource. As a result I have noticed happier, more engaged students. Plus, I have witnessed students asking more relevant questions, thinking their way through a problem rather than me telling them, and seeking out all available resources to find a solution. In short the learning is theirs they own it.

The project at the end of this post is something my class is working on at the moment and I’d like to share it with you. The objective is to create a comprehensive guide for digital citizenship and understanding your digital identity and privacy. I designated project managers and provided objectives and outcomes for the class along with a five point structure of what should be covered.

As this project progresses, so has my classroom dynamic. I walk into class, briefly check in with the project managers, and watch the students work. Yesterday, I came in an introduced them to Diigo. I presented this tool for roughly five minutes and then let them get to work. As soon as I finished presenting I witnessed a bustling office with everyone seeking out his or her task for the day. Students were moving around the room and communicating with each other. I could over hear problem deconstruction and decisions being made. Throughout each period all of their progress is documented on a shared Google doc. Each team, as well as the project managers, shares a doc with me. As they develop and accomplish tasks, they add them and eventually check them off on the Google doc. I witness communication, networking with other groups, community building, problem solving, critical thinking, and engagement. My class functions like most places of work. It’s relevant.

I encourage you to steal the project below and make it better. In fact, remix and share it with others. I will share the final result once students complete this project. Don’t feel this type of learning is impossible in core subjects. This type of project has potential across all content areas and all the way up Bloom’s taxonomy. Also, this is not a technology driven lesson. Students could complete the same type of project without any technology in the classroom.

Instead of a Google doc students could collaborate on large post-it easel paper. They could conduct research in their library and pull all available resources to find the most current, credible articles on the subject of digital citizenship. They could use pen and paper to take notes and interview teachers, students and administrators.

I could go on, but you get my point. This is not ground breaking or anything profound. It simply puts the onus on the student to learn by doing and own their learning. Students can find their niche in this project and learn something that interests them. I encourage you, the reader, and the educator, to try this. Take off your sage sash and see what happens. I imagine you will discover, along with your students, some pretty amazing results.

Today we are about to embark on another exciting project. Once again our class must come together as a team and create a comprehensive guide for understanding digital citizenship and knowing how to take care of your digital identity.

Objective:

Develop a comprehensive guide for maintaining your digital identity and understanding your web privacy. Your target audience should be high school students.

Your appointed project managers are

Walter
Stephanie
Ahmad

What you should present at the conclusion of this project...

1. Have a website that you can showcase your information, research, and media you find on digital citizenship, web privacy, and maintaining a healthy digital identity. This website will showcase your findings and serve as a resource for future BHS students and high school students beyond Burlington. You should include information you find, links, interviews, videos, pictures, etc. The media you post must be authored by you or cited properly.

2. Go to the source: Interview students, teachers, parents, and administrators and ask them what they know about digital citizenship and maintaining their digital identity. All interviews must have consent and highlight that this information will be posted online publicly. NOTE: You may want to seek out a generic consent form.

3. Submit research and studies that detail why it is imperative to maintain and understand your digital identity as a high school student. This can come in the form of interviews with teachers, administrators, experts, or articles you find on line. Any assertion you make must include supporting evidence. Remember, you are presenting support for those that say students in high school have no business on these sites. Prove them wrong.

4. Cover all the bases: Think about what sites your peers use and find out all the good, the bad, and the ugly concerning these sites. Check out Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Formspring, Blogs, etc. and detail why students can be trusted to use this type of forum to empower their voice and present research to back up your points. NOTE: You may want to include sections for each site on your website. One link could be an entire guide about understanding your Facebook privacy settings.

5. Many say that BHS is crazy for allowing students to use iPads, and mobile phones in class; present examples of what we are doing and why we are doing it. Provide examples in the form of research and studies as to why we allow these devices. Also poll teachers and administrators.

Grading notes...

You will be graded on your interaction and engagement with your team/group and feedback from your project managers. I suggest that each team, once assembled, shares a Google doc with me and the other members should post daily progress and any information you gather. This documentation will be the bulk of your grade. The end result will speak for itself. I am more interested in the process, your interaction with each other each day in class, and how you accomplish a task as a team.

Timeline...

I want the project managers to propose a working time frame for completing this project. Once submitted, we will stick to that schedule. If we need to adjust the schedule, the project managers must connect with me and provide support for extending the time.

How We're Learning

2011-10-10T11:20:00.000-04:00

The past month has been very exciting time at Burlington High School. On the first day of school every student showed up with an iPad 2. Our first few weeks did not accurately resemble those simple, clean Apple iPad commercials. There were hiccups and challenges along the way. In some cases, we were all learning by trial and error, and by doing. It was great to observe colleagues seeking new approaches to learning and using the device as a vehicle to replace passive learning with active engagement. As this year progresses we hope to learn from our mistakes and continue to provide the most relevant, engaging learning environment for our students.

One thing I have noticed here at Burlington is that with the sweeping integration of a new device, many seem to be trying new things at the risk of a possible fail. For many of us, this is hard to overcome. I have started working with some teachers on various class projects and, while these projects are exciting and engaging, the distribution and presentation of them is occasionally met with a hiccup. This isn’t to say that teachers are ill prepared, but instead it is showing determination in the face of possible failure. What’s more is that our students get to see a model for taking on educated risks. I have yet to meet a teacher who stands in front of a classroom and bats 1.000. To quote the Dead Parrot Monty Python sketch, “It ceases to exist!” And that is a good thing.

Another good thing is the new approaches to learning many teachers are taking on this year. I had the opportunity to work with a few teachers this past month and in some cases, collaboratively teach the class. Here are a few of those highlights:
Michael Milton is teaching the Enlightenment period through social media. Each student cohort was assigned a philosopher from the period. Student groups started researching their philosopher and collecting facts about their respective philosopher. Students then created a social profile for their philosopher using Twitter and a blogger page. Once these pages and profiles were created, Milton had students write introductory blog posts for each persona. The blog posts were written from the philosophers’ point of view. Once the posts were completed, students asked the philosophers questions using the comment section on the blog. This conversation was extended to Twitter as well. Student groups had to field questions from users on Twitter (many of which were teachers at BPS) and learned how to aggregate Twitter conversations using a hashtag.

This experience remixes the traditional and allows the students to not just be the recipients of information, but also drive it. To many students, this subject matter is boring and trite, however when you allow students to engage with the content rather than just receive it you create a more fruitful learning experience.

Another exciting experience is happening in our foreign language department. Our Italian students recently traveled abroad for a week in Cles, Italy. They spent time at a host school and got a first hand experience of another culture. While abroad, another Italian class at BHS got to Skype with their peers abroad. While this type of connection seems commonplace in today’s world, the experience for many students was memorable. Students opened up the videoconference and held a dialogue in Italian with their peers abroad and the Italian students they were sitting with. They got to experience the immediate relevancy and powerful impact learning another language can have. Students also began to rethink our place in the global classroom. These students experienced how powerful connections can be and how using these types of social learning tools can impact and enliven their learning.

These are just two examples of the new approaches to learning happening this year at Burlington High School. In both cases, there were things that didn’t go right; an application crashed, a restart was needed, and the network was not found. This is normal and is what we should come to expect. The message that we take from this is that both teachers attempted to try something new at the risk of a potential hiccup in order to give their students a relevant learning experience. In both examples listed above the students involved in these lessons were not simply the recipients of information, they were the authors of their learning. As educators, this should be our objective each time we step in front of a class. Each time we create a lesson plan we should ask, “Are my students inactive participants in their learning? Or are they the authors?”

Learn by doing

2011-09-16T16:40:00.002-04:00

On Monday I started my digital & information literacy class (aka Web 2.0 class) with this 2007 video by Michael Wesch.

The video went viral a few years ago and provoked an ongoing conversation about what it is like to be a student today. When the video wrapped, I asked my students to comment. Some of them related to the video, while some had questions about the cost of higher education and “is that really what a college classroom looks like?” After we discussed their initial reactions, I asked them, “What is it like to be a student today?”

Boring
Repetitive
Stressful
Overwhelming

When these responses came back, I followed up by asking them what they would change? They seemed to want some time to relax throughout the course of a school day and more engaging classrooms where they are active participants. Their requests seemed fair.

After our discussion, I told them they were going to create this video. Their prompt:

“What is it like to be a student today at BHS?”

Once the prompt was established, I shared a Google Doc with them. I took a few steps back in this assignment and provided minimal directives. I defined some roles that I felt were imperative to seeing this video through to completion and posted them on the doc.

Project manager(s)
Film crew
Design team
Research team
Screenwriting team

The class is comprised of sixteen students. Every student had to have a role in the project. I told them to pretend that our classroom was their hip, Boston office space that had exposed brick and modern furniture. Every day they would come to the office and get to work on this video project. They would have to check in with the project manager(s) each morning and at the end of each day. They had a tentative deadline of finishing the project in seven days, but if they needed an extension they would have to provide me with evidence to grant that extension.

After my brief overview of the project, I told them to begin. Silent, static students followed. They did not know where to begin. Some of them looked genuinely frightened as to what they should do next. Just minutes earlier these same students told me that in most of their classes throughout their academic career they were told what to do as opposed to having more freedom to do. They would have to shed the system for a moment that they were marching along with since their first day of school.

Eventually the google doc (comments welcome) started coming alive with active students. They each started by joining a team. The project managers were established and they started leading the different teams. As the project started to develop I noticed something happening. Once the students felt is was okay to do, they started to make great progress. The Google doc continued to build and they began to make progress.

The next few class periods I noticed some really amazing things happening.

The film crew organized and started tinkering with iMovie. They told the project manager that they wanted to use this application to edit, but never used it before. Without any direction, they went to YouTube and found instructional videos on how to use iMovie. They continued to play around with iMovie and eventually learned some really great tricks for editing. The film crew also realized that they needed to check in with the research team and design team so they could start framing their shots and scouting locations. They learned by doing.

The research team put together a list of questions they wanted to ask their peers to gather data. They performed a Google search for how to create google forms and found a video on how to create and collect data through a Google form. Once they had their form created, they thought about where they could post it. Some suggested email, but they decided for best visibility they would use Principal Larkin’s blog. Once they post the form, they would make an announcement to all students and teachers during morning announcements. They learned by doing.

The design team organized with the screenwriting team not because I told them to, but because they felt it was necessary for their two teams to collaborate. They started their work by consulting with the research team. They wanted to know what questions they would be asking so that they could make shot decisions and create a storyboard. Once the design and screenwriting teams were briefed by the research team, they started to sketch a storyboard. First they used pencil and paper and then transferred their sketches into photoshop. One member of the design team had prior experience in photoshop and started teaching the rest of the design team how to use the program. They learned by doing.

While the end result of this project will be a simple video, the skills and talents elicited during this project are authentic to most working environments. I challenged my students to think differently about learning, collaboration, and time management. I put my trust in them and allowed them to talk in class and connect with each other. Collaboration was imperative and students had to make decisions with each other in order for their team to accomplish their intended tasks. The onus was on them to question, adapt, and learn.

A little over a year ago, a very special person in my life told me I needed to watch the David McCullough documentary, “Painting with Words”. Near the end of documentary (3:14) he says, “The great thing about the arts is that you can only learn to do it by doing it.” This message resonated with me and I believe so strongly in it. I also believe that classrooms, regardless of the subject, need more active participants, more talking, more discussing, and more doing.