The Innovative Educator

Shed the Paper and Allow Books to Grow their Digital Wings

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:26:00 +0000

At a recent Innovation meeting when talking about what a game changer digital books are, a colleague posed the question, "What is lost when you are not holding an actual book?"

OR GAINED!!??!??!!!!! I heard myself blurt out...when it wasn't my turn to talk.

Paper trained heads that were mid stream nodding in agreement and reminiscing about their disappearing friend (the book) spun my way. **Oopsie** "We aren't losing when we allow our students to Ditch Paper and Get to the Thinking Faster." I whispered. This got me thinking, if some of the most innovative educators in town still haven't bought into going on a paper diet, what does this mean for our students?

When I polled my Personal Learning Network (PLN) to see if they would be sad when books shed their paper and grew wings most who responded said yes, though these followers/friends/friends of friends shared my sentiments:

MrChase - As sad as when cave walls, papyrus and parchment fell by the wayside.
Dianewoodard - NO! The static content of yesterday will become dynamic & allow for ongoing interaction! I love digital content!
Shawn Gross - The death of paper is great thing for kids, the environment and economy.
Thomas Whitby a friend of a friend Jeff Branzburg - We cannot tell our students that we are not comfortable using an E-reader rather than a book. If this is what the future holds, then our comfort is irrelevant to one who will live with that E-reader as reality. -Reflections on Today’s Education from an Old Guy
Andrew a project produced specifically for the web has the potential to be far more powerful, relevant, and contextual than anything that can be done with the same project in print. - My case for moving beyond a printed senior thesis

Yet most of the over-35 crowd is instantly in defense of the way things were/are and express it in comments like these. Ahhh, the smell of the New York Times hot off the press (I am allergic to newspaper ink), the joy of turning of the crisp pages of a magazine (I am paper cut prone), the common bond when sharing a good book (Gone forever. I never remember to get them back.), the feel of pen to paper (my hand cramps and I revise like mad), and so on and so on, and so on.... Below are what most of the comments from my Personal Learning Network looked like.

Comments from some of my online PLN members

Fred Deutsch For me there's nothing like the simplicity and beauty of a book. I enjoy the ease of dog-earring a page, placing physical bookmarks, underlining key sentences, writing notes to myself in the margin, etc. Sure, all of these can be done with pdfs, but for me the e-applications of the above are just more cumbersome and not quite as intuitive. Just my personal preference.
gimst I would miss the pleasure to handle a book, paper smelling, the sense of touch, books are special tastes of sensibilit. I don't believe in death paper books the pleasure of reading paper book is not the same reading digital book, they will coexist.
Kelley Riley Lanahan My (over 45) eyeballs just can't read as efficiently on small screens! But there's a difference for me in reading for work and reading for pleasure.....
Laura I like to hold a book and enjoy the fonts, the spacing in the margins, looking ahead to see how many more pages there are until a break in the paragraphs, or the end of a chapter. I like to find a bookmark or fold up a piece of paper to use as one. I like to browse the library for new books, for books by authors I like, for interesting titles and dust jackets.
Kelley Riley Lanahan Ha ha ha. As much as I'm NOT a Kindle fan (other than the fact I can read late into the night and not disturb the hubby), I do like the analogies here. For me, there's something about old-style that still turns me on...
Fred Deutsch I enjoy the ability to crack open a book for the first time . . . to hear the binder creak as I open it . . . to feel the texture of the page as I run my fingers over the written word or grasp the corner of the page to turn it . . . or even sometimes the smell of book can have impact. Certainly digital will continue to compete with paper... See More, but I would be suprised if it ever become more popular than paper. Books simply provide a greater fullness of the sensual experience associated with reading and learning, imo.
iansands as long as there are beaches, there will be books. Cause it's no fun when sand gets in your laptop. :)
Kelley Riley Lanahan Nothing like thumbing through a great read though. And it's been REALLY interesting pulling some of my "classic" reads (e.g. Beowulf) off of my library shelf to compare with the versions being brought home by my HS-aged sons. There are some things, I believe, that can't be substituted....makes for a great dinner conversation if nothing else!

Suzanne Montaperto I love the instant access of the Kindle and other wireless devices....but there's nothing like the smell and feel of reading a good hardcover book!

Troy Fischer @Suz... when was the last time you felt/smelled a true leather bound ... Point is, someone said the same thing when the industry started making cardboard covers with lots of graphics. AND stay tuned, Barnes and Noble's nook designers heard your claim and the Nook covers feel like bound books, hey they may even offer a fragrance "eau de book toilette" you can spray safely all over your eBook LMAO.

My intent in bringing up this conversation is to open the eyes of the paper trained to the virtues of digital because:

It is much better for the environment if we all ditch the paper
You can do more, making the experience richer
Students like it better
It's interactive allowing for not only for easier consumption, but also production of information
A school or personal library of books and print materials are expensive not just to purchase, but to preserve and store. Digital content is much cheaper and richer than any print material. This speaks to the cause of demise of the print newspaper and magazine industry. Textbooks should soon follow suit. If we rely on digital materials the cost drops. Furthermore, with digital content, we don't have to pay the text book companies as richer content exists outside that outdated and ineffective learning tool This article touches on some of the reasons why - Textbook Example of What's Wrong with Education - A former schoolbook editor parses the politics of educational publishing).
We can't ignore the impact of digital text. From the New York Times: The advent of e-books and Google’s online book archive mean “2009 may well prove to be the most significant year in the evolution of the book since Gutenberg hammered out his original Bible.” The E-Book as Gutenberg’s Bible
Many kids already have devices that can serve beautifully as digital readers i.e. smart phones, laptops, netbooks, why not have them pull the devices out of their lockers and pockets and harness the power of the tools kids own. Cellphone Apps Challenge the Rise of eReaders. This comment from one of the readers captures the sentiment.
Lance, Chicago November 18th, 2009 10:27 am
I had a Kindle, but as soon as I got my iphone, I sold the Kindle on ebay. I have read about 20 books on my iphone, though I also buy paper books, only because not every book is available on the iphone. The reading experience is much better on an iphone than on paper: find characters that I forgot and can look up words. The big problem with the downloaded books: once I have finished reading the book, I cannot share it with anyone else. I am not sure there is any scientific evidence to show that there is less eye strain with the Kindle or the Sony reader compared to the iphone. For those who don't like the font size on an iphone, it's easy to adjust with the different book apps.

Responses to My PLN

The two valid advantages paper has over digital today is battery life and functionality in the sand (I'm at the beach a lot). Beyond that, the resistance to me seems to be the result of my colleagues being paper-trained. When I look at what these folks prefer there is very little that you can't get digitally and digital provides for a much richer experience. Here are some of my responses.

@Fred, I think you like reading longer pieces better with paper because you are used to it. I don't see your advantages. Although I grew up a voracious reader of paper, I've spent the past few years digital and love the advantages. For example, I like to read several books at a time, but don't want to carry several books. I never know when I'll have a moment to read, and don't want to always have to have various books with me. Having them digitally in my computer alleviates that issue.
As far as the actually reading, I love doing it on my laptop or smartphone (I don't believe a special device is necessary) because...

I can easily highlight, make notes, bold, underline, right-click (rather than skip over) a word I don't know, search a concept I don't understand, listen to a word I don't know or a passage I would like to hear rather than read while I'm doing something else like getting ready for work, or copy an excerpt to paste and share with my PLN. I don't get it dirty and I never lose it.
@Laura, I enjoy all those things when I read digitally, but I can actually do them better and change and adjust them to my liking. For instance, I know how many pages I have, I can change a font I don't like, I can adjust the font size to be bigger, smaller, or a different color as a prefer, I can easily not only bookmark, but also share a page of text. As far as library browsing, I like that too, and appreciate the ability to do it digitally where I can see ratings and comments from other readers and also see what my friends are reading.

@Kelley, for 40-something eyeballs, unlike with a book, you can go to system preferences and enlarge the font. Can't do that with a book.

@Fred, so, we simply need a creaking sound to give you the audio you are missing...there's an app for that! Additionally, texture isn't too difficult, you can already do the turn the page motion in most apps. I'm surprised that you would be surprised about digital overcoming paper. It already has for newspapers.

@Kelley, You are right, there's nothing like thumbing through a great read, and doing so digitally adds layers never before imaginable including making texts accessible to many who never previously would have the opportunity by enabling them to do things like listen to text, enlarge it, define and translate what they are reading. And, as far as the classics, for those with out the cash or room for storage (like us in these teenie NYC apts), they are all available for free online.

An argument missing in these virtual conversations, that often comes up when face-to-face is the edubabble where I'm told, "You can not underestimate the importance of Gardners Multiple Intelligences." You know, Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Visual-Spatial, Musical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist (more are added all the time). Like @Suzanne, @gimst, @Fred, et. al. as they remenisce about the feel of the book, the physical paper appeals to the bodily-kinesthetic, and tactile learner. While most educators support Gardner's theory, it is not an argument for keeping the paper, it is rather a case for ditching the paper. Digital text is uniquely suited to address the unique learning styles of students far more fully than paper. For those who still need convincing and like me prefer some tangible concrete evidence, I share with you some articles and videos that come to mind as those that can well demonstrate why we must allow books to shed their paper baggage and grow digital wings.

A Few Strong Cases For Letting Books Shed Their Paper and Grow Digital Wings

Joe's Non Netbook
Watch this video about a student who is frustrated as he encounters the extreme limitations of the outdated paper technology. This video was an impromptu exchange between Joe the student and @MrChase who teaches at Chris Lehmann's Science Leadership Academy. Think about if it is paper or digital that is more suited to meeting various learning styles and needs of students.

What Happens When You Combine A Phone and A Book?
It’s a really simple idea (essentially a cardboard box with an iPhone sized hole!) that combines print and technology beautifully.

What Happens When you Give a 3, 4, 8-Year-Old an iTouch?
I recently happened to come across all these pieces separately. Each of them addresses in a different way how a digital iTouch has become an engaging and preferred tool for student reading and writing. I don't think any of the creators knew about one another when crafting their pieces. They all make strong cases about the power of providing tech to students. The message that comes to mind strongly is the tactile experience that digital technology provides. When I hear folks reminisce about the "feel of the book" I think about how much richer the experience could be digitally. This first video does an amazing job of conveying this.

Why an iPhone could actually be good for your 3-year-old

Should a 4-year-old have an iPhone?
Marc Prensky shares how his four-year-old uses his iTouch for reading, writing, drawing and more.

What happens when you give a class of 8 year old children an iPod touch each?

In this video you see students using iTouches devices like it's second nature just like they do outside the classroom. They use the devices for reading, writing research and more using applications that are either free or much less expensive than the traditional textbook.

Devices to Take Textbooks Beyond Text
I am not a supporter of textbooks, but if educators can't break away from the outdated habit, digital is an improvement that is considered in this NY Times article. From the article: NEWSPAPERS and novels are moving briskly from paper to pixels, but textbooks have yet to find the perfect electronic home. Now there is a new approach that may adapt well to textbook pages: two-screen e-book readers with a traditional e-paper display on one screen and a liquid-crystal display on the other to render graphics like science animations in color.

Until educators see the value of conducting our reading and writing digitally, I believe our students will continue to drown in the paper. I am not promoting that we go out and purchase kindles or other eReaders for our schools either. The real opportunity is to embrace the technology our students already have access to and harness the power of the fourth screen to engage in their reading, writing, and thinking 21st century style.

There is Such a Thing as a Free Lunch: Free and Easy Ways to Begin Educating Innovatively

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:21:00 +0000

I recently attended a conference where I ran into a couple out-of-touch old timers who wanted to explain to me why things are the way they are. The conversation went like this: The first guy said, “Ya know, nothing in life is free.” The next one chimed in, “Uh huh! Ya get what you pay for.” Followed by, “It takes a lot to bring schools into the 21^st century. Expensive equipment. Expensive software. Expensive training.” Then in unison, “And, of course people like us.” I felt like I was watching a bad sit com as these two out-of-touch white guys sat back snidely trying to convince me of their Archie Bunker reality. Well as Edith used to say, ‘Those WERE days,” and while I remember them too, like it or not, the world looks very different than it did back then, at least outside the school walls.

Listening to these guys made me want to scream. So, I did. "It’s not true! Many things in life are free. You don’t have to pay for what you get. And it doesn’t take as much as you think to move schools into the 21^st century. You just need to update and shift your thinking."

The two men looked at me and then each other shaking their heads. Then one of them said, “You still have the sparkle in your eye. That hope. That passion. You’ll learn. When you’ve been around as long as we have, you’ll discover nothing changes and there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” I felt like I’d been zapped back in time and realized that sadly this is the time zone in which many students are stuck with educators and administrators who refuse to think outside the ban and chose to ignore the fact that The PODs (personally owned devices) are indeed coming to a classroom near you.

So, I retorted. “What you are saying isn’t true anymore. The rules have changed. The best tools in life are free…at least for educators. There is such a thing a free lunch.” “Oh yeah,” one of the guys said. “Maybe you can get something for free but it won’t last.” “What? Yes it will,” I insisted. “Okay,” he said. “Give me an example.” It was at this moment that I realized that although I was at a tech conference, many of these people still live the technology past. I took a breath and shared that there are an endless number of free tools and they are going to be around. "Oh really?" one of the men asked as he looked at me over the top of his glasses. "Like what?" "Well," I said, "The whole Google suite for starters. Add to that wikis, blogs, YouTube, Watchknow, video conferencing, phone calls, and I could go on and on. “Nah, those things won’t last,” the two men said to each other shaking their heads. “She’ll learn. Nothing in life is free. The sparkle in her eye will fade away just like ours has.”

People like these old-timers need to hold on to this reality and convince others of it’s truth not only because folks are resist to change, but because it keeps them employed. On the other end of the spectrum, we have businesses fooling educators and administrators into believing it is difficult to educate innovatively because doing so results in big bucks for the companies who want to make a profit off of you. They want to sell you their equipment, products, and licenses, and charge you money to train you to learn how to use it.

There is a lot at stake for these old timers and big businesses if educators don't believe their in-the-past reality. They’ve done a pretty good job of scaring many out of joining the present connected world in which we live. The big disconnect comes because, today’s digital native students know that if it’s designed right, it doesn’t require a manual, training, or a lot of money. However, many of their digital immigrant teachers and administrators who grew up in a close-sourced world where they paid for quality and read the manual first, have yet to learn this lesson. As a result, two things are happening. 1) Teachers aren’t teaching as innovatively as they could because they’re fooled into believing it is hard and expensive. 2) Administrators are wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars on things that are available for FREE! Here are some of them.

8 Free and Easy Tools Innovative Educators Can Start Using Today

The following tools are all free and simple to use. This means there’s no cost, nothing to download, no CDs, no manuals and no training. The best of these also do not require users to have email, registration or log ins.

STUDENT RESPONSE SYSTEM

Overview:
Educators know that getting audience feedback is important, but how often does a teacher really know what her students are thinking and feeling? Not very. Companies like Promethean and Smartboard will lead you to believe that you need to spend thousands to purchase their student response systems. They have complex software, training, and manuals to go along with all that. You also may have a hard time distributing and learning to use the equipment too. At a recent conference the tech-savvy organizer needed an army of people to support his distribution of the devices and help him run the software. At another conference I attended, the vendor who was presenting on student response systems didn’t include them in his presentation because she felt there wasn’t enough time to distribute them. No wonder educators haven’t been using this stuff.

The Tool: Poll Everywhere

Poll Everywhere is a great tool that can be used by anyone who knows someone with a laptop or a cell phone they can send a text message from. For educators in schools without laptops and where phones are banned, this can still be a powerful tool that students can use outside of school by students who have their own phone or laptop or have family, friends or a public facility with a phone or laptop they can use. Futhermore Poll Everywhere is free for people who need to collect 30 or fewer responses per poll, and for schools who have not made Adequate Yearly Progress.

To use poll everywhere the teacher sets up an account at which they’ll be assigned a number or url for participants to send their answers. Within the message students enter the code corresponding to their response. This looks similar to what you see on popular shows such as American Idol. Without any additional equipment or need to download software within seconds educators will have student responses. Another nice feature is that it doesn't matter what device your students are using as text message, web, and smartphone responses can be instantly combined.

Watch The Demo:

http://www.polleverywhere.com

COLLABORATIVE WRITING

Overview:
There are all sorts of reading and writing software programs out there. Many New York City educators have seen, these programs in their school oft times in packages collecting dust because the person trained is gone, the system is not compatible, they didn’t know they needed a server, the server’s down, etc. etc. Some innovative educators may have used one of my favorite tools for collaborative writing, Google docs, but gotten frustrated when using it with a class because students need emails, everyone must sign in and register, collaboration isn’t in real time so it is easy to overwrite the work of a collaborator, and the chat feature is clunky at best.

The Tool: Etherpad
Innovative educators know that as a result of technology, the writing process has changed drastically. Some teachers, even those with whom I’ve worked in 1:1 environments are stuck in the past though, with students moving along the same pace, following a very similar process of brainstorming, first draft, second draft, revisions, edits, publishing. Writing in the 21st century no longer looks like this. Students never have to write anything over. They write, read, copy, paste, link, etc. to come up with a final draft.

Innovative educators need to get students off of the paper (no, digital natives don’t need to write on paper first like some of the digital immigrants do) and allow them to get to the thinking and producing faster by composing digitally. The tool I recommend they use is http://etherpad.com. Etherpad allows students to write individually, in pairs, or in groups. It tracks by color who wrote what information. It has an area for chat, and a teacher can play back and observe the writing and revision process of their students. This in essence give teachers the ability to see the writing process for any student, pair, or group anytime, anywhere. Additionally, because each participants in put is color-coded there is never a question about the level of contribution from group participants. It’s all right there. Finally, of course, since this is web-based, students needn’t be conferring with students in their classroom only they can connect with others around the globe.

Another terrific feature is the live playback. This lets a teacher watch the students step by step writing and revision process including exactly which student contributed what and when. You can see my sample pad here http://innovativeedu.etherpad.com/1 and the playback here http://innovativeedu.etherpad.com/ep/pad/view/1/latest

Watch the demo:

http://screenjel.ly/7PWKblRbPdI

WRITING LEVEL TOOLS

Overview:
When I worked as a literacy coach in 2003, part of my work was to help all our teachers conduct publishing parties at the end of each unit of study. It was at this time that we celebrated student work and placed the books into the classroom library. Classroom libraries were sorted by genre and reading level. We never sorted student or teacher published books that way. In fact we rarely thought about the reading level of a students writing. I realize now, that looking at the level of a students writing would have been a valuable tool and helpful for students and teachers alike. Students might want to know what the readability level of a piece of their writing is and perhaps put their writing in the library of students reading at that grade level. Older students writing for a younger audience might find this tool useful to adequately adjust the level for audience. Teachers writing to their students may also value this feedback.

Additionally, teachers often like to use their own writing or the writing of their students for mentor texts. When I was a coach, this required us to review each text to determine reading level for that text. While this is a worthwhile activity to do to analyze writing, it is extremely time-consuming and so, this was often rarely done. Fortunately, there are now tools that do this for you, for free, for free and require nothing to download.

The Tool: Reading Level Check in Word and Google Docs

Both Google Docs and Microsoft Word provide three indicators of the reading level of the document you're creating. They will each calculate for you the Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and the Automatic Readability Index. In Google Docs you visit the tools menu and select the word count option. In MS Word, you click on the Microsoft Office button, then select Word Options, Click Proofing, make sure Check grammar with spelling is selected, under When correcting grammar in Word, select the Show readability statistics check box. Then open your document in word and run a spell check.

This allows teachers and students to instantly see the difficulty level of their writing. Are they writing at a 2^nd grade level or 12^th grade? What level is right for the audience they are trying to reach? Writing teachers can use this to assess growth of their writers across the year. For reading instruction this is a great way to be able to determine the reading level of student and teacher created work that can be used for mentor texts.

Watch more:
http://screenjel.ly/1qPiyavK4pA

READING LEVEL TOOLS

Overview:
As a literacy coach teachers and I spent a lot of money and countless hours leveling books. We had various directories to sort through to find a book and for those we couldn't find we would use a guide to level it ourselves. Then we would write the level on the book with the sharpie. The guide books were expensive, and time to do this was limited. Fortunately, there are now tools that do this for you, for free, with nothing to download.

The Tool: Find A Book
To find the reading level of professionally published material, teachers and students can visit Find A Book which allows users for free to type in any book and find the reading level of that book, or perhaps more powerful they can type in their reading level and interest and build a custom reading list on the subjects that interest the reader most. Additionally, there is an age slider that allows you to Move the sliders to adjust search results by age-appropriateness.

Watch More:

INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD ALTERNATIVE

Overview:
Interactive Whiteboard like Smartboards and Promethean are all the rage with educators and administrators because they promote interactivity and student engagement. As such schools happily spend tens of thousands of dollars outfitting their classrooms. As the Professional Development Manager for the iTeach/iLearn 1-to-1 laptop initiative involving 24 schools in New York City I had the opportunity to visit many classrooms outfitted with these devices. Here’s what I saw. Teachers spending more time talking in front of the room. Teachers getting caught in the light of the projector as they took their sage on the stage role in the spotlight. Many issues with speakers, calibration issues, wires that were in the way and every so often the proud moment when a kid came up and tapped the board. Now, call me crazy but I don’t think Mr. Van Winkle would feel very comfortable in this classroom. The teacher is still usually front and center talking on and on and every so often a lucky kids comes up to the board to do something. The board has a light shining on it sure, but so what?

The Tool: Projector Only

Save thousands per classroom by ditching the Interactive Whiteboard and projector cart. I don’t suggest this because I think interactive whiteboards are a luxury, I suggest it, because I think teachers are more effective without the interactive whiteboard. The interactive whiteboard companies have spent thousands of dollars convincing you that you need these boards for a 21^st century classroom, but you don’t. I’ve been working with these companies for years and have challenged them to convince me otherwise but to date none have succeeded in changing my mind that this is a colossal waste of money.

You can accomplish the same instructional goals with a laptop and projector. The benefit is rather than having the teacher front and center in the classroom s/he can be eye to eye with students as the class work is projected behind him/her. Additionally, this enables the teacher to stay at the command station, the hub of where their work is…at their laptop. No awkward traveling back and forth between the laptop and interactive whiteboard or requiring presenting to be a two person activity. The same, if not more, interactivity can be achieved with student coming over to the laptop to share. You may hear that the software is the reason you need to make this costly purchase. I have found there are free alternatives to achieve the same goals.

Read More:

Join the Facebook debate on my wall at this link.
IWBFAQ: What’s better - a projector with tablet PC or an IWB?

VIDEO / AUDIO CONFERENCING

Overview:
Most educators know that technically video conferencing is a great idea for global connections and connecting students with experts. However, many have been told you need expensive equipment, software, a technician on hand and more. It’s not true! Don’t let the people from Polycom or Tandberg sell you a videoconferencing system costing tens of thousands of dollars. At the New York City Department of Education there are several such systems not being utilized because they require staff and maintenance that had not just not proven feasible for upkeep and maintenance in the school system.

The Tool: tinychat
tinychat is a free service that provides text, audio, and video chat rooms. One of the benefits of Tinychat is that nobody involved needs special software to join in and you don’t need to register. From the Tinychat website: Tinychat delivers dead simple video conferences without the extraneous add-ons and inconvenience, making video conferencing an accessible, uncomplicated experience. It works on a variety of systems and browsers; and there is a version available for iPhones. You can have up to twelve people in a room with HQ video, protected by passwords and moderators, share your desktop with them, and your conferences can be recorded and embedded on your website.

Read more

Video Conferencing Options Comparison

Skype, Tinychat, Oovoo, Dimdim, TokBox, Wiigo

Building online learning communities with Tinychat
Oovoo versus Tinychat for use in educational applications
Your Web 2.0 Review Series #7: Online Meeting Software and Services

Watch the demo:

Online Bulletin Board

Overview:
Educators know all too well the importance of and emphasis on bulletin boards and instructional charts. As a former literacy coach, we had a variety of instructional charts creating with every unit of study and classrooms often looked a little jungley with chart paper on the wall, chart paper hanging from clothes pins, etc. Additionally, what to do with all that chart paper when you switched units but knew you might want it back as an instructional chart for another unit? Of course educators also often use activities where post its may be used and posted around the room in support of a particular activity. Usually, all the learning is lost, stuffed into the back of a closet or the trash never to be seen again unless you are a rare educator who types them all up.

The Tool: Wallwisher
No more forgotten parking lots. No more having to type notes from post-its placed on chart paper. No more need to have tattered instructional charts strewn around the room. Hurray for Wallwisher, a website that allows you to leave virtual ‘post it’ notes in one place on the web. As well as text you can also embed hyperlnks, pictures and video. The Wallwisher online NOTICE BOARD maker is ideal for making announcements, keeping notes, and basically anything you can do with Post its and more. Students can partake without signing in or needing an email address.

Watch More:
http://screenjel.ly/Zd6v_TnCE0U

Screen Capture Recording

Overview: Screen capture recording enables teachers to create interactive course material that truly engages students. School administrators and staff can also use it to develop customized training on software applications, policies, and procedures. From online tutorials to software demonstrations, better communication and improved comprehension of material are at your fingertips with screencapture. Of course using a tool like Captivate at a price of about $700 for general consumers or even $240 for educators can be prohibitive. Especially, if you want to use this tool with various students on various computers having them author content.

The Tool: ScreenJelly and Screentoaster
ScreenJelly and Screentoaster record your screen activity with your voice for FREE so you can spread it instantly in any format you'd like with one click of a mouse. Use it to quickly share cool apps or software tips, report a bug, or just show stuff you like. To start recording, click on the red button. No need to install or download anything! Teachers can use this to record short lessons or tutorials for their students, or better yet, let their students record the tutorials for each other. Screenjelly, which comes from the the team that created ScreenToaster, is touted as being the simplest two use and has a three-minute limit. ScreenToaster has a few more bells and whistles and no such limit.

Read more

Read how a math teacher uses screen capture with his students - Kids Teach Kids with Mathcasting

Watch More

Visit http://www.screenjelly.com/ to watch the Screenjelly demo.

This is just a smattering of the many free and easy to use technologies available to innovative educators. Once classrooms are set up with the basic starter kick (read COST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO PREPARE YOUR SCHOOL OR CLASSROOM FOR 21ST CENTURY LEARNING) there is very little they can't do with students for free. In addition to each educator's personal learning network friends established in places like Facebook, Twitter, and Classroom 2.0, educators can continue to find great ideas right here on blogs like The Innovative Educator and/or the blog most celebrated for free educator stuff Free Technology for Teachers.

R.I.P. on Facebook

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:27:00 +0000

This weekend I attended my beloved Uncle David’s funeral. He was an amazing man and I am grateful to have had him in my life. As the day’s that lead up to his death approached and his funeral and Shiva arrangements were put in place, I was confronted with the question personally and from others about what is appropriate in these circumstances when it comes to Facebook. Unfortunately, every reader of this blog has or will also be confronted with this question for themselves, and/or from their friends, family members, students. When it does, I hope these ideas are helpful.

Facebook provides members with unique ways to confront this difficult time in their lives. Here are some of the benefits I noticed during this difficult time.

We all know that many people have friends on Facebook with whom they may not have well-established friendships, but what I love about Facebook is that it provides an opportunity for me to make some fantastic and unexpected connections with people. This holds true for remembering a loved one. Posting a status update may elicit a response from friends with whom you may never have otherwise connected. These persons (thank you to Larry, Tonia, Kyle, Danika, Danita, Carolyn, Samantha, Ann, Susan) may bring unexpected comfort and camaraderie.

I am not sure if I'm alone, but I am uncomfortable sharing difficult situations in part because I’m afraid of how the other person may react. What if they dismiss what I’m saying? What if they act like they don’t care? What if they seem uncomfortable? What if I say something weird or wrong? Facebook provides a nice way to put a thought out there and kind of test the waters. Who can relate? Who wants to relate? Who might I not seem to be bothering? Who may I have a shared experience with? Who is out there, that I may not have thought of, but is really just the right person to communicate with?

If the close friend or family member of the loved one posts a comment as my cousin did, it not only helps the person grieving, but it helps their Facebook friends as well. My cousin posted the following about her father/my uncle.

During his last days:

...my dad

Upon his death:

I will miss you so so much

I was uncomfortable reaching out to my cousin during this time. I knew she was spending her days and nights juggling a job, taking care of her father and raising children. This gave me a bit of a green light to give her a virtual hug without feeling like I was a burden. It also allowed me to learn from the comments of others more about my uncle and how he impacted many of our lives similarly. I made virtual bonds and connections I never would have had. A warmth came over me and I knew exactly what she meant when I read this friend’s comment, “one of my favorites...so playful and fun, treated me like a little lady instead of a kid, brings a smile to my face when I think about him.”

Finally, for someone like me who doesn’t fancy herself as being too great at sharing these sorts of things with others, Facebook allowed me a comfortable and comforting way to do so.

My cousin did such an amazing job of sharing when delivering her eulogy yesterday. She was so strong and I was truly impressed. It was such a sad day and I was so proud of her composure in sharing her important message about her father with the congregation. My boyfriend remarked, “When you have that kind of relationship with your father, I imagine such fond memories are easy to come by and are eagerly shared.” After my Uncle’s funeral yesterday my cousin asked me, “Do you think it was bad that I posted about my Dad on Facebook?” “No! I said. “Thank you so much for doing so. It helped me and others.” When I got home that evening I went to her wall and saw this message:

is relieved today is over...and having some good cuddle time with the kids while we watch Spongebob.

I smiled and hoped I had a part in letting her know what I perceived as her “got home safely” not only was okay, but was also appreciated by those who knew of her loss. Myself and some of her online friends commented. I wrote,

Amazing daughter. Amazing mother. Amazing cuz.

While I acknowledge Facebook is by no means a replacement for other ways of communicating, it provides for some, an important way to make a difficult time less difficult. I know this is an uncomfortable topic and I thought that like me, others may have wondered about this. I hope I’ve provided some helpful thoughts on this topic that may one day be helpful for you, a friend, loved one, or student.

This post is written in memory of my wonderful Uncle David who treated me like a lady even when I was a little girl. He was one of the rare individuals who made me (and many others) feel like I had valuable opinions that should be shared, heard, and responded to, even when, by societal standards, my age, gender, birthright, relationship status/history, or title may not have warranted it.

As my Uncle liked to say, "It is what it is," though many of us wish "It wasn't."

Whachu Talking 'Bout? Find Out with Facebook Status Clouds

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:33:00 +0000

Editor's Note: Please forgive the cheesy title. My father worked as a Director of Photography on the sitcom "Different Strokes" for a large part of my adolescence.

Facebook has a new app called Status Cloud that got my innovative educational juices flowing. It's a tool that makes a word cloud (think wordle) of your past year's status updates. It basically allows you to take a look at what's been on your mind for the past year and in essence places your Facebook brain in a word cloud. I instantly thought of so many terrific ideas to promote fun and engaging learning. Here they are.

FUN IDEAS FOR USING A FACEBOOK STATUS CLOUD FOR LEARNING

Team building ideas to help students learn and connect.

-Have students print out their status clouds and try to decide which status cloud belongs to which student.
-Have students tag their cloud in Flickr using a teacher created account and in the comment box either place their status cloud narrartive or use the comment box to guess who the cloud belongs to.
-Have student compare and contrast their status clouds, perhaps with a Venn diagram. They could also write a narrative explaining what they have in common and might never have in common with another class member.
-Have students place their cloud as a note on FB and tag 20 of their friends asking them to share common words.

Personal Narrative
-Have students write a personal narative expanding on the words found in their cloud.
-Have students create a personal narrative video based on words in their cloud.
-Have students create a personal narrative audio cast or voki based on their cloud.

Arts and Crafts
-Print the word clouds onto iron on paper and make tee shirts with students word clouds on the back. This could even be used as a fundraiser.

The Facebook status cloud is a great tool for students to get to know each other and provides a vehicle for students to reflect upon what messages they are sharing with their friends over the past year. How might they want their message to change in the new year? It also provides a fantastic way for students to get ideas for further sharing and publishing about the topic they are most expert in...themselves.

If you want to share your cloud with me, friend me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/InnovativeEdu (include a message if you haven't already) and share here.

Update! I just discovered there is a my friends link which allows you to instantly see the clouds of all your Facebook friends. These pictures could all be saved, tagged, and used for a number of cool purposes. Awesome!

----------------------------------------
How cool, this was picked up by Facebook in Education and spread to hundreds more people.

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Facebook in Education This educational blogger was inspired to come up with creative ideas for using the Status Cloud application in the classroom.

The Innovative Educator: Whachu Talking 'Bout? Find Out with Facebook Status Clouds

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Facebook has a new app called Status Cloud that got my innovative educational juices flowing. It's a tool that makes a word cloud (think wordle) of your past year's status updates. It basically allows ...

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21st Century Educators Don’t Say, “Hand It In.” They say, “Publish It!

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:45:00 +0000

During a recent visit to a school I was disappointed because although the school is noted as being a model technology school I was hearing from students, teachers, and leaders that the students had “handed in” a lot of great work, but none of it was being published. Instead their writing, videos, and podcasts lived mainly in obsolescence in a hard to find folder on their various teacher's computers or in obscurity, tattered on a bulletin board sadly with only some educator chicken scratch on it as its insignificant and sole form of comments and ratings.

I see schools like this all too often. Educators, parents, families are dazzled by their flashy assessment and data systems, charts showing kids progress, and fancy, static, one-dimensional bulletin boards. All this is evidence of what their kids are “capable” of achieving. Isn’t it ironic? All this data, assessment, and evidence that lives nowhere that is authentic, relevant, or important to the actual student we are trying to develop. It takes more than collecting data or creating on computers to be a 21st century school. If educators are not having students publish regularly in thoughtful, authentic, and relevant places they are NOT preparing them for today or tomorrow.

If the first decade of the 21st century was about data driven instruction and assessment, can we make the next decade about realizing potential of the student behind the data and publishing to authentic audience as part of student’s school lives?

When I tweeted, “Educators who ask students to, "Hand it in" rather than, "Publish it" are stuck in the past and not preparing 21st century students.” I received a lot of kudos and retweets, but I also received a bit of push back along the lines that it’s not realistic to expect all student work to be published. My response is this. The authentic publication of student work should be a part of EVERY SINGLE UNIT OF STUDY. If an educator can’t figure out a way to help students publish anything in a unit of study they need to either 1) Rethink the unit or 2) Rethink the assessment. While data in an expensive database may be impressive to educators, leaders, and test prep companies, it is not intrinsically meaningful for students or helping them in an authentic way. So how can teachers change practice and move from a “Hand it in” to a “Publish it” culture? Here are some ideas.

6 Ways Innovative Educators Can Move from “Hand It In” to “Publish it” Teaching

WRITING

Hand it in teaching:
Write a report about [place boring topic or classic book title here] and hand it in to the teacher. If you’re lucky, we’ll place one copy of your final work on the bulletin board or in the class library.

Publish it teaching:
Publish your own book or work in a group to publish a real book for a real audience, that can be purchased by anyone in the world who is interested in your topic. After you write your book I will help you promote it in appropriate places. In addition to well-known authors, student written books will also be offered for purchase in book fairs and during fund raising efforts.

Technology used:
Lulu or Blurb

Further Reading:
Innovative Educators Can Help Students and Themselves Become Published Authors

READING

Hand it in teaching:
Read the book I tell you and write a book report which I will read and hand back to you with some comments. Some papers will end up in the trash and some our bulletin board.

Publish it teaching:
Join our class online learning network where you will join a group based on the book you are reading. You will select a character from the book whose profile you will take on in the learning network. In the network you will create your profile page, engage in discussions and contribute blog posts as if you were the assigned character.

Technology used:
Ning

Further Reading:
How I Use Social Networking to Keep My Students Engaged All Summer Long

MATH

Hand it in teaching:
Read the chapter and answer the questions at the end. Or, complete this worksheet.

Publish it teaching:
Students demonstrate their knowledge of mathematical concepts by creating screencast tutorials that other students can view, rate, and comment on and discuss. Here is an example:

Technology used:
Either Jing, Screentoaster, or Screenjelly

Further Reading:
Kids Teach Kids with Mathcasting

ELL/TESOL

Hand it in teaching:
Translate this passage in your workbook.

Publish it teaching:
Have students create a Voki or use Google voice to share an oral presentation that shares something about themselves that they want other people to know in the language being studied. Set up a place where the Vokis or recordings can be published and where students can comment upon one another’s work. This enables to listen to and respond to each other’s work and even respond with another Voki recording.

This is what a Voki from a French class might look like. Don't forget to click on the comment bubble. This could be comments from the teacher or other students.

Here is what a Google Voice assignment might look like:
Hello class 7-403. Please submit your oral French report to me by clicking on the Google Voice icon below and entering your phone number. Remember your report should be 1 - 3 minutes.

Technology Used:
Voki or Google Voice

Further Reading:
I received my Google Voice Invite and You Should Too!
Global Welcome from The Innovative Educator

Technology used:
blog, video, photos

Further reading / ideas:
http://gradcooking.blogspot.com, http://blog.studentcooking.tv

COOKING

Hand it in teaching:
Students learn to cook something. Write down the recipe and cook the meal. At the end of the class they have a cook book of meals with their notes. The teacher grades this and gives it back to the student with comments.

Publish it teaching:
Students learn to cook something. They post on a blog the recipe, how to make it, nutritional facts, and for what a teenager might want to make this meal. They embed a cooking show like video of a different “Kid in the Kitchen” with each post as well as a photo of the finished product. Class members comment on the blog entry and rate and comment on the video. The blog is shared with other cooks and students around the world for feedback, rating and comments.

Technology used:
blog, video, photos

Further reading / ideas:
http://gradcooking.blogspot.com, http://blog.studentcooking.tv, http://www.studentrecipes.com

HISTORY / SOCIAL STUDIES

Hand it in teaching:
Read the chapter or read the website and complete this worksheet or complete the questions at the end of the chapter.

Publish it teaching:
The Entire Span of Human History Is In Your Hands! Dominate 6,000 years of history from the Ancient Age to the Information Age. Which forces will you deploy to lead your nation to global prominence? Trade, espionage, diplomacy…war? Whichever path you choose, you’ll experience the pulse pounding thrill and speed of real-time gaming combined with the epic scope and depth of turn-based strategy games – brought together for the first time ever in Rise of Nations. Rise of Nations is a historical real time strategy game. In Rise of Nations, you'll create new cities, improve city infrastructures and expand national borders. Conquer foes through military might using everything from sling-shots to cannons to stealth bombers to nuclear weapons; corner the market on key commodities and consolidate power under your rule; wheel and deal across time with history's eminent cultures.

How often do we tell our students, “The Entire Span of Human History Is In Your Hands!” How exciting is that for students to know? For those wondering why I’m considering this “Publish it teaching” it is because this is a real-time online game. Students are playing just with a computer game. The other game characters are other people…perhaps classmates, perhaps not. The students literally becoming a part of an immersive historical environment where in real time they are a part of history…interacting, chatting, strategizing. They must know the historical ages, conduct research, and be familiar with society at the time period they are in to succeed. And…this is available in multiple languages allowing students with a variety of different languages to interact together.

Take a look at the video that explains the game.

Rise of Nations Video from Ted 21C on Vimeo.

Let’s Stop Making Students Power Down at School

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:55:00 +0000

Unlike parents or teachers at their age, 21st century students are fortunate to have what Marco Torres refers to as "the global stage" which describes the worldwide publishing potential now offered by the Internet. Yet, for the most part students are performing on this stage completely devoid of teacher or adult influence. It is unfortunate that outside of school students operate in a world where they are interacting, publishing, and producing for thousands, yet as they enter the school building, they have to power down and produce work usually for an audience of one.

The self-proclaimed, almighty teacher.

I remember a story Alan November shared with me about a student he met who struggled with this. She felt her teacher was always wasting her time with unimportant writing assignments and reports that she cared nothing about. Her teacher never even bothered to learn what she actually did care about. The student was much more interested in the writing she was doing on FanFiction where she had discovered the world's largest archive and forum where fanfic writers and readers around the globe gather to share their passion. This student literally had thousands of fans around the world reading and responding to her stories. She had no interest and didn't care to make time to prepare work for the teacher who didn’t have interest or seem to care to take the time to learn to allow her students to express themselves in areas of passion and interest.

When school started this Fall, I was impressed with 9-year old Sarah’s two-minute recorded response to President Obama’s speech, posted to YouTube. She had 187,632 views, 1600 comments, and a 4 star rating. Talk about authentic assessment, authentic audience, and real learning.

Today there was another video I saw a little closer to home that I was extremely impressed with. It is this video which my boyfriend’s daughter created.

It has received more than 15,000 hits in a day! His 13-year old was excited to discover that her voice was heard and her message was shared with thousands of others who rated her work an impressive 4 stars and left relevant and meaningful comments. She also was excited to read the comments from other educators about the video that I posted on my Facebook wall which included:

Wow that's pretty amazing! She's got mad iMovie skillz yo! What grade is she in?
Your daughter is a great teacher for both teachers and students. Rather than taking classes, you should see if she could teach a class at her high school. All the teachers can be her students.
The immediacy of technology displayed in its best form.
Wow! Outstanding work! I've shared her work with our media club students - her work is sure to inspire our members! Thanks.
I'm impressed too! She did a great job in capturing not only the events of the day but the sentiment also. Great storyline and organization. OMG thank goodness I wasn't at the mall that day!

Barry (the video producer's dad) BBMed me saying, his daughter was smiling ear to ear and wanted to know, “What’s so good about my video?” Huh, would you look at that! A student requesting authentic assessment feedback from the educators that were impressed by her. There should be more conversations like these in schools for sure. When I asked her dad how often his daughter has these opportunities at school, he said, “as far as I know she doesn’t have such opportunities.” To answer her question here are a few things that are so good about the video. I’m sure I and others will come up with more.

-She learned how to use the software on her own. She didn’t need to take a movie making class. She just needed a subject that inspired her to learn how to make a movie.
-She is exploring a topic she is passionate about and her interest shines through.
-She teaches her peers through her comments how to employ movie making techniques.
-She tells a clear and focused story with a message.
-She employs mart and appropriate use of graphics and subtitles.
-She has a great eye for capturing engaging video and photography.
-She incorporates a range of important story elements from real-time tweets, to audience reaction, to appropriate background music and commentary.
-She provides smart on target transitions.
-She lays out a clear sequence, flow, and story line.
-She is an on the street journalist with a story to tell and thousands of people who want to watch that story.

As an educator of innovative educators, I urge you to remember these students, their voices, their passions and don’t force students to power down when they come to school. Encourage and embrace their excitement, their passions, their enthusiasm, their need for socializing and authenticity. Help make school a place your students want to be, discover, grow, learn and share.

8 Innovative Schools Provide Ideas and Inspiration for 21st Century Education

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:02:00 +0000

As the saying goes, if he woke up today, schools would be one of the few places that Rip Van Winkle would recognize after his 100 year slumber. Unlike business, medicine, the media, etc, most schools look very much as they did 100 years ago. Sadly, even in schools where leaders and educators want to move into the 21st Century, many don't know what this looks like. One of the best ways to provide inspiration to leaders and educators searching for innovative ideas for providing a 21st century education is to explore successful models of innovative schools. However, it is difficult to develop a vision of a 21st century school because there are few well-know publicly-available models that are captured and shared. Though they tried, Microsoft’s School of the Future became a lesson in failure and while there are islands of success at schools like Science Leadership Academy, CIS 339, and The School of One, there are few known established places that one can visit to read about innovative schools such as these.

That is, until now. Under the leadership of Bruce Lai, Chief of Staff, Office of the Chief Information Officer at New York City Department of Education eight NYC DOE schools have been identified as those providing students with an education that looks different from that of their parents and grandparents. These are schools that are making progress along the continuum of 21st century success. The Model Technology Schools Project was created to document and disseminate effective practices that are already in place within the New York City Department of Education school system. More specifically, the project aims to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from some of the City’s most innovative schools to schools that may need guidance in moving toward a 21^st-century model. A data-driven school in Queens, for example, may be struggling to use Smartboards effectively, while a school in Brooklyn may have mastered Smartboard technology, but needs assistance in setting up a data system. This project is a first step toward connecting schools like these.

This project was made possible as a result of a key component of the New York City Department of Education’s Children First reforms…the empowerment of school principals. Because principals know more about the on-the-ground reality of their schools than anyone else, they have been given greater power over decisions relating to budgets, programs, and personnel. In exchange for this increased freedom in shaping their schools, principals are held to higher accountability standards.

Many principals have used their increased autonomy to develop innovative practices and programs. However, the tremendous amount of responsibility principals have on both the instructional and operational sides of their schools may limit the time they have to communicate with other principals throughout the City. As a result, best practices can easily get lost in the shuffle of day-to-day realities.

This is particularly true with regard to technology, which is a relatively new leadership arena for principals. For years, technology in the schools has been seen as an “extra.” However, it has become clear that technology is part of the foundation of a 21^st-century model of teaching and learning: a blend of face-to-face and online teaching, communication, and collaboration between students, educators, school leaders, parents, and educational partners. This model may just be the next game-changer when it comes to improving student achievement—and improvement is necessary if we expect our children to thrive in the 21^st-century global economy.

The eight schools chosen for this project—though they in no way comprise an exhaustive list—all reflect the standards outlined by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). These schools, which range from very small to very large, span four of the five boroughs and have diverse student bodies. They are all eligible for Title I funds and a high majority of their students receive free or reduced price lunch. The principals are exemplary leaders who ensure that technology is integrated into instruction and leveraged to differentiate learning. They have all managed to create cohesive communities in which technology is understood to be an inextricable part of the school fabric, and a foundation for their instructional visions.

The eight comprehensive case studies that follow highlight schools that have used technology to improve student achievement and operational efficiency. Although they offer only a snapshot of the exciting advances schools have made, they are designed to encourage principals to reflect on their practices and look to other schools for new ideas. When reading the case study consider if any of these schools provide inspiration for what could be implemented at your own school site. Then use the 21st century school visioning tool as a resource to structure and capture ideas that you may want to consider incorporating into your school or classroom. Results can be viewed here.

The Model Technology Program Schools
Note: If you would like to connect with a specific school, please feel free to reach out to its principal:

Brooklyn Tech High School -- The Real Thing: Career-Driven Education through Professional Technology
Principal: Randy Asher RAsher@schools.nyc.gov
East-West School of International Studies -- Languages and Self-Expression: Preparing Students for a Global World through Multiple Learning Modalities
Principal: Ben Sherman BSherma2@schools.nyc.gov
The Goddard School -- Teaching Tech to Teachers: Professional Development as a Driver for Instructional Innovation
Principal: Bill Fitzgerald WFitzge@schools.nyc.gov
IS 318 Eugenio Maria de Hostos -- Principal as Programmer: Six Years of Differentiated Instruction Fostered by Home-Grown Data System
Principal: Fred Rubino FRubino@schools.nyc.gov
MS 339, "Tech Tigers" -- It’s Free: Fostering Collaboration and Creating a Seamless Educational Experience with the Google Suite
Principal: Jason Levy JLevy@schools.nyc.gov
NYCiSchool -- Students Take Charge: College-Readiness through Educational Independence and Problem-Based Instruction
Principals: Alisa Berger ABerger@schools.nyc.gov and Mary Moss MMoss@schools.nyc.gov
PS 5, The Port Morris School -- XOs and Differentiation: Improving Reading and Writing through Student Empowerment
Principal: Mary Padilla MPadill@schools.nyc.gov
PS 101, The Verrazano School -- Apple 2Es to Netbooks: Developing 21st-Century Classrooms for Student-Centric Learning
Principal: Gregg Korrol GKorrol@schools.nyc.gov

As you read each case study you will notice a number of themes emerge from this diverse group of Model Technology Schools. They are as follows:

Student engagement through digital content
It is easy for students to disengage when teachers do not require active participation, or when education is delivered in a one-size-fits-all model. Digital content makes it easier for teachers to engage “digital natives,” or students who have grown up with Internet technology. Principals have reported improvements in behavior and attendance since the integration of technology in their schools. At The Verrazano School, students who come in for breakfast go straight to the auditorium afterwards, excited to play a version of Jeopardy with Smartboard remotes. At The Goddard School, students are particularly enthusiastic about a media elective offered in the school’s fully-equipped television studio.

Motivation and accountability through public nature of work
Many schools post student work online. School Web sites often feature multimedia student projects, such as podcasts, videos, and music. Students are also asked to contribute to class and school-wide blogs, and to comment on work contributed by their peers. On all grade levels, principals have found that the public nature of work motivates students to meet or exceed standards and expectations. For example, the elementary school students at P.S. 5 express excitement about seeing their writing “published” and posted on class Web sites and online educational magazines. The middle school and high school students at East-West and Brooklyn Tech regularly contribute to blogs. Although these blogs are not moderated by school leaders, students monitor themselves and meet self-imposed standards of appropriateness. They learn the responsibilities that go along with public presentation on the Web.

Focus on literacy
Reading and writing are often reinforced through specialized software, such as online leveled libraries, which can assess a child’s reading level, as well as “speak” the story or specific vocabulary words. Literacy software can be used in small groups within the classroom, or in labs (I.S. 318 has a small lab dedicated to Scholastic 180). As mentioned above, blogs give students an outlet to practice their writing skills, as well as a forum to express their opinions and engage in discussion with others. Principals stress that blogs are not diaries, and emphasize their utility as instructional spaces. In addition, programs such as Google docs make it easy for students to share documents with each other and with their teachers, which facilitates peer editing.

Internet literacy
Along with reading and writing skills, Internet literacy is also becoming more and more important; 21^st-century schools teach students how to analyze online information for accuracy and assess the quality of sources. In the past, students relied on school library books for research. Now, they must learn how to deal with the tremendous amount of information—of varied quality—available to them on the Web. Whether or not principals require students to take a basic technology/Internet course, they agree that Internet literacy must be explicitly taught.

Data-driven instruction
Computerized databases and assessment tools give teachers access to unprecedented amounts of student data. Teachers and administrators can use this data—compiled in ARIS or in other systems—to tailor instruction to different skill levels. Teachers at The Verrazano School and The Goddard School make extensive use of Smartboard remotes to incorporate quizzes into their lessons. This allows them to access real-time feedback on student comprehension, which they can use immediately to modify their lessons.

Student-centric classrooms
Since computers make it easier for students to work independently, teachers can create small groups of students according to skill-level. They are then free to move around the room as facilitators, providing more or less attention as needed. At P.S. 5, for instance, a group of ELL students may be working on pronunciation with headphones plugged into their laptops, while another group may be reading independently.

Multimodal learning
Not every student is a purely auditory or visual learner. Technology makes it easier to engage multiple sensory modalities so that students have a greater chance of learning in the ways most suitable for them. An effective Smartboard lesson, for example, may integrate video and audio clips, as well as interactive components that allow students to answer questions via remote or touch screen. A multisensory approach can be particularly helpful for ELLs and students learning foreign languages.

Project/problem-based learning
In order to connect learning to the larger world, teachers engage students in project-, or problem-based learning. With so much information at their fingertips, as well as easily-facilitated connections for distance learning, students can act as consultants who solve real world problems. At the NYC iSchool, the curriculum is based around interdisciplinary modules that connect traditional subject knowledge with contemporary issues, making learning feel more relevant.

Collaboration
The increased facility of communication makes it easier for students, teachers, parents, school leaders, and educational partners to work together to reach educational goals. Collaboration can be as simple as teachers sharing lesson plans with each other through Google Docs, or as complex as live streaming presentations and sharing student projects as part of a world-wide Internet conference (M.S. 339). East-West partners with schools in Shanghai and London, and the NYC iSchool utilizes video-conferencing to connect students to organizations, experts, and professors, both nationally and internationally.

Student empowerment
One of the premises of an education at the NYC iSchool is that students take charge of their own learning, and at Brooklyn Tech, students are given access to high-level technologies that are used by professionals in the field. Technology empowers students to seek information independently rather than waiting for it to be delivered to them.

Students as tech support
Students play a crucial role in the operation of their schools as members of tech-squads. Schools usually need trouble-shooting assistance that goes beyond the capacity of a tech coach, and trained students can respond to requests teachers submit, often through an online system. They usually receive service credit for their work. On an informal basis, students constantly assist their teachers with technology, which gives even elementary school-aged children the opportunity to feel like leaders.

Overcoming staff buy-in challenges
Teachers at different stages of their careers may not see a need to change their practice, so it isn’t always easy to convince them that technology integration is important. Principals have dealt with these challenges in various ways. Some have found specialized professional development to be helpful in making technology less threatening, and others have integrated technology into administrative practices first in order to ease it into instruction. Principals emphasize that teachers should not be forced into technology use; they need to understand how it can help them and how it can help their students.

Contact Information

The Model Technology Schools Project is sponsored by the NYC DOE’s Division of Instructional and Information Technology (DIIT). DIIT in conjunction with the Office of Educational Technology would love to hear about innovative technology practices taking place at your school. To share your ideas or for more information on the Model Technology Schools Project, please visit our survey link here.

Acknowledgments
The Model Technology Schools Project was conceived and led by Bruce Lai, Chief of Staff, Office of the Chief Information Officer / DIIT. In addition to the principals, assistant principals, and teachers who were crucial to this project, DIIT would like to thank the following individuals for their assistance: Cara Spitalewitz (Education Pioneers Summer Fellow), Catherine White, Marina Negroponte, Roya Rahmani, Anissa Moeini, Niko Cunningham, Gazelle Javantash, Hannes Klopper, and Professor Kevin Kelley (Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs), Celine Azoulay-Lewin, Lisa Nielsen, Julian Cohen, Gregg Betheil, Andrew Gallagher, Patricia Paddock, Jane Pook, Troy Fischer, Joel Rose (NYC Department of Education).

Meet the Press: Duncan, Gingrich, Sharpton

noreply@blogger.com (Dana Lawit) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:45:00 +0000

A lengthy clip, but worth a watch as Duncan, Sharpton, and Gingrich talk about every education issue on the table right now (and all under 25 minutes) -- national standards, teachers unions, Race to the Top funds, charter schools, etc..

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National Educational Technology Plan

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:13:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Education is developing a new National Educational Technology Plan to provide a vision for how information and communication technologies can help transform American education. The plan will provide a set of concrete goals that can inform state and local educational technology plans as well as inspire research, development, and innovation. A draft plan is expected in early 2010.

The plan development team is looking for insights from the field to help us understand how to improve education through the innovative use of technology.

What would you like to see considered in the National Educational Technology Plan?

You can contribute your recommendations here.
You can see what others have recommended here.

Lost and Found 21st Century Style

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:42:00 +0000

I recently had an amazing adventure in lower Manhattan as I tried to find my “lost on the NYC MTA Transit bus” pocket book. The ordeal left mean thinking, “Why Aren’t There 21st Century Solutions to Our Lost and Found Problems.” Here’s one idea.

Twitter as a Lost and Found Solution
One simple and free solution would be to utilize Twitter which could serve as a perfect tool to help lost items become reunited with their owners. All that would be required is a format protocol to be put in place and shared. This could work for schools, transit systems, and more. A simple tag could be L&F followed by (lost or found) the organization, the date, the item and either who it belongs to (first initial, last name-if such evidence exists) or where it can be retrieved. Here is an example of what this might look like:

Lost items: L&F Lost @ MTABus14D 09/12/09 - silver pocketbook belongs to LNielsen

Found items: L&F Found @ 05M123 Class8-242 09/12/09 - black polo retrieve from room 526

This could be sent for free via twitter sms (twitter.com/devices), twitter voice (877-893-3822), or via computer (twitter.com). A transit worker or educator without access to a phone or computer could radio this into dispatch or the school dean.

The benefit of this is that people can instantly figure out anytime/anywhere if their item has been found and they can also have a notification to organizations when items are lost.

During my recent amazing race through Manhattan to find my pocket book I learned that there was no set protocol in place. While I was lucky to have had myself and a friend chasing and hopping buses around Manhattan a more efficient, effective, and economical approach like the one I am suggesting could make life easier for the driver trying to get to his destination on time, the passenger trying to find her lost item and/or the educator who has found an item or the student who has lost one.

Bus Spotting and Chasing - The Innovative Educator's Amazing Race to Find Her Lost Pocket Book

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:43:00 +0000

While on a rare shopping trip (I do most of my buying online) my friend Tonya asked what I thought about a shirt she was considering purchasing. I was about to answer when suddenly, I felt something seemed off. We were 15 minutes into our shopping excursion and I noticed my pocketbook was not on my shoulder. Ummm...I said calmly, "Tonya, my pocket book is gone...with all my money, phone, credit cards, house keys - in general my life. What do we do?" "When did you see it last?" she asked. I told her I knew I had it on the bus we took to get to the store because I used my Metrocard. I looked at each shoulder one more time and did a spin around the store. It wasn't there. I was thinking about what they say when you are caught in the undercurrent in the ocean. Stay calm. Don't panic. Follow the current.

Tonya was my current and without skipping a beat she said, "Let's get a taxi and try to find the bus that we took." I followed her lead and said, "Okay! Let's go!" That was the extent of our plan.

We jumped into a taxi and she said to the driver, "This may seem a little weird, but...follow the 14D bus route. We have a bus to catch!" Of course none of us knew the route beyond where we were -- We are Westside girls venturing to the Eastside. Tonya immediately called her boyfriend to try to determine which street the bus took. He looked it up online and we had our route.

Within minutes, our plan became, this: As soon as we find the first bus, I'd hop off and ask the bus driver to radio in the lost pocketbook. She would stay in the taxi trying to find the bus we had got off about 20 minutes ago.

We spotted our first bus. I jumped out of the taxi and onto the bus. Tonya would continue in the taxi trying to track down the bus. I explained my saga to the driver and asked him to radio in my lost item. The bus driver was clearly feeling more disturbed that I was delaying his route then helpful. "Can you call this in, please???" "No," he said. "We can't do that." He rattled off a number for me to call trying to get me off the bus. I explained I had no phone, no pen, no paper, and sadly a memory that probably couldn't hold those ten digits in it for very long. I asked for a little more help please. He quickly scribbled a number on a piece of paper and scooted me off the bus.

Following the not-too-well thought-out plan I ran to the next bus stop, but after I saw a bus pass on the other side of the street, I realized I should go there and try to catch the driver toward the end of his route. Maybe I'd be able to find my bus.

Of course I had no way to tell Tonya this, but I just hoped it would work out or that she might figure out what I was thinking. What I did have with me was a laptop with an almost dead battery. I thought maybe I could get an email out to some people who would see it who could call Tonya and tell her where I was. At the same time I knew I would be hopping on buses trying to find my pocket book. So, I held my laptop (think waitress) in one hand and logged in with my other, while I kept an eye out for a bus. I had 17 minutes of battery power.

The first bus came before I could start typing an email. I couldn't close my laptop, because it would take to long to reboot and probably die. I told the driver my saga and he lets me take a look around even though I don't think it's the bus. I find nothing and get off the bus.

While watching out for the next bus, I go back to my laptop. There is 14 minutes of battery power left and I typed an email out to two friends, my boyfriend, and Tonya with the subject line "Help!"

left purse on bus. no money. no keys corner of East 10th and ave c
stopping all busses.

no blackberry only laptop with almost-dead battery.

Then I jump on the next bus. Not my driver, but he says he'll radio in my lost item for me. I'm not sure if he did, but I was thankful he offered and a bit disturbed at the earlier driver who told me that was not possible. I get off the bus about to go back to the laptop. When I look up and another bus had come right away. My laptop and I get on the bus and I tell this driver my saga.

I ask him if my lost pocket book was radioed in and he said he hadn't heard anything. Hrumph! Was that other driver just trying to get me off the bus or maybe he just hadn't had a chance to radio it in. I wonder. This driver offers to drive me to dispatch, which he says is at 14th/9th. He said maybe someone turned it in there, or maybe someone brought it to the main depot in the West 40s. I asked if there was a definite system of turning lost items into dispatch or the depot. He said, he didn't know, but if he he found something that's what he'd do. I decide to stay on the corner because at this point I'm not sure if Tonya is still looking for me, and I think maybe my boyfriend got the email and he may be coming so I didn't want to disappear. I have a plan B to ask a subsequent driver to take me to dispatch if Tonya or my beau don't find me.

Even though I felt relatively confident I would be collected, I was a bit concerned as I realized it was going to get dark soon. I started to occur to me that I was on a corner in the East Village without any money, credit card, phone, house key...nothing and this could be bad if Tonya can't find me and she is not reached. Still holding my laptop waitress-style and with 8 minutes of battery, I send out my next email, entitled, "Help 2." I write:

purse gone. I'm staying at ave C and East 10th for a bit.
like 30/40 mins looking for my bus. then 9th/14th to dispatch.

can someone call 2127125012 and report this. gray purse. blackberry. credit card. drivers license. whole nine yards.
Can someone call tonya's beau. jen has the number and let her know i'm on 11th and ave c. She may be able to get me.

oy vey!

I check my email and I receive two messages. 6 minutes of battery left. My boyfriend replies:

I'm heading in now to get u.

Phew! I think. I won't be left on the corner all night.

The second was from my friend Mel who writes that she is at her office and if there is a problem I should just come there. Double phew-at least I know I have a plan to get home safely if need be. 5 minutes of battery power left and I realize I need to write down the address and directions to Melanie's office since my computer will be dead and I won't remember. I ask a few people on the street and find someone who lets me borrow her pen. I quickly copy the address and directions on the back of my hand as another bus pulls up.

It's a woman, and I know my driver was a man. I ask her if drivers ever switch between the start of the route and here. She says they don't and I get off the bus and check my laptop again with 2 minutes of battery left. I see a "New mail" message from Tonya responding to my help email. It says:

"Got it Lisa! I'm on 14th St now walking to Mel's office."

I quickly shoot an email to my beau saying:

purse found. i think. crazy adventure. going to mel"s
office union sq east

And with that, battery dead and my computer shuts itself off.

I close the laptop hoping "Got it!" meant Tonya got my pocket book and not my email message. I decide she meant she got my pocket book and literally skip down the street in my high heel boots that certainly were NOT made for walking. I had about a 30-minute walk ahead and tired feet, but I was happy as could be. I couldn't believe my purse likely was found and I didn't yet know how.

I got to Mel's office around sundown and Tonya explains how she and her taxi driver chased buses all along the route and at about bus #5 she actually found our bus driver. When she asked, he told her to get on the bus so not to delay the route and asked her to describe it. Gulp. She realized she never asked what it looked like and she had yet to receive my email at this point describing the pocket book. A lady on the bus shares with Tonya that someone had turned in a missing item and perhaps it was what she was looking for. She asks the driver if she could take a look as she was sure there would be something with my name in the pocket book. She found ID and was off the bus with the goods-elated, and skipped to Melanie's office too.

I have no idea how I walked off the bus without my pocket book. I had never lost it before in my life, but somehow I just did. I felt fortunate that so many circumstances and wonderful friends and strangers jumped into action to enable this story to have a happy ending, but I couldn't help but think...couldn't there be a system in place to help people who lose items? This could be a win-win-win all around. The unfortunate soul would have an answer, the driver's time wouldn't be wasted, and people would know how to help. This could be free and easy if a system was determined. That will be the topic of another post.

Stay tuned...

Quick & Dirty History of the Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Dana Lawit) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:12:00 +0000

~Dana Lawit

Great context for innovative educators and their students alike. Digital ethnographer Michael Wesch frames the evolution of the Internet to Web 2.0 and raises some compelling questions.

Should We Ban School Leaders From Embracing Technology?

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:53:00 +0000

My most popular Facebook status update ever. Over two dozen comments and counting...

Lisa Velmer Nielsen Looks like I rubbed off on this school leader who said in our grant eval report-Perhaps you could encourage the Chancellor to remove his ban of cell phone use because it is a good way to have students use technology to produce better educational outcomes. Yesterday at 10:57pm
Comment · Like / Unlike | Carol likes this.

Jeff
That's all fine and I agree but you have to remember who signs your check!
Yesterday at 11:00pm · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
I don't advocate that anyone not follow a mandate, but I do advocate for enlightening, inspiring, and informing my boss. I also hopeful I work for someone who believes he may be able to learn something from his employees and celebrates their voice. I think one day in the not too distant future it will seem unfathomable that we banned students from bringing their personal learning devices to school.
Yesterday at 11:04pm · Delete

Andy
He will come around if his comment during the week long School of One kick-off is any indication. Without explicitly saying it was a mistake, he hinted that perhaps he could have done things differently on this one. It might be worth some key folks broaching this subject with him on a whole new level
Yesterday at 11:10pm · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
@Andy, good to hear. I do believe he will indeedy come around. Kinda crazy that at the same time he was banning I was consulting with Roland Fryer's folks at the NYC DOE to determine ways cells could be used as ed tools. It's gotta change. He's smart enough to change his decision if provided proper evidence I think.
Yesterday at 11:12pm · Delete

Jeff
I am optimistic that we can change things, we use cell phones, ipod touches and laptops (1:1) in our school already. The major difference is that we are a high tech school using online curriculum and pbl as a model for our face to face classes.
Yesterday at 11:14pm · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
@Jeffrey, that's the key. Good examples and reasons for it. I don't think there were many until recently.
Yesterday at 11:15pm · Delete

Lynn
the new android phone is the kicker and the new evidence..
19 hours ago · Delete

Jeffrey
Lisa, I do agree with you about the potential of cell phones in school. However, whenever I have spoken to classroom teachers about it, most (by far) are against it. Food for thought.
13 hours ago · Delete

Ceci
With all innovative technologies there is the other side of safety. Have you researched the number of schools in NYC that have had safety incidents due to students having their cell phone in school. (texting their friends to gang up on students) This number unfortunately is very high. Until there is a safety plan that addresses all the other ... Read Moreissues that come along with students having cell phones in schools, I do not believe it will be endorsed by the administration for all schools. We may have some schools in the Innovation Zone lucky enough to pilot mobile technologies but I do not see a city wide implementation in the near future for all schools.
12 hours ago · Delete

Jon
It is up to teachers ultimately. As teachers begin co-opting this personal technology for use in schools, the rules will become irrelevant. It's not the chancellor's mandate that inhibits their use - it is the challenge teachers face with fear of inappropriate use, increased pressure to be accountable for students learning the basics, etc. As we ... Read Moreprovide teachers more suggestions for ways to use them (and support/encouragement in doing so) and their ubiquity becomes status quo, we will see them be adopted for classroom use regularly. It is an inevitability. It's like the teachers' union rule that mandates all schools must have a pay phone - is that rule really relevant anymore? Is anyone enforcing that? I imagine not. The technology will often move faster than the rules...
10 hours ago · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
@Jeffrey, yes! Totally get that and have a nice plan for this that involves a small amount of professional development and the teachers starting by using cells as a homework option for the first ½ - whole year. Part of my issue is that this should be a school decision, not a mayoral or chancellor driven decision. If teachers/principals want to ... Read Moreembrace the potential of the power that exists in a students pocket they should be allowed. Another side of this Jeff, is that there are teachers stuck in the past that don’t want to use technology in general. Should the drive to use tech be teacher or student driven?
10 hours ago · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
@Jeffrey, one more thing, in a school run by this leader who wants to incorporate innovative practices, it is unfortunate they are not allowed?
10 hours ago · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
@Ceci, I very much disagree with this argument. Cells are a communication tool. Fights can be organized by texting sure, but they have also been organized simply by talking, passing notes, emails, or IMs. We shouldn... Read More’t be banning the tools i.e. paper, computers, freedom of speech, but instead inform the behavior. The other side of this is of course, the frequency that lives are saved because someone has a cell phone or was in danger. Finally, if we make student’s world in schools look so different than outside, then we are turning our backs to the fact that we haven’t prepared them for the world in which they live and the world where they will pay their three bucks after school to get their phone out of the local bodega.
9 hours ago · Delete

Jeffrey
Jon, I think you are correct in the ultimate inevitability of cell phones in the classroom; same happened with many preceding technologies (albeit without a system wide prohibition). I still would like to hear the opinions of classroom teachers in this thread, though. I am sure many would be willing to use cells, but i believe many many more would... Read More not.

Lisa, I like the idea of first using cells as a homework option, and being a school option. Start in a small, volunteer, nonthreatening way. Build up a base and a consensus.
8 hours ago · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
Jeffrey, I agree with your on target approach. It is very Chris Lehmann-esque. It should be an option and voluntary...at least to start. A big part of what I believe is that we should empower schools to be innovative, not ban them from innovation. Eventually, though, schools must be required to have the world inside the brick and mortar look more ... Read Morelike the world outside it. If we don't, we will be enforcing the cliche of preparing kids for our past rather than their present and then sadly schools will continue to be irrelevant to the lives of students.
46 minutes ago · Delete

Sheldon
Think about it. Cell phones are banned because rather then make school more interesting they attack the symptom. Another example of how long a path we have to travel before the kids become important.
8 hours ago · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
Sheldon, so happy even a retired guy gets it :))))
No wonder we connected so well since my very first days in this field :-D
8 hours ago · Delete

Lynn
I do think they should start making it a school leaders decision. This needs to be all or nothing and its not appropriate for one teacher to do this. You need the whole school on board.
8 hours ago · Delete

Ceci
I figured you would disagree lisa, my suggestion would be to step out and be at one of the schools during dismissal that have daily safety issues that result from students texting outside of school during the day and see the issues from a principals perspective. If you want the name of a couple of schools to visit I would be glad to share them ... Read Morewith you.

Mobile technolgies should be explored and integrated into daily instruction, but that does not mean it is the right solution for every school.
7 hours ago · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
Celine, I agree that it is not the right solution for "some" schools, but blanket policies and mandates for all are dangerous and halt progress. Especially in a time of empowerment, shouldn't a school leader, teachers, students (not the mayor or chancellor) have the right to decide what is best? At the same time shouldn't schools with leaders (... Read Moresuch as the one mentioned in my status update) that embrace personal learning devices as a way to enhance learning, connect with students, and engage learners, be empowered to do so?
about an hour ago · Delete

Jake
I concur with Celine's point. Unfortunately, the negative aspects of cell phones is all too real.
22 minutes ago · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
Jacob, this is sooo sad! So you think that a leader and teachers who see how this can be a tool of learning and empowerment, like the one in my status update shouldn't be allowed to embrace the power of technology? And, if you really believe this, then you might as well ban computers and laptops because any communication device can be used or ... Read Moremisused. I find this sooo disheartening. And, if you do that, then you should also probably consider finding a different line of work since what we do is help folks embrace these tools to prepare kids for the world in which they live.
16 minutes ago · Delete

Jake
You or anyone can embrace whatever they want. Clearly a ban is not the answer given the potential technology offers. Having said that, one must consider the real dangers that exist as in this day and age "ignorance is not bliss". In the end, it should really be a school decision in which "we the technology leaders" provide them with the information needed to make a decision that works for their particular school community.
4 minutes ago · Delete
Lisa Velmer Nielsen
Lisa Velmer Nielsen
@Jacob, of course there are real dangers, but as Shelly said above, you don't ban the tool because the tool can be a pen, paper, mouth of kid, computer, etc. Our job is to teach educators, students, leaders, to embrace not fear the power of technology and use the tools that the kids have in the real world ...both inside ad outside of school.
4 minutes ago · Delete

Jake
As I said previously, a ban is not the answer. However, one should not underestimate the dangers out there. I know you will not agree with this. However, I believe a sound policy is needed for the "real dangers". One that embraces technology but also protects from the real dangers.
2 seconds ago · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
I do agree with a school making a policy that meets individual school needs. I don't agree with a mayor or chancellor making a policy that bans students from bringing any personal learning device to school. If we do that, we are letting fear of some overpower possibility and promise of others.
2 seconds ago · Delete

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Note: Content is intact, but names have been changed to protect the privacy of those who may want this conversation to remain within the Facebook conversation of friends only.

WatchKnow - Helping Educators Find Videos That Students Can Watch to Know More

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Branzburg) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:10:00 +0000

(Guest post by Jeff Branzburg)

There are many places on the Internet to find and view videos; some are general purpose (like YouTube and Vimeo) some specific to education (such as TeacherTube, SchoolTube, Annenberg, and more). Some are free, some cost. Fairly new in this mix for education is WatchKnow (www.watchknow.com), a nonprofit project of the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi. WatchKnow has some impressive names behind it, such as Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger, and an advisory committee with other well known people like Chris Dede and Larry Lessig.

Here’s how they describe themselves –

“What is WatchKnow? Imagine hundreds of thousands of great short videos, and other media, explaining every topic taught to school kids. Imagine them rated and sorted into a giant Directory, making them simple to find. WatchKnow--as in, "You watch, you know"--is a non-profit online community devoted to this goal.”

The site currently provides access to over 11,000 educational videos; their goal is to bring that to the hundreds of thousands. They don’t host the videos, they link to them on YouTube, TeacherTube, National Geographic, eHow, Internet Archive, and other hosts.

And they don’t just list any video; they have a media review panel of teachers, librarians, and experts in educational technology, who serve as community moderators and rate videos (their ratings are worth proportionately more than other contributors).

Here’s what I like about WatchKnow –

It pulls together videos from a variety of sites. There are a lot of excellent videos that can be used in the classroom all over the Internet. And that’s part of the problem. They are all over the Internet. Sure, you can go to Annenberg, go to the Internet Archive, go to TeacherTube and search. But wouldn't it be better to go to one place, search for a topic, and have results from all? An educational meta-search, vetted by teachers, for videos.
It is very easy to search, filter, or drill down. Searching is just like any search – enter a term, click search, and see the results. Filtering can be used to limit results by age (by using a sliding number-line type graphic). Or drill down by clicking subjects, areas, topics, each time zeroing in on what you are looking for.
It is a non-profit organization. I have no problem with profit making organizations, but I seem to always lean toward the non-profits (I work for two right now). They have no shareholders to answer to. Just their cause, their purpose in being.
Most of the videos have been added by teachers and librarians hired to do so. Professionals doing their jobs.
The advisory committee is strong, which helps keep the organization on target.
All newly uploaded videos are moderated, so users know there are standards to which they are held. (This reminds me somewhat of NYLearns.org, where resources are all moderated.)
It is easy and efficient for teachers to use, as well as visually appealing

On the other hand -

With most videos (at least that I saw) from YouTube, many schools would miss a lot. (True, one can use a service such as Zamzar to download them, but that adds a step, besides the questionable legality of doing so).
Most of the videos I viewed were lectures on screen, lots of digital chalk and talk. More interesting, innovative videos are needed.
There are "only" about 11,000 videos (it’s funny to refer to 11,000 as "only." Before the electronic age no school had that many films, videotapes, or even filmstrips – remember them - but we know there are so many more available online overall. Times change!)

Overall, I think WatchKnow is useful, and will hopefully grow to be more useful over time. Keep an eye on it!

The Hubbub About Insensitivity to The Child Free By Choice

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:25:00 +0000

Lisa Velmer Nielsen Advice to ALL presenters. Don't assume audience members are or will be parents. It's offensive to the people for whom that is not true.

I posted this tweet following the Tech Forum conference on Friday. After which I received 16 c omments on Facebook, various emails, BBMs, Tweets, ReTweets, and DMs. My boyfriend and others asked what happened? Who said something offensive? There was such a stir, that I felt the topic was worthy of it's very own blog post.

The fact is that nearly every time I go to a conference and oft times at meetings, people make comments along the lines of, "We're not only teachers, we're also parents." or "You always have to wonder, is this a school I'd want my child to go to." or "And, for those of you who don't have children yet, when you do..." or in the case of this conference, "We're all parents or will be one day." Some people I deeply respect make these comments because it never occurs to them that the world is a changin. There are new choices for women whose incomes are now about equal to mens, who have the right to vote, who can purchase land all by themselves. In fact, October will be the first month in which women outnumber men in the workforce, women are holding more management and supervisory positions than men, by a margin of 37 percent to 31 percent, in like-for-like work women and men with the same amount of work experience are earning the same, and women's pay is actually increasing faster than men's. (Read more at: What's Happening To Women's Happiness?). It's hard to believe that it was such a short time ago that things were very different. Today women have new choices and they may have chosen to live a life without children.

Unfortunately, the word isn't out yet to mothers and fathers that this is a perfectly fine choice. People, especially those who speak publicly, need to be aware that there are more and more women who will not have children in their present or future. Assuming the women do, or will have children, is alienating a segment of the population that I contend will be some of today and tomorrow's biggest movers and shakers. I have chosen this life and I am extremely fulfilled. Despite this I have been told by others I am hiding my true feelings, am selfish, and I will regret this one day. To date I have not regretted this decision and I'm not interested in the debate about whether I will one day. The conversation seems as inappropriate to me as one to a parent suggesting they'll regret having their child. Sometimes I wonder if it's something that people with kids need to tell me to make themselves feel better. I can't imagine my telling them they have made a mistake. I should mention there are some, who confide in me (men and women both) that if they had it to do over again, they would have preferred a life without children. Interestingly, those who have said this are the men and women who are the primary providers for their children.

I think it's time that women who have made this choice speak up. We are here. We are growing. We don't need excuses. We are not selfish. And we don't appreciate those who don't honor and value our choices. We are not asking for any approval, and this choice doesn't mean there is something wrong with us. While I acknowledge that most who make the assumption and then the comments about how we are all parents, may be unaware. Now that you are, please be considerate of this new and rising class of citizens and please share with others that we would appreciate if they do the same.

You can View all 16 comments from my Facebook Friends below.

Fri at 8:59pm via Twitter · Comment · Like / Unlike · View Feedback (16)Hide Feedback (16)
Robb, Myrielle and Sam like this.

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
Hey Sam. This just has to be said. Definitely fodder for a blog post. I'm often soo offended by those I respect who unintentionally make comments assuming this is the way it is for everyone. It happens at least once a day at ed conferences and I just want to scream. In fact, I think i just did :p
Fri at 9:06pm · Delete

Dan
I'm right there with you Lisa!
Fri at 9:08pm · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
Thanks Dan. I think the population is growing as women realize there are other options. I definitely need to devote some time to this topic at some point. This is a minority for sure, but it is a lifestyle that has much to be celebrated and I think attention needs to be brought to the topic.
Fri at 9:33pm · Delete

Dan
I chose a long time ago not to have children. I have often been asked why I did so especially since I went into education. But, I have never had the desire to be a mother. I make a great aunt, though ;o)
Fri at 9:59pm · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
Huh, well, I don't make a good aunt. I don't have siblings. I was always told I'd change my mind. I never did.

I love my life. Have exciting goals and am happy and fulfilled. I have not felt personally that having children would enhance my life and my work. I know some have felt this was what they were supposed to do and the thought that an alternative exists never had crossed their mind.
Fri at 10:29pm · Delete

Dan
I don't have any blood siblings either. All mine are steps. Curious that both of us are onlies and neither wanted children. Wonder if there's anything to that?

I've always been just as happy with my "babies" that are four-legged. I've never had the baby urge and been attracted to them. I don't care for the toddlers or young children, either... Read More.

I, too, feel completely fulfilled with my life and don't feel like there's anything missing. I have had some people tell me I will regret it when I'm old. I think that is a completely selfish reason to have children.
Fri at 10:44pm · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
Yes. The, "you'll regret it when you're old" is the thing I hear often. There are people who live in those scary worlds. I have always had an awesome and interesting network of people in my life. I would love to become a golden girl with these sort of people. Time will tell I suppose. Hopefully, I'll be living the digital life and when I'm old, I can tell younger women from experience, that this is a choice available to them about which they can feel comfortable.
Fri at 10:55pm · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
Thanks for the thumbs up @Myrielle. I am excited to find the time to focus on this topic more widely...maybe during one of my upcoming trips to Florida :)
Yesterday at 12:13am · Delete

Sam
I agree with you both...I keep getting "You are still young and you still have time to change your mind" I however don't want and am honest with the fact that having children is a HUGE responsibility that I just don't want. I love my four legged child too. Another issue I have is the jealousy. We all have to remember we make the choices in our ... Read Morelives. And as I am reading these comments we have made the choice to not have children and live our lives to the fullest. People get jealous because we can just pick up and go. I am feeling you both on this one. Thanks for letting me vent too :-)
Yesterday at 7:00am · Delete

Sam
Oh and I am not an only child. I have an older sister and it's not all it's cracked up to be. There is a lot of jealousy. But again we make our choices and we have to live with them. I love the choice I made :-D
Yesterday at 7:01am · Delete

Robb
I have preconceived biases about people who stereotype.
Yesterday at 11:01am · Delete

Alice
I've enjoyed reading these comments (which sort of seems more like a 'thread... Read More’ now!). Lisa (& co)- I couldn't agree with you more about being put off by people just assuming everyone wants to get married, have kids, etc. when that's simply just not always the case. it's a choice and a decision, just like having a career is. not every woman (or man) wants it. not every person can have it even if they do want it. it's true that this mistaken assumption is made unintentionally and while there are certainly generational/cultural factors at work, in this day and age people should be more cognizant that we're not all driven solely by evolutionary urges and that it's insulting to imply things like 'life isn’t' full without your own children', etc. in my opinion life isn't full without making your own choices and doing something that truly makes you happy -- for some it's studying astrophysics, for others it's improving the education of the next generation, for others it's raising children, and of course for some it's a combination of many things, but that's for oneself to decide and if one doesn't, that is what he/she will regret later in life.

and for the record Lisa, you make a good 'first-cousin-once-removed' (aka 'aunt') to our little girl and I’m sure to many of your friends’ kids as well.
Yesterday at 1:25pm · Delete

Lisa Velmer Nielsen
Alice, thanks so much for that thoughtful response. Love having the extra opportunity to connect with family in virtual worlds. Thank you for the first cousin-once removed compliment too. My friend Melanie calls the relationship Nouzins. Niece-like cousins. And, for the record, I'm best with cool kids like Talia ;-P
Yesterday at 6:37pm · Delete

These were the reactions a friend received from sharing the post.

Di
just got a link to a friend's blog article about why it's not cool to assume that everyone in the world wants to have children and why life can be plenty complete without them. I feel like sending it to anyone who has decided it's perfectly ok to interrogate me on the subject. You know who you are...

Mon at 8:06pm · Comment · Like / Unlike · View Feedback (17) Hide Feedback (17)
Libby, David, Carol and Franz like this.

Jen
Does your grandma have a facebook page?
Mon at 8:19pm

Di
Surprisingly, my grandmother never actually asked that question. She always figured I was busy doing whatever people do in the big city.
Mon at 8:24pm

Michael
Di's grandmother was only slightly less active on facebook than Diana is.
Mon at 8:36pm
Beth
I'd like to read it. I have other friends who would appreciate it. People can really be idiots sometimes.
Mon at 8:37pm
Di
here it is:http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2009/10/hubbub-about-sensitivity-to-eternal-non.html
Mon at 8:47pm
Megan
I thinks pugs are sufficient and they'll never ask to drive the car
Mon at 9:17pm
Ron
Did they have a follow-up article on why some people should just not procreate at all?
Mon at 9:57pm
Carol
I think they should have to get a license to procreate- eg. take a course, pass the oral and practical...heh heh...
Mon at 11:03pm
Lisa Velmer Nielsen
Thanks for sharing Di :)))
Mon at 11:07pm
Beth
Thanks for the link. Many interesting points. People project their own values and insecurities so inappropriately on so many subjects. I have a single lesbian friend who is pregnant and someone asked her "was it a mistake?". WTF? People also ask her "what is it?" and she will occasionally respond "a kitten" and they look at her like they are ... Read Morehurt (she does not, nor does she want to, know the sex of the baby). Then there is the whole issue of infertility, pregnancy loss and how inappropriate and insensitive we as a society are about those issues. Sigh. I enjoyed reading her blog post and all the comments.
Yesterday at 4:07am
Deb
I was "childless" in my first marriage and was fine with that...it worked for us. We were career focused and had goals we wanted to accomplish. In my current relationship, we have 3 daughters (My hubby had two and we had one together)...I can not imagine life without them...they are wonderful, but life is different now. My husband is all about family...I ... Read Moream a stay at home Mom (for now)...I feel like I have had the chance to live two lives. Bottom line is...do what works for you and yes, people need to mind their own business.
Yesterday at 9:01am

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Further reading Ann Landers' famous "The Childless Couple"

COST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO PREPARE YOUR SCHOOL OR CLASSROOM FOR 21ST CENTURY LEARNING

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:17:00 +0000

The most transformative recent game-changer in bringing education into the 21st century is low-cost laptops. Many schools at the NYC DOE and beyond still don’t know much about these devices and have trepidations. Innovative educators know that these devices are the key for any classroom interested in preparing students for the world in which they live, play, and work. Chris Lehmann echoes the sentiments shared by me and others like CIS 339 principal Jason Levy as he shared at a recent Tech Forum conference that "Technology needs to be like oxygen. Ubiquitous, necessary and invisible." Low-cost laptops, for the first time make it possible for this idea to be a reality. Every school needs to get on board TODAY. Schools all around the nation have jumped on the bandwagon and are featured in the most recent issue of Tech & Learning magazine in the article Netbooks make the grade which features schools across the nation who are using these devices.

Unfortunately some schools still believe the myths and lies shared by the hardware companies and industry dinosaurs who will tell you that you need expensive equipment, training and tech support to do this work. Let me dispel some of these myths. The big computer companies are lying. Of course they want you to buy their expense devices. You don’t need to. The dinosaurs in the industry who want to sit you on their knee and tell you about how they walked to work every day in the snow up hill both ways, are dying to hang on to the idea that their jobs are still necessary. They don't want the secret out and they don't want to change. I spoke to one yesterday in fact. He shared how schools will never keep up with innovation because they must do system-wide refreshes of devices and nothing in life is free. Oh really? Google is free. Google Apps are free. Wikispaces are free. Ning for education is free. YouTube is free. Google Voice is free. Schools can develop student iSquads and enable students to be self-empowered to fix technology for free. Well, he said, “That free stuff won’t last I tell ya.” “I’ve been around a long time. I know Missy.” Ugh! Innovative educators are smart enough to move on when we encounter the old timers stuck in Rip Van Winkle's past. These free tools will be around and they are scaring the pants off of the old timers. Businesses like Microsoft, Apple, and the rest are going to have to change their model to the new direction of a savvy and innovative society.

WHERE DO YOU START? WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Do Not Give Teachers Hardware
Every school needs to identify which teachers are interested in preparing students for the 21st century. If you’re a leader, when you discover who these teachers are, do not give them hardware!!! If you are a teacher, do not tell your principal you want hardware. I’ve had a lot of experience deploying hardware to teachers and in many cases it is not a good practice.

Instead, if you’re and administrator have your teachers apply for the equipment they think they will need to enhance teaching and learning. This will enable you to prioritize your purchasing decisions and limit them to the teachers who have demonstrated that they are planning to use it effectively. This also gives you crucial information in enabling you to have conversations about the work your teachers are doing. If you are a teacher, the conversation shouldn’t just be about hardware. Show your principal you are serious and have all the information together that s/he will need to support you.

You can create a free online application using Google forms or SurveyMonkey. The application should require a pedagogical case for why your teacher needs equipment, information about how the equipment will be used to enhance instruction, an indication of which standards this aligns to, and if you collect your information properly this can contain all the information needed to place the order. For teachers the application process demonstrates to his/her principal they are serious. For administrators this ensures you are aware of the teachers plan for incorporating the use of the equipment into instruction, provides school leaders with an idea of how teachers will be using the equipment purchased, and indicates which teachers are serious about this work. Here is a sample of what the form might look like. I recommend a separate form for each type of equipment.

Whether your school has funding today or not, it is essential teachers and schools start documenting what it is they want so they are prepared should funds become available and there are a lot of ways to fund education. If there is not money in your school budget here are some alternate sources. Some are NYC DOE specific, others are not:

Resolution A Funds from City Council
NYC Ed Tech Grant Opportunities Page
eSchool News Funding Resources
DonorsChoose.Org Giving Page

THE 21ST CENTURTY CLASSROOM BASICS
No more paper, no more books will be necessary in the 21st century classroom. When all student have devices their materials are available directly from their laptops. This also means no more handouts, no more copies, no more heavy book bags. Here is my recommendation to get started with the 21st century classroom.

Brand: Lenovo

Netbook - 4187RVU S10e Ideapad, 2.65 lbs, 10.1-IN Display
Cost: $359.95 Cost for 32 devices: $11,488
Note: This particular device was selected because it is the one available where I work at the NYC DOE -available via SHOP DOE / FAMIS

Brand: Sharp

PG-F212X Conference/Classroom DLP Multimedia Projector
Cost: $599.95
Vendor: B & H FOTO & ELECTRONICS

Brand: Flip Video

Ultra 2nd Generation Camcorder (Pink)
Cost: $129 Cost for 4 devices: $516
Vendor: B & H FOTO & ELECTRONICS

Brand: Canon

PowerShot A1100 IS Digital Camera (Blue)
Cost: $139.95 Cost for 4 devices $556
Vendor: B & H FOTO & ELECTRONICS

Total Cost for 21st Century Classroom: $13,159
When you keep in mind these devices have a life of life of 3 – 5 years, this ultimately translates in significant long-term savings for the school.

WHAT YOU DON’T REALLY NEED – DISPELLING MYTHS OF BIG BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY DINOSUARS
Many schools are sold equipment they don’t really need and they buy it because they don’t know better. Here are some items you don’t need if you have the above package.

A more expensive laptop, server, external hard drives, expensive software
Today your students should be doing their work in the cloud. What does this mean? This means their work is done using what is available on the internet for free. Work is created using Google Apps which includes free Word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, email and more. Work is stored using Wikispaces. These contain unlimited storage and are free. Students work is available anytime, anywhere, from any computer.

Interactive Whiteboards and Projector Carts
Somehow teachers and administrators have become enamored with interactive whiteboards. You can save about $5000 per classroom when you realize you don’t need an interactive whiteboard or projector cart. You can accomplish the same instructional goals with a laptop and projector. The benefit is rather than having the teacher front and center in the classroom s/he can be eye to eye with students as the classwork is projected behind him/her. This can be interactive as students work is in the cloud and a teacher can access any website at anytime to feature the student, or the student can come right up to the computer and/or plug in their own computer to project. You may hear that the software is the reason you need to make this costly purchase. I have found there are free alternatives to achieve the same goals.

Laptop Carts
Some schools will find they may need to purchase a cart which generally runs about $600 but I have seen other schools that have developed alternative and more secure methods for storing devices. The best solution I have seen is the Depot. This is a secure room or closet for which the teacher has a key. Shelves are built in the area. Devices go on the shelves and the door is locked. Ideally there is electricity so devices can be charged.

THE TIME IS NOW
Innovative educators and administrators, it is time to start one classroom at time, one school at a time, one district at a time, one nation at a time. You don't need a special initiative. You don't need special funding. What you need is innovative rethinking the way teaching and learning occur. Join other schools like the NYC DOE's Model Technology Schools. If you don't know where to start or what to do with 21st century tools read about, connect with, and/or visit the the 8 Innovative Schools that Provide Ideas and Inspiration for 21st Century Education.

Ten Conference Reflections - Tech Forum 2009

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Although educators spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to attend conferences, I find we rarely spend time to take a moment to process, reflect, share, and publish our thoughts. I recently attended Tech Forum New York 2009. I find a lot of my reflections about this conference are true about many other conferences I attend. Here they are:

5 THINGS I APPRECIATED ABOUT THE TECH FORUM CONFERENCE
1-The F-2-F connections and building of relationships with those I rarely am able to see in person. I find this more valuable than any session. It was nice talking with Chris Lehmann, Scott Meech, Dana Lawit, Lisa Thumann, Judy Salapert, Peggy Sheehy, Jesse Lubinsky, Alisa Berger, Kevin Hogan, Christine Weiser, Kristine Goldhawk, Tom Honohan, Meryl Menon, Bruce Lai, Steve Kinney, Jeff Branzburg, Laura Robitalle, Lindsay Angelo, Guy Lodico, and the Nassau BOCES folks with whom I shared lunch.
2-I appreciated that Chris Lehmann shared the message about what is really important in education. More of us need to do this. Do a twitter search for TFNY09 Lehmann to see what I'm talking about.
3-The terrific job Judy Salapert, Christine Weiser, and the T&L team did in putting together a very well-organized conference.
4-I enjoyed that the conference was a focused intimate conference rather than the overwhelming experience I encounter at conferences like NECC.
5-2-Extending the learning and making meaning by Tweeting, FB-ing and seeing who my fellow tweeters and FBers are. In a tech conference this size more of us should be in these worlds. We need to make meaning beyond ourselves and become active participants reflecting and sharing with our learning networks.

It was nice learning with both those who were learning with me at the conference and those who were remote doing what @worblehat has coined Twelurking (Twitter lurking). Enjoyed tweets and RTs with/from @briancsmith, @PeggySheehy, @sammorra, @mjelson, @lthumann, @roblyons, @stevekinney, @worblehat, @actionhero, @letkidsplay.

Most popular RTs:
RT @InnovativeEdu: The main purpose of schools is to teach kids to ask powerful questions and teach them to find the answers. -Chris Lehmann.
RT @InnovativeEdu: Principal Chris Lehmann says his job & his staff is to build students that are Thoughtful, Wise , Passionate, Kind TFNY09

Enjoyed FB-ing with Robb Ross, Myrielle Badio, Danita Cobble Russell, Maria DeSimone, Steve Kinney, John Clemente, Jacob Gutnicki, Samantha Stouber, Leslie Schecht, Rick Toone, Lindsay Angelo, Mike Columbia, Diamond St. Thomas, Suzanne Montaperto, and anyone I missed.

Most popular Status Updates:
Lisa Velmer Nielsen Advice to ALL presenters. Don't assume audience members are or will be parents. It's offensive to the people for whom that is not true. View all 11 comments
Lisa Velmer Nielsen What is the role of the teacher in the age of Google? Our job is not to teach CONTENT, it is to teach WISDOM. -Chris Lehmann TFNY09 View all 14 comments

5 IDEAS FOR IMPROVING TECH FORUM
1-Start 1 hour later and I'll yawn much less. We boarded a bus at 6 a.m. and arrived before 7.
2-Presenters: Use real examples.
3-Vendors: if you talk about your great product you should figure out how to incorporate and/or demonstrate it in your presentation. No excuses. If you can't bother to figure out how to do this, I can't be bothered to listen to you.
4-Please, please stop talking at us. Use innovative tools to make your presentation interactive.
5-Don't talk about differentiation and think you do not have to differentiate. You do!

Coolest Free Tech Tool That I Hadn't Heard of Award Goes to...
Wallwisher
No more forgotten parking lots. No more having to type notes from post-its placed on chart paper. Hurray for Wallwisher. It is an online NOTICE BOARD maker. Ideal for making announcements, wishing people, keeping notes, and basically anything you can do with Post its. No download, software or registration required.
-Thank you Patrick Higgins

Coolest Expensive Tech Tool that I Hadn't Heard of Award Goes to...
Saywire
Saywire is a Facebook-like intranet. It provides a closed and safe Facebook. Write, publish, plan, organize, collaborate. $6 per student
-Thank you Peggy Sheehy

Have you attended a Tech Forum? What did you take away?

Innovative and Personalized Idea for Student Writing

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:28:00 +0000

Walk Score touts itself as a site that ranks 2,508 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities to help you find a walkable place to live and that alone is pretty cool, but for innovative educators in these large cities, this site provides a fantastic and FREE resource to inspire writers. Educators with students in large cities can have their students type in their address and students will instantly receive a map indicating neighborhood parks, schools, restaurants, stores, libraries, bookstores and more that are in walking distance. Students get a score of their neighborhoods walkability rating which is based on a metric measuring a number of items identified as those that make a neighborhood walkable such as does the neighborhood have a center?

Walkable neighborhoods have things like a discernible center, whether it's a shopping district, a main street, or a public space. Walkable neighborhoods have plenty of public places to gather and play. The Walk Score site analyzes these factors and provides a map breakdown neighborhood hotspots, attractions, features, parks, and more. Innovative educators immediately can see lessons that can be developed based on each student’s particular neighbor. An obvious lesson a literacy teacher might think of is that students can use the walkability map to inspire story ideas about a personal experience they had in various places in the neighborhood. A social studies teacher may have students investigate the history of the neighborhood investigating what exists there today verses in the past and how and why the neighborhood transformed and/or stayed the same. Students can learn about economics by exploring density. A walkable neighborhood is compact enough for local businesses to flourish and for public transportation to run frequently. A math teacher might have all students plot their walkability scores in an excel spreadsheet to chart the most and least walkable neighborhood while coordinating with the social studies and/or literacy teacher to investigate the factors that lead to their results.

100 Incredible Open Lectures for Math Geeks

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:27:00 +0000

This from http://www.onlinecollege.org might be of interest to innovative math educators trying to bring resources to their classroom.

From the site:

While many math geeks out there may have been teased for their love of numbers, it’s math that makes the world go round, defining everything from the economy to how the universe itself operates. You can indulge your love of mathematics in these great lectures and lecture series. Some are meant to review the basics and others will keep you on the cutting edge of what renowned researchers are doing in the field, but all will help you expand your knowledge and spend a few hours enjoying a topic you love.

At the site you'll find the following types of lectures:

Basic Math

These lectures cover some pretty basic mathematical issues that can be a great review or help younger math lovers get a handle on a subject.

Calculus

Calculus has a reputation for being hard, and while some of it surely is, these lectures show you how to conquer some pretty difficult problems as well as explain some in-depth concepts in a way you can understand.

Algebra

In these lectures you’ll learn about a wide range of topics in algebra.

Geometry

These lectures cover everything from geometry basics to extremely advanced topics.

Other Math

These lectures covers a wide spectrum of mathematical topics from the basics of probability to the intricacies of differential equations.

Physics

Math forms the foundation of the science of physics and you can learn more about recent developments, the basic equations and much more in these lectures.

Engineering

Get a better idea of the math behind engineering of all kinds with these great lectures.

Business and Economics

Watch or listen to these lectures to learn something new about statistics, economics, or the basic mathematical principles of the financial world.

Check out the lectures at 100 Incredible Open Lectures for Math Geeks.

All Children Left Behind - Common Standards for Our Student's Past

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:53:00 +0000

The common standards movement is underway in 48 states in our nation and these standards are set to be finalized this month. I’ve been reading what the smart educators I respect are saying about these standards. Here is the summation. These are poorly written standards being put in place with testing companies at the forefront of the decision making. These ed testing companies as well as other big educational businesses/curriculum providers have a huge financial profit to gain after the adoption of these standards because a nation can now adopt their curriculum. There is no alignment or recognition of the changing face of education and the digital worlds in which our students are existing, reading, writing, interacting, producing, and publishing.

What can we do? Provide feedback today about the standards by visiting http://tinyurl.com/fixthestandards. It literally takes less than five minutes. You can use my words above, the words of others below or write your own.

Below are excerpts from other educators about their take on the standards, links to each resource, and where to visit for more information.

On Common Standards

16 Oct 2009 07:18 am

Will Richardson

One look at the reading standards and you can’t help but be left with the impression that the authors have never “read” anything much beyond words on paper and that the idea of “remix” and even links are outside of their experience. There is nothing here about how reading and writing in online and digital spaces changes the interaction, nothing about the social interactions that readers and writers will have around texts that are changing rapidly and substantially.

In all of this, the thing that most frustrates me both in the talk about national standards and national assessments and the whole “Race to the Top” bunk that is coming out of the administration is just a total lack of vision, this sense that nothing has fundamentally changed, that this is the same old classroom with the same old expectations and the same old ways of proving them that we’ve had forever. I’m not saying we don’t need assessments, but there’s a lot of required learning right now that few if any standards are addressing.

Weblogg-ed Comment by Gary Stager

2009-10-19 03:51:17

Replacing one externally-created checklist with another undoubtedly more voluminous one will not help one child.

You cannot have “core” standards without additional standardized testing. Now districts already addicted to testing will have a more potent hallucinogenic with which they can poison public education.

Teachers and students are terrorized by testing and externally-imposed curricular mandates.

Core Standards - Sound Bites and Standardization

Saturday, October 10. 2009

Chris Lehmann

This Core Standards movement should scare everyone who believes that meaning and learning is still most powerfully made in the spaces that students and teachers share. More than teachers, students, state administrators, the group that stands most to gain from national standards and a national test is the education-industrial complex.

This isn't about whether or not people think that all students should be able to write a thesis statement. This is about how students are taught that information, how they are assessed on that information, and on the role of big business in teaching and assessing them.

I find them hard to read, because I think they are poorly written, but standards often are.

10 Reasons you should care about the Common Core State Standards Initiative's Draft English Language Arts Standards

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Tom Hoffman

We are inviting testing companies to determine the future of our schools with virtually no accountability or public input.

These standards were developed by two testing companies, the College Board and ACT, with help from a nebulous non-profit, Achieve, Inc. It is essential to understand this when reading the Common Standards; it explains many of their odd choices. In the example above, the obvious interpretation is that they chose to define the standard as "support or challenge assertions" rather than "construct a response or interpretation," as every international example they cited did, because the former is much easier and cheaper to score reliably on a standardized test.

No high performing educational system in the world would consider giving testing companies this much control over their standards and curriculum. It is absurd.

These standards are specifically designed to not be the sole responsibility of English teachers, so any data system properly linking student performance on related tests to teachers would attribute the results to all subject area teachers.

The idea that these English Language Arts standards are "internationally benchmarked" to those of high performing countries is a farce, except insofar as the benchmarking demonstrates the low level and quality of our proposed standards.

No country with high reading scores in international assessments conceives of the discipline of Language Arts as being limited to literacy skills, or "college- and career-readiness," as the Common Standards do. Thus, the Common Standards are narrower, lower and shallower than the English Language Arts standards of high performing countries.

Catching Up or Leading the Way

Saturday, October 10. 2009

Yong Zhao

Zhao describes how schools have to keep pace with a world that is being dramatically transformed by globalization, the “death of distance,” and digital technology. Instead of falling in line with mandates for standardization, his prescription is for educators to

Expand the definition of success beyond math and reading test scores.
Personalize schooling so that every student has opportunity to learn.
View schools as enterprises that embrace globalization and digital technology.

Gotham Schools in New York City is running this series on the Common Standards:

Standards: Demystifying, Debunking and Discrediting

Problem #1: Which Bar to Raise?
Problem #2: An Unrealistic Bar
Problem #3: Fear of Failure Rates
Problem #4: Classrooms
Problem #5: Tests Matter; Standards Do Not
Problem #6: Local Control
Why Does Anyone Bother?

I encourage you to read the full articles, take a look at the standards for yourself and provide feedback at http://tinyurl.com/fixthestandards.

For Further Reading

Common Core State Standards Initiative Website: http://corestandards.org/
An FAQ with more information about the project is here: http://www.corestandards.org/FAQ.htm
Feedback form: http://tinyurl.com/fixthestandards
English Standards: http://www.corestandards.org/Standards/index.htm
Note that many of the handy links to benchmarked standards under "see evidence" don't point to the right place, so if you want to be complete you need to use...
The full English standards PDF: http://www.corestandards.org/Files/ELAStandardsSources.pdf
The bibliography provides links to all the full documents for the relevant international standards.
English Programme of Study for Key stage 4, 2007: http://corestandards.net/ADP/Achieve%20International%20Documents/England/England_ELA_KeyStage4.pdf
England's standards make an easy point of comparison if you're curious about what actual benchmarked English Language Arts common standards might look like.
Race to the Top: http://www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html

Don't Believe the Digital Immigrants. Raunchy Old Photos Aren't That Bad

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:03:00 +0000

I'm sharing another powerful piece that was written a couple years ago in Penelope Trunk's blog The Brazen Careerist. I find myself reading this post over and over again as it explains so well why I have found it virtually impossible to separate my personal and professional lives...and I think that is a great thing.

However, I hear so often from my Digital Immigrant colleagues some of the following:
-Kids are destroying their reputations online.
-They would never be friends with colleagues online because lines must be drawn...and,
-Being involved in student's online identity is out of the question.

I also often hear these arguments:
-We must keep our personal and professional separate.
-We must have two of everything. Two phones, two cameras, two laptops, two iPods, etc. etc. because our lives CAN NOT be blended.
-We don't want our colleagues knowing the personal social side of us. Business and pleasure should not mix.

I did keep the two separate for most of my life, however, I always valued those relationships where personal and professional were blurred. These colleagues felt like friends and family and colleagues and that was great. Now with online networking and powerful tools available to help me establish and build my personal learning network, I have found the two have completely and totally morphed into something that is incredibly powerful and provided never-before-possible growth in me as both a social and professional human being.

If you haven't been following the Brazen Careerist blog, I recommend you do. It is the blog employers go to, to find out how to tap into today's graduates and in it's provocative and compelling style has fantastic advice for educators about the students they are graduating and how to reach them. So without further adieu, I hope you will find this post as relevant as I have.

Raunchy old photos will be part of the revolution

June 5th, 2007

By Ryan Healy – During my senior year at Penn State, the Nittany Lions knocked off the highly (over) rated Ohio State Buckeyes. It was one of the best football games of my college years. A mob of students rushed down the bleachers, the field became a flood of blue and white.

But unfortunately, rushing the field is not a Big Ten-acceptable activity. So the other guys in blue, the police, started an investigation using Facebook to identify suspects.

I guess if you're going to perform illegal acts, Facebook, MySpace and other online networks that incorporate photographs are probably not for you. But as we leave our crazy college years behind and enter the workforce, should we really have to worry what recruiters think of our social lives?

I have a MySpace page and a Facebook profile. I have hundreds of pictures on each site that show me in both professional and not-so-professional settings. Some people remove their embarrassing or "incriminating" pictures after college to save some face in the real world. I have never considered removing pictures.

Social networking sites are blurring the lines between personal and professional life. There is no reason these lines should not be blurred. Most young people lead very healthy social lives, and because of these websites much of our social lives are online. When you live your personal/social life online there is no escaping who you are and what you do. It may be scary to people not accustomed to the openness of the Internet, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a refreshing. Why should I pretend to be one person for eight hours a day and someone else entirely for the rest?

It's absurd to pretend that everyone at work is a saint. It's just not true. What's the big deal if our bosses know what we did on Saturday night or what we did in college for that matter?

The whole idea of our lives being available for public display is actually pretty cool. Think about it. If the world already knows what we do in our spare time and we are all able to be completely open about our interests, thoughts and ideas without fear of retribution or not being hired then we can bring our whole being to work everyday.

Of course, if you're idea of a good time is extremely sick and twisted then you may want to consider keeping things a secret. Better yet, you may want to figure out some better things to do in your spare time to avoid a prison sentence. But for most of us who like to have a little innocent fun, there is no reason to play the Jekyll-and-Hyde role.

Jason Warner, head of staffing at Google writes, "Today there is a fuzzy, but growing distinction that companies will continue to draw between candidate professional experiences, competencies, and capabilities and their private lives and outside behaviors. It's a line we don't likely want to cross, because if we cross it for candidates, we may cross it for employees, and that compounds the problem."

The more young people enter the workforce the less risk there is that someone will Google them to look for bad behavior. Human resources leaders don't have the time to sleuth. But also, there just aren't enough perfect little angels in the world to go around.

I urge everyone: Let's leave all of our pictures up on whatever social networking sites we use. What we do on the weekends is just as much apart of our lives as our day jobs. Don't be afraid of your boss seeing a risqué photo of you and don't be afraid to talk a little business at the bar. The sooner we get past this personal and professional juggling act, the sooner we can see real change in the workplace.

Ryan Healy's blog is Employee Evolution.

The PODs Are Coming!

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:40:00 +0000

Every so often I think it is important to share great presentations, videos, or posts from other bloggers. This one falls into that category. It’s a presentation shared at the Building Learning Communities conference Manhattan model school leaders and I attended last summer from blogger David Truss :: Pair-a-dimes for Your Thoughts.

The presentation entitled, “The PODs Are Coming!” explains how we are soon approaching a day where most of our students will be bringing PODs Personally Owned Devices to school. In schools where students are empowered to bring learning devices to school and acceptable and respectable use of technology is just the way things are, every student coming to school will have more capability in their pockets and hands than most teachers have on their desks today.

I am optimistically hopeful that in the future school districts like New York City will embrace rather than ban students from bringing their potential 21^st century tools to the classroom. This is a great video for educators in districts who are, or will eventually be, supporting students in utilizing the personal learning devices they own. It addresses the question, “Are we ready to utilize these amazing tools that students want to bring to our classrooms.” If not, why not? What do we need to do to be ready? What needs to change? How do we maximize what we can do now? Who makes this happen?

For some insight into the answers to these questions, it is my pleasure to invite you to view this provocative presentation.

The POD's are Coming

View more presentations from David Truss.

Innovative Substitute Lesson Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Dana Lawit) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:36:00 +0000

by Dana Lawit

When teachers are absent it can send students, classrooms, and sometimes even schools into a tailspin. Any change in routine can cause disruption. One innovative educator at my school, Darlene, has come up with a substitute lesson plan that uses technology to engage students and support the substitute teacher in an effort to avoid disruption. Using a video (see below), the teacher explain the learning objectives of the lesson, provides a model, and even then provides step by step instruction for the student's independent work.

There are several reasons why I think this is an effective substitute lesson plan:

The video will engage students. Student who otherwise might not listen to a teacher's academic back story and reasons for teaching, will do so because its an entertaining and visually supportive video.
The task is relevant. Asking students to describe their background with science allows the teacher to better gauge students' prior knowledge and affective approach to the curricula.
There's room for extension. While during this lesson students are only drafting their science biographies, in future lessons (substitute or otherwise) they could story board their biographies, and perhaps even create their own videos.

Darlene hasn't had to use this lesson yet, but stay tuned for examples of student work. In the mean while, check out of some of Darlene's innovative blogging and use of GoogleSites to organize her classes on her class blog from last year and her Chemistry GoogleSite.

Five Ways Innovative Educators Can Use SMS Texting to Enhance Their Work.

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:57:00 +0000

Text messaging is the dominant form of communication for American cell phone users who are sending more text messages than they are making phone calls, according to a Nielsen Mobile survey. Innovative educators in New York City with employer-issued cell phones may be disappointed to learn that the NYC DOE has decided that,

ALL TEXT MESSAGING capabilities for DOE account holders will be disabled because it is the DOE position that communication thru text messaging is primarily for “personal use."

I'm not sure how the NYC DOE determined that text messaging was being used primarily for personal reasons (no one I know of was asked), but the decision to disable text messaging may be a wise one to save money for cash-strapped businesses whose employees have not discovered how to use the simple messaging service (sms) feature on their phones as a powerful and effective professional and educational tool. I am disappointed that in my organization this occurred without employees being provided an opportunity to state their case because turning off this feature has become disruptive for innovative educators who have come to rely on sms to enhance their teaching, learning, and leading. However rumor has it that the New York City Department of Education realizes there are educators who are using sms for professional and pedagogical purposes. As such I have heard they've agreed to consider reinstating the feature for those who make a strong case outlining how they are doing so. This decision makes a lot of sense (even if the timing doesn't) as it puts the onus on the user to make a case for utilizing this feature in their work. While I'm unsure that the method for stating a case or the person to state the case to has been shared publicly, the sentiment could be a smart one as it might be powerful to apply this type of reasoning before issuing any innovative tools and technologies.

School systems could save thousands by providing innovative tools and equipment only to those who really want it and can explain how it will enhance their practice. Those who don't bother to make a case don't get the resource. That said, I'm hoping the rumor is true, and that I've stated a good case. I'm making this case not only for myself, but also for other innovative educators at the NYC DOE and beyond who want to make a case for providing educators with funding for tools that should be as commonplace in schools as they are in the workforce.
The case is an easy one to make for innovative educators who have become reliant on sms a form of communication that is often more appropriate then a phone call, email, a face to face visit, or letter. For innovative educators and managers, utilizing sms text messaging as part of their professional lives has become increasingly prevalent for a unique set of reasons. Here are five of them.

Five ways innovative educators are using text messaging to enhance their work.

Efficient and Effective Communication
The first reason is simple. We use it as a primary way to communicate as it is often more efficient and effective then other forms of communication. For example as an educational administrator I often need to communicate short efficient messages to colleagues. Because most teachers and many administrators do not have access to a school phone and talking on the phone is not conducive to the work they do, texting has become the most efficient means of communicating. It also enables us to communicate, when necessary outside the school day without interrupting the personal lives of others. In short, you can text at times when it would be inappropriate to talk on your cell phone and it's quick. Additionally, it is platform agnostic i.e. iPhones, T-Mobile, Blackberries, etc can all speak the same language without requiring access to the internet.

Increasing the Home-School Connection

For educators in schools, this has become increasingly important as they learn SMS Notification tools are increasing parental involvement in their child’s school life and Text and Email Alert Systems Can Increase Home - School Communication. This is something innovative educators support school-based staff in using. In addition to the obvious communication advantages of texting, the educational applications of sms have grown exponentially over the past couple years. The advantage of sms over other forms of communication of course is that it is the most ubiquitous technology available to students, parents, and educators. Additionally, when conducting meetings or classes, or workshops, while often many participants do not have laptops with them, nearly all have cell phones.

Free Audience Response System – To Those Who Can Text
Poll Everywhere is a great tool that can be used by anyone who knows someone with a cell phone they can send a text message from. It provides participants with a simple method to share their voice and ideas right from their phones enabling the presenter and audience to have a clear sense of where they stand on topics being discussed.

To use poll everywhere you can set up an account where you'll be assigned a number for participants to send their answers. Within the message participants enter the code corresponding to their response. This looks similar to what you see on popular shows such as American Idol. Without any additional equipment or need to download software within seconds educators will have audience responses. Another nice feature is that it doesn't matter what device your participants are using. Responses can be instantly combined.

SMS Tweeting from Your Phone to Gain a Collective Intelligence on Topics of Importance

Twitter is perfect if you want to know what your audience is thinking, feeling, or seeing. No software to download and all your audience needs is a cell phone to contribute anywhere anytime. Simply go to www.twitter.com and set up an account. You can Tweet from your phone by entering your number at http://twitter.com/devices. When exploring a particular topic, you need to select a short tag (an approximately 6 letters or less searchable word or acronym) and then have your audience’s tweets include that tag (i.e. Marta Valle High School might be MVHS). Users can contribute by simply sms texting on their phone. You can capture the Tweets in any number of forms. The easiest is to do a simple Twitter search for the tag. You can click here to see what the Tweets from a recent conference look like. Of course one of the more famous tags that made Twitter popular was IranElection. You can read how a group of school leaders used sms Twitter to follow conference activities and share reflections and plans at Leading By Example - Transforming Education for the 21st Century.

Google SMS as an Educational Tool That Can Be Used Directly From Your Phone
Anytime, anywhere you have access to a cell phone, much of the vast amounts of knowledge and information formerly available to only those with the internet are now available directly through sms texting. Educators can put a limitless amount of information at the fingertips of themselves and/or their audience by asking them to take out their cell phone and text "G-O-O-G-L-E" (466453). A FREE or inexpensive service to anyone with sms access.

You can see a demonstration of how this functions at http://www.google.com/mobile/default/sms.html. There is endless pedagogical and professional value of having the ability to access this type of information anytime anywhere. Whether it’s to help ELLs translate another language, support literacy by instantly being able to define or look up words and terms, help global studies or math students have knowledge on currency or metric conversions and more.

As more and more innovative educators lose some of their digital as a second language accent, sms has become a powerful, effective, efficient, convenient, and affordable educational and professional tool that has become integrated into the work we do. Employers of educators using sms features on their phones in innovative ways such as these are making a terrific investment in ensuring their staff have the tools they need to do their work effectively. Now that I've made my case, I can't wait to get this service turned back on.

ALL TEXT MESSAGING capabilities for DOE account holders will be disabled

lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 10:22:00 +0000

FY10 ACCOUNT CHANGES - ALL TEXT MESSAGING capabilities for DOE account holders will be disabled effective 7/15/09, “with the exception of the Parent Coordinators’ cell phones accounts”.

It was a NYCDOE policy decision to disable the text messaging feature from all DOE issued devices. The rational for the disabling this service is all devices provided are for DOE business related communication and this communication must be documented. It is the DOE position that communication thru text messaging is primarily for “personal use”.

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Note: I originally posted this entry on July 17th, but it was Friday, October 2nd that this service was disabled on my NYC DOE cell phone.