Innovation's PBL and Biology Blog

WPP Final - Twitter as a Research Tool

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 21:49:00 +0000

The Problem to Address

Problem

It was CEP 812 that got me thinking about using Twitter in a fashion that would connect students with ideas and research that related to their projects. Although the WPP project is done in December, I plan to continue with my research on using Twitter as a research tool. In fact I have been given the opportunity to share at MACUL about using Twitter in the classroom to implement the ISTE NETS for students.

The Connection with TPACK

TP - For this project I will be using two different pieces of technology, Google docs and Twitter. Google docs will be used to create a pre and post survey so that I can collect information on the students' abilities to research online (in a manner that deepens understanding). This formative assessment will be used to collect data that I can use to determine the impact of using Twitter in class. Google docs was chosen because my students are familiar with it and in a 1-on-1 setting it is a tool that I can use easily without interrupting the daily lesson.

TC - The second piece of technology is Twitter. Students will be using Twitter as a researching tool; identifying, following, and having conversations with experts, as well as, looking for links to articles and research that is pertinent to their projects. This is the basis of my research, using the NETS-s (www.iste.org) as a guide I hope to see an improvement in the ability of the students to find information, analyze the information, and to ask questions or look for feedback on their own conclusions. I could not do this as a sole expert but Twitter provides access to many experts.

PC - My project may be a bit different because it is not looking at one lesson but rather a skill that I would like to facilitate the growth of within my students. In a PBL classroom there is a focus on turning the learning over to the students and with that in mind I have challenged myself to change my overall pedagogical approach from being a teacher to becoming a facilitator. I believe that building skills; such as researching, communication within the content, and asking for feedback will give the student deeper and more enjoyable learning experience.

Prezi Presentation (to see the presentation without the voice over go here)

Professional Learning Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 03:07:00 +0000

My Professional Learning Plan, I created this using Powerpoint and Camtasia. The idea was inspired by ignite talks and my goal was to use no printed text.

Group Leadership Project

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 19:02:00 +0000

For the MSU MAET Program we were asked to work in small groups to create a stand alone PD course for teachers who wish to implement technology into their classroom. Our goal was to make a PD that was relative to today's teachers, short enough for teachers to complete, and would provide a take away that can be used by the teacher.

In today's teaching there are a lot of buzz words; flipping, workshops, differentiation, etc. In the end, we need to find multiple ways to reach students at their individual needs and level. Technology, such as flip cameras, smart phones, laptops, and apps assist teachers in their attempt to accomplish this. Educreations is an app that falls within this category. Educreations, although limited compared to powerful editing programs like Camtasia, it is a tool that can be used on the laptop or Ipad to create and edit short lessons quickly. These lesson then can be shared via the internet using a "class" feature, shared link, social media, or email. Our team created the PD using Educreations so that teachers could see the simplicity of it.

We created a PD that a teacher could receive in a short period allowing them time to apply what they learned. So in making our final product we tried to keep it around 10 minutes. This was a challenge becasue we had to show how to get started and how to use it, what it could be used for and provide a classroom example. The other challenge was merging the three parts into one lesson. Educreation has many strengths but lacks a collaboration piece that allowed each of us, working at a distance from one another, to edit the same lesson. To overcome this, we created three separate lessons and them merged them using Camtasia. Although this was an extra step, Camtasia provided some tools that Educreations does not, allowing us to create a more enhanced PD.

It is important to point out that Educreation has limitations if you are making a high quality production, but it is excellent for making quick web based lessons. I hope to use it to create an audio/visual instructions to go along with the written instructions for each of my assignments. This will address UDL needs for ELL students and others who struggle with reading comprehension.
Unable to display content. Adobe Flash is required.
If we were to do this project again, I would like to have each of us do voice-overs periodically throughout the lesson. As it is now, Melissa talks during the first third, Mark the second third, and I wrap it up. I think the quality of the video may improve if we mixed it up more. This was an oversight when making the storyboard, but it is also part of the issue with distant collaboration. Even with Camtasia we would not have been able to collaborate at the same time but instead we would had to mail projects or audio recordings back and forth.

Mobile Learning Lab

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 02:01:00 +0000

After joining Classroom 2.0 I replied to two ongoing conversations. These are the first two screen shots. My interactions inspired me to create my own discussion, this is the third screenshot.

This past Friday I started class with a fun poll, using Poll Everywhere. I asked my students what there favorite social media tool was. Here are the results, they include my vote and that of my co-teacher.

It seems as though Facebook continues to hang on to their superiority, but a shocking result for me was the popularity of Grooveshark (and that Spotify, a paid service that is similar to Grooveshark and used by many adults, was zero).

In addition to Classroom Web 2.0 and Poll Everywhere I have tried flip cameras, cell phones, and laptops in the classroom. I have had my students use the flip cameras to make videos for end products, snap pictures for VoiceThread, and to record answers for summative assessments. Although we still have flip cameras and we still use them, more and more students have Smart Phones which shoot video just as easy and many students are choosing this option over the flip camera. Because the phone is connected to the Wifi, it is easy to edit the video and then transfer it to Vimeo or another hosting site. My Students also use their phones to Tweet, take pictures of notes on the board, and one student even livecasted our class on Ustream. As I have mentioned in earlier blogs, I teach at a 1-on-1 school so we utilize the power and resources of laptops all of the time; researching the Internet, producing videos and other end products, using Google Docs, and Skyping into class (when they are sick) just to name a few uses.

I would like to start using more podcast as support lessons and even have the students begin to create podcast. Perhaps we could make a series of Biology podcast made by students for students. I would also like to begin creating and having my students create "video problems" as seen at Ben Rimes Vimeo Channel Video Story Problems.

In my opinion, the biggest challenge to using mobile devices in the classroom is making sure that the device does not become a distraction or obstacle to the lesson. In other words students need to know how to use them, why they are being used, and what to use them for. By educating the student the device becomes a tool that enhances learning.

WPP Part D Findings and Implications

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 02:31:00 +0000

In an earlier blog titled WPP Part A, I mentioned that this project would continue on for sometime, but as a check point (and for an MAET deadline) I had the students take complete a survey today. I gave the same group of student a survey two plus weeks ago, that survey was about researching skills, habits, and tools that they used. Unlike that survey, this one was only about using Twitter as a research tool.

This was a good time to collect information. So far, the implementation has gone as planned with no major errors, but feedback will help me move forward with this project. From an observation students seem to be embracing it. As a rule, student do not moan and groan when asked to go to Twitter, in fact many seem excited. Of course there is one or two that will say "I hate Twitter", but then they join the rest of their classmates.

I have been surprised at the speed that some of the students have grasped the concept of using the "thick"tweets and in determining the quality of their experts (listen to their words on the podcast of WPP Part C). At the same time there are many who are still becoming comfortable with asking questions of an expert. And many are shocked when an expert does not respond to a question or request of a student. This makes me wonder if providing some more formal workshops on Twitter before we started may have been useful. Either way, I have shared some data below that I believe indicates that implementing Twitter as a research tool has been a success so far.

The snapshot below shows the number of students who have completed this survey. Of that number 51 have made the leap to trying Twitter as a research tool. The bottom graph indicates that of the fifty one students, forty one of them have used it on four different occasions. And twenty one of them have used it 8 or more times.

This next graph indicates how the students found Twitter to be useful or not in their research. It is important to point out that twenty of the twenty eight responses that found "nothing was useful" are probably the twenty who have not used Twitter as a research tool. I believe the other results indicate that Twitter can be used as a research tool. If I were to do this survey again I would like to ask the same question about Google or any other search engine. I don't believe the students could give search engines the same marks as they did Twitter. Especially for interesting (tweets) "comments" made by others in the field of study. Nor do I believe students can formulate a relationship that allows them to ask questions and get feedback. In fact, I think students will usually find websites rather then current articles or actual people when they use a search engine.

The data below indicates that the students like Twitter as a research, perhaps not all of the time, but they are beginning to recognize it uses. In fact when the data is narrowed to students who have used Twitter 10 times or more, then the likelihood of Twitter being a useful tool increases. As does the number of students who have had two way conversation with an expert. I think this is a sign of growth and becoming comfortable.

I plan to continue to use Twitter as a research tool in class. To enhance it I plan to provide several short work shops that will help students identify who to follow and who not to follow, locating article links, and building professional relationships. While creating these workshops I plan to use the ISTE NETS for students and teachers as a guide. In addition to the NETS I am hoping to get suggestions from individuals such as Dr. Martin Eve (@martin_eve), who has presented on the idea of using Twitter as a research tool.

If you want to implement Twitter as a tool, here are my suggestions to get started:

Model use of Twitter in class.
Have students load Tweetdeck or Twitterific onto their devices. I personally like Tweetdeck for my laptop but Twitterific for all my mobile devices.
Get students using Twitter to share, have them use @ and #.
Have them search a topic by placing a # in front of the topic.
After becoming comfortable with searching, have students begin to identify individual as experts; number of followers, biography, websites, and number of tweets.
Provide regular time several times per week, it only takes 3-5 minutes to do a Tweet Start or a Tweet Ender, student will begin to spend more of their own time once they realize the power of the tool.
Encourage the building of networks and or pln's.
Use storify or an visual.ly to capture whole class use and to encourage continued use.
Share your class' experience with me @marcschulzkih and @kihscience.

WPP Part A

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 00:11:00 +0000

At Kent Innovation High every student has a computer and therefore access to endless amounts of information. This obviously has is benefits and at the same time creates obstacles. Students often go to the first Google search and/or get side tracked with all of the other possibilities. During my CEP810 course I became, lets say, addicted to Twitter. I realized quickly how much great information and resources Twitter offered while providing the ability to narrow the research. What I appreciated most was the ability to ask questions or share information.

This got me thinking about my own classroom and the students that I facilitate. So in the first week I had all of the students make a Twitter account. We then began to use Twitter as a back channel, a source for formative feedback, and a means of sharing student's ideas outside of the classroom. I even started having students look for and follow experts.

It was CEP 812 that got me thinking about using Twitter in a fashion that would connect students with ideas and research that related to their projects. Although the WPP project is done in December, I plan to continue with my research on using Twitter as a research tool. In fact I have been given the opportunity to share at MACUL about using Twitter in the classroom to implement the ISTE NETS for students.

I have found several leads or individuals who are promoting Twitter for research. Martin Paul Eve is a researcher in Sussex. I have tweeted Martin to ask for suggestions. The London School of Economics and Political Science have created a guide to using Twitter for research. There is even a #research that can be followed.

To narrow the focus for the WPP Project I will give a pre-survey to the students regarding their research capabilities. I will then plan to have students do tweet "starts" or "enders" during class four to five times a week; asking them to search the hash-tag of their topic, find experts to follow, and create a post.

I will do a second survey before the 11/30 to gauge students growth, success, and their own thoughts about Twitter. I hope to gather feedback once or twice more before MACUL. Success will rely on the students feedback on surveys, the products that they develop based upon their connections, and the creation of student plns.

WPP Implementation Project Part C

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:53:00 +0000

The theory of PBL is that students will be engaged and want to find the answers. As a facilitator I have seen many students frustrated when they realize that we are no longer spoon feeding them. But sometimes this frustration grows to a point where learning no longer takes place. I believe one reason this happens is because the amount of information on the internet can become overwhelming. And reading or gathering information from the Internet is only one way, leaving students with new questions (quite often ones that a teacher may not be able to answer). It is my hope to help students narrow down the amount of information and at the same time provide a means to connect with experts. Twitter's framework is set up to do this. My students have been using Twitter all year, mostly to share out, but now I am asking them use Twitter to receive information and to converse with experts in the field.

To get started I had the students complete the survey "How Do You Research". Although the survey data speaks volumes it was a student's question about the survey that got me excited, "Do we answer this as we researched before coming to KIH or how we research now?"

The data suggest that many students are beginning to use Twitter but it also indicates that there is a large area of growth to using Twitter in a way that will create conversations between the student and an expert (and the content).

To encourage 2-way research I used our Thursday "Tweet Start" to have students find and follow an expert. They did this by searching their topic (with a # in front of it). Students then looked for interesting Tweets, next they checked to see who and how many were following the individual. If it was promising they followed the "expert".

Students will continue to build their "expert list" as the project moves forward. Using DM (direct message) will be our next step, this will allow students to converse with the expert. Until then they can tweet @<expert>.

By connecting with an expert or experts students will increase their opportunities to ask question and confirm their beliefs or correct their misunderstandings.

Listen to how my MAET Wicked Problem Project is going. Students give their view regarding using Twitter for research.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Wicked Problem Project Part B - TPACK

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 01:31:00 +0000

TPACK Implementation of my current MAET project:

TP - Technology & Pedagogy

For this project I will be using two different pieces of technology, Google docs and Twitter. Google docs will be used to create a pre and post survey so that I can collect information on the students' abilities to research online (in a manner that deepens understanding). This formative assessment will be used to collect data that I can use to determine the impact of using Twitter in class. Google docs was chosen because my students are familiar with it and in a 1-on-1 setting it is a tool that I can use easily without interrupting the daily lesson.

TC - Technology Content

The second piece of technology is Twitter. Students will be using Twitter as a researching tool; identifying, following, and having conversations with experts, as well as, looking for links to articles and research that is pertinent to their projects. This is the basis of my research, using the NETS-s (www.iste.org) as a guide I hope to see an improvement in the ability of the students to find information, analyze the information, and to ask questions or look for feedback on their own conclusions. I could not do this as a sole expert but Twitter provides access to many experts.

PC - Pedagogy Content

My project may be a bit different because it is not looking at one lesson but rather a skill that I would like to facilitate the growth of within my students. In a PBL classroom there is a focus on turning the learning over to the students and with that in mind I have challenged myself to change my overall pedagogical approach from being a teacher to becoming a facilitator. I believe that building skills; such as researching, communication within the content, and asking for feedback will give the student deeper and more enjoyable learning experience.

My part in facilitating this will include weekly "Tweet Starts" and "Tweet Enders". Tweet starts will range from:

searching your topic as a hashtag in hopes of finding articles or experts
to searching your "experts tweets/comments"
to direct messaging your expert.

Tweet enders will include exit slip style assignments and sharing primary research with the intent of having an expert give feedback.

Visualization Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 23:15:00 +0000

I have, in the past, used infographics and even signed up for visual.ly, but it was not until today that I attempted to make my first infographic. The timing is good as my class begins look at biodiversity and the impact of the human population. I tried several online infograph creators; visual.ly, infogr.am, and easel.ly.

I spent a lot of time on both infogr.am and visual.ly. I found infogr.am easy to use until my uploaded pictures were blocked because of possible copyright infringement. The program gave me directions on how to show the pictures but I was not able to make it work.

Visual.ly on the otherhand was very easy to use when applying one of their templates, but not friendly to create my own. Perhaps I missed some directions. Anyhow I did create the infograph to the right which illustrates our Twitter use in class. I plan to use this tool from Viusal.ly periodically to inspire students to utilize Twitter and to celebrate those students who go the extra mile.

Of the three tools I tried I found Easel.ly to be the friendliest for creating infographs from scratch. Using two images from google (both given credit on the infograpgh) as my anchors I then applied the objects and text tools to create meaning. Using the human object and grass object, I was able to add meaning to the original biomes map. The "new" image now shows biomes, relative human population, and relative biodiversity.

With a thinking cloud image I was able to add color/contrast and ask the viewer a question; "So what?".

I believe with minimal text I was able to show students where biodiversity exist and provide a prediction of what our impact may be on biodiversity. A deeper look may reveal that humans need the biodivesity and vice versa, this biological interdependence is another key concept for students to understand.

Here is my info graph on Biodiversity and the Impact of the Human Population:

easel.ly

Group Leadership Project: Part B

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 20:12:00 +0000

Our team used Google presentation to story board our stand alone professional development project. Google presentation allowed us to work simultaneously from our homes, considering we cover both the east and west side of Michigan, as well as Iowa, this was a helpful tool. By using the slides we were able to import screenshots from Educreation and pictures from the internet to represent what our final product may look like. We were also able to move slides around and insert or delete slides as needed. We could have used the "presenters notes" section to discuss the voice over and other details but we choice instead to place these ideas directly onto the slide. This allows for easy viewing by our peers.

Some obstacles with Google presenter include visual limitations and user habits. With presentations it is not easy to add free hand drawings, nor view each "frame" in a suitable size next to one another. Perhaps the biggest obstacle for me was to remember that the presentation was not my final product but instead a map to create the final product on Educreation.

But in the end the process of storyboarding provided for a means to plan a final product and created a context for our second web conference meeting.

The final plan is to make three individual Educreations, share the links with one another, and then use Camtasia to screen capture them, edit them, and publish a final product. The final product will introduce Educreations, give a tutorial on how to use it's functions, discuss it's application in a PBL classroom and a flipped classroom, and prove an opportunity for the learner to create their first Educreation.

Wicked Problem Project: PART C TPACK

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 03:21:00 +0000

By connecting with an expert or experts students will increase their opportunities to ask question and confirm their beliefs or correct their misunderstandings.

Part A - Brainstorming Web Conferencing

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 01:57:00 +0000

Several years ago I participated in my first Skype conversation, it was with my brother in-law and his family who, at that time, lived in France. My memories of it are awkward and painful, I was not use to this typpe of conversation. We had several more Skype conversations over the next couple years, each of which were a little better then the previous, but still not great.
Things changed when we purchased my son an Ipod and he began to Facetime his friends and us. I thought if he can do this the I can as well. So I began to participate in web conferences whenever possible to become more comfortable with the medium. Then the craziest thing happened this year, I started to have students Skype into class when they were home sick or at their home school (it is a daily event now). This led me to try live streaming my class one week when I knew there would be a large number of kids missing do to transportation issues with their home school. We tried Google Hangout Live-stream and although it did not work that day it gave me chance to get familiar with it. So a week later when we had to have a MAET small team web conference I suggested using Google Hangout (not the Livestream but the regular version). My partners were happy to give it a try, as it was new to them too.
I found it easy to use and it had many features including screen share, allowing us to enhance our conversation and share different websites with one another. With the exception of broadcasting myself eating a hamburger as I waited for my teammates to answer the invite (luckily I finished wiping the ketchup off my face just before they answered) the conference went very well.
We used Camtasia to record the conference and then uploaded the video to www.screencast.com to share with one another. The Live-stream function would have done the same but we struggled with getting that to work.
In the end , we decided to create a stand alone professional development using Educreation about how a teacher could use Educreation to enhance their own teaching. We look forward to sharing our final product with you in a few weeks.

Watch below to see how we used Google Hangout

A funny thing happened with technology...

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 01:59:00 +0000

A funny thing happened with technology...to hear the rest go here
(Feed)

CEP812 Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 00:31:00 +0000

CEP811 Reflection

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 02:16:00 +0000

In reflection of my learning through cep 811, two main topics standout; the STaIR and building a website. Both of these topics were interest of mine before starting the course but I had little experience with either and was excited to get a start. And through facilitator and peer feedback I believe that I have a solid foundation to build upon as I move forward.

My plan this year is to build mini video lessons to support content learning in my pbl classroom. Using Camtasia I plan to create these lessons following a STaIR/Flip style with interactive quizzes for self assessment and hotspots that encourage "think" time and collaboration. Some of these videos I will make from scrath, utilizing Google presentations or Micorsoft ppt, and then produce them in Camtasia. For other lessons I may use videos already created and shared on YouTube. Recently I contacted Mr. Anderson of Bozeman Biology via Twitter and recieved permission to modify and reuse his videos (adding the interactivity), which are excellent instructional lessons.

To host the video lessons and a basic framework for each unit I have created a website, KIHBiology. We have aschool managmenent system called Google which host calendars, activities, grades, and other information but it lacks the ability to create fluid or smooth transition. The KIH Biology website contains multi week webquests for each unit. These webquest will support the end products of students by keeping them on track and narrowing resources while still providing inquiry and flexibility. I have utilized knowledge from the cep811 webquest evaluation assignment to begin this process. To view this living document, see Matter and Energy in the Ecosystem.

It is and has been my goal to continue to learn how I can utilize technology to improve learning (versus just using techinology in class). I believe that both cep 810 and 811 have had a tremendous impact:

Exposing me to new resources, such as Merlot, ISTE Standards
Encouraging use of online PLN: Twitter, Angel
Getting me to ask "what, why, and how" amd I using a certain piece of technology.
and building my capacity to use google sites and Camtasia.

I plan to continue working towards my goal this school year. With support of cep812 and my students, I believe that I will move forward and find more ways to have a positive impact on other's learning.

Online Teaching - Integrating Tech and Content

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 02:33:00 +0000

Teaching at Kent Innovation High is all about using technology. Our students use their laptops everyday to access assignments and grades, research topics, to collaborate, and to create. Some hurdles that we faced as teahcer included: off task behavior, misuse of social media, and lack of structure during research.

As I have begun planning my first two project based learning units I have done so with intentions of providing more structure on content while expandig student choice. I did this by alowing students to choose from a long list the topic/problem/issue they wish to invest their time in (UDL). Students will also be provided a list of different end products possibilities (but can also request to do something brand new - UDL). Some ideas for end products are: wikis, blogs, live presentations, physical or digital models, games, and short films. Regardless of the end product the students also need to identify and communicate with their intended audience. This all adds up to a lot of student choice and voice which addresses creativity ann innovation. But as I mentioned earlier, lack of sturtcure was an obstacle last year and at times lead to off-task behavior, social chatting versus professional dialogue, and poor end products. So to add sturcture this year I have created a new look to my class ECHO page:

ECHO is our school learning management system and is similar to a moodle. This structure I have used is similar to that of the MAET program. Students can view each weeks assignments and expectations via the roadmap and task (green checkmarks) indicate items that need to be submitted.

The picture above is from the first project. For my second project students have a similar echo page and their learning will also be supported by a webquest. My intent here was to provide guidance while allowing inquiry, so students can focus on their research and information fluency rather then spending time searching the www. The webquest is a multi-week assignment which will serve as a foundation to build their final product from. Here is the intro page to the webquest:

This webquest also use workshops that follow a STaIR pedagogy approach to support content learning (UDL). Twitter is also used in bothe projects to increase communication and collaboration while building digital citizenry.

PBL style learning is inquiry in nature and for that reason students will have many opportunities to practice critical thinking, problem solving, and decision aming skils through each project. One example I can share is this submitted task:

This task also integrates google docs and online collaboration.

In both of these projects students will be asked to use Diigo, Voicethread, google docs, Skype and many other online tools which will build not only digital citizenry but also provide many opportunites to discuss Technology Operations and Concepts.

One area that I would like to try this year, but I believe will be challenging, is to get experts to skype into the class. One idea I have is to have an expert skype is for one session and screencast it so the other classes will have chance to view it.

Another idea to incorporate experts is to get student using Twitter. This too I will be difficult. Not many use Twitter so they will need to become comfortable with it and then they will have to become comfortable with finding and approaching experts.

I am very excited to get going on this next school year. The best part of all this is that their is flexibility which allows the students to take it new places!

Creating Online Collaborative Spaces

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 20:29:00 +0000

Recently, I was challenged by the MSU MAET program to create two collaborative spaces using a wiki format. I have used wikispaces and pbworks in the past, but this assignment gave me a chance to create something new, as well as, learn how to to contribute to Wikipedia. As you can tell from my screenshot, I had a few problems with my first submission. I have have made several changes and resubmitted the Wikipedia page.

This was a great opportunity to learn new ways to edit, format, and embed using Wikipedia formatting. At times it was a bit frustrating but I hope to continue to edit this page and learn how to contribute to Wikipedia in a more efficient and effective ways. I believe I could use Wikipedia as an option for my students to express their final product. Not only would this allow for content but would be great to meet the ISTE NETS-S.

In creating a wiki of my own I debated using one that I had already created but then decided to try something new. So, I created Facilitating the 21st Century. My intent was to create a wiki that also utilized the skills of facilitation: guide, question, provide opportunity.

The intent of this wiki is to provide a space for other teachers to collaborate and share their experiences and knowledge. To do this a member or visitor would simply choose a topic page from the menu and add to it. Topics include technology tools, concepts, and pedagogy in a 1-on-1 classroom. Think of it as a technology in education library made by teachers for teachers.

There is one obstacle that I have not been able to overcome. And that is the privacy settings will only allow people who are members to edit the website. I have tried to change this in the "Manage Wiki" setting but my account is not letting me do so. I will continue to investigate this, having to request and wait for membership, in my opinion, will stand in the way of this being a successful wiki.

Hopefully I can figure this out in the near future.

UDL Checklist for Photosynthesis/Respiration Lesson

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 19:15:00 +0000

Below is a udl checklist, explanations of each sub-category can be found at National Center of Universal Design Center. This blog represents an assignment that I completed for MAET CEP11. The assignment was to take a lesson that we designed earlier in the course and to analyze it based upon udl standards. Overall, it has been a great experience, recognizing how important it is to take a quick look at each principle. Using this checklist will make lessons/projects stronger, more adaptable, and improve student opportunities.

The second part of the CEP811 assignment will be to improve our original lesson. To do this I will start be focusing on Principle 6; creating a supporting STaIR, offering a workshop, and providing a task list to help students self monitor progress.

UDL Guidelines – Educator Checklist
I. Provide Multiple Means of Representation:	Your notes
1. Provide options for perception
1.1 Offer ways of customizing the display of information	Barrier
1.2 Offer alternatives for auditory information	Students have Premier Assistive
1.3 Offer alternatives for visual information	Google document with embedded video
2. Provide options for language, mathematical expressions, and symbols
2.1 Clarify vocabulary and symbols	Feature – google docs has a built in definition tool.
2.2 Clarify syntax and structure	Barrier
2.3 Support decoding of text, and mathematical notation, and symbols	Barrier
2.4 Promote understanding across language	Barrier
2.5 Illustrate through multiple media	Feature – Pictures and videos
3. Provide options for comprehension
3.1 Activate or supply background knowledge	Feature – Facilitator Introduction, separate document assist.
3.2 Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships	Barrier
3.3 Guide information processing, visualization, and manipulation	Feature – students have a google doc to follow and interact with. Students also will think-pair-share throughout.
3.4 Maximize transfer and generalization	Barrier
II. Provide Multiple Means for Action and Expression:	Your notes
4. Provide options for physical action
4.1 Vary the methods for response and navigation	Feature – groups can move at their own pace, clear check points need to be added to provide more support.
4.2 Optimize access to tools and assistive technologies	Barrier
5. Provide options for expression and communication
5.1 Use multiple media for communication	Feature: Twitter, Infogr.am, google docs
5.2 Use multiple tools for construction and composition	Feature – Students have access to spell check, Internet, visuals
5.3 Build fluencies with graduated labels of support for practice and performance	Use of Gradual Release of Responsibility
6. Provide options for executive functions
6.1 Guide appropriate goal setting	Barrier – as hort STaIR or workshop will be necessary to help students understand infogr.am and provides ideas.
6.2 Support planning and strategy development	Barrier
6.3 Facilitate managing information and resources	Barrier
6.4 Enhance capacity for monitoring progress	Barrier
III. Provide Multiple Means for Engagement:	Your notes
7. Provide options for recruiting interest
7.1 Optimize individual choice and autonomy	Feature – Creativity of infogr.am
7.2 Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity	Feature –personal response and active engagement opportunities.
7.3 Minimize threats and distractions	Feature – working collaboratively
8. Provide options for sustaining effort and persistence
8.1 Heighten salience of goals and objectives	Barrier
8.2 Vary demands and resources to optimize challenge	Barrier – could be more transparent
8.3 Foster collaboration and community	Feature - Working in pairs and teams, also twitter for online
8.4 Increase mastery-oriented feedback	Standards based grading – pass/needs more work
9. Provide options for self-regulation
9.1 Promote expectations and beliefs that optimize motivation	Barrier – table contents exist but a checklist or task list would be helpful
9.2 Facilitate personal coping skills and strategies	Barrier
9.3 Develop self-assessment and reflection	Feature – Students will assess their final product, present it, and comment on others.

Webquest Evaluation

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 18:43:00 +0000

War Against Extinction Webquest Evaluation

This evaluation was completed by me, Marc Schulz, for the purpose of demonstrating my understanding of the key elements for creating a successful webquest. The criteria that I will use for this evaluation include TPaCK standards and elements of a Webquest; Introduction, Task, Process, Evaluation Criteria, Conclusion, Teacher Page and Resource Page.

The webquest is titled War Against Extinction and was created by Jerry Kousen of Hobart High School, Hobart ,IN.

Here is a screenshot that describes the purpose and who the webquest was designed for:
In regards to elements, this webquest is well put together, Mr Kousen has created an easy to follow outline. The screenshots below are evidence of the elements:

The Task is clear and provides an audience (fictitious) and student choice. To improve upon this Mr. Kousen could have contacted a local EPA department to serve as judges for best or most creative ideas.
The process is easy to follow, and students are encouraged to put forth extra effort. The evaluation page is setup much like a self assessment checklist and includes a requirement for the students to create a solution that goes beyond just collecting information. This allows for deeper inquiry, creativity, and ownership.

The remaining elements of a webquest are evident in this screenshot, look for the blue font:
Mr Kousen provides links under resources, search engines, and definitions to key vocabulary.
The War Against Extinction checks all the boxes when looking at elements of a webquest. But I believe it falls short of meeting TPaCK standards.

Content: There is scaffolding provided for key terms and resources but it assumes some background understanding of Interdependence (how organism affect one another).

Pedagogy - There is a nice mixture of deductive learning (answering direct questions through research) and inquiry through student choice of topic and solution. It also provides a problem that needs to be solved with an audience. However it seems like the audience is fictitious in the sense that the students will never really present to the EPA. This may minimize the quality of the final product.

Technology - This is the weakest section of this webquest. It using the Internet only for research and possibly a presentation. But does not use it for collaboration in and out of the classroom, nor does it suggest creation of more exciting final products: creation of a blog or wiki, an online campaign to save one of the species, etc.

The technology resources or website links are not very effective. Many are broken and those that do work tend to take you to sites that may be overwhelming in regards to the information.

In conclusion the framework of this webquest is strong and I am sure when it was first made that it provided a nice learning experience. With some new updates to the resources and perhaps a stronger focus on the technology components (focusing on the ISTE’s NETS-S) this webquest could become a “great” learning experience.

MERLOT Resources Peer Review

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 21:17:00 +0000

Direct link:http://www.viten.no/?fotosyntese_en

MERLOT Link: http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=444373

Quality:
This is a very easy to use tutorial about photosynthesis. It's visuals will assist learners who can easily use this as a stand alone activity or participate in a whole class presentation. The flash components are simple and do not require technology skills that are beyond the average middle or high school age student.

Effectiveness:
The interactive is 6 frames long; starting with an introduction and overview, then completing the lesson with a breakdown of each major step of photosynthesis. In addition to the lesson's animations there are also several built in quizzes for students to assess their knowledge.

This could be used by a "flip-style" teacher to introduce photosynthesis or assigned to students as an intervention after an initial lesson. As a PBL teacher I plan to add this into my project as an additional resource.

A teacher who is looking at creating a whole lesson could easily build around this interactive; pausing after each slide to check for understanding. On could even use each slide to introduce separate multiple day lessons.

Ease of Use:
The table of contents and "hot spots" make this easy to navigate. Two suggestions for improvement that I can offer would be to include a specific purpose (learning outcome) at the beginning and a self assessment quiz at the end of the interactive.

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 20:54:00 +0000

Unable to display content. Adobe Flash is required.

Project Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:03:00 +0000

Below are three short descriptions of projects that I plan to do this semester. I am sharing them with the hope of receiving feedback from other pbl teachers. Please share your concerns and/or suggestions.
_________________________________________________________________
I am very excited about this one because the students will have a chance to be as goofy or serious as they wish while demonstrating their understanding of natural selection and Charles Darwin. The students will develop a script to make a video short (like SNL shorts) that depicts Charles Darwin as he discusses one of the following driving questions.

Action! The World According to Darwin

March 12, 2012 – March 30, 2012

Driving Question

“I was like a blind man given sight?” or "Do we interfere with survival of the fittest?"

I am curious if anyone has suggestions on how to support the video production, acting, script etc. I do plan to have them create a story board and most of our students have experience with Windows Live Movie Maker. I was also hoping to have local film student be part of the authentic audience but I am wondering if anyone has another idea.
________________________________________________________________
This idea came from CIESE (ciese.org), in general students collect phenotype data and then share it with other schools to create a larger data base. The data is then used to answer the question; Is the dominant trait most prevalent. I love the idea to share with other students and I may use the the CIESE connection but before doing so I was wondering if other NewTech Schoolmay be interested. If so, I would consider changing the driving question to Who is a NewTech Student? If you are a NewTech school and you are interested please let me know.

The Human Genome

February 17, 2012 – March 9, 2012

Driving Question

Does dominance always prevail?

_____________________________________________________________________
The following project title and driving question are for our unit on DNA/RNA & Protein Synthesis.

That is a Great Work of Art

February 3, 2012 – February 17, 2012

Driving Question

How can art help us understand?

I am wondering if anyone has any ideas on the medium the students can use to create the art or entry events to grab the students interest..

__________________________________________________________________

Establishing Effective Student Groups

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:20:00 +0000

Productive Group Ideas

In a YouTube video Randy Nelson of Pixar University discusses how they use collaboration to create their hit films. Wiki's and backchat rooms discuss how their online tools can encourage collaboration. And education talks about the need to teach students the 21st Century skill of collaboration. But what does collaboration really mean? What must exist for a group to truly collaborate? How can a teacher help support a heterogeneous group of students become collaborators? If I can suggest that the goal of collaboration is to produce a better product then I believe there are four suggestions that can be implemented.

Group Contracts and Daily Planning Meetings -
It is imperative that the group of students create a contract at the beginning of each project. These contracts should include contact information, group goals and responsibilities, as well as consequences and steps to "firing" if such a need arises. The first group contract will likely be weak and not effective. Using this as a teachable moment and allowing for group processing at the end of each project will time to lead towards improved contracts.

After the contract has been developed it needs to be revisited each day during a daily group meeting. The first group meeting may last 5-10 minutes but additional meetings should take no longer then 3 minutes. These meeting should start with each group member opening a copy of the contract, a designated individual then will ask if anyone has any concerns. Next, a second group member will ask each teammate to view the daily responsibility sheet. At this point the group reviews whats needs to be done that day, who is to do what, and how will results be shared with the rest of the group.

Daily Reflection/Self Assessment
At the end of each day students need to take two minutes to reflect on their own performance. Did they follow the group contract? Did they fulfill their responsibilities and complete the task they had agreed to do? Did they demonstrate proficiency in regards to the school wide learning outcome (SWLO) or the 21st century skills (communication, collaboration, self-directed work ethic). This reflection can be shared in a debriefing session with the group, as an exit slip question with the instructor, or completed in a Google form. This reflection is perhaps one of the most important steps because it creates accountability; self accountability!

Creating Experts
In the "real world" productive teams do not succeed by having each individual perform the same task but rather each member fulfills a role to move the organization forward. Teachers should have students do the same, working in a parallel fashion, sharing ideas, and improving the group project. By not doing this an instructor is inadvertently destroying group interdependence.

To create positive interdependence (Fisher - Productive Group Work) an instructor can offer expert courses or workshops in which only one group member may come to. This makes that student valuable to the group while allowing the group to continue progressing in other areas of the project. Examples of workshops that could be offered include; how to use movie making software, using proper citations, or tips to creating an persuasive presentation.

Check-Ins
A twist to the expert groups is to call for check-in meetings. This process is to serve as a formative assessment of each groups progress. In this setting, one representative from each group will meet with the instructor, allowing for a chance to voice concerns and share celebrations. This will also provide a great opportunity for the instructor to share new information, remind the groups of expectations, and to form a list of necessary workshops.

Productive Groups
Working with others in a productive and effective way is a skill. Like all skills it is something that can be taught, learned, and improved upon. When an instructor is intentional about the development of these skills then the results are students who can create great products.

Establishing Effective Student Groups

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:12:00 +0000

In a YouTube video Randy Nelson of Pixar University discusses how they use collaboration to create their hit films. Wiki's and backchat rooms discuss how their online tools can encourage collaboration. And education talks about the need to teach students the 21st Century skill of collaboration. But what does collaboration really mean? What must exist for a group to truly collaborate? How can a teacher help support a heterogeneous group of students become collaborators? If I can suggest that the goal of collaboration is to produce a better product then I believe there are four suggestions that can be implemented.

Group Contracts and Daily Planning Meetings -
It is imperative that the group of students create a contract at the beginning of each project. These contracts should include contact information, group goals and responsibilities, as well as consequences and steps to "firing" if such a need arises. The first group contract will likely be weak and not effective. Using this as a teachable moment and allowing for group processing at the end of each project will time to lead towards improved contracts.

After the contract has been developed it needs to be revisited each day during a daily group meeting. The first group meeting may last 5-10 minutes but additional meetings should take no longer then 3 minutes. These meeting should start with each group member opening a copy of the contract, a designated individual then will ask if anyone has any concerns. Next, a second group member will ask each teammate to view the daily responsibility sheet. At this point the group reviews whats needs to be done that day, who is to do what, and how will results be shared with the rest of the group.

Daily Reflection/Self Assessment
At the end of each day students need to take two minutes to reflect on their own performance. Did they follow the group contract? Did they fulfill their responsibilities and complete the task they had agreed to do? Did they demonstrate proficiency in regards to the school wide learning outcome (SWLO) or the 21st century skills (communication, collaboration, self-directed work ethic). This reflection can be shared in a debriefing session with the group, as an exit slip question with the instructor, or completed in a google form. This reflection is perhaps one of the most important steps because it creates accountability; self accountability!

Creating Experts
In the "real world" productive teams do not succeed by having each individual perform the same task but rather each member fulfills a role to move the organization forward. Teachers should have students do the same, working in a parallel fashion, sharing ideas, and improving the group project. By not doing this an instructor is inadvertently destroying group interdependence.

To create positive interdependence (Fisher - Productive Group Work) an instructor can offer expert courses or workshops in which only one group member may come to. This makes that student valuable to the group while allowing the group to continue progressing in other areas of the project. Examples of workshops that could be offered include; how to use movie making software, using proper citations, or tips to creating an persuasive presentation.

Check-Ins
A twist to the expert groups is to call for check-in meetings. This process is to serve as a formative assessment of each groups progress. In this setting, one representative from each group will meet with the instructor, allowing for a chance to voice concerns and share celebrations. This will also provide a great opportunity for the instructor to share new information, remind the groups of expectations, and to form a list of necessary workshops.

Productive Groups
Working with others in a productive and effective way is a skill. Like all skills it is something that can be taught, learned, and improved upon. When an instructor is intentional about the development of these skills then the results are students who can create great products.

Reflections

noreply@blogger.com (Marc Schulz) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:21:00 +0000

As I begin preparing to leave Sparta Schools I would like to take the time to share my hopes and aspirations for Englishville Alternative High School. Below is a document that I began to put together earlier this school year.

Englishville

A True Alternative School

How do we become a true alternative school rather than a small traditional high school? How do we go beyond are strength of building relationships to developing young adults who are resourceful; demonstrating the ability to gather& comprehend, perform critical consumption (discernment), communicate, and act upon (do something) information.

Englishville should set a goal to produce students who;

· Are prepared for post secondary studies and demonstrate these 21^st Century skills;

· Reading for comprehension

· Writing for comprehension/communication

· Understanding of how to create a niche

· Work Collaboratively

· Critically think

· Are prepared to enter a sustainable job and demonstrate these 21^st Century skills;

· Create a niche for themselves

· Stay informed and critically think

· Problem Solve

· Demonstrate a elf directed work ethic

· Work Collaboratively – communication verbally and written

· Use technology effectively

· Are ready to participate within their community and demonstrate these 21^st Century skills;

· How to market yourself – build a niche

· Desire to serve/understanding of the importance to serve

· Knowledge of Community Activities, Government, Resources

· Work Collaboratively

The following is a proposal to address the needs mentioned above with support for the reasoning. In short, Englishville Alternative High School can become a true alternative by focusing on integrating reading and writing across the content areas, using strategies that purposely develop leadership and team skills, and creating a culture of caring and service to others.

Reading and Writing

The ability to read recreational and content technical material must be a focus of Englishville Alternative High School. Studies show that individuals who read are more likely to be successful in college.

· “What differentiates students who are ready for college from the rest, the research shows, is an ability to comprehend sophisticated texts that may have several layers of meaning.” - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11608629/

Furthermore:

· “That held true regardless of a student’s gender, race, ethnicity or family income. The ACT has spelled out the elements of complex tests in hopes states will start adopting them.” - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11608629/

As part of Sparta School District, Englishville is poised to take the next step to produce students who will be classified as those that are ready for college. This is because of the work that has been and is continuing to be done in the areas of Common Strategies for Reading to Learn. Englishville’s population is largely characterized as free or reduced lunch. Thisstatistic would suggest that the students , as a whole, may also be coming from an environment in which reading is below average. If the ability to read at a high level will increase the students’ opportunities then it should be a targeted building wide goal.

Gathering and comprehension is only one piece of the puzzle. The students also need to be able to discern the material and communicate it. Sparta’s implementation of common strategies for Writing to Learn and its use of Collaborative Groups provides the tools to build these skills. The growth of a students’ reading skills and writing skills are interdependent :

· Reading and writing are interdependent processes that are essential to each other and mutually beneficial (Holt & Vacca, 1984). As writing improves through daily communicative use, reading is enhanced (Goodman & Goodman, 1983). - http://www.bridgew.us/Library/CAGS_Projects/LTHOMSON/web%20page/r-w%20connection.htm

· Reading Next (2004) and Writing Next (2007) have documented the importance of the reading-writing connection. Both reports affirm that students’ reading and writing abilities are complimentary and growth in one skill inevitably leads to growth in the other (i.e., students become better readers by strengthening their writing

skills and vice-versa). - http://www.lexile.com/m/uploads/positionpapers/ReadingWritingConnection.pdf

The Writing to Learn Strategies provide all content area teachers the tools necessary to create opportunities for the student to work on their writing skills while at the same time allowing for meta cognition, analysis of the material, and a chance to communicate. All of these aspects can be emphasized even further with the use of a structured collaborative activity.

Better readers and writers are not only more prepared for college but they also have better skills to find a sustainable job and to invest into the community in which they live.

Collaborative Group Work

Employers want individuals who can work with others to complete a common task in a timely manner. Individuals must have the ability to plan and organize, to identify roles and to delegate, the know how to complete the task, and the understanding of the importance of self and group reflection.

GRR is a framework that allows for modeling, guidance, and practice time for all of these skills to be developed. If Englishville implements this practice building wide on a daily basis, then it will provide for up to 1080 hours of practice a year. This would set Englishville apart from other alternative programs and give graduates the background necessary to become leaders in post secondary education, the work force, and the community.

The GRR will provide the opportunity for Englishville students to learn, practice, and demonstrate the skills mentioned above. Collaborative group instruction has also been shown to increase learning and retention (Fisher and Frey, 2008,, based upon studies; of Beckman 1990; McInnerney & Roberts 2005; Slavin 1980, 1983; Totten, Sills, Disgby & Russ, 1991) and improve students’ attitude towards school (Fisher and Frey, 2008; Johnson & Johnson, 1999; Summers, 2006).

It is the collaborative group work process where students can demonstrate the understanding of not only content but also the communication process, the discernment of ideas, and the ability to plan and delegate with the intent of accomplishing a task. Teachers can build into their lessons objectives (purposes) and assessments that intentionally strengthen individuals abilities to work in a team and to take a leadership role.

Through reciprocal teaching, a collaborative activity, students learn language that assists them in communicating with one another. By having this dialogue students begin to build the capacity and confidence to challenge one another, to challenge ideas and concepts presented by experts, and to develop further questions. This is the foundation of discerning information and acting upon it, as well as growing the individual skills necessary to becoming a integral part of a successful team.

Creating an Environment of Caring and Service

Capturing Kids Hearts provides a framework that can intertwine with the GRR Framework and the content being taught. When done correctly, it should it not be another thing a teacher must do but instead it will support and add to the curriculum. CKH, like reciprocal teaching, provides language that is important to individuals when they are dealing with others. It also provides tools that students can use to confront others that are acting inappropriately. The engagement and exploration stages build the desire to reach out and listen, a skill that is important when becoming involved in the community.

Attacking Attendance

There is a strong correlation between attendance and success in the classroom. Currently Englishville is suffering from a lack of consistent attendance. That is, there are a large number of students who do not see the benefit or are not inspired by the education that we are offering. We must ask ourselves how can we create emotion and meaning to a level that will attract the students.

I would like to offer several possibilities:

Option 1: Continue doing what we are with an increase focus and effort to improve instruction and delivery based upon the pedagogy practices supported by the district.

Option 2: Improve our instruction and delivery and add relevance to our classes with the use of a building wide essential question.

Option 3: Same as Option Two but add several building wide thematic units that last from one day to a week in length.

Option 4: Same as Option Two but add thematic year long courses.

If students are finding the classes interesting (emotion), if students are understanding the content (meaning), if there is relevance to the content (emotion and meaning) then they are more likely to want to be at school. If the students are at school then we have a better chance to impact their knowledge, the way they think, and the way they interact.

Where Do We Go From Here

Complete a needs analysis, gather info from staff, admin, and students

Set individual smart goals based upon the needs analysis and using district supported initiatives as means to accomplishing the goals.

Gradual release a multi-year plan that includes specific student outcomes, staff outcomes, and building vision.