teachusingtechnology.com

Response to an Article: Schools, technology, test scores and the New York Times

Pablo — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 06:58:35 +0000

This is a copied response to an article dated Sept 7, 2011 on DangerouslyIrrelevant.org To see the full article with comments: http://bit.ly/qFXcbu I am all in when it comes to providing students with multimedia projects in which they immerse themselves in the language of the particular technology, collaborate with their peers and create a product worthy to display and communicate the results. Saying that utilizing new technologies is playtime may be accurate. Do you have to hate what you are doing or be miserable during an assignment for it to be validation of learning? I think not! I will certainly agree that the educators that are using technology in the classroom need to be supported and accountable, but there is always a learning curve and to get educators up to speed, there are going to be some bumps in the road. Not every lesson, technology or otherwise is always a hit. If we stopped using technology because our lesson failed and did not satisfy the outcome we were looking for, that would be akin to giving up on a student because they "just don't get it." Technology is expensive and as stated above, those in who are utilizing it should be accountable for the use of it and become teacher leaders in there respective schools. There is a great network of teachers all around the world who eat, drink and sleep technology for the sake of students. These folks banter around ideas and learn from each on how to better utilize technology and attend conferences in which they further along ideas and practices that benefit students. To say there is not any research to the fact that students benefit from technology is ludicrous. Dr. Robert Marzano completed a study on the use of interactive whiteboards and responders (an overview of the outcomes can be found here: http://bit.ly/9HlRMW) and the research concluded that using interactive whiteboards increased student achievements by 16% and utilizing voting devices had a positive impact of 26%. These results did not come without parameters. It is not as simple as plugging in the interactive whiteboard and seeing the magic happen, it still requires hard work, preparation and follow through. For example, educators need to utilize visuals, follow up on any missed answers, while discussing correct answers and opinions and should not focus on to many of the bells and whistles, such as crowd applause for a correct answer. Educators, keep using the technology your school provides for you and know that you have to work hard to make it work, but in the end the results will be long lasting and prepare our students for the present and the future.

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Copyright: Do not Speed!

Pablo — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:33:23 +0000

I recently visited our local mountains with my 6th grade class for outdoor science school and decided that I wanted to communicate some of the activities to our parents and families. So, I decided to produce a nightly, video enhanced podcast/movie that parents could view from my school website. Myself and another teacher shared the task of capturing still images and video throughout the day and I would create the podcast so it would be available to the parents. I really enjoyed producing the files and we had great interaction and feedback from the parents. About midweek I received and e-mail from my school district that asked if I knew what "copyright" was and that I needed to change or remove the music that I had used in conjunction with my images and video. Of course I knew what copyright was and is! I would like to think I am above the curve in techie-ness. I would agree in a heartbeat that I cannot recite verbatim the music copyright and fair use laws. My main focus was to create an experience that the parents could enjoy and obtain a glimpse into their kid's lives at science school. I did not think I was supposed to be following a rubric and that my product was somehow, some grand assault on the music industry and that I was going to cause a major lawsuit against our district! But in the end folks, I was speeding and I was wrong. Have you ever been driving along and did not notice that you were speeding? You were breaking the law, but you slowly apply the breaks and continue about your day. You knew that you were not supposed to be driving faster than the posted speed limit, you know the law, so you self-corrected and all was well. I too, knew that there was a copyright law but I was distracted and did not focus on this aspect. I just wanted to get a video out and to our parents, so they might enjoy part of the experience. Again, this is not an excuse, I was speeding and I was wrong. I learned a valuable lesson and I will utilize this as a teachable moment. So, when the students walk into my classroom on Monday morning, I will explain to them how I had made a mistake and utilized popular music that was copyrighted in my project. Note, not a single student of mine has ever utilized copyrighted music in their projects but somehow that law did not pertain to me at outdoor science school. It is obvious that I need to teach by example and I believe I am. Here are is an example of a website that offers Royalty Free Music (Creative Commons Music).I was going to bore you with copyright music law, but instead I want to share this amusing video:

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Sir Ken Robinson: Creativity

Pablo — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 06:25:31 +0000

Sir Ken Robinson is a wonderful speaker and I had the opportunity to listen to one of his talks today! Sir Ken is calling for a revolution! He is calling on all "movers" to make a change in the current format of education. Evaluate these thoughts:

Legislation destroys creativity

Standardized testing has become an obsession

The thought has been to learn things in school that lead to jobs

Industrialization has shaped modern education

For math and science, the question is asked, "how can we make it better." For art, there needs to be a space created for dialogue and discussion to even take place. Why?

Our current system is obsolete

Promote innovation and creativity

Education+Culture+Commerce

Organizations are having trouble with complexity

Promoting creativity is a bottom line imperative

For most of human history we have led local lives and communicated primarily with those around us. Today we act differently

Technology is in its infancy

Within the next ten years, computers may go from algorithms to rewriting their own operating systems

We direct people to jobs we believe will be available

Misconceptions: Only special people are creative

We can't wait to change education, children cannot postpone their lives

There are three types of people (trying to change education):

Immovable: you are never going to change their thoughts, do not bother
Movable: might be able to be persuaded
Movers: those who create change

Create the right conditions

Encourage students at what they are good at

Special knowledge is a complex set of disciplines

Do attempt to teach "academic disciplines" through the arts, because what you are saying is that art is not academic and then not worthy to stand side by side next to such things as math and science.

Not seen or heard Sir Ken Robinson in action? I highly recommend the following talks:

Changing Education Paradigms

Schools Kill Creativity

Two books I am reading:

Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative

The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

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Changing how we teach and how students think in Math!

Pablo — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 05:10:11 +0000

I recently watched a TED Talk video, titled "Math class needs a makeover," by Dan Meyer. It inspired me to re-think the way I teach my students in 6th grade. You see, we have had one formula for teaching kids, for as long as I can remember, the math T.E. (teacher's edition). I use it everyday, whether it be to plan my lessons or to go over the homework problems. Somewhere deep inside me, I know that I am better than this. I am the planner and the person in charge to decide how my class is going to learn content for the day and synthesize it for it for a lifetime. Now, no one expects students to remember every last breath that a teacher makes in an effort to explain content, however, the process and the journey should very much be a appreciated and highlighted to the fullest extent. I could go on and on, but you have to buy in and work that much harder to get the results that you wish for. Simply wishing is actually not enough, so put your hard hat on and work to improve your craft so that students become the thinkers that we long for them to be. I am along with you for this journey, for I am a teacher who is constantly looking for avenues to improve my skill set and more importantly, the skill set of my students! Watch the video and let me know if you think that you need to make a change in your instruction?

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Yahoo!!!! Former Students Achieve

Pablo — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 05:52:16 +0000

Today I was blessed and touched by something really remarkable. I was invited to attend an Eagle Scout Court of Honor Ceremony. What was really special about this ceremony was that two of my former students were receiving the highest honor a Boy Scout can attain, Eagle Scout! Statistics vary, but only 2%-4% of the boys that venture into Boy Scouts, end up achieving Eagle Scout. You might ask what this has to do with technology, and for the most part, absolutely nothing. However, it has everything to do with being a teacher and providing students with every ounce of effort that we have. You see, I do not think these two students reached this honor because I single-handedly made the difference in their lives to push forward and attain such a great honor, but what I do know is that I gave them everything that I had in the classroom. I was a role model. I preached and portrayed consistency and effort. I made sure to work hard so they could make up their minds for themselves, who I was, and whether or not they wanted to take a little piece of me and place it in their life portfolio. I am so proud of these two young men and as they continue to shape their lives, I have a small piece of their courageousness in my life portfolio. It keeps me going and your personal triumphs in education, no matter how big or how small, should keep you going to provide small pieces of yourselves to the students that you serve. Technology is the tool that I use to engage, promote, excite and ultimately deliver content, but it is the embodiment that you put on display each day that makes a difference. Congratulations Sean and James! It was my honor to have shared part of my life with you. Mr Diaz.

Do you have a story that you would like to share?

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Make a Movie: Part One

Pablo — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 08:57:11 +0000

I currently teach 6th Grade Math, Technology and Spanish and its always exciting for students, not to mention myself, to make a movie about what we are studying. There are many ways to make a video or movie. You can simply have students shoot raw footage of the content of your choice, transfer it to your computer and display it to the whole class or place it on your class website for everyone to enjoy! You can get a little more sophisticated and import your video into some software, like Garageband which is part of the Apple iLife suite, which also is bundled with iPhoto and iMovie. With Garageband you can add narration video or images and background music to your project. On the Windows side, I have only used Audacity which does the job for composing audio but lacks the image and video components of your project. I did some research on a product for windows that is very intriguing. It does a very similar job to Garageband and most importantly it has the capability of combing images or videos and narration to your project. The name of this software is Acoustica Mixcraft 5.

Checkout Mixcraft 5:

These are just some of many ways to go and make a movie from your content and have some fun along the way. For those of you who really want to wow 'em and take your movies to the next level, there are more robust programs such as iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, Quick Time and Avid Technologies just to name a few. I recently came across a piece of software that I have not used yet, but I am certainly taking a look at and it is Illusion Mage. Click on the link and watch some of the videos of what it can do. Simply "Amazing." Stay tuned for part two of this blog post, where I am going to show you how to use some of this software and give you some ideas on projects that you can put together for your students!

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The iPad and Classroom Management

Pablo — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 08:38:17 +0000

Classroom management has many layers and aspects to it. It includes being organized, keeping students engaged and the ability to deliver meaningful content. Hey, you can also have some fun along the way. So this is where the iPad comes in. You hear all the chatter about the iPad, it's this, it's that and truly, it is whatever you want it to be. The iPad is extremely flexible and the apps give a teacher, an assistant, so to speak. The first app that I recommend is Teacher's Pick. You should always have a way of selecting students, because we all know that squeaky wheel gets oiled and we tend to pick the students who always raise their hands. The Teacher's Pick is the perfect app for this and students will take notice. In order for your students to see your selection, you can hook your iPad up to an LCD projector, place it under a document camera or simply show them the iPad screen. The app beats using popsicle sticks, especially in the middle school or high school classroom because of the volume of students. Teacher's Pick allows you to keep track of who has been chosen during the day or even all week. You can reset your picks at any time. A great tool to get everyone involved! Another great app that allows you to take full control of your classroom is the Lan School Lite app. This app comes complete with free software for your main computer, to over see what is happening in real time with the laptops that your students are using in the classroom. The beauty of the Lan School Lite software, is that the app that is installed on the iPad, allows for you to monitor student computers on the go! You can move about your classroom, help students with their projects and continue to monitor your student's computer screens at the same time. I my opinion, the key to this app is the mobility and you are not stuck in any one place. Students will respect the fact that you are watching and also willing to help. Check these apps out. I know they can benefit your classroom and improve classroom management.

Amazon.com Widgets

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The iPod Teacher: Clone Yourself

Pablo — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:03:35 +0000

There is no doubt about it, school districts across America are increasing class size and this reduces the amount of instructional minutes that each individual student has with their teacher. I think every student deserves some time, if even momentary, to communicate with a teacher one-on-one. As we peer out at our classrooms, it is evident some students require more attention than others because of their academic regression and deservedly so, we give them the time they need. But have you ever wished you could clone yourself, so you could be in more than one place at time in your classroom? That time is now! Use an iPod to deliver valuable and meaningful instruction while you evaluate and help students individually. Additionally, it provides students with a self-paced lesson. The students that get it, move on and the students that require more time can pause and review any portion of the lesson. I found out that our district had 20 iPod Touches ready for classroom check-out. Using an iPod for instruction gives you instant buy-in from students, not to mention your coolness factor goes up a notch or two. So here is what I did: 1. Acquired iPods 2. Record a screen cast movie to provide students with a content lesson-Here I use Jing to produce my screen casts. You can choose to use any screen cast software. 3. Open iTunes, Go to File>Add to Library>Select your movie file 4. In iTunes, select your movie>Advanced tab>Create iPod Version5. Connect iPod to your computer (If a school iPod is being used, you can set it to manual by clicking on the black icon of the iPod) 6. Drag the iPod version of the screencast lesson that you created into the ipod and your done. The lesson is now viewable, you can help individuals and small groups!

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CUE Conference 2010 – How To Videos Posted

Pablo — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:12:35 +0000

Hello and thank you to all the people that attended "Igniting the Mathematical Mind" session at CUE on Friday (3/5 ) @ 11:30 AM! Jamie Sweet and myself really enjoyed ourselves and you were a great audience! We would really love to hear from you. We have posted how to create many of the games that we covered in our session. If you see something that is not there and would like to know how to create it, please let us know. Also, if you have time, please visit Session Evaluations (Friday @ 11:30 AM)and evaluate our session, Thanks! Click on the CUE 2010 tab above to access the videos. Subscribe to access the latest videos!

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It’s All About The Kids – The Simple Ideas

Pablo — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:34:58 +0000

It's all about the kids! Have you ever heard this sentiment before? How many people really mean what they say? It makes for a great moniker, tag-line, or feel good type of statement. However, the reality is that it's easy to stand behind a declaration that more often than not, is completely supported. Kinda one of those head shake moments, where you get the proverbial "yeah, yeah, I hear ya." I call shenanigans! In education, in this current climate, it seems that its less and less about the kids and more about fancy filled promises and doughnut hole size delivery. Let see, It's all about the kids right! Then why on Earth would you overcrowd a classroom where the teacher has less and less time per student. Make sense? In school, what would you say is the single biggest asset that a student can have? Perhaps a teacher? You can have the world's greatest programs, but without a vessel to transfer and bridge information, what's the use? Yet, shall I state, "it's all about the kids," right? Vibrant teachers who come into the work force to teach the eager beavers of the world are dismissed and perhaps never to return to the teaching workforce. These young teachers come prepared with the latest technology know-how and are ready to unleash their talents and meld their fresh youth, enthusiasm and love for digital connections amongst their students. This would only benefit our youth but instead classrooms are stagnant around the U.S., with very little digital creativity for our digital stalwarts. If we want it to be all about the kids, then we as teachers, at every level, need to exhaustively work to create meaningful lessons that incorporate today's technology. If we want it to be all about the kids, there needs to be a common denominator and that is the teacher. Teaching is a special service within our society that touches young lives in exponential ways, that most will never get a chance to experience. There are thousands of quality teachers in this great nation of ours, but we need millions! Make it happen, cause it's all about the kids.

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