Thursday - One to What? BYOD v. 1:1

This presentation was a soapbox presentation by Michelle Luhtala who expressed her views in regards to BYOD.  Her district uses a MAC Address registration process.  Once that MAC Address is registered, students gain access to the wi-fi.  (This registration includes graduation year so that their information can remain current.)

She also stated a couple interesting tidbits such as the fact that Iowa seems to be heavily using Google Apps and that English Departments should cross check all of their reading lists with books that may be available for free digitally.  (Many of the older authors may indeed be free for download and worth checking out.)

It was also thought provoking as to how open, loud, and digital her library was depicted in videos.  It was more of a cyber cafe than a library and it was more of a commons than a "quiet area".  The students seemed very happy with the situation.

She also supplied an Acceptable Use Policy link  that her district is using.

Thursday - Transforming Classrooms with iPads

The speakers for this session were using 1:1 classrooms with 1st and 5th graders.  They supplied quite a bit of the applications that they use but I was more interested in how they were utilizing the technology.  They attempted to use iPads as a tool to give students options for creation and reflection.  The majority of the examples that were supplied involved the students creating something using an iPad and then having audio/video tied into the project.  The Audio and/or Video would be for the students to reflect upon what they're doing or on how and why they decided to create the project.

The majority of the applications cost money.  I have only included a few apps onto the Pearl Tree that I've created since I couldn't evaluate them freely.

Those apps used but required purchase:
Apple Pages, Comic Life, Story Kit, Book Creator, eBook Magic, Snapseed, Hipstamatic, SonicPics, Confer

Those apps that were free (and on the Pearl Tree):
Adobe Photoshop Express, Vimeo, qrstuff.com, Edmodo, Kidblog, Google Forms, Screen Chomp

Thursday - Tech and Translliteracy - Meet the Zombie Invasion

This cleverly titled session was using zombies as an analogy of how students behave in the traditional classroom.  It was an apps session where they did a show & tell on a bunch of different applications.  They organized these applications (which I liked) under 4 headings:  Create, Collaborate, Communicate, and Curate.

I have created a pearl tree of the links after looking at each of them and filtering out the "pay" apps.  You can go to that pearl tree here.  I have expanded this Pearl Tree to include apps that I've found from other sessions and I've continued with the 4 headings with an addition of Assessment for a 5th category.

The apps that are not included from this seminar because they seemed poor or cost money include: iBook Creator, PicLots

Flipped Classrooms

Andrew Montgomery from Roycemore School presented how he manages a flipped classroom.  I think the one thing we should take away from his presentation is that he does not expect the videos and resources that he posts to replace classroom instruction.  They are posted to allow students to preview the material before class and to review the material after class.  He realizes that (a) some kids do not have Internet access at home, and (b) some kids simply won't watch the videos even if they are considered a requirement. Posting the videos helps students get ahead or to at least keep up with the class.  


His videos are 5 - 9  minutes long which helps to keep them interesting and focused.  His videos are all narrated whiteboarding sessions using his Mobi board to write and Screencast-O-Matic to do the recordings, or they are narrated presentations/ PowerPoints.

Along with the videos, he also posts additional materials and links to go with the lessons. He uses Khan Academy, a site with high-quality video lessons that focus mainly on math and science but the site does include other subjects and topics.


The overall focus for Mr. Montgomery is to use the videos to help students prepare for the lesson that day.  Students have a rough idea before class begins whether or not they understand the material, and they are prepared to ask focused questions during the instruction. They are ready for the lesson, which makes the instructional piece go faster and therefore allows for more time to practice the material, i.e. do their homework in class while the teacher is still with them and available to answer their questions.

Board room remote control directions

The remote control in the board room controls two projectors and the sound system.  Here are some basic directions for its operation.

Connecting to a video source:

There are several VGA connections in control boxes in the floor of the board room.  Each box is labeled.  After connecting your computer to one of the boxes, click the button on the left under Choose A Source that corresponds to the correct box.  

Connecting to an audio source:

Inside each of the control boxes in the floor of the board room is a mini-stereo audio input.  You need to connect the headphone jack on your computer to the audio input inside the box.  Be sure that the volume on your computer is turned on, and make sure that the Mute button on the remote is not selected.  You can control the volume of your presentation on the computer and on the remote control.  If you do not hear the volume, you may need to turn up the volume on both the computer and the remote.

Microphones:

The microphones connect to a large XLR connector inside the control boxes in the floor of the board room.  You can control the volume of your microphones on the remote control.  The volume buttons control to volume of the microphones and the computer.  Use the volume on the computer to raise or lower its volume to match the volume level of people speaking into the microphones.

Turn the system on:

Click on either the Center Projector button or the Side Projector button.  This will turn on the specified projector and also activate the sound system.  The screens will lower automatically for each projector. 

Turn the system off:

Click on the Turn System Off button to turn off all equipment.  The screens will raise into the ceiling and the projectors will turn off after cooling down for approximately 1-2 minutes.  

Adjusting the image on the screen:

Different computers require a different screen resolution, which might affect the way it looks on the screen.  If the image on the screen is not centered on the screen or seems blurry, you can adjust the projector.  Click on the correct video source button, inside the Choose A Source section, and in the center of the remote control screen you will see Adjust Center Projector and Adjust Side Projector.  Click on those buttons to adjust the image.  

Help Desk:

Please call Carol at x6751 for assistance during the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.  She will direct your call to the proper person.

Overview of Microsoft's new Office Web Apps

D211 students will have access to many useful tools as part of the student e-mail system that will be in place with the start of the 2010-2011 school year.  One set of tools that will be available is called Office Web Apps, which are the free online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. 

For more information on Office Web Apps, please click the link below:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/web-apps/office-web-apps-overview-FX101825723.aspx

Solving a teaching problem

I found a website from Carnegie Mellon University's Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence that helps teachers (not just new teachers) through common problems they're facing with their class and then gives them suggestions to fix it.  Are your students late for class?  Here's some possible causes of that problem as well as some advice on how to curtail it.  It was an interesting approach.  I thought I'd share it with all of you.

http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/solveproblem/step1-problem/index.html 

Upcoming technology improvements

Dear Staff Member:

Next year District 211 will focus our efforts on improving your overall experience with technology.  In the coming summer months, we plan to implement six major improvements that will make your computer more reliable, your connection to the Internet faster and more stable, and your communication with students and parents more efficient. 

·    First, the wireless network is going to be completely overhauled.  Each school's wireless infrastructure will be expanded and improved to hold approximately 6,000 devices, which is four times more than the current system allows and enough capacity for every person to have two devices connected at all times.  Connections to the wireless network should be stronger and less likely to be lost and classrooms using laptop carts should expect faster boot times and far fewer issues connecting to network drives. 

·    Second, the Internet bandwidth will be quadrupled.  Streaming media will be expected to play smoothly, and large classes doing research will be able to maintain a more stable and faster connection. 

·    Third, as a result of a better wireless structure and greater Internet capacity, people will again have full access to the guest211 network as they have had in the past.  Students will be able to use any personal electronic device, including computers and cell phones, within the guidelines of District policy, to connect to the Internet inside our schools. 

·    Fourth, we will replace Windows XP with Windows 7.  This new operating system boots faster, has better wireless capabilities and is more stable than Windows XP.  Numerous staff members throughout the District have already been successful using Windows 7 and the transition has been smooth for them.

·    Fifth, we will replace Lotus Notes with Outlook as our e-mail, calendar, and messaging system.  Outlook offers a greater number of integrated communication features, is more compatible with your personal computers and is easily accessible on your cell phones.  We will make sure everyone has access to the training they need to use this convenient, easily accessible communication program.  Our ongoing discussions with Microsoft and our examination of similar transitions from other districts all indicate that all e-mail, data, files, folders and calendar entries accumulated in Lotus Notes have been successfully and completely migrated to Outlook.  More information about this will be provided in the near future.

·    Sixth, every student will be given a designated District e-mail account.  You will have the ability to e-mail your students, create student e-mail groups, and send out calendar reminders regarding tests, homework, practices, games and club meetings.

These six areas were chosen based on the extensive information collected from teachers, students, parents and administrators over the last few months, and they will have a positive impact on the way we use technology to advance student learning and achievement.

We will send regular updates over the next month to keep you informed of our progress and to explain opportunities for training.  In the meantime, please send us any comments or questions you might have.

Keith Sorensen  

Director of Educational Technology 

Charlie Peterson

Director of Technology Services

Protect yourself by using privacy settings on Facebook

Safety and privacy are big concerns for anyone who uses the Internet regardless of their age.  The more information you post on the Internet, the more likely it is someone will be able to piece that information together and figure out where you live, when you're going on vacation, or where your kids go to school.  Yet despite all we know about keeping our information private, many people break those rules when they are on a social site such as Facebook.

I've included two short articles on how to protect yourself when you're suing social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace. One is an article about overall things to avoid when using social sites, and then another article with tips on how to keep using Facebook but avoid getting into trouble at work for the things you post.  Both are worth reading.

Electronic textbooks

One significant barrier to adopting an all-electronic curriculum is the lack of support and resources provided by the textbook companies.  I know, why would a textbook company provide online resources when their money really comes from book sales?  The fact is, they need to find a way to provide their same textbooks in an electronic format as well as add new multimedia features while still earning enough money to stay in business.  They can do this.  We know this.  Newspapers, magazines, books, movies and music are all available online as well as in physical format, and those industries are finding a way to survive and in some cases even make more money than ever.  The textbook companies fell behind the times, but the companies that make the transition first will be in better shape long-term than the others.

As a member of a large school district, my interest is in our 13,000 students and not in the profit margin of the textbook companies.  I want the best resources for the lowest prices possible.  When the textbook companies are ready to produce high-quality electronic resources then we will be ready to evaluate them and consider them for implementation.  We're finally starting to see some companies ready to make the shift; McGraw-Hill, Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt, Pearson, and Kaplan have all signed agreements to deliver their textbooks in the iPad tablet format.  We haven't seen price points, and we don't know if it will be a straight adaptation of if they will take advantage of the multimedia capabilities of a computer-like device.  There's a lot we don't know, but we do know that publishers are finally taking the digital age seriously.

To read more about the iPad story click the following link:
<http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2010/02/02/major-textbook-publishers-sign-scrollmotion-ipad/>
(This tip comes courtesy of Scott Weidig at SHS)

Copyright and the classroom: showing video tapes in class

Copyright laws are meant to protect people who create something and want to retain control over what they created.  Music and movies are often the center of many copyright lawsuits, especially when it comes to illegal file sharing.  Artists do not like it when people enjoy their work without paying for it, and I don't know anyone else who would feel differently.

Educators are allowed to use copyrighted materials for free, but only in very specific situations and within a short time frame. It's called "fair use," and according to Stanford University,

"someone other than the copyright owner may make limited use of a copyrighted work without permission for purposes such as teaching, research, scholarship, criticism, parody and news reporting."

Again, there are very strict guidelines for this. To learn more about the fair use rule, please visit Stanford University's webpage at <http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter0/0-e.html>

How are kids affected by the use of media devices?

There have been many studies about the effects of television on children, and those studies have expanded to include the use of cell phones, mp3 players, handheld video games, and other media devices.  A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows, among other things, how much time kids spend using different media devices.  You can read more about media usage studies at <http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2010/01/obvious-report-on-increased-media-use-among-kids-is-obvious.ars>

Here are two graphs from the study that I found interesting.

...

Daily amount of time, in hours and minutes, kids spend using media devices when parents set limitations on their use versus those whose parents do not set limits.

...

Correlation between amount of media use and grades:

What is a word cloud?

A word cloud is a bunch of words all lumped together, with the size of each word dependent on how many times it appears in the original document.  A word that appears many times within one piece of writing will be larger than a word that is only there once or twice.  For example, if you listed all the words in one of President Obama's speeches in one big jumble, then made the words that appear most often larger than the others, it would look something like this:

Word clouds are mathematical, they're visual, and  they're a different way to view information in order to gain understanding. 

Go to Wordle's website <http://www.wordle.net/> to create yours today.

Online safety

The laws regarding privacy and protection on the Internet are rapidly changing, but the overall message is clear: we will protect our children from harmful things on the Internet, and we will teach our children how to protect themselves.  Below is a link to OnGuard Online, a federal website regarding Internet safety.  Within that site is Net Cetera which has resources to help parents and teachers talk to their children about the dangers associated with using the Internet.

OnGuard Online <http://www.onguardonline.gov/>
Net Cetera <http://www.onguardonline.gov/topics/net-cetera.aspx>