What Does Will.I.Am Know Anyway?!

This post is not likely to get me a lot of fans.  In fact, this post is more like a rant, so if you aren't open to taking a hard look at things here, you may want to stop reading....consider yourself warned.

Besides the abundance of technology tools we have here to do our jobs, what do we offer our students in the way of 21st Century tools to do their jobs?  Are we too quick to dismiss the productivity potential in the devices that our students already own?

We call ourselves a university prep school, and for the most part, we do a fine job of preparing our students for the rigors of university life.  However, are we really doing enough to prepare our students for the experiences and roles they will have in their futures?  I defy anyone to list five occupations today that do not require a person to know how to use a computer quite well and how to employ the technology tools appropriate for their work.  I can't think of many.  If you know me very well, you've probably heard this rant (or some version of it) in the past.  What got me on this topic, again?  Take a look at the video below and at how Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas describes how he uses technology tools incessantly in order to drive his music career.


Technology is everywhere.  It's not an option; it's a way of life outside the walls of our school.  Shouldn't the inside of our school and the activities that go on within the walls have a greater similarity to the outside?

Tech. Tuesday- Feb. 28

Our Value As a School:   Recently, I heard 21st Century Teaching Expert, Will Richardson make this bold statement, "Our value as a school is not in the content, but in the learning."  I think this may be very true and, truthfully, it scares me a bit as I am constantly party to conversations driven by how to deliver content to our students.  What does he mean by this?  What are the implications with regards to our notions about our roles as teachers?  Check out this clip and let me know what you think:


YouTube for Schools:
YouTube has recently launched a way for teachers to utilize all of the educational content on YouTube in a way that is safe for students.  They call it YouTube for Schools and it is free of all of the comments and linked videos (that are often inappropriate), so that you can just concentrate on the learning benefits of the videos that you use.  See below:




One Teacher's Reflection:
Recently, Ingrid Boyd had her grade 4 students prepare their book talks in a more innovative way than she had in the past.  Instead of putting pen to paper, she had the students create a simple podcast using the school's iPads.  After the experience, she sent the following reflection to me in an email:

"I'm attaching a couple of podcasts for you to check out.  Just listen to the first 20 seconds of each if you have a minute.  The first is by a boy who is not a strong reader at all, and he struggles to write clearly.  But listen to his expression!  He spent 30 minutes sitting in my office with his iPad, recording over and over until he was happy with his final result.  The second one is a good student who also did a good job.

So really, the content hasn't changed from what I've done with grade 4 in the last five years - they're using appropriate vocabulary (i.e. genre, setting, character) to discuss their book, making some judgements and justifying them, and reading an excerpt. What has changed is the medium with the added technology...and now there is very little difference between the final product that these two students created. The second difference is the way the students approached the task. They wrote their scripts over the last 3 days in preparation, but today, for over an hour, every student was focused, on task, excited and also supportive of each other as they helped problem-solve. Mike and I just circulated and watched them create!"

While I was thrilled to hear about what a teacher has done with her students, what struck me the most from this email was Ingrid's commentary on how the use of this innovation evened the playing field for all of her students regardless of any learning differences.  I read about this all the time, but it is nice to hear about it first-hand.  Thanks Ingrid!

What's "APPening?"
Motion Math:  An independent study looking at the impact that this App aimed at helping kids understand fractions showed that, "fifth graders’ fractions test scores improved an average of over 15% after playing Motion Math for 20 minutes daily over a five-day period, a significant increase compared to a control group."  In addition, “students’ self-efficacy for fractions, as well as their liking of fractions, each improved an average of 10%, a statistically significant increase, and almost all students rated Motion Math as fun and that the game helped them learn."  If you are interested in checking out this APP, go to:  http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/motion-math/id392489333?mt=8

Literary Analysis Guide:  With this App, your students visualize how the elements of literature develop style and meaning in their writing or in the literature that they are reading.  Developed by a university professor who was looking for a way to better illustrate the impact of the elements of literature,  the App is arranged graphically around three wheels (Poetry, Prose & Rhetoric).  Check it out!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/literary-analysis-guide/id379338747?mt=8

Pocket CAS Pro:  This is an advanced graphic and scientific calculator App. for the iPad.  I'd love to know how it measures up to the ones currently used in our classes!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/advanced-graphic-symbolic/id366949178?mt=8

Tech Tuesday (on Friday)- Feb. 17

Putting Technology Integration Into Perspective:

I came across a quote about technology integration that really spoke to me:  "Lead with the learning, and not with the tools.  Always."- Tim Wilhelmus- education blogger and innovator.  In the same article, my favorite blogger, Bill Ferriter, added, "Technology alone isn't revolutionary.  Technology just makes it possible for teachers and students to do revolutionary things.   Our choices about technology need to start and end with our beliefs about learning. Forgetting to put learning first in ANY conversation about education is a recipe for failure."

So, with these thoughts in mind, I realize that any innovations that I promote must come from my understanding about what Ashbury believes about learning (and teaching).  I look to our first Core Value:  Academic Excellence.  We tell the world that we believe that, "Our challenging, broad-based academic program, which promotes critical thinking and creativity, prepares students for success in university and in life."  For me, the key words (phrases) here are "critical thinking," "creativity," and "prepares students for success in university and in life."  If this is truly what Ashbury believes about learning, then my mission and my commitment must be to find innovative tools that promote critical thinking, creativity and prepare students for life after Ashbury.  

What do you think?  What are Ashbury's beliefs about learning (and teaching)?  Have I missed anything?  I would love to hear from you.

Should We Renew Discussions About Becoming a Laptop School?

I am aware that there are divided opinions about whether or not Ashbury should become a laptop school.  I am also aware of many of the arguments for and against.  Frankly, I believe that both sides make excellent points.  However, I have three questions:

1.  Not to belabor an aforementioned point, but how does our current stance on not being a laptop school support our beliefs about learning?  To be honest, I don't think it does.  I would love to entertain arguments, however.  

2.  Would becoming a laptop school promote our beliefs about learning (and teaching)?  Personally, I know that I cannot imagine attempting to do my job, or continue my recreational life for that matter, without my technology tools.  If I am asked to create anything, to look at an issue critically or simply share my ideas, I start automatically with my preferred technologies.  I am of the age of the "Digital Immigrants," and this is my thinking about technology as tool.  Imagine what our students (Digital Natives) must feel when asked to create, synthesize, critique or share without their technology tools?

3.  Are we really in control of this decision anyway?  As many of you know, Andy Moore has been using Moodle as a course management tool for sometime.  He has also been using their Browser Lockdown feature to provide assessments online.  He recently sent me this data:  

To date, the largest % of students using the school laptops for any test has been 50%. The smallest has been 20%. Generally speaking, between ½ and ¾ of Ashbury students are currently using their own computers (80% Macs) to write tests in his courses.  He also goes on to say, "I’m guessing that had I collected this kind of data as recently as 2010, the number of students able to use their own laptops would have been 25% at the most. It seems to me that we are in the midst of a fairly rapid shift whereby students are using their computers as important in-class learning tools and that we will soon be a laptop school whether we mean to be or not. I see this as a very positive development since I am getting very close to becoming paperless in my class and improving my pedagogy in the process."

SO...are we already a laptop school and we are just not reaping the "benefits" of  advertising that we are a laptop school and being able to have some input or control over the types of laptops used by our students?  I welcome your thoughts and ideas!  Let's chat!