What? You Mean That Students Should Actually USE the Feedback We Give Them?

My favorite mentor of classroom management use to say, "The only thing in learning with a 100% guarantee is forgetting."  This is pretty bad news for teachers.  Along with that, I learned long ago that it's almost as sure that students pay little heed to the incredibly insightful and wise feedback that I used to give them on their papers (picture my sideways grin).  Perhaps, I learned this by seeing so many of my painstakingly marked papers left in desks, on floors or in the garbage can.  Perhaps, I learned this by having to repeat the same feedback over and over and wondering what is wrong with "those kids?!"  Either way, I learned that kids only wanted to see the mark and that my feedback, no matter how positive its intent, was seen as criticism...and not the motivating kind.

An article in the March 26 edition of ASDC's Inservice magazine addressed this issue and I thought some of the ideas were brilliant!  The teacher in this article, Melissa Poole, not only noticed that her students were not paying attention to her feedback, but she also noticed that he students really did not know how to give meaningful feedback to their peers.  She commented, "Too often, feedback is just a way to justify a grade, rather than help students improve."   As a result, Poole decided that she needed to model good feedback for them and she needed to "show" them how to use this feedback to improve their performance.  She looked to innovative technology to assist her with this new best practice.

First, she uses free screencasting applications such as Jing to record herself marking and commenting on the paper and how to make improvements.  Teachers could also use the very simple LiveScribe audio PDF application to get similar results.  Next, she uploads the videos to a private channel on YouTube for the student to view.  One could also opt to use their course management system to upload the videos or they could be emailed to the students.

Finally, she set up virtual "office hours" in Google Docs telling her students she'd be live on Google Docs during certain hours, and that they should log on at those times and share their work in progress to get live feedback.  Again, this could be accomplished using any variety of course management applications, such as Moodle.

To me, there is no better example of looking to innovative technologies to help solve an age-old issue than this.  If you would like to do something similar, please let me know!

Tech. Tuesday- April 8

Many of you already use the excellent web 2.0 tool called Turnitin.com.  One of your favorite parts of this tool is the Originality Check application that is capable of comparing uploaded student work to hundreds of thousands of websites for potential plagiarism.  I have used it myself and it is amazing.  However, some of you still feel that plagiarism remains a concern in your classes.  Let me invite you to check out this archived webinar from Turnitin.com:   Pushing Past Plagiarism with OriginalityCheck

By far, fewer of you utilize the online grading capabilities of Turnitin.com.  This application allows you to mark student work much quicker and easier without carrying around stacks of papers.  You can use the comments already included in the program or you can create your own and then place those comments on students' work with the click of the mouse.  If you are not convinced that GradeMark will make marking easier and faster for you, then check out this interactive tutorial.  https://demo-www.turnitin.com/dv?o=222980585&u=1007009245&lang=en_us&demo=1&cv=1&output=json&s=3

Using Google Docs to make Digital Kits for Projects 

While reading a March post of The Tempered Radical, I was intrigued by Mr. Ferriter's description of a way to use Google Docs to make Digital Project Kits for students.  I described Google Docs in a previous blog post (see Tech. Tuesday- December 20).  Using Google Docs to create a project kit for students, especially those in lower grades, seemed ingenious to me.  Basically, a digital kit is a collection of anything (i.e. photos, video clips, audio clips, passages of text, articles, documents, cartoons, etc.) connected to the project topic that teachers assemble for the students prior to the beginning of the project. Then, students use the content in digital kits to create their final products.  Now, before that furrowed brow that you have on your face becomes permanent, let me acknowledge that this would take some time to prepare on the part of the teacher, and explain why this would be time well spent.  First, it would speed up the process of the project.  As Mr. Ferriter describes, "Instead of spending days searching for content, students using pre-assembled digital kits are freed to think about the topic of study immediately." This would also give the teacher more control over the types of resources the students use in their projects.  Here's the best part though, if you search for images using Google Docs, Google only provides photos and images that are licensed for reuse and modification.  This means that no one has to worry about copyright infringement with these images!  Here are the steps for doing this (thanks to Mr. Ferriter):

1.  Start a new presentation in Google Docs

2.  Under Insert select Image

3.  In the Insert Image menu, select Google Image Search

4.  Type in your search term

5.  Google will only find images that are reusable without copyright infringement

6. After clicking on the image you want to use, find the link to the original image online found at the bottom of the image collection that Google has returned
7. Follow that link to find as much information about the original photographer as you can
8. Click on the Notes section of the slide to write a citation for the image.
9. When you are finished creating your digital kit, select the Share button in the top-right hand corner of your screen to make the file publicly available on the web
10. Copy the link that Google generates for your digital kit and share it with your students

 If you have a topic that you would like to see addressed in this blog, or if you would like to make a suggestion for training, please let me know!

Tech. Tuesday- April 3

Hello!  I am celebrating the fact that I am actually able to post a Tech. Tuesday on Tuesday.  Yea!!!

Recently, one of our colleagues asked me if I knew anything about PBworks (online collaboration tool).  I responded with what I knew and asked what he wanted to learn about it.  He said something that really rang true to me.  He said, "Like everyone else I need to establish an online class presence, so I’ll be looking at options over the summer."  His casual reference to the notion that everyone (meaning educators, especially) needs to establish an online class presence really got me thinking.  I happen to agree with him, by the way.  However, there are really two issues here. 

First, is the need for educators to have an online presence.  This is sometimes referred to as on online footprint.  Education tech. expert, Will Richardson, worries that too many educators are "un-Googleable."  Without a web presence, teachers cannot model appropriate and effective "search portfolios" for their students.  Anyone can Google you at any time... and your students certainly will.  In addition, in order to solidify one's place in online or extended professional learning networks, Richardson advises us that we must be "findable."  This means we must be participating.  It is no longer acceptable to just close the door and do what we do.  http://edweek.org/tsb/articles/2010/10/12/01richardson.h04.html.  

Are you "Googleable?"  I checked.  When I Googled my name (both of the last names I have used of late), I found a few interesting things.  Most notable, however, is that there is Sheila Robitaille who has been in some trouble in Florida lately.  Yikes!  Not as much about this Sheila Robitaille as I would like though.  I also Googled some of you.  So far, Malcolm is by far the most "Googleable" of all of the names I checked.  What this tells me is that I need to "participate" more.  I am resolved to do that.  Will you?

Secondly, teachers who embrace the characteristics of the 21st Century Educator cannot help but have an online class presence, in my opinion.  If you want to know more about those characteristics, try this link: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/leading_from_the_classroom/2011/0/are_you_a_21st_century_teacher.html
What does this mean?  It means that your class (an extension of you) and its content is present and useful on the web at all times and that students can access that content whenever they need to.  I recently read an article on cleanapple.com entitled, "Ten reasons every teacher should want a website."  While an online web class presence can be in the form of a website, it does not have to be.  However, the "reasons" that a teacher would want one are basically the same as why every teacher would want an online class presence.  Some of the most important include:
1.  It's an easy way to meet the needs of many students who have accommodations or IEPs.  Have you looked at the list of possible accommodations lately?  So many of them could be provided by simply posting your notes and assignments on an online class management system.
2.  This creates an archive of your class.  Using an online class management system, you can not only collect and archive your handouts and articles, but you can keep your websites, electronic presentations, multimedia resources, etc. in one handy place.
3.  You now have the ultimate answer to "What did I miss?"  In fact, you won't even have to answer that question.  So many of our students must miss class due to co-curricular obligations.  When you are using an online class management system, those students can stay up-to-date on their own.  The responsibility is on them!
4. It is a venue for give and take.  You won't just use your online classroom to communicate with your students;  they will use it to communicate with you.  You can give prompts, respond to their questions, give feedback, take feedback and allow them to collaborate with each other.
5.  It is the best way to start using technology in engaging ways.   As you get into the habit of updating your online class, you may start finding ways to expand your class outside of the walls of Ashbury.  This is a prime example of integrating technology as a tool and not a thing.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

Scaling Up Student Success: Check it out!

Today, I am viewing this online PD event.  So far, it is quite interesting and there are some good points about Scaling Up Teacher Effectiveness.   I'll post more later!
 Protected: View Virtual Event

Tech. Tuesday- March 27

This week's Tech Tuesday post is dedicated to apps for the iPads.  I am pretty excited about some of the apps that I have come across lately.  For instance:

Splashtop Remote Desktop:  Sometime back, our science department said, "Wouldn't it be amazing if we could find a way to use the iPads to allow us to project what we are doing on our desktops onto the SMART Boards remotely, so that we could walk around the room while we demonstrate on our computers?  Well this app will let you do just that.  By installing the Splashtop Remote Desktop app on the iPad and the free Splashtop Streamer on any PC or MAC computer, you can stream video or audio from your PC/MAC and interact with almost any program or file on that computer via your iPad.  I installed it on my iPad and was able to walk around the building and access my office computer from anywhere.  There are so many possibilities with this!  Check it out!  http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/splashtop-remote-desktop-for/id382509315?mt=8

VoiceThread for iPad:  It is no secret that I am a fan of the VoiceThread app for many reasons. I have described it in a previous post and would love to know how you used it in your classroom.  Now you can access and interact with VoiceThread on the iPad with this free app.  Excellent!

As with anything you read about here, if you would like to know more, please do not hesitate to see me!

The FLEX Academy- A Bit of a Stretch

I heard about the FLEX Academy a while back and I have to admit I was a bit intrigued.  Then...I read an article about them in a recent addition of MindShift and my eyes were opened.  (http://mindshift.kqed.org/2012/03/at-flex-academy-high-school-mimics-the-workplace/).  The FLEX Academy, located in San Francisco, is a new twist on schooling whereby the high school setting operates largely like a business.  Students take all of their courses online and report daily to their cubicles where they work on their independent projects.  Teachers teach, but they do it in small groups in meeting-like settings where they focus on a topic or concept that the students are having difficulty with.  Students "schedule" meetings with their teachers or teachers schedule these meetings based upon the issues that they see when monitoring their students' progress.  Courses are self-paced and, as a result, students are generally motivated to work while they are there.

On the surface, this sounds pretty good- especially to someone who is always pushing for more technology and courses that have a hybrid approach.  I have also ranted frequently (see previous blog post) about doing a better job of preparing our students to use the tools they will need to do their jobs.  However, this model goes a bit too far, in my opinion.  While I think we should be doing all we can do to prepare students to work in their jobs, I don't think that they should be rushed into cubicle-like job settings.  Face it, those of us who work in cubicles now might say that they are no places for children.  That's the point...students are children who need to be allowed to be children.  One of the components missing from this "innovative" approach to education is the opportunity for participation in the arts and sports.  What kind of an education is that?  Furthermore, do we really want kids to be further removed from the social aspects of schooling and childhood than they are now?

There are certainly some positives to this approach.  First, this seems like the ultimate in terms of the "flipped classroom" model.  How incredible must it be for teachers to be able to work in small groups of students who need assistance with the same detail of their learning?  How motivating must it be for students to have so much control over their own learning?  How helpful and current must it be to be able to work through courses that have been prepared carefully and are fully managed online?  How empowering must it be for students and parents to be able to see the students' progress at a click of a mouse?  There is so much we could take from this at a lesser degree here that would be so progressive.

Nevertheless, I think the FLEX Academy has gone too far and overly-sterilized the educational process.  It will be interesting to see what sorts of citizens emerge from this model of schooling.

I'd love to hear your thoughts...

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?