Teachers Adopting Technology

As a learning team facilitator, I have the privilege of working in a variety of classrooms around my school district.  So periodically I am going to write about outstanding teachers using technology in their classrooms in SD43 Coquitlam.  I think I will begin with a teacher that was on the first learning team I ever facilitated.

Naomi is an elementary Student Services teacher.  4 years ago Naomi began by joining a technology learning team, which I had the pleasure of facilitating as a classroom teacher released for this purpose.  Naomi was perhaps a bit tentative, about her use of technology, but she make a commitment to forge ahead by using technology a bit more with each passing week, month and term.

Today, Naomi is leading the learning team at her school as well as getting special needs students to write wikis to improve not just their skills, but their attitudes towards writing.  She also uses Smartboards in her practice, and continues to learn new things about them as well.  Naomi is also bravely putting herself out there by writing a blog.  This is what 21st century teachers do, and I am proud to call her my colleague.

Windows Phone vs. iPhone–The Winner for Teachers

 

My district has been offering two new phones to administrators and managers; the Windows 7 (Mango) phone, and the iPhone 4S.  They also offer some less fancy options that may appeal to people who “just need a phone”.  But which of these two options would be best in education?  I got to handle both of them, and then went and consulted some very smart guys who sell phones for a living.

Usability

Both the phones have a great interface.  I am used to the arrangement of the icons on screens on the iPhone.  This has been around for years, and it is what people have come to expect.  A very short learning curve – and consistent with the iPad. 

(photo from apple.com)

The windows phone uses tiles, and like icons they can be rearranged.  However, because of their large surface, tiles can display a small thumbnail of information – like when someone posts a new photo on facebook.  You don’t see a notification – you see the photo!  Pretty cool.  I would say as far as accessibility and navigation, they were both pretty smooth.  The Windows phone (an HTC HD7)  has a slightly larger display – easy on the eyes and easier for texting with. 

Overall – Tie. 

(photo from rogers.ca)

Durability

The iPhone 4 and 4S are made of a durable glass.  The front and back are made of the same durable glass – but it’s still glass.  If you drop it, you will crack it.  According to the sales guys, you must put it in a case.  Apparently, some people have a different case for their iPhone for each day of the week.  When I asked the sales guys in different locations why they thought apple went with glass as opposed to the original metal back, they said '”look and feel”. 

It does feel really good in the hand, but would I keep it out of the case?

The HTC HD7 Windows phone has has a combination of plastic and metal back.  It has a little hinge around the camera which is intended to prop the phone at an angle like a desk or bedroom clock.  That’s all well and good, but anytime you build a part that moves, that part will potentially break.  But, this part will probably last for 3 years, and after that people will move on to a new phone.

Edge – Windows phone.

Social Networking 

Commercials tout that Windows and Microsoft products are for business-y people, and that  iPhone is for people who want to have a phone for work and play.  While there are apps for every social network in the iTunes store, the Windows phone makes connections between the people you know, all the networks they are a part of, and seamlessly allows you to follow your conversations with them throughout many social networks.  Someone sends you a message through LinkedIn, but you can also see other ways they have communicated with you, such as tweets and email.  All at one point of contact – the person’s picture. 

No one else has this.  There is no app for this.  Android can’t do this. Seamless integration of multiple networks.  Slick.  

Edge – Windows phone

 

Productivity and Multimedia

I love the idea of iCloud.  It’s just like Mesh by Microsoft.  Haven’t heard of mesh?  I am not sure a lot of people have, but it is Microsoft's cloud solution.  Its been around for a couple years now.

However in our district, we try to be conscious of FIOPPA – a law that tells us not to host our students information on 3rd party server in the states.  So sending our student’s report cards to a US cloud service is not allowed.  However, our district uses SharePoint websites to post lessons, homework, and host documents.  Once we move to SharePoint 2010, we could use a Windows Phone to send files to and from our own internal SharePoint sites. 

Edge – Windows phone

When it comes to camera and video, I liked the iPhone better for making minor edits to my photos.  Facetime is also something that is not available on other platforms, but I wonder if I could put Skype on a windows phone, and video conference that way? 

Edge – iPhone

Apps

The windows phone market is not as big as the iTunes store.  Also, there are a lot of really good apps in the iTunes store specifically targeted towards education.  Also these apps, and the iPhone itself dovetails very nicely with the iPad.  Currently, there is no good windows alternative for the iPad, which is being brought into classrooms everywhere by students and teachers alike. 

Will there be more growth in the Windows Market?  I think yes, but for now:

Edge – iPhone

Final Verdict

Who should buy a Windows phone?  I think educational leaders should.  It would be great for networking, and securely moving their digital resources around our district.  I would like to see my district leaders building a pln, and always carrying their presentations, important documents, and professional reading with them.  How cool would it be if the superintendent of schools had a lull between meetings, so they pull out their phone and get caught up on some reading or paperwork? 

So who should buy an iPhone?  It’s all down to personal choice, but I think teachers should still pick the iPhone over the Windows phone (for now).  It has more apps, including apps that are made for education.  It works with the iPad and iPod touch which many students are bringing into the classroom.  Just don’t drop it, and always keep it in a case.

My next phone will probably be an iPhone. But for now, I have to perform a factory reset on my Android phone. For the second time. Argh.

Right Now–Desktops aren’t Dead

 

(Great song – edgy video from 1992)

What is the power of one computer in a classroom.

When I “relocated” a computer from one spot in our school to my desk in my classroom (2004?) – and connected it to the Internet it, opened a window.  Every day, we gathered around my desk, and we looked.  Let’s see what penguins in Antartica are doing right now.  I wonder what the Eiffel tower looks like right now.  I wonder if we posted one of our stories right now, would someone read it off the website. 

One of the things that makes computers in the classroom great is the capacity for right now.  It doesn’t matter what the device is, but the ability to make stuff happen right now.  Maybe what we need right now are more desktops in classrooms.  They are cheap, they connect to the internet, they last a long time (usually). 

The iPad, the iPhone, all flavours of Android Tablets, Android Phones.  Laptops, and some of the more durable netbooks.  These devices are coming into our schools right now.  Read about the future of technology, and right now doesn ‘t seem like the right time to buy a desktop.  Right now people think schools should use laptops or tablets, and not get desktop computers.  I am not yet sold.  If you have a small budget, don’t dismiss the power of one computer in the classroom. 

CUEBC 2011 - Fabulous Opportunity

I had a great experience at CUEBC (Computer Using Educators of BC).  I had a great facility to teach in (thank you Dave McCristall and Dennis Wong).  Terry Fox Secondary in Port Coquitlam offered not only an easy to navigate school, with some pretty interesting workshops to attend.

The keynote speaker David Warlick showed me how today's kids don't have a ceiling (or walls) around their learning anymore - except the ones schools place around them.  Ouch! But he has an interesting point.  I am on twitter with another educator who has challenged his kids to create examples of 21st centruy learning, but not use camera phones.  I think this might be failing to recognize the camera phone for what it could be.  I will politely raise this issue with him, and hope he will have a discussion with me.

I also attended David's workshop where he drew the analogy of his own professional learning network as being like a garden.  What I took from this very well crafted presentation (although there were a few technical glitches) was the need for me to do some more professional reading - reading more blogs of other teachers.  I came away from his workshop thinking that in order to progress in my profession I need to read what other great educators are doing, comment, write more myself and then find some way to share what I am learning.

During an awesome lunch, I did something I had not planned on. I volunteered for a position on the executive.  The position involves putting out a newsletter for CUEBC and promoting awareness of CUEBC and the work of it's members, or issuses surrounding technology in education to a broader audience.  CUEBC has a twitter account, so I think this is where I will begin.  I think this will force me to carve out time to do more professional reading - so I can pass it along.

My second afternoon session was with Orwell Kowalyshyn as he showcased some of the exciting things happening in our province's largest district of Surrey.  They have distributed over a thousand iPads to teachers, and he showed some of the apps that teachers were using.  My district distributed laptops to almost a quarter of our teachers.  I wonder about the differences between putting an iPad into teachers' hands vs. putting a laptop in teachers' hands?
I enjoyed the chance to talk to vendors.  None of them pressured me, all just wanted to talk.  I thought the demonstration of SMART technologies gave me a lot to think about.   How does this SMART table fit into classrooms?  How can SMART boards be better used by students and teachers alike, and transform people's teaching styles because it can do things a regular white board cannot?  This is a device that the majority of teachers I work with on learning teams are exploring.

It was my fifth trip to CUEBC, and I look forward to going again next year.  I hope some of you will join me.

Getting Comfortable with Discomfort

In my new role as a learning team facilitator, my job is to not tell teachers what they need to learn about technology, or tell them how they need to teach in class.  I don't know how all the technology in the world works; how could I?  Instead, I have to help teachers focus on an inquiry.  We must ask ourselves "How does this use of technology impact student learning?" 

When I have listened to teachers in our Learning Team meetings, I hear them say "We are really concerned that we won't learn enough of the 'how-to's' when using technology (be it interactive whiteboards or SharePoint classroom websites)."

  I have to send the message "You don't have to know everything - just enough to jump in with both feet, and start swimming". 

To create some of the resources I am providing for teachers, this month I have had to learn to use two new pieces of software, Camtasia (makes screencasts and edits video) and SnagIt (grabs pictures of your screen and edits them).  I have recieved no formal training in either program, but my co-worker and mentor Martine showed me how to get started.  Then I had to figure out not only what I was going to say or teach in a tutorial about different pieces of software (Outlook for email or MS Word), but I had to learn how to use the software as I went.  This made me feel uncomfortable, as I wondered "Am I doing this right?  What if I have to redo this?  How long will this take?!?"

Techsmith sent me some emails with links to screencasts showing me how to use different features in SnagIt, such as how to search efficiently through your screenshot library.  When I got the email I thought "Oh no....I don't have time for this!  I am way to busy! How long will this take?!?" But then I clicked it, and it only lasted about 5 minutes.  I got the idea, and began applying the skills right away - not perfectly, but good enough to get the idea across.

This feeling of discomfort was the feeling of me learning something.  I have to get comfortable with this feeling of discomfort because this is what my colleagues feel each time they begin to learn something new with technology, and in this way I can relate to them.  I must have faith that each time I learn something new about technology, it will benefit me somehow, and I must be patient even if I can't see the "when" right away. 

I'll just start using it, and see what happens.

Forecasting Marks

Sometimes you have to just get out of the way, and let your students work.  Sometimes you must creep around the classroom, observing but unseen....like a NINJA!  If your students see you, tell them "you can't see me, I am a ninja" and move on.

I tried to stay out of the way as when I walked around, the majority of the questions needed to be answered by reviewing my instructions, the screencast, or the samples of work I provided.  By getting out of the way, or forcing the students to walk across the room to get my help, often students would talk to a neighbour or just review the instructions themselves.

But sometimes, it pays to go around the room and make forecasts.  Because of the nature of my course, I would often get 120 assignments at a time on my desk.  My course was short, approx. 7.5 weeks, so I had to mark all the assignments, and turn them around really quickly.  So, to save myself time, I would take my markbook around the room with me, and then talk with students about their work.  I would always refer to the criteria, or the broad strokes of the assignment.  I was careful not to compare them to any other students, but to what I felt they were capable of accomplishing in class, if they applied themselves.  I would then "forecast" their mark, usually a score out of 5 (Not Meeting Expectations, Minimally Meeting, Meeting, Fully Meeting, or Exceeding Expectations).  Often, students would ask, how do I get a higher score?  I would then ask them to think about their work ethic, quality of work, the criteria of the assignment.  They usually found their own answer.  Sometimes when they were doing really well, we would talk about "taking it to the next level" and I would tell the kid to relax, they are doing well, but what could they do to go beyond the assignment based on their interest.

As a result, I saved myself time on marking (changing forecasts is easy if you write in pencil, or save it to a spreasheet), and I usually got better quality work from my students when they turned it in at the end of the given time.

Assessment comes from the latin "to sit beside".  I think that this method of gathering marks was my favourite.  It enabled me to focus kids on what mattered, and I got to know them better.

Colorful Writing Practice

I was thinking about how to help struggling writers using technology in the classroom.  One thought I had was about was probably the obvious choice - MS Word.  True you could use any word processor, but this is what I am given, and lots of people have it in their homes.  So, I use what I have.

Kids who have problems with handwriting (or even teachers, like yours truly) like using word processors because when you strike the key, the letters always look the same time after time. But there are other ways to use the word processor to help. 

As a primary teacher, I used to walk around the class, and I would help kids by scribing some of their work if it looked like they needed help keeping up, getting ideas down before they forgot them, organizing their sentences, or to just keep the momentum of their writing going.  Not every kid needed help, but there was only one "me" walking around.  A bit of legwork needed, for sure.

 I was thinking, what if we put a struggling writer in front of a computer.  Then, when I needed to help scribe, I could just type what the kid dictates.  I can type way faster than I can write, and as their typing speed improves they would need less help.  But, also perhaps I could change the color of my text.  If they wrote in one color, and I wrote in another color, when you zoom, back you could see how much you are helping the student, and how much they are capable of themselves.  Over time you could compare this with other assignments, and have a quick visual check by looking at the size of the color blocks to see if the student is writing more on their own, still needing the same amount of support, or needing more support.  You could see if they always need help in the beginnings, or the endings of stories - and if that were the case, you could make that a focus in your next writing lesson.

Below I have taken 3 samples (not real writing samples at this point) and zoomed out.  In the first sample we see lots of green, the teacher's writing color.  The next one has less green, and the third sample has less still, with much of the green appearing at the ends of paragraphs and the story itself.  This might mean the student is improving in being able to write more details, but needs help writing concluding statements.

 

Now if only I could find someone who could try this out, and tell me if it helped them and their students with writing.