Classroom of the Future

The classroom of the future will definitely involve a 1:1 ratio of students to computers. However, I imagine the issue of schools struggling to obtain the latest technology will continue. It seems many schools are trying to work on the 1:1 ratio, but the debate lies in how to achieve this. Are there computers in every room, are students issued a laptop, or do students bring in their computers from home? Then there is the growing popularity of smart phones and tablets/net books. Should students utilize these in school and then have a computer at home? By the time we get every student a computer or laptop, something new will probably be available.

The role of the teacher will be changing dramatically. Many teachers on my campus have already begun to change the traditional structure of their courses. Teachers record lessons on Camtasia and post them on their website. The students are supposed to watch the lecture for homework. Class time is reserved for practice and group assignments. This way, class time is spent on practice (with immediate feedback) or application of information rather than on delivery of information. I think this will also allow schools to work more with students on cross-curricular activities. If teachers can use technology to deliver basic information, then class time can be spent in application of that topic across the curriculum. Teachers will also collaborate with colleagues in their building and in other schools through Google Docs and social networking sites.

In the classroom of the future, students are more responsible for their learning. Teachers will use blogs, discussion groups, wikis, etc. to have students demonstrate and discuss what they know. In order to make these useful learning tools, students must participate with quality contributions. Teachers will also be able to communicate with their students at any time. Teachers will use web sites, social bookmarking, online calendars, social networking sites, etc. to post information about the course, assignments, and tutorials. When information is available to them 24/7 on the web, students have little excuse not to complete assignments.

Learning experiences will also become more global. With Skype, VoiceThread, and other technologies that allow classrooms across the world to connect with one another, students will be able to create knowledge based on a wide variety of interpretations. Students can get Indian students' perspective on the British colonization of India or discuss how to solve math problems with students in France. Students will also be able to apply their knowledge to work on projects with students all over the world using Google Docs, Google Wave, wikis, etc. For instance, students in Highland Park, TX and students in Beijing, China could work on a video examining Chinese and American perspectives on the Opium War and the current war on drugs in Mexico.

Website

I'm so excited about the work I did on my website. I've been wanting to improve our WHAP Moodle site for two years but I've never made the time. This assignment made me learn more about the capabilities of Moodle. While much of the evidence of how much I learned is on my website, I learned so much more that can't be seen in the final product. I figured out how to separate the students enrolled in the course into groups, learned how to use the assignment turn-in option, and learned a TON about troubleshooting in Moodle. One feature of Moodle that I really love is the Lesson function. I'd never used this before but it is great for self guided lessons (especially if you want the students to watch a video and do an activity). I also found a beta program from Microsoft that allows you to save documents straight from Microsoft Office to Moodle (this is an incredible time saver).

While Moodle has a lot of cool options, it does not generate the most visually appealing sites. In reading forums and books, I found there are many themes available for moodle sites and TONS of instructions for how to customize the themes in forums. However, using themes and altering themes requires administrative privileges for the site that I don't have. I asked my TIS if we could turn themes on and she said the district wouldn't allow it. She did suggest using tables and layering to simulate a theme. My TIS, a CIS from one of our elementary schools, and myself spent the better part of an entire day trying to get the tables to work. We finally figured out you couldn't put the image you wanted to use in a folder and your picture had to have a fairly small file size for the layering to work. Unfortunately, it still was not working 100%. As I worked at home that night, my husband suggested making the images I wanted in Power Point, saving them as jpegs, and loading them on my site. I tried it and it worked incredibly well.

Moodle's other major limitation is navigation. You have to scroll down to see all the topics and once you've opened a document, it can be difficult to navigate back to the main page. Where available, I've set my preferences so that links and documents open in a new window. This way, students can toggle between windows.

Another issue I ran into was the spacing in the Lesson mode. Some of my questions have the button to select an answer right aligned, but the answer choices are centered on the page. I've looked at the html and can't find anywhere to fix the problem.

My biggest nightmare with my website came when I tried to write html code. I tried to embed a website and instead the whole Moodle page redirected to the website. After two days of not being able to fix the problem (and lots of people laughing at me L), my TIS copied my site to a new site so I could finish my website. When also tried to replicate the code I wrote to find out what happened. When we used another website the code worked fine. However, when we used the website I put in (our textbook site) it redirected. We tried several more websites and everything worked fine. Out of all the websites in all the world, I had to chose that one…

Video Project

After working on the last video project, I felt pretty confident about editing and putting together a video. May initial problem with this assignment was coming up with a topic. I eventually decided to make a video about making videos. A few months ago I had my students make short movies with their cell phones. It ended up being a disaster of an assignment. First of all, the content of the videos was quite poor. The students were either too silly or completely boring. The rest of the videos we were unable to watch because of technical difficulties. I found the students had no idea how get the video off their phones, edit the video, or submit the video at school for viewing. I decided to make my video about how to make a good video with instructions from actual students.

I'd been looking for a way to have my students experiment with Jing. I asked them to make a Jing video discussing 1 of 3 things (getting video from cell phone to computer, getting video from home to school, or how to make a good video) for extra credit. While some of the videos weren't great, I had enough good stuff to use for my video. I got all motivated and excited and started to work on my project. Then I realized I'd made a huge mistake. The Jing files are stored on the student's accounts. I tried to convert the .swf files in Any Video Converter using the url like I do with YouTube videos. This didn't work at all. I tried a few other free converters and nothing worked. I finally found a forum where it was explained that Jing embeds a player in the .swf file so it is nearly impossible to convert.

I ended up having to record the videos again. Because I wanted to use iMovie, I needed the files in Quicktime or .mp4. I downloaded Camtasia for Mac but it has a bug in the current release and wouldn't export to Quicktime. I finally used a screen recording software called Snapz. It allows a 15 day trial and costs $69 (much cheaper than Camtasia). It records still shots or records Quicktime video. The software does not have the editing features Camtasia does. However, it is nice that it is automatically a Quicktime file. After re-recording the student videos, I was able to drag and drop into iMovie. Because most of my video was created by my students on Jing, the video doesn't have the best quality or camera angles.

After rerecording the videos, I was able to start the editing process. I quickly discovered iMovie has a few limitations. Because it is free, it doesn't have the layering and effects capabilities of a program like Final Cut. I needed to blur some places where students had used their full names or passwords. This is not something you can do in iMovie. I was able to use SnagIt to blur a few names in still shots, but the ones in videos I was not able to do. Camtasia also has some blurring and call out effects but I wasn't able to use them on my videos because of my Quicktime export problems.

I also had to create some slides in Power Point and convert them to jpegs when I wanted to use text. iMovie allows some text to be inserted, but you usually can't control where it goes. It also limits the amount of text. I'm probably going to purchase Final Cut so that I can work with more effects and layering.

Cyber Ethics

As teachers incorporate more technology into their lessons, teaching cyber ethics is something that can't be ignored.  However, teaching students how to behave ethically regarding technology is a little tricky.  It's like teaching kids about sex.  Some parents talk to their kids and they think the teacher should stay out of it.  Other parents don't talk to their kids and expect the teacher to (of course, the teacher should only tell the child what the parent thinks is right).  Finally, there are the parents that don't talk to their kids and don't think the teacher should either (we'll give them ideas..).

Since I teach older kids, most of them have heard that they shouldn't give out personal information on the internet or talk to people they don't know.  They also know cutting and pasting off the internet is plagiarism although they pretend they don't.  They also know they shouldn't write or post when they are angry or write hurtful things in e-mails, texts, or on people's walls.  They know to exit or cover the screen and notify an adult if inappropriate content appears on their screen.  However, they are kids.  They makes mistakes and succumb to peer pressure.  They also have parents and teachers who ignore the problems or don't know to look. 

For my students, the biggest technology issues are cell phone and social networking related.   I hear a great deal of conversation about things that students say to one another in texts or on Facebook.  They say awful things to one another in anger or to get a laugh and don't realize how truly hurtful they are.  Kids also think no one will see their unkind texts or the naked picture they sent to the boy they are dating.  Teenagers trust their friends more than anyone else.  They don't want to believe they will turn on them.  Most of my students say their parents don't read their texts or e-mails (that they know of).  Some say they can't delete texts and their parents check their phones on ocassion.  Very few say their parents check their phone all the time or with consistency.  Honestly, how can we expect them to?  If a child is sending thousands of texts per month, how can parents find the inappropriate texts amongst the many nebulous texts?  And unless you count every text, how do you know the child hasn't deleted or hidden the texts a parent would take issue with?

Another issue with cell phones is the issue of privacy.  A growing issue is people controlling significant others or friends by snooping on their phone.  I see this happening with my students.  Girls will read their boyfriends texts and check his missed calls.  I see kids grabbing other kids phones to read a text from another friend they are in a fight with.  That's Not Cool  is a site for older kids to educate them about the dangers of sexting and that their cell phone and social networking sites belong to them and not others.  Common Sense Media is a site for parents on how to talk to their kids about cyber ethics.

Knowing when to put down/turn off the cell phone is another issue.  Students talk about receiving texts from another student who was up studying at 3 a.m.  Other students don't know when to stop playing games or texting.  They can't pay attention in class, do their homework, or be present in their own social life because they are glued to the phone.  Again, parents don't realize this most of the time.  And again, most don't know they should suspect and don't know how to monitor it.  In June 2009, ABC News publicized a study which found a correlation between lack of sleep and cell phone use in high school students:  Too Much Cell Phone Time Takes Toll on Teen Sleep.

As their teacher, I try to model good cyber behavior.  I don't answer e-mails angry, I discourage reading other people's texts, and remind students often that what they do in cyber space exists forever.  As a parent, I'm not looking forward to my son getting old enough to be involved in all of this.  The best approach is probably to teach him our expectations and hope he will act appropriately in the cyber situations that he will certainly encounter.  I liked the idea of the family netiquette contract.  I've already passed it on to my sister-in-laws.  Hopefully, I won't feel the need to buy the  at&t Family Map I keep getting offers for in my cell phone bill.  While it might have its advantages, it's a little 1984 for my taste. 

Geo Tech 2010

If you have to go to a professional development conference on a Saturday, the Geo Tech Conference isn't bad.  Chad Pregracke, the keynote speaker, was fabulous.  He is the founder of Living Lands & Waters.  His non-profit cleans up rivers and has expanded into conservation education.  Although I had a few feelings of inadequacy after listening to what he'd done with his life, hearing Mr. Pregracke speak was well worth my time. 

Ringing Up Mobile Phones was the first session I attended.  Vicky Allen from at&t was the speaker.  Ms. Allen offered many suggestions on how to incorporate cell phones in the classroom.  She suggested many useful sites and programs which can all be found on her wiki:  http://vickiwiki.pbworks.com/.  The most exciting idea she shared was filmonthefly.ning.com.  A PBS station in Orange County, CA challenges people to make educational videos entirely on their mobile phones.  Participants sign up on the website and the contest organizers text a topic to them on a certain day at a certain time.  The participants then make a video on their phone.  Past topics include Earth Day and Pi Day.  I was inspired to have my students make mobile phone videos about the fall of the Soviet Union--more in another blog.  While I enjoyed all the information, the most interesting part of the session was hearing about the cell phone policies in some schools.  Yes, my school has a cell phone policy, but the administrators will not be upset with me or a student if the student uses their cell phone in the classroom for educational purposes.  Some teachers do not feel they can allow students to use cell phones in the classroom without getting in trouble with the administration. 

The second session I attended was Getting Inside the Black Box.  The black box is the students' mind.  The presenter, Matt Kloser, seemed to be an expert in assessment.  This session had little to do with technology and more to do with formative assessment.  Mr. Kloser did touch briefly on technology in discussing the effectiveness of learner response systems.  He argued learner response systems were only effective when coupled with peer instruction.  Kloser described the process of peer instruction as follows:  the teacher asks a difficult question and has each learner respond, the results are shown but the correct answer is not given, students work with peers to re-evaluate their answers, all students answer the question again, and finally the correct answer is given.  The number of correct answers on the second attempt increases dramatically.  This does sound like it could be a useful technique with the learner response systems.  I do not agree with Kloser that this is the only way they are effective.  Kloser argues the learner response system does not allow teachers to see the thought process of students; therefore, it is not valuable formative assessment.  While I can't see the student process at arriving at the answer, I do know if the student can arrive at the correct answer.  Furthermore, Kloser is  a math/science person where "the process" is more important. 

Setting Up a Personal Learning Network was the third session I attended.  Paul Wood from Bishop Dunne was the presenter.  Most of the session was about how to use Twitter.  This was valuable as I've never really understood why I would want to have a Twitter account.  I still haven't created one, but I now know there is more on Twitter than the inane ramblings of Demi Moore and John Mayer.  Mr. Wood was also very knowledgeable about scholars in educational technology, recommending several blogs and wikis.  More information can be found at Paul Wood's wiki:  http://paulrwood.wikispaces.com.

The last session I attended was On the Silk Road:  Traveling the Trade Routes with GIS.  Something to do with mapping the Silk Road with a program I do not own and would have to buy.  A valuable idea but I think there are free software programs that could do something similar.  

 

Video Experience

I made my first video this weekend!  My husband usually handles the videography of our family and I've never gotten involved in using the video camera or editing software.  If I assigned a video project to my students, it was always one of several product choices and they knew way more than I did.  I was really nervous I would not be able to figure the camera and software out. 

The list of shots and camera actions that we had to create scared me from the first time I read about the assignment.  However, the instructions on the Media College website were really helpful.  Armed with my list, I started taping.  My video camera is quite user friendly and I was able to get the shots I needed fairly easily.  My husband gave me a quick tutorial on where all the USB and power cords went on the camera and I was on to importing my video.  I decided to use iMovie to make my video.  Like most Apple software, it is extremely easy to use and I was able to figure out how to import video pretty quickly.

As I started to watch my video, I realized I need to make slower movements with the camera.  Many of my shots were too short or had too much motion.  When reading about camera actions, I clicked on an article about using the zoom on MediaCollege.com.  The number one piece of advise the author gives is use the zoom less.  I've definitely taken that into consideration.  I also learned I should shoot things more than once because some shots don't turn out as well as they seem to be while filming.  I would like to learn more about lighting and how light affects a shot.

Making a video with edits, fades, music, and titles seemed like something I could never do.  But once I started working with iMovie, I LOVED the editing process.  Organizing the clips was like creating a story.  Experimenting with all the fade, title, and effect options was so much fun.  Working with Audacity and royalty free music on previous projects made adding and editing music and voice over much less intimidating.
 
It was always difficult for me to require video projects in the past because I didn't really know how to help my students.  I now feel like I can give them instructions on how to create quality projects and help them troubleshoot problems.   Unfortunately, my husband was around to observe how much fun I had editing my video (and the fact that I did not curse at or hit anything while I made the video).  I'm now in charge of family videos... 

Animation: The Result

After I worked up enough nerve to attempt an animation, I found it to be kind of fun.  I know there is much more to Alice than what I used to create my video, but it was a start.  When I ran into trouble, I went to the forum on the Alice website.  I found some answers to my questions there.  I think if I had posted my questions I probably would have gotten a helpful response.  I also found some helpful tutorials on YouTube as well as some examples of how people were using Alice.  While I'm far from an expert, I think I could help my students get started making an animation in Alice and could help them find assistance if they run into trouble. 

I used Alice to make a short movie about the Causes of World War I.  However, when reading the forums and watching YouTube, I realized many people use Alice to make classroom games.  Making a game would involve using the variables that I used sparingly in my video.  It seems math teachers have students use Alice to have students demonstrate logic and reasoning skills. 

My main struggle with Alice was exporting the video.  There was not a Mac version of one of the downloads I needed to export on the Mac from Alice 2.2.  I transferred the file and tried to download on my Windows laptop.  I couldn't get the video to download on the laptop even after I downloaded all 3 Java programs.  The program kept telling me "Movie Export is not enabled."  The laptop was running  Alice 2.0 and I don't think the export works even with the downloads. 

Overall, I was pretty proud of my final Alice product.  I even showed it to my 3 year old son.  He watched the video on the computer and then said, "you know, Mommy, there are some pretty good kid videos on that computer.  You want me to show you?"  I guess I've gotta work harder.  Maybe I can make a video like this: