Want a taste of Dot-to-Dot?

This is the promotional video prepared by Christina Jenkins and Jana Schmieding:

What is READ339?

RE@D339 is an initiative to approach the teaching of reading at middle school IS 339 in a more comprehensive manner. In addition to creating a Google Site with a host of resources for teachers, we have been running professional development on employing pre-, during-, and post-reading strategies in ELA, math, social studies, and science lessons. This has involved modeling, collaborating on lesson plans, and videoing exemplar lessons.

Stay tuned as we ramp up this activity for 2009-2010. 

Ms. Sowin's Measurement Activity

Engagement:

In order to get Ms. Sowin's science students a little more invested in measurement, I have included a screencast anecdote about a red-bellied black snake hiding in a bush in my backyard. measurement seems to become so much more interesting when you're referring to a poisonous creature almost 5 feet long. (It might take a few rulers to sort this problem out though.)

Re-launching Reflection

I haven't posted in some time, but I'd like to recommence with plaudits for two principals. Firstly, I'll explain why these two principals are figuring in my thinking.
I am listening at the moment to a presentation about Scratch, creativity, insight and design by Professor Mitch Resnick at the National Convention Centre in Canberra, Australia, as he gives his keynote for the ACEC.

As I look around the room, I fear again that there will be a shortage of administrators in the audience. Typically, these educational technology conferences are populated by ICT coordinators and early adopters from the classrooms. Not so often do we see the people who have the potential to have the most influence (via their own authority) in schools - the principals and regional education directors.

Mr. Jason Levy and Mr. Dominic Cipollone are two Bronx principals who are prepared to invest in educational technology - not by throwing a bone to the Tech Coordinators in the form of a few more laptops or interactive whiteboards, but by embracing technology for organizational and instructional improvement within schools. They are principals who have developed a vision, a voice and a vehicle for change.

These are two principals who are looking to remodel education, and there is a tremendous level of excitement that can be generated within schools that have adopted this approach. I have seen what Chris Lehman has achieved with his teachers and students at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, and Jason Levy's school will host an International Conference in 2009.
This is the type of leadership that is required in all of our schools. These principals are turning their schools into learning institutes not just for students but also for teachers. They are focusing on technology for improved communication, collaboration, transparency and innovation. More importantly, they are investing in professional development.

Visitors who attended the 339 Tech Open House in June were treated to observations of some innovating practices:

• teachers' proficiency levels with technology is assessed as a baseline, and professional development is offered according to differentiated needs


• teachers' and students' goals are collected via online surveys and displayed on online spreadsheets


• team meetings within the school are recorded and shared via web-based documents


• teachers, students (and even some parents) are now linked via gmail


• teachers are prepared to have their lessons recorded on video (and even live streamed hopefully) to gain peer feedback


• Parent Expos and Open Houses allow promotion of innovative practices


• teachers use chat to communicate throughout the day


• school and grade-wide data is shared via online spreadsheets


• teaching teams are setting up Google Sites and Google Groups to share and archive their planning


• teachers are setting up class blogs and Google Sites as instructional spaces for their students


• administrators use online documents to give teachers supportive feedback on their teaching, lesson planning and unit planning


• important documents such as online calendars, daily announcements and action plans are housed together and automatically updated on Google Sites and wikis


• all students will enhance metacognition through reflective blogs that are used in all subject areas


• teachers email the daily work to students, who then upload prompt questions and respond via Google Docs


• teachers are pre-recording read alouds as podcasts


• instructional resources are collected in Google Sites and hyperlinked to online lesson plans


• students will display their work via digital portfolios

The innovations go on and on, but they have been expediated as a result of principals' support of organizational and instructional reform.

Google Docs and Wikispaces are a Good Combo

Just when I was growing a little tired of wikispaces, Jason Levy has shown me something new. Not only is it possible to embed Google Spreadsheets, Google Presentations and ustream broadcasts into a wiki page, you can also embed a Google Doc into a wiki page as well.



This is really something special, because you can also edit the Google Doc from within the wiki by scrolling right down to the bottom and clicking on 'edit this document if you have permission'.



We have been using Google Docs all year in so many different ways, and the school wikispace serves as a great archiving site for these documents and spreadsheets.

My only reservation about embedding Google Presentations is that they can result in the web page being slow to load up. However, the resulting effect of the embedded files is really great.

Apture captures interest

Apture, which came to my attention via a post from Will Richardson, is a very interesting application for blogging, although I think it will take a little getting used to. I think where it could really have success is in:

• teaching students how to hyperlink, and reference sources;
• showing students that writing is not a one-step process, that you can continue to develop your ideas (even after initial publication, in this case);
• demonstrating the interconnectness of web-based publishing;
• encouraging students to read and view beyond their initial idea for a blog post;
• making the reading of blog posts more interactive;
• adding visual support to ideas;
• creating a blog-based project;
• a thematic class blog;
• a school newspaper blog

After you publish a post, you then highlight key words and Apture does the searching for you for links to related sites, definitions, pictures, maps or videos. One thing about it that is a little bit annoying is that the tutorial video then pops up every time you visit your own blog, although I'm sure there would be a way to stop that.

Footnote: You really have to admire Apture's tech support and follow up. Within seconds of posting, I received my answer to the 'problem' that I mentioned in the previous paragraph:

Hi Pat,

This is Tristan from Apture. I really like some of the applications for using Apture that you pointed out.You can hide the tutorial video by clicking the "Don't show this next time" link on the bottom right of the window. We're going to make this link more obvious so that people notice it quicker.

Best,Tristan

Now that's service!

So why does technology change you?

One of the complaints about integrating technology is that there is too much to learn and too little time. I agree with the summation of 'too little time', but the fact that there is so much to learn is what produces such amazing results.

When I think about the time that I invest in my own professional development each week, the total time expended is staggering. And I'm sure that I don't spend anywhere near the amount of time that others do in PLN's or PLC's.

At a glance for the week:
* About an hour looking for new applications, conferences or thoughtful links on twitter;
* At least three hours reading through and commenting on the educational blogs to which I subscribe through Google Reader;
* An hour or two at least signing up for, or downloading, or trialing some kind of new software;
* Probably an hour fiddling with the tools of an application that I'm already using, trying to get a better effect or do something more efficiently;
* Maybe half an hour looking over an upcoming conference (or even more time submitting a proposal);
* At least an hour conversing with colleagues about how best to use an application, or which application is more suitable;
* An hour writing my own blog posts;
* And, of course, an hour in conversation with someone to explain what it is exactly that we do with all of these web 2.0 tools.

When you do the sums, it's at least a day of extra work each week. And that's a conservative estimate, and doesn't even to take into account the many, many hours spent actually using these applications during my work.

It's little wonder then that those who are exposed to educational technology have accelerated learning. If I took all of that technology out of the equation, I'm sure that I couldn't claim to have been learning this much if I was just concentrating on my teaching each week.

The constant movement forward is very tiring, but when you look back it's truly startling to see how far you've travelled.

Scrapblog great for celebrating Expo success

The students, staff and parent of I.S. 339 have just pulled off something remarkable. Only two months ago, the idea of hosting a Parent Expo was born, and since then students and staff have been working feverishly to prepare for a wonderful celebration of teaching and learning.

Unfortunately, the Pacific ocean and the width of the U.S. stopped me from being present, but the feedback has been incredibly positive. Apart from showcasing the innovative learning that has been taking place, the Parent Expo enabled the students to become the teachers, and they excelled in this new role.

About 300 parents attended this evening event, and staff and students all put in extra hours to stay back at school. From all accounts, there are many exhausted people now trying to recover, but I'm sure that they would agree that it was all worthwhile.

I'd definitely recommend to teachers and classes that they take a look at scrapblog
as an excellent way to further celebrate the success of the Expo. Scrapblog is not only great fun to play with, it is extremely functional with its ability to encompass pictures, text, video and music. I can't wait to hear more stories and see some of the video and over 1000 photographs taken of the event.

Beta Blogging

While too much discussion about 'blogging etiquette' makes me a little uneasy, two recent blog posts from Silvia Tolisano and Sue Waters set out some useful tips for improving your blogging experience.

I only say that an emphasis on 'blogging etiquette' makes me uneasy because I worry that instead of a socializing experience, we run the risk of normalizing the blogging practice, which runs counter to being reflective and creative.

Therefore, any advice offered up about blogging should probably be viewed as a helpful 'guide' rather than a 'given'.

Google Forms for Student Goals

We've been trying something new of late, regarding a more efficient system for encouraging and collecting student goals. Instead of collecting these slowly on paper, we've been sending students to an online link to fill out a Google Form.


These goal-setting forms guide students through possible strategies for improving their reading or writing, based on the feedback that they have been receiving from their teachers. The students' results are gathered into a Google Spreadsheet that can then be shared among teachers, administration, and the students themselves.

There have been concerns raised that predetermined responses could inhibit students' goal-setting, or reduce the amount of thinking that goes into the selection of required strategies. However, so far, the students seem to have chosen carefully, and this has been a great introduction into a goal-setting system that we can continue to refine.

Twiddla

Paul Hamilton has posted about twiddla, and the excellent screencast from Molly MacDonald (aka DemoGirl). While I can't see this application being a tool that we'd use often for collaboration, it certainly presents a novel way of bringing parties together for synchronous collaboration.

Flies on the Wall

I have referred to myself before as a 'fly on the wall' in my work with C.I.S. 339 School of Technology, and today I had two other 'flies' observing proceedings. The two visitors were Dr. Michael Fox (psychologist and high performance coach for athletes and businesses), and his wife Karen, an Assistant Principal at St. Ursula's College, and one of the best educators with whom I have had the pleasure of working along side.

Michael and Karen sat in with me during two morning Skype meetings, and were astounded by the ease with which the teachers and administrators at C.I.S. 339 handle not only the technology, but grapple as well with pedagogical issues like differentiation and student goal-setting.

The visitors were first treated to a Differentiation Task Force planning meeting with the AIS, IEP and Bilingual Coordinators, Ms. McHale, Ms. Lovett and Mr. Betancourt respectively. After making the initial Skype contact, we flicked between shared Google Docs and Google Presentations, and ventured into discussions about how we would live stream the next Differentiation Task Force meeting using ustream.tv.

This level of comfort not only with the technology but also with such effective collaborative planning, barely existed before the start of the school year. Without a doubt, technology has been our accelerant for positive school change.

Following this first meeting, Karen and Michael were welcomed into a Curriculum Team session, with noone in the team even slightly fazed by their virtual presence. This time Google Spreadsheets came into play as we discussed our need to 'close the loop' in terms of some systems in place to support teachers. These systems involve members of the Curriculum Team providing instructional and goal-setting feedback to teachers on Google Docs, which are all tracked on a spreadsheet.

Every day there are exciting new developments, whether they be a class recording podcasts, a teacher using chat for the first time, a novel use for blogs, or making contact with educators in other schools through an iteach-ilearn ning, set up by Lisa Nielsen.

What is most exciting about all of this is that there is a sense of a shared vision and a united commitment to improving learning opportunities (for everyone within the school community) together.

Mrs. Del Tejo Delivers

I want to give a huge shout out to a teacher who has impressed me greatly this year. We have had a deluge of technology usage, which has been terrific for the school, but probably a little disconcerting for some teachers.

Mrs. Del Tejo is someone whom I would describe as 'resigned' rather than 'reticent' when it comes to adopting web 2.0 tools for teaching, and she has every reason to roll her eyes or raise her eyebrows at the mention of integrating a new application in the classroom. Not that she does so.

Her years of experience in the classroom would normally justify her dismissing tech integration as a time-consuming fad, but she has just plugged away quietly to the point where this 'closet blogger' has become the most prolific publisher in the school.

Her posts stick to a formula, but taken collectively they provide excellent scaffolding for a unit. The blog doesn't really feature any bells and whistles, as the engagement is derived from her obvious reflection about what it means to be a good reader or writer.

I really appreciate a teacher who can mesh years of experience and excellent content knowledge with the willingness to adopt new methods. This is what lifelong learning is all about.

Testing ooVoo

I'm liking what ooVoo.com has to offer in terms of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), in that it can be used with up to 6 video contacts simultaneously, unlike Skype. One thing against ooVoo is definitely the slow download to get the initial software, but once operational, it is much like Skype.

Skype still has some extra features (such as emoticons in chat), but I also like the ability to capture snapshots or video (and then save as an avi file) that ooVoo offers.

Note to self: Trialing the application on two computers only a short distance from each other probably doesn't give a great indication of audio quality, and using your son as a stand-in on your wife's account probably doesn't bode well with the teenager.

Student blogs informing the parent-teacher conference

CIS 339 has made big advances this year in terms of increasing the involvement of parents and students in informing the education process. Plans for the April 30 Parent Expo are well-advanced, and this should really showcase what the teachers and students have been doing (especially with technology) this year. Parents will also be speaking to other parents and teachers about positive parenting techniques.

In addition, students have had more involvement this year through a variety of projects. For instance, they run the student newspaper blog The 339 Hard Line, our school leaders have been engaged in a video mentoring program with students from the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, and a small group presented to our teachers in a recent professional development session aimed at developing more engaging lessons.

With this focus on the triad of teachers-parents-students then, I was most impressed to see Jeff Utecht's tweet about using student blogs to inform the parent-teacher conference. This really brings the students into the frame, as their blogs reflect on what they have been learning in every subject.

The sooner we firm up the relationship between teachers-parents-students, the better it will be for all concerned.

Blog Mentoring Program

An exciting program is about to get underway at CIS 339, thanks to some great planning from Ben Himowitz (editor of the school newspaper blog, The 339 Hard Line), Christina Jenkins (Tech Coach) and David Prinstein (Dean of Instruction).

The Blog Mentoring Program aims to lend further support to our eighth grade student bloggers by partnering them with adults who have volunteered to mentor three students each. These adults come from a variety of professions, so this extends the blog feedback beyond the school.

Obviously safeguards have been put into place to ensure a successful program, and a great deal of work has already been invested in developing:

• guides to commenting on posts
• sample comments
• a blog rubric
• a description of the students' prior learning
• and a mentor contact spreadsheet

Recruiting for the Blog Mentoring Program has been very successful so far, and the mentoring that follows will be of great assistance to the students in terms of increasing motivation, contextualizing their writing, extending their conversations, and providing scaffolded feedback.

What was I saying?

New application from http://tweetcloud.com for forming word clouds based on twitter conversations or selected text:

Tech Tools Gift List

(with thanks to Mrs Banjer for passing this list on)

The Center for Learning and performance Technologies has produced two great lists:

Firstly: Top 100 Tools for Learning

Secondly: Directory of Learning Tools

(And I'll give another mention to the Web 2.0 Consortium, as I thought that their effort to produce a list like this and include reviews was a great help also.)

Let's Lift our Expectations

Some time ago, I was sitting with our principal, Jason Levy, and Dean of Instruction, David Prinstein as we devised one of our action plans. As part of the rationale for the action plan we considered possible causes and effects using a fishbone method that listed administration, teachers, students, and parents as stakeholders. For one of these possible causes, we identified low expectations of parents and students as a problem that could be attributed to the bigger issue at hand. We weren't pointing our finger at parents and students, merely acknowledging that maybe they didn't have a voice.

At the time, I thought the exercise was interesting, but time-consuming when I was just itching to write up next steps for action to solve whatever it was that was the bigger problem that we were addressing.

Today I've had a wake-up call though. I attended my son's parent-teacher conference and was given a break-down of his results by one of his teachers. This teacher explained that the students had completed a 'multiple choice comprehension-style' assessment at the start of the term and from this, and one other in-class write-up of an experiment, their grades were derived.

So I asked the obvious question: "Do you mean to say that you've taken his grade from a baseline assessment?"

"Yes, I guess so...," she said, obviously a little taken aback that I knew something about assessment.

"Doesn't that strike you as absurd?" I asked. "That means that you're just reporting back on what he knew before he attended your class for a term."

"I guess so," she said. "I hadn't really thought about it before."

Now, I don't want to start teacher-bashing because there are plenty of others lining up at all times (for all manner of political reasons) to take a swing, but this one got under my skin.

Kids are being duped. Parents are being duped. And other teachers are being dragged down as well by such low expectations. It's not even that I desperately want to know what my child does and does not know. I'm more interested that he learns how to learn, not how to be assessed (and poorly at that). The really sad thing is that many parents who are not teachers really don't have a voice in challenging this low level education.

Maybe we should be stirring up the parents as educational activists - now wouldn't that be interesting. I'm not sure that I'd be game to go down that track...but it would be interesting.

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