Common Sense Classroom

This post is WES specific, but any folks using Gradespeed on their campuses may find the instructions in the screencast helpful.

Greetings wonderful WES faculty!  Please follow the directions for setting your email contact information in this screencast.   I hope this is helpful!

One of the things I liked best about Twitter, reclusive person that I am, is the fact that I could lurk and learn without having to take the risk of  “putting myself out there” by participating in the conversation.  Of course, I did participate when I had something to say, but that (very much like my sporadic posting schedule on this blog) was inconsistent at best.  Of course, it did help my “participation quotient” when I met several fellow tweeters face-to-face at conferences, but with no accountability other than the incentive of discovering new tools to share with my colleagues, and finding out how my cyber-friends were doing; I really had no incentive to do more than prowl around scavenging tidbits left on the stream by the folks I followed.

Then there was the tweet that changed everything…

Someone (I think it may have been @lparisi, though I’m not certain) posted a link to a screencast of Liz B. Davis  exploring Plurk.  I was so intrigued, I  set up my own profile and began to explore this alternative microblogging platform.

Now, my vision for how I would use Plurk was much the same as the way I used Twitter – free on-demand professional development.  I built my network by first finding the folks I followed on Twitter who were also taking Plurk for a “test drive”, then I checked out who they had befriended.  Before I knew it, my Plurk timeline was filled with fascinating information, useful tools, and a lot of very friendly conversation.

The conversation threads made it so much easier to follow interesting discussions than what I had experienced on Twitter.  It also allowed me to see the entire dialogue, including folks who would not have otherwise appeared on my timeline.  When an unfamiliar person contributed an especially thought provoking or pithy response to the discussion, I would often “pop over” to their profile and either become their fan, or request friendship.

When I began to accumulate a number of friends and fans, an amazing thing happened…I gained karma!  Yes, my friends, you read me right -  karma.

Now, here’s the way Plurk karma works:   the more active you are, the more karma points you earn.  As you gain more karma, you are rewarded with the priviledge of changing the title on your page and a growing  library of  fun emoticons.  Of course, if you don’t devote a little time to quality Plurking each day, you begin to lose karma – which is the bain of every plurker’s existence.  Be careful! If you are anything like me, it is easy to unwittingly become a little obsessed with karma. . . but never fear – your plurk friends will help you out with a karma boost when you really need it, just be sure to recipricate the favor when their turn comes around.  After all, you should always plurk unto others as you would have them plurk unto you!

Karma kidding aside, the small measure of accountability that those pesky points gave me, along with the conversation threads being so much easier to follow and contribute to,  had an unexpected impact on the way I use this microblogging platform.  I became more of an active participant rather than lurking in the background filling my delicious and diigo sites with educational bookmarks galore (although I do still do that).  I also became a much more social member of the community.  I’m not sure if it is the organization of the site itself, or the encouraging, caring nature of the fabulous members of my precious Plurk PLN, but I truly look forward to connecting with these folks on a daily basis.  I love to encourage, and be encouraged by them. I genuinely care about the struggles and celebrations they share on the public stream and via private plurks.  They’ve inspired me to be a more social being, not just in cyberspace, but in real life as well.

So, for this I extend to my fellow plurkers, my heartfelt thanks.  It is because of you that I’m no longer lurking. . . I’m Plurking!

If you are in any way unfamiliar with the NCLB Act, you probably don’t reside in the U.S.A.  No Child Left Behind has been the mantra of those who hang out in educational circles for the better part of a decade. While I have always been quite vocal in my assertion that, “Every child I’m given the privilege of teaching WILL learn as much as they are able (beyond what I expected, or even hoped) within the time I have to spend with them – no excuses!”; I have an additional concern that often weighs heavily upon my heart.

While reading the chapter 4 about wikis in Will Richardson’s book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms,  the following passage started me thinking:

Already, students are turning to Wikipedia as a resource for research, much to the chagrin of many teachers and librarians.  As we’ve already discussed with blogs, knowing what sources to trust is becoming a much more labor-intensive exercise, and wikis, with many often anonymous authors, make that even more difficult.  The  idea that “it might be wrong” is a tough one for most people to overcome. (p. 59)

As I read this, my mind began to wander away from the examination of the role of  wikis in the classroom, to a quandary that has been a constant topic of conversation since I entered the online discussion regarding all things Edtech.  I began to reflect on the laments I have heard continuously from tech directors, coaches and facilitators throughout my PLN (both web-based and in RL).  They express a deeply felt concern that there are scores of teachers who are still reluctant to embrace technology as an integral part of the classroom curriculum. Tech integration as a seamless part of the content based curriculum seems to be beyond the comprehension of, what is perceived as, the vast majority of teachers.

This is a broad generalization, but in 19 years of public education I’ve made some observations.  Teachers tend to be “control freaks” by nature, and usually will not enthusiastically venture into things which we believe go beyond what fits into our personal sense of “rightness”.  Most teachers also seem to be resistant to change, and given a choice would probably never move to a new classroom, grade level or content area.  Finally, teachers are very busy folks, and find it difficult to give up things seen as “tried and true”, in favor of things that don’t fit into our entrenched paradigms of “quality” education.

The central question:  What is holding all of these teachers back and what can we do to change it?

I’ve often wondered, as technology liaison on my own campus, if it is a simple “fear factor” that holds some of my colleagues back.  Is embracing technology like going to the dentist – “I’m not sure what to expect, but I’m fairly certain I’m not going to like it…” -  thus leading to avoidance behavior?

I confess, there are many times, when I encounter a new tech tool that seems beyond my scope of current understanding, I still get that “niggling” feeling at the back of my neck.  I frequently face that moment of, “I don’t know if I can do this…” – but I don’t let it hold me back.  I just go ahead, dig in, and give it a go.  Unfortunately, I seem to be part of the exception, not the rule.  I have to admit, it bothers me more than a little bit that my young 1st grade students, who are into blogging, wikis, digital storytelling, and other  Web 2.0 technologies, are not likely to have the opportunity to grow in their use of the read/write web once they move beyond my classroom.  This could very easily lead me to embrace the pessimistic view held by many of my techie colleagues, but…

I see a new dawn on the horizon!

Through my online PLN I have been able to “hook up” with other like-minded educators, which make me feel part of a larger community and not quite so isolated as I explore things I never would have tried on my own.  I have my own 24/7 tech support when I get in over my head with an unfamiliar tool, courtesy of Twitter and Plurk. This opportunity has enabled me to create working models to use as examples to help more reluctant teachers visualize the possibilities, which could not have been conceived within their current scope of understanding.  Also, a climate of collaboration which has been encouraged by my past and current administrators, as well as a wonderful technology coach (even if he is my husband) who is there virtually “on demand” as much has possible, has created an environment for change.

In our culture of instant gratification, the change might seem like the ripple made by a gnat upon a great lake of calm waters; but it is change nonetheless.  I see change when there is an uproar led by the “old guard” teachers when email or network service goes down. I see change when teachers stream video to bring content areas alive rather than using the book and its worksheet companion.  I see change when teachers are using web-based applications as a literacy work station in the classroom on a daily basis.  I see change where within 3 years time, I went from being the only classroom blogger in my building, to having one or more active classroom bloggers in each grade level.  I see change.  I see change!

With a climate of collaboration and support, quality real-life classroom examples, and the enthusiasm of a few crazy teachers like myself, more and more students are having daily opportunities to work with Web 2.0 technologies, and as with all change – it starts small, but it begins to grow exponentially.

How do I hope to make sure there is no teacher left behind?  Easy!  Have a vision for the change I want to see, then let that change begin with me.

References:

Richardson, Will. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. California: Corwin Press Inc.,U.S., 2008.

Through my husband Jamie’s PLN on Plurk, I have been able to hook up with the delightful Carrie Whalen and a group of great educators for a book study on Will Richardson’s book: Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.  We are using a meeting room app called Wiggio which is entirely text based, but has served our group quite well as a collaborative tool. 

After watching the “What is Wiggio?” video above, I began to wonder if this tool might have more to offer me than a one time book study platform I was invited to join.  I participate in a lot of groups on and off campus and I tend to live in frazzled state of frustration as I try to remember who I’ve emailed, who I’ve spoken to in the hallway because I know they won’t be checking their email, who is absent and not getting the information at all, and what information did I include/exclude when I communicated with the folks I was able to contact. 

What if I had one place where I organized all of my different groups?  What if all of my members had their cell phone numbers, as well as email addresses in their profiles?  What if I wanted to let all of my students parents (who don’t use RSS) know I’ve posted new information on my classroom blog?  Wouldn’t it be great to send a text to everyone without having to go dig my cellphone out of my purse? Could Wiggio make my life easier and  be a great platform for future collaborative book studies? You know, I think I might give this a try…

I’ll let you know how it turns out! 

Kerrie was invited to present her classroom blog at the TATN Event at TCEA 2009 in Austin. The picture shows the  student’s Water Cycle video.  They created it with Windows Movie Maker.  

This post was written by my husband, Jamie Gustin, who is a Technology Coach and Distance Learning Facilitator for our district.  It was reposted here before the server housing the TCEA 2009 blog is shut down August 1, 2009.  Here are Jamie’s impressions of my presentation…

Leslie Vazquez- Nieves, a 4th grade bilingual teacher in Georgetown ISD, uses powerpoint and clay animation with her students to demonstrate their understanding of animal environments and adaptations. She carefully monitors student progress throughout the project to insure that students are on the right track as they work through what they are learning.

All materials for the project with the exception of the clay, must be recycled.

She shares her view that students must be proficient in the use of productivity software, like Word, Power Point, digital cameras etc. that they will need for the project before they begin work.

At the end of the project all students in the school grades 3-5 as well as the faculty vote on who they think the winnners should be.

The lesson can be found on Mrs. Vazqez’s Website .

Karen North from Houston ISD is a 27 year veteran Computer Science teacher who moved down to the elementary level to teach tech apps to K-5 for one purpose: to figure out why students were not coming up to secondary with the skills they needed in order to be able to problem solve.

She is involved in research to develp a K-8 curriculum designed to prepare students for there future both in education and in the workplace.

She shared video of her 2.9 yr. old grandson developing a problem solving process in order to successfully complete the animal puzzles on the Smithsonian National Zoo website. As he worked out the problem solving process, he became more and more fluent with his problem solving.

North is using this same puzzle tool to monitor and evaluate the performance of her K-5 students.  She is monitoring whether there is a direct correllation between the increase in fluency of their problem solving skills and  there ability to perform on assessments of their application of core content learned in the classroom.

I found her premise compelling, and look forward to the outcome of her study.  In the meantime, I plan to use this site to assist my own apprentices with their fluency in problem solving. You will see it appear on my classroom blog very soon.

Christi Everett from Bryan ISD shared how she used interactive websites to study the various weather events in our area.  You can see her entire unit on the right navigation bar on her homepage.

It was a great fast paced session with a LOT of awesome weather links, some of which I am currently using on my classroom blog, and some I will be adding to my blog very soon!