Tech for Thought...

I was afforded the luxury of spending the last two days attending the Educational Computing Organization of Ontario Conference and learning about an incredible amount of education technology. I was able to attend a variety of workshops, share with a great number of fellow educators, and learn about some amazing things happening in education (in Ontario at least). Attending these kinds of events can be overwhelming, scary, enlightening, and incredible all at the same time. Educators are performing a wealth of activities that utilize technology very well, while at the same time still 'tinkering' to improve their practices so that technology becomes a great 'enabler' and not a 'distract-er'. Other than all of the useful resources, links, and connections, I found myself constantly typing ideas that popped into my head of where I think technology and education need to stroll. Therefore, rather than keep these in my head, although maybe that's what some may prefer (more on that later) I thought I'd write them down here and hopefully see what you have to say? So here we go:

1. iPads are the Educators Choice of Device. I could not get over the number of iPads in each and every workshop! A Christmas wish item of mine (for those who have not yet bought me a gift?!), I do not yet have one, and found myself being the 'ugly duckling' at the conference. Teachers, administrators, resource teachers, leads, etc., etc.; all of these positions are utilizing them in their daily activities and routines. I love iPads and tablets in general, but am quickly realizing that iPads are the common language platform used by most educators. I'm not saying that any other tablet device can not do the same tasks, it's just that when you are sitting in a room with a number of other teachers and they are all talking in 'iPad language', you quickly realize there is an immense benefit to having an iPad yourself; and if you were to try translating these conversations into your own 'tablet language', it would only mean you become disconnected from these important conversations. As well, it seems like most school boards, and individual schools, are investing in iPads rather than other devices; and the workshops were not titled 'Playbook in the Classroom,' nor 'Google Nexus...'. So time will tell if iPads win the war, but the way it looks now, they are certainly winning the battle.
2. Flipped Classroom is still in its Infancy (or Maybe it is Out of Focus?) I have converted my teaching method (some) into the 'flipped' model of instruction, and am quickly finding there are many advantages. Many educators in Ontario are realizing the same. However, I found that the conversations around this methodology are still focusing on (a) the general theory behind a flipped classroom and (b) what tech tools can you use to create videos & other materials to give as 'homework'? These are important conversations to have, but they are representative of where the 'flipped' model is in Ontario - its early stages. I would have liked to see more educators sharing their experiences, strategies, class activities, routine, and setup. I feel like these topics are overlooked when the 'flip' is discussed, and yet these may be the most important conversations to have? As teachers, "how to create a video?" is not employing my specialties; "how to run a flipped classroom?" definitely is. The wealth of people on Twitter, resources online, videos, and books you can now read, all provide the introductory information. I feel that when you have a chance to meet in person, the time could be better used.
3. BYOD & Digital Citizenship. Every school and school board looks to be transitioning to a BYOD policy. This is fantastic news, and allows many educators to really get creative with their teaching. However, it seems like many boards are doing this more for budgetary purposes, or that it 'looks good'. I do believe there are many 'Board People' who are pushing for this for the right reasons, however, there doesn't seem to be the back-end support for it. Where I see this most evident is 'Digital Citizenship'. Students are online every chance they get, and I would say their identities are more 'digital' than they are 'real'. Yet, there doesn't seem to be enough education happening around how to present yourself online; aka Digital Citizenship. With technology and online access increasing in our schools, I think it's imperative that we educate students, remind them, and mentor them when it comes to their digital persona. I believe there is a need to work digital citizenship into the curriculum, think civics - a mandatory grade 10 course; or school-wide initiatives, just like we do with literacy and numeracy. However, there are some amazing resources available that we, individually, can really start using and conveying the important lessons to our students, and maybe its not about waiting for the board to do so, but to take it on ourselves in the classroom.
4. A Commons for Discussion & Reflection. We all went through teacher's college preparing lengthy lesson plans that ask for too much detail and reflection. I still think that is an absurd task to do when you are prepping, teaching, coaching, extra-curricular'ing', mentoring, and doing just about everything else. However, because of these time constraints and not creating such lessons, I found myself reflecting very little on my practice. Therefore, I began this blog, and my reflection has become much more common. What I saw at ECOO is the idea that many teachers are doing the same thing. One of the great ideas I saw was presented by Lisa Neale & Jared Bennett on the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board's Commons Initiative. The idea put forth by a very 'tech-savvy' group at their board was to create a 'commons' for all teachers who are blogging to be able to blog, share, comment, and reflect. The whole board uses Wordpress and every teacher is able to see, well more like read, what their colleagues are doing. I think this is hugely important as we all find ourselves way to busy to share in person. Having an online resource/meeting space, where you can share and read about other practices, could be so valuable for everyone involved in the education system, not just teachers.
5. The Need for Tech in Education. I think this is all too obvious, and was surprised by the amount of presentations on this topic. However, I soon realized through the comments of some who attended, that this is still an important conversation to have. Many still are resistant to the idea, and are hesitant or fearful of technology. I don't think it could be stressed any more than it already has, but technology is not going away, and students are pleading for it to be used in their classrooms, just like they use it at home. The results and examples clearly illustrate how many technology tools can really help teaching, benefit student learning, improve assessment, and create a much more enjoyable and real classroom. I guess it will always be a conversation to have, I just hope it becomes less of one, and more of the norm.

Pow What? Powtoon!

Ok, I had to share this. One, because it has so much potential with the 'flipped' classroom, and two, because it's just cool! I don't mean to shamelessly advertise for company, but I find that every once in a while I come across a really useful website/app/tech. tool, that needs to be shared; and this one is definitely no exception. It really caught my attention when a coworker of mine created this video. It's simple, yet highly informative, entertaining, and effective. He did it using the website Powtoon - don't let the name confuse you!

I think it's so useful because unlike the typical videos I use for my 'flipped' classroom, Powtoon allows you to fully animate concepts and illustrate events using simple, but effective graphics. As soon as I watched the intro video on their website, my mind instantly remembered this video from girleffect.org. I remember showing the Girl Effect video to my geography class last year, and can remember how hooked they were. They wanted to watch it again, and again; they wanted to create one just like it for their project; but unfortunately at that time, I had no clue how they could create something like that.

For students, when learning any new concept, the delivery can mean the difference between understanding, and scratching their heads. For teachers, understanding how to deliver new information, can also mean the difference between students being hooked, or students being asleep. I think the more tools we as educators have at our disposal, the more dynamic our classroom can be. So whether you're using a 'flipped' classroom approach, or the traditional model, a tool like Powtoon can really make the classroom a more enjoyable place.

Flipped FAQ's

Teaching teachers about technology - sounds like a bit of a tongue twister. It felt a little bit like one last Friday when myself, and a few other peers 'attempted' to teach the staff at my school about various technology practices. Over the course of an hour and a half (all the time the school board allowed for technology PD - sad, I know) teachers engaged in a series of workshops related to technology. Their options included the use of Twitter in the classroom, using an online class system called Angel, blogs, wikis, and of course the flipped classroom.

The response to all the workshops was great, and I think a few eyes and minds were opened. The flipped classroom session was no different. Staff really seemed to respond positively to the idea, and even the most trepid amongst the participants seemed to at least begin to think about the possibilities. After the very brief 30 minute session was complete, there were however a number of questions that were left unanswered. Therefore, below I have at least attempted to answer all the questions posed by participants from my own perspective. This does not mean that these responses are correct in any way, just my own thoughts and ideas.

1.What do you do if the students don't watch the videos?
Generally, the response from students has been good so far. Students who I have taught in the past, and who have caused me some grief with their lack of participation and learning, are responding very positively to watching the videos. They are coming to me in advance and informing me that they may not be able to watch the video that night. This would have never happened previously; they would have simply came to class the next day and told me they didn't do their homework. Thus they are demonstrating not only commitment, but also careful planning and time management. However, in dealing with the students who do not watch the videos, I make sure to allow for those students to watch the video at the very beginning of class, while other students who have watched the video engage in group discussions. I entered into this flipped-class model with the idea that I'm not going to fight a losing battle, and will simply try to accommodate. This does not mean I am not keeping track of those who continuously come to class without watching the video, and when I feel like it has gone on for too long, I will make adjustments then.

2. How will the flip-class help language learners?
I am not an ESL nor language teacher, so my knowledge of teaching languages is limited (limited equals none in this case!). However, I will say, that it is my belief that students learn best when they are using multiple senses. Whether you use videos, or any other resource in your flipped classroom, just make sure they are using multiple senses. I think videos really can help language learners because they are able to slow them down, replay, re-watch, take careful notes, and listen to the words as well as read them on the screen. I have to believe this really helps language learners?!

3. What does the class look like now? What do lessons look like?
My class as it stands is still very similar to how it looked previously. There may be a bit more 'organized chaos' at the beginning of class, but I still have students seated in groups and working independently at times. I am not yet at the mastery level of flipping, and so my classroom does not yet look like a drop-in centre; however, I am loosening the reins a bit and beginning to allow organization to fall to the students.
Lessons are still very similar to the traditional class. They are still broken down into 3 parts, however, the 'action' part, or 'do' part, now takes up the majority of class time. I think this is important, and is the reason why I flipped. I still however, want my students to think about, and discuss, the previous night's video, and so that now comprises the beginning of my lesson. As well, I feel it's still important to debrief the 'action' part and ensure the students truly understand the lesson. This part however, I am sure will become more difficult as the students begin to work at their own pace and time-frame. We'll see how it looks then?

4. How can you flip your class easily?
I don't know if there is any 'easy' way to flip? I guess you could simply assign textbook reading material instead of videos or other sources of information; but I don't believe students would really buy into this type of flip. I think video still offers a lot of benefits, and thus makes flipping hard work. However, I believe there are two ways you could flip that might be easier than making daily screen-cast videos:
a) Video tape your lectures for one whole semester. This way you will have all your lessons on video that you can use the next semester when you flip. It wouldn't really add any extra work, and you could still use video as your 'flipping' material.
b) Flip your class once/twice a week, and gradually increase it for each subsequent semester. Therefore over the course of a year or two, you would have all of your videos created for your 'flip-out'

5. How do you ensure students watch the video and really learn the material?
There is no difference in ensuring students understand the material in the flip-class as compared to a traditional classroom. I use regular quizzes to make sure, and hold discussions to assess. Eventually I would like to set up online quizzes to assess the students immediately after watching the video, and feel this would be a fantastic way to keep track of progress (think Khan Academy). Until then, it's really business as usual.

6. What about access to technology for students?
This is something that I don't have any issues with in my classes. However, I did make sure to send a letter home to their parents to ask them about their access to technology. This will help me ensure all students can watch the videos posted on Youtube. As well, the amount of time students have during their lunch, the time they have before and after school, and the prevalence of mobile technology, there are definitely ways to ensure students have access to watch the videos.

7. What tips do you have for video content?
I think it's important to have lots of visuals to accompany text. Therefore, I also believe text is important so students are able to read if they are not necessarily auditory learners. I try to include a visual to accompany most of my text, and use PowerPoint slides to do this. Eventually, animation, highlighting, and other visual aids will be included so that the information is emphasized. The other part that I feel is important is to make the videos more than just the curriculum material. The students in my class have responded positively when I sing a theme song to begin each of my videos, when I tell personal stories to help emphasize material, and when I joke around on the video, just like I would in class. Making the videos your own and ensuring they convey your personality I think is very important; because I think some students may rather still have you as a teacher at the front of the class teaching like this. Which brings me to...

8. How can a video be more interesting than in-person lectures?
I don't know if there is any way to be more interesting in a video as compared to person. I think you can be close, but I don't know if I ever will be. The one thing I have found though, is that as I have made more and more videos, I have become more and more comfortable, and my personality is definitely showing itself more in the videos. I think that as time goes on, and my video production skills increase, the videos will become more and more interesting. Accompany this with still interesting classes, and I believe students won't really miss a thing (cue Aerosmith).

It's Been One Week...

... since you looked at me." Sorry was a little distracted there with the Barenaked Ladies song in my head. This post is about one week, but not at all what the BNL were singing about. It has been one week since I started flipping my marketing classes, and the results so far? Well a little inconclusive. However, I will say, things look promising.

I started this semester with the idea of 'training' my students. I figured that if they have experienced 10+ years of school one way, than the first couple days in the flipped classroom would be a bit of an adjustment. I proceeded this year with the usual introductions and course outlines, however, instead of taking too much time on that, I used the majority of the first class introducing the students to the flipped class model. I presented to them an informational presentation on the flipped model in the usual way - me standing at the front of the class, and presenting the information to them like a "sage on the stage". I asked them what they thought of learning that way, and received the usual shy responses; "It's okay", "I don't mind", and "We're used to it" were the majority of responses. These responses indicated that my students were fine with the usual model, however, there wasn't any indication that they were enthused by it.
After presenting in the usual sort of way, I then explained that we would run through the new way of doing things in our class. I handed out note taking templates, and explained to them how to take notes while watching videos - key points, details, summary, and then a question that can be used for discussion. I then loaded my introductory video of "How to watch the lecture videos" which explained to them the STORM concept of watching videos (STORM is also our school mascot). You can take a look at the video here. I tried to set the theme, asking them to pretend that school has just ended and they are all sitting at home watching the video. I played the video and walked out of class to listen just outside the door (listening to yourself on video is highly embarrassing!). The students giggled at first, but surprisingly every single one took notes on the video! I came back into class, and reset the theme explaining that they have now all started the next school day, all have come to class and now we would begin the next day's lesson. At this point I explained how we would begin every class.
I arranged the class into 3 groups - Know, Wonder, & Learn. I explained to the students that they would decided which group to join based on their video viewing experience. The 'Know' group would consist of those students who watched the video, felt confident with the material, and completed their notes. In this group, these students would share their summaries, ask each other their discussion questions, participate in a discussion based on those questions, and then answer a question I posed to the whole group. The 'Wonder' group would be those students who watched the video, but did not feel confident in the material. I explained to them that I would be a part of this group, and would be there to answer any questions they might have regarding the material. We would therefore work through their questions to come to an understanding of the concept. The 'Learn' group would therefore be those students who did not watch the video prior to class and therefore needed to. I explained to these students that I was okay with them not watching the video once in a while, but if it became habit, then we would need to have a 'frank' discussion. The whole class seemed to buy into this method of beginning class and seemed to like the idea that they had options.
Once the students were 'trained' on video viewing procedures and the routine to start the class, I then explained that the rest of the period would be all about application. This would be where they would be challenged with a task to complete which had them apply their knowledge of the concept seen on the video. They seemed to also respond positively to this as they liked the idea that class was all about 'doing' now, and not just sitting there listening. I also explained that I would be able to help them much more during class (a real benefit of the model) and act as a tutor during the application if any of them needed it. I then ended the class by providing them the link to watch that night's video.

This procedure was something that I found in my research on others who are 'flipping' their classes. I liked the idea because the routine allows the students to basically run the beginning of class. It also allows me to assess the students learning and keep track of those students who continually struggle with their understanding.

The next day was somewhat positive. Unfortunately the link did not work for one of my classes, and half of the other; however, 99% of my students did try to access the video to watch it. From that standpoint it was very positive. That kind of response is something that I hope continues!

Due to the shortened week that's all the reflection I have. This week will consist of 4 videos that the students will be required to watch. Well see how it goes. Stay tuned!

Summer's Over Already?

Well summer is already over. It seems to always fly by, and I always seem to make the same comment - "it goes by too quick!". I try to decompress and disconnect during my summers; leave the school work, thoughts and ideas behind, and try to just enjoy the sunny, summer days. This year was no exception, and thus the reason why it's been a little while since my last post. However, I will say this, I found myself thinking a lot more of this upcoming school year than in year's past. The reason - it all has to do with 'flipping'.

I wrote a post not too long ago about the flipped classroom model of teaching. Over the last several months I have been researching extensively and putting together ideas for bringing this model to my classroom. A few colleagues and I have decided to jump right into this model, the deep end of course, and use this method of teaching this September. We have administration support, resources and $, and have set up the technology necessary for implementing the flip. I've planned out the videos, the activities that will be used in class, and the process to start the year. It requires quite a bit of planning and prepping and have come to recognize that as much as I don't want to think of school at all until September, if I really want to implement this model I had to get started a little earlier than usual. Surprisingly, I've been okay with this and have become a bit excited to get things going!

The very beginning of this year will require a lot of 'training' for my students to acclimatize them to the process. I plan on taking the first couple days just going through the routine and ensuring that they understand the process. The first day is usually a 'get-to-know-each-other' day anyway, so I figured I will still do this, but focus a bit more on 'get-to-know-the-flipped-classroom' instead. I've put together information for the students and expectations for the class and how to effectively watch the videos. For parents, I've also put together a letter (huge thanks to Crystal Kirsch!) and an information video so that they are completely aware of the situation. I can just imagine the first couple weeks when my students go home every night and watch videos instead of doing homework or other work! I figure laying the groundwork now will pay dividends later on.

The videos have been a bit interesting. It's always so foreign to hear your own voice, and a bit embarrassing talking to a computer screen. I've become a lot more comfortable in creating them however, and recognize the better you make the visuals, the better AND easier creating videos become. I've tried to keep them all between 5-15 minutes and hopefully the students appreciate this.

The last part of this preparation has been the in-class activities - something I've found through researching and online discussions, is often overlooked. I have found too many people focus the majority of their efforts on just creating the videos; unfortunately, this is the less important component of the flipped class model. Therefore, I've really tried to ensure that I focus on the types of activities my students will be engaging in class, after they have watched the concept videos. This I've found to be a challenging part of the preparation, as getting away from creating activities that last 30 minutes, and trying to create activities that last 65-70 minutes is difficult to say the least. 

Overall, I think I'm ready for the challenge. I guess this post is really about what I've experiences so far, and what I'm hoping for to start the school year. I don't expect it to be a seamless transition as this is a new way of learning not only for the students, but myself as well. I plan on continuously updating this blog (more frequently I promise) not only with useful tech tools that can be used in the classroom, but also my experience with flipping my classroom. I expect many of the posts will be me venting my frustration, but I hope to share some positive experiences as well. I think the key going into this whole thing is that this is not a one-semester experiment, but a continuous transition that will take several attempts before I see quality returns. Here's to a successful school year, and fingers crossed!

Ted? Is that you?

It's June. Exams are over, marks have been updated, reports are finished, and I can finally get back to this blog. It's been a while, I know, I've missed you too. However, you can't say that I have not been busy. Over the last several weeks, aside from the usual classroom work, and reporting process, myself and a group of other teachers have embarked on a new journey (that sounds corny I know - but it is true). A group of us have begun the process of 'flipping' our classrooms. We have ratcheted up the learning, at a time in the year where most are dialled down. We have begun researching about the products and processes required to effectively 'flip', and I can honestly say it's pretty cool to see all of the tech tools out there that you can use. The one that really caught my eye recently is one that many are familiar with - TED. Only this TED is a little bit different than his more famous brother. This TED is TED-ED.

First, if you haven't checked out TED yet, then please do so. The countless hours of video lectures are amazing, and I constantly find myself watching these videos rather than TV. Below are a list of what I think may be some of the best that pertain to education.

1. Sir Ken Robinson - Schools Kill Creativity
2. Salman Khan - Let's Use Video to Reinvent Education
3. Sugata Mitra: The Child-Driven Education
4. Sir Ken Robinson (again) - Changing Education Paradigms 
5. Malcolm Gladwell - Spaghetti Sauce (Not necessarily about education, but I really thought it was fantastic. Probably because I love marketing.)

Now that you are familiar with TED, let's meet his little brother TED-ED. Now this little brother has a pretty large mission - capturing great lessons from the world's educators. With TED-ED you can submit an idea for a lesson, have a professional animator illustrate it for video, record your own voice to it, and then have it posted on the website; where thousands of other educators can use it for their own lessons. Most videos are then accompanied with a number of questions, both simple and critical thinking, as well as extension activities. The idea that anyone, anywhere in the world can create a lesson is somewhat new, definitely amazing, and really shows how far we've come, not just with regards to technology, but collaboration. There are so many amazing teachers out there, TED has just given those teachers a new platform to share their great lessons, and we can all benefit from this. The website/project is still in its infancy, but before long I imagine it will be contain a wealth of knowledge and lessons that many educators will use on a regular basis. I for one can't wait to see where it goes from here!

A Blog About Blogs

Utilizing the online classroom effectively can open up a world of possibilities. I hope with the last couple of posts, people might strongly consider moving a lot of their teaching and resources online. It's the environment used most by our students, and we really need to consider doing the same. This blog is about just that; using 'their' environment to not only educate them, but others as well.

The idea of writing a blog, to some, may seem like a waste-of-time kind of idea. Who's going to read it? Who's going to care? What can I write about? All this may be true, if you don't have anything worthwhile to say. For me to suggest that this blog is followed by many, is a huge overstatement. I'm amazed actually if anyone at all is reading this now? Many students will also have these feelings and opinions. However, blogging has become a huge voice in today's world. It's what has allowed thousands to spread the word about various issues and events. It's allowed for the dissemination of information to the masses. It's what has given many people a platform, and thus an audience who would never have been able to achieve such feats previously. Encouraging students to take their voices online can greatly aid in the learning of the classroom, as well as their awareness of what's out there.

For the most part students have simply written statements online in 140 characters or less, or about things they saw, heard, or did today to their group of 'friends'. I believe many have not given much consideration to really formulating an opinion online, and having to defend or appreciate the comments left by others. For the most part, students feel that whatever they post online goes without defense or critique. Blogging can really force students to consider what they write, and how others will perceive their writing. But how do you go about getting your students to blog? What activities can you use in the class? And how do you keep students interested?

Raising awareness of blogs and generating interest has to be accomplished before you can even begin to ask your students to blog. Therefore, introducing your students to online blogs is the first step necessary in getting your students to blog. Blog hosting websites like blogger.com, wordpress.com, or edublogs.com, contain thousands of excellent blogs that you can use to illustrate blogging to your students. Tumblr.com will allow students to 'collect' blogs and follow them using their computer, tablet, or mobile device. There are plenty of examples out there to show them just how many people are blogging, and all the different uses for blogging.

The next step is to have your students learn the steps, characteristics, and rules of blogging. The best strategy that I believe to do this is something I found on, well, another blog. It's called 'Paper Blogging' and it illustrates to students all the necessary skills required when blogging. I could go on, but why not just check it out:
http://www.notesfrommcteach.com/2010/09/learning-to-blog-using-paper.html

Lastly, what can you use blogging for with your students? Other than asking them to blog about the day's lesson and what they learned, felt, or thought from it, there are countless activities that can be done. In the past I have had my students blog about economic news events that have taken place throughout the semester. They had to summarize what happened and the impact the event would have on the economy. It's an activity that can be translated to many classes and courses, and is a simple one. However, one that I believe would lend itself to much greater critical thinking is something discussed just the other day at a PLC meeting. What about posting one simple question to the students the very first day of class, that the students would have to continuously address throughout the semester/year?

This idea was posed for Canadian geography, so I will do my best to use that course as an example to illustrate the concept. The idea is to pose to the class on the very first day the question "What makes Canada such a special and unique place to live?" It is also in your best interest to inform the students that the very same question will appear on the final exam. Each student would then construct a blog where they would address that question and write about Canadian news stories, lessons learned in class, and any other ideas they had regarding the question. They could choose either side of the opinion in answering it, but the whole idea is to continuously have students comment on Canada and the uniqueness (or lack of) that this country has. They could source news articles, other peoples blogs, and videos. They would also comment on each others blogs, critiquing or agreeing with each other along the way. Not only would students critically assess Canadian geography, but they would also engage in an interesting conversation online. The final step to this activity is to pose that very same question on the final exam. For those students who continuously blogged, answering the question will be relatively simple, as they have already put forth all the necessary hard work and critical thinking. For those who did little blogging, they would then have to really work hard to answer the question. An interesting idea, and one that I will be trying next school year.

For other ideas, search online, there are hundreds of activities that you can use blogs for, and students will appreciate the online experience.