The Educators' Royal Treatment

2020 Should Not Look Like 1996!

by Ken Royal

How many students equal a decade?

There was a TV news report the other day about what technology in education would be like in 2020, I watched it—all 20 minutes of it. It said absolutely nothing! It mentioned collaboration, Chinese, and Skype pals instead of pen pals. It showed a few 2nd graders with LeapFrog gadgets, three students huddled about one desktop, as well as a line of desktops with no students at them. Two educators were interviewed, and their answer to what 2020 education would be like was the same—this is paraphrased, but they both said —“technology will play a bigger role.” Wait a final decade-second; was I just taken for a ride on the “Way Back Machine”? Tell me something I don’t know! Tell me what you’re doing! Tell me what you’re thinking of doing! If you’re doing nothing, WAKE UP! Fire the canon—start the race—PLEASE.

What’s wrong here?

If someone asked me what I thought about the future of education technology, with the goal being 2020, I’d tell him or her. I’d still be talking as the news crew packed up the camera equipment—and most likely they’d have to pry me off the news van.There are a lot of administrators and educators out there, who should be interviewed about this stuff. Find them, and you'll get specifics. Make sure the pry bar is handy. Need help finding them?—I know a few PLNs...

Flashback

Over a decade ago, I switched districts to follow the “so called” technology. When I got there, I discovered that I was still alone. So, I organized a group of my science classes, we took over 30 funny looking Mac computers in the library, and set up a chat with Dr. Robert Ballard. (Yeah, the Titanic guy.) We also set up projection of the chat in all the science rooms that wanted to take part.

We prepared great questions, had students directing the chat delivery, and coordinated with Dr. Ballard by way of a very heavy cell phone. The instructional tech guy, who also found himself alone in the system, invited administrators from throughout the district. Heck, we even had student historians writing the minutes of the chat, for later use. I do have to say that Dr. Ballard had a staff member typing his answers for speedy delivery. My students learned about a new investigation of Phoenician ships in the Mediterranean, and were shocked when struck with the reality that shoes on the ocean floor were what are left of humans, when they perish at sea.

The whole chat, which lasted a little over an hour, was brilliant, until the assistant superintendent walked up to me and said, “We might be able to do this in the future.” I looked squarely at him and said, “What are you talking about, we just did it.”

At that point, beyond wondering about my decision to switch districts, I was convinced that just a “Show” would never light an edtech fire. I'm still convinced that sharing, re-sharing, and then sharing again, with anyone who will listen is important. That "Got it" spark is so different for each of us.

Get the blinders off!

It’s not a one-solution deal either. Don’t get me rolling on that subject! It makes me nuts when I hear that a school, or a district, has put all their eggs in one technology basket, and most of the time it’s the coolest gadget out there—FOR NOW. Know what you want to do, and find solutions that will get you there—educationally. Start looking at where you need to be in 2020, or you’ll be revisiting the same—all over again. Don’t make me come back here in 2030!

Quick-Start List: 15 Things All Classrooms Should Have PK-12

Hope for the Future

by Karyn Keenan, 2nd Grade Teacher, Chicago

(Originally published at: http://teacherweb.com/Blog/IL/PassagesCharterSchool/Keenan/1/default.aspx as part of the MAT@USC Hope for the Holiday event.)

The media is filled with different reports of the changes and faults of education in America, and particularly in Chicago. This year we learned of how dangerous walking home from school could be. And our city is still figuring out how to make sure that our schools reflect racial integration.

I am lucky to teach in a school that is racially integrated. It makes me proud to see so many different cultures represented in my classroom. That has always been one of the great things about Passages—it is a school for everyone.

On the first day of school this year, about an hour or two into the day, a new student arrived. This sweet young girl, who appeared shy at first, was a refugee from Iraq. She came to Chicago in May from Syria and was originally from Baghdad. You could see her eyes light up at the different things around her, but she did not yet have the English to communicate with her classmates and teachers.

As is the case with many refugees, this young girl's schooling had been interrupted. The difference in the writing of the Arabic language and the English language meant any background knowledge she had about numbers and letters had to be relearned. This student has worked incredibly hard, despite how frustrating it has been. 

On the last day of school before break, my students were all bummed when I told them there would be work for them to do over break. As we were gathering up after the Winter Concert, I noticed the sweet, and a lot less shy girl, working through her packet of work. She quickly identified how many items were in a group and was flying through the packet I gave her.

A young child learning a great deal gives hope to any teacher, but there is so much more to this story. I have a colleague, Mrs. Sceske, who teaches the English Language Learners at our school. For me, my colleagues are what give me hope for the future of American education. I work with a group of people who work late at school each evening, explore opportunities to provide their students with as many great experiences as possible, and help each other out.

The backbone of the American education system is its teachers and I could not be more hopeful than when I go in to work each day and am greeted by the dedicated men and women that I have the pleasure to work with.

Guest Blogging: An Opportunity To Share More

by Isabelle Jones who blogs at My Languages.

As we are approaching the end of the year, I have been thinking quite a lot about all the benefits I have derived from guest blogging this year.

OK, I am not a prolific guest blogger but contributing to The Educators’ Royal Treatment and the latest MFL & Technology series on Jose Picardo’s Box of Trick has been both enjoyable and profitable from the point of view of my own personal development.

First, it is great for confidence and developing a stronger blogging voice. It helps you to express all those thoughts, mixing the personal and the professional.
And apparently... It shows! I am no longer hiding behind my avatar and very willing to discuss my blog posts and change my mind if I want to... I feel I have definitely moved on from sharing information to sharing ideas and opinions about the information I share.

Second, it makes you reflect on what you are doing. You get to understand better how to get there, why and what the way forward could be.

Third, it gives you an opportunity to read other people’s blog posts and get tempted to comment more than you would normally admit to have the time to do (excuses excuses).

Fourth, it strengthens your relationships with the different members of your PLN, making subsequent exchanges and conversation even more meaningful.  Twitter is also such a wonderful tool to support this.

Fifth, it makes you open up to different approaches and ways of “doing things” in different countries and educational sectors. This is the ultimate Let’s-Think-out-of-the-box toolkit!

So, Languages teachers, get inspired and also check out some of my favourite posts on The Educators’ Royal Treatment whether you teach languages or not...

Digital Readers Make Education Sense

by Ken Royal

I know that even the most technology-lost administrators are looking at reading gadgets like Sony’s Reader, Amazon’s Kindle, and Barnes & Noble's Nook. The obvious is that supplying these devices to students with downloaded texts and required reading saves money. Instead of paying for a $100 textbook, downloading it for $9.99 makes sense—even if the reading device is a couple hundred bucks. There is no reason to leave these just in the hands of commuters on a train—reading the Wall Street Journal, nor just in the hands of adults.

Learning firsthand…

Years ago, I borrowed a few AlphaSmarts for my 4th and 5th grade classes. And then I began to borrow more than my share. I discovered quickly that my non-writers began to write and my non-readers began to read—right off of them. Furthermore, kids used them for presentations, abandoning the usual 3 x 5 cards. When you can get kids that haven’t written, haven’t read, and fear presenting to do all of those things—that’s big. It caused me to lead a movement with PTO help to get AlphaSmarts into the hands for all students in grades 4 and 5—and to follow that with grade 3. I guess you could call that a 1:1 decision well before it became fashionable. I actually went to home meetings giving presentations to parents—all set up by the PTO. Parents wrote checks on the spot to support the venture—the low price of the gadgets made the latter a bit easier. I also had a principal who understood education entrepreneurship. It makes a difference, and more of a difference today.

It’s not about loving books with binders more or less…

Now, I love books as well as anyone—you know—the ones that warm from your own body heat rather than electricity, but some kids will read off the Reader, Kindle, and Nook who won’t read a traditional book. I’m figuring—whatever it takes.

Test them out…

If in doubt, try them in a resource situation first. Then think about the concept beyond that. I just picked three well known devices, but there are, and will be more options out there for sure—and the prices will get better. If your district leaders haven’t assigned an education tech leader to take a look at digital readers—they should.

Playing With Pixetell: Giving Students Feedback

By Isabelle Jones who blogs at My Languages

 

Thanks to Ken Royal from the Educators' Royal Treatment who offered me the opportunity to trial it, I have been playing with Pixetell.

What is Pixetell?
It is presented as an “on-demand software that enables you to quickly add voice, screen recordings and video to email and other electronic documents”. The twist is that Pixetell supports visual communication but also allows collaboration through sharing the multimedia messages-called pixetells-and allowing discussions to take place around it.

Although the product focuses more on business, it has undeniable potential for Education and both Ken Royal and Adora Svitak have already blogged about it and suggested ways it could be used in Education.

My vision of how it could be used relies on the need for teachers to develop a more structured approach to verbal feedback to students. So, I decided to test it out giving feedback to a first year student-11 years old-on a PowerPoint she had produced to learn basic animal words in Spanish. After trying out different microphones, it seems that a headset produced the best result.

What struck me the most is how uncomfortable I felt at first giving feedback that way. We always respond to the other person’s body language and always look out for paralinguistic responses when we are giving feedback. In many respects, feedback given that way is fairer but I suspect some training would be needed in order to ensure that it still feels personal. Saying the student’s name, using different turns of phrases for praising and offering positive and constructive criticism are all essential.

Used at the end of a short project, Pixetell would be a way to ensure that due praise is given to all the students that have put in the effort. I also feel that the impact on the student self-image as a learner would also be stronger than a well done note on paper. In addition, the students who feel that they are “too cool to be praised” could still get their pat on the back in private.

For the specific purpose of teaching languages, the benefit of including audio in teacher feedback is obvious. Students then have a model that they can use and replicate if needed. It is not an impersonal sound file that they have to listen to in its entirety before they reach the bit that applies to them, but it supports a personalised answer to their own work. Very powerful!

If used for feedback, Pixetell would work great with private student/teacher platforms like Edmodo for responses to individual projects, but used tactfully, example of students’ work could also be presented on a class wiki/ VLE page with oral comments included. Examples of coursework at different grades from real or imaginary students could also be included for discussion.

Have a look at my example here.

You do not need Pixetell or to download any other software in order to access a pixetell.
The standard version allows for 5 minutes worth of recording but there is no limit on the more expensive pro version. There are other tools like Jing or Camtasia who offer some of the features of Pixetell, so a very useful comparison chart help the potential user assessing whether this is the right tool for them. I have also found the tutorial page very helpful.

 

Now waiting for an Education version...

Handwriting is Still Important!

 by Karyn Keenan

First, I was just going to respond in comment form to Ken’s post about handwriting, but I decided that I need to return to writing more, and this was a good topic to start with!

I don't explicitly teach handwriting in 2nd grade, but my kids are so excited to learn cursive (now introduced in 3rd at my school). Many students that have poor handwriting would be better served than some time in Occupational Therapy (OT), rather than doing more handwriting practice. Unfortunately, we do not have the OT services for every student that needs them.

As a teacher, neatness in handwriting is important for me to be able to read what students have written. If research was done, I have a feeling that students with neater handwriting get better grades on handwritten assignments. Other students who are learning how to write letters for the first time (I have students whose first languages have a different script) need to know how to properly form the letters.

Three times a year my students take the NWEA’s Measure of Academic Performance (MAP) test, which is totally on the computer. Next year they will take the Illinois State Standardized Tests, which are done with a pencil. Even in a classroom where I have worked to incorporate as much technology as possible, students must still write most of their work. While job applications and college applications are almost always done online, I have not been to a doctor’s office where there is a digital way to fill out the information.

Ken’s point was that teaching handwriting was a waste of time and I can agree to that. Handwriting practice, however, is still an important facet of a primary classroom. I have a handwriting center with a slew of activities to choose from, colored pencils to use and write on/wipe off boards to practice with. Each student in my class has a list of centers to go that is specialized for them and those whom need handwriting help visit the handwriting center more often. The need for legible handwriting is important because while technology is becoming more and more prevalent, students still need to write most of their work.

Are You Kidding? Reward School Innovation!

By Deron Durflinger, Secondary Principal at Van Meter Schools in Van Meter, IA.

The state of Iowa recently divvied out approximately $60 million from a total settlement $179.95 million dollars to schools from the Iowa School Microsoft Settlement Program. The lawsuit was a result of Microsoft overcharging Iowa consumers and schools for certain products. According to a press release (http://www.governor.iowa.gov/index.php/press_releases/single/223/), 3 out of 4 schools will receive a portion of the money. Why aren't all students in Iowa going to see the benefits of the money you ask? Great question.

For decades, we have done a great job of putting money into the existing structure and hoped for a different result. Are you kidding me? More money isn't the going to help, a better system is the answer. Albert Einstein once said that "Insanity: is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Giving schools money to buy more technology won't change the way schools do business. However, putting more money into our current model of teaching and learning is how we have always done things, so why change. We must like the results I guess.

Shouldn't the money be given to schools that are being innovative and creative? There are schools in Iowa that are willing to take risks to improve the quality of education our students receive. There are schools that are thinking differently and that have been innovative.

I am all for schools with greater challenges being given an equal or even better opportunity to receive funds. However, when the only criteria for getting the money is the number of students the building has that qualify for free and reduced lunches, we restrict schools, and more importantly deserving students from districts that don't meet that criteria from this money that could potentially help recreate the educational system. Not only is this flawed thinking, it is wrong.

The main criteria for the funding should have been schools that are already thinking differently. It should have included stipulations for doing something innovative. It should have strings attached that clearly stipulate that if you don't do something with the money that is innovative, creative, or better for learning, you have to pay the money back. I guess what I am saying, is the funding should have gone to schools where the leadership of the building/district get that we have a flawed system that requires an overhaul in how we do business. I am afraid that we may have created a funding source for schools to keep doing things the way they always have, but now they will have some neat technology to go along with it.

Leadership is the key to improving our educational system, not money. If we want to see different results, we must start doing things differently. I hope in the future, the powers that be consider rewarding those that have shown innovation and districts that are willing to make the changes necessary to help our kids succeed in today's world, not yesterday's. 

Adora's View on Pixetell

by Adora Svitak

[Adora Svitak is the world's youngest teacher and a published author. Her website is www.adorasvitak.com.]    

Those of you who have been avidly following developments in screen-sharing software may already be familiar with Pixetell by Ontier, which Ken eloquently introduced with, “I know that Pixetell is geared to a business model, but one look at it, and it shouts education.” Hear, hear! According to the Pixetell website, the software “allows you to quickly add voice, screen recordings, and video to email or documents.” If that doesn’t sound like something with applications in education, I don’t know what does.

I’ve divided this post into three sections—What is Pixetell? What Can You Do With Pixetell? and My View of Pixetell. What is Pixetell? explains the role of Pixetell and includes some comparisons between Pixetell and TechSmith’s Camtasia Studio, while What Can You Do With Pixetell? is a rundown of ways to use the software on different levels. My View of Pixetell should be pretty self-explanatory.

What is Pixetell?

Pixetell is a screen-sharing software—it allows you to record whatever is on your computer screen and then share that via a link. Innovative as it might seem, it’s not the only screen-sharing software out there—as a matter of fact, it faces competition from a wide range of different companies. One competing brand I am familiar with is Camtasia Studio, by TechSmith. Here are some similarities and differences I noticed:

Pixetell:

1. Emphasis on sharing through email, with easy “Email” tool

2. Interface is black/gray and looks almost like TweetDeck. It’s fairly simple and easily navigable, which is a big plus for classrooms.

3. At first glance, Pixetell’s editing functions are pretty simple—it allows you to cut a portion of a clip or re-record.

4. One of my favorite aspects of Pixetell, and one of the things that makes it unique, is that it allows you to attach materials (i.e., a photo or a document) along with video, which means more efficiency.

5. Has a button at the top of your computer screen which can be accessed at any time.

Camtasia:

1. Camtasia has an emphasis on “producing,” or converting video to share on mediums like YouTube, rather than sending a link. After you record your screen, you choose from a dropdown menu how you want to share it.

2. The interface, while still fairly user-friendly, is more complex than Pixetell. It looks a little like Windows Movie Maker.

3. In contrast to Pixetell, Camtasia has a wide range of editing functions, from transitions to a storyboard.

4. Will usually have a button on your desktop and start menu, or an Add-in in Microsoft PowerPoint.

Both Camtasia and Pixetell:

1. Place the most emphasis on capturing the screen (i.e., presentations/desktop)

2. Allow webcam use during screen record

3. Have editing functions (although the functions are somewhat different)

What can you do with Pixetell?

I hear a lot of talk about “cutting down on paper trails,” and I think that you can use products like Pixetell to great effect in that direction. For instance, instead of sending fellow teachers or administrators a floor plan in the mail with Post-it notes or highlighted areas to show where parents will be herded on Curriculum Night, then scheduling a call or board meeting with your staff to follow up, you could make a Pixetell recording showing the floor plan on your computer while narrating with your computer’s microphone and webcam. Attach the floor plan to the video, send off the link, and voila! Another teacher/administrator level use of Pixetell would be sharing lesson plans. It can sometimes be much easier to explain a lesson with your own voice, and that’s exactly what Pixetell allows you to do. A teacher could share her week’s lesson plans with the principal by making a Pixetell, with attachments of the materials she would use. It’s a convenient “one-stop” way to get all the necessary info.

Teaching Handwriting is a Waste of Classroom Time!

by Ken Royal

I love listening to radio news programs. For one thing, they repeat over and over again, which is good for old memories. Today there was an interview of a professor/author claiming that cursive handwriting is dead, and the only place it’s really used anymore—you guessed it—schools, especially at the elementary levels, where it can take up a great part of the teaching day.

Are we really looking at wiping Handwriting off the report card?  

It made me wonder. Is teaching handwriting a big waste of time? If you think about it, when do adults use cursive penmanship? I know it comes in handy for job applications, writing checks to pay bills, and on driver’s licenses, but where else. Hmmmm, it’s always and nice touch on greeting and holiday cards. Oh, yes, signing a golf card, too. Probably more, but you get the point.

When do I use my penmanship?

I need to admit, that I have at least 30 sticky notes bordering my computer screen, and staring back with my flowing manuscript on them. Funny, my handwriting looks a little different in each—some are frantically chicken scratched, while others would be the envy of John Hancock—well on one of his bad days.

Furthermore, when I’m doing interviews or covering education events and shows, I always use small reporter notebooks, where I chicken scratch cursive, but also try to back up with a recorder. My penmanship isn’t that fast anymore.

Wonder if I should practice?

Since most of my writing these days is typed, other than a few handwritten notes, my cursive writing has gotten snail slow. I can type much faster than I ever wrote with anything, and I can almost always read what I type. I didn’t say it made sense—just that I could read it. Heck, I’d even win a contest keying text with my thumbs today. The only time I’m really slow at typing is when resting a phone in the crook of my neck and keyboarding interview answers, but I think that’s more about vision through my glasses and balancing. I’ve been meaning to get a headset—some day—and I’ve given up on doing anything with the glasses.

What could schools do with the time saved?

Right away, I’m thinking that with all the time saved—not teaching penmanship—kids could get recess back. Oh, there would be plenty of time for the other more important subjects, too, like Art and Music.

Have you gone bonkers?

Yeah, I guess all that is a bit out there. What would we post above our whiteboards if we didn’t have those wonderful cursive letter cards? And believe me, I don’t want producers of red pens to go out of business! And those wonderful letters kids write for teachers, parents, and grandparents—you know the ones—we read and reread—they always collect tears better in cursive.

So, kids, sharpen those pencils, handwriting doesn’t appear to be going anywhere for—well—at least your school lifetime. Let’s put it this way, if handwriting is doomed—it will most likely come at a time when I won’t remember my name, let alone Zaner-Bloser.

Now, what was I doing… and why are all these sticky notes in front of me?

eInstruction Classroom Makeover Winners

eInstruction announced the grand prize winners of its third annual Classroom Makeover Video Contest.

K-5 Winner: 
Karen Rose’s class from Harry McKillop Elementary School, Melissa, Texas.
We Use Technology.

6–8 Winner:
Joy Schott’s 6th grade Technology and Computer Sciences Class at Burwell Elementary School, Burwell, Nebraska.
It’s All Technology.

9-12 Winner:
Molly Rice’s Theater Arts Class at Saint Stephens High School, Hickory, North Carolina.
The Tractor Shed Zone.

More than $30,000 in classroom technology from eInstruction, Dell, 3M, Texas Instruments, and other education technology companies was awarded.

Pixetell, Have You Met Education?

by Ken Royal

I know that Pixetell is geared to a business model, but one look at it, and it shouts education. I've been playing around with this easy to use video, audio, documents, drag and drop collaboration solution all morning. It uses regular e-mail to send a URL to your video, audio, or typed communication. The link opens in any browser. It completely takes away the challenge of piecing together two or more tools to do the same thing.

They're working on a Mac version now, and it should be out soon, but I was able to run it using Parallels, so any other Virtual Machine should do the trick, too. My Mac is older, so I haven't tried bootcamp. On a PC it worked like a charm – actually tried it on a netbook–very cool. I did video and audio without mic or headsets (screen grab image above), but using them will only make the sound quality crystal rather than good.

Off the top of my head, I'm thinking professional development, inter-school, parent/teacher communication, as well as project collaboration locally. I think it would be wonderful for parallel international studies, and communication across time zones. You can password protect, as well as lock or open the discussion feature.

My recommendation, is for the company to create an Education section at their site, and let teachers get this for a minimal fee. In other words, have a teacher or education price for this. If you can do e-mail, you can do this. Just so easy! The download and set up was under a minute as well. Looking forward to some educator feedback on this.

Take a look for yourself, and try it for free at http://www.pixetell.com/, and be sure to check the video there.

DEN Hosts Science-Focused Professional Development Event

By Stephen Wakefield

This January, Discovery Education is hosting a free, virtual professional development opportunity for educators and administrators, focusing on how to incorporate digital content and the latest ed tech into science instruction.  Scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010, from 9 a.m. EST to 4 p.m. EST, Discovery Educator Network SCIcon 2010 will highlight best practices and new techniques attendees can apply to their science lessons.

Note: If you are unfamiliar, the Discovery Educator Network (DEN) is a community of more than 125,000 active educators.  Through the DEN, members have access to a wide range of technology training, as well as a resource library of teacher-generated projects and tools.

During Discovery Educator Network SCIcon 2010, sessions will address a variety of science-focused themes, including teaching global climate change issues, paperless instruction, hands-on activities, teaching with the MYTHBUSTERS, and fun, easy and effective science experiments.

The event will be delivered online and through in-person trainings hosted by Discovery Educator Network Leadership Councils across the country.  Those attending in-person gatherings will participate in online presentations, as well as breakout sessions presented by local STAR Discovery Educators. (STAR Discovery Educators are DEN members recognized for their efforts in sharing their insight and expertise with peers through activities such as trainings, workshops or presentations.)

Educators and administrators interested in learning more, or registering for Discovery Educator Network SCIcon 2010, can visit http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/scienceinaction/denscicon/. Sessions are expected to fill to capacity, so participants are encouraged to register for this event today.

For more science-related initiatives, online services and student competitions, check out:

• Be the Future 
• STEM Connect 
• The Siemens STEM Academy 
• Discovery Education Science
• Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge
• Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge 

Ed Tech Brainstorming Out Where the Fish Don’t Bite!

by Ken Royal

Sometimes it's fun to brainstorm education technology possibilities. I've discovered recently that many adults have difficulty understanding brainstorming. For me, it's shouting out all the possibilities without censoring any—and listening to all—then whittling the list down to a few—good ones—maybe combining some, too. While the list can be large and the ideas a bit OUT THERE, the results often spark new thinking. Unfortunately, many adults have lost the ability to listen, something essential for brainstorming. So, while you're listening, let me start a brainstorming list—and you can add to it.

Brainstorming Topic: Ed Tech Possibilities:

• Let’s have projectorless interactive white boards. Bring the cost way down, sell a bunch of them, and turn on the classroom lights. Throw away a few remotes, too.

• Integrate a projector into a laptop lid. If it can be done with a camera, it can be done with a projector—just face it the other way. Please, don’t tell me it adds weight!

• Provide a good quality education netbook—U.S. market—for under $300. Heck, I’d like to see one for $200. Don’t make it look like something my 2-year old grandson would use either. I’m talkin’ good quality here. Again, make them quality, inexpensive—schools will buy a lot of them.

• Apple—Love ya, but—we need some less than rare gem prices for kids and schools.

• Get heads out of the desks and into the clouds! With the device traveling light, have kids computing OUT THERE, instead of within the constraints of whatever machine happens to be in front of them. Make that private desktop cloud the school tech priority. You couldn’t do it a few years ago, but the Internet has gotten quick and accessible. The concept isn’t difficult to understand either.

• Stop sending the same educators to national education conferences—year after year. Send new teachers, teachers who have never been out of the building, and teachers who need a spark. When they return—have them share. Really share—not once, but many times—in small and large groups. Keep them meeting and sharing.
  

• Listen to new presentations not ones that haven’t changed in years—other than the titles. Look for speakers who know educators and education—and know the reality of today’s classroom.

• No more catch phrases, nor clichés allowed—well OK—just for brainstorming sessions.

Gathering New Education Voices

by Ken Royal

I began The Educators’ Royal Treatment with an idea that didn’t seem valuable to anyone but me—at the time. The idea was to bring together educators making a difference in their schools or districts—and amplify those ideas further. I naively thought that just by asking, educators from bottom to top, and top to bottom to share new ideas, or repost at the ERT—they would.

Tweet, Tweet, Tweet...

It was very slow at first, and I was posting—mostly everything. I feared the ERT would become just another I, Me, My blog, and that was what I didn’t want. And then something really crazy began to happen. It had a lot to do with Twitter. I began to notice others Tweeting similar ideas, and conversations developed—it became easier for me to suggest guest posting at the ERT. I was a little amazed—but not entirely, that almost everyone I asked wanted to post—and the asking seemed to be get easier. Having so many new voices sharing is amazing. The posts could easily be features, articles, columns and how tos if published elsewhere. That has something to do with a goal I'll mention later in this post. 

Marketplace

I also wanted to hear from education marketplace experts, and have them post as well. In my experience, getting  away from press releases, and form-like best practice studies made sense. After all, educators want to know what a product will do for kids, for them as teachers, and how it worked—without trying to decipher a press release. Some marketplace people jumped right in, and recently Wednesday has started to click. I think many were surprised that I've invited them to post.

Crazy and Realistic Goals

My crazy goal was to have the ERT become like a Huffington Post for education, but my more realistic goal was to further publish what authors posted—in other forms and places. At this point, the crazy goal is in my dreams, and the realistic one hasn’t gone too far either. I don’t intend giving up on the latter, and if I fall over a bag of money with my name on it, I’ll make both happen.

It's Good to be the Director

Personally, the best part of it all is connecting people who wouldn’t normally connect, as well as supporting those who didn’t know that what they thought was valuable to others. It’s amazing how much confidence a few words can create. It’s no different with kids—is it? Each day, I ask educators to share, and hope others will ask to share at the ERT. It’s good to be the Director.

New Voices

I believe it’s time to listen to new voices. While I’m aware that the old voices, (and I count myself as one of them) still have some good thoughts to share—it really is time for new energy. Take a good look at the Educators and Administrators joining forces to discuss change. While it's easy to say the same thing for another thirty years, it won't happen. And having one or two rogue technology educators in a school, or district will become history. Too many are share—and too many are listening. The education stars are all around you, and we don't have to look to just a few—anymore.
I, Me, My is being replaced by group sharing—PLNs if you will—and educators are sharing in in organized groups—on Twitter, in Nings, blogs, and who knows what else—will be next.

What an amazing time—and to be part of a movement that is so much bigger than one voice!

It's Great And All, But What About My Privacy?

by Steven W. Anderson

One of Google's core missions is to catalog and categorize the world's knowledge. They are well on their way with their in-depth search products, real-time search, book search, product search and more. But now they want to make it easier for anyone with a camera and a cellphone to know more about, well, whatever is around them.

Introducing Google Goggles. In short, you take a picture of an object and the program returns search results. Want to know more about a restaurant? Take a picture and Google Goggles will tell you the menu, reviews and even automatically dial the number to make reservations. Found a book but want to know more. Take a picture of the cover and Google Goggles will return Amazon reviews and even tell you if you can find it cheaper somewhere else.

Here is the Official Video with some pretty cool examples...

Pretty cool huh?

One question...so what will Google do with all the images submitted? They will have a picture, your cell number (probably) and your location, not to mention other information about you.

Don't get me wrong, I love Google and most all of their products. I exclusively use Google Docs, Google Book search has saved me a few times and I am typing this blog post in Chrome. So Google already knows a lot about me. But do I want them to know more? They say they use the information responsibly and will not sell information or target ads but one has to wonder how long that policy will be in place?

Does all this even matter? With more and more people (myself included) living their lives on the Internet, is privacy even that much of a concern anymore? I could be "googled" and lots of information could be found out about me. So is anything that might be gathered from me using this application any worse?

What about for kids? We teach them to keep their information private, but then use services like Google Docs where Google can see exactly what is in the document (even though they say they aren't looking). This app has great potential in the classroom but shouldn't educators, instead of just taking it at face value, ask questions first?

What do you think?

Note- Google Goggles is only available on phones running the Android Operating System but there are plans to release versions for other phones such as Blackberry and iPhone in the near future.

Cross-Posted At The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom
Image from Google Goggles

Top 15 Education Posts: 11/5 - 12/10/2009

Director's Note: Here are the Top 15 Most Recent Posts (11/5/09 - 12/10/2009) at The Educators' Royal Treatment. It is a privilege to have the brightest US and International "New Names" in education, education technology, and the education marketplace guest posting at the ERT.

Recently, some outstanding administrators have begun sharing as well. The recipe for education change gets closer when all the chefs are on the same page.

• I Don't Understand My Colleagues Sometimes by Principal Patrick Larkin
  

• Technology Fosters Communications and Parental Engagement by uBoost CEO John Bower
  

• Student Research Used to Influence School Decisions by Principal Eric Sheninger
  

• Why Doesn't the System Adapt to the Student? by Principal Deron Durflinger
  

• Reflections on Today's Education by Education Professor Tom Whitby
  

• You Can't Get Too Much of a Good Thing (NOT!) by Kid's Eye View Editor Adora Svitak
  

• What Makes Learning Joyful? by ERT Director Ken Royal
  

• Nothing's Impossible (A Special After Thanksgiving Motivational Message) by Kid's Eye View Editor Adora Svitak

• Wild About Wordle by Principal Eric Sheninger

• 15 Things All Classrooms Should Have PK-12 by ERT Director Ken Royal

• Best Practices for Preventing Cyberbullying by Education PR Executive Kristen Plemon
  

• The Complete Personal Learning Network Series by Tom Whitby by Education Professor Tom Whitby

• 7 Education Points by ERT Director Ken Royal

• Leading the Movement by Principal Eric Sheninger

• Bringing Languages Alive Using Online Videos by Head of Languages Isabelle Jones

Living Change: Mixing Education, Technology, and Life

By Bonnie Frampton Faust

Once Upon a…

In 1995 I jumped at the opportunity to take an online college course. It would allow me to continue working full-time while studying when it was convenient for me, usually late in the evening after a very long commute. The fact that it was Business Law, not exactly the most engaging of topics, was only part of the issue. The fact was, I was alone. I read my epic, $175 textbook alone. I wrote my papers alone. And every few nights I would faithfully log onto the course site with my dial up modem and reply to the questions my professor posted. Alone.

I don’t remember having access to other student’s posts, but if I did, it was not in a format that encouraged any dialogue. For all I know, I could have been the only student in the class. After the first few weeks, I dropped the class, and swore off online classes. Learning, I decided, should take place in a classroom.

Six Years Later…

When I was expecting my daughter, I stumbled upon a bulletin board forum on the iVillage website. I was searching for advice to treat my severe morning sickness, and somehow found this small community of women who were all expecting and posting information, support, encouragement and advice. Within a few days I had ‘met’ several women across the country, and two overseas, who were eager and willing to share what they had learned. Online friendships developed quickly. I found myself asking for their advice and input as easily as members of my own family and friends I had known since childhood. I had discovered my own Personal Learning Network (PLN) of experienced and new mothers who were willing to help me along as I navigated the uncertain and challenging territory of pregnancy and motherhood.

Some may argue that my second experience was more successful because the topic was more relevant to my interests, or even question the quality of my sources. However, what many teachers and education pioneers like Albert Bandura have discovered, is that social learning—the process of learning from one another, sharing ideas and welcoming feedback, can be a critical component to learning.

Now…

Today’s social media tools, such as Facebook and Twitter easily provide the collaborative model today’s students are accustomed to. The earliest models of social learning included groups of students working together in the classroom. Today, with technology that can connect individuals across time zones and language barriers, we see social learning and social networking on a global level. We are no longer limited to the student sitting at the desk next to us; we can connect with peers and professionals alike all over the world.

The Dilemma…

Ironically, most schools and libraries, places you would expect social learning to be embraced, block social networking sites or simply do not understand their value. The faculty and administration of many schools have not caught up with the technology that their students integrate seamlessly into their lives. Some simply perceive it as entertainment while others fear it will blur the lines of academic integrity. In 2008, a student at Ryerson University in Southern California faced charges of academic misconduct for moderating an online chemistry study group on Facebook. First year student Chris Avenir was threatened with expulsion for inviting others to the group, where 146 classmates shared tips and strategies for solving homework questions that counted for 10 percent of their final grade. His student union advocate pointed out that discussing strategies and ideas on Facebook is no different than using a study group working together on homework in a library. Avenir himself argues that, "If this kind of help is cheating, then so is tutoring and all the mentoring programs the university runs and the discussions we do in tutorials."
 
Future…

Today I am navigating my last few months of college, working late into most nights after my daughter is fast asleep, researching information much like I did when I was pregnant. The differences are not as great as one might imagine. As I learn more about collaborative technology and its practical applications in the classroom, I make the connection between what I am studying and what I instinctively searched out in the past.

What does surprise me, and what might surprise other students of my generation, is how strong a role social networking plays in my education. My cooperating teacher is one of my Facebook friends, and it’s often the easiest way to connect with one another in the weeks leading up to my student teaching assignment with him. I belong to several educational groups on Facebook, and enjoy it because I can browse for ideas and information while catching up with my family in Norway, a friend who moved to Italy, and a college roommate who now lives in Bermuda. Yet it wasn't until about two months ago that I was introduced to Twitter and began to understand the professional collaborative application of social media.

I actually had signed up for an account over a year ago, didn’t ‘get’ it, and largely ignored it. Enter Tom Whitby, my Methods of Teaching English professor. He ‘gently’ insisted our entire class join Twitter and something called Ning. Moaning. Groaning. Eye rolls. Yet in only a few short weeks, several of us have built a network of educators on Twitter and The Educator’s PLN with whom we feel comfortable and confident asking for and giving advice! Imagine that…college students who have yet to teach in a real classroom, not just learning from these cutting edge professionals, but adding to the dialog as well! Not only have I learned a great deal, I have developed a network of some of the top education and technology professionals in the world who I can continue to reach out to long after I receive my degree. By far, this has been the most valuable part of my education.

Reflection and Revelation…

Today, the iVillage bulletin board where I met those women who helped me navigate a challenging part of my pregnancy has changed, and a new crop of new and expectant mothers have taken over. Yet over the past nine years, several of us ‘graduates’ have met face to face and stay in touch through Facebook, email and holiday cards and continue to look to one another for support, advice and friendship. We have seen each other through divorce, illness, death and relocation. We are a group of women who would never have met otherwise, yet we have learned so much from one another.

I Don't Understand My Colleagues Sometimes

by Patrick Larkin - Principal of Burlington High School (MA)

I am the first to admit that I can be a bit naive sometimes. This is especially true in regards to anticipating how people will react when they are introduced to resources that will help them do their jobs better. For example, if I asked my fellow administrators the following question:

If I introduced you to a tool that would allow you to interact with educators all over the world, find solutions to problems, share best practices, and see the latest technological resources that will allow your teachers to impact teaching and learning dramatically then how long would you wait to use it?

I assume that most folks would answer something along the lines of ASAP. 

The Reality

Unfortunately, this is where my presumptive abilities were once again proven to be drastically wrong.  After reading the December issue of the National Association of Secondary School Principals' NewsLeader, I am a little bothered by the data in the bottom right hand corner of the cover under the heading "Principals Not Rushing To Adopt Social Media." This data shows that 84% of Principals do not currently use Twitter. This is coupled with an even more alarming statistic that indicates only 4% of those Principals plan to start using Twitter at anytime soon.

In the past, I had worked under the premise that the word administrator is synonymous with the term "educational leader." However data such as this again proves my inability to construct credible assumptions. What will it take to get more administrators out there utilizing web 2.0 tools and modeling for their staff and students? Our jobs as educators are changing and you can no longer just close the door to your office or classroom and do your job effectively.

Administrators Need to Embrace Technology Possibilities

If we want a relevant education for our students, we need at a minimum to have administrators who are keeping themselves and their school communities informed about these the exciting changes! Better yet, we need administrators who are embracing the possibilities that these technologies offer. Our schools and our classrooms should be at an all-time high in regards to student, staff, and parent engagement.

Unfortunately, in many places our students are receiving the same education as their parents and their grandparents.  I hate that story that people tell about Rip Van Winkle and the fact that if he woke up today that the only place he would recognize is the inside of a school. I think the reason I hate it so much is that it is still the truth in many instances. But these issues go well beyond the use of technology so I will not digress.

Answering the Questions

Back to the issue at hand, I guess I have a few other questions for my colleagues who have yet to embrace the powerful impact that web 2.0 resources could have on their schools. What are your wishes for your students when they leave your school?  Would you like them to be at the head of the pack when they go out into their post-secondary school lives? Do you want them to know how to utilize powerful tools that will help them collaborate, organize, and create?

Once again I am going to assume that I know how my colleagues would answer. I know for sure that we all want to provide the best education possible for our students and that there are a number of ways to accomplish this goal. I also know that if you deny the impact of new technological resources and do not promote their widespread adoption in your buildings then you will fail in reaching this goal and will provide your students with less than they deserve.

Time to Begin

My final requests are that you turn on the cell phones for learning, loosen up your web filters to allow access to all of the educational resources that are out there, and start social networking. Create your own Personal Learning Network (PLN) and learn from the numerous educational leaders (mostly non-administrators) available to you.   

I will conclude with a quote from Seth Godin - "How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? "

“The Science of the Olympic Winter Games” NBC Learning Style

by Ken Royal

NBC, NSF, and NBC Learn 16-Part Science of the Olympic Winter Games Video Series

As an old chalk-pushing science teacher I created sports in science units, and enjoyed following the Olympics for lessons in everything from math to Newton’s laws. My teaching could have used this 16-part video series launched by a collaboration of NBC Learn, NBC Olympics, and The National Science Foundation (NSF)—the Science Behind Winter Olympic Sports. The videos are narrated by NBC News’ Lester Holt (what’s not to like there), and will be shared at NBC, as well as digital portals, including www.nbclearn.com. So, take your classroom beyond discussions of the Vancouver Olympics to the science of it with explanations by an NSF-supported scientist.

There's nothing better than having students meet outstanding young people doing incredible things, like Rachael Flatt, a 17-year-old high school senior at Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, one of the favorites to qualify for the Vancouver Games in figure skating.

In addition to Flatt, “The Science of the Olympic Winter Games” features two-time Olympic medalist and Harvard graduate Julie Chu (Hockey) from Fairfield, Connecticut; 2006 Olympic bronze medalist John Shuster (Curling), from Chisholm, Minnesota; 2006 Olympian Emily Cook (Freestyle Skiing), from Belmont, Massachusetts; and 2010 Olympic hopefuls J.R. Celski (Short Track Speed Skating) from Federal Way, Washington and Liz Stephens (Cross-Country Skiing) from East Montpelier, Vermont.

Note: NBC Learn (www.nbclearn.com) is the educational arm of NBC News dedicated to providing engaging and innovative resources for students, teachers, and lifelong learners.

30 Students Win Students Speak! Countdown to Copenhagen Contest

by Sandy Fash
Countdown to Copenhagen Winners!

Illustrating their passion for addressing climate change issues, 30 elementary, middle and high school students from around the world have been named winners of the Students Speak! Countdown to Copenhagen Contest, hosted by ePals and Conservation International’s "Team Earth" campaign. The winning submissions will be hand-delivered to world leaders attending the Copenhagen Climate Conference this month.

The Students Speak! Contest was designed to provide world leaders, scientists and other influential dignitaries a representation of what students think about climate change. The contest asked students to address these leaders in the form of a song, poem, speech, presentation, or video, and encouraged students to answer questions such as: What would you say to world leaders about climate change? And what actions would you ask them to take?

Ten winning entries were chosen in each age group category (ages 5-10, 11-13 and 14-18).  Of these 30 winning entries, 15 were chosen as overall winning submissions. To view a list of the top 30 winners, including the top 15 winners overall, and their submissions, visit www.epals.com/teamearth/climatechangecontest.

Earlier this fall, ePals joined national consumer brands Dell, SC Johnson, Starbucks, and Wrigley, and three non-profit organizations, Conservation International, Rocky Mountain Institute and Prince’s Rainforest Project, to announce the formation of "Team Earth," a global sustainability movement.

The Team Earth Focus Area on the ePals Web site (www.epals.com/teamearth) offers an interactive, safe focus area for students worldwide to engage in competitions, voice their opinions and get involved. The Students Speak! Contest encouraged students, parents and educators to countdown to Copenhagen with the help of free resources on sustainability efforts available on the ePals Team Earth Focus Area.

Outside of the contest, students can get involved by joining "Team Earth," getting their classrooms on the map, reviewing resources about important environmental issues, and uploading user-generated content to highlight ideas about how they will help save our planet. To date, students from more than 115 countries have signed on to be a member of "Team Earth."  Have your students?

Michigan Schools Reach Educational Technology Goals

By Colin Hussey

The Clarkston Community Schools in Michigan for years have been facing the challenges, like many districts around the country, of making technology available to all students while dealing with increasingly rigorous state academic standards, tight finances and a team of staff members that often wear many hats between technology deployment and curriculum integration.
The district has some computer teachers and media specialists, but for the most part, it relies on classroom teachers to integrate technology into lessons, said Matt D. McCarty, executive director of Technology Services for Clarkston Community Schools. “It’s very much a team effort,” he explained.

However, since 2007, with the use of PagePlus and PhotoPlus software programs by Serif, McCarty and his team have been able to more actively engage students in lessons and to better prepare them for future studies, all within their budget and current staffing levels. PagePlus enables students to create unique documents and learn desktop publishing skills, while PhotoPlus offers digital image editing to bring pictures to life in a remarkable variety of ways.

“It’s a challenge with any district to make sure the kids have enough time using all technologies.
Serif programs enable our students to become familiar with and master technology while they study core course subjects at the same time. Based on the software’s extensive creative features, ease-of-use and relatively low cost, purchasing Serif products was an easy decision to make,” said McCarty.

One of the first projects to use Serif software involved a sixth-grade class creating a brochure and a mini-passport as part of a social studies lesson. Students were invited to pick one or more countries they wanted to visit as the subject of their projects, and they then created their “travel documents” using PagePlus. Students benefitted from learning multiple lessons including civics (why you need a passport), geography (about the country) and technology (the software), McCarty said.

“We use Serif software to support projects. The programs help the kids learn about technology at the same time they are studying core course subjects,” said McCarty. “The idea behind many projects is that the programs help the students delve a little deeper into the subject of their lessons.”

Other projects have included:

• Elementary students, in third and fourth grades, creating brochures in PagePlus to sell their “pet” dinosaurs
• Junior high students, in eighth and ninth grades, designing tri-fold newsletters, including a main story, a feature and a sidebar story, with PagePlus and PhotoPlus about turn-of-the-century historical events and issues
• High school students, in grades nine through 12, using PagePlus and PhotoPlus as integral tools in their graphic arts courses

Serif programs support the Clarkston Community Schools as it strives to meet the mandates of the Michigan Educational Technology Standards for Students. The standards provide educators with a specific set of learning expectations that can be used to drive educational technology literacy assessments. For example, by eighth grade students are expected to be able to apply certain technology skills in projects that require creative thinking, communications and collaboration, research and critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. They must also demonstrate good digital citizenship in knowing the positive and negative ramifications of their technology use and show an understanding of technology operations and concepts and how such technology can benefit their future professional and personal pursuits.

Administrators have also been using PagePlus to create newsletters with building or classroom news, announcement flyers, and room signs to highlight teacher shifts in the high school. Also, PagePlus enables staff to create PDF documents, perfect for posting online, McCarty said.

Previously the district used other, much more expensive software programs for design projects in some courses, but they often crashed, causing students to lose data. A simple Web search led McCarty to Serif, he said.

“In years past, we had not been using well behaved, stable programs, like Serif. We used to have all kinds of problems. Based on the solid features and it affordable price, it was an easy decision to go with Serif,” said McCarty.

The 15th Annual FileMaker Developer Conference

Note: FileMaker is an in easy-to-use database software.

The 15th annual FileMaker Developer Conference will be Aug. 15-18, 2010, at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, San Diego. Register for DevCon at www.filemaker.com/devcon before May 21, 2010 to take advantage registration and hotel savings.

The FileMaker Developer Conference is the world’s largest gathering of corporate and independent FileMaker developers, consultants and trainers. It provides developers with creative solutions, technical ideas, a wide array of fun events and lots of inspiration to tackle new database challenges and opportunities. Fine-tune current skills, and developing new ones.

The conference offers in-depth workshops and seminars led by FileMaker experts, networking with other developers and the opportunity to meet with exhibitors. The conference will also feature under-the-hood sessions, as well as the chance to sync up with FileMaker engineers, product managers and technical support team members.

More Classroom Polling Possibilities

I’ve followed a company called TurningPoint Technologies for some time. Their software solutions have extended and expanded classroom polling beyond a clicker device and a PowerPoint slide. TurningPoint AnyWhere can be use with existing applications, on computers, white boards, with Web browsers, PDFs and Word documents. And finally, a Mac version is available, along with the original PC version. The cool thing about this polling solution is the way the TurningPoint toolbar floats within any of the application you’re using. That’s teaching-convenient—no switching between tools and application during a lesson.

Find out more at Turning Technologies.

Assess and Adjust K-8 Instruction

by Jennifer Harrison

Science Materials:
Science materials are notoriously difficult to find and this winter would be a good time to check out Achiever from Brainchild. Achiever is a web-based assessment and instruction program that is customized to specific state standards in math, language arts and science. Educators can register for a FREE two-week trial to see how the system works and determine how it might fit into your classroom or school.

Spanish Materials:
In January, Brainchild will officially launch Spanish support for Achiever. Any trial you sign up for now will include FREE access to the Spanish materials, which are so easy for the students to access. As they work in Achiever, students can decide if they want to listen and read along to each lesson in Spanish or English or they can toggle back and forth between the two. Study Mode and tests are also available in either Spanish or English!

More Information:
If your school already has an annual subscription to Achiever, the first 1,000 schools to buy or request the Spanish support will receive it for no additional fee. If you don’t already have access, register for your free two-week trial at www.brainchild.com. Pick your state and you’ll have the version customized to your state’s exam.

NOTE: You may know of Achiever by its state assessment name, for example: LEAP Achiever for Louisiana, FCAT Achiever for Florida, TAKS Achiever for Texas, and so on.

Technology Fosters Communications and Parental Engagement

by John Bower, CEO of uBoost

Technology Fosters Day-to-Day Communications and Parental Engagement

Communication, recognition, and motivation have long been challenges for educators. Parents often struggle to obtain day-to-day information to support their child’s progress while teachers strive to foster greater parental engagement. Although report cards offer specific performance information several times per year, most schools rely on students to be the main conduit of information regarding their daily performance, supplemented by periodic and often broad-based communications from the teacher or school. However, if we look at fundamental recognition programs in the business world, we see an approach that embodies a complete role reversal.

In professional business settings, most recognition programs are built on the premise that supervisors monitor employee work and recognize accomplishments in “real time” with praise for a job well done, and perhaps even provide rewards on a frequent, ongoing basis as an incentive for extraordinary effort. Imagine if, as an employee, you were required to communicate your progress and accomplishments to your supervisor on a daily basis. Not only would this process be tedious, but this kind of reactionary praise would have much less impact on employee attitudes and performance.

Consider what we ask students to do each day: in the absence of individualized, daily communications from teachers to parents, which are generally regarded as too time-consuming and not feasible, we’re essentially asking students to communicate their progress and accomplishments to their parents on a daily basis. Every parent knows how difficult it is to coax information out of his or her children with the question, “How was school today?” However, this has typically been, until now, our best source of information, thus limiting our ability to foster parental engagement.

Educational research has proven that parental involvement is one of the key elements in the achievement of academic success, with recent studies finding that family participation in education was twice as predictive of students’ academic success as family socioeconomic status. In fact, some of the intensive parental engagement programs studied had effects on students’ academic success that were 10 times greater than other factors.

According to the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS), in order for parent involvement to flourish, it must be meaningfully integrated into a school’s programs and community. Within its list of priorities for schools, the NNPS recommends that schools communicate with families about student progress through effective school-to-home and home-to-school communications.

Consistent with the research on this topic, the federal government has made parental engagement and effective home-to-school communications a priority as well. Several sections of the No Child Left Behind Act speak directly to the challenge of parental involvement as an area of focus, providing federal dollars under NCLB and Title I for programs that enhance the role parents play in their children’s education. Many schools are still unaware of the funding streams available for improving these crucial communications programs.

To address this challenge, a growing number of schools are using technology-based reward and recognition programs to improve student and parental engagement. Not only do these programs establish core programs for motivating students; they also close the loop in terms of involving parents in their children’s day-to-day progress.

uBoost is a program that can be used in tandem with a school district’s learning management system to help recognize individual students’ positive behavior and incremental improvement. Students receive recognition in the form of award points and performance-based honor badges, encouraging them to put forth their best effort. Points can be used to help feed a hungry child, plant a tree, adopt a whale, or support other charitable causes. Points can also be redeemed for merchandise, gift cards, and other premium rewards that are shipped directly to the student’s home.

While the students receive recognition and rewards—often on a daily basis—parents are also included in this process. The uBoost system sends daily e-mail notifications to parents regarding the points their child receives, as well as the accomplishments and behaviors for which they have been rewarded. The system is customizable to the needs of each school, and can be used to recognize behaviors such as class participation, homework completion, and attendance.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has set a tone for educators to approach educational challenges with innovative solutions. Seeking new solutions to old challenges often requires one to look outside one’s own industry for best practices and to integrate technology when appropriate. The use of technology-based rewards and recognition programs is one of the ways that the education industry can bring an innovative solution to an age-old problem and foster strong school communities and greater parental involvement.

Embed YouTube Videos on Classroom Sites Using CMS

By Katie Brosious

How to Embed YouTube Videos on Classroom sites using CMS

We all know that Web 2.0 in the classroom is more and more becoming a necessity. Content management systems are a way to increase communication with your students outside the classroom. Previously, I stressed the importance and the benefits of using a CMS in the classroom. This post contains quick tutorial about one aspect of a CMS geared toward K-12 classrooms--SchoolEffects--works. SchoolEffects classroom sites are organized into simple, easy-to-use panels that you can move around simply by clicking and dragging. Creating a content- and Web 2.0-rich site is quick and easy. We’ve created some short tutorial videos to show you how easy SchoolEffects is to use. This episode explains how to embed a video into your classroom site.

Teacher Page Tips – Episode 2

Please feel free to leave us some feedback or ask questions on our blog at http://allofesolutions.blogspot.com, follow us on Twitter @allofe, or subscribe to our AllofESolutions YouTube Channel to check out more of our videos.

You can also check out our SchoolEffects Web site at www.schooleffects.com.

Student Research Used to Influence School Decisions

by Eric Sheninger, Principal at New Milford High School located in Bergen County, NJ.

As educators, it is imperative that we provide learning experiences that are meaningful and relevant to our students. The words, “Authentic learning,” have now become synonymous when developing activities that accomplish this goal. I have been fortunate to observe many lessons over the course of this year that truly exemplify the concept of authentic learning. A few weeks back my vice principal and I were discussing a change in the enforcement of the district’s smoking policy with John Coviello, our administrative intern and a History Teacher at New Milford High School. John thought is would be a great idea for the students in his Sociology class to develop and conduct a research project to assist the Administration in making a decision. 

Below is the unit plan referred to as, “Smokiology,” developed by John Coviello:

This unit should be utilized in order to properly instruct students on how to carry out proper quantitative research.  Students will have no prior knowledge or experience with research methodologies. This is an introductory sociology course and therefore students will have very little terminological background as well. This unit should take approximately two weeks with flex time to account for unforeseen variables. This is an authentic unit in which students are, “Hired,” by the school administration to research a social issue for the purposes of making a policy decision.  In this case the school administration has to make a decision as to whether they should implement a new smoking policy that would not allow anyone to smoke tobacco products within one thousand feet of the school building.  The research team, (sociology class) will function just as an actual research team would be utilized in the field. They will also operate just as a real research team operates as closely as possible,  given certain situational constraints (they are not really getting paid and they only meet for forty-eight minutes per day).

The students will utilize a quantitative, or multiple quantitative research tools of their choosing based upon choices they are taught by the instructor to collect data concerning a social issue.  It will be their task to distribute the quantitative research tool, collect and collate all of the data, make a critical analysis of the data as a team, collaborate upon and debate what the appropriate recommendation should be to the school administration, create a formal research report, and present and defend their findings to the school administration in person. Students will be assessed using a holistic scoring rubric.  

 

This unit is interdisciplinary (math and social studies) being that students must also utilize statistical analysis to some degree.

Authentic Learning Success:

Successful authentic learning activities should be relevant to the learner, contain a real-world context, result in the production of a product, and have an audience. In my opinion, this project had all of the necessary criteria.  The students presented the findings of their research this past Friday (12/4/09) to the Administration. The students were professionally dressed and presented the research that they had conducted on student smoking and enforcement using a PowerPoint presentation. During their presentation they reviewed the purpose of the study, data collected, analysis of the results, conclusion, and suggested alternatives to the proposed enforcement by the administration. The students opened our eyes to other means of deterring smoking that we had never even thought of.  As an Administration we fully plan to take the suggestions and feedback from the students as we make our decision. 

Administrator's View:

As Principal, I could not have been more proud of my students or the amount of work put forth by John.  There are so many effective instructional components contained in this project, which include self-directed learning, critical thinking, public speaking, cooperative learning, quantitative research, interdisciplinary connections, authentic assessment, etc. Obviously I am just providing a quick snapshot of the project that John developed, but I think that I have been able to convey the magnitude of this learning experience.  Schools should promote this type of environment where students and teachers feel that their efforts are making a difference and that their voices are being heard. Throw learning into the process and you have a recipe for success!

“The Big Three in a K-12 Network Revamp”

By Dan Johnson, Network Administrator, Rochester Public Schools

Are you considering a rework to your district network?

Rochester Public Schools has just installed a new network and backup system for our K-12 school district. Let me share three big steps that were essential to our success.

1. Satisfactory network power / performance 
2. High levels of reliability and redundancy—we needed to keep our network up so we could always get to our data
3. The right equipment—we identified when to spend more instead of going for a band-aid fix or the least expensive option

The last was the hardest for us. After all, network administrators are always tempted to find equipment that meets minimum criteria and is inexpensive. But we’ve learned that you get what you pay for. “Value” and “good buys” may not translate into workable long-term solutions and often result in poor decisions that can ultimately backfire.

These are the lessons we’ve learned from revamping the IT infrastructure of the Independent School District 535, Rochester Minnesota Public Schools. To start off we reviewed our requirements and priorities. We are responsible for all of the district’s data—six terabytes total. This includes accounting and insurance data, office documents, e-mail files, and file sharing. We need to protect the data over the long-term, with weekly full backups and daily incrementals. We also need to be able to get at stored data. I receive several calls daily asking me to retrieve files that have been overwritten by high school students and staff e-mail messages that have been “lost”. This takes about 20 percent of my day.

After considering our workload and the big three, above, the Rochester network has upgraded and updated so that it now includes Linux and Microsoft Windows 2003/2008 servers, Cisco and HP switches, Lefthand/HP SASA and SATA disk arrays for primary storage, Legato Networker backup software and a new Spectra Logic T50e tape library with LTO-4 drives and tapes.

One reason we chose Spectra Logic is that a large hospital in our region runs the identical network configuration as we do at Rochester Public Schools— and they had a glowing recommendation for Spectra tape automation. The Spectra T50e library protects all of our data in a reasonable timeframe, and has the capacity to grow with our data over time. Its encryption feature is one our data absolutely requires. We are a self-insured school district, so we need to encrypt our insurance-related data to adhere to HIPPA regulations. T50e is encryption-ready through its LTO-4 drives and the library’s integrated encryption software.

We are preparing to open a disaster recovery (DR) site. At that point, we’ll replicate with our SAN at the primary site and set up VM clusters and cloning to bring snapshots from the primary SAN storage and backup data to tape. We’ll then rotate encrypted tapes from the T50e offsite.

We’ve been very pleased with our library and our entire upgrade. The lessons we learned? Strategic project planning and selecting the right products with the right features and performance provide rewards over time.

My final suggestion to K-12 network administrators is to track virtualization to stay ahead of the technology curve. Rochester has seen consolidation, centralized management, added redundancy and energy savings thanks to virtualization. We are currently migrating utility and e-mail servers into the virtual world to take full advantage of its benefits.

I hope this helps with your next network rework.

Independent School District 535 is located in Rochester, Minnesota, a growing city of 93,000 residents in the southeastern portion of the state. Rochester Public Schools has the seventh largest enrollment in the state. The District covers a large part of Olmsted County and extends into Wabasha County, drawing from a population of more than 100,000 people. The District’s pre-kindergarten through grade 12 program serves approximately 16,300 students in 16 elementary schools, four middle schools, and three comprehensive high schools. Dan Johnson is a network administrator at Rochester Public Schools and can be contacted at dajohnson2@rochester.k12.mn.us.

SIIA Education Division Innovation Incubator Awards 2009

SIIA (The Software & Information Industry Association) Announced the 2009 Innovation Incubator Awards for its Education Division.

(Participants represent pre-revenue companies, non-profit groups, R&D agencies, and academic institutions, and were introduced during the recent SIIA 2009 conference.)

Here is the Award's short list, led by the two finalists:

• KnowledgeBears.com, Inc., for KBTeachers.com (Finalist)

• Inigral for Schools on Facebook (Finalist)

• Engaged Minds, Inc., for Engaged Minds

• Flat World Knowledge for Flat World Knowledge

• National Geographic Society for The JASON Project

• KidsWrite for KidsWrite

• Livescribe, Inc., for Livescribe Pulse Smartpen

• Coaxis Services, Inc., for PrazAs Live

• Arizona State University for SMALLLAB (Situated Multimedia Arts Learning Lab)

• Waterford Institute for Waterford Assessment of Core Skills™ (WACS)

• Skill-Life, Inc., for Cents City

• Big Universe, Inc., for BigUniverse.com

Additional Recognition:

• The "Most Innovative Education Product or Service" award was given to Livescribe, Inc., for Livescribe Pulse Smartpen.

• The Runner-up award was given to Arizona State University for SMALLLAB (Situated Multimedia Arts Learning Lab).

• The "Most Likely to Succeed in the Education Market" award was given to Waterford Institute for Waterford Assessment of Core Skills™ (WACS).

• The Runner-up award was given to Flat World Knowledge for Flat World Knowledge.

Why Doesn't the System Adapt to the Student?

by Deron Durflinger, Principal, Van Meter Schools, Iowa

Why Doesn't the System Adapt to the Student, Instead of the Student Adapting to the System?

Recently I read a great blog post from Doug Johnson,who wrote in response to a post from Scott McLeod on his Dangerously Irrelevant Blog. As much fun as speculating what education might or ought to look like in 2050 (I'll only be 98 years old, after all), I'd suggest energies are better spent in realizing the potential of the technologies and opportunities we have available to us - TODAY.

These would be my questions for Will ...

• Why don't we now have an IEP for every child (and every teacher), with tech facilitating this today?
• Why doesn't every child have a laptop or netbook with 24/7 access to tutorials, information, and productivity tools for all learners with genuinely differentiated approaches and resource for each student TODAY?
• Why is not every teacher taking advantage of challenging/engaging game environments and MUVEs TODAY?
• Why is every teacher not taking advantage of a nearly unlimited number of resources to allow the creation of relevant assignments based on personal interests for every child TODAY?
• Why do teachers and students not have 24/7 access to information professionals (librarians) TODAY?
• Why do there only seem to be a few teachers in every school that make creativity, problem-solving and global interactions a priority TODAY?

Why are these things not the norm, but the exception TODAY? It would take no extra funds, no revolution, no scientific breakthroughs, no visioning. Just work.(And I'll bet these things are not universal even in the districts of the administrative geniuses Scott describes.)

Doug talks about changes that need to happen in education TODAY. I couldn't agree more with the questions Doug is asking.

• With the resources that we have available today through technology, all students and teachers could and should have a plan based on their needs that will help them improve and learn at the highest level.
• Laptops for every student, in every school would truly empower students to learn 24/7 about their PASSIONS in a way that will allow them to THINK, LEAD & SERVE in this global, digital community we all live in.
• Kids have grown up on video games and love to dream and live in this virtual world, and yet most teachers have no idea the amount of learning that could take place in their classes if they harnessed the power of gaming in their classrooms.
• Kids have access to so many tools that would allow them to create and develop products to demonstrate their learning on a level, no textbook, notepad and pencil could ever do.
• Students should not only have access to their school librarians, but to all of their teachers 24/7 so they can learn when and how they learn.

We need students that can create, students that are globally connected, and students that are problem-solvers because they will be the leaders of our world in the not to distant future. All students should have opportunities to develop these skills on a daily basis.

As Doug described in his post. All of the questions he asked about schools today could happen easily for free, but he forgot one important question. Why do we expect every kid to adjust to the system instead of the system adjusting to the kid?

We live in such a diverse, connected world, begging for people that are:

• Adaptable
• Creative
• Innovative
• Risk Takers
• Collaborative
• Problem-Solvers

But our current educational system wants all students to develop the same skills, at the same rate, taught in the same manner, to each individual. ALL educators know that this system is not conducive to true learning. We know all people are different. We know all kids develop differently. We know every student has different strengths & different weaknesses and different likes & different dislikes. We know that all students learn differently. We know that for a student to be passionate about learning and to become a life-long learner, we have to help students find what works best for them, which may or may not be what works best for everyone else, especially the adults.

The current educational system needs to change. We have known it for years because so many efforts to reform education have been attempted. The problem with reforming the model we currently have is it somehow morphs back into what it always was. The system will always become what it always was because the focus has always been on what is best for the adults, and not on what is best for the students.

For the system to change in a way in which meaningful learning is the norm instead of the exception, we will need an entirely NEW system. The factory model needs to be replaced with an educational system that is more similar to the world in which we live in. It needs to be:

• Adaptable
• Creative
• Innovative
• Willing to take Risks
• Collaborative
• Full of Problem-Solvers

The system needs to be what we expect from the kids. We are trying to create this type of system at Van Meter. We are excited about the direction we are going, but we are only one small school in Iowa. For these needed changes to take place throughout the U.S, we are going to need educational leaders who are willing to BE what they expect our students to become.