Tweet to Engage

Today we had our first Twitter chat as a county. We, as an instructional technology team, have been trying to find ways to engage teachers in conversations without having to require face-to-face training etc. It didn't take a lot of brainstorming to realize that Twitter is a natural medium to do this. We often get caught up in training on new tools, devices and gadgets that we leave ourselves little time to have meaningful conversations. What I have learned about those conversations is that they can be game-changing. You can plant seeds and change perspectives with conversation!

Consider using Twitter with students (of the right age ; ) and teachers. The chats are fun and so very engaging. You'll have to set your multi-task processor to high speed, but you walk away having gained so much.

Today's tweets from our #morgantechchat on "Keeping Technology in it Place":

If you focus on tools you are overwhelmed by what is available. If you focus on goal, just choose tools you need. #morgantechchat
— MorganiTech (@MorganiTech) January 29, 2015

Q3: If we keep tech in background to DRIVE instruction, would it feel so overwhelming to teachers? Why, why not? #morgantechchat
— MorganiTech (@MorganiTech) January 29, 2015

Foreground or background? Either way it should not be the focus. #morgantechchat
— Jay Cawley (@jcawley1) January 29, 2015

We are trying to organize or develop a focus for technology. We feel like if teachers focus on technology and use it for the sake of the technology itself,  they tend to get overwhelmed. Instead, if they focus on their instructional goals and only use the technology tools they need to accomplish those goals, then they are focused and the technology doesn't overwhelm them. Twitter helped us have this conversation we wouldn't have normally had.

So what are your thoughts? How are you helping with and/or doing tech integration? Through conversations? Would love to hear from you!

Why My Projects Were Not PBL: projects vs. project-based learning

When I find myself starting or participating in conversations about Project-based Learning I realize quickly how easy it is to become confused. Many people, including myself at one time, operate under the assumption that many or most projects can be considered project-based. You can even Google project-based learning topics and will OFTEN find PROJECTS that are being passed off as project-based. So, of course, the conversation about the topic is also confusing and sometimes heated. Telling someone that their project is NOT project-based is like telling them their projects are  not creative enough. This isn't the case in my opinion. They are just two things that serve two very different purposes. Let's hash this out.

Projects, the usual diorama, mobile, play-dough model, or poster (digital or physical), are intended to be a recall of knowledge after the teaching and learning have concluded. The PBL experts at Edutopia and Buck Institute of Education metaphorically refer to them as the dessert not the meal. Projects have a place within a certain type of instruction, but are not project-based learning. 

Project-Based learning is an instructional method in which students learn the content WHILE doing a project, in which they have made most decisions. It's the meal that involves the learning of the content and standards. It is NOT something done at the end or on the side, like a dessert. It IS the learning. 

Something I have done and loved in the past was what I lovingly termed my "Mesoamerican Indian Fair." My students (in a nutshell) had to research a specific topic related to the group of Indians we were studying, and then create a handmade product (not digital) that they would ultimately present on the day of the fair. (this involved a research journal, trips to a university library, calendars, and signed project terms etc.) On the day of the fair their project had to be set up like a museum exhibit for classes around the school to visit and learn about something they probably didn't already know. Sounds like a decent project, right? Well it was and it served it's purpose well! But it wasn't a TRUE project-based learning project. We were all taking the SAME path. I made MOST of the choices. Students had choices but their boundaries of freedom were much smaller. They weren't all being guided by a real-world problem, and THAT is the crux of it for me. The real-world problem was never posed. If I would've had a problem that was posed so that they could learn the standards THROUGH the project then it would've been project-based.  But that is OK! Projects are not frowned upon, they are just DIFFERENT from project-based learning! (deep breath)

Now let's take the project above and make it into a project-based assignment. Here is an example of a "problem" that could be posed for each of them to show mastery of in different ways:  

You are an Aztec teenager and have started working with a team of workers to move heavy stones from the mountains down into the center of Tenochtitlan to help build a great pyramid . How were the stones moved over such a long distance being so large? Describe and present that process in detail.

Throughout the project kids will naturally discover multiple things. What was the geography of Tenochtitlan like? What was the climate like? What was everyday life like? What was the culture like? They will have to present their thoughts in several different forms. So instead of focusing on a product, like in my above project, they are focusing on multiple products to solve a problem, and will learn so much more along the way. Why? Because that is how life works. Poject-based learning looks like life.

Before you reject it just know that if we don't start making school look like life, we are failing our kids. We can throw out a long list of "should" statements but at the end of the day, education should be done like life. How do you learn today as an adult? Would you enjoy PBL as opposed to listening to an instructor lecture? What about lower order activities like worksheets that foster recall? Would you prefer that to solving problems in a simulated real-world setting? I'd love to hear your feedback!

Visit Edutopia to learn more! - http://www.edutopia.org/blog/time-debunk-those-pbl-myths-suzie-boss

When Are We Going to Use This in Real Life?: Reinventing the box

You have either asked or fielded this question (or both) many times throughout the course of your life, ESPECIALLY if you are a teacher. I was always given the "it prepares your brain for a type of thinking" answer. That worked for a little while. But now that I see so much frustration, behavior issues, lack of comprehension, and LITTLE retention of knowledge, I feel like this question should be revisited and taken seriously. I'd also like to propose that we take this a little further....when will education LOOK like real life?

Right now we have so many measures, fine print, red tape, professional accountability "rubrics", acronyms, pyramids, maps charts...I really could go on and on here...that tell us how we should be teaching, reaching and learning. We herd kids from room to room while we force subjects on them deemed necessary by someone at some point. We segregate content from life and expect kids to connect the dots. Essentially, these are all attempts at rearranging  objects in a box so that we will hopefully and miraculously see big changes....NOT GONNA HAPPEN! We have tried to rearrange objects in a box instead of reinventing the box! So I say, let's reinvent the box.

I hear people say, a lot, that they would love to see more positive things happen in classrooms. They would like for there to be more positive affirmation from teachers, more hands-on and engaging activities, happier teachers, happier students for that matter, more interaction, more technology....but all of those things are just objects in the same big box we started with a few centuries ago.....yes I said centuries!(and we are essentially still doing it the same way??!!) Without a BIG shift in our thinking we will never get there. Education MUST be done differently. And I think now, more than ever, people are listening. We are seeing things like hybrid learning and virtual learning that is happening more and more. In brick and mortar settings we see blended learning, flipped instruction and PBL. These are POSITIVES!!! These are scenarios where there IS NO BOX! (or if there is, the walls of it are flexible!)

The future is bleak for those unwilling to modify what has always been done. (remember, agreeing or disagreeing is no longer a relevant point...the shift has already begun without us!) Researchers and experts say that we will see holography, sixth sense technology, biometrics, attention tracking, virtual platforms, peer-to-peer instruction, the decline of the public school system as we know it, and the undoing of all traditional models within 10-15 years. Some of this scares me (and I'm sure you too), HOWEVER, if we don't rethink, redesign and approach education differently we will continue to pump kids from high schools to prisons, and send our future decision makers ill-equipped into the job market. Yes, there are students that do well with how we do school now...think about how much better said students COULD do? How far could students go that don't go that far now under our current system?

Bottom line: have faith that embracing something new may actually change YOUR life. KNOW that it will change your students' lives. Doing things a little differently may cause you to love your job unlike you ever have. Consider it, and together, we can make big changes!

PBL, Flipping, BYOT....Make Some Sense!

What is with all of the new acronyms and metaphors? Are these programs, instructional practices, technology initiatives? For those of you that aren't sure what I'm talking about, let me give you a conversational overview of the above. Before I do, however, let me preface.

I've spoken of this great paradigm shift that has begun. If not, read my post before last. Whether we agree, disagree, fight it or embrace it, it is happening. Because of this and the many changes we have seen with technology, teachers have been forced, and in many situations desperate, to find a way to keep kids engaged, as well as share the burden with their students instead of shouldering all of it for all of the learning of each student. We finally have enough people asking the "why" question: Why are we doing what we're doing? Why do we force-feed information to kids who aren't curious because they aren't given the chance to be. The answer has led us to realize that what we're doing is NOT relevant to true learning and achievement OR to the real world. So how does the above fit in to this? These instructional practices and models are ways many teachers are responding to the paradigm shift. Students aren't engaged by the way we do class anymore. The traditional activities that were once an attempt at creativity and engagement are now just ways to keep the kids busy while they spend time NOT learning. Let's shift the paper and pencil focus to a "do" focus. Kids need to do (design, build, create!), own, MAKE MISTAKES (oh how important this is!), re-think, lead, modify, engage, and take pride. How can they do that when WE are doing it all for them? So take a deep breath and take a step of faith in trying one of these new practices,  and just see what kids can do when they are in the lead!

Instructional Practice Smack-down Run-down (these are just a few):

PBL - Project-Based Learning is a practice that allows students to be the leaders of their learning. Real-world problems, products and processes are chosen as topics for the kids to explore. These are based on the standards you want them to master, and is generally assessed through something like a rubric (given at the beginning of the project period) as well as checkpoints along the way. PBL should not be confused with projects.

Flipped Learning - Flipped Learning or Flipped Instruction involves taking the lecture or basic concept of a lesson and putting it into video form (usually with you on the video showing, explaining or discussing) for kids to view outside of class. THIS IN NO WAY CAN OR WILL REPLACE YOU. Imagine you have an assistant. (I know...funny!) If you could ask this assistant to introduce or review with your students what they will be learning during class time that day or the next day, would you take advantage of that? This way, you could really get somewhere once you have the kids in class. Flipping allows for deeper understanding during class because you are able to go further and deeper with the content being covered another time. You flip it, in other words. This works well with students that need you to repeat yourself multiple times. This way they have a rewind and a play button AS WELL as a real version of you. It's a win-win.

BYOT - BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) is an instructional practice that involves students bringing their own devices from home to school. This allows students to use the device as a tool to deepen their learning experience and engagement in class.

Hopefully this isn't overwhelming for you. I have done all of these in some shape, form or fashion, and am here to tell you that you already have the intelligence and capability to do all of this. (Some of you have probably done a version of one of these at some point!) None of it is intimidating, rocket science, difficult to attain, etc...it is just a way of rearranging the way you think about class. Try one. Just start small and don't shoot for the moon on the first go-around!

As always, let me know how I can help ; )

Canterbury Tales and PBL

Teaching Canterbury Tales and interested in PBL? Then this post is for you! Below are some ideas that can easily be adapted for other literature as well!

Canterbury Tales PBL ideas---

1. Using Facebook templates play out the character interaction on Facebook. This can be funny or serious or both. This idea will target Digital Citizenship along with standards for CT. ie: Show posts from each person at different points in the story and include touchy scenarios like how the drunken Miller offends the Reeve with his story and the Reeve retaliates. This could be a cyber-bulling exchange (there could be some dark comedy here as well). The different posts and interchanges/interactions could be presented through a Digital Citizenship lens. This way the student/s are analyzing the story but are also being forced to analyze proper digital citizenship. I think this one would be my favorite!

2. Write daily journal entries as a character about the other characters; OR retell the story through the eyes of one of the characters

3. Psychoanalyze each personality as a group therapist and recommend treatment for the group and/or individuals. Use their stories as evidence and reason for said treatment. Research what a therapist has to do when working with groups or individuals and use these protocols and processes, methods, tactics, etc.... Must have that for each character and MUST reference details from the story to determine prescription.

4. If the Host was a business owner, how is he faring with his employees? Analyze this using evidence from the story. In modern-day business America would he be successful? Write a "business plan" in regards to managing employees that will ensure his success. Reference details from the story to determine your reasoning behind your people management and business plan. Use and reference any other books and articles on employee management (ie: How full is your bucket by tom rath and donald clifton) 

5. Write a tale to be part of the CT's. Use the story and reference other stories within the story to determine your own tale.

6. Compare CT characters to modern-day well-known celebrities or personalities. Do this through a medium of your choice ie: wix, weebly, wikispace with each comparison being on a page with potential to share on Facebook/Twitter in real life!

7. Create a thorough and comprehensive unit with activities, projects and assessments (and based on CC standards!) as a teacher FOR the CT's.

8. You are Chaucer and are trying to promote and market CT's in modern-day times. Create marketing materials such as a website, advertisements, Facebook fan pages, twitter profile etc...that MUST persuade and sell the book using riveting scenes from the book! You have to do a "book talk" and video it with real life Q & A. Post this to your website along with a chronicle of your tour. 

9. You are a photojournalist who is traveling with Chaucer and Co. on the pilgrimage. How will you present the story and experience? Must have photos and written documentation of experience.

10. The pilgrimage clan (Chaucer and co) is a micro-society. What kind of society is it? Democracy, socialist, communist? What role in the society do they each play? Politician, leader, criminal, etc...? Use their individual stories to map out the society and/or societies the characters represent (this may be a little obtuse??? not sure but I thought a connection to societies/government would be good)

I would make a rubric using the standards to be mastered and a final assessment that shows students have read the story, to be taken after all students have presented the projects.

Paradigm Shift

So, what is a paradigm shift exactly, and where is it happening? First, a paradigm is a norm, standard, a way of doing things...you see where I'm going. So a paradigm shift is a fundamental shift in the way we do what we do everyday. Where is this happening? Everywhere and in most everything! I see it happening in the way we do education, religion, daily processes...every fundamental thing. How does this affect us as educators? It means that we need to approach schools and classrooms differently. We need to change the way we think and DO. Every educator has the skill set they need to operate in a classroom under any circumstance. HOW we use those skill sets is what we need to consider revising. We don't know what will be on the other side of this great shift other than what researchers and experts tell us. But we do know that there are different ways of doing things now that respond to these great changes. Project-based learning, BYOT, Flipped Instruction, Blended Learning, Virtual Learning, Hybrid Learning models, and other "different" ways of approaching instruction. Kids are responding to these instructional strategies in amazing ways, so why are we not at least considering them? If we do education the way it has been done since the beginning of time, are we reaching the kids properly? Are your students acquiring learning the way you would want them to, so much so that they are truly retaining what they learn? If they are only receiving knowledge you give them the chances are that the answer is no. Regardless of what our opinions may be, this shift has already started. Will you be a victim and pray that it doesn't affect you, or will you get on the front end of it and respond by rethinking your norm?