Counting the Clicks - Your Classroom Digital Ecosystem

I'm very impressed that my school district has a team evaluating and truly thinking about the digital ecosystem in which we all live, work and learn together. Marketers, huge companies like Apple and Google, all think about the digital ecosystem but school systems, not so much. This is something we didn't have to think about in the past with the Microsoft Office Suite. It used to be rather simple with one suite of tools, one operating system and one desktop computer. But now with web 2.0, apps, media, games, and multiple devices, teachers really need to design not just their physical classroom but the digital space as well so that students can get to the main objective of learning. And even though our 180,000 student size system is thinking about it, each teacher really should be ahead of the game and start design their classroom ecosystem. Just don't think you'll be done with it.

Divide and conquer is a great way to look at it. As with the chart below, the digital ecosystem really is 3 parts, content, creation tools and social communication. If you plan early, these three aspect can be easily linked to one another. Take some tips from the web designers about usability and test your ecosystem. How many usernames and passwords do students need to use? (that's always an issue.) How many clicks does it take to get to the warm-up? Does the content save in the preferred storage location? Can students figure out how to navigate or does it require teaching? If these aren't in place, you already have frustration.

Some teachers have an amazing system for handing out and turning back in papers. Students hand them up the rows, stack them alphabetically, place them in a specific box on the desk, all with great practice and precision. But how assignments are distributed and turned in electronically can be an afterthought. In the analogy of handing papers up the rows, there is thought about those rows, how tall the stack will be, how long it will take. If your school has a classroom management system such as Moodle, Edmodo, Schoology or Blackboard, every teacher should think about how the interface will best work with the content they want students to hand in. Google Classroom has designed a system that although limited, works well for the Google suite of apps and even a variety of other file types.

For our school system, Google Apps seems to take care nearly all three parts of the digital ecosystem but currently there are holes where content doesn't always connect in that environment. As an example, several teachers upload pdf documents only to find students can't really write on them. Our best tool for this is DocHub, a Google Drive connected website but separate company from Google, that allows students to edit pdf documents. However, after editing a document,  turn in is complicated because the edited document created is separate from the original. The better practice, and honestly, a much more pedagogically sound practice, is to redefine the assignment. Any practice where the teacher is asking for fill in the blank work from students may need reflection. Converting the pdf using the Google option to "open with Google Docs" provides teachers that opportunity to create more open ended questioning and leave more space for answers.

LMS's (Learning Management Systems like Blackboard) claim to be a one stop shop, but looking at the diagram, they really lack something in each of the 3 areas of content, creation and social. As an example, I don't know of any learning management system that has a video editor built in, yet student videos are quite common. You may hesitate to allow video production in class or delegate it to that "special" project because it's too cumbersome. Online editors like Wevideo, and the YouTube editor are fine but most students will want to use iPads, phones or a computer with editing software.  Determine early how video will be moved, stored and turned in. I suggest uploading to Google Drive for turn in since the playback tends to be simple. Once you have tested a workflow, establish it early in the year. This is true for turning in any assignments.

You really must have a social communication tool for your classroom (not just email) and many of the LMS platforms have one. But if it isn't as easy to use on a mobile device as a laptop, or it is clumsy, chances are students will resent that it isn't a "true" social platform. If you want blogging, try Weebly for ease of use. If you want a forum, see Google Classroom, if you need texting announcement go to Remind. How students access these communication tools needs to be mobile as well as on a computer, just as you access communication both places. And be sure the instructions how to access all aspects of your course are clear, easy to follow and help everyone stay on the same page. 

Finally, just because the district has a tool available or your friend down the hall is using the tool in class does not mean it is useful or appropriate for your ecosystem. I see a phenomenal overuse of quizing tools like Kahoot, Socrative and others as a time-fillers. If every teacher is quizing students in the same method, the differentiation for your subject area is gone. Find a review method that fits your style but also provides opportunity for growth for everyone in the class.  Quiziz has a nice self paced feature as does Quizlet. Perhaps designing your own with branching logic in Google Forms is really a better option and they can be entertaining as well with video clips included. Did you know that Khan Academy has more than just math? Yes, now you'll find courses in history, economics, music, science and grammar. All self paced with a gamified interface. 

Look how this teacher, Courtney Bennis, developed a Digital Ecosystem for her students over the course of the year. This Prezi was a way to communicate to parents the tools and developing skills of her classroom. You'll see that, not all Digital Ecosystems are created in one day. 

Getting On the Same Page

Educators are talking a lot, and I mean a lot, about both differentiation and individualized learning. Layer on top of that Project Based Learning in which every product or solution will be, yes here is that word, different. Finally Blended Learning or Flipped allows any student to learn at their own pace. But have we forgotten our history?

I would like to use this opportunity to rally for the team huddle. The times in class where everyone comes together to learn together. Let's reference a time in history to clarify why this is important. In the 1950s, during the golden age of television, Hollywood was panicked that the reduction in ticket sales would be the end of theaters around the world. Yet this was not to be, primarily because of what psychologists call the contagion factor. This is the phenomenon that group reaction is much more appealing to us as social beings than individual reactions. In other words, we like the fact that others around us are laughing, sighing, or startled. (I'm not sure of the term for that sound when a person is shocked and inhales quickly.)

Now transfer this to a classroom where every student is working independently or in small groups on a project. Perhaps we have a blended classroom where some of the instruction is digital, some is in small groups. In our high schools or colleges, there could be opportunity for large group lecture but in the lower grades, it doesn't actually exist on a regular basis. So it is up to the classroom teacher to pull together the group. As a learner, perhaps from the old traditional learning styles, I look forward to those moments when we are all on the same page, thinking in unison. I'm sure this is the contagion factor and I see it as part of the appeal of the classroom instruction. We are in the midst of a huge transformation in education that is necessary for our student's learning styles. However, I believe in learning from history. Just as TV did not wipe out movie theaters, neither should independent learning completely remove whole group instruction. I would like to advocate for the last 8 minutes of class, when the teacher becomes the focus, makes all the connections again and creates that class huddle.

There are plenty of studies showing the power of reflection at the end of class but I'm looking for a more meaningful connection from the teacher of what it all means. Something from the teacher, in this student centered world can be as awesome as the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. You might recall the scene when the box that housed the ark was wheeled into a huge warehouse with similar boxes. Suddenly we all exclaimed "oh no!" realizing the impact that everything Indiana Jones had worked for was now buried in government bureaucracy. Remember that feeling as you spoke with others walking out of the theater? Wouldn't it be great to see students with that experience walking out of class?

Wordsmithing Education

I am both and parent and educator which puts me in an interesting position. I attend parent conferences and see it from both perspectives. I read school publications and read between the lines. I hear about school board decisions and am both agitated and relieved at the same time. The divide many times comes about because of words. There is a lingo, a jargon, a language to education. And today I ran into it several times. I've determined it is a fascinating business.

While working with a colleague on writing a conference presentation description, we bounced the paragraph back and forth. Should we use "engage" or "interest"? "Transform" or "change"? I looked through my twitter feed for yet another adjective to help with a session description. We wanted to entice the conference to accept our session, so sounding new and innovative was paramount. But in the end, there are only so many ways to say that kids are learning and are happy doing so. Yet educators are experts and finding interesting ways to describe learning. I was particularly intrigued by the phrase "deep learning" he used. I pondered what that might mean. It certainly sounded good.

I ran into more terms as I tried to find specific reports to analyze a test. This is the world of data that educators are thrust into with very little knowledge of statistics. (that is another blog post). The myriad of reports to choose from was baffling and I was having difficulty knowing what I might find in each report. Discerning the "test synopsis" from the "test question performance" and the "benchmark report" from the "category results" was a puzzle in itself. Most parents think that educators are looking at a single score.

And finally, I stumbled onto more words in the syllabus another colleague sent me for an ultra modern college course on technology in education. Now here is where you'll find the true wordsmiths of education. The area of technology education is where you'll hear cutting-edge terminology that almost rivals Shakespeare. I stumbled across "connectivism" and "participatory learning."  Aren't those the same as being online and paying attention?  I can coin a new term any day and perhaps it will catch on. But the main goal here is a phrase that has been around for as long as I've been in education; love of learning. If we as educators can encourage every child to seek learning on their own, haven't we achieved the goal? I enjoy the new terms and actually perk up each time I read a new one. So yes, they have my attention and perhaps that is the purpose anyway.

Coding in English Class - Perfect Pair

I'm working with a English teacher on a very simple Scratch coding project. If you are not familiar with Scratch, this is a block based programming environment created by MIT years ago. I've loved it ever since it came out because kids of all ages can create amazing things in Scratch. It's funny, but we rarely think of coding and English going hand in hand, yet as I was instructing the students, I was amazed at the similarities I found.

I started by telling them we wouldn't really be "writing" code but that the sequence of the blocks was very important. The "setting" is vital. Every piece of code must be just right, getting the backdrop and characters (known as Sprites in Scratch) in the correct place, defining which direction they face, how fast they will move, etc...  So similar to writing in many ways. You can't start writing and have no direction.

As we began to create our own blocks, I spoke about computer programmers needing their own grammar rules called syntax. That syntax determines whether the next programmer will be able to read the code as well as whether the code will run correctly. Such a wonderful analogy to actual grammar.

Finally, teaching the logic behind conditional statements is the art of writing a great comparative essay or a great reinforcement to so many subjective decisions about literature. The If-Then-Else block requires students to weigh two possible scenarios and never leave anything out. There are so many applications to using that flow chart concept in English class. Here is an example of a Point of View flow chart that could be also coded using the If - Then - Else blocks.

So our project was a very simple overview of a non-fiction book. In the process of teaching them Scratch, I demonstrated the use of conditionals with the If-Then-Else block. The students are asked to create a very simple quiz game. This is a short video showing how easy it is for students to create this quiz game in Scratch. Imagine being the first English teacher in your school to teach coding!

Dear Google - The Next Thing

Dear Google,
I'm writing this letter to let you know what the next big innovation in education should be. Granted, I am just one person, in one school, with some fabulous teachers, but I'm sure what I'm about to say will make sense to some of you that work in the Google offices.

I believe my school is ready to move forward. GAFE has served us well for about 4 years but now my teachers are losing some of the creativity I saw a few years ago. They are weary of the same docs, sheets, slides, and draw. As the tech coach, I get questions in the hall asking what is Google going to give us next. Naturally there is always something, but they are small increments. 

As for the students, I have a true story that happened today: I walked into a classroom that had many groups of students talking amongst themselves and all on computers or chromebooks. I leaned down to ask a students what they were doing. He said they were filling in a chart. Each student had a Google Doc chart distributed to them through Google Classroom and they were filling in the missing pieces and discussing their answers. However one student said, "If this was shared with all of us we'd be done so much faster."  So in other words, our students already understand the power of collaboration and they are adept with it. That is what Google has taught our 7th and 8th grade.

What we need next from Google is something more. That something more is not just the ability to access the world of information and collaborate with it. We need a way to have a conversation with real experts, beyond the walls of the school, yet within a safe environment. I watched the rollout and fizzle of Google Help Outs. It seemed like such a brilliant plan but it was not integrated where it can make the most difference, in schools.  Imagine if Google were to rebrand it as "Help Out Your School." Experts willing to converse with students, stretch their thinking, collaborate on projects and in general give help to those that need it, when they need it. Students trying to code, trying to engineer something, trying to finish a science experiment and so on, all able to post their need and connect with a person who has that expertise and wants to help students. 

This would take the laborious task off the teacher to try to find an expert to schedule a Google Hangout with. It would take the burden off of parents who don't know all the answers and can't find a friend to help. There is no need for it to be commercialized because many careers encourage helping our youth or doing some type of community outreach. 

I'm sure that Google could find a way to make this work, still be safe, and create a learning community unsurpassed. I certainly would be thrilled to see students not just collaborating with each other, but with someone else beyond the four walls. Think about it, Google.

Explaining Creative Commons to Anyone

It's been 14 years since the start of the alternate Creative Commons license and there are still so many teachers that are unaware of these licenses. Well, now that we are working in the cloud, there is a more urgent need for a clear promotion of Creative Commons. Sure, I was always the teacher saying I wasn't scared of the copyright police and I'm still not. But I am getting a bit concerned at digital rights management and the ease in which they track down copyright infringement. Lawyers love this automated system.   Articles like this one, showing that image marketers are pursuing the money relentlessly makes me much more hesitant to flagrantly post images, but I'm not perfect either.

So I decided to create this video to try and make a case for the use of Creative Commons by students and attempt to show that it isn't that difficult. I hope you can find a particular time to promote Creative Commons and ask that more and more people post their images for us to share. The more artists that learn about it, the more great art, photography, drawings and graphics will be available for all of us to borrow.

Google Classroom Got a Calendar

This may be my most awaited feature for Google Classroom. The main reason has to do with parent access. Parents don't have a Classroom account and therefore have no way to be notified of upcoming due dates except by hoping their child tells them. That isn't enough for some families. Now that there is a Google Calendar involved, the calendar can be set to "public" so anyone can view what is being assigned. So much easier for busy families to check their Calendar and see the baseball game along side the social studies map test.

The video below is me doing a trial run through the features. I did find one problem when attempting to add an event directly on the calendar. It does not show within Classroom at all. As an example, if the school is going on a field trip on Wednesday and you as the teacher place it on the calendar rather than make it an assignment in Classroom, students will only see it on their Google Calendars and not within Classroom. This isn't going to break the deal, just needs to be watched by teachers.