I find myself riding the wiki wave lately. I've started using wikis a lot in my classes this semester. I teach french as a second language and have very small classes, so small in fact that I have to combine three classes into one. I have a grade 9 Extended French, grade 10 Extended French and grade 11 Core French combination. The Extended french program starts in grade 5 and has students speaking french for half days until grade 8. Once they get to high school they have to take 7 credits in French. As you can guess it's not the largest program. So I've been forced to combine classes in order to offer them.
That means that I am running two novel studies simultaneously. The wiki is great, because I've set one up for each novel. For each chapter the students have to read it and then write two comprehension questions. Once all of the questions have been posted to the wiki they choose three to answer in the comments section. This wiki is run through our board's server, which means the students have to logon to access it and this keeps track of who made what changes and comments. In terms of assessment and evaluation this is very handy. I can easily scan through, see who was contributed and assess their work accordingly.
In my grade 9 french geography class we are also using a wiki. Except in this case the wiki is our textbook, and it's the students who are creating the content. This is the project that is really exciting for me. This is a different model for teaching. Instead of the teacher being the sage on the stage, I am their guide. So far we've talked about higher order thinking and different types of questions. We've come up with different research strategies and way to get information for the textbook. Our next step will be to evaluate that info and talk about what should make it into the textbook and what should be left out. All of this would have been very difficult without the wiki and the iPads. For this class I have 12 iPads dedicated every day.
The only unfortunate things is that the wiki can't be edited with the iPad. You can submit comments, but not edit the page. Luckily I have two desktop computers in my class, so the kids can do their research and prepare their info on the iPads, email it to themselves and then go on the class desktops to edit the wiki. It's a pain in the butt, but it is what it is.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Mobile Technology: Altering Time and Space???
I know the title seems laden with metaphysical implications, but I think there might be some truth to it, in a manner of speaking. Let me explain:
We are now in exam week. Our first semester is coming to an end, students are panicking about exams, and finally handing in much needed assignments. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, my grade 11 Ancient Civilizations class has been using our school's new iPads to research and prepare a board game and write a research essay. The iPads are a class set, 24, that for the time being remains in my class. For almost three weeks my students have used them every day. It was a good exercise in classroom management for me and self-control for them. Facebook is such a tantalizing distraction for so many of my students.
To get back to my point about time and space. I've been thinking and reading a great deal about iPads or any mobile tablet computer and how to best use them. I've come to a simple conclusion: Every student should have one. Fraser Speirs make an excellent case for this in his latest blog post (http://speirs.org/blog/2011/1/21/how-the-ipad-wants-to-be-used.html). He is a teacher at a private school in Scotland, and has just instituted a 1:1 iPad to student program. Granted he works at a private school and I work at a public one, but the argument for them is no different. A mobile device, like the iPad allows students to complete their work on their own schedule.
An excellent example of this happened last weekend. My history class had been working on their research essays. They were due on Friday, but I extended the deadline to Monday. I received an essay from a student on Monday morning at 1:35 am. That's right I got it in the middle of the night. The student wasn't coming in to school on Monday but was still able to send in his work. This gets to the core of my post. He could do it because he had access to a computer and the internet. Many of us take this for granted, especially those of us who live in an urban area. My school provides for students who live in a rural area. High speed internet is not always an option, and some students can't even get dial-up! One potential solution to this is to get those students a Wi-Fi+3G iPad, and come to some agreement on the data plan. This would go a long way in eliminating the digital divide in our area.
We are now in exam week. Our first semester is coming to an end, students are panicking about exams, and finally handing in much needed assignments. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, my grade 11 Ancient Civilizations class has been using our school's new iPads to research and prepare a board game and write a research essay. The iPads are a class set, 24, that for the time being remains in my class. For almost three weeks my students have used them every day. It was a good exercise in classroom management for me and self-control for them. Facebook is such a tantalizing distraction for so many of my students.
To get back to my point about time and space. I've been thinking and reading a great deal about iPads or any mobile tablet computer and how to best use them. I've come to a simple conclusion: Every student should have one. Fraser Speirs make an excellent case for this in his latest blog post (http://speirs.org/blog/2011/1/21/how-the-ipad-wants-to-be-used.html). He is a teacher at a private school in Scotland, and has just instituted a 1:1 iPad to student program. Granted he works at a private school and I work at a public one, but the argument for them is no different. A mobile device, like the iPad allows students to complete their work on their own schedule.
An excellent example of this happened last weekend. My history class had been working on their research essays. They were due on Friday, but I extended the deadline to Monday. I received an essay from a student on Monday morning at 1:35 am. That's right I got it in the middle of the night. The student wasn't coming in to school on Monday but was still able to send in his work. This gets to the core of my post. He could do it because he had access to a computer and the internet. Many of us take this for granted, especially those of us who live in an urban area. My school provides for students who live in a rural area. High speed internet is not always an option, and some students can't even get dial-up! One potential solution to this is to get those students a Wi-Fi+3G iPad, and come to some agreement on the data plan. This would go a long way in eliminating the digital divide in our area.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Consumers vs. Producers
My wife and I have noticed a trend with our two youngs boys, ages 7 and 4, when compared to us growing up. On weekend mornings, especially saturday, my wife and I can remember rushing downstairs to watch the great lineup of saturday morning cartoons. My boys however, rush to the macbooks, iPods and iPad. They play games, make music (or at least try very hard), put on concerts with the iPod blaring Queen or AC/DC. All of this while we are trying to enjoy a quiet morning coffee. My wife just doesn't understand it. Having read Don Tapscott's book Grown Up Digital I think I do, at least a little.
In his book he talks about the Net Generation and their much different relationship to media, due in large part to the ubiquitous nature of the internet and technology. Previous generations had a much more passive/receptive relationship with the limited media of the day. We sat on the couch and watch TV, listened to the radio or read what was written in the newspapers/magazines. Other than the occasional letter to the editor, the mass population had no way of actively participating in the creation of media. We could only sit passively and receive the media message from on high.
Flash forward to the past decade and the explosion of the Web 2.0 and the masses now have a means by which they can create media. Think of Youtube, Wikipedia, blogs, podcasts, twitter, social networks, etc... There has been a monumental shift in the way we interact with the media. We are no longer passive when it comes to media, we actively create it and share it. For many this has been a very uncomfortable shift, mistrust and disdain are often symptoms of this discomfort. Our youth, however, find this new relationship with media to be completely natural, like breathing. The technology is no longer a barrier to media production, but is often an enabler. Most video editing software includes a button that allows you to upload to Youtube, or share on Facebook and Twitter.
So the issue with my boys is not that they are spending less time with their media than we did, but spending their time differently. We would sit and enjoy the show, for my boys they are the show.
This is what I believe to be the fundamental element in the effective use of technology in the classroom. We as teachers need to understand our students' relationship to media, not only as consumers but as producers, and turn that to our advantage instead of fighting against it. We need to understand that in this we are not necessarily the experts. This might be frightening for some, and just like in the media industry there will be mistrust and disdain, but the potential for meaningful discussions with our students about the process of learning is the key. Since we no longer control the creative process that can be used in learning activities, we can instead focus our efforts towards helping the students evaluate, analyze and synthesize their learning. That is higher order thinking and that is the 'holy-grail' of education.
In his book he talks about the Net Generation and their much different relationship to media, due in large part to the ubiquitous nature of the internet and technology. Previous generations had a much more passive/receptive relationship with the limited media of the day. We sat on the couch and watch TV, listened to the radio or read what was written in the newspapers/magazines. Other than the occasional letter to the editor, the mass population had no way of actively participating in the creation of media. We could only sit passively and receive the media message from on high.
Flash forward to the past decade and the explosion of the Web 2.0 and the masses now have a means by which they can create media. Think of Youtube, Wikipedia, blogs, podcasts, twitter, social networks, etc... There has been a monumental shift in the way we interact with the media. We are no longer passive when it comes to media, we actively create it and share it. For many this has been a very uncomfortable shift, mistrust and disdain are often symptoms of this discomfort. Our youth, however, find this new relationship with media to be completely natural, like breathing. The technology is no longer a barrier to media production, but is often an enabler. Most video editing software includes a button that allows you to upload to Youtube, or share on Facebook and Twitter.
So the issue with my boys is not that they are spending less time with their media than we did, but spending their time differently. We would sit and enjoy the show, for my boys they are the show.
This is what I believe to be the fundamental element in the effective use of technology in the classroom. We as teachers need to understand our students' relationship to media, not only as consumers but as producers, and turn that to our advantage instead of fighting against it. We need to understand that in this we are not necessarily the experts. This might be frightening for some, and just like in the media industry there will be mistrust and disdain, but the potential for meaningful discussions with our students about the process of learning is the key. Since we no longer control the creative process that can be used in learning activities, we can instead focus our efforts towards helping the students evaluate, analyze and synthesize their learning. That is higher order thinking and that is the 'holy-grail' of education.
Friday, January 14, 2011
iPads in the art class
We received our iPads just before christmas break, so to help teachers familiarize themselves with the iPad we sent many of them home with one.
Quite simply, this is fantastic work. She is not a technogeek, but she found the app easy to use and intuitive. She especially liked the ability to zoom in quite closely to work on some fine details.
One more benefit is the ease with which this app allows students to share their work. As with many apps, students can email their work to themselves, their teachers, family and friends. It is also very easy to post student work to the school website. This is a great opportunity for students to showcase their work.
Thanks for reading,
and don't forget to talk nerdy to me:)
Artwork created by Rosemary Gough
One of the first teachers to get back to me after the break was our Art teacher (hi Rosie). I had gotten her the Artstudio app. Here is what she was able to do with it:
Quite simply, this is fantastic work. She is not a technogeek, but she found the app easy to use and intuitive. She especially liked the ability to zoom in quite closely to work on some fine details.She was able to modify the brush style and pixel sizes. She could easily modify colours.
But more than anything it wasn't what she could do with it that made her so excited. It was what she could see her students doing with this.
With the magic of the Undo button, she strongly believes that students will be more confident to try out new techniques and ideas. On paper if a student makes a mistake it could potentially ruin hours of work. This tends to make students hesitant to try new things. However, with this app, all a mistake costs you is the effort of pressing the undo button. If anything this might be the biggest benefit from using the iPad in the art room.
She also sees a major saving in materials. As with any skill, different art techniques require practice. This app presents them with an excellent means of practicing without using up reams and reams of paper
One more benefit is the ease with which this app allows students to share their work. As with many apps, students can email their work to themselves, their teachers, family and friends. It is also very easy to post student work to the school website. This is a great opportunity for students to showcase their work.
Thanks for reading,
and don't forget to talk nerdy to me:)
Artwork created by Rosemary Gough
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
iPads in special education
The special needs of learners is always at the forefront of any teachers mind when preparing a lesson. I was interested to find out how the iPad might help.
I've found two apps that make the iPad excellent for our spec. ed. students.
The first one is Dragon Dictation. This comes from the makers of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, who for years have been making speech recognition software, widely used in schools. This app is currently free for iPod and iPad users. Now I don't have much experience in spec. ed., but our lead teacher in that department (Hi Chris), thinks highly of it. Students can speak into the iPad's built-in mic, and the app will record and convert it to text. You then can copy and paste, email, or even post to facebook.
At the other end of the spectrum we have Speak it! This app will take any text and convert it to speech. If a student is researching online and has difficulties reading, he/she can copy and paste the text and the app will read it to them. The app will also read PDF and email.
The app also allows you to save them as audio files. A neat feature allows you to slow down or speed up the speaking, as well as change the size of the font. The app also highlights the words as it reads them, so that students can follow along. It is well worth the 1.99$, especially if you push it out to multiple units.
What makes these apps even more appealing for students are how discreet they are. Unfortunately, students with learning difficulties often feel shame and will avoid using help to avoid appearing "dumb". Using an iPad is cool, and other students wouldn't even realize they were using assistive technology. That in itself might be the biggest benefit of iPads and iPods for spec. ed. students. It removes the stigma and replaces it with a "cool" factor.
I've found two apps that make the iPad excellent for our spec. ed. students.
The first one is Dragon Dictation. This comes from the makers of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, who for years have been making speech recognition software, widely used in schools. This app is currently free for iPod and iPad users. Now I don't have much experience in spec. ed., but our lead teacher in that department (Hi Chris), thinks highly of it. Students can speak into the iPad's built-in mic, and the app will record and convert it to text. You then can copy and paste, email, or even post to facebook.
At the other end of the spectrum we have Speak it! This app will take any text and convert it to speech. If a student is researching online and has difficulties reading, he/she can copy and paste the text and the app will read it to them. The app will also read PDF and email.
The app also allows you to save them as audio files. A neat feature allows you to slow down or speed up the speaking, as well as change the size of the font. The app also highlights the words as it reads them, so that students can follow along. It is well worth the 1.99$, especially if you push it out to multiple units.
What makes these apps even more appealing for students are how discreet they are. Unfortunately, students with learning difficulties often feel shame and will avoid using help to avoid appearing "dumb". Using an iPad is cool, and other students wouldn't even realize they were using assistive technology. That in itself might be the biggest benefit of iPads and iPods for spec. ed. students. It removes the stigma and replaces it with a "cool" factor.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Is an iPad an iPod on steroids?
I was at my son's swimming lesson the other day, when a good friend (Hi Jared) asked a good question: How is an iPad not just an iPod touch on steroids?
It took me a few seconds to jumble some kind of answer together, but it got me thinking. I remember when the iPad was first announced, I was skeptical about its usefulness. I already had an iPod and used it alot in my classroom. I would let my students record their presentations, I would record my lessons and post them online, I would use it to research and write notes. I just couldn't see what an iPad could offer that would make it more useful.
Then, this summer, I pre-ordered one for my wife (Hi babes). It was our tenth anniversary and I thought it would be a good gift. She wanted something to surf the web, keep up with her email and facebook. That was one of the big selling points of the iPad. It wasn't until we got it that I started to see how the iPad might fit into a classroom.
There are two main points that make the iPad more useful and effective than an iPod: Multitasking and the iWork productivity suite.
Multitasking is a new feature on the iPad. It allows you to go from one app to another without closing it. This is great for students doing research online. They can find their info online and then switch over to Pages to work on their assignment. Before this you had to close the app, open the other, do your work and then start all over again. If you think about how much back and forth is done between your research information and your actual work, it is a huge time saver to multitask.
iWork is comprised of three separate programs: Pages (word processor), Keynote (slideshow presentations) and Numbers (spreadsheet). This represents a huge advance over what the iPod touch has available. On the iPod you have Notes, which allows you to jot down quick notes, but it doesn't have the versatility and functionality of a full word processor like Pages.
I could probably go into more details, and I'm sure I will at some later point, about the iPad, but if I was asked again about iPads, iPods and steroids I would know what to answer. The iPad is not an iPod on steroids, while it shares many commonalities with the iPod, it has moved beyond it.
Let me know what you think,
and don't forget to talk nerdy to me :)
It took me a few seconds to jumble some kind of answer together, but it got me thinking. I remember when the iPad was first announced, I was skeptical about its usefulness. I already had an iPod and used it alot in my classroom. I would let my students record their presentations, I would record my lessons and post them online, I would use it to research and write notes. I just couldn't see what an iPad could offer that would make it more useful.
Then, this summer, I pre-ordered one for my wife (Hi babes). It was our tenth anniversary and I thought it would be a good gift. She wanted something to surf the web, keep up with her email and facebook. That was one of the big selling points of the iPad. It wasn't until we got it that I started to see how the iPad might fit into a classroom.
There are two main points that make the iPad more useful and effective than an iPod: Multitasking and the iWork productivity suite.
Multitasking is a new feature on the iPad. It allows you to go from one app to another without closing it. This is great for students doing research online. They can find their info online and then switch over to Pages to work on their assignment. Before this you had to close the app, open the other, do your work and then start all over again. If you think about how much back and forth is done between your research information and your actual work, it is a huge time saver to multitask.
iWork is comprised of three separate programs: Pages (word processor), Keynote (slideshow presentations) and Numbers (spreadsheet). This represents a huge advance over what the iPod touch has available. On the iPod you have Notes, which allows you to jot down quick notes, but it doesn't have the versatility and functionality of a full word processor like Pages.
I could probably go into more details, and I'm sure I will at some later point, about the iPad, but if I was asked again about iPads, iPods and steroids I would know what to answer. The iPad is not an iPod on steroids, while it shares many commonalities with the iPod, it has moved beyond it.
Let me know what you think,
and don't forget to talk nerdy to me :)
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
First project
We are now back from the Christmas break and have 3 weeks until exams, Yikes!!!
My grade 11 Ancient History class has 2 research projects and an exam to prepare for in that time. The first project is a group one, where students have to create a trivia board game. They get to choose between Medieval Europe or Islamic Africa. They can imitate an existing game, or invent one of their own.
The iPads have been great in class, it allows them to surf the web and find info. I've directed them to our school board's Virtual Library, where they have access to licensed encyclopedias and periodicals. Of course Google and Wikipedia are also popular destinations.
This part allows for me to have conversations with students about sources and their reliability. How do you know that what you are reading is correct? What can you do to verify the info?
It also forces students to think about how they search for their info, once you get to Google or Wikipedia, what do you type into that search box? How do you get to the info you are after. These are the important things I hope they take from this class. This is what will serve them in the long run, not knowing who was the English king in 1066.
One challenge has been to keep them focused. Facebook is a first stop after turning it on. Instead of beating my head against that wall I've given them the first five minutes to satisfy their craving and then ask that they focus on their work. I've also imposed mini-deadlines. This project requires that each group member prepare 15 trivia questions, so by the end of today's class they needed 10 done, otherwise they were coming back to finish at lunch. That worked quite well.
I'll be back later with more on how the project is going.
My grade 11 Ancient History class has 2 research projects and an exam to prepare for in that time. The first project is a group one, where students have to create a trivia board game. They get to choose between Medieval Europe or Islamic Africa. They can imitate an existing game, or invent one of their own.
The iPads have been great in class, it allows them to surf the web and find info. I've directed them to our school board's Virtual Library, where they have access to licensed encyclopedias and periodicals. Of course Google and Wikipedia are also popular destinations.
This part allows for me to have conversations with students about sources and their reliability. How do you know that what you are reading is correct? What can you do to verify the info?
It also forces students to think about how they search for their info, once you get to Google or Wikipedia, what do you type into that search box? How do you get to the info you are after. These are the important things I hope they take from this class. This is what will serve them in the long run, not knowing who was the English king in 1066.
One challenge has been to keep them focused. Facebook is a first stop after turning it on. Instead of beating my head against that wall I've given them the first five minutes to satisfy their craving and then ask that they focus on their work. I've also imposed mini-deadlines. This project requires that each group member prepare 15 trivia questions, so by the end of today's class they needed 10 done, otherwise they were coming back to finish at lunch. That worked quite well.
I'll be back later with more on how the project is going.
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