Sunday, March 9, 2014

Roasting S’more Educational Ideas at Edcamp Iowa




Over the last few years I have heard a lot about the Edcamp movement.  Nearly everything I have ever read about Edcamps is positive, with many teachers raving about how invigorating it is to attend a camp.  This weekend I finally attended my first Edcamp, along with two of the most innovative teachers I know (my wife and my brother) and I was impressed. 
  
Edcamps are a free conference (or unconference) meant to provide a participatory environment that meets the needs of teachers looking to share ideas while networking with like-minded educators.  One of the major differences between an Edcamp and a traditional conference is that there are no sessions set ahead of time.  As participants arrive, they propose session ideas they would like to facilitate.  The sessions themselves also differ from a traditional conference.  Rather than one presenter sharing their expertise, the session leader acts as a facilitator, leading a discussion that draws upon the collective expertise of all in attendance.  Attendees are encouraged to find sessions that meet their needs as educators and, thus, are encouraged to leave a session if they do not feel they are benefitting from the discussion. 
  
Edcamp Iowa, with 5 locations across the state, was the biggest Edcamp event in the country.  I attended the Central Iowa event at Southeast Polk Junior High School.  Immediately upon entering the building I began making connections with other educators, a trend that would continue throughout the day.
  
The first session I attended was “Establishing Collaboration and Inquiry within School and District.”  This session resulted in a good discussion about PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) within schools and districts as a means of collaboration.  Teachers, administrators, and representatives from the Iowa and Nebraska Departments of Education all chimed in with their own experiences and thoughts about the benefits as well as problems with implementing PLCs.  I enjoyed the discussions of how schools can best facilitate teacher learning and the importance of allowing teachers some freedom in their professional growth.  I was also very impressed to hear about Waukee Schools’ implementation of PLCs on a district-wide basis that allows for collaboration between schools on a regular basis.
  
My second session was “Sharing Technology Between Classes.”  This was a much more sparsely attended session with only 6 participants, but it resulted in a good discussion of technological resources different teachers have utilized, problems teachers have faced with technology, the roles that students/teachers/administrators can or should play in integrating technology in a school/district, and what the integration of technology should look like in a classroom.  I enjoyed this discussion and I learned of a few new resources that I need to check out.  I was also very impressed with a high school principal that attended this session.  It was very exciting to see a principal seeking out the opinions of the teachers and technology coach in the room as to what building leadership can do to help with technology integration.
  
The third session I attended is the one I felt like I knew the least what to expect from.  This session was called “Rocks or Sucks,” which apparently is a staple of Edcamps.  The facilitator calls out a hot topic in education (such as homework, network filters, Common Core, etc.) and participants move to a side of the room to indicate whether they feel this “Rocks” or “Sucks.”  Those that are unsure (the mugwumps—because their mug faces one way, while their wump points in the opposite direction) are able to stay in the middle.  Each group has one minute to discuss their feelings with the other people who share their beliefs.  Then there is a five minute discussion/debate where each of the three groups (rocks, sucks, and mugwumps) explains the rationale for their beliefs.  This was kind of a fun session which resulted in some lively discussions of current issues in education.
  
The final session I attended was “Teaching Problem Solving & Critical Thinking Skills -- How to Make Kids Think!”  I had a lot of interest in all of the sessions, but this one seemed especially intriguing to me as I have tried hard to make my classroom a student-centered, inquiry-driven learning environment.  It was interesting to hear the strategies different teachers have tried to promote problem solving and critical thinking within the classroom.  The discussion also turned toward ways that teachers can promote more parental involvement in implementing problem solving strategies away from school.  This topic is of great interest to me and the discussion at Edcamp Iowa led me to want to seek out more strategies promoting problem solving and critical thinking within my class.
  
In addition to the sessions I attended, I also followed #edcampiowa on Twitter throughout the day.  This allowed me to gain some insight into other sessions occurring at all 5 sites across the state of Iowa.  It was interesting to hear about the different sessions around the state, while following discussions that began in sessions and spilled over to Twitter after the sessions ended.  There were also people who posted resources for those of us who were not in attendance at different sessions.
  
My first Edcamp experience was definitely a positive one, and one that I will seek out again in the future.  It was very motivating to be surrounded by so many passionate educators who sought out this opportunity to learn from others to improve their ability to educate young people.  I enjoyed the format of Edcamp and its participatory nature.  My wife (who is a middle school social studies teacher) equated it to a Twitter chat.  I think this is a very good analogy; both are very participatory in nature and place a good deal of emphasis on the needs of the participants over the agenda of the presenter.  Edcamp Iowa also allowed me to make a lot of new connections and to expand my PLN.
  
After my experience with Edcamp Iowa, I am going to try to attend Edcamp Omaha in two weeks on March 22.
  
  

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

I’ll trade you 2 Hitlers for 1 Churchill - Creating Trading Cards of WWII Leaders




As we begin studying World War II, I like to ensure that my students are familiar with the major world leaders.  This allows them to recognize the trend toward totalitarian governments and how this was a contributing factor in the outbreak of World War II.  It also familiarizes students with names and forms of government that will come up again over the course of our study of World War II
  
Over the years I have used several different lesson ideas to allow students to investigate these world leaders.  This year I decided to have students create trading cards to illustrate key concepts related to each leader.  Students were assigned a leader to investigate and determine how they came to power, the form of government each utilized (including a brief explanation of how it worked), ways they helped their country, how they abused their power, and the role they played in World War II.
  
After students gather this information, they are ready to create their trading cards.  Over the years I have used a number of different tools for this activity.  The first time I had students create trading cards, I made a template in Microsoft Word for them to use.  Other times I have used My Trading Cards or ReadWriteThink’s Trading Card Creator.  This year I decided to use Big Huge Lab’s Trading Cards because I felt like its layout was the easiest for students to include the required information.
  
This lesson went very well.  With a little guidance, students did a nice job locating the necessary information and they seemed to enjoy the task of creating trading cards.  It allowed some freedom and creativity of expression while still achieving my goals for the lesson.  Depending on the level of the class, the amount of time available for the lesson, and access to resources, the teacher may want to provide selected readings or primary sources for students to use to investigate their assigned leaders.
  
This is an activity that is adaptable to many different topics.  At different times, I have used similar lessons to allow students to investigate the Founding Fathers, Progressive Era reformers, 1920s cultural personalities, and civil rights leaders.  This activity can be used for any lesson where the desired outcome is familiarization with individuals who played an important role in history.
  
   
   

Monday, February 17, 2014

Twit for Tat – Simulating a Twitter Debate between FDR and Hoover



  
In studying the Great Depression I strive to ensure that my students understand the causes of the depression, the debate over how the government should respond, the effects upon the American public, and the long term effects of the depression (including economic, political, and social effects).  Today I would like to describe a class activity I have utilized to help students recognize the varying views on how the government should respond to an economic crisis.
  
My goal for this activity is for students to recognize how Franklin Roosevelt’s response to the Great Depression represents a break from past policies, particularly those of Herbert Hoover.  To achieve this outcome, students must understand the basic philosophies of Hoover and Roosevelt and recognize that politicians and citizens alike have differing views as to how the government should respond to a crisis.  
  
In planning how to best achieve this outcome, I tried to think of how students could relate to a philosophical debate.  I considered conducting a traditional class debate on the topic, but I decided that students might better relate to a form of debate that involves an activity many of them engage in daily.  This led me to develop an activity where students simulate a Twitter debate between Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt.
  
I began by assigning half the class a background reading on Hoover’s philosophy for ending the Great Depression while the other half read about Roosevelt’s beliefs for ending the economic crisis.  Each student was then paired with someone who read the opposite philosophy.  Groups were instructed to simulate a Twitter debate between Franklin Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover with each person taking on the role of one of the presidents.
   

I investigated several tools for simulating Twitter.  Fake Tweet Builder seemed like a good possibility, but it was blocked by the internet filter at my school.  I then looked into Twister, but it is designed to simulate tweets from one person which did not meet my needs for a debate.  Finally I determined that a template might meet my needs better than an online simulator.  I settled on a Twitter Template for PowerPoint that allowed students to replace profile photos with images they found online and  customize the tweets allowing them to simulate a debate.
   

I feel this lesson achieved its desired outcomes.  Students demonstrated understanding of the different political philosophies concerning the government’s role in an economic crisis and engagement was very high.  Many students commented that they enjoyed this activity because it utilized a tool that is a part of their personal lives and they enjoyed the chance to customize the activity by including pictures, hashtags, and “Twitter slang.”
  
   
   

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Connect the Dots . . . Er, the Educators – Become a Part of Connected Educators Month


  
October is Connected Educators Month.  Being a connected educator can mean many things.  It could mean discussing strategies for working with a challenging student with a teacher down the hall, collaborating on lesson plans with a teacher in another school in your district, or corresponding with someone you met at a conference about instructional strategies.  As illustrated in these examples, connected educators are nothing new; however, today’s digital world offers endless possibilities for teachers looking to collaborate.  
  
Online tools such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, webinars, blogs, forums, etc. offer today’s connected educators an unprecedented opportunity to further the field of education within their classroom, school, district, and nation.  The establishment of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) provides teachers with a form of personalized professional development that cannot be matched by any inservice or workshop.  A PLN provides educators with personalized, just-in-time access to lessons, advice, resources, research, and, perhaps most importantly, inspiration.
  
It is also important to remember that today’s learners live in a connected world.  They spend countless hours viewing pictures on Instagram, creating videos on Vine, sharing on Twitter, watching videos on YouTube, etc.  Today’s students have technology embedded in nearly every aspect of their life.  This digital world necessitates an evaluation of how we, as educators, approach learning.  The creative, collaborative process students use daily, can also benefit teachers.  By becoming connected, teachers are able to deepen their understanding of students’ lives and to access the collective resources, creativity, and wisdom of the world’s educators.
 
  
I encourage all teachers to check the U.S. Department of Education’s Connected Educators website.  This site offers a number of valuable resources including a Starter Kit, a calendar of events, edConnectr, and many more.  Many teachers have already discovered that Twitter provides a valuable tool for connected educators to collaborate.  Connected Educators Month discussions can be found at #CE13.  #SSChat also offers valuable tools for any social studies teacher.  Connected Educators Month organizers also maintain a Facebook page and Google+ community to share resources and promoted discussions.  A simple search will reveal many other sources related to Connected Educators Month.  Regardless of what tools we use, all educators owe it to our students to become more connected.
  
In the spirit of connectivity, I would like to share some online sources that I frequent:   
This is certainly not a comprehensive list, but rather a starting point.  I encourage everyone to share some of their favorite sources with another teacher.
 
As a connected educator, I would like to expand my PLN by connecting with passionate educators who want to collaborate for the benefit of all our students.  Connect with me via Twitter or LinkedIn.