Monday, July 25, 2016

Finding Your Way - Using Google Maps in the Classroom

By Arambar (Own work (sculpture and photo)) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Last month I had the privilege of presenting at the Best Practices in Social Studies Institute. I really enjoyed this opportunity to work with social studies educators from all over the state of Iowa and to learn from presenters and participants. Although I'm no longer in the classroom, I still view myself as a social studies teacher at heart, so its always nice when I get the chance to work within this subject area.

The institute offers two days of free professional development for K-12 social studies teachers. More than 220 Iowa teachers took advantage of this opportunity to further their learning around best practices in social studies instruction. I attended sessions on Teaching 21st Century Skills in Social Studies Classrooms, Student Relevance & Engagement with IPTV Digital Resources, Geography and Literacy Connections, National History Day and Primary Sources, and Population Connection: Hands-On Activities for the People and the Planet. Additionally, there was a review of the state of social studies in Iowa, including a Call to Action and a review of the process and progress of writing new social studies state standards. Closing remarks were delivered by the Iowa Secretary of State, Paul Pate.

I planned to present a session related to technology and mapping in social studies classrooms. After considering that attending teachers may fall anywhere within the K-12 range, may or may not have background with mapping technologies, and that I had a limited amount of time to present, I chose to focus on tools related to Google Maps rather than more in-depth tools like those available through Esri or their ArcGIS platform.

I feel that many educators are aware of Google Maps, but they may not recognize its educational potential. For this reason, I wanted to share some of the tools within and/or powered by Google Maps and ways to effectively integrate these tools into instruction. I spent much of my presentation demonstrating the capabilities and uses of these mapping tools, but I also created the slides below partly to guide my presentation, but also as a reference for teachers to refer to later.


I had to adjust some of my plans and ended up doing more demonstration and less participant use of tools due to spotty Wifi access, but I still felt that my session went very well. Participants were engaged in the content and most seemed to learn something they could apply to their instructional practices.

I was impressed with my experience at the Best Practices in Social Studies Institute. There were a number of valuable sessions and it is always good to get a chance to collaborate with other teachers. I hope to attend this event again in the future and I would encourage social studies educators in the state of Iowa to take advantage of this free learning opportunity.


Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Moove to a MOOC for Moore Learning

This month I jumped into a new medium to further my professional learning. I've been hearing about MOOCs for several years, but had never taken part in one. Until now.

For those that may be unfamiliar with MOOCs, this refers to a Massive Open Online Course.
Basically, this means it is a free online learning opportunity that is open to anyone who would like to be a part of it. Some colleges and universities have jumped on the MOOC bandwagon while others are produced by individuals, groups, or organizations. Although there is some debate about the effectiveness of MOOCs (driven largely by low completion rates), they seem to offer a good opportunity for free online learning.

Recently I enrolled in the #EdTech30 Course to further my professional learning related to educational technology. I was not sure what to expect, but so far this course has been a good experience. I have learned a few new tech tools and I've taken the time to stop and explore a few other tools I knew of, but had not really played around with.

Today I was going through the portion of this course that deals with blogging. The instructor (Seth Dimbert) provided an explanation of blogs and a few tools for creating blogs. One of the things I like about learning through a structured course is that it forces us to stop and think about things. In this case, I know what blogging is, I know some reasons to blog, I know some of the tools that can be used for blogging, but its been a while since I stopped and really thought about it.

As I begin to reflect on blogging, my first thought is that I need to post more often. I often come up with ideas for posts or even begin writing, but don't get it published. This is partly due to a busy schedule, partly due to procrastination, and partly due to the fact that thinking through topics and beginning to write about them accomplishes one of the purposes of blogging, even if the post is never finished. I believe that one of the primary benefits of a blog is that it allows us to reflect on a topic and to think about it in different ways. Ideally we will put these thoughts out there for others and our posts will result in a discussion, but the process of thinking about a post helps us to reflect, even if that post never makes to the world. This was one of the primary reasons I began this blog back in 2013 (To Blog or Not to Blog. . .). I wanted an opportunity to reflect upon my lessons and experiences in the classroom and to share my thoughts, ideas, and resources with other teachers.

Although I have not done much blogging with students, I think it affords them many of the same benefits. As educators we strive to become reflective practitioners, we should aim to instill this same practice in our students. Blogging offers students the opportunity to contemplate their learning and experiences while giving them voice. As teachers we need to consider the best medium for this practice. In some cases a full-featured, public blog makes sense, other times it might be better to use a simpler, closed environment that is not accessible to the entire world. It is also important to consider the structure of the blogging experience. Will topics be chosen by the teacher, by students, or some of each? Will posts be more informative or more reflective? Will students or the public be able to comment on blogs? Will you monitor posts and/or comments?

I'm going to cut myself off before this post becomes merely a list of questions, but you get the point that there are a lot of considerations before having students blog. I am certainly no expert on this topic, however, there are many people out there that are much more experienced with blogging than I am and I would encourage you to seek out their hints, tips, and advice for student and professional blogging. One good starting point is Pernille Ripp's 14 Steps to Meaningful Student Blogging.

Despite the potential pitfalls and numerous details that need to be thought through, I think blogging has a lot of value for students and teachers and I would encourage everyone to give it a try.


Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Scare Them into Learning on a "Crazy" Day



This morning I came across Patti Grayson’s post on MiddleWeb about The5 Craziest Times of the School Year. I certainly agree with Patti that each of these times presents a challenge. Students are excited, making it difficult to keep the focus on learning. However, as difficult as these days can be for teachers, they are important for students. The level of excitement that makes educators want to run for cover is one of the things that makes school enjoyable for students.

As I read Patti’s post I began thinking about ways we as teachers can channel student enthusiasm on these days into something productive. With Halloween lurking in the not too distant shadows, my thoughts turned to ways of focusing student energy on a day when they are thinking about costumes and treats rather than the historical significance of a topic we may be studying. Why not embrace their want of a Halloween party rather than trying to fight it? It seems like students might enjoy (and learn something from) a history-themed Halloween party.

Why not have students dress up as people from the past? Or in a costume they think a historical figure might have worn? Or as zombies representing the reanimated corpses of historical figures? Any of these options could be preceded by a small amount of research to establish background information on the individual they will portray. This requires students to learn about their character and justify why they dressed the way they did. Each student could be required to come to the party with a few prepared talking points that exemplify their person.

Alternatively, the party could be set around a specific time period, event, or issue. This would require students to be familiar with course content. Student research could focus on differing opinions related to the topic and how people might have discussed it at a get-together. Students could also research games and snacks that partygoers might have enjoyed during this time in history.

Any of these options could incorporate a number of other fun activities. A teacher could decide to divide the class into committees to decorate the room, develop games, come up with treats, etc. Each committee could ensure that everything adheres to the theme of the party. If a teacher is feeling very adventurous, he or she could even allow students to carve pumpkins that reflect the historical content being studied.

Sometimes we as teachers get so into our content that we forget to embrace the opportunities to make learning enjoyable. School needs to be a place where students feel they are allowed to enjoy themselves, without being shut down on days that might be important or exciting to them. When “crazy” days arise, find a way to use the energy to your advantage.





Thursday, September 17, 2015

Happy Constitution Day!!



As History teachers are well aware, September 17 is designated as Constitution Day.  This became a day of federal observance in 2004 following passage of a clause proposed by Senator Robert Byrd to commemorate the signing of the United States Constitution. Senator Byrd envisioned this as an opportunity for all Americans to learn more about our founding document. Additionally, this clause requires all schools that receive federal funding to teach about the Constitution.

The Constitution is a regular topic within our classes. However, federal mandate dictates that we offer further instruction on this document on September 17. I have heard teachers bemoan the fact that they must take a day out of their regular instruction to teach the Constitution or complain that this is a way to indoctrinate our young to certain political beliefs. These isolated complaints aside, most teachers I know are supportive of this day and use this break from their regular instruction in a productive manner to help students better understand and recognize the significance of our founding document and resulting system of government.

This day offers teachers and their students another opportunity to explore this amazing document. I know I am preaching to the choir, but it is amazing that the Founding Fathers were able to construct a framework that was (and still is) acceptable to the diverse wants and needs of our nation. This document is exceptional for the way it pulled the early American states together, giving the people and the states a voice in the federal government, but I think it is even more astonishing that the Founders were able to craft a document that has been able to adapt to a changing world. Over the last 228 years this framework has allowed our nation to deal with expansion, division, oppression, innovation, war, crises, and much more.

Constitution Day offers us a great opportunity to expose our students to the wonder of our founding. I encourage all teachers to seize this chance to allow your students to explore the Constitution (what a great opportunity to integrate a primary source!) and to allow them to see why this document has endured through the years and become a model for the world. Below are a few of the thousands of resources available for teachers and students to use on Constitution Day:
  • National Constitution Center - includes an interactive Constitution, Constitution Hall Pass videos, Constitution Day Live Blog (answering questions about the Constitution), lesson plans, Preamble kit, Which Founder are You Quiz, naturalization test, and more
  • National Archives  - includes information, activities, a teaching unit, and more
  • Discovery Education - includes live events, lessons, and resources
  • iCivics - includes a number of great activities, lessons, and games
  • TCI Lesson Plan (History Alive!)
  • Civics Renewal Network - includes lessons, activities, games, and the Preamble Challenge


Friday, July 10, 2015

Give me an I! Give me an S! Give me a T! Give me an E! What’s that Spell!? ISTE!!!



I was lucky to attend my first ISTE conference last week. ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) is the premier ed tech conference in the world. With more than 21,000 attendees and over 1000 learning sessions it was nearly impossible not to take some valuable information away from this conference. I learned many new things and was exposed to many great ideas, but to me the most valuable part of attending any conference is the inspiration I draw from the speakers and other attendees. Being around so many passionate educators always energizes me and causes me to reflect upon my own practices. I think this is the true value of attending conferences. Sure, it's great to learn something new and to get a few lessons or tools you can turn around and use, but the greatest benefit is that it causes us to look within ourselves. This reflection helps us to keep our passion and to continue changing and growing as educators. As George Couros said in a session I attended, “Change is an opportunity to do something amazing.”

Building on this point, George pointed out that innovation is not the same for everyone. My journey from point A to point B is likely different from yours. Not only do we each implement our own strategies for change, but we each have different starting and ending points. The importance lies not necessarily in where you start or where you end, but in that you are progressing from one point to another. The goal is continual improvement, not reaching a specific end point. This is nothing new, most of us have always wanted to keep getting better, but this really resonated with me as I thought about how it applies to our reflection as educators. It is essential that we reflect upon where we are and how we can continue to grow. This not only improves our professional practices, but it also models reflective practice for our students. This was a key point that Will Richardson brought up at another session I attended; we as modern educators must model modern learning for our students.

The emphasis on students was a consistent theme at most of the sessions I attended. I know this seems like an obvious point (I mean it is an education conference, right?), but often our learning loses its focus. As Scott McLeod pointed out, conference sessions sometimes get sidetracked by highlighting tools or other information rather than focusing on student learning. I think educators need to learn about new tools, but many presenters at ISTE pointed out that in today’s world the importance must be on learning rather than the tools used to achieve learning. George Couros reminded us that the process of learning is much more important than the product created by students. Will Richardson emphasized the importance of providing opportunities for students to learn continuously, adapt, and solve problems. Educators must recognize that the content or skills from our curriculum are not as important as helping students learn how to learn. Will stressed that flexibility, problem solving, and creativity will be the most important skills moving forward. Alan November challenged us to teach kids to ask questions and allow them to find the answers. This motivates and engages students while often resulting in more complex problems than those designed by teachers for a class. George Couros reinforced this point as he reminded us that power is not in the consumption of information, but the creation of it.

As I’ve tried to summarize my thoughts from ISTE (a technology conference), tech is conspicuously absent from my reflections. I saw many new tech products in the vendor’s area, I learned about a few new tools in sessions I attended, and I heard conversations among attendees about new technologies. Some of these tools sound great. I will probably use some products I learned about at ISTE. However, I think the bigger theme was emphasized by Alan November when he said, “Technology makes no difference unless you change the work students do.” He went on to stress that we need to take the focus off technology and put the focus on the learning that can occur when technology is used effectively. Will Richardson shared a similar sentiment as he explained that transformative education is student organized with depth and complexity, but it does not require technology. When used effectively, tech can amplify powerful learning, but it is not a necessity. As George Couros said, “Technology in the hands of a great teacher can be transformational.” But, it is essential that teaching and learning are placed ahead of the technology.

George Couros proposed one simple step to promote change within schools. He urged teachers to tweet one thing a day they did in their classroom to a school hashtag and then take five minutes a day to read each other’s tweets. I think George rightly predicted that this would have an enormous impact upon learning and school culture. This opens up the confines of each classroom and challenges all teachers to create an engaging, stimulating classroom environment. Sharing and collaboration are invaluable in our journey of continuous improvement.

I may not have shared a lot of specific, concrete things I learned at ISTE, but this conference’s affect on me is more conceptual. I began this post by reiterating the value of reflection for educators. I believe this is the most important takeaway from any educational conference. Many sessions advertise resources, ideas, or lessons that you can use on Monday, but the things that truly change our educational practices are not so tangible. To create powerful learning we must constantly be challenged to reflect, refine, and improve our educational practices. The speakers and attendees at ISTE challenged and inspired me, causing me to reflect upon my own beliefs and practices. This is the true value of educational conferences and this is why I would like to see opportunities expanded for all educators to attend more conferences. I think this would help to energize, enthuse and reignite our passions for education.





Sunday, March 23, 2014

Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh, Here I am at . . . EdCampOmaha - Learning at an "Unconfernce"


After my experience at EdCamp Iowa, I decided to attend EdCamp Omaha.  Prior to attending an EdCamp, I was a little skeptical.  I was afraid that the "unconference" idea would result in unorganized sessions with a few people dominating the discussion by bragging about everything they do with little helpful advice for others or that it would become a gripe session with a small number of outspoken individuals complaining about all the problems they have to overcome.  I can be a bit of an introvert at times, especially if I don't have a predetermined role, so this idea was a little intimidating to me.  However, my qualms have proven unfounded as my experiences with EdCamps have been very positive.  The people I have met are passionate educators who love what they do and although many of them are already innovators, they continue to seek the input of other people without any preconceived notions of who is worth listening to.  Despite my hesitation, I have found myself speaking up and becoming a part of the conversation and it has been very rewarding.  I have met a lot of educators with whom I will continue to connect and who will further my ability to be an effective teacher.

I began EdCamp Omaha by attending a session on Twitter for educators.  A good chunk of this session focused on the benefits Twitter can offer educators and how to maximize these benefits. Although I have some experience using Twitter for professional learning, it was nice to hear some different ideas about using social media to form an effective PLN.  This session allowed me to expand my PLN while learning of some new hashtags to follow and new ed chats that I plan to check out.  I also learned of several new tools for managing Twitter feeds.  I have not played with these yet, but based on descriptions in this session, they seem to have promise.  IFTTT allows users to automatically have favorited tweets saved to Evernote, creating a system for bookmarking from Twitter.  Topsy is a tool for searching Twitter.  Echofon, Twitterrific, and Tweetbot are tools for managing tweets.

The second session I attended was about connected learning environments.  This session consisted of small group discussions on several different topics then we shared takeaways with the large group. There were some very informative, thought-provoking discussions about what connected learning looks like, instructional strategies that promote connected learning, necessary elements (devices, support, etc.) that allow for connected learning, and how to overcome potential obstacles.  One of the best things about this session was having the chance to discuss what others are doing and how different educators view connected learning.  I enjoyed the structure, which allowed for smaller, intimate discussions, while still providing an opportunity to hear from those in other groups.  My group also discussed the importance of teaching digital citizenship so students learn how to interact with others online.  I feel pretty strongly about the possibilities offered by connected learning and the benefits it can offer students and I enjoyed discussing how to move everyone (district/building leadership, teachers, students, and parents) toward this mindset.

After lunch I attended a session on game-based learning.  Much of the discussion in this session focused on ways to gamify a class, even without the use of technology.  Attendees shared ways of using badges (both digital and paper) as a reward system, methods to frame competency-based activities as levels, and student-created board games.  There was also a brief discussion of the use of Minecraft as an instructional tool.  There were some good discussions in this session and I did take a few ideas away that I can apply to my classroom, but I felt that much of the discussion was focused toward younger students than I see in high school.

The final session I attended dealt with creating global connections for students.  Once again, many of the examples and ideas from this session might be more relatable for younger students, however, there were definitely some things I can apply and/or adapt to meet my instructional needs.  I have heard of mystery Skyping, but had never talked to anyone who has done it with their class, so that was definitely interesting.  I also enjoyed hearing the various ways educators have promoted collaboration and sharing by connecting their students to other classes or experts around the globe. Participants shared ideas about using Skype in the Classroom, EduHangout, blogs, read alouds, and passion/genius hour projects.  The idea of creating a more globally connected classroom is something that I have been wanting to incorporate into my teaching, so it was good to hear some ideas of how other educators have implemented plans to do so.

Overall, I felt like my day at EdCamp Omaha was a very rewarding day.  I learned a lot, met a number of innovative, enthusiastic teachers, and I left feeling very energized about implementing new ideas within my classroom.  I have had great experiences attending EdCamps and I plan to attend more in the future.  And, as an added bonus, I won two boxes of golf balls, a golf towel, and an EdCamp Omaha t-shirt in the drawing at the end (this might have been a little more exciting if I was a golfer!).



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.