MLE Session 2: Getting the Most Out of Your Students in the Networked World

MLE Session 2: Getting the Most Out of Your Students in the Networked World

MLE Session 2 Handout

Links Used During Session

Session 2 Presentation (Phoenix videos out of intended order…)

My second presentation at MLE2010 was on Getting the Most Out of Your Students.  It focused on the rational behind changing our classroom practice through the use of technology. This was a jam-packed session with information ranging from Digital Natives/Immigrants/More, Filtering, Remix Culture, Verifying Information Online, Wikipedia, and Building a PLN.

We started with a look at Wes Fryer’s impressions on Digital Natives/Immigrants/Voyeurs/Refugees.  I made sure to discuss my views on the problems with Prensky’s oversimplified view of Natives/Immigrants.  I think this false dichotomy causes problems for educators who are told they will “never get it” like their students. The Fryer Spectrum of Digital Immersion (bet he’d love to see it called that) gives a much more accurate picture, especially since it’s specific to individual tools/technologies.

We then moved toward a discussion of the new media landscape presented by Clay Shirky in “Here Comes Everybody”.  People really seemed to like the idea of computers putting the power of a printing press, music studio, and video production unit into their student’s hands. We had a wonderful discussion of the similarities between verifying information online and verifying information in Dead Tree resources in the past.

We then moved on to discussing how to verify information on a Wikipedia entry, looked at the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus and other similar sites, and then into a discussion of how and WHY to build a Personal Learning Network.

This session could have used an extra 30 to 45 minutes (I’m a bit of an over-planner) but I think I hit many of the high points trying to introduce a group of educators to the ideas of how our students are different.

Would love to know your thoughts on the presentation and handouts.

MLE Session 1: Getting the Most Out of Hardware

Links in support of my presentation can be found HERE.
Last week I had the opportunity to present at NMSA’s Middle Level Essentials Conference in Las Vegas, NV on Thursday and Friday. My sessions focused around the use of technology in the classroom and “Getting the Most Out of…” your students through the appropriate use of hardware tools, web software, and by understanding the changing perspectives of our students today. Over the next couple of days I’m going to be posting the presentations, handouts, and some reflections from the conference here at the Technorate Teacher.

Session 1: Getting the Most Out of your Interactive Whiteboard, Document Camera, and Other Hardware

Recommend downloading for the full impact of Slide #9

MLE Session 1 Handout
My sessions were decidedly more “tool focused” than I would have liked, but afterward I realized that there are widely varying perspectives on hardware and web tools in various districts across the US and Canada. Many of the folks in these sessions really needed this conversation. I think those of us with a technology focus would really like to move beyond the tool discussions, but there are still so many on the edges that see tools as THE most important discussion that we must help them along. The goal of my first session was to discuss some of the better ways to select and use hardware tools in the classroom.

An interesting sponsorship dilemma was the fact that Promethean provided an ActivClassroom setup for the room where I presented. While not being anti-IWB in my session, I actively discussed ways that they were inappropriately used and questioned the cost/benefit of them in the classroom. Additionally, they provided a set of ActivExpression clickers for our use, which contrasted oddly with my use of PollEverywhere.com and the discussion of Google Forms and iResponse for turning netbooks/iPod Touches into classroom response systems. Not sure I made any new friends in those regards…oh, that, and questioning why there wasn’t dual monitor support in the newest version of ActivInspire (so much for the presentation notes I spent all that time adding to my presentation).

The heavy hitters for both days were:

• Interactive Whiteboards
• iPod Touches/iPad
• Netbooks
• Classroom Response Systems

I had already figured these might be of the greatest interest, so I worked to lobby some for the little guys: digital cameras, Flip Video, and mp3 recorders for podcasting.

Overall, if there are two things I hope folks took away from Session 1, they would be:

1. There is no hardware silver bullet – We have had a parade of hardware tools over the past 25 years, and none of them have been the single answer for all students. None of today’s tools are going to be that single answer either. We can replace well crafted learning experiences with technology, only enhance them. We’re going to look just as dumb in 20 years as those who though LaserDiscs would revolutionize education.
2. There are a few major guiding questions when considering hardware for schools/classrooms – I focused on four questions: How do we…balance costs and benefits? Shift the power in the classroom? Ensure creation, not just consumption? Support student learning? Focusing on these questions will hopefully put the proper focus on hardware tools in the classroom, rather than having them serve as a status symbol of a school’s dedication to technology.

New Hardware Questions

For one of my presentations at the Middle Level Essentials conference in April, I’m going to be tackling the idea of getting the most out of hardware in your classroom.  The plan is for us to have a discussion about the best ways to get an increase in learning through the use of hardware tools many schools are purchasing or already have.  Some of the tools I imagine we’ll focus on are:

• Interactive Whiteboards
• Document Cameras
• Flip Video Cameras
• Digital Cameras
• eBook readers
• iPod Touch/iPad
• Student Response Systems
• Netbooks

With those in mind, plus others that may come up along the way, I want to have some focus questions to guide our discussion.  Here are the ones I’ve come up with, along with some other suggestions:

• What are the costs of the tools vs. the benefit to the classroom?
• To what extent does this tool allow creation of content, not just consumption?
• What are the durability and upkeep issues for this hardware?
• To what extent does this tool shift the classroom paradigm from teacher centered to learner centered environment?
• From @jdeyenberg: How does it support student learning, collaboration, and curriculum outcomes?
• From @jerridkruse: how will this help students meaningfully mentally engage with desired learning goals?
• Also from @jerridkruse: who will benefit?
• From @brophycat: How is it going to be used by kids who are learning?

What other questions do you or your staff focus on when discussing the purchase of a new piece of hardware for your classroom or school?

Video Request: Getting The Most Out of Technology

Question: How do YOU and YOUR STUDENTS get the most out of the technology you have?

I would love to hear your answers to that question in a short video clip that I can edit and stitch together for my Middle Level Essentials Conference Sessions in April.  My strand is titled “Getting the Most Out of the Technology You Already Have”. I will be doing three sessions and want to thank you for your comments and suggestions already.  Here are the array of topics I’ll be discussing:

Session 1: Getting the Most Out of Hardware Tools: This session will focus on best uses of hardware tools like Interactive Whiteboards, Document Cameras, Flip Video Cameras, Digital Still Cameras, Response Systems, and other hardware tools. Many schools have gone to great lengths to purchase these tools, but are finding out they aren’t silver bullets in and of themselves. I want to focus on some strategies for really getting the most out of these tools since in many cases the money has been spent already.

Session 2: Creation, Collaboration, Communication: Getting the Most out of Your Students with Technology:  This one will be focused on the best uses of technology by students.  I want to focus on a number of things in this session, but will specifically look at the things technology enables students to do more easily than not using technology.  I will probably also throw in some information about the network building and verifying information in the digital world.

Session 3: Getting the Most out of Free, Web-Based Tools: This session will focus on several web-based, cross-platform tools that allow students to create, collaborate, and communicate. I fully expect to focus on some of the simple tools for creation (XtraNormal, online comic creation tools, Animoto), communication (Edmodo, Chatzy, Edublogs, Skype, RSS), and collaboration (Google Docs, wikis, social bookmarking).  A primary focus will be to help folks recognize that the tools in particular aren’t as important as what they allow students to do which is otherwise impossible or more difficult.

So here’s what I’m looking for from you all…I would love to put together a short video clip of some of my PLN members talking about getting the most out of any of the things mentioned above.  If you have strategies for using the tools above, website suggestions, or information about student networking/content creation, please record a short clip of you talking about your thoughts.  I will be taking these clips and editing them together for inclusion in my presentation.

Many thanks, and look for updates along the way between now and April!