Trade Show Tales

I arrived in London from my home country, America, last week and promptly made my first foreigner folly.  I hopped into the driver's side of my taxi as the driver, Andrew, loaded my luggage in the trunk.  Having forgotten about the whole "drive on the left-hand side of the road" rule, I looked at the steering wheel and thought, "Huh. This is odd," just as Andrew (chuckling) showed up at the door and asked if I was going to drive him for a change.  I joined in on his laughter, but this was only the first of a string of cultural misunderstandings on my part including feeling uber-intelligent when someone described my presentation as "brilliant" (this same person  also deemed a latte "brilliant" later in the day) and becoming a human pinball every time I walked up the stairwells on the wrong side during rush hour on the London Underground.

I was thoroughly humbled, though, last week at the British Educational Training and Technology (Bett) trade show in London.  I consider myself fairly well-traveled around the technology trade show scene, but I was totally unprepared for the magnitude and diversity I encountered there.  If I thought that my immersion into the British society kept me on my toes, I was swept away by the exposure to representatives from over 100 different countries at Bett.  I met educators from China, South Africa, Spain, and the Netherlands to name a few countries.  Even our initial greetings made me recognize our differences- a bow, handshake, or kiss on the cheek can be extremely awkward if done at the wrong time.  The language barrier, despite the fact that most attendees spoke English, was also no small obstacle to overcome.  Different accents and dialects turned some of my conversations into more of a pantomime and charade game than a strictly verbal exchange.  I was impressed that no one seemed frustrated or impatient by these interactions; it was quite the contrary.  Everyone seemed to embrace the idea that despite our backgrounds, something had landed us all in the same place at the same time, so we tried even harder to connect and communicate.

Through these connections, I began to realize that there were actually some profound similarities in every conversation.  As I demonstrated My Big Campus, a safe, social, academic learning platform, the same questions arose over and over.  "How will this help our students?  How will this make their experience richer?  How will this improve teacher efficiency? What are the safeguards?"  The same questions surfaced repeatedly despite the palpable differences in cultures and school systems.  If we take away the surface organization, scaffolding, and mandated testing from the different countries, we are left with a very real, common, unified need to educate our children in a safe, efficient manner to prepare students for their futures.  I was proud to show off My Big Campus to these educators, which allows them to do exactly that.  The "ooh's" and "ahhh's" from people all over the world marveling at the product I represented was nothing less than overwhelming.  Whereas I entered the arena feeling as if we were all detached vessels navigating the technology world with separate agendas, I soon realized this was a misperception.  Every person, regardless of color, background, language, or age was there for one reason: student learning.  Tens of thousands of people gathered from all across the world because of a common love of students.

We may have different definitions of "pudding" and perhaps our accents make people giggle as we pronounce words like "aluminum" and "potato" differently.  But this I know for sure- despite the news we hear about cultural conflicts, wars, and intolerance, there are some similarities that tether us all together, like the sincere belief that all children deserve a chance at a successful future.

My Big, Connected Campus

                                                                           image from: http://tower.arcadia.edu/?p=577

Once upon a time, there was a Spanish teacher in a rural county that faced diminishing budgets and increased need for documentation and accountability.  The county where she taught bright, inquisitive minds was also riddled with poverty and need.  Supplies and resources were scarce, so anything that made classroom teaching more efficient and effective was welcomed with sincere appreciation.

One day, this teacher was introduced to My Big Campus, an on-line learning management system.  At first skeptical of the resource, this teacher decided to test-pilot a few features on her own before revealing it to her students.  She found she was easily able to find other professionals with like-interests.  She networked, made connections with other Spanish teachers, and also teachers that shared her passion for educational technology.  When she finally introduced her students to My Big Campus, she immediately saw a higher level of engagement- and a connection between her students and herself.

You see, her digital natives were very comfortable and used to communicating on-line.  Adding schoolwork and providing students with academic resources in the same venue that they communicated on proved a seamless transition from her traditional methods.  Add the bonus of 24/7 access to resources for students, no more lost work, unlimited file storage for everyone, and no more lugging papers back and forth from home and we were all sold.

Furthermore, she and the students benefitted from a shared social-media site that allowed for communication and connections to be made in a safe environment.  With countless taboos about student-teacher relationships in social media, this teacher certainly did not want to create problems.  The issue, though, was that when the teacher made herself completely invisible to students, it created another divide between her world and theirs.  My Big Campus bridged this divide and allowed all parties involved to have an outlet to not only discuss academia, but also have more informal communication that is so critical when establishing rapport.

When she got a little braver, the teacher wanted to flip her classroom, but there was no one in this rural community to help.  She reached out to educators all across America through My Big Campus and they coached her through the process.  She also found lessons, videos, documents, and assignments in the shared library that educators had added for teachers like her, all ready-to-use.  For her part, this teacher also decided to contribute and coach others along in her areas of expertise.  She felt empowered by this exchange of information and rejuvenated in her classroom seeing her students benefit from countless, engaging lessons that she never would have had the time to put together on her own.

This story isn't just about one educator, though.  This story, or a similar version, can be told by myriads of educators all across the My Big Campus community.  This particular version is special to me, though, because it is my story.  My story of the connections I make do not end here, though.  Most recently, I found an amazing educator on EduTalk and, after several months of correspondence, we organized a full-day My Big Campus training for 10 counties in our area.  In this training, I met over sixty educators who are now a part of my professional network- and I continue to hear from their colleagues as I watch my connections grow.  I am honored to be a part of a learning community that is armed with experts in just about any topic or subject I encounter in education.  My Big Campus has transformed a rural, isolating experience into a resource-rich, collaborative community.

And we all learned happily ever after.

The end.

Top 10 E-portfolio Tips!

So, you want to start e-portfolios but you're not sure where to begin?  Read on for some tips and tricks about what I have discovered through colleagues, research, and my own trial and error!

1- Determine your goal.  What is the point of your portfolio?  Look into the three types of portfolios (showcase, developmental, and assessment) and determine which is the best fit or if a hybrid makes the most sense for you.

2- Sell it! Get excited about this when you introduce it to your students.  If possible, get former students who are enthusiastic about e-portfolios to talk to your students about expectations, anxieties, and how the e-portfolio has helped them build their resumes or attain employment.

3- Get students in the habit of "ARR"! For each item that is selected, students need to provide as Artifact, Rationale (why the piece was selected), and Reflection (What was challenging? Interesting? What would they do differently? How would they describe the artifact to someone who can't see it? etc.).

4- Provide a rubric.  Ideally, this will be a formula or a drag and drop for the students to follow. Rubrics prevent e-portfolios from becoming haphazard and disorganized.  Check this one out for ideas: http://www.mybigcampus.com/bundles/computer-literacy-portfolio-grade-8---51016

5- Allow for peer review.  Students love to show off their work as well as have a chance to see others' portfolios!  Provide a venue for peer review and require this several times per year to keep everyone on the same page.

6- Make a "Yes Test." Along the same idea as peer review, provide students with a list of required items and the words "Reflection" and "Rationale" after each item.  Instead of evaluating the contents, students must have a peer complete the list by simply typing "Yes" or "No" for each component. Students will then have a list of anything that they may have overlooked putting in their portfolios.

7- Include multiple file types. Interesting e-portfolios have a multimedia aspect.  Make sure there are audio and video components!

8- Get creative! Encourage students to reflect in creative ways, not just in writing.  Draw, record, or video tape reflections. Let the teacher pick some artifacts but allow for student selections as well.

9- Make it relevant.  To get students to put forth their best effort, demonstrate how these can be used as part of an academic profile, resume, or job/college application.

10- Make it collaborative!  Have students work together on group portfolios or a class portfolio.  Showcasing progress and exemplary work is fun to do as a group as well as individually!

E-portfolios are a rewarding and useful tools that demonstrate a more complete idea of what goes on in school than other assessments.  Have fun creating and then showing off your creations to the school, parents, and community members!

Seriously Academic. Astoundingly Social. My Big Campus

"Good morning, class!  Ok, open your texts to chapter 4A and follow along as I go through this Power Point of new vocabulary. Next, we will practice on this worksheet and you can finish up for homework, ok?"

No matter the level of enthusiasm or even my infectious smile and Sullivan Nod, my Digital Natives just weren't buying it.  After 12 years teaching in the classroom, even candy bribes were  ineffective.  Class failed to be fun for my students- much less engaging, interactive, collaborative, or meaningful.  I remained aware of my exhaustive strategies and felt somewhat ashamed that I just could not seem to spark the level of enthusiasm, curiosity, and achievement I felt was harbored just beneath the surface of the bright young minds that crossed the threshold of Room 203 daily.

My IT department cornered me one day with a proposition to test pilot something called My Big Campus.  No way.  I mean, I wanted to improve, but in no way was I going to be a guinea pig for another technology initiative that marginally and only temporarily held the attention of my students- and at the expense countless hours of up-front time on my part.  Reluctantly, though, I logged on and tinkered.  The beginning of the transformation of Room 203 began with this initial log-on- here are my highlights:

Walls- All of us have a profile page- very Facebook, very intuitive.  We set up little baubles about ourselves and posted to our own and each others' Walls.  "Good luck at the track meet, Lacey!" "Don't forget about Relay for Life forms!" "Congratulations to Bonnie and Rob for acceptance to Virginia Tech!"  Students can Yes!, Comment, Repost, post to each other, post to me.  In short, every one of us now belong to a community.  Students have a presence and a voice. They receive external verification from each other (and from me!) in a fluid, continuous, easy, and constant manner.  In short, my students matter- and they know it!

Discussions- We finally can have asynchronous conversations than span time and location. We use Discussions to learn netiquette (which my Seniors thanked me endlessly for as they came to visit from college) and expand our classroom to a 24/7 learning environment. Discussions also become a posting board for FAQ's where they have access to content and can bounce ideas back and forth.  We post helpful resources and answer each other's inquiries. Discussions give students a voice- no matter restrictions of a 90 minute class, how shy someone is to speak out in front of his/her peers, or even an absent student, Discussions level the playing field and give all students opportunities to contribute and be heard.

Bundles- Bundles have proven to be a perfect way to create self-paced lessons, flip my classroom,  and create e-portfolios. Students and teachers construct Bundles using resources, text, assessments, weblinks, group pages, discussions- even NROC and NBC Learn content and Apps for the iPad users. Users collaborate on Bundles and even branch from Bundles in the exchange so they do not have to start from scratch.  Educators everywhere share modules, units, and lessons effortlessly- students build meaningful collections of work to demonstrate growth or showcase work. Even better, Bundles are easy to create, rearrange, and share.

EduTalk- This live feed links into Twitter to facilitate a professional learning network for teachers and administrators. I find users with similar interests to follow and am now in contact with educators all over the world.  I switch between the general feed for all teachers to find new contacts and then onto the page that shows only my followings to read about the latest resources and ideas from my colleagues. I even made plans with my EduTalk family to meet up at a conference for dinner! EduTalk makes networking simple.

Bob Campus/Bob's Corner-  Bob Campus, who possesses My Big Campus omnipotence as well as models ideal digital citizenship, is available almost 24/7.  Users ask for help and Bob is armed with almost instant replies to questions ranging from general information to even the most complex of inquiries. Students join Bob's Corner to interact with other users in a controlled, monitored, social environment. Bob's response time and presence in Bob's Corner solidifies the message that we all crave: we are a community, we are important, and we are a part of something big!    

Schoolwork- Finally I have a way to administer quizzes, classwork, and even surveys on the same venue as Discussions and class Group content.  Schoolwork auto-grades, contains options for retakes, question groups, and commenting, and I can even attach standards to individual questions as well as entire assignments.  By duplicating and editing, individualizing instruction takes mere seconds. Furthermore, detailed reporting tells me instantly who is missing work (and I can gently remind them to complete this), what the percentages are on individual questions, and overall achievement on the Schoolwork. Students have access to their Schoolwork and upcoming dates are highlighted to keep them organized. No more missing papers! No more logging onto external sites for a quiz! No more wasted time! Schoolwork is a one-stop solution with 100% accountability for both students and teachers!

Parent Portal- To close the student-teacher-home dynamic that is critical for student achievement, the Parent Portal allows guardians to see Group content, assignments (both upcoming and completed), and send messages to the teacher. Parents view a comprehensive calendar for each individual student and clearly view the academic standing of their students. Not having to log on to external e-mail saves time, and aligns comments and inquiries to specific assignments if needed.  The Parent Portal provides resources for our parents to be involved and in-the-know from day to day- another checkpoint for ensuring each student's success!

Your Stuff- No more missing flashdrives! No more, "I left it on my other computer." No more, "I can't find that!"  Your Stuff is unlimited file storage for students and teachers that we filter by label and file type. Students learn the valuable skill of digital organization while reaping the benefits of having what they need at their fingertips. Whether they enter the workforce or go on to higher learning, students will need to organize themselves digitally for assignments, e-mails, etc. Your Stuff is an excellent tool to teach them this lifelong skill! As someone also guilty of the occasional misplaced file, using Your Stuff proves to minimize confusion and eliminate "lost" files- for my students and even for me!

Calendar- Ditch the agenda books and look at the Calendar! Individual Calendars for classes as well as a comprehensive Calendar are provided for each user. Since I drive the Calendar, I never worry that students write something down erroneously (or not at all). I post reminders, push resources, and link to Schoolwork for Groups or individual users, so I quickly and conveniently differentiate for my learners. We can also push our Calendar out to our iCals to synchronize what happens in Room 203 with the rest of the school and outside the school walls!

Topics- User-driven Topics are created by any educator and open for membership by any other interested educator.  Lively discussions on best practices, trouble-shooting, and even praises happen in these professional learning networks on a daily basis.  The Flipped Classroom 101 was the vehicle I used to flip Room 203!  Through networking, advice, and links to helpful websites, videos, and other resources, Topics provided me the vehicle I needed to embark on cutting-edge practices!

My Big Campus transformed my teaching, captivated my students, and allowed us to do more than just transfer information.  We belong to a social, academic community that grows and learns together.  More than just posting assignments, showing a video, or logging on to take a quiz, My Big Campus is a one-stop educational haven that not only allows us to engage on a quest for content knowledge, but also reinforce responsible on-line behavior and digital citizenship.  My Big Campus equips us with a place to learn, grow, and play- all in a safe, monitored, academic setting!

Lessons From a Power Outage

Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast several weeks ago, leaving in its wake massive destruction and widespread power outages.  An unfortunate mix of ice storms on top of trees that still had not lost their fall leaves caused the trees to fall on power lines, homes, and cars.  The flooding that lasted for over a week also further delayed getting power restored to millions of people trying to keep warm as the chilly November temperatures continued to fall.  Power crews from as far south as Florida raced up the coast to assist their fellow Americans in need.  The whole event created a sense of deja vu from only seven years before when we watched at the city of New Orleans disappeared under a wall of water.

In Virginia, Sandy's impact was far less than anticipated, so it is with complete shame that I reflect on my own panic when our electricity faltered for a few short hours.  My family of four went into a state of paralysis for the outage. We were totally inoperable. Pretzels for dinner, staring at each other in the semi-dark, we were pretty pathetic. I often forget how reliant I am on the power and technology I take for granted- these infrequent outages send me humbling reminders of this Achille's heel of mine.  I would venture to say that the loss of power and technology is crippling on a national level as well as evidenced by the shut-down of Wall Street and cancellation of the New York marathon.

Even in the midst of all of the heartache and subversion, I did watch some incredible uses of technology  in the aftermath of Sandy.  On my social media accounts, I saw countless posts raising funds, collecting donations, and even setting up carpools to personally assist the people who were suffering the most.  I saw virtual "check-ins" from people trying to be sure other loved ones were ok, but did not have the means to make phone calls (I even set up my own in my East Coast Coaches group on My Big Campus to find out how we could support each other and how everyone was faring). Craig's List filled with people willing to part with generators and wet/dry vacuums knowing that the demand far exceeded the supply on the East Coast.

Some say that social media is destroying the fabric of our society, but I would counter that sentiment by examples of what I saw first hand just this month.  Social media will never replace face-to-face interactions, nor can it break the spirit of humanity that is instilled in each of us.  Social media helps connect us and gives us a venue to reach out to people that otherwise would be beyond our scope.  The people of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, and more have certainly felt the benefits of this social media outreach.

Go Outside and Play!

Audrey and Wyatt's Poomse for TaeKwonDo

How much is too much for our Digital Natives?  I mean, between them being tethered to their phones, iPods, iPads, and laptops, (plus the mindless episodes of SpongeBob) when are they getting unplugged and playing?

I realize that I preach endlessly on the benefits of technology, especially when it comes to teaching, but the truth is I think that we can oversaturate our kids to an unhealthy point if we are not careful.  I earlier blogged that one of the benefits of cell phones in school is that students learn proper self-control of the device.  I feel that this same sort of control needs to be exhibited with all of the electronic devices in students' lives. It does not make sense to allow for unlimited access to technology, even for Digital Natives. These students may have been born with an iPad touch in hand, but their ability to self-regulate is not even close to being developed.

One great thing about teaching with technology is the efficiency of instruction and learning. Immediate feedback from on-line activities, interactive lessons, and game-like instruction make learning from technology not only more fun, but also more appealing.  Students that take virtual classes or attend  virtual schools especially spend a majority of their school day at a computer.  Learning management systems like My Big Campus allow any teacher to use technology to enhance their instruction and transform their classrooms into places where students are gaining 21st Century skills while learning content.  It is important to acknowledge that many of these hours in school are on-line and need to be accounted for when thinking of activities for students outside of school.

I know that once my own kids get home from school and I am tired from a full day's work, it is easiest to turn on some sort of electronic babysitter.  I can justify this by telling myself that they have been running around all day.  The truth is, however, that they are plugged in quite a bit during the day instead of running laps around the building.  Especially on the rainiest of days, I occasionally give in to the computer play or television shows.  I do notice, however,  that this type of plan usually backfires at bedtime when the kids are completely wired after expending little energy during the day.

For my kids to make the most out of their academic time on-line, they need to be monitored with their extra-curricular activities to provide a balance of digital play and physical play. Even on rainy days, we can mix it up with some active games on the Wii.  Teaching these Digital Natives a healthy balance of physical and technological activities will prove to be no small task as evidenced by the climbing childhood obesity and diabetes rates in the United States.  It is clear, though that part of teaching good digital citizenship is teaching students when to unplug...and go outside and play!

5 Things I Need My Kids To Learn at School

At the kitchen table this week, my oldest was working on labeling the continents and oceans (side note: there is one more ocean since I went to school, which goes by the name Southern or Antarctic Ocean).  My youngest was trying to cut out shapes by staying on the dashed line, which is hard if you are five years old.  So, I suppose these are important skills to learn as they are building blocks for other, more complex tasks.

What if she forgets her geography, though? What if he really does never master his cutting? What other skills will they try to grasp that they may forget?  What if they can't learn something- I mean, if it is simply out of their realm of understanding?

I think I could handle it if Audrey just is not a math whiz or if Wyatt does not enjoy the beauty of conjugating verbs, but there are five things I refuse to let slide.  These are the five essentials to me that they need to learn in school.

#1- Collaboration
Kids are growing up in a digital age that has now blurred all barriers of continental lines, time zones, and languages.  I insist that they learn to function as a part of a team- both as leaders and followers.  Clear communication, integrity, respect, and sharing are all skills that are honed through learning how to collaborate on assignments, in the classroom, and in the real world.

#2- Digital Citizenship
Students need to learn the art of connecting with others appropriately on-line.  In the scary, unmonitored, digital social environments, students can easily fall into sloppy, rude, unflattering, or even dangerous habits.  We can model this at home, but it is more of a fabricated environment than when they are in school.  Learning managements systems like My Big Campus provide a safe, monitored environment for students to develop skills like on-line communications, appropriate discussions, and proper netiquette.

#3- Synthesizing
Digital natives assimilate information very differently than the traditional linear methods from my own youth.   Today's kids are hard-wired to grab snippets of information from a variety of sources, but they need assistance learning to weave together the information to create their own learning.  This is a skill I feel critical to master while still in grade school.  Whether students enter the workforce or go on to higher learning, they will need to be able to synthesize information to make meaning of the world.

#4- Love of Learning
As a classroom teacher in public education for fifteen years, there was little sadder to me than an unmotivated student.  I understand not being interested in a certain subject or having preferences, but people have somewhat of an innate curiosity.  I feel it is the job of K-12 educators to hone these curiosities and help the students find how to pursue their interests either for careers or hobbies as lifelong learners.

#5- Imagining
I want my kids to believe, even at the end of their formal grade-school education, that they can do anything.  I don't want in-the-box, textbook answers- I want the ability to dream of anything.  LMS's such as My Big Campus allow students and teachers to create, design, develop, and grow without the confines of a traditional classroom setting.  With 24/7 access to a wealth of resources and supported on-line schoolwork, even assignments like book reports turn into interactive experiences with audio and video components.  Kids should not be stifled into conformity, but rather should leave school with endless tools for imagining and creating.

I realize these are high demands, but it is a high-stakes world students are stepping into from high school.  Imagine a world where everyone stepped from the hallways of their grade schools having mastered the skills above!  I believe big results like finding the cure for cancer and ending world hunger would be inevitable!  I can come to terms with my kids not mastering chemistry or forgetting how to diagram a sentence.  I will only support, however, an educational experience that focuses on their gaining these essential skills.