Point A to Point B

Author: Michael

  • I Do Not Want Free Web Tools

    Might this post title have your attention? It has mine too, as I consider and struggle with how to manage both my, my family’s, and my school’s web presence. Don’t get me wrong – I’m an educator and I love free as much as the next person. But it comes back to the old saying:

    There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

    Personally, I’ve used tons of free services for web mail, web pages, etc. I’m currently using Posterous for my family news blog, as it is super simple to post updates, and there is good privacy protection in place.

    Professionally, we are about to launch GoogleDocs for our district. Every single user will have access to the Google cloud for documents.

    What I (and many others) struggle with is what happens if the provider decides to change something, or gets bought out? What happens to the data in the service? A recent change in Ning’s pricing scheme brought this to the forefront for a lot of people in the educational community. Those who flocked to the service (which is excellent) were shocked that suddenly they had to pay for the same service.

    When it comes to school- or district-wide systems, we have to be very careful about our expectations for free services. While we are about to roll out GoogleDocs, we have to consider the implications if Google decides to do something in the future to change the service, and the impact it may have on our users.

    I’m much more comfortable with a pay service. Paying for a service directly, as was done pre-web, creates a relationship where you have a vested interest in the service provider to support your endeavors. This does not mean that I’m happy to shell out tons of money at every turn. It does mean that I am willing to pay a fair price for a good and reliable service. This applies to my personal web ventures as well. I pay for the web hosting for this blog so I know that I have service and support behind the site to make sure it is running. The content is in my own space (yes, still on a server farm somewhere, but my space).

    I do not want free web tools. Well, maybe that statement is too strong. I am still going to use many of them and advocate for many of them. But I am going to think very carefully about what is out there on the free sites and consider the implications if the service disappears suddenly one day.

    That’s all for now – I have to go Tweet this post check my Gmail account…

    Image licensed from iStockphoto.com

  • A Clear and Easy Web Presence

    Image licensed from iStockphoto.com

    We are very used to interacting with many businesses through their website. When you call a company on the phone, you often hear, “Please visit our website…” Airlines even offer incentives if you book flights online instead of through a real person on the phone. For example, check out JetBlue’s Contact Us page and how they encourage web contact (and charge $15 more if you book by phone).

    This move to the web assumes that the website is clear and easy to use. In many cases they are (kudos to JetBlue as I typically find their site easy) but not always. How many times have you been at a site and completely frustrated that you could not find what you needed?

    Think about your school website now. Put yourself in the shoes of a parent or community member with little knowledge of the school, but need to find something out. How is your website set up to help them get what they need? Now think about an elementary or middle school age student. How is your website set up to help him or her get the information they need for class?

    In our district, we have two distinct sites for access to information: a public website, viewable by anyone, and a private webstie, or intranet, viewable only by those with authorized access (staff, students, and registered parents/guardians). The public website contains all the information typically found on a school website, such as news, school information, and district information. The intranet focuses on information related to students – schedules, grades, class notes, etc.

    What tends to happen with this type of setup is that schools post information in one or both places for parents and students. Confusion can arise if one looks on one site for the information, when it is on the other. Within the intranet, there are multiple ways to provide links. Add to this some new tools on the scene, such as wiki pages, other teacher class pages, and suddenly there is a glut of ways to communicate.

    Don’t get me wrong – this is not a bad problem – it’s just that as web presence increases, we have to think about the effect on the other side. How easy is it for our users to know what is going on and find the information they need from our website(s)?

    With regards to the web presence for Heim’s computer technology this year, I am going to focus it on one link from the intranet (WITS). Previously, I have been growing a few different ideas, including this blog, a wiki site, and a WITS page. This one link will provide a window to the multitude of computer tools available to students and staff. As WITS grows, it is important to keep it simple. It is also time to sort through the links available in WITS – over time the list grows and inevitably contains broken or old links.

    Web tools are awesome. We live, breathe, and eat the Internet every day. We just have to be sure that our web presence remains clear and easy to use in the process.

  • Struggling with Chaos

    My friend Steve O’Connor, whom I met by chance when we were presenting in the same room at NYSCATE a few years back, just tweeted about a poster titled, “The Internet Will Not Be Another TV”. Here is the poster:

    Internet NO será otra TV by Miguel Brieva

    There are many things I like about the poster. It is an argument for Net Neutrality in the EU, and can apply anywhere in the world. What struck me most about it, however, is how the same concept can be applied to the current state of education.

    If the top circle is restated as, “The School that Education Establishment Wants,” the picture is a perfect example of how school is today. Separate compartments, all designed to keep students focused on goals designed by those in charge.

    If the bottom circle is restated as, “The School that Learners Want,” a much more authentic style of learning is depicted. Inquiry is led by the student (regardless of age), and the Internet is in fact a key tool that supports the inquiry.

    Where does the question about struggling with chaos come in? Simple – when inquiry is driven by the learner, the environment is messy. That is the way it should be, but managing learning like this in an educational  system that is so structured is difficult to do. It’s the age-old conversation on how schools can best support learning.

    The main example I’ve been struggling with for the past few months is the use of personal mobile devices in the classroom. I’m all for it, but I also know that managing such an environment is tricky. Its one thing when a group of adults “back channels” at an ed tech conference, where by nature everyone in the room wants to be there and shares the same passion. I’m not so sure how well back channeling would be in a Geometry review class where all the learners struggle with the most basic concepts, and don’t want to be there in the first place.

    For me the personal mobile device is indispensable. A smart phone, tablet, and laptop completes the suite of tools that I use constantly to learn, be productive, be reflective, and be creative. And I’m from a generation that grew up where the latest technology was the Apple II that you could program in BASIC. Today’s elementary school students expect (I mean this in a good way) that they can access anyone and any information from their device. How can we not take advantage of this?

    The time is coming where the personal mobile device will be in the classroom. It’s necessary. It’s inevitable. I’m struggling with chaos…

    Image credit:
    Internet NO será otra TV by Miguel Brieva

  • On Space and Learning

    Gehry Staircase

    One of my favorite hobbies is architecture. I am a huge fan of spaces that evoke meaning and emotion by their design. Living in Buffalo we have many such spaces including Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin D. Martin House Complex. I had the opportunity to visit a new space yesterday in Frank Gehry’s recent addition to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). Mind you, art is the main attraction at the AGO (they have an incredible collection) but the building is just as important to me. The most prominent aspects of the AGO addition are the Gallery Italia on the entrance side and the spiral staircases that go up the north and south faces of the upper galleries. Walking the gallery and interacting with the art in such beautiful and emotional spaces is an experience that washes over you and takes you in.

    This feeling led me to think more about learning spaces in school. Learning is the most important thing that goes on in school, and the surroundings should not matter. Or should they? Take the architecture of the typical school – boxy and utilitarian. Not much feeling is typically evoked by arriving at a school (more often negative feelings related to what is about to happen…).  The difficult thing about school architecture is that it is designed for the interior spaces, and the form follows the function (a common architectural theme). Many schools, even the multitude built in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, have interesting spaces inside for classrooms (retractable walls), team planning (offices), and common areas (libraries & cafeterias). Over the course of time, impending needs cause a space to be restructured beyond the original intent. Team rooms become classrooms, offices become closets for multiple teachers, etc. Eventually, the question comes up, “why was this designed this way?”

    I love to walk through a school and look at the way space is set up. I look at structural elements and try to determine if it is original work, or a change/addition to accommodate a need. I try to think about the designers intent vs. the current use. One of the most disappointing things to me is when I see interior windows covered up to prevent distractions between rooms. Windows are meant to expand space and prevent a feeling of isolation. Covered windows certainly cut down on distraction, but they also imply “leave me alone.” Last summer I worked in one of our high schools that was designed as, and for the most part still is, an open classroom building. Sure, there are “walls” (locker banks, partitions, etc.) that separate rooms, but for the most part, you can walk around and see almost everything. The atmosphere is great. Everyone understands and respects the open style. Once you are in it, you can feel the difference in the setting. And yes, they move walls as necessary – what a great option to have.

    This brings me to the building I’m in this summer – a traditional walled high school. As hard as I try, every time I arrive at the building, I look for that element that says, “Welcome,” but have not found it. However, once inside, the layout and materials (brick, wood) speak of good design. There are a variety of flexible spaces, included partitioned classrooms and larger lecture conference rooms. As with any school, rooms have been re-purposed for a specific need, and sometimes the result  is not what the designer intended.

    Why this reflection on space? Well, I blame the AGO for getting me onto this topic, but more importantly, space and the use of it is important to a school. I think an architecturally appealing outside can do a HUGE amount for the overall presence and impact of a school. Unfortunately, most of the time you do not get the option to design the outside elements unless you happen to be involved in a capital project or building a new school. Inside a school there are many more opportunities to reflect on and redesign spaces. Often times the need comes up due to overcrowding, but even in those instances, the use of space can have a huge impact on the learning. School is the place students will spend the majority of their time – it should evoke a sense of warmth and encouragement to promote the best for all learners.

    How is the space you work in everyday?

    Image Credits:
    DSCN0695 and DSCN6700 by TomFlemming on Flickr

  • Linking Design Questions, Instructional Strategies and Technology Tools

    This coming school year our professional development program is focused on Marzano’s Art & Science of Teaching. Cross-district teams organized by grade or subject area (“Design Teams”) will be meeting to focus on design questions brought up in the book. Over the course of the next 3-4 years we will undergo district-wide conversations around the following design questions:

    What will I do to…

    1. …establish and communicate learning goals, track student progress, and celebrate success?
    2. …help students effectively interact with new knowledge?
    3. …help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge?
    4. …help students generate and test hypotheses about new knowledge?
    5. …engage students?
    6. …establish or maintain classroom rules and procedures?
    7. …recognize and acknowledge adherence and lack of adherence to classroom rules and procedures?
    8. …establish and maintain effective relationships with students?
    9. …communicate high expectations for all students?
    10. …develop effective lessons organized into a cohesive unit?

    Woven into these questions are  Marzano’s strategies for Classroom Instruction that Works. My role as a design team facilitator is to help link strategies to technology tools that improve learning.

    Last year I did an extensive book analysis of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, where the strategies are analyzed for which types of technology tools can support them. Click here to review the final summary, along with links to individual strategies.

    As we move into the design team process, I am thinking more about the link between strategy and tool. I just recently came across a very nice interactive graphic that depicts Marzano’s 9 strategies for classroom instruction that works, from a website titled Curriculum Portal (click the image below to go to the interactive graphic at the site:

    We have an extensive toolset to help students learn within the strategies. Here is a sampling of the tools we have:

    These tools fall withing the categories of technology as defined in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works:

    • Word processing applications
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Organizing and brainstorming software
    • Multimedia
    • Data collection tools
    • Web resources
    • Communication software

    For me the important thing is that questions about learning begin with the need, not the tool. A question that begins with, “How can a (wiki, blog, etc.) help students…” is incorrect in my book. A question that begins with, “How can students deepen their understanding with a (wiki, blog, etc.)…” is more like it.

    I’m looking forward to some great conversations!

  • Educational Administration vs. Educational Leadership

    As I finish the first couple of weeks of my first administrative job (assistant principal for our summer high school), it is very clear that there is a distinct difference between being an administrator and a leader. A principal needs to be both, but it can be easy to favor the former over the latter.

    The first week has gone extremely well. Our program is for remediation and acceleration so there is a nice mix of students, and we have great teachers and support staff. Summer school is a well-oiled machine that needs light tendering to keep it on course, rather than drastic steering to make it go in a different direction.

    Administrative duties come up constantly. Be it dealing with student scheduling issues, a parent with a concern, a student who has chosen to do something inappropriate, a teacher with a home emergency, or a required fire drill, the stream of tasks never seems to end. An administrator has to be able to handle these activities in stride as they are the primary things that interfere with the learning environment in the classroom.

    Leadership duties are there constantly, but not necessarily in sight. Deciding how to act on scheduling issues, parent concerns, student actions, etc. is driven by leadership beliefs and can have long term consequences. It may be easier to resolve an issue one way, but may be detrimental to the bigger picture. Beyond daily actions, the need for program leadership – how the school serves the needs of the population – can be missed if one only focuses on the day-to-day.

    What are some of the key program questions for our summer program?

    1. What is different in summer school for remediation students that might help them succeed?
    2. What is the learning environment like for the students? Is it challenging and engaging?
    3. What courses are being offered for acceleration? Is there a need to alter these?
    4. What courses are being offered for remediation? Is there a need to alter these?

    These are some of the questions that need to be considered on a regular basis, as answers to these will have an impact on the answers to all the daily questions.

    It would be very easy to get caught up in only dealing with the day-to-day tasks. Handling them takes excellent skills, but being content taking care of those items can divert attention away from the more important bigger picture. We have a great setup in our school, but program (leadership) questions and daily (administrative) questions are equally important to ensuring the continual growth and integrity of the school.

    Image credit:
    Keep your eyes on the objective by wildphotons on Flickr

  • Fear of Google Docs

    This fall we will be rolling out Google Apps for Edcuation district-wide. With the snap of a finger, all 12,000 students and staff will have access to Google’s cloud services. OK, so it’s more than the snap of a finger, but with the skillful work of our dedicated IT technicians and developers, it will appear to be a snap for the users, as it should be.

    Some of our ELA teachers are planning their writing curriculum for next year, and want to convert to digital journals, RTLs, and more. They are very excited that with Google Docs students can create and collaborate on writing pieces from any computer and share them with each other and the teacher. As they were talking, one teacher said the following (this is a paraphrase):

    My fear of using Google Docs is that the students will not be able to handwrite well enough for the assessment at the end of the year.

    Ow. Yikes. This is not a case of a technology-fearing teacher (she is totally together w/respect to students & technology). This is a case of the reality of the dichotomy between what we should be doing and what we have to do. At the end of the day (year), students must handwrite essays in those ridiculous, arcane, blue books that have haunted education for a century. These great teachers did not see this issue as a deal-breaker at all, and simply came up with a game plan to have students do enough hand written practice along the way to make sure they are OK for the exam. It’s a shame they even have to consider this issue.

    I know that the writing process for me is completely different when I word process compared to handwrite. I could not be a blogger if I had to hand write and scan in my entries. I think totally differently when I type as compared to write. This, combined with the fact that I’m an immigrant to this type of writing, makes me wonder just how bad it is for our natives who type and text all day, and then for a few hours a year are forced to handwrite the things that judge them the most on their progress!

    There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon for assessment (if it is in fact possible that assessment is a useful thing). When I took my certification exams for the School Building Leader and School District Leader recently, they were completely computer-based. New York State contracts with Pearson to administer the exams at Pearson testing centers. I was able to sit in a secure, comfortable environment with a good functioning computer and type to my heart’s content (it had better be a secure, comfortable environment with a good functioning computer since each test costs $400…). I remebmer taking a pilot version of the exam which was hand written and it was not a good expereince. The good news about the exams is not only that they are computer-based, but that the essays are human-scored. That is a win-win in my book.

    What is the fix for this? Simple – if we have to give assessments, then we have to provide an environment where the students can take them on a computer. Perhaps New York State will have to begin investing in laptops so every student in the state who normally takes a paper exam can do the same thing on a computer. That is a lot of computers, but at the same time, the increased benefit to student success and savings in paper is well worth it.

    Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Images:
    Pens on Parade by Abizern
    fast fingers by KatieKrueger

  • Transforming

    Typically my last post in June relates to how it is time to power down the blog, do some updates, tinker with the theme, and move into summer mode. This year this won’t happen for a couple of reasons. First, I’m very happy with how the blog has developed and become part of what I do. Things are humming along, and I don’t feel a need to change. Secondly, there is a transformation underway…

    This past May I finished working on my administrative certification program for both School Building Leader and School District Leader at Canisius College. I am in the process of being certified through New York State (which is quite a process, but that topic would be a whole separate post). I will be able to apply for building or district level administrative positions.

    This step allows me to move into another facet of the school structure, or another “life” as I like to think of it. Having been a student and an educator for many years, the opportunity to become an administrator is very exciting. I do not have agressive plans to pursue any administrative job that arises; rather I have opened the door for when the right opportunity comes along. It may be tomorrow, next week, or next year, but I am on the lookout.

    One experience on the docket is to be the the assistant principal for our summer high school program. I was the intern for the program last summer and learned a great deal. I am looking forward to participating in such a great program. The staff is excellent, and the opportunity for students to both accelerate and remediate is great. The summer school experience allows me to get a sense for being an administrator.

    This transformation is interesting and invigorating. I have long considered myself a learning junkie. I have also found that change every so often is a very good thing (as evidenced by my jump from music to computers a few years back). Change helps keep you fresh and (hopefully) on top of your game.

    Down the road I picture myself in some sort of district level role as I do like working with systemic issues and solutions. Who knows what will happen, but the ride sure will be fun!

    Image: High Tension by JGrindal on Flickr

  • MUVEs Finally Make Sense in Education

    Multi-User Virtual Enrionments (MUVEs) have been around for a number of years. Second Life is by far the most well known. For at least a couple of years I have had a Second Life avatar (Coffee Roffo), and participated in a number of different events “in world”. As hard as I have tried, I have never seen where the effort involved was worth the results. Most of the educational events have been live presentations where a group assembles virtually, and listens to/watches a presentation. Woo-hoo. I have found other virtual meeting spaces such as Elluminate, WebEx, or even good old Skype to be more productive for synchronous meetings/presentations.

    Along comes another virutal world environment, River City, a research project from Harvard. In this world, students are given the task to go back in time to determine why the people in the town of River City are sick, and what can be done about it. It is a great scenario in which participants have to use detective skills and lots of science application to figure out what happened. Students in our school participated and enjoyed the experience. The limitation with River City is that once the scenario is done, there is no more to do in the world.

    This year we had a 6th grade class participate in another virtual world research project, Quest Atlantis (QA), from Indiana University. QA is a virtual world project in which there are multiple learning opportunities in multiple content areas. For the pilot, this class participated in a mission called Spacenik, where the goal was to determine how to deal with an asteroid that might be on a collision course with Earth. The task involved processing a lot of complex data, making judgements, and recommending to NASA a course of action. I worked the entire scenario as if I were a student, and it was hard. There was a lot of reading, analyzing, and writing to do. In addition to content-specific tasks (missions and quests), there is a whole virtual environment where students can earn credits that represent good character traits, get “jobs” to help other world members, and more.

    With Quest Atlantis, suddenly MUVEs make sense. What sets Quest Atlantis apart from the other MUVEs I’ve seen is that is provides multiple true learning scenarios. If Second Life is the whole world, then Quest Atlantis is the school. It is a virtual learning world, and not just a virtual world. It is a focused, high-level place where students are challenged to do some great things.

    Quest Atlantis is still an active research project, so it is not open to the general public. If projects like this are the future of MUVEs, then there are some great opportunities to come.

  • How the iPad Can Change Students’ Game

    At the end of last week’s post, How the iPad has Changed my Game, I wondered what it would be like for students to have an iPad for school. I did some very informal research and sent my iPad off with different students this week for a day and asked them to use it however they could during the school day to help them with their school work.

    One day with an iPad is no true test, but the students were obviously very excited to try it out. Here is what they had to say:

    J., 7th grade:

    I think that schools should get iPads for the school because it can help kids in so many ways.  Taking notes, using it  as an agenda mate or even studying with flash cards.  You can go on the internet to research.

    K., 7th grade:

    The iPad was very useful during my classes. In music when I finished my composition in music I showed the teacher the piano app. I also used this as an agenda mate when my hands got tired of writing. If I needed to look up a definition I had a dictionary at hand. In lunch, my friends and I had music to listen to when we had finished eating and cleaned up. I liked everything about the iPad. If I could use it in school everyday, I would.

    T., 8th grade

    I used it in science to take notes. If I had an iPad to use in school I would use it everyday. I would use it as an agenda mate and I would take all my notes on it.

    D., 8th grade

    In art I was using Doodle Buddy. I think the iPad is something good for students to have in school. It would be good to have as an agenda mate or research tool.

    What is the difference between a tablet like the iPad and a laptop? The two main reasons I see are the form-factor (flat book vs. bulky keyboard and screen) and the availability of apps. In speaking with and observing these students using the iPad, I started to think about the various ways it could fit into each and every class – walk the halls with me for a few minutes…

    1st period, Science: Collect microscope data using the ProScope Mobile

    2nd period, ELA: Enter/edit literary responses in a discussion forum

    3rd period, Music: Compose music and email the music and notation files with the app, Music Composer

    4th period, Spanish: Record target language conversations with the app, Voice Memos for iPad, and email them to the teacher

    5th peroid, Math: Practice solving equations in the app, Draw for iPad, and share them with classmates over Bluetooth

    6th period, Social Studies: Review historical videos on YouTube or Discovery Education Streaming

    7th period, Band: Put the iPad on the music stand and play music from the app, Scorcerer

    8th period, Physical Education: Enter fitness data into a Google spreadsheet (AFTER keeping iPad in locker room and moving actively for 40 minutes in class…)

    9th period, Art: Sketch designs using the app, Doodle Buddy, and post work to the class website

    So that is just a glimpse of what could be. All in a device that just turns on (as opposed to boots up) and tucks in your arm like a book. There is a incredible amount of room for deepening the learning experience for students. I totally acknowledge the proprietary nature of the iPad and some inherent limitations, but I’m still sold.

    So the question becomes, does the school try to provide the iPads, or come up with some unique solution where families purchase them and get to keep them?