Today was a productive day. I spent the morning clearing the immediate items off of my desk. I accompanied one half of our 5th Graders on their filming day. Today’s group is responsible for telling the story of Little India. There were no major technical difficulties, so I was able to shadow two groups of students. One group was trying to tell the story of variety of dialects in language and filmed a number of small book stores which carried books in a variety of languages. The second group of students is responsible for telling the story of immigrants. Both groups of students conducted well thought out interviews. It is really amazing what they can do when given the time and the tools.
When I returned, there were not many fires to put out and I was able to conduct a few planning meetings, follow up on the status of our course registration materials for those who are late, and reviewed our yearbook billing.
Tomorrow, I hope that the weather holds out for my trip with the second group to Chinatown.
An old Upper School head, Paul Perkinson, used to remark at this point in time of the year, that it was “important to hang on so you don’t fall off of the rutabaga cart as it flies downhill towards the end of the school year.”
This year promises to be no different. This week alone, I am
- wrapping up meetings to determine our priorities for summer acquisitions,
- beginning to plan for summer professional development opportunities
- begin working on creating our high school schedule
- begin to identify yearbook editors for next year
- go on two field trips to make sure that our 5th Graders have no problems while filming their culminating iMovie Project.
Not to mention teach my class, advise my students, and all of the other general items that need to be attended to.
At least, at the end of the week, I will get to spend Friday and Saturday at a workshop being led by Will Richardson. I am really looking forward to slowing down just for a minute to learn more.
These are my notes from the PC Tablet Roundtable held at the Lake Forest Country Day School. Notes for the proceedings can be found on the Roundtable wiki.
At Lake Forest Country Day School, they have seen use of classnotes and journal as being helpful.
Glenbrook North (GBN), uses airliner with Texas Instruments integrated with SMARTBoard. It makes it exciting. We are using it in our 8th Grade Math class and need to implement with our new High School mathmetics teachers.
Addison District 4 (4) has scanned all transparencies for tablet users so that teachers can use. IT department took on this task. Saved as pdf and opened in journal.
LFCDS has put them into the 6th grade with a set of tablets and recording how they are being used. English teacher wanted to use for subject-verb agreement. used Journal. Wanted students to learn to highlight what is important. Teacher can project and students can compare. Their copiers scan to pdfs. Handed English work in digitally. What is going beyond inking on the screen.
Woodlands - Physics teacher couldn’t find software to type formulas. Uses tablets to capture notes and share on a class web site. Using a tablet with a SMARTBoard, because it is teacher’s machine and students use SMARTBoard.
District 146 - Students use Journal so that teachers can save each students work and share. Integrating into PowerPoint. Made a Jeopardy game and had to draw solutions for some of the questions. Structure of classroom has changed based upon projection. Found a cart that is adjustable. Teachers who have it use it the most. Teachers don’t want to share and it removes obstacles to use. Uses a e-beam rather than a SMARTBoard. Love Elmo document camera.
Parker - Toshiba document camera. Detachable, smaller unit.
LFCDS - Has anyone use webcamera through wireless projection
LFA - Did an exchange with a classroom in the Czech Republic. Used Skype for audio conference. Can use Elluminate.
Parker - Some teachers use the proscope.
District 146 - Elmo
Parker - Math journals projected. Students do a better job organizing and clearning.
District 203 - Teachers are saving to a shared document. Struggling because can use document projector, using like an overhead. Print to journal. Focus walks to get tech use and engagement. Would like to see go to the next step. Curriculum on portal, but still using paper.
LFCDS - Took away old technology during renovation. Ask students about use of tablets. 8th graders have reported the whiteboard got bigger due to projection. Showed an example of use of 7th grade algebra.
LFCDS - found a teacher who annotated a document with written and voice annotations.
Avery Coonley - French teacher has begun to use this. Done with several assignments, including one on directions.
LFCDS - Head spoke. Talked about ubiquitous access and the shift to use the tablets as tools. “Settlers” are starting to incorporate the tools into curriculum. Many different options, jump in and try. Leadership and access to the tools make it possible, becoming independent and innovative in the integration of technology. Efficiencies in organization and gathering when used by students.
LFCDS - Shared notes from a math teacher.
203 - Teachers are using it in writing mode. Like the way that teachers can expand and put student’s work and extend the page and write and use for peer editing. Students love scratch out. Have been using Journal and also use input panel. Students can use choice to work it the way they like. Using them in art class room, animation, perspective. Have looked at ink art, but not using. Have 1st graders using tablets. Early childhood when technology can be a barrier, but tablet can be easier. Ink flash cards is another application which is used.
side conversation - some are trained, but others the user is trained.
I presented my SMARTBoards and William and Mary presentation.
LFA is using Polyvision rather than SMARTBoards.
LFCDS - How do you measure the impact? Some research is that there is no change, some it is more engagement, so therefore more learning.
203 - Focus walk, using Jerry Valentine’s definition of engagement to document use.
Shifting applications used for and by tablets
OneNote - comes bundled with some, about $10 per seat with others. Electronic Trapper Keeper/binder. Can organize by tabs. Can hotlink back to web sites. Can collaborate with other OneNote users. Can ink simultaneously.
SMART has a free version of Finale.
Journal - Ink using stylus. Type into the Journal into a text box. Similar to digital whiteboard with primative shape and handwriting recognition.
DyKnow - used at Cincinnati Country Day School. Stands for Dynamic Knowledge. Used by Cincinnati and Avery Coonley as early as 18 months. Can monitor students and teachers using the software. Client/Server use.
NuPaper - In development at the University of Illinois. Not currently available. Being developed by teachers.
Skrbl - Collaborative space. Can ink simultaneously. Free login.
Training and Professional Development.
LFCDS - Spent time 1 on 1 through the month of August.
203 - 3 hour training as a new teacher and when upgrading. Initially, about the technology. Now, an hour about curriculum. How do you use technology. Tablet, 3 3hour sessions. Second two are sharing sessions. Don’t currently do skill testing. Most classes now are on lesson design. Use just in time support. Supplements with Atomic Learning.
GBN - Cannot force training. Switch to advocacy.
Laptop opened social issues with 6th graders. Need much more parent education with each of these programs.
My wife is a k-5 Music Teacher. Now that her major musical is finished, she was wanting to know how to create a blog like a collegue of hers. So, I sat down with her, created created her blog, and showed her how to add a post.
She is now a certified blogger. Check out her progress at Grass Lake Music Teacher and welcome her to the family!
As someone whose mission is to empower others so that they feel comfortable integrating technology on their own, it is gratifying when teachers and students begin to think of ways that they can utilize the tools and then do so on their own.
Today, I had one of those experiences. Kevin Randolph (krandolph@nscds.org), one of our history teachers whom I have been collaborating with on a variety of different projects, sent me this email last Friday:
<a student who struggles>……yes <student name>, wondered in class Tuesday if we could create a folder where students (in their class) could share information about homework assignments….how about that.
He is on the way, w/o realizing it, the assignment wiki’s I am going to create.
Nice to see it happen organically isn’t it!
Kevin has since gone on to create the wiki for his project, students reading The Jungle, on his own.
My efforts have begun taking root. A nice thought on this spring day.
