Opening Doors to Digital Learning

Digital Literacy News September 23, 2011

2011-09-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

Mount Vernon Digital Literacy News

September 23, 2011

Digital Literacy Workshop

Lots of opportunities to learn new things going on around the district this week. I have worked with PLCs, Developed Tutorials and Presented Literacy Resources and Grading resources to different groups of teachers.

Be on the look out for Digital Literacy Workshops being offered in October.

Learn how to create a blog and pages in our new website, get tips on using Easy Grade Pro and AIMS and much more.

Here are a few of the resources I created this week.

EGP Resources
New Elementary Report Card (head to the second half of the page.)
Literacy Links

Links to Explore

Fall Colors
A cool interactive visual to teach about fall colors.

EdHeads
EdHeads is a very engaging site with some neat simulations. Most are science related. My students loved the knee replacement simulation.

Draw a Stickman: This is just for fun. But I thought it was a cool interactive site.

Web 2.0 For Math: A list of several great resources for using Web 2.0 tools in the math class.

Technology = The Magic School Bus Experience

When asked to share something personal about myself in a meeting the other day, I stood up and announced to all that I was not a geek. Most people laughed, because to them, that is exactly what I am. I am the person in our district who is always trying to push teachers to use more technology in their classrooms. I must be a geek.

I explained that although I do use and sing the praises of using technology in the classroom, my goals are not focused on the the technology, but on the student and the learning.

My dream classroom would not be a computer lab. My dream classroom would be a school bus, or better yet, a school bus yellow jet. (Move over Ms. Frizzle.) My passion is to help students experience the wonder of learning through meaningful experiences, and make real world connections. The highlights of my teaching career have been those opportunities where I have been able to expand a child’s world through real experiences.

Of course our budgets don’t allow for unlimited global exploration via school bus or jet. But fortunately, by adding a bit of technology into our classrooms, we can at least virtually explore the world outside our classroom and have real conversations with people who have different ideas and experiences. Just as importantly, we can contribute our own ideas and experiences to the world of learners by creating and sharing content. Although, not quite as powerful as a child hearing an owl hoot as he spends his first night ever out in at tent while at Mountain School, experiences such as collaborating with a class in another part of the world via Skype and wikis as they work together to solve a real world problem can change the way a child sees the world and even more importantly, empower a child to believe that they matter and they have an important part to play in our world community.

So for me, it is not about the geeky side of tech. It is about the opportunities, experiences and empowerment for our students.

Video of the Week

Tech Triumphs

Heather Kendregan is my hero! As we hatched this idea of an iPod Touch Lab Pilot, Heather jumped on board as the tech representative who went beyond our big ideas of the power these tools could have in the classroom and she got down to the nitty gritty about how to store, sync, buy apps, register products and more. She is now our official iPod and iPad expert. Her work behind the scenes has made it possible for this project to take off. If you see Heather, be sure to thank her for her hard work and expertise on this project.

APP Ideas

Animoto: I’ve shared this web application with teachers often. It is my go to tool, for quick and easy music videos. Animoto is great for sharing photos and small amounts of text. See some of my examples here. But the cool thing is that they have an ipod/ipad app. Students or teachers can quickly create a video using photos taken on their device and then adding music. It is quick, it is easy and it looks slick. In order to play though, you will need an account. Videos that are 30 seconds or less are free. Teachers can sign up for an Educator account at animoto.com/education.

Digital Literacy News Sept. 16, 2011

2011-09-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

Mount Vernon Digital Literacy News

September 16, 2011

Digital Literacy Workshop Lots of changes taking place this year. And lots of new things to learn. I am revamping Digital Literacy Workshop and will soon be offering Digital Literacy classes throughout the district. Watch this space and check your emails for upcoming opportunities. Look for trainings on how to use our new website, blogging, social networks in the classroom and more. In the mean time, you can check out the Digital Literacy Workshop page to learn about new tools and refresh yourself with ideas on how to use older tools. Digital Literacy Workshop Links to Explore . Everything you ever wanted to know about using Easy Grade Pro and AIMS in the Mount Vernon School District: Tutorials and files to help you set up and use these tools to organize, record and communicate. 20 Tidbits for New Teachers 30 Days to Kickstart your Blogging PBS Learning Media : Videos on a variety of content areas sorted by grade level. The Best Websites for Learning about the Constitution		New Beginnings I love being a teacher. Each year, just like my students, I get to make a fresh start and have opportunities for new beginnings. Every year I look forward with great anticipation and usually some trepidation at the many opportunities that lie ahead to try new things and to keep learning fresh, new and exciting. For me, this year has started at a frantic pace. So many new and exciting things all at once. A new website, a new online report card, a new elementary technology curriculum and a new schedule. I look forward to the day when I can thoughtfully plan and prepare instead of frantically scramble. But I am excited about the progress we are making and the things that are already starting to take shape. I am a teacher through and through. In fact, I come from a family of teachers. I love learning and I love sharing my excitement for learning with others. I plan to continue to blog each week. In each post, I will share ideas and resources that you can use in your classroom. I hope that you will join me as we journey through a new year with many new and exciting beginnings to explore. Video of the Week A little inspiration to get you started on a great year. I hope that this is a year full of the delight of learning for all of us. Tech Triumphs There are many exciting things happening to provide more opportunities and access for students to use technology to enhance learning in the Mount Vernon School District. We have just launched Technology Lab Classes in each of our 6 elementary schools. Students K-6 will learn digital literacy skills such as keyboarding, word processing, digital drawing and painting, media creation, digital citizenship and more. In addition to the labs in each school, primary students at 3 of our elementary schools will participate in a pilot project using iPod Touch devices to improve reading fluency. These projects are in their infancy, but you can check out our humble beginnings by taking a look at the resource site created for the labs. I look forward to sharing many more triumphs as this project grows. MVTechSmart App Ideas Mobile technology is not only the wave of the future, but very much a part of our present lives. Smart Phones, iPodTouches, Wireless tablets and more are very much a part of our every day lives. I foresee in the very near future that students will bring their own devices for learning to school. Schools will provide a safe and speedy “highway” and students will bring their own devices ( “cars”). We’re not yet there as a district, although we are making great strides, but I have decided to make sharing and app or two a week a part of my weekly blog post for the many of you who are either using this mobile technology in or out of school. StoryKit: StoryKit is a free app for iphones, iPads and iPod Touches This app allows you to create pictures and text to build stories that can be read and shared.

Digital Literacy News May 23, 2011

2011-05-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

Mount Vernon Digital Literacy News
May 23, 2011

Digital Literacy Workshop

Digital Literacy Workshops are finished for this school year and will resume next Fall. There is still an Open Lab each Monday for teachers wanting to get help with technology integration or work collaboratively with others.
Open Lab: 2:30 - 4:00
Monday Afternoons, District Office Tech Lab.
Clock Hours are available.
Links to Explore

Google Teachers Academy Coming to Seattle!!! : This is a highly sought after honor to become a Google Certified Teacher. And it is happening right in our own backyard.
24 TED Talks for Math Teachers
SpiderScribe.Net : Neat online brainstorming tool where you can use maps, images, text and more.
Computer Lab Favorites: Spin the wheel and find a learning game to play.
Present.me: Neat way to share a powerpoint with a video presentation added.
SnackTools: Some nifty tools for creating things for your blog or website. I like the slide show tool.
Science on the Simpsons: A collection of video clips from the Simpsons and ideas about how to use these in Scientific discussions.
JellyCam: Stop Motion maker

Media Literacy

photo © 2010 Joelk75 | more info (via: Wylio)
Literacy is of course the cornerstone to learning and the skill most prioritized in schools. It is important to know as our language changes and our culture evolves that so does literacy. Teaching students to read, write and comprehend media is an important skill for students as they navigate the world we now live in. Students need to be able to think critically about print, video, web pages, audio and more in order to better understand the world they live in and make good decisions. Not only do students need to be good consumers of media, they also must learn how to use media to effectively communicate with others. While it is still important to teach students how to compose a strong 5 paragraph paper. It is also important for students to work with media as collage. Modern media includes a collage of not only text, but images, sounds, colors, video and more. Students need to learn how to “read and write” in this collage form.
On Friday, Kristen Downs, Dave Elliot and I had the opportunity to attend a workshop on Media Literacy. This workshop was aimed at tobacco and alcohol prevention, but the message of being smart consumers of media was the prevailing theme. As I have mentioned earlier in the post, there is much more to media literacy than learning how to think critically about advertising, this is a great way to start and show students the power of media literacy and how effectively advertisers use media to persuade. There is great power in words, and by far even more power in words combined with other media.
Our presenter who represented the Media Literacy Project, shared many great examples and resources and modeled how she would work with students to help them deepen their understanding of the power of advertising and media. Below are a few of the resources she shared.
Media Literacy Project
tobaccofreekids.org
adbusters.org
teenhealthandthemedia.org
commercialfreechildhood.org

Media literacy skills can help children, youth and adults:

• Understand how media messages create meaning

• Identify who created a particular media message

• Recognize what the media maker wants us to believe or do

• Name the "tools of persuasion" used

• Recognize bias, spin, misinformation and lies

• Discover the part of the story that's not being told

• Evaluate media messages based on our own experiences, beliefs and values

• Create and distribute our own media messages

• Become advocates for change in our media system

(excerpt from MediaLiteracyProject: Introduction to Media Literacy)
Video of the Week

This is a commercial for Chrome, but I like the message. There are so many great ways we can be using free and accessible technology in our classrooms and our life. Think of the possibilities.

Tech Triumphs

Dave Elliot at LaVenture is doing a beautiful job with Media Literacy. Each day, his student produce a video bulletin. The next day, the class spends time reflecting on the video and talking about what worked, what didn’t and what ideas they have for future projects. The students are highly engaged, learning lots from each other and getting great practice at reflective thinking and learning.
Digital Citizenship

Stalking in English Class: Clarence Fisher shares a creative lesson on Digital Footprint that he did with his English class. Student went online to find out as much as they could about a few Ed Tech Gurus. See what they learned from this activity.

Digital Literacy News April 29, 2011

2011-04-29T11:56:00.001-07:00

Mount Vernon Digital Literacy News

April 29, 2011

Digital Literacy Workshop

Digital Literacy Workshop will resume next school year. Stay tuned for more information about our new plan for workshops next year and about summer learning opportunities.

I will continue to be available for open lab from 2:30 to 4:00 on Mondays. Please let me know if you plan to come during that time.

Myself, and your DLCs are also available to help at other times as well.

Links to Explore

Technology Tools for Teaching and Learning about Identifying Similarities and Differences:
WolframAlpha: I’ve shared this before, but I love the idea of using this tool in the context of Identifying Similarities and Differences. The real power is in the queries asked and the observations that spur further queries. To get started, play with the suggested searched on the site. Here is some info on WolframAlpha.
Google Squared: This tool puts your searches into a matrix making it easy to compare. Again, play around with the examples given.
Wordle: Again, I have shared this before, but I like what you can do with Wordle or other Word Cloud Generators to look at two pieces of text and identify the similarities and differences. Check out my resources and ideas about Wordle.

Other Resources Shared This Week:
LoopScoops: PBS videos of the history of stuff.
10 Self Help Sites for Technology: Sites with tutorials on tech applications.
National Geographic Education Site: New site for teachers.

Powerful Thinking through Metaphors and Analogies

Analogy Activity shared by Ranae Meenderinck

This week Elementary Teachers involved in High Yield Teaching Strategies training explored the power of the strategy of identifying similarities and differences. I think that as teachers we are pretty good at using Venn diagrams and that in itself is a good tool. But I think what I learned through the training and my reflection is that there is great power in being able to organize and categorize our thoughts and language in many different ways. Being able to make connections and identify many different attributes helps us to explore and grow our thoughts. This type of thinking needs to become a part of our culture, not just a worksheet every now and then. We need to develop a life long culture of thinking in this way. Teachers seem to have a pretty good grasp on compare and contrast and classifying as activities. Metaphors and analogies seem to be best understood as a language activity and less as a thinking activity. All of these strategies would be much more powerful if practiced often in many different settings.
Yesterday, Ginger Lewman, a teacher in my PLN who teaches in Kansas shared a funny story. She was telling a corny joke to her students. “If April Showers bring May Flowers, What do May Flowers bring”. The punch line is supposed to be “pilgrims”, but one of her students made her day by responding with “Small Pox”. Now I am not sure where that fits in with Analogies and Metaphors, but it fits in somewhere. This student was able to think through this corny joke and make a pretty sophisticated connection. And, this student was able to do this on the fly. This was not a worksheet, or a teacher directed activity, this was just a fun conversation. It was apparent that this student had the skills of identifying similarities and differences down to a learning habit. They could think on their feet. Very fun to see.
Teachers in our district have been working really hard to incorporate and refine powerful teaching strategies in our classrooms. That is a great first step, but the real power is and will be when students start taking these learning strategies to heart and make them their own life long learning habits.

Video of the Week

I love the metaphors in this Ikea Commercial.

Tech Triumphs

I am thankful that our district sees the importance of tech professional development being tied directly to curriculum and high yield teaching strategies. It is exciting to get to work and share with teachers in their curriculum or focus area. It helps me have a good handle on what is going on throughout the district and how I can best serve as a resource and support. It also gives me the opportunity to share just in time resources and ideas that illuminate the transformative power of tech used intentionally to increase student learning and engagement.
Digital Citizenship

ATT Internet Safety Game
Dispelling Myths About Blocked Sites: Straight from the Department of Education

Digital Literacy News April 22, 2011

2011-04-22T11:06:00.001-07:00

Mount Vernon Digital Literacy News

April 22, 2011

Digital Literacy Workshop

Monday, April 25

Creative and Efficient Ways to Use Google Spreadsheets Forms : I will give an introduction to how Google Spreadsheets and Forms works and then we will explore lots of great ways to use them as an educator.

See a schedule for the year.

Open Lab: 2:30 - 5:00

Resource Instruction: 3:15 - 4:00
Monday Afternoons, District Office Tech Lab.

Clock Hours are available.

Links to Explore

Carbon Footprint Calculators:

Zero Footprint Kids Calculator

Consumer Consequences

Footprint Network

MyFootPrint

Games about the Environment:

ToxMystery

Environmental Intelligence Unit

EEko World

The Power of Green

Big Picture

Planet Environmental Mysteries in Peril

Happy Earth Day!

Since today is in fact, Earth Day, I am a little late at sharing a blog with resources for Earth Day. I have to admit, I’ve been in a bit of a sleep deprived state caring for one of the earth’s newest little critters lately. Meet our latest addition, Holden Thornburgh.

But, as they say, every day is Earth Day, so it is never too late to celebrate and help our students appreciate the beauty and abundance of our earth and learn about their impact and responsibility for caring for our planet. The best way to celebrate our Earth, is definitely, not sitting behind a computer screen. My hope for all of us, especially our students, is more opportunities to get out and explore in real time, the wonders of the earth. But since I’ve yet to figure out how Ms. Frizzle makes that Magic School Bus fly to the most amazing places, we can use technology as a way to explore worlds otherwise not accessible. The more we see, know and experience, the more we care.

Last week we talked about the 21st Century Skill of Collaboration. This theme of working together is very powerful when helping students to understand global ideas. By working with others in other areas, students gain a better understanding of how things fit together and how actions or conditions in one part of the world can greatly effect actions and conditions in other parts of the world. Many collaborative projects exist to help students better understand the big picture. Students track migration of animals and add to collaborative maps. Students plant and record data on when daffodils bloom in their area. Students hold video conferences to brainstorm ideas for solving real world problems. The list goes on and on about how connecting students, connects them to the world around them.

I am currently exploring a neat activity on Google Earth. Students “travel” to different bodies of water and then look at historical satellite shots to see how the bodies of water are beginning to disappear. Students use their observations and research to determine impact and brainstorm solutions. For Mount Vernon teachers and other teachers with access to AtomicLearning.com, this is one of the project based activities listed. This would be a great way to explore real world problems while learning valuable technology, geography and research skills. Check out some of the links to explore on the left for more ideas for helping students explore environmental issues.

Video of the Week

In honor of Earth Day, here is an interesting talk by Chris Jordan on Picturing Excess.

Tech Triumphs

Kudos to Heather Kendregan one of our ETAs. Heather is does an incredible job of researching new technology and resources and brainstorming. Her forward thinking and preparation are a great example of how our tech team works behind the scenes to try to help us have the best tools and resources for the job.

Digital Citizenship

The Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship: Lots of information about the different aspects of Digital Citizenship.

Digital Literacy News April 15, 2011

2011-04-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

Mount Vernon Digital Literacy News

April 15, 2011

Digital Literacy Workshop

Monday, April 18,

Quick and Easy Digital Story Telling Ideas. We
will share some simple ideas for going digital with student and class
stories and reports. These ideas can be done in a one computer
classroom working with your current curriculum.

Upcoming Digital Literacy Workshop:

Monday, April 25

Creative and Efficient Ways to Use Google Spreadsheets Forms : I will give an introduction to how Google Spreadsheets and Forms works and then we will explore lots of great ways to use them as an educator.

See a schedule for the year.

Open Lab: 2:30 - 5:00

Resource Instruction: 3:15 - 4:00
Monday Afternoons, District Office Tech Lab.

Clock Hours are available.

Links to Explore

Free Children’s Books Online: A great list of places to find books to read and to listen to free on the web.

ManyEyes: A Cool site for creating infographics. Great way to visualize data.
A Google A Day: Practice your search engine research skills by answering Google’s Google a Day Question.

Filters and Bans: Two Biggest Obstacles to Educational Innovation

Online Music Lessons: Quizzes, activities and other resources.

Collaborating in the 21st Century

photo © 2006 Chris Lott | more info (via: Wylio)
We continue to explore the 4 Cs of 21st Century Learning. As I stated in an earlier post, I hesitate to call any of these skills, 21st Century Skills because they are all skills that have been in the past and continue to be very important skills to have to be a successful citizen. I think that the difference is the way that technology has automated some of the other skills that used to perhaps take priority in importance and pushed these 4 Cs (Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Communication) to the forefront, where they actually now have added importance. These are some of the most essential skills needed to successfully participate in our global community.

The 21st Century Skills are not necessarily technology skills, but with technology we have opportunities to enhance and expand and transform these skills in powerful ways.

As educators, we are aware of the power of a well executed cooperative learning activity. Students are engaged in the activity, they are accountable for their learning and they learn from each other. Add technology to the mix and the learning opportunities multiply. With collaborative tools such as Google Docs, Skype, Wikis and more, groups of learners can work together and learn from each other and even the sky is not the limit. Students can conduct experiments, gather research, create art and music and much more as they work and learn with each other. Students can invite experts into the conversation, participate in world wide projects and more. I get excited at the possibilities just thinking about it.

So how do we get started harnessing the power of technology to increase collaboration?

1. I think that the first step is to start seeing computers as more than a “tool for learning that sits on a desktop”. Many teachers have students using computers only to practice skills through games or tutorials or perhaps for word processing or research. Computers are not only a connection to informational resources but they are also a connection to people. People including other students, experts and people with far different life experiences and talents to share.

2. Join in on projects that have already been created. Get your feet wet by participating in one of thousands of teacher created collaborative projects already in the works. By doing this, you can learn the framework and tools needed working with teachers already familiar with the process. There are many projects out there and most likely there are projects in the works that already fit right in with your curriculum needs.
One wonderful example is the Rock Our World Project started by teacher, Carol Anne McGuire. A group of students around the world created music together. Using Apple’s GarageBand, each country creates a 30 second drum beat. Every Friday, that drum rotates to another country, where the bass guitar is added. It keeps getting passed along, from country to country. At each stop, one more instrument is added. When it comes back to the original country, it has touched students from all over the world!

Check out some other project ideas and places to find projects here.

3. Once you feel comfortable participating in projects with others, you will find that both you and your students will start to see the classroom walls fading. As you learn and question, both you and the students will start to seek answers beyond the classroom walls. Your planning will include Skyping in an expert or collecting and analyzing scientific data using a Google Doc or a Wiki with other students in the district. Even within the classroom, you will see students using the same tools to work together in class and at home.

By cultivating and growing these skills and attitudes in your class, you are creating life long learners who will know how to successfully work and learn with each other to create solutions.

Video of the Week

I love TedTalks. If you haven’t checked out Ted Talks before I encourage you to do so. These talks are all about creative solutions and innovation. How to solve the worlds problems. You are sure to learn and be inspired. I ran a cross a short clip this week of a teacher, Anne Marie Thomas sharing a great idea about teaching electricity to young students. I can’t wait to play with this “Squishy Science” myself.

Tech Triumphs

Thank a DLC!

This week our Digital Literacy Coaches met together in our PLC (Professional Learning Community). It is always wonderful to get together and share ideas and come up with solutions. We all have so much to learn from each other. It was encouraging to hear the creative ideas and tech integration that they see happening in their buildings. It is also great to hear of the creative ways they are supporting other teachers. Please make the opportunity this week to Thank a DLC.

Digital Citizenship

Copyright is always one of those muddy issues when we wade through what is “Fair Use” for education and what is actually not allowed. Hall Davidson shares a handy dandy Cheat Sheet that spells out some of the issues that we are either not aware of or might not be clear on. As teachers, we tend to think that if we are using it for educational purposes it is ok. We as teachers need to be teaching and modeling correct behaviour in this area. YouTube just put up a video this week explaining a bit about copyright and how that works on YouTube.

Digital Literacy News April 1, 2011

2011-04-01T09:19:00.001-07:00

Mount Vernon Digital Literacy News

April 1, 2011

Digital Literacy Workshop

Monday,
Workshop: Open Lab
Monday, April 11,
No Workshop: But there will be an open lab. You are welcome to come and work on projects and get help with tech and integration questions.

Monday, April 18

Quick and Easy Digital Story Telling Ideas. We will share some simple ideas for going digital with student and class stories and reports. These ideas can be done in a one computer classroom working with your current curriculum.

See a schedule for the year.

Open Lab: 2:30 - 5:00

Resource Instruction: 3:15 - 4:00
Monday Afternoons, District Office Tech Lab.

Clock Hours are available.

Links to Explore

Noun Project: Great resource for non-linguistic representation.
Mirriam’s Magical Moments: Love this blog by a young girl. In her last post, while she was in Hawaii, she used Step Up to Writing to write her blog
Fakebook: From Classtools.net. A template for creating a fake facebook page. Great way to do a report about a famous person or event. .
Kid’s Magnetic Poetry: Online “magnetic” poetry for kids.
Woodlands Math Games: Interactive Math activities for students.
Bitesize Science: Neat interactives for primary Science exploration.

Creativity: Beyond the Standards

photo © 2010 Chase Freeflyer | more info (via: Wylio)

I’ve never liked words like systematic, standard, schedule. All too confining for me. I prefer words like creative, innovative, and spontaneous. I crave to step outside of the box and do things in different ways. But, as you know standards are the big focus right now. And even though I’ve been reading blog post that say “Standards Are Crap” and watching Yang Zhao explain the pitfalls of standardized test, I have come to the realization that the standards themselves, when viewed for what they really are, are not such a bad thing.

Standards are building blocks. Standards map out a plan for students to achieve basic skills and understanding that they need in order to make connections and to move forward. Students need to know and understand the standard content. But it is important to understand and act on the fact as teachers, that standards are not a destination. Meeting the standards gets everyone to the same place, educators who focus on standards as if they were the destination do not prepare students for the competitive global community. It was imperative that the Wright Brothers have a strong understanding of the Physics “standards” in order to develop the first successful airplanes. But standards alone did not get them to their destination. Creativity and Innovation, lots of “I wonder” and “What if” and “Let’s try something new” is what led to the development of the airplane. (Not to mention a great deal of perseverance.) As I mentioned in my post last week, Creativity is being touted as a 21st Century Skill. But in reality, it has always been a skill that was necessary in moving forward in any time period. As we work to help our students master the standards at hand, we should do so in an atmosphere that encourages creativity and innovation. We should work to develop the attitudes of life long learning and innovation. Students should never feel that they have arrived, that there is nothing new to explore, manipulate, or discover. Students should have opportunities to create new meaning and understanding throughout the learning process. Not only after they have met the standard. As Dr. Yang Zhao shares in the video below, creativity and innovation have always been the strength of the US. What makes us great is not that we are all capable of doing the same thing, but that we think beyond the standard and solve problems and develop new ideas.

The digital tools that we now have give us many opportunities to nurture creativity.

Sandbox: Digital technology is a great sandbox for learning. Online simulations, design tools and editing tools give opportunities for trying out lots of ideas and angles. Whether writing, investigating scientific properties or creating a piece of visual or performing art ,it is easy to to edit, start over and try new things on a digital palette. No fuss, no muss. It is amazing to think how far the creation of new products such as airplanes and cars goes before it ever makes it beyond a computer screen. Students can use simulations to try and tweak things over and over before getting them just right. Often discovering new ways to do things along the way.

The Wisdom of the Crowds: Another way that digital technology can encourage and enhance creativity is through opportunities to share and learn from others. More and more the power is not in what you know, but what you share with others. There are many great examples on YouTube where one musician will share a piece of music they have created. Others will see this and add to and tweak, making different compositions or improving on the original. This type of collaboration, building on each other’s ideas takes us much farther than each person reading the same “how to” book. This idea is replicated in other arts, science, literature and even math. We are learning from each other and building creative and innovative ideas.

In next week’s blog post, I will share more ideas about the skill of collaboration and share some ways that this skill can be enhanced by technology.

Be sure to check this blog each week for the links on the left and also check out the resources on my Digital Literacy Workshop site to get more ideas for encouraging creativity and innovation as part of the learning process.
Video of the Week

Teachers who attended the Northwest Council for Computer Education conference in Portland had the opportunity to be inspired and challenged by Dr. Yang Zhao. Here is a video clip sharing some of his ideas on preparing our students to compete in a global workplace.

No Child Left Behind and Global Competitiveness from New Learning Institute on Vimeo.

Tech Triumphs

We have several teachers putting in the extra effort of applying for the Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century Learning Grant. This is a great opportunity for the teachers who are awarded the grant, their students, their colleagues and our schools in general. We appreciate your effort to continue to model new learning.

Digital Citizenship

Internet Safety Videos : This is a collection of several videos found on the Internet about Internet safety and digital citizenship.

Digital Literacy News March 25, 2011

2011-03-25T11:38:00.001-07:00

Mount Vernon Digital Literacy News

March 25, 2011

Digital Literacy Workshop

Monday, March 28,
Quick and Easy Digital Story Telling Ideas. We will share some simple ideas for going digital with student and class stories and reports. These ideas can be done in a one computer classroom working with your current curriculum.

Upcoming Digital Literacy Workshop: Open Lab
Monday, April 11,
No Workshop: But there will be an open lab. You are welcome to come and work on projects and get help with tech and integration questions.

Monday, April 18,
Using video in the classroom.

See a schedule for the year.

Open Lab: 2:30 - 5:00

Resource Instruction: 3:15 - 4:00
Monday Afternoons, District Office Tech Lab.

Clock Hours are available.

Links to Explore

Talking History : New audio broadcast each week sharing a moment in history. Great ways to start conversations.

Corkboard.me : Another neat tool to use for online brainstorming and organization of ideas.

Maplandia: A list of cool places to visit in Google Earth

Web 2.0 For Today’s Teachers: Lots of great resources shared, using lots of other neat resources.

Into the Book: Great site for comprehension strategies in primary grades.

CNN Student News: Quick recap of news. Good discussion starter

Japan Resources: A list of resources from Larry Ferlazzo..

3Rs and 4Cs

photo © 2007 Mykl Roventine | more info (via: Wylio)
I remember it well. From a high rise apartment building looking out over the huge city of Bangkok, Erik and I rang in the new year watching to see what would happen with Y2K and wondering what the new century would bring. The fireworks went off, the lights stayed on and life kept coming. That was over eleven years ago and in many ways, we are still talking about the 21st Century as if it is something we are still preparing for, as if it is still out there in the future. But the reality is, we are already over a tenth of the way through the 21st Century. How are we meeting the needs and challenges of teaching in the 21st Century now that we are firmly planted in the 21st Century?

There is much talk about 21st Century Skills and the importance of preparing our students for the quickly changing world that we now live in. Some of these 21st Century skills, known as the 4Cs are added to our traditional 3Rs to enhance education and prepare our students to participate in a global community.

The 4 Cs are Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity and Innovation. Although often considered “21st Century Skills” and often paired with technology, there is nothing new about these skills or about their importance in effective education. Helping students develop these skills has always led to a better educated students who are more prepared for the world around them. The difference now seems to be about priorities. The 4Cs have now taken priority over some of the more “rote” skills that were priority in the past. Computers can do our rote thinking for us. If you can Google it, do you really need to hire someone to do it? We need innovators, problem solvers, communicators, creators, and collaborators to be successful in the present and in our future. These skills need to explicitly taught and practiced just like the 3Rs and in fact, in alignment with the 3Rs. Our focus in Reading, Math and Writing as well as other core subjects should be to grow students who can think, communicate, collaborate and create.

I plan to focus on these 4Cs and how teachers can work to align these skills with the 3Rs in my next several blog posts. I would love to hear ideas from you about how you are helping prepare your students to be successful global citizens.

Video of the Week

Creativity in the Classroom:

Tech Triumphs

Greg Doud, Social Studies teacher at LaVenture is one of our star innovators. Greg is always trying out new ideas and technology with his students. He has great skill in aligning the tech with the learning objectives. His latest adventure has been in podcasting. Greg is using an online (free) program called Aviary to have his students create Presidential Podcasts. Check out his wiki here. We are having some trouble with the embedded player, but in the mean time, if you open in Aviary you can play it through the video editor. (This will give you a chance to explore Aviary.) Here is a sample of the many podcast available on his site.
Listen!

Digital Citizenship

I like that this video shares so many positive uses for technology but still encourages kids to be safe online. Nice one to share with younger students.

Digital Literacy News March 18, 2011

2011-03-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

Mount Vernon Digital Literacy News

March 18, 2011

Digital Literacy Workshop

Monday, March 21,
Grant Writing: Join us and get some tips for writing the TL21 grant. We will go through the application and share tips for writing a successful application. Depending on the audience and time, we may also look at some different mini grants and opportunities. Check out the information about the TL21 Grant. (Applications due April 11.)
Upcoming Digital Literacy Workshop:
Monday, March 28,
Quick and Easy Digital Story Telling Ideas. We will share some simple ideas for going digital with student and class stories and reports. These ideas can be done in a one computer classroom working with your current curriculum.
See a schedule for the year.
Open Lab: 2:30 - 5:00
Resource Instruction: 3:15 - 4:00
Monday Afternoons, District Office Tech Lab.
Clock Hours are available.
Links to Explore

iPad Workhop: Right here in Mount Vernon. New iPad included in registration.
Vernier Science Probes: $10,000 Grant Opportunity
21 Lessons: 21 Tools: Presentation resources by Dennis Grice and Chad Lehman. Practical ideas for each tool.
The Power of Social Media: Amazing realtime ticker of what is happening with Social Media.
KATE resources: Tutorials for teachers on how to use common computer applications like Excel and PowerPoint.

Beyond Blah, Blah, Blah
We all know Charlie Brown and his teacher. When Charlie and his buddies were sitting in class, the teacher's words just seemed like jibberish. Of course everything we choose to say in class is highly engaging and we never sound like this teacher. :) But helping students connect words to other non-linguistic representations can add great understanding, retention and engagement to lessons.

Not only is it important that we as educators design lessons that use color, movement, pictures, mental images, graphic organizers and models to deepen understanding with our students, it is also very powerful to teach students to learn to use non-linguistic means to build and expand on their own understanding.

We can build this skill by modeling this type of learning with our students and then reflecting on the process. Non-Linguistic Representation does not just mean drawing pictures. Students and teachers need to reflect on how and which methods help them to build understanding. With a knowledge of what works for them, students are more likely to develop the use of these methods in their individual learning and also to advocate for this type of teaching when they are in class. I know that I always celebrated when a student could come and articulate to me, something that he needed in order to be successful. “Mrs. Thornburgh, please don’t give me so many steps in a row. I do better focusing on one step at a time.” Or “Mrs. Thornburgh, can I draw a picture to show you what I meant?” When we have students reflecting on their thinking and learning, they start to self choose what works for them.

Using Non-Linguistic Representations can be as easy as having students create a mind movie so that they learn to “see the words”. Or using stick figures to show steps in a process. Having students act out a word or concept is also a great way to expand understanding. There are many digital media tools that see and better understand concepts they are learning.

Annette Lamb, professor at Indiana University, shares many powerful ways to use visual images to promote deeper questions and inquiry. Check out her resources on Graphic Inquiry. Just starting with a picture or a video clip adds rich connections to concept for students. Having students create simple videos showing process, or defining words adds great retention for understanding. I notice this everywhere I go now. When we have a story to tell, we pull out our digital camera or phone so that we can add pictures and videos to our stories. Giving students opportunities to extend their words in this way makes for powerful learning.
I share on my Digital Literacy Workshop site, more information on the research behind using Non-Linguistic Representations and resources you can use to enhance your instruction with digital tools.

Video of the Week

Talk to the Hand: I shared this clever video created by an elementary art teacher and her students at our High Yield Teaching Strategies training on Non-Linguistic Representations. A great reminder about how important it is for teachers to use not only linguistic cues, but other cues as well.
Show of Hands from Tricia Fuglestad on Vimeo.

Show of Hands from Tricia Fuglestad on Vimeo.
Tech Triumphs

Those of you who have been to my workshops or follow my blog know that I am a big proponent of the power of sharing. Teachers throughout our district are finding ways to share the load. Here is one example. Yesterday, I was attending a PLC with 2nd grade teachers at Centennial. They were sharing with me a great resource for teaching reading vocabulary. This resource was created and shared by Liz Johnson, second grade teacher at Lincoln. I know that Liz put a lot of work into creating this, but I know with the spirit of sharing, other teachers will reciprocate with other great resources and we will all be the richer. Thanks to those of you who create and share with others. I am so thankful for the many, many resources and ideas that have been shared with me from my global professional network and that I in turn, can share with you. There truly is power in sharing.

Digital Citizenship

A Trip to Canby, Oregon

2011-03-02T20:34:00.000-08:00

I had a great visit to the Canby School District today. I joined educators from the Methow Valley and Meridian, Idaho who were interested like me in the great results the Canby School District is having in using mobile devices such as iPods and iPads in innovative ways. We had the opportunity to visit classrooms at two elementary schools. What I saw was lots of student engagement and curiosity about learning. I saw teachers excited about trying new things and students who were working at their own pace and independently moving forward. Students were collaborating with each other and sharing ideas and resources. Teachers had created digital kits using ePub. Students had all the rich media resources to support their learning goals.

Joe Morelock, who has the great title of Director of Technology and Innovation, shared his passion with us about encouraging teachers and students to be innovators in their teaching and learning. Even with budget cuts, they find ways to support teachers who are thinking of innovative ways to engage all students and close the achievement gap.

Morelock cites the study of the 30,000,000 Word gap that exists between middle income students and low income students by the age of 3. This gap is what prompted the district to look for a way to increase the word knowledge of low income students. They started by creating listening stations that could be taken home. Students and their families were exposed to an increased vocabulary through rich literature. This project was so successful that they began to look for other ways to use these hand held devices. Teachers started using the iPods to have students record and self correct their own reading. Their fluency increased at great speed. The evidence continues to pour in that when these tools are used effectively, they can be very powerful in increasing student achievement.

The district has created a very informative wiki with hints and tips for using the mobile technology in class including the apps they like the best, purchasing and set up information and research data.

It is exciting to see what can happen when students have access to this type of learning opportunity. Great teachers with innovative ideas and multi functional tools mean endless possibilities for learning.

Canby IPod Users Wiki

Portland Tech Trip Day 1

2011-03-02T07:01:00.000-08:00

Trying out iPadio on my Android as a tool for podcasting and recording audio. Here is a quick recap from my learning yesterday.

Washington State Draft Educational Technology Assessments
Google Doc Word Cloud Gadget
Canby iPod Project

Digital Literacy News 2-27-11

2011-02-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

Digital Literacy Workshop

No Digital Literacy Workshop Monday, February 28 due to conflict in schedule.

Monday, March 7,
NCCE News: Fresh back from a week of conferences and connecting with other educators, I will share some new stuff I learned at the Northwest Conference for Computing Educators.

Upcoming Digital Literacy Workshop:
Monday, March 14,
Building a Better Blog

See a schedule for the year.

Open Lab: 2:30 - 5:00

Resource Instruction: 3:15 - 4:00
Monday Afternoons, District Office Tech Lab.

Clock Hours are available.

Links to Explore

Grants and Contests: Build your knowledge and tool set. :

Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century Grant: The TL21 grant program is a two-year course of professional development designed for educators who want to learn how to enrich highly effective instructional strategies with technology. The program is structured with two strands – hands-on training that develops strong proficiencies with digital technologies, and the study and practice of instructional strategies that integrate technology into standards-based curricula.

Innovative Education Forum: Share your innovative project ideas for developing 21st Century Learners. You could be chosen to present at a conference at Microsoft and go on to present in Washington DC.
Landscapes Across America: Share your local ecosystem on a video and be entered into a contest to win prizes including a $5000 grant for your classroom.

Quest for Curiosity: Students take a quest through Discovery Streaming materials and answer questions to be entered into a contest for various prizes.

Young Scientist Challenge : Students create a short video sharing how they would use science to solve a real world problem.

Watch This Space

Social Networks are useful for more than proclaiming to the world that you just ate a peanut butter sandwich or for playing Farmville. Social Networks can be great tools for sharing and gathering information with your friends and colleagues. I dipped my toe into social networking several years ago when I saw the power of building a Professional Learning Network that encompassed a talented pool of educators from around the world. For the past several years, some of my very best professional development has come via social networking.

This week, myself and 10 others from our district will be heading to Portland join other educators from around the region in a great time of learning and making connections at NCCE (Northwest Council for Computer Education.) This is one of my favorite conferences to attend. Not necessarily because of the tech, but because of the concentration of inspiring, creative and innovative teachers I meet and learn from at the conference. I am sure that this year will be the same.

Conferences are beginning to change. Social Networking is allowing new ways for educators to connect and learn both at the conference and beyond. NCCE is the only tech conference that I am attending in person this year, but I have had the opportunity to “virtually” attend several other conferences through the wonders of Social Networking. I have followed other’s tweets as they have shared notes during sessions, I have participated in back channel conversations, I have watched live streaming presentations, I have taken advantage of others conference gems through wikis and blogs. My PLN is wonderful and provides me with a steady list of new resources and ideas. Which I in turn, try to share with you. The real power is in sharing what you know and create with others.

This week at NCCE, I have been asked to make a special effort to utilize social networks to share the NCCE experience with others. I will be blogging right here, I will also be Tweeting, updating to Facebook, sharing videos on YouTube, and photos on Flickr. I am going to be experimenting with some different tools and will share with those as well.

So, stayed tuned and watch this space for a growing resource of information and inspiration from NCCE.

To find out more information about how to build a Professional Learning Network using Social Networking tools, check out the session that Colette Casseneli and presented last year at NCCE.

To virtually follow what is happening at the conference, revisit this blog for updates. On this blog, you will find streaming Tweets from the conference, photos, videos and more.

Also check out the NCCE Conference Wiki : On the wiki you can find session handouts and even recorded videos of some of the sessions.
Follow NCCE_EdTech on Twitter
Like NCCE Connect on Facebook
Search for posts about NCCE using the hashtag #NCCE2011

Video of the Week

The Future of Media

This video by Chris Brogan shares his ideas about the Future of Media. These ideas are exciting and I think prompt us as educators to consider digital media literacy as an important skill that our students must have to be good communicators in the future. I would love to hear your ideas about how these ideas could be expanded in the classroom.

Tech Triumphs

Teachers in our Summit Grant High Yield Teaching Strategies workshops are trying lots of different tech tools both in their classrooms and in sharing their learning with other teachers. Here is a fun video created by the high school team to share a review about Cooperative Learning. Thanks Ryan Beatty for sharing this.

Digital Citizenship

11 Resources for Teaching and Learning Web Safety.

Compiled by Richard Byrne at Free Technology for Teachers

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Digital Literacy News 2-11-11

2011-02-10T23:12:00.001-08:00

Mount Vernon Digital Literacy News

February 11, 2011

Digital Literacy Workshop

Monday, February 14,
Search and Research Tools
Come learn about some different search tools and techniques with tools you already use. Also find out about tools students can use to organize their research online.

Upcoming Digital Literacy Workshop:
Monday, February 21 ,
Collaboration Tools: We will look at some ways students and teachers can collaborate locally and around the world.

See a schedule for the year.

Open Lab: 2:30 - 5:00

Resource Instruction: 3:15 - 4:00
Monday Afternoons, District Office Tech Lab.

Clock Hours are available.

Links to Explore

School Lunches from Around the World : See how American School lunches compare to lunches in other parts of the world.

Awesome Stories: A collection of videos, primary sources and other media about different topics.

Draw Island : A tool for creating drawings and animated gifs online.

Bag the Web: A curating tool for organizing information found online.

Google Body Browser : Explore the human body in a searchable and layered format. Only works in updated browsers.

ArtProject by Google: Explore pieces of art and visit art museums using Street View technology.

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

photo © 2006 Brian | more info (via: Wylio)

Greetings from Bremerton, Washington, where myself and a great team of educators is working on range finding for Classroom Based Assessments in Technology. This work is in its second year and I have learned so much through the process. This team has worked to create classroom based assessments. Most of the assessments created have been coupled with already existing CBAs in other subjects. Our charge has been to create project based assessments based on our state tech standards to help measure proficiency in the technology standards.

This week we are looking at work done by students field testing our assessments. Our job has been to do range finding to see if we have a strong rubric and can find anchor papers to share with teachers and students as this rolls out.

As I said, throughout this process, I have learned so much. This week is no different. Some thoughts have really crystallized this week about the place of standardised testing in the learning process.

As we have built these assessments, we have worked to make them a valuable instrument, worthy of student time and effort. The assessments are standards based, and involve active project based learning to answer essential questions, synthesize information and create original products. Measuring student growth and proficiency is an important part of the learning and teaching process and I feel that these assessments have been created to make the learning and assessment as authentic as possible. But even with these efforts, It is becoming very clear to me that with any standardised assessment, there are limitations.

In the process of creating these assessments, we have had to think carefully about what can and can not be measured objectively with this type of instrument. For instance, collaboration is an important component in the tech standards, but it is difficult to measure individual students independently of each other on standards dealing with collaboration. So, although we are expected to teach collaboration, we are not assessing for collaboration.

This realization that standardised tests can not assess all of the standards, but only the standards that can easily be measured using this type of tool, was really brought home to me.

I’ve heard educators say that it is ok to teach to the test when the test is based on standards. I have even used the model of backwards planning that starts with the standards based assessment and then lessons are planned in a way to make sure that students will be successful on that assessment. (Teach to the test.) I often hear teachers tell me that the reason that they don’t spend time teaching technology skills, art, or social studies etc. is because those areas are not a part of the high stakes test. It is easy for us to see that we are leaving something out when we do not teach these subjects, but we feel that we must spend all of our time teaching what will be assessed on the high stakes test.

What this process of creating assessments has taught me is that, even on the high stakes tests, only the standards and types of questions that fit the format and can be easily measured are tested. This leaves out important building block information that is in the standards and is intended to be taught even though it is not tested.

If we focus on just teaching what is tested, we are doing a great disservice to our students. We may know that our backward planning should start with the standards and not the assessment, but we need to not be led down the path of least resistance and just teach those items that will be measured on a standardised test.

Although standardised test are one measure and can be a tool to improve learning and teaching. They are only one piece of the puzzle and should not be considered the ultimate indicator of student achievement. Teaching just what can be measured easily on a standardized test is detrimental to learning.

Find out more about Washington State Educational Technology Classroom Based Asseessments.

Video of the Week

We’ve come a long way in the last 16 years.

Tech Triumphs

I enjoyed visiting Lisa Condran’s high tech 3rd grade class this week. It was great to see how comfortable and competent her students were at logging on and finding appropriate sites to use in their learning. It is obvious that Lisa put some time in earlier in the year to teach her students these skills and also organize information in a format that is easy for her students to access. In Lisa’s class, technology is becoming ubiquitous. Technology is a tool for learning and not an add on.

Digital Citizenship

A Powerful Video about the dangers of texting while driving.

Digital Literacy News 2-4-11

2011-02-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

Digital Literacy Workshop

Monday, February 7,
Google Tools: There is always something new at Google. Or new ways teachers are finding to use existing Google Tools. We will explore some new tools and different uses for tools you may already know about.

Upcoming Digital Literacy Workshop:
Monday, February 14,
Search and Research Tools:
We will take a look at different tools for searching and researching, how to get the most out of your searches and how to organize the information found.

See a schedule for the year.

Open Lab: 2:30 - 5:00

Resource Instruction: 3:15 - 4:00
Monday Afternoons, District Office Tech Lab.

Clock Hours are available.

Links to Explore

Qwiki.com : Do a search for Mount Vernon, or dolphins. See what comes up. Listen. Newish search engine that provides visual, written and audio snapshots. It is still gathering content, so not the perfect search engine yet, but very cool to try and see the amazing things it can already do. Be sure to use your speakers. It talks to you.

UJam: Learned about this tool while watching a live presentation from Steve Dembo at FETC yesterday. Can’t report on the educational value yet, but can’t wait to play and give it a try.

JayCut.com: I think that I have shared this before, but it is worth another mention. It is an online video editor. Perfect for converting those Flip Camera files into something readable. It even has a green screen feature. Very robust for free and no install.

Other Ways to Get and See Your News:

Newscred: Create your own newspaper in less than 60 seconds.

Newseum: See frontpage news from around the world.

Paper.li: Read Twitter and Facebook feeds as a daily newspaper. Sounds trivial, but think of how we are sharing our news with the world now. Stories get broken on Twitter every day.

Just the Facts! The News You Want to Know

Photo by Roswellsgirl

My dad loves newspapers. He reads every last word. He’s been known to read the newspaper used for packaging in boxes. If he is in a new town, he must get the local paper. He has two small town papers mailed to him regularly. He mourned the day that his town stopped distributing the Dallas and Houston papers. The Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel is just not big enough to keep him busy. My dad also, will not touch a computer. He claims that it is my mom’s domain and she doesn’t want him to mess things up. Excuses, excuses. My mom is very generous and far from frightening. The last time I was in town, I made a proposal that actually peaked his interest in using technology. At the time, I was exploring the idea of getting him a Kindle and subscribing to the Dallas Morning News so that he could read the papers he is really interested in reading. (in my research, I found that this papers does not offer a Kindle edition.) My dad also has issues with his vision. He thought that being able to actually hold the technology and tilt it for a better view might work for him. I showed him a book on my iPod Touch. He thought that was great. If he could get his news, all the news he wanted in this way. He just might be interested in entering the 21st century as far as using technology. I’m still not sure he is ready to give up the crinkle of the paper, the smell of the ink, etc. But his need to know and his need to read might just win him over. His birthday coincides with the launch of the second generation iPad... hmmm... something to consider.

Our newspapers stack up during the week and actually get read by my husband on the weekend. I am finding more and more that I get my news online. I follow our local newspaper, the Skagit Valley Herald on Twitter. I can see when there is a breaking story and I can go to the website and read further. I have a news feed on my iGoogle page so I can scan top stories throughout the day. Rarely do I feel I have time to sit down and read the whole newspaper. In doing this, I know I miss out on the news I didn’t know I wanted to know, but maybe I did... :) . Luckily, my husband is great about asking me if I know kids mentioned in the paper and such, so I rarely miss stories about my wonderful students.

The news industry is changing just as media in general is changing. We pick and choose and design what we want to listen to, watch and read. No longer do we go out and buy a CD with one favorite song and 9 others we don’t really care about. We go to iTunes or Amazon and just purchase the songs we want and create a play list. We create our own radio stations with Pandora and we listen to podcasts instead of live radio. We are also not tied to content on TV. We use DVRs, Roku Players, Netflix and Hulu to pick and choose our content. We can do the same with our news using your choice of methods and aggregators. With these aggregators, we are able to take all of the content we are interested in and put in one central place for easy consumption. I personally, use iGoogle as a homepage and have widgets with feeds to information I am interested in. iGoogle also helps keep me organized by housing my frequent bookmarks, my calendar and my mail accounts. I use Google Reader to collect blogposts, podcasts, and other items of interest. There are some pretty slick ways to get organize your news online. Here are a few I have found.

Newser.com: Choose the type of news you would like to read. Your options are a sliding scale from soft to hard news and whether or not you want local news. News is aggregated from a variety of sources. You can choose another date and view the news from that day.

Newsmap.jp Customize and look at news from around the world. You can choose a different country and see how the news is being reported there. Interesting.

Google News: Highly customize the news you want to see. Updates can be pushed to you by email, or added to your iGoogle page.

Google Alerts: Have Google send you an email whenever your topic is mentioned on the web. (This is good for things like your name or school. Something very specific or you will be getting LOTS of mail.)

News Timeline: See your news in timeline fashion. Great for research on historical events.

Mapeas: See real time news on a world map.

Video of the Week

I found this video really interesting. Not really focused on education, but I see a lot of correlations. The text goes by pretty fast, but it leaves you some things to think about. Most of us thrive on being creative, but things often get in our way.

My Anti-Creativity Checklist from Youngme Moon on Vimeo.

Tech Triumphs

Usually I highlight a person here, but today, I am highlighting an idea. This has been the week of the webinar for me. I had the opportunity to attend a webinar on grading with Ken O’Connor author of Grading To Learn. I also was able to attend a state wide EdTech Round Table on Assisted Technology without even leaving my desk. The giant Florida Educational Technology Conference was going on in Florida this week. I was able to join in on some of the sessions via LiveStream and participate in learning with my Professional Learning Network via the chat room. Although, I was able to attend all of these events in real time, they are also archived for those who are unavailable at the time of the conference. This idea of being able to learn any time, any where is pretty exciting. I look forward to exploring these opportunities with teachers in my district.

Digital Citizenship
OSPI Internet Safety Center : OSPI has created a nice publication to share with student and parents about internet safety. It is available in a variety of languages including English, Spanish, Russian and Ukrainian. This would be a nice resource to have available at OpenHouse, or conferences.

What's It Like to Be Me?

2011-01-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

Photo by Roswellsgirl

I was recently asked to be on an advisory board at the University of Washington. This board is looking into the possibility of developing a certificate course or other type of advanced training for educators who hold similar positions or responsibilities to those of my responsibilities. As a part of this process, I have been asked many questions about just exactly what it is like to be in my position.

I am a teacher on special assignment charged with providing professional development and supporting educators in using technology in ways that amplify student learning.
I am one person, supporting a district of 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools and 1 high school. I work hand in hand with the Teaching and Learning Department in our district which is a great fit because all that I do should support teaching and learning. I am lucky enough to have dedicated teachers in each building who have taken on the role of Digital Literacy Coach at their sites. They are the local cheerleaders who work to model effective use and inspire others to try innovative ideas and gently nudge those who are a bit resistant. Although I get many questions about hardware and software support, I try to communicate these issues with our IS staff and let them handle the support issues with the “stuff”. But, of course these lines are often blurred, when it becomes important for me to be the educator voice that helps the IS staff not only see the technical implications, but also the educational implications. I also, often find my self sharing the tech implications with teachers. In addition to being the connection between teachers and IS staff, I also find myself being the connection between district policies and plans and the classroom teacher. Being out of the classroom for the last 3 years and in the position of trying to help make a bigger system work efficiently, has helped me to see the big picture pieces that myself and other classroom teachers, when we are rightly focused on our own classrooms and students, often miss. What seems best for one individual teacher, might actually cause disruption or delay for many others.

There are many things I love about my job. I love those big picture pieces. I get to see and talk to teachers and students across the district. I am involved in learning initiatives across the curriculum and across grade levels. I get to see how the pieces fit together. How we move from one place to the next. I love that I get to experiment and try new things. I get to spend time researching and developing new ideas. I love that I truly get to be a learner every day. I love that I get to share with others. I love that I get to share how powerful sharing can be with others. I get to dream.

As with any job, there are also things that I wish could be different or are not that fun or pleasant. Although most people would agree, that students and teachers need to be developing 21st Century skills in order to live and work in our society. Unfortunately, as schools we are struggling with so many mandates to do things in a certain way. Money, time and effort are funneled in to what is being tested and measured. Even though my focus for support and resources revolves around tools, resources and skills that can be used to enhance student learning in literacy, math, science, etc. and the district sees the value in my position, it is still very difficult to get people on board. Technology, for the most part is looked at as “one more thing” in a schedule where there is definitely not time for “one more thing.” Not only do teachers feel that they do not have the time to learn to utilize these tools and resources in their classrooms, they also don’t feel that they have “permission” to “teach outside the box”. I have a hard time helping teachers see ways that tech is not an extra, or a supplement. Because of this, I dutifully plan and prepare workshops, blogs, podcasts, tutorials etc. weekly. I jump at every chance to provide ideas and resources when asked. But, when I look at the numbers, I feel like very few are taking the time (or feel able to take the time) to take advantage of the resources I provide. Imagine prepping and planning for your class each day but not knowing if any students are going to show up or who those students might be. It can get discouraging. The other thing that makes my job difficult is the fact that I spend my time connecting with other educators across the world and I see snapshots of how technology is transforming learning in many ways. I get excited about the possibilities, but then I have to be tethered back to earth with ties of lack of funds, lack of time, lack of interest, restrictions to the technology we have etc. I guess that if I wasn’t aware of all the truly inspiring things going on all around me, I wouldn’t be so frustrated at the slowness in which we are moving forward.

I really do love my job, and I love the fact that my mentors and inspiration come not only from teachers in our own district but from educators in all parts of the world. The teachers in our district are so dedicated and hard working. I am sad that so many of them feel the need to apologize each time they see me. “Hi Martha, I’ve been meaning to come to your classes, but I just can’t find the time.” Hi, Martha, I haven’t had a chance to read your blog, but I am saving the link and planning to read it when I retire.” Etc. A common theme is to blame the administration for such things. But I actually feel very supported by our administration. It seems to be a bigger issue. As a district we are growing, improving, working harder than ever to meet the diverse needs of our student population. As we do so, there are so many areas of urgency. Although time and a birds eye view might help us be able to put all the pieces together and come up with some pretty exciting solutions, we lack that luxury of time or the opportunity for seeing things in new ways.

I will continue to look for new ways to support learning opportunities for students and teachers and be as faithful as possible at sharing my birds eye view with all who feel they have time and energy to listen and learn something new.

Digital Literacy News 01-21-11

2011-01-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

Mount Vernon Digital Literacy News

January 21, 2011

Digital Literacy Workshop

Monday, January 24,
Using Digital Maps across the curriculum. We will share a variety of tools, resources and examples for using, and creating different types of maps that can be used in many different curriculum areas.

Upcoming Digital Literacy Workshop:
Monday, February 7 ,
Google Tools: We will explore new tools and new ideas for not so new tools from Google.

See a schedule for the year.

Open Lab: 2:30 - 5:00

Resource Instruction: 3:15 - 4:00
Monday Afternoons, District Office Tech Lab.

Clock Hours are available.

Links to Explore

QR Code Readers:
This one works with PCs and Webcams

i-nigma Reader for iPhones and iPods

QuickMark for Android Phones

Creating a Code:
Kawya Code Generator

Ideas for Classroom Use:
2011: The Year of the QR Code

QR Codes in Education (PREZI )

Interesting Ways to Use QR Codes in the Classroom

ISTE: Using QR Codes in Education

Are you Q-Ring?

I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about QR Codes lately. Jeff Utecht, Washingtonian Educator, Consultant and Author currently working in Thailand, proclaimed 2011, The Year of the QR Code. From the little I had heard, it sounded interesting, but a bit pie in the sky. I had to get my head around how we could actually make it work in our classrooms. I was further spurred to explore after a conversation with Elise Mueller, one of my Qwest and Peer Coach buddies from Bellingham. She and I were brainstorming ideas of how students in her 5th grade class could team with Kindergartners with iPod Touches to do a QR Code project. I started digging in and asking my Professional Learning Network for ideas. Wow! There is a lot of interest in these 3-D codes in education.

So first of all, a little explanation about what QR Codes are. You’ve probably seen them, even if you didn’t know what you were looking at. QR or Quick Response Codes are 3-D Bar Codes, a much more sophisticated barcode than the ones currently on most of the items we purchase. Because it can be scanned in more than one direction, it can hold a lot of information. When the code is scanned, it can direct you to a web address, map, audio file, video, email and more. Companies are using these codes in advertising to direct people to more information about their product. The most common use is to direct mobile customers to more content on their Smartphone. (There are also ways to make this work with a regular camera phone with the ablity to send mms/email messages.)

There are many apps available for scanning these codes on different types of phones. Just do a Google search for QR Code Scanners and then find the one that fits your phone. But the exciting part, is that it is extremely easy to create your own QR codes with just a few clicks online. This means that you can start creating your own codes and pointing people to the content you want to share.

So what is in this for educators? Well, my first thought is, great, we can create codes and people can scan them, but unless our students have access to SmartPhones or the latest generation of iPod Touches, what’s in it for the students? Doing a little research into how teachers are using these, really opened my eyes to the possibilities. My biggest mind hurdle was the lack of access to the phones, while not a perfect solution in all cases, I found out that you can also use a webcam on a computer. This opens up many more doors for our students. And while Smartphone technology is still not accessible for all right now, we are moving in that direction, so lets be possibilitarians, and dream a bit.

Our video of the week, features a school that has found many handy and innovative ideas for using QRCodes. So be sure to watch. I will share links to other posts and resources on the QRCodes for you to explore even more.

Even though the real power is in the mobile learning possibilities available with this technology, here are a few of the less mobile and maybe more immediately accessible ideas for our district.

Create QRCodes on books in the library. Once scanned using a computer station that includes a web cam, the student would be directed to a student created video book trailer, or podcast reviewing the book.

Create QRCodes that link to teacher or student created tutorials in math. Attach the code to the math assignment. If students need extra help, they can scan in to the tutorial.

Create QRCode Flashcards and set up a practice station in your room.

If you do have access to SmartPhones, perhaps put up codes around town and go on a walking field trip. Students stop and listen, watch videos, or go to websites for more information at each stop. Even better, have one class create the QRCode Trail for another class.

Once you start thinking about this, the ideas are endless.

If you like these ideas, but are thinking how much better they would be with a device like an iPod Touch, why not consider writing a mini grant through DonorsChoose.org to get a few Touches for your classroom.

Video of the Week

Tech Triumphs

Mathcasts are a great way to both create tutorials for students or even better, have students create their own tutorials. I’ve been dabbling with this for years and the technology to do this keeps getting easier and easier and more accessible. My last best find for this before moving into my current position was VoiceThread. A great online tool for multimedia shared conversations. VoiceThread has many great uses and lends itself well to MathCasts. My friend, Tim Fahlberg created a great website around this idea at Math247 .

Check out another cool way to create mathcasts with a neat little gadget called a LiveScribe pen. This pen looks and works like a regular pen, but when used with a special dotted paper, you can record your writing and talking for playback on the computer. This pen was created with note taking in lecture style classes but leave it to teachers to find other creative uses. Michael Guelker Cone, 5th grade teacher at Lincoln is using his pen to create pencasts for his students. He posts them on his class blog. He shared that he was able to get a good deal on the pen by going to the website and ordering a refurbished pen. Take a look at his blog and see how he is using this tool.

http://skyroomprojects.blogspot.com/

Digital Citizenship

Here is a very clever, well edited video about Copyright and Fair Use. We teacher and our students have a lot to learn in this area. The idea is that they created this video in a way that they used the Fair Rules to share about Copyright.

Digital Literacy News 1-17-11

2011-01-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

Mount Vernon Digital Literacy News

January 17, 2011

Digital Literacy Workshop

Monday, January 24, 2011
Digital Mapping Tools Across the Curriculum.

Upcoming Digital Literacy Workshop:
Monday, February 7, 2011
Google Tools

See a schedule for the year.

Open Lab: 2:30 - 5:00

Resource Instruction: 3:15 - 4:00
Monday Afternoons, District Office Tech Lab.

Clock Hours are available.

Links to Explore

Podcast Resources:
Speakaboos.com : This site has lots of popular children’s books read by famous people. In addition, there are lesson plans, activities and games.

2day.sweetsearch.com : An aggregated news pages just for elementary students.

funbrain.com: Lots of games and activities to practice skills in Math and Literacy.

Smart Exchange: Shared ideas and resources for using Interactive Whiteboards in the classroom.

SurveyMonkey : A free survey tool.

LiveBinders.com: Create online tabbed binders to organize your materials.

Elementary Independent Web Activities : A list of resources for elementary students using Thin clients.

Cooperative Learning Resources : Resources for creating rubrics, online collaborative tools and project ideas.

Powerful Learning; Article sited in this blog about cooperative learning.

Animoto: Create your own music videos.

With a Little Help From My Friends

photo © 2003 Steve Spinks | more info (via: Wylio)

The last 2 weeks, I have been busy attending and leading workshops on High Yield Strategies. Working with Heather Shainin and the Secondary High Yield Strategies group we had some great discussions about formative assessment and feedback. The elementary group was working on Cooperative Learning Strategies. The plan had been for me to work with Tatiana Gabriel and the ELL Coaches on the follow up training after a day with our Teachscape trainer, Judy Martin. Unfortunately, Tatiana became ill and we had to change plans pretty quickly. With one day to plan, I worked with Tatiana’s presentation and contacted the ELL Facilitators to come up with a plan. The emails were flying as we worked to plan for our day of training. Together we made it work. This was more of a collaborative, than cooperative effort, but it was a great example of how we learn better, when we learn together and from each other.

This type of purposeful activity based learning is very powerful

Studies show that active-learning practices have a more significant impact on student performance than any other variable, including student background and prior achievement. Here is an article sharing more about the power of this active learning for students.

In the spirit of the collaborative efforts of my colleagues this week, I worked collaboratively with the Digital Literacy Coaches to create and produce our second episode of our Digital Literacy News Podcast. Be sure to listen to through to the end to hear the amazing talent represented by our capable coaches.

To listen to the podcast, click on the arrow button and wait for podcast to load. Then click on arrow button again to play.

Video of the Week

Learning From Mistakes

I’ve shared TED Talks before. But I am really excited about this TED talk from a friend I have followed in my Professional Learning Network for several years. Diana Laufenberg is an amazing teacher at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia.

Tech Triumphs

I had the opportunity to visit with our Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century Grant Recipients Cadre One on Friday. This group is working together to build effective models for 21 Century skills using best teaching practices such as Marzano’s High Yield Teaching Strategies. It is interesting to hear how they incorporating effective technology in thier classrooms, but realize that this is only part of the picture. It is not about the tech, it is about the teaching.

Digital Citizenship

The Best Internet Safety Sites

This week’s resource is actually a site with several resources about teaching Internet Safety to students.

Digital Literacy News 01-07-11

2011-01-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

Mount Vernon Digital Literacy News

January 7, 2011

Digital Literacy Workshop

No Workshop on Monday January 10 or 17. Look for podcast and blog.

Monday, January 24
Using Digital Maps in all Content Areas. This is one of my favorite subjects. There are so many great ways to use maps to tell stories, gather data, etc. Come and see the possibilities.

See a schedule for the year.

Open Lab: 2:30 - 5:00

Resource Instruction: 3:15 - 4:00
Monday Afternoons, District Office Tech Lab.

Clock Hours are available.

Links to Explore

365ProjectWiki: Resources gathered by a fellow teacher and 365 Day Photographer.

EdTech365/2011 Flickr Group : One of many groups you can join to participate in the challenge.

EdTech 52/2011: Not up to a photo a day. How about a photo a week.

A List of Photo Challenge Blogs : This is not from this year, but some of the blogs are still active.

The Daily Shoot: A new challenge every day.

Digital Photography School : Tips, tricks and challenges for becoming a better photographer.

ThornburghPhoto.Blogspot.com: My photo journey.

Picnik: Online photo editing

Seattle Daily Photo: Looking at other people’s photo a day challenges can give you ideas and inspiration.

Challenge Yourself

photo © 2009 Katsuhiro Osabe | more info (via: Wylio)

I know, I know, you have plenty of challenges already. Teaching, driving through ice and snow, New Years resolutions and more. But I thought I’d share just one more challenge with you this week. I am just beginning my third year of a photo challenge. I, along with many others, have challenged myself to take and post a photo each day of the year. Even though this challenge has morphed into a very personal journey with me, it started off as an educational challenge so I thought that I would share with you, not only what I learned, but how I went about the challenge, and ideas about how you might tweak to make it fit your own goals and needs. And speaking of challenges, I chose this topic as my first topic, for my first ever Digital Literacy Workshop podcast. So, I hope that you will take the time to listen to my story about becoming a 365 Day a Year Photographer. Until I get the hang of it, I am not promising weekly podcast episodes, but I do aim to create episodes, in various forms, each week we are unable to meet in person for Digital Literacy Workshop. (Like this week.) This first podcast, I fear is a bit too long. I plan to work on making them short and simple. Hopefully, you will get a few ideas, resources, and how tos to inspire you to try something new.

Video of the Week

Thought I’d share a few of my photos for our video this week. Throughout the year, I created mosaic each month using BigHugeLabs.com and I created a video using Animoto. This video features a few of my favorite photos from the year. (I figured 365 photos may be too many to put you through, especially if you also took the time to listen to my podcast this week.)

Tech Triumphs

Karolyn Cheney, a teacher at the Family Learning Center, emailed me before the holiday asking for advise for creating a class page for she and her students to use. She was interested in learning about Google Sites and Glogster. Karolyn just sent me a link to what she has put together. Wow! So great when teachers find and use these tools in a way that makes things easier and more effective for both the teacher and the student.

Check out Karolyn’s Site.

Digital Citizenship

Digital Etiquette : This is an important topic for both students and teachers. As we have more and more opportunities to work collaboratively and interact with others in virtual ways, it is important for us to be aware of the rules of the road. BrainPop has many activities on Digital Citizenship at different levels. These particular resources has to do with Digital Etiquette.

Digital Literacy News 01-07-11 Podcast Edition

2011-01-06T23:14:00.001-08:00