Experience Design: My Dream Classroom

Posted on September 27, 2014 by tech4teachers19

This week in CEP811 we considered the impact of classroom design on the educational experience.  Through the use of SketchUp I created a representation of some of the changes I would like to make in my classroom.

CURRENT LEARNING SPACE:

My current classroom, while pretty standard at first glance, is actually pretty versatile.  We have the typical student desks.  The desks are fairly easy to move and we often rearrange the set-up based on the activity we may be doing at the time.  We have a classroom set of laptops in a cart along one side wall.  There is a projector mounted on the ceiling in the front of the room.  In addition, there is a ceiling mounted audio system that is hooked up to the teacher computer.  It also has two microphones.  We have one rectangular and one circular table in the back of the room with roller chairs.  These tables and chairs are utilized when students are working on group projects or if they need to be in a different space than their typical student desk.

DREAM SPACE:

Screen Shot 2014-09-27 at 1.51.32 PM

One thing I would like to do is exchange the current desks for tables and roller chairs. While the desks are fairly easy to move, the fact that the chairs are attached to the desks limits student mobility.  The attached seats also limits the amount of people who can work comfortably in a group.  As the writers of The Third Teacher note, fidgeting is not necessarily a bad thing.  They recommend to “Make peace with fidgeting. Think of it as brain development, which it is. Then think of how to make room for it in the classroom,”  (The Third Teacher, 2010).Screen Shot 2014-09-27 at 3.52.02 PM I would like to exchange the desks for free standing tables and roller chairs for each student. Free standing tables can be rearranged in a multitude of ways that cannot be achieved with our current desks.  Creating individual student tables with a flat surface would make it easier to create one or more bigger tables for groups of students to really spread out their work surface.

I would also like to add a second projector in the back corner.  This would allow students working together on a project to have a common screen they could look at. Screen Shot 2014-09-27 at 1.53.44 PM It would also create another space in which student presentations could occur.  In a student centered learning environment, having more than one presentation space would really give the impression that it is everyone’s classroom, not just the teacher’s.

In their study of the impact of classroom design on learning, Barrett, Zhang, Moffat and Kobbacy found that there were several pieces of design that had an impact on learning. “Six of the 10 built environment “design parameters” were identified as being particularly influential in the multi-level linear regression model. The six parameters are colour, choice, connection, complexity, flexibility and light,” (Barrett, Zhang, Moffat and Kobbacy, 2013).  Given the results of their study, another aspect I would like to  add to our classroom is a sofa and coffee table set up.  With the mobile laptops already in place, there is no reason students should be required to stay put in their desks.  Having a welcoming comfortable space in the room would invite students to relax into their work.  This addition of flexibility and choice will play to the findings of the study.  Additionally, this area would be near the full length windows in the classroom, allowing students access to the natural light when they needed it.

IMPLEMENTATION:

Several aspects of this redesign could be implemented fairly easily.  The first thing I would like to do is bring out the second projector that I have in the closet.  I would like to get a mobile cart so that students could use that projector to show what they are working on.  We could use it to display student work and a multitude of other things.

Another aspect I am going to change is to remove the paper covering some of my windows.  While we were under construction the PE classes use to run around the outside of the school. I covered the lower portion of the windows to eliminate the distraction.  However, the PE classes no longer run around the school, so I can remove the covering and allow in more natural light.

These first two changes I can make immediately and with no additional cost.  The introduction of the sofa and coffee table area will require a few more resources.  I found a couple of couches and loveseats at IKEA for around $300.  That does not seem like an outrageous amount.

The new student tables could come as a joint project with our cabinet tech classes.  I would love to work with the teacher and the advanced students to come up with a design that would work for our classroom.  I have a couple of students in cabinet tech this year.  I imagine they would be very proud if they were a part of the design and construction of something that became a part of our room.  The replacement of the desks could be a gradual process.  We could aim to replace one pod of four at a time.  One of the most significant costs may come from height-adjustable roller chairs.  I found one version from Office Depot for about $50.  We do currently have a different version of roller chair in our computer labs on campus.  I would inquire after the cost of those as well.

References:

Barrett, P., Zhang, Y., Moffat, J., & Kobbacy, K. (2013). A holistic, multi-level analysis identifying the impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning. Building and Environment, 59, 678-689. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.09.016

OWP/P Architects, VS Furniture, & Bruce Mau Design. (2010). The third teacher: 79 ways you can use design to transform teaching & learning. Retrieved from http://thethirdteacherplus.com/s/Ch2-TTT-for-Web-0y6k.pdf

The Third Teacher. (2010). TTT Ideas Flashcards. Retrieved from http://goo.gl/v25rRA

 

 

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EdCamp Resources

Posted on September 26, 2014 by tech4teachers19

Below is the link to my Google Presentation from my EdCamp about the Maker Movement.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15-z3Bfc2WEPuhHlHnZB9PpKqc18rECr-kT3qlC_SYqU/edit?usp=sharing

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Mini-MOOC: Film like a Pro

Posted on September 21, 2014 by tech4teachers19

This week in CEP811 we have been learning about MOOCs.  Contrary to your possible first impression, a MOOC is not the sound of a cow with a cough, MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course.

MooC

I have designed my own Mini-MOOC on how to create a professional looking film without all the fancy equipment.

In my Film like a Pro course, my peers will master video filming and editing by creating a simple slide show, filming and editing their own video and viewing and commenting on each other’s work posted on their YouTube channel.

Course Topic: Film and edit a short video.

Course Title: Film like a Pro

Cameras and computers

The tools of the trade.

By Intel Free Press [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Audience: This course would appeal to anyone who has an interest in creating a more professional looking video or film.  It is geared toward amateurs who do not have fancy filming equipment or editing experience.  While this course focuses on the iMovie software specifically, the lessons learned can be applied to other editing software as well.

Many of the assignments in our MAET courses require us to make videos to show our work.  The inspiration for this course came from a couple of my classmates who expressed they would be interested in making more professional looking videos  In addition, with the growth of the Maker culture and Flipping Instruction, many classroom teachers will find themselves in need of some understanding of the basics of editing.  They can make videos to show their students, as well as have students create videos as a means to demonstrate the understanding they gained while working on a project.

Learning Objectives: Making a professional looking video requires more than just learning the editing software.  I hope the students of this course will gain an understanding of the many layers of filmmaking.  It starts with having a good story.  Through this course students will learn the basics of creating a storyboard to outline their movie and frame the shots they will need to make a successful film. The next step is understanding how to get professional quality footage even with minimalist equipment.  This step requires an understand of lighting and some photography basics.  The final step of editing the movie also has several layers, from choosing the right clips, understanding the pacing, having the right audio and adding text and transition elements to the film.  The ultimate goal is not just creating a film, but being able to understand how and why one film may be better than another.  It is fairly easy to differentiate a good film from a bad one.  However, being able to point out the elements that make one “good” or “bad” show a more true understanding.

Projects: Students will demonstrate their learning in this course by creating a video that they wrote, filmed and edited.  They will also create a slideshow in the first week as a way to introduce the editing program and provide a hook for the rest of the class.

Course Design: This course was designed according to the Understanding by Design Model created by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe.  This model tasks teachers to start lesson design with the end in mind.  In “backward planning” as Wiggins and McTighe call it, (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) the teacher first determines what they would like the learner to accomplish.  They ask the question, what is the desired outcome?  In my MOOC, Film like a Pro, the desired outcome is for students to understand what key elements make a video look more professional.  The next step in backward planning is to determine how you will measure the learning.  What evidence will the student provide that they have indeed mastered the desired outcome?  In Film like a Pro, the learner will both create their own video and provide feedback for others, demonstrating the knowledge they have gained.  The final step in backward planning is creating the learning experiences that will allow the learner to reach the objective.  The lesson in each week of my MOOC are designed to help students work toward their finished project.  While the initial week of my course could have started with the storyboarding lesson, I chose to start instead with a slideshow project.  As Stephen Yelon frequently mentions in his video “The Secrets to Instructional Design,” it is important to have a hook at the beginning, that will gain students’ interest (Yelon, 2001). The slideshow project gives an introduction to some of the skills the students will need in the later stages of the course, but it allows them to create a very satisfying and professional looking project in the first week.  The goal is to provide inspiration to hook the learner’s attention from the start.  If they see that they can create a project such as this in the first week, they will be more motivated to continue with the more difficult sections.

Peer Interaction: Each week the students in the class will be asked to view at least three other student’s work.  As they watch each other’s projects, they will be learning to identify critical elements to good filmmaking.  As mentioned above, it is fairly easy to pick out a good or bad movie.  However, the peer interaction will require the learner to go deeper than that.  As they give feedback to their peers, the students will begin to be able to more clearly identify and express which elements of a film work and which don’t.  Students will be able to apply that new knowledge to their own filmmaking adventures.

Course Outline:

Week One: iMovie intro: Make a slideshow

LEARN: Read the following article and watch the videos below to learn about how to use iMovie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Burns_effect

Watch these two video tutorials on how to make a slideshow in iMovie.  The first is rather short and focuses on iMovie 11.  The second is much more in-depth and focuses on iMovie 2014.  While the structure of iMovie is different in each version, the same basic principles apply.

http://youtu.be/-H_D-strX3k
http://youtu.be/LYtgk8NxImQ
 

The following link provides you with step-by-step instructions, including screen shots.

http://www.icreatemagazine.com/tips/how-to-make-a-photo-slideshow-in-imovie/

CREATE: a slideshow from pictures you have or some that you take during the week.  Add audio to make your slideshow more interesting.  Remember to respect copyright when you choose your music.  One of the videos above suggests a couple of websites to get copyright free music.  In addition, iMovie provides some music samples.

SHARE: If you have not already done so, create a YouTube channel and a blog for posting your work for this course.  In your blog, give a little background on the subject of your slideshow. Include a link to your finished slide show and provide a link to your YouTube channel for your peers.

INTERACT: Watch at least 3 of your peers’ slideshows.  Comment on some of the aspects you thought they captured well.

Week Two: Planning for your video:

LEARN: One of the most important parts of making a good video starts before you even pick up your camera.  Having a plan is vital to getting all the shots you need to tell your story well.

Pencil drawings in boxes

Storyboard

Read the following two weblinks about storyboarding.

https://trunk.tufts.edu/access/content/group/345e5601-eced-4711-9d27-6579fc704338/For%20Download/StoryboardingforVideos-transcript.pdf
 
http://www.serif.com/appresources/MPX5/Tutorials/en-us/tutorials/basics_storyboarding.htm

CREATE:  Plan for and create a storyboard for your final video.

SHARE: Write a blog post detailing why it is important to use storyboards when making even a short film.  Include pictures of your finished storyboard.

INTERACT: Read at least three of your classmates blogs and check out their storyboards. This week is about constructive criticism.  Make suggestions to your peers about any weaknesses in their storyboards.  Provide some suggestions for additional shots or angles that you think may enhance their films.

Week Three: Shooting your footage:

LEARN: I have included links for quite a few video tutorials in this section.  It is key that you have a good understanding of how to capture footage if your final project is going to be successful.  You don’t have to have any expensive equipment.  The first video is how to capture footage on a Smartphone.  If you are going to invest in only one piece of equipment to improve the quality of your movie, I would recommend it be a tripod of some sort.  Having steady images really makes a lot of difference.

Best way to shoot video with a Smartphone:

http://youtu.be/edzWTw0Yp_U

Understanding camera angles and lighting:

http://provideocontent.com/amateur-video-shakes/
http://provideocontent.com/amateur-video-backlighting/
http://provideocontent.com/amateur-video-jump-cuts/
http://provideocontent.com/amateur-video-firehosing/
 

CREATE: Film away!!  This week you should spend the majority of your time filming the footage for your final project.

Now that you are more experienced with filming, film yourself discussing how the work on your project went this week.  Make sure to utilize the techniques you learned about in this weeks’ content. A video of this sort is called a vlog.  You will be recording a journal of sorts, expressing your thoughts out loud for others to watch and learn from.  You should record your vlog from start to finish.  There is no editing for this part, so you may want to plan and practice what you will say before you start filming.  Discuss which of these techniques did you use?  How did they work for you?

SHARE: Upload your “vlog” to your YouTube channel.  Share a link to your vlog on your blog.

INTERACT: Watch at least three of your peers vlogs.  Make a thoughtful comment on their video.

Week Four: Adding/editing video/audio in iMovie

LEARN: This week begins the editing portion of your project. Many of the skills you learned the first week when you made your slideshow will apply here as well.  Go back and review those tutorials if you need a refresher.  In addition review the link and video below for some more information about how to work with the editing features of iMovie.

https://acomp.stanford.edu/tutorials/imovie_video_editing:
http://desktopvideo.about.com/od/imovietutorials/

CREATE: Begin working on your film.  Take all that great footage you shot last week and import it into your movie editing software.  Don’t stress out about a finished product just yet.  This weeks “creation” is just a rough draft.

SHARE: Upload the rough draft of your film to YouTube.  Again, this is just a rough draft.  You will have one more week to take the feedback from your classmates, as well as your own reviews, before you will put your final project out for viewing.  The rough draft you upload this week will be deleted from YouTube after you are finished with your final draft.

INTERACT: Watch at least three of your classmates videos.  Provide them with a constructive critique in the comments section.  Please be specific in your evaluations and remember that you are viewing rough drafts.

Week Five: Review and Improve

LEARN: Take at least one day away from your video.  You need a break to be able to see it again with fresh eyes.  After your break, read the reviews your peers have provided for you.  Review your own video yourself.  Based on the feedback, create a list of any changes or additions you need to make.  Do you want to shoot some additional footage? Do you need to change the order of some of your shots?

CREATE: Back to the drawing board, as they say.  Use this week to finish creating your film.

SHARE: Upload your finished film to YouTube. (Don’t forget to delete your rough draft now.)  Write a blog post describing your experience.  What do you know now, that you didn’t before?  Are there additional things you are now inspired to learn?

INTERACT: Take some time to watch several finished projects.  Make sure to provide some feedback!

References:

about.com (n.d.) iMovie Tutorials – Learn How to Edit Videos in Apple iMovie [website]. Retrieved from http://desktopvideo.about.com/od/imovietutorials/

Ashby, S. (2014). How to make a photo slideshow in iMovie [blog]. Retrieved from http://www.icreatemagazine.com/tips/how-to-make-a-photo-slideshow-in-imovie/

Burgess, C. (2013) #3 Sure Sign of Amateur Video:The Shakes [blog]. Retrieved from http://provideocontent.com/amateur-video-shakes/

Burgess, C. (2013) #5 Sure Sign of Amateur Video:Backlighting [blog]. Retrieved from http://provideocontent.com/amateur-video-backlighting/

Burgess, C. (2013) #7 Sure Sign of Amateur Video:Jumpcuts [blog]. Retrieved from http://provideocontent.com/amateur-video-jump-cuts/

Burgess, C. (2013) #2 Sure Sign of Amateur Video:Firehoseing [blog]. Retrieved from http://provideocontent.com/amateur-video-firehosing/

Cox, D. (2014) The Ken Burns Effect: iMovie. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/LYtgk8NxImQ

iphoneographers. (2012). How to Shoot Good iPhone Video. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/edzWTw0Yp_U

MacCreateNetwork. (2009) Creating Photo Slideshows in iMovie. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/-H_D-strX3k

(n.d.) Storyboarding [website]. Retrieved from http://www.serif.com/appresources/MPX5/Tutorials/en-us/tutorials/basics_storyboarding.htm

Standford University:Academic Computing Services (n.d.) Tutorial: Video Editing in iMovie [website]. Retrieved from https://acomp.stanford.edu/tutorials/imovie_video_editing:

Tufts University. (n.d.) Storyboarding for videos. Retrieved from https://trunk.tufts.edu/access/content/group/345e5601-eced-4711-9d27-6579fc704338/For%20Download/StoryboardingforVideos-transcript.pdf

Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design, Expanded 2nd Edition.  Prentice Hall.

Wikipedia (n.d.) Ken Burns effect [website]. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Burns_effect

Yelon, S. L. (2001). Goal-Directed Instructional Design: A Practical Guide to Instructional Planning for Teachers and Trainers. Michigan State University: Self-published, Not in electronic format.

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Learning Theory and The Odyssey Lesson Plan

Posted on September 12, 2014 by tech4teachers19

Last week I created a lesson plan that asked students to demonstrate their understanding of the key story points of The Odyssey by creating a board game that incorporated the MakeyMakey kit.  Students will work together in a group to decide how to represent the key ideas of Odysseus’ journey home, incorporate the kit, and test the knowledge of others in the class.

This week in CEP 811 we studied various learning theories to see how our lesson plan stacked up to theory.  After watching the video Reimagining learning by Richard Culatta and seeing the results of a different lesson in my class last week, I have reevaluated my lesson plan.  One of the things Culatta talks about in his video is that teachers often stick to the schedule at the expense of learning. (Culatta, 2014)  It is possible that students could miss a concept and be dragged along to the next concept anyway, because that is what is called for in the lesson plan.

Last week in class my students worked on a lesson that demonstrated this very problem.  I was very excited about a lesson idea which incorporated Legos.  Each group was required to build something that represented the Trojan War, using Legos.  From the outside, the lesson went very well.  The students were working together, talking about the ideas, problem solving and being creative.  However, as I circled the room and talked to the students I began to suspect a problem.  Some of the students were able to articulate a clear understanding of the concepts I wanted them to learn, they were able to demonstrate mastery of the concepts, while others struggled to be able to tell me details that I had thought were obvious.  I came to realize that because this activity was in a group, it was possible for students to “hide” the fact that they hadn’t learned.  I confirmed this fact with a short 8 question quiz on Monday.  Many of the students got 80% or more, however there were several students who only got 50% correct.  This caused me great concern because I realized that my Maker Kit Odyssey Game Lesson would function in much the same way as the Trojan War lesson did.  While the lesson was learned in the Trojan War example (I will be working with the students who did poorly so that they can have an opportunity to re-learn what they missed) I don’t want to wait until the end of the Odysseus project to have students demonstrate mastery.

As Benjamin Bloom states in his article Learning for Mastery. Instruction and Curriculum. “Most students can master what we have to teach them, and it is the task of instruction to find the means which will enable our students to master the subject under consideration,” (Bloom, pg. 1, 1968).  Applying this idea to The Odyssey lesson plan means I must add two components.  I must find a way to assess students early and then provide multiple methods to ensure students the opportunity to learn what they missed the first time around.

As Culatta notes in his speech, technology is particularly suited to help with this problem (Culatta, 2014).  Assessing for understanding and giving instantaneous feedback is much easier with the help of technology.  My students and I already use Edmodo as a means of communication for my class.  I will utilize the quiz feature of this website to create formative assessments.  I will use these assessments as a way to measure student understanding of the concepts.  The quizzes allow for me to give instantaneous feedback to the students as well.  As Johnson M. Changeiywo, P.W. Wambugu and S.W. Wachanga demonstrated in a recent study, physics students who learned through mastery were much more successful in their end of term assessments. The researchers noted that motivation was tied to feedback and the belief that each student could in fact learn at a high level (Changeiywo, et. al, 2011).  The first assessment I give to students will act as a gateway to the bigger project.  Students who show they have an understanding of the order of events of the story will be able to move on to construction of the game.  Those students who need more instruction will have several options of how they will gain that instructions.  Groups will be formed organically, as students move through the first assessment.

Screen Shot 2014-09-13 at 9.44.58 AM

Edmodo has a great quiz option that gives instant feedback.

In addition to the first assessment, students who have moved on to the game board portion of the assignment will be asked to take short 3-4 question assessments, also on Edmodo, as an exit ticket each day.  These assessments will be designed to assess student understanding of the specifics of each stop on Odysseus’ journey.  Again, students will be given instantaneous feedback on their progress towards the ultimate goal, understanding the events of Odysseus’ journey home.  If at any point along the way students fail to show they understand the events, then the next day in class they will be provided opportunities to relearn the information.  The individual may ask his group to help him through a learning activity, or he may choose to complete an activity on his own, re-joining his group when he is finished.  Allowing students to choose from an assortment of activities for remediation will allow for a more individualized experience.  Based on a review of the study by Chun-Hung Lin, Eric Zhi-Feng Liu, Yu-Liang Chen, Pey-Yan Liou, Maiga Chang and Cheng-Hong Wu, at least one of the activity choices will be a game based activity.  Chun-Hung Lin, et. al, demonstrated in their study that both video tutorials and game-based activities provided an increase in understanding.  However, the game-based instruction showed a significant increase in student performance. (Lin, et. al. 2013).  I would like to incorporate as many game-based activities as possible for students to choose from.

Designing the lesson in this fashion will make for a much more fragmented unit, as individuals and groups will end up working at different paces.  However, the end result should be that each individual student is able to master the content.  Click here to see the updated version of my lesson plan.  It more fully incorporates the ideas of mastery and individualized learning.  I have utilized technology to help with the process of identifying needs and reteaching information to students who need extra support.  I have also incorporated a formal rubric for use once the game boards are complete.

Screen Shot 2014-09-12 at 10.12.08 AM

Rubric created using rubistar.com

REFERENCES:

Bloom, B.S. (1968). Learning for Mastery. Instruction and curriculum. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED053419.pdf

Changeiywo, J. M., Wambugu, P. W., & Wachanga, S. W. (2011). INVESTIGATIONS OF STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION TOWARDS LEARNING SECONDARY SCHOOL PHYSICS THROUGH MASTERY LEARNING APPROACH. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 9(6), 1333-1350. doi:10.1007/s10763-010-9262-z. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/article/10.1007%2Fs10763-010-9262-z

Culatta, R. (2014, July 14). Reimagining Learning: Richard Culatta at TEDxBeaconStreet. [Video File]TEDxTalks. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z0uAuonMXrg

Lin, C., Liu, E., Chen, Y., Liou, P., Chang, M., Wu, C., & Yuan, S. (2013). Game-based remedial instruction in mastery learning for upper-primary school students. EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY, 16(2), 271-281. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/docview/1355669564?pq-origsite=summon

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Thrifting: MakeyMakey Kit Style

Posted on September 7, 2014 by tech4teachers19

This week was a little tough for me.  The activity for the week required a lot of creativity and I have discovered that creativity is easier to tap into during summer vacation, than it is while teaching.  As I worked through the Learn and Explore activities for the week I was able to come up with an idea for this weeks project, but it was TOUGH mentally.

This week we were suppose to play with our maker kit.  I chose the Makey Makey kit and was initially pretty excited about the fun I could have with it.  My niece, nephew and some of their friends eat lunch in my room on a regular basis.  I showed them the video from the MakeyMakey website and they were immediately interested.  I could see the hook for students.  In fact, my school site has an “Arts for All” day.  I was talking with one of my administrators about the Makey Makey kit and his face lit up.  He asked me to run a booth at the event because their goal is to take the event from an observer model to a maker experience.  I am very excited at this opportunity and I think the kids are going to really like it.  Plus, maybe it will mean the school will foot the bill for a few more kits I can use in my classroom!  WIN!! WIN!!

However, this weeks assignment was not just about playing with the kit.  We also had to consider a lesson plan that would tie to our curriculum.  It is this aspect of the week that I found most challenging.  Most of the websites I saw connecting to the kit were musical or video game in nature.  I had a hard time thinking of a way to tie that to high school English curriculum.  In particular, this semester we are reading The Odyssey, by Homer.  This week, the Explore section of the homework was the thing that saved me.  I spent a lot of time researching how other people had used the kit in hopes that some ideas would pop up.

Thankfully, some inspiration did strike and I was able to get down to business. This blog Toys are Tools and an accompanying video showed a child using Playdoh to play an “Operation” type board game.  It was from this idea that I came up with the idea for my lesson plan.  After we finish reading The Odyssey, I will task students with making a board game style game to depict Odysseus’ long and obstacle filled journey home from Troy.  It was with this idea in mind that I turned to the “thrifting” portion of my assignment.

I started the hunt to re-purpose in my classroom.  As I opened and closed cupboards I remembered that I had a bunch of old board games that I NEVER use anymore.  I can use the boards from those as a base for my students’ projects.  As I thought about how they could incorporate the Makey Makey kit I imagined both aluminum foil and Play-Doh as options.  I found a roll of foil in one of my drawers (I have been in the same room too long!) that would work for this first prototype.  For the game pieces and obstacles I knew my nephew’s room would hold the key.  He is, by nature, a maker and I was not disappointed.  He willingly loaned me his HUGE tub of Legos.  With these tools in hand I sat down to begin crafting my prototype.

How-To-Guide: Making an Odysseus’ Journey game, MakeyMakey Kit Style 

  1. Find some old materials:
    1. Old Board game board
    2. Legos
  2. Collect some other materials:
    1. Aluminum Foil
    2. Tape
    3. White paper
    4. Scissors
    5. pencil
    6. Map of Odysseus’ journey
    7. MakeyMakey Kit
    8. Computer
  3. Measure and cut the white paper so that it covers the old game board.
  4. Draw out the map of Odysseus’ journey.
  5. IMG_5987Cut small pieces of aluminum foil and fold it so that it can be taped to the board and hold the alligator clip.
  6. Attach the aluminum foil to the game board with tape.
  7. IMG_5988Attach one alligator clip to each piece of aluminum foil.
  8. Attach the other end of each clip to one of the letter spots on the Makey Makey kit.
  9. IMG_5991Plug the small end of the USB cord into the MakeyMakey kit.
  10. Plug the USB into the computer.IMG_5992
  11. Load the following DrumKit website on your computer’s browser. http://ronwinter.tv/drums.html
  12.  Use Legos to build a ship for Odysseus.  Wrap the bottom of the ship in aluminum foil.
  13. Attach one wire to the foil wrapped game piece.
  14. Attach the other end of the wire to the Earth section of the MakeyMakey Kit.IMG_5995
  15. Help Odysseus navigate the game board without landing on the obstacles.  Beware: If you land on the obstacle you will cause the drum kit to make noise!

Check out the video of how I made the game board below:

 

Incorporating the MakeyMakey kit into this assignment will give the students some auditory feedback for the game they are going to create.  By creating a game board of Odysseus’ journey they will be demonstrating an understanding of the plot of the story.  I will be looking for originality in how they design their game board and build the obstacles.  My prototype is a very crude rendition and only one way they could incorporate the kit in their design.  The students will have an opportunity to show off their 4 C’s, Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity as they work on their projects.

This blog post is filled with images and videos, making it multimodal.  Images and video footage give more meaning to the text, which is valuable when describing something that many people have never seen before.  In addition, combining the MakeyMakey kit with the board game gives an auditory experience, making it richer for the students.

References:

Choi, J. (2014). Playdough Operation game using MaKey MaKey. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1OWftB2PA8

McHorney, D. (2014). MakeyMakey Kit. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEZeHgrQ_wI

Toys are Tools. (2014). Review and Giveaway: MaKey MaKey: Think Less, Create More [blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.toysaretools.com/2014/04/makey-makey-think-less-create-more.html

 

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Remix: Mozilla Popcorn Maker Style

Posted on August 31, 2014 by tech4teachers19

The theme this week in CEP 811 is remixing.  Our focus was on the “maker culture.”  The maker culture is finding its way into education, as evidenced by the Maker Education Initiative, whose About page states that its mission is to “create more opportunities for young people to make, and, by making, build confidence, foster creativity, and spark interest in science, technology, engineering, math, the arts—and learning as a whole.” (from http://www.makered.org/about/)  Incorporating this maker culture will require educators to rethink how they deliver instruction and structure the learning experiences in the classroom.  The advantage is that we can tap into the curious nature of students who desire to do more than sit in a chair being spoon fed their education.  Students are ready, educators need to jump on board as well.

Along with the need to revamp the structure of education, the maker culture also requires educators to tackle the complicated ideas of copyright and fair use.  Some, like Kirby Ferguson in his web series Everything is a Remix, argue that copyright law, as it is interpreted today, is far from the original intent of the law.  He would like to see a culture that allows for the free use of ideas to help create new and even more amazing things. (2011)  Students are ready for a learning experience that allows them to be more creative in expressing their knowledge.

I had a lot of fun working with Popcorn Maker, the tool chosen for our first assignment.  Any time I learn about a new technology I tend to think first about how my students could put it to use.  Two years ago I had my students use  Animoto to create movie style “trailers” for the book we read.  Unfortunately, last year my district blocked the use of Animoto, so I immediately saw Popcorn Maker as a replacement for that assignment.  Popcorn Maker has even more capabilities than Animoto and would allow for more flexibility and creativity.

Popcorn Maker is one of those tools that, once you have played with it, you could make a nice looking project fairly quickly.  It would also be easy to get lost for hours working on the timing, getting just the right clip and finding the perfect audio to match your creation.  I’d like to believe that my project for this assignment was a good balance, but in truth, I probably spent a lot more time than I even realized, lining things up just right and making it look the way I wanted.

My project focuses on the educational buzzword; 1:1 technology.  This concept is at the forefront of my mind, as my district is in the process of piloting devices to implement a 1:1 program in our schools.  In a 1:1 classroom all students have access to an electronic device as an educational tool.  As Chris Toy argues in his blog post Top 10 reasons for moving to 1:1 learning technology, there are many positives that can come out of putting devices in every students’ hands.  (n.d.) My video highlights some of those things, including: student engagement, development of 21st Century Workplace skills and collaboration.

Take a look at my video on 1:1 Technology 

References:

Amplivox, B. (October 31, 2011). Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education: iPad, Tablet, Computer, Listening Centers. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzi2RIt8_nk

Ferguson, K. (2011). Everything is a Remix. http://everythingisaremix.info/about/

Flicker. (n.d.) Each time I think I am close to knowing, she keeps on growing [picture]. Retrieved from https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3895/14898087729_c22beec43d_b.jpg

Free Music Archive. (April 19, 2014). Blue Skies – Silent Partner [POP / HAPPY] free music & no copyright. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E49uHVCLY0Q&list=PLNcapOVUswiB45sxrKJX3h2CP4biW7N1S

Giffy.com. (n.d). Computer [gif]. Retrieved from http://media2.giphy.com/media/NXp9HM6YeuS0U/giphy.gif

Toy, C. (n.d.) The Top 10 Reasons for Moving to 1:1 Learning Technology [Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://www.nassp.org/tabid/3788/default.aspx?topic=The_Top_10_Reasons_for_Moving_to_1_1_Learning_Technology

 

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Final Reflection

Posted on August 14, 2014 by tech4teachers19

This is the final week of CEP810, Teaching for Understanding with Technology.  To say I enjoyed this course would be an understatement.  I have been teaching for fourteen years and NEVER had an interest in pursuing a Masters.  I was frustrated by my credential program, in which I felt I was merely jumping through hoops to earn a piece of paper.  I have been incredibly grateful that this class has felt like the exact opposite of jumping through pointless hoops.  The assignments have been engaging and have led me to think about my own teaching practices.  

CEP 810 asked us to take a look at our Professional Learning Network (PLN). What  I saTwitterw was a very one-sided network in which I was taking information from others, but not actively participating. I created a Twitter handle and blog specifically for my professional pursuits and my presence on the web is growing!  It also inspired me to grown my real world PLN.  I am planning to invite others from staff to informal lunch gatherings so that we can share ways we are incorporating technology in the classroom.  I am excited to connect with others on my staff who are making do with very limited infrastructure.

The Network Learning Project was a very fun, engaging process.  There were two big things I took away from that project.  Somewhere in the middle of the process I realized I was spending a whole lot of time and energy building these cat shelves.  I can’t remember another educational experience in which I was so engaged and so focused.  As I thought about why that was, I realized the power of the lesson came from the fact that I was able to choose what I wanted to learn.  As an English teacher there are certain skills I need to work on with my students, but if I can allow them the freedom to choose their topic I think their engagement in the activities will increase!  That leads me to the second thing I will take away from this project.  I am going to flip this project for my kids.  I am going to ask them to CREATE a YouTube video that teaches others how to do something that they are experts at. In this way they will work on key writing, communication and creativity skills, all while realizing they have something positive to offer someone else.

The lessons from the Cooking with TPACK assignment remind me to remain flexible when I create assignments.  Just because I envision using a certain tool, a particular way, doesn’t mean that my students won’t come up with other ideas all their own.  I want to plan my lessons with that flexibility in mind, because there is just as much learning that happens in deciding HOW to tackle a project as there is in completing the project. 

Finally, I have realized the power in creating work for the purpose of sharing.  Knowing that each of the assignments I was completing were accessible to my fellow students and others was nerve wracking at first.  However, as the assignments went on I began to really enjoy the feedback from the instructor, classmates and others. (I even got some random followers on my blog.  That is the power of a cat tag!) Social media, wAni out of the boxhich feeds the desire for feedback from others, is a big part of students’ lives.  I would like to tap into that this year.  I want to give my students opportunities to present their work to a bigger audience as well.  I hope that if they begin to see their work as something bigger than just an assignment for the teacher to grade, then they will put greater pride and effort into the learning experience.


One thing is for sure, this year is going to be a fun adventure in my classroom!

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Cooking with TPACK: Adventures in PB & J

Posted on August 7, 2014 by tech4teachers19

Well, this week’s assignment was a lot of fun!  “Cooking with TPACK” asked us to prepare one of five basic food items using only three tools, selected for us by an unknowing assistant.  My helper selected for me, a large plate, a cereal bowl and a serving spoon.  He then drew number four, which was to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Luckily for me, “repurposing” the large serving spoon was a pretty effective way to make the sandwich.  As you can see in the video I never did use the spoon as it’s design intended, but I was able to pretty easily put together the sandwich.

People look at me funny when I tell them that my homework for grad school this week was to make a sandwich.  However, the lesson was much bigger than that.  Technology in education is a hot topic right now.  However, often when schools think about bringing technology into education they begin the conversation with WHAT technology.  The focus is on the tool, not the education.  The problem with being “technocentric”, a term discussed by Dr. Punya Mishra in his keynote speech at the 21st Century Learning Conference in Hong Kong, (2012) is you miss out on so many opportunities.  Teachers are some of the most creative people I have ever met.  It is a mistake to give them only one tool and tell them how they MUST use it.  TPACK offers a different perspective.  It encourages thinking globally about educational opportunities to decide how technology, content and pedagogy can best come together to serve the needs of students.  That “best” is going to be different depending on so many different variables.  It is important to consider the task at hand, assess the tools available and use creativity to help drive the decision making.  It is where technology, pedagogy and content knowledge meet that the magic really happens.

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054. Retrieved from http://punya.educ.msu.edu/publications/journal_articles/mishra-koehler-tcr2006.pdf download .pdf

Mishra, P. (2012, March). Punya Mishra- Keynote Speaker @ 21st Century Learning Conference- Hong Kong 2012 . Retrieved August 5, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bwXYa91fvQ#t=714

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21st Century Lesson Plan

Posted on August 3, 2014 by tech4teachers19

“They have to use books!  I don’t allow any Internet resources for this project.”  This was a piece of a conversation I overheard while walking through the halls at my school.  I cringed as I thought about the ramifications of that statement.  We are living and teaching in a time where students have access to the world through the Internet  and yet, some teachers limit them to finding information in a book that was (given the state of most school libraries) probably published ten or fifteen years ago.  As Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown (2011) suggest, students need to learn how to use technology in ways that will allow them to grow, learn, create and play.  We need to re-think how we structure our lessons and what skills we are teaching our students in the process.

This week for CEP 810, my task was to create a 21st Century Lesson plan.  I looked to the five core competencies put forward by Renee Hobbs in, Digital and Media Literacy: Connecting Culture and Classroom (2011) to help develop my lesson.  Hobbs states that students should be able to Access, Analyze, Create, Reflect and Act.  One of the things I teach as a high school English teacher is Romeo and Juliet.  I decided Romeo and Juliet would be a great topic to bring to the 21st Century.  The fact that it was written so long ago often hinders students’ ability to really understand that the story is still relevant today.  The lesson plan I created asks students to utilize Google Docs to work collaboratively.  While they are using computers to complete the assignment, that alone does not connect to Hobbs’ ideas.  The assignment asks students to create social media posts that the characters from the play might have made, given the events of the story.  Students are required to give evidence from the text to support the posts they write.  They will also work together to create a “news feed” that displays all of their posts.  It is this part of the assignment that really targets Hobbs’ ideas.  Students have to demonstrate an understanding of audience and the different types of social media and how they work.  They must format their posts according to which form of social media they plan to use.  For example, Romeo would post a very different message on Facebook which could be seen by his parents, than he would in a direct message to Juliet on Snapchat.

By engaging students in this learning experience, not only will they be connecting with and demonstrating an understanding of the text, but they will be gaining 21st Century skills as well.  This assignment asks students to work together collaboratively to create something utilizing social media tools they are very familiar with and interested in.  It will help them connect to an old text and make it relevant to their lives today.

 

Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy: Connecting culture and classroom. Thousand, Oaks, CA: Corwin/Sage.

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, Ky: CreateSpace?.

 

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Network Learning Project: Finishing Up

Posted on August 3, 2014 by tech4teachers19

This week was the culmination of my Network Learning Project.  This was a really fun experience.  The assignment was to learn something new using only YouTube and Online help forums.  Learning this way is not a new experience for me.  When I am trying to learn something new I will very often turn to Google or YouTube.  I used this method for both training to run a marathon and setting up my freshwater fish aquarium.  I really enjoy connecting with other people and am still Facebook friends with many of the people I met on the running forum.  I think it is amazing to be able to connect with people all over the world.

One of the benefits of learning from others on Online forums is that you don’t have to make all the “first timer” mistakes yourself.  You can learn from the experience of others.  Hearing the perspective of so many different people allows you to see the task from many different angles.  That is a real benefit for someone like me who likes to really think about the process before I get started.

There were some limitations in using only YouTube and help forums.  I missed being able to ask questions in person.  When I went to the hardware store I really wanted to double check with the worker on which screws I should buy.  Instead I had to make my best guess because I didn’t want to take the time to post to a forum and have to wait for a response.  I also ran into a problem once I got home and set up the chop saw.  I had watched a couple videos on how to use the saw, but the simplest thing was holding me up.  I couldn’t figure out how to open the saw.  Since I was at home this time, I did go inside to find another YouTube video.  I laughed at myself when I saw how simple it was, but this time the YouTube method came through for me.

Learning the “Networked” way is definitely something I would do again.  I think this experience helped me to realize that while learning remotely is great for some tasks, there are others where having a live teacher would be more beneficial.  When I made my first cuts with the saw I would have liked it if there was someone knowledgeable there who could make sure I was doing it the correct way.  Thankfully, it worked out just fine, but I would imagine other skills which are more difficult or dangerous would not be best tackled in this method.

I think students are quick to use online resources when they want to learn something new.  An assignment like this would be interesting to use with my students.  I think they would enjoy the challenge of using YouTube for something educational.  I know a lot of my students spend a lot of time watching videos.  It would be great if they learned that it could be a valuable educational experience as well.  I may take it a step further and encourage the students to think of something they are “experts” at, and have them create their own YouTube tutorials.

Below is the video of my process making the shelves and some of my reflections.  I hope you enjoy it!

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