Sunday, July 10, 2011
My Professional Learning Network
Twitter: @ted4schools and @ensint
Youtube: a channel with tutorials and videos for students (in progress)
OCC: the online community within the IBO website
IB Biology wiki
Blogs: ted4schools and EnsinoInternacional.com
Facebook: The International School Teacher
Skype with other science teachers and educators
Delicious account (starting it up...)
Because I can quickly find what I am looking for, I currently feel it's more productive to actively seek out information rather than 'program' my PNL to deliver it for me. I tend to stay connected through the above means more as a way of being inspired my random thoughts/projects/ideas than expecting a topic I'm particularly interested in at the moment to appear.
Youtube: a channel with tutorials and videos for students (in progress)
OCC: the online community within the IBO website
IB Biology wiki
Blogs: ted4schools and EnsinoInternacional.com
Facebook: The International School Teacher
Skype with other science teachers and educators
Delicious account (starting it up...)
Because I can quickly find what I am looking for, I currently feel it's more productive to actively seek out information rather than 'program' my PNL to deliver it for me. I tend to stay connected through the above means more as a way of being inspired my random thoughts/projects/ideas than expecting a topic I'm particularly interested in at the moment to appear.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
iGoogle
This is a screenshot of my personal iGoogle start page. It has a travel photo of the day, the local weather forecast of my hometown, Belgrade and other cities which I might be visiting in the near future, as well as my Google Calendar and different newsfeeds (top center is my club's fan page).
I find that I don't use this page very often, as I am (almost) always on my email - which has sidebars showing my calendar - and for everything else, I look it up quite quickly.
For students, however, I can see the benefit of having this as a started page. Firstly, the customization aspect is important for teens to express their individuality. Secondly, it's an easy way to receive updates from both teachers and the 'outside world' in the same location. I find it would be particularly effective with the 1:1 program, as students wouldn't have to login to their accounts before seeing this - naturally, they would always be logged in.
GoogleMaps in the classroom
One project that I am contemplating is to have students plan a field trip to a particular location, anywhere in the world, and map the stops of the field trip on GoogleMaps. Here's how I envision it:
Say our students would like to go to Madrid. We would then find a partner school in Madrid who might, perhaps, be interested in coming to Belgrade. We would plan their field trip in Madrid, with things we'd like them to see for us, and we would return the favor in Belgrade. Students would then share what they saw on behalf of one another through skype or a video conference.
More realistically, students could map out a field trip - or a selection of field trips - and present to the administration the costs and educational benefits in order to propose that the field trip actually happen. This would evidently be an interdisciplinary effort, and not only a Science or Biology field trip.
Next school year, the seniors will also continue their investigations which take place in the Belgrade zoo. With the help of a GPS, I would like to link their reports to the accurate geographic location of the animals which they are talking about.
p.s.: GoogleEarth crashed as I tried to share my tour of Germany and it's nowhere to be found. So there, humanity has been spared.
Photo collage
This is a collage made with Picasa with pictures from my last trip to Brazil, in December 2010.
How to prepare students for mass-sharing.
If you visit 100 facebook pages about a certain topic, you'll find that in 90 of them there's a group of people offending each other for a comment that was made. I believe this proportion is even higher on Youtube videos.
Therefore, in my opinion, the most important aspect of educating a future (or current) 'mass-sharer' is that of tolerance, of respect for another's opinions and shortcomings, the ability to celebrate or recognize someone else's success or insightfulness (through something more than clicking the 'like' button). Sometimes, the anonymity of the web and the bi-dimensional nature of written text (where it is impossible sometimes to detect sarcasm or humor) causes people to be excessively aggressive and offensive, and somewhat less open to accept someone else's opinions.
If in person people often 'turn off' for someone trying to convince or explain a different point of view, having to read something attempting to convince you can be even more easily turned off. Often, online conversations (except perhaps when video is included) typically don't include asking for clarifications and readers act based on their first intepretation of what they read, which can be very dangerous.
Also, when having a conversation online with a friend you know in person, it is often possible to 'read' the non-verbal cues, or imagine and incorporate them into a virtual, textual conversation. When talking to someone you never met in person, or to 'youtubeuser1983', the text - often not written properly - and your own interpretation are the only things you have to go on. And that could be very dangerous.
Therefore, in my opinion, the most important aspect of educating a future (or current) 'mass-sharer' is that of tolerance, of respect for another's opinions and shortcomings, the ability to celebrate or recognize someone else's success or insightfulness (through something more than clicking the 'like' button). Sometimes, the anonymity of the web and the bi-dimensional nature of written text (where it is impossible sometimes to detect sarcasm or humor) causes people to be excessively aggressive and offensive, and somewhat less open to accept someone else's opinions.
If in person people often 'turn off' for someone trying to convince or explain a different point of view, having to read something attempting to convince you can be even more easily turned off. Often, online conversations (except perhaps when video is included) typically don't include asking for clarifications and readers act based on their first intepretation of what they read, which can be very dangerous.
Also, when having a conversation online with a friend you know in person, it is often possible to 'read' the non-verbal cues, or imagine and incorporate them into a virtual, textual conversation. When talking to someone you never met in person, or to 'youtubeuser1983', the text - often not written properly - and your own interpretation are the only things you have to go on. And that could be very dangerous.
How to find web resources for my classroom
I usually find resources for my classroom socially. There are wikis and forums related to the classes I teach (such as the OCC) which contain a lot of resources for the MYP/DP classroom. Due to the specifics of either program, most of the resources available online are not necessarily aligned with the expectations of my classroom. For this reason, I tend to get inspired by the work I find on the web, and then develop my own.
Delicious is also an interesting tool for finding specific materials, or materials that fit a particular set of criteria, as it occurs in the MYP, or curriculum expectations, as it occurs in the DP. Many IB and MYP teachers are also sharing their resources through Delicious, which makes it another valuable source of inspiration and classroom activities, one that I plan on using more often.
Delicious is also an interesting tool for finding specific materials, or materials that fit a particular set of criteria, as it occurs in the MYP, or curriculum expectations, as it occurs in the DP. Many IB and MYP teachers are also sharing their resources through Delicious, which makes it another valuable source of inspiration and classroom activities, one that I plan on using more often.
How I'll be using computers in the future
I acquired an Apple product for the first time a few months ago, the iPad2. It has noticeably changed a few ways in which I use computers.
Having always required significant computing power for the games I like to play, my computers - even laptops - are always heavy and bulky. Not very mobile at all. With the iPad2, I have accessed the web on more places than ever before. To me this has been a key change: being connect on more locations other than my classroom or the living room.
I also appreciate the speed and customization of web access that the iPad offers, in particular through the use of specific apps. For example, if searching for hotels on Booking.com, the website offers an app which makes finding a hotel even more intuitive and easier than on a regular browser.
In the future, I would like to look into owning a smaller, but equally as powerful method for accessing the web - like an Android phone or an iPhone - but for now, the benefits have not overcome the costs.
Having always required significant computing power for the games I like to play, my computers - even laptops - are always heavy and bulky. Not very mobile at all. With the iPad2, I have accessed the web on more places than ever before. To me this has been a key change: being connect on more locations other than my classroom or the living room.
I also appreciate the speed and customization of web access that the iPad offers, in particular through the use of specific apps. For example, if searching for hotels on Booking.com, the website offers an app which makes finding a hotel even more intuitive and easier than on a regular browser.
In the future, I would like to look into owning a smaller, but equally as powerful method for accessing the web - like an Android phone or an iPhone - but for now, the benefits have not overcome the costs.
Sharing on the WWW
One of the first ideas of 'content protection' that I came across in Education was when a previous school where I worked implemented Moodle. Teachers were protective of their worksheets, lesson plans, curriculum maps and other documents. I feel that sharing is a natural part of advancing the world, in whatever aspect a person can possibly contribute with.
As for the financial reward, I feel that schools are more interested in the rapport with students, how classes are constructed and effective student learning than where your ideas came from or where they're going. The collective mass of teachers should have the same goal in mind, thinking that if a lesson plan a teacher designed in Brazil is going to help a student being taught by a teacher in South Korea, that this is beneficial for all parties involved, regardless of any recognition.
This is not to say that authors of educational material shouldn't get credit for their work - and more important, teachers should not appropriate themselves of work that's not their own. Credit should be given where credit is due, of course, but protecting the work a teacher makes like it's the recipe for Coca-Cola won't help anyone besides the insignificant fraction of the world's student population this particular teacher works with.
As for the financial reward, I feel that schools are more interested in the rapport with students, how classes are constructed and effective student learning than where your ideas came from or where they're going. The collective mass of teachers should have the same goal in mind, thinking that if a lesson plan a teacher designed in Brazil is going to help a student being taught by a teacher in South Korea, that this is beneficial for all parties involved, regardless of any recognition.
This is not to say that authors of educational material shouldn't get credit for their work - and more important, teachers should not appropriate themselves of work that's not their own. Credit should be given where credit is due, of course, but protecting the work a teacher makes like it's the recipe for Coca-Cola won't help anyone besides the insignificant fraction of the world's student population this particular teacher works with.
GoogleDocs
I have been using GoogleDocs extensively for the past two years at the high school, more frequently with the juniors and seniors lab reports.
Many of the advantages listed by Wojcicki were evidenced, such as easy peer-, self- and teacher reviews during the writing process (rather than at the end), regardless of location. Students also run out of excuses, as the simple act of creating the document and sharing it with the teacher and peers indicates when the student started to work on the assignment, and monitors every step from then on. It also allows students to realize the benefits of starting their work early, as the earlier the assignment is started, the more support/help the student receives.
In Science, GoogleDocs still has a number of limitations: Google Spreadsheets has a limited number of formatting and formulae options, and the inability to add complex graphs and tables in a Google Document. For these, it is still necessary to have the final product, written in GoogleDocs, to go through a more professional word processor, such as MS Word. The same is true when teachers are trying to create elaborate charts of yearly academic planning, curriculum maps and so on.
Also, as we discuss GoogleDocs and its 'innovative' implications on collaboration between teachers and administratio, no one has been making use of an already available - and quite expensive - platform, which is MS Outlook. Everyone still send emails asking 'when can we meet', even though calendars, tasks and meeting planners are all embedded in the email platform we use daily.
Many of the advantages listed by Wojcicki were evidenced, such as easy peer-, self- and teacher reviews during the writing process (rather than at the end), regardless of location. Students also run out of excuses, as the simple act of creating the document and sharing it with the teacher and peers indicates when the student started to work on the assignment, and monitors every step from then on. It also allows students to realize the benefits of starting their work early, as the earlier the assignment is started, the more support/help the student receives.
In Science, GoogleDocs still has a number of limitations: Google Spreadsheets has a limited number of formatting and formulae options, and the inability to add complex graphs and tables in a Google Document. For these, it is still necessary to have the final product, written in GoogleDocs, to go through a more professional word processor, such as MS Word. The same is true when teachers are trying to create elaborate charts of yearly academic planning, curriculum maps and so on.
Also, as we discuss GoogleDocs and its 'innovative' implications on collaboration between teachers and administratio, no one has been making use of an already available - and quite expensive - platform, which is MS Outlook. Everyone still send emails asking 'when can we meet', even though calendars, tasks and meeting planners are all embedded in the email platform we use daily.
Blogging in the classroom
I feel that the benefits of blogs in the classroom are two-fold.
Firstly, the opportunity to reflect on learning is often neglected in classrooms as teachers are normally pressed for time and meeting content requirements, in particular in DP classes. However, it's important to note that reflection and meta-cognition are key elements of sustained and prolonged learning. Blogs can effectively fill this gap.
Secondly, it creates an important history of cognitive development for the students. I remember looking back on the essays and short stories I wrote in 5th grade and because of that, can vividly remember the circumstances in which I wrote them, what I was thinking and what I wanted to express. I think it would be quite powerful for a student to look back at his/her middle and high school careers and be able to pin point at which point he/she mastered a particular concept, or had a particular thought. In particular at an age in which students lose their notebooks on a regular basis, and very seldom keep notebooks from one school year to the next.
Firstly, the opportunity to reflect on learning is often neglected in classrooms as teachers are normally pressed for time and meeting content requirements, in particular in DP classes. However, it's important to note that reflection and meta-cognition are key elements of sustained and prolonged learning. Blogs can effectively fill this gap.
Secondly, it creates an important history of cognitive development for the students. I remember looking back on the essays and short stories I wrote in 5th grade and because of that, can vividly remember the circumstances in which I wrote them, what I was thinking and what I wanted to express. I think it would be quite powerful for a student to look back at his/her middle and high school careers and be able to pin point at which point he/she mastered a particular concept, or had a particular thought. In particular at an age in which students lose their notebooks on a regular basis, and very seldom keep notebooks from one school year to the next.
GMAIL
Gmail was one of the first tools that had a significant impact in my e-life.
Before Gmail, I remember backing up and saving pop configuration files and going through a heap of trouble to get my messages synced between my palm pilot and a desktop computer.
Gmail has incessantly increased the tools that are available and has made communication much more efficient, for example through the chat window and the method of archiving messages.
I must admit that the latter was one of the biggest 'climbs' in using gmail. Using labels instead of folders can be quite overwhelming at first, but is quite intuitive after you get the hang of it.
For those reasons, and the integration of all other google products, I wouldn't create an account anywhere else if I ever needed it.
For students, I believe a very important aspect is to make sure they understand this filing system; making sure that messages are not archived if they haven't been dealt with (out of sight, out of mind), or turn them into tasks/add them to the calendar; also making sure that messages are categorized and organized in a way that they are easily retrieved later (perhaps, by creating a label for each subject).
One of the down sides of gmail and its chat window is having students becoming distracted by it when they're supposed to be working on something individually. This, however, can be easily avoided by having a vigilant teacher (hint: students hardly giggle if they're working on a Biology paper).
Before Gmail, I remember backing up and saving pop configuration files and going through a heap of trouble to get my messages synced between my palm pilot and a desktop computer.
Gmail has incessantly increased the tools that are available and has made communication much more efficient, for example through the chat window and the method of archiving messages.
I must admit that the latter was one of the biggest 'climbs' in using gmail. Using labels instead of folders can be quite overwhelming at first, but is quite intuitive after you get the hang of it.
For those reasons, and the integration of all other google products, I wouldn't create an account anywhere else if I ever needed it.
For students, I believe a very important aspect is to make sure they understand this filing system; making sure that messages are not archived if they haven't been dealt with (out of sight, out of mind), or turn them into tasks/add them to the calendar; also making sure that messages are categorized and organized in a way that they are easily retrieved later (perhaps, by creating a label for each subject).
One of the down sides of gmail and its chat window is having students becoming distracted by it when they're supposed to be working on something individually. This, however, can be easily avoided by having a vigilant teacher (hint: students hardly giggle if they're working on a Biology paper).
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