You Tube for Teachers

Good news for teachers! You Tube has launched a You Tube for Teachers. A slight variation from teacher tube
and School Tube, You Tube for Teachers will give teachers tips that show how to organize videos as well as offer discussions on how to help struggling students through the use of videos.

Why use You Tube in your Classroom?
1. Increase student engagement
2. Free access to thousands of high quality educational videos
3. Use videos to lengthen in-class instructional time
4. Expand your impact by reaching a larger audience.
Check out the article titled Five Reasons Why You Tube Rocks the Classroom if you need more reasons.

Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions

Came across this article in the Harvard Education Letter The title caught my attention, as an educator who oftened struggled to design thought provoking questions for my students. The article,Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions by Dan Rothstein & Luz Santana offers a different if not new perspective on learning, by having students design their questions using a Question Formulation Technique (QFT.) This technique helps students learn how to produce their own questions.
Teachers use QFT to introduce students to a unit, assess knowledge and to conclude a unit. The article includes all the steps you would need to understand and implement the process.
Love sharing!
Linda

Snappy Words

No I am not talking about a list of words to use for quick comebacks, although Snappy Words might help improve your word choice.
We all like free web tools that our students can use Free Technology for Teachers.com  provides teachers with free websites and resources that they can use in their classrooms.
Snappy Words is a free online visual dictionary and thesaurus. Enter any word or phrase into the Snappy Words search box and it will create a web of related words, phrases, and definitions. Hover your cursor over any word or phrase in the web to read its definition.
Check it out!
Linda Jones
The Eighth Floor

YES WE ARE OPEN - From Construction to Destruction to Instruction

CONSTRUCTION

We had a record breaking summer. We offered the most classes we ever have. We had the most teachers we’ve ever had. We had the most enrollments we’ve ever had.  And we had the most fun we’ve ever had.  I would say the only dark cloud was all the construction in this area. Although presently inconvenient, it is much needed progress. Perhaps the most common remark people made as the rushed into class feeling late was that they could see the build for the last 20 minutes – they just couldn’t get here.  The good news is it is getting better and better all the time. Participants who come for classes this fall will find it a little easier to get here, but should still expect some construction.  Your patience and humor were much appreciated this summer. Finding the secret way in from week to week really was a challenge.

DESTRUCTION
In early August a storm tore the roof of our building. Being the top floor, we bore the brunt of the damage – losing 3 classrooms and all the equipment in them.  Even though our offices we not seriously damaged, they moved us off The Eighth Floor until repairs can be made.  We are now ALL sharing a large, open room on the Fourth Floor. It has been a month and we are still alive and speaking to each other!  So far.

We have been told we should be back in our offices and up and running by the middle of October. (Hmmm . . . . sounds like the “two weeks” answer. All renovation takes two weeks, right? )   In absolute faith, we scheduled classes to be held ON the Eighth Floor starting in November.  Still, we couldn’t wait until then to have classes.  TTC and TCC both we able to find us some space here and there.  So we are able to do some classes in October. 

INSTRUCTION
Even though we were able to find some classroom space, we didn’t think we would be busy enough, and we didn’t want to lose the momentum from summer. So, we came up with our “October Scratch n’ Dent Sale.”  The idea is that for the month of October, we would do District Requests for free.

OMG!!  We had no idea how popular this would be. Between the classes we had scheduled and all the District Requests, we can’t put our finger on a blank spot anywhere on the calendar for the month of October.  No Vacancy. 

This is great news!  I see a number of bonuses: we don’t have to worry about these classes canceling, we get to spend some time in new and different learning environments, we can meet consortium members who might never get to take a class on The Eighth Floor, and we can engage in more specialized and informal instruction.  It has been so popular that we are trying to come up with a way to do something like this on a more regular basis.

Hopefully we will see you at your location or ours at some point this fall.

Just sharin’
Lee Anne

Three Things I am Thinking About

Three things I am thinking about as the summer semester comes to an end.

ONE:  Summers are a blast at The Eighth Floor. I wish we could get that level of enrollment in the fall and spring semesters.  *sigh*    Maybe we can . . . ?

During the fall and spring semesters I miss the large classes and teaching every day, but in all actuality, we need that slower time so we can do research and learn new skills ourselves.  But, as great as learning is, it’s still not as fun as teaching a class to a room full of fabulous teachers. Just sayin’.

TWO: My paycheck doesn’t make me feel like this class evaluation comment does.

“I really enjoyed all I learned in this class.  The information and your modeling answered many questions for me, helped me develop a more critical eye for evaluating online courses, afforded me the opportunity to read the best research, and experience first-hand the best practices both as a student and teacher.”

If someone said that to me every day, I’d likely teach for free.  I know a lot of teachers feel the same way.  In fact, I am spending the summer with a whole bunch of them. There is something about being around these people. They love what they do and are inspirational simply by nature, I think. Here’s why I say that: they are spending their summer learning and no one is “making” them; they take time to share what they know with the people around them; they are constantly looking for ways to improve student learning; they love their students.  

THREE: Technology has changed me as a teacher.  I’m not even sure where to begin on this – which is why it is something I am thinking about.

• I know that number one and first and foremost, I would otherwise be teaching English. Love teaching writing, but it has been an amazing challenge to learn to teach something completely new.  
• I have learned more about teaching in the last six years than I did in the twenty before them.
• I look at students differently, and I see my role for them in the classroom differently - facilitator or manager more so than “teacher.”
• I don’t prepare for class as precisely as I use to.  I have to go with the flow and be ready for most anything and any student.
• I spend more time getting to know what my students are focused on so that I can make their class time relevant to them and less time on what I think they don’t know but need to.  
• I am more connected to learning networks than ever.  My influences expand beyond the building I teach in.
• I learn most everything from people on the internet.  (not college professors – Yikes!)
• I don’t lecture so much as I have a conversation in class.  How we consume information has changed – who can even listen to a lecture anymore.
• I never teach the same class twice – I can’t!  Students’ needs change and so does the technology.
• I am connected with my students on multiple levels – social media allows for this.

These are SOME of the things that technology has change about me as a teacher. Technology has made me keep on my toes. Sometimes, paying attention at that intense of a level can wear me down.  Most times, I love it.  I am particularly curious how technology has (or has not) changed other teachers.

So, not that there is even a grand point to this post – but these are three things I am thinking about today. 

Just Thinkin'
Lee Anne

Thinking About Rethinking it all . . . but I really just want to be playing.

It’s that time of year . . . meaning the time of year I try to take a few weeks off before the chaos of we call summer on The Eighth Floor!  Unfortunately, it’s not looking like I will get to be entirely work free. I have a new class I am going to have to create during my time off, but hey, I don’t have to drive into work to do it, right. Someone suggested the other day that I just rely on the book this first time around . . . really? Show me a book on this stuff, please.

Whatever.  I have some things I want to talk about because I have to get them out of my head and into someone else’s so that I can concentrate on my task at hand and get this darn class finished so I can golf and enjoy my time away from work!  If I am nothing else, I am a sharerer.

So, here’s the stuff:  In my research, I have run across many interesting ideas about where online education and technology integration and digital literacy are going, but I don’t feel like I can afford the time to really investigate and think about it right now.  So, I thought I would take it to the tribe for conversation.  (Love that word – check out this Seth Godin video if you want to know how ideas move these days http://blog.ted.com/2009/05/11/why_tribes_not/ )

First topic – Online Education.  Recently, I commented that we are better at online education now because we know better.  We have learned things like self-paced and one-size-fits all computer based training blows.  (Let’s call a turkey a turkey, okay – I’m short on time.) We now subscribe to the idea that community in an asynchronous learning environment is a must.  So, now I am wondering what we will learn next about online learning.  Will we learn that putting content in a virtual environment and creating community around it isn’t really all that great?  Can we be using online space better? Will we ever get a handle on blended learning?  Will we ever quit calling it blended learning – maybe just . . . learning?

Second topic – Rethinking the definition of teacher, learning, classroom, education . . . you get the idea – just rethinking.  There is so much talk about rethinking our educational system.  Okay.  There are some seriously compelling arguments to be made. But, no one seems to have any answers that don’t, in the mean time, harm the “learner. “  Many argue that schools as we know them have reached their limits in terms of real student learning.  Are we producing “knowers” and nothing even close to actual “learners”?   Is that likely truth a result of our blind focus on standardization?

I’m trying to see into the future – crazy, I know. But I thought I’d see if there was any conversation.

Just thinkin’
Lee Anne

FYI – many of my questions come from Will Richardson’s blog, Weblogg-ed.

Is Social Media Just About the Bandwagon?

The other day I responded to a discussion on Linked-In on the topic of social media – the questions was, should employees be allowed access to social media during work hours. Here is my comment: “It depends on what they are using it for. The same could be said for using a phone or a copy machine or the internet - what are they using it for? Most employees, at one time or another, use these tools for personal reasons. If there is a problem, it is usually centered on that employee, not the availability of the tool.”   (It kills me that I ended two sentences with prepositions!!)

I do a great deal of my learning via social media.  I would likely not be able to do my job effectively without it.  So, I am of the mind that social media is a good thing.  But, as you might imagine, there are many who do not agree.  That’s okay. Not every situation calls for social media or even any technology at all – if you have been in one of my classes, you have heard me say that technology is not always the best tool to use for the job, it’s just one.   I say this to show you I think I have a practical view of where technology and social media fit.

I have actually been thinking quite a lot about this whole social media topic recently.  I am researching a new class I am doing this summer on digital portfolios/social resumes – NOT your mother’s eProtfolio – and the class is all about leveraging social media.  Several thoughts are banging around in my head, such as:

• What do we think of social media?
• Do employers take digital resumes seriously? (I have seen a lot of evidence that they do, but . . . )
• What the heck is social media?
• Do schools need a social media policy? (Most businesses have them . . . )
• Many feel that educators should be developing curriculum, not pop culture, and that is all social media is. 
• Why do we think the only use for social media is pop culture?
• Is social media in schools too much of a distraction?
• Can we help students learn to use these tools professionally - cuz they are all over them personally.
• Can we ignore something that is so ubiquitous?

So, that’s what’s going on in my head right now.  I am trying to visit many sides of the topic. Invite me over!

Just thinkin’
Lee Anne

Are We Any More or Less Comfortable With Technology?

Are we any more or less comfortable with technology?  I have been asking myself this question for the last couple of weeks.  I like to think as educators that we are, that we have seen enough and been exposed enough that we no longer fear the unknown, that it is not unknown.  I also like to think that as educators we understand that it takes time to learn something new. But, gosh, I am not sure. Or am I mistaking fear for frustration – or is it the same thing? Where is the “negative” about technology still coming from?

Recently I did a couple of workshop sessions on social networking tools.  They were short sessions, 45 minutes. So there was not an opportunity to get into the meat of the tools (plus they didn’t have computers), but we would certainly be able to talk about the possibilities and what other educators were doing.  The first session went great.  There was much discussion and sharing.  The questions were positive and insightful. We laughed. We cried. I was blown away. Really.  The second session, however, was not so great – at least I didn’t think so.  I don’t know. Maybe they were hungry since it was right before lunch or they were just over “technologied” or something.  But there was not much about this group that was fun or positive.  It was pretty clear that they were frustrated and kind of angry.  But why?  I had only just walked in the room – been with them maybe 5 minutes.  Surely I had not had a chance to make them angry, yet. 

It all started with the first comment after we watched a short video on the power of technology.  I can’t remember the exact words, but it was along the lines of, “Technology is not necessary and takes up a lot of time.”  I agreed that sometimes, that is the case.  I don’t always need a pen or a book or even a chair to learn.  Think of it as just one tool that is available to you and your students. Trying to get the conversation back to social networking, I mentioned Facebook as a jumping off point. Pretty much everyone in the room had an account or knew what it was.  Facebook is an example of the power of social networking. Imagine having just a part of that energy in a classroom or a school?  They looked intrigued. Yeah!  We were on the right track. 

One participant, however, was not okay with going past this point. He did not have Facebook and felt that this conversation could go no further until he fully understood.  No definition or quick look or description was “okay.”  At one point he commented that if he has one student that doesn’t fully understand, he goes over and over it.  That’s wonderful!  I applaud him, sincerely.  I do that, too, if I can.  But, this is a workshop on social networking on a Saturday morning, and it’s almost lunch time and we are quickly running out of time to talk about social networking tools for educators. I suggested that this class might be a great way to get familiar with terms and start to build a foundation and big picture for this topic. Other students chimed in that understanding all this can’t happen in a day. (Thanks to those wonderful people.)   I could see his frustration building, but without completely turning the class into a Facebook lesson for him, I just couldn’t seem to find a way to get him to relax and just let some things stick to him. I could not convince him that he didn’t need to be able to use this particular tool right now to benefit from the discussion.  There were more, similar sticking points. In fact, he had a whole pocket full of them, such as they just didn't have time for this in class and there was no practical application for them. Anyway, you get the idea.  This teacher was not happy.  And, I don’t think he’s alone, I also want to say.

I am still thinking about this whole event, obviously, and trying to make some sense of it. I am trying to figure out why this wonderful teacher (and I know that he truly is a great teacher) needed to essentially hijack this workshop to find release.  Maybe this was a cut and dry combination case of poisoned well syndrome and too much technology for one day.  The first comment was negative and everyone just went rogue from there.  That is the LAST time I do a workshop right before lunch!!  Toward the end of the workshop, one participant shared about an article he read that said schools won’t be able to afford technology soon and they will have to make a choice between teachers and technology.  Talk about a slippery slope!  How did we get from technology is time consuming to integrate to that machine is taking your job and there is nothing you can do about it. Kill the machine!  Okay, so they weren’t screaming “Kill the Machine” at the end, but you get the idea.

So I am back to my original question:  Are we any more or less comfortable with technology?  

Just Wonderin'
Lee Anne

Quality Matters on The Eighth Floor

Have you heard of Quality Matters? That’s okay, many have not. If you teach online or think you might be teaching online or work with people who teach online or do absolutely anything to do with anything teaching online – you definitely will be hearing about it.

Quality Matters is a nationally recognized program that is designed to certify that online and blended courses meet researched design standards as defined by the QM Rubric. http://www.qmprogram.org/about  

Mere Mortal English Translation: These people got a wicked big grant and did a lot of research and came up with some design standards that can be used to build and shape online courses – to make them work really good. They created a rubric that is periodically updated to make the whole process easier. http://www.qmprogram.org/rubric . What I like is that this process is faculty/peer-centered – meaning the conversations and evaluations come from your peers. This is not an evaluation of the teacher or teaching methods. This is a set of standards we can apply to the design of online courses. The focus is on alignment of learning objectives with activities and assessment. Additionally, I don’t feel that the rubric crushes creativity, individuality, or spontaneity. Double additionally, schools can evaluate classes internally or invite external QM trained peer-reviewers for a stamp of approval from QM.  I’m a fan!

Until recently Quality Matters has focused primarily on Higher Ed. There is now a Grades 6-12 Rubric. http://www.qmprogram.org/g6-12-rubric-standards-0 . As more and more K-12 schools offer online alternatives and standards based classes, this is available none too soon.

Through the Eighth Floor, I work with many of the Higher Ed and K-12 institutions in the Tulsa area. As online teaching and learning grow out of the early years, I see these institutions now looking for ways to find consistency online and a set of standards that will hopefully improve learning and retention. This is a struggle similar to face-to-face classes, but the online environment presents as many unique challenges and it does unique opportunities. We have learned that we can’t teach exactly the same way online that we teach F2F. The same goes for best practices in course design. We had to come up with a new way to look at online classes that guarantees more successful.

So . . . in rides the Quality Matters gang on their gleaming white rubrics. Yeehaw! I jest, but the reality is they really are almost super heroes. I have been running across this QM Rubric for years – encountered it in several courses I have taken in my quest to know more about the online world and have included it at a certain level in the Online Learning Series. The more I know about it, the more it makes sense to me. By the end of this month, I hope to be a certified QM trainer. I say “I hope” because the courses for trainers are HARD and not for the casual learner, not even a little bit.

This begs the question, why am I even getting certified . . . and I hope you are also asking what this has to do with you? There is now a growing statewide Quality Matters consortium here in Oklahoma, started by Dr. Dana Lindon-Burgett from Rose State – you may remember Dana as one of the facilitators in the Online Learning Series here on The Eighth Floor for several years. If you want to know more about the Oklahoma Consortium, contact Dana, dlindon@rose.edu  . AND, she’s great at explaining all this stuff.

Here is our list of current (and growing) affiliates in alphabetical order: 

1. Francis Tuttle Technology Center
2. Northeastern State University
3. Oral Roberts University
4. Rose State College
5. Southwestern Oklahoma State University
6. Tulsa Community College
7. Tulsa Technology Center

I am getting certified as a QM trainer so we can offer training here on The Eighth Floor for QM consortium members in this part of the state. Some of the Higher Ed institutions are looking at offering online faculty a six hour training course on using the QM rubric. I imagine, without being required, that many faculty will be interested. I’ve taken it and it was worth the time. This short course was not challenging in the way I describe the trainers’ courses. I found this course to be quite enlightening. It helped me understand the QM rubric and get some practice applying it.

If you are teaching online, especially if you have been doing it for several years, Quality Matters will likely pique your interest. It has helped me see online instruction and course design from a variety of different perspectives. Plus, it’s got a good beat and it’s easy to dance to.

Here is a current list of QM Rubric Training courses this spring semester. Classes are open to members of the statewide consortium. These are all day workshops – but it goes quickly. If there is interest, we are happy to add more classes at The Eighth Floor! Contact Dana Lindon-Burgett for enrollment information dlindon@rose.edu .  

• Jan 11 Rose State
• Feb 11 Rose State
• March 4 Rose State
• March 25 Eighth Floor
• April 8 Rose State

Just Sharin’ 
Lee Anne

WHO IS 'HOGGING' THE INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD IN YOUR CLASSROOM?

This article from Tech & Learning got me to thinkin'. (That is not so easy at this point in the semester.) http://www.techlearning.com/blogs/34792 .



The author, Daniel Rezac, discusses the issue of teachers "hogging" the interactive whiteboard in their classrooms. Students rarely get to touch them.

"Think of it: how often did teachers let students actually write on the chalk board? The overhead projector? The fact is, there's only one Interactive White Board per classroom, and there may be 25 or more students. There is never going to be enough time in one class period to let everyone have-at-it on the white board. Nobody ever heard of a 1-1 white board environment. That would be awfully expensive. Maybe we're going about this all wrong."

Rezac is not all talk. He actually offeres up some solutions for this "hogging" issue.

On the Eighth Floor, we are all about the integration of technology. It's what we do. I wonder if we are sometimes so focused on the teacher that we forget about the student. And by that I ALSO mean, I wonder if we are forgetting to let our Eighth Floor students "touch the board."  

Just thinkin'
Lee Anne