Reflections of a Techie

Effecting Better Searches--

One of the things I've been thinking about is how to change the way I require students to interact with the web.  I think it's become clear to me that instead of assigning the "old fashion" report, that maybe what I should consider is setting the topic and then letting them find resources to support that topic.  Once we have amassed the resources, the next step would be for students to evaluate the usefulness of each site, categorize and rank it.  With that info, we could probably start asking some questions about the topic that were relevant to today's world.

In order to do all this, I need to teach how to do effective web searches.  Endless surfing is a huge waster of my precious classroom time.  I've used to use the Bernie Dodge 4 or 7 NETS for Better Searching.  At NECC 2009, it seems that Google has just released a series of lesson about searching.  Google For Educators - Web Search.  A bit different, these are lesson ideas that have been formulated for you.

Either way...I need to change how I do web stuff.  It ramps up the classroom learning if I ask them to evaluate and analyze the websites rather than simply reporting or summarizing.  It should be more interesting and I think it's a much better way to go.  Afterall, evaluating is what my students will have to do with the information exposition that will continue throughout their lifetimes.

AllThingsPLC » Blog Archive » Three Rules Help Manage Assessment Data

Just read a great article that started with a Dickens quote about it being the best of times and the worst of times....what a great way to summarize how NCLB has effected my classroom and those around me.  Thomas Many wrote  Three Rules Help Manage Assessment Data. to discuss some wonderfully practical rules that would help teachers.

1.  Getting access to data must be timely.  There isn't anything that I could second more loudly than this idea.  Getting information about your students after they have left your classroom or are several months past when they are studying the topic...well, why bother?

2.  This rule involves the principal making sure data is easy to read and formatted in such a way to help teachers.   Help them without having to learn how to be an statistician or decipher some obscure formatting that probably made sense to the IT guy but not to a practicing teacher.

3,  The last rule states that data needs to be dicussed publicly.  This is another great idea.  As practitioners, we need to lighten up and realize that we can only improve if we risk talking to each other about what happened.  There's too much to learn from this kind of post-test analysis to worry about your ego...you just need to look at what the numbers say and try to improve.

This was a great little article, well written and full of wisdom that someone has learned by working with real teachers doing a good job at using data to drive their instruction.

Did you feel the spirit of the 4th of July? I did!!!!

Yesterday I had the good fortune to stumble across a pre-Fourth of July parade.  I happened to be in Oceanside, California which is just outside the gates of Fort Pendleton...a huge Marine base.  Oceanside seems like city of contrasts...there's a big dose of surfer types, another big dose of tourists and a huge chunk of Marines.  An interesting mix, huh?

This parade was like so many I've been to or when I was in the marching band.  Yet it had such a different feel.  I think it was the presence of Marine families and Marines in uniform standing along the parade route.  I stood near an Iraq war vet who had 2 hearing aides in because of an injury who was in his uniform.  I haven't stood near many Marines recently and let me tell you....they are a presence...take up a lot of space both physically and psychologically.

As the parade went on and the twirlers had passed by along with the beauty queens and city council members....car loads of veterans started.  This section of the parade was dedicated to Pearl Harbor Survivors, WWII vets, Korea vets, VFW members, Desert Storm vets, and Iraq and Afghanistan vets.  As each group came by, the Marine captain next to me would snap to attention and yell out Semper Fi.  If there was another Marine in the car, that person would yell "hoo ra" back.  Other people in the crowd would applaud and yell out "thanks".  This parade made me remember my Daddy.  He served as an artillary spotter in the Army Air Force before there was a separate branch of the service.  I know, in small chunks, how he changed from what he went through in those two wars.  It was a good thing and a burden to carry...but he felt like it was his priviledge and duty to protect our country and his family.  I felt that same sense of things while I was watching.

I was reduced to tears.  The spirit of brotherhood that went back and forth between the captain and vets...well, it was special.  The unity of people standing and thanking these vets for their service and sacrifices was humbling.  I am so glad I happenstanced upon this parade.  It was a blessing in my life and one I won't forget....ever.

It's almost time for wiki camp!!!!

Last summer I was thrashing about trying to learn how to use wiki more effectively.  I was a self-taught wiki user so I had gaps and holes.  Along came the PBwiki Summer Camp.  I found it by chance and enrolled...faithfully doing all homework and watching the videos.  I was so pumped.  I did use what I learned in putting together a wiki for an NSF grant that I was working on.  Most of those teachers hadn't used a wiki, so I felt like I was true to my commitment to use the resource although it wasn't with my students.

But I had planned to use it with my science students.  That didn't happen.  Unfortunately I really have to do one thing at a time.  Otherwise I find that I don't implement anything well.  So when I had a chance to get some totally rad Vernier probes to add to my science labs, I jumped at the chance to integrate those into my classroom.  I'm not sorry I made this choice, but it did mean that I didn't do wikis with my science students.

Along came a new invitation (along with a new wiki name) to join the Summer Camp again.  I'm enrolled along with 1700 other teachers who are all committed to learning how to integrated this kind of writing into their classroom.  I couldn't be more excited...even though I'm overwhelmed with other work obligations.

PBworks summer camp starts on Monday and I am excited.  I'll keep you posted on how things are going and what I'm learning as we go along.

Can a class be fun and challenging? at the same time????

I've been reflecting on my meeting with math colleagues last week.  We met to discuss what types of enrichment activities we'd offer to our students.  These are wonderful math teachers who are very dedicated to their students, who want to see them excel and you care deeply about the discipline of mathematics.

We hit roadblocks, I'll have to be honest.  Our first hurdle, and I definitely sure we did not solve this problem, was how to keep the pace up of learning while some students lag behind.  The class we were focused on is one that is designated for above average students....the course description is written so that parents and students know that the pace will be faster and the homework will be a higher level.  Our dilemma is that the course is opt-in by parent/student decision. 

I have no problem with that UNTIL the student can no longer keep up.  When the student requires so much remediation that they are holding back the majority of other students and when the parents are frantic that their child is no longer getting "good enough" grades.  As a teacher of this class, I can recommend that they move their child to the regular class, but it is utlimately the parent's decision.  Often the parents decide based on things far, far removed from what's academically best for their child (ie. popularity concerns, community status concerns, etc).

To my mind there is no solution because you can't leave anyone behind even in the advanced class and you can't keep the pace up because you can't leave anyone behind.  Extra tutoring, modified assignments, more tutoring, extra parent help....sometimes it isn't enough.  I don't know how to make everyone into an exceptional student.

Luckily for me, I must be a persuasive voice.  When I've had students that aren't succeeding, I've had pretty good success at helping parents arrive at the place where they move their student to a different class.  The ironic part of all this is that no matter which class you are in during our middle school years, you'll arrive in 9th grade taking the same honors geometry class.  Usually when you point this out to parents, they relax and move the student. 

Second hurdle.  Many teachers don't want to up the complexity of the instruction they are offering because they fear the lack of the "fun" factor.  By that I mean they want to hang onto projects that are fun so kids will like math.  Sometimes taking these advanced students into more open-ended problem solving won't win you points for being fun, but they learn to derive a different experience.  I guess I'd probably define that as satisfaction...satisfaction from being challenged, failing, learning how not to fail the next time, and then being successful.  In the end, I think they'll remember this kind of learning experience as favorably as those deemed "fun".

It takes courage to go with this kind of learning instead of fun.  Dare I say that I find myself lonely at taking this view? 

My solution to this roadblock is to keep on doing what I believe is best for students in the long run.  I guess I'm sort of freed up because I don't care too much if my projects are fun.  I mostly care if they earn themselves more self respect, if they grow in confidence and build their self esteem for legitmate reasons.  We all have different students who we must "read" and respond to...so I will continue working on those open-ended problems with multiple solutions and teaching six or seven of the best problem solving strategies from MOEMs or Math Counts.  It may sound too hard to others, but I have seen my students transform.

These are two pretty big roadblocks to finding a thriving, enriched math curriculum.  You see the point of this class is to provide an extra punch of math if they are already conquering the curriculum without accelerating them onto the idea/concepts they'll have in future years.  It isn't easy.  Sometimes I wonder if it's even possible.

I also have a bead on some super fun projects that I will try to incorporate, too.  Fun never hurt anyone and I'm up for that right along with the next guy.