Reflections of a Techie

Variables, tables, graphs...Squeak and Temperature Probes

I've been working at getting Squeak to work again...not that it ever stopped working...but I stopped working with it.  Thankfully it's much like riding a bike.  You sort of forget how to do things but they come back.  I still get an object to move, created a simple test and take action on that test...even draw something with the Paint tools.  Wooo-hooo!!!!

I'm starting with variables and tables...what this looks like on a graph.   My indicator says they need to be able to create each and then move freely between them.  My experience says students can do this but only with LOTS and LOTS of experience.  They rack up that experience and can begin to "see" the graph from looking at the rate of change inside the table and sort of "know" what it will look like on the graph.

Now that Squeak is working for me again, I have to really think about how to best utilize it. Initially I thought I'd start off with showing Squeak, teaching them some basics with a predone example.  I'm not sure because my temperature probes might do a better job since it collects data, imports it to a table before their very eyes and transforms that into a graph.  I can easily set up all sorts of situations where the probe is recording different kinds of situations so the data look different.  Wonder how to get the IT guys to let me commandeer laptops to setup stations where kids can explore and try to get their graphs to look differently???? There's cool eToy that might be useful...I need to try it out and see if I can understand it.   

Since I know how to do that already, I might save what we could learn from Squeak until we talk about rules and patterns. Maybe I should start off showing them how cool Squeak is on the SmartBoard and we can program simple things together..maybe do the tutorial as a whole class.  Then they'd have some info from which to move on ahead independently.   I'd have time to really hone in how to do this better and maybe find some collaborators out there that have gone before me. 

Integrating Squeak explorations into my algebra unit

I remember the most powerful part of my Squeak and Microworlds experience was helping students discover the notion of a variable.  Whether they actually had the label or not, I'm not sure.  But they definitely had the concept.

Given my early rant and the fact that I'm about to start my algebra unit, I wondered what I would consider doing to rectify my frustration.  I know that I'm capable of doing some simple explorations with my SmartBoard and the class on how this works.  Maybe this will be a turning point.

I will say this...as I've taught this unit more and more, I've personally come to understand the relationship of table, graph and equation more.  Probably even the toy car from Squeakers...gosh I wonder if those are still around.  It was a great exploration.

Yep I think I'm going to jump back into the fire.  Even if I only do these simple things, it will open a window for my students and hopefully if I give them opportunity...they will want to work on things.  I remember that it used to be that they'd go home, download Squeak and work on their projects.  Not that I assigned that but because they were interested.  Wonder if I could get that to happen again?

Wish this was the long weekend.

Amazing Voicethread Projects

Here are some of the amazing VTs that I've found so far.

Feel Dumb? Try implementing transformative technology with kids.

I know there are a ton of teachers that don't want to adopt many technology tools....there are a million reasons why they don't.  But rather than trying to get to the bottom of that messy pile, I wonder if we aren't trying to solve the wrong problem.

I also know that I'm very biased because of the reading and work I've done with Microworlds and Squeak.  Both of these put kids in the driver's seat...they are in charge of figuring things out, writing the code, testing their ideas and then coming to a conclusion.  I spent the better part of 2 years watching middle schoolers get to use these tools and the transformation was remarkable.

Students became thinking creatures.  The work they did in class caused them to puzzle over solutions and to seek answers on their own.  That so flies in the face of the work that I offer most days.  I try to engage them in that same way, but pencil/paper just doesn't cut it.  MW and Squeak allows kids to solve problems in a way that makes sense to them....it causes them to ask questions that stem off of the original problem...and I've seen it work with ALL abilities.

Did I feel dumb because the kids knew more than me?  No...not at all.  Honestly most of the time they really didn't.  They surely brought new perspectives and incredibly insightful solutions to problems...things I wouldn't have thought of.  But I provided leadership and some background context that was helpful (dare I think maybe even critical) to their ability to solve/test their ideas.  I really think we learned together...partners probably. 

So when my colleagues worry that we aren't adopting enough technology tools, I bite my tongue because I worry more that we are not asking them to incorporate the right tools. I think we should ask different questions.  But in order to do that...we'd have to have a revolution...or as Seymour Papert called it...an evolution of both curriculum and instructional practices.  I don't much care that they aren't using the latest, greatest Web 2.0 tool because wait a minute and the toolset will change.  But the power to think.  To explore.  To be your own learning creature is worth invoking a revolution.

On a personal note here's my struggle....the ideas of people like Seymour Papert, Alan Kay and Gary Stager....are what I'd like to work on professionally for the rest of my life.  The problem is that I'm just not smart enough.  When someone leads me towards an answer, I get it and I can go full force in that direction.  Sadly I don't have enough background knowledge (or maybe the time/creativity factor) that you need to free experiment and find out things.

Here's why I think that...when I tried to use Squeak about 4 years ago....it was hard for me to do.  I just felt lost everyday.  I felt like a failure because I couldn't answer kids' questions.  Many times I didn't even know the direction to point....and I know that facilitation is important...but when you're lost in the forest.  It has been so much easier to fall back into the routine of coaching Math Counts teams, leading First Lego League teams...messing around with LabView and those kind of applications.  I don't feel like a slug at the end of the day and have some sense of where to go.

So why don't people adopt technology?  I think because it makes them feel stupid, incomptent and unable to lead their students.  What if you didn't know the content or the technology?  You probably wouldn't even show up.

Maybe the real power of collaborative tools in Web 2.0 is that I can meet up with people who might want to venture into the land of technology that causes kids to think.  With their help, maybe I could do it.  Right now I'll be content to dabble with my Voicethreads and the like...but I know that my heart's hope really lies elsewhere.

Videopodcast of Nova--Absolute Zero

This little video will help my student envision how particles of matter can behave differently.  Thanks to PBS for posting this clip....I thought it was only availabe at YouTube and that is blocked by my district.

It makes me feel better when the scientist doesn't really understand what is happening but thinks it's very cool.  What fun.

Another Episode in the Continuing Soap Opera of Getting Technology to Work...Voicethread and webcams

The soap opera continues.

I've gotten my Triangles Scavenger Hunt started, have successfully added some pictures that students have sent me and even added comments.  The Voicethread site is the easy part.  I just have had a million problems getting the devices needed to do all this working....the webcam has been difficult.  Probably should have bought a more expensive one (I tried to go cheap since this experiment is all out of my meager pocketbook) and that had some reasonable documentation.   Go and see our first try and leave a comment.  The kids would appreciate it....so would I. 

Nevertheless, we have triangle pictures up there and the kids were thrilled to make some comments on how they believed a couple of triangles should be classified.  Now I know this isn't the deepest of conversations to have but I believe it is a good, safe beginning project.

We also created a broadcast of our Evaporation lab yesterday.  Got the camera working and forgot to click the record button during the first science class.  Now isn't that a classic goof-up???  Then I remembered the click the record button during the second science class but realized afterwards that the microphone we used isn't powerful enough to pick up sound in the midst of a whole class work.   They look great but it's a silent movie!!!  Probably another classic goof-up.

I never realized how much learning would go into this.  Even something as simple as making the introductory comment on our VT was challenging.  First of all...does every hate the way they look and sound?  I'm no exception.  My first attempt had the camera angle so low that I could only see how big my nose was....no ability to think about what I was saying.   So I moved the camera higher.  That was difficult to get all the duct tape to stick.  THEN I realized those little prongs are so it hooks onto the monitor.  Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Honestly I think all those mistakes are the things that keep many teachers from continuing.  You feel so dumb and helpless...I asked my Twitter friends for help and some of them actually offered ideas. thank you everyone...you're the best.   But the most basic of my concerns went unanswered as I am sure that people couldn't believe I was so dense.  It is way easier than when I was pioneering in the early 1990s but it is still not easy enough to get mass adoption.

Solving how to get this stuff into the classroom easily is the hurdle that 21st century learning advocates must conqueror.  I think if you're a techie it seems easy...just keep trying and eventually it will work.  But that's not the case with most people....they can't tolerate feeling inadequate and they quit.

Can you hear the organ music starting up....this must be the end of this episode of our soap opera but don't worry...there will be another episode undoubtably next week when we try again!!!!

Shifting Theory into Practice--Web 2.0 Interactivity

By George I really think I've not only got it but I'm really getting it.

Twitter and Voicethread may be the mediums of my understanding, but I think I'm finally moving into the next phase of growth.  OK I've always gotten that Web 2.0 is interactive but I never fully understood how that might happen for me....and the students that I serve.

Just been working with Twitter.  At first it seemed like I  wasn't really interested in the same things that "my" network was writing about.  So I deleted some people and added some others.  Eureka....then I got it.  "My network" started to have more things about which I care.  I am being transformed from the passive member into a dynamic learning environment for me.  Tom Barrett has written about this idea and has some terrific graphics that cemented my own thinking.  And that's the crux of what a personal learning network does...it helps you flesh out what you think, helps you formulate the ideas you want to persue and gives you feedback in doing that.

Voicethread is where I think I'm putting those same notions into action with my students.  We are developing a simple, first time project on classifying triangles.  It's something that stumps many 6th graders...so why not let them take photos from their worlds, post them and have a conversation about which method of classification best describes these triangles.

Will it help them on the state assessment?  You know that's the question that everyone wants you to answer before you do anything.  Honestly I don't know.  But I don't think it could hurt and maybe it will be 1) more engaging for them and 2) help us incorporate more authoring tools for them.  Now I know this project is very teacher directed and doesn't have its origin from students.  You have to start somewhere and this is my where.

I can tell you that one of my early adopter kids has taken the seeds sown by the Triangle project (in its still infancy stage) and create his own account.  He is doing a social studies project about ancient China and got my teaching partner to let him use VT to present his research.  So it begins!!!!!

Teachers and IT...do they ever listen to each other?

Being a pioneer has its challenges.  People don't understand your motivations.  People are frustrated by your desire to change the status quo or ask those pesky "why" questions.  Undoubtably many of those same people will benefit from your efforts and not have to suffer through learning things the hard way....by the school of hard knocks.  Many of us write about this...it is not unique to one teacher or classroom, one school or even one district.

What is it that I am talking about?

Trying to move into a different model of teaching instruction that incorporates new tools....in particular technology tools.  Gosh is it any wonder that it's tough country out there.  I'm watching this new mini series Commanche Moon about the early days of Texas.  It looks like hard country.  I have to say that foraging new paths of instructional methods can be the same way.

Is there a common language for IT and teachers?  Probably the truth is that we both think we know some big truth (with a little "t") that the other one is clueless about.  Our professional organizations seem to be pretty much segregated...in that professional organizations for teachers don't have much technology integrated and the IT organizations are slim on teacher membership/participation.  Some IT professional organizations really believe they have students' best interests at heart...but then are dominated by upper level IT management.  Conversely our teacher organizations don't spend much time on the considerations of networks, bandwidth, dark fiber, and security protocols.

How can we understand each other when most teachers' input is only heard when someone comes out to fix __________________?  Are these repair people/troubleshooters really the best conduit for collecting new ideas?  Doesn't it seem more like these encounters are reactive at best?  Where's the proactive kinds of conversations that keep a teacher/district/IT department working together as a team for the benefit of students?

Is there any group out there that walks on both sides of the line?

Do any districts have effective means of incorporating both points of view into real decision making procedures?  I used to work in a district office that had 2 teachers embedded in the IT department.  It was our jobs to speak up at those techie meetings with the practicalities of the classroom, students desires/wants/dreams and to make sure that perspective was represented.  On the flip side, we then were responsible for trying to impart the wisdom of the IT folks....deciphering all the techie talk into things that make sense within a classroom.  Wish I still had that job.  Unfortunately the realities of state budget cuts forced my district to eliminate both positions. 

Now I don't really know how the teacher voice is heard....except in the moments of frustration or anxiety. If you read many blogs you'll hear all the screaming and hair pulling.  The flip side of that is the IT voice is only heard in the form of policy statements, filtering screens that announcing that this site is not accessible (reasons unspecified).

Surely there is some way that these two sides can come to respect the other's area of expertise, can find common ground where security concerns don't have to trump innovations/new ways of expression...where new frontiers and pioneers on both sides of the issues come together to find new country.  You know the web is bigger than Texas...I'm excited to see what's out there.  Anyone else coming?

Voicethreads---making it work for math

Working to get everything into place and take on this challenge of incorporating a 2.0 tool.  I need my first steps to be small.  So I've planned an easy first Voicethread project.

I plan on sending students on a triangle hunt.  They must find a photo to take or to bring back to class.  On of the most difficult skills for 6th graders is to learn to classify triangles by side lengths or by angle measurements.  They don't get why there are two ways to look at the same shape....  I was hoping that if we go on a hunt and gather a bunch of real-life photos, then they will get more experience at classifying.

That's where Voicethreads comes in.  I want to put those found pictures up and then let them "weigh in" with which method of classification makes the most sense for that particular triangle.  At the end of the comment time, we'll take a look at all of the comments and try to generalize what they can glean from the comments.  Balance it with what they know themselves and then draw a conclusion.

I know this is a simplist way of starting.  But I figure if I can handle something this size, then there can be more ahead.  I'd expect that my students will have ideas for what to do next.

Won't it be fun to hear what they come up with?

Johnny Chung Lee - Human Computer Interaction Research

Finding clever ways to make technology affordable is always good.  I've heard others talking about using a Wii remote control.  Tonight I stumbled across this brilliant young man offering his ideas.  Johnny Chung Lee - Human Computer Interaction Research.

Very cool.  I wonder if he has any idea how much he is helping school teachers bring their classrooms up to date????