Reflections of a Techie

Students may give Al Roker a run for his money as weather casters

"Katia's a tropical storm."  And so the conversation goes as we look at what the National Hurricane Center is posting for their advisories.

"No, she's not.  She was just upgraded to a hurricane."

"Mrs. Ratzel did you know that last night Katia was upgraded?  The winds got faster and stronger and she turned into a hurricane."

"Where do you think she'll hit?  Irene just went right up the coastline, but she first went over Puerto Rico and Cuba.  Katia's still out at sea...do you think she's going to miss the Carolina's.  That's where Irene came on shore, isn't it?"

"Mrs. R....Katia's been downgraded to a tropical storm."

"Yeah, the winds are as strong as they were so she was downgraded."

"I think we should look at the sea surface temperature.  Where do you find that?"

"I'll bet that the NOAA place has something...that's where we get most all of our satellite data.  Let's look there."

So they go and find sea surface temperature maps.  They settle in on the filled contour maps that NOAA has posted.  Guess what they find.

"Look at these temperatures.  I don't know about Katia, but right where Tropical Storm Lee is happening is the warmest water.  It does make a difference doesn't it?"

Immediately because they're following the news, they know about the Tropical Storm Lee and connect to the bright orange areas surrounding Louisiana.

You have to know that most of my 6th graders knew nothing of hurricanes and tropical storms before the 1st of August.  They never watched the weather news with such rapt attention and they certainly never used sea surface temperature maps to understand why these kinds of storms were progressing as they are.  But now they are.

It has been a no-brainer to get them interested in the science of weather since we are watching it happen before their eyes.   As Katia and Lee progress, I think they will only have more and more questions to ask.  Katia has gained strength and is now listed as a Category 2 Hurricane and it looks as though it will become a major hurricane by tomorrow.  They'll be buzzing when I see them in the morning

Most of them don't believe that Katia will come ashore even if it causes large waves and rip tides.  But their experience doesn't include lots of hurricane observations yet.  We'll see how accurately they have interpreted and predicted the path of Katia.

Wonder what they'll say when I ask them why the sea surface temperatures drop right after the storm passes?

 

Using Twitter to help students connect to earth science

Lelia walked into my classroom this morning, now a worldy 7th grader, and said,

"How are you going to pick what to show the 6th graders with the hurricane and earthquakes happening pretty much on the same day?"  She smiled.  I think she was cracking up that she still remembered doing this in my class last year.  I smiled back and said....

"Well, I'm going to show them how to track hurricanes first...that story is still developing and the earthquakes are already finished.  Nothing will change with them, so I'm starting with Hurricane Irene.  What do you think?", I said. 

I didn't know what she thought about doing all this so called work to learn science and she was with one of my more enthusaistic new 6th graders.  I was hoping for an encouraging answer.

Again she smiled and looked at her friend with that "I told you so" kind of glance....

."I think that's a good one.  I liked tracking the hurricanes and learning about them.  Now I even notice when they're on the TV news and still remember all the stuff you taught us." 

Yep...that's my science curse....remember a little bit about how the earth works and I think I've done my job as the 6th grade science teacher.

Mother Nature always provides a rousing start to my science class every year...

2011 is no exception.  With Hurricane Irene upgraded to a Category 3 and threatening the East Coast, I thought we would have more than enough to engage my student.  Low and behold....the double earthquakes occurred yesterday in Colorado and in Virginia.

Today we plotted our first data point on the Atlantic tracking maps.  Using the NOAA data, I showed students how to find the data using the computer, how to draw the hurricane symbol which is a rounded "6" with another tail, and helped them plot their very first data point.  We're concentrating on becoming excellent communicators....so learning how to create graphic pictures of the earth's operation is critical.

The only challenge to all this is that my school makes it darn near impossible to use any of the communciation tools to stay abreast of what's going on.  I use my class Twitter account to monitor the up-to-date hurricane happenings at @ratzel66  Every night I curated all this into my newspaper format at the Ratzel Room66 Daily.   In between issues, we monitor the Twitter feeds using TweetDeck.  Or at least we did before this year.

Here's where the real world interferes with the learning

We've gotten a new filter and now many more things are blocked.  We can't have access to them.  So while the Smithsonian is publishing these fantastic tweets with all sorts of terrific info about the earthquake, I can't even access the hyperlink because it's blocked.

Is this really what they need to block?  Why is it that computer hackers can do all sorts of amazing things and the programmers of school filters can't tell the difference between the Smithsonian Magazine and porn?  Apparently using a URL shortener makes it fall into the category of blocked content....ugh.

Wouldn't it have been nice to be able to read the Scientific American article about Category 6 hurricanes?  Category 6?  Yep....atmospheric scientists seem to think that the "ferocity" of this century's storms may warrant adding a new category.  Would that have stirred up loads of excitement when we read

But we could read this one either....because it uses the URL shortener again.

I've asked for help from administration in getting these unblocked so we can use Twitter to stay up to date and follow the tracking data.  I'm not hopeful because I don't seem to ever find an ear that sees it the same way. 

I could tell you the whole tale of woe in how TweetDeck is now blocked, so I can save searches.  I won't because you've heard it all before.  Normally we create a hashtag search that we save and then use TweetDeck to follow any tweets that meet those criteria.  Blocked can't do this anymore either.  Sigh......

This is how to keep students interested in earth science

Make it relevant to what they see happening in the world around them.  Help them to see the connection between science in a classroom or textbook and the world.  This is what makes science exciting and makes my former students still "notice" hurricanes and earthquakes and tsunamis and flooding and.....on and on and on.

 

Dare to be revolutionary in celebration of this 4th of July

In honor of the 4th of July, I decided that I would make another Kiva loan and since the midwestern farmers are suffering terribly with floods, I thought I would find an agricultural loan.  I've loans in almost every continent and started this crazy passion way back in January 2008....so I can say that I've been around the world several times over the years!!!!

 
I went back to Peru again.  There's something about the stories of the people there who seem so independent and resilient.... 

Doesn't that remind you of what the stubborn, independent patriots must have been like back in 1776?

Teresa Giovanny Llauce Damian, who is a single mother just like I was, raises fowl and pigs to make ends meet.  I can sure relate to wanting to expand my earning capacity just a little bit so I could do a better job by my own children.  When I read how Teresa lives with her mom and her daughter...and is doing everything she can to improve her life, I knew she was the one I wanted to help out.

How many of the people that came to the United States have wanted the same thing....to eek out a better life for themselves and their family?  I know it's idealistic, but I think Teresa's goal mirror the best in the American tradition.  The tradition that was set by the colonists and the forefathers that came seeking freedom and a place they could find security.

If you've never thought about how you could be a revolutionary and change the world, I'm here to tell you that Kiva is one way to be just as bold as John Adams.  It flies in the face of everything the culture and world tells you....you can't do anything to make things better.  Take care of yourself.  Watch out for #1.

Kiva gives me a chance to loan money to another person who I could never meet face to face.  (And sure I know that there are associated expenses that people will question and be cynical about...I guess I operate under the premise that no one is perfect and Kiva is doing a good job)  Kiva gives me a chance to make a difference with my $25 and $50 increments...not exactly the size of the foreign aid the US Congress debates about.  

Making these loans isn't about me either.  It's about one person helping another person.  It's about living illogically bold in belief of ideals and putting aside all my pragmatic thinking and skepticism.

It's about investing in my belief this world can be different and better and that I can be an important part in that....even if it's just to small set of people for whom I can provide part of a microloan.  The best part of this is that everyone can do the same thing.  Check it out and see what you think...

Dare to be a revolutionary to celebrate this 4th of July.

Passion-based learning in the 21st century: Nussbaum-Beach Gets it Right!!!

via plpnetwork.com

Don't you just love this quote?

Does it get to the heart of what teaching should be about when it's working at its very best?

I sure think so.

So much energy is focused around testing right now.  Are you for testing....are you against it?  Where do you stand?  Frankly it just makes me worn out.  I'm not for or against almost anything.  I'm just for  a little dab of this and a little dab of that....figuring out what it is that the student standing right in front of me right now needs, getting that in place...and getting them charged up to learn.

If you don't understand how you can balance test prep and making learning relevant to students...you should take 5 minutes to read this article.  Sheryl makes it crystal clear how to see that vision for your classroom. 

It's something that I've been advocating ever since I have had the pleasure (said through a force smile and gritted teeth to some extent) of being a math teacher.  Here's why.  Lots of the middle school students that I teach already believe a) they're bad at math; b) that they're math disabled because "my mom says she was so I probably will be"; or c) math is boring.  So you're fighting an uphill battle from the get-go.  Pile on the pressure of having everyone being proficient at these goofy high stakes tests....and it's nothing but a prescription for stressed out kids, lots of anxiety and not liking math even more.

So I will have none of that please!!!  You can become a fabulous young mathematician if someone will just build stories that compel you to use math to answer the qeustions that revolve around those stories.  Or you ask them to construct their own stories.  Honestly....when you get down to thinking about how you use math as adult it is rarely on  worksheet and it is so many times more around some "story" in your life you have to solve.  How much paint do you need to re-do your bedroom?  How many packages of hotdog buns are you going to have to buy to make sure everyone has a bun when the buns come in one "denomination" and the dogs in "another denomination"?  translation:  there are 12 buns per package but you only get 10 dogs per package....dilemma!!!!

And then goodness knows...you would never want to ask students to write, solve and teach their own story problems.  Want to see how a teacher is blending writing (gasp) and students writing their own problems.....check out the gummy bears problems!!!  They even let you pick the method by which you can solve the problem.  Know how I found these problems?  One of my student bloggers asked me, "Hey Mrs. Ratzel, I like what we blog about but did you know that Mr. Miller's class blogs about their math problems?  Can we do that?  I think that would be really cool and maybe other people would like to solve problems we would write."

Once I closed my mouth, I told him I thought it would be a great idea and would put it on our future topics list.  When have you ever heard of a student that wants to write about math and/or solve story problems?????

It makes me go back and reflect on the learning students did with me when we were examining the earthquake and tsnuami in Japan.  Students asked if they could present their work in a way they thought showed the idea most impactfully.  So I gave them the green light.  I wasn't exactly sure how I'd do the logistics of receiving all these varied inputs, but I set up a posterous account where they could upload their work because it takes a bunch of types.  Soon we had a place to put all our learning called "You won't believe what's happening in Japan".

From these facts, students wanted to know what we'd do if something like this hit our area which begged the question, are we threatened by earthquakes and tsunamis in the middle of the USA?  Turns out that, while tsunamis pose no threats the New Madrid fault in eastern Missouri is one of the two most dangerous faults in the whole country.  To our good fortune, one of my student's dads is a risk management expert in this very field, and he agreed to come in and speak to our students about what does a business and/or a community to prepare.  The kids loved talking with him and seemed so re-assured to hear what he had to say.

The next weekend the tornadoes ravaged North Carolina and all they wanted to talk about was how this WAS a relevant problem for us....we live in Kansas after all.  You remember Tornado Alley!!!!

Since I teach in a middle school, I knew I had an 8th grade who had been one of those tornado experts and knew everything there was to know.  He agreed to come in and speak to our kids about tornadoes and his teachers let him out of class to present.  He was funny, direct and told them more than I could have ever had them listen to and absorb.  How wonderful it was to utilize his expertise!!!! and to model for my 6th graders that they could be an in-house expert at some point.

Where do their interests take us now?  Funny you should wonder that.....because I typically do some kind of family disaster planning exercise in the spring.  Now I just have to sort of connect what Mr. Fennell spoke about and get them to personalize and "wonder" what they should do. 

Sheryl says it much more elegantly than I.  But I think we're on the same page because I just believe in getting kids to see the relevance in what we learn.  It's more than a textbook about earth science.  It's the WORLD.  And it's how they might need to live.  Yes we read the textbook and yes I make sure we cover all the curriculum standards.  Yes I make sure that they'll test well when they take the state's yearly test.  But we cover the standards as the current events of the day drives the curriculum there....

because I trust that since I teach earth science, the earth will take care of everything in my pacing chart!!!! And the kids will love it and they'll remember things long after the test is over because it came from their need to know.  Could I have mapped out Japan's earthquake would take us to tornadoes to personal home disaster plans to a dad speaking to us about threat assessments and risk planning.  No.  But somehow it works out every year.  'Nuff said.

 

Pioneering New Trails with Skype in Class

It's not new, but it's new in my building and in my room.  We've been experimenting with how to connect three different groups of students...in this case, my class, another set of class from a nearby middle school and a third group in California.

Our first attempt was to read aloud a book that was relevant to our unit of study.  We constructed a list of vocabulary words that would be important to know as we read the book, one of the teachers developed a graphic organizer that helped students actively listen for information and categorize that information, and then joined together to listen.  Our reader had embellished the read aloud with famous posters and art prints and stories that expanded what listeners were hearing.

By the end, we had developed a common experience for all three groups which will be important as we all move into the independent tasks.  Everyone will be trying to decide if John Brown is a martyr or a terrorist using evidence from a set of common sources of information; everyone will be developing Google Earth placemarks showing important dates/events in the abolishion movement; and having an online dialog between the classes about what role John Brown played in the country's history.        

Students intently listened and were highly engaged with the task.  More than being a flashy technology interchange, it really came down to trying to understand some big ideas.  Was it OK for John Brown to use "any means necessary" to accomplish his goal?  Exactly what does that phrase mean?  Have we seen anyone in today's world that believes this is true?  What implications does all that hold for the kids in the room?

So why do this with the other classes?  Couldn't this be done alone.  Absolutely.  But I believe we'll gain something more from having been a part of the group.  If I didn't believe this, it would be a huge waste of time and effort to link up with the other teachers and classrooms.

• First, I think my class studies ancient history so the contribution of the 7th graders, who study American history, will be invaluable as they serve as our experts in that field.
• Secondly, Mr. Miller's class has done far more with Google Earth than my class.  So I'm hoping his students to be our "go-to" technical consultants when we run into problems.
• My students are learning a new technique.  Realizing after this, the kids had little idea about how to behave or interact in this kind of learning exchange, I have the opportunity to expand the environments they know how to use.  I can only imagine that this kind of online conferencing will be more important as time goes along
• Hopefully my students will use their moderating and commenting skills with another set of people....another way in which to practice and get better and better.  These higher level thinking skills of evaluating, finding merit in other people ideas, being respectful and creatively finding mutual areas of agreement are increased with a larger community of learners.

If you have any classroom materials that would help me better lead my students in fine tuning their listening skills during a webinar, I'd be thrilled to hear about them.  I wonder if I shouldn't tap into their sensibilities....maybe allowing for backchats or Twittering of some sort.  Some way to keep them engaged and listening....digesting the information that flowing past them.

I've never done this before so I expect problems, setbacks and frustrations.  Honestly just having that in the back of my mind helps me tremendously in not giving up and really keeping a sense of humor.

We had lots of glitches (video problems, audio problems, I couldn't find a webcam to work with my school computer, I didn't have the dongle I needed to connect my mac to the projector, the sound system kept turning off because I was using 2 video projectors which responded to the same remote control)....but I was just determined not to give up.  I enlisted the help of my techiest kids....together we searched for ways around all the obstacles. This part was quite fun because they thought of as many solutions/work arounds as I did....so we really felt like joined-learners!!!

I'll keep updating folks on how this project goes.  If you have ideas on how to make the video conferencing go better, please let me know.  Or any ideas on what you've done to make this kind of learning work out better...I'd sure appreciate hearing your tips and tricks.  Until later...Cheers.

Inquiring minds want to know--what are those yellow spheres? Can Google Goggles help find out?

Haven't you heard, let the kids lead? 

Love it when the kids lead the learning.  As we were studying soil, comparing how each sample was different from another, students began to find these small, yellow spheres.  I had no idea what they were.

So we tested them out a bit.  Kids could crush them and liquid came out.  Some were already broken.  And they weren't present in all the samples.  Pretty soon, they realized that the only samples that had these were the ones that had been collected from pots.  That bit of info led them to conclude that these bits were part of potting soil.  I querried my Twitter science colleagues who didn't know.  I even emailed a friend.  It felt like I was on that So You Want to Be a Millionaire Game.

Still not knowing what these were a student suggested that I use my iPhone and Google Goggles.  So I downloaded it, took a picture and we searched.  Sure enough...we found a match.  We're not sure if it's the real answer but it got us closer.

The picture that matched was of a sphere that is added to potting soil to distribute fertilizers....keeping the soil from compacting.

 

And when they run out of ideas, give them a boost along

That gave rise to kids asking the next question.  How can we "know" that is what the sphere really is?  Again, we brainstormed how we'd go about that....which gave rise to the need to find the source of the potting soil.  We collected manufacturers names and tried to Google their websites to search for "recipes" that might include what this sphere actually was.

I suggested the Contact Me or Customer Service or Frequently Asked Questions might be a good place to search.  Well, we couldn't find anything.  They were bummed out.  To which I offered the option we could write emails and ask the customer service departments and if we don't hear anything from there, we'll try the Extension Service in our county and if we don't hear anything from there, we will try someone down at K-State's Ag School.

 

Can I teach them not to give up?  Keep on searching.

This is really a lesson in finding an answer when it's not immediately there.  Coming up with places to research and ask for answers.  I don't think this is exactly how kids believe research is defined and I'm hoping this teachable moment that seems to have spawned into a lifeform of its own will help them see not to give up and to search until they find answers. 

By the time I had finished the draft of this post, I received an email back from the manufacturer.  My kids are going to be stoked to have some answer...and they provided a link to short video that explains what these yellow orbs are.  Here's what they said

Thank you for your interest in Scotts and for the opportunity to help you with your lawn and garden endeavors.

Ms. Ratzel, the small beads you are seeing in your Potting Mix are actually a fertilizer called Osmocote.  Most consumers confuse these beads with insect eggs. The small tan or yellow fertilizer particles absorb moisture allowing the liquid fertilizer inside to pass out of the prill and into the soil (they use osmosis, hence the name "Osmocote" and why they seem like "water savers".)

Below is an educational video on Osmocote that you can share with the class.  

 

How cool is that---an answer and a video clip?   Wonder what kinds of questions students will have now that we have this one settled?

 

 

Analzying how current events makes science real

via dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com

With  so many floods striking seemingy every corner of the world, my students are becoming more and more aware of the dangers of water.  Today's NY Times article, helps point a finger towards the difference in people's ability to respond to natural diasters.  Those people who live in a more affluent country benefit from early warning systems than those that don't.  I'm not sure my students would necessarily know about this. 

Again here's why tying in current events to science is so necessary.  It's one thing to know why places flood.  But to then take what you know about flooding and analyze how it impacts the human population is where students get engaged.  I know that part isn't science, but it gives a real life reason for wanting to understand science.

How do you bring the real world into the learning your students do?  I'm sure there are as many ways as there are classrooms and teachers.  I'd love to hear how you do this.

 

Mapping it out

The Times presented a map that will help student visualize all the places in the world where the danger of dying is compared with the occurence of natural diasters.  All this information is derived from a UN report that presents the problem in much detail.

Given what my students learned about the flooding in Pakistan at the start of our school year, the flooding in Brazil and now the flooding in Australia....I think we'll be in a great position to compare the three diasters.

Tying the news into the classroom

As simplistic as it sounds, I use compelling pictures from the news or images that are available through media feeds in Twitter.  I project those on the board as a warm-up for students to examine while I take roll.  Once I'm done with that, we discuss for 5-10 minutes what's going on in order so kids figure out where in the world the event is happening, what we know about geography/climate  there that might cause this to happen and a short chronology of the story so far.

Actually the kids love homework that involves them watching the news and/or collecting more info about what's going on.  I think that's because they like to come back to school and offer something to the conversation.  I also sense a real empathy for the people who are going through the diaster.

It's where I leave it....I don't give a quiz over any of this.  So there's no grading accountability.  Instead I hope (and believe in my heart of hearts) that students are moved by the diaster and they want to know more.  And since I try to stand for learning for learning's sake, I take no grades.

Do you think that unwise?  Do you think by using that approach there won't be enough student learning?  How would you do something like this?

This article is a terrific jumping off point to do some kind of inside/outside circle class discussion.  It will be interesting to see how my students react and the questions they raise.

 

Twitter & Class webpage.."a marriage made in heaven"

Keeping a strong home/school connection is vital and providing relevant, timely curriculum support is equally critical.  I've found that our class assignments/homework page does that...and now it will do more.

Using a newly found formatting website, we'll be able to read our Twitter feed much like a newspaper.  The class website has already recorded over 8200 page views in the 2nd quarter of this school year.  And that was before it gave students access to the earth science current events they need and want.

Parents love how students have a one-stop spot to find assignments, page #s, handouts and now a way to easily find the current events information.  All without having to remember a log-in, username or password.  With the ability to subscribe to the class webpage, I actively have over half of the students' parents who receive emails whenever I update the page.  About another 10% subscribe using a feed reader.

This is definitely the sign of the times...that subscribing and RSS feeds are more often utilized means of communciation than the phone or a note to the teacher.  It does take a bit of effort to keep the content fresh, up-to-date and helpful.  Thanks to the commenting link, Contact Mrs. Ratzel, parents continually send emails to me with ideas and questions.

Blogging with students about citizenship

My students had lots to say about the upcoming elections. It's hard for them because they are still at the stage where they really have the same views as their parents and families....but they are starting to branch out and start to think about things for themselves.

We wanted to investigate the governor's race in our state.  We started by considering what a leader should be for a whole state which led to asking what they thought a citizen should be.They have written some very interesting ideas...from lofty goals all the way to practical suggestions for other 11 and 12 year olds.  Audrey , Carson , Carter , Connor , Eric , Jack , Jamey , Jared  Joey  Katy Levi Maddie Margaret Miles  Nic Noah  Sam  Sean  SeanT  Teddy  William  have terrific ideas.  Why not visit a few of these students to see what they have to say?

In addition to trying to explain what a responsible citizen is, students also offered their ideas on what they could do right now to get ready for the time when they are able to cast a vote.  They have some great ideas on how to practice citizenship even while they are in 6th grade.   Audrey Carson  Carter   Jamey  Jared  Joey  Maddie  Margaret  Nic  Paul  Sean  SeanT   William .

I'm proud that they are learning to write about their ideas.  It's part of our district's push to have kids writing across the curriculum.  They've just started developing their writing style and also designing their own blogging interfacing.  So we have a long way to go...but they've done so much to get to where they are right now.

It's inspiring to hear these students speak on these issues...they are full of ideas, hope, optimism and energy.  They are our future and I think it's never looked brighter.

Diigo conversations push kids deeper

I'm having a blast doing an enrichment project with about a dozen students.  We are following a scientific research vessel that is exploring the Canterbury Basin and documenting what they are doing via blog entries.  Each day I have my students work on reading those blogs and harvesting out the most relevant information using Diigo annotations.

The blog entries give a pretty simple to understand description of the science they are doing...as they are doing it.  With a Teacher at Sea, we get glimpses into the processes by which they study the crust of the earth in search for answers about all sorts of things.

Imagine my kids excitment when they read about the current project being conducted at Canterbury Basin which is on a transform boundary.  We just finished studying about plate boundaries and I don't think they thought they'd ever use that info much.  Heck I don't use it very much either.  But sure enough it is that boundary that produces enough sediment that the rising/falling of the sea level can be studied at his location.

The other evolving part of this project is the use of Diigo.  Now I haven't worked out all the bugs...and as Bill Ferritier likes to say, I'm being digitally resilient...ie I am using multiple work arounds.  But I have to tell you that despite all the pain in my neck this has been, I'm LOVING Diigo.  We are annotating the blogs as we read them and then dissecting what they mean.  Now imagine my little kids (6th graders you know) trying to understand that the geochemistry of this sediment can tell scientist about the cycling of sea levels...and this cycling is important to the coastal cities survival throughout the world.  We're just at the most basic places, but they are digging through...asking me questions and pulling out info they think is relevant.

I have them write summaries and email those summaries from Diigo to me each weekend.  OK...not all are great.  But most of these kids "get it" and are pretty interested in the science being conducted.  I think they are also grooving on the conversation we get from highlighting important things from the blogs and then chatting (via the annotation commenting feature) about why it's important and what are the next things we should look for.

Believe me when I say I don't know what I'm doing.  But I think we're doing some good stuff...and I know this is a perfect enrichment project for those kids that are super motivated, want to do something beyond the routine class stuff and will follow through with minimal teacher hand holding.

This is the kind of thing that puts me in the zone of a perfect teaching situation.  I love it because they are excited and interacting with stuff well beyond my skimpy set of science skills.  I know NOTHING about geochemistry or micro palentology or ____________________.  I don't have to because there are 60 scientists that know everything...I just have to facilitate the conversation!!!!  Isn't this the best?

Image copied from "All Hands on Core" blog post from the JR Resolution 11.18.09  http://joidesresolution.org/node/896