tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80586350584508809112024-03-07T23:03:29.728-08:00Victory in EducationPosts about all things in eLearning education and more.Brian Bobbitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15772678627183077864noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8058635058450880911.post-82870357650131618122013-05-30T18:19:00.000-07:002013-05-30T18:32:02.944-07:00Before Reality Beats Imagination<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">Remember what it was like to be a kid? Remember what it was like to have dreams and a world full of ambition? Remember the first thing you ever built? I sure do. It was a foot stool I made with my grandpa. That thing must have had a hundred nails in it! Back when we didn't have a care or responsibility in the world we all had an insurmountable drive and a load of creativity because we didn't know any better. We only wish we could have that back as we get older.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the "grown up world" we are so concerned with meeting quotas and producing numbers and "fitting in the system" that we forget the importance of our creativity and ability to solve problems. We can get so entranced that we fail to realize the value of hard work we learned while having fun building our first treehouse, or when we learned to ride a bike. We focus so much on how to fall in line and into a system that sometimes I wonder if we know how to think on our own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was a teacher in the TAP System this past school year. For those of you who don't know, that stands for Teacher Advancement Program. To summarize quickly, career teachers are observed and given a score by Mentor teachers, Master teachers, and School administration. Career teachers as well as Mentors and Master teachers are given a score 4 times throughout the school year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently I had an evaluation in which I received a score of 5 in the area of problem solving. The scoring scale ranges from 1-5, with 5 being the highest. I was so happy with the 5 because of he particular area it was in. I teach engineering, so you can imagine the ability to problem solve is a high priority for me. However, problem solving is so much more than that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To me, problem solving is one of the last areas of creativity left in education. This is an area in which kids are still allowed to come up with their own solutions to problems. My evaluator asked me, "how do you get kids to understand the importance of problem solving?" As I thought about how to answer the question I paused for what seemed like an eternity. I answered with, "because they need to understand the importance of thinking and putting thoughts into actions while learning to take calculated risks and knowing that learning from failure is sometimes acceptable." Thinking further, I should've added that the teacher needs to act more like a guide rather than a critic to setup the successful culture for problem solving.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I gave my answer not only did I think about my students at school, but also my 5 year old daughter. I began to question if I'm giving the opportunities to think creatively, yet learn something that might make the world a better place at the same time. While I realize that building tree houses and riding bikes aren't worldy contributions; the value of finding innovative and more efficient ways of doing something can create a lifelong learner. I hope I'm able to continue this vision throughout my career and get my mind off of promotions and other distractions. Indeed, these are the kinds of activities our youth and world need . . . not learning how to be a part of the process. After all, we can't hold onto the hands of our youth forever. What future will any of us have without the ability to problem solve?</span></div>
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Brian Bobbitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15772678627183077864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8058635058450880911.post-44374652481661052912013-05-07T16:08:00.000-07:002013-05-07T16:08:44.249-07:00Why Can't Everyone Think Like Me?<br />
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Being a teacher has proven several things to me throughout my
career. Perhaps the most important is
that my students rarely think the same thing I do. A few years back I read a book by Chip and
Dan Heath called, <u>Make It Stick</u>.
The book was about ways to be successful in having others listen to what
you had to say. Recently I remember
thinking more and more about the “Curse of Knowledge” referred to in the
book. This means several things, but to
me, it means that I take for granted that I already know something and simply
assume others have the same idea.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If this year has taught me nothing else, it has taught me the value of
modeling. I’ve learned that I should
model what I want the students to do.
For example, if I want them to walk down the hallway in an orderly
manner then I should do so. If I want
them to design something in engineering class a certain way, then I should show
them that. One thing that continues to
elude me is modeling my thinking. How
did I come to certain conclusions? Why
did I get that conclusion? Students need
to see the thought processes we use to come to conclusions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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People have a hard time thinking abstractly yet often this is the type
of thinking expected. Students often
become frustrated but elated when they’re told to create. They love the idea of creating, but they want
to know finite or detailed information like: how much, how long, how will it
work? There are lots of folks who can
see the finished product, but struggle to determine how the person got
there. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One exercise I do with the students is to have them write step by step
instructions on how to do something and hand those instructions to another
student. Students often leave details
out of the directions because they assume people know the details or will
automatically do it. Sometimes students
think these “thought” details will be seen as non-essential to completing the
task. If you want to see an interesting
breakdown of the human thought process just have someone else write step by
step instructions for how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!<o:p></o:p></div>
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We need to give our students the same insight we use when making
decisions or we most likely won’t get the result we were looking for. Understanding how students think is important
to this development. A fun activity I
have done with co-workers at different schools is the North, South, East, and
West Personality traits. The results are
very enlightening and can also help us to better understand how others process
thoughts. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Here are some strategies I’m going to try using more of:</div>
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<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Draw more diagrams and pictures (always heard
they were worth 1,000 words.)</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Write more of my thoughts on the board for kids
to read.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Create more podcasts of me working with projects
or just of teaching moments in the class.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Explaining to students the process of how I came
to a solution to a problem.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Have students explain to me how they came to
conclusions.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Ask scaffolding questions to help guide students
to answers rather than provide it for them.</span></li>
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Brian Bobbitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15772678627183077864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8058635058450880911.post-33646344739871010112013-04-30T10:05:00.001-07:002013-04-30T10:05:43.559-07:00Collaborative Culture<br />
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I was recently in a twitter chat in which we discussed ways for a
person to expand their Professional Learning Network. (PLN)
Many ideas bounced around that used technology to enhance a person’s
resources. There were those in the room
though who preferred a more personal approach.
“Remember the times we used to sit at a table and have a reflective
discussion on what we had done in our classrooms?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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I would love to help people understand that technology can be used to
build a professional learning network so vast that any time they have a
question it can be answered in minutes.
Sometimes I feel like technology and all of the vast PLN resources can
overwhelm folks though; kind of like drinking water through a fire hose. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I find many asking, “Where do I begin?”
For starters you have to know yourself.
What is it that interests you?
What is it you want to learn more about?
Then you need to determine how you feel most comfortable sharing
information. Do you prefer to sit at a
table and talk with people, or do you prefer to get your information through
literature and online discussion?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think the trick to building a PLN is to find folks who share a common
interest with you. After all, it’s
people – not products – that make a difference in our learning. Perhaps equally important is to find some
folks who don’t always agree with you.
In a true PLN we should challenge ourselves. Sometimes the only way to do that is to
purposely follow folks that will ask us that famous question, “Why?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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My recommendation on collaboration is to use Twitter. There are several hash tags related to
education. By following these you can
see many others who share similar interests and viewpoints as yourself. You can also get involved in the chats that
happen weekly if you choose. Here is a
weekly list of chats I try to participate in.
Keep in mind I’m an eLearning and engineering teacher. All times are central. If you follow new people be sure to recommend
them to #ff so they can get other followers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Monday:</b> #sschat 6pm #flipclass
7pm<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Tuesday:</b> #edchat 11am
#edchat 6pm #pblchat 7pm<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Wednesday:</b> #educoach 9pm<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Thursday:</b> #inlearn 7pm<o:p></o:p></div>
Brian Bobbitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15772678627183077864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8058635058450880911.post-19985061186327637842012-09-04T20:02:00.002-07:002012-09-04T20:02:58.433-07:0011 eTeaching Tips<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last year I was an eLearning coach responsible for
integrating technology into the classroom.
It was an exciting job and an excellent way to enhance my own professional
skills. It’s amazing what a little time
to think can do for an educator. This
year I took a job as a STEAM TAP Mentor.
My new position presents new and unique challenges. These days I find ways to integrate Science,
Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math into everyday curriculum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the reasons I took the new job was because I’ve
always felt that STEAM areas are where all of the content of classes come
together. Additionally, last year I learned so much more about student engagement through the use of technology. As far as STEAM goes, many of these
areas come together in engineering, which I also get the opportunity to teach
again. I’ve had several students begin
to understand the importance of math for reasoning and how vital science can be
to answer the question, “Why?”
Technology is becoming easier for students to use and understand its
implications for learning. Students are
even learning the importance of communication in language arts classes because
of presentations they develop for products they make.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One concept not so commonly thought out is how the arts
integrate into learning. So many times
these courses take a back seat. Many don’t
understand that artistic expression and architecture fit together
perfectly. Perhaps, students have never
thought about the social implications delivered in social studies and how they
can impact the outcome of a product they create. These are the things that excite me most. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the bottom of this you will be able to find a link to a presentation I put together to help teachers enhance instruction via the use of technology. These are all things I have tried myself and seem to really engage the learner. I tried to word most of them so they would apply to all who read them. However, some were more specific to the need of my staff. Hope you enjoy and feel free to leave a comment.</span></div>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/a/evsck12.com/presentation/d/1phkL1LcM2LWSJ4SgNhuEaKo93B9go6gdhbSn41_ONps/edit#slide=id.g154c48f2_0_0"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">11 eTeaching Ideas</span></a></div>
Brian Bobbitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15772678627183077864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8058635058450880911.post-36209387279806090212012-05-07T11:50:00.000-07:002012-05-07T11:50:42.415-07:00One Size Fits All?<br />
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As I sit and think about the strategies teachers used for me
during my learning career and the strategies I use for my students throughout their
learning career one thing becomes clear: there is no one size fits all
approach. I continue to ask myself where
this can be found. Certainly it would make life easier. I don't read too much about it in text
books. I've heard about it in theory. I've never seen it in practice. A big reason there is no one size fits all approach is because today’s learners have and need a variety of different skills. </div>
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Some students need a hands-on approach. Some students just need a teacher to guide
them. In my current job as an eLearning
coach I have learned about many different types of learning models. I'm a proponent of flipped
class, PBL, flat class, and differentiated instruction. Of course there are many others too numerous to list. I need to sit back and realize all of these learning
models have a place and time to be used.
There is no ONE educational model that is going to satisfy the needs of
EVERY student. I have to take what I
know about the student and what I want them to know and find a way to put them
together. These learning models are here
to help me, not make or break me.</div>
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I know that some students are going to respond well by doing
the content learning outside of class. These students just need me to facilitate the class rather than direct their learning. The flipped class model
allows me to do so. I also believe my
students have to participate in global learning networks if they are going to
compete globally. The flat class model
helps me accomplish this. I know for a
fact that I remembered more as a student from posing my own questions and
finding a way to answer them. PBL helps
me accomplish this. Of course, we all know students learn at different rates and in different ways. I use many concepts I learned through differentiated instruction to help me create a unique experience for learners.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The most powerful tool I have in my arsenal is communication
with students. Simply by talking with
them I gain a better understanding of what it is they need. I also talk with them about things other than
school. Let’s face facts students have a
life outside of school and they are often more interested in it. I do this to help me relate content and
anything else to the student. I have the
ability to create surveys, polls, etc., but at the end of the day building a
working relationship with the student will carry our learning further. Having a weekly check-in our round table discussion in which students can simply explain academic, social, or other issues they have helps develop a trust between teachers and students. This communication piece becomes a way for me to engage students into the lesson.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Any way I look at this I see that we are dealing with people and not products. We are always going to have a need of finding different ways to do things because no two products are ever going to look the same. Therefore, the process is never going to be the same. Continued learning with strategies and techniques will make us better, but not if we don't have some sort of dialogue with students to find out what they need to know.</div>Brian Bobbitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15772678627183077864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8058635058450880911.post-24276341492315357762012-04-10T08:27:00.000-07:002012-04-10T08:27:21.549-07:00Student Centered Classroom<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Recently
I was one of the trainers in a professional development session titled, “The
Student Centered Classroom.” As I talked
with the many participants I couldn’t help but wonder how I made my classroom
student centered. I was able to reflect
back on my time in the classroom and think of my own experiences. While planning for the PD I also kept coming
back to one question in particular, “Who is doing the work in your class?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I
taught Project Lead the Way pre-engineering curriculum – the curriculum really blended
well with student choice and voice. I
always tried to provide students several options to demonstrate mastery of an
objective. One of the most powerful
learning techniques in pre-engineering is to realize there are several ways to
accomplish one task. Often times, those
solutions have positives and negatives when compared to others. However, these differences provide a
communication piece vital to explain thinking and reasoning to students.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I
saw several great projects in the 10 years I taught pre-engineering. It was simple for me as a teacher too. The students and I would come up with what
the product should be able to accomplish.
Students then chose a pathway to get there. At first, students did not know how to
respond. However, they quickly learned
that as long as they accomplished the task they would be graded fairly. As time progressed students began grading
themselves. Though I had to have
conversations about grading because students were often much harder on
themselves. This was important for me as a teacher because it taught the
valuable lesson of self-reflection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
room quickly became a place for students to display their own work. I would have students telling me they wanted
to take their project and show it to the principal or others. They took great pride in their work. It also became an environment for students to
challenge each other. Students began to
offer input and suggestions without being critical of others, which is a skill we
can all benefit from. The conversation
level in the room was amazing - lots of big words with correct associations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Obviously
this is my story. I am not trying to
convince anyone this is the way to go even though it may sound like it. This was just the way things happened in my
class. Looking back I wish I had kept
data on how it all went down, but it was just how class went. After a while this is what the students and I
began to expect from each other. I
expected the best from them and they expected the best from me. Most of the time all they needed me to be was
an “expert” opinion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Brian Bobbitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15772678627183077864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8058635058450880911.post-87270884759754381522012-04-05T08:05:00.000-07:002012-04-05T08:05:34.191-07:00Common Core<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
education world is becoming more focused on a new set of objectives called
Common Core. Some folks literally cringe
upon hearing about it. Any time
something like this comes along I always try to take a step back and see how I
can deal with it. While I know I can’t
satisfy everyone with my beliefs that common core is a good thing, I will
explain some ways it is already embedded in schools. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For
starters, one of the main goals of common core is for students to explain what
they know rather than just provide us the same information we just provided
them. It’s no longer about, “Select one
of the following choices: A, B, C, or D.”
This idea also provides greater opportunity for in-depth knowledge. I think we know that when students feel
comfortable talking about solutions they probably have a good understanding of
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
part I like most about common core is the idea of proving mastery of content. One of the beauties of technology is that it
allows several different ways for a student demonstrate knowledge. Additionally, there are always new and innovative
programs being released that allow the student to show it in a different way. As an eLearning coach this year I have seen
some truly amazing projects completed on student netbooks. To an extent, I expected those amazing
projects to happen, but not to this degree.
Students are continually finding ways to “one up” the last project they
completed. That is very rewarding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When
I think about my career in the classroom as a Project Lead the Way
pre-engineering instructor I thought about how common core was already embedded
naturally. No two products ever looked
the same. There were some advantages and
disadvantages to each one. However, when
the students were done with the projects they not only felt rewarded by their
accomplishments, but also understood the “why” behind it. Furthermore, these differences in products
often encouraged conversation to happen among students. They asked each other why they chose to
design a product in a particular manner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In
essence, I really believe the movement to common core standards is going to
allow us to do much more. We will be
able to create environments in which students can converse with other students
throughout the country on different projects to get ideas or develop a better
understanding. We are also going to be
creating an environment in which students become the center of the classroom
because it is going to be the student’s job to demonstrate mastery and provide
rationales for decisions. We will also
continue to develop an environment in which students have high expectations and
move more toward independence. </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Brian Bobbitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15772678627183077864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8058635058450880911.post-87029582626998873632012-03-14T19:21:00.003-07:002012-03-14T19:26:56.177-07:00Technology as a Tool<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="line-height: 115%; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Remember when we used technology to
make life simpler? Technology has been
around since the Stone Age. Maybe it has
not taken the form we know it as now, but it has always been with us. Furthermore, it has always served to make
something easier for us to accomplish. Can
you imagine someone using a microwave to cook if it actually made the process
take longer? Teaching with technology
should be no different. Teachers want
tools that are going to make life easier and enhance instruction at the same
time.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Recently my school’s Spanish teacher
decided to use Skype to communicate with her former student teacher now living
in Spain. To see the looks on the faces
of those students – and teacher - when they saw another person on the big
screen that could also see everything they did and talk with them was
priceless. This was a simple concept
that afforded that class an opportunity to communicate with someone speaking
the language they were studying.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;">I have a social studies teacher
using a modified Flipped Classroom model.
She provides podcasts for students to view at home or in the first few
minutes of class while she is taking attendance. These podcasts provide great avenues for
discussion. Sometimes the podcasts serve
as the base of instruction and the teacher is able to walk around the room and
assist students that have questions or who just need help understanding. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;">The last teacher I’ll blog about is in
our language arts department. She uses
webquests to enhance instruction. She
quickly noticed that students loved to “surf” the web. She understood that she could use this to
educate and actually empower students.
By using webquests she was able to allow students the opportunity to
learn in a way they wanted. She is able
to guide the students with her questions and has found great discussion as a
result.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">These technology tools actually made life easier
for these teachers and also enhanced instruction by providing real-world
experiences. As a result they continue
not only to use these tools, but to actually learn more about them. This is what teaching with technology should
look like. Furthermore, these are also
great examples of what a student-centered classroom should look like. These teachers are all building learning based
on the strengths of the students.</span></div>
</div>Brian Bobbitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15772678627183077864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8058635058450880911.post-68064316714026401952012-02-28T07:16:00.000-08:002012-02-28T07:16:47.572-08:00Student Engagement and Technology Resources<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;">Student achievement is a popular topic of discussion in the world of education today. These days school success is tied strongly to student achievement. No doubt the concept is important. Perhaps even more important is the idea of student engagement. If you asked 100 people the meaning of student engagement there is no doubt about the variety of answers that would follow. I believe without engagement the achievement level of a student will never reach full potential.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;">One of the most powerful components of student engagement is for the student to have a voice. Students should be able to choose different ways they can explain/demonstrate/prove they know something. That's one of the features of technology. There are so many different ways for students to assign meaning and expression to learning.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;">Let's face facts - everyone likes to talk about themselves. Our kids are no different. They want people to acknowledge important things in their lives. How many times in class do we try to relate the content to sports when we have an athlete in our class? Technology gives us an outlet for all students to express an opinion. Students may not raise their hand in class, but they will participate in a poll or a discussion board.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;">An engaged student wants to learn more about the topic. Engaged students become very resourceful in finding answers. For example, a student is watching a TV show and a new term is used. Does the student know how to place a meaning? Do they know what resources to use? Do they know if the resource they've chosen is accurate? I wonder what it would be like if the student picked up a device and looked it up what they might find. I wonder how many people actually do this.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;">Providing methods for students to create is essential for student engagement. As educators we must also realize that these tools must continue to be expanded. With this in mind here is an A-Z Resource List. It’s not comprehensive, but does include several resources to help get you started. It is also continuously updated with new tools. Feel free to use and share the link. <o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Inconsolata, serif;"><a href="http://goo.gl/sefJF">http://goo.gl/sefJF</a><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Brian Bobbitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15772678627183077864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8058635058450880911.post-769968960377919112012-02-15T12:23:00.000-08:002012-02-15T12:23:53.720-08:00Keeping it Simple<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Last week our school had an amazingly positive experience. Every week I provide professional development to our staff regarding the integration of technology into the classroom. My main goal of the lesson was to demonstrate the collaborative features of Google Presentations. I got way more than I bargained for. Here is how.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">I began the presentation and then created one slide with the assignment. The assignment was simple. Log into your Google Apps account with the link provided and answer the following question. “What was a great moment for you in your teaching career?” Now, I’ll admit I intentionally asked this type of question because I wanted teachers to spend some time using the software. The answers were absolutely inspiring.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">As this project continued to develop several teachers were accessing the presentation at the same time. It was apparent that word had gotten around. You could tell teachers were reading what others had entered into the presentation – mostly because Google Presentations shows a color for the location of mouse pointer for everyone in the presentation. It was such a great feeling to know that we were talking about positive professional experiences.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">In the days following several teachers came up and personally thanked me. They kept telling me how much the assignment helped them regain perspective and how it was so nice to learn about one another. Others would tell me, “I needed that.” No doubt the professional development came to be a great boost for staff morale. This experience could not have been simpler to develop and hopefully will be an opportunity for someone else soon. <span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Brian Bobbitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15772678627183077864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8058635058450880911.post-1528584702972005792012-02-01T06:38:00.000-08:002012-02-01T06:38:46.795-08:001:1 InitiativesThis is my first year as an eLearning coach. This year our school corporation went 1:1 with Dell 2120 netbooks for grades 6-8. We had already been 1:1 in the high schools. The job is very exciting indeed. Perhaps the most important question I run into on a daily basis is, "What do we do with these things?" While the answer may seem simple, "Use them," it's just not that easy. Teachers need training before unleashing this type of technology in a classroom. <br />
<br />
The biggest complaints seem to stem around the issue of classroom management. The lead question in this category is, "How do I stop them from doing _____?" I begin to wonder why we need to stop certain things rather than actually channeling those into the proper avenues for success. If students want to see how email works why not email them an assignment? If they want to see how chatting works, why not have your class in a chat room?<br />
<br />
On the classroom management side of things the teacher has to be mobile throughout the room. The teacher and student also need to have a relationship in which there is a trust. Students and teachers need to be able to stop for those 'teachable moments' when something goes wrong with a website, or a student accesses something they shouldn't. All parties involved need to know that some difficult conversations may be had and those need to be viewed as learning opportunities.<br />
<br />
Like it or not, technology is here to stay. Our students today really don't know of a world without it. Some of us do and while we reminisce about times in which life was simpler we know that today's technology has made things easier. We also know that the technology toys we have are becoming more and more essential to our own lives and as a result we must continue to learn ourselves. Isn't that our goal as educators? For our students to become life-long learners?Brian Bobbitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15772678627183077864noreply@blogger.com0