A willingness to be open to change has led to teaching experiences in all grade levels Kindergarten through 12th. This exposure to students of all ages has solidified my firm conviction that everyone has a right to a quality education that will empower them to share their voice, thoughts and innovations. I've spent the last three years immersed in technology education, and believe that for many students from many backgrounds technology is empowered self-expression. Learning higher maths skills, and computer script languages, as well as coding has taught me the infinite possibilities of embracing growth mindset. I am now determined to encourage my students to develop their digital skills, embracing a growth mindset and empowering their future.
0 Comments
My original driving question or hook was: Is the Hour of Code a Waste of Time? I really wanted to create something that would cause people to look twice, and draw them in, but more importantly, I wanted to cause educators and administrators to take a closer look at the power of computer science education. My initial research focused on the impact learning to code had on elementary school students' critical thinking skills. Since that time, I have been able to dive even deeper into an innovative classroom structure, and have created an entirely gamified version of my class. Students now level up by completing tasks and earn badges as they learn. One of the greatest lessons that I have learned in the last few years is the incredible power of developing a growth mindset. I have applied this to my own digital learning, which has resulted in a transformed classroom. I am hoping to be able to include some of these new ideas into my capstone project. I am still confident that developing true computer science skills not only empowers all students, but can be a powerful weapon in the war against the damaging effects of poverty, but can see even beyond that. Developing an openness to learning new things not only empowers students but also those who teach them. Being able to infuse students experience with design thinking process will allow them to explore new skills.
I am not so focused on the individual type of digital experience students receive, as long as it is an authentic one, but rather want to focus on the idea that exposing students to real digital learning provides them with the skill set and tools to create, design and build their own future. The Hour of Code is only the beginning. Our cohort is one of my favorite things about this entire experience. I am surrounded by intelligent, creative educators who I respect and admire. Each person is unique but brings so much to the group. I know that they will continue to support me by pushing me to think deeply about our assignments. Each time I think that I have expressed all that I can about a topic, I talk to a someone in our cohort, or read their blog enteries and realize that I need to go back, and think some more, and write some more. It really is the best situation for learning, and one that I hope my students get to experience. We already have some great norms - in the ways that we respect and support each other. We all show tremendous respect for one another's time - as a group we are on time, and when doing individual projects, I never had an issue meeting up with my partner or group whether in person or online. We also show tremendous respect. No one has ever called anyone out publically on any issues. If there has been an error or misspelling on my part, I've been told privately - which I greatly appreicate. Respect is a crucial norm when working together and supporting one another. I hope that my cohort memebers feel that I am respectful of their time, ideas and capstone. The biggest changes with my prototype have everything to do with my endless thinking about my prototype. It seems that the more I think about it, the more I see I could add, change or adjust. The entire concept seems to grow with all the ways that I could build it out, and make it a effective and worthwhile to all those involved: teachers, students and parents. It is definitely something that will require a lot of thought, revision, and analysis. On the other hand, the logo you see above was created by me. I used Google draw and created it myself and I am pretty happy with it. I wanted to convey an artistic rendering of connections, and although I might make some modifications, it looks really close to what I want it to look like. I have, up until this point, had very little experience with Google draw and never stepped away from a design before with such a satisfied experience. I don't know if the constant exposure to tech of late has pushed me to be more willing to stick with a drawing until it meets my criteria, or if I have simply become better at using Google draw, but either way, I suppose I ought to credit Napa Learns for helping me to get to this point. The greatest challenge I have been thinking about lately is the idea that I want my website (prototype) to be useful, or I suppose more specifically, I want it to be effective. It isn't enough to have a collection of websites, videos and screen casts, if no one benefits from them. It doesn't matter if my website is beautiful and well thought out, if it doesn't actually lead to more people embracing computer science. I would be thrilled if even one parent learns to code, and then begins a career in computer science, thus altering not only their own path, but their children's as well. I would be ecstatic if Phillips Elementary developed a strong reputation for producing capable computer science engineers who not only understood the basics of several coding languages, but who had actually used those skills to create real products for real customers. My overriding goal always before me; find creative ways to end generational poverty. Lastly, I have found my biggest take away so far is the importance of my own willingness to learn and grow. Teachers often say that they are the ones who are being taught by their own students, and it is true. But more than that, teaching myself computer science and specific coding languages has really pushed me to develop an overall growth mindset. It has connected me to the designing thinking process and how it applies to the classroom - because teaching is the designing thinking process lived out. I use my pedagogy and my content knowledge to create meaningful, and effective lessons, that I must evaluate and then modify - over and over and over again. No lesson or activity is every really set in stone as perfectly effective because I teach humans who are as unique as the stars. My pursuit of technology integration is just one arm of this process, as is my attempt to build a prototype that will support my learners, as well as their parents and other teachers. My capstone project is in process, as is my prototype and this is all because as teacher, as a digital innovator and as a human, I am in process as well. I am really excited to be implementing some of the new tools from EDUC702 as part of my prototype. I HAVE loved using screen-casting to support my students, but now feel really great about adding WeVideo into the mix. I know that for much of my prototype (A website to promote computer website education) I will be using screen-cast to demonstrate to teachers and learners how to get started, or how to develop a specific skill, but now I can also embed videos that inspire and demonstrate what that type of learning can look like. Instead of just showing visitors a computer screen and how to navigate around it, I can also show them what an energized and enthusiastic computer science classroom looks, sounds and feels. I am already a big believer in the power of social media and tweet regularly, including several weekly twitter chats, but having expanded my tweet-verse, I now have even more resources and have connected with experts in the field of computer science. I have already connected with the head computer science programmer from Khan Academy and she has agreed to participate in a short video clip for my prototype, explaining why true computer science education is so important. I love the connects and support you can gain by using Twitter. I think that it is very important that, as with any tool, textbook or device we put in the classroom, we are thoughtful about how these "things" are used. One of my coworkers once told me that they didn't want to use shared docs in Google because they kids could say mean things to each other. She is absolutely correct. When you allow students to share docs or slides, or comment on one another's work, they can write mean things, but what I pointed out to her is that they same is true of the pencil. We didn't stop handing out pencils because people wrote mean notes. This is why it is important to talk about the correct ways to use technology and part of my prototype will need to address those who fear technology and its use. Using videos made with WeVideo can help other teachers understand how tech training can support student learning, and participating in Twitter Chats to build awareness of the usefulness and importance of training in Computer Science can also support those who are unsure of the techno world. Lastly, as people fear that video games and the world of technology is ripping the very fabric of society into shreds, it is important to talk about the research that shows how much gaming helps those who play. As Gabe Zichermann discussed in his TED Talk, games provide constant challenge which helps players be always looking for new and complex solutions. Game players problem solve from level one all the way through to the final boss level, and good gamers build communities who work together to collaborate on solutions. It is important that we include the science that supports the importance of developing a rich, effective and powerful digital life. I am hoping that my prototype will ease fears while empowering those who hold them to develop their own digital skills, and then pass those skills on to their own students. There is a tremendous difference between the terms: game-based learning and gamification. I have already been involved with game-based learning. My students learn to type by playing typing games, and learn to code by participating in class games. In fact, most of the activities in my classroom involve some gaming, but this is not the same thing as gamification - at least as I understand it. After watching a few TED Talks, over the past year, I really began to think about why my students, and I love playing video games. My students LOVE playing Minecraft. My own children BEG me to let them play Minecraft all the time. I like to play video games, too! I am especially fond of the games like Lego Star Wars, or Tomb Raider, or Donkey Kong. I love working my way through each level and earning more points and unlocking new skills, abilities and secret levels as I go. Game makers really understand how the human brain works. They know that if they chunk their game up into levels, people will keep working to push themselves to explore a new level. This of course made me think about the classroom. What if school was a game? I have worked pretty hard this summer to try and figure out a way to do convert my class into a giant game just like Donkey Kong and Legend of Zelda. It isn't just about earning badges, or "winning" but rather encouraging and inspiring kids to ENJOY the process of learning. As it stands now, I am set up for all my students from 2nd- 5th to be members of a huge game. I made the game spaced-themed, and so students will begin the year as Astronaut Candidates, and hopefully become full fledged Astronaut Leaders by the end of the school year. They earn XP points for every assignment, and will be able to see where they stand on the leaderboard as individuals, as space stations (homerooms) and as crew members (groups). The best part is that from grades 2nd - 5th, I assigned the same 6 crew names which means that when looking at the crew leader board, those crews will be made up of students of all ages. I have also set special incentives that build mutual encouragement and reward. For example, if a student in your crew achieves Astronaut level -- then every memeber of that crew will gain 200 XP points - hopefully this will push students to celebrate one another's success. This is MY FIRST EVER class = game attempt, so I don't know if this will be as great as I hope, but very soon, we shall see! I hope that it motivates my students and helps them to want to truly apply themselves to each assignment. I really hope that in that process, students who didn't think they could learn to be technologically proficient, discover that they not only are capable, but that they enjoy it. Here's hoping!
Having spent a TON of time looking at gamification and how to turn my course into a game, I have looked at quite a few resources but here are some new ones I looked at this semester:
Red Critter -- I was hoping that Red Critter would be the solution I was looking for. I wanted to award my students digital badges for completing various tasks and assignments in my class. For example, when my student completes the Driver's License assignment, they would get a digital badge. Unfortunately, Red Critter was not as customization as I had hoped. It was like a weaker version of Class Dojo, which I already use, and requires yet ANOTHER log in for students to keep track of their badges. I was also a little concerned about their privacy notice which basically shifted the onus of FERPA compliance on schools. It basically said, "Hey, we are just in the badge business, so making sure using this complies which your school's privacy rules is up to you." Class Dojo, in contrast, is fully compliant and has a seal of approval from Common Sense Media. Class Craft - - I looked into Class Craft next, and loved the crazy, wild graphics, but many of them include weapons - swords, knives, etc. I understand that this mimics the world of gaming, but felt that it was an imagery that some administrators might not want in the elementary school classroom. However, my biggest disappointment was that I couldn't just customize the entire system to allow MY assignments to be the way that students gained XP. Although, it looked possible to be able to make some modifications, it still wasn't what I was looking for. This REALLY surprised me because with all the talk of gamification, there seemed to be be NO company that set up a basic framework - via app, extension or computer, that would allow teachers to turn their class into a giant game. I suddenly wished I was much more sophisticated coder.
Next up was Class Badges and YIPPEE! Here, I found something CLOSE to what I wanted to, but where would students store their badges? Would they be able to handle YET ANOTHER place to keep track of things? Also, the who website seemed to be a bit neglected and there was even a message that basically said that they would NOT be making any new badges, but they would NOT shut down what had already been made. It felt like the entire site was on the way out, and it STILL wouldn't result in my class being gamified.
So, this led me to Alice Keeler's blog - she has TONS information on all things digital. I read her article on creating your own badges in a spreadsheet. I completely understood how to do it, and knew I could build out the spreadsheet following her awesome step by step directions, but it STILL wasn't what I wanted. It would take me a TON of time and work to create something that was ALMOST, but not quite what I was looking for and then I FINALLY I decided to visit Teachers Pay Teachers.
Like the glorious sunrise above, I foundMichael Matera's spreadsheet which is a thing of beauty. It contains tons of complex formulas that calculate leaderboards, XP points, and all kinds of fantastic stuff -- all you do is input your students, place them on teams and SHAZAM!!! you've got a way to turn your ENTIRE course into a game!
During ISTE17, I saw a guy with a really cool Sons of Technology T-shirt, and said, "I really like your shirt!" He said, "Thanks. You can get one too. All you have to do is write a blog for our website showing how you've hacked an educational tool, and write about it." He was so energetic and open that I was immediately flustered. I was about to say something else to him, but the creator of the Quizziz app had run over to him, and was telling him all about his new app. It was clear that this gentleman really valued the Sons of Technology Team's input into their new app. They talked for a bit, and because I was standing beside him, I later learned his name is Joe Marquez, the designer thought I was with him. He showered us with t-shirts, and stickers and then asked Joe Marquez to lead an impromptu session with the people gathered around the Quizziz booth. I love the website and blog at Sons of Technology and included a video of their ISTE session here. They are innovators.
A couple of really great tools that I discovered recently are Do Ink, and Flip Grid.
I discovered Do Ink while at ISTE17. I was following the #sketchISTE on twitter and was really amazed at the awesome drawings that folks created to share their learning. THEN just when I thought that I couldn't be MORE impressed, I started seeing animated drawings! I HAD to look that up! Do Ink allows users to take their own hand drawn pictures or digital sketches and animate them. I loved that a student could draw a picture on paper, take a snap of it, and turn it into an animated picture. I've got tons of students who LOVE to draw so this really excited me. I tried it out myself and my results weren't nearly as impressive of some of the other videos I saw, but I am just beginning! Some roadblocks would be that there is a bit of a learning curve. It isn't as if students can just pick it up and create sophisticated animations immediately. It will also take time for students to draw, but MOST tragic of all, Do Ink isn't free! MAJOR BUMMER! It isn't that expensive, but in a time of budget cuts ANY expense can be prohibitive. Flipgrid was all the rage at ISTE17. People were VERY excited about it, and although I didn't attend any Flipgrid classes, I did hear about it, and see references to it on Twitter. We used it briefly in class the other day which caused me to dive a little deeper into later on, and I have to say that I did really enjoy it. I know my students would LOVE making videos of themselves (they all have YouTube channels) and I think it could really increase student involvement. Some roadblocks to the use of Flipgrid would be lack of access. While it might seem easy enough to ask students to download the app on their phones, and have them respond that way, that assumes that your students all have phones. This is not always true! Many students living in poverty might have a "device" in their hands, but that does not mean it is functional. One of my 5th graders carried around an iPhone 6 all last year, but it was a broken one he had found on the ground. No one knew this, and everyone thought he was a "King" because he had such a new and fancy device, but truly he was trying to save face and hide his family's lack of access to technology. As we move forward in the digital world, it is important that we are always, always, mindful of ways to be inclusive. I hope to use both of these tools next year in my classroom (the expense of Do Ink, notwithstanding), as I think they are great ways for students to share their responses in creative and meaningful ways, and will provide excellent insight into the effectiveness of my own classroom instruction.
Due to my highly hyperactive nature, I am always more interested in making something than talking about it. I knew that I wanted to build a supportive website for my prototype, and had even begun basic beginning work on it. I had a semi-clear idea of what I wanted it to be in my head.
I used Bubble.us to clarify my plan and it was really helpful. I have a predictable pattern of getting an idea and just jumping in, and recognizing that some planning would have made it better, later. I was already headed down this path before class last week, and am thankful for the assignment because it caused me to really map out what I want to accomplish. My prototype is going to be a website that will be a support for teacher, students and parents who want to learn computer science. There are plenty of fantastic places out there that teach coding (Khan Academy being my personal favorite), but I really wanted to create a site that encourages teachers to promote coding over code games, and provide both encouragement and support along the journey. I also wanted to build something that was an all-in-one: where not only teachers could get the support they need, but they could also use to direct both students and parents to get started on their journey. It was in the process of designing this website that I began to think about parents as learners, too. I initially was really focused on students, but then recognized that their parents might also want to pursue learning code. I want to create a branch of the website that supports their learning journey without treating them like "kids". I am focused on supporting them while keeping in mind that unlike my young students, they are adults pursuing a new skill. I also love that most coding website provide instruction in multiple languages which will give parents the freedom to learn in the language in which they feel most comfortable. I really think a great add-on to this would be to host code nights where parents can receive support and instruction. My ultimate goal is empowerment and agency for all learners, whether they are the educator, the students, or the parents. I love the idea that developing your technical skills can empower you to make different career choices, or even just support your overall personal sense of worth as you tackle something difficult. I suppose if time were limitless and my hours infinite, I would host weekly classes - one day for students who are highly motivated to pursue more, and one for parents also motivated or just needing encouragement. I would love to see these classes all over the place, but particularly in areas where people are fighting to overcome generational poverty. A website will have to do for now. I created my flipped lesson around the concept of growth mindset. I start off the year by recognizing the importance of understanding neuroplasticity. I usually do this by presenting the amazing "You Can Learn Anything" video by Khan Academy. But I've found I spend far too much time talking and NOT enough time letting students discuss. Using the EDpuzzle to allow students to watch the video on their own, and comment, is one way to give them control and to take a step back. I then followed this up with allowing them to express their responses through digital drawing (Do Ink). I discovered the app Do Ink at ISTE17 which is amazing because students can take their drawings (on paper) and animate them! It is pretty great. I could also have them express their response through google draw and teach them about sketchnotes - which I feel is a really valuable tool. One giant roadblock to this lesson has to do with how apps are put on our school iPads. I cannot add a tool that I find useful onto the ipads in my classroom. I have to make an IT request to do that. I understand the thinking behind this process, but in all practicality it makes being innovative a challenge. I can't find a great educational app and then introduce to my students right away. I have to file my request and wait to get included in the next work cycle. This is a bummer. I already requested just what I wanted loaded onto the iPads housed in my classroom, but now I can think of about 7 more apps I want to add. I also would probably stretch this lesson over two days, rather than just one - especially if I was having students animate their thoughts. Even teaching students to use google draw and create a Sketchnote would take quite a bit for them to get used to it. If you've never looked into Sketchnote you can check out Sylvia Duckworth who is a leader in this beautiful artform. I made a sad attempt at my own sketchnotes during ISTE and it is clear that I am a NEWBIE! I'm still working on it. You can follow her on twitter. Her handle is: @sylviaduckworth. I LOVE the idea of flipgrid and that students can respond via video. This is another app that might take a little bit of time to get up and running. Also, a room full of 24 students recording videos could be complicated. It is an issue I ran into when having students use screencastify last year. The cross noise was in every video. I don't like allowing students to go outside to record, as technically, they must be under my supervision at all times, and I take that pretty seriously. I do have a front porch to my classroom which we've used from time to time so that might be a solution. The more I learn about technology, the clearer it is to me that I would've been a much better student had I been born a few decades later. Activities where students can talk, draw and discuss are the kinds of things that would've really helped an overly energetic kid like myself. I am looking forward to including these great apps next year -- whenever they finally get added to my iPads! |
AuthorJen has been teaching school for awhile now. She's learned some stuff, but she's got tons more to learn. Archives
October 2017
Categories |