Part I: On Networking, a Reflection from #Googlegti

Why Part I? I have a feeling this will be a multi-part reflection because I still have so many things running through my head. For this post, I'm going to focus on the importance of networking. I've written about this before, but my experience at GTI hammered it home.

First, when I was accepted  to the Google Teacher Academy in 2008 (truly a highlight of my career) I told some friends and asked them some questions about it. Of course, none of them had applied or were going to GTA, so they couldn't help me much (though not for lack of trying). When I got to Mountain View the day of the event, I saw that people were talking to each other like old friends. I wondered how that was possible given that participants came from all over the world.

It turns out that many of the participants had connected through Twitter or Facebook and other social networking sites before GTA. Once I got home, I immediately signed up for Twitter and began developing my PLN.  Over the past two years, I've realized how incredibly important it is to get connected to other educators. Some charge that the relationship kind of feeds on itself and we end up patting each other on the back, but I learn something new every day and some of it does challenge my thinking.

This time, I was determined to connect with people BEFORE the Google GEO Teachers Institute. I started searching in Twitter and suggested that we start a Google Spreadsheet with our Twitter IDs so we could all follow each other. I'm still managing the spreadsheet. During the event, another participant, Diane Main,  set up a Facebook group for us and we're still using the forum set up by the Geo Education team at Google.

While at GTI, I was able to talk in person with several teachers I'm connected to online, but had never met in person. Karen McMillan, Danny Silva, Diana Laufenberg and Ian Usher gave me some interesting things to think about while we were at Google Headquarters. Making these connections in person only enriched my already fabulous experience. Meeting these educators and SO many others was like really tasty icing (not that fake, sickly sweet stuff) on a really good cake.

So what to do? Get connected. Stay connected. Try any of these to get started, but get started.

• Twitter your life in 140 characters. Ask questions or share links and lesson plans.
• Facebook has room for teachers. Really. You can search for open groups of teachers who teach your subject or grade level to start.
• Plurk is similar to Twitter. I'm not on it, but I know there were die-hard fans at GTI.
• Linkedin is more of a professional exchange, but has lots of possibilities.
• Edmodo now has the ability for teachers to connect with each other. I'll have more on my visit to edmodo headquarters later.

Are there any that I missed? Leave a comment here. The more teachers connected to other teachers, the better off we are.

Bringing the World to the Classroom

Earlier this month, I wrote about an upcoming event in my geography classroom. My students were going to have a guest speaker talk with them about the mountains of Central Asia. Having a guest speaker isn't all that unusual but, in my school, having one over the internet is something different.

I asked Dr. Stephen Cunha, a professor of geography at Humboldt State University and the director of the California Geographic Alliance (full disclosure: I have been a teacher consultant with the Alliance since 1994) if he could help us out. Though Dr. Cunha has experience with video-conferencing, he had not used Elluminate before, but he was game to try!

For our event we used the vRoom provided by LearnCentral. We also had a backchannel going in the classroom so students could make observations and ask questions. For our backchannel we used Edmodo.

Before we even got to working with Dr. Cunha, we practiced using a backchannel during lecture and during a video. Some students reported that they felt more engaged with the topic because they could focus their energy on typing. I noticed that the more we practiced, the more they interacted with each other in the backchannel. One of the biggest challenges, of course, is to make sure that comments are relevant to the topic at hand.

On the day of the guest lecture we went over the Elluminate interface and had Edmodo set up and running. Student moderators had been selected and were watching comments and questions. The lecture was about 20 minutes, then we had time for questions and answers. Our moderator asked questions on behalf of the class.We also had two visitors to class: one of our assistant principals and our district assistive technology guru.

Here are some general observations and thoughts on the process:

• I was really nervous because I wanted everything to go well. Overall, it did but we still have some sound issues to work out (made sure it's loud enough, no echo, etc). 
• The students aren't totally comfortable putting out their own thoughts and questions. There were a few instances such as the Edmodo screenshot here, but not many. Students are NOT used to getting information from each other or contributing to their own learning. I know that's a broad statement, but they are constantly asking if they have the "right" answer when they post something.
• Giving students the opportunity to hear other voices in their education is extremely important. Dr. Cunha talked about Central Asia in a way that I never could. He's the expert, not me. Why shouldn't we have more experts in our high school classes? 
• I really need to get more administrators and teachers to see the possibilities for learning. The assistant principal asked one student if she was on Facebook. The student explained that she was on Edmodo and it's educational. 
• Even with the glitches, I am looking forward to doing this again. It was not difficult to set up or execute. Next time, I hope my students can suggest someone who could provide insight into their unit of study.

top screenshot courtesy of Dr. Stephen Cunha

Globetrotting from home

I am very excited for my geography classes this coming week. I've finally decided to take the plunge and have a guest speaker come in....from 300 miles away. We are currently studying a region that includes Central Asia and I happen to know a geography professor whose expertise is that same area. We'll probably use a vRoom in Elluminate from LearnCentral (it's free). In order to keep students focused on the presentation rather than when their question will be answered, we'll use Edmodo as a backchannel with a student monitoring those questions. This will be something totally new for my students, so we will have to practice during the week. More on our experience next week! WooHoo!

photo: Madiyan Valley,Tajikistan by dwrawlinson

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dave_raw_lin_son/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Top 10 List via Teach42

Last Saturday, Steve Dembo shared this Prezi at the NICE Miniconference and was kind enough to also share with his Twitter followers. It's his list of the Top 10 Web 2.0 Tools for Educators.


Many of these are fantastic tools for the classroom, some I have never tried. I love Glogster, but still have to deal with blocks in my district. Teachers at my site got some great work out of students using Glogster before it got blocked last winter. Why was it blocked? It was flagged as a social networking site. This year, I've discovered Wix and my students really like it. Many of them now have their own accounts and regularly create Wix projects for class assignments.

I've also had pretty good luck with Edmodo and Wallwisher as I've described here and here, respectively. Prezi is a fun way to do presentations and is much more interesting than more traditional presentation tools. I've also used Wordle with good success. I've even used Poll Everywhere and really need to do so more often. It's really kind of funny that I was thinking of Poll Everywhere last week while at our district budget community meeting. When community members arrived, they were asked to check out an Activote clicker to participate in the session. I wonder how, if we're so deeply in debt, the district can afford the price tag of an Activote system with nearly 100 clickers. They could have done the same thing for less than $100 with Poll Everywhere. Go figure.

I haven't used Delicious, but instead use Diigo, a similar social bookmarking tool. Unfortunately, both services are blocked in my district. Why? They are flagged a social networking. I recently signed up for Kidblog, but haven't started using it with my students quite yet.

Next on my list to try is Voicethread. We're currently working on a project in class that will fit nicely with Voicethread so those students who are up to the challenge of trying a new tool, will be able to check it out. I hadn't heard about iPadio, but I'm very intrigued by it. What can beat a podcasting solution from a phone?

This is a great list of tools to try in the classroom. If you haven't used any of them try one (Wallwisher is probably the easiest). If you don't like it, go to another. That's how this stuff works. There's something out there for everyone.

Adventures in Edmodo Part IV: The Road Ahead

Recently, I've posted a couple of times on using Edmodo in the classroom. Most recently, I shared examples of how students are using Edmodo to help each other. I have also outlined how I set it up in the classroom. This post will be about the evolution of the ways we are using Edmodo in the classroom.

Though we are not completely in the habit yet, I am finding that students are using Edmodo to ask questions about homework (or "what is the homework?") or for clarification on assignments. Most of the time, my intervention is not necessary because they take the initiative and answer each other. I also have a couple of students who, when finishing an assignment early, will put out a general message offering to help anyone in need. That's pretty cool.

My site is in the process of switching over to a new grading program and I can no longer post grades as I used to (files are posted, students/parents log in to secure site to access report for that student's classes). That has been frustrating. I just discovered that the new grading program does allow me to create individual .pdf reports of progress, so I can send those to students via Edmodo. In essence, Edmodo allows me to communicate with students without the hassle of email (and it is a hassle when I can't remember who iluvfuzzybunnies@whozit.com really is).

Our first quarter just ended, so I have been inundated with requests for reports so I will next post files with student ID numbers rather than names. It is relatively common at my site to print out paper reports in this manner and tape them to the wall, but in these tight budget times, I'd rather avoid using the paper if I can.

The great thing is that students are now asking "can we do that through Edmodo?" Yes, I think we can.

Adventures in Edmodo Part III: Learning with Edmodo

Previously in Adventures in Edmodo....

I've written about the mistakes I made in getting students on Edmodo and how I went about setting it up with my classes. This post is about how students initially used Edmodo to move forward their learning.

I found out quickly that my freshmen are NOT used to relying upon each other for information. They have been reluctant to ask each other for help or support and instead rely on me as the font of all knowledge. In a class of 35 (it's DOWN TO 35), I don't have much time to spend with each student nor do I have time to answer the same question 15 times.

In part because of its novelty, students are posting information and asking questions through Edmodo and are finding, at least to some extent, that their peers are able to answer their questions.

I've also had students out sick use Edmodo to find out what they missed in class. Sometimes the responses from classmates are a bit humorous. Remember to read from the bottom up. The most recent comments are at the top.

I've found that even when we aren't doing something that requires a back channel, many of the students still want to log on in case they have questions. I really like the idea that they are turning to each other to get answers.

Next time we'll look at how I am using Edmodo to guide my students to new knowledge.

Adventures in Edmodo Part II: Setting it Up

Last time I talked about some of the mistakes I made in having students sign up for Edmodo. This time I'll share some of the successes we've had in just a few days' time.

Since I am now teaching in a computer lab with 22 computers and assorted tables, I have found that assisting students is not as easy as having 35 desks in neat rows. I've also discovered that many of the questions my freshmen ask could be answered by their peers (i.e. "where do I find...?" or "when is this due?"), yet they had no efficient way to ask those questions. I was also facing frequent interruptions when trying to help small groups; by using Edmodo, students could ask their questions and those questions would go into the 'queue' to be answered when I have a moment (or they can be answered right away by their peers if that is appropriate).

When we use Edmodo in class, I have it projected on the wall (no, I don't have a screen) so that all students can easily see the questions and answers even if they aren't on a computer. If a question is relevant to everyone, I can point it out easily and address it whole-group. If a comment is inappropriate (see previous Adventures in Edmodo post) I can address it right away and show students how to move learning forward. I also have the ability to point out excellent student questions and responses and explain how those will help move us forward.

The real time feedback both on Edmodo and in person has helped some students refine their questions and get more focused on their work. Others have taken the roll of encouraging their peers when comments are self-defeating. Next time we'll look at how Edmodo can be used as both a back channel in class and a homework helper out of class.

Adventures in Edmodo

A little over a week ago I got my geography classes on Edmodo. I've had an account for some time, but haven't used it. I'm not really sure why that is, but I finally reached a point where I needed a back-channel in class and an EASY way for my freshmen to communicate with each other about their work. I also needed a tool that students can use from school if necessary.

Once again I have learned that the old saying "you know what they say about assuming things...it makes an a** out of you and me" is true. Therefore, in order to avoid my mistakes, I offer these suggestions to you.

1. Do not assume that your students are tech-savvy enough to sign up on their own. Some kids had a bear of a time because they didn't understand the purpose of the invite code nor did they understand the naming convention I set up for our classes. Explain those fully.
2. Explain avatars ahead of time. I showed students my picture and showed them the avatars available on Edmodo (including one I had selected for my sample student), but they are still posting photos of athletes, actresses and logos for products they enjoy. Not good.
3. Explain, with examples, professional workspace versus place to hang out with friends. I explained it, but had no examples. We've had on-the-spot discussions about the usefulness in moving learning forward of discussing favorite foods or the best basketball player. We've also had on-the-spot discussions about using words to be supportive rather than to demean.

While these are significant issues, they are not stopping students from using Edmodo as a space to enhance their learning. That, however, is for another time.

Twitter for Everyone

Who doesn't twitter these days? It seems the world is overflowing with tweeple (twitter people) evangelizing and recruiting converts. Some come into the nest reluctantly, others willingly. But what this comes down to is whether or not Twitter is a useful tool. I say yes, it is and, fortunately, many others agree. This is where this post comes in. What are people saying about the usefulness of Twitter (and other microblogging sites) anyway?

Laura Walker recently posted "Nine great reasons teachers should use Twitter." Walker points out that "together we're better" and that's what I find with Twitter. Most of the people I follow are teachers. What is truly amazing is that I get something out of the links people share EVERY day. Really. Just yesterday @kyteacher posted a link to her school's wiki page for differentiation. Not only does it define various ways that one can differentiate, but it shows specific ways that teachers can differentiate instruction and content.

Also, @zemote shared this video from YouTube on Twitter in the classroom (as he pointed out, the story shows students using microblogging tools other than Twitter, including Edmodo).



Finally, @dajbelshaw served up another great eLearnr guide on using microblogging sites such as Twitter, Edmodo and Shout'em in education.

What's amazing is that I got even more out of the links shared yesterday than what is here. The conections that I am able to make and the learning I am able to do using Twitter are far beyond what I could make using more traditional methods (wait, how did I connect with people before Twitter?). Check it out if you're not already there. It will be worth your time.