The Art of Technology Anticipation

This past week, a news article entitled, "What Will A NY Classroom Look Like in 2020?" by Eric Holden hit the nail on the head - the technology that is available today will be an expectation in future classrooms.  It is my [obviously shared] belief that iPads (or iPad-like tablet devices) will, indeed replace 3-ring binders, textbooks, homework pads, marble notebooks, novels, and everything else that we associate with what ends up packed away in a book-bag   As a matter of fact, the future students of the world may not even know what a "book"-bag is.

Technology is (and will continue to be) something that changes and evolves faster than we can keep up with and technology use in education is certainly something that parents and teachers must adapt to - and always stay a step ahead to anticipate what will be.

Schools today need to start planning out how they may want to deal with a growing popular idea of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to their classroom.  Schools will also need to pay closer attention to budgets because technology (especially new technology) comes at a high cost.  Yet, how do you anticipate for something that isn't there? hasn't been invented? seems like a dream?  Is it really even possible to answer that question?  Probably not.  Just think back 10 years ago.  One decade ago who could anticipate that we would have the internet available to use in our pockets?  Who could foresee video chatting on a mobile device?  Besides Hollywood sci-fiction writers who were paid to dream big and far-fetched, not many of us saw it coming.  That's how hard it will be for school administrators and educators to determine what it will be like in 5 or 10 years from today.  

The Technology Transition 

One way to adapt is to make small changes here and there so that it's more of a slow walk into a cold pool, rather than a full cannon ball drop to intensify the shock and then get used to the water.  Seasoned educators need to take it slow compared to the younger, techno-savvy ones. Nevertheless, there are some tools that can help make the transition easier.

A fantastic web tool that has recently become available is Live Binders.  Live Binders creates a virtual 3-ring binder that allows you to combine all of your cloud documents, website links and upload your desktop documents for easy access, to share, and update your binders from anywhere.  So why take a real 3-ring binder with you when you can access a virtual binder from anywhere that has an internet connection?  Again, here is the future of education -- new to us in the present, but what will be expected in the not-so-distant future.  Another great idea has come from Sallie Severns, founder of Answer Underground, which allows students to create mobile study groups.  Finally, myHomework, a basic, free app for iPhone does what it sounds like it does -- allows students to organize assignments and projects by creating a color-coded calendar.  It's pure student organization on a phone.

Now, our future may not look exactly like it did in the Back to the Future trilogy, but it's hard to argue that the future will remain the same as it looks today - because it won't.  Again, it all comes down to the anticipation of what will be.  Eric Scheninger, a.k.a. "Principal Twitter" (@NMHS_Principal on Twitter) is the Principal at New Milford High School in Bergen County New Jersey.  Principal Scheninger is not only at the helm of his school, but at the helm of an educational renaissance with technology incorporation in education.  He not only is anticipating what will be, he is utilizing it now by allowing students at his high school to use the technology for the everyday.  Principal Scheninger is setting a great example by showing that the future is now - and he's made his mark by earning the respect over 38,000 Twitter followers.

The bottom line is that schools, districts, cities, and states need to start giving the future a good look.  Anticipation is everything.

Building School Technology Infrastructure from the Ground Up

The sheer amount of technology that is being introduced into the education world is growing at an intense rate.  According to Smart Infrastructure, a research report from The Center for Digital Education and Coverage, nearly 50% of high school students own -- or have access to a smartphone or tablet computer.  What’s more amazing, more than 6.7 million higher education students took at least one online course during the fall 2011 term (I was one of them, completing my dual degree from NYIT in School Building Leadership & Technology).  Since the Common Core State Standards will try to implement online assessments in ELA and Math by the 2014-2015 school year, it’s imperative to make sure that we are ready and have the proper amount of equipment to handle the demand.  The question is will school districts across the county be ready for it?

The Need for Speed

Internet quality and speeds have come a long way from the mid to late 1990s and dial up access.  Today, the infrastructure system that supports the internet is getting better with fiber optics and equipment that allows for faster upload and download speeds; mobile broadband speeds of today could leave a 56K dial-up connection in it’s dust, so speed isn't quite the issue any longer (or is becoming less of an issue at that).

Tips on getting additional support to fund technology:

1. Look within by utilizing parent and local business support.  Whether your parent body is a 501c3 tax exempt nonprofit organization or a group that can financially take on the weight to improve the infrastructure and technology in your school building, support is what you’re looking for. Work collaboratively with teachers, administrators, and other school staff to raise the money in a variety of ways, such as a fundraiser.  The teamwork will point you in the right direction and bring everyone together.  Reach out to local community service people for additional support - they may have funds that can help soften the blow financially.  
   
   
   You can take this a step further by using a charitable web-based company like onecause that makes contributions to schools simply by connecting to consumers' everyday purchases. Just use the onecause link and you'll end up in a one-stop shopping "mall" that will send a percentage of your spending back to the school of your choice. By adding a link to a web-based company like onecause to your school's official webpage, you're automatically increasing the chance that funds will come back to your school -- and since people love to shop online, why not steer them in a direction where they're helping out the school just by shopping for items that they will purchase online anyway!
   
   
2. Use a web-based service like DonorsChoose, which Oprah Winfrey calls a “revolutionary charity” to help fund school projects.  People and organizations donate money or services anonymously to help fund projects of all sizes - big and small.  For more on DonorsChoose, visit their about section.
3. Use a blog like Blogger or WordPress or other social media like Pinterest or Twitter to reach out for additional support.  By posting a blog with detailed information and pictures about what you’d like to accomplish and what the funds are needed for, you’ll open up your possible resources to not just your immediate school and surrounding neighborhood, but to the world -- yes, that’s right -- the world.  Use a hashtag phrase on Twitter such as #SchoolDonationsNeeded or #SupportOurSchool with a link to your blog to help fill the cause!  You’ll be amazed how fast the word can get out and around with a little self-promotion.  Plus, you never know who is seeing the Twitter feed under one of your hashtags - Mr. Donald Trump or Ms. Oprah Winfrey may want to help you out.
   
   
   
   

The bottom line is to reach out and use as many resources as you possibly can.  Get a team together of parents, teachers, and community members on a committee to help your school tackle the infrastructure of your building so that your students are 21st Century ready, willing, and able!

The Importantance of Interactive Common Core Math Lessons

Nothing screams Common Core like a good math lesson that not only digs deeper into mathematical meaning and thinking, but a lesson that also incorporates other curriculum areas, and...of course, technology. We all know that today's students gravitate towards technology like magnets on a refrigerator.  This isn't a secret by any stretch of the imagination.  As a matter of fact, most students born after 2005 don't necessarily know (or understand for that matter) how to work on anything without technology in the mix!  It's as natural as anything and school administrators, teachers, and even parents need to embrace that idea in order to move forward in lesson creation and development.

Most recently, technology has been getting a lot more attention in classrooms and schools throughout the world (and if you think about it, we used to only say throughout a city...or state...or even country).  Regardless, now a classroom teacher needs to be able to understand the technology and it's global role with students and figure out a way to bridge the two together so seamlessly, that the work and learning just happens as naturally as anything else.  

In the United States, the Common Core State Standards attempts to place a technology component in lessons and in learning for as much as possible - and why not?  Technology means so much to today's modern student that it's nearly becoming a way of life for them.  To students, technology has always been there for them...we can't say the same for the rest of us!  And just as when Alexander Graham Bell created that little old invention, the telephone, 140 years ago, it was the youngsters that were born thereafter that felt comfortable with it.  That's just how technology works.

So how can we create fun, interactive math lessons that are not only engaging, but allow our students to delve deeper into their thinking process and get more out of those lessons?

One of the best ways to utilize the technology that we have available is to use SMART Boards (or other types of interactive whiteboards, also known as IWBs).  Using SMART Boards to help bridge that gap between regular, old-fashion math lessons, and the endless possibilities with an interactive math lesson that is engaging, interesting, and fun is the Common Core key.  Remember, the Common Core is good (in theory)....but educators must also realize that in today's world, the technology helps to bring it all together.  Teachers can't just ask better questions and teachers can't expect students to explain themselves better.  The bottom line is that teachers can't leave out the technology.  By understanding this key component, educators will be able to turn that rigor-dial up several notches.

Watch my Scholastic Teacher Talks: Adam Hyman's Tips for the Interactive Whiteboard for additional discussion and demonstrations.

Here are some additional tips to create engaging interactive Common Core Math lessons:

1.  Take a look at the standards.  Read them.  Pull out the information that is listed.  Then read them again.  What do they say?  What do you understand?  What ideas come to mind?  Jot them down.

2.  Use the resources that you have (textbooks...workbooks...read-a-louds...the internet, etc.) and start pulling out information that will help you build your lesson.

3.  Get to know your IWB and it's software.  Know as many features that your SMART Board has to offer so that you can begin to build a lesson that doesn't just use that IWB to project questions and information as if it were a fancy overhead projector.  That's not what an INTERACTIVE Whiteboard is meant to do.  It's interactive for a reason -- use it to get students to come up to the board and manipulate numbers, pictures, patterns, etc., so that they can not only think about problems differently, but so that it will allow them to be able to explain their reasoning behind their thinking.

Using technology isn't meant to be a distraction.  It's not meant to make your life harder.  Using the technology that is available to meant to play towards a student's strength.  Take advantage!

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Skype's New Imprint on Education

Recently, Skype announced a free upgrade for teachers who use Skype in the Classroom to their  free group video calling - a fantastic gesture on the part of Skype for educators.  The bonus feature, only recently available to paid subscribers, now opens the virtual door to many more possibilities as Skype tries to level the playing field with the new rage in online video conferencing, Google Hangouts, which allows for similar features and with up to nine participants at one time.  

If you have an internet connection, a laptop or computer, and a webcam, you're ready to knock down the walls of your classroom and extend your teaching world-wide...and if you have a SMART Board installed in your classroom, you've basically opened up your own mini television studio!

Here's a few ideas as to how Skype in the Classroom and the new availability to utilize the group chat feature can help you expand the walls of your classroom and/or school:

Utilizing USTREAM for Schools

If you haven't dabbled in USTREAM.tv or don't know what it is, it's time to start.

USTREAM is the largest and most well-know live streaming platform with over 50 million monthly viewers along with a network of produced and user-generated content.  USTREAM has reshaped online media in nearly every aspect of our world.  And it's in education that USTREAM may have an unprecedented and profound impact in the future.  


What Your School Needs

A basic account, a webcam, and a computer (or now, even a mobile device) is all you need to get started -- and it is those basic tools that can open up an entirely new window into the education field.  Upload your school logo and set your USTREAM channel to private so that just your school community can access it and like magic, you have yourself a recipe for constant communication success and your own virtual television studio!

Use USTREAM for Parent Communication 

What's better than broadcasting a PTA or Parents' Association meeting to those parents that just can't make it in person?  Now you can -- and should.  At PS101Q in Forest Hills, NY, the school will regularly broadcast important parent meetings to parents and teachers who just can't physically be there in person to join in the meeting.  The school gets those parents and teachers involved by setting up a live Twitter feed during those meetings, inviting viewers to tweet in a question or comment - just like you may see on TV.  It brings the school community closer together as a result; not letting parents feel as if they missed something.  What's even better?...the school records the meetings and special events so that if you missed it altogether, you can watch it on demand any time.  

Parents love the idea as noted on the PS101Q Media Center website's USTREAM tab:

 "I am just writing to thank you for the USTREAM initiative. What a fabulous way to keep the school community current and involved. So many parents are not able to attend regular meetings and workshops due to work or other constraints, but we never have to worry about missing a thing, now." 

"I could only watch some of it, but I thought it was great. I was surprised how "live" it felt; I didn't feel that I missed anything not being in the room. I think this will be a huge help for those of us who are challenged in attending meetings. Thanks for setting this up."

Use USTREAM for Special Assembly Programs

Have you ever felt badly because a parent couldn't make it to see his or her son/daughter in the school play, or for her piano solo during the spring concert?  Or what about that do-or-die school basketball game that a few parents couldn't attend?  Well, now they can!... virtually, of course.  Set up programming for all of those special assemblies and special events and those parents who just couldn't get out of the office or who were out of town can now all of a sudden "be there" and not miss a beat.  It's a fantastic way to keep parents involved and feeling proud of their children by using the USTREAM channel that you and your school can set up...and if the technology is available to do just that, why not?!?

Use USTREAM for Teacher-Parent Communication

For the administrators out there, have your staff and teachers use USTREAM for 2-Minute Tutorials or 2-Minute Expectation Clips to communicate to parents what's being studied, how parents can help their children at home, or lesson demonstrations.  It's the perfect way to make sure that parents are in the loop - and there's nothing better than a live stream, or recorded stream to do just that (especially with the introduction to the Common Core State Standards).  Tip:  Have teachers rotate on the grade or in departments to record themselves so that parents see that there is full-staff buy-in for effective communication of the curriculum and CCSS material.

Use USTREAM for Professional Development

Think of this as the flipped-classroom for teachers for professional development purposes.  Administrators, teachers, support staff, and district support, etc., can all play a role in professional development by using your USTREAM channel.  Teachers and staff can participate in watching the videos at their leisure and in advance to important PD in order to save some time before a meeting (and it doesn't hurt to let parents at home see what work is being done to further the education of the teachers themselves).  Using USTREAM in-house can make an effective technological impression that may just get people more involved as a result.

Use USTREAM In-House for In-School Broadcasts

Use USTREAM for daily news messages from the principal....for "Friday Happy News" to end a productive week...to showcase student artwork....for student-created Public Service Announcements....drama performances....school sporting events (both during and after school)...really, ANYTHING!  This works especially well if your school has interactive whiteboards, laptops, or even mobile devices for students and staff to access and creates a strong connection to the school community as a whole.  The added bonus side-effect: once again, parents are kept in the loop, making the school-home bond even that much stronger.  It's a win-win.

Basically, the bottom line is that paper notices that go home to celebrate successes or for informational purposes are good -- but start to broadcast and introduce an alternative form of communication and that same information (now by using USTREAM) all of a sudden takes on a whole new meaning and in a whole new dimension.  

Be warned though...you may have one challenge if you decide to take on this initiative:  finding on-air talent that are ready, willing, and able to step in front of the camera!

What ways is your school using USTREAM?  What other suggestions for USTREAM do you have for use in schools?  Let us know by posting a comment below!


Follow Adam Hyman on Twitter @ps101hyman

The Walkthrough Roadblock?

There have been so many arguments for -- and against -- walkthroughs from administrators that  it can sometimes feel as if we'll never reach a consensus.

Some teachers will tell you that they welcome walkthroughs because they want feedback and direction with their teaching practice...and other teachers just cringe at the idea of another adult walking in on their lesson because they just don't like to be studied, even if it is for only a few minutes.  For those teachers, those 3-5 minutes could feel like an entire class period especially when their technology is not cooperating and 30 students are all raising their hand at the same time because they can't access the WiFi, or can't open a document.  It happens.   

Now, there are certainly more advantages of walkthroughs than there are disadvantages; the trick is getting everyone on board to accept them for what they are meant for.  In Enhancing Profession Practice by Charlotte Danielson, Danielson talks about the four main domains (Planning & Preparation, The Classroom Environment, Instruction, and Professional Responsibilities).  These four domains can be seen in a snap-shot during a walk through and an administrator or supervisor is supposed to be able to tell if these four main domains have taken place during that short observation from when they walk into a classroom to when they leave the classroom.  Since this type of observation is informal and decreases the amount of pressure that a teacher has to perform (barring that they have planned, prepped, create a good environment for students to work in, and provide the instruction that is necessary for guidance), teachers should actually welcome this type of observation with open arms. Yet, you'd be hard-pressed to find many teachers who will actually admit to that.  

What an administrator should do to get teachers on board with the walkthrough and curriculum support mentality:

1.  Nobody is invisible, and yes, teachers can see you.  Administrators who just walk into a classroom and don't want to be recognized or spoken to as if they aren't there at all need to realize that this could hurt a professional relationship.  In the real-world if a supervisor walked through a manufacturing plant, would he ignore his employees when they said hello or ask the supervisor to come over for a minute to show them something that the're working on?  Not in the least.  When teachers are excited and enthusiastic about a project that their students are working on, an administrator needs to get there and jump right in.  There needs to be interaction and a bonding that not only shows the teacher that they care, but also puts ownership on the students which can foster a sense of pride in their work.  As an administrator, take a moment to become part of the class, even if you have a pile of paperwork to get through...it will go a long way in supporting the teachers and students.

2. Pure purpose and no funny business.  Administrators need to make it very clear to teachers that when they are walking into a classroom to take that snapshot, it's to help them get better and not to catch them doing something "wrong".  Case in point:  about a decade ago I was teaching 6th grade.  It was just two days before the State tests in ELA and I was reviewing the skill of author's purpose with my class -- a skill that they had been having some difficulty with.  The reading coach came in for a minute and didn't let 30 seconds go by before she started waving her hands as if she were drowning in the ocean and screaming from the back of the room, "Wait!  Stop!  Stop!  You're going to confuse them!  It's too much!"  I remember those words to this day and remember how furious I was at her for the outburst.  Had she realized that it was only a review, that we had already done this type of work before, and that we were just refining the skills, that wouldn't have ever taken place.  Worst of all, who looked like the fool?  I did.  I lost credibility with my students because someone else thought that they knew what was happening in my classroom.  

3. Just the facts, just the facts.  In The Three Minute Classroom Walk-through by Carolyn J. Downey, other positives are mentioned such as the ability to gather a sampling of a teacher’s actions, to gather a better insight into a school’s overall operation, to share samples of practice to share with your staff during professional development, and even to help to identify teachers who may need more help or support.  Just a few minutes and just the facts can allow for more of an interaction with the school staff, which, in turn gives a better understanding of the school’s day-to-day operations. 

Based on my own experiences, a disadvantage to a walk through is the short time span that a supervisor sees during that particular walk through.  In The Three Minute Classroom Walk-through text, it is mentioned that time management is important because you may want to spend more time with less experienced, novice teachers as opposed to more seasoned veterans.  Because a three minute walk-through is such a short period of time and a small snap-shot of what actually takes place all day, this could short-change the novice teachers (although it is hopefully understood that good administrators will still make time for teachers who are new...or seasoned, and who may be struggling). 

Another disadvantage is that an administrator may walk into your classroom just after you had a fantastic lesson, missing something that you were proud of or had wished someone had seen for themselves…a too-good-to-be-true moment or lesson.  How many times have administrators walked into a classroom only to see a ruckus, or a transition where they were loud, or during snack time.  It happens more times than you think.   Does this lead to a supervisor getting the wrong impression of who you are as a teacher?  On the other hand, it is understood that because of the frequent walk-ins (based on the three-minute walkthrough model), the law of averages should give you a fair amount of positive walk-ins as well as times that are just the daily business of the classroom.   Regardless, there are plenty of good reasons why walk-throughs can be favored, versus negative reasons and it's up to the administrators to make it known that there are there to support you in any way possible.  Teachers by nature want to impress and strut their stuff, but it must be understood that you can't give an Oscar-winning performance all of the time.  After all, the best hitters in the game of baseball don't get a hit 7 out of every 10 at-bats.  Food for thought.

Will The Real Common Core Please Stand Up?

The Common Core State Standards officially go "live" in 2014.  In the meantime, teachers are working diligently to understand the CCSS and are trying their best to create lessons that are fully aligned - now.  Yet, are the lessons that are being created really...truly... specifically...Common Core?

Will The Real Common Core Please Stand Up?

I recently took notice at the material that is on Teachers Pay Teachers as well as in and about the internet world and I found that although teachers are calling lessons "Core" - they may not be "Core" at all.  Core lessons use questioning techniques that are deep and meaningful.  Core lessons also expect students to be able to explain their thinking and reasoning.  Additionally, Core lessons foster collaboration and the use of technology and students need to make sense of problems and need to be able to show reasoning with those problems.  Administrators and teachers alike need to sit down and take a good, hard look at the definition of the Common Core and fully become aware how to not only implement a CCSS lesson, but how to design it using multiple facets of the CCSS. That's what makes the CCSS rigorous and multi-layered.

A few weeks ago at PS101Q in Forest Hills, NY, an event was held to address the Common Core: A Common Core Fair Night.  The event was a success - but not without the efforts of the PS101Q staff.  The night showcased what a CCSS lesson looks like for parents to expose them to the rigorous work that their children are doing and will be expected to do for years to come.

One teacher in particular, Mr. Stabenau, who teaches visual arts at the school, jumped in to also demonstrate a CCSS lesson.  He wasn't teaching a CCSS Math lesson or a CCSS Reading lesson, but what he did was truly, 100% Common Core.  With his reading of Happy by Miles Van Hout, Mr. Stabenau elicited emotion from his [parent] students while showing them the illustrations as he read the book to them.  The parents were asked to express an emotion that they connected to while Mr. Stabenau read the book aloud and then to illustrate a fish of their own with pastels.  The emotion that they came up with was written on the back of the paper.  To tie up the demo lesson, Mr. Stabenau asked his parents to hold up their pictures to the rest of the group to see if they could guess the emotion by studying the illustration.  The group tried to guess each other's emotions that were being transferred to the paper in what was a very entertaining portion of the lesson.  Mr. Stabenau was able to connect CCSS literacy, communication, and a hint of writing within the visual arts world - and it worked amazingly well.

Happy by Miles Van Hout

The point here is that the Common Core can be interpreted in numerous ways.   It's how teachers are able to connect multiple disciplines to one another in order to get the most out of their lessons.  For example, the use of SMART Boards and a Social Studies lesson with video clips and informational texts....the use of a document camera and interactive whiteboard hooked up to a microscope in Science with a journal to write down what is being observed....students in a technology class that are creating interactive timelines for Women's History Month using an online web service like TimeToast...these are all Common Core lessons and projects - all designed to dig deeper....to allow students to find out more...and to connect one curriculum area to another.

Take a look at your "Common Core" lessons and projects and see if what you have created really is "Common Core"...or just an impostor.

Check out MasteryConnect, it's simple to share and discover common formative assessments and track mastery of state and Common Core standards. They have a free CCSS widget that can be placed on your school's web page, or on an app for your mobile device.

Find Adam on Teachers Pay Teachers for Common Core aligned lessons and projects and follow him on Twitter @ps101hyman.