Blog #11: What are different types of librarian-faculty collaboration?
What are the benefits and costs of such collaboration?
Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any.
Several years ago, I took a combined graduate/undergraduate Brit Lit course at the U of M. As we were starting an extensive research paper assignment, a sophomore in the class raised her hand and asked if the professor could spend some time going over MLA format. The professor seemed quite irritated and stated that if students did not know it by now, they would have to make a trip to the library. He simply did not feel he could take the time to do this in class (or, evidently, during his office hours). On some level, I do understand the professor's reluctance to give up his lectures and class discussions on the content. But I also feel that especially at the undergraduate level not discussing how to write in the field and then grading students on how well they can write in the field is...well, unethical. And the professor's vague directive to the student, to "visit the library" did not seem helpful at all.
Had the professor had some sort of a partnership with a librarian, this could have helped this student--and all of the class, really, even the graduate students. Faculty cannot just assume that students have picked up this knowledge somewhere along the way. There are many ways a librarian-faculty partnership could happen. One is the one-shot model that I've experienced here at St. Kate's. Giving up even just one class period to take the class to the library or have a librarian come into the class, though certainly not ideal, is much better than nothing. At the reference desk, I have worked with many students who did not really remember much of the one-shot lesson, but they did remember that they could come and ask librarians for help. That, at least, is a start.
Of course there are better models of partnerships that we read about for this week. One is to "embed" a librarian within every department. These librarians become subject area specialists and are seen as accessible resources for students. They might be housed in the department, make frequent class visits, and be listed in the course's D2L page. The best collaboration, however, happens before the class even starts as a "blended librarian." In my Observations and Analysis paper, I cited a study from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in which librarians and faculty sat down and looked at potential class assignments together. The result was that librarians became much more knowledgeable about what students were expected to do, and the professors were much more aware of the information literacy demands that were embedded within their assignments. Working together like this at the assignment--and even course design stage benefits everyone--librarians, faculty, and most importantly, the students.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Assessing Assessment
Blog #10: What methods are used to evaluate teaching and learning?
Why is evidence-based librarianship important?
Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any.
Kathi Rickert, St. Kate's Library, will talk this week about the design and preliminary results of a pilot study of a new IL initiative that embeds librarians in undergraduate core courses. What questions do you have for her about the assessment process?
This week, we read about the R stage of Booth's USER method. R stands for reflect: evaluate aspects of learner and instructor experience; revise: determine what you would do differently the next time; and reuse: instructional materials in other situations. Booth outlines James McMillan's assessment strategies: selected response (polls, multiple choice tests), constructed response (short answer essay), teacher observation, and student self assessment. She also discusses the feedback loop, which, she says, comprises the following stages:
a. Pre-assessment: to establish prior knowledge;
b. Formative assessment: to evaluate in-process;
c. Summative assessment: to judge overall effectiveness; and
d. Confirmative: to track retention well after the interaction.
Although I believe it is an essential part of the learning process, dealing well with the assessment of student work is the single most difficult part of teaching for me. One blocking force is certainly time. I have developed methods that help me assess more efficiently (rubrics, checklists, etc.), but especially as a writing teacher, I frequently feel overwhelmed by the amount of feedback I feel I should be giving students vs. the hours I have in the day. I know this is directly related to both class size and the competing demands on my own time. I have learned, over the years, that I don't have to give feedback on everything, that peer and self evaluations are beneficial, that grading portfolios of selected best work can save time and be just as effective. However, I also remember days of small classes when I could actually have a writing conference with each student and how beneficial that was.
Another blocking force, I admit, is my general cynicism surrounding assessment. I'm not talking about authentic assessment developed by teachers who know their students and curriculum best; I'm referring to our test-happy current educational environment where students are subjected to all sorts of summative and confirmative tests written by Pearson and other companies that are profiting big time on our buying into the belief that we must have quantifiable data to know if we are effective. These test results are published in the newspaper, and teacher shaming ensues, even from those very people who are supposed to support us. See the recent example from the Minneapolis schools' superintendent: http://www.startribune.com/topics/people/bernadeia-johnson.html
And it isn't just Pearson et al. We have five high schools in our district. The district office has decided that all schools must use the same end of the course summative assessments. So, a committee of teachers and "TALS" (Teaching and Learning Specialists) develop assessments for each class. Teachers need to administer the assessments on the same day, grade them according to the district rubric, then report the scores to the district office. This is a time consuming process, which might be worth it if: a) the tests were actually good, and b) the result data was transformed into something useful. Neither of these, for a variety of reasons, is true. For me, it boils down to the lack of trust surrounding teachers. It is interesting to me, now working in a college environment, that post-secondary teachers (many of whom have no background in assessment design) are free to assess however they wish.
Finally, there is the pushback that inevitably happens with assessment. Students complaining about their grades, and worse, parents complaining about their grades. And with an administration that typically tries to make parents happy, I am now to the point where I seriously stop and wonder if it is worth it to give a "bad" grade--which in some cases is an A-. I know I'm ranting, sorry. I'm just trying to come to terms with my feelings toward assessment. As a librarian, I know I will still deal with assessment, but in a different way. Many of these issues will be resolved. But in the meantime, I try to not let the system flatten me. I do lots of student self-assessment. I give verbal feedback often. I develop my own tests in addition to the district ones that actually measure what students should have and did learn.
Why is evidence-based librarianship important?
Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any.
Kathi Rickert, St. Kate's Library, will talk this week about the design and preliminary results of a pilot study of a new IL initiative that embeds librarians in undergraduate core courses. What questions do you have for her about the assessment process?
This week, we read about the R stage of Booth's USER method. R stands for reflect: evaluate aspects of learner and instructor experience; revise: determine what you would do differently the next time; and reuse: instructional materials in other situations. Booth outlines James McMillan's assessment strategies: selected response (polls, multiple choice tests), constructed response (short answer essay), teacher observation, and student self assessment. She also discusses the feedback loop, which, she says, comprises the following stages:
a. Pre-assessment: to establish prior knowledge;
b. Formative assessment: to evaluate in-process;
c. Summative assessment: to judge overall effectiveness; and
d. Confirmative: to track retention well after the interaction.
Although I believe it is an essential part of the learning process, dealing well with the assessment of student work is the single most difficult part of teaching for me. One blocking force is certainly time. I have developed methods that help me assess more efficiently (rubrics, checklists, etc.), but especially as a writing teacher, I frequently feel overwhelmed by the amount of feedback I feel I should be giving students vs. the hours I have in the day. I know this is directly related to both class size and the competing demands on my own time. I have learned, over the years, that I don't have to give feedback on everything, that peer and self evaluations are beneficial, that grading portfolios of selected best work can save time and be just as effective. However, I also remember days of small classes when I could actually have a writing conference with each student and how beneficial that was.
Another blocking force, I admit, is my general cynicism surrounding assessment. I'm not talking about authentic assessment developed by teachers who know their students and curriculum best; I'm referring to our test-happy current educational environment where students are subjected to all sorts of summative and confirmative tests written by Pearson and other companies that are profiting big time on our buying into the belief that we must have quantifiable data to know if we are effective. These test results are published in the newspaper, and teacher shaming ensues, even from those very people who are supposed to support us. See the recent example from the Minneapolis schools' superintendent: http://www.startribune.com/topics/people/bernadeia-johnson.html
And it isn't just Pearson et al. We have five high schools in our district. The district office has decided that all schools must use the same end of the course summative assessments. So, a committee of teachers and "TALS" (Teaching and Learning Specialists) develop assessments for each class. Teachers need to administer the assessments on the same day, grade them according to the district rubric, then report the scores to the district office. This is a time consuming process, which might be worth it if: a) the tests were actually good, and b) the result data was transformed into something useful. Neither of these, for a variety of reasons, is true. For me, it boils down to the lack of trust surrounding teachers. It is interesting to me, now working in a college environment, that post-secondary teachers (many of whom have no background in assessment design) are free to assess however they wish.
Finally, there is the pushback that inevitably happens with assessment. Students complaining about their grades, and worse, parents complaining about their grades. And with an administration that typically tries to make parents happy, I am now to the point where I seriously stop and wonder if it is worth it to give a "bad" grade--which in some cases is an A-. I know I'm ranting, sorry. I'm just trying to come to terms with my feelings toward assessment. As a librarian, I know I will still deal with assessment, but in a different way. Many of these issues will be resolved. But in the meantime, I try to not let the system flatten me. I do lots of student self-assessment. I give verbal feedback often. I develop my own tests in addition to the district ones that actually measure what students should have and did learn.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Designing and Delivering
Blog 9: What aspects of the Engage phase do you feel most and least confident about?
Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any.
Booth's Engage phase comprises designing materials and delivering instruction. When I think about it, it's interesting that my confidence levels with each of these two aspects have swapped over the course of my teaching career. When I began teaching so many years ago, I felt like I was on the cutting edge of technology. Newly hired, I was one of few teachers in my department who was competent with computers. While many of my colleagues were still using (believe it or not) mimeographed worksheets, I was creating word processed instructional materials that had more appeal and clarity for students. I could even make a transparency of my materials for the overhead projector as a visual aid for my lectures. Time has passed, of course, and the mimeographing teachers have retired and been replaced with younger, more tech savvy teachers, and I have had to work to keep up.
As tech tools became more and more accessible, I noticed that students appeared much more engaged with my colleagues' powerpoint presentations, prezis, and interactive apps than my transparency projector and handouts, and I knew I had to make the switch. However, I have also realized that using technology to create instructional materials doesn't necessarily mean they are effective. I have been guilty of overloading slides with too much information or not using very effective design, and I know that even if the presentation looks good, it doesn't necessarily mean that the material is well organized or clear. I still work hard to incorporate the latest technology into my instructional design, but I also sometimes make the conscious choice to draw on the whiteboard instead of using my SmartBoard, or tell students to take out a pencil and paper instead of logging into their computer.
On the other hand, the aspect of delivering instruction has gotten easier over the years. As a new and inexperienced teacher (and not much older than my students), I lacked confidence and struggled to assert my authority over the class, and the class responded exactly the way you would expect a class to respond. I had little control over or respect from my students. After several really negative classroom experiences, I realized I had to create a more effective teaching persona. Booth talks about the importance of being authentic, and I agree. I am not super energetic, loud, or funny. I wish, sometimes in front of the classroom, that I were. I work with some "rock star" teachers who seem to have almost a cult of students who follow them. I am not that person. But, I am super passionate about my subject (aka "nerdy"), very mothering, and flexible. And I make that work for me. I'm not afraid to be "weird", and I can even crack my students up once in awhile. I try to stay relevant (which is easier right now because my own children are the same age as my students), but also I assume that I'm not. I have very few problems with discipline; I can't remember the last time I sent a student down to the office, and I truly credit finally having developed a solid teaching persona for that.
As tech tools became more and more accessible, I noticed that students appeared much more engaged with my colleagues' powerpoint presentations, prezis, and interactive apps than my transparency projector and handouts, and I knew I had to make the switch. However, I have also realized that using technology to create instructional materials doesn't necessarily mean they are effective. I have been guilty of overloading slides with too much information or not using very effective design, and I know that even if the presentation looks good, it doesn't necessarily mean that the material is well organized or clear. I still work hard to incorporate the latest technology into my instructional design, but I also sometimes make the conscious choice to draw on the whiteboard instead of using my SmartBoard, or tell students to take out a pencil and paper instead of logging into their computer.
On the other hand, the aspect of delivering instruction has gotten easier over the years. As a new and inexperienced teacher (and not much older than my students), I lacked confidence and struggled to assert my authority over the class, and the class responded exactly the way you would expect a class to respond. I had little control over or respect from my students. After several really negative classroom experiences, I realized I had to create a more effective teaching persona. Booth talks about the importance of being authentic, and I agree. I am not super energetic, loud, or funny. I wish, sometimes in front of the classroom, that I were. I work with some "rock star" teachers who seem to have almost a cult of students who follow them. I am not that person. But, I am super passionate about my subject (aka "nerdy"), very mothering, and flexible. And I make that work for me. I'm not afraid to be "weird", and I can even crack my students up once in awhile. I try to stay relevant (which is easier right now because my own children are the same age as my students), but also I assume that I'm not. I have very few problems with discipline; I can't remember the last time I sent a student down to the office, and I truly credit finally having developed a solid teaching persona for that.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Letting Go of Content
Blog #8: What aspects of the Structure phase do you feel most and least confident about?
Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any.
Rachel McGee will be coming to class this week to talk about St. Mary's University's eBrarian initiative. What questions do you have for her about their program of online IL tutorials and research help?
The second phase of Booth's USER model is the "structure" stage. In this step, you define what it is you want students to accomplish, then you create a plan for the strategies that you will use in the lesson. Whether you call them goals, objectives, or outcomes, knowing what exactly you want students to do should inform all of your teaching strategies. This is something with which I currently feel comfortable, but it has taken time and experience to get there. When I first started teaching high school English, I admit I planned my units around the texts we would read, not the outcomes of what I wanted students to do. "During this semester, students will read classic works of American Literature such as The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and The Scarlet Letter," for example. I think many teachers operated, and some still do operate, this way. Content and coverage guide unit and lesson planning instead of skills and knowledge. This can be particularly true of courses in which teachers use a textbook they feel they must "get through." Rushing through to finish the texts, chronology, etc. can sacrifice critical thinking and deep exploration of topics.
Of course it is impossible for teachers to introduce students to every great piece of literature ever written, every country's history, every philosophical movement, etc. We always have to make choices. But it can be really, really hard, I know, to let go of content. What if students never read Hamlet? What if they don't study the Mexican-American war? What if they never read Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech?" We have to let it go and plan units around outcomes. "During this semester, students will be able to compare and contrast the context, content, and style of a classic text with a modern text," or "Students will be able use critical lenses to explore gender, race, and social class in several texts from different countries," or "Using the archetypal lens, students will be able to analyze and evaluate story patterns in a variety of texts." I now teach fewer texts, but we go deeper. And I'm okay with that (but I still really want them to read Hamlet).
Now, as a new teacher of research instruction as a graduate assistant here at St. Kate's, I am definitely back to feeling I have to cover it ALL. But, there is simply no way to do this in an hour long session. Last Saturday in my Leadership class, librarians from MCTC came in to talk to us about their program. I was surprised that MCTC requires all students to take a semester long credit-bearing information literacy course that is taught by librarians. In my opinion, this is the ideal. A whole semester to teach these skills is appropriate and reasonable. An hour long one shot session is not. However, that is all most of us have. So, we have to prioritize and perform triage. What skills and knowledge are most important for these particular students doing this particular assignment? Of course, another blocking force is not knowing these particular students or even sometimes what the particular assignment is. Building relationships and communicating with their teachers is paramount and yet I am realizing it often doesn't happen. I am teaching a research session this afternoon, and though I have tried to reach out to the professor, I still have a limited understanding of what their assignment entails and where students are in the process. It is not best practice, but I just have to do the best I can.
Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any.
Rachel McGee will be coming to class this week to talk about St. Mary's University's eBrarian initiative. What questions do you have for her about their program of online IL tutorials and research help?
The second phase of Booth's USER model is the "structure" stage. In this step, you define what it is you want students to accomplish, then you create a plan for the strategies that you will use in the lesson. Whether you call them goals, objectives, or outcomes, knowing what exactly you want students to do should inform all of your teaching strategies. This is something with which I currently feel comfortable, but it has taken time and experience to get there. When I first started teaching high school English, I admit I planned my units around the texts we would read, not the outcomes of what I wanted students to do. "During this semester, students will read classic works of American Literature such as The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and The Scarlet Letter," for example. I think many teachers operated, and some still do operate, this way. Content and coverage guide unit and lesson planning instead of skills and knowledge. This can be particularly true of courses in which teachers use a textbook they feel they must "get through." Rushing through to finish the texts, chronology, etc. can sacrifice critical thinking and deep exploration of topics.
Of course it is impossible for teachers to introduce students to every great piece of literature ever written, every country's history, every philosophical movement, etc. We always have to make choices. But it can be really, really hard, I know, to let go of content. What if students never read Hamlet? What if they don't study the Mexican-American war? What if they never read Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech?" We have to let it go and plan units around outcomes. "During this semester, students will be able to compare and contrast the context, content, and style of a classic text with a modern text," or "Students will be able use critical lenses to explore gender, race, and social class in several texts from different countries," or "Using the archetypal lens, students will be able to analyze and evaluate story patterns in a variety of texts." I now teach fewer texts, but we go deeper. And I'm okay with that (but I still really want them to read Hamlet).
Now, as a new teacher of research instruction as a graduate assistant here at St. Kate's, I am definitely back to feeling I have to cover it ALL. But, there is simply no way to do this in an hour long session. Last Saturday in my Leadership class, librarians from MCTC came in to talk to us about their program. I was surprised that MCTC requires all students to take a semester long credit-bearing information literacy course that is taught by librarians. In my opinion, this is the ideal. A whole semester to teach these skills is appropriate and reasonable. An hour long one shot session is not. However, that is all most of us have. So, we have to prioritize and perform triage. What skills and knowledge are most important for these particular students doing this particular assignment? Of course, another blocking force is not knowing these particular students or even sometimes what the particular assignment is. Building relationships and communicating with their teachers is paramount and yet I am realizing it often doesn't happen. I am teaching a research session this afternoon, and though I have tried to reach out to the professor, I still have a limited understanding of what their assignment entails and where students are in the process. It is not best practice, but I just have to do the best I can.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
USER Stage 1: Understand
Learning Blog #7: What aspects of the Understand phase do you feel most and least confident about? Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any.
First of all, I love the way Char Booth sets up the chapter on her USER instructional design model. As I mentioned in my last post, I, too, have seem my fair share of "instructional acronyms" and will admit, like Booth, to rolling my eyes at mention of another one. When she states, "it is with only a small amount of irony that I present the USER method," I was at least willing to read on. I also really like her analogy of the ID model as a road map. A good ID model should point you in the right direction, tell you where you will end up, but leave the specific route up to you. The routes can and should vary depending on a myriad of factors: the schedule, the materials available, the students' abilities and needs, the physical space, even the teacher's mood, and the list goes on. I think this is the part of teaching that comes with experience: the intuitiveness to know which route is best in any given situation, and the willingness (and ability) to change routes--even while in the middle of the journey.
The first step in Booth's USER map is to Understand. She says we need to "investigate the learning scenario" by first, identifying the problem: what is the challenge the learners face, and how can we help them meet it; then, analyze the scenario in order to facilitate a positive experience. The first task seems fairly simple at first glance--but boy, can it get complicated! In a high school at least, there are many, many standards educators have to help students meet. At the recent MLA conference, I went to a session addressing Minnesota's Common Core ELA standards and how school library media specialists might incorporate these into their lessons. Cory Stai from the MDE provided the history and philosophy behind these new standards and explained their vertical alignment, then Sara Swenson, the media specialist from Edina High School, shared some best practices.
Stai stated that one of the goals when creating the Common Core was to reduce the number of standards for students. He also admitted they may have failed in meeting that goal. There are over 43 standards students must meet. And that's not all. In addition to the CC standards, Minnesota has added several of its own, and on top of that, each school district adds more. When Swenson admitted that her school focuses on only a handful of these--what they call "power standards," Stai emphatically replied that this is not, in fact, best practice: the MDE expects us to teach ALL of the standards. Well, I have to side with Swenson on this one. Like students who freeze up when they encounter "information overload," teachers do too. They have to do a bit of triage with all of the standards. Determining what is most important for students to learn, and the best way to teach it: that's the real challenge for those of us working on the front lines every day.
First of all, I love the way Char Booth sets up the chapter on her USER instructional design model. As I mentioned in my last post, I, too, have seem my fair share of "instructional acronyms" and will admit, like Booth, to rolling my eyes at mention of another one. When she states, "it is with only a small amount of irony that I present the USER method," I was at least willing to read on. I also really like her analogy of the ID model as a road map. A good ID model should point you in the right direction, tell you where you will end up, but leave the specific route up to you. The routes can and should vary depending on a myriad of factors: the schedule, the materials available, the students' abilities and needs, the physical space, even the teacher's mood, and the list goes on. I think this is the part of teaching that comes with experience: the intuitiveness to know which route is best in any given situation, and the willingness (and ability) to change routes--even while in the middle of the journey.
The first step in Booth's USER map is to Understand. She says we need to "investigate the learning scenario" by first, identifying the problem: what is the challenge the learners face, and how can we help them meet it; then, analyze the scenario in order to facilitate a positive experience. The first task seems fairly simple at first glance--but boy, can it get complicated! In a high school at least, there are many, many standards educators have to help students meet. At the recent MLA conference, I went to a session addressing Minnesota's Common Core ELA standards and how school library media specialists might incorporate these into their lessons. Cory Stai from the MDE provided the history and philosophy behind these new standards and explained their vertical alignment, then Sara Swenson, the media specialist from Edina High School, shared some best practices.
Stai stated that one of the goals when creating the Common Core was to reduce the number of standards for students. He also admitted they may have failed in meeting that goal. There are over 43 standards students must meet. And that's not all. In addition to the CC standards, Minnesota has added several of its own, and on top of that, each school district adds more. When Swenson admitted that her school focuses on only a handful of these--what they call "power standards," Stai emphatically replied that this is not, in fact, best practice: the MDE expects us to teach ALL of the standards. Well, I have to side with Swenson on this one. Like students who freeze up when they encounter "information overload," teachers do too. They have to do a bit of triage with all of the standards. Determining what is most important for students to learn, and the best way to teach it: that's the real challenge for those of us working on the front lines every day.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Instructional Design
Blog #6: What are the essential considerations of the planning process? What are the differences between program, teaching, and student assessments? Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any.
Lesson planning. Obviously, I know how to do it. If I didn't, I couldn't have survived in my job for the past 22 years. I would even say, having worked on many curriculum writing teams throughout my career, I know how to do it pretty well by now. But, when Joyce asked the "teacher group" in class what we thought of the lesson plan template in our text book and whether we could suggest better alternatives, I wasn't sure what to say. I do create formal, detailed lesson plans from time to time, mostly when I have formal observations for Q-Comp or PAS assessments. The lesson plan format I use for these observations is solely dependent upon what my district requires at the moment. When I started teaching it was a Madeline Hunter template, then came OBE (Outcome Based Education), then...well, I'm sure there were others whose names are escaping me at the moment. Currently, we use the UBD (Understanding By Design) model which seems to work as well as anything else.
Though I don't know that any one template is significantly different or more effective than the others, and though I don't think it is necessary to write out entire lesson plans each and every day (who has that kind of time?!), I have learned that what is most effective is to determine the outcomes you desire first, then build your lessons around them. For instance, I am just finishing up teaching the play Henry V with my regular English 12 students. What do I want students to be able to do? 1. Gain strategies for reading a difficult text. So, I built in some lectures and formative assessments in my unit plan to help them with that as we read. 2. Think critically about the issues presented in a classic text and then make connections to other, more modern texts. So, I built in some journals, discussions, and an essay to get them started thinking about ways in which the themes in the various texts we read might relate to each other. 3. Appreciate Shakespeare, or at least approach his works without fear. So, I tried to build some fun, interactive, creative group assignments into my lessons as well. I don't really care if they can write in iambic pentameter, if they know many details about Shakespeare's life, or even--I have to admit--if they have read every line of the play. So, I didn't create lessons and/or assessments around those things.
It is easy, when teaching, to lose sight of the forest through the trees. To get caught up in the minute details of any one text or historical event or math problem. Or to insist students sit through a very long lecture about something in which I am interested (iambic pentameter, Shakespeare's life, and every line of Henry V), but that does not relate to any of the outcomes. It means, sometimes, letting go of the things that don't matter as much and spending time and energy on those aspects that do. It also means thinking daily about how each and every activity relates to your final outcomes. The rest of lesson planning, then, will fall into place. Yes, it helps to make sure you have an engaging anticipatory set (thanks, Madeline), that you have all the materials prepared ahead of time, that you provide a variety of direct instruction, cooperative learning, and independent work time, that you scaffold skills, provide alternative assessments for those who need it, etc., etc., etc. But, really none of that matters much (well, besides just keeping students occupied) if you are not working towards a meaningful end.
Though I don't know that any one template is significantly different or more effective than the others, and though I don't think it is necessary to write out entire lesson plans each and every day (who has that kind of time?!), I have learned that what is most effective is to determine the outcomes you desire first, then build your lessons around them. For instance, I am just finishing up teaching the play Henry V with my regular English 12 students. What do I want students to be able to do? 1. Gain strategies for reading a difficult text. So, I built in some lectures and formative assessments in my unit plan to help them with that as we read. 2. Think critically about the issues presented in a classic text and then make connections to other, more modern texts. So, I built in some journals, discussions, and an essay to get them started thinking about ways in which the themes in the various texts we read might relate to each other. 3. Appreciate Shakespeare, or at least approach his works without fear. So, I tried to build some fun, interactive, creative group assignments into my lessons as well. I don't really care if they can write in iambic pentameter, if they know many details about Shakespeare's life, or even--I have to admit--if they have read every line of the play. So, I didn't create lessons and/or assessments around those things.
It is easy, when teaching, to lose sight of the forest through the trees. To get caught up in the minute details of any one text or historical event or math problem. Or to insist students sit through a very long lecture about something in which I am interested (iambic pentameter, Shakespeare's life, and every line of Henry V), but that does not relate to any of the outcomes. It means, sometimes, letting go of the things that don't matter as much and spending time and energy on those aspects that do. It also means thinking daily about how each and every activity relates to your final outcomes. The rest of lesson planning, then, will fall into place. Yes, it helps to make sure you have an engaging anticipatory set (thanks, Madeline), that you have all the materials prepared ahead of time, that you provide a variety of direct instruction, cooperative learning, and independent work time, that you scaffold skills, provide alternative assessments for those who need it, etc., etc., etc. But, really none of that matters much (well, besides just keeping students occupied) if you are not working towards a meaningful end.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Online Instruction and Tech Tools
Blog #5: What are the characteristics of good teaching?
What are some types of online instruction?
What are some characteristics of effective online instruction?
Compare the advantages & disadvantages of online & face-to-face instruction?
Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any.
I am not an "early adopter" of new technologies. I had a flip phone for years after the iPhone came out, I hung on to my transparencies long after other teachers in my school had switched to powerpoint presentations, and I was one of the last to ditch my red gradebook and use the online grading software. This doesn't mean, though, that I am anti-technology. I now love my iPhone and couldn't imagine life without it; I use the online class management system Schoology and often "flip" lessons in my classes; and I Tweet and Facebook and Pin in both my personal and professional lives. I like to think of myself, instead, as a "cautious adopter." I'm happy to let others try technology out before I spend my precious time and energy (and sometimes money) learning something new that may or may not make my personal and professional lives better.
Good teaching is good teaching. Students are engaged, they are learning, discovering new ideas, practicing new skills. This can happen with or without technology. I found this article about Finland's schools interesting: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/finland-school-system-107137.html According to the article, "With little educational technology in the classroom, Finnish students have repeatedly outperformed American students on international tests." Instead of investing in the latest technology, the Finish government and the teachers' union spend their energy focusing on teacher training. I cringe when I see the school district for which I work spend thousands of dollars on SmartBoards and then watch as many teachers, including myself, decide that they would actually rather just write on the board. And I worry about the new iPad initiative in St. Paul schools. Every student will receive an iPad, and yet teachers have little or no training on how to incorporate them into their own lessons. How many of initiatives like these directly lead to better teaching and learning? Wouldn't all of that money be better spend on teacher training, smaller classes, etc.?
That said, I do feel that some technology tools do allow me to design my lessons better as a teacher, and enjoy my coursework more as a student. D2L helps keep me organized, YouTube videos present information in a new way, blogs help build communities in my classes. For me, though, where I learn the most is in face to face discussions and group work in class. When deciding where to go to school for my MLIS, I thought carefully about whether I should choose an online program. Certainly, they are more convenient. But for me, that's where the list of advantages ended. Without face-to-face interaction, I knew I would not have the same opportunity to develop the relationships and depth of understanding that I have in this program. The same is true for high school students. Studies have shown that one of the most important aspects of teaching is the relationship building that occurs between teacher and student, something that is quite difficult to do well in an online course. The success rate for these alternative courses is low, and for obvious reasons. Students who did not do well in a regular high school often need more guidance and interaction with teachers, not less.
What are some types of online instruction?
What are some characteristics of effective online instruction?
Compare the advantages & disadvantages of online & face-to-face instruction?
Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any.
I am not an "early adopter" of new technologies. I had a flip phone for years after the iPhone came out, I hung on to my transparencies long after other teachers in my school had switched to powerpoint presentations, and I was one of the last to ditch my red gradebook and use the online grading software. This doesn't mean, though, that I am anti-technology. I now love my iPhone and couldn't imagine life without it; I use the online class management system Schoology and often "flip" lessons in my classes; and I Tweet and Facebook and Pin in both my personal and professional lives. I like to think of myself, instead, as a "cautious adopter." I'm happy to let others try technology out before I spend my precious time and energy (and sometimes money) learning something new that may or may not make my personal and professional lives better.
Good teaching is good teaching. Students are engaged, they are learning, discovering new ideas, practicing new skills. This can happen with or without technology. I found this article about Finland's schools interesting: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/finland-school-system-107137.html According to the article, "With little educational technology in the classroom, Finnish students have repeatedly outperformed American students on international tests." Instead of investing in the latest technology, the Finish government and the teachers' union spend their energy focusing on teacher training. I cringe when I see the school district for which I work spend thousands of dollars on SmartBoards and then watch as many teachers, including myself, decide that they would actually rather just write on the board. And I worry about the new iPad initiative in St. Paul schools. Every student will receive an iPad, and yet teachers have little or no training on how to incorporate them into their own lessons. How many of initiatives like these directly lead to better teaching and learning? Wouldn't all of that money be better spend on teacher training, smaller classes, etc.?
That said, I do feel that some technology tools do allow me to design my lessons better as a teacher, and enjoy my coursework more as a student. D2L helps keep me organized, YouTube videos present information in a new way, blogs help build communities in my classes. For me, though, where I learn the most is in face to face discussions and group work in class. When deciding where to go to school for my MLIS, I thought carefully about whether I should choose an online program. Certainly, they are more convenient. But for me, that's where the list of advantages ended. Without face-to-face interaction, I knew I would not have the same opportunity to develop the relationships and depth of understanding that I have in this program. The same is true for high school students. Studies have shown that one of the most important aspects of teaching is the relationship building that occurs between teacher and student, something that is quite difficult to do well in an online course. The success rate for these alternative courses is low, and for obvious reasons. Students who did not do well in a regular high school often need more guidance and interaction with teachers, not less.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
In Defense of Howard Gardner
Blog #4: What is your learning style? How do you think this will influence your teaching/facilitation? Is your teaching approach more akin to behaviorism, cognitivism, or constructivism? Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any.
While pursuing my teaching degree in the early 90s, I spent a lot of time thinking about Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences which posits that students learn and understand in different ways. Gardner lists (at least) seven types of intelligences: 1. Visual-Spatial; 2. Kinesthetic; 3. Musical; 4. Interpersonal; 5. Intrapersonal; 6. Linguistic; 7. Mathematical. Then, as now, I found his theory interesting and useful. Certainly, I could identify that my strengths were in the Linguistic and Interpersonal areas. And as I began teaching, I could see certain strengths in my students as well, and so I tried my best to individualize lessons to play to students' strengths when I could.
In my education courses, Gardner's intelligences and the term "learning styles" were synonymous. I have never found any of this to be problematic until I was introduced to Daniel Willingham's emphatic claim that "learning styles do not exist!" Interestingly, Gardner never intended for his multiple intelligences to be considered learning styles. Recently, he set the record straight in a recent Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/16/howard-gardner-multiple-intelligences-are-not-learning-styles/
In the article, Gardner claims there are two problems with the idea of learning styles. One, he says those who use the term often do not "define the criteria for the style, nor where the styles come from, how they are recognized/assessed/ exploited." Second, he agrees with Willingham that there is "not persuasive evidence that learning style analysis produces more effective outcomes than a 'one size fits all approach.'" He also notes, though, that "the fact that one intervention did not work does not mean that the concept of learning styles is fatally flawed; another intervention might have proved effective. Absence of evidence does not prove non-existence of a phenomenon."
Certainly, I believe that claiming you can't learn math because it's not "your learning style" is bogus. However, I do believe that some people naturally learn more easily or faster/are more interested in understanding mathematics than others. Regardless of whether we call them intelligences or learning styles, and regardless of Willingham's claims, my experience in the classroom tells me that:
1. Students do have different natural strengths.
2. Students do have preferences in how they learn; material presented a particular way might click more easily than another.
3. All of our senses work together to pick up information; what matters isn't how we receive it, but how we make sense of that information.
In the end, I think Gardner's advice is exactly right: Don't worry about whether or not "learning styles" exist, but do individualize your teaching as much as possible (easier to do with small classes, of course), and teach important material in several ways to deepen understanding.
While pursuing my teaching degree in the early 90s, I spent a lot of time thinking about Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences which posits that students learn and understand in different ways. Gardner lists (at least) seven types of intelligences: 1. Visual-Spatial; 2. Kinesthetic; 3. Musical; 4. Interpersonal; 5. Intrapersonal; 6. Linguistic; 7. Mathematical. Then, as now, I found his theory interesting and useful. Certainly, I could identify that my strengths were in the Linguistic and Interpersonal areas. And as I began teaching, I could see certain strengths in my students as well, and so I tried my best to individualize lessons to play to students' strengths when I could.
In my education courses, Gardner's intelligences and the term "learning styles" were synonymous. I have never found any of this to be problematic until I was introduced to Daniel Willingham's emphatic claim that "learning styles do not exist!" Interestingly, Gardner never intended for his multiple intelligences to be considered learning styles. Recently, he set the record straight in a recent Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/16/howard-gardner-multiple-intelligences-are-not-learning-styles/
In the article, Gardner claims there are two problems with the idea of learning styles. One, he says those who use the term often do not "define the criteria for the style, nor where the styles come from, how they are recognized/assessed/ exploited." Second, he agrees with Willingham that there is "not persuasive evidence that learning style analysis produces more effective outcomes than a 'one size fits all approach.'" He also notes, though, that "the fact that one intervention did not work does not mean that the concept of learning styles is fatally flawed; another intervention might have proved effective. Absence of evidence does not prove non-existence of a phenomenon."
Certainly, I believe that claiming you can't learn math because it's not "your learning style" is bogus. However, I do believe that some people naturally learn more easily or faster/are more interested in understanding mathematics than others. Regardless of whether we call them intelligences or learning styles, and regardless of Willingham's claims, my experience in the classroom tells me that:
1. Students do have different natural strengths.
2. Students do have preferences in how they learn; material presented a particular way might click more easily than another.
3. All of our senses work together to pick up information; what matters isn't how we receive it, but how we make sense of that information.
In the end, I think Gardner's advice is exactly right: Don't worry about whether or not "learning styles" exist, but do individualize your teaching as much as possible (easier to do with small classes, of course), and teach important material in several ways to deepen understanding.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Philosophy of Teaching and Learning
Blog #3: What is your general philosophy of teaching and learning? How have your previous educational experiences affected your philosophy? What is critical thinking? What is reflective practice? Why are these important? Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any.
I've been wondering this week about whether my philosophy of teaching has evolved over the course of the past 22 years in the classroom. In most ways, I've decided, it hasn't. What I consider good teaching now is essentially the same as it has always been. From when I was just 23 years old to now at 45, I have always strived to be what Booth calls an authentic teacher. When I am able to relate to students as fellow human beings, work cooperatively with colleagues, and improve my practice through official and unofficial professional development, I am happier, more confident, and I believe, more effective in the classroom. And conversely, when I am not doing those things, I feel less successful.
There have been students over the years whom I just could not reach. From the student who insisted on hating English no matter what I tried, to the student whose parents felt that A- I gave her was a personal vendetta against their daughter, there have been challenges in "liking", and thus relating to certain students. There have been times, whether because of my schedule or the personalities of my colleagues when I didn't do much collaborating and felt isolated in my teaching. And of course, life can get crazy and sometimes professional development takes a back seat to simply surviving day to day. In all of those cases, my teaching has suffered and my students' learning experiences were less than they could have been. I think the main way in which I have changed is that I now truly know this about my practice; I know I have to work extra hard at times to "kill" certain students with kindness, to reach out to colleagues who are difficult to reach, and to carve out at least some time for my own learning.
Studies have found over and over that the relationships students have with their teachers is the single biggest factor in improving student achievement, and yet, I find that at least large public schools do little to foster those relationships. Increasing class sizes, less time spent on pursuit of personal inquiry projects and more on standardized testing, and pressure for teachers to spend more and more time on data collection and other record keeping are not exactly encouraging positive relationships to be built among teachers and students.
During an internship at a small private school last year, I had an aha moment. The teachers were able to spend time before school started in small groups with the counselors "getting to know" the individual students they would have that year. The counselors shared data, stories about past successes and challenges, and even notes from parents while the teachers took copious notes. During workshop week this year back at my large public high school, I spent quite a bit of time discussing how to manage students en masse: enforcing dress code and cell phone violations, etc. It was a completely different approach, one influenced by the size of the student population, sure, but also the school's philosophy about what matters.
I've been wondering this week about whether my philosophy of teaching has evolved over the course of the past 22 years in the classroom. In most ways, I've decided, it hasn't. What I consider good teaching now is essentially the same as it has always been. From when I was just 23 years old to now at 45, I have always strived to be what Booth calls an authentic teacher. When I am able to relate to students as fellow human beings, work cooperatively with colleagues, and improve my practice through official and unofficial professional development, I am happier, more confident, and I believe, more effective in the classroom. And conversely, when I am not doing those things, I feel less successful.
There have been students over the years whom I just could not reach. From the student who insisted on hating English no matter what I tried, to the student whose parents felt that A- I gave her was a personal vendetta against their daughter, there have been challenges in "liking", and thus relating to certain students. There have been times, whether because of my schedule or the personalities of my colleagues when I didn't do much collaborating and felt isolated in my teaching. And of course, life can get crazy and sometimes professional development takes a back seat to simply surviving day to day. In all of those cases, my teaching has suffered and my students' learning experiences were less than they could have been. I think the main way in which I have changed is that I now truly know this about my practice; I know I have to work extra hard at times to "kill" certain students with kindness, to reach out to colleagues who are difficult to reach, and to carve out at least some time for my own learning.
Studies have found over and over that the relationships students have with their teachers is the single biggest factor in improving student achievement, and yet, I find that at least large public schools do little to foster those relationships. Increasing class sizes, less time spent on pursuit of personal inquiry projects and more on standardized testing, and pressure for teachers to spend more and more time on data collection and other record keeping are not exactly encouraging positive relationships to be built among teachers and students.
During an internship at a small private school last year, I had an aha moment. The teachers were able to spend time before school started in small groups with the counselors "getting to know" the individual students they would have that year. The counselors shared data, stories about past successes and challenges, and even notes from parents while the teachers took copious notes. During workshop week this year back at my large public high school, I spent quite a bit of time discussing how to manage students en masse: enforcing dress code and cell phone violations, etc. It was a completely different approach, one influenced by the size of the student population, sure, but also the school's philosophy about what matters.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Technology and Information Literacy
Blog #2: How is technology changing our view of information literacy? What challenges does this bring to library services? Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any.
How we view Information Literacy has changed drastically because of advances in technology. When I think back to my own high school and college years, information literacy comprised mostly just knowing how to find resources that fit my topic and how to incorporate them into my research paper. I had to learn to use the card catalog, record call numbers, and then physically find the book in which the information I needed was stored. It was slow going, and I often didn't have very many sources with which to work. I don't recall spending much time critically evaluating the sources I found, other than perhaps looking at the date, and I doubt I created anything with my research other than a traditional paper.
Things have changed. They have changed so much the ACRL Framework for IL calls information literacy an "educational reform movement." Because of technology tools, it is much easier to find and obtain certain resources, but there is a much greater need for students to understand the dynamics of the world of information. The words "landscape," "environment," and even "ecosystem" were used in our readings this week to describe this world. This, I think, was my biggest aha moment. As Renee Hobbs points out, as researchers, we now have to consider not only the information, but the role economics and entertainment might be playing in what information is available to us, and how that information is presented. Dunaway (2011) also points out all of the captured knowledge that exists and stored is manipulated by information technology. Databases and Web search engines limit access to information and rank search results. Certainly, one of the biggest challenges tech brings to library services is a general sense that we are not needed, that patrons can certainly just Google all by themselves. We need to help our patrons understand the complexities of the information ecosystem, and that Google is really just the tip of a very large, very complex information iceberg.
Another big shift caused by technology, particularly social media, in information literacy is the know-how to create and share new knowledge. Students must be able to go beyond writing a traditional research paper that is read only by a professor into a creating a myriad of presentation possibilities that can be shared on a much larger scale. This involves evaluating which presentation style is appropriate for the message and audience, knowing how to use the technology tools to create the presentation, and considering ethical issues in sharing particular information in particular ways. The teacher/librarian's role in this process is much different than simply standing up and lecturing about citation styles. It is essential that we teach critical evaluation and self-reflection skills.
How we view Information Literacy has changed drastically because of advances in technology. When I think back to my own high school and college years, information literacy comprised mostly just knowing how to find resources that fit my topic and how to incorporate them into my research paper. I had to learn to use the card catalog, record call numbers, and then physically find the book in which the information I needed was stored. It was slow going, and I often didn't have very many sources with which to work. I don't recall spending much time critically evaluating the sources I found, other than perhaps looking at the date, and I doubt I created anything with my research other than a traditional paper.
Things have changed. They have changed so much the ACRL Framework for IL calls information literacy an "educational reform movement." Because of technology tools, it is much easier to find and obtain certain resources, but there is a much greater need for students to understand the dynamics of the world of information. The words "landscape," "environment," and even "ecosystem" were used in our readings this week to describe this world. This, I think, was my biggest aha moment. As Renee Hobbs points out, as researchers, we now have to consider not only the information, but the role economics and entertainment might be playing in what information is available to us, and how that information is presented. Dunaway (2011) also points out all of the captured knowledge that exists and stored is manipulated by information technology. Databases and Web search engines limit access to information and rank search results. Certainly, one of the biggest challenges tech brings to library services is a general sense that we are not needed, that patrons can certainly just Google all by themselves. We need to help our patrons understand the complexities of the information ecosystem, and that Google is really just the tip of a very large, very complex information iceberg.
Another big shift caused by technology, particularly social media, in information literacy is the know-how to create and share new knowledge. Students must be able to go beyond writing a traditional research paper that is read only by a professor into a creating a myriad of presentation possibilities that can be shared on a much larger scale. This involves evaluating which presentation style is appropriate for the message and audience, knowing how to use the technology tools to create the presentation, and considering ethical issues in sharing particular information in particular ways. The teacher/librarian's role in this process is much different than simply standing up and lecturing about citation styles. It is essential that we teach critical evaluation and self-reflection skills.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Information Literacy
Blog #1: What is information literacy? What is your experience with the 4 components of instructional literacy - reflective practice, educational theory, teaching technologies, instructional design?
Information literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, obtain and use information that meets a particular need. Although I don't think this definition has changed over my lifetime, I do think the emphasis has shifted. When I was in high school and college, it could be very difficult to find information. There was no Google (which is so hard for my own students to comprehend), no online finding tools, databases, etc. I had to use a card catalog and search print sources, and often I came up empty handed. What I lacked in efficiency, however, I gained in quality assurance. Most of the sources I found were scholarly and from (at least we believed at the time) trustworthy sources. Today, we are bombarded with information from all sorts of sources, some biased, some inaccurate, some who publish with malicious intent. So, instead of spending most of our time on finding this information, I believe the focus of being informationally literate should be placed on the evaluation piece.
As a high school teacher, I have had experience with all four of the components of instructional literacy. I try to engage in Reflective Practice whenever I'm in a classroom. The ability to assess the learning as well the attitudes in the room as you teach takes a lot of practice. There is no more frustrating feeling than when you recognize your students just aren't getting what you are trying to teach. And so you sometimes have to adjust on the spot in order to help students understand or to increase their engagement. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Educational Theory: research-based learning, instructional, and curriculum theory, is something that most teachers do not have time for in their daily teaching lives. This reality is unfortunate, as I believe teachers could gain a lot from the knowledge that researchers are sharing. I think most of us try to "keep up" by going to conferences and reading blogs and journals, but it is a problem that teachers are so overloaded they don't engage in this much. I think this is a place where school and academic librarians could really help. Often, their days are less structured and so they can, at times, spend more time looking at current research and share it with instructors. Keeping up with Teaching Technologies is another struggle for many classroom teachers. Taking graduate and professional development classes has helped introduce me to new technologies. Finally, Instructional Design is a method of integrating reflection, theory, and technology as you plan, deliver, and assess your lessons. Again, I try to do this as often as possible, but daily lesson planning can sometimes be spontaneous and based on factors that have nothing to do with good teaching and learning (e.g. time, space, administrative, and personal constraints).
Even though I have taught for 20+ years, actually, because I have taught for 20+ years, I am truly looking forward to this class. I think there is a danger that experienced teachers can sometimes get a bit...lazy, or at least wrapped up in routine. I know that much of what I do is intuitive, so it will be good to step back and look critically at my teaching skills to see if they are, in fact, best practices.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Thing 23: Evaluate 23 Mobile Things
Woo-hoo! I made it to 23. I participated in this program as class assignment for my MLIS Curriculum & School Libraries class, and I'm glad I had to do so. The main take away from this experience is just the multitude of apps there are out there! I guess if I had to describe my experience in one word, it would be: overwhelming!
As a future school librarian, I went into this particularly interested in the educational apps, but I also enjoyed the apps that I can use in personal life as well. I am now in the process of deleting many of the apps I tried from my iPhone, but there are quite a few that will be staying. I have to say my favorites were the iPhone tips and tricks as well as the community sites.
I am very impressed with the apps you chose, and the format of this program. If you offered another one, I would definitely participate. The one thing I would do differently next time, is not procrastinate in order to connect better with the other participants. I wish I would have had time to read more blog posts from others and comment on them along the way. Thank you so much for setting this up!
As a future school librarian, I went into this particularly interested in the educational apps, but I also enjoyed the apps that I can use in personal life as well. I am now in the process of deleting many of the apps I tried from my iPhone, but there are quite a few that will be staying. I have to say my favorites were the iPhone tips and tricks as well as the community sites.
I am very impressed with the apps you chose, and the format of this program. If you offered another one, I would definitely participate. The one thing I would do differently next time, is not procrastinate in order to connect better with the other participants. I wish I would have had time to read more blog posts from others and comment on them along the way. Thank you so much for setting this up!
Thing 21: Free-For-All
One of the things I struggle with about having my English students go paperless is the loss of creativity in mapping ideas. How does one draw a web on an iPad? This is what interested me about the app Inspiration Maps (https://www.graphite.org/app/inspiration-maps). It got good ratings on Graphite from both the users and teachers. Here is what one teacher had to say about the app:
"Inspiration is a great tool for students! This free app is a nice way for students to create their own diagram to show their thinking and learning that's taken place. The only limitation that I can see is the sharing feature. Diagrams can be printed or emailed with the free version. It would be nice to have the Save to Photos feature included with the free version instead of only the full version. You can always take a screen shot of whatever has been created.
Students who have had experience using the program, Inspiration, should be able to use this app with no trouble. They can choose to create their own diagram or they can choose from a variety of templates. Ideas can be added with text boxes and pictures. Ideas can be linked together using arrows. Students can select options to change the shape, style, text and diagram as it appears on the screen. They move from the picture view to the writing view in order to expand on the ideas created in their visual diagram"
When I opened the app, I discovered 36 sample maps, plus an option to upgrade. I tried out one template for a KWHL activity that I actually used with students this week as we are studying the historical background of Iran in preparation for our study of Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel Persepolis. It was easy enough to use, I could fill in the bubbles with text, add more bubbles, and move them around easily. I don't think it is a groundbreaking app that will change the way I teach, but I can see using it with a 1:1 iPad class.
"Inspiration is a great tool for students! This free app is a nice way for students to create their own diagram to show their thinking and learning that's taken place. The only limitation that I can see is the sharing feature. Diagrams can be printed or emailed with the free version. It would be nice to have the Save to Photos feature included with the free version instead of only the full version. You can always take a screen shot of whatever has been created.
Students who have had experience using the program, Inspiration, should be able to use this app with no trouble. They can choose to create their own diagram or they can choose from a variety of templates. Ideas can be added with text boxes and pictures. Ideas can be linked together using arrows. Students can select options to change the shape, style, text and diagram as it appears on the screen. They move from the picture view to the writing view in order to expand on the ideas created in their visual diagram"
When I opened the app, I discovered 36 sample maps, plus an option to upgrade. I tried out one template for a KWHL activity that I actually used with students this week as we are studying the historical background of Iran in preparation for our study of Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel Persepolis. It was easy enough to use, I could fill in the bubbles with text, add more bubbles, and move them around easily. I don't think it is a groundbreaking app that will change the way I teach, but I can see using it with a 1:1 iPad class.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Thing 22: Discovering Apps
In order to pick a good app to share, I am skipping Thing 21 and looking on some "Best Apps" lists for middle school students. I talked about Common Sense Media's Graphite in the last post, so I went there to find what they recommend for this age group. Here is the link: https://www.graphite.org/reviews
Once on the site, I clicked on Apps, Language and Reading, Grades 6-8, and Free to Try. Graphite will then narrow the apps they have reviewed and present them visually. Each app has both a Learning Rating and a Teacher Rating. I do like that in addition to their own reviews, Graphite crowd-sources teachers to provide a rating and includes some of their comments. Certainly, Common Sense media is not without its critics. Some librarians feel their explicit reviews of books, games, and apps only provide fuel for would-be banners. Others, however, appreciate the site for their level of detail in the reviews and the transparency of the reviewers' names and qualifications.
The app I decided to try is called Inspiration Maps. The brief description says it is a "versatile mind-mapping tool offers many options for organizing ideas." The learning rating is a 3 (good) and the teacher rating is a 4 (very good). I will try it out and let you know what I think back in Thing 21. But as for this Thing, I side with those who appreciate Graphite, and I am sure that I will use this site frequently to find education apps for teachers and students.
Once on the site, I clicked on Apps, Language and Reading, Grades 6-8, and Free to Try. Graphite will then narrow the apps they have reviewed and present them visually. Each app has both a Learning Rating and a Teacher Rating. I do like that in addition to their own reviews, Graphite crowd-sources teachers to provide a rating and includes some of their comments. Certainly, Common Sense media is not without its critics. Some librarians feel their explicit reviews of books, games, and apps only provide fuel for would-be banners. Others, however, appreciate the site for their level of detail in the reviews and the transparency of the reviewers' names and qualifications.
The app I decided to try is called Inspiration Maps. The brief description says it is a "versatile mind-mapping tool offers many options for organizing ideas." The learning rating is a 3 (good) and the teacher rating is a 4 (very good). I will try it out and let you know what I think back in Thing 21. But as for this Thing, I side with those who appreciate Graphite, and I am sure that I will use this site frequently to find education apps for teachers and students.
Thing 20: Games
All right, fine! I will play you, Candy Crush. Isn't it bad enough that I am addicted to Scrabble, Words with Friends, and Ruzzle? I've heard all about you, and been warned not to go there, but I'm almost at 23 Things, so here goes the download...
Okay, so I made it past level one and am moving on, but honestly, I'm still not sure what I am doing. I understand that I have to swipe the candies to get 3 or more in a row before the board shifts, right? But I definitely need more practice than I have time right now.
I also spent time looking at the Game Ratings for Age and Content App. As a teacher, school librarian and parent of 4 teenage boys, this is a helpful site to know about! I like that you can search by game name, platform, and content. There are over 30,000+ ratings for games and besides the rating, I like that the reviews will point out specific content categories that may be concerning. Last fall, I did some research on Common Sense Media's Graphite which reviews apps and games as well. I'm glad these sites exist, but I also believe that conversation with kids about what is appropriate and why is much more beneficial than simply banning a game because of a rating.
Okay, now back to Candy Crush...
Okay, so I made it past level one and am moving on, but honestly, I'm still not sure what I am doing. I understand that I have to swipe the candies to get 3 or more in a row before the board shifts, right? But I definitely need more practice than I have time right now.
I also spent time looking at the Game Ratings for Age and Content App. As a teacher, school librarian and parent of 4 teenage boys, this is a helpful site to know about! I like that you can search by game name, platform, and content. There are over 30,000+ ratings for games and besides the rating, I like that the reviews will point out specific content categories that may be concerning. Last fall, I did some research on Common Sense Media's Graphite which reviews apps and games as well. I'm glad these sites exist, but I also believe that conversation with kids about what is appropriate and why is much more beneficial than simply banning a game because of a rating.
Okay, now back to Candy Crush...
Thing 19: Hobbies
I am not a sports' fan, but I live with a couple of them, so I will be sure to share those apps with my loved ones. Instead, I am more interested in the two wine apps! We are heading to Napa this summer and taking a ride on the "wine train," and I always tend to forget the names of wines I like, so perhaps I will find good use for those apps during that trip.
For now, though, I explored Spotify. My husband has this on his phone; I have never gotten around to installing on mine, so I was glad to have a reason to. It is a great app, and I don't know why it took me so long. You can listen to Spotify radio stations according to music genre, discover new music, and share playlists. I spent some time tonight listening to my husband's Bossa Nova playlist. I can see using this app to find background music to pump into the library. I think students really respond to calming music while studying.
I would like to listen to Spotify offline while I'm in the car, and get rid of those CDs for good, but that would mean upgrading to the Premium account. I went ahead and signed up for the "Free Trial" which I am sure will lead to yet another subscription in my life.
For now, though, I explored Spotify. My husband has this on his phone; I have never gotten around to installing on mine, so I was glad to have a reason to. It is a great app, and I don't know why it took me so long. You can listen to Spotify radio stations according to music genre, discover new music, and share playlists. I spent some time tonight listening to my husband's Bossa Nova playlist. I can see using this app to find background music to pump into the library. I think students really respond to calming music while studying.
I would like to listen to Spotify offline while I'm in the car, and get rid of those CDs for good, but that would mean upgrading to the Premium account. I went ahead and signed up for the "Free Trial" which I am sure will lead to yet another subscription in my life.
Thing 18: Education
So many Education apps! Where to even begin? I am familiar with lots of these, and they are all worthwhile. I have used Google Earth, TED Talks, Khan Academy, and even Duo Lingo. Last week in our MLIS class, Doug Johnson introduced me to Socrative, an interactive site where you can easily create quizzes.
Because the Common Core standards and 21st century learning skills are emphasizing using primary documents in research, I decided to explore Today's Document for this Thing. With this app, you can "explore American history with 365 of the most fascinating documents and photos from the collections of the US National Archives." It shows an interactive gallery that displays a significant historical document or photo for each day of the year. Students could type in their birthday or search for a document that would aid in a research project.
The document of the day today was "The Return of Goods Shipped for Exploration on the Ship Mount Vernon" from May 19, 1803. The only document connected to my birthday, November 8, was an election ballot for Kennedy and Johnson vs. Nixon and Lodge (as well as the Prohibition and Socialist Labor Parties' candidates). It was great to be able to have such easy access to these historical documents, and when I clicked on the information button, I was provided with an explanation of what the document was as well as links for more information.
This is definitely a worthwhile app for anyone doing historical research as well as just anyone who is curious about history in general. I can see spending many hours just clicking around in here.
Because the Common Core standards and 21st century learning skills are emphasizing using primary documents in research, I decided to explore Today's Document for this Thing. With this app, you can "explore American history with 365 of the most fascinating documents and photos from the collections of the US National Archives." It shows an interactive gallery that displays a significant historical document or photo for each day of the year. Students could type in their birthday or search for a document that would aid in a research project.
The document of the day today was "The Return of Goods Shipped for Exploration on the Ship Mount Vernon" from May 19, 1803. The only document connected to my birthday, November 8, was an election ballot for Kennedy and Johnson vs. Nixon and Lodge (as well as the Prohibition and Socialist Labor Parties' candidates). It was great to be able to have such easy access to these historical documents, and when I clicked on the information button, I was provided with an explanation of what the document was as well as links for more information.
This is definitely a worthwhile app for anyone doing historical research as well as just anyone who is curious about history in general. I can see spending many hours just clicking around in here.
Thing 17: Connecting to Community
I really had no idea there were so many community apps out there! Personally, I am interested in so many of these. The first app I downloaded was the MPR Radio. I subscribe to podcasts of some of the radio shows on MPR, but I didn't realize how easy it is to just stream it on my phone. As I tested it out, I launched right in to Terri Gross interviewing Louis C.K. Normally, I don't get to hear Terri unless I am driving late while her show is on, but it is great that I can just sit on my couch and listen to her!
Next, I explored Minnesota 511. I thought it was funny that as I installed it, a dialog box came up urging me to Be Safe and asking, "Do you agree to not use this application while driving." I did agree, and a map with lots of red and yellow warnings came up. So many so, that I could not even see the map. It must be spring in Minnesota!
I was tempted to install the Minnesota State Fair app, but I will wait until that is more topical. Instead, the last app I explored was the Going Out from Star Tribune App. This is a great resource for events in the Twin Cities. The menu includes categories like movies, restaurants, music, events at the Guthrie, and Best Bets. I can see myself using this frequently.
All in all, this category is great for me personally, and though I may not keep many of the apps I am trying on my phone long term, these definitely will stay. I also see potential for using these community apps with students. I think it would be interesting to give them this list and see which of the apps appeals to them the most.
Next, I explored Minnesota 511. I thought it was funny that as I installed it, a dialog box came up urging me to Be Safe and asking, "Do you agree to not use this application while driving." I did agree, and a map with lots of red and yellow warnings came up. So many so, that I could not even see the map. It must be spring in Minnesota!
I was tempted to install the Minnesota State Fair app, but I will wait until that is more topical. Instead, the last app I explored was the Going Out from Star Tribune App. This is a great resource for events in the Twin Cities. The menu includes categories like movies, restaurants, music, events at the Guthrie, and Best Bets. I can see myself using this frequently.
All in all, this category is great for me personally, and though I may not keep many of the apps I am trying on my phone long term, these definitely will stay. I also see potential for using these community apps with students. I think it would be interesting to give them this list and see which of the apps appeals to them the most.
Thing 16: Audio
I have used audio recorders in my own classroom. As an IB teacher, one of the internal assessments I needed to prepare students for was called an "Individual Oral Commentary." For this assignment, students had to give an 15 minute oral commentary about a passage from a text we had studied. To practice for this nerve-wreaking assignment, I had students use an audio tool that they could use with their cell phones. They could paste the link to their recordings, listen to their classmates' commentaries, and critique each other. Alas, that tool was only free for a short while, so I had to abandon that method of practicing for awhile.
That is why I am so happy to see different free voice recording apps pop up. Teachers in my school have been really happy with Audio Boo, so for this Thing, I gave that a try. Audio Boo will let you record for free up to 10 minutes for free, though if you had a longer speech, you could break it into two parts. I also like that you can post your clips easily to the web, Twitter, Facebook, etc. so that students can listen to their own speeches, and that of their classmates quite easily.
As a school librarian, I see many potential uses for Audio Boo and apps like it. Our students are preparing to give presentations to classes, on the speech team, and as part of history day. This is an easy way to build self assessment and reflection skills. In my personal life, it's also a great way to record audio of things you may want to remember (directions, an address?) later. I was surprised, once I got into the app, that there were so many channels you could listen to, including news stations like the BBC, podcasts from around the world, and even new music.
That is why I am so happy to see different free voice recording apps pop up. Teachers in my school have been really happy with Audio Boo, so for this Thing, I gave that a try. Audio Boo will let you record for free up to 10 minutes for free, though if you had a longer speech, you could break it into two parts. I also like that you can post your clips easily to the web, Twitter, Facebook, etc. so that students can listen to their own speeches, and that of their classmates quite easily.
As a school librarian, I see many potential uses for Audio Boo and apps like it. Our students are preparing to give presentations to classes, on the speech team, and as part of history day. This is an easy way to build self assessment and reflection skills. In my personal life, it's also a great way to record audio of things you may want to remember (directions, an address?) later. I was surprised, once I got into the app, that there were so many channels you could listen to, including news stations like the BBC, podcasts from around the world, and even new music.
Thing 15: Infographics
At first I was really frustrated by, but then came to appreciate an assignment last semester in my MLIS class to create an infographic. Though many of the students had seen them, very few of us had actually created one. There are several free programs out there, and I think I tried each of them to see which was easiest. The verdict was that they all had their strengths and I wished that I could have combined the best features from all of them.
For this Thing, I explored info.Graphics. This app, though, is not about creating infographics, but just having access to many of them. It is intended simply for content interest, I think, but I can see using this site as inspiration/models for students creating their own infographics. I looked at a couple: The Mobile Lives of College Students and Breakdown of a Person's Google Results. Both were well done. Most of the infographics appear to be directed towards the business world and marketing trends. They were a bit hard to see on my iPhone. Probably, this app would be more effective on an iPad. I would definitely consider having my own students create an infographic in place of a traditional research paper, poster, or presentation. They are on trend at the moment, and as we are becoming more and more visual learners and thinkers, I believe they are here to stay as an effective way to present information.
For this Thing, I explored info.Graphics. This app, though, is not about creating infographics, but just having access to many of them. It is intended simply for content interest, I think, but I can see using this site as inspiration/models for students creating their own infographics. I looked at a couple: The Mobile Lives of College Students and Breakdown of a Person's Google Results. Both were well done. Most of the infographics appear to be directed towards the business world and marketing trends. They were a bit hard to see on my iPhone. Probably, this app would be more effective on an iPad. I would definitely consider having my own students create an infographic in place of a traditional research paper, poster, or presentation. They are on trend at the moment, and as we are becoming more and more visual learners and thinkers, I believe they are here to stay as an effective way to present information.
Thing 14: Videos
I am pretty shocked to read that over 100 hours of video are uploaded every minute onto You Tube! I have a couple of book trailers posted out there, and I certainly use You Tube videos in my own teaching. As a school librarian, I can think of a lot of uses for publishing video to promote library programs and showcase student work. For this Thing, I downloaded the popular Vine. With Vine, you can create short, looping videos to share. I have seen some videos that used Vine and they are fun to watch.
When I downloaded Vine to my iPhone, I spent some time watching the featured videos. Some people are really talented and some people are just plain weird! It's kind of funny that there are different channels. I tried to make my own video, but got stuck when the program wanted access to my microphone. I don't know if it is a bug in the program, or if my phone is (already) outdated, but the screen froze at this point, and I couldn't get it unstuck. I guess I could have explored it further, but this was a big frustration for me. Honestly, I know students are using Vine quite a bit, and I can think of ways I might incorporate it into a lesson, but I think there are more sophisticated programs that might be more beneficial.
When I downloaded Vine to my iPhone, I spent some time watching the featured videos. Some people are really talented and some people are just plain weird! It's kind of funny that there are different channels. I tried to make my own video, but got stuck when the program wanted access to my microphone. I don't know if it is a bug in the program, or if my phone is (already) outdated, but the screen froze at this point, and I couldn't get it unstuck. I guess I could have explored it further, but this was a big frustration for me. Honestly, I know students are using Vine quite a bit, and I can think of ways I might incorporate it into a lesson, but I think there are more sophisticated programs that might be more beneficial.
Thing 13: Presentations
Typically in the past, I have made my presentations using Microsoft's powerpoint. I like the program because of its ease of use and the number of themes it has. Lately, though, I have been using Google Presentation because of its ease of sharing and access. I am less savvy with Prezi, though I have created a couple. Though I have seen Haiku Deck presentations--and been impressed with them--I have never created one. So, for this Thing, I explored creating a Haiku Deck presentation on the iPad.
I watched and really liked the YALSA App of the Week video about Haiku Deck. It's great that you can easily incorporate Creative Commons images without going outside of the presentation to CC Search. I love the search feature within the program. There are 5 free themes, which seem to work fine for most, and the user interface seems pretty intuitive. Though I will most likely stick to Powerpoint or Google Presentation in my own work, simply because I like working on my laptop better, I would definitely consider using Haiku deck with a class of iPad users.
I watched and really liked the YALSA App of the Week video about Haiku Deck. It's great that you can easily incorporate Creative Commons images without going outside of the presentation to CC Search. I love the search feature within the program. There are 5 free themes, which seem to work fine for most, and the user interface seems pretty intuitive. Though I will most likely stick to Powerpoint or Google Presentation in my own work, simply because I like working on my laptop better, I would definitely consider using Haiku deck with a class of iPad users.
(Oops--this one is out of order) Thing 10: Sharing Photos
As I said, I often only share photos on my Facebook page, or send them in an email. I do also have Flickr account that is set to a private mode for friends and family only. For this Thing, I logged back into my Instagram account (where I have only one photo posted) and grudgingly added the infamous SnapChat to my phone. Though I did "snapchat" once with a friend, I honestly don't think I will use either again any time soon. Still, I am glad to know about them and how they work.
As a side note, last week, I took my 12th grade English class to the computer lab and had them Google their name, then click on images. Some students found only a couple photos of themselves, but the majority of the class was shocked at the number of images that appeared. A couple of the female students were downright distraught to find photos of themselves that they found unflattering and/or inappropriate. One girl had tears in her eyes as she asked how to erase these, and I had to tell her that she couldn't.
I have to say I was sort of shocked that so many students had never thought to do this, and it was a great lesson for them. Not only should they be wary of who is taking and posting pictures of them, but they should be careful to get permission from others. By the way, there is only one picture of me out there on a Google search, and an unflattering one at that, taken at an awards ceremony by the MLIS department and subsequently posted on their blog. I know I am going off on a tangent here, but I think we just have to be careful as school librarians as we potentially post pictures of students on our library website's and such that we do have permission and that we think about the consequences.
As a side note, last week, I took my 12th grade English class to the computer lab and had them Google their name, then click on images. Some students found only a couple photos of themselves, but the majority of the class was shocked at the number of images that appeared. A couple of the female students were downright distraught to find photos of themselves that they found unflattering and/or inappropriate. One girl had tears in her eyes as she asked how to erase these, and I had to tell her that she couldn't.
I have to say I was sort of shocked that so many students had never thought to do this, and it was a great lesson for them. Not only should they be wary of who is taking and posting pictures of them, but they should be careful to get permission from others. By the way, there is only one picture of me out there on a Google search, and an unflattering one at that, taken at an awards ceremony by the MLIS department and subsequently posted on their blog. I know I am going off on a tangent here, but I think we just have to be careful as school librarians as we potentially post pictures of students on our library website's and such that we do have permission and that we think about the consequences.
Thing 12: Books, Books, and More Books
Speaking of audio books waiting list frustration, I am excited to learn about the free Audiobooks app! I downloaded this app onto my phone and in the genre section, found Teen and Young Adult. It looks like most of the selections are classic/public domain texts like Anne of Green Gables and Heidi. I listened to a bit of the free versions of Anne of Green Gables and Gulliver's Travels. There were fine recordings with good readers. I wonder how much of a difference the "upgrade" would make, but I wasn't willing to spend any money to find out. Certainly this app will not help me stay current with the latest teen fiction, but I can see it being useful in the classroom as a free aid for students studying classic literature, or for car rides with my own kids.
I also installed YALSA's Teen Book Finder. It is helpful app, especially on a mobile device. It provides you with today's hot picks, and search menu by title, author, genre, year, award, and booklist. You can add books to your favorites page as well. I can see this being a very helpful tool when helping students with what to read next. I especially like the search by genre feature. Of course, it won't be linked to the Destiny catalog, but it is just another tool to help me provide titles and authors to students, and for them to search it by themselves.
I also installed YALSA's Teen Book Finder. It is helpful app, especially on a mobile device. It provides you with today's hot picks, and search menu by title, author, genre, year, award, and booklist. You can add books to your favorites page as well. I can see this being a very helpful tool when helping students with what to read next. I especially like the search by genre feature. Of course, it won't be linked to the Destiny catalog, but it is just another tool to help me provide titles and authors to students, and for them to search it by themselves.
Thing 11: Library and Reference
I think it is really smart for ELM and the county libraries to develop phone apps, and I'm sure this is a Thing that I can definitely use with students. I downloaded the Hennepin County Library mobile app onto my phone and I find it very user friendly. It is easy to check my account and search the library catalog. I also downloaded Overdrive for audio books. One of my definite "growth areas" is catching up on popular YA books. There are so many good ones to recommend to students, and so little time for me to read them! In order to maximize my reading time, I bought an iPod just for audio books in the car. It is easy to find audio books on the Hennepin County Library page, download them via Overdrive, and listen during my commute time. So far, I have listened to Caprice Crane's Confession of a Hater and Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races. The only problem, of course, is that these books are often "checked out" and so I am relegated to the waiting lists for new and hot releases.
Unfortunately, though our school library does have CDs of books to check out, we do not subscribe to Overdrive. I'm not sure how much it is, but I do think that more students would be interested in checking out audio books if they were available in a digital format. I'm not sure how many know about the county library's selection, but it is something worth promoting.
Unfortunately, though our school library does have CDs of books to check out, we do not subscribe to Overdrive. I'm not sure how much it is, but I do think that more students would be interested in checking out audio books if they were available in a digital format. I'm not sure how many know about the county library's selection, but it is something worth promoting.
Thing 9: Taking and Editing Photos
Like most people, I have ditched my camera (where is that thing, anyway?) because my phone is always with me and the picture quality seems just fine for my needs. I think this is a real generational gap. My parents constantly lament that I don't have any pictures to give them. I tend to take photos on my camera, download them to my iPhoto folders on my computer, maybe post a few to Facebook, and forget about the rest. My digital photo management is truly terrible. I have no rhyme or reason to how I store them, and I just need to sit down for a month or two and sort them all out.
Anyway, for this Thing, I downloaded LINE camera onto my iPhone. It is a cheerful little app with the bear and bunny announcing that we are going to "start the fun!" There are a lot of filters to choose from, too many to really see much of a difference, but I loved that you can add text easily and draw on the pictures. Of course, they want to make money, so fancy frames and such cost money, but I can see myself using this app quite a bit. It is much more intuitive (and much less expensive) than Photoshop!
Anyway, for this Thing, I downloaded LINE camera onto my iPhone. It is a cheerful little app with the bear and bunny announcing that we are going to "start the fun!" There are a lot of filters to choose from, too many to really see much of a difference, but I loved that you can add text easily and draw on the pictures. Of course, they want to make money, so fancy frames and such cost money, but I can see myself using this app quite a bit. It is much more intuitive (and much less expensive) than Photoshop!
Thing 8: Social Media Management Tools
I am not super active on social media, so I really don't have a need for an app to manage what little activity I have. I am on Facebook, but mostly it's a personal endeavor, just to keep up with old friends, and I haven't been posting much lately. I did decide, however, to download the Twitter app to my phone, and though I previously had an account, I had never actually Tweeted something before this semester. Now I am up to a whopping 8 Tweets, and have 9 followers (though I actually do not know a couple of them).
Twitter is just a weird thing that I am trying to get a handle on. I know that most of my students are much more active on Twitter than they are on Facebook, and certainly the library community is alive and well there. I added lots of school and other librarians to follow and I have been enjoying their updates and snippets of their conversations with each other. For instance, last Saturday, I noticed that lots of librarians were tweeting from the GAFE conference that was here in the cities. I had not known about it, but it was interesting to read their tweets and follow their links to some of the presentations. I also get a kick out of following some YA authors on Twitter as well. John Green and Rainbow Rowell are especially active and funny. I'm not sure if they mean it this way, but it is a great marketing strategy. As for my own tweets, I struggle a bit with what to say, since so few people follow me. But, I am approaching it as a professional tool alone, and not tweeting about my personal life.
Twitter is just a weird thing that I am trying to get a handle on. I know that most of my students are much more active on Twitter than they are on Facebook, and certainly the library community is alive and well there. I added lots of school and other librarians to follow and I have been enjoying their updates and snippets of their conversations with each other. For instance, last Saturday, I noticed that lots of librarians were tweeting from the GAFE conference that was here in the cities. I had not known about it, but it was interesting to read their tweets and follow their links to some of the presentations. I also get a kick out of following some YA authors on Twitter as well. John Green and Rainbow Rowell are especially active and funny. I'm not sure if they mean it this way, but it is a great marketing strategy. As for my own tweets, I struggle a bit with what to say, since so few people follow me. But, I am approaching it as a professional tool alone, and not tweeting about my personal life.
Thing 7: Content Saving and Sharing
I am already an avid Pinterest user, so it feels like cheating to write about this one, but I will comment on how I use it professionally. I found that there is a wealth of information for school librarians on Pinterest. Everything from pictures of library displays, to book lists, to tech hits. I am "following" quite a few school librarians and have pinned some of my own findings as well. I also use Pinterest as a quick visual reminder of the YA books I have read. Right now, I have them grouped by year, though I'm not sure that is the best way to do it. When choosing titles for my book talks during student teaching, I found it useful to look at my Pinterest boards to jog my memory. Definitely a great tool. I haven't used it with students yet, though I can think of a lot of ways that it could be fun.
Thing 6: Creating and Editing Docs
For this thing, I explored SignNow. This is the "world premiere business app" purportedly used by 40% of the Fortune 1000 companies, and, interestingly, by Deron Williams to sign his $98M NBA contract. It is a cool app. I watched the video and read some of the user comments, but, honestly, I do not think I would find a use for this. We did just purchase a house, and did a lot of electronic signing over email, but I'm not sure if we used an app. I'm not sure how I would use this in the school setting.
The other two apps on this thing are Cloud On and Quick Office for editing documents and powerpoint on your iPad and iPhone. These seem much more useful to me. I do all of my work right now on my laptop, but I could see that if I were working
The other two apps on this thing are Cloud On and Quick Office for editing documents and powerpoint on your iPad and iPhone. These seem much more useful to me. I do all of my work right now on my laptop, but I could see that if I were working
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Thing 5: Notetaking
I have never had much success taking notes digitally. I see the appeal of Google docs for group notetaking, but for individual list making and notes in class, I prefer pen and paper, or post-it notes. Nevertheless, I gave Springpad a try. I liked playing around with it. I made a list of things to do and books I want to read (a shorter version of my Goodreads list). I found the user interface easy to use, and I like that I can cross things off my list when done, but honestly I don't see this being very useful in my personal life.
What I would like to play around with are note taking apps for students working on research papers. My school does not subscribe to Noodle Tools, but I know that many do. I see that they have an iPad app in Beta, and I think that would be interesting to try.
What I would like to play around with are note taking apps for students working on research papers. My school does not subscribe to Noodle Tools, but I know that many do. I see that they have an iPad app in Beta, and I think that would be interesting to try.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Thing 4: Keeping Up
I really love the Common Craft videos! The presenter did a great job of explaining RSS feeds. Instead of going out to all of the individual blogs and news sites you like to see if there is any new content, RSS feeds allow the new content to come to you via a reader. The analogy of going to a video store vs. movies being mailed from Netflix is really helpful.
Alas, their recommended Google Reader is no more. After it announced it would be discontinued last July, I decided to import my feeds to a reader called Feedly (www.feedly.com). It was really easy to switch everything over, and I have been very happy with Feedly. I have different categories set up and various blogs in each one. Adding subscriptions on Feedly is also easy as it will find most of their RSS feeds by name.
For this assignment, I downloaded Flipboard. I love it! I added my Facebook and Twitter pages and some of my favorite blogs. I really like how it displays the pages, like a magazine spread. I also like the "build your own magazine" feature. Just by clicking the + on individual stories or blog plots you can add them to any magazine that you've created, sort of like pinning on Pinterest, but with more content.
Personally, I really like the way this app lets me see all of the content I want to see easily, and I've put this app on my bottom user bar as well. In terms of classroom use, it might be an interesting assignment for students to create and share their own magazines.
Alas, their recommended Google Reader is no more. After it announced it would be discontinued last July, I decided to import my feeds to a reader called Feedly (www.feedly.com). It was really easy to switch everything over, and I have been very happy with Feedly. I have different categories set up and various blogs in each one. Adding subscriptions on Feedly is also easy as it will find most of their RSS feeds by name.
For this assignment, I downloaded Flipboard. I love it! I added my Facebook and Twitter pages and some of my favorite blogs. I really like how it displays the pages, like a magazine spread. I also like the "build your own magazine" feature. Just by clicking the + on individual stories or blog plots you can add them to any magazine that you've created, sort of like pinning on Pinterest, but with more content.
Personally, I really like the way this app lets me see all of the content I want to see easily, and I've put this app on my bottom user bar as well. In terms of classroom use, it might be an interesting assignment for students to create and share their own magazines.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Thing 3: Utilities
For this Mobile Thing, I chose to download Google Search on both my phone and iPad. I really like this app as many Google products that I use are on one screen. I prefer Google search over Safari, so I replaced the Safari icon on the bottom tab of my phone with the Google icon. I couldn't get my iPad to move Safari off of the bottom tab--not sure why?
I like that I can easily access my Drive, Maps, and this blog from the one screen. I also tried out Google Goggles and voice search. Although Goggles is cool (it could recognize various products around my house), I'm not sure when I would have the need for it, but I can see using the voice search while driving, or any time speaking is possible. I have just recently been using voice to send text messages; it's something that I sometimes forget about.
Another great feature of this app is the "cards" function which displays different pieces of information that may be helpful. On my screen right now, I have an alert about the Winter Storm Warning for tonight, the weather forecast for the week, nearby restaurants and events. I could turn on "Web History" so Google can see what I've been searching, but I chose not to. Though, I did give Google access to my location. Part of me worries that I'm giving away too much of my privacy to Google, another part figures Google already knows so much, what's one more thing?
I'm glad I discovered this app for my personal use. As for how this app might be helpful in a school setting, I could see that in a 1:1 iPad school, it would be helpful to have all of these features easily accessible for students on one screen.
I like that I can easily access my Drive, Maps, and this blog from the one screen. I also tried out Google Goggles and voice search. Although Goggles is cool (it could recognize various products around my house), I'm not sure when I would have the need for it, but I can see using the voice search while driving, or any time speaking is possible. I have just recently been using voice to send text messages; it's something that I sometimes forget about.
Another great feature of this app is the "cards" function which displays different pieces of information that may be helpful. On my screen right now, I have an alert about the Winter Storm Warning for tonight, the weather forecast for the week, nearby restaurants and events. I could turn on "Web History" so Google can see what I've been searching, but I chose not to. Though, I did give Google access to my location. Part of me worries that I'm giving away too much of my privacy to Google, another part figures Google already knows so much, what's one more thing?
I'm glad I discovered this app for my personal use. As for how this app might be helpful in a school setting, I could see that in a 1:1 iPad school, it would be helpful to have all of these features easily accessible for students on one screen.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Thing 2: Mobile Device Tips
Okay, so I definitely have a lot to learn about the features on my iPad and iPhone! Also, I have realized during this task that I am a very visual learner and do much better by watching videos than reading through text.
I'm sure there are many more tips and tricks that I don't know, but here are some of the top ones I discovered:
1. Tapping twice on the home button will allow you to see all of the pages that are open. Once you can see the pages, you can swipe them up to close them. I had no idea, and had lots and lots of pages open.
2. Under settings > general > accessibility, I changed my text to bold on both devices. It's not a huge difference, but I like the display better. I also put a dynamic wallpaper on my iPhone home screen.
3. I learned some Siri tricks. If you ask Siri to find images of things, she will. More impressively, Siri knows what people are saying on Twitter. If I ask her, "What is NPR saying?" she can access my NPR Twitter Feed and display the most recent tweets.
4. Other cool things: In the compass icon, there is a level. This will come in handy the next time I'm hanging a picture and cannot find my level! I also added the Emoji* Emoticon keyboard. settings > general > keyboard > add new keyboard > emoji. I can now find pictographs of pretty much anything.
*Interesting fact: "Emoji originated in Japan and is a set of pictographs such as smileys. The Emoji keyboard offers a wide variety of icons that can be read by any device that supports the Emoji character set." http://www.wikihow.com/Enable-the-Emoji-Emoticon-Keyboard-in-iOS
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Thing 1: My Goals
Hi, everyone. I have an iPhone and iPad and a few apps on each, so I thought I was doing okay in the mobile tech department. After hearing LeAnn Suchy talk to our LIS class tonight and looking through the list of 23 Mobile Things, however, I now realize how little I actually do know. Though I have heard of some of the Things, I have no experience with most of them. I feel a bit overwhelmed, but I am excited to begin and grateful that I have to complete all of the Things for my class. As a high school English teacher and prospective school library media specialist, I will be thinking about how to use many of these apps to support curriculum in the classroom.
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