#SD48ID13

Homework

Project Based Learning: Explained

Improve

Computer Hardware

Letter Grades?

A recent post by Abbotsford superintendent, Kevin Godden, explains maybe letter grades should be a thing of the past:

In my last post I presented the idea that letters grades no longer (and never have) cut it as a meaningful way to provide descriptive feedback to students and their parents about how well they are meeting intended learning outcomes. I suggested that there are perhaps some better ways to accomplish this. Admittedly, what I describe below may not seem nearly as appealing or convenient as the comfortable system we have adopted for decades. However, if we allow ourselves to step out of that cozy space for a moment, we may see the benefits of assessing and reporting in such a way that is most advantageous for the learner. 

This is Water

THIS IS WATER - By David Foster Wallace from The Glossary on Vimeo.

Instagram

I've recently been encouraged by my students use Instragram in the classroom.  Initially, it had all the hallmarks of a classic time-wasting social media app, but as I've come to use it more, I'm learning it may have some educational value to it.  Following my students' suggestions, I initially hosted a photo contest simply stating that submissions (marked with #7econtest) had to be original.

What I Learned:

• Because Instragram is a public place, anyone had the ability to submit photos.  As such, I had a few photos submitted from people outside our class.
• Students actually had a pretty good eye for good photographs. I will further instruct them on principles of photography, but--whether they know it or not--they do already have a bit of an eye for good images.
• Tools like Instaport make collecting and downloading the hashtagged images really easy.
• This activity was really fun.  Students were engaged and were curious as to when the next one would be.

Contest Rules

Winning Photo.  Courtesy: LSCO (as voted by my class).

There is no shortage of great ideas out there:

• http://newsroom.opencolleges.edu.au/trends/20-out-of-the-box-ideas-to-use-instagram-in-your-classroom/
• http://www.emergingedtech.com/2013/03/picture-this-5-ways-teachers-can-use-instagram-in-the-classroom/
• http://www.educationrethink.com/2012/07/ten-ideas-for-using-instagram-in.html

Audacity

Audacity has long been an open-source software package which can be used across platforms.  It boasts numerous audio-editing capabilities.  Much has been written about its use in education including Audacity's own education wiki.

Education:

• 10 Great Ways to Use Audacity with your Students
• Podcasting [examples]
• Outback Educator
• Audacity: from Amy Tech Tips [student example]

Tutorials:

• KQED Audacity Educast Series contains basic video tutorials 
• How to Podcast

Resources:

• Using Audacity--A Tutorial [PDF]

Samples:

• from Dropbox [password protected]
• SCS Grade 7 Blog

Instagram in the Classroom?

SEEMS INSTAGRAM CAN BE USED IN THE CLASS.  ACCORDING TO  MARYALENE LAPONSIE, WE LEARN FIVE DIFFERENT WAYS THIS CAN HAPPEN:

1. ASSIGN PHOTO ESSAYS AND PHOTOJOURNALISM
2. CREATE WRITING PROMPTS WITH PHOTOS
3. DOCUMENT SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS AND ART PROJECTS
4. RAISE FUNDS FOR YOUR CLASSROOM OR SCHOOL
5. SHOWCASE CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES AND STUDENT PROGRESS

The funny thing about this is that Instagram need not be the only tool to achieve these goals.  I could just project pictures using any old thing and do the same thing. 

What most schools don't teach

Must learn to code...

Free Resources Book

Wesley A. Fryer

Moving at the Speed of Creativity

creativity resources

Authentic Learning for the 21st Century: An Overview by M. Lombardi

Abstract: Learning-by-doing is generally considered the most effective way to learn. The 

Internet and a variety of emerging communication, visualization, and simulation 

technologies now make it possible to offer students authentic learning experiences 

ranging from experimentation to real-world problem solving. This white paper 

explores what constitutes authentic learning, how technology supports it, what makes 

it effective, and why it is important. 

TEDxCreativeCoast - McGrath Davies - The Future Will Not Be Multiple Choice

Project Based Learning: Explained

A bit cheesy, but it does a nice job of laying the foundations for PBL.




Project Based Learning in Hand from Tony Vincent on Vimeo.

Work that matters: the teacher's guide to project-based learning

Project-Based Learning

I need to learn more about this: project-based learning.  Had a thought this evening.  Outside of school where do we really do tests.

• http://www.edutopia.org/files/existing/pdfs/guides/edutopia-10tips-assessing-project-based-learning.pdf

Rethinking Assessment

Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind
This can be a helpful resource in discerning the three types of assessment (of, as, for).  Further information comes from the BC Performance Standards guide (see chart below).

And some future thoughts.

Fixes for Practices that Distort Achievment

Fixes for Practices that Distort Achievement

Fix 1: Don’t include student behaviors (effort, participation, adherence to class rules, etc) in grades; include only achievement

Fix 2: Don’t reduce marks on “work” submitted late; provide support for the learner

Fix 3: Don’t give points for extra credit or use bonus points; seek only evidence that more work has resulted in a higher level of achievement

Fix 4: Don’t punish academic dishonesty with reduced grades; apply other consequences and reassess to determine actual level of achievement

Fix 5: Don’t consider attendance in grade determination; report absences separately

Fix 6: Don’t include group scores in grades; use only individual achievement evidence

Fixes for Low-Quality or Poorly Organized Evidence

Fix 7: Don’t organize information in grading records by assessment methods or simply summarize into a single grade; organize and report evidence by standards/learning goals

Fix 8: Don’t assign grades using inappropriate or unclear performance standards; provide clear descriptions of achievement expectations

Fix 9: Don’t assign grades based on student’s achievement compared to other students; compare each student’s performance to preset standards

Fix 10: Don’t rely on evidence gathered using assessments that fail to meet standards of quality; rely only on quality assessments

Fixes for Inappropriate Grade Calculation

Fix 11: Don’t rely only on the mean; consider other measures of central tendency and use professional judgment

Fix 12: Don’t include zeros in grade determination when evidence is missing or as punishment; use alternatives, such as reassessing to determine real achievement or use “I” for Incomplete or Insufficient Evidence

Fixes to Support Learning

Fix 13:  Don’t use information from formative assessments and practice to determine grades; use only summative evidence

Fix 14: Don’t summarize evidence accumulated over time when learning is developmental and will grow with time and repeated opportunities; in those instances, emphasize more recent achievement

Fix 15: Don’t leave students out of the grading process. Involve students; they can and should play key roles in assessment and grading and promote achievement

A Repair Kit for Grading: 15 Fixes for Broken Grades by Ken O’Connor

Fairy Dust & Grit

A colleague recently shared this article (Fairy Dust and Grit) with me.  These are the key points:

• know that everyone has the capacity to be creative
• ask explicitly to be creative
• value differences
• help students find their passions
• talk about what creativity means, why it matters, and how it develops
• craft an environment that evokes creativity
• don't consign creativity to the realm of fairy dust (often creativity is followed by hard work)
• observe a creative life everyday

Great Web Tools

There are a few great things I like about this site:

• There are a bunch of great tools
• The tools are organized based on the product you want to create and they start with "I want my students to be able to..."
• There is a short description of the tool
• And I love that there are real examples

Coding

This is an interesting talk on coding given by Mitchel Resnick of MIT. I recall his name from an early course on educational technology and learning design when I was studying for my master's degree a Simon Fraser University a few years ago. I wonder if it might be time to finally give coding a try: http://scratch.mit.edu/.

 

Mom's 18-Point iPhone Rules for Son

Taken from: http://news.yahoo.com/moms-18-point-iphone-rules-son-143831843--abc-news-parenting.html

By AKIKO FUJITA and CHRISTINA NG | Good Morning America – Sun, Dec 30, 2012

Thirteen-year-old Greg Hoffman had been begging his parents for an iPhone all year. So on Christmas morning he was thrilled to find the object of his desire under the tree, but there was a catch.

The phone came with an 18-point set of terms and conditions that he had to agree to before the phone could be his. And the agreement did not come from Apple or the phone provider, it was from his mother.

"Merry Christmas! You are now the proud owner of an iPhone. Hot Damn! You are a good & responsible 13 year old boy and you deserve this gift," the agreement begins. "But with the acceptance of this present comes rules and regulations."

The first rule on his mother's list: "It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren't I the greatest?"

"I hope that you understand it is my job to raise you into a well rounded, healthy young man that can function in the world and coexist with technology, not be ruled by it," Janell Hoffman wrote. "Failure to comply with the following list will result in termination of your iPhone ownership."

"I love you madly & look forward to sharing several million text messages with you in the days to come," she added.

"Oh my God. My first reaction was, why? Why did she really have to do this?" Hoffman told "Good Morning America" today.

"What I wanted to do and show him [is] how you could be a responsible user of technology without abusing it, without becoming addicted," Janell Hoffman said.

Hoffman herself is a blogger and mother of five in Cape Cod, Mass. She wanted her son to avoid many of the pitfalls that both smart phone using teens and adults fall prey to.

"Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being," read rule number seven. "Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire."

Other rules forbid porn and the sending or receiving of "pictures of your private parts or anyone else's private parts." The rules also outline the hours and places the phone may be used.

"It it rings, answer it," said rule number three. "It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads 'Mom' or 'Dad.' Not ever."

Hoffman said that the lessons she outlined were for her son's iPhone usage, for his life and for anyone too attached to their mobile device.

"Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you," she encouraged. "Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without Googling."

Teen behavior expert Josh Shipp says a set of rules are a must for teen iPhone use.

"You wouldn't' give your kid a car without making sure they had insurance," said Shipp, who is the host of Lifetime's "Teen Trouble." "And so giving them a cell phone or a computer without teaching them how to use it responsibly is irresponsible on the part of the parent."

Here's Janell Hoffman's full list of rules for her son, originally posted on her blog:

Dear Gregory

Merry Christmas! You are now the proud owner of an iPhone. Hot Damn! You are a good & responsible 13 year old boy and you deserve this gift. But with the acceptance of this present comes rules and regulations. Please read through the following contract. I hope that you understand it is my job to raise you into a well rounded, healthy young man that can function in the world and coexist with technology, not be ruled by it. Failure to comply with the following list will result in termination of your iPhone ownership.

I love you madly & look forward to sharing several million text messages with you in the days to come.

1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren't I the greatest?

2. I will always know the password.

3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads "Mom" or "Dad". Not ever.

4. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30pm every school night & every weekend night at 9:00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30am. If you would not make a call to someone's land line, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.

5. It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It's a life skill. *Half days, field trips and after school activities will require special consideration.

6. If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs. Mow a lawn, babysit, stash some birthday money. It will happen, you should be prepared.

7. Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire.

8. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.

9. Do not text, email, or say anything to someone that you would not say out loud with their parents in the room. Censor yourself.

10. No porn. Search the web for information you would openly share with me. If you have a question about anything, ask a person ? preferably me or your father.

11. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.

12. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else's private parts. Don't laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear -- including a bad reputation.

13. Don't take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.

14. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO -- fear of missing out.

15. Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons.

16. Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.

17. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling.

18. You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You & I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.

It is my hope that you can agree to these terms. Most of the lessons listed here do not just apply to the iPhone, but to life. You are growing up in a fast and ever changing world. It is exciting and enticing. Keep it simple every chance you get. Trust your powerful mind and giant heart above any machine. I love you. I hope you enjoy your awesome new iPhone. Merry Christmas!

xoxoxo

Mom