CEP 812- Mobile Lab

Mobile devices can be great tools to help engage students in the classroom. Our classrooms cannot be the same as they were ten years, five years, or even one year ago. Not only will students be barely engaged, but they will not be prepared for the world that they will one day encounter. We must remember that education is designed to prepare our students for their future schools and jobs. Pretending that cell phones, tablets, and social networks do not exist is a recipe for disaster. It was this ideal that made me excited to find out that our CEP 812 lab was designed to help us explore the use of mobile devices in the classroom.

When looking through the classroom 2.0 website I found a lot of inspiration for my own teaching. My school is lucky enough to have iPads to use in our classrooms. I have used Twitter in the past with these devices, but would love to continue to do so in more engaging ways. Using the iPads to have students respond to questions and allowing them to ask their own questions could be a powerful tool. I also found that students really enjoyed posting comments just like they would at home. I had a number of students who started using Twitter because of my use in the classroom.

In the future I’d like to use Twitter to hold more engaging classroom discussions. Students could include videos, images, and quotes within their tweets. Those students who struggle sharing in large classes would be able to do so in a protected environment.

I’m also really excited to try other iPad and iPhone (or smart phone) applications. I’d love to use the devices for polling (like polleverywhere) to formatively assess my students. I have done this with CPS clickers in my current classroom, but I feel like they are almost too one-dimensional. Using mobile computers allows questions to be more detailed and the responses to be more advanced than with traditional multiple-choice questions.

Ultimately, I want to create an engaging classroom experience that teaches students skills that they will use in the future. I am aware, though, that this ambition will be met with many challenges. First and foremost, is the cost of mobile devices. While my school has a few iPads, there are never enough to go around. My district does not allow cell phones in the classroom and I am unable to fill the void in my classroom. Additionally, considering that my curriculum is highly common, it is always a challenge to get other teachers to experiment with this type of technology. While they are willing to try differing web 2.0 services, wholesale changes in content delivery are scrutinized. With hard work, however, I feel like I will eventually be able to overcome these problems.

As an experiment I used Polleverywhere (http://polleverywhere.com) to conduct this survey. Enjoy!

Mind Map- CEP812

Hello,

As part of CEP 812, we were asked to construct a visual representation. I decided to create a mind map using Text2mindmap. Overall, I loved the service (even if it was quite limited). Enjoy!

PART B- Storyboard and Script

Hello!

For our group CEP 812 project, we have created the following storyboard documents. One document provides the scripts with descriptions and details about how the Windows Movie Maker presentation will progress. The second document shows a better visual representation of the storyboard. I personally created my own section on WMM in the Social Studies elective and provided input to other sections.

I will be recording my own portion of the video from a Social Studies elective standpoint.  I will be highlighting the Common Core standards that highlight the comparison between authors and their viewpoints. I will also, most likely, be recording the concluding segment. We will each have at least one section to record. The final video files will be sent to one individual who will compile the videos into a final ten minute video.

Here is document one.

Here is document two.

PART C- Implementation (CEP 812 WPP)

Hello Again!

I've been working on my Wicked Problems Project for a while now. I have a few updates for how my project has been progressing that are in my podcast. I've also added some images for you to see how things are set up. Please leave any comments or questions below!

Here is my podcast

The CPS clickers in their case

The clickers that I use

My SmartBoard in use!

CEP 800 Video

Hello!

This is the link to my CEP 800 Learning Theories Presentation. Please let me know what you think in the comments!

 http://youtu.be/Z7VLENODmTE

PART B: Application of TPACK

Using clickers, I am attempting to fix a problem in my teaching. The following writeup shows you how TPACK is influencing my teaching! Enjoy!

PART B: Application of TPACK: Basic description of each of these areas and important characteristics of these areas as related to this project

1. What is the TP knowledge for the solution?  (i.e., how does the technology you have chosen support the teaching strategies and methods you have chosen?)

As a teacher in an IB history classroom I strive to use inquiry throughout my lessons. I try to guide my students towards a better understanding of the content. When designing activities I often look to create lessons that provide frameworks for students and that push them to uncover the content. The clickers that I am using for this project help me to gain a better understanding of my students understanding of the material. Inquiry is not just giving a student a worksheet and letting them “research” the answer. In order to create great learning environments I must monitor my students success, and help guide them throughout the process. Clickers will hopefully allow me to do this better and help me to provide only the necessary scaffolding for students. My understanding of their knowledge will allow me to implement supports and remove them as necessary. I believe that students should be pushed to succeed and that they cannot do so without the right supports.

2. What is the TC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically does this technology make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible?  Be sure to think about representation.)

The clickers that I am using for my Wicked Problems Project make content knowledge more accessible by allowing me as a teacher to alter my teaching based upon my findings. When students struggle with a particular topic I am not always aware of the problem. My teaching will never be perfect and I need to be aware of content gaps when then occur. No two students learn the same, and while I try to differentiate, there are times when I struggle. Using the clickers provides me with instant feedback of my teaching effectiveness. With this data in hand I can cover gaps of content knowledge in new ways. Without the use of the clickers I would most likely be unaware of my pitfalls until I assessed my students in a more traditional manner.

3. What is the PC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically do your pedagogical choices make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible? Be sure to think about how the student will experience the content given these instructional strategies.

My teaching often asks students to analyze, interpret, and synthesize information. Doing so with inquiry can be a challenge for students and myself. Improperly scaffolding lessons can lead to misunderstandings and content knowledge gaps. Using the clickers will allow me assess my own teaching on the fly and alter it to meet the needs of my students. Strong content knowledge cannot be accurately constructed without a solid knowledge base. Any misunderstandings need to be addressed. When giving students documents to analyze or problems to solve it is necessary for me to check for understanding. While doing checks it is possible for me to miss problems that my students may be having. The clickers allow me to make more accurate decisions. Using the clickers with my inquiry teaching method helps students to uncover the content in a more efficient manner. Providing information to students without helping them decipher its intricacies can lead to poor understanding of the content. Inquiry is not useful when students are provided with skills and content that they do not really understand. The use of clickers in my classroom will allow me to become a better teacher of content through a more effective pedagogical teaching style.

CEP 812 Ning Post- SMART Exchange

Hello,

I recently used the NING MACUL page (located here) to post a technology tip.

Here is a screenshot of my post!

PART A- Brainstorm Session (CEP812)

Facilitating quality meetings over the Internet can often be a challenge. For our CEP 812 project we decided to use an Adobe connect session. It was a great experience that provided us with almost every tool that we could want to use. We took advantage of a notes tool, a document uploading tool, and the general chat features.

There were a great deal of other tools that we could have used during our chat. The screen sharing and polling feature would have allowed us to go more in depth when we shared our thoughts. Polling would have proved to be especially helpful.  At times, it seemed as if there was significant delay when trying to talk with a microphone. When asking the group to come to a consensus it would have been wise for us to use this tool.

Ultimately, the great deal of tools that you can use within Adobe Connect sessions are both its strength and its weakness. As a user you can create a wonderful collaborative environment that allows you share a variety of media. This same strength, however, can lead to feeling of anxiety for the novice user. I felt as if I wanted to use as many tools as possible help the chat flow smoothly. This was very challenging to do because of our lack of familiarity with the tools. Other services, like Skype and Google Hangout, could also have been used. However, they would not have provided the same quality of services that come with Adobe Connect.

You can view our recording here:

http://remc.adobeconnect.com/p51vvmadm4k/

Part A- Description of Need or Opportunity

As part of CEP 812, I am solving a problem in my classroom using technology. In this post you will see the outline of my problem and the way in which I plan on fixing this problem. Enjoy!

PART A: The Wicked Problem - A Need or an Opportunity

1. What is the important educational need that you are seeking to address? This element is fundamental in this project. Since we have limited time, energy, and resources, cool technology without a clear sense of why it matters or what we gain by it is of little value in the educational setting.

Assessment is a major function of all classrooms and my classroom is no different. The curriculum in my school is intense and asks students to have a huge set of content knowledge. Not only must students know the content, but they must have skills that allow them to showcase their knowledge and use it to solve multiple types of problems. Throughout my classes I constantly assess my student’s understanding of the material being presented. This formative assessment is mostly done orally, but is sometimes done using pen and paper. When completing the assessments by word of mouth I am able to instantaneously alter my instruction. If I notice that I have failed to clarify a certain point I will change the course of the lesson. The problem, however, is that I only receive information from a small sample of my students. When using pen and paper, the feedback is not instantaneous, and I fail to alter my lesson within the desired timeframe. In order to provide better instruction that is moldable to my students needs, I need to find a technology that will allow me to poll results from all of my students instantaneously.

2. How you plan to address this educational issue with technology?  You need to make a clear and convincing case that your proposed solution will make a real impact on the issue you identify, and that your proposed approach is a reasonable approach given its costs and possible alternatives.

I plan to address this issue with the use of CPS clickers. The clickers themselves integrate well with the SmartBoard that is installed in my room. I will use the clickers to assess students understanding throughout lessons. I will give students clickers at the beginning of each lesson and will have them answer questions throughout. I will also be able to quickly add a quesiton at any point if I feel that it needs to be addressed. Depending on the results, I will change my instruction in a manner that will key in on topics that students are struggling with. I believe that this will be an effective strategy that will give my students more chances to take in my content. If I notice that a certain topic is not understood, I can alter my instruction to better teach the material. This differentiation will hopefully help me reach a broader range of students.

3. Logistics of solution: For example…

1. What is the scope? (e.g., when and where will tool be used and for how long? Who all will use it?)

I will use this approach with one of my 9th grade World Studies classes. I teach two sections of this course and one class will use the clickers, while the other will not. The class that does not will be my control. The classes meet every other day in a block schedule and the assessment will run for five total days.

4. Relevant research and resources (from the Internet and elsewhere) including reports on the closest effort you can find to what you are planning to do as well as ideas and materials you may be able to build upon in your own effort.  Your description should include:

1. The results of your search (What resources may help guide your project? What resources may help in the implementation of your project?)
2. What you learned from performing this search. For example, which search engines did you use? What strategies did you use? What helped or hindered your search? How would you search again next time?

A- I found many resources that will be helpful for my project. They are linked here: Smart Exchange- http://exchange.smarttech.com/#tab=0 This resource provides SMART templates and lesson ideas for teachers. The clicker system is integrated with my SmartBoard and the lessons (and quizzes) that are used here will be helpful in my teaching. Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (UofM)- http://teachingwclicker.wiki.usfca.edu/file/view/teaching+with+clickers.pdf This PDF is from U of M and highlights the benefits of teaching with clickers in the college classroom. Many of the same ideals that are touched upon in this writing can be adapted to my classroom. There is a section on best practices that I found to be quite good. There is also a great section with suggestions on how to implement the use of clickers in your own classroom. Classroom Teacher Blog- http://blog.classroomteacher.ca/617/using-clickers-in-the-classroom/ This blog provides good teaching ideas from an actual teacher. It is basic, but gives ideas of how to use the clickers in the classroom. B- I learned that clickers are widely used by a great deal of teachers in numerous fields. From elementary schools to college classrooms, clickers can be used for formative and summative assessment. Professors in college classrooms and elementary settings all use response systems to help judge student understanding. I used Google and Google Scholar to help me find resources. I wanted to find resources from teachers and from academics in the field. Both of these resources helped me to do so. There are a great deal of places on the internet that provide useful tools for clickers. If I were to search again, I would change the search terms that I used. Instead of searching, “clickers classroom uses,” I may search, “clickers blogs classroom.” Searches like this would return websites that are geared directly towards teachers. Many of the resources that were initially produced were for clicker companies (like CPS).

5. A plan for the portion you will implement during this course and the portion you will implement after this course completes.

During- I plan to implement the pre and post-test during the course. I will teach five lessons that use the CPS clickers and will assess their effectiveness with the two assessments. The class using clickers will be assessed the one that did not use clickers. After- I plan to analyze the data and continue using the clickers if they prove to be effective. I will attempt to use a greater variety of question types (instead of just the true/false and multiple choice).

6. How would you know you were successful?

I will know that I was successful if students perform well on the post-test for this portion of my course. Prior to implementation there will be a pre-test that is given to both classes. This baseline data will help me discern whether or not the growth that I see is due to the use of the clickers or because of a difference in the classes themselves. At the end of this project I will chart the average assessment score from each class and note the growth of each class. If student growth is greater in the class with clickers I will know that I was successful.