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Monthly Archives: January 2010

DiigoNotes – Phoebe Prince, 15, Commits Suicide After Onslaught of Cyber-Bullying From Fellow Students

31 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in CyberBullying, DigitalCitizenship, Education

≈ Leave a comment

  • Phoebe Prince, 15, Commits Suicide After Onslaught of Cyber-Bullying From Fellow Students – True Crime Report

    • Phoebe Prince, 15, Commits Suicide After Onslaught of Cyber-Bullying From Fellow Students

      By Pete Kotz in classroom creepiness
      Thursday, Jan. 28 2010 @ 11:56AM

    • Phoebe-Prince-closeup_150.jpg

    • Her principal called her smart and charming. And a boy had just invited 15-year-old Irish immigrant Phoebe Prince to the winter cotillion, the height of the social season at South Hadley High School in Massachusetts. But then police received a call.

    • police say she was a victim of cyber-bullying from girls at the school who had an unspecified beef with her over who she was dating.

    • Phoebe apparently faced an onslaught of bullying via texts, Facebook messages, and in person at the school.

    • “Apparently the young woman had been subjected to taunting from her classmates, mostly through the Facebook and text messages, but also in person on at least a couple of occasions,” school superintendent Gus Sayer told the Boston Globe.

    • Anne O’Brien Prince and Jeremy Prince had moved from County Clare to Massachusetts with their five kids last year. In Phoebe’s death notice, they said they moved in part so “Phoebe could experience America.”

      America, it seems, did not give her a very kind welcome.

    • South Hadley officials faced a blistering attack last night for their failure to do anything about chronic bullying.

      Parents recounted numerous incidents of kids being hounded and harassed, sometimes over multiple-year periods. One man told of how his son was punched in the stomach for befriending another bullied kid. A mom spoke of how her son was punched and had his face written on with magic marker.

      Other parents talked about how they were beat up in school in the ’90s. And most seemed to think administrators turned a blind eye to it all. Father Larry Bay said his daughter was bullied last year, but the school did nothing to stop it.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

MyNotes – Tennessee teen expelled for Facebook posting

31 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in CyberBullying, DigitalCitizenship, MyNotes

≈ Leave a comment

  • Tennessee teen expelled for Facebook posting – USATODAY.com
    • Tennessee teen expelled for Facebook posting
    • Taylor Cummings was a popular basketball star on the verge of graduating from one of Nashville’s most prestigious high schools until a post on Facebook got him expelled.
      After weeks of butting heads with his coaches, Taylor, 17, logged on to the popular social networking site from home Jan. 3. He typed his frustrations for the online world to see: “I’ma kill em all. I’ma bust this (expletive) up from the inside like nobody’s ever done before.”
      Taylor said the threat wasn’t real. School officials said they can’t take any chances.
      But the case highlights the boundaries between socializing in person at school and online at home. It also calls into question the latitude school officials have in disciplining students for their conduct online.
    • Since the suicide of a Missouri teenager who was harassed online in 2006, news reports show school officials have become sensitive to cyberthreats.
      This month at a middle school outside of Syracuse, N.Y., a seventh-grader was suspended for setting up a Facebook page that hosted inappropriate and “libelous” material against a teacher.
      In Seattle, a middle school principal suspended 28 students for bullying one classmate on the Internet.
      Last fall, two Dallas-area students were suspended for posting hateful comments about a specific teacher on a Facebook page, including “Join now and maybe we can all kill her together.”
    • “We have to take any threat as a potential for being a real threat,” said Olivia Brown, spokeswoman from Metro Schools. “It’s very difficult to say this child didn’t mean it and this child did.”
      The district’s “Code of Acceptable Student Behavior and Discipline” does not directly address social media outlets such as Facebook but gives principals the right to suspend or expel students for threats or for using threatening language. Cyber bullying and harassment is addressed briefly in a different district policy.
    • “True threats are not protected by the First Amendment, so you have to determine whether it is a true threat or whether there was another meaning,” he said.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Save NESA – Partners Meeting @neisd

31 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in SAnews, SaveNESA

≈ Leave a comment

The Save NorthEast ISD’s School of the Arts (NESA) is having a meeting on Sunday…here are the details….

pARTners will have a meeting Sunday (tomorrow) afternoon at the Performing Arts San Antonio site at 5:00 pm.

PASA address is: 15717 San Pedro, San Antonio 78232 – phone 210-557-1187.

We will have sign-ups for our new committees; discuss the strategy for the Board meeting; and if time allows, break into committee groups.

Don’t forget to join our NESA pARTners Yahoo Group at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NESA_pARTners/

See full email below:

Sent: 1/30/2010 11:14:31 A.M. Central Standard Time

Subj: Special called pARTners Meeting

OK – – – call to action. Reps, please forward to all of your contacts.

The NEISD School Board is having a special called meeting this next Monday, February 1st. The agenda is attached. Dr Middleton will present his recommendations to the School Board. It will basically be the same that he presented on January 21st at Lee and there will not be board action as they have already given him the authority to act.

Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and get busy.

pARTners will have a meeting Sunday (tomorrow) afternoon at the Performing Arts San Antonio site at 5:00 pm. PASA address is: 15717 San Pedro, San Antonio 78232 – phone 210-557-1187.

We will have sign-ups for our new committees; discuss the strategy for the Board meeting; and if time allows, break into committee groups. We will also be accepting pARTner memberships.

Monday night’s Board meeting is NOT a regularly scheduled meeting where they have “citizens to be heard”, but because it is an agenda item they will hear from citizens. HOWEVER, it has been made very clear to me that repeating the same message WILL NOT HELP US!

This is ours to lose – – – we need to show up in support of NESA, but be seen more than heard. NEISD is committed to making NESA work for next year and the years following!

Get the word out to all interested parents and friends of NESA to come to the pARTners meeting tomorrow and hear what we need to do.


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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Implementing Mobile Devices in School Districts

31 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Android, Education, iPhone, iPodTouch, MobileDevices

≈ 2 Comments

Last week, Roland Rios (Fort Sam Houston ISD) asked, “Do you all have iPhones for your administrators? If so, who is your contact at AT&T?“

Of course, the answer is NO. We’re using iPod Touch devices in my District, although an undetermined number of principals are investing in iPhones as a result. Eduphoria Appraise is the product of choice for conducting staff appraisals and walkthroughs, aggregating data, etc.

That said, the question Roland asked was one I didn’t have a clue about. So, I sent out a tweet and received some responses!

Ms. Foxworth (Lexington, South Carolina) shared the primary contact for iPhone initiative here. I’m appreciative to the information and ideas shared by those who responded!!

One of the curious responses that jumped out at me was the one by Shawn Roner (EdBuzz.org), who mentions he’s using Android phones! I followed up with a few questions, and he’s shared some of the issues he is working through…and it seems those issues would be similar to what district iPhone implementations might encounter.

Shawn makes the following points about Android OS Phone:

  • Since he’s moved most of his school’s communications to Google, he figured using Android phone would improve productivity.
  • The seamless integration with Gmail is a plus, and there are a few great organization Apps. On my side, I like K-9 Email app instead of the pre-loaded Gmail app that comes with Android…but the one that is there works just fine. K-9 just enables me to interact with various POP3/IMAP email accounts and isn’t stuck just on Gmail compatibility. For example, if I have a Yahoo Mail Plus account, i can check that via POP3.
He then shares some issues which I expect districts who are seeking to standardize on a mobile device district-wide will have to deal with:
  • Who is the best provider/carrier? (such as AT&T?–yuck, Verizon?, T-Mobile?, Sprint?)
  • What kind of data plan?
  • What staff should get phones and plans?
  • How to broadcast emergency alerts to groups?
What other questions are essential to implementing smartphones in schools?
In the meantime, some examples of educational institutions implementing iPhones:
  • Abilene Christian University
  • Missouri Journalism School
And others who are building iPhone apps for their schools:
  • Stanford University among others

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Curious Android App Choices

31 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Android

≈ Leave a comment

Ask David Jakes a question and he’ll tell you about something you don’t know…at least, that is how it worked for me! My question was, “What are your favorite Android OS (phone) apps?” This is a question of interest since it’s far easier to tweet and ask someone what their favorite apps are than to search through the zillions that are out there all by yourself (time-consuming but fun, I mean).

While you can find my list here, which I update constantly, I was pleasantly surprised by his responses:

  1. Layar, an Augmented Reality Browser – This is described on the web site as “a free application on your mobile phone which shows what is around you by displaying real time digital information on top of reality through the camera of your mobile phone.”
  2. EverNote – which is a web clipping service I haven’t quite gotten into yet.
  3. ShapeWriter – an app that works off gestures you make that allow you to write. Regrettably, gesture work isn’t for me (I hated it on the Palm handhelds that I had a chance to work with).
Still, two out of three great suggestions works for me…and for others, all of the suggestions may be great!

In a related conversation, Dorieglynn (doriedance via twitter) points out some of her favorite Android Apps that she’s using on her HTC Hero:
  • CardioTracker
  • EEBA
  • Advanced Task Killer
Of these choices, EEBA is the most curious. One of my colleagues at work keeps her budget in envelopes. Part of the process is using clear tape to ensure the envelopes are durable and last throughout the month. Easy Envelope Budget Aid (EEBA) takes the envelope out of the equation…pretty neat!



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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

700 mhz band announcement

30 Saturday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in PressRelease

≈ 1 Comment

Thanks to Joel Adkins for sharing this tidbit via email:

Under a new FCC rule, anyone who uses a wireless microphone that

operates in the 700 MHz Band must stop operating their wireless

microphone no later than June 12, 2010. All users of 700 MHz Band

wireless microphones (and similar devices) – including theaters,

churches, schools, conference centers, theme parks, and musicians —

will need to retune (where possible) or replace their wireless

microphone equipment with other microphone devices no later than June 12, 2010. This action helps complete an important component of the DTV Transition by clearing the 700 MHz band to enable the rollout of communications services for public safety and the deployment of next generation 4G wireless devices for consumers.

For further information, please visit the website at

www.fcc.gov/cgb/wirelessmicrophones


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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Name Your Workshop Price

29 Friday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Sale

≈ Leave a comment

Image Source: http://www.caterersearch.com/blogs/rhubarb-and-mustard/saleSign_0.gif

Over the last year, I’ve been wanting to try this out, but haven’t since I’ve been a bit busy. I’m probably breaking a few rules here, but why not give it a shot? If you think this offer could be improved, or I’m just plumb crazy, please let me know in the comments! How could this be even better?

For the months of February and March, 2010, I’m announcing a special workshop presentation special! My usual rate is about $1500 per day, however, for these two months, I’m inviting you to NAME YOUR WORKSHOP PRICE. That’s right, you can tell me how much you want to pay, and we’ll see if we can make it work! (fine print further on down)

Request a workshop online.

Some featured workshops include the following:

  • Workshop List
  • Or make up your own and send it over.
The fine print? Uh, yeah, I guess so. Here’s some of it:
  • I have to be within 500 miles of San Antonio, Tx.
  • You cover mileage/travel costs and lodging.
  • Minimum of $500 for a workshop.
  • You pay mileage and lodging.
  • Payment on day of service.
  • Need at least 3 days advance notice.
  • I reserve the right to say “No”

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

GoogleApps in Education – Prince George’s County Public Schools

28 Thursday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Education, GoogleApps

≈ 2 Comments

A few days ago, I shared a new survey trying to garner information regarding the use of GoogleApps for Education in large school districts. You can see the results so far, as well as contribute the information for your school district. I have to ask, how come Google itself hasn’t captured this information and shared it? Or, is it enough to make the tools to accomplish the data collection available to its users sufficient?

Schools that responded include:

  • Mankato Public Schools, where the venerable Doug Johnson presides
  • Edna ISD
  • RoundRock ISD

Of that search, I have to admit that the “motherlode” discovered was one Jeff Keitner brought to my attention–Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, USA. It’s pretty amazing all the hard work they did to make the transition from MS Exchange to GoogleApps for staff (note update below). It’s also an excellent blend of leadership and management to make the transition!

More importantly, the transition of such a large district–the 18th largest in the United States with 129,000 students, over 28,000 staff–puts to rest any concerns that GoogleApps for Education will NOT work for large districts in Texas. To be honest, by comparison, I think Prince George’s County Public Schools can hold their own with the largest in Texas, don’t you think?

Here’s a general appeal to school districts….

As such, I urge school districts in Texas to consider switching to GoogleApps for Education, a free service available to schools and being seized upon to help defray the high costs. Every time this suggestion is made, the question comes up, where is there a comparatively sized district using GoogleApps for Education?

While I have found many that have adopted GoogleApps for Education, this particular one is beyond belief…and it makes me question why district leaders haven’t moved yet to a solution that will save them money, time and effort once implemented…money that can be diverted to enhance technology in classrooms and bandwidth needs rather than on servers and expensive licensing.

The 18th largest district in the United States with over 40,000 computers, 129,500 students, 209 schools, 28,000 employees–Prince George’s County Public Schools in the State of Maryland–is using GoogleDocs for Education. Their district supports iPod Touch as well as Blackberry devices. They use Active Directory and MS Exchange.

They are using GoogleApps for Education.

Cost? FREE.

More about the initiative at http://sites.google.com/a/pgcps.org/googlized/Home

Check out the attached checklist for the transition to Google! More online at:
http://sites.google.com/a/pgcps.org/googlized/project-plans

Check out either presentation:
http://sites.google.com/a/pgcps.org/googlized/asbo-2009—ocean
http://sites.google.com/a/pgcps.org/googlized/necc-2009

The CIO is Wesley Watts

Simple question: If Prince George’s County Public Schools can do it, why can’t our school districts in Texas?

Not to mention Wes Fryer’s podcast of a presentation they did (Thanks Wes!!):

Podcast309: Google Apps – Implementation and Changing the Way We Do Business (from CoSN09)

posted in edtech, podcasts, workshops |

This podcast is a recording of a session presented by Meghen Ehrich and Sharon Tompson, school technology support staff members from Prince George’s County Public Schools in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. This session was shared on March 10, 2009, at the CoSN 2009 conference in Austin, Texas. The official conference program description for this session was: Prince George’s County Public Schools decided in March 2008 to implement the Google Apps Suite. The panel will share their experiences on how they migrated 28,000 users from Microsoft Exchange to Gmail. Google is integrated into the network and users are provided with single sign-on access. It’s also a ubiquitous tool for staff to access their work from anywhere. In addition, the panel will discuss how they are providing 1000+cell phone users with options, how they are securing the environment, providing tools for e-discovery, and will identify future plans for integrating Google Apps with a LMS to create a low cost anytime, anywhere learning environment for all staff and students.

icon for podpress Podcast309: Google Apps – Implementation and Changing the Way We Do Business (from CoSN09) [51:50m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup |Download (1625)

Show Notes:

  1. PGCPS Has Been Googlized (Google Presentation links for this session)
  2. Prince George’s County Public Schools in Upper Marboro, Maryland
  3. Google Apps for Education
  4. Google for Educators
  5. The Infinite Thinking Machine
  6. Google Teacher Academy
  7. The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)
  8. The CoSN 2009 Conference

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Isn’t it time? Isn’t it time we put down the yoke of MS Exchange, and exchanged it for something that is proven to work at less cost?

Update 02/08/2010 via email:

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Meghen Ehrich
Date: Mon, Feb 8, 2010 at 3:03 PM
Subject: Fwd: did you see this?
To: mguhlin@gmail.com

Miguel

I was just forwarded your blog post about Google Apps in Prince George’s County. I am part of the transition team and was one of the presenters in the referenced presentation and podcast. I need to make one correction to your post. You indicated that we migrated staff and students. However, so far only staff have migrated; we are just now beginning the pilot phase for students.

http://www.mguhlin.org/2010/01/googleapps-in-education-prince-george.html

Thank You,
Meghen

Meghen Ehrich
Technology Training Team
Instructional Technology Specialist
Prince George’s County Public Schools

6251-A Ammendale Road
Beltsville, MD 20705
240-264-1761 x2227


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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Pink Jacket Award – Making It Happen

27 Wednesday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in TCEA, Texas

≈ Leave a comment

As I mentioned earlier this week, the TCEA TEC-SIG organization is getting ready to vote on its selection for the Making It Happen Award (from ISTE), also known as the “Pink Jacket” Award. There are some tremendous candidates going forward, and I hope that like in 2009, there will be two selected. But I want to be completely up front and say that I think every one of the nominees should receive a Pink Jacket Award.

In fact, let me say that again–each one of these ladies has done a tremendous job in enhancing technology. I could give examples for each, but that might make this blog entry more of an adoration than a simple sharing of who the nominees are. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Barbara, Jennifer and Paula in various capacities, and think highly of them.

In alphabetical order, nominees include the following:

  • Barbara Brown –
    Barbara Brown is a true servant leader whose commitment to teachers and students is beyond compare. She works unfailingly to ensure that every teacher knows how to differentiate instruction with the use of technology and that every student learns.

    During her 25 year career with Lewisville ISD Barbara has helped to build the educational technology program from the ground up. Under her direction the district has become a state leader in educational technology which others look to for guidance and support. Currently the Executive Director of Technology, she provides direction for the technology department programs and personnel, supervises the Instructional Technology Department, and manages technology implementation and programs for 63 campuses and 50,000 students. She works closely with the Lewisville Curriculum, Assessment and Instructional Services department to ensure that technology initiatives are closely aligned with the district curriculum.

    Barbara was instrumental in implementing and currently supervises eSchool online courses for high school students and the district electronic curriculum management and student assessment system. Additionally, she facilitates more than 200 online and face-to-face technology staff development sessions yearly for teachers and administrators. Barbara shares her extensive knowledge of educational technology beyond Lewisville ISD. She served as the Lead Curriculum Writer and Trainer for the Technology Leadership Academy for Superintendents and Principals offered by the Texas Association of School Administrators. She has presented at many conferences including TCEA and the Texas Council of Women School Executives and has been the keynote speaker at the Region 11 Leadership Symposium. She has served as and Area Director, Vice President – Convention and President of the Texas Computer Education Association. Barbara is recognized throughout the state of Texas as a leader and expert in educational technology. Her peers value her insight and guidance. Barbara’s leadership and commitment to students and teachers had left an indelible mark few can hope to match.

  • Jennifer Faulkner –
    Jennifer has been in public education for 27 years. She graduated from Texas A&M in 1981 in Elementary Education with areas of specialization in math and earth science. She completed her master’s degree from University of Houston in Instructional Technology in 1996. After teaching math and science at the middle school level for 15 years in Pine Tree ISD, Deer Park ISD and Alief ISD, Jennifer became a campus technology specialist in Alief ISD.

    From 1997 until 2005, she served as the Director of Instructional Technology for New Braunfels ISD. She has served on the board for TCEA (Texas Computer Education Assn) from 2000-2003, and 2005 to present,, and has taught Technology Leadership Academies for TASA (Texas Assn of School Administrators).

  • Paula Murray –
    For almost her entire 26 year career, Paula has been a leader in promoting, planning, supporting and initiating instructional technology programs in K-12 schools. As the current Director of Educational Technology in Eanes ISD, she has been instrumental in modeling the use of and providing training for web 2.0 tools, as well as coordinating all instructional technology staff development across the district.

    Additionally, she provides leadership to technology coordinators by fostering a collaborative learning community to maximize use of digital age tools to achieve learning goals. She interfaces with the district curriculum department to enhance teaching and learning initiatives through technology.

    Throughout her career she has overseen a variety of initiatives including district-wide implementation of Excelsior gradebook, Eduphoria, and School Fusion. She has managed two major bond initiatives and testified in front of the Senate Education Committee in support of requiring the tech apps student assessment at 5th and 8th grade. Paula’s leadership and commitment to educational technology will benefit teachers and students for years to come.


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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

DiigoNotes – Colleges See 17 Percent Increase in Online Enrollment

27 Wednesday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in EdTech

≈ Leave a comment

  • Wired Campus – The Chronicle of Higher Education

    • January 26, 2010, 12:00 PM ET

      Colleges See 17 Percent Increase in Online Enrollment

      By Marc Parry

    • Colleges saw a 17 percent increase in online enrollment, with more than one in four students taking at least one online course in the fall of 2008, according to the findings of an annual survey published on Tuesday by the Sloan Consortium.

    • The report

    • found a total of more than 4.6-million online students overall. That’s up from about 3.9 million the previous year.

    • "For us to grow, it’s going to be online until that money is freed up again,"

    • Bad economic times, which traditionally drive more people back to school, are having a particularly strong impact on demand for online courses. Seventy-three percent of institutions report increased demand for existing online courses, compared with 54 percent for face-to-face. Sixty-six percent report increased demand for new online courses. And students are clamoring for distance education at colleges that don’t offer it; 45 percent of institutions in that category report growing demand for new online courses and programs.

    • Fewer than one-third of chief academic officers think that their faculty members accept the "value and legitimacy" of online education, a perception that hasn’t change much in the past six years. (Another survey, released in 2009, also reflected broad faculty suspicion about the quality of online courses.)

    • More than two-thirds of institutions have a contingency plan to deal with a disruption from the H1N1 flu, and substituting online for face-to-face classes is an element in 67 percent of those plans.

    • The overwhelming majority of the 4.6-million online students — over 82 percent — are undergraduates.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Job Posting – TCEA Seeks To Build Its Team

27 Wednesday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in JobPosting, TCEA, Texas

≈ Leave a comment

While others are letting people go, the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) is seeking to build an awesome team! Are you up for the job? Check this information out!

TCEA is currently accepting applications for the new position of Advocate and for the addition of a second Training Director. Job descriptions for each of these positions are attached.

The Advocate will work as a lobbyist with the SBOE and the Texas Legislature to further the causes of the TCEA membership. The Training Director will develop and conduct professional development sessions in Austin at the TCEA office and around the state.

Letters of interest and resumes should be submitted to Lori Gracey (lgracey@tcea.org) by Feb. 26. These positions will start April 5, 2010.

I encourage you to apply and to join us as we work for the teachers and students of Texas!

Lori Gracey

Executive Director

Texas Computer Education Association

(512) 450-5400



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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Get MS Exchange on Android (Updated 07/21/2010)

27 Wednesday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Android

≈ Leave a comment


Image Source:
http://www.dataviz.com/images/roadsync/RoadSync_Device_Collages/RSv1_android_300x300.jpg


After spending some time suffering through Motoblur’s efforts to show my MS Exchange email on my Android phone (a Motorola Cliq), I stumbled through some forums after a google search. Eureka!
Dataviz’ RoadSync installed without problem on the Android and is now on my list of must have apps for the Android phone. Also, it’s available for $9.99 for a limited time (rather than $19.99) so I encourage anyone using an Android that has to have MS Exchange email/calendar and contacts access to buy it (how’s that for an endorsement based on a few hours of playing around with it?).

Based on Exchange ActiveSync technology licensed directly from Microsoft, RoadSync provides secure, wireless and direct push synchronization of corporate e-mail, calendar, contacts and attachments – all in one affordable, scalable and easy to manage package.
RoadSync for Android is exclusively available in Android Market as a free 14-day trial. To install the RoadSync application, simply follow the below steps to download the application on your Android-powered handset.
If you like what you see, you can easily activate the software by purchasing the ‘RoadSync Full Version Key’ in the Android Market for a limited-time introductory price of $9.99 (Regularly $19.99.)
RoadSync is now available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, traditional and simplified Chinese.
About RoadSync Features | How To Install RoadSync

Definitely worth the investment!


However, if you don’t want to spend the money, consider this alternative: K-9 Mail. It lacks ActiveSync support, but worked quite well with Gmail, perhaps even better than the built-in Gmail app. From the site:

K-9 Mail Android App is an open source email client for Android with multi-folder sync, email signatures, Bcc-to-self, return-address configuration, keyboard shortcuts, Exchange Support, message flagging, IMAP deletes, saving attachments, configurable notifications and more.

Oh, and I did get K-9 to read my MS Exchange mail, but sending was a different matter…not sure if the prob was particular to my MS Exchange server (probably was) since K-9 worked fine when I substituted Gmail SMTP server (sending mail info).


Update 07/21/2010: I highly recommend K-9 as a replacement for the built-in Gmail app on Android.



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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

DigoNotes – Teenagers’ Behavior Carries Over Onto Facebook, Myspace

27 Wednesday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in MyNotes, Research

≈ Leave a comment

  • Teenagers’ Behavior Carries Over Onto Facebook, Myspace

    • Teenagers’ Behavior Carries Over Onto Facebook, Myspace

    • A new study conducted by University of Virginia psychologists suggests that well-adapted youth with positive friendships will use social networking sites like facebook and myspace to enhance the positive relationships they already have. The study also indicates, however, that teens who have behavioral problems and difficulty making friends, or who are depressed, may be more inclined to use social media in negative and sometimes aggressive ways, or not to use such sites at all.

    • The study appears in the January issue of Developmental Psychology.

    • Researchers assessed the friendship quality and popularity of 172 13- to 14-year-olds, and then, eight years later, “friended” the study participants on their Facebook and MySpace pages to examine their interactions and friendship quality in those domains.

    • youths who were better adjusted in their early teens were more likely to use social media in their early 20s, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or parental income, and that, overall, the patterns of friendship quality and behavioral adjustment as early teens continued into early adulthood.

    • parents of well-adjusted teens may have little to worry about regarding the way their children behave when using social media. It’s likely to be similar positive behavior.”

    • teens with behavioral problems or who have difficulty maintaining positive friendships may be more likely to use social media sites in negative ways, just as they may behave negatively in their face-to-face relationships. Negative use of the sites would include using excessive profanity, making hostile remarks or aggressive gestures, or posting nude photographs of themselves or others. They also have fewer supportive relationships with their Facebook and MySpace friends. But this group also is less inclined to use social media at all.

    • “Use of Facebook and MySpace is really pervasive among this age group, so it’s understandable that young people would want to be connected with their peers in this way; it’s an extension of the relationships they already share,” Mikami said. “So parents should try to stay involved with their children and make an attempt to understand their online world in the same way they would want to understand any other aspect of their lives.

    • Citation: Mikami et al., ‘Adolescent peer relationships and behavior problems predict young adults’ communication on social networking websites’, Developmental Psychology, January 2010, 46 (1), 46-56

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

The Writer Who Leads

25 Monday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Blogging, Education, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Image Source: http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/cgo0088l.jpg

The challenge of sharing what you do, even if it seems inconsequential and worthless to you, is fundamental to education practice. When I began writing about the work I was doing in my classroom, I was responding to a need to process what I was experiencing with using technology with students, and encouraging them to do the same. The writing came about because it seemed perfectly natural to write about students and their work.

The “model” I followed for writing came from reading books like Nanci Atwell’s “In the Middle,” one of the main books that guided my approach to establishing Writing Workshops (reading, too) in my classrooms over the years. Yet, I find Nanci’s writing also served as a model for me to follow when *I* began writing articles for publication. My first paid published article was The Bilingual Technologist, although the editor of the magazine changed it significantly. I later published it in its original form online.

When I would encourage other educators to write about their experiences, I frequently encountered, not so much a reluctance to write, but an awareness that their work was even worth writing about and sharing. For a writer, EVERYTHING is grist for the mill…no subject is off the table for the right writing project. But for non-writers, whether they engage in the physical act of writing or not, there is what we do to live and survive economically and nothing much else.

I appreciate the Blogging About the Web 2.0 blog entry cited below, but to be blunt, this is a phenomenon that I’ve observed for years. While everyone has something to share, not everyone has the courage to do so…and may even look down on those who do, although I’ve often found them to be complimentary.

Like the blogger below, I encourage educators to share their experiences as they happen. The process of reflection–research shows–is what makes the difference in your teaching and learning practice. Whether you call it action research, journaling, whatever, take the time to reflect on your practice and try new, different things…and share the experience with others. I see writers as leaders because writing challenges you to reconceptualize what you are doing, to reach out to others. That kind of leadership isn’t about charisma, but about capturing what is most precious in an experience and helping it find root in the hearts of others.

I was sitting in a meeting recently about the new evaluation standards for teachers and the question was asked to the group about how they are leaders in the classroom. Keep in mind there are some awesome teachers in this group that do amazing things with kids and in the school. If anyone observed them would say they were models of teacher leadership. When asked how they modeled leadership in their classroom and/or school no one responded. Why? No one spoke up about themselves. There were plenty of examples given of other teachers in the building that exemplified leadership qualities but no one, not a soul, said anything about themselves.

So I ask? What is the big deal with being a teacher-leader? Meaning, why, when asked, are teachers so afraid to say how awesome they really are. And to go further, why, do most refuse to talk about the awesome things they are doing with kids?
Source: Blogging About the Web 2.0


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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Insignificant – GTA for Administrators Application

25 Monday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Education, GoogleApps, SAnews, Transformation, Transparency

≈ 2 Comments

Image Source: http://content.share.aarp.org/uploads1/photo/7/2/8/8/9/3/2/7288932/snapshot/1261853763677.jpg

“Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.”
–Mahatma Gandhi

Thanks to all–especially Clif Mims, Kevin Jarrett, Henry Thiele, Wes Fryer and other commenters–who encouraged me to apply for the GTA for Administrators. In the end, I couldn’t see myself NOT trying to participate in the GTA, especially when it was being held in San Antonio, Tx. If my application is rejected, I can go about my business happily, knowing that someone worthier will have been accepted.

You can catalog my journey (in reverse chronological order):

  1. Rumor and Myth – GoogleApps for Education
  2. Aegis of Google Leadership
  3. 5 Google-Powered Leadership Expectations
  4. Be a Pepper, Too
  5. GTA for Admin – Ineffable
  6. No excuses video
  7. Google Apps in the Classroom
  8. Digital Crescent – How Does Your Team Collaborate?

And, no doubts as to the quality of my video. It stinks. I’ve seen plenty of YouTube teens with videos exhibiting greater engagement…I considered a Star Wars parody but decided I’d be the only one laughing at my Darth Guhlin heavy breathing.

In spite of that video travesty, I’m grateful to all of you who encouraged me to apply. While I do not believe GTA for Admin to be the end all of professional learning for schools leaders, it presents a wonderful opportunity to connect with other leaders and discuss what we can do…it may be insignificant act on my part, but it’s important that I try anyways.

Image Source:
http://www.brianstoys.com/store/images/products/Star%20Wars/MasterReplica/Accessories/MasterReplica_DarthVaderHelmet.jpg


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My Favorite Android Apps (Updated 12/31/2011)

24 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Android, GoogleApps, MobileDevices

≈ 6 Comments





















Note: This list has been massively updated. Find the 01/01/2012 list online here.








Updated 10/26/2010


Since February, 2010–when the Motorola Cliqs, which run Android OS on them, came in, the entire family has been discovering and sharing new apps with each other. It’s impossible to find all the perfect apps, so I see this as a recursive process of discovering, exploration of possibilities, deletion or selection. Simply, lots of fun!


You may also want to read Education Apps for Android.



Here are some of the FREE Android Apps (don’t expect to find a for pay one on this list, ok, maybe one) that have risen to the top. I am amazed at the computing power on the Android available through the apps and how easy it is to manipulate data, etc. on them.

Note: Links for the title of the android apps will take you to the Android Library, well worth exploring on your computer to save you scanning a small screen! You might also want to explore the Android Market.



Updated Top 10 List (10/26/2010)
After trying to root my phone–successfully but unproductively–I found myself rethinking all the apps on my phone. 

Here is my revised list of must-have apps:

  1. PDAnet – Hook your phone to your laptop/netbook and you can get access to the Internet irrespective of any other network connections/filters. Works great on Windows and Macintosh platforms.
  2. Opera Mini-Browser – A wonderful, fast replacement to the built-in browser. 
  3. Battery Management Tools
    • Battery Widget – Easily track your phone’s battery life so you don’t have to keep charging it every two seconds.
    • APNDroid – This is a wonderful battery-saving widget. You can tap it to turn on/off your 3G/GPRS/EDGE connection. Turning off these services while in a WiFi zone enables you to continue using the internet, saving battery life. 
    • ToggleWiFi – Allows you turn your WiFi on and off with a single tap. 
    • TasKiller Free – Allows you to terminate all–or be selective–apps that are running on your phone. This can save battery life.
  4.  HandCent – This is a great replacement to the built-in SMS client on Android OS, and worth getting immediately and making as your default.
  5. AppsUninstaller – This allows you to bulk uninstall apps installed on your phone. A time saver for sure! 
  6. AppBackupReinstall – Need to backup your Android Phone apps just in case to your SD card? Use this free program.
  7. TonePicker – Allows you to select any audio on your phone as your ringtone, not just the built-in Android sounds.
  8. Audio Player – Easily listen to audio (podcasts) files using one or both of these:
    • MortPlayer – Allows you to listen to music/audio files. I like to use this audio player to listen to music and the next item below to play podcasts.
    • TinyPlayer – A very simple audio player, great for podcast playing.
  9. Email Programs – Finding the right email programs can be a pain. Here are the two I highly recommend and that work great!
    1. MS Exchange with ActivSync Needed? Get NitroDesk’s TouchDown ($20)
    2. Need a POP/IMAP Email Program? Get K-9 Email Android App (free)
  10. OI File Manager –  Use this file manager to move, delete files on your SD card. Very handy, convenient. For industrial strength work, consider EStrong’s File Manager.

And, to add a few more to my top 10 list as a bonus:

  • APG – Are you into Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) albeit free open source encryption? Use APG to get it done. Works great and integrates with K-9 Email to encrypt email and files (as well as decrypt them).
  • KeepassDroid – This program allows you to store your confidential username and passwords in an easy to access database that is encrypted.
  • QR Code Reader – Quickly Scan QR codes off web pages and printed documents to install software on your phone or capture data. You can also make your own bar codes, which is fun. Two apps to search for in the Market include Lynkee or BarCode Reader. 
  • Flixster’s Movies – Find out what the movie times are at the local theatre…this app looks them up based on your location.
  • Social Networks – Keep up with your social networks using these tools:
    • Plurk? Use Pluroid or PlurQ
    • Twitter? Use Seesmic or Tweetdeck for Android
    • Facebook? Use the Facebook Android app
    • Ping.fm? Use Anypost to send out information to your entire network.
  • Virtual Recorder – Need an audio recorder? Use this to turn your phone into one. Let’s you email the recorded audio to wherever you need.





Top 10 Picks
Due to the number of Android Apps on this page, here are my top 10 apps from all categories…they are the ones I couldn’t live without and use every day:

  1. GoogleVoice
  2. Movies 
  3. HandCent
  4. Pluroid for Plurk access and/or Twidroyd for Twitter access with AnyPost for Ping.fm
  5. PDAnet
  6. MixZing Music/Video Player
  7. Dolphin Browser
  8. Battery Widget
  9. EStrongs File Manager
  10. Mount USB

Here’s my list, organized into broad categories.

INFORMATION MGMT, NEWS, and WEATHER















  1. Laputa – This poorly named app (it breaks down to two words in Spanish which mean “the bitch”) allows you to download audio versions of books and features some relatively up to date titles. I was shocked at the list of fresh ebook titles, including the works of Rick Riordan (author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series that was made into a movie recently), Robert Jordan (Crown of Swords author), Larry Niven’s Ringworld series, and many more titles that I just considered to “new” to find their way into online books for free. (Added June 20, 2010)
  2. Movies – Allows me to easily locate movie times…a must have for my family members and I. It has an iPhone counterpart which made it easy for me to use, since I’ve been playing around with an iPod for work purposes for a year.
  3. NubiNews – This is the awesomest news reader. You can access just about everything and replaces all your other news sources, except for podcasts. (added 01/30/2010)
  4. TV.com – Although I’m not much of a TV watcher, it’s fun to watch something while waiting in line at the local Bill Miller’s BBQ during lunch time. This actually shows full episodes.
  5. Wapedia – Nice to search and access. Others prefer WikiMobile.
  6. WeatherBug – Great weather app, letting you see temperature, images of the weather outside, etc. (added 01/30/2010)

EMAIL/SMS/VOIP CLIENTS

  1. DataViz RoadSync – Although you’d think Android would have a native MS Exchange friendly app ready to go, it’s not really a surprise…the iPod Touch didn’t one either, as I recall. That said, I’ve been tremendously impressed with the 14 day trial version of RoadSync, which allows you to sync email and calendar. It works fantastically well. One alternative to this is TouchDown.
  2. HandCent – This is a great replacement to the built-in SMS client on Android OS, and worth getting immediately and making as your default. It features a nice design, bubbles, tracks number of messages, and more. ChompSMS is a nice alternative, although ad-ware.
  3. K-9 Mail. It can work as a replacement for RoadSync if you don’t want to spend the money…calendar integration isn’t there that I could see, but in RoadSync it is. Good if you just want email. As of 06/15/2010, I am now using this for replacement on the Gmail client that comes with the phone. It allows me to easily edit quoted messages, which as far as I’ve seen, can’t be done on the built-in gmail app.
  4. SMS Backup – Allows you to make backups of SMS messages and ships them to your Gmail account.

TWITTER/PLURK/PING.fm/FACEBOOK Broadcast CLIENTS

  1. AnyPost (Ping.fm client) – Want to post to ALL your social networking apps at once? (read this) Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Plurk, etc? Then use Ping.fm to get the job done! Post once to Ping.fm and it goes everywhere you determine. Use Anypost app on your Android phone to get it done. 
  2. Twitter Possibles:
    1. Twidroid – A twitter app. I was hoping for TweetDeck quality and I’ve not been disappointed with this one. I actually paid for the full version on this one and it works great, a bit “faster” in feel than Seesmic, which is a free alternative not from Twidroid.
    2. Seesmic – A nice looking Twitter client. This is no longer on my phone since I bought Twidroid but I do recommend it if you don’t want to pay for Twidroid.
  3. Pluroid – For Plurkers (Plurk.com), you have few choices…PlurQ is OK app but I recently abandoned it because it resembles web-based Plurk.com’s timeline a bit too much. Instead, I’m now using Pluroid which gives you the feel of mobile Plurk (plurks running vertically with links to more comments). It’s also pretty easy to share photos via Pluroid.
  4. Bloo – After searching for a nice Facebook interface, I think I have found one in Bloo. You’ll need your Facebook code so you can generate it here. Of course, Bloo now (07/03/2010) makes it possible to get your code via the app, which is a nice upgrade!
  5. UStream Broadcaster – Allows you to broadcast yourself via uStream.

INTERNET/FILE TRANSFER and DISK UTILITIES

  1. Dolphin Browser – I didn’t realize how anemic the browser was (gave me flashbacks to Palm’s built-in browser on their old handhelds) so I was grateful to find the Dolphin Browser. Works great, just like Firefox, in making adjustments. Definitely a must-have replacement to the browser…when you install it, you can set it to be the default browser on your Android phone. I tried Opera for awhile but switched back to Dolphin after a month.
  2. DiskUsage – This app shows you where you are spending your SD card space…you can use this in conjunction with EStrong’s File Explorer (below) to make clean out your file system. (added 01/30/2010)
  3. EStrongs File Manager and Task Manager – This amazing duo is surprisingly an awesome app, allowing you to manage the files on your SD Card, as well as terminate apps on your phone that are taking up memory. You have to download them separately. The file manager can also FTP files (which I tried successfully), which is downright unbelievable. There is an open source alternative, OI File Manager which is much simpler…useful for finding files/folders on your phone, copying-n-deleting them.
  4. FTPServer – What a great program! It allows me to setup my Android phone as an FTP Server that I can connect via an FTP client from any computer and download files…or put them on the phone. While I could use MountUSB, this makes it possible for me to more easily share content without having to connect.
  5. Mount USB – Allows you to mount your Android phone as a USB flash drive. If you have a large SD card, voila, portable storage using your phone instead of another flash drive.
  6. PDAnet – Tether your laptop to your phone so you can use its internet connection. Works very well on Mac and is available for Windows. Awesome app! Well worth the $20.
  7. AppsUninstaller – This allows you to bulk uninstall apps installed on your phone. A time saver for sure!


MULTIMEDIA UTILITIES















  1. MixZing Music/Video Player – This is an awesome app that makes listening to music incredibly easy. You can turn off its network use and it still works great.
  2. MP3 Downloader – An easy to use MP3 Downloader
  3. Pandora – Listen to streaming music that syncs with your online prefs. Incredible app. (added 01/30/2010)
  4. Quark’s Ringtones – Awesome ringtone, allowing you to select popular music for your ringtone (e.g. Taylor Swift, etc). For example, my wife has Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September,” while others have Taylor Swift. Other ringtone alternatives–not included in QuarkRingtones–include StarTrek Sounds and StarWarsSounds, as well as Transformers.
  5. Tone Picker – allows you to easily select ringtones from any audio program on your phone.(added 01/30/2010)

GOOGLE TOOLS

  1. GDocs – Allows you to view and edit your GoogleDocs from your Android. Works great!
  2. GoogleMaps – Find yourself on a map and then get directions to where you want to go.
  3. GoogleTalk – Let’s you use Talk via your phone.
  4. GoogleVoice – Although this app DID work (thanks to these instructions), I’ve become enamored of GoogleVoice, and liked this review of what it can do, so I’m just going to quote it…I’ll check it periodically to see if they can fix it. The only nagging question I have is, does it cost me money when calling other people on my family plan to use GoogleVoice number? Read the answer to this question!

    “I can call ANY number with a secure, controllable line from Google.On an Android phone, unlike the closed off iPhone, you can have the Google Voice App take over all calls — even international ones! By taking over the device, any call that I make through the phone emulates my Google Voice number.”
    Source: Market Matador

    One question I have that I suppose I’ll find out around bill time…does using GoogleVoice result in a charge that will appear on my bill or is using them as the source of my phone call “free”? What about receiving calls? My carrier is T-Mobile.

  5. Listen – Allows you to pull audio content from all over the web. It is self-described as a podcast manager for Android and works quite well on my Cliq.
  6. Locale – Allows you to control your phone options based on your physical location (e.g. theater or work). That way you don’t have to fumble with settings.
  7. iPadio – Lets you record audio via your phone microphone, name it, then email it to your Gmail account or post it online. Nice alternative to carrying a digital audio recorder.

MISCELLANEOUS APPS THAT SIMPLIFY LIFE

  1. APNDroid – This is a wonderful battery-saving widget. You can tap it to turn on/off your 3G/GPRS/EDGE connection. Turning off these services while in a WiFi zone enables you to continue using the internet, saving battery life. It works great, and I highly recommend it!
  2. Battery Widget – Provides nice access to battery life percentage, as well as enabling turning off of certain items (display, wifi, etc).
  3. Flashlight – Great, although other family members prefer a multi-colored flashlight.
  4. Lynkee – This is a nice QR code reader for your phone. Barcode Reader is another alternative. Have an AndroidPhone or iPhone? Use Lynkee (free app) to read the QR Code into your phone. Here is how to make your own “barcode” – Make your own bar code!
  5. ToggleWiFi – Allows you turn your WiFi on and off with a single tap.


You can find other recommendations here–some of which I wished I’d read prior to a 2-day search in the market, but hey, that’s the fun, isn’t it? I like to travel light on apps, whether on Android phone or iPod:

  • Dave Kaufman’s Top 10
  • 50 Apps for Android Users
  • SimplyDroid list of 10 apps

Oh, here are my favorite games (i’m not a gamer on Android, except for #1 below):

  1. Pirate Wars!

What apps would you suggest?

















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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Rumor and Myth – GoogleApps in Education Users (please RT)

24 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Education, GoogleApps

≈ 7 Comments


UPDATE 01/28/2010: Follow-up blog post with an example of a really large district–18th largest in the United States.

ORIGINAL BLOG ENTRY:

Thanks to Lucy Gray for originally sharing survey results about GoogleApps in Education usage, as well as Lisa Velmer Nielson for reposting them on her Facebook page. Both efforts helped spread the information and made it easy for me to locate a week after they posted it! Amazing how many emails and communications are flowing in about everything under the sun, so finding stuff worth keeping–as these survey results are–can be problematic if it takes me long to blog it.

Lisa Velmer Nielsen Lucy Gray just shared a couple places to post where schools are using Google Apps in Ed – http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pfr2_hjQxlJb76nqluop3Gg&output=html

Find out more about GoogleApps for Education- http://edu.googleapps.com/

Finding out the information is helpful for school districts who are considering GoogleApps for Education. One of the pieces of information I wish the spreadsheet collected was the total number of students and the number of schools. One of the complaints I hear is that GoogleApps for Education hasn’t been deployed in LARGE districts.

IMPORTANT: More data is needed, and I would love to have you complete this survey about GoogleApps in Education for YOUR district. I promise to update this post regularly with stats and feedback. If you know of a large district using GoogleApps for Education, please complete the survey. You can access raw data here.


What I would like to see is a school district that has 8000+ users and over 100 schools that is using GoogleApps for Education as a complete replacement for MS Exchange services. I’d also like to see their full implementation plan and how they have dealt with issues such as FERPA, etc.

Robert Alford (blog) recently asked presented a fascinating question that gets at implementation issues that I suspect districts that just “jumped” into GoogleApps for Education haven’t really thought through:

Question regarding staff members/school districts use of Google docs. What is your district’s stance regarding teachers/schools use of Google docs? Would signing up for a Google Apps for Education account and activating the SSL capabilities meet with FERPA laws?

An example: A teacher using Google forms/spreadsheet to keep track of parent contacts made and items discussed. Using Google docs the school’s administrative staff could have access to the information as the teacher complies the data. BUT because we are not in a contractual agreement with Google (as opposed to Fitness Gram or TMSDS) would this violate FERPA law?

Now, some might suggest that we should just call Google and get a response. The problem with that is the last time someone called Google about GoogleApps for Education, the representative said, “GoogleApps for Education are NOT free for a large district with 8000+ users and 100 schools.” Of course, this caused quite a bit of confusion. While early adopter districts can jump into GoogleApps for Education, they should know that other districts are fearful–rightfully so–of abandoning tried and true approaches to services that they can’t just call someone for support.

In many ways, it is this support model that inhibits the spread of free open source solutions…”I can’t just pick up the phone and hold someone accountable [except myself and my small team] for fixing our problem.” Unless GoogleApps for Education can clearly deal with getting information out, no amount of enthusiastic support and endorsement from early adopter districts is going to make it happen.

In reviewing the information in the spreadsheet, here are educational entities that are using GoogleApps in Education. Regrettably, most of the examples cited in the spreadsheet Lucy Gray shared (thanks, Lucy!!) are small campuses, small districts, or virtual schools. In other words, none among them that would convince large district administration to dump a system they’ve invested hundreds of thousands of dollars of time, effort and precious funding for a system that lacks CONTACT US link with real phone numbers, a HelpDesk that can be contacted.

While arguing that phone numbers and helpdesk are part of old support models, the truth is, if you can’t pick up the phone and talk to a real person, then you’re being asked to take GoogleApps in Education on faith. Consider this scathing remark from a technology director in the United States about SunBurst educational software’s support efforts:

I’d just like to warn anyone who may be considering or has already purchased Sunburst products; THE COMPANY NO LONGER HAS LEGITIMATE TECH SUPPORT! They have a toll-free number they mislead you with that they advertise as tech support, but you will not be able to speak to anyone and you will not be able to leave a message for a call back like the “so-called” support site says you can. Also, don’t expect a return email or a legitimate answer through the “supposed” ticket system.

I challenge GoogleApps for Education–the organization, not the users–to speak up and share the toll-free number they have for technical support, knowledgeable support staff to respond to questions, and HelpDesk for their GoogleApps.
  • PennCrest ISD in Pennsylvania:
    Total Users: 3,000
    Total Schools:
    6

Not much of a list, huh? In reviewing the entire list online, it appears the vast majority are individual campuses or districts with less than 10 schools. This is not evidence sufficient to convert a large district.

I did hear rumors of a district “Matt Whacker” is in, have attempted to make contact with him, but to no avail, even via Twitter and/or his blog. Another rumor is that there is a New York district with 1200 schools using GoogleApps for Education but no firm contact there.

Now, while I want to use GoogleApps for Education in Texas schools, I can honestly tell you that unless I can show GoogleApps for Education being used in school districts with 40 or more, it’s not worth bringing up except as a tool for teachers to use for their own personal purposes.

To get more helpful information–from a large district perspective–please complete this new survey. And, feel free to share it with others.

UPDATE 01/24/2010; 10:38 AM: Thanks to Lucy Gray for sharing the following links that are well worth watching:

  • Videos of GoogleApps in Education Success
  • Google Apps Administration Help
  • GoogleApps Learning Center for User Support
  • Business who have switched to GoogleApps from MS Exchange


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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Building Winchester Rifles via the Web

24 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Education, Podcast, TCEA, Texas

≈ Leave a comment

At the January, 2010 TCEA Area 15 Conference–thanks for having me out Sandy Sawyer!–I had the chance to present on a variety of topics. I had great feedback on my Moodle presentation, which was packed, but one of the intriguing contacts that day was a conversation with Jeff Mills, a classroom teacher from Winters ISD.

Jeff caught my attention because he arrived fully dressed as a “cowboy,” and I immediately asked him if he was “in costume.” His surprising answer was, “No.” I felt immediately obligated to record a video interview with him.

His email is jeff.mills@wintersisd.org

Listen to the Podcast


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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

TCEA TEC-SIG Seeks to Award Pink Jackets

23 Saturday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Education, TCEA, Texas

≈ Leave a comment

As one of two recipients of the “Making It Happen” Award last year (2009), I’m jazzed to share this announcement from Paula Murray regarding this year’s “pink jacket” award. You have to be a member of TCEA TEC-SIG.

Tec Sig awards two Pink Jacket Awards annually at the convention luncheon to educators who are leaders in educational technology in Texas. Recipients of the awards are educators who meet the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS-T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers
(http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf):

● Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
● Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and
Assessments
● Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
● Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
● Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

Additionally, recipients of the Pink Jacket Award understand the
changes that must take place in classrooms to meet the needs of 21st
century learners.

For nominations, please complete the form found at the following link:

http://www.tcea.org/survey/TakeSurvey.asp?SurveyID=5505p31Iml9KK

Deadline for nominations is January 26th, 2010.


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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Download a la Mode – Column Retired

23 Saturday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in DownloadalaMode, TechEdge, Writing

≈ 2 Comments


Image Source: End of the Trail, http://www.jensdecals.com/west-sil%20end%20trail.bmp

The TCEA TechEdge’s new editor recently clarified the status of the two columns I write for TechEdge. They’re gone…while articles will still be welcomed–in regards to how they fit into the theme of the current issue–my long-running Download a la Mode column is over.

For the issue [next issue] focusing on collaborate, we are soliciting articles that demonstrate collaboration among teachers, administrators, students (etc.) via varying vehicles such as software, lesson plans, etc.

[cut]

As for the Download a la Mode column, we will no longer continue that column.
Source: Email, 01/22/2010

Since the column is quite a few years old, I’m going to take a moment to look back….In the years since I started writing Download a la Mode, there have been zillions of web sites, blogs that have provided great access to downloadable software you can use on your PCs.

In fact, I was considering that it would be worthwhile to write an article on “Upload a la Mode” to signify the shift in available web-based resources that enable you to put your content online for others to access. Certainly, Drop.io, Podomatic, GoogleDocs with its recent changes, and other tools have stepped up and that’s not even scratching the surface!

That said, I thought I’d do a quick retrospective of Download a la Mode back to the first article and subsequent ones here…in the list below, go to the bottom to find the oldest.

  1. Download a la Mode – Reimaging Solutions
  2. Download a la Mode v15
  3. 7 Answers to Frequently Asked Techie Questions
  4. Download a la Mode v9 – Mac Apps Worth Buying (includes Favorite Firefox Add-ons and How to Get Video off the Web)
  5. Download a la Mode v8 – Best of Both Worlds
  6. Download a la Mode 7
  7. Download a la Mode 6 – Apps to Simplify Your Life
  8. Download a la Mode- Part 3
  9. Download a la Mode- Part 2a
  10. Download a la Mode- Part 2
  11. Download a la Mode- Part 1
  12. Download a la Mode
  13. Windows Privacy Tools – A Tutorial for Digital Privacy
  14. Download a la Mode – the original

When you consider how long it’s been (over 10 years), I’m surprised it lasted…the end of a column. These last two years have been tough on columns from a writer’s perspective. My column with Education World came to an end last year.

That said, there are always more opportunities to share what one is learning. I’m happy to note that being able to publish my own writing online via blog has given me a profound sense of satisfaction, even if the only person paying for that writing is me. The satisfaction comes from being able to quickly find what I’ve learned rather than feel like an empty bucket that has a hole leaking the contents.

Thanks to TCEA TechEdge past editor, Kathy Sargent, for keeping me on for so long writing Download a la Mode, to all those who wrote me sharing their appreciation for the ideas and information. I also have to applaud the new editor for realizing it was time for change!

Great to be kept on for the start of a new cattle drive….

Image Source: http://petticoatsandpistols.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/cattledrive.jpg



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RFQ for Electronic Textbooks

23 Saturday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Education, PressRelease, Texas, TexasEducationAgency

≈ Leave a comment

A recent announcement from the Texas Education Agency….

On Wednesday, January 27th, the Texas Education Agency will be holding a Proposer’s Conference for individuals and organizations that are interested in submitting materials in response to the Request for Quote (RFQ) for Electronic Textbooks.

Proposers will be provided an opportunity to receive general and clarifying information about the scope of the Electronic Textbooks and Technological Equipment.

The Proposer’s Conference will be the single opportunity, in a group setting, to ask clarifying questions of Texas Education Agency personnel. Its purpose is to assist potential proposers in clarifying their understanding of the scope and nature of the work required. The conference will be open to all potential proposers, and all questions asked and answered will be in the presence of all attending. Responses will also be posted as an Addendum to the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD).

Each person attending will be required to sign a register setting out the representative’s name, the firm or organization represented, address, and telephone number. The list of attendees will be posted to the ESBD.

Attendance at the conference is not required, but it is recommended.

Proposers Conference for RFQ for Electronic Textbooks
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Texas Education Agency
1701 N. Congress Ave., Rm. 1-100
Austin, TX 78701

Those planning to attend the conference should RSVP to Lenise Mayberry at lenise.mayberry@tea.state.tx.us or (512) 463-6901.

The RFQ is available on the TEA website at

http://esbd.cpa.state.tx.us/bid_show.cfm?bidid=86713http://esbd.cpa.state.tx.us/bid_show.cfm?bidid=86713


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Contribute Your FeedbackTx State Rep – Mike Villarreal

22 Friday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Education, Politics

≈ Leave a comment

An email from Mike Villarreal, Texas State Representative:

Dear Friends,
Speaker Straus has appointed me to serve on two Select Committees, one on Fiscal Stability and the other on School Finance, in addition to my standing committees. I’m honored by his trust in me. The first committee will study how well the state’s revenue and spending align, and whether we need structural changes in our budget. It’s an opportunity to build on my efforts to examine corporate tax breaks, ensure taxes are fair, eliminate wasteful spending, and secure sufficient funding for education and other investments that strengthen our economy.
But today I’d like to focus on the School Finance committee and ask for your input.
This committee will propose changes to how we distribute education funding, giving us an opportunity to improve the education that Texas students receive. The legislation creating the Committee, HB 3646, also tasks us with making recommendations on closing the achievement gap, measuring college and workforce readiness, revising the education accountability system, and promoting efficient and effective support structures for public schools.

Over the course of the year, we will hold public hearings around Texas. In addition to learning about the technical details of funding formulas, I will also make this an opportunity to work on our funding model for quality pre-k programs inside and outside of the traditional public school setting.

I would also like to learn from you about what education strategies or programs are working in your community. The education challenges we face are significant, but the negative stories too often overshadow the hard work, innovations and success stories around our state. We need to do a better job celebrating, studying and replicating those successes.

Let’s start now. Join the conversation on my blog and let me know what is working in your community.

– Mike
P.S. Check out my other recent Community Forum blog posts about my daughter reading for the first time, the need for volunteers to help families file for their tax refunds, working on the state budgetdeficit and more.


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Animation Software

22 Friday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in TechTips

≈ 2 Comments

This request for information landed in my inbox:

Does anyone have a suggestion for some free animation software. We are doing Claymations and I have used PowerPoint and Flash in the past but would like something free for students to be able to download and work from home. Ideas???

Some suggested tools:

  • Blender (http://www.blender.org/)
  • Doink (http://www.doink.com/)
  • Go Animate (http://goanimate.com/)
  • Pencil (http://www.les-stooges.org/pascal/pencil/index.php?id=Home)
  • Shapeshifter (http://www.aniboom.com/ShapeshifterAnimachine.aspx)
  • Synfig (http://www.synfig.org/)
  • Stykz (www.stykz.net)
  • Voki (http://www.voki.com/)


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PBS Innovation Awards

22 Friday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Education, PBS, PressRelease

≈ Leave a comment

PBS Teachers Innovation Awards Are you an innovative educator?
Show us how you inspire your students and you could win a behind-the-scenes trip to the Premier Annual PBS Event!

Sign up to be the first to hear about the PBS Innovation Awards!

America’s teachers innovate every day. Whether you teach your students physics with rocket launchers or invite students to create a digital story for literature, you are innovating and making a difference—and we want to recognize and thank you!

PBS Teachers is launching the PBS Teachers® Innovation Awards on January 25th to honor and celebrate talented teachers, and showcase best practices in support of the growth and advancement of the teaching profession.

Sign up here today and you’ll be among the first to learn more details about the PBS Teachers Innovation Awards! Entries will be accepted Jan. 25 to March 12.


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DiigoNotes – Nine Reasons to Twitter in Schools

22 Friday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Education, MyNotes, Twitter

≈ Leave a comment


Image Source: http://www.corporate-eye.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/twitter.bmp

Short, sweet and to the point, these 9 reasons to Twitter in schools is great. Some of the challenges, though, might include finding the answers to these questions for school administrators:

  1. Quality of ad-hoc personal learning networks may not be assured. Due to the diversity of linked learning, how do I know that the decisions you’re making regarding a topic are valid? I mean, if I come to an understanding of a concept or approach through research and you do it via testimonials, there’s a qualitatively different experience. How do I know YOUR experience measures up to mine and is as complete? What if MY network has smarter people in it than your’s? And, what about the claim that “experience doesn’t necessarily result in expertise?“
  2. Standardized, uniformity of learning may present an obstacle. I mean, while you and I know that just-in-time Twitter-powered professional learning is great, how can you ensure uniformity of instruction? Since every personal learning network (PLN), or call it an academic or professional learning network, is different simply because of who you network with, there’s no standardization, no uniformity. That’s an idea professional development folks have to let go of. We’ve been doing synchronized learning for so long….

Of course, both of those objections don’t hold up over time and scrutiny. But is there any research that says so or will our experiences as educators in the Twittersphere be enough to overturn the biases? In the meantime, I whole-heartedly agree with the following 9 reasons shared by Laura Walker.

  • Nine Reasons to Twitter in Schools

    • Why should educators get involved with Twitter? Here are nine reasons.

    • 1. Together we’re better

    • 2. Global or local: you choose

    • 3. Self-awareness and reflective practice

    • 4. Ideas workshop and sounding board

    • 5. Newsroom and innovation showcase

    • 6. Professional development and critical friends

    • 7. Quality-assured searching

    • 8. Communicate, communicate, communicate

    • 9. Getting with the times has never been so easy!

    • By Laura Walker. Read more on her blog and follow Mrs. Walker on Twitter

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

7 Starving Meat Eating Cows – Financial Exigency @neisd

22 Friday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Education, FinancialExigency, SAnews, SaveNESA, Texas

≈ Leave a comment


Image Source: http://tintorerianuria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Financial-294×300.gif

It’s a term I first heard for the first time in October, 2009 when NorthEast ISD announced the term–Financial Exigency. For me, it’s a fancy way to say, “We’re about broke.” But it also means this:

  • Reduction in force…whether you are on contract or not, tenured or not, you lose your job.
  • Major change in academic programs (slim down, termination)

Consider Austin ISD’s approach to a recent request, as cited in this Austin American-Statesman blog entry:

…a number of budget reduction options are being considered. The culmination of many of these options may result in the administration proposing that the Board affirm a declaration of “Financial Exigency.” While this independent action does not commit the Board to any specific steps related to the Reduction in Force (RIF) of personnel, it will give the administration the authority it needs to move forward should these steps become necessary. The Board also has the ultimate authority to subsequently approve the administration’s request for a RIF if so proposed.

As a preliminary measure to address financial concerns, effectively immediately all vacant, non-campus based positions will be frozen. Exceptions to filling any non-campus positions will be at the discretion of the Superintendent.
Source: Austin-American Statesman Homeroom blog entry, 01/20/2010

Over the last few days, I’ve had the occasion to wonder a bit at where education is headed, especially in Texas, the State where I work. The discussion has come about because of heavy-duty budget cuts slated for next legislative session…about 10% in cuts at least. What does that mean for large urban districts already at the end of their rope?


Image Source: http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040622/040622_cuba_drought2_hmed_7a.hmedium.jpg

For the District I live in here in San Antonio, it means closing down programs that work, like the NorthEast School of the Arts (NESA)…although a meeting between Superintendent Middleton and NESA parents breathed hope back in. No serious cuts to NESA for 2 years (allowing sophmores now to graduate from the program in 2 years), with attention given to possibly cutting outside of NEISD students due to the cost involved.

Were I in the shoes of an administrator with tough economic choices to make, I’d cut programs rather than staff. But even that isn’t much of an option during financial exigency. . .especially in the years to come. I’m reminded of the story of the fat and starving cows in Genesis 41, verses 1-57. Relevant? Probably not but worth reflecting on.

Since I’ve had my head down working on work projects, I hadn’t kept track of what is going on at the State level. A colleague brought it all home for me and I started to feel that unfamiliar urge symbolized by the question, “When retirement?” The answer is a long way away…and for that I’m glad.

I hope.

Consider these headlines:

  • Austin ISD – Austin school district Superintendent Meria Carstarphen today announced an immediate hiring freeze for all non-campus positions and said she is asking the board to declare the district in a state of impending financial crisis. Declaring a “financial exigency” would allow the district to lay off employees — even if they are under contract.
  • While legislatures and school districts in other states rush to comply with the application terms of the federal Race to the Top grant, Gov. Rick Perry is continuing his ongoing feud with the Obama administration by refusing to submit the state’s application – despite months of preparation by the Texas Education Agency. Perry’s political opponents call his decision to reject a projected $700 million misguided; on the other hand, educator groups that opposed the application are concerned that Perry rejected the cash for the wrong reasons.
  • Hard Times, Hard Choices. For months now, we’ve been hearing the comptroller report that state revenue collections have dropped dramatically as the national recession caught up with the Texas economy. For several years, we’ve known that the school property-tax cuts passed in 2006 would not be fully replaced, as promised, with revenue from the new state business-franchise tax passed that year. When you hear folks talking about a structural state budget shortfall, that’s generally what they’ve been talking about.

    Analysts at the Legislative Budget Board estimated that the state in the next biennium will have at least $10.8 billion less than the amount lawmakers used to make ends meet for 2010-2011. That shortfall exceeds the entire amount likely to be available in the state Rainy Day Fund (likely to total $9.6 billion). And the estimated shortfall doesn’t even include the potential impact of factors such as shrinking property values or rapid enrollment growth–let alone the cost of meeting long-neglected needs.

  • Lewisville ISD expects to have an $18 million deficit next year, many programs will be cut or altered.

    “As things get tighter, the district has to decide if this is worthwhile,” Rogers said. “But we believe that it is. We’re trying to prioritize our programs, and every program we have is worthwhile. I don’t expect that we’ll lose Night High School, but we might have to make some modifications. We still want to meet the needs of the students.”

My colleague pointed out that this information is shared with members of TASA…I can’t afford TASA membership, but I’m grateful to TexasISD.com for sharing the headlines!



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Phone Quest – Achieved

22 Friday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Family, GoogleApps

≈ Leave a comment


Image Source: http://news.cnet.com/i/bto/20091203/motorola-cliq.jpg

As I’ve shared over the last week–read No New Phone for Me–I’ve been on a phone quest, trying to find 4 phones combined with the right service plan and provider that won’t break my budget. After quite a bit of deliberation–too much, my wife observed–I finally made my decision. Since I’ve made you suffer through it with me, I thought I’d share what was decided.

To recap, here’s what I was looking for in a phone:

  • 4 smartphones with Gmail, MS Exchange compatibility, Twitter and Facebook, a nice camera with unlimited texting/images/Internet.
  • Under $220 per month.
  • 2 year contract
  • 1500 minutes of talk time
If I tried to do this with AT&T, the monthly cost would have been astronomical with iPhones. So, that left little choice except to go with an Android OS based phone. But which one? And from which provider?
After spending quite a bit of time scoping Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T (reluctantly), I found a solution that met my requirements.
  • 1500 minute Family Plan
  • 4 Smartphones that include 3G, Edge, GSM, WiFi, Bluetooth connectivity; 7.9cm HVGA touch screen with virtual keyboard, slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard, 5megapixel camera with flash, autofocus, photoeditor, and geotagging; 6 hours of talk time, 13.5 days of standby, microSD expansion to 32 GB storage, and access to the following:
    Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, YouTube, video streaming, GoogleMaps, Gmail, Google Search, RSS news widgets, MS Exchange and Quickoffice.
  • Under $220 per month
What’s more, thanks to comment left on a previous post, as well as a colleague pointing this out for Verizon’s plan, I was able to waive a $140 activation fee since my wife and I are educators, as well as obtain a 15% discount on monthly charges.
What carrier did I go with?
T-Mobile. It beat the competition hands-down.
The phone? Motorola Cliq, an Android-based phone.
No regrets for 2 years….

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Safety Trumps Citizenship

21 Thursday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in DigitalCitizenship, Education

≈ 1 Comment

Over at the ISTE Blog, Hilary Goldman writes:

So let’s get the ball rolling! ISTE’s #10 and #9 ed tech priorities for the New Year are as follows:

10. Promote global digital citizenship. Growing competition in a flat world means technology is a great equalizer. It breaks down artificial barriers to effective teaching and learning, and provides incredible opportunities for collaboration across borders.


Now it’s your turn. Do these two ISTE priorities reflect key issues in your region? What is your school or district doing to promote digital citizenship and invest in R&D?

What indeed are school districts–like Eanes ISD and Navasota ISD in Texas–doing? Over the last few years, my local district’s efforts have focused on establishing web sites with connections to many of the free resources available for CyberSafety, which makes me ask, does cybersafety trump digital citizenship? Does our fear trump empowerment?

The answer is a resounding YES. Why? Why focus only a small aspect of digital citizenship? The answer is painfully obvious…eRate mandate that cybersafety be taught. The definition of cybersafety is defined by law enforcement, who in their rush to present on the topic with weapons on their hips, bore us with powerpointlessness and inspired respect for authority. In other words, the guys with guns set the agenda.

That’s not to say their work isn’t valuable, but there presentations are not Garr Reynolds-esque captivating us with compelling narrative that sweeps us off our feet and moves us from the legal to the moral imperative of citizenship.

Consider the rhetoric of posts like this one (via GenYes):

from YoungerWorld.org: 7 Rules for Adult Allies

  • If you don’t experience discomfort every time you’re listening to Youth Voice, you aren’t listening right.
  • If you can’t stay engaged enough to simply sit and listen to young people talk, you aren’t being an adult ally.
  • If you can’t speak your truth to young people you aren’t in a youth/adult partnership.
  • If you can’t expect and accept not having closure when young people share their voices you aren’t being an adult ally.
  • Listening to Youth Voice means listening for understanding, rather than to support your own conclusions.
  • If you’re an adult ally to young people you’ll engage, support, and challenge them, and not try to fix them. They aren’t broken.
  • If you aren’t taking risks you aren’t being an adult ally

Can we really be adult allies to young people if we are afraid to take risks like “Facebooking” them?

Consider that focus of the police and FBI is to give you the facts…and if you aren’t “scared straight” by them, what’s up with that?

Tell me what I, as a teacher, must know to avoid jail time, that kids involved in cybersafety is harassment and sexting can be misdemeanors or a felony, depending on how it happens and develops. Let’s see, how was it worded?

  • Sale, Distribution, or display of harmful stuff (misdemeanor)
  • Sex performance by a child (felony)
  • Possession or promotion of child porn (felony)

Consequences?

  • Jail
  • Probation
  • Registered sex offender that lasts ALL your life
  • Humiliation
  • No Work
  • Suicide

Yet, digital citizenship isn’t just about not misbehaving or recognizing abuse of technology for age-old problems (e.g. child molesters making connections with children via Facebook), but about charting the way ahead for folks like you and me who are NOT involved in education because we want to establish an illicit relationship. Instead, our focus is on education, socialization, and, well, learning to use technology for positive ends (enhance our lives and relationships).

Charting that path is what digital citizenship is about for me. While it encompasses cybersafety, it goes beyond it. Yet, in the rough and tumble of K-12 education, it may be that the only thing we teach is what is needed for survival…is that sufficient?

Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers, technology leaders and parents to understand what students/children/technology users should know to use technology appropriately. Digital Citizenship is more than just a teaching tool; it is a way to prepare students/technology users for a society full of technology. Too often we are seeing students as well as adults misusing and abusing technology but not sure what to do. The issue is more than what the users do not know but what is considered appropriate technology usage.

So, what we have to know is described by CyberSafety…what we should know is Digital Citizenship.

Consider Ric Murry’s excellent blog entry on the subject, albeit one many technology administrators–and probably counselors considering this issue–will object to:

This week, an educator friend (Georgia) of mine tweeted that he was being told to ‘unfriend’ many of his Facebook friends…because they are students.

As I responded, another IT educator friend (Texas) of mine said someone from ChildSafe (no link ever for them) made a statement that teachers ‘friending’ students was “stepping over the line.” The implication was that pedophiles and molesters go to where children are, and teachers should not make online relationships with students for fear that they might be considered child molesters.

Yesterday, another educator friend (Nevada) of mine tweeted that his child’s friends were ‘friending’ him on Facebook, and the ‘kids’ thought it was cool.

Is “friending” your students recommended work for teachers in public K-12 schools? This isn’t new stuff, unless you work in K-12 and you just found out about Facebook and the fact your students all use it. Chris Lehmann, approaching venerable status in the edublogosphere after the push to get him as one of ISTE Conference Keynote speakers, which is really based on his exciting work at the Science Leadership Academy, points out the following:

Chris Lehmann (Practical Theory Blog and taken out of context):

…the more we ban, prohibit, regulate and legislate, the less we teach. If we want students to learn how to manage their lives, we have to let them live them.

Yet, in the face of that, legal eagles like Justin Bathon point these stories out. He shares:

Teachers use facebook at their own peril. If you use facebook in a non-professional manner, just be prepared to be fired for it. Students, parents and administrators absolutely will check your page and that information absolutely will be used in employment actions against you. I hate discouraging technology usage, but it is clear that this is one particular technology that many teachers simply have not figured out how to use responsibly.

Ric Murry’s advice runs counter to this…not only should you use Facebook responsibly, but you should model that responsible usage to your students by “friending” them. He puts it this way:
  • As an adult, do not join social sites so you can hide from the activities that take place there.
  • As an adult, join the social sites, model and monitor the activities of the children you care about.

Chris Lehmann and Ric Murry on one side of the argument advocating for education and responsible use, while others are saying something like this:

Teachers aren’t going to be responsible–at least for awhile–and they should maintain a respectful distance between themselves and students. Facebook, Twitter, social networking tools that allow a relationship to develop between teacher and student are, simply put, inappropriate.

One school district in Texas–Dustin Windsor from Eanes ISD, read their burgeoning “Teaching with Facebook” blog that will share their efforts–chose to embrace the use of Facebook under the following conditions…will this approach pass the test for those who educate against using social networking technologies to connect with students?

We just opened it here at the high school in Eanes ISD and have since had two very successful training sessions for our teachers.

Here are some of the ways we chose to implement it [Facebook]:

1. Teachers must have a professional account with a common identifier in the name to facilitate “friending” by other professionals. We chose to use our school initials for the first name. Since Facebook allows you to enter an “alternate name” this was no problem.

2. Teachers must go through training, no matter their personal expertise with Facebook. Otherwise it remains blocked for them here at school. This gives us the opportunity to document that the teacher has undergone our training on using Facebook at school.

3. Before teachers can begin working with students in this environment, they must review privacy and account settings with the students.
Here are some of the reasons we chose to adopt this:
1. We do not introduce an environment and ask the students to come to us for tutorials, etc. Teachers can go to the students in an environment that they are familiar.

2. Teachers can collaborate with other educators around the world and set up shared learning activities for their classes outside of Facebook. What a fabulous opportunity for collaboration this creates!

3. By setting up a group page or a fan page, we can reach others who share an interest in what we’re doing. This is a much more effective way to bring in interaction than posting on a teacher’s individual website. For example, we wanted to contact former teachers and students for our 40th Anniversary this year. We set up a Facebook group that went from 3 members to over 1200 in about 5 weeks.

4. As a bonus feature, this gives us an excellent opportunity to teach our students to safeguard sensitive or compromising information on the internet. Since universities and corporations are using social media like Facebook to screen applicants, this gives us a chance to intervene potential problem areas before the student is really hurt.
Here are some of the resources we used in making our decision and with our teacher trainings:
1. http://www.thethinkingstick.com/make-students-your-fans
2. http://www.thethinkingstick.com/why-facebook-is-unblocked-at-isb
3. http://www.onlinecollege.org/2009/10/20/100-ways-you-should-be-using-facebook-in-your-classroom/
4. http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=137948147130
5. http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/a-simple-guide-to-set-up-your-school-on-facebook/




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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Teaching Residency Program

21 Thursday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Education, Texas

≈ 2 Comments

Please share with folks who want to be teachers….

Teaching Residency Program for Critical Shortage Areas (TRP-CSA) who:

* are committed to teach in in a high need secondary campus in the Austin Independent School District (www.austinisd.org) and seek 8-12 teacher certification in mathematics, science or special education,
* already hold a baccalaureate degree,
* have completed a minimum of 24 hours in mathematics or science.

TRP-CSA is a competitive program that results in a Master of Education (M.Ed. degree) within a 14-month period and provides two years of induction support. Participants selected for the program are eligible for a $35,000 living stipend while enrolled in graduate coursework and tuition assistance (through the TEACH grant program), both of which are 100% forgivable for candidates who complete three years of employment in a high-need school.


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Great presentation by Garr Reynolds

21 Thursday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in ShoutOut

≈ Leave a comment

Enjoyed this presentation…

Brain Rules for Presenters

View more documents from garr.


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DiigoNotes – Tweens Media Use

20 Wednesday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Education, MobileDevices, Research

≈ Leave a comment

  • If Your Kids Are Awake, They’re Probably Online – NYTimes.com

      • If Your Kids Are Awake, They’re Probably Online

        By TAMAR LEWIN
        Published: January 20, 2010

    • The average young American now spends practically every waking minute — except for the time in school — using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

    • Those ages 8 to 18 spend more than seven and a half hours a day with such devices, compared with less than six and a half hours five years ago, when the study was last conducted.

    • they pack on average nearly 11 hours of media content into that seven and a half hours.

    • heavy media use is associated with several negatives, including behavior problems and lower grades.

    • the study found that young people’s media consumption grew far more in the last five years than from 1999 to 2004, as sophisticated mobile technology like iPods and smart phones brought media access into teenagers’ pockets and beds.

    • Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Boston who directs the Center on Media and Child Health, said that with media use so ubiquitous, it was time to stop arguing over whether it was good or bad and accept it as part of children’s environment, “like the air they breathe, the water they drink and the food they eat.”

    • Contrary to popular wisdom, the heaviest media users reported spending a similar amount of time exercising as the light media users.

    • While most of the young people in the study got good grades, 47 percent of the heaviest media users — those who consumed at least 16 hours a day — had mostly C’s or lower, compared with 23 percent of those who typically consumed media three hours a day or less. The heaviest media users were also more likely than the lightest users to report that they were bored or sad, or that they got into trouble, did not get along well with their parents and were not happy at school.

    • The study could not say whether the media use causes problems, or, rather, whether troubled youths turn to heavy media use.

    • The report is based on a survey of more than 2,000 students in grades 3 to 12 that was conducted from October 2008 to May 2009.

    • On average, young people spend about two hours a day consuming media on a mobile device, the study found. They spend almost another hour on “old” content like television or music delivered through newer pathways like the Web site Hulu or iTunes. Youths now spend more time listening to or watching media on their cellphones, or playing games, than talking on them.

    • The Kaiser study found that more than 7 in 10 youths have a TV in their bedroom, and about a third have a computer with Internet access in their bedroom.

    • “Parents never knew as much as they thought they did about what their kids are doing,” Mr. Roberts said, “but now we’ve created a world where they’re removed from us that much more.”

    • Many experts believe that media use is changing youthful attitudes.

      “It’s changed young people’s assumptions about how to get an answer to a question,” Mr. Roberts said. “People can put out a problem, whether it’s ‘Where’s a good bar?’ or ‘What if I’m pregnant?’ and information pours in from all kinds of sources.”

    • The heaviest media users, the study found, are black and Hispanic youths and “tweens,” or those ages 11 to 14.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Phone Quest

20 Wednesday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Family, GoogleApps

≈ 1 Comment

You know, after writing that long post yesterday about my phone selection process–which really helped me clarify my thinking about this–that resulted in helpful comments via comments and tweets, I’ve decided to throw out any bad things I’ve heard recently about Verizon and/or Sprint. I figured, if I’m going to be objective about this, I might as well go ahead and consider all the phone providers and then pick the deal that works.

Some reviews of phones that helped me out:

  • T-Mobile’s MyPhone
  • Verizon’s Droid Eris
  • Sprint’s Hero
  • T-Mobile’s G1

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

No New Phone for Me

20 Wednesday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Family, GoogleApps

≈ 6 Comments

These past few months, I’ve been seriously considering HOW to get a new phone and/or provider for my family. If it was just me, there wouldn’t be a problem…I’d already have switched and been using a new device. Fortunately, it’s not just about me! 8->

Unfortunately, though, too. Here’s why (and “I” refers to my family and I):

Current Phone Situation:

  • I have service with AT&T and have a nice plan (1500 minutes, unlimited text) for about $215 a month.
  • 4 phones, all unlimited text and family plan.
  • My family and I don’t like AT&T (we dropped them and switched to Cingular but then they bought Cingular) because monthly charges just go up steadily (or at least, they did until we had a “Come to….” meeting with them and “locked” things in).
Where I’d like To Be with a Phone:
  • I want a phone that support Internet surfing, Gmail and other GoogleApps easily
  • I want a phone that supports MS Exchange (for work email)
  • I want a keyboard, not a virtual one but one similar to what you might see on a Blackberry.
  • I want to be able to use a Twitter app, as well as Facebook.
  • I want to be able to read RSS feeds on it
  • I want a camera that allows for still images and video recording
Now, to accomplish this with AT&T service (my contracts are about due up in February, so I’m free to move on):
  • To get 4 iPhones (3GS or 3G depending on person) would cost about $500 just for the devices. This includes 1500 minutes and unlimited text
  • Then, I’d have to get 4 x $30 per month, or $120 worth of data plans each month
  • Add the total cost of $215 regular plus $120 worth of data plan, that’s $335…unacceptable for a monthly bill for mobile phones.
Simply, this puts the iPhone out of my budget. I could be mean and tell my family, “No, you don’t get this,” but that’s not the way we do things. The killer isn’t the up front cost, it’s the monthly cost.
So, all along, I’ve also been considering T-Mobile and Verizon. I’ve heard many lousy things about Verizon, but T-Mobile keeps coming up on top.
I worked out pricing for T-Mobile, and it looks like this:
  • 4 G1 Android phones all with data plans
  • Total due monthly of $219
  • Startup cost is $549.96 ($399.96 + $150 activation fee)
  • Get all the Gmail compatibility with Android features
In reviewing this, T-Mobile looks like a better deal all around. What am I missing?

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Remove Apps on iPod Touch

18 Monday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in iPodTouch, TechTips

≈ Leave a comment

We are using iPod touched in the classroom. Is there a way to remove the Apps button on the iPod home screen so that students cannot browse apps at the touch of a button?

I have looked through the Apple Support pages, but I cannot find any information.
Response(s):
  • You can hide applications so that the students won’t see them… If you go to Settings — General and then go to Restrictions, you can set a password to enable restrictions. Then you can turn on or off Safari, YouTube, iTunes, explicit music, and the ability to install apps.
Shared via a Texas Tech Coordinators’ list

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Aegis of Google Leadership

17 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in CommentHoisting, GoogleApps, Leadership

≈ 3 Comments

While Google’s dominance appears certain, educational leadership does not. It would be nice to think that merely using Google’s tools would help one be a better leader. Certainly, as an edtech advocate, I like to think that have access to social media tools would make communicating and collaborating easier…and isn’t better communication, increased collaboration a critical part of being a leader?

Pete Reilly (EdTech Journeys) makes the following remark in response to my blog entry about 5 Google-Powered Leadership Expectations:

Miguel.
“Improve Education Leadership in the Age of Google?” Who declared this the Age of Google?

But I digress…Nothing I see in the outline addresses improving the leadership of administrators. I see tasks that improve the tools they use.

If I am an administrator that is a control freak, a micro-manager, or the opposite (no followup); if I am a an administrator that doesn’t take responsibility when things aren’t going well but takes all the accolades when things go well, if I am afraid to take risks, or if I am a political animal that wants to look good above all; if I am someone who is super judgmental and negative about the people I work with, if I talk behind people’s backs, if I am not organized, if I don’t listen well, if I am motivated only by my own agenda, if I say one thing and do another…(the list goes on)…I respectfully submit that the items on the Google list miss the mark.

An ineffective leader using the latest tools will remain an ineffective leader.

In my experience developing leaders requires developing people.

If we are going to transform teaching and learning, we need a new generation of innovative and transformative leaders.

in gratitude,
pete

As I consider Pete’s words, I keep coming back to the statement he makes highlighted in bold. Leadership flows from knowing, not how to use the latest tools, but developing people. Yet, what happens when leaders do not know how to develop people, or are unwilling to be “developed” themselves? How do they learn how to do everything, as the Hadza do while digging for tubers (Reference to The Leadership Dojo) including use of the tools?

If everyone needs to know how to do everything, is there any reason for administrators to not learn how to use the latest tools, even though their grasp of develop people may be imperfect?

In his book, The Leadership Dojo, Richard Strozzi-Heckler, shares 3 broad categories that encompass leadership capabilities:

  1. Intelligence
  2. Technical skills and knowledge of his or her industry
  3. Being a particular kind of person or self
Could the GTA for Administrators help “education leaders” address the technical skills capabilities? While GTA for Admin is clearly NOT designed to develop a particular kind of person or self, as Strozzi-Heckler suggest is key, it may help facilitate the technical skills.
But should these skills–those of Google–be the ones leaders in education are developing? Or, will it predispose another generation of educators to using cloud computing resources that fall under the aegis of a for profit company?


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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

First Grade Media Literacy

17 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Blogging, Education, Podcasting, Writing

≈ 3 Comments

This question came from Sheryl Lew via my Facebook page (brackets indicate my spelling correction):

“Miguel, do you have any ideas for first grade media literacy? TEK16A recognize different purposes of media (inform, entertain etc)., TEK16B identify [techniques] used in media (sound, movement etc.)”

The short answer is, not at the moment. That said, upon 3 second reflection required for a blog entry (grin), I can see the following possibilities:

Podcasting
Using a blog and audio recording, first grade students could do something similar to these classrooms:

  • Silvia Tolisano’s blog entry on podcasting with First Graders
  • Ms. Berthiaume – First Grade On Air and Animal podcasts
  • Why not work with the campus librarian and create content like this Library did but have reviews audio-recorded, or even written, by first grade students?
  • Record first grade students doing stuff in class, but have them explain it? Check out this Writer’s Workshop.
  • Create Riddles with students
  • Wild Things Are podcasts by First Graders
  • Series of podcasts by First Grades at Lincoln elementary

I discovered these podcasts via a quick Google search…keywords “first grade podcasts”

What First Grade uses of media could you suggest for Sheryl?



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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Comment Hoist – Moodle in my Classroom

17 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Moodle, MoodleConversations

≈ Leave a comment

In response to Molly Valdez’ article–published in TCEA TechEdge in January, 2010–the following comment came in…take a look and share back what you think of Mr. Hanney’s work with Moodle.

I LOVE using Moodle in my classroom. I actually have more students handing in work than on paper and they are excited to turn it in. It also helps me to organize the information that I want students to hand in.

I have also found several modules that I’ve been able to download and install. I’ve used a questionnaire to help my student to self-evaulate themselves on the content they need to learn in my class. I also use the wiki to not only introduce wikis, but to also have students help each other out on different subjects. The bookmarks module lets me introduce social bookmarking and make a list of approved websites my students can go to when they have free time.

All of these help me to create a “walled garden” for my students so we can introduce 21st Century skills while still protecting them from unwanted outsiders.

You can access some of my moodle pages by accessing my page at:

http://moodle.oremjr.alpine.k12.ut.us/course/view.php?id=57


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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

5 Google-Powered Leadership Expectations

17 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Education, GoogleApps

≈ 4 Comments

Although I use GoogleApps for many things, in fact, find it indispensable, I found myself questionning whether I should really just go ahead and make video to participate in the GoogleTeacher Academy for Administrators. As I wavered on that point, I found myself reading Henry Thiele’s post about GTA for Admin, where he will play a key role, and then reviewing the expectations.

Google Certified Teachers are expected to:

  • Develop a “Personal Action Plan.”
  • Lead at least three local professional development activities over the course of 12 months.
  • Successfully deploy one school on to Google Apps for Education.
  • Actively participate in the Google Certified Teacher Online Community.
  • Share the impact of their work with other Google Certified Teachers through an end-of-year reflection.

Let’s take these one at a time:

  1. YES – Develop a personal action plan isn’t a big deal. The development and implementation of these isn’t that hard.
  2. YES – Lead 3 local PD activities over the course of 12 months. That’s no problem, last year when I discovered GoogleApps and got my district going on it, I did several.
  3. NO – Successfully deploy one school on to Google Apps for Education. Actually, I convinced one campus to use GoogleApps last year. The problem is, GoogleApps for Education is banned for use in my particular school district. Put district data in the cloud is the primary objection and as an administrator, I have to support that perspective even if I might disagree with it personally.
  4. YES – Actively participate in the online community…well, no problem there.
  5. YES – End of year reflection. Well, I blog, therefore I reflect…right? Maybe not. But an end of year reflection doesn’t sound difficult, just an opportunity to write an article!

I suspect that not being able to meet expectation #3 wouldn’t be too much of ap roblem. There’s no requirement that a GoogleApps school be in one’s own school district. I’m sure a GoogleApps Districts would adopt me as an evangelist for a neat tool.

So, that only leaves the video which must address “Innovative Education Leadership in the Age of Google.” Not having seen innovative education leadership (an oxymoron), I’m reminded of Colin Powell’s perspective. Here is it as cited at another blog, What I learned Today:

Colin said, “We had to change because we’re in a new world – in a world of information explosion – information that needed to be turned into knowledge” – and his staff had to understand that all the boundaries that existed years ago were gone – and he wanted them to move faster and faster – he wanted them to get online.

He asked how can we be an up-to-date organization if the stuff on our website is 2 or 3 years old (he was talking about the state department – but I bet we can find some libraries like this too) – it is a transactional world – it’s no longer a lunar world – we don’t measure in months, years, etc – we measure in transactions. He said “I want to beat Google, i want to beat the CIA – I want to be faster and better” – but his staff kept saying we like the old way – updating once a month – or once a year.

His favorite example to give people about the power of the Internet is a time when someone called and complained about a resolution to the UN. While his colleague was on the phone with him explaining his problem Colin didn’t visit his own site – instead he went to Google – it took him 1 second to find the resolution in question and help the man on the other line. You have to move at the speed of light – you have to be faster than anyone else in the world we’re living in if you’re going to succeed.

Moving at the speed of light, being faster than anyone else…you have to be “google-powered.” Hmm…what would the leadership expectations be for a “google-powered” leader? Here are a few ideas, although I’m not sure I’d call them original (although I’m making them up while writing this blog entry, I wouldn’t be surprised if others had already articulated them in a different fashion)

  1. Instantly connected and accessible to his/her learning community via GoogleVoice, Blogger, GoogleSites
  2. Able to engage and empower the academic learning community (composed of the Community, parents, students, and faculty, business) in collaborative work critical to leadership through GoogleSites wiki
  3. Able to engage and empower the academic learning community through GoogleVideo Channel reflecting the best the school campus had to offer.
  4. Able to encourage reflection and transparency by encouraging classroom teachers, principal to blog about what work they are about a la Dr. Tim Tyson at Mabry Online.
  5. Be instantly aware of what was being sad and done through the use of Google Alerts and RSS search.

As I read over this list of 5, I’m not that enthused at the possibilities. I mean, it’s great stuff, but is that all there is? Certainly not…Google is about tools, about attitude, and I’m not capturing it here.

Help?


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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Stuck in the Moodle With You (#moodle)

17 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in Moodle, MoodleConversations

≈ Leave a comment

Google Alerts brings to my attention anyone who links to my blog, and I was surprised to find a link from Pam Crawford (White Oak ISD). Below is her Slideshare-hosted presentation entitled “Stuck in the Moodle With You,” which tapped my funny bone.

Moodle Mt. Pleasant

View more documents from Pam Cranford.


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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Creating an Oasis of Virtual Learning (#moodle)

16 Saturday Jan 2010

Posted by mguhlin in MGArticle, Moodle, MoodleConversations

≈ 1 Comment

The following article–Create an Oasis of Virtual Learning: Seven Steps to Avoid the Mirage–appears in the latest issue of the TCEA TechEdge magazine. I hope you enjoy it! Special thanks to Diana Benner for sharing her course design chart!

Creating an Oasis of Virtual Learning: 7 Steps to Avoiding the Mirage
by Miguel Guhlin – mguhlin@gmail.com

“An oasis is a fertile spot in the middle of a desert,” shares WiseGeek, “an island of life in an ocean of temperature extremes. Any oasis always contains one or more springs. Oases make it possible to survive long treks through the desert. In large deserts such as the Sahara, towns cluster around sources of water such as oases and rivers.” I often imagine that Moodle course management systems serve as oasis where learners cluster together to find nourishment and sustenance in an Internet desert teeming with life, albeit harsh conditions. It is for that reason that I embarked on a learning journey to find more about using Moodle to impact professional learning in my district.

Having built my professional learning network–composed of a global education community that reached as far as Spain, New Zealand, Australia using tools like Twitter and my blog–I was able to rely on the help of many who have gone before. Doing this kind of work is nerve-wracking, because you are facing the equivalent of a “blank slate.” You simply don’t know what you don’t know.

Like any wanderer knows, straying from the beaten path can be all too easy and the consequences dire. It is critical we learn to rely on each other so that we might arrive at our final destination, whether that be a professional learning community or a more enriched learning experience for learners, whether they be adult or K-12. Helping each other connect with one another

In a recent MIT Press report, the following quote underscores the importance of building professional learning networks that employ easy to use technologies:

“New technologies allow for small groups whose members are at physical distance to each other to learn collaboratively together, and from each other; but they also enable larger, more anonymous yet equally productive interactions.”
Source: The Future of Learning Institutions in a Digital Age, by Cathy N. Davidson and David Theo Goldberg

Moodle is one of those new technologies that enables teachers hoping to facilitate online learning to learn together and from each other. The exact logistics of accomplishing that facilitation, though, caused me some angst early on. It became apparent–due to our lack of knowledge about online learning–that the desire to teach online would require some serious deliberation and consideration. To that end, I turned to my team of talented professionals, begging them to join me in my effort to learn how to facilitate professional learning in my urban, inner-city school district.
In retrospect, I would recommend a different series of steps, such as the ones below:

  1. Establish a team of professional learning facilitators who will commit to learning how to design online classes and facilitate online courses. My team of one coordinator and four facilitators–all past classroom teachers who work in Instructional Technology–can boast various online learning certifications. For them, building online professional learning is about continuous improvement. For example, my team began with PBS TeacherLine courses and is now moving to get certified by the State Education Agency in facilitating online learning for students (http://txvsn.org). These individuals do a lot more than just sit around and design online courses. However, we all made a commitment to learn how to do this together and then, to do it.
  2. Create your own online courses about a week in duration to start with and then grow from there. Pick out the top five to six courses that you think will be worthwhile for your teachers and then go for it. Design of a week-long course takes about 20-25 hours of work. Thankfully, using Moodle, you are able to easily structure learning activities that can engage your learners in ways that simply posting information online could not. Diana Benner, a fellow virtual voyager, shares her checklist for designing a comprehensive course syllabus in a sidebar.
  3. Purchase courses–such as from PBS TeacherLine or LOTI Connection–that address content you do not know how to organize for online learning. This allows you to learn the structure and content of a course and then to create your own course using Creative Commons Copyrighted materials available via the Web. Or, your district may have purchased books that can be used.
  4. Collaborate with District Stakeholders, such as administration and Information Technology colleagues* and give them time to learn how to best support your Moodle. For example, Northside ISD has at least two people providing technical support needed to ensure success…and that does not even include those managing the Moodle to ensure implementation is successful, working with teachers to establish Moodle Mentor programs, and modeling content development with tools such as Xertes (http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xerte), which is a free, open source course content creation tool.
  5. Map out all possible uses of Moodle* and identify who your target audience is, who will be using the Moodle as a teaching tool, as a learning tool, the purpose of the Moodle, what kind of access is required (such as via LDAP authentication or external database), and who in your District will be responsible for it.
  6. Create a Moodle Tools Inventory* that maps out all activities–such as new modules you may have added to enhance your Moodle–available to those in your organization using Moodle as a teaching tool. Such an inventory could include a list of activities, types of activities, assessment, and gradebook integration, to mention a few.
  7. Standardize on your Moodle Activities, including modules and blocks, and try them out in a “sandbox” environment to ensure they work well before moving on.

*Thanks to Northside ISD in San Antonio, Texas for sharing their tips on Moodle implementation. This short article cannot do justice to all they shared.

The biggest mistake I made in our first year of designing online professional learning opportunities was that I tried to jumpstart the process by buying commercial offerings. Instead, we were better served by developing a rubric or template for what a course we wanted to teach should include. The next draft of our course design will match our work to iNACOL’s (http://www.inacol.org/). From that point we developed the course as a team, moving forward together and buliding clarity about the common elements and structure. You can find some of our early work–including Moodle courses you can download–online at http://itls.saisd.net/km/uploads/moodle.

CONCLUSION
Online learning design has been a most exhilirating experience, sparking new growth for myself and my team. While teachers are locked away in their classrooms, in boxes locked tight by federal and state expectations, using Moodle to build online learning communities has had a profound impact. The impact has been on those of us who design and facilitate virtual learning experiences, but also on teachers who thought they had forgotten how to learn, who never imagined their district had the wherewithal to craft engaging, authentic, high-tech professional learning. I invite you to join us, not as expert designers of online learning, but as voyagers sharing life-giving learning in the virtual oasis that Moodle provides.

Checklist: Components of a Comprehensive Course Syllabus

Developed by Diana Benner (diana.benner@gmail.com)
Course Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Course URL: _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Course Developer’s Name: _________________________________________________ Date: ___________________________

Item
Yes
No
N/A
Comments
1
Basic Information

Name of School

Course Title, Number

Instructor Name

Instructor Contact Information

Office Hours

Office Location

Office Phone Number

Department/Office URL

Email Address

Fax Number

Times other than office hours when instructor can be reached
(Optional)

Instructor’s Website URL

Course Webpage URL

2
Course Description

Pre-Requisites

Prior Courses

Knowledge/Skills (needed to succeed in course)

Overview of Course

Course purpose/rationale

General topics or focus

Objectives

Competencies, skills, knowledge the student is expected to
demonstrate at end of course

Standards

TEKS and/or other standards

Method of Instruction

Discussion Forums, Activities, etc

3
Materials

Required Readings for the Course

Author and Title

Availability of electronic or alternative formats, for students with
disabilities

Supplemental or Optional Readings (Optional)

Websites and Links

Other Materials

Computer equipment, software, etc.

4
Requirements

Exams and Quizzes

How many and what kind (Multiple Choice, etc)

Type of knowledge and abilities tested

Dates

Assignments and Projects

General information on type, length, and when due

Clarify the relationship between the learning objectives and
assignments

Identify criteria for assessing student work

Indicate how students should submit their work (online or in what
format)

5
Policies

Grading Procedures

Describe how students will be graded

Clarify weighting of course components

Explain policies regarding incompletes, pass/not pass

Attendance

Participation

Missed assignments or late assignments/extensions

Reporting illness and family emergencies

Extra credit opportunities

Permissible and impermissible collaboration

Standards for academic honesty and penalties for infractions

6
Schedule

Tentative calendar of topics and readings

By week rather than by session

Firm dates for exams and written assignments

Dates of special events (holidays, etc.)

Last day to withdraw from the course

7
Resources

Tips for Success

How students might approach the material

How students can manage their time

Tips for studying, taking notes, preparing for exams

Common student mistakes or misconceptions

Copies of Model Student Projects (Optional)

Glossary of Technical Terms

Links to Appropriate Support Material on the Web (past student projects, web based resources, etc.)

Space for Students to Identify two or three Classmates’ Names and their Contact Information (in case they miss class or want to form a study group)

8
Statement on Accommodation

A Request that Students see the Instructor to Discuss Accommodations for physical disabilities, medical disabilities, orlearning disabilities

Statement on reasonable accommodation for students’ religious beliefs, observations, and practices

9
Evaluation

Student Feedback Strategies (other than quizzes and tests)

End-of-Course Evaluation Procedures

10
Rights

Statement of Students’ and Instructor’s Rights to Academic Freedom (respect the rights of others to express their points
of view)

Statement on Copyright Protection for the Contents of the Course, as appropriate

11
Safety Preparedness

What to do in case of other Emergency and Online Safety Precautions

12
Disclaimer

Syllabus/Schedule Subject to Change

Acknowledge Others, if any, whose syllabus or assignments you have used to create this course

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

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