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~ …give that you may live, for to withhold is to perish. (Adapted from Kahlil Gibran)

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Category Archives: Education

AL DíA: Online Interactive Tools

07 Sunday May 2017

Posted by mguhlin in AL DíA, Education, Research

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It has been suggested that the use of active learning instructional strategies, both in traditional face-to-face classrooms as well as online courses, enhances learning and results in better learning outcomes. . .[Online Interactive Activities include] multiple choice, “drag and drop” matching exercises, and video and traditional case discussions, as active learning strategies to reinforce course concepts. This study examines whether the inclusion of these activities significantly improved learning outcomes as measured by
performance scores on two required exams. 

The findings that emerged…online interactive tools used as an adjunct to a course can enhance student performance …these types of online supplements hold promise for students who are not performing well in the course.

Source: Can Using Individual Online Interactive Activities Enhance Exam Results?


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

AL DíA: The Maker Movement Danger

05 Friday May 2017

Posted by mguhlin in AL DíA, Education, Research

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Great overview of making in schools…however, there is a danger that edtech enthusiasts should be aware of:

Making and building can foster learning in a variety of ways that mesh with long-established theories of how learning unfolds…Kalil (2013) defines makers as ‘‘people who design and make things on their own time because they find it intrinsically rewarding to make, tinker, problem-solve, discover, and share what they have learned’’ (p. 12).  

 …the history of the adoption of computers in schools suggests a lurking danger: a seductive, but fatally flawed conceptualization of the Maker Movement that assumes its power lies primarily in its revolutionary tool set, and that these tools hold the power to catalyze transformations in education.  

Given the growing enthusiasm for making, there is a distinct danger that its incorporation into school settings will be tool-centric and thus incomplete. In my view, a tool-centric approach to integrating making into education will certainly fail, as it will neglect the critical elements of community and mindset. 

As we consider the promise of the Maker Movement for education, we must actively resist this tendency to oversimplify.

Source: Martin, Lee (2015) “The Promise of the Maker Movement for Education,” Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER): Vol. 5: Iss. 1, Article 4. 
http://dx.doi.org/10.7771/2157-9288.1099


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

AL DíA: Un-makerspaces

04 Thursday May 2017

Posted by mguhlin in AL DíA, Education

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Image source

As wonderful as it is to create a makerspace, it’s not hard to imagine creating an un-makerspace as described in this blog entry. The included jobs are also powerful. Given how much stuff human beings generate, there should be ample stuff.

Simply put, a makerspace is a place for students to take raw materials and create “things” using their imagination. . .To create an un-makerspace, I simply turned my classroom into a space where kids could take things apart.

Source: Dissecting the un-Makerspace: Recycled Learning


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

Go #Phish: Front Row Seat on Google Docs Attack Vector

03 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, Google

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Nothing like having  a front row seat on the Google Phishing scam that hit Texas school districts (not to mention lots of other folks) today!

Read my take on it at http://ly.tcea.org/gophish

http://ly.tcea.org/gophish 


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

AL DíA: Design, Make, Share

03 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by mguhlin in AL DíA, Education

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Fascinating approach for makerspace classrooms and/or libraries! Wouldn’t this approach work with just about anything?

Design Make Share is a method for integrating MAKING in the classroom. This method applies to 3D printers and any other type of MAKING from cardboard and scissors to laser cutters and CNC machines. 

PROBLEM/CHALLENGE: Students want to solve a problem, fill a need or answer a question.
DESIGN: Students design, brainstorm, sketch, hypothesize a solution to the problem. It is critical that each student record the results of this process.
MAKE: Students make, build, experiment, fabricate their design. Review and revision are an integral part of this step.
SHARE: Students share, market, publish, teach what they have designed and made…This step can include a summary of the problem, the design, the solution that they made and how it differs from their original design and a reflection of how the work relates to the class curriculum. Be sure that students SHARE the solutions that didn’t work. 

Source: Design, Make, Share: AN OUTLINE FOR MAKING IN THE CLASSROOM


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

MyNotes: Mobile Maker-Technology in Makerspaces

02 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Book, Education, Library2.0, Review

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This is the third of several blog entries in which I share my take-aways from ALA’s The Makerspace Librarian’s Sourcebook. I’ve skipped over Chapter 4, which covers Safety and Guidelines in the Library Makerspace. That chapter includes some suggestions worthy of consideration.

About the Makerspace Technology

Some of the major parts of the book, listed below, focus on a variety technologies that may find their way into makerspaces. Having read the chapters skipped, I must admit that these serve as a cursory introduction to the technologies. Certainly, anyone who undertakes Raspberry Pi and Arduino will need some more support. Your level of technical expertise will be tested and I’ve indicated which of the following activities should not be undertaken without district level technical support.

Find out more

Some technologies will require more extensive training. Given a tiered approach to makerspaces, you may want to stagger these so that learners will have a chance to move forward slowly through the various steps, allowing time for practice and reflection.

  • Chapter 5 (3D Printing)* 
  • Chapter 6 (Raspberry Pi)*
  • Chapter 7 (Arduino)*
  • Chapter 8 (LilyPad, Adafruit, Wearable Electronics)
  • Chapter 9 (Google Cardboard for Librarians)
  • Chapter 10 (Legos in the Library)
  • Chapter 11 (littleBits, Makey Makey, Chibitronics)
  • Chapter 12 (Computer Numerical Control in the Library with Cutting and Milling Machines)
  • Chapter 13 (Robotics in Libraries)
  • Chapter 14 (Drones in the Library)
  • Chapter 15 (Library Hackerspace Programs (includes Minecraft, )

While I cannot claim to be an expert in any of these areas (and who would?), each of these technologies provide learners with opportunities to diverse experiences.  Again, each of these chapters serves as a primer and will require deeper study. These chapters would be helped by some curated list of resources online, however, Chapter 17 provides an extensive list of social media hashtags, Facebook pages, Twitter lists, blogs & websites, listservs and mailing lists.

What we, as design thinkers, have is this creative confidence that, when given a difficult problem, we have a methodology that enables us to come up with a solution that nobody has before,” IDEO founder David Kelley as cited in Chapter 18.

My Notes – Chapter 16

  1. This chapter focuses on mobile makerspaces and was authored by Kim Martin, Mary Compton, and Ryan Hunt.
  2. A mobile makerspace is a miniature makerspace that’s built into a vehicle, usually the back of a truck or a revamped bus.
  3. Some reasons to go mobile are mentioned:
    1. People are fascinated with mobility
    2. You have a small library
    3. Your library caters to a large population of a scattered area
  4. Steps to go mobile:
    1. Gather a core team
    2. Engage your community
    3. Be financially prepared
  5. Mobile Lab examples
    1. FryskLab
    2. SparkTruck
    3. MakerMobile
    4. The MakerBus
    5. Arts & Scraps

Reflections on the Book

Library makerspaces continue to thrive, drawing new patrons in and engaging them as never before. This hands-on sourcebook edited by technology expert Kroski includes everything libraries need to know about the major topics, tools, and technologies relevant to makerspaces today. Packed with cutting edge instruction and advice from the field’s most tech-savvy innovators, this collection

  • leads librarians through how to start their own makerspace from the ground up, covering strategic planning, funding sources, starter equipment lists, space design, and safety guidelines;
  • discusses the transformative teaching and learning opportunities that makerspaces offer, with tips on how to empower and encourage a diverse maker culture within the library;
  • delves into 11 of the most essential technologies and tools most commonly found in makerspaces, ranging from 3D printers, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and wearable electronics to CNC, Legos, drones, and circuitry kits; and
  • includes an assortment of project ideas that are ready to implement.

As useful for those just entering the “what if” stage as it is for those with makerspaces already up and running, this book will help libraries engage the community in their makerspaces. (Source)

What I like best about this book is Chapter 2, which addresses the pedagogy and instructional approaches that best fit with makerspaces. The chapters focused on various technologies are worth reading as primers, but what is missing is paper approaches. For example, consider these technologies mentioned that merit further review:
  • Cardboard
  • Textiles
  • Beading
  • Repurposing existing materials
The question is, Would you buy an $85 book on setting up makerspaces in libraries? That depends, really, on whether you know anything about the topics raised above. Throughout the book, I kept hoping for projects or project recipe cards.
Still, you may find this text of help.
Some additional resources I’ve been curating:
  • Writers’ Workshop and Makerspace
  • Middle School Maker Journey: Recapping the Capstones
  • How To Stock Your Makerspace
  • Making from Scratch

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

MyNotes: Transdisciplinary Makerspace

01 Monday May 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Book, Education, Library2.0, Review

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This is the second of several blog entries in which I share my take-aways from ALA’s The Makerspace Librarian’s Sourcebook.

Find out more

My Notes – Chapter 3

  1. Transdisciplinarity is the concept that problem-solving tools exist in every discipline.
  2. Makerspace users, as teams or individually, can learn from other experts in a variety of fields and adopt problem-solving techniques to solve their unique lessons.
  3. Robust problem-solvers who can think on their feet, take risks and troubleshoot issues are sought out.
  4. Makerspaces are defined not by specific equipment but by a guiding purpose to provide people with a place to experiment, create, and learn.
  5. Setup tiered levels of engagement…
    1. users can situate themselves on a ladder of expertise.
    2. By setting up levels in an informal learning environment, users can scale up their own skills as much or as little as they prefer, depending on the nature of their projects.
    3. The higher students progress up the tiered structure, the greater their expertise will become.
    4. An example of a tiered structure:
      1. Level 1 – Introduction to technologies and small projects
      2. Level 2 – Learn to work on their own and work towards ownership of the tools and services.
      3. Level 3 – Learners identify as makers and recognize their skillsets. Engages users in self-evaluation of technical skills.
      4. Level 4 – They troubleshoot technologies with the community regularly and become known as experts in specific technologies, and they add value to the maker community.
      5. Level 5 – Become a leader in the core community, a volunteer, employee, peer trainer or ambassador. They engage in prototyping and troubleshooting, reflect critically on their projects.
      6. Level 6 – Take on responsibilities as an employee or regular volunteer. They offer workshops about what they have learned, and may turn their ideas into businesses. Users at the most advanced level will have significant expertise in one or more areas and offer workshops to others about the details of their projects. They troubleshoot efficiently.
    5. Makerspaces are places that challenge the status quo, safe places to ask questions, places to acknowledge and honor differences, places to talk about solving societal issues, places to embrace design thinking strategies, and places where users feel safe enough to tackle the questions that matter the most.

Disclaimer: This is the first of several blog entries featuring this book. ALA approached me with a copy of the book, asking me to review it. I received no payment for this review. I retain full editorial rights over my content and any quoted content is indicated. 



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

10 @TCEA Blog Entries: The Latest Idea Roundup

01 Monday May 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, TCEA, TechNotes

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Here’s the latest roundup of blog entries I’ve written for TCEA TechNotes’ blog…happy reading!

Image Source: Wikimedia

  1. Prevent Summer Slide with Technology: This blog entry allowed me to explore a conversation I had with a colleague several years ago. What fun it was to dig up that conversation and explore it in light of new technologies. One of the challenging aspects of preventing summer slide is the fact that school districts want to use tutorial, or drill-n-practice, solutions to address it. Research shows, though, that such approaches have limited impact on math and reading.
  2. Choosing an Online Payment System: One of the initiatives that I took on as a technology director was implementing an online payment system. This blog entry captures part of the success story.
  3. Slack for Better Communication: My first introduction to Slack was last year. I was amazed that I had completely missed this wonderful service. Of course, for previous years, I’d been focused on building school district communication networks using Telegram and Voxer. 
  4. Get Organized: Productivity Tips for OneNote: It’s amazing how fast OneNote is evolving and becoming the tool of choice for many.
  5. Down Memory Lane: Memoir Maps with iPads: This blog entry allowed me to explore memoirs and iPads, but more importantly, to exorcise an old unpleasant memory.
  6. Showcase Your School’s Success: Like most district administrators, I wanted to share the great things that were ongoing in schools. As a blogger, I’m always amazed at much great material we let just fade into memory. In this blog entry, I share my insights into how you can do this for your school.
  7. Transform Learning with Text to Speech: A few weeks ago, a colleague received a phone call asking about solutions for text to speech, and speech to text. I was pleased I had the opportunity to share this blog entry.
  8. When People Fail – Digital Evidence Search: As a tech director, one of the challenges we encounter is when people fail, when they use technology in inappropriate ways…and how we are forced to deal with it.
  9. Protect Your Virtual Home – Google Chrome Browser: A few of my favorite Chrome add-ons that help you manage work, beautify it with pretty pictures, and protect your privacy.
  10. No More Death by Powerpoint: A few insights from years of experience. Somehow, I thought they would be more. 🙂
Most of these blog entries address the TCEA Productivity Tools for Administrators Academy coming up later this summer, 2017. 


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

The Doer Who Learns: The Makerspace Librarians’ Handbook

30 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Book, Education, Review

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“For the things we have to learn before we can do, we learn by doing,” said Aristotle. Or, more simply, the doer who learns. As a writer in the education field, and I trace my lineage back to those first book reports in third grade, I have been learning by writing for many years. So I must admit to some concern when I saw arts (did I mention I flunked art in kinder?) and crafts see a resurgence in schools, a contra-decima to the establishment of the Common Core as Chris Aviles suggests in his article which I explored earlier.

Find out more

As I have written more about makerspaces, experienced it firsthand, I realize that we are moving quickly to the digitization of arts and craft experiences. Making things from junk, then digitizing the creation, resulting in a 3D printing that is functional, well, that moves the experience of creating down the road. Makers appear an innovation on what humans have been doing for years–hunting, gathering, and making stuff.

Disclaimer: This is the first of several blog entries featuring this book. ALA approached me with a copy of the book, asking me to review it. I received no payment for this review. I retain full editorial rights over my content and any quoted content is indicated. And, I wrote this blog entry, and will offer the book as a resource at the next makerspace I attend facilitated by my colleague, Peggy Reimers (@preimers)

The Source

In a new book published by the American Library Association (ALA), #the makerspace_librarian’s sourcebook, edited by Ellyssa Kroski, I find myself overawed again by the scope of possibility. When you consider what teachers teach, students learn, and the yawning chasm between that incomplete experience and what life offers, what the marketplace demands, this sourcebook sends a powerful message:

This hands-on sourcebook…includes everything libraries need to know about the major topics, tools, and technologies relevant to makerspaces today. [It]…delves into 11 of the most essential technologies and tools…found in makerspaces, ranging from 3D printers, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and wearable electronics to CNC, Legos, drones and circuitry kits and includes an assortment of project ideas that are ready to implement.

For the sake of variety, I decided to do a quick skim of the book to see what useful nuggets might reveal themselves, half submerged in the rapid flow of text and quotes, 400 pages long. Here are some of my take-aways of this must-have textbook for schools, teachers, librarians and administrators eager to fundamentally understanding the maker movement and implement it in their schools.

[I’ve tried to put my own remarks in square brackets to distinguish from straight quotes or excerpts from the book.]

My Notes

  1. The book is divided into multiple sections, including:
    1. Creating the Library Makerspace
    2. Makerspace Materials, Tools and Technologies
    3. Looking Ahead
  2. Creating the Library Makerspace
    1. Chapter 1 – Makers create things, ideas, and concepts (Cherie Bronkar)
      1. A typical academic makerspace would include 3D printers, programmable electronics, digital microscopes, video equipment, large format printers, and other items that add to the institution’s curriculum.
      2. A space like this gives students endless possibilities to put their education into practice.
      3. How to get started without funding:
        1. Paper crafts like origami, book art (using withdrawn books), creating apps
        2. The makerspace movement need not rely on high-priced tech.
        3. Making can be as simple as featuring a building contest with Legos or hosting something more technical like a hackathon. 
        4. Students can make and display dioramas, science projects, crafts, and jewelry along the line of friendship bracelets.
        5. Use computers and host training to help students create videos on their phones and upload them to free video editing apps, run a contest for the best Vine [or Snapchat or Instagram Story], create a school YouTube site, create funny video spoofs of a book the class has read
      4. The cost of makerspaces is explored, and include equipment lists. You’ll have to read the book to see the components, but here’s an approximate cost:
        1. Tech-focused makerspace starter kit: $3,300
        2. Bigger Budget Tech-Focused Makerspace Starter Kit: $21,000
        3. Media – Video Focused Makerspace Starter Kit – $7200
        4. Media – Sound-Focused Makerspace Starter Kit – $7500
        5. Low Budget Elem School Focused Kit – $500-$1000
        6. Dream budget-Milling/Power Equipment List – $30K-$50K
      5. [You know, as I look these lists over, there is a lot of cost-savings possible if we disregard proprietary software titles (e.g. Final Cut Pro) and use free open source tools (e.g. Shotcut).]
      6. An effective way to learn is to create training materials for users while you’re learning. [Great tip!]
      7. Usage policies and planning your makerspace are also covered
    2. Chapter 2 – Pedagogy and Prototyping in Library Makespaces
      1. This chapter was authored by Laura Costello, Meredith Powers and Dana Haugh
      2. [Some fascinating approaches and quotes included for each!]:
        1. Active Learning: 
          1. “Learning is an active process. We learn by doing. Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind.” – Dale Carnegie
          2. Active learning is the process in which students participate in activities to facilitate understanding and retention.
        2. Collaborative Learning: 
          1. “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” -Andrew Carnegie
          2. Any exploration of an idea with two or more minds involved. Individuals working in groups generally retain more information and understand a concept more fully than those working alone.
        3. Inquiry-based Learning: 
          1. “Sometimes questions are more important than answers.” -Nancy Willard
          2. Inquiry-based learning is the proces of learning by posing questions, problems, or scenarios. It provides a scaffold for student learning but allows students to explore and develop a better understanding of concepts instead of simply presenting the facts or providing a linear path to established ideas.
        4. Project-based Learning:
          1. Projects are complex, multilayered learning experiences that require students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
          2. Suggestions for PBL:
            1. Present a compelling, challenging real world problem for students.
            2. Encourage students to explore topic through extensive inquiry, research,  information application and reflection.
            3. Organize time for critiques, revisions that scaffolds peer collaboration.
            4. Empower students to share their results with each other and others.
        5. Constructionism:
          1. “For the things we have to learn before we can do, we learn by doing.” – Aristotle
          2. Inspired by constructivist theory
          3. People learn better when they are actively making things.
          4. Students are encouraged to build or create tangible objects to understand the world around them.
          5. Instead of teaching at a person, constructionism supports the idea of assisting learning through trial and error.
          6. Students test their ideas without fear of failure.
      3. Makerspaces are safe spaces where learners are encouraged to fail to test boundaries and explore creative limits in pursuit of intellectual growth and understanding.
      4. “Good novels, if we are ready for them, transform us. Good curricula should have the same effect.” -N.V. Overly & E. Spalding
      5. The ability to tinker, build, break, and create something you envisioned is an incredibly powerful lesson. To work alongside makers of all levels reinforces the idea that we are all learners and need help to succeed.
      6. Instructional approaches
        1. ADDIE framework
        2. Rapid Prototyping
        3. Backward Design
        4. Eight Learning Events: an instructional design model that describes content and context-independent, observable, specific learner activities
          1. imitate
          2. receive information
          3. exercise
          4. explore
          5. experiment
          6. create
          7. self-reflect
          8. debate
Wow, Chapter 2 does not disappoint in terms of awesome ideas and rounding up instructional approaches! I have to admit that it’s my favorite chapter so far. 


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

Doom and Gloom: Maker Learning Fad

30 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, NonProfits

≈ Leave a comment

A colleague recently shared this article, The Makerspace is Doomed, which points out without hesitation that makerspaces are doomed in their current incarnation in libraries and special rooms:

If you are unfamiliar with the Makerspace in schools, the most common type of Makerspace aims to both better expose students to STEM related fields and revive the lost art of making with one’s hands. Basically, it is Shop class 2.0. And like Shop class, the Makerspace is doomed. The Makerspace has five years left, ten if it’s lucky.

Chris Aviles, the author, points out that the Makerspace is doomed because it is a fad (well, heck, what isn’t in education except the love of a teacher for her students?) and money. Yes, makerspaces can be expensive, if not in actual budget (robots aren’t cheap), in time to gather all the inexpensive alternatives to robots. Really, what else can be dumped on librarians to do?

“An educator coaches individuals to become what is essential — to develop into human beings who are fully alive.”
Source: http://plpnetwork.com/2012/07/25/you/

Working as an educator for last zillion years, having seen many fads come and go, I like this excerpt from the article the most:

“I stopped the lectures and cut way back on the direct instruction. Instead, I got an LMS, recorded myself, and blended my classroom. I gave students choice and voice in what they learned…I tried to make learning as personal, relevant, and authentic as possible. I got cross-curricular….” 

For the author, his embrace of fads like interdisciplinary studies, blended learning, flipped learning, constructivist approach suggests that being “a maker” is already present in schools. This is just another label to describe digitizing arts and crafts, shops 2.0 as he called it.

What’s the connection to our work as educators, if any? I see synchronous instruction (F2F/Online) as lectures he describes. Recording oneself, providing choice and voice in what is learned with the opportunity to make it personal (learning content is a makerspace where learners connect experiences they value to active learning), relevant and authentic is the new trend.

Implications for edtech folks? We can accomplish this with a learning and development schedule that lessens our involvement with synchronous learning, the right technology that enables us to market asynchronous learning opportunities 24/7. This grants our students, adult learners in a global marketplace of learning, the ability to control their own destiny, to find what they want and learn however they want. We have to become extremely mobile and fluid in creating content on the go.

Makerspaces ARE a fad. But then, so is everything in education today. The question is, how do we surf the fads while providing a valuable service to those who choose (e.g. Innovators, Ealry Adopters, Early Majority or 50%) to embrace the next thing? And, how do we continue to nurture the inservice teachers (Late Majority, Laggards or 50%)?


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

AL DíA: Audio Books and Reading

25 Tuesday Apr 2017

Posted by mguhlin in AL DíA, Audiobooks, Education, Research

≈ Leave a comment

Source: Salon

For me, the most important part of the study is that the researchers focused on just listening, with no follow-along-in-the-book or other reading intervention added. The impact of purely listening to books is striking. Two notable findings are that students using Tales2go attained 58% of the annual expected gain in reading achievement in just 10 weeks, putting them three months ahead of control students. 

Plus, the study group outperformed the control group across all measures, by three times in reading comprehension, nearly seven times in second-grade vocabulary, and nearly four times in reading motivation. These increases came after students listened for twenty minutes three times per week in the afternoon program at school, and an additional two twenty-minute sessions at home.

Read more as well as review the research study

Note: This is a new type of blog entry where I share information daily about a new tidbit of research. I’m sure we all agree that learning something new daily is awesome. While I usually collect my new insights then blog about them, it’s fun to release them as they happen. Since the venerable Dr. Scott McLeod (Dangerously Irrelevant) has the “Daily Brief,” I’ve decided to call my effort (in a flattering imitation of Scott’s effort) AL DíA, which is Spanish version of “updated.”


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

In the Midst of Info-Chaos @susannaclavello

13 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, GuestBlogger, InformationLiteracy, Library2.0

≈ 1 Comment

Note about Guest Blog: Thanks to Susanna Clavello (Twitter: @susannaclavello;
Coordinator, Digital Learning for the Education Service Center, Region 20) for sharing this awesome take on helping students make sense of information chaos!


Full Title: Helping Students Navigate the Digital World in the Midst of Information Chaos


Susanna Clavello (@susannaclavello)
Today, librarians and library media specialists’ roles are more important than ever before. Let me explain why.


A research report from Adobe Education notes that, “In today’s world, a proficient employee needs to be computer literate, visually literate, information literate, media literate, and digitally literate.” Yet, a recent study from Stanford School of Education proves a shocking reality: the majority of middle school through college students are digitally illiterate. With so much emphasis on educating students to be good readers, how can we explain this disconnect?


We live in an age where instead of a traditional textbook, the world has become the curriculum and it can be easily accessed anytime. This reality has a significant impact on teaching practices, and since this shift challenges a comfortable and safe status quo, the future of many classrooms is for the most part stuck in the past.


Century after century and decade after decade, the American public school curriculum has adapted to meet the needs of a constantly evolving society. The Information Age began in the late 20th Century with the birth of the internet, putting new demands for a new skillset among graduates. Today, shifts in the global economy plus the increasing sophistication of technology and the shift from Web 1.0 to 2.0, then 3.0 and 4.0 have opened doors to the Conceptual Age. This very fast change has put strains in an education system that has been slow to adapt. In their book Teacher as Architect, Smith, Chavez and Seaman conclude that this inevitable change “…will require an upgrade to our curriculum, new instructional methods and materials, a new profile of a global graduate, and an open mind.”


The definition of literacy has changed in the Conceptual Age. Traditionally, literacy has been defined as the combination of reading, writing, speaking and listening -a skillset that is taught throughout the curriculum and across grade levels, and that state requirements and accountability measures put much emphasis on. Yet, these skills do not transfer from print to online format. Teaching reading using digital content requires a shift in thinking about what we call literacy as well as a change in pedagogy.


Digital literacy -which many equate to media literacy, web literacy, information fluency, information literacy, or transliteracy- is constantly evolving as technology continues to change and the demands of society continue to increase.


The digital world is where students spend a great deal of time looking up and sharing information, creating content, and interacting with others. Educators must understand the impact of this media on students’ identity and behavior, and help them become literate in the chaotic and confusing web of information. In his Myths and Opportunities: Technology in the Classroom video, Alan November reminds us that one of the myths about technology in education is that the web provides diverse ideas from around the world resulting in a generally better educated society, when in reality, this can only be accomplished when users know how to validate and interpret information in order to make informed decisions.


If you are curious about how digitally literate your students are, try one of these experiments. Take your elementary students to TheDogIsland.com and practice main idea and details, context clues, cause and effect, and other reading comprehension skills. Then ask them, Would you take your dog to Dog Island? Why or why not? Observe their reasoning and the conclusions they draw. How many of them realize that the information is completely false? And if they do, how can they tell?


If you work with secondary students, ask when is it best to search for information using Google, Wolfram Alpha, Wayback Machine, subscription-based digital collections, or Twitter. Chances are, this may be confusing. Students may not realize that the quality, credibility, audience, and purpose of the information may vary drastically in each of these sources.


Digital literacy is not defined as the knowledge of using technology tools and applications; it is a combination of competencies and skills that are constantly evolving. According to Dr. Renee Hobbs, University of Rhode Island professor and founder of the Media Education Lab, “digital and media literacy closes the gap between the classroom and the culture because it capitalizes on the idea of making information relevant. Relevance ignites intellectual curiosity, and intellectual curiosity fuels lifelong learning.”


On the other hand, educational researcher Doug Belshaw discusses eight essential elements of digital literacy in his TEDx talk: cognitive, constructive, communicative, civic, critical, creative, confident, and cultural – which add another layer of complexity and depth to the modern definition of literacy. Belshaw concludes, “Digital literacies allow ideas to be amplified, to spread quickly, to be remixed.”


Just like reading online is different from reading on paper, so is writing. When students get ready to write online, there should be a prior conversation on what to write, where to publish it, for what purpose, for whose benefit, and how to use good judgment to engage in civil dialogue, should it become necessary.


Current state standards fall short of deepening student understanding of the intricacies of the digital world. Research projects using digital resources are often planned at the end of the school year -once standardized testing is over- and new literacy skills are often covered superficially. In addition, teacher preparation and professional development opportunities very rarely include digital literacy.


Current data from surveys nationwide indicate that 72% of teachers never ask their students to use online tools like Twitter or news feeds to acquire information, and 60% of teachers never or rarely ask their students to conduct research projects using digital resources (BrightBytes, January 2017). Why does this matter? Professor Renee Hobbs says that, “To take advantage of online educational opportunities, people need to have a good understanding of how knowledge is constructed, and how it represents reality and articulates one point of view” (Hobbs, 2010). More than one point of view is needed to draw conclusions and make informed decisions.


The ISTE standards for students 2016 cover digital literacy, and can guide educators in weaving new literacies across the curriculum fabric. State technology standards, on the other hand, may not reflect the most current digital literacy competencies and skills. Consequently, we must create opportunities for students -and adults alike- to be prepared to meet the demands of a constantly changing society, distinguish facts from alternative news, and engage in civil discourse.


As Alan November mentions to in his Mission Critical: How Educators Can Help Save Democracy article (December 2016), conditions that keep schools from teaching digital literacy include:
  • Teaching that often focuses on what is tested, and does not foster enough intellectual inquiry or academic exploration;
  • The omission of digital literacy in the core curriculum and standardized assessments;
  • Restrictive web filters that block teachable moments and give a false sense of security instead of promoting digital citizenship and critical thinking;
  • Limited knowledge of search strategies and how to validate online information;
  • Research skills that are taught superficially, late in the school year, in secondary grades only, or as a one-time introduction at the library.


The following are additional contributing factors:
  • Schools requiring teachers to follow a scripted curriculum versus allowing them to be creative and responsive to their students’ interests and cultural backgrounds;
  • The use of digital devices for supplemental programs or remedial courses, thus limiting access to tools for inquiry and creative work;
  • The misunderstanding that research equates to looking up information, with no analysis or synthesis involved in the process;
  • A perception that technology-related activities are separate from core instruction and therefore non-essential;
  • The fear that technology will eventually replace classroom teachers;
  • Teaching practices that are no longer current and do not harness the power of digital tools. In other words, why ask questions that students can google?  
  • A lack of certified library media specialists at each campus; and
  • A lack of awareness of the implications of digital illiteracy.


So what can schools do to ensure that students are good navigators of the digital world? A lot, actually. Here are some considerations:
  • Identify opportunities to use technology beyond the stage of consumption or substitution of traditional schoolwork, and redesign instruction to allow for student collaboration and creation of content;
  • Equip students with the necessary skills to validate information online and make informed decisions;
  • Allow students to be curious and question the validity of information they are exposed to, challenge assumptions and engage in high levels of inquiry and civil discourse;  
  • Provide opportunities for students to apply complex thinking to identify and create solutions to predictable and unpredictable problems in their community and beyond;
  • Empower students to think about their own thinking, and tap into their personal interests and passions;
  • Allow students to take control of their own learning;
  • Expose students to different social media channels, identify look fors, and develop a deeper understanding of how information is constructed and shared;
  • Implement a digital citizenship program with fidelity and establish a culture of safe, ethical and responsible use of technology;
  • Provide access to a quality collection of subscription-based digital resources that are reliable and trustworthy, and promote their use;
  • Involve school librarians and library media specialists throughout the process.


Why are school librarians and library media specialists so critical in this mission? For once, librarians are experienced classroom teachers with a Master’s degree in library and information science, and certification. They are the information experts on campus for both digital and print materials. They are also computer literate.


Librarians support teachers in helping students build literacy skills -including digital literacy- by teaching students to distinguish legitimate sources from untrustworthy ones, make sense of the information they are exposed to and put it into the right context, so they can make informed, responsible decisions. The library is the largest classroom on campus -a place where curiosity leads to discovery. Librarians provide resources and strategies to promote and implement innovative learning opportunities for students. In addition, they partner with teachers “to design and implement curricula and assessments that integrate elements of deeper learning, critical thinking, information literacy, digital citizenship, creativity, innovation and the active use of technology.” (see futureready.org).


Some of the most exemplary lessons I have observed are the ones co-designed by teams of teachers, librarians and instructional technologists. Some of the best student projects I have seen were supported by a great school librarian.


Schools have the responsibility to teach students and educators alike how to navigate today’s messy and chaotic digital world responsibly and with confidence. We invite you to be open minded about the ideas listed above, remove any barriers or limiting thoughts, and envision the benefits of a digitally literate community at your school. And if it ever feels too overwhelming, remember Martin Luther King Jr.’s words: “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”


Susanna Clavello serves as the Coordinator of Digital Age Learning at Education Service Center, Region 20. She is also an IPEC certified professional coach and Energy Leadership Master Practitioner.

@SusannaClavello


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

My 2017 Favorite Windows 10 Apps/Programs #MIEExpert

13 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, TechTips, Windows

≈ Leave a comment

It’s been ages since I’ve put together a list of all my favorite Windows apps. So, here goes with an update! What would you add to this list? 


Here are the questions this blog entry answers:

  1. How do I update to the latest version of Windows 10?
  2. How do I protect/secure my Windows 10 Computer?
  3. How do I encrypt my data so hackers can’t get to it?
  4. How do I secure my WiFi Connection from Hackers and Surveillance?
  5. How do I capture/edit images?
  6. How do I work with sound and video?
  7. How do I quickly add or find free software?
  8. How do I remotely control my Windows computers?
  9. How do I read ebooks on Windows 10?

And, if you are looking for Microsoft apps for your surface book/table or, maybe just great Win10 programs, you can click those links to find TONS of info.



1. How do I update to the latest version of Windows 10?

  • Use the Microsoft Update Assistant to start the process of updating your Windows 10 computer. I recently updated to Windows 10 Creator’s Update and so far, so good!

2. How do I protect/secure my Windows 10 Computer?
  • Keep your Windows computer up to date, using Windows Update and Patch My PC
  • Eliminate 90% of security issues by not running your user account in administrator mode
  • Anti-Malware
    • Malware Bytes* – Great to use when you think your computer has been infected with malware/spyware and you need your computer “cleaned out.”
    • AntiRansomware – Although still in beta, Malware Bytes’ solution to ransomware offers real-time protection against ransomware, catching it before it can encrypt your files.
    • Spyware Blaster*– An easy to use “inoculation” program against spyware/malware.
    • Spybot Search and Destroy* – The best part of Spybot is the TeaTimer which protects your computer’s registry against contamination and immunizes your browsers (IE, Firefox) against malware.
  • AntiVirus
    • BitDefender Free – This free for home use antivirus works great and does not drive you crazy with advertisements.
    • Sophos Home Antivirus – This is another protection free for home use.
  • Run Windows in Virtual Mode
    • VMWare Player – Free for personal, home use
    • VirtualBox – Not as good as VMWare Player (in my opinion) but still does the job
3. How do I encrypt my data so hackers can’t get to it?

File/Folder Encryption?

  • Mac/Windows/Linux computer? 
    • Get the cross-platform version of ParanoiaWorks’ Secret Space Encryptor (SSE).
  • Chromebook or use Google Chrome? 
    • Try Minilock for individual file encryption
  • Android device? 
    • Get ParanoiaWorks’ Secret Space Encryptor (SSE) for Android from Google Play store.

Text/Email Encryption?

    • iOS/iPhone/iPad device?
      • Get Paranoia Text Encryptor (PTE)
    • Any device?
      • Text Encryption (save then open in your web browser)

You may also want to get a copy of File Shredder for Windows to securely delete information from your Windows computer.


4. How do I secure my WiFi Connection from Hackers and Surveillance?

Not sure this is necessary? It is and increasingly so. Be sure to take this information to heart.

“Virtual Private Networks provide an important element of privacy protection for users,” Electronic Frontiers Association says. . .VPNs [are] one of the most effective tools for protecting privacy when using the Internet, due to the degree of anonymity they provide when accessing online services.

Free VPNs for Your Browser

    1. Opera browser has a built-in VPN that works well
    2. DotVPN Chrome add-on works with your Chrome browser

VPNs that Protect All Internet Traffic from Your Windows Computer

    1. Private Internet Access (PIA) (approx <$40 annually or $6.95 per month)
    2. Express VPN
    3. NordVPN

Mobile VPN for Android and/or iOS

    1. All VPNs above have mobile versions
    2. OperaVPN (not to be confused with Opera browser) works great

5. How do I capture/edit images?
  • Screenshot Tools: PicPick or Greenshot
  • Paint.net (Free) – A simple paint program, but you can do some simple photo/image editing in it. Windows only.
  • PaintBrush (Free) – A simple paint program, like Paint for Windows. Mac only.
  • Pixlr.com (Free) – Provides an express editing, as well as a more detailed app you can work with! Also available as iOS app.
  • Fotor Photo Editor Online (Free) – A great app to use for photo editing that works via your browser, Android or iOS device.
  • IrfanView (Free) – A simple editor that allows you to resize images. Windows only.
  • The Graphics Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) (Free) – A cross platform “Photoshop” like tool. Can be complicated for newbies.
  • ON1 Effects 10 Free for Mac and Windows (Free)
  • Blink Cliplets
6. How do I work with sound and video?
Audio
    1. Audacity (Free)
    2. Beautiful Audio Editor on Chrome browser) (Free)
    3. Microsoft Sway for narrated images or podcasts
    4. VLC Media Player (audio & video)
    5. Convert YouTube Music Videos to MP3 Audio Files with ATube Catcher
Video
    1. Shotcut (Free)
    2. Powerpoint+Office Mix
    3. Screencastify and other tools
    4. Get this codec pack – XP Codec Pack
    5. Video Conversion Tools? AnyVideo Converter or

7. How do I quickly add or find free software?

  • Ninite.com: Install and Update All Your Programs at Once. Scroll down to see all the available apps. Get my favorite Ninite picks!
  • Open Source Windows
  • Compression Software (e.g. zip): 7-zip or PeaZIP
  • File Copying/Moving or Management: TeraCopy and FreeCommander
  • Text Editors: Notepad++, ConText
  • Free Adobe Alternatives (Note: Descriptions come from the linked article from TechRadar)
    • Scribus: Create great-looking, print-ready posters, newsletters and magazines
    • GIMP: Refine your photos or create your own artwork from scratch, with support for Photoshop plugins
    • LightZone: A digital darkroom for converting, editing and managing photos in batches or individually
    • Inkscape: A versatile open source vector editor that’s ideal for hobbyist illustrators and web designers
    • Unsplash: Professional-quality stock photos in the public domain – totally free to download and use

8. How do I remotely control my Windows computer?
Wish you could remotely control a computer from work or home? Perhaps you need to have an online meeting? Try one of these solutions.
  • Join.me (Free with Paid Option)
  • AeroAdmin (Free)
  • TeamViewer (Free with Paid Options)
9. How do I read ebooks on Windows 10?
  • FBReader
  • Freda
  • Amazon Kindle

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

Shifting the Conversation: Basic Tech Skills #MIEexpert @microsoftedu

13 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, TCEA, TechNotes

≈ Leave a comment

Read this blog entry…one of my favorites!

“Do you by chance know of a good basic list of tech skills that every teacher should know? If so, do you have a formal assessment for this?” asked a TCEA member recently of a colleague. “We’re a Microsoft district,” the member added. In this blog post, we’ll explore a list of expectations for teachers. We’ll also discuss some suggestions for formal assessments.


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
“Do you by chance know of a good basic list of tech skills that every teacher should know? If so, do you have a formal assessment for this?” asked a TCEA member recently of a colleague. “We’re a Microsoft district,” the member added. In this blog post, we’ll explore a list of expectations for teachers. We’ll also discuss some suggestions for formal assessments.

Shifting the Conversation

When asked what my list of basic technology skills are, I head over to Google, er, I mean, Bing, and do a quick search. There are a million lists of basic tech skills. The real question isn’t “What are the basic tech skills teachers need to have?” but rather: “How do you fundamentally expect them to shift teaching and learning for themselves, each other, and their students?” That question is more fun. One simple way to shift the conversation involves asking yourself “How do students in classrooms today learn best?” For example, take a look at this chart about Generation Z students:

shifting

Source: Adobe Education Report

Teachers working with Generation Z have some changes to make in their classrooms. You can break the expectations down in simple ways:

  1. Using digital media (videos/podcasts)
  2. Learning through hands-on experiences
  3. Developing team-building skills
  4. Solving real-world problems

How do these changing expectations impact basic technology skills that all teachers need?

Basic Tech Skills: A List

In the space below, you will find items relevant to the four expectations of teachers today expressed above:

  1. Using digital media (video/podcasts)
    1. Create folders to organize content.
    2. Organize files into folders, copying files from one folder to another.
    3. Work with filenames and extensions.
    4. Record screencasts with Powerpoint and Office Mix.
    5. Record a podcast with MS Sway online.
    6. Capture and share a whiteboard recording (audio+annotation) with Microsoft Snip.
    7. Record and edit audio clips using programs like Audacity (free).
    8. Record and edit video using programs like Shotcut (free).
  2. Learning through hands-on experiences
    1. Model and support the use of digital ink for learning enhancement.
    2. Create models for 3D printing using tools like SketchUp Pro/My.SketchUp (free for Texas schools via TCEA), Tinkercad, and Microsoft Paint 3D.
    3. Make and take in classroom-based maker spaces that incorporate coding (e.g. Creative Coding through Games and Apps (CCGA), TickleApp (view compatible drones) and DroneBlocks (view compatible drones), each of which works with different drones. This type of programming can be introduced to students using MIT’s Scratch and Scratch, Jr.
  3. Developing team-building skills
    1. Rely on GPS-enabled devices for geo-caching activities as a team or create activities for others.
    2. Have students form teams and then make a social justice video using their devices. Then publish the videos online using YouTube.
    3. Engage students in problem-based learning scenarios that require them to collaborate and communicate to solve a problem. Deepen the difficulty by separating them into different rooms (or work with another classroom) and work at a distance using an instant messaging/video technology of choice (e.g. Skype).
    4. Students can also construct virtual representations of learning tasks in virtual spaces (e.g. Minecraft: Education Edition).
  4. Solving real-world problems
    1. Adopt BreakOut EDU methods for use in the classroom.
    2. Encourage students to use Office 365 (e.g. Microsoft Office Suite) to engage in real-world data analysis to solve problems.
    3. Create problem-based scenarios using Powerpoint and Office Mix with built-in assessment.
    4. Enter students in the 3D Design Contest offered each spring by TCEA where they must solve an authentic problem using the design engineering process.

Bringing It All Together

If you’re working on developing teacher skills aligned to student learning needs, then here are three more tips to keep in mind:

  • Engage with Problems: Engage learners in the authentic purpose of solving a problem (problem-based learning/inquiry-based learning).
  • Encourage Collaboration and Implementation: Encourage and support adult learners as they collaborate on projects–sharing their own life experiences–focused on the creation of tangible product(s) with modeling and safe implementation opportunities.
  • Amplify Learners’ Voices with Tech: Amplify human voices with technology as they gather stories and share them (blogging, podcasts, video, media collections).

Conclusion

With these, any professional learning you invite educators to can be enhanced to achieve much of what they need to better meet learners’ needs. Be sure to visit the Microsoft Education Community for access to free professional learning that includes micro credentials (e.g. badges) that teachers can earn and share. And, of course, remember that TCEA Microsoft Innovative Education (TCEAMIE) Master Trainer Miguel Guhlin (@mguhlin; mguhlin@tcea.org; 800-282-8232) is available to work with your campus or district to help develop skills with your staff.  

3 Benefits to Free Tech Curriculum

08 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by mguhlin in BYOT, Education

≈ Leave a comment

“What’s the biggest problem we face in achieving success on the 8th grade technology applications TEKS?” asked a district instructional technology specialist. That is a question that many of my education colleagues have been hoping to see answered in their lifetime. And the answer is: free technology curriculum!

Read the rest of this blog entry online at TCEA TechNotes blog.
“What’s the biggest problem we face in achieving success on the 8th grade technology applications TEKS?” asked a district instructional technology specialist. That is a question that many of my education colleagues have been hoping to see answered in their lifetime. And the answer is: free technology curriculum! While several curriculum providers have an online curriculum (Learning.com provides one excellent example), few are available at no charge to school districts. That is, until recently. Google has announced a free technology curriculum for grades 7-12. Let’s review some of its benefits.

Benefit #1 – Video-based Curriculum

The new G Suite curriculum comes complete with instructional videos and creative projects. This will be a boon to educators who seek to prepare students for the world of work. Of course, there is a focus on Google Suites for EducationScreenshot 2017-03-21 at 12.44.08 PM tools. Some of the creative projects include If/Then Adventures, which are reminiscent of the Choose Your Own Adventure print stories many of us grew up seeing on bookshelves. The If/Then Adventures video provides great examples that highlight coding connections. They also emphasize real-life connections to apps many of us may be familiar with, such as the Waze directions app. While watching the video, students can receive prompts known as “CS Alerts” that offer status updates and advise them what to do next or what is upcoming.

Benefit #2 – Earn Badges for Rich Learning Activities in G Suite

G SuiteRelying on activities that feature communication, collaboration, and research, students are able to work on projects and create together. This collaboration provides rich opportunities for joint and independent communication and research. What’s more, students are able to earn badges for activities they engage in.

Benefit #3 – Real-World Applications

A third benefit of the many available resources includes real-world application. Scaffolds are put in place to enable students to “express ideas, collaborate with others, analyze and solve problems, and create.”

Conclusion

Take a look at the free Google Suites for Education curriculum for secondary students. How would you incorporate this to enhance teaching and learning in your classroom? Even if you aren’t a technology applications teacher, you can take advantage of these resources.  


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

Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation, Part 4

08 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by mguhlin in BYOT, Education

≈ Leave a comment

Note: This blog post is part of a continuing series, Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation.  Be sure to read other blog entries relevant to BYOD.
Read the rest online

Note: This blog post is part of a continuing series, Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation.  Be sure to read other blog entries relevant to BYOD.

“We have spent three years in professionally developing teachers,” shares Dr. Joy Rosseau from Arp ISD, “on how to manage, deliver, create, implement, and appropriately select digital content, resources, and third party services to build on their TEKS and student needs.” Given BYOT in many school districts, helping teachers learn to deepen their blended learning expertise has become a priority for schools. A casual search reveals several Texas districts are already engaged in BYOT/BYOD implementations, such as Lewisville, Northwest, Abilene, Richardson, Fredericksburg, Judson, Lumberton, Allen, Elkhart, Nederland, and Harlingen ISD.

Vocabulary Term: “Blended learning” is an instructional approach that includes a combination of online and face-to-face learning activities.

Dr. Joy also shares this advice:

  • Teachers should first have access to or have created digital content before students need to bring their own device.
  • Teachers should work together, building expertise that caters to their students’ needs.
  • Teacher lesson plans should reflect that they are at least working at LoTI Level 3 (and preferably Level 4b – comfortable with digital online resources).

Dr. Joy hits upon key ideas essential to the adoption of BYOT-friendly instructional methods. Let’s summarize them below:

Key Idea #1 – Create Digital Content

There are an array of technologies usable for creating content. Here are a few:

  • Screencasting tools (e.g. Screencast-o-Matic , Screencastify , Nimbus Screencapture/Screenrecording, Office Mix) make it easy to capture videos of your screen. Screencasting is also a great way to to provide feedback for digital authors, whether from teacher to student or student to student.
  • Video reflection tools, great for assessment as well as content creation, include: Flipgrid.com , Recap, Vialogues, and VideoNot.es. Find out more about these.
  • Interactive assessments with EdPuzzle and Educannon. These last two allow you to use only what you need from any video, insert audio notes, or record over a video with your voice. You can add questions at any point in the video and track your students’ understanding.

Key Idea #2 – Increase Teacher Collaboration

byot
Source: Adapted from the work of Dr. Dawn Wilson and Dr. Katie Alaniz

As research shows, here are some of the requirements for professional development that works:

  • Supportive of teacher collaboration via coaching and mentoring
  • Job-embedded and specific to academic content
  • Ongoing, sustained, intensive (40+ hours), and includes technology
  • Focused on implementation in the classroom
  • Strong assessment component for both teacher and student
  • Supports reflection about strategies and implementation
  • Creates a culture of continuous professional learning

These make it imperative that teachers be supported in their implementation of BYOT instructional methods. “One and done” workshops or webinars are insufficient.

Key Idea #3 – Blend Technology into Pedagogy in a Routine, Learner-Centric Manner

Dr. Joy Rosseau highlights Dr. Chris Moersch‘s Levels of Teaching Innovation (LoTi) levels 3 and above. Consider, however,  Levels 4 through 6:

  • At a Level 4, students are fully engaged in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. The teacher is within his/her comfort level with promoting an inquiry-based model of teaching that involves students applying their learning to the real world. Student use of digital tools and resources enables them to answer student-generated questions that dictate the content, process, and products embedded in the learning experience.
  • At Levels 5-6, collaborations extending beyond the classroom are employed for authentic student problem solving and issues resolution. The emphasis is placed on learner-centered strategies that promote personal goal setting and self-monitoring, student action, and collaborations with other diverse groups (e.g., another school, different cultures, business establishments, governmental agencies, etc.).

Conclusion

Some might suggest that while BYOT environments enjoy Level 6 technology access, they are actually at a much lower level of teacher and student use of technology in support of academic learning. It’s not the technology that lags behind, but rather the professional learning that focuses on inquiry-based models and how digital tools and resources can enhance learning. Focus on inquiry-based learning and leverage technology for cooperative learning and problem solving at a distance.  


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

Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation, Part 3

08 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by mguhlin in BYOT, Education

≈ Leave a comment

Note: This is the third in a continuing series, Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation.  Be sure to read other blog entries relevant to BYOD.
Read the rest online.

Note: This is the third in a continuing series, Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation.  Be sure to read other blog entries relevant to BYOD.

“Sixty-seven percent of parents are willing to buy their children a mobile device for educational purposes,” according to Pew Research Data. This shift towards BYOT in schools reflects the reality of the following facts:

  • 90 percent of students (and 70 percent of students under age twelve who have/use them) say mobile devices enable more effective studying.
  • 77 percent of parents agree that tablets help children’s learning and creativity.

While you can find excellent information on Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) in many places, please consider these implementation tips from TCEA and our members:

Tip #1 – Clarify Expectations

Have you set policy and procedure that provide for the responsible use of BYOT?  These two items enable the district to set clear boundaries that empower those involved in the educational process to be successful. Consider these additional points:

  1. Invite a stakeholder committee to develop the Responsible Use Policy (RUP). A  common effort, rather than a unilateral attempt by any one group, remains the best approach, no matter your district’s size.
  2. Implement a restorative justice approach to student and staff infractions. This approach addresses inappropriate actions/behavior taken by students in a different way than punishment and digital banishment. Restorative justice advocates in schools bring people to discuss harm caused to others, fostering an inclusive conversation on how to best bring about resolution.
  3. Determine who pays for theft, loss, or damage of student-owned and/or teacher-owned devices. Anticipate questions such as “Where will BYOT devices be stored during breaks, lunch, and physical education class?”
  4. Decide up front who will pay for student devices as BYOT takes off. Will it be handled like a band instrument owned by the school and checked out to the student? This is a conversation that should be had in advance of a BYOT implementation with as many key stakeholders as possible.
  5. Expect all to register their BYOT devices, along with serial numbers, to facilitate statistics and tracking. This can help school administration get a picture of what devices are in use.

The BYOT adoption process works best when it engages stakeholders. Meet with them up front, or plan to do so under less than ideal circumstances later.

Tip #2 – Ready Your Technology

Making the decision to go BYOT is only one of the steps on the journey. Readying your technology infrastructure remains a critical “pre-first step.”

  1. Allocate sufficient wireless access points, as well as electrical power, in meeting and learning spaces in proportion to three devices for every one learner, where learner includes adults and students that may fill a space.
  2. Ensure your campus/district has multiple service set identifiers (SSIDs) to allow devices to connect to the appropriate network from a single access point. This includes networks that allow for 1) private, secure information sharing and 2) public access to district resources.
  3. Avoid over-spending on security protocols (e.g. Identity Services Engine). Ease into your BYOT implementation with the minimum amount of security needed, with a plan to add more over time. This can save money up front while helping you gain greater insight into the types of users you have.
  4. Implement a content filtering and bandwidth throttling solution for your network. CIPA-compliant filtering and managing bandwidth remain top priorities.
  5. Communicate what technology support will be available for student-owned devices. This can range from malware/antivirus software “licensed for home” use to getting students devices connected so they can print as appropriate.

What other technology readiness steps would you take? Thinking ahead in the technology readiness area can ensure success and eliminate frustration for end-users. And, finally, the most important of all:

Tip #3 – Scaffold Blended Learning

byot

Get PDF version

byot

Get PDF version

Supporting all learners with blended learning, a mix of online and face-to-face learning activities, enhances learning.

  1. Take advantage of one of the many virtual classroom environments. Whether it’s Microsoft/Google Classroom  or one of the many other choices available, decide what you’re going to use as a campus/district. Involve key stakeholders to ensure everyone gets their two cents in.
  2. Connect teachers to professional learning network/community to facilitate collaborative planning and deployment of initiatives. Whatever social network you choose, make sure it works on mobile. Find authentic ways for adult learners to connect.
  3. Support teachers in creating engaging, inquiry-based learning opportunities. Embrace problem-based learning or project-based learning to create engagement opportunities.
  4. Model for teachers how technology can be used to amplify learners’ voices and make thinking visible.  Podcasts/vidcasts/blogs make it easy to amplify student learning.
  5. Facilitate professional learning that is ongoing, job-embedded, facilitates teacher collaboration, and scaffolds implementation of technology-enhanced instructional strategies in the classroom.

Conclusion

Going mobile with learning remains one of the big challenges schools face today. Make every effort to seize learning, whenever and wherever it may be possible, with whatever device is available to teach and learn.  


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

Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation, Part 2

08 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by mguhlin in BYOT, Education

≈ Leave a comment

Note: This is the second in a continuing series, Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation.  Be sure to read other blog entries relevant to BYOD.

Read the rest online
Note: This is the second in a continuing series, Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation.  Be sure to read other blog entries relevant to BYOD. “Mobile learning is all about changing instruction. Because if the instruction doesn’t change, allowing the kids to bring their own device will do nothing,” shared Lenny Schad, Katy ISD Chief Technology Officer. Another approach, once you’ve explored BYOT from various stakeholder roles, is to review the checklist below and ask, How am I going to get there from here? Make this as specific as you can for YOUR role on campus.

Seven Question BYOT Checklist

Item Question to Ponder Taking Action
1. Have you defined and aligned the goals for the BYOT program to the Campus Improvement Plan and district mission? Tip: Connect BYOT use to differentiated instruction, the district’s mission, and specific instructional strategies in your CIP.
2. Have you outlined expectations for teachers and students about using Google Suites for Education (e.g. Classroom) or Microsoft Classroom to create online, virtual classrooms? Tip: Encourage teachers to spend some classroom time answering questions from students on specifically how they will use the technologies in class.
3. Have you decided what to do when students and/or staff bring too many devices that slow down the network (one BYOT device per person is recommended)? Tip: Let students know they can only connect one wireless device to the network and why.
4. How will teachers be supported on campus–not just through district professional development–to transform classroom learning activities from being paper focused to electronic to eliminate the need for printing (for example, students can’t print from BYOT devices)? Tip: Use the Classroom Learning Activity Rubric.
5. How will you share BYOT program goals, define expectations, show students what they can do with the device, help students connect to the wireless network, and address concerns from stakeholders? Tip: Encourage teachers to attend online webinars they can participate in from their classroom or home; have frequent parent communications; share with staff what is appropriate to say about BYOT. Instead of, “Why isn’t this working?” encourage them to say “We’re working together to learn how to best take advantage of BYOT in the classroom.”
6. How will campus leaders and teachers respond to questions of equity (e.g. I can’t afford to buy my child a device)? Tip: Share that the campus has devices available for students who can’t or don’t want to bring their own school. The more BYOT is practiced, the more school devices are available for those with the greatest need.
7. How should I answer questions from staff/students/parents about which devices to use? Tip: Refer to the BYOT Mobile Device Chart online at the bottom of this blog entry.

  As you have seen, the focus of these crucial conversations involves flushing out tough questions in advance, clearly laying out answers to anticipated questions so that all stakeholders know what’s up, and constantly asking “What questions am I not asking that will enhance instruction now that we have these devices available?”

BYOT Mobile Device Chart

Wondering which mobile device does what and how it can be useful for teaching and learning? This chart attempts to map out that information. While it would be impossible to map out ALL devices, this chart does select some of the more popular, affordable mobile devices and their potential uses in the classroom. Please note that mention of a device in this chart does not constitute a product endorsement; these are offered for informational and/or reference purposes only. All data is subject to change. The 5-star rating is as follows:

  • 5 star = BYOT Exceptional – mobile creativity, storage, and sharing device (e.g. WiFi iPad/Nexus allows for Google Drive/MS OneDrive, cloud storage options, video/image editing and creation, GoogleDocs/Office 365 accessibility, etc.)
  • 4 star = Great – allows for wide range of creative apps (e.g. pictures, short video clips, texting) and wireless sharing (WiFi) only limited by account options and apps. Devices include iPod Touch, iPhone, laptops, netbooks)
  • 3 star = Fair – allows for some use (e.g. allows for research via Internet, pictures, video). WiFi access
  • 2 star = Acceptable – usable for specific purposes (content consumption) only (e.g. eReader without Internet or apps) and WiFi
  • 1 star = Limited – Not appropriate for BYOT classroom use (e.g. may lack WiFi support, difficult to get media on or off device, gaming options).

Note: Here is the Mobile Device Chart in MS Word or PDF version for modification and/or printing.

Device

Features

Rating

Netbooks/Laptops

Windows/Mac Laptop approx >= $230. Find out more at your local retail or computer store
  • WiFi access
  • Local hard drive storage and Google Drive/ MS OneDrive Access
  • Various creativity programs including Office suites
  • Requires anti-virus/anti-malware
  • Built-in webcam
  • Web browsing
*****
Google Chromebook approx >= $249
  • WiFi access
  • Local hard drive (small) storage and Google Drive/ MS OneDrive Access
  • Various creativity programs including Office suites
  • Built-in webcam
  • Web browsing
*****

Tablets

Microsoft Surface Pro 3-5
  • WiFi access
  • Local hard drive storage and Google Drive/ MS OneDrive Access
  • Various creativity programs including Office suites
  • Requires anti-virus/anti-malware
  • Built-in webcam
  • Web browsing
*****
Apple iPad approx >= $330 minimum
  • iTunes App Store
  • WiFi access
  • Google Drive/ MS OneDrive Access
  • Wide variety of creativity apps, including Office apps
  • Video/Still image camera(s)
  • Email/Social media
  • Web browsing
  • Bluetooth compatibility for external keyboard
*****
Android Tablets (>=$200) Examples:

  • Google Nexus 7
  • Kindle Fire Series
  • Nook HD Series
  • Android tablet with access to Google Play apps
  • Google Drive Access
  • Office apps
  • Video/Still image camera
  • Email/Social media
  • Web browsing
  • Bluetooth compatibility for external keyboard
  • eBooks via Barnes and Noble and Amazon
  • Handheld (7inch)
*****
Apple iPod Touch(>=$200)
  • WiFi
  • iTunes App Store
  • Google Drive Access
  • Office apps
  • Video/Still image camera
  • Email/Social media
  • Web browsing
  • eBooks via Barnes and Noble and Amazon
  • Handheld (4.3 in x 2.4 in)
**

SmartPhones

Apple iPhone
  • WiFi
  • iTunes App Store
  • Google Drive Access
  • Office apps
  • Video/Still image camera
  • Email/Social media
  • Web browsing
  • eBooks via Barnes and Noble and Amazon
  • Handheld (4.3 in x 2.4 in)
****
Android Phone
  • WiFi
  • Google Play Store
  • Google Drive Access
  • Office apps
  • Video/Still image camera, depending on model
  • Email/Social media
  • Web browsing
  • eBooks via Barnes and Noble and Amazon
  • Handheld
****

eBook Readers

Barnes and Noble Nook (Samsung tablet) approx >= $99
  • WiFi
  • No creation or sharing features
  • Touch screen
  • MP3 player
  • eBook formats supported: PDF, EPUB, eReader, PDB, JPG, GIF, PNG
**
Kindle Fire approx >= $69
  • WiFi
  • No creation or sharing features
  • Touch screen
  • MP3 player
  • eBook formats supported: Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively
**

Other Devices

Nintendo DSi approx >= $100
  • WiFi
  • Photo/Video
  • Touch screen with stylus
  • Not appropriate for BYOT
*
Gaming consoles
  • Not appropriate for BYOT
*

 

References

Walker, Michael. (3/12/12). 6 Steps for Increasing Student Access with BYOD  


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

Strategizing Your BYOT Implementation, Part 1

08 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by mguhlin in BYOT, Education

≈ Leave a comment

 
Read this blog entry in its entirety online at TCEA TechNotes’ Blog.
Have you stopped, taken a breath, and thought about what BYOT means for YOU and your teachers, students, and parents? That’s a question that is screaming its way into the rarified atmosphere of public schools, like a cataclysmic meteor smashing tidy learning and technology plans. Still, many schools are now coming to terms, one way or another, with bring your own technology (BYOT). Bring your own technology intrigues many and frightens others. As a result of that fear and concern, campus leadership teams are compelled to craft a strategy to implement BYOT successfully.

Planning Ahead

This two-part article offers two approaches you can use as part of a strategy session for campus leaders:

      1. BYOT Scenario: In this problem-based learning scenario, explore BYOT issues from your particular role. You will develop a solution in a face-to-face session.
      2. Seven Question Checklist: You will use this checklist to self reflect as a group as to whether you have addressed some key ideas. Links are provided to help you access appropriate resources.

Before exploring these two approaches, consider the inevitability of BYOT in schools.

The Inevitability of BYOT

“BYOT- it happens no matter what; it’s only called BYOT,” shares ed tech specialist Josh Davis, “when your curriculum takes advantage of it.”

Some statistics to keep in mind:

  1. Young adults tend to have higher-than-average levels of smartphone ownership regardless of income or educational attainment. (Source)
  2. More Hispanic (49 percent) and African-American (42 percent) middle school students are using their smartphones for homework than Caucasian students (36 percent). (Source)
  3. Smartphone use for homework also crosses income levels, with 29 percent of the students from the lowest-income households reporting smartphone usage to do their homework assignments.(Source)
  4. More than one in three middle school students are using mobile devices to complete homework, and more of those who use these devices for learning in the classroom express a strong interest in science, technology, and math than those who do not, according to a new national survey.  (Source)
  5. Nationwide,  55 percent of middle and high school students, as well as 25 percent of elementary students, own a mobile device (e.g. cell phone).
  6. Teens in the lowest income category are most likely to use their phones, instead of computers, to go online.

Approach #1 – BYOT Scenario

“Effective leadership without consistent, clear communication does not exist,” shares one district technology director. The scenario below is intended to tease out differing perspectives on BYOT. It will help you reflect on the issues that arise when implementing BYOT:

In a few weeks, students like John and Maria at a 5A high school will be bringing their own technology to school. While some teachers like Jennifer are excited about the possibilities—mainly, those that have taken the time to learn how to use the Read/Write Web to collaborate, create, and connect in alignment with academic goals—others like Rick are afraid things will not work as well. Rick is comfortable with students working with pencils and paper, not using their own devices. He is concerned about what they might do on them when he isn’t looking. James, the campus principal, recognizes the need for a campus strategy towards BYOT. He’s worried that teachers will fail to take advantage of BYOT in their lessons and its use will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. “Failure,” he points out with a smile, “isn’t an option in our small community.”  This is a fact the district technology department and district leadership are well aware of as well. The Classroom Learning Activity Rubric is one instrument that’s been offered to help teachers employ strategies that take advantage of technology in the classroom. Parents like Ms. Jones (involved in the PTA) are wondering, “How will the school communicate with me about this and will there be a consistent message from campus leaders? Will that message match what teachers are saying and doing in the classroom when students misbehave?” So much is at stake, jobs are on the line, high stakes accountability is in play. At a time when technology is everywhere, teaching, learning, and leading with technology has real consequences.

As you reflect on this scenario, ask yourself some questions, such as the ones below:

  • What hunches (intuitive guesses) do you have about this scenario?
  • What do we know for certain about the problem?
  • What questions can we ask that will get us the information we need to help the protagonist solve the problem?
  • Who are the stakeholders in this scenario and what solutions do we need to develop for their particular situation?

Pick a stakeholder role–teacher, campus leader, technology department, student, parent—that you have some affinity with and then try to develop a solution. Consider using a KWHL chart like the one below to get you started. While the example is a great beginning point, it’s not intended to be all-inclusive of the conversations embedded in the role of campus leader.

Stakeholder Role: Campus Leader

What Do I Know? What Do I Want to Know? How Will I Find Information? What Have I Learned?
    1. BYOT is a certainty
    2. Not all teachers have the training to take advantage of BYOT
    3. Parents expect consistent messages about this initiative from all staff
    4. I’m not sure why we’re doing this myself.
    5. This is a high-profile project that can’t fail. Digital citizenship is key to successful behavior for students.
What is expected of me as a campus leader? How can I better support classroom teachers and encourage them to use BYOT? How can BYOT enhance instruction rather than become a self-fulfilling prophecy? How do I hold teachers accountable for what they are doing or not doing? The District should have a BYOT Support site with online resources focusing on facilitating online learning. The site should also include a webinar schedule, along with micro-credentialing or badges teachers can earn.

End of Part 1

In Part 2, we’ll explore some specific tips. Be sure to check back tomorrow!  

Make eLearning Possible

30 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, elearning, TCEA, TechNotes

≈ Leave a comment

As any teacher knows, truly engaging learning is social. Whether we share what we have learned with others or we undertake the learning journey together, little true learning occurs in isolation. Online learning environments that fail to create a social learning space will therefore fail. As educators, we have to be careful to avoid trying to engage students in online learning environments with face-to-face approaches as.the effects of F2F engagement methods may be different than what we expect. Here are some tips that may be helpful to you in facilitating online social learning.

 Tip #1 – Address the logistics of the course.

Logistics can include how often students should login and participate in the course, assessment rubrics, etc. Take a moment to plan out your course, including elements like the ones found below:
  • Craft a syllabus.
  • Develop an assignment checklist.
  • Streamline organization of the course by chunking or “modularizing” content. This makes it easy for learners to break off and then dive back into the learning that comes in bite-sized pieces (e.g. 5 minutes).
  • Blend text, audio, and video into the content. For example, instead of just typing intro text for a welcome, use Voxer (audio example) , FlipGrid.com/Recap.com (video), or MS Sway with audio to create interactive content.
These best practices enable your virtual students to work their way through the content for a specific topic within the overall course of study. Tools like Google Sites, Microsoft OneNote, and Slack (to mention a few) are great ways to create an online course. Whatever you use, you are creating a virtual space where course materials can be housed and, more importantly, interacted with.
Consider Slack as a course tool. It features app integration, making it a powerful tool for a virtual, social learning space. For example, Appear.in allows for interactive video chats that can be embedded in Slack. Slack channels also make it easy, as you can see in the screenshot below, to organize around key areas:
Image 025
And, of course, Slack comes with a handy mobile app for quick anytime, anywhere access.

 Tip #2 – Blend multimedia into your online learning environment.

“These videos and articles put so much more into place and answered many of the questions that I had,” shared one online course participant. You can accomplish this by including audio+picture or video testimonials from former students and course introductions by district facilitators. Drop audio/video recordings into the conversation. Participants love it when you mix it up! This kind of personalization helps build a real connection with course participants. Take advantage of screencasting and video recording tools.

Tip #3 – Stay in touch.

While you will be staying in touch with participants in discussion/chat forums, you can also send them updates via email. Two tools that can facilitate connections include the following Google Sheets add-ons: Yet Another Mail Merge  and formMule . Both work as bulk email tools that make it easy to send information out.

Tip #4 – Set up a technical support forum.

If someone hasn’t logged in, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and call them or send an email a day until they respond. The power of support forums is that when your online learners start to come together as a community of learners, they start to help each other out and respond to each other’s problems.

Tip #5 – Scaffold learning conversations.

Part of your scaffolding and support involves providing regular feedback and interacting with participants online. This is especially important up front since your level of activity serves as a model for the level of interaction students will exhibit when you are present, but not as active. This initial high interactivity sloping down to omni-presence enables participants to learn to rely on each other for answers, rather than you.
Another tip includes summarizing, or landscaping, the ongoing chat. And don’t be afraid to remind everyone what expectations are at regular intervals (such as at the start point, midpoint, and end-point). This helps everyone stay focused.

Tip #6 – Avoid question lists.

Focus discussions around ONE central question that resembles an ill-structured problem, very much like the PBL method. For example, consider how many questions are introduced in this discussion prompt. Each question achieves equal status for the participant; how could one question or scenario help participants focus?

Tip #7 – Encourage self-reliance.

Encourage people to discover each other’s strengths and what they each have to bring to the table. One of the most rewarding aspects of online learning conversations is that people discover each other, and themselves, online.
As online learners discover the benefits of learning online for themselves–especially when they work with other people–that positive reaction will engulf your online professional learning program.

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

TweetMeet: @OneNoteEDU #OneNoteQ on April 4th

30 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, OneNote, Tweetmeet

≈ Leave a comment


What’s a tweetmeet? An opportunity to have a panel of folks share their insights into a series of topics. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to participate in a tweetmeet organized by Marjolein Hoekstra (@onenoteC). Wow, what an awesome opportunity to connect with other educators serving as hosts, as well as the international community!

Topic: Embedding Content in #OneNote!

I love the work Marjolein has done in organizing the TweetMeet, putting everything in a OneNote Notebook so everyone can collaborate on it. And, we also put together a Microsoft Sway featuring audio to capture the excitement! I had a bit of fun recording my audio…no doubt, the link to the Sway will appear in the days to come!

For now, here’s a teaser….
https://sway.com/s/fH2oNlHUm5Fo0x6u/embed

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

Narrated Images with Microsoft Sway

30 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in AudioTools, Education, Podcasting, sway, TCEA, TechNotes

≈ Leave a comment

Ever created a podcast before? Now you can do so easily with Microsoft Sway.


You may not be aware of it, but Microsoft added some new features to the web version of MS Sway that make it ideal for audio-narrated images, also known as enhanced podcasts. Of course, Sway enables you to add tons of great content (e.g. Twitter streams, video, embedded content) aside from images and audio. This blog entry focuses on audio and images.


Read the Rest Online at TCEA TechNotes blog.

It’s getting great reviews:


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

Surviving Crazy "Leaders"

30 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, Leadership

≈ 1 Comment

“Miguel,” a dear friend and colleague asked me, “Have you read the new superintendent’s book?” At my blank stare and smile, she pointed to the Simon Sinek book in her hand entitled, Leaders Eat Last. I felt my hackles rise as my instinctive dislike of mis-applied lessons from other fields made my gorge rise.

This post featured by folks at TexasISD.com! Thanks!

“All it takes is all you got, Marine!” I said in a deeper voice, referencing the military story Sinek uses to start the book. Nearby colleagues gave us quick smiles. “Isn’t that the book that is about building a circle of trust, like in Meet the Parents?”
As a technology director, your success often depends on how well you interact with the all-powerful person in the superintendent’s office. These seven tips will help you construct the elements of a positive conversation. Yet, ultimately, these tips alone will not be enough. You will need one final tip that takes a lifetime to develop, and you may not be up to it. Still, you must resolve to obtain it if you wish to remain a technology director after the superintendent who hired you leaves.

Aside: Another perspective for your consideration. Some times, no amount of advice is good enough to get you through an unwholesome situation.  “Do you really want to work with a crazy “leader?” The answer is, “Heck, NO!” Leave, go be happy somewhere else and let the sycophants hang around and wonder, “Why did we persist in this folly?” What’s even worse is school boards that endorse a superintendent who looks good while destroying the people. For me, that’s the measure of success…an organization that nurtures its people (faculty, students) succeeds, while an organization that beats people up because they’re not dancing to a new tune played to six-shooters popping off at their feet, will not.  Over time, I’ve learned it’s better to shake the dust off your feet and keep moving! It’s biblical advice!

Change Is in Your Leader’s Future

Having worked in multiple school districts, I’ve seen the reins of power change hands multiple times. Given the fact that superintendents change quite frequently these days–every 3.6 years as of 2010 according to one report, which cites that as an improvement from 2.5 years in 1999. One of the key elements in running a successful district is stability. So if you have a revolving door, it’s counterproductive, and there’s never a chance to establish reforms or create programs that make a difference. Even a three-year period of time is inadequate.” (Source). In my time, I’ve seen several types of leaders and witnessed the transition.

Seven Tips for Surviving Leadership in Transition

Check out these seven tips for surviving leadership in transition:
  1. Establish a baseline for improvement based on researched needs. In other words, it’s not YOUR initiative or idea, it’s what the district needs. Tools like Dr. Chris Moersch’s Levels of Teaching Innovation (LOTI), H.E.A.T. framework, as well as Brightbytes’ Clarity, can provide you with critical data.
  2. Have an outside firm do a technology assessment of your technology infrastructure and network. Nothing changes leadership’s mind as much as when someone else outside your department says things need to change. In fact, if you’re smart, you will initiate an assessment from an assessor you trust and anticipate the areas of growth. (By the way, did you know that TCEA can help you with a technology assessment?)
  3. Build infrastructure that will support instructional efforts. Is your district 100% wireless? If 100% wireless, does each campus enjoy wireless LAN controllers that support increased bandwidth? Have you placed sufficient wireless access points in classrooms, libraries, cafeterias, and other key meeting locations? These are only some of the questions you need to take into account.
  4. Be transparent and visible about what you’re doing to address the district’s needs. As much as possible, share what is happening, especially when you or your team is goofing up or moving slowly. A key performance indicator (KPI) dashboard should be something you have, even if it’s just a web page reflecting Helpdesk stats in a Google Sheet.
  5. Conduct webinars with anyone who will listen and/or attend. Offer free professional learning on a variety of topics, and partner with other stakeholders. That way, they will sing your praises about your technical support and expertise.
  6. Send out those old-fashioned print newsletters with links to more information on your website. As great as technology is, you have to accept the fact that MOST of your customers in K-12 schools haven’t stepped up to learn what students must know.
  7. Try to get teachers and students to present to the school board. Whenever you can, get other people in front of the school board and leadership to share what a great job you are doing supporting their success.

A Final Tip

“Those who hope to open a store must also be prepared to smile,” goes the old saying. This paraphrase of an old saying reminds you that if you’re going to work at Central Office, you must be prepared to smile and build relationships, even with those you do not like. Building relationships with district stakeholders, and, in particular, the superintendent and cabinet, remains paramount. Forget it at your peril.

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

Calling All San Antonio, Austin Area @Adobe Learners!

30 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, Event, TCEA, TechNotes

≈ Leave a comment

Looking for hands-on learning on important Adobe products? Maybe you need some tips and tricks to streamline your workflow? Developing new workflows by learning through trial and error can take time you may not be able to spend. Instead, accelerate your Adobe learning and join TCEA members at the 2017 Adobe Academy! You will learn how to learn more, tweak your workflows for Adobe products, and get fresh ideas for teaching Adobe products to your students. Finally, you will build relationships with other educators who use Adobe.
Accelerate
TCEA’s 2017 Adobe Academy will help you resolve a variety of issues. This two-day academy is designed specifically for those in the K-16 education arena who seek a better grasp of how Adobe tools can enhance their work. The Adobe Academy will take place June 20-21, 2017 at the  TCEA headquarters in Austin. This day will be packed full of helpful information that you can implement the next day at work.

About Adobe Academy Sessions

You’ll be able to choose from a variety of concurrent sessions to tailor your learning to best meet your own needs. You’ll be inspired and motivated throughout the day, enjoy a good lunch, and  leave with handouts from all of the presentations (not just the ones you attended). Our learning experience strands include:
  • Doing More with Adobe – These sessions focus on helping you prepare for deeper use of critical tools like Photoshop and Illustrator.
  • Adobe in the Classroom – These sessions will help you share strategies with students on how to get certified via Adobe Certification Associate Exams, as well as emphasize the use of Adobe in the classroom.
  • Adobe Engagement – Learn how tools like Adobe Spark can be used to create engaging web stories, creating enthralling animated videos and more.

How to Register

You can register online at a cost of only $239. TCEA will provide lunch for both days. What’s more, each paid registration will receive a one-year TCEA membership, access to all session materials, and membership in the TCEA Adobe Academy community!
Note: The Call for Proposals is still open, so if you would like to share your Adobe insights, then please submit your proposal(s) before May 12, 2017. We hope you will be among the many who present, and/or learn, at the academy! Don’t wait until the last minute to register as space is limited.

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

Celebrate Old and New Friends! 2017 Must-Read #EdTech Blogs! @EdTech_K12

29 Wednesday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Blogging, Education

≈ Leave a comment

Wow, how tremendous to see so many Texans featured in The 2017 Honor Roll: EdTech’s Must-Read K–12 IT Blogs article by Meghan Bogardus Cortez (@megbcortez)!

Now, there are a lot of awesome folks on the list of 50, but I have to stop a moment and celebrate the fact that there are two Texas organization blogs (e.g. TCEA, Keller ISD) as well as 4 Texans! Woohoo!

  • TCEA’s TechNotes Blog (@tcea): This features the creative efforts of my work colleagues, Lori Gracey, Dr. Bruce Ellis, Peggy Reimers, Diana Benner, and other TCEA team members! Way to go!
  • Keller ISD Digital Learning Blog (@kellerisdpd): I regret that I don’t read this blog myself, but will be adding them to my list of must-reads in my RSS aggregator!
And then, there’s my fellow Texans:
  • Knikole Taylor (@knikole) – http://www.knikoletaylor.com
  • Todd Nesloney (@techninjatodd) – http://www.toddnesloney.com/class-blog
  • Kasey “Shake Up Learning” Bell (@shakeuplearning) – http://www.shakeuplearning.com/blog

Finally, what a delight to see old friends like Dr. Scott Mcleod (@mcleod | Dangerously Irrelevant), Tim Stahmer (@timstahmer | Assorted Stuff) and Eric Curts, (@ericcurts) and his blog, Ctrl-Alt-Achieve, featured! I’ve been reading Assorted Stuff for AGES. Tim must be really old now.
😉

And, of course, I’m looking forward to reading some new folks, picking up on fresh perspectives!

Wait, I forgot to mention, Meghan made a mistake and included this blog, Around the Corner, on the list of must-reads. I guess that means my spam mail will double (ugh). Oh well. Until Meghan realizes she made a mistake and removes me, I’ll just be grateful someone is still reading this blog! Catch me on Twitter @mguhlin
😉


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

Stir the Depths: Writing and Thinking

24 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Image Source

In this EdWeek article, the author (Marva Hinton) begins with the following quote from Mighty Writers Mission web page:

To write with clarity, you have to think clearly first.

My opening line to the article would have been different:

To express yourself with clarity, write first.

“Writing.” says author Isabel Allende, “is always giving some sort of order to the chaos of life.”

Write first.

When you write first, you are able to order the chaos from which creativity emerges, often shy and silent, or bold and beautifully obnoxious. . .and every sparkle or shade in between. As a writer, I’ve seen others explore their ideas aloud, not unlike a writer struggling for the right words. Unfortunately, words spoken aloud are often lost. A speaker, shaping ideas aloud in thin air, must keep his ideas simple, to the point or lose the listener.

A writer disgorges a detritus of ideas, form the flow, filtering and clearing away the non-essential. Then, seeking fresh ideas, pick through the pile again, seeing which ideas may give a reader pause, which may be repurposed to feed a wolfling thought.

Express with Clarity.

“If I had more time, I would have written less.” This popular quote, paraphrased from the original, highlights brevity in communication. Say only what is necessary to make the point, nothing more.

While politicians seek to obfuscate, writers seek clarity. Often, that can be best achieved through brevity, the removal of the non-essential. Writing may be likened to minimalism, which is sparseness and simplicity by design.

Stir the Depths

Writing in search of clarity means that we need not be like Zeus with fully-formed ideas springing from our minds to do war upon on the befuddled masses. Rather, we are in the Creator’s image, stirring the murky depths, crafting beautiful horrors that exist in balance with the heart of the whole.


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

Texas Virtual School Network #Grant

21 Tuesday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, Grant, TCEA, TechNotes, Texas

≈ Leave a comment

Note: This blog entry originally published at TCEA.org/blog

Are you a public rural school or open-enrollment charter? Then you may want to review the eligibility requirements for a new Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN) grant. The grant will be available in the summer of 2017 with the online application, negotiation, and award processes taking place during that time. All awards will be done by mid-August 2017.

How to Indicate Your Interest

If you are interested in applying for the grant, be sure to complete the required task and budget templates. When complete, return to kerry.ballast@tea.texas.gov by 5:00 p.m. CST, April 24, 2017. You will be asked to provide primary contact information, a proposed timeline, and a budget. The latter two most follow the supplied templates for each item.

Eligibility Requirements

Rural schools must meet three criteria. The first is that they designate staff for “key student-support roles.” The second is that they set student expectations and readiness. The third criteria is that the rural school or open-enrollment charter completes the Statewide Course Catalog Public School District and Open-Enrollment Charter School Agreement.

Funding Priorities

Has your rural school not participated in TxVSN before? The Texas Education Agency (TEA) seeks to give you first priority! Second priority will be given to schools who previously participated but no longer take part and now wish to renew their participation. Third priority will be given to currently participating TxVSN schools who seek to expand their involvement.

Funding Uses

Funding can be used to achieve the following:
  1. For internet-connected students (at home, school, or both) who are selected to complete TxVSN courses, 60% of grant funds can be used to pay for their enrollment costs.
  2. For students who may need devices (e.g. laptop, mobile hotspot) to connect to participate in TxVSN, 20% of grant funds can be used to pay the costs of needed technology.
  3. For teacher(s) and/or counselor(s) who will provide additional student support beyond their current assignment and serve as student mentors, 20% of grant funds may be used to provide supplemental pay.
  4. For schools who may need funds to cover costs of TxVSN catalog courses for fall and spring of the 2017-2018 school year and summer 2018.

Find Out More

Would you like to know more? Be sure to visit the web site for more information. TEA, TXVSN Central Operations, and Education Service Center (ESC) TXVSN Liaison staff can help and inform you throughout the application process.

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

Recording Audio/Video on #iOS #edtech

20 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, iOS, TCEA, TechNotes, TechTips

≈ Leave a comment

“I love using my iPhone for on-the-go audio and video recording, but the built-in mic just isn’t doing the job. What can I use to better record audio for those critical interviews?”
Every TCEA event, I find myself reaching for my iPhone to record audio and video and snap photos of people I’m having conversations with. And I try to take a fresh look at the tools I’m using. This past TCEA conference, I decided to try several tools for recording audio/video on my iOS device.
Come along with me as I share my journey finding iPhone microphones and apps that work well at a distance. And, please, if you have your own solution that works, share it in the comments below.

Audio Recording Tools

Image 023What is a problem that stumps amateurs like me? The answer is recording at a distance. When you’re standing next to someone, it’s not a big deal to get great audio. When you’re five to six feet away, however, then things start to get a bit tougher. Here are two great mics that can help you capture better audio.
  1. Mikey Digital ($99) – Unbelievable that such awesomeness comes in a small package. This lightning-connected microphone attaches to your iOS device. This microphone captures audio quite well, in my experience, and is perfect for that six-foot space, both inside and out. My son has used this microphone with his iPhone when recording audio outside and loves the sound quality.
  2. iRig Mic Cast for iOS/Android ($35) – Less expensive that the Mikey Digital, this iosoffers solid audio recording. This is what I carry around with me for interviews. It also comes with iRig Recorder software. I like the fact that it plugs into your microphone jack on your device and includes another headphone jack for earbuds. You can also get a handheld microphone that plugs into your iPhone or iPad. As the website says, it features “unidirectional pickup pattern that minimizes background noise, making it ideal for single-source audio recording.” (The featured image for this blog post shows the iRig Recorder 3…I can dream, can’t I?)

Favorite Recording Apps

As you might imagine, while you can use your built-in iOS Camera app for recording audio or video, you may not get the best results. As a result, here are some of my go-to apps:
  1. iRig Recorder: This free app offers many features and is definitely worth mentioning for those of us who sometimes need custom recording options. It works for both audio and video recording. Audio editing is a breeze and includes some handy in app purchases that enhance volume, a must in a conference situation.
  2. ProMovie (Free but with $2.99 in-app purchase): What I love about this app is that it allows me to choose the microphone that I want to use. With other apps, I’m never quite sure if I’m using the Mikey Digital or iRig Mic, but ProMovie allows me to specify in the settings. What’s more, there are tons of settings for video recording. The in-app purchase ($2.99) removes the watermark.
    ios
  3. Voice Recorder ($1.99 to remove ads): This easy-to-use voice recorder goes for a nostalgic look (cassette recorder appearance that makes using it easy and familiar) and it does a nice job in close quarters. It allows for WiFi sync, as well as cloud uploads to Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive. It also allows for pausing a recording and can export the audio as M4a format. You can take advantage of the “Open In” option to drop the audio file into Hokusai Audio Editor, also on my must-have list, which gives mobile users features similar to Audacity, a desktop audio editing program.
  4. Voice Recorder Pro (Free): Although boasting a host of features, including converting to MP3, this app suffers from a poor user interface. But it does offer audio editing, which makes it a must-have tool if you need that feature. Audio engine calibration at the start of  a recording can also delay start, which is a problem if you’re recording a keynote or speaker who has begun to speak. Still, it is the best audio recorder available on iOS at no cost.

Conclusion

There are many other tools that could be included in this list, but my goal was to share a few that I’m using now. Armed with an iOS device, there’s no reason why you can’t record audio/video and publish online in the moment, on the go!

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

Managing Smart Tech #iot #cybersecurity #security

20 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, iot, TCEA, TechNotes

≈ Leave a comment

How are you managing smart technologies? Are you prepared for the Internet of Things (IoT) onslaught of fifty billion devices by 2020? That’s less than three years away! Forty-six percent of K–12 and higher ed Chief Technology Officers believe that smart technologies, including the IoT devices, will have a major impact on education. 
Join us at TCEA for a facilitated conversation with experts, vendors, and your peers regarding the Internet of Things, the management of smart technologies in schools, and planning tips to ensure successful implementation.
Mark Your Calendars! The 2017 TCEA Technology Leadership Summit is scheduled for Friday, May 12, 2017. Register now for this one-time learning opportunity.

Managing Smart Technologies

Some of the smart technologies include interactive whiteboards, copiers, video cameras, tablets, smart HVAC systems, electric lighting/maintenance, temperature sensors, attendance tracking, and wireless door locks. These are just a few of the many IoT devices that will soon be appearing in your district.

Attention Solution Providers: Are you a solution provider of smart devices and have tips to share? Please make contact with @mguhlin (Twitter) or via email at mguhlin at tcea.org

Join the Conversation

Join us for a high-level discussion regarding the main roadblocks and detours to implementing the Internet of Things and smart technologies in K-16 schools:
  • Security
  • Cost
  • Privacy
  • Lack of interoperability
  • Distractions
  • Management challenges
How you being implementing and managing this technology is the key to how successful you will be with this initiative. Taking no action is not an option. So be sure to join us on May 12, 2017 and learn what you can do to prepare for this next challenge.

TCEA’s Commitment

TCEA is committed to creating professional learning and networking opportunities that address the specific needs of Chief Technology Officers and Directors/Coordinators of Technology in K-16 education institutions. Regardless of your district’s size, you will gain all of the information you will need to ensure that IoT devices work for your staff and students and not against you. Be sure to join your colleagues at the Friday, May 12, 2017 event.

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

#Free Keynote: Celebrate E2 Educator Exchange @MicrosoftEDU #E2 #edtech #txed

14 Tuesday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, MicrosoftInnovativeEducator, MIE

≈ Leave a comment

Register at aka.ms/eduexchange

Not able to attend the incredible Microsoft Education Exchange (E2) event in Toronto, Canada? No problem! Tune in on Day 2 of the event (March 22nd) to view/listen to the live-stream of the keynote!

Microsoft’s E2 – Education Exchange is opening its doors and inviting all educators to join us on March 22, 2017, at 9:00a.m. EDT!

This FREE, online event is designed to provide insight into the latest trends in education. We invite you to learn from education thought leaders, innovative educators, and students – to be the change in your school or system and make what’s next!
Presenting during the online event:
  • Be inspired by founder of WE.org, Craig Kielburger, who will share ideas on how to empower students to develop a lifelong passion for service to affect positive change in the world. You’ll learn about the WE Schools program giving students and schools the tools they need to take social action, empower others, and transform lives.
  • Discover how online learning technologies will be able to understand facial expressions and read student emotions from Daniel McDuff, a Researcher at Microsoft who spoke at TEDx Berlin. Hear how this technology can help educators gain an understand the experiences of their students via moment-to-moment tracking of cognitive and emotional states.
  • Hear from trailblazing teachers and grade 8 students from Queen of Heaven school in Canada who are working on a school project to help improve access to education for young people in developing countries.
  • Discover how by using Minecraft as a platform for learning, educators can motivate and inspire every student to achieve more, and ignite a passion for learning.
  • See live, interactive demonstrations that share innovative approaches to learning enabled by technology, and hear of favorite ways to Hack the Classroom.
During the online event, you’ll also be able to
  • Pose questions to event speakers, Microsoft representatives, and fellow educators in our live Q&A
  • Receive an E2 participant badge and receive 500 points on our Educator Community.



  I’m registered.   Are You? http://aka.ms/edxregistration

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

Call for Proposals – Adobe Academy 2017 #txed #edtech #adobe

07 Tuesday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, TCEA, Texas

≈ Leave a comment

Are you an Adobe expert? Consider sharing some of your expertise with others at the TCEA 2017 Adobe Academy (June 20-21, 2017). The call for proposals is open now for innovators like you!

I invite you to present at the TCEA 2017 Adobe Academy where you can help other educators benefit from your experiences, whether your session ranges from beginner to intermediate and/or advanced.

The TCEA 2017 Adobe Academy Call for Proposals is open now through May 12, 2017. We hope you will be among the many who present, and/or learn, at the Academy! Don’t wait until the last minute….

Submit a proposal to TCEA 2017 Adobe Academy


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

Professional Development Series

04 Saturday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, ProfessionalLearning

≈ 1 Comment

This past week, I’ve been focused on enhancing my own learning and sharing some ideas that I’ve been picking up for years! It’s always fun to revisit and repackage great ideas. It’s sort of like playing with that slime goo you give kids…stick your hands in and mold away! (then watch it collapse and lose form, which is what’s nice about blogging ideas since they remain in semi-permanent state).

In this blog entry, I introduce a new Flipboard magazine (which astonishingly acquired quite a few readers in one day) that seeks to capture these ideas, as well as share my professional development/learning series.

 
Want to access curated Professional Development and Learning resources
centered on andragogy (adult learning strategies)?
Read this Flipboard-based Magazine, PD/PL: Andragogy, on your mobile device!


Professional Development/Learning Series (in no particular order)

  • Planning Active Learning Possibilities for Professionals
  • 3 Steps to Professional Learning Planning
  • Inviting Change: Professional Development Models
  • 7 keys to blended learning
  • Creating Professional Learning Communities with Social Media and, finally,
  • Influencing Learners

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

Influencing Learners

04 Saturday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, HCPSTEACH, ProfessionalLearning, Twitter

≈ 1 Comment

When I scanned my Twitter feed this morning, as I pondered whether I really wanted to get up at 3:00AM, I realized that I had missed one of the most important twitterchats ever! Yikes!

In truth, I missed two chats last night–Michelle Moore’s (@Michelle4EDU) #HCPSTEACH and #EvenTalk–that I had been invited to participate in. (And, we won’t even mention OneNote twitterchat and MinecraftEDU chats!).

Still, continuing this week’s focus on professional development, professional learning, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the excellent conversation around the #HCPSTEACH questions. Since I couldn’t participate (catching up on sleep after an arduous week driving to Austin and presenting at TASBO17 conference, the latter was a lot of fun!), I thought I might take a quick >140 character stab at responding to these questions.

The guest of the #HCPSTEACH  chat was John Bimmerle (@j_bimmerle) of East Texas fame. He did a masterful job (as far as I could see) facilitating the chat, introducing these questions:

 
Want to access curated Professional Development and Learning resources
centered on andragogy (adult learning strategies)?
Read this Flipboard-based Magazine, PD/PL: Andragogy, on your mobile device!

Q1: What can we personally do with our own learning to be sure learning sticks and impacts students?
Ensure engagement and movement right out of the starting gate. Learning can be a race as the learner begins his/her lap around the track. On one side, learners are running out of energy, time, and the sheer willpower to continue.  My thinking on making learning stick for me is simple–I have to be emotionally engaged, able to write/talk and then reflect, then apply new learning in a situation I devise. But learning has to be more than just about student’ personal motivation.

In the TCEA online book study I’m facilitating, one of the books I chose to read and share about was Influencer. In that book, the authors suggest that you haven’t done your math if you expect people to change as a result of only one variable, which in the case of learning, implies personal motivation. They suggest that there are other aspects to consider, such as:

As you can see, learners need a little more than just their own personal motivation (help them love what they hate) and coaching on ability (help them do what they can’t). With Pr/PBL approaches, you can get learners personally motivated and provide mini-lessons to help them learn to do what they can’t. Teachers can also work with students one on one, although it becomes harder in departmentalized settings, to provide necessary encouragement and assistance (social). But it’s more effective if a peer member acts in this dimension. How can educators make it easier for students take on the role of learning advocates?

Q2: When have you successfully struggled with implementing a new topic/strategy? How did the process help you grow?
It’s amazing, I find that I have struggled quite a bit with a variety of topics or strategies. One challenge I faced recently included adapting a workshop designed in one way to include activities and engagement strategies that better met the needs of participants. That is, I taught it the way I was supposed to teach it, then realized it wasn’t working. So, I asked myself, discussed with colleagues, and realized that my first duty was to my learners, not the curriculum. At that moment, I redesigned the day of activities to better meet the needs of learners…and the results were tremendous!

“Go through your learning activities from the learners’ perspective,” shared a colleague, “then make changes accordingly.” Going through that process helped me become more centered on the learners rather than what I wanted them to do. I realized there needed to be more choice and movement so that learners could make meaningful learning of what was made available to them.

Love this “traditional” way of encouraging learners to pick up something new from each other.
Of course, you could do it with a Padlet, right? Or Google Draw?

Q3: Traditional “1 & DONE training lacks follow up support. What non-traditional things can you do to get/give implementation support?”
Some non-traditional things that I have done to provide implementation support involve technology. In fact, creating blended learning experiences that mix face to face and online ongoing, intensive professional learning make a big difference. That’s because it’s about building community among learners, relationships with individuals and making activities like coaching and peer observation possible.

Love this document from Hillsborough County Public Schools in Florida!
It came to me via John Bimmerle (@j_bimmerle)

If you want a list of non-traditional things, be sure to check out this series of Professional Development blog entries:

  • Planning Active Learning Possibilities for Professionals
  • 3 Steps to Professional Learning Planning
  • Inviting Change: Professional Development Models

Q4: Share examples of great trainings that you have provided/attended. What made them a strong experience?

While I’ve had several wonderful experiences facilitating professional learning, the defining quality for each of them remains the same–agency. That is a word defined in this way:

In social science, agency is the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. By contrast, structure is those factors of influence (such as social class, religion, gender, ethnicity, ability, customs, etc.) that determine or limit an agent and his or her decisions. (Source: Wikipedia)

The key is to structure professional learning so that it empowers individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices within the context of a learning opportunity. At the end of a series of professional learning, participants leave empowered and enthusiastic, wanting to do more to expand on what they have done in the professional learning. Invariably, problem-based learning and project-based learning have yielded these results. That says a lot about PBL for use with adult learners.

Q5: If you could structure a professional learning opportunity, what would it include or look like?
I absolutely LOVE this question. Now, structuring a session like this may often be a function of time and energy…as the facilitator, do you have enough of each to spend it as you see fit? But given time and energy, which you can marshal effectively over a long preparation time rather than “I have this session I need you to do in 10 minutes!” (as fun as those are, they don’t often yield the best results unless you can quickly adapt activities).

There are at least 7 components to any successful professional learning session:

  1. Be an ongoing experience for educators that provide extended learning opportunities help them master new skills and instructional methods. These have a better chance at positively impacting student learning. (Gulamhussein; Darling-Hammond et al.)
  2. Be job embedded as much as possible so that what is learned can be applied in the classroom. (DeMonte; Darling-Hammond et al.)
  3. Provide support for teachers during the implementation stage of using a new instructional method in the classroom.  (Gulamhussein).
  4. Offer content that is specific (e.g. goal, discipline, grade level, developmental stage) instead of generic. (Gulamhussein; Darling-Hammond et al.)
  5. Be engaging and use varied approaches to support learning for both groups and individuals.(Gulamhussein). 
  6. Include modeling because it helps educators understand new instructional methods (Gulamhussein; Darling-Hammond et al.)
  7. Promote collaboration among teachers because it leads to better teaching and instruction, helping educators solve problems they are dealing with in the classroom. (DeMonte; Darling-Hammond et al.)

Let’s quickly re-organize those with technology support:

  1. Technology: Creating a Virtual Space to facilitate:
    1. Making learning an ongoing experience
      • PD Models: Coaching, Peer Observation, Research/PD Model
      • A space like Google Classroom, Microsoft Classroom, MS Yammer, Slack, Voxer makes it easy to facilitate ongoing conversations and reflections, easy to capture and share success.
    2. Generating content that is specific accessible and easy
      • PD Models: Workshop, Webinars, Conferences and Unconferences (e.g. edcamps)
      • Whether a wiki, a OneNote Notebook (I don’t recommend Google Drive since that can be quite confusing to organize and locate content, although I know schools that do use it in spite of that with some frustration up front), find a way to make curriculum and lesson sharing possible.
    3. Scaffolding teacher collaboration
      • PD Models: Peer observation
      • Encourage observation, modeling, implementation with support in a culture of trust and safety is key.
      • Tools like Flipgrid.com and getRecap.com can make video recording and sharing easy for teachers. 
      • Encourage reflections that are shared in a OneNote or blog, although writing may be too much given teacher literacy levels and/or time to compose and reflect, which is why I recommend Voxer or Flipgrid.
  2. Technology: Video repository of successful implementation strategies
    We know that teachers are more likely to adopt instructional methods after they see that strategy being successful in a classroom with students they know.
    1. Creating engaging, job-embedded, varied approaches to support learning
      1. Record short lessons and watch students work through successful activities.
      2. Incorporate student performance in available video content
      3. Ask students and teachers to annotate video (read Video Annotation)
Whew, that was a tough question! So glad I was able to share my thoughts in a blog entry rather than a Twitterchat!!


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

Inviting Change: Professional Development Models

01 Wednesday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Coaching, Education, ProfessionalLearning

≈ Leave a comment

Just the other day, a colleague asked for my insights into a scenario she had encountered. In this blog entry, you will find part of my response as well as my attempt to clarify requirements for successful professional development.

Image Source: http://annietremonte.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/6105Module1Cloud.png

Inviting Change
One of the tough aspects of asking others to change is when you haven’t walked the walk. Consider this story about Gandhi:

Mahatma Ghandi was not just a political and spiritual leader, he was also quite wise, and people traveled from all over to ask his help with problems both large and small. One day a peasant woman came to visit Ghandi. She brought her son with her. She told Ghandi that her son was addicted to sweets. The sugar made him hyper and too wild to attend school. She hoped Ghandi would tell her son to stop eating sugar. She was sure that her son would listen to him. Ghandi paused and then told the woman to come back in three weeks.

She came back three weeks later. Ghandi took the little boy, sat him on his lap, and said
simply, “Please do not eat sugar. It is bad for you.” The boy smiled, promised to stop and returned back to his mother. His mother was understandably stunned. She had traveled over 100 miles—twice. It was a difficult journey. Bewildered, she approached Ghandi and asked, “Why didn’t you just tell
him to quit eating sugar when I first approached you three weeks ago?” Gahndi smiled and said patiently, “Three weeks ago, I was still eating sugar.”
In Ghandi’s words, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

This story speaks to me, especially when you consider how change is encouraged and pushed from top-down district admins to teachers in classrooms. How does this story change your perspective?

Scenario: Clarifying PD Models

During a meeting with key stakeholders in your District, it becomes clear that “professional development” has different meanings to different people. The representatives ask you to create a brief presentation to share at the next meeting “clarifying professional development models.”

Considering this scenario, I thought it might be fun to look at it from a different perspective. There are many things we expect teachers to do, but when asking people to change what they do, it’s often best to focus on one or two.

Identifying Vital Behaviors

“Vital behaviors,” share the authors of Influencers, “are the smallest set of actions that lead to the results you want.” In working with my colleague, I suggested that she ask participants what vital behaviors are the ones that will obtain the results PD models are implemented to achieve.

 Then, I said, “Why don’t you setup an activity where they tell you what their top behaviors are for teachers in the classroom, and what’s the best professional development model to use to encourage teacher adoption? They could pretend to tweet it out using a handout like the one shown below:

Below, you will find some of the responses from a few participants highlighting vital behaviors with hashtag of the PD model they imagine would encourage adoption.

Vital Behavior #1: Build Strong Relationships

Hashtag: #coaching

When teachers build strong relationships between themselves, their peers, and their students, as well as encourage them between students, learners feel trusted and respected. This surprisingly results in students be more receptive to learning opportunities in their classroom. Unfortunately, the respondent did not share what PD Model would best encourage adoption of this behavior. Still, it is clear that collegial coaching would best serve to build strong relationships. This coaching relationship could be enhanced through the use of technology, coach and coachee to take advantage of communication technologies like Voxer, Appear.In, Slack that allow for prompt sharing of ideas.

Vital Behavior #2: Engaging in PLCs to Plan for Instruction

Hashtag: #intentionalplanning

This vital behavior takes advantage of professional learning communities (PLCs) to further ensure planning for instruction. Having witnessed and participated in PLCs myself, I can certainly testify to the power of collaborative planning. Often, teachers work alone to plan lessons, sharing planning load for different subjects. Through the power of a PLC, teachers can engage in data-driven lesson planning, crafting units and activities that address the needs of all students in their care. This helps deepen the relationship between teachers. Although not a recognized PD model, intentional plan could easily be replaced by #plc or #pln to represent professional learning community or professional learning network, respectively.

Vital Behavior #3: That all adults are enthusiastic about improving practice

Hashtag: #loveskids

What saps the enthusiasm of adults? There are many possibilities in K-12 school settings, but continuous improvement, continuous learning remains one of the critical aspects of being a lifelong learner and teacher. The PD model I would recommend for this would be #peerobservation. The reason why is that peer observation helps teachers step out of their isolated classrooms and see what other teachers are doing. It also “improves their game” as other educators step in to watch. When both engage in joint reflection, then teachers are able to improve. As John Dewey says, “We do not learn from experience, but rather, by reflecting on that experience.” Observation (including analysis of audio/video of a lesson) and reflection (whether one on one, a blog or reflection journal) will improve the quality of lessons and help teachers better be prepared.

Vital Behavior #4: Amplify student voices

Hashtag: #coaching

Granting students (and teachers) the authority to speak, to find and nurture their voices can be quite powerful. Rather than passive objects to be schooled, human beings and voices are amplified. Coaching can enable this because it focuses attention on teacher’s (or student’s) growth:

A Collegial Coach not only helps teachers uncover their beliefs about effective learning and teaching, but also gathers data to facilitate the self-evaluation process. Once teachers have clarity about their driving motivations, the Collegial Coach acts as a ‘mirror’ in the classroom, enabling teachers to see how closely their behaviours support their picture of the classroom they want. This becomes “reflection on action,” keeping control in the hands of the teacher. Source: Collegial Coaching

Professional Development Models

Of these, you probably already know that coaching, peer observation and research/PD model
are the most effective, while school visit and workshop lag behind.

As an extensive array of research has shown, there are some tried and proven ways of approaching professional development or professional learning. Here are some of the requirements for professional development that works:

  1. Supportive of teacher collaboration via coaching and mentoring
  2. Job-embedded and specific to academic content
  3. Ongoing, sustained, intensive (40+ hours), and includes technology 
  4. Focused on implementation in classroom
  5. Strong assessment component for both teacher and student
  6.  Supports reflection on strategies and implementation
  7. Creates a culture of continuous professional learning
One of the amazing reasons why change is necessary is captured in this quote:

New shifts and reforms “represent a retreat from the traditional rote, fact-based style of instruction toward teaching that fosters critical thinking and problem solving” (Source: Teaching the Teachers, Center for Public Education report)

As I consider all the available PD models, represented above, I have to admit that collegial coaching as espoused by Dr. Dawn Wilson and Dr. Katie Alaniz is the most engaging. Consider the statistics of coaching:
My Thoughts
One of the challenges with the scenario as presented is the lack of opportunity to present one’s own perspective. It’s important for the key stakeholders in the scenario to share their insights and analysis of research. My thoughts are that any PD model needs to take advantage of these approaches:
  • Engage with Problems: Engage learners in the authentic purpose of solving a problem (problem-based learning/inquiry-based learning).
  • Encourage Collaboration & Implementation: Encourage and support adult learners as they collaborate on projects–sharing their own life experiences–focused on the creation of tangible product(s) with modeling and safe implementation opportunities.
  • Amplify Learners’ Voices with Tech: Amplify human voices with technology as they gather stories and share them (blogging, podcasts, video, media collections).
By taking advantage of these 3 approaches, any PD model can be enhanced to achieve much of what educators need. Collegial coaching serves as a great way to accomplish these goals. 
What are your thoughts?

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

7 Keys to Blended Learning #miee #msftedu @microsoftedu

01 Wednesday Mar 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, Microsoft

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“We need an educational system,” shares Ken Kay, CEO of EdLeader21, “that encourages self-direction.” How do we accomplish this given all of the new tools we have available? In this article, we’ll explore some simple ways that MS Classroom can support elements of a blended learning environment. Rather than start from scratch, let’s breakdown key components of blended or flipped learning.

#1 – Make participatory learning expectations clear.

“The culture of education today is such that … only the most cutting-edge learning environments are really teaching and allowing kids to be self-directed. That’s a real misfire today.” Jobs of the 21st century are fundamentally self-directed, and education—pedagogy in particular—must change in response to that. (Source: Education Week)
Encouraging students to be self-directed can be a shift for many who have grown up with different expectations. For example, consider this list of roadblocks and detours for students (adapted from this source):
Roadblocks Detours
Students may think online means working only from home. Manage student expectations by explaining what you expect them to do at home and in class.
Students may be reluctant to take responsibility for their learning. Explain early and often what is expected and how it is beneficial to them.
Students may lack time management skills. Provide time for completion, and divide work into bite-sized modules.
Technology can become an obstacle for some students. Avoid high-risk technologies.
Identify technology requirements for the course and model technology use before making online assignments.
Rely on a learning management system (e.g. MS Classroom) and invite students to set up a “technical helpdesk.”
Students may watch videos or content, but not be sure how to share what they have learned. Take advantage of MS Forms to create web-based quizzes that work across multiple devices, as well as graphic organizers that can be filled out using OneNote drawing tools.

#2 – Create a digital textbook for student reference.

“It’s not the reader of a text who learns the most,” says Stephen Knudsen,  as cited in this TCEA TechNotes blog entry, “but rather the author.” While you may soon have students creating a digital textbook, encapsulating their learning, as the teacher, you can begin to organize yourself online. Using tools like MS Classroom and OneNote Class Notebook can make this organization painless.
Not sure about the benefits? Read this blog entry by Matt “Ditch That Textbook” Miller. He shares Garth Holman’s and Mike Pennington’s (two teachers) journey toward getting rid of textbooks. He also highlights some key ways that they worked together. Students were able to:
  • Write, collaborate and publish online. In today’s Office 365-powered classrooms, you can easily use Word Online to facilitate collaborative writing. And students can publish their Word Online directly to MS OneNote or take advantage of the collaborative space in OneNote to facilitate multiple editors.
  • Develop interactive content. With OneNote, students are able to embed a wide variety of content into a OneNote page. The list is ever-growing. Using the built-in drawing tools and audio/video recording, students can annotate text and images easily.
  • Take ownership of assessing their own work. Students can co-develop rubrics for creation of content or rely on a pre-created rubric available online. Students can copy these rubrics to their individual folders in OneNote and then fill them in for their own project or another student’s creation. With OneNote, you can easily embed an Excel spreadsheet, create tables, or add checkboxes to facilitate creation.
  • Create cartoons. Students can create cartoons using a variety of sources online, or surprisingly, Powerpoint (another tutorial), Pixton (works with Office 365), or using an app on another device.seven
  • Create videos and enhanced podcasts. Students can also rely on Powerpoint+Office Mix or Sway to create screencasts, narrated slideshows, enhanced podcasts (images+audio), documentaries, and more. Storyboarding can be easy using Powerpoint’s slide organizer or Sway’s card shuffling tools. Adding audio narration and embedding video is also a cinch.

#3 – Clarify grading overview.

While grading policies for every learning situation may differ, consider taking advantage of video annotation and quizzing tools that enable students to interact and reflect on video. While assessing learning resulting from pre- or post-video watching activities, remember that you need not rely on traditional paper-and-pencil approaches.
Here are a few you can take advantage of that you may not yet be aware of:
  • Microsoft Forms – Use this to create a quiz that checks for understanding. MS Forms can also be used to create “entry/exit ticket” type activities.
  • Office Mix – Use assessment features to embed multiple choice, true/false, or short-answer questions at key points in the Mix product (works only on web version, not with MP4 video version). In an Office 365 environment, students login and these checks for understanding are tracked. You can also embed YouTube video.
  • EdPuzzle – This web-based tool makes it straightforward to add notes and assessments to videos from YouTube, Khan Academy, Learn Zillion, and others. This enables understanding checks. There’s also an iOS app you and/or your students can use. A similar tool is VideoAnt.
In addition, students can also rely on video reflection tools that work similar to discussion boards, but use video instead of text. Two notable tools include Flipgrid.com (be sure to check the free Microsoft Education Community online class) and Swivl’s Recap. Finally, also take a moment to explore video annotation tools that your students can use to take notes about YOUR videos:
  • VideoNot.es and TurboNote are two tools that allow you to take notes off to the side of the video.
  • Vialogues, not unlike Flipgrid, allows you to create conversations that revolve around a video.
One more note about assessment in a blended learning classroom. While you can create and grade assignments and quizzes students complete, alternative assessment may play a role. “Flipped learning” often permits alternative assessment, as indicated by flipped learning creators:
In our Flipped-Mastery Model, we required every student to pass each summative assessment with a 75 percent. I was very rigid on this. A 74 percent was not good enough. But as I embraced alternative assessments, I was pleasantly surprised at how students were able to show me what they had learned without having to prove it on traditional tests. I had students designing video games, making videos, and doing art projects (Source: Jon Bergmann, Edutopia).

#4 – Set up an online presence to share instructional resources.

Using MS Classroom and the OneNote Class Notebook add-in you can easily create an online presence that is available to students, regardless of what mobile device they happen to use. This can become a digital repository for class resources, audio/video presentations, linked content, and assignments. More importantly, it becomes a digital space you and each student can use to exchange information and discuss growth around learning objectives.

#5 – Select a screencasting tool to record instructional videos.

A host of screencasting tools are available, including Office Mix‘s built-in tools, MS Snip, as well as browser-based recorders like Screencast-o-Matic, Screencastify, and Nimbus Screencapture/Screenrecording add-ons for Chrome browser.
For example, a framework you could model for students:
  1. Pick out five photos that are about a particular event, a situation, or topic.
  2. Write three to four sentences about each of those photos. (Sample storyboard | ACMI Generator)
  3. Combine sentences and photos into a digital story.
Remember, Powerpoint provides a built-in storyboarding tool with its slide organizer and slide notes that students can use. They can then create an Office Mix viewable on the web or exported as an MP4 video that can be shared via YouTube or Vimeo or placed on a Classroom OneDrive account.
seven

3 Little Pigs Story (Edinburg 12/13/2016)

#6 – Create class videos online for easy access across devices.

Whether you’ve created an instructional video, screencast, or Mix, you may want to find an easy way to host it online. Few options work as well as YouTube.com, but some educators may not have access to that. Did you know you can insert a video into MS Powerpoint, then upload that PPTx to Mix? Once there, you can copy-and-paste the address to your Office Mix into a OneNote page and it will appear as embedded content (size of the video does not count against your OneDrive storage). (Access the sample shown here.)

#7 – Implement engaging classroom activities.

When in class, students need to take advantage of hands-on activities. Some approaches can certainly involve paper slides to capture student learning, using Minecraft: Education Edition to have collaborative student groups implement learning concepts garnered via video.
Here are a few activities adapted from multiple sources (click title for source, template for sample, if available):
Online
      1. Emoji Puzzle (template): As your students enter the classroom, hand them an emoji puzzle piece that will match one other student in the class. After all the students are in the class, have them walk around the classroom and try to find the other student that has the matching emoji puzzle piece. (via  @diben)
      2. QR code (template): Print QR codes and cut them into four pieces. Give each student one of the four pieces of the code. Next, have your students find their group based on their category. Once in their group, have your students scan the QR code to reveal if their category word is correct. (via  @diben and @preimers)
      3. Conversation Starter Stones (template): Use inexpensive clear stones with a glued on task to get kids moving and engaged. (via  @diben)
      4. Padlet: Have students create a slide about themselves in Powerpoint, use MS Snip to record audio annotation, then copy-and-paste the link to Snip into a Padlet with the picture.
Individual (F2F or Online)
      1. Create a graphic organizer of concept. This can be created in a OneNote page using Draw tools or a web-based tool such as Bubbl.us.
      2. Use Kahootor Quizizz to assess students’ grasp of material.
Group

Find more specific and elaborate examples online
    1. Think-Pair-Share: This activity, focused on dyads, allows students to process content and then share their reflections.
    2. Round Robin: In this activity, each student shares one concept from a source. Combine with TodaysMeet, Word Online, OneNote Collaborative Space, or Padlet for large group sharing. MS Classroom Conversation can also be used to organize student exchanges around each topic.
    3. Question Cards: Create cards about various aspects of a topic in advance and then share them with groups of 4-6. Each person reflects on their response, then shares it with the small group. At the end, one person from each group shares what the group came up with in regards to question cards. Combine this with a Powerpoint Online presentation that students can add commentary to.
    4. Team Matrix: Give students access to a Powerpoint Online they can edit, then ask them to match characteristics relevant to a particular word, phrase, or concept.
    5. Fishbowl Discussion: Inner/outer circle type discussion. Students can record summaries of discussions into the OneNote Class Notebook using inserte audio or Learning Tools Dictation option (speech to text conversion).
    6. Case Study: Students are challenged to come up with a solution to a real-life problem or scenario using the information they were to have processed previously. At the end of session, they share their solution responses.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a variety of ways to blend teaching and learning with MS Classroom and Office 365 tools like OneNote Class Notebook, Learning Tools, and more. The purpose of this article was to suggest a few ways that might tickle your imagination and facilitate self-direction for you and the learners in your care.

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

3 Steps to Professional Learning Planning (PLP)

24 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by mguhlin in Education, ProfessionalLearning

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In a previous blog entry, Planning Active Learning for Professionals, I shared a few ideas I’d gathered (then “stolen, made to look like not stolen, then shared among thieves” as an old colleague told me once). My end goal was to create a one-page professional learning planner that could serve as a visual aid.

As a visual learner, it helps me to be able to see as many possible choices and bits of information in a “all on the table” kind of way. That’s why I wanted to build a one-page PLP document. After some false starts, I have settled upon the following document:

Page 1 of 2 | Get the PDF version

As you can see, it tries to capture the 3 Step approach. I admit that I added the Professional Development Model question at the top of the document after creating the 3 steps. One of the reasons why it’s such a pain to ponder professional development models is that we sort of already know most of them don’t work as well as we would like.

Key Elements for Professional Development
Below are some key elements of successful professional development. Yes, I swiped these from Kaplan’s web site, The Principles of Effective Professional Development. They have a great summary of some of the research reports I reference below. Ok, here’s the excerpt…

Professional development needs to:

  1. Be an ongoing experience for educators that provide extended learning opportunities help them master new skills and instructional methods. These have a better chance at positively impacting student learning. (Gulamhussein; Darling-Hammond et al.)
  2. Be job embedded as much as possible so that what is learned can be applied in the classroom. (DeMonte; Darling-Hammond et al.)
  3. Provide support for teachers during the implementation stage of using a new instructional method in the classroom.  (Gulamhussein).
  4. Offer content that is specific (e.g. goal, discipline, grade level, developmental stage) instead of generic. (Gulamhussein; Darling-Hammond et al.)
  5. Be engaging and use varied approaches to support learning for both groups and individuals.(Gulamhussein). 
  6. Include modeling because it helps educators understand new instructional methods (Gulamhussein; Darling-Hammond et al.)
  7. Promote collaboration among teachers because it leads to better teaching and instruction, helping educators solve problems they are dealing with in the classroom. (DeMonte; Darling-Hammond et al.)

Simply put, professional development needs to be ongoing, job-embedded, specific, as well as model and support implementation in the classroom via various group/individual strategies. PD should also support collaboration among teachers, something which they have little time for during the day. Can anyone say, “Twitter PLN?”

What’s missing? 
Now that I look at it, what I don’t see and would like to, is how learners are going to create or make their thinking visible. What else do you think is missing that should be there? Please share in the comments.

Note: Much of what I’m sharing below in terms of research comes from Linda Darling-Hammond as cited in a Center for Public Education report, Teaching the Teachers.

What Students Need But Often Don’t Get
As you look at the PLP above, you’ll notice that there is a bias towards active learning. Of course, aligning activities learners are engaged in is important. I expect that professional learning from this point forward has to model approaches that mirror the learning styles of Generation Z students. And, of course, you can probably guess what kind of approaches those are (check the chart).

New shifts and reforms “represent a retreat from the traditional rote, fact-based style of instruction toward teaching that fosters critical thinking and problem solving” (Gulamhussein as cited here).

What students need is listed below:

  • Investigation and problem-based approaches
  • Participation in meaning-making and reasoning
  • Questioning strategies
  • Generating ideas and questions
As you can imagine, this is pretty fantastic research from my point of view. As a PrBL advocate for many years, having facilitated PrBL Academies at the TCEA State Conference a couple of years in a row as well as in a large urban school district I served in and for a regional education service center, I have never found problem-based approaches to fade in the research. I suspect that it is because as human beings, we are wired for problem-solving. 
Professional development must engage learners in active learning that leaves them seeking more. It has to be significant (more than 14 hours, closer to 40 hours) and ongoing. Honestly, there’s no way to achieve that without technology and blended learning/webinar approaches.

Workshops
For example, the “workshop” approach that we are all so familiar with (91.5% of teachers are subjected to this) has little to no impact on student learning or teacher practice!

 “The one-time workshop assumes the only challenge facing teachers is a lack of knowledge of effective teaching practices and when that knowledge gap is corrected teachers will then be able to change” (Gulamhussein as cited here)

Workshops are only effective if they allow for and focus on facilitating learning specific skills or strategies backed by research. Some strategies that can improve the effect of workshops include the following:

  • Readings
  • Role playing techniques
  • Open-ended discussions of what is presented
  • Live modeling
  • Visits to classrooms to observe and discuss the teaching methodology
Still. you wonder how much benefit anyone actually does gain from workshops. Perhaps, more worrisome, is the assertion that teachers who learn something new actually have to see it be successful before they accept into their own practice. Given that workshops often fall into 

Coaching
Compare the workshop approach to the “coaching” approach (45% of teachers exposed to to coaching).

For the coaching approach, consider these statistics:

  1. 5% of learners will transfer a new skill as a result of theory.
  2. 10% of learners will transfer a new skill as a result of theory and demonstration
  3. 20%  of learners will transfer a new skill as a result of theory, demonstration, practice with training
  4. 25%  of learners will transfer a new skill as a result of theory, demonstration, practice, training and feedback
  5. 90% will transfer a new skill into their practice with theory, demonstration, practice with the training, feedback and coaching.

    Obviously coaching wipes the floor with the workshop approach. Other popular PD models such as Peer Observation (63% of teachers have experienced this), Research (39.8%) are also heavily used. My money is on coaching, though.

    Peer Observation
    Bell (2005) defines peer observation of teaching as a “collaborative, developmental activity in which professionals offer mutual support by:

    • observing each other teach; explaining and discussing what was observed
    • sharing ideas about teaching
    • gathering student feedback on teaching effectiveness
    • reflecting on understandings, feelings, actions and feedback
    • trying out new ideas
    Having experienced peer observation myself as a third grade bilingual teacher, I can certainly attest to the effectiveness of this model. The reason why I perceived it as effective is that I was learning from a respected colleague who didn’t have another agenda (e.g. district office oversight, not that they had it back then), I could try and fail and try again with support, students were active participants in the process. What really made it fun was that I was already writing articles for publication, so my attempts at new ideas almost certainly found their way into my writing. 
    In fact, those peer observations, then trying it out in my classroom with my students, and reflections got me hooked on a new type of writing unlike the academic stuff I’d been accustomed to. It was the precursor to the blogging that I would begin a few years later.
    While peer observation can also be used for performance management, as opposed to development (which was what I was familiar with), I am a little nervous about top-down “performance management.” I have a healthy distaste for someone managing my performance. I suspect that it works just fine for others, though (grin). Some other quick points about peer observation:
    • Peer observation of teaching provides a forum where teaching practices are shared rather than remaining a private activity (D’Andrea 2002a), and this 
    • encourages reflection on teaching and 
    • fosters debate about and dissemination of best practice (Hammersley-Fletcher and Orsmond 2005). 
    • Peer feedback can be used as evidence for teaching award or promotion applications (Hammersley-Fletcher and Orsmond 2004) and 
    • complements student evaluations since academics provide a different perspective (Hutchings 1996). 
    • provides a model of peer and self assessment for students (Napan and Mamula-Stojnic 2005). 
    Some key ideas about peer observation:
    1. Instrumental interpretation of peer observation is insufficient by itself to enhance teacher performance in the classroom.
    2. “Learning about teaching, and heightening a sense of professionalism stems from a continuous process of transforming personal meaning. This demands an active engagement with pedagogical theory, purposeful critical reflection on classroom practice, and a challenging of assumptions through shared critical reflection” (Source)
    Professional Learning Planner (PLP)
    As I reflect on the PLP, it’s clear that it doesn’t address any of the key elements of professional development. Those lie outside the scope of that document. And, I’m OK with that for now. However, page 2 of the PLP (doesn’t exist…yet) may very well be a way of addressing these areas, even if it is a reminder to PL/PD planners of what those elements are.

    So here is page 2 of the PLP, which I imagine would run two-sided on a piece of paper:

    Page 2 of 2 | Get the PDF version

    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

    Planning Active Learning Possibilities for Professionals (Updated)

    24 Friday Feb 2017

    Posted by mguhlin in Education, ProfessionalLearning

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    “In a few days,” shared a friend, “I’m going to have to encourage a team of professional development experts to figure out their vision for professional development. The problem is, I’m not sure what the best approach is. I suspect no one will agree and I’ll be stuck refereeing a disagreement of epic proportions.”
    AN INVITATION TO BE A GUIDE
    A few years ago, I recall being in a similar spot as my friend. I had come up with the best plan imaginable, taking advantage of my advanced, technology-based experience. Upon presentation, all found a way to criticize the plan proposed.

    Just as chaos was about to occur, I had a flash of insight. I invited them to draw a picture of their ideal solution. The room grew silent except for pencils and pens scratching at blank sheets of paper. When each dyad or triad shared their vision, an astonishing reality became known. 

    Not one vision had elements common to all. Each held a vital piece of the puzzle in their hand. We moved forward to collaborative planning with various pieces of the puzzle, each representing a particular stakeholder group. This enabled us to put together a plan and solution that worked for all. This experience transformed my approach to groups, effectively turning me from sage on a stage to guide on the side.
    RECIPES FOR LEARNING CONVERSATIONS
    In their free book, The Joy of Professional Learning, the authors, who happen to be  Apple Distinguis hed Educators (ADE), outline various recipes for professional learning. These recipes promote active learning, which research has shown students perform better with than when they sit through a lecture. While these approaches are mostly intended for use face to face, some or all include technology or can be adapted to include it. In the final column, I have added my spin on the approach, describing what I would do. Of course, you may have another idea that would be fun. I encourage you to read Joy versions in their entirety. Unfortunately, they are only available in Ibooks format:
    • The Joy of Professional Learning
    • The Joy of Professional Learning – The Basics – Part One
    • The Joy of Professional Learning – The Basics – Part Two
    Finally, I have also added Problem-based or Project-based Learning (PrBL/PBL) to the list of recipes since it is one of my favorite approaches.
    RECIPES CHART
    At the end of the chart, you will also find a Professional Learning Planner (PLP) to help you better construct your professional learning experience. Remember that all professional learning must kindle the interest, and occurs with the consent, of the learner. Fail to obtain either, and your professional learning may be doomed.
    Approach
    Description
    Technology Adaptation
    BREAKOUT EDU
    Learners are engaged in a problem-solving approach that relies on ingenuity and creativity. Learners experience teamwork and collaboration. Usually involves a kit.
    Take advantage of Breakout EDU web site for 100% online activities.
    Cafe
    Participants gather at this social event to discuss important topics. Conversation starter cards, coffee and pastries are made available.
    Setup online shared documents, padlet and invite participants to gather in groups to respond to the conversation prompt. This can also be done as audio (e.g. Voxer) or video (e.g. Flipgrid) social event. Technology makes capturing the discussion easier.
    Challenge based Learning
    Learners brainstorm big ideas relevant to a pre-selected topic, then discuss and develop an essential question. They convert the question into a challenge statement that “creates urgency and spurs action.” When each team has a challenge statement, rotate the teams so problem-solving can begin.
    Create an online shared document for each team. In that document, they list brainstorming, questions, essential question and challenge statement. They submit the link to their document via a Form, accessible by other teams. Each team adds their thoughts to the online document in a different color.
    Collections
    Learners collect items (magazine articles, links, photos, videos) relevant to a particular topic and create a shareable document.
    Use a web site like Pinterest, Padlet or AnswerGarden to have students collect audio, images, photos, video with their mobile device then share it via the padlet. Participants could also rely on tools like Diigo Social Bookmarking, Twitter/Instagram hashtags, a Facebook Group.
    Another approach involves creating interactive infographics using tools like PiktoChart,Easel.ly, Infog.ram,
    or Canva and then dropping that creation into Thinglink. Combining an infographic creation tool with Thinglink makes your infographic interactive, extending the reach and usability of your new creation.
    ED CAMP
    Also characterized as an “unconference,” this enables learners to identify topics of interest to them. Topics are grouped and organized according to available space and time. Learners then meet in the available spaces at agreed upon times to discuss a topic of interest. The law of two feet applies (participants can leave at any time) and there is no designated presenter or lecturer.
    Have participants submit topics of interest via an online Form. The organizer arranges topics and create rooms using appropriate tool (e.g. Appear.in, Voxer) and then publishes links to the virtual spaces. Participants join rooms and offer their contributions. A facilitator to handle technical issues may be designated. One example is EdCampVoxerconference that occurs every December.
    Game board
    Create a game board that involves dice, movement of pieces, and drawing a card that suggests a potential action.
    Gamifying learning is made easier with tools like Minecraft: Education Edition that allow for creating a virtual learning space.
    Genius Hour
    Learners explore a topic of interest and 60 minutes is set aside to support learners’ pursuit of that topic. Learners develop a driving question that must involve research and the project needs to be shared with the world.
    A wide variety of technologies can be used to support Genius Hour.
    Live Stream
    In this recipe, participants use Periscope to broadcast from their mobile device, discussing a particular topic. They share their thoughts then publish the link.
    Video reflection tools like Flipgrid.com and GetRecap.com make the use of non-education focused apps like Periscope or YouTube Captureunnecessary. Simply create topics, share the code with each team, then they can respond to it. What’s more, other teams can respond to the initial topic discussion by another team.
    Mobile Learning
    Learners use their mobile devices to interact with their surroundings as they walk around campus. Each station on the walk may include a QR code or AR trigger. Learners keep notes on their device, submitting it at the end of their walk.
    Learners can take a learning walk and add learning (e.g. anchor chart examples) to a Pinterest wall, submit via Google Forms (which is later made available for viewing by the whole group), or use FlipGrid.com to create video reflections for various topics.
    Online Course
    Create an online course in your favorite learning management system (LMS) and then facilitate learners as they navigate various modules and activities.
    Vary your approach from using traditional LMSs (e.g. Canvas, Moodle, Classroom), and try using tools like Slack, Voxer, and WhatsApp, which are mobile and allow for more mobile learning.
    Playground
    Design hands-on activities that correspond to a particular topic arranged in Centers. Participants work in teams to complete activities then rotate to the next station.
    Create digital spaces that allow for teams to complete and submit activities online.
    Podcast
    Podcast participants determine a guiding question or topic, then record the audio of their conversation. When complete, they publish it via a blog or a platform with an RSS feed.
    Podcasts are easy to record using Skype, Appear.in or Voxer. Each of these allow for conversations. Voxer works great for back-n-forth conversations. Afterwards, you can combine each vox using Audacity sound editing software.
    Problem-based/Project-based Learning (PrBL/PBL)
    Learners are introduced to a real life problem or simulation that requires them to identify what they know, what they need to know, strategies for solving the information problem, and a reflection component. They must identify guesses about the situation, what they know for certain, what questions they need answers to, and stakeholder perspectives embedded in problem. Then they divide up into groups to develop a solution from their perspective that prioritizes and groups questions. Each group has a different perspective and set of questions to respond to. Their solution may be a project, a presentation, identification of next steps.
    Throughout the PBL process, technology can be used. For example, virtual simulations can introduce a problem, clarify the problem, or test a solution. Technology can also be used to communicate and collaborate with others engaged in parallel problem-solving or with different expertise (or in the field with relevant data).
    Technology can be used to document as well as share solutions with others. Real life applications make PBL the best approach for integrated use of technology tools.
    Showcase
    Contact individuals ahead of an event, inviting them to submit slides ahead of time. Combine all the slides into one slide deck then provide each person time to share about their showcase topic.
    Ask individuals to create a timed video, place that video on Youtube, then create a playlist for all the videos. Share the playlist with others so they can watch it. Use a Padlet or online form (e.g. Google or Microsoft) to capture insights and take-aways.
    Speed Dating
    Learners are paired in two parallel rows and pose questions related to organizational goals. They each share their experience and then rotate.
    Employ Appear.in to setup virtual conversations rooms with remote experts (in another school, state, or country). Each device represents an expert that is remotely connected. Have learners rotate from device to device.
    TwitterChat
    Twitterchats are organized around a particular hashtag (e.g. #tceachat) and enable anyone following the hashtag to join in. They can involve guest hosts along with a regular host that facilitates the technical elements of the chat.
    Some ways to enhance twitterchats include using tools like Tweetdeck, Participate.com/chats, or Twubs.com to track chats and publicize them to others. You can also use
    Professional Learning Planner (PLP)

    Note: This is a rough draft of my PLP. I am actually working on a much better looking one but think of this as my rough draft. I’ll probably share the nicer one later this week. After all, who wants to carry around this tome of a blog entry when putting together PD/PL?

    When crafting professional learning, I often ask myself these questions:

    1. How do I engage participants from the get-go, encouraging movement?
    2. How do I setup the learning environment so they are moving from the start?
    3. How do I enable them to take the stage to share their insights and learning?
    4. What’s the easiest way to capture that and share that with the world?
    5. How can I blend a check for understanding or assessment component that holds learners accountable and pushes them to engage in reflection?
    The PLP is only one of many graphic organizers to help me make sense of learning. It is based on these general concepts shown below.
    Concept Type
    Description
    Engaging Activities/Icebreakers
    (Question #1)
      1. Emoji Puzzle (template): As learners enter the classroom, hand them an emoji puzzle piece that will match one other student in the class. After all the learners are in the class, have them walk around the classroom and try to find the other student that has the matching emoji puzzle piece. (via  @diben)
      2. QR Code (template): Print QR codes and cut them into four pieces. Give each participant one of the four pieces of the code. Next, have learners find their group based on their category. Once in their group, have your learners scan the QR code to reveal if their category word is correct. (via� @diben and @preimers)
      3. Conversation Starter Stones (template): Use inexpensive clear stones with a glued on task to get kids moving and engaged. (via  @diben)
      4. Padlet: Have students create a slide about themselves in Powerpoint, use MS Snip to record audio annotation, then copy-n-paste the link to the Snip into a Padlet with the picture.
      5. Sway: Have students create a MS Sway presentation about themselves.
      6. Four Corners: Organize participants into four equal sized groups then have them discuss a question, sharing their responses via some online venue (e.g. TodaysMeet.com, Twitter with a hashtag, Padlet).
      7. Kahoot/Quizizz: Participants complete an online activity, sharing their knowledge (or lack of) about a topic.
    Encourage Movement
    (Question #2)
      1. Act Out Stories: Have students create a story about the information they are working with. Each learner in the group acts out different aspects of the story. Record each portrayal, then publish the videos via the campus blog or web site.
      2. Go Noodle: This web site has tons of activities that facilitate movement in class.
    Taking the Stage and Sharing
    (Question #3 & #4)
    Employ one of the recipes shown above with a technology adaptation. Each technology adaptation makes it easy to share student creations with others.
    Check for Understanding
    (Question #5)

    Updated 02/23/17

      1. Exit Tweet: Ask students to briefly summarize what has been learned.
      2. Text Polling: Use tools like Google or Microsoft Forms, Kahoot, Quizizz to capture student responses to a question. You can also use Office Mix‘s built-in question feature!
      3. Charts and Diagrams: Have students create a visual representation of learning using any variety of tools.
      4. Classroom Response Tool: Use Socrative, Kahoot, Plickers, GoFormative.com, or Zipgrade.com to get insight into student learning in real time or a video with EdPuzzle.com.
      5. Additional “Rev Up Your Review” strategies:These are shared by Lisa Monthie (@lisamonthie) in the #tceachat Voxerchat:
        1. Low Tech strategies include 3-2-1 Summary, Careless Clueless via Lead4ward, Instagram, QR Codes MatchUp, Stars and Steps Chart, Twitter Ticket
        2. Tech strategies include using Flippity, Plickers, Quizizz, Wizer.me (see Lisa’s example), Ducksoup.us, and Google Translate.
    Update: Note the PLP is now available online with explanation.

    Page 1 of 2 | Get the PDF version

    Page 2 of 2 | Get the PDF version


    Conclusion

    Thanks for sticking with me through to the end. As you might imagine, there are MANY more ways to engage learners. What are some ways that you would like to see mentioned here? Or, what are some ways you would adapt those approaches to reflect ubiquitous technologies many learners have access to?

    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

    Visualizing Our Understanding: Graphic Organizers

    24 Friday Feb 2017

    Posted by mguhlin in Education, TCEA, TechNotes

    ≈ Leave a comment

    “The use of graphic organizers,” says the El Campo ISD’s Intervention Warehouse website, “is a powerful tool that is easy to integrate into daily instruction.” The ECISD site then goes on to share access to several sources for graphic organizers for visualizing learning.
    Graphic organizers are teaching and learning tools; when they’re integrated into classroom experiences, students are better able to understand new material. Creating a strong visual picture, graphic organizers support students by enabling them to literally see connections and relationships between facts, information, and terms.
    Source: Teaching Graphic Organizers
    As a writer, I often skipped “outlining” and note-taking as ways to organize my writing and notes. Instead, I created graphic organizers to capture ideas and map out my writing. When taking notes, I captured powerful research concepts using a graphic organizer rather than laboriously writing out page after page of notes This approach helped me build a gestalt of the ideas presented.
    yED Graph Editor

    The Problem with Graphic Organizers

    Imagine that when someone says to you, “Could you read this technical text and summarize it?” you could ask yourself, “Well, which graphic organizer should I select?” Then, after some deliberation, you would pick the appropriate graphic organizer and use that one. You wouldn’t be limited to the default spider web graphic organizer with a main concept in the middle.
    Instead, you would just use the right one for each task. Unfortunately, that has always been my problem with graphic organizers. Although I know there are different types (e.g. Problem-Solution, Fishbone, Time Order, etc.) for various functions, I never knew which one to rely on when I was growing up. To this day, I still rely on the easiest graphic organizer, the spider web with main topic in the middle and ideas radiating out from the center. Drawing graphic organizers by hand, though, can be cumbersome since mistakes are tough to correct.

    Solutions for Visualizing Our Learning

    “To know” goes the old constructivist saying, “is to know how to make.” When teachers pre-print graphic organizers for their students, they inadvertently do several negative things. Those things include:
    • Modeling the use of a graphic organizer appropriate to a text and thus
    • Removing the responsibility and ownership of selecting the correct graphic organizer appropriate to a text from the learner
    Obviously, if students have less of a say in exactly what graphic organizer to use and when, their long-term use of this tool may suffer. This is because graphic organizers are visual representations of what we store in our brains. This can lead to challenges in comprehension. That’s pretty profound, isn’t it? That’s why it is so important to get students to create their own graphic organizers.
    Let’s explore three tools you can use to create graphic organizers via digital devices.

    Hand-Drawn Graphic Organizers with OneNote

    If you’re not familiar with OneNote, it is a phenomenal mobile app that makes digital ink a reality for those with touch-screen computers or Surface Pro/Android/iPad tablets. With digital ink (that is the ability to draw on the tablet screen with a stylus or fingertip), students are able to finally create graphic organizers that are representative of their own visualizations.

    Computer/Browser-Based Tools

    If you have access to a Windows, Mac, or Chromebook, then tools abound for creating graphic organizers. Here are my top two favorite no-cost (free!) tools, but there are many more available, also known as “mind-mapping tools.”
    • Draw.io: Looking for an easy to use, browser-based diagramming or graphic organizer creator? Look no further than Draw.io! It works in your browser, but allows you to save to whatever cloud storage system you prefer, such as Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive.
    • yED Graph Editor: yEd can be installed on your computer (Windows, Mac, GNU/Linux) and works fantastically well. You can create graphic organizers using its simple layout. It also scales up to meet the needs of grade 9-12 and adult learners.

    Conclusion

    I still remember my first copy of Inspiration graphic organizer software. I was amazed at what I could create to represent my understanding of a process, a concept, or a text. Learning how to use graphic organizers, short of learning to read/write and use technology, remains one of the best lessons my high school teacher taught me. How are you teaching your students to use graphic organizers?

    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

    The Power of Yet! for Hackers and Phishers #yetpower

    23 Thursday Feb 2017

    Posted by mguhlin in Education, Hacking, TCEA, TechNotes

    ≈ Leave a comment

    “Why did he click on that email attachment?” asked one technology director I spoke with recently. The click led to a ransomware attack that expanded to the business department’s server, resulting in frantic data-saving actions.  For many technology directors, the problem is not the phishing or the ransomware. The real problem is their lack of influence to bring about change in the organization. Consider this problem in light of a common occurrence in education today.

    Note: This blog entry originally published by TCEA TechNotes blog. Read other awesome blog entries by the TCEA team online at www.tcea.org/blog

    Knowing vs Doing

    What is Known:
    • Hackers, phishers, and scammers want our personally-identifiable information. They can sell it for $10 or more on the darknet, where illegal transactions happen (think “Silk Road“).
    • Bad people send out emails to educators. These emails appear legitimate. They invite district staff to surrender their username and password and then send decrypted sensitive data and/or ransomware that use staff’s machines as a beachhead to infect the rest of the network.
    • Staff know NOT to fall for these traps, but do so anyways.
    What is Done:
    In spite of knowing these things, staff continue to click on phishing links where they happily share their username and password via an insecure website, send copies of confidential documents to complete strangers, or click on ransomware that encrypts their computer, then spreads to everyone else’s. These actions by a few individual wreak havoc on the whole network, and small districts especially are overwhelmed.

    The Traditional Response

    The traditional response involves disciplining staff, even terminating them in severe data breaches. They should have known better, right? Oh, but wait, your district does not have a safeguarding sensitive data policy in place (many districts do not, which is why I offer this one as a start). It involves buying and issuing hardware (e.g. Chromebooks, iPads, Macbooks) that malware (e.g. ransomware) can’t work its dark magic on (YET…you just know hackers subscribe to growth mindset, right?).
    problem
    It means locking down Windows computers with Active Directory policies, Deep Freeze so that technicians don’t have to spend a lot of time fixing user errors. This has been standard practice for years. Here’s a roundup of advice that should help districts who want to keep closing the gate after the livestock has made its getaway. That is, mopping up the mess after someone has been hacked, phished, taken.

    TCEA’s Roundup of Ideas for Safeguarding Sensitive Data

    • Part 1
    • Part 2
    • Process Check: Safeguarding Student Privacy
    • Four Tips for Keeping Your Data Secure in the Cloud
    • Data Security: Questions to Ponder
    CTOs and superintendents should also register to attend the upcoming May, 2017 TCEA Technology Leadership Summit, as well as pay a small fee to access the audio and notes from the 2016 Technology Leadership Summit.
    But what if there was another approach, employing motivation, influence, and authority?

    A Fresh Approach: Influence

    In their book, Influencers, the authors suggest identifying vital action(s) that can be taken. These vital actions consist of the desired behavior(s) that must change. Rather than try to change twelve or more behaviors staff exhibit, focus on one or two that will have the greatest results. For example, try encourage adoption of this behavior:
    Assume emails with attachments are suspect, so verify the source of the email. This can be as easy as sending a new email to the person who contacted you and asking, “Did you send me a file attachment that says, “burnbabyburn.exe?” Wait, you can even get more done. Walk over to the person who sent you the email attachment and ask them “Did you send me a file I didn’t ask for?” Or just call them or text them on your mobile phone. This ONE behavior change would stop 99% of the issues technology departments complain about (e.g. ransomware, viruses, malware as attachments, AND sending sensitive data to complete strangers).

    Changing behavior

    When seeking to change behavior, the authors of Influencers recommend recognizing that there are six sources of influence. Often, we take into account only the first two when trying to bring about change:

    Source 1 – Personal Motivation

    Make the undesirable, desirable.
    Example – Do you really care if your computers gets infected with malware and you lose data? It’s not that big a deal, after all. A technician will come fix it eventually and most of your work is done on paper anyways. Instead, you must passionately care about protecting your data and that of your students. If someone tried to take one of your students hostage, you wouldn’t be so passive.

    Source 2 – Personal Ability

    Surpass your limits.
    Example – Do you have the skills and knowledge to know when you’ve encountered an email that is intended to do you and yours harm? You probably have an idea that you shouldn’t click on bad emails. Learn what you need to be better on guard.

    Source 3 – Social Motivation

    Harness peer pressure.
    Example – Do others on your team or your department really care about email and email attachments? Maybe they go through their spam folder looking for problematic emails because they need a break? What if everyone on your team was motivated to help each other NOT open spam emails with attachments or to practice the desired behavior?

    Source 4 – Social Ability

    Find strength in numbers.
    Example – Who could you speak to in the district who could help you obtain the knowledge or resources you need? Maybe there’s a SafeSchools or EduHero eCourse you can take or a free ebook you can read.

    Source 5 – Structural Motivation

    Design rewards and accountability.
    Example – When you check your email, are there a ton of emails waiting for you, so that you despair about getting through all of them and just click on anything? Maybe you can adopt Inbox Zero strategies so that email isn’t so overwhelming. Avoid sharing your confidential data (username and password) anywhere online since it can be so easily taken.

    Source 6 – Structural Ability

    Change the environment.
    Example – Maybe your district could adopt a different communications medium that isn’t susceptible to malware email attachments, like Slack or Microsoft Yammer or Teams.

    Conclusion

    While this has been a lighthearted attempt to address the challenges end users face every day, it is important to realize that changing ONE behavior can result in significant change. When you go about changing it, realize that asking people to do the right thing and training them is not going to get it done. Unleash all sources of influence to bring about the change you want.

    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

    Minecraft: Education Edition Tutorial Videos

    23 Thursday Feb 2017

    Posted by mguhlin in Education, Minecraft, TCEA, TechNotes

    ≈ Leave a comment

    Are you a Minecraft: Education Edition digital native? If so, do we have a treat for you! Take a look at this new video series focusing on introductory videos to everyday tasks in the popular program. These short videos walk you through some common tasks, such as changing a skin, finding materials in creative mode, as well as using the compass and map and mastering the teleport command.

    Note: This blog entry originally published by TCEA TechNotes blog. Read other awesome blog entries by the TCEA team online at www.tcea.org/blog

    Minecraft

    The Three Little Pigs

    One of my favorite activities involves asking participants to narrate their own Three Little Pigs story using Microsoft Office Mix. One fun activity involves building straw, stick, and brick houses. In this Minecraft video series, you will learn what you need to know to re-create this famous story.

    Video Series

    1. Changing a Skin (2:00)
    2. Finding materials in creative mode (2:24)
    3. Compass Map Teleportation (4:08)
    4. Survival and Finding Materials (0:57)
    5. Smelting and Torches (1:05)
    6. Building a Straw House (1:33)
    7. Building a Stick House (2:19)
    8. Building a Brick House (4:59)
    9. Make/Spawn a Wolf and Pig (3:17)
    Note: Notice a young voice? I’d like to thank James E. Guhlin (@jguhlin) for his work creating these video tutorials. You can follow his regular Minecraft video creations here.
    These videos are intended for teachers to learn some of the simple things they need to know to get started and offer an easy entry that scaffolds your efforts. Need more support?

    Register for Minecraft Professional Learningthreelittlepigs

    Several professional learning opportunities are available! Be sure to check the TCEA Minecraft: Education Edition (TCEAMEE) Professional Learning resources.

    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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