In order for students to take advantage of all those great Web 2.0 tools online like Ning, Animoto, Glogster, and Google Docs, it is necessary for them to have an email address. In APS, we don’t want to have the kids to have unsecure email addresses, so we use a secure system called SchoolMail by ePals. This email allows for the teacher to control and monitor all email activity taking place amongst their students. More importantly, if set properly, students cannot receive any communications from outside of SchoolMail (like from spammers, predators, etc.) The easiest way for your Instructional Technology Coach or Trainer to give your students email addresses is if you export your student list from Infinite Campus into an Excel Spreadsheet. I have provided the directions for how to do this, and upon successful exporting, you can email your lists to your coach or trainer. Export Student List

At many of our schools in many of our classrooms we’ll find them… those old computers that we can’t wait to be replaced.  I’ve been there, thinking about how my old, slow desktop will be replaced with something fast and new - and I couldn’t wait.  I couldn’t wait to ditch that sluggish machine and be happy to never be at its mercy again.  But then I was enlightened through the genius of others and saw a new potential in an otherwise hunk of recyclable parts. Repurpose Recycled Computers Naturally, the old will be replaced with the new, but you’ve been afforded an opportunity… you can keep those old computers!  How about giving them new life? Here’s some ways how: 1) Replace Big Brother with Free Brother - install a Linux operating system like Edubuntu for free!  We’ve found through testing that the OS works fast and crisp - and there’s even versions (Kubuntu) for slow computers to make them seem like a new kid on the block. 2) If you have a couple of computers in your classroom, consider using them for stations if you don’t already (especially primary teachers).  One great way to provide students with practice is to install Promethean’s ActivStudio software onto your stations so that students can work on their own interacting with flipcharts.  That’s right… you don’t have to have a board to be using ActivStudio! Also, kids can create their own flipcharts, too. 3) All those great resources you’ve been downloading from One Place can be compiled and packaged for your students to access in your classroom. Imagine having video clips, tutorials, websites, simulations, etc. all available at their fingertips when they need it and how they need it. 4) Use the computers as a publishing station for students to access a classroom blog or collaboration network in which they can post, share, collaborate, and reflect on their written work.  GoogleDocs is a great way for students to have work that is always accessible as long as they have an internet connection.  Their docs can be private or shared amongst their teacher and peers. For example, Language Arts can post written work, science students can post data on spreadsheets. 5) There are many other possibilities… use your imagination and be creative! The point is people, don’t give up on those old machines!  If set up right, they can provide quite a few more learning opportunities for your students in many dynamic ways before they keel over.  The possibilities don’t have to be limited - consult an instructional coach or trainer and work with them to help you make the most of what you have - or are keeping, even when you do get that shiny fast new computer! Sited Links: Ubuntu Kubuntu Edubuntu One Place Google Docs Promethean ActivStudio

Yes, that’s right, you heard correctly!  You can use those student response systems like the Votes and Expressions without being in possesion of a board.  I’ve found from many of my visits with teachers that there is a general misconception that they need a board in order to use these gadgets.  The reality is, if you have a projector connected to your computer and you have ActivSoftware (like ActivStudio 3 or the new and improved Inspire edition) loaded on it, you too can get instantaneous feedback in your classroom.  All you have to do is learn how to use the software and you will be asking yourself why you hadn’t been using this before.  Using response systems (RS) in the classroom will take your teaching and the student’s learning to a whole new level.  Just imagine that as any great lesson goes, you want to check for understanding periodically and identify if there are areas in the content that need more explanation or practice.  Students are often hesitant to reveal that they don’t understand something, but with an RS, you will be able to see that when the rest of the class cannot.  They provide meaningful feedback for you and the students and can really make lessons a lot more interactive with everyone’s input involved.  So get to it!  If your school has a set or two of these, get your hands on them and learn how to use the software - you will absolutely not be disappointed!

This post is a couple of observations I have made concerning the installation of new hardware and software in our schools.  Specifically, the hardware is Promthean’s ActivBoard (interactive whiteboard) and the software is their ActivStudio product. Personally, I feel that Promethean’s software for interactive whiteboards is the most useful for teachers compared to packages that are offered by Smart Technologies, Hitachi, and Mimio.  The reason for this is fourfold: 1) the software offers many resources in the library and many, many resources (almost 10,000) that are downloadable from Promethean Planet, 2) it has many users who share flipcharts so that teachers don’t have to “reinvent the wheel” - almost a quarter of a million registered users, 3) the software is robust - it has many tools and customization options for teachers to make the most of their teaching environment, and 4) there are many training/professional development opportunities for new users to make the most of the software at Promethean Learning. **DISCLAIMER** - I swear Promethean or any of it’s affiliates did not pay me to say any of this - no money, candy, cars, etc. Promise.  I am just speaking on experience, using the package in London, England when I taught there, and now helping teachers integrate it into their classrooms in Aurora, CO and experimenting with the other packages and what they have to offer.  Now on to the observations: Logistical: “Be Prepared” It seems that when new hardware and software is introduced into a school, all parties involved should be aware of what the new package is being added on to.  At one site, this new package is predominantly being added to older model PC’s that have the capacity to not run properly if they are not optimized before adding the new software.  We have found that many of the teacher’s computers are not running properly and leading to less than desirable effects such as running extremely slow and crashing.  This can most likely be alleviated by preparing the computers beforehand by re‑imaging them and setting them up for a scheduled bi‑weekly defragment.  Re‑imaging takes off all of the old and makes room for the new and will allow for better results when adding the new hardware and software. Community Building and Sharing It has been observed that the new implementation of the hardware and software has lead to the formation of user groups centered around using the software.  Whereas before teachers may “go it alone” in terms of their planning, now they have an opportunity to plan together by learning the software and creating products to be used in the classroom during these groups.  The groups have also fostered the sharing of best practices and teaching strategies centered around the delivery of content via the use of the hardware and software.  Now the teachers have the ability to create lessons together and divide up work in order to lessen the workload which frees up time to focus on preparing meaningful opportunities for students to engage, learn, and understand new content.

Though work being done to integrate this technology into our classrooms is mostly in its infancy, it’s great to see what is happening now with teachers literally having this technology anywhere between weeks to a couple months.  What is even more exciting is to imagine where this will take us into the future! Enjoy the vid! apscms.net/staffpages/coachriebau/files/2008/10/hinkleymodellingiwb.mp4

Checking Homework I used to assign homework problems to my students to work on in our Physics class of which we would always “go over” the next day in class.  It was a way for them to practice and a way for me to gauge their understanding as an informal formative assessment.  That next day, I would check their homework for completion - a non-academic grade where I would go around the room with my clipboard checking off those who didn’t have it done while they worked on a “problem of the day.” I would provide the answers to the students and have them check their work. Before I got my hands on a “clicker” device (you know, the gadget that allows for the student to provide input that you can see instantly) I would always ask the class if they had any questions and I would always get the typical lack of response that would seem to indicate they understood the concepts, but would inevitably lead to bombing the Friday quiz - which was an academic grade as a formal formative assessment to check for understanding.  It was hard to get my students to own up during class in front of their peers, even when I told them I didn’t have a degree in mind-reading.  Grading their work myself everyday was an alternative, but a super-time consuming one, at that, along with the fact that the results would always be a day later.  I needed better assessment tools. Transition into the 21st Century There were many times during the BT years (Before Technology) I would find myself giving answers out, working out a problem on the board for the students, and realizing that this was boring and besides that, the students grades on the quizzes were still indicating a lack of understanding.  We needed more interactivity and the students needed to take ownership for their learning and understanding.  How would I make them accountable besides the threat of failure?  I found the answer in using a student input device.  The key was to have them use a device where they could actually input numbers and text and not just merely choose an A-F answer from a multiple choice question on a powerpoint (which can be useful in its own right).  We used Texas Instruments Navigator which is great for math and science, but lately many teachers in our district have begun to use Promethean Expressions which are geared for any content area and most every age group.  Now we had a tool that would banish the lack of response in my classroom forever - now we were living in the AT years (After Technology) - welcome to the 21st Century! Movement Towards a Student-Centered Classroom - Tag, You’re It! Now I had my students do their homework, the next day they would work on their problem of the day while I still checked for completion, but then something brilliant happened - interactivity and increased achievement!  I would ask the students to input their result from the first problem and if they didn’t understand how to do the problem, just input the ? symbol.  I could instantly see on my computer screen who was getting the problem right, wrong, or just didn’t get it.  I would purposefully not project the results because I didn’t want students to “feed” off each other by seeing the same answer popping up on the board, leading to them jumping on the bandwagon.  If the results showed that the majority far outnumbered those who didn’t get the right answer, we would move on (majority rules) and I would indicate to myself those students who needed extra help (if these students kept performing poorly, I would set up a study session with them to get them up to speed later on during off periods, after school, etc.)  Let’s say on the next problem there were many ?’s input and many wrong answers - I then knew we needed to spend some time on this content and really try to break it down.  I would then initiate the game of “tag” by selecting a lucky student who did get the right answer to have them come to the front of the class and “guest teach” the rest how to do the problem.  I would facilitate, guide, fill in holes, and ask for better explanations if needs be, but it was the student who was explaining to their peers.  The students would ask each other questions and if they got stumped, I would step in and explain.  That first “guest teacher” student was then “it” and the next time we got to a problem we needed to go over, I would indicate to the “it” person four or five peers who got it right for them to “tag” and have them “guest teach.”  I know that this format could be improved upon, but it was a great way to get the students to do some of the teaching and when I surveyed them on this instructional strategy, they indicated that tag was definitely a better way of going over homework and they felt like they got more out of it.  Subsequently, their quiz scores did improve which indicated to me that the “AT” strategy was more effective than its “BT” predecessor.  Positive instructional evolution through technology - it’s empowering!

Here are some good examples of Hinkley HS teachers creating and manipulating flip charts for their lesson using Promethean’s Activstudio software on an Activboard.  For those of you who don’t have ActivStudio software, I have included a .zip folder that has a file for loading the free flip chart viewer onto your computer so you can interact a bit with the flipcharts.  Note: I have also included flip charts presented in powerpoint (.ppt) should you not be able to access the flipcharts (.flp).  You will not be able to use any of the interactive items, but you can see what the gist is. Nice work teachers! Enjoy! Get the free flip chart viewer here ActivStudio versions Headings - McEuen.flp Point of View - Kaspar.flp Graphs - R. Wright.flp White House Rhetoric - Roth.flp Powerpoint versions Biomes of the World - Thompson.ppt Headings - McEuen.ppt Point of View - Kaspar.ppt Graphs - R. Wright.ppt White House Rhetoric - Roth.ppt

It was a cold and rainy morning… On my way to the office this morning it was raining and cold.  It reminded me of my stint in London and I was having frightening weather flashbacks - but at least I knew that here in Colorado, it is only temporary!  Anyways, I saw a guy riding his bike out there carrying a gas can and it got me thinking.  This dude isn’t riding to get his can filled for his lawnmower or something - it’s raining!  He must be desperate and he must have done what I have admittedly done before myself… run out of gas in the car.  Now when I did it, I was just a young punk trying to push the limits of how long I could drive before having to drop five bucks at the station again (yeah sure).  But like I said, it got me thinking about all the “stuff” in our lives we have to maintain.  Lightbulbs burn out at home, we replace them.  A room gets dirty, we pick up, vacuum, and dust.  Our car indicates that we need more gas, we hopefully heed its warning and fill up the tank.  We know that if we never get the oil changed in our car, or rotate our tires, we will drive the thing straight into the ground and we’ll be relying on mass transit from there on out.  We just know that most things have to be maintained if we want them to work, look good, and do what we expect of them!  Imagine if we didn’t maintain ourselves… I don’t even want to go there. The Point For some reason many of us at school, home, and the workplace choose to ignore the tell-tale signs that our gadgets like computers, visualizers, projectors, etc. need to be maintained, too!  I guess many of us are under the impression that technology doesn’t have to be maintained and it will… just work.  Oh man, I almost fell out of my chair laughing after writing that last line!  You should know that there are filters that need to be cleaned once a month on your projectors so the life blood of air can soothe and cool their firey hot bulb in them - which cost a few hundred dollars to replace.  Extend the the bulbs life and save yourself the hassle and money of replacing the thing.  When your computer says it needs to be updated, don’t be annoyed by the pop-up window every time it shows up in a lesson or in the office because you keep closing it… deal with it!  There is a reason those annoying update bubbles want your attention - they’re your friend (who is needy and calls 20 times a day)!  You’ll know if you need to update by seeing a shield in the system tray in the bottom right of your screen. (I know, I know, there are two… it’s the straight up and down one - ridiculous, I agree).  If your computer is running super-slow, you may need to reimage it or defragment the drive (if I just spoke jibberish, contact your tech person to take care of this) - this is equivalent to “spring cleaning.” Update other software if needs be (not everything has an automatic update).  Physically clean and dust off monitors, keyboards, computers, filters, lenses, etc. at least every couple of weeks, and definitely no longer than every month.  Turn stuff off when you’re not using it - especially at night, and Mother Earth will appreciate it, too.  Keep your stuff running optimally, take care of it, and it will last a long time and be more reliable.  We all know that nothing’s worse than teaching when the instructional technology fails and we have a classroom full of students waiting to erupt into chaos like a ticking time-bomb…  More importantly, we’re inadvertently letting down our students who deserve high quality lessons if they’re to have a chance to achieve in the 21st century. Don’t ignore the signs, the bubbles, the indications, the time to maintain your high-tech gadgets or you too will be left out in the cold, cold rain - now do yourself and your students a favor and go check your stuff!

We’re Watching You… I used to feel like when I was lucky enough to test out new hardware and software in my classroom, that my bosses were watching me to see what I was doing with it.  You know, that whole business concept of “getting a return on an investment.”  At first I would panic and try to figure out how to create lessons centered around the technology.  It was almost like I felt technology first, lesson second.  I realized quickly that this thinking was backwards! Old School Becomes New School We used to (or still do) teach content and then write the assessment afterward based on the things we talked about.  Often times we don’t articulate a clear goal for our students or ourselves and we just “go with the flow.”  Current pedagogy highlights the advantage of creating an assessment first based on state standards, essential learnings, learning objectives, etc. and then creating a unit around that which emphasizes what is to be assessed for understanding.  The reason being that if clear standards are set and fulfilled, this will lead to increased student achievement.  This is called backward planning in some circles.  OK, so what’s the point?  The point is, that instead of thinking about how to create lessons centered around the technology - which I feel is synonymous to “just going with the flow” and not having real clear standards to fulfill in terms of integrating the technology, think about what you already do best in your classroom. 1) What are some teaching strategies you frequently use? 2) What are some best practices you employ on a consistent basis? 3) How have you reached your students in the past before you were given the technology and expected to work wonders with it? Once you have answered these question, you now have clear standards in which you can build around and begin to think about how to integrate your technology into your classroom. Just Do It You know what your good at and how you like to do things on a day-to-day basis in your classroom. Now think about the following questions to help you get started integrating the technology into some, most, or all facets of your instruction. 1) Are there possibilities of enhancing what you do with your technology? 2) Can you make certain processes, procedures more efficient using your technology? 3) Are there certain best practices you use that can be made more effective, efficient, and/or enhanced by having technology? If you’re having trouble answering these questions, I put forth that you worry more about what and how you do great things in your classroom, and if you have identified these, share them with your colleagues and/or if you have one, an Instructional Technology Coach, to see how they may use technology in their classrooms to do the same things and possibly help you innovate NEW ways to employ teaching strategies and best practices! Good luck, have fun, and remember that the “Instruction(al)” comes before the “Technology.”

These are the words Ivan and I heard in a classroom at Hinkley High, enthusiastically - and definitely not sarcastically (which can be typical of cynical teenagers), blurted out by a student when we briefly showed her and her peers a piece of new technology that would be used in their classroom soon.  I felt like this simple statement, and how she said it, may have summed up the feeling and the mood spreading across the school, and trickling into the school district - a feeling that with the proliferation of new 21st century learning tools in our classrooms, that there is exciting potential to learn in new and hopefully better ways, and that it’s not just the schools in a wealthy suburb that are utilizing all of the high-tech tools anymore, but that the resources are being made available to all.  Is there a sense of equity? Maybe, maybe not, but the truth is… the kids are observing that we are making a commitment to them to provide them with the means to take their education to the next level, and in turn, they may actually find themselves a little bit more excited to come to school each day and find enjoyment in learning about the world around them because now we have useful tools to bring the world to them!