Learning Ideas with iBooks and iPad

Did you know...
If you have the most current version of iBooks and iOS, you can now highlight text in iBooks using several different colors. Think about highlighting a main idea in one color, and then highlighting supporting evidence to that idea in another. Or, consider doing this for character development. Then, when you tap on the "Table of Contents" .. you have a great set of study notes!!

Did you also know that it is now possible to select a passage of text and have the iPad read to you? This works on web pages, in iBooks, and anywhere you can select text!! To activate the Speak Text feature on your iPad, tap on Settings > General > ... scroll down to Accessibility, and turn on "Speak Selection." (If you don't have this option, be sure you have updated your iPad ... you will be prompted to update when you sync in iTunes).

What's "new" for you in the New Year?

The start of each new year provides us with an opportunity to begin anew: to start or to stop doing things that are good or bad for us or our families, our jobs, etc. This is the season for fresh starts, or perhaps resolving to change. And, as good as our intentions may be, it's not always easy to sustain that change, or "new" thing we have chosen to commit to.

This TED Talk video from Matt Cutts might help those of us who struggle with change, whether its major or minor. I believe that taking baby steps is a good way to embark on the journey. I also think that it's sometimes hard to take that first step, however small. So, if long-term lifestyle changes or resolutions don't seem achieveable in your immediate future, perhaps just taking a 30-day challenge would provide the kick-start you need. As Matt says, "30 days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit -- like watching the news -- from your life."

I think I can.... I think I can .... do you?

Ideas for providing non-written feedback on student work

A teacher asks:
I would like to give each of my students oral comments rather than written ones for a paper they are working on. How can I create and then deliver these comments?

Here are 2 ideas that use iOS devices:

1. For audio only...
Using an iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone, and the free app AudioBoo, record your commentary and publish your audiboo using a indentifying "tag" that is unique to the student... such as their student ID and class period:  12345p6. Students would then locate their commentary files online at http://AudioBoo.fm/tag/12345p6 <-- using their unique tag word at the end of the address. This would also provide an aggregated list of all of their feedback you post using "their tag," which can be listened to on the web, or subscribed to in iTunes.

2. If you have an iPad2 consider the free app called ScreenChomp. You can load the the student's paper as a background image (it will need to be converted to an image file), or by using the built-in camera to snap a picture of the paper.

You can then provide some commentary, and use the tools to annotate items on the page. ScreenChomp saves your commentary as a movie. When finished, publish the movie to ScreenChomp and use the share button to "copy the link" which can then be emailed to the student.

Here's a sample of how it might look:
http://www.screenchomp.com/t/4pwB1BVPDp

For a nice comparison of iPad screencasting apps, read http://appsineducation.blogspot.com/2011/12/screencasting-apps-for-ipad.html

Or, if using a computer...
Some of our World Languages teachers are using Screencasting software (such as http://screenr.com) to provide assessments on digital products, which they view on their computers, and then speak about what is being viewed.

Here's a sample of how that might look when viewing and commenting on a word document:
http://screenr.com/JmLs.

Note that with this method, all of the screencasts uploaded to a Screenr account are visible online, so teachers might not wish to identify specific students. This would also allow students to view the work of their peers, and gain futher insight based on the teacher comments.

K-12 Online Conference 2011! Tune in to learn!

The free K-12 Online Conference, now in it's 6th year, is entering its 2nd week!
K-12 Online Conference for 2011 – Purposeful Play, runs from Nov 28 – Dec 8, 2011.

The K-12 Online Conference invites participation from educators around the world interested in innovative ways Web 2.0 tools and technologies can be used to improve learning. This year, educators can also earn professional development (CPE) credit for participation in the conference (providing this meets with the expections of your work place). More info at: http://k12onlineconference.org/?page_id=821

These sessions provide great opportunities to learn new things or improve on what we already do.
Screencasting 101 may be one that will inspire you to create lesson assistance for your students who learn in a different way – http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=870

Here is the schedule:
Week of November 28, 2011:
Strand 1 and 2 (Storytime and Team Captains)
20 presentations already posted.

Week of December 5, 2011:
Strand 3 and 4 (Sandbox Play and Level Up)
Presentations posted (4 per day, 20 during the week Monday – Friday)

Monday, December 12th at 8 pm Central
Afterglow Live Event In BlackBoard Collaborate / Elluminate Live

Presenters, session titles and links for 2011: http://k12onlineconference.org/?page_id=824

Why not take your PD to go!?
Subscribe to the presentations as video or audio from the iTunesU Channel – here is the iTunes video link: http://itunes.apple.com/itunes-u/k12-online-conference-video/id439104665

More information, and archives of presentations back to 2006, can be found on the website:
http://k12onlineconference.org/

K-12 Online Conference Keynoters Announced!

Mark your calendars for this year's K-12 Online conference which begins the week of  Nov. 28. The Pre-Conference keynote will be on Nov. 21.

The organizer team of the 2011 K-12 Online conference has announced an outstanding lineup of keynote speakers for this year -- including Illinois' own, Carol Broos! Check out their 2011 marketing flyer (PDF) which provides information about the dates of this year’s conference, it's theme, and keynoters. Selected presenters will be announced next week. Please share this marketing flyer with other educators you know! More info at: http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=816

Testmoz = free and easy online test generator

At yesterday's NICE meeting I learned about several great websites and tools for using technology in teaching and learning. These will be summarized and posted to the NICE Blog (http://ice.typepad.com/nice/) and the NICE website Resource page (http://www.iceberg.org/nice/resources) shortly.

But, until then, you may be interested looking at this... http://testmoz.com

• Testmoz is a test generator that sports 4 question types (True/false, multiple choice, multiple response, and fill in the blank questions), automatic grading, a really simple interface and detailed reports (download as csv file).
• Students get instant feedback on their score, and you can choose whether or not to display the correct answers.
• Answers can be automatically randomized
• Testmoz is free, and does not require you (or your students) to register.
• You can build a fully functional test in about a minute.
• Testmoz is a simple test generating application created by Matt Johnson, an undergraduate student at Washington State University, Vancouver.

Secrets to Success in Learning and Life?

Paul Tough's article in the 9/14/11 NYTimes, “What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?” speaks about the development of character for successful learning, as well as success in life. Can character be taught? We have an SEL initiative ongoing at our school, and there are many discussions, and learning targets designed to reinforce students social awareness and interpersonal skills.

Educators at two venerable New York City schools, KIPP and Riverdale Country School, are forging a new frontier in character education.

Tough's article mentions Angela Duckworth’s research:

People who accomplished great things, she noticed, often combined a passion for a single mission with an unswerving dedication to achieve that mission, whatever the obstacles and however long it might take. She decided she needed to name this quality, and she chose the word “grit.”

"Grit” is one of 24 character strengths that are now evaluated on student report cards. What would it look like if we also reported our observations on the strengths of students' character?

Riverdale’s headmaster, Dominic Randolph, explained that, “The idea of building grit and building self-control is that you get that through failure. And in most highly academic environments in the United States, no one fails anything.”

Education: 10 years ago vs. 10 years from now

The NY Times article "What Will School Look Like in 10 Years?" states that "Computers, electronic whiteboards and other interactive technologies are fundamentally changing American education. That’s the view of the experts whom The Times spoke with about what the classroom will look like ten years from now. Listen to excerpts from their predictions below, and share your own thoughts in the comments section." (Visit the link to hear audio interviews).

As I read this, I think back to 2001 -- the 3rd year of our PowerRanger Professional Develoment program, and the year we added 102 teachers (the pilot began in 1999). Laptops were 12" white iBooks, with the slide-out CD drawer and no floppy disk drive, and we were learning iMovie 2. There was no Google, no Facebook, and wikipedia was just beginning. Apple introduced the iPod and the first version of OSX. Stevenson teachers connected their computers to the TVs in the classroom to project ClarisWorks slideshows. Classroom webpages were created with Pagemill and Grades were posted online using an export feature in the Making the Grade program. (Setting up electronic gradebooks involved downloading student names from ClassXP and importing the names into the gradebook.)

How has instruction and/or student learning changed in the past 10 years? If you were teaching in 2001, are your student "products" much different today? What about the process?

Steve Jobs Made a Difference, How will you?

Unless you are living under a rock, by now you have heard the news that Steve Jobs is stepping down as CEO of Apple.

This quote is from the "Think Different" ad campaigns when Steve returned to Apple's helm in 1997:

"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

How will you make a difference today in the learning of your students or your colleagues? Are you crazy enough to think you can change the world? If the world is too big to tackle right now, think about the work you do each day that pushes the world further. What are you doing to inspire the people around you? 

You ... can make a difference... "To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world." -- (author unknown).

A new school year begins.... time to think about applying that summer learning!

What did you learn this summer? How will what you learned help your students in the coming year? Did you discover any new tools or ways to motivate your students to learn?

This summer I attended the ISTE Conference in Philadelphia. This conference draws more than 13,000 attendees each year. There are break-out sessions, poster sessions, spotlight sessions, workshops, keynote speeches and a huge vendor floor. Fortunately, there are many archived sessions available online so I can revisit and relearn and rethink how this new knowledge will help me teach others in the coming year.

The ISTE opening keynote address was delivered by Dr. John Medina, author of Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home and School: (fast forward to 29m40s to skip the ISTE opening comments).

Be sure to check out the ISTE Video on Demand page at http://isteconference.org/ISTE/2011/glance/video_on_demand.php for access to more than 50 recorded sessions!

When learning technology, don't be afraid to play and discover!!

The main difference I see when students and adults are learning to use technology, is that students are not afraid to push buttons to "discover" what happens -- they do not care about ramifications at all. Adults, being the responsible beings that we are, seem to have a bit more "consideration" ... we often go for the "safe route" and try to avert "disaster" by taking less risks. 

Here is my advice for teachers when it comes to learning new technology:

Please DO "throw caution to the wind" and PLAY and DISCOVER!  -- there is nothing you can do that can't be fixed. Learning by "discovery" can be both frustrating and satisfying... and what a great journey it is!!