Emerging web

As I have been exploring Chrome recently, I have stumbled (several times) upon Google's 20 Things I Learned About Browsers & the Web. THis book explains some of the changes in web computing that accompanied the arrival of html5 and other recent developments in Internet computing. 

For a few years, I have been taking with educators about the changes in the Internet-- we once talked about how the web was going to be "the infinite library," but the dynamic nature of information and the interaction available via today's web sites extends communication and information far beyond the encyclopedic predictions of the past. Take some time and read through the book... it will help you understand why things are different than they were when you first learned about computers.

Chrome apps for math

Readers of the blog will know that I am exploring Google Chrome with my students and finding apps that  will fit perfectly into middle school classrooms...

A couple of math apps have caught my eye:

NELMS AC registration info

NELMS has one of the most enthusiastic conferences I have every attended... a decade ago, I was quoted as saying that NELMS had better workshops that national conferences I had attended, and that is still true.

The registration information for the annual conference is now available, and I will be posting regular reminders to send in your registration info. Of course the best part of the NELMS conference is that is is in Providence, RI... a great small New England city... last weekend, I happened to be in Providence and went to lunch with my wife and kids at one of my favorite Providence restaurants... I am starting to count down the days.

Open source society-- world is changing

Joichi Ito, the director of MIT's Media Lab, wrote and essay that appeared on the New York Times site yesterday. He begins with the observation that "The Internet isn't really a technology" and continues to explain how the global network is changing the rules for participating in culture. Through these networks small groups of people can create and test ideas that change how everyone does everything (Google and FaceBook were both started in and run from dorm rooms before "going viral").

I suppose this is what Marshall McLuhan meant when he observed "the medium is the message."

In an Open-Source Society, Innovating by the Seat of Our Pants

Education a commoodity?

Jonathan Keiler wrote When Test Scores Become a Commodity recently and he seems spot-on.

We have become so obsessed with test scores in the last decade that we seem to confuse them with education... (by the way, I am still looking for valid research that indicates those who score well on these test are more educated for the 21st century). We also find ourselves in the situation where we cheat in order to gather higher test scores (that is what Keile describes). We cannot be surprised that educators are not acting like investment bankers... and I am wondering if we want to gamble with our children's future the way they did with our economy.

Beware the precautionary principle!

Educators have a long history of seeking to do what it best for their students... we study and study, and meet and meet, and make sure everyone's voice is heard, and then review our decisions and then implement them slowly. This is all done under the auspices of the precautionary principle.... proceed with precaution until you are certain that your choice is a good one.

That seemed a sound principle to guide planning when we worked in a world of stability... for centuries, we lived and worked in a print-dominated world so we could be relatively sure that as long as students were learning to read and write (and do math without calculators) they were learning skills that would prepare them for the world.

In the 21st century, however, that principle no longer applies. A leader who chooses to follow the precautionary principle is choosing to become stagnant and irrelevant.

An old middle school mentor of mine (he was old then and now I am old, so "old" apples in several senses of the term) suggested "ready, fire, aim" as an approach to being a proactive and energetic middle school teacher. Come up with an idea, implement it and then decide if it works or no and tweak it to make it better.

Today, I follow that advice always... I look around and find something that seems interesting and "cutting-edge" and I try it with students. They appreciate the chance to work with something that causes some trouble and they appreciate that I ask (and follow) their advice on what works and what doesn't.

I sure don't miss the days of planning, planning, planning and never acting!

Another sign of the times-- overusing school networks!

CNN Money reported that the New York City schools are not allowing iPads and similar devices on to their network. Apparently, "the system" cannot handle the amount of network traffic that has accompanied the arrival of the mobile devices that have been added to the network recently.

This seems more evidence that educators have been very concerned with the problem of making sure everyone had a computer... and we completely missed the trend that everyone was getting mobile devices and now we are faced with the problem of everyone having devices and not knowing what to do!

This really makes me think that the principal whose meeting I observed last week who said, "we need to get our teachers to commit to doing one lesson per month with computers" is completely out of touch with reality and has little business running (or trying to run) a school in the 21st century.

The times are changing...

Over the weekend, my family and I were in Providence, RI and we always stop at The Apple Store whenever we get the chance... interestingly it was the busiest store in Providence Place when we were there!

My son bought a new keyboard for his Mac, and he paid for it via his phone (actually he picked up a keyboard that had the barcode sticker missing, so he had to take it to the counter). Basically, he scanned the code and his account was charged... the receipt was emailed to him. (Complete story-- the person who checked him out used the same system he had tried to use, but had to key in a few more numbers as the sticker was missing.)

On the drive home, we were brainstorming how this technology might be useful in the future... perhaps a grocery carriage that scans whatever you place in it, and that sounds an alarm when junk food is placed in it... or one that helps you stick to your budget... or perhaps that accepts you shopping list (via email) and then displays the brands with the lowest prices...

The potential seems interesting... but at the same time dangerous. We have decided to buy a good iMac to replace the family computer that is is the living room, and we are going to save the cash for it rather than using credit or savings. It was tempting, very temping, to simply scan it with my son's phone and walk out with it!

Chrome Apps-- more favorites

Mahjong games...

Students enjoy playing games... even if they seem silly to adults, kids love them. Chrome makes available a couple of variations on Mahjong... one in which players use the tiles to spell words (the wild letters blocks are much-needed at times).

Math Mahjong is a variation that finds players practicing math and earning more points for more complex problems.

More middle school chatter in the news

Again, no surprises for the middle school community, but even Education Week is stating to feature stories about the importance of middle schools in preparing students for their future. Also, no surprises to us, but "they" are starting to "discover" the importance of exploratory experiences for middle schoolers.

Google to map indoors- changing times!

I read in the newspaper this morning, and have seen on several web sites today, that Google plans to add maps of malls and other indoor venues to its mapping services... yup, the times are a changin' and educators need to shorten our time line for thinking and reacting.

Yesterday afternoon, out faculty spent an hour thinking about a vision statement for the school... the principal asked for our ideas (on paper) and then she indicated we would come back to it at the end of the school year, or maybe next year. OK, I get the timelessness of good vision,  educators must adopt a more rapid response time if we want to maintain relevance.

No kidding!

Big news on the EdWeek website!!!

The transition from elementary school to middle school can be challenging for students. There is even some evidence that steps can be taken to ease that transition and support students as they become adolescents. Wow this is amazing! We need to find a group that can help us learn more about that!

I have a cynical colleague (he is even more cynical that I am) who claims this is simply "repackaging what we have been doing forever." I suppose he is right, but I am frustrated that many of the middle school practices we know work to help youngsters grow through the middle years have been torn out of schools in the name of academic performance... perhaps the pendulum is swinging back to the extreme of reason.

I have a great idea.... plan to attend the NELMS annual conference in April (and bring a friend and a principal).

Cyberbaiting-- The world is changing

Transparency is one of the great advantages of modern ICT-- we can see what our political leaders are doing, we can get access to information immediately, we can access far more information via computers and networks that we could previously.

For educators, this transparency is seen in students' and parents' access to homework assignments, class materials, and even gradebooks via their computers and networks. In general, I believe this transparency is a good thing. A new report, however, is showing an alarming trend...

Apparently, cyberbaiting is gaining popularity... basically, students are taunting teachers to the point that the teachers have an emotional outburst, and that outburst is recorded on a cell phone and posted online. When I was a student I can remember such outbursts, and I have seen them in colleagues (directed towards students and towards colleagues)... these are nothing new and they are the result of people interacting with each other.

it sure seems to me that one way teachers can minimize the potential of being the target of such a situation (there is no way to avoid it altogether) is to create a classroom in which the students are engaged with learning they find meaningful... hey that's what middle school practitioners have been all about for decades!

LucidChart-- Chrome App!

I have a new favorite app for Google Chrome... LucidChart is used for making diagrams, flow charts and similar graphics... users can upload their own images and with the free account create multi-page documents with up to 60 items.

Virtual education

The question of virtual schooling has arisen again (at least it did on Education Week late last week)...

Critics are challenging the notion that online education is "as good as in-person." To me, the question is not about virtual schools and the credibility questions are not relative to those (although virtual schools should meet the same level of excellence we expect all schools to meet), the question is about for-profit schools.

I have attended and worked a range of schools, including for-profit universities. As with all education, the quality of the learner depends more on the approach of the student than the nature of the institution (good students are good students no matter where they attend). For-profit schools do adopt the business mentality, however, of measuring everything quantitatively. Enrollment equals dollars, and the for-profit schools knows that best.

Enrollment is best achieved, also, by creating the least objectionable curriculum possible... my experience with for-profit education confirms that they build curriculum around well-entrenched ideas and any innovative thinking or challenges to the system are not well-received.

Internet safety

I know several school are starting to be more serious and purposeful about teaching Internet safety to their students... eSchoolNews recently featured a story with 10 ideas... it is worth taking a look:

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/11/11/10-ways-schools-are-teaching-internet-safety/

My favorite Chrome apps- 1

Google Chrome and its apps have been drawing my attention recently (actually distracting me from the work I should be getting done is more accurate).

Today, my favorite apps are 3DTin and Connected Mind:

3DTin is a tool that allows users to draw in three dimensions... draw a rectangle and pull it up and it becomes a cube! In December, I am going to get some middle schoolers to help me figure out the uses of it... I know there are some, but I need their perspectives and brains to get me to see the connections.

Connected Mind is the other... concept maps and other graphic organizers right in your web browser.

Cyberbullying and more NELMS stuff

9 Charged In Student's Bullying Death:
Boston Globe - March 29, 2010
A world of misery left by bullying
Boston.com - November 28, 2010
Poll: More than half of teens, young adults harassed online
CNN - September 27, 2011

The headlines about bullying go on and on…

Want to do something about the problem?
Don't know where to turn for assistance?

Now is the time to register for:

Middle Level IS the Place for the
Prevention of Bullying

A day-long event confronting bullying in schools.

Doug Wilhelm & Elizabeth Vachon

SERESC Conference Center, Bedford, NH

December 2, 2011, 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

The workshop will be divided into two half-day sessions. Presenters, Doug Wilhelm and Elizabeth Vachon, will share their experiences and strategies for preventing bullying at the middle level.

Doug Wilhelm's young adult novel, The Revealers, deals with bullying and has been used by middle schools nationwide to open up discussion on this difficult issue. During Doug's workshop he will share many of the creative strategies he has seen middle school teachers use to engage middle level students, stimulate discussions, and deepen their interactions with the novel and the real-life issues it addresses.

Doug started writing for young people with a science fiction novel for the Choose Your Own Adventure series. He found he loved writing for young adults, and he's been doing it ever since. Wilhelm often visits schools to talk about The Revealers and the issues it raises. He lives in Rutland, Vermont. For more information about Doug Wilhelm and The Revealer, click here.

Elizabeth Vachon is a L.I.C.S.W. at Birchwood Middle School and the director and facilitator of her nationally recognized program, Can't Bully in Schools. She has worked extensively with schools' students and faculty to showcase the issue of bullying and to engage the student population to think and take action on this topic. Her workshop will focus on ways educators can develop an anti-bullying program in their own school, share resources utilized for the prevention of bullying, and discuss how to get the "whole school" involved in the development of a preventative program.

Ms. Vachon was recently featured on the CBS program "48 Hours." The episode examined what Birchwood Middle School in Rhode Island is doing about bullying. For more information on that program click here.

For more information about this event and/or to register please click here.

Some NELMS Stuff...

Just a quick plug for some New England League of Middle School projects and events...

1) NELMS Spotlight Schools are those schools that have applied to be recognized for their great work implementing middle school practices. I have been one several Spotlight School visits and have met many skilled and dedicated practitioners as a result.

2) The Annual Conference is coming! April 2 & 3 in Providence, Rhode Island.

Ways to ensure IT is used...

eSchoolNews has one of the "do this to make sure people use computers" articles that are so common... the list is lots of the same old same old... until the last of the 10 (an unfortunate placement... it should have been first!):

10. Make sure the technology works—and is easily available.

The business world has known for about three decades that technology that is perceived (notice the word-- users' perceptions are reality) to be easy to use and useful will be used.

Of course, I am also coming to believe that school and technology leaders who argue "we need to provide professional development" are giving educators an excuse... and we are assuming the responsibility for something they must do themselves. It brings to mind the teacher who said she would start using computers in her math class when she got a SmartBoard... so she got one, then she said she would use the SmartBoard once she learned how to use it... and the principal was then on the hook, as she had promised to train teachers in any technology they wanted. So my principal fired was desperately trying to find a way to train the teacher... who was busy drawing on the chalk board while the dust gathered on the SmartBoard.

Copyright infringement

"Word on the street" (actually the modern version of the adage "word on the listservs") has it that ISP (Internet service providers) are receiving complaints from copyright holders that schools (as identified by the IP address assigned to the school) are downloading copyright-protected media (movies, audio, images, etc.)

The law does allow for fines to be imposed for instances in which illegal downloading can be proven.

There is a myth among many educators that. because they work in schools and they are not making money, that they may use any media as they wish. Copyright law does allow for fair use of media by educators and others, but the limits are well defined and those limits do not allow for repeated use.

I usually tell people, "if you find a great article in a magazine, you are safe to make copies of it for use in one class once, as long as you don't keep copies and arrange to but copies for the next time you use it." Of course, today, much copyright violation occurs with digital media.

My students create multimedia projects all of the time... we are probably within fair use guidelines if we (for example) get a copy of a song to use as background music, and the project is a class project that is not distributed beyond the walls of the class.

My statements contain "probably" because the laws are actually open to interpretation and digital media are challenging some of the assumptions that were well-established when the laws were written.

One of the best resources for understanding fair use, is the Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center.

Laptop repair bills!

eSchoolNews is featuring a story about the cost of repairing laptops for our friends in Maine. Camden Hills paid $56,000 to repair its fleet of laptops!

In my school, we are talking (and talking, and talking, and talking-- please someone make a decision!) about Chromebooks, and one of the advantages is we would lease them, so repairs and replacement would be "off-our-plate."

I see this also as an argument for BYOD... perhaps spending a few thousand on lockers for laptops and similar devices is a good idea!

Bullying conference reminder-- Time is running out

Middle Level IS the Place for the Prevention of Bullying

A day-long event confronting bullying in schools.

Doug Wilhelm & Elizabeth Vachon

SERESC Conference Center, Bedford, NH

December 2, 2011, 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

The workshop will be divided into two half-day sessions. Presenters, Doug Wilhelm and Elizabeth Vachon, will share their experiences and strategies for preventing bullying at the middle level.

Doug Wilhelm's young adult novel, The Revealers, deals with bullying and has been used by middle schools nationwide to open up discussion on this difficult issue. During Doug's workshop he will share many of the creative strategies he has seen middle school teachers use to engage middle level students, stimulate discussions, and deepen their interactions with the novel and the real-life issues it addresses.

Doug started writing for young people with a science fiction novel for the Choose Your Own Adventure series. He found he loved writing for young adults, and he's been doing it ever since. Wilhelm often visits schools to talk about The Revealers and the issues it raises. He lives in Rutland, Vermont. For more information about Doug Wilhelm and The Revealer, click here.

Elizabeth Vachon is a L.I.C.S.W. at Birchwood Middle School and the director and facilitator of her nationally recognized program, Can't Bully in Schools. She has worked extensively with schools' students and faculty to showcase the issue of bullying and to engage the student population to think and take action on this topic. Her workshop will focus on ways educators can develop an anti-bullying program in their own school, share resources utilized for the prevention of bullying, and discuss how to get the "whole school" involved in the development of a preventative program.

Ms. Vachon was recently featured on the CBS program "48 Hours." The episode examined what Birchwood Middle School in Rhode Island is doing about bullying. For more information on that program click here.

Schedule

Friday – December 2, 2011

7:45 AM - 8:15 AM Registration & Light Continental Breakfast

8:15 AM - 9:45 AM Session #1

9:45 AM - 10:00 AM Break

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Session #1 (cont.)

11:30 AM - 12:15 PM Lunch

12:15 PM - 1:45 PM Session #2

1:45 PM - 2:00 PM Break

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Session #2 (cont.)

Registration forms

For an interactive pdf registration form click here. You can fill it out online and when you hit the submit button it will send an e-mail with a secure attachment containing your information. You will not be able to open the .fdf but we will match it to the form and register you for the conference.

Click here for a static registration form. If you are paying with a PO you will need to use this form (your PO has to accompany the registration). You will need to print this out and mail or fax it to NELMS.

Teens growing up fast

Research commissioned by AVG (a Internet security company) suggests that young people (10-13 year olds) have adult-like skills when it comes to computers and information technology, but that they may not have developed the maturity to understand what they are doing and the potential implication of what they do.

This is part of AVG's Digital Diaries project in which young people and their families were encouraged to record digital activities.

In 2010, that project found that more young people can play computer games than can ride bikes!

Gift ideas

Here is a great list to share with middle school parents... the folks at Common Sense Media have a list of media for gift-giving... their editors' picks of "cool" videos, games, books, etc. that minimize inappropriate stereotypes, sex, and violence. Their web site observes, "With these high-quality, age-appropriate choices, your kids will be entertained and enriched. And who knows? They just might learn something, too."

Chrome and apps

Chrome is a web browser provided by Google. It is available for download for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. Why might one want to use it? Well, the best reason I can find is the "apps." These are web sites designed to functions withe Chrome that provide functionality-- a graphing calculator, a 3-dD body, a 3-D building kit, a graphic organizer... and the list goes on.

Old, but good, cyberbullying resource

Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin are two of the leading scholars focusing on problems of cyberbullying. Their web site http://www.cyberbullying.us has been a valuable resource for some time.

More than three years ago, Education Week featured Hunduja and Patchin in chat... educators and others form around the world posed questions and they answered. A colleague recently stumbled upon some resources, I had pointed them towards a few years ago, and she commented that the archive of this chat still contains information and ideas that are useful.

Building a digital culture

This video is currently on EdWeek's web site... it has a very interesting take on how to transform education via technology...

Technology predictions for 2012

One of the IT vendors that sends "stuff" to my inbox in false-hope I will buy their products sent me a list of seven technology predictions for 2012... as we are nearly the end of the calendar year, such predictions will be common in the next few weeks...

Here is the list... I wonder if it applies to education (in my opinion)...

1. Corporations adopt social networking as a primary communication tool.

Educators seem to be afraid of social networks... and for good reason... but. The model of connecting and communicating provided by social networks is works, and most of our students find it familiar. Educators will find ways to join our students in the 21st century.

2. Death of the laptop?

We all hear the hype about tablets and smartphones... those devices are increasingly useful for academic purposes. While we will still use computers and laptops for those tasks for which they are needed (e.g. multimedia production and other tasks that require processing and memory), we will come to the conclusion that tablets and phones are appropriate and available for many purposes.

3. The "To the Cloud" movement continues.

Moving to the cloud will allow educators to save many costs and to provide a more seamless connection between off-campus computing and on-campus computing. Educators will realize this and join the movement to the cloud. 

4. The need for Virtualization skills will grow exponentially.

"Virtualization means moving multiple physical servers to a virtual machine environment. Virtualization vendors such as Citrix, VMware, and Microsoft are making it possible for companies to improve the efficiency and availability of IT resources and applications." These words begin the description of why this is a trend for the next year... my guess is readers of this blog will nod their heads and trust the IT professional making that move!

5. The days of owning software are numbered.

This is an extension of the cloud model, that educators will be slow to adopt (except for those of us who join the open source movement). If I buy software that provides a useful curriculum need-- perhaps to simulate experiments, and that is a useful lesson, then we--in education--are likely to own and use that version as long as we can keep it running.

6. Real bandwidth to the household.

This will be a motivator for schools to get online with distance learning, hybrid classrooms, and other applications of computers to instruction.

Apps club

Here is a 6th grade who has started an App Club at his school... surely he is exceptional, and surely there are exceptional students in our school who can be encouraged to take similar active roles in their schools:

Bullying conference!!

Don't wait to register
This may be one of the most important events you attend this year

Middle Level IS the Place for the
Prevention of Bullying

A day-long event confronting bullying in schools.

Doug Wilhelm & Elizabeth Vachon

SERESC Conference Center, Bedford, NH

December 2, 2011, 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

The workshop will be divided into two half-day sessions. Presenters, Doug Wilhelm and Elizabeth Vachon, will share their experiences and strategies for preventing bullying at the middle level.

Doug Wilhelm's young adult novel, The Revealers, deals with bullying and has been used by middle schools nationwide to open up discussion on this difficult issue. During Doug's workshop he will share many of the creative strategies he has seen middle school teachers use to engage middle level students, stimulate discussions, and deepen their interactions with the novel and the real-life issues it addresses.

Doug started writing for young people with a science fiction novel for the Choose Your Own Adventure series. He found he loved writing for young adults, and he's been doing it ever since. Wilhelm often visits schools to talk about The Revealers and the issues it raises. He lives in Rutland, Vermont. For more information about Doug Wilhelm and The Revealer, click here.

Elizabeth Vachon is a L.I.C.S.W. at Birchwood Middle School and the director and facilitator of her nationally recognized program, Can't Bully in Schools. She has worked extensively with schools' students and faculty to showcase the issue of bullying and to engage the student population to think and take action on this topic. Her workshop will focus on ways educators can develop an anti-bullying program in their own school, share resources utilized for the prevention of bullying, and discuss how to get the "whole school" involved in the development of a preventative program.

Ms. Vachon was recently featured on the CBS program "48 Hours." The episode examined what Birchwood Middle School in Rhode Island is doing about bullying. For more information on that program click here.

For more information about this event and/or to register please click here.

More connection options for low-income families

The FCC is working with additional ISP's to provide low-cost access to the Internet for low-income families.  

This is information that schools can and should share with families.

World Wide Web history lesson

This is a really interesting and funny story about a leader in the technology field who decided that the World Wide Web was not something to be involved with in 1992. This really makes me wonder about the leaders who ask for innovative ideas and then find reasons to pass on every solution that comes their way.

The world is changing: GPS tracking

Today the US Supreme Court is hearing a case to decide if the police are allowed to put GPS tracking devices on cars to track people of interest without a warrant. NPR had an interesting version of the story this morning.

Although this may seem disconnected from middle school classrooms, it does point to the changing realities of life in the digital world. Not only should educators be aware of these types of issues, but we should help our students become aware of the potential uses of the devices they carry.

Prepare your students for this...

When I hear parents and teachers and others arguing we need to "get kids ready for college," a shiver goes up my spine. Every year about this time, I see students beginning  return form their semester year of school and they are in-debt and not liking school.

In a recent story in the New York Times web site, we read that students debt continues to rise... I see young people who have borrowed more money that I spent on my house to get undergraduate degrees.

In middle school, we have the chance to open kids to possibilities and to explore all of their interests so that they can make good decisions in a few years... perhaps entering the trades and feeling confident in their choice (an being healthy and engaged in the world) is the best option for many of our students.

Really liking Scratch

I have students involved with some simple programming right now. We are using Scratch, the open source platform from MIT that traces its roots to LOGO-- Seymour Papert has been a hero of mine since I first became a student of education.

Students are programming Pong-like games, and they are finding interesting ways to solve problems. I create the basic functionality with them-- paddle controlled by the arrow keys, a ball to bounce around, and targets to hit and those to avoid. They are having new characters arrive as play continues, characters change based on actions... all sorts of fun!

It never fails to amaze me how those students who traditionally struggle with many school activities will quickly figure out how to write programs in Scratch and how they arrive at "work around" to do what is not obvious... and how students who traditionally do well in school struggle to find innovative solutions using the tools in Scratch and tools like it. (There has got to be a research project in there waiting to be done!)

TV for middle schoolers...

Common Sense Media provides a list of television that is more appropriate for children than some of the shows they watch. There list is for kids from the pre-school age set to the middle school set.

I wonder what it says about me that Futurama (one of the two non-sports programs I will take the time to watch) is on the list.

TImes are changing!

Share this video with middle school kids and start a conversation about how the world is changing:

NELMS Events

Literacy Summit

November 7-8, 2011 

Find out more here

Middle Level IS the Place for the Prevention of Bullying

December 2, 2011 

Find out more here

Differentiation and Motivation

February 2 & 3, 2012

Find out more here

Teachers Over Paid?

EdWeek has a story of a Heritage Foundation study that suggests that teachers are overpaid!

The study factors in job security... vacations... benefits... presumably educators have lots of each...

Job security... not in my school with its declining population. I have had my job removed from the budget twice before and I left a job when teachers were not offered contracts because the master contract had not been agreed upon. (When I was growing up, my father got laid off from two jobs over his career-- looks like my job is about as secure as his was.

Vacations... my friends who are my age get paid vacations... they get a day's pay but are not expected to show up. My salary is paid to me in 26 installments as a courtesy (that I appreciate). I have never had a paid vacation since 1988 when I was mowing lawns in the summer between when I graduated and when I started my teaching career. (I do usually take advantage of the personal days I am allowed-- so I do get three vacation days per year.)

Benefits... yup this one is true... I appreciate the benefits I get, but my benefits are not out of line with those provided by other professionals who work in my area (in some cases our benefits are worse than those provided to other professionals).

Games and Jesse Schell

In the past, I have used this video of a speech by game programmer Jesse Schell when introducing computer ethics to students... it is still timely and I am still using it.

Wii Games - E3 2012 - Guitar Hero 5

The world is changing... Stuxnet

This morning I listened to Morning Edition in NPR and heard an interesting and scary story about Stuxnet... the malware that hit the Iranian nuclear facilities in 2009. Basically, this is a relatively new method of war-- deploy malware against your enemy so that you control their infrastructure.

This raises many new issues for students and teacher to contemplate and discuss-- humans ethics seem to have changed. While we may be able to disable enemy using non-lethal options, it seems as well that there is potential for extending lethal force to vast populations through indirect means. I wonder about the ethics of disabling the power grid in a country to prevent its military from functioning, but at the same time preventing its medical system from caring for ill civilians.

I found a trend...

As I have indicated in posts earlier this fall, I have been working with fifth graders and StoryBird.

Over the past week, my fifth graders have created stories with first and second grade students. They did this work independently... in a room connected to mind, but with little guidance, other than an occasional "walk through" and check in my one of a couple of adults. They did a fantastic job, and the one thing I am most interested in is the apparent improvement in their spelling and grammar.

Their first stories were just painful to read... of course it was early in the schools year... they were using a new system... we could go on and on to brainstorm reasons they did not write well. With these (about their third stories they handed in) the problems were (in my estimate and the estimate of the other adult who helped me review them) less than half the problems there were in their first stories.

I have no hard evidence to support my observation and I can establish no cause or effect, but it appears that having students write for real audiences and using technology does lead to improved writing.

Bullying Conference Reminder

Middle Level IS the Place for the Prevention of Bullying

A day-long event confronting bullying in schools.

Doug Wilhelm & Elizabeth Vachon

SERESC Conference Center, Bedford, NH

December 2, 2011, 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

The workshop will be divided into two half-day sessions. Presenters, Doug Wilhelm and Elizabeth Vachon, will share their experiences and strategies for preventing bullying at the middle level.

Doug Wilhelm's young adult novel, The Revealers, deals with bullying and has been used by middle schools nationwide to open up discussion on this difficult issue. During Doug's workshop he will share many of the creative strategies he has seen middle school teachers use to engage middle level students, stimulate discussions, and deepen their interactions with the novel and the real-life issues it addresses.

Doug started writing for young people with a science fiction novel for the Choose Your Own Adventure series. He found he loved writing for young adults, and he's been doing it ever since. Wilhelm often visits schools to talk about The Revealers and the issues it raises. He lives in Rutland, Vermont. For more information about Doug Wilhelm and The Revealer, click here.

Elizabeth Vachon is a L.I.C.S.W. at Birchwood Middle School and the director and facilitator of her nationally recognized program, Can't Bully in Schools. She has worked extensively with schools' students and faculty to showcase the issue of bullying and to engage the student population to think and take action on this topic. Her workshop will focus on ways educators can develop an anti-bullying program in their own school, share resources utilized for the prevention of bullying, and discuss how to get the "whole school" involved in the development of a preventative program.

Ms. Vachon was recently featured on the CBS program "48 Hours." The episode examined what Birchwood Middle School in Rhode Island is doing about bullying. For more information on that program click here.

All hail a new heroine!

Ms. Rief... veteran teacher at Oyster River Middle School needs to be recognized as a heroine!

Please read the article about her...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/education/no-child-left-behind-catches-up-with-new-hampshire-school.html


and pass it along and encourage everyone to adopt her approach!

Writing!!

The Young Writers' Project is one that I wish teachers (and leaders) in my school appreciated and were  participants... I subscribe to their newsletter and found this announcement posted... it is worth passing along!

NOV. 11: Taylor Mali headlines the Fall Joy of Writing Conference, Friday Nov. 11 from 8:30 to 3:30 at the Davis Center at University of Vermont. Mali will deliver the morning keynote and have an afternoon performance. Mali is inspirational and should not be missed. ... The morning will feature a variety of workshops on writing, instruction of writing, and digital writing. ...  For more: see http://ywpschools.net/joyofwriting (link has a written attachment, too.)    To register: http://www.regonline.com/joyofwriting

Technology questions...

After reading an opinion piece entitled "the wrong education questions are being answered" recently, I reflected on my morning walk about the important technology questions that we are ignoring in our schools... here is my short list:

> What are the skills my students will need in the future?-- We have all sorts of standards, but none appear to be forward-looking at all. If we cannot predict the future, then how can we assume we know now what they will need then?

> What can I learn from my students?-- For the first time in the history of humankind (I speculate), there is a skills inversion... young people are more skilled users of information and technology than their teachers.

> How can we be flexible in our technology systems?-- There is one things that is for sure... technology today changes-- quickly!-- and educators do not. Whatever systems we create for technology infrastructure or technology usage, must be adaptable

Horror Movies

Earlier this week, I posted a study from Common Sense Media regarding young people's use of media... I registered on their site so (of course) have begun receiving emails form them and it appears this is an organization worth watching.

One timely item that they have featured recently is a sort item on horror movies and young people.. worth taking a look at and sharing with parents:

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/horror-movies-and-your-teens

WolframAlpha widgets

I am not sure how long WolframAlpha has had this feature, but I am in search of new web-based tools to use with students, and I have been exploring the site more...

So, if you have an account with WolframAlpha, you can create and publish a widget:

Google+ for Education

Rumor has it (on the IT-listservs I read) that Google+ (their version of FaceBook) is going to be released for education soon.

Presumably, educators would be able to control students' access to their own social network. I like the idea-- I like it a lot.

If this does become available, then educators are going to be forced to rethink their relationship with media and social networks. A few years ago, I mentioned to a principal (who was wondering around looking for a student to hand her a letter) that we should set up a social network so that he could simply message her that the letter was ready and he could have saved some time. He rolled his eyes and walked away. Fortunately, that principal has retired, but we will have to get the rest who have his response to return or otherwise leave the profession if we are going to be able to join the 21st century and catch up with our students.

NELMS Awards

NELMS Awards Update

Know an outstanding middle level educator?

Would you like to nominate someone for one of the NELMS awards?

The nominating deadline has been extended until January 7, 2012 for all awards. Don't wait click here for the NELMS award page and find out more about nominating a deserving colleague.

Good cyberbullying resource

Education Week Teacher is hosting an online discussion with Sameer Huinuja and Justine W. Patchin, two of the leading scholars on cyberbullying... there seems to be some good discussion as well as line to informative resources.

21st century educator

A colleague recently asked me what I thought about eSchoolNews' five characteristics of effective 21st century educators:

1. Anticipates the future.

Yeah, this is needed, but be careful... the future, especially if it is technology-rich, is not predictable. Much of the really interesting and useful and innovative and necessary "stuff" in the future (devices and patterns of using the devices) is not what was predicted by experts or intended by the designers. Anticipate the unanticipated and run with it!

2. Is a lifelong learner.

This one is a "no-brainer," if you are not actively learning about everything-- human learning, your content area, the learning sciences, and technology-- you are are demonstrating that you are not qualified to be an educator.

3. Fosters peer relationships.

This is important, but we have to be careful... simply having kids "work together" does not foster peer relationships. Educators must give opportunities to create together what cannot be created alone and  educators must model and provide structures for meaningful dialog and multilog. 

4. Can teach and assess all levels of learners.

 I am confused as to why this is still an issue... perhaps to raise awareness. But then again, I see lots of teachers who believe their job is to work with specific populations. Sigh...

5. Is able to discern effective vs. non-effective technology.

This is a bog one... just because kids are in front to screens does not make the use of computers effective. I think back to the principal who insisted that students use a web-based test preparation program. I advised the principal to make sure that it alone was not the only computer experience students had. A month later, I observed students in tears because they were forced to use the system over and over again. I am glad that principal has since retired. We must develop the skill and knowledge to recognize useful technology, and that is only done by becoming confident and competent users ourselves.

 

Don't think we need to change education?

Here is yet more evidence that the learners who enter our classrooms are not the same learners as we were when we were in school (I am 46-- even if you are in your 20's this applies!)

Common Sense Media, an advocacy group focusing on children's relationship with media, has released a study looking at the media use of young children... even pre-school children. The middle school educators may find little of interest, reasoning that t will be 10 years or more before the children who are that age enter middle schools, however, the media experiences of those children now will permanently affect their relationship with information. What they experience now will determine what they expect and how they experience school and work and life.

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/zero-eight-childrens-media-use-america

PDFescape

I recently stumbled upon this tool...

http://www.pdfescape.com/

Log on and create PDF files... also create PDF files that can be forms... filed trip permission slips and similar forms can be posted online and users can enter their information and then produce a PDF file!

Autism & iPads

I do not typically watch the television networks (sports is about all I watch and that is for only a few hours per weeks), so I missed the 60 Minutes segment on iPads and autism that aired on Oct. 23. It is available on the web: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-20124225/apps-for-autism-communicating-on-the-ipad/

The report does seem to confirm the observations that I have heard at several lunch table conversations at conferences in the last few years that seems to suggest that the devices do help some learners diagnosed with autism to become more social. Certainly, this is a field that will be the subject of greater study in the coming years.

Math Anxiety

EdWeek contains a story about math anxiety and the brain physiology of the response. I have been trying to convince several colleagues (with limited success) that the work of educators is going to change significantly as we come to deeper understanding of the operations of the human brain-- findings like this simply cannot be dismissed!

Schools that Don't Compute

The New York Times web site features an article about Waldorf School that don't compute... even those in Silicon Valley are places where kids don't use computers. The page with the story features a picture of a girl lying on the desks reading.

I am something of a Luddite-- I want technology to be used for those purposes for which it is useful and I want it to have a place in schools where students build and create, read and write, and play instruments and games. When we look to schools such as these and contemplate the minimum role of technology in them, we must think about why there is no technology and not assume that this is necessarily "better."

Recently, I was at a soccer game and saw a teacher in the audience who was correcting test papers... a stack of papers on which the students had answered questions and she was marking them with a red pen. I wondered back to the last time I corrected papers like that... it has been years. All of my students take test online, so we are all looking at the same questions and answers and my comments are their for students and parents to review indefinitely.

I think we need schools aligned with the Waldorf spirit of engaged learners who build knowledge... and even lie on desks reading books, but then who use technology when it is appropriate.

In-service...

Today is the first in-service day of the school year... I am afraid, very afraid. The agenda has several items; first a continuation of a very-poorly designed introduction to research-based practices... those things that appear to be observed in every "good" classroom.

Second, our new curriculum coordinator (which I have not seen in our building yet since students arrived) will talk about curriculum mapping (an initiative that has been talked about for several years-- and we even hired a superintendent who was the curriculum mapping expert but who left before the initiative could get to the top of the to do list).

Third, our new technology coordinator will introduce Google Docs... this is going to be a long afternoon for those of us who have been using it for three years!

Ubuntu & Windows.. for techies!

I just read a post on a mail list that suggests someone was able to get Ubuntu (11.10) to join Windows 2003 Active Directory... if you know what that means, then you will see this as a good thing.

Basically, one of the impediments to using Ubuntu in networked environments has been difficulty with Linux connecting to existing Windows servers... looks like this has been addressed.

Sometimes we feel like this in education...

This strip runs in my local paper...

When I saw this yesterday, and thought about the budget worksheets that I had just submitted (and was called on the carpet for not taking seriously when past practice is well-established in our school... seek input that is ignored and then criticize those who gave the input) I was convinced that this was written about education!

http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/

NCTI closing?

I was surprised to read on the eSchoolNews web site recently that the National Center for Technology Innovation, one of the leading organizations for supporting special needs populations with technology, is closing because the government grant that funded it expired.

BYOD debate...

In this space, I have participated in a small way in the bring your own device (BYOD) debate. Basically, the contention is that schools should introduce schemes whereby students (and teachers) are allowed to supply their own computing devices and that the school's systems be adaptable to allow those machines to function.

Yes, I know the equity issues, but I think those can be addressed... yes I know the security issues, but I think those can be addressed...

This is not a debate only for educators. ZDnet (a site for IT folks) is contributing to the debate as well:

http://www.zdnet.com/debate/great-debate-bring-your-own-device/6313019

Internet Safety for Parents

The NLEMS community may be interested in this:

Internet Safety for Parents

Tune in to 30 minute sessions October 19th or 26th

Learn about steps you can take to keep your kids safer online, including tips for privacy settings,

passwords, safer searching, and more. This webinar is back by popular demand after it was presented in March. 

To attend, go to the webinar link at www.e4vt.org on the date and time of your choice from any computer with a high speed Internet connection. No pre-registration required. 

We encourage you to log in 5 min. before the session begins.

You will need to turn on your computers sound/speakers.

Webinar Dates (same webinar repeated):

Wednesday, Oct 19th 6:00-6:30pm

Wednesday, Oct 26th 6:00-6:30pm

I can only hope this is a fake news story...

This caught my eye as I was looking at the education news this morning... really?... a school policy that limits visits to the restroom by students?... this puts a new spin on bullying!

School policy limits bathroom breaks

A colleague recently told me that bullying an teaching are associated... she suggests that some teachers were once bullies and entered the field to continue to bully or that teachers were once bullies and become teachers to get a chance to bully... I am not sure I agree with her (perhaps in a small, but recognizable minority), but this story appears to support her observation.

WolframAlpha... check it out

On occasion on this NELMS blog, I have pointed readers to WolframAlpha, the computational knowledge engine, and given the attention I gave Siri with Wolfram Alpha earlier today, I should point readers who don't have an iPhone back to the site.

One of the features I enjoyed the most when I used the full version of Mathematica (the software behind WolframAlpha) was the 3-D molecules that could be rotated. (I know similar options were available with certain web browsers and plug-in's, but this is far easier to use that the previous options.)

This capacity is built into Wolfram|Alpha with CDF... and it does require an install and restart, but it is worth the few minutes of work to add interactive computing to your web browsers.

iPhone & Wolfram Alpha

My kids (20 & 17) are real Apple geeks... they have the laptops, iPads, Apple TV, you name it, they have it... so on Friday two iPhone 4S's arrived at our house. Over the weekend, we spent several hours playing with Siri... the voice-activated assistant.

After a few minutes of finding out how it reacts when you swear at it (we are middle-school boys despite our ages!), we spent quite some time exploring how it works. I was especially impressed with the integration of Wolfram Alpha... tell Siri to graph a function (tell it "graph x squared" and within seconds, the graph is there on your screen!

Don't think we need to change?

This video just came my way... can someone argue that we will be able to engage this kid in 10 years when she is in middle school?

Brilliance from unexpected sources...

Yesterday, students in our building were completing standardized tests... they have been for much of the week. Walking home, I was listening to a comedy podcast from the BBC. One of the presenters reiterated a quote from Albert Einstein:

Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.

Ubuntu 11.10

I am a huge fan of Ubuntu-- a version of Linux that is easy to install and has loads of software that has wide application to students in grades K-12. Especially today when there are so many Windows-based computers in homes, I firmly believe that students should have access to alternative operating systems in schools. Further supporting the decision to use Ubuntu in schools is the fact that so much of 21st century computing is cloud-based that all one needs is an updated we browser and one can be accessing information and interacting via ICT and Ubuntu provides several modern web browsers.

The most recent version of Ubuntu (11.10) has been released. If you have never used it, ask for (or find) an old unused computer... look for a computer that would run Windows XP or better... a Ubuntu Community Documentation page suggests:

The Recommended Minimum System Requirements, here, should allow even someone fairly new to installing Ubuntu or Gnu&Linux to easily install a usable system with enough room to be comfortable. A good "rule of thumb" is that machines that could run XP, Vista, Windows 7 or x86 OS X will almost always be a lot faster with Ubuntu even if they are lower-spec than described below. Simply try Ubuntu CD as a LiveCD first to check the hardware works.

Ubuntu Desktop Edition

• 1 GHz CPU (x86 processor (Pentium 4 or better))
• 1 GiB RAM (system memory)
• 15 GB of hard-drive space (or USB stick, memory card or external drive but see LiveCD for an alternative approach)
• 800 by 600 screen resolution
• Either a CD/DVD drive or a USB port for the installer media
• Internet access is helpful
  
  

Install Ubuntu and explore.... you may never buy a Windows computer again!

Ideas that could change the world

The future is a scary but exciting place... educators have a responsibility to become proactive in our curriculum. Cutting edge ideas need to be in our classrooms... I write this as the students who should be in my classroom are taking standardized tests... argh!!!

Sure information technology is an important aspect of society and culture, but I am convinced that K-12 curriculum must adopt a more broad view of technology and the nature of technology and emerging technology trends need to part of what we teach.

The BBC recently added some "ideas that could change the world" to their web site... robotics... biotechnology... seem like interesting an important ideas for middle school students to understand.