In The Classroom: Helping Our Students Succeed Globally
If we want our children to be able to succeed we have to look beyond our own cities and towns and help our children to live and work in a global community. This means that as teachers we should be choosing texts, lessons and projects that reflect what is happening globally as much as what happens locally.
Our children need to be exposed to other cultures and other languages early. One safe and easy way to do this is do become involved with one of the myriad of global projects available. How do you find these projects? There are many registries that list educational projects, such as:
* Internet Projects Registry
* Education Place Project Center
* European schoolnet — Collaboration
* Classroom Projects
* achieveonline.com.au: Society and Environment
* SurfAquarium
* Blue Web’n
These are just a few of the many registries that list educational projects. Most projects are free, but some require a small fee to participate. Each project is different. There are math and science projects, as well as history, art and even music projects. Many projects have online quizzes, as well as ways to interact with other groups who are also participating.
One of the best ways to interact is with Email. Of all of the school Email accounts out there, the one that I have enjoyed the most is ePals. ePals has a moderated, safe environment for students to use on collaborative projects, or just for a simple cultural exchange of hellos. If you get the paid version of ePals, there is even file sharing component available for the students.
I have worked on many international collaborative projects with my students and I found the three below, each very different from the others, to be the easiest:
Listening to the WallsTalk
The goal of “Listening to the Walls talk” is to teach students basic geographic and research skills. A secondary, but possibly more important goal of this project is to record the history of houses and neighborhoods around the world. According to the National Historic Trust, historic sites have fascinating, engaging, and compelling stories to tell. Preserving these places, listening to their stories and learning from them are essential to our understanding of who we are. Each participating class submits a group project as a Web page about the story of their neighborhood, complete with pictures, maps and diagrams focusing on the architecture, landscape and geographic and demographic references. Then, for each class, the teacher will also submit the best individual stories about the students’ homes.
Space Day
An award-winning global celebration that is dedicated to the extraordinary achievements, benefits and opportunities in the exploration of space. The goal of Space Day is to advance science, math and technology education and to inspire children to realize the vision of our space pioneers. This project has “design challenges” created for elementary and middle school students. All participating groups are encouraged to work with other groups for a finished product. My students have worked with others from such places as Norway, Canada and throughout the US.
ENO
ENO-Environment Online is a global virtual school for environmental awareness. Four different environmental themes are studied within a schoolyear ( Social, Natural, Cultural Environment and Sustainable Development ) on a weekly basis. ENO schools learn from each other, submit data from their local environments and analyze it. ENO Prorgram has been running since 2000 and it is organised and co-ordinated by Eno School District in Eno, Finland. It has received support from National Board Of Education and European Commission.
Note: If you want to start small and slow, that’s ok, too. I began by going to ePals Search for Classrooms and searching through their database of registered classrooms. From this small beginning, I worked with other teachers one on one on such projects as Intolerance, astronomy and basics cultural exchanges.
So, what’s keeping you? Go Global!
Kevin Hogan is Editorial Director for Tech & Learning Magazine. Read more about technology in education at www.techlearning.com
100 Web Tools to Enhance Collaboration (Part 2)
“The 21st century collaboration” moves us from its traditional definition towards a new one with the developing web technologies.
“Voxopop” is a message board system which lets you create talk groups that you can talk, discuss and collaborate using your own voice. Some of you may remember “Voxopop” as “Chinswing” in the past. You can listen to public discussions though you need to join to create yours.You can easily send group invitations, keep your discussion private, open or restricted.You can delete it whenever you want. You can explore public talk groups on Education, Learning and Language here.
“EtherPad” is a web based word processor that lets you work with others at the same time. When multiple users work on the same documents , you can get feedback immediately. You know who contributed to the text, also all changes are saved on the server in case you need to undo.
“Mindmeister” is an online collaborative mind mapping tool that you can brainstorm with others real-time. You can create your own mind maps on an award winning interface or share them with your friends or collaborate with others to create a collaborative map.
“Survs” lets you create your online surveys collaborating with others in multi user accounts. You can collect responses and analyze the results in real time with others.
I’m sure many of us are familiar with “VoiceThread”. It’s a tool to have conversation around different kinds of media. It’s one of the best ways to talk and share about your images,documents or videos. You create your “Voicethread” and others can leave comments by telephone, text, web cam, microphone or file upload. Learn more about it by watching this “Voicethread”.
“Tgether” allows you to communicate in small groups by emails. You can share files, track conversation and manage your group. You can share codes or use 3rd party applications that “Tgther” provides.
“StoryBirds” are short and simple stories that connect you with others. Two or more people can create a “Storybird” story by writing their own texts and inserting pictures by taking turns. You can create your story with the person sitting next to you or someone who is far away from you.
“WebCanvas” is a collaborative painting project. You can paint using different basic tools, upload or post professionally drawn images or you can watch others paint live. This is an interesting project for artists though we can still give a try.
“AwesomeHighlighter” is the easiest way to highlight texts on web pages. When you finish highlighting, you get a link and share it with others. If you like this, you should also try “Markkit”.
“Protagonize” is a community that writes collaborative, interactive fiction. One person starts the story, the others post chapters to your story that will lead it to different directions. At the end, it becomes an evolving story which everyone can participate.
“Mixbook” is a site that lets you create picture books with others. You start creating your own book with pictures, invite a few friends to build the rest of the book together.
“Thinkature” places an instant message inside a visual workspace with voice chat. You can use it as a collaboration environment, a meeting room or a personal whiteboard.
“TextFlow” is a way to review document versions instantly to produce a final draft. It matches all the different versions of the text to show you all the suggestion in one single view.
“LucidChart” is another way to collaborate on a document simultaneously. Everyone can see the changes that have been made on the document .The difference between the other word processors is that it has an built-in group chat that makes it easier for you to collaborate.
“Wikispaces” is the best way to create collaborative web pages that you can edit and share together. You can watch Wikis in Plain English by Common Craft or visit the world’s largest collaborative online encyclopedia,Wikipedia! “Wikispaces” are my favorite wikis, you can have a look at my wikispace though I’ve been using it as an e-portfolio.
“Senduit” lets you upload your files and share them with private links with your team.
With “Stintio”, you can create your own chat in seconds. You can invite people to join by simply sending a link. You don’t download or install anything. You chat will be deleted if it is not active for a while.
“Yuuguu” is an instant screen sharing and video conferencing too that lets you work together quickly and easily.
“Voxli” allows you to hold voice conferences online. You can have a voice chat up to 200 people. You can invite your teammates by only sending a link, and you don’t have to upload anything. You can use push to talk to control your speaking even you are out of your browser.
“Wridea” is an online idea management service and a collection of brainstorming tools. You store, manage,organize and share your ideas to improve them with others. You use the web interface or you write an email to your “wridea” address to keep your ideas organized. You have pages and categories that lets you improve your ideas easily and collaboratively.
Enjoy collaboration!
Kevin Hogan is Editorial Director for Tech & Learning Magazine. Read more about technology in education at www.techlearning.com
Award-Winning Schools: Best Practices From Grant-Winning Districts
While some foundations did have to cut back on their amounts or get out of the grant-giving business altogether, new granters came on board and Web site traffic continued to increase. Not too surprisingly, Grant Wrangler’s annual survey showed that 54 percent of grant seekers sought technology funding last year. Learn how four districts turned their tech wishes into reality.
At Naperville North High School’s Celebration event, guests-including the mayor of Naperville, George Pradel (bottom)-watched students using their new technology.
NAPERVILLE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL, NAPERVILLE, IL
GRANT & AMOUNT AWARDED: HP Innovations in Education; $265,000
WHAT THEY ARE DOING WITH THE GRANT: The goals of the district’s Technology Enabled Education through Innovative Technology (TEE IT up!) Program are to teach technology skills and teamwork and to help students learn about high-tech opportunities. The school received HP tablet PCs, printers, mobile workstations, mini notebooks, and graphing calculators. Teachers were given money to attend conferences. Students have teamed up with mentors from local companies and universities to tackle real-life problems pertaining to math, engineering, and science.
WHY THEY THINK THEY WON: Naperville had packaged the idea for an earlier grant application. The HP grant was a good fit, and the curriculum director knew that the school could act on it immediately. “We had a very thoughtful plan for what we wanted to do and how we would use the technology,” says Julie Carlsen, grants coordinator.
HOW LONG IT TOOK TO GET THE MONEY: Naperville sent in the application in April, it learned the result in May, and it received the equipment in July. The teachers also went to an HP event over the summer.
WHAT THEY’LL DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME: Not much, according to Carlsen. The school had put a lot of work into the proposal and was very prepared.
JEFFERSON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LOUISVILLE, KY
GRANT AND AMOUNT AWARDED: GE Foundation’s Developing Futures in Education Grant; $35 million
WHAT THEY ARE DOING WITH THE GRANT: Improving student achievement through inquiry-based instruction. With the money, the district bought a new math curriculum as well as hands-on science modules and intervention programs. It also pays for math and science resource teachers to provide embedded professional development.
WHY THEY THINK THEY WON: Jefferson County already had a lot of the system processes in place, such as the literacy initiative “Everyone Reads,” so GE felt that the district was ready to go to implementation.
HOW LONG IT TOOK TO GET THE MONEY: Some was given immediately, and the district receives $5 million every year.
WHAT THEY’LL DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME: “Our challenge, and we’re doing a fine job at it, is trying to be systemic across a large district,” says Sharon Shrout, director of instructional technology. “We must make sure that one department’s work is supporting another department, that we are staying aligned with these initiatives, and everyone is moving together to do the same work for our students.”
WARREN TECH HIGH SCHOOL, LAKEWOOD, CO
Warren Tech students learn to use such cutting-edge technology as tablet PCs to solve problems and develop 21st-century skills.
GRANT & AMOUNT AWARDED: HP Innovations in Education Grant; $265,000 in HP products and professional development
WHAT THEY ARE DOING WITH THE GRANT: To prepare students for the changing workplace, the school provides training in such skills as problem solving and workplace ethics. Teachers use the products to help students make connections between the technology in their classes and technology in the real world: Fire-science students use the technology in their practical work; dental students use it for note taking and case management; and health-science students use it for research.
WHY THEY THINK THEY WON: “I think it’s because we are on the cutting edge of using technology, applying it to real life, and allowing students to access it,” says Joe Shaw, principal. “We were already doing some of this work; the grant has given us the ability to go even further.”
HOW LONG IT TOOK TO GET THE MONEY: HP awarded the grant in April 2009, and the equipment was in the building before July 1.
WHAT THEY’LL DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME: The school is looking at more of the STEM piece, Shaw says. “We’re working with two STEM academies next year. We see that as a path to go down with our programs.”
ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS & SCIENCE ACADEMY (IMSA), AURORA, IL
GRANT & AMOUNT AWARDED: 2009 Intel Schools of Distinction Star Innovator Award; $27,500 from the Intel Foundation and $250,000 worth of additional products and services from sponsors
WHAT THEY ARE DOING WITH THE GRANT: IMSA established an innovation mini-grant program. Some of the approved faculty and staff projects are interactive software for Mandarin Chinese classes, teaching scientific inquiry at the middle school, career Webinars, advanced use of technology in wellness-learning experiences, and streamingvideo demonstrations.
WHY THEY THINK THEY WON: Intel sponsors this award to honor schools for implementing innovative mathematics and science programs and serving as models for other schools. IMSA was selected because of its comprehensive program, which incorporated innovative and effective use of technology, engaging parents and the community in students’ education, fostering professional development and teamwork, and consistently achieving high academic standards.
HOW LONG IT TOOK TO GET THE MONEY: The district received the funds right after the award ceremony, in September 2009.
WHAT THEY’LL DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME: “We will continue to use our curiosities, energies, and resources to develop innovative strategies and practices in science, mathematics, and technology applications for education to apply for new grants,” says Brenda Buschbacher, coordinator of public information.
Grant-Writing Strategies
CHOOSE THE RIGHT GRANT
Don’t just go for the big money or a grant that you’ll build a program around. Pick one that is truly a match for your school.
MAKE IT MEMORABLE
Schools that win make an impression. Let them see how you will transform the school. Make it vivid; make it stand out in an authentic way. Make the judges cry if that’s what it takes.
BE A GRANT REVIEWER
If you can review grants for someone, such as the mayor’s office, you will quickly learn what makes applications stand out.
ASK AN OUTSIDER TO DO A READ-THROUGH
You can’t rely on the reviewer’s having the same level of tech knowledge as you or being able to piece together what you’re saying. One big mistake grant writers make is thinking “I explained that five pages ago, so I don’t need to say it again.” Don’t be afraid of appearing to repeat yourself; you want to be clear and thorough.
REPRESENT YOUR NEEDS ACCURATELY
In a public grant, you have to say where your failures are or you won’t seem to have a need for the money. Your goal is to look needy without looking like the black hole of neediness. Describe the need, what you have already done, and what this money will allow you to do.
START EARLY
It sounds obvious, but you have to give yourself time to bring in all the appropriate partners and consider the budget. If there are any matching requirements, you’ll need time to find the right match.
READ THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY
Know who has to sign off on everything before you start so you’ll know if they’ll need time to do this. Pay attention to what’s required and to who must do it. No one wants to lose because of a technicality.
Tips provided by Karen Greenwood Henke, managing director of Nimble Press and founder of Grant Wrangler; Jan Mitchell Johnson, founder and CEO of Grantsformation, Inc.; and Christine Klein, principal of Klein Consulting.
Kevin Hogan is Editorial Director for Tech & Learning Magazine. Read more about technology in education at www.techlearning.com
A Skype Odyssey – Skyping To Learn
An Odyssey is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as: 1 : a long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune 2 : an intellectual or spiritual wandering or quest.
I can’t help but make the association with the above definition of “wandering” ,”changes of fortune” and “quest” with my Around the World with 80 Schools project. The Quest It has been over a year, since I have embarked on making connections with and for my teachers and students around the world. The journey has been nothing short of eye opening and wondrous. When I first thought of using Skype in the classroom, I wanted to broaden my students’ (and other teachers’) horizon. I wanted them to say “We talked to someone in Argentina today” or “The kids in Thailand are just like us” or “Teachers in New Zealand are preparing similar lessons than I do”. I wanted to bring the geography and global awareness of other countries and cultures into everyday vocabulary.
I wanted them (students & teachers) to be “awed” at the possibilities that technology can open up to us. I wanted them to be shocked at how easy and economical it was to make the world part of their classroom. Change in Fortune The “Awwws” ,”Wows” and “That is incredible” did come, but also did the “I don’t have the time to prepare my students for skype calls with other classes”, “It takes too much time away from curriculum content” and other variations of “It’s nice, but…”.
Wes Fryer says It takes leadership to get creative in schools and support the use of Skype. Wes addresses the technology (bandwidth and security) part of that equation in his post. I am venturing out to say that leadership at schools also need to be creative and understand the pedagogical value and curriculum connections that video conferencing has in terms of learning. Leadership needs to support “pioneering” educators. They need to be allowed to go through a process of experimenting, evaluating, reflecting to see the effects of regular video conferencing on cross-curricula integration, student learning, motivation and engagement. We also need to get creative in involving and educating parents. With many of them unfamiliar with the technology (which appears to include such a strikingly different method than they remember from their own school days), they might not understand the educational use for such a tool in the classroom.
Wandering
There had to be something more to merely using a webcam and calling another class in another city and country. There had to be subject area integration, there had to be ways to support (20th AND) 21st century skills and literacies, there had to be something more than an initial “Wow”. The wandering paid off.
There IS something more than the tool:
The Understanding The understanding that it never was about the tool (Skype or the webcam) started settling in. As students (and teachers) started to be part of regular Skype calls, it crystallized itself that it was all about the connections, the authentic experiences and knowledge we were able to bring to our students in addition to the communication opportunities. More and more students took their experiences home and asked their parents to install Skype in order for them to talk to far away grandparents or friends who had moved away.
Experiences such as learning about whales from kids in Canada or becoming the experts for other students from Michigan or interviewing Jews from around the world as part of a research project were just the beginning to help us understand that it is about an awareness for teachers and students. An awareness:
* which takes learning off the pages of textbooks
* that gives students the tools to make connections with experts and eyewitnesses
* that can lead them to authentic information “just in time” [personalized] for them
* that our classrooms can be as big as the world
An Odyssey transforms the traveler. I believe that we are catching a glimpse of how Skype, the tool, is transforming learning and teaching. It is making a real impact on how information is accessed, who we are communicating with and how we are connecting to the world around us. Here are some journal entries from second graders about their thoughts of Skype:
If I could talk to anyone on Skype, I would choose my Au Pair, Magdalena, because I haven’t seen her in a while.
Skyping is learning new things to me.
I learned how to talk to different people from different countries.
I have learned to make friends.
I would Skype with my Tante Heni, she is my aunt.
I learned about the Olympics skyping.
I would like to skype with Houston, because I would like to talk about football.
Skype is like Facebook, but better.
I would like to skype with the president.
Skype is a way to meet new people who speak different languages.
Our students are learning and understanding that there are more available resources to them than printed material. Our teachers are starting to include potential Skype connections in their planning in order to extend learning. There is a buzz around school that has is shifting from “Where are we skyping to…” to “We are studying… and skyping to learn about…” I am hoping to continue recording students to see if a shift in their answers will also become apparent.
Kevin Hogan is Editorial Director for Tech & Learning Magazine. Read more about technology in education at www.techlearning.com
Technology Transitions of a Moderate/Severely Disabled Student: Longitudinal Case Study
For most people who don’t deal with a disability, the life cycle and daily routines of those who are afflicted with a severe disability are out of sight and mind. Caregivers and parents in the United States who have the responsibility of supporting those with a severe disability can be overwhelmed, lack training, resources, and vision on the opportunities that technology can offer for people with a disability.
What are the challenges of using and training a person with technology that has a severe disability? What can we expect over the life cycle of a person who has a debilitating condition and their access to technology?
The following longitudinal study takes a hard look at one student’s experiences with technology in the past, present and what his prospects may be for the future. The report is based on firsthand experience and a review of records from this teacher’s experiences and a review of the students files.
Past
James was diagnosed with Angleman Syndrome at 2-1/2. What is Angleman Syndrome?
. . . it is a rare neuro-genetic disorder named after a British pediatrician, Dr. Harry Angelman, who first described the syndrome in 1965. As is characterized by intellectual and developmental delay, speech impediment, sleep disturbance, unstable jerky gait, seizures, hand flapping movements, frequent laughter/smiling and usually a happy demeanor. As is a classic example of genetic imprinting caused by deletion or inactivation of critical genes on the maternally inherited chromosome 15. The sister syndrome is called Prader-Willi syndrome, and is caused by loss of paternal genes. An older, alternative term for AS, happy puppet syndrome, is generally considered pejorative and stigmatizing so it is no longer used, though it remains useful as a diagnostic heuristic.
Dr. Harry Angelman, a pediatrician working in Warrington (then in Lancashire) first reported three children with this condition in 1965. It was initially incorrectly presumed to be rare. In 1987, it was first noted that around half of the children with Angelman syndrome have a small piece of chromosome 15 missing (chromosome 15q partial deletion).
Features include:
* Feeding problems during in 75%
* Delay in sitting and walking
* Absent or little speech (not in all case)
* Receptive and non-verbal communication skills higher than verbal ones
* Poor attention span and hyperactivity
* Severe learning disabilities
* Epilepsy (80%) and an abnormal EEG
* Unusual movements (fine tremors, hand flapping, jerking movements)
* Affectionate nature and frequent laughter
* Wide-based stiff-legged gait, with tendency to hold arms up and flexed while walking.
* Below average head size, often with flattening at the back
* Subtle, but sometimes characteristic facial features (wide mouth, widely spaced teeth, prominent chin, tendency to tongue thrust)
* Poor sleeping pattern
* Strabismus (Squint – crossed eye/s) in 40%
* Scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine) in 10%
* Increased sensitivity to heat
* Attraction to/fascination with water
James developed symptomatic generalized epilepsy and severe developmental delay. His seizures were generalized/ tonic/clonic. His seizures typically were observed as isolated of 2-3 minute durations and he could go 2-3 months without having one. He was routinely put on medications to try and control the seizures that included Depakote 275 mg twice a day, Keppra twice a day, Topomax 100 mg twice a day, and Risperdal 0.5 mg twice a day. In the case of severe attacks, he was to be given Lorazepam.
James received services from his public school experiences that included physical therapy. His goals were to demonstrate improved postural stability and motor control for classroom mobility and safety. Upon review of his academic file, it appears he was given several opportunities to access technology which consisted of adaptive technology buttons that allowed him to.
According to his parents, he was very active until recently and was able to crawl and walk with minimal assistance. His parents are divorced and James was transitioned to a group home two years ago.
Present
James is presently 15 years old and has been attending a Special Day Class at a local High school for the past year where the ratio is 2:1. Over the Christmas break, he had surgery to place a metal rod next to his spine to prevent deterioration of his spinal cord and posture. He is spending time in his group home recovering and is expected to return in 3-4 weeks. Complete recovery is expected to take three to four months.
James routine before his operation was to come to class in his wheel chair. He would be checked and changed if needed. Vocalizations of discomfort or pleasure were distinguishable. Typical discomfort seemed to come from being in his chair for extended periods of time or from being constipated. After being placed on the floor on a mat or in a reclining chair, vocalizations would diminish or be replaced with laughter.
James has demonstrated the ability to interact with others. He will reach out and play with long hair if within reach, or reach out to grab someone. He also seems to enjoy playing with adaptive buttons that allow him to listen to music or tapes, but he seems unable to maintain consistent pressure; he enjoys hitting the button off and on.
Future
Angelman Syndrome is not an illness, but a genetic condition, there is no currently available cure for AS. The epilepsy can be controlled by the use of one or more types of anticonvulsant medications. However, there are difficulties in ascertaining the levels and types of anticonvulsant medications needed to establish control, because AS is usually associated with having multiple varieties of seizures, rather than just the one as is normal cases of epilepsy.
Many families use melatonin to promote sleep in a condition which often affects sleep patterns. Many individuals with Angelman Syndrome sleep for a maximum of 5 hours at any one time. Mild laxatives are also used frequently to encourage regular bowel movements and early intervention with physiotherapy is important to encourage joint mobility and prevent stiffening of the joints. Occupational therapy, speech therapy, hydrotherapy and music therapy are also used in the management of this condition.
James will remain in the Special Day Class until he turns 22, in 2014, when he is transitioned out of the public school system; the local Regional Center will appoint a case manager who will step in to help him to be placed in a day activity program that will continue to interact, feed, and care for him.
Implications for Technology
Ideally, it would be nice if a cure was found to reverse or prevent the genetic condition of AS, but saving that all that can be done is to make James as comfortable as possible as he matures in life. Individuals with AS are expected to have a normal life span (Sprowles, 1985). Technology can play a part in the quality of James life by providing him with a means to interact with others and give him opportunities to exercise control over medium he would not otherwise have.
However, technology is only as effective as the people around James who help to support him and provide him with the opportunities to use the technology. In class, we provide James with opportunities to push buttons to communicate, control and to react. If not offered opportunities each day, James soon forgets about his abilities to control and his behavior turns inward and seems to become more vegetative.
Efforts by the parents, family and circle of friends to advocate for James should be created to look out for James best interests and care. The difficulty in caring for James will be isolation, time and complacency. As his family grows older or pass on, his care may fall into the hands of those who do not know him or his abilities.
Low paid staff at resident group homes may not be trained in dealing with or emphasizing with individuals that have AS and fall prey to a “care for” scenario in which the individual is cared for, but not treated with respect or interacted with socially. However, with the development of friends and a program and routine designed to create as much social interaction as possible, James can have a life that is respectful and sensitive to his needs and disabilities.
From Educators’ eZine
Kevin Hogan is Editorial Director for Tech & Learning Magazine. Read more about technology in education at www.techlearning.com