Author Archives: Carrie Zimmer

Connected from the Start

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Recently, I finished reading Kathy Cassidy‘s new book Connected from the Start: Global Learning in the Primary Grades.

image from Powerful Learning Practice website

Kathy’s book talks about using various collaboration platforms in a primary years classroom, like Skype, blogs, and Twitter. She gives numerous examples of ways that she has done this and I like that her ideas help remind teachers that you don’t have to have time intensive projects and well rehearsed kids before sharing and collaborating with others. Kathy’s stories also share the learning that was happening in her classroom through these collaborations.

This book would be a great read for anyone working in an elementary building. Kathy demonstrates the power of connections between primary classrooms and gives plenty of insight for you to begin making these connections too.

Kathy says, “Our connection…was a unique and authentic learning experience for all the students. It was a chance to make my classroom more culturally diverse than it could ever be without this global window.” (p. 10)

I’ve recommended this book to the staff I work with and I hope that they’ll add it to their summer reading list for inspiration when starting the new school year in September!

Kathy Cassidy’s classroom blog

Kathy Cassidy’s professional blog

Have you read Kathy’s book yet? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts too!

Put a Cork in it!

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So, last Fall I had the crazy idea to apply to be part of the 2013 class of the European group of Apple Distinguished Educators.

Why is that a crazy idea, you say?

I work at a school with NO Apple products, except those that we own personally and try to use.

Even crazier? I was selected to be a part of this amazing group.

Thought I’d share my application video for those of you who decide to take on this amazing opportunity in the future.

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Why did I apply for this program when my experience with Macs and Apple are so limited?

I want to work with the best, build my PLN to be the most amazing group of educators and people, and gather as much knowledge as I can to share with the teachers I work with every day.

So, I’ve already got the unbelievable #coetail network and adding the ADE community can only add to what I’m learning every day.

To those of you who read my blog, comment on it, follow me on Twitter- thank you. I learn so much from each of you. I can only hope to occasionally share a bit of wisdom in return.

And, I hope to meet some of you in Cork this summer at the ADE Institute!

The Prensky Perspective

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Last month while at the ECIS Technology Conference, I had the pleasure of listening to Marc Prensky’s keynote presentation. While his slides could use a bit of an update, I found his words inspiring and took notes about some of his key points and statements.

  • Teachers need to make the digital classroom feel like the world.
  • Trying to engage the kids with stuff we make or do for them is impossible.
  • The most fundamental thing technology does for us is let people connect.
  • There are no best practices anymore in any fast moving field like education. There are only good practices that we can share everyday. We have to experiment because we don’t know what works in this context. Video is the best sharing tool for this.

cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo by carriezimmer: http://flickr.com/photos/carriezimmer/8637336352/

Right before leaving for the conference I had read his article,  “Our Brains Extended”,  in the March, 2013 issue of Educational Leadership. Many points from the article were highlighted in his keynote as well.

Prensky argues, “Reading continues to be important- no one argues against teaching or learning it- but today, reading is no longer the number one skill students need to take from school to succeed. Technology is.”

He continues on to say that many adults would not believe in this statement and that fact demonstrates how little adults understand the role of technology in our students’ lives.

His statement is a big one. And, I’m certain that many teachers and curriculum designers haven’t made the leap to think about the reality of his words and how it changes what we know and do.

Prensky also stipulates, “Technology has become foundational to both education and life. Educators should think of technology in the same way they’ve long viewed reading- as a key to thinking about and knowing about the world.”

He uses the article to propose true redefinition of curriculum, particularly at the elementary level. He focuses on three areas- Effective Thinking (creative and critical thinking), Effective Action (goal setting, planning, project management, and more), and Effective Relationships (emotional intelligence). The final area he calls Effective Accomplishment (what to do with what you’ve learned). You can read more details in the article, and I hope you will.

But, I’m intrigued. Are there schools already reaching toward a design like this? Are teachers and parents really ready to throw out the subject areas we’ve come to accept as core to education?

Perhaps there’s a Prensky school in the not-so-distant future.

I wouldn’t be surprised.

 

Article citation:

Educational Leadership
March 2013 | Volume 70 | Number 6
Technology-Rich Learning Pages 22-27

ECIS Technology Conference Presentation

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This past weekend, ACS Cobham in London hosted the ECIS Technology Conference. I was proud to be a presenter in a program that contained the names of Marc Prensky, Julie Lindsay, and our very own Jeff Utecht!

It was great to meet Jeff in person! He is an amazing speaker and really had the crowd excited by his keynote. Jeff also took the time to attend the session I presented- no pressure, right!?! He even gave me a “limited edition” CoETaIL sticker and made me promise to put it to good use. So now I’m providing the proof.

I presented a session entitled “Using Continuums to Foster Technology Integration.” I wanted to share the technology continuum we developed at ASM and how we are using it to further our technology program in the elementary. I’ve written a post about our continuum before that you can find here.

My presentation is embedded below (hopefully!) or you can access a version of it at this link. Since it was designed with the ideas behind Presentation Zen in mind, it won’t mean much without me! But, nonetheless, it will give you access to the images I used if you ever need them. All Flickr and other citations are found at the end of the presentation.

Here are other documents that you might find useful.

Continuum

Continuum Appendix This is the document that was created to assist teachers in taking the elements from the continuum and bringing them into their classroom. Some screenshots are seen in the presentation. This is a fluid document that we are constantly adding to, revising, and editing to meet our needs.

Padlet from the workshop session

My Helpful Resources List

What ASM teachers have to say about technology integration and the continuum…

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What are your schools doing at the elementary? Stand alone labs? Full integration? Could the continuum be useful to you? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!

We’re happy to share our work, as I’ve licensed it through Creative Commons. Please share the work your school does with others too!

PG-13

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You know when your eyes go blurry from reading the fine print?

I’m seeing double (or triple) right now.

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo by katerha: http://flickr.com/photos/katerha/5169694908/

I’ve been reading the Terms of Service and Privacy Policies of so many different websites lately, trying to develop a plan for the use of websites by our 13 and under students.

Every day I read about new websites, apps, or tools that have been developed and are making their way across social media. I read a post about this tool or that and go to the site and read the Terms of Service.

So many sites have language that strictly forbid the use of their site by those under 13.

Gone are the days when I blindly try out the latest site!

Here’s one for example from a site that allows you to upload photos and comment on different elements of them.

Anyone using www.marqueed.com warrants and promises that they are 13 years of age or older. www.marqueed.com does not intend to collect personally identifying information from anyone under the age of 13. If you are under the age of 13 we ask that you do not use this web service.

As a technology educator, I model responsible use of computers and websites every day. It’s important to me to be able to stand behind what I’m saying to our students. Recently, a parent even requested that in our 6th grade Global Connections class we review the logistics of privacy, cookies, and terms of service with the students.

And all these thoughts have left me with a lot of questions to which there’s probably not one black and white answer.

So, I’m wondering…

What does your school or technology department say about the use of websites by your students under 13? How does this affect online usage in your classroom?

 

 

Continued Growth…

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After reading the update about the format of Course 5, I knew I had to create a plan for myself. There won’t be assigned topics for posts, readings assigned or detailed requirements to show how you’ve been active in the class. You’re just left to figure it out- based on what you’ve learned, of course.

cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Martin_Heigan: http://flickr.com/photos/martin_heigan/337712232/

So a plan is necessary. Otherwise, I will do NOTHING! I will let one week slide curiously by, and suddenly it will be five weeks later and I’ll have no online presence to show for it.

Here are my goals. They are as simple as 1, 2, 3!

1 blog post every 1-2 weeks

2 tweets per week (This should ensure that I at least open TweetDeck, right?)

3 comments on other blogs

I hope you’ll help hold me accountable- at least most of the time!

Care to join in on my 1, 2, 3 plan? I’d love to have some company!

 

Course 4 Final Project

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This “project” is designed to sketch out the plans for my Course 5 and final CoETaIL project. We were asked to think about some possible ideas and detail them here. I have what I’m calling Plan A and Plan B.

Plan A will involve working with a third grade teacher who is perhaps the most veteran on our staff. Surprisingly, she has shown the most interest to learn and willingness to try, and fail, if need be. Since I am not a classroom teacher, I must rely on others to implement my ideas and see where they take us. With that in mind, Plan A, is my best and most thought out option. This teacher has given me a basic sketch of her “Children in the World” unit. Personally, this topic is almost too easy to embed technology into, but, hey, I’m not complaining. This is what she chose.

cc licensed ( BY NC ) flickr photo by angela7dreams: http://flickr.com/photos/angela7/294746254/

The classroom teacher has some basic things listed, like journal entries, book sharings, research, use of maps.

My first reactions are to turn the journal entries into blog posts. This class is beginning to start with blogs, so this unit will be a good opportunity to transition into really using them for something meaningful. Mike Nonato in Ukraine has been asking for blog buddies, so maybe this class will be ready to get that connection rolling.

There’s a mention of a day in the life project. I’d like to turn this into a video diary by the students.

Since the topic is “Children in the World” I’d like to set up some Skype chats with other classes around the world. There isn’t a better way to learn about different cultures and regions than from first hand information.

I’d like the research portion of this project to really focus on strong Internet searching skills- using keywords, looking for reliable websites, and finding “just-right” sites for their reading levels.

There’s an activity listed on the original plan that mentions marking on a map. I’d like to try and do this activity through Google Earth, so that we can view places in 3D, streetview, and with the pictures that have been added. I’ve had a little training with Google Earth, but will definitely need to refresh my memory of all that it offers.

Some of my concerns about this unit is the idea that I’m at the mercy of the classroom teacher. She might not want to take on everything that I have in mind. But, I’m hoping that she will try most of it and we’ll work with what we’re able to accomplish. This project will require the teacher to leave a few more trusted methods behind, like journal writing, in favor of moving the written word to an electronic format.

My Plan B is to find a way to make Plan A work.

Do you have a 3rd grade class or similar aged group that would like to connect during this project? Let me know!

The Best of What’s Around

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If you hold on tight
To what you think is your thing
You may find you’re missing all the rest
She run up into the light surprised
Her arms are open
Her mind’s eye is
Seeing things from a
Better side than most can dream
On a clearer road I feel
So you could say she’s safe
Whatever tears at her
Whatever holds her down
And if nothing can be done
She’ll make the best of what’s around

-Dave Matthews Band “The Best of What’s Around”

 

While everything in the technology world keeps changing at a rapid fire pace, I’m pretty sure that there’s one thing that has stayed the same.

The need for classroom management.

If you’re lucky enough to teach in a classroom that has gone 1 to 1, then you’ve developed strategies to manage those devices.

cc licensed ( BY NC ) flickr photo by SpecialKRB: http://flickr.com/photos/specialkrb/6819695609/

I think that this is no different from the strategies you developed to manage a classroom without 1 to 1 devices.

And, hopefully, this starts with engaging lessons that your students find interesting. I believe that this is the key component. If you’re not developing and planning lessons that are meaningful and authentic, you’re upping the likelihood that you’re going to need some really great classroom management strategies.

Just as you would in a classroom without any devices.

I really liked Lauren Teather’s post about management strategies and specifically some of her top tips of being present, staying in proximity, carefully allocating time for projects and setting forth consequences. I also found this post from the Dangerously Irrelevant blog interesting, especially the section near the beginning entitled, “It’s the pedagogy not the technology.” Redefining the curriculum in your classroom to allow for new experiences and opportunities because of the technology that is available to you will help work towards more effective learning experiences for our students.

I think the question to ask ourselves is, “What can we do now that we couldn’t have done without the technology?”

But, the rewards come to those who push forward, who take risks and try new things. The rewards come to those who risk allowing themselves to fail.

Doing this, however, might just help you find “the best of what’s around.”

There is no Certainty…

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A few weeks ago, I included this quote in a post.

“Learning prepares you to cope with the surprises. Education prepares you to cope with certainty. There is no certainty.”

-Stephen Heppell in “Future of Learning, Networked Society” video

After reading about connectivism, learning that MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course, and listening to Dan Pink talk about motivation, I find myself mulling over that same quote once again.

Asked where or how I will be teaching in the future is impossible to answer.

Because I just don’t know.

Take this video, for example.

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I found this version of the video after watching the version Janette posted.

On the connectivism site linked above, George Siemens writes, “Our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today.” I think is concept is really the key idea we need to use as the driving force behind curricular planning. We need to teach students how to learn what they do not know. Siemens also stipulated, “Connectivism presents a model of learning that acknowledges the tectonic shifts in society where learning is no longer an internal, individualistic activity.”

These concepts have been made possible by technology, and classroom education needs to shift appropriately. (As does Professional Development for teachers, so the CoETaIL program seems to fit nicely in with the ideas of connectivism, as Clint mentions here.)

You discover the same message when reading Daniel Pink‘s book, Drive. There is no longer a need to produce workers that can go to work, be given a specific task to do, and do it all day long. Our society now needs workers that can figure out and discover things that haven’t even been thought of before. The worker of tomorrow does not need to know how to work on an assembly line or sit in a cubicle.

They need to know how to learn.

cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo by carriezimmer: http://flickr.com/photos/carriezimmer/8234603736/