Personal intro video

Wicked project final

Here is the link to my video: http://youtu.be/bB6pHhK2M4M

Wicked Project Problem: Implementing Project Based Learning with my juniors and integrating technology.

Wicked Project Solution:The solutions to this problem is starting students out with Schology.  I will use Schoology to get students organized and will do this by posting assignments, due dates, resources, and creating a question blog that students can utilize at any time.  This web 2.0 tool will be made available to parents so they can access student assignments and due dates.  Another solution I have is for students to sign up for Diigo.  Diggo will give students an opportunity to keep all research in one space, learn to take notes, and learn how to cite the research properly.

TPACK

TP: Schoology supports teaching strategies by giving students resources, assignments, allows for group collaboration, and question blogs.

TC: The concept of the virtual backpack allows for intellectual accessibility by giving students the tools to be successful.  The different tools will give students choices and this will help with different learning styles of students.
PC: Blogger, using blogs is one of pedagogical choices in helping students with intellectual accessibility in regards to content.  Blogging will allow students to post the final project in a positive virtual setting, be able to comment on other students final projects, and be able to reflect on the project process, research, and final project.

Professional Learning Plan

Here is my Professional Learning Plan!

Group Leadership Project

Our Group Project!

Group Project


Our group used a variety of tools to produce our final video.  I actually used the app Explain Everything to do my part of the video.  I was able to import the pictures, show the explanations, and do the audio and then the app created the movie file and I was able to send it to Fredy for the final cut.  The others in my group I know used Reflection, audacity, iMovie, screen capture tools, and iShow. It was amazing to me that even with all the different tools we all used that it all came together for our final project.

I actually learned a lot during the development part of this project.  I learned that being able to communicate in a variety of ways is important when working with people from all over.  Gmail, Google Docs, and Google video chat were essential to making this project work as well as it did.  I liked the fact that you could record the video part and share it with others.  This would be good for me as a teacher to make sure students were on task and doing what they were supposed to do.  I also learned that there is a lot of planning (who is doing what, pictures, collaboration, story board and then putting the whole thing together) I need to make sure my students know all the different steps and that ALL the steps are important for a good final project.  It is important to be flexible and to make sure you get your part done on time so it all works.

I wouldn't do much differently if I had this all to do over again.  It might be helpful to not use so many different tools...but with each of us doing something different it kind of worked out best.  It just showed me that it is possible to use all the different tools and that you can put them together in one project.  It just shows how wonderful iMovie is in the fact that you can use so many different modes and they will all work in the end.  I would still use all the steps we had to do and I do see that I needed to add more to my part of the story board.

Wicked Project Part D Immplementaion

• Formative: Did the project get implemented as planned?

I am about 3 1/2 weeks away from implementing my project.  I will implement Schoology with all of my classes (Contemporary Literature, Junior English (3 classes), and Composition at the beginning of the school year. I will also start with the PBL lessons at the beginning of the year as well.  

• Summative: Evidence of success in addressing the problem of practice

I will know if Schoology is successful when my students sign up correctly, start using the calendar, posting their own finings, find assignments, and blog questions.  I will be happy when my students start going to Schoology to let me know they are finished with their assignments and asking me questions about the PBL lessons.  My hope is for them to look for answers on Schoology first instead of waiting for the next day to ask me.  I hope to utilize the blog feature for students to use to ask those burning questions they cannot answer themselves. 

• How would you approach another project of this type differently given what you’ve learned here?

I would plan out more than just the first few weeks.  I would look at more long term assignments and try to plan out the first nine weeks instead of just the first two.  I have learned to wait for the implementation in order to look at groups ( I cannot make groups until all my students have signed up for the class) and what they can do.  This is something I cannot help, but it is something that I have to get together and know quickly before my students start using the group function.  I think I also need to create a tutorial type video for all my classes.  If I can walk my students through the sign-up process then they can sign up at home and then we can go through other steps with them at school.  I will do this will Diigo and Blogger.  I would look at the different tutorial videos myself and see how I can improve them.

• What are the lessons learned that others might benefit from knowing about?

One of the lessons that I learned is that you should create a "dummy" student account so you can see what the students see.  I found this very interesting from the student's perspective and I can then look at possible hookups.  

Again I cannot stress the importance of planning.  A person needs to think about posts, blog questions, resources, and assignments.  They also need to consider letting parents and administrators be part of the Schoology in order look at students' assignments, due dates,and blog questions and answers.

Another lesson I learned is that I really need to look at the updates on Schoology.  I found one that made lessons progressive.  A student cannot go on to the next step unless they have completed the first one and this is all made possible with they way you put in the lessons.  I had to then chunk up my bigger projects and put them in differently.  This will be easier on me and it will chuck up the assignments for the students.

• In what ways will you endeavor to do the same project again, and what will you change or not do?

I have to say so far if everything goes like the way I think they will go I will use Schoolgy all year long.  I have not found a site that has just about everything I need in one site to keep my classes organized.  I like the fact that Schoology is always changing and implementing new aspects of the site.  I would love to change the way my classes sign-up for Schoology, I would have everyone signed up at the beginning of school and have students in groups already put into place (with options to modify as the weeks go by)

So, as of now I would not change anything...but I won't know this until I have used Schoology with my students for a while.

Mobile Learning Lab

What tools did you try? 
I have tried Poll Everywhere, Flip Cameras, iPhones and MP3 players and a great little 2.0 tool called iPadio.

What ways are you thinking about integrating mobile technology into YOUR classroom?

I have been using all these mobile learning devises for a few years now.  I use Poll Everywhere to test student's knowledge of different countries or authors.  This is fun to do at the beginning of a unit.  I have used Flip Cameras and iPhones to recored performances and podcasts.  I actually use iPadio for my podcasts...students call in record the message and then I get a recording of that on my site.

I encourage my students to bring their phones and MP3 players.  There is just so much that these little devices can do for students in the classroom.  I encourage students to download the novels we read, add their own apps for studying vocabulary, and other apps that encourage organization.  Students can add to their blogs and respond to other's blogs.  There is just so much they can do.  Two years ago I was teaching a writing class and held class in a computer lab.  I had a student who wrote all his papers via his phone.  I found this amazing as he could "text" his papers faster than typing them out.  He would then e-mail himself the papers and then print them out.

 What challenges (or inspirations) do you foresee?

There are a few challenges when using mobile devices...one of them is that not everyone's device is equal.  The iPhone, while popular, are not always attainable.  It would be awesome if everyone had one, but they are expensive and not everyone can afford them.

The issue I had with Poll Everywhere is that students can wait and then poll the most popular answer.  I think they have improved this by just showing the results, but students can still wait.

The other issue I have with iPhones and MP3 players is that they are difficult to monitor.  Students can "look like" they are studying the flash cards or reading the book...the reality of the situation is that they are probably listening to music or watching a video.

Data Visualization Lab

Data Visualization Lab

• What tools did you try?

The three tools I tried were Tagxedo, glogster, and popplet.  I wanted to share Popplet so I added that to the wiki were where people are adding new items.  This app is sooo easy to use and I wanted to make sure I shared that with others. 

• What are you representing in the visualization you created?

With the Tagxedo site, which is similar to wordle, puts the most amount of words into larger fonts.  The difference with Tagxedo is that you can add a shape that represents your words.  For my Tagxedo visual I added Hamlet's "To be or not to Be" soliloquy and I added the heart because He does talk about love and its dangers...

• What questions or "ah-ha" moments arise when thinking about representation?

One of the questions I had about Tagxedo was why haven't I found this earlier and how can I use this tool in my classroom.  This tool takes text and then an image and puts them together.  I think this would be a great way take famous speeches or poems and put a visual with them.  This would be great for students to think about the main image when thinking about a poem or a speech.  The only problem is that the images are very limited!  You would have to be extremely creative if you were to use this for ANY speech or poem.

Tagxedo.com

Popplet

I know the image is really blurry, but this is a great mindmaping tool.  What I like about Popplet is that you can add images to the mindmap.  This is especially easy if you have an iPhone or an iPad as you can take the images imediatly and then use them in the mind map.

Wicked Project Part C Podcast

Wicked Part C Podcast

Group Story Board...

Here is the link to the Story Board

I think things are going really well with the group.  After we finally got everyone at one meeting we really just talked things through and what the project will look like.  Each of us has taken an App and will do a 2 minute movie about that App.  I am doing Explain Everything...which I am very excited about.  I think we are all excited to see how this 10 minute movie will turn out.  We have shared everything via Google Docs and Google presentation for the Story Board...it is so convenient to add each part whenever.  I shared some pictures of some of my students using iPads for use either at the beginning or the conclusion.  We have agreed that Fredy will put together the final movie so we have to get him our 2 minutes by the end of next week so he has time to do that.

Wicked Part B

1. What is the TP knowledge for the solution?  (i.e., how does the technology you have chosen support the teaching strategies and methods you have chosen?)

I think the "Virtual backpack" supports my strategies as it gives students a start into getting organized.  It is important to be organized with PBL as students need to know how to start, where to save, and then how to present.  Having these "tools" will give students a set way to do future projects and to keep organized.

Schoology is another tool for students and for me to know exactly what is due, when it is due, different resources that they can use and post, blog about problems and questions, and (for me) I will know when students turn in assignments.  So this tool will put everything in ONE spot so students are not confused as to where to go.  This helps me as well because I can keep everything in ONE spot and I also like the blog feature for students to ask questions.

The different presentation tools support my PBL as they give students choices.  Not every student can do a Prezi or a Glogster, but it does give them a choice and in some cases they will learn a new tool.

2. What is the TC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically does this technology make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible?  Be sure to think about representation.)

I think the different technologies I am using make PBL more intellectually accessible by keeping students organized. Organization is key to a good project...the virtual backpack is just a tool to help them do this.  Getting in the habit is just part of the solution. Schoology lets students post links to different sites.  This gives them a chance to post items they think are important to the rest of the class.  This makes students think about what they are posting and they need to make sure it is something that others can use. I also think that the blogging part of schoology is good for students.  They know that everyone can see the posts so they are more apt to really think about what they are posting and how it sounds.  The final projects with PBL need to be in some kind of presentation format.  The different presentation tools forces students to really think about HOW they want to present and evaluate what they want to do for that.  I think the different choices allows students to be creative and when these projects are presented they need critical thinking skills on the best way to do this.

1. What is the PC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically do your pedagogical choices make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible?) Be sure to think about how the student will experience the content given these instructional strategies.

One of my problems in class is that I know students are not reading the novels I assign.  It is just so easy for them to find the information on the internet without really reading.  With my implementation of PBL students are given choices and therefore are forced to really read the material in order to create quality projects.  Students can also go more in depth with the information and I think are more likely to pursue  interests.  I think by doing projects this way promotes learning and curiosity with the subject matter.  With PBL students will create their own experience.  They are following what they want to read/learn and this motivates them to keep going with the different projects.  They are more apt to go more in-depth and in different angles.  They will also take more pride in the outcome of the projects when allowed to chose the material.

Part A Brainstorming

1. What web conferencing tool did your group use?

Our group is using Google Hangout for our project communication.

1. What were the advantages to using the web conferencing tool to discuss this project?

Some of the advantages of using Google Hangout: members from all over the country can communicate, the ability of screen sharing, the ability of different Apps to add notes etc., and ability to record sessions and then add them to uTube.

1. What were the disadvantages to using the web conferencing tool to discuss this project? 

Some disadvantages of Google Hangout include: delay of voices, dropped internet, not everyone can record a session, can't scroll with the screen shot so view is limited if looking at the end of the shot.

Updated video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV34EjugCp0: video

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kwpg1zKsVAuyZpMzR-pmk-pFVFYm2EYESktIDIlGSuU/edit

Google doc Brainstorming

Web-Conferencing

Group Video

Updated Group Video

For our blog conference we used Google+Hangout.  I was a bit unsure of how this would work so I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get everything working.  Everyone was present in our group and it was very interesting to listen to everyone's take on the project and get different feedback on what we were going to try to do.

We used a lot of different software...video part was one, we could see everyone, hear everyone and that went great.  We also used the Google doc tab.  This tab allowed us to modify a document that we started about the project.  I realized that I couldn't add anything, but it was a simple function of sharing that allowed me to add to what everyone else was doing.

We used the side "chat" bar to share links and iPad app ideas.  This was a good idea as we could be chatting and then add something that we could all view in a different window.  We also did a screen share.  I believe Maer showed us a different screen and then we were able to discuss and look at the different aspects of the screen.  We added a few apps to our hangout.  It was fun to try out "Scoot and Doodle."  This was a drawing app.  I could see our group using this to collaborate on our ideas.  Another great app we used was the "symphonic" which is a virtual sticky note.  I think this will be very useful when were are brain storming about the project.  The sticky notes will help me remember what roll  I am supposed to do and side comments.


I do not know if I would do much different with this dry-run.  I thought it was successful.  I think it will take more collaboration and getting used to the tool, but I think we picked some good add-ons and we utilized the different tools of the Google+Hangout.

I see this being very useful with my students.  I will use thing with my group projects.  I like the idea of the video being recorded...that way you know if the students are talking about the project and who is participating more.  It also helps with them in keeping focus and on the correct topic.  It makes them more accountable.  I also like the Scoot and Doodle to see how students can create a visual of the project and how everyone will participate.  I also like the Symphonical as a way for students to add ideas to an app like Scoot and Doodle or a screen shot of what they are all looking at.  I will defiantly look more into this and how I can use this in my own classroom...especially with PBL!

Wicked Project Part A

Wicked Project Part A

• An educational need or opportunity.

My educational opportunity is to implement project based learning  (PBL) into my junior classes next year.  For the past two years I have used my juniors as guinea pigs for a “self paced” classroom.  For the most part it has worked really well, but I always felt like the projects the students were doing were sub par to what I thought they should be doing.  So I will be combining the self-paced class with the project based learning and hope that the projects are more in-depth, creative, and cover all the standards.

• How you plan to address this educational issue with technology.

I plan to address this educational issue daily with technology.  My school is going 1:1 next year so, in theory, every one of my students will have some type of a device to use in class.  I think this will be the perfect time to implement the PBL into my classroom.  “Virtual Organization” is lacking for a lot of students (and teachers!) So I really want to get them to use technology to help them out, not make them more confused.  I heard a great term this summer, “virtual backpack.”  I will try and equip my students with a virtual backpack that will help them with projects and organization.  

One way I will use technology is with a web 2.0 tool called Schoology.  Schoology is a classroom tool that will allow me to post all my assignment, add a calendar, post announcements, put students into groups, allows students to add resources, all with a class blog.  I will use this to put everything into ONE space. Right now I have a web site and a wiki and it is confusing for my students and a pain for me to up date.

I will also be using Diigo for research.  I want my students to get into the habit of saving their research, taking notes on-line, and then possibly sharing the information with a group or me.  

With PBL I need several ways for students to present the final project.  The technology I will use with that includes: powerpoint, Prezi, Glogster and more if I can find them.  I want to give my students choices and the more ways to present I find the better the presentations.

• Logistics of solution:

The Logistics of my “virtual backpack” ( which will include Schoology, Diigo, and the presentation web 2.0 tools) will be used from day one.  I want to spend a lot of time with my students to help them get organized for PBL (and their other classes too).  The first two or three days will be spent putting things into the “virtual backpack” AND showing them how to use these tools.  So many times teachers give students tools, but then they do not show them how to use the tools effectively. I want my students to get into the habit of going to Schoology for assignments, questions, and ideas.  I plan to have my students save all their research into Diigo. And finally I want  students to play around with the different presentations tools.  I would like them to get out of using Powerpoint and explore other means of presenting.  I plan to use these tools all year long with all of my students.

• Relevant research and resources

Schoology:
http://www.softwareshortlist.com/articles/Schoology_Review.html
http://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=%2011217
http://mulloverthings.com/2012/01/41-schoology-review-part-1-dashboard-profile-blog/
Diigo:
https://sites.google.com/site/team8project9440/using-diigo-in-the-classroom-2

https://sites.google.com/site/team8project9440/using-diigo-in-the-classroom-2/using-diigo-in-the-classroom-1

http://theedublogger.com/2012/02/10/social-bookmarking-with-students-quality-not-quantity/

Project Based Learning:
http://college.cengage.com/education/pbl/background.html
http://www.gsn.org/web/pbl/index.htm
http://www.hightechhigh.org/pbl/

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Seven_Essentials_for_Project-Based_Learning.aspx

http://www.piecesoflearning.com/UserFiles/File/Handouts/NCAGTprojectbasedBI.pdf

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/feb08/vol65/num05/Project-Based_Learning.aspx

Virtual Backpack
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_H18AdRaNWOSlBrUWhnT3R6NkU/edit

• A plan for the portion you will implement during this course and the portion you will implement after this course completes.

During this course I plan to implement Schoology and one Project that I will give my students at the beginning of the year. I think it is important to be very organized for the beginning of the year and one way to do this is with Schoology. I also think it is important for me to have at least one project thought out from beginning to end and to have everything posted on Schoology and ready for the beginning of the year. The portions I will implement after this course are Diigo and the “virtual backpack.” As I get more comfortable with PBL I will then introduce Diigo and how students can use it effectively.

• Indicators of a successful project

One of the indicators of a successful project is for me to have Schoology up and running and to be organized before school starts.  Another success will be to have my first project thought out, written down, and all the logistics worked out for my students.  It would be nice to have an example of what a good PBL project looks like.  I want to put this on Schoology so my students know what to expect from the next projects.

Janet's Intro Video