It's been a week and I'm pretty happy thus far with the 1:1 iMacs in class. If I had to guess, I would suggest they get used 35-45% of a class, which I'm okay with.
The first use for these machines over the week, and in the future, has been taking notes using Google Docs. I like that I can create a "fill in the blanks" style spreadsheet and have the students create their own copy to add to.
Now, before everyone on the internet tells me that this isn't the way to teach and I'm not using technology effectively - I agree. I agree, I'd like to do this all very differently, however, because of my location and the external factors I mentioned, that's not going to be possible this year. Therefore, I'll be using the machines to the best of my ability within the confines of my requirements.
A couple of students have discovered that after the "formal" notes, when we're working on problems or having a more free-wheeling discussion, they can continue to use Google Docs to share their thoughts with each other. It's working pretty well - they're strong students, which means they can both contribute to the problem, so I'm fine with it at this point.
Overall - a week in, I'm happy with the uses. I'll post in a bit about some of the other things we've been doing.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
1:1 Physics - An Adventure
I was able to get complete access to my Maclab for my physics 11 class this year. This is going to be a bit of an adventure in figuring out if a) desktops are going to work like laptops, b) laptops are going to be helpful at all, and c) if I wish I had something else instead!
All the reading I've done says that these computers should be helpful in class. I promote them to my colleagues in my position as academic tech coordinator, so it's about time to walk-the-walk.
A bit of an overview, and then in subsequent posts I'll talk about some of the specific uses.
We're going to be using Google Apps for Education to share documents and collaborate amongst ourselves. I anticipate, in addition to using Google Apps on a regular basis, to be using some various web resources with these computers.
My concern, and we'll see if this manifests, is that because of external requirements such as curriculum, "preparing them for the future", and overal "academic rigor", I wont be able to focus as much as I'd like on these machines. We'll see!
All the reading I've done says that these computers should be helpful in class. I promote them to my colleagues in my position as academic tech coordinator, so it's about time to walk-the-walk.
A bit of an overview, and then in subsequent posts I'll talk about some of the specific uses.
We're going to be using Google Apps for Education to share documents and collaborate amongst ourselves. I anticipate, in addition to using Google Apps on a regular basis, to be using some various web resources with these computers.
My concern, and we'll see if this manifests, is that because of external requirements such as curriculum, "preparing them for the future", and overal "academic rigor", I wont be able to focus as much as I'd like on these machines. We'll see!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
1:1 Science 8
I'll be using a PC lab as a home base to teach Science 8 this year. It should be an interesting experience - essentially it will be as if students have laptops, save for the added mobility of an actual laptop. I'm looking forward to having the ability for students to quickly find information, as well as some transitions between digital and non-digital activities.
A few possible concerns:
1. How much time will it take to "get started"? I'll be using a few tools (Google Docs being my home base) and it will be interesting to see if these "digital natives" are able to pick up on the various tools.
2. How am I going to structure my class to ensure that more than just "fun" happens. My biggest concern with this whole experiment (and Physics 11, which I'll touch on in another post) is the challenge of providing academic struggle for my students. It's all well and good that they look at some videos and make some colourful Prezi's or Glogs or whatnot. It's harder to ensure that there is a level of academic challenge for them.
3. How badly am I going to kill our network :) 20 students on some of the various websites will be an interesting challenge for our wired network. It's amazing how much bandwidth these sites will take if you let them - and we don't really have a choice but to let them. Sadly, unlike some of the better coded pages (YouTube, for example), Glogster, Animoto, etc will all steal as much bandwidth as you have. I credit this to be because the developers believe they are targeting an audience made up of home users with a single connection, and one or two computers.
Thus, we'll see how it all goes - I'll keep you posted!
A few possible concerns:
1. How much time will it take to "get started"? I'll be using a few tools (Google Docs being my home base) and it will be interesting to see if these "digital natives" are able to pick up on the various tools.
2. How am I going to structure my class to ensure that more than just "fun" happens. My biggest concern with this whole experiment (and Physics 11, which I'll touch on in another post) is the challenge of providing academic struggle for my students. It's all well and good that they look at some videos and make some colourful Prezi's or Glogs or whatnot. It's harder to ensure that there is a level of academic challenge for them.
3. How badly am I going to kill our network :) 20 students on some of the various websites will be an interesting challenge for our wired network. It's amazing how much bandwidth these sites will take if you let them - and we don't really have a choice but to let them. Sadly, unlike some of the better coded pages (YouTube, for example), Glogster, Animoto, etc will all steal as much bandwidth as you have. I credit this to be because the developers believe they are targeting an audience made up of home users with a single connection, and one or two computers.
Thus, we'll see how it all goes - I'll keep you posted!
Saturday, September 1, 2012
A Post a Week
I've been pretty bad at this "blogging" thing. Part of that is because of the environment I work in - I'm concerned about speaking ill of students, learning, workplace, etc. It's a different world in a private school and I'm very aware of how my words can be viewed.
Another part is the feeling like I'm repeating myself - I'm on Twitter a lot and because I see so much, and read so much, I make the (false) assumption that everyone already knows what I'm talking about - indeed, someone has probably already made a post on the exact topic I'll be writing about.
What I have to remember, however, is that you stumbled on MY blog, and thus, are interested in both my ideas, and perspective. If you want another idea, or a similar idea in a different blog, off you go!
Thus, I'm going to try and do a post a week. Perhaps...
We'll see!
Another part is the feeling like I'm repeating myself - I'm on Twitter a lot and because I see so much, and read so much, I make the (false) assumption that everyone already knows what I'm talking about - indeed, someone has probably already made a post on the exact topic I'll be writing about.
What I have to remember, however, is that you stumbled on MY blog, and thus, are interested in both my ideas, and perspective. If you want another idea, or a similar idea in a different blog, off you go!
Thus, I'm going to try and do a post a week. Perhaps...
We'll see!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Grade 8 Perfect Learning Spaces
We have just finished one of our three "project weeks" here at QMS. These are weeks where regular classes are suspended and the students participate in a week long discovery project.
This week the students were designing and building their "perfect learning environment".
A bit of background:
A few months ago we asked everyone in the middle school (Grades 6-9) to draw their perfect learning environment. There was little direction provided, intentionally - we were interested in seeing what everyone came up with.
The grade 9 students then took these drawings and, for a math class on graphing and statistics, analyzed and graphed the data. They took various structures (water, trees, natural light got put into a nature category, couches and beanbag chairs for comfortable seating) and put them into categories which were then graphed by a different group.
This data was presented, and passed on to, our Grade 8 students. Their task was to take everything and, using the data, create a scale drawing and a model of their (or the middle school's) ideal learning environment.
They then had the opportunity to present their work to the board of directors building committee who are looking into our new middle years building - a fantastic, realistic learning opportunity.
Below are their creations!
A front view of an indoor/outdoor space. The area in the middle is glassed in and, if there was a roof, would be open to the elements. Also note the group tables and very comfortable seating - couches, covered benches, etc. Finally, there is a fish tank in the corner.
Top view of the above.
Scale drawing of the above. 1 square equals half a meter.
A "semi traditional" classroom with iPads on every desk and a classed in "fish floor" down the middle. Beanbag chairs and a carpet provide a relaxing area for students to collaborate.
A learning commons with an indoor/outdoor area and lots of comfortable seating. Tables and chairs are spread out around the room to allow for flexible groups with lots of storage space along the sides.
Scale drawing of the above.
A "semi traditional" classroom with beanbag chairs instead of the hard plastic ones an lots of nature - a fish tank in one corner and a pond in the other. Comfortable seating can be seen as a theme across most of these creations!
A music and theater room. The scale is quite small, but the room is designed to accommodate a full chamber orchestra. Sound proof practice rooms are on one end with storage and a teacher area on the other. The large central area has seating for the band or risers for the choir.
Overall, a very, very successful project - the students engaged with the mathematics and language requirements of presenting their information. The fine arts teacher was thrilled with their sense of engagement in the building process.
I intend to do this again, with a few modifications, but am very pleased with the results!
This week the students were designing and building their "perfect learning environment".
A bit of background:
A few months ago we asked everyone in the middle school (Grades 6-9) to draw their perfect learning environment. There was little direction provided, intentionally - we were interested in seeing what everyone came up with.
The grade 9 students then took these drawings and, for a math class on graphing and statistics, analyzed and graphed the data. They took various structures (water, trees, natural light got put into a nature category, couches and beanbag chairs for comfortable seating) and put them into categories which were then graphed by a different group.
This data was presented, and passed on to, our Grade 8 students. Their task was to take everything and, using the data, create a scale drawing and a model of their (or the middle school's) ideal learning environment.
They then had the opportunity to present their work to the board of directors building committee who are looking into our new middle years building - a fantastic, realistic learning opportunity.
Below are their creations!
A front view of an indoor/outdoor space. The area in the middle is glassed in and, if there was a roof, would be open to the elements. Also note the group tables and very comfortable seating - couches, covered benches, etc. Finally, there is a fish tank in the corner.
Scale drawing of the above. 1 square equals half a meter.
A "semi traditional" classroom with iPads on every desk and a classed in "fish floor" down the middle. Beanbag chairs and a carpet provide a relaxing area for students to collaborate.
Scale drawing of the above.
Overall, a very, very successful project - the students engaged with the mathematics and language requirements of presenting their information. The fine arts teacher was thrilled with their sense of engagement in the building process.
I intend to do this again, with a few modifications, but am very pleased with the results!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Project Based Learning - Learning For All :)
It's been an adventure in my Math and Science 8 classrooms. PBL is in full swing, and I'm learning just as much as the kids in terms of what needs to be done.
The first - my gosh is submission management important. While I have great rubrics that allow me to assess pretty much any type of submission, because there are so many different types, I'm having trouble figuring out the best way to keep them all.
Videos are too big to email, written things have to get integrated with computer generated things, pictures have to be sent and then stored somewhere (or printed?), etc. You get the idea - I'm longing for the ability to post things to an online repository, and as a school we're moving towards that....
I also have to make sure that everyone is able to demonstrate their knowledge in the group - it's been eye opening to ask a student a fact that their group has put down and see them draw a complete blank. Even students who make amazing things (cell cake? Awesome labs?) still have difficulty fully explaining the concept they just showed me.
Perhaps there is something to the "lecture for a bit", or perhaps I'm just too hyper vigilant about the curriculum.
Overall, I've been getting fantastic feedback from all stakeholders in the projects, and it's coming along nicely.
Science 8 is going to start putting together Chapter 1, so hopefully I'll have something more concrete to share later.
The first - my gosh is submission management important. While I have great rubrics that allow me to assess pretty much any type of submission, because there are so many different types, I'm having trouble figuring out the best way to keep them all.
Videos are too big to email, written things have to get integrated with computer generated things, pictures have to be sent and then stored somewhere (or printed?), etc. You get the idea - I'm longing for the ability to post things to an online repository, and as a school we're moving towards that....
I also have to make sure that everyone is able to demonstrate their knowledge in the group - it's been eye opening to ask a student a fact that their group has put down and see them draw a complete blank. Even students who make amazing things (cell cake? Awesome labs?) still have difficulty fully explaining the concept they just showed me.
Perhaps there is something to the "lecture for a bit", or perhaps I'm just too hyper vigilant about the curriculum.
Overall, I've been getting fantastic feedback from all stakeholders in the projects, and it's coming along nicely.
Science 8 is going to start putting together Chapter 1, so hopefully I'll have something more concrete to share later.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
PBL - 2 Weeks In
Wow - what a fantastic two weeks of school it's been. I started with my year long PBL projects from day 1.
My Math 8's are completing a "Mathematics in Life" project where they have been given a persona (accountant, making 45k, married) and are now making important life decisions.
Our first assignment was a blast - they got to write the biographies for their "characters". They had a blast coming up with what they did as children, where they met their husband, their parents, etc. Some very creative juices are flowing!
The next thing we focused on was the preparation for creating a monthly budget. First, they had to figure out what their income is - we talked about RRSP's, government tax, etc. They had quite a bit of fun working out just how much to save in order to NOT give it to the government!
In science we started creating our digital textbooks. The first topic - characteristics of living things! Most students chose to "start off easy" and create a nice table with some pictures, examples and descriptions of the characteristics, but I did have one adventurous group - movie making!
After gathering costumes, the "news report about a lion and a unicorn" went into full swing explaining just how that lion and unicorn interact to both be living things - and it's hilarious seeing Grade 8 students wandering around in a unicorn costume, especially in a uniformed school!
The second textbook topic jumped into cells. More students got creative with their "explanations" - I have two labs being created, and a cell made out of cake being constructed at the back of the room. It's debatable which has more icing - the students, or the cake - but we're all having a blast and learning a ton.
I'll be compiling the various creations (pictures, videos, written submissions, etc) into an ePub or PDF format (depending on how serious the formatting gets) and providing it to the students to use on their e-readers.
Overall, I'm thrilled - the only minor hiccup was an initial reaction of "but we really like it when teachers stand and give us the notes" - but after some initial one-on-one work with a brief "lecture", those complains quickly subsided.
On to week 3 - budgetting and more work with cells!
My Math 8's are completing a "Mathematics in Life" project where they have been given a persona (accountant, making 45k, married) and are now making important life decisions.
Our first assignment was a blast - they got to write the biographies for their "characters". They had a blast coming up with what they did as children, where they met their husband, their parents, etc. Some very creative juices are flowing!
The next thing we focused on was the preparation for creating a monthly budget. First, they had to figure out what their income is - we talked about RRSP's, government tax, etc. They had quite a bit of fun working out just how much to save in order to NOT give it to the government!
In science we started creating our digital textbooks. The first topic - characteristics of living things! Most students chose to "start off easy" and create a nice table with some pictures, examples and descriptions of the characteristics, but I did have one adventurous group - movie making!
After gathering costumes, the "news report about a lion and a unicorn" went into full swing explaining just how that lion and unicorn interact to both be living things - and it's hilarious seeing Grade 8 students wandering around in a unicorn costume, especially in a uniformed school!
The second textbook topic jumped into cells. More students got creative with their "explanations" - I have two labs being created, and a cell made out of cake being constructed at the back of the room. It's debatable which has more icing - the students, or the cake - but we're all having a blast and learning a ton.
I'll be compiling the various creations (pictures, videos, written submissions, etc) into an ePub or PDF format (depending on how serious the formatting gets) and providing it to the students to use on their e-readers.
Overall, I'm thrilled - the only minor hiccup was an initial reaction of "but we really like it when teachers stand and give us the notes" - but after some initial one-on-one work with a brief "lecture", those complains quickly subsided.
On to week 3 - budgetting and more work with cells!
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