Simply Productive

Ironically, I am struggling with my productivity level the very week that I have been asked to submit a blog on productivity.  I am a mother of four children ranging in ages from 8 to 14.  They dance, sing, play soccer, basketball, and baseball, run track, and play the guitar, drums, and piano. I teach special education full time and run the school’s extra-curricular theater program with two shows per year and up to 150 kids involved.  I am the director of the children’s ministry at a small church, and I somehow thought there might be some extra time in the scant twenty-four hours we were blessed with to go back to school to pursue my masters.  Productivity is high on my list of concerns. In a time of squeezing all we can out of our busy weeks, we all need to use the tools that are available to us to maximize our time.

One of the apps I use every day is a low-tech, easy to use, free app on my phone.  The ColorNote app is a fancy sticky note. I organize my to do lists by color, keep track of the payroll for my Sunday morning employees, and can jot down notes using voice to text.  I can then cut and paste with the swipe of a screen and send out my lists or notes.  Since my phone is always (mostly) with me, it’s a convenient tool.  While not the most exciting, for a woman who’s computer screen is covered with actual yellow post-its, these virtual sticky notes are a huge time saver for me.

Google is my productivity’s best friend.  With Google and its many facets of bright and shiny apps and helpers, I can manage my wonderfully messy and complicated world from soccer practice or guitar lessons.  With Google calendar, I have all of my events in one place and can send my colleagues invitations to IEP meetings, my husband an “invitation” to pick up our daughter from ballet, and all of the grandparents invitations to games and birthdays.  My calendar emails and texts me reminders for every event I have scheduled.  Our school is using Google calendar for our school activity calendar. I can link it to my calendar and it save me hours of entering dates and times.  My 6^th grade math PLC shares a Google docs link with all of our plans and worksheets in one easily accessible place. No more searching for a worksheet in a binder.  Copies are easily printed when a student is absent or has a missing assignment.

My productivity tools are not exciting or new or flashy.  As my kids grow and my career expands, I find myself clinging to the precious few moments when there is nothing to be checked from a to do list, no place to which I need to rush, and no pressing matters needing my attention. These easy to learn, user friendly tools allow me to have more of those moments by keeping me organized and prepared.

And also I still love yellow sticky notes.

Wearables: Does this Apple Watch Make Me Look Fat?

     If Marty McFly and Doc Brown had indeed traveled to this week, they would have been astounded, as I am, at the recent digital trend of wearables.  Wearables including Apple Watches and Fitbits have burst in to the technological scene with all the glory of a DeLorean DMC-12.  Are wearables just a fad that will be replaced with another, or will this trend shape how we view technology for years to come?    
     As a teacher, one area this current trends makes a large impact, is wearables made for and marketed to kids.  For instance, the Gizmopal watch from LG is a device with multiple features for parents to ensure the well-being of their children and maintain contact without worrying about the safety hazards and responsibilities that come with a phone.  The Gizmopal allows parents to track their kids through the GPS feature using the app on their phone.  A parent can pre-program four number that can call the watch and the watch can call two numbers with the push of its one and only button.  There is no screen to break, and it can securely fasten to a child’s wrist. Tinitell and FiLip2 have also created wearable devices for kids that have limited voice communication and GPS tracking capabilities.  There are a host of other wearable devices for children provide GPS only.     
     Wearable devices are a popular accessory in the fitness world. The Fitbit is a popular activity tracker. I know several educators who like to keep track of the number of steps they take every day. The Fitbit can measure steps taken, calories burned, and even the quality of sleep.  It works with an app on your smartphone which allows you to log your meals, heart rate and blood pressure.
Wearables aren’t just for your wrist anymore either. The Misfit Flash can be worn as a necklace with a sterling silver design or in special shirts that have pockets made just for this fitness tracker.  If biking, it can be attached to your shoe for better accuracy.
     Last, but certainly not least, the Apple watch is the queen of wearable technology.  The watch works closely with your iPhone and can make phone calls, send messages, store pictures, access Siri,  and pay your tab. You have access to apps like your calendar, music, photos, and maps. Text messages and other text must be input with voice to text.     
     The implications that wearables in technology will have on technology are yet to be determined.  As the smart watches become more affordable, we will see a growing number of students wearing them. Monitoring students’ use of their own devices will take on new meaning.  Questions for educational technology will be questions we have never thought to ask. How will we effectively use these devices in our classrooms? Will grammar and the English language be affected by a wide use of voice to text features and devices without keyboards? I am quite sure there issues will continue to arise as digital trends continue to change and form how we communicate and function.

A Girl Has Got to Have Standards

Educational technology that is fun, engaging, inexpensive, and exciting abounds. It’s everywhere. You can find a way to do almost anything online, on your mobile device, or with fun hardware.  As teachers have had to do in the past with new curriculum and trendy pedagogical ideas, we must now look at the available technology with critical eyes. What technological tools can contribute to authentic lessons? What tools are just fun, but not truly adding to the lesson?

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) offers six standards through which we can evaluate the choices we make for our classrooms. These standards examine 1) creativity and innovation, 2) communication and collaboration, 3) research and information fluency, 4) critical thinking, problem solving and decision making, 5) digital citizenship, and 6) operations and concepts. In addition, we should be asking ourselves if the technology in use demonstrates the principles of authentic lessons including the use of higher order thinking, student centeredness, and real world application.

One technological application I love for a science classroom is Elements 4D and Anatomy 4D.  It’s an app that turns paper or plastic blocks or printed paper targets into 3D models that are viewable through the device’s camera. Students can use the blocks or targets to manipulate what they’re seeing and create a variety of learning experiences. Both of these apps are very student centered. They allow for a maximum amount of discovery learning.  They both have application to the real world and encourage critical thinking. They would also rank high in research and information fluency which according to ISTE is “applying digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.”

Another app that provides opportunities for authentic learning is Write About This.  Write About This is an app that generates writing prompts across grade levels and interests.  You can increase the difficulty of the prompt according to the student’s ability and the app allows you to create profiles for each student. The teacher or student has the ability to add their own picture and create their own prompt. The prompts encourage higher level thinking skills, communication skills, and creativity, and any English teacher will tell you that good writing skills always have application in the real world.

News -O-Matic is an app that is subscription based. Each day, New-O-Matic by Press for Kids publishes five current news articles. The articles can be read out loud and are available in different reading levels to accommodate children with learning differences. The questions that are included for use with the stories cover critical thinking as well as other higher level skills. It is interactive and engaging. It could be used to create student centered lessons.

When it comes down to it, teachers are responsible for what happens in their classrooms. The technology that we choose to use is never a substitute for good teaching. We must apply the same critical eye to technology that we use to evaluate textbooks and other classroom materials.  Is it busy work disguised by amazing graphics and sound effects, or are we using technology to create a meaningful learning experience?

You Get an App and You Get an App...

This week, I happened to have my iPad in my classroom.  I was truly amazed at the reaction from the seventh graders in my classroom.  “Mrs. Buck, can I play on the iPad if I finish my work?” “Mrs. Buck, what apps do you have?” “Mrs. Buck, can I show you something on the iPad?” I thought iPads were old news, but the lone tablet in my room that day created more excitement than I’ve seen in a while.  With all of the amazing apps available at a very low cost, or even free, the iPad can be used like never before in a classroom.

The MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) Art Lab app is amazing! I want to just sit and play for hours. It is perfect for instruction in art. Students can create and save their own art and explore with shapes and lines. It even comes with audio for non-readers.  Budding artists can create mobiles, collaborate on group drawings, and make collages while learning about artists such as Henri Matisse and Sol LeWitt.

Music has proven over and over to be an invaluable learning tool.   How about using the Drum Beat Plus app for vocabulary memorization or learning math facts?  Our resident expert teachers, Angela McKenna and Laura Bartlett used it to have students write raps to memorize vocabulary! It could be used for choral readings, repetition activities, and movement breaks in the classroom.

Make Beliefs Comix is another app with endless possibilities.  It is a comic strip generator that can be used on a mobile device or a computer.  Students can choose setting, characters, and other objects for comic strips that they create. I could use this to teach elements of plot or to review virtually any concept in science or social studies. Mirror your device on your apple TV and use it with group instruction.

Popplet is also available on the web and as an app for your iPad.  This resource allows students to create graphic organizers with colorful bubbles called popplets.  Mind maps, word webs, and flow charts can all be created with this user friendly app.

For science teachers, Anatomy 4D and Elements 4D are two of the most exciting educational apps!  Using paper blocks that are free to print, Elements 4D allows students to explore elements. Students look through their devices and see the blocks transform from simple paper blocks to atoms that can bond together to become molecules. Anatomy 4D helps students explore the systems of the human body by viewing printable “targets” through the device’s camera. Students can zoom in to different organs to get a closer look.  It is truly one of the most unique active learning experiences I have seen.

Another resource for science instruction is brought to us by the Smithsonian. Qrius is a website that is full of videos and activities for students, teachers, and families. Students have access to create their own field book and keep track of the discoveries they make online.

It’s a great time to be a teacher. We know that students learn best through active, discovery based learning. With all of these tools at our fingertips, it has never been easier to provide meaningful instruction in every area of education.

For the Love of Technology

              Last week, educational technology brought tears to my eyes, as it often does. However, this time, they were tears of happiness not frustration. I was in the office when a new student, who had enrolled that morning, was being picked up by her father after her first day. Brianna is from Brazil and speaks little to no English. She was surrounded by girls chatting and laughing. Upon closer inspection, every girl had their phone out. They were using the Google Translate app to communicate with her. A huge language barrier was nothing to them. They figured out a way around it, and made this girl feel at home.  The next day, I watched a student teach an eighth grade teacher how to use it to communicate. This experience struck a chord with me this week as my classmates and I have been exploring technology that can be used to enrich and improve instruction in our classrooms.

                The technology we looked at this week touches every aspect of education.  One area of edtech is apps that aid in organization and record keeping. Rank One sports makes caring for our student athletes and organizing student activities significantly easier. Showbie, the paperless classroom app, has huge implications for teachers, students, and parents.  Teachers can assign tasks, provide feedback, and even collect assignments through this app. 

                There are several programs and apps that offer an alternative to your old power points. Emaze is an online presentation software that offers 3D zoom and moving backgrounds for free, and presentations can be accessed from anywhere.  Powtoon creates animated videos and presentations. It can be used by teachers to present to students or by students for classroom presentations. With Swivl, you  have a hands-free way to record lessons or presentations.  Use these in  a flipped classroom or embed them into a  presentation.  Apple TV has endless possibilities for the classroom. I have used mine for years to watch YouTube videos and Netflix, but never thought about the many uses it could serve in my classroom with my mobile device and all of the excellent presentation software that is available.

                Other apps engaged learners by enriching lessons.  Nearpod was one of my favorite edtech tools we looked at.  Nearpod allows teachers to immediately assess students’ learning and actively engages the students in discussion using technology.  Photomath was an excellent app that allows students to take a picture of a math problem. The app then solves the problem and shows all the steps.  Parents can use it to help students with difficult homework. Klikaklu was interactive picture treasure hunt that can be used with iPads or phones.  The Pebble Go program is an excellent resource for teaching elementary students research skills in a fun and appealing way. 

We even looked at apps to help students emotionally. SAM, Self-help Anxiety Management, is a psycho-educational app that allows students to manage and control anxiety. It can help identify times of the day that cause the most stress and offers ways to deescalate when anxiety occurs.

Like it or not, technology is and will continue to be a pervasive element in schools.  How can we use it to truly enrich the lives and learning experiences of our students?  Keep an eye open, and they just might show you a trick or two.

Flip it. Flip it good.

I have long been an opponent of  homework. When I began to teach math about halfway into my teaching career, I realized that some of my struggling students would take home the 20 problems I had assigned them and practice them wrong.  As a result, not only was I dealing with students who didn’t get the concept when I taught it, I was dealing with a student who had practiced it wrong twenty times!  I then had to reteach AND undo all that bad practice. 

Enter the flipped classroom.  A flipped classroom takes the idea of the traditional classroom, in which the teacher delivers instruction at school and the independent practice takes place at home, and turns it upside down.  Instruction takes place at home in the form of a video lecture or even an online chat, and activities typically reserved for homework take place in the classroom under the supervision of the teacher.   

Flipping a classroom opens the door wide for an extended time of guided practice.  Often, this is the hardest part to fit in to a 45 minute class period; however, it is one of the most important elements to providing mastery of a concept.  If the passive learning can be done at home, the classroom time can be filled with activities, discussions, and practice (guided and independent) that are all supervised by the teacher.

My own kids are digital natives. They can learn how to do anything by googling and watching a YouTube video. Hairstyles, makeup tips, dance steps, and song lyrics are popular topics with my thirteen year old daughter. Her younger siblings are looking for more practical applications such as Minecraft hacks and practical jokes to play on your older sister. If children are independently seeking knowledge in this format, why not use that to our advantage in education.

One of my students who is typically not one to participate in homework has been placed in a partially flipped eighth grade math class.  When I ask him if he has homework, he says, “No, I just have to watch a video.”  I like to think of it as covert homework.  Learning when they don’t even realize it. 

For my students that have slower processing time or struggle with attention and focus, the flipped classroom can prevent them from missing valuable information that they wouldn’t typically get from a classroom lecture.  At home, they can watch the video two or three times until they are fully grasping the content of the lecture.  Scott Haselwood, a flipped classroom guru, would give his high school students packets to follow along with and fill out as they go, a fantastic idea for everyone but especially kids who struggle to remain engaged.

As a classroom teacher, flipping a classroom opens a thousand doors.  Many of us have brilliant ideas for active learning.  We are brimming with lessons full of discovery, movement, and creativity.  Our biggest enemy is time. Flipping the classroom gives us that precious time to be able to explore, investigate, and allow our students to have authentic learning experiences. 

A Day in the Technologically Dysfunctional Life

I have a confession. In our technologically advanced society of today, I am dysfunctional. I rely heavily on the techno-savvy adults around me and, yes, my children. My eight year old twins can navigate even the newest of devices. However, even in my dysfunctionality, technology is embedded in every facet of my day.

I awake each morning to the sound of my alarm clock, otherwise known as the smartphone. This amazing device has taken the place of clocks and calendars, and serves to complete many of the tasks I formerly used my desktop for. I peruse Facebook, check email, and review my schedule, all before leaving the comfort of my own bed. 

My Google calendar is linked with my husband’s and my daughter’s. We have almost eliminated the need for communicating.  I simply add an event to the calendar and they know where they are supposed to be. We can easily navigate who’s taking to dance, who’s going to the track meet, and who’s supervising music lessons.  

Google has bettered my world in other ways. My husband can send documents for proofreading through GoogleDocs, and I can easily edit and return quickly.  My daughters and I can share books and music on Google Play. Even though we are a house divided (I love my android, and my daughter and husband are staunch iPhone users), Google Play is available on every device and makes sharing convenient.  My music can be plugged in to my car stereo and is organized into playlists that I can choose based on my mood.

At school, I check voicemail on my IP Phone, retrieve school email, and login to the online gradebook to take attendance.  The Individualized Education Plan that I wrote the evening before is waiting on our online system, EdPlan, to be printed for my IEP meeting.  Bellwork is shown on my Smartboard so I’m prepared when students arrive.  My students use Successmaker, a computerized reading and math remediation program that gives me immediate feedback regarding what specific skills the students are struggling with. I can login and reassign lessons or print skills work in any given area.  Gone are the days of flashcards for vocabulary.  Middle schoolers in my class use flashcards and multiple choice templates on Smartnotebook to study academic terms.  My drama students use their phones to video themselves practicing monologues. They can peer review themselves and are their own toughest critics. United Streaming, YouTube, and Netflix allow us to view media on any subject.  I use all three to support what I’m teaching in the classroom from literature to geography and Shakespeare to Broadway.  We use computers for research projects with our English students. No topic is so new that information is not yet readily available. 

Some say technology has made the world smaller. I would say the world has expanded beyond our wildest imaginations.  No corner of the world is too far that we can’t explore through technology. We can go anywhere, see anything, and experience all that our great world has to offer while in the comfort of our homes and classrooms.

Technology in Today's Classroom

     In 1997, I sat in my education technology class at the University of Oklahoma and received my first email address.  I was sure that I would never use it outside of the requirements for the class, which also included laminating and using a projector. Who would ever need email with a fax machine in every building?  2015 finds me using a smartboard daily, taking pictures with my cell phone (what?), and emailing with wild abandon.

     Today, technology touches every aspect of education in our building. Parents can pay their child’s lunch bill from their office. Students use their phones to store their scripts for drama class.  There are apps for tuning instruments and Remind for coaches to communicate with athletes and teachers to communicate with students. We do not check out science textbooks because students have access to the text online. The need for paper report cards is gone. It’s all digital and available to parents at all times. Individualized Education Plans are no longer handwritten in triplicate. They are written and stored online. Computerized programs like Study Island and Successmaker individualize instruction for marginal learners and students with disabilities like never before.  Administrators evaluate teachers on iPads and laptops.  Teachers evaluate students using plickers.

If you can’t take your class to the computer lab (or the other computer lab), you can check out the mobile computer lab and bring it to your class.  There’s an iPad cart available, smartboards in every classroom, and apple TVs to be checked out. Students are using smartphones to keep track of assignments and tablets to read books. Teachers in my building are using 3D printers and making keyboards out of carrots with Makey Makeys. Even with all of this technology in our building, the gurus say we are technologically behind.

     John Dewey once said, “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.”  These words are still true decades later. If we as educators do not stay on the forefront of technology, we are not able to give our students what they will require to be successful adults.  We need to constantly rethink professional development for teachers who are not digital natives and don’t know what they don’t know. We need to consistently and purposefully integrate technology into our lesson plans instead of adding it in later for the sake of a TLE score. Peter F. Drucker said we are preparing students “for work that does not yet exist and cannot yet be clearly defined.” We’re teaching students who will have careers that we know nothing about.

     Students of today will never experience having to wait on that classmate to finish with the “L” encyclopedia, so they can start their research.  They have access to technology that my 1997 imagination could never have conceived of. This week, a student asked me if I thought that “smartdesks” had been invented. I told him it was quite likely.  Twenty years ago I would have considered it science fiction. Today, I consider it well within the realm of possibility.