Having Students Write With the Smart Slate

I'm interested in hearing other people's thoughts on having the students write responses with the Smart Slate.  In theory, it seems like a great way to get the kids more involved in the lesson, but whenever I try it, it seems like it takes the students so long to write using the stylus, and they end up with either horrible penmanship that can't be read, or they make multiple mistakes and erasures so it ends up taking forever for them to finish.  In the meantime, the rest of the class has lost focus.  I've been trying to use it in math class so that the students can demonstrate how to solve problems.  I know if the students could just have more time to practice, they'd get better eventually (I got much better after my first several tries) but I can't see how to schedule sufficient time for each student to practice with the Slate.  I realize there are many other ways that the student can be involved in the use of the Slate that do not involve handwriting, but I was just wondering how is everyone else handling student use of the Smart Slate.

Simple, But Effective

I used the Smart Slate for a very simple task this past week, but I felt that it offered a very effective way to make an abstract concept more concrete for my math students.  We were practicing a skill that our math book refers to as "multiplication patterns"--multiplying numbers with one non-zero digit, followed by one or more zeroes.  I have always taught the students to "ignore" the zeroes, multiply the non-zero digits, count the total number of zeroes, and them tack them on to the end of the answer.  When "ignoring" the zeroes in the past, I usually wrote the problems on the regular whiteboard and used a piece of paper to cover up the zeroes on the ends of the numbers.  With the Smart Slate, I used a blue marker to write the numbers, then chose a fat yellow highlighter to color over the zeroes.  That way, we could ignore them, but still see them in the problem.  Again, I felt it was a very effective way to demonstrate the concept that I wanted the students to learn.

Using the Smart Slate in Language Arts

In addition to the Science unit I'm working on, I decided to create a Language Arts unit on Similie and Metaphor.  I already had several worksheets and handouts that I had created in Word in previous years, as well as a couple of PowerPoint presentations.  I attached all the documents and PowerPoint presentations to a Smart Slate lesson, then added their titles to a single page and linked the text to the attachments.  Now all I have to do is bring up the Smart Slate lesson and click on the title of a handout to display it for the class!  This made it much easier to go over instructions on individual worksheets, since I could display the worksheet on the overhead before handing it out (I often find if I hand out the worksheet, then try to go over instructions, students begin working immediately and don't hear all of the directions!)  This will also work well for referring back to previous lessons as we progress through the unit.  One of my similie/metaphor examples is Katy Perry's "Fireworks" song.  Since I already had the song in iTunes, I decided to try to attach it and link it to the page as well, and it worked!  I was so excited!

Getting Back on Track

Between all of the end-of-marking-period "stuff" and student-led conferences, I have strayed away from the Smart Slate for a couple of weeks.  Now, though, I'm ready to get back on track and utilize the Slate  a little more in my Science classes (I had been using it mostly in Math).  I've been working on the intro to microscopes portion of my science tools unit, and am in the process of collecting all my documents and web site links into one Smart Slate lesson.  I think that having all the resources linked together in this way will make my lessons flow more smoothly, and it will be easier to refer to previously learned info.  I hope to have a page with a diagram of a microscope, and use pull tabs for identifying the main parts.  Also, I'd like to try to convert and embed a video into the lesson.  I'm thinking that Tuesday's "deer day" will be a good chance to play around with these parts, as they're bound to take a little more time and attention that the parts I have finished so far.

"BACON," Continued

I managed to get all the lines on my BACON score sheet locked into place on the Notebook page, so now the students aren't accidently dragging them out of their original spots when moving the cursor on the screen.  I like how the students are giving one another advice as they use the Smart Slate:  "You're almost there, keep moving the cursor!"  "Now tap the pen on the slate!"  "Don't drag the pen across the slate, just hover like a hovercraft!"  This activity has been a good one for getting the students involved with the slate, and giving everyone a few quick turns to practice with it.


For this week's assignment, my plan is to use the pull tabs with a math lesson on rounding whole numbers and decimals.  I'll put the original number in a rectangle attached to a pull tab, and after the students round the number to the given place value, they can pull the tab to check their answers.  I expect to use about five problems per page, with a total of at least twenty-six problems so that each student gets a turn to pull a tab.

Fun With the Smart Slate

Today we used the Smart Slate to play a game of "BACON" after we finished our Math MEAP.  Bacon is a dice game, and I had recently found some cool interactive dice in the 'Statistics and Probability' folder under 'Math' in the Gallery.  I used the line tool to create our score sheet, and I had planned on using the on-screen keyboard to enter scores, but when I was very far away from the screen it was too hard to see the teeny, tiny numbers on the keyboard (I have an eye doctor's appointment next Tuesday!).  The kids had a ball clicking on the dice to make them "roll," although occasionally one of the students would accidently click on one of the lines of the score sheet and move it somewhere else.  I think I noticed a way to lock things in place; I'll have to check into that before our next game of BACON.

Lots of Gallery Tools!

After discovering that I was missing out on some of the "goodies" Smart Slate has to offer, I set out to get them added to my Notebook software.  It didn't take long to figure out how to download the full set of Gallery Essentials, and now I have lots more toys to play with.  I hope to begin building a Science lesson for my intro to microscopes unit.  I practiced a little, and found that I could add a Quicktime movie as an attachment.  I not clear on whether I can actually import or embed the movie into the notebook page.  Anyone have any suggestions?  I have not yet tried to do anything with Powerpoint presentations, but I  hope to work with those soon.  Also, I plan to add some hyperlinks, but I haven't practiced with those yet either.  It all takes time!

Feeling Some Success with the Smart Slate

For the past few days, we've been using the Smart Slate quite a bit in Math class.  We are working on some "MEAP" type multiple-choice questions.  The students are working out the problems using pencil and paper, then entering their answers into our Renaissance Responders.  I am using the Smart Slate to remotely operate the Responder dashboard on my computer, which is displayed for classroom view.  It's great to be able to circulate around the room and not be tethered to the mouse on the computer in the front of the room.  Also, I am passing the Smart Slate to different students to demonstrate how they arrived at the answers to the math problems.  Some students are very eager to try it out, and some are almost afraid of it.  For the most part, they are very excited about the technology that we are using.  In addition, they are enjoying my moderate frustrations as I try to figure out the technology as well.  We've all gotten pretty good at switching from pen to eraser, turning to new pages or going back to previous pages, and the students have commented on how much better my handwriting has gotten!


I have spent some more time looking at resources as well, and was excited to find fraction tiles that are very similar to the real ones we use in class.  This makes it very easy to model fractions with the students, since I can demonstrate with the virtual set while they are using their own tiles at their tables.  I hope to add more virtual manipulatives, but I'm not real clear on how to save the ones I find on the Virtual Exchange.  When I downloaded the fraction tiles, it opened up as a Notebook page.  Will I just need to keep a folder filled with different Notebook pages, or is there a way to combine all the resources?  I noticed that there is an "Import" option--I will have to do a little more investigating!

We're Learning!

Well, so much for my idea of using the Smart Slate and the Mobi View at the same time!  We found out that the students have to be very careful to take turns with their devices, or all you end up with is a mess because the two pens are competing with one another to control the mouse.  We tried to use the "Draw a Stickman" site, but we didn't end up with anything that looked like a stickman!  The students were excited to use the devices, though, and we did learn about how tricky it is to use the pen.  Because of the problems we ran into, not everyone in the class had a turn to use the Smart Slate.  I would like to have each student get a turn to practice with it this week, so that we can begin to feel more comfortable using it.


I have also done more research into resources to help us integrate the Smart Slate into our different subject areas.  One resource that I want to spend some time investigating is an online preview of the book Literacy Smarts, which is a collection of activities and lessons involving the use of the whiteboard.  The entire book is available for preview at http://www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=9516.  After I have a chance to look at it more closely, I may consider purchasing it for my classroom.

Double the Fun!

Whoa!  I brought the Smart Slate back to school this afternoon, and just for fun I decided to turn on the Mobi View that the principal asked me to try out, and turn on the Smart Slate at the same time.  I found out that they will both run off the same software, so now we can have twice as much fun with two users at the same time!  Now I have twice as much to figure out though, because from what I could see, the Mobi will run off from the Smart Slate's Notebook software, and I think the Smart Slate will run off the Mobi's eInstruction software.  It all depends on which software you have running when you turn them on.  I'll experiment a little more with this new-found information, then set my students loose with it to see what they can figure out. 


I also figured out that if I run an additional cord from my computer to my document camera, I can have a student demo computer, and my teacher computer, and the document camera all hooked up to the LCD projector at the same time, and just switch from one to another with the push of a button.  I used to unhook one computer to hook up the other, because sometimes I am demonstrating programs, and I want the students to see the way they will look on their computers, and sometimes I am showing DVD's (which the student computers will not play) or websites that require a newer version of Safari than what the student computers will run.  Now that I have the Smart Slate, I need to run that on my teacher computer as well because of the software, so I want to be able to quickly project my computer screen with the LCD projector, without having to unhook and hook up a cable each time.

Getting Started With My Smart Slate

I'm feeling quite confident with my Smart Slate so far!  On Friday, I was able to successfully load the software onto my school computer.  The only slight glitch was in getting the key code that I needed for the Notebook software.  I called the "Smart" tech support, and at first was told that there was no eligible product registered to the MOISD.  Then he told me that the Notebook software was only used with the actual Smart Board.  I told the tech guy that we used the Smart Slate at our training, and he said that we were probably using it without the Notebook software.  I replied that I was certain that we were using the Notebook software, and he seemed dubious for a while, then when I was about to give up and call back, hoping for a different tech guy, he suddenly said, "Oh, I just happened to stumble across the Smart Slate key code for the MOISD!"  So that was finally resolved, and from there, everything went fine.  I was even able to establish a bluetooth connection with my computer's built-in bluetooth, so I don't need to use the little USB adaptor.


I was excited to take the Smart Slate home for the weekend, so that I could practice with it.  When I was about to install the software at home, I was disappointed when I remembered that my computer at home is a year older than my computer at school, and does not meet the minimum software requirements for the Notebook software.  It took me until the next day to realize "Duh!  If I just go on the Smart website, I can probably find an older version of the software that will work with my computer at home!"  So I did, and I installed it with no problems.


I've been searching the web for resources, and just like we were told at the first workshop, there are TONS of available resources.  I started collecting the ones I like in a new LiveBinder (http://livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=195347).  While doing that, I noticed there are 73 other public binders with a Smart Board focus already saved at LiveBinder--I'll need to check those out as well!  


One of my favorites resources so far for allowing the student to practice with the Smart Slate is "Draw a Stickman," found at http://www.drawastickman.com/.  I think the kids will really like it, and like I said, I think it will be good for practicing the hand-eye coordination necessary for using the Smart Slate.  For deciding who gets the next turn with the Smart Slate, I like the random name generator from "Super Teacher Tools" found at http://www.superteachertools.com/classroom-tools/random-name.php.  I found  a lot of curricular area resources so far, also.  Now I just need to take a little more time to sort through them and select the ones that really tie in with our 5th grade learning objectives.

Response to "A Ray of Hope for Educators"

If you have not yet had the opportunity to view Matt Damon's speech at the Save Our Schools March in Washington, DC, please do yourself a favor and watch now.  I had heard about it from various sources, but had not taken the time to watch it until I stumbled across it at Mr. EduHowTo's blog.  It's a refreshing, inspiring, feel-good seven-and-a-half minutes that will help you to look forward to the upcoming school year, in spite of budget cuts, standardized tests, and threats of school take-overs.  Damon, whose mother was a teacher, speaks out against the current teacher-bashing atmosphere that seems to prevail in society today.

The complete blog post, "A Ray of Hope for Educators," posted August 5, 2011 by "Mr. EduHowTo" can be viewed at:  http://eduhowto.wordpress.com/2011/08/05/a-ray-of-hope-for-educators/

Response to "Leveling the Playing Field: How to Make Standardized Test Preparation Accessible to All Students"

I always have mixed emotions when I hear about "test preparation."  On one hand, I agree that it's important that we assess our students to confirm that they have learned new material and have improved their skills over time.  On the other hand, I feel deeply concerned that our society places so much emphasis on how well our students perform on one single standardized test per academic area per year.  All educators are aware that one small snapshot, such as a single standardized test, cannot possibly hope to give a complete overview of what a particular student has learned.  And yet we are in constant pursuit of that elusive test preparation tool that will help to "level the playing field."


Now, I will say that that Andrea Alexander, the author of this article, does give two very good test prep suggestions:  "Encourage Predictive Reading Habits," and "Build Good Vocabularies."  These are valuable teaching practices whether you are preparing for a standardized test or not.  But Aexander's third strategy, "Take Advantage of All the Resources Offered by the Internet," seems too artificial to be considered an all-round good classroom strategy.  To me, this is an example of "teaching to the test."  According to Alexander, "By adding a few simple approaches into their lesson plans and exploring developments in online standardized test prep, such as practice questions, video tutorials, and forums, teachers can integrate the skills that help students add points to their scores into the classroom and make test preparation attainable for any student with an internet connection."  All this for a $100 to $300 membership!  I'm not sure why, but I feel almost offended by Alexander's suggestion that students should be encouraged to pay a membership fee in order to access resources promising to help them "...add points to their scores..."  


How can we make people see that the results of a single test do not always reveal a true picture of student learning, but rather encourage students, parents, and teachers to employ artificial methods in order to achieve higher scores?

The complete article, "Leveling the PLaying Field:  How to Make Standardized Test Preparations Accessible to All Students," posted July 6, 2011 by Andrea Alexander, can be viewed at:  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-to-make-standardized-test-prep-available-to-all-students

Response to "Student Learning Groups: Homogeneous or Heterogeneous?"

Wow, guilty as charged!  Reading this article by Ben Johnson made me very conscious of the fact that I often group students heterogeneously in an attempt to manage discipline, or in the hope that the brighter students will inspire the struggling students to "try harder."  These assumptions really come into play during our biggest project of the year, our Science Fair project.  I go to great lengths to assure that behavior problems are spread among the different groups, and that lower-achieving students are grouped with the higher achievers.  While this does tend to work okay for the most part, I can always anticipate complaints from some group members who assert, "_______'s not helping!"  And rightly so; often the behavior-problem or low-achieving student is not helping, and is often hindering the group's efforts.  Is this fair to the hard-working students who really want to do a good job, and who would very likely learn a great deal and produce an excellent product if only all the members in the group were working towards a common goal?  No, it's not, but on the other hand, if several behavior problems or low-achieving students were grouped together, those groups would demand a great deal of my time, and I believe that the higher-achieving groups would feel that they were getting cheated out of my attention, and would not be getting all the advice and guidance that they needed.  I'm still not sure of what the right answer is in regard to student groupings on large, long-term projects.


For short-term projects, I do use a variety of grouping methods.  Different methods I have used include:  assigning a partner, allowing students to chose, randomly drawing name cards two at a time, handing out colored cards and directing students to form groups that include one of each color, ...etc.  


Based on this article though, I will reconsider the use of heterogeneous grouping on long-term projects.  Perhaps the best way to really examine this would be to have at least one long-term project with the students grouped heterogeneously and at least one with the students grouped homogeneously. 

The complete article, "Student Learning Groups:  Homogeneous or Heterogeneous?" posted on August 2, 2011 by Ben Johnson can be viewed at:  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-grouping-homogeneous-heterogeneous-ben-johnson

Response to "States Seek Ways to Measure Quality Instructional Time"

Whenever I hear about the need to add more "instructional time," I have mixed feelings.  On the one hand, I know I have often felt that if I just had more time with the students, we could accomplish so much more!  On the other hand, I often feel that if my students had to spend even one more minute inside the classroom, they would explode!


According to this article by Sarah D. Sparks, "Education Secretary Arne Duncan has made 'extended learning time' a political catch-phrase..."  Just what is "extended learning time?"  More hours in the school day?  More days in the school year?  Or is it just making better use of the time we currently have available?  In this article, Sparks mentions schools in Oklahoma which have conducted audits of their time, revealing that schools tend to "[use] about three-quarters of their time for instruction, as opposed to class transitions, recess, and other things."  To me, this sounds reasonable.  I can't imagine what it would be like for the students if we expected them to be engaged in learning for more than 75% of their day.  Think back to the last college course or PD opportunity that you, as a teacher, took part in.  Were you able to stay totally engaged and focused for over six hours?  I know that from my experience, I tend to feel "saturated" by a certain point.  I feel that young students definitely need a little "down-time" in their day: transitions, recess, special activities...etc.


I'm not sure the answer to a higher quality education lies in adding time to the day, or days to the year.  No matter what, kids still need time to be kids.  To confine them to a classroom for a greater portion of their childhood doesn't seem to be the answer.  It might be different if schools could afford more field trip types of learning opportunities, but with funding what it is right now, that doesn't seem likely in the near future.


One thing that definitely could extend a child's learning opportunities is if parents played a greater role in a child's education.  Reading at home, playing board games, trips to the grocery store, zoo, or museum...the lists goes on and on.  These are the types of "extended learning times" that children could really benefit from.  But, as we all know, not all children have the opportunity to take advantage of these types of activities either.  So, most likely, schools will be mandated to play a greater role in children's lives (we're already expected to not only educate them, but feed them twice a day and guide them in social skills and citizenship).  When will parents be mandated to parent their children?

The complete article, "States Seek Ways to Measure Quality Instructional Time," posted August 4, 2011 by Sarah D. Sparks can be viewed at :  http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2011/08/states_seek_ways_to_measure_qu.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

Response to "Confronting Gender Anxiety"

I must be out of the loop, because I didn't realize that gender was once again a hot news topic, as this article states.  The two main examples of efforts to combat gender stereotyping mentioned in this article seem quite extreme to me:  a couple in Canada who refuse to reveal the gender of their 4-month-old baby; and a preschool in Sweden that does not allow the words boy, girl, him, or her, instead using "friend" and "a newly minted Swedish word, the genderless 'hen,'" according to the authors of this article, Caryl Rivers and Rosalind Barnett. 


I realize that there are many legitimate concerns regarding gender stereotyping, both in schools and in society at large, but I'm not sure that either of the above examples provides the answer to the problem.  I feel that educating society about the negative aspects of gender stereotyping can be our best defense against the problem.  Of course, I am aware that efforts to educate the public have been going on for years, but sometimes those efforts have been too sporadic, or too extreme (as in the above examples).  When the efforts are sporadic, some people may mistakenly believe that the problem has been "solved" and cease to worry about it.  When the efforts are too extreme, I think people tend to scoff at the ridiculousness of it, and then disregard the importance of the larger issue.


In my classroom, the question is often on my mind:  "Do I treat both the boys and the girls in a fair and equitable manner?"  This is a very difficult question to answer, because I don't believe that fair treatment always means the same treatment.  Sometimes what's best for one student, or even one gender, is not best for another student or the other gender.  I even wonder if you can hope to expect the same results when the same treatment is given to everyone.


Part of the problem with gender stereotyping, too, is that it's almost impossible to separate the behaviors and attitudes of a child that are genetic from those that are imposed by society.  What if you had an entire classroom of students who were raised like the 4-month-old mentioned at the beginning of this post:  their gender was never revealed to society?  (Yes, impossible, I know, but play along).  Would it really be impossible to tell the boys from the girls if they had similar haircuts and clothing?  Would we even want males and females to be so similar that we couldn't tell them apart?


Again, I agree that gender stereotyping is a dilemma in our society, but I don't agree that measures as extreme as the two cited by Rivers and Barnett are necessarily the best way to combat the problem.

The complete article, "Confronting Gender Anxiety," posted August 5, 2011 by Caryl Rivers and Rosalind Barnett can be viewed at:  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/08/05/37rivers.h30.html?tkn=NVRFePrMLlEqE%2BJQOJi8J3JJaimDbIvDxfbN&cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS1

Response to "Teachers Head Back to School With a Shortage of Money--And Morale"

Wow, can I ever relate to this!  Just like the Alabama teachers in this article by Tim Lockette, the teachers in my school have been adversely affected by deep budget cuts this year.  Many of our teachers are laid off; for the first time ever we are paying over $100 per pay for our health insurance; we received no money to purchase classroom supplies; and we're expecting to have class sizes that hover around 32 students.  Our staff is having a hard time maintaining a positive attitude with all the negatives that are out of their control.  


Most importantly, it's difficult to think of how all of this will ultimately impact the students.  I am most concerned about class sizes.  I am currently teaching summer school to a group of nine students who struggled last year.  When I think about these nine students being placed in a classroom of 32, I can't help but think that they will be totally lost, and some may ultimately give up.  And yet, the teachers are expected to bring all students up to grade level, capable of passing a standardized test over a year's worth of material--and they won't even be tested until they've had a few months to forget some of what they learned!


I certainly don't know what the answer is (and obviously our governor doesn't either, because he was instrumental in getting us into this budget crisis!), but I hope that I, and the other teachers, can maintain a positive learning environment for our students.  I look forward to every new year, and in spite of my concerns, I am looking forward to this one as well!


The complete article, "Teachers Head Back to School With a Shortage of Money--and Morale," posted August 5, 2011 by Tim Lockette, can be viewed at:  http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2011/08/05/mct_alteachermorale.html?tkn=YNNFIW4Qr%2FpizflqabqzKkRhWWVv1LM%2BYARv&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

Response to "South Korea to Replace All Paper Textbooks With Digital Content"

Tablet PCs instead of paper textbooks?  I have mixed emotions about this concept.  On one hand, I think, "Awesome!  What a great way for students to be immersed in technology!"  On the other hand, I can see many downfalls and dangers to this idea.  For one thing, how can we be sure that the content our students are accessing is reliable and accurate?  Secondly, how easy will it be to monitor what students are viewing, when they will obviously need to spend a great deal of time online?  Also, I know for myself, reading print resources are much less of a strain on my eyes--after a few hours of staring at a computer screen, my eyes are so tired!  What are we asking of our children if we expect them to spend that much time reading online resources instead of print resources?


Another point that I found very disturbing in this article was that the South Korean Ministry of Public Administration and Security acknowledges that 12 percent of students in the country are addicted to the internet.  To combat this, "the government...plans to increase the number of counselors dealing with Internet addition to 5,500 next year," according to the Associated Press.  It's dismaying that their response to this addiction is to handle it after-the-fact via counseling.  I certainly hope that the issue is addressed beforehand as well, to prevent new cases as much as possible.  It  was somewhat reassuring, though, to read the quote by Kwon Jung-eun, saying that, "What is essential in digital learning is to promote as much interaction between teachers and students as possible, rather than just leaving the students to themselves."  I hope most schools and teachers can follow through with that expectation.

The complete article, South Korea to Replace All Paper Textbooks With digital Content," posted by the Associated Press on July 25, 2011 can be viewed at :
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/07/25/koreatextbooks_ap.html?intc=mvs

Response to "Spurring Creativity Online"

What fun!  This blog post by Laura Ketcham briefly reviews some free, online creativity tools, along with links to the sites.  I could immediately see where students would find these sites appealing, and I could see many classroom applications as well.  For example, using Digi-Color at Crayola's website, a student can choose from a variety of tools (paintbrush, crayon, marker, etc) to create a piece of artwork on an online page.  Using the page with a marker reminded me of writing on a whiteboard, which made me think of having students use this site to work out math problems.  They could do this an individual computers with the teacher checking for accuracy, or on a computer hooked up to a projector in the front of the class.  There are many other activities at the Crayola site as well.


Another site mentioned by Ketcham was Lego's website, which also had a variety of activities available.  These are fun games that can be used to develop problem-solving skills with students.  The games are in categories such as action, strategy, adventure, and so on.  I was hoping to find a game that simply allowed the user to build using online lego blocks, but was unable to locate anything that simple.  I was thinking that a tool like that could be helpful in math class, teaching volume of solids.  If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

The complete article, "Spurring Creativity Online," by Laura Ketcham, posted on July 26, 2011, can be viewed at :  http://blog.learningtoday.com/blog/bid/63702/Spurring-Creativity-Online

Response to "LA Tries Again to Eliminate Social Promotion"

Social promotion, or the common practice of moving a student on to the next grade level even if he or she shows little or no evidence of mastering the concepts taught at the current grade level, has long been a controversial topic.  According to Connie Llanos, the author of this article, officials at Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the nation, are "work[ing] on a new approach that is expected to ensure students advance only if they meet academic goals."  While it seems that this approach to promoting students makes the most sense, past experience has shown that many roadblocks prevent implementation of this type of plan.  The number one roadblock is (as usual): funding.  Often there is little or no money for providing interventions for students who are at risk of failing academically.  After school tutoring, classroom parapros, summer school, and other intervention programs are often cut when funding is unavailable, therefore there is often little evidence that a student who is held back will get additional assistance the second time around.  Another roadblock is the perceived social stigma in regards to "flunking."  Many times parents and teachers don't want to risk damaging a child's self esteem by holding him/her back from advancing to the next grade level along with the rest of the peer group.  In addition, there seems to be confusion over the benefits of repeating a grade--some studies say it's not beneficial to the student, while some say it is.


I actually have a very hard time deciding where I stand on the retention issue.  In some cases, I can see the benefits, and in others, I think the process would be futile.  One big reason, in my mind, as to why retention is such an issue is our whole system of placing students in groups based largely on their birth dates, all the while knowing full well that children develop at different rates.  I know it's a huge pie-in-the-sky pipe dream, but if we could move to a more flexible system of grouping students based on developmental stages, with more opportunities to move among groups, I feel grade level retention could become an obsolete point.

The complete article, LA Tries Again to Eliminate Social Promotion," by Connie Llanos, posted online on July 26, 2011, can be viewed at:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/07/25/37mct_socialpromotion.h30.html

Response to "Are You Tapping Into Prior Knowledge Often Enough in Your Classroom?"

This blog post by Rebecca Alber reminds us of the importance of activating prior knowledge before presenting new content.  I think we, as teachers, all know how important that is, but in the rush to make sure we've "covered" everything for the year, do we always take the time to put that knowledge to good use?  I know I, for one, sometimes forget how important it is to pre-assess the students' knowledge, thus missing a valuable opportunity to see where they already are in their knowledge of a topic, or where there might be gaps that I need to fill in before I begin the lesson on the topic we are studying.  Sometimes even the lack of understanding of a few vocabulary terms can make a huge difference in whether or not the student understand the new concept.  


To help in activating prior knowledge, Alber offers a few strategies.  Some are very familiar, such as K-W-L charts, and some are novel, such as "Image Brainstorm."  I am grateful for the helpful hints, and for the reminder of the importance of activating prior knowledge.

The complete blog post, "Are You Tapping Into Prior Knowledge Often Enough in Your Classroom?" posted by Rebecca Alber on July 19, 2011, can be viewed at: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/prior-knowledge-tapping-into-often-classroom-rebecca-alber

Response to "Interesting Ways to get to know your New Class"

This google doc slide show, posted on EDTE.CH, contains 28 tips for ice-breaker activities that can be used in a classroom.  Coming from a wide variety of contributors, there are many unique ideas to choose from.  Some were very familiar to me, and some I had never heard of, but plan to try in my new classroom this coming year.  I feel that get-to-know-you activities and team-builders are very important in a new (and existing) classroom; they help to build a sense of community by allowing the students to know to know one another and find some differences and commonalities in the group.  One of my favorites is an activity I call the "Name Game," which is similar to a  couple of activities presented in this slide show, with a slight twist at the end.  I begin by explaining to the students that I would like to get to know them better, and to begin, I want to learn all their names.  I ask them to think about the first letter of their first name, and come up with another word that begins with that letter that tells something about them.  I give the example of:  "My name is Donna, and I like donuts."  I tell them that they will be expected to pay attention, and remember the names of their classmates and the thing that each told.  I begin with, "My name is Mrs. Tramper, and I'm the teacher."  The student closest to me is expected to say, "Her name is Mrs. Tramper, and she's the teacher.  My name is ______, and I (like, am, etc) _______."  We then continue around the room, with each student starting by introducing me and everyone who went before him/her.  I offer help when needed, but other students are not allowed to shout out the answers.  The twist at the end (which always tends to amaze and delight the students) is that while they're telling their names and something about themselves, I am thinking of a story that connects the students (it really taxes my brain sometimes, but I manage!)  For example: This is Mariana, and she likes monkeys.  One day her monkey went Donna's house, and ate all her donuts!  Donna was so upset, she asked Hannah if she could borrow her horse to ride to the store and buy more donuts..." and so on.  By the end of the activity, I always know every one's name!

The complete google doc, by Tom Barrett and other contributors,  can be viewed at:  https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_650dvtj3dgk

Response to "Great Teachers: Perfectly Imperfect"

In this blog post, David Ginsburg relates two anecdotes about adults who had experienced an incident of ridicule by a teacher as a child, and how those experiences affected these two into adulthood.  The big difference between the two stories, though, is that in one of the incidences the teacher admitted wrongdoing and apologized for the ridicule, while the other teacher never mentioned the occurrence again.  The adult who had received the apology from the teacher as a child viewed the incident in a positive light, while the adult who received no apology still stings from the memory of the humiliation that he had experienced as a child.  Ginsburg's point is that we, as mentors to our students, need to be willing to admit our imperfections and wrongdoings and be prepared to humble ourselves by offering an apology when the situation warrants it.  I think all too often teachers in the classroom refuse to admit that they are human, and that they, too, make mistakes, but by refusing to admit our own imperfections, we distance ourselves from the realites of our students' lives.  As Ginsburg says in his blog, "The point, then, isn't that we should hold ourselves to a standard of perfection in our interactions with students.  But we should hold ourselves to perfection when it comes to owning our imperfections and their impact on students."

The complete blog post, "Great Teachers:  Perfectly Imperfect" posted by David Ginsburg on July 16, 2011, can be viewed at :  http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coach_gs_teaching_tips/2011/07/great_teachers_perfectly_imperfect.html

Response to "Novels with a Digital Connection"

This article by Laura Ketcham discusses a "hot new craze in children & teen novels," which is to add an online component to the book-reading experience.  Ketcham specifically mentions three popular series using that format:  The 39 Clues, The Amanda Project, and Skeleton Creek.  All three of these series belong to the mystery genre, with both the print books and the online components providing clues to help the reader solve the mystery.  The online sites also offer "extras" such as games that enable the reader to earn extra clues, message boards so that readers/users can communicate with one another, personality quizzes, and publication centers for reader contributions.

These types of "book-to-digital connections could be very motivating for the reader.  The fact that students have the opportunity to interact with a book series using technology could be very appealing to even the reluctant readers in the classroom.  I foresee that there will be more and more books published with an interactive, online component.

View the original article "Novels with Digital Connection" by Laura Ketcham, posted by Lauren Grossberg on July 1, 2011 at:  http://blog.learningtoday.com/blog/bid/60477/Novels-with-a-Digital-Connection

Response to "Fun Online Math Games"

As a companion to my earlier post regarding video games in science class, I wanted to share an article I found about online math games.  Playing games in math class can be very fun and motivating for the students, and I feel children can gain a great deal of math skills by playing games (board games as well!).  As with any teaching strategy, though, I feel it's important to avoid too much repetition, so having a wide variety of math sites to use in class is very helpful.  In this article by Laura Ketcham, there are links to four sites where math games are available for a variety of ability levels.  While these games tend to focus on computation skills, I feel that those prerequisite skills are very important, and without good, solid computation skills, students face greater struggles with higher-level math concepts.

A couple of the sites had unique features that I felt would make them even more motivating for some students.  "Math Mayhem," for example, allowed the player to compete online with others who were also using the site at the same time.  I tried it out for about 10-15 minutes, and during each one-minute round I was joined by at least three other players.  Caution should be used though, because rather than being motivational, this feature could make the game very discouraging to the student who never gets the highest score.

"Math Arcade" had an interesting twist as well--every time you pass a level, you move on to a different game, thus preventing boredom from setting in.  Also, you are provided with a code at the end of each successful level so if play is interrupted, you can enter the code when you return to the site and just pick up where you left off.

The two other sites mentioned in the article, "The Math Magician" and "Sheppard Software" seemed fun and useful as well.  I plan to add all four sites to my LiveBinder and use them with my fifth grade math class this year!

The original article, "Fun Online Math Games" by Laura Ketcham, posted by Lauren Grossberg on July 5, 2011, can be viewed at:  http://blog.learningtoday.com/blog/bid/60693/Fun-Online-Math-Games

Response to "Programming Digital Fun Into Science Education"

This article by Katie Ash points out the advantages of using video games and simulations in science class.  Although, as Ash points out, there is not a great body of research that supports the premise that video games will help students learn science better than textbooks, I don't think any teacher needs to ponder the idea that most students possess a high interest level for playing video games.  These types of games are very motivating for the students, and also tend to provide immediate feedback.  Now, many may say that we want students to spend less time on video games, but the plain fact is that Nintendo DS is here to stay (at least until it becomes outdated and replaced with a more sophisticated game-playing device) and we teachers need to learn to co-exist with it, not aspire to eradicate it from our students' lives!


In addition to the motivation factor, video games and simulations can make abstract concepts more concrete for the student.  Ash mentions some examples of topics, such as photosynthesis and electricity, that can be simulated in a video game, leading to greater student understanding.  According to Ash, many developers are working on software and web-based applications targeted at specific grade levels and topics.  I think this is a great way to teach concepts to the students.  I often use web resources to help teach my science lessons, and the students do tend to find theses activities very motivating--mush more so than answering questions at the end of the chapter in the textbook!


This isn't to say that we should do away with the textbook, but I believe a "good" science class would have a mix of textbook and other print resources; hands-on, project based activities; and video games and simulations.  As we all know, using a variety of teaching methods reaches a variety of students more effectively.

The complete article, "Programming Digital Fun Into Science," by Katie Ash, published online on June 15, 2011, can be viewed at:  http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2011/06/15/03science.h04.html?tkn=OSSF%2FawVa7CepD%2FRv0pRoRQwnAT%2BixsNsPMv&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

Response to "Technology: Teacher Enhancement, NOT Replacement"

In this blog post, author David Ginsburg points out what I think should be obvious to all educators:  great technology will never take the place of a great teacher.  As I spoke about in an earlier post, a lot of emotions are involved in the learning process, and a great deal of what a student learns is driven by the teacher-student interactions that take place.  When I hear about plans to offer the bulk of a high school student's coursework online, versus in the classroom, I feel we are heading in the wrong direction.  Students need face-to-face interaction to be a part of the learning process.  A few years ago, our high school offered a credit recovery online summer school program to students who had failed one or more courses during the regular school year.  Not surprisingly, the program was totally revamped the following year by adding more teachers to help the students with the online work, since hardly any of the students passed the online summer school courses during the first year they were offered.


So, while effective teachers are vital to a student's success, Ginsburg also points out that effective teachers owe it to their students to overcome any fears about new technology in the classroom.  New technologies are what are students are slated to face every year of their lives, both at school and in the real world, so in order to offer our students a well-rounded education, the technology component cannot be ignored.  Of course, this involves much work and planning on the educator's part:  ensuring that appropriate technology is available and working, becoming familiar with the technology and how to integrate it into lessons plans, being flexible enough to have an alternate game plan when the technology suddenly adopts a mind of its own, and so on.  Overall, though, we must recognize our impact on our students' futures, and be ready to combine our "tried and true" teaching techniques with the unfamiliar ground of new technologies.

The original blog post, "Technology:  Teacher Enhancement, NOT Replacement" posted by David Ginsburg on July 2, 2011, can be viewed at:  http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coach_gs_teaching_tips/2011/07/technology_teacher_enhancement_not_replacement_1.html

Response to "Debunking Five Myths About Project-Based Learning"

This blog by John Larmer discusses five common misconceptions about project-based leaning.  Even though Larmer made strong arguments in the attempt to "debunk" these myths, I still must say that for me, project based learning is still a pretty daunting concept.  Even though I've been reading a multitude of information recently about project-based learning, and I recently attended a day-long PD opportunity about PBL, it's still difficult to get rid of the notions that it won't "take too much time," or be "too hard to manage" ( a couple of the "myths" addressed by Larmer).  I agree that it's a misconception to think that PBL is all about making a "project,"  or that it's not standards based, but I think you have to go in with open eyes and tell yourself, at least the first few times, that project-based learning will be a big time commitment, both from the student and the teacher.  I don't think you can enter this realm halfheartedly, or you're sure to face failure.  Also, PBL has management issues that teachers must consider ahead of time, issues that might not arise with the teacher's current style of teaching.  To be fair to Larmer, he did state that  the time commitment and the management issues can be challenging at first, but then get better with time, but I don't think that calling these issues "myths" accurately portrays the whole picture!


In spite of my misgivings, though, I think that project-based learning is a great idea.  The closest I come to this style of teaching is my Science Fair unit, where students work in groups of three on a self-selected project.  From this experience, I know that students love this style of teaching/learning, so I hope I can get brave and expand my repertoire of projects.

The original blog, "Debunking Five Myths About Project-Based Learning" posted by John Larmer on July 1, 2011 can be viewed at :  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/debunking-five-pbl-myths-john-larmer

Response to "The Power of eMentorship in Student Literacy: An Interview with Nina Zolt"

This blog by Heather Wolpert-Gawron intorduced a literacy program I had never heard of before.  It's called In2Books, and it's a program made up of volunteers who have been through a thorough screening and training process.  These volunteers, according to Wolpert-Gawron, are partnered with students to "discuss books through letter writing that is teacher-guided and teacher-approved."


This program not only breaks down some of the time barriers that prohibit professional adults from volunteering in our school systems, but it allows the students some real-world connections that reinforce the  importance placed on literacy skills.  These connections encourage students to read and write more in their daily lives, knowing that a caring adult (besides teachers and parents) is interested in what they have to say.  For many students, this can have a great impact on their learning.


I plan to check into the In2Books program, and possibly use it with my 5th grade students this year!

The original blog post, "The Power of eMentorship in Student Literacy:  An Interview with Nina Zolt" by Heather Wolpert-Gawron on July 1, 2011 can be viewed at : http://www.edutopia.org/blog/ementorship-literacy-nina-zolt-interview-heather-wolpert

Response to "Do Limits on Homework Lower Expectations?"

The amount of homework that is considered acceptable, and the weight it should carry towards a stuent's final grade in class, have long been matters of debate among teachers.  According to this article by Anthony Rebora, the ultimate decision regarding the effect homework has on grades has been taken out of Los Angeles teachers' hands, because "The Los Angeles school district is instituting a new policy uniformly limiting homework to 10 percent of a student's grade."  The reason for this, says Rebora, is that after researching the situation it was determined that students were being "punished" by homework when their "home academic environment" was less than favorable.


Larry Strauss, a Los Angles high school English teacher, claims this new policy lowers expectations for students, says Rebora.  Strauss points out that while students tend to balk at homework, ultimately they appreciate teachers who hold high expectations for their academic success.


While I, in some respects, agree with the school district's argument that a student's home environment plays a big role in their success with homework, I don't feel that mandating the weight placed on it is the right answer.  For one thing, lowering homework expectations does not prepare a college-bound student for the rigors of independent academic work required at the university level.  Even for students who are not college bound, the self-discipline required to complete independent work at  home builds a work ethic that will enhance a student's success in any area of the workplace.


I believe that decisions regarding homework should rest with the individual teacher.  As long as teachers are conscientious about assigning relevant learning tasks that will enhance a student's academic skills (not "busy work"), I feel it's reasonable to hold high expectations for all of the students, and grade that work accordingly.  Of course, there are always special circumstances, but I feel teachers should deal with those cases on an individual basis and make decisions according to what's best for the student. 


The original blog post, "Do Limits on Homework Lower Expectatons?" by Anthony Rebora published June 30, 2011, can be viewed at http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/2011/06/do_limits_on_homework_lower_expectations.html

Response to "Ind. schools ending cursive writing requirement"

This article is extremely short, but extremely interesting, and definitely a sign of the digital age.  According to the Times, beginning this fall Indiana's public schools will no longer be required to give instruction in cursive writing; instead, "students will be expected to become proficient in keyboard use."  I wonder how long it will be before other states follow suit.  I'm sure there will be debate surround this issue--I'm eager to follow it and see what develops.

The original article, "Ind. schools ending cursive writing requirement" published June 30, 2011 by The Times, http://www.thetimesonline.com can be viewed at http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/06/29/439944incursivewritingschools_ap.html?r=1479718512

Response to "Quest for the Best Questioning Strategy: Cold Calling vs. Hand Raising"

I heartily agree with what David Ginsburg, the author of this blog, has to say about "cold calling" (although I've never heard it called that before).  "Cold calling" is the practice of calling on students randomly, ensuring that you've called on the majority of your class at least once, rather than constantly calling on the few "hand raisers" in the class.  At the beginning of each year, I laminate a set of cards for each of my classes that has the students' names.  During each class period, I shuffle the cards as I call on students for answers.  At the beginning of the year, students tend to balk at being called on randomly ("I didn't have my hand raised!") but before long they are on board with the process.  If a student is unprepared to answer, I simply ask, "Do you need more time to think of an answer?" and then set that student's name card aside so that I remember to come back to him/her.  Part way through the year I will have students asking me, "Can I have more time to think?" and I am more than willing to allow that.  Just like Ginsburg points out in his blog, I believe that cold calling leads to greater student engagement, and it gives me a more realistic picture of how well the entire class understands the concepts we are learning.

The original post by David Ginsburg, "Response to "Quest for the Best Questioning Strategy:  Cold Calling vs. Hand Raising"can be viewed at http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coach_gs_teaching_tips/2011/06/the_quest_for_best_questioning_strategy_cold_calling_vs_hand_raising_1.html?

Response to "A Different Perspective: Teaching to the Test"

"Teaching to the test" tends to generally be spoken of in a negative light--we're often told it's wrong to "teach to the test;" we should have a well-rounded curriculum focused on student learning, etc.  With so much emphasis from the "powers that be" that students' tests scores are the ultimate measure of what they've learned and how well we, as teachers, have taught them, I'd have to say we're getting some mixed messages here.  To me, "teaching to the test" means doing my best to make sure the students know what I expect them to learn and presenting it in ways that makes the learning enjoyable and attainable.  As Ben Johnson points out in his blog, "Education leader and researcher Fenwick English emphatically states that there is no shame in teaching to the test as long as the test is rigorous and representative of what needs to be learned. Such a curriculum-based test is prepared in advance as Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe suggest in their backwards-planning guide, Understanding by Design: The teacher and the students both know exactly what the test is and they work together to meet the standards of the test."  When you view "teaching to the test" in this light, I'd have to say of course you should teach to the test!  You should make sure that you and the students both know what they are to learn, you should monitor their learning along the way to adjust your teaching if necessary, and you should be sure to assess them on the objectives that that you worked on.


The original blog post by Ben Johnson, "A Different Perspective:  Teaching to the Test," as well as many thought-provoking comments, can be viewed at:  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-to-the-test-benefits-ben-johnson

Response to "Measuring a Teacher's Effectiveness Goes Beyond Test Scores"

I'd like to give Elena Aguilar, the author of this blog post, a big Yay! for the points she makes.  It scares me to think that we, as teachers, may be evaluated solely on the test scores of our students.  There are so many other indicators of whether or not a teacher is effective in the classroom.  A paper and pencil test cannot evaluate how well a teacher piqued the curiosity of his/her students, instilled a love of learning in their minds and hearts, or boosted their morale just when they need it most.  There are many measures of whether or not a student had a successful year of learning--not just the answers to the subject-area tests that someone outside of the classroom decided were important.

The original blog post by Elena Aguilar, "Measuring a Teacher's Effectiveness Goes Beyond Test Scores," can be viewed at :  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teacher-effectiveness-measuring-test-scores-elenaaguilarutm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EdutopiaNewContent+%28Edutopia%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

FREE Edutopia Resources!

While checking out the RSS feeds from Edutopia, I found some great free downloads!  The site does require that you sign up before downloading any materials, but membership is free.  The Free Classroom Guides and Downloads for 2011 can be found here:  http://www.edutopia.org/classroom-guides-downloads, and includes titles such as Top Ten Tips for Teaching with New Media, Summer Rejuvenation Guide, Top Ten Tips for Assessing Project-Based Learning, as well as many others.  So far, I have downloaded and skimmed through Top Ten Tips for Teaching with New Media.  It's a 13-page PDF that contains many helpful tips for using media resources in the classroom, complete with websites where free technology tools can be found.  I particularly liked the ideas for classroom icebreakers and community building activities.  The free download contains enough information to get you started using the new technology tools, but not so much as to be overwhelming.  I plan to look over the other downloads as well, and I expect to find many web resources to use throughout the school year.

"Free Classroom Guides and Downloads for 2011." 27 April 2011.  Web Edutopia, 21 June 2011.  http://www.edutopia.org/classroom-guides-downloads