I recently attended and presented at the IT Summit in Saskatoon, with some wonderful colleagues. You NEED to see the presentation. We talked about digital citizenship, BYOD, Skype in the classroom, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Glogster, Xtranormal, Animoto, and so much more! I know that I will be pulling resources from this until the end of the school year. Which is approaching at an alarming rate.
Enjoy!
Is it still cheating if I don’t get caught?
That’s the question we sought to answer in Grade 10 English. We read a book, of that title, by Bruce Weinstein. He’s the ethics guy. No really. That’s his registered trademark. Check him out.
The first 30 pages or so of the book is Bruce explaining ethics, myths of ethics, and his own 5 “Life Principles.” I really enjoyed teaching this mini-unit on ethics, because it’s a topic that I’ve previously shied away from, for one big reason. Ethics and morality are deeply personal. Of course we have a common standard of ethics, but beyond those, what we believe is right and wrong – and why – is varied from one person to the next. If all teachers began teaching their own personal set of beliefs, students would be confused and teachers might be upset with each other, not to mention parents wondering why their child was coming home with a certain idea that may differ from what was being taught in the home. However, we also don’t want to go the other way and have a classroom devoid of any ethical teaching, and in a lot of ways, it’s impossible NOT to teach your own set of values in some way. The key is balance. And the ironic thing about it is that the best way to find balance is to explicitly teach ethics. When you teach it directly, students learn how to recognize society’s ethics, what shapes and influences those ethics, and how they are learning and developing their own moral code of ethics.
We read the first 30ish pages together, discussing the author’s ideas and where students agreed and disagreed with him. The rest of the book are questions that teens have asked, and Bruce giving his answer according to the 5 Life Principles he explained at the start of the book. It seemed to me that it was a great time for a contract, as some of the students were really passionate about the topic and had a lot to express, while others just wanted to know what they had to do to pass. I’ve only done a contract based project once, as a novel study, and was pleased with the results, so thought I’d try it on a smaller scale.
Is It Still Cheating_ reading journal
I’ve already made a few tweaks and changes, as one of the difficult things in a contract based project is to ensure there is balance between the tasks for each percentage (and ensuring there aren’t any loopholes of ‘shoot for a 90 and do half the work and still get a 60 but it was less work than a 60′). If you’re wondering what the “Answer 2 ethical questions” task is: I had students write down two ethical questions. We put them in a bucket and then to complete that task, students drew two questions and answered them. My favourite question was, “Is stealing a peanut from Safeway wrong?”, because students would read it and laugh, and then I’d say “Well, is it stealing?”, and they’d say, “No”, and I’d say, “Iiiiissss iiiiitttt?” and give them a really high-eyebrowed look, and they’d look at the question again and say, “Noooooo?”, and I’d say, “What if I stole a whole bag of peanuts, is that stealing?”, and they’d say, “Yea”, and I’d say, “Well isn’t stealing just stealing?”, and I’d tilt my head with just one eyebrow up and back away to leave them think about it. I literally did that to like eight students. It wasn’t so much about them agreeing with me as it was to get them to think with their critical ethics hats as opposed to their whimsical peanut thieving hats.
I made a digital story! It still needs some editing, but I’ll have to wait for some time off work to fine tune it. Click below to see the animation. It’s inspired by a picture I took on the way home from Estevan (see Bits and Bites).
It’s called “Growth”
Did you watch Lost? The show had a lot in common with teaching.
You find yourself thrown on an island. You feel disoriented, confused, and overwhelmed. You go into survival mode – what do I need to do to at a bare minimum to keep my heart beating and my lungs breathing?
Then you notice them. The others. They are a mysterious bunch, and they now must be included in the survival plan. You aren’t sure if they are friends or foes. Some of them are still trying to figure that out. But it becomes quickly apparent that you need to work together to survive. What do they know about survival that they can teach me? What do I know that I can teach them? You learn more about each other, and as time passes, things settle down. Life on the island begins to make more sense. You learn how to build a fire. You learn where to find food and how to build a basic shelter. (And, unlike Lost, there are no polar bears, time travel, cryptic numbers, or button that makes the world go round.)
You survive.
And that’s the problem. Teachers spend the first year or two of teaching in “survival mode”, and unfortunately, some get stuck there. They continue to teach as though they are on an island, isolated from other teachers, working hard to do their job as best they can, reinventing the wheel every semester. It’s tiring. It’s discouraging. There’s no one to bounce ideas off, no one to borrow things from, no one to tell you you’re doing a good job, no one to share your frustrations with, no one to problem solve with. Some teachers left on the island too long become bitter, disfigured memories of a teacher who was once optimistic and eager to teach. Now they just throw coconuts at you if you try to show them a way off the island. (I think they’re resentful of all the time they spent alone, and intimidated by a world they were cut off from for so long).
Sharing with our colleagues is critical. Without sharing, we risk becoming overworked, lonely, irrelevant, bitter, or coconut-flingers. And the great thing about teaching nowadays is that you don’t have to eat lunch in the staff room and hope you find a colleague to connect with (although that’s good too). You can connect and share using Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest or any number of other sites, or take part in learning experiences like #etmooc. (For anyone who might be feeling overwhelmed or uncertain of where to start, here’s a helpful infographic.)
So, with sharing in mind, here are some reflections from the “Sharing is Accountability” #etmooc session tonight:
- just because I shared it doesn’t mean I’ll think like that forever. Allow people freedom to change their mind and message.
- lather before you shave. It’s an old lesson, but a good one. If you have constructive criticism to share, it sure doesn’t hurt to point out what was done well first. We do it for our students, so why wouldn’t we do it for each other?
- filter. There is a lot of information out there, and there is no shame in filtering it. “Don’t feel guilty if you don’t do everything, feel guilty if you don’t do anything” – Shareski
- comment. Sharing can be a vulnerable experience, so it’s nice to know there’s someone out there. And comments can start conversations that lead to connections and more sharing.
- we are on the same team! – so stop throwing coconuts.
I’m taking part in a massive online open course on educational technology:
This is my introduction:
Enjoy!
In the realm of School, in the land of English, there stands a group of horses. They have been assembled by the Head Horse Herder to be led through this land of English, by one who has traveled it much. They are a diverse group, ranging in size, colour, shape, and running speed. As the sun breaks over the horizon, the Horse Herder sweeps her hand across the land and explains that this will be their domain for the day. It is a barren land, with cacti and bramble bushes and thistles, but there are throughout the land Pools of Knowledge. It is these pools the horses must visit with the Herder, so they can gain knowledge of the land and make it through the harsh terrain alive. “Some pools,” explains the Herder, “I will lead you to. Some pools, you will discover on your own. But you must surely drink of the Pools of Knowledge, or our time in this land will be wasted, and you will not make it to the end.” She explains the rules in the land of English, how they will start out as a pack and learn about how to drink from the Pools of Knowledge, how they must never splash each other, and that the land was tough and unsympathetic, but together, they would make it through. “And the most important thing for you to know about this land,” she went on with a heavy voice, “is that I can lead you to these pools, but only you can decide to drink of them.”
Things started out well. They followed the Herder to the first pool. They listened to her instructions and most horses followed them. Some of the horses were already showing rebellion, though, because they jumped and splashed in the pool when they should not have. The Herder went over to one such horse and explained why the rules were in place: “I have led many horses through this land, and I have seen horses who did not make it. You must follow my instructions to survive the day. My rules and teachings are for your good, because I know what it takes to make it through this land.” The horse nodded its head and ambled off to join the others drinking from the Pool. The Herder smiled and a mist filled her eyes, and she knew that the “Horse Whisperer” training had served her well. She watched as the herd drank, albeit tentatively, from the first Pool of Knowledge. She could see that some of them were used to drinking from Pools, and some were not. She noticed that some horses were very skinny and had clearly missed drinking from some Pools of Knowledge in other lands, while others were strong and well nourished. She knew it would be a challenge to lead these horses through the land, but she was prepared and excited for the challenge.
Some of the visits to the Pools of Knowledge went very well, while others did not. She talked to many more horses about the rules and about the importance of drinking from the Pools of Knowledge. “Your survival in this land depends on it!” she would say with fervor. She learned new things, too, as some of the horses had different ways of drinking. Some of the horses didn’t know how to drink, and she took a lot of time and energy teaching them how. She noticed that some of the horses weren’t coming to the Pools of Knowledge. Some of them were running around playing, while others were just standing in the distance. She always made the trek to talk to these horses and herd them to the Pools, but as time wore on, she grew weary of her journeys to meet these horses, especially because some of them whinnied and neighed at her quite loudly. But she did not give up. She had met horses like this before, and knew that sometimes, with the right amount of patience and correction, these horses would come to the Pools and drink. And some did. But some ran and played no matter what she said. She tried to herd them still, but hoped that some day they would realize their own need to drink from the Pools and join the herd.
Some of the horses ran away and the Herder could not find them. She grieved this deeply, and searched for them every chance she got.
By noon, the hot sun hung high in the sky and the horses – and Herder – were feeling worn down. The horses grew restless of visiting the Pools. They wanted to run and play and chase each other, and the Herder would sometimes let them, but she knew that they had a long journey and they needed to stop at the Pools, or they would not survive.
There was one horse in particular the Herder was worried about. This horse came near all the Pools of Knowledge, but did not drink. Pool after pool, the Herder watched the horse; it did not drink. Was the horse scared to drink? Did it not know how? Did it already drink from this Pool? The Herder prompted and persuaded the horse closer to the Pool. She gently pushed its head nearer to the Pool, until its lips touched the cool waters, thinking that if it felt the water it would realize its own thirst and drink. It did not. She took some water in her hand and held it up to the horse. It did not drink. She threw the water onto the horse’s lips. It did not even lick them. She grew frustrated with the horse. She got out her “Horse Whisperer” training manual and read about similar situations. She wrote letters to the Head Horse Herder and asked for suggestions. She consulted other Herders who had led this horse through their lands. She tried everything they suggested. She got out her canteen and filled it with water from the Pool, pried the horse’s mouth open, and poured the water in. It did not swallow. She filled four buckets with water and put the horse’s feet in them, holding one up to its mouth. It did not drink. She brought another horse near it, letting it watch that horse drink. It did not drink. Out of sheer frustration and defeat, she jumped in the pool and splashed the horse, yelling, “Do you not know your own thirst?” It did not drink.
The Herder continued to lead the horses to the Pools of Knowledge. As the sun ambled slowly down from its peak in the sky, the horses ran throughout the land, selecting Pools to drink from. The Herder smiled; then the horse that would not drink came into her sight, and her smile faded. With desperation, the Herder went to the horse that would not drink and dragged it to a Pool. She went through the familiar routine they went through at every Pool. It did not drink. She sat down, defeated. Her “Horse Whisperer” manual fell out of her bag as she sat. She felt like a fraud, and threw the manual at a cactus in the distance.
As the sun slipped slowly into the horizon and the last light began to fade, the horse that would not drink looked at the sky. It furrowed its brow. It looked at the other horses drinking their last Pool to its dregs. It looked at the Herder and said,
“Hey, is there a way I can, like, quench this thirst of mine?”
The Herder passed out.
This is one of my favorite units to teach. Even more so now that I’ve taught it and made improvements for this time around.
Today was brainstorm day. In groups of three/four, students went to six posters with the challenge titles and wrote down as many ideas as they could in one minute. Some of the standouts:
Fears to overcome:
Habits to quit:
Raising awareness about:
There is not enough being said about illegal imorgrants!
New things to try:
Good self awareness on the “practice spelling” comment.
Something you’ve always wanted to do:
I think it’s going to be a fun last few weeks of the semester.
We learned about the basics of typing and saving documents, and the “new basics” of Prezi, Animoto, Glogster, and others. We learned about ways to use cell phones as educational tools. We learned about staying safe on the internet. We learned about cyber bullying and bullying. We learned that the internet is a real place, and that there are cords under the ocean connecting us. We experienced a day without cell phones. (Or, for the truly attached, one period without cell phones). It was time to graduate.
Tamara and I started by giving students Technology License Production. They chose which group they wanted to be a part of and we held quick “interviews” to choose the best fit for each student. They took two days to work on everything. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but it actually went really well! The “Examiners” wrote tests that the students all had to pass in order to get their license. The “License Presenters” made sparkly invitations for the principal, vice-principal, and some of their other teachers. The “Work Force” got supplies for all other groups, and jumped in to help when a group member was missing. “Human Resources” made a performance report and assessed all the other students. The “License Designers” came up with really sleek-looking business cards:
Students wrote their names on their license, and then I laminated them (for added authenticity). At the Graduation Ceremony, Tamara and I sat back and watched as students on the “License Presenter” committee made their opening remarks and then called each student up to receive their license. For period two, our vice-principal handed out the licenses and posed for pictures with the students while we played the ‘graduation music.’
The students were beaming. Each and every one of them got up and received their license, and sat down with a smile on their faces. I think they felt like they had really accomplished something. In the reflections they wrote about the process, most of them expressed that they enjoyed having a real graduation ceremony.
While I was floating on the “they actually learned something” cloud, Monday came and ruined it all with two students using their phones to text. While I was teaching. That breaks rule #1. And #4. I know, you’re shocked. After all of that learning, and having a graduation ceremony, and receiving their official laminated license with the rules and responsibilities on it, and getting their picture taken with the vice-principal, and signing a contract, they broke a rule! So, here’s how we are handling that: any time students are caught abusing technology, we punch a hole in their license. Three holes punched, and they lose the privilege of using technology, which includes school computers and iPads. They will also have to relinquish their phone to the teacher at the start of class, or leave it in their locker. They have until Christmas break as their “probation period”, in which they can still have their license and/or technology taken away, but we won’t punch holes in their license. If students make it to the end of the year with no holes punched, they will get a prize! They asked what the prize is…..we told them it was a surprise, but the truth is that we don’t know yet! It depends how many students make it. If there are 30 of them, then we might have a movie day with treats or something. But if there’s only one or two, then I’d take them out for lunch. But I suppose they would see that as more of a punishment…..so perhaps a voucher will have to do.
A part of the Grade 9 “Digital Citizenship” unit was an anti-bullying project. It’s probably easiest to explain it to you the way we {co-teacher Tamara and I} explained it to them:
“As an anti-bullying campaign, prepare a presentation for Grade 5 students that outlines what bullying is, how they can prevent it, and what to do if they witness someone being bullied.”
Students spent seven days researching, tweeting, blogging, writing, practicing skits, and making videos. {I’ll be honest. Most students spent seven days working on those things. Some students spent seven days pretending to do those things, but actually doing sweet little. And they are so shocked when I’m not impressed that they made half a poster!} A few days before presentation day, CBC happened to be in the building for a media event, also to do with anti-bullying, and caught wind of what we were doing. A reporter asked if she could interview me, to which I said yes. When she found out more about the project, she asked if she could come back to do a story on it. Result:
Part of the reason Tamara and I decided to have our students present their anti-bullying units to Grade 5 students was so that the assignment would have a real audience – it wasn’t an assignment for the sake of an assignment that would likely end up in the recycle bin, it was a real presentation for other students. If you didn’t get the assignment done on time, it didn’t mean the teacher took off late marks, it meant 54 Grade 5 students were staring at you with question in their eyes. If you did a poor job of the assignment, it didn’t mean the teacher was disappointed in you {which you may or may not care about}, it meant those Grade 5 students were bored/confused/disappointed, and that matters a lot more than any frowny face I could ever make. And when CBC news cameras were there, it changed from an audience of Grade 5′s to an audience that included parents and grandparents and friends and random strangers. If that doesn’t motivate students to do their best, I don’t know what will. And the students really did exhibit some great work. In fact, at the end when we played some music and got the students to sign the ‘Stand Up to Bullying’ sheets, and our Grade 9′s were mingling and chatting with Grade 5′s, and some of the Grade 5 students were being interviewed by CBC and saying how great the presentation was, I got a bit teary eyed. It was then I realized this wasn’t just a real audience/real world connection for the students, it was for me too.
Sometimes, I forget why I teach. I get bogged down in reports and marking and holding students accountable and redirecting them and chasing them and planning and doing it all over again. It gets frustrating. It feels like no one is listening. It feels like no one is learning. It feels like I’m out there doing the teaching equivalent of Italian fouettes and no one notices. So when CBC was interested and excited about what was going on in my classroom, I felt really encouraged. Grade 5′s learn what to do about bullying, Grade 9′s learn about presenting and deadlines, and I learn that what I does matters. Win-win-win.
I should start by letting you know how the Grade 10 presentations went. I think it was great. Not because they all did an amazing job, but because they all learned something.
Most of the presentations were adequate. They made a Prezi or Animoto, as they had been instructed to. {One group did end up using PowerPoint, as they had been instructed not to do. But it didn’t go very well for them, and they afterwards acknowledged that they liked the other student’s Prezi and Animoto presentations better.} They knew the basics of their subject. They had a few pictures. It was average.
There was one really amazing presentation. He was articulate, he knew his subject inside and out, he presented the information in his own words, he was confident, made eye contact, and answered all the questions he was asked. The really amazing part was not that my teaching partner and I noticed all of this, it was that the students noticed all of this. When all the presentations were over, I made a three column chart on the board: excellent, average, and developing. We talked about what separates an average presentation from an excellent one and one that is still developing.
The students nailed it. We talked about the excellent presentation we saw, and what made it that way. The student with the excellent presentation even talked about how he got there – he used more than one source when researching, he learned the information rather than just copy/pasting, and he practiced. It was a great moment, because the students really listened to what their peer had to say and they saw the payoff of his hard work.
We’ve since started a novel study. I’m trying something new with it, and gave out these contracts.
I told the students it’s legally binding.
They are reading: The Hobbit, Miracle in the Andes, The Hunger Games, The Chrysalids, and Dracula. Not all of those. They got to choose. I’m reading all of those.
In Grade 9, we are continuing on with our “Digital Citizenship” unit, which I think I will eventually post as its own page. The other day, we read this article:
And this one.
Keep in mind, this was after many lessons on educational uses of technology, and the point of reading these articles was not to condemn technology, but to raise student’s awareness of some issues surrounding technology. After reading the articles and discussing them, we talked about being too dependent on technology, or even addicted to it. We talked about spending a day “in the dark ages”, i.e. without their cell phones. They chose if they wanted to give up their phone for English class or for the whole day. Result:
Some of them were getting sweaty and shaky and touching their pocket a lot. And the basket was flashing and vibrating. But they made 54% more eye contact with me. And that’s progress.
