Philly Teacher

I just finished reading the 2nd edition of Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, a guide for educators who already are familiar with Classroom Instruction that Works. I must confess, I haven’t read Classroom Instruction that Works (it’s been on my to-read list forever), so while I was familiar with many of the strategies in the book, I could see how this book, while great as a stand-alone read, was written as an accompaniment to the model laid out in Classroom Instruction that Works.

I was struck by two immediate reactions as I picked up the book. The first was that Will Richardson, whom I hold in very high regard, wrote the foreward. The second was the feeling that writing a paperback book about using technology in the classroom is a little counterintuitive. I appreciated Will’s imperative tone about technology in the classroom when he states, “Regardless of our own comfort level with technology as a tool to help us learn or teach, we have to move the conversation from ‘if’ to ‘how’–and we need to do that sooner rather than later.” (p. xv) The book definitely matches that mindset by providing technology tools, resources and best practices that align with each of the Classroom Instruction that Works areas of focus. The authors also admit that “Technology books have a notoriously short shelf life.” (p. 1) They state, “Our intent is not to write a book about technology, but rather a book about using technology as one among several tools for providing good instruction.” (p. 2) The authors continuously drive home the point that it’s not about the technology, but about the teaching and learning with that technology that transform schools.

The authors categorize technologies, defining what the technologies do and then provide examples of each. This is a good starting point for educators who may not be aware of the multifaceted uses of technology in the classroom. In addition, throughout the book, the reader is provided specific steps for how to create the tool or access the technology being examined and explored. I could see this book being used by a grade team or a group of educators in a school trying to bring more technology into their classrooms. ASCD offers a study guide for just this purpose.There are actionable items in the book and as a result, there are opportunities for teachers to discuss the examples and consider how these examples could play out in their own classroom.

What Works

As stated above, there are a variety of specific, actionable examples provided in each chapter, which paint a detailed picture of how technology supports teaching and learning and not the other way around. These examples are supported by screenshots and links, which also help bring the examples to life. Each chapter’s focus is also supported by specific research and recommendations from research-based methods, which, for a teacher running into walls or barriers bringing technology into their classroom, provide necessary back-up to support what they are doing. Each chapter is also accompanied by a list of additional resources, which are current and representative of the best available for the task. I was also happy to see Google Docs and Google Apps for Education used as examples for a number of lessons.

Many different kinds of technologies are represented throughout the book. The authors include computer applications, data probes, mobile apps for iOS or Android and even examples of using cell phones in the classroom. It is important that educators know that technology in the classroom should not always be equated with computers.

I was also glad that the authors remind teachers of the importance of following copyright and fair use guidelines and modeling this for their students. The recommendation for schools to use portfolio-based assessments for student technology literacy was also a breath of fresh air.

Disappointments

A couple of things disappointed me as I was reading the book. There was still a huge focus on Microsoft Office Tools, such as using the comments feature and track changes feature in Word, and PowerPoint presentations. In fact, at one point, the example given was so heavy on the ins and outs of Microsoft Word that I almost wanted to skip over it. The section on spreadsheets was also a bit mind-numbing. While the examples provided were excellent, they were pretty complicated for someone just starting out using the tool. There also were no mentions of how to use simple spreadsheets in the lower elementary grades. Many schools are moving away from Office tools and some (like me) use open source software like Libre Office, so many of these examples could not be applied in my classroom. One of the examples for teaching with multimedia was disappointing. The example given was a PowerPoint game, similar to those I made in my grad classes 4 years ago. A lot of the examples also focused on specific, paid softwares such as Inspiration. This is limiting for a teacher whose district can’t afford subscriptions to these softwares. While there was a diversity of subscription-based and free sites provided, I was shocked by the omission of tools like Edmodo for managing classroom learning on lists that included Moodle and Blackboard. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works is a great addition to the much-acclaimed series. While it has some shortcomings, I think it does a great job at addressing how technology can be used across a variety of classroom settings. It also takes the stance that educators must include technology in their teaching and provides a framework for the diversity of technologies out there. While I wish that the book had an e-book format and a corresponding website for easy updating of tools mentioned in the book, it is a good jumping off point for educators looking to use technology to support teaching and learning in their classrooms. REVISED: There is an e-book available here.

Philly Teacher was down on January 18, 2012 in protest against SOPA. Let’s protect the web as an avenue of free speech.

To learn more about this, watch the TED Talk by Clay Shirky below.

photo courtesy of CC Chapman on Flickr

As many of you may know, tomorrow is the National Day on Writing. I feel compelled to write this post mostly because I have been writing consistently for almost 20 years and it is part of who I am.

Tucked away in my hallway closet upstairs, wrapped in a plastic bag, are the scribblings, musings, rants and poetry of the last 15-20 years of my life. I’m not sure why I started keeping a journal, but I now have at least 6 of them full to the brim that document everything from detailed descriptions of hanging out with my friends in high school to larger ruminations on themes in Demian to poems lamenting love lost or heart broken.

Perhaps I started writing because I needed someone to listen. I never expected anyone to ever read what I wrote, but it was therapeutic to get my thoughts down on paper. Sometimes, when forced to do so, I might stop and think about how silly I was being. Or, I might be able to work through some kind of emotional pain or anger and come out on the other side with a clearer mind. Whatever the reason, writing was my solace, my savior and my best friend.

I didn’t have a lot of close friends growing up. I wasn’t the kind of girl who whispered secrets or poured her heart out to a BFF. I was a pretty secretive person. Writing filled that burning desire to tell someone, to share my experiences and my opinions or fears or shortcomings or doubts. It was safer for me to write down my feelings than to share them with someone else.

If I could call myself a writer back then, then I would say I was also a voracious reader. Much of my desire to write came from the way that books filled me with inspiration, ideas and caused me to reflect on my own life. Reading was my pathway to the pen. In many ways, this has not changed.

One of the landmark changes in my writing occurred when I began to dabble with poetry. After reading some poems of Saul Williams and taking a writers’ workshop in high school, I began to enjoy the word play, symbolism and brevity of emotion that poetry enabled. These were also some of the first pieces of writing that I ever shared with others, that I opened up to critique. It was powerful stuff.

I continued to write poems throughout college, performing one at a spoken word event and eventually turning them into a handmade books as Christmas presents for my friends and family in 2004. (I actually just self-published a book on Lulu of some of the same poems. I don’t profess it to be the best poetry you’ve ever read.)

About 3 1/2 years ago, I had another huge transition in my writing. I began my Philly Teacher blog. I was still writing in my journal, though the hectic schedule of a teacher prohibited me from visiting it every night. (To this day, I continue to keep a journal next to my bed in case I get the urge—which I still do from time to time.) I decided, though, on December 23, 2008, to trade in the personal, tucked away writing style for something more public. I wrote my first post, The Purpose.  Since then, my writing has been anything but private. Now I write, not for myself, but for others. I am transparent, open and honest. I have readers, I receive feedback on my writing.

I’m not sure what flipped inside of me to make such a transition. Maybe it was that transition into adulthood. Maybe the internal need to share became less selfish. I’ll never know.

What I do know is that it has made all of the difference.

It doesn’t matter why I write–it just matters that I do. I think more clearly, I learn better and sometimes I just manage to stay sane.

Why do you write? 

For more on the National Day on Writing: http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3663

I am aiming to offer an after school robotics club for girls at my school this year. While the program itself is being offered by the school, the robotics supplies are not. As such, I am hoping to raise about $1000 to put toward 2 base kits and a Green City Challenge Set.

The base kits provide the required pieces for building the robots and the challenge sets provide scenarios and programming challenges that extend the students’ understanding of programming and robot construction.

The reason I am focusing on girls is because most girls assume that science and technology are ‘boy’ subjects and as such, they are underrepresented in both fields. In addition, programming robots teaches logical thinking as well as mathematical concepts that are beneficial for critical thinking, problem solving and academic success.

In addition, I am hoping that the club will be successful enough to begin looking at bringing my students to the First Lego League competitions.

Please help in any way you can. The club starts in October and I’m hoping to raise the money before the end date so I can know if the club is a viable offering and to have enough time to purchase the kits.

You can contribute using the widget to the right of this post!

Feel free to forward this post along to any generous people you know and tweet it out!

Thanks!