Flipped Classroom Check-In #2: The One Where I Almost Pulled the Plug

Hi Education Universe-

Rough day.  Just got home at 10 PM from grad school and working on my flip vids.  I'm a little behind, partially due to technical stuff and slight procrastination.

I talked about how we were going to use the Cornell style of notes in class today with a few modifications.  Here's a look at them:

This is what students will fill out when they watch.  I was really excited about this.  I mean sure it was a little more work than annotating PowerPoint slides in class with me, but they could do it whenever they wanted.

That's the point of the flipped model right?  Accessibility, flexibility, and mastery.

They were less than enthused...  eye rolls for all.  Combine that with a very loud day and confusion still over the XP system and you can imagine that I was a bit deflated when I came home.

I could have gone for a jog, instead I decided to blog.  This is one of those days where as upbeat and positive as I am, I felt like perhaps I should just quit the whole thing and go back to something traditional.

I'm sure Dave Burgess would have made me walk the plank, or maroon me in a school in the 1950's.  It's hard to keep up that spirit when the kids don't exactly buy in.  But I'm going to stick to my guns on this one, because ultimately I think it's best for them.  When they get that free time after completing their required work to explore, I think they'll buy in.

I also added a quartermaster system to my class so students who are responsible and trustworthy can get badges on Edmodo as quartermasters.  They handle classroom logistics from running errands, decorating, cleaning up, making copies, and grading papers.

I awarded the first quartermaster badges today.

I also found new contacts as I met Rob Steller (@robbiestells) on Twitter.  He is working to produce a classroom XP interface that would mesh with some of my ideas.  I look forward to learning more in the future.

Here's his project at http://www.classxp.org/.  Check it out!

Back to flipping videos, and hopefully not desks tomorrow :).  7th graders in August are just loud.

If I had to get a tattoo, it would say one of the following (in order)

1.  Carpe Diem (cliche but I don't care)
2.  TLAP
3.  School = Fun
4.  What's the Common Core?
5.  #Gamification
6.   Do or do not, there is no try.

But I'd never get one... so that's all just speculation

Until next time...

Mr. J.

Flipped Classroom Check-In #1: The One Where I Might Have Procrastinated Just a Bit

After a 3 week hiatus... I'm back!

So as always... hello education universe!

If you are a visual learner, or if you just don't want to read my glorious post... here's my first Flip Vid:

School has started, and I am slowly getting back into the swing of things.  Tomorrow will be quite a bit of work for me as I work to get my flipped videos completed.  But at the suggestion of many people I have met in the Twittersphere, I am going to blog as I go.

So here's the update.

My classroom is up and running, and I am in the process of working on putting the final touches on my XP system.  My first flipped video is completed, with about two dozen in the works.  I have about 48 hours to get those done as well.  I'm trying very hard to make the videos somewhat entertaining, and I hope that the kids like them.  I ran into my first snag over the summer when I recommended xtranormal to some fellow Tweeps and found out that it was shutting down its service.  I was horrified, because this meant that my digital sidekick, Mike, the History-Loving Robot was lost.

Farewell.  You are, and forever shall be, my friend.





Ok so Wrath of Khan references aside, I had a problem.  So I quickly scoured the internet for a replacement.  I came upon two websites:

www.goanimate.com
www.powtoon.com

Go Animate will be the new home of my cartoon creations, while Pow Toon serves as the way to create the introduction and graphics for the beginnings of my videos.

And with Go Animate, Mike got a new look, or as I call it, some "upgrades."  So he's back!  And he got back on Edmodo!

My videos are coming along.  I am using my SMART Board and a USB microphone to record my instruction.  If I am using a program like Google Earth, I use a USB headset to narrate instead. I am combining the theme of the videos and my XP system in class to create sort of a military/secret agent type of system.  So far, the kids seem to be ok with it.  In the future, Mike will probably be getting into trouble that only my students can save him from.  But that is for another day.

Students will interact with most course materials, including my videos, through Edmodo.  This has allowed me to form groups of students for projects and eventually reading groups in the future.  Each group of kids came up with their own "company" name and logo using the NATO alphabet.  The results were that the "Junior High Army" command structure began to form:

Each grade became a "division," each section in each grade a "regiment," and "companies" became project groups.  Each designed their own logo to represent themselves:

So now it is just a matter of getting the work done.  I am picking reading assignments, finishing up my videos, and creating assignments over the next couple days.  I'm excited, but I'd be lying if I said I don't feel at times as if maybe I got myself into an amount of work and prep that perhaps I cannot keep up with... especially with Baby J. only a few months away.

But I think I am on to something... and I'll check in again soon!

Enjoy the year!

Mr. J.

Tag' Em

I hardly recognized you education universe... it's been awhile.

My ball game got rained out tonight so I am taking the time to post for the first time in forever.  Hopefully no one of the nearly 2,000 page viewers held their breath (no refunds).  Anyways, a quick new thought tonight in my constantly developing XP system.

I ordered 150 plastic dog tags the other day.  I'm using them as a way to keep track of things that tend to wander away in my room.  I'm going to give each kid a set, and if they want to borrow something or reserve their spot at the computer, they need to give me their tags.  Additionally, if they are misbehaving, I can take their tags for awhile as a way of reinforcing my expectations.  They will also be allowed to write their name and unit (group) on the tags and show them off.

Here's what they look like:

These will help to reinforce my military XP system theme as we go, and may serve as an in-class intervention for behavior prior to a referral or other corrective action.  It will also help me make sure my stuff comes back to me.  I bought like 5 million pencils last year that I never even got to use.

I'm hoping groups of kids will choose matching tags and we can begin to develop subcultures within my class with norms and expectations of their own.  With everything tied to academics, this was a good way to reinforce the behaviors.  We'll see what happens.

I plan to document my journey this year.  Between flipping, grouping, e-learning, BYOD, and the XP system, who knows what's going to happen.

Right now there's just a lot of possibilities.

Hoping for a drier tomorrow... I got a championship to defend.

Mr. J.

Gamification is not Capitulation

Greetings World-

I know it's been several days since I spoke my mind, but I was on vacation and enjoying the summer weather.  But now it's time to get back to sharing my thoughts.  Today's topic:  Gamification.  If that's a new term to you (which it still sorta is to me), here's the wikipedia entry:

Gamification

Or if you feel like some light reading, Amazon has this book for $2.99 on the Kindle:

Gamification:  A Simple Introduction & a Bit More

I'm currently working on two books:

The Gamification of Learning and Instruction and eventually

The Multiplayer Classroom

I've kept an eye on Twitter recently and noticed that there is some opposition to this idea of turning learning into more of a game-like experience.  Using the mechanics of something children understand to teach them makes sense.  I've blogged about my ideas using experience points and leveling in the past and so I will stick to my guns in believing in this idea.  

I think to some this idea of rewarding students for their work in these ways reveals the timeless differences in pedagogical thought.  For  example, remnants of an "Old Guard" may not have the desire to implement something like gamification or game theory into their classrooms.  They also may not have the experience or background with modern  video games that would allow them to be comfortable with such an idea.  

For others, rewarding students for "doing what they are supposed to be doing" is just against their principles.  These teachers usually use phrases such as "when I was in school" or "when I was a kid" or "I wasn't taught to teach like that."

Others will misuse this type of thinking.  Gamification isn't really an excuse to play Call of Duty instead of talking about World War II.  It's using the concepts that make up the basis of the video gaming experience in the classroom.

This is not "giving in" to students.  This is not lowering expectations.  To me, it's actually raising them.  The days of drill and kill, strict discipline, doing homework because the student is supposed to, paying attention because the student is supposed to, and not having to worry about engagement are gone.  They've gone the way of the 3.5 inch floppy, chalk boards, and the card catalog.  

I equate my limited by growing concept of gamification to teaching diverse students.  Students learning to speak English would suffer if taught only in English.  What if we taught students with visual impairments how to read only by pointing at letters?  What if we taught students with learning disabilities exactly like every other student, with no modifications?  We think outside the box, we innovate, and we modify the content and/or the experience for students who need it in order to achieve.

That's all gamification is... just on a bigger scale.

Video gaming requires a set of skills.  That may be a stretch to some but is.  Problem solving, planning ahead, and critical thinking can play a part in some (not all) games.  Additionally, there is a tangible reward, a recognition of the achievements made.  Gamifiying your classroom to provide incentives like this creates overt competition, and may actually lead to better results.  

But the bottom line is making the classroom into something more readily understood and digested by students is a good idea.  It's like tapping into a special dialect of the kid language, the kid experience.  While it may not be for everyone, gamification is for me.  

But that's because I speak that language.  I'm 27 going on about 15.

More to come on this topic down the road.  I should get a badge for this post...  because it makes me happy and would cost absolutely nothing.  That's another thing.  Create these badges or awards digitally... and they're FREE.  

Kid-friendly and budget-friendly...  I hope a superintendent reads this, and then hires me.  I'm 6 months from being able to be a technology director with my administrative certificate :)

Now if we could only gamify grading...

I'm out.

Mr. J.

Why Part of Me Chooses to Still Reside in Middle School

Greetings Universe-

A pretty solid Twitter chat got the ball rolling on this one.  Hats off to #bcedchat as its maiden voyage was a success.  I should have smashed a bottle of champagne over my computer or something.  Props to @MsVictoriaOlson and @brynmw for getting the ball rolling.  Continue standing on guard for thee and and educating for all thy sons and so on.  Well done.

Anyways, in the back channels of tonight's chat, another idea surfaced.  Old Twitter friend @logan_ashlee and new Twitter friend @webby37 took part in an epic, epic, sci-fi reference dropping session that led to laughter.  It's almost 2 am, and honestly I still am getting a kick out of it.

And then someone, not me, realized that once again this type of discussion was entertaining.  So why not be productive with it.  What if as we discussed education, we spun it our way?  In this case, the nerd, pop-culture, high-tech, social media way.  Why not a #punedchat?  Why not a #refedchat?  Why not an #eduivoque (thesaurus'ed "pun")?  How about a #doubleedutendre?  But I digress, enough butchering of the English language.

If you don't think that being funny in your classroom is a huge advantage, then you are sorely mistaken.  Everyone has their own style and their own personality, but being funny is a way to connect with your kids.  And if you don't think that is important either, don't ever teach middle school.

I am a sarcastic, quick-thinking, pop-culture referencing human being.  Thankfully it plays in my classroom.  And that is why part of me stays in middle school.  It never left.  I share interests with 12-year olds.  They're into the fact that I love sports, video games, dodgeball, movies, stand-up comedy, and TV.  I also can't stand boy bands, which divides the house but leads to lots of jokes at the expense of Justin Beiber, One Direction, and my swooning female students who are just captivated with them.

Teasing doesn't work for everyone, but humor does.  You can't laugh too much.  It does make learning difficult at times, but when someone remembers what you said in class because of that really crazy thing you said before, during, or after, it's worth it.

So I look forward to the opportunity to try out my brand of me on my Twitter pals.  I'm just going to act like I do in a staff meeting:  borderline obnoxious, rarely quiet, yet surprisingly collaborative.  Take the good with the bad and just roll with it :)

But here's a few things that I have learned about making people laugh at my school:

1.  It starts with you.  I make fun of me more than anyone else.  There's a lot to make fun of.  Just realize your turn is coming too.  Share the love, but start at home.

2.  Know who you can give a hard time to.  I have some kids that I know are solid when it comes to playing along with my antics.  Others will stare me to death.

3.  Make cool things lame and lame things cool.  It gets a reaction.  For example, I rip on all those little teeny-boppers my kids talk about.  But then I make Aaron Burr shooting Alexander Hamilton seem awesome.  Plus we reenact it.

4.  Look crazy, but stay in control.  Anytime something doesn't work in my class, I've yelled at it.  I've thrown things at it.  Then I blame it on a kid.

5.  Use students in examples or as examples.  Demonstrate concepts using analogies and explanations with the kids in them.  Presidential succession is a lot more fun when I talk about how one crazy student killed another who was pretending to be President.

6.  Use their words to make your points.  I'm often talked about fascism as "nationalism on steroids."  I may have mentioned how the Hessians were "tipsy" at Trenton during the Revolution.  Harry S. Truman's middle name... It's just "S."  So when you tell the kids that his friends called him "Harry S.", you can't miss.

7.  Exaggerate.  Make conversations so much more than they are.  I make so many empty threats it's insane. Kids know I'm not going to throw them out a window or staple them to a bulletin board, but saying it is so much more fun than saying "please be quiet all the time."  They think it's goofy, and they listen more and pay attention to see what is going to happen when someone doesn't.  Not a perfect plan for everyone, but hey, works for me.

8.  Stay connected.  My kids talk to me through email and on Edmodo.  That's a great starter platform.  You get to think out being funny if you choose to be.

9.  Find colleagues that you can have a give-and-take with.  One of my colleagues will come into my room from time to time and I act like it is the biggest disruption in the history of education.  Then I will do it for her.  We also go into each other's rooms and critique what's going on just for the fun of it.  The old social studies vs. math routine works well.  I make fun of math as "something a machine can do" and she will tease social studies as "just stuff dead people did."  It's funny, the kids eat it up, and it also gives us a chance to explain why learning what we are teaching actually is worthwhile.

10.  References.  Last but not least, references.  Anytime that a reference to something kids understand can be made to what you are teaching is awesome.  Especially if it is funny.  A phrase, a song, a movie, a TV show, fashion, etc. can all be used to be funny.  Someone will get the reference, and if they don't get it, I usually go on a tirade of a tangent to explain it.

I remember one time I made a reference about how airplanes during WWI and airplanes today would be like comparing an Atari to an Xbox 360.  Then most of them were lost, because they didn't know Atari.  That was an immediate "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" moment from me.  I went on my tangent and we had to youtube Pong real quick.  I pretend to be angry, they think I'm nuts and laugh, and they can all tell you what they did in class today.  Guess what kid... you just learned something.

And if all else fails in your attempts, go back to #1.  Make fun of yourself for trying to be funny and failing and you'll probably end up being funny.

We can't all be the @sjunkins of the world with a quip locked and loaded at every moment, but we can all make a kid laugh.  That part of me stays in middle school, because if learning isn't funny, it's not fun to me.

And with that, I'm out.

Mr. J.

The Plan! I Just Had to Write This All Down

Ok, so it's been a week.  Sorta on hiatus from blogging and Twitter a midst union negotiations, intern hours, grad school, and the occasional bit of shuteye.  But tonight I wanted to get some thoughts on paper... digital paper that is.  If only trees were followers...  sigh.

 I'm loved outdoors.

So I was thinking, I need to put together my plan for next year.  I talked with my admin about it yesterday and got the green light for most of the things I wanted to do.  Big win.  So I decided I better articulate it somewhere so I can execute it.  So here it goes:

First and foremost, I am flipping my classroom.  Instructional videos will be recorded for the unit that we are in ahead of time.  Students may choose to watch them in class or outside of class, depending on preference and access at home.  Students will be given a series of assignments for the unit, again all ahead of time.  Projects will be assigned every 9 weeks, staggered between 7th and 8th grade.  Projects will go up until midterm of the quarter or start at midterm until the end of the quarter.

Students will be divided into reading groups (more in a second) and project groups.  Students will choose their own project groups and will design a logo and create a team name.  This will be their company (military) so to speak for the year.

Students will be asked to take notes on the videos in something similar to a Cornell note style.  This way they can summarize the videos and indicate what questions they have.  On Edmodo they will take an assessment over each  video using a randomly generated set of questions.  

Students will also have reading assignments to complete.  These assignments will be differentiated using data taken from the MAP test.  This way certain skills can be keyed in on.  These assignments will most likely be more response-based to incorporate our newly designed routine writing techniques.  

For each assignment, the total points will be recorded.  Points will also convert into experience points, or XP.  This will be used in the leveling system that I have blogged about previously.  Students who level up will receive certain perks throughout the year.

For students who finish ahead of time, the "bounty board" will be used.  This will be a place for extra assignments to boost grades and boost XP.  This is not extra credit, because accepting a bounty from the board will then require the student to finish the assignment in the allotted time.  If members of the same project group finish early, they could utilize class time to work on their 9-weeks project.

For students who are struggling with content, there will be time set aside during class to meet with me for reinforcement.  I will require their notes to be completed on a video lesson prior to asking for the reinforcement.  These mini-lessons can then clear up misunderstandings with students and focus them on the key points they may not have totally understood.  It will also free up computers for students because we cannot all use them at once.  I may try to use my Bamboo Capture and SMART Board in these lessons to record mini-lessons to add to my video library.

At the beginning of class I will try to answer individual questions, which will hopefully lead up to the mini-lesson I just mentioned.  After the mini-lesson I will go back to individual questions or work on tech issues that may arise.

Students will also be competing for several title belts that I have created.  Highest grades will have the honor of wearing the belt and bragging it off in class.  I love friendly gloating.

For students who finish everything, they may use the student contract form I developed to help me and my video-making process.  They may be allowed to create a student-made flipped video to add into future lessons.

Lastly, my classroom will be broken up into sectors instead of rows of desks.  Certain things go on in each sector.  It will make expectations clear and managing my class simpler.  In a perfect world, I will have about 20 different things going on at once.

Fingers crossed that this works!

Until next time,

Mr. J.

Teachers Aren't Superheroes: True or False?

Good Evening!

I was reading an article that made the way to me through the grapevine on Twitter.  It discussed how teachers are not superheroes, capable of superhuman feats.  Instead they are fallible human beings just like everyone else.  Here's a link to the article:

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a... Teacher? 

James Harrell is right.  We are not superheroes.  We are not born with superpowers.  Everything that we can do in a classroom is because of education, creativity, and perseverance.

We trained to do what we do.  Most of them time we work alone.  We're constantly looking for an edge, tools to augment our classroom.  Technology that does for us what we cannot do alone is used as much as possible.  And most of the time, the odds are stacked against us.  And when we go home, we go about our normal lives, blending in with the world because we leave a lot of what we do at work, only taking it home in our heads and hearts (and oh yeah, the grading... it's not a perfect analogy).

But does that sound like anyone you know???

Where James Harrell takes a misstep is saying that we can't be just a little larger than life.  We can be a certain type of hero.  This is why I have always been a Batman fan.  He's a normal guy.  He trained hard to achieve peak health and fitness.  He uses his intellect and his training to solve crime and defeat his foes.  And whenever he can, he uses technology.  From his fleet of vehicles to his hand weapons to his grappling hook to his other high-tech gadgets, he's always got a tool for the job.  Not to mention, he primarily works with a kid:

We're not going to get a flashing light in the sky asking us for help.  If it were only that easy.  We may not have the fancy car or the sweet costume, but when all of that strips away Bruce Wayne is no less human than any of us.  He just chose to be more.

That's what is needed from us as teachers.  We have to choose to be more so that our students will see that they can make the choice.  And no, we aren't going to be rich or famous for doing it like Batman is.  But that's why he's in a story, and we're out here. 

 I'd compromise for the costume.  

Mr. J.

To Boldly Use the Force to Live Long and Prosper

Greetings Education Galaxy-

I'm going to take a break from my technology pedagogy tonight.  I had to work out some of my inner nerd.  I'm sure I'm not the first person or the last to ever do what I'm about to do, but oh well.  Tonight I want to prove that the countless hours I have spent being a sci-fi nerd were not in vain.  Here are the lessons Star Wars and Star Trek have taught me and how I apply them to teaching:

 "The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few, or the one." -Spock

Teacher Translation:  Do what is best for your students, not teachers, not yourself.

"Do or do not, there is no try."

Teacher Translation:  Effort is meaningless.  Things either happen or they don't.  Choose to make them happen.

"Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is."

Teacher Translation:  None.  Yoda said this one.

"Pass on what you have learned."

Teacher Translation:  Anything you keep to yourself helps no one else.

"I don't believe it."  

"That is why you fail."

Teacher Translation:  Believe in your students, believe in yourself, and believe that what you are doing is important.  It's not half the battle, it is the battle

"But good words. That’s where ideas begin."

Teacher Translation:  Discussion, collaboration, conversation, and expression are the precursors to progress.

Strike me down, and I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine. 

Teacher Translation:  Learn from your mistakes, from your failures, from your shortcomings.  When you get knocked down, come back stronger and wiser than before.

"You will find that it is you who are mistaken... about a great many things."

Teacher Translation:  You know what they say about people who assume.  We don't know everything, so keep your eyes and ears open.  There are possibilities that you haven't considered.

"I'm a doctor, not an engineer."
Teacher Translation:  There are things that other people are better at than you.  The same goes that you are better than others at some things.  Trust others to help you and help others when you can.  Collaboration is key.

"In this galaxy there’s a mathematical probability of three million Earth-type planets. And in the universe, three million million galaxies like this. And in all that, and perhaps more...only one of each of us." 

Teacher Translation:  We're all special.  Everyone deserves our best.

"It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life."

Teacher Translation:  Sometimes we think we have a lesson figured out perfectly, we teach it exactly how we  want, and it still goes awry.  Win the next one.

"Engage."

Teacher Translation:  Everything you do should continue to hold your students' attention and as much as possible, entertain.  

So while so many of you folks are sitting on your laptops, your tablets, your smart phones, etc. at ISTE13, I thought I'd give you some food for thought.  Being a geek is so useful.

I'll leave you with one final quote from Captain Picard.  When it comes to new technology, new strategies, new ideas, or just something awesome you want to do for kids, follow his famous words...

"Make it so."

Second star to the right, and straight on until morning,

Mr. J.

The "Big Picture"

Greetings World-

I am in the wake of my Google Teacher Academy rejection, I have begun a 12-step program to rehabilitate myself.  Not really.  It was a fun experience and truly the camaraderie among playful and entertaining educators.  So while I didn't make the cut, I wanted to say thanks to those of you who chatted up the event and hyped it up into something positive to be a part of, regardless.  So @sjunkins, @msvictoriaolson, @iteachag, @EricDemore, @techbradwaid, @TechMinock, and @logan_ashlee, thanks for making the last few weeks a blast!

I've been playing with my Bamboo Capture some more.  I have found that there is a wireless feature that can be purchased for abut $40 to the tablet.  Here's the link if you didn't know about it:

Wireless Kit for Bamboo Capture

I want to use this wireless feature for an opening activity to a unit that I call "The Big Picture."  With a SMART Board, I want to create a visual outline of the material to be covered.  I'm a horrible artist, which in this case plays to my advantage.  With the wireless feature I can walk around my room and mention for example "George Washington crossing the Delaware."  I can hand off my tablet to a student to illustrate part of the picture, and then hand it back for me to continue talking.  Then I might need to talk about German mercenaries, which another student could draw for me and label as "Hessians."  Another could help discuss the setting by mentioning it was on Christmas Eve, and draw a Christmas tree, or even Santa (might have to be careful on the religious stuff if that's a big deal where you are).

The picture is not supposed to be historically accurate.  It's supposed to be funny or outrageous (@burgessdave).  The point is to mix things up, create something out of thin air, and to get a ball rolling.  The goal is to make kid-created analogies, illustrations, definitions, etc.  Jargon will be turned into "kid-friendly" language and history will be illustrated with a teenage mindset that I just help facilitate.  I mean after all, you never know what a junior high student will do/say (which I why I love teaching them), but every once in awhile you have to put the brakes on something.

While we do it on our SMART Board together, kids will have a piece of 11x17 or legal paper to also illustrate their own version of the big picture.  When we're done, we should have some sort of wacky image that can be conveyed in terms that the kids helped to develop and illustrate.

This is sort of what I have in mind, thug this was done on a dry-erase board.  My kids did a "big picture" on their own about the Civil War last year.

Just a quick thought tonight... but hopefully a good one.

Until next time-
Mr. J.

A Tech Curriculum out of Thin Air?

Hello World-

So among other things today I was asked by my administrator to help to create a tech curriculum for this coming school year.  Of course I jumped at the chance.

We used to have a tech class that went by the wayside in budget cuts with our industrial arts program, consumer and family science program, and several sports and clubs.  I'm glad such a vital set of skills is going to be taught directly again.

The question is, where do you start?  I teach in a district diverse in its student population.  Gauging the technological skills and ability to use applications and other Web 2.0 technologies in my students will be tough.

Some have no typing skills, understanding of basic Windows concepts, and cannot even save a file on their own.  Some have more know-how than I do.  It's a wide range of children to attempt to meet and engage.

So of course I immediately with to my PLN on Twitter and am hoping for ideas there.  While I wait, I also took a look at the NETS Standards, which can be found here:

NETS Standards

The six standards are at least a jumping off point to designing a curriculum.  For each school or program, expectations are going to be different.  Our kids will get two 30-minute blocks a day for "tech" instruction.

I would despise it if this class became Keyboarding 101 or educational website playtime.  That's not a tech class.  Technology changes, revolutionizes, enhances, and inspires.  It's how we communicate globally, and built civilization.  It is how we are going to continue to cure cancer, solve environmental problems, and continue to improve society.

Your wpm or how many math problems you got right on the latest math game website will not do those things.  We need to teach how to use today's tools to make tomorrow's tools.  We need to know how to share our ideas about the past and the present to get new ideas for the future.  We need to learn what we  can do to help what has been done.

Digital citizenship is the starting point.  Our job as teachers is to guide students as we educate them.  Using technology and social media in positive ways has to be considered.  If we can make progress in this area, there is going to be less resistance to other tech initiatives such as 1:1 and Bring Your Own Device.

Here are some resources I found to get me started with that:

Digital Citizenship 
Digital Citizenship 2
Digital Citizenship 3

I want to give kids access and the ability to use tools to learn in new ways, not just type up their report for me a little bit faster.  Who knows, we may need them to use some advanced tech to save our life someday as opposed to typing up our death certificate just a tiny bit faster.

Keeping thinking, keep laughing, keep learning.  Have fun and teach kids.

Mr. J.

Augmented Reality? For Real? Yes Really!

I'm going to disclaimer this right now...  I totally piggy-backed off of a Twitter conversation  going on last night and I stumbled upon pure educational gold.

So if you want to learn more about what I'm going to go crazy about right now... check out Two Guys and Some iPad's Blog:

Two Guys and Some i-Pads

So as I'm on Twitter last night, I run into a conversation about Augmented Reality (#AR).  

Check out our site: http://t.co/STN0PcHWcp for game changing apps and augmented reality in education!! #edchat #edtech

— Drew Minock (@TechMinock) June 16, 2013

So what is Augmented Reality?  I'm sort of figuring that out myself.  However if you get Webster on it and break it down, augmenting something means adding to or enhancing.  Reality is this thing we live in.  So what is happening is that our normal experience is being enhanced.

Think of it similar to 3-D movies, HD television, and the Xbox Kinect.  What you are experiencing is being enhanced by technology.  This concept is embodied by something called Aurasma, a new app and technology that is discussed below.

Imagine a classroom where your posters can now jump off of the wall.  Imagine posting student work with a video that explains it hiding in the air.  These "Auras" are just waiting to be created.  Students could use i-pods or i-pads over several images in a classroom or a website to learn more content.

I'm already thinking about a scavenger hunt type of process using this app.  But here's a great idea for all schools:

Imagine you are a PBIS school.  Normally reinforcing behaviors and having some sort of "kickoff" to teach behavior are part of the universal tier.  Imagine students making videos of how to act in the halls, how to act in class, how to act in the cafeteria, etc.  

Students could go around using mobile devices and view those videos that they helped to make.  All of the sudden a constant reminder of behavior could be in a school using mobile technology.

But as a history teacher, there's no doubt that making things come alive is the ultimate goal.  Aurasma can make that happen to an extent that we didn't have readily  available.  

Imagine hiding these "Auras" all over the classroom- invisible, waiting to be found.  Students would literally and metaphorically be "searching out knowledge."

That's engagement, and as the video said, a paradigm shift.  

If you want to learn more, check out www.aurasma.com.  And definitely give a look to the Two Guys and Some i-Pads blog.

If you download the app, try these two very quick Auras I made.  Hold your phone or device over the image:

This might be a gamechanger!

Mr. J.

Teach Like a Pirate: Courage to Say What We're All Thinking

Ahoy you sea-dogs and landlubbers alike!

I'm about a quarter of the way through Dave Burgess's book:  Teach Like a Pirate.  This book was hard to put down last night, but I am looking forward to continuing it through what will be a monotonous grad class tonight.

About Dave

Teach Like a Pirate

However there was something that resonated with me almost immediately as I read.  Burgess points out the strong connection between referencing pop culture and teaching.  Some teachers may frown on this as tacky or worthless, and they are wrong.  Additionally, caffeine and chocolate immediately enhance any lesson (obviously).


So I thought about it for a minute or two and I thought I would list some of the sillier things I have done, references I have made, or attempts to integrate my students' culture into my curriculum.

1.  There are several Family Guy episodes (notorious for their random references) that apply to history.  Try that one some time.  Well first, you have to watch.  Then just say "hey you remember when Brian and Stewie were doing _____________, that's what we are really talking about right now.  This is how it happened."

2.  Call of Duty!  They've made like 5,000 of them now.  Each one focused on a different war or part in history.  You want to talk about D-Day?  Well about half the games have a playable level where you storm Omaha or Utah Beach.  Just say "Hey remember in COD 2 in that first level where you hit the beach?"  Or you want to talk about the Chernobyl disaster?  Ask them about the level in COD 4 where you're in an abandoned city.  Mention the Ferris Wheel you wait by for the helicopter to extract you.  They'll know what you're talking about... even if you necessarily don't.  And the best part is that you can youtube people with the time to record themselves playing these games.  So if you don't have them, you can watch them, just to make the reference.  And this one works on more girls than you would believe.


3.  Find parodies.  From SNL to TV to movies to music, historical figures and events are parodied.  If the kids get why it is funny on their own, then they probably understand something about who that person was or what that event was about.  Just be careful that your audience can watch whatever it is, and that you don't have an administrator or parent who will go to red alert.  Here's a good example for the War of 1812:

4.  Anytime you have to talk about how outrageous the government was in doing something to someone, make the analogy to pizza, soda, facebook, or texting.  Imagine if the kids had to pay a tax on every text they sent.  Everyday, multiple times.  Now carry that feeling over to the American colonists paying taxes on their tea and everyday goods.

5.  Communism not setting in with your kids?  Give them all a bunch of candy (capital).  Then let them play a trivial game (rock, paper, scissors or Tic-Tac-Toe), where the winner gets a piece of the loser's candy.  That's competition in the market, and we call it capitalism.  Let someone win big, and then step in as the government and level the playing field again for everyone.  That's socialism.  Let them get upset that they just got robbed or revel in the fact that someone saved them.  Most will have gotten a bit of candy back, and you just created a candy proletariat in your classroom that will want to maintain the equality on their own, without me (the government).  Oh, P.S.  that's Communism.  This one was not my idea, so here's props to where I got that one from:

Communism Candy Lesson

6.  Use bad movies to teach good history.  If you haven't seen Pearl Harbor, watch it.  Then use it to explain to kids that it really wasn't a love story.

7.  Wrestling fans?  Buy a title belt from Walmart and then use it in a competition.  Middle schoolers love showing off and gloating to their peers.  You know you're awesome if you're the champ.

8.  Justin Beiber is Candian, as is Carly Rae Jepsen.  The boys from One Direction are British, as is Adele.  Selena Gomez is Hispanic.  Nicki Minaj is a Trinidadian, Rihanna is from Barbados, Shakira is from Colombia.  There's a geography lesson or project waiting to happen.

9.  Speaking of geography and map skills, let the kids create a city, state, or country.  Let them give it a theme.  I graded countless sports, boy-band, video game, and tv/movie-themed maps.  For older students, ask them to also devise the government structure.  Wanna be king?  Emperor?  President?  Prime Minister?  Or perhaps you and a few friends want a good old-fashioned oligarchy...  Who cares if the names are silly?  I mean someone named their town Santa Claus (sorry Jay Cutler)

That's it for now.  Time to go to school!

Mr. J.

Does It Have to Have a Pencil Involved to Be "Writing"?

Happy Sunday!

Having another overcast Central Illinois day today.  However my baseball team split a doubleheader today and managed to get its first win of the season.

If you are really interested in how we're doing... check out www.psml.net!

Anyways, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about how I am going to include writing into my curriculum. Mostly because my administrator told me "you are going to include more writing into your curriculum."  And so of course, with less direction or inspiration than I would like to have, I am setting forth.

My question though is this:  are we at a point where writing needs to ever be on paper anymore?  I mean sure, people are going to continue to need to write, and learn how to write, but as far as an assignment goes, should a written work be the last step still?

For example, if I want my students to respond to something they have read, they can post their response to Edmodo, link it to a blog, or if I ever was feeling ambitious, tweet it.  Those are still writing exercises, just not on paper.

But what if the writing was not the final product?  What if that writing turned into a short youtube clip where the student responded using what they wrote.  What if they enhanced it using an animation program like xtranormal?  What if they did an audio recording?  What if they rapped it?  All of those things started with writing, and guess what... we probably just hit a common core speaking and listening standard in the process.

I think that doing things in a way like this is more in line with the way our students our today, and also allows them to do things I need and want them to do while giving them outlets to be creative as well.  I'm not trying to "trick" them into writing, but I'm sure enough hoping for more success and better products.  If the student gets to record his or herself reading or talking about his or her writing, I'm hoping that a better job will get done.

It's this step beyond that is going to take our students from merely reciting or repeating back to us things we told them and instead transform their everyday work into something they produce.  With a course management site like Edmodo, Moodle, Blackboard, etc., this is within reach.  Imagine being able to conference with a parent and student and show them the work they have produced because it is digitally preserved and archived...  No more manila folders with crinkled papers and gouged corners.  No more messy papers with eraser holes and cross-outs.  No more papers getting lost (definitely guilty of that one) by a teacher!

Technology is just something that does a task for people in an easier way.  Usually it saves time.  That extra time should be used to create better work, not just hand in work in a different format.

Ok, I'll put my soapbox away for a bit.  Here's to my fingers being crossed for the Google Academy!

Mr. J.

Bounty System?

Hello World-

Stay with me on this one... I'm going somewhere with it.

I still consider myself to be a "young man," unless my parents or an authority figure address me as such :).

Anyways through three years of marriage, I have managed to maintain possession of an xbox.  Video games these days always have extra things to do in them.  These "achievements" give you additional gamerscore points on xbox.  It's kind of a way to show off and brag to your friends.

Check out the following sites or previous blog posts of mine to get an idea of what I'm talking about:

If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them

Random Thoughts for Next Year

Using Badges (Edudemic)

So with my ideas for a flipped classroom, I know that differentiation will come naturally.  I plan to divide my kids into "project groups" and "reading groups."  This way kids can pick their own groups to work on large assignments while I will assign them into groups based on our reading data to assist them.  This way if our MAP scores tell us a large group needs to work on cause and effect, making predictions, etc. I can tailor their reading through Edmodo to do so.

Regardless, there are going to be kids who get done early.  I have always had a hard time keeping these kids busy because there are other students who honestly just need my help more.  So here is my idea... a bounty system.

From Dog the Bounty Hunter to the Borderlands franchise to the Wild West, bounties are collected when someone accepts a task and completes it for compensation.  So in my class, I am considering posting specific research tasks on a "bounty board."  These would be similar to the student contracts that I discussed before, giving students who have completed their assigned tasks something to explore.

Take the Civil War for example.  There are so many topics, battles, people, and technology that could be explored in so much more detail.  I could select some of these topics that I have research or readings for and post them to the bounty board.  Students who finish work early (or those who wish to do something extra that they found interesting) can accept an assignment off the bounty board.

I plan to do a running points system for the students' grades this year.  Taking an assignment off the board will be similar to creating their own using a student contract.  Both of these will be extra assignments that can add points to the grade.  It is extra work to improve the grade, but not simply free points.  If the work is poor, the grade will be also.

The badge and level systems will be added into the bounty system.  Doing extra work will earn extra experience, which will lead to more rapid acceleration through the ranks.  Students will quickly see (I hope) that going above and beyond is worth it, and will be recognized!

       

This will hopefully accelerate students who are ready and keep them engaged in relevant content while I can continue to facilitate and provide additional instruction to those who need it.

It's win-win.  They get positive recognition and perhaps more tangible associations to "leveling up," and I get more out of students than I hopefully would have without any sort of system.

Let me know what you think!

Mr. J.

I Want to Go to Chicago

Hello fellow Techies-

I finished my Google Teacher Academy application.  It's hard to say something in just one minute, so I just decided to be myself.  I watched on Youtube and saw how awesome some of these videos were, and how much of an overachiever some folks are!!!  Impressive nonetheless, I aspire to be as talented.

I really want this however.  Technology just goes with our students.  They're connected at all times to the world, to each other, and to information.  Schools have to continue to focus on using the skills that kids already have instead of scorning their use of technology.  Kids these days can multitask so well that we should give them several things to do and watch them do it.

Anyways... I'll get on a soapbox some other time.  Here's my video.  Amateur footage I know, but I'm working with free software.  Thinking about Camtasia soon though.  I'll definitely give it a review for the blog universe.

But right now it's a beautiful day, and I'm going to go spend it with my beautiful wife and the baby boy she's carrying along with her.  I can't wait to meet him!

Best of luck to anyone who makes it to Chicago.  I'm so close to there, maybe I'll crash the Academy if I don't get picked :)!

Mr. J.

Currently...

This was a suggestion from my wife...  Learning about these link parties this summer.

Death to Lesson Plan Books! Evernote: Great for Lesson Planning

Hello All-

It's like the Epic of Gilgamesh out there.  It's been raining in Central Illinois for what seems like weeks.

That just means it's time to blog once more.  Today I'm going to tell you about the best $30 you can spend.  Evernote, a web-based, note-taking and organizing system, is great for lesson planning.

The service itself is free, but there is limits to file space.  I upgraded for $30/year and have more than enough space, with a quota that refreshed every month or so.  Evernote is great because you can set up notebooks, tag them with special tags to search later, upload documents, and quickly share a note or file with other people.

Additionally, Evernote has apps for the i-phone and droid phones, works on a Mac, and also has a desktop interface so that you do not have to access the website.  A companion app, Skitch, allows you to snap a picture or create a sketch and then quickly upload it to your notes as well.  You can do the same thing from the cell phone app too.

On the far left are all my notebooks, which I use for grad school and for lesson plans.  Next is the recent notes that I have taken or edited.  Then to the right is the current open note, one for a book I am reading.  All of this information can be tagged, as you see on the far left.  Want to find the week you taught the Constitution?  Tag it, and then search it.  To the top right, you can edit a note, share it, delete it, or print it.  Imagine that crazy day where you wake up feeling horrible, your kid is sick, your car won't start, or there's a traffic jam.  Quickly call a colleague or your trustworthy secretary, forward them the note via email, and they can click print.  Then it looks like this:

Each paperclip icon represents an attached file.  If you can save it or scan it, you can attach it.  File limits are pretty high.  You may not be able to load up a feature-length fill to Evernote, but every document, powerpoint, picture, and even most sound files will fit.

The app is nice too.  The interface is easy to use:

This is how I keep all my lesson plans organized, because if I had this much paper in binders I'd go crazy and probably lose it.  Like I said... best $30 ever spent.

Well that's it for now, hopefully my next blog post will come from dry land.  I feel like I'm in a terrible Kevin Costner movie.

Here's to sunshine-

Mr. J.

The Student Contract

Happy Summer!

I have finished another campaign through the adventure that is middle school.  With summer now upon me, I can start to work on grad school, next year, and preparing for Baby J to get here in October!

But I was at the doctor this morning and of course they were behind schedule.  I had mentioned before my ideas of "leveling" up and badges.  While I sat there this morning I came up with what I think is the answer to making this system work.

I have always graded on points.  So if each point earned is an "experience point," then I can set targets for leveling up.  With my flipped videos and hopefully differentiated reading assignments all going at one in my room, some students are going to get done quicker than others.  They can either be bored, pacified, or enriched!

So what I decided this morning is that students who complete work early will be able to contract out assignments for additional experience.  For example, a student may be interested in slavery.  He/She would contract out an assignment with me to research their topic and then produce some kind of product.  I would love it if these contributions may even become part of my videos down the road.

We would agree on a due date, points available, and how the assignment would be assessed.  Then the student would go off and be busy enriching themselves while others work at their pace.  The points they earn would go toward the experience they earn, as well as would count toward their grade.

This is what I'm thinking it will look like:







This student contract idea I think will work out well.  I'd love some feedback or suggestions however so spread the word on my blog and feel free to comment!

But alas, it's time for me to go fix my pool.  Can't start summer until I do.

Here's to all you do-

Mr. J.