Wicked Problem Project

Below is the completed version of my Wicked Problem Project jing. Enjoy!

Group Leadership Project

For the last few weeks, I've been working with some scholarly educators from around the world. One group member is just over an hour from me in Michigan, and one is literally a world way in Bengladesh. Though a variety of conferencing tools, we've met multiple times to create a great tutorial on Google Docs, something that every teacher needs to use in their classroom.

Here is a link to the video and some information about it.

Using Google Docs

What tool did your group use to deliver the PD tutorial?

There were a few different programs that we thought about using to create our final video. We ended up settling on iMovie, a program standard on Apple computers. At first we were not sure what program to use, but Reaz was very familiar with iMovie. One of the things that we were looking for was a program that would allow you to create long video, which ruled out Jing. Jing, even the pro version will only let you create a 5 minute version. After creating our MP3 narration in Audacity, Reaz put the narrative into iMovie, and we have our finished product.

What did you learn during the development process of the final product?

I learned a lot when I created this product, not only on video production, but on other uses of Google Docs that I didn't know about. There are some great tools that I was not aware of, like Google Drawing and Google Wave. Even though we didn't end up using Google Wave as part of our final presentation, I learned a lot about that collaborative tool and some of it's uses.


What would you do differently if you had to develop a similar product again?

If I were to develop a similar product, I would try to structure better group meetings. Our group ran into many problems trying to meet. One part of this problem was our hectic schedule, and the other problem was the time difference. Suzy and I were able to find times outside of our workday when we could meet, but linking up with Reaz proved more difficult because of the time difference. Because of this, communicating though Gmail was easier than video conferencing because we were able to collaborate at times that worked for all of us. In doing this again, I would use the same software that we did before in our creation with the exception of iMovie. I have a PC, and I would probably end up using Windows Movie Maker, which I've had success using in the past.

Professional Learning Plan

You can view the Google Presentation here.

Part D - Findings and Implications

As I wrap up this foray into CEP 812 I have the unique opportunity to look back at the projects that I've undertaken and to assess them. There are a few key questions that I'll try to answer to assess the success of the implementation of my project, and how it affected my students.

Did the project get implemented as planned?
There were a few hitches in implementing my project. Our smartboard was rarely used in our school. With the lack of ceiling mounted projectors, or projectors that are readily available, teachers cannot count on having a projector in their classroom at all times. Once I was able to procure a projector, I wheeled the smartboard down to the room. When I set the board up, I began having trouble connecting it to my computer - only to realize that I did not have the correct adapter to connect the ps2 plug to my USB port. This caused a slight delay as I had to have the ISD come out a drop off the converter. Once I had the part I thought that I was all set. This though was not the case. Since our smartboard is not mounted, it has been wheeled all over the school - which has caused some wear and tear on it. One of the plugs had been pulled out of the mounted motherboard on the unit. After taking apart the panel, I connected all of the wires and got the board plugged in and working. Once it was actually connected to my computer, it was fairly simple to get used to using the board, and easy to get it oriented to the projector. It was just the task of getting everything working correctly that was a little frustrating. Overall, the setup took about four hours.

Evidence of success in addressing the problem of practice
I found multiple markers of success after implementing my program. The goals that I attempted to accomplish are followed by the evidence.

1.) Teach an interactive lesson that the students can control - In the lesson students were able to choose which 360Cities panoramic pictures to view. In the book, there were only a set number of pictures to use - but Google Earth allowed students to choose multiple pictures, from all over Cuba. Students also chose different places to zoom in on. One place that students wanted to learn more about was the US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay. Students asked to zoom into where the prisons, armory, and airport were. The class was very excited to see planes and runways. This is something that would not be possible using the book.

2.) Create a geography based lesson that does not rely on the book, but meets criteria of teaching the 5 themes of geography - In this lesson, it was very important that I was able to show the following things: Location, Characteristics, Movement, Region, Interaction. Using GoogleEarth allowed me to show each of these criteria easily. The ability to zoom, show topography and see user uploaded photos gave the students the chance to see all of the nation in much greater detail than the book.

3.) Find additional information on subjects covered in the lecture - This was one of the main goals that I had during this project. One of the topics that came up during this lesson was the Bay of Pigs. I hadn't planned on covering the Bay of Pigs, or the Revolution in Cuba as a whole but it was something that the students were interested in. By using layers in GoogleEarth, I was able to click on an icon for the Bay of Pigs and get more in depth information for the class immediately.

4.) Teach using up to date information - A large problem that I encountered this year was teaching up to date information. Since it's my first year teaching this subject, I am partially in the, learn as you go along phase. This is ok for most subject matter, but very difficult when presented with obsolete books. While teaching the political geography of eastern Europe, I had many questions regarding countries that have changed names and disappeared in the years since the book was published. By using GoogleEarth, I was assured that I had current information on the names, locations and boundaries of each place on my map.


How would you approach another project of this type differently given what you’ve learned here?

If I were to approach another project in my class where I were solving a problem using technology, there would be a few things that I would do differently. First, if I found a technology that I wanted to use, I would sit down with other teachers and ask them about there experiences using the technology. I ran into a lot of problems because I had used a Smartboard before, and assumed that this smartboard would be easy to use. As I mentioned before, it was an absolute headache connecting the smartboard to my computer and there were points where I wanted to scrap the program and start over. A lot of this could have been avoided had I asked some other members in the district about their experiences using it.

What are the lessons learned that others might benefit from knowing about?

A great lesson that I learned during this program was that kids love GoogleEarth. They absolutely love flying over parts of the country that they know, looking at the earth from space, and the really, really love to see their house on the projector. I am really looking for ways to incorporate using GoogleEarth and local maps to teach basic geographic concepts because kids are so excited about using it. Next year when the district "Images" or "ghosts" the computers, I will suggest to them that they include GoogleEarth because it has so many practical applications. To the teacher out there, you need to play with GoogleEarth. It has so many great functions. Your kids will love it.

In what ways will you endeavor to do the same project again, and what will you change or not do?

I will definitely use GoogleEarth and the smartboard again - and I plan to use it frequently. Ideally, I will use this for each and ever unit that I teach, when I get to the part where I explain the five themes. One thing that I will have to change will be the way I set up my unit. Next year I'm going to try and set up the smartboard and projector in a spare classroom - so there will be no set up involved. Teachers will simply be able to sign out the room and then have access to all of the technologies. I will also try and create an outline, and a structured set of questions that the students need to answer. There were many time where the students were off task because the lesson was too open ended. In closing, I will definitely do this lesson again, and my modifications will only make it a more effective lesson.

PART B - Storyboard and Script

Lately, myself, and two group members have been working on a project that will create a stand alone instructional resource that will help people use Google Docs!

Here's a link to view the storyboard of our presentation:

https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AUDTy9j6FhYdZGR6cjlnZ2ZfMWZ3eDR2ZmNo&hl=en&authkey=COSg2-gD

I spearheaded the Google Forms part of the storyboard. I have used it many times and it's very simple - although it is time consuming. Suzy will be discussing the benefits of Google Drawings, and Reaz will be discussing Google presentations.

Our audio will be a mix of step-by-step and also a short tutorial of what you can do with these tools.

We have decided that we will be producing our movie using iMovie. Each group member is going to record MP3 audio for their part of the presentation and then Reaz is going to put that audio into the sideshow that we'e prepared as a group. We already have our audio completed, and since the audio corresponds to the sides, we will transition the slides manually to link up with the sound. The goal is to have this done by Wednesday so we can adjust anything that is needed before it's due.

We will be discussing a lot of this tomorrow during another brainstorming session.

Mobile Learning

I recently joined a website called Classroom 2.0 to explore ways of teaching using mobile learning. Here are some of my results.

What tools did you try?
Flip Cameras in the classroom - We're beginning to discuss economics in my class and I've been beginning to put together plans to have the students us the flip cameras to interview adults in the buildings about personal finance. It would be interesting to be able to get the view of multiple adults and bring them into the classroom.

I also have two students who have iPads who I allow to take notes using their tablet. If it's easier for them, and provides them with a digital copy, they are more than welcome to use it in my classroom.



What ways are you thinking about integrating mobile technology into YOUR classroom?

I'd really like to use mobile technology in my classroom for students to ask questions through a backchannel like Todaysmeet.org . I think that would be a very interesting way for students to ask questions and direct the topic of the lecture or discussion.


What challenges (or inspirations) do you foresee?

I had a few troubles using mobile technology in my classroom. Although I feel the results could have been different in a non-middle school setting, see a few challenges. One problem that I saw was that students were very focused on their phones during this time. The ratio of phones out, to answers received were very low. I don't know what percentage of students used their phone for educational purposes during the activity, but it wasn't too high.

Another challenge that I faced for my students who used tablets in my room was poor wireless signal strength. I'd love for my students to be able to get online and download my lecture notes in a fill in the blank form, but it was just taking too long.

My PLN

Here's a video that I created for my PLN assignment. I used a program called Prezi - that I learned from some cool people this summer at the FTE conference at Cornell.

Took me about 10 minutes to put it all together. If you don't know Prezi, you need to. Go play around with it, it's very cool.

---

My PLN VISUALIATION (Tom Gunnells) on Prezi

Getting Things Done

As part of my CEP810 Masters Course, I'm getting things done. I've put together an organizational system to help keep track of things that I need to get done, and to help get them done in an organized manner. It's always difficult decided what needs to get done first - especially when some projects are long term. It's possible to work on parts of projects, while also taking care of other items that can be done quickly - the trick is however, being organized.

To do this, and to make it work, I had to find a program that could help me keep track of what needs to get done. I decided to use a program called GoogleNotebook. I chose this because it's something that I can't lose. I try to be really organized, and that means doing tasks on computers. I don't like losing things, and it's easier to keep track when their saved to a hard drive or the internet.

I organized my process by creating 6 Notebooks in GoogleNotebooks. Inbox, Calendar Items, Next Action, Waiting For, and Completed Items. When I get something that needs to get done, it goes in my inbox. I can tag the task with what it relates to. CEP810, Work, Home, Car -whatever. This should allow me to quickly see tasks in different categories. While putting items in the inbox, I can also add notes, share with others or add a date. Once an item in my inbox is complete (not done, but entered with date, tags and comments), I can move it to one of 4 boxes. Calendar items, Next Action Items and Waiting On. Once an Item is completely finished, I can move it to the Completed Items folder.

Going Through The Process

Going through the process for the first time was difficult. I found that it took a little bit of time organizing everything that needed to get done into once place. I also found that I was trying to complete tasks before they were entered into my Inbox. Once I put the brakes on, the process sped up. I focused on entering all the tasks into my inbox.

Once everything was entered, I was able to organize the tasks by "priority". Next Action, Calendar Items, Projects and Waiting On. By prioritizing these items, I was able to see what could be taken care of immediately, and what things were more of long term goals. This also allowed me to work on a number of quick tasks that might have gotten lost in the shuffle earlier.

Next came the review phase. Since I haven't done this for a full week yet, I've decided that Wednesdays are going to be the day that I review all the tasks that need to be completed. It's not last minute, and I'll still have time to finish tasks that are incomplete. I would like to try and pick a time each day where I can review my tasks and crank out some work that needs to get done.

I think this process will be very helpful in allowing me to organize my tasks. It should also increase my productivity. I now have a program where I can list everything that needs to get done. This is accessible from my computers, as well as my phone. Instantly, I can add tasks wherever I am. I can also see at a glance what needs to be completed.

I hope this process is something that I can continually use and improve on. I'm hoping this will cut down on sticky-notes that get lost, of assignments that fall through the cracks. Time will tell how useful this is, and if I will continue it, but after a few days, it seems interesting - and very useful!

1. Do you think you will continue this process? If not, what will your process be?

Social Networking and Me!

Even though its been around since college, I feel Social Networking is new to me. I've been on Facebook for a few years, and more recently twitter. Each of these "new" creations have a profound effect on how I do work, and how I learn.

Personally, the social networking tools that I use, mainly Facebook and Twitter have changed the way I communicate with my friends. They have allowed me to stay in contact with friends from high school, college and old jobs. With Twitter, I can follow friends, celebrities and athletes and see their updates and get a glimpse into their lives. As exciting (and unnecessary) as this is, the benefits of Social Networking from a work standpoint are even larger.

Twitter and Facebook have allowed me to become better at my job. The opportunity to learn more, and being able to share that information with my students helps everyone gain more knowledge. I originally created my Twitter account as a quick way to contact my students parents and to let them know what the homework assignments were. In a perfect world, all of my students, and parents would be on Twitter, and they'd be following my tweets. Unfortunately, my old district had Twitter blocked, and few families had internet connections. In my new position, more families have internet access, and Twitter is unblocked. Because of this, I envision a point where Twitter will become a very important tool that I can use in my classroom.

Facebook also plays a role in my professional life by allowing me to network with other education professionals. The opportunity to stay in contact with teachers that I have met at conferences around the United States is amazing. Many times I have met teachers at conferences and we've had some great educational collaborative discussions. Though Facebook, and groups, we've been able to continue those discussions. Although I've been reluctant to reach out to students through Facebook, it has been an important tool for me with co-workers.

As for my students and peers, I feel my students are much more immersed in Social Networking, compared to my peers. Many younger teachers have adopted these technologies, but not at the rate that students have. As younger teachers enter the field of teaching, I think we will see the number of educators utilizing these tools increase.

RSS Blog Post

Here is a screenshot of my RSS Feed. At this point, I had only added the 5 required feeds. I soon added more. Pics to follow.

A comment that I've added to a blog that I follow through my RSS feed: I follow a blog called Michigan Council For Economic Education. They had a great post on visualizing unemployment, which can be seen here: http://mceeblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/visualizing-unemployment.html

I commented that it was a great resource that I used in my classroom to show the impact that the recession had on the mid-west and Michigan specifically. It really hits home when you see how dark (most unemployment) Michigan gets, and how much worse it was in the rust belt. (I am waiting for my comment to be accepted by the blog and posted)

Tracking the news on my RSS Feed

Monday:

Using my RSS feed I've found information on a program called dropbox. This program allows me to put files into a folder on my home computer, and have them appear in the same folder on my work computer. This is going to save me a ton of time not having to e-mail myself notes, or upload files to webspace that is hard to access from school. I don't know if I would have normally found that article. I don't find myself reading each and every article that comes into my feed, but I'm able to skim and find the news that I find interesting, and then I can look farther into it. I can also tailor my RSS feed to my needs. I am finding interesting articles that are useful to me.

Tuesday:

Not too many interesting articles today (my perspective at least) but I think I could really use this in my class. If I create an RSS feed from trusted sources, with specific topics or information, I could use this with my students when they are trying to do research. I've done a lot of work with my classes and current events in the past, but it is always difficult to get the students to find quality articles. Now I can build a database of articles for my students to look through. It is easy to navigate, and will provide an endless source of pertinent information for them to use.

Wednesday:

Today I checked my RSS feed again. I have 49 new posting. There is a lot to look at, and I've realized that you can put feeds into folders (I'm using GoogleReader). Having folders helps me organize the news sources that I follow. I think that I could find specific feeds that give specific information, and then sort them by the units I teach. This means students could explore at their own pace. Ive also found some RSS feeds that I began to follow that aren't what they seem. It means I'll have to research feeds before I subscribe to them. I wouldn't want to use sources for my students that can be inappropriate at times.

I read an interesting article on a Blackberry Tablet that may be coming out - that was really interesting. I also read a good on how an Economics teacher got her students to remember the MC=MR formula.

Traditional Web Pages vs Blogs

There is a large difference between traditional webpages and blogs. Understanding the difference can help make you more efficient on the internet. Traditional webpages may hold information that is never updated. It might provide directions, or information on a subject. Blogs however, if used correctly are frequently updated. Blogs are more of a running journal, written by one or more authors. Blogs can be found on a variety of topics. These blogs allow readers to comment on the "journal entries" and also allow readers to read previous updates as well (not an option on most traditional websites.)