Twitter + cell phone = FREE Classroom Response System

I've posted before about embracing cell phones in education. That idea is coming closer to reality. I just know that I'm throwing my million dollar idea out the window. I also know that the edublogger community has a MUCH greater chance of pulling this together.

If you've been following the NECC chatter you've certainly read about how Twitter was the "rookie of the year" application. See posts from Jeff Utecht and Ryan Bretag.

David also has ideas churning about educational applications of Twitter.

Here's what's on my mind and I hope that the programmers out there can help.

As I visited the NECC exhibit hall, the "clicker" vendors were very popular. You know the ones where teacher posts a question and student use a $50 remote control unit to respond. A classroom set can be had for ONLY $2500-$3000.

So here's the alternative:

1. Teacher and students establish Twitter or Jaiku accounts.
2. Teacher adds students as friends.
3. Teacher poses a question on Twitter as part of the lesson being delivered.
   
4. Students respond using Twitter. The answer could be a simple ABCD or could be short answer.
5. Responses come filing in on the teacher's screen.

So there are privacy concerns with this. There are equity concerns (not all have phones, not all have text plan, etc.) I'm certain there are concerns with policy as well. Many schools have banned cell phones.

The idea here is that we're not far from a $3000 system for effectively ZERO.

I'm not ready to discuss the educational value of the clicker systems. That's an animal of its own. Fact is, classroom response systems can help to engage students in the learning process, even if it's only the first step.

So what do you think? Can a Twitter-like app be tweaked to create a classroom response system using a browser and cell-phones? Why not? What about those one-to-one classrooms?

Tags: Twitter, CPS, NECC07, paccio, education

NECC 2007- Constructivist Teaching with Technology: Learning with Laptops

June 26, 2007 Session- 3:30PM
Constructivist Teaching with Technology: Learning with Laptops
Live blogging so please be kind. My comments in italic.
The presenters began with a rolling slide show of motivational quotes from teachers and students. I was amazed at how engaged the audience was at just a rolling slide show.

http://learningandlaptops.blogspot.com

http://www.lps.k12.co.us/schools/arapahoe/21c/necc2007.html

The School has a Curriculum Innovation Team- Teachers from Science, Social Studies, English and Math together with the building technology director.

Humans construct knowledge, learning is an active process. How you implement that is little more controversial.

KF suggests that one key to the professional development program is that it involves teachers teaching teachers. He suggests that had the same content come as a directive from the administration that it would have met resistance. I'd really like to understand this mentality. If I'm a professional, what difference does the staff development providers title make??

The professional learning community environment was designed around rolling chairs and tables to allow for flexibility.

Blogging was one initiative.
Each staff member has a person blog for reflection. There is a specific focus on the personal blog.
In class the presenter described a project where political discussions went into more depth and breadth than any traditional learning techniques.

Skype is way better than blogger. The comments come too fast in blogger??

Collaboration-

• Teamwork-
  
• Knowing when to be a leader and when to be a following and the wisdom to know the difference.
• Example of a wiki to gather 1001 flat world example

Reflective Thinking is an important part of this process

• Teachers must model the reflective learning
• Notes undergraduate journals as an examples of traditional reflective learning
  
• Blogging gives them a voice of their own

One class took it upon themselves to write 4 chapters of an Astronomy textbook using a wiki. This is a real WOW! example. I can see kids taking off with this. Perhaps they could use screenshots from open source stuff like Stellarium and Celestia! I'll use that example!

Example: Students collaborate using a Google Doc, multiple peer editing, reviewing toolbar for peer editing allows students to reflect on one another's writing.
Example: Digital storytelling... Prompt: What Does it Take to Challenge the System? What matters to you and how it relates to you and the world around you? Excellent prompt. No chance for plagiarism there! I frequently hear concerns about students cheating. I'll add this assignment to my collection of examples. Thanks Ann!

The Fischbowl has some blogging policy examples. Internet use at Arapahoe is opt OUT in the school and not opt IN. Bold and risky. While I like it I think our solicitor would not be supportive. Karl reports that kids generally police themselves. I can see where they would so as not to jeopardize the program and techniques.

The presenters stopped in plenty of time to allow for dialog with participants. EXCELLENT technique! We should see more of this.

How do you respond to the AP teacher who can't possibly fit this in and cover all of the material? The response was that this technique facilitates depth of understanding and long-term retention. While we have only one year of data, scores were actually higher using blogging.

How do you deal with the "Yeah-buts"? Start with a core of teachers who volunteer and buy in immediately. Allow others to follow using the wildfire effect. Good suggestion.

The message from Anne: Change the World! Thanks... I think I will and your presentation was inspiring.
I think that the success in this school is directly attributable to teacher leadership, professionalism and I would assume a supportive administration. Congratulations on a top notch presentation. One of the best.

Note to Anne concerning student file access at home: Perhaps you could have students save files to Box.net and their files WILL be available to them at home.

Tags: n07s647, NECC07, NECC2007

NECC 2007- Top Ten Must-Dos to Make Open Source Work

June 26, 2007
11:00 Session- Top Ten Must-Dos to Make Open Source Work

The State of Indiana has adopted Linux and Open Source tools to increase student access to technology.

Initial studies showed that students spend an average of about 35 minutes per week accessing instructional technologies. Indiana was spending HUGE sums of money on computer hardware and software. The refresh cycle was about every 4 years.

Change is Great! You go first.

Students were presented with a Linux desktop running Open Office.
After an exit survey 70% of students reported that they were using Windows and Word when in fact they were using Fedora and OO2. Many users don't notice significant differences. Their focus isn't on the tool, it's on the task.

Honesty and Integrity- Let people know that this will not be a complete walk in the park. Set realistic expectations. Allow teachers to learn and grow.
Without curriculum and curriculum leadership, none of this works.

In year two the schools rolled out Moodle. It has made a huge difference in allowing students to re-access instructional materials

Reason 7- Sustainable Plan - Must include financially sustainable hardware, software, and TIME.

Reason 6- Transformational Teacher Applications

• Moodle
• Online Writing Software
• Simulations- examples Celestia, Stellarium, Graphing simulations
  

Using technology tools some students no longer see homework as drudgery. One student was asked if he has more homework due to the technology. He responded that he used his computer to access Moodle more but didn't have more homework. He saw Moodle as a method to lighten his load and not increase.

Reason 5- Highlight local Heros
Reason 4- Community- Build it, Nourish it, Sustain it
Reason 3- Focus
Started with the English classroom. Why? "Low hanging fruit." English teachers and students use Word processing and NOT complex probes and peripherals.

Reason 2- Drive the Car - You learn to drive the car by getting behind the wheel. You didn't read a manual. The consequences of mistakes when learning to drive a car is FAR greater than mistakes when learning to use a computer.

Reason 1- Open minds- Look for people with open minds. Help them to open their minds.
Help people to understand that the focus should be on students and not technology.

K-12 Open Minds conference
Open Source, Open Systems, Open Minds

Thinking OPEN in K-12
October 9-11, 2007
Indianapolis, Indiana
http://www.openmindsconference.org
Registration opens July 16, 2007

The presenter suggests that purchasing extended warranties is absurd. The failure rate on desktops is about 7%. The cost of extended warranty is far greater than that.

A technician from one Indiana school suggests that the Linux computers require far less support than the previous systems.

Indiana has settled on using Star Office because it has more templates. Free for educators.
Lots more fonts and lots of clip art.

Start small. Three schools the first year. What if we started with the MS?

ITALC- Intelligent Teaching and Learning - Like SchoolVue or NetOP- http://italc.sourceforge.net

EXCELLENT session. I STILL believe in my heart of hearts that open source is going to play a role in a device that will transform teaching and learning.
I beleive that Indiana is doing the right thing. I will begin to follow even more closely.

KP

Tags: n07s770, NECC, NECC07, NECC2007

NECC 2007- Making the Laptop Disappear

June 25, 2007 - 12:30PM Session- Live session blog, so please be kind.

Making the Laptop Disappear- Moving to Seamless Integration
Howard Levin, Director of Technology, The Urban School of San Francisco

Independent school... some say "private school"
9-12 High School, Block Schedule, 4 classes at a time
27% students of color

Laptop Background
Head of School MUST be the key catalyst, if not give up.

Vision

Computer technology is used by all as a natural tool of the learning process.

Computers are available to all whenever and wherever they are needed - similar to the availability of pen and paper. The result de-emphasizeds the specialization of compuer technology as use becom seamless, ubiquitous and normal... the key is to normalize it.

Ultimately, it's all about learning.
Consider:

• Organization
• Communication
• Information
• Production

A significant amount of the presentation was then spent on the "paradigm shift" and youth culture. This session will be podcasted. If I forget, please comment and remind me to link to the podcast.

The comparison of yesterday's teacher and tomorrow's teacher was interesting.
From "I will show you" to "I will guide you" is right on the money.
Howard was clear that he disliked the term 'technology' and preferred the word 'tools.'

tech literate vs life literate
New Paradigm: Everyone captures their life, students and adults have picture phones. Compare that to life when you were 7 years old.

The instructor emphasizes that the laptop becomes a reflection of the student and the way they think. Several very complex desktop images were shared.
Concept mapping software was presented as an integral part of the solution. Visual learners create concept map in an image of how they think. Translation to outlines is then a breeze.

Some excellent survey data was shared about how students collaborate and communicate about schoolwork online OUTSIDE of class. The numbers were indicative of students who were highly dependent and engaged with the "learning tool."

The laptops give a voice to the student who otherwise would not
Writing, writing, writing is the single most important task enabled by the having laptops.
Teachers in foreign language class use voice messages within email to allow for students to have personal practice with speaking the language.
The instructor notes that NO technical training in these techniques were provided.

Several examples of digital learning were provided.
Students studied motion, gravity, resistance and more. Measured with electronic sensors.

IrYidium?- virtual chem lab software? The screenshot flashed across the screen. I'd like to learn more about that.

Examples where production is improved with access to the learning tools.

The instructor skipped ahead as he ran out of time.
He highlighted REAL world issues where students published their work online. Students, knowing that their work is being distributed to the world work extremely hard on the project.
Students interviewed and digitized video of World War II veterans.

Students interviewed local leaders and captured a portion of local history that may have never been reported.

Laptop Info: http://blue.urbanschool.org/laptops
Telling Their Stories: http://www.tellingstories.org

Tags: n07s652, NECC07, NECC2007

NECC 2007- CP4E - Computer Programming for Everybody

June 25, 2007- 11:00 Session- CP4E - Computer Programming for Everybody

Teaching Programming using Open Source computers and the free Python language.
I'm live blogging so please be kind.

This session is taking place in the open source lab. The 30 laptops here are 800 mhz P3 computers with no hard drives. They are thin clients to a $500 server. The computers seem very responsive. Impressive.

The instructor, Vern Ceder, believes that all students should learn programming techniques.
"Our workplaces and play spaces are often supported or depend upon software. Wouldn't it be great if we understood how it works?" Nice.

We were taken through a brief history of programming in US schools including Pascal, C, and others. The time allotted to programming was rapidly declining. Java wasn't really considered seriously, Ruby and Squeak were not quite a fit. Python seemed to be a perfect fit at first glance and after further investigation. The curriculum was re-written almost immediately.

A significant amount of time was dedicated to why Python is a good fit for schools.
Python is:
Free (as in speech (GPL)
Beautiful (depends upon indentation as part of syntax)
Readable
... worthless without engagement.

Some hands on:

• We launched a program called IDLE and were presented with a "shell".
• print "Hello World"
• 4*5 presents 20
• x =4, y = x*x, print y results in 16

The instructor was clear that boring tasks like these are presented quickly for awareness and are not used repeatedly like traditional programming course techniques.

Instructor ran through some turtle graphics techniques repeating code, turn 90 degrees, etc.
A "For loop" is used to repeat the process.

The house example asks students to use the "turtle" to draw a house using the learned commands. No hands on directions are being provided. It was my hope that we would get to try a few techniques. A little disappointed.

Instructor presented some examples of how students took a personal interest and extended their projects. Not what I expected but interesting nonetheless.

The instructor certainly was knowledgeable about Python and the Python open source project.
Go to the schools web page for additional information on Python.
Contact Vern Ceder
vceder [at] canterburyschool [dot] org

Tags: n07s600, NECC07, NECC2007

NECC 2007- Online Instruction Session

8:30 Session- Pitfalls and Successes using Online Instruciton

Michele Mislevy - Albright College, Reading, PA

This is a "bring your own laptop" session, a first for NECC. The presenters have prepared the presentation in WebCT

The wireless seems strong and the web seems to be working. The WebCT server seems to be problematic. The instructors were scrambling a bit. It appeared that there was no "plan b".
The presentation seems to be evolving into an informal discussion.

Instructor narrates the PowerPoint and then converts for the web using Impatica.
She suggests using Camtasia for screencasts. A member of the audience suggests "iShowU" screencast software for Mac users.

The session conversation seemed slow and lacked direction.
It was unfortunate that their WebCT server didn't cooperate.

KP

Tags: n07s808, NECC07, NECC2007

PA Educators to Gather at NECC 2007

Calling all PA educators who are planning to attend NECC 2007 in Atlanta. Please visit the PaNECC wiki and let everyone know you're attending.

Be sure to visit the PaNECC wiki before and during NECC to share your treasures and finds at NECC. Remember, subscribe to the wiki in your aggregator (Bloglines, Google Reader, Netvibes, etc.) to get up to the moment additions to the site!

Thanks to Kristin for helping to make the PaNECC wiki a useful resource.

See you in HOTlanta!

KP
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Image Citation:
V, Zach. “Untitled” Zach V's Photostream, 3February 2006, http://www.flickr.com/photos/vez483/95180875/

Tags: NECC07, NECC2007