I Got Twitterpated…How About You?! #etlead

This has nothing to do with Thumper or Bambi and it’s actually kind of fun!

Ok, so I procrastinated on co-hosting a Twitter session long enough. The final session was upon us, and Sara L. happily invited me to join her in hosting a Twitter session. She had already thought out a fantastic list of questions to guide a reflective discussion on adaptation, which she shared. It was a very fun, open tweet that included much laughter, great insights, and generated some questions/reflections from others days after the session ended.

It’s amazing how engaging with peers in this way, helped to solidify my own thinking. Our final assignment will be to articulate our philosophy on adaptation. My philosophy has been through a lot of reflection and development over the course of this semester, and I feel more strongly than ever that technology is an essential component to student learning. They not only need but deserve opportunities to learn in an innovative, technology-based environment, and experience rapidly changing trends in the digital realm.

To be honest, I will miss the digital pool of peers I’ve come to enjoy through this course. I am impressed by how well we collaborated, knowing little about each other, coming together electronically only to accomplish a common goal. I have genuinely enjoyed reading/sharing blog reflections over the weeks.

Innovative Excellence #etlead

How do we maintain excellence as we innovate?

I keep looking at this question, attempting to construct an opening response that adequately addresses it, and I finally realized, the answer is its opposite question. How can we maintain excellence without innovation?! The only response to both questions is that in order to maintain excellence, we must innovate.

Students are learning in rapidly changing environments. They feel the stresses of change and I’ve heard so many, no, too many times (usually accompanied by eye-rolling), about how a teacher is “old-school” and doesn’t “get it” (punctuated by heavy sighs and downcast eyes). As if that’s not bad enough, the most frustrating part is the shrug of shoulders; the submission to mundane assignments because parental enforced consequences for “bad grades” requires that they complete the assignments…even if they’re not learning and have no interest in the content. As a teacher, I think we should infallibly seek innovative approaches to learning in order to provide engaging, content driven environments that students simply can’t resist.

I would like to be very clear. I am not implying that we should make a practice of spontaneous direction changes or follow every new trend. That would be entirely reckless and we want to enrich student learning experiences. I believe that any and every lesson should always be well thought out and planned. Yes, we must be flexible and adjust according to our student needs and response. However, by incorporating innovations, trends, those fun elements of technology that students love, we’re demonstrating positive interactions and teaching our students how to learn in a world of rapid innovation. If we’re well planned and prepared, making adjustments to support and enhance student learning becomes a natural part of our teaching.

My Philosophy of Adaptation on Changing Technology #etlead

When it comes to technology, there is no such thing as staying ahead of the curve. Technology changes more quickly that most of us can even comprehend. Our computers that were new at the beginning of this school year already seem to be outdated and sluggish. The moment I walked out of the store with my then-current, latest and greatest, hard-to-get-because-it’s-so-new phone…there was an announcement of the next generation and its expected features. I think one powerful, essential thing we can do, is ride the wave. Instead of resisting change, we need to be change catalysts, embracing the potential of new technologies and incorporating our students’ energy and enthusiasm into our plans and application of learning.

Teachers have the potential to guide our students to understand change and perform in an evolving environment. Continuing to teach or do things the way it’s been done for centuries is no longer sufficient. The evolution of technology has changed the way we function at even the most basic levels. During this school year alone, a main internet search engine has changed its home interface pages at least twice. This was a powerful learning opportunity for my students. I gathered them digitally so we could explore the new interface and taught them how to find the critical pieces of their search pages in a new way. The map and image pages were still there, they were just being delivered with a new “look”. The “Ohhh!” and “I see now!” comments still make me smile. I think the key to helping our students will be explicitly teaching them how to navigate and learn to utilize change to support their learning.

Staying as current as possible, keeping up with the changing trends, and recognizing technology preference changes of our students will be our greatest challenges. Awareness and intentional temperance to avoid the extreme ends of the spectrum, one end being fear and refusal towards change and the opposite being careless abandon of foundational knowledge, will be critical for finding balance and effectively filtering technological advances. I think as teachers, we have the potential to teach our students how to filter change with logic and reasoning and recognize good changes. We also have the obligation to model what it means to be a learner; a seeker of knowledge and understanding. The better we are at modeling positive approach to change, the greater the likelihood our students, parents, administrators, and community will embrace change with temperance and seek to better understand.

Hungry Collective + Avatar Imagery = Game ON! #etlead

Age of Awakening is more than just a concept…it’s got GAME! This week, our learning collective came together (beautifully and full of support and willingness) precisely as you’d imagine a true collective would. Yes, I used that word twice in one sentence; it’s that powerful. We might not have the know-how to build a world in Minecraft, but we have a crazy cool concept and we’re working seamlessly together to develop a proposal that will hook Vicki’s students.

As the details, standards, intention, and flow of the game came together over the past week, we approached our Monday meeting with great energy and excitement over what we’ve come up with. The tricky part is going to be in pulling together the “art” of the presentation to support the concept enough to help kids visualize what we already easily can. As the presentation development comes together this week, we’ve been meeting, talking, and emailing in flurries of details, checklist check-ins, and imagery. This really has been a fantastic group to work with. I am honestly excited about the game; I want to play it!!

Kind of feels like I should close with a football cheer or something of that nature…go, team, GO!

From Panem Pandemonium to Age of Awakening! #etlead

What a fantastic week! I am so impressed by the balance of strengths/weaknesses of our team. After our discussion last week, we enjoyed a flurry of emails communicating questions and concerns and ultimately producing lots of detail development for our game. This week, Gary and I started our meeting a little early, with Brandi and Sara joining. It was actually really nice to get to know our stoic leader Gary without the inhibition of “social politeness” generally imposed with a larger group. Leslie wasn’t able to join us, but we know she would have if she could have; she has certainly contributed tremendously to our group, both on wiki-village and in e-conversations.

It was also helpful to revisit some of the lingering questions/understandings that developed over the week between and flesh out some of our ideas. While we were developing notes and identifying areas that still needed development in our game concept, Brandi and Sara both joined in with lots of energy, organization and focus that took our team concept to the next level. I think we have all put a lot of time and effort into developing this game and I love how we have been able to work harmoniously both synchronously and asynchronously this week. Sara did a phenomenal job with this week’s Twitter conversation and shared the insights gained with our entire group.

We have our game concept mapped out and aligned. Our details ultimately went deep enough with samples and broad enough with overall storyline, that students will be able to envision what we are proposing and hopefully love our concept. Our final outline is complete and edited and ready to be transformed into a proposal! With a little spit shine and polish, it’s time to welcome our Age of Awakening!

http://gamifi-ed.wikispaces.com/-/Higher%20Education%20Gamemakers/Team%202/Game+Outline+%28Final%29?responseToken=ee12d7f44ba6d80ffa61ac7872a3bcb7

Hungry for Games #etlead

This week, our task has been to work as a team to conceptualize a serious game based on the “Hunger Games” (Collins, 2008). Now, for those of you that have actually read The Hunger Games, you know that it’s pretty serious…and it’s packed with conflict and underlying issues that could potentially come to be if people let themselves get to the point where this powerful story series begins.

Let me start by saying how quickly my concerns were allayed, thanks to Gary for being spectacularly organized, coordinating a meeting location and time, and communicating it to us all. Of course, he had my name and I had been reassigned to a different group…but then I got transferred back, so all is well. I am delighted to be working with this team and feel like the synergy between us is already there. Our first meeting on Wednesday evening was a testament to that!

As one hour turned to two, I began to feel the power of a learning collective. I am so grateful we have a nice balance of experience. It helped those of us with more gaming experience remember to refine our ideas. As Leslie and I discovered, we were thinking similarly (along the lines of an MMO like WoW), and were visualizing our concepts with that in mind. Some of our group has no gaming experience and some are experienced with games like Minecraft. Altogether, I loved how we were able to offer ideas, question for clarity, rethink, offer modified suggestions, all without offending or causing discomfort. Opinions and questions were welcome.

A couple members weren’t able to attend the meeting but have since tried to catch up via email. Happily, Gary recorded our session so all of our “thinking” as we fleshed out our ideas was captured. Our initial concepts were then transferred from the whiteboard to our wiki pages and we agreed to add two game sections to help us further detail our game concept. Before most of us had even signed on to our computers the next morning, Leslie had already added some details, which is our task for this week. To detail and add meaning to our game concept in order to prepare for the pitch to Vicki’s students that’s on the very near horizon!

Collins, S., Falco, P., & Scholastic Press. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press.

The Where & How Transition #etlead

Reflecting on this week’s essential question was powerful for me. From the first moment I set foot in a classroom, I intended to do everything possible to motivate and guide a community of learners that knows how to find and where to look for anything and everything they might need to learn. My biggest challenge, I quickly realized, with my first class of 26 bright shiny 4 and 5 year old kindergarten faces, was that they didn’t have a clue how to think for themselves or solve their own problems. They had spent their entire lives up to that point, being told what, when, how, where, and sometimes why (often with a huff and roll of their eyes in imitation to their grown-up human guide) to do every little thing! Sitting there on my exercise ball, listening to them describe their favorite things about our new learning space, I knew more than ever how important it would be for them to learn these critical life skills.

Two years ago, I had the honor of jumping from my K-1 loop to a 5^th grade classroom. Now, I’ll admit, this was rough. It was NOT, I tell you, NOT NOT NOT what I wanted! Turns out, it grew me as a teacher more than I could ever have imagined. You see, while about half of the students were entirely new to me, from other states and schools, I had previously taught about half of these students. I had the pleasure of growing with them in Kindergarten and 1^st grade, and I got to see where they’d grown to without me for those few years with different teachers. I also got to compare differences, noticeable, significant differences between my former students and students who came from other teachers.

My former students looked. They took their time to visually and physically search our learning space to orient themselves to what was available. The first few days were significant. They knew if they asked me, that I would remind them of my expectation to feel free (explore, seek, see if they could find), ask three, then me. They knew! And because they knew, they helped others know quickly. They anticipated me responding to their questions with a guiding question of my own. If a student were to ask me something starting with, “Ms. Kountz, where/how do I…” my response would consistently begin with, “Great question, student. If you wanted to find [topic]…how could you find or where would be a good place to start?

The truly powerful moment was when this came full circle and they helped me recognize missing tools. The thesauruses I had were difficult to follow, even for me, so I exchanged them for a different set. We adjusted our schedule so we would have the mobile laptop carts available during writing and free choice blocks. This made research and tech tools to support vocabulary and information much easier than the drudgery of those heavy old books. It is an incredibly rewarding experience to truly shift from “teacher” to “guide”. The difference for me was most noticeable in the level of personal interaction I was able to have with students. Because I was guiding, I had opportunity to answer individualized needs, identify gaps, ask more questions (which they both loved and hated, /giggle), and be impressed by some spectacular learners that knew the expectation was to seek the where and how without being prompted to do so.

Where Now How…What?! #etlead

What are the challenges in shifting content from “what” to “where” and “how”?

I’m going to be entirely frank. This week’s question threw me a bit. I honestly thought I’d missed something along the way. I spent several hours reburied in my Kindle trying to figure out if there was a key phrase or critical point I was missing. And then it occurred to me…they’re talking about THOSE teachers. The ones who are entirely clueless about the technology revolution happening around us and refuse to modify their teaching to suit anyone except themselves.

Honestly, from what I’ve seen, peers and mentors in this class have already made the shift. Even those who are not entirely comfortable with certain technology (like me and Twitter!), are very innovative in their classrooms and are open to trying new things. Where 20 years ago, you were either a walking encyclopedia or really proficient at microfiche, today information is readily available and technologically accessible, so our role is guiding students to learn where and how to locate or discover what they’re seeking.

So, I had to focus this question on a very personal level; what are MY professional challenges in shifting thinking about content education to be more about the “where” can I find it and “how” do I get it? I boiled this down to two essential categories. Thinking skills and the Information Technology Department.

The one department I would hope to get the most from, I dread having to contact. They seemingly work in fear, lock down our services, and attempt to “protect” their infrastructure. The result is severely underutilized infrastructure, frustrated teachers who give up trying to use technology because the hassle is greater than the outcomes, and students who are starving for knowledge and motivated to learn with technology that eventually become dismissive and lose interest because using technology to access the “where” and “how” is so severely limited, technology-based success feels out of reach.

Working within those parameters, we as educators have to demonstrate how to find and evaluate information sources as well. Students need critical filtering skills to get to reliable sources and understand how to filter out the nonsense. I run into this frequently now that I’m teaching in a computer lab. Whoops! That’s not the page that was bookmarked (as I quickly hit that black cover command on the remote to the Promethean). Unfortunately and ironically, the department I run into the most roadblocks and get the least support from is our IT department. Instead of helping to solve the issue and guide technology use, they just lock it down, take away the abilities, and effectively cripple the users. It’s worse than “big brother”. Almost makes me wonder…when did I start working for my parents?

The other big factor lies with students ability to think. Critical thinking, problem solving, self-motivation…these are all important. Just as important as helping a 4 year old understand that there is a significant difference between his parent and his teacher. Where he is used to his mom telling him to “go potty”, as his teacher, I want him to think! He has to recognize his need to potty and seek to solve his problem by asking for permission to leave the classroom to use the lavatory.

Teacher, educators, parents…we can enhance students’ critical thinking skills by using instructional strategies that actively engage students in the learning process rather than relying on lecture and rote memorization. We can focus instruction on the process of learning (the how and where!) rather than solely on the content. We can also, and this is an important one for solidifying independent strategies and problem solving that support critical thinking, use assessment techniques that provide students with an intellectual challenge rather than memory recall (Snyder, 2008).

Too often, the conditioning students receive prepares them to “ask” instead of “seek”. We want them to do both! Question…and then seek to solve or resolve! Activate prior knowledge, utilize resources, discover, look in places you haven’t before, just…TRY! When we condition and teach our learners critical thinking, they change from being withdrawn, reluctant, tentative, or careless learners, to eager problem solvers who enjoy tackling and solving problems through questioning and reasoning. By directly instructing learners in problem solving, analytical thinking, and reasoning repertoires, and by creating a culture of thinking and inquiry, we demonstrate the power of our behavior analytic to produce learners who will be able to face and (independently, collaboratively, or collectively) solve rapidly changing problems (Robbins, 2011).

This mindset, this place where students take responsibility for their own learning? This is where the ordinary classroom transforms into a collective learning community. Create an innovative learning environment based on the where and how, and and you suddenly have curious, supportive, inquisitive, thought-provoking, inspiring, energetic, intrinsically motivated students that are experiencing their learning!

References

Burgess, D. (2012). Teach Like a Pirate: Increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator. Dave Burgess Consulting.

Robbins, J. K. (2011). Problem Solving, Reasoning, and Analytical Thinking in a Classroom Environment. Behavior Analyst Today, 12(1), 40-47.

Snyder, L. G., & Snyder, M. J. (2008). Teaching critical thinking and problem solving skills. Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, 50(2), 90-99. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.consortiumlibrary.org/docview/195581754?accountid=14473

Thomas, D. & Brown, J.S. (2011). A new culture of learning cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. [Kindle edition].

A Collective Reflective #etlead

The whole notion of learning in a collective is one that truly resonates with me. It’s what I aspire to inspire within my students and the learning community I attempt to create with each group of students I get to grow with. It’s such a simple concept, and yet infinitely powerful! The collective learning community is intrinsically motivated! There’s no circus act or special effects needed once the collective is established!!

I make every attempt to make learning as absorbing and interactive as possible, always. I do this because I am a HORRIBLE student in traditional settings. Always was. However, if I was/am involved, I was also motivated because I could exercise my brain and I would get super excited about learning. So, I try to apply that to my own lessons in hopes of hooking those students that might otherwise coast on disinterest and to inspire greater greatness in those students that will learn regardless of the teaching or content.

I use technology. I use a promethean board. I won’t hesitate to pop something on the screen or create a game and challenge table groups to conspire to “beat the teacher”. I often use Khan Academy video’s, especially with tougher concepts. Instead of me standing in front of them blabbing about how to convert this or reduce that, I’d close the lights down, have them all perch on their tables (because students are rarely allowed to sit on a table), feet on their chairs (entirely against the rules), and play a Khan Academy demo/teaching video. Just the change of position and lighting grabbed their attention, but the added change of female to male instructional voice and where I generally write on a white promethean board, his videos are all on a “black” board…the change created an experience that the kids loved!

It totally changed their attitude about tackling a “hard” problem! It sparked a “collective” approach among table groups that I would then challenge to create a mini demo of the topic. Best presentation that represented ALL members of the team would earn a golden ticket that could be redeemed for prizes or privileges. Most used their tickets to stay in during recess time for free choice, usually one of the challenge games I had like mastering the next level of a brain twister puzzle or coming up with a new avatar and talking about techniques with each other…the mini collectives that form on their own if given a chance!

The thing about those collectives is that they then supported each other during class time and other subjects. It created bonds between students that have different academic and social strengths based on one commonality, and grew across subjects! My avatar artist would share techniques with someone inexperienced but fascinated with drawing during that free time. Then, during math, which that artist struggled with, the inexperienced artist would relate line structures in special drawings to help the artist with understanding calculating geometric shape. This was a phenomenal experience for me to observe and see taking place…I can only imagine how powerful it was for my students! Imagine what that could accomplish in Minecraft!!

Learning in the Collective: It could happen to you, too! #etlead

What are your thoughts about “learning in the collective”?

Learning in the collective is not as it sounds. My mind envisioned a towering heap of “collected” knowledge or data that must be waded through and sorted into some sort of order. Rather, a collective is a learning environment where peers are learning collectively, together, collaboratively and sharing.  Collectives strike me as those really cool moments when you’re hanging out with like-minded peers and you’re brainstorming and the ideas start flowing and the energy builds because you’re collectively developing lessons that are of equal importance to each person involved.

Now, when we translate Thomas & Brown’s (Thomas 2011) scenario to our classrooms, I think it looks a lot like real, genuine Kagan Cooperative learning with complete engagement! I can just hear Dave (Burgess, 2012) in that enthusiastic, intense voice, “Man, talk about the best of both worlds!” Not only are students engaged, they’re totally into what they’re doing. They forget they’re learning, they’re so busy interacting and discovering! We adults need that same level of enthusiasm and draw to become excited, to tap into our passion about what we’re doing in order to transfer that to our students. I think when we’re learning in the collective, we have that opportunity.

I think that students, regardless of age, thrive in collective learning via collaborative organizational models, because there is immediate, genuine interest and investment in the task/subject. Our continuous professional improvement and innovative application of learning models “is dependent upon teachers having opportunities to contribute to the development of their own knowledge, engage in collegial relationships, and grow intellectually” (Caskey, 2012). Motivation seems intrinsic in these scenarios and give us a chance to reenergize, share our passion and just maybe spark some spectacular lesson ideas that have the potential to provide irresistible learning experiences for students.

Thomas, D. & Brown, J. S. (2011). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change.  CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Burgess, D. (2012). Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost your Creativity, and Transform your Life as an Educator. Dave Burgess Consulting.

Caskey, M. M., & Carpenter, J. (2012). Organizational models for teacher learning. Middle School Journal, 43(5), 52-62. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.consortiumlibrary.org/docview/1282258754?accountid=14473