Creativity and Innovation
Using technology, this standard expects students to think creatively, construct knowledge, and to develop innovative products and processes. Students might choose to use models or simulations to explore complex systems, create original work as a means of expression, or to identify trends and forecast possibilities. The application of existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products or processes is encouraged.
Saturday I attended Computer Science & Information Technology symposium(CS&IT) Exploring issues and trends relating to MS and HS computer science and Tech Apps at NECC.
Irving ISD has been exploring and is highly interested in developing capacity for a virtual Pre-AP Computer Science course. There is a great need for female and minority students in this critically shortage area of industry. Often misunderstood, the power of Computer Science is in helping kids think and create at the highest level of blooms taxonomy. Our goal will be to construct content to support core subject areas using computer science.
I had the opportunity to participate in the Leadership Symposium this morning. it was such a great session tht focused on Taking it from Paper to the Classroom, meaning the NETS. We examined each of the NETS standards and then rotated through 4 sessions where outstanding teachers presnted model lessons. All of the examples were of global projects and all met the standard of communication and collaboration.
If you have a chance to see a session with Telannia Norfar or Carol Anne Mcguire, don’t miss it. You will be amazed how Telannia teaches Algebra using project management practices. You will be inspired by how Carol has reached around the world to bridge cultures and promote peace through her music projects.
Improving Presentations
A lot of good ideas for simple powerpoints for both the teacher and students. Here are some quick facts and sayings that stuck with me:
This presentation was nice. The house was packed and I think I broke several fire codes just by being in attendance
“It’s not what the software does; it’s what the users do with it”.
Two sensory imputs (eyes and ears), which are used for presentations. The brain’s cortex uses 30% for visual preocessing!
PowerPoint should NOT be a tele-prompter.
Idea: By removing text from presentations (PowerPoint’s) the student will have to use their minds to register the information and use their working memory and brain to create information.
Slideshare.net – examples of presentations (good and bad)
Sliderocket – Can build presentations on-line
Flickr (images for presentations). Flicker storm – also valuable for images.
Copywrite is an important lesson that must be taught to our students with the growing amounts of plagiarism. Plagiarism has become a skewed and faded line with the 21st century student because of the easy accessibility to the World Wide Web and all of its content.
San Sarif Font (Good for presentations)
PP short cuts – “B” blacks out screen to get audience’s attention. “W” White.
# of slide and it will jump straight to the page.
Heard David Warlick again. His presentation was very similar to what he did in Irving, yet I always learn something new. The last half I learned about the three things that have converged to create a new environment for teaching and learning – an unpredictable future (in the workforce), networked students, and a new information literacy. This convergence impacts what we need to change in schools. In my gereneration, we saw information as something to consume. This generation sees information as a raw material to use as building blocks to create something new. We need to tap into this creativity of our students.
I am attending the model lesson called: Angles and Art: Using Oragami and Art to Teach Geometry and was “lucky” to get to sit in the classroom and play student.
This session was totally BOGUS!
Model Classrooms were meant to show how to engage students and effectivly use technology but this session was anything BUT! It was a commerical for the Clevland Muesem of Art and their Distance Learning & Video Conference program.
We were told to close the laptops and sit and listen to the live woman and the video conference woman talk and talk and talk. The teachers at my table are all un-engaged and so am I as you can tell by the fact that I am bloging now instead.
Model Lessons I thought were for partcipants to be students and be taught like students and not lectured to and in fact I have already completed the “lesson” in the first five minutes of the session.
Bad BAD session…. people are starting to walk out, even those in the very center ofthe model classroom.
Special Effects
Creating Movie Magic in Student Projects
Scott Shofeld
http://www.cpsb.org/presentations
He showed some neat stuff, but what I got most out of it were his ideas and practicality.
He said the concepts were more important than the software. Whatever software people show you to demonstrate the task, learn how to do the same thing –see your concept realized–on what you already have.
I agreed with his saying: “Video is the new desktop publishing.”
Also the fact that video starts with a “need” and then an “idea.”
One thing he showed us was doing the projects in a short amount of time. How you put it in segments so you can drop a segment (like music creation) if there is a fire drill that messes up your lesson planning. It is not about perfection, it is about expressing the creativity and the idea.
The lesson idea he showed us was to do a movie trailer for a video project. Movie trailers have random shots so images students create do not have to follow a narrative, therefore, taking more time out of class. Again, the purpose is to express the idea, not just to create the perfect movie.
November’s session on Students as Contributors was terrific. (http://novemberlearning.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=290&Itemid=85) He showed some terrific resources and gave us some tips for practical ways to help students truly contribute to and take ownership of their own learning. One of the things I’m looking into checking out is http://jingproject.com/. It is a free screen-capturing program. He showed some examples of students creating tutorials for other students. I also appreciated his example of a class taking what they learned on a local field trip and creating an article for Wikipedia instead of a traditional report. The class kept up with the article and discussed the changes that were made by other Wikipedia contributors.
I was also in this session and had looked forward to something I could take back to my campus. I agree–it was not at all what I thought it would be. I will be talking to my art and math teachers about collaborating on a project using geometry and oragami so I suppose it was not a total waste.
By the way, I just found out if I would have gone back to the exhibits at 4 today I would now be the owner of a Wii. I think I am sick.
If Helen was there then of course I was there. I really love math and thought this would be a great activity to take back. Wrong again. Helen should have stayed with me. I went back to the exhibits at 4:30 and her name was called for the Wii. They would not let me claim it.
I really like the idea of using Flickr. This was something that I was not aware of until this conference.
I went to a podcasting session this morning that was all about using Audacity…I didn’t learn anything new in that respect as I already went to district training and use Audacity. I do, however, have a ppt on it if anyone is interested.
The presenter used her wiki to get us to the files needed and all of the information for the session is posted there. The session also showcased the blogs and podcasts of the students in the presenters district. If you use this website you can check both things out I think.
http://www.saugusedtech.pbwiki.com
blogs – http://students.saugususd.org/_weblog/everyone.php
Math Teachers – search for the Bague Math on this site.
Also, found out about Gcast, where you can post your podcasts and the fact that you can call the number on your cell phone and leave a podcast for your students from anywhere.
I attended a math session that gave lots of ideas on how to use technology with math — at least one idea for each letter of the alphabet! Some of them were more for elementary, but several were great for middle school. Several focused on collecting, organizing, and analyzing data with spreadsheets.
I attended the session Math A – Z, Applets to Zeta Functions. It was somewhat of an overview for a few things but provided a plethora of resources and new ideas for real world applications. The link for the website is as follows:
http://sandbox.gilbert.k12.az.us/moodle
It can be found at the very bottom. The presentation also had some things that were not included on the website, but according to the presenter, this should be uploaded soon to this and the ISTE website.
April–Flickr is great, but I think it is either blocked or it is so slow to load during the school day that it is insane! Maybe it will be given a higher priority one day on our bandwidth–we can hope!
I, too, attended the session (at least the first half) on Angles and Answers: Origami and Math. It was not what was described in the program. Like Teresa, I expected to see a model lesson, but after 35 minutes of talking about what we would be doing, but actually doing nothing, I left. I heard a small part of the distance learning director from the Cleveland Museum of Art discussing some mathematical references in an early engraving, but it was not a model lesson because the presenter kept interrupting her to add her own comments. What I did take away from the session was the idea that we could teach some basic geometric concepts in the context of art and still cover the TEKS. This might engage the students a little more and help them to look for geometry in art and in their environment, but the integration of technology was nearly non-existent. The presenter even said at the beginning that it would be a very low tech session, with the only technology being the use of the distance learning equipment. Frankly, it was not necessary. The same thing could have been done with some pictures of the art. Not a total waste of time, but I think that is because I left and had lunch.
The session I attended this morning was: Middle School Science-Keeping Students Engaged presented by Tory Temple from California. The podcast will be on ISTE’s site later this week if you are interested in checking it out.
He gave a short sample lesson of using a CSI process in your classroom–using evidence bags, having “guilty” students, etc. Could be easily adapted to anything–very engaging.
He was also selling his products–interactive DVD’s. Handouts are at apuedtech.com/NECC/nedd.html
One main thing that I took away from this session is that instead of searching for the NEXT piece of technology that will engage the students–find what already engages you, the teacher. If we find our passion, then the students will follow. I think that is a fitting conclusion and thought to our conference.
The student showcase this morning was outstanding. We focused on the booths that had students presenting and were drawn to one particular student. This incoming 8th grader presented his personal website and explained all the links and web tools he used within school and with his friends. Check out the links on his website and you will see some great examples of things we could definitely integrate into our classrooms.
http://www.coreymatzat.com/webtools
This is his website!
Information overload but it sure is interesting. Today, I was in a session that taught me how to create a podcast in 55minutes. Having no experience with this endevour, I was pleased to know that is something that can be learned quickly. There are so many free cites out there that can be useful tools to advance student achievement. I look forward to getting back to collaberating with the team.
I attended a session that shed light on new ways to use Excel and Sketchpad in the math classroom. WOW is all I can say. The presenter had so many neat ideas. I need to get some more training on Sketchpad so I feel more comfortable with the things he shared because I would love to use them this next year.
I started out this morning in the posters since there was so much good info there on Monday. I should have paid better attention to the program since it was all elementary today. Then I went to the student showcase area and I agree the highlight was the Web 2.0 for the Middle School Jane and Joe http://www.coreymatzat.com/webtools. This was an impressive young man and this was not his first conference. He not only had links for students (and adults) to use but had a brief explanation of each one.
I appreciate the opportunity the StarGrant has given us to take part in this conference. Think we could make it to DC next year?
On Tuesday I attended different sessions but found two that I really believed to be most helpful. The first was Building Math Skills Through Digital Games . This appealed to me because at Bowie we are always looking for interactive, engaging activities that will help students learn. The game that was demonstrated will be available in January 2009 and is called Lure of Labyrinth. It serves different student levels in a game atmosphere and will be free to the user. Check it out in January 2009. ( NETS: A: I,II)
Next, I found the session: Finding Grants and Funding fro Distance Education to be very interesting. I have never written a grant and fell much more comfortable to attack that process after attending the seminar. Different websites were given, definitions, and different types of proposals. It was defintely a session for the novice grant writer. (NETS: A; IV)
Lauri,
There will be a Sketchpad session in our August staff development on the 13th-15th. Also – there are fantastic tutorials in Sketchup. I would recommend downloading it on your computer, and then work through some of them. They are a lot of fun, and you get to build things while getting comfortable with the software. Try it! You’ll love it, I think.