First Thursday in the Lab

We got through the first Thursday in the lab!  I did 20 minutes SSR in the class, had them hand in their homework, then took them to the lab.  My assignment was:

-Check your grade on engrade.com. (they are supposed to do this whenever we go to the lab)
-Check your email.  (same as above)

1.  Explore blogging and send me an email telling me what blogging is.  Make sure your subject line is p7.yourname.blog.

2.  Comment on the class blog mordohp 7.blogspot.com.  (the post asks them to tell me what expository literature is)

Not the most exciting lesson, but it is a start towards their research power point.  I got lots of emails but very few comments.  It is really interesting to see that we still have some students who are totally tech challenged.  I don't let them help each other because I've found that if I do, they continue to need help.  I do love the fact that they will go home and finish assignments that they can access through their google account.

Wireless Equipment

The wireless equipment is great! It's much easier to keep the kids on task while roaming the room. It also allows for personal assistance without pointing and giving directions. They can follow along on their computer with the screen at the front of the class. It feel more like guidance instead of commands. Excellent purchase. Great suggestion Mel!

Wireless Equipment

I've ordered the wireless mouse and keyboard for Andy and myself. The total was $107.73. Hopefully with Mel's order we will come in near $187 (cost of books).

I had a very interesting three days in the computer lab.  After all the hardware problems were taken care of, I was presently surprised to find my 7th graders are very adept at using the computer and Google Docs!  I do have a couple who are so challenged that I think they are stuck in a time warp and are really from an earlier period when there were no computers, they are my challenge.  Many of them will take a verbal suggestion and just run with it.

I am staying with my rule of no talking and no helping anyone else out.  I want them to learn to use the computer themselves, not to have someone do it for me.  I think that pains the helpers more than those who need help tho'!

Propeller Head

I (Melissa) admit that I cannot resist fiddling with technology. Today, my classroom blog post asked students to articulate a theme about Party Girl, the novel we just finished. I also asked them to support their claim with a textual example, and then to assert whether or not the theme was true in their own lives.

I have been trying to comment back to them. But, Blogger doesn't let users comment on comments the way that Facebook does.  So, I've been trying to add my own comments aimed at individual students like this @Cynthia, @Armando, etc. like this:

It gets pretty hard to keep up with this in class. And, I don't know if they bother to read my comments anyway.

Well, fiddling around today, I realized I could set the classroom blog to automatically send me a message each time someone commented.  That was fine. But there was no way to respond to an email from "Armando B." <noreply-comment@blogger.com>."

It occurred to me that I could reply by taking the email I received from Blogger and forwarding it to their student email address.  So, I opened the Excel file I had with their email addresses, etc., turned it into a CSV file, then imported it into my mail reader (I use the standard Macintosh mail package).  The trick was getting that CSV file to sort right so that their period would appear under "Company" and their ID number in the "Work Phone" field in my Address Book (also the standard Macintosh application). Here's what it looks like in Excel, with the student names blacked out for their protection:

Now, all the emails come into my email box and I can email students right back. I gave it a try this evening and it was quick and efficient.  Since I am grading some of their posts, this will be a quick way to provide feedback.  

I know admitting that I spent time on this makes me seem like a propeller head, but, hey, a girl has to have some fun, doesn't she?

The Beginning

Today students utilized Google again. Last time they opened their mail, sent an email, added me the contact list, typed the narrative, and shared it with me. Today, they finished typing the narratives, added contacts to email, shared our document with those contacts, who revised and edited using the comments. I ran out of time for students to blog for the class discussion so that will happen next week. For this session, there were no issues while logging in or accessing email. The main issue that pops up is when the internet connection fails/drops. Some students still think I can magically fix this, but they are learning that I cannot and also how to troubleshoot things themselves (reload the page, log out and then back in, etc.). By December 8th, my goal is to have them independently log in, comment on the blog and utilize email (contacts and sending mail). At some point, I would like to teach them to organize their mail, but they do not have enough from various categories. I think I'll organize it into two files, personal and school for now. I am also thinking the lab is the better option to the cart regarding time. It is much faster to open a door and let them get started versus issuing laptops turning them on, having to charge them periodically and then still have to collect them and organize the cart. It would be ideal to have a station though. My fingers are crossed that maybe by next semester we will have that set up in each of our rooms.

Love the Bloggie!

I spent some time this weekend playing with the Bloggie.  What a great little camera.  It is very easy to use, and even easier to download video or pictures to the computer.  The software is built into the camera so it is practically fool proof to install.  It creates a folder in My Documents called Bloggie Library where it puts everything you import.

It takes good still pictures:

My Rbi kitty...

It has a built in light (the room was pretty dark and you can tell she is a cat) and zoom.  Here is Rbi being a model again, no sound.

And here is one with sound:

Uploading a video takes relatively little time, you can keep working on the blog while it is uploading.  I need to research editing for it, it would be helpful to trim some of the video.  I'm not really worried about it as the kids can practice, memorize, and re-record until they get it right!  A quiet place will be a must as ambient noise makes it hard to understand what is being said...

All in all -- great fun!

Tech To Come

Taken by S5switch from English Wikipedia

I (Melissa, here) was a sneaky middle school student.  I always had something to do besides classwork, but I never wanted to get caught doing anything but what the teacher assigned.  My middle school students are no different.  I see them engaged in all sorts of things beyond the official curriculum of the day. And, they don't want to get caught, either.  

This dynamic is heightened when we add technology to the mix.  During staff meetings, for example, it is very hard for me to resist opening browser windows beyond the official curriculum of the meeting.  Again, my students are no different.  I know that while they are typing their essays or studying with online flashcards, they are also zapping emails to their friends in the class.  They are engaged - they're just not engaged in my official curriculum.  This is confirmed when, as I walk toward them, I see their hands moving very quickly. I am quite sure they are closing windows, but when they see me coming, they are too quick for me.

Teachers need to disrupt this "engaged in the wrong place" predicament whether technology is or is not involved.  Last week I posted my students some very hard questions about our class novel Party Girl.  It required lots of looking in the book and thinking before they could comment.  During this time, I saw a lot fewer hands moving to close browsers.  Engaging them in curriculum is always the best approach.

But teachers need a plan B.  Here's ours:

Sarah, Andy and I are each getting a wireless mouse and a wireless keyboard. We'll be able to  stand at the back of the room and watch our students' screens -- err, I mean teach from the back of the room.  One more joy of technology?  This way, no one will won't see us coming.  

Low Tech Ain't No Tech

Title: Chalkboard in use in a school

Taken by: Sidik iz PTU from Wikimedia Commons

Sometimes we engage in technology-overkill. Today was not one of those days for me (Melissa, here).  Let's not forget that in its day, a chalkboard was considered technology.  Today, we used the modern day equivalent, individual whiteboards for each student.  Add a whiteboard marker, and eraser and a Powerpoint presentation, and you've got all the makings for a great game show that involves almost all learners almost all of the time.

Here's what I did.  I wanted my students to practice using figurative language, but I could not bear to use a worksheet. Instead, I put all the examples into a powerpoint, and called it "Name That Figurative Language."  For each slide, they had to identify the type, and then analyze it.  There was plenty of time for me to stop and ask questions to push them to deeper thinking.  Last year they loved the white boards. I was glad to give them their first gig today. 

Click here for a copy of the Powerpoint mentioned in this post. Feel free to use it, modify it and share it, as long as you give me credit for the work.

Blocked Bloggers

Yes, it is blocked. Frustrating. I discovered that if you type the name of the blog in directly into the address bar, they can view it, but I had some trouble with the comments showing. Mel, I'll catch up with you on that one. That could be my error, not sure yet. Clearly, the students will not be able to create their own blog. I had two students attempting a trial run yesterday after school and they were unable to post, yet they were able to view it. I'm warming up for Game #2!

Three Strikes for Technology at Edison

To add to your technology meltdowns, Sarah and Andy, I (Melissa here) was ready to have my students log into Blogger to comment on my post, but.....THE DISTRICT IS BLOCKING BLOGGER.

Agghh.  It is my personal mandate this year to try to integrate technology into the regular, ongoing curriculum (instead of - or in addition to) big technology projects.  Getting my 8th graders up and running on Blogger has been challenging, despite the technology gains I made with them last year.  Still, one group is particularly ready and able.  But, no go today.

License: cc-by-sa/3.0
Then Cincinnati Reds outfielder Adam Dunn strikes out swinging to Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz
Size: 500 x 473 pixels (83555 bytes)

Taken by: Lomn from Wikimedia Commons

Topic: Strikeout [W][FB][DBp]

Found at: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Swinging_strikeout.jpg

Strike One - Andy's Day
Strike Two - Sarah's Day
Strike Three - Melissa's Day.

But they were all the same day. 

I guess we're out for now.  Andy's a baseball fan.  We'll try to win the next game, ok team?

Google Apps (1st time)

AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH! This was my day.
Technology is great when there are ample resources (laptops/computers) and the internet doesn't crash, the computers do not shut down, etc., etc... I was prepared for setbacks and delays, yet it was a bit overwhelming. I found about one-third of the students knew how to access and utilize the emails (they became my mini-teachers), but a majority did not have experience with google docs. They seem excited, just as I am to get this rolling. My mini-teachers were key. I have a feeling this set of students will be teaching me how to improve some of the projects. I will be adding "Troubleshooting" to my lesson plans, for my own sanity.

Technology Survey

This is the link to the technology survey. I added it to my web site so it is easier for students to find. My web site is https://sites.google.com/site/sef8929/ It is in the works so beware. My plan is to have the students create their own and improve upon it through out the year. Ideally, if I had a station, they could work on it whenever they finished early or after school, but I'll figure that out as we progress.

Mel's Blog

I noticed on your blog that it does not seem to have a spot to comment on the comments that students post. Have you found a way to do this?

Going Wireless...

Amazon.com has a wide range of wireless keyboards and mouses/mice!  It looks like we can get them for what we didn't spend on books.  I didn't look at PC vs Mac, I'm not sure what you have, Mel.  Something to discuss on Thursday!

The Best Alternatives to iMovie for PC Users 5/19/11

Alternative to iMovie for PC Users

I think we need a central place to collect all of these emails we keep sending each other with ideas, from sites to cameras.   A blog?  Not another google doc...please... ideas?

Melissa

32 Ways to Use Google Apps in the Classroom

Great stuff

Melissa

And so it begins...

If our students are going to blog, so should we.  This blog spot is a place to discuss what we are doing in the grant and to hold ideas that we may revisit at a later date...

Andy