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.