Another professional development opportunity. Another time to gain knowledge. But this has not been just another week. At Teach the Teachers Collaborative from July 20-25, Los Angeles Unified School District teachers spent time synthesizing delivery of science content through the use of podcast episode development.
It all began with a keynote presentation by Dan Schmit of Intelligenic. You can view his presentation here, which was captured through Ustream.tv (thank you Youssef Elias for setting up the recording).
2008 TTTC Podcasts (link to a sampling of participant podcast recordings)
In conclusion, the week served as an example of what can be achieved when educators not only learn the content but share the content among their colleagues and the rest of the world.
We are approaching mid-point in our Teach the Teachers Collaborative program for Los Angeles Unified School District science teachers. So far, banter has been going back and forth regarding the end-of-the-week video montage we should present. Currently, we are having participants contribute to a special web-driven slide show on Cellblock.
Some “pros” of using this are that (1) everyone can contribute freely to the slide show without having to track down a designated person, (2) images can be viewed in the presentation immediately after they are sent as attachments from e-mail, and (3) a cellular phone becomes an acceptable device for contributing. I was hearing about some “cons” today from several sources, though: (1) pictures uploaded cannot be downloaded as individual image files, (2) media is not automatically arranged in chronological order but is instead listed in order of Cellblock receiving the e-mail attachments, and (3) music is not integrated into the slide show.
We will see what happens on Friday, but right now we are settling for having the slide show play as participants walk into the culminating meeting with music created in GarageBand playing in the background (just as is without trying to make it a large production).
What do you think? Would you just let it play as is, or would you create that montage using a video-editor such as iMovie or a photo-show such as Photo Story 3?
So here I am working with colleagues to set up a Cover It Live session linked to a Ustream.TV feed. We will be covering Dan Schmit at Teach the Teachers Collaborative tonight, who will be speaking on podcasting in education. Let’s see if it works. {I guess it does!!!}
Added on July 22, 2008: So here is the catch. We thought we recorded the Ustream.TV feed, but it is not showing up. And it was such a great presentation. This shall be tried again.
Today was the start of several weeks at Thacher School in Ojai, California for a residential professional development program for teachers called Teach the Teachers Collaborative. As an instructor for many iterations of this program since before 2000, I have seen my share of compilation montages of each week, and have been the sole editor of a few myself. If you have been tasked with creating such a end-of-the-program presentation, then you know how much time and effort goes into developing a quality product that provides great impact and leaves participants feeling nostalgic about their learning journey.
With great relief that I wouldn’t have to create another of these presentations, I find comfort knowing that a colleague (John Lenhardt) this week introduced everyone, including the participants, toward being contributors to an alternative media capture of the week. We are all using Cellblock to contribute collaboratively to the media collection
This particular set of images is a continual process, allowing everyone to take control of the content to be included. Yes, there are other photosharing sites, including social networks such as CUE Community where every person can upload photos for all to look at.
But what makes Cellblock different is that participants can contribute images and video by cell phone Of course, this can also be done by e-mail via a computer. With a 20MB limit per e-mail submission, the program won’t take in GB-sized videos, but videos from a digital still camera are pefect to e-mail.
Check back here again to see what shows up throughout the week. I myself cannot wait for the final product to materialize.
It has become a weekend ritual this past month. I walk to the coffee table, and I see little larvae begging me for fresh food. So I go to my refrigerator and look to see what I can prepare them. Of course, on my way to the kitchen, my son asks me to get him something for him, too. I choose to take care of my little visitors first. These silkworms are with us because my wife is continuing her passion to make learning real for her kindergartners. She is having her students document the changes occurring in these critters. But I get the pleasure of seeing them Friday evening until Monday morning. I just plopped a mulberry leaf on top of them and let them do their thing. I decided to stream video of them live this weekend using Ustream.
This is just a pre-recorded clip of the live stream. To see the actual stream, go to my live Ustream channel: Learning Side by Side. In her class, they have been making comparisons of the life cycle of a silkworm moth to the life cycle of a butterfly. Third grade students have come in to help with the learning. More of the kindergarten students’ learning is documented in my wife’s classroom blog: What’s Happening in Mrs. Rivera’s Classroom? But such learning is not unique as other teachers are sharing their classroom investigations about the life cycle.
The second grade students in this class have documented the growth of their live specimens so far, and I’m sure they will documenting the transformation of the chrysalis into adult butterfly in the near future.
Yes, I only get to experience snapshots of the experience students have with such activities. Even in the summer when I work with 4th grade teachers on podcast projects to document their life science investigations, I only get to experience changes within the week I have with them at Teach the Teachers Collaborative as we look at plant and animal environments. It is in reflection of my dilemma that I understand the need to experience the whole process of learning. As i think about my work for the next school year, I charge myself with making sure I learn with the students in the various schools I support rather than to drop in for a moment in time with the hope that I understand the “life cycle” of learning.
It was about 1 year ago on May 23, 2007 when I joined other educators at Google Santa Monica in the Southern California Google Teacher Academy.Recognized as a Google Certified Teacher, I and 50 other colleagues were treated to a day of learning about the various tools Google has created.After this event, I was given the opportunity to share my learning to others in my educational community.This is a reflection of my endeavor.
Professional Development Activities Led and the Teachers/Students Reached
Even before becoming a Google Certified Teacher, I was already facilitating the use of Google applications in learning in my various educational organizations. But I found that my newly-acquired honor as a Google Certified Teacher increased the already-high demand for my time delivering professional development on the use of Google applications in education. The development of an online Moodle Course for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) beginning in June of 2007 and targeting the use of Google tools such as Google Docs, Blogger, and Books directly affected at least 85 individuals who have in-turn shared their learning with other colleagues. And such professional development extended beyond Moodle as I also integrated the instructional use of tools such as Blogger, Google Docs, Google Reader, Google Earth, Google Video, and YouTube into classes I have facilitated for a salary credit program for teachers called Uniting Professional Development and Technology for Education (UPDATE), essentially directly reaching 64 fellow teachers and helping them use the tools with their students. Involved with Summer Teacher Professional Development Programs such as the California Mathematics and Science Program Summer Institute, I was charged alongside my fellow Google Certified Teacher Janice Stearns with leading 50+ other lead teachers on how to deliver instruction on the use of tools such as Google Docs, Google Groups, Google Search, and Google Reader. Both Janice and I were also given the task of directly reaching the 500+ teachers that attended the Teach the Teachers Collaborative Summer Institutes, including more specialized tools such as Google Earth, Google Maps, Page Creator, and Picasa. Records of my year indicate that I at least reached another 535 individual teachers through various Google Strand workshops I facilitated both as a member of Computer-Using Educators as well as a part of my position as an Instructional Technology Applications Facilitator in LAUSD; the various events in which I delivered my Google Strand of learning included the CUE Los Angeles Tech Fair, the 2008 CUE Conference Google Exhibit Booth, Teacher Librarian Professional Development Days, Tuesday Teacher Professional Development, and District Science Lead Teacher Professional Development. In total, I have directly introduced Google applications to K-12 instruction to 1234+ teachers in face-to-face contact, while also contributing to the dissemination of learning about Google in education through my blogs and social networks reach an even larger audience for which I do not estimate the total number of people I reach at this time.
Impact on Teachers/Students
The impact of my efforts is seen in the types of student projects and collaboration I am observing in the classrooms of those I have introduced Google applications to.For example, I now highlight the Blogger blogs created by my colleagues in my own LAUSDLocal District 5 Monthly Instructional Technology News, which is also hosted on Blogger.I have also seen students demonstrate their work on Google Docs using my district’s Google Apps accounts.This was documented in a presentation by teacher librarians sharing what their students developed as a result of a presentation I facilitated a few months before.It is not a coincidence that the use of Google Groups has also proliferated among various instructional units in my district.I have seen LAUSD courses on interactive whiteboards, digital photography, reading and writing, and many other subjects being managed through Google Groups.For example, a Summer program I facilitate focusing on 4th Grade Life Science has been a resource for ongoing discussion on using science kits that investigate environments.This continues on today, and many more teachers will be joining this group in the near future.
Challenges
Of course, there have been some challenges.For example, as with any other program involving the use of passwords, it can be somewhat difficult to have teachers create and remember them.I recall some workshops where teacher created Google passwords but could not confirm them because they didn’t remember how to access the e-mail address they associated with the account.And when it came to creating a Gmail account in order to access Page Creator, this was hampered by the fact that Gmail is inaccessible through my district’s firewall.The use of Google Video and YouTube as valuable educational resources has also been reduced by the very same firewall issues.Another challenge would be to try and keep up with all the changes that would occur to Google’s products, which sometimes led to me having to provide on-the-fly learning experiences for those I had to present to.For instance, one day I had to explain the changes in how to share a Google Docs document.I also have had to quickly learn about newer versions of tools like Google Earth and forms on Google Docs (sometimes only a few hours before a scheduled workshop). Probably the biggest challenge has been to negotiate greater time with the teachers I was providing professional enrichment for.I found it most effective when I could provide sustained support in the use of Google tools in their classrooms by following up with teacher reflection after implementation with their students.
Impact on Personal Growth
For me personally, the experience as a Google Certified Teacher has provided me the opportunity to push my learning further than I thought possible.This is most likely due to the social networks I developed as a result of communicating with fellow Google Certified Teachers.I recall the first time Twitter was mentioned in a discussion thread among my colleagues.I was at first not sold on the idea of sharing at 140 characters, but the buzz from all the discussion posts fed my curiosity.In fact, many my Google Certified Teacher colleagues have provided my small amounts of motivation in various areas to try a plethora of great tools.My favorite tool has grown to be Picasaweb because it has inspired me to think differently about taking photographs.Now when I take trips, I also consider the audience I am composing an image for and how to geotag it to the exact place I took the photograph at.This is apparent with a recent trip to Alaska, but I have also gone back to previous trips and geotagged them as well (Big Island of Hawaii, Sequoia National Park, etc.).With my influence, my wife is now also implementing use of Blogger for her kindergarten classroom (What’s Happening in Mrs. Rivera’s Classroom?), and she is finding the use of Google Docs and Picasaweb a valuable addition to making her classroom blog an effective way to share information with her school community.Pretty much, I have learned to be a more social learner, contributing knowledge as well as absorbing knowledge from all those I come in contact with face-to-face or through the Internet.
Ideas on Keeping the Momentum Going in the Future
I have found that sharing examples of my use of tools has been the best way to maintain momentum.The authentic learning that occurs in informal conversations has led many of my colleagues to try many Google applications and then provide me positive feedback on their experience.But I have also developed structures that continue to continue the use of Google tools in education.For example, I continue to this day to support some my Google Certified Teacher colleagues that are also providing an introduction to Google applications by helping to schedule Technology Academies in my area.I am also conducting more business with organizations I am providing leadership in such as CUE Los Angeles and Local District 5 (agendas in Google Docs, registration with forms in Google Docs, collaboration with Google Groups).And finally, the increased demand for student use of LAUSD’s Google Apps has already provided momentum that has led to formation of a district Google focus group that I have been a part of since its inception.With my continued work with CUE Los Angeles, LAUSD, Teach the Teachers Collaborative, and other organizations, the future seems bright for Google’s impact on education in the Greater Los Angeles area and its surrounding Southern California learning community.
Teacher librarians in my school district will be looking at ways they can communicate school library use via web-based calendars. Sitting with one of the coordinating field librarians to plan this professional development scheduled for May 1, 2008, I learned more about how one teacher librarian, Marc McPhee of Northridge Academy High School, uses Google Calendar to inform the public of what is happening in the library (click here to see the calendar embedded in the school website).
So I am charged with showing other teacher librarians like Marc how to create a web-based calendar. Yes, there are various options such as Calendars Net (http://www.calendars.net) and LoCalendar (http://www.localendar.com) as well as calendars built into management systems such as Blackboard or Moodle, but it seems that many in my district are gravitating toward Google Calendar because of its ability to have groups of people collaborate on the entering of events. I am pretty sure the fact that my district uses Google Apps for Education for students also influences this calendar solution.
Unfortunately, my district uses Microsoft Exchange for employee e-mail, which is inherently proprietary. So how could an employee effectively use Outlook as well as understand Google Calendar for student use? Well, now Google has added Google Calendar Sync, which is an application that can be installed to sync up an Outlook calendar to a Google Calendar. I’ve known about it for a couple of weeks already, but did not try it until now. All 384 events uploaded!
Here’s what is inconvenient for any or my colleagues in my district. First, it only works with a Windows computer because Outlook is currently a Windows-only product. Secondly, it can’t be done with an Outlook on the Web account or Outlook Express client (only a full version of Outlook). And therefore, the only option for Apple iCal, Yahoo! Calendar, and Entourage users is to use the export/import features of each client. But I am sure that someone at Google may be working on other sync programs as they are always in Beta.
My next step is to figure out how to make private entries stay private during sync. Currently, I have had to go back and make entries private. I’ll continue to learn as I prepare to see how well Google Calendar Sync works in my district.
I have been faced with this dilemma before: What can I use to share video without worrying that it cannot be accessed in my school district? Here is the setting of my quest. I had dabbled in Download…
and SchoolTube… [well, apparently embeds of this site are blocked as well] but have found that I need one place for personal use as well. And so now I have been introduced to Videojug (via fellow CUELA member, Youssef Elias).
I have a new goal. I want to earn a badge from the National Park Service.
I was at a pop-up session on March 6, 2008 at the 2008 Computer-Using Educators Conference to see what the National Park Service was doing that merited them presenting at this learning event. Lo and behold, they have a wealth of resources at their WebRangers web site.
Let’s recap what I have done so far. First of all, I had to register (just as students would). The next thing I know, I have to pick out my own park ranger station and print out my own official National Park Service Ranger ID Card.
Now I was given access to lots of activities to help me become a better park ranger. For example, I could go through an interactive tutorial on how to tell time with tree rings (dendrochronology). Or I could choose to go through an activity to help me read maps. After completing a number of activities, I can then request a badge be sent to me by NPS. I will be bringing this back to some teachers to look at. Tell me what you think about the activities.
I was able to make it to EduBloggerCon “West” 08 for some timely professional enrichment and finally meeting face-to-face several people that are part of my personal learning network (via Twitter, EdTechTalk, Classroom 2.0, etc.). The informality and fluidity of the day was a nice alternative to the more structured feel of the main 2008 CUE Conference that goes into full swing today.
It was wonderful to also have others not at Palm Springs, California join through the live video stream at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/edtechlive. I find it wonderful that I can now access archived clips from one of the session rooms in EdubloggerCon “West” 08 by visiting the Edtechlive Ustream channel.
We ended the day with a discussion about the viability of holding events such as this in the future. One of the issues brought up included how it has transformed from a gathering of edubloggers (writers and readers) into more of a gathering of educators advocating for change in how we should facilitate learning. Is the EduBloggerCon name misleading? I found it interesting that one fellow colleague at this event mentioned his apprehensions of attending because he thought that much of this would be focused primarily on blogging. Others may argue that the name is already becoming familiar to those that have participated in the initial iteration of EduBloggerCon. Nevertheless, the consensus was that this was a valuable day and should be held again in the future. Of course, those going to NECC 2008 in San Antonio, Texas will have that opportunity. If anyone is heading to San Antonio, Texas early enough on Saturday, June 28, 2008 and is interested in attending EduBloggercon 2008, go to the wiki at http://www.edubloggercon.com/NECC+2008.
