Goofus and Gallant

     In the introduction of their book Coaching Classroom Instruction, Robert Marzano and Julia Simms told us that "the primary purpose of an educational coach should be to help teachers increase their effectiveness," (2013, p. 1). While most educators will tell you that they were called to teach, it takes a special educator to be able to effectively coach instruction. In my current position as technology coordinator I find myself in positions of coaching much more often then I did while serving as a school assistant principal. It can be a very intimidating position to be in and I constantly have to remind myself that I am dealing with adults and not students. I am going to examine a couple of scenarios from the standpoint of the old cartoon Goofus and Gallant. I would like to bring to you the good and the bad of coaching from the perspective of Meany and Mentor.

     Mentor does an excellent job in his classroom. His students are well behaved and he gets great results from his dedication. Meany thinks he is the best teacher. He would be teacher of the year if it wasn't for the lousy students he is stuck with each semester. "The coach is a master teacher with the proven ability to increase student achievement in his or her own classroom," (Marzano & Simms, 2013, p. 212). We are all familiar with the grumpy educator that wants to always blame the students, parents, or administration for all of the faults in their classroom. They seem to be always willing to depart their "wisdom" on everyone else, especially the new teachers. Master teachers are often the ones who focus on their job and very rarely speak out unless they are told to do so.

     Mentor greets everyone with a smile and is always willing to listen and talk about all matters not just education. Meany only talks about himself and his problems. He wants you to think and do just like he does and doesn't react well to other suggestions. "The coach has a wide knowledge of curriculum and instruction and the interpersonal skills necessary to interact with others respectfully and professionally," (Marzano & Simms, 2013, p. 212). Just being knowledgeable in your subject area does not qualify you to be a coach any more than it qualifies you to be a teacher. All of the book knowledge in the world cannot help you if you cannot interact with well with others. The basic principles of coaching include equality, choice, voice, dialogue, reflection, and reciprocity, (Devine, Houssemand, & Meyers, 2013). This allows for a partnership not a dictatorship.

     Mentor understands that change is needed and is willing learn new things themselves in order to help others. Meany thinks he is the expert and everyone should do things their way. They don't care what the research says. "The coach agrees with the goals of the coaching program," (Marzano & Simms, 2013, p. 212). No one is an expert of all aspects of education. A good coach is willing to look at the larger picture. They are willing to adapt and change to meet the greater good. 

    After hearing a veteran teacher discuss a problem they were having with an issue, Mentor mentions they once had the same problem. He invites the teacher to come by his room to observe his solution and decide if it might work for them. Meany chimes in and tells the veteran teacher if they don't know how to handle that problem they should just retire already. "A coach should be aware of when working with new or experienced teachers," (Marzano & Simms, 2013, p. 214). Veteran teachers can be very sensitive to outside help. Sometimes they are very reluctant to change or ask for help. Coaches should be considerate of this and offer suggestions, but not be too pushy or demanding. They should also never be demanding or demeaning to any teachers.

References

Devine, M., Houssemand, C., & Meyers, R. (2013). Instructional coaching for teachers: A strategy to implement new practices in the classrooms. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 93, 1126-1130. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042813034460?via%3Dihub

Hoffman, C. (January 16, 2013). Example Poor Coaching Techniques. [Video File] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyLSROlwZOg

Marzano, R. and Simms, J. (2013) Coaching Classroom Instruction. Marzano Research Laboratory, Bloomington, IN. 

 

Using Technology to Engage Students

     In their 2013 book, Coaching Classroom Instruction, Robert Marzano and Julia Simms present Marzano's Model of Effective Teaching. "That model postulates forty-one elements (that is, forty-one categories of specific classroom strategies and behaviors) that describe classroom expertise," (p. 19). Three of these elements focus on the "Design Question: What will I do to engage students?" (p. 20) While all of the questions and elements are important for effective teaching, this one in particular stands out to me for encouraging the integration of technology into instruction.

(Magno, 2015)

     In order to assist a teacher to move a teacher into the beginning level a coach must assist them to research and learn about strategies, pick one to use, and then implement the strategy, (Marzano & Simms, 2013). As seen in the graphic above, Marzano lists nine elements that assist with student engagement and eight of those nine can be facilitated by integrating technology. I am going to focus on three of those: engagement, response time, and opportunities for students to talk about themselves, (Marzano, 2013).


Although it may seem like common sense to most educators, there are some who would fall at the low end of the spectrum recognizing when students are not engaged. This can be due to the teacher just being oblivious, or from just not caring. Integrating technology is a great way to help a teacher move from the bottom to the top of the spectrum for this element. Lee Brenner stated in an article for ISTE that "According to research, personalized, collaborative and connected learning experiences enhance student engagement, which in turn drives student success. By integrating technology in the classroom, educators can take learning experiences to the next level and significantly improve student performance," (Brenner, 2015). 

     Another element that can be improved with technology is increasing student response rate. There numerous options available to help teachers manage response time. This can be done easily in today's classroom with Chromebooks, IPads, laptops, or even the students' cellphones. Apps like Kahoot!, Quizlet, and Socrative turn the students' phones into personalized response systems. Programs like Google Classroom, Popplet, Seesaw can also be used to see student responses in real time. These items not only increase response time, but also increase engagement. 

    The final element I want to bring up is one that most teachers would rather avoid, allowing the students to talk about themselves. Many teachers only allow this in very structured way such as write an essay on what you did over summer break, or tell me about a time you _____. Technology opens up many new avenues for students to express themselves and relate what they are learning to their own lives. Teachers can use online interest surveys, blogs, or social media to bring a personal element to their instruction. Students love the internet and using social media, teachers who find a way to blend that with instruction will increase engagement and learning. 


     Many teachers are not comfortable enough using technology themselves to even consider integrating it into their instruction. Our job would be to coach them through a strategy until they are familiar with it enough to use it in a lesson. If we followed all of the steps Marzano recommends teachers would be able to move from "not using" to "innovating" with a little effort but great results. Teachers who see the results of their practice and research should have the desire to continue the learning. 

References

Brenner, Lee. (2015) 3 ways to increase student engagement in your classroom. Retrieved from: https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=590&category=Innovator-solutions&article=

Magno, C. (2015) Developing a Teacher Performance Appraisal [Slideshare]. Retrieved from: https://www.slideshare.net/crlmgn/developing-a-teacher-performance-appraisal

Marzano, R. and Simms, J. (2013) Coaching Classroom Instruction. Marzano Research Laboratory, Bloomington, IN. 

EducateAlabama - How to include coaching?

     I have been an educational administrator for 11 years. When I started in administration I moved to the other side of the fence of the dreaded PEPE evaluation. This process was loathed by most teachers and administrators. It was time consuming for all parties involved, and was a nuisance at best. At it's worse it was a waste of time or just used as documentation for non-renewal.

    Now most school systems are using Educate Alabama for evaluation. "EDUCATE Alabama is a strictly formative evaluation system designed to provide data about a teacher’s current practices measured against the AQTS that can be used to set expectations, goals, and plans for teacher professional growth," (Jones & Starnes, n.d., p. 2).

     Robert Marzano and Julia Simms told us in their book Coaching Classroom Instruction that "one strong theme in the discussion of coaching is that it should be nonevaluative in nature," (2013, p. 8). So how do you incorporate coaching into an environment that requires evaluation? It should be a vital part of the collaboration. EducateAlabama was created to foster growth. It was never meant to be punishment, although many teachers do not see the difference if their coach/evaluator does not promote the growth aspect.

     According to Marzano and Simms there are at least three requirements for effective coaching. Those are trust, feedback, and choice. (2013, p. 10-11). In a summative model like PEPE, the trust and the choice are almost non-existent. This leads to distrust and conflict with very little growth. Administrators and/or the ALSDE need to do a better job marketing the evaluation process. EducateAlabama already contains many of the items listed by Marzano and Simms as part of the "Foundation for coaching," (2013, p. 19). It uses a measurement scale: Emerging, Applying, Integrating, and  Innovating. It also includes a self-assessment and teachers select growth goals.

     If the foundation is there and the collaboration is there, it is our responsibility to ensure that teachers and administrators are able to understand the benefit of including coaching into their evaluation process.

     Administrators must be willing and able to take ownership of the growth and development of their teachers. Far too often do I see this being done just because it has to be and not because it is the right thing to do. Not all systems can have instructional coaches for the middle and high schools, that responsibility should fall to the administrators in the building. 

References

aball9448 (2016, November 15) Ball - EA 635 Administrator as an Instructional Coach [Video File] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncroBqUyhNI

Marzano, R. and Simms, J. (2013) Coaching Classroom Instruction.  Marzano Research Laboratory: Bloomington, IN.

Jones, E, and Starnes, T. (n.d.) EducateAlabama Teacher Orientation Module. ALSDE Retrieved from: http://www.nctq.org/docs/EDUCATEAlabamatea_orientation_module_1.pdf

What have I learned about instructional design?

  

     Instructional design is one of those things that I always knew was important, but never really considered as a process. Most PD sessions I have led have been participant driven. I knew where I wanted to start and I knew where I wanted them to be at the end, but most of my presentation was dictated by their suggestions. I have never considered myself a good planner and this course has really made me step back and look at that aspect. "Instructional Design strategy begins with setting up clear goals, determining the actions that must be taken to meet these goals, and making use of a variety of resources, techniques, and devices to achieve these goals," (Omer, 2016). I would always have clear goals, but I didn't always determine what actions should take place to meet these goals. 

     What is instructional design? Dempsey and Reiser defined it this way:

Instructional design is defined as the teacher/instructor or instructional developer planning how to structure learning situations to maximize student acquisition of information and skills and inculcation of the attitudes and values needed to be a member of a community of practice and society as a whole, (2017, p. 269).

     I do not find that definition to be very helpful to someone trying to improve their instructional design. I much prefer the breakdown I found in the graphic below.

    It helps me to think of instructional design as a process to optimize learning. I also like knowing that the end product is a blueprint for good instruction, not the end.

    I do agree with Dempsey and Reiser's requirements for a well-designed lesson. "Well-designed lessons require students to be active (not passive), induce student engagement (not disengagement), and have criteria-based assessment," (2017, p. 269). I tried to use these three requirements as well as the information presented in the text about motivation and learning styles to guide my introduction to G Suite training for our teachers.

     Bibb County has had a G Suite account for almost two years, but we just recently moved our email over to G Suite. Many teachers are familiar with the Google Apps and using Gmail, but we still have some who have never had a private email address with any provider. My training is directed like everyone is a new user. I have found that even those familiar with Gmail and Drive do not know many of their features. I have been using Google products for years and still learn things daily.

     You can view the items for my training including an outline here. I am going to start at the beginning with getting logged into your account. I will then go over Gmail items such as composing, using group directories, searching, sorting, creating folders, and personal contacts. I will then go over the basics of Google Drive including opening a shared document, editing a document, uploading a file and folder, sharing a document, and making a copy of a document. This will be hands on and faculty will log into their accounts and follow along with me. I will have each one use these items in their own account. They will also make a copy of my handout through Google Drive so that they will have a digital copy of this item.

     I tried to use enough rich media to keep their interest and their motivation should be promoted because it is very related to their work goals. (Dempsey & Reiser, 2017, p. 80).

References

Dempsey, J. and Reiser, R. (2017) Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. Pearson, New York, NY.

Omer, A. (2016) Instructional Design Strategy: What is Its Role in eLearning Design? Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/instructional-design-strategy-role-elearning

   

Technology - Are you using it correctly?

   

     Many people today could not function without their technology. Kids and adults are surrounded by it all day long. I have personally driven 35 miles back home before work to get a cell phone I left on the kitchen counter. No matter your opinion it is part of our lives and it is not going anywhere. I know the panicked feeling when my battery starts getting low and I do not have access to a charger. The struggle is how to effectively utilize this for instruction in this ever increasing digital age.
   
     Take a moment to look at this website showing some the statistics for students we are currently teaching.  Also take a moment to look at this chart about adult media use.

     No matter if we are teaching children or training adults, if we are not using some form or technology or media, we are missing the boat.  So we must ask what is the correct way to use this media?

     As a school administrator I observed many types of instruction. I have seen the traditional teacher-led lecture style classes as well as student centered learning environments. I have seen teachers who didn't even like using a computer for entering attendance and grades and would never consider adding it to their curriculum. I have also witnessed classes where technology was the main focus. Everything they did in the class revolved around using an internet connected device.

     During my 14-year educational career I have also participated in numerous training and professional development meetings. Many of these were face to face and many were virtual online courses. Just in the past year I have been part of a wide array of meetings. I was forced to sit through a 45-minute speaker who used a sharpie and a flip chart. I attended an interactive virtual training in which we had a sandbox version of the software on half of the screen to use as we followed along with the speaker demonstrating on the other half. I also almost fell asleep as a speaker flipped through a 2-hour Power-Point as he read it word for word with little added.

     The question becomes "What is the perfect balance and best approach for using technology for instruction?" Many times we find that people take the technology "and design instruction to accommodate these capabilities," (Dempsey & Reiser, 2017, p. 259). Other people choose to avoid the technology completely. Dempsey and Reiser tell us that we should be asking "How can we adapt rich media to aid human learning," (2017, p. 260).

   

The push to use technology in the classroom has been great over the last 10-15 years. Many teacher evaluation tools include technology integration. Both policy and administration push out new devices or purchase new software. They expect the teachers to use it effectively without regard to how prepared the teacher is, or how effective the technology may actually be. One of the saddest things I have witnessed is the teacher who used his nice laptop and $4000 interactive white board to display scanned copies of his 20-year-old overhead laminates. "Perhaps the most important consideration when deciding whether and how a particular technology might be employed in a particular classroom situation is to first think about whether the use of that technology will enhance teaching and learning," (Demsey & Reiser, 2017, p. 182).

     There are ways to enhance your instruction with technology properly without going overboard or underutilizing it. It can be used to support project or problem based learning, aid in individualized learning, flipped classrooms, online or blended learning, and game based learning. See the video below about the benefits of game based learning.

   
 
     There is no way to avoid the impact of technology on education. We as technology leaders must be able to train our teachers on the best practices of using it in the classroom. We must model this use in our professional developments and within our own classrooms.

References

Dempsey, J. and Reiser, R. (2017) Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. Pearson, New York, NY.

Industry American. (2017, July 2). Video Games the Future of Education? [YouTube Video] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6ISSllvHY8

Motivating Learners

     We have all participated in required training before. Whether we like the topic or not, being told we have to attend can sometimes dry out our enthusiasm and enjoyment. Lee vs. Macon training comes to mind for me. Lee vs. Macon is loaded with excellent tools and graphic organizers, but being forced to participate in a poorly developed curriculum was not a fun experience. It gave me a negative attitude even though the material was very useful. My extrinsic motivation completely overshadowed any intrinsic reward (Dempsey & Reiser, 2017, p. 79).

        So what can we do to ensure that our training sessions do not feel like a jail sentence for learners? The correct use of learning strategies can work with professionals just like it does with students. There are hundreds of different strategies and strategy variations available for you to use and adjust to fit your training needs. I will give you a couple of suggestions that have really enhanced meetings I have attended.

     Graphic organizers can go either in a lesson. Used correctly they can simplify data and present information in an easy to understand format. There are literally thousands of ways to organize your information graphically. You can use a T-Chart, Venn Diagram, Chain of Events, Flow Diagram, Concept Map, and numerous other varieties. The good thing about graphic organizers is that they are customizable to fit your individual needs, such as this graphic organizer depicting the benefits of graphic organizers.

Find more information on graphic organizers here:

http://www.inspiration.com/visual-learning/graphic-organizers

http://www.sc-ccccd.net/Training/Blog/?p=1127\

          Jigsaw is another effective method I have seen in instructional training. Jigsaw allows you to break information into groups, each group then shares their information back to the whole. This allows small groups to digest bits of information. This can help improve engagement with the participants. Learners can be motivated to learn what the other groups say about the topic. As stated in the text, “Motivation to learn is promoted when a learner’s curiosity is aroused due to a perceived gap in current knowledge,” (Dempsey & Reiser, 2017, p. 80). Jigsaw helps to build that curiosity. They learn their section and want to know what the other groups learned to help fill the gap.

            Find more information on Jigsaw here:

https://www.jigsaw.org/

http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/leaders-link/principal-as-staff-developer-the-jigsaw-and-its-alternatives/

          You can use either of these two methods or one of the hundreds of other learning strategies out there. Always remember that the age of your learner does not change their desire to be motivated in what they are learning. No one wants to listen to you stand in the front and read a power point. “Instructors and instructional designers try to create conditions for meaningful learning in classrooms and courses, and on the job,” (Dempsey & Reiser, 2017, p. 61) Make sure however you present lessons or training that you make it meaningful, without that your learners will have no motivation. 

References

Dempsey, J. and Reiser, R. (2017) Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. Pearson, New York, NY.

Cult of Pedagogy. (2015, April 15). The Jigsaw Method. [Youtube video] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euhtXUgBEts

   

Instructional Design - What is it, why is it important and how do you design instruction correctly?

What is instructional design?  

     Wikipedia defines it as "Instructional design (ID), or instructional systems design (ISD), is the practice of creating "instructional experiences which make the acquisition of knowledge and skill more efficient, effective, and appealing," (Instructional, n.d.). Another description used in the text states "Instructional design is a system of procedures for developing education and training materials in a consistent and reliable fashion," (Dempsey & Reiser, 2017).
   
     When I hear the phrase instructional design I immediately picture a poorly designed presentation. I don't know why. It makes me think about a blog I wrote in February about effective presentations. Within that blog I talk about the dos and don'ts of effective presentations. Instructional design takes this a step further. An effective instructional design may include an presentation, but it encompasses the entire body of work not just that one facet.

Why is instructional design important?

     Instructional design can make or break a lesson. Good instructional design can engage students and streamline instruction, whereas poor design can lead to headaches and nightmares in the classroom. It could determine which of the following represents your classroom.

How do you design instruction?

     There are numerous resources and models available for effective instructional design. In my experience as school and district administrator, I have encountered numerous classroom teachers who needed assistance with their instructional design. I think there are far too many teachers who still rely on their knowledge alone to carry a lesson through. 

       

     John Dempsey and Robert Reiser describe three of these models in the text: ADDIE, SAM, and Pebble-in-the-Pond. "ADDIE is an acronym for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate," (Dempsey & Reiser, 2017). SAM, Successive Approximation Model, tends to be a little simpler than ADDIE. The main attractions of this model focus on continuously repeating review of the design and understanding that no design is ever complete, (2017, p. 43). Pebble-in-the-Pond focuses primarily on the instructional design more than development. SAM and Pebble are both considered good alternatives to the ADDIE model which can be slow and complicated.

     See the following infographic for a clearer comparison of ADDIE and SAM.

 References

Balasubramaniam, C. (2015, January 7). [Learning and Development Models – ADDIE vs. SAM]. [Infographic]. Retrieved from http://hrcoffeetime.kakushinwebinars.com/2015/01/learning-development-models-addie-vs.html

Dempsey, J. and Reiser, R. (2017) Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. Pearson, New York, NY.

Instructional Design. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved July 12, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructional_design

     

Virtual Learning: Surprising, Concerning, and Confusing

"The education process in its new form becomes a supervised process, rather than a fully controlled process since virtual learning changed the education process pattern represented by the triangle (student, teacher and content) by increasing the importance of both “student” and “content” factors and transforming the main task of the “teacher” from “Teaching” to "Tutoring”," (Aldikanji & Ajami, 2016).

     I feel that the quote above is a good summary of virtual learning. Although virtual learning in the K-12 environment is still in its infancy, there is no denying the impact it has had on education. It has helped to transform the learning process for those involved. I would like discuss some of the aspects I consider to be either surprising or concerning, and would like to address a few questions I still have. I focused this review based on Virtual Schools offering full-time enrollment in programs. This information may not include blended/distributed learning environments.

Surprise

Accessibility

     "According to the National center for Educational Statistics (2012), approximately 11% of all undergraduate students have some kind of disability requiring support services and/or accommodation," (Simonson, Smaldino, Zvacek, 2015, p. 291). This was a surprising number for me. Combine that with the requirement that courses must be accessible by all students, and it becomes very difficult to administer distance education.

State Cooperation

     I have always thought about the differences in K-12 institutions between states, but I had not thought about the post-secondary. I was surprised to find that state authorization is required for colleges to enroll students in online programs. (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 295) With so many ads for Phoenix and Grand Canyon, I had assumed it was open to anyone in the country.

Class Size

     Although Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek cited that even experienced teachers should only have between 20-25 students in a course. I found in my research that the average virtual program has a 34:1 student to teacher ratio. This is both a surprise and a concern, but I found it more shocking than anything if the teacher is willing. This number climbs to 44:1 when looking specifically at the for-profit institutions. (Barbour et al., 2017)

Concern

For-Profit Institutions

     Online instruction has led to a host of new education providers across the United States. Some of these were founded as non-profit and some hosted by public education, but the lion's share of students are enrolled in full programs are using for-profit institutions at both the K-12 and Higher Ed. This does not necessarily include the students enrolled in a blended-learning program. These programs have less accountability and typically have a higher drop-out rate. (Barbour et al., 2017)

Graduation Rate

     The graduation rate for students enrolled in virtual programs is far below the national average for traditional programs. This could be for a number of reasons, but I feel it is predominately due to lack of student readiness to take distance courses. Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek recommend "that incoming students have the appropriate level of readiness, including commitment, self-discipline, and time management skills to be successful in an online environment," (2015, p. 300).

Question

     I learned a lot about virtual learning throughout my readings, but I probably have more questions now than I did to begin with. I guess the biggest question would be related to government oversite. Should virtual schools continue to be managed at the state level even though they stretch across state lines, or should the federal government set more rigid guidelines that have to be met by any program that operates in multiple states?

References

Aldikanji, E., and Ajami, K. (2016). Studying Academic Indicators Within Virtual Learning Environment Using Educational Data Mining. International Journal of Data Mining & Knowledge Management Process, 6(6). Retrieved from:  https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1612/1612.01090.pdf

Barbour, M., Davidson, C., Gulosino, C., Huerta, L., Moron, G., Molnar, A.,… Shank, C. (2017) Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2017. Retrieved from: http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/virtual-schools-annual-2017

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and Learning at a Distance (6^th ed.). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Using Google Classroom In Bibb County Schools

"A course management system allows teachers to manage their classes, assignments, activities, quizzes and tests, resources, and more in an accessible online environment," 

(Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 138).

     During my time in education I have had experience with several course management systems (CMS). Students have been taking ACCESS through the state of Alabama for several years. Our system also maintained a Moodle account for several years. Our students have used both Compass Learning and Edmentum software for online course work and credit recovery. We have never had a uniform system that everyone used. At this time I feel that Google Classroom would be a good fit in our system.

Instructional Design

     Atsusi Hirumi stated in 2005 (as cited by Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015) that "a system is a set of interrelated components that work together to achieve a common purpose," (p. 146). Google Classroom fits that description. Google Classroom uses all of the G Suite apps and tools to provide the teacher with a user friendly management solution. We have already begun making the push into the G Suite apps. We have used Google Calendar and Drive for years to share events and documents across the district. All students and teachers have a G Suite account and we are moving to Gmail this summer. 

     Google Classroom allows teachers to not only combine these tools in an easy to use system, but it allows them to build class rosters and set up each course individually. To make things easier the teachers and the students are already familiar with the individual programs.

Teaching

     "In general, teaching has moved away from traditional approaches in classroom settings,"(Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 167). K-12 instruction has been a little slower in this transition. There are still a large number of students who benefit from the "traditional classroom" setting. Not every student is meant to be a distant learner. Bibb County has taken steps to offer courses through online instruction. We are currently using Edmentum's online courses. Google Classroom would allow teachers to do more hybrid, distributed learning. Students would still come to a traditional classroom, but teachers would have the option of including assignments online. This would help to end forgotten or lost assignments and would help prepare the students for computerized coursework. 

    Teachers could add students from their traditional class to a Google Classroom. They could post reminders, links, announcements, and assignments to this classroom. Students would always have access to due dates and submissions. Teachers would benefit from not having to worry about giving out make up work to students who were absent. This would also help children who have discipline or medical issues. 

Thanks to #GoogleClassroom, #k12 teachers spend more time teaching and less time photocopying https://t.co/dxrzc46PmJ via @EdTech_K12

— Wesley Lawley (@wes_lawley) June 19, 2017

Students 

     Almost all of our students today are familiar with Google. Students use Google Search and YouTube on a regular basis. Google Classroom allows students to utilize these programs in their instructional setting. As stated above, for now Bibb County would be mostly interested in using Google Classroom for distributed learning i.e. "face-to-face instruction that incoporates some form of technology-based learning experience," (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 170). This facilitates not only the students who need the face-to-face instruction, but also the ones who thrive with modern technology. It allows for more differentiated instruction. Google Classroom allows teachers to assign activities to individual students, groups, or entire classes. This gives students prior experience with online instruction to help them succeed with future distance education courses. (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 193)

Support Materials

     With almost the entire Google App arsenal at their disposal, teachers have many choices on distributing support materials. Teachers can share videos through YouTube, documents and presentations through Drive, and use Blogs and Drive for collaboration. Teachers have a centralized place to post their syllabus, schedule, rubrics, etc. Students can elect to print the material or just refer to the digital copy within the course. Google is limited in some of the design elements and some teachers may prefer this simplicity. Others can always elect to use Google Sites to create a free class webpage that offers much more to site design.

Assessment

    In my opinion student assessment is the biggest drawback of using Google Classroom. There are many tutorials dedicated to building quizzes and tests using Google Forms, but you are still limited in what you can assess using this. Many math and science teachers would find it hard to use Google for any assessments beyond multiple choice and essay. It also takes a lot of work to set up automatic grading. Bibb County already has an English teacher who "distributes" his entire English 10 course through Google. Students collaborate on assignments, blog reflections, and create content all using Google Apps.

See Mr. Simmer's English 10 course here: https://sites.google.com/site/bibbcoenglish10/

Summary

     I hope to continue the movement to Google Classroom. As more teachers get familiar with the platform I want to offer more Google Classroom workshops. I have to get the teachers onboard with the transition. Teachers and students could benefit from the embedded online instruction and organization. It could save time for teachers and give the students more control over their instruction. It would also allow students in Bibb County who do not take ACCESS classes the experience they need with online courses.

Teaching in the 21st century does mean teaching 21st generation. It means helping and monitoring the students to learn and implement 21st century skill. So teachers must be very welcoming to any new technology to ensure the best learning in the virtual classroom besides the physical classroom. (Iftakhar, S. 2016).

Check out this quick overview of how easy it is to use!

References

[Google for Education].  (2017, March 15). Classroom 101 [Video File]. Retrieved from:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIN-EtPa0lw&feature=youtu.be

Iftakhar, S. (2016). Google Classroom: What Works and How? Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 3. Retrieved from:  http://jesoc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/KC3_35.pdf

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and Learning at a Distance (6^th ed.). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Online Training: The good, the bad, and the ugly

"Distance education can be as effective as any other category of instruction," (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 9). This is a very bold statement that is backed up by research. Looking at this statement, the phrase 'can be' jumps out at me. Just as traditional face-to-face learning, online learning is only as effective as the presenter.

     I have experienced distance learning on many different topics. This experience ranges from how to use a new state department tool, all the way up to using virtual machines to manage a district network. As with any course you take, some online training sessions are much more effective than others. It states in the textbook "Interaction in distance education is important," (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 72). This is very evident in most of the sessions of which I have participated. I find it much more effective if I can ask questions or be trained on specific items.

    First I would like to look at "the ugly" online training. Since moving up to district technology coordinator I end up in more ugly trainings than good ones. I consider an ugly training to be one that may have good information, I just can't follow or stand to watch. This can be due to a bad presenter, poor sound, or poor video. I have attended several of these live and have had to watch prerecorded sessions and follow up with questions. Take a look at the following quick video to see what I consider an ugly training.

   

     I consider this to be an ugly video because there is no voice-over or captions and the music is annoying to me when I am trying to solve a technical problem. This is a short video, and if you are an expert at group policy, then surely you should know how to add captions to your screen capture. Although this is not online training by definition. It is a video linked from an online training I was participating in. 

   Next I would like to talk about "the bad" online training. We all probably have a long list of trainings we have sat through we would consider bad. Each one of these would have different criteria of what we consider bad. On page 72 in their book, Teaching and Learning at a Distance, Simonson, Smaldino, and Zvacek list 22 best practices in distance education. I personally feel that it only takes missing one or two of these to be considered bad.

   

     In my opinion, some of the worst trainings I have had to sit through are part of the MyActiveHealth Heatbeats with PEEHIP. You may disagree with me, but sitting through some of those videos and quizzes makes me want to get healthier to just not have to watch anymore. I get very little out of them because they are such a time drain. You get no interaction other than quiz grades, and if you have any questions you have to call in. That defeats the purpose since calling in can replace the heartbeats anyway. These would be much better if they offered a chat session and a little more user freedom. 

     That brings me to "the good" online training. I have had several of these through the years. I would consider my experiences with the University of Montevallo to be good sessions. For me they meet all of the 22 Best Practices. I have also had good experiences with some vendor training. I have had several online trainings on software that went above and beyond. They were interactive and taught by experts. For me quick feedback is a must. If I have trouble with something, I do not like sitting a waiting for ever to get help. I like to figure things out for myself, so when I do ask for help I have usually wasted all my patience trying to figure it out myself. 

     Herbert Rau stated in his 2014 paper Learning Styles and Online Discussion Posts that "it is apparent that online instruction presents different challenges for effective teaching and learning as compared with face-to-face instruction, and it is important that the instructor recognizes these challenges to be effective," (Rau, 2014). This is the major factor that presenters need to understand. An online audience that may or may not be watching a session live, will have different needs and understanding than in person. You cannot use facial expressions and context clues to guide your instruction. 


Rau, H. (2014) Learning Styles and Online Discussion Posts. Sage Open, 14,1. 
     Retrieved from: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244014527988.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015) Teaching and Learning at a 
     Distance (6th ed.). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

[Tricks that Make you Smart]. (2015, March 26). Retrieved June 12, 2017, 
     from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UZXYMVCkMw&feature=youtu.be

   

Crafting Social Media in Education

          "Social media is the telephone for this generation of teens (and, increasingly, adults)" (Hicks, 2013). The use of social media can be a very powerful tool for education both for the educator and the student. I have traditionally been a social media skeptic. I have steered clear of the traditional networks in favor of the more observation friendly areas. I have had a Twitter account using an alias for years, but I was 39 before getting my first Facebook, and it is set up for maximum privacy with no friends.

          Used correctly, I cannot deny how beneficial Social Media could be in the classroom. However, I find myself being very pessimistic in this regard. "Sharing of personal information on social media makes it easy for predators to quickly propagate rumors and share content and photos," (McNeill, Rice, & Wright, 2016). I know it is not going anywhere; therefore, I must put away my bias and as Hicks said, "think of all the possibilities for using it in our classrooms," (Hicks, 2013). Hicks also told us that we as educators are responsible for training on the proper use of technology. (2013, p. 138).

       
          With all of this in mind, what is the correct way to use social media as a mentor text? I would like to look at the following re-tweet by Dion Norman:

RT @amichetti: ideas for how to help students learn #medialiteracy to counter spread of fake news https://t.co/9DnRUPf0DH

— Dion Norman (@dionGnorman) January 19, 2017

          I found this article using Flipboard. Tweets should show up well in a reader's feed. The tweet uses hashtags (#) and references a longer article with more information, (Hicks, 2013). This tweet was posted through another program so it shows up on Twitter and on Flipboard where they see a preview. The illustration catches your eye and makes you curious to read the whole product.

          This is a re-tweet, but Mr. Norman had a different audience in mind and edited the tweet so that it did not reflect the political motivation behind the original post. He recognized the educational benefit of the article referenced in the tweet.

          I do think that he could have done a little more with this post. I personally like to share articles directly from their source when possible. Within the tweet itself I think the grammar and picture could have been edited a little more. It would have been a little more appeasing to see the full illustration. Here is the final version of what I used to re-tweet this on my school account:

#EDL577UM #UMedTech
The Smell Test. Use #informationliteracy to identify #fakenews https://t.co/pDEL2xuxlz

— Wesley Lawley (@wes_lawley) April 17, 2017

          We have the ability to move education forward for both the educator and the student. Teachers can learn a great deal of knowledge within their field by growing their PLN and staying current on feeds. Students are already using many forms of social media, but many must learn responsible use. We must move them from consumers to producers of digital literacy.

It is argued that social media has the potential to bridge formal and informal learning through participatory digital cultures. Exemplars of sophisticated use by young people support this claim, although the majority of young people adopt the role of consumers rather than full participants. (Greenhow & Lewin, 2016)

Greenhow, C.  & Cathy L. (2016) Social media and education: reconceptualizing the boundaries of formal and informal learning, Learning, Media and Technology, 41(1), 6-30, DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2015.1064954

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting Digital Writing: Composing Texts Across Media and Genres.  T. Antao (Ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

McNeill, L., Rice, M., & Wright, V. (2016) Advantages and Barriers to Using Social Media in Online Education. Distance Learning Administration 2016, ANNUAL. Retrieved from:  http://tiffanireardon.com/documents/2016-dl-proceedings-updated.pdf#page=143

Values4life. (2013, August 1). Social Media Etiquette. [Video File] Retrieved from:
            https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=social+media+etiquette

EDL 577 Voice Thread

Past and Future of EdTech

Video Editing

        It did not take long after beginning the course, Survey of Instructional Technology, for me to get pulled out of my comfort zone. First I had to create and begin using a Facebook account. Then my first assignment required me to create an introductory video. I thought about ideas for this assignment for days before recording and submitting a video. In the end I submitted a video that met the requirements but nothing more. It was a mentor text that “we, as adults and teachers, may be loathe to describe as such,” (Hicks, 107). I am pretty sure that I broke most of the rules these students warned us about (link).

       Now I am faced with the task of updating and editing that introductory video. Again I find myself thinking of ideas to make my video more appealing but still relay who I am. Focusing on the MAPS heuristic I know that my purpose and audience will remain the same and that I need to improve my mode and media.

Students create multimedia compositions in essentially three ways: by designing all their own media; by repurposing existing media; or, most often, by composing a text that uses their own media as well as those created by others, (Hicks 113).

           

       My first video was all my own media. It was simply me in front of a camera talking about myself. I did not even do a good job talking about myself. I stumbled and stammered and was not fluid with my speech.  I knew that in order to improve my video I would need to combine my own media with other forms created by others.

       I specifically wanted to focus on the ideas of narration, transitions, and captions to enhance my introduction video. When I went back and watched my first video I bored myself. I spoke as if I was the only audience. CJ Brame stated in his article Effective Educational Videos, "The use of conversational rather than formal language during multimedia instruction has been shown to have a large effect on students’ learning,” (Brame 2015). I think that was part of my problem. My only goal was to relay information. It was not specific to an audience.

      

        I hope that my second try was an improvement. I still wanted to relay the same message, but used the MAPS heuristic as well as Hick's other tips for video editing to make it more effective. Creating effective videos will be a vital part of educations future. More and more content is moving online, and more of that online content is going to be in the form of videos. 

https://www.slideshare.net/Vidyard/hubspot-and-video-a-match-made-in-data-heaven

Brame, C.J. (2015). Effective educational videos. Retrieved [3/23/17] from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/effective-educational-videos/.

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting Digital Writing: Composing Texts Across Media and Genres.  T. Antao (Ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

MrsRaygor. (2009, May 4). What Not to Do in a Speech [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1If_s-8BA2M

EDL-577 Voicethread

Check out my audio blog: https://voicethread.com/myvoice/thread/8767676/49276103

Effective Presentations

     In the 1986 comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ben Stein plays Bueller's boring Economics teacher. He presents a lesson to a very uninterested class (link). 21 years later and many teachers have only improved on this by adding a presentation with equally boring slides.
     There are numerous ways to get presentations wrong. Far too often presenters give you too much or too little information on a slide, or they are simply using the slides as a teleprompter. Many people need to view this presentation found on SlideShare.
     Good presentations should have the factors "stickiness" and storytelling (Hicks, 2013). You must be able to convey in your presentation that the message relates to the audience, and you want them to remember that message when you are done. Not everyone is able to relay that effectively. I think Bandler and Kiley (2017) said it best:

Typical presentations feature slides or posters crammed with text that is hard to read and digest, small images, dense tables, lengthy equations, and detailed flow diagrams. The speaker's visual material is often inadequately acknowledged, and his or her oral delivery rushed in an inaudible monotone. Speakers regularly run out of whatever time they are allotted, whether three minutes, 20 minutes, or 50 minutes.

     How often have we sat in a boring professional development, faculty meeting, or program training only to tune the speaker out for minutes at a time? We often loose interest quickly and start playing with our phone. Sometimes this can be blamed on the presenter.

     Eminem's lyrics may describe the perfect storm of a bad presentation, but I am sure that we have all sat in on those train wrecks. We have all had to deal with presenters that made you question their credentials or career choices. I know I have secretly wanted to pull the presenter aside, or email them a link to a training like this one from Jeanne Trojan:

Seven ways to kill your presentation from Jeanne Trojan

     So what can be done about it? How can we as educators ensure that we can effectively kill bad presentations? We need to start by creating effective presentations for our classroom and requiring students to prepare effective presentations. Hicks (2013) stated that "although the tendency of any digital writer creating any digital text is to begin by opening a new file in whatever program he or she intends to use, the best place to start is with pencil and paper." I know I have never thought that way. If I want to make a Powerpoint or presentation I immediately open Office or Google Slides. At this very moment I am creating this blog directly on Blogger with no plan as to what comes next.
     Our text Crafting Digital Writing has numerous quotes and tips for how to map out effective presentations. It gives examples and guidelines that should be followed in education and the corporate world. I created the following trying to follow those guidelines and use information from the wealth of sites available for people to break out of the boring presenter rut.

     Using all of the information available in our classroom we can have our students composing extraordinary presentations and guarantee that we have excitement in our classrooms and professional learning.







Bandler, J. W., & Kiley, E. M. (2017). In the First Few Blinks of an Eye: The Basics of Engaging Presentation. IEEE Microwave Magazine, 18(2), 112-120. doi: 10.1109/MMM.2016.2636681

Desjardins, J. (2010). You Suck At PowerPoint! by @jessedee[PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/jessedee/you-suck-at-powerpoint

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting Digital Writing: Composing Texts Across Media and Genres.  T. Antao (Ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

pmw8000 (2011, December 12)."Anyone, anyone" teacher from Ferris Bueller's Day Off [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhiCFdWeQfA.

Sparsh Gupta (2012, January 31). eminem lose yourself lyrics [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Un9HLDCTCs

Trojan, J. (2010). Seven ways to kill your presentation[PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/jmtcz/seven-ways-to-kill-your-presentation