Of Two Minds About Learning

December 6, 2011 | Author: Kevin Crouch

I am currently contributing to our school’s R&D team to work through the ideas underpinning some radical changes coming to our new school.  Here we have some of ASB’s greatest teachers and thinkers, K through 12, synthesizing some of the most profound educational ideas of our time.  We are on the verge of redefining the learning for some 700+ students with initiatives such as multi-age classrooms, project-based learning, and personalized learning.  The leaders of these teams share passionate, thought-provoking ideas that support our school’s mission and yet we sometimes fail to see eye-to-eye, to reach consensus, and to fully grasp the magnitude of what these changes might mean to our school.

It would be easy to blame these differences on school division,  age, or education background, but after reading The Best Schools (Armstrong, 2006) the reason for these bouts of confusion and misunderstanding become plainly obvious.  Armstrong lays out two very clear  discourses used to define our educational goals that have polarized over the years to spawn radically differing educational ideologies. These are regularly portrayed as being opposing or incompatible in certain contexts.  These two discourses are known as the Academic Achievement Discourse and Human Development Discourse.
Academic Achievement Discourse has been the dominant discourse in our education systems for over a hundred years and ultimately describes the goal of education as “the pursuit of supporting, encouraging, and facilitating a student’s ability to obtain high grades and standardized test scores in school courses, especially in courses that are part of the core academic curriculum.” Though it certainly amounts to much more than this simple definition,  Armstrong argues that far too much of what we lend importance to in schools originates from this discourse.
In the other corner is the Human Development Discourse, which despite support from most of our highly revered educational thinkers, including Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Gardner to name a few, has consistently been pushed aside in the mainstream dialog about education.  Human Development Discourse is defined as “the totality of speech, acts, and written communication that view the purpose of education primarily in terms of supporting, encouraging, and facilitating a student’s growth as a whole human being, including his or her cognitive, emotional, social, ethical, creative, and spiritual unfoldment.”
As a teacher,  how many of you reading this post got into education primarily to “help students get good grades”.  As a parent, how many of you feel that the greatest attribute your child can acquire in school is his or her GPA?  Though its an important question, it is not the main point of this post.
What I hope to get across is this: when listening to the many task forces and initiatives being prototyped,  it is fascinating and revealing to listen to the discourse that is used to describe the initiatives, and watch the presenter struggle with the notion that the words they use are, in fact, not compatible with the Academic Achievement discourse that they have been trained to use day in and day out. We cannot use one discourse to define success in our school and use another to define how we get there.
Ultimately, for any of these initiatives to be successful, we must recognize which of the discourses each of our R&D initiatives are most attributable to, which ones we are most bound to at each division or developmental level, and then cross-reference these with our school’s mission and core values.  Only then will we recognize the conflicts before they become a nightmare in the classroom, the report card, the campfire space, the watering hole, or the online course.
Which of the discourses do you find to be most inspiring and important in the education of your students or children?  Is it compatible with ASB’s school mission statement?
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BYOD Rollout – “Did you do something different with your classroom?”

September 21, 2011 | Author: Kevin Crouch

We’ve been planning and preparing for a trial study of bring your own device (BYOD) for months. The FAQs are all written, the teachers have been briefed, and the parent meetings have all been held. In many ways it was vaguely reminiscent of the first 1:1 program I helped launch 5 years ago, until now.   Its day two of the program and aside from the expected issues of Flash incompatibility on the iPads,  it doesn’t really seem like much has changed.  The only real difference in Mr. Reinsmoens’s class, in fact, is that there are more computers out on the desks.  During his morning inquiry session on biomes, some students used iPads more like a book by accessing digital resources while taking notes on their school-provided laptop.  Those with personal laptops multitasked on one device.

We are lucky to have the luxury of running this study with the aid of 1:1 school-provided computers if and when the inevitable incompatibilities and deficiencies occur, however,  it will be interesting to see how long it takes students with iPads to multitask on these devices without the aid of a laptop.

Another question we are trying to answer is how to provide digital content such as ebooks across multiple platforms. There are some promising ideas out there, but if anybody has any solutions that they’ve had success with we’d love to hear about them.

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Blog Press for the iPad

September 18, 2011 | Author: Kevin Crouch

For the last two and a half weeks I’ve been down for the count with one of those communicable diseases that you know could be lurking in any green salad you eat here in Mumbai. It’s the one that even thinking about how it’s transferred will make you sick. I now appear to have beaten Typhoid, and in those days of too well to sleep but too weak to get out of bed I got to research some great app recommendations from my network. This one is sure to make anybody who blogs and has an iPad swoon.

Blog Press for the iPad allows you to connect to nearly any service you blog with and write basic posts formatted with HTML. You can also include pictures from your iPad’s camera or photo albums. I’ve got blogs on WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr and I can switch between them with ease.

For iPad programs, aside from student blogging activities, the implications for ePortfolios are tremendous.  If you can front the $2.99 its well worth every penny.

For Android users, the much simpler Blogger app will do what you need to do if you that’s your preferred blogging service.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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Information Fluency for Inquiry Learning

July 11, 2011 | Author: Kevin Crouch

Thanks to all of you that came to my presentation at the Laptop Institute. I hope you all will continue to pursue authentic learning opportunities at your school and do your best to structure that in a meaningful way for kids.

Here is the link to the full Information Fluency Continuum. and the Prezi that I used during the presentation.

Information Fluency on Prezi

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Ends and Means, a Reflection on ISTE’s Tuesday Keynote

June 28, 2011 | Author: Kevin Crouch

Tuesday Morning’s Keynote with Stephen R. Covey,  author of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People resonated strongly in my teacher leader mind.  Though now I know I’ve seen these habits re-purposed in a variety of ways in leadership material from teacher PD to corporate propaganda,  I finally recognize the inherent power for educators in what he has offered the world.  His thoughts on technology relate to my previous post, wherein these strategies are part means and part ends.  They are means to the development of globally-minded 21st century learners,  but they are ends when working with teachers whose goals typically involve student literacy, creativity, problem-solving skills etc.  The means to these ends are the technologies used to achieve them which change all the time,  but the ends of being good storytellers, reflectors, global citizens and learners are timeless.    This is why we should use these digital-age teaching and learning strategies as a key component of transformation in teaching and learning in our schools.

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Gateway Digital Teaching and Learning Strategies

June 28, 2011 | Author: Kevin Crouch

Attending the connected principals panel session at ISTE 2011, it was very inspiring to hear George Couros and Lyn Hilt talk about digital teaching and learning strategies that are powerful means of getting teachers involved and learning about technology in their classrooms.  These strategies can be transformational when done right and generally require the use of technology.  They didn’t have an opportunity to share any specific examples at the session, however, and this is a topic I’m particularly interested in,  so I thought I’d contribute the strategies we’ve used at our school to move toward 21st century teaching and learning.

1) Blogging Every teacher in our elementary school in grades 3-5 do some type of blogging with their students.  Lit circles were the most common entry point for this strategy.

2) Digital Storytelling Once teachers get over the anxiety of doing multimedia projects with kids and once you have the proper tools in place,  this one usually blows teachers away.

3) ePortfolios This has been the most difficult thing for teachers to do effectively as they’ve had so much to learn,  but those that do it well begin to transform learning in their classroom and achieve a level of seamless integration of technology that we all aspire to.

4) Global Collaborative Projects This is one of those fantastic strategies that just isn’t possible to achieve on a similar level without web 2.0 tools.  Kids love to be social with others from around the world and teachers love to see what happens when they are.

5) Podcasting and Voicethread(ing)   Yes, I know,  I’ve created a new verb, but it’s one of my rights as an American Citizen.  You can do anything in Voicethread and so it has become a universal and ubiquitous tool in our school.  Its about learning socially and sharing online which is the one strategy that Lyn Hilt shared with me after the session.

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Early Childhood and the iPad

May 27, 2011 | Author: Kevin Crouch

Ever since replacing our Macbooks in EC3 (3-4 year-olds) with iPads, we’ve observed a dramatic shift in the way both the students and the teachers use technology in the classroom. Though the teachers’ enthusiam is highly encouraging, the most transformational aspect has been with the students; they truly enjoy using the things.

Though we achieved our objectives with the Macbooks formerly installed in these classrooms, EC3 kids often weren’t exactly sure what to do with the sleek white laptops staring at them.   Teachers and TA’s had to provide nearly step-by-step hand-holding for several months before kids would be self-starters and be able to do even the simplest of problem-solving.  In addition the kids mostly worked alone. “The iPads are just so much different,” says Early Childhood teacher Basantika Bagree. “The kids choose the apps they want to use, and they seem to view using them as an extension of the play-based learning that is emphasized in our classroom. It is also so much more interactive, even collaborative.”

Similar sentiments are shared by Freny Dastur, EC3 teacher, who notes that the iPads “are very social and kids often play together on one device.”  In addition to the social aspect, the promise of the iPads is to encourage kids to explore learning on their own and choose apps that support skills based on their interests, their readiness level, or their mood at that moment.”  The EC3 team agrees that the magic of the touch screen has allowed them to better integrate tech into their classrooms to support literacy skills.  Though students are never required to use a certain app, often the teachers will pre-load an app in the morning that they feel will fit well with the current unit.  At other times,  its free choice for the students. Following is a list of apps in different categories that our EC3 teachers feel have been the most successful with their students.

Pre-Reading Skills (often includes other skills)

Starfall ABCs (phonics)
♥♥♥♥♥  The original, and still the best, phonics app

Starfall Ginger Bread Man
♥♥♥♥ Some good stuff in here

iWriteWords
♥♥♥♥♥ A very interactive and engaging writing app that uses the accelerometer in the device to hold kids’ attention

Alphabet Tracing (phonics)
♥♥♥♥ Another engaging app for learning to write letters and recognize sounds.

Mia’s Playground
♥♥♥♥♥ One the students’ all-time favorites with a variety of activities

Montessori Crosswords
♥♥♥ Can be a bit challenging for three-year-olds but well-made

Letters A to Z
♥♥♥ A basic intro to letters with audio and animations

ABC Tracer
♥♥♥♥ A no-frills pre-reading app that does it all

Interactive Alphabet by pi’kea club (phonics)
♥♥♥♥♥ An engaging and visually stunning phonics app

Kinder Spell
♥♥♥ Drag and drop spelling with hints on or off

Word Magic
♥♥♥ Fill in the missing letter – for more advanced pre-readers

Pre-Writing (Drawing / Coloring / Creating)

KidArt
♥♥♥♥ Some kids like this but its not one of the favorites.

Drawing Pad
♥♥♥♥♥ The most capable and interesting of the creative tools, but a bit advanced

Kids Finger Paint
♥♥♥ Fun for all kids at any level of coloring skill

Doodle Bright
♥♥♥ Younger kids may not have the patience for this Lite-Bright simulation

Click Me Stick Me
♥♥♥ A variety of engaging activities both creative and game-based

Color Play HD
♥♥♥ A basic touch-and-fill coloring program with a variety of templates

Draw Free
♥♥♥ A very simple free-drawing tool accessible to all ages

Books and  Digital Storytelling

iReading DL
♥♥♥♥ A great interactive e-reading experience but the books are costly

MeeGenius
♥♥♥♥♥ The best selection of public domain books and easy to get more

Read Me Stories
♥♥♥ Not easy to set up for acquiring more books from the library

Toy Story
♥♥♥ Just one story,  but a great example of a fully interactive e-reading experience

StoryKit (digital storytelling)
♥♥♥ The original storybook maker for the iPhone

Sonic Pics (digital storytelling)
♥♥♥♥ A highly capable storybook maker with great sharing features but more complex

StoryBuddy (digital storytelling)
♥♥♥♥♥ Great in its simplicity, this the ideal storybook maker for 3-5 year olds

Math Skills (spatial, numbers, conceptual, sorting and sequencing)

Mathaliens (abcLetters)
♥♥♥♥♥ Do you want your kids to have fun learning math skills?

Dot to Dot Number Whiz
♥♥♥♥ A great counting app that kids get very absorbed in

Sequencing
♥♥♥♥ A focused, well thought-out app that is just right for this age group

Shape-O
♥♥♥♥ A very well-made app with abstract shape puzzles mixed with

Learning Pad
♥♥♥♥♥ There is a lot to do in this app and the kids spend time on it.

Clean Up
♥♥♥♥♥ A very simple but focused app for sorting

Cut the Rope
♥♥♥♥♥ Could you have imagined that 3-4 year olds would love this game so much?  They do.

Labyrinth
♥♥♥♥  Kids love this simulator for the original wooden game.

Treasure Hunt
♥♥♥♥ For any other age group this would be five hearts, but this group needs some help

Morning Routines
♥♥♥♥♥ Great for this age group

Music and Songs

Free Music Box
♥♥♥♥ A perfect intoductory keyboard app for this age group

Free ABC Songs
♥♥♥ This app just plays back songs but there aren’t many out there like it.

Virtuoso
♥♥♥♥ A more complex and lifelike keyboarding app

Percussive
♥♥♥ Some kids find this simple xylophone simulator amusing.

Posted in Collaboration, Literacy, Tools & Tips | 1 Comment

Seeking Qualified Social Skills Coach

March 8, 2011 | Author: Kevin Crouch

As today’s restless digital natives experiment more and more with Singularity, ageing technophobic dinosaurs may have less and less to worry about. Ludites take note, the march of technology will position you to be highly qualified for a new job description, the social skills coach.

As this article in MindShift confirms, heavy technology use actually does diminish our face-to-face social skills. Use it or lose it is the message of brain researcher Dr. Gary Small, who suggests we’ll soon need to carve out time for emotional exercises. Is this, however, just a small correction to make for the benefits of re-wiring our brains?

According to Small’s research, Googling actually makes us smarter. He claims it stimulates the brain up to twice as much as reading a book does. Other research bears out the idea that gaming improves reaction time and peripheral vision, allowing surgeons who game to make fewer errors. He also claims that the impact on creativity is not quite what many fear; though a re-wiring may reduce our deep-thinking time, our brains become more nimble and open to new ideas. We also communicate ideas more readily.

So when thinking about our schools of tomorrow, and I do mean, like, Tuesday, not only will we need to be equipped to teach smarter and more creative kids, but it could mean putting the mobile devices away and bringing in the social coach to do a little old-fashioned team building.

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Can Slates Replace Laptops in Your 1:1 Program?

February 20, 2011 | Author: Kevin Crouch

This has been a challenging year for anybody making decisions about what devices to bring into their schools. The reason for this is that mobile computing is turning what we know about 1:1 learning inside-out. When the iPad made its stunning debut and educators began wrestling with the idea of these fast, light, battery-endowed devices as learning tools, the belief seemed to be that if you already had a laptop program, moving to slates would be a step backward. What did slates bring to the table that wasn’t better served by a laptop or convertible tablet? That was, until the wave of Android tablets began to show and we began testing these and iPads in classrooms with real kids.

In a post on The K-12 Open Source Classroom Chris writes about the place that Android tablets have in learning. Though his views on 1:1 access are less aggressive than most, he is right on in suggesting that these devices have a bright future in learning. With the release of the Kineo by Brainchild, which works under the paradigm of suppressing student choice and digital citizenship rather than promoting it, the view remains a bit murky as to which direction schools will choose to go with tablet computing.

What is clear is that these devices are poised to make a tremendous impact on schools and learning. The question of whether they have a place in the classroom or are capable enough to support and extend learning is one we’ve been exploring in our school since the first Samsung Galaxy Tab landed on our distant shores.

The first question teachers have is whether the learning and productivity ecosystem is in place. If your school has made a substantive effort to move to the cloud in recent years, you will find all your documents and services are readily available and work well together. These devices are built with the cloud in mind; it is not an afterthought or an add-on like it is on a laptop. Sharing files on Dropbox, Google Docs, Flickr, or even between devices is seamless and available from almost any app. The question “where do I save it?” will never need to be answered; instead, it becomes “How do I share it?”

Collecting digital media for projects is mind-numbingly easy with the built-in microphones and cameras that integrate with so many of the apps and online services. Video codecs pose far less of an obstacle than they do in the laptop world because there is no transfer or translation needed between the device that captures them and the device that plays them back. Once they’re shared online the web provides the benefit of nearly universal conversion and playback (unless of course you have an iPad and need to watch a Flash movie.)

The web research experience is great, and services like Evernote and Diigo fill in the bit about capturing and organizing information and, even better, collaborating with others. Where slates shine is their ability to read QR codes and utilize the camera in conjunction with GPS for on-location inquiry. Try that with your laptop.

The elephant in the room is the e-reading experience. Providing anytime anywhere access to a vast library of e-books and magazines is the trump card in this game. There is not enough room on this blog to emphasize how big this will be, but anybody who has ventured into the world of e-reading will know what I mean. Pair this with a device that has amazing battery life and can add dynamic content, sharing, and annotating to the e-reading experience and you have a glimpse of the future of reading, simply put.

The question that one must ultimately answer, however, is not whether mobile devices are great for kids and great for learning, but whether or not they can replace their laptop and serve as their sole computing device. That’s a tough question to answer, but I would have to say yes – if you are willing to give up some of your familiar favorites – at least temporarily. If you require your students to use powerful software tools to edit videos, produce graphics, and publish richly-formatted documents, current device hardware limits much of what you can do in this sphere.

Also, though many of your favorite online Flash-based services work great on an Android tablet (see video demo below),

several others such as Glogster have some bugs to work out. None of these, of course, work on an iPad yet and may never will. Other compatibility issues involving screen size, resolution, and other hardware interfaces mean that apps may not be available on all devices. One service that promises to alleviate the app compatibility problem is Adobe Air, which easily allows developers to deploy a web app to variety of mobile OSs so that they run like native apps.

Though change is rapid in this space, if you choose to move to slates it would be wise for the moment to at least keep enough laptops around for a 3:1 or 4:1 relationship and have some available in mobile carts as well for a complete digital learning toolkit.

Are you considering an iPad or Android implementation in the near future? What are your thoughts on making this shift?

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