A Pilot Teacher Reflects

December 4, 2014July 15, 2015 / HSE_21

Today’s post is written by Max Goller, one of the eighteen teachers who has been an integral part of our HSE21 pilot for the past two-and-a-half years. HSE21 Shorts asked Mr. Goller to talk about what a technology-enabled classroom has meant to him as an educator. The Gonzo Journalism example is lagniappe!

The digital invasion of Hamilton Southeastern is drawing to a close. Soon, student’s faces will be basked in the glow of their electronic devices. It will be a time of fear and loathing…and more fear as we reconsider everything we have ever learned about learning. Having been on this runaway train since the term 1:1 first came into the district lexicon, I am here to inform you that your fears are all…

Let me stop there for a moment and share some background on the author Hunter S. Thompson. As you might already know, Hunter was the founder of a brand of journalism known as Gonzo Journalism. Gonzo Journalism is characterized by the insertion of a very strong, often dark bias about the subject being covered, frequently with the writer as a first-person protagonist. As you might have guessed, I have made use of this technique to introduce you to my experiences with 1:1, although I have to be honest and tell you there is very little to fear, and certainly nothing to loath about our move to digital technology. Here are some of my experiences as a 1:1 pilot instructor. Results may vary.

As an English teacher, I have found much to appreciate about students having technology in their hands. Student compositions, which I have them type up in Google Docs, are much easier to handle. I can guide students through multiple revisions of papers and track their activity at all times. This not only gives me insight into their personal work ethic and motivation, but also it allows me to have a student turn in a paper before they have even begun working on it. This means I have a lot fewer missing assignments. Additionally, accommodations for different learning needs of students are easier to manage because I can see in real time what they are comprehending and what they are missing.

Technology in the classroom has opened more opportunities to tap into each student’s creative flair. I frequently invite students to select the apps that they think will work best for different projects. This might mean Tellegami character narrating a book talk, or sock puppets acting out scenes of a Shakespeare play, or multi-media iMovies of a rhetorical advertisement. It is a joy for me to see students interpret their tasks is ways that I could never have imagined on my own.

Group work plays a big part in my curriculum, and Google Drive has added flexibility to that process. Through Google Drive, students are able to share their work with each other, and members can be given the ability to read other member’s work to use as guidance for their own contribution, or they can be given the ability to fully edit a project collaboratively. When minds are able to connect and work cooperatively together, greater individual learning is often the result.

I won’t say that a move to the digital classroom will not be without its moments of frustration, fear, and at times maybe a little loathing. However, for me the opportunities have far outweighed the frustrations, and I have no desire to look back.

Team Murch and the Global Read Aloud

December 2, 2014July 15, 2015 / HSE_21

Students in Mrs. Murch’s 4^th grade class at Brooks School Elementary participated in their first Global Read Aloud. Students read aloud The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo with over 1,000 other classrooms world-wide! They were connected with teachers and students from 10 states and 3 countries through Edmodo, Skype, Twitter and even created their own blog using KidBlog: http://kidblog.org/TeamMurch4thGraders/

Students were given opportunities to participate in weekly virtual literature circles with classes from Texas and Philadelphia. “My students absolutely LOVED being connected to such an incredible project. They looked forward to our read aloud every day and blogging with other classes. They were ecstatic about participating in a project with over 1, 000 classrooms. They really took pride in their writing, retelling, questioning and inquiry during this process. We’ve made some amazing connections and will continue this concept with our next book, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. My goal for them this year is to realize that there are no longer four walls for their learning, experiences, creativity and investigations; the possibilities are truly endless.”

-Submitted by Amy Murch, Brooks School Elementary, Fourth Grade
@TeamMurch4

Why the Global Read Aloud? “Global collaboration is necessary to show students that they are part of something bigger than them.” Pernille Ripp (Creator of GRA)

Supersteakie, on the Significance of Upton Sinclair

December 1, 2014July 15, 2015 / HSE_21

The Progressive Era was a fascinating time of political and social change in United States history, but sometimes it does not seem so to distracted sixteen-year-olds. Embedded within this unit of study are many key terms–people, events, and actions–that must be understood in the context of the times. In addition to class discussion of this era and its place in the overall story of our nation, Mrs. Gelhar-Bruce of HSE High School recently incorporated a fun digital tool to actively engage students in the learning process.

Watch and listen as Supersteakie and the Seventeenth Amendment describe the roles they played in the Progressive Era. Far from being superfluous side trails, digital tools like ChatterPix can enhance instruction by providing opportunities for students to learn actively. As students build creative presentations to showcase facts and concepts, learning deepens and students build understandings that will more likely endure.

“Calculating” Change in Math

November 23, 2014July 15, 2015 / HSE_21

Once up calculators past on a time there was the abacus. Then the slide rule. By the time I entered high school, handy multi-function calculators were all the rage (pictured at left is a TI-30, circa 1976). Calculating machines, like other technological tools, have slowly become more sophisticated.

ti-nspire-cx-cas Slowly, that is, until the computer age took hold. Today’s calculators are no less than specialized mini-computers, designed to assist scientists–and students–in performing complex calculations and solving mathematical and scientific problems. What’s more, these calculating ‘systems’ can easily be networked, making the once silent, straight-rowed math class an interactive, responsive mathematics lab! Take a one-minute peek into Kathleen Robeson’s room at Fishers High School to see how TI-Nspire^TM calculators and the CX Navigator System^TMcombined with the leadership of an excellent teacher, have transformed instruction.

*Image sources: Wikimedia Commons

Sixth Grade Science…for a New Generation!

November 20, 2014July 15, 2015 / HSE_21

Indiana’s sixth grade science standards state that students will “understand that there are different forms of energy with unique characteristics.” In generations past, a lesson on this topic might have included reading a textbook section and filling in a worksheet, not a method conducive to deep learning. Today’s HSE21 Short, from Stephanie Alig’s classroom at Riverside Intermediate, provides a compelling example of 21st century learning, where student inquiry and collaboration, powered-up by 21st century digital learning tools, foster enduring understandings of important scientific concepts.

“I placed students in groups of two or three, so that they might collaborate and learn from each other. Each group investigated a form of energy (sound, light, heat, electrical, chemical, or elastic), by researching in their textbooks and online with their iPads. Each group’s responsibility was to create a one-minute presentation representing their form of energy. Groups used a variety of digital presentation tools to share their findings: iMovie, Haiku Deck, and Adobe Voice were three popular tools.”

“Next, groups created Auras (using Aurasma) or QR codes as vehicles for presentation sharing. I placed the Auras and QR codes at ‘energy stations’ where the students a) watched the presentations; b) completed a mini-lab (made a circuit, energy sticks, measured heat, vinegar/baking soda, poppers, and diffraction grating glasses); and, c) submitted responses through Blackboard to demonstrate their understanding.”

If you are over thirty, does that sound like YOUR sixth grade science instruction?

Taking One’s Teacher Home

November 19, 2014July 15, 2015 / HSE_21

The potential of digital connectivity and devices to broaden and deepen learning is nearly boundless, as HSE21 Shorts posts often affirm! In addition to student-driven inquiry and creations, teachers are harnessing technology to connect with students outside the classroom–posting lessons online, holding virtual office hours, and recording and posting presentations. Through Blackboard, our learning management system, Google Apps for Education, and many other digital tools for learning, students can revisit material that is not yet understood. They can receive quick, individualized feedback. Interspersed throughout the year, HSE21 Shorts will highlight some simple, yet powerful shifts in instruction made possible through digital connection and access.

Natalie Stoner, mathematics teacher at the Hamilton Southeastern Freshman Center, is a pro at demonstrating mathematical constructs to her students. But as students will attest, an algebra query can seem straightforward when the teacher is explaining the steps–tackling the homework problems, though, can be another story! Stoner wanted her students to be able to revisit her in-class presentations–to review, rewind, and hear key points again as needed. Enter an iPad, a tripod, and YouTube. Now Stoner uploads each day’s mini-lesson to YouTube and links the post in Blackboard. The freshmen have the means to hear the lesson again; students who are absent can see what they missed. A simple but powerful way to foster deeper understanding. That’s #ConnectedEducation.

Need an exponent review? Ms. Stoner can help! Just click the YouTube link below:

Catapults, Collaboration and Creative Design

November 18, 2014July 15, 2015 / HSE_21

Young children are naturals when it comes to creation and design. Catapults, rockets, roller coasters…just mention these words, and creative constructions are not far behind! Sand Creek Elementary recently provided a wonderful opportunity for budding engineers and designers to explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The event, known as Family Engineering Night, brought together over two-hundred-and-fifty members of the SCE community.

Family Engineering Night came about through the vision of SCE third-grade teacher Holly Miller, who was awarded a grant for the project from the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation. Attendees of the event witnessed a packed gymnasium where students and their families visited their choice of thirty hands-on engineering stations. Side-by-side, children and adults practiced creative design, critical thinking, and problem-solving. What type of boat will hold the most pennies? Can we design a roller coaster that will keep a marble moving for 5 seconds? Which materials make the most powerful catapult? Inquiry, design, and family interaction were highlights of the smashingly-successful evening…the photos shown here tell the story best.

Day 63 – The Reading Royals Partnership

November 17, 2014 / HSE_21

Being a large and growing school corporation may have its challenges (for instance, higher traffic volume at certain times of day!). But size also has its advantages. School buildings are popping up close to one another, which opens the doors–literally–to connected learning opportunities! HSE Freshman Campus Media Specialist Kristen Distler decided to take advantage of her advantage, in that her building sits right next door to Fall Creek Elementary. Knowing the impact that motivated older students can have on our youngest learners, Distler designed the Reading Royals partnership.

The new club is open to all freshman campus students with a desire to share their love of learning with their younger peers. As of this month forty freshman are involved in the partnership. Freshman Lauren Swenson sums up what motivates Reading Royals: “I joined because I thought it would be fun to help out kids. I like spending time with them. It’s fun because all of the freshman are together reading with the kids.”

Reading Royals walk next door twice monthly to read and learn with Mrs. Robinson and Mrs. Blount’s classes. Says Distler, “The high school kids usually do a learning game for the first fifteen minutes and then read with the third graders for fifteen minutes. We hope we can foster the love of reading along with building some good mentoring relationships.” Learning together and sharing our learning. HSE21.

Day 62 – HJH Is a Blue Ribbon School

November 14, 2014November 14, 2014 / HSE_21

Congratulations to the Hamilton Southeastern Junior High school community on being named as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2014! Today, in Washington, D.C., Principal Tim Mankin and English Department Chair Jeff Libey took part in ceremonies to honor this year’s Blue Ribbon winners.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools program, an important initiative of the federal Department of Education, has a thirty-two year history of highlighting excellent schools across the United States. Earning Blue Ribbon status is a great honor, and HJH is the only junior high school in the state of Indiana to be named a National Blue Ribbon School this year. To learn more about Hamilton Southeastern Junior High’s Blue Ribbon Status, please visit their award page on the National Blue Ribbon Schools website.

Day 61 – Google Hangout with A Martian?

November 12, 2014November 12, 2014 / HSE_21

Twenty-first century technology has given students new ways to connect–with each other, their teachers, and with experts from around the world. But with Mars? Not quite… However, Megan Ewing’s Astronomy students came close on school Day 61, when they experienced a Google Hangout with Andy Weir. Weir is author of The Martian, the New York Times best-selling science-fiction novel, slated to be released as a major motion picture in November 2015.

Ewing, Astronomy teacher at Hamilton Southeastern High School, originally connected with Weir through Facebook. Says Megan, “I was just playing around one night on the Internet and found his web page. I followed him on Facebook from there and took a chance by messaging him. He replied within five minutes asking me to email him the details; he was immediately on board for the Google Hangout from there.”

The multi-class Skype was held in one of the HSE High School’s small auditoriums. Weir shared his background with the students, including how his career has evolved from computer programming to full-time writing. Weir began with a blog. One thing led to another and, several years later, The Martian was born.

weir 2 Weir also took questions form the students. To the question, “What advice to do have for aspiring authors?” he responded, “It sounds simple, but just write. Don’t give away the ending or share your work. Most writers want to have an audience or someone to share their work with. If you hold off on sharing, this will act as motivation to finish your work.” Students also wanted to know who inspired the book’s main character, Mark Watney. To this, Weir replied, “Mark is very similar to me. A nerd, sarcastic and a smart-alec. I guess he has all of my good qualities and none of my bad qualities.”

Mrs. Ewing hopes that her students will have found some inspiration from this experience. “If space, or even science, are not their “things”, perhaps contact with an author will inspire them in reading and writing.”