Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Regina TLs Day of Learning: Anytime, Anywhere, Anyone: Transitioning Toward 21st Century Learning

Keynote Resources from: bit.ly/SaskTL


Anytime,Anywhere, Anyone (Resources) - #SaskTL

Dr. Alec Couros
couros@gmail.com
@courosa
skype: aleccouros
youtube.com/courosa

Websites in Order of Appearance:
  • About.Me - Alec’s About.Me page (as an example).
  • EC&I 831 - Open graduate course, “social media and open education”.
  • The Open Doctrine - My own personal attack ad (video).
  • Stephen Downes - Downes’ wise commentary on the Best Job in the World.


Standards/Background:
  • The Typical Teacher Network - This diagram attempts to visualize the typical network of teachers.
  • The Networked Teacher - Increasingly more teachers are developing rich personal learning networks (PLNs) through the use of social media (sometimes called Web 2.0 tools).
  • PLE Diagrams - Scott Leslie has compiled comprehensive list of individuals who have visualized their personal learning environme
  • nts.
  • What Does the Network Mean to You? - I asked the question of my network, "what does the network mean to you?". As a result, dozens of people responded via Voicethread (through text, audio, video) to explain their thoughts on networked learning and professional development.


Examples and Information About Open Courses

21st Century Learning in Practice (videos):

Communication/Networking Tools & Tutorials
  • Wikispaces (one of the most popular wiki tools, adfree for educators)
  • PBWorks (another popular wiki tool)
  • LinkedIn (important, career-based social networking tool)
  • Schoology (free learning management system, course communication/creation tool)
  • Posterous (very easy blogging/communication tool)
  • Tumblr (media-friendly blog platform)
  • Skype (most popular video/audio conferencing tool)
  • join.me (video/audio conferencing tool)
  • Tokbox (similar to skype but nothing to install, free for videoconferencing)
  • Chatzy (free private chat rooms)
  • TinyChat (live video chat rooms - beware of some inappropriate content)
  • Today’s Meet (easy to setup chat w/ tags)
  • WizIQ (virtual classroom for online teaching and learning)


Productivity & Collaboration Tools

Screencasting, Video, Photos, Audio
  • Jing (free software for screencasting and image capture)
  • Screenr (free, web-based software for creating screencasts)
  • Animoto (easy way to create engaging videos from your imagery)
  • Flickr (popular photo-sharing site, great for finding copyleft images)
  • Aviary (popular media-editing suite)
  • Jaycut (free video editing)
  • Handbrake (rip and pull DVDs (Mac)
  • KeepVid (download videos from Youtube & other sources)
  • Zamzar (online file conversion)
  • Lightworks (free video editing software for Windows)
  • PhotoStory 3 (story maker for Windows)
  • One True Media (create slideshows and share)
  • Soundcloud (audio hosting & embedding)
  • uStream (free live video streaming)
  • LiveStream (another free livestreaming service)
  • Blip.fm (social music service)
  • GrooveShark (social music service, allows shared playlists)
  • fd’s Flickr Toys (number of ‘toys’ for your images)


Presentation Tools
  • Prezi (popular alternative to Powerpoint)
  • Slideshare (great way to host slide decks & create screencasts)
  • Glogster (alternative presentation format tool)
  • 280Slides (similar to Powerpoint, but online)
  • SlideRocket (another popular Powerpoint alternative)
  • PhotoPeach (easy, sharable slideshows)
  • Wordle (easy way to create word clouds)
  • Tagul (another way to create word clouds)
  • Stupeflix (another slideshow creation tool)
  • Dipity (timeline creation tool)
  • Voki (creating talking avatars)
  • Xtranormal (create movies via text)
  • GoAnimate (create cartoons and animations easily)
  • Voicethread (create interactive presentations)
  • VuVox (create great presentations)


Collaborating Thinking/Writing Tools

Referencing/Attribution Tools
  • BibMe (online referencing tool)
  • EasyBib (another online referencing tool)
  • Plagium (plagiarism detection)
  • Zotero (great research tool for organization, citation, bibliographies)
  • Mendeley (a free reference manager and academic social network)


Polls & Surveys

Aggregators
  • Netvibes (personal, dashboard-like aggregator)
  • Symbaloo (another popular dashboard-like aggregator)
  • Weblist.me (easy way to quickly share links with visual interface- great for elementary)
  • Feedly (Browser plugin to aggregate RSS magazine-style)


Media Resources

More Resource Lists to Explore



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Friday, October 21, 2011

Wrestling with Assessment in the Digital Age

STF Conference, Finding our Way IV: Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability
Presentation by Joanna Sanders Bobiash and Erik Van Dusen

Here is our presentation from today's workshop about using digital tools for assessment. (Presentation Link)

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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Prime Minster's Awards for Teaching Excellence

Receiving my pin from
Prime Minister Steven Harper 
Last week, I had the honour of accepting the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in Ottawa. I am overwhelmed and still in shock that I have been recognized with such a prestigious award. I love my job and I do the work that I do because it is one of my passions. I would like to thank my nominators and supporters for putting my name forward as I know preparing a nomination package for this type of award is very time consuming. For more information about my award, please visit my biography and award description from the PMA's website.

Receiving my award
at the PMA's ceremony
In the fall of 2010, a parent of one of my students approached my principal to nominate me for this award based on the work that I had done during the 2009-10 school year. They worked as a team to put my name forward by collecting numerous letters of support from various colleagues and statements from students. Reading a copy of the nomination package after it was submitted was an honour in itself. I wish all of my colleagues could have a similar document written about their work as it is something that I will always treasure.

Along with a cash award that I will get to spend on my students and my professional development, my prize included a 6-day trip to Ottawa for the awards ceremony, a meeting with the Prime Minister, a group dialogue session with the Governor General, a presentation from a Canadian Astronaut and other events. Part of my week in Ottawa was spent participating in a two-day exemplary practices session with the other winners of this award. Here is the presentation that I made to my fellow recipients:
Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence Presentation
View more presentations from Joanna Sanders Bobiash

The award recipient this year are outstanding and it was a real privilege to get to know them during our week in Ottawa. I invite you to visit their biographies to check out what they are doing at their schools. There is also a great resource on the PMA website that includes descriptions and ideas about exemplary practices from this year (will be posted soon) and for previous years. I think it is a resource that isn't as well utilized as it could be and well worth the time to check it out.

Finally, if you know an outstanding Canadian educator who deserves recognition, please take the time to nominate them. The nominations are now open for the  2011-12 award.
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Thursday, September 8, 2011

How video in the classroom helps digitally-savvy students learn

Article from the Toronto Star
September 8, 2011 13:09:00
by Diana Mehta, The Canadian Press

Zara Cruickshank’s Grade 8 science class is a little different from those of yesteryear. Students regularly make mini films or podcasts for class projects, reams of notes are a thing of the past and video is an important part of learning.

As the new school year begins, a number of Canadian classrooms are increasingly implementing video as an educational tool to keep their digitally savvy students engaged and interested.

“It’s just easy to focus when it’s visual,” says Cruickshank. “You can be creative and have fun doing it because you’re putting your ideas together to make something for school, to make school easier.”

The 13-year-old at Regina’s Ecole Wilfrid Walker is talking specifically about Joanna Sanders Bobiash’s classroom.

Bobiash — who travelled to Seattle’s Google Teacher Academy this summer to brush up on her web and video skills at the first ever YouTube Teacher Studio — plans to use video a lot more extensively in her classroom this year.

“Everyone has different learning styles, they learn best in different ways,” she says. “Video provides the opportunity to almost deliver both (visuals and text) at the same time. You have visual, you could have written and you have audio at the same time and students can refer to them at their own pace.”

The days of classroom video consisting of a TV and VCR rolled in for a lengthy film students could zone out on are over. Bobiash, who teaches science and social studies, uses digital video to deliver information in short, interactive bursts and encourages students to make their own films for projects which can later be posted online through her YouTube channel.

“Before they could only express themselves in the written form, but now they can express themselves in different ways,” said the 35-year-old teacher. “They’re really drawn to video when doing research, it helps blend different learning styles better than just reading a bunch of text online.”
A concept that really struck her during her time at the Google Teacher Academy was what’s being referred to as “flip teaching.”

It’s when teachers film themselves explaining a concept, or assign an educational video and have the student watch it for homework so they’re actively thinking about the subject before it’s explored in class the following day.

Bobiash plans to implement more flip teaching at the start of her subject units because she finds students really benefit from the visual component.

“They’re not just being given text to memorize,” she says. “I would say they’re retaining the information better because they have to understand it.”

When that understanding is later demonstrated through class projects, Bobiash says her students often blow her away.

“They really get into what they want to know about and their ability to communicate that is phenomenal,” she says, adding that her students often produce videos she would have expected to see at a high-school level.

“It’s a big change in how education is being delivered,” she says of the video component. “It’s an actual shift in how we perceive education itself ... that more in-depth thinking is coming out in the curriculum more.”

Shelly Wright knows what Bobiash is talking about.

The high school teacher at Cornerstone Christian School in Moose Jaw, Sask., plans to use flip teaching in her classroom more extensively this year and says students respond remarkably well to video as part of their learning.

“My students really love it,” says Wright, adding that video really helps cater to multiple learning paces.

“You have kids who need to go over different pieces over and over, and for those kids, they can watch the video three or four times, they can stop it where it doesn’t make sense ... for students like that flip teaching is really powerful.”

This year, for the first time, her students will also have the option to hand in video labs in place of paper-based lab reports — the outlining of the hypothesis, process and evaluation will remain the same, but students can convey them via film if they want.

Students respond more enthusiastically to video for homework than reading a textbook, says Wright.

“You could have essentially world class experts teaching your kids, which is one of the exciting things about the flip classroom,” says the chemistry and biology teacher, adding that video also allows her to show students unstable experiments she wouldn’t be able to demonstrate in the classroom.

That’s not to say teachers are assigning videos for homework every night.

“You use it for very specific purposes and you don’t use it all the time,” Wright says. “Then you can take your time in class to do hands-on stuff so it actually makes sense to them.”

For Wright, video, when used in the right way, helps hone her students’ problem solving and negotiating skills as they grapple with concepts on their own.

“Video is the medium of the future,” she says. “With all the stuff there is today, there is the opportunity for school to be really exciting in ways that it hasn’t been in the past.”
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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The Flipped Classroom

Here is an interesting infographic that explains what a "Flipped Classroom" looks like. The statistics are American, but I think the message is just as relevant in a Canadian classroom as it would be south of the border. What do you think of the concept? Have you considered using it in your own classroom?

The Flipped Classroom
Created by Knewton and Column Five Media
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Friday, August 5, 2011

Becoming "Google Certified" at the Google Teacher Academy

Almost every surface at Google is
"writable" and adds to the collaborative
nature of the company. Share your ideas
anytime, anywhere! Another idea
for my classroom this fall!
On July 28 and 29th, I got to spend two unforgettable days at Google in Seattle at the Google Teacher Academy (GTA) with a fantastic group of educators and inspiring leaders in technology. You can read a bit more about how I arrived at Google by reading my previous post about "My Google Adventure". The schedule we followed and the list of resources can be found here if you want more detailed information. I have to say, my experience at Google was life changing and I have great pride in the fact that I am now a "Google Certified Teacher" (GCT). I can't wait to share with other educators everything I learned by giving in-services, working one-on-one and offering online help. My students will also be benefiting from my new found knowledge and expertise in my classroom through innovative approaches and a renewed perspective on integrating technology into my teaching. I can't wait to share with them this year and look forward to learning with them too.

One of the fabulous people I got to
know at GTA was Gwyneth Jones,
aka the Daring Librarian. 
Although the offices in Seattle (where I attended GTA) and in Kincaid (where I attended YouTube Teacher Studio the day before) are different, they share the same philosophy as all the other Google offices worldwide. All employees seemed happy and productive as I walked around and toured the offices. They had easy access to items to provide brain breaks (games, books, kayaks), they had a peaceful (great lighting and comfortable furniture) and collaborative (writable surfaces everywhere) environment and they were always in close proximity to food and beverage. One philosophy we heard more about was the concept that Google employees spend 80% of their time working on their assigned projects and 20% of their time working on a project of their own choosing. What a fantastic idea to implement in the classroom. Think of the engagement students would be in their own learning by pursuing their own interests and passions while learning valuable project and time management skills. This is a concept I know I will be looking into further.

Learning about Google Sketch-up
We spent our day learning from accomplished Google Certified Teacher leaders who led us through sessions on Google Docs, GMail, Google Sites, and other Google Apps. Although these are all tools that I use on a regular basis, I learned a lot about how to use these tools more effectively myself and with students. I also greatly benefited from hearing stories and ideas from the other educators in my cohort about how they were using these tools in their classrooms.

The GTA Team
When asked on numerous occasions upon my return what my favourite part of my time at Google has been, I would have to say having the opportunity to share and hear from the group of educators chosen to be at Google with me. We spent time getting to know each other online before arriving and it is always fantastic to meet people you have gotten to know online face to face. I now have a wonderful resource I can tap into anytime when I have questions or ideas I need feedback on. I have always spent a lot of my time teaching other people how to use online tools like Google Apps, but I rarely get the opportunity to share ideas with people who are at the same level as I am when it comes to integrating technology into education. For me, it is not the tool, but the enhancement the tool brings to student engagement and understanding. Not everyone gets that and it was great to be surrounded by a fantastic group of people who do. Upon reflection, I actually compared myself to students in my class who likely feel like they need enrichment, or the chance to delve further into what we are learning about, but don't always get the chance to do so. I think after having had the chance to live this experience for myself and see how much I got out of it, I will spend more time trying to help enrich the learning experience for my students who need more of a challenge.

My fabulous "Gutenberg" group
After we were done our two days together, we were challenged to come up with our GCT action plans. These are plans we will implement over the coming school year. I have to give more thought to what I will be doing and also reflect upon everything I have learned before I share my action plan. I have to do the same thing for YouTube EDU so I suspect I will be doing a combined project between the two. I will be posting more about these projects in the days and weeks to come.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about Google or YouTube and how to use their many tools in your classroom, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I would love to work with you.

Some of my gifts received from Google
Finally, while I was in Seattle and upon my return, I did numerous media interviews about my experience. Here are a few links to only a few of the stories and interviews I did in case you want to hear more about my Google adventures in a different way. Like I said before, it was more than just learning about Google, but getting to know a fantastic cohort of educators I will be learning more from for years to come!

CBC Saskatchewan's Morning Edition - July 27, 2011
Regina Leader Post - August 1, 2011
Radio-Canada Saskatchewan, Midi-Plus - August 2, 2011
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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

YouTube Teacher Studio

I've arrived at Google!
Today, I had the honour of participating in the first ever YouTube Teacher Studio and can now proudly call myself a "YouTube Star Teacher".

Our sessions were held at the Google Offices in Kincaid. Just being inside the Google buildings was an experience in itself. Google treats their employees really well to ensure that they are the most productive they can be. As guests, we also got to experience some of their many perks. I can't go into much detail, but I do have to say that all the teachers were very envious of the cafeteria and the readily available snacks and beverages available throughout the day. We thought that we would be very productive educators if we could enjoy some of these many perks in our staff lounges.

During our day, our small group of 15 educators was treated to a number of presentations and  smaller workshops. We learned so much I can't share it all in one blog post! I know I will be posting more about what we learned in more detail as I start to apply and use what I learned in my practice.

New Tools from YouTube
To start our day, we were lucky enough to receive three wonderful gifts, a YouTube Flip HD pocket video camera, a mini tripod and a Bamboo tablet. All these tools will help us produce our future videos that we will be hosting on our channels on YouTube.

During our first session with history teacher James Sanders, we learned about how to use the power of  YouTube in the classroom to support instruction and engage students. We were saw numerous examples of how Sanders uses video to support his students and to differentiate instruction. One idea shared that particularly resonated with me was how to help students to dig deeper into concepts by providing them with YouTube playlists that support what they are learning to watch when they are done their assignments in class. Students who are done earlier than everyone else are often a challenge to keep engaged and busy in a classroom so I thought that this was a great idea to deepen their understanding and let them go further. I also really liked the idea of having a YouTube center where students watch videos made by the teacher that gives them the content they need and administers an assignment or quiz through the use of Google Forms. The other students are then working in a smaller group with the Teacher answering questions and getting further explanation and practice.

During our next session with chemistry teacher, Ramsey Musllam, we learned all about screencasting and the power of capturing direct instruction and assigning it as homework. This approach is know as flip teaching. Musllam demonstrated how to make screencasts of his explanations in chemistry and gave us examples of how he uses them in his classroom. His website, flipteaching.com has wonderful examples and resources anyone could use to try flip teaching in their classroom. This is an approach I plan to explore further in my classroom this year. We also got some hands on experience with our new Bamboo tablets and experimented with screencasting.

Our final presenter was Jim Sill who used to work in the TV and movie industry and is now a video production teacher. He showed us the basics of video production and gave us some simple techniques to ensure we are making quality videos. We also later had a hands on component where we got to practice what he had shown us and make short videos using our new Flip cameras.

The whole day was a fantastic experience to share with other educators how we are already using video in our classrooms, learn so new techniques and to brainstorm new ideas about how we will use video in the future. There is a lot more to come on this topic so please come back to read more about my adventures with YouTube. I'm so excited about the future possibilities of this new adventure.
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Monday, July 25, 2011

My Google Adventure

Last month, I applied to be part of the Google Teacher Academy (GTA) taking place in Seattle, WA. Google received over 4,000 applications from around the world and only 50 were accepted. I'm excited to say that I was one of the few chosen to participate in this exciting one-day professional development event. After I'm done, I will be a Google Certified Teacher.

Here is the video that I made as a part of my application to GTA:


After learning we were chosen to participate in GTA, the 50 participants were asked to apply for the first ever YouTube Teacher's Studio. Only 15 spots were available for this event that is taking place the day before GTA. I'm excited to say that I got chosen to attend this event as well. YouTube and Google all in one week! Wow!

I'm very overwhelmed to be part of this fantastic group of educators and can't wait for this adventure to begin. I leave tomorrow for Seattle and will be writing posts about my adventure while I'm there. Thanks to the power of social media, namely Twitter and Google+, I have had the chance to chat and connect with my fellow participants over the past few weeks. What a powerful way to get to know some of the other people that will be participating. Gone are the days where you show up in a room of strangers and have to begin making small talk to get to know each other. We have already broken the ice and are ready to learn!
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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

One Day On Earth


Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada from Joanna Sanders Bobiash on Vimeo.

Last fall, my students and I participated in this wonderful project with people from around the world called "One Day on Earth". My Grade 6, 7 and 8 students all captured a short portion of their lives with still cameras and video cameras on October 10, 2010. They edited their footage into short documentaries of their own and shared them with the class. A number of my 68 students decided to contribute their footage, along with my own, to the main project and were delighted to hear that some of their footage had been selected to be included in the final documentary. We are not sure what exactly has been included in the final version of this film, but we were very excited to be included. Please check out the trailer for this project and consider contributing towards the final production costs. Seeing the pride and excitement in my students' by participating in this project made it a very worthwhile venture. I hope to participate in this type of project again in the future. Not many students can say that they contributed footage to a Hollywood documentary in middle school!

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