Networked Classrooms

This week has simply flown by!  Spring fever has certainly hit my family and our activities have kept us very busy.  Birds are singing and flowers are blooming.  Slowly, but surely, my personal learning network is growing as well. 

This week the assignment is to reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of a networked classroom.  I think the greatest advantage is the limitless possibilities that are suddenly available in a networked classroom.  Many of the schools in my area are rural and field trips can often be difficult to finance, especially with rising fuel costs.  A networked classroom can bring the field trip to the students.  Authors, scientists, and other experts can visit the classroom through tools such as Skype allowing for direct interaction without the costly travel. 

Another advantage for a networked classroom is the ability to foster respect and tolerance for other cultures and communities.  Students who share their work and view the work of others have the opportunity to look at issues from multiple points of view.  Rarely is a situation black and white.  Interacting with students through blogs or virtual classroom communities can help students see the benefits of looking at problems and ideas from multiple perspectives.  In addition, students learn to accept constructive criticism of their own work and understand the value of revision and careful thought. 

In browsing around the internet, I stumbled upon a “quad blog” of four schools in four different countries.  Each school has a different blog week in which students write posts.  The other schools then review the posts and leave comments.  The posts make a very interesting read and are a great showcase of what is possible in a networked classroom.

Of course there are disadvantages as well.  All of us have fallen victim to technology failing at some point.  Posts are lost, servers crash, equipment breaks.  Having a backup plan is always a must.  Privacy concerns are also an issue.  When you open a classroom to the general public, there is always a chance that inappropriate comments may occur, requiring constant monitoring.  Students must also be taught the meaning of digital citizenship.  Responsibility in the virtual world is just as important as in the actual world.   Teaching these skills requires additional time in an already crowded curriculum. 

Although I do not have my own classroom yet, I think baby steps could be taken in almost any room to transition toward a networked classroom.  Even in a classroom that only has one computer a teacher can incorporate items to make connections.  Simply creating a class blog and showcasing projects or work could invite comments and help increase parental awareness of what happens in the classroom.  Access to a webcam and allow guest speakers to visit the classroom.  Over time additional steps can be taken to broaden the horizons of the classroom and create a truly networked environment. 

I look forward to the new and interesting ways in which technology can help bring new ideas into the classroom and help students learn. 

Science Fair Time

What a tiring, but exciting weekend.  Every year one of the local middle school teachers puts on a science fair.  It has been my pleasure to help “judge” the experiments and models for the past two years.  Although it makes for a few long, exhausting days I cannot wait till next year to do it all over again!

Students in 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade all participate.  Starting in January, the teacher walks through all the aspects of an experiment with the students.  They discuss how to take a question and turn it into a hypothesis.  They address how it is important to only have one independent variable.  Research is conducted to help them better understand their chosen topic.  Each student not only addresses whether their conclusion was correct or not, but why the results turned out they way they did and what they changes they would make if they did the project again.  They even keep a “time log” of each step in the journey.  I love seeing all the projects!

Unfortunately, this school is in the minority in my area.  Very few schools host a science fair.   Why? 

It is time consuming.  The teacher from this weekend’s fair did not spend the last three months only on science fair material, but a significant amount of class time is needed.  However, isn’t this what science is about?  Scientific inquiry, learning how to solve problems, applying skills…these are the things I hope our student are learning.  As much as I love my chemistry, I know that very few students will ever need to know how to balance a chemical equation, but science fair has something that all students learn from.  Isn’t it worth the time?

“Saving the science fair: why bother?” by Nick Mitchell is a great post on how the science fair can be beneficial.  One of the points he makes is that it is often seen as a huge competition.  There is too much stress on winning.  One of the things I love about the fair I helped judge this weekend is how they handled this aspect.  Students brought in their projects on Friday afternoon.  Friday evening and all day Saturday, a team of judges, without students present, scored each of the projects using the same rubric.  Students are provided this same rubric before they even begin their experiments.  Each project was scored twice and then the scores were averaged.  Students received a ribbon based on their score. In theory each project could have received a blue ribbon.  Of course, that does not happen, but each student receives detailed, specific feedback on why they did not receive all the points they could have.  I think the feedback is one of the most important aspects of the whole process!

If a science fair is something you are interested in, Nick Mitchell has a couple other great articles,  The Craft of Coaching, and Picking a Project Pitfalls that you may be interested in. 

If you are a parent, groaning because it is science fair season, this article may help you.

So what are your thoughts on the science fair?  Is this something you do in your school?  What ways have you found to make it successful?  Is it a waste of precious time or an investment in learning?  I would love to hear from you!

Stepping into the Tweeting World

This week I have officially stepped into the Tweeting world!  Out of all the tools I have thus far learned about, this was the one I saw as having the least promise for being useful to an educator.  Those I knew who used twitter focused on keeping up with their favorite movie star or music entertainer.  Worse yet were those who simply tweeted updates on what they ate for breakfast or other mundane information.   

Although I am just getting my feet wet, I now see several positive benefits of using the tool for educators.  Used in conjunction with the twitter4teachers website, I am suddenly connected to a large group of teachers to share ideas with, ask questions, and discuss information I feel is important.  In reviewing what teachers are doing on Twitter I found a few who used the site as a means of communication with students and parents.  Others used the site to inform followers when there was a new update to their website or blog.  One person used the site to find another classroom to connect with for a project.  The most promising use I feel were those who asked for help or advise....and received it!

There is a short slide show from a Canadian educator on the uses of Twitter in the classroom.  She even lists a few educators she feels are worth following.  One of the items from the slide show that stuck in my mind is you can always unfollow someone if you find you do not like their tweets.  Keeping this in mind I chose a few handfuls of individuals to follow. 

Like with anything, good things take time.  Right now my twitter network is small, but with some time and effort I can foresee the investment being worthwhile. 

Feel free to follow me at:

ValHowland

First steps

Until recently I have been a spectator in terms of participation in networks.  I have been cautious, probably overly cautious, about joining and participating in various networking sites.  I do not currently have my own classroom although I am keeping my fingers crossed for the fall.  Articles such as the following have only served to make me more concerned about what I post online.   

Social network warning for teachers -2011

On Web, social sites can sometimes bite - 2008

In retrospect, however, I think I was looking at things from the wrong angle.  True, it is important to be cautious about what is posted online, but as members of a community are we not already cautious about our behavior in public?  I think this distinction is one I had not quite put my finger on.  An online network is a social setting.  There are certain rules of etiquette followed in any social setting, especially a setting where students and parents may be present.  An online social setting is no different, in this respect, than a physical setting.   If we follow common sense and recall our audience when posting pictures, writing blogs, and linking sites then a social network can have great value. 

Richardson and Mancabelli state that to succeed in “a networked space requires that we give back as much if not more than we receive (2011). Until this point I have only taken in information without giving anything back.  One of my goals is to slowly begin to change and enrich my own learning experiences as well as those experiences I can offer to my students.  Here is one of my first steps on a hopefully long and successful journey.