KnightSite - 5 "Best practices"

     KnightSite is widely used at GSB as a communication tool.  In this entry, I'd like to highlight five ways faculty are using KnightSite to effectively connect to students and parents.

     My first  example is drawn from AP Chemistry, a course taught by Judy Jerolaman.  In the class site, the calendar is used to post homework assignments and due dates.  On the home page, here's the calendar view:

 

     But click on the word "Calendar" to see how effective the calendar is as a tool to keep students informed about assigned work.  For students who want to plan, this view is invaluable:

  

     By clicking on any one of the listings, more information might be available.

     The Lower School organizes a number of classes (e.g.: music, computers, science, art, etc.) as "Related Arts."  In the Computers section of Related Arts, Jill Fedon has saved many links.  To keep them organized, she's created folders.  Open any folder and find a number of links connected by content.

     Open the "Tangrams" folder and find a variety of links to sites that are age appropriate and that emphasize Tangrams.

     Concert Choir is a class that occasionally needs to be divided into three independent groups: Men's Ensemble, Women's Ensemble and Chamber Choir.  David Southerland has created three Groups within his class. This enables him to set up separate practice calendars and post group-specific information.  Keep in mind that if you create Groups, you'll need to add members.

     Mike Stil's AP Biology class site features embedded video.  Though many class sites link to useful videos, an embedded video offers a cleaner look and avoids the extra step of opening another web site.  If you're interested in learning more, there is a Help Guide in the Technology Department folder describing how to embed video. Here's what an embedded video (from Khan Academy) looks like:

 

     Finally, I'll draw an example from our Girls Cross-Country team web site. On the home page is a photo collage that really personalizes the site to the runners.  Many LS sites feature class pictures for the same effect.  If you feel photo work is "one thing too many in your life," why not see if there are students in your class that might be interested in creating an image for your home page.

New Year, New Ideas, New Sites to Consider

     As we begin a new school year, I thought I'd begin a year of blogging about academic technology by focusing attention on a few web sites that hold promise for a wide variety of teachers.  The hard part, of course, is selecting just a few.  It is fair to say about the internet that never before in human history has so much content been available to so many users in a relatively accessible, easy to use format.  As educators, we recognize the potential of virtually unlimited content for teaching and learning.  But we also know that seeking the best of the web is not unlike a dog chasing his tail; it's an endless quest that is often characterized by frustration and exhaustion.  And in the end, you're not really sure what you've accomplished.

     I'm not here to save the day by providing the perfect web sites you've been seeking.  No one can do that.  What I am suggesting, however, is that these sites are worth exploring because of their abilities to provide useful materials to a wide variety of teachers across divisions and disciplines.  If you've got a spare moment - no small thing - try and explore one or several sites.  I think you'll find much to use.
     There are four altogether.  The first, Thinkfinity, contains classroom teaching materials.  The second, Online-Convert, will help you to manage multiple file formats.  The third, Tech and Learning's newsletter, will keep you apprised of technology learning news.  The fourth, Google, is included as a reminder that it's more than a search engine.   

     Right now, my favorite all-purpose classroom instruction web site is Verizon Foundation's Thinkfinity. The Verizon Foundation has teamed with a limited group of highly regarded content providers to offer videos, activities, readings, etc. on an incredible range of topics.  Who are the partners?

     There are a few features that make this site useful to virtually any teacher.  Content is K-12.  Every video, every activity, every unit comes with lesson plans. Because all the content has been developed by the educational divisions of the above partners, you can rest assured that all materials are appropriate for school use.  The site is fully searchable. Finally, social networking among like-minded teachers is facilitated by discussion groups and blog posts.

     Another highly useful site is Online-Convert It's totally different from Thinkfinity in that it's a site providing a set of increasingly useful productivity tools.  You're familiar with the problem; every computer user is.  You receive a file in a particular format (e.g.: pdf, MPEG-2, WMA, ePub, HTML, etc.) and you cannot open it.  You need to open the file, but you're unsure how to proceed.  This web site is a file converter.  It can "translate" a file into a format your computer will accept.  I would recommend you bookmark it and use it as needed. As you can see, navigation is very easy to use and it works. 

And there are many other file converters to explore if you're interested.  Go to www.technicallydigital.com/vert-documents-and-media-files to see a comprehensive listing of sites.

     Tech and Learning's newsletter is just part of the Tech and Learning web site. This is a comprehensive site for readers interested in technology in schools.  The magazine is available through subscription so that you'll receive the articles in your email inbox.  I generally find at least a few articles of interest.  The web site is a combination of information, forums, blogs, etc. 

     The image above gives you a sense of Tech and Learning's range.  Products - software and hardware - are reviewed.  The Best Practices section offers plenty of tips from fellow faculty.  By clicking on Magazine, you'll be brought to the current online issue, and be offered an opportunity to subscribe to the feed for free.  In short, there's a lot of information targeted at educators interested in how technology and learning connect.

     Why mention Google as a fourth, and final key web site?  Most of use it very regularly.  But look beyond the search engine and the home page, and a world of Google opens up.

 

     The familiar home page is picture above.  The red arrow directs you to the "more..." drop-down, and the green arrow is a reminder that having a Google account is necessary to take advantage of many of Google's features.  It's free.  

     By clicking the "more" prompt, you'll be offered shortcuts to about ten key Google functions like Documents, Reader, Sites and Scholar.  Click on "even more," and an incredible wealth of specialized services become available.  The services are organized by category: Web, Mobile, Media, Geo, Home & Office, Social, Specialized Search and Innovation.  Google Reader, for instance, allows you to consolidate your blogs and RSS feeds in one location. Google translate is a very handy translation tool, converting over 50 languages into English. Google Blog Search allows you to search blogs on topics of interest, and Blogger can get you started on your own blog. (This blog is created through Blogger.)

     Keeping up with web sites for educational use - or any other purpose, for that matter - is truly impossible.  There are just too many websites existent, and too many being added daily.  The numbers are staggering.  Web sites number in the hundreds of millions, and upwards of 7 - 10 million pages are being added daily.  But our job is not to be familiar with all that the internet contais.  Rather, it should be to look for and utilize those sites of particular interest to us.  Hopefully, the four above contribute to that quest.

Technology at GSB - The year in review

     Technology usage at GSB has never been more widespread, varied and exciting.  Across divisions and disciplines, teachers and students depend on technological resources to learn.  And technology - software and hardware - continues to play a key role in helping all of us to be more productive and efficient.

During the past year:

• We have significantly upgraded the school’s network bandwidth to facilitate faster, more stable Internet connections. 
• We have deployed a new server appliance (KASE) to expedite the management of all network devices. 
• We have gained a staff member, Eileen P., who is overseeing our database and related systems. 
• Over a dozen iPads have been distributed to administrators and key faculty users to evaluate the potential for tablet integration into classroom learning. 
• School wide technology-based professional development has been offered through participation in the fall, 2010 NJAIS conference and through an in-house program featuring Will Richardson. Additionally, a number of GSB staff-led workshops helped all employees towards improved technological literacy.
• Plans are in place for GSB to house a nationally recognized professional development program, Summercore, in June, 2011. 
• One group of teachers experimented with open-source assessments, encouraging students to use online resources as part of assessment tools. 
• The school has deployed a weather station and joined a worldwide network.  A link to the GSB campus weather and information about hundreds of other similar installations is available through KnightSite.
• In this last year, Skyped video conferencing has become a way to bring the world into our classroom. 
• A number of GSB adults and students, even first graders, blog. 
• Parents now schedule their teacher conferences via a dedicated web site.
• The school’s student online publication (The Voice) has evolved with a new web-hosting service. 
• The college guidance department utilizes a web-based system (Naviance) to house all relevant college guidance data. 

     SMARTBoards, document cameras, Prezi presentations, online forums and student laptops have become as routine as note taking, oral reports and multiple choice tests were a generation ago. In short, with regards to technology, there are many new and diverse initiatives underway in all divisions.

     When I started this Blog in the fall of 2010, my intention was to use this space as a place to keep the GSB community updated about technology use at GSB.  My intention was to write once or twice a month, and be sure to offer a K-12 perspective.  Hopefully, I've been able to do that.

     Before signing off for this academic year, I'd like to offer thanks to a number of people who have significantly contributed to technology use at GSB.

Jill Fedon, Carrie Petkiewich and Irv Taylor, our technology teachers. 

Eileen Procaccino, Larry Sudara and Ryan Roque, our Technology Department staff.

      Eileen, Larry, Jill and also, Bill Diamond and Joanna Hayes, our technology workshop instructors.

From top left, clockwise: Eileen and Nancy discuss MS Outlook; Jill at home with her SMARTBoard, Larry gearing up for a PowerPoint workshop and Joanna explaining Prezi presentation software.  Center: Bill (and Bill) with an iPad.

Sid Rowell, Steve Graham, Board members, parents and others who offer financial support and enthusiasm for our technology work at GSB.
And finally, all our GSB technology users.  Some are enthusiasts, and others are more reluctant, but for all, there is a spirit of adventure that continues to push us into new, exciting areas of learning.

   

Technology at GSB: 3 Divisions, 3 Approaches

     In the last week, I've witnessed three different ways in which technology has enhanced learning.  Each example is separate and apart from the other two.  Yet as a grouping, they allow us to see that the ways in which technology can be an asset to learning are as varied as the subjects we teach and the students who are in our charge.

     The Lower School science classes are taught by Lynn Prosen.  Two current projects involve collaborative learning with students from Texas and Missouri.  Her Sharing Animal Stories project allows ninth graders in Texas to compose animal stories and present them to our third graders through a webinar: students read stories and also share digital stories. There's a digital pop-up book for our students to see on a shared wiki.  In  turn, our third graders are developing a popsicle stick puppets video with a script developed from their animal research, and stories will be shared with the Texas students.  The third graders and ninth graders are each reviewing each others' stories.  Our second graders are learning about phenology: "nature's calendar."  GSB students are keeping track of changes they see in nature and they're using Primary Wall to post their observations.  The same school in Texas and another Middle School in Missouri are also sharing information about their local phenology.  Interested in learning more?  Check out the sites the students are using:

http://backyardalmanac.wikispaces.com/  http://sharinganimalstories.wikispaces.com/

     In the Middle School, the eighth grade recently took a trip to Rutgers University to meet with Ethan Handel, a GSB alum and now a research assistant with the Coastal Ocean Observation Laboratory.  The students learned about the significance of our oceans to planetary health, and the ways in which contemporary oceanographers are decoding the mysteries of the deep.  Probably the most fascinating tool being utilized by the Rutgers researchers was the "Glider," an underwater robot that could be controlled via satellite and could travel vast distances underwater while collecting assorted types of data.  Each of the Rutgers Gliders are sequentially named: RU-1, RU-2, RU-3, etc.  RU-27 remains the only Glider that successfully completed a trans-Atlantic crossing, from NJ to Spain, and now is housed in the Smithsonian Institution.   

 Clockwise, from top left: 1)  Eighth grade students in the Glider lab.  Here, oceanographic robots are readied for data collection.  The types of data that are collected are varied, and might include measurements of water temperatures, pollution, marine life and currents. 2) Computers track the underwater path of RU-27, the Glider that made the trans-Atlantic crossing from NJ to Spain and 3) Ethan Handel (GSB '02), now a research assistant with the National High Frequency Radar Network East Coast Hub, part of the Rutgers' Marine Science research efforts.

     Can technology inspire young learners?  Based on this trip, the answer is an unequivocal YES.  That does not mean every student in attendance came away with an urge to be an oceanographer.  But it does mean that students understood technical approaches to scientific challenges hold great promise in helping us to better understand the nature of the world we inhabit.

     In the Upper School, Irv Taylor's  Multimedia Design class took on a video production project that connected them to our Lower School.  The group of students created a short (3 minute) video highlighting our Lower School Related Arts classes. These are classes students take outside of their normal grade classroom, and are informally known as "Specials": Art, Computers, Library, Music, Physical Education, Science and World Languages.  For this project, a full array of video production technology skills were utilized.  Students filmed, edited, made production design decisions, wrote script and narrated. The end product nicely showcases our Lower School Related Arts courses and highlights the impact of a video presentation. 

       Want to take a look at the video?  It's available in each of the three Division folders (Lower School, Middle School, Upper School) on KnightSite. And for your convenience, it's also just below.

 

The Demographics of the Digital Age

     The digital age, as we've come to know it, began in the 1980's with the rise of personal computing.  By the 1990's, the digitizing of data was widespread, making possible products such as CDs and MP3s, satellite TV and cameras that did not need film.  As the 20th century gave way to the 21st century, the internet became the new frontier of the digital age, and within a few years, it grew to an incredibly content-rich, interconnected platform from which one could access information about virtually any topic.  And the internet itself morphed, became Internet 2.0, an internet that allowed any user to add content.  What was once a tool to access information now became a place to post information.
     It's all happened within a time frame that syncs to a generation; the digital generation.  This generation begins with the group born in the early 1980's.  They're just approaching 30 now, and all they've ever known is digitally-delivered information. High school students, and those younger, are firmly of the digital age.  They cannot remember a time without computers.  And though certain digital technologies like cell phones or e-readers may have gained traction in their lifetimes, they are considered part of a natural technological evolution, not revolutionary products.
     The digital generation are sometimes referred to as digital natives.  They are native to the digital landscape.  It's the land they were born to, and it's terra firma for them.
     What about the older people, those born in the 1970's or 1960's, or even further back into the deeper recesses of the 20th century.  They are the analog generation.  They grew up with plenty of technology, but it was delivered in a different way.  Telephones were tethered.  Phonographs played vinyl records.  Televisions delivered fewer channels - far fewer - and reception was at times snowy at best.  When digitization shoved aside older systems and began to re-invent our technologies, the analog generation was often a bit slow to adopt newer technologies. But they have adapted, and regularly use a wide variety of digital technologies.  But learning to use smart phones, tablets, Facebook and navigate web sites is not native to them. They did not grow up with these systems.  There is an advantage to exposure at a very young age; it makes learning easier.  The analog generation does not have the advantage of early-age immersion.  They learned as adults.  They have come to the digital age, rather than being of it.  They are digital immigrants.  And like virtually all immigrants, they struggle with language, cultural traditions and historical references.  But like so many immigrants, they also work hard to assimilate.
     I've thought about the demographics of the digital age plenty because I'm made acutely aware of this generational divide daily in my job.  As someone who works with teachers and students on a wide variety of technology issues, I'm also reminded that over-generalizations about generational proclivities are easy to state, but harder to substantiate.  Exceptions abound.  There are students who say things like "I hate email because I don't every want to remember a password." and faculty who teach themselves to use Garageband because they love music. In fact, this whole question of a digital divide is one that has been carefully considered by many scholars of the digital age. Interested?  Do a Google Scholars search to read more deeply into the issue.
     I was born a few years before the 1980's.  I'm not a native.  But I don't quite think of myself as an immigrant either.  I propose a new category for digital demographers: naturalized citizen. This group not only wants to be conversant with digital technologies; we also seek to find the best of new technologies and use them as if we were natives.  Maybe it's just another example of an older person wanting to be young.  Or maybe it's a strategy to survive and thrive in a new era.

GSB's Weather Station

     Did you know that we have a weather station on campus?  It is attached to the flagpole at Thomas Court, in front of the Athletic Center and the Cox Lower School.  The weather station measures temperature, wind speed, humidity, precipitation and barometric pressure.

 The GSB Weather Station at Thomas Court

 

     Truthfully, there seems nothing earth-shattering about the fact that a small weather station is located on campus.  But it gets more interesting.  Our weather station is one of several hundred connected stations that collectively offer a snapshot of weather worldwide.  A "weather collective," the Weather Underground, collects and organizes data from stations around the globe.  Information is posted on www.wunderground.com.  In other words, this is a weather wiki site.  A great many individuals and groups contribute time and effort towards building a body of knowledge useful to others.

     Additionally, each participating weather station site can host a site with station-specific information.  At GSB, for up-to-date campus weather, go to http://www.weatherlink.com/user/gsb (For your convenience, there is link on the home page of KnightSite.) Here, you'll see, in real time, the temperature, humidity, etc. for the Gill St. Bernard's School campus.

     Everyone is interested in the weather from time to time, so there is real utility in these sites for everyone.  But in classes, particularly in the Lower School, the information becomes part of the curriculum.  In April, the LS science program turns its attention to weather, and our own weather station can provide data of use to students in their studies.  With a few clicks, students can access historic data for our weather station and measure data against local norms.  It's just one more way that technology can help deepen students' understanding and interest in a topic under consideration.

 The GSB Weather Station's web site - access via KnightSite's home page

 

     It's worth a mention that Hope Preston deserves a special commendation for our participation in the Weather Underground program.  She spearheaded the effort to obtain the weather station hardware and integrate it into the global weather network.  Thanks also to Ryan Roque for his work setting up the web sites that provide the information to the rest of us.

Three Views of Technology

     Before you become too entranced with gorgeous gadgets and mesmerizing video displays, let me remind you that information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, and wisdom is not foresight. Each grows out of the other, and we need them all.

Arthur C. Clarke, author

     A vacation week, or two, allows for lots of things; rest, travel, catching up on reading, sleep, entertainment, etc. But time away from the workplace also offers the gift of perspective. With a little space placed between yourself and your job, you sometimes can see things in a clearer light. Checking on an unrelated topic of interest, I ran into the above quote by Arthur Clarke, an author best known for his science fiction work. Instantly, I saw a workplace issue come into more clear focus.

     It's easy to become enamored with the latest, greatest hardware. For anyone with a bit of historical understanding, it's hard not to conclude that we live in a particularly exciting, fast-changing era that is redefining peoples' connection with technology. Technologically, I believe that the current era is unique in human history in terms of the widespread effects technology is having on humankind. But as Clarke observes, the hardware is only important insofar as it helps create sources of information that can be used to promote knowledge. And knowledge must be applied judiciously if one is to be wise. Even wisdom can be misused if if it mistaken for a predictive ability. In short, technology now as always, should be examined for the ways it can serve our needs. 

     It seems to me this is especially true in schools.  We should embrace new technologies, but only so far as they help forward our core mission: to help students learn.  That said, the promise of new pedagogical frontiers that utilize technology creatively and effectively continues to rapidly grow.  It's an exciting time to be involved in education. 

     After pondering Clarke's comments, I looked for other insights into our technological world. 

     There’s a set of rules that anything that was in the world when you were born is normal and natural. Anything invented between when you were 15 and 35 is new and revolutionary and exciting, and you’ll probably get a career in it. Anything invented after you’re 35 is against the natural order of things.

Douglas Adams, author 

          Remember The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe?  If you're a certain age, you probably remember the title, even if you never read the book.  Before the phrase "cult classic" came into vogue, this book was a cult classic.  The author, Doug Adams, seemed to have unusual insights into the workings of the world.  The above quote, from an interview, seems to bear out the characterization of Adams as a savvy observer.

          The quote gets at the current conversation about digital natives vs. digital immigrants.  Adams understood a generation ago that you are defined, at least in some measure, by the accident of the timing of your birth.  And in a world of rapidly changing technology, the implication is that people of different ages can have distinctly different understandings of what's expected technologically.  We certainly see this in our school.  In this respect, students are different than teachers, and younger teachers can be different from old teachers.

          My thinking on this issue is simple; we all need to be learners.  We work in a school, after all, so learning should be embraced by people of all ages.  New technologies can be exciting and useful.  Be willing to explore, no matter how old you are.  But there's so much to learn!  The steady stream of new hardware and software has become a waterfall...

      The number of transistors that can be inexpensively placed on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. (known as Moore's Law)  

Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel

     The actual provenance of the quote seems in debate, but there is no doubt that thinker behind the idea of processing speeds increasing exponentially over time is Moore.  The implication?  That into the foreseeable future, we will continue to see faster, more portable devices that do more.  Over the last couple of years, there has been a serious migration away from the traditional computer to tablets and phones for basic computing functions.  What comes a few years down the road?  Who would dare predict?

     What all this implies for schools remains unclear.  And as Arthur Clarke suggested, the wise do not try too hard to guess.  But it is certain that our job is to continue to be open to new possibilities and follow the research on learning.  Students deserve the very best tools to meet learning goals, whether the tools were invented this year or last century.  Teachers deserve no less.