May 3, 2012

Once again I’m one day late to this whole Wednesday party, so I’ll forgo my urge to blabber uncontrollably and get right down to the techie, nerdy happenings of the school.

1)      Kathryn Wallace and her 10^th graders tried out a new online tool to help better understand how RNA and DNA recombines, mutates, and do all the fancy stuff the two strands do in life. It is a java based program called Molecular Workbench and also has simulations for physics, chemistry, biology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology.

2)      Starting next week, Marina and her class (with the help of Cecilia) are going to blog with students from a school in Uruguay using the quite hip and quite popular Tumblr platform. We’ll link to it when it gets going (and by we I mean me).

3)      The PNAIS Techschare Conference is happening this summer on July 2^nd and July 3^rd. If you are interested in going, the early bird registration ends on May 14^th and the price skyrockets $45. Head to their website for more information.

4)      Apparently Blended Learning is the hot new topic out there – here is a good introduction for those needing it.

 

Thanks and that is all I/what Ken provided to me have for now.

 

-Peter

April 26, 2012

Happy week back everyone.

I’m still trying to get the hang of this e-mailing thing, but here goes with the latest tidbits of technology information you may or may not care about.

School Stuff:

·         Over the break the IT department attempted to do wonders, but a few things still didn’t quite get completely resolved. If you’ve been into the computer lab and turned on the projector, you perhaps have noticed that the projected image is a bit…small. Without going into the boring details of aspect ratio/video card/duplication limitations, just know that Ken White is tirelessly working with our vendor on getting the correct model projector placed into the computer lab for maximum viewing pleasure.

·         The pen tray attached to the SmartBoard in Euclid is now fixed and working correctly

 

Plea for Peace From Peter (Me):

·         As Greg and I did inventory of our equipment over the break, we noticed quite a few laptops are missing keys on the keyboard. This is in addition to the quite a few that were missing keys on keyboards about a month ago. Please try and keep an eye out for wandering/lazy fingers that like to pick at things that shouldn’t be picked at. The letter “T” for whatever reason was a very popular one to go missing. I think I got all the keyboards good and QWERTYed again, but in the good chance that I missed one or two, please swing those laptops by my office for the quick fix.

Fun Technology Related Stuff From Ken:

·         CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – With a new $3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the MIT Education Arcade is about to design, build, and research a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) to help high school students learn math and biology. http://education.mit.edu/blogs/louisa/2012/pressrelease

·         In addition to this, a white paper from the Education Arcade at MIT  is available on the subject of “Digital Games, Social Networking and Simulations: How Teachers Can Leverage them” is available at this link: http://education.mit.edu/papers/GamesSimsSocNets_EdArcade.pdf

·         (This one from me!) Since we have the program on our image, figured anyone that uses Google SketchUp would be interested in knowing that Google has sold the product to a different company. More information here: http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/2012/04/new-home-for-sketchup.html#links

As always please notify the IT staff of anything that is running amok or isn’t working correctly.

Thanks!

Peter Woodburn

March 30, 2012

Hello everyone!

For some reason things have become rather busy these last few weeks.  I hope this finds you coping well!

Many of you have met Ken White, my maternity leave sub for Quint 5.  If not, please pop by and introduce yourself or say hello in the halls.  In the next week Ken and I will be working closely together, so he’ll be up to speed on what’s been happening here at the school.  Exciting times! 

Read on for more updates about what colleagues are doing with (and dreaming about) technology in their teaching practice…

What’s working:

·         At Renee’s request I put together a mobile media cart – it has a laptop, projector and speakers, you just plug in the cart and you’re set (it lives in the AV closet, behind the library circulation desk).  You can check it out from the library to use in rooms that don’t have a projector (like the Chem Lab, Skylight, Drawing Studio or Standifier).  Renee has used it in conjunction with the Library Laptop cart (our lightest, most mobile laptop cart) when students needed to do online research in her class.

·         There has been a real increase in experimenting with online tools and resources;  I’d love to see this growth continue.  To support this idea I hope we can implement a peer-mentoring model around teaching and technology - more to come next year.  In the meantime I have tried to partner up faculty who have similar educational goals and are experimenting with similar tools (blogs, creating videos, considering alternates to your SWIFT teacher page, etc). You have so much to share with each other!

·         There is now a streamlined way to report a problem with technology in the school.  Email nwsit@northwestschool.org.   The more detail you can provide, the better.  Feel free to continue calling the HELP line: extension 4357 when you want to speak directly to a person!

What you wish for:

·         The Athletics Faculty would love to see:

o   wireless access for faculty to use their own mobile devices,

o   a stipend for their data plans since a cell phone/mobile device is a job requirement for all coaches,

o   an organized way to share crucial forms (attendance forms, emergency and medical release forms, school directory, transportation/field/game schedules) in digital format – currently all coaches have a lot of binders to carry around. 

o   an Athletics blog that would display the current schedule (right now students daily check a printout in the office and due to frequent changes these pages are reprinted multiple times a day)

o   a pilot program to see if iPads/tablets could be useful tools here at NWS, specifically given the number of apps available to motivate students in increasing and managing their physical activity.

·         The Visual Arts Faculty would love to have:

o    an updated Mac Lab

o   an easier way to connect a Mac laptop to the Smartboard in Sprinkler

o   a way to connect the Mac laptops to the school printers,

o   a plan to enable internet access for the Mac Desktops in Sprinkler

o   an updated version of our Adobe Creative Suite license.

·         We need clear steps on how to use social media in your classrooms – currently it’s wise to let your supervisor know if you’re having students create online accounts, or interact on external websites – we need a more specific set of guidelines so teachers can be as prepared as possible.

What’s wonky:

·         Searching in Outlook for messages takes a LONG time – currently a work around is to log into the remote Outlook Web App (how you check email from home) and use the search feature.  We’ll keep you posted on long term solutions.

·         More and more of you are booking the laptop carts and Computer Lab using Outlook – which makes me very happy - but I know that these steps are not clear to everyone.  In the coming weeks we hope to have a brief online video about how to do this, for now you can follow the steps in the attached document (found in Common>Faculty>Technology>Training docs) or please ask Ken or myself for a quick introduction to the basics.

What lies ahead:

·         The Wired Wednesday/Week emails will continue.  Working in collaboration the Educational Technology Coordinator (Ken during Quint 5) and the IT team will be collecting and sharing common themes happening with technology.  Stay tuned for emails from Peter Woodburn with more information about technology use and tips!

Have a fabulous weekend!

All the best,

Catherine

March 16, 2012

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for all the positive feedback around these weekly updates!  It has been so exciting and rewarding to take part in these conversations and be part of your planning.  Thank you!

Here's what's been going on this week.

What's working:
- Francoise has her students writing and filming a French soap opera. They are recording the episodes and after a bit of editing will be posting it online for feedback from their French exchange students.  More to come...

- Cecilia's Physics classes are creating short videos to explain concepts, they've been filming using our Flip Cameras and learning to edit videos using Windows Live Movie Maker - free software that is on all our school PCs. Check out this quick tutorial and more resources on my teacher page: http://teachers.northwestschool.org/nws/cseaver/index.php?section=announcements

- Joe's Connections class is going to explore exactly how and how much they are multi-tasking at home - how much time spent on email, working on homework, texting etc.  This will be a fascinating way to begin thinking about the powerful tools many of them carry in their pockets and how to manage our often distracting but connected lives.  Two great books in our Library about these topics are: "Hamlet's Blackberry:A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age" by William Powers and "The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains" by Nicholas Carr.

- Kamimura students are taking part in a Ning community, adding to an online discussion board about their experiences here in Seattle.  http://nwschool.ning.com/


What you're wishing for:
- more headphones - I've ordered 10 more headphones (5 with microphones) that will be available from the AV closet in the library.

- a language lab - many language teachers are struggling with how to use technology to capture and give feedback on student's performance.  One option that has been explored a bit at NWS but could be more useful when supported in an online community is called VoiceThread (group conversations are collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world. All with no software to install): http://voicethread.com/
This wiki for Educators using VoiceThread (lots of examples) could prove useful: http://voicethread4education.wikispaces.com/

- effective use of Inspiration Software - that lets you create visual representation of ideas/concepts... we are looking into how to make this more available: http://www.inspiration.com/

What's wonky:
-  Audio in Sprinkler classroom - we have been troubleshooting the audio from the SMARTboard in this room this week, the loud static/hum makes it impossible to hear audio from the laptop.  The short-term fix is to unplug the laptop if you want to use audio... and remember to plug it back in again so the laptop will continue to have power.  We are working on a permanent solution.


That's it for this week!
Have a fabulous weekend.  I'm off to a cabin with no internet access... it's all about balance!

All the best,
Catherine

March 8, 2012

Hi everyone,

It’s been such a busy beginning of the Quint!  I am meeting with more of you individually and  have been thrilled to hear the amount of excitement that is growing around projects that will integrate technology more effectively… for inspiration and ideas, read on!

What’s working:

·         Lots of interest in blended learning (face-to-face instruction with online components) – and how to flip the classroom – after an inspiring session at the NAIS conference.   I think creating a working group on this topic would be very smart. Cecilia’s made her first video already! http://teachers.northwestschool.org/nws/ctung/index.php

o   You can create your own screencasts using Jing, a free and easy to use image and screen capturing tool…. http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html  they also have quite a few online tutorials: http://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-jing.html

o   Here’s an overview of blended learning: http://youtu.be/iRKMZuCNkfE

·         Many of us were totally inspired by John Hunter’s presentation at NAIS.  Here’s his TED Talk about The World Peace Game: http://www.ted.com/talks/john_hunter_on_the_world_peace_game.html

·         Harumi is planning a blog-based creative writing project where students post their writing to a communal blog and provide feedback to peers.  Marina, Ceclia and Thomas are planning a collaborative online space with students in Uruguay… more to come!

What’s wonky:

·         Errors when logging in with laptops – in the past few days this issue has been fixed, so sorry for the frustration earlier in the week.

·         A few more SMART boards are having problems with their touch sensitivity and the pen tray (Euclid and Pythagoras)… we have just signed a maintenance contract to help maintain the boards and prevent future issues.  Good news!

·         Confusing process for new faculty to get set up with an account/email/phone access.  We need a streamlined flow chart of steps that is easy for all to follow.

What you’re wishing for:

·         Remote access to files – this is still everyone’s top priority and is the IT team is actively working to find/implement the best solution.

·         The chance to do more with iPads and mobile devices – this is  big need with the Athletics department especially.

·         A more robust online space for discussions,  secure sharing of work and collaborating – what’s the next step from SWIFT Teacher Pages?  I am researching options currently.

Tips worth considering:

·         Discussions about Intellectual Property have come up a few times… check out the Creative Commons.  These licenses provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists, and educators – this is also a great place to think about how you share your own work, how students attribute and reuse content: http://creativecommons.org/

 

All the best,

Catherine

February 8, 2012

Hi again everyone,

Just wanted to send out a message about my findings this week as I’ve been meeting with more of you about how you are using technology to teach effectively, and what you’d love to see happening with technology here at NWS.   This email covers big and small issues, I hope you find it useful…

What’s working:

-          Lots of successful Smartboard use (not just as projectors but using Smart Notebook software, writing on the boards/note taking).  Ann and Emma are both using the boards extensively and most boards are now working smoothly in the school  (see below for more training info).

-          Peer mentors are using texting as a way for students (mostly Middle School students) to submit anonymous questions to the peer mentors.  Peer Mentors have published their cell numbers on posters around the school and students can text a question during Tuesday break, issues that come in outside that time are dealt with in the Peer Mentor class.  Check out more on their Peer Mentoring page: http://teachers.northwestschool.org/nws/peermentors/index.php

-          Jen is using Windows Live Movie Maker with her ESL Theatre 9 students;  students record themselves with the Flip Cameras and, in teams, edit the clips into a story.

 

What you wish for:

-          Middle School students have been dealing with issues of email spam and how to tell if an email is legitimate - a good tip is to copy and paste the wording into a search engine and see if you find any related, reported scams.  Unfortunately these kind of scams can upset students who just want to help: http://www.snopes.com/fraud/distress/family.asp  Let’s discuss ways to have these conversations and raise awareness with students.

-          Lindsay would love to have school subscriptions to BrainPOP, an online resource of animated, curriculum-based content: http://www.brainpop.com/ as well as Discovery Education, a collection of short, edited videos and digital content: http://www.discoveryeducation.com

-          The PE teachers rely heavily on Apps and mobile devices to do their jobs.  We need to look into ways to support them and know more specifics of what they need to do their jobs well.

Things you’re wondering about:

-          Consider ways that we can handle a crisis/disaster in light of the rapid rate of texting.  In light of the way word spread last week after the news of Anna’s brother, Will, being killed in Afghanistan.  How can we use/be aware of this technology  in order to be responsive, sensitive and informed teachers?

-          How to check your voicemail when the red light isn’t blinking/or from home:  Call your school number and press the # button, enter your password and you’ll be able to navigate the menu, listen to new messages,  etc.  The new email/voicemail integration allows you to also delete, sort and save messages right from your email Inbox.  More specific tips and tricks to come.

-          Smartboard refresher session –I am holding a basic, hands-on session next week, Monday Feb. 13^th at 2pm in Physics.  Please email me if you’re interested.

 

All the best,

Catherine

February 1, 2012

Hello again everyone,

Thank you to all of you who emailed saying you appreciate the specific Educational Technology  info.  I promise to treat the “Everyone” email with the reverence it deserves.  Here’s more of what I’ve heard about how we use technology here at NWS while attending meetings, chatting with you and seeing your teaching practices.

What’s working…

·         Francoise is using a private blog to help connect NWS French students with students from Lycée Emmanuel Mounier in Angers, France.  Students are currently posting introductions online in the language they’re learning and building connections as part of their exchange.

·         Tina is using http://vocaroo.com/ in her classes, it allows you to record yourself and then email that audio file to anyone. 

·         Quite a few of you are using your SWIFT teacher pages to hold online discussions.  Cal has a great practice of reminding students to only post their first names (since the site is public), and also recommends that instructors set the discussions settings to ensure they receive and approve all posts (since anyone can post on these discussion forums).   Another option for a more robust discussion board is  http://piazza.com  - it has a social media feel to it and has more functionality that the SWIFT teacher page feature.

Wonderings…

• A few people asked what a Wacom tablet is... we have 3 in the AV closet and I apologize for not being more clear.  A Wacom tablet and pen allow you to draw and sketch directly into a computer, the digitized image can be further altered using programs like Photoshop.
• Parents have been asking more about how to manage tech use at home – check out a useful article in the Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017355750_ptteenandtween28.html  
• More resources on how to have these conversations about your digital tattoo and life are my teacher page:  http://teachers.northwestschool.org/nws/cseaver/index.php?section=links

What’s wonky…

·         A few people have been frustrated by the space on the media carts for using the Document Camera.  A lot of teachers use this tool, and quite a few of you would like to know how to use it more seamlessly.  Stay tuned for quick, hands-on sharing sessions!

I look forward to meeting with more of you this week.  Thank you for the warm welcome into your classrooms and teaching experiences.

 

All the best,

Catherine