I spoke with a couple of high school teachers today and it was very rejuvenating. They asked me what was happening next year and I drew a blank. I knew of lots of things that were going to happen next year but I was trying to think of things that would be exciting to them. So while I was grasping for something witty, they told me that they wanted to try blogging.
I was very interested in this because blogging is something that technology leaders talk about all the time, but it really does not get done all that much. We talked a little bit about blogs that we had seen, what can be put on a blog, and what are the "watch-outs" when it comes to blogging with students. I think that blogging works best when it provokes the audience, in this case the students. How can one get a student to respond to a blog besides just giving a simple directive? I think the best way is to write a question or an entry that gets the student to give an analysis or a critique. Maybe a blog should ask to compare and contrast or to give an opinion but back your opinion up with some reasons for that opinion. The other thing that is important is that blogs need to be moderated. It is simple to do but it will involve time to keep the blog respectable. The teachers and I discussed several other things today but I will post about them later. It gives me something to blog about! I have to say that I enjoy trying to help make technology relevant in the classroom. It enriches my work-day. |
The second annual Technology Buffet was a resounding success as 11 teachers presented various technology tools to the district faculty. The subjects that were shown were Wordle, iPods in Science, Googledocs, Student Response Systems, Vernier Science Probes, Extended Desktop, Speech Dept Web Site, the Math Dept. Web Site, and Quizlet.
I think what really makes this event is the phenomena of teachers teaching teachers. It works because teachers can ask questions of the presenter like, "How does it really work in the classroom?" and the teacher presenter can actually tell them. I added a little fun by having a drawing for a wireless slate made by SMARTT Technologies. Teachers had to visit five presenters and have them initial a slip and then they put in a basket for a drawing. The other thing that I liked about the event was the cross-curricular cross-building element and I think it gets ideas bubbling. A couple of definite things that came out of it was that the Middle School was interested in using the SRS Clicker system while the Phys Ed dept was interested in the use of a Smartboard. There are many more ideas to come. |
Part of my job is always looking for that next great thing out there in the field of Educational Technology. Technology Coordinators get sales calls every day by someone trying to pitch a product. Like everyone else, my time is valuable and I generally will make judgements very quickly about new products. Malcolm Gladwell refers to this as "thin slicing" in his book, "Blink".
So what is the next great thing that is on the horizon? The answer is not a new gadget, but a new way of thinking. Some already understand the new way but there is much to learn in blending the old methods with new technology and it isn't easy, it can be down right scary to some. I happen to think that Virtual Learning Communities are probably the next big thing. Students doing their homework with others in a shared computing environment. There is much more to it than that, but that is just the beginning. In a couple of years we can check to see if I was right... |
I am going to a meeting tomorrow where we are going to discuss Web 2.0 sites that can be used in the classroom. Web 2.0 refers to a group of web sites that are interactive through the use of a scripting language called Ajax. Ajax allows for some processing of web elements to be done on the computer rather than on the server. This allows for less page refreshes and smoother operation of the web application.
Another characteristic of Web 2.0 is the sharing element. With the advent of social networks, Web 2.0 sites generally allow you to embed their content right into the social networking site. At our meeting tomorrow, each one of us is going to bring a list of 5 sites so I tried to find some different ones that I felt were useful. Here they are: http://www.screencastomatic.com http://www.wordle.net http://www.xtranormal.com http://www.spellingcity.com http://www.quizlet.com As an I.T. person, I really like the fact that these sites have the power to create content without the installation of any software. It makes my job easier, it's free, and it surely makes the teacher's job less frustrating when using the technology. |
One of the many services that CVCS gives to students is the ability to take courses through the Distance Learning Network. Distance Learning allows students the opportunity to take electives from several different areas of study. These electives are classes that might never be offered in the district because there would not be enough students to justify having the class. Distance Learning brings several students together from other schools in WNY to create a normal class size and a great opportunity to learn and to meet other students.
Some of the classes that have been offered are Computer Programming, American Sign Language, Jamestown Community College History, JCC Elementary Statistics, Computer Graphic Animation, Psychology, Study of the Holocaust, and JCC Financial Accounting. Not only does CVCS offer students unique courses but they offer classes for college credit at no cost to the student’s family. The Distance Learning Network also provides students with the chance to take SAT Review classes so that they can practice strategies that will help them to be successful when taking the exam. Students are required to pay for the review book when taking this class. As one might imagine the coordination of Distance Learning is very challenging. The person that is responsible for that coordination is Mike Bayba, the Distance Learning Specialist who is employed by Erie 2 BOCES. Mike has been working with Distance Learning since the “early years” back in 1999 and has seen the Distance Learning Network grow to 19 school districts. Erie 2 BOCES serves 27 school districts so the participation is vast in this corner of WNY and it continues to grow as other districts are beginning to see the quality of the content that is available. In September of 2008 there were 39 courses being delivered with an additional 17 courses being offered in February of 2009. Mike Bayba was asked about the growth of Distance Learning: “The growth of DL was moderately consistent for the first 2 to 3 years, but then when we got to approximately 13-15 participating districts, there was an explosion in the number of courses offered. I'm not really sure what caused it, but there seemed to be a "critical mass" of participating schools that pushed us into one of the largest most active Distance Learning networks in all of New York State. I think the single most important factor that allows us to be successful is the commitment of the district DL Contacts who want to see opportunities for students, and see this technology as one tremendous vehicle for doing so. The people I work with, like Heather Nocero and Linda Bartholomew in Cassadaga, want to provide expanded opportunities for their students. DL is a super way to give options to students that otherwise would not be possible.” Although Mike is immersed in Technology and networks, he is an educator first and that is what really makes the program work. Mike’s focus is on students and he passes that philosophy on to all of the Guidance Counselors, Teachers, Administrators, and technical staff with whom he works. This year CVCS has doubled its Distance Learning capacity by adding on an additional room and is equipped with all of the tools that make a Distance Learning class a success. Both DL rooms have access to a fax machine for submitting and receiving assignments. Students have access to laptop computers in the room and can email instructors their assignments. Teachers can also show documents over the network through the use of a document camera, which is like a modern overhead projector and they can show video and computer presentations to the students as well. Cassadaga has been on the cutting edge of recording DL classes through the use of a computer and a video capture card. This allows students to obtain copies of missed classes which they can play on their computer or their DVD player at home. They also were one of the first schools to use ftp to transfer files from students to teachers, and they used a free remote control software for teachers in another district to view the screens of their students. Cassadaga worked with a school district so that DL students could print to the teacher’s printer at another school. Distance Learning has also provided opportunities for the local community as well. Adults have used the Distance Learning Network to receive Fire-Fighter Training, to learn about Genealogy, Driver Safety Courses, and to learn about Digital Photography. As much as CVCS has done with DL, there are greater prospects ahead for the community. |
Although CVCS has been using distance learning for over five years, we have been a little slow at conducting virtual field trips or short mini classes through video conferencing. I personally feel that there is a huge untapped world of educational content out there, but it takes time to sift through it all and to pick some events that align with the classroom curriculum. Today we had a great experience where students from Cassadaga Valley conferenced with students from Texas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and North Dakota to discuss race and the constitution. We used a Polycom V500 inside the newly remodeled auditorium. The Polycom delivered nice audio through the sound system of the aud and the video was projected on a giant screen that was on the center of the stage. The Polycom was connected to one of several ethernet ports that were installed giving us a nice broadband connection using Internet2. The conference involved seven sites and was hosted by The Constitution Center located in Philadelphia. The conference was hosted by SuChin Pak from MTV and Dr. Michael Hogan from the Center for Democratic Deliberation and Pennsylvania State University. The Constitution Center has an online community that supplements the topics that were discussed. This community is known as The Exchange. The conference was very well organized and presented as each site had a student representative who had been provided materials to study and to prepare to discuss. While we only had one student spokesperson, there were several students in the background that watched the discussion. It gave the students a chance to exchange views with students from other parts of the country who have different life experiences. The program lasted two hours. |
If you ever would like to create a timeline and put it online check this out, it is really easy to use. http://www.xtimeline.com/ Below is an example of how a class used it. http://www.xtimeline.com/timeline/Causes-of-the-Civil-War-43 You can add images to your events and extra notes like they did in the example above. To navigate the timeline there is a slider bar at the bottom of the timeline. |
Google Docs is a collaborative tool that allows people to work on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. People can work on projects together in real time using google docs and it requires nothing more than an email address and an Internet connection. Very cool indeed. To find out more, check out this presentation. |
I did a demo of how our district is using Ustream. We are just getting started with it but it is so easy to use. It allows anyone to create their own webcast for free! Here are some links that can help people get started: To get help setting up your webcast: http://www.ustream.tv/helpcenter/helpcenter Ustream has a pretty good user community to help with problems: http://www.ustream.tv/forum/index.php Microsoft LiveCam 3000 http://www.govconnection.com/IPA/Shop/Product/Detail.htm?sku=7031053&br=14 I chose this camera for the builtin mic and decent reviews. I am happy with the product - the quality is pretty good for a webcam. |
I found this neat little site that uses Web 2.0 technology to create songs. I wrote my own and then I cleaned it up in Audacity because the only bad thing that I found about the site is that there is a very slight, yet noticeable pause between the chords. Very Cool though. |
Social Bookmarking allows people to share their favorites with others on a website. This has several advantages, one is that your bookmarks are available from any computer that has Internet access. The second advantage is that you can subscribe to other people's bookmarks if you find that they have similar interests. And finally, it has a neat way of orgainzing which is known as tagging. Tagging allows you to associate your bookmarks with keywords so that you categorize your bookmark in more than one way. Here is a video that talks more about Social Bookmarking. |
RSS, or Real Simple Syndication, is a technology that has been around for a while. It allows someone to subscribe to a web page and then pull articles from the site to a piece of software called a newsreader. There are a few ways to obtain a newsreader: download one, use Outlook 2007, or use an online reader such as Google Reader. I've included a link to a short video that explains how to use RSS. |
This is always a big question. Many people feel very passionate about the operating system they use. Mac or PC? Our district is 99.9% PC or Windows based.
When I arrived in 2000 the elementary schools were Mac and the Middle-High was PC. This was an administrative nightmare because I always had to figure out two ways of implementing a new software or two ways to solve a problem. It was really inefficient. About 90% of the computers on our network run XP and it has made my life much easier. By using Active Directory and Group Policies I'm able to configure settings from a central computer. I have been using MS Vista for the last several months and it has proven to be very stable since the release of Service Pack 1. I would definitely make sure that a computer has two gigabytes of RAM before even attempting to run it. One should also have a Vista compatible video card to take advantage of all of the features of Vista. My Dell D610 does not have Vista video drivers so I do have a few limits on my laptop. I decided to go with XP over MacOS for a couple of reasons. The first, and most important was that I knew Windows networking. The second reason was that at the time of my decision, Apple was using Appletalk and that was a mess. Apple also didn't have Internet Explorer (the REAL Internet Explorer that uses ActiveX). As much as people hate IE, the world still builds their web apps for it and at the time, Apple's Netscape just could not compete. I realize things have changed with Firefox but I'm not going back unless there is a real compeling reason for my district to do that. Viva la Microsoft! |
How are computers used in Cassadaga Valley?
Hopefully this section of the CVCS District site gives you a sense of what kind of technologies are being utilized in our schools. We are currently going through a capital project that is upgrading our network infrastructure, adding ceiling mounts for projectors in our classrooms, and we are adding more data drops. I am proud that our district keeps up reasonably well with new technologies and I like to think that we are ahead of many schools in our use of technology. At the same time, we have much to do! Anyways, welcome and I hope my site will be informative to you. -Phil Philip Bens Technology Coordinator Cassadaga Valley Central School District pbens@cvcs.wnyric.org |
