PART D - Findings and Implications

Part D of my Wicked Problem Project is an assessment of how well I have implemented my WPP.

My plan did not get implemented, and so I need to go back and rethink my strategy or gather a small test group. The main reason is that over Winter Break during PSD all the computers from my school were removed. This is the first year of this campus and it seems the money used to purchase the computers was from Title 1 funds. The government clearly states that if a school uses title 1 money to purchase items that those items must remain in the school they were originally purchased for. Since these computers were purchased from Title 1 funds from the East campus they must remain at the East campus.

Because of this I pitched my Wicked Problem Project idea to Mr. Evans, the gentlemen who runs my charter school. He is big into technology so he could see the potential there. Some of our students are "Distance Learning" kids and the idea of using Tumblr as a micro-blog and photo-blog was huge. My school, BKB, is big into learning styles. My WPP caters to the visual and auditory learners, most of which have difficulty in the normal school setting so they are sent to us.

Since I was not able to implement my project I have no evidence of its success. If I had to approach another project of this type I would define my audience early on and develop Stand Alone resources for my students to learn the basics such as how to create an account, what is Tumblr about, how to share and add photos and videos. I would also spend more time developing a rubric so students would be focused and would know the guidelines for quality work.

I would love to implement this project across our small charter school network. Students are becoming more and more dependent on visuals and technology. What better way to reach our learners than to use technology to capture their interest and creativity. I would love to see them create their own photo blog and include graphics from sites like wordle and bubbl.us into their Tumblr.

Mobile Technology in Education

Recently I've been thinking about the role of mobile technology in education. My school is not technology rich, so I have to consider the realities of what I can do with mobile technology and my classroom. Still, technology is here to stay and is becoming more relevant every day.

This past week students were off but the teachers were "asked" to come in extra hours for professional development. I saw the use of technology both help and hinder our PD days. Here are a few examples

+ Online surveys to gauge understanding
- Teachers texting during meetings
+ Presenters using power points to reinforce their auditory instruction
- Phones and I-pads used to play games and kill time

For this weeks lab I focused on a few new tools. I tried the program Poll Everywhere which I first heard about in my CEP 812 class meeting. This was a fun, easy program to create polls where people can give instant, anonymous feedback to multiple choice or open ended questions.

This site was easy to use and fun both for me and for the people I had take the polls. I see this being very useful for adults. Think about the last time you spent a day without your phone. For my middle school students it might be useful as a homework assignment or for extra credit. I could always use it as another tool to connect to parents. I'm thinking my next poll is "Did your student do his/her homework tonight? Text Yes or No."

I also looked into creating podcasts of my lectures for students. Attendance is a big issue at my school and I believe podcast and videocasts can be a great way for students to get the material they missed at anytime and anywhere. I know for certain many of my students have mp3 players. If students have no problem finding mp3s from their favorite artists there is no reason they cant also get access to the class lecture.

I see some challenges in using mobile technology. Especially after watching the PBS video Digital Nation.

Here is the original video:

Watch Growing Up Online on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

And the 2010 followup:

Watch Digital Nation on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Here are my main concerns:

- Kids being over saturated of media (Read anything by Sociologist Juliet Schor)
- No or minimal access to technology
- Cyber bullying
- Kids playing games or listening to music online instead of learning
+ How to prepare our students for 21st century jobs that may not even exist today

PART B - Storyboard and Script

My Group Leadership Project for CEP 812 is coming along nicely. We have a storyboard for our project on ToonDoo and are ready to record our rough draft video. Our storyboard includes screenshots as well as detailed notes for the technical parts of recording (script, transitions, etc).

Link to Toon Doo storyboard

Here is our script

For my role I worked on the script as and will be working on the recording, narrating and editing of the video. Our group met this past weekend to work out the details of what needs to be done next for our project. I finally got a working copy of CamTasia 2.0 for my school computer and will be using that to record and edit the video. My group is meeting at 3:00 Monday the 27th to go over the rough draft video I created and to decide what is our next step.

I am excited about this project. I envision our final 10 minute Stand Alone resource will be a useful tool to educators hoping to include technology in their classrooms. Toon Doo is a fun way to reach visual learners or those who just want to be creative. It is a useful program for teachers of all disciplines. I look forward to our meeting on Monday to see what we can do next to more that much closer to our final product.

Data Visualization Lab

I spent a little time looking over some visualization tools. This website has a very comprehensive list of all sorts of data visualization programs. I had a lot of fun playing around with these programs. Here is my review of a few of them.

Diigo
I have some experience using diigo. I like the toolbar ap where I can quickly add and categorize bookmarks. I can bookmark from either of my laptops or even from my iPhone.

Bubbl.us
One tool I tried was Bubbl.us It was an easy and fun way to create "mind webs." It was a breeze to figure out how to organize my thoughts, change colors, and even share with my friends. I just bought a project house in Detroit with my best friend. I was able to quickly make a web of what needs to be repaired next. It was fun to play around with the look, colors, size, and layout of the buttons. The one thing I would like to see added is the ability to add images.

Shape2Earth
Shape2Earth is a GIS interface for Google Earth. It is not free but my school is big into GIS so I will pitch this idea to them.

BatchGeo
Batch Geo is a program that creates interactive google maps from spreadsheets.



I had several "ah ha" moments with this lab. I was excited when I learned I could access my diigo bookmarks on my phone. Now when I'm stuck somewhere with time to kill I can use my phone to read articles or websites I bookmarked earlier. Another "ah ha" moment came when I thought of a new way to build concept maps with my students. Bubbl.us would be a fun way to teach a lesson in class. I envision starting with the main topic on the board and working as a class to create a concept map.

PART C - Implementation

Podcast URL: https://www.msu.edu/~davissc5/FunnyThing.mp3

Survey Results

I have some experience using Survey Monkey both as a participant and as a creator. For my CEP 812 lab I wanted to try Google Forms. I love Google Docs so I figured it was worth a shot.

There are some benefits and some drawbacks to Google Forms. I found the design a bit limited, but overall it was a straightforward, easy way to create online surveys. My favorite part is that the results are fed directly a spreadsheet realtime.

I asked some survey questions about technology use and here are my results:


Gender: 3 Males, 7 Females

Where do you usually learn how to do new things with computers?: 7 at home, 2 at school, 1 at a friends house

Where do you use technology (computers, AlphaSmarts, etc.) most in school?: 1 No Answer, 3 In your classroom, 1 Library, 1 Not in School, 3 In a Computer Lab, 1 In public place with Wifi, coffee shop

How hard is it to complete homework that must be done using a computer?: 6 Easy, because I have a computer at home to use, 1 I am not a student, 2 Hard, because we don't have a computer at home, 1 We are never assigned homework that has to be done using a computer

What type of internet connection do you have at home?: 9 We use a DSL or high speed cable to connect to the internet at home, 1 We don't have an internet connection at home

How often do you use a computer to:
[Send and receive email]: 9 Every Day, 1 Once a Month
[Write first drafts on a computer]: 4 Every Day, 1 Almost Never, 4 Once a Week, 1 Once a Month
[Edit your papers using a computer]: 4 Every Day, 2 Almost Never, 3 Once a Week, 1 Once a Month
[Open files on a server or network]: 6 Every Day, 2 Almost Never, 1 Never, 1 Once a Week
[Find information on the internet]: 9 Every Day, 1 No Answer
[Create a Hyperstudio or PowerPoint presentation]: 1 Never, 2 Once a Week, 3 Once a Month, 3 Almost Never
[Create a video]: 2 Never, 1 Once a Month, 6 Almost Never, 1 Everyday
[Update your blog]: 2 Every Day, 2 Never, 2 Almost Never, 1 Once a Month, 3 Once a Week
[Create or contribute to a social networking site such as MySpace or Facebook]: 8 Every Day, 1 Never, 1 Once a Week
[Play computer games]: 5 Every Day, 1 Never, 2 Almost Never, 2 Once a Month
[Work with spreadsheet/databases]: 3 Everyday, 3 Almost Never, 2 Once a Month, 1 Never, 1 Once a Week


How well are you able to:
[Send and receive email]: 8 Really Well, 1 Pretty Well, 1 Ok
[Write first drafts on a computer]: 9 Really Well, 1 Ok
[Edit my papers using a computer]: 8 Really Well, 1 Ok, 1 Pretty Well
[Open files on a server or network]: 8 Really Well, 1 I don't know what this is, 1 No Answer
[Find information on the internet]: 9 Really Well, 1 I don't know what this is (Really?)
[Create a Hyperstudio or PowerPoint presentation]
[Create a video]: 2 Every Day, 2 Never, 2 Almost Never, 1 Once a Month, 3 Once a Week
[Create or contribute to a social networking site such as MySpace or Facebook]: 8 Every Day, 1 Never, 1 Once a Week
[Play computer games]: 5 Every Day, 1 Never, 2 Almost Never, 2 Once a Month
[Work with spreadsheet/databases]: 3 Everyday, 3 Almost Never, 2 Once a Month, 1 Never, 1 Once a Week


How well are you able to:
[Send and receive email]: 8 Really Well, 1 Pretty Well, 1 Ok
[Write first drafts on a computer]: 9 Really Well, 1 Ok
[Edit my papers using a computer]: 8 Really Well, 1 Ok, 1 Pretty Well
[Open files on a server or network]: 8 Really Well, 1 I don't know what this is, 1 No Answer
[Find information on the internet]: 9 Really Well, 1 I don't know what this is (Really?)
[Create a Hyperstudio or PowerPoint presentation]: 7 Really well, 1 Not Very Well, 2 Ok
[Create a video]: 2 Really well, 1 Pretty Well, 4 Ok, 2 Not Very Well, 1 I don't know what this is
[Update your blog]: 6 Really Well, 2 Ok, 1 I don't know what this is, 1 No Answer
[Create or contribute to a social networking site such as MySpace or Facebook]: 9 Really Well, 1 Pretty Well
[Play computer games]:7 Really Well, 1 Pretty Well, 1 Ok, 1 Not Very Well
[Work with spreadsheet/databases]: 3 Really Well, 2 Pretty Well, 4 Ok, 1 Not Very Well

PART B - Application of TPACK

What is TPACK?

TPACK is a new way to think about technology, pedagogy and content. Put simply, it is the sweet spot where these three meet.

For my Wicked Problem Project, the Technology-Pedagogy overlap is important. I chose to examine video websites like Youtube and photoblogs like Tumblr. These support the methods I use in the classroom. I am not simply using these technologies as a new way to do something old like student portfolios. I envision technology supporting me by allowing my students to not only document their work but also to push their learning further. I want students to be able to collaborate with others, and to create a final product they can be proud to show to others.

Technology also reinforces my teaching strategies and methods by:

Organizing student work all in one place

Letting students work on their project from any internet connected device

Allowing students to share their work with a global audience

Allows for creativity and collaboration

The Technology-Content overlap is perfect for a Social Studies teacher. The idea is to create informed, responsible citizens. Video and Photo sites allow my students to share their learning with a much wider audience. Students can use technology to learn more about a topic. They can then create a project based on what they learned and get feedback from people all over the world.

Technology also helps my content area by:

Connecting students with a global audience

Creating a collaborative environment

Allowing students to see the real world connections to what they study

And lastly I must consider the Pedagogy-Content overlap. I want to think of how students will experience the content. Many good teaching strategies carry over when applied to using a technology. The way I set up my course will be the same way I set up my Wicked Problem Project. Students will have clearly defined instructions, expectations and deadlines.

Overall, TPACK is a great way to look at how we structure our class (P) to use technology (T) to effectively teach the content (C).

Part A- Brainstorm Session

Links to recorded video of initial meeting
https://www.msu.edu/~bramble4/meeting1.swf
https://www.msu.edu/~bramble4/meeting2.swf
https://www.msu.edu/~bramble4/meeting3.swf

I was not part of the web meeting so I have some extra work to do to make up for my absence.

Group 3 has chosen to look at ToonDoo as a viable learning tool. Immediately after watching the video I thought of how it was unique to incorporate hands on in class learning with a digital medium to create a final project. Because there is a limited time trial period to ToonDoo students would need to storyboard their ideas before creating their final project. Another alternative some Mac users might know of is ComicLife. I have had moderate success with students using ComicLife. I would love to go back and find a few examples to share.

I agree with my partner Catie that "the Toons seemed sort of short", but that may end up being a benefit. Comics are short and to the point. If we have a concept or objective we want students to learn they will have to really focus in on it. Minimizing the words and instead creating interesting dialogue. To that they add images that can take on symbolic meaning. This would mean students would not merely know but actually understand the concept we want to teach.

For my part of the groupwork I am open. I could do

"The Basics of ToonDoo (how to sign up, the profile, Tools, the help Wiki)"

or any other part of the project. I only say that because its similar to my project for 811 on Google Calendars

As far as the advantages and disadvantages of using a web conferencing tool. It is obvious that some people may miss the conference. Whether that is due to ignorance (on my part) or distance (on Catie's part). A benefit, however, is that you can record the information and the person can view it later.

The year before I got a job as a teacher I worked as a District Manager for a Supplemental Educational Services (SES) Tutoring company. I can now think of lots of ways I could have coordinated information between my tutors through an online conferencing program. I could even use e-mail reminders and text alerts so people like me have no excuse for missing out. :P Sorry group.

PART A - Description of Need or Opportunity

PART A: The Wicked Problem - A Need or an Opportunity

What is the important educational need that you are seeking to address? This element is fundamental in this project. Since we have limited time, energy, and resources, cool technology without a clear sense of why it matters or what we gain by it is of little value in the educational setting.

I envision using technology to reach my visual and auditory learners. The human attention getting shorter as we become bombarded with new forms of media. Technology has affected the way we learn. Information can be accessed relatively easy from any Internet connected computer, cell phone or mobile device. Arguments over content based standards loose merit becoming less relevant as we shift from thinking about what we teach and instead think about how and why we teach it

We no longer teach from a single text from start to finish. Students are diverse and have different learning styles and needs.
concise bits of information. Visual learners

How you plan to address this educational issue with technology? You need to make a clear and convincing case that your proposed solution will make a real impact on the issue you identify, and that your proposed approach is a reasonable approach given its costs and possible alternatives.

One of the many benefits of technology in the classroom is it gives students a way to guide their learning. Students can learn to become independent learners. Web based applications like Youtube, Tumblr, and Flikr have more use than just being a social network. These applications have a valuable place in the 21st century classroom.

Gone are the days of having a static, one size fits all curriculum. If a picture is worth a 1000 words then a portfolio of work students create through the semester should be worth volumes. Learning can happen in thoughts, concepts and pictures.

Photo blogs like Tumblr.com could be used as a digital portfolio for students to track concepts earned. Kinestetic learners could benefit from creating skits, fake news reports or other videos and upload them to Youtube.com. Audio learners can benefit from podcasts and audio sharing websites.

Logistics of solution: For example… What is the scope? (e.g., when and where will tool be used and for how long? Who all will use it?)

I envision this being an ongoing activity where students can track their learning through their own Tumblr or Youtube account. As long as students log in for 15 - 20 minutes one or two times a week this should be sufficient. As homework students could write a paragraph or two about the significance of the photo. For example, students might be asked to analyze a photograph for a current event assignment or create a venn diagram and post it on Tumblr.com

This could be a project that lasts throughout the semester. I envision this being something of an ongoing activity where I have students guide and track their learning.

Relevant research and resources (from the Internet and elsewhere) including reports on the closest effort you can find to what you are planning to do as well as ideas and materials you may be able to build upon in your own effort. Your description should include:

The results of your search (What resources may help guide your project? What resources may help in the implementation of your project?)
What you learned from performing this search. For example, which search engines did you use? What strategies did you use? What helped or hindered your search? How would you search again next time?

There are many good websites on how website like Tumblr and Flickr can be used in the classroom. Two of these articles I have read are an “Introduction to Using Tumblr in the Classroom” by Ave Maria Press and an article by Edtech on “How to Use Flickr in Your Classroom.” I found both articles relevant and a balanced view of the positives and negatives of using this new technology in the classroom. As soon as I get access to J-STOR I will find a few published articles on this topic.

A plan for the portion you will implement during this course and the portion you will implement after this course completes.

I plan on implementing this into my courses in the next month. I will start by using pictures for my opening “Do Now” activity to start the class. The goal would be to build students comprehension skills and have them understand how to properly analyze a photograph. I will obviously need to work with my students both as a class and individually to demonstrate how to use these websites and to create their own accounts and familiarize them with the basic features.

I would ideally like to build this idea out to where students create their own visual portfolio to document their work.