Video Conferencing on the iPad

Video Conferencing is an excellent addition to any teacher's set of classroom tools. Video Conferencing allows you to bring an expert into your class. It lets your students collaborate with students from around the world and it gives you the opportunity to participate in virtual excursions. Video Conferencing also lets your students connect with other schools to discuss issues relevant to them, things like social justice, sustainability projects or even outreach programs. So here is a list of apps that allow you to tap into the positive benefits of Video Conferencing and connecting to the world outside your classroom.

Skype for iPad: FREE

Bring your Skype contacts closer with full screen video at your fingertips. Beautiful and simple, this is Skype built especially for the iPad. Call, video call, or instant message anyone on Skype. Join Skype on their website or just sign straight in to your account. If you already have a Skype account, your Skype contacts will automatically be there on your iPad. 


http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/skype-for-ipad/id442012681?mt=8

ClickMe Online Meetings: FREE

ClickMeeting, the world's easiest online meetings just got easier. How? They combined it with the world's easiest tablet. Instantly schedule or participate in online meetings and webinars. Schedule live online meetings and webinars. Stream live audio and video. Meet with up to 25 and present to up to 1000 people. Present documents, videos reports and presentation.


http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/clickmeeting-online/id503160300?mt=8

GoToMeeting: FREE

GoToMeeting is the easiest and most convenient way to attend online meetings – and now you can take it to go! Download the free universal app and join a meeting on your iPad in seconds just by tapping the link in your invitation email. View slide presentations, design mockups, spreadsheets, reports – whatever meeting presenters choose to share on-screen. 


http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/gotomeeting/id424104128?mt=8

Adobe Connect for iOS: FREE

Attend Adobe Connect meetings anytime, anywhere with Adobe Connect Mobile. Download the Adobe Connect Mobile application and enjoy new capabilities that enable you to host online meetings from your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. Participate in multi-point video conferencing, with 2-way video, using your device’s camera. 


http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/adobe-connect/id430437503?mt=8

Fring: FREE

The only group video chat app. Group Video with friends on iPhone/iPod/iPad. Up to 4 participants can group video call, jam, reunite, sing, dance or whatever you do when you get together. 4 friends on 1 screen. The highest quality video chat possible! fring's video calling DVQ technology (Dynamic Video Quality) gives you the best video and audio. 


http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/fring/id290948830?mt=8

Mikogo: FREE

Mikogo is a desktop sharing and online collaboration software solution that enables one or several guests to see your computer screen live over the Internet. Mikogo allows you to easily conduct secure online meetings with customers, business partners, and coworkers without having to leave your office.


http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/mikogo/id413663486?mt=8

BeamYourScreen: FREE

BeamYourScreen is a desktop sharing and web conferencing software solution that enables one or several guests to see your computer screen live over the Internet. BeamYourScreen allows you to easily conduct secure online meetings with customers, business partners, and coworkers without having to leave your office.


http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/beamyourscreen/id413662832?mt=8

MegaMeeting: FREE

MegaMeeting provides full-featured and flexible web conferencing software, video chat server and webinar software. Participants can communicate by voice, instant messaging chat and see each other by video/videoconference.


http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/megameeting-mobile/id473129119?mt=8

Fuze Meeting: FREE

As Seen on Apple's new TV Commercial. Signup now and get meetings with two participants free. Want larger meetings or Video Conferencing? Upgrade instantly via in app purchase. Get Fuze Meeting HD and you’ll be running online meetings from your iPad in minutes. You can also attend any Fuze Meeting without registering.


http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/fuze-meeting-hd/id389446884?mt=8

vSocial - VideoChat: FREE

vSocial - VideoChat is easy to use for 200+ million Facebook mobile users. It works on iTouch/iPhone/iPad. It is featured by AppStore!! It also works even if you don't have Facebook account. Great functions for social networking and communications: Face-to-face chat.

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/vsocial-videochat/id418846339?mt=8

Montessori Parenting, A Book Review

A few years ago, I had the chance to meet the 2011 American Montessori Society's Living Legend, Sonnie McFarland, at a conference.  It was my first time meeting her, and she hugged me like a friend.  She was giving a talk related to her other book, Honoring The Light Of The Child.  When I heard that she later wrote a book that pertained to my life so specifically, I just had to contact her.  She send me the book just in time for my recovery from hernia repair surgery, and it was a blessing in many directions.  On my spring break from school, I read this book front to back.  I had dog-eared nearly every other page, to remind myself later to discuss a quote or idea with my husband or to share some tidbits with the readers of this little blog.

First, I'd like to say that this book, entitled Montessori Parenting:  Unveiling The Authentic Self, speaks to the philosophy of Dr. Montessori within parenting style, this is not a book about Montessori Materials for parents. The world is rich with books and blogs about materials.  However, anyone who studies the method knows that philosophy is the backbone of Montessori.  In the book, she describes each Montessori-inspired parenting tool within the chapter, then summarizes next steps and follow through for parents end of each chapter.  So many parenting books give you tools, but leave you wondering what your next steps will be.  If you have the chance to read this book, you'll see how easy it is to keep yourself present and ready in your parenting by journaling and asking yourself questions about what is happening in your home.  I have found myself more reflective and calm since re-starting my mom journal.

Who should read this book?  Parents of children enrolled in a Montessori School, Montessori Homeschoolers, Attachment Parents, expectant parents, or parents who wonder about the work of Dr. Montessori in relation to parenting.  So, basically-  if you read this blog- you probably want this book.

One unexpected happening occured while I was reading this book.  I'd read a quote of Dr. Montessori, and then run to my bookshelf to re-read some of her writings from a parental perspective.  I must have read The Absorbent Mind and The Discovery Of The Child a million times over the past 10 years, but this book got me thinking in a Mommy sort of way.  It was special, I was enlightened and re-charged.

Being a Mom and also a Montessori teacher, a few things about this book felt like they were written just for me to hear.  Here is a list of some things that I highlighted, dog-eared, and underlined:

1. Chapter One.  It's exactly what I want to say when people ask me to tell them more about Montessori.  It is a concise, itemized, and sums up Dr. Montessori's life and her findings.

2.  The Authentic Self, for parents and child.  The book outlines how to find your own authenticity, and to aid your child's.  That piece is a priceless tool, considering all a Montessori Parent wants is to 'follow the child'.

3.  Creating the home environment:  She describes the hows and whys of your home environment.  It is so similar to the findings from my thesis, I nearly ran around the house-  yelling,  YES!

"Scientific observation then has established that education is not what the teacher gives;  education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual. and is acquired not by listening to words but by experiences upon the environment."  - Dr. Maria Montessori

4.  Identify your parenting style.  Montessori is not permissive parenting.  Follow your child within limits, and with love.

5.  I adored all of the big names used and quoted in this book.  While studying Psychology and education over the years, I have collected some favorites.  I ended up re-reading some Piaget, Maslow, and Jung once I was finished with Montessori Parenting.

Bravo, Sonnie and Jim McFarland!!!!

Parent Jiggernaut Follow-Up: Opting out vs. Opting In

This is a follow-up to my post from earlier today:

Some people have asked me why we don't opt our kids out of testing such as this movement encourages people to do. That is definitely under consideration. My reluctance with that is two-fold:

1) I see value in the disruptive route--there are many ways to effect change. I am grateful to have been made aware of my rights as a parent and I see value in publicizing those rights. All power to unitedoptout. But I am not a disruptor. I'm a persuader (though apparently not a very successful one if measured by actions taken after reading this blog). I'd much rather try to reason with people first, citing evidence, and then try to work something out collaboratively without being disruptive, especially if children are involved.

2) Even if I did opt my kids out of the official standardized tests (in my state of Virginia they are the SOLs), that would not change everything that leads up to the tests or everything that the tests drive. In fact, if there really were only four testing days (in 3rd grade there are four SOL tests) with four tests at the end of the school year, I would not care so much. I might not care at all. It's everything else that bothers me. I don't want to opt out of the tests themselves as much as I want to opt my children out of excessive test prep, practice and benchmark tests (which mirror the official tests), as well as out of a test-narrowed curriculum. I want to opt in to rich and meaningful curriculum, to more hands-on learning, to more inter-disciplinary studies, to field trips, to more recess, to more art, to more music, to more theater, to more PE, to more history, to more civics, to more science, to more "life" skills, to a better education.

If I am going to my children's school or even school district office to tell them as a parent that I want a richer and more meaningful curriculum, a more joyful and interesting school experience for my children, one that capitalizes on children's curiosity and thirst for knowledge, and their response is We agree but we have no control over that then that's a problem. That's a big problem. And I don't see this being solved at the root by parent trigger-type laws or by the current federal and state education policies that dictate the very practices I find wanting. If the school or districts are structured such that power is not theirs to relinquish in the first place, with no flexibility to grant educators, then how can I as a parent, without there being any real change in policy or power hierarchies, locate any real power to make or advocate for change in how and what my children are learning?

Parent Jiggernaut

As a parent who used to be in the classroom, I sometimes struggle with which perspective to think from: from that of a parent or from that of a teacher. Becoming a parent made me a much better and more understanding teacher. Conversely, strategies I used in teaching and things I learned there about human nature and interacting with children have proven invaluable to me as a parent. Interacting with other people's children, of course, is not the same thing as interacting with my own. My own children can tick me off in ways my students never could; I can have a hard time getting to that calm, clinical space with my own kids, even as I know I'd make fewer mistakes if I could get there.

So sometimes I feel conflicted when it comes to advocacy and opinions. Watching my own children develop has taught me a lot about how people learn and has challenged some of my old (teacher's) thinking. On the one hand, I have much less tolerance, for example, for constructivist approaches and for the teaching of reading strategies and skills. On the other hand, I appreciate that constructivists envision schools as meaningful, joyful, and relevant places. It breaks my heart whenever my children are driven to tears, overwhelmed by the tedium and stress they sometimes feel at school, which is in contrast to the how they joyfully think and engage in learning outside of school. I understand that reading strategies are emphasized out of a desire to equip students with the tools to be successful learners. My children enjoy their reading block even if it's unclear how much they are actually learning from it when there is not much curricular coherence to it.

So, to get to the point of this post, especially as the topic has been popular in edu-news lately, I have been thinking a lot about parent trigger laws and actions. Also, my own daughter will be starting kindergarten next year and the topic of school quality and parent activism has come up on the playground at her preschool, especially since many of her classmates also will be starting kindergarten, though unlike her, many don't have older siblings who have already been through it.

The situation in Desert Trails in Southern California, especially struck me. Some parents organized to pull a parent trigger on their neighborhood school because they felt their kids weren't learning what they were supposed to, though it sounds as if the parents were really trying to work with the district. I'm not going to get into the process there or discuss the ins and outs of what may or may not have happened there. What really struck me was what the parents wanted, why they were organizing a a parent trigger: They want smaller classes, more art, music, and other subjects beyond reading and math. The parents refer to these as "reforms" but most educators would call them essentials; most public schools and educators want these things as well.  It seems, to me at least, that it is the state that isn't providing what they want. Surely, there are other problems and I don't blame these parents for being upset. I'd be upset. But it sounds like they want the school to provide what the state doesn't have the will or means to provide.

So, if we grant parents more choice or power to turn their schools into charters, for example, is the charter going to provide what they want? Will parents be more engaged or involved? My sense is that perhaps in the short run they will be, but I'm not sure about the long run. I tend to agree with Diane Ravitch and other detractors that public schools or public spaces do not belong only to the group of people currently using them; they belong to the community, including future community members. Furthermore, once the school is turned over to private or unaccountable hands and is detached from any democratic process, the parents will have even less say. Parents Across America explained this in their statement in opposition to parent trigger-type solutions, saying that they won't ultimately result in meaningful parent engagement or voice (also relevant is their position on real parent empowerment). It does seem like parents get hooked in and then used to make a change that ultimately leaves them with little role in the new or parent-trigger-changed school. But that's ultimately what parents should be after: more of a role and more of a voice.

In my own (older) children's school, we are navigating excessive and unhealthy high-stakes testing. I am not opposed to testing but to developmentally inappropriate and high-stakes testing. It is corrupting what and how my children learn and what and how they are taught. I want my children to learn more science, social studies, the arts, PE, foreign languages, and practical skills. If I organize a group of parents to take over the school, will this change? I don't see how, not as long as the current policies stay in place. This is where we as parents need to go to central administrations, school boards, elected officials, legislators, and other decision makers. It is their policies and legislation that are eroding the quality of education my children receive; it is not the teachers or their principals. So, here I am in a tricky position. I support the school and teachers (my children have yet to have a "bad" teacher) in my community but I feel I must contest the bad practices they are forced to implement.

In my own conversations with other parents, I often hear them talk about school ratings. At the same time, they bemoan the state of the curriculum--the lack of art, music, science, social studies, unstructured play. I try, diplomatically, to remind them that school ratings (such as those in Great Schools) tend to be based on test scores. If we as parents use or value those ratings to judge schools, then that is what our schools are going to aspire to. If we rate or value a school based on the curriculum they offer (such as more art and music) and their pedagogy or instructional practices, then that is what they will aspire to (and that's what I'd argue we want them to aspire to). It's not that I don't look at the test scores because I do, but it's a matter of the context I consider them in and the judgments I make based on them.

It seems like what we need is more democracy, not less; to build sustainable, long-term parent engagement. Even though I am a relatively well-informed parent, sometimes even I don't know what parent engagement looks like or should look like. I started parenting simply thinking of all the things my struggling students were missing and built from there. Everything I knew would have helped my students do better academically and learn more, I made sure to do as a parent. That often seems to me like the greatest gift I can give my children, their teachers, and their peers. But then being involved in their schooling is another step, but how much involvement is appropriate? When help or feedback is requested from school, I do my best to answer the call. I express my displeasure at all of the high-stakes testing, I state clearly that I won't be doing any test prep at home and then I support as much as I can in a positive way what I'd like to see more of in schools. I am trying to help the art teacher get an award in the form of a big grant so that she'll bring back resources to classroom teachers. I participate and volunteer in book swaps. My husband taught an after school chess club. When surveys are sent out, I complete them. I offer to serve on long-term planning committees. I volunteer in classrooms. Are we doing too much? Too little?

While I recognize the expertise of my children's teachers and having been a teacher and given the current climate, I acknowledge the limitations and stresses they are under, I try to subvert the high-stakes testing, test prep, and narrowing of the curriculum in a positive way. But there's only so far this goes because for now none of that changes the continued unhealthy emphasis on standardized testing. It doesn't change the amount of data collection that takes place via developmentally inappropriate and misery-inducing standardized tests. It doesn't change the current realities that my children are learning in and that their teachers are teaching in. That's why I have real sympathy for people like me who choose to home school (and there are a lot where I live). I cheered Dana Goldstein's defense of public schooling versus home schooling, but I also know that it's an easy thing to defend when you don't have a child who melts down at home in tears and anger and questions of Why?!?! every time there's a benchmark, practice, or high-stakes test. (And my children do quite well on them!) Sometimes I want to give them what I see my homeschooling neighbors giving their children. What's so frustrating is that there's no good reason why public schools can't offer many of those same things.

So far, my children are high achievers and performers. Besides contributing positively, perhaps I can lead by example. If my own kids, who are are among the youngest in their class, come to school ready to learn, excel academically, and rarely miss questions on these tests; if I'm not doing test prep and I am making sure my kids have a knowledge-rich home life and I'm opposed to high stakes testing, maybe I'm on to something. If policy makers, legislators, and education reformers really wanted to empower parents, at the very least they'd they'd stop simply trying make it easier to hand over to schools to outside parties who can only pretend they know better. At the very most, they'd start listening to and acting upon what it is exactly that parents and communities envision for their children's education.

We parents must resolve to make them.

To read my follow-up post to this one, see here.

Thoughts on Writing

Lately I've been having numerous conversations with graduate students frustrated with the process of writing research papers.  Mainly they appear overwhelmed with how labor-intensive the process is, and how long it takes to generate much satisfaction.

When responding, I'm finding it helpful to talk about cooking.  I love cooking, always have.  My strong preference is for slow-cooking -- I like the art of braising, how flavors deepen and meld as meats and veggies turn golden. It never fails to amaze me how the results are even better if left to rest in the fridge for a day before serving, since that time allows the fat to congeal and thicken, and then to be skimmed off, leaving a sharper (and healthier) result.

In my experience, a good research paper requires braising.  I think many people don't anticipate this, instead expecting a stir-fry. Those are neat-- you simply do a bunch of slicing and dicing in advance, line everything up, turn the heat on high, and you're done in minutes.  Preparation pays off, and immediate satisfaction is guaranteed. But as anyone who's eaten stir fries knows, the feeling doesn't last-- you're hungry an hour later.

Writing a good paper requires commitment and patience.  Yes, you need a good idea, but you also need the good sense to put the paper down from time to time, and let it simmer.  I've been known to simmer my papers for as long as two years, before removing the lid to check and see how things look.  (Yes, it's because as a sociologist I'm not fearful of being scooped and my work usually isn't time-sensitive-- and yes, I did this pre-tenure too.)  The best part is that I inevitably find something new when I look-- my view is not only freshened, I'm wiser, more skilled, and excited again about the work.  I can skim the fat quite easily, since it's hardened. I may even involve a second cook in the kitchen at that point, to get the seasoning right.  But no matter what, every single time, the paper is better for the braise.

It's thoughtful, satisfying, and worth every minute.  Try it. And enjoy, along with a nice shiraz.

Watercolor Eggs, A Color Mixing Activity

This weekend we painted wooden eggs with liquid watercolors.  The girls mixed their own shades using the primary colors.  Once dry, we coated them with a bit of beeswax.  It was a simple, easy, fun craft that came out to be a sweet decoration.  The eggs are proudly displayed in the living room to explore. 

What We're Reading: New Evidence on Educational Policies

The recent conference of the Association for Education Finance and Policy, held in Boston, was a terrific event. Especially exciting was the large number of rigorous analyses on higher education policies.  Here are some highlights; a more complete set of papers is here.

1. Peter Hinrichs of Georgetown University examined racial segregation in higher education since 1968. He finds that segregation has diminished, in part because of declining enrollment in historically black colleges and universities.  The exposure of white students to black students has increased sharply since 2000 in private institutions but not in public institutions, and these trends appear concentrated in the South and West.  Far more perplexing is his suggestion that affirmative action bans in some states may have also contributed to declining segregation. But he is appropriately circumspect about these puzzling findings, noting that one also has to consider a range of other issues with regard to affirmative action (see p. 17).

2. Ben Castleman and Bridget Long of Harvard estimated the effects of a Florida need-based financial aid grant on bachelor's degree completion.  Using a regression discontinuity design, the authors found that "an additional $1,000 in grant aid eligibility (in 2000 dollars) increased the probability of immediate enrollment at  a four-year university by 3.2 percentage points, while increasing the probability of staying continuously enrolled through the spring semester of students' freshman year by 4.3 percentage points. An additional $1,000 in aid eligibility increased the cumulative number of credits students completed after three years by 2.1 credits and increased the probability of earning a bachelor’s degree within six years by 4.6 percentage points."  On the other hand, Kevin Stange of U. Michigan finds that charging different amounts of tuition for different majors does not appear to impact major choice.

3. An analysis by Amanda Griffith of Wake Forest considered whether same-gender matching of professor to student enhances student performance.  She finds suggestive evidence that the growing presence of female faculty may contribute to the outstanding performance of women students, at least at the private selective college she studied.

Jackpot: iPad Lessons

Lisa Johnson from Techchef4u has put all of her iPad lessons onto Pinterest. This is like finding the the mother load of iPad gold. We have posted before about the work that Lisa does around building great resources and then sharing then with teachers. She is a prolific content creator.

Lisa is also the author of a fantastic ebook Hot Apps 4 Hots which can be found on iTunes and of course she co-comperes the "Appy hours" blogtalk radio show. An absolute task this weekend - check out his resource.

http://pinterest.com/techchef4u/ipad-lessons/

Color Sorting

Today, the girls spontaneously began sorting their living room toys by color.  Peanut shouted, "I'll be right back" and returned with color box 2 to match the color piles.  I snapped these photos of their fun.  What colorful little kids!

Know Before You Go

Recent conversations with several college access programs prompted this post.  My experiences studying the college pathways of students from low-income families have led me to formulate several suggestions for college preparation, and while I plan to write these up in more formal venues in the future, I thought perhaps it's best to begin dissemination now--especially since, in some respects, I think my suggestions are unconventional.

1. There is no one "right" college for you.  Talk about "matching" with a college abounds, and it sort of reminds me of dating advice.  Find the person who is right for you, suited to your skills and temperament, and all will work out. Well, two caveats: first, maybe yes, maybe no.  There are far too many unobservable characteristics of people and colleges to predict success based on observables.  And second, there are many plausible matches-- if one doesn't work, you need to be prepared to try again.  This means that students need to have a healthy sense of possibilities and alternatives, and a framework for evaluating when college is meeting their needs, and when it might be time to transfer.  They need to know how to go about that process, and to not feel ashamed to make the choice to find a new college.   Nearly one in two undergraduates attend more than one institution in pursuit of a degree, and my research with Fabian Pfeffer shows that this is true even among four-year college students.  Transfer is typically in the purview of community colleges, and many universities lack outbound transfer resources-- and will even discourage departure.  Students need to graduate from high school knowing that transfer later might be necessary, and ready to know what to do.

2. You won't do it alone. The normative view of a college student who leaves home, embraces independence, and engages in college life as a fully formed adult is outdated--or perhaps never really existed.  Remarkably, young people are becoming less not more mobile-- and it may not be a terrible thing.  Family ties promote survival, and kinship can mean the difference between starving alone or managing to make it.  Undergraduates in my study are not only receiving support from their family, but also supporting their family emotionally, and by devoting both monetary and non-monetary resources. The trick is finessing how to do this well.  Students need to graduate from high school prepared to discuss with their parents (and other relatives) how they can best stay connected while also getting to focus on their studies.  What do you do when an assignment is due and mom needs you to babysit?  How can you discuss with your parents the amount of your earnings that you can share with them for the rent, while also having enough to buy books?  This requires strong interpersonal skills we have to help young people develop.

3. Shoot for the stars, but don't over-reach. Many programs are focused on helping students aspire to careers in science and engineering, and that message is leading some students to proclaim the intention of becoming such professionals even though high school hasn't quite prepared them. The unintended consequences may be severe.  In one example, I know a student who was rejected from his first choice college-- a public university-- because his application stated a desire to become a physicist.  Yet, while he had excelled in AP Literature and History his senior year, he hadn't gone further than Algebra II in high school.  The university likely denied him because of a sense he wouldn't achieve his goals there-- at least not in four years (one of the unintended consequences of a focus on measuring grad rates?).  While in a better world, he would have been admitted and then apprised of what it would take to achieve that goal, so he could choose a longer time-to-degree or a different path, instead he was denied.  Crushed, he diverted for a community college.  High school students like this one need to ensure their big dreams are either backed up with the right coursework, or counseled to be circumspect in their college applications.

4. It's ok to not know.  Students in my study often speak of fear of failure, of getting bad grades, of being caught not knowing how to answer a question in class. They don't know that professors have much respect for students who can say confidently "I don't know the answer, but I'd sure like to learn."  The cool pose many students adopt when they are unsure alienates professors.  Instead, high school students need to be encouraged to express their concerns, and ask ask ask.  Perhaps this could be modeled for them, and they could practice it in their senior year courses.

5. Always ask twice.  For four years, I have watched students leave college without a degree because of a snafu-- a minor happenstance that felt enormous and real, but could have been resolved by asking for help more than once.  One student left because he thought his misdemeanor conviction meant he could no longer get financial aid- a concern a fellow student confirmed. He needed to ask again at his financial aid office.  Another student left because she was dropped from her program due to low grades, and she thought this meant she was expelled from the entire college.  She waited for the college to call and explain it to her.  I wish that was something we could reasonably expect colleges to do, but right now the orientation and resources simply aren't there.  High school students need to know that when something's wrong, they need to ask- and ask -- and ask.

I hope this proves useful for the many programs and people working to make college success possible for the least likely graduates.  If you have lessons of your own to share, please write in.

Classroom Set up for the iPad

Greg Kulowiec is in the process of documenting a project of a paperless research task with a Yr 10 English class. He is recording this on his blog Kulowiectech. One of the things that I like about greg's blog is his conversation about technology and how it best serves the learning outcomes. This is a conversation that all schools need to have especially around iPads. I have seen a number of school purchase multiple devices and then struggle with the idea of how to use them to substantially improve learning outcomes. Greg suggests that this conversation needs to happen before any project is embarked upon. I would suggest that this conversation needs to happen well in advance of the devices being purchased

He is currently in his 8th year with the Plymouth Public Schools. His role now consists of being a Technology Integration Specialist and History teacher at Plymouth South High School. Check out his site for the full article

http://kulowiectech.blogspot.com.au/

Is This What Shared Governance Looks Like?

For decades, the price of higher education has been rising at colleges and universities nationwide, and relatively few students and families have done so much as sniff.  While occasional concerns about affordability have been expressed, that message has been quite soft when compared to the loud statement uttered by the millions who walk onto college campuses every year, despite rising tuition and fees.  In other words, actions speak louder than words.  Colleges and universities are able to say: if we are truly charging more than you want to pay, why do you keep buying it?

Times are changing, as some students are informing themselves about why college costs so much-- and where the money is actually spent.  Some are aware that part of the costs are offloaded onto students in the form of student fees, fees which in many places students have no choice but to pay, and have no control over.

UW-Madison is a bit unusual-- it has segregated fees, but it also has a renowned shared governance structure which gives students strong input into how those fees are spent.  This is a model that has helped shape the character of the institution and is among its finest attributes.

Unfortunately, a challenge to shared governance may be upon us.  Recently, the Student Services Finances Committee of the Associated Students of Madison voted to reject a request to increase spending of the Wisconsin Union and Recreational Sports.  Before approving the request, the SSFC wanted more information about how those funds would be spent.  In other words, students demanded transparency and accountability, beyond the high-level look at spending they are typically provided.  Absent that information, they declined the request.

On Tuesday, Interim Chancellor David Ward, a chancellor who has been demonstrably sensitive to issues of affordability and the cost-effective use of resources, overruled that veto.  I admit, I have not spoken to Ward to ascertain his reasons. But whether I would agree or disagree with his reasons are beside the point, which is fundamentally about process.  Shared governance leans heavily on adherence to process -- it is time-consuming but is essentially what the concept is all about. And according to the written process, Ward was to consult with SSFC before overruling their decision -- according to both Sarah Neibart (head of SSFC) and Allie Gardner (head of ASM) he did not.

Given a climate in which faculty, staff, and students have good reason to be concerned about allocation of scarce resources (since every day many of us observe it being allocated in inequitable and ineffective ways), and given the generally low morale due to stagnant and declining compensation, it is more important than ever to preserve the aspects of this university which make it special to its constituents. Shared governance is exactly that. Strong protection of shared governance is an inexpensive way to keeping the University's laborers integrated, involved, and effective. It is essential.

A positive result of this action would be a renewed discussion about the types of reporting that students, faculty, and staff can expect to receive from the administration regarding the allocation of monies generated from tuition and fees. Rigorous assessment of the impacts (the delta) resulting from spending (not the outcomes), can help move this institution through hard times-- and we should all be supportive of that.

Reading and Grammar Apps for Early Learners

There are some great apps available for little ones who are learning their alphabet or are actually learning to read and write. Here are a couple that might work in your classroom.

Super Why $4.49 AU

The SUPER WHY app is a partnership with PBS and the producers of the preschool series SUPER WHY. The series is designed to help kids ages 3 to 6 with the critical skills that they need to learn to read! Students can play along with each of the main characters from the TV series while practicing the alphabet, rhyming, spelling, writing and reading. Super Duper! 

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/super-why!-for-ipad/id362179828?mt=8

Super Why Alpha Boost:$1.99 AU

Are you ready to “Alpha Boost”  With over 120 party-themed words and five kinds of parties, “Alpha Boost!” provides hours of fun that will reinforce letter recognition and word formation. Search the skies for Super Letters that will form a super party password that gets you to a celebration. Tilt your iDevice left and right to catch the floating letters. 

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/super-why-alpha-boost!/id474285046?mt=8

Kids Write Text Types: $0.99 AU

Kids Write Text Types is a tool to help teachers and students with writing. Each  text type includes the structure/format, features, and examples. The many ideas/writing prompts are provided to help get students started. Students and teachers may use the planners included to plan for their own writing. They may annotate over them, save them and email them. 

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/kids-write-text-types/id480079925?mt=8

Montessori Crosswords: $2.99 AU

Montessori Crosswords helps kids develop their reading, writing, and spelling skills by building words from a set of 320 combinations using a phonics-enabled movable alphabet. Montessori Crosswords helps kids learn and understand fundamental concepts. The app helps kids understand that words are made up of sounds. 

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/montessori-crosswords/id384334005?mt=8

Word Wizard: $2.99 AU

Word Wizard is a unique app that lets kids hear the sounds of letters and words using a talking movable alphabet. Featuring advanced text to speech capabilities, the app can pronounce and spell-check an unlimited number of original words. Word Wizard also provides spelling practice with a list of more than 1,400 questions and answers.

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/word-wizard-talking/id447312716?mt=8

Martha Speaks Dog Party: $2.99 AU

Includes FOUR fun-filled games starring Martha, the talking dog from the popular TV series MARTHA SPEAKS. Players pick a plate to match the right word and then have their dog lick it clean by moving each dog's tongue around with their finger. Eww! The game introduces these words: striped, nature, nautical, mauve, triangular, colorful, teal, round, square.

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/martha-speaks/id343675996?mt=8

Rocket Speller: FREE

Rocket Speller is a fun and engaging spelling app for 3-7 year olds. Educators, special education teachers, and parents agree that kids are engaged and learning with this app. Students do not realise that they are learning to spell. Kids will play this in their play time because it does not feel like work.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rocket-speller/id492504689?mt=8

Licking Letters: $0.99 AU

Jump into the pond and help your friend, Hoppy the Frog, lick letters to spell words! Kids will have a blast with this exciting and fun spelling adventure! Each word is shown and spelled out before each round of play. There are a total of 150 words to spell starting with 3 letters, then gradually moving up to 5 letter words. Game difficulty adjusts based on your child's skill level.

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/licking-letters/id431550762?mt=8

abc Sequence: $1.99 AU

A fun and educational app for children, helping them to learn the alphabet and the names of the animals! Choose the letters in alphabetical order from the right hand side. The letter will transfer to the board and a flashcard will appear at the bottom with an animal. The name of the letter and animal can be heard aloud and is pronounced correctly!

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/abc-sequence/id408505681?mt=8

Grammer Jammers: FREE

Catchy animated songs and rhymes make English language arts exciting! Grammar Jammers animations will have you tapping your toes to the beat while learning grammar usage and mechanics. Each animation unlocks a quiz. Answer all the quiz questions for all the Grammar Jammers topics and unlock an interactive reward. 

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/grammar-jammers/id386384446?mt=8

Textbook Dependence

There's been lots of talk lately on textbooks (or maybe not so lately--I've been avoiding writing). First, Beverlee Jobrack's Tyranny of the Textbook: An Insider Exposes How Educational Materials Undermine Reforms was published. Next, the edu-world was all aflutter over Apple's entrance into the textbooks market. Finally, veteran textbook author and publisher Annie Keeghan offered some not-so-pretty insights into the aging, hulking industry textbooks have become.

I haven't gotten a chance to read Jobrack's work, but luckily Education Week curriculum journalist Erik Robelen and by the Fordham Institute's curriculum expert Kathleen Porter-Magee did.

I agree with Jobrack's premise as stated by Robelen that in discussions of education reform:

improving the curriculum—what actually gets taught in classrooms—is all too often left off the table. And the author, who provides an insider perspective on the world of developing and selecting curricular materials, contends that this neglect is a key obstacle to increased student learning.

Now I can't refute Jobrack's contentions, but I can speak to my opinion on textbooks, which is that they may well be inaccurate and I can only imagine that they are just slapping new labels on old content. (And this is why textbooks on i-pads will not be "revolutionary.") I also can mostly speak as a social studies teacher. When I taught strict ESOL, I didn't use one textbook in particular but various books and resources depending on what I was teaching. That was true of social studies, too, but I did lean on the textbooks more. But I think the problem with textbooks is two-fold:

1) Especially in subjects such as social studies, textbooks are over-emphasized. Sure, textbooks are useful. Especially when I teach social studies, I use them as reference books and encyclopedias. I like to have two or three sets of textbooks in the class--to check different sources but also so that students of varying reading levels can access the content. Otherwise, I have students read historical fiction and non-textbook non-fiction books, and I use articles and readings that I come across on relevant topics--from the newspaper, from periodicals. What I like about using these is that they usually reflect in some way current scholarship in certain matters, and they are what I want my students eventually to be able to read and make sense of outside of school, independently. Part of what I'm teaching students is that yes, there are facts in social studies and history, but there is also how you put together the facts, interpret them, and which facts are accepted and which are controversial and why. This leads me to the problem that. . .

2) teachers, especially at the secondary level, don't often know enough about the subjects they teach to know if the textbook is wrong or to come up with readings beyond it. When you know very little about a subject you will be teaching, if for example if you are assigned at the last minute to teach World History (as I have been), when you know much more about US History, there's going to be a lot to learn in a brief amount of time and the textbook will get leaned on more and questioned less. I won't be able to fact-check an entire textbook and nor should I have to--that's the publisher's job. And, unfortunately, these days it seems like textbooks need even more scrutiny.

Porter-Magee is right on when she says you can't just have a great curriculum and expect teachers who don't know what they're doing to implement it well. Pedagogy matters; quality of instruction matters. Nor should we just make "teacher-proof" curriculum. Where I might disagree or question Porter-Magee is when she talks about emphasizing data-driven instruction:

And so any discussion about classroom-level implementation of curriculum should include a discussion of using formal and informal assessment to track student mastery of essential content and skills, and of using the data from those assessments to really drive short- and long-term planning and instruction. This kind of data-driven instruction is essential in ensuring not only that teachers have covered essential content, but that students have actually learned it.

Implementation and assessment are vital but before they even get to the classroom (and continuing as they're there), teachers, especially at the secondary level, should be much better educated (and yes I think they should also be better trained) in the subjects they teach. Teachers should rely less on textbooks and more on other books, texts, and other sources of information. Teachers should be able to spot and to point out inacccuracies. They should help students notice diverging viewpoints or conflicting information in different sources and they should facilitate discussions about these different perspectives--their genesis and how to evaluate them. Far from making textbooks and curricula teacher-proof, teachers should be able to make sense of and judgments about the curriculum and texts they're teaching and to teach their students to do the same.

To attract people that knowledgeable and educated, we have to at least provide much better working conditions, greater professional autonomy, and better pay, but I guess I already covered that in another post.

Maths Apps for Primary School

I got a great phone call the other day from a teacher who had been given the opportunity to develop a intervention program. The school had identified a group of students who had been struggling with their Maths. 

We talked about what outcomes were important and came up with a cross section of apps that might cater for Counting, Operations and Place Values. Obviously some of these are more appropriate for the younger students but we have looked for ones that will make maths a fun thing to learn about.

Math Magic: $0.99 AU

Math Magic is an application for kids to have fun with math and at the same time learn addition, subtraction and multiplication.  Kids need to just touch the answer. Every time they pick the answers they get appreciated with surprise appreciation (real voice) Once they identify the correct answer, shaking the iphone will take them to a new problem. 

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/math-magic/id291478690?mt=8

Montessori Place Value: $0.99 AU

Review, practice, and expand your child's place value math skills the Montessori way. Practice forming numbers from 1 to 4 digits, emphasizing each place value. Gain visual reinforcement of place value position and the sum that creates the larger number.  MontessoriTech is a member of Moms with Apps, which seeks to promote quality apps for kids.

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/montessori-value/id408285618?mt=8

Stamp Game: $5.49 AU

Montessori math materials on an iPad. Teaches multi-digit addition and subtraction in a visual form, leading to deeper understanding. An innovative new incarnation of a classic "Montessori" math “game.” This Stamp Game app was created collaboratively by incorporating ideas from teachers, parents and most importantly children themselves.  

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/stamp-game/id389994166?mt=8

Place Value: $0.99 AU

Practice place value of 2,3 and 4 digit numbers using multi-touch. The scoreboards spin and a number appears, you are asked with words and audio "How many tens". You must then use your fingertips to indicate how many of each digit there are. The aim is to see how quickly you can answer 10 questions. 

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/place-value/id460331001?mt=8

Maths Bingo: $0.99 AU

Get a pattern of five Bingo Bugs in a row by correctly answering math problems. Math problems are presented at the top of the game screen. Feedback is presented at the bottom of the game screen.  There are three levels of game play in Math Bingo: easy, medium, and hard. Math Bingo displays high scores in the Score Board. 

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/math-bingo/id371338715?mt=8

Counting Caterpillar: $1.99 AU

A counting app for preschoolers and kindergarteners. Counting Caterpillar teaches the basics of counting with fun game play, great graphics and quality sound effects. Catch aphids in the correct number sequence to feed the caterpillar and fill its belly. Curriculum based counting practice covers counting in ones to 100.

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/counting-caterpillar/id468556132?mt=8

MathSmart: $0.99 AU

MathSmart breaks down first grade math in 60 built-in difficulty levels and finds the difficulty level that suites the individual student. To do that MathSmart comes with a unique adaptive engine that learns about the student with time and matches the learning speed to each student.  MathSmart asks questions depending on how the student performs. 

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/mathsmart-first-grade/id327044438?mt=8

Motion Maths HD: $1.99 AU

Developed at the Stanford School of Education, Motion Math HD follows a star that has fallen from space, and must bound back up, up, up to its home in the stars. Moving fractions to their correct place on the number line is the only way to return.  Motion Math gives learners a physical experience of the number line and an intuitive feeling for fractions. 

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/motion-math/id392489333?mt=8

Pearl Diver: FREE

Throw on your diving helmet, and head into the depths of the sea! Dive amidst shipwrecks and sunken ruins for the valuable pearls, maybe even the elusive black pearl. But watch out for that pesky electric eel!  Addresses number and operations standards. Games developed by the Learning Games Lab undergo a rigorous instructional design process.

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/pearl-diver-hd/id364617763?mt=8

Princess Math: $0.99 AU

Princess Math challenges you with addition and subtraction problems. Boost your Math Skills! Draw on the screen to work out the harder problems. The app inclues addition and subtraction problems, perfect for kindergarden to 3rd grade. This is a good app to balance out some of the male oriented app narratives that are used in maths apps.

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/princess-math/id376750130?mt=8