CEP812 Wicked Problem Project: Final presentation

Alas, here is my final presentation.  I used Google Docs presentation to assemble the slides and screenr.com to record the screen cast. I was a little rushed by the 5:00 time limit of screenr.com, and was cut off right at the end...

Here is a link to the Google Docs presentation slides.

I identified a Wicked Problem as a lack of thoughtful or deep understanding of scientific, mathematical, engineering, and programming concepts that underpin my Middle School Robotics elective course.  My hypothesis is that the problem is caused by a lack of time available in class for students to reflect on their work and discuss their progress and findings.

My proposed solution is to have students create blogs for reflective writing and online collaborative discussion.  I aim to leverage online tools to extend the class beyond the walls of the classroom and the time limitations imposed by the schedule.

In order to successfully deploy this technology in the classroom, I analyzed the proposed solution through the lens of the TPACK framework.

The Technological Pedagogical Knowledge asks me to understand how the technology affects and supports teaching strategies.  Using online blogs supports reflective thinking and collaboration by students.  It gives them a space to think about the work they’ve done in the classroom and distance from it to process the results in their own voice, with their own creative style.  Students commenting in each others blogs creates a discussion outside of the classroom walls, free from the time constraints of the bell schedule, and is more accessible to students who aren’t inclined to verbally participate in classroom discussions.  For me as the instructor, I had to become very familiar with several blogging tools so as to be able to demonstrate and support the students’ use of them.

The Technical Content Knowledge requires me to understand how the content of the course can be represented through the technology used.  Students will be able to represent their knowledge and understanding in new ways.  They will be able to visually diagram their processes and results with drawing or charting tools.  They will be able to use various hardware (iPads, flip cams, and so on) to visually capture and document their work, which can be embedded into their blogs.  The digital tools open up new methods of recording and expressing results and their interpretations of what they are experiencing.

The Pedagogical Content Knowledge asks me to understand how the teaching strategies make the course content more accessible to students.  The nature of a Robotics class is that most of the work is kinesthetic, and creates a charged, excited classroom atmosphere.  As a result, it’s difficult to employ traditional teaching strategies such as lectures and class discussions.  While these strategies are not the most exciting, they do serve the purposes of transmitting information from the teacher to the students, and allowing the students to collaboratively interpret their work and build knowledge.  My proposed solution facilitates these underlying requirements in a novel way, without taking up crucial class time that the students use for building and experimentation.  Further, the online mode of discussion puts the class dialogue firmly within the realm that their work with the robots exsists: that is to say, via the computer in a digital medium.  This will lead the students to use computers with more diverse software tools to communicate, document, process, and synthesize their findings.  They assemble these artifacts into a presentable form to share with each other, and the world.

My implementation originally used two technologies to satisfy the problem: blogs, and collaborative spaces like Wikis or Google Sites.  It was evident rather quickly that this was too big of a chunk to bite off in one class, so I decided to narrow the solution to just blogs.  As a result, I had to recalibrate how the student collaboration element was meant to be satisfied.  In the end, the difference between the two types of tools was negligible, and the students were able to use the blogs to post the work they did collaboratively within teams.  I was able to harness the prior knowledge and enthusiasm of certain students to teach the class the nuts and bolts of how to use the online blogging tools.  Student-led lectures are a great way to recognize the specialized (or advanced) knowledge of students and shake up the traditional class paradigm.


Findings and Implications.  The students found the blogs not only novel, but also liberating.  As a result, I noted that students were collaborating and communicating in class much more effectively; minimizing a lot of the competitive atmosphere that is common in the class.  Students recognized that they were able to document and show their work in new ways with the multimedia options, and took to it with alacrity.  It’s difficult to get empirical data on a student’s understanding of concepts, I observed students using the robots and programming software in new ways, which leads me to believe they were gleaning new ideas about the programming and physics of the robotics challenges.  Overall, I believe the project to be a success, but can also be fine tuned and developed further.  While I was not able to use the collaborative spaces as an effective tool for the students, I still believe they hold a lot of promise for the right type of students that elect to try a different set of tools.

CEP 812 Group Leadership Project: Final

This is our final product for the Group Leadership Project.




Tools for information exchange & workflows in 1:1 iPad classrooms.


1) What tool did your group use to deliver the PD tutorial? Why?
We used a combination of tools to create this:  iMovie, Audacity, Explain Everything, IShowU HD, Reflection, and Final Cut Pro.  We used YouTube to deliver it to the audience.  We decided that there were various tools that each group member was comfortable with or wanted to try out.  We wanted to play to our strengths or seek out new challenges (in the case of new tools).  For instance, I'm very strong with Audacity and iMovie, so I used those.  Janet wanted to use the actual tool she was researching and demo'ing, ExplainEverything.  Ultimately, Fredy used Final Cut Pro X to pull everything together because he is really proficient with that full-line video editing software package.


2) What did you learn during the development process of the final product?
I learned that a group of people in disparate locations using diverse tools can pull together a convincing project with a minimum of meeting time.  We spent about 3 hours meeting in total over the course of a month, with the addition of a couple dozen emails in a flurry right near the end of the project.  While it was difficult to get everyone in the (virtual) room, synchronous meetings using a solid video-conferencing application (Google Plus Hangouts, in this case) went a long way to facilitate the development of the project.


3) What would you do differently if you had to develop a similar product again?
I would set up certain parameters and guidelines about the format and other technical specifications.  One thing that only came up at the end (after we'd all done our individual segments) is that had not agreed on an aspect ratio for the project.  Some content was in widescreen 16:9, and other segments were in 4:3.  Ultimatelty, Fredy was able to resolve these problems with some post-production trickery, but the final product does not look quite as fluid, visually, as it might have been otherwise.

CEP 812: Professional Learning Plan

Here is my professional learning plan for the upcoming school year...  This was the first time I've used Prezi.

CEP812 Professional Learning Plan on Prezi

Mobile Learning Lab

I think mobile technologies can be used in interesting ways in the classroom.  The possession of cell phones by most students in middle and high school can be leveraged by a teacher so that a school doesn't have to spend money to purchased an maintain certain types of equipment.  Most modern smart phones have a camera, and many are equipped with the ability to capture video.  In your typical classroom, you this basically means you have 1:1 or maybe 2:1 student to device ratio for digital photo and video cameras.  

Before the ubiquitous spread of smartphones, Flip cameras were a great boon to schools because they made digital video cheap: about $150 per unit, compared to $600 in the past for a decent DV tape camera.  Not only that, but the Flip camera's user interface is extremely easy to use, similar to an iPod, which means you can just put one in the hands of a student and they are working with it immediately.  The flash storage on a Flip camera with the direct USB connection makes dumping the video to a computer for editing nearly frictionless.

I had not considered the use of cell phones in the classroom for communication or polls.  Most middle and high schools have stringent policies about possession and use of cell phones, so the best you could hope for, in many cases, would be to allow the students to use them for the camera and video capabilities.  I tried out the PollEverywhere online poll taking tool.  It is a novel idea, but may not really be suited for MS and HS classrooms because existing policies assume that cellphone's don't have an academic use in the classroom and are distracting.

Wicked Problem: Part D - Findings and Implications.

1.  Formative assessment.  Did the project get implemented as planned?

Most of the elements of the project were implemented as planned.  The second part, the collaborative space was not wholly embraced by the students. I scaled that part of the project down due to substantial pushback by the students.

2.  Summative assessment.  Evidence of success in addressing the problem of practice.

I believe I began to see evidence of success of the project in two ways.  First the writing that the students posted to their blogs showed a determination to collect interesting facts and observations about their work in the classroom.  Some students demonstrated a lot of creative thinking, and then tried to apply their theories in the challenges and test trials.  Only a few seemed to slog through the writing and commenting requirements; which I expected.

The other evidence was more subtle.  In the classroom, I witnessed students communicating better within their workgroups.  Several groups attempted novel approaches to complete the challenges, and I witnessed more (helpful and healthy) inter-group communication rather than the usual secretive and competitive stances from the past.

3. 3. How would you approach another project of this type differently given what you’ve learned here?

   I would attempt to resolve the problem with one piece of technology at a time.  I realized I was basically using two approaches and two technologies to solve the problem, when I should have just focussed on one.  From this, one notable takeaway is to use technologies that can be used in different ways, rather than technologies that are really just single-use.  I also need to provide writing prompts for students.
   
   
   4. What are the lessons learned that others might benefit from knowing about?
   
   
   Blogs are a good communication tool to extend learning beyond the walls of the classroom.  They can be used in myriad different ways: as personal journals for reflective writing and group blogs for collaborative writing.
   
   In terms of solving a wicked problem, using a narrow focus with a technology is better than a broad or blank-slate approach.
   
   
   
   
   5. In what ways will you endeavor to do the same project again, and what will you change or not do?
   
   
   I expect to correct these problems by eliminating the collaborative space, and recalibrating the blogs as group blogs.  Posts containing individual recollections and reflections will still be required by each individual in addition to collaborative posts.  The students did not seem enthused with the blank-slate nature of the collaborative space, in terms of choice of tools and design aesthetics, so folding the collaborative work requirements into the blog tool seems to be the most reasonable approach.  For students who chafe at the lack of space to be aesthetically creative, I can offer Google Sites as an alternative for those that want to put in the extra effort.
   
   

Data Visualization Lab

I tried out several visualization tools as a part of the Data Visualization lab.

Flow charting is something I try to use in my MS Robotics course so that students can develop techniques to organize their thoughts into useful plans for programming.  Visualizing a flowchart, even a simple one, helps students connect abstract ideas together and create methodical logic for a robot's behavior.


Google Docs.  
Used Googe Docs Draw module to create a simple flowchart for an embedded set of loops for a Robot Sumo program.  Notes: Hard to keep lines straight, but easy to draw, get shapes out, and label things.

Cacoo.  

I tried Cacoo for the first time to create a chart for a possible workflow for "The Chasm" challenge.  Notes: Had to sign up for an account to use the tool.  Made lines with rounded corners really easily.  Control key short cuts failed to work sometimes.

Gliffy.

Lastly, I used Gliffy to model a robot sumo board.  I was able to fake a 3D model with 2D shapes and drop shadows and built in lighting effects.  Notes: Didn't have to sign up for an account to use the tool (just to save files).  Had a lot of templates to start from.  Had a lot of different shapes and stencils to use.  It was easy to make good looking shapes with drop shadow, lighting effects, etc.  The web-based interface responded very quickly to mouse movements, no latency.

I also use a freeware program called Lego Digital Designer with some students who are particularly adept at building so they can create 3D models of their creations.  This is essentially a simple CAD (computer aided design) program that has a specialized set of pieces loaded for the LEGO systems.

Group Leadership Project: Part B: Script & Storyboard

Image courtesy of http://www.sotherden.com/video101/storyboardwritten.gif

Here is a link to our group's script/storyboard.  We used a Google Docs presentation to facilitate this part of the project.  Admittedly, the format is not very exciting, but we were able to do all the work remotely and asynchronously.


Storyboard

Wicked Problem Part C: THE PODCAST

Ok party people in the place to be. I've finished my podcast, and here it is! 


Download the podcast


This podcast was recorded and edited on a Macintosh Computer using the freeware Audacity. The music is titled Alone Together from the album Different Colours by Marconi Union.

Wicked Problem Project: PART B: TPACK!

image courtesy of http://www.edu.org.au/whatisit/pedagogy

Part B of the Wicked Problem project bids me to apply the TPACK framework to my proposed solution.

Brief:  My wicked problem is the students' lack of more than a superficial understanding of the science, mathematical, and engineering concepts  underpinning robotics due to a lack of class time for students to reflect on their work, and collaboratively process, synthesize, and present their findings.  The proposed solution is two-fold: students will write in individual blogs for reflective journaling, comment on each others blogs, and set up a collaborative site with which they can create a multimedia presentation for their findings and other artifacts.

TP - Technological Pedagogical Knowledge.

Understanding how the technology used affects (and supports) the teaching strategies...  Using online blogs and collaborative spaces (like Sites or Wikis) supports reflective thinking and collaboration by the students.  It gives them a space to think about the work they've done and process the results in their own language and creative style.  Commenting across individual blogs creates a dialogue outside of the classroom that can give otherwise quiet students the freedom to express themselves more naturally without the pressures of immediacy and peer judgement.  On the flip side, this dialogue and collaboration outside of the classroom may constrain certain types of learners who don't type as well, or who have less access to technology outside of school.  Some of the unique knowledge that I will have to develop and apply will be moderating and guiding online discussion, which I believe will be substantially different from a traditional class discussion.  I will also have to have a general grasp on how blogs and collaborative spaces function in order to field student questions with various software/web tools.

TC - Technological Content Knowledge.

Understanding how the content can be represented through the technologies used...  Utilizing online blogging tools and collaborative spaces will allow students to represent their work in new ways.  Firstly, they're more easily able to diagram results using either drawing tools or charting tools built into most spreadsheets and can quickly parse data and churn out slick-looking graphics.  Second, they can capture their work with digital still or digital video cameras and post (or embed) these media to  show how their builds and programs performed.  The digital tools open up new forms of recording and expressing results, interpretations, and preponderances thereof.  

PC - Pedagogical Content Knowledge.

Understanding how the teaching strategies make the content accessible... The contrast in pedagogical content knowledge might be the most stark between Robotics and any of the core academic subjects.  Robotics must be taught with a heavy leaning toward experiential learning: challenges or tasks with a lot of room for trial and error.  This is a very kinesthetic and charged type of classroom, one in which many traditional teaching strategies aren't useful.  Once students are in the process of building, programming, and doing challenges, it is very difficult to hold a traditional class discussion.  The online mode of discussion puts dialogue firmly within the same realm that their work with the robots exists: through the computer in a digital medium.  Beyond just the novelty of online dialogue, the students will be using a computer with more diverse software tools to communicate, document, process, and synthesize their findings into a presentable form to share with each other, and possibly the public.

Group Leadership Project: PART A

Our group decided to use Google+ Hangouts in order to facilitate synchronous group meetings.  G+ Hangouts is simple to setup and use, given everyone involved already had a Gmail account.  G+ Hangouts allowed us to record our session and auto-magically placed it in my YouTube account for everyone to view and embed (called Hangouts On-Air).  The audio and video quality was good throughout both sessions.  One of the most interesting features is a snap-in that allows everyone in the session (up to 10 people) see and edit one or more Google Docs files simultaneously in the same window.  It also had a screen sharing feature that allows anyone to share their screen (or window).  This feature isn't limited to one person, each person can share, and their screen replaces the image of their camera, and every participant can choose which screen (or camera image) they are viewing.

There were only a few minor drawbacks or annoyances with G+ Hangouts.  The screen sharing does not stream out to the On-Air recording.  This seems to be a glaring omission in the On-Air feature that could be resolved easily. Some of our group members had occasional connection problems, but reloading their browsers typically fixed them.  Lastly, I attended one session on a wifi connection, and my video and audio were noticeably degraded compared to the other people in the session.  

Overall, G+ Hangouts is a free and easy tool to use to facilitate synchronous meetings with a lot of features that benefit working groups (rather than merely chat groups).  Our recordings are below:

Our Brainstorm session came directly on the heels of the "Dry Run" testing of Google+ Hangouts for the Web-Video Conferencing Lab, and therefore the first video is over an hour long.  Brainstorming begins ~29:00 in.

We decided to hold weekly meetups through G+, and our second meeting is here:

UPDATE:  Full group meeting: 

(why do i look like I'm complaining in the still?)

Web-based video conferencing

In your blog create a reflection titled “Web-Conferencing” and discuss how the video conference went, what software you used, and what you would do differently next time. Also explain how this might be useful in your classroom.


One of the labs in Session 2 of CEP812 if video web-conferencing. The point being to find a synchronous web-based video conferencing tool that could work to facilitate the CEP812 Group Leadership project, but also other applications for our work in the classroom.


Here is the recording of our web conferencing session:

We chose Google+ Hangouts as our technology of choice. The reasoning being that we all had Google accounts, and once you have Google+ enabled and the Google Voice and Video plugin installed, you are good to go. Setting up a meeting session is very easy.


Google+ Hangouts has a lot of interesting and useful features, not the least of which being, a Google Docs plugin that allows everyone in the meeting to see and collaboratively edit a Google Document simultaneously. This is quite a powerful tool, and we used it extensively in our session. Another nice feature is a Google Chat bar that allows anyone in the session to text-chat. This can be handy if you want to have a sidebar conversation without interrupting the person talking, for instance, if someone is demonstrating something, or two people are having a lengthy voice conversation. Google+ Hangouts also has a Screen Sharing setting that any participant can switch on. When activated, the person's screen (or specific window they select, there are several options) replaces the image from their camera. This means that any number of people can share their screens simultaneously. Lastly, there is a feature called On-Air which allows you to stream the session live to YouTube for people to view while the session is taking place. Once you end the session, Youtube will convert the entire recorded session to the session-maker's Youtube account if you want to share it; as we have above.


I participated in the session on a wifi connection, and the appearance of my camera was noticably fuzzy. While the video and voice seemed to come through with little (or manageable) latency, any time I used the additional features like Google Docs or the shared whiteboard application, I experienced significant lag. Next time I will participate from a location with a hard wired connection.

Wicked Problem Project PART A

Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler state that understanding their TPACK framework for Technology Pedagogical Knowledge is best done through the Wicked Problem.  This is a problem that is "difficult to solve because of incomplete, contradictory and changing requirements."








1.  Important educational need to address.


In my MS Robotics course, I believe that students only attain a light grasp, if at all, of the underlying math, engineering, physics, and programming concepts.  Most of the class time is spent doing hands-on work building robots, programming them, and then doing trial runs of the challenge courses.  This work can only be done in the classroom.  Students don’t have time or space to reflect on the work they have done, connecting their work with the underlying concepts.


2. Addressing the problem with technology.


I believe students need time and space to reflect on their work and build knowledge through their in-class collaborations.  I propose to create an online space for students to (a) journal their experiences in class, and (b) connect the underlying concepts to their efforts in a collaborative manner.  This will entail (a) a blog space and (b) wiki or other collaborative space.  Some class time will be devoted to setting up and maintaining these sites, but most of the authoring will be done as on-going homework.

I will demonstrate the use of a blogging tool and a collaborative site tool, but students will be given the dominion to use any web-based tools they are comfortable with (as long as they provide the basic features of authorship, commentary, and collaboration).  Blogger and Google Sites are available to students through the school Google Apps account.  There is no cost to these web-based tools.


3. Logistics of the proposed solution


Each student will set up an individual blog for MS Robotics.  Each team (pair or triad) will set up a collaborative site to showcase their group’s work and experimental findings.

The blogs should be set up within the first two weeks of class to get students in the habit of writing regularly.  The group sites should be set up about one month into the course, after the students complete the introductory lessons, but before the challenge courses begin.

Writing requirements:
Original posting: once per week (twice for full credit)
Response to other blogs: twice per week (three for full credit)
Collaborative site: substantial material (not aesthetic) additions or edits reviewed by the teacher for credit every week.
Both tools will be used throughout the remainder of the course.


4. Relevant research and resources


My research revealed that blogging is a tool that is used in middle and high school classrooms, and widely so since 2007.  There are two aspects to blogging that have pedagogical utility: reflective writing, and social conversation.  

Blogging equips students with a tool to explore their ideas and develop their personal voice.  Every student has equal space and unlimited access to process their ideas, findings and opinions then frame them in a way that is meaningful to not only themselves but their cohorts.

Blogging is not only about personal journaling.  Blogs add an element of conversation and collaboration to a student’s writing. The blog space creates a conversation outside of the confines of the classroom, subtly underscoring the notion that learning does not end at the classroom door.  Students can comment, suggest, and critique each others ideas and work. Blogs give full access to dialogue to students who lack confidence to speak during class.

The fact that students are sat at a computer while engaging in this dialogue also gives them ready access to online resources locate information to support their writing.  One imagines that a successful blog post (or subsequent commentary) would include hyperlinks to resources related to and supporting the ideas and opinions expressed.

Selected sources consulted:

Barrett, Helen.  2008.  Creating an interactive portfolio with Google Sites.  http://sites.helenbarrett.net/portfolio/how-to

Davis, Anne.  2007.  Rationale for educational blogging.  http://anne.teachesme.com/2007/01/17/rationale-for-educational-blogging/

Higgings, Patrick.  2007.  Blogs as conversations.  http://chalkdust101.blogspot.com/2007/03/blogs-as-conversations.html


5. Plan for implementation


During this summer CEP812 course, I will research available options for blogging sites and collaborative spaces for students to use.  I will select a few and learn their intricacies, and set up test sites to demonstrate for the students.  This will also allow me to simulate the work of students for the purpose of the CEP812 course.

After the course, I will roll out the technology tools to students in the Fall for their use in Robotics class.


6. Metrics for success


In the individual blogs, I believe a successful implementation will show evidence of personal reflection on the work they completed every few days.  It should chronicle their successes and failures, contain preponderances on how to improve their robot or programming, and show evidence of a story arc to their journey through the class.  In class, I would expect to see students experiment more with their robots, and be self-motivated to create new goals and challenges.

The group sites should show evidence of math, engineering, physics, and programming concepts they they discovered, utilized, or overcame to complete the challenge courses.  They should show evidence of experimentation, documentation, and application of the scientific method.  The sites should underscore the understanding and application of these concepts.

CEP812 Video Introduction

Here is my video personal introduction for CEP 812: Applying Educational Technology to Practice.

Quick note that the photos of students and LEGO robots in the first 30 seconds are my originals from Windrush School.  The photos in the second half of the video are sourced from websites.

The background music is Sleepless by Marconi Union.

CEP811 Final Thoughts...

Adapting Innovative Technologies to Education (aka CEP811) has been a very interesting course.  I come away from this course with a wide range of ideas and tactics to apply technology in the classroom.  I thought this course was well designed and particularly suited to my needs with a large dose of theory at the beginning, and a litany of applications and projects during the last ¾ of the class.  The lecture and readings on the scholarship of teaching and learning, instructional design principles, and Universal Design for Learning gave me the theoretical framework to understand how specific technologies can be used in the classroom.  I feel like this foundation will give me the ability to help teachers calibrate the application of technology in a way that is authentic to their teaching process.

Using web-based technologies in this class really stirs the imagination for interesting classroom applications.  While some of the web-technologies we used and evaluated are a little dated (Webquests, powerpoint StAIRs), the principles behind using technology for learning are clear.  Instructional design and UDL, when applied correctly, turn a web resource into an instructional material.  I was introduced to a fantastic repository called MERLOT that contains a huge amount of instructional materials that span all subject areas and grade levels.  The community aspect of MERLOT means that many resources are peer reviewed, making it easy to identify well designed and useful materials.  Although I don’t plan to contribute content to MERLOT, I envision using it when I am working with teachers who need resources or ideas on how to integrate technology into the classroom.

My main goals for this class were to absorb any instructional and design theory on offer, and to glean ideas for interesting uses of technology in the classroom.  The theory is very important to me because I am mainly a technologist, not a teacher. I work with teachers to help them integrate technology, but I do not have a lot of direct experience teaching.  The theoretical frameworks that many teachers take for granted represent a dark art to me, and I strive to understand the process of teaching and learning from the outside looking in.  As for the particular technologies demonstrated, I had heard of Webquests before but not investigated their use any further.  I think webquests can still be fun and interesting for students if used with updated technologies and multimedia.  If a webquest can operate at the intersection of collaboration, multimedia, and role-playing, I believe students stand to gain a lot from a diverse activity.

Looking toward the future, I would like to spend more time learning about UDL to make the interaction with technology more accessible to a wider array of learners and learning profiles.  Our introduction to UDL seemed really to just scratch the surface, and I’m certain that I have much more to learn about these design principles.

Online Learning Experiences

By reading the Michigan Merit Curriculum Online Learning companion document recently, I was able to investigate several web-based tools.  Through the lens of the core principles of online learning, many different tools are evaluated: wikis, LMS systems, blogs, RSS feeds, podcasts & vodcasts, e-portfolios, and more.

I would like to begin using a wiki (or Google Sites) in my Robotics class.  I think the collaborative nature of a site works towards students building knowledge together.  I can envision using this type of activity over the course of the class.  Instead of individual student blogs, I would have each team create a collaborative Wiki or Site to post writings in text, diagrams programming flow charts, and videos of their robot performance challenges.  They could also use it to document links they found useful or interesting relating to the subject matter.  By the end of the course, each student has a dynamic online “poster board display” of their team’s work.

I think the web-quest would be a tricky activity to weave into the course.  The performance challenges in the class already have a fictional setup/introduction; often framing the student teams as NASA researchers trying to work out issues with a “planetary rover.”  I did employ the Moodle LMS one semester, which was not well received by the students.  I used it primarily for document distribution, worksheet collection, and displaying diagrams they needed to consult for various building techniques with the LEGO robotics parts.  The LMS was not really engaging enough for them, and they complained that it was cumbersome.  Ultimately, I moved to Google Docs to distribute and collect documents.

Evaluating an assignment with UDL

This weeks work in CEP811 bids me to evaluate the assignment that I drafted (SONAR for Robotics) against the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. The following matrix contains a listing of the UDL principle guidelines, and my evaluation of whether the guidelines are addressed within the lesson as it stands, or whether barriers to those guidelines exist.


The assignment design plan is here: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9I_Jtm-ZPkBNDVYbC1jQXZZVVk

Due to massive problems with Blogger's handling of the table from Google Docs, I have to link the UDL evaluation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YXINdDBER1Cc3ob5FALG7EIAfkC7KwLo5KeyOJWZEtY/edit

MERLOT Resource Review

I discovered this interesting collection called Music Acoustics within the Science & Technology section of MEROT.  The link to the MERLOT profile is http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=81883  

Quality of content.

The collection does present a wide array of valid and significant concepts, models, and skills. The concepts it presents include the physics of sound (waves, frequency, harmonics, reflections, decibels, impedance, and amplification), and the application of these principles to a number of traditional orchestral instruments, categorized into wind, string, brass, percussion, and voice.

Potential effectiveness as a learning tool.

The Musical Acoustics collection can be used primarily in the Explanation phase of the learning process.  The collection largely comprises a large amount of HTML pages for the student to explore that contain specific facts, data, diagrams, pictures, and referential links to other relevant parts of the collection.

The collection also contains an interactive piece that allows students to measure and chart their own hearing as per the relative sensitivity of their ears, a fascinating audio and visual demonstration.  Below is graph that charts the limits of my own hearing.


http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/hearing.html
© Joe Wolfe

The learning objectives are clear and overt, although not stated as such.  The learner is meant to use this resource to gain a detailed understanding of the physics of sound and hearing, as they eventually apply to music and instruments.  The target learners are likely high school and higher.  Although the resource can be fully integrated into existing curricula, I believe it does not have multiple applications; it’s meant to be used as an informational resource solely.  Teaching and learning goals are not stated as such, but it would be easy for a teacher or curriculum designer to create authentic assignments based upon or utilizing this dense, information-rich resource.

Ease of use.

The user interface of the Music Acoustics collection is easy enough to use.  While it is purely HTML-based and has an early 2000’s HTML look and feel, the navigation is fleshed out quite well.  The amount of information the collection presents is dense, and may seem overwhelming to some learners, but I believe this can be overcome by a coherent structure to any assignment that utilizes the resource.  Despite the slightly out-moded aesthetic design, I must admit that the designers has made clever use of HTML tables that represent charts containing musical notes that link out to detailed pages for the particular note’s characteristics played on a particular instrument (and contain sound files for demonstration purposes)


http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/music/saxophone/tenor/index.html
© Joe Wolfe

The resource’s vast number of HTML pages are well titled and labeled, so the user is always aware of where they are within the collection.  The navigation mechanism persists on all pages except the drill-down notes-on-instruments pages.  In my opinion, the collection presents its information in a variety of ways including visual charts, photos, diagrams, sound files, and of course text.  Despite the slightly dated web-aesthetics, I think this is an attractively designed resource that will hold the attention of most students.

Personal Learning Reflection

Teaching for Understanding with Technology (CEP 810) has been a very swift and enriching entry into the MAET program at Michigan State University.  I have learned that effective teaching strategies begin with a diverse toolset and a good support network.  Having a number of different technology tools that you and your students can use to accomplish lessons seems to me to be the first step.  It’s important to keep in mind that the tools are only a means to acquire and build knowledge, as are books, a library, paper, pencils, etc.  While novel, technology itself should not be the focus of a lesson.  I also learned that building and maintaining a strong personal learning network is essential to keep yourself apprised of new techniques and tools, as well as a place where you can get support and use as a sounding board for your integration efforts.

In this course, the Internet was the primary domain, toolset and communication medium.  Taking this course online brought the utility of the Internet and all of its evolving uses into sharp focus for me.  It’s easy to regard the Internet primarily as a research and communication tool.  However, this course has introduced me to a wide variety of tools with which you can actually create and build.

I felt the Special Interest Group Presentation project certainly illustrated teaching with technology in an innovative and rich way.  The collaborative nature of the project lent heavily to the Collaboration and Communication curricular standards in the ISTE National Education Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S).  The groups were given an outline of the project, the rubric, and some examples of what form the final artifact might look like.  Beyond that, the groups were given latitude to choose technology tools to complete the project.  I investigated several options, including using Voicethread, Google Docs Presentation, and Prezi.  Ultimately, we decided to use a collaborative Google Docs presentation file to organize our thoughts and put media scraps into a central location.  One member of the group took the information and media and created a movie (using iMovie or Final Cut, I’m not exactly certain).  We then uploaded the video to Vimeo so it could be shared (and embedded) for the rest of the class to view.  We used a number of technology tools, both collaborative and stand-alone, to get the assignment done.  I was left with the lasting impression that making many different collaborative technology tools available to students, and allowing them to explore and choose them is an effective teaching technique.

Reflecting back to one of the earlier assignments, the Personal Growth Plan, one of my stated goals was get a better understanding of how people learn with (or through) technology.  This course has equipped me with a basic understanding of the current theories underpinning effective integrated teaching: ISTE NETS, 21st Century Skills, and TPACK.  The NETS and 21st Century skills frameworks essentially work towards the same goals, though through slightly different lenses.  TPACK was new to me, and I need to spend more time reading the literature available at tpack.org.   Part of the problem I face as a technology person working with pedagogues is that my background deals with the fairly straightforward world of computer systems, where they work with the comparatively systems of the human mind.  Understanding these theoretical frameworks better will allow me to work with teachers more fluidly.  I will have a better foundation to understand their challenges to help them recalibrate their pedagogy with technology integration techniques.

Finally, I found that I have new goals and challenges ahead.  I must get my hands on and research the iPad, Android tablets, and Chromebooks as classroom technology tools.  The projects displayed for the Special Interest Group Presentation assignment made it clear to me that the most substantial technical hurdle teachers and students face with technology is user interface.  This point became evident when two of the 4 presentations were specifically about UI; one with regards to LMS systems, and the other dealing with iPads in the classroom.  It occurred to me that the reason iPads are being adopted so rapidly is their fast boot up and stripped down, tactile interface.  You can put one in front of any lay person, and they will figure it out rapidly.  This is a boon to classrooms where as much as 5 minutes is being carved out of each end of a lesson hour to set up and prepare computers for student use: removing them from a cart, turning them on, waiting for boot up, starting applications - and hopefully each one works the first time.  Operating systems like Windows and MacOSX are just hurdles students must clear to get to the tools and information they require.  For this reason, iOS and ChromeOS will prove to be the more useful and effective devices in the classroom.  The instant-on and zero learning curve for operation remove the most significant barriers to classroom technology use.  Long battery life is a secondary technical feature that makes their use in the classroom easier to manage.  With this new knowledge and charge, I will set out to thoroughly investigate the devices, their operating systems, and accompanying available software for student use in the classroom.

Personal Technology Plan

Here is a link to my Personal Technology Plan in Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/175ZiiwhP4-ERSNfL8W5ZgpKFlapF9bVHNztlHFpWp-s/edit

Creative Commons

Learning about Creative Commons in depth recently has been very illuminating. While I was familiar with CC, especially with respect to licensing of freely-released music, I wasn't aware that the organization (and the licensing system) had spawned such a rich and massive cache of content. Here's a random beautiful picture I found through WikiMedia Commons.

Photo Attribution:
Original image: "Colibri Thalassinus"
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Colibri-thalassinus-001.jpg
by: Mdf
Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License

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It is easy to imagine how teaching students about Creative Commons as a licensing system, but also as an interconnected community of content creators and users, would be relevant and useful. Comparing the Creative Commons "copyleft" model with the copyright model that reserves all rights to content creators, students can critically evaluate digital media content for their own use.

A simple demonstration for students might include showing them an image of a p

opular Disney cartoon character and asking them to opine on how they might be able to use that image in a way that is legal and respects the copyright holder's rights. Although the Fair Use doctrine adds a level of complexity (perhaps you'd introduce this nuance to Middle School age students and older), students will quickly see that they are quite restricted in its use. The next discussion would show an image of a cartoon character licensed under CC, which would lead the students to the conclusion that t

hey have far more latitude.

Next, show them the guidelines for attribution (for both copyright and copyleft works), and you have a stand-alone lesson in digital citizenship and media literacy.

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Finally, I used Flickr to upload a picture to try out their CC licensing options. By default when you upload to Flickr, the license is set to a standard copyright (all rights reserved). I changed the licensing scheme to CC-Attrib-Noncommercial-NoDerivs. I took the photo while repairing my iMac a few weeks ago.

Photo Attribution:

Original image: "imac repair"

by: pnsnv

Released under Creative Commons Attrib-Noncommercial-Noderivs 2.0 license.