Sesame Street, Star Trek or The Six Million Dollar Man?

In a previous post, I shared that I am a Gen X'er and an immigrant to this country. I was born in India, and grew up in Canada. As a child, I was fascinated by television. I learned to speak English by watching television. What I learned on TV I could practice at school. Sesame Street and Star Trek were the two shows that really helped me. Sesame Street was fun and educational. Star Trek was entertaining and fueled my interest in the sciences. Warning, this post contains references to Gen X history. I hope you get the references.

What does all this have to do with 21st  Century Skills? Well, it's like the show The Six Million Dollar Man. If you have never seen the show, check it out on YouTube somewhere. And, if you have seen the show, you'll remember the intro to the show and the line "...we can rebuild him, we have the technology, we have the capability to build the first bionic man!". 

This is essentially how I'm starting to see 21st Century Teaching. While focusing on improving education and teaching skills that prepare students for the technological future is worthwhile and necessary, I have to ask at what cost? The plot of the show The Six Million Dollar Man was all about Steve Austin, an astronaut whose life was saved from a catastrophic accident. His life was not necessarily his. He went around like a superhero but at the bidding of the government agency that saved him. 

So with the emphasis on teaching 21st Century skills, I agree with Jay Matthews when he says, "the 21st-century skills movement seems bent on reducing a wealth of knowledge and diversity of perspectives to a simple, business-minded set of skills. This would be great, obviously, for the corporate world. But since literature, art, music -- much of what defines the human experience -- are not useful in the boardroom, they won't be given much space in our...schools.”

When you look at the framework for 21st Century skills, I all in. I buy it. I get it. However, I see these skills as not just new skills but skills that are at the root of what we as teachers should be teaching. This is not new. To go back to Jay Matthews, you have to consider who is sponsoring these skills and why are they sponsoring this initiative? What is their gain? And I'm starting to think that perhaps these corporations are the ones to gain, they're the ones that will be getting future workers. Maybe there's a conspiracy there to look at.

And, if you have ever watched Star Trek, you ever noticed that everything was focused on the Star Fleet Academy? In a sense you couldn't "go where no one had gone before" if you didn't go to Star Fleet.

Maybe it's all about which Kool-Aid we're drinking.

I Got You Now, Mr. Winkle!

 Mr. Winkle wakes from a 100-year slumber to find that the world has changed and to his surprise, some things had not. What did he discover? Join Mr. Winkle as he wakes from his slumber.

Bruh!!! I'm so cooked. This is delulu in 4K.

At some point, we got to stop with the labels. I've had enough of it. But if you all must know, the label that best describes me is Gen X. And I will live up to that label and defend it as the best generation, the latch-key generation.  We grew up in an analog world but we heralded the digital generation. If you think of music, Gen X fused the acoustic world of music with the new and upcoming (of that time) synthesizer sound. The Synth-Pop and House music genre was born. We took the soulful classics of the sixties and seventies and created something that the world never knew, "the sample", and implemented that in a new genre of music called Hip-Hop. 

At one point in time, I thought I was a pioneer, a swashbuckler, an astronaut of using anything digital. It was second nature to me. I could say of myself that I had it down on lock. So was I a digital native, resident, immigrant, or visitor? Man! Those labels didn't apply. I was the President, I was the CEO, I had it down. I knew it all. And as a teacher, I was the go to guy. I could fix it. I could understand it. I could use it. I could teach it. Now? I don't know. It feels like I went from knowing everything to knowing nothing at all. I went from a place of knowing what I need to know about using and being in the digital world to being like the "Blockbuster" video rental store. I couldn't keep up. So now I feel like I'm an illegal immigrant trying desperately not to be deported. 

I love the digital world... and Iike the music of the 80's I feel like I'm fading out only to be called up when a sample is needed.

As a teacher and as someone who is very prideful of the past knowledge that I once had, I hold on to the adage, "Fake it until you make it." I don't know the very newest thing anymore like I once used to. Everything is changing so fast that it's almost impossible to keep up with all the new developments. I'm trying to teach my students and I'm finding that the way I used to teach doesn't work like it used to. There are so many tools, so many new apps, so many websites, so many of this and that, how do I keep my students engaged in the scientific method, in the processes and procedures to solve for the unknown? I'm using Chromebooks, I'm using my Activboard, I'm using my student response devices, but guess what? It's old technology now. I'm faking it but I think I'm making it work. 

There's another adage that I live by as well, "don't let them see you sweat". Things are changing and I can't control it. All I can do is accept it. I may not know how to use and implement new technology but there is an incredible and numerous amount of resources around me to make that part easier. If I don't know how to do something then I best learn how to do it. If I'm not willing to do that then I shouldn't bother being a teacher. If I can't bother to learn something new then how can I impart to my students the willingness to learn. The onus is upon me as the teacher to teach. If you ask any handy-person, a craftsman/craftswoman, carpenter, electrician, etc, they will say, "the right tool for the job". Here's an example, a carpenter can use a string-based plumb bob. It's an effective tool and has been used for generations. If there's a more effective tool that can get the job done better and faster like the laser-level plumb bob, then wouldn't the carpenter use that? Similarly, as teachers, all of us can collectively agree that the job is changing so therefore the tools that we use must change accordingly. 

But, and it's a big but (no pun intended), we've got to be willing to learn how to use whatever technology we have access to. We have to ask for help. We have to be willing to do the same problem-solving that we are asking of our students. The resources are there. The help is there. It's more easily accessible than it has ever been in the history of mankind. We may not be learning like we once used to but that doesn't mean we can't be relevant. If my music from the 80's can make a comeback (albeit in samples), then I can too. And like one of my favourite hip-hop artists once said, "don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years...".

Come on, Mr. Winkle - Ain't no one got time for that.

I gotta (I know "gotta is not grammatically correct) be honest. I watched the video Mr. Winkle Wakes and I was a little offended, insulted, and demeaned as a teacher... "ain't no one got time for that!" 

I think we as educators take our jobs very seriously and to suggest that we are stuck in the past is largely very judgemental and ill-informed. From my experience in my school district/conference, the administration has recognized that the need to prepare and teach teachers to teach 21st Century Skills has been at the forefront. Hence this very class. 

Speaking from experience, my classroom employs a 1-1 Chromebook policy and my conference has been incredibly monumental in making that happen. They have provided resources and training to ensure that teachers know how to use provided technology.

My classroom may not be like a business place or hospital as Mr. Winkle has experienced but that does not mean that my classroom does not employ the technology that is needed for the classroom. Mr. Winkle experienced the technology that was needed for that situation and place. His story, or the video doesn't examine the technology that was needed in that classroom. I believe that this video grossly underscores what classrooms are really like today.

I believe the bigger issue is not how we use new technology but how we as teachers prepare our students to use, access, and perhaps even develop new technology. If we're thinking of 21st Century Skills teaching skills, then our focus should be on developing students to think creatively, analytically, and systematically solve problems. This I believe is what teachers must endeavour to do. 

Not all classrooms will have the same access to technology but they can have the same access to developing 21st Century Skills.

Online safety

I remember a long time ago, when getting online could only be done on a computer and you had to use a dial-up modem, the big thing in the internet world back then was chat rooms. Slowly, as getting online became easier and more popular and more kids started hanging out in virtual chat rooms, an interesting but serious threat arose to children's safety. Children were being lured from their homes and families to meet with strangers that they had met in these chat rooms. I remember hearing and listening to news reports about those situations and wondering how on earth could that be possible. Back then, it was thought that the danger loomed only in chat rooms, for it did because back then, that was the only "meeting place" for people to gather and talk. Shortly thereafter, the term "internet predator" was coined.

Online safety is a very serious issue. It was back then and it has become an even more of an issue now. We still use the term "internet predator" but we have recently added a new term, "cyber-bullying". As our children, schools, and homes become increasingly online, the threat to children also becomes greater. It's seems that daily we hear about crimes being committed that are the result of children's online activities. Crimes where the children are lured, kidnapped, abused, assaulted, beaten, or killed. The children are the victims and as a result of cyber-bullying many of the perpetrators are children as well.

What to do? I have children. They're young. They're beautiful. They're innocent. And, I want to keep them that way but I cannot. They will get older. They will seek independence. They will seek freedom. As their parent, I will have to eventually give that to them. But, I will not just let them loose on the world and say have fun, be safe. I have to teach them how to be safe. I have to teach them what dangers are around them. I have to teach them how to avoid those dangers. I have to teach them what to do when the danger is front of them. This learning is a regular part of life. Every parent must do this with their children. If this is what I have to do teach my children to go to a friend's house down the street or to be someplace where I am not around, then this is exactly what I have to do, what I must do if I allow my children to be online.

This is what our schools must do as well. Teaching online safety must be a priority in our schools. If our students are going to be online then we must teach them how to be safe online, we must teach them appropriate conduct to be online. In our schools, I think we do a great job about teaching students how to interact with people. But, as our students interaction with people is becoming increasingly online the need then exists to teach them the proper conduct to be online. In this area I'm not sure how we're doing.

In the last several years we have changed what "being online" looks like. At one point you needed a computer to do so, now you can do it with a "phone". We see students online all the time. But, how do we monitor what they're doing online. We can't. We can't monitor what they post, what they share, what they say.  I can't monitor what my kids might do, say, or act when they're visiting at a friend's house, but I can instill in them the values to be good, decent, and respectful. We must teach our students those same values of conduct when "visiting"online.

But how do I do that? Teaching online conduct isn't as easy as it may sound. Thankfully, there are resources for educators to use. One resource that I used this past school year was Kids in the Know program. This program is a must for schools to use. It's an entire curriculum for schools from Kindergarten to Grade 9. The focus of this program is to teach online safety and to reduce the victimization of children. I also like the fact that this is a Canadian resource. I strongly suggest, urge that teachers use this resource. It teaches kids what to do when presented with different dangerous online scenarios.

Kids in the Know is one resource but there are others. The educator has got to find something and use it. Online safety is important. If we want our students, our children to be safe then we must teach them and teach them well.

Collaborative Learning...the way learning should be.

In my previous post, Digital Storytelling, I shared an experience about collaborative learning from my Grade 10 English class and it's effect on me. That project that we did was fun. Not only was it fun, but I learned something worthwhile, meaningful, and long lasting. That knowledge went far beyond what the teacher was expecting. I didn't just learn about that particular theme and plot but I learned how to problem solve. I learned how to effectively complete a task. I learned that I actually like English literature (to the point I pursued a minor in it in University). I learned that my contributions within the group were valuable and necessary. I learned that from what I learned others can benefit from it and they can learn as well.

That is the purpose of collaborative learning. It engages the student. It involves the student in his/her learning. It causes the student to take ownership of the learning. Collaborative learning is brain based pedagogy. Consider the following information from Brief Overview of Collaborative Learning:

• Key to Tacit knowledge - Creating and structuring opportunities for people to network, communicate, mentor, and learn from each other can help capture, formalize, and disseminate tacit knowledge, and thus accelerate learning and organizational effectiveness. Often hard to capture tacit knowledge ("how things are really done") in structured, formal learning events. 

• (Cooperative / Collaborative Learning) produces higher achievement and greater productivity than does working alone is so well confirmed by so much research that it stands as one of the strongest principles of social and organizational psychology. 

Researchers from the University of Lethbridge have this to say about collaborative learning and brain-based research.

When students can share their own knowledge and skills with others, not only do the “receivers” gain because they learn something new, but the student who is acting as the teacher will solidifyhis or her knowledge teaching it to others. (Erlauer, 2003, p. 145) 

I think the best way to sum up collaborative learning is to use the words of Confucius.

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

We want our students to succeed and collaborative learning is a method that will help students do just that. Here's an article from Alberta Learning about current methods utilizing brain-based research to help students succeed. Brain Based Learning.

I have used collaborative learning in my science class and am looking to use it more often in my other classes.  In my Grade 8 Science class for the Biology portion, students had to learn the different organ systems in the human body. I let the students learn it on their own and then teach it to the class. Here's what I did...

1. Group students in 3 or 4. Assign each group an organ system.
2. Let students do research on an organ system. Research must be done on specific criteria that I gave them, on things that they must know and what other students must know. This is their curriculum.
3. Show students how to use a tool like Google Docs/Drive. This part took at least 2-3 classes to learn to use this tool. 
4. Students used Google Docs/Drive and collaborate on their research documents, etc. Most chose to use powerpoint.
5. Once research was done students had to decide how to present the material to the class (how will they teach the material). I encouraged students to be creative in their teaching of the material. Students also had to decide on how to evaluate other students on the material they have taught. Students had the flexibility/freedom to plan a field trip, do demonstration/experiments (under teacher approval and supervision of course) as necessary to present the material. 

I had to make sure that the students were staying on task and were understanding the material that they must know.

The biggest problem that I faced was taking the class time to learn Google docs/drive. I was hoping that  what they learned using Google docs/drive that they would have carried that over into using that tool in other classes. I tried using Google docs as a way for students to share files/homework with me but that didn't seem to catch with the students. This time around I'm going to try and have the students create a blog that they will use for all their learning. I'm hoping that this will catch this time around. I'm also hoping to get the other teachers on board to using student blogs and having students write to their blogs. Maybe, just maybe this could be a way for students to turn in work.

Digital Storytelling in the classroom - Implementation

In my previous post I said that I would use this in the classroom. That is definitely true. However, I just realized that I have been doing it already, albeit in a limited sense. I would like to use this more often and I would like to use this as alternate means of evaluation as well. I think there is a definite inherent value in doing this especially for students. As they do this they will use higher order thinking skills. Not to mention that they will be engaged and involved in their lesson.

Below are two videos that I have put together (one for this course and the other last November) and samples of some of the videos that my students have done. I put these videos on youtube. The ones that my students did I set them for private viewing (to satisfy legal privacy issues).

I put together this video that I will probably use in my class when we do singing worship in Bible class. Many times we like to sing in class but we can't always get the musicians in the class to play. In class, we'll find videos on YouTube and sing along with the music. I found one YouTube for the song, "Here I am to Worship", but I didn't like how that looked, it wasn't visually appealing to me. So I decided that I would make my own. Here it is. Since I'm a Mac user, I put this together using Apple's Keynote and iMovie.

I made this video in November of 2012. My tribute to Fallen Canadian Soldiers in the Afghanistan conflict. I am deeply saddened by the lives lost and deeply grateful for our Canadian soldiers that do a job that no one else will do. This video contains actual combat footage that I found online. I used Apple's Keynote and iMovie. I have debated whether I should use this in school for Remembrance Day assembly. Because of the combat footage, I might only use it for upper level students, Gr. 7 and above.

Below are some of the videos that my students have made. I'm wondering if perhaps they could be considered digital stories.

This is a video students did advertising a pair of shoes for health class...for our Advertising unit. These students filmed and edited this using an iPad.

A video from Health class...for our Mental Health and Wellness unit. This video was done by ESL students. Content is a little lacking but I think they did a great job anyways. Made me laugh. This video/story was filmed using a  student's mobile device/smartphone (Samsung Galaxy I think) and then edited using iMovie.

A video done by students about what Christmas is really about. Students went and shot their own "on-the-street" footage and also found similar "on-the-street" footage from others on Youtube. Afterwards, they compiled it all together and edited it and this was their final result. This was then used at the school's Christmas concert. Students used video cameras to capture footage and then edited using iMovie.