I need a project

Humph. I'm in the middle of the November blahs - I know it's the 27th as I post this, but this part of the school year is always the toughest. Oh, that and June.

In any case, I'm looking ahead at my teaching schedule and I see some dull dry monotony. Let me explain.

I don't work in a regular school. I don't get semesters from September to January, like regular schools do. I get Modules. Six of them in a year. 30 day adrenaline rushed juggernauts that push people to get their credits, support their families and move forward with their lives.

In any case, let me sum it up like this; my school runs like summer school all year long.

And what I have coming up is three sections of Grade Twelve College level English. I start the first week of December and don't finish the third section until the end of May.  That's a lot of the same stuff, over and over and over again.

So, I was thinking, rather than three separate courses, why not link them together somehow? Yes, I understand that for Ministry purposes, I need to input grades by the end of each course. But, for purely educational purposes, for a sense of working on something larger than oneself, couldn't I do something together with all three classes?

Helpful Suggestions only, please.

I thought about a repository of Poetry - I used to have quite a binder of poetry (I'm not Mitt Romney) and lent it to someone a while ago. Since then, I've been trying to replace that binder with only moderate success. I'm telling you it was QUITE a binder. Since all three courses need to have Poetry, that might be an idea to develop over the three Poetry Units. It would be online, as I am moving away from paper versions of my projects.

Slightly related to this project would be one that took a look at the list of Canadian Poets at the University of Toronto and begin to delve into some that were, perhaps, left off. And why they were left off of that list. That, I think, might be a bit out of our league, though.

I thought about asking them about a handbook for students attending the school - there is a real sense of "Meta-learning" that goes on here. There is learning going on in the classes, but much more important learning - that learning how to learn - is also present. Included in this second type of learning is that learning and education is important to their lives. Literally, this type of learning goes on twenty four hours a day, if the student has the intention of getting a diploma as quickly as possible. That also might be a bit beyond 4C English, but there's something there.

In speaking to a colleague, they suggested a timeline project of modern times that would look into what's happening in various part of Canada and somehow report back. Our students are of voting age and this research might prove helpful in putting together their own ideas of how the world works and has worked. Heck, it might even provide the motivation to vote.

I dunno, I'm open to suggestion. Comment below, or get at me on Twitter @Chesmandu

I like this ... but I don't

I found this PowerPoint slide - a day after putting together my slide presentation for a PD session I am running for my Board later on this month.

Worst. Presentation. Ever. Lots of bad graphics and tons or writing ... not really suited as a presentation, but .... it has some really interesting and relevant information. I mean ... well, just take a look and see if you don't agree with the ideas and my thought on the presentation ...

A for research, D for presentation ...

Recovering Grace

I had one of the worst May's I have ever had ... and one of the best. Rather odd, no? In any case, it is finally over ... now I have to do all sorts of paper work about it ... sigh ...

Ah well, here is a cool link about taking better photographs with your iPhone or other device.

So ... an online archive of cool stuff

This is an online archive of the Classroom 2.0 conference that went on recently.

Seriously, it's cool.

Processing .... processing

I'm currently taking some time and putting my thought together after teaching an entire class in the "flipped" style for the very first time. As I am doing this "woodshedding", I come across this link that might address some of the ideas that I ran into in this course. What if, I thought, there was an easy way of getting QR codes into my assignments. Lo and behold. Another "I hate the web" excuses from my students bites the dust.

Stuff that needs to be parked here.

A lot of stuff on teh interwebs about flipping a classroom. Might have to migrate that information onto a separate page. Something to think about after I finish this module.

First of all: #flipclass . search that.

Secondly, this: http://aflippedapproach.blogspot.ca/

Cool.

Thirdly, this link

New places link, too

and a Drop box guide, too

Cool pic

how to flip

An article I just have to park here

So, my students don't know how to search for relevant information.

Well, duh.

Ok, so here's an article suggesting ideas about what I can do about it.

something to keep me happy ... sort of

http://issuu.com/richardbyrne/docs/10_awesome_android_uses/40

iPad .... project?

I like my iPad. I need you to know that first of all. I use it in my daily life, I use it in my professional life, I use it in my fitness life ... I use it everywhere. I use the iOS stuff .... a lot.

I run with my iPhone, I teach with my iPad. I write with my Macbook and blog with all of them. My kids read books, I can supervise what my 9 year old is doing in the basement. I can make sure that my digital life is more secure with this "stuff". I use the iPad to turn the channel on my tv.

I like them, and I've spent a lot of time learning how to use them.

To that end, I've tried to teach my fellow workers on how to use them. Weekly "Lunch and Learn" sessions for free. No one comes. It's disheartening. Being the only guy who knows how to use something, leads a lot of others around me to think that I am an idiot. After a while, there's a chance .... I might start to believe them.

I'm hoping that if you are reading this, you want to link up and do some work together using this iOS technology. Maybe we can even open a few eyes along the way.

Drop a comment below, I'll get an email and we can go from there.

This guy looks cool.

OK, so I'm floating around in the Twitterverse .... (is that me writing like that?) and I get a tweet about this dude:

The Radical Tactical Shift.

Seems he's ... well, a lot like what I am looking at as "good" in teaching.

Check it out. And go for it.

and this looks like good advice, too.

Have an iPhone ... try these apps

I've got an iPhone ... an iPhone 3G ... so it can't do some of the cool stuff:



but I can do a lot of stuff with it. I like Comic Life for doing this stuff:

In any case, there are a lot more things you can do with an iPhone and an iPad than I can really put here. I know that there are people out there putting blog posts together for us to read. Here's one more.

I already know you know

I already know you know that left unsupervised, the average high school student will goof off and do nothing for you in a classroom.

Want "proof"? Here ya go.

That being said, I try really hard not to let my students loose on a computer lab without any guidance. I'm not an optimist at heart when it comes to letting people "just work on stuff on their own" ... I know better. Direct supervision is so necessary it's almost scary. Some call me Big Brother when I get into the Computer Lab ... but it's either that or I have to listen to that Arnold sound board ... again.

Direction with a requirement to have something produced in a set period of time is what needs be done. Vague and overly happy sounding instructions are not what I see working in my classroom. Heck, there are days when I have to get my "Kindergarden teacher" voice going just to get them off of Facebook.

Finally, I'm trying to think of something positive to end with here. I think that there is something positive we have to do ... like hook up with this guy...

Finally here is another link about iTunes.

Are you Pre-Digital?

I read this blog post this morning after coffee and a run. I do wonder sometimes if I am merely replacing one older technology with another, or am I doing something truly different in my teaching.

Makes one wonder, makes one wonder...

Of course, you can always ask ... can Twitter be used to in a classroom?

And you could read what the Ontario College of Teachers has to think about the matter, too... and also here...

and then there is this link all about helping schools understand social media better.

Some really good apps

I did not get a chance to look at these apps yet, but perhaps I thought we could discuss them later:

here is the link.

here is a funny picture:

Consider the following

Like Bill Nye, I want you to consider the following ....

Right, keep on keeping on

So, I was thinking about some of the difficulties I'm having with my classes at the moment. Why are they ... oh, this is probably not the place for that. But I did think about solutions ... and one which I keep coming back to is to keep in touch with those that have gone before me in the online teaching / blended teaching idea.

And so, I sought out courses taught by traditional Universities and found Queen's University's Con Ed AQ link is here.

Cost is always a factor for me. Which is nice, because at least Queens puts the cost on their page. Lesley University, however, more or less made it impossible for me to find anything out about cost. Poking around that website was frustrating... How frustrating? I'm not even going to link it here, that's how frustrating it was.

and then, later still, I saw this app for making your own books .... which can then be read and sent around using iBooks...

Book Creator for the iPad from Red Jumper Studio on Vimeo.

Oh, now that opens up a can of worms for me - the guy who used to be called "Mr Photocopier"... I wonder if there are Creative Commons / copyright free stories that are any good for use in a regular high school ... hmmmm

Something for Textbooks

So, I'm wondering around LinkedIn early on Sunday morning - and I find a webinar on textbooks

Kinda cool, and I gotta think the idea of a "Two way pull" is the way of the future - heck, from what I saw in my class on Friday, it's already here.

Whyville is also mentioned


and while floating around on Twitter, I saw this article mentioned. Makes you wonder about what is stopping you from becoming Google Certified...

Hey

Do the google form on this link

and then check out the Ocarina app.

This evening

Ya know, I'm really getting disappointed with ... something.

In getting ready for tomorrow, I've been creeping around on the internet, seeing what is out there for me to see in terms of teaching online. I know I try to stay abreast of developments... but it's nice when someone throws you a bone every once in a while.

In the time it's taken me to have this evening to myself, I've made more than a few discoveries on my own. Not the least of which is that the ECOO conference was within a half hour drive of my house ... a few weeks ago. Why am I learning about this NOW?

Further on to that, I've made like four or five blog and link additions to this research blog, and found that there are online courses I can take to make me more fully aware of online teaching

And Google Certified, too

And Google keeps on

and ... people use Google for teaching and learning ... and still more people use online material to teach

and reflect on teaching

and that my students can use Digital Portfolios for learning

and it just keeps on coming at me.

and then I find out I can't be Anonymous.