As Time Goes By

This is my first post of the new school year, and that year is already half-way over!  There is always so much going on, that it becomes difficult to keep track of it all.  I figured it was about time to check in and share how many of my previous projects have been going and talk about some NEW ones!

New Happenings!

Newseum Summer Institute

This summer I had the opportunity to spend some time in Washington DC at a conference put on by the NEWSEUM.  I was sponsored, along with a fellow Maine teacher from Oxford Hills, by the Gannett House Project, to spend almost a week learning about technology and the first amendment at the Newseum's Teacher Institute.  We used many of the museum's online resources and learned new techniques for incorporating media literacy in the classroom. I would highly suggest applying for the institute and Gannett House Project grant for next year.  I will try to post info when I receive it.  

The Gannett House Project

In exchange for our amazing experience at the Newseum Institute, Joe Cummings and I have been working with the Gannett House Project on educational facets of the new museum.  We even had a chance to meet with the museum planners to share our ideas of what the museum could mean to educators.  Please be sure to check out the Gannett House as it makes it's transition from a once private home, to an office space, to a museum!

New Program Manager

In addition to the (what seems like) a million other things I am doing, I am now the program manager for our local cable access station, WJLF Channel 7.  The prior manager "retired" and as one of the only other folks trained in the CASTUS program that runs the station (and willing to do it voluntarily) I inherited the job.  It is something I am really enjoying, and it is great to offer students within the district some more chances for authentic learning, in that we can have them create content for the channel to share with the community. So far, students have created informative slide-shows, taped sporting events and done commentary, created videos set to music for playing in-between segments, and helped to spread the news of the station.  TBD, our student news program, also is being shown on the channel now.  With the new station set-up and all-digital format, it makes it easier than ever to collect and post content.  Something that may have taken hours previously, can be done in a matter of a couple of minutes.

Following UP

TBD

Our student news show is still going, but at a slower pace than desired.  It is almost impossible to get all the students who want to work in to actually get the work done when it is all after school.  My news crew is now SO POPULAR, that they have gotten the confidence to participate in even more things than they already did, so it is more difficult to get them all in one place at once.  We have completed one short episode and are working on our next.  We have some great new cast members and can't wait to get started up again in a more consistent manner.

Hands on History Class

Our Hands on History Class at SMHS is going strong!  After working two years on the Maine Memory Project, we are turning our focus to creating an app for Norlands to use as a self-guided tour of the museum. The new app will be available for download by scanning a QR code at the museum and will take visitors around the Museum grounds when the museum is closed. This project is being done in conjunction with MLTI, who is providing a Mentor who will work with the class on programming the app using our MLTI Macbook computers. Students have spent the first half of the year learning about the museum and the Washburn family.  They will use that knowledge to design and program the app to give visitors an educational look at the grounds and invite them back to the museum during open hours.

Our Hands on History makes a Community Impact

One year ago today marked our community presentation of the online exhibit for Our Hands on History at the Norlands Living History Museum.  We are currently gearing up for our second presentation, to be determined.  I wanted to share this amazing blog entry from the Maine Humanities Council about the work that our creative, problem solving students did to share their learning with their community. It was such a wonderful experience, and it would be great to spread this around to other schools within our state and nation.

Maine Humanities Blog -   Our Hands on History

So Much Has Happened!!!

So, a lot has been going on since my last post. I finished out my year as a PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator which was AMAZING!  I received my Masters Degree in Curriculum:Technology Integration, and I started a new television/web show with my students called SMHS TBD.  The amazing thing is, that NONE of these things would have happened without the others, and the entire experience I've had over the last year and half has really changed the way I do things in and out of the classroom.

First, lets talk about PBS LearningMedia.  

After working with this amazing resource for a full year, and sharing my new knowledge around my home-state of Maine, I can honestly say it is one of the most robust and useful resources for teachers on the planet.  There is content for EVERY subject, EVERY grade level and EVERY level of participation. There is more than I can even view/see/use in a lifetime.  How lucky we are the PBS provides unbelievable classroom content for FREE!  I am more and more in love with PBS every day. I even bought a new PBS Nerd shirt to prove it (and support PBS at the same time, of course.)  I honestly learn something every day by watching PBS and visiting PBS LearningMedia.  YOU SHOULD TOO! Click below to see for yourself.

Now, on to my Masters Degree.  

I worked one and half years to get my degree in technology integration. In that time, I learned how to use technology effectively as a teacher and how to get my students to use it effectively in their assessments. I conducted monthly professional development sessions with fellow staff members throughout the district on how to implement some of the work I had been doing in their own classrooms. I hope they had as much success as I did.  I talked about many of my favorite pieces in this blog, but there are so many more I can't even begin to imagine most of them. 

All of these pieces culminated in my "internship" project, and that's what I can't wait to share next!

While at the PBS training in Philadelphia last summer, I met a man who ran a broadcasting class in Georgia. As a fellow digital integrator, we talked over dinner about the super-cool things he was doing with his students.  They had won Emmys for their work, for Pete's sake!  I knew that eventually, I wanted to do that kind of work with my students, as it would be a project that would take the communication I was trying to teach in English, and meld it with the technology I was trying so hard to integrate. When I had the opportunity to start what I called "The Studio" project in my Masters work, I jumped at the chance.  What resulted was an after school club called "The Studio" that produces a bi-weekly news show called SMHS TBD. It is everything I could have dreamed of. It is run almost entirely by students, they take ownership of the work and are proud of their product. The entire community looks forward to their shows. Our goal is to increase viewership as well as possibly increase the frequency of episodes. We include anyone who wants to join and encourage students to "pitch" their own segments to add to the rotating array we have in our program.  

Please check it out by clicking on the logo below which will take you to our official website (also designed, created and updated by students and all using html coding!)

It's Official!!!

I am so excited to announce that I have been named a 

2015 Lead PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator!

So what does that mean?  That I will be able to receive professional development directly from PBS and share what I learn with other teachers in person and on the web!  I am so excited for this amazing opportunity.  My adventure starts with a webinar at the beginning of May and inclusion into an online group of fellow digital innovators to share ideas and knowledge about using media in the classroom. Then, at the end of June, I will travel to Philadelphia for two days of training with PBS and a day at the ISTE conference!

You can follow my progress right here OR you can see what I (and the other PBS Digital Media Innovators) am up to at the PBS website! Check it out here!

http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/digitalinnovators/

My Digital Story featured in the Maine Humanities Council's Blog!

I love technology, but there's a special place in my heart for the humanities.  I truly believe that the best learning and problem solving evolve when technology is combined with the arts.  The digital story that I published before is currently being featured on the Maine Humanities Council's blog as a testament of how studying humanities prepares our students for challenging and rewarding careers in ALL areas.  Check it out here!

http://mainehumanities.org/blog/

Digital Stories in the Classroom

 Digital stories are a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom and can be used as both a teaching tool, as well as a learning tool. Teachers can create digital stories to inform students and they are PERFECT to use for a flipped classroom. Students can show understanding about a subject or concept, present information or teach others using this technique. Any way you use them, digital stories are a great way of engaging students of all learning types.

So what is a digital story?  It's simply a way of using technology, mainly audio and video, to convey a story to an audience. Telling stories that have a beginning, middle and end are an effective way of improving student retention of concepts. We all know it is much easier to remember a story than it is to remember random facts or information that we find un-relatable. Having students create their own stories helps them to sort through information, visualize it and present it to an audience, building their own knowledge in the process. In addition to content knowledge, students also learn how to use various forms of technology from video editing to digital music composition. These skills interest students because they can use them for education, but also in their personal lives and beyond to the world of work.

Following is an example of a digital story I made to highlight the Hands on History class at our school. I wrote it for other teachers to view in hopes that they might start a similar class in their own districts.

There are seven basic elements of digital storytelling as outlined by the University of Houston Education Department:

1. Point of View 
 What is the main point of the story and what is the perspective of the author?

2. A Dramatic Question 
 A key question that keeps the viewer's attention and will be answered by the end of the story.

3. Emotional Content 
 Serious issues that come alive in a personal and powerful way and connects the audience to the story.

4. The Gift of Your Voice 
 A way to personalize the story to help the audience understand the context.

5. The Power of the Soundtrack 
 Music or other sounds that support and embellish the story.

6. Economy 
 Using just enough content to tell the story without overloading the viewer.

7. Pacing 
 The rhythm of the story and how slowly or quickly it progresses. 

For more information on how to use digital stories in the classroom, check out the University of Houston's webpage at http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/.

Happy Holidays!!

My students this year helped me to create this Macbook Christmas  tree.  Every student in class arranged their laptop and kept it from falling asleep in order to get this photo.  We had to work together, problem solve and had a great time in the process.  We have even bigger plans for next year!

The holiday season is generally a good time when it comes to technology.  For many of us, it is the one time of the year that we load up on new techno stuff and spend our days off trying to get them up and running.  Popular gifts this year included smart phones, gaming systems, television streaming devices, tablets and fitness bands.

My favorite use of technology, of course, is education, and you don't need to be in school to use it for that purpose!  I use my ChromeCast most often to watch documentaries and my tablet to read from (though I always prefer the paper copies).  One of the best new education technologies is the fitness band. They have gone from digital pedometers to tiny personal computers that keep track of sleep patterns, calorie consumption and activity. It takes a tedious and difficult task and simplifies it. For all of those New Year's resolutions involving health goals, there is no better investment than a fitness band!