The New Culture of Friendship in the Digital Age–Lowell School Blog

I recently wrote an article–angled at parents and caregivers–providing on advice on how to help children navigate friendships in their tech-filled world. Take a look!

http://blog.lowellschool.org/blog/the-new-culture-of-friendship-in-the-digital-age

It has been a while!

It has been a little while since I have updated the blog…I suppose having two little ones at home limits your time to do so! Since my last post, I have moved on from Flint Hill I am now working at the Lowell School in Washington DC.

I am Lowell’s Primary School Academic Technologist and Electronic Curriculum Manager. I absolutely love being back in a position in which I am supporting teachers pedagogically as well as instructing students as they navigate their tech-infused world.

I am going to put a couple of posts up with articles I have written recently–one for my school’s blog and another for EdSurge with a former colleague of mine. Thanks for reading!

A New Take on DIY for the Holidays

With the holidays approaching, there are always gift fads that explode in popularity, only to fade away soon after. Remember the Furby? How about the Tamagotchi? There uniqueness belied significant flaws and limits in terms of functionality.

This year, I have a request: Every child should receive a computer for the holidays. Do I sound crazy? Maybe. I’m not talking about any computer, though. There companies that are making computers more accessible. The catch? You have to build the computer! To generations not in the K-12 world, this may sound intimidating. However, as could be seen during our school’s Hour of Code activity from last week, kids are ready to get their hands dirty with technology. Raspberry Pi has been around for several years, although it has been more popular in the UK. Essentially, this is a $40 computer that can be programmed infinitely with the right fiddling. Kano, another UK group, has combined the power of the Raspberry Pi with other computer hardware to give consumers the chance to build a desktop computer–complete with storage, a keyboard, the opportunity to play games such as Minecraft, and the chance to customize and add games to the computer. The Kano system and the Raspberry Pi computer provide incredible flexibility and opportunities for endless creativity for young computer programmers. With a price point between $40-$120, our future leaders have never had better access to opportunities for innovation in the realm of technology. We simply need to put the tools in their hands.

As you do your holiday shopping this year, you don’t necessarily need a big, flashy box. Buy one of these computers, and your young programmer’s world will change.

Hack-and-Tell: Show-and-Tell 2.0

We all remember show-and-tell days during our elementary years. I recall the excitement I experienced when it was my turn to share an art project, pictures of a pet, or an epic song I had learned on the piano. Having an audience of peers who were interested in learning about a passion or interest of mine made for a safe environment in which to present on a personal subject.

Fast-forward to today: At an office space in Washington, DC’s Chinatown neighborhood, the adult, tech-focused version of show-and-tell is occurring on a regular basis. During this meeting of the minds, presenters have a couple of minutes to present coding and programming projects they have been working on in their spare time. A reporter for NPR sat in on one of these sessions–they began in New York City and are proliferating throughout the country–and interviewed several of the participants. Check out the article here about these “Hack-and-Tells.”

Some of the programming projects have obvious social and economic benefits. Others, however, have been developed for fun. The benefits of the Hack-and-Tell are myriad: The ideas shared are creative, they allow people to explore and develop their passions, and they engender a culture of experimentation and innovation. Sounds like an ideal classroom environment to me!

After hearing the NPR story and reading the article, I realize that the Hack-and-Tell would be extremely beneficial for our students. Many of my fifth graders, as well as some seventh and eighth graders, have been exploring programming through applications such as Scratch and Python. I believe that providing students with the opportunity to share and collaborate on coding and programming project ideas will create even greater interest in this crucial field.

Students are used to show-and-tells that are not related to technology. They are also becoming increasingly interested in the world of programming and application creation. Why not merge the two into an innovation forum? Hack-and-Tell for our future leaders is just as important as it is for those currently in the workforce. Who knows what might come from the sharing of such incredible ideas? The possibilities are endless.

Spanish, French, Latin…Computer Programming?

When I started in my new position, I had read a bit about the advantages of teaching students how to code, though I never had the opportunity to implement programming in my classroom. I had to hit the ground running when I began teaching my Media Literacy course to 5th graders. There are a variety of coding applications out there, but Scratch, developed by MIT, came highly recommended. There are lots of resources available online that help teachers use the Scratch interface more effectively in their classrooms, and I began the year following one of these curriculum guides.

Initially, my pace was perfectly manageable for the students. We discussed the structure of the Scratch interface and began completing some basic challenges. Soon, though, I started hearing sound effects popping up from different parts of the room. Students were giggling, leaning over to each other, and I saw dozens of pairs of eyes darting across their keyboards and screens. When I began circulating, I saw how students had advanced quickly past my instructions and were experimenting on their own. I asked them what they were doing…

“Oh, we figured out how to record our voices to so that we could make our characters speak to each other.”

“I didn’t like the blank background, so I was looking in the gallery for a new one–look at that disco ball!”

Was I needed here? I started questioning myself immediately. Then…

“Mr. Moser, I can’t figure this out–how do you make the background move? I want my game to look like Minecraft.”

Reflecting on this, I wondered: Was I being proactive or reactive in this situation? Being proactive helped me to be prepared in the general sense when teaching coding. Accepting the fact that I needed to be reactive, though, enabled me to adjust quickly to the rapidity of my students’ exploration and growth. They were ready to experiment, and my role shifted instantaneously. I became a provider of a wide range of information, with just enough given to inspire my students to dig deeper. For instance, I quickly found a structure for coding a scrolling background for the student who wanted to make a Minecraft-type game. He had to take what I gave him and apply it to his own imaginative context. I had to get over quickly the notion that I had failed in some way because I did not plod through my curriculum guide. The dynamic nature of this instructional experience has definitely helped me.

But where does coding fit in? To me, it feels very much like a spoken or written language. In this realm, students are required to communicate in new ways. They are able to apply linguistic conventions to create new meaning. They can translate their knowledge to the real world. They can have meaningful discussions in the language’s context. All of these characteristics can describe a Spanish or French class as well.

When I began teaching computer programming, I certainly did not expect to become a modern language teacher as well. However, the engagement students show and the dialogue they are able to have with one another demonstrates how crucial this knowledge is for them as they move forward.

Google Classroom–Management Made Easier

Google is constantly developing, editing, revising, and improving their applications. One relatively recent addition is Google Classroom. Many schools and school systems use (read: pay for) document management software in order to maintain and encourage paperless environments. The Google solution is currently free with an educator Google account and enables seamless GAFE (Google Apps for Education) integration into the classroom assignment realm.

The interface is simple and has three main components:

• The Stream tab lists and provides information about assignments the teacher has given. Students see the assignment description and attachments the teacher has provided (i.e., a Google Doc template or other attachment). Teachers can see which students have completed the assignment and turned it in via Google Classroom.
• The Students tab lists students enrolled in a class (which can be done via a simple, auto-generated email with a link students click on). Students’ emails are listed for the teacher, allowing for easy group communication.
• The About tab gives teachers a chance to describe their class, including room location, basic description of coursework, and teacher name.

At this point, Google Classroom’s biggest advantage is that it streamlines the Google interface. The frills are limited but its ease of use is hard to compete with. I’m beginning work with some of my colleagues who are interested in switching to Google Classroom as a means of assignment management and class communication. I have started using it with my fifth grade Media Literacy classes and the students have picked it up quickly. I’m looking forward to see how it catches on with teachers mid-year. Knowing Google, improvements will continue to be made throughout the year as the application becomes more prolific.

GAFE Google Educator Bootcamp

This past weekend, I attended a “bootcamp” for educators through the EdTechTeam to learn more about Google Apps for Education. While the part of the conference I went to was only on Friday for 8 hours, I needed until now to truly decompress and process the incredible amount of information and skills imparted. Having switched to a new job, a new school, and a new age group this year, I have had a lot of adjustment to do. However, the implementation of Google Apps for Education at my new school has enabled me to transition smoothly as a Technology Integration Specialist. For the first 8 weeks of school, I’ve felt confident in my abilities to provide my colleagues with expertise related to the integration of technology. The Google Apps boot camp, though, gave me a serious kick.

I have only been scratching the surface of what is possible with Google Apps for Education. There are so many ways to take advantage of the power of the different applications, and while I have been using them effectively, I haven’t been using them to the fullest. I’m excited to continue my journey forward and deeper into the Google Apps available to us as educators. I hope to stay ahead of the curve; my colleagues want to know more and my students’ learning curve is next to nothing. I have to make sure I provide them with opportunities to expand their use of Google Apps for Education.

Puppet Pals HD Home Page and Adding Character Packs

The main menu page within Puppet Pals HD is as simple as the rest of the app. You have 3 choices from this menu (see below).

There are three choices on this main page. If you choose “Press to Start,” you will go directly to the first movie creation page. I recommend choosing the “More Characters” button first. This will take you to a wide list of characters that you can add to your repertoire before you start recording. All of them come as part of the Director’s Pass (paid) edition of Puppet Pals. See the screen shot below.

Scroll up and down the left side of the screen to see all of the choices. When you have found one you would like to use, tap it and then tap the “Install” button in the lower right corner of the screen. When you are done, tap on the back button. This will take you back to the home screen. In my next blog post, I will walk you through selecting specific characters for your movie, as well as inserting a photo of your own as a character. More to come soon!

A Brief Overview of Puppet Pals HD

Puppet Pals HD is an incredibly simple-to-use app that provides great flexibility. The free version of the app includes several characters and a couple of backgrounds to try out. In order to insert graphics of your own and unlock other characters and backgrounds, however, you must buy the full version of the app, which is called “Puppet Pals HD Director’s Pass.” It costs $2.99 in the App Store, and is well worth every penny. The interface is straightforward, and your students will have a great time exploring. In my next blog post, I will provide detailed instructions for taking full advantage of this app.

 

Using iPads with Famous Americans

As a culminating activity for our unit studying famous Americans earlier this spring, my students created collages using a variety of media. With clay, shells, beads, magazine clippings, and other scraps, students created powerful symbols representing the contributions people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and others made. Below are some examples; the first is Thomas Jefferson, and the second is Rosa Parks:

The students loved making the collages, but I wanted to give them the opportunity to extend their learning through technology. My first thought was to have them animate their work. I looked online, and quickly came across Puppet Pals HD for the iPad. My students did not take long to master this app. More to come soon!

P.S. for all you NFL fans, my student was looking for a “white person” for her Rosa Parks collage and decided on New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, whom she discovered in a Sports Illustrated Magazine!