ManagingIT

Digital Internship Project 2.0 Workshop # 1 September 20-21, 2007 Teaching Prep Centre

Day 2—Sept. 21/07--10:30-12:00 =**Managing an IT Classroom Environment**=

**“Managing”—> "Structuring/Creating"**
Can we “manage” learning? Can we “manage” a classroom (learning) environment? Perhaps we should use the term “structuring a rich learning environment” (that can include technology opportunities) to maximize the potential of student learning, by providing rich learning tasks (RLT) that can engage the learners.

**Structuring a classroom learning environment**
1. **Determine Robust Concepts-**-what is it that I want the students to learn--the BIG IDEAS--and how can I structure RLTs that embody the concepts?

2. **Acknowledge Differentiated Learning**--we understand that people have unique learning strengths, not necessarily that people ONLY learn in one way, but that we all have strengths in how we learn. We can certainly test the students to determine learning strengths and then create specific activities to match each student's strengths, BUT, I would recommend that you acknowledge that a variety of different learning strengths will exist in any classroom and to structure RLTs that address a wide range of learning styles--that of course relate to the concept.

3. **Consider the brain** and what the brain needs to learn (meaning, relevance, emotion, novelty) http://web.rbe.sk.ca/learningplus/brain/engagedlearning.html Try to structure RLTs that embody robust concepts, address a variety of learning styles and also invoke engagement through attending to BBL.

4. **Thinking about Integration-**-Concepts --> RLTs --> integration of concepts--what does it mean to integrate the concepts? What does it mean to integrate technology into a CI environment?

5. **What is a RLT?** What would a RLT look like when I create a CLE to enable students to learn XXX?

Teaching--a Complex Activity!!! Learning--relatively easy--if engaged!!
The 'secret' of teaching is to devise ways to engage the learners, by considering 1-5 +

TEACHING TOOLKIT
What's in your toolkit?
 * knowledge of the concepts--of what you want to teach
 * knowledge of the students you are teaching
 * knowledge of DI and of different types of activities to address different learning strengths
 * different teaching approaches/instructional strategies
 * BBL--what the brain needs to become engaged
 * integration/connections/relationships between concepts, through different grade levels, and within different subject areas
 * ideas about how to structure RLT
 * knowledge about tools (manipulatives, literature, newspapers, music, videos, computer applications, Internet, web 2.0 tools, etc)
 * knowledge about locating, evaluating, discriminating, and integrating the most appropriate tool for enabling students to learn the concept


 * What is most important is that the students become engaged and learn the concept.**

Where do we begin? I think we begin with what it is we want the students to learn and then consider DI, BBL, connections, RLTs, available tools etc.

I do not think we //begin// with the tool. For example, we are learning about flickr; do we teach students about flickr, about how to use it, about creating a flickr account etc?

BUT, maybe we see on flickr the perfect image that we know we can use in an activity to help illustrate something we want the students to learn, so we bring an image in, or take the students to see the image. Although we may not begin with the tool, the tool itself may offer a different perspective on learning a concept. The technology we use may have embedded in it a way of thinking that can be harnessed for learning XXX.

Technology, especially the social software tools, is very enticing. It's important for us to know about these tools and to use them ourselves, so that we can better understand the world our students are living in. Are the students learning better now that 30 years ago? Could we ever prove that computer technology has increased test scores/understanding (are test scores a valid indicator of understanding anyway?). Are students learning and interacting with others differently now than 10 years ago? What do we know about how students learn now?

What we are doing here is exposing you to a wide array of technology tools and resources, some you may feel quite comfortable with, some may be new to you. You will play with these tools and gradually they will become a part of your accessible toolkit, part of your repertoire. You would never think of using a wiki in the classroom for anything if you had never been exposed to a wiki or used it yourself and saw value in it for you, and felt comfortable using one.

Some of my teaching ideas related to the work of Zoltan Dienes http://education.uregina.ca/mathed/elementary/Fall%202003/Fractions/MYFractions.html

Some work related to integration Integration—Conceptual (Patterns; Grids and Coordinates; Symmetry) http://cat.uregina.ca/maeers/

In your classroom you are trying to create what Seymour Papert refers to as a MICROWORLD--a classroom 'space' to play in. What is it you're playing with--the big ideas/robust concepts of your subject area(s)--concepts that can be integrated or connected to other concepts in meaningful ways (the brain HAS to be able to make these connections to make meaning). You need to be able to create RLT around these concepts in BB and DI ways to cater to a variety of learning strengths and interests. This microworld has lots of room for students to play, make choices, learn. The microworld also has boundaries. The structure of the MW is both open and limiting, but the intention is to reflect a natural learning pathway. How do we learn anyway when we are not in school?

Too often teachers see the curriculum as a planned document that must be implemented as separate subjects. A daily timetable is posted with great attention given to subject time allotments and not much attention given to how they subjects (or ideas being taught that day in one of the subjects) relate to any other ideas or subjects. Many teachers do not make the connections for the kids—maybe the teachers do not themselves see the connections. How can we create authentic meaningful relevant classroom activities (RLT) that truly engage the learners, truly validate the learners’ experiences, and enable the learners to make connections within single curricula areas, and between different curricula areas?

Once we have identified some BIG curricula ideas and identified different RLT that reflect these ideas it should not be hard to structure activities that employ appropriate uses of technology.

You are all interning this semester and are becoming familiar with the grade level or subject area you are in. Consider something in the curriculum that you will be teaching—preferably a ‘big idea.’ Can you relate that to something else in the curriculum—in the same subject area or in a different subject area. What are some of the classroom activities or RLTs that you can structure for the students? Where does the use of technology naturally ‘fit?’

//**STOP -- in your groups think about your internship classroom and about a 'subject' you are teaching. Right there perhaps lies a problem--we are teaching 'subjects' not 'concepts' but, hopefully, within a subject we can identify a big idea. Discuss these big ideas and think about how to connect your big idea with other big ideas in the same subject or different subjects--can you make some connections?

In your group select ONE big idea and think about how you could structure your classroom MW to enable your students to learn this big idea. Consider your learners and all the tools in your toolkit. Quickly brainstorm, jot down some notes, and be prepared to share with everyone--select a speaker.**//

A Microworld in Action--how to organize it

 * SYMBOL || LOCATION || STUDENTS || TASK ||
 * Ω || Carpet || 6 ||  ||
 * ∆ || Round table || 4 ||  ||
 * ◊ || Library corner || 6 ||  ||
 * ∞ || Long table || 4 ||  ||
 * □ || Computer station || 4 ||  ||
 * ● || Math centre || 6 ||  ||
 * ∑ || Window table || 4 ||  ||
 * ▪ || Trapezoid table || 4 ||  ||

I had 3 sets of small basins with the same symbols. One set I used only for math activities, another set for reading, and one set for interdisciplinary concept work (usually a combination of health, social, science, art, etc). In my last school I taught a top math group (of grade 1,2,3 students) a low reading group (of grade 1,2, 3 students), and I had my own class of grade 1,2,3 for everything else. The children knew what the symbols stood for and where to go with their basins. I had about 24 students, but activities to accommodate 38 students. The only rule was the maximum # at each station. I had the above chart on the wall and I talked about the activity at each station (I may have already taught each activity as a class activity). In any event the tubs would not all contain brand new work as that would pose a problem in explaining what had to be done. I often had older students help; I almost always had parent helpers; often the librarian would come in to help. I had already introduced RLT in a perceptual and mathematical (conceptual) continuum, so that students could make connections. However, the activities were not exactly the same as what had already been done in class.

The students would start somewhere—they would choose, work on their task, complete it, do something with the completed product (portfolio, take a picture, hang it up, etc)—the important this is that their completed product was important and become ‘evidence’ of work satisfactorily completed—proof of understanding etc. As all of the stations contained related conceptual tasks it became easy to ask questions, record notes, etc. We often took videos of the students at work, Polaroid (now digital) photos, recorded conversations (now MP3 recordings). At the end of the day the students would clean up and write in their journals what station(s) they had visited, what they learned, what questions they had etc. Sometimes this was recorded as a class story. Always we shared what we learned. I never had a problem with kids wanting to stay at one station all the time or not to go to a station. They all got so excited about their work that everyone wanted to experience what everyone else had been engaged in.

In those days the computer station had software/programs that addressed the concepts we were learning. Now, it would most likely be internet/application based.

NOTE: What I am outlining would be considered a centre or station approach, but many classrooms that employ a station approach have a definite rotation schedule, sometimes the same children stay together in a group and move together from station to station. I did not do this. My children moved freely from station to station during the time we were doing the stations. They were held accountable for completing and submitting work (in whatever format was deemed appropriate) at the end of one station task, before going to another task, and they were expected to debrief, reflect, share, and record at the end of the station time. There were rules, but also quite a bit of freedom (to talk, to move around the room, to work with different children, to interact with different tools/materials/resources).

When you are creating RLT for your MW you will be considering the concepts, your learners, the tools/resources/materials available to you and so on. When you create an activity that involves working with the computer you will need to consider how many students will be able to work at that station. You may only have one computer, so maybe you put a 2 beside the computer station; if you have a pod of 4 you may schedule for 4 students (or maybe 8, if they can pair up and if there is space). If you have a lab down the hall then the computer activity may become a class lesson. You may be able to borrow laptops from another class, or have the school board cart come to the classroom. The ideal would be to have 1:1--it would be more natural, like using a book if you need it or a pencil; it would not be forced in any way.

Whatever activity you create for the computer station you should try to create similar ones that do not require the computer. Don't make the computer activity the only exciting one or there will be war. If all the RLTs are conceptually connected then the children do not need to go to every station. If it is absolutely essential that they go to every station you may need to have a rotation schedule, which makes it hard for some students to complete their work, and also frustrates those who get finished quickly. If you do organize a rotation schedule you will need to have a special place where students who finish quickly can go [and not do more of the same, but do some advanced work (enrichment)].

It's a good idea to create classroom experts (e.g., Journal Zone and the animation expert), especially for working with the computers. Many of the students will know a lot more than you do about what to do on the computer--tap into that knowledge (also realize that they don't know everything).

Grids and Coordinates Microworld
What are some of the "big ideas" associated with grids and coordinates?
 * every place has a unique location—no two places have the same coordinates
 * your specific coordinates are special
 * where you live in the world is part of your identity
 * knowing coordinates helps to 'orient' you--you know where you are and can plan where you're going
 * connection to the skill of orienteering
 * connection to graphs, positive and negative integers and curves (lots of math connections)
 * dancing steps/patterns based on a grid

There could be a technology component in each task, or there could be a separate station where students could go to do grid and coordinate work using the computer.

Here are some ideas for how technology could be employed in interesting and meaningful ways in the above “microworld.”

1. Actual concept development work related to G and C using the computers (e.g., Battleships game)[| http://www.welt-zeit-uhr.de/schiffeversenken/battleships.php] 2. Locating XXX using a real (paper) map and/or a google map; enter co-ordinates and see where you end up, or go to where you want and read off coordinates (see http://maps.google.com/ or http://www.mapquest.com/ or Google Earth. Students can enter where they are, where they want to go and get a route to follow. Some cars have satellite connection for on-the-road directions. Students could get a route from the Internet and plot the directions given on a real map; maybe even walk the route. 3. Lots of grid/coordinate math activities on the Internet http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html 4. Art work—see http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/ Drawing by using grids is quite popular—helps with coordination, see http://www.paintbygrids.com/galleries/index.html 5. Young children can use (online or real) lego (see [|http://www.lego.com] ) grid-type carpet, streets/town, plant trees, build houses, give locations, directions, etc. Take digital pictures, tell e-story using the pictures and logo props; put on RBE e-book section (see [|http://web.rbe.sk.ca/support/ebooks] )

Please go to this link to see some work that a group of faculty and pre-service teachers did on symmetry at Sacred Heart School a few years ago. http://education.uregina.ca/mathed/iteachered/SacredHeartSymmetry.html Some of the links in the above experience may no longer work, but I'm sure you'll get the idea. We have also done an extensive study on big ideas in pattern in different subject areas.

Marnie McMillan, the Technology Integration Support consultant for Regina Public has lots of resources on her site at http://web.rbe.sk.ca/support Also visit the LearningPlus PD program

I think that if I were back in the school system teaching young children that I would not schedule a computer station into my microworld. The intention of a microworld is that within it students will learn specific concepts, make connections between the concepts, apply these concepts, discuss these concepts, write about these concepts, and generally interact and collaborate with the concepts. The job of the teacher then is to structure the microworld to best enable students to learn the concepts. The stations thus become NOT the art centre, NOT the math centre, NOT the computer centre, but rather the centre where xxx concept is learned USING OR BY INTERACTING WITH xxx. If students can learn specific concepts of xxx best through the use of computers then create a centre where this can occur. BUT start with the concepts and how you want the students to access, interact with, discuss, and apply the concepts and then determine what tasks, materials, location etc is best for students to do that. Make sure that you really understand the concepts yourselves and where the students might ‘take’ the concepts. Plan for all sorts of ‘eventualities.’ Create more stations that you have kids, set up a system where students discuss and select their starting place, ensure that they know the ‘rules’ (how many can be at a station at the same time), give them a good amount of time to ‘play’ in their conceptual microworld, examine their products, then have them clean up, and ‘share’ what they have learned. Ask good questions.