Taste of Summer

31. May 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags:

The holiday weekend offered a good taste of summer.  The days were hot.  We hosted guests.  We cooked out every chance we got.  We’re doing it again this evening.  As I write this, I’m sitting on my deck feeling the humidity sink into the day already.  I love this kind of weather and the odd combination of bursts of activity followed by complete sloth.  Mow the yard, plant some plants, weed the garden, then lounge on the porch with a tall glass of iced tea.

Today it’s back to work, but its tenor will be different.  Everyone’s in exams.  I’ll be writing comments for report cards, planning an event for tomorrow, planning for classes for next year.  Students are done by 11.  In theory, I could be, too, but for at least today and tomorrow, I’ll likely be staying until my normal time.  It’s a transitional stage from work to summer.  After this weekend, I’m more than ready for summer.  I know it’s going to be hard to buckle down and focus when I know there are the lazy days ahead of me.

Higher Ed vs. K-12

26. May 2011 · 3 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

Over the last year, I’ve been quietly observing some of the differences and similarities between life in the K-12 world and life in higher ed.  I wasn’t a faculty member in higher ed, so my view may be skewed by that a little.  I do know what being a faculty member is like, of course.  Here, then, are my observations:

1. The kids are younger, but in some ways not that different.  I don’t see a huge difference between a high school senior and a college freshman.  The younger you go, the more differences there are, but I’ve found that treating them all with respect (and expecting respect in return) works regardless of the age.

2. You know the parents.  I met one or two parents in my days of college teaching.  Once, it was an angry parent.  Most of the time, it’s a brief encounter during graduation or visiting day.  Here, there are many opportunities to see them in a variety of contexts.  I find this really interesting.  It’s often a great insight into a kid to meet their parents.

3. The community is more cohesive and more consistent.  I see most of these kids every single day.  I will see them next year.  I will see many of them for the next 5 or 6 years.  There’s no having a kid in a class and never seeing them again.  Even if they don’t have class with you, you see them in a bunch of other contexts.

4. Summers “really” off.  Granted, I signed up for extra work this year, but I can see that summer can really be down time.

5. Your day is completely filled.  I worked from 9-5, but that time was spent in a variety of ways, often without my needing to be anywhere at any particular time.  In K-12, you’re in class most of the day, with very little time in-between.  Planning time gets filled quickly, either with actual planning or meetings.   College classes, by contrast, may only meet twice a week.  And many faculty routinely only show up for their classes, choosing to do other work at home or elsewhere.  That’s not really possible in K-12.

6. Your day does sometimes end at the end of the school day.  Which is a lovely thing.  Getting home before everyone else is fab.  But it happens less often than you might think.  Many, many days go on until 4 or 5 or even longer.

7.  Even if you go home at 3:30, you might have to come back at 7 for an event of some kind.  That happens in higher ed, too, but often it’s by choice.  For K-12, it’s sometimes an obligation.  I actually like going to these events.  It gives me a different perspective on the students and the school.

8. Everyone cares about teaching.  Nuff said.

Feel free to add your own, whether you’ve made the switch or not.

Edcamp Philly Wrap Up

23. May 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

I spent Saturday at Edcamp Philly, an education-oriented unconference.  If you don’t know what an unconference is, it’s a conference model where presentations are not planned in advance; people just throw up topics the morning of the conference.  I’ve been to several of these, and I like them because the sessions tend to turn into conversations rather than be someone talking at you.  I even gave a presentation myself on Google Docs.

My first session was on 1-to-1 programs, something we are thinking about.  The issue many of us see is that there are now a ton of different devices–laptops, iPads, Android tablets–and many kids have these devices.  What they’re seeing in school is antiquated.  What schools can afford to provide is often older versions of these devices.  On the flip side of that are schools where students don’t have access to that, but it’s still a good idea for the school to provide these devices so that students can do their work at home and at school.  The solution I gravitated toward was one where students brought what they wanted, and through a virtual machine (VMWare more than likely), the school provides the specialized software.  We’ll see what happens.

I attended an interesting session on Professional Development, and I’m happy to say that what I’m planning for our school will likely be something teachers will get a lot out of.  At least I hope so.

I was telling people how last year, I felt like a deer in the headlights at this conference.  I’d just signed my contract.  I had no idea what the school would be like, no idea what teaching K-12 would be like.  And now I feel like a pro.  I still have a lot to learn, no doubt, but I no longer feel like I’m facing the unknown.  I have strategies and ideas, many of which have come from having the kinds of conversations I had at edcamp.  Like last year, though, it left me feeling like I was ready to tackle it all.

It’s that time of year

19. May 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

Since I’ve been out of the “real” education fold for a couple of years, I forgot how crazy the end of the year gets.  I mentioned in this post some of the events going on, but there’s also a lot of wrapping up to do, a lot of thinking about what needs to get done now, what can get put off, etc.  I don’t have the grading burden that most teachers here have.  I give no exams, my middle school classes aren’t graded (though I do write up extensive comments for those), and I have only one student in my upper school class, and we’re collaborating on a project together, so you can guess what kind of grade she’s getting.  Her part of the project . . . so much better than mine.  I’d give myself an A for trying, can’t help it I’m not an artist.

I had two funny dreams the other night that demonstrate my stress level.  First, I dreamed that I showed up late for an art show that I had a hand in helping with.  My collaborator on a digital storytelling project was really upset I didn’t show up on time.  She cried. I cried, saying how unlike me this behavior was (which is true).  Second, I dreamed I had to teach calculus.  I cried.  Really, I felt breathless, explaining to whomever (couldn’t see him or her) that I hadn’t had calculus since my sophomore year in college, more than 20 years ago.

I got through my final classes as of this morning.  All that’s left is to comment on their work and post those comments to the grading system.  I’ll likely take care of that next week.   I’m also coordinating our in-service day for the fall, and I’m trying to get as much done on that as I can before school is out.  I’ve lined up one outside speaker, and I’m working on a second, plus I’ve got several faculty volunteers lined up.  I’m hoping for many more.  I also started prepping for my new course for next year.  I have the summer to do it, but I wanted to get a bit of a head start.  Without classes next week, I think more time will open up.  Students and faculty don’t really need me right now since any tech projects were completed last week.  So, it’s just a matter of getting through the many little tasks that need to get done.

I know many of you out there are going (or just went) through the same thing.  I wish you all luck.  See you on the other side.

The Value of College

12. May 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

Although this article is a few months old, I just bumped into it in my Internet wanderings.  We just had this conversation at home, since Geeky Boy, struggling with getting his work done, declared that maybe he didn’t want to go to college.  We popped out all kinds of statistics (as educators, we have these things constantly in our minds).  This article gives some really fascinating details to the story of the advantages of a college education.  Earning a better wage (or wages over time) has always been something most people knew almost instinctively.  It turns out, that education (and increased wage) pays dividends in many other ways.  College-educated people are less likely to divorce, less likely to smoke, more likely to live in urban areas with lots of culture.  All those things benefit their children, who grow up healthy, go to the best schools (because their college-educated parents can afford to live in affluent areas or pay for private school), and have a wealth of culture at their doorsteps.  And so they perpetuate the benefits onward.

Two quotes that struck me.  This, about marginal students:

Research shows that being in school longer – whatever is happening in and around the classroom – improves young people’s chances of doing well in most areas of life. Moreover, it is the marginal students, the ones who barely get into college, who benefit most from a college education.

Those are the ones I tend to latch onto.  Yes, I love the smart ones, the ones who give great answers, but I like the spunky ones, the ones who struggle a bit, and who usually figure things out in the end.

And then this one, about where people live based on education:

. . . neighborhood segregation by college education grew substantially between 1970 and 2000. It grew faster than segregation by income, even as segregation by race declined. Another study documents how the highly-educated are concentrating in the downtowns of the most booming cities.  And a recent story reported that these degree-holders are starting to raise their children in center cities — even in Manhattan. Thus, enclaves of the highly-educated are growing in chic, gentrified, non-smoking neighborhoods, while the less educated move to the scraggly, sprawling suburbs of stagnating cities.

That last line struck me.  I’ve seen those suburbs of stagnating cities (yes, Indianapolis, I’m looking at you).  It’s not pretty.

Some very interesting stuff there.  What do you think?

Kickstart

11. May 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

I’ve seen quite a few references to projects on Kickstarter, a place that asks for donations to fund projects like independent films, books, etc.  You guys probably knew all about it, and I’m just slow.  It’s still pretty cool.  The last project I saw–photos in malls from the 80s.  I thought I saw myself, I swear.

RBOC: End of year edition

10. May 2011 · 3 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags:
  • I so want to make this: http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-A-Mobile-Bar-BaR2D2/
  • Schedule for the next couple of weeks: ice cream party, senior dinner, chaperone a dance, chaperone a day-long field trip, exams, grades, graduation.  And that doesn’t include the normal every day stuff.  Lots of things to wrap up.  All of it kind of fun in its own way.
  • On the home front: homework trouble again.  And let’s just say it counts now. Sigh.
  • Realizing I’m going to lots of conferences–all good, but now my summer feels packed.
  • My robotics students gave me a signed photo of me going down a log flume ride.  Made me very happy.
  • It’s been a good first year, and I still feel pretty warm and fuzzy about it.  In fact, all these end-of-the-year events sort of make me even more warm and fuzzy about it.

Giveaway to National Computer Camp

09. May 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,

GamingAngels.com is giving away a scholarship for a girl to attend National Computer Camp, valued at $985.  To apply, applicants need to write an essay about video games.  What could be better!  It looks like a great opportunity.  The deadline to enter is June 8th. Please feel free to pass this along to others!

A Survey for Mothers

07. May 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized

I received email from UMW professor, Miriam Liss, asking me to post a survey for my blog readers that will help her and her students do some research.  I’m always happy to help my UMW friends.

The survey is not strictly for parents/mothers, but, as Dr. Liss said, “We are looking for parents and non-parents but are especially interested in the views of mothers.”  Seems like a good thing to do in honor of Mother’s Day.

Here’s the link: http://edu.surveygizmo.com/s3/504769/5ce89fe88b59

Feel free to pass it on.

Hacking and magic

03. May 2011 · 4 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

It’s been a fun week for me to be the local technology guru.  I’ve been helping with a couple of video projects using Jaycut, one in 8th grade and one in 12th. I’m also evaluating the success of what I’ve done so far this year and I’m planning tweaks for next year.   Like many schools, we use some free tools to get stuff done.  While we have Windows Movie Maker and some of the kids have their own computers to work on, those who use the school computers need an option.  So, we’re using Jaycut, and it’s working pretty well.  But we’re doing a lot of hacking things together.  We’ve used DoInk to create some very cool animations, then we screen record those, and imported them into Jaycut.  I’ve also helped students record Skype conversations, download YouTube videos (with Zamzar), and extract audio from their video.  I don’t even remember which one of those many things I was helping a student with when she said, “Wow, you’re magic.”  It happened again with my 7th graders today.  I told her how to do something, and her eyes got big when it worked.

Even though my real hacking skills–in code–are limited, I realized after helping these students over the past couple of weeks how much of a hacker I really am.  I have always tried to bend tools to my will and often cobbled together different tools or api’s or even code to make things work.  More than one student has asked me how I learned what I know.  I hacked my way there.  When something didn’t work, I found something else that did.  Once there were such things as search engines, I used them a lot.  In fact, I do that fairly often with students sitting right there, mostly to prove to them that I’m not magic.  I mostly look stuff up.  Yes, sometimes you need to know what you’re looking for, but most of the information is there if you dig far enough.

It’s still amazing to me how many people think technology is magic.  Yes, it’s sophisticated and yes, it often hides its inner workings, but it’s not magic.  And yes I know: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.  But seriously, computers have been like this for what, 15 years?  The interfaces get slicker, but the concepts are still the same.  I guess I have my work cut out for me.

 

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