Math, technology, education, and beyond

On January 22, 2008, the program FRONTLINE on PBS ran a program called Growing Up Online.  You can watch the entire episode online, as well as read extended interviews, discuss the issues, and learn how to work within the issues.   This is something that every parent and educator should probably watch, but it cannot just be taken at face value.  This is where the discussion starts, not where the internet ends.

This episode was divided into 7 chapters.  I am going to touch on each of these issues briefly, providing some of my own insights and opinions.

Chapter 1: Living Online.  This is a problem that many people find themselves falling into.  What do many of these students do with their “free time?”  The online world has just about anything you can look for.  Games.  Sports.  Interactions with people with similar interests.  And you can make your experience fit you personally.  You can personalize your own blog or website.  You can arrange for your settings on your computer to fit whatever it is you want to do.  And you can get sucked in.  When I was in high school, there were days where I spent hours talking with both friends and strangers for hours on end in an AOL chatroom.  It’s not like I wasn’t getting my school work done.  I was always well-prepared for school.  I read for pleasure on the side.  I worked a part-time job.  I spent time with my friends and family.  So it didn’t dominate my life.  But there are those that it does, and oftentimes, the only way to reach these people is through the internet.

Chapter 2: Revolution in the Classroom and Social Life.  Can you say Classrooms for the Future?  School districts here in Pennsylvania are taking control of the use of technology in the classrooms and promoting it.  My school is a prime example of this.  We were one of the first schools to apply and receive the grant, and since then, those of us involved in the grant have taken the initiative to make it something that fits us, expanding on what has been required of us.  We have created a Central PA cohort for collaboration, combining three different Intermediate Units for sharing resources between coaches and teachers and opening up our classrooms so our students can collaborate (see this site for one way we’re doing this).  This also goes in conjunction with students’ social lives, believe it or not.  Just as I have a social network for sharing content, etc., my students can do the same.  Who says that they have to get all of their content information from me?  What if there’s a concept they just don’t get when I present it?  Is it wrong of them to as a Trig student from a school in Ohio if they have a contact there?  I know I have friends and contacts from all over the country who I can get information from.  I am going to San Antonio for NECC 2008 this summer, and I have a Facebook contact who just moved there that can share information about the city with me (by the way, I only know this person through online interactions).  It’s time to show our students how their social networks can enhance their education.

Chapter 3: Self-expression and New Identities.  This is something where people act differently online than they do in person.  Second Life (where did you go?) tried to bank on this idea, but turned out to be a bit of a novelty.  But the idea behind this is that people use the internet to explore different personalities to try and learn who they are.  The example in the show, Jessica, made a new personality for herself.  She found a place where she felt she belonged, but may not have quite done it in the correct way.  This one is open to interpretation, and I don’t know where I stand on this issue.  But her parents basically made her “erase” the identity from her computer.  The interesting thing about this is that, even though she was so upset with her parents, is that it seems to have brought them closer, and her parents even see it as saving their daughter’s life.  So was it right or wrong?  I think the answer is both yes and no.

Chapter 4: Child Predator Fear.   This is what everyone thinks is the biggest problem facing our youth online, and it really isn’t much of a problem at all.  Most kids know not to share (nor do they want to) information about where they live or too “hook up” with a random stranger.  They don’t mind socializing online, but they don’t want anything unwelcome.  Kids are smart, and they know how to stop this.  Still, there is the issue of predators out there.  Talk to your kids about them and make sure they’re smart about what information they share and who they share it with.  This also brings us to the next chapter.

Chapter 5: Private Worlds.  I find it amazing that people will share their private life with complete strangers but not thier parents.  But today’s younger generation seems to not mind.  Think about this: In the post-9/11 world, we see a loss of privacy all over the place.  Kids today are not only getting used to it, they’re embracing it.  However, those of us “in power” (teachers, parents, employers, etc.) don’t see it as something to embrace.  Kids are posting pictures online that others would never even think of taking in the first place.  As was stated in the program, this is leading to the largest generation gap since the introduction of rock ‘n roll.

Chapter 6: Cyberbullying.  It’s amazing how this was kept to the end, as this may be the largest negative issue of the internet.  The home used to be a safe haven.  I could go home, and nobody could get to me.  Now, I can go online, and someone who has been bullying me can continue to do so.  There are times when there is no end, and parents and teachers may never know about it.  How do we stop this growing threat?  “The internet has now become a weapon…”

Chapter 7: Updates.  This one ties things together and reflects on these issues.

“The loss of communication is tough.”  When kids are younger, they share everything with their parents.  However, as they age, they become more secluded and what to control who they share things with.  This is often a difficult issue for parents, which often leads to them trying to take control of the situation, which leads to more stubbornness from their kids.

This is a tough thing to try and work out.  You can’t tell a parent how to raise their kids, especially a single guy like me.  If I were to pass off parenting advice, who would take it?  But, then, how DO we educate parents and students about all of these issues?  What path must we follow to fight the negatives of the internet and to promote the positives?  I know that kids don’t want to be controlled, but parents don’t want to lose control.  Kids want to be able to run their own lives and grow as individuals, and parents have a job where they need to protect their kids.  That will never change.  But if parents try to take control of every situation, without input from their kids, what will happen next?  Don’t allow them to have a Facebook?  They’ll go to a friend’s house and create one.  Make them let you know what’s going on online?  They’ll try to shut you out.  Be sneaky and watch what they do without telling them?  They’ll find out and bypass what you’re trying.  The best way is to talk with your kids about these issues.  Let them know your concerns.  Let them know what you feel and that you’d like to be involved, and if necessary, you will take measures to follow up on that.  They may not be happy, but they may feel as if they are given a choice.  Include them in your decisions (I know, it’s tough to do).  But if you try to take over without they’re input, I’m sure you’ll hear, “It’s my life to live, and I’ll live it like I want!”

So, at the end of all of this, I am left wondering, what is our responsibility as educators in this issue?  I try to do my best at getting my students to make informed decisions.  I let them know that we can watch what they do on the computers at school, and I have a MySpace and Facebook (and Xanga) that they can access, and I let them know I can access theirs.  If they tell me there are things on there they don’t want me to know, then I tell them not to put it online, “private” or not, because if someone wants to know, they can know.

I’d like to know if there are any programs out there in other schools and communities about these issues?  Are there student groups who would like to deal with these issues?  How do we get parents and students to work together to make the online environment safe and friendly for everyone?

…buy into the whole idea of using technology in the classroom.  I came back from Christmas vacation, and I haven’t had a moment to catch up on old work.  I have a desk and cabinet-top (and part of the floor) full of work that I have no idea when I’ll get it done, and that’s ok.  If it’s not already been completed, it can’t possibly be THAT important, right?  It is so great to see these teachers taking these risks to use this new technology and new ideas in their classroom.

…buy into the whole idea of using technology as an educational tool, and not just as a way to socialize and be entertained.  Today’s high school students know a lot about technology, but mainly when used to socialize (Facebook, MySpace, IM, etc.) and for entertainment (games, music, movies, etc.).  That’s all well and good that they’re using the technology for a purpose.  What has me worried is what I saw when I visited my sister and saw how my 7 year old neighbor was surfing the internet.  He wasn’t playing games.  He wasn’t talking with his friends.  He was learning.  He was using this tool to expand his knowledge of the universe, and he was doing it unsupervised.  In other words, he is expanding his knowledge on his own.

This should scare today’s high school students.  My nephew is 10 years younger than them, but he’s using technology in a way that my high school students do not.   What’s going to happen when my nephew’s peer group enters the work force?  They will be more focused on using the technology in a productive way, and business leaders will see this.  And they will replace their workers who have been there for ten years whose productivity isn’t what it should be.  And these younger people will have no problem with forcing those others out.

That puts this current high school group in a precarious position.  They NEED to learn how to use the technology in a productive manner.  They NEED to learn how to work with others and to try new things and to take risks.  They NEED to be challenged in and out of the classroom.  They NEED to demand that technology become part of their education, because if they don’t do these things, they will be left behind.

It’s kind of scary to think that for the most part, this current crop of high school students is not ready to use this technology.  Many of us view them as “digital natives,” where they have had this technology in front of them their whole lives, and they have.  However, the digital culture and digital climate have changed, so they are no longer in their native world.  It’s now time for them to evolve and adapt, and we as educators NEED to make sure we are helping them to realize and accomplish this.

I can’t believe it has been over a month since I last posted. There just does not seem to be enough time for the half-time CFF coach and half-time math teacher to do anything that isn’t 100% necessary to get done. This is a bit of a bad thing for me, as I haven’t had time to reflect on things like I should. That’s one of the things that CFF and 21st Century education is trying to get us to do more of, yet it seems more and more as if I don’t have time to reflect. If I don’t have time, then how will my teachers have time?

We had a great inservice day last month. Well, I guess it was an Act 80 day, but it’s the same idea. There was not a full-day agenda. We started out the morning with a tech update from our Director of Technology about email, then we switched everyone over to OS X Mail from QuickMail. Those that were already using Mail were cut loose to to work on their own, and those switching over joined in shortly thereafter. This gave me a wonderful opportunity: Time to meet with the teachers to discuss their use of technology. Even though I only had enough time to meet with eight teachers, I was able to accomplish so much. Being half-time, it is very difficult to meet with many of the teachers, as their prep times do no coincide with my CFF time. Also, many of the teaches expressed that they felt they accomplished more in this one agenda-free day than in any inservice day where it is all planned out.

Over the past few days, there have been a few things I have seen that have gotten me thinking. The first is this post from Will Richardson. Basically, what we have here is another blog on the fight between schools and technology. As we all know, cell phones are a social technology device and nothing more, right? Wrong! True, that is the most common use of the technology. But why can’t we open our minds to new ways to using existing technology? We did it with the iPod. Weren’t they just created so we could take digital versions of our music with us? Now look what we have: True, we can still carry around our music in our iPods. But we can also carry around podcasts created by teachers and students. And not just audio podcasts, but enhanced podcasts and vodcasts, too. We could put entire courses that we have downloaded from iTunesU onto our iPods and learn while we drive, run, or just relax by the pool! Was that the original intention of the iPod? I doubt it.

This same idea could be applied to cell phones. How could we use this technology in a classroom environment? What if we were doing a weather unit in a science class? You could tell your students that we need data from 10 locations other than our district about what the weather is like. Students pull out cell phones, text a friend or family member who is in another area, then get the responses. Maybe we’ll get more than 10 locations, maybe less. It depends on the availability of the friend on the other end. How else could cell phones be used in education?

True, not everyone has a cell phone, so how would we be able to make the technology available to everyone? Maybe we could team kids up, those without phones with someone who has a phone. Parents may complain about the $.10 used in sending a text message, but isn’t that cheaper than the $2 pens some of them have? And besides, how many of your students have unlimited texting in their plans?

The big thing here is that education is changing. It’s no longer, “What do you know?” It’s shifting to, “What can you learn?” I know there will be many who say that it’s always been, “What can you learn?” But don’t we all learn in different ways? Is it so important to know all the information or where to find the information when it is needed? I consider myself quite savvy when it comes to technology, but I also know that there is A LOT that I don’t know. What do I do if I want to know something? I access my network. I speak with other CFF Coaches. I browse the web for tutorials. I talk to our building tech. Why do we restrict our students from doing the same?

Now, I’m not saying that students don’t need to show that they are mastering content. I still believe that tests and quizzes should be conducted as an individual assessment of what a student knows. But I also believe that there needs to be a way for the students to show what they can learn, such as doing a project on their own (and quite possibly with a partner or two).

The next two bits of interweb goodness I saw both dealt with creativity, but in different ways. David Warlick wrote about teaching to the test. We spend all of this time trying to get our students ready to pass a standardized test (Show me what you know) that we and they lose out on the creative part of education. Let’s take away an art or music elective to give kids another math class or a reading class. Ok, math and reading are two very important skills (reading is probably the most important one) that students need to have mastered by graduation. But how many enjoy these subjects, especially if it is a course designed to prepare them for a standardized test? It this their educational experience?

As a math teacher, I can remember what my high school math classes were like, and that’s mostly because I did a lot of helping out my classmates. I didn’t learn much from my one math teacher, but I probably learned the most in her class. Her teaching style didn’t match my learning style, so I taught myself. I obtained a higher understanding of the math. But if you were to ask me about my English classes, I probably couldn’t recall a thing from any of them, other than the 3D stickers from Freshman English and some of the stories I wrote. I do still remember things from my Chorus and Music Theory Classes. Art had many memorable experiences. And my mother still has the box that I built in Freshman Shop. The classes where the creativity was able to come out are the ones I was able to take something from.

Finally, Larry Lessig spoke on creativity at TED. I highly recommend that you watch this presentation. It’s only about 19 minutes long. And I don’t think I should share my opinion until you watch the clip. I would so much rather have a real-time conversation about the ideas than to just post my ideas here. Leave me a comment if you would like to discuss this presentation.

Below is an email that I have sent to my teachers and a few colleagues that I find very helpful when trying to help others understand their role with integrating technology.

I ran into this quote today in my research reading.  For those of you who don’t know, Karl Fisch is a leading expert in technology integration.  He interacts with educators around the world on how to include technology into education and what it actually means to today’s world.  His blog is widely read, and he has created videos and posts to help others understand the role of technology in today’s world.  I offer you this quote from him to help you release any pressure you may feel about technology and education.  We’re not trying to force technology into a lesson.  We want to do what’s best to make sure we get a lesson to be the best it can for our students.

“It [isn't] about the laptops. You should use them when you think they are appropriate and can enhance and extend your students’ learning. And you should leave them shut away in their comfy carts when they don’t….Please, release the pressure – we are certainly not intending to place it upon you. Do what’s best for your students – every day.” – Karl Fisch

The director of the office of educational technology for the US Department of Education Tim Magner recently released a list of books that should be read to help discuss how technology and education go hand in hand.   The list was published by the Wall Street Journal, and it’s a pretty good list.  From Will Richardson to David Warlick to Marc Prensky,  this list is definitely a good one.

However, it is somewhat disheartening that we only have a book list.   Aren’t we talking about educational technology?  Why can we not have a blog list as well?  True, there is a lot of great information out there in books (By the way, I think Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind should also be on this list), but where is the discussion held?  True, there are times where many of us will get together, be it PETE&C, NECC, or CFF Coach Boot Camp.  We have had many great discussions at these and learned many new things.  But this discussion is ongoing.  I can read Will Richardson’s blog, post a comment on it, and get a response from someone in Oregon.  Now, a new conversation has opened up.  I can see how someone does something in Oregon, and they can see how I do something in Pennsylvania.

Does this discussion occur after reading a book?  Well, there can be some discussion.  First, I must find another person who has read the same book.  Then, we have to find a time to hold the discussion.  With commenting on blogs, I can have the conversation at my discretion.

In the end, I have to sit back and reflect on this link that was sent to me by my colleague Jim Gates.  If the top dog in the Department of Education for the US is recommending a list of books, they have to be pretty good, and they are.  But why are we only seeing a list of books and a few links to  websites that most technology integrators have already seen?  Why are these links restricted to those that aim toward elementary students?  How far behind are we still?  We’re in the 21st Century, and we’re still trying to catch up to the 21st Century Skills that are needed yesterday.

I think slideShare is going to be my new favorite toy.  I love that I can have students go back and review the notes by going online.  It’s not really any extra work for me, as I only have to convert my Keynotes to .pdf’s and then upload!

[slideshare id=143268&doc=section-27-1193154269386898-1&w=425]

Today, many area schools have gotten together to obtain training on Polyvision whiteboards as well as to begin collaboration between CFF schools. We are meeting at Warwick High School in Lititz, PA. Thanks to Jeff and Fred for hosting!

As we are going through the Polyvision training, we are seeing many great things! One thing that is discouraging is that we are going through a lot really quick, so we don’t get a chance to really sit back and figure out how we might be able to use this. However, our trainer is willing to arrange a time to present a webinar for us, and she also offers other services as a virtual mentor, such as researching virtual labs, manipulatives, games, and activities, provide basic tech support, and help with lesson plans. She has mentioned that she does not get many emails asking for help, but I imagine that the CFF coaches and teachers may actually start sending some info.

I know there is a lot I will be able to do, I just wish there was a way that I could do more hands-on right now.

Time for a short break, so I will return…

We’re back from break and now we’re looking at Easiteach, which we can put on each teacher’s computer who has a Polyvision board.  One thing that I know I need to do when I return to school is to look at working and learning more about both Webster and Easiteach.  This means I have a bit of reading and playing to do, which will be taking up a lot of my time over the next week or so.  We might even want to take advantage of Carissa saying she is available for webinars, which could be helpful.

We have gotten to a point where we have slowed down now, and we all seem to do be doing much better with obtaining this information.  I wish we would have gotten this information when we obtained the whiteboards.  It is unfortunate that, at least in our situation, we were learning a lot of this on our own on the fly.  I had no training on the whiteboards other than walking into our new building with our tech director, plugging it in, and going from there.

This is interesting being on this end of a training.  Carissa is up in front of us going through everything like it is second nature to her, as I imagine it is.  While she is doing that, many of us are working with the programs for the first time, or we have very limited experience with it.  Is this how it is for some of our teachers as we offer professional development?  I think sitting through sessions like this offers insights other than just the training itself.  I have now realized that I need to make sure that, just because it comes naturally to me, it might take time for others.  I think I’ve said that before.

This year’s camp is already a lot more fun than last year’s (not that I’m trying to badmouth last year’s camp).  We got to make a video where a character is at a door, hears a sound, and reacts.  We made one that dealt with a coach hearing voices of his teachers in his head.  He starts to get overwhelmed by the demands of his staff, so he turns into SUPER COACH!!  It was a lot of fun to make, along with Jeff (Warwick), Laurie (West Shore), Sue (Central York), Colette (Manheim Township), and Fred (Warwick).  It was a blast!

Here I am at Boot Camp for Year 2 of the Classrooms for the Future initiative here in Pennsylvania.  I was unable to attend last night’s session, which is somewhat disappointing, as David Warlick was speaking.  Luckily, he is still here today so I still get to hear him talk.  If you have never read his blog, you need to, as well as his books Classroom Blogging (there’s a lot more to the title, but I’m not going to put it all down here) and Redefining Literacy.  They are both excellent books.

This morning began with Dr. Zahorchak greeting us.  It is nice to see that he can take time out of his hectic schedule to come speak with us.

Also, when I arrived this morning, I was greeting by so many of my colleagues.  I even had a colleague from Palmerton who practically came running to me, letting me know how impressed her district had been with me.  I can’t recall what I did that was so impressive, but if I did something well, I guess I can be proud of it.  It is nice to know that I had an impact on other districts, but it is probably just something that I always do that I don’t view as impressive because I always do it.  That is one of the things that we need to be aware of: Just because it is second nature to us does not mean that it is second nature to someone else.

We are about to split into Cohort 1 and Cohort 2, so I will be continuing this later…

I still find it so amazing that there are students of mine that worry more about how to do something than why it is they are doing it. Case in point: I have recently introduced a lesson on variance and standard deviation. The students did well and following the process to find the standard deviation. They were even able to remember the formula for it. However, when it came to questions that asked which set of data had the most variation or what a range of scores were when we knew the mean and standard deviation, not many knew what to do. All it took for me to get the idea through to them was to ask what standard deviation is.

Unfortunately, most gave the answer, “The square root of the variance!”

I responded, “That’s how you find it, but what is it?” Blank stares. “Okay, look at your notes.”

Ten seconds later, 15 hands shot up. “It’s tells how far scores deviate from the mean.”

Now, they had an understanding of what was being asked in these questions. This brings me to the fact that it is still so difficult to get students to think about why something is, not just how to do it. One way I try to get students to think about math is to ask them how to get to Harrisburg. Some say to take 422. Others send you out to Interstate 81. Others will choose back roads. I ask them why they chose that way, and whether one way is more correct. The students say that they’re all correct, as we end up in Harrisburg each time. However, one will usually point out that depending on how quickly you want to get there and what time of day it is, you might want to choose one way over another. If it is in the height of rush hour, traffic moves more slowly on 422, and when it merges into 322 and then I-83, it gets even more backed up. But if you go to I-81, traffic tends to move better.

Now we have an understanding about how to get to Harrisburg, not just directions. I can now relate to my students that math is the same. If you only know a process, you don’t get any of the understanding for it. We now take a look at the formula for finding standard deviation and take it apart. Using the order of operations, you can go through the process step-by-step to see how it works. Understanding of the individual parts leads to an understanding of the whole. Those that take the time to look at all the pieces will have a much better understanding of mathematics as a whole.