Course wrap-up

I'll be reaching out to you all individually today.  My grades are due April 3.

In future semesters we'll create a plan for make-up sessions in case of snow, hurricanes, etc.; but for immediate purposes, I'd simply like to make sure you have had the chance to accomplish the following major objectives:

A.  Set up a blog or wiki 

Share the URL with me; if you haven't yet been successful, let's do that one-on one in a phone or video call ASAP.  I hope you'll also continue to use Twitter, even if it's to only re-tweet others' useful tweets.

B. Share your STEM Notebook template

You may have decided to not use an online STEM notebook format, but creating your template in a Google Doc or other online format assures me that you'll be ready if you're ever called upon to do so or teach others how.  Post the URL on your blog or share it with me directly.

C.  Reflect on any lesson you may have taught using a problem-based or project-based design process or experimental procedure.

We'll focus on 7-E lesson models and formats when we meet this summer, but I have a template  for you already in an NNPS format (see the right-side menu on this blog).

If you taught a problem-based lesson or project-based lesson since we met, please answer the following reflection questions from the March 22 blog post.  Share them on your blog or with me directly.

1. Were my students talking about the subject, or was I doing all of the talking and students were just listening to me?
2. Were my students engaged at the beginning of the lesson?
3. How much time did I spend reviewing homework, and how much time did I spend on new material?
4. Did the students respond to “How” and “Why” questions?
5. Did my students have an opportunity to discuss and/or write about the topic?
6. What changes would I make next time the lesson is taught?
7. What steps do I need to take next in this topic?

Online reflection this week

I know some of you have had a chance to pilot lesson ideas and your STEM notebook templates, and documenting those lessons is underway.  Please be sure to do some reflection including the following questions:

1. Were my students talking about the subject, or was I doing all of the talking and students were just listening to me?
   
2. Were my students engaged at the beginning of the lesson?
   
3. How much time did I spend reviewing homework, and how much time did I spend on new material?
   
4. Did the students respond to “How” and “Why” questions?
   
5.  Did my students have an opportunity to discuss and/or write about the topic?
   
6. What changes would I make next time the lesson is taught?
   
7. What steps do I need to take next in this topic?

Digital Learning Day Ideas and Resources

Digital Learning Day Ideas and Resources for

 Middle School and High School Classrooms

Send ideas to Jim.Egenrieder@gmail.com or add comments below. Tweet your activities and tag @jegenrieder so I can share.

Career-Related Activities

• Explore  Virginia Career View  (MS)
• Try the Virginia Career Planning Guide
• Use the Virginia Education and Career Wizard
• Explore the Virginia Labor Market Information
• Search Craigslist Jobs for relevant entry-level minimum qualifications
• Browse O-NET Online (Occupations)
• Use Monster.com

Technical and Academic Research Tools

• Find references using Google Scholar
• Get citations, images, and quotes using Google Docs Research Tool
• Import Google Research Tool citations
• Change citations from MLA to APS to CMS formats
• Build or find an online STEM notebook template
• Search Google Patents

Higher Education / Postsecondary Education Explorations

• Explore Thomas Nelson Programs of Study
• View and explore the ODU Program of Study and Course Catalog
• Search for technical training programs
• Explore the Virginia Education and Career Wizard
  
  Continued - 

Alice Keeler: Stop with the PDF's

From Alice Keeler's Teacher Tech Blog:

Stop Uploading PDF’s and Digital Worksheets

I have received several tweets about how cumbersome it is to have students work with PDF’s in a digital format. I am going to be blunt, uploading your worksheets to PDF’s and putting them online is not a 21st century lesson. This is substitution on the SAMR model. It is a pain to manage digital worksheets.  May I take this opportunity to suggest that is because you should not be doing this.
Using technology should create a BETTER learning environment. If you are doing the same tasks with technology you should expect the same educational outcome. Rethink when using tech how you can change what you do. How the task can be more student centered. Allow for more creativity. How do digital tools allow you to differentiate and personalize the instruction? How do digital tools allow your students to become independent learners?

If The Computer Can Grade It, It Should

One of the advantages to digital work is the ability for students to receive feedback faster. Instead of uploading worksheets to your website, Google Classroom or your LMS for students to fill out consider instead recreating the worksheets in Google Forms, That Quiz, Quia, or any of the many other online tools for

Google Tools Add-ons

Cornerstone calls these "New Google Add-Ons".  Many are neither.  But all 28 are probably useful for educators, students and others.

ADD-ONS FOR DOCS

MERGE BY MAILCHIMP

Benefits: The set-up is simple. Add data (names, addresses and any info) in a spreadsheet. Create a document and show Merge where you want to add the data. It creates custom documents that you can e-mail.

Drawbacks: Setting all the data up can be time-consuming, but the product is worth it.

Idea 1: Customized grade reports. Student data can be typed or exported into a sheet and shared in a fancy document with all of the data merged.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Benefits: Using the headings (next to font) Documents. It creates a clickable table of contents in a little window next to your document. It makes document navigation simple.

Drawbacks: Some users report that navigation is slow with larger documents.

Idea 2: Reports/papers. When students write, they add a table of contents for easy navigation.

Idea 3: Student work in one document. If all students do an assignment in one document, they can add their names as a heading above their work. Click on the student name to see his/her work.

Idea 4: Easily navigable readings. If you provide students with long articles or readings in document form, finding each chapter is easy. Plus, you can add a new heading after each day’s reading to serve as a bookmark.

CHARTS

Benefits: It very simply pulls in data from a spreadsheet into a chart/graph that can be inserted into a document.

Drawbacks: Some types of charts, like scatterplots, are not available.

Idea 5: Lab reports. Students can take readings, data, etc. from science labs and easily incorporate them into reports.

Idea 6: Tabulating results or student data. Student council elections. Class votes. Standardized test data. If it can be added to a spreadsheet, it can come out as an attractive chart or graph.

TRACK CHANGES

Benefits: It incorporates the approve/reject changes function of Microsoft Office to Google Documents. It shows changes made to a document and includes a simple

Saturday Face-to-Face Meeting Cancelled

While there is a possibility that Saturday morning travel and parking will be more comfortable or care-free than imagined, I'm going to take the advice many of you shared with me privately based on plowing, ice, and other factors.  

Concerning the topics we were to discuss, we'll use your blogs and online tools for sharing.  More details and templates will follow.

(Please send a quick. "Got it !" reply so I know you received this news.)  Otherwise I'll start calling people tomorrow.

Call or email me anytime.  

Jim

Jim Egenrieder
GoogleVoice: 571-482-8298

Input from you folks?

It seems the snow totals will be right around the middle of the predicted range, but also heavy and wet.  With icing from overnight temperatures tonight and tomorrow in the 20's, I'm strongly leaning to cancelling our face-to-face meeting on Saturday.  Instead we'll rely on all your new skills in blogging and online collaboration to accomplish the same things over the next week or two.

05:23am, Thursday, February 26, 2015