Why Learning and People Should Come First

I was recently working on my slide deck for a three-day workshop that will take participants on an immersive experience into digital leadership and learning.  My primary objective for all multiday workshops is to illustrate the vital role that technology can play in improving teaching, learning, and leadership.  Most of the first day is spent on emphasizing the importance of a pedagogy first, technology second mindset. The bottom line is that if we don’t get the instructional design right first, then the chances of technology improving learning outcomes is slim to none.  

Throughout my slide deck are numerous questions to get participants to reflect on their practice and think strategically about changes that they or their school(s) need to make.  After having attendees discuss in groups their responses to each question I have them report out their thoughts using a variety of tools. For the most part, my integration of technology into workshops is to foster greater collaboration, showcase how to increase engagement authentically, formatively assess, and creatively showcase what they have learned.   In some cases, I will directly train educators on how to use various tools, but learning to use the edtech tools is the easy part.  Integrating them to support high-level learning and having evidence to support this is the challenging work. 

Image credit: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu

As I line up my reflective questions, I also determine which tools I am going to have participants use to share out.  My favorite and most reliable tend to be TodaysMeet, Padlet, Mentimeter, and AnswerGarden.  For the first day of this particular workshop, I had also planned to use Tackk and ProConIt, two lesser-known tools that I have been using for the past couple of years.  As I went into both accounts, I was shocked to learn that Tackk had suddenly shut down on September 30 and when trying to access ProConIt an error message notified me that the site was not working.  A few days later I still have not been able to access ProConIt successfully.

Fortunately for me, I was able to swap out both tools for others that are similar.  The lesson learned is valuable for anyone using technology to support professional practice.  How would you manage if one day you walked into your classroom or school to discover that Google Classroom, Seesaw, or any other tool that was thoroughly embraced no longer existed? Technology comes and goes.  Sometimes it doesn’t work the way we want, in some cases, it fails to load, and then there is the chance that the tool ceases to exist.  

In the classroom, we must be mindful of what is most important – the quality of the learning and the interactions between people. Both of these outcomes should never be driven by a tool, device, or program.  It is sometimes hard not to get sucked in by all the potential benefits that come with technology.  Engagement is one of them. Yes, we want kids engaged. However, it is critical that engagement leads to evidence of learning.  This point comes back to my mantra of pedagogy first, technology second. Technology should never drive our work, but instead be used strategically to improve teaching, learning, and leadership. 

Technology is not a replacement for practice supported by research and what has been found to work consistently.  The ultimate failsafe is a well-designed lesson that gets kids to think while applying their learning in a meaningful way.  This is why using a tool like the Rigor Relevance Framework to develop a pedagogically-sound foundation first will help to ensure a quality learning experience with and without technology.  It is also important to understand that technology will not automatically lead to better results. We must be mindful of not only how it will improve the task(s) at hand, but also to not rely on it to the point that we can’t move beyond a tool or program if or when it ceases to exist or work.

The same advice applies to the tools that many of us use to connect, learn, and grow.  The Personal Learning Network (PLN) is fueled by the connections made thanks to a variety of social media tools, most notably Twitter. How would you manage or cope if Twitter tomorrow decided to shut its doors?  To be honest, I think many connected educators wouldn’t know what to do with themselves. My point here is not to place all of our eggs in just one tool or platform. 

Technology has enabled all of us to do some pretty amazing things when it comes to our professional practice and will continue to do so. Just be wary of losing focus on what truly matters. Without people, the tech doesn’t matter when it comes to learning. 

Word Cloud Tools: Raising the Bar

Word clouds, or tag clouds as they are sometimes called, bring words to life in a visual way.  They constitute graphical representations of word frequency that give greater prominence to words that appear more often. These words can be taken from an analyzed text or added manually.  The more a word appears or is imputed, the larger it will be in the cloud. Best of all word cloud generators are easy to use and there are a variety of display features that can be used for aesthetic appeal.

For years word clouds have been fan favorites of teachers and administrators alike. These early web tools burst on the scene to provide new avenues to engage students and stakeholders.  Over the years these tools have been used to increase student engagement.  From a pedagogical sense they can be used as part of an anticipatory set or as a means to review prior learning, check for understanding, and close a lesson. They can also be used more broadly as part of a larger student project to assist with making their learning more visible.

Image credit: http://www.christoy.net/

Even though words clouds are used as a pedagogical strategy in class their true power lies in their ability to communicate ideas at a glance. They can be used to highlight successes and achievements as well as articulate how stakeholders feel about our schools and districts. There are many other benefits of using word clouds in general.  They are relatively easy to comprehend, can provide clarity on overreaching ideas, and are easy to share across digital networks. It is no wonder that these tools have been embraced in education and business.

Popular word cloud generators include Wordle and Tagxedo. Even though these are extremely popular there are some apparent downsides. Let’s analyze the description of Wordle:

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. 

Herein lies the problem with tools like this. For starters they are openly referred to as toys. The second issue stems from the fact that the cloud itself is created in a relatively low-level way when it comes to thinking. All one has to do is input words and paste text to create a cloud. My issue with Wordle and Tagxedo is that little to no critical thought is aligned to what could be a powerful way to aid in conceptual mastery. This is not to say that word clouds can’t be used to support higher order thinking skills. The key here is to begin to look beyond traditional tools and begin to integrate those that allow students and stakeholders alike to respond to open ended questions.

Enter Mentimeter and AnswerGarden. Both tools can be used for formative assessment.  Responses to an open-ended question of your choice can be used to create a word cloud.  Each is simple to use and will only take minutes to set up. With Answer Garden all responses form a growing word cloud, which can be exported to Wordle or Tagxedo if you wish. You can even set up an administrator password to remove inappropriate responses. When setting up Mentimeter there are seven different question types to choose from, one of which is a means to have answers curated into a colorful word cloud. It even has a profanity filter. 

With all the tech tools integrated in schools we need to also be more mindful of the questions to which we ask our learners to respond. Let’s move away from the use of toys to support low-level learning and begin to integrate the power of word clouds to support high-level learning. 

Tools to Help Become a Tech Savvy Educator

Cross-posted at The Educator's Royal Treatment.


As I mentioned in a previous post I have been working on a educational technology presentation for principals in a NJ school district.  The title I chose was "Harnessing the Power of Educational Technology" as I firmly believe that the many free tools available at our fingertips possess the ability to enhance our effectiveness and efficiency as administrators.  Below I will break down the main components of my presentation in an attempt to provide a toolkit to be used by other administrators, or any educator for that matter, across the globe.

21st Century Leadership

• Shift Happens (must see video for any educator unfamiliar with the tends and impacts associated with technology and social media.
• Sustainable change relies on understanding people, culture, and processes.  This is best accomplished through collaboration, consensus, and understanding.
• 21st Century Educators must be able to adapt, communicate, take risks, model, continually learn, collaborate, exhibit vision, and lead.
• Leaders in the "Digital Age" share their vision, learn with other educators, start conversations, lead by example, encourage innovative practices, integrate technology, are transparent, and leverage the power of Web 2.0
• Principals can use social media for communication, public relations, branding, professional development, and opportunity. 
• Keys for Principals: Support your staff, be flexible, exhibit passion, don't use time as an excuse to learn, take/encourage risks, and model.

Web 2.0 Tools for Learning

• Twitter: Improve instruction through global collaboration (sharing resources, best practices, lesson ideas, acquire knowledge, networking, tracking conferences, etc.), grow professionally by establishing a Personal Learning Network (PLN), follow specific hashtags (#).  To become more familiar with Twitter check out this video.
• Ning: Customizable social network similar to Facebook, great place to connect with other educators, pivotal to a PLN.  Two great Nings to sign up for are The Educator's PLN and Classroom 2.0.  Check out this Ning tutorial.

Google Apps

• Google Docs: An online word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation editor that allows for easy organization and communication.  Also has a feature for easily creating forms to conduct surveys and collect data.  Features include upload/convert to any format (i.e. MS Office), simultaneously collaborate on and edit various document formats, access your documents from anywhere in the word, and embed links to your docs in emails, websites, blogs, etc.  Learn more about Google Docs here.
• Google Calendar: Create multiple calendars in order to easily share events with staff and sync to your mobile phones built-in calendar.  Learn more here.
• Google Reader: Constantly check educational news sites and blogs for new content (updates daily).  Subscribe to websites via RSS feeds, customize to your learning needs/goals, create you own unique educational current events library, and share websites quickly with your staff. Learn more about Google Reader here.
• Google Sites: Free and easy way to create websites.  Single click page creation, no HTML required, customize to the look and feel that suits you, many templates to get you started, upload files and attachments, embed rich content (videos, images, spreadsheets, presentations), and collaborate with others.  Learn more here.

Web 2.0 Tools for Teaching

• Wordle: create beautiful word clouds quickly and easily.  Use as an anticipatory set, review prior learning, or closure. Have students create a Wordle as a means of independent assessment.  Print or save to the gallery to share (if you have a Mac you can use the Grab feature in utilities to take a screen shot and save as a jpeg.  The more you type the same word the larger it will appear. Click here for a tutorial or check out these resources.
• Voicethread: Collaborative, multimedia slideshow that holds images, documents, and videos while allowing people to navigate through slides and comment in multiple ways (text , audio, video).  Click here for a tutorial or check out these resources.
• Wallwisher: An online message board ideal for making announcements, taking notes, and collecting ideas, responses, or feedback.  Add images, music, and or links to each virtual note.  Works like a real notice board (drag, drop, rearrange posts).  Click on the following for more information: reasons to use, tutorial, and resources.
• Prezi: Create stunning presentations on the web and allow students to unleash their creativity.  Great way to review prior learning or use as an anticipatory set.  Principals can even create a Prezi for their faculty meetings (one of our elementary principals does this).  Check out this tutorial associated and resources.
• Glogster: Allow students to create interactive posters easily.  Mix images, music, text, and video.  Engage students in fun and creative activities while allowing them to express their knowledge, ideas, and skills.  Check out this tutorial and associated resources.  
• Animoto:  Automatically produces beautifully orchestrated, completely unique video pieces from photos, video clips, and music.  Educators can apply for free student accounts at Animoto for Education. Bring lessons to life!  Check out this tutorial and associated resources.
• Skype: Add free videoconferencing with only a webcam, computer, and internet connection.  Make free Skype to Skype calls.  Bring in quest speakers, go on virtual field trips, collaborate with other schools on lessons in real time, bring in additional professional development opportunities,  and add a global context to instruction.  Chat feature allows for the sharing of links, asking questions, etc.  Check out this tutorial and associated resources.

EdTech Tools for Administrators

• Facebook:  Create an information hub for your building that can quickly and easily get important information in the hands of your stakeholders.  Sign up for a personal account, create a page, and add material (news, pictures, videos, events).  Use the sidebar on the left to add useful links (school website, alumni groups, athletic schedules, Twitter feed).  Check out this tutorial and the page I created for New Milford High School.
• Social Bookmarking: Store, organize, manage, and search for your resource bookmarks online from any computer in the world.  Two common tools are Delicious and Diigo (I use Delicious).  Organize and categorize your bookmarks with tags.  Add descriptions for each resource.  Create content area and resource specific tags.  Encourage your teachers to create their own free account to organize their bookmarks.  Check out this video for more information.  My Delicious account can be found here.  
• Dropbox: Store, sync, and share files online for free.  Create an account then download Dropbox on your computers, smartphone, and any other mobile device that you have (i.e. iPad).  Copy/paste or save any file in Dropbox.  You can even copy entire folders from your hard drive and paste them into Dropbox.  Access your files from anywhere in the world by logging into your account at www.dropbox.com.  For more information see this video.
• Evernote: Remember everything by capturing notes, ideas, and things you hear/see.  Download on your computers, smartphone, and any other mobile device that you have (i.e. iPad).  Easily and quickly sync your notes.  Use a smartphone to upload picture and audio notes.  Access your notes from anywhere in the world by logging into your account at www.evernote.com.  Organize and categorize your notes with tags.  For more information see this tutorial.
• Twitter:  Use this microblogging resource to send out information in 140 characters or less to your stakeholders.  Tweet out links, pictures, and video.  Parents and community members can access from the web or on their mobile phones through SMS (text message).  Send emergency announcements, event reminders, special schedules, athletic scores, student achievements, and staff innovations.  View the Twitter page for New Milford High School as an example.
• Blog:  Type of website with regular commentary, reflections, and opinions.  Can easily add text, pictures, video, and gadgets.  One of the best public relations tools available to administrators.  Interactive as readers can leave comments. Check out this video for more information about blogs.

What did I miss?  Please leave a comment so I may improve my presentation and this post!