Guilty by Assumption!

We've all been there. If you sit back and think, you'll probably realize you were there sometime today. Where, might you ask? Why, being guilty of thinking someone else knows something you do.

It all started with me sending a link to a teacher today. Our mail program ended up adding a space and a period into the link, so the link did not work. This teacher asked me to look at the issue and I was able to see it right away. No, I didn't expect this teacher to notice this mistake. It's not something most people would notice anyway.

As it was, I was able to fix the URL she needed to visit and was able to work on a few other things with her, including some quick, just-in-time training on a web program we use in our district. She was amazed at some of the things that could be done, and, not having gone through the training myself, I was able to learn on my own. Then again, that's the way I learn many things: sit down, try it out, learn what does and doesn't work. Again, not something I would expect of others, as we all learn in different ways.

But after working with her on this quick training, I reminded her that this is part of what I was available to do for our staff. At least, I thought I was providing a reminder.

This teacher is new to our building but has been with our district a long time, and as so many of us have been guilty of, I assumed that she knew I was a half-time instructional coach, just as many other teachers assumed that she was aware of many rules, etc. in the building.

This got me to thinking about what I should be able to assume and what I should make sure to reiterate to both staff and students. Being a half-time math teacher and half-time instructional coach has led me to need to prioritize many things. Of course, my top priority is to the students of this district, and that priority has sometimes left me thinking of myself secondary (I have done better at taking care of myself more of late, but am still working on that front). When I am in my non-teaching time at school, I will drop whatever it is that I am doing if a student seeks help, regardless if they are in my class or not.

With that being said, I will first think about assumptions I have for my students. I assume they have mastered the curriculum in the prerequisite courses for the course they are currently in. I should be able to make this assumption with great confidence, but I also know there are students who move on regardless of prerequisites and teacher recommendations. But this is one assumption I will continue to make, with the caveat that I will offer extra help for those students who need it.

I will not, however, assume that my students can "do it all" with technology, as I have seen others do. Students are great with technology when it comes to entertainment and socializing. But what about when it comes to productivity and education? Do they know how to properly use cell phones and not disrupt others? Do they know how to find and evaluate a resource online? Can they create something new with various technologies with information they find? That's where I cannot make assumptions and have to make sure to provide the new viewpoint to my students and get them to embrace it, as well.

I cannot assume anyone else knows things that are second nature to me. I provide a variety of professional development opportunities for our teaching staff, but am restricted by time for preparation and meeting with them due to my schedule. I could use this time crunch as an excuse, or just rush through materials that I think my staff should already know, but that would make me highly ineffective. So I need to remind myself to move slowly, and if I don't get through everything I want to, then so be it. It will allow for better professional development and almost guarantee a higher level of implementation. Plus, it leaves them wanting more!

Too often in the world of education do we just think that others already know something we are so good at. I'm sure you hear it in the teacher's lounge. But we, as educators, need to remember that we are educators for a reason, and that is to share what we are so good at and get others to see themselves as good at it as well. In order to do that, we need to stop assuming and continue teaching.

Think Before You Post!

Earlier today, I was presented with a link from my PLN to a blog that talked about parent/teacher interactions. I think this is a very important topic that should be discussed openly. So I proceeded to follow the link to be presented with a blog entry that was an email conversation between a parent and teacher (names were removed, of course).

I had to pause. Did this teacher really take an email from a parent, directed to him, about that parent's child and post it on the internet? Not only that, but said teacher-blogger also posted his response. And talked in some detail about that student's behavior and his views of an issue that should remain private between the parent and the teacher? Said teacher-blogger's name is posted on the blog. No contact information is provided. So if I want to discuss this situation with the teacher-vblogger, I would have to search to find contanct info or leave a comment on the blog. This post should not be on the internet as it is, and I certainly don't feel a discussion with this teacher-blogger should be public, either!

Right now, I want to reach through my screen and knock some sense into the teacher-blogger. Unfortunately, I think said teacher-blogger will be in for a surprise when he is called into the principal's office in the near future. I understand that we all need to blow off some steam from time to time. You can do that in the teacher's lounge, or in a blog post that is never published. Or in a much more hypothetical situation, even! But this post is now out there for anyone to read. If I were the parent on the other end of this situation, I would be livid.

As an educator, I have to constantly remember that I am a role model, whether I want the label or not. As educators, we are all in the public spotlight, whether we are at school, walking the dog, in the grocery store, driving down the road, etc. We need to always be aware of what it is we are doing, especially online. Venting about parent/teacher interactions is not just counter-productive, but potentially harmful to one's employment and certification! As human beings, we all make mistakes. We must also learn from those mistakes, as well as deal with the repercussions of those mistakes. I hope that this teacher-blogger can avoid anything too harsh.

The Continuing Discussion of Cell Phones in Schools

Even though Classrooms for the Future (CFF) has ceased to be in any form it once was, one of the great collaborative areas for the former CFF Coaches (many are now Instructional Technology Coaches) is our listserv. Today, a question arose as to whether allowing cell phones in schools would violate CIPA arose, as many districts want to ensure that they can obtain as much funding as they can. I can assure you, allowing cell phones does not violate CIPA. If the students are not using their phones to access the schools network, then it is fine (it is necessary to have classroom management skills to allow their use, though). If a student is using a cell phone to access the school's network, well, the network should already be filtered anyway!

But this led to another discussion about allowing them or not as devices period. As many of you know, this is an issue that I hold close, as I feel students should be allowed to use the devices in school and have had success integrating the technology into my classroom. But I did enter into the debate on the listserv, and realized that my argument on there could be very useful to other educators trying to bring cell phones into their districts. Below is part of the conversation:

There is a modicum of responsibility that will always rest with the student. If they are properly using the cell phone for educational purposes, then there is no issue. It is only when they move outside of the area of "educational purposes" where the issue arise, as with any other tool. If a device is being used inappropriately, then it needs to be addressed thusly. However, if we are just saying "No" to a device due to possible disruptions, we are only inviting more disruptions (students WILL have cell phones with them, regardless of the rules).

But a question I bring up is, "Do we want the 'inmates' running the 'asylum?'" I no longer need public school for my personal gain. I have a job in a public school, but this institution is not here for me. It is here for the education of the students who walk the halls every day. We should be providing them an environment that suits their needs and desires. They have expressed again and again that they want to be able to use their cell phones in school, both educationally and socially. Yes, there are potential issues that could arise, but I think I could come up with a similar situation for any issue that does not use a cell phone. We have dealt with those issues. We can do the same with cell phones.

Since I have started using cell phones in my classes, there have been fewer phones confiscated from those who are students in my classes. As we are using the devices, we are also discussing appropriate uses, etc. I even model how to react to a ringer going off during class by leaving my ringer on and having a friend call it while I am teaching. It rings, and while continuing to teach, I just reach into my pocket and silence the ringer. I don't make a big deal. I don't fumble around. I just go about as if nothing big is happening (I do have to say that my classroom phone rings much more frequently than any combination of cell phones in my classroom during lessons). After going over my lesson, I have a small discussion with my students about how to react (or not react) to a disruption of this sort.

Two weeks ago, a situation arose where my students were tested. A student forget to silence her phone (we all make this mistake), and it went off in the middle of a lesson. She quietly and calmly silenced the phone, I kept teaching, and not a single student reacted in any other way to the "disruption." The lesson got through to them. Now, had I followed the rule to the letter of the law, I would have confiscated the phone on the spot. I would have had to stop the lesson to ask for the phone, possibly argue with the student that didn't want to part with her device, and then get the class back into the lesson. Which, I ask, is more disruptive?

I hope an argument like this can help more districts allow the use of cell phones in education. There are so many things that can be done, but only if the ability to use the devices is there.

Another One Bites the Dust

As I was finishing my preparations for my cell phones in education presentation today, I was checking my QR Codes, and I found out that he site I had been using for generating my QR codes has ceased operations. This also means that the QR codes I had created to show do not work anymore, as they work through the site snappr.net (don't go there, they have been shut down). While I understand that services such as this may not be able to survive in the current economy, it would have at least been nice to have received some notice about their impending doom (they did get my email address when I registered). But that's neither here nor there, and I appreciate that they did exist at one point in time so that I could become aware of QR codes.

So, I am now in search of a new QR code generator. The first one I am going to check out is Kaywa. I hope it works well. If you have any suggestions for other ones to check out, let me know!

Reflections on a Math Day: November 17, 2009

I don't know why I don't take the time to reflect more often. I may think some of the things in my head, but once that thought has passed, what else can I do with it? I could come up with excuse after excuse as to why I don't do this more, but that's not productive.

In my Integrated Math 2 classes, we have been working on distance, midpoints, and slope. As a math teacher, I feel that these are relatively easy concepts to work with, and many of my students have expressed that they know what slope is, blurting out "y = mx+b!" Of course, slope is only a part of the slope-intercept form (which we will cover later this chapter), but it gives me some insight into what my students know, and what they think they know.

Now, with my Math for Standards class, I have them blog about what they think they know before we begin a unit, and then have them reflect upon what we covered at the end of the unit. It helps me to better adjust the unit to their needs, and it allows for them to see their growth through the unit. (Visit my class blog here, student blogs are linked on the right). I also plan on using the blogs more with my Integrated Math 2 students as we move through the year.

Hearing the students yell out the slope-intercept form when we are only looking at slope gave me the idea that my students had indeed learned about slope before and knew a way to apply it. Yet, when I asked them what slope actually was, they stumbled. So we did some math calisthenics. We discussed how slope represented the ratio of change in vertical distance to change in horizontal distance. Of course, many of us teach it as "rise over run." So, from their seats, I asked them to run across the room. Of course, they all started by rising first, so I stopped them. Right there, they realized that before they can run (horizontal), the have to rise (vertical) when dealing with slope. The light bulbs came on.

Today, the Integrated students were working on a graded worksheet on distance, midpoint, and slope. One of the students (who, coincidentally had not completed the practice problems assigned for the concepts) looked at the midpoint formula and noticed something. He raised his hand, saying, "Mr. Lamb, there's a comma in this formula!"

"Why do you think that is?" I asked him.

He paused, thinking about what we were covering, what he was trying to find, and what was given to him in the problem. He was not coming up with an impulsive answer. I could tell he really wanted to understand this. "Well," he replied, "since we're looking for the midpoint, that means we need a point, and a point is given as an ordered pair. And, the midpoint is in the exact middle of the other two points, so if we know the distance between the points, we just cut it in two, so that's why each part gets divided by two!"

He had a smile on his face. Can you imagine it? A student enjoying understanding math! We continued our conversation (which also happened to be loud enough for the rest of the class to hear) about being able to understand the formula. I asked if he'd be able to choose the correct formula from a series of formulas, and he was confident he could, as he now understood why the formula worked.

I wish I had more time to have these types of discussions with my students. This is where the real learning occurs for some of them, and the boost in confidence on one skill can go a long way in the classroom, especially for students who feel they cannot do math.

One other change I have implemented is with the comments I place on report cards. I was sitting and typing the comments last week as I always have: "Timmy should..." or "Mary needs to..." when I stopped. Something hit me, and I had to ask myself, "Who am I writing these comments for?" I have always written them as if only the parent would see them and directed them to the parent (And yes, I am a firm believer that a parent/guardian should be an active participant in a student's education). But I want my students to realize that, ultimately, they are responsible for their own education. So this year, I am writing comments for the students, not about them. I have already gotten input about this from a few students, as they seem to be thankful that I am talking to them.

Google Wave Invites

I received a Google Wave invite not too long ago, and to go along with it, I also received some invites for some friends so we could all try it out. I posted on twitter and quickly got responses for all my invites, but then others rolled in after I passed them all out. I felt bad, as I only had so many.

So, this week, I received twelve more Google Wave invites. I first reached out to those I didn't get the first time, and two of them still hadn't been invited, so they each got one. This left me with ten more to pass out, and I wanted to be a bit more fair. The solution I came up with was to ask for the best reason why anyone should get the invites. I received fifteen requests from people I know, plus 8 from spammers and people I don't know. I am posting the ten best responses now. If one of these responses is yours, watch your inbox for your Google Wave invite (or check your twitter/facebook for me asking for your email so I can invite ya)! Spammers, you can ignore, because I'm not inviting you to Google Wave!

Top Ten Why I Should Give You A Google Wave Invite (in no particular order):

1. Yes, please! ...b/c I need to contact this Nigerian Prince to complete the transfer of my life savings.
2. Because in 1 year I went from using little tech in the classroom to embracing Moodle, wikis, Twitter, and the like. Bring it on!
3. As tech coach at GS, I want to share the possibilities with my teaching staff. Giving it to one will inspire 75.
4. Um - I'm not gonna feed you a load of BS. So putting it simply... Cause I really want to play around with the technology :)
5. I finally had chance to research what Google Wave is and it looks awesome!!! I am in a technology department at work, so always looking for new collabaration tools. If you have any invites left, please send one my way :-)
6. One word...KINDNESS :)
7. Send me an invite and I'll try to figure out what it is. I assume something to do with the tides or hairstyling.
8. three things: 1) i played EP soccer and i was on your dad's indoor team with your sisters 2) I will use google wave to somehow feed starving children 3) you know that hole in the ozone? I know who's causing it. now, unless you want al gore on your [butt], you should probably invite me.
   
   Plus, i know who the jelly bricks are, lol, and that makes me worthy of google wave
9. because you saw me get drilled on the side of the head with a softball? Does that work?
10. I would like to petition you for a Google Wave invite, but for my boyfriend, not for myself.
    
    Christmas is coming up, and being a broke grad student, it is unlikely that I will be able to get him (or anyone else, for that matter) a gift this year. This makes me sad because he is very nice to me, and always does nice things for me. He even takes out the trash without me having to nag him.
    
    I know he wants a Google Wave invite because he is a Sys Admin and I have heard him lamenting his lack of Google Wave capabilities. He would be ecstatic to receive an invite.
    
    So that is my plea, Jimbo. I would like you to give me one of your invites so Ben can have it. As an early Christmas present. Because free is the only price point I can swing right now.

So, there you have it! Sorry for those I couldn't get this time around. If I get more, I'll ask you again!

Cell Phones In (and out of) the Classroom