Schoology - Your Classroom's Digital Hub

Earlier this year we launched Schoology, a learning management system that is sort of a marriage between your traditional teacher website and Facebook. Schoology it is extremely flexible, making it a powerful digital learning hub regardless of which academy you call home. It is also a great tool for connecting in-class and at-home learning using blended learning principles.

While we officially launched Schoology this year it is a resource many teachers have been using for the past three years. The company provides a free version for teachers that is very similar in terms of features to the enterprise version.  Currently, Schoology is being used by Leading Edge, VLA, and PACT's Project X program along with teachers in PFAA. In working with these staff members and students here are five reasons I've noticed that might entice you to make the switch to Schoology as well.

1. One Stop Shopping for Students

Schoology makes an excellent learning hub for your classes. Have a Google presentation or screencast you want to share with kids? Post it in your Schoology course. Need a digital dropbox for students to submit work electronically or a place for them to discuss a topic? Schoology provides those features as well. Through a Schoology course you are able to provide a single point of entry for all student learning materials.

2. Parent & Advisor Access

In Schoology every student account is linked to a parent code families can use to keep track of student progress. These parent accounts basically shadow a student, allowing a parent or guardian to view past and upcoming assignments, grades that were posted in Schoology, and any messages that were sent by the teacher to the class. Schoology also provides an Advisor feature that is available to teachers and administrators. Using the Advisees tab teachers can look up students and see their progress across multiple classes.

3. Workload Planner

One of the reasons we switched to the enterprise version of Schoology is the Workload Planner. This tool allows teachers to see how many assignments students in their class have already been assigned in other classes. This feature allows teachers to plan out assignments that correspond with student calendars and it is built right into the system.

4. Sharing Curriculum Resources

Let's say you and another teacher both teach a class - 8th grade Physical Science. In Schoology you can create curriculum resources together through a shared Resource collection. This tool will actually let you build out an entire class together and then with a few clicks copy all of the content to your own individual classes.

5. Preparing Students for Educational Life Beyond NCS

As we have all heard from many of our graduates, online learning is a foundational component of education after high school. Some students enroll in completely online programs while others take classes that make some use blended learning through a learning management system. Using Schoology allows students to build effective online learning skills while they are still in middle and high school. These are skills that they can turn around and immediately use in college or career training programs.

If you are interested in getting started with Schoology I am currently leading workshops every Tuesday from 3:15-5:15pm on the Main Campus or would be happy to schedule a 1:1 appointment with you. Additionally, I have posted a host of resources on the NCS PD Portal Schoology page including this Getting Started Guide and Tips & Tricks for Launching Schoology with Students.

Joe

Star Academy Goes Google

Earlier this year we launched Google Apps EDU accounts with our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students. What has been amazing to watch is how much this project has changed all of us.

I have to admit that when we started this journey I was not 100% sure that our students really needed these accounts.  Does a 6 year-old need email?  Will they really use Google Docs to publish?  Are they ready for the technical aspects of logging in and managing a password?

In spite of these personal lingering questions we moved forward with Google Apps accounts because we knew that students would need greater access to digital publishing tools to meet the digital literacy demands of Common Core and frankly some of our 1st graders were already submitting homework with personal Gmail accounts.  A few weeks ago as I helped the final group of students login for the first time I was reminded that we definitely made the right decision and it really comes down to equity, digital citizenship, and student voice.

Equity - The differences between students in one class has been quite striking. Whether it was 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade every class contained group of students more digitally advanced than the rest. In 1st grade they made up approximately 25% of the class, but by 3rd grade the number was closer to 60-70%. These children had no problem finding “the curly a” on the keyboard, could easily navigate websites, and were even able to troubleshoot how to remove a previous student who logged into Chrome. They had a natural digital dexterity, which upon questioning each class seemed to stem from greater access to online tools at home.  The remainder of the students were easily tripped up by simple tasks - opening a new tab, finding Chrome when it was removed from the dock, and using the Return key to make a new line. While each of these challenges were easy to overcome with some basic computer instruction, what concerned me is that the students who struggled were often our students of color and socioeconomically disadvantaged. By providing all students a Google account and having them increasingly complete work in a medium that can be accessed from any internet-connected computer (no special software needed) we’re providing an even digital playing field where all students can succeed. They will also be prepared for upcoming SBAC exams and life as a middle and high schooler where all students are expected to use their Google accounts proficiently.

Digital Citizenship - It took about 48 hours for our first digital citizenship situations to appear - one student emailed another and described himself as ugly. The same day a 2nd grader emailed me wanting to know how to upload a profile picture. Like all educators, we collectively had that “Are we ready for this?”  moment, but then reminded each other that we’d rather start the conversation about appropriate online behavior in elementary school with concrete examples and tools in a safe, closed environment than wait until 6th grade when they are already on Instagram and Facebook. The fact they were eagerly making mistakes is a valuable opportunity to discuss digital citizenship and make strategic use of lessons from the Common Sense Media Digital Literacy & Citizenship curriculum.

Student Voice - I have already had two teachers tell me that their reluctant writers (on paper) are suddenly prolific storytellers via email and Google Docs. I'm also engaged in quite a few email-based book reviews with students where we are sharing our favorite books - Judy Moody, Bad Kitty, and Junie B. Jones are quite popular. For some students the act of holding a pencil and “scratching across a sheet of paper with a stick” (actual student quote) is far too challenging. Yes, most of our students hunt-and-peck and we still need to introduce the home row, but many kids are more comfortable with a keyboard and it mirrors the type of writing they most often observe in their daily lives. Simultaneous to launching Google Apps most of our elementary teachers started classroom blogs and the we’re already seeing an explosion of student comments. Last month was Family Blogging Month where the school encouraged students to contribute pieces to each classroom's blog that were read and commented on by families, friends, and readers from all over the world. It only took one or two posts followed by a few comments for the students to understand the power and excitement of publishing for a global audience. Now students (from all grade levels) are submitting posts on their own accord via email or Google Docs for their teachers to publish. Jennifer shared last week that when she was greeting students as they arrived at school one of them came up to her and said, "Mrs. Kloczko I have so many things I want to write about for my class blog. Today I think I am going with a list!"

Has our rollout been flawless? Definitely not. We already have ideas for how to it better next year. For example, we thought it might be too much to teach the kids how to log into a computer and login to their Google account, so our computers were originally set to auto-login. We were sorely wrong. With the help of 3X5 cards students are able to manage their email addresses and passwords without any problems. Next year we’re starting off by teaching kids how to login to both the computers and their Google accounts. We also now realize we need to plan for profile pictures in advance. Kids are eager to have a digital identify. This year we're having them draw self-portraits (on paper with crayons) and using those as profile pictures.

Does our Google Apps EDU launch mean we’re banishing all paper from classrooms and forcing children to take their pens and pencils home? Absolutely not. We’re simply incorporating another tool into each student’s tool box. I am reminded of a statement from the Common Core ELA Standards portraits of college and career readiness,

“They are familiar with the strengths and limitations of various technological tools and mediums and can select and use those best suited to their communication goals.”

We’re simply getting students ready for that future.  One other thing to note, with the roll out of Google Apps EDU we're also noticing an increase in agency for learning. The photo above is from a 2nd grader to Julie Torres. The student needed help with her math homework. Did she sit and wait to ask in class tomorrow? Nope, she emailed her teacher and asked for a math video.

Just let that sink in for a second.

When it comes to digital tools and an innate understanding of how they can be used for education we are definitely learning from a different generation at Star Academy. As this group of students comes through our system we will definitely have to rethink teaching and learning. Blended learning will be the norm with homework activities involving video, discussion forms, and collaborative projects. Publishing for a global audience will be natural and nothing new. Finally, they will expect connected learning environments - email, text, social media.

I am finding that these kids are teaching me what it really means to chart the long-term vision for instructional technology and as the first rule in their computer lab states, "No freaking out!"

Joe

PS - If you are having déjà vu after reading these posts have no fear. You might have read extended versions I posted earlier this year here and here.

Speak Up Survey 2013 - Student Voices

This year our students, teachers, parents, and administrators participated in Project Tomorrow's national Speak Up Survey. Each year Project Tomorrow polls hundreds of thousands of individuals to identify trends in education technology. Speak Up also provides individual schools and districts access to their data for use in planning their own technology infrastructure and long-term goals.

Last week THE Journal published an article on trends in the national data. After reading the article, I was curious how we compared and identified ten trends based on upon the feedback from middle and high school students.

1. Access - Online and BYOD

Similar to last year's results the vast majority of our students are connected online and many are bringing their own devices. 92% of our high school students and 79% of our middle school students reported having computers at home with "fast" Internet, while 2% of high schoolers and 17% of middle schoolers use "slow" (likely dial-up or slow broadband) connections. Many of our students are bringing their devices to school. Smartphones are the most common (41% for middle school and 62% for high school), followed by laptops (11% for middle school, 34% for high school), and tablets (11% for middle school, 20% for high school). Interestingly, in many cases students reporting having devices, but they did not bring them to school. For example, all of the high school students who completed the survey reported having a smartphone and 63% reported having a laptop. 

2. Thoughtful about Digital Footprints

I think every adult worries about what kids are posting online. Are they creating a positive digital footprint or harming their reputation for life? Fortunately, so too are our students. The vast majority of NCS students (82% for middle school and 92% for high school) reported being careful about what they post online and many (49% for middle school and 61% for high school) have advised friends not to post inappropriate content. 64% of middle school students and 76% of high school students stated that they know how to be safe and protect themselves when online. Additionally, they recognize the value of a positive digital footprint with 63% of high school students and 58% of middle school students reporting the importance of a positive online profile. In nearly every statistic for this area of questioning our students were 20-30% above the national average.

3. Desire for Online Learning

With the rise of blended and online learning programs Project Tomorrow asked students about their feelings regarding online education. 61% of our middle school students and 81% of our high school students reported that they are either interested in taking an online course or are already enrolled in one either for academic goals or for personal learning. The top three reasons for wanting to take an online class for both groups were - "Class could better fit my schedule," "I could earn college credit," "I would be in control of my own learning." Middle school students cited an interest in taking math, computer science, and world language online classes, while high school students were interested in online classes for computer science, world language, and college prep skills.

4. Use of Video for School Work

Students widely reported that video is increasingly becoming one of their key learning tools. 49% of middle schoolers and 58% of high schoolers reported watching videos they found online as a regular part of doing schoolwork. Similarly teacher-produced videos, such as screencasts, are also resources commonly used - 54% of middle school students and 64% of high school students.

5. It's All About Laptops & Smartphones

The survey has multiple places where students identify the types of tools they are using or would like to use, so it is a bit challenging to pull out exact numbers. However, they repeatedly shared that they really only use two types of devices - smartphones and laptops. Smartphones are primarily used to communicate with friends and check grades, while laptops are used for writing, creating videos, collaborating on projects, and communicating with teachers. Tablets and digital readers are used by students, but in much smaller amounts.

6. Building the Ultimate School

As part of the survey students were asked a series of questions where they designed the ultimate school. The top three components for both groups were anywhere/anytime Internet access (92% high school, 85% middle school), use of personal mobile devices at school (82% high school, 76% middle school), and high speed color printers (79% high school, 74% middle school). A close fourth was the desire for every student to have a laptop to use at school (68% high school, 77% middle school). The students also mentioned that our current school Internet connection was way too slow (43% high school, 25% middle school), so would like faster Internet in their ultimate school.

7. Communication & Collaboration

In multiple places in the survey our students reported using technology often for communication and collaboration. When asked about the types of writing they did online students commonly mentioned blogging (23% high school, 32% middle school), creative writing or journaling (40% high school, 53% middle school), essays for school (90% high school, 78% middle school), and creating text for websites (23% high school, 31% middle school).  Both middle and high school students reported using social media tools (78% high school, 50% middle school) and text messaging (83% high school, 65% middle school) as resources for communicating with each other. Some students also reported seeking out schoolwork assistance from other students through social media (43% high school, 16% middle school).

8. Gaming for Learning
As is no surprise to a secondary teacher, many students reported that video games are part of their daily lives. As a matter of fact 22% of high schoolers and 26% of middle schoolers identified video game consoles as their main method of accessing the Internet at home. Throughout the survey students indicated that games were a tool they thought teachers could use to enhance their learning. 26% of high schoolers and 55% of middle schoolers reported seeking out educational games to learn more about content in class. Some of their reasons for seeking out games included "Games make it easier to understand difficult concepts" (35% high school, 62% middle school), "I would be more engaged in the subject" (53% high school, 54% middle school), and "The game would adapt to what I know and make it harder or easier for me" (43% high school, 43% middle school).

9. College & Career Readiness
The survey contained questions were students were asked about college and career readiness and their interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers. 68% of high schoolers and 73% of middle schoolers expressed interest in pursuing these types of careers. Overall, they felt that Natomas Charter School was preparing them for the future (see #10), but had some suggestions for how we could improve college and career readiness. The top four suggestions were "Allow us to take field trips to visit companies and meet successful role models" (61% high school, 69% middle school), "Provide information about summer or part-time jobs or internships in my field" (58% high school, 52% middle school), "Have programs during the school day about future careers" (55% high school, 52% middle school), and "Let career professionals teach lessons at school (50% high school, 50% middle school). High school students were also interested in working with mentors who can assist with career and college planning (53%).

10. Supportive Environments, Worried About the Future
As I mentioned in #9, overall the students felt they were being prepared for their future college and career goals. When asked which types of workplace skills they were learning through school our students reported above-national-average preparedness in every category. A few strong ones included "creative thinking" (88% high school, 79% middle school), "critical thinking and problem solving skills" (83% high school, 74% middle school), "working with diverse groups of individuals" (90% high school, 72% middle school), and "teamwork and collaboration skills" (73% high school, 77% middle school). A few areas where they suggested we could grow are "financial literacy," "understanding of civics and community responsibility," and in middle school "ability to communicate in more than one language." Many of our students reported having supportive teachers and families who were involved in their education and knew that they could do well. While our students do feel that they are being prepared for the future, they indicated that they are worried about what that future may actually be (63% high school, 31% middle school). What I found a little concerning is that in both grade spans students were more worried that the national average (by almost 30% in the case of high school). This may be related to the effects of the local economic recession over the past few years.

These are just ten trends I noticed looking through the data. The survey itself has even more information. Next week I'll post and analysis of the trends identified by teachers, parents, and administrators. In the meantime if you are interested click here (NCS Staff) to download a spreadsheet of our results.

In closing I will leave you with one last statistic that might remind us that digital is not always better. While it is easy to assume that our students always prefer digital tools reading through these results, they still sometimes prefer more traditional tools. For example, only 18% of high schoolers and 32% of middle schoolers reported a preference for reading digital books over printed book.

Joe

Everyone Is Doing It, With Good Reason

Last night, after teaching, transporting my kid to a dentist appointment, and dropping him off at my sisters, I dragged myself over to the Sacramento County Office of Education to hear Catlin Tucker speak at the monthly ETLN (Education Technology Learning Network) meeting.  If you don’t know who she is, she is an amazing classroom teacher who utilizes technology to make her life easier and learning more meaningful. Joe actually wrote about her book, Blended Learning a few weeks ago. I left the meeting energized and even more committed to using technology in a meaningful way.

Tucker has a common sense approach to blended learning. One thing she discussed was her bring your own device policy (BYOD). Truth be told, I have been allowing students to use their own devices once or twice a semester. However, this week I jumped in with both feet. What I discovered wasn’t that exciting. I mean, I didn’t get to bust anyone looking at Facebook or looking at inappropriate websites. Instead, my students got a lot of work done. Students used their cell phones and tablets to work on shared documents for their presentation while discussing their work with group members. Why allow them to do this? Why not? Why make them write down their information on paper and then go home and type it out on a Google Doc? They were using the same collaboration and communication skills they would have used with a paper and pen. They were working smarter by cutting out the middle step. The group who did not have a personal device to use, was happy using the one computer I have in the classroom. I took pictures to prove they were actually working. The added bonus, since they did the word processing in class, I was able to view their work that evening and provide fast feedback.

The conversations I had with my colleagues about this experience proved to be more exciting. Performing and Fine Arts teachers are using personal devices to inform their instruction. Did you know that Gary Wong uses www.polleverywhere.com as a formative assessment in his English 10 classes? Gary Wong gets instant feedback from students by allowing them to take polls using the text feature on their cell phone. Within seconds he can assess the student’s understanding of a chapter and use that information to guide his lecture for the day. Personal devices also allow students to produce digital content. Jeanne Feeney’s 6th grade students filmed stop motion animation videos using a free Lego app on their mobile devices and then uploaded the file via their Google Drive app their device. They were able to edit their movie on the classroom computers using iMovie for free! The only thing keeping them from doing all of the movie work on their devices was that the iMovie app for phones costs $4.99! Jeanne’s students also use their phones in science to take pictures of complicated diagrams or hands on activities they want to capture for future reference (portfolio!).

Leading Edge students actively use their personal devices in Technology to save passwords, retrieve pictures or videos for class projects, take pictures of important information on the whiteboard, and send reminders to themselves. In Josh Senge’s class they use their devices to perform online research, video creation, and voice recordings in class. Our students have valuable pieces of technology in their pockets. How do you use them to inform your instruction, create efficient learners, and enrich the classroom experience?

Kirsten

Blended Learning Book

A few weeks ago I finished a great book by a Sonoma County high school teacher that is available in my professional library for anyone to check out.  In Blended Learning - Leveraging the Power of Technology to Create Student-Centered Classrooms, Catlin Tucker lays out a clear vision for using technology to extend learning beyond the school day through online discussions  multimedia, and technology projects.  A few of us have had the opportunity to see Tucker present and ironically she teaches at a school that is fairly technology poor and many of her student have very basic online access at home.  However, she has found that even limited technology and a blended learning model can  "make me more effective, decrease my grading load, and teach my students critical 21st century skills they will use long after they have left my class."

During the first half of the book Tucker discusses the benefits, research, and models of blended learning with concrete models from her classroom.  The book is written from a very practical standpoint, so Tucker also includes rubrics, example lessons, and student guidelines from her own classroom.  The second half of the book consists of a series of chapters for each of the four content areas (math, ELA, science, and social studies) describing strategies for using blended learning an online resources to meet the demands of the Common Core State Standards.

In the preface Tucker provides three reasons why a teacher might purchase her book

1. It advocates for a teacher-designed blended learning model with concrete strategies, ready-to-use resources, and examples grounded in the Common Core State Standards.
2. It shows teachers how they can use an online environment to give every student a voice, increase engagement, drive higher-order thinking, and make homework an interactive experience instead of solitary practice.
3. Teachers will learn how to integrate technology into their existing curriculum in order to build community and create a student-centered classroom that challenges students to be active participants in the learning process.

If any of these sound good to you, feel free to pop by my office, send me an email, or post a comment below to check it out.  I also have some digital resources related to the text developed for our VLA program.

Joe