Parenting in the Digital World

Volunteer Sign Up Tool

I probably spend more time doing volunteer tech stuff than I do sleeping…. somehow I always get roped into building websites, managing Facebook pages, and moving organizations to new tools that help them be more efficient. Mostly it’s because I can’t stand paper! (Someday I need to figure out how to get paid for all this….)

Just ran across a new tool that could be very helpful to many of the little non-profit or parent groups I work with: signupgenius.com. Looks to be a great tool for signing up volunteers for events — no more emails, no more not knowing who’s volunteered, etc.

Bedtime Reading

My 12-year-old son’s choice for bedtime reading tonight? Three TED talks on the iPad.

While I don’t like him using the iPad before bed (makes it harder to fall asleep), he has learned about three very different concepts from these talks from three inspirational speakers. We had a great discussion about the videos (I didn’t watch them) — content including visualizing music, schizophrenia and why gay and lesbian people shouldn’t be discriminated against in society.

That’s what 21st century learning should be about. Learning isn’t limited to the time between 9-3:30.

Now we’ll see if he falls asleep.

Media Focus on Tech in the Classroom

Two media articles about technology in the classroom yesterday.

“Does More Tech in the Classroom Help Kids Learn?” from Mashable lays out simple, but poignant arguments about how technology in the classroom can add to student achievement. Simple things like letting kids learn at their own pace, promoting active rather than passive learning, and real world learning are things that should happen anyway – it’s just that technology finally allows them to happen easily. It’s a good quick article, and I’ll be keeping it in my list of articles I send administrators and teachers to.

An article, “Schools See a Tech Revolution but will Students See Results?” in the St. Paul Pioneer Press is, of course, more skeptical. The newspapers always are. The article starts out with the premise that tech is expensive, and only focuses on that. It treats is as a fad, and of course, measures all results based on standardized test scores. Getting that to change as the only measure of success is a whole different ballgame, but it certainly obscures the other positive outcomes.

I do find it interesting that St. Paul schools have been working on this for over a year. I have a coworker whose son attends a St. Paul school. She’s been asking for a couple of years about St. Paul’s plan, and has heard nothing. Which is St. Paul’s loss, as she could be a huge asset to them in this planning.

The article does have some strong arguments for positives, such as a quote from Peter Beck, a high school history teacher: “More and more, we’re facilitating learning rather than being the ultimate keepers of information and knowledge.” The tech director for Edina is also strongly stating that we can’t stop while we wait for evidence through tests.

It’s obvious the paper and the general public hasn’t embraced this paradigm shift yet. Just the tone of this article makes it clear that they don’t approve.

Sigh.

How Much Math do we Really Need?

Intriguing article in the New York Times, “Is Algebra Necessary?”

Andrew Hacker argues that requiring all students to study algebra and higher mathematics is unnecessary and causes many students to fail. In this world of STEM focus and U.S. math scores way behind, this is a dangerous thing to say!

I happen to agree. I’m not the only one. In yesterday’s State of Now #140edu conference, Chris Lehmann made the same claim. He asked the audience how many people had done a derivative in the last year. Only 2 or 3 raised their hands. How many people had read something in the paper that involved statistics? Almost eveyone. Yet high school math requirements do not include even basic statistics.

Dan Meyer, a math teacher, thoughtfully makes the same claim in a TEDx talk. Watch it.

Hacker says, ” Mathematics is used as a hoop, a badge, a totem to impress outsiders and elevate a profession’s status.” Many colleges require three years of math to enter, graduate programs require calculus, even if that subject is never ever needed in grad school.

What does that do to students whose strength might be in the arts? or literature? writing? music? history? Do students who may not excel at mathematics get discouraged? Hacker thinks they do, “Demanding algebra across the board actually skews a student body, not necessarily for the better.”

I see this at my house. My daughter is a visual learner. She’s creative. She’s musical. She is not a linear sequential learner. Math is a huge struggle for her. She spends a hugely disproportional amount of time on math homework. She fails tests. She spends hours before and after school getting help. She gets very discouraged. The non-contextual way math is taught has absolutely no relevance to her. Her math grades will bring her GPA way down – and it’s not for lack of hard work. The way math is taught just doesn’t make sense to her.

Does she need math beyond this point? It took me a long time, but I’d argue no, she doesn’t. I can guarantee she’s not going to be an engineer, a math professor. She won’t need calculus, or even the pre-calculus she’ll have to take in order to graduate. Yet, she won’t get a single lesson about balancing a check book, reading statistics, or other basic consumer math.

I love Hacker’s idea of a “citizen statistics.” This stuff would be really useful – -to everyone.

What My Kids Deserve

I attend ISTE for professional reasons because I develop digital content resources for students and teachers. I attend ISTE as a way to learn from the masters: from the teachers who are really cutting edge, who are leading the way in terms of building 21st century classrooms.

This year, I couldn’t help looking at ISTE as a parent, too.

My kids go to great schools, but they are schools in a very different places than the ones I hear discussed at ISTE. I go to ISTE and hear all these amazing, awesome teachers and what they’re doing in the classroom. I hear from the innovative administrators who are encouraging their teachers to think differently.  I then think about the situations where my kids are at: no phones in school, slow adoption of collaborative tools such as Google Apps, a few laptop carts or overbooked computer labs.

My kids – and all kids today – deserve to experience a 21st century classroom.  As I’ve thought about this, I have created a list of things I think kids deserve.

  • My kids deserve to go to a school that prepares them for their future – not for the future as we saw it 50 years ago.
  • My kids deserve to work with teachers and schools who are willing to step aside as the expert and become a guide.
  • My kids deserve teachers that become co-learners.
  • My kids deserve to learn in a place that understands that students don’t all learn the same way – that kids have different learning styles. Just because the teacher learns best by reading doesn’t mean my child does.  All kids benefit from learning by using different modalities.
  • My kids deserve to use tools that they use in the rest of their life. At home, my kids use the internet to find facts and resources. They use cameras and phones to communicate their ideas in many different ways. They deserve to be able to do that in school – and not in a lab. (See this excellent post, “Snapshot of a Modern Learner” by Mike Fisher.)
  • My kids deserve to be taught how to access and analyze information the way the world is moving, not the way the world used to be.
  • My kids deserve to be taught to be collaborative, like they are in the rest of their life, and like most of us do our work. My kids are social, they expect to be able to communicate with their friends and work together. Empower them to do this. Don’t call it cheating.
  • My kids deserve access to their learning 24/7, wherever they are. Make their class materials available. Make their assignments available online – not just when they’re in class.
  • My kids deserve to be able to express their learning in ways that fit them. Why can’t they do a documentary? Create a digital story?  Design an infographic? There’s no reason that the traditional ways of expressing knowledge are the only ways.
  • My kids deserve to learn skills that are in no way related to taking a standardized test. They deserve learning that isn’t just focused on that test.
  • Above all, my kids deserve to find their passion. They deserve to be in a school that introduces them to a variety of subjects, of learning and of skills. They deserve to be allowed to explore, be curious, try new things without the fear of a test or a score limiting them.

I plan to take these concepts to the school board and administrators. I want to build a positive relationship where these concepts can be discussed.

My thanks to the many ISTE teachers, administrators and bloggers who have modeled this type of education with your passion and curiosity. You’ve helped me develop these concepts and have helped give me the confidence to ask for these things for my kids – and all kids. You have set an example for others. Thank you.

ISTE, Of Course.

The flight home from San Diego and the ISTE conference allows for time for reflection (and sleep!) The conference was, as always, an overwhelming experience full of inspiration, information and new connections.

The view from the San Diego Convention Center

Passion and Creativity: Big ideas for the conference, for me, were passion and creativity. Educators wanting students to find their passion, as passion fuels learning. Both keynotes discussed passion, and it came up in a number of sessions. Sir Ken Robinson reflected on how standardized tests create linear, one-size-fits-all schooling that stifles creativity and passion. Students aren’t all the same size. Check out the keynotes by Sir Ken Robinson (be sure to zip ahead to the keynote part)  and Yong Zhao (short clip and full keynote.).

Quote from one person watching Dr. Yong Zhao: “The focus on standardized testing is usually at the detriment of innovation, creativity and entrepeneurship.”

I know for my kids, passion is truly the motivator for learning. With passion flamed by the right content, an awesome teacher, or some personal motivation, learning can bloom. When passion is not fostered, learning is a chore and not done well.

Taking a Stand: I was inspired to take a stand by Sir Ken Robinson’s talk, as well as Adam Bellow’s Ignite bit. I can’t help bringing my personal life to this conference –  I am “just” a parent wanting my kids’ schools to move to incorporate technology. I’m often dismissed and not taken seriously. It gets discouraging. This conference has inspired me to stand up again. I’ve already drafted a letter to the superintendant, which I’ll post here once it’s done. I’ll also post the response. That could be interesting.

In addition, I was inspired by the number of “technology coaches” I saw and talked with. It seems that this is an increasing field, where experienced teachers/tech directors are going out and consulting with other schools. I’ve decided that I’m no longer just the parent bugging them, but a technology coach and advisor. How can I approach things differently? I’m going to offer my services to one school (working with a teacher) as a tech integration specialist for a few hours a week.

Education Reform: I sometimes wonder if ISTE is about technology or about education reform. Maybe it should be ISRE – international society for the reform of education. There are very few sessions that don’t have some element doing things differently, of changing that “factory model” of education. While not all sessions are as drastic as Sir Ken Robinson’s keynote or Will Richardson’s session on change, even the basic “list 100 apps” sessions talk about how to do education differently.

I find this encouraging and hopeful. The change is all about doing our best for students.

The view from our condo. Made for a great Sunday afternoon hang out to watch the Padres game!

Connections: Since I’m not a teacher, but a content provider, sometimes I don’t have a “group” at ISTE. Yet, this year I told myself I was going to work much harder at making connections, and I did. I made a number of professional connections that could have real impact on the projects we have planned at work. It could lead to some powerful partnerships that could help us achieve our goals to deliver the best digital content, in ways that teachers and students really can use.
In addition, I found I had a much easier time just talking to people, whether it was someone waiting in line to get into a session, sitting at a table quickly eating lunch, or sitting by me in the Blogger Cafe. These quick conversations were always interesting and truly did help me feel connected (although I still wish I had a better answer for the inevitable “where do you teach” question.)

The really fun connections? I saw all these people I “know” from blogging. Of course, I don’t really know any of them and they don’t know me at all. I just read all the stuff they post. I was beside myself to be sitting by a table with Audrey Watters, Jerry Blumgarten, George Couros, Patrick Larkin and more. I was far too shy to say anything – why would they talk to me? Then I attended a session with Will Richardson…. And I even talked to him! Later that night, I saw Jeff Bradbury and Steve Anderson at a party. I had had a glass of wine, so was a little more confident. I just went up and introduced myself. Today, the ultimate: I walked right by Chris Lehmann as I was leaving. I just went up to him and introduced myself. We had a very nice conversation, and he even invited me to come talk more up in the Blogger Café. I was beside myself! How exciting! Too bad I was on my way out. Dang. It just MADE MY CONFERENCE!

Parents: I’ve been thinking…. One voice that is absent from this whole conversation – not just at ISTE – is parents. Students are a small voice – they should have a much bigger voice, and I know they do at smaller conferences. But parents need some voice in this as well. I appreciate hearing from the administrators about how they bring parents on board when the school is driving the change. It is immensely helpful to hear about parent tech nights, different modes of communication, and happily, the lack of parent resistance to the changes. When I do speak to my kids’ schools, it helps to have these ideas from these great leaders. Yet, parents are not part of the conversation at ISTE. Should they be? I’m not really sure, but it’s worth asking.

Thanks ISTE for another overwhelming and thought-provoking few days. This year, I leave confirmed that professionally, we’re on the right track with our digital content projects, even though I have a lot of work cut out for me in moving others in the organization along the path. Personally, I am even more frustrated by the situations my kids face at their schools. I have been inspired and will pick up my advocacy at these schools. Wish me luck.

Finally!

This year, my son is taking an Astronomy class at a three-week summer program. It’s intense – they are doing some tough stuff during these three weeks. My son loves it.

On the first day, he was so excited to tell me that the teacher told them to USE their camera on their cell phones/iPods!! The teacher told them to take pictures of the activities they do in class. Wow. He gets it!!

The kids are going to use the pictures to create a slide show for the Open House night  on the second-to-last day of camp. I think this is brilliant. Instead of the teacher taking all the pictures, let the kids! That way you see the class through their eyes – not the teachers. The kids have a task, a responsibility.

The teacher also encouraged the kids to show their parents the pictures. So my son does. It’s been a great way to get past the “What did you do today. Nothing.” conversation. Instead, I ask him to show me the pictures he took that day. We’ve had some great conversations, he’s talked a ton more than he would otherwise, and I’ve learned something. It would have been much harder to explain some of what they did without the pictures.

So, besides learning incredible stuff about astronomy, the kids are also learning digital citizenship, and 21st century skills such as communication and collaboration. In addition, they are using visual media to communicate – and since over 60% of this generation are visual learners, this fits right in.

So, thank you, Mr. Bullard. You get it.

 

A Program that Works

My son is in a summer program that has the kids taking one class for three weeks. It’s a challenging academic program that pushes the kids to look really deeply at one area. They’re able to really explore the topic through a variety of activities – mostly through project-based, hands-on experiences. No testing, no rote memorization, no routine classroom stuff. Teachers have planned activities and they have lectures, but kids are able to pursue their own interests and work quickly on project and through content.

My kids have done this program for six years, and each time they come away asking why regular school can’t be more like this program. I often wonder the same question. They learn so much during this program, they LOVE going every day. It’s challenging – there’s no slacking during these three weeks. Yet, the kids want more and more.

Why can’t regular school be like this?

Holding the Adults Responsible

The news has been covering a recent story about a few middle school students who took cell phone pictures of girls in the locker room, then shared the pictures. The students (ages 13-14) were charged with criminal activity.

Gail Rosenblum had an insightful column in the StarTribune about using this as a time to instruct, not to punish. I agree with her 100%, and would even go further than that. While the students need to be held responsible for their behavior (they are getting many hours of community service – an appropriate response), I think adults in their lives should be held responsible as well.

Rosenblun states, “As obvious as it may seem, we need to keep explaining the rules…” She’s exactly right. Kids need to be taught appropriate usage and behavior with these tools, just like they need to be taught appropriate use and behavior in riding a bike or eating dinner. They need to know these skills in addition to geometry, history, etc.

Parents need to participate in this. Parents are often the worst offenders. Rosenblum acknowledges that adults need to follow the good behavior rules, too.  A couple of weeks ago, we attended a recital at my son’s school There was a man, we assume the dad of one of the performers, sitting way in the back, in the group of 8th grade students. Was he interacting with them? Nope – he was on his phone the entire concert, except the few minutes the group that his child was performing with was on. What kind of model was this? Seeing a parent do this basically gave this whole group of 8th graders permission to pull out their phones and text, surf, etc., during the concert. That is not ok.

Teachers and administrators need to participate as well. We know this. It needs to happen. This is why saying NO PHONES or devices is not a good policy. I guarantee you the kids are using them anyway.

This school happens to have a pretty solid cell phone use policy – phones are allowed for academic reasons. I don’t have any idea what the school does to teach digital responsibility, and these things can happen no matter what you teach. But it is a wake up call to others that schools and parents MUST be teaching these expectations to students.

Zero

A recent post by Joe Bower, “Giving Students a Zero Teachers Them a Lesson” resonates.

Zeroes motivate kids — they motivate them to quit.

What a great quote. And concept.

We recently saw a perfect example of this. A few weeks ago, my daughter was caught “cheating” on a worksheet (a worksheet… in 9th grade. in science. PLEASE!)

I had seen the girls working together on said worksheet the night before. I expect an answer was getting copied from one page to another. But was that cheating? Or collaboaration?

Anyway, the teacher called my daughter and her friend out in front of the whole class. Told them they had a zero on the assignment and no possibility of any more extra credit. He didn’t give them a chance to explain. He didn’t listen.

This “zero” did exactly what Joe Bower said. My daughter had never been in trouble before, and this zero caused to her want to quit. Her grade in that class plummeted, her motivation was gone. Read the rest of Bower’s blog. He teaches at a children’s psychiatric assessment unit.  It breaks your heart to read about his experiences with kids who “…have been fed a steady diet of zeros for years.”

Fortunately, my daughter was mad, and didn’t let it get her too down – although I doubt she’ll ever enjoy science much after this humiliating experience. We saw, for a moment, exactly what Bower refers to. I could easily see how getting zero after zero becomes a vicious circle. My daughter had enough non-zeros (and I don’t mean grades) to be strong and survive. She moved on. Sadly, not all kids can.