WICKED PROJECT (FINAL)

I am seeking to address of student to student tutoring and addressing many of the logistical problems they entail. At my school (Detroit Catholic Central), NHS (National Honor Society) students are required to tutor students before, after or outside of school (if this can be coordinated). I have heard from several parents, because they live far away, that is difficult to get to school in the morning to have their son tutored or drop off their son who is a tutor. Another contributing factor to this dilemma is that many of the NHS members have other things they are involved with after school, whether it is the band, different clubs, a job, and or athletics. I want to address the availability of tutors to multiple students at the same time and in the virtual world where parents and students can coordinate different and more applicable times for tutoring. Our students are digital natives and we need to treat them as such.
I plan to address this educational issue with the use of VYEW and possibly with Jing recording so students can replay and save their tutoring session. I have changed my mind about having the students Jing everything but think it would be beneficial for students to have the ability to replay a tutoring session. I also feel this would be beneficial for the teachers of the tutors. They can see if the tutor is explaining the material properly and truly helping the student. This is an option but not a necessity.
I don’t think I truly understood the scope or the logistics involved until I started to dig a little deeper. I realize now that I am going to have to get parent permission from both the tutor and the student being tutored. I am going to have to instruct the students on how to use the website, although I do not think it will be difficult since they should be quite familiar with the the web, but we shall see. I am going to have to get administrative backing and I am going to have to bypass some other people that may have been working on strictly face-to-face tutoring in order to get what I want accomplished. This tool will be piloted this year and if successful will be implemented more in following years. Because the discussion rooms can be used at the students and tutors leisure it provides a tremendous opportunity for students to get the necessary help that might not have other-wise received.
The portion I implemented in this class was to identify the three students that need tutoring and make sure they are on board and also identify those tutors. I received administrative approval for partial implementation. I plan on working through the kinks and hopefully implement it on a broader scale next year.
I would know I was successful if both the tutor, student being tutored and counselors and administration thought this was effective.
The technology I have chosen (VYEW) supports the strategies I have chosen because it allows the tutor and the student being tutored to type or speak their information in order to check for understanding and neither party has to necessarily be there at the same time, providing freedom and flexibility to students. Both parties are able to type in information and different images and equations can be uploaded and discussed in the same room at the same time. Instead of working on just one thing at a time.
I believe that having this tutoring provides those students that are struggling more opportunities to be successful. Having the ability to discuss an equation, poem, grammar issue, conjugation, map, piece of art, historical document, or anything else provides opportunities for any subject. The students can bring up the item by uploading or searching it on the web and bringing it into the room. They can either speak or discuss this through text. The students could also record with either jing or camtasia. Student log in time can be kept digitally by the activity in the room. I also think it reinforces relational understanding in those that are tutoring and builds a stronger school community.
I think once the tutors are given the proper instruction on how to work with those students struggling they become the assistant captains of the school. They are the go to individuals. They are great communicators of information the student may have missed from their teacher. Students will have access to someone they can speak about the information and in their same age group and the knowledge and information will be accessible and the tutor can share a wealth of information with the student.
The unexpected bumps in the road were the snow days and the lack of a need for tutoring over a two week period. At our school teachers were not allowed to give students homework or tests over a two week period. We also had two snow days that affected the amount of time being able to implement. Another surprise was the lack of encouragement and help I received from the individuals in charge of the National Honor Society. The only person I was getting encouragement and help from, other than the members of my class, was a counselor that was trying to compile some data for the other two that were supposedly running the National Honor Society. I was too trepidatious and worried about stepping on peoples toes but it seems that some people are not really wanting to put forth any effort and wanted their work done for them. I did not implement it as fast as I would want. I did receive the names of 3 freshman on academic probation and because of how our computers are set up was unable to access their contact information and was able to get it from the counselor that compiled the data. I have come to the realization that if this is going to be done I have to be aggressive and take the bull by the horns. I can’t wait for the others to be ready.
Since my last post regarding the Wicked Project, I have slight progress in implementing my program successfully. It is not to say that it will not be a success it is just the opportunities has not presented itself. Over the past couple of weeks students have not been allowed to be assigned homework or given quizzes or tests. There was also two snow days last week and there was no school on Friday. I plan on working with the National Honor Society Students for tutoring purposes and the National Honor Society induction ceremony was canceled. It was supposed to be held on Monday February 21st, but because of the weather it was canceled.

* Therefore the project has not been implemented as planned. I knew that I was going to pilot it with a few students at first and realized that I would need permission of the parents/guardians if the students were going to do this.
* I have had success in the encouragement I have received from the individuals coordinating the tutors and some of those I plan on using for piloting the program.
* I would approach this project a little more aggressively than I did the first time. Instead of speaking with the coordinator of the tutors and plant the seed, (I know this is his first time doing this) I would approach it with it ready to roll and make sure I am not stepping on any toes. I would have the ideas ready to show visually, written and orally. I think because I went in and only spoke with him it may not have set in completely. If I would have went in full force, then it could have been implemented quicker.
* Others might benefit from knowing that you need to be aggressive from the get go. Don't waver. Go after it immediately.

* I will be continuing this project through the end of the year and into next year. I will need to work with several other educators in the building to help coordinate and allow students the opportunity other resources other than myself to approach. I really believe in the benefits that this program will have in our school community.

This project has been inspiring for me. My original idea was not very good. It was small in scale and had no real positive impact. I feel that the idea that I changed to was a better idea but needed to be thought through a little more before being implemented. I will begin to work with several students on a more organized and use a scientific method approach to see what is working and not working. I think that any time you have students working online outside of school you need to have a definitive set of guidelines they must abide by and the parents should be informed as well.

Professional Learning Plan

Professional Learning Plan

“Get Busy Livin’ (with Technology) or Get Busy Dyin’ (without Technology)”

                I consider myself a digital immigrant.  I am at that in between time period where when I graduated many of the incoming freshman had cell phones and other various modes of technology that when I started college most students did not have.  Cell phones were very large and expensive when I started college and when I finished they were much more affordable.  I also remember going to the lab to type up a paper and send an email.  The first email I ever sent was when I was a freshman in college.  It was in dos format.  We had a black screen and the coolest thing you could do was change the color of the type form green to blue to white.

                When I got my first teaching job, I bought my first cell phone and in those five years since I started college to when I graduated, you could now send pictures and documents via email and many individuals were sending messages to one another through phones.  It was crazy to me to think how much technology changed in that short amount of time and I often would go to students with technology questions.  It seemed that many teachers were not that tech savvy.

                I left teaching after 5 years.  I could not decide on how I wanted my career to progress and I was interested in what the private sector might have to offer.   I spent a year in the private sector and quickly realized that I belonged in education.  I spent the following year after that going to school at Eastern Michigan University to earn enough credits to attain major status in mathematics (I graduated with a minor in math).  I felt this would make me more marketable to employers.    After getting hired in at my current school I had a renewed passion but realized quickly how much has changed in my two year absence from the classroom. 

                Cell phones had taken over and laptops were everywhere.  It seemed almost every student had a phone and could send text messages and pictures and call via their cell.  In the past couple of years this has changed even more with the fact that many of my students have internet capability through their phone and many of them can make their phone into a Wi-Fi hot spot.  I realized I was light years behind my students with technology and was a little intimidated by this feeling.  I knew something had to be done action needed to be taken and I remembered the quote from the movie the Shawshank Redemption, “Get Busy Livin’, or Get Busy Dyin’.”  I felt this same way with how I taught and my lack of use and knowledge of technology.  I did and do not want to be a teacher that isn’t engaging for students and many of them are wired in at all times, whether it is through their phone or computer or video game system; I need to be wired in as well or each year I will become less and less effective. 

                I have also seen a consistent rising interest in online education.  Many of the districts in the state are having funding issues and an increase of online classes where students can earn credits will cut district costs and still provide the opportunities for students to grow in knowledge.  I see this as the future of some education. 

                After speaking with another colleague of mine, I found that he was taking some classes in educational technology and going to work towards his master’s.  I checked it out and since then I have gotten busy livin’.  I am taking this class concurrently with the mathematics technology course (CEP 805).   I have found throughout how much I did not know about technology and how much I can use in my classes and also how much I can help my wife out in her work.  I will finish this course and am already enrolled in the Master’s program and want to continue my work towards this. 

                My specific area of interest is currently in technological design.  I see much of the future of education in online and hybrid learning.  I have been inspired on what can be done through online learning and I also see need in face-to-face learning.  With districts cutting costs left and right there are going to be opportunities to teach students and other teachers how to learn and teach online.  I see this as a definite growth area in education and have been inspired by what technology is available and how it can help. 

                I observe some of my fellow teachers, some getting close to retirement and some close to my age, and their non-interest in technology.  I often here how students should be able to learn just like they did when they were in the classroom; and I am a little discouraged.   Students are different now and need to be treated as such.  We are probably a few years behind where we should be as teachers.  We should have integrated more technology in education and different online activities.  Our learners are different and we should be educating differently. 

                I am inspired by what technology brings to the table.  There are so many opportunities to learn and also to be misinformed.  It is the job of the educator to help students filter through everything that is out there to understand what is legitimate and what is not.  I want to be on the cutting edge and progressive.  I DO NOT WANT TO BE A REACTIONARY.  So I am going to “GET BUSY LIVIN!”

Group Leadership Project Final Product

The tool our group used to deliver the PD tutorial was Camtasia. The reason we chose this was because during our original meetings being recorded in Jing there was only a 5 minute window to record in. There was also no capability of inserting sound or other transitions that would enhance the presentation. It was also difficult to splice everything and edit everything. With Camtasia everything was possible. It provided the ability to make a more professional presentation.

During the development process I learned how difficult it is to coordinate with everyone and how it is more important to delegate responsibilities. I think in our first meeting we were trying to think about the exact final product and how it would look instead of deciding on certain responsibilities and then coming back to meet again. I think we all did a good job of relaying to each other our situations and the optimum times to get together and show what we have already. The juggling can add a lot of stress at times but we managed to stay focus and coordinate everything.

The thing I would do differently is maybe give daily updates to the rest of my group so they can understand were I am at and perhaps put together a calendar on google docs to show availability a little better than I did at the beginning. I think our group was fantastic getting the material in and updated on time and pushing one another in the proper direction.

I am going to try to ask my principal and perhaps my department chair to get Camtasia on my laptop instead of having it just in trial format. I am encouraged to continue to use this as a teaching tool for our teachers and students. Please take a look at the our presentation below, "Getting to Know Vyew" If you are interested in Vyew, you can sign up for a free account at www.Vyew.com

Mobile Learning labs

I definitely think that students will be a little more engaged in the work when you incorporate mobile learning in the classroom.  The problem lies in how to incorporate it successfully in my classroom.  I do not see the online polls as currently being feasible in my classroom.  I might have to investigate further.  I do not give many multiple choice tests so it is difficult for me to see how to integrate this.  I did add my discussion to classroom 2.0 and am interested in some responses that I might receive.  I do think I am going to have my students put together blogs similar to what we do in this class and have students respond to one another's posts.