Technology Rollout

Click here for the Full GSheet. It is view only; you will need to make a copy if you wish to input any data in the evaluation column

I designed this tech roll-out rubric to encompass all the elements of a major tech roll-out such as a new VLE integration or a large integration such as that of Google Apps for Education. I have no doubt that finer divisions of the rubric scores could be achieved; I would expect that an evaluator would assess a firm categorisation and add appropriate comments to elucidate why they have chosen this category and any actual differences that are apparent in the integration. Comments that identify what has been done well and what needs to be improved would be expected.

While some rubrics expect an evaluator to indicate which assessment level they are selecting by ticking a box, these rubrics tend to have a separate sheet with descriptors for levels that require the evaluator to flick back and forward to. I have designed this rubric to incorporate both on one sheet using Google Sheet's new conditional formatting to highlight evaluation descriptions based on a drop-down selection of the evaluation for that element.

The Graph tab gives a visual representation of the evaluation; this is built as the evaluation column is completed.

Using the Internet for Instruction

I like Collaborative Problem Solving and have chosen the Webquest model by Bernie Dodge; Webquest.org, for this project. I have used this format for another lesson as part of Edtech 502 which you can view here.

Stem Cells is a good lesson for students to do research on, but the topic is huge. I want the students to focus their research on specific sites to save them time and point them at the content they need. The links I provide are still to many for one student to work through in the time allotted, the students need to work cooperatively and collaboratively to complete the task effectively.

Ethics 1.2 Shall protect the individual rights of access to materials of varying points of view. The concept of "Intellectual freedom" advocates the right of individuals to explore a wide range of information and opinions. Library, media, and technology professionals often have a major influence over access to materials and other information resources that are available to learners. It is essential that this access be guided by a policy that ensures availability to a broad range of information, ideas, and opinions.

Social Networking

This resource looks at the use of Google Plus/Hangouts as a means for communication between students to share links to resources online. It also considers the application of Padlet to share ideas and links between them, along with resources. Google Drive is used as a means to share collaborative construction of learning objects as a part of the outcomes for the lesson.

https://sites.google.com/a/alice-smith.edu.my/class-collaboration-2/home

Social networking, community building and walled gardens

Social networking, community building and walled gardens.   

Professional Development

Click here to go to Full Google Site

Internet Safety

With my school on the verge of releasing Google Apps For Education, the possibilities for students to stray over the line of appropriate, either on purpose or by accident, is quite high when it comes to the sharing of their content online. Google+ will be accessible by my 15 year old students and above within our domain.

For some time now, I have had my students create an e-Exercise book in Google Drive that has their notes, images and videos from their science lessons embedded. The students find uploading their videos to YouTube and embedding them into their Drive files so easy that it is their preferred choice. Before I would let them do this, they had to show me that they could change the settings to Private and only share with the email addresses they specified; they also had to give me a few reasons why they should keep themselves safe in this manner. They know the right words to say but they are naive and don't really see the risk; perception of risk and actual risk are two different things and when a threat isn't directly in your face, it is out of mind!

In preparing the social networking guidelines for our transition to GAFE, I used all of the resources below. I liaised with the Pastoral Leaders in the school and the ICT specialists as they teach the topic of e-safety each year. I also spoke with the librarian; the librarians are very strongly versed in Digital Literacy and advocate the The Big 6 in regards to searching online, however in this case the librarian felt that the greatest experience lay with the other pastoral and IT teachers with whom I had already spoke.

I was very pleased to find that the pastoral team has a module specific for e-safety and Digital Citizenship. I am not a Form Tutor and so I do not teach this element of the pastoral curriculum so I took time to sift through the curriculum on e-safety and drew together elements from what we already have and what would be better for e-safety ion social networking scenarios.

The following is a list of points our students should aim to consider when they are posting online or are in online communities. Our teachers will be expected to model and teach our students about these:

1. Privacy Settings
   Keeping posts shared with those people you want to have look at your stuff. Remember public means anyone can see!
2. Think before you post
   What one person thinks is funny could be very hurtful to another. If your mother wouldn't like to read or see what you have posted, don't post it!
3. Consider the photos you upload
   The nature and impact an image has when posted online, the attention it draws and the people that can view it need to be considered!
4. Know how to report inappropriate behaviour
   Does the social network itself have a reporting feature? Which teachers can you report to? Tell you parents? Cyberbullying is against the law; CEOP.
5. Online friendship
   Keep your personal information off you profile, don't give your full name, DOB and address, and only accept friendship requests with people you are actually friends with In Real Life.

Another behaviour students should get in the habit of doing is logging themselves out of their accounts after using a public machine. We have bookable iPods, iPads and laptops and students like to leave their Google Drive accounts logged in; full access thank you!

Resources:
Kidsmart: http://kidsmart.org.uk/
Digizen: http://www.digizen.org/

CEOP: http://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/  

Childnet: http://www.childnet.com/

Know it all: http://www.childnet.com/resources/kia/

Stop Bullying.gov: http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/prevention/index.html

Hypermedia lesson

The lesson plan below outlines the use of hypermedia--YouTube-- to enhance a lesson. Students access the clips and make cooperative notes on the different scanning techniques. As a form of Jigsaw activitiy, the students would then present to technique to their teammates, speed-dating is fun for this, and follow the notes, enhancing them if need be. All students would be asssessed on each of the scanning techniques.

Strategic Change Models: Educational Technology Goal

For the Educational Technology Goal project I have created an integration plan for a real e-Portfolio project. The task required that I identify obstacles to success; these are inferred in the design.

The Google Sites ePortfolio for Target Setting and Enrichment activities will be designed, trialled and implemented for Year 10 students by the end of Term 3, 2014.
The flowchart below outlines the individuals and groups with a stake in the success of the implementation of this new system. Adherence to the timeframes outlined will be essential to the success of the implementation of the ePortfolio for the Key Stage (Year 10 and 11) for the start of the next academic year.

Relative Advantage of Using Hypermedia in the Classroom

I have no issues with videoing myself; I think I have a face for TV, but I thought given the choice I would ask my colleagues how they used video in their lessons. Some really good ideas came out of this exercise and I think, with their permission, I will share the videos with the school community in order to expose more staff to cool stuff.

My own use of videos in the Science/Biology classroom would fit into various categories: stimulation material, instructional videos for flipping, extending the classroom in a redefinition style, and the use of video created by the students. A recent module, Analytical Chemistry, is all practical involving the students performing particular tests for ions and the use of burettes; the students video everything they do and embed their YouTube clips into a Google Slides presentation which is then assessed for their skills.

Lets hear from some colleagues:

Maths: focus on stimulus material

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Physics: Focus on instruction of material that can't be brought into the classroom due to restrictions. Video creation by students.

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Art and photography: Focus on instruction of new skills in a flipped format

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Modern Foreign Languages: Focus on video creation which is peer assessed, TV programmes from around the world for culture and pronunciation.

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Physical Education: Focus on student recording for self assessment using Coach's Eye - slow motion and comparison overlays against experts' techniques

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Chemistry: Focus on stimulation material, instruction in flipped lesson format, remediation material as tutorials.

Strategic Change Models: Concerns Based Adoption Model

As a technology integrator and "sometimes" systems analyst and designer, I need to make sure that the systems and technology I try to bring to bear on my teachers work. I have used Roger's Diffusion of Innovations model already in the use of our VLE, the spreading of Google Apps For Education and the use of iPads in my school.

I have not used the Concerns Based Adoption Model, so this was interesting and really very useful. I wish I had the time in my timetable to speak with every member of staff on a one-to-one basis like I did for this task.

Teacher Profile and Concerns Based Adoption Model

I thoroughly enjoyed doing this task. "Ms Rivers" is a pseudonym for one of my colleagues and she has since read the report I have presented here. It was good to sit with her and go through the Concerns Based Adoption Model as it allowed me to put into context some of the language of the questions, but also to remind her that she has done a great deal of IT in the time that I have known her; sometimes people need to hear that they are doing a good job! Ms Rivers was surprised by my report but when I explained my thinking to her she had to agree!

Spreadsheets

I want to give some thanks to Bob Frankston and Dan Bricklin for designing the first spreadsheet package, Visicalc, that was released for the Apple II in 1979.

"VisiCalc took 20 hours of work per week for some people and turned it out in 15 minutes and let them become much more creative." - Dan Bricklin

I use spreadsheets for almost everything in my work. I have an MS Excel Lesson Planner that uses vlookups and VBscript to allow me to efficiently and effectively plan my lessons and order my resources from my lab tech; she is shred into my planner as I have it saved in DropBox. I use a gamified social markbook with my students that is built in Google Sheets; it records everything about my students and functions as a database pulling in data from several other sheets generated from Google Forms...and grades the form responses!
Student test and assessment performances are recorded in a master spreadsheet. Spreadsheets are used to import data and reports into our LMS. Data from datalogging activities are analysed by the students. Students plot data from investigations into charts win GSheets and MS Excel. Exam performance practice is recorded in shared GSheets by the students. Historical climate data and weather data is recorded and charted in spreadsheets.
The automaticity that can be built into Google Sheets using Google Apps Script takes it to another level. My markbook emails my students to congratulate them on top effort! The ability to collaborate on GSheets has allowed me to guide students in real time in constructing the best table structure of their results when at home.

What is the relative advantage of spreadsheets? It is hard to imagine not having the functionality of spreadsheets at our fingertips, they simply make long and difficult tasks so much faster and simpler. So thank you Bob and Dan for Visicalc which became Lotus 1-2-3, which led to MS Excel and now GSheets; you saved millions of people millions of hours of work!

My spreadsheets in learning settings

Communication: Podcast for Professional Development

Podcasts for Professional Development

Podcasts are a convenient way to reach many people. As a leader, I can publish my views on technology with a human voice; emotion included. My listeners can subscribe to my podcasts and have the latest casts automatically downloaded onto their mobile devices. Personally, I like to listen to the podcasts I subscribe to as I drive to work; I can't read as I drive but I can still consume the latest goings on in the fields I am interested in. Podcasts allow listeners to come into contact with my ideas for using technology at a time that suits them and they can be doing something else as they listen! Teacher time is precious and finding a way to offer them PD without taking more time seems like an ideal use of technology.