Gloggin it Up

As I walk through the halls of my high school, I see students “plugged in” all over the place. I have heard songs from MP3 players that are intended for one listener; I have heard phone conversations that were meant to be private; and I have seen students take out their phones, connect to the internet and give an answer in class. What does this mean? Are the students no longer interested in school? Are students giving up on education? I think that all we can say is that students are addicted to technology. But this is not necessarily a bad thing.
As educators, we need to provide the students with an “Edventure”, a learning experience that is relevant to their world and their interests. These interests are not always the same as our interests as educators, but our interest should be providing students with the knowledge and skills to be successful in the world in which they will live. That world certainly involves technology.
As I see the student’s eyes glaze over as we work through another example problem, I wonder, what I could be doing as a teacher that would allow me to cover the same material with increased student engagement. Recently, I have been working with a web 2.0 tool called Glogster. Glogster is similar to a blog, in the sense that it allows you to write in comments and create your own posts. In actuality, Glogster can be used in the same manner as the posters that students make. This tool allows students to convey their thoughts in a creative manner, allowing them freedom and a chance to express their learning.
A Glog can be created by anyone, as www.glogster.com is a free website. The site asks the user to register in order to create a Glog page. Once the Glog is created, the user can make postings, or posters that depict any topic that they want. There are various backgrounds to choose from, depending on the theme or subject. Users can also add in cartoon, clip-art style pictures that are relevant to their post. Some of the features are similar to that of a PowerPoint presentation, as the user can add text boxes, borders and shapes to spice up the project. As a student, I can remember the project assignments that took me an hour to pull all of my thoughts and information together, and three hours to fabricate a poster or diorama. Glogster helps to expedite the process, leaving more time and energy to focus on learning the material. The students also get the chance to satisfy their technology craving as they work on a school related project.
One of the features that I found most beneficial is the ability to embed photos, as well as video and audio clips. Students are able to take pictures and video during an in class lab or demonstration, and place them in the Glog as artifacts. These artifacts allow the students to properly describe and discuss the set up or events that occurred during the lab. Rather than say that they saw the chemicals react to create bubbles, the student can show the bubbles forming. Rather than saying that the cart with the larger mass and larger velocity had more momentum than another cart, the student can show the two carts colliding. This opens up a new world for the students, as they will be able to demonstrate these phenomena to others. There is also something to be said for repeatability. The students will be able to replay the reaction or demonstration as they describe it in words, allowing clarification throughout the process.
Students are also able to comment on other student’s Glogs. This does not need to turn into a peer critique, however, the students can help clear up common misconceptions. The students can help one another learn as they comment and build knowledge together. While a technology component is incorporated into Glogster, them emphasis is not strictly on technology. The technology involved is only a device to facilitate the learning process. Students are not only focused on the computer because it is a computer, they are utilizing it as an integrated tool.
Students learn best when they are interested in the material, which is exactly the opportunity that Glogster provides. By generating Glogs, students are able to explain their knowledge in a way that they never could before. The students can spend their “technology time” on school related topics, and maybe, just maybe, spend a little less time just “plugged in”.

LIVE BLOG - Dishes are Done!

And the Ties have it!

As the weather changes and we start to move into the cold and gloomy time that is winter, I have been able to pull out some of my winter clothing. In particular, sweaters have made a comeback as my room at Huron can get cold sometimes. Nothing goes better with a sweater than a nice bow tie. As I said earlier, I will be wearing bow ties to school every Thursday and it is not just because... there is a method behind my madness.

First of all, bow ties just scream physics teacher, as a small amount of dork must be present if a bow tie is worn. The kids seem to think so too. As I was talking with Yeatts, he said that it is a good thing to have a little gimmick. I am looking for something that will catch the attention of the students, but not distract from their learning. Each time that I have worn a bow tie, someone new has said some comment about it. It has allowed me to connect with some students that had been relatively quiet for class. I think that this provides a non-school related way to approach me as a person. The tie has opened new lines of communication and strengthened those already present.

I liken it to the times when I told my dad that he was the biggest dork in the world, but secretly I thought he had just said the best joke that I had ever heard, or worn something that I might have to consider in the future. While I don't want the students to focus on this issue, I feel that it provides me with just the right amount of credibility to help convince them to listen to me.

Whatever your personal gimmick might be, find it and use it to your advantage. The students can't make fun of other students if they are making fun of you in a good way. It helps to create the safe environment and makes everyone feel as if they can be a bit of a dork at times. Go find your bow tie.

Tired or Retired

I just had a student in my room last week who is in 6th hour Physics. We always allow students to come into 7th hour, which is our after hours open door tutor session. This is a student who has been doing fairly well on the homework and quiz, but he is just a touch behind where he needs to be. He had not turned in homework for the day, and Yeatts always says that the students can get credit if they come to 7th hour and complete the work. The student took the work off of the board during the 6th hour, and then tried to turn it in during 7th hour. He did not like that we had him redo the work, as this was just a copy. When he finished, he got very upset and said that this took too long to do (mind you, we were giving him back the credit that he had lost) and that he was way too tired to be doing this. We continued to work with him and explain why this is important. I thought about the scenario after we had left, and I decided, that the day that I am truly too tired to work with students, is the day that I need to retire.

De-Pi-ing all Logic

Yesterday was the start of this new career, this new life that I am beginning. I am leaving the world of dry, boring, automotive engineering in pursuit of the ever changing days that are teaching.

The first day was a fairly typical day based on all of my experiences (which are only those of a student). Don Yeatts really focused on putting the students at ease. We talked initially about making the students feel as if physics is not that hard. This goes against all of their preconceived notions. I could tell that they believed that since there is math and science involved, it will automatically be difficult. However, Yeatts goes on to say that physics is actually the most basic science that exists. It focuses on the "why" of science.

We went on to discuss that there are many levels of physics, but each level is not due to complexity, it is merely a result of how accurate the outcome must be. Calculus is only involved if accuracy is needed. The faces quickly became relaxed and more comfortable.

Yeatts' move that would throw people the most came when the class clown was involved. I consider myself to be a bit of a punster, but this guy was over the top and lewd. Don did not even flinch. I thought that he was letting his behavior go, showing the class that this was acceptable.

Once he was finished with the syllabus and moved to the short in class assignment, he went over to the student that was causing the scene. I went over because I thought he was going to address the outbursts and I was interested to see how he handled it. He did more than handle it... he did something unthinkable. He got to know the student. He asked him questions about sports that he plays and then asked him about where he lives. He made several connections between himself and the student. They ended up laughing and saying a few quick one liners.

I asked him after the class about the situation and the fact that it goes against the typical behavior control methods of nipping the problem early. He only stated, "You always want the students on your side."

That was all I needed to hear, I understood where Don was coming from... but more importantly the student did as well.