Disrupting Gen Z

Earlier this week one of my students said something that stopped me in my tracks. He remarked:

"I want to be able to learn how to drive myself someday."

It was more a lament than a remark.

My daughter learning to drive stick.
Yes, we drive old-school in our house!

Let me put his lament in context. In his class, Digital Literacy, we have been doing a lot of design thinking work focused on solving the problems of social media (discussed in three parts starting here). As we await feedback on our prototypes, we engaged in an Applied Digital Skills exercise from Google focused on the role of technology in current events. This student chose to focus his study on self-driving cars and the impact they will have on teenage drivers.

He examined issues of driving safety including distracted and impaired driving as well as the implications of self-driving cars on the insurance industry. Then he stopped what he was doing when, out loud, he wondered: "Will we even need to get our license anymore?" And after a pause, came his lament; something he has aspired to do, a suburban teenage rite of passage, may someday (someday soon?) become a thing of the past, no longer something to which he and his peers will aspire. The class was a little sad at that prospect. And I was a little giddy.

Why? Because there it was, the perfect example of technological innovation as a disruptive force and it was an example that resonated deeply with my students. And, as a disruption that hasn't yet occurred but is one they can anticipate, they feel the tug of resentment over how technology will change their lives. For that moment, we understood each other across the gap of a generation.

This student's epiphany prompted a very interesting and organic dialogue. We talked about the difference between the manual transmission cars that I learned to drive -- and still drive today -- and automatic transmissions. About why a driver might prefer one or the other. About how an automatic was a luxury when I was learning to drive. And designers have continued to improve on the automatic design with the development of the continuously variable transmission. Only the student who is a fan of race car driving even knew what a manual transmission is. Some students shared the self-driving features of their parents cars like warnings when drifting out of lane, alarms that indicate another car in the driver's blind spot, auto parallel parking features, etc. And talked about whether they trust that technology and how it feels when it is operating.

As excited as they got talking about the coolness factor of these features that are becoming standard on new cars, my self-driving car researcher said again: "I still really want to get my license." And they all got quiet again.

Today he presented his research, and having come to the realization that the self-driving car will not be ubiquitous before he is of driving age, his mind was put at ease and the discussion he facilitated for the class focused more on how the auto insurance industry and legislation will have to respond to this automotive innovation. His presentation was followed by another student whose research focused on robotic disruption in the labor force. Given their brief engagement with the potential loss of licensing privileges, the class embarked on a discussion during that presentation that had more potency than it might have otherwise. It was definitely an unanticipated way in which a student found the personal relevance of his learning and it helped the class develop empathy with people that they otherwise might not have considered as carefully.

Big Takeaways on Personalizing Instruction through Use of Technology

As the year comes to an end, I am reflecting on how I worked to personalize instruction through the use of

Photo taken while visiting colleges
with my daughter

technology as an instructional tool.

Technology for Demonstration of Mastery:

In working with an English teacher on her op-ed unit for her sophomore classes we discussed and planned ways for students to select topics that are meaningful and interesting to them. This unit is key for enabling each student to focus on a personal topic of interest or concern. Furthermore, we planned for digital writing, informed by Troy Hicks' book, Crafting Digital Writing, so that students would be creating for an audience beyond the teacher and include multimedia extensions of the their writing to expand the discussion of the issue they selected.

Technology and Media Information Influences:

With another member of the English department, we planned a unit that focused on student exposure to media and advertising through various outlets -- print and digital. We guided the students to choose an aspect of their lives and American society and examine the influence that media has on it. This unit enabled students to practice their research skills and apply them to an aspect of their own lives particularly influenced by technology and digital media. Together we watched and discussed advertisements for the products of companies like Apple and analyzed how those ads changed over decades in response to current events, societal concerns, and target audiences.

Technology Tools for Feedback and Formative Assessment:

For all classes, whether they were working on the junior research paper or other research-based projects, we streamlined the feedback loop for the steps of the research process. When students were brainstorming topic ideas, they submitted these ideas and the reason why those topics were interesting to a Google Form. This allowed me to review their ideas, use the Google Sheet that held the Form responses to provide feedback, and pose questions to help the students refine their topic selection when I visited class. The classroom teachers also began adding their feedback to the Google Sheet when they realized the utility of the sheet for tracking feedback and the students' revised thinking. The next step was for the students to add a draft of their research questions to the Sheet so I could provide feedback on their question development. Entries into the sheet were followed by a class session where I co-taught with the classroom teacher. Working one-on-one with students in class helped to ensure that students were choosing fruitful and manageable topics. As the research projects evolved, I joined the classes for multiple days dedicated to source location and provided instruction on citations and works cited. We developed a research journal as a Google Doc to help students organize their sources, notes, questions, citations, and thinking about their topic. These journals were excellent formative assessment opportunities for the classroom teacher and I to give students feedback on the depth of their questions and sources, gaps in their thinking or understanding, and next steps in the process.

Tech Tools for Conveying Information:

Second semester we built a rich MLA 8 citation website. After our first semester frustrations with Noodle Tools and EasyBib, we agreed that students would be better served by learning to build their citations from scratch. Doing so pushes them to thoroughly examine the scope and quality of their sources of information and become savvier consumers of information. Teachers in the Social Studies and English departments value accurate citation protocols and several of them supported our initiative by granting us class time to work one-on-one with students and recognized the value of the students' increased access to educator (librarian and content teacher) support and feedback in class. 

The Google Site includes a slideshow that steps students through the citation building process, an infographic illustrating the nine elements of an MLA 8 citation, a video showing how to create a hanging indent, copious models of works cited pages and citations, and a form for receiving librarian feedback on works cited and warnings about most common student errors. This site continues to be a work in progress as we refine the resources and streamline individualized student feedback.

Our Google Form for submitting final works cited for feedback before submitting the product of their research to their classroom teacher gave us insight into the most common errors that students were making so we could supplement the resources in the MLA 8 Citation Google Site that we created during second semester. The data we collected showed a dramatic difference in the quality of works cited being submitted by students who had received library instruction as opposed to those who worked only with their classroom teacher. The average score out of 5 for students receiving library instruction was a 3.34; those who did not receive this instruction scored an average of 2.33.

The Value of the (Virtual) Library:
My use of forms to collect individualized information from students on their stages in the research process and provide feedback combined with one-on-one in-class instruction and the library texting service were key elements differentiating library instruction. Teachers benefited by having me provide feedback to their students throughout the research process which essentially means I shared their grading load. Students benefited by having increased access to educator support and copious feedback to help them refine their work. At a time when districts are eliminating library media specialists and our profession is being maligned, my first year in this role is evidence of how vital information literacy skills are and necessary a library media specialist is to this skill development.

Supplement: Anonymous Feedback from Our Colleagues:

Thank you for all of your help with the research process. Having never taught this before, I would have been lost without your help! I greatly appreciate every lesson and helping hand you gave to me and my students during this process. Additionally, you both have such a knowledge of a range of books, and it helped open the variety of books I could offer for book groups!

 Additionally, you both have such a knowledge of a range of books, and it helped open the variety of books I could offer for book groups!

Library services are crucial to the mission of the social studies department. I would love it if there were quizzes for the most frequently used videos so that we can ensure students understand and access the information.

The opportunity to work together with library staff is invaluable to my teaching

I believe the Media specialists are all knowledgeable and collaborate with both each other and the teachers. It has been a pleasure working with them this year.

It was a great unit -- I appreciated the support and the help on this inquiry based learning!

The planning stage went very smoothly as my library/media collaborator was attuned to my specific goals and even to my work style. The lesson she planned was focused directly on the needs of my particular students at that particular stage of our unit.

With the failing implementation of MLA8 by easybib, working with the librarians on building a citation from scratch was important.

The question generator was awesome Help with MLA 8 citations was absolutely excellent! Teacher and students ALL benefited immensely from the face-to-face interactions with incredibly knowledgeable librarians.

There are so many skills students need to learn to be effective researchers that it is easy for them to be overwhelmed. By presenting kids with tools they can use to ensure the validity of their sources, the collaboration allowed me to focus my instruction on the reading skills necessary to master the research essay task.

having librarians in the class room during the start of the jr research project, assisting with research question tweaking and thesis development was incredibly helpful

I found it effective to have multiple perspectives on research questions, thesis statements and citations.

I like the op-ed format to create a dialogue in writing.

Yes, we chose new texts for the speech unit, which were excellent!!! And your help on MLA 8 with both the freshman speeches and the junior research paper were invaluable!

Keep listening to individual teachers and customizing your presentation so it dovetails with the individual teacher's experience and eccentricities.

A Vision for 21st Century Teaching and Learning

This one is short and sweet (I hope!).

My infographic in which I try to convey a vision for what it means to teach and learn in the 21st Century.

Nussbaum-Beach, Sheryl, "ASCD Express 6.11 - A Futuristic Vision For 21St Century Education ". Ascd.org, 2016. Web. 12 Dec. 2016. <http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol6/611-nussbaum-beach.aspx>.


Palmer, Tsisana, "15 Characteristics Of A 21St-Century Teacher". Edutopia, 20 June 2015. Web. 12 Dec. 2016. <https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/15-characteristics-21st-century-teacher>

Natick Public Schools, A Vision and Framework for 21st Century Teaching & Learning, February 2011 Web 12 Dec. 2016, <http://www.natickps.org/district/districtmaininfo/documents/Technology%20Presentation%20Part%2012.pdf>

Another PD Session: Student Discussions and BYOD

I have been pondering how to provide my colleagues who attend the sessions I am facilitating with the materials and prompts that will guide their work. For the Assessment and BYOD workshop that I discussed in my last post, I decided to organize all of the materials in a Google  Site so that participants can have easy access to all of the materials.

That same day, I will be facilitating a second session on a different topic. The focus of my second workshop will be on managing classroom discussions in a BYOD environment. This is our school's first year with BYOD so it is a focus of our professional learning. Furthermore, we are also committed to increasing personalization of learning for the students. I am working to keep those two goals as threads in my workshop. I hope that participants finish the sessions empowered to harness tech for more student-centered learning experiences.

The sessions are each 90 minutes long. For discussion, I have divided the time into two segments. In the first segment, we will examine whole-class discussion protocols; in the second segment, we will consider student-managed small group discussions. Participants will be immersed in the discussion protocols were are examining and use the technology that students can use to support and document their interactions and reflections.

Agenda for the Whole Class Discussion segment:
(Rubric)

Round 1

• Select volunteers to chat in the fishbowl
• Review Fishbowl Norms: only those in the center can talk; all participants can contribute to the chat room.
• Everyone will join TodaysMeet chat room and see this greeting: "Welcome to the chat! Enter your comments here. Remember you are limited to 140 chars. Talk to each other by using @ protocol. I am @JackieW"
• Watch this Michael Jordan commercial

• Discuss: “What is a growth mindset, and why do I need one? How can my students develop one?”

Round 2

• New group goes into fishbowl
• New question introduced into chat: What does it mean to describe an assessment or classroom experience as "authentic”?

Closure:

• Everyone post “big takeaway” in the chat; start post with BT
• Archive chat transcript as a Google doc; share for reflection
• Demonstrate Ctrl-F, search for user name to see where posted

Questions for Reflection:

• I used to think... and now I think...
• If I had been in the fishbowl I might have said...
• One thing I wanted to say but didn't was...
• The most important understanding I am taking away from this discussion is... and it is important because..
• The most insightful comment I heard today was... and it was insightful because...

Agenda for the Small Group Discussion segment:

Discussion Protocols:

• Each group member has a different role
• For each role, there is a padlet or slide for collecting ideas
• Readers populate the padlet or slide assigned to their role
• Readers can draw upon the postings of classmates when discussing in small groups

Reading Roles: (text: In the Beginning... Was the Command Line, "MGBs, Tanks, and Batmobiles" by Neal Stephenson)

• Questioner: what would you ask the people in the passage if you could? Why?
• Connector: of what are you reminded when you read this passage? (book, movie, tv, current event…) Why?
• Wonderer: what do you want to know about this situation? Why?
• Predictor: what do you think the outcome of the conflict will be? Explain.
• Passage Picker: select the passage you think is key to understanding the text. Explain its importance.

Jigsaw:

• Assign everyone in the group the same role
• Read and share ideas
• Collect ideas on a padlet assigned to their role
• Rearrange groups so that each new group has someone from each role
• Discuss

Asynchronous Discussion Extensions:

• Students can post to a blog with their understandings derived from their reading role
• Students can Skype or Google Hangout with other students discussing the same issue or topic

Instead of another Google Site, for the Discussion session I created a series of Padlets. This way, there is a materials reference for participants to follow as the session unfolds, a collection of resources to which they can return after the session. And, if anyone attends both sessions I am facilitating, s/he also sees different technology being modeled for activity management and materials delivery.

Shift the pedagogy and model assessments

It doesn’t matter how much tech you throw at teachers -- they will do what they have always done unless first, the school builds a vision that using the tech tools can support. And, if the vision can be achieved without the tools, then the tools won't be used. Nothing will change.

A well-defined, understood, and accepted vision will force a shift in pedagogy. All the tech tools and access in the world is irrelevant if nothing is changing in the educational process. There is nothing all that transformative about transitioning from print to digital textbooks if teaching and learning is still being driven by the text. When a veteran teacher laments, "my students just aren't learning like they used to" that teacher is speaking a profound truth. The truly progressive response to that truth is to learn to understand how students are learning now and teach the students who are in the room, so to speak. Adjust your teaching to match how students are learning. We must stop expecting digital age students to learn like their pre-digital predecessors. That is no more possible for them then it was for me to learn without television.

And it is unfair.

Students deserve to learn in the modes and through the experiences that reflect their world and what it will become. Their learning and assessment experiences must be authentic to the digital age. The products of their learning should be shared with a global audience - not just work they do for the teacher. They should be taught and expected to be empathetic communicators of what they know and what they want and need to know. When they communicate they need to know that the members of their audience have had very different life experiences and the effectiveness of their communication depends on the degree to which they appreciate those differences.

Teaching with tech is about innovating HOW we teach. Until we do that, all the BYOD and 1:1 initiatives we undertake will remain underwhelming.

Here are some assessments I have created that I think are authentic, involve critical thinking, and collaboration. They require tech tools and access to be created, but the tech is not the focus of the exercise, it supports the learning.

Science Assessment (Board or Card Game)

Demonstrate knowledge of the structure and function of a cell

The Process:

1. Start with a game you know and like and unpack it
• What is the objective of the game?
• What strategy or skills are required?
• What background knowledge or experience is necessary?
• What materials are included? (Don’t forget about the directions!)
• How many players can participate?
• What obstacles do players encounter?
• Do you play against the clock? Against other players? Something else?

2. Consider your content
1. How can a player show mastery?
2. What are the parts of the whole?
3. What obstacles can a player encounter?
4. What symbols related to the content can the game include?

3. Tech tools
1. Brainstorm in Google docs
2. Plan your board and/or cards in Google Slides or Draw
3. Go for broke: make your playing pieces with the 3D printer

Literary Assessment (Travel Poster)

Show how setting can function as a character in literature

The Process:

1. Start with a poster about a place you have been and unpack it

1. What is the goal or overall message of the poster?
2. What words are used to convey the message?
3. How are images and color used to convey the message?
4. What is enticing about visiting this place? How does the poster make that clear?
5. Having been to this place, what would you add to or remove from this poster?

2. Consider your content
1. Where is the story set? (start big: country; then narrow it: city, town, street, building, room)
2. What is the mood of the setting? How does being there make you feel?
3. How do you get to this place? Is anyone allowed there?
4. Consider your senses: what would you see, taste, touch, hear, smell in this place?

3. Tech tools
1. Brainstorm in Google docs
2. Image search online or use phone to take pictures
3. Use Google Slides or Draw, Canva, Adobe Spark or some art program to layout your poster

Math Assessment: (Memes)

Show the connection to a key math theorem, equation, or principle to a real-world situation

The Process:

1. Start with a meme that you find interesting; be sure it has people or references that are familiar to you

1. What is the goal or overall message of the meme? What essential truth does it illustrate
2. What words are used to convey the message?
3. How are images and color used to convey the message?
4. If a person is depicted, what do you need to know about that person to understand the meme?
5. How do the words and images work together to deepen the message?

2. Consider your content
1. What is your equation? What is the essential truth it represents?

1. 
   

1. ax+by+c=0
   
2. A=½ BxH
1. What place, object, or person can also represent or experience this truth?
2. In what sticky situation will people find themselves if they don’t understand this principle?

3. Tech tools
1. Brainstorm in Google docs
2. Image search online or use phone to take pictures
3. Use Google Slides or Draw, Canva, Adobe Spark or some art program to layout your meme

World Language Assessment: (Superbowl Commercial)

Rebrand a country in which the target language is natively spoken to improve its global reputation

The Process:

1. Start with a notable, memorable re-branding campaign (think Eminem and Detroit)

1. Find the ad on YouTube
2. Who is the audience?
3. What behavior is the ad trying to prompt? (What do they want the viewer to do?)
4. What attitude are they trying to change or create? (What do they want the viewer to believe?)
5. What do they want the viewer to repeat to other people? (tag line)
6. What is the overall message?
7. What attitude is being changed or created? (What do they want the viewer to believe?)
8. Who is the spokesperson? What impact does he have on the message? Does the ad work even if the viewer doesn't recognize the spokesperson? Explain.
9. How does the soundtrack work? How does it work with the spokesperson?

2. Consider your content
1. What is current perception of the country you are studying? Why?
2. What about your country do people with this perception not know?
3. Who represents your country positively?
4. What new message do you want to convey? Does it work in your target language and English?
5. How will non-speakers understand the message? Can they repeat it?
6. What new associations are you trying to build?
7. How can the soundtrack work to enhance your message?
8. Will you use humor? Horror? Tug heartstrings?  Hit with facts? What thoughts or emotion will each evoke from your audience?
9. Will you use Metaphor? Symbols? To what end? What will they make your audience think or feel?

3. Tech tools
1. Brainstorm in Google docs
2. Consult music websites and YouTube for audio files or use digital tools to create a soundtrack
3. Moovly, PowToon, iMovie can all be used for video composition
4. Students can use phones to record video and the green screen in the library

Health Assessment: (Song Parodies and Music Videos)

Explain the clues that someone is experiencing violence in a relationship and how to help

The Process:

1. Start with a song that tells a story

1. Find the lyrics to the song
2. What is its structure? Does it have a chorus? A repeated refrain?
3. What is the tone of the music? How does it enhance the story?

2. Consider your content
1. How can a story teach this lesson?
2. What are the clues you need to highlight?
3. Can you write a dialogue that will highlight these relationship issues?
4. Is there a common refrain that suits this situation that work in your lyrics?
5. Remember, you are only bound by the original melody
6. Consider creating the music video that goes with your song parody

3. Tech tools
1. Brainstorm in Google docs
2. Consult music websites for lyrics
3. YouTube will have audio files for rehearsal and karaoke soundtracks
4. Moovly, PowToon, iMovie can all be used for video composition
5. Students can use phones to record video and the green screen in the library

Civics Assessment: (Movie Poster and Video Trailer)

Illustrate the process by which a bill became a law

The Process:

1. Start with a poster about a movie you have seen and unpack it

1. What is the goal or overall message of the poster?
2. What words are used to convey the message?
3. How are images and color used to convey the message?
4. What is potentially exciting or informative about seeing this movie?
5. Who had a hand in the creation of this movie? (producer, director, soundtrack, cast, etc.)

2. Consider your content
1. What are the steps in the process of a bill becoming a law?
2. Who can claim to have had a hand in the creation of the law?
3. What were the obstacles to this law’s passage? How can that drama be conveyed?
4. What slogan can represent the saga of this bill becoming a law?
5. What images can capture the impact or importance of this new law?
6. As an extension activity, students could make the movie trailer about this bill.

3. Tech tools
1. Brainstorm in Google docs
2. Image search online or use phone to take pictures
3. Use Google Slides or Draw, Canva, Adobe Spark or some art program to layout your poster