After the meeting, I started thinking about all of the Web 2.0 topics and projects that I have used in my three years of teaching. 

Here is the list I came up with of Web 2.0 interaction with the classroom:

• Advanced Web Development PowerPoint, Wiki, & Podcast Project – Kept Private
• Lefty Grove Baseball League Website (leftygrovebaseball.org)
• Scribe Hall of Fame
• Student Math Commercials/Videos for Honors Algebra II and Pre-Calculus on YouTube
• Mr. Higgins’ Tie Project (Students Seemed to Really Like this a lot)
• Tech Boot Camp 2009
• 2007 – 2008 Honors Algebra II Class Blog
• 2008 – 2009 AP Computer Science Class Blog
• 2008 – 2009 Algebra I Class Blog
• 2008 – 2009 Honors Algebra II Class Blog
• 2008 – 2009 Pre-Calculus Class Blog
• I’m sure there are a few more that I can’t remember…or find a link in my collection.

For me, the mathematics videos were most rewarding and the students really enjoyed them a great deal.  However, I am looking forward to interacting with each student holding a tablet PC.  Moodle is going to be a HUGE piece of this puzzle.

Great One-to-One Article from Twitter:

Link: http://beta.aalf.org/articles/view.php?ArticleID=79

I am very happy to now have 4 preps including AP Computer, Algebra II, Algebra II-H, and Pre-Calculus.  Being my second year of teaching, I have to adjust from my first year when I had nearly all computer classes.  For some reason I couldn’t stop thinking about how I’m going to involve technology in all of my math classes.  I am not ready to take a giant step like Darren Kuropatwa (A Difference) and fully utilize blogging in my higher level math classes.  (By the way, click on his link to see the great masthead he has created)  There is a great desire from my standpoint to implement projects which link to the web, I just don’t have time at this point.  Maybe if the school was on a 4 or 5 period day, but not with 7 periods.  However, let me brainstorm a few things I am interested in trying out. 

1. First, and most obvious, is to utilize my Tablet PC using a wireless projector to present notes along with the use of a whiteboard.  The major choice I have to make it whether to use Microsoft PowerPoint, SmartBoard Software, Microsoft OneNote, or Microsoft Journal.  Once I decide on which software title to use to present notes, I will be much more at ease.
2. I could record using many software titles my presentations to the class.  My tablet even has a microphone attached so I could also record the audio.  The size of these files would be incredibly large for the most part.
3. My school website, Mr. Higgins’ School Website (under construction now), is still going to be used to post assignments and updates for the classes.  I hope that I get more students to visit the website and find more ways to provide students some useful links.
4. Is there really an effective way to use a wiki in a math class?  If there is, I still have not found it.  I will continue to research this topic.

I have a lot of information to cover in all of these classes so I’m not looking for “fillers”, but alternative assessments which are aimed closer to Web 2.0. I hope that fellow bloggers, teachers, or students will comment my thoughts as I hope to implement at least a couple of these approaches in my classroom this school year.

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AP Computer Science Marine Biology Case Study

    Once we finish the current chapter on recursion, I am going to start reviewing the AP Computer Science Marine Biology Case Study.  For those not familiar, the case study is essentially a large program that the students must understand for the actual AP Computer Science A/AB test.  This is something that separates the AP Computer test and makes it unique.

    The tough part about the Marine Biology Case Study is that this is the last year it will be tested.  A new Gridworld Case Study is going to be tested over on the 2008 AP tests.   My mentality is taking quite a hit because the more I invest in studying this case study, the more my other classes are going to be effected and I will never have to look at this actual case study again.  Hmm, feels pretty much like a student; however, I am supposed to be a model for the students.  I am looking for a set of resources that will allow me to get a decent depth into the case study without effecting a student in my basic Web Development class or my Algebra II class.  I blog because I care about the totality of the students, not just these students.

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AP Computer Science A/AB Wiki

     There have been more than 40 different teachers, college students, and other interested parties join the AP Computer Science A/AB wiki; however, I really am looking for some others to add content in the form of programming assignments, programming projects, and teaching resources.  THIS IS NOT ABOUT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.  I had several people contact me about keeping students out of the resource.  WHY?  My vision is that this will be a place to post programming assignments ideas for all teachers to think about, not email the person and ask for the solution.

     The students have as much of a right to see this resource as the rest of us.  The ideas expressed on the wiki could serve as a way for beginning teachers (reason I am starting this resource) to get ideas and guidance.  In conjunction with many other blogs on the internet, I have gained a great deal of perspective about teaching computer science.  Like many many many others, I am a mathematics teacher teaching computer science.  The difference with me is that it is something I do have passion for ever since I took my first programming class in high school.  I blog because I care about the profession and the “insanity” of other who have my same visions.

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Ohio eTech Conference

On Monday, February 12 and Tuesday, February 13 I will be attending the Ohio eTech Conference in Columbus, OH.  This conference will have probably 7,000 total people involved in the entire process.  This one is on the district, which is great to say, but I am really hoping to gain some perspective from listening to others share their experiences.  I hope to have some great conversations with those with the same interests as myself.  One of the keynote speakers is Will Richardson.  I hope he doesn’t feel I’m stalking him, but I have already mapped how I am going to follow his different sessions around the Columbus Convention Center.  Many of you have attended many conferences like this, but for me this is a first experience at a large conference involved in technology.

Here is what I hope to accomplish….

• Gain perspective of my own teaching and how I can improve my use of technology and teaching methods.
• Gather resources involving software, especially the use of software like moodle, elgg, and drupal.
• Get solid information about Tablet PC and Texas Instrument calculator use in the classroom.
• A couple deserved days off doing something that I thoroughly enjoy…conversing about technology and education.

Hopefully, the presenters, exhibitors, and keynotes have a positive affect and effect on me and I drive back home with a smile.  I blog to do more than be noticed, I blog because others want to be noticed for their experiences also.

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1. Teachers from all over could use it as a way to share assignments, projects, and homework ideas.  I understand there is an ap-compsci listserv group that share ideas, but I want teachers to see material that is published on the internet and that they can DIRECTLY comment on or use for their classrooms.
2. At the beginning, I’m concentrating on the programming aspect, but later on I would like to include discussion about what it means to teach AP Computer Science and the way the students interact with the material.
3. Professionals from the industry could hopefully chime in and provide some thoughtful insite to those of us, like myself, who have limited experience in the job market of computer science.  The business people could tell us exactly what skills the students are lacking and / or are solid.
4. I have provided the first project for the wiki titled “The Galton Board Project”.  This was a project that was very natural to me because I am a mathematics teacher by heart.
5. Signing up for an account is so easy that within a few minutes a teacher could already be starting a new page on the wiki and creating a link to it on one of the three current categories: Programs, Projects, or Homework.  For now, I want to approve all teachers until I feel more comfortable with the people using the wiki.
6. If even 20 Computer Science teachers took 30 minutes out of their week to add or edit something on the wiki, then within a year we could have a large scale resource on the internet for all teachers to browse and takes ideas away from during the school year.

If you are even remotely interested in AP Computer Science A / AB, please pass on the word of this wiki and provide some content yourself.

As a heavily worked first year teacher, I have only been able to get out part of this message.  My conscience tells me that something is missing with a lot of the students and their understanding of the blogs, despite the fact that we use them at least once every two weeks to response to an article or others opinions.  After watching this video, I realized that I need to think as a student once again and wonder what it was that I WANTED TO SEE from the teacher.  Next semester I get another chance at the same web development classes and really hope to drive home the point of Web 2.0.  This may not have been as inspiring as the Ron Clark Story; however, I am going to cherish the thoughts it created in my own mind.

The six Pillars of an effective Web 2.0 Classroom

The six prong test she has listed is very interesting to think about…

1. Internet Safety and Privacy
2. Information Literacy
3. Internet Citizenship
4. Internet Teamwork
5. Intentional Internet Activities
6. An Engaged Teacher

I’m going to highlight a few and give my take…

• Internet Safety and Privacy is going to continually become more well defined as more and more people get involved in the online world and children begin to lead lives ENTIRELY in the internet age.
• Information literacy is a hard topic to fathom for students. They have no idea how the RIGHT information can make a big deal in the online world. This is a reason that something like Wikipedia is getting bad publicity.
• An Engaged Teacher! This is more important that even implementing the Web 2.0 technology in my opinion. If the teacher is not buying into anything that has to do with what you want to accomplish, then the students will naturally pick up on this. If you set the trap with your own engagement, the students will act like vultures finding their own prey while learning something!!!

Keep up the great work Vicki.

This K-12 Online conference comes at a time during my teaching career, if I can even say that I have one right now, in which I’m reflecting on myself as an instructor, blogger, coach, and motivator.  The conference is making me realize that my blogging needs to count, quality over quantity.  I need to make a more concerted effort to link to others content and thoughts in order for my own to be shared.  After all, isn’t that what the internet as the very base is turning into, a place where thoughts and opinions are shared amongst the many informative resources.  I talk at least once a week to my students in my web development class about blogging because I want them to realize it is a way to communicate with their own peers and make their opinion count.

I am a big believer in the fact that technology can enhance learning, not make the student learn.  With that being said, I still need to buy into the idea of using a wiki and effectively updating the wiki.  I currently use Drupal so my students have blogging, turn in electronic assignments, and can view the homework/class work.  My wiki skills need to be improved and will see how things go when I start my Wiki unit with my Web Development class.

As someone who is entirely too organized almost all of the time, there is a lot of house cleaning I find myself going through when it comes to how to organize my school website. My school website is power by Drupal which thus far is my favorite content management system because of the current capabilities AND the hopes for the future.

Here is the lowdown on the way I built the website…

1. I have six classes which include
   Algebra II
   Web Development
   Advanced Web Development
   Operating Systems
   Introduction to Programming: Visual Basic
   AP Computer Science
   
2. Each student will have their own login name and password on the website and will only be able to access the FRONT PAGE and THEIR CLASSES.i.e. SuzieQ is in AP Computer, she can only see the AP Computer
3. Each class website (once logged in) contains a forum and a class blog. The forum will be use for teacher proposed questions mainly because students can email me if they have questions. I will update the class websites will only information that pertains to that class. For instance, the Algebra II class does not need to know my advice given to an AP Computer class.
4. The front page is a blog, in a way. Not the reflective writing blog, but a homework blog that I will basically post what the homework was for that specific day and perhaps a few words of encouragement.

This seems like a very simple and logical design (if it wasn’t…my hair would no longer be attached), but there is always something to tweak before the school year.

Part 2

As a master of educational technology student, my professor during a summer Instructional Design course used a wiki for the class. I certainly was well aware of wikis; however, I did not really understand the point of being able to edit basically any content. I have now seen the light….the wiki can be used to reinforce the HTML background of my Web Development students and give them a chance to contribute to the class with something that really interests them. If I was a student, my page would probably be something like “Sports Records” or “Sports Moments” (because I obsess over sports). I use MediaWiki because it is the backbone of Wikipedia and I wanted something that the students had already seen.

My first year of teaching is going to be challenging enough, I think I might stick with just having 2 periods of Web Development hack away at the class wiki because I want to get a little more experienced before I open it up further.

The drupal website and class wiki take up a lot of my preparation and I want to make sure that technology does not come before pedagogy.