Tech Ed Grief

"Get going, you don't want to miss the bus!" I call out to my fifth graders. To be honest, they are not by biggest concern at this moment. It is 3:02 and I am slotted to be on a podcast panel that started two minutes ago. Why would educators set the end of the school day bell as their starting time? Well, the panelist reside in time zones from UTC-7 to UTC+7.

This month's COETAILcast was the first in a long time that wasn't while I was teaching. (Plus I have moved countries and our internet is exponentially faster.) I won't summarize the entire call, as you can watch it yourself (or read the notes) if you are interested. I won't even go into the conversation about the 'ecosystem' of learning or the discussion of leadership and technology at this point, though those ideas I will be pondering for days to come. The moment of my day that I want to share is about grief.

What? You are recording a podcast about technology and education and your reflection is on grief?! Yup.

So often in technology change is about more tools, more access. Sometimes it is about stagnation and how to re-energize things. For me, I am having to grieve. After having taught in a 1:1 environment the past several years I now have 24 students and four iPad minis with a PC lab town the hall that my kids get to visit once a week for 45 minutes. As I try to figure out how to utilize technology I am having to take all the things I know about integration and funnel them through a much smaller conduit and to be honest, I am struggling. Jeff named it, I am grieving.

The good news is that I am nearly at acceptance and on the precipice of beginning this new journey of determining exciting tech integration with huge limitations.

Your Thoughts Before Mine

 

Report cards went home today. That is a big day in normal circumstances, but even more so today as it a completely reformatted report card on its way to being standards based.

This school was previously giving letter grades from grade 1 up. Yes, letter grades in elementary.

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We have know that the move away from letter grades was coming since early in the fall. I have been working with my kiddos to help them get their heads around this change. "It is about if you understand the concepts" I hear myself repeating.

This report card has a 3, 2, 1 scale. A '3' means you completely understand a concept / are meeting grade level expectations, or in student talk, "You nailed it!" A '2' means you are approaching grade level expectations, or in student talk, "You mostly get it." A '1' in any translation means you need bunches of help.

There are also 'learner attributes' with similar delineation, but using symbols instead of numbers - critical thinking being my favorite.

So, before I handed them their much anticipated sealed envelope I went through the new report card with them, showing a template on the projector and explaining each section. I then shared a Doc with them and asked them to make make a copy and share it with me. This Doc was an abbreviated version of the report card and their instructions were to pretend they were the teacher and give the marks they believe they have earned AND explain why they should get each mark.

I believe that both the educational piece (learning the new report card) and the reflection piece (knowing yourself as a learner) had much value. I haven't had any parent emails yet tonight, so that is a good sign. Conferences are on Friday and you better believe that I am leading with the student reflection piece!

Just Sitting There

I sat at my desk, working on my computer, for nearly an hour today. Sounds innocuous, right?

Here’s the kicker, my students were in the room.

An unengaged teacher trying to catch up on things? Not in this case.

Thanks to Google Docs and Hapara Interact I was engaged with my students the entire time either as individuals, groups, or the entire class. I could comment on their work, follow the changes they were making, see their conversations amongst themselves, send chats to individuals or the entre class, see the screen they had open, and even see a list of all of their open tabs.

Big Brother? No. Efficient observation and effective communication.

I find that these tools allow me to better see what lessons need to be taught or re-taught (like citing sources), what they have mastered (how to imbed images), and where we might be moving next (screen casting).

W.W.W.–World Without Web

License: CC0 Public Domain

Lessons plans are set for the day.

Math – continue the mini unit on spatial awareness using the Google Doc you shared yesterday that includes links for games and instructions for activities.

Literacy – continue writing the answers to the F.A.Q. page as part of tech integration. This assignment utilizes collaborative Google Docs for writing as a group as well as being able to imbed images.

S.S. – continue map skills using a variety of resources online

And then the internet is down.
Luckily teachers are good at punting.

Math – pull out any geometric shapes and come up with an activity to have students make a design, put a ruler next to it, and have a partner ‘mirror’ that image.

Literacy – change to Reading Workshop and add a mini lesson on character development that was planned for a few days later.

S.S. – pull out physical atlases and manage to open the Google Doc of instructions during one of the fifteen minutes there is internet access throughout the day. Post the instructions on the board with the data projector. Bonus – learn the value of the index!

Launching Minecraft Edu

Having a new tool to use for the last week of school is pretty exciting for everyone. (Don't get me wrong, I will be thrilled to have it all year, next year.)

This is a GREAT way to end the year.

They have created a Google Doc brainstorming all the ways they can imagine incorporating Minecraft Edu into the curriculum. Now they get a chance to see what they can create in with the goal being to prove what they know in any content area.

For once I think we are all looking forward to the last week of school!

Music in the classroom: A reflection

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A couple of months ago I wrote this post about allowing individualized playlists in the classroom. What I have noticed is that after the initial excitement of something new there has been zero interest.

I have even reminded them, occasionally, of appropriate times that they could be listening to music. It is not that they don’t have music with them, most of them have a device in their bag, they simply don’t choose to listen.

Now I am wondering why. So many times we hear how students want to be listening to music while they work, but in my classroom that does not seem to hold true.

Thoughts?

Floating on a McLeod

Dana tweeted. I replied.

Eight hours later I check my email and I have a bunch of new Twitter followers.

Huh?

And then I see it.

Scott McLeod not only replied to myself and Dana, but then he also posted my link! (It is this post that I wrote for COETAIL in May of 2012 and cross posted on this blog when I wrote it.)

I feel like I've been allowed to sit at the 'cool kids' table, even if just for a moment. (I really did meet Scott at a conference. He actually sat at the table I was having lunch at, but I am SURE that is because Dana and I were sitting together.)

If you don't know who Scott McLeod is, you aren't steeped in the world of educational technology. I remember reading this article and that was in 2010!

Anyway, my moment of 'fame' is already fading away, but I am heading to bed with a huge grin, floating on a McLeod.

Backchannels

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I was first introduced to ‘backchannels’ at UnPlugged last year. (More about UnPlugged here.) For me, it was like being allowed to talk in class. All of those things I wanted to whisper to my neighbor, I now had an avenue for. If I wondered about something that was said or made a connection, this was a place to put those thoughts. The resources I naturally look up when I wonder about something, could now have a place to be shared.

Since then I have loved the backchannels of conferences I am attending and those I just wish I was. It gives me a way to learn, even when I can’t be there and a way to deepen my understanding when I am there.

Realizing how much I benefit, as a learner, from these opportunities I started wondering about incorporating backchannels into my classes.

So far I have only been willing to take the plunge in my Digital Storytelling class. This is an elective and the syllabus is flexible. If something gets us way off track, it is OK. We have used the backchannel to share resources, ask questions, and keep one another posted on the progress of projects.

Initially I introduced the backchannel with some simple ground rules and things to keep in mind:

• Appropriate language
• Staying on topic
• How to address people (@_____) if you wanted to ‘speak’ to, or reply to, someone in particular
• Remembering our Twitter lessons of 140 characters or less (We use TodaysMeet)
• How to get a transcript of the session to reference later

As always, if you make poor choices, there are consequences. One student needed one warning, but having the warning on the backchannel served as a reminder for everyone.

Since then we have successfully used a backchannel many times. Sometimes I start it and sometimes they request one.

Am I ready to take this into all of my classes? I am getting closer. In other classes it could be optional. Some people (me) benefit from this outlet. There are others that find it distracting. Either way the transcript could be viewed once class had finished and the conversation could continue, virtually.

Want other opinions on the subject? I have read this blog post and this blog post recently, which helped spur me on to write the post you have just finished.

What are your thoughts and experience when it comes to backchannels?

Dictionary Guide Words

As ‘bell work’ my students complete a DLR. After independent reading time we correct them together. These five minutes often give me valuable insight into skills that need to be taught, re-taught, or emphasized. Today, as we looked at a dictionary guide word question, I realized something.

It was not the fact the several students had no strategies for identifying what words would fall on a page in the dictionary.

It wasn’t that some of them still need to have the alphabet written out, or sing it to themselves, in order to remember the order.

It wasn’t that some of them would rather guess than take the time to do their best work.

All of the above are true, but my realization was that my daughter, at nearly four, will never have a question like this on a test (or at least she shouldn’t).

Why is that?

She will never use a dictionary in book form, most likely. For her a dictionary will be an electronic resource therefore her dictionary searching skills will look very different.

What realizations have you had recently? How do you see learning (and testing) changing for the next generation?

Paperless

Next week our school is trying an experiment. In Honor of Earth Day the photo copy machines are being shut down, for the week, and everyone is being asked to try and go paperless.

There have been statistics shared regarding how many copies have been made, both as a school and individually, this year. The rationale has been presented. Now the challenge is nearly upon us.

If this were asked of you, what would you do?

There seem to be two approaches at our school. One is to give this challenge a try while the other is trying to get everything copied ahead of time.

Three cheers to those who give it a try. I gave it a try a few years ago and now I run a nearly paperless class.

There are two instances that I still rely on paper.

If I know I am going to have a substitute I might give them a back up plan since not everyone is as comfortable with the technology we use in my room. For example, during our persuasive writing unit there were two pieces of student writing we were using as mentor texts to look at the craft of persuasion writing. I was traveling for a conference so instead of having them only available as Google Docs I printed them out.

I also have a paper, self-evaluation rubric I have the students fill out a couple of times each quarter. This amounts to 1/3 of a page, per student, per quarter. I tried to do this electronically, but inevitably the internet would go down when I needed access to the documentation. I have found that giving in to this one, small paper task has huge advantages, so I continue. Next week is only week two of the quarter and I won’t need it anyway.

What about you? Could you do it, at least for a week?

#gafesummit

What the heck is #gafesummit?

This weekend I have been at the Google Apps for Education Summit Middle East, hosted by the American School of Dubai. It is a professional development conference put on by Google.

The weekend gave me, not only the opportunity to hone my Google App skills to a higher level, but also a chance to connect face to face with people I usually only interact with online through COETAIL and Twitter.

What kind of sessions were there? Everything from "Docs 101: A Getting Started Guide to Docs, Spreadsheets, presentations, and Forms" to "Managing your Google Apps Domain". Here are some more titles…

Conjugating Google Apps in the World Language Classroom
Inbox Management - Making order out of chaos
Get the Best Mileage Out of Your Drive
e-Portfolio Has Gone Google
Traveling cross the curriculum with Google Earth

That list doesn't include the sessions I went to or many others that were offered. There is another post coming with my reflections and take aways, but right now I must find my bed as the alarm will soon go off for the start of another school week.

Stay tuned!

The Big Time

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 My time with CoETaIL has lead to this, Course 5. While I have another month to ponder what I will do for my final project, my initial considerations all get me hung up at the idea of it having to reach the "Redefinition" level of technology.

I have been looking at how to change what and how I teach, in order to utilize technology, for the past year and a half. I keep lists of ideas, jotting things down as I think of them. Perhaps I have done something one way and in the midst of it thought of another option. Maybe I was inspired by a blog post I read or someone's tweet. It may be that a particular lesson is not engaging my students and I want to think about ways to hook them. Whatever the reason may be, I add my thoughts to my list.

Now that I need to start to narrow down what I will focus on for Course 5 I am pouring over my list. I feel like every 'great' idea I have down is actually doing something old in a new way. (I wrote about this idea here.) Good thing there is still loads of time for fine tuning!

My two most compelling ideas are:

"How To" Books
This would be another step in our Informational Text unit. Right now students are in the middle of writing an Informational Text picture book that we will share with the appropriate elementary grade level. Even though they are using technology to research, and are learning about Creative Commons in order to determine if they want to create the own or legally use someone else's illustration, the book will ultimately be a printed book for the shelves of the elementary school. This addition would be to write a "How To" 'book'. They could choose any digital platform they they think would be the best tool to deliver their content.

Reflection of Literary Analysis
My final unit will be about Literary Analysis. What if I added a digital processing/reflection piece? They would be able to choose the tool(s) they thought best showed their process and thinking along the way. I like that it would not be just their reflection at the end, but a journey with them through the unit. This digital piece could then be shared with their parents during their student-led conference.

So, I will proceed with caution. It is not just me on this journey, but the 86 students in sixth grade as well. I am sure it will be an exciting ride!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Education will continue to change because of technology. I have no idea where, or how, I will be teaching 5, 10, or 15 years from now. I do know that as I look back over the years that I was in school the standards of those days have been completely replaced.

Every movie I saw was on one of these…

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 I learned how to type, and wrote many papers, on one of these…

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And even when I started teaching this was the best tech tool I had available for the classroom…

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None of those tech tools exist in my current middle school. Every day I use a data projector, document camera, laptop, and iPad. With Apple TV my students can teach each other by taking over with their iPad. The classroom looks very different today than when I was their age.

With a vastly different landscape in the classroom and students no longer needing me to access information the 'how' we teach must change as well. I must teach students how to access information. Once they have accessed the information they need to know how to consider the validity of the information before they can evaluate the content. After that students need to be able to analyze and apply the information they have encountered. Finally students need the tools to be able to synthesize all they have learned.

I am no longer teaching students what they need to know, but teaching them how to use tools to be able to learn on their own. Again the how is the key. Students can choose which tools they want to use, rather than every student having to utilize the same tools.

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My job is to guide students. To give them opportunities to practice their learning skills. Chances to try and improve and not always succeed. A safe environment to discuss their thoughts and findings. Access to others to help when they get stuck (and I don't have to be their only option).

I would guess that the teaching environment of tomorrow will be more like today than that of 20 years ago. Student access to information is not going to go away. The teacher will never again be the sole access point. As the tools advance teaching practices will need to morph as well.

A MOOC is one possibility as a technological future for learning. If we change our focus from what is learned to how learning takes place more and more people could choose this type of learning environment.

How has your teaching changed with the shift in access to information and the advancement of technology?

Flip!

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I currently teach Language Arts, the original flipped classroom. Every single one of us received reverse instruction growing up…
"Read this and we'll discuss it next class."

Many people believe that a 'flipped classroom' must involve videos. This is not true. Reverse instruction is any means of delivering content at home so higher level tasks can happen during class time.

Having the opportunity to familiarize yourself with content, at your own pace, is helpful for all types of learners. Some students will use the opportunity for interacting with the material (once or many times, their choice). Some will appreciate the chance to ponder the deeper meanings and make all kinds of connections. Others will be given time to discover what it is they don't understand about the content. When we deliver content in class, once, there is not the occasion for each student to have the opportunity for these types of explorations.

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As I plan for a lesson I ask myself, "What is the best use of face-to-face time?" This is the driving question. I can then work backwards to determine what my students need to know or have been exposed to prior to being face-to-face in class and therefore be able to make the best use of all of our time.

Reverse instruction can flip your normal routine on its head, but it doesn't have to involve videos. How do you flip?

Whose Job?

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Before we can discuss whose job it is, we need to know what the job is. One of our school's AFG goals is, "By 2016, all students will demonstrate an awareness and application of 21st century skills."

Hmm - seems pretty vague to me.

There are no standards or benchmarks in place for what those 21st century skills should be, let alone exactly what should be taught and when. So, the discussion of whose job it is to teach these skills is either completely irrelevant or the only thing we have to discuss.

As a teacher who wants my students to be productive members of our increasingly digital world I take on the teaching of some of these skills myself. In my ideal world I would keep this aspect of my job, but have the time to do it (and standards giving guidance).

Right now I am 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' with the time I give to 21st century skills rather than more fully addressing some of the AERO L.A. Standards because I believe strongly that 21st century skills need to be taught somewhere.

On top of a time crunch, without delineated standards I know my students have gaps. When I encounter a large gap I stop to help fill it in, but this is not the best way to acquire an entire set of skills.

This is where I am thankful for ISTE and the NETS. They give me some guidance in what to aim for.

Some of the overarching ideas can easily be incorporated into any subject area. Some need more time (yes, this is a theme) to be fully developed, or addressed at all.

So, my two wishes…

1. Give me NETS. Adopting the NETS will provide guidance, uniformity, and accountability.
   
   This wiki is a place to start. I can't do it alone. I am comforted to know there are others, around the world, taking on the same challenges. It is always nice to not be reinventing the wheel and to have support in our ventures.
   
2. Give me time. I would love to incorporate more 21st century skills, but I don't have enough time to teach my content area standards. (Another post, but I can sum it up by saying I have 1/4 the time to focus on language arts in our middle school schedule as I had in the elementary schedule.)

I realize that adopting NETS is not something I can tackle this year. Perhaps finding avenues for my students to begin discussing what they are doing and what they wish they were doing is something I can tackle.

If you are in a situation like mine this resource could be helpful. I am contemplating making it available to my students and having them start some online discussions around one or two points.

Whose job is it? It comes down to meeting the needs of students. I want to see my students be successful, therefore it is my job.

Passing Notes and Other Distractions

I am reading The Revealers by Doug Wilhelm to all the sixth graders. Two of the characters end up in detention and are passing notes. This was the perfect opening for a conversation I have been thinking about, so I took it.

"How many of you have ever passed notes in class?"

Nearly all the hands shot up. They know me well enough to not think it is a trick question or that I am trying to get them in trouble. I put my hand up as well.

"How many of you have ever sent a text during class?"

Less hands, but still a strong representation. I remind them that it was not an option available to me when I was in school.

"Now, what is going to happen when you all have an iPad in class?"

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The reaction varied from huge grins to silent contemplation.

I continued the discussion letting them know that there are some teachers who are leery because they are concerned that students might mess around or be distracted, if they have an iPad in class.

"What would you say to those teachers?"

Students' responses basically fell into two camps:

• They should trust us and give us a chance. If we mess up, there should be consequences.
• There are so many advantages to having an iPad that outweigh the one disadvantage (possible distraction).

"Can anyone make you pay attention in class?"

They were divided.

After several minuets of discussion I gazed intently at a student and asked if I am paying attention to what they were saying. "How can you tell?"

"Have any of you had a sibling, aunt or uncle, or grandparent who tells stories that go on and on and you only look like you are listening?"

Nearly every hand goes up as smiles spread across their faces.

"So, what could you be doing instead?"

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"Daydreaming!" someone shouts out.

"Exactly," I responded. "No one can make you pay attention."

I wrapped-up the discussion by telling them that a teacher's job is not to make you pay attention, since we can't. There are two things we can do.

One, we can eliminate distractions. If we see that the iPad is distracting you we can simply say, "black your screen". With one press of a button your screen goes blank, but you don't lose anything you have open or are working on. The distraction is gone. Same goes for the rubber band you might be playing with or when you are sitting next to someone you can't keep from talking to, they need to be taken care of. A good teacher will help eliminate your distractions.

Two, we can try to keep class engaging. When do you pass notes? When you are bored. If what is happening in class is something you want to be a part of you won't be tempted to mess around on your iPad. You will want to be engrossed in what is happening in class.

Finally, how can iPads be used wisely during class, even if it is not for a specific task the teacher is asking you to do?

At least in my class, you don't have to wait for me to 'allow' you to utilize your iPad. If you need to access a resource that you have on your iPad, go for it! This is how things are in the 'real world'.

"When you wonder about something what do you do?"

My first block all said that they Google it. My subsequent blocks primarily ask their parents if they wonder about something, often pestering (students' perspective) their parents until they get answers.

(As a result, the following was sent from our class account, with mixed emotions from the students.)

So, it is good practice to look things up. If something is mentioned in class and you either don't know what it is, want to know more about it, or are making a connection to something else - search away! If I wonder what you are doing on your iPad and you are legitimately looking up something related to class, simply tilt your screen toward me so I can see and be sure to share our your findings at an appropriate time.

Perhaps I should introduce the 'distraction' of a back channel…

What are you reading?

“It’s Monday! What are you Reading?” is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It is a chance for book lovers to share their reading accomplishments as well as what is on the proverbial nightstand. She even does a giveaway. Subsequently Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts added an opportunity for those reading kidlit to join the fun. Since I read both I will post to both. Check them out, join the conversations, and discover more great books.

Here is what I have read in the past month.
An * indicates my ‘must own’ list, either for myself or my classroom library.

Planting Dandelions by Kyran Pittman

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

*Poison Study by Maria V. Snider
The start of a series. I am anxious to read the next two.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

*Everyday Editing by Jeff Anderson
I am looking forward to incorporating these ideas into my classroom this year.

Inside the Kingdom by Carmen Bin Ladin

iWrite: Using Blogs, Wikis, and Digital Stories in the English Classroom by Dana J. Wilbur

*The Digital Writing Workshop by Tony Hicks
This book gave me ideas, sites, and things to ponder for my classroom this year.

Not Your Typical A.U.P.

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Collaborative, reflective projects are things I enjoy. They provide the opportunity to look at how and why things are done and then step back to see what would work best for a given situation. COETAIL Course Two gave me the chance to look at our Acceptable Use Policy as well as those for other schools.

Things I noticed while looking at A.U.P.s for both international schools and schools in the States…

• sometimes they are broken down by grade level – ECE, primary, upper grades, MS, and HS
• some appear outdated referencing things like digital bulletin boards
• some are very negative – all “Do Not”
• some pose things in a positive light – “I will…”
• many are very long

I worked with two other teachers (both at the same school), sharing some examples I had found and reading through their draft. My biggest suggestion to them was to rephrase their policy into positive language, which they did. (I am not naming them because they don't know what is coming next and may not want to have anything to do with what I am about to say.)

After all of this reading and reflecting, collaborating and sharing, something wasn't sitting right with me. I couldn't put my finger on it. Then I was on a COETAIL, Big Marker, 'conference call' in which Jeff Utecht made a comment about how nice it would be if the A.U.P. just said, "Do No Harm".

Wow!

My brain has been churning on it ever since. That is exactly the kind of A.U.P. I envision. I have sat down several times to finalize my proposed A.U.P. and write this post, but it doesn't make sense to me.

• Why can't it be about making good choices?
• Why do we have to spell out what all of the possible choices are?
• Aren't we trying to encourage thinking?
• Don't we want students to have to think through their actions before they act?
• What if some new technology appears during the school year that isn't covered by the A.U.P.?

So, if anyone wants to use it, here is my proposed A.U.P. (I am sending this link to my new principal.)

Make Good Choices.
(Consequences available for poor ones.)

The germs stay home

One of the things we work on in my classroom, early in the year, is how to keep our germs to ourselves. This includes learning to cough or sneeze into the crook of your arm, using hand sanitizer when you forget, and staying home when you have a fever.

The fever part should be easy as our school policy states that students must stay home until they have been fever free for at least 24 hours without fever reducing medicine. You would think that would be simple to follow. Unfortunately the reality is that there are doctors who will give fever reducing medicine and then tell parents to send their child to school. Or the understanding of '24 hours' is unclear and if the child doesn't have a fever when they go to bed (even if they had a fever at 3 p.m.) results in the child being sent to school.

I agree that it is not always convenient. When my daughter has a fever one of us has to stay home with her. There are times when I know she is fine and it is frustrating to wait out the entire 24 hours, but that is the way it goes. It even means that sometimes we miss things that we really want to be there for.

Like the Science Fair.

In the past I have had students come to school sick on the day of the fair. I have then kept them in isolation until their judge is ready for them. They then are able to fully participate with their team for the judging round and then they go home. (The year a student had the chicken pox they did stay home.)

This year I had a student who was out with a high fever the day before the fair. They emailed me saying they would go to the doctor and get medicine and come to school the next day. They asked what time they were scheduled to be judged because they knew they would need to be in attendance for that 20 minutes. I then had a brilliant idea.

Checking my schedule to see who was slated to judge their team I was optimistic that it would work. The judge was willing to try something new. Why not have the student Skype for their judging round?

The student and I checked out connection the night before. In the morning I let the rest of their team know the plan. Since we have used Skype in the classroom they could envision how it would go. We set everything up in the gym for the opening of the fair. Just before the slated time the judge went in to see their complete setup. We then moved just the students and their tri-fold display up to my room and the third student joined in by Skype.

It was a little bit different then everyone else's experience. All the other teams had a judging round and a grading round. This team had us both together. All the other teams were in a room without parents. The one on Skype could have their mom listen in. All the other teams still had to wait and this team was breathing a huge sigh of relief.

As the students headed back to the gym with their tri-fold the judge said to me, "that was pretty cool". I agreed. It did go well.

And the germs stayed home.

It Is Finished

At least 'round one', our local science fair, is finished. There is a reason I plan this event for the day before Spring Break. Actually, there are a few reasons. One, it keeps the kids focused right up until break. Two, it keeps families from traveling early, which can be a big challenge here. Three, I only have to make it through a half day and then it is vacation.

Why do I do a science fair in the first place? I never had until I was presented with an opportunity, in 2007, to join the 5th grade team of educators starting the NESA Virtual Science Fair 5th (to distinguish it from the original program at the middle school level). NESA is our professional development organization: Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools.

I won't go into the virtual aspects too much right now. Basically it is an extension of what you think of when you hear 'science fair'. In addition to our local fair my students learn and use many technology skills including their own website, wiki, and having an 'e-mentor'. An e-mentor is a high school student at a different international school. This high school student helps my fifth graders think through their project, helps them avoid pitfalls, and is their first 'go to' person when they have a question.

So, the novelty of having the virtual side, coupled with being a part of something cool and new got me hooked. I must confess, those are not the real reasons I do it. The real value of our inquiry unit, culminating in a science fair, has very little to do with science.

GASP!

It is true. The first day of the unit I ask my students why they think we have a science fair. They guess everything sciencey they can think of. "Nope", I tell them. It has nothing to do with the science. It is all about group work. We then go on to talk about their experiences working in groups. What makes a group successful? What can be frustrating about working in a group? How to problem solve challenges that may come up. I emphasize that group work is a part of life. You may not like everyone in your group, but you have to find a way to work with them. (I assign the groups, based on a variety of factors. They have zero choice in the matter.)

During this discussion we are also practicing our note taking skills. I am showing one style of note taking on the board. I have other adults in the room talk about their note taking styles and model a bit. They look at one another's notes and talk about what they see and don't see.

The next reason that I want my students involved in science fair has nothing to do with science either. My second reason is all about communication skills. During the course of this inquiry unit they will end up writing a research paper and orally presenting to judges. We talk about how scary both of these sound, from the outset. I ensure them that everything will be broken down into small, manageable steps. I also ensure them that they will have lots of practice before they are in front of their 'real' judge.

The next reason for the science fair? OK, that has to do with the science. If they come out with a solid understanding of the scientific method and a basic understanding of variables I count that as a success.

The kicker for all of these reasons is that my students experience their inquiry unit as solely student work. I let both the students and parents know that all the work will be student generated. Parents can drive them to someone's house or help acquire supplies, but that is it. I simply act as a guide. I walk them through the steps and try to keep them looking ahead. They have a manual to refer to when they forget the details. Included in the manual is a very important page - dates to remember. I break down the project into small steps and have due dates for each step.

Do they turn in work with errors? You betcha! Would it be 'better' work if I, or the parents, were more involved? Most definitely. What they wouldn't have is the absolute certainty that they can take on a huge, enormous, frightening project and succeed, by themselves.

Some of them may need these science skills later in life. They will all need the group work, communication skills, and knowledge that they are capable.

 

 

 

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/erin_m/3366735236/">erin m</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a>