[Berger] Engaging the YouTube Generation

First reaction to the readings for this week: "WAHOOO!!! I can't wait to try this out!"

Here I thought I tried everything-  Animoto videos, common craft (in plain english) videos, and all of the cloud based video editing tools (WeVideo, Stupeflix), and the screencast options (i.e. Screenr.com).  To the delight of my eyes as I examine these resources for this week,  it seems there is SO MUCH MORE out there to try!  It amazes me how much the video editing world has skyrocketed over the past few years.  Just three years ago, Windows Movie Maker was the best free option, and of course it didn't work on the student computers.  Now, the possibilities are endless (or maybe I am just now figuring out how many options exist).  Here are the top resources I am PUMPED about trying in my classroom (all taken from "Lights Camera Engagement" or Richard Byrne Presents":

•  Choose Your Own Adventure- make your YouTube Videos Interactive (to find the interactive portion of the video below, fast forward to 2:00).  The sky is the limit on these videos!  Student can create their own stories and interact with their audience (I could see the integration of this video style in any content area)!  What really strikes me, is this video was uploaded in 2008.  Where was I in 2008?  Clearly not discovering this amazing feature on YouTube...

• CREAZA- I'm having another "where have I been?" moment with this one.  The options on this site are just awesome.  It looks like there is a video editing tool, an audio editing tool, and an animation tool.  Check out the video below on seasons created by the Creaza animation tool. 

• Loopster.com - Seems like an awesome video editing tool, and it's now available in the Apple App store, so students with devices can use the tool alongside students with the netbooks. This is music to my ears!  The app seems similar to animoto, but with more customizable features and allows for more video options (but lacks the fancy "themes" of Animoto)".  Increasing student opportunities for creativity is always a plus!

Now, are there more advanced editing tools out there?  Sure.  Are there programs out there that can do more than some of these tools (i.e. iMovie, final cut pro)?  Sure.  Are there plenty of FREE options out there NOW that we can engage our students with, despite the fact we may not have the "newest and most efficient video editing options"? YES!!  Can't wait to get my students started!  

Facultyfocus.com (which primarily focuses on higher education), reported "an astounding 96 percent of students said they use Facebook on a typical day and 84 percent use YouTube.  Only 20 percent said they use blogs, 14 percent use Twitter, 12 percent use MySpace, and 10 percent use LinkedIn." Wow! Clearly, our students are interested in YouTube.  I'm fairly confident that this statistic aligns closely with our middle school and high school students.  They spend their after school hours looking up the most random videos they can find, and use YouTube listen to music.  They even make YouTube videos at their "parties" and sleepovers.  Why not carry this interest over into the classroom?  Engaging our "YouTube Generation" students should be a the top of our technology tool to do list!  

[Phillips] Is BYOD Really Unfair?

I get so frustrated when I read articles that discuss the unfairness of BYOD.  What they are essentially saying is that everyone shouldn't have the chance to learn to their maximum potential.  We should hold students back b/c some students may not have the same access to the technology at home.  That sounds like rational reasoning.  Why don't we get rid of AP and level 1 classes b/c not everyone was born with the same intellectual capacity.  I think that just sounds stupid.

In the first article, "Worst Idea of the 21st Century", they state that cell phones are not computers.  Now, I know that this article was written in 2011, but I would have to agree to disagree with that statement.  If cell phones aren't computers, then I'm not sure what are.

They also discuss that BYOD will increase teacher anxiety and that we've failed to inspire teachers to use computers for the last 30 years.  Well, if I remember correctly, just until about 10 years ago were computers actually user friendly for a classroom and small enough to be mobile.  30 years ago we had humongous computers that were running on a DOS system with no internet access.

                                                                                                     
Finally, the author of the article states that, "It takes a special pitch to ask a school or school board to buy one of something for every kid."  Isn't that one of the big turn-ons of BYOD; we don't have to purchase a device for every kid. We utilize the devices they already have.

The last article we read had a lot of counter points to the articles that talked about why we shouldn't have BYOD.  There are plenty of reasons why we should utilize devices.  One of the pushes of Oak Hills is Global Awareness and making our kids competitive in a 21st century global economy.  If we don't utilize our devices and teach our students proper ways to use and harness the power of technology, then we are doing them a major disservice.  As this article from Teachthought discusses, here are 10 simple reasons why we should utilize and embrace BYOD.

• BYOD is cost effective
• Embracing these tools makes education more interactive.
• BYOD makes differential instruction easier.
• Portable devices make learning a part of students' lives.
• BYOD is a manageable strategy with proper discipline rules.
• BYOD saves learning time.
• Engaged learners are better learners.
• BYOD can be used to engage experts from outside the classroom.
• BYOD is becoming the norm in the workplace.
• Some technology experts and CIOs are predicting the death of the person computer.

 I think it's pretty clear that if we want to prepare our students for college and career and we want our students to be able to collaborate with others on a global scale, then BYOD is a must.
                                             

The Genius Bar

"A Pew Research survey on 2,462 teachers indicates that 73% of their students use mobile devices to complete assignments, 45% use e-readers, and 43% use tablets. Technology in the classroom is not a future trend, it is already here."


With BYOD here and now, and with a growing number of students bringing their own devices into the classroom, one of the more remarkable things I have seen in our research is the creation of a "Genius Bar."

There are many schools across America who have introduced the concept of creating a Genius Bar in their schools.  For those who do not know, a Genius Bar  is a tech support station located inside every Apple Retail Store, the purpose of which is to offer help and support for Apple users. 

Punnet, Wildern Schools and Burlington High School have created Genius Bars to help support their students who bring their own devices to school each and every day. 

According to the GENYES blog, which produced an excellent document  for schools interested in creating a "Genius Bar", there are a number of things to consider:

• Creating a basic student lead model
• Setting aside space
• Training
• Customer Service
• Creating a culture of excellence
• Managing Students
• Integration into the whole school
• Sustainability

One of the best examples of school wide implementation is Burlington High School's Help Desk.  Burlington has successfully integrated their "Help Desk" into the school's mainstream culture. It not only serves a specific technological purpose, but also helps create an atmosphere of cooperation and forward thinking.  The school offers online tutorials on topics like iOS, using GOODNOTES, and student responsibility.

Are you ready to implement a Genius Bar at your school?

Tweets about "#BYOD"

{Hageman} Professional Development and Digital Literacy in the Classroom

We are at a unique time in our culture and society.  Students are in school studying for jobs that have yet to be created and are ironically being taught by a population of teachers who are not nearly as tech savvy as the students. Regardless, our students future greatly depends on our teachers ability to adapt and integrate technology into the classroom.  

One of the recurring themes from class was again present in this weeks article.   Teachers need for professional development in relation to technology.  Districts need to realize that to fully embrace a BYOD concept, they need to be willing to provide not only time, but many different avenues to help train staff on best practices and means of incorporating technology into the classroom.  

• One surprisingly effective suggestion was the use of nline communities to provide peer support.  
• Do you feel that online communities would provide adequate support for someone who is already uncomfortable in a tech world?

Upon finishing this article and continuing to Should We Be Concerned About an “App Gap,” I couldn’t help but think there needed to be more to technology integration and BYOD than simply training teachers.  

• Schools that adopt BYOD need to consider developing courses that are mandatory for students and revolve around digital literacy.  Students are given devices that have unlimited knowledge, power, and communication capabilities.  Unfortunately, those devices also come with a new set of ethics and severe consequences.  All kids do stupid things.  Today, those “things” are broadcast to the world and have much more lasting impact than in previous generations.  

• If schools are going to embrace BYOD, is it their responsibility to fully educate students on uses and consequences?

Topics that could be covered in a digital literacy course include:

• Cyber Bulling
• Sexting
• Research and plagiarism
• Facebook and online etiquette
• Bias

• Acceptable Use

The statistics in the “App Gap” article were staggering and I am befuddled trying to provide a solution to the problem.   The author poses a great question at the end of the article.  

• "So should we be concerned about an "app gap"? Or does doing so just deflect from other inequalities?"

Training?  Who needs more education on BYOD?  Is it the teachers trying to incorporate it into the classroom or the students, on how to more effectively use their devices in an professional setting.  

Stop Blaming the Devices! (Reyes)

I really enjoyed reading this chapter because it reaffirms what and I believe when it comes to BYOD in the classroom and classroom management.  This chapter shows us that classroom management strategies matter regardless of the tools that you are using in the classroom.  

One of the parts that I found to be very interesting was when the book talked about classroom layout.  I agree with the author about how teachers should be monitoring what students are doing on their devices, just as we would if they were working on paper and pencil.  However, I think the author brings up a good point when he discusses how teachers should have their desks arranged based on the type of activity they are doing.  Most teachers that I know have moved their desks before to accommodate an activity but I do not think that many teachers have moved desks several times during a class as the activities changed.  When the author brought this up, he talked about how this would help the teacher be able to monitor what was going on in the class as well be able to engage the students more effectively during different activities.  My first thought was that this would be very challenging because it takes forever to move things around the room and it can create chaos.  However, the author had a great suggestion of using a stopwatch and giving them a certain amount of time to move.  This allows teachers to move the classroom to be most effective for the type of instruction that is taking place without creating too much chaos.  

I also really liked what the author had to say about how devices are not there to do the instruction for you but are merely a tool to be used to enhance learning.  One of the parts of chapter talked about the different ways that the author would have the students use their devices.  He talked about how sometimes the author would have each student working on his or her own device but at other times they could be working with just two devices in a group of six.  There were also times that the author had them put their devices away for several reasons including the devices being a distraction or to have students share what their reaction was to the activity with the group.  No matter what way the teacher chooses to go is fine, as long as you see the devices as a tool to help the student through the lesson instead of being the lesson.  I think that this is one of the biggest concerns that I hear from other teachers when it comes to BYOD.  They will often say that they do not know how they would use the devices in their classroom.  My response is typically to point out that they are using devices all the time but we no longer see them as devices.  For instance, paper and pencil or calculators are all tools.  Why couldn’t students type their answers, read an article on their devices or use their devices as their calculators?  These are all questions they didn’t have a good answer for other except that it would be a distraction.  However, after reading these past articles and this chapter I know now and can pass along that it is not the device that will be the problem but the way we as teachers set up the classroom that will be problem.  

Overall I really enjoyed reading this chapter as it gave me some new things to think about when it comes to BYOD.