Teaching the iGeneration - Ferris State University
Direct link to this resource page: http://bit.ly/TIGFerrisState2015
Backchannel for today's workshop: https://todaysmeet.com/TIGFerrisState2015
You know what the iGeneration looks like in your classroom: iGeners are plugged in, having inherited a world with almost universal access to the Internet. Earbuds hang from backpacks, and cell phones are stuffed in pockets. Text messaging has replaced telephone calls, streaming video has replaced waiting for television shows to start, Wii has replaced Atari, digital photography has replaced film, and cable Internet has replaced dial-up modems.
But iGeners aren’t always the best students. Working quickly instead of carefully, they “info-snack” their way through class, flitting from instant experience to instant experience. Reading deeply, considering multiple perspectives, and interacting meaningfully with others are pushed aside in a race for instant gratification.
Moving learning forward, then, begins by introducing teachers to ways digital tools can be used to encourage higher-order thinking and innovative instruction across the curriculum. Today’s students can be inspired by technology to ponder, imagine, reflect, analyze, memorize, recite, and create—but only after we build a bridge between what they know about new tools and what we know about good teaching -- a process introduced by full time classroom teacher Bill Ferriter in this one day workshop.
Session Handouts
Handouts - PDF
Handouts - DOC*
This link connects to a complete collection of the handouts that session presenter Bill Ferriter will refer to during the course of today's workshop. Feel free to download them to your machine and keep the file open during Bill's presentation. Participants who are more comfortable with a hard copy of documents may want to print a copy of these handouts to bring with them to the workshop.
*Note: Session presenter Bill Ferriter has converted the complete session handouts into a Word Doc to make it easier for participants to edit files as needed. Be aware, however, that converting from PDF to DOC is not a perfect process. Some files may need some formatting before they are usable.
Slides for Today's Workshop
Slides - TIG Ferris State 2015
While session presenter Bill Ferriter doesn't spend a ton of time working through slides in his presentations, participants can download the slides for today's workshop by clicking on the link above.
Resources for Module 1: Are Today's Students the Dumbest Generation?
In February of 2010, Dan Brown dropped out of college, arguing that schooling was getting in the way of his education and that if educators aren't ready to change, society will move on without them. Watch Dan's Open Letter to Educators and use this handout to reflect on his core argument that schools are failing to prepare kids for the world that they will inherit.
Resources for Module 2: Does Your School Have a Vision of the Role Technology Should Play in Instruction?
One of the first steps that schools interested in the meaningful integration of technology must take is actively defining just what "meaningful integration" would look like in action. During this module, we will work to answer that question. Participants will look closely at a series of scenarios that describe the full range of technology integration efforts in schools. Then, they will explore a simple set of documents that can help schools to develop guiding principals for school-based technology integration efforts.
Technology Integration Scenarios: Your school team will be assigned to read the five technology scenarios listed below. Please click on the link for the scenario that you are assigned to read. After reading the scenario, please have one scribe respond to the first unanswered question on the second page of the Google Doc. Together, we will build a nice collection of reflections about what meaningful technology integration is supposed to look like in action.
Technology Scenario - Miranda Stevens
Technology Scenario - Antonio Villareal
Technology Scenario - Marsha Turnbull
Technology Scenario - Thomas Vanderheusen
Technology Scenario - Susan Smith
Technology Planning Resources: Now that you have had the chance to look closely at the full range of technology integration efforts in schools, review the documents below. Many can be used to help your building craft a more coherent plan for technology integration in your school.
Technology is a Tool, NOT a Learning Outcome - Take a look at Bill’s Technology is a Tool, Not a Learning Outcome graphic. How does it make you feel? Do you agree with the sentiment expressed? Disagree with it? Why? More importantly, which side of the graphic best represents the work being done in your school?
Technology Scenarios - Explore this series of scenarios describing the role that technology can play in teaching and learning. While reading each story, keep your own school in mind. Which scenario best describes the work that your school is currently doing with technology.
Technology Planning Guide - How clearly has your school defined the role that you think technology should play in your building? Do you have a set of technology vision statements? If not, this planning guide may help.
Writing Technology Vision Statements - Now that you have thought carefully about the things that are important to your school and community, use this handout to turn your core beliefs into actionable statements.
Resources for Module 3: What Does Good Technology Integration Look Like in Action?
Now that you've had the chance to look closely at both the characteristics of today's learner and the characteristics of effective technology integration, let's spend some time examining two examples of meaningful technology integration from session presenter Bill Ferriter's classroom. In the first, students are using technology to change lives in the developing world. In the second, students are using technology to raise awareness about the amount of sugar found in the foods that we eat every day. In both projects, students have the chance to master discipline specific knowledge and skills.
Microlending as an Example of Good Technology Integration
The first example of good technology integration that session presenter Bill Ferriter will share with participants is a Kiva Microlending project that he integrated into his language arts and social studies classroom a few years back. To learn more about the project and the role that it played in Bill's classroom, explore the following resources:
One Tweet CAN Change the World - In this blog post, session presenter Bill Ferriter details the origins of his Kiva Microlending project and shares the rationale and resources for connecting microlending projects to the required curriculum.
Salem Middle School Kiva Video - This link connects to a video made by two eighth grade students in session presenter Bill Ferriter's middle school Kiva Club. It was developed to be used in persuasive speeches given by Kiva Club members who were looking for monetary donations from local businesses.
Kiva Because We Care - This link connects to a second video made by students in session presenter Bill Ferriter's middle school Kiva Club. It provides a convincing look inside the reasons that students care about opportunities to do work that matters.
Resources Used in Bill's Microlending Project
Kiva Website - Kiva is an organization in San Francisco that makes microlending possible by pairing interested lenders in the developed world with entrepreneurs in need of loans in the developing world. While there are other sites and services that make microlending possible, Kiva is the largest.
Animoto Website - Animoto is a tool for making engaging online videos out of PowerPoint presentations. The reason that session presenter Bill Ferriter uses Animoto is because (1). it automates the transitions between images, resulting in a highly polished final product without needing a high level of technical skill and (2). it provides users with access to an extensive library of Creative Commons music.
Creative Commons Website - Projects that give students the opportunity to experiment with visual persuasion are perfect opportunities to introduce Creative Commons, a new form of copyright where creators grant permission to use their content in advance. This link connects to the Creative Commons website, where participants can learn more about the different licenses used by content creators, where participants can find a tool that makes searching for Creative Commons content easier, and where participants can watch a video that explains just what the Creative Commons is.
Student Microlending Handouts - While session presenter Bill Ferriter has created dozens of handouts for use with his Kiva microlending work, participants generally find three to be the most useful. The Which Country Should We Loan To handout is designed to help students think about how key quality of life indicators can impact lending decisions, the Kiva Loan Questions handout is designed to help students think about the characteristics of good Kiva loans, and the Rating Kiva Loan Opportunities handout is designed to help students determine the types of loans that they care the most about.
Creating Influential Visuals Handouts - While session presenter Bill Ferriter has created dozens of handouts for introducing students to the characteristics of influential visuals, participants generally find three to be the most useful. The Characteristics of Memorable Images handout asks students to examine the strengths and weaknesses of two student-made PowerPoint slides, the Checklist for Creating an Influential Visualhandout walks students through a series of questions designed to support the creation of influential visuals, and the Examining a Video handout asks students to watch the Salem Middle School Poverty's Real video and identify the key structural elements of a persuasive video.
#SUGARKILLS as an Example of Good Technology Integration
The second example of good technology integration that session presenter Bill Ferriter will share with participants is a #SUGARKILLS project that he integrated into his science classroom two years ago. To learn more about the project and the role that it played in Bill's classroom, explore the following resources:
My Kids, a Cause and Our Classroom Blog - In this post written for Smartblogs Education, session presenter outlines the reasoning behind his #SUGARKILLS project, an effort to raise awareness about the amount of sugar in the foods that we eat every day that started after his students studied the ban on soda that the Mayor of New York City tried to put in place in 2013.
#SUGARKILLS Blog - The final digital project that session presenter Bill Ferriter had his kids tackle when exploring the New York City soda ban was to use a blog to raise awareness about the amount of sugar in the foods that teens and tweens eat on a daily basis.
#SUGARKILLS Interview - One of the most powerful testimonials about the impact that doing work that matters can have on students is this interview of the sixth grade student leaders of session presenter Bill Ferriter's #SUGARKILLS project conducted by the MiddleWeb website.
Resources Used in Bill's #SUGARKILLS Project
Scoop.it - Scoop.it is a service that allows users to curate public collections of weblinks around individual topics. Public Scoop.it pages give students opportunities to practice managing multiple streams of information and evaluating the reliability of online sources -- two additional skills that define literate 21st Century citizens. Curating public Scoop.it pages also gives students opportunities to raise their voice on issues that matter and to have their thinking affirmed and/or challenged by commenters.
VoiceThread - VoiceThread is a service that allows users to engage in ongoing asynchronous conversations about topics of interest to them. What makes VoiceThread unique is that users can post text and/or video comments to presentations, making the conversations more personal and engaging to users.
Wordpress - While there are dozens of blogging tools to choose from, session presenter Bill Ferriter uses Wordpress for his classroom blogs. It is not an education-specific product, but it is probably the most widely-used blogging tool used beyond schools. That means the skills that Bill's students pick up while blogging in his classroom will translate to their work long after they leave his room.
Three Classroom Blogging Tips for Teachers - This link connects to a bit on session presenter Bill Ferriter's blog that details three important tips for teachers interested in tackling a classroom blogging project.
Blogging Resources for Classroom Teachers - Are you having trouble imagining just what role blogging can play in the classroom? Do you need a few examples of classroom blogging projects that might be worth pursuing? Not sure of just what blogging platform is right for you or your school? All of those questions are answered in this post from session presenter Bill Ferriter's blog.
Blogging Handouts - While session presenter Bill Ferriter has created dozens of handouts for structuring student blogging projects, participants generally find three to be the most useful. The Teacher Tips for Classroom Blogging Projects handout includes a list of 10 different tips for structuring classroom blogging work, the Tips for Leaving Good Blog Comments handout is designed to teach students the kinds of steps that they need to take in order to effectively join conversations in blog comment sections and the Blog Entry Scoring Rubric handout can be used by teachers or students to evaluate the overall quality of student posts on classroom blogs.
Resources for Module 4: What are You Going to Do Now?
The remainder of today's workshop is set aside for you to work with the teams and teachers from your school. If you are interested in developing a set of technology vision statements, the essential skills check and blueprint for digital projects would be worth exploring. If you are interested in seeming more examples of meaningful technology integration in action, check out the Scoop.it and VoiceThread projects that Bill's students did while working through their study of the sugar found in everyday foods.
Essential Skills Check - Successful technology integration projects depend on your ability to find logical starting points for your work. This essential skills checklist -- which asks teams of teachers to define (1). the skills that they care about and (2). the skills that matter to their students can help you to do just that.
Blueprint for Digital Projects - Many teachers need a tangible, step-by-step guide to planning a digital project. If that's you, this handout will help!
Additional Technology Projects to Explore:
New York City Soda Ban Scoop.it Page - The first digital project that session presenter Bill Ferriter had his kids tackle when exploring the New York City soda ban was to use Scoop.it to curate a collection of resources about the soda ban. Here is the handout that students used when creating their Scoop.it collections.
New York City Soda Ban VoiceThread - The second digital project that session presenter Bill Ferriter had his kids tackle when exploring the New York City soda ban was to use VoiceThread to engage in a conversation with one another about the different points of view and perspectives related to the debate.
Scoop.it Student Handouts - When curating their public collections of content using Scoop.it, session presenter Bill Ferriter's students used this handout to consider the characteristics of quality web links and web collections and this handout to judge the quality of the individual web links that they were exploring.
VoiceThread Handouts - While session presenter Bill Ferriter has created dozens of handouts for structuring student VoiceThread conversations, participants generally find three to be the most useful. The Previewing an Asynchronous Conversation handout is designed to help students find an entry point into a digital conversation, the Commenting in an Asynchronous Conversation handout is designed to give students a structured template for crafting a contribution to a digital conversation, and the Reflecting on an Asynchronous Conversation handout is designed to give students a chance to think about what they've learned after a digital conversation ends.
Additional Resources to Explore
During the course of any one-day technology workshop, session presenter Bill Ferriter tries to do his best to introduce participants to a small handful of tools that he finds useful in his classroom. The tools that he selects resonate with large numbers of classroom teachers -- and most participants can find SOMETHING that they could integrate into their classrooms immediately. It is impossible, though, for Bill to present tools that are perfect for every teacher working at every grade level simply because of the diversity of his audiences. With limited time, Bill's goal is to present tools that resonate with the most people.
If you didn't find any tools in Bill's presentation that were perfect for you, consider exploring some of the resources below:
Bill's Quick Guide to Web 2.0 Services - Bill is often asked to share his favorite Web 2.0 tools with people. That's why he developed this list. It contains every tool that Bill is currently using in his classroom to teach the essential skills included in Teaching the iGeneration.
Bill's Quick Guide to Tools for BYOD Classrooms - Over the past year, Bill's school has started to implement a BYOD policy. The result: Bill has had far more devices in his classroom than he's ever had before. This list includes tools that he's begun experimenting with to try to take advantage of the new opportunities that those tools provide.
Ten Good Apps for Elementary School Math Practice - Many teachers in the elementary grades have access to iPads in their classrooms. That means they are probably pretty interested in checking out apps that other teachers have found useful. This post from Richard Byrne's iPad Apps for Schools website includes 10 math practice apps that may be useful.
Ten MORE Good Apps for Elementary Math Practice - If the ten apps recommended by Richard Byrne don't float your boat, check out these apps recommended by Monica Burns at Edutopia.
Show Me - One practice that has become increasingly popular in schools is flipping learning spaces. In flipped learning spaces, teachers develop tutorials designed to deliver content to students in advance, creating additional time in class for group work and/or reflection. Show Me is one of the most popular apps for creating these tutorials.
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