Behind the scenes of NETS•S K-5 Curriculum Integration Curation: A Reflection

Curating is hard work. To come up with this list of 25 acceptable resources involved a lot of filtering, sifting, and otherwise weeding out. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.

That somebody is me – and lots of educational technology professionals like me who take pride in their work. We do the hard stuff so you don’t have to. The end result is a resource I feel is substantial, helpful, and contributes to the greater good of knowledge.

Last week in EdTech 543 I co-created a curation checklist of what 15 things to ask when creating such a collection of resources. This week I used that criteria to curate a collection on a topic of my choice. I opted to try the new Learnist platform, which has been compared to a Pinterest for education. So far it’s in beta and is invite-only. Sign up requires a Facebook account, and they claim to search my online presence to see if I’m someone they want. I must have passed because I received an invite in three days. This site could be a wonderful professional development tool and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I can even mark certain things I’ve read as “learned.”

I chose to create a board that collects best practices and resources for NETS•S curricular alignment, integration, and assessment for K-5 Elementary Schools. I am tasked with developing a NETS•S-aligned curriculum for my PK-12 school, which is a rather daunting task. I needed to scour the Internet to get an idea of what other schools and teachers are doing and glean the most helpful resources. I certainly have a much better handle on things than when I started.

Applying my group’s checklist criteria, here’s my self-evaluation:

1. Does the content come from a reliable and trustworthy source? [Some do, some are unclear, but for my purposes I felt it was important to include lots of ideas, even if they are from a source I’m not familiar with.]
2. Is the content I provide concise and targeted, meaning it is easier to sort through than just doing a Google search? [Yes, it certainly took a lot of digging]
3. Is the title catchy, meaning did I name it something that will get my audience’s attention? [Yes, if someone is looking for help with this specific topic]
4. Do the images and videos contained within support the message being delivered? [Yes. I purposely included screenshots that supported the message rather than the default images Learnist gleaned from the sites]
5. Are resources cited and given full and proper credit? [Yes, they are linked to directly within Learnist]
6. Are goals and objectives clear? Have I articulated why I am teaching the content? [Yes, the Learnist board description outlines my purpose]
7. Do I make the content interesting and engage my audience. Does my audience participate in conversations? [Yes, I have made comments on each resource including what I liked and why I included it. Comments and sharing are enabled.]
8. Do I make the content easy to understand and to learn? Do they know how to apply what they have learned? [Yes, though the topic is a bit dense, users can quickly see from my descriptions if it is worth it to visit a particular resource.]
9. Does the content create deeper thinking and help the audience to take ownership of their learning? [Hard to say. Given the content, anyone searching for help on this specific topic should find something they can use.]
10. Do I continue to research and develop so I can share only the most current and the best information? [Yes and no. I felt it was important to include a few older resources in order to provide specific perspective.]
11. Is the content relevant and timely? [Yes]
12. Is the content original and of high-quality? [Yes, every resource included provides substantial content]
13. Are a variety of media represented to explain the topic at hand (video, articles, photos, blogs, infographics, presentations, journals, etc.)? [Not enough. Due to the topic, there are limited resources available. I did include a Prezi, several PDFs, blog entries, and websites.]
14. Does the resource contribute value to the overall learning goal or strategy? [Yes. This is a good place to start for all things NETS•S in K-5]
15. Do I expand, comment, explain, interpret, contextualize, critique, or otherwise make the resource understandable for my intended audience? [Yes. I felt it was important to annotate each resource in order to save my reader time.]

So, while curation is a lot of work, the end result is one that has really helped me and hopefully will help others out there as well.

Curation Ponderings

Do you ever have an aha moment, one that makes you stop and ask, “Where have I been?” “Does everyone know this but me?” “How have I missed this?” I feel like a patient who has just been given a specific name and treatment for her condition and can now move forward with the prognosis. I have found the cure–or rather, curation.

Perhaps you are laughing, as you’ve been familiar with this term for a long time. So have I really: I just haven’t known it’s name. It’s me, it’s what I do, it’s who I am. I am a curator of information, however informally and imperfectly.

CURATION: the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme. The work involves sifting, sorting, arranging, and publishing information (Kanter, 2011).

It’s more than collecting, as this chart depicts well. It’s certainly more than aggregating, tweeting, and organizing information. Anyone with thumbs can do that.

Curation involves making sense of information and then sharing that information in a way that is meaningful to the audience (Jarche, 2012). I love the idea of contributing in a positive, meaningful, valuable way to the knowledge base.

For this week’s EdTech 543 assignment I co-created with group members James Russell and Debi Banks the following curation checklist:

View this document on Scribd

Though located in separate corners of the world, we each came up with five research-based criteria to ask when curating content. These questions are irrespective of the topic being curated and can be applied generally. We’ll be applying this checklist as we curate next week’s assignment. While I don’t normally enjoy group work, I love the flexibility online collaboration affords.

Additional Resources:
Content Curation for Personal Learning and Sharing: A great write-up and presentation used for the PLE Conference 2012
Content Curation Primer: fCurate.Us: Share visually appealing screen clips and quotes
Spread Your Knowledge: 15+ tools to bookmark, aggregate, and curate
Keep Your Content Fresh with Scoop.It: A great resource on using Scoop.It as a curation tool
Content Curation for Online Education: A curation of curation
Pearltrees: Curation tool to “collect, organize, share everything you like on the web”
Langwitches blog: Students Becoming Curators of Information
Paper.li: Create an online newspaper
Innovations in Education: Understanding Content Curation

Here’s a worthwhile video explanation:

References:

Jarche, H. (2012). The PKM value-add. Life in Perpetual Beta. Retrieved from http://www.jarche.com/2012/03/the-pkm-value-add/

Kanter, B. (2011). Content curation primer. Beth’s Blog. Retrieved from http://www.bethkanter.org/content-curation-101/

[Click on the images for direct link to their respective websites]

10 Be’s: My Digital Footprint and PLN

I have read through dozens of articles, links, blogs, and articles to formulate a strategy to guide me as I grow my Personal Learning Network (PLN) and create a positive digital footprint.

Here is the direct link to Google Docs.

Professional Development: Webinars

Last night I stayed up very late in Nepal to catch a few webinars on SimpleK12. One was a fast-paced Web 2.0 smackdown where each presenter (me included–cool!) shared his/her screen and told about a useful tool. I chose PollsEverywhere, not because it is the best polling system out there, as others provide more analytics and assessment (InfuseLearning was highlighted as well), but because it is an easy way to turn any device into student response systems. I also learned about some other great tools such as screenr for instant screencasts, Doug Edmonds YouTube music videos that teach content, and BeeClip student digital scrapbook alternative to Glogster. I asked questions on the backchannel that were later answered and left feeling enthused and full of ideas. ]

The next webinar was on Symbaloo, which I am actually teaching this week during a professional development discussion, and I gained some new ideas on how to incorporate this tool. For starters, I’m going to set the homepage of all of the laptops to my Symbaloo webmix so that students don’t waste so much time pulling up websites and to keep them on task. I didn’t realize there were so many useful webmixes already created, such as “Surprisingly Edu Apps” and “Best Education Blogs.” I will definitely be spending some time webmixing this week.

I’ve tried a few times over the years to attend a successful webinar and have always left frustrated. It was either was boring or laden with technical problems. This webinar experience has encouraged me and I will be looking for others on topics of interest.

Twitter Power

“Educators really can’t afford to NOT be on Twitter.  Our educational landscape is changing very rapidly.  Our students are using this technology every day, and as educators we must continually be growing and finding new ways to learn and to reach our students.  Is Twitter perfect?  By no means.  But used correctly, Twitter can really become a catalyst in transforming your classroom, your school, and your teaching.”
~ Texas Principal

Having discovered Twitter only recently, I’m a few years behind the curve (6.5, actually).  Of course I’ve heard of the tool: who hasn’t? But I’m a recent convert to truly seeing it in action and feeling its power. I’ll draw from my years as a self-proclaimed “Mac Missionary” to paint a comparison.

Several conversations with friends, co-workers, and neighbors start with them asking me, “I need a new computer. I don’t really want a Mac, but can you tell me again why you like them so much?” Seeds are planted. Before long that friend has bought a brand-new MacBook Pro, iPad, iMac, or iPhone. I wait for what I know is bound to follow: the phone calls, emails, or silent exclamations of “Why did I wait so long?” “Do you know this can do…?” “Can you believe this…? and “I will never go back.” They discover something that has greatly enriched their digital life and shout praises to the choir: me. It’s OK, really. I love this stuff.

Back to Twitter. If you have a front row choir seat on this technology, then I give you permission to doze off now. Perhaps no one will notice. Do the rest of you know what a powerful tool Twitter is? Can be? Should be? I am really enjoying my learning curve.

This week’s assignment for EdTech 543 was to follow at least five new hashtags, organize them using a Twitter client (I chose Tweetdeck), and post at least three new ideas or resources I gained in the process. I wish all of my homework were as much fun!

After viewing The 2012 A-Z List Of Educational Twitter Hashtags and a bit of exploration, I chose to follow (at least for now) these hashtags: #edchat, #edtech, #futureofed, #edutopia, #mlearning, #edapp, and #slide2learn. I’m also following several EdTech professionals and groups. We’ll see which ones prove most valuable.

Within minutes I have dozens of new tools, resources, and ideas at my fingertips. My wheels are turning!

I have been asked to lead a professional development discussion next week on Personal Learning Networks. I will also be giving a beginner and intermediate training on SMART Boards. I have so many new resources at my fingertips I barely know where to begin.

Here are a few great things I’ll immediately draw from:

• PBS Learning Media: a huge repository of “digital-ready” interactives, lesson plans, and resources. Why haven’t I found this before?
• Edutopia’s 50 Educational Technology Tools Every Teacher Should Know About: This was a great list, and I found myself clicking around on many new sites I hadn’t seen before. My favorites? Educreations iPad video creation app, MentorMob that helps students organize websites, photos, and videos into a playlist, and Socrative student response system.
• #futureofed live webinar on aligning curriculum standards called, “What Students Should Learn in the 21st Century” and their corresponding website. I’ve been tasked with establishing  and implementing grade-level NETS PK-5 standards and this is a wonderful resource.
• Visible Tweets easily and beautifully creates a live Twitter feed to show during a class or workshop.

I’m the first to admit that it’s a big and overwhelming digital world out there. It can drain our time and resources if we let it. The flip side, fortunately, is that it can also save time and increase our resources.

I doubt I’ll use Twitter much on a personal level, but already it has greatly enriched me professionally. Twitter’s own site states, “Whether you tweet 100 times a day or never, you still have access to the voices and information surrounding all that interests you. You can contribute, or just listen in and retrieve up-to-the-second information.” Wherever we may fall on the spectrum, we ought to be on it somewhere.

I’ve learned again this week that until we as individuals or as educators have a reason to use a new tool or technology it will not have an impact. The relative advantage of any such technology needs to be assessed. We need to look at what things are already part of our everyday lives and see if there is a way to apply them educationally in a classroom setting. We can’t afford not to.

P.S. Watch how this college professor uses Twitter brilliantly:

Periodic Table of Connectivism

My EdTech543 assignment this week certainly stretched my creativity, but since I’m a wanna-be chemist at heart, I had to try it. The assignment was to non-linguistically represent the dense concepts of connectivism, personal learning networks, and communities of practice. Here is my attempt:

References

Reflection: Explaining Educational Technology

I think we all face the inevitable questions: “What do you do exactly?” “What is it again that you are studying?” “What do you plan to do with that?” I tend to give a short, user-friendly answer that goes something like, “I help use technology in the classroom for learning.” It’s a basic explanation, I know, but it usually suffices. For those who want to know more, or who need convincing that I don’t just help kids play on iPads all day, I will bring up my role in technology integration, curriculum development, and how I help instill 21st Century digital literacy skills in students and teachers.

I have been in the EdTech program for one year now and have worked hard. I have learned more than I initially thought possible. Whatever I thought I knew, however skilled I believed I was, I have come a long way. In short, I have learned practical tools, technology integration strategies, theories and instructional design principles, and technology planning helps.

I am not a certified teacher and therefore do not have my own classroom. However, just this week I started as a part-time technology integration coordinator at my children’s international PK-12 school. Already, I have a very full plate. I will be involved in teacher training, curriculum development, helping teachers integrate technology tools more effectively, and teaching grades 2-5 with the MacBook laptop carts. I am responsible to keep an upbeat, moving-forward technology morale. It is an overwhelming but exciting opportunity, and I’m determined to do the best job I can.

From this EdTech 504 course I hope to gain a deeper perspective of the big picture and be able to better explain to others a greater scope of what educational technology is – and is not. To be honest, I’m a little nervous about this course because I don’t really enjoy studying theory and models and epistemology (frankly, I had to look the word up). I would much rather deal with practical application. However, I’m sure that this course will add a depth to my studies that is necessary, and I’m hopeful that we will be able to make many connections from our coursework to our everyday practice.

So, I will start now. Here are three things that most impressed me from my readings this week and from watching the course videos:

Educational technology has been around a long time and making predictions about what the future will bring, or making grand assumptions, is a bit dangerous.
I loved the posted video Instructional Technology: Looking Backward, Thinking Forward. Too often, I tend to view educational technology as a recent development, defined by SmartBoards, document cameras, iPads, Wi-Fi, social networking, eBooks, and similar emerging technologies. This video was a real eye-opener that reminded me that teachers over time have always been seeking new and improved ways to deliver instruction and engage students, and that what we may think to be the next “big thing” may or may not hold true. It quoted a wonderful prediction by Thomas Edison that said, “I believe that the motion picture is destined to revolutionize our education system and that in a few years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks.” Today we could easily substitute eBooks, iPads, or the Internet. Will we be right?

Educational technology as a field is complicated and difficult to define.
When I have a hard time explaining educational technology, it appears I’m in good company. It’s taken many people many years to come up with a working definition and it’s still a “moving target,” as our course module calls it. This week’s readings explored why it is a difficult field to define and how published definitions have evolved. I particularly liked Luppicini’s (2005) perspective when he notes McGinn’s breakdown of technology that looks at technology as a socio-cultural structure that is both form and activity. Even defining technology itself is not as easy as I thought, and involves much more than state of the art tools. Januszewski’s (2001) definition resonated with me more than any other that states, “As a worldview of education, educational technology emphasizes applying scientific techniques to solving educational problems in efficient and effective ways. This emphasis results in an attitude of action. This attitude values technique over philosophy” (p. 118). I feel that attitude of action, which leads me to my final point.

As educational technologists, we have a responsibility to use what we know to help the greater good.
Educational technology is not an individual field but is very global, collective, innovative, and fluid. As part of such, I feel a great responsibility to educate others in the key principles and application of educational technology. This scope is far-reaching and often overwhelming. For me, it involves teachers, administrators, parents, and students. For others it may involve different stakeholders, but the mandate is the same. We may not know what the future brings, but we must prepared to take it on.

References:
Januszewski, A. (2001). Educational Technology: The Development of a Concept. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Inc.

Luppicini, R. (2005). A Systems Definition of Educational Technology in Society. Educational Technology & Society, 8 (3), 103-109.

Final thoughts on Project Based Learning

I began EdTech 542 not even knowing the definition of Project Based Learning. I couldn’t have had even a one-minute conversation about it. I took this course as part of my Technology Integration Certificate, but it wasn’t a class that jumped out of the course schedule and piqued my interest. Now, after only eight weeks, I feel I have an educated and applicable understanding of PBL concepts and many great resources to refer to as needed. I have seen my classmates create comprehensive PBL projects on a wide variety of topics. I have grown in both content knowledge and supporting technology tool expertise. I have designed a PBL unit from the ground up and feel the final product is ready for any teacher to pick up and implement. I feel the topic I chose is applicable and will instill strong content knowledge and 21st Century skills. In short, it’s been a journey.

What do I now understand best about Project Based Learning? What do I understand least well?
The most critical things I learned were the basic eight elements of PBL units. Each of them makes sense to me and I tried to build my own project around them. I am still trying to wrap my mind around content area curriculum and corresponding assessments, which does not come naturally to me since I am not a certified teacher. I really liked starting backwards and designing the assessments first. It was good practice and kept me focused on what I really wanted the students to take away from the project.

What did I expect to learn in this course? What did I actually learn? More, less, and why?
I expected to learn the academic rationale behind PBL and I did. I didn’t expect to see so many good examples of PBL projects in action, as we followed each one through the process. That was really helpful and made the end seem attainable. I was most impressed with the idea of authenticity. I feel so strongly that education should be real for students. I get so frustrated when there is such a disconnect between what is learned and what is remembered, what is taught and what is applied. One of the reasons I really enjoyed this class is because PBL is the type of learning I always wanted when I was in school and seldom received. I’m determined to do better with any student in my care.

What will I do with what I have learned?
I recently saw an old friend who has been a teacher for the past 10+ years. She is a big advocate of PBL and incorporates it into all that she does. She is an expert with years of experience using the PBL principles I just learned. I am certainly not at that level, and do not have a class of my own to apply my new knowledge. However, as I dive into my new job as K-12 Technology Integration Coordinator, I am glad I have some PBL knowledge behind me. I will be able to offer teachers ideas, encouragement, examples, and support as they try to implement more PBL in their classrooms.

For me, Project Based Learning is an exciting opportunity to instill both content knowledge and 21st Century skills in students. If the project is planned and implemented well, students will emerge not only more educated but more confident. They will remember more longer since they have authentically applied the knowledge in a real scenario. It is a win-win for everyone.

PBL Reflection and Assessment

I always loved the last night of girls’ camp. We sat around the fire, expressed feelings, supported each other, and reflected on the experiences we had shared together. After an intense week of crafts, hikes, food, skits, and certification skills, it was nice to gain some closure.

The same concepts apply to Project Based Learning. PBL units are intense. They take a great deal of time and energy on everyone’s part. Students invest much of themselves as they dive in and take responsibility for their learning. As a result, students grow in knowledge and collaborative skills. After all of this effort, it is nice to bring some closure to the unit as well as reinforce what the students learned in the process.

Teachers must plan time to debrief and reflect on the entire PBL experience. This involves both teacher and student reviews. Students need to be given an opportunity to discuss and reflect on what they have learned. This will help them realize what they have learned along their journey. Students should also have a chance to fill out a form or survey evaluating the unit. Teachers should take time while the unit is fresh in their minds to make adjustments that will help them the next time.

For Project: Me, I have answered three questions:

• Who will be involved in the post project assessment process?
• What will the process look like?
• Is it just a one-time assessment?

Student Reviews:
For Project: Me, the last day will be spent in celebration. Students will watch the student-produced Day in the Life of Me photo project. They will be given “uniqueness” awards and participate in a class discussion on what they have learned and their observations. They will also complete a survey.

Teacher Review:
The teacher will read over student surveys, reflect on notes taken during the unit, and make any adjustments needed on an evaluation form. This will help them adjust timing, content, scaffolding, and assessment needs for the next time they teach the unit.

While the assessment and reflection process will likely take place during one class period, it is important that the teacher refers back to the project and ties it in to other units whenever possible. The technology tools introduced during the unit can be used in other units. Reminding students what they have already learned is an important way to help solidify their skills.

If done well, students will enjoy the chance to reflect and discuss the PBL unit. They will feel a sense of pride and authentic accomplishment.

Designing Integrated Curriculum

I was fascinated by this video that highlights a school’s efforts to design a PBL unit that spans various content levels. It shows the possibilities and offers a working example of what can be done.

I’ve spent a great deal of my life in learning environments, either at church or in school. Since I was young, I’ve had little patience with what I now know as segregated learning. The purpose of learning should be relevant to my life in some way and be connected to things that really matter to me. It should help me know more, do better, and be better. We live in an integrated and multitasking world, not one where knowledge is compartmentalized and isolated. Textbooks are titled by subject, but life most certainly is not. Project Based Learning is founded on authenticity and relevancy.

As shown in this video, teachers can work across content areas to develop powerful PBL projects either in a school-wide effort on a large scale or a few teachers on a smaller scale. With a little imagination, every project has elements from another content area that could easily be included. Through such collaboration, teachers would demonstrate 21st Century NETS for Teachers and “collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success
and innovation” (ISTE, 2008, p. 1). They would be models – examples – of using the very skills they are trying to teach their students.

Since I am just starting my new job in the fall as Technology Integration Specialist, I am not sure how much integrated curriculum planning goes on. I know of a few small projects that have involved two classes, and one school-wide service learning collaboration. I would like to try this type of planning and see if I can assist teachers in this area.

Project: Me is geared for history and social studies, but could also easily integrate math, science, and English. For science, students could incorporate genetics and analyze some of the physical characteristics and biology that make people unique. In Math, students could compare statistics and analyze numerical global trends. In English, students could write personal narratives about an aspect of their lives (religion, family traditions, birth order) that contribute to who they are. If done well, this integrated approach could truly be a win-win for everyone.

References:
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). NETS for teachers. Retrieved  from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers.aspx