Time On Task: A New Perspective

Full disclosure...I might be late to the party here. But I had a "mental model" totally redesigned the other day.

I am a HUGE New Orleans Saints fan and I watch the weekly press conferences of the coaches and quarterback, Drew Brees, almost religiously. Last week, I was watching Drew's press conference and a reporter asked him if he feels more comfortable, the further he gets in his career, with putting passes in tight coverage or places that other quarterbacks might not even try. Here was his answer:

(video via www.neworleanssaints.com)

What struck me was how he addressed "Time On Task."

Historically, I think it is safe to say, teachers and administrators have defined this as the student "doing what he/she is supposed to be doing." We have techniques to quantify "time on task" that instructional coaches, administrators, and teachers use in the classroom. But Drew talked about "Time On Task" as a joint effort between him and his receivers. It wasn't just about his receivers, but it was about him, as well!

"We've had a lot of time on task..."

That made me think about Anita Archer and her ideas regarding instructional procedures and scaffolding. She addresses this here:

(video via Utah Personnel Development Center)

Notice that she references the "I Do/We Do/You Do" method of scaffolding. The last time I saw her in person, she made the point that the "We Do" is the most important part of that method. She said we should spend more time on the "We Do" than the others. This is much like Drew Brees talking about his relationship with his receivers.

Teaching and learning are partnerships. "Time on Task" is not just about behavior. It is about the time the teacher and student spend together working with the content. Too often, teachers move quickly from the "I Do" and go straight to the "You Do" and get frustrated by the lack of performance.

Maybe there is something we can learn from a future Hall of Fame quarterback.

Have a happy day!

Digital Citizenship Week 2014

Hi all!

Last week was Digital Citizenship Week and below is the video I made for our students' weekly 1:1 lesson.

In the video, I take exception to the phrase "Digital Citizenship" because it seems to infer that we should behave differently with technology than we do without. Further, schools are all asking "Where do we teach Digital Citizenship? Where should we? Who is responsible?"

To me, it should be "citizenship." This then begs the question "Where do you teach 'citizenship' in schools? The answer is "EVERYWHERE." Technology is now an inseparable part of our everyday life, so if you teach "citizenship" it is your responsibility to address "digital citizenship." If your students are using technology, it is your responsibility to be sure they are using it safely, respectfully, responsibly, and correctly.

As Abraham Lincoln said in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, "Be excellent to each other!"

Have a happy day!

Chromebook 101: Getting More Productivity Out Of Your Chromebook

Hi all! The following video hits some areas that would help to get more productivity out of your Chromebook. It was made for my school's students and teachers.

Enjoy!

ITIP of the Week: Increase Student Engagement with THINK-INK-LINK

Hello!

Engagement = Students SPEAKING, WRITING, CREATING...DOING!


Last week, I told  you about the Yes/No/Why and how it can be a powerful writing/engagement activity. This week, I am going to tell you about its close relative...

THINK/INK/LINK

Here are the rules for THINK/INK/LINK

1. Provide a prompt. Give the students something to write about.

2. Students SILENTLY think for a given amount of time. I usually use 30 seconds to a minute and students cannot write anything. This is time to just wrap their brains around their answer.

3. Students write their answer in NO MORE than TWO COMPLETE SENTENCES using ACADEMIC LANGUAGE. Again, I give them no more than a minute. Set a timer on both this and the second step!

4. Students then get up from their seats, find a partner, and take turns reading their answers VERBATIM!

Here's the rationale for this simple, yet powerful, activity:

• Students are writing! Not everything has to be an essay or long journal entry.

• Two sentences using academic language are far more powerful than a page of rambling slang, yes?

• Students are learning to think before they act. We could all learn from this.

• By having them read their answers verbatim, students are then SPEAKING in complete sentences. This doesn't happen too often, does it?

• By moving out of their seat and finding a partner, blood is moving from their caboose back up to their brain.

Try it out! I know you will love the results!

Have a happy day!

iTIP of the Week: Increase Student Engagement With "Yes-No-Why"

Hi all!

Engagement = Students writing, speaking, creating, DOING!

This is how we define engagement in my school district. It can also be defined as "visible learning." Engagement has been, historically, defined incorrectly as politeness. As long as they are looking at me, they are engaged.

Now, we know better!

Every week, I will be offering some simple and effective techniques that will help increase student engagement in your classroom. Let's get started with...

Yes-No-Why

1. Pose a debatable Yes/No question.

2. Provide "think-time" for the student to formulate their position. Allow no writing, no talking...just silent thinking. You choose the time allotment. Set a timer and stick to it!

3. Have the students write their answer in no more than 1-2 COMPLETE sentences. Give them about a minute to write. Again, set a timer and stick to it!

4. Students Pair/Share their responses. Have them read their answer VERBATIM! This can be with a shoulder partner or have them walk around the room to find a partner. You decide what works best for your situation.

By having them write in complete sentences and then share their responses verbatim, you are getting them to speak in complete sentences. This is something they don't do often. Writing is also visible learning!

This technique can work in any classroom, promotes writing across the curriculum, and puts them at the upper level of Bloom's Taxonomy. By having the "why" component, the activity automatically becomes an evaluation question. 

Give it a go!

Have a happy day!

Google Classroom How Tos

Hi all!

Here is my playlist for my instructional videos on using Google Classroom. Enjoy!

And here is my Slidedeck, if that is more your style...

The Last Few Months...

Hi all!

I have been quiet, but the school year was wrapping up and things get very hectic. You know how it is! Here are some highlights of the last few months and some things I have been geeking-out over:

Kahoot! 

This is an awesome web-tool that makes formative assessment FUN! You can create your own "quiz" or choose from the large number of those already created. It is device agnostic and runs like a quiz show. Kids are given "kahoots" (points) for answering correctly and quickly so the competition really ramps up. At the end of the game, the teacher can download the data of the students' achievement and use it to inform their future instruction. Kahoot! has been used by my teachers from 6th - 12th grade and the kids LOVE IT!

Here is Kahoot! being used in a 7th Grade Science classroom:

Here is the YouTube channel for Kahoot!

Google Leadership Symposium

On Good Friday, I had our region's Google rep contact me wanting to collaborate with my school district. They wanted us to host a Google Leadership Symposium where approximately 80 school leaders would come together and talk about technology and revolutionizing the classroom. So, in 3 weeks, we designed, organized, and hosted the symposium. It was an exciting event and we received a lot of good feedback. Here is the site for the event!

Kearney Public Schools Summer Technology Courses

My colleagues and I are currently watching over our district's Summer Technology Classes. We are in charge of designing, scheduling, and supervising this event. This is two weeks of learning and sharing that has become a valuable part of the culture at Kearney Public Schools. Teachers can take classes for pay or credit through University of Nebraska-Kearney. Here are our offerings this year:

• 21st Century Learning/Technology Integration
• Quizlet
• Beginning Google Apps
• Intermediate Google Apps
• Advanced Google Apps
• Google Chrome
• Beginning Google Sites
• ePortfolios
• Moodle
• Safari Montage
• Tech Tools for Formative Assessment
• Mimio
• iPads in the Elementary Classroom
• iPads in the Secondary Classroom
• iBooks Author
• Kidspiration
• YouTube
• ...and more!

I hope you have an awesome summer! I will still be here sharing cool things I am learning and using. ON TO ISTE 14!

Have a happy day!