Tozier’s Blog

Man-this seems to be a busy time of the year. I am fortunate enough in my position to be able to see the great performances that the North Allegheny staff and students give this
Month and next.

Why not check them out?
Http://www.northallegheny.org/academics/music/performances/2008fall

What do you like to eat?
Did you ever wonder why we make and eat so much food at Thanksgiving?

Do you know any good Thanksgiving songs? It is usually at this time of year when we hear those familiar holiday tunes. I don’t recall that many songs for Thanksgiving.

I would like to hear from you of you know any.

Well - this is a looping Flash file. Jim Reinhard and I have build many of these with students in Multimedia Class.  This one is very addictive.  Warning - If you go to their site and build one yourself, you might not want to return back to Yo Soy!

Sara Tucholsky is a senior at Western Oregon University. This is her last season playing college ball. She’s never been a power hitter. In fact, she’d never hit a home run. That is, until a game against Central Washington University.Her first ever homer brought in two teammates. But in her excitement, she missed first base. As she turned back, she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). She couldn’t round the bases under her own power. So, what happened? You’ll have to watch the video. I guarantee, it will bring a smile to your face. Download 

Educators share their experience implementing this free, open-source course management program By Laura Devaney, Associate Editor, eSchool News  A new report from the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) aims to introduce educators to Moodle, an open-source software program for managing courses online.”While the Consortium for School Networking is vendor-neutral and tries to help inform technology decision-making in K-12 environments by focusing on the choices available, there are times when examining a specific product can be very helpful,” says the report, called “Moodle: An Open Learning Content Management System for Schools.”"Such, we believe, is the case with Moodle. While this report is technically not vendor-specific (since Moodle is ‘open-source’ software, it does not require going through a commercial vendor), we believe that the widespread and often enthusiastic response to Moodle by K-12 institutions creates a need to briefly define what Moodle is, to [suggest] what it can do, and to give some specific examples of how it is being implemented.”Moodle enables teachers to develop online curricula and lesson plans, administer assignments and quizzes, and participate in professional development activities from home. It also allows students to engage in lessons off-site if they have internet access, providing a valuable school-to-home connection that can maximize learning.Moodle can help with basic functions such as classroom management, or more complex tasks such as complete eLearning or “blended instruction”–eLearning that extends into on-site classroom instruction. As of last fall, the report says, Moodle claimed to have more than 14 million users, with more than 35,000 sites in 195 countries. In the appendix, the report describes how Moodle is being implemented in five schools and school districts across the country.For instance, Michigan’s East Grand Rapids Public Schools, which has about 2,800 students in five schools, has found varying uses for Moodle in the classroom.The district’s networking and security manager, Jeff Crawford, started experimenting with Moodle a few years ago, placing it on a middle school server. That prompted a social studies teacher to begin using Moodle in all of her classes, using mobile laptop carts.Crawford did a small Moodle pilot with eight teachers for two class periods a day and found the response positive. A middle-school science teacher developed a course for use at home, including webquests, quizzes, and other resources that accompanied classroom instruction.Teachers started to use Moodle for individual problems as well. A speech teacher wanted to show her students how to turn in a series of speech drafts and outlines, and found she could create assignments with student drop boxes in an otherwise empty Moodle course.Another teacher wanted to use the eBook version of a textbook for the whole class. The publisher required that the resource be made available only to the class that had purchased the book. The teacher used Moodle to “enroll” students in a course that used the eBook as a resource.An art teacher found a way to use Moodle’s “forums” feature to build an art gallery for each of the course’s 192 students.“[Moodle] has been successful because we have not set any benchmarks or goals. We kind of view it as a … multipurpose tool,” Crawford wrote. “It has done a lot of cool and creative things and provided solutions for teachers and students” where none might have otherwise been.He added: “My advice [is], do not push your staff too hard to use Moodle. Let Moodle sell itself.”Crawford recommends considering Moodle for specific uses, too, without necessarily implementing its full eLearning functionality.”You don’t have to focus on Moodle as a classic online learning system. You can use just certain parts of the program,” he said.The Moodle implementation study is the third in a series of reports from CoSN’s K-12 Open Technologies Initiative.”This is an exciting time for schools to be looking at open technologies, especially as open-source software programs are becoming more and more attractive for implementation in schools,” said Steve Hargadon, project director. ”CoSN is releasing this report as part of our commitment to inform school chief technology officers about the emerging trends in open technologies, and to help their decision-making. Open-source software for eLearning is transforming how teachers are able to share interactive content, information, and feedback with students and their peers to enhance learning and maximize student achievement,” said Hargadon.CoSN also has re-engineered its K-12 Open Technologies web site to provide a greater range of services to educational technology decision makers. In addition to the report on Moodle, two previous implementation studies, and other articles on open-source software and open technologies, the site will feature a regular blog on open technologies, along with an RSS feed for updates on trends and news.Members of the CoSN K-12 Open Technologies advisory panel will contribute to the blog, and there also will be some special guest bloggers who will help kick off the site over the next few weeks, CoSN said. “We want the K-12 Open Technologies web site to be the most informative and useful site on the web that addresses the use of open technologies in schools. To that end, we’ll soon be adding other features, including personal networking capabilities, hoping that we also can provide a significant opportunity for [school chief] technology officers to learn from each other,” Hargadon said. 

BRIGID FITZGERALD looks

at the use of ICT at

second level, and talks to

Donal O’Mahony and

Tommy Flynn, two

teachers who are leading

innovation in their

schools.

It is widely acknowledged that Ireland’s recent economic success can be

attributed, at least in part, to our highly skilled workforce. The term

‘knowledge economy’ is mentioned in almost all discussions on the subject.

However, despite its predominance in almost all sectors of enterprise,

information and communications technology (ICT) did not, until recently,

feature prominently in Irish education at first and second level. The first IT

education initiative, Schools IT 2000, was launched in 1997 and served largely

to provide funding for infrastructure rather than the integration of IT into the

curriculum. Moves are being made, and have been made, however, and ICT is

slowly making its presence felt in second-level education.

The National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) was established in

1998 and has since provided training to 80% of teachers in the use of ICT,

including Internet use, web design and digital media. One recent initiative has

seen 97% of schools successfully networked to the Schools National

Broadband Network. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment

(NCCA), as part of its ICT plan, aims to establish the role of ICT as a teaching

and learning tool, and as an integral part of curriculum and assessment. As

part of this, the new Leaving Cert technology subjects will encompass the

use of particular software programmes as part of their curriculum

and assessment.

Early last year, under the National Development Plan, the Minister for

Education and Science announced an allocation of !252 million to develop

“an e-learning culture in schools that will ensure that ICT usage is embedded

in teaching and learning across the curriculum”. Moira Leydon, ASTI Assistant

General Secretary, Education and Research, points out that: “The words

‘embedded’ and ‘culture’ are key. ICT integration requires not only the

allocation of funding for hardware or training in the use of software, but that

ICT becomes a part of the way schools operate, the way teachers teach and

the way students learn”.

The 2005 OECD Pisa Report, ‘Are Students Ready for a Technology Rich

World?’, indicated that Ireland had one of the lowest percentages of frequent

computer users among OECD countries. Access to ICT hardware and software

in schools will limit instances of ‘digital divide’ and will help to prepare all

students for the use of ICT in everyday, professional or academic life. It is

acknowledged that the advent of the digital age has made most things easier

and more efficient. Most sectors have embraced digital technology and never

looked back; why should education stay behind?

Learning benefits of ICT

Properly implemented, ICT in education has many benefits. Students can

use technology to learn, progress at their own pace and gain control over

their learning. Curriculum and assessment are changing, and more

project and course work is being introduced. ICT encourages students to

develop knowledge and explore work independently, and to become

responsible for their own learning. The NCCA points out in its ICT policy

that “our young people are capable, independent learners, able to use ICT

confidently, creatively and productively”. The use of ICT can, according to

the NCCA, “add value in teaching and learning, by enhancing the

effectiveness of learning, or by adding a dimension to learning that was

not previously available. ICT may also be a significant motivational factor

in students’ learning and can support students’ engagement with

collaborative learning”.

ICT and teachers

Learning ICT skills is important, but most commentators acknowledge

that ICT should form part of the learning experience if it is to be of most

use. In-service training for teachers needs to focus on this aspect.

Teachers must be equipped to develop productive ways to use ICT in their

teaching. Teacher confidence, both in their own ICT skills and in the

relevance of ICT in education, is vital for successful integration. ICT

cannot be foisted upon teachers. According to Moira Leydon: “Like any

change in education processes, the integration of ICT is contingent upon

the conviction of teachers that it will enhance the teaching and learning

process. Support and consistent policy is vital to this and an integrated,

coherent approach must be taken if the potential for ICT in education is

to be recognised”. If schools and teachers are to make the initial effort to

integrate ICT, they need to be assured that it will be worthwhile and that

ongoing support, financial and otherwise, is available.

Recent policy in relation to ICT has meant that developments are largely

being led by individuals, or groups within individual schools, who are

making that initial effort. Their experiences have shown that, with welldefined

curricular aims, teachers can take on technologies to support

their teaching and that this can enrich the teaching and learning

experience. Two such teachers are ASTI members Donal O’Mahony and

Tommy Flynn.

Moodle in Portmarnock

Donal is an assistant principal at Portmarnock Community School,

which is one of the first second-level schools in Ireland to introduce

Moodle to its students. Moodle is a virtual learning environment

(VLE), which is widely used internationally at third level. Donal, a

teacher of religion and history, undertook a masters degree in

education and training management with an e-learning strand in

Dublin City University last year, and wrote his dissertation on the use

of online collaborative learning at second level.

Donal used his fifth-year history class to test the use of Moodle. The

idea of the virtual learning environment is that teachers can upload

notes, video clips, digital images, links to useful websites, sound files,

PowerPoint presentations or any kind of resource that may help their

class. Their class can then access this information at home or

anywhere with Internet access. The learning is not just one way, it is

collaborative and interactive. The students can comment and engage

in online debate. They are offered the chance to reflect and process

information, and formulate ideas to share.

The project was popular from the start but Donal was keen to ensure

that it was worthwhile and his analysis of the project showed that

real critical thinking and learning was indeed taking place. The ideal

situation as Donal see it is “technology happening in the background

and the focus being on learning and education – technology is an

enabler, a catalyst”. The students in Donal’s history class say the

online forum and Moodle allows everyone a voice, helps in their

research and makes class less boring. They can access notes if they

miss class or lose them, which benefits in their revision. It also offers

a chance to relate to history in a different way and makes it more

relevant to their lives.

This year, with the support of the principal and dedicated funding,

the project expanded to the whole school and 10 teachers have

become involved. Donal says that there is an initial learning curve

and some teachers fly and some struggle, but “the important thing is

to set realistic and attainable expectations – many projects fail

because they set out with unattainable goals. It is also important that

teachers are not compelled but are free to get involved to whatever

level suits them. Moodle allows slow burn”.

Digital Dundalk

Tommy Flynn, the Transition Year Co-ordinator at St Mary’s College in

Dundalk, has brought technology into the classroom in a different way.

He has been involved in implementing digital media projects with a

number of classes and this year the school is producing video on the

Power of One campaign. As part of this, the students get practical

experience of shooting video and digitally editing it. The school won the

Digital Media Award for Best Secondary School in 2005. Tommy also

encourages students in his German class to listen to German language

podcasts and he is a big advocate of Scoilnet and Teachnet. Tommy uses

a data projector a lot in class, as do other teachers in the school. He says

that while preparing resources initially requires time, once it is done it is

of great benefit and they can be used again and again.

Students are IT savvy, according to Tommy, but need to be directed in

ways that they can use it to benefit their education. Like Donal, he says

the important thing is to incorporate ICT into the curriculum and

learning. This year the Transition Year class is undertaking distance

learning with Dundalk Institute of Technology (DKIT), where Tommy will

teach web design and students will upload their projects onto Moodle

for assessment by DKIT. 

A Report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American WorkforcePublished by the National Center on Education and the EconomyBy Anne L. BryantExecutive DirectorNational School Boards AssociationThis report covers a wide swath of territory and asks readers to assume a great leap of faith in adopting its recommendations. But should the American public build a new K-12 system on a leap of faith, given that many of the report’s recommendations are not supported by current data?

While the report is provocative and groundbreaking, the National School Boards Association questions how much ground we can afford to break on what is currently working in an effort to fix what is not.

There are several areas within the report with which NSBA agrees:

• Providing high quality, universal early childhood education is a critical component to ensuring our children succeed in school. There is clear research to support this recommendation.
• Targeting additional resources to disadvantaged students is necessary to balance the inequities experienced by children of poverty. We applaud the report’s recommendations to extend the learning day at schools serving poor children, to provide extra support through tutoring and counseling, and to give teachers additional financial incentives to teach in traditionally undesirable schools.
• Increasing teacher salaries is a key component to attracting young adults who are now pursuing more financially rewarding careers. We agree that the current pension system needs to be fixed and alternative retirement plans make good sense.

In its report, the Commission addresses school board governance and suggests some dramatic changes in the role and oversight of the board. NSBA is committed to improving school board governance and has focused local boards’ efforts on raising student achievement and better connecting to their communities.

 Given that focus, we believe that the report is flawed in its recommendation to reframe the current system of school board governance and school district operations. 

We believe that a community working with its local school board and superintendent is the way to enact changes to improve the education for all children in that community. The idea of giving individual schools the autonomy to run their own building operations may sound attractive, but is irresponsible without an adequate analysis of the time, skill, and resources that would need to be expended by building administrators. How many more administrators will each school have to hire to manage bus contracts, run the breakfast and lunch programs, or renovate and maintain their facilities?

Placing the authority and control at the school level, as the report recommends, removes the school system leadership that results in efficient operations, a shared vision, and a clear accountability system on which parents and community members depend to deliver outcomes.

The National School Boards Association strongly supports improvements in our public schools to ensure that our students will be ready to compete in a global marketplace. Data clearly show that the efforts at local, state and federal levels are paying off:

• More students are going to college (14.2 million in 2004 vs. 10.6 million in 1984; source: NCES, 2004)
• More high school students are completing advanced math and science courses (source: NCES, 2004)
• More high school students are taking AP courses and exams (source: College Entrance Examination Board, 1956-2004)
• Student achievement has gone up in math (NAEP, 1973-2004)
• Younger students are showing gains in reading achievement (NAEP, 1984-2004)

Do we need to improve our public schools? Absolutely. We can’t rest until every student graduates from high school, successfully pursues the career of his or her choice, and helps to keep America a world leader in the global marketplace. However, many of the recommendations in this report will serve to distract school leaders from continuing their progress, rather than helping them reach their goal of every child succeeding.

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Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story of recovery and awareness – of how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.   

 Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. With ample anecdotes and witty asides, Robinson points out the many ways our schools fail to recognize — much less cultivate — the talents of many brilliant people. “We are educating people out of their creativity,” Robinson says. The universality of his message is evidenced by its rampant popularity online. A typical review: “If you have not yet seen Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk, please stop whatever you’re doing and watch it now.”  Why don’t we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it’s because we’ve been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies — far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity — are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. “We are educating people out of their creativity,” Robinson says. It’s a message with deep resonance. Robinson’s TEDTalk has been distributed widely around the Web since its release in June 2006. The most popular words framing blog posts on his talk? “Everyone should watch this.” A visionary cultural leader, Sir Ken led the British government’s 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements. 

New York Times tech columnist David Pogue is back with a satirical mini-medley that explains the legal and social history ofmusic and media on the Internet in 4 minutes.