A Personal Request: Atid Day School Innovation Challenge

Today's the final day to vote for my entry in the "Atid Day School Innovation Challenge". As you'll see, my idea is to create a high school siddur project that encourages students to build their own poetic siddur translations over the four years of high school.

About the contest/voting process:

• winning decisions are split between votes and judges' decisions 
• the top 8 finalists are declared winners in this contest
• you must register to vote for my entry, but registration takes a moment
• all voters are eligible for a cash prize 

My entry can be found here: http://atidchallenge.strutta.com/entry/8103772

Finally, if you've already voted, please feel free to forward this message and/or share on social media with others!

Thanks very much for your support.

Portfolio Writing on the iPad!

With the end of the semester approaching, I'm busy researching e-portfolio options. How will I convert my typical paper assessments, in the form of reflective or creative portfolios, into dynamic e-portfolios?

I've come across "WeLearnedIt", a fascinating app. It is both accessible and full of wonderful options for presentation. I imagine that it will also offer an entirely new component to my classroom culture, I think, in which students will organize a multi-media creative project, for example, submit their work electronically, receive feedback (perhaps video feedback via the app--so cool).

In the particular project that I have in mind, students have to pick four poems in four poetic forms, and then organize in a creative form around the poem their own original resonant photography, creative emulations, and critical analyses into a colorful form. This app looks just right. Perhaps they might include sounds, music, or video.

Here's a great video on using WeLearnedIt for portfolio projects.

Another thought: I've asked students to report via video presentations on their independent reading assignments. Initially I thought that they might use the iPad as a recording device, but perhaps for future such assignments they might use this app to embed their videos

Next Steps: download the app, roll out the poetry portfolio project, and then attempt a trial-run with my freshmen classes.

Review: Haiku App on the iPad (vs. Haiku Google App on the Computer)

This post is devoted entirely to reviewing the Haiku app for the iPad.

For those not familiar, Haiku is Google's powerful education app: It is essentially a class portal, gradebook, dropbox, and blog--all in one, with all aspects highly integrated. Students engage one another through discussion boards, student work is submitted, returned, and graded on Haiku, and student feedback and grades are visible in the student gradebook. Everything is customizable--and so Haiku has the potential to be a major market winner for the #edtech future.

In essence, it is a very powerful classroom environment, and can enable flipped learning, a paperless classroom, and a transparent feedback/grading system.

The Haiku app, on the other hand, still feels as if it's in Beta testing. Not only is it a severely limited version of the Haiku software, but it seems to have certain glitches, too. That, and it's not entirely fit for optimizing all that an iPad has to offer in a classroom:

• Haiku iPad App is severely limited and  imbalanced between (and within) teacher and student use:
• Students can view assignments, class calendars, and discussion boards. However, all of this is done in the Haiku "browser", an internet browser that exists outside of the app. It's almost as if the Haiku app is just a homescreen for such a browser.
• Students can't easily upload work from one app (say Adobe Reader or Google Docs) to a Haiku assignment in the Haiku app. Instead, they have to be in the browser, and then in the typical Haiku page layout->dropbox->assignment-->submit. This is far more steps than what might be possible in an iPad environment.
• Teachers can't do anything in the app, other than see their pages and see record of student submissions. Teachers can't create pages, grade work, or comment on student writing/work in the app.

• Haiku Google App is not limited--it's expansive, if anything, but could use some easy fixes for far more optimal use
• Better grading software! The annotation software is terrible. Why can't there be some sort of track comments or standardized comments interface?
• Better grading formatting! When I return an annotated paper, all of my annotations appear like red "flags" that are only visible in Adobe Reader, but are indecipherable to a student opening the pdf in any other environment. 
• More obvious integration with turnitin.com. As of now, turnitin is an "activity" but not the primary format for grading. I would propose to Haiku that they re-think their grading contractor. Currently it's "Crocadoc". If Crocadoc can't get its act together, why not go with turnitin as the primary contractor? Turnitin.com offers far more of a robust, standardized, and dynamic grading environment, besides for its obvious benefits of educating around academic integrity by screening for plagiarized writing. 

• Haiku App Crashes:
• Students trying to upload files to Haiku App discussion boards have experienced crashes multiple times. 
• Thus, having asked students to take a picture of an image, upload the image, and then comment on one another's images with some frustration and challenges, I will likely not try such an activity again until Haiku offers a fix to the problem in the app (seems to work fine on a computer). 

Follow-Up in in the iPad Classroom: AirServer, Notebook, and Haiku!

In the post that follows, I address previously raised challenges with some solutions or resolved non-solutions (or at least not yet in existence!)

1. Solved: iPad to Smartboard Projection
• Thanks to SAR HS's Director of Tech. Integration, Avi Bloom, I now have a solution for projecting a full-screen version of my iPad onto the Smartboard. Previously, projections were reduced by nearly half the size when directed through Airplay. Now, with the use of AirServer, I can project my iPad onto my laptop, which is plugged into the Smartboard anyhow for my use of Notebook.
2. No Existing Solution: Full-Screen on the Smartboard with the Notebook App 
• Through a Twitter exchange, Smartboard Notebook responded to my request for a full-screen option for its app (currently non-existing) by asking that I fill out a suggestion form. Currently, there is no existing option for Notebook app's "full-screen" projection onto the Smartboard, a major glitch/drawback in my opinion. 
3. Next Step: Haiku App's Limits and Possibilities
• After consulting with Avi, I have a far more profound understanding of the possibilities and limits for Haiku's latest features both on the computer and on the iPad.
• The iPad: Haiku is designed to allow students to "hand-in" assignments from any other app. IMHO, that's a tremendous strength of the app on the student's end: students can simply be in Google Docs, for example, and submit an assignment directly just by clicking "hand-in" and selecting Haiku (they're then asked to which assignment the document should be submitted). However, this strength has not yet been realized in action: apparently, the Haiku app does not yet allow for such inter-app movements.
• Haiku: Haiku has partnered with turnitin.com, a great move for all teachers looking to collect student work and also benefit from turnitin.com's robust rubric framework and screening software for academic integrity. What I didn't know, before meeting with Avi, is that turnitin.com assignments on Haiku must be submitted through an "activity", with the sub-type of activity designated as turnitin.com. In order to fully understand the contours of such an assignment, I intend to trial this "activity" in my 10th grade (a non-iPad class) before introducing it to the iPad environement of my Freshmen. My next post will likely address this "activity" and its outcomes. 

Review and Reactions: Tech and Blended Learning @ P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School's

I noticed that PK Yonge School's model of blended learning and highly integrated technology were featured on edutopia--and what a great and inspiring model it is.

Here are some of my reactions and what I noticed, both in reviewing this promotional video and other media items on the school's site:

1. Students review lessons through teacher screencasts, students apply their own understanding by developing their own screencasts, and a fair amount of teacher intervention/instruction is seamlessly integrated.

2. Students use a variety of hardware and tech media to realize learning: laptops, home computers, iPads, and smartboards.

3. Students still insist on keeping the teacher on-line, as it were, both in the classroom and beyond (through screencasts).

4. While the video features a math/science HS classroom, I could imagine something very similar in the humanities in which students review key skills, prepare readings and presentations for teachers and peers, and collaborate in focused ways towards goal- and standards-focused projects.

5. And as a writing intensive/workshop-oriented teacher, I'm inclined to explore this model further: I already pursue the flipped model of applied writing in the classroom, and pre-writing/revision at home. Journaling, Outlining, and even Drafting generally happen in my classroom anyhow, I would just need to continue to flip the model in a more sustained and integrated way.

6. I imagine that this would demand lengthy prep to translate materials for my classroom into screencasts and (generally speaking) independent/standalone materials, though I do think that one of the next steps is to get over the screencast hurdle and see if I can run a week of school in such a radically flipped manner (i.e. take myself out of the "live" picture in the classroom and assign students to watch screencasts for homework, followed by applied work in the classroom).

7. This is entirely unrelated, but I love the idea of high schoolers designing lessons to teach elementary school students. I think that they could absolutely do this and learn much about the trans-disciplinary work needed for good teaching: scaffolding knowledge (architecture), anticipating goals for understanding (pedagogy), translating their own knowledge into that of a different developmental stage (psychology)!

Here's the video in full. For more videos and testimonials, check out the school's media site here.

How do you annotate student writing? Exploring solutions for Haiku and iPad Apps

This post focuses entirely on the challenges and possibilities for annotating on the iPad in both the Haiku and iPad app environment. As an English teacher, this is a central and regular task for receiving, annotating, grading, and returning student work--so developing workable solutions for this aspect of my job is a strong priority.

Before iPads:

• Student work was paperless on Haiku
• Annotations were added using Haiku's somewhat awkward annotation system
• Annotated and graded student writing were returned via Haiku
• The interface was a PC (keyboard, mouse, etc)
• Advantages of Haiku annotations
• I type faster and far clearer than I hand-write
• I enjoy the centralized aspect of Haiku grading. All feedback is kept in the assignment gradebook, and all grades on each assignment are automatically inputted into my Haiku gradebook.
• Haiku annotations seem faster than downloading and/or printing work and grading through a different medium (word's track comments, hand grading/scanning/uploading, etc.)
• Disadvantages:
• Haiku grading is slow--it is not, in any form, a track comments interface. I don't quite understand why this must be the case, but one must click on an assignment, click on a student, and then click to annotate/grade. Then, once grading, one has to click on the pdf and insert each comment as a little "notch" in the document. 
• Visually, Haiku annotation is unconventional and generally misaligned with general teacher goals and processes: it doesn't offer a clear path for simplifying or encoding comments without even more clicking.
• For students, Haiku annotations are difficult to view unless they download the document as a pdf and then open it in a pdf reader

Basically, Haiku is the most efficient way, but it is the most work-intensive and least logical and aesthetically pleasing medium for teachers to generate and students to access. Given the disadvantages, I'm excited to explore alternatives for the ipad. I've found a handful of free apps that allow for easy annotations on pdf docs. Here's what I've found:

• TinyPDF: an excellent medium for easily downloading from Haiku, scrawling or typing on a pdf, and then sending it back through the Haiku dropbox.
• Textilus: a far more limited app for annotating (in its free version) that has comparable functionality as TinyPDF.

I tried both for annotating student work. And then I realized: I gave up on writing on student papers years ago. It's too work intensive to scrawl tailored comments, and I have terrible hand-writing. I embraced Haiku's annotation system for this very reason. Sure, I could type comments on a pdf in either app, but I might as well just use Haiku's integrated interface to accomplish that. 

What I'd like to do next is explore an app that is built to for teachers' annotations of student writing, something that mimics, in some way, a more robust track comments environment--or that at least has a clear library of pre-set and standardized comments. 

Again, the biggest issue for an English teacher is time. Teachers want to give meaningful feedback, but with 80 student papers, they can't afford to spend time downloading, uploading, and dealing with the glitches or quirks of an annotation environment (it's likely for this reason that many teachers still stick with the paper and pen model!). Haiku is still the most efficient model for me, the grader, even if it is the clunkiest visual model for students. I also have a hunch that I should be harnessing Haiku's integration of turnitin.com for turnitin's built-in rubric features--this may kill 2 birds with one stone, too. 

Next Steps:

• Explore turnitin.com rubrics feature for standards-based grading (right now I design my own rubrics for each assignment and then paste the rubric into each comments section on Haiku)
• Explore apps designed for annotating and grading that aren't just the free ones available in itunes. At first glance
• TagNotate: Allows for annotation and assigned tags (removes need to rewrite "comma splice")
• PDFReader: This might just work--it has fantastic features: drag over text (for highlight, underline, squiggly one, cross out), voice comments, and easy bubble comments. I'm especially interested in trialing spoken comments this year, as I think that may, in fact, be the most efficient and meaningful way to give student feedback.
• GoodReader: A fun interface that allows for multiple forms of annotation types (this seems to be its particular strength)
• Readers, what annotation apps do you use in your English classrooms? Again, please offer apps that streamline student feedback in a meaningful way--and that reduce teacher redundancy and maximize teacher efficiency and productivity.

Distillation: Some Reflections on iPad Integration (thus far)

As I wrote in my first post, my classroom was a paper-less, Haiku-based classroom prior to iPad integration.

Thus, while I've challenged myself in this blog to develop iPad-specific classroom and homework experiences, I've decided to shape my inquiry to maximize my own efficiency and avoid redundancy. Thus, I've set a few guiding principles for my own goal-setting as I embark on this journey:

• An iPad at every desk means that each student has a word processor, internet, and a working video recorder/camera at a moment's notice. That's great!

• If transitioning from one digital medium to another is redundant--and the benefit of interface does not outdo the cost of redundancy and time loss--then I will stay with the original medium.

With that said, I think that it's a time-saver to have a device that can immediately transition on/off (as opposed to a chromebook in a school cart). Just today, I had students work on membean.com, respond to others' discussion board posts, and still have plenty of time to transition back to a writing/seminar class setting.

First Week Review : Looking Forward and Further Questions

This week was a truncated week at SAR HS; in what follows, I review what happened and clarify some open questions to be pursued over the next week or so:

In the classroom:

• Vocabulary Instruction: Students were introduced to membean.com, a portal for differentiated and "guided, engaging, multimodal vocabulary instruction". I'm excited to further students along the membean path and monitor the progress, as well as roll out differentiated quizzes along the way.

• Classroom Journal: Students must keep a classroom journal and were encouraged to use a google doc, a notability file, or a journal app. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, and I stressed student choice along the way: google docs are easy to share, but don't allow for drawing within the app; notability allows for typing and drawing (a tablet strength), but is a slightly steeper learning curve than a simple google doc; journal apps are really fun and highly personalized, but each has its own method for exporting and sharing (I check students' journals periodically over the course of the year).

• Haiku Discussion Boards: Students submitted their first discussion board posts through some training and introduction to the interface. I plan on using discussion boards as preparatory activities or extensions of classroom conversations, and I'm excited for students to engage with one another in a professional though somewhat more conversational matter in this medium.

On my end:

• Annotation on the iPad: As an iPad newbie, I think that one of the strengths of its interface is its tablet nature (i.e. the ability to actually write within one's hand on a document). I'd like to optimize that feature this year in my written feedback to student work, though without too much shuffling In the past, I've used Haiku's clunky annotation system, so I hope to trial some annotation apps over the next week or so for actual, written feedback onto student documents. For it to work, it will have to move somewhat seamlessly out of and back into the Haiku portal.

• Prezi: I've solved the Prezi mirroring question--I can now mirror and cycle through a Prezi presentation with my iPad as projected onto the Smartboard. I plan on using this system for back-to-school night presentations next week.

• Smartboard Notebook: I plan on tweeting directly at Smartboard to inquire about the lack of a "full screen" option on the smartboard iPad app. As I mentioned previously, the app is robust and syncs with Google Drive (the location for all my Smartboard files). This will simplify my "drawing" on the smartboard, too, if I can do it via iPad mirroring. 

All in all, a great week, though with some glitches (see my previous posts). I rolled out membean, though students struggled with signing on at first (the correct website is membean.com/enroll!). I used a Prezi to review classroom procedures, but I couldn't mirror via the iPad until it was too late. And I used my Smartboard files for classroom activities/homework announcements, but I didn't use the iPad app. 

To be continued....

Day One: Google Classroom, Smartboard App, and Prezi - Trouble Along the Way

It's Day One! It feels great to be back in it again.

Background: Day One in Mr. Broder's 9th Grade English

I like to start to get to know the students through writing and a bit of discussion for a whole set of reasons (start with the routines of the class through performance, let the students voice their thoughts about the summer reading, identify different sorts of learners, etc.).

Narrative: What Happened

While my class is paper-less, I gave the students the option, on the first day, to "hand-write" their first responses. Those who were inclined to join and log-on to my class on Google Classroom were able to access the assignment through a Google Classroom assignment. They weren't, however, able to edit the document.  Those who were savvy were able to copy and paste onto a google doc and then return it to me. Others had much trouble with every step along the way: adding a class on Google Classroom, accessing the assignment, etc. It was fine for a trial run, but perhaps a confusing experience for Day 1 of class. Most students hand-wrote their assignments. Finally, I demo'd my Haiku page, but it shut down (servers overloaded on Day One?). I'll have to think carefully about how to introduce students to all features in Haiku, as the class is paper-less and primarly through Haiku portal.

Post-Script: What Didn't Happen

I had wanted to show them my daily classroom slides (off of Smartboard and Prezi) with the corresponding apps but encountered the following issues, too, in my prep time before class:

• I couldn't make the Smarboard app go full-screen--is that a glitch in the app? I can do it from the software on my classroom computer.
• I was able to mirror my Prezi presentation on the smartboard, but I couldn't toggle through each slide in any obvious way. Why not? I just use the buttons on my computer when projecting from a PC--how is there not a comparable feature for the iPad app?

Take Away: For Next Time

• Figure out how to make docs in Google Classroom editable upon student reception. Was it because I used a word doc and not a google doc? Yes, I think. 
• Smartboard App--I can't believe that it doesn't have a full screen feature! I also discovered that it has Google Drive integration, which is amazing, as all my files are on Drive. If I can get the full screen feature, then I'm sold. 
• Prezi--I've got to figure out how to work it on the iPad app. There must be a way to mirror the Prezi slide feel.

Keeping it Simple: Google Classroom vs. (and?) Haiku

This post is devoted to Google Classroom. To my understanding, Google Classroom's strengths are related to the live classroom setting and the control that the teacher sustains through the digital document sphere.

Advantages:

• live monitoring of student worksheets in real-time--teachers can oversee and monitor student engagement and progress on a particular worksheet without literally looking over students' shoulders
• control of each iteration of the master document--teachers are the "owners" of each unique student worksheet
• No need for student downloading, writing/editing, and uploading of worksheets: teachers can immediately "push" worksheets to students, and students can immediately submit/have work collected. 
• Collected work is centralized and graded in a single site (with immediate grade visibility and teacher feedback)

Disadvantages:

• As a teacher who uses Haiku for assignment posts, work submissions, grading, plagiarism checking (now available through turnitin.com!), revision, grade assignments directly into the gradebook, etc., etc., I don't see the place for Google Classroom in the mix!
• I could imagine using it during a live, immediate, and daytime classroom writing session or worksheet completion/submission session, but I don't see how it's much different than using Haiku outside of school. 

Given the above calculus, I feel now that it's an added but unnecessary channel for student work. I could imagine using it in pockets or sparingly, but I'd prefer Haiku for its gradebook integration and central site for classroom work. 

Still, if Google Classroom integrates into Haiku (are you listening, Google?) then I would gladly use this as a robust classroom tool. 

Study in Contrasts: Google Apps...and Ipad Apps

Before the iPad, I already had a paperless classroom that was enabled by my use of an inter-active Smartboard and Google: Haiku (Google's comprehensive classroom environment app) and Chromebooks. Haiku made classroom discussion boards, digital slideshows, gradebooks, and assignment posting/editing/submission a breeze. I also relied heavily on Google Forms for classroom surveys and Google docs for a writing/editing environment.

I can do all of that now on the iPad--there's a great Haiku app for teacher/student use, and Google forms/docs are present, too. The real question, as I convert to the iPad (and not strictly Google) environment, is to determine what else is now possible. 

Following a wonderful "classroom apps" (Nearpod, Socrative) presentation today by SAR's @beccaglassberg, who has successfully integrated iPad use into her classroom, I'd like to pose the questions as a study in contrasts:

1. In a 1:1 environment, what are the advantages of the presentation app Nearpod over my already existing smartboard files for each unit?

2. In a 1:1 environment, what are the advantages of formative assessments via Socrative over Google Forms?

As I see it, the following advantages must somehow outweigh the prep/processing time (and redundancy of previous avenues via Google) for their overall use and quality of learning and instruction:

1. Nearpod  > Smartboard + Haiku? As far I see it, the greatest advantage of Nearpod in a 1:1 environment is to have lectures and galleries to be projected onto each student's ipad as the teacher reviews it on the smartboard. An added benefit is that Google forms and other types of live chats and student feedback sessions can be integrated into the "presentation". The teacher controls the pace of student learning, too. Can all of that be done between the Smartboard (presentation) and Haiku (discussion board, digital galleries)? Certainly. Does the value of having the presentation projected onto the student's laptop necessitate the transfer of already existing Smartboard files into Nearpod? I'm not convinced, and especially since there's probably a way for me to mirror the smartboard presentation directly onto each student's ipad. 

Follow Up: Figure out how to mirror the smartboard presentation (from my laptop) onto all ipads in the room (and essentially do the work of Nearpod without doubling my prep time). 

2. Socrative > Google Forms? In a 1:1 environment, Socrative does essentially the same thing as Google Forms, but in a visually exciting way. That visual aesthetic seems to be the only advantage over Google Forms (which can get quite bland, in my opinion), but the great advantage of sticking with Google Forms for formative assessments (quizzes, exit tickets, surveys) is its integration, at least in my school, into Google Email/Drive (we run on a comprehensive Google platform). 

Follow Up: I would like to trial Socrative in my classroom, but I'd also like to ask students, following surveys via both Socrative and Google Forms, which they found more engaging. 

After all of this, I think that many signs are pointing towards Google Classroom--an app? website? service? that I've heard much about but haven't started exploring. While I've used Haiku, I think that Classroom will likely meet some of the basic technical needs that a 1:1 environment demands (pushing worksheets/collecting assignments) in a live setting that Haiku implicitly accomplishes, though through traditional mechanisms (downloading/uploading). 

Next up: Google Classroom!

Introduction: Pre-Ipad! (Goals and Initial Research/Outreach)

In anticipation of my first 1:1 ipad year in the high school English classroom (and pre-ipad pickup), I've started assembling useful apps that may be helpful for my 9th grade English classes. I'll track their implementation and record their use in the classroom in the coming weeks. I hope that this blog will be as much a means to reach out to fellow teachers going through the same process as it will be a personal diary of my challenges and successes in implementing a 1:1 program in the HS English classroom.

I should note that I've relied heavily on Google Apps (Drive, Docs, Forms) within the context of Haiku for the last two years. I don't want to replace this resource for managing my classroom, but everything that goes towards and emerges from Haiku should be ipad (and not paper/whiteboard) mediated.

My Goal: I'd like to keep the routines of my class the same as they were pre-ipad, but I'd also like to streamline many of these activities through the ipad. Thus, the writing process (journal writing, brainstorming, drafting, editing, revision) as well as the learning process (reading, seminar discussion, visual maps) should move through parallel ed-tech processes. Assessments, too! Also, I'd like to streamline grammar and vocab. instruction through ipad apps.

App Trials (see sites below):
For the writing process, I'd like to "trial run" the following: journal app, an annotation app, a grading app
For classroom learning: Idea Sketch apps, Screencasts,
For Assessment: Grading app, and Formative Assessment via Socrative.

What am I missing? Membean.com looks perfect for differentiated vocabulary instruction, though I don't think it's ipad compatible. Grammar instruction? Haven't found anything yet. I also have students self-assess at the year's end with a portfolio, though I'd like that to be digital, too--any ideas for a good e-portfolio app?
I've included my findings below and attempt to download and play with these apps over the next few weeks.

Fellow teachers, if you have any experience embarking on a 1:1 ipad high school English program, please recommend all digital resources (apps, blogs, forums) that you've found useful!


English Education

http://www.gatsbyslight.com/literary-analysis-guide.html
-Literary Analysis Guide

http://omaxmedia.com/
-Classroom Journal

http://www.mindconnex.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=8&Itemid=17
-Romeo and Juliet-Shakespeare in Bits

http://dictionary.reference.com/apps
-Dictionary/Thesaurus

http://www.nosleep.net/
-Idea Sketch App (brainstorming, mind maps, visual outlining)

http://www.mindmeister.com/
-Mind Mapping

http://www.branchfire.com/iannotate/
-I Annotate (document annotations)

http://www.essaytagger.com/
-Essay Annotations/Tagger

http://gatsbyslight.com/essay-grader
-Essay Grader


General Education

http://www.educreations.com/
-ScreenCasts

http://www.socrative.com/
-Formative Assessment


Teacher Blogs

http://www.coolcatteacher.com/
http://teachingenglishwiththeipad.blogspot.com/
http://teachingwithipad.org/