My school is currently under construction.  Despite the fact that things are tight and we are a Title I district, our community voted to pass a bond that could update our school’s desperately inadequate facilities.  So we’re getting a new media center (although budget cuts have cut back our librarian’s position), a new field to share with the community recreational center,  and a new administration building at the front of the school.  And we are grateful.

But what little green exists on our campus is under threat, including our few trees. In fact, the biggest and oldest tree which can be seen from the front of our school, which kids hang out under waiting to be picked up, and under which students read, is smack dead in the center of the scheduled covered walkway. (I’m not sure why in Southern California, we need a covered walkway, but – shrug – I guess that’s what was decided.)

So I think we should try to save the tree. I know it sounds all tree-huggy, but schools need green. Right now there’s only one grassy strip on our campus and it seems to be where all the dogs in our city go to do their business.

This grassy strip leads up to the tree, and a huge indicator as to the plans to disrupt the grass and its tree is the fact that it hasn’t been watered in months, and the browning has begun. My classroom and three others happen to sit right next to this anemic strip of nature, and we used to complain that the industrial size grass trimmer seemed to always appear on testing days. But I swear, if we can save this patch, we won’t bitch about the distracting noise again.

So I started by just trying to get an answer as to when the tree and grass was scheduled to be cut for good. This is proving difficult. So far, no response from the administration nor the director of the construction on campus. Growl. Normally, I would be having students do this portion of research, but I want to know that when we return, there will be a tree still there to fight for.

Once I get that answer, it will give me a timeline for our project.  I can backplan due dates and students can goal-set appropriately.  We can begin preparing for a writing campaign, a publicity campaign, and oral speaking activities.  We can stage informational lunchtime classes and even create a blog, perhaps create a petition.  By the time the kids arrive, they will be the creators of the tree-saving movement, however, not I.

I’m starting with a local, applicable topic so that students can see the difference their efforts may make (hopefully). The immediacy may help them in their own learning. From there, later in the year, we’ll move into student choices of topics, the further development of polls, and the writing of an executive summary.

On a side note: it’s a pity that the test scores of one single setting can’t reflect the learning that will occur in training our students to be advocates for a cause.  Regardless of the cause, we want our students to be adults that can stand for something and who will put their abilities to use in society.  So far, no bubble test I know can capture the deep learning that can occur within a unit of PBL.

Anyway, I’ll give you an update, dear readers, as soon as school starts and the battle really begins!

© heather for tweenteacher.com, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: education, k12, middle school, project based learning, Title I

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So think about it. Pretend budget isn’t an issue. Pretend there are no barriers. Fantasize away. Here are just some of my la-la-land dreams for fixing the schools:(...)
Read the rest of How do we “Fix the Schools?” (1,024 words)

© heather for tweenteacher.com, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: assessments, education, project based learning, school reform, standards

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I’m presenting the following sessions:

“Podcasting with 50 Middle Schoolers – RU Crazy?!” – I’ve done this session in the past to great success, so I won’t go on too long about it.  But I will say that this session will cover beyond the question of ”What is Podcasting.”  It will take it to the application level.  It covers how to create a Standards-based podcasting class, across multiple curriculum strands, for a diversity of learners in order to reach and inspire an entire community.  Podcasting can be not only educational for those students involved, but can also be educational and unifying to an entire district community.  Bulldog Radio demands high-level thinking and problem solving from its students, with the goal of communicating with families of many different backgrounds and learning levels.  

You also come away with great strategies on student-created rubrics, project-based learning, and student management and organization in both the classroom the computer lab.

“Collaboration-Blocked by a Firewall Near You” - We know about the success of collaboration and peer-feedback in the K-12 classroom.  We talk about the need to bring our students into the 21^st century by teaching them Internet literacy and responsibility.  But what happens when what we know we should be teaching is blocked by firewalls and a fear-filled district Internet policy?

In the session, I will teach educators how to get around this issue using XWiki Workspaces, a Free and Open Source program that allows a classroom to become its own World Wide Web.  Using XWiki Workspaces, a teacher can easily set up a student blog, wiki, photo album, etc…that can only be read and commented on in the secure environment of a school site, classroom, or lab.

While there are some programs available out there (i.e. Echalk) that provide teachers with similar abilities, these options come at a cost: a high district price tag and dependency on tech coordinators and web builders.  Using XWiki Workspaces, a single teacher without tech experience and without educational red tape can use a single computer, desktop, laptop, Mac or PC to act as the server for their projects.

The key is that the program runs behind the school’s firewall.   That is why it is not blocked by it.  Also this guarantees that there is no access to the sites you create outside of that firewall.  Therefore, a district with fears of posting student work online doesn’t have to worry about the work being compromised or preyed upon.

We know that student online transparency important, but the fear that dictates district firewalls block student collaboration. We need to find a way around such fear.  With XWiki Workspaces a teacher can address the literacy and responsibilities that need to be taught while still following district policy. 

Down the line, of course, by showing a district how successful online collaboration can be, a teacher may open the doors to greater online transparency.  Sometimes it just takes showing the more nervous administrators the benefits before they buy-in to the future.

Hope to see you all in Palm Springs in March.

© heather for tweenteacher.com, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: blog, classroom management, CUE, Ed Tech, education, ELA, k-12, k12, learning, life long learners, metacognition, middle school, project based learning, rubric, writing

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