The Tech Detectives: Students Take Ownership of Technology

The Tech Detectives use Zello to communicate with each other.

Photo credit: Brad Currie

Editor's Note: Two Black River Middle School teachers, Laura Garrison and Kathy Vespignani, contributed to this post. Laura teaches 6-8th grade technology, and Kathy teaches 6-8th grade performing arts.
Picture it: a middle school in Anytown, U.S.A. has a teacher that is struggling to figure out why her SmartBoard is acting up. Typically she would submit a "tech request" and wait an extended period of time for it to be fixed. One issue, though -- she needs the device now for a very important math lesson. She suddenly remembers that a group of students called the "Tech Detectives" can come to the rescue and fix the problem. Within minutes, several students arrive, play around with a few wires and buttons, and the malfunction is addressed in no time.

Students to the Rescue

The Tech Detectives Club was created at Black River Middle School in Chester, New Jersey as a way for students to take ownership of the technology they utilize during their various learning experiences. Based on feedback from various school stakeholders who have a passion for technology, it was deemed necessary to start a club that arms students with a strong technological skill set. On a regular basis, students create tutorials, assist teachers, learn about technology trends, collaboratively problem solve issues, and gain exposure to career readiness. The excitement generated from this program is truly remarkable. Below, you will find guidance on how to start your very own Tech Detectives Club.

Tech Detectives organizing a laptop cart.

Photo Credit: Brad Currie

There is no doubt that the first thing needed to make this sort of program happen is unwavering support from school stakeholders. Administration and the board of education must provide the resources necessary to ensure that students are provided with a sound educational experience. Teachers must be willing to tap into students' knowledge of technology and, when called upon, supervise students after school. Parents are needed to encourage active involvement, provide transportation after school, and secure monies at the PTO (Parent Teachers Organization) level. Community members must be willing to visit school, provide real-world knowledge, and show students what it takes to be successful in the world of technology. Finally, students must be willing to take on the challenge of being part of a team that contributes to improving school culture and ensuring technology issues are addressed. This level of support positions the Tech Detectives to troubleshoot the school's technology issues or fix a certain problem that a teacher may be having with his or her classroom technology. In addition, members can provide a technology lesson to a teacher that may have just purchased a new iPad or Kindle Fire and wants to know how to use it. Some of the troubleshooting involves fixing laptops and carts that are not functioning properly. Also, members will fix SmartBoards and document cameras that teachers may be having a problem utilizing. Online tutorials are also created to help teachers understand how to use various forms of technology. Check out this tutorial:

5 Responsibilities of Faculty Advisors

The backbone behind the success of this program is a vision that encompasses student empowerment, collaboration, and career readiness. Right at the top, though, is a strong teacher or teachers to harness the energy of a group of students ready to solve all of the school's technology issues one emergency at a time. While this club does not replace the school's support technicians, it does deflect some of the simple troubleshooting to students who can help. The advisors' responsibilities include:

1. Finding the Technology Needs of the Staff

Advisors send out an email to the staff to find out if a laptop cart needs cleaning up. Sometimes students themselves see the need during class, and they ask the teacher directly if they could benefit from the services of the student techs.

2. Learning and Sharing the Strengths of Each Student

Each student that walks through the door has something to bring to the group. Cultivating a spirit of sharing and collaboration is paramount to success within the group.

3. Planning a Diverse Schedule of Jobs

During one club meeting, the students and advisor(s) may be headed in three different directions: one group off to service a laptop cart, one group to check out a glitchy interactive whiteboard, another group to create a “how-to” video in the library.

4. Community Outreach

The students have skills to share, and there are members of the community that would love to learn. Members of a local senior citizens' group, the "50+ Club," are eager receivers of the information. Sensitivity training lessons are a topic of discussion before students are sent to help.

5. Involve Parents

Students of the tech clubs very often have parents that are professionals in a high-tech field. Having them share their experience can validate the students' involvement in the club.
Overall, the club is a win-win for all who are involved. The students have a confidence boost, the teachers receive needed help, community members and parents build partnerships with students, and administration can see how their unwavering support can help redefine student success.
Does your school have Tech Detectives or a similar club? What's your experience with providing this kind of opportunity to young people?

What if Tests Were Only Used for Guidance, Not Consequences?

     It is really quite a revelation to think this way. Until No child left behind or no child gets ahead (whatever your perspective), some people are seeing the light that test scores are not everything. I believe that measuring a child's growth is important (who doesn't) and it is a lot easier to measure a child's pre and post test scores to see if they have grown. But some students do not test well and many learn in more than ways any can be measured on a standardized test. What test measures a child's ability to compare and contrast two photos or investigate a topic because of a child's curiosity to explore rather than not have the room to fit that curiosity into the curriculum. Educational reform has been going on forever and George Bush is not evil incarnate nor does either political party have all of the answers. The NAEP is considered by some to be an organization that has looked at this issue and has taken the high stakes issues out their testing mechanism. Read more and comment below.

 What if Tests Were Only Used for Guidance, Not Consequences?

By Catherine Gewertz on January 12, 2015 10:02 AM

We've been writing a lot in the past year about the rising opposition to standardized testing. Much of the pushback is about the stakes that are riding on these assessments, such as teachers' evaluations, students' promotion from grade to grade, and decisions about high school graduation. Another strain of opposition comes from heavy burden of testing—think about classroom tests, district-imposed tests, year-end state tests, and how many hours those consume.
To all of that unhappiness, it's interesting to offer a contrast: NAEP.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress has long been viewed as the gold standard of testing. Its questions are demanding, and its achievement standards high. But there's hardly a peep of public opposition to this test. And it's not hard to see why. It offers insight into how well K-12 schools are doing without imposing consequences on anyone.
As Exhibit A today, we're offering you a Jan. 5 letter sent by the principal of a Virginia high school to parents, announcing that it had been chosen as a site for NAEP's test of 17-year-olds. Take a look and see what jumps out for you.
When I look at it, I see the absence of nearly every single trigger point in today's testing debates. Every kid required to sit for hours and hours of tests? Nope. Here we have only two hours of testing, given to a sample of the school's students. Weeks of test prep? Nope. Students tied in knots over potentially bad test scores? Nope. NAEP has no effect on student grades. Students aren't even required take—let alone complete—the test, because NAEP results are drawn from a matrix sample nationally.
Of course there is a crucial difference between NAEP and states' summative assessments: while they offer a picture of national, and to a more limited extent, state and district performance, they can't measure how well individual students are doing. That kind of information has to come from other forms of assessment.
Nonetheless, as debate rages about tests (note our current coverage of opposition to annual tests in Congress, and support for them in the U.S. Department of Education), NAEP offers us an informative and sharp contrast. And it reiterates the question: what if all tests were used to offer insight into the teaching and learning process, without imposing consequences on anyone?

Good morning. I am pleased to announce that our school has been selected to participate in the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often referred to as the Nation's Report Card. NAEP is a program of the United States Department of Education and is an ongoing assessment of what our elementary, middle, and high school students know and can do in various academic subjects.
The NAEP assessment will take place on January 27, 2015. A random sample of our grade 12 students will be selected to take a technology-based pilot assessment in mathematics, reading, or science. You will be notified in mid-January if your child has been selected to participate. The assessment will take 120 minutes. Students do not need to study in preparation for NAEP; however, we do ask you to encourage your child/children to do their best on this important assessment.
All the information your child provides may only be used for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law [Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, 20 U.S.C §9573]. Your child's grades will not be affected. Your child may be excused from participation for any reason, is not required to finish the assessment, and may skip any question.
We depend on student participation to provide an accurate measure of student achievement to help inform improvements in education. Your child will represent many other students, so participation is very important. Results for individual students, schools, school divisions, or states will not be reported.
By taking part in NAEP, students contribute to improving American education and ensuring that all of our children receive the education they deserve. NAEP appreciates the participation of each child selected.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact me [principal's email address] or [instructional coordinator's name and email address]. If you would like additional information about NAEP or to view sample subject area and student questions, please visit http://nationsreportcard.gov/parents.asp. Thank you for you support of [school's name] and the NAEP assessment.

The big question for me is what do they do with the data and how do they determine which students are selected. What do you think?

Things A Teacher Should Never Ask A Student To Do

     We are taught to ask students to do some things and leave other things alone. In an article from Teachthought magazine, a list of 23 items (with short answer explanations) give you insight to leave certain things alone and this will help you to improve your teaching and connect with your students. Here are a couple of examples.

2. Read out loud if they don’t want to
You’ll have a pretty good instinct here who is fluent orally and who isn’t. While reading aloud with fluency is indeed an important literacy standard, little good comes of forcing students to read out loud when they really, really, really don’t want to.
The key may be, then, making them want to.

Also,  

6. Look down on their family and friends
Their friends may be shaky, and their family might at times be worse, but they’re friends and family nonetheless, and in all but the most exceptional circumstances, that will be always bigger than your content area or your classroom.

Things A Teacher Should Never Ask A Student To Do by Terry Heick
 To read more, please click below.
http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/23-things-teacher-never-ask-student/

25 Signs You Might Be A 21st Century Teacher

This comes from Teachthought- See how many are true for you!
 
25 Signs You’re  Teaching In 2015
1. You think of clouds as good things.
2. You believe tagging is the new email.
3. The blogosphere is more relevant a term than the stratosphere.
4. You spent more this year on iPad peripherals than you have pencils and pens.
5. You giggle when you recall how you used to simply give tests at the end of a unit.
6. You google before you even try to remember.
7. You begged your school accountant for an iTunes card instead of your annual classroom fund.
8. Have actually used the phrase “digital citizenship” in a sentence with a straight face.
9. You’re in bad shape if the internet goes down during a lesson.
10. YouTube makes more sense than television.
11. You forgot what chalk does to your skin.
12. Flipping the classroom is an instructional strategy rather than a response to misbehavior.
13. You’re sure Vine is rotting your middle schooler’s brain.
14. Your district has a more transparent facebook policy than they do on assessment or curriculum mapping.
15. You’re scared to explain your blended, student-centered, mobile-centric classroom to parents, so you don’t mention any of it on the syllabus.
16. You’ve “crowdsourced” something–school supplies, for example.
17. You trade rooms with another teacher for a better Wi-Fi signal—and don’t tell them why.
18. You’ve texted during class, but have taken a student’s phone for doing the same.
19. You plan lessons assuming that every student has Wi-Fi broadband access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
20. Students blame passwords and log-in issues rather than the dog for eating their homework.
21. Your students have to explain certain technologies to you, but you pretend you already knew.
22. You seriously consider that if it’s not being talked about on twitter, it may not have happened.
23. You’ve spoken more recently with the tech leader in Mumbai than the new 10th grade Math teacher down the hall.
24. You’d never admit it, but you judge other people by the tech they carry.
25. You’re energized–and absolutely fatigued–by the rate of change in your craft as an educator early in the 21st century.
Image attribution flickr user intellfreepress; 25 Signs You Might Be A 21st Century Teacher

FEWER GEORGIANS CHOOSE TEACHING AND JUST WHEN GEORGIA IS RAISING THE STANDARDS TO TEACH

     Supply and Demand is a principal known not only to economists but to people about issues that need to be dealt solved with common sense. When the state of Georgia is looking to raise the standards for those looking to become teachers, it can be seen as a great thing. The flip side to the equation is how do you raise standards when people are running away from becoming members of the teaching profession? In an editorial written by Maureen Downey of the AJC, she compares the criticism of teachers being worse than what what wall street bankers received during the height of the mortgage meltdown mess. Teachers are accountable for much more than politicians and professionals in many fields and are expected to have the answers for problems they have no control over from politicians to moral compass issues students who attend school bring to the table when attending school, "The laundry list of goals we now have imposed on teachers and schools has expanded well beyond teaching math and reading. Beyond creating engaging lessons, their to-do list now includes curing poverty, leveling the playing field and providing a moral compass. And we also would like schools to persuade students to eat more broccoli, watch less TV and floss regularly,"said Downey. Throw in dozens of educational initiatives from Washington, Atlanta and district initiatives and prospective teachers are choosing any profession where going home means enjoying your family and leaving the work for the next work day instead of sitting at home with your laptop doing school business because your district does not give you professional time to get your work done during the day. Downey said the future of prospective teachers will leave many districts short. To find out more, read below.

FEWER GEORGIANS CHOOSE TEACHING

Teaching is tough

By Maureen Downey mdowney@ajc.com  

   As an editorial writer, I spent years writing about predatory lending and the resulting subprime mortgage crisis. Those editorials sometimes prompted rebukes from readers, who argued the blame for rampant mortgage fraud fell on uninformed borrowers rather than unscrupulous lenders.    Readers expressed a surprising tolerance toward bankers who earned millions on easy credit policies and tempting teaser rates that targeted riskier borrowers.    When I began writing about education policy, I saw a far different level of accountability demanded of teachers, who earn average starting salaries of $30,000 a year.    The teachers of Elm Street incurred more blame for struggling schools than the wolves of Wall Street for a collapsed economy. The animosity toward teachers is striking, especially given that they work in a low-paid profession that’s now being asked to perform the educational near-equivalent of turning water into wine.    The laundry list of goals we now have imposed on teachers and schools has expanded well beyond teaching math and reading. Beyond creating engaging lessons, their to-do list now includes curing poverty, leveling the playing field and providing a moral compass. And we also would like schools to persuade students to eat more broccoli, watch less TV and floss regularly.    At the same time, we’re rolling out unproven value-added evaluations that measure the effectiveness of teachers on the performance of their students on standardized tests. For those teachers working in disciplines where there are no tests, such as foreign languages or the arts, we are rushing to design alternative yardsticks. Band students, for example, may be judged on how well they know scales. No one has explained how we can distinguish whether a failing grade means the teacher didn’t teach scales, or the student never bothered to practice.    So, it shouldn’t surprise us fewer Georgians are choosing to go into the classroom.    According to a recent AJC story, 12,436 students received teaching certificates for the first time in 2007-08. Two years later, only 8,520 college students earned teaching certificates, and the number hasn’t risen since, says the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.    Some striking facts from the story by AJC reporter Eric Stirgus: State data shows there were 9,259 fewer teachers in Georgia at the end of the 2012-13 school year than four years ago. The number of Georgians working in local government educational services declined 9 percent over the past five years, greater than in any major Georgia industry.    The decrease in people seeking teaching certificates is making it hard for districts to find candidates for the already hard-to-fill slots such as foreign language, special education, math and science. Some South Georgia school administrators told the AJC the decline has led to more substitute teachers and larger class sizes.    The state is now raising the bar to become a teacher. But without raising the respect afforded the profession, we may find fewer people willing to attempt that higher bar.

 
     What do you think? Should Georgia be raising standards for prospective teachers when they cannot fill the available jobs posted each year? Supply and demand suggests that raising standards might not be a great solution right now.

Top 10 Things Middle-School Students Wish You Knew

 Top 10 Things Middle-School Students Wish You Knew

It is true that all adults have been in the shoes of a middle school student age wise but teachers and administrators look at kids through the eyes of an adult with a lot more maturity and wisdom than the students they teach. The problem we have is that we have that maturity and wisdom and they hopefully will acquire enough of it while we are teaching them so we can show them a full measure of their potential.  In an article written by Rachel Vail who has written over 30 books, she conversationally takes you to the mind of a middle school student from www.weareteachers.com

Here is a snippett from an article that you can check out below.


"What you tell me about myself matters way more than I hope you know. When you tell me I am something—smart, brave, kind, stupid, a trouble-maker, creative, a writer, a mathematician, funny, hard-working—I believe you."


http://bit.ly/1vLQYYa

11 Habits of an Effective teacher- How many do you practice?

     That headline is a whopper. Most educators do some of the 11 described below superbly and your evaluations reflect it. Most teachers need some improvement in some areas. In an article from Edutopia written by Carrie Lam, she points out 11 ways educators could do self reflection on their teaching practices. While embracing change (below) is not number one, I think Carrie does a great job of outlining what every educator should think about. 

. EMBRACES CHANGE.
In life, things don't always go according to plan. This is particularly true when it comes to teaching. Be flexible and go with the flow when change occurs. An effective teacher does not complain about changes when a new principal arrives. They do not feel the need to mention how good they had it at their last school or with their last group of students compared to their current circumstances. Instead of stressing about change, embrace it with both hands and show that you are capable of hitting every curve ball that comes your way!
 To see the complete list, use the link below.
http://bit.ly/1xAhlA5