Innovation Day!

My middle school Tools for Tech class wrapped up their Innovation Projects yesterday. Since this is a technology course, the only major stipulation is that there needed to be a tech angle to the project.

Overall, I liked their projects.  I had two music creators (GarageBand and Dubstep), one pixel art drawer, and one web designer.  Their final projects were good.  Good music. Nice graphics.  It was good for 7th and 8th grade work.

I loved that my GarageBand guy put together a Prezi for his presentation and included an Animoto video of his song.  My pixel art student did a great job of combining web building with his artwork.   There was some good work out there!

However, there is always room for improvement...

• I was discouraged that two of my four students "turned in" edit versions of their projects, not something published.  As you'll see on the links below, you'll have a hard time observing their work.
• We signed contracts at the beginning, but I think they forgot to check the contracts before they finalized things.  

You can find the projects below.  I'd love any feedback you have for me!

Max: http://dubstepo.weebly.com/index.html

Evan: http://minecraftpixelcreations.weebly.com/

Cole: http://prezi.com/isawlp1vjlff/my-inovation-project/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Mason: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1q0s3voHM2mhv8LYT7wuKZ1Ol_Dq2tYuzrJyXVhJOD6g/edit#slide=id.p

20% Time Projects

The end of the third quarter is upon us, and we are wrapping up our first round of 20% Time Projects. I'm quite proud of the work these seventh graders have produced.  The links below are evidence that if you give students some tools and the freedom to work, good things can happen.  Please take a moment to enjoy some of these sites, videos, and songs and encourage these students with your comments.

Websites/ Blogs
Cam APPaloosa
All About Animals
Connor's Art Wall
All about Animals
Evan's Awesome Site
Whit's Snake Site
websitecreator
Soundboard
Minecraft Pocket Edition

Robots
Maxx and the Robot

eBook
The Discovery

Original Songs
20%
Oh!
My Song 7
Tools for Tech
Please tell me if you can't access these songs. I had some trouble making GarageBand songs public.
With You

Wallpapers
My Wallpapers

The Projects Begin

Today was the first day my middle school students began their 20 Percent Time projects. I was excited to see them settle into work researching, creating, building, and learning.  Some things they got done today.

• Downloading GarageBand to start building his own soundboard web site.
• Listening to tutorials about programming a robot.
• Drawing pictures to post on a web site about art.
• Researching how to create an app.
• Writing a book on an iPad, hoping to learn an inexpensive way to publish it online.
• Writing the lyrics to a song.
• Writing a blog.

It was a wonderful thing to see them into their school work, and I am looking forward to the final products!

High School Technology Curriculum

I teach in a private PreK-12 school with a total student body somewhere between 350 and 400.  We're not big, but we try to do what we can with the resources we have available.  Recently, I was asked by our principal to contemplate what a high school technology curriculum would look like.

May I take a moment and be honest here? I don't think I realized till the other day that there are no high school technology courses at our school.  I just thought there were.  That means that my middle school course is our "end game" as far as intentional technology teaching.  Something needs to change, and I'm glad I got to play a part in that.

After some pondering, here is what I came up with...

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I may be thinking outside the box on this one, but I would really like to see the high school technology curriculum be highly individualized and focused on creativity.  Let me explain.

Former students of mine have started photography businesses straight out of high school.  A friend of mine is a university media professor and talks about students who start successful tech-related businesses while still in college.  It’s a different world and since we don’t have a current curriculum to revamp we can be on the cutting edge. Believe it or not, Northern Kentucky high schools are requiring students to choose their career path as they enter their Freshman year and choose classes that coincide with that choice.  It leads me to think about how we can use technology in the high school to help launch some careers starting after graduation.  
While our EL and MS curricula are in the middle of being revamped, I envision that a student will have learned a lot of computer applications and digital citizenship leading up to 8th grade.  They will have had countless hours of exploring the virtues of iPads, even as we slowly start introducing iPads to lower grades. Through the 20 Percent Time project, they will also have a taste of using technology to create and not consume.  Let’s take it up a notch in high school.
I am a proponent of using technology to create not consume media.  It pushes students to the higher ends of Bloom’s Taxonomy and keeps them from thinking merely in facts. However, I’m coming to realize that even on my most creative day I’m still quite the tech consumer.  I have no idea how the pixels get on the screen, how those pixels travel from this computer through the air and through wires to you or a reader in the Philippines.  I have no idea how to design a web site or how my digital camera works.  I merely manipulate technology to do what I want -- but in a manner that it was made to do.  Surely when I type a blog post I am thinking more critically than if I am memorizing facts with flash cards, but there is more I can be learning.  There is some critical thinking going on with what we do already, but can we do more in high school?
I’m dreaming.  I have no idea how we will accomplish all this, what our timeline will be, or who will teach it all, but these are my dreams.

• K-2: Basic computer functions and parts, basic computer applications, Internet safety and digital citizenship, some use of iPads, technology integration with other classes.

• 3-5: Slightly more advanced computer functions and applications (save, word processing, copy and paste, flash drive), introduce GAFE, Internet safety and digital citizenship, integrate iPads into regular curriculum, technology integration with other classes.

• 6-8: Build on digital citizenship and Internet safety foundation, social media, completely immersed in GAFE and mobile devices, technology integration with other courses, individualize project.

• 9-10: The basics of a number of concepts: web design, graphic design, networking, photography, animation, servers, etc.  

• 11-12: Independent study -- students develop a project along their interest level.  Research it, build it, make it happen.   

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This has raised conversations about all sorts of stuff.

• Who is going to teach these HS courses? I look at this and see that it has to be someone who knows a little bit about a lot of things. This person will have to be comfortable to say, "I don't know about that, but I'm willing to learn along with you." Flexibility and humility will be key character qualities.

• How will Common Core play into this? Actually, this has Common Core written all over it. Technical reading, collaborating with real world experts, writing, higher level thinking. I like it!

• STEM? Yes and no. It depends on which angle the students take, but even the most "artsy" of projects will need to have a technology bend to it.

• Computer lab? It will look different, but that's OK. Read this article about how to fix it.

So, I need your help. What am I missing? Am I totally off my rocker? What would you do differently? Thanks!

20 Percent Time

My 7th grade Tools for Tech class is generally a pretty technologically advanced class to start with.  I had many of them last year in 6th grade, and a large majority of them had their own personal iPads.  They come into the computer lab and set up shop.  iPad, iPhone, desktop...Their little work station is all set. 

Now, don't take this to mean that they are ready to work.  It's also a very social group who tends to buck the traditional classroom.  Good thing for me that I bucked the traditional classroom ages ago too. 

I tried to come up with an idea that would teach them technology skills in a way that they would appreciate when it hit me.  Be like Google!

Take a moment and read the link, then come back here. 

We just got started.  In fact, only half my kids have written a proposal yet, but I'm thrilled with the direction they are heading.  Here are our ideas so far...

• Writing, performing, and recording an original song.
• Writing and publishing an eBook.
• A number of web sites -- Weebly or Google. 
• A programmable robot.
• A knock-off Temple Runner app.
• Original software.

It's amazing to see these kids already -- within an hour of hearing about the assignment -- researching what needs to be done.  

We'll see where this goes, but I can't wait to see the final results.