February 19, 2010 by David Russell.

I have been paying a fair amount of attention to the ideas, successes, and failures that surround 1 to 1 (1:1).  I want to write this blog in order to open it as a discussion point for those involved in this grant program.  The guiding questions for this discussion would be:  What would your students be able to do if each kid had access to a computing device throughout the day?  How do you think this type of school environment or philosophy would impact student achievement?

So here are a few of my initial comments regarding some of these issues.  I attended a conference work session that discussed the idea of a true 1:1 scenario with every kid having a fully functional laptop and that any other device would not be acceptable.  I am not convinced.  I feel that the idea that every kid needs a full blown laptop with a slew of locally loaded applications is short sighted to the needs of the students in balance with the costs associated.  For instance, perhaps the bulk of high school kids need access to a device they can take notes on, write papers, and (most importantly) access the internet.  The idea that the students can do the vast bulk of their work through the use of cloud computing is not new and is gaining momentum.  We want the students to be publishing, collaborating, and archiving their work so the use of the web and some of the great service out there is essential.  Text book publishers are coming along slowly and but other than that what do we need for the kids?  My point is, we have so many resources and tools at our fingertips so lets put it at the kids fingertips on a regular basis.  Close the gap between haves and have-nots.  What are your thoughts?

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January 29, 2010 by David Russell.

So this was my first time presenting and attending the Florida Educational Technology Conference and I must say that it was a truly great experience.  I am often a little apprehensive about “Ed Tech” conferences because there is a fair amount of info presented of which I am just not in need.  However, this conference was so large (second largest in the country I am told) that there was a great variety of voices and products.  John Kuglin presented a session about cloud computing which was an awesome segment to sit through.  The content of his presentation was not necessarily ground shattering news but rather, the bulk of the audience loved and needed his passion about where internet users and educators are, or should be, heading.

As far as new technology, one of the coolest things I saw was Smart Tech’s new mixed reality delivery system.  This is a product still in development and they are showing it off at conferences to get educators input on how it could be used in the classroom.  If you look at the video on YouTube, you will see how it could be used immediately.  Science teachers better pay attentio!  Another product I saw that looks great are the updates to Adobe Acrobat Pro 9.  Moving students to portfolio assessment will be GREATLY improved for all content areas by this product.

I am not necessarily endorsing any of these products but rather wanted to comment on the cool new stuff I saw.  I also saw a ton of other products that are free or cheap which have amazing features for various applications.  I will try to get some more links posted on my web site so visit it to check some out.  MrRussellOnline.com

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January 1, 2010 by David Russell.

I have been having a great deal of fun working on the new and improved curriculum for Web Design II.  The goal for this curriculum is to form an experience for students that gives them a better understanding of the latest trends of Web Design, how to work cooperatively and collaboratively with others, and an authentic project to learn from.  They will be able to use the the projects they produce for portfolio examples and to guide potential career/post secondary choices.  Ryan Smiley is my partner in crime on this re-write so I am hoping that the collaboration between the two of us will bleed through to the students.  As we move forward, I will be working through the E2T2 grant to assist me with the evolution of the structure of this class.  If anyone has a few minutes, please take a look and give me feedback.  Here is the link to the class wiki where all the activities and student collaboration will be organized through.  Please keep in mind that it is a work in progress and the primary reason behind using a wiki for the project is so that it can be open to change by students and other teachers.  It may grow to encompass Web Design 1 and other classes at EVHS.

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November 16, 2009 by David Russell.

So recently I received an invitation to try Google Wave which looks very interesting for some of the types of communication and collaboration we have been using here at work.  Not only could we be using this technology for our own meetings but it would take classroom discussions to the next level.  From what limited exposure I have had to it thus far I feel as though this is the solution to the “laggy” Google Documents (word processing) and a way to have media rich discussions revolving around a topic or goal.  Is anyone else out there testing this yet?  If so, send me an invite to join a wave (be a contact)(david.russell@eagleschools.net).

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September 9, 2009 by David Russell.

As I prepare for the upcoming school year and make the most of the extended summer, assessment is one of the first things I try to nail down.  Yesterday and today we have been analyzing student data from various tests with the most notable being CSAP and Edison Benchmark testing.  These two tests are quite interesting for both teachers and especially students to think about.  For students, if you watched the president’s speech yesterday I hope that you took it to heart and look forward to using school time and these assessments as opportunities to prove yourself.  For teachers, these tests represent a very crucial tool that so much resource is poured into and I feel that if 100% of our teachers took the time to truly reflect on what the results tell us, it would be powerful.  From all the Language Arts/English, Science, and Math teachers to the P.E., Fine Arts, Industrial Technology, and other “specials”, we need to all bring our focus to student achievement.

Teachers can do this.  Look at the strengths and weaknesses and focus on individual students(not percents) in our classes and look at what we do well then replicate it with all students.  The Benchmark testing has great potential due to being a formative assessment .  We will be able to use the results from each administration of the test to adjust instruction each month to fit the needs of our students.  All teachers should be looking at this formative data each month for each of their students.  This does not have to take a ton of time and should be viewed as a part of the lesson planning process.  An exciting development is the planned use of an ACT aligned Benchmark assessment.  The statistics I have seen showing how improvement on Benchmark testing translates into improved achievement on CSAP and ACT renews my enthusiasm for the use of all these assessments.

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August 26, 2009 by David Russell.

As I listen to these terms become part of the mainstream educational conversation, I can’t help but hate the terms more. The reason I say this is because it is disappearing.  The age piece to this is no longer a valid argument.   Sitting in Chris Harris’ presentation, I can’t help but agree with him on the point that there are kids who are “digital immigrants” and there are senior citizens that have become digital natives.  It is not about your age but rather about the frame of mind that you approach life, problem solving, socializing, creation, expression, etc.  Mr. Harris showed the group many interesting web sites for new tools teachers and students can use easily to produce online content.  If there is one tool he showed that helps bring many things together and makes it personal yet public if desired is netvibes.com.    Hopefully I can get people motivated to use similar tools tomorrow during my session for Collaboration: Wikis, web 2.0

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August 1, 2009 by David Russell.

I just got back from the 40th Annual CASE convention with Mark Strakbein, Eric Mandeville, and Mike King.  What a great couple days!  We really came away with loads of great ideas and energized to start the school year and what’s nice is we still have some time this year to get ready.  With the construction calendar, and extended summer there is time left for some reflection on the conference and a bit more relaxation then we will hit the ground running for the 2009-2010 school year.  At the CASE convention I participated in the following break out sessions:

• The Networked Student with Cathleen Nardi
• Fast Track to 1 to 1: How to Get Laptops in the Hands of Students in Under Nine Months with Keith Ouweneel and Bob Harr
• Commisioner Dwight Jones panel discussion
• Navigating the Technology Needs of our 21st Century Learners panel discussion with Randy Weldon, Kim McMonagle, Ed Freeman, Ben Starzer, Dave Williamson, and Denise Atkinson-Shorey
• 21st Century Education: Putting it in Action with Alex Carter

The keynote speakers at the convention were outstanding with Bertice Berry, Meg Wheatley, and Flip Flippen.  Truly a great experience and it makes me look forward to the next one!

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August 20, 2008 by David Russell.

I really like the way the Partnership for 21st Century Skills articulates the framework for what this means but I feel that the three basic structures are more blurred. I have been teaching 21st Century skills long before they were called “21st Century Skills” and it is truly the premise behind Technology Education (not to be confused with Educational Technology). If you look at their diagram (http://www.21stcenturyskills.org) it shows the three outside student outcomes of “Life and Career Skills”, “Learning and Innovation Skills”, and “Information, Media, and Technology Skills”. I believe that these pieces should not and cannot be separated within a given course, unit, or lesson. ITEA and ISTE have been after these same outcomes for years and the most exciting thing is that now so many educators are sitting up and taking notice. Our country may not produce the highest performing Math, Science, or Language Arts scores (or students) but we have always and need to continue to produce the best Critical Thinkers and Problem Solvers.

With the first framework (from Partnership for 21st Century Skills) of “Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes”, we also now have a call for the complete integration of these skills. Yes, these kids are “plugged in” 24/7 and they multi-task more than any previous generation of students but our big challenge is to make them perform at a HIGH level on all of those tasks they take on.

In order to provide these opportunities and fulfill our obligations as educators, we need to gain the skills necessary to embrace 21st Century learners and their needs. Every year we as teachers go to conferences, trainings, in-services, etc. aimed at Math, Science, and Language Arts. The same commitment needs to be present for Technology, Critical Thinking, and Problem Solving. The Professional Development I have planned for EVHS staff this year is a huge step but it is just that…one step…you as teachers must take the next… and the next…

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August 12, 2008 by David Russell.

Hello everyone who reads this! I have recently deleted all old posts and cleared this blog in preparation for the new school year. Hopefully this year will be the one where I make this blog come alive! PLEASE SUBSCRIBE AND BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR!

This is going to quite a challenging year with all the construction around EVHS. The year of pain and suffering will be rewarded with a newly remodeled, State-of-the-art, high school we can all be proud of!

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