Don't underestimate the teacher in the edtech classroom

Just recently with a year 4 class I introduced a project involving

"creating a digital game using the App Hopscotch".

It was a magnificent project with our students learning many things, including higher level thinking skills. I designed the project, demonstrated the basic skills of the hopscotch App and made sure I had lots of opportunities for students to collaborate with each other.

Watching this was amazing. The unit was basically running itself. I decided to conference some students who I thought were struggling and run some sessions with them.

At the end of the unit it was time for each student to show me their game, and receive a mark based on the detailed criteria. What did I discover?

Those students I conferenced with did far better than my tech savvy students. See we all know the importance of feedback and goal setting. The students who I conferenced with did just that. They were able to identify issues, problems with their learning and set goals and identify students and adults in the class who could help their learning. This doesn't come natural to the students and needs to be fostered and encouraged. I can't think of an App that individualises learning for young students like this!

We should never understand the importance of the teacher. As Hattie states (through his extensive research) Teachers are still the most important element in a child's learning!

Yes students can learn independently, but we should never fall into the habit of assuming technology (or the App) will teach our students. The teacher brings about taking the learning to the next level and this should never be forgotten.

My coding tutorials on YouTube can be found:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8BMVDk3VSQ&list=PLprciURrC7Fu86bqB5P4nO3GjVuY5RVx4

Paul

About Paul:
2013 Finalist - International EdTech Digest Awards Recognition Program honoring tools, trendsetters and leaders in the education and technology sector. The distinguished awards program recognizes outstanding solutions―and the best and brightest minds―in education and technology.

2013 Finalist - EduBlogs Life Time achievement award.

Apple Distinguished Educator Class of 2013. Paul is a leader in the implementation of Augmented Reality in schools to improve learning outcomes, Professional Development of staff with integration of ICTs, and has expertise in the implementation of mobile devices into pedagogical frameworks.

Creator
The Tellagami Project (Presentation)
Teaching students to code on the iPad (iBook)
Augmented Reality in Education (iBook) 
10 Amazing lessons for the iPad Classroom (iBook)
Formative Feedback for Learning and Science AR (Apps)

"Paul, you are a real Leader" - Dr Heidi Hayes Jacobs, author and internationally recognized education leader known for her work in curriculum mapping, curriculum integration and developing 21st century approaches to teaching and learning.
"Paul we designed iBooks Author to be a tool that teachers could use to create content that they develop for the classroom and can share with the world. It is great Paul that you have been using it that way to great success." - Philip Schiller - Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing.

Tellagami App applications

On Thursday I gave a PD on the Tellagami App. My staff then started brainstorming some applications for using Tellagami with their students in the classroom.

You see I believe the magic of Apps lies in the imagination of the teacher, not the App itself.

This is what the teachers came up with:

Mathematics - students take a photo of a specific shape or angle and then use as a background in Tellagami. Students then communicate through avatar the elements/characteristics of this shape/angle. Great way to demonstrate knowledge.

Science, field work. Take photo of creek, pollution.....and use App to give news report on what has happened and what is required to rectify.

What about getting guest speakers to email text and use Tellagami to do a virtual presentation??

Short narrative films, especially in Year 11 when students have to create a short film. Would be better to use recorded voice so we can leverage vocal qualities. Also useful in analytical tasks where students have to deconstruct representations of characters/places/events, etc.

Integration within the App “Explain Everything” - unlimited possibilities across multiple Learning Areas.  Students could take a snapshot of a page in EE, using this as a background and then have the Tellagami introduce the topic/elaborate on a part or summarise at the

Science; predictions with reasoning or observations told by the tellagami and placed over images of investigations in process. An excellent chance for personal reflection post investigation too I think!

History; showing a comparison between two groups of people (Eg aboriginals and white settlers) - video documentary style presentation of the two opinions or perspectives of events in history?

Literacy: reading responses to a set piece of text - photo of the text as background with types or spoken short responses, questioning (question stems) from a set text, summarising, reflecting and even reviewing through the lens of different audiences for the same text (girls vs boys, preps vs upper primary etc)

Hopscotch App Lesson Plan

Using the Hopscotch App to develop thinking processes

Students learn the language of code, developing a range of thinking skills.

Lesson Plan

Introduce learning intention:

To expose students to the language (vocabulary) of Code. To create a simple digital application (Game) for others to enjoy.

Special note for teachers:

For students to discover they can learn through experimentation and trial and error. 
The Habit of risk taking is vital in learning new things and we can learn in a number of ways.
Create video tutorials online that allow student to view and learn at their own rate. This could be through tutorials for Hopscotch that you find online, tutorials that you create or your students create.

Teacher instruction:

Introduce Hopscotch App.
Demonstrate App and how you save your projects.
Discuss with students the functions of the iPad e.g tilt, shake........
Make clear with students we want to focus on learning new things and in different ways. The teacher doesn’t have all the knowledge.
Introduce the “3 before me” concept where student must ask 3 others before the teacher.
Teacher creates a basic tilt game where the character moves up, down, left and right by titling the iPad.

Student Steps:

1. Allow discovery time (approx 4 lessons). This promotes risk taking with no set project in minds to discover all the functions. Students can trial, relearn, make mistakes and discover that they are in control of their learning.
2. Plan the game through pictures and a storyboard.
3. Game development.
4. Students review initial plan. It is it achievable/realistic? Should I scale back? Should I expand my game?
5. Partner students with others. Partner offers feedback. What works? Doesn’t work from a players perspective?
6. Students create games and have a gaming expo where they invite other classes, teachers and parents to play games.
Reflection:
What did I like about my game?
What would I change next time?
What did the players think of my game?
Did I enjoy making the game? Where could I go to learn more about coding”

Excerpt From: Hamilton, Paul. “10 amazing lessons for the iPad Classroom.” v1.1. Paul Hamilton, 2013. iBooks. 
This material may be protected by copyright.

Check out this book on the iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/10-amazing-lessons-for-ipad/id668251958?mt=11

iPad Teacher Tutorial June Newsletter

What's the secret to an effective 1:1 program in schools? Devices? Infrastructure? User agreement? Whilst all of these areas play a role, the classroom TEACHER is the most important and significant ingredient in an effective 1:1 program. Let me be a little more specific. The teachers imagination and creativity, their ability to make connections with the device and applications, their knowledge of the curriculum and the 21st century students who sit in their class. See it is the teachers who see the hidden wonders/magic of an App like iMovie or a web2 tool like Todays Meet. This edition of the appsbypaulhamilton newsletter pays tribute to the creative and innovative teachers in our schools and the impact they are having on young minds across the globe.

Using iMovie in the classroom:

What better way to grab the attention of our students than with a movie trailer. Even better, get students creating narratives through iMovie. This tutorial looks at creating a Narrative using iMovie on an iPad.

Just recently I discovered the world of Podcasting and thought I would use it as a way of discovering great Apps that are out there. I plan to interview Teachers, App Developers and Parents but thought I would start by asking our target audience in this entire discussion: THE KIDS! As Dan Pink suggests we should talk with our students more about what they require/need at school. Here is the Talking Apps with Paul Hamilton first episode. In the first episode, I chat with my 8 year old daughter on her favourite Apps and how they could used at school. Email me if you would like to be on the next show.  

Teachers please take a listen HERE.

Utilizing screen recording animations within an Augmented Reality environment:

Augmented Reality is starting to filter into classrooms across the globe. The Horizon Report is a yearly publication that highlights, analyzes and predicts the ways in which technological advances will change teaching, learning and creative inquiry. The 2013 report describes how and why augmented reality will play an important role in teaching and learning over the next two to three years. Luckily for educators Augmented Reality is available. Using 2 Apps (Aurasma and Explain Everything) you can create your own Augmented Reality experience for your students.

Interesting Observation:

I often get frustrated with those who continue to see the iPad as a solely consuming device. We want our students creating and the iPad delivers creativity and content creation in spades. Our students are using technology differently than we did (and more of it). Anyone who has kids will notice this on a regular basis. As Sir Ken Robinson observes:

“When my son, James, was doing homework for school, he would have five or six windows open on his computer, Instant Messenger was flashing continuously, his cell phone was constantly ringing, and he was downloading music and watching the TV over his shoulder. I don’t know if he was doing any homework, but he was running an empire as far as I could see, so I didn’t really care.” 

The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

Students viewing Movies and posing questions:

I have no doubt that students viewing videos adds worth to the educational experience. However, how do we optimise the students experience so that we go further once the video is finished. Traditional note taking is limited. In my experience it is the posing of questions that we want our students to do so that they build a deeper understanding of the concepts. Also, allowing students to find and add content to the lesson needs to be encouraged. Using Today's Meet allows for this. Can students watch media and pose questions at the same time? Absolutely.

Using Video to give Formative Feedback:

Giving effective feedback to students has one of the highest impacts on student learning. As Professor John Hattie states: “Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement” and “This evidence shows that although feedback is among the major influences, the type of feedback and the way it is given can be differentially effective.”

In my experiences video feedback is one of these highly effective methods. Using video as a form of feedback allows: student-student feedback, teacher-student feedback and self feedback.

Upcoming Professional Development for School Leaders:

Looking forward to presenting at the Leading a Digital School conference at Crown Casino in Melbourne next term. My 2 sessions will be on Augmented Reality in Education and 21st Century Skills V Technology. Those who have a leadership position in schools should definitely attend!
For registration details visit:
The IWBNet website HERE

Free teacher tutorials.

Don't forget to check out my free teacher tutorial channel on youtube. It is approaching 40000 views and has plenty of useful and practical tutorials for teachers.

About Paul:

Author of the iBook Augmented Reality in Education, creator of the Science AR App, the critically acclaimed educational app Formative Feedback for Learning and the revolutionary iBook series My Prep Year, Paul is changing the way digital content is being delivered in schools. Apple Distinguished Educator Class of 2013. Paul is a leader in the implementation of Augmented Reality in schools to improve learning outcomes, Professional Development of staff with integration of ICTs, and has expertise in the implementation of mobile devices into pedagogical frameworks.

Apps and iBooks by Paul Hamilton

    

appsbypaulhamilton@gmail.com
http://www.appsbypaulhamilton.com
twitter: @PaulHamilton8

Parents we have an iPad problem

Sat down in a funky little cafe in St Kilda this morning (for breakfast) reflecting on a wonderful teaching and learning conference I had just attended over the past 3 days. A young family joined us at the table next to us. The father began analysing the menu whilst the Mum reached into her oversized handbag and pulled out the child's pacifier. The pacifier was a little larger than the normal one. The pacifier was an iPad, an amazing tool that I use on a daily basis with my students and the staff I mentor.

We use the iPad in a plethora of ways from digital storytelling, world building, multimedia presentations, Augmented Reality, student feedback giving, observational record keeping.......I could go on and on.

Not a doubt in my mind the iPad is tool, that when used by motivated students and innovative educators, learning is both enhanced and engaged in.

Back to the family sitting next to me. Mum and Dad converse openly. Child does not make a sound for the entire meal.

Time to fly back to Queensland, family sits a couple of rows in front of me. This time Mum and Dad and 2 children. The first, a boy 4 years of age and the second, a young female toddler. Both parents hand over an iPad each to their children. Over the course of the flight both children say very little, but I watch closely. Both are watching movies and using coloring in Apps.

So what's the problem?

Our world is changing, and the world our children will enter into during and after school is much different to that of our generation. Firstly, we passively consumed Media. We watched TV and later consumed the Internet by browsing websites. Secondly, the work place required a different set of skills to that our children will require.

We are entering a time in history where creativity and divergent thinking is what our children will require in the work place. As Dan Pink states:

"The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers-creative and holistic "right-brain" thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn't."

I recently viewed a concert on Youtube. The concert was a little different.

This needs a little explaining. 

1. This is a real audience. 
2. The singer is completely virtual.
3. The concert was sold out in 3 countries.

and

A team of individuals created this character collaboratively using completely open source and free software. No ones owns this character. Anyone, or more likely group, can create a concert using this free software. 

I could give more examples. Wikipedia. Who would of thought the largest resource site would be created and fed by us, hobbyists and enthusiasts who don't look for payment or recognition. Wikipedia succeeded because we are changing and the world is changing. Microsofts plans for a CD encyclopedia (ENCARTA), hiring the best academics and writers in the world, was blown out of the water because it didn't involve us. We are creators and collaborators and we own the Internet.

So why do I have a problem with iPads. Young children are being kept quite by iPads. Young students are being kept quite using iPads in a passive and extremely unnatural way. This is the problem Parents need to address. We are fostering an environment that is completely foreign to the generation coming through. We are fostering skills that will be (currently are) obsolete.

I see greatness with tools like the iPad. I see naturally innovative and creatively blessed minds using iPads in creative and innovative ways.

Unfortunately I also see something else and it worries me.

Paul