Hey ClassWelcome Back!Your test covering Chapter 8(sections 1-3) is on Wednesday.Please be ProductiveComplete your HWComplete the book reviewsComplete the practice testsStudyHelp one anotherPrepare your notesDon't miss the day of the test on WednesdayBe on your best behaviorOne person has the pass at a time.

I had a great lesson planned today on using writing exemplars to deconstruct procedural writing. It was one of those humdinger lessons that make you feel all good after teaching it. Nevermind. There was something better to do. As class began, one of my ardent students asked me if he could use his laptop to Skype with his dad today. He told me that he misses his dad a lot because he travels all around the world for work. At the moment, dad was in Mexico. The look in his eye when he talked about his dad nearly broke my heart. "And maybe, Mr. Lee, we could, like, Skype with the whole class!" I felt like saying, Listen dude, you have no idea how much you just said that to the right teacher. Instead, I held back my sheer exuberance, nodded my head and said, "Go set it up on the projector." My students were utterly gripped. They started spontaneously lining up to try and ask dad a question. What’s more, they asked such interesting questions complety without my provocation. Do you get to enjoy yourself in Mexico or is it mostly work? Has it been hard to adjust to a different culture? What do you think of us using iPads and iPods in the classroom? It was incredible. My student was on cloud nine. Brimming with pride about his dad and bursting with love for the guy. You know when you have a collective learning moment with the students and you just feel as though you are transcending space and time? Ding. I can do that really cool lesson tomorrow.

There are innumerable ways that instruction, collaboration, higher-order thinking, and assessment are enhanced by having handheld communication devices in the classroom. Many have written about this topic, but it’s not something I want to get into now. What I want to talk about is what the devices cannot do. Despite news and blog headlines to the contrary, iPods can’t change the world. They do not take social action. When you turn the little wheely thingy and press the middle button, there is no option for ‘instant innovation’. You can’t send a text message which eloquently persuades an audience to fight for democracy. The app store is a store. It sells products. Period. But this is not why we should keep our omnipresent devices out of our classrooms. Rather, it’s the very reason we should let them bring them in. If the machines were powerful enough to take the place of what we expect of students themselves, then we should fear them. Keep them out. I agree. Pedagogically, I am discovering that it is all the little, almost invisible things these devices allow for that truly make them empowering. What is more, putting the internet and/or a wireless network into the hands of students means you cannot control them any longer. You can try all you want to pre-determine Point A and Point B and pave every step of the path that leads from the former to the latter, yet it won’t work. They simply stop looking to you the teacher as the director of the play, let alone the beacon of knowledge.

I took this shot with my iPhone and aptly put the ’1962′ setting on it using my Camera Bag app. My students were stunned this morning to discover I had ‘EQAOed’ (their words) our room. Anchor charts down, coloured wallpaper kaput, desks separated in rows facing the front, SMART Board put away. Not to mention me telling them the following: No wireless devices. No talking. No backchanneling. No asking questions. (Funny how most instructions for standardized testing start with the word ‘No’.) I was so proud when they rolled their eyes and got sarcastic on my ass. They have absolutely razor sharp senses of humour: Mr. Lee, I thought we were, like, all about the 21st Century? So this whole technology thing wasn’t working, eh Mr. Lee? Yup, back to chalky hands and worksheets for us. Pheeeyew. So you’re telling me I can’t google what decimeter means? It was fun while it lasted. Take a picture of us Mr. Lee! Ya, with our hands on our faces in shame! Seriously. This is how crazy uproarious my students are. I love them to death.

Here’s a sample of a twitter conversation @slouca11 and my student’s are having on their own time in the evenings:

My students spent the past two days using a Twitter backchannel to communicate, share ideas and resources during a math test. Here’s a taste of what it looked like: It doesn’t seem all that interesting when you look at this little sample, but I saw some wonderful things in the classroom. I saw students very quiet in a setting that needed to be, yet still communicating through the backchannel. I witnessed them interested in responding to tweets for help, and sharing advice or strategies through the twitter stream. Most importantly, I saw students focussing on feedback and improvement during a ‘test’, rather than on their grade or what ranking they would be assigned as compared to the standard. Afterwards, we had a class discussion where I asked the students a) Is this cheating? b) what is challenging about leaving the backchannel open? and c) in what ways did the backchannel help you? Here are a sample of their responses: Is this cheating? At first I thought it was, but then I realized it’s not cheating because it doesn’t help just to get an answer. It’s not cheating because we’re just trying to help each other get better. Some people would call it cheating but it just helped me get the math better. What is challenging about having the backchannel open? It’s so weird being allowed to do it that it’s kind of distracting at first, but then you learn to use it only when you need it. Sometimes it’s distracting. So many people say so many different things that I don’t understand it sometimes. In what ways did the backchannel help you? It let me talk but still stay quiet. It made the test fun. It helped me focus. It helped me compare my thinking to other people. At first I was embarrassed to ask questions, but then I saw some people like S—- who are good at math asking questions so I thought ‘Fine, it’s OK.’

http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=2308036

I may not live in the USA, but SOPA is of great concern to me nevertheless. It should be to you too. From DYN.com: Are you familiar with the Great Firewall Of China? Sometimes referred to as the Golden Shield project, it’s a Chinese government censorship and Internet surveillance project kicked off in 1998 and put into action in 2003. Simply put, it enables the government to restrict what content its citizens can read and view via IP blocking and DNS filtering. If they don’t like a site request a user makes, it won’t get viewed. Many dismiss what’s happening in China and chalk to up to their communist political system. That could never happen in a free speech-driven, rights for all society like we have in the United States, right? If the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) introduced this week gets enacted into law, things could change negatively for Americans which is why Dyn opposes the bill. If you’d like to learn more about the outrageously undemocratic lunacy that is SOPA check out my modest little diigo list. To sign the petition against it, check out stopcensorship.org.

Below is a comment I left on Sam Sotiropoulos‘ blog. As a trustee running in Ward 20 for the TDSB, he expresses opposition to BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology, sometimes known as BYOD)  as a system initiative. I’m still waiting for him to approve my comment, so I decided to post it here in the meantime. Click here for the original post/podcast. My name is Royan Lee. I am a teacher in the YRDSB who uses technology in hopes of fostering a more creative, collaborative, critical thinking environment. I have some questions about your post and podcast on BYOD. First of all, I notice you don’t mention whether you have either seen BYOD in action or have talked to anyone who has. Should you be so adamant about your stance considering this? I have been ‘doing’ BYOD in my classrom for three years. Please read about my experiences on my blog. I would love to talk to you about this some time. Secondly, are you sure you’re not confusing equality with equity? As I see it, equality with technology exists when students do everything using the same tools at the same time. We’ve been doing that for a long time. Equity, on the other hand, is evident when students have voice, take increasing charge of their own learning, make meaningful mistakes, and are able to reflect on the right tools for their own learning. Third, is your argument based on the assumption that students are not to be trusted with personal technology? I find it strange that you simultaneously position yourself as a ‘technology trustee’ who seeks to get more tech into their hands. I’m very confused by this paradox. Please remember that BYOD cannot exist without a strong pedagogical and practical plan to ensure its success. BYOD is not about having 3 students tapping away on a MacBook Pro while 2 others sit without access. It is not a laissez faire approach. Fourth, it would be great if you mentioned the other forms of inequity that are currently embedded into our system, rather than citing BYOD as a main target. Is this topic really one that you should base a significant portion of your platform on? Remember, please, that BYOD is far from being widely adopted. What about homework or parent engagement as an equity issue? Many of the arguments you put forth certainly are not uncommon to anyone who has ever had a conversation about BYOD. In fact, most of them need to be considered very deeply before launching such an initiative. The discussion, however, is much more nuanced than you’ve posited. I urge you to please avoid fanning the flames of fear around such paradigm shifts (remember, all shifts in thinking that are positive usually start with great opposition inspired by fear and myth). Instead, perhaps you can start by at least speaking to individuals experienced with it in practice. No one should be arguing that this new way of looking at technology in schools is a panacea. Imagine if school reform was that easy? But should the challenges and barriers to its success stop us from at least trying it out? Is equity really the issue when we have students bringing these devices to our buildings whether we are ‘permitting’ them in class or not? Or is it that, similar to most hegemonic forms of inequity in society, we would rather pretend it doesn’t exist? Because, I assure you, we do not have the power as a system to ban technology from students’ backpacks, pockets, or homes. Ask the people who’ve already tried (of which there are many). I wish you the best of luck on your campaign, and give you props for opening up your thinking on a blog. I eagerly await your response.

CC licensed photo shared by Flickr user Austin Kleon One of my main goals as a teacher this school year has been to simplifiy everything I do in the classroom. To turn what is sometimes a turbulent sea into a calmer ocean. This isn’t one of those ‘you should too’ educational blogposts. In fact, you’ll probably disagree with a lot of my sentiments. I’ve been working on doing less of some things. Less me talking. More students talking. Less huge projects. More smaller ones. Less crappy apps. More good apps. Less web tools. More web environments. Less presenting. More storytelling. Less ‘move on’. More ‘try again’. Less unpredictability. More structure. Less blogging. More talking in class. Less loud. More quiet.

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TIS recently provided Dr. Madhuri Kulkarni of  Sion Hospital with 800 copies of a specially created book titled, "Brain Teasers". As part of the team that worked on this book, it was a very satisfying moment indeed. We created this book ("Brain Teasers"), with inputs from Sion Hospital, to meet the special educational needs of children with learning disabilities. It provides practice in reading, writing and mathematics, and is intended to help children with learning disabilities rediscover the joy of learning. It also helps parents understand learning disabilities and find ways to address them. The book is aimed at students in the age group of 11 years to 13 years and covers all the learning disabilities; Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia. The book is a collection of interesting activities intended to engage children with learning disabilities. The activities have been designed keeping in mind the special educational needs of such children. They provide practice in reading, writing and mathematics. The book is divided into two parts: Information on learning disability for parents and activities for children. Our main objective while designing the book was to keep the activities simple and colourful so as to help children rediscover the joy of learning.  We have purposefully incorporate examples from day-to-day activities to aid better recall. We have used simplified illustrations, to help children identify the images. We have used bright colours to provide a fresh look to the entire book. The activities have been graded with three levels of difficulty. The page numbers have been colour coded to depict the levels of difficulty.  Please click here and here for a look inside this book. (Manisha Mohan is Head - Innovation & Design with Tata Interactive Systems)

Scott McLeod, of the Univ of Minnesota, recently reworrked and posted a version of a presentation that Karl Fisch created called "Did You Know?".  It's really quite good on several different levels (globalization, learning, change, the future) and is worth a view (~6 mins).  Several of the themes resonated especially loudly for me, being an eLearning specialist working for an Indian firm, as well as being the (proud) father of a six year old boy.  The world we are living within TODAY is amazing and changing incredibly fast, but it all (may) look like "the good old days" to my son in the same way that today's workforce reflects upon how things were, not in the 1930's, but in the 1830's (or maybe the 1730's!). The current day statistics and facts he cites are pretty amazing (or scary, depending on your risk profile and comfort with change).  And although it's always dangerous business predicting the future (as witnessed by Charles Duell's prediction, as Commissioner of US Patent Office in 1899, that "Everything that can be invented has been invented."), even if only a portion of the forecasts in the latter portion of the presentation are just partially true, we STILL will be in for a wild ride... (It seems like some of those predictions may have been based on Ray Kurzweil's research on "The Singularity", and how exponential change is powerful but subtle before you hit the "knee of the curve", where change becomes noticable (which is where he claims we all sit currently).  He says that we'll experience a century's worth of progress in the next 25 calendar years, and 20,000 years of progress(!) in the next 100 calendar years.  Hold on tight...) So what's the relation to Learning and Development?  The scent of it abounds, even if it's not explicitly stated.  We must prepare to live/survive/excel in a world that will be changing more rapidly than ever.  And in a world of change, it is the person who has learned how to learn who will have the advantage.  We need to stop focusing on teaching fact/figures/answers, and begin to embrace the ability to analyze/sythesize/adapt.  Good teaching and learning strategies will be at the core of success tomorrow, regardless of the details of what that vista ends up looking like. In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future.  The learned find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.-- Eric Hoffer (UPDATE: June 25, 2007) Since Karl and Scott originally published this thought-provoking stack, a fair amount of momentum and interest has developed.  While some focused on reworking the orginal material with new graphics and slightly updated content (one was quite succesful, having won in two categories of Slideshow's 'World's Best Presentation Contest"),  the original authors (with some help from Xplane) have been busy themselves...  They just released an updated version: Did You Know 2.0.  Check it out...(Jon Revelos is Director - Story Based Learning at TATA Interactive Systems)

I have not been able to wholly embrace the age of the social networking Web sites; however, I do enjoy being a part of LinkedIn, a professional networking site, because it allows me to learn about professional developments in my field. I enjoy going through the discussion forums on weekends to see what the e-learning world is chattering about. Just the other day, I was following a discussion thread on someone seeking recommendations for e-learning and serious game development vendors. I was quite delighted to read a comment from Claudia Musekamp, one of our international clients. Her comment reads, "I worked with TATA Interactive Systems on the scoyo/Bertelsmann project. Great company." Some of my friends have been part of this project and it was just as thrilling for me to read this feedback as it was for them. We often receive praise or positive feedback from clients via e-mail or on a conference call, but it feels real or more special when you stumble upon it so unexpectedly on a public forum.(Rukmini Chaudhury - Lead Content Developer)

The Cybertest app, approved for iOS platform, will enable a rapidly mobile workforce to complete assessments on all the topics that are relevant to their role while on the move. Prior to its mobile avatar, Cybertest existed as an application that could be accessed from PC browsers. Now that it has been approved for the iOS platform, users on the move can complete the entire learning cycle from consuming course content to undergoing assessment on their iPhones, iPads or iPod touch devices.Extremely easy to use, the Cybertest app makes it possible to have knowledge checks possible throughout the organisation, even if people are on the move. On this mobile enterprise assessment platform, as a training professional, you can create exciting exercises and in-depth assessments to measure the impact of learning provided. With more than 20 different question types at your disposal - ranging from drag and drop and hotspots to tables and a lot, lot more - you’ll be spoilt for choice.  The assessments can be attempted online via PC browser or via the Cybertest app on iOS mobile devices.Cybertest has an integrated certification module as well which renders certification for courses or assessments an easy task.  It’s as simple as setting a certification criteria for the user and if the criteria is met, the user’s certification is auto-generated and a personalized copy for printing is sent to the user as well. The app is available for free download from Apple App Store via the following Links:Click here for iPhone/iPod Touch Click here for iPad  

John will be hosting these presentations on mobile learning at The Performance Improvement Conference 2012 in Toronto, Canada, on April 22nd and 23rd. Here’s the spread: 22nd of April: ‘Decision Scenarios for Mobile Support and Instruction’ This session will help organizations choose mobile learning solutions based on their current infrastructure and performance improvement needs. At the session, John will examine one-minute support and learning scenarios based on need, legacy investments, and even impulse decisions in terms of appropriate technologies for the back end, the handheld devices themselves, and the supporting communication infrastructure. 23rd April: ‘Adding Mobile Nuggets to the Main Course’ This session will address the strategic role that short learning nuggets can play in an overall learning and performance support strategy. John will explore need drivers for nuggets, push vs. pull delivery, required vs. discretionary and formal vs. informal use, content selection and organization schemas, and media formats. The discussion will help develop rationale to justify investing in nuggets as a strategic tool rather than an afterthought. Click here to register for the event. In case of any queries, please email johng@tatainteractive.com.

Gamification is the application of game design principles as an intervention in everyday practices. It involves applying patterns of game design on seeming boring chores and transforming them into exciting and fun engagement for the user. In a learning space, gamification can be effectively used to create engaging learning experiences for the learner. Learning challenges can be transformed into exciting games which allow the adult learner to follow their own learning path. Playing a game involves planning and practice, making mistakes and learning from them, a goal oriented journey, a self-paced and self-directed approach… It is practical and involves experimentation, observation, conceptualization and application. All these qualities are what make a good learning solution. Gamification of a learning challenge allows the player to approach a learning challenge not as a chore but as a challenge that promises instant gratification. Example1: One of the examples of a chore being transformed into an engaging gratifying experience resulting in an effective learning is the ‘Currency Checker game’.  An International Bank based out of UK had a challenge in training their employees in ‘Verification of Currency’. This challenge was converted into fast paced ‘Eye for detail‘game where the player had to quickly identify the anomalies and errors in the currencies. This time based challenge rewarded the player with points and badges for recognition of their skills. The players ended up practicing it many times over without feeling the burden, fatigue or boredom usually associated with such tasks. Example 2: Another example of training employees on following procedures for a mundane yet critical task of filling out log book that maintains record of people who have had incidents of vomiting and diarrhoea.   This was converted into Film Noir style Detective game, where the player had to navigate on a ship, talk to people, gather information and fill out the log book. The player received rewards and recognition and a sense of achievement on successful completion of the game. An element of fantasy and imagination transforms the learning into a more meaningful and engaging experience. In the process the player also learnt the importance of filling out the log book and the procedure of filling it. Feedback from real users. Some qualitative feedback from people who played our cheque verification and currency verification games: "When I started, I could hardly find errors in a cheque, but after practice, I could track errors quite easily. So definitely playing over again I would look forward to improving my scores and reducing the errors." "It made me sit back and concentrate to ensure good scores." "A good stress buster." " I did not realize that I was being trained." "After playing for the first time you come to know your weaknesses and you can wipe out those weaknesses and score full marks (in the next round)." Here is a graph (real data) that shows how users’ score increases over sessions of playing the game.    Inferences: By virtue of playing the game five times, most learners spent more than an hour in the learning content. The score is a reflection of the learner’s ability to do the job in the game. Therefore, the progressive increase in scores over the first four sessions is indicative of improvement in skills. While there isn’t any specific information about the dip in score in the fifth attempt, it may be attributed to fatigue (the sessions were all back-to-back).