A Publication of the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning

Spring 2013

VOLUME 33, ISSUE 3

MACUL
J O U r n A L

Blended learning

Also In this Issue MACUL Conference Info Blended Learning for Todays Learner Every Teacher Needs a YouTube Channel Teaching with iBooks Author

At MVS, students can learn virtually anything

MVS Plus, MVS Basic and MVS Blended courses meet MMC standards where applicable 19 AP courses 78 NCAA approved courses Courses for high school and middle school students

BLENDING TECHNOLOGY

AND CURRICULUM
FOR TODAYS LEARNER

Michigan Virtual Schools diverse courses provide todays students with the technology skills and tools that will help them succeed.
VISIT www.mivhs.org FOR MORE INFORMATION.

The MACUL Journal is published four times per year (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer) by MACUL, the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning, Inc. MACUL OFFICE 3410 Belle Chase Way, Suite 100 Lansing, MI 48911 Telephone 517.882.1403 Fax 517.882.2362 E-mail: macul@macul.org www.macul.org Executive Director Ric Wiltse rwiltse@macul.org Executive Assistant Ieva Kule ikule@macul.org Business Manager Barbara Surtman bsurtman@macul.org Member Services Associate Krystal Ohler kohler@macul.org Professional Development Coordinator Sheila Dunham sdunham@macul.org MACUL Journal Editor Judy Paxton jpaxton@macul.org Webmaster Paul Yelensky pyelensky@mac.com Become a MACUL member for free at www.macul.org/ membership, or sign up to become a Friend of MACUL for $20/year and have the MACUL Journal print version mailed to you. The MACUL Journal digital version is available at www.macul.org. The MACUL Journal welcomes and encourages letters, articles, suggestions, and contributions from readers. Publishing guidelines are posted at: www.macul.org > MACUL Journal. All editorial items and advertising inquiries should be sent to: Judy Paxton, Editor 231.342.4801 E-mail: jpaxton@macul.org Composition and design by: Jonathan Guinn Rogers Printing, Inc. 3350 Main St. Ravenna, MI 49451 Telephone 800.622.5591 Information is available upon request. Portions of the MACUL Journal may be reprinted with permission as long as the source is clearly acknowledged. Opinions expressed in the Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent MACUL. Publication of items in the MACUL Journal does not imply endorsement by MACUL.

MACUL
J O U r n A L
A publication of the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning Spring 2013 | Volume 33, Issue 3

CONTENTS
Calendar .......................................................................................................... 4 MACUL Officers and Board of Directors ........................................................... 5 Special Interest Group Directors ...................................................................... 5 From the Presidents Desk............................................................................... 6 MI Champions Program Wrap-up ..................................................................... 6 Ready or Not, Blended Learning is Coming to Your Community ........................ 7 Blended Learning Meets Multiple Needs .......................................................... 8 Two VERY Cool Tools for Making Reading Interesting ...................................... 12 Guidelines for Making Changes to Your Curriculum ........................................ 13 Offering Solutions to the Challenges Inherent in Blending Technology and Curriculum ............................................................. 14 Every Teacher Needs a YouTube Channel ....................................................... 16 MACUL SIGMS ............................................................................................... 17
C O N F E R E N C E

MACUL CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT/LINEUP ........................................... 18 INFOBYTES: Using Technology to Love the Common Core .................................................. 20 Ipad Creativity for Elementary Students ......................................................... 20 Video Use In Your Classroom ......................................................................... 21 Flipping EdTech PD ..................................................................................... 21 What is and How To Participate in the MILEARNS Online Portal ..................... 22 Making the Best of Technology You Already Have ........................................... 22 Blended Learning for Todays Learner ............................................................ 23 Blended Learning in the Classroom Project .................................................... 24 Teaching With iBooks Author .......................................................................... 26 Student News Teams: Telling the Story .......................................................... 28 Blooming with Technology: Blooms Taxonomy Goes Digital............................. 30 Achieving Library 2.0 ..................................................................................... 32 REMC: Keeping Students Well Prepared ......................................................... 32 Discovering Self Through Web Design ............................................................ 33

2013
December 2012 December 18 MACUL Board Meeting, conference call January 2013 January 10 miMoodle Conference, Clinton County RESA, St. Johns January 15 MACUL Board Meeting, Lansing Community College, West Campus February 2013 February 5 MACUL Journal articles due for 2013 Summer Issue: Internet Safety, Bullying February 19 MACUL Board Meeting, Lansing Community College, West Campus February 23 EdCampOAISD, REMC 7, Holland March 2013 March 20 - 22 2013 MACUL Conference, Blending Technology & Curriculum for Todays Learner, Detroit April 2013 April 16 MACUL Board Meeting, Lansing Community College, West Campus April 26 MACUL Upper Peninsula Conference, Houghton May 2013 May 3 Tech Forum, Lincolnshire, Illinois May 10 Mobile Learning Conference, Kalamazoo RESA, Kalamazoo May 17 MACUL Journal articles due for 2013 Fall Issue: eCurriculum May 19-21 MACUL Leadership Retreat, Kettunen Center, Tustin June 2013 June 23-26 ISTE 2013 Conference, San Antonio, TX

Igniting Learning Through Meaningful Collaboration And Innovation

Founded 1975 An organizational member of The International Society for Technology in Education
MACUL is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that exists to:

provide a state association for educators involved with, or seeking knowledge of, computer-related technology in learning provide for the sharing and exchanging of ideas, techniques, materials, and procedures for the use of computerrelated technology through conferences, publications and support services promote and encourage effective, ethical and equitable use of computerrelated technology in learning encourage and support research relating to the use of computer-related technology in learning.

Use the online digital MACUL Journal

www.macul.org/maculjournal/
Download the complete PDF, or, use the online digital journal. These formats give the reader direct access to live resource links in the articles. If using the online digital version, look for embedded icons to view the additional videos and PDFs that may be connected with articles and advertisements. Share the links with your colleagues!
Spring 2013 | MACUL journal

E-mail address:

macul@macul.org
Website:

www.macul.org

MACUL OFFICERS
Steve Schiller, President Muskegon Heights Public Schools steve.schiller@macul.org Pam Shoemaker, President Elect Walled Lake Consolidated Schools pamelashoemaker@wlcsd.org Mike Oswalt, Past President Calhoun ISD oswaltm@calhounisd.org Pete Mantei, Treasurer Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools pmantei@eup.k12.mi.us Tammy Maginity, Secretary Pennfield Schools maginitt@pennfield.net

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP DIRECTORS

Bill Wiersma SIG Liaison MACUL bwiersma@macul.org Pamela Moore SIGCS Eastern Michigan University sheltiepam@earthlink.net John Phillips SIGEE Battle Creek Public Schools JPSousa@gmail.com Melinda Waffle SIGMM Calhoun ISD waffle@calhounisd.org Carol Isakson SIGOL
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools

MACUL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kevin Clark Berrien RESA kevin.clark@berrienresa.org Laura Cummings Oakland Schools Laura.Cummings@oakland. k12.mi.us Tim Davis Charlevoix-Emmet ISD davist@charemisd.org Terri Gustafson Michigan State University terrigus@msu.edu Ron Houtman Kent ISD ronhoutman@kentisd.org Tim Kamps tkamps@gmail.com Julie Myrmel jdmyrmel@me.com

Todd Neibauer Traverse City Area Public Schools neibauerto@tcaps.net Sandra Plair Michigan State University miztech@gmail.com David Prindle Byron Center Public Schools david.prindle@macul.org Matinga Ragatz Grand Ledge Public Schools matingaragatz@gmail.com

carol@isakson.org Gina Loveless SIGPL Calhoun ISD gina.loveless@macul.org Rose McKenzie SIGSPED Jackson ISD rose.mckenzie@jcisd.org Jeff Trudell SIGTC Wyandotte Public Schools jeff.trudell@wy.k12.mi.us Daryl Tilley SIGTECH dtilley@inghamisd.org Ben Rimes SIGWEB Mattawan Schools ben@techsavvyed.net

Mary Saffron Fraser Public Schools Mary.saffron@fraser.k12.org Barbara Fardell MDE Liaison FardellB@michigan.gov Sue Schwartz REMCAM Liaison sueschwartz@remc.org
| Spring 2013

Ron Madison Flint Community Schools rmadison1@flintschools.org Carolyn McCarthy Shiawassee RESD cjmccarthy56@gmail.com
MACUL journal

Go to www.macul.org > Special Interest Groups for complete listing of SIG Officers and SIG information.
5

From the PresiDents Desk

By Steve Schiller

From the executive Director

By RIC WILTSE

I recently had the extreme pleasure to serve as the emcee at the 12th annual AT&T/MACUL Student Technology Showcase at the State Capitol. This event truly encompasses the mission of MACUL, and if you have never attended one before you are missing a real treat. I first attended eleven years ago with my students, and continued that tradition for many years afterward. Ill never forget how proud my students were to show off their work, and also how our local politicians went out of their way to make sure they were available to attend. The goal of the Showcase is to gather K-12 students at the Capitol to demonstrate to Michigan legislators, and the general public how students are learning with 21st century resources. This years event featured a variety of demonstrations that included blogs, podcasts, apps for education, mobile devices, animation, broadcast production, digital yearbooks, robotics, online learning, QR codes and much, much more. The event also provided the opportunity to honor 2 legislators for their support of educational technology in Michigan. Many thanks to AT&T for their sponsorship! The next Showcase will be held at the annual MACUL Conference in Detroit, and I encourage all MACUL members to stop by and check out the

MI Champions Program Wrap Up

Over the past five years, a total of over 2,000 educators participated in the MI Champions and STEM MI Champions program. Sadly,the program funding from federal funds is no longer available resulting in MI Champions ending at the 2013 MACUL conference.

students projects. Its a must see, and you wont be disappointed! Speaking of the Conference, your MACUL Board, SIG Leadership, and the office and conference staffs have been working extremely hard to make sure that this years event will help all attendees blend technology and curriculum for todays learners. Many thanks to Conference Chairman Mike Oswalt who promises that this years event will be the biggest and best ever! Be sure to use the new online planner, and be ready for some great new features that include the MACUL ZONE, the California CUE Rock Star team, and the new Lightning and Spark sessions. All in all this years Conference is geared to deliver. Register at www. macul.org. See you in Detroit!
Steve Schiller, an educator since 1976, is currently working for Muskegon Heights Public Schools. He has been a MACUL member since mid-1980s and is the 20122013 MACUL Board President.

STEM MI

The goal of the traditional MI Champions program is to prepare Michigan 2 1 S T C E N T U R Y S K I L L S P B L U D L students to become productive citizens in a global society. The STEM MI Champions Project, sponsored by Michigan Virtual University, is designed to provide teachers with the instructionalstrategies and resources they need to ensure that all students develop 21st Century skills.

ChaMpIonS

STEM M

Led by Program Director Marie Zuk and STEM MI ChampionsNDirectorSSueLHardin,P B L U 21ST CE TURY KI LS the program has also been supported by CoachCoordinator Judy Paxton and many highly skilled coaches and trainers. The program also has trained educators in the Dearborn Public Schools and the Flint Community Schools. Please contact meif you are interested in learning how the MI Champions or STEM MI Champions curriculum can be brought to your district.

ChaMpIon

MI CHAMPIONS continued on page 31

6 | Spring 2013 MACUL journal

By Pam Shoemaker, Terri Gustafson

Blended Learning is Coming to Your Community

Ready or Not,
the teacher do it for them. The philosophy makes sense and parents are overwhelmingly supportive. Is your community taking any steps to investigate or move toward flipped or blended learning instructional models? It will take a concerted effort from policy makers at the local, state, and national levels; parents, teachers, and students. What can you do to advocate and help move forward the effort to use technology in these types of ways? The first step is to become educated about what blended learning means and how it impacts teachers and students. The REMC Association of Michigan, a MACUL partner, offers a free professional development course for Michigan educators. The MACUL Conference will also offer a variety of sessions in a blended learning strand. Or maybe you are ready to dive right in using tools that are already available in your educational community. Keep track of data that will help you know if the strategies you try are effective, and share your experiences with colleagues, parents, administration, school boards, and legislators.
Sources: www.sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/index.asp www.babson.edu/Pages/default.aspx www.leadcommission.org/sites/default/files/LEAD%20Poll%20Deck.pdf www.remc.org/projects/blendedlearning/ www.macul.org/conferences/2013-macul-conference/

Blended learning, flipped classroom, and virtual schooling are all new models of K-12 education that are being bantered around in the press, academic journals, and at instructional technology forums across the country as ways to improve our educational system. In many corners of the nation, the realities of these new models coming to fruition seem far fetched, since they are so different from the standard model of face-to-face classroom. However, as studies in the last couple years have shown, this is not the case. Not only are these new models of instructions becoming more of a reality, parental support for the importance of technology integration into K-12 curriculum and instruction is at new heights. These new models deserve a look in your community. Virtual learning is on the rise and there is a growing body of research on its use. In a 2009 national study, the Babson Survey Research Group published a report estimating that 1,030,000 students were enrolled in at least one online or blended course in American K-12 schools. The study also reported that in 2000-2001 the percentage of school districts reporting a student taking their first online course was approximately 5%, and by 2007-2008 it jumped to 22%. Following up this report, in 2010 the group reported online and blended learning are becoming integral to a number of high school reform efforts especially with regard to improving graduation rates, credit recovery, building connections for students to their future college careers, differentiating instruction, and supporting cost-efficiency for instruction. Parents also overwhelmingly believe it is important for schools to make good use of educational technology. The use of technology in blended and flipped learning models can facilitate an environment where each student can learn in the way that is best for them. Technology tools can be used to provide educators with opportunities to gauge students individual mastery of concepts, providing the vital information needed to design instructional activities to best help individual students learn, and in turn, keep them engaged. Students soon become the driver for their own learning instead of letting
MACUL journal |

Terri Gustafson is a MACUL Board of Directors member and the Assistant Director for the Center for Teaching and Technology in the College of Education at Michigan State University. She can be reached at: terrigus@msu.edu or on Twitter: @tgustafson Pamela Shoemaker, Ed.S, is the Technology Instructional Coach for Walled Lake Consolidated Schools. She is MACULs President Elect and an alumnus of the Michigan Educational Policy Fellowship Program. She can be reached via e-mail at pam.shoemaker@macul.org or on Twitter: @shoemap

Spring 2013

BlenDeD learning meets multiPle neeDs

By Anne Thorp, PhD

Blended learning is a term we are hearing quite a bit these days in education. Just what is it? What does it look like? What makes it effective? How do we know its effective? Shouldnt teachers and students just be able to use web tools to create a blended environment? How do we prepare teachers and students to be effective in a blended environment? Innosights 2012 Classifying K-12 Blended Learning report defines blended learning as: Blended learning is a formal education in which a student learns at least in part through online delivery of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace and at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home. (www.innosightinstitute.org/media-room/ publications/education-publications/classifying-k12-blended-learning/) BENEFITs While the idea of implementing blended learning can seem scary, the benefits far outweigh the risks and challenges. For example, blended learning provides opportunities to reconsider and restructure teaching and learning in ways that were not present prior to the digital age. Additionally, blended learning brings the benefit of collaboration with teachers, students, organizations, institutions, and even learners and teachers across the world. Blended learning grants opportunities to innovate, engage, and reach all learners, with the flexibility of time, place, and pacing. Lets look at the benefit of reaching all learners. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone
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not just a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs. (cast.org/udl) Blended learning meets the flexibility and customization for individual needs through allowing instructors to present information and content in different ways, providing opportunities for students to differentiate the way they express their learning, and provides a variety of ways to stimulate interest and motivation for learning through using a much larger menu of tools.

(Image from: Cast.org/udl) WhAT DOEs BLENDED LEARNINg LOOk LIkE? Blended learning can look like many different elements in the learning environment. It can include a flipped environment in which some material that is traditionally covered in class is provided virtually for study outside of class, a self-directed learning environment in which students complete work at their own pace with the support of a learning lab or as needed instructor, or the integration of a learning management system with a course designed by the classroom teacher, or it may be a set of purchased digital content that is integrated into daily learning. There is a great difference between blended learning
| MACUL journal

Spring 2013

and using technology to enrich or supplement teaching and learning. Innosights 2012 Classifying K-12 Blended Learning report breaks blended learning into 4 models: 1. 2. 3. 4. Rotation students time is split between labs, classroom, independent online learning Flex students move through an individualized schedule among various modalities, with teachers provided assistance as needed Self blend students attend traditional school but take one or more classes online Enriched virtual students learn at a physical school but teachers are brought in remotely, or divide time between campus and home online learning

environment helps in the preparation on all levels. Taking the time to have all elements in place prior to getting started (front loading the program) will ascertain success in the long run. Challenges that can be expected include: The attitude that blended learning is not as rigorous as traditional learning Seat time policies (MI has a seat time waiver, www. techplan.org/seat-time-waivers/) Lack of teacher training Finding viable and effective resources/courses/content Network security Network access Provision of technology tools for the blended environment Contract language Student participation and motivation outside of the traditional classroom Scheduling Be prepared for challenges to arise. Create a network of others who have done this before you, include those new to the blended environment as well. TEAChER pREpARATION With all these varieties of blended instruction and anytime anywhere learning very much a part of todays culture how do we prepare our teachers to effectively integrate all these options? Teacher professional development and training is a key element in blended instruction. Various components of teaching and learning will change with the implementation of blended instruction. Teachers become more of a facilitator or a coach in the learning environment. This is a challenging shift for some as many teachers are used to being the keepers of the knowledge and in full control of their classroom environment. Blended instruction changes this. In todays digital world content is everywhere, learners can get information at anytime from anywhere there is an Internet connection. Teachers need to be prepared to effectively engage students in todays digital learning environments, to coach them through learning and applying that learning all while developing relationships through a new medium. Teacher professional development for effectively using blended instruction needs to include concepts of blended instruction, pedagogy, differentiation, building community, online assessment and evaluation, accessibility, policies and preparation, using technology tools effectively, facilitation skills, as well as time management for teachers and their students. How do we prepare teachers to be effective online instructors? Professional development is key as teachers are not naturally blended instructors. Just putting content online is not blending instruction. There are many opportunities in the state of Michigan for teachers to get professional development in using blended elements in the classroom, as well as learning to be an effective blended instructor.

REAsONs FOR BLENDINg Many reasons for blending instruction are prevalent in todays educational environments. One of the most commonly expressed is students today raised with online technology demand it. (eRepublic (2012). New Frontier, Big Impact. The Blended & Virtual Learning Frontier Special Report, 10.) The availability of tools for effective implementation is readily obtainable with free web tools, digital content, WIFI, connection and collaboration software ~ all of which are free or open source, in addition to the various fee based tools available. Other motivators encouraging blended implementation include Opportunities to increase and improve graduation rates Credit recovery options Preparation for after graduation education and/or jobs Providing flexible learning options for students are who are ill, need to work, traveling athletes, or are young parents State governances that require students take an online course or engage in an online learning experience Meeting the multiple needs of learners 2009 United States Department of Education research show blended learning is just as effective as face to face learning, with blended learning offering the best results. (www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/ finalreport.pdf) Once teachers and students engage in the blended environment and see the benefits come to fruition, it becomes second nature and commonplace. ChALLENgEs TO IMpLEMENTINg A BLENDED LEARNINg pROgRAM While the benefits of blended learning are instrumental to student success, getting started does have its challenges. Knowing what to expect with challenges that might be faced will help guide the planning committee as well as assist in avoiding some roadblocks along the way. Knowing that it takes time to implement and be successful with a blended learning

MACUL journal

Spring 2013

ThE 21 ThINgs FOR ThE 21sT CENTURY EDUCATOR (www.21things4teachers.net) course is a great way for teachers to become comfortable in a blended learning environment as a learner. Teachers meet face to face at least once, virtually for 8 times for learning and assistance, and participate in a course management system to collaborate, discuss topics, submit assignments and receive feedback. The course itself has many resources that will assist a teacher in providing differentiated instruction in a traditional or blended classroom. (Melissa White, Ingham ISD) This 21things4students (www.21things4students.net) Project was developed to equip students with 21st Century Technology Skills, for success in their education, jobs, and lifelong learning experiences. The 21 Things for Students is a project that by nature blends learning using digital tools. This is a free program that is provided completely online to anyone. The Blended Learning in the Classroom (www.remc.org/ projects/blendedlearning/) course provides free training and sustained support to transition your classroom into a blended learning environment. The course is based on research and teaches effective strategies to implement highly effective blended learning. The course kicks off with a face-to-face meeting with your instructor. Participants receive a copy of Continuing to Engage the Online Learner by R. Conrad & J Donaldson and a free Snagit license so participants can create digital elements to add to their learning environment. Throughout the course participants are learning key points of blended instruction while at the same time creating their own blended environment. WhAT DOEs IT TAkE TO MAkE IT WORk? Many elements need to be taken into consideration when a blended environment is being thought-out and planned. These elements include: Teacher training o How? o Where? o When is best? Teacher implementation of tools o How? o When? o With whom? Schedules o Teacher schedules o Student schedules Administrations role o Parent contact o Community contact o Policy implementation Policy o Seat time waiver o Off campus learning o On campus learning Technologys role o Networking infrastructure
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User devices 1:1 Personal devices Provision of devices Content o Teacher created o Purchased o Combination o Assessment

gETTINg sTARTED When getting started with blended learning in your environment, remember its okay to take your time! Take it small, one step at a time. Blended instruction is an effective way to meet multiple teaching and learning needs; its best to do it right the first time. There is no need to rush the system. Find other schools who have already implemented a blended learning program, contact them and ask what their challenges were, what they would change, be sure to also ask what they are celebrating about the program. Hearing the good news, the successes will guide you just as much as the challenges. Check in with your ISD or REMC/ESA/ESD for guidance and assistance as well. sTEps TO DEpLOYINg A BLENDED LEARNINg ENvIRONMENT 1. Establish a definition of what blended learning is going to look like for you. (Will it be oriented around timeframe expectations or specific subject areas? Will it be designed for specific student needs such as remedial or advanced?) 2. Develop a realistic plan, with clear, measurable goals. 3. Determine technology needs and an implementation timeline. 4. Train all key players administrators, teachers, IT staff, students and parents. 5. Set up periodic reviews and analysis feedback will be essential, including feedback from students. 6. Compare actual results and implementation to earlier projections. (eRepublic (2012). New Frontier, Big Impact. The Blended & Virtual Learning Frontier Special Report, 5.) Final Thoughts As you move into the blended learning arena, be gentle with yourself and your program. Take it at a pace that works for you and your participants. Become informed, know what to expect, know which steps to take to lead to success. Go forth and blend!
Anne is the REMC7 Director and Instructional Technologist at the Ottawa Area ISD. While blended and online learning are one area of expertise, Anne works in all areas of instructional technology implementation. She also works closely with MASSP and MI LearnPort with their professional development program design, implementation, and instructing. Her favorite role in life? That of Gramma to the three best babes in the world!

Spring 2013

MACUL journal

A Professional Development Program

The REMC Blended Learning in the Classroom project is a free professional development course created to provide teachers with effective training and continued support while moving to a blended environment.
Project Time Line
f 2012: instructors and teachers to participate in the blended course. Participants in the pilot phase are giving feedback to shape the program for maximum effectiveness. A second opportunity to apply to be a course instructor will be made available. Second opportunity for teachers to participate in the training Third opportunity for teachers to participate in the blended course

This rigorous learning experience requiring between 6-10 hours of work online per week will lead you and your students to success as the online work is coupled with the application of newly learned concepts and strategies in your own classroom. This free ten week course is designed based on research and effective practice strategies and provides participants will pedagogically sound approaches to effectively implementing a blended environment. This instructor led course is a blended course for teachers through which participants will collaboratively apply blended learning theory, hands on practice, and will include implementation with their current students. Participants will receive a copy of Continuing to Engage the Online Learner by R. Conrad & J Donaldson and a free Snagit license. SB-CEU/SCHECS are pending.

If you are moving to or considering moving to a blended learning environment, you have a couple of choices for participation in the project. rovided teacher training course (Instructors must have experience with online/ blended teaching as well as providing professional development to adult learners.) three offerings to become a model of blended learning within your school district.

A REMC Project with funding support from MACUL.

r

rem c. org /b l end e d l e a rn in g

MACUL journal | Spring 2013 |

blendedlearning@remc.org
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Two VERY Cool Tools for Making Reading Interesting!

If youre looking for an age-appropriate, safe, and kid-exciting source of non-fiction reading and writing, you (and especially your students) will love TweenTribuneJunior (for Upper El students) at http://tweentribune.com/ junior and TweenTribune at http://tweentribune.com (for Middle School students). And the best part of this cool tool is that its absolutely free!
4. Grade the comments. One week, let students know youll be grading on grammar and spelling. The next week, check their punctuation. 5. Ask students to post a summary of the days top stories to test their reading comprehension.

News articles covering current events are updated daily, Monday through Friday. Each article is accompanied by an enticing title and image. Topics range from world and national news (presidential elections, hurricanes) to interesting features on animals (Man takes pictures of dogs underwater), fashion (Girl makes dress out of candy wrappers), sports (NFL football players get iPads), food (Are you happy with new rules for school lunches?), and movies (Would you like a Harry Potter treehouse?). Many articles are often accompanied by a Critical thinking challenge and/or vocabulary words. Teachers can register for free, and then set up a classroom(s) and add students. Unfortunately, Tween Tribune insists that you put in one student at a time, no batch upload, and they will assign a password which students are not able to change. Once students log in, they will be able to view your instructions for this assignment, which you have previously set up for them (TweenTribune gives great instructions on how to do this and its fairly easy!). You can assign a particular story for them to read, or let them choose from a variety of high-interest categories. Once they read a story, they can create a comment based on your directions or answer the challenge question at the end of the article. Student comments will not appear until you publish them. There are quite a variety of ways to use this exciting site. From the web site:
1. As part of your Science class, show students the Animal or Science categories where they can choose one story to read. Note to self: Make sure they Click here to read more for the full story. Students can post a comment, or there can be a class discussion on the topic. 2. This is a great site to introduce students to the technology-using components of logging in, browsing, and blogging. Choose a story and examine the correct way to compose a comment, an excellent interactive whiteboard (iwb) activity! Students can practice commenting - the site allows you to moderate comments you read and decide if the comment(s) can be published. 3. Great for persuasive writing. Pick a controversial article and ask students to post their opinion.

To get even more out of these high-interest news stories, consider using another free online tool called Textivate at www.textivate.com. Register, then copy and paste one of the Tween Tribune news articles into Textivate (up to 500 words the more words, the more possible activities). Click the Textivate Now button, and voila! You have the original text at the top of the page to read and refer to, and below, youll have a variety of vocabulary-type activities, from putting the story back into the proper order, to putting words in the proper places in the article, to filling in the letters of words. Click on the Share button, and youll get a URL for this page to give to students to choose an activity from. Or, choose one of the activities and you can share just that page. Students can click the Check button to see how well they did.

These two Reading resources can be used together or individually. Im sure youll find all sorts of interesting ways to incorporate them into your classroom. Have fun! Marilyn Western is the 2008 MACUL Teacher of the Year, a former member of the MACUL Board of Directors, a Discovery Educator Network (DEN) scholar, and a Mt. Pleasant Public Schools 5th/6th grade computer lab teacher. Outside of the classroom, she has worked as the 1998-99 MDE Technology Using Educator on Loan, a MI Champions course designer and instructor, a technology trainer for Clare Gladwin RESD, Gratiot Isabella RESD and Bay Arenac ISD, a national presenter for the Bureau of Education & Research, and a district Tech Guru. She can be reached via mwestern@edzone.net.

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Spring 2013

MACUL journal

By Marilyn Western

Using Technology in the Elementary Classroom

by Kelly Kermode How does one tweak a standardized curriculum in order to enhance it with technology and engage more students into the content? Many teachers are being asked to teach in a Blended Learning Environment, but what will that look like? How does one manage that classroom setting? And does one have to make the complete change in one fell swoop? There are many answers to these questions, but here are some tips to get you started: 1) Dont include technology for the sake of technology. Include technology because you found a tool that would enhance or better what you are already doing in the classroom. Too many times we are told that technology is it, when in reality, the instructional practice is the essential element in the curriculum. If you find a tool that is cool, make sure that your implementation is instructionally focused, not just for the sake of the cool tool. Blended Learning naturally helps enhance the class time activities when done the right way and not just included because it was required. 2) Understand that technology implementation takes time. Whenever a new tool or device or website or methodology is introduced to students, there will be an implementation dip. It will jostle the usual flow of the classroom rhythm, and students will need time to make that adjustment. You may need to build in time for direct instruction on how to use the new technology and/or computer-use time for students. the pressure to do it all - and to do this on the first attempt; but reality is, small steps work best for most educators. Managing online classroom space is an adjustment. Make sure you have built in prep time to monitor that particular classroom space. 5) Its okay to not have all the answers. Technology at sometimes will throw curveballs at us while in the midst of instruction. Be ready to ask for help - from staff, from students. You may find yourself wanting to scream, Serenity Now! but in the end, your students will recognize your willingness to go the extra mile for them and help out when needed. If you are nervous about this scenario, try and identify your tech savvy kids ahead of time and bring them on board prior to the lesson. If other teachers are also developing Blended Learning Environments, team up and share experiences. It always helps to have a colleague to bounce ideas off. For iPad-specific apps, you may want to reference this chart of Blooms tools.

vector Map of Blooms tools, http://bit.ly/BloomsTools_vectorMap view blended learning video athttp://bit.ly/blendedlearning_fundamentals]

3) Not all tech implementation will hit the same levels of learning. It is okay to try technology at different stages in the learning process or on different levels of Blooms taxonomy. If you want kids to get rote practice with digital flashcards or an online quiz that tests basic knowledge, this might be a great fit in a day of station work. If you want students to collaborate on a deeper contextual level, then time needs to be allocated for both modeling of online participation and working time for students to post to a discussion forum. 4) You cannot keep everything and add more. There must be a sacrifice in order to include something different. When including a technology-based activity or modality, allow oneself to cut back on something else. We often feel

Works Cited: Blooms Web2.0 pyramid: Integrating Technology to Support Differentiated Instruction: http://bit.ly/BloomsPyramid Fundamentals of Blended Learning: Education Elements YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/blendedlearning_fundamentals Vector Map of Blooms tools: Langwitches Blog: http://bit.ly/BloomsTools_VectorMap Kelly Kermode teaches English and Yearbook Journalism at Forest Hills Eastern High School in Ada, Michigan. She enjoys graphic design, web design, photography, and making pottery. She can be reached via e-mail at: kkermode@gmail.com.

Blooms Web2.0 pyramid, http://bit.ly/Bloomspyramid MACUL journal | Spring 2013 | 13

Offering solutions to the challenges inherent in blending technology and curriculum

Michigan Virtual University recognizes the challenges educators face in blending technology and curriculum to strengthen teaching and learning. Improving student outcomes and integrating technology in the most effective manner are ongoing challenges for todays school district and building leaders.
A growing number of educators and policy makers recognize that online and blended learning can provide new opportunities to expand and customize learning for students, and assist schools in meeting changing local, state and national expectations. In order to help educators and others find solutions to blending technology and curriculum, MVU proposes two solutions: (1) a planning guide that promotes models for student success and (2) as directed by Public Act 201 or 2012, the creation of the Center for Online Learning Research and Innovation. pLANNINg gUIDE pROMOTEs NEW MODELs FOR sTUDENT sUCCEss To support building and district-wide school improvement and technology planning efforts, MVU developed an innovative Planning Guide for Online and Blended Learning that is designed to help create new models for student success. This planning guide includes an overview of online and blended learning, offers a series of guiding questions to support local planning efforts, identifies standards for teaching in online and blended environments, and provides a set of student and district planning tools. MVU believes that a school districts plan for online learning should be closely aligned with both its school improvement planning process and its technology infrastructure investments. This document highlights how online and blended learning can support the Michigan Department of Educations School Improvement Framework and help transform teaching and learning. MVU has more than a decade of experience working in partnership with Michigans K-12 schools to offer high quality online courses and resources for students and educators. During the 2011-12 school year the Michigan Virtual School surpassed 100,000 course enrollments, marking a significant milestone in the history of the organization. Contact me (jfitz@mivu.org) or a member of the MVU team to explore how the Planning Guide for Online and Blended Learning
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Jamey Fitzpatrick, Michigan Virtual University

can support your efforts to improve student outcomes. You can view the guide online at http://media.mivu.org/marketing/MVU_ RPT_PlanningGuide.pdf. CENTER FOR ONLINE LEARNINg REsEARCh AND INNOvATION EsTABLIshED AT MvU Indicative of the emerging role online learning plays in K-12 education, Public Act 201 of 2012 directed the MVU to establish the Center for Online Learning Research and Innovation, which was made operational in October 2012. The Center for Online Learning Research and Innovation serves multiple roles to support Michigans students, parents, schools, K-12 and postsecondary educators and state and local policymakers. Housed at MVU and headquartered in Lansing, the Center draws upon recognized state and national leaders from K-12 schools, higher education and the private industry to provide research, evaluation, and development expertise. The Center supports and accelerates innovation in education through a variety of activities, including researching technologybased instructional tools and online learning delivery models, designing professional development services for educators, and identifying and sharing best practices for implementing online and blended education delivery models. This initiative demonstrates both Michigans and MVUs continued dedication to the online and blended learning field and to supporting an array of quality learning environments for students throughout the state, said Susan Patrick, President & CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning. The Center provides a blueprint for others to emulate as they explore the establishment of new models of learning in their own states. iNACOL is the international K-12 nonprofit association representing the interests of practitioners, providers and students involved in online learning worldwide. The Center also provides leadership for online and blended learning in the state through activities such as:
Producing an annual consumer awareness report for schools and parents about effective online education providers and education delivery models, performance data, cost structures, and research trends; Developing and reporting policy recommendations to the governor and the legislature that accelerate the expansion of effective online learning in this states schools; Providing a clearinghouse for research reports, academic studies, evaluations, and other information related to online learning;

MACUL journal

In collaboration with the Department and interested colleges and universities in this state, recommending to the superintendent guidelines and standards for a new teacher endorsement credential related to effective online and blended instruction; and Convening focus groups and conduct annual surveys of teachers, administrators, pupils, parents, and others to identify barriers and opportunities related to online learning.

This book serves to provide in-depth case studies of blended learning programs from the perspective of experts and pioneering leaders in the field today. The book shares lessons and stories from the experiences of those leading the development of new learning models using blended learning across the nation. From the start, Lessons Learned from Blended Programs: Experiences and Recommendations from the Field, helps to establish a framework for evaluating and understanding the blended learning field, from developing individual schools to working with entire districts to create new blended learning pathways for students in an increasingly digital world. Copies of the book are available at www.inacol.org/research/bookstore/detail. php?id=33.
Jamey Fitzpatrick, MVU President and CEO, has served as a catalyst for change and a champion of innovation in public education. As both an education and technology policy advocate, Mr. Fitzpatrick provides leadership for MVU, a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. MVU operates the Michigan Virtual School (MVS), currently one of the largest virtual schools in the United States. MVU also operates Michigan LearnPort, a web-based portal that provides low-cost and no-cost online professional development programs for Michigans K-12 community.

The Center supports and accelerates innovation and focuses attention on a variety of strategies designed to build greater capacity for online teaching and learning that further expand Michigans leadership role in the knowledge economy. Dr. Joe Freidhoff serves as the Centers director. The Centers focus on policy, research and innovation in online and blended learning allows the Michigan Virtual University to further its mission as a change agent and capacity builder, said Dr. Freidhoff. The work of the Center brings a research-based approach to help the state and its schools continue their pursuit of providing high-quality instruction for all students. An example of the type of research the Center does is found in Lessons Learned from Blended Programs: Experiences and Recommendations from the Field, an iNACOL book edited by Freidhoff, Dr. Richard E. Ferdig of Kent State University and Dr. Cathy Cavanaugh of the University of Florida.

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Every Teacher Needs a YouTube Channel

A YouTube channel is the perfect place to store blended instruction content such as video tutorials and screencasts. Once a teacher has a channel, they can upload video to their channel then embed their video into an online course such hosted in Moodle or Edmodo. Teachers can also record live directly to YouTube from a webcam. And tools such as http://screencasto-matic.com, TechSmiths SnagIt software, Apples iMovie (OSX and iOS) and Avers Sphere software for their document cameras allow one click uploading to your YouTube channel. WhAT IF YOUTUBE Is BLOCkED IN YOUR DIsTRICT? A decision to block or unblock student access to YouTube should not be solely a tech department decision. District curriculum leaders, in partnership with the tech department, school administrator, and teachers, weigh the good vs. the bad. In a growing number of districts across the state, YouTube access is now open not only for staff, but for also for students. With YouTube unblocked for students, districts are moving towards teaching responsible and appropriate Internet use rather than blocking all sites with potential for misuse. Though a few years old, the Bud the Teacher blog has a well written post which addressed the topic of blocking sites titled, Would You Please Block? http://bit.ly/pleaseblock ALTERNATIvEs YouTube offers www.youtube.com/school as an option for districts that still opt to block YouTube. It lets schools access what YouTube has selected as educational content yet limits access to all the other YouTube content. Vimeo http://vimeo.com is another popular video hosting site which uses a freemium model,
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and allows users to password protect their videos, something not available on YouTube. CREATINg A YOUTUBE ChANNEL Each email can have only one YouTube channel. If you want a personal and a school channel, these must be created using separate Gmail addresses. To separate related content in a channel, most users create Playlists. Before you go any further consider your channel name and channel URL. The channel name can be easily changed and when initially setup, it is simply the channel URL (you will change it). A channel name can have upper case letters and spaces and be a name like Mrs. Hansons Chemistry. A channel URL however, cant be changed. The channel URL is the word or term that follows the http://youtube.com. This name cannot have spaces and is best to be all lower case. The channel URL must be unique and available. If you are a teacher who may change grade levels or subjects, you may not want to put the grade level or subject into the channel name. Mrs. Hanson, a Reeths-Puffer chemistry teacher elected to use her name so the channel URL is: www. youtube.com/lindasusanhanson. You may need to try a few before you find a channel URL which is available. Log onto your Google Account. Go to http://youtube.com (also found under Googles More menu). Under your login in the upper right corner are links to My Channel and Upload. Clicking either of these will bring you to the page where you can enter your channel URL (YouTube calls it your Channel Name but its the URL.) Once you find an available and click
| MACUL journal

Spring 2013

OK, the next screen will give you options as to what activity you want to share on your channel. Until you understand how to best manage these options, its best to uncheck all of them. Later you can go back and change these settings in Channel Settings. Channel settings will also be where you will change your Channel name from the channel URL to something more appropriate.

Control the privacy settings for videos on your channel: Public, Unlisted, or Private. Public allows your videos to be displayed on your channel. Unlisted is similar to an unlisted phone number, you must share the link (or embed the video) for a user to see the video. Private requires you to enter the email addresses for those who you want to give viewing rights and I dont recommend this except when sharing videos with family. 2) If you embed the video, unselect the Show suggested videos when the video finishes option. Otherwise YouTube will select videos it deems related to your video (or your viewing habits) and the suggested video may be inappropriate. 3) Use http://quietube.com and add a button to your bookmarks bar. Clicking on the button after navigating to your selected YouTube video will remove distractions such as videos along the side or comments. An alternative is the Chrome or Firefox plugin: http://clea.nr which cleans up all of YouTube without clicking any button (it can make it more difficult to find the Upload button.) Want to learn more? Andy Mann will be presenting a breakout session at the 2013 MACUL Conference titled, YouTube, WeTube, We All Tube.
Andy Mann is the Director, REMC 4 and Instructional Technology Consultant for the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District.

You are now ready to click Upload and begin uploading video to your channel. Four final tips: 1) Be careful about using copyrighted music with your video. Just because you purchased the music from iTunes or own the CD does not give you rights to include the music on your video.

MACUL SIGMS is an exciting new opportunity for school library media specialists and staff to engage with other educators interested in educational technology. Like all MACUL SIGs, membership is free, and is open to any MACUL member in good standing with an interest in information literacy, research, reading and technology. SIGMS is partnering with the Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME) to enhance learning opportunities and professional networking for the school library media community.

macul sigms

Well also hold our first annual membership meeting at Cobo Center on Thursday, March 21 at 5:15 pm. Watch for other learning opportunities in collaboration with other MACUL SIGs, MAME and other organizations throughout the year. As the SIGMS leadership begins to focus the efforts of the SIG, we value your feedback as SIGMS members. Leadership contact information is available at www.macul. org under Special Interest Groups. Please contact us at any time to let us know what youd like your SIG to do for you. The annual membership meeting will be an in-person opportunity to provide that feedback as well. Joining SIGMS is free and easy. Simply visit www.macul.org and click on MACUL Membership. From there, you can renew your MACUL membership and join SIGs. You can do this at any time during the year. It isnt necessary to wait until you register for the annual conference. Please join SIGMS today and encourage your colleagues to do the same. We need your involvement to make SIGMS a successful partner in Michigans school library media community.

SIGMS is already planning several events over the next year. Bring your iPad and join us for our preconference iPad Research, Collaboration, and Assessment presented by Andy Mann at the MACUL Annual Conference in Detroit, on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 1:00 pm. All participants will receive a $15 iTunes gift card to purchase apps they will use during the preconference.

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is an excellent opportunity to obtain information on best practices on how to use technology to improve student academic achievement. youll leave the conference fueled with information on blending technology and curriculum in order to ignite student learning! Conference sessions are organized into strands relating to National and Michigan Education Technology Standards such as Measuring Student

ThE MACUL CONFERENCE

CONFERENCE hIghLIghTs With over 170 BREAkOUT sEssIONs in ten session hours and MORE ThAN 170 EXhIBITORs, ALL EDUCATORS will discover solutions, ideas and techniques to improve student learning in their districts. Over 20 pre-conference workshops will be offered on Wednesday and 24 hands-on workshops will be offered during the conference on a wide variety of technology subjects. MEA sTUDENT TEChNOLOgY shOWCAsE Register now! Participating teachers receive discount conference rate! MACUL NIghT AT ThE ROOsTERTAIL: Gather at the Roostertail on the Detroit River on Thursday, March 21 from 7-11pm for an evening of fun, fellowship and networking. Dance to Detroits favorite band Nightline (back by popular demand) or just kick back, listen and chat with your fellow MACUL members. Light refreshments and a cash bar will be available. Sponsored by MACUL. FOR ADMINIsTRATORs Complimentary registration for superintendent and school board members. See the MACUL website for details. ADMINIsTRATORs FORUM Join Michigan Department of Education Superintendent Mike Flanagan and fellow administrators for light refreshments from 1-2 on Thursday, March 21. Discussion time for all administrators who are interested in educational technology leadership issues. Reservations required. CONFERENCE App The 2013 MACUL Conference app will have tons of options for attendees. The planner is customized for iOS and Android in addition to offering a full function web version. Attendees can search the conference program by time, venue, speaker and more. Use the conference app to maximize your conference experience! www.macul. org/2013conference ALTERNATIvE FUNDINg For alternative ways to fund your MACUL conference participation, visit www.macul.org.

Growth, Mobile Devices, Blended Learning, and School improvement. Educators at any level will find meaningful sessions to ignite their own learning. Early registration must be completed online by March 5. Register by credit card or purchase order. Registration for all workshops must be completed online. Visit www.macul.org/2013Conference for complete conference information.

BLENDiNG TEChNOL AND CURRiCULUM F TODAyS LEARNE

CONFERENCE ATTENDEEs WILL hAvE AN ACTIvE ROLE IN DETERMININg ThE phOTO CONTEsT WINNERs! ThE CONTEsT WILL TAkE pLACE ON phOTOsCRAMBLE

P l a n

t o

e n t e r

(www.photoscramble.com/contests/2013-macul-photocontest) DURINg ThE CONFERENCE. ThE DEADLINE TO sUBMIT ENTRIEs Is 10AM ON MARCh 22. ThE TOp TEN

t h e

2 0 1 3

Join over 4,000 educators who attend each year and register NOW for the 2013 MACUL Conferencea must for educators in Michigan and the Midwest!
Wednesday, March 20 Pre-Conference Workshops Robofest Competition Thursday, March 21 Opening Keynote Administrators Forum Ed Tech Action Network Kiosk Exhibits Featured and breakout sessions Hands-on Workshops MACUL Auction MACUL Zone MI Champions Project Palooza MI Champions Session Panel Session Photo Contest SIG Annual Meetings Spark Sessions Social Media Student Technology Showcase MACUL Night at the Roostertail

Opening keynote: kevin honeycutt

kEYNOTE spEAkERs
Closing keynote: steve Dembo

conFerence scheDule:

Friday, March 22 MACUL Annual Meeting Opening Keynote Ed Tech Action Network Kiosk Exhibits Featured and breakout sessions Hands-on Workshops Lightning Session MACUL Auction MACUL Zone Panel Session Social Media Spark Sessions Closing Keynote Session Closing Prize Giveaways

Technology integration Specialist ESSDACK http://kevinhoneycutt.org Friday Morning keynote: Adam Bellow

Director of Social Media Strategy and Online Community Manager Discovery Education www.teach42.com
Other Featured speakers: Mark Coppin Director of Assistive Technology Anne Carlsen Center Sponsored by Macprofessionals CUE Roadtrip Tech gurus http://cuemacul.weebly.com Leslie Fisher head Geek Fisher Technologies www.lesliefisher.com gwyneth Jones The Daring Librarian www.thedaringlibrarian.com/ Erin klein Technology integration Educator Cranbrook Educational Community www.kleinspiration.com punya Mishra Professor of Educational Psychology & Educational Technology, MSU http://punya.educ.msu.edu Marilyn Western Technology integration Educator www.edzone.net/~mwestern

eduClipper and eduTecher Founder www.edutecher.net/

OGy FOR R
vOTE-gETTERs WILL RECEIvE A pRIzE AND ThE WINNINg phOTOs WILL BE shOWN AT ThE gRAND pRIzE gIvEAWAY. ThE gRAND pRIzE Is A FREE MACUL CONFERENCE 2014

March 20 thru March 22 2013

P h o t o
REgIsTRATION. ThE OThER pRIzEs WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT ThE CONFERENCE. CONTACT pAM shOEMAkER WITh qUEsTIONs ATpAM.shOEMAkER@MACUL.ORg.

m a c u l

c o n t e s t !

By Jeff Blakeslee

I tag all of my emails, If we keep telling the kids what they cant do, well never find out what they can do. The Common Core is finally moving us in the right direction.

UsIng TeChnology To love The CoMMon Core

teacher and student. With more reading across the curriculum, there is also more interaction across departments. The emphasis is no longer on proficiency, but on questioning and improvement. For the first time in 15 years of teaching, I see stereotypes being broken, where the roles of student and teacher have begun to blur; students are becoming much more actively involved in learning and teaching others, and I now play the role of coach or guide instead of expert. The Common Core has allowed my room to become much more (gasp) - fun, as the students learn to flex their own academic muscles in ways that they enjoy. Controlled chaos has become the norm as I employ a combination of innovative ideas,

different perspectives, and properly-utilized technology, many of which can be found in my MACUL presentation Using Technology to Love the Common Core.

When the Common Core was first introduced to our district, a collective sigh and cry of, Oh nonot again! could be heard for miles. Re-alignment of our lessons, new rules to justify what we are doing, and new ways for our administration to make our lives miserable? Awesome. The reality is that I hear the angels sing every time I look at the Common Core. For English, the 91 English Benchmark Standards have been replaced with 32 Common Core Standards, and they are not only less specific, they allow for choice by

Teaming with even the most basic tech and the Web, the Common Core gives us the opportunity to put the onus of learning back on the students rather than taking the responsibility of teaching on ourselves. This is why I love the Common Core.
Jeff Blakeslee is an innovative English teacher at Canton High School and constant jokester. He was a corporate trainer for 10 years before spending the last 15 years in the classroom, winning several education awards including the Panera Top Teacher and the CocaCola Educator of Distinction awards in 2012. He can be reached at Jeffrey.blakeslee@pccsmail.net

By Karen Bosch

The iPad is a powerful multimedia tool that combines photography, video, audio, drawing, and digital storytelling tools in one device. Elementary teachers often are comfortable using iPad apps to target specific skill areas but uncertain how they can use its creativity tools to produce student projects that document and expand their students learning. Fortunately, there are many apps that easily allow early learners to develop amazing projects using the iPads multimedia capabilities. So what can an elementary student create using an iPad? A simple drawing app can allow kindergarteners to illustrate vocabulary, while older students can use more sophisticated tools to draw and label concepts in math, science, and social studies. The camera can be used

IPad CreaTIvITy for eleMenTary sTUdenTs

to document science experiments and field trips and provide inspiration for creative writing. Audio tools can allow early learners to improve their reading fluency and can be used to record creative writing. The video camera can record student learning reflections or can be used to build complex stories with multiple clips edited together. There are many easy digital storytelling apps that allow students to narrate images, build eBooks, or design animated stories. These iPad projects allow students to work on the higher level of the Blooms Taxonomy where they are applying, analyzing, and evaluating the things they learn, and then creating an original product. In addition, most apps provide an easy way to publish projects to the internet, providing students with an authentic audience for their work.
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If you are an elementary teacher who is looking for fresh ideas on how to use iPads with your students, please attend the Easy Creative iPad Projects for Elementary Students while at the MACUL conference. Examples of student projects, app demonstrations, and practical management hints will be shared that will assist you to plan innovative iPad learning experiences.
Karen Bosch has served as the K - 8 Technology Instructor at Southfield Christian School for most of the past 10 years and has spent many years as an elementary classroom teacher. She is an Apple Distinguished Educator and works with other educators to learn to use iPads creatively in education. You can learn more at her blog at www.tinyurl.com/ pixelsandpaintbrushes and at her Creative APP-titude website at www.tinyurl.com/ipadcreate.

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by Mark Dohn

vIdeo Use In yoUr ClassrooM - TIPs, TrICks and InsPIraTIon

based or simply humorous. Yet education has been slow to accept the use of video creation in the classroom. We have questioned its validity. Why? I believe that educators struggle with finding ways to bridge the gap between teaching traditional literacy and this generations preference to learn and communicate through the use of video and multimedia. How can we bridge that gap? Educators like Rushton Hurley of Next Vista for Learning and Marco Torres have demonstrated that student-created videos can be a powerful medium for personal expression, learning and sharing. I have seen students transform academically not because of the video they made, but from the planning, preparation, and editing that was necessary in its creation. Bringing video into the classroom usually includes great benefits as well as some spectacular setbacks. Come join me in my session, Video Use in Your Classroom Tips, Tricks and Inspiration to learn how you can begin to transform your classroom.
Mark Dohn, a technology teacher and coordinator for the past fifteen years in the Los Angeles Unified School District has an MS in Education Media Design and Technology from Full Sail University. Mark advocates for the use of mobile devices and apps for students with learning disabilities. He has been honored by Apple computers (Apple Distinguished Educator 2009), the Los Angeles Unified School District and Computer Using Educators Los Angeles (CUELA 2011 Teacher of the Year). Now living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mark is an independent consultant for technology integration, mobile learning, and curriculum design.

When I was a student in elementary school, I was thrilled when the school movie projector was wheeled into the classroom. Filmstrips were a close second, but nonetheless heartily welcomed, especially the one that had a cassette with music and a narrator! (Beep! change to the next slide...) Those early days were just like the Web 1.0. We were consumers of information. What limited the learning process was that the media we were consuming was both expensive to create and chosen for us. Since that time the cost of production and the ability to share has caused video creation to explode. YouTube, Vimeo, Viddler and dozens of other video outlets offer us an opportunity to share our creations whether they be artistic, reality

By Dan Spencer

flIPPIng edTeCh Pd

Flipped learning is moving from the classroom to professional development. The same question of: what is the best use of face-to-face time? that drives flipped classrooms also applies to PD. Consider the most recent PD you sat through. Did it look like this? Its Tuesday after school, or better yet, the week before school starts. The entire faculty shuffles into the computer lab for a onehour training on a topic such as iPads. The trainer focuses on the logistics of turning it on and off, changing settings, and getting email. Some teachers nervously obsess about why their screen doesnt look like the trainers, while others, already familiar with the basics, impatiently wait for anything that applies to them. By the end of the training teachers may be able to take a picture or download an app, but leave having little understanding about how to actually use it to help their students learn.

But what if the time spent in PD shifted from a one-size-fits-all mindset, to one where teachers learn technology through the lens of their classroom? In Flipped PD trainers dont lecture to the faculty, they work individually with teachers to solve questions and make connections. Rather than focusing strictly on the technology, teachers examine how its being used effectively in classrooms and then learn relevant details in the process. When teachers have technical questions, they access pre-created video tutorials as needed. Instead of learning a few basics only to struggle with the classroom application, teachers learn the technology by developing projects specifically designed for their classroom. In essence, Flipped PD uses training time for teacher to learn technology by actively doing rather than passively observing. For more information on Flipping PD, check out flippedPD.org and TPACK.org. Also, attend the 2013 MACUL Conference session, Flipping EdTech Professional Development.
Dan Spencer is an educational technology consultant at the Jackson County ISD and is using the lessons he learned while flipping his high school chemistry classes towards preparing educators to use technology effectively in teaching and learning.
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By Mike Souden

WhaT Is and hoW To ParTICIPaTe In The MIlearns onlIne PorTal

WWW.MIlearnsonlIne.org
habits and strategies to participate in online learning. To enable successful online learning experiences, the MiLearns Online Portal provides resources for:
Policy makers that focus on online learning planning and policy, Teachers wanting to learn about developing and delivering online learning, and Parents and students needing guidance in being good online learning participants.

Done right, online learning can be an exceptional way for most students to learn. In addition online learning is quickly becoming a core instructional tool. The MiLearns Online Portal, started by the REMC Association of Michigan in June 2010, is responding to this reality by helping educators bring anytime, anywhere learning to every K-12 student in Michigan. The key issue for a successful online learning program is whether it is done right. Like all innovations online learning takes careful planning by the educators providing the online learning environment, and parents of students participating in online learning. Students need to possess positive learning

be used by teachers wishing to develop an online learning environment. The lessons, units and courses can be modified to fit the individual teachers instructional needs. The What is and How to Participate in the MiLearns Online Portal session will provide an overview of the MiLearns Online Portals resources and how you can be a contributor.
Mike Souden, Project Manager for the MiLearns Online Portal, is a retired Educational Technology Consultant and REMC Director from Oakland Schools. He is a MACUL and REMC Association of Michigan Past President and earned a BA and Masters from Oakland University and Certification in Instructional Technology from Wayne State University.

By Stacey Schuh, Matinga Ragatz

In addition to the above resources the MiLearns Online Portal hosts over 70 online learning lessons, units and courses that can

Using technology in your classroom is fantastic and everyone is talking about how much it changes learning. However, technology can be a bit of a nightmare when you do not have the right set of circumstances. Many times technology is dropped in our laps and we do not have the time or tools to make it work to fit our needs.

MakIng The BesT of The TeChnology yoU already have

presentation or games you normally would not be able to run on an iPad. In this workshop, you will participate in an open exchange centering around the growing pains many teachers are experiencing with the implementation of technology in their classrooms. Instructional Technology Specialists will share strategies on how to manage your current classroom technology, whether you have just a computer or a classroom full.
Stacey Schuh is a seasoned conference speaker and former elementary teacher. She has received numerous accolades from the school districts where she helps teachers integrate technology in meaningful and sustainable ways. Stacey is

an active instructor in the 21 Things program and in 2009 she was named MACUL Teacher of the Year (runner up) for her work as a 6th grade teacher. She currently works at Relevant Academy in Charlotte, as well as Ingham Intermediate School district as an Instructional Technology Specialist. Matinga Ragatz taught at Grand Ledge HS, in Grand Ledge MI for 19 years. She has traveled the world speaking to teachers and administrators about best practices in learning. Matinga was named MACULs Outstanding Technology Using Teacher in 2009, in 2008 she received Microsofts Innovative Teacher Award and was awarded Michigans Prestigious Teacher of the Year Award in 2011. Matinga currently works at Eaton Intermediate School district as an Instructional Technology Specialist.

Working for two school districts, we have a number of schools using iPads and other new technology tools. As a classroom teacher you may already have a computer and projector, but how do you cheaply make the iPad work for an entire classroom of learners. In our classrooms this is a common question and the answer is Yes, you can! By utilizing a free app called Show Me you can run your desktop computer through your projector, allowing you to control
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MACUL journal

Blended Learning for Todays Learner

By Carol Isakson, SIGOL Director

Supporting students as they spend more time learning online is essential. Todays learners, a.k.a. digital natives, may be nimble with a one-handed text message or Facebook update but do they know how to effectively learn and participate in an online environment? Many college level online courses require students to take a short gateway (Causey, 2012) or boot camp (McLaren, 2011) orientation course to prepare them for challenges they may encounter in the blended challenges anD BeneFits For stuDents classroom.
Challenges for students in a blended environment o Time management o Digital study skills o Self-motivation

What better way for teachers to blend technology and curriculum for todays learner than to expand their classroom presence from one hour of physical face time to anytime online? Blending face-toface class time with online, always available resources and activities provides a more flexible learning environment that takes advantage of innovative learning strategies. Blended learning is defined by Innosight Institute as: a formal education program in which a studentlearns at least in part through online delivery ofcontent and instruction with some element ofstudent control over time, place, path, and/or paceandat least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home. (Innosight Institute, 2011) The Institute has recently published a white paper describing a variety of K-12 blended learning models. (Staker & Horn, 2012) This article will use the term, blended learning, to include any variation of online learning model. Today, more teachers have extended their physical classroom onto the web using an LMS (Learning Management System like Moodle, BlackBoard, D2L, etc.). They have mastered the first steps of uploading lectures and posting daily lesson plans and are ready to expand their online presence. Its time to move beyond an online classroom consisting of individual learners interacting with their computers. Key components for teachers to address include building community and interaction among learners, supporting students in their move to the online learning environment and designing blended classrooms that incorporate modern learning tools. Building community in the blended classroom is important to keep students engaged and accountable whether in a single high school course or thousand member Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The Sept./Oct 2012 issue of ISTE Learning & Leading with Technology magazine features an article, Get present: build community and connectedness online, (Dikkers, Whiteside & Lewis, 2012) that details the Social Presence Model used by the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS). It provides a framework to establish increased social presence or connectedness among teacher and students for a more enriching educational experience. They define five key elements to build community online and provide strategies and examples for supporting it.

Designing materials for the blended classroom offers opportunities and o Asynchronous and synchronous discussions o Technology skills challenges. An LMS o hardware & software compatibility with the course provides more than static BeneFits For stuDents in a BlenDeD environment web pages, it can offer o Engagement with material an increasing number o Participation in learning community of interactive modules, o Ability to review materials as often as needed allow for the inclusion of o Availability of occasional physical classroom screencasts, audio & video o Set their own pace to an extent files and a variety of other o Lifelong-learning skills learning objects. The learning space can serve as a portal for assignments that incorporate hundreds of Web 2.0 learning tools from outside the course. Selecting, creating and introducing the most appropriate tools is an ongoing process. Sound daunting? Plan now to attend the MACUL Special Interest Group for Online Learning (SIG OL) preconference sessions for sessions focused on these key components for successful blended learning: Building Community in a Hybrid/Online Environment Sean Williams (morning) Learning is social but how do you create that online? Online learning is so much more than a correspondence course. Todays learners crave a social component. In this session we will look at the pedagogy behind and tools to be used to create community and interaction in an online or hybrid learning setting. Student Success Strategies - Sean Williams, (afternoon) Online learning is something different altogether from either a teacher or student perspective. In this session we will look at the strategies a student (and teacher) need to make a successful transition to an online or hybrid classroom as well as what that looks like and how to explicitly teach these requisite skills. Our presenter is part of an awesome group of intrepid Rock Star educators from CUE (Californias ISTE affiliate) who are making a Road Trip from California to Detroit for the MACUL conference! The six Google Certified Teachers are highly involved edtech leaders who facilitate cool events like Rock Star Summer tech camps and EdCamp unconferences in their spare time. Along the way they plan to visit schools and blog about their adventures. Be sure to watch for them roaming the conference! SIG Online Learning was fortunate to enlist Rock Star Sean Williams for our preconference sessions on March 20, 2013.

Blended Learning continued on page 34

MACUL journal | Spring 2013 | 23

BLENDED LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM PROJECT

BY ANNE THORP, PHD AND MELINDA WAFFLE Blended learninga widely used term in education today. While it seems students and teachers should be savvy enough to use web tools for teaching and learning, effective application is a concern. Research has shown repeatedly that teacher training in using effective blend tools is deficient. Too many instructors remain untrained in the use of online pedagogy. Administrators similarly lack training in the unique complexities of managing online courses, programs and institutions. (eRepublic (2012). New Frontier, Big Impact. The Blended & Virtual Learning Frontier Special Report, 5.) The following definition of blended learning is widely accepted and was developed by the Innosight Institute in 2012 with input from more than 100 education experts and 80 organizations. Blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online delivery of content and instruction with some David prindle, Byron Center public schools element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace and at least in part at a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home. (www.innosightinstitute.org/media-room/publications/ education-publications/classifying-k-12-blended-learning/) REMC 7 and REMC 12E, in concert with the REMC Association of Michigan and with the support of MACUL, have developed a job embedded professional development program to help teachers become successful in their transition to a blended model for teaching. The Blended Learning in the Classroom Course (BLiC) is a free 10-week professional development course, which will guide classroom teachers in learning about and building their own blended learning environment. This rigorous learning experience, requiring between 6-10 hours of work online per week, will lead you and your students to success as the online work is coupled with the application of newly learned concepts and strategies in your own classroom. Each course is limited to 15 registrants.
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The Blended Learning in the Classroom course provides training and sustained support to transition your classroom into a blended learning environment. The course is based on research and teaches effective strategies to implement highly effective blended learning. The course kicks off with a face-to-face meeting with your instructor. Participants will receive a copy of Continuing to Engage the Online Learner by R. Conrad & J Donaldson and a free Snagit license. In fall of 2012, the program completed a pilot phase with nine instructors in several locations around Michigan. Some instructors partnered and co-taught the course, while others taught independently. The pilot phase of the program included both participant and instructor focus group sessions with an outside evaluator, Jeff Gartner of Gartner Marketing in Grand Rapids. All participants and instructors attended these focus groups, the purpose of which was to gain valuable feedback on course elements, practices, time commitments, course content, and suggested changes. The project managers, Anne Thorp, PhD (REMC7) and Melinda Waffle (REMC 12E) took the input from all participants to heart and shifted the course used with participants to more effectively meet the needs of all project participants. Additionally, throughout the pilot short surveys were sent out to course participants to gain further information and input. The project has evolved greatly over the pilot phase based on the input of all levels of participants.

Wade zeilenga, Byron Center public schools, gayle Underwood, Allegan AEsA Spring 2013 | MACUL journal

some of the comments from teacher participants include:

Blended learning will face many challenges. There will be resistance from educators that do not like change. There are also the teachers who feel that computers could possibly replace them. We know this is not the case, computers just enhance learning just as other tools do. Technology isnt going away and it needs to be embraced especially if we are preparing our students for skills that will prepare them beyond high school. As I have been transitioning myself for the rigor of the Common Core Standards and the new way our students will be assessed, I think that the blended learning environment will only support what is expected of our students. There is going to be more performance tasks and inquiry based learning. Students will not be forced into a cookie cutter assessment. Technology and blended learning should enhance creativity as well as inquiry. (Gretchen Storey of the Upper Peninsula) Theres never enough hours in a day, but somehow I make the time because Im motivated, I can see how blended learning really can change the environment in the classroom. (Bridget Byrd)

Many feel quite confident that they will be able to build their own blended learning class, with some already doing it as one participant said, absolutely without a doubt, Ive already started working on it. The instructors for the Blended Learning in the Classroom project go through a rigorous training and preparation process. Two of the training days are face-to-face sessions and the remaining training is held virtually, as they experience their own learning using a blended format. As with any pilot situation, input is given for improvement and those improvements are implemented immediately. For details and more information please visit us at www.remc.org/ projects/blendedlearning/. We invite you to join us in blending your environment.
kim Westdorp, kent IsD

Another participant expressed that the BLiC program becomes even more valued when it is immediately useful in their own classroom its helping me get more organized in my own class and stay more connected with my own students and my own instructor Linda is so active, shes giving me ideas on how I can be a better instructor in my own classes.

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Spring 2013

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Teaching With
By Steve Dickie, Serge Danielson-Francois, Cory Dixon

iBooks
Author

Introduction Electronic books offer many advantages over traditional textbooks. However, the advantages become even more pronounced when the teacher is creating the textbook for use in their own classes. At Divine Child High School we have begun to do just that. A group of teachers have begun to use iBooks Author to create supplements and textbook replacements for their students.

Multi-touch interactive books created with iBooks Author only work on an iPad. Why not a more compatible format? iBooks Author is an easy-to-use tool that allows a teacher to create attractive professional content with little practice. After the first release of iBooks Author less than a year ago, I converted my Pre-Engineering content from a webpage into an iBook in an afternoon. The results can be found in my iTunesU course on MI-Learning. Previous tools have left me very unsatisfied. iBooks Author also offers some exciting opportunities for advanced content creators. I am creating interactive widgets intended to accompany text and videos to offer students a way to recreate our in-class lab experiences. In a more traditional epub or mobi file the reader would have to follow a link out to a web browser. In an iBook, the simulation is right beside the supporting material with no internet connection required. In this article we present three different approaches to the creation of textbook like materials for our students. These are each very different in scope but all are tied to the mission of Divine Child High School. steve Dickie (physics and pre-Engineering): One of the greatest parts of physicsthat students experience physics everydaymakes it really difficult to teach. While this should make my job easier, in fact students come into my room with a wealth of incorrect, preconceived notions of how the world works. Some great examples of this can be found in videos by Derek Muller (www.youtube.com/user/1veritasium). We no longer use a textbook in my classes. I teach using the Modeling Method (modelinginstruction.org/) and I have not found a textbook that adequately supports this. In general a textbook is not really necessary for learning physics nor for having positive outcomes in college physics. The lack of a textbook, however, can sometimes pose a problem for students with less than perfect attendance. If students miss the big-idea labs and discussion they often struggle for the remainder of the unit. Additionally, weaker students often take poor notes and then lack quality resources to use while studying.
| MACUL journal

Why are we using iBooks Author as our creation tool? The easiest thing to do would be to set up a LiveBinder to collect and curate quality resources from the web. Indeed, this would be perfect if the primary goal was to create an ultimate and timely reference guide. A textbook, however, is more than a reference book, it is also a book intended to teach complex concepts. When the book is intended to teach it is important to ensure a consistent approach, which is often not present from one webpage to the next. We, as experts, often filter out many details that a novice learner does not. When different sources use slightly different notations, we have no problem. Beginners fixate on the differences and at best lose the main point and at worst come away far more confused than before.

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Spring 2013

Christianity and Democracy, Pope Benedict XVIs encyclical Caritas in Veritate and Max Webers Theory of Social and Economic Organization. I frame a scholarly conversation that students explore in their own voice. Cory Dixon (scripture) Inquiry can be defined as an approach to learning that involves a process of exploring the natural or material world, that leads to asking questions and making discoveries in the search for new understandings. This description, though helpful, is typically applicable to more mundane aspects of life. As educators at a Catholic high school, we look to inspiring inquiry into the spiritual world as well. For those like us, there is the question of how e-books can help students grow in their understanding of and relationship with God. The e-book is a means by which both teachers and students can participate in the ongoing intellectual conversation. Some educators view education as a process of handing down heirlooms from the storehouse of knowledge, but in science, at least, the subject is defined by the method of inquiry it uses. Theology, has been treated according to this heirloom model. The job of the Catholic student has been to listen and accept, but not to explore, challenge, or innovate. Yet, while the truths of the faith are divinely revealed and neither alterable nor relative, their application to the world in which we live varies. It is the laymans vocation to bring the Gospel message to the world in which he lives. E-books, unlike textbooks, can de-centralize innovation, creativity and the conveyance of knowledge. Switching from traditional textbooks to e-books will not by itself reverse this trend, but it can offer students an opportunity to truly inquire into their faith and explore how the central tenets apply to their own lives. Might it allow the faithful to ask questions and contribute to the ongoing theological conversation that drives us to richer and more complex understandings of God? And, therefore, offer the laity the chance to better see their own role in the Church of bringing the Gospel to the modern world? It is only by experimentation that our inquiry into such possibilities can begin. Conclusion Creating your own e-books to use with your students requires a lot of hard work. In the end a teacher-produced e-book does not remove all of the challenges in creating and sustaining student engagement. However, the end result is still worth the time and effort. iBooks Author is not the only tool out there for creating e-books, but its ease of use and attractive output make it the most compelling currently available. A text created by the stakeholders, teachers and/or students, can better support what goes on in the classroom and make it easier to get away from the educational tradition of simply handing out knowledge while requiring little more than memorization from the students.
Steve Dickie, Serge Danielson-Franscios, and Cory Dixon teach at Divine Child High School in Dearborn, Michigan. Steve teaches Physics, Serge is the librarian and Journalism teacher, and Cory teaches Religion. You can typically find Cory training for his next marathon. Serge and Steve are much easier to catch. Theyre slow.
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Im using iBooks Author to create learning modules for each unit. These modules will include interactives specifically constructed to support learning. The focus of a traditional textbook is to give answers and serve as a reference. My resources focus on asking questions to help lead students to create the correct answers for themselves, mirroring in-class instruction. When students construct knowledge rather than memorize it, they are much more likely to be able to apply it in new ways in the future. serge Danielson-Francois (Journalism) In our Journalism classes, we have explored a collaborative model of writing an online textbook. We make use of two textbooks currently that do not fully serve our purposes. The first is Journalism Today which provides a good framework for the major concepts and skills employed by journalists, but incorporates too many dated examples. The second textbook is Online Journalism. It provides in-depth exploration of key debates within the profession for aspiring professional journalists. The e-book provides us the opportunity to craft a tool more suited to our high school environment that leverages the best of the incomplete tools that we use now. Key to our use of the e-book as tool is the process that is leading to the composition and revision of our e-resource. Each of our second year editors is contributing 4000 words to our textbook with section headings on faith as an organizing theme for a Catholic newspaper, student journalism as apprenticeship for participatory citizenship, and media studies as a lens for information literacy, knowledge management and faith formation. The long-term hope is that every new set of editors will add to the project and contribute their own vantage point and speak from their own experience. The e-book process is not yet collaborative, but this effort is designed to feature first person reporting that students have completed during the 2012 fall semester as part of our elections project. Our students recorded interviews with local candidates, explored ballot proposals, and wrote feature stories on the central themes of the 2012 general election. The e-book process has allowed them to reflect on their role as journalists even as they are performing their watchdog duties. As a teacher, the process has allowed me to think about the broader framework within which media studies exist: I am teaching applied morality. The philosophical constructs that I have introduced over the last year are borrowed from Aristotles Rhetoric, Bernard Lonergans Insight, Richard Niebuhrs Christ and Culture, Jacques Maritains
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Spring 2013

Student

newS
teamS
TELLINg ThE sTORY
BY BRAD WILsON Newsletters, daily announcements, website updates all fairly standard, adult-driven ways for classrooms and schools to get out messages to their stakeholders. Do you get excited about these? Wouldnt it be powerful if students could Tell the Story of their own learning community? Wouldnt it be more meaningful if Student Voices were at the center of school communications?

process became as important as the end product... while the story made the difference, Tony explained. Every successful Student News program has one common thread educators willing to put forth the vision to make it happen. That person or group has to find the time and resources needed and be prepared to step to the side as students lead the way. At Michigan Center High School, the teacher who took that initiative was Greg Vieau. The kids take ownership of it, he said while describing the students writing, researching, shooting footage and editing. Its the way teaching should beIm a silent partner. Colin, a sophomore in Mr. Views Media Class, did a Public Service Announcement (PSA) style piece for his school about the dangers of texting while driving. Once you get the research, you have to think of a good way to present itit takes a lot of work. These larger segments, as well as the daily announcements for the entire school community, are hosted on a Google Site accessed through the schools website.

If your interest is piqued, its probably because you recognize the power of digital storytelling for helping students gain skills in literacy, communication and collaboration. Certainly you are interested in starting a project that is student-centered and which positively impacts a wide variety of families in your school. Maybe you are tech-savvy or maybe you are just beginning to explore new tools but you know that students are eager to get their hands on technology and it is now easier than ever to provide them with amazing opportunities for multimedia creation. Let me tell you how students of all ages around the great state of Michigan are involved in a variety of Student News Teams. I was first inspired to explore student news production when I attended a session led by Tony Shopinski and Judy Robinson from Detroit Public Schools at the annual MACUL conference. Their program ran for more than a decade at Davison Elementary and featured students deeply engaged in creative ways to tell the story of their school. Shopinski and Robinson, now retired, stressed that they never had all the state-of-the-art stuff and that neither were experts. We presented at MACUL with the thought that if we could do it, anyone else could. Watching past episodes of Good Morning Davison! (still available on SchoolTube) it is striking how collaborative and hands-on the experience was for students. The
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Not all programs happen during a dedicated class, however. Elementary Student News production often happens before, during and after school. At Warner Elementary in Western School District (outside of Jackson), school librarian Deb Trudell uses a single iPad with teams of 5th grade students to record announcements and publishes them using the iMovie app. The videos can be pulled up in classrooms at any time during the school day using a web link. Teachers and students from the entire school can suggest and/or contribute to features that highlight classroom projects or special events. Students love to see themselves on camera, and if you choose to make the videos available to parents, they are sure to love seeing their kids. In fact, parent participation in the process can help overcome time constraints. Consider using parent volunteers to supervise students during a time where direct teacher involvement isnt necessary, perhaps in a media center or another shared space. Doing what you can with what you have is another commonality among news production groups. Simple webcams, cheap flash video cameras (think Flip Cams), and free or low cost editing and hosting software or web tools can get you started. Mr. Vieau and the students have shown how you can do a lot with little, said Lisa Falasco, Principal at Michigan Center High School. To get
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Spring 2013

underway with equipment, think about all the devices in your school that are capable of taking photos and videos, whether they are owned by the school or even in the students pockets. As long as you have a computer or two that can access the web, there will be a way to put the pieces together. When starting your program, include in the planning other teachers, administrators, parentsand most importantly students. Think about what the goal is for a News Team & what it should look like both behind the scenes and on film. A great place to start is by seeing what other schools are doing by visiting their website or SchoolTube channels. Once you have a common vision laid out, make sure you talk through some of the details:
How will students apply & be chosen for the program? Will student roles be dedicated or rotated? When will students be working on researching, gathering footage & editing? How will the files be organized & stored? What software or web tool will you use to edit & produce the videos? How will the finished product be shared?

Have students create a website as your programs home base using Weebly or Google Sites Let student creativity run wild with photo & video apps on available mobile devices Have students use photos taken by parents or other teachers at events to create highlight segments using Animoto.

pOssIBLE sEgMENTs:

Book reviews Math challenges _______ of the Week (ie Artist, Bucket-Filler, Problem Solver, etc) Strange but True Sports Report

Find a compilation of resources and best practice for student news production at www.21innovate.com/student-news.v As a teacher, I started a Student News Team to give the students a voice in celebrating the great things happening in our school. While going through the process and also observing several other programs, students have continuously blown me away with what they are capable of! Their teamwork, creative ideas and technical skills all shine when they are given permission to create and the structure to take on a big, meaningful project. It was a great feeling to have students and parents asking, Whens the next Newscast coming out? and then going back to challenge the team of students to craft a show better than last time. You might not have the perfect equipment or training, but if you are willing to learn and experiment, providing students with these types of opportunities has never been more feasible. If they dont Tell Your Stories, who is going to? If you are interested in seeing the Student News Teams from this article in action, find Brads K12 Online Conference presentation video of the same title at www.tinyurl.com/MIstudentnews.
Brad Wilson is an Educational Technology Consultant with the Jackson County ISD. He previously taught in the 4th grade classroom and ran the Stewart Student News. You can contact him on Twitter @dreambition or at brad.wilson@jcisd.org. He blogs & shares resources on 21innovate.com

Many programs partner with PTO groups or local businesses to help them start or expand. In Battle Creek, technology teacher Mary Phillips got a small donation to help Dudley STEM Schools K-5 broadcast get off the ground. WDLY is streamed live with student anchors that come in before school to prepare for the days stories. Principal Tamara Jamierson described the student responsibility and ownership she has seen, Having something thats student-driven is a benefit, because they really want to do it. They come to school on time, study their lines and learn how to operate the equipment appropriately. WDLY and other exemplary programs also recruit a wide variety of students. Its a self esteem booster for students who may have been afraid to speak out, Jamierson said. OThER IDEAs
Invite in experts from the community, such as photographers or broadcasting students, to work with students on various skills. Do a Skype call with another news team for a Q & A session to share strategies

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Blooming with Technology:

BloomsTaxonomy Goes Digital

One consistent question facing educators today is What are some ways to improve student thinking? (Houghton, 2004) As educators we can start by examining and utilizing Blooms Taxonomy. Blooms Taxonomy can be summarized with a few words: understanding, remembering, analyzing, applying, and creating. Educators can benefit from using these terms as a framework to organize objectives and to help plan and design instruction to align with assessments. Educators can then take the objectives and integrate the use of technology into student learning. However, before we can understand a concept we have to remember it; before we can apply the concept we must understand it; before we analyze it we must be able to apply it; before we can evaluate its impact we must have analyzed it; before we can create we must have remembered, understood, applied, analyzed, and evaluated. Yet, how do we take the objectives and integrate technology? Andrew ChurchsBlooms Digital Taxonomyaddresses the struggles teachers face when attempting to integrate new technology into classroom lessons. Church (2008) suggested a revised Blooms taxonomy to account for the new processes and actions associated with Web 2.0 technologies. Churchs updates focus on the development of lessons that facilitate collaborative learning via digital technology. The updates to the revised taxonomy are more closely aligned to the standards outlined
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By Julia VanderMolen

under the 21st Century Learningframework. However, with the plethora of Web 2.0 tools to enhance student learning, where does an educator begin? As the Web 2.0 becomes more popular and educational technology online sites replace desktop software, this has become more of an issue. Here are several Web 2.0 sites based on the Digital Blooms Taxonomy that do not require a student email address to create an account. Remembering (listing, identifying, social bookmarking, searching)

Understanding (summarizing, inferring, twittering, classifying)

19 Pencils www.19pencils.com 19 Pencils is a site for finding educational resources, creating online quizzes, and bookmarking sites for students. Educators can give students their own log-in so they can track student progress. There is also a feature to create assignments and quizzes. GoAnimate for Schools www.goanimate4schools.com/public_index GoAnimate for Schools is a site for making animated videos; teachers create student accounts. Go Animateis a great alternative to expensive proprietary animated movie making programs. Students can useGo Animateto tell stories and make presentations. Students might also useGo Animateto illustrate a story that they have written in class Twitter www.twitter.com Twitter is a social media platform that has a huge potential in education. K-12 educators have taken advantage of Twitters format to keep their classes engaged and up-to-date on the latest technologies.

Diigo Educator www.diigo.com/education Diigo Educator is a site for social bookmarking and annotating sites. Educators can create or import student accounts or post the social learning link in a classroom management system. Flocabulary www.flocabulary.com Flocabulary is a site where students learn through educational hip-hop videos. Educators can use Flocabulary as a teaching aid for actual standards-aligned lessons. Free for 14 days. MentorMob University www.mentormob.com/mmu An innovative site for creating learning playlists ideal for guided learning. Educators can put pdfs, word documents and embed a widget playlist into a learning management system, blog, Edmodo or a wiki.
Spring 2013 |

Applying (uploading, sharing, editing, implementing)

PhotoPeach Class Premium www.photopeach.com/education/premium PhotoPeach is a site for creating digital slideshows/presentations; teachers create student accounts. PhotoPeach is useful across all subject areas. Students can use PhotoPeach to work collaborative with other students on projects.
MACUL journal

 Pixton for Schools www.pixton.com/schools/overview Pixton for Schools is a site for creating online comics for digital storytelling. Educators can use Pixton for Schools to create projects for their students to follow along with their own grading rubrics. Screencast-o-matic www.screencast-o-matic.com Screencast-o-matic is a simple tool that allows educators to record what is happening on a computer screen. Educators can use this tool for making instructional videos, especially in a class where students use a lot of new web tools and need to see how to use them.

create a graph to represent it. Educators can graph results of a test, answers from students, favorite foods, fictitious budgets, class schedules, and more.

Evaluating (Checking, Hypothesizing, Reviewing, Testing)

SpellingCity www.spellingcity.com SpellingCity is a site for teaching/learning vocabulary and spelling. Educators can create or import student accounts with a premium membership. TodaysMeet www.todaysmeet.com TodaysMeet is a site to have a quick conversation in a few words. Educators can conduct online discussions while channeling the results onto one web page or an Interactive White Board. Rubistar www.rubistar.4teachers.org Rubistar is a site to help educators develop rubrics for student learning. Educators can use this tool to create rubrics in advance for any project and share them with students.

GlogsterEDU www.edu.glogster.com GlogsterEDU is a site for creating interactive digital posters; teachers create student accounts. Educators can have students create posters to help student express themselves and to learn from one another. Little Bird Tales www.littlebirdtales.com Little Bird Tales is a site for digital storytelling where teachers create student accounts or import them. Educators can have students create stories to help others foster a love for reading.
References: Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals. Handbook 1; Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co. Inc.: pp. 7-8. Churches A. (2008). Edorigami, Blooms taxonomy and digital approaches www.edorigami.wikispaces. com/Bloom%27s+and+ICT+tools Fisher, M (2009). Digital Blooms pyramid. Retrieved from www.digigogy.com/ Houghton, R.S. (2004. March 17). Communities Resolving Our Problems (C.R.O.P.): the basic idea: Blooms Taxonomy - Overview. Retrieved March 12, 2005 from www.wcu.edu/ceap/houghton/Learner/think/bloomsTaxonomy.html Meyer, K. (2010). A comparison of Web 2.0 tools in a doctoral course. Internet and Higher Education, 13, 226232. Rahmat, M., & Saudi, M. M. (2007). E-Learning assessment application based on Bloom Taxonomy. The International Journal of Learning, 14(9), 1-12.

Analyzing (comparing, organizing, structuring, integrating)

Yacapaca www.yacapaca.com Yacapaca is a site for educators to create online quizzes and lessons. Educators can use this site to help students review concepts and receive immediate feedback on their performance.

SideVibe www.sidevibe.com SideVibe is a site for turning web content into online lessons; teachers create student accounts. Educators can build classroom activities such as discussion posts and quizzes on top of existing web content. Create-a-Graph www.nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph Create-a-Graph is a site for students to create personalized graphs and charts. Educators can help collect data from students and quickly

Creating (designing, planning, making, publishing)

VoiceThread www.voicethread.com/products/k12 VoiceThread is a Web 2.0 site for interactive digital storytelling; teachers create student accounts. A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holdsimages, documents, and videosand allows people to navigate slides and leavecomments.

Dr. Julia VanderMolen is an Assistant Professor and Department Coordinator of Science and Health online. She is the Communication officer for the MACUL SIGPL. She can be contacted via phone @ 616.233.3400 or by email @ jvandermolen@macul.org

MI CHAMPIONS continued from page 6

Here are what some of the program participants say about MI Champions: MI Champions is a wonderful program that enables us to develop the skills to become confident users of technology. I now have a comfort level with technology and know that I have a group of teachers who will help me if needed when learning about technologies STEM MI Champions has changed the way that I want to teach in the classroom. My students were blown away by the unit, farbeyond what I expected. Ill never go back to teaching the way that I did previously. My students this year probably wouldnt stand forit!
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MI Champions Program Director Marie Zuk said this about the program: The impact that MI Champions has made on the use and integration of technology in classrooms is absolutely amazing!!! The project has provided the complete professional development experience including training, conferences, online learning and coaching which has aided individual teachers as well as total school staffs to successfully utilize technology to increase student achievement. STEM MI Champions Director Sue Hardin agreed and said: Its been exciting to see how sophisticated STEM MI Champions teams have become at designing and implementing engaging,
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technology richPBL units. They have developed a strong sense of what quality instruction looks like and discovered how quickly it can turn allstudents into interested, active and high achieving learners. MACUL thanks Marie and Sue, as well as Judy, the coaches, trainers and the thousands of participants who were trained in the MIChampions program. We know that the skills acquired through the program have resulted in Michigan students becoming better equippedat using 21st century resources. More information and access to MI Champions and STEM lesson plans is located at www.macul.org/grantsawards/ michampionsgrant/.
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Understanding Information Fluency

As we think about moving toward Library 2.0, we need to examine the role of school libraries in blending technology and curriculum. Many of us in the library community have talked for years about the need for our students to be information literate. Information literacy has been variously defined by several leading organizations including the AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner:www. ala.org/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/standards/, and the ISTE NETS standards:www.iste.org/standards. Recently, there has been a movement towards thinking beyond Information Literacy towards Information Fluency. Most of us can understand the difference between literacy and fluency with a few simple examples: One may be literate in a language, that is, able to read and write, but yet not have the skill and efficiency to be

aChIevIng lIBrary 2.0

By Tim Staal

considered fluent. Many of us may have colleagues or students who are theoretically literate with technology (that is, they understand how to speak about it and somewhat how it works), but are by no means fluent (able to easily and effectively use) in the use of technology. Many of the students Ive worked with recently are literate about Google Search, (they know about it and even use it) but are not fluent in that they cant quickly and easily do a search to find a few good resources. Here are a couple of good resources for those interested in exploring these ideas of information fluency further. The first is a wiki originally put together for an AASL conference in November of 2009 by Buffy Hamilton (The Unquiet Librarian: http://theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com) and Gwyneth Jones (The Daring Librarian: http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com). Heres the link to the wiki:http://aaslsmackdown.wikispaces.com/ Information+Fluency. Gwyneth is a featured speaker at the 2013 MACUL Conference. The second is from the 21st Century Fluency Project - a collaborative initiative that was created to develop exceptional educational resources to assist in transforming learning to be relevant to life in the 21st century: www.fluency21.com.
Tim Staal is a past-president of MACUL and formerly the Executive Director of MAME. He is currently living in Mumbai, India, where he is serving as Head Librarian at the American School of Bombay: www.asbindia.org/. Tims Email: tstaal@gmail.com.

Keeping Students Well Prepared

By Sue Schwartz Through the Blended Learning in the Classroom online course (www.remc.org/blended learning), educators prepare themselves for the next era in education by gaining the knowledge and skills they need to transition their face-to-face classroom to one incorporating online instruction. The REMC Association of Michigan believes that great curriculum blended with technology, the theme of this issue of the MACUL Journal, is the key to keeping our students well prepared to achieve greatness into the future. In support of this belief we developed and implemented these four statewide projects to enhance student learning. These projects and resources are available at no cost to educators. Our Connected Educator Video series (www.remc.org/connectededucator) provides educators a glimpse into the classrooms of master Michigan teachers using technology effectively within their instruction. At Michigan Learns Online (www.milearnsonline.org) teachers can find, use and/or adapt online learning material (lessons, courses, etc.) created and used by other educators in their classrooms. Students completing 21 Things for Students (www.21things4students.net) learn to use technology tools to help them obtain information in a timely manner, analyze and synthesize information, and to present it professionally. As we look to the future projects we will continue to identify and support those in which technology and instruction work together and lead to a successful learning experience for all students.
Sue Schwartz is the Executive Director for the REMC Association of Michigan.

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Discovering self Through Web Design

I was born in June of 1995, in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. Ive lived in the same house my entire life. Little has changed in my world of suburbia. Not much happens, and life is simple. Ive always been a book worm, and spent a lot of time in front of a computer screen as well. When I took web design my sophomore year, I was excited to learn a few new things. As it would turn out, I absolutely loved the class. I took advanced web design my junior year, and fell harder. I discovered that this class that I so loved had, in a way, helped me find myself. I was forced to be more creative than I normally would be, and I learned that whether the websites I saw were created in Britain, China, Germany, or even Spain, the coding was the same language. And that made me feel as though I was connected to them. Though we speak in different tongues, our coding language is the same. My island of suburbia was not as isolated as I had previously thought. Web design seemed like itd be so simple. Just coding, learning what the symbols meant, and memorizing them. Well, thats what it is, isnt it? But I didnt imagine that it would be so intense. I had trouble at first, and I could never get the design to be what I wanted. By the time Id entered my first advanced web design class, I had devoted countless hours to what I now look back on as a pretty sad website. Id learned the basic codes,

M A C U L

J O U R N A L

S T U D E N T

C O R N E R

By Mallory Burr, High School Student

and how to use my time. I knew that part of the advanced class was entering a web design contest, which I didnt really think I had a chance at. I poured my class and free time into a website and content that I was proud of. Id spent a few weeks on my website until I decided to do a complete cosmetic overhaul, which occurred more than once. Id put so much time into my website, that by the time the contest rolled around, I was fairly proud. I remember getting dressed that morning and getting to the building where the contest finals were to be held. My parents had not been very involved in my website building, and were not very supportive. They didnt seem to have much hope for me getting too far in the contest, which made me question myself as well. Id put so much time into it, and after months of convincing myself that I had something, it only took an hour to make me question myself again. By the time the winners were being announced, Id pretty much convinced myself that I wasnt going to get anything. My heart leapt when I heard my name called for second place in the beginner category. I guess that because I didnt expect it, it meant even more to me when I placed. Id been proud of what Id done, sure. But Id hoped for maybe an honorable mention, but not a high rank. Id worked so hard on my website, and Id still sold myself short. My web design classes have taught me so much more than memorizing simple codes, like I had expected. Id learned simple to advanced coding; Id learned how to pace my time. Id learned to stretch my creativity, how to convey my thoughts into images for my website and how important small details are. I even came to know myself better due to the experience. My web design classes taught me just how related everyone in the world really is. I think more than anything else though, they taught me the value of who I am, how important it is to believe in myself, and to push my boundaries.

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Blended Learning continued from page 23

Sean Williams is a Biology Teacher at La Entrada High School, Yorba Linda, CA; Adjunct Faculty, University of La Verne; a Google Certified Teacher; and Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer. He is also a regular co-host on the Google Educast podcast http://edreach.us/category/google-educast/ David Childers is the Principal at ACEL-Fresno Charter High School; Adjunct Faculty, Educational Technology, California State University, Fresno; Past President, Central Valley Computer Using-Educators; and Founding Chair of CUE Video in the Classroom Special Interest Group; and a Google Certified Teacher.

Carol Isakson provides library, web and Moodle Support for PlymouthCanton Educational Park, MI. She is currently director of MACULs Special Interest Group for Online Learning and ringleader of Lets Talk Technology, an informal learning group in southeast Michigan. She may be reached at Carol.Isakson@macul.org

Educational Technology, M.Ed.

Grand Valley State Universitys Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in educational technology prepares educators at all levels to integrate technology into classroom settings. And now its available completely online or as an in-person/online hybrid option. The online option is offered only to those who reside outside Michigans Kent, Ottawa, and Muskegon counties. The program prepares teachers and leaders to enhance the potential of their students, to understand the research on effective use of technology, and to evaluate the social and ethical implications of technology use in educational settings. Courses focus on a variety of topics, including pedagogical issues, media and website evaluation, online instructional design, and curricular integration. Expand your technology skills and put them to work in your classroom or professional setting. Apply now online, call (616) 3316650, or e-mail us at edtech@gvsu.edu today to learn how you can get started. Visit our website to learn more about this M.Ed. degree program: www.gvsu.edu/grad/edtech

Todays learners who experience the K-12 blended learning environments will have the flexibility and composure to adapt to college courses, social media, MOOCs and to future learning environments.

Cant wait until the conference? Join the SIGOL group in MACUL Space to share ideas, resources and discuss the latest trends. Links to sources mentioned here will also be available. SIGOL at MACUL Space: http://maculspace.ning.com/group/sigtele
Works Cited: Causey, C. (2012, April). Preparing students for successful online learning . Retrieved from www.seenmagazine.us/articles/article-detail/articleid/1999/preparing-studentsfor-successful-online-learning.aspx Dikkers, A., Whiteside, A., & Lewis, S. (2012). Bring presence to online schools: Build community and connectedness online. Leading & Learning, 40(2), 22-25. Innosight Institute. (2011). Blended learning. Retrieved from www.innosightinstitute. org/media-room/publications/blended-learning/ McLaren, P. (2011, Fall). Power up program: Ensuring student success in online learning. Retrieved from http://calstate.fullerton.edu/inside/2011fall/Powering-Up-for-OnlineClass-Success.asp Staker, H., & Horn, M. (2012, May). Classifying k-12 blended learning. Retrieved from www.innosightinstitute.org/media-room/publications/education-publications/ classifying-k-12-blended-learning/

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Getting them there safely

For over 50 years, Dean Transportation has been a proud partner to schools across Michigan, safely transporting nearly 20,000 students daily.

DeanSchoolBus.com

DeanTrailways.com

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Spring 2013

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2013 macul conference

Blending

for Todays Learner

macul.org

register now at www.macul.org

March 20-22, 2013 Cobo Center Detroit, Michigan