macul journal spring 2015

Collaboration

A Cultureof

SPRING 2015VOLUME 35 ISSUE 3

A Publication of the Michigan Association for Computer Users in LearningMACUL

J O U R N A L

IN THIS ISSUEWeCollabrify FREE Collabrified Apps That Support Synchronous Collaboration

2015 MACUL Conference Info

Google Groups A Tool to Civilly Discuss Controversial Issues

For All Ages

Math

ScienceEngineeringTechnology

Lite

racy

Pro

ble

m S

olvi

ngHands-on

For information on how LEGOreg Education solutions can turn your classroom into a dynamic environment where students

take an engaged active role in their education contact Ivery Toussant Jr bull LEGO Education bull 877-647-0043iverytoussantLEGOcom bull wwwLEGOeducationus

3| |Spring 2015MACULjournal | |

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 OFFICE520 S Creyts Road Lansing MI 48917

Telephone 5178821403Fax 5178822362E-mail maculmaculorgwwwmaculorg

Executive Director Mark Smithmsmithmaculorg

Executive AssistantIeva Kuleikulemaculorg

Business ManagerBarbara Surtmanbsurtmanmaculorg

MACUL Journal Editor Judy Paxtonjpaxtonmaculorg

Executive Director EmeritusRic Wiltserwiltsemaculorg

Become a MACUL member for free at wwwmaculorgmembership or sign up to become a Friend of MACUL for $20year and have the MACUL Journal print version mailed to you The MACUL Journal digital version is available at wwwmaculorg

The MACUL Journal welcomes and encourages letters articles suggestions and contributions from readers Publishing guidelines are posted at wwwmaculorg gt MACUL Journal

All editorial items and advertising inquiries should be sent toJudy Paxton Editor 2313424801 E-mail jpaxtonmaculorg

Composition and design by Jonathan Guinn

Rogers Printing Inc 3350 Main St Ravenna MI 49451 Telephone 8006225591

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

MACULJ O U R N A L

A publication of the Michigan Association for Computer Users in LearningSpring 2015 | Volume 35 Issue 3

CONTENTSCalendar 4

MACUL Officers and Board of Directors 5

Special Interest Group Directors 5

From the Presidentrsquos Desk 6

From the Executive Director 6

Students Our Best Advocates 7

WeCollabrify FREE Collabrified Apps That Support Synchronous Collaboration 8

Professional Development Without Leaving Home 15

2015 MACUL Conference Info 16

Collaborative Context for 21st Century Learning 18

MACUL Conference Photo Contest 19

More Than Magic R Creating a Culture of Collaboration in a 11 iPad Clasroom 20

Collaborating with Skype 22

WIKISPACES A Tool for Teacher-Librarian Collaboration 23

Collaborating and Connecting with Others Using GoogleDocs 24

Collaborating Remotely 2 Tools to Expand Your Clasroom 26

iMazing Apple iMovie Field Trip 27

Google Groups A Tool to Civilly Discuss Controversial Issues 28

Personal Learning Networks for Librarians (part 2) 29

REMC Association of Michigan A Culture of Collaboration 30

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 computer-related technology through conferences publications and support services

promote and encourage effective ethical and equitable use of computer-related technology in learning

encourage and support research relating to the use of computer-related technology in learning

E-mail addressmaculmaculorg

Websitewwwmaculorg

2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5

February 2015 February 9 MACUL Journal 2015 Summer issue articles due

Theme Reading in the Digital Age

February 17 MACUL Board meeting MACUL Office Lansing

March 2015 March 18-20 MACUL Conference Detroit MI A Culture of Collaboration

April 2015 April 17 Mobile Learning Conference Kalamazoo RESA

Registration opens Feb 17

April 21 MACUL Board meeting MACUL Office Lansing

May 2015 May 1 MACUL UP Conference Kingsford

Registration opens March 1

May 17-19 MACUL Leadership Retreat Grand Rapids

May 22 MACUL Journal 2015 Fall issue articles due

Theme New Frontiers

June 2015 June 28 ndash July 1 ISTE 2015 conference Philadelphia PA

4 ||Spring 2015

Download the complete PDF or access the online Journal from the MACUL website These formats give the reader direct access to live resource links in the articles

Share the MACUL Journal with your colleagues

Use the online digital MACUL Journalwwwmaculorgmaculjournal

Tammy Maginity PresidentPennfield Schools maginittpennfieldnet

Kevin Clark President ElectBerrien RESAkevinclarkberrienresaorg

Ron MadisonTreasurerFlint Community Schoolsrmadison1flintschoolsorg

Gina LovelessSecretary Calhoun ISDginalovelessmaculorg

Pam Shoemaker Past PresidentWalled Lake Consolidated Schools pamelashoemakerwlcsdorg

Laura CummingsOakland SchoolsLauraCummings oaklandk12mius

Tim Davis Charlevoix-Emmet ISDdavistcharemisdorg

Steve DickieDivine Child High Schooldickiedivinechildhighschoolorg

Terri GustafsonMichigan State Universityterrigusmsuedu

Susan HardinMacomb ISDshardinmisdnet

Patti HarjuSt Stephen Catholic Schoolpattiharjumaculorg

Ron HoutmanKent ISDronhoutmankentisdorg

Julie Myrmeljdmyrmelmecom

Mike Oswalt Calhoun ISDoswaltmcalhounisdorg

Mary PinterFraser Public Schoolsmarypinterfraserk12org

David PrindleByron Center Public Schoolsdavidprindlemaculorg

Matinga RagatzGrand Ledge Public Schools matingaragatzgmailcom

Steve Schiller Muskegon Heights Public Schoolssteveschillermaculorg

Barbara FardellMDE LiaisonFardellBmichigangov

Sue SchwartzREMCAM Liaisonsueschwartzremcorg

MACUL OFFICERS

MACUL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

5| Spring 2015MACULjournal |

Melinda WaffleSIG LiasonCalhoun ISDwafflecalhounisdorg

Pamela MooreSIG Computer Science (CS)Eastern Michigan Universitysheltiepamearthlinknet

John PhillipsSIG Elementary Education (EE)Battle Creek Public SchoolsJPSousagmailcom

Eric StrommerSIG Multi-media (MM)Flint Community Schoolsericstrommermaculorg

Erica TrowbridgeSIG Library Media Specialists (LIB)Oakridge Public Schoolsetrowbridgeoakridgeschoolsorg

Danielle LetterSIG Online Learning (OL)Genesee ISDdlettergeneseeisdorg

David NollerSIG Professional Learning (PL)Traverse City Public Schoolsdavidnollermaculorg

Gayle UnderwoodSIG Special Education (SPED)Allegan AESAgayleunderwoodmaculorg

Jeff Trudell SIG Technology Coordinators (TC)Wyandotte Public Schoolsjefftrudellwyk12mius

Daryl TilleySIG Technicians (TECH)dtilleyinghamisdorgIngham ISD

Ben RimesSIG Webmasters (WEB)Mattawan Schoolsbentechsavvyednet

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP DIRECTORS

Go to wwwmaculorg gt Special Interest Groups for complete listing of SIG Officers and SIG information

6 | MACULjournal| Spring 2015

Ahhh Collaboration the term we all hear and use every day

Do we all model collaboration in our school buildings PLNs PLCs with colleagues design teams etc How do you know if you are a true collaborator or just spend a lot of time in similar meetings with a lot of the same people on a regular basis

For me I like to talk about collaboration as the 21st Century soft skill that brings stake-holders together smoothly and seamlessly How does that align with your definition or your experiences

As we get ready for MACULrsquos 2015 Annual Conference I am glad to say I have found great inspiration though many MACUL members just in conversation networking connecting and sharing ideas I am also glad to say that often times I find this to be the best form of collaboration

It is my hope that MACUL 2015 in Detroit will present you opportunities to collabo-rate and maybe more importantly the chance to grow your perspective on this dynamic skill that so many of us talk about today

Chances are good that as you read this you are attending the 2015 MACUL Conference or strategizing your plan of attack for when you arrive Whether you are going in person or wishing you were there the opportunities for learning are plentiful So I ldquodouble dog dare yourdquo to learn something new and give it a try

There are many new things at this yearrsquos conference First I think everyone will be impressed with the renovation of the COBO Center in Detroit Although it is not completely done it is absolutely beautiful and puts the facility in a class of its own Because of the added spaces we are going to have an EdCamp style event a Maker Space Spark sessions room and an afternoon reception following the last session on Thursday in the Atrium Area

The conference will feature some new and traditional types of sessions as well Using the conference app you can read all about them and create a schedule to help guide you through your days If you want to sit back and soak up information attend a

Listen and Learn presentation If yoursquod rather follow along on your own device while the presenter takes you through a site or project attend a Participate and Share session Maybe you would like to take part in the conversation and share what you know as you listen to others on a specific topic then go to an Engage and Connect session If you like to hear all sides of a topic from different people attend a Panel Session Donrsquot forget to visit the Spark Session room where you can hear quick 20-minute presentations from people using a tool or technology in a way that may ldquosparkrdquo your teaching

But wait my ldquodouble dog darerdquo is for those of you not attending the conference as well You can download the conference app to see what is going on and follow along via social media such as Twitter and Instagram Simply follow the MACUL15 hashtag and join in the fun

Finally I want to thank all of those people who make our conference such an awesome event Thank you so much

to the Conference Chair Kevin Clark Executive Director Mark Smith the MACUL Board Staff and SIGS as well as conference staff sponsors and volunteers It takes a dedicated team of hard-working people to make this all come together

I also want to thank you in advance for accepting my dare and seeing what new and wonderful things you can learn that will take your teaching and learning to an extraordinary new level Ready Set Learn

Tammy Maginity is the Director of Technology at Pennfield Schools and the MACUL Board President for 2014-15 She can be reached at tammymaginitymaculorg

FROM THE PRESIDENTrsquoS DESKBy Tammy Maginity

Dynamic CollaborationFROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

B Y M A R K S M I T H

I Double Dog Dare You

7|Spring 2015MACULjournal |

Students Our Best Advocates

Each year over twenty teams from around the state participate in the ATampTMACUL Student Technology Showcase an event held at the State of Michigan Capitol It is an opportunity for teachers and students to present to lawmakers the importance of

technology integration into the classroom through projects designed and created by students at all levels of K-12 education The event is also a chance for teams move about the rotunda of the Capitol exploring the presentations of students from other districts growing their digital literacy knowledge and discovering the possibilities of other technology integrations into school projects and curriculum There are a few districts that have sent teams to the showcase year after year Novi Woods Elementary School Erie Elementary School in the Chippewa Valley School District and Deerfield Elementary School in Novi Public Schools have all brought teams to the Capitol the past four years We asked the team leaders to share their thoughts regarding why they participate and how the showcase has benefited their students

Myla Lee from Novi Community Schools has brought teams to the Capitol as a teacher and in her current role as a Project-based Learning Specialist with Technology Integration Myla cites many benefits to students Attending this event gives students a ldquovoice past their classroomsrdquo an opportunity to connect with other student technology leaders and the experience to see first-hand how they can advocate for what they believe in In addition Myla reflects ldquoFor our student leaders who are chosen to represent our class the student technology showcase becomes a culminating event to demonstrate their ability to collaborate and problem solverdquo For herself the event is an opportunity to make contacts with leaders from other schools see other examples of effective technology integration in the classroom and talk to policy makers about the importance of technology in the classroom Mylarsquos teams have showcased projects spanning topics like using wikis web pages and mobile devices for global projects using a ldquodigital backpackrdquo and blogging to an authentic audience One of the student groups that she worked with followed up their experience at the Capitol by creating a web page to advocate for technology in the classroom and to showcase their work online (httpstdnt4techweeblycom)

Also from Novi Community Schools Janis Canady a Library Media Specialist has brought teams from Novi Woods Elementary School to showcase presentations created with technology that demonstrate what they learned on Constitution Day about how laws were created over 200 years ago Another year her students shared how their writing skills improved as a result of a persuasive blogging project Janis finds it rewarding to bring students to the ATampTMACUL Student Technology Showcase to ldquowatch my students unfold a project from creation to presentationrdquo She states that her students practice speaking skills so that they can explain to their state legislators how they use technology to help them learn resulting in an increase

By Terri Gustafson and Pam Shoemaker

Lake Shore High School students with Tim Hall Project Director Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant (TRIG)

House of Representatives Hugh Crawford intern Aaron Martinez awards certificates to students

Explaining a project to Senator Kowall

STUDENTS continued on page 30

8 | | MACULjournal| |Spring 2015

WeCollabrify FREE Collabrified Apps That Support Synchronous Collaboration

By Cathie Norris Elliot SolowayJennifer Auten Ronda Duran Kimberly Lee Sr Rebecca Mierendorf Cheryl Zuzo


ABSTRACT K-12 educators are being called on to support students in developing collaboration skills In this article we describe the WeCollabrify suite of free collabrified apps and how they can and are being used in K-12 classrooms to support students developing into collaborative learners

INTRODUCTION SUPPORT FOR SYNCHRONOUS COLLABORATIONldquoPrepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners building on othersrsquo ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasivelyrdquo Common Core State Standards (CCSS) ndash College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening

The above is not just one of the standardshellip it is one of the ANCHOR standards It is core to the core It underpins all the other standards

To address the need to support teachers in helping their students develop collaboration skills we have created a suite of ldquocollabrifiedrdquo productivity apps ndash available at no cost ndash that can be used across grades and across subject areas By ldquocollabrifiedrdquo we mean that the app supports two or more students working together simultaneously co-creating while each student is on his or her own computing device (eg an iPad) And students need not necessarily be co-located rather than sitting face-to-face around a black sink-based science table each student in the collaboration group could be sitting at his or her kitchen table ndash all the while verbally talking to each other through their computing device (eg an iPad) using VoIP (Voice over IP) bull WeWrite+1 - This app supports students in co-authoring text-

based documents While the Google Docs Editor the Grand Daddy of collabrified text editors is geared to the secondary grades WeWrite+ is being consciously designed for grades 1-6

bull WeMap ndash This app supports students co-creating concept maps

bull WeKWL ndash This app supports students co-developing KWL charts

bull WeSketch+ - This app supports students co-authoring drawings and animations

All these apps work on iOS and Android devices indeed each app interoperates eg three students could be in a collaborative session using WeWrite+ with two students on iPads and one student on an Android tablet2 So far these tools have been used in 1st 2nd 7th and 8th grades ndash in science social studies language arts and math The second half of this article was written by teachers from those grades and provides concrete examples of how the WeCollabrify tool suite has been used in Michigan and California classrooms1 We are renaming all the apps in the WeCollabrify suite in Feb 2015 look for

Co-Write Co-Map Co-KWL Co-Sketch 2 We are rewriting the WeCollabrify apps in HTML5 By April 2015 all the apps

will be able to run on any device Chromebooks iPads Android tablets MacBooks Windows Phone 8 devices Windows laptops

Letrsquos now talk about some the key components of collaboration1 SYNCHRONOUS COLLABORATION VS ASYNCHRONOUS

COLLABORATIONWeb 20 was all about supporting ASYNCHRONOUS collaboration where an individual posted a comment (eg in SMS in Facebook in Flickr) and another person responded with a posted comment In Social 30 the next turn of the technology crank there will be support for SYNCHRONOUS collaboration two or more individuals working together co-authoring an artifact in real-time

In our everyday ldquoanalogrdquo world we are quite accustomed to working synchronously with others two heads are better than one in solving a problem Finally in the digital world the technology

is strong enough ndash networks are robust and devices are ubiquitous ndash to enable us to work together synchronously to feed off each otherrsquos ideas and invent something that is the product of our joint effort

In Section 2 classroom teachers tell stories of how their children work synchronously co-authoringco-creating using the WeCollabrify apps

2 COLLABORATION IS NOT EQUAL TO COOPERATIONIn the vernacular we often use the terms collaboration and cooperation interchangeably But in education we need to be more careful bullCollaboration working together to develop a shared understandingbullCooperation working together helping each other to do a task

Collaboration has a cognitive goal cooperation is about working to accomplish a task At the end of a collaborative activity when all the parties walk away each individual walks away with the same shared common understanding In contrast after a cooperative activity the task is completed but there is not necessarily a cognitive impact

3 LEARNING IS IN THE CONVERSATION In a collaborative conversation as the participants work to solve the problem at hand invariably questions and disagreements arise It is precisely as collaborators address questions and resolve disagreements that learning takes place In talking with Sr Rebeccarsquos 7th and 8th grade science students they identified two benefits of collaborative conversationsbull A studentrsquos ideas become clarified during the conversationbull Students gets new ideas from their peers during the

conversation

And the artifacts that the students co-create using the WeCollabrify apps play a critical role in those collaborative conversations the artifacts serve to concretize to reify the conversation In effect the artifacts are both the drivers of the collaborative conversation and the residue of the conversation

In a collaborative conversation as the participants

work to solve the problem at

hand invariably questions and disagreements

arise


By Jamey Fitzpatrick President amp CEO MVU

4 FACE-TO-FACE SYNCHRONOUS COLLABORATION VS NON CO-LOCATED SYNCHRONOUS COLLABORATION

Every learner has had the following experience working on homework at the kitchen tablein a bedroom and hitting a big snag confusion a misunderstanding For example how frustrating is it to watch a Khan Academy video or a flipped-classroom video for the 3rd time and STILL not ldquoget itrdquo ndash and still not understand

While WeCollabrify apps are great for face-to-face support in the classroom their real potential is to support synchronous collaboration when the collaborators are not co-located are not face-to-face Its 830pm you are sitting at your familyrsquos kitchen table the test is tomorrow and you are confused about how the water cycle really works Using VoIP on the mobile device call a friend on Google Hangouts jump into WeMap together and create a concept map that lays out the water cycle process Learn together it works

With apps like those in WeCollabrify one never has to learn alone again (Oh for those using Khan Academy videos check out YesWeKahn3 on the Android Play Store watch a Khan video with a friend or two while talking AND while drawingwritingconcept mapping)

CLASSROOM USE OF THE WECOLLABRIFY APPSComing up next you will hear from teachers who have actually been using the WeCollabrify apps in their classrooms Here are some stats noted by our collaborating teachersbull 11 ndash Each child in the classroom has his or her own device

Two children on one device might sound like two collaborating children but in fact whoever has the device ldquowinsrdquo ndash whoever has the device controls the conversation controls the learning What the teachers have told us is this with each student having his or her own device each child has an equal opportunity to have his or her ideas his or her voice heard

bull 20-40 minutes per session ndash The amount of class time per use seems to vary between 20-40 minutes Though in Sr Rebecca Mierendorf lsquos class she has been known to give her 7th amp 8th grade science students 5 minute assignments on WeMapWeKWL

bull Used across subjects The 1st and 2nd grade teachers report using WeMapWeKWL for science English social studies ndash and even math

bull Used weekly Also the teachers report using the tools on a regular basis eg 1-2 times per week every week

EXPERIENCES USING THE WECOLLABRIFY APPS IN THE CLASSROOM4While the preceding sections talked more abstractly about collaboration in the classroom in what follows the teachers who have used the WeCollabrify apps describe their experiences and their studentsrsquo experiences with the apps

CREATING A COLLABORATION SESSION ndash AND JOINING IN By Ms Ronda Duran 1st Grade Workman Elementary Plymouth-Canton Community Schools MI Independence As teachers we want all students to become

3 Careful how you spell YesWeKahn We changed the spelling of our apprsquos name at the Khan Academyrsquos request

4 In what follows all the names of the children are fictitious

independent But how do we go about supporting students when we are managing a whole classroom of students When using WeMap how can we monitor and assist every child in connecting to their small collaborative group at the same time

Voila My colleagues and I have created and use ldquodirection cardsrdquo to guide our 1st graders in connecting to their collaborative group We have found that providing each child with a simple easy to follow set of directions works well ndash and helps the children to feel independent

Figure 1 A Directions Card ndash Supporting 1st Graders in Creating and Joining a Collaborative Session

In WeMap one student needs to create a collaboration session while the other students join that session The student who will be creating the session will receive a directions card with a star by hisher name and the key information (See Figure 1) That student will start a new WeMap session (green tab on the start screen of WeMap) enter a filename (eg Words AY) enter the teacherrsquos name (eg Smith) and enter the grouprsquos name (eg Table1)

The students who are not session creators will also receive a directions card with the key information These students will select the ldquoFind and Join Grouprdquo button (orange tab on WeMaprsquos start screen) enter the teacherrsquos name (Smith) and then select their grouprsquos name from a list of existing collaboration sessions (retrieved by WeMap) in order to join into their collaboration group

I have found it helpful to have short group and file names in order for the children to be able to enter the information easily and correctly To begin with I assign the color of the studentsrsquo nodes after the first use of WeMap I give them the opportunity to select a node color for themselves

WEKWL SPARKING CONVERSATION ndash AND LEARNINGAt the end of the school year I presented my 1st graders with


the task of working collaboratively in a small group to compile a list of everything they knew about 2nd grade Once they were connected I prompted the students to notice a great big ldquoKrdquo at the top of their iPad screen This is where I instructed the students to enter the information about what they already knew about 2nd grade As the students worked I monitored the groups I noticed that they were talking and writing some things down but not surprisingly they had a limited amount of knowledge about what 2nd grade was really like

At this point I stopped the children and asked them to scroll the K page to the right Here they found a big ldquoWrdquo at the top of their screen I encouraged them to create a list of questions they wanted to know about 2nd grade Listening to them collaboratively come up with these questions was amazing I saw that each child had his or her own worries fears and wonders And they began to build off each otherrsquos thoughts in order to come up with some great questions we could ask actual 2nd graders

The following day the students took their questions in the W column of WeKWL to an actual 2nd grade classroom and asked the second graders those questions When we came back to the classroom I asked my students to reopen WeKWL to the file each group produced the day before The students scrolled right twice to find the big ldquoLrdquo at the top of their screens I asked the students to work together in order to fill in what they learned about 2nd grade

To my amazement the students were entering not only answers to the questions they had entered into the W screen but they were also discussing what they noticed in the 2nd grade room They were excitedly teaching each other about the books they saw in the book center the lack of ldquogamesrdquo available for them to play with how the desks were arranged and how the words on the word wall were both similar and different from our own word wall When each group presented the information of what they learned great conversations were sparked In turn the groups entered the new information from these conversations into their WeKWL charts

In using WeKWL my 1st grade students showed me what it truly means to work together in order to develop a common shared understanding They were learning from each other in order to deepen their understanding on a topic Each and every one of my students was engaged focused and eager to learn from their peers

RESOLVING DISAGREEMENT amp VALUING COLLABORATIONMs Kimberly Lee 1st Grade Bentley Elementary Plymouth-Canton Community Schools MI

Prior to starting a WeMap session one group struggled with which member would be able to use the color blue I guided the discussion with questioning as teachers so often do to allow my little people the chance to figure out strategies that could possibly solve this dilemma ldquoHow can you solve this problemrdquo To my delight they came up with multiple strategies ldquoI could use blue this time and you could use it next timerdquo devised David ldquoLetrsquos use rock paper scissors to decide who gets to use bluerdquo chimed in

John The group excitedly decided together that rock paper scissors

would solve their dilemma I was so proud of their ability to communicate as critical thinkers and collaborate to come up with a unanimous decision

At the conclusion of the lesson and review of learning targets I asked the students for their thoughts on working with the WeMap app Cathie commented ldquoI liked seeing what the others were addingrdquo Samrsquos comment summed up the social piece perfectly ldquoI liked how we worked togetherrdquo

As primary school educators our charge is to teach the ldquoWhole Childrdquo socially emotionally physically and intellectually In my contribution I focused on the socialemotional aspect of that charge Ms Duran and Ms Lee in their contributions addressed the intellectualacademic components All our examples bring in the physical component (fine motor skills) Using the WeCollabrify apps is an innovative and technologically creative approach to educating the ldquoWhole Childrdquo in 2014

WEMAP - FORMATIVE amp SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTBy Ms Cheryl Zuzo 1st Grade Bentley Elementary Plymouth-Canton Community Schools MI

As a teacher I am always looking for ways to identify which students are on track following directions and understanding the concepts being taught WeMap has not only become a way to assess each studentrsquos understanding but holds them accountable within their collaborative group to contribute ideas The students feel a responsibility to their group to participate They want to see their colored nodes appear on their peerrsquos screen Students at this early age both boys and girls equally are eager to contribute to the collaboration process as well as patient to become the group leader The experience of WeMap takes the sharing of student ideas to a new level of displaying evidence of what they have learned WeMap has become a tool to assess each studentrsquos learning both as a summative and formative assessment Beginning each WeMap activity students are either assigned or have selected a color for their mind map nodes As students add ideas to the mind map

Figure 2 A Collaborative KWL Chart About What 1st Graders Thought About 2nd Grade


I am able to assess who exactly is participating and contributing to the grouprsquos web by their corresponding color I am looking to see if all the colors are equally represented in each grouprsquos mind map During a recent activity with short vowel word families (eg _at _et _an _ill and _in) I was able to observe which students were sharing ideas and understanding the concept of building words within a word family As a summative assessment I was able to evaluate which students understood how to accurately extend a word family by maintaining the spelling pattern of new words Many students were able to demonstrate the complexity of using the root word family in words such as Finnigan and pumpkin

Figure 3 A Collaborative Concept Map of Words Ending in ldquoayrdquo

The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used to improve areas of teaching as well as improve student learning Using WeMap has allowed me to recognize where students are struggling and address the problem immediately During the word family activity the mind maps displayed evidence of which groups understood the word family pattern and which individual students or groups of students needed additional support The collaborative experience of the WeMap program encourages every student to contribute individual ideas In my experience of using the program students are talking in rich meaningful discussions Together they are helping one another add words discussing problem solving strategies to not duplicate words and deciding if words were real or nonsense Concluding the lesson groups presented their mind map on a projector sending their mind map wirelessly via an Apple TV unit As their map projected students took turns counting their colored nodes and sharing their words The collaborative experience of WeMap gave everyone an opportunity to feel successful

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER - USING WEKWL WEMAP WEWRITE+ WESKETCH+ FOR PROJECT-BASED LEARNING By Ms Jennifer Auten 2nd Grade Montclaire Elementary School in Los Altos CA

I have found the suite of WeCollabrify apps to be beneficial to the inquiry collaboration and discovery process of my second grade studentsrsquo education Let me share with you some stories of how we used the four apps in WeCollabrify in a unit about the Pilgrims and Wampanoags

Our week-long unit started with the essential questions ldquoWho were the Pilgrims and Wampanoagsrdquo and ldquoWhy were they important to usrdquo After I posed these questions each student opened the WeKWL app on their iPad and began typing what they already knew and questions they were curious about However this was not a silent independent event instead students sat in close proximity to each other and discussed their thinking So that the document didnrsquot get too long four students worked on the same session and therefore had access to the thoughts of three classmates What I noticed as I listened to conversations was that students didnrsquot write one or two facts and questions and decide they were done They wrote their initial facts and questions but then as they read the facts and questions added by their peers it created an ldquoah hardquo moment that allowed them to recall facts they had ldquoforgottenrdquo and to pose questions that hadnrsquot immediately come to mind In jigsaw fashion those students then shared their sessions with students from other sessions thus gaining exposure to the knowledge of an additional four peers During the unit students were free to return to the WeKWL chart and add their findings and further wonderings

Figure 4 A Collaborative Concept Map Developed by 2nd Graders about the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians

Following a research phase involving books websites articles and videos groups of four students again working on four different iPads collaborated to organize their learning in WeMap I left this portion very open-ended as far as what to put into the mind map and the products were quite different Some groups focused on a single facet of life such as clothing and created a map to compare and contrast what was worn by Pilgrims and Wampanoags Other groups chose either Pilgrims or Wampanoags and used branching nodes to give examples about a variety of topics such as food homes and chores


PilgrimThe pilgrims sailed on a ship called the may flower They came from England The English wanted to go to a new home Well

there was one problem there were already people that lived here They were being called Indians for theyrrsquoe skin color however they were actually not The pilgrims wanted to teach the pilgrims how to live correctly The wnglish thought they were wild and sometimes

called them wild people The pilgrims realized that the Indians are friendly when Squanto came and thaught the pilgrims how to fertelize plants Maybe they were really smart The pilgrims

built a village called Plymouth Plymouth wasnrsquot to big The Indians called Plymouth plymex The pilgrims used guns to hunt At the

end of the fight between pilgrims and Wampanoag tgere was a big harvest everybody celebrated a feast with the Wampanoag They called this feast thanksgiving After that they named the

country America

WampanoagThe wampanoag stored their things outside

The wampanoag thought the pilgrims would start war with them

The wampanoag called Plymoth Plymex

The wampanoag were invited to the good harvest the pilgrims put together

The wampanoag helped the pilgrims

Figure 5 Co-authoring in WeWrite+

After additional research I paired students who had not yet worked together on this unit As a summative assessment they created a WeWrite+ document using their WeKWL and WeMap ldquonotesrdquo to address our initial driving questions As with the other Collabrify apps the synchronous functionality of WeWrite+ allowed students to more quickly and efficiently capture their thinking because both students were working simultaneously rather than one student typing and the other watching As they wrote their own facts students could see and respond verbally to what their partner was writing With equal access at all times there was no grabbing or fighting or arguing about turns

Since the names of all participants were on each document students bought into the concept of creating a shared understanding Students knew they were being held accountable by me and by the other members of their group to submit a document with accurate and complete information They were excited to interact with each other and explain their thinking I overheard conversations in which students debated the validity of a typed fact and they returned to their resources to fact check and convince each other of what should be included in their product

Figure 6 A Collaborative Drawing Developed by 2nd Graders

Finally yet a different pair of students collaborated to create a drawing of the first Thanksgiving as well as an illustration of their own Thanksgivings using a three-box product in the WeSketch+ app They made the initial picture together and then each created their personal picture while conversing and remarking on similarities and differences between the three

As students use the WeCollabrify apps their ability to collaborate effectively improves They are learning how to read and listen to what has been said by their peers and to build off that knowledge with their own insights They are also realizing that their expertise and opinion are important and that all group members need to step up and contribute

TECHNOLOGY IN SUPPORT OF CONVERSATIONBy Sr Rebecca Mierendorf 7th8th Grade Science St Francis of Assisi Catholic School Ann Arbor MI

Wersquove all seen computer labs full of students wearing oversized headphones staring at computer screens totally engrossed in whatever is happening on the screen and completely unaware of the world around them This scene repeats itself in elevators on buses in restaurants and in grocery store lines where people of all ages are glued to their phones checking messages or playing games incessantly

We know that technology is an important part of young peoplersquos lives and like it or not it is here to stay It is a valuable tool in many ways and as educators we need to find ways to integrate this tool into our system of education Technology makes education relevant to students It is the language they speak and the means they use to communicate

We cannot fall into the trap however of simply replacing paper with a computer screen and pencils with a stylus If technology is going to be worth the time and expense of implementation it must be better than paper and pencil


WeCollabrify provides opportunities for students to work collaboratively with their tabletsmdashboth Androids and iPads They use the tablets to record ideas but those ideas are generated through conversation Group members each use their own tablets but they work simultaneously on the same application They have grown in their ability to discuss concepts and agree on how to represent them on the app Early on students asked if we could put (text) chat boxes in WeMap and WeKWL That way they could simply type messages to their peers and bypass the conversation ldquoOf course notrdquo we responded The point is not the technology itself and all the short cuts that come with it The point is to have focused conversations and build meaning together If technology can help us meet that goal then bring it on

OBSERVATIONS ABOUT COLLABORATION AFTER USING THE WECOLLABRIFY APPS By 7th8th grade science students at St Francis of Assisi Catholic School Ann Arbor MIbull ldquoCollaboration is a skill that will be used throughout life both

in the workplace and socially Learning to work together at an early age is instrumental for the development of social skills in later life Now with immense integration of technology it is especially important to learn how to collaborate and communicate when you cannot see a personrsquos facial expressions or body gestures beyond an emojirdquo (Jeanne)

bull ldquoWorking collaboratively is very beneficial as you get to understand other peoplersquos perspectives You also get a better reinforcement on the topic you are focusing on If you are communicating with other people you understand the topic morerdquo (Cathie)

bull ldquoWeCollabrify has made it easier for me to work with my fellow adolescent scientists by providing easy-to-use apps that help us break down what we are learning Personally I prefer visual learning as Irsquom more entertained which keeps me focusedrdquo (Sandy)

bull ldquoWhen working collaboratively I am able to learn and share my ideas or theories with others I can validate and edit my theories to make them more interesting and factualrdquo (Sandy)

bull ldquoWorking collaboratively is very beneficial because everyone can contribute something they knowrdquo (David)

bull ldquoIt helps us see what other people think about what we are learning It helps us see other peoplersquos perspectivesrdquo (John)

CONCLUDING REMARKSSchools donrsquot want technology Schools want curriculum While the WeCollabrify app suite does provide support for synchronous collaboration whatrsquos needed are instructional strategies for exploiting the appsrsquo capabilities To that end our teachers have graciously written up some of their curriculum ideas and we are posting them on our website wwwintergalacticmlcorg

In addition to the CCSS calling ldquocollaborationrdquo an anchor skill the Partnership for 21st Century Skills identifies ldquocollaborationrdquo as one of the four Crsquos ndash Collaboration Creativity Communication

Critical Thinking and the Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) identifies collaboration as a key practice that scientists and engineers engage in and thus a practice that students then need to also engage in Yes integrating collaborative practices into the classroom is a challenge But given the importance of collaboration it is a challenge that needs to be addressed

This article ndash and the WeCollabrify suite of collabrified apps - is a first step at providing K-12 educators with support for their efforts at helping the young

people in their charge develop into effective collaborative learners

Let us know how you are doing please Drop us an email post your curricular ideas on our website Collaboratively we will make progress ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWe wish to thank Dr Michael Meissen Superintendent of the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools MI for his unwavering support And we wish to thank the science publisher Itrsquos About Time Inc for their continued support The work described here is supported in part by the National Science Foundation under grant number NSF 1123965 1249312 Any opinions findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the NSF Finally all this work would not have been possible had it not been for the exceptional contributions made by the WeCollabrify team of developers at the University of Michigan Thank you team

[Note the underlined words are links to more information and directly accessible via the online or PDF versions of the MACUL Journal at wwwmaculorgmaculjournal]

Cathleen Norris Regents Professor College of Information Department of Learning Technologies University of North Texas Dallas Public Schools awarded Cathie its Golden Apple Outstanding Educator Award she taught for 14 years in K-12 She has been President of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and President of the National Educational Computing Association (NECA) Cathie is also a co-founder of CollabrifyIT Inc Email Norrisuntedu

Elliot Soloway Arthur F Thurnau Professor Dept of CSE College of Engineering School of Education and School of Information University of Michigan In 2001 the UMich undergraduates selected him to receive the ldquoGolden Apple Awardrdquo as the Outstanding Teacher of the Year In 2004 and again in 2011 the students of the EECS College of Engineering HKN Honor Society awarded Elliot the ldquoDistinguished Teacher of the Year Awardrdquo Elliot is a co-founder and CEO of CollabrifyIT Inc Email Solowayumichedu

WeCollabrify provides

opportunities for students to work

collaboratively with their tabletsmdashboth

Androids and iPads

By Andy Mann


Itrsquos getting increasingly difficult for teachers to get a substitute or guest teacher so they can be out of their classroom to attend pro-fessional development Yet we continue to hear that the greatest weakness in helping educators to better use technology resources to improve teaching and learning is the need for professional development

SELF-DIRECTED LEARNINGWhen was the last time you used YouTube to learn how to do something From changing the belt on a dryer to how to tie a Winsor knot YouTube is the ldquogo-tordquo site to learn something new YouTube or alternatives such as Vimeo are sites where you can learn not only how to fix something but how to use a new app or integrate the app into instruction More schools have decided to open YouTube because YouTube is an important tool for creating self-directed learners When a student wants to use an app that teacher doesnrsquot know how to use teachers will now say ldquoCheck online for a tutorial and once you know how to use it you can show the rest of the classrdquo You can model how to search and find the best tutorials from YouTube and similar sites You can also take the best tutorials or lessons to create play-lists Individual videos or playlists can be linked or embedded in a classroom website or learning management sys-tem course And users can create their own videos which can be shared with others These videos may be created using a mobile device a Chromebook or laptoprsquos built-in webcam and through using screencasting apps such as TechSmithrsquos SnagIt or Screencast-o-matic Be sure to explore GCF Learn Free wwwgcflearnfreeorg and the amazingly rich Learning Express Library available through the Michigan Electronic Library (MeL) httpmelorgDatabases Search for ldquoMassive Open Online Coursesrdquo or MOOCs and you will uncover a world of college-level courses available at no cost

GUIDED LEARNINGNew tools are making it easier and easier to guide learning blend instruction or flip your teaching Learning Management Systems such as Moodle Edmodo and Schoology make it easy to post resources including video tutorials created by you or by others Google+ httpplusgooglecom is growing as tools to create and support professional learning communities and support learning from each other

LEARNING TOGETHERAdobe Connect has been a popular tool to deliver professional development online meetings and tech support It provides a useful option to record the learning As part of a collaborative agreement with Adobe the REMC Association is allowed to provide schools with a license at a greatly reduced price wwwremcorgprojectsadobeconnectlicensing A no-cost alterna-tive growing in popularity is Google Hangouts and Google Hangouts On-Air A Google Hangout for Google Apps for Education is restricted to 15 participants and is not recorded

A Hangout On-Air automatically saves a recording to YouTube and allows more than 15 participants Learn more about Hangouts at httpswwwgooglecom+learnmorehangouts Both Adobe Connect and Google Hangouts work with mobile devices

Whether you are an independent learner or lead others ndash new tools are making it easier to guide and sup-port learning Challenge yourself to try to use one or more of these tools and explore how you can learn and teach in new ways

Andy Mann is the Director REMC 4 Instructional Technology Consultant for Muskegon Area ISD and a certified Google Education Trainer

Try teachinglearning using guided learning and webinar tools provided in the 21 Things projects Learn at

21things4teachersnet 21things4studentsnet and 21things4ipadsnet

Professional Development Without Leaving Home

By Andy Mann

QUICK KEYS AND TIPS

The MACUL Conference is an excellent opportunity to obtain information on best practices on how to use technology to enhance student learning opportunities Yoursquoll 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 the ISTE Standards for Administrators Teachers and Students Educators at any level will find meaningful sessions to build a Culture of Collaboration With over 200 featured breakout interactive and hands-on sessions the 2015 MACUL Conference is Michiganrsquos largest education conference The conference provides an outstanding opportunity to ignite learning forhellip Teachers Curriculum Leaders Technology Leaders Superintendents and other Administrators Library Media Specialists Online Instructors Policy Makers including School Board Members Teacher Educators Staff Developers Higher Education Representatives Government and Industry Representatives at the local

regional state and national levels

Opening Keynote Leading Innovative ChangeGeorge CourosDivision Principal Innovative Teaching and Learning Parkland School Division Canadahttpgeorgecouroscablog

Friday Keynote Whatrsquos Wrong With Whatrsquos Right

Rushton HurleyExecutive Director Next Vista for

Learningwwwnextvistaorg

Closing Keynote Culture Innovation and Learning-A 21st Century ParadigmTwo Guys and Some iPads Drew Minnock amp Brad Waid

FEATURED Presenters are highly

regarded educational technology experts from across the country They will present

sessions on best practices tools for the classroom and in-depth training for

educators of all levels

GARY ABUD JRTeacher Grosse Pointe Public Schools

MELODY ARABO

Teacher Walled Lake Consolidated Schools and 2014 Michigan Teacher of the Year

TIM CHILDERS

Assistant Principal for Technology Integration LampN STEM Academy Knox County Schools (TN)

LESLIE FISHER

Director lesliefishercom

BRAD FOUNTAINDiscovery Educational Team

Sponsored by Discovery Education

SYLVIA MARTINEZAuthor and Independent Education Consultant

LUIS PEREZ

Apple Distinguished Educator

KRISTEN SWANSONSenior Director of the Research Institute BrightBytes

2015 MACUL CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

FEATURED PRESENTERS

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPSHalf and full-day sessions are sponsored by MACUL Special

Interest Groups on Wednesday March 18 Pre-registration and an additional fee required

Participate and Share Sessions

60-minute sessions where participants will use their own laptops and other devices

HANDS-ON LABS

Two-hour sessions in a Mac Windows or Chromebook lab Pre-registration and an additional fee required

ROBOFESTIN PARTNERSHIP WITH LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL

UNIVERSITY AND MACULWednesday March 18 Noon ndash 4 PM

Teams from around the state will participate in Robofest 2015 an annual robotics competition focusing on learning STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) for students in grades 5-12

STUDENT TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASESPONSORED BY LEGO EDUCATION

Thursday March 19 11 AM ndash 1 PM The showcase features some of the best learning environments enhanced with technology in

Michigan Students and teachers will be available to discuss their projects Open to all conference attendees

ADMINISTRATORS FORUM

SPONSORED BY PLANTE amp MORAN LUNCH PROVIDED BY TRIG

Administrators from all over the state will have a unique opportunity to engage in professional learning about many of

the current topics facing Michigan educators and schools This event is by invitation only Mike Flanagan State Superintendent

and Vanessa Keesler Deputy Superintendent Education Services will be the guest moderators at this special gathering for

administrators

MAKERSPACE MACUL15Create invent and learn in Makerspace MACUL15

Bring ideas expertise or simply enthusiasm to this informal collaborative environment which is designed to celebrate hands-

on exploration and creation

SPARK SESSIONS20-minute sessions on a topic to help spark ideas for the

participant Check out the topics and times posted during the conference and drop in

LIGHTNING TALKS

This fast-paced event will be held just prior to the closing keynote on Friday Participants will deliver a 5-minute dynamic

presentation on a topic about which they are passionate

EXHIBITS HALL D IN COBO CENTERThursday March 19 930 AM - 5 PM

Friday March 20 830 AM - 1 PMVisit this dynamic exhibit area which features displays of current

hardware software and other materials related to educational technology

MACUL PARTY AT COBO

SPONSORED BY HPThursday March 19 5 ndash 7 PM

Gather after the sessions at Cobo for a time of fun and networking Enjoy great music along with light refreshments

CONFERENCE APPUse the NEW MACUL Conference App to plan your schedule and explore session descriptions featured speakers presenters strands session times exhibitor information Maximize your

conference experience using the app for your desktop Android or iOS device

REGISTER NOW for the 2015 MACUL Conference - a must

for educators in Michigan and the Midwest

CONFERENCE FEESTWO DAYS (THURSDAY amp FRIDAY) $185

SINGLE DAY $135FULL-TIME STUDENT RATE (1 OR 2 DAYS) $75

To receive these early registration discounts register online by credit card or purchase order by March

3 2015 Call MACUL Office for information about discounts on full conference registrations for 10 or more attendees from the same school district

Individuals who have pre-registered for the conference may add workshops to their registration online until March 11 Workshop tickets will be sold on-site at the Help Desk as space is available Visit www

maculconferenceorg for complete conference pricing information and registration

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Join over 4000 educators who attend each year

TELL YOUR STORY

Share your conference experience and win prizesShare your favorite conference photos and videos to Twitter andor Instagram with macul15 Conference attendees who submit media are eligible for prize drawings One lucky photographer will receive a free MACUL Conference 2016 registration Other prizes will be announced at the conference and wersquoll share the best from the photostream at the closing ceremony This is your chance to show your commitment to education excellence and help us tell the MACUL conference story The deadline to submit your photos is 10am on March 20 Contact Susan Hardin with any questions at suehardinmaculorg

macul15PHOTO FEED

MAC

UL 20

15

By entering the Tell Your Story with MACUL15 you are granting MACUL permission to sharepublish your photos in digital or printed formats

MACUL 2015

Publish and access curriculum Courses or Collections for FREE Michiganrsquos MI Learning on iTunes U is a home for Michigan educators to publish resources for students around the world

You may also apply now for a grant for publishing a curriculum Collection or Course on Michiganrsquos MI Learning site on iTunes U Your application will be reviewed in an ongoing basis throughout the year

1 Publish a Collection of videosMACUL offers $500 grants through Michiganrsquos MI Learning funds for publishing curriculum collections of 10 or more videos With an additional 10 videos the recipient receives the Camtasia package from TechSmith along with a free registration to the MACUL Conference Videos and PDFs in these collections are accessible by any device that plays MPEG4 videos If the device doesnrsquot access iTunes U such as Chromebooks the files may be downloaded to a folder for student access

2 Publish Courses amp iBooksThe grants also include the creation and posting of Courses and iBooks These resources are available for iOS devices (iPhones iPads) through the iTunes U app The iBooks are also accessible using Mac computers with updated operating systems

Michiganrsquos MI Learning on iTunes U

For more information and grant applications visit wwwmaculorgmilearning

18


Collaboration is one of those big concepts that has been defined broadly as ldquoworking togetherrdquo with the shared understanding that the collaborators have a common goal or expectation sharing both risks and rewards

From the student perspective education is a collaborative activity in the strictest sense of the word because it requires that the learner engage with a source outside him or herself to add to his or her experience come to a greater understanding or develop expertise

It has been a challenge for schools to make the transition to a more flexible student-focused environment given the traditional dependencies on time and location We know that the academic personal and work world 21st century students face require a different orientation The ways teachers counselors curriculum directors technologists and administrators work together have changed with the development of software and systems that obliterate boundaries of geographic location and time Ironically while our technology allows us to be physically separated we have virtual access to products ideas and people from all over the globe Students parents teachers administrators and other support personnel have many options for materials content strategies setting and delivery Any one choice affects implementation outcome and relationship to the others But new options made possible by educational technology provide opportunities for new levels of collaborative learning planning and delivery of services

In Michigan wersquove gone from the 2006 requirement of an online experience before graduation to the option of taking a minimum of two online courses every term in 2013 Who would have thought that students would earn credit toward graduation for courses that are taught by someone out of district whom they would never even meet face-to-face

The expansion of course access options has made it possible for students to take courses with learners across the state from teachers in other geographic areas and earn credit The opportunities available to students to increase knowledge and skills go beyond

the traditional required and elective courses offered by schools Documentation of apprenticeships internships volunteer and service club experience as well as special interest non-academic subjects is becoming more critical Students who are bound for college and technical schools or going directly into a workplace need a means of sharing their endeavors and accomplishments both in and outside of school Specifically educational entities need a means of sharing the students and their records

Some educational leaders call for the documenting of all the ways students participate in formal and informal learning activities and advocate for a means of providing acknowledgement and ultimately credit for all the experiences a student has in and out of school ndash a universal transcript As envisioned this transcript would not be tied to the educating entity but instead would be the province of the student and parentguardian It is not yet prevalent in Michigan but some states have seen a growing interest in a universal transcript This approach to maintaining student records would require cooperative processes among credit granting institutions as well as shared systems for reporting ndash another extension of a collaborative culture

Granting credits for courses not taken at the school of residence creates the need for another kind of collaboration In the future no one institution will have exclusive rights to a student and the corresponding funding he or she generates A collaborative cooperative approach to delivering educational services will yield greater success for more students

Jamey Fitzpatrick President and CEO of MVUreg has served

as a catalyst for change and a champion of innovation in public

education Fitzpatrick serves on the Board of Trustees for Olivet

College

Collaborative Context for 21st Century

LearningBy Jamey Fitzpatrick

President amp CEO Michigan Virtual Universityreg



Itrsquos really important for teachers to think about the collaborative nature of one-to-one Itrsquos got collaboration in the name ndash one-to-one So itrsquos not just about each kid having a device Itrsquos about each teacher having the opportunity to work one-to-one And thatrsquos the transformation Thatrsquos what makes it worthwhile - Shawn Jacob Zeeland East High School teacher

For high teacher Shawn Jacob collaboration is imperative for success Hersquos in his tenth year of teaching and ndash something that makes him a bit unique among his peers ndash hersquos also a former magician and music storeowner I first met Shawn when we both taught at Zeeland East High School and even though Irsquom now in higher education Shawn and I continue to collaborate and learn from one another We are both committed to using technology in purposeful thoughtful ways that enhance teaching and support studentsrsquo learning

As a teacher Shawn commits himself to building relationships with his students being a positive role model and providing students opportunities to use language and literature to learn about themselves others and the world in which they live Shawnrsquos story of teaching in a 11 iPad classroom highlights ways teachers can use technology to know and serve their students better as well as connect them to the world beyond their classroom walls

COLLABORATION AND TECHNOLOGY EDMODO AND ITUNES UAccording to Shawn prior to teaching in a 11 iPad classroom he spent the majority of class time providing whole class instruction

However because of the 11 technology he now has available with some of his classes he uses Edmodo (wwwedmodocom) ndash an online classroom management site ndash to share coursewwwrs to his students Students can also connect and collaborate with one another using Edmodo Integrating Edmodo was a positive change because it enabled him opportunities to share information and directions with students ahead of time so that he had more time to work with and provide feedback to individual students during class Collaboration has also come through his use of iTunes U Using iTunes U forces Shawn to think ahead and be more intentional in his conceptual and day-to-day planning challenging him to purposefully

More than Magic RectanglesCreating a Culture of Collaboration in a 11 iPad ClassroomBy Erica Hamilton

Figure 1 iTunes U screenshot from Shawn Jacobrsquos American Literature class (Spring 2014)


connect standards assessments and course content Shawn also values the iTunes U platform because it provides him with an electronic venue to share more ldquotertiary materialsrdquo and content with his students such as videos web links models and examples and course content More importantly hersquos seen students experience great success staying organized with the to-do lists iTunes U automatically generates based on posted assignments and due dates This feature sets iTunes U apart from other learning management systems For example he used iTunes U to support his independent novel unit in which students participated in book clubs based on the novel they chose to read

However Shawn cautions that using resources such as Edmodo or iTunes U doesnrsquot necessarily lead to collaboration ldquoThings like iTunes U or Edmodo have to be paired with vigilance from the teachers Otherwise itrsquos just online learning but trapped in the classroomrdquo And being ldquotrappedrdquo is not what Shawn wants for his students or himself Although hersquos shifted the majority of his course content to online sites such as Edmodo and iTunes U hersquos also become even more committed to supporting studentsrsquo collaboration which means he plans for students to daily engage in collaborative and independent work time and conversation not only with their peers but also with him their teacher Reflecting back on the first semester he started using sites such as Edmodo and iTunes U he shares I think my biggest misstep first semester was simply trying to have it be so inquiry-based that I was really pushing myself into the shadows ndash despite the fact that I was going to each team [of students] and making attempts to work with each teamBut I think thatrsquos what I come back to that you also canrsquot approach this thinking that the device [11 iPad] to a certain extent replaces you It mustnrsquot Our role as teachers isnrsquot just to move students toward mastery of curricular content we are also tasked with the critical job of guiding students in the development of social skills that no digital device could ever effectively foster

He then brought it back to his own belief that even in 11 technology based classrooms it is still important to use human-to-human contact and teaching to foster studentsrsquo development of knowledge themselves and the world in which they live

Some of the initial research that Irsquove seen says to most effectively use one-to-one technology it has to be a mix of the technology and human interaction Therersquos still that deep need for human interaction and [students] hearing it explained to them and having the opportunity to look confused even after the explanation and for the teacher to then go ldquoYoursquore not quite getting this are you Well how about thisrdquo

Now in his fourth year of teaching in a 11 iPad classroom Shawn has come to value the ways hersquos learned how to use technology to foster collaboration and connection using sites such as iTunes U and Edmodo and it has been successful because Shawn is also available in class to explain and further scaffold and support his studentsrsquo learning

These are just some of the examples of how one teacher uses 11 iPads to foster collaboration and connection in his teaching and classroom For Shawn and many other teachers who utilize 11 technology to support relationships between students and the world in which they live itrsquos not about the technology but rather what he and his students can do with it When asked about how

hersquos using 11 technology to create a ldquoone human to one humanrdquo learning environment he explains that ldquoitrsquos really important for teachers to think about the collaborative nature of one-to-one Itrsquos got collaboration in the name one-to-one So itrsquos not just about each kid having a device itrsquos about each teacher having the opportunity to work one-to-one And thatrsquos the transformation Thatrsquos what makes it worthwhilerdquo For teachers using or getting ready to use 11 technology in their classrooms Shawn Jacobrsquos example of collaborative thinking and teaching is an important contribution to changing how we think about and use technology in our classrooms

Visit Michiganrsquos MI Learning on iTunes U to find Shawnrsquos new iBook amp course Jump Start Your Writing with Adjectives

Erica R Hamilton is an Assistant Professor of Education at Grand Valley State University and

an advocate for classroom-based research She and Shawn are currently working on a project focused on using technology to support and expand high school studentsrsquo literacy skills Contact Erica at hamilter

gvsuedu or ericarhamilton

Shawn Jacob is a high school English Language Arts teacher at Zeeland East High School and an

Apple Distinguished Educator Dedicated to using technology to support student learning his grammar

iBook ldquoWriting Tune-Upsrdquo took first place in the 2014 iBookHack Challenge Contact Shawn Jacob at

sjacobzpsorg


COLLABORATING WITH

SKYPEBY STACEY SCHUH

COLLABORATING WITH


AAs an instructional technology consultant I have the opportunity to see first hand how teachers are collaborating in their classrooms I get to see lessons in action the things that go well the things that donrsquot go well and the things that make educators cringe when it comes to using technology with students

One of the biggest challenges with technology is the ease of use As a teacher it can feel like technology is one more thing to add to an already overflowing plate Who wants to run around trying to figure out how to log young students into their accounts What if there arenrsquot enough devices These questions can dissuade even the most seasoned educator from implementing technology

AN EASY WAY TO INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGYSo what is a good option for a teacher who wants to collaborate beyond the four classroom walls but doesnrsquot want the hassle of multiple accounts and devices Is there a tool that you can use right away without having to spend hours learning how to use it Why yes yes there is By using a free tool called Skype you can have your students connect with other classrooms around the globe ask professionals to speak about careers or invite guest readers to read a book virtually Students can hear and see speakers they may not have had access to in the past due to distance or funding Students can ask questions share ideas or how about connecting with another classroom virtually Skype is surprisingly easy to use and best of all itrsquos free

To connect on Skype for your lesson you will need to create a Skype account at wwwskypecom and will need a webcam on your computer or device If you donrsquot have a built in web camera you can purchase them online for as little as $10 Thatrsquos it You are ready to Skype Still feeling a bit hesitant Here is a video link that will walk you through how to set up your account tinyurlcommaculskype

CONNECTING CLASSROOMSLooking for other classrooms to collaborate with Check out Mystery Skype where students from two different locations attempt

to identify where the other classroom is located based on given clues This isnrsquot just for geographyndashyou could create a book club where students discuss books they are reading in the classroom or you could play guessing games with younger students where students use clues to identify a mystery object Other classrooms have teamed up on a science experimentyou get the picturethe possibilities are endless

There are classrooms everywhere looking for Skype partners If you are using Twitter follow the hashtag mysteryskype to find classrooms looking to connect or you can access educationskypecom to find lessons and other educators interested in classroom partnerships Want to bring an author into your classroom This website gives a list of authors that will Skype with your classroom for free broken down by grade level tinyurlcomauthorsskype

YOU CAN DO THISUsing technology can sometimes be stressful but remember technology is just a tool to support the already wonderful things you are doing in your classroom Start small try incorporating a tech tool like Skype in one lesson or unit The first step is always the most difficult so get in there and try it out ndash your students will thank you

MORE RESOURCESWant to know more about Skype and how to use it with your students Take a look at these collected resources from the edtech consultants at Jackson Intermediate School District httpedtechjcisdorgskype Here you will find podcasts ways to begin using Skype examples from other educators and much more

Stacey Schuh is an Educational Technology Consultant at Jackson Intermediate School District and former 6th grade teacher Stacey can be reached at staceyschuhjcisdorg or on Twitter sschuhtech

23| |Spring 2015MACULjournal | | 23| |MACULjournal | |

Unfortunately there are many teachers working without a school librarian in their buildings For those teachers that are privileged enough to have a media specialist working in their schools here is a tool that I think you both would be interested in Wikispaces is not a new addition to the Web 20 world but should be revisited (or ldquohellordquo to the first-timers) as a major tool in the school librarianrsquos collaborative toolbox

Teachers have great ideas when it comes to using technology to enhance their lesson plans units and projects but sometimes need an extra boost of confidence or even someone to stand by their side to help bring this great idea to fruition Here comes the school librarian I had a teacher come to me with one of these great project ideashellipthe webquest but she wasnrsquot quite sure where to begin or even how to create one The collaborative conversation began which resulted in the creation of what I like to call the project (or assignment) wiki The collaboration was easy as she was trying to revamp an old project so most of the documents were already created and all she had to do was check them over and email them to me She wanted the students to work in collaborative groups and we set the wiki up according to her subject grouping and her own example The result of this collaboration can be seen at httptheprogressiveera-oakridgewikispacescomHome

While the assignment wiki helps organize classroom projects for students on the web the showcase wiki helps organize studentsrsquo final projects for the teacher to easily grade and show off to parents colleagues and the whole Internet world The best example I have of this is the 7th Grade International Travel Fair httpomsinternationaltravelfairwikispacescomHOME

The 7th grade social studies teacher wanted to put the travel fair online and wondered how to go about it We had been using an assignment wiki for the project over the past few years so to put the studentsrsquo final projects on a wiki seemed a logical step We had the students use another cool tool (wwwpadletcom) as their project board for all of their displays This ended up working fairly well for the first try and we look forward to revisiting this project later this school year

My favorite use of wikispaces is that of the professional development site Librarians have so much to offer in training teachers to use technology and also in finding technology that will work best with specific teachers Not everyone is going to work well with each piece of technology and it does students a great service when teachers use what works well for them We donrsquot send all of our students to the same college or to the same workplace so we need to introduce them to several different types of tools to prepare them how to switch from one tool to another efficiently and effectively I created the Oakridge LMC Wiki (wwwoakridgelmcwikispacescom) to help teachers use the tools offered to them and as a place to house operational manuals and training videos to refer to at any time because I want them to be able to find and access the materials that will work the best for them That is my hope for you as well

You can start your own wikispaces site for free in a matter of minutes by going to wwwwikispacescomcontentclassroom You must provide your school email as wikispaces is only free for K-12 education

Wikis to Explore Furtherhttpdougjohnsonwikispacescomhttpeducationalwikiswikispacescomhttpcooltoolsforschoolswikispacescom

Erica Trowbridge is the Secondary Media Specialist at Oakridge Public Schools in Muskegon MI She is the winner of the MAME Teacher Collaboration award and director of MACUL SIGLIB She can be reached at etrowbridgeoakridgeschoolsorg

WIKISPACESA Tool for

Teacher ndash Librarian Collaboration

By Erica Trowbridge MACUL SIG Library Media Specialists (LIB)

Word count 585ETrowbridge photo from p5


Many schools have moved to the Google for Education app for their classroom use Did you know that Google has many add-on apps that enhance those documents both for teacher and student use These add-ons are mostly free but certainly enhance the experience for the end user An add-on is a way to add functionality to the various documents through the integration with a third-party app So what is out there and what is working in education

Before you can go looking at the various Google add-ons you need to ensure that they are available to you To do this open up any Google document and click on the ldquoAdd-onsrdquo menu item located at the top of the page Now you can click on ldquoGet add-onsrdquo to determine which add-ons you have available

To install a Google Drive Add-On simply find the appropriate Add-On from the list click the ldquoFreerdquo button to install then be sure to accept the permissions A message will appear that states that the add-on has been installed Once you have installed an add-on a manage add-on option will appear under the Add-ons menu listing

ADD-ONrsquoS TO TRY FOR GOOGLE DOCSConsistency CheckerThis one is useful for those creating long documents or other documents that have to be consistent Consistency Checker will do an extra check for spelling but will also check numbers hyphenation and other types of writing mechanics Consistency Checker does not check for spelling or grammar but it does check for consistency in spelling such that the same word is spelled the same For example if the word ldquocolorrdquo is used then the form ldquocolourrdquo would be marked as inconsistent

Document MergeDocument Merge is an Add-On that allows students and teachers to merge documents into a new Google doc If taking data from a

spreadsheet and merging it into a Google doc is your need then this add-on is for you It is a handy tool for the more tech savvy teacher who needs to customize things for others

MindmeisterMindmeister lets teachers and students take bulleted lists and convert them into a mindmap for graphical depiction This can be a fascinating way to convert a table of contents or outline for a paper into something easier to read This tool is a great teaching add-on to determine what students have remembered and understood This is one way teachers can determine what elements still need to be reviewed

Open Clip ArtClip art is always an issue because appropriate clip art can be difficult to find This handy tool seems to mitigate the problem of worrying about licensing for students and clip art With 50000+ clip art items and icons it is a great start for quick images

Template GalleryTeachers can create various documents using the rubrics from this gallery Teachers can create rubrics using the rubric template and students can create forms that can be shared and modified This has been endorsed by various end-users for both specific and general student use This add-on is a great alternative to the Microsoft Office template gallery

Uber Conference This collaborative tool creates an online session with all editors and viewers of a document so all participants can be productive simultaneously This can be used with students who need to collaborate on their work or by teachers who are trying to plan events with their parents Uber Conference must be used with Google Chrome

Twitter CuratorTwitter Curator is a Google Doc add-on that provides students and teachers with the ability to pull together the tweets your class makes as you share your learning Teachers can also use it to share tweets that are successful or even those made by authors and others to

By Julia VanderMolen and Maryly Skallos SIG Professional Learning

Collaborating and Connecting with Others using


Explore these innovative programs rsaquo Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering rsaquo Master of Science in Computer Science rsaquo Master of Science Education rsaquo Master of Educational Technology rsaquo Bachelor of Science in Robotics Engineering rsaquo Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering

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document further information about what students have learned This is sort of like Storify meets Google Drive

KaizenaThis tool is one that is going to take further notice The purpose of Kaizena is to help teachers give better feedback to students Teachers can pull the document into Kaizena with one click using this add-on to easily add voice comments and thoughts on student work Kaizena must be used with Google Chrome Teachers and students will also need to install the Kaizena plug in

DoctopusThe Doctopus Apps Script was one of the most popular tools for teachers because it made assigning projects much easier The new Add-ons section should allow even more educators to get on board because Doctopus is now so much easier to use With Doctopus you can create assign and track progress of your students projects while never leaving the document

Other Notable Add-Ons for Some Teachers Music teachers will want to check out Vextab Music

Notation You can embed Google Translate into Documents Geography and history teachers may want to insert Google

Maps into their Document Math teachers check out g(Math) for complex

mathematical functions writing

FINDING MORE ADD-ONSWhile there are other add-ons including those that can let you send a fax from within Google Drive and others that let you sign contracts and documents these are our favorites for educators To see the whole store just open a Google document and go to Add-Ons gt Get Add-Ons

ReferencesNielsen L (2014 March 16) Lisa Nielsen The Innovative Educator Google Drive gets add-ons Yeah or Eh Retrieved November 7 2014 from httptheinnovativeeducatorblogspotcom201403google-drive-gets-add-ons-yeah-or-ehhtml


Dr Julia VanderMolen is an Assistant Professor of Allied Health Sciences with Grand Valley State University She is the Communication officer for MACUL SIGPL She can be contacted via phone 6163315566 or by email juliavandermolenmaculorg

Dr Maryly Skallos is an Instructional Designer with Ellucian and consultant to Muskegon Community College and an adjunct instructor for Davenport University She is the Assistant Director for MACUL SIGPL She can be contacted via phone 2317770214 or by email marylyskallosmaculorg


Want to make an inspiring long lasting memory for your students While teaching Kim Powell from Bedford Public Schools had that opportunity While reading author Jacqueline Daviesrsquo series ldquoLemonade Warrdquo in the classroom Kimrsquos students were eager to meet her via Skype After emailing Mrs Davies

she agreed to provide a few minutes of her time to Skype with the class In that short time students were able to learn where the author received her inspiration as well as how she created the characters As an added bonus students were the first to view the cover of her upcoming book that was to be released six months later The opportunity to learn about the authorrsquos purpose from the author herself was a powerful learning experience that will never be forgotten

If yoursquore new to virtual collaboration letrsquos start with an explanation Skype is a software application millions of people use each day for voice and video calling as well as instant messaging A Hangout is a web-based tool created by Google for communicating through video Both of theses amazing tools are absolutely FREE You may call one person or add up to 25 people during a Skype call For Hangouts up to ten people can ldquohang outrdquo at one time in a virtual room Both of these tools take conference calls and transform them into robust meeting rooms As an added bonus you have the ability to record hangouts and post for folks to view them later For the classroom this is a great way to support all learners

Not only are teachers using Skype and Google Hangouts as powerful learning tools in their classrooms but also as a way to connect with other educators as a form of professional development Michigan Ed Tech Specialists are seeing the benefits of collaboration using a Google+ community to connect and share about what is happening in districts across the state to learn from one another There have been several Google Hangouts to discuss the growing needs of tech integration throughout the state This community has close to 200 members and continues to grow If you would like more information please search for Michigan Ed Tech Specialists in Google+

The Connected Classrooms Project began in 2012 with a purpose to build connected classrooms between Jackson County Intermediate School Districts in Michigan and Keystone Area Education Agency districts in Iowa They continue to grow and

expand throughout the United States and globe The featured project in September was mystery connections httpssitesgooglecomsiteconnectedclassroomsprojectsmystery-connections This collaboration has facilitated over 150 connections As more teachers see the importance of collaboration in their classrooms to facilitate learning and provide an authentic audience the need for collaborative projects increases The Connected Classrooms Projects provide various projects throughout the year as well as a Google Community to extend the connections Currently over 600 educators throughout the world belong to this community and are in the planning stages of a virtual conference that will be held via Google Hangouts

Social media continues to provide an outlet for teachers to build their professional learning network and this is also a source of many collaborations Two years ago what initially started as a conversation among educators

on Twitter brought out a collaboration between 8 educators The group has been meeting every Sunday night and created the lsquoGlobal Collaborators Networkrsquo which facilitates and promotes various collaborative projects This group has presented to many edcamps virtually throughout the states to promote the power of connecting and collaborating through Skype and Google Hangouts If you wish to join this group contact kimpowelledtech

With Skype and Hangouts you can collaborate anywhere and anytime Learning doesnrsquot only take place during the school hours but can take place in the comfort of our homes on vacation weekends or even on a field trip to connect with another

classroom There are so many opportunities to jump in and get started Sign up and get connected today with many educators throughout the world who are looking forward to connecting and collaborating with others Together we can all achieve more to provide personalized and meaningful learning experiences for students

Want more information or resources to g et startedSkype Community for educators that showcases collaborations authors projects and more for all grade levels httpeducationskypecom Eduhangout wwweduhangoutorg Skype an author httpskypeanauthorwikifoundrycom Michigan Ed Tech Specialists Google+ Community httpplusgooglecomu1communities105023357524007071580 Connected Classrooms Google + Community httpsplusgooglecomu1communities108970749795268318221

Danielle Letter is Greater Michigan Educational Consortium (GMEC) Project Manager of Classroom Readiness She is also the director of SIGOL and a TWICE board member Contact Danielle at dlettergeneseeisdorg or follow her on Twitter at dmletter

Kim Powell is the Educational Technology Coordinator for Bedford Public Schools and is also a TWICE board member Kim is a founding member of the Global Collaborators Network Follow her on Twitter at kimpowelledtech or via email at kimpowellmybedfordus

COLLABORATING REMOTELY

2 Tools to Expand Your Classroom

By Danielle Letter MACUL SIG Online Learning Director (SIGOL) and Kim Powell


Field trips are ubiquitous in primary and middle school years There are elementary trips to farms cider mills and museums sixth grade camp and eighth grade Washington DC Curriculum-based edu-cational trips give students a chance to experience live learning and connect that knowledge to their textbooks and in-class activities However once in high school class field trips are not as common Due to the nature of scheduling transportation and funding there is a severe drought In fact only 23 out of 131 classes participated in a field trip during the 2013-14 school year Although there is a hefty amount of planning to pull-off a field trip I feel that it should be a goal for educators to organize a field trip for their students What will our students remember more Worksheets or hands-on experiences Lectures about a textbook illustration or an expertrsquos knowledge on a topic that can be viewed and touched first-hand The answers to these questions are easy for this reason I am excited to share how a field trip to an Apple Store inspired my students

Over the past five years my web design students have participated in an annual web design competition sponsored by the Michigan Council of Women in Technology One of the requirements of the advanced division is the ability to create and embed a video compo-nent In October students went on a field trip to the Apple Store in Clinton Township Michigan for an unforgettable learning experi-ence about iMovie iMovie is a proprietary video editing software

application sold by Apple Students learned how to put together a movie from video clips They edited and arranged clips added special effects and added sound As a teacher I have dabbled with Windows Movie Maker Vine and Photo Story apps but I am a far cry from an expert in the field Delia Hohenthaner Field Trip Coor-dinator and Lead Trainer helped the advanced web design students transform their basic video clips into engaging movies She also had two other helpers that were just as knowledgeable patient and fun During the demonstration and application process my students were collaborating problem-solving asking questions and laughing I appreciated the personalized 90-minute professional development session from these Apple connoisseurs too We were learning by doing Without hesitation I can unequivocally state that this was the best field trip I have ever shared with my students

Senior Dasha Jones said ldquoI loved learning about iMovie and being able to use the program to add cool features to my contest video I cannot wait to show it to my family classmates and the contest judgesrdquo If your school is interested in scheduling a field trip to Apple please visit wwwapplecomretailfieldtrip In addition to iMovie there are many other topic areas that can be taught Thank you Apple for providing free t-shirts flash drives and a priceless opportunityTasha Candela is a National Board Certified Teacher at Lake Shore High School in Saint Clair Shores She is an instructional technology consultant and web design teacher She was named Technology Teacher of the Year by MACUL an Outstanding Alumni by Central Michigan University and her own districtrsquos Teacher of the Year She enjoys sharing new uses for technology and classroom successes by presenting both nationally and statewide Contact her bethetigger

PAST FIELD TRIPS AT LAKE SHORESUBJECTCOURSE LOCATIONAmerican History Henry Ford

AP Art Studio National Portfolio Day at Kendall College Art and Design

Building TradesDesign Studio Manufacturing Day at K amp K Stamping Company

English Detroit Institute of ArtsEnvironmental Ed Metro Beach

German FrankenmuthMandarin Mongolian Chinese RestaurantMarketing Palace of Auburn HillsMedical II Beaumont Hospital

Practical Law 40th District CourtPublications Detroit Free Press

Video Productions Fox 2 NewsWeb Design Apple

iMazingAppleiMovieField Trip By Tasha Candela


Have you ever wished that people agreed to disagree more often Fortunately as teachers we have the opportunity to teach students this important democratic skill Everyone can benefit from learning how to pivot a conversation to a subsequent point respectfully disagree with another on a meaningful topic and advocate onersquos viewpoint in the face of an opposing perspective The above reasons characterize why I use the Google Group platform as a forum for online discourse Google Groups allows individual students to respond to prompts converse with each other online and see each otherrsquos views in a safe digital space As a history teacher Irsquom well suited to utilize Google Groups as a forum for online deliberation However all teachers who wish to improve studentsrsquo interpersonal conversation habits can greatly benefit from using this tool too

Setting the PurposeStudents are not accustomed to formally dialoguing with each other in the school setting Therefore the purpose for using the Google Group should be explicitly discussed prior to its use to ensure students know why the tool is being used I have found that a single 15-minute whole class conversation can successfully familiarize students with the virtues of online discussion One major

point that Irsquove highlighted is the virtue of agreeing to disagree I message to students that there is value in learning to engage with others who see things completely differently than they do During this brief conversation Irsquove found that students can also generate reasons why this skill is important to practice After the purpose for using the Google Group is set I introduce students to the tool itself

Creating the account and joining the groupThere is a little legwork needed from both teacher and students

before the tool becomes alive Teachers must create an online Google group simply by accessing Google and completing a brief string of settings questions In this part teachers determine the name of the site the URL the privacy settings and enable who and how students are able to post on the site Once this step is done students are then able to create accounts There are two options in getting students access to the group The first is to manually enter studentsrsquo email addresses and send them an invitation through email to join the group The other method which I highly prefer due to it being less labor intensive is to give students the URL address and have students go to the website Once

A tool to civilly discuss controversial issues

Google Groups

By Benjamin Williams

Personal Learning Networks for Librarians (Part 2)

In the first article about personal learning networks for librarians we talked about involvement with professional organizations mail lists blogs and wikis In this article I would like to share with you some of my favorite blogs I have created a list below

As I looked through this list I had a couple of thoughts First how few of these blogs deal only with ldquolibraryrdquo related issues ndash school libraries are so inter-connected with all aspects of learning and education including leadership and technology and the political climate Second how fortunate we are to have the MACUL Conference available to us Most of these authors I first became acquainted with when I heard them speak at the conference I encourage you to attend the March conference and look for folks who blog

Here are a few of my favorites

Blue Skunk Blog Doug Johnson helps us think about technology libraries administrators and life

httpdoug-johnsonsquarespacecom

Free Technology for Teachers mdash Richard Byrne shares lots of resources for teachers and librarians wwwfreetech4teacherscom

The Hub (YALSA)Young Adult literature blog from ALA bull wwwyalsaalaorgthehub

DML Research Hub mdashDigital Media and Learning Research hub brings us lots of voices httpdmlhubnet

The Daring Librarian mdash Gwyneth Jones is a very colorful and positive Teacher Librarian and Technology Specialist bull wwwthedaringlibrariancom

Dangerously Irrelevant mdash Scott McLeod shares thoughts on education technology and leadership httpdangerouslyirrelevantorg

Virtual Dave mdash RDavid Lankes is a professor author and library thought leader httpquartzsyredublog

Tame the Webmdash Michael Stephens is another leading library thinker httptamethewebcom

Emerging EdTech mdash Kelly Walsh ponders changes in learning technology and education wwwemergingedtechcom

Pair A Dimes mdash David Truss also thinks a lot about education learning and technology httppairadimesdavidtrusscom

A Media Specialistrsquos Guide to the Internet mdash Julie Greller helps us explore httpmediaspecialistsguideblogspotcom

The Booklist Reader mdash ldquoOpinion news and lists from the book people at Booklist helliprdquo httpwwwthebooklistreadercom

How does one keep up with all these blogs Use a tool to manage your blog and wiki reading Most can be subscribed to or have their RSS feed managed There are several good RSS readers available for free - I use Feedly httpfeedlycom

Next time I plan to continue our discussion on Personal Learning Networks for Librarians and examine how we can to use social bookmarking to work with our teachers and their personal learning networks

Tim Staal is a retired Librarian Past-President of MACUL former Executive Director of MAME and a

technology coach tstaalgmailcom

ACHIEVING LIBRARY 20

students arrive at the website they simply click a button to ask to join the group Once the teacher accepts the invitation the tool is then functional The only other actions that are needed before students can begin posting is to create discussion groups and actual posts Irsquove created discussion groups by dividing classes according to class period This can be more manageable for students because they will then only respond to other students in their class hour As for the posts teachers merely write a question or prompt similar to a Facebook post in style and direct students to access their class hour click on the post for the day and then reply

Using the tool to further reflect converse and engage in dialogueOnce the tool is created and students have joined the sitegroup the platform can be used for multiple purposes It can simply serve as a way for students to respond to a prompt and post an individual reply to a discussion question However as stated above much more is possible for promoting dialogue amongst students To achieve this purpose I assign two different prompts for students to answer However I assign half of the class to answer one question and the other half to answer the other question Then on the following day students are asked to select a studentrsquos response that they didnrsquot answer and to respond to that post In class we focus on transition statements as a way for students to segue from classmatesrsquo ideas to their own When we practice this skill in class we focus on disagreeing with an individualrsquos idea and never attacking the individual personally This is a very important life skill that students need help practicing The language of this exercise is very important meaning that students will learn how to acknowledge another studentsrsquo idea and then pivot using transition phrases to their own thoughts In this sense my attempt is to replicate a real-life conversation in which two people may or may not agree with each other on a controversial topic Potential topics include the idea of who is included in the ldquoAmerican Dreamrdquo affirmative action the death penalty and the role of government in society However students could apply content from any discipline or an interdisciplinary question depending on the teacher their content area and their purpose for using Google Groups

TakeawaysHelping the young people of America learn to be civil is an admirable endeavor It takes an incredible commitment and explicit teaching to be done well While I have by no means mastered this skill I do believe that my students have learned that they are capable of discussing controversial topics without arguments resulting The more practice students receive with this skill the more capable they will be at talking with people in society about difficult issues This Google group is not a panacea to helping students value and act on creating more civil conversation habits It is however a start I hope that you as teachers staff and members of the school community will share my viewpoint and encourage other education professionals to prioritize the teaching of this skill Using Google Groups in this way is merely one method to working towards more civil respectful and just interactions amongst ourselves as citizens

Ben Williams is currently a Middle School Social Studies Teacher at Two Rivers Public Charter School in Washington DC He received his Masterrsquos degree in secondary education from the University of Michigan and taught at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor

29Spring 2015MACULjournal |


A Culture of Collaboration

An organizationrsquos capacity to collaborate productively with othersmdashmembers peers stakeholders customers even competitorsmdashhas become an essential skill for thriving in this increasingly interdependent and diverse world

The REMC Directors recognized early on the importance of collaborating together and with others when in 1969 they formed what is now known as the REMC Association of Michigan

The REMC Association of Michigan has a long history of developing and nurturing cooperative collaborative relationships that have a mutual benefit for the Association its respective partners and schools throughout the state

Consistent with its mission ldquoto provide a forum for interaction andhellipequitable access to quality servicesrdquo long-standing productive arrangements have been formalized with vendors of products and services universities intermediate and local school districts and other educational agencies and associations These cooperative arrangements have a single purpose to add value to services offered by Regional Educational Media Centers to their constituents

Currently we have formal collaborative partnerships with the Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning (MACUL)

and Michigan Virtual University (MVU) We also collaborate and support many of the Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant (TRIG) activities such as Device Purchasing and Classroom Readiness

The Association is supporting eight projects this year All project content and resources are available for the Michigan educational community to use within their instructional setting Current Association collaborative projects includebull Blended Learning in the Classroom course

bull MI Streamnet - live and on-demand video resources

bull Michigan Learns Online - resources and content supporting onlineblended learning

bull Michigan Common Core Resources and Guides

bull SAVE Bid Project - volume contracts saving Michigan schools $625 million since 1990

bull 21 Things 4 iPads - learning activities galore

bull 21 Things 4 Students - free technology amp learning skills curriculum

bull 21 Things 4 Teachers - core technology skills for the classroom

One of the most fruitful collaborations over the past 10 years is with the ISDREMC instructional technology specialists (RITS) RITS members are key in supporting and implementing REMCAM projects and initiatives

If you have any questions about the Association and its activities please feel free to contact me I would love to tell you more about the exciting work we do

Sue Schwartz is the Executive Director for the REMC Association of Michigan

w w w r e m c o r g

of confidence in speaking with adults During one particular showcase Senator Mike Kowall spent one-on-one time with each student

Representing Chippewa Valley Schools in Macomb County Vicki Myers and her fourth graders from Erie Elementary School have come to the Capitol to showcase digital storytelling projects about topics such as life cycles of monarch butterflies favorite Dr Seuss books and ldquoOh the Places Yoursquoll Go in Michiganrdquo Her students have also demonstrated GlogsterTimeliner projects and their class ldquoTweenTribunerdquo website Vicki enjoys watching her students ldquobloom under the eyes and ears of our state legislators and other educatorsrdquo and notices how even shy students find their voice to share how technology impacts their learning at the showcase Vicki shares that her students are amazed that adults are REALLY interested to find out about their technology knowledge and how they use it every day in the classroom The benefits for Vicki of taking a team of students to the Showcase include seeing what other educators are doing in their classrooms speaking with legislators and seeing her students take on the role of ambassador for technology when they interact with legislators She sees the Showcase as a forum for her students to get the

undivided attention of lawmakers to explain to them how important technology is for them in the process of learning For example at a recent Showcase her students advocated for all students in the state of Michigan to be able to have a tablet to use in school on a daily basis

We hope that all Michigan educators will consider taking a team of students to future ATampTMACUL Student Showcase events The structure is in place and the environment is perfect for educators and students to share their unique stories with state legislators regarding the importance of students having ongoing technology-enhanced learning experiences Students are our best advocates

Terri Gustafson MA is a member of the MACUL Board of Directors She is the Director of the Center for Teaching and Technology in the College of Education at Michigan State University Contact her at terrigusmsuedu Follow her on Twitter at tgustafson

Pam Shoemaker EDS is the 2014-15 MACUL Past-President and serves on the MACUL Advocacy Committee She works as the Technology Instructional Coach for the Walled Lake Consolidated School District Contact her at pamshoemakermaculorg Follow her on Twitter shoemap

STUDENTS continued from page 7

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Pro

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For information on how LEGOreg Education solutions can turn your classroom into a dynamic environment where students

take an engaged active role in their education contact Ivery Toussant Jr bull LEGO Education bull 877-647-0043iverytoussantLEGOcom bull wwwLEGOeducationus



















MACULJ O U R N A L


CONTENTSCalendar 4





















Innovation

Founded 1975









Websitewwwmaculorg

2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5












Theme New Frontiers


4 ||Spring 2015
























MACUL OFFICERS





































































conversation





arise





















































country America





































Androids and iPads

By Andy Mann












By Andy Mann

QUICK KEYS AND TIPS













MELODY ARABO


TIM CHILDERS


LESLIE FISHER





LUIS PEREZ




FEATURED PRESENTERS





HANDS-ON LABS













administrators






LIGHTNING TALKS






MACUL PARTY AT COBO















TELL YOUR STORY


macul15PHOTO FEED

MAC

UL 20

15


MACUL 2015







18













College




























sjacobzpsorg


COLLABORATING WITH


COLLABORATING WITH














































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g




























MACULJ O U R N A L


CONTENTSCalendar 4





















Innovation

Founded 1975









Websitewwwmaculorg

2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5












Theme New Frontiers


4 ||Spring 2015
























MACUL OFFICERS





































































conversation





arise





















































country America





































Androids and iPads

By Andy Mann












By Andy Mann

QUICK KEYS AND TIPS













MELODY ARABO


TIM CHILDERS


LESLIE FISHER





LUIS PEREZ




FEATURED PRESENTERS





HANDS-ON LABS













administrators






LIGHTNING TALKS






MACUL PARTY AT COBO















TELL YOUR STORY


macul15PHOTO FEED

MAC

UL 20

15


MACUL 2015







18













College




























sjacobzpsorg


COLLABORATING WITH


COLLABORATING WITH














































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g











Innovation

Founded 1975









Websitewwwmaculorg

2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5












Theme New Frontiers


4 ||Spring 2015
























MACUL OFFICERS





































































conversation





arise





















































country America





































Androids and iPads

By Andy Mann












By Andy Mann

QUICK KEYS AND TIPS













MELODY ARABO


TIM CHILDERS


LESLIE FISHER





LUIS PEREZ




FEATURED PRESENTERS





HANDS-ON LABS













administrators






LIGHTNING TALKS






MACUL PARTY AT COBO















TELL YOUR STORY


macul15PHOTO FEED

MAC

UL 20

15


MACUL 2015







18













College




























sjacobzpsorg


COLLABORATING WITH


COLLABORATING WITH














































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g






























MACUL OFFICERS





































































conversation





arise





















































country America





































Androids and iPads

By Andy Mann












By Andy Mann

QUICK KEYS AND TIPS













MELODY ARABO


TIM CHILDERS


LESLIE FISHER





LUIS PEREZ




FEATURED PRESENTERS





HANDS-ON LABS













administrators






LIGHTNING TALKS






MACUL PARTY AT COBO















TELL YOUR STORY


macul15PHOTO FEED

MAC

UL 20

15


MACUL 2015







18













College




























sjacobzpsorg


COLLABORATING WITH


COLLABORATING WITH














































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g































































conversation





arise





















































country America





































Androids and iPads

By Andy Mann












By Andy Mann

QUICK KEYS AND TIPS













MELODY ARABO


TIM CHILDERS


LESLIE FISHER





LUIS PEREZ




FEATURED PRESENTERS





HANDS-ON LABS













administrators






LIGHTNING TALKS






MACUL PARTY AT COBO















TELL YOUR STORY


macul15PHOTO FEED

MAC

UL 20

15


MACUL 2015







18













College




























sjacobzpsorg


COLLABORATING WITH


COLLABORATING WITH














































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

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2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g































Androids and iPads

By Andy Mann












By Andy Mann

QUICK KEYS AND TIPS













MELODY ARABO


TIM CHILDERS


LESLIE FISHER





LUIS PEREZ




FEATURED PRESENTERS





HANDS-ON LABS













administrators






LIGHTNING TALKS






MACUL PARTY AT COBO















TELL YOUR STORY


macul15PHOTO FEED

MAC

UL 20

15


MACUL 2015







18













College




























sjacobzpsorg


COLLABORATING WITH


COLLABORATING WITH














































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g





















By Andy Mann

QUICK KEYS AND TIPS













MELODY ARABO


TIM CHILDERS


LESLIE FISHER





LUIS PEREZ




FEATURED PRESENTERS





HANDS-ON LABS













administrators






LIGHTNING TALKS






MACUL PARTY AT COBO















TELL YOUR STORY


macul15PHOTO FEED

MAC

UL 20

15


MACUL 2015







18













College




























sjacobzpsorg


COLLABORATING WITH


COLLABORATING WITH














































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g






















MELODY ARABO


TIM CHILDERS


LESLIE FISHER





LUIS PEREZ




FEATURED PRESENTERS





HANDS-ON LABS













administrators






LIGHTNING TALKS






MACUL PARTY AT COBO















TELL YOUR STORY


macul15PHOTO FEED

MAC

UL 20

15


MACUL 2015







18













College




























sjacobzpsorg


COLLABORATING WITH


COLLABORATING WITH














































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g














HANDS-ON LABS













administrators






LIGHTNING TALKS






MACUL PARTY AT COBO















TELL YOUR STORY


macul15PHOTO FEED

MAC

UL 20

15


MACUL 2015







18













College




























sjacobzpsorg


COLLABORATING WITH


COLLABORATING WITH














































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g










TELL YOUR STORY


macul15PHOTO FEED

MAC

UL 20

15


MACUL 2015







18













College




























sjacobzpsorg


COLLABORATING WITH


COLLABORATING WITH














































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g






















College




























sjacobzpsorg


COLLABORATING WITH


COLLABORATING WITH














































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g

































sjacobzpsorg


COLLABORATING WITH


COLLABORATING WITH














































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g











COLLABORATING WITH


COLLABORATING WITH














































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g












































2015



2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

2015



2015

GI Jobsreg

MILITARY FRIENDLY

S C H O O L

PayScaleSalaries

2015

Highest Alumni

TOP 100 UNIVERSITY

PayScaleSalaries



















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g















































Google Groups
















































w w w r e m c o r g
























































w w w r e m c o r g










macul journal spring 2015

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