October 1, 2008
Curriculum Change: Making students not hate class so much.
Well, I've said before and I'll say it again, The School of Rock changed how I teach forever. It's a very dumb reason to have for such a change, but that film made me realize that everything a student does should have real-world, embedded application. But what about liberal arts and theory? Well, if you can't include those in the real-world application of the concepts you're teaching what good are they? And who's going to listen?
Dr. Ron Whittaker whose online text I use in Production classes has some interesting ideas in helping to rething curriculum that I really like.
Rethinking Higher Education Curriculum
Consider the full impact of these 17 elements of an essential curriculum.
1. It would be based on the premise that the primary purpose of education is not to pass on knowledge and information.
2. It would teach students how to think rather than what to think.
3. It would be centered on concepts and not subjects.
4. It would provide tools and skills for finding and understanding needed information and data, and teach the ability to synthesize and objectively evaluate both.
5. It would emphasize and reward critical thinking and problem solving while encouraging creativity and independent thinking.
6. It would encourage students to critically reexamine all values and attitudes before they accept them and not to automatically accept yesterday's answers to today's problems.
7. It would advocate and support personal honesty in attitudes, words, and deeds.
8. It would not be designed to support or justify the economic or political goals or status quo of any one country.
9. It would deal openly and honestly with love and sexuality in all their dimensions while at the same time attempting to understand prevailing societal views.
10. It would not be based on competition or "survival of the fittest," but place an equal value on individuals, regardless of race, sex, economic status, or personal predisposition.
11. It would teach total personal responsibility for one's actions, attitudes, and future rather than shifting responsibility to some outside person or agency.
12. It would emphasize tolerance and a nonjudgmental attitude toward people and societies that are "different" or with whom one disagrees.
13. It would emphasize the importance self-discipline and the understanding that personal freedoms must cease or be reevaluated whenever they interfere with the needs and freedoms of others.
14. It would stress adjudication and conflict resolution and not violence as the solution to personal or social problems.
15. It would emphasize the importance and preservation of the environment.
16. It would present the standard subjects (including the three R's, rhetoric, geography, history, humanities and science) within the context of real-life situations that the students can clearly identify with; and, in the process, make use of computer games, and TV and Internet resources.
17. Finally, it would consistently emphasize universal, uniting spiritual concepts, as opposed divisive religious, racial, cultural, or nationalistic concepts.
September 12, 2008
Mindmapper Extraordinaire
So, I'm testing out this service: Online Mind Mapping - MindMeister, and really enjoying it for all of my scattered projects. In class yesterday we brainstormed TV Show ideas with it, though I wish I could make it go fullscreen. Curious too about embedding. Let's see..
Neat!
July 19, 2008
UTC should start doing these things
Daily Home - ACCESS lets students take courses not offered at their schools
Additionally, students are taking Advanced Placement courses for college credit through ACCESS from teachers certified to teach AP courses.
In other TN Higher Ed news:
WREG-TV Memphis - Tenn. tech schools shorten schedules to save gas
Some Tennessee community colleges and tech schools are moving to a 4-day school week to help commuting students facing a financial roadblock in rising gasoline prices.Four Tennessee Technology Centers and three community colleges are adopting the new class schedules after hearing from students that high gas prices could force them to drop out.
That sounds pretty good to me..
The Chronicle talks about this case causing a tipping point for Distance Learning to finally take off:
"It's getting to the point of either gas or class," says Robbie K. Melton, associate vice chancellor for the Tennessee Board of Regents, where this summer the number of students taking online courses spiked 29 percent, in part because of the high cost of buying gas to drive to campus.
July 5, 2008
Digital-Age teachers as co-learners: A new method of instruction or just a bunch of hot air?
I have to say I very much support the International Society for Technology in Education's new definition for the role of teachers.The Future of Instruction: Teacher as 'Co-Learner' : June 2008 : THE Journal
"Now and in the future, effective teachers of digital-age learners will be challenged to move away from models of teaching and learning as isolated endeavors. As they model work and learning that reflects inventive thinking and creativity, teachers must become comfortable as co-learners with their students and with colleagues around the world. Today it is less about staying ahead and more about moving ahead as members of dynamic learning communities. The Digital Age teaching professional must demonstrate a vision of technology infusion and develop the technology skills of others. These are the hallmarks of the new education leader."
But what will actual educators think?
June 27, 2008
Are you watching or not?
Many professors who teach online complain that they have no way of seeing whether their far-away students are following the lectures
This new software helps analyze whether or not students are watching, understanding, and engaged in web streaming courses, which is something we are tackling at UTC with my 797 project.
June 16, 2008
Virtual Field Trips via videoconference
This article talks about a group of California students learning about ecology by videoconferencing with the marine biologists 100 miles away. Technology and Gas Prices Send Students Of Virtual Field Trips
When seventh graders in Stockton took a field trip this week to see elephant seals, they didn't even step outside their school. Instead, with the help of a projector and a video camera, the students teleconferenced with a state park guide on the California coast.
Cool thing is, I'm totally doing this with the Governor's School for Prospective Teachers this week when we videoconference with Mexico. The students here will ask questions in Spanish about how school works there and what subjects they enjoy, then their students will answer in English.
June 7, 2008
Insert Youtube videos directly into your presentation..
..with Google Docs, but definitely not with Powerpoint. Here is a presentation I made for the Tech OVerview EDUC 199 class:
Basic Editing: Inserting videos
May 28, 2008
Slaughterhouse iMovie
Teachers & Technology: English with an Edge : May 2008 : THE Journal
In my Vonnegut class, we study contemporary satire. The final assignment is for students in groups of two or three to create a three- to five-minute satiric film. They must focus specifically on at least one aspect of modern American society and comment in such a way that it causes their audience to think deeply about the subject and make them laugh or at least chuckle. I use Mac computers and iMovie.
March 22, 2008
Google Tools for Educators
# The web application found within Google for Educators allow teachers and students to: collaborate with their colleagues;
# monitor and participate in discussions;
# publish videos;
# create PowerPoint presentation and web sites;
# manage photos; and
# monitor online data.
March 7, 2008
Engaged kids from poor neighborhoods - Hobart Shakespeareans
This teacher and his kids are amazing. Great documentary on PBS's POV series. "My passion is passed on to the students."
Rafe Esquith and The Hobart Shakespeareans Official Website
March 5, 2008
Web 2.0 designed for education?
Great article on the impact of web 2.0 (everything is interactive) on instructional design.
Is Web 2.0 'Designed for Education?'
Higher education for centuries has worked within a closed world where educators could design physical spaces and learning sequences (the curriculum) based on predictable circumstances. An educational designer could work within a much more restricted set of variables than what we see now.
February 29, 2008
Clickers are so 2007..
Educational Technology
According to this guy iClickers are the new dusty old overhead projectors. Actually, I think he believes they make classrooms TOO interactive. Why engage them at all I say? Just mail out the degrees..
December 10, 2007
Foreign Language classes via videoconference..
Even more interesting I think is what UTC is doing with The Bright School where we connect to a school and Mexico City and kids talk back and forth.
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner » Archive » French students embrace technology
The two spoke to one another over the video link just as any other student and teacher would in any other classroom in the district.The distance didn’t matter.
November 29, 2007
Great teacher inspiration
She finds ways to engage kids and keep their progress on course | www.azstarnet.com ®
"She is the teacher other teachers aspire to be like," said Estes Principal Nancy Paddock. "She reaches students that are hard to reach because her accommodation and plans make them successful and raises their own expectations of themselves."
October 4, 2007
Education Mashups
Great article on what we could be doing online..
EDUCAUSE REVIEW | July/August 2007, Volume 42, Number 4
the mixing of any number of digital media sources
September 10, 2007
Why use technology in learning?
Good article on basic answers for how tech influences and enhances learning. My biggest argument would be, look how the world changed after the Gutenburg Press.
Techlearning > > Eight More Reasons for Technology in Education > September 1, 2007
August 22, 2007
Tech Nerd - Online Learning
So, I'm finally doing something I've dreamt of, which sadly reveals my true nature. We're streaming courses to students all over the world (Canada) for students in UTC's online Engineering Management program. We're using a combination of Windows Media Encoder, Blackboard, Mimio, and other free and cheap apps and products to do what other schools are doing for thousands and even hundreds of thousands of $$. Basically you hear the professor and see whatever they are presenting on the computer or on the Whiteboard. However, in the class running tonight for Dr. Alp you can also see the teacher and students on a webcam. If anyone wants to see a sample let me know..
Other than that, I'm also taking a class that is entirely online from Dr. Adsit, but there isn't any fancy video streaming and probably not any need for it, though the class is a History of Instructional Technology.
August 20, 2007
Unlearning
I love this concept, because I also don't care if students remember everything I teach them. However, I do want them to remember some things. How do we delineate between critical pieces of info and nice to know items?
'Unlearning' Makes Headlines at Reuters | workforce.com
Skills development may help employees execute tasks, he says, but it does little to cultivate the attitudes and behaviors needed to elevate their performance.
June 26, 2007
Blackboard dominates online learning.. verdict still out on effectiveness of online learning
Short article on the status of online learning with criticism and praise for various platforms. Where is Moodle in all this?
E-learning: Boom or bust? | Innovation | Canadian Business Online
In the U.S. there are powerhouses like Blackboard whose revenues approach US$200 million annually
June 25, 2007
Ergonomic Education
Great article about using school resources more effectively:
Education Site Explains How Schools Can Be Much More Efficient
Price's article discusses four basic tactics which schools can use to increase effectiveness:1 School and teacher must be totally committed to each subject. (Clearly, teachers have to major in the subjects they will teach.)
2. Teachers shouldn't hesitate to use every teaching aid and visual aid, every technique or gimmick, that will make classes more exciting, fun, and memorable. (Fun is an important part of the ergonomic approach. If children think, "hey, this is easy," that's half the battle.)
3. Repeat, repeat, repeat. And then say it again some other way. The idea that you can go once over a subject, and expect people to recall much of it, is not realistic.
4; Every course is ideally a gigantic mnemonic device, a matrix of interconnected facts.
Battle Academy's Tech
So my sources tell me that Battle Academy is full of these things:
I believe Prometheon incorporates SmartBoard and iClicker technologies which is cool, plus Battle has the NASA grants--and Jackson is totally digging space right now. And, I LOVE the idea of telling people my son goes to Battle Academy, like he's training for some kind of arena fighting sport.
Thoughts on Battle Academy?
June 9, 2007
What Teachers Make...
Props to all my teacher friends!
YouTube - High School Teacher & Slam Poet Taylor Mali
High School Teacher & Slam Poet Taylor Mali
June 6, 2007
Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Instruction Online
I am currently facilitating a videoconference between UTK, UTC, and UTSI where faculty and administrators are discussing which way to go with an online engineering program this Fall. It seems that several people were planning this from various locations and were all using the term "online" but people assumed common meanings for the term. For some this meant streaming video modules (asynchronous) while others assumed this was interactive videoconferencing (synchronous). My suggestion, be more specific!
It seems that the best solution is to combine the two approaches. Synchronous videoconferences can be streamed live to non-interactive users at their home (or work) PCs and also recorded for later replay. The question is, Does content created for synchronous delivery hold up when viewed later on? Does the pedagogy need to change or not? Reminds me of students who ask me if they can audiotape my lectures (to which I say sure-but I don't lecture). I could never go back and listen to all that, but I guess some people want to and can.
If video killed the radio star, videogames killed books...
This article discusses the appropriate uses of videogames in learning applications.Experts: Use games to teach
it's time for video games to be demystified -- and then embraced.
This school integrated game design into their curriculum, which includes, programming and graphic design, but also writing storylines and teaching plot structure. I say let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater, but integrating games into the curriculum seems like a no-brainer given kids affinity for them. However, how do we do that and also encourage reading books?
June 1, 2007
My Screencast Channel
Final Cut Color TweakHere's another screencast showing you how to tweak color in Final Cut.
You can also check out my Video Tips channel at Screencast-O-Matic.com.
May 31, 2007
Screencast of Orb
Here is a screencast I made to test out the setup at Screencast-O-Matic.com which was also a good opportunity to demonstrate the greatness of Orb.
Screencast-O-Matic: Orb.com Walkthrough
This screencasting tool is incredibly easy to use and works with any browser on any platform, so long as you have JAVA. The only downside I see is that you cannot reposition the window during a pause, which would be incredibly useful for demos of programs with a large layout like Photoshop or Final Cut. Going to try it out on a Mac next to demo Final Cut. I did this last year using a camcorder pointed at the LCD screen.
UPDATE: Trying to embed the screencast.
Hover over the video and click the play button to pause.
Coursecasting
This is a good description for what I've been wanting to bring to UTC for a year or so now. Seems like an accessibility boon for students to be able to review lectures and course discussions online immediately after class.
U Washington Deploys IP-Based 'Coursecasting'
Since October 2005, students have been able to access recordings via the Internet, and the university has logged about 110,000 lecture downloads through March 2007.
May 25, 2007
iClicker - Fun tech that UTC already owns...
I got to play with and help demonstrate this technology last night:
iClicker, an easy-to-use radio frequency classroom response system that facilitates teaching rather than impeding it.
What I liked about this was the ease of setup. My boss just plugged this in and it instantly worked with my existing powerpoint and provided instant feedback of student's answers. I can think of a ton of awesome classroom uses where the technology would help to reinforce learning and engage students during review sessions. Then there are all the non-learning but fun uses, like, make your own Scene-It games and so on.
Pretty neat.
May 19, 2007
Star-competency defiined - Assessment
About a three years ago I got to observe (and videotape) Dr. Jan Richardson from DC doing in-service training for teachers at Battle and Brown Academy. She is an example of the very definition of a star competency, particularly assessment in how she works with kids and teachers to accurately assess learning accomplishments and gaps in reading and writing. We created a set of DVDs for teachers at these schools to teach strategies for teaching reading and writing, all of which accurately reflect the RTI model which I've been making another video about for TN DOE. As far as assessment, what I noticed most was the quick and accurate assessment of learner levels, differentaited instruction targeted at proficiencies and deficiencies, and quick prescription for DI. Also, there is no one correct learninig strategy, but a good RTI instructor must be able to read the learner and then apply the right mix of strategies. "Mix and fix" - kids put the words or letters together in the way that makes sense...
Leveled Reading Stategies
Students should use meaning and structure to predict and self -monitor at every level. Attention to visual information should increase and change over time as students develop visual analysis skills, and fluency should gradually improve as students develop automaticity with sight vocabulary and decoding skills. The following is a partial listing of common behaviors, strategies and skills for each level. It should not be used as a checklist for students but as a guide to help teachers plan appropriate word work activities. In addition to accuracy, consider independence, fluency, language proficiency, and comprehension when making acceleration decisions.
May 5, 2007
Learning Disabilities Tech
This blog, while not eloquent, advocates tech helps for LD students.Cool Cat Teacher Blog: How wikis, podcasts, and laptops help students with learning disabilities
Why did the laptop improve his grades?I sat down with my son and asked him what the difference was. He basically told me it was a couple of things:
* He doesn't have to struggle with a lot of notebooks.
* His notes are no longer full of errors and mistakes and he can read his notes.
* When he is writing he can focus on what he is writing and not get mad at himself because he can't read it and it is full of mistakes.
* He can focus on studying and getting his work done because the things that "drive him crazy about himself" are under control.
Need Less Input - Laptops for Students programs dropped in NY High Schools
Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops - New York Times
“After seven years, there was literally no evidence it had any impact on student achievement — none,” said Mark Lawson, the school board president here in Liverpool, one of the first districts in New York State to experiment with putting technology directly into students’ hands. “The teachers were telling us when there’s a one-to-one relationship between the student and the laptop, the box gets in the way. It’s a distraction to the educational process.”
This seems like an obvious outcome now, but I remember thinking how awesome this would be when I first heard it years ago. Could it have worked? What was needed? I wonder if the instruction changed to match the new technology in the student's hands?
Wondering about the program I had seen in Atlanta I google laptops for students in ATL and found this article: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/cobb/stories/2007/04/20/0420metlaptop.html
Aparently many school board members were fired and are under investigation for the business practices used in their program.
Maybe it's just a bad idea all around..
April 27, 2007
Short Films Documentary
Below is a short documentary about the short films that were created in my COMM 445 - Video II class this Spring. Coti and Jill also tell a little about the process of making a short and provide tips for aspiring filmmakers.
Stay tuned for a slightly more comical look at filmmaking by Lazy Bear Productions in How To Make Your Movie: Part Deux. I have a small cameo in which I play a nervous professor on camera for the first time.
NASA Videoconference
"Did you know the shuttle transporter crawler gets 35 feet to the gallon?"
Facilitated a videoconference today for the Riverbend Technology Institute with 2 classes from Brown Academy and the NASA Digital Learning Network. This school has a magnet curriculum and has become a NASA Explorer school (more here).
This interactive field trip involved a studio at NASA with a Chromakey backdrop from which teir instructor presented a variety of multimedia and hands-on demonstrations (liquid nitrogen and the balloon trick!). This guy was awesome and he officially is doing my dream job (probably a little late for me to get on with NASA). On our end we had two classrooms connected in Fletcher Hall, and students were able to ask questions, perform tasks as examples, and even see the other classroom here on campus when they asked questions.
Prep for this involved teacher's preparing their students for the experience with lessons, setup and test of the videoconference (nearly had issues even after successful tests, but cool-headed troubleshooting prevailed), and making contact with the folks at NASA.
NASA provides these experiences for free, but they only ask for students and teachers to fill out a feedback form online in order to better their program an to report back on what they are accomplishing. (Good assessment!)
I'm going out to buy a telescope tonight. Woo-hoo!
April 19, 2007
Mocs News coverage of VT Massacre
I think my students did a particularly good job of covering the Virginia Tech story. Check it out here: Mocs News.
August 31, 2006
Humor 101
I've come to realize that a very valuable asset in education, humor, is incredibly underutilized. To this end I intend to write a scholarly, researched article on the uses of humor in the classroom tentatively titled: "Humor 101: How to turn that class clown into a teacher's pet." More to come...
June 27, 2006
Spectrum University
Worked in the studio with a group of 24 teens with autism and other developmental delays yesterday. Spectrum University kicked off the last week of their summer camp by producing a movie trailer entitle: Spectrum University-Mission Totally Possible.
It was very interesting preparing the curriculum for this activity. The first problem and the biggest was the number of students, counselors, and press crammed into our facility. 24 kids, 15 counselors, 6 studio employees, 1 camp director, and a couple cameramen from local television. I set up three learning centers and used the three groups of eight previously decided upon which helped, though I should have spread around the work a little more. Kids acted in front of the chromakey: climbing up the side of a building, swimming underwater to plant or defuse a "bomb", and skydiving. They shot more dramtic scenes in our control room including my favorite line, "Which wire? WHICH WIRE?" Or, "I'm going to hurt your camp counselor." Also they did some exterior shots and recorded voiceovers in our edit suite.
Was a hectic couple hours, but I think the kids got a pretty good perspective of how a film gets put together and they will love the final product. Dealing with their disabilities was much easier than I had expected, though I had planned on treating these kids just like anyone else (inclusion?) which went pretty well. Rachel Salomon-Sadowitz, the camp director, does an incredible job motivating these kids, and the counselors all seemed pretty proactive in working with their assigned students. We only had a couple of situations where kids didn't want to participate or took a lot of encouragement, but as my editor Ryan pointed out, "There are college kids who wouldn't have handled the situation this well."
I WOULD LOVE to post the final product up here, but that will not be possible. However, with permission of the program, I can probably show anyone interested if you want to come by the TV Studio. It's going to be awesome!
June 11, 2006
Ongoing projects
Language Learning videoconferences with Mexico - These monthly conferences take place with local elementary school children from The Bright School and with children in a suburb of Mexico City. The kids speak back and forth in each other's language and are able to ask questions about each other's culture. Read all about it in this article in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
MIT Enterprise Forum - a satellite downlink brought to UTC by the Riverbend Technology Institute and yours truly. "'Talk to an Angel: Crucial Connections to Early Stage Capital' is a look at how entrepreneurs and angels can find each other for funding opportunities, and work together after the deal is done." More info here.
Girls Inc. - helping students learn basics of the communications industry, particularly in helping them create a public service announcement for Breast Cancer awareness.
COMM 400 Documentary class - provided technology and storytelling advice and served as a judge for awards given at their final presentation.
Back Row Film Series and Workshops - coordinated and planned curriculum for three free filmmaking workshops for teens concentrating on screenwriting, shooting, and editing independent films. Also on planning committee for the Back Row Film Series.
Chattanooga Film Commission - invited by local filmmaker Jarrod Whaley and Missy Crutchfield to serve on the local projects committee of the city's new film commission. This committee's purpose is to support and encourage local filmmaking.
Youth Documentary Project - sponsored by the Association for Visual Artists, this project partners local filmmakers with teens at afternoon rec centers to study and create short documentaries.
The Enterprise Center - Created promotional video materials for the Maglev train DVD, edited from existing and computer simulated footage of magnetic levitation train footage to educate Chattanoogans about the potential of a high speed magentic levitation train from Chattanooga to Atlanta.
Camp Spectrum - organizing a one-day workshop for teens with autism to learn various aspects of television and video production.
April 27, 2006
Done with optionals
So I finished and turned in the last of my optional assignments today. Having the "Create a Self-guided Tutorial" project last was really a bad idea. Here are the three things I chose to do which will end up constituting about half of my grade:
1. Design a seminar to teach teachers how to design a curriculum (Seminar should include a detailed agenda, handouts, presentation materials, etc.)
Since I have no background in education, I thought this would be good for me to investigate and report to others on. My idea was to create a workshop for new instructors at UTC who have been hired to teach in a particular content area, but who may have no prior teaching or course design experience. I'll never forget environmental law--great guy, but didn't really have the course together.
Was difficult to put into notes and Powerpoint the content of the workshop since I would be basically facilitating a discussion about curriculum design, but I tried to script it more in the re-write.
2. Investigate and conduct an abbreviated curriculum audit that looks at a curriculum in-depth. Identify the strengths, weaknesses, areas for improvement, use of an appropriate set of standards, etc.
I looked at the broadcasting curriculum offered by UTC's COMM dept, particularly relating stated objectives on course syllabi and how they relate to the department's core competencies. Also a difficult paper to write.
3. Design a "training film" to assist teachers on the use of a selected product as part of the curriculum.
This project was INCREDIBLY more difficult than I first imagined. I chose to teach educators how to use Final Cut Pro or Express in their courses and I realized quickly how much more difficult this program is to use for beginners than I realized. I guess when you spend at least 30 hours a week in front of something it becomes second-nature.
I would like this to have been an interactive presentation and self-guided tutorial on CD-ROM created with Macromedia Flash MX. However, I can't seem to wrap my head around Flash enough to get it to do what I want. Ideally the video will play in a small window on the right side of your screen with text instructions below it in a sidebar similar to Microsoft Office's Help function. It should have pause and play, skip forward and back and a link to a dynamic table of contents. Will attempt to get this finished in May, but had to turn it in as a DVD with chapters for now, which is still pretty useful. Just painful switchinig between the tutorial instructions and the software you are working with. iMovie 2 had a grat tutorial that minimized while you performed the steps, so maybe I can figure something like that out.
I REALLY thought about asking for an extension to complete these projects during May and taking an imcomplete for this course, but I think that could set me on a slippery path toward ABD (All But Dissertation).
April 23, 2006
Integrated Thematic Curriculum = Awesome TV Show!!!
So on Saturday I did my first ever pitch for How Can I Do That? a children's educational television program with an integrated, thematic curriculum. The theme of the program is discovery learning--focusing on the process of learning, both deductive and inductive, and a variety of subjects are integrated into this theme. The content of the program will be driven largely from local museums, historical sites, factories and businesses, etc. I don't want to say too much more about the show on here, but I think my idea was well received. I had one professor who came back several times later that day and said, "That might just take off." I hope so.
For this project I basically created a show proposal as I've been teaching my students to do for years in Video I. I included relevant learning theories and a design model for the curriculum (though this area was weak in my presentation). I talked about how Gardners's MI theory and Kolb's learning inventories would be used in casting. I also requested ideas for show topics and funding sources and got several for the former.
April 4, 2006
Curriculum Design Activities - Filmmaking Workshop
So, for whatever reasons this spring semester I commited my student workers and myself to putting on a series of free filmmaking workshops for teens that took place at the Hunter Museum. Was a pretty big success in my book, since we got kids from very diverse backgrounds and schools including UTC, GPS, Baylor, McCallie, Red Bank, and Howard (thank you Ms. Lyon!)
The purpose for me was to try to do everything possible to promote local film submission for the Back Row Film Series. The other reason I guess was to make use of the amazing resources of two of my current student workers who are into filmmaking in a big way, as well as to get other local filmmakers to come out and share their expertise. All of this took place with degrees of success ranging from better than I could have expected to OK, let's just get this over with. All-in-all I think everyone involved had a good time and enjoyed the events.
I basically coordinated the whole thing with assistance from the curators of education at the museum. The idea was to do three workshops, the first on pre-production (writing scripts), the second on production (shooting), and the third on (postproduction). I leaned heavily on my students, Ryan and Kashad, for the first one, since I haven't written the first screenplay. We did cover som other materials that day as well, but for the most part followed the curriculum described here. The next workshop I had more expertise in and planned the workshop accordingly. Tried to cram too much into 2.5 hours, but all in all it was effective. That day's plan can be seen here. Finally we closed with postproduction which was planned during most kids spring breaks and was poorly attended. That curriculum is still in note form but will appear as an article on the Chattanooga Film Blog shortly.
We used a bit of material from the Film Foundation who have two terrific curriculums for teach film appreciation and filmmaking to kids call The Story of Movies and Creativity on Film. These are very rich resources that I would like to incorporate more fully if I ever do this again.
This was a very interesting project because I have some good information and experience to share, but putting it into the form of a 3-day workshop series that would be useful and fun for students who signed up was difficult. Also, collaboratively building the curriculum with the other filmmakers was tough, since all most filmmakers want to do is sit around and trash popular directors and so forth, but we made it, and I think I learned a lot from the experience.
Check out my student's amazing work and a cameo by Mr. Willis at Lazy Bear Productions and Killing Elvis.
April 2, 2006
Academic Scholarly Journals: Look Out!
I finished my journal article a bit ahead of the buzzer this time and did some great work I think toward the end. The article was flailing for some time without the local connection which I finally made by meeting with Jill Levine at Normal Park Elementary. This gave my paper a very grounded, practical feel I think and her insight was valuble.
Thanks to Jim for pointing out potential for plagiarism, though I think a few of his notes on my paper pointed to my synthesis of other's ideas. I feel like if I've quoted and cited others work properly, then I go on to synthesize that into my own understanding of the topic in my own words with my new ideas--that would not be plagiarism. However, as Dean Hicks says, better safe than sorry since if I get into trouble I'll have to go see him. So I played it safe and shall continue to do so.
Also, when I get around to submitting this, I think I will remove some of the learning theory regurgitation, since I really just put that in there to adequately cover the assignment. As for an article for educators on curriculum design, I think readers will not need a refresher course in cognitivist and constructionist frameworks. I won't cut them out entirely, but I do plan to reduce those sections.
Click below to read The curriculum of museum magnet schools
and how it can be adapted to traditional classrooms.
Introduction
The information age has brought changes in all aspects of society--particularly public education. Many of the concepts our public educational system is built upon are remnants of the industrial age and gaps can be seen in what teachers and administrators are expected to achieve with students in these outdated systems (King, 1998). School systems have been attempting a wide variety of education reforms that employ various learning strategies. One of these strategies is the creation of magnet schools whose curriculums are focused on a particular theme or learning theory. An effective use of this practice has been the creation of museum magnet schools. In these schools the curriculum is tied in closely to local museums and the focus of learning is in the investigation and creation of exhibits. With this, curriculum school systems have been able to create a learning environment where students are able to participate in hands-on, object-based learning. This paper will demonstrate how the museum magnet school curriculum provides such a hands-on learning environment. Additionally, aspects of this curriculum will be discussed that can be adapted to be used in traditional school settings.
History of magnet schools
Museum schools have evolved in part from the recognition that in many cases schools must re-design themselves in order to adapt to societys changing needs (King, 1998). Museum schools are often connected with or categorized as a magnet school. Magnet school programs have had a relatively short history in the United States, often occurring as a response to calls for voluntary desegregation in racially-divided school systems (Foster, 1976). One goal for the creation of magnet schools was to develop a curriculum and educational environment so desirable that parents from diverse background would want to enroll their children there regardless of racial stereotypes (Foster, 1976).
Magnet schools have been successful as measured by academic achievement tests and in comparison to their districts averages. In a study on magnet schools performed in 1984 and repeated in 1989, it was found that of the sample population 80% or more had average reading and math scores that were higher than district averages (Blank, 1992). Other research has claimed that the educational quality in magnets schools does vary, but no more so than that in non-magnets (Foster, 1976). As will be shown, the academic achievement scores in certain schools adopting the museum magnet school curriculum have shown great improvements since that adoption and as compared to their school districts averages.
Whether started to improve racial integration or to help with low-achievement on standardized tests, magnet schools provide additional options to children whose current schools are in need of improvement, and serve as laboratories of successful educational practice (Creating Successful Magnet School Programs).
History of museum magnets
Magnets schools with a museum curriculum are the result of museums and school districts joining forces to create new and innovative educational institutions (King, 1998). A museum school can be defined as a partnership between at least one museum and at least one school in which curriculum is created that embeds state and federal mandates into experiential, hands-on learning (King, 1998). The benefits of such a partnership extend to the museum as well. A museum is able to more easily fulfill its educational role in the community with direct access to students in the school system. Through the partnership, they can increase community involvement in the museum, obtain greater resources for the collections, and build a more diverse audience as family members of the students also become more involved with the museum (King, 1998).
The history of museum magnet schools is relatively short. Kira King (1996), who has done a significant amount of research on the topic, believes the first school that fits the above definition opened around 1990. Out of several thousand magnet schools and magnet programs across the United States, there are still relatively few schools that fit the definition of a museum school. The implementation of the museum magnet school curriculum represents a complete re-design of a school and its entire curriculum, rather than applying superficial modifications to the existing structures (King, 1996). The result of this new school design is typically a collaboration of stakeholders and museum and school representatives that is uniquely capable of responding to the needs of the community.
Basic concepts of the curriculum
Three distinct terms arise in the discussion of museum magnet schools: museum learning, the museum process, and a museum school (King, 1998). Museum learning occurs when these schools use the creation and examination of exhibits to enable project-enhanced learning (Takahisa & Chalusian, 1995). One such form is to encourage students to take on research apprenticeships. In this scenario, students work closely with museum curators to investigate and create exhibits. The museum staff is able to mentor students as they model the lifelong learning that occurs in their workplace.
The museum school curriculum is founded firmly on the concept that teachers do not hold the body of knowledge and distribute it to students in bits and chunks. In museum learning, students are empowered to choose what learning paths they wish to pursue and in turn are responsible for management of the information they acquire (King, 1998). The role of the teacher is thereby transformed into more of a facilitator than a content matter expert. Application from the museum learning experience is made in different subject areas in order to comply with state and federal mandates and to insure better performance on achievement tests.
An instructional strategy that works very well within this curriculum is object-based learning. The underlying assumption of this strategy is that there is an interconnection between an object and the ideas that it communicates (Object-based Learning). As students observe and research objects in a museum, they have unique learning experienceseach with their own thoughts, feelings, and emotions. This can be an effective starting point for incorporation of new knowledge by a teacher who facilitates learning rather than trying to dictate it.
Measurement of learning in the museum school environment is achieved by combining measurements of attention paid to museum exhibits and non-traditional measures of classroom learning. Frequently used measures in museums are attracting power and holding power (Donald, 1991, p. 371), essentially measures of an exhibits appeal to the museum visitor. These can be applied to the exhibits created by students in the museum school learning environment. Other scholastic measures can be applied to the students approach to and accomplishment of projects. These are the amount of time spent on task, measuring the knowledge gained, development of thinking and problem-solving skills, and motivation or attitudes, and creativity (Donald, 1991, p.371). A common problem of this type of learning is the subjective nature of works, thus rubrics for evaluation each project must be carefully followed when assigning a grade.
Many scholars in learning and formal education have recognized the need for students to be embedded in experiential learning environments. Museums offer learning experiences that realize many of the goals set forth by many of the education scholars of the last century. In 1938, Deweys (as cited in Neill, 2005) Experience in Education was a call for recognition of practical, hands-on learning experiences for students in formal education. He proposed that learning should have continuity of experience (Dillon, 2001)every learning experience should build upon existing knowledge and should influence future experiences. This occurs when teachers prepare students for a museum visit, then the students explore the museum, and finally, reports and follow-up discussions take place. Another concept Dewey advocates is interactionlearning takes place by interacting with the physical world (as cited in Neill, 2005). Interaction is often more likely to occur in a museum than in a classroom.
Piagets cognitive development theory places emphasis on the cyclical interactions between the learner and the environment that occur in each of four major stages during a childs development (Ormrod, 154), a principle which builds on Deweys principle of interaction. These stages are from birth to two, from two to six, from seven to eleven, and from twelve to fifteen years of age (Dillon, 2001). Vygotsky included a social dimension to this type of learning when he asserted that much of it is culturally mediated (Ormrod, 1999, p. 161). His argument proposed that advanced concepts appear first in social interactions and then are slowly absorbed by the individual.
George Hein espouses the constructivist learning theory which emphasizes active participation in learning, using both their hands and their minds (Dillon, 2001). A modification of this theory, situated constructionism is even more focused on the idea of learning-by-making which appeals to many different learning styles (Papert & Harel, 1991). Students should be given the freedom and challenge to produce work that reflects their own interests and personal growth. Therefore, conclusions reached by each learner should not be compared to external standards because people make their own meaning out of experience (Hein, 1994, p. 34).
Museums offer an environment that caters particularly well to experiential and constructivist models of learning. Terry Russell points out how adept museums are able to effectively engage visitors by connecting old and new ideas, by providing hands-on experiences, and creating forums for social interaction (Russell, 1994). Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi suggests that intrinsic motivation for learning can be sparked by supportive environments where learners are curious to find out more about each new topic (Csikszentmihalyi, as cited in Dillon, 2001). Exhibits in museums can provide this scenario and more museums are now including even more diverse ways of interacting with the contenta concept which supports Howard Gardners Multiple Intelligences theory. Gardner (1993) points out that many schools are striving to recreate the learner-centered environments that exist in museums.
An over-arching framework used in the development of the curriculum of the museum magnet school, one that encompasses many of the concepts listed above, is called Understanding by Designan idea developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (Brown, 2004, p.13). The focus of their framework is to enhance student understanding, rather than focusing on rote recall or covering textbook material (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998). Their book, Understanding by Design, promotes facets of student understanding that should be at the forefront of any curriculum design. They present a backward design process calls for educators to ask essential questions, such as, What should students know? or What is worthy of understanding? (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998, p. 8). By incorporating curriculum standards into the creation of learning modules, teachers can insure that classroom time is useful and meaningful for the students (Brown, 2004). Further, Understanding by Design recommends that students have a photo album of student performance rather than a snapshot as their learning is being assessed(Brown, 2004, p. 15). Clearly, this framework calls for a completely new approach to curriculum design and implementation.
During the exploration and creation of interactive, interdisciplinary exhibits, students in museum magnet schools are engaged in topics and information in a very different way than in a traditional classroom with a textbook. Experiential learning calls for active involvement and hands-on exploration (Sternberg and Zhang, 2000). This differs greatly from the traditional classroom model of teaching to the test. Museum experiences that are designed to stimulate a persons intrinsic motivations to investigate, explore, and synthesize, can lead to the building of salient learning constructs to which further knowledge can be added. Intrinsic motivation in students has a multitude of advantages over extrinsic motivators, including: not needing to constantly compel student to perform tasks, the students are generally more engaged in the topics of study, and they learn new information in a more meaningful, connected fashion (Ormrod, 1999, p. 409). For these reasons, museum education is a particularly useful model of education that has been used by some as the basis of a new kind of curriculum for K-12 schools.
An added benefit of museum magnet schools is that they do not typically cost additional money or require new resources to enable. Because of the symbiotic relationship between the museum and the schools, resources can be shared for a mutually beneficial partnership. This partnership--where the school is incorporated into its surrounding environment, can be described as an integrated learning community (Glencoe Online, 2005). Their non-traditional approach to learning provides new ways to bridge economic, generational, and institutional gaps that may be present in the existing school system (Glencoe Online, 2005). Also, such partnerships can often be used as the basis for requests for grant funding, a resource almost all public schools require and often are in competition for.
An example of an integrated, learning community is the partnership between the two schools in Washington, D.C. and the Smithsonian Institution (King, 1999). Of course, a partnership with a museum holding one of the largest and most diverse collections in the world has a tremendous impact on each of the schools involved. In these schools students are encouraged to explore and research existing exhibitions, then work collaboratively to create exhibits. Museum education specialists are available to the students during each step of the process. Finally, the exhibits are put on display and the public is able to view their work, thus finalizing the real-world experience and fulfilling a real sense of accomplishment (Glencoe Online, 2005).
Many other school systems have applied the magnet museum school curriculum as successfully. One such school is the Normal Park Museum Magnet in Chattanooga, Tennessee which has partnered with no less than seven local museums (Headley, 2006). Students there engage in hands-on, minds-on learning with an emphasis on literacy (Normal Park Museum Magnet School). Once a predominantly black school with low achievement, Normal Park now serves students a very diverse population. Now only about 30% of the students in the school are minority and 70% are non-minority and the achievement gap between the two groups has been reduced by over 40 points (Levine, 2006). Gaps between students from varying economic backgrounds have been reduced significantly as well (Levine, 2006). Jill Levine, the principal at Normal Park, reports that test scores have improved in almost every area (J. Levine, personal interview, March 30, 2006).
In creating the curriculum for the school which re-opened as a museum magnet in 2002, Levine hand chose teachers from the county school system that were willing to think progressively about creating a new kind of educational experience for the students (Battles, 2004). State curriculums were unpacked (Brown, 2004), or taken apart and placed into a more concrete learning context as parts of 9-week modules that focus on specific topics (Battles, 2004). Fort instance, a 5th-grade student spends a 9 week block focused on the civil war. During this time that student will prepare for and then visit the Chattanooga Regional History Museum, report back on that experience, and then apply knowledge gained to the creation of an exhibit on the civil war. That exhibit will then be displayed in the school building and presented on one of four exhibit nights. On that night the student acts as a docent, explaining his or her work and demonstrating an understanding of its sociocultural context (Levine, personal interview, March, 30, 2006).
Student work is put on a pedestal, is the phrase Levine uses to describe the unique approach to teaching and learning taken at Normal Park (Levine, personal interview, March 30, 2006). Student projects are on display in every inch of the school building and even on the grounds. Every piece of work is unique and a students background cannot be determined by the exhibits theyve created. This proves that the curriculum can work with students from any background (Creating Successful Magnet School Programs). Levine believes that homework can be an equity issue. When asked about parental involvement with the creation of the exhibits, she explained that the exhibits displayed in the schools are created entirely in the classroom. When parents volunteer they are encouraged to help their students entire class, not just their own child (Levine, personal interview, March 30, 2006). Parents at the Normal Park Museum Magnet must volunteer a minimum of 18 hours at the school each year (Normal Park Museum Magnet School). This provides teachers with much of the additional support needed to work in such a demanding teaching role, and it saves thousands of dollars each year for the schools budget.
Administrators of museum magnets may be presented with more challenges than administrators of traditional schools. Continued funding must constantly be sought for the added costs related to development of the curriculum such as: busing costs for the trips to the museums, materials and supplies needed to create museum quality products, and funding for additional staff such as a museum coordinator (J. Stepanske, personal communication, March 28, 2004). Also additional time must be spent by teachers to create new and unique instructional units each year (Levine, personal interview, March 30, 2006). More teaching assistants are often needed, and this need cannot always be met by parent volunteers, however, even with all of these factors to overcome, administrators in t