Chromebook Review

Pros:
Cost $250 roughly half the price of any other comparable laptop
Speed Fastest booting computer available. Literally seconds to start up.
Updates One of the problems with a Windows based system is you have to update or you will get behind and you have to pay for each update. Windows XP to Windows 7 to Windows 8 etc... With chromebooks there are automatic updates each day and you don't have to pay for costly operating system updates
Keyboard: In the debate of laptops vs iPads one of the biggest reasons to get a laptop is for the keyboard. For student use it is much more efficient and easier to use.
Virus Free: Because you cannot download potentially harmful software and because Google has added measures of protection the chromebooks are virus free. Currently they are the only virus free computers available, even cell phones can contract a virus.
Multi functional Device: Calculators Solves the problem of getting more calculators
Ease of use: Google Drive. One of the biggest pros of the chromebooks is being able to access Google Drive. Students can work on documents, presentations, etc... and be able to work in class or at home without worry of having a certain program i.e. Microsoft Word. It's free and set up the same as Word, you can access from anywhere with internet access. You can connect and collaborate easily with others. You can also create and not have to worry about saving it, or having it on a usb drive or cd.
Example of student collaborative efforts and what that has done for our class.
Battery Life: 6 hour battery life. Recharges quickly.
Filter: Wifi has automatic filter when you sign in.
Size: Light, thin, and small. Not bulky or heavy.
Camera: There is a camera that allows use for google hangouts. This is another great way for students to connect and collaborate. One great function of google hangouts is the ability to have up to 10 users at once. You can pull in a document, website, or video and be able to view it together and comment on it in real time. Another great feature with hangouts is that you can record your hangout. For me this is great with time zone issues and 7 class periods it is unreasonable and virtually impossible to connect with others depending on where they are from and their availability. Having the option to record and then show other classes is ideal. Really incredible opportunities for classes to connect worldwide.
Google Apps for Education:
Overall: For the cost it is easily the biggest bang for your buck. Great for students allows them to connect, collaborate, create, and critically think.


Cons: A point about the cons is that all of them can also be seen as pros for students use. For example not having a hard drive will prevent students downloading potentially harmful software. While there may be times you might use a cd/dvd these times are few and far between. Not being able to use Microsoft Word may take adjusting, but Google docs is free and very much the same and offers collaboration and ease of sharing, saving, and availibility.
Printer setup: Needs STS to set up printers on all computers, but would have to for any new devices anyhow.
No disk drive: Can't load movies, games, programs from a cd/dvd.
No hard drive: Use google drive to save, can't load other programs, pics and video need to be added to web because there is no hard drive
Microsoft: Can't use word, but for students Google docs is a much better option.
Programs: Can't download programs onto computer, all has to be web based, again this can be seen as a pro in some ways.


I think for a school setting the chromebook is an excellent option for teachers/students. The cost alone makes it an excellent choice. Add in the speed, ease of use, automatic updates, virus protection, and it's a top of the line device as long as you have wifi. You have the capability of using the chromebook offline. I didn't really have time to use that so I am not certain of it's effectiveness, but in a wired school this is a great option for students and teachers alike
Note: After speaking to students the vast majority prefer Google docs to Word because of it's collaboration, saving, and accessibility. I would add for me I like the ability for students to share work with me rather than having 180 copies of paper and so forth.

My thoughts on the Teacher of the Year Award

Here is the story from the newspaper

Just want to take a minute and express my gratitude this morning. I am thankful for the many people that have guided, directed, taught, and helped me throughout my life. I would not be the person I am without everyone who has been there for me; family, friends, colleagues, teachers, students, neighbors, and all else who have in some way shaped my life. Thank you.

When I started I never imagined that I would spend the first eight years of my career working with at risk and even post risk students. Yet it became the most important and pivotal moment of my life. It was difficult, tough, and stressful. There were days I questioned myself and wondered if I was really making a difference and helping these students out. Yet there was something almost magical that happened along the way. Students that previously were failing all their classes were now not only passing but in many cases getting A's and B's. I realized the impact one could have when you followed the ever famous phrase "no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care." It has become the theme of my style. It is one of those truisms like the law of the harvest. "you get out of it what you put into it" While I have put in much I have received much more in return.

I was quoted in the article as saying I am humbled and excited at the same time. I truly am. I am proud of my profession and the wonderful people I work with and have worked with. It is great to work with such committed and caring people that are there to help others out. Too many times we hear the negatives about schools, teachers, and students. There is much more good being done than not. The teachers I know are committed to helping out and doing what they can to work with all of their students.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the students themselves. I am inspired daily by them. I enjoy each of their personalities, even the tough ones. Every day, every class is different and unique. We learn and we have fun at the same time. In my book that's the best way to do it.

Finally, it was especially rewarding to receive this award with my wife and kids present. It was neat to see and feel their excitement. It will be a treasured family moment in which we all shared. Hopefully it will inspire them to be their best and to make the most of the opportunities and their lives.

Thank you all for your kindness and support.

Marianne's story in her own words

I never thought about taking an honors class until my counselor mentioned honors geography. She explained to me how it worked the same as normal geography, just a little more advanced. I thought about this for a while and eventually I decided I was up for the challenge.

I have always been a good student but never a great student. I knew I could do better but all I needed was a little more motivation. My dad recognized this and made a deal with me early in the year saying if a I kept above 3.5 GPA I could get a car my junior year and every time I got a 4.0 he would move the date a month earlier. That was just the motivation I needed to make a goal for all A’s every term, but I never could quite reach it.

I thought the only solution to get all A’s was to work harder and get easier classes. Before the second semester I told my counselor I wanted to quit my only honors class, which was geography. I really did enjoy the class, the teacher, and the activities we did. It would get hard for me to keep up because the work was much more difficult and I felt the students in the class were so much better than I was because they were already 4.0 students.

After class one day near the end of second term I went up to Mr. Fawson to tell him I had switched out of his class for the next semester. He looked disappointed at this news. I explained how much I liked this class but I couldn’t reach my goal because it was difficult for me. Mr. Fawson said he knew I could do it and then added, “Go talk to your counselor one more time and tell her you changed your mind to get back into this class. I know you can do it.”

A couple days later I went into school early to switch back into Mr. Fawson’s class. After that, I went to tell him, he seemed very happy of my choice to get back in.

This term I worked harder than ever before. I did countless extra credit for every class, stayed before and after school to retake tests, and did all my assignments. When the reports cards came out I was very anxious. I ended up getting not only a 4.0 and all H’s. I was so proud of myself. After school that day I walked into Mr. Fawson’s classroom with the biggest smile on my face. I handed him my report card. He looked it over for a minute then he looked up and smiled, I could tell he was very proud also. He looked at me and said, “I knew you could do it, you made a goal and worked hard to achieve it.”

I’ll never forget this moment. He got me to believe in myself when I didn’t. Now for high school I plan on taking more advanced classes with the same goal of a 4.0.

Never Give Up on a student, even if they are ready to give up on themselves

Okay so that's really too long of a title for this post, but I don't know any other way of saying it. Last week marked the end of our third term and with it one of my favorite moments of the year. Sure we all enjoy teaching those that get it all the time. They think we are more clever and funny than we really are. They make our jobs and even our lives easy. This is not a story about a failing student that got an A, or even a D student that improved. I have often felt that one of the toughest things to do is to go from good to great. This story is about a B+ student who is a good student, but didn't see herself as an A student and therefore was discouraged, frustrated and ready to give up.

At the end of second term Marianne approached me. (Note: names have been changed) I need to begin by saying that Marianne liked class, she was a good student. But not a great student. Like a lot of students she had gotten by doing a good job and getting an A throughout most of her life. She signed up for honors geography and learned real quick that she was going to have to do much more to get an A. I know she was disappointed. Both 1st and 2nd terms she got a B+. This was below her standard and like many students she wanted to transfer out to the regular class to make sure she would get an A. When she approached me at the end of 2nd term she had already done so. Marianne was totally capable; she just had to believe and work more efficiently and study a bit more.

Funny thing was she didn't really want to transfer out of the class. She said, "this is my favorite class and you are my favorite teacher I just want to get an A" I understood what she meant and realized that in today's climate where A's are so sought over and mean so much to self esteem and parental pressure that this was a natural response for her to have. We spoke for a few minutes and finally I said, "I don't think you should transfer out. You can get an A. You just have to act like an A student. You need to do all the work and make sure it is high quality, complete, and in on time. You can do that. You might need to study more, but you can do that too. I think this is important for you to keep at this and work harder and make this happen."

I know that Marianne never wanted out of the class. I know she liked it. But she needed to make a few minor changes. Most important of which she needed to believe that she belonged with all the other honor students. It can be an intimidating climate when everyone is an alpha and really is intelligent and hard working. I said, "You are as smart as anyone in this class, but you don't always believe it. It's time to start believing. I don't want you to transfer out and I don't think you really want to either."

She smiled and said, "Well what can I do, I just transferred out?"

I responded, "That's easy. How did you get out of the class? Tell your counselor you had a change of heart and you are up to the challenge."

Marianne agreed and had a look of determination that she didn't before we spoke. Later that day she found me and told me she was back in. I reiterated how important it was that she believed she belonged and that she had to see herself as an A student.

Grades came out a couple days ago. Marianne not only received an A, but also got an A in every class. Something she hadn't done all year. Equally impressive were the H's in citizenship that went with the A's. She came in after school to show me. It was a nice moment for both of us. She got to prove to herself she could do it and let me be a part of it. I said, "I hope you realize that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. This wasn't as easy as you would've liked it to be, but you made some personal changes and set a goal and you made sure you achieved it. You have learned a valuable lesson in life at a young age and most importantly you have proven to yourself that you can."

Priceless smile.

Getting students to believe and then do what is necessary to achieve is what this is all about.

You Tube Clean a Great Tool

Every once in a while you come across a little find that is a big deal, YouTube Clean is such a find. We all have watched YouTube videos only to have the comments or side videos ruin the experience. Few things are more annoying than the side videos and lame and inappropriate comments. The nice thing about YouTube Clean is all you have to do is type clean directly after the word YouTube in the URL for this to work. For example one of my favorite Improv Everywhere YouTube videos is Dollar Store Black Friday the URL is as follows: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a5pWMZxlIA

(Note: this is not the embed code, it's the actual URL.) To convert this to YouTube Clean all you have to do is add clean after youtube and before the .com It will look like this www.youtubeclean.com/watch?v=2a5pWMZxlIA

That's all you have to do. No annoying comments or side videos. Just the video itself.

At times I will have a URL on my website calendar to have students watch for homework and I always worry about it having inappropriate comments and side videos. This is a nice way to not worry about that.

If you are showing to a group now you don't have to worry about comments being profane or the side videos being objectionable.

Give it a try it's easy.

It won't filter the video itself though, so don't think if has profanity or suggestive scenes it will be taken out, it won't. It only removes the side videos and comments.

Student Choice Project: Inquiry, passion, focus for students and the teacher

Fourth term traditionally has been final project term. I have tweaked this for the past five years and last year felt good about the types of projects that were being produced. However, that didn't save me from tinkering again. Inquiry and passion are two important ingredients in learning and education and I feel that I have to allow my students to tap into them more than I previously have done. Which led me to decide to allow student's to choose their own topic and presentation method (website, video, art, slide show, etc...)

I decided to ask my students about this process with a google form survey. The results were surprising in some ways, not so much in others. I wasn't really surprised that students were roughly split on whether or not they cared about the presentation method. I was surprised that while students wanted to choose their topic, they wanted a comprehensive list to view when considering topics. Nearly every student accepted the presentation methods I suggested, only a couple students made suggestions in addition to the ones I offered.

I think it's important to remember that while these students are ninth graders (14-15) they still look for and need guidance. They are passionate and inquisitive, but probably aren't as knowledgeable as they'd like to think they are. Especially when deciding a big final project. I believe they want to make informed choices before offering up a selection. Passion is one thing, focus is another, and I think the two combined make for an exciting proposition.

My plan is to implement a bit of the 'genius hour' idea and allow students a 45 min class period once a week to work solely on their projects. I will have to plan for some sort of ticket out the door accounting, but overall I am not worried about them using their time wisely. They get to pick the project so it will be what they want to do, not what I chose for them.

Also I believe most projects fail or aren't as successful as they could be because they are not structured properly. Too many teachers say this will be due in eight weeks and then are shocked when no one has started a few days before they are due. I am going to have an element of the project due each week so that as long as they follow the plan they will finish on time without any rush the day before. It will be a natural conclusion to their work.

My job along the way will be to push, prod, guide, challenge, get them to critically examine and think about their topic, add perspective and point of view, and help them understand and evaluate to the best of their ability their topic. In order to do that I will have be totally engaged in the process. I will need to be the teacher I dreamed of being when I started this journey. It's easy to sit behind a desk and let students work, sometimes it's good to let them get their hands dirty and get messy with the work, but I need to be at my best in order for me to expect them to be at their best.

While they are working on a focused, passion, inquiry driven journey I will have my own project. Can I transform my classes into the students I know they can become by being the teacher I know I can be? This is my drive, my passion. This is my final project of the year.

Class Dojo

Okay I realize that it has been an extra long time, way too long. For that I need to revamp what I am doing myself, a new years resolution in the middle of March. I attended UCET this past weekend and picked up a lot of great new ideas, tools, sites, etc... One of which surprised me Class Dojo. When I first saw this site I was taken aback. Here were these silly looking monster avatars that I could attach to each students names. I imagine this would work great with 3rd/4th graders but deep down I knew my 14-15 yr old 9th grade students would enjoy them. After putting the student names in, there is an option to add them by list, it attaches a monster to each name. If you give students the rights they can go in and pick the monster of their choice. Who knows I may get to that point, but what I really like is the option to randomize which student is selected. We were beginning class presentations and rather than just selecting who went next I decided to ask Class Dojo for help. The randomizer works well and does a nice job of picking students from all over the alphabet. We sat back and randomized and the students knew the order. I am certain this site is capable of much more than being a randomizer, in fact it has a great behavior management system, I am totally satisfied with the randomizer for now and so are the students. Nothing like having a monster avatar to get you motivated to work. If you haven't tried it or think your students are above it, think again. I'm betting any age group will fall for the monsters.