A History Teacher

A History Teacher has Moved...

2007-02-14T06:17:00.000-08:00

UPDATE 2/14/07
I just noticed that there are still 68 people subscribed to this blog through Bloglines. You probably have noticed that it hasn't been updated in a while.... Here's the scoop:

After 183 posts and just over two years at this address, A History Teacher has moved from it's modest Blogger residence to an upscale Wordpress mansion. While the address seems to be right next door (http://www.ahistoryteacher.com/wordpress), it is a significant upgrade and I transferred ALL of my posts from this site.

Please make the move with me. The new web site can be accessed here. Additionally, for those of you using a RSS aggregator, the new feed is:

http://www.ahistoryteacher.com/wordpress/?feed=rss2

Beautiful Day

2006-11-08T19:21:00.000-08:00

Haven't felt like this since maybe 1992.

What is it good for?

2006-10-31T21:52:00.000-08:00

Absolutely nothing. Two stories, one topic.

Story 1.

My oldest son (5) has been into a series of books called the Magic Tree House. A brother and sister find a tree house that can transport them through time and around the world. In ten chapters and about 80 pages we've visited Pompeii, the Titanic, the age of dinosaurs, the ice age, Ancient China, and about fifteen other destinations. They usually involve a riddle or simple mystery and have served as a good learning tool.

When the latest group of books came into the library, my wife and I noticed that two of the books were about war - the Civil War and the Revolutionary War. My children are probably a bit sheltered. We do not let them watch much television, and even then, it is stuff that both the five and three year old can watch together. We do not own a toy gun, nor do we let them play with them at other kid's houses. We know that will change eventually, but we are not looking forward to that day.

Last night I tried to explain the concept of war to him.

"Sometimes groups of people fight one another"

"Why"

"For lots of reasons. For this war, there were two groups fighting. The Northerners were trying to stop the Southerners from hurting another group of people."

"Well, why didn't they just ask them to stop?"

"They did, but they didn't listen. So they started to fight about it. Now we try to avoid fighting, right?"

"Yes."

"But does it make sense that somebody is doing something wrong you might have to fight them to get them to stop?"

"Yes." (still a little puzzled)

So I start reading the book. The tree house takes them back in a Civil War battlefield where injured soldiers are walking towards some destination.

"Why are they hurt?"

"Well, people can get hurt when fighting a war."

"Do people die?"

"Yes, sometimes people die."

Tears start to well up, "Why do people fight then?"

"They fight to stop other people from doing bad things. Or they fight because they are making bad choices. Or they fight because they just can't agree."

Tears turn into sobs. "I don't like this, I don't want to read this."

After he calmed down, I read him a nice book about jungle animals.

He was probably too young, for this book and conversation. As are the children who actually have to witness war firsthand.

Story 2.

Last February, I wrote about a former student who visited me after his second tour in Iraq. Today, I got another visit from him. As soon as I saw him walk in I knew something wasn't right. He was shipped out for his third tour in March. He still had several months before his tour was up. Then he limped through the door. I left the front of class - the students were involved in a self directed activity for the time - and went back to talk to him. His leg had almost been "blown off." Had it not been for the swift reactions of his friends, he would have died. He spent two weeks in a medically induced coma and was able to wake to the face of his wife.

I didn't feel comfortable asking him too much about his injury, but he pulled up his pant leg and showed a nasty wound, now filled with scar tissue and skin grafts from his upper thigh.

He stayed only a few minutes. I shook his hand. As he left, I thought, at least HE does not have to go back.

------------

While I am a pacifist at heart, I do recognize that war is part of humanity. One thing I always tell my students is that people, human beings as a whole, have issues. Humanity has always needed a good therapist - self help books just don't work. Religion doesn't seem to be the answer for world peace either.

Some times wars have to be fought. Sometimes they are fought over pettiness and greed. In middle of any war are the innocent, the children who just don't understand why people would kill each on purpose. In the middle of any war are the young men (and women today) who follow orders, fight, and die for what they, or what their leaders, believe is right. When is a sacrifice for the common good, just a waste and when it is it justified.

technorati tags:war

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Taking My Own Advice

2006-10-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks I have taught four different groups of teachers about various technology topics. The emphasis in three of them has been on Web 2.0 - the read/write web. Every time I do one of these workshops I get the same types of responses about technology:

This is very cool
This is a priority
I don't know how to use it
I'm overwhelmed

In response, I try to emphasize that this technology is not the answer to everything. While I have a web page that ideally drives my classes and serves as the backbone, most activities, on a day-to-day basis are actually not where the students directly use computers. They have to take small steps. Do one or two things. Get comfortable with those things first. Otherwise it is overwhelming.

In a moment of exhaustion last night I finally decided to take my own advice. The first six weeks of my AP World History curriculum need some major revisions, but I also decided that my college prep curriculum needed some retooling. So I have spent an inordinate amount of time reinventing and fine tuning lessons I've been doing for years. Part of my plan from the start was to changing my Industrial Revolution major project to a branching simulation (like my Holocaust Wiki Project). However, seeing that I still had hours work to do, I realized I have done a lot already and my students will survive if I do another non-technology lesson in its place that I have implemented successfully in previous years. I will work on it over the summer and have it ready to go next year.

This hits at the core of the problem that most teachers face when trying to do new things. Time. There is simply not enough time. For all the cool ideas that Will Richardson, David Warlick, and others have, those of us actually in the trenches have to find the time and resources to actually put these great ideas into practice. There are some schools and districts that are making these ideas happen (how I wish I could be a part of Chris Lehmann's new school), but for most it is difficult. How can we tell the new story or have new conversations when we barely have time to do the same old thing.

I love the ideas that will be central to the k12 Online Conference (I knew I would be over extended so I didn't submit a proposal) - but schools have a lot of changing to do in order make them mainstream. Individual teachers, even with the Internet and the blogosphere, can only generate so much progress.

We are still a minority in the teaching world.

Technorati Tags: k12online06 k12online web2.0

Genocide and Rock

2006-10-11T06:19:00.000-07:00

Still too busy to think much, but I just read this:

BBC in league with a rock band to broadcast a documentary about genocide, starting with the Armenian massacre
Source: Press Release -- Total Assault LLC (10-10-06)
In Iraq, Reagan did not want the horrors of Saddam Hussein’s massacre against the Kurds to come out, because then he would have to do something to stop him. In Bosnia, world television coverage of the genocide convinced the international community to step in...but only after 200,000 had been murdered.
In Rwanda, Bill Clinton did not want the true horrors to come out ...because then he would have to do something. And now, in Darfur, George Bush has finally declared the desolation of the Southern Sudan a “genocide”—yet refused to do what it takes to stop it.
Why? Because, once again, as in 1915, when the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Henry Morgenthau, first reported the wholesale extermination of the Armenian population by the Ottoman Turks in Anatolia, it was denied so the United States would not be forced to act. That reaction gave Hitler his impetus for the Holocaust: “Who remembers the Armenians?” he declared in 1939, before ordering the murder of 6 million European Jews.
In “Screamers,” Garapedian and the multi-platinum selling, Grammy-winning Armenian-American rock band System of a Down trace the history of modern-day genocide from the fertile “Holy Mountains” of Anatolia to Darfur ... in a documentary as shattering as it is powerful, laced with seven of their most famous songs from “Holy Mountains” to “P.L.U.C.K.” to the #1 hit “B.Y.O.B.” that illuminate why the world’s inability to recognize the Turks’ annihilation of the Armenians leads directly to Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. And shows us we can stop it. (You can read the whole press release here).

Genocide is a subject I spend a lot of time on in my world history classes during the spring. One of the more powerful ways students connect with these events (or any historical topic for that matter) is through some sort of individual connection. To have a rock band lie System of a Down with a personal link to an event like the Armenian Genocide could be powerful. I'll have to watch the documentary to see if I can use it in the classroom.

Ask the Mentor - Published!

2006-10-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

My column in Teacher Magazine has been published online and will also be in the print version that is being sent out soon. You have to register to read my responses to submitted questions (maybe yours?). Access the article here.

Still treading water. Here are the items consuming my life

The first two months of AP World needed to be completely redone.
I'm finally getting around to revising much of my college prep world history curriculum.
I'm focusing a lot more on student achievement and making sure students are learning.
I'm teaching a one unit graduate-level seminar on digital video at SDSU in a couple weeks (in San Diego? There are seats left. Interested, click here).
NECC 2007 presentations are due tomorrow.
We are implementing a professional learning community (PLC) this year in world history.
I'm teaching five technology integration workshops in October and November.
Add it all together and I have to leave my classroom 12 times first semester for school-related reasons.
The Padres made the playoffs, and might actually advance :)
The lawn needs mowed.
Life at home is particularly crazy.... perhaps more on that soon.

In other words, I will be back, but blogging is last on the priority list. I still need to fine tune what I'm teaching today.

Not Gone...

2006-09-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

Teaching has been consuming my free time - or at least the planning part. A couple posts are coming soon.

Annoucing K12 Online 2006

2006-09-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

What an amazing idea developed by the people who are THE leaders in Web 2.0 in education. Don't miss it! A complete description is available at Weblogg-ed.com. Hopefully, I will find the time to participate (and they will take me!).

Announcing the first annual “K12 Online 2006″ convention for teachers, administrators and educators around the world interested in the use of Web 2.0 tools in classrooms and professional practice. This year’s conference is scheduled to be held over two weeks, Oct. 23-27 and Oct. 30- Nov. 3 with the theme “Unleashing the Potential.” A call for proposals is below.

There will be four “conference strands”– two each week. Two presentations will be published in each strand each day, Monday - Friday, so four new presentations will be available each day over the course of the two-weeks. Each presentation will be given in podcast or screencast format and released via the conference blog (URL: TBA) and archived for posterity.

THE FOUR STRANDS ARE:

Week 1

Strand A: A Week In The Classroom

Strand B: Basic/Advanced Training (one of each per day)

Week 2

Strand A: Personal Professional Development

Strand B: Overcoming Obstacles

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

We’d like to invite you to submit a proposal to present at the conference. If you have something you’d like to share with the community, both people who are new to blogs and/or experienced bloggers please email the appropriate conference convenor above with your ideas. The deadline to submit a proposal (just the proposal, not the finished product) is September 30, 2006. One of us will contact you to finalize the date of your presentation. Your presentation may be delivered in any web-based medium (including but not limited to…podcasts, PowerPoint files, blogs, websites, wikis, screencasts, etc.) and must be emailed to your assigned conference convenor one week before it goes live, (see above strands) so that it can be uploaded to the server.

If you have any questions about any part of this, email one of the conference organizers:

Darren Kuropatwa

Sheryl Nusbaum-Beach

Will Richardson

technorati tags:k12online06, blogging, education, conferences

Ask Me Question, Darn It.

2006-08-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

Have a burning technology related question? Ever see a technology infused lesson or lesson idea and wonder how did they do that? Well, here is your chance to ask.

I am working with Teacher Magazine this month on a new column called Ask the Mentor. There have been several submitted already, but the editors (and myself) would like a few more.

The process is easy:

Click on this link (it will take you to Teacher Magazine).
Register for FREE if haven't already.
Submit your question.
Feel satisfied that you will soon know the answer to your question.

I mentioned this in a bit more here. If you can spread the word, we would love to have a lot of questions.

They Don't Get It, We Can Help

2006-08-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

Each year I spend the first couple weeks of my college prep world history classes looking at why history is important and the process of creating histories. During my Evaluating Evidence lesson I set up a criteria that historians and students need to consider when using a source. I really focused on point of view and bias. Then I started talking about the Internet. Our students now turn to the Internet for information first; few make special trips to the library to find something out. As I started talking about having to be very critical of the sources we find online, I got a lot of blank stares.

I started getting concerned, so I conduct a quick, informal survey (which I would repeat with my two other college prep classes). The results struck a cord. Most claim they don't consider the source. If it shows up in Google, they are good to go. I mentioned the Martin Luther King, Junior page that use to show up in the top ten of Google searches on MLK which was really a skewed attack clandestinely sponsored by a white supremacist group (I believe Alan November used this example for a while). They were a bit shocked.

As this conversation developed in my first class, I decided that I would take them over to Wikipedia. About half of the students had been to Wikipedia, but only a handful actually understood it. Several mentioned that it was a cool place to easily get information. One person across three classes claimed he had contributed. When I clicked on the edit this page tab, I saw mouths drop open.

"You mean anyone can edit it?"
"Can you change it now?"
"Wait, it only changes it on your computer, right?"

The history tab (where you can see the past changes) surprised almost everyone. They have a good concept of creating content on the web (no doubt many of them have a MySpace account), but they were having trouble wrapping their head around the central concept of Wikipedia and wikis in general. When we got back to our discussion on evaluating evidence and examining information for validity, they seemed to get it a little more. We will certainly work on it all year.

It seems like no really owns teaching these skills. Who should do it? English teachers? Social studies? Technology classes? Everyone? I'm sure there are schools and districts that have made the effort and passed the policies to incorporated them, but I am betting a vast majority do not. We already have too much to cover and do. Throw in the issues I discussed in an earlier post and the problem becomes even more complex. It seems like technology is evolving so fast that education simply can't keep up.

Perhaps, like wikis and blogs, it has to be bottom up. Squeeze it in between lessons or build a skill builder into an existing unit. They don't get it. I can help my students. Can you help yours?

Wiki Podcast

2006-08-29T06:11:00.000-07:00

Vicki Davis (a computer science teacher in Georgia) and Adam Fray (from Wikispaces) were interviewed by Steve Hargadon of EdTechLive.com (the podcast can be found here). They discussed using wikis in the classroom - a topic that has become near and dear to my heart.

Vicki has done some amazing things with wikis in her classroom, really bringing the spirit of Web 2.0 and wikis directly to the students. Her educational wikis are great examples as to how to make a wiki central to a class. I have been inspired by this podcast to take the integration of wikis into my AP World History classes a step further then I had initially planned. Instead of using one single wiki project closer to the AP exam as a review guide (as I did last year), I am going to start it now - building a bigger collective of world history knowledge that will help them prepare for the exam. Hopefully the students will buy in and participate.

I did like another point Vicki made about the difference between blogs and wikis. Blogs are for opinions and wikis are for facts. I really think that nails the standard using of blogs and wikis right on the head. In a recent post on her blog, she also outlines ways she uses wikis (each of these are fully explained on her blog):

Lesson Summaries
Collaboration of Notes
Concept Introduction and Exploratory Projects
Dissemination of Important Classroom Information beyond the Classroom
Individual assessment projects

I have long used traditional web pages and even a blog to accomplish #3 and #4. Now I am using Moodle, which allows a different sort of collaboration and communication. I really like the idea of the collaboration of notes and lesson summaries, perhaps created by an assigned scribe. What I would like to see more flushed out is the individual assessment projects. The Design Patterns for EduWikis is certainly a good place to start. Wikis are an incredible publishing tool which provides teachers and students ability to easily create web pages AND collaborate online.

The First Two Weeks

2006-08-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

It's been a long and tiring couple weeks.

Two weeks ago we went back for a series of meetings - mostly focusing on improving school achievement. My school has been deemed a "school in crisis" by WASC - we were only given a 2 year accreditation. Crazy. There are certainly areas we need some improvement, but we are a good school. Over 90% of our students passed the math and 88% passed the English part of the high school exit exam on their first try. As the principal put, it is something of a slap in the face.

Our problems are more about inconsistent leadership (4 principals in 7 years), an inconsistent attempt to improve problems (related to the principal issue), and the district turmoil which was resolved only weeks after the WASC committee visit. In fact, we decided to work to the rule during the visit and only met with the visiting committee once. The two year accreditation is certainly a slap in the face, but it is also a wake up call that we (the teachers) have to keep a school-wide focus on school improvement, not just focus on our classrooms. I was just as guilty as anyone else on this one. A big chunk of the meetings focused on

Like I mentioned before, I spent a considerable amount of time moving classrooms. I really didn't start focusing on curriculum until Thursday.

The first week with students was great. My classes all seem good. Class sizes are reasonable. No major problems, issues, etc. I'm excited to be in the new room and starting the new school year. I hoping to find the time to make some major changes to the college prep curriculum... we'll see if I have the time.

Organize Through Orchestrate

2006-08-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

One of my goals this school year is to move away from apps like Word and PowerPoint to the open source or online versions that are popping up all over the place. For the last few years I've been using OmniOutliner to set priorities, print out lists, and keep basic to do lists. As with all organization tools in my life, I have periods of intense use followed by periods of sporadic use. One of the reasons why I usually end up not using it is actually quite simple - it is just another application, sometimes one of 10 or more that are open. Plus, I have so many "projects" that my list ended up being cluterred, and in the end, unorganized. I did try and use Entourage's project management feature, but that was the space shuttle solution for my skateboard problem.

I may have just found the perfect tool and solution.

Orchestrate is an online task manager created by a guy named Yongfook. He created it out of a personal need to manage multiple tasks easily. Essentially, you can create any number of task lists, which are subjects, projects, etc. These are always visible on the left side of the screen. You can pull one or more of the task lists to the right side of the screen where they open up into simple lists with check boxes. Adding task lists or items to the list is as simple as typing it in a small text box and hitting return. It is incredibly simple to use and elegant in its simplicity. When you check a box, it smoothly moves the item to the bottom of the list, greys it out, and makes it smaller.

Here are a couple screen shots.

Here we have the Task List. It tells you how many items you have completed and how many are "pending."

Next we have the actual to do lists. You can hide these if they are not currently what you need, but they the list title will always appear in the task list above.

During the last week, I've had it sitting open in a tab in FireFox and have found that with it right there, instead of another application, I am referencing it more often AND the tab is constantly in view (unless I have more then about 10 tabs open, which does happen sometimes...).

While not necessarily a community Web 2.0 application, it shows what many, including Will Richardson, have been saying. The web is the new OS. I think I originally found Orchestrate on Techcrunch.

technorati tags:web2.0, orchestrate, organization

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First, First Day of School

2006-08-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

I've had some 29 first days of school since I started attending my local public school in kindergarten - 13 as a K-12 student, 6 as a college/student teacher, then another 11 now as a teacher.

On Monday, my oldest, had his first, first day of school. We have been pumping it up for months now and he was very excited to go. When he got home, he was all smiles. Claimed he wanted to go everyday (don't worry!) and wanted to live there (we can walk by on the weekends if he wants).

I hope his teacher and his parents can help him keep that excitement beyond the first few days of this new thing. When you think about it, school is the long haul. 13 years. If you don't have the interest and/or the support network, it has got to be tough. It certainly explains some of the attitudes towards school and education I see at the high school level.

Good luck, kiddo! Your mommy and I are proud!

Ask the Mentor

2006-08-17T22:18:00.000-07:00

Teacher Magazine has given me the honor of participating in their new Ask the Mentor column this month. Readers are asked to post questions about technology integration in the classroom. After a couple weeks the editors will select a number of the questions that I will answer. The answers will appear online and in the print edition of the magazine. If you want to post a question, please visit the Ask the Mentor web page.

For those of you visiting from that site, let me give you a short overview about my experience integrating technology into my classroom.

WebQuests - This was really my first experience bring computers into my instruction. I was lucky enough to end up in a class that what was Bernie Dodge's second use of WebQuests back in 1997. For the next five years, I worked with Bernie developing WebQuest related staff development for the San Diego City School District. I've written and integrated WebQuests into my world history, United States history, and geography classes.
Classroom Web Pages - I create my first classroom web site in 1997. Since that time I have had a web site for my classes that has included grades, notes, calendars, assignments, and resource links.
Classroom Presentations - I regularly use PowerPoint for direct instruction, combining video clips and images with words. Inspiration is another great tool I have used for class brainstorming sessions.
Digital Video - For both my world and United States history courses, I have implemented a major digital video project. I've received three different grants to support these projects.
Blogs and Wikis - While earning my MA in Educational Technology, I began researching the use of blogs and wikis in the K-12 classroom. Over the last two years I have implement three different wiki-based projects (see my NECC presentation). I have kept this blog for almost two years and have been reading blogs for three years. This fall, I will begin using blogs with my students.
Moodle - This past year I began using Moodle, a learning management system. Unlike a static web site, it allows students to interact online through forums, blogs, and messaging. This coming school year I am expanding my use of Moodle.
ahistoryteacher.com - You can explore this web site for more examples of my work. Use the navigation on the left side of the screen.

While I do teach at a "nice" suburban school, we are not technology-rich. We constantly struggle with a lack of resources (e.g. one open lab for 2400 students). I know many schools have much more technology while others have less.

Thanks for your interest and if you have a question, please visit the Ask the Mentor web page.

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A Short Migration

2006-08-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

After nine years in the same classroom, I decided I wanted a change of scenery. So I have spent about 20 hours in the last week moving and settling into a new classroom that is only 100 feet away. Absolute craziness. I can't imagine ever moving to another school. I have acquired a large number of things related to teaching over the last ten years, and it seems all of them, plus numerous student projects, old stereo equipment, books, curriculum materials, old textbooks, food never picked up during past food drives, posters, ancient computer equipment, and extra copies, ended up on one of seven cabinets that line one wall of the room.

The one thing I am loving is being able to do everything exactly how I want it. I wired my stereo all at once, hid the wires in the lowered ceiling, and even ran wires down the wall in a runner. My desk is set up exactly how I want it. My cabinets are nicely organized, with a clear system that defines what is in each one. I threw out five or six trash cans worth of materials I haven't looked at in years, gave away several pieces of funiture, and nicely filed information from courses I don't currently teach away.

I won't be completely settled by Monday when the kids arrive, but it will be more then workable. I can't wait to actually start working on curriculum.

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Crossing the Divide

2006-08-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

On Monday I taught a workshop called Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts to a room full of teachers from my district. I knew I was taking on a lot by trying to include all three topics (and RSS), but little did I know that I could have called it just Blogs and that would have been just fine. I spent the last fifteen minutes explaining the concepts behind wikis and podcasts, providing them with a set of resources for personal exploration.

Since NECC I have been focusing a lot more on reading the ed tech blogs out there (see sidebar). I immersed my self in Web 2.0 technologies - I've played with Writely, YouTube, and explored WordPress for the first time. I was in a pure ed tech state of mind.

I ended up experiencing a strange sort of culture shock. Most of the participants had never read a blog. There were some who struggled with basic Internet use.

I started the workshop off with an overview of Web 2.0, discussing the greater implications, the philosophy behind it, and its potential impact on education. Inspired by Dean Shareski's workshop wiki, I decided to start with RSS. As the participants began to set up a Bloglines account, with varied difficulty, I realized how far educational world still has to go. NECC attendees get it, that's why they are there. Many don't understand and do not have the time to do it on their own. Schools and districts don't have the time or money. Budgetary constraints keep teachers doing what they have always done.

The diverse set of teachers who spent six hours in front of their computers with me on Monday started to get it. Instead of delving into wikis and podcasts, most set up an account on WordPress.com and really look at how they might incorporate it into their classrooms - in two weeks when school starts. Everyone seemed to really be focused on trying to understand this technology in their specific context. English, art, PE, social studies, science, and special education were all represented.

In the end it really made me realize we have a long way to go. I don't believe my district is any further ahead or behind technologically then the average district. These teachers represent the masses.

The digital divide is wide and deep.

As an aside, I developed a Blogging WebQuest for the workshop. First, the participants explored the nature of blogs in contrast to the mainstream media. We used the conflict in the Middle East as the content. Second, they looked at current uses of blogs in education and categorized their use. It worked well, providing a conceptual understanding while utilizing the technology being examined (they had to post to a blog as well).

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Evil Blackboard?

2006-08-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

evil_blackboard_medium
Originally uploaded by bertbrat1808.

Someone posted a Flickr account with some images that reflect the BlackBoard's new patent on all learning management systems (see last post). For different sizes and a different version, go to Flickr.

Moodle - I Spoke Too Soon

2006-08-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

It looks like I spoke too soon.

The ever-brilliant US Patent and Trademark Office has apparently granted Blackboard a patent for...well...pretty much anything remotely related to learning management systems. (e-Literate: Blackboard Patents the LMS)

With dozens of learning management systems, both commercial and open source, out there, I wonder how far Blackboard will go. Can they stop an open source movement like Moodle which has legs that stretch far beyond Moodle.org.

My pessimistic, people-suck side (as a history teacher, I've seen a number of instances throughout the ages where people haven't always done the "right" thing) thinks that Net Neutrality, DOPA, and now this will really change this place called the Internet. I hope I don't look back at 2006 as a time with great potential that was crushed by corporate interests and government regulations supporting corporate interests.

Who is listening to the people these days?

technorati tags:dopa, moodle, blackboard, web2.0, patent

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Great Quote

2006-07-31T00:06:00.000-07:00

"The secret, I don't know... I guess you've just gotta find something you love to do and then... do it for the rest of your life. For me, it's going to Rushmore." (from the Bill Murray movie, Rushmore).

Well, maybe not great. It might be one you want to avoid if you are a best man giving a toast at a wedding.

No kidding.

Free eBooks

2006-07-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

1000's of free eBooks at the Worldbookfair.com in celebration of Project Gutenberg's 35th birthday. It is sponsored by Project Gutenberg , World eBook Library Consortia, DPP Store , Baen Books, QOOP, and Ask.com.

I just downloaded a few dozen "classics" - looks like many of the books are in the public domain.

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Identity Crisis

2006-07-28T23:03:00.000-07:00

When I first started this blog almost two years ago, I really didn't know what I was doing. I figured I would post a couple entries and never go back to it. While I haven't been the most active blogger, I am up to 160 posts. I've hit topics about my students, classroom management, technology projects, union issues, and random stories about my kids. While I haven't publized this blog (it is not linked from my homepage), I have posted my name and a simple search turns it up. I never wanted to be too specific about students or co-workers. No doubt some of my students have found it, but only one ever made a passing reference to it - so far. I understand the desire for some not to reveal their name (and have at times wished I could be more blunt), but that just wasn't for me.

With the evolution of this blog I have decided that I need some sort of name change. I am still a history teacher, but I am also an educational technologist. Now that my district's labor issues have been resolved, I see myself writing more and more about technology integration into the classroom. All the other topics are still far game, but this is the direction I have been going.

So far I have come up with:

a technology-using history teacher
a history teacher and an educational technologist

OK, so the my choices aren't great. Any suggestions?

I'm also hoping to do switch over to wordpress once I figure this name thing out.

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Why Moodle Matters Even More

2006-07-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

With the passage of HR5319, the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), by the House and probable passage by the Senate, it looks like the federal government will do its best to try and regulate emerging technologies. In a nutshell, this bill will require schools and libraries to block social networking sites or risk losing federal money.

Like many things the federal government has done in the last few years, the fear factor is central. We must fight those online predators - where ever they are hiding. As a father, I agree it is a bit scary. I also know my kids will go to a park without my wife or myself sometime in the future (they are 3 and 5 now). We have been teaching them not to talk to strangers since they could talk so they will be able to explore the world a bit without mommy and daddy (or Big Brother) looking over their shoulders. We now have more to teach our kids, don't talk to strangers at the park AND online. Simple. We can teach this lesson at home AND we can teach them at school.

As a blogger and a teacher who has used Web 2.0 apps with my students, I also know there is a big difference between what I have done with wikis and the students' personal use of MySpace. However, this bill could place both of those uses in the same category. Essentially DOPA outlines criteria for sites that should be blocked by schools and libraries, if it

1) is offered by a commercial entity 2) has online profiles 3) has journal or blogging features 4) elicits personal information and 5) enables communication among users. (from Firewheel Design).

In addition to MySpace, it looks like many forms of public Web 2.0 apps could be included - Blogger (Blogspot sites), wikis (PB Wiki, Wikispaces), Flickr, YouTube, and even Amazon. Pretty much everything new. In education we are already struggling to get cutting edge technology into the hands of students. Between lack of resources, lack of professional development, reluctant teachers, reluctant adminstrators, the massive emphasis on standards, and the test-driven educational system, integration of these new technologies already faces an uphill battle. Yet, most of our students are online often and the evolving American/global job market is placing a greater emphasis on technology and information management.

Who is teaching them how to act out there? DOPA doesn't include any measures to educate only to block access. Of course, most students probably chat and update their MySpace at home, so this measure is ineffective to begin with.

So that brings us to Moodle. It is not a commercial undertaking. It does have online profiles, blogging, asks for personal info, and enables communication among users. But, it does it in a closed network. It can be easily set to block access or, at least, block contributions from non-members. Students can learn responsible online behavior in the safety of a classroom. It is an amazing tool, but it also not the same as blogger or pbwiki or youtube.

Is this ideal? No. It is ridiculous that the legislators, whom are mostly digital immigrants - at best, are passing laws and judgement on technology without fully understanding the implications or consulting with actual librarians and teachers. If you missed Senator Steven's (the committee chair in charge of Internet regulation) comments on the Internet, you can view it here. Be afraid, very afraid. In the end, we still have the responsibility to try and prepare students for the real world. Today's real world includes social software and Web 2.0.

More information on DOPA can be found at:

DOPA Watch
What's Wrong With DOPA (From Cool Cat Teacher Blog)
The DOPA Wiki
Dopa Passes (From Will Richardson)

technorati tags:dopa, moodle, web2.0

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10 Years - Part 2

2006-07-24T22:48:00.000-07:00

Here are the final five years of my ten year teaching career.

Year 6: United States History and World History.

This year is a blur. Don't quite remember any details. This is when my love of United States history began to decline.

Year 7: World History and Humanities.
When I was in high school I did not have separate history and English classes, I had two-hour Humanities classes. An English teacher (who had attended the same high school) and I decided to do a similar program. We integrated the English and world history classes into a single class. We team taught the class - sometimes jamming 70 kids into one classroom. I loved having a chance to have the students for two hours at a time. We made a great team and had another great year. My second son was born at the end of the year.

Year 8: World History and Humanities.
Unfortunately, Humanities only filled a single block. That meant I had to have three other classes to fill out my load. For the first time, I took on an Applied Arts world history. This was a lower level class with a variety of students - some with legitimate learning disabilities, others as English language learners, and, to spice up the class, a decent chunk of behavior problems and lazy students. It was overall a tough year - my youngest didn't sleep through the night and someone in the house was sick for much of the year.

Year 9: United States History and World History.
My Humanities teaching partner left the school and I decided that I didn't want to try and bring another English teacher into the mix. For the first time, I tried taking on a 6/5 schedule - which meant no prep period (and more money). It nearly killed me. Second semester, I had a student teacher teach two of the world history classes. While I liked my U.S. History classes, especially the maturity difference between 10th and 11th graders, I really continued to connect more and more to world history.

Year 10: AP World History and World History.
Officially gave up United States History (except for summer school!). Took on AP World History. What a challenge. Probably the best teaching year of my career - right in the midst of a serious labor conflict and finishing my MA. Can't wait to repeat this schedule next year. A lot of new tricks up my sleeve.

Reflections, insights, suggestions for new teachers, etc.

It takes a few years to discover your comfort zone. Experiment, don't be afraid to be push the limit. If it doesn't work, make it work or do something different.
Classroom management is everything. If you don't have control, you won't get anywhere. However, you have to relax. Don't have too much control. A little (or a lot) of controlled chaos can go a long way and let your students relax as well.
Academically, be tough, but fair. Challenge them, don't beat them down.
Relax. Smile. Have fun. Laugh at your students - they are funny, even when they don't mean to be. Laugh with your students, especially when they make fun of you.
Be flexible. No lesson is more important then a teachable moment. How much of the Origins of Democratic Thought are they actually going to remember anyways. Let's not take ourselves too seriously now.
Change. Don't get stuck with stale curriculum. New lessons, projects, etc. will keep you invested in the curriculum - that investment will transfer to the students.
Don't take your students actions personally. They are young. They won't appreciate the time you put into a lesson or project. They won't say thank you (except for a few, of course). Sometimes they just don't care, its not you. It is the fact they are children and maybe human beings.
Read The World is Flat (yes I know some of his points are simplistic or a little off, but the gist of the book is very real) and then start teaching different. Use technology. Teach in a way that makes your students from your community have a chance in the global economy. Think how much different the world was ten years ago, how much different will be in ten more.
If you are a new teacher read Okay, rookie, we're gonna put you in by Ms. Cornelius over at a Shrewdness of Apes.
Break away from you being the absolute center of the class, even if you enjoy it. They are the center, you need to help guide (and sometimes shove) them in the right direction.

It has been a great ten years. My favorite number is 11, this one should be a good year.

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10 Years

2006-07-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

This year I celebrate two ten year anniversaries. The more important of the two, of course, is my marriage (which was on July 6th). My wife and I have been an amazing team, both supporting each other through two masters degrees, two kids, two home buying experiences, and a million other events. I could not imagine my life without her.

The second anniversary is teaching. In 1996, I received my teaching credential and was hired on at West Hills High School. It has been a long, and at times, strange trip, but overall it has been great. I would have never guessed my career would look like it does.

For my own sake, I have tried to recapture those ten years. It will come in two installments.

The First Five...

Year 1: Technology Fundamentals - 3/5's - taught one section on LCII Macs and two sections on 286 PCs - in 1996, I was teaching Word Perfect 5.1. The program I typed my reports on in 1984. Good times.

Year 2: Geography and Journalism. Hired into the social studies department - sort of. Actually, I was appointed. There were three positions, the department hired their two student teachers, I was hired by the principal. I found out a few years later that was sort of forced upon them. Great. I guess I worked out ok in the long run. This principal tried to micromanage the school, by year 4 the staff would drive her out.

Geography was far, far away from my ideal class. Freshmen. Enough said.

I had pursued photojournalism in college and almost went in that direction after I graduated from college. I was the third journalism teacher in three years, it was an interesting transition, especially because the teacher who it was taken away from two years before was in my department. Teaching this class helped me totally transition from that career choice. My first journalism class is one of my most memorable.

Year 3: World History and Journalism. I was desperate to get rid of geography. Didn't like the curriculum and I knew teaching freshmen would drive me from teaching. My major had been U.S. History, but world history was better then geography. Anything, but geography. In a modern world history class, I barely got to WWII. I remember the two days I taught about the Holocaust, were days that there were bomb threats at my school only a month after Columbine - almost a 50% absent rate. That year my journalism staff won all sorts of awards, was probably the peak of the paper at the school (to this day).

Year 4: World History and Journalism. Started working closely with my good friend Scott. We would spend the next two years collaborating on the world history curriculum. The foundation that we set in those two years still drive both of our curriculums. This year was an amazing journalism class. I had weeded out the deadweight, found funding for new computers, and really connected with the staff.

Year 5: United States History and World History.

I was planning on starting graduate school and starting a family so I gave up journalism - one of the toughest decisions of my career. In return I was able to get a section of U.S. History. When I decided to be a teacher, I envisioned myself teaching United States History - it was my major after all. I only had one section, but it was a great class. I threw myself into the curriculum and had a great year. My oldest son was born in December.

Years 6-10 coming soon...

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